Ural Populations Research Articles

Distribution of Recessive Genetic Defects in Cattle Population of Urals

Distribution of Recessive Genetic Defects in Cattle Population of Urals

Illegitimate Fertility in the Urals During the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Out-of-wedlock births are one of the important aspects of the demographic history in late imperial Russia. The percentage of children born to unwed mothers in the Russian Empire during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was lower than the general average in European countries. However, in the specific context of the Russian demographic order, with earlier age at marriage and more universal nuptiality than in Europe generally, the study of out-of-wedlock births and especially their spatial distribution, acquires special significance. This work is aimed at studying the dynamics of out-of-wedlock births in Perm province in the decades around 1900. The authors pay particular attention to out-of-wedlock births in the city of Ekaterinburg, using official statistics and the “Ural Population Project” database, URAPP based on parish registers with vital events in five city parishes. The authors reconstruct the dynamics of out-of-wedlock births in each of the twelve Perm province counties, reflecting a general downward trend, especially in counties containing a significant proportion of Old Believers. It is established that the average level of illegitimate births among the rural population was 4%, and in cities — 9%. The out-of-wedlock birth rate increased during times of wars and social upheavals, especially in cities differing from parish to parish. In St Epiphany parish of Ekaterinburg, the illegitimate birth rate reached 41% during the famine of 1892. Concurrently, at least 11% of the women, including some from relatively wealthy families, baptised up to seven “illegitimate” children in the parish. This gives grounds to perceive the phenomenon of out-of-wedlock births not only because of the unfortunate circumstances for young women, but also as a sign of modernisation in the sphere of family and marriage relations, slowed down by archaic legislation.

Radioepidemiological studies in the Urals: outcomes and future directions

The paper presents the key milestones and outcomes of 65-year studies of the carcinogenic consequences of accidental radiation exposure of the population of the Urals region. The radioactive contamination of the Techa River and the 1957accident at the Mayak PA were the reasons for the long-term exposure of the population at a wide range of doses. The most important tasks of the study were the reconstruction of individual doses, follow-up of the health and life status of cohort members. The research results have shown that chronic human exposure, in comparison to acute exposure, does not reduce the risk of developing malignant tumors and leukemias, and the value of the dose-rate factor does not exceed “one”. Thus, according to our data, the current recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection underestimate the radiation risk of malignant tumors and leukemias in case of chronic exposure of the population by a factor of two. Prospects for further radio-epidemiological studies in the Urals are associated with the analysis of the cohort of Southern Urals Populations Exposed to Radiation (SUPER), which includes about 63 thousand exposed people and makes it possible to assess the radiation risk of solid cancers of certain localizations, certain types of leukemia, and non-cancer effects.

Funeral Rite and Morphology of a Buried Man from Kurgan of Tau Cemetery (Western Kazakhstan)

Introduction. The paper presents results of the funeral rite and material culture study of the Sauromat time Tau cemetery located on the territory of Western Kazakhstan, and also provides anthropological analysis of the skull discovered there. Methods and materials. An interdisciplinary approach was applied in the course of the study with inclusion of typological, analog and cross-dating methods regarding the funeral rite and material culture examination, methods for studying craniometrical and cranioscopic signs, as well as methods of skull pathology evaluation. The source of the study material as well as the male skull discovery site is burial 1 of kurgan 1 of Tau cemetery. Discussion and results. The funeral rite and clothing inventory data confirms that the burial belongs to Sauromat archaeological culture and, within the chronological framework, could be dated back late 6th – early 5th centuries BC. Furthermore, the funeral rite and weaponry features, including a quiver set with a short sword, attribute this burial to this epoch. Historical and archaeological source analysis suggests that there must have been a cult of the Hand in the Sauromat-Sarmatian society; consequently, the separate interment of the right hand in the examined burial reveals its military trophy origin. The male skull possesses Caucasian features with a weakened horizontal facial profile. The morphological features of the skull from the Tau cemetery have analogies in the synchronous population of Western Kazakhstan, Southern Urals and Lower Volga regions. The skull pathology analysis showed the presence of periodontitis, intravital trauma to the frontal bone, as well as some acute sinusitis signs.

Level of Food Consumption by Population of Sverdlovsk Region (Budget Surveys in 1986—1990)

Issues related to the level of consumption by the population of the USSR in the “perestroika” period of its history are considered. In order to conduct an objective historical analysis of the problem, the authors used materials from the funds of three archives, some of which are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. It is emphasized that the second half of the 1980s was crucial for the Soviet Union, becoming the last five years in its difficult history. The results of a comparative analysis of food consumption by the population of the Sverdlovsk region in the study period are presented. A clear discrepancy between the level of consumption of a number of food products by the population of the Middle Urals and the norms of their scientifically grounded rational consumption is determined. The emphasis is made on the fact that in the diet of Soviet citizens there was always a very shortage of vegetables, melons, fruits and, to some extent, fish products. It is proved that the chronic underconsumption of these products was to a certain extent “compensated” by the increased consumption of sugar, confectionery and dairy products, and in the difficult 1940s–1950s — bakery products and potatoes. It is concluded that it is not necessary to overly dramatize the “material” factor in the development of disintegration processes that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Polymorphisms of F2 (G20210A), F5 (G1691A), F 7 (G10976A), F 13(G13T), FGB, ITGA2, ITGB3, PAI-I genes and its association with thrombotic complications in patients suffering from Takayasu aortoarteritis of Urals population.

Cardiovascular complications, especially thrombotic events, are characteristic for Takayasu arteritis (TA). These events significantly deteriorate the patients' quality of life and cause disability and preterm death. Coagulation factor II (F2, G20210A), coagulation factor V (F5, G1691A, Leiden), coagulation factor VII (F7, G10976A), coagulation factor XIII (F13, G13T), fibrinogen (FGB), platelet alpha subunit of transmembrane receptor for collagens and related proteins (ITGA2), platelet glycoprotein (ITGB3), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-I) gene polymorphisms coexist with TA, and their pathophysiologic interaction needs to be studied. A total of 43 patients with TA were examined for nucleotides polymorphism in F2 (G20210A), F5 (G1691A, Leiden), F7 (G10976A), F13 (G13T), FGB, ITGA2, ITGB3, and PAI-I genes using polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, 130 sex- and age-adjusted healthy controls without a history of any thrombotic complications were enrolled. Among the patients with TA, there were 34 women aged between 17 and 77 (mean 49, median 49; Q1-Q3, 36-61) years and 9 men aged between 20 and 66 (mean 37.8, median 38; Q1-Q3: 31-45) years. Thrombotic complications were recorded in 22 (51%) patients with TA. Comparison of thrombophilia markers genotypes in patients with TA and healthy controls revealed homozygous and heterozygous mutation in ITGA2 (p<0.0001) and PAI-I genes (p=0.026). The frequency of occurrence of hereditary thrombophilia markers in patients with TA was assessed. Detection of the PAI-I gene mutation was significantly more frequent (p=0.032) in patients with TA with a history of thrombotic events than in those with no thrombosis history. Detection of multiple (more than 4 genes) simultaneous mutations of thrombophilia markers was significantly (p=0.0001) more frequent in patients with TA with a history of thrombotic events. Assessment of hereditary thrombophilia genetic markers reveals additional (genetic) risk markers of thrombotic complications in patients with TA and may help in decision making for antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant treatment in patients with TA to reduce the risk of thrombotic complications.

Herpesvirus Infection in a Breeding Population of Two Coexisting Strix Owls.

Simple SummaryAlthough infection with herpesvirus in owls has commonly been described as a highly lethal disease, there is very little information about the presence of herpesvirus and its potential impact in living owls in wild populations. Our study detected herpesvirus in a breeding population of Ural owls, which showed no clinical signs of illness nor productivity deviances (i.e., in clutch and brood size). Herpesvirus was detected in Ural owl adults and chicks, but not in a young tawny owl (despite the fact that they were in same nest and in persistent contact). Furthermore, herpesviruses were also detected in yellow-necked mice as both owls’ main prey. However, comparison of the herpesviruses detected showed that different herpesviruses are present in the owls and mice. The results of this study show that herpesvirus may be present in a Ural owl breeding population without any consequences on health and breeding performance. However, in the case of tawny owls, it seems that they are not susceptible to infection, which could be related to their polymorphism. It seems that small rodents are not a source of herpesvirus infection in owls and that the probable herpesvirus transmission pathway takes place intraspecifically, mostly from adults to young.Birds are a frequent host of a large variety of herpesviruses, and infections in them may go unnoticed or may result in fatal disease. In wild breeding populations of owls, there is very limited information about the presence, impact, and potential transmission of herpesvirus. The herpesvirus partial DNA polymerase gene was detected using polymerase chain reaction in oropharyngeal swabs of 16 out of 170 owls examined that were captured in or near nest boxes. Herpesvirus was detected in Ural owls (Strix uralensis), in both adults and young, but not in tawny owls (Strix aluco). In yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), as the main prey of tawny owls and Ural owls in the area, herpesvirus was detected in the organs of 2 out of 40 mice captured at the same locations as the owls. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the herpesvirus sequences detected in the Ural owls differed from the herpesvirus sequences detected in the yellow-necked mice. The results indicate that herpesvirus infection exists in the breeding wild Ural owl population. However, herpesvirus-infected owls did not show any clinical or productivity deviances and, based on a phylogenetic comparison of detected herpesvirus sequences and sequences obtained from Genbank database, it seems that mice and other rodents are not the source of owl infections. The most probable transmission pathway is intraspecific, especially from adults to their chicks, but the origin of herpesvirus in owls remains to be investigated.

Infracranial versus cranial nonmetric traits and mtDNA data in the study of genetic divergence of human populations

AbstractAlthough cranial and dental nonmetric traits have proven to be reliable proxies for genetic data, the usefulness of infracranial nonmetric traits as phenetic markers in population affinity studies remains unclear. Our aim was to analyze infracranial and cranial nonmetric trait frequencies in the same samples in comparison with genetic data to determine the value of infracranial nonmetric traits in assessing genetic relationships among populations. We examined the frequencies of 25 cranial and 16 infracranial nonmetric traits in seven adult osteological samples from different regions of northern Eurasia (northern Russians, indigenous populations of Volga–Ural region, Buryats, and Yupik) and the data on mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in the same ethnic groups. The biological distance between each pair of samples was estimated using the Smith's mean measure of divergence (MMD) for nonmetric traits and Cavalli–Sforza distance measure for mtDNA data. Mantel correlations were calculated between two matrices of mean measures of divergence (MMD) distances, and a multidimensional scaling (MDS) procedure was applied to each matrix. The Mantel test showed a strong correlation between the two nonmetric distance matrices. The three‐dimensional spatial representations of each matrix revealed similar patterns of intergroup differences. On both nonmetric MDS maps, the sample locations roughly reflected the geographic separation of the groups, with the exception of northern Russians, who were grouped with Volga–Ural populations. Comparison of our results with those obtained from genetic data confirmed that both sets of nonmetric traits provide reliable genetic affinities among the samples. The association of northern Russians with the Volga–Ural groups can be explained by their genetic background. Our findings show that infracranial nonmetric traits can be successfully used as phenetic markers to define a population's affinity and divergence, particularly in cases where only infracranial bones are available for study.

Metal Production and its Role in the Cultural Genesis of the Volga- Urals Population during the Late Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age

This paper presents a review of data on metal production within the Kargaly mining district in the South Cis-Urals and describes its relationships with the beginning of the cultural genesis of the Iamnaia culture within the Volga-Ural region. The Cis-Urals copper products have original morphology and technology in comparison with those from the Maykop center of metal production as well as metal products from western centers of the Iamnaia culture. Raw materials for the Cis-Urals center of metalworking were sourced from the Kargaly copper ore field, which is located near the modern Orenburg city. Kargaly masters developed a number of unique techniques in obtaining and processing not only copper, but also meteoritic iron. Diverse assemblages of metal products recovered from archeological sites of Iamnaia culture in the Cis-Urals include unique tools and weapons with specific features that have no analogies in other metal processing centers of that epoch. Metallurgy and production of copper items had an important role in the economy of the Iamnaia culture from the early (Repino) to the late (Poltavkinskii) stages. Its origin was probably connected with copper production techniques developed by the Volga population of the Eneolithic Period under the influence of the Balkan-Carpathia regional center. To a much lesser extent, the development of the Kargaly mining-metallurgical district was associated with connections with the Maykop culture. The morphology of metal products and metallographic data indicate that small groups of Cis- Urals craftsmen migrated to the Trans-Urals and Southern Siberia during the advanced stage of the Iamnaia culture.

Mortality of the Orthodox Adult Population in Ekaterinburg during the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Traditionally, studies of historical mortality have focused on the national, regional, or local levels. Currently, the creation of individual level databases has made it possible to study mortality at the individual and family levels, also following people over generations. However, this research rarely considered non-family relations; at the same time, rapid urbanisation during the late nineteenth century severed many family ties and hindered the transmission of traditional models for demographic behaviour. Thus, the role of non-family factors increased, the main of which was the church parish, which since the end of the nineteenth century gradually transformed into a neighborhood community — the prototype of the urban microdistrict. This research aims to study the mortality of the adult population of Ekaterinburg during the decades around 1900, differentiating between the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church. The sources consist of official statistics and the Ural Population Project database, which was created based on the metric (church) books. The authors reconstruct the full development of mortality for each parish and for Ekaterinburg as a whole; map the structure of mortality, calculate the average age at death, as well as analyse the causes of death and its seasonality. As a result, it may be concluded that each of the five Orthodox parishes indeed had a certain demographic specificity. Mortality was influenced by the economic profile of the area and the trend of urban development, where the location of social facilities on the territory of each parish was of great importance.

СОЦИАЛЬНЫЕ ЭЛИТЫ ПОЗДНЕИМПЕРСКОГО ЕКАТЕРИНБУРГА: ПРОГРАММА ИСТОРИКО-ДЕМОГРАФИЧЕСКОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ

This article develops a theoretical basis for studying the socio-demographic evolution of elites in local/urban historical communities. The authors analyzed the methodological and terminological apparatus used in modern elite studies and formulated the concept of “social elite” based on synthesizing the civilizational aspects of elite theory and modernization theory. The social elite is understood as a minority that is a reference group for the rest of society in the sphere of sociodemographic practices. A fruitful study of such an object is realistic only by employing mass nominative sources that recorded demographic events in individual lives. The most important nominative source which contains demographic and, in addition, social information about the demographically representative communities of imperial Russia, are metricheskie knigi — parish vital events records. The potential of this type of source is most effectively realized by transcribing the information into databases for subsequent quantitative analysis. The research was carried out based on the URAPP — “Ural Population Project” — a comprehensive electronic resource containing information from the Orthodox parishes records in Ekaterinburg for 1880–1919, now extended to about 57000 entries. The initial adaptation of the proposed model to the historical context of late imperial Ekaterinburg enabled us to identify a community of townspeople — the parish of the Orthodox Epiphany Cathedral — that was more modernized than the rest of the city. Concentrating the research focus on socio-demographic processes among the parishioners of this community at the individual level, will in the future make it possible to represent more fully the evolutionary mechanisms of the social elite in the late Imperial Russian city. The proposed scheme can be used to study the problems of Russian social history in the late 19th — early 20th centuries, primarily to identify the agents driving the socio-demographic modernization.

Finding a rare species of Golden algae Chrysosphaerella coronacircumspina var. grandibasa in the South Urals

A rare species of Golden algae Chrysosphaerella coronacircumspina var. grandibasa was first discovered in the South Urals. The habitat of this rare species is high-altitude reservoirs with high water quality. Reservoirs located in the protected area of the «Taganay» national Park. C. coronacircumspina var. grandibasa vegetated during the subglacial period and after ice melting under conditions of oligotrophy, low specific electrical conductivity of water, low content of humic substances and neutral active reaction рН. The established conservation status of «Vulnerable species» VU(3) has been confirmed for the South Ural population of the rare chrysosphaerella. Low level of mineralization, oligotrophic water level, low temperature, and high water transparency have been confirmed as limiting factors for the development of South Ural populations of rare algae Chrysosphaerella. The results obtained Supplement information about the flora of Golden algae in Russia, the Urals, the southern Urals, and the «Taganay» national Park and can be used in environmental monitoring.

Yarkovskoe 1 hillfort – monument of the XII–XIV centuries in the Tobolsk Irtysh River region

Known archaeological sources indicate migration the groups of the Urals population into Western Siberia during the XII–XIV centuries. However, this process continues to be poorly studied, which can be partially corrected by referring to the archaeological materials of the Yarkovskoe 1 hillfort. Pre-revolutionary researchers knew this monument of Tobolsk Irtysh River region, but its excavations began relatively recently. The 2015 excavation revealed a significant number of individual finds from copper, bronze, silver and iron. Quite often fragments of ceramic dishes, bone and stone products were found. The closest analogies to the implement complex of the Yarkovskoe hillfort were found in the cis-Urals sites of the Rodanovo archaeological culture. The authors' assumption is confirmed by the findings of ornamented ceramics, crucible, bronze pendants, a silver ring, padlocks and a needle bar and other items. However, not all features of the material culture of the local population have direct analogies among the Rodanovo antiquities, which indicate that a synthesis of a number of cultures took place in the Tobolsk Irtysh region. Among the finds, one can distinguish both things of clearly Siberian origin and those brought from the territory of the Volga and Central Asia. The authors distinguish that the main component of the population of the Yarkovskoe 1 hillfort were the Rodanovo culture population who came from beyond the Urals. The Rodanovo people who arrived from the trans-Urals, as they moved to the lower reaches of the Tobol could include foreign cultures, including the Yudino culture, as well as the local Kintusovskoye culture components.

Genetic polymorphism in Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) populations from Ural and Altai-Sayan mountains

The article presents the results of analysis of the variability of 23 allozyme loci in 10 populations of Siberian Stone pine. Populations from South Siberia mountain regions had higher percentage of polymorphic loci in averageand mean number of alleles per loci (P99% = 44,57 %, NA = 1,543 ± 0,014) compared to Ural populations (P99%=29,57%,NA = 1,348 ± 0,015). The average values of the observed and expected heterozygosity in the populations of the Altai-Sayan (HO = 0,087 ±0,007 and HE = 0,090 ± 0,004) and the Ural mountain region (HO = 0,083 ± 0,008 и HE = 0,082 ± 0,005)were close. About 8.4% of the total genetic diversity is due to differences between the studied populations. The results ofmultidimensional data analysis confirm the existence of the Altai-Sayan and Ural refugia in the post-glacial period andthe dispersal of Siberian stone pine to the North from the Ural glacier refugium.

Solid cancer incidence risk in in the Ural cohort of the accidentally exposed population: 1956–2017

To date, the study of the effects of chronic exposure of the South Ural population has been carried out in two separate cohorts – in the Techa River Cohort and in the East Urals Radioactive Trace Cohort. In 2019, the Ural cohort of accidentally exposed population was formed. It included the population exposed in two radiation situations in the Southern Urals in the 1950s. The number of the combined cohort for the cancer incidence analysis was about 60 thousand people, the follow-up period was extended to 2017, the number of solid cancers was 4537, and the number of person-years was 1283267, which is 3 times more than when analyzing the effects of exposure in each of the two radiation situations separately. In the incidence analysis of all solid cancer types, we used the dose accumulated in the walls of the stomach, which corresponds to the dose accumulated in most organs and tissues with the exception of bone tissue and red bone marrow. The mean dose to the stomach accumulated over the entire follow-up period for cohort members was 38 mGy, the maximum -1.13 Gy. The paper presents the first results of solid cancer incidence risk analysis in the combined cohort, which show a statistically significant dose dependence of the incidence in case of chronic exposure in the range of low and medium doses. The sex and age-averaged excess relative risk value of 0.075/100 mGy (the 95% confidence interval is 0.039–0.113) is comparable to that obtained in the studies of the Japanese cohort of atomic bomb survivors. The statistically significant excess relative risk value of 0.047/100 mGy, obtained separately for men, is in good agreement with that in professional cohorts where men prevail – in the cohort of the Chernobyl NPP accident clean-up workers and in the cohort of professional workers in the three countries (UK, France, USA). The established cohort with a long follow-up period has a great potential for furthermore detailed studies of the effects of radiation and non-radiation factors on public health.

Archaeological Sites as a Component of the Modern Religious Worldview of the Southern Ural Population (Based on the Example of the Akhunovo Megalithic Complex)

The present research examines the problem of the formation of new sacred sites around one of the most well-known archaeological complexes of the Bronze Age in the Southern Urals. To do so, the author applied the results of field research done of his own at the Akhunovo cromlech and analysed scientific literature and internet resources. Proceeding from the received data, the author traced the process of formation of sacred insight of the monument, determined the main reasons and participants of the sacralisation process and established probable negative outcomes of this phenomenon.

Individual doses for super cohort members exposed to atmospheric radioiodine from the Mayak releases with an emphasis on prenatal doses

Time-dependent thyroid doses were reconstructed for 45,837 members of the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort (SUPER-C) living in the region around the Mayak Production Association facilities in Russia from 131I released to the atmosphere from all relevant exposure pathways. The dose calculations are implemented in a Monte Carlo framework that produces best estimates and stochastic realizations of dose time-histories. The arithmetic mean thyroid dose from 131I for SUPER-C members was 195 mGy; the median was 61 mGy. Overall, 131I-thyroid doses for about 3.6% of SUPER-C members were larger than 1 Gy. For children born in 1940–1950, the dose was about 10% higher than in previous studies because doses during the prenatal period for 9,117 individuals are included in the current work. Half of the individuals born in the region in 1950–1960 who remained in the study domain through 1972 received 9.4% or more of their total dose during the prenatal period. SUPER-C members residing in areas contaminated by discharges of liquid radioactive releases into the Techa River or the Kyshtym Accident in 1957 received 80% of their thyroid dose from airborne 131I emissions.

Популяционная структура гнездового ареала орла-могильника

For purposes of this article, the analysis of 1765 literature sources was made on the distribution of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). The information on the localization of breeding territories of this species over the past 30 years was collected into one dataset. Based on the above data, cell mapping and GIS analysis of the distribution of real and potential breeding territories of the Eastern Imperial Eagle were made. On this basis, 21 populations of this species were identified (24, including extinct ones). The populations are divided into 42 breeding groups (51, including extinct ones). The Eastern Imperial Eagle world population is estimated by different methods in the range from 8.1 to 11.9 thousand breeding pairs. The abundance of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in the world is estimated an optimal at 8099–9981 breeding pairs, based, among other things, on expert data. The biggest number of the species is concentrated in the populations of West Kazakhstan (1116–1292 pairs), the Volga-Kama Region (908–962 pairs), and the Caucasus-Asia Minor Region (821–900 pairs). Together with the Altai (770–797 pairs), South Ural (700–725 pairs), and Desert (430–570 pairs) populations, this is more than half (58.34%) of the total world population of the species. A large Eurasian metapopulation occupying a vast territory from the Seversky Donets Basin in the west to the mountains of Central Asia (Tien Shan, Dzhungarsky Alatau, Tarbagatai), Altai and Kuznetsk Alatau in the east, and covering the forest-steppe, steppe, semi-desert zones, as well as the northern desert zone, form 14 modern populations with a total area of 2.6 million sq.km. The boundaries between them are rather arbitrary, especially under the current growth of several species.

Genetic structure of ural populations of Larix sibirica Ledeb. on the base of analysis of nucleotide polymorphism

Abstract Research on the state and dynamics of the gene pool (an important natural resource that determines the potential fitness of living organisms and, ultimately, their long-term survival) becomes an important problem in the context of increased anthropogenic environmental impact. They are especially important for key species of ecosystems of a global scale importance. Larix sibirica Ledeb., which spreads from the Western Siberia to the Russian North-West, is one of such forest tree species. We identified patterns of genetic structure of populations on the example of the species’ Western race on the Middle and Northern Urals. The analysis of nucleotide polymorphism of genes of ABA-inducible protein, MADS-box-transcription factor and of 4-kumarat: CoA ligase (a part of the gene) was used as a method. Evidences were obtained that a part of the populations previously formed a single large population. At the same time, populations with different gene pools were found. As a result, differences between populations within the region were more pronounced (fixation index FST = -0.021 – 0.260, total haplotype diversity Hd = 0.636 – 0.911; nucleotide diversity π = 0.005 – 0.009; number of mutations θW = 0.005 – 0.012) than in other parts of the race. Causes of this phenomenon are discussed. It was concluded that the larch forests with a unique gene pool and/or high genetic diversity should be objects of population-oriented forestry and conservation.

Causes of Child Mortality in Yekaterinburg at the Turn of the 20th Century: Classification Experience

This article aims to identify the main causes of child mortality in late imperial urban Russia with reference to Yekaterinburg, a peripheral but economically developed and rapidly growing regional centre characterised by the typical problems of European cities of the turn of the twentieth century, such as overpopulation, very basic sanitation, and lack of medical personnel and infrastructure. The research is done with reference to records of child deaths from the church books of two Orthodox parishes in Yekaterinburg, i.e. Ascension and Epiphany between 1880 and 1919, comprising 7187 records, which are an integral part of the Ural Population Project database (URAPP). The authors divide the records in accordance with the international historical death causes classification developed by European historical demographers, including 1) deaths caused by infections; 2) noncommunicable diseases; 3) causes described by outdated popular terms; 4) deaths caused by external factors; 5) illegible records; 6) missing causes. The study reveals a low involvement of professional physicians in the mortality registration: fewer than 4 % of child deaths were certified by doctors. In Yekaterinburg, this duty was performed by the clergy, and in contrast to European cities of the turn of the twentieth century, an indication of the specific cause of death was stated in almost all the records. The analysis of the Yekaterinburg data shows that infectious diseases accounted for to 65 % of child deaths; diseases described by means of obsolete terms caused 28 % of child deaths; and noncommunicable diseases accounted for 7 % of deaths among young Yekaterinburg residents. Deaths due to external causes amounted to less than one percent.