Difficult Stage Research Articles

IT-architecture management for small businesses based on total cost of ownership models

The article is dedicated to the tasks of IT architecture management according to the specifics of small and medium-sized businesses. The article comprehensively considers the object model of the IT service as the main component of the IT-architecture management. In the article, the authors propose to present an object model on different layers, which allows to consider the elements of the IT-architecture from different points of view. The service object model has logical and physical layers, where the physical layer consists of the hardware and some software components and the logical ones are the systems and subsystem as software products, and the service itself as a business value. The authors describes the main aspects of using the object model to identify elements of the IT-architecture. This shows that subsystems and the physical layer allows to apply the model of total cost of ownership. The study also identifies key steps in applying the total cost of ownership model to enterprise IT-architecture management; the most difficult stages for the development of small and medium-sized businesses are noted. As a result of the study, the authors developed an approach that allows you to determine the cost of individual IT-systems and their corresponding elements of the sharing infrastructure, taking into account the structuring of costs based on the total cost of ownership model. The authors assume that this approach will be most useful for small and medium-sized businesses. The authors propose to use approaches based on the use of an IT-service object model and a total cost of ownership model for solving IT-architecture management problems. The use of an object model allows to identify business value enterprise IT architecture, its components and their infrastructure elements. Applying the total cost of ownership model enables to use cost management the IT architecture.

ASSET RECOVERY: CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES IN INVESTIGATING CORRUPTION IN INDONESIA

This article examines investigations into corruption cases where economic motives are very strong. The challenge for investigators to recover state losses faces various obstacles. On the other hand, wealth resulting from corruption often becomes a means of resistance. In addition, the assets of corruptors are often hidden, so that law enforcement requires separate efforts. The research method used is a normative method with a statutory approach. Meanwhile, the interpretation of regulations is carried out by means of systematic interpretation. Investigation of criminal acts of corruption is a difficult and complex stage full of challenges that requires investigators to compete with the perpetrators of crimes. Investigators face many obstacles, especially related to laws and regulations, limited facilities and infrastructure which cause difficulties in confiscating the assets of perpetrators of corruption. On the other hand, judges decisions related to compensation money and fines are often not paid. These obstacles cause the recovery of state losses and the fines that must be paid to be not optimal. Therefore, efforts are needed to strengthen the authority of police investigators and prosecutors to create a balance in the investigation of criminal acts of corruption. Investigation of criminal acts of corruption requires a strong legal framework.

‘A completely different ballgame’: female A-level students’ experiences of academic demands, stress and coping

ABSTRACT The elongation in the amount of time that adolescents remain in education in England has coincided with mounting concerns about increasing adolescent mental health problems. In light of research suggesting that A-level students in post-16 education may face a particularly high degree of academic pressure, this study aimed to deepen our understanding of how this stage of education is experienced. Sixteen female students in English sixth forms participated in task-based, semi-structured interviews aimed at generating a better understanding of their experiences of studying A-levels. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to systematically analyse the transcripts. The themes highlight that because students both aspire intensely to perform well and find studying A-levels challenging, particularly in comparison to GCSEs, it is an inescapably stress-inducing and sometimes overwhelming experience. This is especially true for students who have not cultivated a rich repertoire of time-management strategies or feel unable to seek support from adults. Our analysis suggests that studying A-levels is a uniquely difficult stage of education and that further research is needed to understand how best to support A-level students.

Metabolomic Profiling, In Vitro Antimalarial Investigation and In Silico Modeling of the Marine Actinobacterium Strain Rhodococcus sp. UR111 Associated with the Soft Coral Nephthea sp.

Malaria is a persistent illness with a great public health concern. To combat this fatal disease, developing effective antimalarial medications has become a necessity. In the present study, we described the actinomycetes associated with the Red Sea soft coral Nephthea sp. and isolated a strain that was sub-cultured in three different media (M1, ISP2, and OLIGO). Actinomycete isolate's phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that it belongs to the genus Rhodococcus. In vitro screening of the antimalarial activity for three extracts against Plasmodium falciparum was carried out. Non-targeted metabolomics for the chemical characterization of the isolated actinomycete species UA111 derived extracts were employed using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS) for dereplication purposes. Additionally, statistical analysis of the vast LC-MS data was performed using MetaboAnalyst 5.0. Finally, an in silico analysis was conducted to investigate the potential chemical compounds that could be the source of the antimalarial potential. The results revealed that ISP2 media extract is the most effective against Plasmodium falciparum, according to antimalarial screening (IC50 8.5 µg/mL), in contrast, OLIGO media extract was inactive. LC-HRMS-based metabolomics identified a range of metabolites, mainly alkaloids, from the genus Rhodococcus. On the other hand, multivariate analysis showed chemical diversity between the analyzed samples, with ISP2 extract being optimal. The docking analysis was able to anticipate the various patterns of interaction of the annotated compounds with three malarial protein targets (P. falciparum kinase, P. falciparum cytochrome bc1 complex, and P. falciparum lysyl-tRNA synthetase). Among all of the test compounds, perlolyrine (11) and 3097-B2 (12) displayed the best docking profiles. In conclusion, this work demonstrated the value of the established method for the metabolic profiling of marine actinomycetes using the data from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), which helps to streamline the difficult isolation stages required for their chemical characterization. In addition, the antimalarial efficacy of this strain has intriguing implications for future pharmaceutical development.

Deported Lemkos in the Nets of Soviet Post-war Propaganda

The article reveals the complex pages of the notoriously planned Soviet propaganda among the deportees in the post-war period. It shows its detrimental effect on the preservation of the ethnic foundations of the Lemko group.
 Considering that Lemkivshchyna today had lost its integrity as a historical and ethnographic region, and the Lemkos were settled around the world - these only actualize the task to a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the socio-political and national-cultural processes in the region and Lemkos in their context in the new era; to ascertain the role of Lemkivshchyna and Lemkos in the ethnopolitics of the states and, accordingly, their contribution to the development of various Ukrainian public, political, cultural and state organizations, institutions and entities, and generally assess their role and significance in the history of Ukraine of XX - early XXI century.
 It is claimed that the whole catastrophe of modern times for the Lemkos was their deportation from their native ethnic areas, first to the USSR in 1944 - 1946, where they found themselves among their people, but not on their land, and later - in 1947 those who remained were settled in Poland. New powerful political-administrative and ideological factors against the local population during the Soviet-Polish negotiations were used. The most brutal action against local Ukrainians was Operation Vistula in April-July 1947, which unjustifiably had the task of erasing traces of their national image in peacetime.
 The difficult stages of life in the Lemko region in the conditions of deportation actions of the 1940s, carried out as a result of the Soviet-Polish conspiracy of 1944 are traced, and pointed out their territorial, social, cultural and mental consequences.А reflection of Russian and later Soviet propaganda, at first, in the Lemkos region, and later among the deported Lemkos, is carried out.
 The deportation of the local population has led to irreversible territorial, demographic, cultural and mental losses. The analysis of the sources allows us to suggest that the policies of both Poland and the USSR aimed at eradicating Lemko natives from their ethnic areas. And this was done by various methods, starting with propaganda, in the initial stages, to using force at later stages.
 Having been deported to the Ukrainian SSR from their ethnic territories in Poland, autochthonous Lemkos fell into the nets of total Soviet propaganda. Soviet ideologues tried to involve the most diverse methods, which even in the interwar period manifested in different ways (from public influences, populist calls for a better future, active agitation for leaving the USSR), were well supported materially. At the beginning of the Second World War, we observed a transition to more pragmatic measures through the organization of a special centre and the activities of special agitator instructors. In the post-war period, meetings and conversations with the population took place in almost every village, in which Soviet agitators contrasted poverty in Lemkivshchyna with prosperous life in the USSR. Such oral propaganda, moreover, in all regions of the Ukrainian SSR where the Lemkos arrived, the Bolsheviks reinforced with various slogans, brochures and appeals.

Novel drill dilator facilitates endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy.

Tract dilation is one of the most difficult stages of endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS), especially for beginners. To overcome this problem, we applied a special dedicated dilator. Herein, we retrospectively evaluate the safety and usefulness of a novel drill dilator in EUS-HGS. This single-center retrospective study included 20 consecutive patients who underwent EUS-HGS with a novel drill dilator. The tip is 0.77 mm, and it becomes 7F at 3 cm from tip. The track is dilated to 7F by simple clockwise rotation. The technical success rate of both initial tract dilation and stent placement was 20/20 (100%). No cases required additional dilation such as balloon or electric cautery. In 13/20 cases (65.0%), EUS-HGS was performed by beginner endoscopists. Median time required for dilation was 62.5 s (range, 30-144 s). Median procedure time was 13 min (range, 7-25 min). Early adverse events were two cases of mild fever. There was no bile leakage or bleeding. The novel drill dilator appears to be safe and useful for EUS-HGS. As it is not necessary to press the device strongly, there is no pushback during dilation and the scope position is stable. These characteristics facilitate EUS-HGS even for beginners. This device may enable the further development and increased dissemination of EUS intervention.

Mastitis pattern analysis: epidemiology into practice

Analysis of data to inform decision making in dairy animal practice is a cornerstone of modern dairy herd health work and is routinely carried out in areas such as fertility management and mastitis control. Mastitis in dairy herds continues to be important and relevant to veterinary advisors for many reasons, such as cow welfare, the cost of disease, the use of antimicrobials and the sustainability of farming and food supply, including environmental impact and waste milk. When implementing control measures to reduce mastitis infection rates on farm, herd level analysis of infection ‘patterns’ to inform decision making has been shown to be an important first step. Feedback from participants using the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Dairy Mastitis Control Plan previously indicated that the first stage of the Plan, analysing patterns and making a herd ‘diagnosis’, was often a difficult stage for Plan deliverers. The new AHDB Dairy QuarterPRO scheme offers an ‘entry-level’ method of routinely monitoring mastitis on farm and builds in a rapid method of assessing the predominant mastitis infection patterns present on farm, using somatic cell count and clinical mastitis records. A new fully automated mastitis pattern analysis report is now available to all milk recording dairy herds in the UK through their milk recording organisation, allowing routine assessment of the predominant pattern of infection, and enabling farmers and veterinary surgeons to highlight the most important area on their farm for mastitis control.

DRL-RNP: Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Optimized RNP Flight Procedure Execution.

The required navigation performance (RNP) procedure is one of the two basic navigation specifications for the performance-based navigation (PBN) procedure as proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) through an integration of the global navigation infrastructures to improve the utilization efficiency of airspace and reduce flight delays and the dependence on ground navigation facilities. The approach stage is one of the most important and difficult stages in the whole flying. In this study, we proposed deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based RNP procedure execution, DRL-RNP. By conducting an RNP approach procedure, the DRL algorithm was implemented, using a fixed-wing aircraft to explore a path of minimum fuel consumption with reward under windy conditions in compliance with the RNP safety specifications. The experimental results have demonstrated that the six degrees of freedom aircraft controlled by the DRL algorithm can successfully complete the RNP procedure whilst meeting the safety specifications for protection areas and obstruction clearance altitude in the whole procedure. In addition, the potential path with minimum fuel consumption can be explored effectively. Hence, the DRL method can be used not only to implement the RNP procedure with a simulated aircraft but also to help the verification and evaluation of the RNP procedure.

Techniques of hepatic arterial reconstruction in liver transplantation.

Hepatic artery reconstruction is an essential part of liver transplantation. This difficult stage of the operation is even more demanding in living donor liver transplantation than in deceased donor liver transplantation. One of the most important advances in hepatic artery reconstruction for living liver grafts was the introduction of microsurgical techniques involving an operative microscope or surgical loupe. Many surgical reconstruction techniques have been used in this field. In this article, first, we will talk about the hepatic artery reconstruction techniques that are frequently used in deceased donor liver transplantation, and afterward, we will talk about the hepatic artery reconstruction techniques used in living donor liver transplantation, which include the hepatic artery reconstruction technique we use and call "one stay corner suture technique". We think high-volume transplant centers should tend to develop a standardized technique for doing hepatic artery reconstruction with their teams. We think the "one stay corner suture technique" can be easily applied in centers that perform LDLT.

Sacralization of Coccygeal Vertebra: A Descriptive Observational Study in Bangladesh

Background: In the sacrococcygeal region, anatomical variation is due to the sacralization of the coccygeal vertebra, which is the due union of/fusion of the fifth sacral with the first coccygeal vertebra of five couples of sacral foramina under-detected or asymptomatic beyond radiological assessment. That is why it is challenging to know the cause of coccydynia, caudal block failure, the difficult second stage of labor, and perineal tears. The present study aims to improve knowledge about the anatomical variation of sacralization of the coccygeal vertebra. Additionally, to find the prevalence of sacralization of coccygeal vertebra in Sylhet, Bangladesh.Methods: This study was performed on 60 parched, totally calcified, typical sacra of mature-age individuals of undetermined sexes, fulfilling the inclusion criteria from the bone bank of the osteology museum of the Department of Anatomy, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh, from July 2017 to June 2018. Sex determination of the collected unknown sacra was conducted using discriminant function analysis. It was found that 50% (30) were male and 50% (30%) were female. The unpaired t-tests and chi-square were utilized to determine the statistical significance.Results: Out of 60 sacra, eight (13.33%) samples presented with sacralization. This study found that males had significantly higher straight (p=0.05) and curved (p=0.05) lengths of sacrococcygeal vertebrae. The sacrococcygeal curvature index (SCI) showed statistically significant (p=0.05) differences between the sexes.Conclusion: Sacralization may exert an impact on the caudal block. It could extend the second stage of the labor process with perineal tears. Therefore, knowledge about the anatomical variation of the coccygeal vertebra is essential.

Automatic Vessel Steering in a Storm

Abstract The issues of automatic vessel control in a storm are considered in the paper. Vessel control in a storm is the most difficult stage in the vessel’s wiring, as it requires quick decisions to be made in difficult conditions. Practical experience shows that the deterioration of the working conditions of the crew is usually associated with an increase in the number of control errors, which is completely unacceptable in stormy conditions. To assess the safe speed and course in a storm, Yu. V. Remez has proposed a universal storm diagram, which allows identifying unfavourable combinations of vessel speed and course angles of the waves – the resonant zones, and avoid them. The universal Remez diagram provides for graphical calculations, which, in combination with the visual determination of the wave parameters, gives a very low accuracy. The article examines the possibility of automatic control of a vessel in a storm by automatic measurement of motion parameters and wave parameters, automatic calculation in the onboard controller of the vessel optimal safe speed and course during a storm, automatic maintenance of the optimal safe speed and course of the vessel. The automatic control significantly increases the accuracy of calculations, excludes the human factor, reduces the depletion of the crew, and increases the reliability of the vessel control in a storm. The efficiency and effectiveness of the method, algorithmic and software were tested on Imitation Modelling Stand in a closed loop with mathematical vessel models of the navigation simulator Navi Trainer 5000.

To the legal issues of startups in the conditions of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (Russian-Ukrainian War)

Problem setting. The armed attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine without a declaration of war, which took place at 5 am on February 24, 2022, at the same time radically changed the entire system of legal relations of our state. The unification of the whole nation (in the political sense of the term) against the unprecedented criminal actions of the “fraternal people” caused a temporary cessation (or modification) of the usual daily work of every citizen, foreigner or stateless person. Undoubtedly, business representatives, including startups, have been providing significant support for the resistance of our state to armed aggression since the first days. Realizing the value of such assistance and the importance of business entities for Ukraine, public authorities have developed and adopted a number of regulations aimed at updating legal relations with such entities. Analysis of resent researches and publications. Issues of startup activity have become the subject of research by such scientists as SV Glebko OV Rozgon, IV Podrez-Ryapolova, AS Petkevich, AV Sherstobitov, IV Yashchyshina and others. Within the framework of this scientific article, the specifics of the activities of startups in a state of martial law caused by an act of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against our state will be studied. The target of research is to study the legal issues of startups in the Russian-Ukrainian war. In this regard, we consider it appropriate in this article to focus on startups that are at the stage of Early Growth, because at this stage the startup acts as an officially registered business entity and, accordingly, it a number of normative legal acts regulating the activity of such subjects are extended. Article’s main body. As we have repeatedly mentioned before, a startup is an innovative idea or a newly created business entity (individual entrepreneur or legal entity). According to the officials of the international ecosystem Startup-Network, the main feature that distinguishes a startup from a normal small or medium enterprise is the mandatory trend of the startup to develop and further transform into a large enterprise. Agreeing with this feature, we consider it appropriate to supplement the characteristics of the startup with another mandatory feature innovation. This feature directly follows from the analysis of the legislation of European countries, international acts, EU documents and reference materials of a number of international organizations. Thus, based on the above mandatory features of startups, it follows that a startup goes through a number of stages of its formation and development. This research will address the issue of startups at the Early Growth stage. At this stage, the startup usually has the status of a small or medium enterprise and needs comprehensive government support. Startups in Ukraine that have faced the problem of fulfilling their commitments can now use the simplified procedure for obtaining a certificate from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine. However, it should be borne in mind that obtaining confirmation of the existence of force majeure does not in itself release you from liability for nonperformance or improper performance of obligations. There is a need to prove a direct and irreversible causal link between such circumstances and the inability to perform duties. In addition, in the field of international relations, it is necessary to take into account the existence of a number of international acts that regulate the consequences of force majeure. Changes in tax legislation concerning startups in the third group of the simplified taxation system are that, on the one hand, the tax burden on the business entity has been reduced, and on the other hand, the frequency of tax revenues has been reduced. Conclusions and prospects of the development. Most startups in Ukraine, which are at the initial stage of launching and selling innovative products on the market, face problems of inability to fully meet their commitments or complicate the process of doing business. Our state creates conditions for simplified implementation of the procedure of releasing startups from liability for non-performance or improper performance of their obligations under contracts, provided that such non-performance is directly related to the existence of force majeure in the form of armed aggression against Ukraine. In addition, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine amended the tax legislation, which, in particular, provided support to the largest (third) group of the simplified taxation system and expanded the list of entities that can be included in such a group of taxation. These changes are aimed at encouraging people to do business in this extremely difficult stage of development of our state and creating a foundation for postwar economic reconstruction and revival of Ukraine.

Raising Adolescent Children as a Developmental Task of Iranian Middle-aged Mothers: A Qualitative Study.

ABSTRACTBackground: Most parents consider adolescence to be the most difficult stage of parenting. Parental practice is a determining factor in adolescents’ outcomes. Mothers play the main role of parenting in Iran. Coinciding the transition of adolescence with the transition of middle-aged mothers can affect the mothers’ parenting practice. The present study aimed at explaining the Iranian mothers’ practice in parenting an adolescent child.Methods: This qualitative conventional content analysis was conducted from July 2018 to November 2019 in Kashan. 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with mothers of adolescent children were performed using a purposive sampling method. The data were analyzed through conventional content analysis. Data collection and analysis were performed simultaneously using MAXQDAv10 software. Results: Regarding the study objectives, two themes and six main categories were identified. The theme of ‘laying the groundwork for upbringing’ was detected by two main categories: ‘meeting the needs and ‘effective interaction with the adolescent’; also, the theme of ‘individual-social capacity building’ was explained by four main categories: ‘helping to gain independence’, ‘modeling individual-social behavior’, ‘socializing the adolescent’, and ‘preparing to accept future roles’.Conclusion: Mothers’ practice was mainly focused on adolescents’ independence, college education, career prospects, and marriage preparation and respect for older adults. Consistent with this transition to modernity, and contrary to the collectivist values of Iranian society, mothers’ practice was in line with developing adolescents’ independence and building their self-confidence, which is close to the authoritative parenting style.

Correction of Negative Manifestations in 3-year-old Children in Kindergarten Conditions

Introduction. The early age is an important and very difficult stage in the development of a person’s personality. The problem of overcoming negative manifestations during the crisis of three years seems to be particularly relevant, because at this stage the formation of consciousness and the position of the child’s personality takes place. The absence of special conditions for upbringing and communication with the child, taking into account age characteristics and contributing to the smooth course of the restructuring of the psyche, can lead to irreversible consequences that affect the development of personality in the future. Various ways and options for overcoming the crisis of three years were considered by domestic and foreign teachers and psychologists: L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontiev, L. I. Bozhovich, D. B. Elkonin, E. Erickson, G. Bronson, S. Wolf, T. V. Guskova, M. G. Elagina, T. E. Dragunova, M. I. Lisina, A. Clark, N. A. Menchinskaya, V. S. Mukhina, J. Rusek, L. White, E. Koehler. Among the conditions for successfully overcoming the crisis, they call taking into account the new needs of a child, respect for the child’s personality by adults and a tactful attitude towards him or her, especially in conflict emotionally stressful situations, abandoning the desire to tame the child, giving him reasonable opportunities to demonstrate his/her independence, removing situations that lead a child to stress and aggravation of relationships with others. However, in most cases, recommendations on how to achieve this are general and relate to the upbringing of a child in the family. The analysis of the proposed ways to overcome the negative manifestations of the crisis of three years has shown that they do not provide sufficient characteristics of the psychological and pedagogical conditions necessary for the evolutionary development of personality at this age stage. They do not have a complete picture of the psychological and pedagogical effects on a child, they do not consider the role of a kindergarten teacher and the possibilities of a pre-school educational organization in overcoming this crisis, although a significant number of pre-school children currently attend kindergartens. Therefore, it became necessary to consider the possibilities of reducing the negative symptoms of the crisis of three years from the designated points of view. Materials and Methods. Theoretical analysis of literature, analysis of the state of practice, generalization of empirically obtained data, observation, conversation, experiment, mathematical methods of data processing. Results. Pronounced symptoms of the crisis were observed in 59 % of children, among them self-will was diagnosed in 67 %, stubbornness in 63 %, negativism in 46 %, despotism in 33 %, depreciation in 29 % of children. Situational manifestations of symptoms are present in 44 %, frequent – in 22 % of them. The most common cause of negative behavioral reactions of three-year-old is improper influence on the part of adults who do not want to take into account the needs and capabilities of a child changing with age and preventing the manifestation of independence of children. The focus of negative manifestations on adults was 67 %. Discussion and Conclusion. The most effective way to overcome the negative manifestations of the crisis of three years will be under the conditions of creating a developing environment aimed at reducing the negative reactions of the child and ensuring a positive emotional background of interaction with adults and peers; timely diagnosis of manifestations of negative behavioral reactions indicating the presence of crisis symptoms, in order to reduce their external and internal effects on the development of the child’s personality as a whole; regular special conversations with the child aimed at forming a positive level of relationships with adults and peers; creating playful ways of interacting with a child of early preschool age; mutual cooperation with parents to implement the principle of continuity of the educational process to reduce the negative manifestations of the symptoms of the crisis of three years.

خطاب النزع الأخير: تحولات القريض على مشارف الموت!

Human life passes through various stages, one of which is when a person lies on the deathbed. It is a very painful and difficult stage and makes one suffer from despair, helplessness, and heartlessness. Therefore, the feelings of a person change in this state and one starts to talk differently. Experts in many fields of science have tried to explain and understand the words of a person on the deathbed. For example, legal experts call it the dying declaration and describe its legal effects. This study aims to study the poetry of some Arab poets who were able to produce poetry on their deathbeds and express feelings, which were full of questions and life. Arab poets have discussed the agony of death from multiple angles, which have not been noticed by any previous study.

Future Challenges to The Federal System in Iraq

The federal system in Iraq faces many future challenges that this country is going through, because the constitutional reality contradicts its provisions due to the weakness or lack of political consensus between parties and the principle of national participation in accordance with constitutional and political foundations in the institutions of the state. In addition to that the Iraqi federalism is facing mysterious obstacles, due to the differences between political parties, which is the cause of division or dismantling. It is expected that the future relationship between the Kurdistan region and the federal government is likely to go through difficult stages, especially after the Kurdistan regional referendum on 25 September 2017 and the failure to adopt the federal system in Iraq properly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, which recognized the Kurdistan region as a result of its existence as a reality, and the new region faces many obstacles and challenges facing the federal system in Iraq in general.

Student assessment in cybersecurity training automated by pattern mining and clustering.

Hands-on cybersecurity training allows students and professionals to practice various tools and improve their technical skills. The training occurs in an interactive learning environment that enables completing sophisticated tasks in full-fledged operating systems, networks, and applications. During the training, the learning environment allows collecting data about trainees’ interactions with the environment, such as their usage of command-line tools. These data contain patterns indicative of trainees’ learning processes, and revealing them allows to assess the trainees and provide feedback to help them learn. However, automated analysis of these data is challenging. The training tasks feature complex problem-solving, and many different solution approaches are possible. Moreover, the trainees generate vast amounts of interaction data. This paper explores a dataset from 18 cybersecurity training sessions using data mining and machine learning techniques. We employed pattern mining and clustering to analyze 8834 commands collected from 113 trainees, revealing their typical behavior, mistakes, solution strategies, and difficult training stages. Pattern mining proved suitable in capturing timing information and tool usage frequency. Clustering underlined that many trainees often face the same issues, which can be addressed by targeted scaffolding. Our results show that data mining methods are suitable for analyzing cybersecurity training data. Educational researchers and practitioners can apply these methods in their contexts to assess trainees, support them, and improve the training design. Artifacts associated with this research are publicly available.

Predicting patient experience of Invisalign treatment: An analysis using artificial neural network

ObjectivePoor experience with Invisalign treatment affects patient compliance and, thus, treatment outcome. Knowing the potential discomfort level in advance can help orthodontists better prepare the patient to overcome the difficult stage. This study aimed to construct artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict patient experience in the early stages of Invisalign treatment.MethodsIn total, 196 patients were enrolled. Data collection included questionnaires on pain, anxiety, and quality of life (QoL). A four-layer fully connected multilayer perception with three backpropagations was constructed to predict patient experience of the treatment. The input data comprised 17 clinical features. The partial derivative method was used to calculate the relative contributions of each input in the ANNs.ResultsThe predictive success rates for pain, anxiety, and QoL were 87.7%, 93.4%, and 92.4%, respectively. ANNs for predicting pain, anxiety, and QoL yielded areas under the curve of 0.963, 0.992, and 0.982, respectively. The number of teeth with lingual attachments was the most important factor affecting the outcome of negative experience, followed by the number of lingual buttons and upper incisors with attachments.ConclusionsThe constructed ANNs in this preliminary study show good accuracy in predicting patient experience (i.e., pain, anxiety, and QoL) of Invisalign treatment. Artificial intelligence system developed for predicting patient comfort has potential for clinical application to enhance patient compliance.

Тенденції реформування світової фінансової системи

Abstract. Introduction. The relevance of the study of trends in the reform of the global financial system is due to the fact that it is currently going through one of the most difficult and critical stages of its existence. The traditional challenges in the field of international currency circulation include the steady development of globalization of all economic processes, the development of digital technologies, as well as the impact of powerful exogenous factors such as rapid climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires a rapid and comprehensive response Purpose. In this regard, this article aims to identify key aspects of the current stage of reforming the global financial system, their general characteristics, as well as changes in theoretical and political approaches to solving problems of the global financial system from the standpoint of complexity. The main research method was the method of induction, which based on the study of a number of primary international documents, theoretical studies and research focused on the initial analysis of individual problems of the global financial system allowed to form a comprehensive vision, identify and systematize major trends in global financial system reform. Results. The article provides a brief overview of trends in global financial architecture, emphasizes the awareness of major players – politicians, international economic and financial organizations, most scholars and key bankers of central banks – the need for closer linkage of monetary and financial processes with the needs of the real economy and international trade, increasing the regulatory role of the state in financial processes, as well as closer international coordination of efforts in the financial sphere, which is especially important for an adequate response to climate change and in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of digital technologies and exogenous factors (climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic) has forced politicians and financiers to focus on the Global Tax Agreement and the European Union's introduction of a transboundary carbon regulation mechanism. Conclusions. The identified trends in reforming the global financial system and their key characteristics, given in this article, can serve as a starting point for further research, both comprehensive and more specialized, as well as contribute to a broader understanding of modern global financial processes in shaping financial policy and adoption management decisions/

Modeling of the fat base of cosmetic creams

The development of the formulation of cosmetic creams with a fat base, as a rule, is based on a rich practical experience, which has found expression in a number of generally accepted strategies. At the same time, the most difficult stage is the creation of a multicomponent mixture of oils with a balanced fatty acid composition, taking into account skin type, age-related changes, etc. An alternative to the empirical approach can be the creation of mathematical models of fat mixtures based on an unambiguous clear choice of criteria and restrictive conditions for the content of individual fatty acids. The relevance of such a task is due to the fact that the proposed models are quite complex and limited to a small set of components in the blend. The purpose of this study was to create a simplified model for calculating the fatty acid composition of multicomponent blends of vegetable oils using oil extracts of berries, fruits, essential oils and medicinal plants of the Crimean region enriched with BAS as a fat base. Oil extracts were obtained on the principle of two-phase extraction, which allows the extraction of biologically active substances of medium polarity. As a result of the research, a simplified strategy for mathematical modeling of the multicomponent composition of the fat base of oil creams is proposed, which allows to obtain the optimal ratio between base and active oils. At the same time, oils are selected both taking into account their physiological activity and fatty acid composition. A significant simplification is achieved through a preliminary analysis of the fatty acid composition of oils and the selection on its basis of such mixtures of oils, which later act as a single component. This allows the formation of multicomponent mixtures. The ratio of oleic and linoleic acids; the ratio of oleic to the sum of polyunsaturated acids (PUFA) were chosen as restrictive criteria. The results of this work can be useful when creating and testing mixtures using new unconventional oils.