Vol 44, No 1 (2023)

The concept of dissipative structures may be regarded as one of the important concepts in modern science. It is also present in philosophical literature as well as in scientific journalism. This concept is traditionally associated with the works of Ilya Prigogine and his colleagues, published in the 1970s–1980s. Recently, however, the name of Alan Turing, a major figure in the 20th century science and one of the founders of modern computer science who in 1952 published a paper on morphogenesis, began to be mentioned in connection with the notion of dissipative structures. We agree that this notion can be traced back to this paper by Turing. However, the concept of dissipative systems was formulated within the conceptual framework of Prigogine and his co-authors.

The efforts of the Russian émigrés associated with the preparation of a multivolume publication, “The Gold Book of the Russian Emigration”, for publishing can be regarded as one of the major albeit little-studied events in their life. For the Russian émigrés, this project became a point of honor as well as a kind of response to the Cold War events. The émigrés themselves regarded “The Gold Book” not only as their “answer”, “report”, or even justification before the descendants but also as their bequest to future generations. The article analyzes previously unpublished correspondence that sheds light on the circumstances of handing over the materials for “The Gold Book” that had ended up in E. A. Vechorin’s possession and, after his death in 1969, in the possession of his widow, S. I. Vechorina, from Paris to New York (1969–1971). These documents are deposited in the so-called Russian archives in the USA: the Bakhmeteff Archive of Russian and East European Culture, Columbia University (New York, NY), the Archive of Russian Academic Group in the USA (Kinnelon, NJ), and the Archive of the Tolstoy Foundation (Valley Cottage, NY).              

The article discusses the main stages in the formation and the research and practical work of the Sverdlovsk Biotelemetry Group as a scientific school led by Professor V. V. Rozenblat. In the early 20th century, the development of physiology demanded fundamentally new medical and technical solutions for real-time recording of physiological data in free-moving biological objects. A new direction of medical science and technology – dynamic bioradiotelemetry – has emerged. An informal scientific association of engineers and doctors, the Sverdlovsk Biotelemetry Group, worked in Sverdlovsk from the mid-1950s through the 1970s. Its leader was Professor V. V. Rozenblat while L. S. Dombrovskii provided overall management of engineering work. From 1955 to 1960, the Group created the first reliable device for remote pulse recording via radio. The period from 1960 through 1970 was the time of the group’s highest activity and productivity. The number of its members increased to 20. More than 50 original devices, unique sensors, and transmitting and receiving devices as well as the optimal methods for capturing and recording biosignals and bioelectric currents have been developed. After 1970, the most significant achievement of the Group was the use of computer technology for automated collection and analysis of the results of bioradiotelemetry. A series of original instruments was used in the Soviet space exploration program. The Group’s efforts over the decades resulted in the substantiation of dynamic bioradiotelemetry as a set of technologies and methodologies for obtaining fundamentally new knowledge about human body functioning during various activities. A scientific basis was created for the development of space medicine and the main principles were developed for sports teams training and preparation, rehabilitation, labor regulations in various areas, and social assessment.

The article examines the aspects of the interstate scientific and technical cooperation between the “socialist commonwealth” countries in the field of postal and electrical communications in the post-war period. The basic platform for this partnership was the Organization for Socialist Countries Cooperation in the Field of Electric and Postal Communications (OSS) and the most significant, large-scale projects in the field of telegraph, telephone, postal and radio communications were implemented under its auspices. Later on, the CMEA Commission for Cooperation in the Field of Electrical and Postal Communications and, in part, the International Space Communications Organization “Intersputnik” joined in the OSS’ efforts. The communication infrastructures of the socialist commonwealth countries differed in their development stages, varying in size, scale and structure, their equipment and technologies complexes, and staffing and management policies. The effective use of the telecommunication system’s international segments was a common strategic task for the socialist bloc countries and, where possible, accommodated their national interests. It is emphasized that the rapid development of technologies, prompted by the scientific and technological revolution in telecommunications, brought to the fore the issues of efficient management and operation of the international segments of the socialist states’ national communication systems: the development of unified instructions, specifications, and methodological approaches; unified automation and billing of the international network, etc. At the same time, despite its importance as an infrastructural element of the economy, the communication system had not been placed on the list of priority areas of the interstate socio-economic cooperation.

The article is devoted to Nikolai Konstantinovich Vereshchagin, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, who belonged to the world-famous scientific school of Sechenov and Shaternikov, as well as to his colleagues and coauthors. Our objective is to examine the results of Vereshchagin’s scientific experiments in the field of nutrition physiology and metabolism, conducted together with M. N. Shaternikov and to summarize the results of the experimental studies in exercise physiology and vocational physiology, carried out by Vereshchagin together with his pupils. Special attention is given to Vereshchagin’s works on circulatory physiology during static muscular load, in particular, to the studies of static effort phenomenon, known in physiology as Linhard – Vereshchagin phenomenon. The theory of central cortical inhibition of physiological functions during physical fatigue, formulated by Vereshchagin together with his pupil V. V. Rozenblat, is explained. Vereshchagin’s biography is based on the archival records and on the recollections of his granddaughter, T. V. Viktorova, and Professor A. L. Azin, Doctor of Medical Sciences. The photographs presented in the article illustrate his personal and scientific biography and are introduced for scientific use for the first time. The facts systematized and presented in the article are important for the preservation of scientific and teaching traditions of the physiological schools in Moscow, Kursk, and Yekaterinburg.

The emergence of the museums of science and technology is associated with many factors such as the Industrial Revolution, the interest in collecting, and society’s demand for education and training. As a rule, museums were created based on already assembled collections or by organizing major exhibitions in order to collect relevant objects. The article discusses the history and goals of establishing two largest science and technology museums in Europe, the Kensington Museum (Science Museum) in London and the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers in Paris, and the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow, whose creation was influenced by the aforementioned European museums. The article also analyzes the shifts in the composition of collections in these three museums, depending on their maturity, and shifts in the attitude towards “aging” items. Based on museum catalogs and other published sources, the development of museum collections is traced from the predominance of new technologies to the formation of historico-technical collections.