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As digital technologies penetrate all spheres of human life, scientific and technological progress becomes a global development factor. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an advanced and rapidly developing area that has already proved its efficiency in healthcare, finance, and transport. However, AI also poses significant ethical and legal challenges because it can be used to generate and distribute virtual child pornography. The article features methods of generating virtual child pornography through various AI tools, their ethical implications, and the existing legal frameworks that cover these issues. In fact, the existing international and national laws on child abuse fail to take into account AI-generated images. The authors studied cases and legal precedents to highlight the urgent need for robust regulatory legal measures to prevent the misuse of AI technologies, the potential of which should be realized for the benefit of society.

In this article, the authors consider the noise characteristics of traffic flows in urban conditions. The unevenness of traffic flows in time and space entails a change in noise effects on the environment. The main source of noise pollution is the internal combustion engine, which produces aerodynamic noise and structural noise. Noise level measurements are carried out separately for vehicles in motion and for stationary vehicles. The noise level is directly influenced by the mode of movement of cars, the speed of traffic flow, and the intensity of traffic flow. Deterioration of working and leisure conditions with a high level of traffic noise can lead to a decrease in labor productivity and the occurrence of nervous disorders. Therefore, the protection of the population from the noise generated by transport is not only of social, but also of economic importance. Purpose: to analyze the level of noise impacts of traffic flow in urban conditions. Method and methodology. The methods of observation, statistical analysis, and synthesis were used in the article. Results: noise level measurements were carried out on the selected section of the road network, and calculated data were obtained based on the declared characteristics of the traffic flow. Scope of application of the results: research activities to improve the environmental safety of the traffic flow.

Climate change has a negative impact on the environment, including forest ecosystems. However, forests are not only passive objects affected by climate change, but also, due to their ability to absorb and accumulate carbon, they themselves can significantly influence this process. Carbon sequestration by forest ecosystems plays an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to know about the amount of carbon stored in forest phytomass, and it is becoming increasingly important to accurately determine the phytomass of forest trees. Due to the absorption of carbon dioxide during plant growth and its release during wood burning, forests are a carbon-neutral energy source. The idea of using phytomass as an energy source to replace fossil fuels is most promising for fast-growing species. These include willows (genus Salix L.), native to Europe, Asia, America and Africa and found from the tundra to the tropics. Willow is successfully used as fuel in many countries, showing excellent growth and productivity even at juvenile stages and, under certain climatic conditions, having the highest capacity among woody plants to convert solar radiation into phytomass. Short-rotation willow plantations represent an ecologically promising energy resource for reducing greenhouse gas levels. Since the development of phytomass models is a laborious process, so-called “generic meta-models” are used. The aim of this study has been to construct generic models of both aboveground phytomass and phytomass fractions (foliage, branches, stem, roots) of willow trees based on meta-analysis of data. In the course of the work, the models have been constructed for assessing the aboveground phytomass of trees both in diameter at the stem base and in diameter at breast height, the information content of which is close to functional, and the biases are only about 2 %. Since each fraction of phytomass has a specific carbon-sequestering capacity and makes a different contribution to the carbon balance, generic models have been developed to estimate the mass of foliage, branches, stems and roots in relation to the aboveground phytomass of trees, explaining from 82 % (for foliage) to 99 % (for stems and roots) of the total variability of phytomass.

This work is the first part of a large bibliographic review of active queue management algorithms of the Random Early Detection (RED) family, presented in the scientific press from 1993 to 2023. The third part will provide data on algorithms published from 2016 to 2023.

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems of autonomous systems such as drones, robots and self-driving cars may consume up to 50% of the total power available onboard, thereby limiting the vehicle’s range of functions and considerably reducing the distance the vehicle can travel on a single charge. Next-generation onboard AI systems need an even higher power since they collect and process even larger amounts of data in real time. This problem cannot be solved using traditional computing devices since they become more and more power-consuming. In this review article, we discuss the perspectives on the development of onboard neuromorphic computers that mimic the operation of a biological brain using the nonlinear–dynamical properties of natural physical environments surrounding autonomous vehicles. Previous research also demonstrated that quantum neuromorphic processors (QNPs) can conduct computations with the efficiency of a standard computer while consuming less than 1% of the onboard battery power. Since QNPs are a semi-classical technology, their technical simplicity and low cost compared to quantum computers make them ideally suited for applications in autonomous AI systems. Providing a perspective on the future progress in unconventional physical reservoir computing and surveying the outcomes of more than 200 interdisciplinary research works, this article will be of interest to a broad readership, including both students and experts in the fields of physics, engineering, quantum technologies and computing.

Abstract Invasive fungal disease (IFD) presents a life-threatening condition in immunocompromised patients, thus often prompting empirical administration of antifungal treatment, without adequate mycological evidence. Over the past years, wide use of antifungal prophylaxis resulted in decreased occurrence of IFD but has contributed to changes in the spectrum of fungal pathogens, revealing the occurrence of previously rare fungal genera causing breakthrough infections. The expanding spectrum of clinically relevant fungal pathogens required the implementation of screening approaches permitting broad rather than targeted fungus detection to support timely onset of pre-emptive antifungal treatment. To address this diagnostically important aspect in a prospective setting, we analyzed 935 serial peripheral blood (PB) samples from 195 pediatric and adult patients at high risk for IFD, involving individuals displaying febrile neutropenia during treatment of hematological malignancies or following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Two different panfungal-PCR-screening methods combined with ensuing fungal genus identification by Sanger sequencing were employed. In the great majority of PB-specimens displaying fungal DNAemia, the findings were transient and revealed fungi commonly regarded as non-pathogenic or rarely pathogenic even in the highly immunocompromised patient setting. Hence, to adequately exploit the diagnostic potential of panfungal-PCR approaches for detecting IFD, particularly if caused by hitherto rarely observed fungal pathogens, it is necessary to confirm the findings by repeated testing and to identify the fungal genus present by ensuing analysis. If applied appropriately, panfungal-PCR-screening can help prevent unnecessary empirical therapy, and conversely, contribute to timely employment of effective pre-emptive antifungal treatment strategies.

Magnetic quantum oscillations (MQOs) are traditionally applied to investigate the electronic structure of metals. In layered quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) materials, the MQOs have several qualitative features, offering additional helpful information, provided their theoretical description is developed. Within the framework of the Kubo formula and the self-consistent Born approximation, we reconsider the phase of the beats in the amplitude of the Shubnikov oscillations of the interlayer conductivity in Q2D metals. We show that the phase shift of the beats of the Shubnikov (conductivity) oscillations relative to the de Haas–van Alphen (magnetization) oscillations is larger than woud be expected and, under certain conditions, can reach the value of π/2, as observed experimentally. We explain the phase inversion of the MQOs during the 3D–2D crossover and predict the decrease in the relative MQO amplitude of the interlayer magnetoresistance in a strong magnetic field, larger than the beat frequency.

Introduction. The rapid spread of African swine fever in the Kaliningrad region makes it necessary to use the methods of molecular epidemiology to determine the dynamics and direction of ASF spread in this region of Russia. The aim of the study was to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms within molecular markers K145R, O174L and MGF 505-5R of ASFVs isolated in Kaliningrad region and to study the circulating of the pathogen in European countries by subgenotyping and spatio-temporal clustering analysis. Materials and methods. Blood samples from living domestic pigs and organs from dead domestic pigs and wild boars, collected in the Kaliningrad region between 2017 and 2022 were used. Virus isolation was carried out in porcine bone-marrow primary cell culture. Amplicons of genome markers were amplified by PCR with electrophoretic detection and subsequent extraction of fragments from agarose gel. Sequencing was performed using the Sanger method. Results. The circulation of two genetic clusters of ASFV isolates on the territory of the Kaliningrad has been established: epidemic (K145R-III, MGF 505-5R-II, O174L-I – 94.3% of the studied isolates) and sporadic (K145R-II, MGF 505-5R-II, O174L-I – 5.7%). Conclusion. The broaden molecular genetic surveillance of ASFV isolates based on sequencing of genome markers is necessary in the countries of the Eurasian continent to perform a more detailed analysis of ASF spread between countries and within regions.

Introduction. In the area of sowing with water and suspensions, there has been observed the trend of the development of hydroseeding lawn grass. The direction is less studied for sowing small seeds (germinated and sprouted) of vegetables. Existing works are mainly aimed at substinating the sowing of germinated seeds of watermelons, pumpkins, cucumbers and tobacco. At the same time, there are no studies for hydroseeding of carrot, parsley, dill, lettuce, tomatoes and celery seeds. Thus, theoretical research aimed at substantiating the method and technical solutions for sowing small-seeded crops in open and closed ground conditions are relevant. The problem is the lack of constructive-technological scheme of the tank for formation of sowing mixture of small-seeded crops, design and mode parameters of hydraulic mini seeder for sowing in drills to increase the efficiency of sowing. Aim of the Study. The study is aimed at optimizing parameters and modes for operation of a hydraulic mini seeder for sowing in drills. Materials and Methods. Theoretical studies of the process of homogenization of the seed mixture, power consumption during the operation of the reservoir for the formation of the seed mixture were carried out. Laboratory studies were carried out in Kuban State Agrarian University, field studies in private farms of Krymsky district of Krasnodar Krai. Results. There have been jbtained the expressions describing the dependence of the value of the average circumferential velocity of the seed mixture flow and the power during the operation of the reservoir for the formation of seed mixture for various combinations of design and operating parameters. The analytical dependence describing the value of seed concentration in the carrier medium at a specified moment of time at a fixed point of the tank height is presented. Discussion and Conclusion. Optimal parameters and modes for the operation of a universal hydroseeder for a seeding step are: agitator rotation frequency ‒ 92 min–1; crane opening value – 47%; seeder speed – 3.1 m/s at seeding step 20.5 mm; for seeding step variation coefficient: agitator rotation frequency ‒ 87 min–1; crane opening value – 56%; seeder speed – 2.7 m/s at seeding step variation 15%. The use of suspensions for hydroseeding vegetable crops is promising and should be developed.

This work is the second part of a large bibliographic review of active queue management algorithms of the Random Early Detection (RED) family, presented in the scientific press from 1993 to 2023. This part provides data on algorithms published from 2006 to 2015.

In recent decades, a lot of research has been conducted to explore poultry feeding behavior. However, up to now, the processes behind poultry feeding behavior remain poorly understood. The review generalizes modern expertise about the hormonal regulation of feeding behavior in chickens, focusing on signaling pathways mediated by insulin, leptin, and ghrelin and regulatory pathways with a cross-reference to mammals. This overview also summarizes state-of-the-art research devoted to hypothalamic neuropeptides that control feed intake and are prime candidates for predictors of feeding efficiency. Comparative analysis of the signaling pathways that mediate the feed intake regulation allowed us to conclude that there are major differences in the processes by which hormones influence specific neuropeptides and their contrasting roles in feed intake control between two vertebrate clades.

High-chromium martensitic steels are a promising material for the production of elements of boilers and steam pipelines, as well as blades and rotors of steam turbines for new coal-burning thermal generating units. The use of such materials will give an opportunity for the transition to ultra-supercritical steam parameters (temperature of 600–620 °C and pressure of 25–30 MPa), which will allow increasing the efficiency of generating units to 45 %. Modifications of the chemical composition of high-chromium steels have led to significant improvements of high-temperature properties such as 100,000 h creep strength and 1 % creep limit, while resistance to softening due to low-cycle fatigue remains understudied in this field. This work covers the study of low-cycle fatigue at room temperature with different amplitudes of deformation of martensitic high-chromium 10%Cr–3%Co–2%W–0.5%Mo–0.2%Cu–0.2%Re–0.003%N–0.01%B steel. The steel was pre-subjected to normalizing at 1050 °С followed by tempering at 770 °С. After heat treatment, the steel structure was a tempered martensitic lath structure stabilised by the particles of secondary phases of M23C6 carbides, NbX carbonitrides, and M6C carbides. The average width of martensite laths was 380 nm, and the dislocation density was 1.4×1014 m−2. At low-cycle fatigue, with an increase in the strain amplitude from 0.2 to 1 %, the number of cycles before failure significantly decreases, and the value of plastic deformation in the middle of the number of loading cycles significantly increases. Maximum softening (18 %) is observed at a strain amplitude of 1 % in the middle of the number of loading cycles. In general, the steel structure after low-cycle fatigue tests does not undergo significant changes: the width of the laths increases by 18 % at a strain amplitude of more than 0.3 %, while the dislocation density remains at a rather high level (about 1014 m−2) at all strain amplitudes.

The article discusses the process of constructing a frame, in which its perspective organization turns out to be a sense-forming technique. As a scientific theoretical basis, the works of D. S. Likhachev "Poetics of Old Russian Literature", B. A. Uspensky "Poetics of composition", P. A. Florensky "Reverse perspective". The object of the study of the article is the screenplay of the Russian philosopher and writer Alexander Moiseevich Pyatigorsky "Man is not like others (New Oedipus)". The article discusses the author's methods of creating a metaphor for urban space as a labyrinth, in which the hero of SHWELLENBEIN, like the ancient Greek mythological Oedipal plot, seeks the truth.

The purpose of the scientific treatise is to investigate and intensify competence-based readiness of future teachers to professional activities in educational institutions, namely, the interrelated competencies of leaders' communication competence (LCC) and communication components of global competence (GC). To do this, jigsaw activities & opinion sharing methods were applied to the educational environment of the students of the experimental group. In the process of achieving the goal of research the following methods were used: qualitative-quantitative and contrastive-comparative analysis of the obtained experimental data, statistical-mathematical interpretation of empirical data and their functional analysis, ascertaining experiment method and educational experiment method. The results of the educational experiment prove that on average the representatives of the experimental group managed to score 11.9 points more (9.6%) in accordance with the developed diagnostic paradigm of advanced communicative traits of modern teacher. The improvement of communicative competencies in the behaviour component was the most noticeable within the communication components of GC. The result is 10.0% higher in the experimental group, especially regarding the Skills component both within the LCC (10.3% higher in the experimental group) and within the communication components of GC (the difference here was 17.5%). The applied methods confirmed the positive effect on the development of vocationally orientated communicative competencies of student teachers.

Numerous studies, spanning experimental, instrumental, historical, and modeled approaches, have delved into understanding climate change across the Holocene era and millennial-scale occurrences. However, the chronology and causes of centennial-scale climate events during the Holocene remain controversial. In this study, we overviewed 10 of the best-resolved and most accurately dated records detailing climate change in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) over the Holocene, obtained from different proxies across different climatic zones, and constructed a stack of temperature changes in the NH. Based on the constructed stack, we identified and categorized 15 notable Holocene centennial cooling events (HCCEs) in the NH (period with temperature decreases). To test the chronological validity of the constructed HCCEs, we compared them with the most accurately dated and highly resolved climate records during the last 3 kyr, which have been extensively investigated by the scientific community. Based on the close alignment of the outlined HCCEs with temperature records, we suggest that other HCCEs also match centennial climate cooling events over the last 10 kyr. To understand the origins of the established HCCEs, we compared them with potential climate influencing factors: total solar irradiance (TSI), explosive volcanic activity, Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC)-limited slowdowns, Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) fluctuations, and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO variability. Early Holocene HCCE 5, terminated by a prominent 8.2-ka cold event, was likely driven by the superposition of the AMOC limited slowdown, TSI minimum, and volcanic activity. The Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) happened between HCCEs 5 and 4a and was interrupted by HCCE 4c and 4b, coeval, with a significant southward shift of the ITCZ, likely related to cooling in the tropical zone. However, the sequence of HCCEs 3b, 3a, and 2b (over 4.53–3.42 BP), accompanied by small changes in the TSI, was likely forced by an increase in ENSO variability, leading to remarkable changes in the tropical processes and a southward shift of the ITCZ, coeval with the collapse of the Chinese Neolithic cultures and onset of the Holocene Neoglacial. Subsequent HCCEs 2a–0a were likely forced by the TSI minimum combined with the influence of ENSO and volcanism over the last 2 ka.

The discovery of the quantum tunneling (QT) effect—the transmission of particles through a high potential barrier—was one of the most impressive achievements of quantum mechanics made in the 1920s. Responding to the contemporary challenges, I introduce a deep neural network (DNN) architecture that processes information using the effect of QT. I demonstrate the ability of QT-DNN to recognize optical illusions like a human. Tasking QT-DNN to simulate human perception of the Necker cube and Rubin’s vase, I provide arguments in favor of the superiority of QT-based activation functions over the activation functions optimized for modern applications in machine vision, also showing that, at the fundamental level, QT-DNN is closely related to biology-inspired DNNs and models based on the principles of quantum information processing.

Recent advancements in quantum computing and quantum-inspired algorithms have sparked renewed interest in binary optimization. These hardware and software innovations promise to revolutionize solution times for complex problems. In this work, we propose a novel method for solving linear systems. Our approach leverages binary optimization, making it particularly well-suited for problems with large condition numbers. We transform the linear system into a binary optimization problem, drawing inspiration from the geometry of the original problem and resembling the conjugate gradient method. This approach employs conjugate directions that significantly accelerate the algorithm’s convergence rate. Furthermore, we demonstrate that by leveraging partial knowledge of the problem’s intrinsic geometry, we can decompose the original problem into smaller, independent sub-problems. These sub-problems can be efficiently tackled using either quantum or classical solvers. Although determining the problem’s geometry introduces some additional computational cost, this investment is outweighed by the substantial performance gains compared to existing methods.

Coming into being and development of inclusive education in contemporary Ukrainian society are analysed. The tasks of educational institutions in creating an inclusive space are defined, and the approaches to work with children with disabilities are identified. Works of foreign and domestic scholars and practitioners who studied the problems of inclusion of children with disabilities in the educational process and in the context of social rehabilitation activities are studied. Emphasis is placed on theoretical analysis of social rehabilitation practices of inclusion. A mechanism for implementing social rehabilitation practices of inclusion in the educational process of working with children with disabilities is suggested.

Objective To estimate the cost-effectiveness of craniotomy, compared with decompressive craniectomy (DC) in UK patients undergoing evacuation of acute subdural haematoma (ASDH).Design Economic evaluation undertaken using health resource use and outcome data from the 12-month multicentre, pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised, Randomised Evaluation of Surgery with Craniectomy for Patients Undergoing Evacuation-ASDH trial.Setting UK secondary care.Participants 248 UK patients undergoing surgery for traumatic ASDH were randomised to craniotomy (N=126) or DC (N=122).Interventions Surgical evacuation via craniotomy (bone flap replaced) or DC (bone flap left out with a view to replace later: cranioplasty surgery).Main outcome measures In the base-case analysis, costs were estimated from a National Health Service and Personal Social Services perspective. Outcomes were assessed via the quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) derived from the EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire (cost-utility analysis) and the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) (cost-effectiveness analysis). Multiple imputation and regression analyses were conducted to estimate the mean incremental cost and effect of craniotomy compared with DC. The most cost-effective option was selected, irrespective of the level of statistical significance as is argued by economists.Results In the cost-utility analysis, the mean incremental cost of craniotomy compared with DC was estimated to be −£5520 (95% CI −£18 060 to £7020) with a mean QALY gain of 0.093 (95% CI 0.029 to 0.156). In the cost-effectiveness analysis, the mean incremental cost was estimated to be −£4536 (95% CI −£17 374 to £8301) with an OR of 1.682 (95% CI 0.995 to 2.842) for a favourable outcome on the GOSE.Conclusions In a UK population with traumatic ASDH, craniotomy was estimated to be cost-effective compared with DC: craniotomy was estimated to have a lower mean cost, higher mean QALY gain and higher probability of a more favourable outcome on the GOSE (though not all estimated differences between the two approaches were statistically significant).Ethics Ethical approval for the trial was obtained from the North West—Haydock Research Ethics Committee in the UK on 17 July 2014 (14/NW/1076).Trial registration number ISRCTN87370545.

Reservoir computing (RC) systems can efficiently forecast chaotic time series using the nonlinear dynamical properties of an artificial neural network of random connections. The versatility of RC systems has motivated further research on both hardware counterparts of traditional RC algorithms and more-efficient RC-like schemes. Inspired by the nonlinear processes in a living biological brain and using solitary waves excited on the surface of a flowing liquid film, in this paper, we experimentally validated a physical RC system that substitutes the effect of randomness that underpins the operation of the traditional RC algorithm for a nonlinear transformation of input data. Carrying out all operations using a microcontroller with minimal computational power, we demonstrate that the so-designed RC system serves as a technically simple hardware counterpart to the ‘next-generation’ improvement of the traditional RC algorithm.

Introduction. In the process of demolition and dismantling of emergency buildings, as well as during construction and reconstruction, more than 70 million tons of construction waste are generated annually in Russia. The circular economy is based on the principle of resource renewal, recycling of secondary raw materials, technological measures to return waste to the repeated economic turnover. Nowadays the problem of saving natural resources and reducing construction waste is especially urgent. About 80% of construction waste is heavy and light reinforced concrete, from which can be produced secondary crushed stone, increasing the use of which is one of the tasks in the transition of linear economy to a circular economy. Materials and methods. The study of the implementation of a set of organizational, economic and technological solutions aimed at the reuse of construction waste was carried out. The analysis was carried out on the example of using secondary aggregates obtained from concrete scrap. Results and discussions. In the course of the research the necessity of concrete scrap involvement into repeated economic turnover was proved, as its use in construction fully meets the requirements of the set tasks in the field of energy and resource saving and environmental safety. Conclusion. Recycled crushed stone is a valuable resource that contributes to the sustainable development of the economy as a whole and reduces the harmful impact of the construction industry on the environment.