Search

Abstract Entangled photon-pair sources are at the core of quantum applications like quantum key distribution, sensing, and imaging. Operation in space-limited and adverse environments such as in satellite-based and mobile communication requires robust entanglement sources with minimal size and weight requirements. Here, we meet this challenge by realizing a cubic micrometer scale entangled photon-pair source in a 3R-stacked transition metal dichalcogenide crystal. Its crystal symmetry enables the generation of polarization-entangled Bell states without additional components and provides tunability by simple control of the pump polarization. Remarkably, generation rate and state tuning are decoupled, leading to equal generation efficiency and no loss of entanglement. Combining transition metal dichalcogenides with monolithic cavities and integrated photonic circuitry or using quasi-phasematching opens the gate towards ultrasmall and scalable quantum devices.

Aim: study the dynamics of osteogenesis and bone resorption markers in elite biathlonists owing to the “compression” specifics of cyclic training aids, mainly used at the stages of the early season of the annual training cycle.Materials and methods: 23 elite biathlonists undergoing centralized training as the members of the Russian national team took part in the study.Results: no changes in the P1NP amounts reaching a reliable level were recorded throughout the early season. The average group osteocalcin amount at the precompetition stage significantly (p < 0,05) increased compared with that measured at the special preliminary stage. Dynamics of β-CrossLaps concentration showed significant (p < 0,05) decrease during the transition from the general preliminary to the special preliminary stage.Conclusion: the degree of intense training activity influence on the activity of bone cells and in turn the response of bone tissue to training loads depend on a set of exercise parameters performed by the athlete, such as duration, intensity, specificity, recovery time and mechanical stress. Optimizing the ratio of cyclic aids with different levels of compression loads during specialized training promotes adaptive changes which protect bone tissue from resorption affected by intense physical exercises. When analyzing the levels of bone metabolism markers for diagnosis and monitoring disorders associated with skeletal overload which could occur high-intensity training loads, an individual approach as well as recognition of the load specifics and parameters performed by an athlete at a specific stage of the training macrocycle are required.

The aim was to determine the phylogenetic position and features of the genome organization of individual groups of Vibrio cholerae strains isolated in Siberia and the Far East under different epidemiological situations during the seventh cholera pandemic.Materials and methods. We examined 275 V. cholerae strains, isolated during epidemic complications and during the cholera-free period in Siberia and the Far East, with different profiles of the main genomic loci of pathogenicity. The genomes of 969 V. cholerae strains from GenBank were used for phylogenetic analysis. The phylogeny reconstruction was carried out through calculating the distances between strains based on the occurrence of k-mers. The search, analysis and visualization of the loci structure in mobile genetic elements in V. cholerae genomes were performed using the blastn and Prokka programs and the author’s R and Python scripts.Results and discussion. Strains of V. cholerae isolated in Siberia and the Far East have been included in three global phylogenetic lines – L2, L3, L4. The distribution of strains from Siberia and the Far East along phylogenetic lines corresponds to the epidemiological situation in which they were isolated. We have identified the differentiation of strains by groups consistent with the global waves of spread of the etiological agent of the seventh cholera pandemic. We also traced potential paths for the import of the cholera pathogen into the territory of the Russian Federation. It has been revealed that spontaneous mutants that lost cholera toxin genes during storage and cultivation on nutrient media belong to the L2 phylogenetic lineage as well as toxigenic El Tor vibrios. The structural analysis confirms the differences in their genome organization and strains that do not have a CTX prophage during primary PCR screening. We recommend a two-stage algorithm of phylogenetic analysis within the framework of genomic monitoring of cholera agent: the first stage is a simplified assessment based on the occurrence of k-mers for express epidemiological analysis; the second stage is an in-depth analysis of genomes using a complex of phylogenetic methods for the reconstruction of links in individual epidemic complications, to establish patterns of origin and time of divergence of the pathogen clones.

Aim – to study the attitude of employees of various professions to a healthy lifestyle (HLS) and their assessment of the health-saving technologies used in the workplace. Material and methods. 210 workers took part in the survey. The questionnaire included 24 questions aimed at employees' ideas about a healthy lifestyle, health-saving technologies and a system of health-saving measures at the enterprise. The obtained data were subjected to mathematical and statistical processing. Results. The analysis of participants' responses revealed the clear understanding among the respondents about a healthy lifestyle, however, the proportion of people following the principles of HLS was low in each of the two groups formed by industry. The respondents considered the lack of time, financial problems, lack of perseverance and willpower to be the main reasons preventing compliance with a healthy lifestyle. The most popular measures of health-preservation were compliance with sleep and rest regimen, annual medical examination. At an enterprise level, insufficient attention was paid to ensuring safe working conditions using innovative technologies and collective means of protection. Various ways of compensating employees for working in harmful working conditions were rarely used, as well as means of encouraging and increasing employees' motivation for healthy lifestyle. Conclusion. In order to solve the problem of employees' health protection and to achieve work longevity, it is necessary to redesign the legislative requirements for the introduction of comprehensive health and healthy lifestyle promoting programs in the workplace.

Adapting and validating diagnostic tools aimed to evaluate the post-traumatic effects of war in low-income countries is essential for assessing needs and planning support programs. This paper will describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Continuous Traumatic Stress Response (CTSR) Scale for war-affected Ukraine. The study includes Phase 1, Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Scale, and Phase 2, Psychometric validation of the Scale. Cross-cultural adaptation goes through four stages: forward translation, expert panel review and back translation (n=3), pretesting and cognitive interviewing mental health professionals (n=8), and final version. Psychometric validation includes exploratory (n=200) and confirmatory (n=419) factor analyses, internal consistency, construct validity and test-retest reliability. Findings from the current research indicate that the components identified through factor analyses differed from those in the original questionnaire. While all original items in the questionnaire were retained, they merged into two new factors: “Exhaustion and Rage” and “Fear and Betrayal”. The results show that the overall Cronbach’s Alpha is .858, indicating a high level of internal consistency. Significant correlations exist between the total CTSR Scale score, the subscale scores, PTSD (PCL-5), moral injury (MISS-C-SF), depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms, indicating construct validity. The findings demonstrate the test-retest reliability of the CTSR Scale and have practical implications for how it could be implemented in trauma-informed care. Acknowledgements This study was initiated as part of the projects Exposure to Continuous Traumatic Stress and Its Consequences Among Young Adults in Ukraine, which was supported by the British Academy Researchers at Risk Fellowship (2022-2025), and Living on the Edge: Continuous Traumatic Stress in Adolescents During Military Conflict funded by the Leverhulme Research Support Grant (2023-2024). Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Mendeley Data: Zasiekina, Larysa (2024), “Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the Ukrainian version of CTSR Scale”, Mendeley Data, V1, https://doi.org/10.17632/22xt2zj86t.1. Disclosure Statement The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest. * Corresponding author: Larysa Zasiekina, 0000-0001-8456-0774zasyekina.larisa@vnu.edu.ua

Abstract Transport of macromolecules through the nuclear envelope (NE) is mediated by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) consisting of nucleoporins (Nups). Elys/Mel-28 is the Nup that binds and connects the decondensing chromatin with the reassembled NPCs at the end of mitosis. Whether Elys links chromatin with the NE during interphase is unknown. Here, using DamID-seq, we identified Elys binding sites in Drosophila late embryos and divided them into those associated with nucleoplasmic or with NPC-linked Elys. These Elys binding sites are located within active or inactive chromatin, respectively. Strikingly, Elys knockdown in S2 cells results in peripheral chromatin displacement from the NE, in decondensation of NE-attached chromatin, and in derepression of genes within. It also leads to slightly more compact active chromatin regions. Our findings indicate that NPC-linked Elys, together with the nuclear lamina, anchors peripheral chromatin to the NE, whereas nucleoplasmic Elys decompacts active chromatin.

The article examines A. Blok’s response to a questionnaire of the Union of Fiction Figures (UFF), written in May 1918 for a one-day newspaper on the theme “The Ways for the Revival of Russia” (not published). The analysis of the state of the issue reveals insufficient study level of the history of the text and contradictory information about it in the research literature. The article proposes to analyze Blok’s note in the context of his attitude to the UFF in 1918 on the material of unknown correspondence between Union activists (F. Sologub, S. Kondurushkin, An. Chebotarevskaya, etc.). The published set of letters for the first time makes it possible to concretize the history of the making of UFF, to reconstruct the main idea of the newspaper, and the reasons that prevented its implementation. It turns out that in addition to objective reasons (closing of non-Bolshevik publications, problems with printers), there were also internal ones, in particular, the refusal of the newspaper editor to further edit because of the heterogeneity of the collected material. The article assumes that Blok’s note played no last role in this decision since the poet deliberately contradicted the main idea of the newspaper by replacing the survey question “What should a Russian citizen do now?” with the one “What should an artist do now?” The presented research proves that Blok’s “answer” was of polemical way, firstly, towards the creative intelligentsia protesting against the Bolsheviks; and secondly, towards the writers who declared a boycott of him after the publishing of his poem “The Twelve.”

An integral step in kefir production technology is the use of kefir grains, but in some cases it is necessary to maintain their population at the plant. A convenient method is freezing, but with direct freezing, kefir grains lose activity and some microorganisms die off. The use of substances with cryoprotective properties can help preserve kefir grains under direct freezing conditions. The study has examined three environments that have the potential to protect the symbiosis of kefir grains under subcryoscopic conditions: skim sterile milk, gelatin and a sterile solution of 30 % sucrose, and one environment that is stressful – sterile distilled water. At previous stages of research, it was proven that sharp defrosting aggravates the stress phenomena of the bacterial community, in particular, promotes the death of surface lactococci which leads to dysbacteriosis of the symbiosis. The work used for the first time a periodic scheme for defrosting kefir grains in a protective environment; the methods of visual and organoleptic assessment have been applied, the studies of microbiological and physico-chemical parameters of milk after fermentation of kefir starter with kefir grains have been conducted. Milk changes have been carried out using the technology of cultivating kefir grains with daily passages. It is accepted that if based on a set of indicators kefir grains from the experimental groups within 7 days correlate with the indicators detected for the control group, which was not subjected to freezing, then it is accepted that the kefir grains have completely restored viability. If this does not happen, a conclusion is drawn that the symbiosis has not been restored. As a result of the research, the prospects for using the studied substances as protective media have been proven and the need to construct specialized cryoprotective media for direct freezing of kefir grains in order to create your own kefir culture banks has been substantiated. The approach will reduce the use of bacterial substitutes for kefir like direct fermentation starters.

The sorption characteristics of sand, peat, the arable layer of Moscow urbanozem and a mixture of these substrates were studied in conjunction with the surface topography of their solid phase, studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The arable layer has the greatest ability to absorb nitrogen, and the peat substrate showed very low values of the sorbed gas. A different picture of the mutual arrangement of substrate sorption isotherms is observed when water vapour is used as a sorbing gas. Peat is distinguished by high values of sorbed moisture in the entire studied range of relative humidity. This leads to differences in the ranking of substrates by specific surface area in descending order of its values. So, the specific surface area by water sorption in the series: peat / arable layer / mixture / sand was: 420 / 72 / 45 / 4 m2/g, respectively. The given surface was ranked according to nitrogen sorption in a different sequence: 8.31 / 2.41 / 1.45 / 0.55 for the series: arable layer, mixture, peat and sand, respectively. The analysis of microstructural characteristics by the SEM method at various magnifications revealed the most developed, rough surface in the arable layer. It turned out to be geometrically the most diverse, even at magnification of ×20 000. The variety and heterogeneity of the relief of the interface of the phases leads to the appearance of hysteresis of the sorption/desorption curves. Its severity in the range of nitrogen vapor concentration in which hysteresis is detected, and in the maximum width of the hysteresis loop, also turned out to be the most significant in the arable layer. The very low nitrogen specific surface of peat, which is close to a sandy substrate, is associated with the presence of organic films draping and leveling the surface of peat particles, which was revealed by analyzing images obtained by scanning electron microscopy. The sorption of water showed their high hydrophilicity, which led to high values of substrate humidity in the entire studied range of relative humidity.

The study’s relevance lies in the demographic challenges currently facing the EU, namely population ageing and declining birth rates, against the backdrop of global labour mobility. This work examines the multifaceted nature of labour migration and addresses the critical need for balanced migration management and effective integration practices. The aim is to harness the economic benefits of migration while minimising potential negative impacts on both the local population and migrants. The research aims to uncover these complex dynamics by proposing measures to enhance integration strategies and improve the efficiency of migration policies in the EU. The study’s novelty and scientific value stem from its integrative approach to analysing the economic consequences of migration. It highlights the importance of comprehensive migration policies that consider migration processes’ economic, social, and cultural aspects. The application of systemic, structural-functional, comparative, and statistical analysis gained insights into the impact of migration on the labour market, demographic trends, and migrant integration. The results indicate that migration can help to address labour market deficits and stimulate economic growth. It is emphasised that targeted investments in integration programmes that account for the specificities of different migrant groups are necessary. This study contributes to the scholarly and policy discussion on labour migration in the EU, providing a basis for developing more nuanced and compelling migration and integration policies.

Background. Person's civil and ethnic identity, which are components of social identity, develop during socialization under the influence of a number of factors. J. Berry identifies cultural, political, economic and historical factors as the basis for identity formation. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the study of the role of the cultural factor, namely the structure of values, in the formation of a positive civic and ethnic identity of Russians. Objectives. The purpose of this work is to study the structure of the ethnic and civic identity of Russians as well as the influence of individual values on their formation. Study Participants. The study was conducted with the participation of 1014 respondents, ethnic Russians, aged from 19 to 83 years (Mage = 41 years; SD = 13.04; 527 women and 487 men). Methods. J. Finney's MEIM-R methods were used to measure ethnic identity. S. Schwartz's PVQ-R value structure questionnaire was also applied. Civic identity was measured using the methodology from the International Social Survey Program, adapted into Russian by L.K. Grigoryan. Results. It was found that the civic identity of Russians as the individual’s awareness of belonging to the citizens of the country is more pronounced than ethnic identity. Nationalism is expressed more than the ideology of patriotism. The affective component of ethnic identity is more pronounced than the cognitive one. Among the surveyed respondents, the values of independence, security, reputation and benevolence prevail. The values of security, benevolence and universalism increase the level of civic identity in Russians. The key positive regressor in relation to both civic and ethnic identity is the value “Tradition”. Conclusions. Socially oriented values (preservation and self-overcoming) have a positive impact on the formation of positive civic and ethnic identity of Russians. The values of personal orientation (openness to change and self-affirmation) have a negative impact on their formation.

The article describes an experimental study aimed at developing the spiritual and moral values of high school students in English lessons. It was assumed that the use of debatable teaching methods would contribute to the development of spiritual and moral values of high school students in English lessons. The study included 3 stages: the primary diagnosis of the spiritual and moral sphere of the personality of students of experimental and control groups – M. Rokich's methodology "Diagnosis of value orientations", diagnosis of moral education by M. I. Shilova, methods of studying patriotic education by I.D. Lushnikov, methods "Study of self-esteem of personality" by S. A. Budassi; development, testing and implementation in the educational process in an experimental group of discussion methods of teaching; conducting a control diagnosis of the spiritual and moral sphere of students and analyzing the effectiveness of the proposed exercises. The analysis of the research results showed that the use of debatable teaching methods has a positive impact on the development of spiritual and moral values of high school students in English lessons. Proven and implemented discussion methods in the educational process are important for understanding the development of spiritual and moral values of high school students and can be useful for educational practices.

The article deals with the historiography of the women’s movement in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. It addresses the terms related to this historical phenomenon, classification of women-members of the movement, and research methodology. The main sources are the publications of the most significant modern Russian and foreign researchers working on this rahge of problems. Based on the analysis of the historiography presented in the text, we can conclude that in historical retrospect, researchers used such terms as feminism, women’s emancipation, the woman question, suffragism, and women’s movement. Nowadays, the most commonly used term is women’s movement. The most commonly used methodology rests upon the theories of social movement sociology. There is currently no well-established classification of female participants in social movements. The existing terminological and methodological tools do not allow us to comprehend the diversity of forms of social processes and real feminist strategies in the late imperial period. To analyze the problem of women’s activism in the second half of the 19th and early 20th century, we suggest using broader terms women’s social activism and the new woman, the concepts of J. Habermas and H. Arendt of the public and private spheres, and E. Goffman’s theory of gender display. At the same time, the slogan “The Personal is Political” coined by Carol Hanisch allows us to make certain “politicization” of the public sphere for women’s activism of a non-political and non-legal nature. In this regard, women’s social activism will be a “political” act in the public sphere because it transcends the existing patriarchal institutions and practices. The final part of the article concludes that the expansion of terminological and methodological framework due to the introduction of the concept of women’s social activism and the application of theories/concepts of J. Habermas, H. Arendt, and E. Goffman will make it possible to fill the gaps of regional and all-Russian women’s history by including in the historical memory those women who went out of the private sphere into the public space and fulfilled their potential through obtaining higher education, charity, entrepreneurship, and acquiring the professions that had been considered exclusively male earlier.

The significance of growth activity peak in screening studies of children and adolescents as biomarker of chronobiological status of the population is the focus of present research. The broad spectrum of samples (N = 43), including different ethnoterritorial groups of Russia and former USSR, examined throughout a wide historical period of second half of 20th — beginning of 21st century, was included in the analysis. The material source was data from literature and authors’ own databases. The following indicators of growth activity peak were calculated for each group: age (in years) of the maximal velocity of growth changes of the average level of height through the adolescence, estimated by empiric rows of annual changes of mean height with further smoothing by the least squares method — separately for boys and girls; its absolute value (cm) and chronological age (years). Intragroup sexual differences of these characteristics were considered as well. The subsequent statistical analysis (Statistica 10 package was used) revealed, that intergroup distribution of age at peak height velocity was not Gaussian and gravitated towards bimodality for both sexes. Herewith the least urbanized groups (rural Abkhazians and urban Mongolians) were excluded from analysis due to the specificity of the dynamic lines of height gains. The factor analysis established autonomy of pubertal growth acceleration of male and female teenagers — the first factor describes growth activity for males, the second one — for females. The analysis of intergeneration dynamics of age at peak height velocity, on the example of Moscow boys and girls, established, that the used parameter might indicate occasional changes of quality of life of a population (for example, introduction of free school lunches during the NEP period), as well as more global changes (intensified urbanization throughout the 20th century). The results of the study suggest that the variability of the growth activity peak parameters indicate significant social/anthropogenic base of chronobiological status of the population and independent growth strategies of males and females, which allows considering it as valid and promising biomarker in population growth studies.

Objective: To study catalytic properties of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and some physical and chemical characteristics of blood in patients with thermal injuries.Materials and methods: We examined blood samples from 24 patients with contact burns involving 10%-40% of the body surface area and studied erythrocyte LDH activity in forward and reverse reactions, kinetic characteristics of this process, and protein concentration. We used teziocrystalloscopy to evaluate crystallogenic properties of blood serum of the examined patients with thermal injuries.Results: Thermal injuries were shown to cause a 2-fold decrease in LDH activity in the reverse reaction. Analysis of crystallogenic properties of blood serum of the patients with contact burns revealed that development of a complex response to a burn injury is accompanied by a moderate decrease in the structure index and crystallizability and a signifi decrease in the clearity of the marginal protein zone. In case of burn disease, we also observed a decrease in the initiative potential of the biological fl In addition, microscope slides of the dried blood serum revealed a tendency to randomization of the sample similar to that found in crystalloscopic facies.Conclusions: The local thermal effect leading to a complex response to a burn injury was found to cause significant transformation of physical and chemical characteristics of blood. Thermal injuries cause a decrease in LDH activity in the reverse reaction leading to a disturbance of the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio in the cell and significant shifts in the blood serum composition and properties, which are manifested in a significant change in blood serum crystallogenic and initiating properties.

The study examines the development policy of the circular economy using the example of European Union countries based on the results of their circularity indicators. The respective countries fall into the “shift” country profile according to the distribution from the Global Circularity Gap, being consumers of the majority of global materials and generating 43% of emissions. Through the grouping of EU countries, it was found that high-circularity indicators do not necessarily determine a country's level of environmental friendliness. It has been identified that countries with high resource productivity levels (ranging from 5.8811 to 2.1397%), provided they have high and medium levels of product processing and investment in circular economy development, do not always have a positive impact on the environment. The corresponding research has led to the conclusion that the significant negative impact of the overproduction of goods and excessive resource consumption in European countries, which necessitates appropriate changes in societal activities. There is a need to adjust the policy directions of EU countries to stimulate their sustainable development in a closed-loop economy context, taking into account the specific characteristics and opportunities of each country, which will ensure a more effective adaptation to the implemented innovations. The results of this research can be applied to shaping the circular economy development policy and developing proposals for directions in societal development based on raising awareness about the consequences of interactions with the environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely undermined most economies in the world. To a significant extent the reasons behind this economic nosedive are rooted in the sphere of labour market. The imposed restriction measures made many workers stay at home, and part of them even lost their jobs. The speed of economic recovery in different countries varied depending on how quarantine restrictions were eased. One crucial factor in this process is labour market flexibility and its ability to adapt to changing economic conditions. The purpose of the paper is to explore the relationship between the labour market flexibility and the speed of GDP recovery when the pandemic was waning and the quarantine restrictions were being removed. Methodologically, the study relies on labour economics. The methods are multivariate and logistic regression analysis. The data for the study is sourced from the World Bank and Eurostat and comprises statistics for assessing labour market flexibility and GDP in various countries for 2020–2021. The findings indicate a reverse relationship between the speed of GDP growth recovery during the post-COVID period and the share of part-time employment. Yet taking into account that part-time employment is not only an indicator of the labour market flexibility, but also reflects a general slowdown in production and unemployment, we can attach low speed of recovery to a greater weakness of an economy. The obtained results are insufficient to reject the hypothesis that a more flexible labour market accelerates the recovery of a national economy. At the same time, the study demonstrates that the West European countries generally got over the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis faster than other EU countries. The research contributes to understanding the transformation processes in the labour market under the pandemic as well as provides support for labour market policy development and implementation.