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Background. The development of technologies for obtaining materials from plant raw materials, the use of which improves the consumer properties of cardboard and paper products and does not pollute the environment with harmful substances from synthetic polymers, is an urgent problem of our time. Objective. The purpose of the paper is to obtain pulp and nanocellulose from reed stalks by environmentally friendly methods and apply nanocellulose to improve the quality parameters of paper for packaging food products on automatic machines. Methods. To obtain pulp from reed stalks with a minimum residual content of lignin and minerals, two processing stages were used: alkaline extraction and organosolv cooking at a temperature of 97 ± 2 °C. Nanocellulose was obtained by the oxidation of organosolv reed pulp with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) in the TEMPO / NaBr / NaClO system, which is more environmentally friendly than acid hydrolysis. The resulting nanocellulose was applied to paper samples from waste paper and sulphate unbleached pulp at a consumption from 1 to 3 g/m2. Results. Organosolv pulp was obtained from reed stalks with a residual lignin content of 0.53 % and an ash content of 0.045 %, which was used to obtain nanocellulose. The resulting nanocellulose particles have a transverse size in the range of 5–20 nm, a length of up to several micrometers, and the tensile strength of nanocellulose films is up to 60 MPa. It is shown that the application of nanocellulose to the surface of the samples increases the breaking strength and breaking length, and reduces the surface absorbency of paper. It was determined that with a nanocellulose consumption of up to 3 g/m2, paper samples have indicators that meet the requirements of the standard for paper for packaging food products on automatic machines. Conclusions. The use of nanocellulose from reed stalks as a hardening substance for paper production will allow replacing environmentally harmful polymer additives and up to 50 % of more expensive softwood pulp with waste paper, while maintaining paper quality indicators at the level of standard requirements.

Background. Development of technology for obtaining peracetic pulp from oat straw and its use in the production of one of the paper mass types. Objective. Determination of peracetic cooking technological parameters’ optimal values for oat straw peracetic cellulose quality indicators. Methods. The oat straw cooking was carried out with peracetic acid at 95 ± 1 °C from 90 to 180 min for hydromodulus 8:1 and 7:1, using a sodium tungstate catalyst. To determine the oat straw peracetic cellulose mechanical indexes, laboratory samples of paper weighing 70 g/m2 were made. Results. Technological parameters’ optimum values (temperature, cooking duration, hydromodulus, hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid concentration) for the oat straw delignification process were established. It is shown that the sodium tungstate catalyst addition to the cooking solution at a rate of up to 1 % of the plant raw material weight helps to reduce the lignin content in cellulose to 15 %. A diagram of the cellulose yield dependence on its residual lignin content for various methods of non-wood plant material species delignification is constructed. The high efficiency of the peracetic method for obtaining cellulose from non-wood plant raw materials, in particular from oat straw, has been confirmed. It is determined that the obtained peracetic cellulose from oat straw has high mechanical indexes. Conclusions. Oat straw peracetic cellulose can be used for the production of paper and cardboard mass types, in particular wrapping paper.

Done correlation analysis of interconnection between the characteristics of protected against forgery paper (roughness parameters and fractal dimension) and optical characteristics of imprints (optical density, color difference), which enabled the prediction of the optical characteristics of impressions and taking into account the differences of optical characteristics in watermark areas and outside them. In this work experimental data of researches physical and technical characteristics, parameters of roughness and fractal dimension of samples of a banknote paper, and also characteristics of the protected paper with water signs are used. The relationship between the characteristics of the surface of the paper and the quality of the optical characteristics of the imprints is best observed when constructing graphical relationships between the relevant indicators. Dependence is established for each banknote paper sample. The calculation of quadratic deviations of experimental data showed a correlation between the characteristics of the surface of the paper and the parameters of optical density (D). Graphic dependencies are approximated by regressive equations with the definition of correlation coefficients. On the basis of the analysis of the obtained results and regression equations, interconnection of the characteristics of the surface of the banknote paper, the ink, the amount of ink on the imprint, which correlates with the optical characteristics, allows us to establish control and quality control. It was found that with increasing values of Ra there is a decrease in the optical density of the imprint and an increase in the optical density of its back (ie, interlacing). With an increase in the optical density of the paper to the lumen, an increase in the optical density of the imprint and a decrease in the optical density of the back of the imprint is observed. There is a tendency to increase the optical density of the imprint and decrease the optical density of the back of the imprint with the increase in the thickness of the paper. The obtained experimental data confirmed theoretical calculations. The error between the experimental data and theoretical calculations is 5–10 %. The advantage of this work is that, under the conditions of multi-series production of banknote products, it is possible to control the quality indices of the imprints for a larger number of materials, compared with the regulated standards.

Taking into consideration the necessity of the production of the resource-saving and ergonomic book and magazine covers under conditions of the recent highly competitive environment of the printed products distribution and the consumer pricing, the analysis of the conducted research identified the relation the changes in the indexes of strengthen capacity of single- and two-ply binding materials samples as well as pasted ones. These findings have applied relevance while selecting the covering components for their production with minimized economic indicators. The results of experimental researches revealed the differences in the efforts of the destruction of single and double samples: the variation is from 1.91 % (for coated paper weighing 150 g/m2) to 41.77 % (for coated paper weighing 300 g/m2). It is assumed that the covers, constructively production of a double sheet of binding material, wear out during prolonged use and the effects of destructive operational factors in proportions of the approximate experimental results obtained for each of the materials used. The research of the same type of binder materials on the strength of the stretching of the samples revealed the difference in the impact of binder glue on strength indicators. Analysis of the graphs of strength indicators reproduces a gradual increase in the digital characteristics of the strength of samples of coated paper in relation to the increase in the weight of paper and a sample of chrome-ersatz paper made from waste paper, as well as the impact of different types of adhesives on strength indicators, which creates a partial information base for their expedient use. The total influence of the structure of materials and adhesives on which glued sheets of paper and cardboard showed the maximum strength values during stretching in glued samples of coated paper weighing 350 g/m2, coated paper weighing 300 g/m2 and a 0.3 mm thick chrome-ersatz paper, glue-bonded polyvinyl acetate dispersion.

Filtering profile is one of the important stages of evaluation of the surface profile of the paper. The term ‘filtration’ should be understood as the methods (electrical, optical, mechanical, mathematical) to select the necessary information from the general profile of the surface. The impact of interference, especially emanating from the environment is inevitable when recording profiles. Above that, to level completely the device error of the test sample it is necessary to spend a large amount of time. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a mathematical model for the filtration of roughness of the surface paper profile. Goal of the research: to develop a technique for digital processing of paper surface profilographs to the further identifying the relation between the paper parameters and quality of the prints. The mathematical approach based on Gaussian filter and the analysis of profilograms obtained by the contact and optical methods of profilometry were used. It was developed software on the basis of Free Pascal software package as well. In order to provide the experimental investigations, profilograms of surfaces of various types of paper obtained in previous studies using a profilometer with an inductive converter, model 296 were used. Software for filtering the roughness of the surface profile of unprinted or printed paper using Gaussian filter, which allows to receive profilograms, eliminating in the profile the factors such as obstacles and errors caused by random vibrations, as well as to calculate the relevant roughness indexes, and to identify in the future the interaction with the quality of the prints on this paper.

The research’s efficiency the raster dot in the printing process is considered in the article. Changes in the color form quality depend to a large extent on the printing machine technical specifications and the ability to control them. Objectively, the color estimated characteristic on the form is the raster elements relative area. To predict the raster dot’s value, we need to conduct a large scale of experiments to provide reliable information and get the most beneficial results. Mathematical models based on factor planning of experiments allowing predict the raster dot’s unwinding magnitude in the printing process and determine the possible interaction of the roughness parameters the printing cylinder surface, its microhardness, the ink layer thickness and pressure in the printing process, and also allow to control the form quality parameters. This method is the most common type of first-order plans, the realization occurs because of finding the researched function for all possible combinations of factors variation levels. An important condition of experiment planning is a quality source of information, namely observance of all aspects of the theory of planning: the exclusion of systematic errors; conducting experiments according to the plan and methodology; carrying out repeated experiments in identical conditions; use of the results of these experiments; during the experiments, the selection of objects took place at random, which offset systematic mistakes. We obtained the average a priori ranked number of factors that affect the unpacking of the raster point, by the expert estimation method, as well as the boundaries of the changes in these factors, the methods and the accuracy of their measurement. Planning a multifactorial experiment allowed us to obtain a model for calculating the raster point on coated paper and adequately describe the interdependence of certain controlled factors.

Packaging materials can arise from a wide range of sources and are commonly used for food, medicine, household appliances, and items to enclose or protect products during distribution, storage, sale, delivery, and use. The choice of material (paper, plastic, glass, wood, metal, multi-layer or other packaging) to be used depends on the type and properties of product, the purpose of packaging, and the price. The aim of the investigation is to analyse the morphological composition of packaging waste collected separately in Kaunas (Lithuanian) private households and to evaluate its recycling possibilities. The mixture of paper, plastic, and metal packaging waste was analyzed in the winter and spring (one time per month) in the waste management company JSC "Kauno švara".

Background. Waste paper recycling is characterized by deterioration in the content of fiber mass on the fourdrinier wire of a paper-making (cardboard-making) machine, which leads to the fiber content increase in the pit water and to an increase in losses of the source fiber raw material with waste water. Objective. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the influence of amphoteric polymer resins (APR) on the fiber content effectiveness on the fourdrinier wire and the pit water contamination degree. Methods. According to standard techniques, the degree of fiber content and water turbidity, which arises in the paper and cardboard production during the formation on the paper-making machine fourdrinier wire, is determined. Results. The graphs of the dependence of the pit water turbidity on the APR consumption for different milling degree for MS-5B-2 and МС-8В-3 waste paper grades have been constructed. The high efficiency of the APR influence on the fiber content degree on the PPM wire is confirmed. The optimal values of technological parameters (milling degree and APR consumption) for the estimation of the APR impact on the pit water quality have been established. It is shown that the most effective APR among the investigated chemical auxiliaries is UltraRez 200, and the optimum consumption of all APR is 4 kg/ton of paper. The investigated APR are located by the effectiveness increasing of the APR influence on the degree of fiber content and the pit water turbidity reduction in the following series: Luresin KS – Eka WS 325 – Kymene 25X-Cel – UltraRez 200 – Fennostrengt PA21. Conclusions. The use of APR allows achieving a high degree of fiber retention on the wire up to 97 % and reduces 50–85 % of the pit water turbidity, reduces the loss of the source fibrous raw material, reduces the fresh water consumption and increases the efficiency of paper and paperboard production from waste paper.

The paper calls into question the development of the digital competence of future philologists, taking into account the Turkish and Ukrainian experiences. The study of digital competence development is attracting increasing interest due to a growing need for experts capable of processing the enormous streams of continuously transmitted information and experts willing to improve their digital skills for professional growth. The purpose of the study is to broaden the current knowledge about the ways of developing digital competence. In this respect, the paper investigates two systems of future philologists' training in Ukraine and Turkey in the Digital Tools for Translation course. The authors analyze the experience of the Turkish and Ukrainian higher education institutions regarding the use of appropriate ICT tools using theoretical and empirical methods. Fifty-two future philologists from Turkey and Ukraine took part in the research. The study presents the results from observing the training and interviews with Ukrainian and Turkish students. The Shapiro-Wilcoxon method (non-parametric criterion) was used to verify the results. An analysis has highlighted the positive experience of Turkish universities, which can be implemented in future philologists training in Ukrainian universities. The findings of this study support the idea that the insufficient level of digital competence development lengthens and complicates the period of adaptation of graduates to modern working conditions. The authors found that the integration of Ukrainian higher education into the European higher education area occurs in times of globalization and the digitalization of society, which radically changes the nature of many activities. This research has clearly shown that digital competence development is more effective with the implementation of a holistic approach when students enhance digital competence while acquiring all other competencies. Our research suggests that the digitalization of education reduces the gap between graduates' digital competence level and modern society's expectations.

This paper introduces an advanced mathematical model for generating and analyzing cloud cover images, specifically designed to enhance photovoltaic (PV) partial shading studies. The model development involved a detailed analysis of real cloud cover images, with a particular emphasis on capturing their anisotropic spectral characteristics. This was achieved through a combination of spectral analysis and advanced image processing techniques. The research methodologically focused on developing a four-parameter model to accurately represent cloud formations' spectral properties. Key parameters were identified and fine-tuned to match the real cloud formations' characteristics. This involved analyzing the magnitude and phase spectra of the cloud covers and fitting them to a model capable of replicating these properties accurately. A significant part of the research was dedicated to formulating a novel phase spectrum generation technique. This technique was specifically designed to control the degree of similarity between the synthesized and original images, thereby ensuring the model's effectiveness in various simulation scenarios. The process involved manipulating the phase information of cloud cover images while maintaining their high-frequency components to enhance the detail and realism of the synthesized images. The model's accuracy in replicating cloud cover features was tested against traditional spectral synthesis methods. This comparative analysis involved generating cloud cover images using the developed model and established methods, then comparing these images to the original cloud covers in terms of visual similarity and approximation error. Additionally, the model was utilized to generate pseudo-random cloud cover images by varying the phase spectrum parameters. This process ensured that the generated images, while being random, adhered to the spectral characteristics of the original cloud covers. The research methodology also involved a detailed examination of the images' key characteristics, such as direction, length, and density, to ensure fidelity to the original samples. In summary, this paper details an approach to cloud cover image synthesis, with a focus on the accuracy of spectral properties and the development of an algorithm of model parameters estimation. The research highlights the use of advanced spectral analysis and image processing techniques in deriving key model parameters, leading to a significant advancement in cloud imaging for solar energy applications.

The paper is devoted to the study of the optical indexes of UV inkjet imprints on polymeric materials. The appearance of new types of polymeric materials with different textures and colours, on the one hand, helps to expand the range of souvenir, advertising and gift products, and on the other hand, there is a need to provide accurate colour reproduction on different surfaces. An actual task is to ensure accurate reproduction of the corporate colour when branding business products, making advertising and souvenirs on various materials, which will contribute to the recognition of companies. The paper analyses the regulatory documents that guide the production and quality control of digital imprints. It has been found, that the assessment of colour reproduction accuracy requires a comprehensive approach and includes: selecting a reference for comparison; establishing the level of required reproduction accuracy (A, B and C); taking into account the viewing distance of imprints. Based on the results of the study, it was found, that the colour of the printed material has a critical impact on the chromaticity of colour. It was found, that the application of a white substrate in one layer allows for reducing the colour difference on the coloured samples, but is insufficient for accurate colour reproduction. The study found, that the misalignment of the ink layers is 0.12 mm, which is generally within specification tolerances, but the imprints show a white outline visible to the naked eye. A visual assessment of the corporate colour under study revealed contamination with another ink, mainly magenta; the paper presents possible causes of the detected contamination. Based on the research results, it can be concluded, that determining the influence of the properties of printed materials on the optical indexes of imprints will allow manufacturers to adjust their technological processes in order to obtain products of the predicted quality.

The paper is devoted to solving the problem of using neural networks for real-time image recognition on low-power portable devices running on microcontrollers. The ESP-32© CAM microcontroller was used as the target device, on which an artificial neural network was deployed, written using the Python® programming language and the Tensorflow© library for building neural networks. The performance of the microcontroller and personal computer for object detection using a neural network and their classification were compared in the paper. The image recognition time and percentage of correctly classified objects were compared. The paper shows that the number of training epochs affects the accuracy of object classification in the image. The obtained results show that increasing the number of training epochs increases the accuracy of object recognition using the studied neural network, but a significant increase in the number of epochs does not lead to a significant improvement in recognition accuracy. The difference in the obtained results for the microcontroller and personal computer image recognition accuracy ranges from 5%.

The paper is focused on the intercultural communicative competence as an integral part of vocational training of journalism students. The aim of the paper is: 1) to define the intercultural communicative competence dimensions; 2) to outline the ways of development of intercultural communicative competence of journalism students; 3) to find out the attitudes of journalism students to intercultural communicative competence development; 4) to assess the levels of journalism students’ intercultural communicative competence and develop recommendations for its development. A mixed research design was employed which involved 14 ESP teachers and 26 bachelor students of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv during the autumn trimester of 2021. The study shows that the students are fully aware of the necessity to develop intercultural communicative competence. Based on the survey of the ESP teachers, we outlined the dimensions of journalism students’ intercultural communicative competence development and suggested the ways of building intercultural communicative competence in journalism students. The levels of assessment of intercultural communicative competence of journalism students were outlined and defined. The final results indicate that journalism students whose study was more practice than theory oriented (group 1) showed better learning outcomes than those who were mostly focused on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge (group 2). Methodical guidelines for ESP teachers were developed.

Despite longitudinal studies conducted along written and oral codeswitching linguistic prevalence considering ESL context, none of the ensuing studies has attempted to propose a theory delineating the preceding occurrence committed by L2 interlocutors which add to the novelty aspect of this paper. The quantitative analysis redounds to the formation of philosophical data on the constructive aspects associated to codeswitching occurrence in ESL classroom despite its adverse impressions in the context of pedagogy. This paper predominantly explores codeswitching from L1 to L2 in a multifaceted milieu as it has hidden purposes and functions along the channels of communication. For instance, codeswitching for equivalence (Mam the villain in the story is “masama”, because uhmmm…. She done bad thing to the main character). After careful scrutiny, the study emphasizes that the highlighted linguistic prevalence should uncover its positive aspects for communicative competence sake. The paramount goal must always be the understanding of the text and glitches along the channels of communication must be deemed secondary. This practice has functions and purposes in the context of the interlocutors of the language itself. They do such for clarity, emphasis, emotion expression, and equivalence for the most part. The role of ESL teachers counts a lot to bring the students to a high level of communicative competence. L1 shall serve as a bridge to reach L2 fluency.

Every year, more and more foreign students are enrolled at the Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies in Prešov of the Technical University in Kosice. For this reason, Slovak Language for Foreign Students was introduced as a compulsory subject in the 1st year of bachelor’s study. The purpose of the paper was to emphasize the teaching of Slovak as a foreign language and thus help to overcome the problems of foreign students in studying professional subjects. The aim is to provide them with suitable tailor-made study material within the blended form of teaching. Slovak language teachers at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities used mixed innovative methods and forms of study and tried to increase the language and communication skills of students. The paper compares the results of e-exercises and the final e-test of 140 foreign students from different study programmes in the first year of their bachelor study in the winter semester 2021. Slovak language teachers were able to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses based on the results of experimental research. Elimination of the most frequent mistakes will help students to increase the level of technical Slovak language, which they can apply during the study of professional subjects and in future practice in Slovak companies. The university-wide Moodle platform was used for blended learning in teaching Slovak as a foreign language at the Faculty.

The pandemic situation in Slovakia has shown that e-learning teaching within educational institutions has not received sufficient attention so far. The purpose of the paper is to stress the importance of e-learning application in foreign language teaching as well as show the possibilities of creating new educational portals for university students using professional foreign language texts. The KEGA project “Innovative Methods and Forms of Education for Needs and Development of Language and Communication Skills within Technical Professional Foreign Language Study Material” is still ongoing at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities. The aim is to emphasize the importance of foreign language training for future engineers, and at the same time to look for modern and innovative mixed methods of education, which includes the use of e-learning. The paper compares the study results of more than 200 students in different study programmes at the Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies in Prešov Technical University of Košice achieved during the academic year 2020/2021. The research findings prove that the experimental group of students from different study programmes achieved the best study results in those manufacturing technologies e-tests which are closely connected with their study programme. The results confirm that English teaching focused on tailor-made professional texts and topics within the engineering levels of studies was effective. Teachers also identified the strengths and weaknesses of students within tasks to practice language competencies. By applying e-tests students were able to improve their language skills, which can be practised in selected foreign companies or in their future careers as engineers, technicians, managers or computer programmers.

The study of course leadership in higher education focusses on an understudied area of research, with a limited number of publications discussing the role of the course leader in higher education, and a distinct lack of research on how course leaders in higher education undertake their professional practice. This lack of a pre-existing theory points the researcher towards grounded theory to investigate and generate a new theory on course leaders’ experiences. Since leadership, and therefore course leadership, is an inherent complex social process, selection of grounded theory as a research methodology to explain how course leaders in higher education practice seems a logical choice. Grounded theory has been successfully used to investigate phenomena in education and in leadership practice in other disciplines. We therefore argue that grounded theory is an appropriate selection for research in education and higher education settings for areas of research where no theory currently exists. Moreover, grounded theories focussing on professional practice have been published in various contexts demonstrating that it is an appropriate method for investigating course leaders’ professional practice. Finally, this paper outlines some perceived weaknesses of using a grounded theory approach for researching course leadership, and offers means to navigate these.

Different linguistic classifications of Spanish and Slovak make the differences between these two languages. The genetic criterion classifies languages, clustering them into language families, the largest among which is the Indoeuropean one. The typological criterion divides languages according to their grammatical structures. Meanwhile, Slovak is genetically a Slavonic language, and Spanish is a Romance language. Therefore, they both belong to different language families. Also, according to the typological criterion, Slovak is a synthetic language, and Spanish is an analytic language. Based on a theoretical study of the standard features and differences between the Slovak and Spanish verb systems, we formulated the hypotheses about language interferences, which are accepted or rejected at the end of the research. The current research aims to examine the errors in the use of past tenses by Slovak university students who study Spanish as a foreign language, and then analyze where these errors are due to interference with their native language. The present paper observes what errors students make in using past tenses in Spanish. The research question is: What interferences do Slovak learners of the Spanish language experience in the use of past tenses? We applied scientific methods (an observation, a textual analysis, a synthesis) to conduct the study. The first method was an observation. Applying this method made it possible to gather data by watching the process of doing grammatical exercises in Spanish during classes held from September 2020 to May 2022 for the first- and second-year students at the Faculty of Applied Languages of the University of Economics in Bratislava. These students knew English and were generally better at it than Spanish. We also conducted a textual analysis that primarily looked at the learners’ short-text writing skills. We used a form with 30 phrases the respondents needed to complete using past tenses. Then, we assessed the written and spoken communication skills of students. The analysis results show that, on the one hand, most respondents needed help distinguishing between the past continuous and simple past tenses, resulting in misuse. On the other hand, we found some slight errors in phrases in which the present perfect tense was supposed to be used.

The article studies the translation of the Ancient Greek literature into Ukrainian as an important and historically conditioned process that influenced the translation tradition in Ukraine. The authors trace the history of translation dating from the period of Kyivan Rus to modern times by applying linguistic, chronological and thematic approaches. As a result of the conducted study the authors define main directions and trends of assimilation of the classical Ancient Greek literature by the Ukrainian context through translation in its cultural and historical dimension, as well as characterize the translations of the Ukrainian scientists and outline their contribution into the classical literature corpus formation. It has been revealed that in different historical periods, translated literature performed definite functions (it was used in religious worship, as the material for original literature creation, in intellectual discussions). Since the 19th century, there existed a tendency when translators (M. Zerov, I. Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, V. Svidzinskyi, P. Nishchynskyi, M. Rylskyi, G. Kochur, Borys Ten, M. Lukash, M. Moskalenko, A. Sodomora, etc.), guided by their own preferences, cultural trends, national needs, political attitudes, consciously chose original texts for translation, carried out scientific investigations and added commentaries to their publications, thereby creating a scientific discussion in the Ukrainian society. It was also found out that translations of Homer's works into Ukrainian led to the emergence of a certain translational tradition (the same phenomenon is observed in Western Europe), when Ukrainian translators developed a methodology that allowed them not only to convey the ideological and content component of the original poems, but also to reproduce the rhyming of ancient poetry. The paper concludes that modern translators from the Ancient Greek language continue to popularize ancient literature and the legacy of the holy fathers, thereby supporting the continuity of the Ukrainian school of translation.

Digital business transformations began in the early twenty-first century. But over the past ten years, the pace has accelerated significantly, especially in the context of the end-2019 pandemic. Many papers on this topic have already been published, but there are still many aspects that have not yet been studied. In this paper, we consider the impact of digitalization on innovative business models (IBM). Based on analyzed and carefully studied previous research and scientific publications, this study highlights the impact of digital technologies on changing business models of enterprises in the last 3-5 years. The study found that the digital transformation of enterprises helps to improve competitiveness. Brings competition to a new level. The introduction of state-of-the-art technology can help companies create new strategies and create a foundation for long-term growth and market leadership. Digital technologies have forced entrepreneurs to rethink their business models (BM). The company's location is also directly dependent on the success of digital transformations. It was found that small and medium enterprises (SME) in developed countries are adapting faster and introducing new technologies. The problem of SMEs in developing countries is the difficult access to the latest technologies, the purchase of technologies that have newer substitutes in developed countries. Based on data on the activities of SMEs, as well as some corporations that are actively implementing new technologies to improve the efficiency of their own business. Quantitative research has shown that technologies such as large database analysis, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality technologies have the greatest impact on changing business models. Specialized research shows that the most susceptible to new technologies and changes in business models are IT companies. After all, they are the drivers of digital transformation. Examples of online goods companies and film companies are given. Options for further study of the impact of transformation on the business model are proposed. It is also proposed to explore methods of identifying competitive advantages and their use in building business models.

Background. Biogenic magnetic nanoparticles (BMN) have been found in representatives of all three superkingdoms of living organisms: bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes (including fungi). At the same time, it was established that the mechanism of biomineralization of BMN is unique for all living organisms. The search for sorbents of biological origin has become one of promising ways of addressing the problem of environmental pollution by heavy metals. Heavy metals are elements of transport emissions and many factories in various industries. These metals getting into the human body cause significant disruption of metabolism and vital functions of the body. Many macromycetes are known to be natural sorbents for heavy metal ions. Laboratory tests use a method of filtering spent sorbent through a paper filter, which is long enough and inefficient. Therefore, it is important to find a more effective way of removing biosorbent from the solution. Such a cheap and efficient method is high-speed magnetic gradient separation. Objective. The aim of the paper is to obtain a magnetically controlled biosorbent based on a fungus Pleurotus ostreatus, to determine the fraction of the magnetically controlled phase of the fungus biomass when added to the substrate of the magnetic fluid, and to investigate the efficiency of extraction of Fe3+ ions by the fungus biomass of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. Methods. The standard method of cultivation of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus, the method of high-grade magnetic separation and the method of biosorption of ferric ions were used. Results. The process of biosorption of ferric ions by a Pleurotus ostreatus grown on substrates with the addition of magnetic fluids of different concentrations was carried out. It is shown that the dry biosorbent based on the biomass of the Pleurotus ostreatus has a high sorption capacity with respect to Fe3+ ions since the efficiency of their extraction for 30 minutes of sorption in the samples grown on the substrate with the addition of magnetite is more than 95%. It is proved that when using biomass of ordinary fungus grown on a magnetic fluid, complete saturation occurs 6 times faster (for 5 minutes), compared to 30 min for biosorbent based on biomass of mushroom grown without magnetic fluid. Conclusions. Addition of magnetite (concentration 0.1 and 1 mg/ml) to the substrate in the cultivation of fungi Pleurotus ostreatus significantly increases the efficiency of the sorbent. When using the fungus biomass of Pleurotus ostreatus without adding magnetite for 5 minutes, the efficiency of extraction of iron ions is 70%, for 30 min – 80%. When used to grow the magnetic fluid at a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml and 1 mg/ml for almost 5 minutes, almost complete removal of heavy metal ions occurs.

Background. In recent years, there has been a rapid development of the domestic military industry. Reducing the mass and increasing the specific strength of military products used in the field – the most pressing challenges facing engineers and scientists today. The rapid development of adaptive production has significantly expanded the possibilities of methods of topological optimization in the design of new products or improvement of existing design and technological solutions in order to reduce weight. Objective. The purpose of the paper is to improve the efficiency of designing the technology of manufacturing a frame type construction based on the method of topological optimization, which will reduce the weight of the product, while maintaining all the specified functional parameters. Methods. The paper presents an analysis of topological optimization methods and offers the interaction of modern ADS, namely CAD, CAM, CAE modules at the stage of design and technological preparation of production, which once again demonstrated its effectiveness in solving problems to reduce product weight. Results. The main tasks of topological optimization were solved for the frame type constructions, such as the minimization of volume and mass under physical constraints, as well as the optimization of other parameters with given geometric constraints. As a result, the proposed method of reducing the weight of the product is improved, which due to rational design and technological measures ensured a 56 % reduction in the weight of the frame type structure from the original and reduced the complexity of the manufacturing process by 22 % due to its effective adaptation to new technological conditions. Conclusions. The application of methods of topological optimization and rational establishment of design and technological constraints on products at the design stage can be very effective in solving problems of reducing the weight of products and optimizing manufacturing processes.

The paper presents the ideas on integration of English language academic writing into the training of Mater of Pharmacy students. The academic literature demonstrates a powerful didactic potential for the development of both language and professional competence of students majoring in pharmacy. This fact is evidenced by the empirical study that demonstrates the finding reflected in students’ graduation academic project performance. As a measurement tools we employed assessment rubrics of the graduate project, content analysis and questionnaire on teachers’ feedback. The participants of the study were students from the Pharmacy faculty and teachers of English for Academic Purposes in cooperation with teachers of pharmacy. Together they outlined the criteria for the texts selection. According to the results, students mastered not only academic writing skills, but also the skills of information processing and evaluation, critical thinking, presentation of information and academic integrity. The paper also presents methodological recommendations on academic texts selection for pharmaceutical students and forms of teachingacademic writing to students of non-linguistic specialties. The results of the study allow to draw the conclusion academic writing course will enhance professional competence and reduce students’ misinterpreting of academic language.

Background. Designing an arbitrary afocal zoom optical system is a complex and multidimensional problem. It cannot be solved analytically and requires the essential experience and efforts of the designer. Objective. The purpose of the paper is to present and verify by simulation the method and means to perform an automated design of complex multi-lens afocal zoom optical systems having variable parameters and characteristics. Methods. Using the developed specialized software with implemented modification of the adaptive Cauchy differential evolution algorithm for the parametric synthesis of multi-component optical systems of zoom riflescopes with extended functional parameters. Results. The developed optical system of the riflescope provides the 5× magnification ratio and the angular field of view in the object space from 3.26° to 0.83°. It has a reticle located in the first focal plane, the entrance pupil diameter of 60 mm, the eye relief within the range of 106...111 mm, and the maximum system length of 390 mm. The riflescope contains 13 lenses in 10 components. The performed simulations showed that the time interval required for the direct automated design of the riflescope’s optical system is about 30–40 hours for the total number of unknown parameters (variables) equal to 91. The root-mean-square values of the angular aberrations of axial beams in all (five) configurations of the synthesized zoom system do not exceed 1.25 arc minute in the whole spectral range. The algorithm helps to determine the prescription data of optical systems, considering the technical requirements and restrictions specified by the designer. Conclusions. Computer simulations of the development of the zoom riflescope with the magnification of 5-25×, the entrance pupil diameter of 60 mm, and the reticle located in the first focal plane have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm to design automatically complex multi-lens optical systems with variable parameters. The obtained results proved the high image quality of the generated 13-lens riflescope with the long eye relief. The implemented modification of the adaptive Cauchy differential evolution method can be considered a powerful tool that helps to automate the parametric synthesis of multicomponent optical systems of zoom riflescopes, taking into account the requirements set by the designer. Future research should test the feasibility of the automated design of other riflescopes containing more lenses and providing extreme performances.

The paper dwells on how current L&D trends are followed by Canadian corporations and what their attitude to continuous learning is, considering that corporate narratives present in official documentation are relevant object for the research. In general, scientific inquiry of Canadian experience in the sphere of corporate education is relevant for comprehensive analysis as Canadian best practices can be applied by organisations of various types in other countries. The paper presents quantitative and qualitative data revealed in the process of content analysis of official narratives, their interpretation and correlations between the results and current L&D trends as outlined in the literature review. Thus, in the centre of the methodological framework of this research is content analysis. 21 general annual and sustainability reports of 13 Fortune 500 Canadian companies were sampled for extracted text narratives to be coded according to the predefined coding scheme and further interpreted. The research has allowed to answer the question whether official documentation issued by Canadian companies is resourceful for the study of corporate education in the country. The light was shed on types of reports which contain the most relevant information on the issue. The investigation revealed that the most frequent coded narratives are related to the continuous development of employees, alignment of L&D and business strategy, compliance training and inclusion & diversity training within organisations. The paper describes and discusses these results in detail as well as traces reflection of global L&D trends in corporate documentation.

By expansion into Fourier series along the circumferential coordinate, the problem for elastic thin-walled closed cylindrical shell is reduced to 8th order differential equation with respect to axial coordinate. In spite that the general structure of eigenvalues for this equation was known starting from 60-s of last century, they were derived only to some simplified versions of the shell theory. So, the main goal of paper consists in development of the general procedure for determination of the eigenvalues. The idea is based on that the theory of shell is actually formed by two much simple problems: the plane task of elasticity and the plate problem, each of them is reduced to much easily treated biquadratic equation. So, we start from either of two problems (main problem) while not taking into account the impact from another (auxiliary) problem. After computing its eigenfunctions, we gradually introduce the influence of auxiliary problem by presenting its functions as linear combination of functions for main problem. The results of calculation show the perfect accuracy of the method for any desired number of significant digits in eigenvalues. The comparison with known results for concentrated radial force shows the perfect ability to solve any boundary problem with any desirable accuracy.

The possibility of using statistical methods to ensure the production of products that meet the requirements of consumers with the lowest costs is considered. An analysis of various studies was performed, which allowed to identify consumer requirements for the final product. The principles and practical methods of General Quality Management TQM are described. It is noted that strict control, which is designed to ensure maximum quality for print production, is not limited to one calibration test run — the printing results must be checked constantly. It is established that in the standard ISO 12647-2: 2004 there are no: optimal values of density for three types of paper; CIELAB value for gray balance; paper parameters of specific manufacturers; color parameters of specific manufacturers; parameters of plates of specific manufacturers; specific additives and other auxiliary materials for printing. The standard defines the measurable results to be achieved, but does not provide methods and recommendations for achieving them. The possibility of application of the method of construction of the control card for revealing of the reasons of deviation of indicators of optical density for a triad of inks in offset printing is offered. It was found that the most important requirements of consumers are the distinction of small details of the image, text, print clarity, the absence of spots and foreign elements in the image, aesthetics. The approaches developed in the work allow to determine the weakest place in the system of paper (cardboard)—printing ink and to assess the level of quality.

A dramatic change in the abilities of language models to provide state of the art accuracy in a number of Natural Language Processing tasks is currently observed. These improvements open a lot of possibilities in solving NLP downstream tasks. Such tasks include machine translation, speech recognition, information retrieval, sentiment analysis, summarization, question answering, multilingual dialogue systems development and many more. Language models are one of the most important components in solving each of the mentioned tasks. This paper is devoted to research and analysis of the most adopted techniques and designs for building and training language models that show a state of the art results. Techniques and components applied in creation of language models and its parts are observed in this paper, paying attention to neural networks, embedding mechanisms, bidirectionality, encoder and decoder architecture, attention and self-attention, as well as parallelization through using Transformer. Results: the most promising techniques imply pre-training and fine-tuning of a language model, attention-based neural network as a part of model design, and a complex ensemble of multidimensional embeddings to build deep context understanding. The latest offered architectures based on these approaches require a lot of computational power for training language model and it is a direction of further improvement. Ref. 49, pic. 13

The subject of the paper is evaluating and comparing the activity of using digital technologies for the realisation of democratic values by students of Polish and Ukrainian higher educational establishments: rights to freedom of access to information; tolerant communication with other people; awareness of the values of solidarity, equality.The study was carried out at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin (Poland), The Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce (Poland), Radom Academy of Economics (Poland), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine), Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University (Ukraine). Based on the survey results, the quantitative and qualitative analysis of digital technologies used in the development of democratic ideals and social activity of youth are carried.The results obtained are typologically common for students of both Polish and Ukrainian higher educational establishments.The paper provides recommendations for teachers of higher educational establishments on the use of digital technologies to support the development of students’ democratic values in formal and non-formal learning and draws attention to the problem of forming digital critical competence of students.

Students’ EFL learning experience in the rural context is poorer in comparison to urban quality of education. More than 70% of students at the State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podillia are from rural areas. To reduce rural-urban disparities in academic learning the university teachers should use high-quality instruction techniques that can make the process of studying both effective and motivating. The traditional methods of EFL teaching no longer satisfy the needs of modern society. Hence, technology applications need a theoretical foundation based on experimental surveys to determine the strategies for effective EFL learning. This research paper was conducted to examine the possibility of utilising such MALL technology like Quizlet in improving EFL learners’ vocabulary acquisition. A brief review of scholarly literature published from 2005-2019 on Quizlet implementation in foreign language learning showed that there are many studies on the benefits of using Quizlet in EFL vocabulary acquisition. However, the research papers on the principles and strategies for adequate Quizlet-based learning in Ukrainian higher educational institutions are still lacking. Pre- and post-experimental questionnaires, pre- and post-experimental tests were adopted as tools for data collection. The results of the experiment have proven the proposed hypothesis. After utilising Quizlet and using spaced repetition technique for vocabulary learning to prepare undergraduates to state English exam, the results proved that the learners of the experimental group improved their level of EFL vocabulary at the post-test.

The paper focuses on education in the field of foreign languages, particularly Spanish, in the framework of university study of economic and managerial orientation in Slovakia in order to find out what the labour market requirements are for graduates in the field of foreign language skills. In our research, we focus on Spanish, as no similar relevant research has been done to date in this foreign language. Current research shows that the graduates of economics and management fields lack the link between the content of education and the requirements of the labour market, as well as preparation in the field of foreign language skills. This calls for a better understanding of the real needs of employers and graduates. This paper is based on a questionnaire survey among potential employers of graduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava who require foreign language skills, mainly Spanish, as well as of graduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava who use foreign languages, in particular Spanish in their employment. The paper provides an overview of the specific language competencies and knowledge that are needed in the labour market. The ambition of research is to contribute to improving the link between higher education content and the real needs of the labour market, and thus to boosting the employability of graduates in the labour market.

The paper represents technical diagnostics of printed circuit boards in particular their solder joints performed by commonly used through-hole and surface mount technologies. Operation and technology cause mechanical interactions and forces between substrate of printed circuit board and electronic components. Such tensile, shear, bending or torque forces transmit through the contact joints, which appear to be the weakest links in the assembly. The experimental research was conducted by mechanical tensile and pure bending tests followed by using method of acoustic emission. Conducted tests demonstrated considerable sensitivity and applicability for the method of acoustic emission to detect defects and possibly to assess the ultimate strength of solder joints in nondestructive diagnostics performed under forces long before the final failure. In order to minimize errors while measuring small loads in tensile tests of ceramic capacitors the special appliance was designed. The experiment was conducted to verify the overheating effect to ultimate load of the solder joints. Surface mount technology for ceramic capacitors has been optimized by introducing high temperature preheating mode that improves adherence to the contact pads and increases tensile strength, what was also confirmed by acoustic emission analysis. The pure bending appliance was designed to provide instant monitoring of all solder joints by equal testing stress. By conducted pulsing test cycles the total count was identified as the most informative parameter of acoustic emission that correlates with types of defects and ultimate strength of the solder joints. The planar location model has been developed by the idea of remote detection of acoustic emission through the volume of homogeneous medium such as water, unlike detecting acoustic emission on the surface of printed circuit board where acoustic emission signal is likely to be distorted or even lost. Using method of acoustic emission and pure bending cycling test the method for technical diagnostics of solder joints has been designed. The results represented in the paper contribute to design and technology improvement in radio-electronics.

Background. The features of scattering anisotropy factor determination in the research of thick biological tissue samples. Objective. The purpose of the paper is development and testing of new method of tissue scattering anisotropy factor determination. The method is based on the analysis of illuminance of different zones of photometric images, received during the photometry by ellipsoidal reflectors. Methods. For implementation of ideas and assumptions, the paper applies basics of photometry by ellipsoidal reflectors for real and model experiments, with the implementation of direct and inverse Monte Carlo method for light propagation in biological tissue. Additionally, principles of zone analysis of photometric images illuminance, received during the photometry by ellipsoidal reflectors, are applied. Results. Based on the results of real experiment, the research represents input data set for Monte Carlo simulation of light propagation in biomedical photometer with ellipsoidal reflectors. Considering the modeling, the selection of critical thickness of samples of chicken and porcine muscle tissues was reasoned for further comparison with the results of real experiment. Dependencies of illuminance of different zones of photometric images for the selected thicknesses in the significant range of anisotropy factor value change were received. Anisotropy factors were determined in the spatial scattering cross sections. There was performed the comparative evaluation of character of photometric image zone illumination dependency for samples of various muscle tissues of similar thickness, and different thicknesses of selected tissue. Based on the developed method the specificities of real experiment results reproduction during the determination of scattering anisotropy factor by the illuminance values of photometric images, received during the simulation are shown. Conclusions. Method of the mirror ellipsoid of revolution (which was used during the experiment with biological tissues samples in reflected and transmitted light) isn’t limited by the functionality of preliminary estimation of quantity of cross section for further spatial analysis and investigation of scattering indicatrix. Photometry by ellipsoidal reflectors can be applied as the separate method for determination of the magnitude of the scattering anisotropy factor based on the results of model and numerical experiments, and the developed procedure.

Introduction. Waveguides, partially filled with dielectric material (partially filled waveguides) are widely used in the super high frequency equipment. They have certain advantages over hollow waveguides, including the possibility of reducing sizes of a cross-section, increasing the power of radiation and suppressing undesired types of waves. Following the production of diverse new dielectric materials intended for use in super high frequency range devices, there is a need to continuously develop methods of calculation and measuring characteristics of partially filled waveguides.Statement of the problem. The theory of completely filled waveguides and waveguides with dielectric filling along narrow walls is developed quite thoroughly. However, its application to various waveguide devices requires the solution of transcendental equations, which is possible only using numerical methods. This makes it difficult to obtain information about any characteristics of a device. There is also an effect of a large number of factors influencing the characteristics of partially filled waveguides (degree of filling, position of a waveguide plate, magnitude of the dielectric permittivity, etc.). For the study of partially filled waveguides with different sample height, among others, this paper presents an approach, which is based on the representation of the relative permittivity of the medium in the form of two real functions, each of which depends on the cross-section from one coordinate. This is an approximate method for determining the proper scalar and vector functions of partially filled waveguides. The solution of the electrodynamic problem for partially filled waveguides is reduced to determining the propagation constant in a waveguide using exact or approximate methods. This paper presents the method which allows calculating the propagation constant at any frequency, by measuring the value of effective dielectric permittivity.Results and discussion. According to the results of the analysis, it is shown that known methods of measuring effective dielectric permittivity (using a measuring line, a panoramic indicator, and a bridge meter) have certain shortcomings in relation to the modification of partially filled waveguides, bandlimitedness, and a significant relative error of measurement with increasing effective dielectric permittivity. In particular, the lack of bridge meters is a very narrow frequency range in which the bridge remains matched. It is almost necessary to match the bridge at each frequency, reaching the absence of a signal in the arm E for identical loads that are connected to the side arm. For this, bridges have tuning elements in the form of pins, diaphragms, etc. The method for measuring effective dielectric permittivity of partially filled waveguides using an unmatched T-bridge, which does not have these deficiencies, is introduced.Conclusions. The scientific novelty of the proposed method for measuring effective permittivity of partially filled waveguides using an unmatched T-bridge is the possibility of providing broadbandness, increasing the accuracy of measurements, and the universality through the use of a panoramic indicator of the standing wave ratio using the voltage and electron-computer. One more point is the ability to measure effective dielectric permittivity when other measurement methods are not suitable. The results obtained should be used when designing new antenna systems, which include partly filled waveguides, as well as part of teaching and learning activities for creating new workplaces or improving existing ones aimed at laboratory and practical training using the above method of measurement.

The present paper investigates semantics of human body part names (BPN) in languages of different structure. The lexemes under study are characterised by a high level of polysemy, frequent occurrence and primary role in the processes of world perception and categorisation. The empirical data comprise 438 lexemes (expressing 1438 meanings), which were analysed in seven languages of different structure (related and unrelated) from two language families: Indo-European (featuring such language groups as Germanic (English and German), Romance (Spanish), Balto-Slavonic (Latvian, Ukrainian and Russian)) and Japanese-Ryukyuan (featuring Japanese). The data are analysed within the framework of meronymy relation and highlight the universal features of semantic change in the compared languages, thus presenting a model for more extensive and complex studies of the semantic potential of basic lexical units. The research is based upon the methodology of classical semantics and typology as well as contrastive lexical studies, and is aimed at revealing the nature of semantic universals and regularities in the process of BPN semantic development. The lexical units under analysis are generalised and systematically investigated using contrastive analysis and linguistic description, whilst their semantic structure is thoroughly described with the help of componential analysis. The paper focuses on the classification of their regular semantic change mechanisms and juxtaposes the cross-linguistic similarities as well as differences in semantics of body part names. The relation of meronymy reveals interdependence with that of polysemy. The introduced index of polysemy helps to compare the potential for polysemy development in the languages under analysis. The conducted research enables the formulation of semantic universals and regularities within BPN polysemy development in languages of different structure as well as the creation of a semantic typology of BPN in related and unrelated languages. The analysis is supplemented with the statistical data allowing for the verification of the results. The main principles of this research may be applied to different thematic groups of lexis, contributing to further development of semantic language typology worldwide.

The paper is focused on the study of the interconnection of context and evaluative utterances in French. The assessment of different aspects of the world is viewed as a considerable part of human cognitive activities. Considering this, in the paper evaluative utterances are analysed in relation to logical, semantic, pragmatic and communicative properties of evaluation as an element of a linguo-cognitive domain. It is emphasised that the pragmatic analysis is of great significance in the interpretation and explanation of positive or negative polarity of the utterance evaluation. The present article also demonstrates the importance of various semasiological and syntactic expressive means and stylistic devices in the process of highlighting the positive or negative evaluative effect. Following the principles of pragmatic analysis, the author outlines the language means realising positive and negative polarity of the utterance evaluation. The study also proves that the units being neutral at the language level acquire evaluative potential in context. The results obtained confirm the idea that the correlation between the evaluative utterance and its context helps understand the encoded in the evaluative utterance presupposition of communication being the speaker’s communicative intentions associated with his/her epistemic state.

This paper attempts to shed some light on the problem of correlation of such ontological categories as quality, quantity and relation in similes. The matter in question is significant since it relates to the problem of anthropocentrism in language. It shows the speaker’s attitude to the information encoded in a simile by consciously choosing a vehicle via measuring a tenor’s salient feature against an implied abstract scale of objects, notions, phenomena, etc. that possess a particular quality to a certain extent. The nature of the ground of simile is described to be gradable, capable of being subjectively measured from the perspective of the speaker’s environmental perception. The gradability of a shared feature shown as a scale of potential vehicles lends itself to the interpretation as a fragment of the linguistic worldview displaying a range of scale markers typical of a certain linguistic community in a certain historical period of time. The polar opposite notions on an implied scale are depicted to represent a (proto/stereo) type and an anti-(proto/stereo)type typical of certain linguo-cultural domains in a particular fragment of a linguistic worldview. By moving from the explanatory examples to the analysis of empirical material the author concludes that the categories of quantity, quality and relation are intrinsic in every simile and manifest themselves in the choice of a tenor-vehicle pair that do not exist within simile other than in relation to each-other. The material described in the article serves as an evidence of language dependence on historical and social parameters. The paper explains the mechanism of creation of the congruous and ironic similes according to the universal process of simile formation where the unity of quantity, quality and relation are the key factors of its existence.

Background. For sinusoidal observation model of textured surface, i.e. model where regression function is a two-parameter harmonic oscillation and noise is a homogeneous isotropic Gaussian random field on the plane with zero mean and covariance function of the special kind, the problem of statistical estimation of sinusoidal model unknown amplitudes and angular frequencies is considered. Objective. The aim of the paper is to study asymptotic behavior of the least squares estimate (LSE) of unknown amplitudes and angular frequencies of textured surface sinusoidal model. Methods. The results were obtained on the application of methodology developed in the papers by A.V. Ivanov et al. (2009, 2015) and monograph by A.V. Ivanov, N.N. Leonenko (1989). Results. Sufficient conditions on random noise covariance function that ensure strong consistency of sinusoidal model parameters LSE are obtained. Conclusions. The obtained results allow extending them on the models where regression function is a sum of several two-parameter harmonic oscillations. Besides LSE consistency property will allow proving asymptotic normality of these estimates in further works.

Background. Asymptotic behavior at infinity of non-autonomous stochastic differential equation solutions is studied in the paper. Objective. The aim of the work is to find sufficient conditions for the strong law of large numbers for a random process which is a solution of non-autonomous stochastic differential equation. Methods. Basic results of the theory of stochastic differential equations related to stochastic integrals estimation. Results. Sufficient conditions for almost sure convergence to zero of normalized term related to diffusion of non-autonomous stochastic differential equation are obtained. Conclusions. Results of the paper can be used for further research on the asymptotic behavior of stochastic differential equation solutions, finding the stability condition of stochastic differential equation solution and ergodic type problems also.

Background. The paper continues the investigation of linear dipole-exchange spin waves in ferromagnetic nanosystems started by the author in previous papers. The known papers investigating dipole-exchange spin waves obtain their spectral characteristics only for a narrow range of special cases. In the presented paper, an approach that allows expanding substantially this range of cases is described and applied. Objective. The aim of the paper is to develop a method – based on the use of boundary conditions – for obtaining the spectral characteristics of dipole-exchange spin waves in a number of nanosystems’ configurations as well as an application of this method to specific configurations. Methods. A method for obtaining a values’ spectrum of the wavenumbers for dipole-exchange spin waves in ferromagnetic nanosystems of a series of typical configurations is proposed. The method does not require specific assumptions, e.g. the absence of transverse spin excitations or the presence of a high-conductivity metal outside the ferromagnet. The method uses imposition of boundary conditions for the magnetic field and the magnetization on the boundary of the ferromagnetic medium for a linear spin wave in the magnetostatic approximation. This method allows obtaining the above-mentioned spectral characteristics for a wider range of cases compared to the known previous papers. Results. The results of the paper are conditions for the magnetic potential – that imply from the above-mentioned boundary conditions – of a linear spin wave on the boundary of a ferromagnetic nanosystem as well as the spectrum of the wavenumbers’ values of such wave for the investigated nanosystems (in the implicit form). In particular, for a ferromagnetic nanosystem of an arbitrary cross section with a one-dimensional translational symmetry, the conditions specifying this spectrum are found. Such conditions are specified – and an implicit expression for this spectrum is obtained – for the case when such nanosystem is a nanotube with a circular cross section. The analysis of the obtai­ned results is carried out. Conclusions. The obtained expressions for the spectrum of the values of the investigated spin waves’ wavenumbers can be used for a wider range of cases than the ones obtained in the previous papers dedicated to the investigated configurations of nanosystems. For a nanotube of the circular cross-section with small (compared to the inverse characteristic size of the nanotube cross-section) values of the longitudinal wave number, the dependence of the latter on the transverse wave number is weak, as well as for the big longitudinal to transverse wavenumber component ratio. The obtained dependence is also represented graphically.

The Arcana magazine, published in Krakow (Poland), is one of those few periodicals, that see the inviolability of the traditional management of a paper political and literary magazine as the salvation of national conservatism, which, in their opinion, preserves the mental health of political nations. Originating in discussions about the place of an intellectual person, a developed person, a modern person in the modern globalizing world, the editors came to the conclusion, that the formation and subsequent orientation of their own commercial discourse towards a certain ‘universal’ reader, who will definitely and everywhere (in his national topos) be the same to understand the proposed material is erroneous: the ethnic and political-national self-identification of citizens of other countries will be an obstacle to the magazine’s invasion of ‘foreign territories’. Therefore, Polish national conservatism must be mimicked on its pages so that foreign readers perceive it as their own, inseparable from the modes of personal national mentality. The result of such a managerial paradigm was the appearance on the pages of the publication of popular scientific materials, that were interesting for a citizen of a particular territory (as well as for a Pole), however, in each such publication there is an invisibly present spirit of polskości, forcing the foreign consumer to form a personal attitude towards the ideology of the Polish conservatism. The article examines in detail the methodology of editorial management of the journal of Polish conservatism ‘Arcana’ in the paradigm of the struggle for foreign (non-Polish) readers and subscribers. Specific examples illustrate the successes and difficulties of such an editorial policy.

The paper elaborates the principally new variant of finite element method in application to plate problem. It differs from classical FEM approach by, at least, three points. First, it uses the strong differential formulation rather than the weak one and suppose the approximate analytical solution of all differential equations. Second, it explicitly uses all geometrical and physical parameters in the procedure of solution, rather than some chosen ones, for example, displacement and angles of rotation as usually done in FEM formulation. Third, the conjugation between adjacent elements occurs between the adjacent sections rather than in polygon vertexes. These conditions require the continuity of displacements, angles, moments and forces. Each side of rectangular elements is characterized by 6 main parameters, so, at whole there are 24 parameters for each rectangular element. The right and upper sides’ parameters are considered as output ones, and they are related with lower and left sides ones by matrix equations, which allows to apply transfer matrix method for the compilation of the resulting system of equations for the whole plate. The numerical examples for the thin-walled and Mindlin plates show the high efficiency and accuracy of the method.

Sharp wave treatment for 1-D gas dynamic problem is still a chellenge for modern numerical methods. They often require too many space and time steps, produce spurious oscillation of solution, exhibit a strong numerical dissipation or divergence of results. This paper is further extension of authors’ idea of employment the analytical solution for space coordinate, where time step is a parameter which used in the space solution. Its peculiarity consists in development of additional procedure of linearization of dependence between the pressure and density. It is performed in premise that actual pressure for each space element is close to the basic pressure, attained at previous moment of time. The efficiency of method is tested on the very popular task of Sod, where two different ideal gases in a tube are separated by diaphragm, which is suddenly broken. The problem considered in Lagrangian coordinates formulation. The results obtained show the very good efficiency of method, which requires the essentially lesser time and space steps, leads to no spurious oscillation and give consistent and predictable results with respect to meshing. The accuracy of method is mostly controlled by time step, which should be larger than clearly stated theoretical lower limit. Other advantage of method is that it can calculate the process to any desired moment of time, and space meshing can be variable in time and space and can be easily adapted during the process of calculation.

Humanoid robots have been a topic of great interest for a long time. Among the various motions of a humanoid robot, the most basic and important motion is bipedal walking. Bipedal walking is probably the most appropriate way for robots to move around in a real environment. However Building trajectories for biped robot walking is a complex task considering all degrees of freedom (DOFs) commonly bound within the mechanical structure. To study the stable motion of any bipedal robot we should study the Kinematics, Dynamics, design a control system and of most important the trajectories. This work deals with planning trajectory of humanoid robots (AK Biped robot), especially for planning trajectory of center of mass (CoM), zero moment point (ZMP)a and planning trajectory of swing foot. diffident method used in planning trajectory like 3D linear inverted pendulum (LIMP), polynomial interpolation. The object of study is the process of automatic control walking of an anthropomorphic walking robot (AK biped robot), for that this paper proposes an approach of joint trajectory generation for the biped robot using the three Three-dimensional linear inverted pendulum for planning trajectory of CoM which keep the ZMP to be inside the support polygon which and guarantee stable dynamic walking of AK biped robot, then trajectory of swing foot derived using the polynomial interpolation function for smooth motion. The aim of this paper is to present a full 3D walking strategy using dynamic model of 3D inverted pendulum for generation references joint trajectories with simulation also design a control system that granites a stable walking of Biped Robot. This is done by first reviewing the literature about different walking strategies. During this literature review the 3D-Linear Inverted Pendulum Model appeared to be the most interesting strategy for further research. The idea of the strategy is simple. It models the human as a linear inverted pendulum with massless rods, which represent the legs, and a point mass at the end of the rods representing the total mass of the body. During walking, there is always at least one foot on the ground which can be seen as stance leg. This stance leg is then modeled as an inverted pendulum. The general closed form solution of the dynamics of the linear inverted pendulum are used to design a trajectory for the center of mass (CoM ) for stance leg. In the trajectory generator, the general solution of the 3D-LIPM is used to prescribe a trajectory. for the CoM of the biped robot AK. The trajectory of the swing leg is designed by a cosine velocity profile interpolation function. The joint trajectories are used as the input for a dynamic model of biped robot in SimMechanics. The proposed control system in simulation are carried out to tune the trajectory such that the dynamic model is able to walk balanced and the robustness of the gait was verified by adding of disturbances. For example, the position of the CoM was increased or decreased and the steps were simulated with different ground levels. These simulations showed that the trajectory is relatively robust. Ref. 10, fig. 4.

The paper tackles the problem of the role and importance of media in the lives of elderly people. It takes into account the concept of media, both traditional ones like radio and television from the sociological point of view, and modern ones like the Internet as a universal tool. Media have been noticed in the lives of seniors as a past memory and a link to modern times. The research conducted on a small group showed resources of technical media in seniors’ households and presented the seniors’ attitudes to the information and pictures of reality provided by the media. New media are on the border of habits and everyday routines of these people and completely new technologies which are brought about by modern times. In the context of so many economic, civilizational, political and social transformations as well as a dynamic development of media, their deep embedment in the lives of elderly people is shown. There is no doubt that irrespective of age, there is a strong need for lifelong learning in the process of forming awareness of the contents provided by communicators and widely understood media. A very important thing is to show possibilities of the used media to promote education at different levels and in different forms. It should be noted that this type of research is still a challenge for today’s researchers and a task which, despite numerous difficulties, is worthwhile. The problems raised in this paper are a starting point for further research which is particularly interesting and important in the context of changes within broadly understood culture, media technology and media convergence. The demographic trend entails certain economic consequences, and with them social ones, because it requires the adoption of radical actions in public policy, especially in the field of health or education.

The paper deals with motivational structure of business names that determines the choice of strategy for naming. The article considers the origin of business names and concentrates on the fact that business names’ formation requires the right combination of objective information and subjectivity. Business names of restaurants in Brussels are studied. The article analyses the requirements that business names should meet, presents the main components of their motivational structure and proposes a new classification of business names, taking into consideration their motivational and structural characteristics A new classification of business names presented in the paper includes 8 different categories. The paper defines a correlation between the motivational structure of business names and the degree of persuasion they possess. The article demonstrates the use of different kinds of business names and their relevance for the naming process. It is shown that anthroponymic, transpositional and idiomatic business names possess the highest degree of persuasion. Toponymic, background and international business names can sometimes have a controversial effect on addressees, be irrelevant and highly questionable as potential actuators. The article concentrates on the necessity to adjust the code business names have to the needs of the target audience and shows the absence of direct correlation between transparency or vagueness of motivational characteristics and low or high level of persuasion. The paper develops recommendations for the choice of effective linguistic means of expression in business names creation and proposes topics for further research in the field.

In the article on the basis of a systemic analysis of English landscape descriptions’ functional, semantic and structural characteristics the author gives the most common definition of a landscape description, outlines the eight-level classification of their linguistic features, in which the main level of descriptions’ identification is their belonging to the locality type. In the paper, the author performs a detailed analysis and modelling of language units’ interaction in the landscape descriptions of oral actualisation. The model allows distinguishing the direction of prosodic, lexical and grammatical means’ interaction in the organisation of the aforementioned descriptions having different degrees of their narrative dynamics and the level of emotional-and-pragmatic potential. The suggested model and the landscape descriptions’ classification serve as methodological grounds for the experimental phonetic study of static urban landscape descriptions’ prosodic organisation. The article also outlines the steps of the auditory analysis methodology necessary for researching the prosodic parameters of the descriptions under study. Among other parameters, the author applies the Kalyta-Taranenko K-criterion for the evaluation of a text fragment’s level of emotional-and-pragmatic potential. The results of the auditory analysis enable the author to come up with the invariant prosodic pattern of English static urban landscape descriptions’ intonation organisation. This invariant pattern makes it possible to classify them perfectly well during their oral realisation. The paper also outlines the prospective scientific studies of other kinds of descriptions in different linguistic spheres in general and in phonetics in particular.

The article discusses the methodological algorithm for diachronic interpretation of the Nostratic etymon *mar-a “tree” represented in the A. R. Bomhard’s “A Comprehensive Introduction to Nostratic Comparative Linguistics: With Special Reference to Indo-European. The paper elaborates the definition of the Nostratic etymon as a hypothetical language-ancestor, established based on the comparison of the degree of affinity with the available reconstructed etymons at the level of every Nostratic language family (Altaic, Afro-Asiatic, Dravidian, Indo-European, Kartvelian, and Uralic). The author comes to the conclusion that Bomhard used the three research stages to identify the Nostratic etymon. At the first stage (the level of the language family) the comparative-historical method is used with the procedures of internal (etymon(s) / proto-form(s) at the level of the language group) and external (comparison of etymons / proto-forms reconstructed for certain language groups in order to reconstruct etymon / proto-form at the level of the language family) reconstruction; the step-by-step reconstruction method. At the second stage (the level of macrofamily) the mass comparison method is used. It helps to involve the already reconstructed etymons at the level of every Nostratic language family into comparison. At the third stage, a specially developed method of diachronic interpretation is used. An attempt tries to prove that the diachronic interpretation of the Nostratic *mar-a “tree” is confirmed by the analysis of language data. The paper considers two methodological procedures: 1) the comparison of a sufficient number of common morphs (or allomorphs) in comparable languages, i.e. the establishment of similar rules for combining regular phonetic correspondences; 2) the semantic similarity of common morphs (or allomorphs) in comparable languages.

This paper deals with the strategy of persuasion in modern American political discourse. The linguistic analysis of political language is, in fact, the discovery of the ways how to manipulate the language signs to achieve specific political goals. Different mechanisms of influence on mass and organisation of effective communication are within the scope of this study due to the fact that language is an inexhaustible source of techniques and methods of persuasion. The aim of the paper is to identify the linguistic (grammatical, lexical-semantic, stylistic) and pragmatic characteristics of the strategy of persuasion in acceptance speeches of democrats as well as to establish common and distinctive features of the lingual component of their discourse. It examines and analyses the strategy of persuasion in the political discourse in the light of Critical Discourse Analysis and the conceptual framework proposed by T. van Dijk, namely personal persuasive strategies, i.e. positive self-presentation strategy and negative other-presentation strategy. The two candidates under analysis preferred declarative sentences to inform the electorate about their plans and ideas of reorganising the American social and political situation. The politicians used the personal pronoun “I” to state their own personal views and feelings, “we” – to get trust and support from the listeners. In their acceptance speeches, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama preferred a personal strategy of negative other-presentation to positive self-presentation strategy. The discourse of Democrats is vivid due to the great usage of stylistic means and lexis from different lexico-semantic fields.

The paper focuses on the theoretical analysis of psychological and pedagogic foundations of humanistic foreign language education viewed as an interrelated subject-subject system for improving the emotional and intellectual spheres of students’ personal development, which is based on an attitude of interest in life in all its manifestations. Synthesising findings of ethics of care and dialogical pedagogy, humanistic foreign language education is intended to acquaint students with sociocultural knowledge accumulated by humanity; promote better self-understanding and awareness of their place and role in society; develop the ability to adequately assess the possibilities for their self-realisation; teach students to think independently and critically, and to communicate in a civilized and effective way with other people and the world at large. The study of the U.S. practical experience in this educational sphere is highlighted as well. The paper outlines pedagogical participatory techniques, such as role-playing and discussion. They effectively combine the humanistic approach to the educational process with the foreign language study, providing self-discovery and self-perfection. Students are trained as informed and competent interlocutors in the foreign language. They are also educated to reflect on the world through the lens of another culture. The research shows that humanistic foreign language education with its emphasis on the inner world of the learners, their individual thoughts, emotions and feelings is of great significance in overall personality development. Humanistic foundations of pedagogical participatory techniques involve students’ affective experiences reflected in the values and ideals that they hold most dear, the meaning and purpose of their lives, their connectedness to each other and to the surrounding world.