Russian Team Research Articles

A review of approaches to assessment of potential radon hazard of land plots

According to Rosstat statistics, in recent years there has been a tendency in the Russian Federation to increase the intensity of construction, while both the number of buildings put into operation and their total area are increasing. The assessment of the potential radon hazard of land plots for construction provides the possibility of timely inclusion of the necessary protective (preventive) measures against radon in the design of buildings. This is a legal requirement in cases where the density of radon flux from the ground surface within the building area exceeds the established hygienic standards (action levels). The paper presents a review of Russian and foreign approaches to assessing the potential radon hazard of land plots conducted within the framework of engineering and environmental surveys. The current regulatory requirements to radiation safety indicators of land plots for construction of residential, public and industrial buildings and facilities in the Russian Federation are analyzed. The main drawbacks of the algorithm for determining the potential radon hazard of land plots, used in the current guidelines MU 2.6.1.2398-08 approved at the federal level more than 15 years ago, are described. Critical remarks (the unsuitability of the value of density of radon flux from the ground surface for designing radon protective and mitigation (remedial) measures, lack of consideration of seasonal variations of radon flux density, etc.) accumulated over the years as a result of practical application of these guidelines are presented. Benefits and drawbacks of foreign approaches to assessing the potential radon hazard of the territory based on the results of measurements of radon concentration in soil gas, as well as the very possibility of a transition in Russian regulations from the density of radon flux from the ground surface to the radon concentration in soil gas, are analyzed. Some rational proposals of various Russian research teams on improving the algorithm for determining the potential radon hazard of land plots are considered.

Media aspects of the relationship between politics and sports using the example of the Russian Federation’s exclusion from international competitions

RELEVANCE. The relationship between politics and sports is a pressing issue, since political contradictions between states are reflected in sports. Major sporting events are not just competitions between athletes, but also fierce political struggles. Through professional sports with the help of various media technologies, it is possible to influence global society and achieve geopolitical results. The relationship between elite sports and politics is considered using the example of the exclusion of Russian sports from international competitions and materials about this in the media.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Materials from foreign media have been studied on the topic of removing Russia from big-time sports, depriving it of state symbols, removing Russian athletes from international competitions due to disagreement with the political course of the authorities of the Russian Federation, and the introduction of so-called sanctions in the field of sports. The study was based on a comparative historical method, which helps to consider the dynamics of the development of relations between Russian sports and the political course of Western countries. The theoretical basis was the work of domestic and foreign researchers of the history and theory of sports. Content analysis was also used to study materials from Russian and foreign media with the aim of determining the attitude of foreign states towards Russian sports and its oppression in the international sports arena from 2014 to 2024.RESULT AND DISCUSSION. An analysis of foreign media materials confirms that pressure on Russian sports is being exerted by Western countries due to their disagreement with the political course of the Russian Federation. An analysis of sources showed that Western media agree on the issue of sanctions against Russian sports: they support the introduction of restrictions against Russian sports, but at the same time they call such measures an instrument of geopolitics, an instrument of “containing Russia”. This confirms the politicization of sports through the media.CONCLUSION. Analyzing the content of publications in both foreign and Russian media, we can conclude that pressure on Russian sports and members of the Russian national team began to intensify after the victory of the Russian team in the team event at the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and after the Republic of Crimea joined the Russian Federation . After the Russian Armed Forces launched a special military operation in Ukraine, even more sanctions and restrictions were introduced against Russian sports, and Russia was actually excluded from international sports. The author believes that the pressure on Russian sports will only increase.

Structure of circulatory system diseases and their genetic predictors in athletes with high intensity of training and competitive load

Introduction: Morphofunctional changes of the circulatory system organs detected in athletes may remain without due attention, as clinical (phenotypic) signs of pathological abnormalities are very similar to manifestations of cardiovascular system adaptation to intensive physical loads. The aim of the study is to propose a personalized algorithm for biomedical support of professional athletes with abnormalities and diseases of the circulatory organs based on clinical and genomic data.Materials and methods: The results of in-depth medical examination (2021-2023) of 15,464 athletes who are members of Russian sports teams were analyzed. The structure of circulatory system diseases according to the codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), which were included in the summary report of the last examination, was analyzed. Fifty athletes with abnormalities and diseases of the circulatory system organs, experiencing different degrees of intensity of dynamic and static loads in accordance with the Mitchell classification, were selected from the study sample for full genome sequencing and subsequent clinical interpretation of the obtained data.Results: In the study sample the number of people with pathologic conditions of the circulatory system organs amounted to 6 946 people (45 %). Mitchell classification groups had statistically significant differences with respect to the prevalence of 10 diseases of the circulatory system organs. In 50 DNA samples of professional athletes, 5 probably pathogenic variants (10%), 19 variants with uncertain clinical significance (38%), relevant to the phenotype of a monogenic disease with circulatory system organ damage, were detected.Conclusion: Molecular genetic testing is an effective tool for differential diagnostics of pathologic and adaptive changes in the organs of the circulatory system. Carrying causative genes in combination with clinical signs allows to change the tactics of medical and biological support of an athlete according to the proposed algorithm.

A Game of Politics? International Sport Organisations and the Role of Sport in International Politics

ABSTRACT Recent events such as the exclusion of Russian teams from international competitions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as the debate on Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup, have once again reignited the debate over the relationship between sport and politics. From athletes displaying political symbols to states vying to exclude their rivals from major tournaments, the strong connection between sport and politics in the international arena is evident. International Sport Organisations (ISOs) play a central role in connecting the global sport arena and the international system. Larger international organisations (and particularly mega international sports organisations such as the International Olympic Committee and FIFA), despite their claim to neutrality, are important political actors that frequently use their influence and leverage in the international arena. In particular, the significant role played by FIFA in the politics of World Cup bids and its recent involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian issue demonstrates the impossibility of being politically neutral as an ISO.

FIFA and UEFA’s Reaction to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Russia invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had an immediate impact on international sports and was quickly followed with numerous measures directed against Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes. The present piece analyses the legal grounds invoked by FIFA and UEFA to exclude Russian teams from their competitions. It argues that the legal justifications advanced by both federations did not formally depart from their ideal of political neutrality and did not link the suspensions to the illegality of Russia’s war or the human rights violations committed by Russia’s armed forces. Furthermore, it shows that this pragmatic approach was endorsed by the CAS Panel. In conclusion, it offers some critical reflections on the implications of these decisions for the relationship between sports and politics.

Long-term demographic forecasting

The results of the latest demographic forecasts from the world’s leading specialized centers (United Nations Population Division, the Wittgenstein Center for Demography and Global Human Capital, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) are considered, demonstrating a certain bias in favor of individual countries and their calculation methods. The second part of this article provides a description of a digital twin of the planet’s demographic system constructed by a Chinese−Russian team and implemented in China’s national supercomputer center. In addition, the results of some calculations carried out using this tool are described.

Visualizing Dunhuang: The Lo Archive Photographs of the Mogao and Yulin Caves

Visualizing Dunhuang: The Lo Archive Photographs of the Mogao and Yulin Caves

Коллаборации в современной науке: курс на автаркию?

The article analyzes the institute of research scientific collaborations of Russian scientists; an attempt is made to classify the concept of collaboration of scientists. The paper provides a preliminary analytical assessment of the prospects for the entry of Russian scientists and teams of scientists in collaboration with foreign scientists and institutes. The authors seek to answer difficult questions: how and on what principles scientific collaborations of Russian scientists with US scientists, the European Union (EU), China, with scientists and researchers from other countries will be built.

REDESIGNING AN UNDERGRADUATE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE UNIT: REFLECTIONS ON ALIGNING DEPARTMENTAL PEDAGOGIC OBJECTIVES WITH THE NEW TEACHING PROGRAMME AND ASSESSMENT

In this paper, we look into how the new structure of the final-year undergraduate language assessment introduced by the School of Modern Languages (SML) at the University of Bristol (UoB) has affected the teaching on the final-year programme in the Department of Russian. This paper tests whether the intended learning outcomes, the content of the course, teaching on the individual modules, the learning resources and the new assessment can be considered as ‘constructively aligned’, i.e., whether the Russian language teaching team working on the new course design succeeded in ensuring that “the learning objectives, the learning processes and the assessment mode and criteria relate systematically to each other”. We will also explore whether the new blended synchronous and asynchronous teaching fits into the redesigned curriculum and whether the teaching programme continues to address the development of students’ discipline-related and transferable employability skills linked to the three areas of the Bristol Skills Network: knowledge and intellectual abilities; engagement and influence; personal effectiveness and wellbeing. The key element of this research is the analysis of the anonymous student feedback questionnaire (SFQ) which includes qualitative questions related to all three written modules taught on the redesigned final year Russian language unit: the students were given an opportunity to analyse the quality and effectiveness of their learning on this unit.

Clinical case of COVID-19 in a patient treated with alemtuzumab

The need to review the guidelines for the management of patients with multiple sclerosis using multiple sclerosis disease modifying drugs has become acute enough since the beginning of 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Immunosuppressive drugs were also specifically addressed, as it is during administration of these drugs that the more severe course of COVID-19 disease was expected. Both the Russian and foreign teams published results of their research works. This article presents a retrospective analysis of the incidence rates of COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis after selective immunosuppressive therapy with alemtuzumab and a clinical case when a patient was infected with coronavirus in the first days following the last infusion of the therapy course without clinical manifestations of the infectious disease. The author discusses the mechanisms underlying such a favourable outcome due to the CD52 lymphocyte depletion leading to the reduction of risks of developing hyperimmune reactions that underlie severe complications of COVID-19, and analyses previously published works of our foreign colleagues on the same theme. The review of the accumulated works and personal experience suggest that it is the CD52 lymphocyte depletion that makes it possible to avoid the cytokine storm and, as a result, the more severe course of COVID-19. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, during the prescription of multiple sclerosis disease modifying drugs, it should be borne in mind that patients should have access to all types of modern therapy and that the benefits should outweigh the sum of possible risks.

Building academics’ foreign-language communicative competence in scientific areas

The paper raises the problem of building the communicative competence of academics. Analysis of the theoretical material of the research helps further investigate the process of learning a foreign language by postgraduates within departmental educational milieu and define the foreign-language communicative competence of a research academician. In accordance with the logic of the presented research, the author uses a complex of complementary methods. They are theoretical research (systematic and theoretical analysis, studying the references in Pedagogy and Methodology of teaching a foreign language, comparative analysis of the Russian and foreign experience, considers the peculiarities of the content of research academicians training in a foreign language), pedagogical research (discussion, supervision, interview). The author stresses the necessity to improve the substantive component of foreign language training of the researcher, taking into account the professional orientation, the use of professional terminology by those who are engaged in research activities. That makes them capable of doing interpretation, précis-writing and abstracting scientific papers in English, thus building their foreign-language communicative competence. The author concludes that in the educational process it is advisable to use a manual, an interactive dictionary and a thesaurus for the successful organization of the process of building the foreign-language communicative competence of the research academician. The content of the materials mentioned above should be aimed at forming postgraduates’ readiness to participate in Russian and international research teams and use modern scientific terminology in a foreign language in various international scientific and representative conferences.

Offline: The crisis of political language

George Orwell, in his 1945 essay Politics and the English Language, wrote that “to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration”. The Moscow press briefing held last week on the Russian COVID-19 vaccine quickly turned into a platform for national rivalry. The research, led by scientists at the N F Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, found encouraging evidence of an immune response using their prime boost strategy of a two-component, human recombinant adenovirus vector-based vaccine. The study was small, non-randomised, uncontrolled, and did not include those most at risk of severe disease. The Russian team recognise these limitations and are proceeding with large randomised trials. The first results were released by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug 13. “I know that it works quite effectively”, he said, “forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks”. At last week's event, more big claims were made. The “poorly researched approaches” by “western” nations were criticised, and one speaker challenged western governments to respond to these alleged concerns—“would you please show your citizens” evidence about the safety of western vaccine candidates given the “poorly developed platforms” you are using, he said. “It doesn't make any sense to use poorly researched approaches”, he argued. His view was that a human adenovirus vector was safer than a chimpanzee adenovirus vector (the basis for the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, for example). A press conference to present the results of a scientific study became the venue for renewed Cold War conflict. Russia isn't the only country to use COVID-19 as a tool to fight perceived adversaries. US President Donald Trump routinely refers to SARS-CoV-2 as the “China virus”. He is seeking to amplify the American public's fear of China to wound his opponent in the current presidential campaign. In Latrobe, PA, on Sept 3, President Trump suggested that, “Joe Biden wants to surrender your jobs to China”. The message is clear—China is America's enemy, it is the cause of a pandemic that has destroyed the US economy, and the policies of the Democrat candidate will only strengthen America's chief international competitor. There is not one shred of evidence to support these claims. The twisting of language in public discussion of the pandemic is now standard fare. “Thanks to the efforts of Operation Warp Speed”, said President Trump in Wilmington, NC, on Sept 2, “we remain on track to deliver a vaccine very rapidly, in record time”. He has suggested a vaccine might be available by the end of October—an important claim given that the US election will take place on Nov 3. Yet there is no possibility that a COVID-19 vaccine will be ready for public use before the US election. Orwell's reflection that language is used “with intent to deceive” in “the sordid processes of international politics” could not be more apposite. And what of the UK? Meaningless political language also characterises our government. Guided by the science. Build back better. World-beating track and trace. Here is Boris Johnson on June 30: “This government is committed not just to defeating coronavirus but to using this crisis to tackle this country's great unresolved challenges of the last three decades.” There is no government strategy for national revival. On July 23, while visiting Scotland, he spoke about “what we can achieve when we stand together, as one United Kingdom”. As the confused rules on quarantine show, there is no “one United Kingdom”. On July 31: “I know we are going to beat this.” Yet the virus is with us and we must learn to live with it. On Aug 13, writing in the Belfast Telegraph: “this government has an unshakable commitment to each and every person in each and every nation of our United Kingdom.” Again, where is the plan, the programme, the proof that those most severely affected by COVID-19 are being prioritised by this government? “The great enemy of clear language”, Orwell wrote, “is insincerity”. “Political language...is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.” COVID-19 is no exception. The present health and economic crises we face are compounded by a crisis of political language. Until our words are purged of duplicity, falsehood, and hypocrisy, the lessons of this pandemic will never be learned.

Some features of the development and battle tactics in women's boxing

Purpose: to reveal the features of the use of tactical actions by boxers of highly qualified women. Materials and methods: Theoretical analysis of information from the scientific and methodological literature and communication with the leading trainers of women in boxing made it possible to analyze the history of the development of women's boxing in the World, to determine the importance of tactical training for boxers and its content. Also during this research, we watched videos of the competitive activity of highly qualified female boxers in weight categories up to 51 kg. and up to 75 kg. Using the methods of pedagogical observation, chronometric observation and mathematical statistics made it possible to identify the peculiarities of tactics of competitive battle tactics in women boxers of high qualification. Results: At the present stage of the development of women's boxing, the world leader is the Russian team, the second is China, the third is India. Ukraine is not one of the top ten women's boxing teams in the World. Tactical training in women's boxing should be significantly different from the tactical training of male boxers. Women boxers of high qualification of lightweights can be related to tempo men, and women boxers of high qualification of heavyweights to gamers. However, it is difficult to related some women boxers of high qualification to any one of the listed types, since they are able to rearrange tactics during the match itself, if necessary. Conclusions: Modern tactical training in women's boxing is aimed at universalization, which is characterized by a variety of applied techniques and their frequent change. This fact makes increased demands on the quality of the technical training process in women's boxing.

Противодиабетическая активность белков молочной сыворотки

Absract. Introduction. With the advent of membrane filtration technologies, milk whey stopped being a “by-product” of cheese, cottage cheese, and casein production. The combination of various whey-processing technologies, e.g. enzymatic hydrolysis and membrane fractionation, made it possible to obtain concentrates, isolates, and hydrolysates of whey proteins with various biologically active effects. Study objects and methods. The article features research results of Russian and foreign scientific teams in the development of functional antidiabetic ingredients from hydrolyzed proteins of milk and whey. Results and discussion. According to foreign studies, Ile-Pro-Ile (diprotin A) with an IC50 value of 4.7 μM is one of the most effective low molecular mass peptides with an inhibitory potential against DPP-IV. Various studies of trypsin hydrolysis of β-lactoglobulin described the production of IPAVF peptide fragment with the most potent inhibitory activity of DPP-IV (IC50 = 44.7 μM). Other studies featured pepsin-treated lactoglobulin production of fragments LKPTPEGDL and LKPTPEGDLEIL with inhibitory activity DPP-IV IC50 = 45 and 57 μM, respectively. A number of studies described similar fragments obtained by the sequential action of the enzyme preparation Neutrase 0.8 LTM on β-lactoglobulin, followed by pepsin hydrolysis. As for the hydrolysis of α-lactalbumin with pepsin, scientists identified peptides WLAHKALCSEKLDQ, LAHKALCSEKL, and TKCEVFRE. They revealed a high inhibitory potential against DPP-IV (IC50 = 141, 165, and 166 μM, respectively). Tryptic hydrolysates of bovine β-lactoglobulin proved to be able to inhibit DPP-IV in vitro (IC50 of 210 μM). Peptide VAGTWY was the major compound responsible for this effect, displaying an IC50 of 174 μM. In other research, tryptic hydrolysate inhibited DPP-IV with an IC50 value of 1.6 mg/mL, also demonstrating antioxidant and ACE-inhibitory activities. This hydrolysate became source of VAGTWY, the most potent DPP-IV inhibitor (IC50 of 74.9 μM). Conclusion. An analysis of Russian and foreign studies proved that milk protein hydrolysis has a great potential for antidiabetic additives used in the treatment of type II diabetes. This are requires further research in order to define the safety of biologically active peptides.

ANALYSIS OF THE TRAINING LOAD AND FITNESS LEVEL OF RUSSIAN NATIONAL ROWING TEAM IN THE 2014-2015 SEASON

The relatively low level of Russian rowing teams’ performance at international rowing competitions reflects certain mistakes in the training process of these teams. Basing on the analysis of the best training practices, we tried to identify possible mistakes in the training process that had caused poor results of the Russian national team in the 2014-15 season. Research methods and organization. Comparative analysis of the training volume and intensity practiced by the world leading teams and the Russian rowing team in the 2014-15 season; analysis of the special fitness level of teams on the basis of literature resources and proceedings of the coach conferences of the World Rowing Federation (FISA). Results and Discussion. Analysis of the completed training loads in the 2014-15 season revealed that the Russian national rowing team executed about 57% of the water exercises and 66% of the Rowing Ergometer exercises in the 3rd and 4th zones of intensity. Rowers did not experience the loads for the development of power qualities by means of general physical training. Conclusion. The system of training of the Russian rowing team in 2014-2015 looks less effective in comparison with the system of training of world-leading national teams. The method of training of the Russian rowing national team employed in the 2014-15 season was totally different from the world standards. The above mentioned factors caused the low level of the team performance in that season due to the premature achievement of the sport fitness peak by the Russian athletes.

Dietary and plasma blood \u03b1-linolenic acid as modulators of fat oxidation and predictors of aerobic performance

BackgroundAmong n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the most important is α-linolenic acid (ALA). The biological activity of ALA is not equivalent to that of the long-chain n-3 PUFAs, and it has pleiotropic effects, such as functioning as an energy substrate during long-term training when carbohydrate reserves are depleted. The purpose of this investigation was to study the link between the essential dietary and plasma ALA and aerobic performance, which is estimated via maximal fat oxidation (MFO), among skiers.MethodsTwenty-four highly trained male athletes from the Russian cross-country skiing team participated in the study. ALA intake was determined by an original program used to assess the actual amount and frequency of fat consumption. The plasma level of ALA was determined using gas-liquid chromatography. The skiers’ aerobic performance was estimated via MFO and determined by indirect calorimetry using the system “Oxycon Pro”.ResultsThe consumption of ALA in the diet in half of the skiers was below the recommended level at 0.5 ± 0.2 g/day. The deficiency of plasma ALA levels was on average 0.2 ± 0.1 Mol% for almost all participants. The consumption of ALA in the diet and its level in plasma were associated with MFO (rs = 0.507, p = 0.011; rs = 0.460, p = 0.023). Levels of ALA in plasma (p = 0.0523) and the consumption of ALA in the diet (p = 0.0039) were associated with high aerobic performance.ConclusionsALA in the diet of the athletes may be used as nutritional support to increase MFO and aerobic performance.

Modules of Stone Construction and the Building of Ritual and Social Traditions in Prehistoric Xinjiang (China) and Mongolia

Modules of Stone Construction and the Building of Ritual and Social Traditions in Prehistoric Xinjiang (China) and Mongolia Annie Chan (bio) overview Organized clusters of stone structures are a stark and ubiquitous archaeological feature of the Inner Asian steppe. Diverse in form but rather homogenous in constructional concept, these built forms represent significant episodes of human activity, particularly in funerary and commemorative respects, from the beginning of the second millennium b.c.e. to late in the first millennium c.e. Interest in their distributional characteristics has stimulated a critical development in methods of spatial and statistical analysis tailored to the idiosyncrasies of prehistoric steppe landscapes, most notably through field studies of Bronze Age and Xiongnu sites in Mongolia (Allard and Erdenebaatar 2005; Brosseder and Miller 2011; Honeychurch et al. 2007; Houle 2010; Jacobson-Tepfer et al. 2010; Kovalev 2005), southern Siberia (Bourgeois et al. 2014; Kiryushin et al. 2015; Kiryushin et al. 2006; Plets et al. 2012; Tishkin and Gorbunova 2005), and, more recently, Xinjiang, China (Caspari; Chan and Cong, this issue). Although such survey data have contributed to a more holistic view of longitudinal and spatial changes in the area (Caspari, this issue), scholars have rarely addressed data of a scope that traverses international boundaries. The difficulty of integrating cross-regional studies can be attributed to linguistic barriers and disparities in research approach among different long-established academic traditions, some of which are represented by the authors in this special section. Naturally, such barriers have hindered the circulation and publication of primary field data. Zhang and Festa’s well-referenced literature review ameliorates the problem by offering a rare background analysis useful for grasping the current modus operandi of archaeology in Xinjiang, especially for an English-speaking readership (also see Bennett 2012). Their article comprehensively outlines the key theories and methods of analysis underpinning the major discoveries and local research developments in Xinjiang archaeology from the 1950s through the 2000s. [End Page 330] Paucity of excavation data is another important limitation, both because of the small number of excavations that have been carried out of, for example, Iron Age funerary-commemorative complexes in Mongolia (Tishkin, this issue) and Bronze Age settlement structures in Xinjiang (Caspari; Chan and Cong, this issue), and the scant availability of primary field data, which are often distributed only through local publications (see Zhang and Festa’s Table 1 list of primary excavation reports, this issue). Previous ventures have shown that the translation and transference of such latent scholarly materials onto international publishing platforms have the potential to advance our collective understanding of the status of research in various fields (e.g., Bemmann et al. 2009; Brosseder and Miller 2011). The idea of compiling such studies originated in a post-conference discussion following the Seventh Society for East Asian Archaeology meeting in Boston, Massachusetts in 2016. With the exception of Zhang and Festa’s valuable later addition, the articles herein were developed from presentations given by the authors at a panel entitled “From the Tian Shan to the Altai: Recent advances in archaeological research.” In presenting a selected body of primary field research conducted by Russian and Chinese teams in western Mongolia and Xinjiang on remains of ancient stonework, this special section aims to take a step toward building the representation of non-Western scholarship in more internationally accessible venues of publication, particularly those concerned with the archaeology of Inner Asia. The articles detail findings from field surveys and excavations as well as secondary literature that has hitherto largely been absent from the English language literature. This special section thus showcases the extent and value of a corpus of material that has yet to be assimilated into mainstream discourse. The areas of study encompass several important geographical nuclei of archaeological sites, including the western peripheries of Dzungaria and the Chinese Tian Shan and, further east, the regions of the Chinese and Mongolian Altai. Three articles report on field expeditions in Xinjiang (Caspari; Chan and Cong; Zhang and Festa) and one in Mongolia (Tishkin). The authors address findings spanning a period from the middle of the Bronze Age to the Iron Age (covering the second through first millennia b.c.e.), with a focus...

Prevalence of Relative Age Effect in Russian Soccer: The Role of Chronological Age and Performance.

The relative age effect (RAE) has been well studied in adolescent and adult soccer players; however, less information has been available about children engaged in regular soccer training and the role of performance. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of RAE in children and adolescent soccer players, as well as the role of age and performance. Russian soccer players (n = 10,446) of various ages, playing positions and performance levels were examined for their date of birth. It was observed that RAE was widespread in Russian soccer teams of all age groups. RAE was most pronounced in children teams of the top tier Russian soccer academies and junior Russia national teams, where the proportions of soccer players born in the first quarter were 43.9% and 39.8%, respectively, whereas those born in the fourth quarter of the year were 7.7% and 6.3%, respectively. In top tier soccer academies, RAE did not vary by age group. In the middle tier soccer academies, RAE was less pronounced. It was still prevalent in the junior teams of the top tier clubs of the Russian Premier League, where 14.3% of the soccer players were born in the fourth quarter of the year compared to 42.9% born in the first quarter of the year. RAE can be observed in the top tier Russian adult teams as well, although it is less pronounced there. In summary, RAE is highly prevalent in Russian children and junior soccer and is associated with the level of competitiveness. At the same time, the proportion of players born in the fourth quarter of the year is higher in adult teams than in junior and youth teams, which is most likely due to the wider selection of players, not limited by their age and place of residence. In junior teams, RAE results in a bias towards selection of players who are more physically mature, whereas children who may be more talented but are less developed due to their younger chronological age tend to be overlooked.

Depth zonation of Northwest Pacific deep-sea macrofauna

Areas of the Northwest (NW) Pacific have been investigated in the last century from board of the Russian RV Vityaz. During the past decade intensive collaboration between German and Russian scientists has yielded a wealth of precious material partly from unknown areas. The samples are comparable and were retrieved using comparative epibenthic sledge (EBS) deployments following a standardized sampling approach. In the present paper we investigate a large number of EBS samples (76) from a widespread geographic area.Macrofaunal high-taxonomic-level taxa composition is analysed based on four joint expeditions performed between 2010 and 2016, led by German and Russian teams in the NW Pacific, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and adjacent abyssal plain. In total, 410,279 invertebrates were sampled with an epibenthic sledge and more than half of all animals were collected in the Sea of Japan (240,803 individuals). Arthropods, represented by crustaceans, were dominant throughout all geographic areas (199,044 ind.), followed by Annelida (84,751 ind.), Echinodermata (46,317 ind.), and Mollusca (43,391 ind.). Within these phyla, eleven taxa occurred with more than 10,000 individuals in the samples from all geographic areas. The most numerous were the Peracarida (104,139 ind., represented by Isopoda [42,511 ind.], Amphipoda [29,375 ind.], Cumacea [16,364 ind.], Tanaidacea [15,889 ind.]), followed by Polychaeta (84,751 ind.), Copepoda 76,496 ind., Bivalvia (36,286 ind.), Ophiuroidea (34,818 ind.), Nematoda (24,968 ind.), Ostracoda (11,304 ind.), and Holothuroidea (10,772 ind.). The pattern of occurrence per taxon varied between geographic areas. In general, Bivalvia and Holothuroidea were more frequently recorded from hadal stations, but no significant differences could be observed between geographic areas (Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, and open NW Pacific) at high level taxa (classes, subclasses, superorders) when community composition is compared and depth differences are taken into account. However, significant differences between all depth zones (p < 0.05) were revealed for both PERMANOVA and non-parametric pairwise t-tests.

Attacking Profiles of the Best Ranked Teams From Elite Futsal Leagues.

This study aimed to (i) explore the discriminatory power of the task-related variables and the context in establishing differences in the elite futsal leagues of Portugal, Spain, and Russia and (ii) understand how these variables vary according to the match outcome. Methodological issues concerning efficiency (goals and shots), offensive organisation (positional attack, counterattack, set pieces, or 5vs4+Goalkeeper), 1st goal scored during matches (home or away team), match type (balanced or unbalanced), and match outcome (winner, loser, or drawer) were discussed. Archival data were obtained from the 2017–2018 season of Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian professional futsal leagues for all play-off matches. Crosstabs analysis was conducted to establish the significance relationship between the elite futsal leagues and the situational variables. Afterward, discriminant analysis was used to identify the task-related variables that maximise mean differences between different league teams for defining offensive profile, and the variations found when the condition of the winner, loser, or drawer is taken into account. The results allowed to understand that the Portuguese and Russian teams used the positional attacks more, and less the counterattacks and set pieces than the Spaniards, who present a more balanced offensive profile. Overall, winners were better discriminated by goals scored, whereas 5vs4+Goalkeeper strategy discriminated loser teams. Coaches should be aware of these different offensive profiles in order to increase control over the match planning and decrease predictability against opposing teams.