A method of testing of threshold SiO2 aerogel Cherenkov detectors using cosmic radiation is described. The method requires a minimum amount of additional electronics and does not involve massive absorber layers (e.g., lead). The method makes it possible to directly take into account the threshold in determining the efficiency of the detectors under study and to test their operation in different energy ranges for relativistic charged particles. Good agreement between the results of the simulation and measurements was obtained.

The soils buried under the early medieval mounds of the 9th and early 11th centuries AD were studied. The reconstruction of environmental trendу and their influence on soils was carried out on the basis of a comparative analysis of the properties of soils buried under mounds of different ages, surface soils, and newly formed soil on mound structures supplemented with data on the time of soil formation on sandy parent rocks in the taiga zone. The study area belongs to the Baltic province of soddy-podzolic soils of the southern taiga subzone. Soils buried under mound structures characterize periods with different climatic conditions. Soils that developed before burial in the cool and humid climate of the 8th–9th centuries AD are specified by the mobility of iron compounds in the profile and a morphologically pronounced accumulation of bleached quartz grains in its upper part. The influence of relatively warm and dry climate of the 10th century AD on the processes of soil formation is manifested in the lower mobility of iron compounds, more active humus accumulation, and less pronounced bleaching of mineral grains. The time of formation of the profile of soddy podbur in the material of mound structures was estimated at 1000 years. The construction of the mound structures consisted in successive filling of the mound from the edges to the center of the site, so that the material of middle horizons of the initial natural soil turned out to be in the upper part of the mound.

For photonuclear research with γ-quanta having energies Eγ ≤ 40 MeV at the source under developing with backward Compton scattering of laser radiation on accelerated electrons, activation experiments are proposed as initial ones. These experiments are important both for developing techniques for tuning and monitoring such γ-beams, and for studying the excitation of pygmy and giant resonances in nuclei at Eγ near the threshold of the (γ, n) reaction, as well as the multiplicity of photoneutrons during deexcitation of giant resonances at Eγ above the threshold of (γ, 2n)-reaction.

To study the E1 giant resonance in atomic nuclei, it is important to study the energy and emission angle distributions of fast neutrons from (γ, n)-reactions. The paper considers some features of such studies on beams of γ-quanta produced by inverse Compton scattering with small spreads of their energy, angles, transverse dimensions, duration, and polarization in these beams. It is proposed to use fast neutron spectrometers using both amplitude and time-of-flight data.

The issues are considered for studying the yields of the reactions 13C(γ, p)12B, 14N(γ, 2p)12B, and 14N(γ, 2n)12N with measuring (12B, 12N)-activity by telescopes of ΔE-detectors in time between electron accelerator pulses. For the chosen radiators and targets, the fluxes, and spectra of irradiating bremsstrahlung γ-quanta are found. The influence of the parameters of targets and telescopes of ΔE-detectors on production of (12B, 12N)-nuclei and registration of their decay is estimated.

The possibilities of studying the reaction yields of ^13 C (γ,p)^12 B, ^14 N (γ,2p)^12 B, and ^14 N (γ,2n)^12 N through measurements of induced ( ^12 B, ^12 N) activities with thin Δ E detector telescopes in temporal intervals between electron accelerator pulses have been analyzed. Estimates for the production of ( ^12 B, ^12 N) nuclei and registration of their decay are provided, taking into account the parameters of the electron beam, Ta radiator, irradiated targets made of graphite or NH _4 NO _3 , and telescopes of plastic scintillation Δ E detectors.

A variant of testing threshold SiO2 aerogel Cherenkov detectors using cosmic radiation is described. The implementation requires a minimum amount of additional electronics and does not involve massive absorber layers (lead, etc.). The method makes it possible to accurately determine efficiency of detectors under study and to study operation of detectors in different energy ranges for relativistic particles.

Based on the analysis of development of photonuclear reaction studding at 𝐸𝛾 ≲ 40 MeV and the unique parameters of the Compton source of 𝛾–quanta under projecting, a program of priority photonuclear research using this source is proposed. The program includes research on: structures of giant E1 resonances and pygmy resonances; cross sections for partial photonucleon reactions; nuclear resonant fluorescence; photofission; problems of astrophysics and nucleosynthesis.

Paleopedology is a booming scientific discipline that studies the soils of the past geological epochs in order to assess the paleoenvironmental evolution. The scope of paleosol studies embraces not only soils themselves, but also the products of their involvement in biogeosphere cycles. This ensures the planetary role of pedogenesis, which includes the transformation of the upper layers of the lithosphere leading to the increase in fine earth, formation of new minerals, and residual or accumulative concentration of elements. In the geological history of the Earth, pedogenesis is realized within the framework of exogenesis, which includes weathering, soil formation, sedimentation, diagenesis, and geochemical migration. The pedolithosphere records the critical points in the landscape evolution of the Earth from the very onset of the geological record, including the oxygenation of the atmosphere, the emergence of the higher plants and herbaceous biomes, the dynamics of Interglacial–Glacial cycles, etc. Paleosols are the base for paleogeographic reconstructions and predictive models of the future climate change. Paleopedology expands the horizons of soil science within the system of biogeosphere sciences and determines the development of new scientific disciplines—bacterial paleontology, paleogeochemistry, biogeomorphology, astropedology, geoarchaeology, ecological paleopedology, soil paleocryogenesis and cryobiosphere studies. The historical dimension granted by paleopedology makes pedology a mature historical science.

The possibilities are analyzed for studying the yields of reactions 13C(𝛾, 𝑝) 12B, 14N(𝛾, 2𝑝) 12B, 14N(𝛾, 2𝑛) 12N by measuring the induced (12B, 12N)-activity with telescopes of thin Δ𝐸–detector in time intervals between electron accelerator pulses. For production of (12B, 12N)- nuclei and registration of their decay, estimates are given taking into account the parameters of the electron beam, Ta–radiator and irradiated targets made from graphite or NH4NO3, as well as the parameters of scintillation Δ𝐸 detector telescopes made from thin plastic plates.

Studies that have carried out made it possible to objectively and with an excellent spatial resolution to assess the agroecological state of automorphic soils in several districts of Yaroslavl oblast from 1986 to 1990 and identify its changes by 2019–2020. In general, agro–sod–podzolic soils were characterized by low humus content and a low or medium supply of nutrients and were medium to weakly acidic. The ranking of soils according to the points of the soil ecological index (SEI) score showed that, in the groups with a lower score, the climatic (C) component made a more significant contribution. In contrast, in the groups with a higher score, the shares of SEI agrochemical (A) and soil (S) components increase. In the Poshekhonsky and Breitovsky raions, the proportion of soils with an average SEI score from 20 to 39 was higher, and in the Uglichsky raion, located in the south, it was from 30 to 49. Based on the principal component analysis of an extensive array of empirical data, it was discovered that the set of initial variables used in the SEI fertility model is statistically valid, allowing it to cover regional pedo- and litho-diversity. The variability in the group of variables used to calculate the A and S components of SEI is better explained by the lithological factor than by the study area and the degree of water-logging. Transparent degradation processes in arable–arable chronosequences were identified and expressed dehumification, an increase in potential acidity, a decrease in the content of mobile forms of phosphorus and potassium, and the appearance of gleyey differences, which led to a decrease in the SEI values. There was no unified trend regarding humus content in the arable-soil sequence on loamy deposits. Still, a clear tendency towards acidification, depletion of mobile forms of phosphorus and potassium, and the development of hydromorphism was diagnosed. In the vast majority of cases, this caused a decrease in the final score of SEI. At the same time, an increase in humus content, a reduction in the range of nutrients, and the absence of a trend concerning potential acidity were noted in the chronosequences of arable land-fallow land on sandy loamy varieties. The specifics of postagrogenic evolution and the emergence of new soil properties should be considered when performing a soil-agroecological assessment and forecasting the agroproductive potential against the background of changed climatic conditions.

Selection of a land plot is one of the first and most important stages during realization of the vineyard project. The final decision at this stage is determined by many factors, including the cost of the land plot, its logistical parameters, tourist attractiveness, etc. The most important among them is the suitability of the plot for grape cultivation, determined by a combination of soil, climatic, and orographic conditions, which are combined in the concept of terroir in the production practice of viticulture and winemaking. An integral assessment of the soil component of the terroir of test plots located in contrasting physical-geographical conditions of France (communes of Le Bignon and Domme) and Russia (villages of Fruktovoe and Beregovoi) was performed. The optimal list of analyzed soil properties based on the parameters taken into account when choosing rootstock varieties—the design solution that most depends on soil conditions—was determined in the course of the work. Then, the procedure of compression of the information on the soil component of the terroir of test plots was performed, and locally oriented weight coefficients were calculated. According to the results of the average integral assessment in the 1-m-deep layer of soil profiles, the following ranked sequence of test plots from the best soil conditions to the worst ones was obtained: the village of Beregovoi (score 0.84), the commune of Le Bignon (score 0.70), the village of Fruktovoe (scores 0.66 and 0.65), and the commune of Domme (score 0.63), the values of which can be compared with other factors at the stage of making a decision on planting vineyards.

The selection of rootstocks is one of the first and most important stages in the establishment of grape plantations under grafted conditions, which determines the productivity of rootstock-scion combinations and the further chain of design solutions: spatial placement of rows on the land plot, accompanying the production process of agronomic and agrochemical methods. Given the high importance of terroir factors for viticulture and winemaking, we were aware of the need to consider them in detail at this design stage. The aim was to create an algorithm for selecting varieties based on local terroir factors and apply it to the design of vineyards. Based on the analysis of literary sources and the agronomic experience of viticulture and winemaking specialists, we have identified key stress factors that in general, should be taken into account when selecting varieties of rootstocks. Based on the results of a comprehensive study of terroir and analytical diagnostics of soil samples taken on a land plot located in the Bakhchisaray district of the Republic of Crimea, local stress factors representing risks were clarified and prioritized neo-medially at the site of testing the landscape-adapted approach to the selection of rootstocks: carbonate condition, risk of phylloxera infestation, high content of fine fractions in granulometric composition, short-term droughts, risk of local overwatering, phosphorus deficiency. In total 20 the most common commercial varieties of rootstocks were considered for each selected soil area. The sample reduction scenario, based on the prioritization of the above stressors, reduced the number of varieties considered to three variants: 1103 Paulsen, 140 Ruggeri, and Fercal, which were scored against each other and considering the local terroir conditions of the plot, for further comparison in terms of market and logistics in making the final design decision.

Proceeding from the comparison of parameters for the γ -ray source based on backward Compton scattering, which is under development now, and the known methods of monitoring γ -ray beams themselves to monitor the intensity and energy spectrum of γ quanta in the beams from this γ -ray source during photonicuclear research in the energy range from a few megaelectronvolts to ∼ 40 MeV, a system comprising scintillation plastic and inorganic detectors, as well as a magnetic pair spectrometer, has been proposed.

The Hadjoh 2 open-air site is one of a few Middle Palaeolithic sites known in the northwestern Caucasus, which provide evidence of both the early (MIS 5) and late (MIS 3) stages of the Middle Palaeolithic occupation of the region. The 2020 multidisciplinary research indicates that Hadjoh 2 preserves four distinct Middle Palaeolithic layers, which house the evidence for hominins that produced the Middle Palaeolithic assemblages and visited the site periodically from about 120-100 ka in MIS 5d to about 50-45 ka in MIS 3. At present, Hadjoh 2 is the only Middle Palaeolithic open-air site in the North Caucasus, in which the site's lithostratigraphy and paleoenvir-onmental conditions were investigated by means of modern-level studies, including palynological and paleo-pedologic analyses, and magnetic proxy data.

Based on a comparison of the parameters of the projected 𝛾–source from backward Compton scattering and the known ways of monitoring the beams of 𝛾–quanta themselves to monitor the intensity and energy spectrum of 𝛾–quanta in their beams at this 𝛾–source in photonuclear studies in the region from several MeV to ∼40 MeV, a system of scintillation plastic and inorganic detectors, as well as a pair magnetic spectrometer, was proposed.