Life Conditions Research Articles

Systemic metabolic depletion of gut microbiome undermines responsiveness to melanoma immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy has proven to be a boon for patients battling metastatic melanoma, significantly improving their clinical condition and overall quality of life. A compelling link between the composition of the gut microbiome and the efficacy of immunotherapy has been established in both animal models and human patients. However, the precise biological mechanisms by which gut microbes influence treatment outcomes remain poorly understood. Using a robust dataset of 680 fecal metagenomes from melanoma patients, a detailed catalog of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) was constructed to explore the compositional and functional properties of the gut microbiome. Our study uncovered significant findings that deepen the understanding of the intricate relationship between gut microbes and the efficacy of melanoma immunotherapy. In particular, we discovered the specific metagenomic profile of patients with favorable treatment outcomes, characterized by a prevalence of MAGs with increased overall metabolic potential and proficiency in polysaccharide utilization, along with those responsible for cobalamin and amino acid production. Furthermore, our investigation of the biosynthetic pathways of short-chain fatty acids, known for their immunomodulatory role, revealed a differential abundance of these pathways among the specific MAGs. Among others, the cobalamin-dependent Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of acetate synthesis was directly associated with responsiveness to melanoma immunotherapy.

Effects of early predation and social cues on the relationship between laterality and personality.

Individual differences in laterality and personality are expected to covary, as emotions are processed differently by the two hemispheres, and personality involves emotional behavior. Fish species are often used to investigate this topic due to the large variability in personality and laterality patterns. While some species show a positive relationship between lateralization strength and boldness, others show a negative relationship, and some show no relationship. A new way to assess the robustness of such a relationship is to manipulate both laterality and personality to examine how this affects their relationship. To this end, we conducted a fully factorial design experiment manipulating predation and group size during early development. Results showed that the strength of laterality was influenced by predation threat, while social tendency and boldness were influenced by group size. These findings suggest that early life conditions can have an impact on laterality and social behavior. The relationship between laterality and personality traits, while present, was heavily influenced by the specific trial conditions but not by the different developmental conditions. In summary, the relationship between laterality and behaviors appears to be context-dependent, yet resilient to early environmental manipulations.

Prevalence and population characteristics associated with frailty in a rural low socioeconomic area in Denmark: the Lolland-Falster Health Study

BackgroundFrailty is a major geriatric syndrome that predicts increased vulnerability to minor stressor events and adverse outcomes such as falls, fractures, disability and death. The prevalence of frailty among individuals...

The practices of heat adaptation among elderly in Dezful: A qualitative study.

Useful experiences of the elderly in adapting to the environment may play an important role in formulating future policies. This study was conducted to explain the past experiences of the elderly in Dezful in adapting to heat. This study was conducted with a qualitative research approach and a qualitative content analysis method in 2020 and 2021. The experiences of 18 elderly in Dezful were collected through semi-structured interviews via recording, face-to-face interviews, and data observation. Sampling was performed by the purpose-based method, and the data of this stage were analyzed using a content analysis approach using the Zhang and Wildemuth method. During the data analysis process, three main themes were extracted, including psychophysiological, socioeconomic, and environmental adaptation. Also, twelve subthemes including changes in physiological conditions, urban architecture, house architecture, diet, clothing, business conditions, mindset, life conditions, and the use of factors (spirituality, experience, and natural capacities) were extracted. Explaining the experiences of the elderly in Dezful, who have lived with heat for many years, can provide better identification of solutions and more tangible experiences of adaptation to heat for other communities. These experiences can be used in urban, cultural, and social planning.

Features of the educational strategy of school graduates when entering regional universities in Russia

Introduction. With the change of generations, changes in the socio-economic conditions of life, global processes affecting local levels, the previously habitual mechanisms for the functioning of social institutions, in particular, education, also change. Restrictions on entry into the higher education system generate competition for state-funded places, and the USE mechanism is a key way to select the most talented and capable applicants. School graduates find other ways to universities because of the competitiveness and complexity of the Unified State Exam, along with the traditional trajectory of entering a university. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the educational strategies that Russian school graduates choose, the factors that determine this choice, and the problems that give rise to the variety of educational trajectories of graduates. Materials and methods. The study was conducted using an online survey among first-year students of two Volgograd universities – Volgograd State University and Volgograd State Technical University in October 2022 (N=527), the task of representation by gender and age was not set. Methods: analysis of sources, online survey, scaling, mathematical statistics (calculation of arithmetic mean), analysis of frequency distributions, analysis of contingency tables. Results. The quality of preparation for the USE is provided not only by general education schools, but also by various forms of additional education, tutors, courses, online schools. The overall level of USE results in the Volgograd region, based on average values, fluctuates in the range of 45-55 points out of 100, while the average scores for admission to the studied Volgograd universities, which were included in the study area of the authors, are 66.4 and 68.7 points, and in the capital - much higher. However, as the analysis of empirical data shows, the decision to enter a university is made on the basis of a wider range of factors, including the territorial location of the university, family traditions, and the socioeconomic status of the family. A rational approach to the implementation of the educational strategy gives rise to the so-called. "transit" trajectory of entering the university after college graduation. Admission to an institution of secondary vocational education can be an intermediate stage (for example, the share of college graduates in full-time departments of universities in Volgograd is 13%, in Russia – about 21%), or be the ultimate goal of the educational trajectory. Conclusion. Admission to a university after the 11th grade brings to the fore the quality of education in schools and preparation for the Unified State Exam, as a tool for the competitive selection of applicants applying for state-funded places at a university. Entering a university after graduating from college is not the most popular strategy, but it avoids the procedure for passing the exam, since admission is based on the results of the university's internal exams. Entering college after the 11th grade is a forced measure and reflects the problems of limited access to higher education on a budgetary basis, competition among applicants, poor preparation for the Unified State Examination, low level of family well-being, etc.

Суб’єктивна оцінка стану здоров’я педагогічними працівників з різними рівнями професійного вигорання в умовах соціальної ізоляції та воєнного стану

The aim of the study is to analyze data on the state of health of teachers with different levels of occupational burnout who were in different social conditions of life (social isolation and martial law). Materials and methods. To achieve the goal, the method of V. V. Boiko «Diagnostics of the level of emotional burnout» (1998) and a specially developed questionnaire «Subjective assessment of the state of health, life activities and working conditions of teachers» were used, with the help of which an anonymous survey was conducted general secondary education institutions in the city of Sumy during the period of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in 2021 (85 people) and during martial law in April 2023 (106 people). Results. The proportion of the group of teachers with a low level of occupational burnout increased and was 2.22 times higher than the similar group of teachers during the period of social isolation (30.97±3.35)%, t=8.04, p≤0.001), which may indicate a possible decrease in the influence of professional stressors and an actualization of the feeling of uncertainty, constant anxiety, fear for one’s own life and the lives of loved ones, which is due to the military situation in the country. In conditions of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, average (48.24±3.36)% t=9.54, p≤0.001) and low (41.18±3.31)% t=7.83, p≤0.001) levels of occupational burnout prevailed. Under the conditions of martial law, the manifestations of occupational burnout changed: the proportion of the group of teachers with a low level of occupational burnout increased and was 2.22 times higher than the similar group of teachers during the period of social isolation (30.97±3.35)%, t=8.04, p≤0.001), which may indicate a possible decrease in the influence of professional stressors and an actualization of the feeling of uncertainty, constant anxiety, fear for one’s own life and the lives of loved ones, which is due to the military situation in the country. If during the period of isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a high level of occupational burnout significantly prevailed among teachers under the age of 40 (55.56±5.38)%), then during the period of martial law, a high level of occupational burnout was mainly registered among teachers of the older age group (up to 50 – (42.86±4.81)%). In general, (76.02±3.09)% of the surveyed teachers defined their health status as satisfactory, (16.29±2.67)% as unsatisfactory, and only (7.69±1.93)% of respondents as excellent. Among the interviewees in the group with unsatisfactory self-assessment of health, teachers of the age groups «under 50» and «over 50» predominated (36.11±3.47)% and (30.56±3.33)%, respectively) compared to the groups «up to 30» – (8.33±1.99)% and «up to 40» – (25.00±3.13)%, which can be explained by the natural accumulation over the years of functional abnormalities and chronic pathology. The leading complaints, regardless of social conditions and levels of occupational burnout, were complaints of headaches, palpitations, sleep disturbances, and increased blood pressure. Conclusions. The established results of the study require further improvement of the assessment of the components of mental health among teaching staff in conditions of martial law and the development of hygienic recommendations for the prevention of occupational burnout in various social conditions of the labor process.

Homeownership, Labour Market Transitions and Earnings

ABSTRACT The paper investigates the links between homeownership, employment and earnings. The motivation stems from the lack of consensus in the literature linking these outcomes. Our analysis is cast within a dynamic setting and the endogeneity of each outcome is assessed through the estimation of a flexible panel multivariate model with random effects. The data we use are drawn from the French sample of the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions for the years 2004–2019. Our results show that while homeowners have longer employment and unemployment spells, they must contend with lower earnings than tenants upon re-employment. Importantly, our results highlight the importance of distinguishing between outright and indebted homeowners. Indeed, the latter are found to behave more or less like tenants in the labour market. At the aggregate level, thus, the positive relationship between homeownership and unemployment rate, known as Oswald’s conjecture, might thus depend on the share of leveraged homeowners in the population.

『통합사회』교과에서 행복 교육을 위한 사회학적 접근 전략 탐색

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the conceptualization of “happiness,” a prominent theme in the “Integrated Society” curriculum revised in 2015, from a sociological perspective within textbooks. The primary objective is to identify how happiness is portrayed and structured in these educational materials and to propose potential enhancements.
 Methods Consequently, the study investigates the manner in which discussions on happiness have been executed and how sociological perspectives have been integrated into these discussions. Adopting a sociological standpoint, happiness is viewed as a multifaceted concept embedded in social context. This research explores how social factors, such as the social structure, value system, economic conditions, and political influences, impact individual happiness. The examination of happiness content involves a segmentation into the meaning and standard of happiness, along with the conditions for a happy life, employing the quality of life model found in the five textbooks associated with the “Integrated Society” curriculum.
 Results The analysis outcomes reveal several key findings. Firstly, within the textbooks, the meaning of happiness is predominantly described in the subjective perspective, while the objective perspective is limited to listing and presenting various indices, failing to provide a balanced presentation of the two perspectives of happiness. Secondly, a distinction is made between textbooks that emphasize the social conditions of happiness and those that do not. Textbooks emphasizing social conditions predominantly focus on the objective aspects of societal conditions. In conclusion, both the meaning of happiness and the conditions for a happy life are predominantly framed in terms of pleasure and life satisfaction. However, the study highlights a deficiency in addressing the social systems that support these aspects.
 Conclusions In light of these findings, the study recommends that textbooks incorporate content that comprehensively explores the intricate relationship between society and individual happiness.

Modern Treatment of Dry Post-viral Cough. Focus on Efficiency and Safety

Cough is the most common symptom of bronchopulmonary diseases, about which patients consult the doctors of both primary and secondary care. Cough can be caused by diseases of the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and cardiovascular diseases. However, cough most often develops during acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI), which disrupts the patient’s normal activities and limits his work capacity. Since most respiratory infections are viral in nature, the use of antibacterial drugs will not only be of no benefit, but will also significantly worsen the patient’s condition. The objective: to analyze the effectiveness and tolerability of a combined antitussive agent, which includes codeine, thermopsis extract, licorice root and sodium bicarbonate, in the treatment of dry post-viral cough. Materials and methods. The study included 60 patients with a dry cough that caused by ARVI, namely: 49 (82%) men and 11 (18%) women. The average age of the patients was 46±4.7 years. Most of the subjects (90%) had smoking experience of more than 20 years. The research participants were divided into two groups of 30 people each. The groups were comparable by age, duration and severity of symptoms, as well as clinical manifestations of respiratory disease. The patients of the first group took a combined antitussive drug containing codeine, thermopsis extract, licorice root, and sodium bicarbonate for 5 days. Patients of the second group received alternative antitussive drugs. At the beginning and at the end of treatment, the severity of cough was determined on a visual analog scale and the physical, psychological and social conditions of patients in both groups were assessed using the Leicester Acute Cough Questionnaire. Results. As a result of the research, it was found that the patients of the first group, who received the combined antitussive drug, have achieved the desired treatment result much earlier and more effectively than the patients of the second group. The intensity of their cough decreased by 2.5 times during the treatment period. The patients of the first group also had better results of treatment, comparing indicators of physical, psychological and social conditions. In the control group, positive results of treatment were determined, although a less significant effect was found. Conclusions. The conducted study confirmed the high efficiency of the combined antitussive agent, which includes codeine, thermopsis extract, licorice root and sodium bicarbonate, in the treatment of dry debilitating cough caused by ARVI. Thanks to the use of this drug, the severity of cough significantly decreased, which led to a significant improvement in the general condition and quality of life of patients.

한국 주택가격의 동태적 변화 연구

Housing is one of the essential goods that determine the conditions of life. However, housing prices fluctuate widely depending on macroeconomic conditions, making it an important research topic. This study analyzes the dynamic changes in quarterly housing prices from 2006 to 2023, using GARCH model, Granger causality test, and vector error correction model(VECM). The main finding are as follows. First, there are inertial feedback effects in house price changes. Second, there is clustering and long-run persistence in the dynamics of house price volatility. Third, we find significant effects of housing loans on the demand side and housing construction permits and unsold housing units on the supply side on house prices. Housing loans have a positive effect in the short run, while housing supply variables such as housing construction permits and the number of unsold housing units have a negative effect in the long run. These results of our analysis suggest that the housing market follows the market principle that the role of housing supply and demand works well, and that housing prices have inertial characteristics with spikes and crashes depending on the economic environment. Housing policy-makers need to take these findings into account when formulating housing policies.

Residual Stresses and the Microstructure of Modeled Laser-Hardened Railway Axle Seats under Fatigue

Railway wheels are usually attached to axles by press-fitting; therefore, the mechanical processes taking place during operation can result in failure, with fatal consequences for the axle seats. This manuscript describes the effect of laser hardening on the residual stress state, microstructural parameters (lattice defects—dislocations, crystallites, microstrains, etc.), and mechanical properties of laser-hardened EA1N steel railway axles under fatigue life conditions. Differences were found between ground, single-track, and multi-track hardened surfaces. Tensile residual stresses, low dislocation densities and hardnesses, and different microstructures (tempered cubic martensite) were found at the overlapped tracks and at the boundary of the heat-affected zone and bulk surface compared with the hardened zone. As a result, the surface treatment of axle seats by laser hardening improved the fatigue failure resistance compared with untreated seats. Optimal properties of the integrity of the axle seat surface were achieved, including fatigue resistance, which seems to be positively influenced mainly by sufficient hardness and the appropriate microstructure. The influence of the other investigated parameters was not evident, and was reduced by the presence of fretting corrosion and press-fitting.

What it means to be poor: dimensions of economic hardship among older people living in poverty across Europe

Abstract There is a lack of comparative and quantitative research on how poverty manifests itself in the economic wellbeing of older people across European countries. In this study, we focus in on two central dimensions of economic wellbeing: the ability to pay for usual expenses and unexpected expenses. Our aim is to find out how often older people living at risk of poverty experience hardship on these dimensions, how these dimensions overlap, and whether the incidence of hardship differs between the poor and the non-poor. The study is based on the cross-sectional component of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 2018 survey, involving 29 countries and 148,432 respondents aged 65+ years. The analysis builds on both descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression, which takes into account differences in household characteristics between the poor and the non-poor. The results reveal that for the poor, meeting unexpected expenses is a more common problem than meeting usual expenses, although they typically experience hardship on both dimensions. Hardship among the poor is more frequent in Central Eastern and some Southern European countries, while poor people living in Continental and Nordic countries tend to fare better, even though relatively large numbers in these countries lack cash margin. The non-poor do also experience hardship, but to a lesser extent. The poor experience combined hardship relatively often in Continental European countries. Based on the results, we conclude that studies should pay closer attention to the different dimensions of economic wellbeing in old age.

한국의 소비불평등 요인분해에 관한 연구

Purpose: This study examines the determinants of household consumption expenditure and quantifies their contribution to within group inequality by gender of household head in South Korea.
 Research design, data, and methodology: This study first decomposes total inequality into within and between inequality by gender of household head. It also examines the association between a vector of household demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and household consumption expenditure in an attempt to identify how much inequality can be attributed to each of explanatory factors. This study empirically draws upon the recent national representative dataset, Survey of Household Finance and Living Conditions (SFLC) 2 021 c ollected b y Korea Statistical Office.
 Results: According to the present study, inequality in 2021 in South Korea was found to be mainly dominated by inequality within population sub groups. Examining the determinants of household consumption inequality, it shows that factors and their conributions are different between male and female headed households. For instance, whilst the type of job occupation of a head appears to have a large impact on inequality within male headed households, it is found to have marginal contribution compared to within female headed households (25.2% vs. 7.4%). In case of household demography, it is observed as the second largest factor increasing within inequality among female headed households (31.2%) whereas its contribution to inequality within inequality among male group was relatively small (18.6%).
 Implications: Our study suggests that target specific investigation and deep structural understanding need to be made on the different characteristics of within inequality as reflected by the different role of factors and their contributions. Amongst, the different inequality impact of higher education might reflect that the expansion of higher education had a relatively lower impact on the living stand of female group than that of its counterpart, male group. Finally, the discriminatory barriers (e.g. job occupation) against female may reduce within inequality, it could widen total inequality, worsening distribution between male and female groups.

Interrelations of physical state parameters and biological age of students in the process of physical education

Background and Study Aim. The objective of the study is to investigate the relationships of students' biological age (BA) with the parameters of functional and physical fitness (PF) in the process of adaptation to standard (university) and experimental physical education programs. Material and Methods. The studies were conducted at the National University of Telecommunications of Ukraine and involved 140 students aged 17-18 years old, comprising 80 boys and 60 girls. We recorded 55 indices of students' functional state and physical fitness, and determined their Body Mass Index (BMI). The experimental data were processed using methods of correlation, dispersion, and regression analysis. Mathematical models describing the relationships between BMI and key indicators of students' physical well-being were developed. Results. The impact of the program on 17-18-year-old students is marked by a decrease in BMI, an increase in the levels of physical fitness and overall well-being among both the experimental group of girls and boys. Additionally, there is a reduced correlation between BMI and the parameters of their physical health. The key indices of functional state and physical fitness determining the BMI of male and female students were identified. Multiple regression models were developed to illustrate the dependence of male and female BMI on somatic and functional indices. Quantitative characteristics of the degree of partial and total impact of key indices on male and female BMI were provided. It was found that the key indicators of students' physical state (PS) structure, which exerted the most significant influence on BMI, differ between young men and women. In young men, the key indicators influencing BMI include the following: Vital capacity (VC) accounts for 51.9% of BMI variation; self-perceived health status (SPHS) contributes 15.3%; static balancing (SB) affects 8.5%; inspiration breath-hold time (IBH) influences 8.4%; expiration breath-hold time (EBH) has a 0.8% impact; systolic blood pressure (SBP) plays a role with 4.6%; the number of sit-ups in 30 seconds (SU30s) is associated with 0.9%; and left hand muscle strength has a 0.6% influence. In girls, the key indicators are VC (34.5% of BMI variation), SBP (23.1%), and SB (7.9%). Conclusions. The experimental program of increased motor activity leads to an increase in the functional and motor capabilities of students, while simultaneously decreasing their BMI. Among the parameters studied, changes in vegetative parameters have the greatest impact on reducing students' BMI during the annual cycle of long-term adaptation to physical loads. In contrast, changes in somatic parameters and physical fitness parameters have a lesser influence on students' BMI. The calculated equations of multiple regression serve as model characteristics that reflect the relationships between BMI and the key indicators of functional state and physical fitness in 17-18-year-old students. These equations can be utilized to estimate, model, and predict the BMI of 17-18-year-old students of different genders when altering the parameters of their physical state in various conditions of daily life and activity.

Born with an advantage: early life and maternal effects on fitness in female ground squirrels.

Lifetime fitness and its determinants are an important topic in the study of behavioral ecology and life-history evolution. Early life conditions comprise some of these determinants, warranting further investigation into their impact. In some mammals, babies born lighter tend to have lower life expectancy than those born heavier, and some of these life-history traits are passed on to offspring, with lighter-born females giving birth to lighter offspring. We investigated how weight at weaning, the relative timing of birth in the season, maternal weight, and maternal age affected the longevity and lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of female Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus). We hypothesized that early life conditions such as offspring weight would not only have lifetime fitness consequences but also intergenerational effects. We found that weight at weaning had a significant impact on longevity, with heavier individuals living longer. The relative timing of an individual's birth did not have a significant association with either longevity or LRS. Individuals born to heavier mothers were found to have significantly higher LRS than those born to lighter mothers. Finally, maternal age was found to be significantly associated with their offspring's LRS, with older mothers having less successful offspring. Our results provide evidence that early life conditions do have lifelong fitness and sometimes intergenerational consequences for Columbian ground squirrels.

Observation of human-animal interaction for research (OHAIRE) behavior coding in a randomized control trial of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a canine-assisted intervention.

Diagnosed in about 10% of children in the United States, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by symptoms including inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Traditional interventions, such as pharmacological and psychological interventions, are often used in conjunction with integrative health options, such as animal-assisted interventions. The objective of this manuscript is to report behavior coding findings from a randomized control trial of children with ADHD. As part of a larger randomized control trial focused on the efficacy of combining a canine-assisted intervention (live therapy dog or control stuffed dog) with cognitive behavioral therapy for children with ADHD, the current manuscript focuses on video-captured behavior observations (n = 35 children, approximately 322 minutes of data). Data were extracted and coded using the Observation of Human-Animal Interaction Research (OHAIRE) Coding System. Behavior codes are reported as summary scores for the following domains: animal social interaction and human social interaction (further separated into human-adult social interaction and human-peer social interaction). Repeated measures mixed models analyses were performed using SAS PROC GLIMMIX to evaluate group differences and change across the study period. There were no significant differences in how much children interacted with the live therapy dogs versus control stuffed dogs. With respect to human-to-human social interactions, children showed greater increases over time in human-directed social interactions in the presence of live therapy dogs compared to stuffed dogs (p = .020). Over the course of the 12-week intervention, children increased in interactions with both adults (p = .006) and their peers (p = .014); however, there were more increases over time in adult-directed social interactions in the live animal condition compared to the control stuffed animal condition (p < 0.0001). Findings suggest changes in social interaction when participating in this canine-assisted intervention, specifically greater increases in human-to-human social interactions over time when a live therapy dog is present compared to a control stuffed dog. Children appear to engage relatively equally with both live and stuffed dogs; however, the impact of animals on human socialization differs based on if a live animal is present. Future studies should consider incorporating behavior coding analysis into studies of canine-assisted interventions to identify how human-animal interactions may be moderators or mechanisms for psychosocial outcomes.

The sources and structure of wage inequality changes in the selected Central-Eastern European Countries

AbstractWe study the determinants of wage inequality and its fluctuations in six Central-Eastern European nations using European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions microdata from 2010 to 2019. Wage disparity in these countries changed in distinct ways. Inequality in Czechia and Romania is generally steady, has fallen consistently in Poland and Slovakia, and has increased in Bulgaria. Inequality has been steadily reducing in Hungary but has recently increased significantly. Therefore, this paper questions these countries' primary causes of wage inequality changes. In addition to providing a detailed description of inequality trends in these countries, we focus on examining the demographic and micro-level determinants alongside the minimum wage changes. We estimate these effects using RIF regression and RIF decompositions for various inequality measures. The changes in wage inequality in these countries were driven mainly by wage structure effects regardless of the increase or decrease in wage inequality. Changes in the returns to education and returns to permanent employment contracts are crucial in explaining decreased wage inequality. The increases in wage inequality in Hungary and Bulgaria are defined mainly by the changes in the estimated constants instead of micro-level determinants. The changes in the minimum wage explain most of the unknown factors in Bulgaria, and the spillover effects of the minimum wage may explain most of the unknown factors in Hungary. Our results can support the skill-biased technological change hypothesis in the case of Slovakia, Romania, Czechia, and Bulgaria.

Development of a Mechanism for Assessing Mutual Structural Relations for Import Substitution of High-Tech Transfer in Life Cycle Management of Fundamentally New Products

The emergence of fundamentally new products is conditioned both by the development of techniques and technologies and by the emerging new needs and conditions of economic and social life of society. In this case, the process of achieving product dominance in the market has a progressive cyclical character in the form of a spiral pattern, the movement along which occurs with acceleration. At the current stage of economic development, most states have problems expanding sales of products and capturing new markets. These problems today are described in the works of various scientists; the research of the authors touches upon the issues of economic development. Today’s economic conditions, which are characterized by the application of sanctions pressure on a large scale, do not assess the opposite effect, when the countries that are subjected to this pressure, and the countries that organize this pressure, suffer economic damage. Some suffer damage in the form of reduced ability to produce knowledge-intensive products by providing them with imported materials and components, others who exert this pressure, by reducing the sales of their products, and in this case, it is relevant to build a mechanism for assessing mutual structural links for import substitution of high-tech transfer in the management of the life cycle of radical new products, which in our view is useful for those or other countries. The hypothesis is that the modeling of mutual structural relations of high-tech transfer in the management of the life cycle of radical new products will significantly improve the mechanisms of industrial policy management and national technological security and ensure sustainable economic development. The aim of the study is the task of developing a mechanism of mutual structural links and assessing the synergetic economic effect based on the approach of intersectoral links, interactions and interdependencies. In the course of the research, the following tasks are solved: the necessity to adequately replace high-tech imports within the framework of national technological security is substantiated, for this purpose it is necessary to create unique equipment for the system of RNP production; the assessment of the possibility of realization of such a task is carried out; the assessment of high-tech competencies of science and production, technical and resource readiness (configuration of the RNP system) is necessary, and a complex model for the assessment of structural and mutual linkages in the economy of innovation is developed. The modeling performed by the authors allowed us to assess the structure of domestic high-tech imports and the coefficients of mutual linkage of imports. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the conducted research makes it possible to significantly improve the efficiency of management of innovation processes of high-tech transfer to ensure the creation of a system of production of radically new products at the levels of organization, industry or national economy, which will ensure stable economic development. For this purpose, the structure and dynamics of high-tech imports of the Russian Federation have been analyzed and calculated, taking into account critical technologies and industries. The multiplier effects in high-tech industries of the Russian economy taking into account imports were analyzed on the basis of the latest actual detailed data of Rosstat. The estimation of the mutual relationship of imports and application of the developed toolkit for the example “Mechanical equipment, machine tools and other equipment for general or special purposes” is carried out.

A novel neural network-based framework to estimate oil and gas pipelines life with missing input parameters

Dry gas pipelines can encounter various operational, technical, and environmental issues, such as corrosion, leaks, spills, restrictions, and cyber threats. To address these difficulties, proactive maintenance and management and a new technological strategy are needed to increase safety, reliability, and efficiency. A novel neural network model for forecasting the life of a dry gas pipeline system and detecting the metal loss dimension class that is exposed to a harsh environment is presented in this study to handle the missing data. The proposed strategy blends the strength of deep learning techniques with industry-specific expertise. The main advantage of this study is to predict the pipeline life with a significant advantage of predicting the dimension classification of metal loss simultaneously employing a Bayesian regularization-based neural network framework when there are missing inputs in the datasets. The proposed intelligent model, trained on four pipeline datasets of a dry gas pipeline system, can predict the health condition of pipelines with high accuracy, even if there are missing parameters in the dataset. The proposed model using neural network technology generated satisfactory results in terms of numerical performance, with MSE and R2 values closer to 0 and 1, respectively. A few cases with missing input data are carried out, and the missing data is forecasted for each case. Then, a model is developed to predict the life condition of pipelines with the predicted missing input variables. The findings reveal that the model has the potential for real-world applications in the oil and gas sector for estimating the health condition of pipelines, even if there are missing input parameters. Additionally, multi-model comparative analysis and sensitivity analysis are incorporated, offering an extensive comprehension of multi-model prediction abilities and beneficial insights into the impact of various input variables on model outputs, thereby improving the interpretability and reliability of our results. The proposed framework could help business plans by lowering the chance of severe accidents and environmental harm with better safety and reliability.

HUMANITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AVAILABILITY OF LIVING

The article considers the development of the concept of accessibility of the living environment as a need of every person and the entire population as a whole. Aspects of barrier-free formation by urban planning means, which is a set of objects of the spatial, social, and informational environment and characterizes the presence or absence of certain favorable and comfortable conditions for the successful full-fledged life of all members of the community, testify to the degree of civilization of society and the development of the country as a whole. An important characteristic of our environment is the accessibility of objects and services, a barrier-free environment that provides the opportunity to visit places, buildings and premises, the opportunity to receive services, use devices for everyone: both for ordinary people and for citizens with limited mobility, including people with special needs of different categories. We need to take a broader view of barriers and shape a worldview based on human rights and rejecting discrimination that automatically assumes that a person cannot do something because of their physical, mental, personal or ethnic characteristics. Today, we realize that in addition to people with certain needs and limited opportunities due to their health, the population with limited mobility also includes pregnant women, parents with strollers and small children, temporarily disabled and elderly people, cyclists. Therefore, low mobility is a life cycle for almost every person. And this is a serious reason and argument in favor of the indisputable need of the entire population to organize an accessible environment. The construction of a barrier-free environment for post-war reconstruction, the development of barrier-free building standards and a mechanism for monitoring their implementation are especially relevant. As a result of the conducted analysis, the presence of radical changes in the principles of urban planning related to the creation of a comfortable and humane space accessible to all and reflecting the evolution of views on the quality of the living environment was revealed.