Highly Distinct Microbial Communities in Elevated Strings and Submerged Flarks in the Boreal Aapa-Type Mire

Large areas in the northern hemisphere are covered by extensive wetlands, which represent a complex mosaic of raised bogs, eutrophic fens, and aapa mires all in proximity to each other. Aapa mires differ from other types of wetlands by their concave surface, heavily watered by the central part, as well as by the presence of large-patterned string-flark complexes. In this paper, we characterized microbial diversity patterns in the surface peat layers of the neighboring string and flark structures located within the mire site in the Vologda region of European North Russia, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The microbial communities in raised strings were clearly distinct from those in submerged flarks. Strings were dominated by the Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. Other abundant groups were the Acidobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Actinobacteriota, and Planctomycetota. Archaea accounted for only 0.4% of 16S rRNA gene sequences retrieved from strings. By contrast, they comprised about 22% of all sequences in submerged flarks and mostly belonged to methanogenic lineages. Methanotrophs were nearly absent. Other flark-specific microorganisms included the phyla Chloroflexi, Spirochaetota, Desulfobacterota, Beijerinckiaceae- and Rhodomicrobiaceae-affiliated Alphaproteobacteria, and uncultivated groups env.OPS_17 and vadinHA17 of the Bacteroidota. Such pattern probably reflects local anaerobic conditions in the submerged peat layers in flarks.

Development of Urban Agglomerations in the European North of Russia

At present, in Russia, the development of urban agglomerations is designated as one of the priorities of the country’s spatial development. At the same time, there is still no common understanding of how many agglomerations there are in Russia, what is their composition; unified approaches to organizing a management system for the development of agglomerations have not been formed either. The main idea of this article is that not only the largest and largest agglomerations (with a population of more than 500 thousand people – they are indicated in the Spatial Development Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025), but also agglomerations with a population of less than 500 thousand people. people play an important role in the development of regions and the country as a whole, and therefore require state support and the formation of a management system for their development, which will increase the positive agglomeration effects. The article presents a methodological approach to the analysis and assessment of the main parameters of the development of urban agglomerations (a formula for calculating the indicator of the economic power of an agglomeration and a methodology for assessing the level of socio-economic development of agglomerations). On the basis of this approach, the identification of 10 agglomerations in the European North of Russia has been substantiated. The calculation of the agglomeration development coefficient showed that 9 agglomerations (Apatitskaya, Arkhangelskaya, Vologodskaya, Vorkutinskaya, Kotlasskaya, Petrozavodskaya, Syktyvkarskaya, Ukhtinskaya, Cherepovetskaya) belong to the least developed (emerging or promising), and Murmanskaya – to the category of underdeveloped. Taking into account the analysis of successful foreign and domestic experience, the key elements of the mechanism for managing the development of urban agglomeration are substantiated. The results obtained will be interesting and useful to the state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local governments in the development of management decisions in the implementation of regional and local socio-economic policies, as well as serve as a basis for further research on this topic.

Coresidence is Not a Failure to Launch or Boomerang Children

Literature on emerging adults living with their parents has presented this concept as a problem and emphasized a White European-North American or individualistic voice through the use of terms such as “failure to launch” or “boomerang” children. The authors highlight an alternative term, coresidence, and perspectives from collectivistic cultures outside of the dominant view that have historically been marginalized and underrepresented in research. A case study of the first author's lived experiences as a representative from the Appalachian Highlands culture, provides one example to honor and create space for previously silenced, collectivistic voices in the literature.

Syntaxonomy of secondary communities formed instead of earlier agricultural lands in the middle and south taiga subzones of the European North-East of Russia

We have identified the diversity of secondary communities formed instead of earlier agricultural lands (middle and south taiga subzones of the European North-East of Russia). The work describes 8 associations, 2 subassociations of the classes Papaveretea rhoeadis, Artemisietea vulgaris,Epilobietea angustifolii, Molinio–Arrhenatheretea, Vaccinio–Piceetea. 3 associations (Urtico dioicae–Chamaenerietum angustifolii, Centaureo phrygiae–Dactyletum glomeratae, Deschampsio cespitosae–Salicetum capreae), 1 subassociation (Galeopsietum bifidae galeopsietosum speciosae)were fixed for the first time. We noted a replacement of segetal communities (subass. Galeopsietum bifidae galeopsietosum speciosae) by meadow communities (аss. Centaureo phrygiae–Dactyletum glomeratae) through the domination stage of Cirsium setosum and Elytrigia repens (аss. Cirsio setosi–Elytrigietum repentis). Favorable conditions for development of woody plants (small size of study area, its close position to forest ecosystems, poorly sodded soil) respond for replacement of meadow succession stage by young woody plants towards the second decade of succession. Earlier agricultural lands are an appropriated place for formation of birch forests with a well-developed undergrowth of Salix caprea and herb layer of meadow and forest edge plants (аss. Deschampsio cespitosae–Salicetum capreae). Big-size study areas with a well-formed grass stand are dominated by meadow communities towards the second succession decade even in case of no haying. The highly competitive nitrophytes as Heracleum sosnowskyi, Chamaenerion angustifolium, Anthriscus sylvestris form the following communities as аss. Urtico dioicae–Heracleetum sosnowskyi, аss. Urtico dioicae–Chamaenerietum angustifolii, аss. Symphyto officinalis–Anthriscetum sylvestris. Being highly competitive, these species lead to degradation of first-formed meadow communities.

Assessment of yield, plasticity and stability of spring barley cultivars grown in the European North of the Russian Federation

In recent years, modern agroclimatic environmental conditions in the European North of the Russian Federation are determined by constant fluctuations of biotic and abiotic factors, which require a high level of plasticity and stability of crop yield and quantitative characteristics from cultivars used in agricultural production. Therefore, determining the plant response to changing environmental factors in order to select the most promising breeding seeds, is an important task for breeders. The research was conducted on experimental field of N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the nursery of competitive variety testing in 20172019. Cultivars of spring barley of local selection were studied. Indicators of cultivar plasticity and stability were calculated by the method of S.A. Eberhart, W.A. Rassell (1966), the indicator of genetic flexibility by the method of R.A. Udachin (1990). Various weather conditions during the research period enabled to evaluate the breeding material comprehensively. The hydrothermal coefficient (according to G.T. Selyaninov) varied from 1.85 to 3.06 during the research years. Ten cultivar samples of spring barley were analyzed to identify a plastic stable genotype. As a result, a high level of stability was shown by samples k-037712 (Ϭ2 = 0.01), k-038404 (Ϭ2 = 0.02). Samples with a neutral genotype were identified: k-039257, k-036982 (bi 1) and a sample weakly responding to environmental changes k-038806 (bi = 0.23). The bi value is very close to 1 in Kotlassky cultivar, which shows a high ecological plasticity. Sample k-038806 has the lowest coefficient of linear regression (0.23), therefore, it is suitable for cultivation on unfertilized soils. The selected genetic sources will be used in breeding to develop highly productive cultivars of spring barley for the conditions of the European North of the Russian Federation.

Personal fund of hydropower engineer S. V. Grigoriev of the Museum-archive of the BCH KSC RAS

The article presents materials from the personal fund of the largest hydropower engineer of the North-West of the USSR S. V. Grigoriev, belonging to the Museum-Archive of History of Studying and Exploration of the European North of the Barents Centre of Humanities of the KSC RAS. The personal documents of the scientist and the practitioner are sources of biographical information given in the article and potential sources for research in the field of the history of the scientific study of water bodies, rivers and the development of hydropower in the Arctic.

Murmansk painter Shevnin Anatoly Nikolaevich. To the 70th anniversary of his birth

The publication is dedicated to the anniversary exhibition of art works by Murmansk painter Anatoly Shevnin, organized in the Museum-Archive of the History of Study and Development of the European North of the Barents Centre of Humanities of the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Biographical information about the artist and description of his creative career are given

From Love Jihad to Grooming Gangs: Tracing Flows of the Hypersexual Muslim Male through Far-Right Female Influencers

This article traces the transnational flows of constructions of the hypersexualized Muslim male through a comparative analysis of love jihad in India and the specter of grooming gangs in the UK. While the former is conceived as an act of seduction and conversion, and the latter through violent rape imaginaries, foregrounding both of these narratives are sexual, gender, and family dynamics that are integral to the fear of demographic change. Building upon these narratives, this study analyzes how influential women in Hindu nationalist and European/North American far-right milieus circulate images, videos, and discourses on social media that depict Muslim men as predatory and violent, targeting Hindu and white girls, respectively. By positioning themselves as the daughters, wives, and mothers of the nation, these far-right female influencers invoke a sense of reproductive urgency, as well as advance claims of the perceived threat of, and safety from, hypersexualized Muslim men. This article illustrates how local ideological narratives of Muslim sexuality are embedded into global Islamophobic tropes of gendered nationalist imaginaries.

Post-war Projects of Academician V. N. Obraztsov for Development of Transport in the European North of the USSR

In 2024, the Russian Academy of Sciences will celebrate its three hundredth anniversary. In this regard, there is a relevant need to comprehend the contribution of Soviet scientists to reconstruction of the country’s economy after the Great Patriotic War. In 2021, Russian University of Transport where Academician V. N. Obraztsov once worked, celebrates the 125th anniversary. The scientific conceptualisation of the ways to develop the North of the country is of great importance for the development of the transport system of Russia. Hence, those factors determine the topicality of the objective of the article to study the projects for development of transport in the European North of the USSR put forward by Academician V. N. Obraztsov in the post-war period.To attain this objective, the system-structural and historicalcomparative methods were used. For the first time the activity of V. N. Obraztsov, as of an analyst and expert in the field of development of post-war railway transport, is analysed. It is concluded that having the talent of a major leader of transport projects, Obraztsov put forward research tasks adequate to the requirements of the time for reconstruction of the country’s economy after the war. Among these tasks, he considered modernisation and development of transport. In the projects of 1945, Obraztsov laid the foundations for long-term planning of railway, road, river, and air transport in the European North of the USSR for several decades ahead. The volume of the proposed construction was enormous. Even though the planned large-scale design of the transport infrastructure was not entirely feasible for implementation in a short time due to limited forces and resources of the country, it catches imagination with farreaching prospects for development of the European North and the Arctic. Academician Obraztsov’s programs for development of the north, being of great scientific value, are especially relevant in 21st century.

Development of the Arctic Regions within the Window of Weak Sustainability

The Russian policy towards the Arctic has changed in the last decade, the state and large firms are investing heavily in infrastructure, in the creation of new enterprises and the modernization of existing ones. But the northern nature is vulnerable, and the active development of extractive industries can lead to a crisis in the ecological situation. The development of the northern territories of the Russian Federation must meet the conditions of sustainable development, combine the growth of the economy, and the growth of incomes of the population, and the implementation of environmental restrictions. The purpose of this article is to develop methods for constructing windows of weak sustainability based on the construction of socio-ecological and economic models of the regions of the European North, and to study the possibilities of their sustainable development. The studies were carried out in four regions of the European North, which are fully or partially included in the Arctic zone of Russia - the republics of Karelia and Komi, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions. Models have been built linking economic, environmental and social indicators. The methodology for calculating windows of weak sustainability for the regional economy is presented. The possibility of its use on the data of the Republic of Karelia has been demonstrated. The results obtained can be used as an information and methodological basis for assessing and developing a policy for sustainable development of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation.