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There have been impressive advances in the physical and mathematical modelling of complex physiological systems in the last few decades, with the potential to revolutionise personalised healthcare with patient-specific evidence-based diagnosis, risk assessment and treatment decision support using digital twins. However, practical progress and genuine clinical impact hinge on successful model calibration, parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification, which calls for novel innovative adaptions and methodological extensions of contemporary state-of-the-art inference techniques from Statistics and Machine Learning. In the present study, we focus on two computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) models of the blood systemic and pulmonary circulation. We discuss state-of-the-art emulation techniques based on deep learning and Gaussian processes, which are coupled with established inference techniques based on greedy optimisation, simulated annealing, Markov Chain Monte Carlo, History Matching and rejection sampling for computationally fast inference of unknown parameters of the CFD models from blood flow and pressure data. The inference task was set as a competitive challenge which the participants had to conduct within a limited time frame representative of clinical requirements. The performance of the methods was assessed independently and objectively by the challenge organisers, based on a ground truth that was unknown to the method developers. Our results indicate that for the systemic challenge, in which an idealised case of noise-free data was considered, the relative deviation from the ground-truth in parameter space ranges from 10−5% (highest-performing method) to 3% (lowest-performing method). For the pulmonary challenge, for which noisy data was generated, the performance ranges from 0.9% to 7% deviation for the parameter posterior mean, and from 35% to 570% deviation for the parameter posterior variance.

Abstract ZrO2 ceramics have wide applications as structural materials in industrial, scientific, and technological fields. Despite the large number of works devoted to the influence of synthesis parameters on the formation of different phases of ZrO2 and the properties of the obtained ceramics, the effect of sintering temperature on the characteristics of the porous ZrO2 ceramics has not been addressed sufficiently. This study focuses on examining how sintering temperature affects the phase composition, microstructure, dielectric properties, and mechanical properties of porous stabilized zirconium dioxide ceramics. Phase transformations during sintering at various temperatures were identified using powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that fully stabilized cubic ZrO2 with satisfactory mechanical properties (HV0.5 = 580) and a porosity of 21.5% was achieved at temperatures of 1400 and 1500 ℃. At lower sintering temperatures, the obtained samples exhibited multiphase composition and high porosity. The reasons for the formation of the CaZrO3 phase at sintering temperatures of 1000–1200 ℃ were established using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis, and thermodynamic considerations of the solid-phase reactions. AC dielectric measurements showed that the synthesized samples have high-Q characteristics; and that the dielectric constant can be controlled by changing the sintering temperature.

The article discusses two currently relevant concepts such as sustainable development and sustainable growth. By analyzing the sustainable growth factors of 48 ESG-oriented listed Chinese companies for the period 2020–2022, the authors have proved that following the sustainable development concept can ensure the sustainable growth of companies’ performance. ESG- oriented companies show an increase in the level of generated profits and profitability, as well as a decrease in the debt-equity ratio, which positively characterizes their performance. Excess of actual growth of such companies over sustainable growth has been revealed, which does not lead to negative consequences of the activity for the analyzed period, and also does not increase the risks associated with the need to increase debt capital to ensure the identified growth. The study concludes that it is necessary to develop a new toolkit or integrate the two concepts considered to ensure the ability of companies to achieve their sustainability goals without compromising fundamental financial performance. The study results can be used by companies that are already following the sustainable development concept, as well as by those ones that are only at the initial stage of developing and implementing ESG indicators in their operations, by investors when selecting an investment target and by academics in the course of research devoted to the topic of sustainable development and sustainable growth.

This study explored whether the directionality of the relation between majority language and various facets of socioemotional development (three to 5 years old) differs between children with different language backgrounds. 12,951 children (49% girls; 85% White, 6% Pakistani and Bangladeshi, 3% Black, 3% Mix, 2% Indian) from the British Millennium Cohort Study (2001-2006) were included in two-time-point cross-lagged analyses. Models controlling for important covariates found a bidirectional association for monolinguals ([beta]s = 0.05, -0.07, -0.04), a unidirectional effect of majority language on socioemotional difficulties for dual language learners (DLLs) speaking English and minority language(s) at home ([beta] = 0.14), and a unidirectional effect of socioemotional strength on majority language for DLLs speaking only minority language(s) at home ([beta] = -0.17).

Research on factors underlying socioeconomic status (SES)-related inequalities in child development mainly focuses on single countries and specific influential factors. Only few studies scrutinize to what extent differences in children's early behavioural outcomes vary across countries and whether the processes that account for them are common or context-specific. The aim of this study was to explore SES-related inequalities and explanatory factors in 3- to 4-year-old children's externalising behaviour as well as their generalisability across outcome variables (hyperactivity, conduct problems) and countries. The study uses harmonised data from three longitudinal large-scale studies conducted in the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and the Netherlands and a decomposition method to comparatively analyse early SES-related gaps and explanatory factors. Results show that the extent of parental education-related gaps varied across countries. The included explanatory factors accounted for significant amounts of gaps in hyperactivity and conduct problems. Yet, while family income and maternal depressive feelings significantly explained gaps in each facet of externalising behaviour across all three countries, other factors were country-specific. In the US and the UK, health-related factors were additionally relevant for explaining early gaps in both child outcomes; in the UK, also structural aspects of the family significantly explained gaps in conduct problems; no other factors contributed to the explanation of gaps in the Netherlands. Mechanisms that might reduce SES-related inequalities in child behaviour and that may be helpful when constructing appropriate interventions are partially similar, yet also significantly different between countries and child outcomes.

Using data from a longitudinal German large-scale study and structural equation modeling, this study investigated the effects of different dimensions of the early home learning environment (HLE) as well as the effect of language-related preschool quality at the age of 3 to 5 years on students' later school-relevant language proficiency (as indicated by their school-relevant listening comprehension) in primary school (N = 316; M[subscript age in months at Grade 1] = 88.22, SD = 3.98). Results show significant direct effects of both the book exposure at home as well as of the language and literacy-related preschool quality on later school-relevant language proficiency, even when controlling for earlier language skills at preschool entry (age 3/4) and other relevant child (working memory, nonverbal cognitive abilities) and family-related (socioeconomic status) factors. Using child vocabulary and grammar at age 5/6 as mediational variables, the effect of the informal HLE was partially mediated through students' receptive grammar skills. Our results underline the importance of early stimulating home and preschool literacy environments for students' school-relevant language proficiency at the start of primary school.

This article offers an overview of commemorative and bullion coins dedicated to the North, grouping thematic coins from the past 30 years. It analyzes various aspects, including historical, economic, and investment perspectives. The authors review noteworthy commemorative coins made of precious metals by the Bank of Russia. These coins honor the cultural heritage, landmarks, notable figures of Northern exploration, and the region’s flora and fauna. Specifically, coins such as “Exploration of the Russian Arctic,” “International Polar Year,” and “Let’s Save Our World” are examined. The article evaluates the role of monetary policy in the Russian economy, particularly its anti-inflationary objective. A brief historical overview is provided regarding the first Soviet banknotes featuring Northern views and their circulation. In addition to Russian practices, the article showcases international experiences in issuing commemorative coins dedicated to exploring the North. The relevance of this study lies in the Bank of Russia’s emission activities regarding commemorative coins made of precious and base metals, as well as investment coins made of precious metals, both domestically and internationally. The study’s findings set the stage for further exploration of new thematic coins, including an assessment of numismatic and investment demand prospects.

Abstract Although more people are engaging in meditation practices that require specialized training, few studies address the issues associated with nervous activity pattern changes brought about by such training. For beginners, it remains unclear how much practice is needed before objective physiological changes can be detected, whether or not they are similar across the novices and what are the optimal strategies to track these changes. To clarify these questions we recruited individuals with no prior meditation experience. The experimental group underwent an eight-week Taoist meditation course administered by a professional, while the control group listened to audiobooks. Both groups participated in audio-guided, 34-min long meditation sessions before and after the 8-week long intervention. Their EEG, photoplethysmogram, respiration, and skin conductance were recorded during the mediation and resting state periods. Compared to the control group, the experimental group exhibited band-specific topically organized changes of the resting state brain activity and heart rate variability associated with sympathetic system activation. Importantly, no significant changes were found during the meditation process prior and post the 8-week training in either of the groups. The absence of notable changes in CNS and ANS activity indicators during meditation sessions, for both the experimental and control groups, casts doubt on the effectiveness of wearable biofeedback devices in meditation practice. This finding redirects focus to the importance of monitoring resting state activity to evaluate progress in beginner meditators. Also, 16 h of training is not enough for forming individual objectively different strategies manifested during the meditation sessions. Our results contributed to the development of tools to objectively monitor the progress in novice meditators and the choice of the relevant monitoring strategies. According to our findings, in order to track early changes brought about by the meditation practice it is preferable to monitor brain activity outside the actual meditation sessions.

While actions leading to environmental degradation already have global consequences threatening the very existence of humanity, the war in Ukraine has once again proved the effectiveness of existing international environmental protection mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to analyze existing international environmental protection mechanisms from the perspective of the possibility of criminalizing the crime of ecocide. Based on the analysis of the domestic law of countries that have incorporated ecocide as a crime, it follows that national approaches to addressing this issue depend on historical conditions and have significant differences. These differences hinder the prosecution of ecocide in the absence of appropriate international legal mechanisms, while the consequences of ecocide cause global damage. An analysis of the state of international regulations has shown that despite the existence of an extensive environmental protection mechanism, it remains imperfect, thus making it impossible to prosecute ecocide unless it is done in connection with war crimes. An assessment of the data presented in the reports on the war in Ukraine shows that participation in relevant international conventions does not in any way guarantee that the aggressor country will not violate its international obligations. It is shown that recognizing ecocide as a crime at the international level remains the only effective means to bring perpetrators to justice. The results of the study can be used to further improve the legal mechanisms for prosecuting ecocide, in teaching legal disciplines, and in further academic research.

The priority of investing in sustainable development and ESG-oriented companies has become a global trend. Along with the developed markets of the USA and Europe, numerous ESG indices have been formed in countries of other continents. This segment of the stock market shows high growth rates in China. The purpose of the article is to identify the financial indicators that are most closely related to the value dynamics of ESG-oriented companies in China. The empirical base for the comparative analysis of companies adhering to ESG principles and not implementing them in practice was 48 companies included in the SSE 180 ESG Leaders Index of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and 44 companies from the Shanghai Composite index that are not included in the ESG indices. The analysis of the value dynamics of the two groups of companies showed the higher resilience of ESG-oriented enterprises to the crisis phenomena in the economy. However, the comparative analysis of multipliers did not allow us to conclude that one of the groups of companies is more attractive for investment. Special attention was paid to the study of financial indicators of fundamental analysis. The main conclusion is important for investors: the growth in the value of ESG-neutral companies is not consistent with the positive dynamics of financial indicators, and such investments are riskier than investments in ESG-oriented companies. Further research on investment attractiveness of financial ESG-instruments and individual companies, adhering to the principles of sustainable development and represented in the stock market of China, will be associated with more detailed factor analysis, which is important for Russian investors to make informed decisions when developing a new capital market.

The research was carried out to identify the optimal dose of bedding bulk poultry manure on the influence of the crop structure and the yield of spring rape seeds of Lunedi variety. The work was carried out in 2022-2023 in the forest-steppe zone of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Poultry manure loose (GOST 31461-2012) was applied in doses of 4, 6 and 8 t/ha (control - without fertilizers). The experiment was conducted on light gray forest loamy soil with low humus content, neutral reaction and mobile forms of phosphorus and potassium. Statistically proven changes in the structure of rape yield were noticed on the manured variants: the increase in length of the fruit (pod) was 0.40–0.67 cm, in pod weight – 0.04–0.12 g, the number of pods per plant increased by 1.4–2.1 times, the number of seeds in a pod increased by 2.5–4.6 seeds, seed productivity of a single plant increased by 1.9–3.0 times, the weight of 1000 seeds exceeded by 0.66–0.94 g. The application of poultry manure on all variants revealed a reliable increase in the yield of above-ground phytomass and seeds, the increase in rape biomass was 6.03–8.70 t/ha (LSD05 = 1.30), seeds – 0.94–1.26 t/ha (LSD05 = 0.46). The maximum increase in the biomass of rapeseed and seeds (6.03 and 0.94 t/ha) was established in the variant with a manure dose of 4 t/ha, since with an increase in the manure dose (6 and 8 t/ha) in excess of the minimum increase by 1.42–2.67 t/ha of plant biomass and 0.22–0.32 t/ha of seeds. The obtained results suggest that the optimum dose of poultry manure application to spring rapeseed on light grey forest soil (Alfisol) is 4 t/ha.

Background Legislation in the European Union (EU) and the USA promoting the development of paediatric medicines has contributed to new treatments for children. This study explores how such legislation responds to paediatric health needs in different country settings and globally, and whether it should be considered for wider implementation.Methods We searched EU and US regulatory databases for medicines with approved indications resulting from completed paediatric development between 2007 and 2018. Of 195 medicines identified, 187 could be systematically mapped to the burden of the target disease for six study countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kenya, Russia, South Africa) and globally, using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). All medicines were also screened for inclusion on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) and the EML for children under 13 years (EMLc).Results The studied medicines were disproportionately focused on non-communicable diseases, which represented 68% of medicines and 21% of global paediatric DALYs. On the other hand, we found 28% of medicines for communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional disorders, representing 73% of global paediatric DALYs. Neonatal disorders and malaria were mapped with two medicines, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases with none. The gap between medicines and paediatric DALYs was greater in countries with lower income. Still, 34% of medicines are included in the EMLc and 48% in the EML.Conclusions Paediatric policies in the EU and the USA are only partially responsive to paediatric health needs. To be considered for wider implementation, paediatric incentives and obligations should be more targeted towards paediatric health needs. International harmonisation of legislation and alignment with global research priorities could further strengthen its impact on child health and support ongoing efforts to improve access to medicines. Furthermore, efforts should be made to ensure global access to authorised paediatric medicines.

Child outcomes vary by family's socioeconomic status (SES). Research on explanatory factors underlying early SES-related disparities has mainly focused on specific child outcomes (e.g., language skills) and selected influencing factors in single countries often with a focus on individual differences but not explicitly on early SES-related gaps. This study uses harmonised data from longitudinal large-scale studies conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany to examine parental education-related gaps in early child language and social skills. Twelve theoretically proposed family-, child-, and childcare-related factors were systematically evaluated as explanatory factors. In all countries, parental education-related gaps were particularly pronounced for early child language compared to social skills. In the decomposition analyses, the home learning environment was the only measure that significantly explained gaps in all child outcomes across all countries. Early centre-based care attendance, family income, and maternal age at childbirth contributed to gaps in child outcomes with the specific pattern of results varying across outcomes and countries. Maternal depressive feelings significantly contributed only to explaining gaps in children's social skills. Thus, while some mechanisms found to underpin early parental education-related gaps can be generalized from single-country, single-domain studies, others are outcome- and context-specific., Author(s): Anna Volodina [sup.1] , Sabine Weinert [sup.1] , Elizabeth Washbrook [sup.2] , Jane Waldfogel [sup.3] , Sarah Jiyoon Kwon [sup.3] , Yi Wang [sup.3] , Valentina Perinetti Casoni [sup.2] [...]

There is consensus that child socio-emotional development is influenced by various contexts, such as the family one. Research on influencing factors on child socio-emotional skills mainly investigated the effects of home learning environment, whereas the effects of out-of-home activities were often analysed mainly in samples of adolescents. The present study aimed to shed light on effects of preschool home learning environment and out-of-home activities on two facets of socio-emotional skills at the beginning of primary school: Prosocial behaviour and peer relationships. The information on the child prosocial behaviour and peer relationships at preschool age was included with the aim to control for most of the differences across children. Using data from a large sample of children (N = 1,818; M.sub.age = 7.08 years, SD = 0.15; 49.9% girls), results of regression analyses show significant effects of out-of-home activities on prosocial behaviour after controlling a range of child- and family-related influencing factors on prosocial behaviour as well as prosocial behaviour at preschool age. The effects of home learning environment were significant after controlling a range of child- and family-related influencing factors on both facets of socio-emotional skills but became nonsignificant after taking into account respective behaviour at preschool age. The results of the present study suggest that fostering participation in out-of-home activities might contribute to an increase of prosocial behaviour in primary school children., Author(s): Anna Volodina [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7359.8, 0000 0001 2325 4853, University of Bamberg, , Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany Children's early socio-emotional skills seem to be rather stable [...]

The war that Russia started against Ukraine in 2022 shook the whole world. However, it is worth noting that the conflict has been going on since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported terrorist groups in eastern Ukraine. The study of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is relevant for several reasons. Firstly, it is an acute political problem that affects the state of affairs in the region and relations between the two states. It not only threatens the stability in Europe, but also threatens to destroy the entire modern system of international law. Secondly, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has deep historical roots that need to be understood in order to find ways to resolve it. Studying the history and culture of these two nations, as well as their relationship, can help us understand the causes of the conflict and how to hold Russia accountable. Thirdly, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is an example of the relationship between two states with different political, economic, and cultural systems. The study of the conflict can help to better understand these systems and their interactions. The study of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a relevant and important task for politicians, scholars, and the public, as it can help find ways to achieve Ukraineâs victory, punish Russia, establish stability in the region, and prevent future conflicts. The purpose of the article is to analyze the historical retrospective of the development of Russian-Ukrainian relations and Russiaâs oppression of the Ukrainian people. In addition, the author examines the current preconditions of the conflict. The article also reveals the reaction of the international community to the current conflict and all the illegal acts committed by Russia. The article also aims to suggest ways to overcome the civilizational conflict between the countries.

Background Paediatric legislation has contributed to better access to appropriate treatments in the European Union and the USA by requiring paediatric research in return for financial incentives. This study explored whether similar policies could improve access to medicines in other countries.Methods We conducted 46 interviews with representatives from healthcare practice, patient organisations and health authorities from six countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kenya, Russia and South Africa) as well as multinational pharmaceutical companies exploring their views regarding access barriers to paediatric medicines. Emphasis was placed on regulation-related barriers and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Where participants were familiar with paediatric legislation, views regarding its relevance for domestic context were explored in depth.Results Insufficient paediatric research and development, regulatory hurdles and reimbursement constraints were reported to be relevant access barriers in all studied settings. In the absence of marketing registration or reimbursement, access to paediatric medicines was associated with increased legal, financial and informational barriers. Brazil, Kenya, Russia and South Africa additionally described overarching deficiencies in medicines provision systems, particularly in procurement and supply. The COVID-19 pandemic was said to have reduced regulatory hurdles while further heightening global access inequalities.Views regarding paediatric legislation were mixed. Concerns regarding the implementation of such policies focused on regulatory resource constraints, enforceability and potential reduction of industry activity.Conclusions The study findings suggest that paediatric legislation may be most impactful in mature health systems and should be accompanied by measures addressing access barriers beyond marketing registration. This could include strengthening domestic manufacturing capacities and technology transfer for medicines with high public health relevance. Ideally, legislative changes would build on global harmonisation of paediatric legislation, which could be achieved through existing WHO structures.