Books

The articles summarize the work performed in various laboratories of the Department of Higher Nervous Activity at Lomonosov Moscow State University and dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Leonid G. Voronin, an outstanding Russian physiologist, founder and organizer of the department, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences who initiated these researches.

The collection considers his concepts about new methodological approaches to the analysis of cognitive activity and animal thinking in organizing complex behavioral forms, about the possibility of modeling and correcting pathological states by using inverse immunoregulation, about the neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms of learning and memory, the principles and patterns of processing various visual information in humans and animals as well as phylogenetic aspects of higher nervous activity.

The textbook examines in detail the four problems that have attracted researchers’ attention in the past few decades: prime factorization of large composite numbers, computation of discrete logarithms in the multiplicative residue group by a prime modulus, the solution of large sparse systems of linear equations over finite fields, the computation of the rank of elliptic curves defined over field of rational numbers. The fastest algorithms for solving the first two problems are based on what is known to be a numerical field sieve algorithm that reduces them to the solution of large sparse systems of linear equations over finite fields. These systems are so large that conventional solution algorithms are not applicable to them. Special block iterative algorithms are used instead. This area of the applied number theory is now being actively developed around the world due to its application in cryptography. Because of the absence of lower complexity estimates for solving these number-theoretic problems, the only way to verify the reliability of the cryptographic algorithms used is by running a practical test involving most advanced algorithms and most powerful computers.

The monograph is dedicated to the academician Vyacheslav Petrovich Volgin, a historian and rector of the Moscow University. A graduate of the Faculty of History and Philology, a revolutionary and a publicist after the October Revolution, he became directly involved in university reforms and often initiated them. He had to run MSU in a most difficult period of its history when the entire system of higher education was being overhauled and there was a search for the best version of university restructuring as educational curricula were being revised to train specialists for the young socialist state. Most of the illustrations have been published for the first time.

The book is addressed to the widest possible circle of readers.

Th is book has been written for memory of Genady Nikolaevich Golubev, professor of faculty of geography of Moscow State University. It includes selected papers written by G.N. Golubev, memories by his colleagues, friends and family members, biographic facts, photos taken during his numerous journeys. Th ese materials show uncommonly colorful and intensive life of the scientist who devoted his life to exploration of global ecological problems. G.N. Golubev had been a profound researcher, eff ectual director of science and internationally recognized practitioner in global environmental policy. Due to his works, a new discipline «Geoecology» has already occupied a solid position among other courses of Russian universities. His mission in the UNEP (1981—1989) and other international environmental organizations strengthened the prestige of Russian geographical sciences on international level.

The book investigates two problems of estimating the parameters of strapdown inertial navigation systems (SDINS) and gives a detailed description of their solutions by using the methods of non-smooth optimization.

The first part of the book considers the application of the guaranteed approach to the bench calibration scheme of the SDINS accelerometer blocks. It also describes an optimal experiment plan and develops an iterative algorithm of SDINS bench calibration that improves calibration accuracy. The second part is devoted to l 1-Norm Approximation (the least modules method) in navigational estimation problems. Particular attention is paid to the problem of detecting salutatory variations in the bias of zeros of the SDINS sensors under bench testing.

Both parts present simulation results illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed methods and the features of their use in solving specific problems.

The book is intended for specialists in navigation and assessment.

The textbook examines factors and general patterns of geographical distribution of soils, principles of pedogeographical zoning. It characterizes the soil cover of Russia and neighboring countries and describes conditions of soil formation, genetic features of the most widespread soils and regional features of the soil cover structure and specificity of economic use of soils. The book outlines the world history of soil mapping, gives a brief overview of the soil cover in the world’s pedological and bioclimatic belts and regions and analyzes the land resources of Russia and the world, ways of soil cover rational use and protection.

For students of university faculties of soil, biology and soil and geography and natural sciences and the geographical faculties of teacher-training colleges, faculties of agrochemistry and soil science in agricultural universities.

The textbook ‘Geography of Russian Soils’ is a revised edition of the 1987 book ‘Geography of USSR Soils’ in line with new material and ideas. It contains a regional description of Russia’s soil cover based on the geography of soil-forming processes and provides brief information about the physicogeographical features of its major regions. The first part of the book describes the main theories of soil geography and gives an overview of small-scale soil maps. The second part deals with the genesis and evolution of soils typical of specific regions and discusses anthropogenic changes in soils and some aspects of soil classification. Thus, the textbook reflects modern ideas about the composition of Russia’s soil cover, causes of its formation and factors that determine its differentiation.

For undergraduate and postgraduate students of geography, pedology, specialists in environmental protection, forestry and agriculture.

This textbook (its first edition was in 2000, the second one – in 2004) covers all major questions of oil and gas geology and geochemistry – hydrocarbon origin, migration and accumulation, the composition of gas, oil and its derivatives and their distribution conditions in the earth's crust. Hydrocarbon formation is considered as a pervasive process and a natural outcome of the development of the earth's crust. Particular attention is paid to the role of fluid dynamic processes in the formation of oil- and gas-bearing structures in sedimentary basins. Typification of sedimentary basins is based on modern geodynamics using the latest ideas about the structure of the earth's crust and the nonlinear processes of tectogenesis and lithogenesis. The book highlights the role oil and gas play in the economy, fuel and energy balance of the world and the country.

For university students studying in the specialty ‘Geology and geochemistry of fossil fuels.’

The book represents the country’s first literary account of the life and work of all the thirty German chancellors from the creator of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck to early 21st century chancellors Gerhard Schroeder and Angela Merkel. Drawing on a wide range of literature, the author, a well-known Germanist, gives a portrait of the chancellors against a broad historical background revealing the foundations, essence and purpose of their policies. The liveliness of the presentation and the striking characteristics of the German Chancellors distinguish this work written in the best traditions of the historical and biographical genre.

For professional historians, university lecturers, teachers, students and all those who are interested in German history.

The textbook reveals the main content of the global history course: methodological issues, characteristics of the most important stages of human development from the prehistoric era to the beginning of modernization. The book highlights the key global historical processes of each era and examines the specifics of their occurrence in different regions of the world.

The manual is intended for students of higher educational institutions.

The monograph deals with the problems of globalization of science, new directions in the development of global studies and globalistics stimulated by using the evolutionary approach. Evolutionary globalistics focuses on studying the development and co-evolution of global processes and systems and their systemic-synergetic phenomenon – global development.

The concept of evolutionary globalistics is disclosed in the context of universal (global) evolutionism and the prospect of transitioning to new, safer forms of civilization development and its interaction with the nature of the Earth and the Cosmos. The book forecasts a possible unfolding of future global processes – a transition to sustainable development and the making of the sphere of the mind (the noosphere). Particular attention is paid to the methods and approaches used in globalistics, as well as the spatial and temporal expansion of global research. It investigates the evolution of globalistics itself including the development of such study areas as political and legal globalistics and informational globalistics. It also subdivides globalistics into temporal sections – paleoglobalistics, neoglobalistics, futuroglobalistics and nooglobalistics and the spatial one – cosmoglobalistics.

For specialists, teachers, postgraduate students and a wide range of readers who are interested in the problems of evolutionary globalistics.

Global evolutionism underpins the modern general scientific picture of the world and the form of knowledge about global evolution in which self-organization of material systems is the main permanent process of progressive development in the observable Universe. The book proposes an original interpretation of global evolution, reveals the content of the concept of planetary and universal evolution as well as the basic principles and methods to study them. Considerable attention is paid to the forms of dark matter and their impact on evolution, the anthropic cosmological principle and the prospects for interaction between human civilization and the Universe. The monograph discusses problems of global process evolution, especially their socio-natural development in the context of future general planetary transition to sustainable development and the formation of the noosphere.

The monograph was prepared at the Faculty of Global Processes, Lomonosov Moscow State University, in the Center for Global Processes and Sustainable Development of the Russian Trade and Economic University and at the Department of Social Sciences and Technology of the National Research Technological University MISIS.

The monograph deals with the theoretical basis of state awards as an interdisciplinary legal institution in which the norms of constitutional law have a priority. The book analyzes two aspects of Russia’s modern state award system - the federal state award system (the award system of the Russian Federation) and the state award system in the RF constituents. This work analyses in detail the state and other awards of the Russian Federation and examines general and characteristic features of state and other awards in the constituents of the Russian Federation.

The publication is intended for special courses in ‘State Awards’, ‘Russian Award Law’ and others under similar names, and can be used as additional educational material in the study of courses in the RF constitutional law and the RF administrative law with regard to the powers of the state executive bodies.

For undergraduate and postgraduate students, law school and faculty teachers as well as all those interested in RF state awards.

The normative legal acts of the Russian Federation and the RF constituents cited in the book are given as of January 1, 2014.

Professor V.A. Nikonov’s open lecture that he read to students at the Public Administration Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, on September 3, 2012.

The lecture examines the role of public administration in the history of the rise and fall of great states. Numerous examples show the importance of management models, managerial innovations that led one or another nation to the climax of its historical development ensuring unprecedented economic growth, political advantage and the superpower status. A comparative approach to the understanding of history allows us to identify the opportunities and results of using managerial technologies in a sociocultural and historical context, to show that the great states of the past that aspired to be a superpower were created not only by using military force, army, economic influence but also by unifying culturally and ideologically their peoples with the help of common religion, language and value imperatives. For instance, the importance the Arab rulers attached to education, science and its practical application ensured vitality and global influence for their world. However, the closed traditional Arab society lost its historic leadership when it failed to meet the challenge of modernization. This challenge was taken up by Europe that created a new scientistic technogenic civilization, a new global order.

The West posits desacralized ‘Weltanschauung’, market economy and democratic politics as the cornerstone of a unipolar world project and a response to the challenges of globalism. In its struggle for world leadership the West’s opponent and rival is modern China, whose civilizational characteristics and governance models have ensured her a superpower status. The civilizational approach allows us to consider the history of mankind as an integral process of interaction between civilizations and as a struggle for historical leadership. In this philosophical and methodological paradigm, history fully becomes a teacher for professional managers.

The manual covers the program of ‘State and Municipal Audit’ course for students of School of State Audit (Lomonosov Moscow State University) and describes the basic elements of the fi nancial control, the state fi nancial control and the state audit in Russia. The basic features of the accepted mode of public audit, especially their implementation in the activity of Accounting Chamber of Russia are revealed. The experience of international organizations of the supreme bodies of audit and problems of the state audit standardization in Russia are described.

For students, teachers, scientists and experts, and for all who is interested in the problem.

The book by V.I. Tropin, a Moscow State University Vice-Rector for International Relations in the 1970s – 1980s, deals with the visits of Daisaku Ikeda, a famous Buddhist public figure, peace fighter, President of the Soca Gakkai International Society, to the USSR and Russia. The materials about D. Ikeda’s meetings with our country’s state and public figures, writers and scientists and Moscow University rectors RV. Khokhlov, A.A. Logunov, V.A. Sadovnichiy are supplemented by the author’s impressions of his personal contacts with this outstanding Japanese philosopher and enlightener. One of the sections of the book is devoted to the problem of the USSR disintegration that preoccupied D. Ikeda.

The work summarizes the results of our own research and that of other scientific institutions on arable land degradation in Russia. Under the guidance of the author, the book developed and presented the following:

• Methodology for assessing agroecological and landscape and land improvement factors of agrolandscape degradation in Russia’s Non-Black zone to determine main directions for soil fertility restoration and increased productivity of agrocenoses;
• Characteristics of degradation processes and major agroecological and landscape and land reclamation factors of agricultural land degradation;
• Various complexes of successive crop cultivation measures to restore the productivity of degraded arable and natural forage lands.

The presented data and analysis can be used by central and regional authorities, the agro-industrial complex’s information and consulting centers and by scientists, undergraduate and postgraduates students of classical and agricultural universities, academies and other higher educational institutions.