Vol 9, No 3 (2020)

The paper presents an analysis of education internationalization as a leading direction in the development of higher education in the context of globalization. The author considers domestic and foreign theories of education internationalization, highlighting its political, economic, demographic and pedagogical aspects, which proves the multidimensional nature of this scientific and educational phenomenon. The need to strengthen Russia’s geopolitical influence in the world as well as strengthen the competitive advantages of Russian education actualizes research interest in the successful experience of foreign countries in the field of education internationalization and the possibility of its use in Russian universities. The scientific novelty and theoretical significance of the research lies in the substantiation and characterization of the scientific and methodological conditions for adapting the foreign experience of education internationalization. The author proves that scientific and methodological conditions for adapting foreign experience of education internationalization include theoretical and methodological conditions, organizational and methodological conditions, educational, methodological and psychological conditions. Comprehensive implementation of the identified conditions allows implementing of the international dimension in the educational, research and management activities of higher education institutions. The practical significance of the research is determined by the possibility of using the results obtained in the development of international activities of higher education institutions, in the integration of modern tools for higher education internationalization, taking into account Russian academic and scientific traditions.

The paper discusses possibilities and ways of studying concepts in teaching foreign languages to students-interpreters. The author notes that modern didactic research has interdisciplinary nature, analyzes the theory of the concept from the point of view of linguistics, cultural studies and psycholinguistics. The author also notes the fact of creation of linguo-conceptodidactics as a new scientific direction. The paper presents a linguodidactic understanding of the concept, analyzes its structure and semantic content. The author describes in detail the process of foreign language concepts acquisition and presents it as a sequence of several stages. The acquisition of foreign language concepts is associated with the development of concept competence. The paper notes that the acquisition of foreign language concepts should go in parallel with the acquisition of foreign language lexis. In addition, it is necessary to use authentic materials in teaching foreign languages that allows forming a conceptual picture of the world of native speakers. Acquisition of foreign language concepts is especially important for students-interpreters who study several foreign languages and are faced with the problem of translating foreign concepts and phenomena of foreign language reality. The paper presents how conceptuality can be realized in teaching foreign languages. The author gives a practical example of studying the English concept «Travel», offers examples of exercises and tasks for mastering it, as well as mnemonic techniques for memorizing lexemes that represent the concept. In the paper is stressed, that the concepts should be included in the content of foreign language teaching to students-interpreters. This contributes to the development of correct ideas about foreign language reality, understanding the facts of the native and foreign language culture, i.e. cultural reflection development.

The paper discusses a methodology for studying one of the most complex phenomena in the organic world – struggle for existence within the course «Theory of Evolution» at a pedagogical university. The study of information about the history of development and the formation of evolutionary concepts shows that the discovery of the factors of the organic world evolution is one of the outstanding achievements in the development of biology. In the 20^th century, scientific knowledge about the causes of the evolutionary process expanded and together with the material factors of evolution discovered by Charles Darwin stand out as follows: mutation process, dynamics of the number of organisms, isolation, migration, struggle for existence and natural selection. The modern level of «struggle for existence» theory development is based on achievements in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology and proves that this factor of evolution really exists. The developed methodology for studying this topic includes the content of the course program, a list of questions for study, recommendations for laboratory studies and independent observations in nature. Since the course is studied in the 5^th year, it relies on students’ knowledge from other biological courses as well as on the skills they develop. The course contains the use of elements of partial search and research methods (laboratory work, observations in nature) of teaching with options for conversation, comparison of different points of view, etc. The proposed variant of studying the «Struggle for Existence» topic will contribute to the high-quality training of students – prospective teachers of biology.

This paper examines the peculiarities of teaching German as a second foreign language in a railway university. The analysis emphasizes the inefficiency of traditional methods and the success of the bilingual approach, which consists in a harmonious combination of methodological principles of teaching the first and second foreign languages. The authors carry out a theoretical analysis of the fundamental principles of teaching a second foreign language: a comparative approach, the principle of reliance on the first foreign and native languages, an autonomous approach, a cognitive principle. The paper deals with the issues related to interference and transfer in teaching a second foreign language. Project methods (simulation, presentation speech, Lapbook-technology) tested by the author in the learning process are offered as learning technologies, the use of which facilitates effective mastering of foreign language skills and abilities. The syllabus of the course «A Second Foreign language» developed by teachers of the Rostov State Transport University in accordance with the new edition of the Federal State Educational Standard is analyzed. The conclusion is made that this syllabus satisfies the requirements put forward by methodologists to the process of teaching a second foreign language. The analysis of the organization of the educational process with the use of textbooks and a fund of assessment tools prepared for the course is expected to be the subject of our further research.

The paper substantiates the importance of the implementation of personality-oriented education in higher education. The author reveals specifics of personality-oriented education at the university, an integral component of which is subjectivity. The author substantiates the legitimacy of extrapolating the ideas of personality-oriented education, the implementation of which is effective in a secondary school, to the university educational process and proposes the formulation of these ideas in relation to the university: the idea of recognizing a particular student’s personality value; development of the student’s personal experience; the ascent of the student to culture. The role of a university teacher in the implementation of personality-oriented education ideas in the process of interaction with students is revealed and the need to identify the value foundations of the university teacher’s orientation towards the implementation of such ideas is substantiated. The author considers that knowledge has a direct impact on human morality, the development of which is carried out through the choice of values and their subsequent appropriation by a person. The author also reveals the role of the teacher’s moral consciousness in understanding the value foundations of the orientation towards the implementation of personality-oriented education ideas. An example of determining the value foundations of personality-oriented education idea as the recognition of the value of a particular student’s personality is given and it is substantiated that this value basis is the value of «good». The author proves that it is possible to assess the implementation of personality-oriented education ideas according to moral criteria, in the role of which are the values that take on the meaning as values «for oneself» and «for another», the concepts of morality «good», «duty», «mercy», «justice», «honor». It is substantiated that the axiological space of the university filled with values, the meaning of which is acquired by the concepts of morality, can become a means of teacher’s orientation towards the implementation of personality-oriented education ideas.

This paper substantiates the importance of prospective teacher’s moral culture development. The author argues the values realized in the value-orientational activity of the teacher as moral guidelines that indicate the path of spiritual renewal of society. The author shows the relationship between the value-orientational activity of the teacher and his or her moral culture. It is stated that a value-based role-playing game is an effective method of prospective teacher’s moral culture development. The author finds similarities and differences between a value-based role-playing game and an ethical dialogue. The paper also contains the differences between spontaneous classroom pedagogical situations with value content and specially prepared and played out value-based role-playing games according to a specially prepared scenario. There are some examples of spontaneous and specially prepared value-based role-playing games in this paper. The author substantiates the importance of value-based role-playing games for prospective teacher understanding of his or her purpose in life in general and in prospective professional activities in particular, as well as in the search for moral life and pedagogical guidelines. The author provides evidence that in the process of participation in value-based role-playing games prospective teachers, mastering the knowledge about the moral guidelines of the value-orientational activity of the teacher, extract new ideas, which are subsequently transformed into principles that become the foundations of ethical and pedagogical activity. The purpose of a value-based role-playing game as a method of prospective teacher’s moral culture development is revealed: a value-based role-playing game allows to organize the interaction of students with values that clarify the meaning of pedagogical activity, life and the teacher’s purpose in life.

The paper presents data on environmental quality assessment of the state of Siberian spruce needles (Picea obovata) in Kirovsk, Murmansk Region for the period – autumn 2019. It is confirmed that the methods of bioindication of the environment using coniferous plants are based primarily on the study of their morphological and structural changes. It was found that the condition of Siberian spruce needles in the study area (Kirovsk, Murmansk Region) is assessed as satisfactory. The average percentage of the area of damaged plants at different sampling points ranges from 1,96 to 2,4%. With the height of the tree, the needles become more susceptible to drying out, which may be due to an increase in the age (aging) of shoots and needles, as well as the action of abiotic factors (wind, precipitation). The dependence of the average percentage of damage on height was not revealed. The main conclusion is that the state of the environment in Kirovsk, Murmansk Region is rated as «good». Indicators for assessing the state of the environment in the study areas differ slightly. The obtained data can be used for monitoring the environment of various districts of the Murmansk Region and other areas of Northern latitudes, for making a plan of environmental measures and environmental monitoring of various industrial enterprises of the Murmansk Region.

This paper presents materials on the ecology and faunistic composition of four species of Hymenoptera: Urocerus gigas L., 1758; Vespula vulgaris L., 1758; Bombus polaris Curtis, 1835; Bombus hyperboreus Schonherr, 1809. Their number was calculated for 2017–2019, data on population density, seasonal activity and forage plants of Hymenoptera adults in the tundra and forest-tundra of Yenisei Siberia are presented. As a result of calculating in both natural conditions, numerous species are true wasps and bumblebees and the large horntail is a rare species and was recorded only in the forest-tundra. When studying the food base of the studied species, it was noted that Vespula vulgaris was most often found on the forest bellap Anthriscus sylvestris L., in thickets of willow shrubs, Salix polaris Wahlenb. Adult insects Urocerus gigas were found mainly on Siberian larch Larix sibirica L. and alder forest Alnus fruticosa Rupr. Individuals of Bombus polaris and Bombus hyperboreus were recorded on horned dandelion Taraxacum ceratophorum L., narrow-leaved fireweed Chamerion angustifolium L., common tansy Tanacetum vulgare L.

The paper deals with the study of the radiation state of the soil and herbaceous vegetation represented by perennial grasses (Poa pratensis, Calamagrostis epigejos, Rubus saxatilis, Carex acuta, Phleum pratense) in the south of the Tyumen Region. The content and distribution of natural radionuclides in soil and herbaceous vegetation was studied in the Nizhnetavdinsky District of the Tyumen Region at the site of an underground nuclear explosion. Sampling and laboratory tests were carried out according to generally accepted methods. Soil samples were taken at the epicenter of the explosion and at the cardinal directions. Layer-by-layer sampling allowed us to study the vertical distribution of radionuclides in the soil profile. Sampling of perennial grasses was carried out at the same sampling points. Radiation studies of soil and vegetation samples were carried out on the Progress-2000 spectrometric complex. The authors have revealed specific activity of natural radionuclides (K-40, Th-232 and Ra-226) in the profile of grey forest soil in the Nizhnetavdinsky District. They have calculated effective specific activity of radionuclides in the soil. The comparative analysis of the obtained results with the data on administrative areas in the south of the Tyumen Region showed that in the soil of the Nizhnetavdinsky District specific activity of natural radionuclides is higher than in the South region in general. The specific activity of natural radionuclides in perennial grasses of the Nizhnetavdinsky District was determined, and the coefficient of accumulation of radionuclides was calculated.

The paper presents the history of discovery and distribution of Iris aphilla L., listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (status 2 category) in the Batyrevsky area of the State Nature Reserve «Prisursky». It has been reported that the steppe biogeocoenosis, which was severely beaten out by cattle, is being reanimated and restored after 3–5 years after the establishment of the reserve regime. The results of phenological observations of the beginning of blooming of I. aphilla L. from 2004 to the present time (n = 17) are summarized. According to observations from 2004 to 2020, the early dates of the blooming phase of I. aphilla L. in the Batyrevsky population were noted in 2009, 2010, 2016 (May 14), 2019 (May 12), 2020 (May 10), and later in 2017 (May 23), 2011 (May 26), 2004 (May 28). The average date when the phenophase blooms is on May 17–18 (or ≈56–59 days from the vernal equinox). The influence of abnormally cold weather in the pre-winter period 2009–2010 on the population of I. aphilla L. has been analyzed. The results of this analysis suggest that the ecological scale of D.N. Tsyganov for this species should be extended by the parameter of cryothermal resistance from Cr 7–12 to Cr 1–12 for the northernmost Batyrevskaya population of the specified iris.

For a little more than a century, researchers have been studying the fauna of caddisflies of streams and lakes of the Ergaki Natural Park. The paper provides a brief overview of studies of the caddisfly fauna in the upper part of the Oya and Us rivers basin. Caddisflies were collected in the Ergaki Natural Park (Western Sayan) in the 2015 using different methods. Altogether, collections were made at 13 sampling sites in the springs, streams and lakes. A total of 17 species belonging to 14 genera and 7 families were collected. Oligotricha lapponica (Hagen, 1864) and Lenarchus sp. are new to the caddisfly fauna of Western Sayan. Five species, Rhyacophila kaltatica Levanidova, Schmid, 1977; R. retracta Martynov, 1914; O. lapponica; Molanna angustata Curtis, 1834 and Lenarchus sp. are added to the list of Trichoptera from Ergaki Natural Park which now comprises 66 species. The highest species richness was recorded for the Bolshoye Lake. For the first time, caddisflies have been listed for lakes Tushkanchik and Nizhnee Buibinskoe, one and three species, respectively. In the Nizhnyaya Buiba River and its tributaries, 8 species of caddisflies were found.

This paper presents the results of observations on the state of two bird species’ populations listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation – Recurvirostra avosetta L., Larus ichthyaetus Pall. The populations of these species in the State Natural Reserve «Tryochozyorki Tract» have been studied by the authors for 8 years. The wetland is a key ornithological area of international importance. The paper presents information obtained in 2020, which has been compared with the information received in 2013–2018 which was published. For R. avosetta L. the maximum number of breeding pairs (127) and the maximum value of the average clutch size (3,6) were noted for the entire observation period. The reproduction of R. avosetta L. started earlier than in previous years. For L. ichthyaetus L. a relatively high number (no less than 280–300 pairs) and also the maximum value of the clutch size (3,0) were noted, the breeding time of the species turned out to be typical for this territory. The analysis showed a favorable state of the populations of these species. The previously stated assumption about the relationship of the studied indicators of the nesting biology of these species with the level of water content of the territory was further confirmed.

This study evaluates the development of Crataegus maximowiczii when introduced to the Kola Peninsula. The paper presents the timing of the onset of phenological phases, morphometric indicators of inflorescences and flowers, fruits, features of seed reproduction. C. maximowiczii is a plant with an early onset and short growing season. C. maximowiczii has a short shoot growth period, a short prefloral period, annual flowering and fruiting. The studied specimens of C. maximowiczii plants were characterized by heterogeneous morphometric parameters of flowers and inflorescences. Specimens with a denser inflorescence are characterized by a greater number of flowers per inflorescence, specimens with small flower sizes form medium-sized inflorescences. The species specificity factor affects the morphometric characteristics of inflorescences. Fruiting indicators largely depended on external conditions, among which temperature and relative humidity of the air have little effect. Plants of C. maximowiczii, when introduced to the Kola Peninsula, can be classified as small-fruited. The highest germination capacity is possessed by the samples with average values of mass, which have undergone combined pre-sowing preparation. The relative humidity of the air during the growing season has a greater effect than the temperature regime on the values of the mass of seeds for a given species under conditions of introduction.

The paper deals with the study of species composition and small mammals population structure of «Malaya Sosva» (Little Sosva) state nature reserve, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, Russia. The research was conducted within the last ten days of June, 2019 on the Malaya Sosva River flood plain (Shukhtungort ranger station neighborhood, northern taiga). The animals were registered in typical biotopes of the research area: a herb-oxalis pinery, a lingonberry-lidum pinery, a lingonberry-pleurocarpous moss pinery, a herb-oxalis spruce forest, a herb-woodreed pinery, on the skirts of a mixed forest around the ranger station on the border of a mowed secondary meadow. In the course of investigation, the following five species of small rodents and insectivores were registered: Myodes rutilus, Myodes rufocanus, Sorex caecutiens, Talpa europaea, Pteromys volans. M. rutilus was an absolute dominant species in terms of numbers in the majority of the studied biotopes. S. caecutiens is co-dominating in the herb-oxalis pinery and herb-oxalis spruce forest, and M. rufocanus is co-dominating in the lingonberry-lidum pinery. In the herb-woodreed pinery, only individuals of S. caecutiens species were caught in a pitfall trap. Communities of small mammals in different types of habitats show low values of species diversity and sustainability due to harsh natural-climatic conditions of the region. A small mammals community of mature herb-oxalis pinery on the bank of Svyatoy Sor Lake, where the protected species, Pteromys volans, was registered, shows the highest values of abundance of small mammals and a maximum level of overall welfare index. It suggests that the habitat under study should be studied further and protected.

The paper deals with the problem of restoring rare communities of meadow steppes after plowing using the example of the «Volga forest-steppe state nature reserve». The author has studied 9 uneven-age deposits in three forest-steppe protected areas: Kuncherovsky – 5, Poperechensky – 2 and Ostrovtsovsky – 2. The study of deposits of different ages was carried out by the method of periodic large-scale geobotanical mapping using modern GIS-technologies. Maps of vegetation of different scale (1:5000, 1:10000, 1:25000) have been created. Deposits areas that adjoined to the virgin steppe were studied by a method of geobotanical profiling. At the same time, profiles (out of 10–25 sample plots of 4 m² in size) were laid at a distance of 10 m from each other. About 500 geobotanical descriptions were made at 9 different-age deposits at different times. Restoration of meadow steppes is impossible without the introduction of elements of anthropogenic intervention (moderate grazing and regulated haying) into the existing protection regime. Restoration of the steppes in an absolutely protected mode is possible only on the slopes of the southern exposure in forest-steppe landscapes of erosion-denudation plains («Kuncherovskaya forest-steppe»).

The purpose of the study was to monitor the quality of drinking water supply in Samara. The quality of drinking water was evaluated in 7 districts of Samara on the basis of 20 sanitary-chemical indicators in accordance with health and safety norms and regulations (SanPiN 2.1.4.1074–01 2010–2013 and 2018–2019). A changed color of drinking water was mainly observed in the areas with water supply from the Saratov reservoir (53,5 ± 8,5% of samples). In the areas with underground water sources the dry residue and hardness of drinking water exceeded hygiene requirements by 100% and 87,5% of samples respectively. 64% of samples in 2010–2013 and 17,4% of samples in 2018–2019 were non-standard in terms of permanganate oxidation. Several samples didn’t meet the hygienic standard for iron content. Adverse changes in the temporal dynamics of the proportion of samples that didn’t meet the hygienic standard for the content of oil products were noted. The quality of some samples of drinking water in Samara did not meet sanitary requirements for some indicators. No significant differences were found between the average long-term values of sanitary and hygienic indicators for urban areas and the obtained data for drinking water in the new housing estate, which suggests that the condition of the water supply pipes doesn’t influence the composition of the drinking water in the yard or at home.

The Bolshoy Irgiz River is 375 km long and has a catchment area of 24 thousand km², including the Orenburg Region and the Samara Region. The flora contains 64 species of plants: 14 belong to the class of monocotyledons (Liliopsida) and 48 belong to the class of dicotyledons (Magnoliopsida), the most numerous families by the number of species are Lamiaceae (5), Cyperaceae (5), Potamogetonaceae (5), Polygonaceae (4), Poaceae (4). The ecological spectrum of the flora is represented by hydrophytes (20 species), helophytes (8), hygrohelophytes (5), hygrophytes (19) and mesophytes (12). These are mainly broad-area species of the Eurasian (23), Holarctic (23) and pluriregional (11) ranges. There are only 7 species of plants with narrow range borders. In economic terms the flora consists of 28 species of medicinal plants, as well as forage (23), tanning (15), food (14), dye (13), honey (12), ornamental (11) and poisonous (8) plants. Vegetation is represented by 17 formations and is represented by the coastal-aquatic vegetation type and two subtypes: coastal and aquatic vegetation. The first subtype contains formations: Phragmiteta australis, Typheta angustifolitae, Scirpeta lacustris, Sagittarieta sagittifoliae, Persicarieta amphibii, Alismateta plantago-aquaticae. The second subtype contains: Nymphaeeta candidae, Nuphareta luteae, Potameta lucentis, Potameta perfoliati, Potameta crispus, Lemneta minori, Salvinieta natantis, Hydrocharieta morsus-ranae, Spirodeleta polyrhizi, Lemneta trisulcae, Ceratophylleta demersi. Coastal plant communities are characterized by a 2–3-tier structure, a high degree of projective coverage, and a relatively high abundance of species (from 15 to 26). Water phytocoenoses are poor in species composition, have a spotty character of overgrowth and 1–2 tiered structure. The Irgiz Floodplain nature monument requires compliance with the stipulated protection measures in order to preserve the habitat of rare plant populations – Nuhar luteum L., Nymphaea candida J. et C. Presl., Salvinia natans L. (All.), Cicuta virosa L., Najas major All. Descriptions of phytocenoses were carried out according to the generally accepted method of geobotanical research in the summer of 2018, while tiering, abundance, projective cover and vitality were noted as well as all species included in plant communities were registered.

This paper analyzes the current state of landscaping in Ishim. The data on the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of woody plants have been obtained for the first time; the assessment of trees and shrubs state is based on the analysis of the vitality index. A database of green plants within 21 objects in Ishim was created and analyzed. The paper also contains data on the species diversity of trees and shrubs in Ishim. It turned out that the objects under study have trees and shrubs placed in special dividing strips, linearly, in rows or in small compact groups, less often they are planted singly. The species composition is represented by 47 species from 28 genera, 16 families and 2 divisions. The biomorphological structure is represented by trees (25, or 53% of species) and shrubs (22, or 47% of species). The total composition of tree and shrub plantations, determined by the number of trunks (bushes) and the percentage of woody plants, is 2854; the composition of the preserved ones is 2 815 (99%) pieces; the ones assigned for removal are 39 (1%) pcs. The vitality index shows that among 85% of the studied objects of the town at the time of the survey were «healthy», among 10% of the objects they were qualified as «damaged», among 5% of them were «severely damaged». Based on the results of examining crowns and trunks of woody plants, signs of diseases and pests, a plan of measures for the treatment, restoration and preservation of woody plants was drawn up and recommendations were given for caring, sanitary felling and removal of single specimens.

Abnormal environmental factors contribute to advanced behavioral strategies in higher regulatory centers as well as to the assessment of possible morphofunctional and energy transformations in the body. Animals, especially birds, which are characterized by curiosity, are highly sensitive to the presence of environmental pollution, since they interact with elements of the environment and surroundings. Contamination of broiler products can also be caused by contaminated soil and dust, unknown sources of persistent heavy metals and organic pollutants that are unknown to the public, such as car wreckage, household waste, and so on. In general, adverse factors that regularly affect small details do not require significant changes in the body at the initial stage, mainly affect non-specific mechanisms that lead to long-term activation. The paper contains significant work based on the analysis of microbiogenic links in the trophic chain, but the formation of processes associated with metabolic disorders from the development of trace elements to clinical manifestations is still insufficiently studied, so it is difficult to diagnose and treat previously unknown animal diseases in veterinary practice.

This paper presents the inventory results of bird species diversity in the area of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam. The territory covers the mountainous area of the National Park «Shushensky Bor», urban-type settlement Cheryomushki and its surroundings, including a section of the Sayano-Shushensky reservoir in the upper head water of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam and the Yenisei channel below the dam. A list of 216 species has been compiled, for 195 there is reliable confirmation of their habitat. The share of migratory-nesting species is 41%, sedentary – 14%, migratory species – about 31%, wintering and partially wintering – 34%. Three species of waterfowl spend winter in the non-freezing areas of the reservoir. Within various high-altitude complexes 10 types of habitats have been identified, where on the basis of quantitative surveys numerous and common bird species have been identified. The maximum species richness was observed for the ornithocoenosis of the floodplain-valley complex. A cluster analysis of the lists of bird species for the selected habitats has been carried out. The analysis showed a high β-diversity along the gradient of heights: forest communities of different altitude levels are similar in species lists by no more than 45%, intrazonal and alpine habitats have unique sets of species and are similar to the others by 2–9%. The lists of birds in subalpine meadows and high-mountain tundras were found to be identical. In winter there is a high correlation of the bird population between the floodplain-valley complex and anthropogenically disturbed territories. Three bird species were found outside the main range and 5 species within the main range, but not previously noted in this area by other researchers.

The paper presents technical and typological characteristics of stone artifacts, which were collected on the III above-floodplain terrace of the Shakhpakatasai valley on the northern coast of the Mangystau peninsula, south of Sarytash Bay, in the area of the underground mosque – Shakpakata. It was these artifacts that served as the basis for A.G. Medoev’s identification of Levallois-Achel cultures 1 and 2. These concepts are widely used in generalizing works on the Paleolithic of Kazakhstan, although the materials remained unprocessed and unpublished due to the untimely death of the researcher. In 2018–2020 the authors conducted field and office work to localize collection points of 1966–1969, to process and describe collections, and attempted to interpret them. The artifacts lay on the surface of the third above-floodplain terrace of the through-valley Shakhpakatasai uncovered and unredeposited. In the sides of the valley thick layers of flint nodules are exposed, which served as an inexhaustible source of raw materials for making tools at different stages of the Stone Age. According to the degree of surface deflation the artifacts are subdivided into three series. Of particular interest are moderately deflated artifacts, including a significant number of bifaces and bifacial tools, which makes it possible to raise the question of including the early series of artifacts from Shakpakata workshop sites in the framework of the «Eastern Micoquien».

The paper discusses the development of Samara’s urban space in the focus of the planning structure of the city and its territorial growth. The stages of development of the urban landscape from the moment of the city’s foundation to the beginning of the XX century are studied. During this time, Samara has gone from a small fortress with narrow functionality to a large commercial and industrial administrative center. Its functioning required a special organization of urban space. The historical planning structure was chaotic, which, combined with mass wood construction, led to regular devastating fires and hampered the development of the city. A turning point in the development of the urban area of the regional centers of the Middle Volga region should be considered the appearance of master plans with regular construction, which ordered the urban space. The city went beyond the boundaries of the plan as the urban population grew, and the city authorities could not always cope with the situation, so chaotic buildings continued to grow on the periphery of the city. The analysis of the problems of architectural development of the city showed that eclecticism and Art Nouveau had the greatest impact on the urban landscape.

This paper compares the mental map of the Kazakh nomads and representational mappings of Russian surveyors. This comparison makes it possible to identify several categories of place-names, which had been heavily used both by nomads and Russian topographers. In spite of the fact that in many cases these place-names varied little concerning the expression, they usually included a number of key differences concerning the content. Such a situation caused series of mental conflicts, which under certain circumstances could escalate into the arm clashes. One of the conclusions in this paper is that the narratives resulted from colonial knowledge were insensitive to the signifieds that were central to the nomadic existence. In contrast, the benchmarks of representational topography had immediately identified the categories, by which the nomads linked their mental map to the steppe. These categories included «isolated terrain features» (urochishcha), «routes», and «boundaries». The paper provides an analysis of the structure relevant to each of these concepts and reveals significant differences in their values for the representatives of nomadic and sedentary civilizations. The paper contains a few examples that illustrate how these differences could lead to conflicts between Kazakh nomads and Russian sedentary settlers.

The Eurasian movement included a large number of intellectuals – representatives of the Russian emigration. Not all of them shared the ideology of the new movement, some were in its ranks accidentally and later disavowed Eurasianism. A.V. Kartashev, S.L. Frank, P.M. Bitsilli had a status of invited specialists and could not be attributed to Eurasianism. The issue about the membership of the movement and the legitimacy of attributing the texts of a particular author to the Eurasian ones is relevant. We deal with the works of Ya.A. Bromberg, devoted to the Jewish question. He said that the impetus for writing them was the articles by L.P. Karsavin and A.Z. Steinberg published in the weekly magazine «Versty». Ya.A. Bromberg’s methodology was completely based on the policy that appeared in previous works of Eurasian authors, especially P.N. Savitskiy, N.S. Trubetzkoy and L.P. Karsavin. He considered that the position of Jewry at the junction of Poland and Russia obliged to understand the religious, cultural and political position to the East and West. The main meaning of the works by Ya.A. Bromberg was the critics of Western movements in the area of Eastern Jewry and acceptance of its «Eurasian» future as the only possible one.

The study examines the development of the most important branch of agriculture and livestock farming on the eve of the great Patriotic war of 1941–1945. The work provides the most important indicators of the livestock development in the USSR as a whole and in the Ural Region in particular after the beginning of agricultural production reconstruction in the Soviet Union on an industrial basis. The authors analyze the reasons that influenced the dynamics of the agricultural livestock sector development in the country after the beginning of collectivization in the Soviet village. The paper contains the facts of the negative impact of the first steps that the leaders of the country and the Ural regions made during the transition to industrial methods of livestock farming. The paper also considers the ways of the identified shortcomings and excesses elimination in the agricultural policy in the 20s–30s of the XX century. The paper provides clear evidence that, despite the most serious mistakes in planning the development of the industry in conditions when the bulk of commercial livestock products gradually began to be produced by large collective and state agricultural enterprises rather than by small farms, the state’s efforts to improve the efficiency of the industry yielded positive results. Compared with previous periods, the marketability of agricultural production in general and the livestock industry in particular significantly increased. For example, in comparison with the pre-revolutionary period, the marketability of meat had risen from 42% to 67% by 1940 as well as the amount of meat produced in the country had increased from 2,4 million tons in the late 20s to 4,2 million tons by 1940. At the same time, the Ural economic area during the period under review, contrary to many established stereotypes, was one of the largest livestock areas in the USSR. In the Soviet Union the share of livestock in agricultural production reached 25,4% while in the Urals it was 28,4%.

The paper touches upon such a relevant topic as alcohol in the Bashkirs’ value system. The history of alcohol in the life of a traditional Bashkir society shows that they were previously uncharacteristic of drinking strong alcoholic beverages; in addition, it was condemned by the public, elders, representatives of a religious cult, etc. Traditional Bashkir drinks were koumiss, buza, ayran, katyk, less commonly – mead. The study conducted in 1913 on the spread of alcoholism among the rural population of the Ufa province showed that the population of the Mohammedan, including Bashkir, villages had practically no alcoholism. However, with the decomposition of the traditional social system of the Bashkirs, strengthening of commodity-money relations, development of capitalism and urban culture, the alcoholization of the Bashkir population intensified. This process also continued under the secular system; in the middle of the twentieth century alcohol abuse in certain circles was a legacy of the front-line subculture, as well as the introduction of Soviet civilian rituals into the life of the Bashkirs. The paper presents the results of an ethno sociological study conducted by us in 2018–2019 among the Bashkir population. It turned out that almost half of the respondents drink alcohol from time to time or during the holidays; more than 35% indicated that they did not drink at all. These data are almost identical to those obtained in a similar study conducted among the Bashkirs in the mid-1980s. The comparison of the materials obtained on the subject of this study in other Russian regions and in the whole country is also consistent with the data on the Bashkirs and shows that the problem of alcoholization of the Russian population is currently very acute. The materials that we received can be used for further research of the transformation processes of Bashkir society, for the preparation of practical recommendations for state authorities, scientific, educational institutions, public organizations, etc.