Phenotypic profile of priority multiresistant Аcinetobacter baumannii sequence types (ST 1167, ST 944, ST 208)

Introduction. About 1,000,000 cases of infections caused by Acinetobacter spp. per year are registered globally, making up 1.8% of all the cases of hospital-acquired infections. In compliance with long-term studies carried out in in this country and abroad, Acinetobacter baumannii is a clinically important representative of the Acinetobacter genus. Intraspecific typing of microorganisms is an integral part of a clinical microbiologist's contribution to scoring the outbreaks of purulent-septic infections within the sphere of HAI surveillance. Most of the practicing microbiological laboratories cannot use genotypic typing methods because of their high costs.Objective. Developing a test panel for intraspecific identification of A. baumannii sequence types (ST 1167, ST 944, ST 208) based on their phenotypic properties.Materials and methods. Intraspecific membership of 74 A. baumannii strains obtained from four multipurpose health settings of a large industrial centre was studied using a genetic method (multilocus sequence typing) and a suite of phenotypic methods (biochemical tests, biofilmogenous capacity, growth inhibition zones to antibacterial drugs, sensitivity to aniline dyes, disinfectants and Acinetobacter bacteriophage) was studied.Results. Phenotypic features of three predominant A. baumannii sequence types (ST 1167, 944, 208) were determined.Discussion. An efficacious economy set of differentiating tests allowing identification of intraspecific features of A. baumannii multiresistant strains was сreated.Conclusion. The test panel will enable the laboratories that cannot use sequencing methods to conduct intraspecific differentiation of common A. baumannii sequence types as part of microbiological monitoring.

Возвращенная из небытия: борьба за историческую память о 110-й Калмыцкой кавалерийской дивизии. Часть 1

Introduction. The article analyzes historiography and history of the 110th Kalmyk Cavalry Division, the only ethnic Kalmyk (largely) military unit that was engaged in active combat operations during the Great Patriotic War. However, despite its huge contribution to the heroic struggle against invading troops the unit — worthy of decent memory and respect — got surrounded with defamatory myths that bear no relation to actual events. Since most of the Division’s documents submitted to archives had disappeared, it took several decades to objectively examine its history. Materials and methods. The historical genetic method being a principal one for the present research, the latter also employs historical systemic and comparative methods. The sources analyzed are books and articles, official documents and correspondence from various archival repositories, personal messages and memoirs by veterans of the 110th Kalmyk Cavalry Division and researchers of its history. Results. The article is a consistent review of the unit’s historiography that may be divided into five stages to be designated as follows: 1) period of silence and lies (1943–1957), 2) period of ‘sporadic’ studies (1957–1967), 3) period of active scientific work (1967–1977), 4) period of indifference (1977–2011), and 5) period of new scholarly interest (2011 to the present). The Kalmyk Cavalry Division has long been an object of defamatory insinuations and calumny when it was accused of ‘unreliability’, denounced as a ‘gang’ or even as German collaborators — these had clearly political implications. Meanwhile, the historical research was seriously complicated by the loss of most of its documents although after the disbandment those were duly handed over according to inventory lists along with the banners. This severely obstructed the process of preserving historical memory of the only ethnic Kalmyk unit that fought against the enemy during the Great Patriotic War. Hence, the difficulties that scholars in the field have had to overcome were immense. Part One of the article covers stages one to three. Conclusions. Historiography of the 110th Kalmyk Cavalry Division may be described as a difficult and winding path, with periods of both oblivion and activation experienced.

Key Models of Religious Institutions’ Interaction in the Context of the State-Church Relations in Russia and Egypt

The article reveals and comparatively analyses the peculiarities of the state-church relations in Russia and Egypt. Currently, the role of religion and religious institutions in world politics is actively increasing, as well as the process of secularization of public life is being redefined. Religion still often becomes the cause of discrimination, persecution of certain groups of society; the level of Islamophobia in Western countries and Religiophobia in the whole world is not decreasing. In these conditions, the importance of state-church relations within key international actors is also growing. The purpose of the study is to provide comparative analysis of the specifics of the state religion policy of Russia and Egypt in order to develop recommendations for the use of Russian religious institutions to strengthen Russias position in the Middle East. Russia and Egypt were chosen as research objects, since these countries have a rich history of interaction in the religious sphere, which could become a basis for the future cooperation between religious institutions of the two countries. In addition, Egypt is one of the key states in the Middle East, where Russian influence has never been dominant, but where exactly religious organizations such as the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) most actively and successfully pursued Russias interests. Methodologically, the article is based on historical and empirical institutionalism, as well as comparative analysis and historical-genetic method. The study is quite novel, as it identifies four models of interaction between religious communities, which are based on two criteria: a) presence of religious institutions representing the interests of a particular community; b) status of religion in the state (dominant / minority religion). The practical significance of the study lies in its attempt to make recommendations for improving the use of religious organizations in Russia to promote state interests in Egypt on the basis of the highlighted features of state-church relations in Egypt.

EPISTOLARY HERITAGE OF N.I. ILMINSKY AS A SOURCE ON THE HISTORY OF EDUCATING NON-RUSSIAN PEOPLES OF EASTERN RUSSIA (in the last third of the XIX century)

The article is devoted to the analysis of epistolary sources on the history of educating non-Russian peoples of eastern Russia. The correspondence gives an opportunity to present the work of N.I. Ilminsky on education, methods of his activity, difficulties encountered along the way. The correspondence focuses on the development of Orthodox education among non-Russian peoples. The specific composition of letters is diverse. By correspondents, the sources are divided into the following groups: letters to senior statesmen, to figures of the Russian Orthodox Church, to local education figures. By the content, the correspondence is divided into groups of materials: about translation and publishing activities, about organizing the network of non-Russian schools, about training and appointment of teachers and priests, about introducing church worship in native languages. The letters significantly complement our understanding of N.I. Ilminsky’s personality and his educational activities. Currently, many scientists believe that it is necessary to conduct a deeper study and interpretation of historical events concerning educating the population of the country, including non-Russian peoples of the eastern part of Russia, taking into account their diversity. Epistolary sources provide rich material for historical reconstruction, their information potential is rich and diverse. The research methodology is based on historical methods: historical-genetic and historical-comparative. The historical-genetic method enables to trace the course of events in their chronological sequence, the dynamics of processes related to the history of educating non-Russian peoples of eastern Russia. The comparative historical method, which puts the fait accompli as the basis of all arguments and conclusions, was an important method in the historical reconstruction of educational process of the non-Russian peoples of the region under study on the basis of Orthodox education. A variety of epistolary sources made it possible to conduct a holistic historical reconstruction of the period under study in the history of education and to formulate analytical conclusions on the research problem. The author managed to analyze the collected material. The analysis performed gives the opportunity to make a conclusion about the diverse activities of N.I. Ilminsky on education.

Analysis of the Driving Factors of Building Energy Consumption Growth in Smart Cities Based on the STIRPAT Model

Energy consumption in smart cities relates to every energy consumed to carry out an activity, produce something, or exist in a structure. The most common measurement of energy efficiency is energy consumption per square meter in city residential areas. The states’ problematic energy consumption characteristics in smart cities may include climatic change, rainfall issues, water scarcity, and electricity generation. Thus, based on the states of households, an expanded proposed system of statistic determination impact conversion by positive, accurate technology (STIRPAT) model has been developed. STIRPAT model is collaborative research that aims to learn about the dynamic connections between human systems and the surrounding environment. There are two methods of the STIRPAT model to satisfy the characteristic of the proposed approach. The energetic counseling framework is an emerging technique that overcomes climatic change, electricity generation, and rainfall issues by sensing it in the environment. An algorithmic approach of the standard genetic method offers to conclude the problems into a cloud block mechanism for visualizing the states. Thus, the integrated technique of these two methods shows the factual implementation to overcome the statistical problems. Further research shows that, since the significant effect had been taken into account, the energy consumption per square meter in metropolitan residential buildings peak occurred eleven years later than without considering the dilution effect. The performance ratio of the STIRPAT model is estimated to be 98.3% by comparing with overall researches.

History of camp of Military Institute (railway troops and military communications)

Applying the historical-genetic method, the author attempts to summarise the history data of organisational development of various military units and institutions being stationed in the territory of camp of Military Institute (railway troops and military communications) throughout the chronological period of its existence. The article analyses changes in the development of architecture of the Camp depending on historical conditions. The experience of the development of the training base for different branches of service is investigated. The role and significance of the Camp in the local history and history of the training of military personnel is determined. It is concluded that the events of the World War II served as the main factor in the reconstruction of the infrastructure of the Camp and giving it a modern look, and also that caused its transfer to the jurisdiction of the Railway troops, which has not invalidated to this day.

Nomads of the Steppe Ciscaucasia during the Great Reforms in Russia

Based on an analysis of archival documents and periodical press materials, the present paper studies the impact of the liberal reforms of Alexander II on the policies of the imperial authorities for the nomadic peoples of the steppe of Ciscaucasia: the Kalmyks, Nogais and Turkmens. The liberal reforms of the 1860s and 1870s had a direct impact on the formation of the national intelligentsia, which during the revolutionary events of the early 20th century led to the rise of the national movement in the empires peripheries and to the struggle for self-determination of the non-Russian populations during the Russian Revolution of 1917. The article reconstructs individual facts and events from the life of the nomadic population under specific socio-economic and political-legal conditions. Using the historical-genetic method, the influence of liberal reforms on the vital activity of the nomadic peoples of the Stavropol province is revealed. The authors focus on the activities of regional authorities during the period under review, which were liberal in nature and carried out in the context of the reforms of Alexander II. The authors conclude that the pre-Caucasus steppe, the territory of the nomadic Kalmyks, Nogais and Turkmens, being the national edge of the Russian Empire and falling under a special system of governance related to the ethnic and religious characteristics of the populations, was not drawn into the orbit of liberal reforms. Meanwhile, a number of measures were approved by the regional executive authorities on the ground, of course, first of all, aimed at satisfying the needs of the imperial policy for incorporating the region into the common imperial space, but at the same time improving the lives of the nomadic peoples of the Stavropol province, in particular in the field of education and legal procedures.

Борьба с эпидемиями в Казахстане в первой трети ХХ в.

Introduction. Dangerous infectious diseases have always been part of human history. The pandemic associated with the spread of COVID-19 underscores the importance of studying experience of dealing with global epidemics. Research goals and objectives. This article attempts to analyze the problem of spread of infectious diseases in Kazakhstan and the history of dealing with epidemics. The history of combating epidemics in Soviet Kazakhstan covers a large spatial and temporal scale, so the chronological framework of the study is limited to the period up to the early 1930s. Materials and methods. Documents of the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and published reports of the state institutions were used as the research sources. The narrative method selected as appropriate in approaching the issues of “real life” helped reconstruct the conditions that prompted the emergence and spread of epidemics in Kazakhstan, as well as examine the ways employed to combat them. The historical-genetic method was instrumental in shedding light on the essence and dynamics of the epidemic situation in Kazakhstan during the period in question, while the historical-comparative method was helpful in identifying the positive dynamics of the fight against infectious diseases in Soviet Kazakhstan. Results. The research was focused on the epidemic situations in Kazakhstan in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods. This involved a study of the formation and development of the system of anti-epidemic protection in the Soviet period, as well as of the main methods of combating infectious diseases employed by Soviet and republican government agencies. Conclusion. The research shows the effectiveness of vaccination, medical and sanitary education of the population involved, as well as of other additional measures in eradicating particularly dangerous infectious diseases.

The oldest odonyms of Lviv

Street names were not often the subject of thorough research. The authors mostly record the first mention of a street in the sources but never notice the process (in some cases quite long) of the name formation. This research focuses on the names that were used for a short time or disappeared together with the object around which they signified the space. The sources of this work were the four oldest city books of Lviv: the book of the council and the bench court, two books of income and expenditure, and the book of a bench, covering the period 1382–1448, although with certain intervals. Such sources are heterogeneous, but they record the names in different areas of use, which statistically only emphasizes the constant use of such names. The goals of this study are to collect all the oldest odonyms of Lviv from preserved sources and publish their translation into Ukrainian; to present the chains of their formation; and to analyze the names of streets that no longer exist. The methodological framework of the research is based on the ontological approach to space, which means the study of relations, connections, and interactions between the actual names and denotatum-objects, i.e. the terrain that describes the name. Also we used the genetic method, which consists in the sequential disclosure of the origin and development of a historical phenomenon and aims to study the dynamics of the object’s evolution through time. After compiling the database, the sufficient availability of factual material allowed to use a typological method through which, based on common features, it was possible to distinguish two types of street names: proper names and descriptive names. The first type includes established names that have the denotatum “street”. The second includes the names without denotatum; they often have a preposition (however, they invariably perform an informative function). In the list where the found odonyms are sorted according to the chronology of use, we can trace their stages of formation. Some of the names are conditionally localized. The summary asserts that almost all found odonyms in the city centre were formed by the middle of the 15th century and were almost invariably used in the following years. In the suburbs, there are only a few names. Since the suburbs were developed rather slowly until the 16th century, there was practically no need for new odonyms.

Католический врач для калмыцкого хана: к характеристике вероисповедной политики на южных окраинах Российской империи (начало 60-х гг. XVIII в.)

Introduction. The article concentrates on the religious policy of the Russian Empire in the Early Modern Time. For the first time in historiography, a study was carried out concerning the activities of Catholic missionaries in relation to the Kalmyk Khanate, the attempts of the Capuchin Order to establish contacts with the Kalmyk Khan Donduk-Dashi. Materials and methods. The study is based on mostly unpublished materials from the political and diplomatic correspondence of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs and the legislation of the first half of the 1760s, characterizing the methods and territorial scope of the missionaries activity, in particular, their penetration into the Kalmyk steppe. The methodology of the study has been determined by the structural and functional approach to the system of state bodies of Russia. In combination with this approach, a historical-genetic method was used, which is optimal for the study of changes in the power system of the Russian Empire from the beginning of the 18th century through the first half of the 1760s. Results. The section demonstrates the reasons for the aspiration of the Capuchin Order to the North Caucasus and the place of the Kalmyk Khanate in missionary plans, describes the standard epoch-specific missionary techniques for influencing the non-Catholic population. It has been determined that the Capuchins, relying on the support of Austrian diplomacy, bypassed the formal restrictions on missionary activity in the studied region, which could not but cause religious friction. The activity of Russian institutions to resolve differences of this kind is traced, the difficulties encountered by the authorities in the capital and especially at the local level in connection with the need for an appropriate settlement are shown. At the same time, it is emphasized that the specific interests of secular and spiritual bodies in such cases did not coincide, which had a long-standing and stable character in the south. The dynamics of the attitude of the Russian authorities towards missionaries in the Russian south is outlined. If under the conditions of the “Austrian system” — orientation towards the Austrian court, which had been in Russian diplomacy since the times of Peter the Great and under Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, their position was favorable, then after the accession of Catherine II and the crisis in Russian-Austrian relations, the possibilities of missionaries in the North Caucasus and the Kalmyk steppes were significantly limited. The author states that in the process of settling religious tensions, the Russian authorities in the early 1760s faced a weak legal framework both in relation to non-Orthodox religions and in general. The solution to the problem was outlined with the accession of Catherine II and in connection with the empress’s policy in the spheres of religion and law.