Moscow Suburbs Research Articles

Foreign migrants in the Moscow agglomeration: spatial and temporal analysis based on data from mobile operators

The article analyzes the modern ethnic landscape of the Moscow agglomeration on the basis of data from mobile operators. The estimation of the number of foreign migrants and its monthly dynamics from October 2021 to October 2022 is made. The main areas of residence of foreigners have been identified, the ethnic diversity of municipalities has been assessed, and the main types of settlement pattern of national-ethnic communities have been identified. The study showed that the total number of foreign migrants in the agglomeration reaches 1.8 million people or 9% of the total population, remaining almost unchanged in spite of events of 2022, including the special military operation. The share of foreigners is minimal in ZATO (below 3%), it is also insignificant in the far suburbs of Moscow and in expensive districts of the capital city. At the same time, the threshold of 17% (the so-called “boiling point”, reflecting a sharp increase in the risks of interethnic conflicts and ghettoization of urban space) was overcome by 8 municipalities in the agglomeration. The two most noticeable areas of increased concentration of foreign migrants are identified in the south-east at the junction of Moscow and Moscow region (Lublino – Kotelniki) and in New Moscow (Mosrentgen – Sosenskoye). The calculation of the Ekkel ethnic mosaic index confirmed the presence of pronounced interethnic contact zones here. Increased index values were also noted in most central and southwest districts of Moscow, which, with a smaller proportion of foreigners living, are associated with a high density of offices, diplomatic institutions and universities. Three types of settlement patterns of national-ethnic groups of migrants, determined by the adaptive capabilities of ethnic communities, were revealed. Diffuse and relatively uniform settlement pattern is characteristic for both the most massive ethnic groups (citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan) and the most culturally close to the local population (citizens of Ukraine and Belarus). Concentric settlement pattern (in residential areas of Moscow and satellite cities) is typical for relatively large ethnic groups coming from post-Soviet countries (citizens of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia). The local settlement pattern is typical for small ethnic communities that gravitate to specific districts of the capital city.

STABILITY OF ROAD ROUTES IN THE MOSCOW UYEZD IN THE 17TH - FIRST THIRD OF THE 18TH CENTURY

The article examines a little-studied problem in the period of formation of the system of overland roads in the central part of the Russian state. The purpose of the study is to find out how stable were the road routes in the southern (Zaretskaya) part of the Moscow uyezd in the 17th and the first third of the 18th century. This choice is explained by the fact that the roads in the southern part of the uyezd, separated from its northern (Zamoskovnaya) part by the Moskva river, were a unified complex of communications. The research was based on the cadasters of 1627-1629, Moscow uyezd’s maps of the second half of the 17th century, as well as land surveyor’s plans in the 1720s from the map collection of J.-N. Delisle. The study included identification of settlements indicated on the early 18th-century maps and plans of the second half of the 17th century, a comparison of identified settlements, and search for settlements from the cadasters of 1627-1629 on the basis of comparisons of maps and plans (in some cases, the settlements in the cadasters have references to roads that serve as landmarks). The author concludes that five major roads in southern Moscow suburbs, New Mozhaisk, Zvenigorod, Borovsk, Kashira and Kamensk roads, were formed up to the mid-17th century and kept their importance throughout the 18th century. They were postal highways, “federal highways” of that time. It is impossible to draw a conclusion about the route stability of country roads on the basis of the analyzed sources. The data of cadasters of 1627-1629 allows to confirm that at least three out of five roads (Borovsk, Kamensk and Kashira) existed not only in the second, but also in the first half of the 17th century. The absence of the Zvenigorod road in the Zaretskaya part of the uyezd in the cadasters does not mean that it did not exist in the first third of the17th century. Most likely the scribe simply did not indicate it as a landmark.

Kilometer 101 by Maxim Osipov

Reviewed by: Kilometer 101 by Maxim Osipov Robert Allen Papinchak MAXIM OSIPOV Kilometer 101 Ed. Boris Dralyuk. Trans. Boris Dralyuk, Nicolas Pasternak Slater & Alex Fleming. New York. New York Review Books Classics. 2022. 296 pages. MAXIM OSIPOV'S stunning second collection of six short stories and four essays, Kilometer 101, follows his scintillating Rock, Paper, Scissors and Other Stories. The title refers to the inauspicious demarcation line for former convicts who are only allowed to live one hundred kilometers from Moscow, usually in small country towns. There, they can continue previous occupations or professions but under the painful psychological endurance of isolation, discrimination, and arresting memories of prior identities and earlier lives. Cardiologist Osipov knows the circumstances well. His great-grandfather, a physician, was imprisoned as part of the fabricated conspiratorial Doctors' Plot (1951-53). The government attack was primarily against Jewish doctors from Moscow. On his release, Osipov's ancestor chose to live in Tarusa, which Osipov also chose, practicing there until finally immigrating to Germany to escape complicit involvement with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The brief opening, "Sventa: In Lieu of a Foreword," dedicated in memory of his parents, establishes the prominent, recurring themes of remembrance and home. During a book launch in Zarasai, Lithuania, Osipov recognizes everything. Things loved and lost generate melancholy reminiscences. He recalls an adolescent "maritime adventure" during a summer visit with a classmate. A two-story stone house and a "wooden, dilapidated bathhouse" that no longer exist. Two hundred thousand Lithuanian Jews buried in "shabby and sickly" forest ravines. Sventa, itself in Latvia, was a childhood side trip for picking blueberries and mushrooms. The six successive short stories underscore the varieties and consequences of exile (physical and emotional) and the enduring nature of compassion amidst emigration and death. In "Little Lord Fauntleroy," an empathetic visiting cardiologist in a Moscow suburb, which is "neither one thing nor the other," is accused of illegal organ transplantation. The lengthy, leisurely "Pieces on a Plane" details reflections of a translator on the death of his father in a country where patronyms determine identity. In "Cape Cod," a character who changes his surname feels parental responsibility and questions the "need [of] a homeland for something . . . But what?" Emigration becomes a "disaster, a mental illness." The brutal irony of the American Dream is that while avoiding Russian conscription, his son enters West Point to learn how to kill people. A psychiatrist in "Luxemburg" recounts the anti-Semitic vandalism and persecution a former schoolmate encounters in a small town after he retreats there and discovers the "life experience we gained in the Soviet Union prepared us only for life in the Soviet Union." A "chatty . . . unlicensed cabbie" extols "Big Opportunities" to a passenger seeking escape to freedom. In "The Whilst," a scholar in ancient languages and [End Page 83] cultures becomes attuned to the "separate and rather painful question . . . [of] the extended sleep of emigration." The four autobiographical essays ("My Native Land"; "A Sin to Complain"; "A Non-Easter Joy"; "The Children of Dzhankoy") reiterate the struggles exposed in the short fictions. Osipov lists positive and negative philosophical impressions of the "provincial life" as the resident physician in N. The bottom line is "Wherever you go, everything's the same. It's easy to see why we have such miserable lives and such a wonderful literature." Throughout—in fiction or nonfiction—Osipov deftly combines illuminating insights of modern Russia with the poignancies of emigrating. Robert Allen Papinchak Valley Village, California Copyright © 2023 World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Ecological study of alfalfa varieties of different geographical origin in the south of the Central Russian upland

The research was conducted to study the fodder and seed productivity of alfalfa varieties, alfalfa sowing and yellow alfalfa of different geographical origin in the potential range of harmful viral phytoplasma infections («witch’s broom alfalfa») in the southern Middle Russian uplands and to identify the most productive and resistant varieties for further breeding. Seventeen alfalfa varieties were studied in seed and fodder use. We evaluated varieties and breeding patterns of the Middle Urals (Sarga, Victoria, 193-95 d, 20-89 N, Vela x Sarga), Moscow suburbs breeding (Nakhodka, Vega 87), breeding of the Central Black Earth region (Belgorod 86, Krasnoyaruzhskaya 1, Krasnoyaruzhskaya 2, Pavlovskaya 7), Canada (Dakota), Germany (Verko, Plato), France (Luzelle, Galaxy), Saratov region (Artemida). Under the conditions of the southern Srednerusskaya Upland, varieties and variety samples of the Ural breeding have the most stable seed yield - on average over 3 years of research at the level of 76,3...84,2 g/m2. In terms of total dry matter yield over a three-year period they are not inferior to domestic and imported varieties, the most widely distributed in the Central Black Earth Region (CCR), and allow for an average three-year yield of 516,8 ... 537,9 g/m2 dry matter. Among the varieties of hybrid alfalfa and sowing alfalfa, varieties of European selection are most susceptible to virus-phytoplasma infections (VPL) - the prevalence of VPL on average for three years is 12,1...16,3 %. In this group of varieties, varieties of heterohybrid cultivars and breeding samples of Ural alfalfa variegated varieties are least affected - the incidence of VPL averaged over three years is 3,3...4,5 %. The lowest incidence of VPL was found in the alfalfa yellow variety Pavlovskaya 7, with an average incidence of 1,6 % over three years. In order to increase alfalfa seed production and its resistance to VPL in the south of the Srednerusskaya Upland, the Ural varieties and selection samples Sarga, Victoria, 193-95 d, 20-89 H, Vela x Sarga and the yellow alfalfa variety Pavlovskaya 7 should be used in breeding work.

To the study of the elm dying problem in Moscow and Moscow suburbs

To the study of the elm dying problem in Moscow and Moscow suburbs

Biogeochemistry of Agrolandscapes of Eastern Moscow Suburbs after Using Sewage Sludge as Fertilizers

Sewage sludge that was added to sod–podzolic sandy loam soils 28 years ago determines an increased content and mobility of Zn, Cd, Cu, and Ni compounds and this is most typical for Cd and Zn. Arable soil horizons are most severely polluted, which indicates a low migration rate of heavy metal compounds. The latter are slightly removed from soils by intrasoil flow. This is determined by their chemical properties: low solubility of their compounds and adsorption by mineral and organic soil components, as well as neutral pH values of the soils themselves. Plants grown on contaminated soils are characterized by an increased concentration of heavy metals, which varies from 5 to 7 times, depending on the species of plants and their ability to accumulate heavy metals.

Economic Analysis of “Garbage Conflicts” (The Example of Modern Russia)

The article is devoted to the economic analysis of conflicts related to the disposal of municipal solid waste. A wave of protests, both against garbage dumps and against the construction of incineration plants, overwhelmed Moscow suburbs in the summer of 2017. These protests are a form of environmental conflict and are well described by the theory of external effects. This theory allows us to identify and evaluate the real economic costs of various waste disposal options which the decision makers do not take into account. The article analyzes quantitative estimates of the external effects of the most common waste management methods – landfilling and incineration. It is shown that the distribution of external costs between the source of externalities and recipients forms an objective economic basis of “garbage conflicts”. These are important social markers of unsustainability. The concept of sustainable development requires a transition to a higher level in the hierarchy of waste management methods – the processing and reuse of waste, for which incineration is a competitor. Western countries imposed a moratorium on the construction of new incineration plants and strengthened modernization requirements to the remaining plants. Despite this fact the Russian government proposes a strategy based on outdated technologies of incineration. The environmental characteristics of these new plants are inferior to the Western ones. In this regard, we can expect only an increase in the protest activity of the population, which can be stopped only by developing a really science-based concept of solid waste management.

Almazovo Estate: History and Contemporaneity

The paper is based on the analysis of Russian, Inglish and Italian sources and represents the reception of the Demidov’s estate Almazovo by our contemporaries. The electronic resources about the estate containing legends, fictions and often unreliable information are analyzed for the first time. The estate of the Moscow Region and especially its park preserved now attracts the attention of Russian and foreign travelers. However, nobody managed to discover the mystery of this ‘mysterious ensemble of the Moscow Region estate of the Ural mine owners Demidov’ (L.A. Perfilyeva). According to the researchers, the garden and park of Almazovo estate are unique because of its Masonic signs. The multi-valued system of Masonic signs in the arrangement of the park such as the system of canals and labyrinths, the hill and the pavilion, the location of islands can be perceived as a manifestation of the bizarre plan of the rich owner inspired by Venice which was quite common in the manor culture of the end of XVIII–XIXth centuries and as ‘a secret signs’ artfully embodied in the Masonic park, the only one park preserved in the suburbs of Moscow.

Assessment of urban aerosol pollution over the Moscow megacity by the MAIAC aerosol product

Abstract. We estimated the distribution of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) with a spatial resolution of 1 km over the Moscow megacity using the MAIAC aerosol product based on MODIS satellite data (Lyapustin et al., 2018) for the warm period of the year (May–September, 2001–2017). AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network)-based validation of satellite estimates near the city centre at Moscow_MSU_MO and over the Moscow suburbs at Zvenigorod revealed that MAIAC AOT at 0.47 µm is in agreement with AERONET AOT though underestimated by 0.05–0.1 for AOT<1 and overestimated for smoke conditions with AOT>1. The MAIAC AOT biases were almost the same for the Moscow_MSU_MO and Zvenigorod AERONET sites, which indicated that the MAIAC algorithm effectively removed the effect of the bright urban surface in the city centre. For the ground-based measurements, the difference between annual median AOT at Moscow_MO_MSU and Zvenigorod (ΔAOT) varied within −0.002 to +0.03, with statistically significant positive bias for most years, and an average ΔAOT was about 0.02. According to the MAIAC dataset, the ΔAOT varied within ±0.01 and was not statistically significant. The ΔAOT started decreasing recently due to intensive urban development of the territory around Zvenigorod and the decrease in pollutant emissions in Moscow, which is mainly caused by the environmental regulations. According to the MAIAC dataset, the most pronounced spatial AOT differences over the territory of Moscow were observed at the 5 % quantile level, where they reached 0.05–0.06 over several locations and could be attributed to the stationary sources of aerosol pollution, for example, large areas of construction sites, aerosol pollution from roads and highways, or agriculture activities. The differences between the maximum and the mean AOT for different quantiles, except the 95 % quantile, within the Moscow region, were about 0.02–0.04, which could be attributed to the local aerosol sources. The application of the MAIAC algorithm over the whole Moscow region has revealed a decreasing AOT trend over the centre of Moscow and an increasing trend over the “New” Moscow territory which experienced an intensive build-up and agricultural development.

The Estimation of the Initial Stage of Succession of Green-pine Trees Windfall in the Eastern Moscow Suburbs

The paper is devoted to the study of entomocomplex of stem pests, the number and biology of its dominant species and the ecological structure of the soil mesofauna of the two differing in composition and growing conditions, areas of wind pine forests-green insects. The main causes of windfalls, which are unfavorable soil and soil conditions and the defeat of trees by the root sponge, are established. The degree of participation of different types of feed substrate in the dynamics of the number of stem pests in the lesion is estimated. In addition to the windfall of trees, stem pests are the adjacent one, decreasing the resistance of pine in the walls of the forest, overmature trees or trees weakened by anthropogenic, standing trees, the trunks of which are damaged by windfall to a lesser extent than the remaining standing part of inboard of broken trunks. We identified eight species of entomophagous parasitic on the grubs of Longhorn beetles and jewel beetles. It is noted that the population of ground beetles, in windswept areas studied, is characterized by a decrease in species diversity, a decrease in the number of moisture-loving species typical of pine forests of the Eastern Moscow region, a change in the spectrum of life forms in the direction of reducing litter species and increasing the proportion of litter-soil.

Old-Developed Regions of the Russian Center in the Shadow of the Moscow Capital Region

This paper discusses Moscow’s influence on the regions surrounding Moscow oblast in terms of various parameters associated with changes in the population size of cities and rural areas, economic activity, employment, mobility of the population, land use, and dacha development. Located relatively close to Moscow and enjoying no advantages of the nearby Moscow suburbs, the regions around Moscow oblast are nonetheless strongly influenced by the capital. The historical waves of city formation around the metropolitan region and population dynamics in the 20th and 21st centuries are shown. The post-Soviet transformation strongly polarized cities depending on their size and position with respect to the Moscow region. The invariance of the suburban–peripheral organization of the countryside, which experienced a strong contraction in land use, is revealed. However, against the fields abandoned and overgrown with forest, a new industrial agriculture with a small number of employees was actively developing here in separate areas, aimed at supplying Moscow and the entire country. A small private economy has been decreasing under prolonged, intensive decline in the rural population and expansion of non-agricultural earning opportunities in the Moscow region. This territory is characterized by the most active labor commutes to Moscow and Moscow oblast, which often provide informal employment for the populations of small towns and rural areas. Competitors of the Moscow region, although weaker, are the capitals of the surrounding regions. The share of the temporary dacha population in the summer months in many areas, especially those adjacent to Moscow oblast, is higher than that of the local rural one. The polarized development of cities depending on the proximity to the Moscow metropolitan area and point-type industrialization of the rural economy, combined with the massive development of seasonal dacha recreation, is the main route for development of this large territory.

SELECTION OF LEEK FOR THE MIDLAND OF RUSSIA AT CULTIVATION NO SEEDLING METHOD

Leek very ancient culture which was widely applied in cookery and as remedy still by ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Now the leek is widespread in countries of Western Europe and North Africa, in the USA, Canada, Australia. On chemical composition it is one of the most valuable onions representing in fact "the alive table of Mendeleyev". In such countries as Belgium, Holland and France it is one of the main vegetable cultures, and annual production it per capita makes from 4 to 10 kg. In Russia, unfortunately, it is still rare culture though falls into to the most valuable types of an onion on biochemical structure, productivity, resistance to wreckers and diseases. Widespread introduction of a leek in production restrains a number of factors among which lack of early ripening varieties with the increased resistance to extreme environmental conditions, and in this regard – difficulty of receiving high-quality seeds of leek in a midland of Russia to the north of Rostov-on-Don. Therefore, a vital necessity is on the basis of study under various conditions of cooperation a "genotype is an environment" and selection from world collection of sources of economic-valuable signs, creation of productive sorts and hybrids with good resistance to cold, possessing in the conditions of Moscow Suburbs, along with the high productivity and quality of products, by a high adaptivity to the different terms of height winter spending. Results of long-term researches of laboratory of selection of onions cultures (VNIISSOK) on studying, assessment and selection of exemplars of grades of leek from the VIR world collection are presented in article, receiving hybrid combinations and lines, development of methods of selection and creation on this basis of grades and hybrids of leek for not seedling culture in a midland of Russia, possessing high rates of vegetable and seed efficiency, quality of production and winter hardiness.

Tupitsyn, Margarita Tupitsyn, Victor Morris, David Anti-Shows: APTART 1982–84 (review)

REVIEWS 565 increases in relation to the number of locales that they inhabit (p. 7). He further helpfully cites Alexei Yurchak’s explanation of the Russian concept of vnye, which Yurchak interprets as being simultaneously inside and outside a given setting (p. 18). In chapter two, Bidgood asserts that ‘Czech bluegrass, while part of a globalized discourse on bluegrass music, is nevertheless uniquely Czech’ (p. 21). He traces the development of bluegrass from the tramping tradition to the present day, and points out that music has been a key part of Czech Americanism.Hiscommentsonnormalization,cottagingandaccommodation elucidate the context in which Americanism (including bluegrass as one of its principal manifestations) operated and developed during late Communism — ‘a space between dissent and complicity’ (p. 41). Bidgood’s account of the negotiation of musical, cultural, geographical and temporal boundaries, in the context of bluegrass, is accompanied by Notes on language (pp. 125–30) and Recommended media (pp. 153–60). While these may not be of relevance or interest to everyone, they provide useful supplementary information, which will assist the uninitiated. There will be comparatively few readers who will find all aspects of Bidgood’s study equally illuminating and stimulating,notleastbecausethereishardlyanyonewhoshareshisexperiential and knowledge base, but many will be able to take at least something from this well-considered publication. University of Wolverhampton Tom Dickins Tupitsyn, Margarita; Tupitsyn, Victor and Morris, David (eds). Anti-Shows: APTART 1982–84. Exhibition Histories, 8. Afterall Books, London, in association with the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York, 2017. 256 pp. Illustrations. Selected bibliography. Notes. Index.£14.95: €16.80 (paperback). Anti-Shows: APTART 1982–84, edited by Margarita Tupitsyn, Victor Tupitsyn and David Morris, is a new addition to Afterall’s Exhibition Histories series. The book is the first comprehensive publication devoted solely to APTART, an artist-run gallery located in a private apartment of the conceptual artist, Nikita Alekseev. Alongside opening essays by the editors, the volume features rare photographic documentation of each of the APTART events and critical texts produced by APTART artists throughout the 1980s. The book has a twofold aim. First, it offers a new insight into what exhibition-making of the late-Soviet period might have looked like. Second, it contributes to the broader discussion of the influential, albeit understudied, phenomenon of the artistcurator , setting a Soviet case-study in an international context. SEER, 96, 3, JULY 2018 566 Tupitsyn traces the tradition of apartment exhibitions back to the early 1960s, considering APTART as a high point in that tradition. Emphasis is placed on the Bulldozer show, 1974, as the first attempt by alternative artists to organize a public display on a piece of waste land in the Moscow suburbs. This gesture and its consequences led to a split in the artistic community between those who were willing to negotiate the conditions imposed by the authorities in order to exhibit in public venues, and those who preferred to avoid such compromises at all costs. While the activities of the former were characterized by growing disputes and antagonistic relations, the practices of the latter were becoming excessively esoteric and exclusive. APTART was conceived as both a means of escape from the redundant elitism and seriousness of Moscow Conceptualism and as an alternative to the ‘blatant control’ of official venues. Through detailed descriptions and photographs of APTART events, the volume conveys their experimental, often sarcastic and humorous nature. However, can these events be defined as exhibitions? As contributors highlight, participating artists purposefully avoided this term, referring instead to ‘working expositions’, ‘anti-shows’ or ‘exhibition-nonexhibitions’. One of the major achievements of APTART was its ability to challenge understandings of what constitutes an exhibition. AnotherimportantcontributionofAPTARTwasitsattempttorethinkmodels of relations between artists and viewers and develop new ways of creating and addressing the public since the Western dichotomy between public and private spheres can hardly be applied in Soviet Russia. As the book illustrates, the APTART artists distinguished themselves from the previous generations of Moscow Conceptualism with ‘their anti-isolationist inclinations and projects concerned with social issues’. Their exhibitions required ‘less gazing and more reading and touching’ and attempted to ‘emancipate the viewer and provoke a new way of thinking’. The book raises a lot of important...

The Moscow Suburbs: Specifics and Spatial Development of Rural Areas

The specifics of and spatial trends in the development of rural areas in post-Soviet Moscow oblast, especially after the linear expansion of Moscow’s territory, are considered. A combination of centripetal and centrifugal vectors of population mobility is shown, representing oppositely directed migrations: on the one hand, people are attracted to permanent residence and labor migrants stream into the capital and its suburbs from other regions of Russia and CIS countries; on the other, there is the drain of Muscovites to their dachas. The diversity of the suburban territory is shown with various degrees of remoteness from the capital. Highrise housing development beyond the city limits is characteristic of oblast municipalities closest to the Moscow Ring Road; therefore, the development around the capital continues in all directions like an oil spot. Nevertheless, housing construction activity in the southern and southwestern municipalities near Moscow, adjacent to New Moscow, has been higher in recent years, resulting in numerous insular bedroom suburbs whose residents work in Moscow. With a high density of the rural population and dacha dwellers, the emergence of areas of high-rise housing development creates many problems. The active expansion of housing development has led to a sharp reduction in agricultural land. Meanwhile, Moscow oblast, witnessing a severe decay of agriculture in many regions of the Non-Chernozem Zone, remains a powerful food producer, supplying not only the capital and its suburbs but also other Russian regions. All this makes Moscow oblast Russia’s most successful region, as well as one of the most problematic.

The Experience of the Retrospective Epidemiological Analysis of Outbreaks of Pertussis in the Moscow Suburbs

Background Pertussis outbreaks are continuously observed in different countries despite many years of specific prophylaxis measures for this infection, use of whole-cell and acellular vaccines and use of different schemes of immunization. In our country, even with the overall morbidity stabilization, outbreaks of pertussis continue to be recorded even in regions where the situation was satisfactory previously. As a rule, the majority of epidemic pertussis foci were limited to 1 case of disease (without spread of infection) -86.4% in average. The prevalence of mild clinical forms of disease that are hard to detect, poor effectiveness of the bacteriological method used for examination of exposed persons, and a decrease in the number of examined persons suggest underreporting of whooping cough cases. The most reliable information on the epidemic process manifestations of pertussis can be obtained during outbreaks. Therefore, we conducted a review of outbreaks of pertussis in a small town of district subordinance. Materials and methods As methods of our study we used retrospective epidemiological analysis, serological and molecular genetic methods. The main sources of information were emergency reports and epidemiological investigation of pertussis. Results and discussion From July 28, 2015 to March 24, 2016 year 58 cases of pertussis were observed. Three secondary schools, two grammar schools, five kindergartens, one trade school and the children not attending any educational facility were affected by the outbreak of whooping cough. In the end, during the outbreak, there were 6 foci in kindergartens, 1 focus in the trade school, 18 -in secondary schools, 53 household foci, with the number of patients ranging from 1 to 18. Age distribution was as follows: 50 children (86.2%), 6 adolescents (10.3%) and 2 (3.5%) adults. Among those, 9 people have not been vaccinated against pertussis, with three more also considered un-vaccinated due to an unknown vaccination status, and three children received just one dose of the DPT vaccine; 43 patients had been vaccinated against pertussis, including one who received three doses of the vaccine, 41 had a booster pertussis vaccination. In most cases the source of infection could not be established. 44 patients had a mild form of whooping cough, while 1 case was a combination of pertussis and parapertussis, and 13 patients had medium or severe form of the disease. Conclusion The almost simultaneous identification of whooping cough cases by a number of institutions suggest the existence hidden pertussis cases. Despite the fact that vaccination in household foci is not indicted, it is still possible to prevent the spread of pertussis. It was enough to suspect whooping cough in children coughing for more than 7 days and order laboratory examination to avoid any prolonged stay of an infection source in an organized collective. Overcrowded accommodation in neighbourhoods, close contacts of children at neighborhood playgrounds in neighborhoods and supplementary education classes were the factors that allowed the infection to spread to many institutions of the city.

An individual of flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) belonging to the Far Eastern philogenetic lineage was found in the suburbs of Moscow

The southern border of the flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) natural range goes through the northern and eastern parts of the Moscow oblast. However, near Zvenigorod (western part of the Moscow oblast), there is a population formed by animals brought to the Zvenigorod Biological Station of the Moscow State University from other areas, including the Far Eastern part of the species range. Since 2010, flying squirrels have been registered in the Troitsk district, southwest from the urban part of the city of Moscow. Genetic analysis of a dead animal found in this district showed a high similarity of the sequence of mtDNA fragment with sequences typical for the Russian Far East—but not for the European part of the species range. It is suggested that descendants of the Far Eastern flying squirrels unintentionally introduced near Zvenigorod are actively expanding their range throughout the Moscow oblast.

Special Issue on the Fundamental Problems of High-Temperature Superconductivity

The conference “Fundamental Problems of High Temperature Superconductivity-2015,” FPS’15, is the fifth conference in a row, organized by the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute in the suburbs of Moscow (http://fps15.lebedev. ru/en/). The previous conference, FPS’11, was held in the year celebrating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of superconductivity. Its scientific content was mainly devoted to the “iron-based superconductors,” a new class of hightemperature superconductors discovered in 2008 whose physical research reached maturity by 2011. The years preceding FPS’15 have been also exciting for superconductivity due to the advent of hydrogen sulfide (2014–2015) with the record critical Tc value 203 K [1], with impressive achievements in interfacial superconductivity, including LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface [2] and FeSe monolayers on the SrTiO3 [3, 4], and with the emergence of very interesting physics of topologically non-trivial materials, including topological superconductivity [5–7]. The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in hydrogen sulfide is important not only due to its record Tc value; more importantly, it has injected a new vitality into the wineskins of the conventional electron-phonon pairing, already revitalizing with the discovery of MgB2. There

Housing Construction in Moscow Agglomeration: Spatial Equilibrium Modelling

In conditions of intense spatial transformation of Moscow agglomeration (MA), driven by housing construction and migration from Russian regions to MA, urgent task is to build a integrated model of key economic and spatial drivers and outcomes of the transformation. In the article a new model of spatial equilibrium in MA is developed. The model includes three modules: 1) spatial equilibrium model for labour and housing markets in MA; 2) model of dynamic equilibrium between migration and housing construction in MA; 3) model of distribution of housing construction by zones of MA. In the first module equilibrium values of the population, employment and wages are predicted for concentric zones of MA (central business district – CBD, urban zone and zone of new construction). In the second module the equilibrium between migration from Russian regions to MA and new housing construction is shown. The deviation from equilibrium leads to an adjustment of incentives for migration, change of migration flows and finally rebalancing of equilibrium and reproducing of real income gap between MA and other Russian regions. The module 3 describes distribution of housing construction by concentric zones of MA, providing equal profitability of development projects due to adjustment of land prices. Despite the rather generic nature of the model, it is already able to reproduce several trends in spatial evolution of the MA in recent decades, especially the transition from extensive development phase with the spread of urban area in the Moscow suburbs in oil spot fashion and hyper-dense development of CBD, to intensive phase with in-depth development of the main “body” of the city. The model stresses how closely are integrated processes in the largest agglomeration (of Russia and in the national settlement system. The model shows how the political and economic processes through changes in rents and agglomeration effect change incentives for work, life and construction in different areas of MA and form the fate of different urban territories. The model describes the reverse side of the coin, how interregional migration is affected by the internal structure of the Moscow agglomeration. When making decision on the promotion of housing construction, especially largescale economy-class greenfield projects of on the periphery of agglomeration, the city implicitly accepts the decision to increase migration from Russian regions, affecting the national system of settlement in Russia.

The thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) in Moscow and Moscow suburbs: City noise influences the frequency parameters of its song

The localization of the minimum frequency for 12 vocal components from 4 types of songs of the thrush nightingale was studied. These types of songs are widespread both in Moscow and in the rural localities of Moscow oblast. Their low-frequency components are overridden by city noises to a great extent. Statistically significant distinctions for all components were revealed in pair comparisons. On average, the minimum frequency in the city is higher by 260 Hz than in the rural habitats, and this pattern is implemented not only for low-frequency components of songs, but also for the components localized higher in the frequency range. Upon a simultaneous consideration of all 12 control components using discriminant analysis, a sufficiently complete division of the populations of Moscow and Moscow oblast is reached. The data obtained confirm the hypothesis of a shift of the frequency range of bird singing as a response to city noise.

Опыт создания и функционирования туристско-информационного центра в России на примере ТИЦ «Дмитров» в Московской области

The article deals with the problems of creation and functioning of Tourist and Information Center (TIC) in Russia as one of the most important segments of the hospitality industry. With the example of TIC «Moscow suburbs. DMITROV» the main problems that appear in process of creation and functioning of Russian TIC in current conditions are considered. The article presents basic features and capabilities of TIC, the range of services, examples of applications of citizens, the main difficulties in process of work. In addition, this article considers TIC not only as an organization that provides information to residents and visitors to the city, but also reflects their role as a bridge between business and municipal authorities in the territory for more effective their interaction and the formation of a competitive tourism product in the region. Big attention is paid to lack of normative legal acts defining and regulating the activities of TIC, their powers, which greatly complicates the process of work and the further development of such centers. To address these issues the integration of the work of all state and municipal bodies responsible for the development of tourism in the Russian Federation is required.
 
 The article provides a brief analysis of creation and functioning of Tourist and Information Center «Moscow region. DMITROV», experience of its work and problems that have been encountered. It also contains proposals relating to the regulation of Tourist and Information Centers´ activities, defining their powers and duties as well as cooperation with each other and other organizations.