Pskov Oblast Research Articles

The Use of Psychological Correction Programs to Improve the Occupational Fitness of Correctional Personnel

Introduction: the article examines the results of the application of a short-term psychological correction program, which includes conflict prevention and the development of adaptive behavior skills in difficult communication situations. Aim: based on the results of the study, to identify conditions for the effective use of psychological programs to overcome stress among prison staff. Methods: the tasks set in the work were solved with the help of general scientific research methods within the framework of comparative, statistical and logical analysis and empirical methods such as description and interpretation of the information. The study involved 80 employees of the security department of correctional institutions of the Pskov Oblast, divided into experimental and control groups. The trainings were conducted by full-time psychologists of the departments. To assess the effectiveness, we used the following methods: “Willpower self-assessment scale” by N.N. Obozov, the technique for determining the level of neuropsychic stability “Forecast”, and the questionnaire of interpersonal relations in the adaptation of W. Shchutz. Results: the analysis of the data with the help of mathematical statistics methods has shown that the use of such programs is advisable among employees included in the group of increased attention. These may be persons conditionally recommended for this type of activity, as well as those who have been subjected to the deforming influence of an unfavorable professional environment. A statistically significant result for the experimental group of subjects consisted in a change in the indicators on the sincerity scale, which can mean an increase in self-esteem, trust in the psychologist and the desire to answer the questions honestly. The greatest effectiveness of the training was observed when we were implementing the tested program; this is explained by increased motivation and responsibility for its results. No practical effect of participation in the training was revealed among the personnel who initially had indicators that did not require correction. Conclusions: in order to increase the effectiveness of trainings, it is necessary that psychologists have personal conscious motivation when they work out unique programs that take into account actual needs of correctional staff.

Фаунистический комплекс городища Анашкино по результатам раскопок 1999—2017 гг.

The article presents the results of the study of osteological material from the early Iron Age hillfort Anashkino (Upper Dvina region, Pskov oblast, Russia). We present here a series of new facts, elaborating our ideas about the economic life, customs and traditions of the local population in this epoch. In total, 20647 determinate bones had been examined from the Anashkino hillfort from the VIII—I century BC cultural layers in 1999—2017. The osteological material is relatively well preserved. Freshwater fish played a significant role in the diet of people in the early Iron Age. In total, 407 individuals of eighteen species mammals were identified at Anashkino. Our analysis showed that the ratio of the live weight of wild and domestic mammals in the diet was approximately equal, and the butchering of animals took place directly at the settlement.

Language of Administration as a Border: Wild Food Plants Used by Setos and Russians in Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, NW Russia.

Socio-economic changes impact local ethnobotanical knowledge as much as the ecological ones. During an ethnobotanical field study in 2018–2019, we interviewed 25 Setos and 38 Russians in the Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast to document changes in wild plant use within the last 70 years according to the current and remembered practices. Of the 71 botanical taxa reported, the most popular were Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium oxycoccos, Vaccinium myrtillus, Betula spp., and Rumex acetosa. The obtained data was compared with that of 37 Setos and 35 Estonians interviewed at the same time on the other side of the border. Our data revealed a substantial level of homogeneity within the plants used by three or more people with 30 of 56 plants overlapping across all four groups. However, Seto groups are ethnobotanically closer to the dominant ethnic groups immediately surrounding them than they are to Setos across the border. Further study of minor ethnic groups in a post-Soviet context is needed, paying attention to knowledge transmission patterns.

Nitella capillaris (Krock.) J. Groves et Bull.-Webst. (Charophyceae, Charales) in Russia: the first confirmed species record

The species Nitella capillaris was reliably found in Russia. It was earlier known from two uncheckable records of ninetieth century from Kaliningrad and Kursk Oblasts. Its new locality in Pskov Oblast is the north-easternmost one in species distribution range. The species was suggested for protection in Russia.

Memnoniella dichroa . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Memnoniella dichroa , which can be found almost always on dead and rotting plant material. Some information on its associated organisms and substrata, dispersal and transmission, habitats and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (North America (Mexico, USA (Florida, Kansas, Ohio)), Asia (China (Sichuan), Japan, Thailand, Turkey), Australasia (Australia (ACT), New Zealand), Caribbean (Cuba), Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia (Pskov Oblast, Republic of Karelia), UK)).

Russian Trade Unions and the De-Escalation of Protests in Russian Regions

The article addresses the issues of social and labor protests in Russia and demonstrates how protests led by trade unions result in mitigation of conflicts and compromises with the authorities. The analysis focuses on activities of trade unions and their relations with the local authorities and employers at grassroots level. The research is based on in-depth interviews with leaders and activists of the largest trade union federation in three North Western regions of Russia, namely Leningrad Oblast, Pskov Oblast, and Karelia. The analysis of social and labor protests in these regions contributes to the understanding of relations among trade unions, the local authorities, and employers at the regional level.

Hypocreopsis lichenoides . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Hypocreopsis lichenoides , which is found on living and dead woody substrata, particularly attached branches. Some information on its habitat, dispersal and transmission, and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (North America (Canada (Ontario, Quebec), USA (Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia)), South America (Bolivia), Asia (China (Jilin), Japan), Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia (Leningrad Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Pskov Oblast), Spain, Sweden, UK)). No evaluation has been made of any possible positive economic impact of this fungus (e.g. as a recycler, as a source of useful products, as a provider of checks and balances within its ecosystem, etc.). Also, no reports of negative economic impacts have been found.

A novel endosymbiont-containing trypanosomatid Phytomonas borealis sp. n. from the predatory bug Picromerus bidens (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

Here we describe the new trypanosomatid, Phytomonas borealis sp. n., from the midgut of the spiked shieldbugs, Picromerus bidens (Linnaeus), collected in two locations, Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts of Russia. The phylogenetic analyses, based on the 18S rRNA gene, demonstrated that this flagellate is a sister species to the secondary monoxenous Phytomonas nordicus Frolov et Malysheva, 1993, which was concurrently documented in the same host species in Pskov Oblast. Unlike P. nordicus, which can complete its development (including exit to haemolymph and penetration into salivary glands) in Picromerus bidens, the new species did not form any extraintestinal stages in the host. It also did not produce endomastigotes, indispensable for transmission in other Phytomonas spp. These observations, along with the fact that P. bidens overwinters at the egg stage, led us to the conclusion that the examined infections with P. borealis were non-specific. Strikingly, the flagellates from the Novgorod population contained prokaryotic endosymbionts, whereas the parasites from the second locality were endosymbiont-free. This is a first case documenting presence of intracellular symbiotic bacteria in Phytomonas spp. We suggest that this novel endosymbiotic association arose very recently and did not become obligate yet. Further investigation of P. borealis and its intracellular bacteria may shed light on the origin and early evolution of endosymbiosis in trypanosomatids.

Сравнительный анализ психического здоровья населения в Республике Карелии, Вологодской и Псковской областях

Сравнительный анализ психического здоровья населения в Республике Карелии, Вологодской и Псковской областях

Факторы экономической дифференциации городских поселений Псковской области в системе расселения региона

Факторы экономической дифференциации городских поселений Псковской области в системе расселения региона

Arthrinium caricicola . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Arthrinium caricicola , a saprobe on dry, often bleached, dead leaves, often in the litter. Some information on its associated organisms and substrata, habitat, dispersal and transmission, and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (Africa (South Africa), North America (USA (Pennsylvania)), Asia (India (Maharashtra), Russia (Krasnoyarsk Krai)), Caribbean (Trinidad and Trobago), Europe (Austria, Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia (Leningrad Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Republic of Komi, Yaroslavl Oblast), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, UK)).

Pseudohelotium pineti . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Pseudohelotium pineti found on dead and whitened needles of Pinus sylvestris . Some information on its morphology, habitats, dispersal and transmission and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (Canada (Manitoba, Sasktachewan), USA (Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia), India (Jammu and Kashmir), Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia (Komi Republic, Leningrad Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Republic of Karelia), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and UK) and hosts ( Pinus spp.).

Arthrinium cuspidatum . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Arthrinium cuspidatum , typically an inhabitant of dead herbaceous leaves and stems, but also encountered as an endobiont. Some information on its associated organisms and substrata, habitat, dispersal and transmission, and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (Africa (South Africa), North America (Canada (British Columbia, Saskatchewan), USA (California, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)), Asia (India (Telangana), Kazakhstan (Alma Aty Oblast), Russia (Kamchatka Krai), Uzbekistan), Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia (Leningrad Oblast, Pskov Oblast), Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, UK)).

Vegetation and climate changes within and around the Polistovo-Lovatskaya mire system (Pskov Oblast, north-western Russia) during the past 10,500 years

Palaeoenvironmental conditions during the last 10,500 years cal bp are reconstructed for the vicinity of the Polistovo-Lovatskaya mire system in Pskov Oblast (administrative division), Russia, using the latest data from pollen and plant macrofossil records, ash content, radiocarbon dating and the moisture index of samples obtained from the Kokorevskoe peat core in the central part of that mire system. Comparing the results of this study with earlier data obtained from neighbouring sites in southern Estonia, northern Belarus and central Russia indicates a great similarity of the main patterns of vegetation changes throughout the Holocene. Certain distinctions were also observed along this longitude associated with changing climate and local post-glacial processes. The vegetation dynamics of the Polistovo-Lovatskaya mire system during the Holocene have specific features, such as a late increase in the pollen records of broadleaved trees (Quercus, Tilia, Fraxinus and Ulmus) at ca. 7,500 cal bp, with a maximum at ca. 3,500–2,500 cal bp. Four crucial time periods for the appearance and development of early agriculture were identified: the first cultivation signs (ca. 4,200 cal bp), an increase during the Iron Age (2,500–2,300 cal bp), an increase during the Slav colonization (ca. 1,000 cal bp) and further expansion after 400 cal bp. Corresponding changes in forest composition in the region were also observed. The climatic reconstruction revealed several features which are known all over northern Europe in the Holocene, for example the “event of 9,400 years bp”, “event of 8,200 years bp” and a sharp increase of temperature at 7,700 cal bp.

Chara kirghisorum (Charales): lectotypification, first reliable record in Europe and update of species distribution in Russia

Charophytes are commonly easily recognizable plants irrespective of their size due to the recurrent combination of very similar parts within their thalli. A few species are outstanding due to their unusual whip-like appearance with regularly distributed small nodules on the stems formed with whorls of short and nearly rudimentary branchlets. The central and north-European Chara filiformis A. Braun in Hertzsch (1855: 81) and mainly Middle-Asian C. kirghisorum Lessing (1834: 212) are examples of this distinctive habit. The species differ essentially in gametangia arrangement as well as in their distribution range. Monoecious C. filiformis does not have reliable records east of Pskov Oblast of Russia (29° E), while dioecious C. kirghisorum is unknown west of Orenburg Oblast of Russia (58° E) (Hollerbach 1941; Hollerbach & Krassavina 1983; LE!, PSK!). Therefore, they may be recognized as vicariate species.

Structural Shifts in the Foreign Trade of Border Regions of Russia and Belarus in the Context of Political and Economic Challenges of the 2010s

The state of foreign trade in the border regions of Russia and Belarus is defined both by the inherited (established in the USSR) functions of the regions in trade and specialization of economies and by the consequences of contemporary political and economic events. This paper attempts to identify changes in the foreign trade of the border regions of Russia and Belarus in the context of transformation processes related to Eurasian integration, the economic crisis, and the introduction of sanctions and antisanctions. It is found that the dynamics of overall foreign trade turnover has no correlation with integration processes. The possible trade effects of the EAEU when assessing only the volume indicator are unnoticeable against the backdrop of established functions of the regions in foreign trade and specialization of the regional industrial complexes. The greatest shifts in the inherited foreign trade functions of the border regions are characteristic of Pskov oblast, where the role of the export component is strengthened and the share of imports is decreasing with a general reduction in trade turnover. For Pskov oblast, this is leading not only to improvement in the balance of foreign trade relations, but also to consolidation of the asymmetry of cross-border interaction (exports of raw materials and products with low added value and imports of finished products). It was revealed that in the commodity structure of the foreign trade of border regions, most positions in exports and imports are determined by old ties preserved from Soviet times or restored in the post-Soviet period. Such contacts, on the one hand, are stable in terms of supply directions, and on the other hand, volatile in volume, because they are highly prone to fluctuations in global commodity markets and the influence of the financial solvency of buyers. New, post-Soviet enterprises, even in traditional export commodity groups, are either more flexible (an example is the Belarusian food enterprises that responded to new niches in the Russian market) or more diversified in sales geography (not as strongly oriented toward Russia).

Структурно-таксономическое разнообразие и экологические особенности фитопланктона дельты реки Великой (Псковская область)

Структурно-таксономическое разнообразие и экологические особенности фитопланктона дельты реки Великой (Псковская область)

Between Russian and Belarussian: Dialects of Nevel district, Pskov Oblast

The article describes the contemporary state of the dialects spoken in the Nevelsky district (Russia, Pskov Province), which is bordering Belarus, in comparison with the north-eastern Belarusian dialects located on the other side of the state border. When establishing the linguistic areas, it was assumed that on one side of this border the dialects would change following the Standard Russian language, while on the other side they would follow Belarusian. However, the real situation is much more complicated: on one hand, some dialectal features disappeared under the influence of the respective standard language; on the other hand, quite often features of both dialects do not correspond to either Standard Russian or Standard Belarusian, and there are existing “Belarusian” features on the territory of Russian dialects.

МЕТАН В ПОЧВАХ ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЙ РОССИИ, "Известия Российской академии наук. Серия географическая"

The authors compiled and analyzed experimental data on the distribution of methane content in the soils of the lower Don steppe province (the south of Rostov oblast) and the subzone of typical (average) taiga (Karelia), forest-bog landscapes of Arkhangelsk, Pskov and Moscow oblasts. The data from the literature were also involved. Investigations revealed relatively low concentrations of methane (average of 0.18 µg/g of sample) in drained soils of tundra, taiga forest and steppe zones, and transition zones between forest and steppe, with a trend of increasing its amount from steppe zone to taiga with increasing soil moisture. Higher concentrations of methane (1–2 orders of magnitude higher) are typical for soils of waterlogged sites and peat deposits of bogs. The distribution along the vertical profile of methane in dry and temporarily flooded soils is characterized by a reduction of its concentrations from the surface to the lower horizons, while in peat deposits of bogs, the concentration of gas, by contrast, increases significantly with depth.

Pseudoyuconia thalictri .

Abstract A description is provided for Pseudoyuconia thalictri , which appears as a saprobe on dead dry stems. Some information on its associated organisms and substrata, habitats, dispersal and transmission, and conservation status is given, along with details of its geographical distribution (North America (Canada (Ontario), USA (North Dakota New York)), South America (Venezuela), Europe (Germany, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Russia (Pskov oblast), Sweden, Switzerland, UK)). No evaluation has been made of any possible positive economic impact of this fungus and no reports of negative economic impacts have been found.