An experience of eliminating peat-bog fires in summer period on the territory of Sverdlovsk Oblast is summarized in the article. It was found that most peat-bog fires develop from fugitive grassroots ...fires in May, when forest fire peak is observed in the region. Most often, peak fires occur on abandoned drained peat bogs. When a runway ground fire spreads across an uncovered peat bog in areas with bare peat or with a significant supply of ground combustible materials combustion deepens into a peat deposit and multifocal peat-bog fires are formed. In addition, the detection of fires in drained peatlands in spring is often associated with peat fires that were not extinguished last year. The most effective way to eliminate peat-bog fire is flooding, in which special dams are created up to 0.5 m high, which prevent the discharge of water along the relief elements streams, and channels. The first dam is created in the lowest place of the smoldering centers and then a cascade of additional dams is created up the terrain relief. Each dam should hold the water level up to 0.5 m. It is experimentally established, that by the method of flooding 80 % of all peat-bog fires can be extinguished. Where it is impossible to extinguish fire by flooding, it extinguished with a concentrated stream of water. After the elimination of peat-bog fire it is required long term monitoring of the extinguished area, since it is possible that open smoldering foci will reignite.
Russian Arctic is a positive example of the introduction of information technologies (Industry 4.0.) as well as artificial intelligence technologies (Industry 5.0.). In the 21st century, ...IT-technologies have significantly improved quality of life in the Russian Arctic — development of IT camps, access to the Internet from the tundra. Arctic projects related to the AI technologies implementation are becoming increasingly popular: the article provides a list of such Arctic AI projects. An analysis of IT and AI vacancies in all subjects of the Russian Arctic on the website of the headhunter recruitment agency showed that the largest number of IT vacancies was posted directly in the Murmansk Oblast (74 vacancies). The study also analyzed job seek-ers’ resumes in the Murmansk Oblast, posted in the Artificial Intelligence section. The study shows that knowledge of Python programming language, SQL databases and English language is a prerequisite for all AI specialists. It was also determined that the salary of AI specialists is significantly higher than that of IT specialists. The Murmansk Oblast is becoming a leader in the development and implementation of both IT and AI technologies; this is primarily due to the development of logistics and the Northern Sea Route as an alternative to existing sea routes.
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The article examines a belt of municipal districts on the border of Kostroma and Vologda oblasts—a territory that simultaneously belongs to the periphery of both regions, the periphery of economic ...areas and modern federal districts, and the “inner periphery” of European Russia. These territories are part of the old-developed Non-Chernozem Zone, characterized by rapid depopulation and shrinkage of the developed space. The aim of the study is to identify the spatial differentiation of districts along the border and its role in the formation of differences between territories. Various methods were used: study of historical maps, analysis of modern statistics, qualitative sociology methods, and field observations. The study showed the predominantly barrier function of the regional border, largely due to physical and geographical reasons: the watershed of the Volga and White Sea basins and the configuration of rivers along which local systems of rural settlement and transport corridors were historically formed. The historical multidirectionality of the spatial gravity of districts on different sides of the border, combined with institutional barriers, led to differentiation of economic and social processes in municipal districts. Thus, the socioeconomic indicators of the territories on the Vologda side of the border are generally more prosperous and differ less from each other than on the Kostroma side. The study also revealed the extremely important role that interregional routes could play. With a general trend towards a decrease in the rural population and fragmentation of the local economy, the territories on both sides of the border are heterogeneous and different combinations of functions of place are forming. At the same time, it is premature to classify the belt of territory peripheral to many centers as a zone of a spontaneously emerging natural reserve.
Eleven Fodinichnia, Pascichnia, and Domichnia ichnotaxa (Apectoichnus longissimus (Kelly et Bromley, 1984), cf.Conichnus isp., Gastrochaenolites isp., Gnathichnus isp., Macaronichnus segregatis ...Clifton et Thompson, 1978,Ophiomorpha nodosa Lundgren, 1891,Palaeophycus isp., cf.Rosselia isp.,Skolithos linearis (Haldeman, 1840),Spongeliomorpha isp., and Thalassinoides isp.) were identified from seven sections of shallow marine sediments of the Buchak Formation (Lutetian, middle Eocene) located in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Traces of bioerosion on the contact surface between the Upper Cretaceous marls and the Buchak Formation indicate the development of the Trypanites Ichnofacies in conditions of high water activity with almost absent sedimentation. Most of the sediments of the Buchak Formation in the study area was formed in the conditions of the Skolithos Ichnofacies, namely in littoral environments with significant water activity, to resist which organisms were forced to build burrow systems. Some time intervals were also characterized by a decrease in the activity of the water, during which the sands of the littoral and probably sublittoral zones were colonized by the trace-makers of Macaronichnus segregatis burrows. In places of mass accumulation of wood, the Teredolites Ichnofacies is recognized, which is characterized by the development of teredenid bivalves specializing in feeding on wood. The contact surface of the Buchak and Kyiv formations is a firmground with the Glossifungites Ichnofacies developed on its surface and under it, which was already functioning during the accumulation of Kyiv Formation sediments. This ichnofacies was characterized by high water activity and the presence of organisms capable of bioturbating relatively dense substrates. The origin of massifs and blocks of quartzite-like sandstones among the sands of the Buchak Formation of Luhansk Oblast and many other sections of eastern and north-eastern Ukraine is not fully understood, but their hydrothermal genesis is most likely. The obtained data are of great importance for the reconstruction of the depositional environment of the middle Eocene sediments in eastern Ukraine.
Although HIV infection in the Russian Federation was historically concentrated among marginalized populations (people who inject drugs, sex workers, MSM, and the prison population), recent evidence ...suggests that it has become a more generalized epidemic. The objective of our research was to explore how these trends in HIV prevalence and HIV-related mortality compare across Russia.
We calculated HIV-associated mortality for both male and female individuals in each region (oblast) of the Russian Federation using data from the Russian Fertility and Mortality Database (RusFMD). Using current data on HIV prevalence, we computed the correlation between HIV prevalence and HIV-associated mortality. We also used oblast-level data to examine the associations between HIV prevalence and the risk factors most commonly associated with HIV infection.
Over the past 20 years, the Russian Federation has experienced a rapid increase in HIV-associated mortality in both male and female individuals. Our findings revealed significant heterogeneity, with higher rates of HIV-associated mortality reported in oblasts in the Siberian and Ural Federal Districts. There is a strong correlation (0.8) between HIV-associated mortality and virus prevalence. These findings confirm that there are regional disparities in access and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), as indicated by the low correlation (-0.4) between virus prevalence and access to ART coverage. The results from our modeling analysis revealed that, in addition to the factors most commonly associated with this disease (e.g. intravenous drug use), knowledge about sexual transmission of HIV in the general population has a broad impact on its prevalence at the oblast level.
Interventions that reduce HIV prevalence, for example, opioid substitution therapy and needle-sharing programs for people who inject drugs, as well as the increased availability of educational and preventive programs may halt the spread of HIV across the Russian Federation. Similarly, increased access to treatment could help in reducing HIV-related mortality.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, local communities have been adapting to new political and socioeconomic realities. These changes have prompted dramatic outmigration among rural populations, ...especially in the Russian Arctic. Despite these changes, some communities remain viable, with some residents exploring new economic opportunities. This study uses findings from qualitative interviews to understand what factors shape community viability, interviewing residents and relevant regional stakeholders in two case areas in the Arkhangelsk oblast: the Solovetsky Archipelago in the White Sea and islands in the delta of the Northern Dvina River. The results indicate that community viability and the reluctance of community members to leave their traditional settlements are shaped by livelihoods, employment opportunities, and social capital. Social capital is characterized by such empirically identified factors as shared perceptions of change and a willingness to address changes, place attachment, and local values. We conclude that further development or enhancement of community viability and support for local livelihoods also depends on 1) bottom-up initiatives of engaged individuals and their access to economic support and 2) top-down investments that contribute to local value creation and employment opportunities.
The features of the growth of spruce (Picea A. Dietr.) trees of various state under the canopy of southern taiga oxalis birch forests (Betuletum oxalidosum) are considered. The studies were carried ...out at the North Forest Experimental Station of the Institute of Forest Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, where a system of permanent trial plots (PTP) was established to study the succession processes in birch forests. At one of the PTP, all spruce trees were cut down as models. Preliminary assessment of their condition (healthy, weakened) was carried out. The shape and foliation of the crown, its length along the height of the tree were taken as evaluation criteria. Growth analysis was performed for trees over 60 years old (40 healthy, 33 weakened). Tree growth was characterized by the dynamics of the following indicators: height, stem cross-sectional area at a height of 0.1 and 1.3 m, stem volume, form factor, shape factor. In the course of a retrospective analysis of the growth of trees, it was found that weakened trees, in terms of the value of the biometric characteristics of the stem, are significantly inferior to healthy ones already in the first 10 years of life. At the age of 60, the height and stem volume of healthy trees are 1.5 and 3.1, respectively, higher than the values of these indicators in weakened specimens. Regardless of the condition of the trees, the maximum average periodic growth in height is observed at 40 years, and the equality of the average and average periodic growths in weakened trees is observed 5 years earlier (55 years) than in healthy ones. The maximum average periodic growth in cross-sectional area and stem volume in weakened trees occurs 5–10 years earlier than in healthy ones. Weakened trees are characterized by more full-boled and less tapering stems. At the age of 60 years, the productivity of healthy trees under the canopy of birch forests corresponds to IV, and weakened ones – to V growth class. The prospects of spruce trees under the canopy of birch forests are best assessed when the spruce reaches the age of 40 years.
A comprehensive look into how Macau's recent decades of
gambling-related growth produced one of the wealthiest territories
on the planet
Betting on Macau delves into the radical transformation
of ...what was formerly the last remaining European territory in Asia,
returned to the People's Republic of China in 1999 after nearly
half a millennium of Portuguese rule. Examining the unprecedented
scale of its development and its key role in China's economic
revolution, Tim Simpson follows Macau's emergence from historical
obscurity to become the most profitable casino gaming locale in the
world.
Identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and renowned for its
unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese colonial-era architecture,
contemporary Macau has metamorphosed into a surreal, hypermodern
urban landscape augmented by massive casino megaresorts, including
two of the world's largest buildings. Simpson situates Macau's
origins as a strategic trading port and its ensuing history
alongside the emergence of the global capitalist system, charting
the massive influx of foreign investment, construction, and tourism
in the past two decades that helped generate the territory's
enormous wealth.
Presented through a cross section of postcolonial studies and
social theory with extensive insight into the global gambling
industry, Betting on Macau uncovers the various roots of
the territory's lucrative casino capitalism. In turn, its trenchant
analysis provides a distinctive view into China's broader project
of urbanization, its post-Mao economic reforms, and the continued
rise of its consumer culture.
•Knowledge flows among farmers and other actors in the Donbass Region are complex.•Farmers prefer to use their own resources, including peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.•The Internet is a ...widely-consulted source of information and advice by farmers.•Tacit knowledge is highly valued by farmers in their relationships with advisors.•An information brokering service could enhance knowledge flows between actors.
The agriculture sector of the Donbass Region in eastern Ukraine is facing serious challenges caused by the ongoing military conflict and consequent disruption of the earlier-established value chains. An advisory service potentially could help farmers to adapt to the changed circumstances. To inform the development process, an interview survey was conducted among 80 farmers in the region of their perceived information and advisory needs. Most interviewees stated that many issues affect the performance of their farm. Of all the given farmer × issue ‘interactions’ (i.e. a given farmer facing a specific issue), advice had been sought in around 70 per cent of instances. For any specific issue, most farmers sought advice from several sources. Interviewees attached very high importance to accessibility, convenience, previous personal experience, personal recommendation and confidence in the quality of advice given. Friends and family was the most popular source of advice, with farmers’ organisations, local government agencies and agricultural Internet portals all being consulted by more than half of the interviewees. Many other sources were used by fewer than ten farmers. Twelve interviewees said that they would seek advice from advisory services if this was available. Following the analysis of the questionnaire results, three farmer focus groups were held to help interpret them. We conclude that, even in the absence of a formal advisory service, many farmers in the region are actively acquiring and sharing knowledge and that the agricultural innovation system continues to function despite the disruption caused by the conflict. Any new intervention should recognise this fact and be designed to improve knowledge flows between actors further, rather than to replace those that currently exist.
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