The aim of this article is to propose and illustrate, through specific examples, a detailed list of factors influencing the transformation of the functional and spatial structure of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration in the period from 2020 to 2024, as analyzed by the authors. In this study, the functional structure of the urban agglomeration refers to its economy, employment structure, and specialization, while the spatial (geographical) structure refers to the settlement system, connected by transport and engineering infrastructure. The list of factors is based on the expert opinions of the authors, substantiated by quantitative parameters, and supported by relevant examples. The factors are examined at the structural-economic, economic-geographical, infrastructural, technological, innovative, and socio-demographic levels. The analytical basis of the research includes strategic documents at both regional and national levels, data from the SPARK-Interfax database, as well as departmental materials.

The article addresses the integration of ethnocultural aspects of the Arctic issues concerning the Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Russian Far East (ISNP) into the socio-economic development strategies (SEDS) of the regions and municipalities within the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF). The study is based on the authors' methodology for content analysis of strategies, which enables the identification of the presence of various Arctic-specific topics in the texts. The content analysis of 61 strategies from Arctic regions and municipalities reveals a low level of implementation of federal regulations dedicated to supporting ISNP in regional and municipal SEDS. The development of the "nomadic schools" topic in the SEDS is also examined, and the strategies where this issue is covered are described. The article compares municipalities and regions of the AZRF based on the presence of ethnocultural topics in the strategies and their corresponding socio-economic indicators. A final grouping of municipalities is conducted according to the actual proportion of ISNP in the population of Arctic municipalities and the degree to which ISNP-related issues are reflected in SEDS, determined by the frequency of the marker word “Indigenous Peoples (ISNP).” Five groups of municipalities are identified, with particular attention given to Group IV: “Significantly Underrepresenting Important ISNP-Related Topics for the Municipality.” Additionally, the results of the municipal grouping highlight the prominence of regional boundaries. Differences in content analysis results based on the geographical location of the municipalities are identified. The article may be useful for providing recommendations to Arctic strategists on incorporating Arctic-specific issues into strategic documents.

The article addresses the dynamics of the representation of the Russian population in the Baltic republics during the rise of Russophobic sentiments in these countries from 2018 to 2023. The aim of the article is to identify current trends in the dynamics of the Russian ethnic population in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, considering the spatial characteristics of their settlement, and to compare this with the situation before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The research is based on official data from national statistical departments, including the results of population censuses (both national and all-Union since 1959). The methodological foundation of the study includes general scientific methods (generalization, analysis, comparison), as well as statistical and cartographic methods. The study finds that the rate of decline in the number and share of Russians significantly increased after 2021, particularly in Estonia — by a factor of 10 in 2021 compared to 2020. Negative trends are observed across all regions. The highest representation of Russians in the ethnic structure of the Baltic republics remains in the capitals, border municipalities adjacent to Russia, and historically Russian-settled territories, where the decline in the Russian share is most pronounced.

Based on underwater video footage and diver observations, along with previously obtained lithological data, four types of benthic landscapes have been identified on the section of the underwater coastal slope near Cape Taran. The high mosaic distribution of lithofacies and the varying degrees of macrophyte coverage of the seabed have been confirmed. The boulder-block pavement within the euphotic layer of the sea was maximally covered by macrophytes, with Polysiphonia nigrescens as the dominant species. The lower boundary of macrophyte distribution was recorded at a depth of 19 meters, which is significantly deeper than previously believed. Macrophytes can be recommended for use in regional environmental monitoring. The presence of an ecologically significant aggregation of macrophytes near Cape Taran, the largest in the Russian sector of the southeastern Baltic, combined with the high lithofacial diversity of the seafloor, provides strong justification for establishing a marine protected area in this region.

The spatial and temporal distribution of suspended matter in the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea was studied in the context of the transition from oxygenated to anoxic conditions. Semi-enclosed water bodies, such as the shallow Baltic Sea, play a key role in the global carbon cycle. Carbon-containing particles, both organic and inorganic, settle within the total suspended matter, making it important to understand the patterns of its distribution. The main sources of suspended matter in the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea are primary production and abrasion processes in the coastal zone. From the intensively mixed coastal zone, the suspended matter is transported to the Gdańsk Deep, where benthic nepheloid layers indicate complex sedimentation conditions, suggesting that this area cannot be considered a simple carbon sink. Intermediate nepheloid layers form during the seasonal shift from oxygenated to anoxic conditions, especially when local maxima of dissolved hydrogen sulfide detach from the seabed. The concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water varies significantly depending on the season, both in the surface and bottom layers, reaching its peak in winter and spring and its minimum in summer and autumn.

The development of an antiplatelet peptide was conducted using proteomic databases and the Cybase cyclic peptide database. Toxicity prediction was carried out on the ADMETlab 3.0 platform. The framework used was the cyclic peptide PLP-5, listed under number 1375 in the Cybase database. A new peptide with the amino acid sequence QLSNGLFVDYLWW was obtained. According to the peptide bioactivity predictor, it has a bioactivity level of 0.81968 units, with a maximum of 1. The peptide does not cause acute toxicity when administered orally, is non-toxic to the heart, liver, eye mucosa, and respiratory tract, is non-mutagenic, and non-cytotoxic. This allows it to be recommended as a functional ingredient for specialized food products, provided its effectiveness is confirmed in in vitro experiments.

More than half of Russia’s coal is extracted in the Kemerovo region. Unfortunately, coal mining causes significant environmental damage and is one of the most hazardous human activities. Coal dumps contribute to the degradation of vegetation, fauna, agricultural, and forest lands. Traditional reclamation methods have shown limited effectiveness and require improvement. Therefore, the aim of this article is to develop preliminary technological solutions for the biological reclamation of a coal mine dump in the Kemerovo region, located in the Prokopyevsky district, based on the area’s ecological and geographical parameters. For this purpose, aerial photography using a DJI Matrice 30 and laser scanning with a Slam scanner (robotslam lite) were conducted, and the climatic and botanical-geographical characteristics of the area were studied. As a result of the data analysis, it was determined that, overall, the natural and climatic conditions of the area are favorable and allow for reclamation work aimed at creating forest and grassy plantings for sanitary-protective, forestry, and agricultural purposes. In the first stage, it is necessary to create a favorable root zone using potentially fertile rocks and humus-rich materials from fertile soil layers. In the biological stage of reclamation, local tree and shrub species, as well as fruit and berry crops, are planned to be used to form the soil-plant layer.

Currently, callus cultures of medicinal plants are actively used for the production of important biologically active compounds. Investigating conditions that enhance the biosynthesis of these compounds in callus cultures is highly relevant. This article examines the influence of various concentrations of phenylalanine and tyrosine (1—500 µM) on the content of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity of three callus cultures of Hyssopus officinalis L. It was found that the addition of phenylalanine at a concentration of 10 µM and tyrosine at a concentration of 100 µM to the nutrient media leads to an increase in the content of phenolic compounds and hydroxycinnamic acids in the callus cultures. An increase in the antioxidant activity of the extracts from the studied callus cultures was recorded at phenylalanine concentrations of 10 and 100 µM, as well as tyrosine concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 µM in the nutrient media.

The article is dedicated to summarizing the results of the inventory of the plant collection at the Botanical Garden of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU). Over the past 20 years, the taxonomic composition has nearly doubled. New collection sections have been created (for fruit plants, magnolias, lilacs, rhododendrons, medicinal plants, and others), and the reconstruction of the greenhouse collection has significantly enriched the assortment of tropical, subtropical, and arid plants. The inventory was conducted using standard methodologies applied for plant accounting in botanical gardens. The plant names comply with the requirements of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (2017), taking into account the modern International Taxonomic System of Classification (APG IV) and the database of the International Plant Taxonomy Encyclopedic Internet Project (The Plant List). As a result of the inventory of the taxonomic composition of the collections, a new “Catalogue of Plants of the Botanical Garden of IKBFU for the 120th Anniversary of its Founding” has been prepared for publication. The catalogue provides an informational resource on the biodiversity of the garden’s collection, a systematic characterization of taxa, and the scientific organization of the objects.