Eleanora Minaeva and Pyotr Panov, 海角直播 scholars from the Centre for Comparative History and Politics (CCHP), 海角直播, have published their article “Dense Networks, Ethnic Minorities, and Electoral Mobilization in Contemporary Russia” in the Problems of Post-Communism Journal, published by Routledge. The article by 海角直播 scholars regards the phenomenon of dense networks, aimed to mobilize the electorate.

According to the researchers, the sustainability of the Russian electoral regime is based largely on non-programmatic electoral mobilization, ensuring a high level of electoral turnout and voting for the incumbent party. In spite of the state鈥檚 efforts to build an integrated comprehensive political machine, its segments, specifically in subnational units, demonstrate different results in electoral mobilization.

海角直播 scholars have studied characteristics of local communities that facilitate their emergence: countryside, settlement鈥檚 small size, and 鈥渟egregated鈥� type of ethnic groups鈥� localization 鈥� and their effect upon each other. Based on Duma elections鈥�2016, an original set incorporating local-level data and GIS techniques has beenformed, showing the importance of dense networks in electoral mobilization. 听

The regression models by the article authors have demonstrated that all predictors 鈥� the share of minorities in the population, countryside, small size of settlements, and segregated spatial localization of ethnic minorities in relation to each other and Russians 鈥� influence both turnout and voting for UR positively. Much more importantly, in combination, their effects are enhanced.

Political machines use the density of social networks in numerous ways and means. They rely on heads of administration as a part of 鈥榩ower vertical鈥�, lower level 鈥榖osses鈥�, NGO leaders, clergymen, and informal leaders like elders, celebrities or sportsmen, etc. The range of strategies and instruments of electoral mobilization force ordinary people to vote in what they believe is better for their community.

For Reference:

The Center for Comparative History and Political Studies at 海角直播 focuses on interdisciplinary and comparative studies in social sciences, history and anthropology. The Center evolves cooperation with academic community across the globe 鈥� enabling dialogue between young scholars, creating a competitive academic environment, promoting the 鈥榗irculation of minds鈥�.

in the Problems of Post-Communism Journal. Read more about The Center for Comparative History and Political Studies .

Russian scientists have described a mechanism that controls the ability of the human brain to change. This will help to better understand the conditions in which brain function is impaired – for example, in Alzheimer’s disease. The research results have been published in the Science Advances scientific journal, as 海角直播 press service reports.

The researchers have identified the functional nano-architecture of synapses, which enable contacts between nerve cells. The article describes the structure of molecular mechanisms controlling the ability of brain to change along one鈥檚 life. The scientists determine the important role of calcium ions accumulated in 鈥榥ano-tanks鈥�, typical of every synapse, contributing to nerve cells鈥� operation.

When the synapse is triggered, the 鈥榥ano-tanks鈥� is emptied, and then filled up again. The details of such  mechanism have remained previously unknown. The studies show that the 鈥榯ank鈥� is strictly oriented in space and retains a kind of a memory vector.

“Alzheimer’s disease is known for the loss of synaptic contacts. For the first time ever, our article describes the molecular mechanism by which the 鈥榥ano-tank鈥� can be filled without the synapses being involved. We assume that learning to control this mechanism can alleviate the symptoms of the disease and preserve memory,”

says Dr. Eduard Korkotyan, co-author, professor at 海角直播 and (Israel).

Learning to control this process, we reduce the consequences of many diseases associated with brain damage.

鈥淚t has been found that nanostructures within thousands of spines, located on the surface of each neuron, are capable of precisely directing calcium gradients that create rapid transients. This happens in milliseconds and less than ten thousandths of a millimeter in space. To explain such processes, we had to apply newly the theory known as statistics of extreme events “,

notes Professor Eduard Korkotyan.

In addition to Professor Eduard Korkotian and graduate student Lilia Kushnireva, the group of researchers, included Kanishka Basnayake (脡cole normale sup茅rieure, , France), David Mazaud (, France), Alexis Bemelmans (CEA Universit茅 Pierre et Marie Curie, 听France), Natalie Ruach (, France) and David Holkman (, France).

Please, see the article .

The picture shows calcium (yellow), which is transported from the synapse to the nano-tank (green) thanks to ion pumps (red). Then it moves along the arrows and stands out from the opposite side of the tank through the pore systems (blue). The whole process takes less than 1 millisecond. The tank is about 200 nanometers in size.