The Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) has been intensively colonizing cities during the last decades. Changes in the burrow numbers and their distribution over an area might be important indicators of the population status for the Common hamster in an urban environment. In this study, we consider the character of the burrow distribution on the experimental plot (2.2 ha) situated in the park of Simferopol City, Russian Federation. The brushwood and tree vegetation on this plot had been previously mapped in detail. Hamster burrows were put on the map once a quarter during a year. The peak of burrowing activity is shown to be in November. Interestingly, the ground activity of hamsters continued even in the coldest month (January) of the year but the number of used burrows was very low. The squares where both trees and burrows were present (by average annual indicators) was met significantly more frequently than burrows in the tree-free squares (P = 0.02; χ 2 = 5.2) but this was not the case for the winter and spring seasons. We assume that the connection of burrows with arboreous vegetation facilitates digging, ensures better protection from predators and is a food source. All these factors ensure favorable conditions for the high abundance of the Common hamster in the urban environment.

Traditionally, urbanization has been seen as a negative phenomenon for biota. However, changes in the environmental parameters induced by urbanization might be favorable for some species. Over the past half‐century, the common hamster has actively populated cities, establishing populations in some European, Russian and Kazakhstan cities. Based on integrative methods, we investigated free‐range common hamsters inhabiting Simferopol from 2015 to 2018 to reveal possible adaptations to the urbanized environment across several parameters, including lifespan, hibernation period, reproductive activity and body mass. Results show that in urban areas, the common hamster demonstrates an extremely short hibernation period compared to other localities, possibly due to enhanced food resources from urban forestry (walnuts, locus and hazelnut), allowing the species to start breeding very early (February) and finish as late as October. We present the first evidence of polyandry for this species: mating of receptive females with several males and subsequent confirmation of multiple paternity. Despite high reproductive potential, the lifespan of the common hamster in urban conditions is generally very short (less than 1 year). We speculate that in the process of synurbization, the common hamster's innate plasticity across many life history traits permits it to successfully colonize throughout a wide range of habitats, with the ability to form novel adaptations to urban environments.

The paper addresses the life and work of the outstanding Russian choir director, choir conductor, composer and teacher Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov (1877–1944) and is dedicated to the 145th anniversary of his birth. It touches upon the biographical, historical-contextual, stylistic, and performing aspects of his heritage. The life and creative path of Chesnokov fell into two eras, split by the events of 1917. As a student of Danilin and Golovanov, Taneyev and Vasilenko, Chesnokov, together with a group of like-minded people, participated in the creation of conducting and choral faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Implementing Russian song folklore in his compositions, the composer turned to archaic genres: labor artel, round dance and more. His secular compositions — in particular over sixty choirs to verses by Russian and European poets — are enjoying great popularity up to this day. Among the academic genres as a significant component of the master's heritage, one should mention one-act opera or poem “Flood” (“Heaven and Earth”) to the composer's libretto after Byron. Created in 1917, it was performed for the first time more than a century later in 2019. Over four hundred choral compositions made it into the golden fund of Russian sacred music. In the book “Chorus and its Management” Chesnokov left his will as a mentor. Russian song folklore, temple music, traditions of domestic and foreign musical culture — these are the origins of the composer's melos which are of enduring significance to this day.

Описан теоретический подход и проведена на его основе оценка характеристик селективности неподвижных газохроматографических фаз по структурной формуле фазы. Работа является продолжением развиваемого авторами метода теоретического описания неподвижных фаз в газовой хро- матографии. Все параметры, используемые в математических выражениях, имеют физический смысл, переносимы и не требуют проведения дополнительных экспериментов. Сделанные оценки хорошо согласуются с результатами по селективности коммерческих фаз, полученными ранее из эксперимен- тальных данных по индексам Ковача. Подход может быть использован для предсказания поведения аналитов в газовой хроматографии.

Анализируется статус лиц, обладающих специальными познаниями, которые вовлекаются в познавательную деятельность суда на стадии исполнения приговора при решении ряда процессуальных вопросов, связанных с реализацией обвинительного приговора или постановления суда о применении принудительных мер медицинского характера. Рассматриваются вопросы назначения судебных экспертиз на стадии исполнения приговора, участия специалиста в судебных процедурах на данном этапе уголовного судопроизводства. Делается вывод, что реализующие свои специальные медицинские знания лечащие врачи, члены медицинских комиссий, врачи-эксперты МСЭК могут вовлекаться в уголовно-процессуальное доказывание на стадии исполнения приговора в качестве сведущих свидетелей.