№ 4 (2021)

More than half a century ago, we synthesized a polymer with contradictory properties in terms of polymer chemistry, i.e. hypercrosslinked polystyrene. Despite the rigid connection between each chain link with the links of neighboring chains, it turned out to be quite flexible, absorbs large amounts of any liquid, and noticeably increases in size. Currently the production of hypercrosslinked polystyrene sorbents amounts in thousands of tons per year; they are used widely in science and technology. An amazing property of the rigid polymer networks is its complete inertness in relation to blood cells and large protein molecules. This made it possible to create universal hemosorbents based on hypercrosslinked polymers, which have already saved hundreds of patients with general blood poisoning (sepsis). The article describes the stages of creation of these sorbents, which turned out to be so claimed during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Women’s costume jewelry items are undoubtedly the most outstanding works of jewelry art. Men’s jewelry and accessories rarely attract the attention of researchers. At the turn of the century, cufflinks became an indispensable accessory of the ceremonial men’s suit. The functional purpose of this accessory dictated certain requirements for design solutions and imposed certain restrictions on the possibilities of decorative design. Memorial cufflinks are most often distinguished from the general series, due to the rare composition of the decor, unusual gemstones, and the symbolism of the image. They are also characterized by the use of expensive materials and time-consuming manual jewelry techniques. A number of memorial cufflinks from private collections made by leading masters of the last third of the XIX — early XX centuries and once owned by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, indirectly characterizes the degree of state and military merit, refined artistic taste, a wide range of interests, as well as the milestones of the family life of their former owner.

The yellow steppe lemming (Eolagurus luteus) was first recorded by E.A. Eversmann on February 9, 1826, near Northwestern Ustyurt, and was described by him lately, in 1840. About a million years ago, the yellow steppe lemming had a vast range, stretching from Western Romania to Transbaikal. However, in the western part of the range, it disappeared, like some other animals. By the middle of the 19th century, the yellow steppe lemming inhabited the semi-deserts from the lower reaches of the Urals to Eastern Kazakhstan and was abundant everywhere. In the second half of the 19th century, it became completely extinct in most regions of Kazakhstan. In the mid-1960s, we found the yellow steppe lemmings in the east of the Zaysan depression, where this rodent still inhabits gravelly-clay and gravelly-sandy areas, feather-grass steppe, the floodplains, and the forb-grass valleys of dry streams. The animals feed mainly on the vegetative parts of wormwood and cereals. They breed from March to October; litter size is up to eight pups. They are active around the clock and all year round. Periodically, there are yellow steppe lemming population outbreaks. During periodical winter migrations, countless yellow steppe lemmings rush across Lake Zaysan. Not all of them manage to overcome long distances (the width of the lake along the migration routes is about 30 km), and an incredible number of animals die.

Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937) was an outstanding English scientist, the founder of nuclear physics, who made a significant contribution to the study of radioactivity, the atom structure, and the artificial transformation of elements. He predicted the existence of transuranic elements. He was a member (1903) and President (1925–1930) of the Royal Society of London, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1908, professor at McGill University in Quebec (Canada), then professor at the University of Manchester, and from 1919, professor at the University of Cambridge. His scientific activity was also associated with the creation of a scientific school for scientists from different countries, including the USSR.

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