Vol 93, No 7 (2023)

Dynamically changing geopolitical processes, the transition of the world economy to a new technological structure, and the transformation of the world market require the development of multivariate long-term plans for the development of mineral resources

The possibilities of academic basic metallogenic research in the forecast and search for various types of ore deposits are shown with the example of various academic institutes in the Siberian and Far East federal districts. Using a complex of mineralogical–geochemical and geological–structural methods, prospects for copper and gold in the Upper Indigirka and Kolyma regions and specific areas in Transbaikalia and the Bodaibo district of Irkutsk oblast have been studied. Problems in assessing and developing the mineral resource base of the regions are considered.

Data on the volumes of imported and exported materials of the metallurgical industry in Russia are presented. The domestic industry, despite the rich mineral resource base, depends on imported supplies for a whole list of ore concentrates, oxides and other compounds, metals, and ferroalloys, as well as for certain grades of steel and metal products, which leads to high risks in the field of the country’s security and sustainable development. The authors analyze the situation associated with the dependence on supplies of ore materials, metals, and alloys from abroad and give examples of promising technological options for the development of domestic production using Russia’s own mineral resource base.

This article is devoted to the history of the institutional formation of statistical research in the Imperial Academy of Sciences. It is noted that the first experiments in statistical descriptions of the territory of Russia date back to the second quarter of the 18th century. They were in line with the German tradition of descriptive government studies and involved the systematization of geographical, ethnographic, political, and economic information important for the development of the country. The spread of government studies in Russia was facilitated by German scientists invited to the country. Based on a wide range of published sources and archival materials, the author analyzes the process of adding the list of academic disciplines with statistics and government science and studies the contribution of the first academic statisticians to the development of this branch of knowledge. The article analyzes various forms of supporting statistical research by the Academy of Sciences.

This study is aimed at identifying the features and prospects for the development of the university sector of Russian science, including with account for modern foreign trends. Some topical aspects in the development of university science are analyzed in detail proceeding from statistical data and the results of sociological surveys on the degree of involvement of universities and their units in R&D performance, as well as on the cost structure, types and sources of research funding, and the dynamics of the development of HR potential and certain indicators of the postgraduate system of training highly qualified personnel. Based on the international comparisons presented in this article, the authors consider the expediency and validity of the broad participation of universities in the implementation of R&D and, ultimately, the ability to provide a high level of graduate training under such conditions. Since Russia lacks higher education establishments specializing mainly in basic research, it is concluded that it is necessary to create research universities on the basis of divisions and scientific centers of the Russian Academy of Sciences, endowed with the right to develop standards and programs for training highly qualified scientific personnel independently. It is argued that to implement the relevant tasks of the country’s socioeconomic development, it is advisable to develop alliances and consortia of scientific, educational, and business organizations.

Research on air pollution in large cities by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is one of the priority tasks for assessing air quality and environmental risks to public health. The chemical composition of aerosols sampled in spring (2018), 2019, and winter (2019–2020) at the Aerosol Complex of Moscow State University, located on the background territory of the Moscow Megacity, is analyzed. Sixteen priority PAH compounds were identified using gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The median value of the total concentration of the 16 PAHs (Σ16PAH) increases from the spring season (1.43 ng/m3) to the fall season (1.68 ng/m3) and then to the winter season (2.47 ng/m3). Based on the diagnostic relationships of PAHs, the dominant contribution of transport, industrial enterprises, and the heating system to the total emissions was determined. Pollution roses indicate the location of sources of maximum concentrations of low-, medium-, and high-molecular PAHs. Pollution episodes are distinguished: in the spring of 2018 under the influence of the transport of smoke plumes of agricultural fires and in the fall of 2019 as a result of petrogenic emissions and an increase in biomass burning in the residential sector around Moscow. In the winter and fall seasons, the highest values of carcinogenic (0.45 and 0.42) and mutagenic (0.58 and 0.55) equivalents for benzo(a)pyrene were recorded in comparison with the spring season (0.26 and 0.38). The lifetime risk of developing lung cancer, calculated from the data for three seasons, is 0.5 cases per one million people.

Science-based biotechnologies serve as the foundation for the development of modern highly productive environmentally friendly horticulture. The natural polymer chitosan, due to its high availability, biosafety, and synthetic flexibility, is an excellent basis to construct new agrobiotechnological agents that meet the requirements of the pharmaceutical and food industries. The results of studies of the growth-regulating action of N-(2-carboxyethyl)chitosan (CEC) in relation to seeds and young plants of Echinacea purpurea are presented. It is shown that chitosan alkyl derivatives are safe preparations that can be used successfully for the cultivation of food and medicinal plants, including rare and endangered species.

February 13, 2023, marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of one of the main heroes of the atomic age, triple hero of Socialist Labor, Academician A.P. Aleksandrov. At present, interest in the history of Russia, in science and its outstanding representatives is beginning to revive, and our goal is to remind the reader of the key stages of the multifaceted activity of the great scientist and engineer in the formation and development of nuclear energy in our country.

This article attempts at a historical and cultural analysis of the two-volume Russian Academy of Sciences. Siberian branch. Personal composition. An opinion is expressed about the relevance and prospects of publishing scientific and reference editions representing full members and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is shown that the assignment of highest academic titles to Siberian scientists is based on the traditions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the scientific and organizational principles of the RAS Siberian Branch, the personal qualities of scientific leaders, and the achievements of the research teams headed by them.

A.G. Dedov and A.S. Loktev were awarded the 2022 Balandin Prize. A. Zabanbark and L.I. Lobkovskii were awarded the 2022 Gubkin Prize.