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Purpose: Countries with unique developmental paths and cultural lineages display significant variations in their out-of-school education systems. In this landscape, Belarus, a vestige of the disbanded Soviet Union, illustrates a distinct out-of-school education system, profoundly shaped by both Soviet and European Union countries' influences. A meticulous examination and scholarly investigation into the Belarusian out-of-school educational framework could enable a more profound comprehension of the metamorphosis and transitions in the out-of-school education systems of nations that surfaced following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This knowledge could subsequently render a more transparent understanding of the patterns guiding the evolution of global out-of-school educational systems. Design/Approach/Methods: This article focuses on out-of-school education in Belarus and discusses its development status and the following main characteristics: the dimensions of its historical development stage, legislative guarantee, essence and extension, training goals, and typical cases. Findings: Influenced by historical and geopolitical factors, Belarusian out-of-school education is found to embody the characteristics of both the Soviet Union and European countries. National resources are found to play an important role in the development of out-of-school education, effectively reducing the cost of education for families and shaping students' positive values. Originality/Value: This study analyzes both the history and the current situation of out-of-school education in Belarus and summarizes the country's successful experience in the development of out-of-school education. It can provide a positive point of reference for optimizing the public out-of-school education system in China and exert a positive influence on related educational reforms.

The purpose of the study is to develop a system of balanced scorecards for forecasting the income of hotels belonging to international chains. The subject of the study is the system processes of evaluating the effectiveness of the management analysis system, which are determined on the basis of calculating key performance indicators, and as a result of the integral indicator through the analysis and aggregation of individual functional criteria based on comparison with the reference values of the revenue management model for pricing, load planning and its redistribution between revenue centres. Methodology. The study uses the methods of theoretical and logical generalisation. The article describes a set of strategies and tactics used by international hotel chains to manage the demand for hotel services. The results of the article are to form a model for conducting a detailed operational and financial analysis of the hotel enterprise by revenue centres, which contributes to the development of a strategy. The authors have selected a set of indicators that are used to ensure a balanced approach to measuring performance through the indicator method and visual representation in a graphical representation. The paper analyses the performance of international hotel chains over twelve years in order to assess the impact of key factors on their revenues and develop forecasts; the estimated indicators were classified into seven groups: assessment of the average daily revenue per room, room cost, occupancy rate, market share, staff productivity, resource intensity and digitalisation costs. The publication uses the example of international hotel chains to clarify the content and importance of revenue forecasting in the revenue management system.

The paper analyses the age structure of mortality from suicide, injuries with undetermined intent in general, as well as hanging or jumping/falling from heights with undetermined intent as a potential indicator of latent suicides. It is shown that the age profile of suicide mortality has fundamentally changed over the last 30 years: during the 1990s crisis, a sigmoidal mortality curve with a peak in middle age developed among men, while at the height of the crisis, in the mid-1990s, the maximum age-specific mortality rates were observed among the 50-54-year-olds. Fundamental gender differences in the age profile were only noted during the systemic crisis of the 1990s: as Russian men developed a sigmoidal suicide mortality curve, the age profile of mortality of Russian women was characterised by a stable increase in age-specific indicators starting from age 25-29, while in the mid-1990s women, too, experienced a mortality peak among the 50-54-year-olds. In the 2000s, a gradual flattening-out of the mortality peak in middle age and reaching a maximum at old age took place. Post-2010, a further normalisation of the suicide mortality profile with formation of a plateau at working ages was observed. A comparative analysis of the age profile of suicide mortality and mortality from hanging and jumping/falling from heights with undetermined intent corroborated the hypothesis of these causes being a potential reservoir of latent suicide, which raises the suicide losses of men, from 80% among the 15-24-year-olds to 50% in older individuals, while among women the suicide mortality rate doubles at all ages above 15 years.

The purpose of the article is to reveal the type and species structure of the array of literary and artistic publications released on the material and technical basis of Shevchenko Scientific Society in the first two periods of its activity and represented in the Digital Collection "Book Heritage of Shevchenko Scientific Society (1874-1913)" of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv. In order to achieve this purpose, the author used descriptive, analytical, synthetic, comparative, classification, historical and book studies, and systematic and typological methods of scientific knowledge. The scientific novelty of the paper is to highlight the type and species features of the publications of Ukrainian fiction, their authors and customers. Conclusions. Analysis of the array of books, digital copies of which are presented in the Collection "Book Heritage of Shevchenko Scientific Society (1874-1913)" of Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv National Scientific Library of Ukraine, has shown the following typical features of the printed products of that time: dominance of publications (mostly lifetime, often first) of original works by Ukrainian writers; representation of works by Borys Hrinchenko, Stepan Rudanskyi, Yurii Fedkovych, Taras Shevchenko in the form of scientific multi-volume editions with extensive scientific and auxiliary apparatus (prefaces, introductory articles, notes and comments); high proportion of small-scale mono-editions of prose works: short stories, samples, novels, plays and polygraphs, mainly poetry collections; budget artistic and printing execution (except for anniversary and multi-volume editions); predominance of publications in paper covers decorated with ornamental frames. Given the short period for implementing the project to digitize books and brochures published by the printing house of Shevchenko Scientific Society, there are still many first editions outside the collection that are interesting for the research reader. Taking into account the above, it is appropriate to continue the work we have begun by enriching the collection with other contemporary publications, while improving the platform on which they should be presented.

The observation of unexpected polarization textures such as vortices, skyrmions, and merons in various oxide heterostructures has challenged the widely accepted picture of ferroelectric domain walls as being Ising-like. Bloch components in the 180° domain walls of PbTiO_{3} have recently been reported in PbTiO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} superlattices and linked to domain wall chirality. While this opens exciting perspectives, the ubiquity of this Bloch component remains to be further explored. In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of domain walls in PbTiO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} superlattices, involving a combination of first- and second-principles calculations, phase-field simulations, diffuse scattering calculations, and synchrotron-based diffuse x-ray scattering. Our theoretical calculations highlight that the previously predicted Bloch polarization in the 180° domain walls in PbTiO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} superlattices might be more sensitive to the boundary conditions than initially thought and is not always expected to appear. Employing diffuse scattering calculations for larger systems, we develop a method to probe the complex structure of domain walls in these superlattices via diffuse x-ray scattering measurements. Through this approach, we investigate depolarization-driven ferroelectric polarization rotation at the domain walls. Our experimental findings, consistent with our theoretical predictions for realistic domain periods, do not reveal any signatures of a Bloch component in the centers of the 180° domain walls of PbTiO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} superlattices, suggesting that the precise nature of domain walls in the ultrathin PbTiO_{3} layers is more intricate than previously thought and deserves further attention.

Foreign economic security is one of the key aspects of the stable development of the economy of any country, including Ukraine. To strengthen it, it is necessary to develop and implement strategic directions aimed at ensuring reliable and sustainable functioning of the economy and reducing its dependence on external risks. The practical significance of the study of strategies for the development of the State's foreign economic activity is to identify the main guidelines for Ukraine's further development in the context of post-war recovery. The purpose of the study is to identify the main strategic directions for the further development of Ukraine's foreign trade operations caused by the development of the European integration process, the complication of the political and legal situation, and changes in partnership relations between countries. The following priority areas of action have been identified for Ukraine's foreign trade in view of European integration: adherence to and acceleration of the strategic sequence of reforms, taking into account changes in the state of political and economic relations; Increasing financial and technical support from the EU, subject to the conditions for increasing the transparency of cash flows and the efficiency of their use; increasing partnership with non-European countries.

The results of the study of the distribution of biota in the soil cover of the Smolinsk and Novokostiantynivsk uranium mines in the Kirovohrad region are highlighted. The basis of the research methodology is a systematic approach, within which general scientific methods (data analysis and synthesis) were used – selection and identification of biota. In the conditions of environmental monitoring and growing anthropogenic pressure, there is a need for a more careful attitude to the environment and the detection of new risk factors. Man, as a subject of the biosphere, is influenced not only by natural environmental factors, but also by new ones created by man himself, thereby significantly changing the environment. This dependence determines the emergence of various environmental relations between all biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere. Intensive extraction of ore from exploited deposits depletes the raw material base of mining enterprises, most of which becomes waste, sludge, and pits are formed. As part of the rehabilitation of the mine territory, alluvial soil is often used, which has its own specific features in the conditions of growing technogenesis. It was found that the number of bacteria in all soil samples decreases due to the lack of organic substances and living conditions. Mycomycetes, as multifunctional components of the soil biota, are stress-tolerant according to the type of life strategy with economical use and redistribution of nutrients in sedimentary soil. Representatives of the genera Mucor sp., Penicillium sp., Alternaria sp., Cladosporium sp. are among the first settlers to appear on man-made soils, representatives of the latter are typical bioindicators of environmental pollution. The identified changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the mycobiota in the man-made soil of the studied samples are fundamental for further long-term monitoring of the state of the environment of the Kirovohrad region, as well as the possibility of making a forecast regarding the toxic effect of industrial emissions on the biota as a whole.

In the presented work, two multicomponent Cr 25Z 25Co 20Mo 15Si 10Y 5 and Cr 25Co 25Zr 20Mo 15Si 10Y 5 alloys were produced from bulk chemical elements using the vacuum arc melting technique. X-ray diffraction phase analysis was used to determine the phase composition of the obtained materials. Microstructure analysis included scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The studies revealed the presence of multi-phase structures in both alloys. Elemental distribution maps confirmed the presence of all six alloying elements in the microstructure. The segregation of chemical elements was also observed. Microhardness measurement revealed that both alloys exhibited microhardness from 832(27) to 933(22) HV1.

Pre-sowing inoculation of agricultural crops increases the parameters that affect the yield and quality of the crop, which has been proven by many Ukrainian and foreign researchers. The purpose of the study was to set the operating parameters of the injectors at different pressures, which allowed calculating the rate of discharge of the working solution during sowing to create a system of pre-sowing inoculation, which will simplify the process of seed treatment and increase the energy efficiency of farms. Methods of system and structural analysis, mathematical statistics, abstraction, and mathematical modelling based on the Euler-Lagrange equation, and using the foundations of theoretical mechanics, physics and machine theory were used for experimental research. The planning of the experiment met the current standards, and computer graphics systems and Microsoft Excel software suite were used for statistical data processing. Based on the conducted studies, the amount of liquid that one nozzle can pass in 1 min at pressures of 300, 400, and 500 kPA was determined. It was found that the lowest result was shown by a nozzle with a diameter of 0.1 mm with a pressure of 300 kPA – 10.493 ml/min, and the highest – a nozzle with a diameter of 0.8 mm and a pressure of 500 kPA – 146.379 ml/min. At the same time, injectors with a diameter of 0.4-0.6 mm used almost the same amount of liquid at pressures of 300 and 500 kPA. The amount of liquid that can be poured per 1 ha using a six-row seeding machine with a working width of 4.2 m per sowing unit of corn was calculated. The obtained data can be used to improve any systems that use similar nozzles, such as calculating the rate of discharge of agricultural sprayers or systems that allow cooling pig farms during the summer period

The aim of the study is to improve the system for assessing the level of financial security of an enterprise. The subject of the study is the systemic processes of building and assessing the level of financial security of an enterprise. The study used the methods of theoretical and logical generalization. In the article, it is described the key points which characterize the methods of assessing the financial security of the enterprise. The results of the study consist in the formation of a system of indicators for assessing and managing financial security for a production and trade enterprise. The authors selected a set of indicators used for evaluation, involving an indicator method and visual image in graphic representation. There were analyzed results of the enterprise activity for three years in order to assess financial and property condition and financial security; diagnostic parameters were classified into five groups: assessment of property status, solvency, profitability, business activity (turnover) and financial stability. There are specified the content and problems of determining the indicators of financial security and enterprise operating efficiency on the example of a production and trade enterprise.

Unpolarized sunlight is scattered by aerosols acquiring partial linear polarization. By aiming a ground-based detector vertically upward, it can record the polarimetric response of aerosols that are illuminated by the Sun. As the Sun sets, a portion of the sky is shadowed and the polarimetric response of the aerosols in the unshadowed region can be measured. This provides a means of scanning different portions of the atmospheric column with time. By comparing the measured polarimetric response with that of model agglomerated debris particles we can place constraints on the sizes and chemical composition of the aerosols in different portions of this column. We conducted a survey over 24 different epochs from April 2021 to December 2022, consisting of approximately 600 measurements of polarization of the atmosphere in twilight at the Ussuriysk Astrophysical Observatory. We found that most of the measurements correspond with water-ice particles or dust. However, on some occasions organic carbon dominated the measurements. These epochs correspond with increased fire seats in the region.

In the present work, we report a synthesis procedure for the preparation of vertically aligned mesoporous silica thin films containing long, nanometer-scale thin silver nanowires inside pores. The inter-channel nanowires had a fine crystalline structure and a diameter of no more than 2 nm. Despite the diameter being the edge of the theoretical possibility of synthesis, the nanowires were stable enough to be observed by transmission electron microscope and could be clearly observed. For the synthesis, we applied the idea of silica nanoreactors, and the procedure consists of two steps: fabrication of an initial organically-functionalized silica thin film containing silver ions distributed regularly inside vertically aligned pores and following thermal decomposition resulting in the decomposition of the organic anchoring groups and the formation of metallic crystalline nanowires from released silver atoms. Both the final nanocomposite and the initial material were studied by means of transition electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques: linear scan and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The crystallinity of silver nanowires inside silica mesopores was proved by electron diffraction. The spatial confinement realized by silica nanochannels facilitated the stabilization of relatively small and ultra-thin nanowires and the formation of a hexagonal P63/mmc silver crystalline structure instead of the more common Fm3m cubic.

Our paper reflects the data of a comprehensive study of the main biological characteristics of the Siberian shrew Crocidura sibirica Dukelsky, 1930. 921 specimens were examined for the period 1978–2020. It has been found that the Siberian shrew is attracted to habitats that have been significantly disturbed by human activity (logging sites, hayfields, reclaimed coal dumps, burned areas), but avoids completely degraded areas and urban ecosystems. It reaches its maximum abundance in the low-mountain belt of the Kuznetsk Alatau in hay meadows. The population of the Siberian shrew is subject to cyclic fluctuations with a frequency of 3–4 years. Seasonal activity peaks in mid-August and September, with breeding in the second half of summer and early fall. Among the one-year-old animals, the predominance of males is observed. The diurnal activity of the Siberian shrew is polyphasic, mainly nocturnal. Peaks of highest activity were observed at 23–24 hours and 6–9 hours. In terms of running speed, digging ability, and swimming ability, the Siberian shrew is significantly inferior to its trophic competitors, the other shrews. In interspecific encounters, neutral, friendly interactions predominate; aggression is ritualized. In intraspecific encounters with large shrews, the Siberian shrew will occupy a shelter and attempt to drive an opponent from it. The food spectrum is based on the imaginal and larval stages of insects, arachnids, and centipedes. Among insects, ground beetle larvae, Brachycera, and Hymenoptera are the most preferred foods. The identified food spectrum corresponds to the biotopic distribution of invertebrates, indicating the absence of food selectivity. The trophic spectrum of the C. sibirica overlaps significantly with that of sympatric species of other shrews. Given the significant overlap of the spatial ecological niche, it can be assumed that the Siberian shrew avoids competitive interactions for food resources due to the mismatch of the peak of seasonal activity. Under the influence of competitive interactions with numerous species of the genus Sorex, the main features of the biology of the C. sibirica were formed.

The research is devoted to the theoretical and applied organizational bases to held of the comparative analysis of the economic development of the regions of the Black Sea region. The main purpose of the article is the process of comparative analysis of economic development of the Black Sea region. The article tests the authors' hypothesis about the adequacy of the indicators defined for evaluation through the proposed number of relative indicators, which in the complex will characterize the achievements of the region in ensuring the economic stability of the regional system, quality of transformation processes and indirectly the conditions created by public authorities for economic development. There is confirmed the dependence of the use of the proposed methodological approaches and the constructed comparative profile of the regions of the region, which can be useful for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the region, outlining key issues and developing regional development plans and programs. It is determined that the largest vector length in the Mykolaivska region, which indicates that in the region on a number of economic indicators achieved higher results than in other regions of the Black Sea region and on average in other regions of Ukraine during the study period.

Extensive bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) data have the potential of health monitoring and the assessment of health risks at the population level. The importance of BIA data lies in their availability and abundance for many countries. In Russia, mass BIA data are generated by the national network of health centers (HCs). Our aim was to describe the structure and capabilities of the updated HCs’ BIA database. Upon several requests between 2012 and 2020, 369 HCs representing all Federal districts of Russia and 60 out of 85 Federal subjects in them, submitted raw bioimpedance data which were obtained using the same type of BIA instrument, namely ABC-01 ‘Medas’ (SRC Medas, Russia). After application of strict selection criteria, 2,429,977 BIA measurement records were selected that formed the updated 2010-2019 HCs’ database. Various slices of the BIA data are described according to spatiotemporal, demographic and other characteristics. Reference curves of the bioimpedance phase angle according to age and sex are presented. Limitations and prospects for further work are outlined. We believe that, after appropriate sampling, the database can be utilized to study biological, geographical, social and other associations of the bioimpedance and body composition parameters, for generating updated national references, international comparisons and data standardization.

An important task in protecting the environment from tritium pollution is to find effective, simple, affordable, low-cost and low-energy methods for extracting tritium from large volumes of low- and intermediate-level aqueous solutions. The article presents new data on the influence of the octahedral component of the structure of layered silicates on the extraction of tritium from aqueous solutions obtained using research on an experimental stationary system on the example of the natural mineral hibsite. The possibility of using hibsite as a natural adsorbent of tritium is considered. The degree of adsorption of tritium from an aqueous solution and the effect of fractionation of hydrogen isotopes in the stationary system “HTO-hibsite” were estimated. The mechanism of tritium retention in the structure of the natural adsorbent is explained. Tritium extracted from tritiated water is distributed in the mineral matter between different structural positions – with the lowest binding energy in the HTO molecular form in surface adsorbed moisture (1 fraction), with slightly higher – in -OT ionic form in the structural positions of the mineral adsorbent (2 and 3 factions). Up to 39% of the total amount of tritium extracted from the aqueous solution is retained in hibsite in a surface adsorbed form. The predominant retention of polarized HTO molecules, compared to H2O molecules, near the mineral surface due to dynamic adsorption-desorption processes causes the effect of fractionation of hydrogen isotopes (α = 1.14). The exchange between the OH groups of the structural Al-hydroxyl layers of the mineral and the OT groups of tritiated water leads to the fixation of up to 55% of tritium in this form. New scientific results on the influence of structural and physicochemical properties of the studied mineral adsorbent on its ability to extract tritium from aqueous solutions and new data on the peculiarities of the mechanism of interfacial isotope-hydrogen exchange in a water-mineral system provide, together with the results of our previous studies, more effective development of methods for detritization of aqueous solutions.

The operation of the nuclear fuel complex is constantly accompanied by contamination of liquid industrial discharges with tritium. The problem of preventing such pollution is complicated by the fact that the pollutant component (tritium) is an integral part of the aqueous transport substance. Equally important is the need to purify deuterium water used in the nuclear industry from tritium and to increase the efficiency of tritium concentration technologies for further use. The use of the process of electroosmotic fractionation of hydrogen isotopes is proposed for purification of NPP process waters from tritium. In the isotopic molecule of tritiated or deuterium water (“HTO”, “DTO”), the covalent bond D – O and T – O is stronger than H – O, so it is possible to separate the hydrogen isotops by using the electroosmostic method in aqueous solution on composite mineral proton-conducting membranes. Such conductors can provide fractionation of hydrogen isotopes by proton exchange by tunneling or forwarding transport of ions in the process of electroosmosis under the influence of the applied electric field. In order to determine the possibility and efficiency of the electroosmotic process for fractionation of hydrogen isotopes in aqueous solution, we used a three-chamber electroosmotic cell with variable proton-conducting membranes made of mixtures of montmorillonite clay and zeolite (MCZ), montmorillonite and quartz sand (MQS), montmorillonit (MC) and saponite (SC) clays. The anode chambers were filled with electrolyte in the amount of 450–550 cm3, prepared from tritiated water, with a specific activity of 5,950 Bq·dm– 3 with the addition of anhydrous Na2CO3 salt. Under the influence of the electric field, electroosmotic filtration of the dissociated tritiated electrolyte through weakly permeable clay and composite membranes from the anode chamber to the cathode chamber was happening. At the same time, due to the proton conductivity of electroosmotic membranes with increasing strength and voltage of electric current, the alkalinity of the aqueous solution in the cathode chamber increased and the specific activity of tritium in the filtrate (catholyte) decreased by 14–26%. The method is protected by the Patent of Ukraine for a utility model.