Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

BACKGROUND : Body mass index is the most common method for diagnosing and classifying obesity. However, the reliability of this method has recently been increasingly questioned. AIM : The study assessed the age dynamics of somatometric indices, including body mass index and body composition characteristics. A comparative assessment on the informative value of the considered indices and classification of obesity in the female population of Magadan region were also carried out. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Seven hundred and fifty-four women of different age groups were examined to study the picture of physical development and characteristics of the body component composition using the bioelectric impedance method. RESULTS : It could be seen that in the line from early adult females to the elderly examinees, a significant decrease in FFMI variables occurred with an increase in FMI, FM/FFM, total fat content, and the ratio of waist waist to hip ratio. We considered the fact that in the group with the normal BMI range, representatives of the 2nd mature and elderly age had a reduced content of the muscle component, as characteristic of sarcopenic tendencies, and combined with high values of FM/FFM, indicating obesity, and we suggested that it was incorrect to use the BMI indicator as an identifier of the overweight and obesity in older age groups. Meanwhile, the ROC analysis of dependence of BMI on the variables of FM/FFM >0.4 conv. Units allowed us to determine the optimal range of normal body mass in the group of early adult females and representatives of the 1st mature age. It was equal to 24 kg/m 2 . The correlation analysis showed no bonds between BMI and the FM/FFM ratio in the subjects of the 2nd mature and elderly age and, like the ROC analysis, it also indicated a restriction on the use of BMI as a marker of obesity risk in these periods of ontogenesis. CONCLUSION : The Magadan region female population survey has shown that standard BMI ranges appear to be uncertain criteria for classifying obesity in women of the 2nd mature and elderly periods of ontogenesis, while the FM/FFM ratio indicator can be a more suitable informative marker for identifying obesity and sarcopenic signs, owing to its considering the body composition components.

Small’s blueberry ( Vaccinium smallii ) is a berry shrub species widely distributed in northern Japan, Sakhalin Island, the Kunashir and Iturup islands, and the Sovetsko-Gavansky district of Khabarovsk Krai. This study presents the first investigation of V. smallii coenopopulations on Sakhalin Island. Research focused on native plants, selected forms exhibiting economically valuable traits, and introduced cultivars maintained at the Sakhalin Botanical Garden Department of the Botanical Garden-Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Field studies on Sakhalin Island, complemented by stationary research at the Botanical Garden conducted since 2019, have characterized the species’ biology. V. smallii shows a preference for well-lit habitats, a late vegetation and flowering onset that reduces late frost damage, low soil and moisture requirements, disease and pest resistance, and successful acclimatization in full-light experimental plots. The fruits exhibit superior quality compared to several cultivated species, with notable variability in key traits, indicating high potential for introduction into cultivation and selection research. Analysis revealed a more than 15-fold difference in sugar content and 4,1-fold difference in vitamin C infruits between typical and selected fruit forms. Therefore, the introduction of V. smallii into cultivation is a timely and important objective. Future research on high-value selected forms under both natural and cultivated conditions, combined with parallel efforts to develop improved varieties, will advance the cultivation of V. smallii as a promising novel berry crop.

Economic development of areas with active volcanism is associated with high risks due to the dynamic nature of natural processes. Existing land management approaches do not fully account for the specifics of long-term and multi-component volcanic threats. The aim of this study is to develop and theoretically substantiate a system of methodological principles that ensure effective land resource management under such conditions. The methodological basis comprises systemic, dialectical, and deductive approaches. As a result, a system of seven interconnected principles is developed and presented

This study provides the most comprehensive checklist of marine macroalgae to date for Paramushir and Shumshu Islands (Northern Kuril Islands), based on recent field collections and a critical review of historical records. The resulting flora comprises 192 species (33 Chlorophyta, 115 Rhodophyta, 44 Phaeophyceae), extending the known flora of Paramushir by 17 species and that of Shumshu by 37 species. A standout finding is the discovery of Alaria marginata, which represents a first record for the entire Russian Far Eastern seas. Furthermore, we report a dense population of Feditia simuschirensis near Paramushir, indicating this kelp is not endemic to Simushir Island and necessitating a revision of its biogeographic status. In total, 17 species are newly reported for the Northern Kuril Islands, significantly enhancing the understanding of North Pacific phytogeography.

The previously published liverwort checklist of Laos, one of the least-studied countries in Asia, was titled “Listing the Unknown”, based on the fact that only 66 species are known for such a landscape-diverse country. Our collection revealed 39 genera and 76 species, 62 of which are newly recorded species to the country, bringing the total number of known species to 128. Among the reported genera, there are 22 liverwort genera new to Laos, all of which could have been expected in this area. Although new data expands the species list, the total number of species recorded remains inadequately small. The presented studies are based primarily on collections at lower elevations (below 500 m above sea level), in strongly modified secondary forest conditions, and are of interest specifically as an example of the liverwort flora of heavily modified, anthropogenically disturbed habitats of rather dry tropical forest communities. The provided checklist includes data on the ecological conditions of the collected species and their altitudinal range. Further research on the liverwort flora of Laos should be conducted in the upper altitudinal zones of the north and the east of the country.

The polymorphism of the nucleotide sequences of the trnL–trnF, rpl16 intron, and matK regions of chloroplast DNA of the medicinal plant Eleutherococcus senticosus in the southern part of the Russian Far East (RFE) has been studied. The level of genetic diversity was found to be high in the populations of Primorskii krai and average on Sakhalin Island. Hierarchical analysis of the molecular variance showed very low and insignificant genetic differentiation between the populations of these two regions (ΦCT = 0.043, P > 0.479); more than 62% of all genetic variability accounted for the intrapopulation component (ΦST = 0.377, P = 0.000). Eleven haplotypes were identified in the RFE, one of which was unique and two of which were rare for the species. All haplotypes known for E. senticosus form a single group with minimal divergence between each other.

The genus Trypoxylus Minck, 1920 and the species T. dichotomus (Linnaeus, 1771) are recorded for Russia for the first time. The material was collected in the southwestern part of Primorskii krai and in the southern part of Kunashir Island. The distribution range of the species is considered in East Asia and in the border areas with Russia. Prospects of further range expansion of T. dichotomus are evaluated for the southern Far East of Russia.

An important role in engineering geology belongs to geophysical methods that enable effective study of soil structure and properties to determine seismic microzoning when designing buildings and structures in industrial and civil engineering. To assess the effectiveness of exploration geophysics methods, the territories of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Horizon cinema in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) were selected. The fine structure and velocity parameters of soils were conducted on those sites using seismic 2D-profiling. The purpose of the work was to obtain and monitor changes in the physical and mechanical parameters of soils in their natural rock bedding, both horizontally and vertically. Seismicity analysis of the sites was performed using multiwave seismic exploration methods based on the recording of longitudinal, transversal, and converted waves with different polarizations. A Laccolith 24M digital 24-channel seismic survey station was used for seismic exploration. A pulsed non-explosive source (tamper) was used to excite elastic vibrations. The types of recorded waves and the nature of their oscillations were determined using both traditional methods and theoretical calculations of wave fields using a technique for constructing a seismic section based on the observed wave field. The study resulted in the construction of seismic sections, the analysis of which was subsequently confirmed by drilling wells to depths of 20–25 meters. Conducted studies showed impossibility to select a single unique site for drilling a well that would allow to provide a detailed description of the site as a whole. Therefore, seismic profiling was recognized as the most effective method enabling parameter measurement for the entire site, both laterally and at depth.