Prevalence of the polymorphic H-ficolin (FCN3) genes and mannosebinding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP2) in indigenous populations from the Russian Arctic regions

Lectins, being the main proteins of the lectin pathway activating the complement system, are encoded by polymorphic genes, wherein point mutations cause the protein conformation and expression to change, which turns out to have an effect on the functionality and ability to respond to the pathogen. In the current study, largescale data on the population genotype distribution of the genes for H-ficolin FCN3 rs28357092 and mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease MASP2 rs72550870 among the indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic regions (Nenets, Dolgans and Nganasans, a mixed population and Russians: a total sample was about 1000 newborns) have been obtained for the first time. Genotyping was carried out using RT-PCR. The frequency of the homozygous variant del/del FCN3 rs28357092 associated with the total absence of the most powerful activator of the lectin complement pathway, N-ficolin, was revealed; 0 % in the Nenets, 0.8 % in the Dolgans and Nganasans, and 3.5 % among the Russians ( p < 0.01). Analysis of the prevalence of the MASP2 genotypes has shown the predominance of the homozygous variant AA in all studied populations, which agrees with the available world data. The heterozygous genotype AG rs72550870 associated with a reduced level of protease was found to occur rarely in the Nenets, Dolgans and Nganasans compared to newborns of Caucasoid origin from Krasnoyarsk: 0.5 % versus 3.3 %, respectively. Moreover, among 323 examined Nenets, one AG carrier was identified, whereas in Russians, 16 out of 242 examined newborns were found to be AG carriers ( p < 0.001). A homozygous variant (GG) in total absence of protease with impaired binding of both MBL and ficolins was not detected in any of the 980 examined newborns. An additional analysis of infectious morbidity in Arctic populations allows one to find phenotypic characteristics related to a high functional activity of the lectin pathway of complement activation as an most important factor for the first-line of anti-infectious defense, including such new viral diseases as COVID-19.

Creative industries in the Arctic: a review of Russian scientific literature

The article reviews the points of view of Russian researchers on the development of creative industries in the Arctic. The main issues that are considered by domestic authors in the works on the development of creative industries in the Russian Arctic are identified, the opinions of the authors on the potential and problems of the development of the Arctic creative industries in the Russian Federation are analyzed. It is concluded that the works of Russian researchers mainly consider such issues as the essence of the concept of "creative industries", the relevance of the development of Arctic entrepreneurship in the Russian Federation, the prospects for the development of creative industries in the Arctic regions of Russia, the level of development of creative industries as a measure of economic development, potential of creative practice in the Arctic region, issues of forming an active creative class, the attractiveness of the Arctic region for the development of creative industries and key problems of the development of creative industries in the Russian Arctic. According to most authors, the main task of the creative industries in the Russian Arctic is to ensure the dynamic development of small businesses in this macroregion. The potential of creative practice in the Arctic region, from the point of view of domestic authors, lies in the development of tourism and social innovation, as well as in the preservation and reproduction of the national culture of the indigenous peoples of the North and the Arctic. The formation of an active creative class in the region is difficult due to the impact of such factors as the mono-sectoral nature of local economies, a high concentration of capital in the field of environmen.

The Value Of Buildings And Structures For Permafrost Damage Prediction: The Case Of Eastern Russian Arctic

The relevance of the study lay in the need to obtain reliable information on the possible economic consequences of changing geocryological conditions in the Russian Arctic, to find methods for preventing (reducing) potential damage, increasing the safety of the population and economy in the areas of the highest geocryological risks, and ensuring balanced socio-economic development in the Russian Arctic permafrost zone for the long term. The study aimed to assess the cost of fixed assets, including their most vulnerable part – buildings and structures (case study: municipalities of the Russian Arctic Asian sector). Economic sectoral structure was evaluated in accordance with the Russian Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities using primary statistical data – closed data from companies accounting reports. The work used statistical, cartographic, and visual-graphic methods, as well as methods for analyzing spatial information and microeconomic data. According to calculations, the Russian Arctic Asian sector concentrates the fixed assets of commercial companies with a total value of about 14.8 trillion rubles, including buildings and structures worth 10.7 trillion rubles. The obtained calculated data can be used in modeling the directions of state policy in the field of climate change adaptation and territory protection from natural hazards.

Geologic and geophysical exploration of the Russian Arctic in search for new oil and gas regions

Many specialists who studied Russian Arctic and subarctic regions consider that the latter should be rich in various minerals, for example, gold, tin, coal, kimberlites and, especially in oil and gas. The purpose of the article is to show the potential of regional geological and geophysical (remote sensing) methods for the study of tectonic and morphological features of the structure of the Arctic region subsoil allowing to conduct a regional study of potential resources of oil and gas in the Arctic shelf areas as well as in the mountainous or swampy Subarctic regions of Eastern Siberia inaccessible for other exploration methods (for example, seismic surveying). This article presents the results of the conducted scientific work, which together with other geological and geophysical methods will make it possible to carry out better aerospace studies of the tectonic structure of the Arctic region. In particular, the article introduces a block diagram of a computer software package for mathematical processing and the geological and geophysical interpretation of remote sensing data obtained as a result of measurements over the Arctic and Subarctic regions. The findings obtained on morphological (concentric) structures of the central type formed as a result of the occurrence of paleo-mantle plumes are compared with independent data on geological and geophysical sections of the earth's crust constructed in the zones where these structures are located. The obtained data on the oil and gas potential of some regions of the Arctic and Subarctic are compared with the results of forecasts made by other researchers and organizations.

Human Security in Arctic: Threats through the Prism of the “Northern Mentality”

The article is devoted to the analysis of threats to human security in the Russian Arctic, taking into account the peculiarities of the “northern mentality”. The authors note that the concept of “human security” is relatively new for the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF), as until recently security in the northern regions of Russia was defined mainly from the state-centric positions. The universalist approach is hardly applicable in practical policy: it is impossible to build a policy of “human security in general” and transfer it to the conditions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The concept of human security and corresponding policies must be adapted to the specific conditions of the Russian Arctic. Today, however, the AZRF faces a set of new threats to human security that require a response. The authors examine several groups of threats to human security that are relevant to the AZRF, the reasons for their emergence and the extent to which they affect the further development of the region. In conclusion, the authors conclude that the transition of the AZRF to sustainable development is only possible if the threats to human security discussed in the article are neutralised. The key directions of human security policy, which is based on the principle of enhancing the viability and self-development of the peoples permanently living in the Arctic, are highlighted.

Vocational and Educational Attitudes of Young People in the Context of the Migration Outflow of the Population of the Arctic Territories (on the Example of the Murmansk Oblast)

The article deals with the peculiarities of the regional context of socialization of the youth of the subjects of the AZRF in the field of implementation of vocational and educational attitudes. The paper presents a summary analysis of statistical indicators of migration gain (loss) in the AZRF, including the structure by age groups, as well as data on the dynamics of the number of students studying at different types of ed-ucational institutions from 2005 to 2020. Statistical indicators of migration gain (loss) have revealed a trend of a sharp decrease in the outflow of population in the Russian Arctic. The obvious reasons for this situation were the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly increased the changes in the logic of the reproduction of the social structures, in particular, there was a migration turn towards provincial subjects, as the most favorable for life, in contrast to megacities and large cities. It actualizes and problematizes the possibilities of the environment of remote regions for the optimal socialization of young people. The authors of the article focus on environmental factors that contribute to the formation and implementation of professional and educational attitudes of young people in the region. The purpose of the article is to study the professional and educational attitudes of young people in the conditions of the migration outflow of the population. The object of the research is young people studying in the Murmansk Oblast. The choice of a specific subject of the Russian Arctic (Murmansk Oblast) is due to a number of reasons: intensive migration loss of population; significant reduction in the number of educational institutions; reduction in the number of students in comparison with other subjects of the Russian Arctic. The empirical basis of the article was formed by the results of a sociological study conducted in April–May 2021 in the Murmansk Oblast using the online survey method among graduates of educational institutions of secondary general (523 people), secondary vocational (519 people) and higher education (bachelor level) (283 people).

Socio-Demographic Processes in the Russian Arctic in Statistical Assessments and Population Surveys

Specificity of modern social processes determines close attention of the global scientific community to socio-demographic processes in the Arctic. The article examines systemic and recent social and de-mographic processes in the Russian Arctic, determined both by the immanent specifics of the Arctic (generating active migration processes, the phenomenon of city-forming enterprises, etc.) and by the all-Russian social reforms (in particular, the pension reform). The methodological peculiarity of the article is to present socio-demographic processes through the analysis of quantitative indicators, as well as through the reflection in the consciousness of the Arctic population (highlighting workers of city-forming enterprises) of modern factors of influence that determine their attitude to residence and work in the Arctic. The analysis of the results of settlement processes in the Arctic regions has been carried out, indicating an unstable stabilization of the population situation in the Nenets, Chukotka and Yamalo-Nenets okrugs, provided by various factors; it revealed the preservation of the negative trend of population decline in the Murmansk Oblast. Statistical analysis and surveys have revealed socio-demographic problems caused by the pension reform, which can aggravate the problem of the outflow of working-age population from the Arctic territories. It was found out that the reaction of city-forming enterprise employees differs from the "all-Arctic" reaction of the population on the grounds confirming the stabilizing role of city-forming enterprises in socio-demographic processes in the Arctic.