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The article presents the results of the spectral dependence study of the quantum efficiency of photocatalytic water decomposition. The relationship between the radiation spectrum and the efficiency of photocatalytic water decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen is determined. For this purpose, an electrolyte based on sodium nitrate is studied. The photocathode contained nanoporous silver layers. It is shown that the maximum quantum efficiency of photocatalytic water decomposition by spectrum integrally amounts to 1.9 %, and increases with decreasing radiation wavelength. The obtained results can be used in the development of solar energy devices designed for photocatalytic water decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen.

Abstract Background Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in school-aged children. Macrolides are the first-line treatment for this infection. However, it is unclear whether macrolides are effective in treating M. pneumoniae CAP, mainly due to limitations in microbiological diagnosis of previous studies. The extensive global use of macrolides has led to increasing antimicrobial resistance. The overall objective of this trial is to produce efficacy data for macrolide treatment in children with M. pneumoniae CAP. Methods The MYTHIC Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, non-inferiority trial in 13 Swiss pediatric centers. Previously healthy ambulatory and hospitalized children aged 3–17 years with clinically diagnosed CAP will be screened with a sensitive and commercially available M. pneumoniae-specific IgM lateral flow assay from capillary blood. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in screened patients will be verified retrospectively by respiratory PCR (reference test) and IgM antibody-secreting cell enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay (confirmatory test for distinguishing between carriage and infection). Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive a 5-day treatment of macrolides (azithromycin) or placebo. The co-primary endpoints are (1) time to normalization of all vital signs, including body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, and saturation of peripheral oxygen (efficacy), and (2) CAP-related change in patient care status (i.e., admission, re-admission, or intensive care unit transfer) within 28 days (safety). Secondary outcomes include adverse events (AEs), as well as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. For both co-primary endpoints, we aim to show non-inferiority of placebo compared to macrolide treatment. We expect no macrolide effect (hazard ratio of 1, absolute risk difference of 0) and set the corresponding non-inferiority margins to 0.7 and −7.5%. The “at least one” success criterion is used to handle multiplicity with the two co-primary endpoints. With a power of 80% to reject at least one null hypothesis at a one-sided significance level of 1.25%, 376 patients will be required. Discussion This trial will produce efficacy data for macrolide treatment in children with M. pneumoniae CAP that might help to reduce the prescription of antibiotics and therefore contribute to the global efforts toward reducing antimicrobial resistance. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06325293. Registered on 24 April 2024

The experience of technological development of our country is an important source of ideas and approaches to the further development of agriculture based on domestic equipment and technologies. The study of its evolution necessitates the using of periodization. It is currently undeveloped for chemization of agriculture, more often being replaced by a set of key dates and biographies. So, it is nesessary to develop a holistic version of the structuring of chemization history. (Research purpose) To propose and substantiate the authors’ version of Russian agriculture chemization periodization. (Materials and methods) Monographs, legal acts, collected works and publications of outstanding scientists were studied using chronological, genetic and periodization methods of historical research (Results and discussion) The proposed periodization integrates previous historical ideas and hypotheses. The chemization of Russian agriculture has more than 250 years of history, which can be divided into 6 stages: preparatory (prehistory of chemization, which has three sub-stages), formative, extensive, stabilization, intensive and decentralized. The starting point is a publication of work «On lands fertilization» by A.T. Bolotov in 1770. Currently, the prerequisites for a new stage in the development of chemization are being formed, and it main attributes are digitalization, mechanization and biologization in the highest degree. (Conclusions) The proposed approach to structuring the history of Russian agriculture chemization is useful both for researchers and for training organization. The presence of clear guidelines increases the effectiveness of studying the historical aspects of agriculture, science and technology, which are so necessary for the professional and personal development of future agronomists and engineers.

We study the evolution of the friendship index in complex social networks over time. The elements of the networks are the users, and the connections correspond to the interactions between them. The friendship index of a node is defined as the ratio of the average degree of its neighbors to the degree of the node itself. Obviously, in the process of network growth, the value of the friendship index for any node in the network may change due to the fact that new edges can be attached to this node or its neighbors. In this paper, we study the dynamics of the friendship index of a single node over time for growth networks generated on the basis of the preferential attachment mechanism. We find both the asymptotics of their expected values and the variances over time. In addition, we analyze the behavior of the friendship index for five real networks.

The number of patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases (Graves’disease, Hashimoto’sthyroiditis) is increasing globally. The most important part in the diagnosis of Graves’ disease (GD) is the detection of autoantibodies to the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) in Graves’ patients’ sera. For the differential diagnosis of antibodies to thyroid antigens, it is promising to use tests based on monoclonal antibodies to TSHR, which can be obtained not only as a result of immunization with native or recombinant TSHR protein, but also through DNA immunization with genetically engineered constructs containing fragments of the TSHR gene. Based on mRNA we isolated from the thyroid tissue in GD, a number of fragments of the thyrotropin receptor gene were cloned, suitable for DNA immunization of animals. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the immunogenic properties of one of the constructed vectors, pVAX1-TSHR (1160), in a mouse model. The successful inclusion of the extracellular domain gene fragment of the human TSHR (1160), which was transfected into CHO cells as a part of the pVAX1 vector was confirmed by immunoblotting and ELISA. The immune response formed to the injection of the pVAX1 vector into BALB/c mice, containing a fragment of the human TSHR gene, was detected in different versions of ELISA. Immunization of animals with the DNA vector pVAX1-TSHR according to an experimentally selected scheme was effective for the formation of mouse splenocytes, secreting antibodies to TSHR, which were used for successful hybridization. This was confirmed by the results of determining antibody production to TSHR in murine blood sera. The level of antibody production remained high (titer more than 1:10.000) at the 8th week of the experiment. As a result of selection of individual clones according to the criteria of proliferative activity and stability of antibody production, the most stable cultures secreting mAbs against TSHR were selected.

Background: The important challenge to the biotechnology is to find new effective fusion partners that enable to improve solubility, expression, and optimize the subsequent fine purification of the target protein. Results: The most invariant part of the most immunogenic region of the surface virulence factor A of Streptococcus pneumoniae was selected as a model target protein, while the thermostable chemotaxis polypeptide of W-type from Thermotoga petrophila was used as a fusion partner. The genes encoding fusion variants of these proteins were constructed and cloned into a plasmid vector under the control of the strong bacteriophage T7 transcription regulatory system. Effective Escherichia coli producer strains were obtained, and optimal conditions were chosen for the production of resulting constructs. The optimal pH and temperature ranges of recombinant proteins were determined, and three-dimensional shapes of their molecules were also predicted. Methods of low-stage protein purification were improved. Some of the isolated proteins demonstrated a high level of expression, solubility and purity. Conclusions: Novel chimeric proteins were obtained which had not previously been observed in nature in such domain combinations. It was shown that the biotechnologically valuable characteristics of the hybrid proteins were more marked when the thermal-resistant partner was combined with the N-terminus of pneumococcal protein. The principles of their low-stage purification were performed which does not require any special equipment. That is a basis for significant reduction of prices for diagnostic test-systems components and subunit vaccine production.How to cite: Grishin DV, Sidorov NG, Parfenova OK, et al. Construction, heterological expression and a simple purification of the BP region of the pneumococcal surface protein a fused in different orientations to the chemotaxis adaptor protein CheW from Thermotoga petrophila. Electron J Biotechnol 2024;71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2024.05.001.

Introduction. The paper proposes a method of accounting for energy dissipation for the Timoshenko beam by constructing a damping matrix based on a modified Rayleigh function in the numerical solution of the problem. In this modification, the velocity of displacements is replaced by the velocities of linear and angular deformations. This approach allows us to take into account energy dissipation due to internal friction in the material when both its volume and shape change. The presented technique is promising in practical calculations of structures when shear stiffness has a significant impact on their stress-strain state.Materials and methods. Several proven methods of energy dissipation accounting are considered, including those that make it possible to take into account the energy loss of a moving structure during friction with the external environment (external damping) and dissipation due to friction in the material of the structure deformed in motion (internal damping). Methods for determining the damping coefficients for each of them are presented. The finite element method is used to calculate rod systems. Damping matrices are derived from the condition of stationarity of the total energy of deformation of a mechanical system in motion, including linear and angular deformation rates.Results. Damping matrices proportional to strain rates obtained on the basis of the modified dissipative Rayleigh function are given. A method for determining the damping coefficient taking into account the rates of angular deformation is proposed.Conclusions. The damping matrices presented in the paper describe the energy dissipation during vibrations of mechanical systems due to internal friction in the material. The internal damping matrix was obtained taking into account the influence of linear and angular deformation rates to simulate the dynamic behaviour of short bending structural elements, the deformation of which is described using the Timoshenko model. The performed dimensional check additionally confirms the correctness of the damping matrix construction. Moreover, the dimension of the proposed shear damping coefficient is the same as that of the widely used viscosity coefficient.

When large-sized oil pipelines are subjected to skin effect heating under the constraint of limited current, the power supply converter must provide a higher current frequency. However, an inappropriate frequency can lead to increased energy losses and consequently reduce heating efficiency. To achieve higher heating efficiency of large-sized pipelines, this paper proposes a temperature control strategy based on optimal frequency forecast. First, a skin effect heating model is established to illustrate the necessity of frequency forecasting. Then, using the small sample data from the oil field, an optimal frequency forecasting method based on Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) is proposed. At the forecasted frequency, a dual closed-loop control strategy for current and temperature, based on a designed three-phase converter, is employed to achieve temperature control under limited current conditions. The feasibility and effectiveness of this approach are demonstrated through a case study involving a 159 mm oil pipeline with a heating current of less than 80A. The experiment shows that with the forecasted frequency, the pipeline temperature reached 40 °C within 14 min, and the energy consumption per unit length of the pipeline is 394 W/m, complying with the standard Q/SY 06022-2016.

IntroductionTo comprehensively identify and provide an overview of in vivo or clinical studies of nucleic acids (NA)-based vaccines against TB we included human or animal studies of NA vaccines for the prevention or treatment of TB and excluded in vitro or in silico research, studies of microorganisms other than M. tuberculosis, reviews, letters, and low-yield reports.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, selected Web of Science and ProQuest databases, Google Scholar, eLIBRARY.RU, PROSPERO, OSF Registries, Cochrane CENTRAL, EU Clinical Trials Register, clinicaltrials.gov, and others through WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal, AVMA and CABI databases, bioRxiv, medRxiv, and others through OSF Preprint Archive Search. We searched the same sources and Google for vaccine names (GX-70) and scanned reviews for references. Data on antigenic composition, delivery systems, adjuvants, and vaccine efficacy were charted and summarized descriptively.ResultsA total of 18,157 records were identified, of which 968 were assessed for eligibility. No clinical studies were identified. 365 reports of 345 animal studies were included in the review. 342 (99.1%) studies involved DNA vaccines, and the remaining three focused on mRNA vaccines. 285 (82.6%) studies used single-antigen vaccines, while 48 (13.9%) used multiple antigens or combinations with adjuvants. Only 12 (3.5%) studies involved multiepitope vaccines. The most frequently used antigens were immunodominant secretory antigens (Ag85A, Ag85B, ESAT6), heat shock proteins, and cell wall proteins. Most studies delivered naked plasmid DNA intramuscularly without additional adjuvants. Only 4 of 17 studies comparing NA vaccines to BCG after M. tuberculosis challenge demonstrated superior protection in terms of bacterial load reduction. Some vaccine variants showed better efficacy compared to BCG.Systematic review registrationhttps://osf.io/, identifier F7P9G.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian reserve reflects a woman's ability to successfully realize reproductive function. The assessment of ovarian reserve is an urgent task for clinical practice [1] and is important in scientific research. The use of computerized diagnostic image processing methods can accelerate and facilitate the performance of routine tasks in clinical practice. Their use in retrospective data analysis for scientific purposes allows to increase the objectivity of the study and supplement it with auxiliary information [2]. The issue of ovarian localization and follicle segmentation on ultrasound images has been previously investigated in other works. For instance, Z. Chen et al. [3] employed the U-net model to identify follicles on ultrasound images. Similarly, V.K. Singh et al. [4] addressed a related problem using a variant of U-net, namely UNet++ [5], which has gained considerable traction in the field of medical image analysis [6]. AIM: The study aimed to develop machine learning models for analyzing ovarian images obtained from an ultrasound machine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An open dataset with a labeled ovary region was used for pre-training ovarian segmentation and follicle detection models. Subsequently, the dataset, which contains marked-up ovarian and follicle regions, was employed for training and testing. It encompasses a total of approximately 800 examples from 50 unique patients. The localization of follicles in an ultrasound image is a challenging task. To address this, the designed detector system was divided into two parts: ovary segmentation and follicle detection within the selected region. This approach allows the model to focus on a region where there are no other organs and various ultrasound artifacts that can be falsely perceived as the object under investigation. For the purpose of ovarian segmentation, the UNet++ architecture [5] was employed in conjunction with the ResNeSt encoder [8], which incorporates the SE-Net [9] and SK-Net [10] attention mechanisms. The object detection model is employed to identify the location of follicles within the ovary, as it enables precise enumeration of the number of follicles, even in the presence of overlapping structures, a capability that the segmentation model lacks. In our study, we used the YOLOv8 model [11]. Furthermore, data preprocessing has been employed to enhance the quality of model predictions. This has involved the identification and removal of regions with auxiliary information, the reduction of noise, and the augmentation of data. RESULTS: Two ovarian localization models are presented based on the results of this study. The first model is a segmentation model with an IoU quality of at least 50%. The second model is a detection model with a mAP quality of at least 65%. A third model is a model for follicle detection with subsequent follicle counting. This model has an MAPE error not exceeding 35%. CONCLUSIONS: The study resulted in the proposal of a method for applying machine learning techniques to the task of analyzing ultrasound images. The developed segmentation and detection models reduce the time and errors in analyzing ovaries and follicles in the images. The use of an attention mechanism and data preprocessing improves the quality of the models. The neural network for follicle detection provides follicle counting, even when follicles overlap.

The article shows the results of deep research along the profile of the settlement of Nizhnyaya Oblukovina – the city of Andrianovka, crossing the northern part of the Kamchatka median massif. A geological and geophysical model of the structure of the earth’s crust and upper mantle has been constructed, where the structural position of the object under study is presented and an assumption is made about its origin. The model highlights a fragment of paleosubduction (slab), which was part of the most ancient convergent boundary in western Kamchatka. The final stage of subduction blocking and its displacement to the east at a distance of ~60 km in the Early Eocene is associated with the entry into the accretionary complex of a terrane in the form of an island-arc plate 6–9 km thick. At the site of the maximum inflection of the subsequent slab, an extension zone was formed – a rift zone, along which the rise of mantle material and high-temperature fluid occurred. Approximately 52 million years ago, the processes of metamorphism, focal melting and intrusion of granites into the upper layers of the crust took place. As a result, in the eastern part of the plate and its flanks, a granitoid massif was formed with a rock density of 2.58 g/cm3 , which is significantly lower than the environmental density. Density deficiency led to a violation of isostatic equilibrium and, as a result, to a rise in this part of the structure. The most intense uplift occurred at the end of the Oligocene, as a result of which a ledge was formed, which the authors recommend giving the name: “Middle Kamchatka ledge” instead of the rooted “Kamchatsky median massif”. The genetic relationship of the Shanuch ore region with the features of the deep structure of the lithosphere has been revealed. The results of the research indicate a hidden (buried) distribution of the island-arc plate beyond the boundaries of the mapped outcrops of metamorphids. Intrusions of the main composition, promising for the opening of sulfide copper-nickel ores, are located in the marginal parts of the ledge.

Bread is one of the most important and basic food products consumed by people all over the world. The aging of wheat bread is a natural process that shortens its storage and sale periods and occurs under the influence of several factors, in particular due to the development of technically harmful microorganisms. Therefore, in the bakery industry, safe chemical preparations are widely used, which can inhibit the occurrence of microbiological defects and thus prolong the freshness of bread throughout the entire storage period. The aim of the work was to investigate the influence of organic acids on the microbiological, physicochemical and technological indicators of wheat bread. For the study, generally recognized microbiological and physicochemical methods were used to determine the quality indicators of raw materials and finished bakery products. It was found that flour of the highest and first grades, as the main raw material for the production of bread, always contains spore-forming bacteria, which, if the production technology and the temperature-humidity regime of storage are not followed, can be the cause of potato disease of bread. It was established that the addition of organic acids to flour during the production of wheat bread, on average, increases the titrated acidity of the finished product by 1 degree. According to physico-chemical parameters (moisture, porosity), the test samples of bread did not differ significantly, compared to the control sample, and these values were within the normative value. At the same time, the fragility of the test samples was, on average, 1.4 times lower than in the control bread.This indicates that products containing organic acids will be less likely to go rancid and have better organoleptic properties during storage. During the organoleptic evaluation of the test samples of bread, it was established that all of them met the satisfactory requirements for the main parameters, such as appearance, color and consistency, that is, they did not differ from the control sample. Therefore, the combination of organic acids and the creation of acidifying preparations for wheat dough will improve the quality of finished products and their shelf life.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of permanent stress and features of medical care in martial law on the indicators of liver function and quality of life of patients with portal hypertension due to liver cirrhosis. Materials and methods. The study included 37 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of liver cirrhosis complicated by portal hypertension and esophageal variceal bleeding. According to performed interventions all patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 – endoscopic band ligation and partial splenic artery embolization; Group 2 – endoscopic band ligation; Group 3 – endoscopic band ligation. The difference between Group 2 and Group 3 patients was that Group 2 patients were in a state of permanent stress due to the war. There were 4 visits with an interval of 1 month. At each time point, the levels of laboratory parameters of functional state of the liver and quality of life using RAND SF-36 questionnaire were evaluated. Results. Patients in all three groups during the first month showed an improvement in both laboratory indicators of liver function and integrated quality of life. In patients of Group 1 there was a progressive improvement in both the functional status of the liver and quality of life. In Group 2 the lack of any manipulations and maintenance therapy led to a lack of positive dynamics in patients. Staying in a state of permanent stress led to a progressive deterioration in the condition of patients in Group 3 starting from the second visit. Initially, the deterioration affected only the quality of life, but later it also manifested itself as a violation of the indicators of the functional state of the liver. Conclusions. The cumulative effect of permanent stress in patients with liver cirrhosis complicated by portal hypertension is manifested by an early deterioration in the quality of life with later violations of liver function.

Abstract This paper provides an extensive examination of a sizable dataset of English tweets focusing on nine widely recognized cryptocurrencies, specifically Cardano, Binance, Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Fantom, Matic, Shiba, and Ripple. Our goal was to conduct a psycholinguistic and emotional analysis of social media content associated with these cryptocurrencies. Such analysis can enable researchers and experts dealing with cryptocurrencies to make more informed decisions. Our work involved comparing linguistic characteristics across the diverse digital coins, shedding light on the distinctive linguistic patterns emerging in each coin’s community. To achieve this, we utilized advanced text analysis techniques. Additionally, this work unveiled an understanding of the interplay between these digital assets. By examining which coin pairs are mentioned together most frequently in the dataset, we established co-mentions among different cryptocurrencies. To ensure the reliability of our findings, we initially gathered a total of 832,559 tweets from X. These tweets underwent a rigorous preprocessing stage, resulting in a refined dataset of 115,899 tweets that were used for our analysis. Overall, our research offers valuable perception into the linguistic nuances of various digital coins’ online communities and provides a deeper understanding of their interactions in the cryptocurrency space.

This paper proposes a method for determining the boundary values of open porosity (KPO_GR) and gas permeability (KPR_GR) of porous-type carbonate reservoir rocks using the example of Tournaisian deposits of one of the oil fields of the Republic of Tatarstan. When justifying the boundary values, two databases on core studies are used: 1) on standard core studies (used mainly to calculate hydrocarbon (HC) reserves); 2) on special core studies (used for technological development projects). In the proposed method, the residual oil saturation factor is not a constant, but is taken from flow studies or calculated from core dependencies. When determining the lower limits of porosity and permeability from both databases, approximately the same boundary values were obtained: KPO_GR = 0.11 fr. un., KPR_GR = 2·10–3 μm2 and KPR_GR = 1.7·10–3 μm2 , but they differ from the values, accepted by petrophysicists when calculating the reserves of considered deposit – KPO_GR = 0.09 fr. un., KPR_GR = 1·10–3 μm2 . Such a difference in determining the boundary porosity can significantly affect the calculation of hydrocarbon reserves, technological calculations and field development planning.

The article proposes a method for rapid assessment of the initial position of oil-water contacts, oxidized oil zones, transition zones, zones of high and decreasing resistance in the Lower Carboniferous Tournaisian oil deposits at one of the oilfields of the Republic of Tatarstan. As initial data, the values of electrical resistivity of effective interlayers from the catalog of geological and geophysical data, determined from induction logging curves, were used. Well log data for more than 200 wells drilled in elevation areas were used in analysis. The change in the electrical properties of deposits vertically is considered using the average resistivity values of effective interlayers averaged over all wells. Conclusions are based on the results of the done work: according to the resistivity values in massive carbonate deposits of the Tournaisian age, it is possible to distinguish various zones of oil saturation along the vertical; initial oil saturation does not grow exponentially, as in the Leverett function, but linearly in each zone.

The paper emphasizes the pivotal role played by Academician Dmitry Nikolaevich Pryanishnikov in the history of domestic agriculture development. His name is indelibly associated with the introduction of the agriculture chemicalization concept in 1924. Being a follower of such scientists as J.B. Boussingault, D.I. Mendeleev, and K.A. Timiryazev, Dmitry Nikolaevich Pryanishnikov not only proposed the chemicalization principle but also formed a comprehensive research program for its implementation. Moreover, he created necessary educational conditions for specialists and courageously defended his doctrine against the criticism of his opponents in the 1930-1950s. (Research purpose) The paper aims to analyze the scientific heritage and biography of Academician D.N. Pryanishnikov in the context of the domestic agriculture chemicalization. (Materials and methods) The analysis relies on scrutinizing scientific monographs, legal documents, and other publications utilizing biographical, chronological, genetic and typological methods of historical and scientific research. ( ) The findings show that Pryanishnikov’s significance in the history of science stems from both his personal research achievements and his foundational role in establishing the domestic tradition of agrochemistry. This influence was evident in his organizational and pedagogical performance. The study identifies two distinct generations of direct students and followers of this eminent agricultural chemist. (Conclusions) Academician D.N. Pryanishnikov elevated agrochemistry in our country to a systematic discipline, rightfully earning recognition as the founder of the national scientific school. Contemporary researchers, who maintain academic and ideological continuity with him, persist in advancing scientific efforts to support the chemicalization of agriculture. In doing so, they make significant contributions to the nation’s food security and enhance fundamental knowledge about living organisms.

The article summarizes the important elements of recruiting, which demonstrates to business entities the current state of personnel recruitment and will be practical advice for enterprises (firms) that are just thinking about modern methods of personnel selection and recruitment. The aim of the article is to generalize the experience of hiring personnel from the standpoint of recruiting (both at the level of employer enterprises and at the level of agencies, i. e. recruiting companies). The authors summarized the essence of the recruiting (recruitment) process, subject composition, significance for the enterprise, modern popular options for recruiting personnel, modern recruiting technologies, areas of business that serve recruitment, methods (tools) of recruitment. Recruiting in its general form is a set of actions to provide the enterprise (employer) with personnel with the necessary competencies – quantitative and qualitative provision of the enterprise’s workers. The subject composition of recruiting includes: re-cruiters (they represent recruiting companies, personnel agencies, funds and centers, State structures for the selection of candidates to fill vacancies); employees of the personnel department, heads of divi-sions in which there are vacancies, psychologists, polygraph examiners, handwriting experts, experts and other personnel recruitment specialists (they represent relevant divisions of the enterprise or pro-fessional structures (agencies)). The advantages and disadvantages of internal and external sources of personnel recruitment are presented. Common options for job search and personnel selection are: direct application to the employer, publication of vacancies, personal recommendations, internal personnel reserve, niche resources for mass recruitment. Recruiting services (external recruitment) are used by various areas of business: pharmaceutical, IT, finance, banking, etc. If we distinguish between the announcement and closing of vacancies by the State-owned recruiting structures (State employment service bodies) and private recruiting companies, then the State recruiting structures mainly serve or-ders (vacancies) of the State-owned enterprises, organizations, and private companies – orders (vacan-cies) of private economic entities. Regardless of the type of recruiting (internal, external), the same methods (tools) are used: traditional, additional and innovative. Knowing how to apply recruiting me-thods (tools) helps HR managers to select the best job candidates. The principles of classical recruiting are considered as the most important from the point of view of overcoming unemployment and per-sonnel selection: systematization, democratization, individualization, informatization, goal orientation, delegation. The priority directions for improving recruiting activity are summarized (improving the quality of hiring, or recruitment efficiency); speeding up hiring (recruitment); increasing the flow of quality candidates for vacant positions; automating recruiting procedures; increasing employee reten-tion rates (i. e., reducing turnover and increasing employee commitment); ensuring diversity in hiring (recruitment of employees by ethnic indicators, gender, age, experience, etc.). An analysis of the quali-fication characteristics of managers, specialists, and workers was carried out, which made it possible to determine the main components of the required human capital from the point of view of the division of employees into professional groups: management personnel (intellectual component , motivational, cultural, social, economic, creative, educational, professional, environmental, social, informational, use of time); personnel from production activities (demographic component, health, educational compo-nent, professional (activity) component).

Objective: to analyze the rate of treatment demand after contact with animals in the Omsk region.Materials and methods: we used data of rate of treatment demand of Omsk region population due to injuries caused by animals in 2009–2022. A descriptive-evaluative epidemiological research method was used. The characteristics of injuries from domestic owned (dogs and cats with an owner), domestic stray (stray dogs and cats) and wild (including synanthropic rodents) animals are analyzed.Results: in 2009–2022 in the Omsk region, 65142 people were injured by animals, which amounted to an average of 4653 complaints per year. Appeals from children aged 0–17 years old amounted to 36,5%, and from children aged 0–14 — 30,2% of the total. The leading role belongs to injuries caused by domestic animals — 67,1%, and of these, in 75,4% of cases — by dogs. An increase in calls regarding attacks by stray dogs has been established and is extremely pronounced regarding attacks by stray cats. The number of calls regarding bites from wild animals, namely squirrels and wild and synanthropic rodents, has increased significantly.Conclusions: In order to reduce the frequency of dangerous contacts with wild animals, in particular with squirrels, as well as with pets, it is necessary to carry out sanitary educational work with the population, especially children. The issue of installing warning boards in parks with a ban on hand-feeding squirrels, and installing feeding tables and feeders should be considered.

Introduction. Soil reinforcement is widely used in the construction of buildings and structures in complex geological conditions, especially with the help of vertical elements. Calculations of reinforced foundations in practice are carried out by various methods, including numerical methods. Many studies were carried out on soil behaviour during pile reinforcement and its effect on settlement, but the interaction between soils and reinforcing elements is not fully understood. The choice of element location and assessment of the influence of soil liquefaction on the reinforcement efficiency under seismic effects remain topical tasks.Materials and methods. The effects of different reinforcing pile arrangements on the behaviour of the soil mass and foundation settlement under seismic loads are studied. Three pile arrangements, including conventional and alternative arrangements are considered using the PLAXIS 2D programme. Different soil models are also used in the calculation — UBC3D-PLM and HS Small for modelling the bottom and top layer of the soil depending on its characteristics.Results. The results show that all three selected design schemes obtain a significant increase in settlement during earthquake passage. The different pile arrangements significantly affect the deformation and settlement of the foundation slab, as well as the location of soil liquefaction points under seismic loads.Conclusions. By changing the parameters of pile reinforcement, it is possible to control the size and location of liquefaction zones and, if necessary, to protect some zones from the realization of this process. The presented results can contribute to the design and development of effective methods of construction in earthquake-prone areas.

In this paper, the problem of numerical modeling of the dynamic behavior of bending beams made of the materials with a developed internal structure is considered. The simulation is performed taking into account the non-local elastic properties of the material in time. According to the principals of nonlocal mechanics, it is assumed that elastic forces in a structure depend on the entire history of its deformation, and not only on the instantaneous deformed state. The proposed dynamic deformation model is proposed as an alternative to detailed three-dimensional models. The nonlocal dynamic deformation model is integrated into the algorithm of the FEA method to make it applicable to solving applied engineering problems. The numerical implementation of the model is performed in Python. A technique for selecting the scale parameter of a non-local model based on experimental data using the least squares method and the dichotomy method has also been developed and implemented. To identify the possibility of extrapolation of the scale parameter values determined according to the developed methodology, a series of numerical experiments were conducted, on the basis of which scale parameters for beams of different lengths were obtained and the stability of the nonlocal model was evaluated.

The paper presents data on study of meat productivity horses Yakut breed. As a result, it was found that meat productivity of horses, including quality of meat products, largely depends on feed conditions. As result of research, it was found that animals from second and third groups exceeded first group in pre-slaughter weight by 3.29 and 2.99 %, carcass weight by 4.42 and 3.38 %, fat by 8.85 and 3.05 %. The study of meat quality was carried out in terms of chemical composition and organoleptic characteristics. During analysis, it was found that meat samples of first group contained more moisture compared to second and third groups by 1.96 and 1.10 %. At the same time, second and third groups exceeded the first group in protein by 1.43 and 0.73 %, fat by 0.53 and 0.36 %, P by 1.62 and 0.54 %, Cu by 9.52 and 4.76 %, Mg by 9.23 and 5.14 %, Se by 3.57 and 1.79 %, as well as vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2 and B3. The organoleptic evaluation of meat products found that all samples met quality requirements of the standard. Thus, analysis of the data showed that meat productivity of horses depends to a greater extent on feeding conditions.

This paper focuses on the inversion of seismic data from the Kraljevo earthquake to determine the source parameters and provide a comparison with classical methods. Understanding the earthquake source is critical for seismic hazard assessment and contributes to refining existing models. The inversion was performed using the Grond software, using seismic waveform data from the seismic stations located in the range of 900 km from the epicenter to resolve the moment tensor and other key source parameters: depth, magnitude, etc. The results for the moment tensor solution were compared with the one obtained from traditional (P-wave first-motion polarity) method as well as the source parameters were compared with findings from prior studies, offering insights into the robustness of the inversion approach. This comparison helps assess the reliability of different techniques in earthquake source analysis, enhancing our understanding of seismic events and their broader implications for regional tectonics.

2D numerical geodynamic modelling applied in this paper gives a better insight into the process of obduction of two distinct ophiolite belts during the closure of a single ocean. Closure of the ocean is achieved by imposed convergence of the tectonic plates. In the created numerical themomechanical models, the influence of the variable velocity of the tectonic plate motions is analyzed. Convergence rate variation is modelled with the goal of achieving obduction and the permanent emplacement of ophiolites via complex evolution of the plate velocities. The basis of the model is the closure of an ocean through a flat intra-oceanic subduction, during which the plates change intensity and direction of their motion. Divergent phase of the evolution leads to the short-lived spreading of the new oceanic domain in from which, after the final closure, one of the two ophiolite belts originates.

Aim. To assess the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab for the treatment of mismatch repair-proficient endometrial cancer (EC) in routine clinical practice in Russia.Materials and methods. This multicenter, retrospective, cohort study included patients with recurrent and metastatic EC from 37 cancer centers in Russia treated between May 2020 and April 2023. Patients with histologically verified EC without microsatellite instability who received ≥1 course of pembrolizumab/lenvatinib therapy were included in the study. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival; the clinical characteristics of the patients were additionally analyzed, the objective response rate and the toxicity profile of therapy were assessed.Results. The study included 100 patients. Median age was 65 (30–83) years. The most common histologic tumor subtype was endometrioid adenocarcinoma (68 %); serous adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 22 % of cases, other types of tumor – 10 % of cases. All patients had pMMR/microsatellite-stable tumors. The median progression-free survival was 7.75 months (95 % confidence interval 0.7–33.8), and a partial response to therapy was observed in 24 % of patients. Almost half of the patients (44 %) required dose reduction due to adverse events. The most common adverse events included fatigue (n = 26; 26 %), hypertension (n = 20; 20 %), and hypothyroidism (n = 14; 14 %).Conclusion. This study confirms the clinical efficacy of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent and metastatic EC without mismatch repair system deficiency (pMMR-tumors) in routine clinical practice.

Introduction. Cell cultures spreads widely in different areas of biology, biotechnology and agriculture. Aralia cordata is a perennial herbaceous plant, which has been listed in Red book of the Russian Federation. Pharmaceuticals which are based on raw materials of Aralia ssp. have valuable types of pharmacological activity and are widely used in oriental medicine. A serious obstacle for resumption of the natural populations is the presence of the period of morphophysiological dormancy in the seeds of the plants, which requires a long-time stratification process. Limitation of the natural geographic range and the combination of biological activities useful for humans make Aralia cordata Thunb. prospective object for in vitro introduction.Aim. The aim of the study is obtaining of the viable cell culture of Aralia cordata Thunb., investigation of the somatic embryogenesis conditions.Materials and methods. Pieces of the leaves of Aralia cordata intact plant from Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences were used as a primary explants. Pieces of leaves were sterilized in a 2 % benzalkonium chloride solution for 5 minutes, induction of primary callogenesis was carried out on Murasige – Skoog medium. Nutrient media with different constituents were discovered for choosing one for long-time cultivation of calli. Induction of somatic embryogenesis was carried out on the nutrient media with high auxins content. Ethanol extracts from the intact plant and calli cultures were assayed with HPTLC PRO SYSTEM (CAMAG AG, Switzerland).Results and discussion. After two weeks of cultivation, the formation of primary callus was observed on the surface of the explants. The Linsmaier – Skoog medium with a reduced amount of sucrose (20 g/l) was recognized as the most suitable medium for long-term maintenance of cultures. Embryoid structures of Aralia cordata have been obtained, now we are continuing to collect analytics data about this process. Qualitative analysis of the extracts showed that callus cultures accumulate triterpene glycosides, their composition is close to that of the intact plant.Conclusion. A viable strain of callus culture of Aralia cordata Thunb. was obtained, a nutrient medium for long-term cultivation of calli was established. Somatic embryoids have been obtained, and their further development is currently being monitored. A preliminary phytochemical study showed that the composition of the chemical components of calli is close to that of an intact plant.

Introduction. It is known that a number of species of the genus Cistus are used in Mediterranean folk medicine in the form of infusions and herbal teas to treat digestive problems and acute respiratory virus infection. Empirical data have accumulated that sage incense extract improves the condition of patients with chronic cholestatic liver diseases (CLDs). Currently, only ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the generally accepted drug for the treatment of most CLDs.Aim. Comparative efficacy evaluation of Cistus salviifolius extract (at 2 doses levels) compared to the reference medicine ursodeoxycholic acid Ursosan® (at a therapeutic dose) in intragastric administration to mice in a cholestasis model induced by intragastric administration of alphanaphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) oil solution during 20 Days.Materials and methods. The cholestase model was induced by intragastric administration of an alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate oil solution to mice during 20 days. The following biochemical parameters were determined in the serum of experimental animals: alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, total cholesterol, bilirubin, triglycerides, albumins. Histological analysis was performed on the liver and gallbladder.Results and discussion. Cistus salviifolius extract at a therapeutic dose of 253 mg/kg and at a dose exceeding the therapeutic dose (506 mg/kg), as well as the reference medicine of Ursodeoxycholic acid Ursosan® at a therapeutic dose of 150 mg/kg reduced the level of aspartate aminotransferase in serum increased after ANIT administration to a level of the control group without pathology. Deviations of other parameters from the control group (alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, total cholesterol, bilirubin, triglycerides, albumins) were statistically insignificant. Histological analysis of the liver and gallbladder demonstrated that the severity of ballooning degeneration and cholecystitis were significantly reduced in groups which was treated by Cistus salviifolius extract at two doses, but not in the group with reference drug. The severity of cholestasis was poorly influenced by Cistus salviifolius extract in contrast to ursodeoxycholic acid, which was more effective for this pathology.Conclusion. The conducted study against the background of reports on the effectiveness of the Cistus salviifolius extract in clinical practice allows to recommend its use as a component of combined therapy of a patient with hepatobiliary pathology and as a pharmacoprevention in healthy people in the presence of risk factors.

Introduction. A comprehensive study of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) molecule is one of the defining criteria for pharmaceutical development according to the Quality by Design (QbD) concept and the ICH Q8 framework. The spatial arrangement of atoms in the molecule often has a significant impact on the physicochemical and technological properties of API, and hence on the method of producing dosage form based on it.Aim. To study some properties of substances, geometrical isomers of the molecule, which is a derivative of diethylaminoethanol (DEAE), as well as to compare the selected technologies for the preparation of dosage form.Materials and methods. The objects of the study were two substances, spatial isomers of the molecule, a derivative of DEAE, possessing neuroprotective, antiastenic and antioxidant effects. The study of properties of API and the obtained tablets was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation XIV edition, the Pharmacopoeia of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as the European Pharmacopoeia 9.0 edition. In this research were used substances that have not expired at the time of the study, as well as authorized for medical use.Results and discussion. The geometrical configuration of the DEAE derivative influences the properties of the API, which has an impact on the stages of pharmaceutical development, especially on the development of the technology and formulation of dosage form. The use of cis-DEAE significantly simplifies the technological process and improves the quality of the resulting drug, and as a consequence, better stability and longer shelf life of dosage form may be achieved.Conclusion. In the course of the study, some properties of cis-DEAE API were studied and compared with similar properties of trans-DEAE. A comparison of tablet preparation technologies based on the two mentioned configurations of the DEAE derivative molecule has been carried out. It was found that the isomers have different technological properties and also differ significantly in moisture adsorption capacity. This property determines the approach to tablet preparation. The technology of tablets based on cis-DEAE appears to be simpler, and dosage form based on it is more stable.

Introduction. Wet granulation technology is a process of directed particle aggregation of powder materials to obtain required properties of tablet masses and, as a consequence, to achieve satisfactory characteristics of tablets. In this addition, as a result of wet granulation technology, if special excipients are used, it becomes possible to control the rate and kinetics of release of active pharmaceutical substances from tablets to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.Aim. To study the effect of matrix-forming components included in the composition of mixtures for granulation on the rate of release of sodium 4,4'-(propanediamido)dibenzoate from tablets.Materials and methods. The original substance sodium 4,4'-(propanediamido)dibenzoate, as well as a number of excipients, which included polymers used for prolonged-release dosage forms, lubricant – sodium stearyl fumarate, as well as pore-forming agents – PVP and MCC, were the objects of the study. The key parameters of tablets and dissolution kinetics were studied in accordance with the requirements of State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation XIV edition and Pharmacopeia of the Eurasian Economic Union.Result and discussion. Prolonged release was achieved for all tablets, but more than 90 % of the substance was released after 12 hours in tablets containing ethylcellulose as a matrix-forming polymer. The release of APS from tablets of this formulation was the most prolonged.Сonclusion. The effect of matrix-forming components included in the composition of mixtures for granulation on the rate of release of 4,4'-(propanediamido)sodium dibenzoate from tablets has been studied. The most uniform and complete release of ASF from tablets in which the matrix-forming polymer is ethylcellulose in the amount of 27.7 %.

Nonlinearly optical single crystals LiNbO3:Gd (0.001-0.26 wt.%) were grown by the Czochralskii method using the technology of direct doping charge of congruent composition. The defect structure of crystals in the region of valence vibrations of hydrogen bonds was studied by IR absorption spectroscopy. It was found that in the region of small concentrations of the doping impurity gadolinium on the IR spectrum there is a decrease in the widths of absorption bands. The gadolinium impurity with the concentration of 0.26 wt.% leads to a significant deformation of the oxygen octahedron due to the large ionic radius of the gadolinium cation and an increase in the O-O length. A new absorption band at 3488 cm-1 corresponding to the VLi-OH complex defect is registered on the IR spectrum. The calculation of the volume concentration of OH-groups showed the lowest value for LiNbO3congr crystal and the highest for LiNbO3:Gd(0.005 wt.%), which is related to the process of doping impurity entring into the structure and the increase in the number of point defect centers VLi necessary to compensate the structural defect GdLi2+.

LiNbO3:Tb (0,1 wt.%), LiNbO3:Tb (0,48 wt.%), and LiNbO3:Tb (2,21 wt.%) crystals were studied by the infrared absorption spectroscopy in the area of valence vibrations of OH--groups. These crystals were grown by Czochralski method employing direct alloying of blend of the congruent composition. It was found that when the concentration of point defect centers of the cationic sublattice VLi was higher, than the concentration of impurity point defects TbLi, an absorption band with the frequency of 3487 cm-1 was registered in the IR spectrum. This absorption band is associated with the violation of stoichiometry and the formation of a complex defect (VLi - OН) in the LiNbO3:Tb (0,1 wt.%), and LiNbO3:Tb (0,48 wt.%) crystals. A further increase in the concentration of the alloying impurity leads to a change in the O-O bond length, which affects the OH-bond length and the appearance of a new absorption band with a frequency of 3493 cm-1, which corresponds to the complex defect (TbLi - OН) in the LiNbO3 crystal. Due to non-uniform admixture in the LiNbO3:Tb crystal, clusters are formed to which the absorption bands with frequencies in the range of from 3100-3403 cm-1 to 3510-3580 cm-1 in the spectrum.

By direct alloying of congruent melt with magnesium and gadolinium oxides, compositionally uniform nonlinear optical single double doped crystals with different content of dopants have been grown: LiNbO3:Gd3+(0,003):Mg2+(0,65 wt. %), LiNbO3:Gd3+(0,23):Mg2+ (0,75 wt. %) and LiNbO3:Gd3+(0,25):Mg2+(0,75 wt. %). The results obtained by laser conoscopy and photoinduced light scattering indicate a high structural perfection of the grown crystals. The results give grounds to assert that LiNbO3:Gd:Mg crystals are close to a stoichiometric crystal in some of their properties. A low value of the coercive field (≈2,3 kV/cm) is one of such properties of stoichiometric and magnesium-doped LiNbO3 crystals, which are important for creating materials for laser radiation conversion on periodically polarized submicron-sized domains with flat boundaries. In this case, the grown LiNbO3:Gd:Mg crystals have a much higher optical uniformity than a stoichiometric crystal. Crystals of LiNbO3:Gd3+(0,003):Mg2+ (0,65 wt. %) and LiNbO3:Gd3+(0,23):Mg2+ (0,75 wt. %) have the highest optical uniformity and the absence of the photorefraction effect. Increase of gadolinium concentration to 0,25 wt. % leads to increased distortion of the conoscopic pattern and to the appearance of a significant photorefractive response of the LiNbO3:Gd3+(0,25):Mg2+(0,75 wt. %) crystal.

By direct alloying of melt with copper oxide, а compositionally uniformity LiNbO3:Cu (0,015 wt%) single crystal doped with a photovoltaically active copper dopant has been grown. The optical properties of the single crystal have been studied by photoinduced light scattering. The values of the diffusion and photovoltaic fields were calculated for the studied crystals based on the intensity and magnitude of the opening angle of the speckle structure of the photoinduced light scattering. Significant differences in the photoinduced light scattering patterns and in the values of the photoinduced light scattering photoelectric parameters of nominally pure crystals of congruent and stoichiometric compositions and a LiNbO3:Cu (0,015 wt%) crystal have been found. It has been established that when a congruent lithium niobate crystal is doped with copper cations, the diffusion field increases, the photofoltaic field decreases, and the band gap in the crystal decreases noticeably. In contrast to the crystal of stoichiometric compositions, the photovoltaic mechanism remains the predominant mechanism of photorefraction for crystals of congruent composition and LiNbO3:Cu (0,015 wt%). Photoinduced light scattering data indicate the presence of a LiNbO3:Cu(0,015 wt.%) crystal in the band gap high density of small energy levels that increase the effect of photorefraction and electrical conductivity of the crystal.

The emergence of new opportunities for fixing and analyzing noise allows us to perform visualization and analysis of sound vibrations as diagnostic signs of the serviceability of the compression unit during the start-up period, the most informative stage of the manifestation of incipient damage. The use of screw compressors, at present, is the most rational due to the absence of shock processes, the possibility of long-term operation with a minimum amount of maintenance operations, the effective solution of issues of managing work schedules, minimal dynamic loads at startup, etc. Screw compressors with a frequency of rotation of the drive motor 3000 rpm and a power of 100…300 kW have found the greatest distribution. Ensuring long-term op-eration of screw compressors requires reasonable decision-making to restore operational capability on the basis of data on the actual condition of individual elements of the mechanism. The research methods are presented in the form of a practical analysis of the noise level and vibration acceleration of screw compressors. Acoustic and vibration parameters of the unit start-up were obtained, information frequencies of damage to the main nodes were presented, as well as a time-frequency spectrogram of the start-up. The results of the conducted acoustic studies of the start-up of the compressor unit consisting of Sabroe screw compressors SAB — 163 and SAB — 330 constitute the main content of this work, which allow us to conclude that it is necessary to implement three-level diagnostics of rotary mechanisms to prevent sudden failures of the compression unit.

To increase the traction force of tractors while simultaneously reducing the specific pressure on the soil, one of the effective ways is the use of a tracked propulsion unit. The article considers a variant of a tracked propulsion unit, installed separately on each drive axle of the tractor instead of wheels. The basis of the developed design of the tracked propulsion unit is the trackbed, which reduces the pressure on the ground and increases adhesion to the soil. The results of simulation modeling of the rectilinear movement of a tractor with a tracked propulsion unit along grain stubble are presented. Realizations of oscillations of the front, sprung and rear, unsprung axles and the tractor frame were obtained. Oscillations in the ordinates of the reference surface were modeled as a random process with specified values corresponding to the reference surface of the grain stubble. The simulation results showed acceptable oscillation values of the tractor frame with the proposed propulsion design. The proposed propulsion unit can be easily installed on a tractor instead of wheels and, if necessary, can also be easily dismantled. Purpose. Investigation of oscillations of the center of mass of a tractor with a tracked propulsion unit using simulation modeling in the MATLAB Simulink environment. Methodology. Methods of mathematical modeling and analysis were used in the article. Results. The parameters showing the effectiveness of using a tracked propulsion unit instead of wheels on a tractor of traction class 6 are obtained. Practical implications. The results obtained can be applied in the design of tractors to determine the acceptable parameters of the tracked propulsion unit.

Introduction. The paper describes a fundamentally new method of passive damping of vibrations of a structure in the vicinity of its resonant frequencies. The method is based on the use of piezoeffect. For this purpose, piezoelectric elements are added to the structure, which serve as energy converters (mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa).Materials and methods. Piezoelectric elements are polarized piezoceramics with electrodes. Two different types of electrical conditions on the electrodes are used for passive vibration damping: a) the electrodes are short-circuited and b) disconnected electrodes. By changing the electrical conditions on the electrodes, we change the boundary value problem. The spectrum of natural frequencies of the boundary value problem for a structure with short-circuited electrodes differs from the spectrum of natural frequencies of the boundary value problem for the same structure with disconnected electrodes. The idea of the method is as follows: let the vibration frequency of the structure with short-circuited electrodes approach its resonant frequency. Let us disconnect the electrodes, thereby changing the spectrum of natural frequencies of the structure. The vibration frequency, which is the resonant frequency for the structure with short-circuited electrodes, will not be resonant for the structure with disconnected electrodes. As a result of changes in electrical conditions, the amplitudes of the required quantities (deflection, bending moment, shearing force, etc.) will decrease significantly. To evaluate the effectiveness of passive vibration damping, a simple formula is proposed.Results. For a beam undergoing forced bending vibrations in the vicinity of its resonant frequency, calculations were performed using the proposed method of passive vibration damping, tables of vibration damping efficiency in the vicinity of resonant frequencies were obtained, and graphs are plotted. The possibility of increasing the efficiency of vibration damping by choosing the direction of pre-polarization of the piezoelectric material, the location of the electrodes and their number was investigated.Conclusions. The results of studies of passive vibration damping near resonant frequencies using the piezoeeffect confirmed the simplicity and reliability of the proposed method.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is perceived by many as simply an adventuristic endeavor of Vladimir Putin and the result of his desire to maintain his personal power in Russia itself and extend his influence beyond its borders. Proponents of such views try to explain Vladimir Putin’s appeal to Russian chauvinism and its ideologues as purely situational and populist, and present the current regime in Russia as opportunistic and lacking a clear ideology and ideological goals. This paper however argues that Vladimir Putin’s policy towards Ukraine, including the war unleashed against it, stems from his doctrinal views, which have been unequivocally outlined by him over the years in various speeches and articles, but ignored by the world due to a flippant attitude towards them. These views have not only a historical dimension, but also an ethnological one, as they are based on a certain and very specific understanding of Russian and Ukrainian ethnicities, which is an arbitrary combination of primordialist and constructivist arguments. Along with the presentation of these views themselves, the article demonstrates the discrepancy between the propaganda myths resulting from them and the actual facts about Russian and Ukrainian political and ethnic history.

This paper presents a detailed physical model for a novel method of two- and three-dimensional microstructure formation: dry electron beam etching of the resist (DEBER). This method is based on the electron-beam induced thermal depolymerization of positive resist, and its advantages include high throughput and relative simplicity compared to other microstructuring techniques. However, the exact mechanism of profile formation in DEBER has been unclear until now, hindering the optimization of this technique for certain applications. The developed model takes into account the major DEBER phenomena: e-beam scattering in resist and substrate, e-beam induced main-chain scissions of resist molecules, thermal depolymerization of resist, monomer diffusion, and resist reflow. Based on the developed model, a simulation algorithm was implemented, which allowed simulation of the profile obtained in resist by DEBER. Experimental verification of the DEBER model was carried out, which demonstrated the reliability of the model and its applicability for theoretical study of this method. The ultimate DEBER characteristics were estimated by simulation. The minimum line width and the maximum profile slope that could be obtained by DEBER were approximately 300 nm and 70°, respectively.

Identifying and categorizing proper nouns in text, known as named entity recognition (NER), is crucial for various natural language processing tasks. However, developing effective NER techniques for low-resource languages like Urdu poses challenges due to limited training data, particularly in the nastaliq script. To address this, our study introduces a novel data augmentation method, “contextual word embeddings augmentation” (CWEA), for Urdu, aiming to enrich existing datasets. The extended dataset, comprising 160,132 tokens and 114,912 labeled entities, significantly enhances the coverage of named entities compared to previous datasets. We evaluated several transformer models on this augmented dataset, including BERT-multilingual, RoBERTa-Urdu-small, BERT-base-cased, and BERT-large-cased. Notably, the BERT-multilingual model outperformed others, achieving the highest macro F1 score of 0.982%. This surpassed the macro f1 scores of the RoBERTa-Urdu-small (0.884%), BERT-large-cased (0.916%), and BERT-base-cased (0.908%) models. Additionally, our neural network model achieved a micro F1 score of 96%, while the RNN model achieved 97% and the BiLSTM model achieved a macro F1 score of 96% on augmented data. Our findings underscore the efficacy of data augmentation techniques in enhancing NER performance for low-resource languages like Urdu.

To monitor temperature as a function of varying inductance and resistance, we propose a data-driven digital twin approach for the rapid and efficient real-time estimation of the rotor temperature in an induction motor. By integrating differential equations with online signal processing, the proposed data-driven digital twin approach is structured into three key stages: (1) transforming the nonlinear differential equations into discrete algebraic equations by substituting the differential operator with the difference quotient based on the sampled voltage and current; (2) deriving approximate analytical solutions for rotor resistance and stator inductance, which can be utilized to estimate the rotor temperature; and (3) developing a general procedure for obtaining approximate analytical solutions to nonlinear differential equations. The feasibility and validity of the proposed method were demonstrated by comparing the test results with a 1.5 kW AC motor. The experimental results indicate that our method achieves a minimum estimation error that falls within the standards set by IEC 60034-2-1. This work provides a valuable reference for the overheating protection of induction motors where direct temperature measurement is challenging.

Most of the existing methods of pile settlement calculation, including normative methods, do not fully take into account the processes occurring in the soil when loads are transferred to them and the changes in the properties of the contact zone soils. This leads to underutilisation of the bearing capacity of the soil, and the calculated settlement value may differ several times from the real values. In this paper, a graph-analytical solution to the problem of interaction of a single pile with a three-layer soil foundation is proposed to determine the settlement, taking into account the complex nature of the pile operation and the processes occurring in the soil when loads are transferred to them. The proposed method allows to use the non-linear behaviour of the soil on the lateral surface and under the tip of the pile, the possibility of its detachment and slippage after reaching the ultimate strength of the soil, changes in the properties of the contact zone soils, and the load distribution on the pile between its lateral surface and the tip. To verify the proposed graph-analytical solution, a comparative analysis was performed with the numerical method in the Plaxis 2d software (version 21.00.01.7) and with the results of static tests of piles at the construction site. To determine the strength reduction factor at the contact of soils with concrete, laboratory tests were carried out on a direct shear apparatus. Based on the results of the performed calculations, graphs of the dependence of settlements on loads were plotted, conclusions were drawn about the possibility of using the graph-analytical method, and prospects for further development and improvement of the graph-analytical method were proposed.

Objectives. To investigate the possibility of preventing hydrogen absorption into the functional structural materials of hydrogen-generating membrane electrode assemblies based on porous nickel, carbon black, and reduced graphene oxide with platinum–nickel and palladium–nickel nanoparticles.Methods. The hydrogen absorption into materials of membrane electrode assemblies of alkaline electrolyzers was evaluated using an electrolyzer with variable temperature, reagent feed rate, and gas content.Results. The study established the need to use reduced graphene oxide, in order to reduce hydrogen absorption and degradation of hydrogen-generating membrane electrode assemblies.Conclusions. The service life test results and performance of the designed variants of prototypes of membrane electrode assemblies with nanostructured electrodes based on reduced graphene oxide, preventing hydrogen absorption into functional materials and their degradation, demonstrated the creation of hydrogen generators with high energy efficiency shows potential.

Practical training for future engineers is an important and integral part of their education, in which students gain real professional experience. Improving the quality of such training, of course, requires improving laboratory equipment and teaching tools that meet the current level of development of the engineering industry. In these conditions, the modernization of educational stands as prototypes of objects of professional activity is of interest. Analysis and updating of educational demonstration stands will make it possible to bring the learning process closer to the real conditions of the future profession, without leaving the walls of the educational institution.The purpose of the study is to describe the process of modernizing the educational and demonstration stand (using the example of the “8K-14 rocket model” stand) as a way to improve the quality of practical training of future engineering personnel.Materials and methods. The research was carried out as part of a project supported by the Vladimir Potanin scholarship program, starting in 2021. The study involved lecturers and students of the Department of Automatic Control Systems of the Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology. The 8K-14 rocket model was chosen as the subject of modernization, as the most popular and, at the same time, outdated model.The research methods included analysis of psychological, pedagogical and specialized literature, study of the experience of modernizing the stand, and generalization of the results.The main result of the study is to enrich the practice of training future engineering personnel, including the development of several engineering design technologies, and aimed at achieving a single result, in the context of modernization of educational and demonstration stands. Therefore, in the process of updating the “8K-14 rocket model” stand, students use modern material and technical means (LED strips, LEDs, electric motor, color TFT touch display, matrix keyboard, rotary encoder, etc.) and various technologies. One of the microcontrollers of the Arduino platform is used as a control device. The user using a touch screen display, mechanical keyboard, encoder and joystick controls the stand. The display, acting not only as an information display organ, but also as a control element, allows you to introduce additional functionality into the work of the stand related to the capabilities of the programming language, better known as GUI (Graphical User Interface). In addition, in the process of modernizing a stand, students often require additional parts, the implementation of which is realized using 3D printing technology.In conclusion, the experience of the process of modernizing the educational stand “8K-14 rocket model” is summarized as a way to strengthen the practical training of future engineering personnel. The joint work of students and lecturers to modernize educational demonstration means will allow to strengthen the practical training of students, to deepen students into independent engineering and design activities, and make the learning process, in general, more exciting and interesting. This approach can be implemented using any educational and demonstration stand.

The proliferation of Android-based devices has brought about an unprecedented surge in mobile application usage, making the Android ecosystem a prime target for cybercriminals. In this paper, a new method for Android malware classification is proposed. The method implements a convolutional neural network for malware classification using images. The research presents a novel approach to transforming the Android Application Package (APK) into a grayscale image. The image creation utilizes natural language processing techniques for text cleaning, extraction, and fuzzy hashing to represent the decompiled code from the APK in a set of hashes after preprocessing, where the image is composed of n fuzzy hashes that represent an APK. The method was tested on an Android malware dataset with 15,493 samples of five malware types. The proposed method showed an increase in accuracy compared to others in the literature, achieving up to 98.24% in the classification task.

Social media significantly influences business, politics, and society. Easy access and interaction among users allow information to spread rapidly across social networks. Understanding how information is disseminated through these new publishing methods is crucial for political and marketing purposes. However, modeling and predicting information diffusion is challenging due to the complex interactions between network users. This study proposes an analytical approach based on diffusion models to predict the number of social media users engaging in discussions on a topic. We develop a modified version of the susceptible–infected (SI) model that considers the heterogeneity of interactions between users in complex networks. Our model considers the network structure, abandons the assumption of homogeneous mixing, and focuses on information diffusion in scale-free networks. We provide explicit algorithms for modeling information propagation on different types of random graphs and real network structures. We compare our model with alternative approaches, both those considering network structure and those that do not. The accuracy of our model in predicting the number of informed nodes in simulated information diffusion networks demonstrates its effectiveness in describing and predicting information dissemination in social networks. This study highlights the potential of graph-based epidemic models in analyzing online discussion topics and understanding other phenomena spreading on social networks.

In our previous articles, we introduced and explored the notion of φB -distributions with values in the Banach space. This offers a new perspective on the theory of solvability of linear problems, which is important for solving partial differential equations, especially equations with deviating arguments. Here, we provide an overview of the theory of such distributions, propose a new approach to justify the use of the Fourier method for solving linear problems, and write out a correctly solvable problem for a system of partial differential equations with deviating arguments.

The aim of the article is to study the essence and role of business tourism in the modern world. Business tourism is defined as a special type of tourism aimed at attending business events, scientific conferences, exhibitions and other events that involve active professional activity and exchange of information within the framework of international cooperation. The article determines that the essence of business tourism lies in its ability to unite professionals from different industries and countries, creating conditions for the exchange of innovative ideas, advanced technologies and increasing the level of knowledge. This type of tourism is an important tool for economic development and contributes to the creation of a favorable environment for the exchange of knowledge and experience between various sectors of business and the scientific and pedagogical sphere. Attention is also focused on the relevance of organizing international tourism events in the current conditions of globalization and international cooperation. It is highlighted that business tourism can play an important role in the country’s economy, promoting the exchange of information and cooperation between various subjects of the world market. The study of these aspects is extremely important for the further development of the country’s innovative potential, especially in the context of growing globalization and internationalization of the economy. It is noted that the study of the essence and role of business tourism in the modern world is an important task that reflects important aspects of economic, sociocultural and international development. It is substantiated that business tourism is important not only for the participants of this process, but also for the economy of the State as a whole. It contributes to an increase in tourist revenues, creates new opportunities for the development of infrastructure, hotel business, restaurant industry and other related sectors. In addition, business tourism can become a source of jobs and contribute to improving the standard of living of the local population. It is found that further study of these issues can make a significant contribution to understanding the impact of business tourism on modern global dynamics and determine strategies for further development of this type of tourism to achieve sustainable growth and development.

In 70 % of cases of neonatal death, in 36 % of cases of infant mortality, in 25–50 % of cases of long-term neurological consequences in children, one of the causes is preterm birth. The course of pregnancy depends on the availability of vitamin D. The aim of the study was to determine the level of vitamin D and to analyze the obstetric and gynecological history in patients with preterm labor. Materials and methods. The study included 35 patients with preterm delivery and 30 women with the physiological course of labor. In the surveyed, vitamin D sufficiency was assessed by the content of 25(OH)D in blood serum, which was determined according to the clinical recommendations of the Russian Association of Endocrinologists, using the enzyme immunoassay method. Results. In patients with preterm labor, vitamin D deficiency and a high level of chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory, kidney and pelvic organs were revealed. Conclusions. Therefore, when managing pregnant women, it is necessary to take into account their availability of vitamin D and, possibly, recommend taking vitamin D preparations from the period of preconception preparation and during gestation.

The results of electrochemical processing of spent acidic, neutral, and alkaline sulfate-chloride-containing regenerative solutions in two- and three-chamber electrolyzers are presented. It has been determined that the highest current efficiency for the products of electrodialysis can be achieved in the presence of hardness ions when processing acidic sulfate-containing solutions using three-chamber electrolyzers. It has been established that during electrodialysis of alkaline solutions after regeneration of anionites containing chloride ions, accumulation of alkali occurs in the cathodic region, and in the anodic region, chloride ions accumulate due to diffusion through the anion exchange membrane during the first stage, followed by preferential oxidation of chloride ions with liberation of free chlorine during the second stage. It has been shown that electrodialysis can effectively solve the problem of comprehensive processing of neutral, alkaline, and acidic regenerative sulfate-chloride-containing solutions, with the production of alkali and acid at concentrations suitable for reuse in regeneration processes.