Since 2018, the nesting population of the Asian dowitcher has been moving into the taiga zone in the Vilyui River basin. That population is located 800–1000 km from the nearest known nesting sites of the dowitcher. To date, its identified nesting sites are distributed along the eastern section of the Suntar bend for 100 km northward to 63° N. They are located in the river valley on terraces and adjacent watersheds. As of 2020, the dowitcher population size in the Vilyui basin amounts to about 300 individuals.

Based on the results of studies conducted over the past 50 years, the modern avifauna of the Aldan Highlands is established to consist of 198 species, of which 175 are breeding species, 19 are migratory species, and four are vagrants. The taxonomic, faunal, and landscape–zonal structures of avian complexes are revealed. In all, 166 nesting species are recorded in the forest belt; 60 species, in the mountainous sparse woodland; and 22, in the mountain tundra areas. More than half of the species that nest in the forest belt are not distributed above its upper limit. The avifauna of the mountain balds, mainly of the mountain tundra, is better represented by widespread and boreal hypo-arctic species than by alpine and arctic–alpine ones.

The ecological patterns of landscape differentiation of the bird fauna and community of northern taiga in Central Siberia at altitudes of 100–1000 m a.s.l. have been analyzed. The flat left bank of the Lena River basin and low-mountain areas of the Putorana and Vilyui plateaus was surveyed in 2002–2020. The route census method was used on transects with an unlimited width. The degree of commonality of the taxonomic structure and species composition of nesting avifauna is high (156 species). A number of species (n = 14) have been recorded nesting at a distance of 100–250 km from the known boundaries of their ranges for the first time. The taxonomic structure of the nesting avifauna corresponds to the zonal and landscape features of the North Asian taiga, dominated by species of orders Passeriformes, Charadriiformes, Anseriformes, and Falconiformes (total 83

The location and characteristics of the population of the eastern subspecies of black-tailed godwit in the Vilyuy River basin and adjacent areas are determined based on the results of studying representative sites and monitoring the key wetlands, coupled with an analysis of previously published information. This is currently the largest population of the subspecies; its established current range covers 340 000 km 2 (the likely range is up to 490 000 km 2 ). It is estimated to number ca. 11 000 mature individuals. In the central part of the basin (the area of the Suntar River bend), the population of black-tailed godwit undergoes deep cyclic changes.

Studies were conducted within two species model sites (471 and 1360.3 ha) in the middle taiga light-coniferous forests near the city Yakutsk (62° N, 129° E) in 1975-2015. The Siberian jay inhabits a variety of landscape conditions and is very plastic when choosing a nesting site and a place for the nest. A significant part of breeding birds are characterized by conservatism manifested in the presence of permanent habitats with nesting sites and nesting locations. Individual tagging data indicate that most chicks left the model sites (were died or emigrated). Only a small percentage of young birds stayed within the local population, joining territorial pairs as a third сinertт partner, and later, having acquired a partner and a territory, being included in the reproductive population.

Population density, species richness, and total biomass of birds in Central Siberia increase toward the south. The greatest values are noted in terrestrial natural landscapes: for the total abundance of birds, they are in the southern forest type of communities; for species richness, they are in the meadow–field type; and for total biomass, they are in the subarctic plain–tundra type. In industrial–technogenic and southern residential types, the density and biomass of bird communities increase and the species richness decreases in comparison with natural ornithocomplexes. In aquatic habitats, the total abundance of birds and their species richness decrease and biomass increases when compared with terrestrial ones. The representation of types of fauna in bird communities (by number of individuals) is determined by the zones of their landscape preference, which have ecological similarity with the areas of their formation. Since birds actively choose tiers with the most favorable thermal, trophic, and protective conditions, their vertical biotopic distribution to some extent does not correspond to the tier structure of their habitats.

Высокая плотность структурных дефектов является основной проблемой при изготовлении электроники на гетероструктурах «кремний на сапфире» (КНС). Современный метод получения ультратонких структур КНС с помощью твердофазной эпитаксиальной рекристаллизации позволяет значительно снизить дефектность в гетероэпитаксиальном слое КНС. В данной работе ультратонкие (100 нм) слои КНС были получены путем рекристаллизации и утонения субмикронных (300 нм) слоев кремния на сапфире, обладающих различным структурным качеством. Плотность структурных дефектов в слоях КНС оценивалась с помощью рентгеноструктурного анализа и просвечивающей электронной микроскопии. Кривые качания от дифракционного отражения Si(400), полученные в ω-геометрии, продемонстрировали максимальную ширину на полувысоте пика не более 0,19-0,20° для ультратонких слоев КНС толщиной 100 нм. Формирование структурно совершенного субмикронного слоя КНС 300 нм на этапе газофазной эпитаксии обеспечивает существенное уменьшение плотности дислокаций в ультратонком кремнии на сапфире до значений ~1 • 104 см-1. Тестовые n-канальные МОП-транзисторы на ультратонких структурах КНС характеризовались подвижностью носителей в канале 725 см2 Вс-1. The high density of structural defects is the main problem on the way to the production of electronics on silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) heteroepitaxial wafers. The modern method of obtaining ultrathin SOS wafers is solid-phase epitaxial recrystallization which can significantly reduce the density of defects in the SOS heteroepitaxial layers. In the current work, ultrathin (100 nm) SOS layers were obtained by recrystallization and thinning of submicron (300 nm) SOS layers, which have various structural quality. The density of structural defects in the layers was estimated by using XRD and TEM. Full width at half maximum of rocking curves (ω-geometry) was no more than 0.19-0.20° for 100 nm ultra-thin SOS layers. The structural quality of 300 nm submicron SOS layers, which were obtained by CVD, depends on dislocation density in 100 nm ultrathin layers. The dislocation density in ultrathin SOS layers was reduced by ~1 • 104 cm-1 due to the utilization of the submicron SOS with good crystal quality. Test n-channel MOS transistors based on ultra-thin SOS wafers were characterized by electron mobility in the channel 725 cm2 V-1 s-1.

The main technological problem in the manufacture of electronics on silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) structures is the high density of defects in silicon-on-sapphire layers. The modern method of obtaining ultrathin SOS structures using solid-phase epitaxial recrystallization and pyrogenic thinning can significantly reduce the defectiveness in these layers. Nevertheless, the effect of the defectiveness of submicron SOS layers on the structural perfection of ultrathin layers remains unclear. In this work, ultrathin (100 nm) SOS structures have been obtained on submicron (300 nm) SOS structures with different structural quality. The crystallinity of 300 nm layers before the recrystallization process and ultrathin layers has been determined using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It has been found that the lowest values of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.19°–0.20° have been observed for an ultrathin SOS structure obtained based on the most structurally perfect SOS layers of 300 nm. It has been shown that a more perfect near-surface layer of the basic SOS structure of 300 nm and a double implantation regime make it possible to reduce the density of structural defects in the ultrathin Si layer by an order of magnitude to achieve ~1 × 10 4 cm –1 .

The data on the distribution and ecology of the Pechora pipit in northeastern Asia were updated on the basis of published data and the results of studies performed in the period from 1977 to 2016 in the basins of the Olenek, Lena, Yana, Indigirka, and Alazeya rivers. In contrast to the Ob and Yenisei watersheds, as well as to Chukotka and Kamchatka, in the basins of the above-mentioned rivers and in the mid-Kolyma basin, the Pechora pipit inhabits the northern taiga and shows less preference for the tundra zone. Compact breeding grounds are largely confined to large river valleys, and only in the Vilyui River basin can they be found in the watershed wetlands. The breeding range is predominately fragmented. The continuous distribution area of this species encompasses Kamchatka and, apparently, the Koryak Highlands and Southern Chukotka. Westwards, in the Yana and Kolyma basins between 66° N and 69° N, in the Lena valley between 68° N and 70° N, in the interfluve between the Vilyui and Olenek rivers between 63° N and 66° N, and in the Khatanga and Yenisei basins between 63° N and 72° N, a discontinuous distribution zone has formed. In the interfluve between the Vilyui and Olenek rivers and in the Alazeya River valley, the population density reaches its highest values observed in the species optimum in Kamchatka. The nesting sites of the Pechora pipit nests in grass associations, forages mostly in meadows and swamps, and feeds mainly on amphibiont invertebrates.

The basic tendencies of territorial changes in bird communities of the middle taiga on the Central Siberian Plateau are interrelated with the differences in forestation, productivity, swampiness, bushiness, watering, and buildup of habitats and are on the whole similar to those on the West Siberian and Central Yakutsk plains, although there are also some differences. Thus, the community types of upland swamps and low-inundated meadows in combination with lowland swamps are characteristic only of West Siberia. In Central Siberia, forest ornithocomplexes are the most diverse, which is largely due to the presence of communities of woodlands and glades at different stages of overgrowing. The ecotone type of ornithocomplexes was distinguished only for Central Yakutia. In the North Urals, the formation of ornithocomplexes is significantly influenced by forestation and tree species composition but starts to be noticeably affected by altitudinal zonality as well as productivity of biocenoses and development of shrubs in habitats interrelated with this factor.

New data on the biology of the common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus L., in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) are presented. Based on the authors' and literature data, all the known species that are tutors of cuckoo's nestlings were specified in this region. Patterns of color of cuckoo's eggs in nests of different host species are described.

Construction of new accelerating facilities to investigate reactions with heavy ions requires upgrading of the Time-of-Flight (TOF) systems for on-line ion identification. The requested time resolution of the TOF system developed for Super FRagment Separator in the frame of the FAIR program at GSI, Germany, is in the range of tens of picoseconds, which can be realized by using planar silicon detectors. Such resolution will allow characterization of relativistic ions from Lithium to Uranium. However, fast timing of heavy ions with semiconductor detectors is expected to be limited by the so-called plasma effect due to a high concentration of electron–hole pairs in tracks. Here the results of the experiment with relativistic 197Au ions (the energy of 920MeV per nucleon) obtained with Si detectors are described, which showed the TOF time resolution around 14psrms. The physical mechanism of charge collection from high-density penetrating tracks of relativistic heavy ions is considered and the analysis of timing characteristics is performed taking into account track polarization. Polarization is shown to have a strong influence on the formation of the leading edge of the detector current response generated by relativistic heavy ions, which allows us to explain the observed high time resolution.

Silicon and diamond detectors operated in a superfluid helium bath are currently being considered for the upgrade of the LHC beam loss monitoring system. The detectors would be installed in immediate proximity of the superconducting coils of the triplet magnets. We present here the results of the in situ irradiation test for silicon detectors using 23 GeV protons while keeping the detectors at a temperature of 1.9 K Red laser (630 nm) Transient Current Technique and DC current measurements were used to study the pulse response and collected charge for silicon detectors irradiated to a maximum radiation fluence of 1 x 10(16) p/cm(2). The dependence between collected charge and irradiation fluence was parameterized using the Hecht equation and assumption of a uniform electric field distribution. The collected charge was found to degrade with particle fluence for both bias polarities. We observed that the main factor responsible for this degradation was related to trapping of holes on the donor-type radiation-induced defects. In contrast to expectations, along with formation of donors, acceptor-type defects (electron traps) are introduced into the silicon bulk. This suggests that the current models describing charge collection in irradiated silicon detectors require an extension for taking into account trapping at low temperatures with a contribution of shallow levels. New in situ irradiation tests are needed and planned now to extend statistics of the results and gain a deeper insight into the physics of low temperature detector operation in harsh radiation environment. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.