Innovation in the Sphere of Augmented and Virtual Reality Technologies in EU Member States and Other Countries of the World

Problems and prospects for the application of innovative technologies of augmented and virtual reality (AR / VR) in various business areas are considered. The main trends in and features of the formation of technological and business base for creating products in the field of AR / VR for mass use in production and customer service are highlighted. The key participants in the global market for devices and applications in this sector as well as all options for their using at the present time are listed. The areas of practical application of the existing solutions are shown, the positive and negative factors are revealed. The features of various segments of wearable devices (Microsoft HoloLens) as well as mobile applications (ZapBox) are analyzed. The necessity for further development and implementation of AR technologies against the background of increasing digitalization processes and automation of production processes in the context of Industry 4.0 is justified

The virgin forests of the Synevyr National Nature Park, Ukraine: its current condition and biodiversity

Among the protected sites of the Eastern Carpathians, the Synevyr National Nature Park (NNP) in the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine is one of the most valuable and was created to preserve its unique mountain beech and spruce forest communities. The importance of the conservation of typical natural virgin forest ecosystems of the Central European mountain systemis emphasized. The aim of this article was to determine the state of the naturalness of virgin forests in the territory of Synevyr NNP, to analyse their syntaxonomy, and to establish the floristic and geobotanical characteristics of its virgin forests and to distinguish the existing biodiversity threats. It was established that the studied plots of beech and spruce forests within the territory of the Synevyr NNP have a distinct virgin nature based on their structure, forest valuation parameters, spontaneous dynamics and other features. Syntaxonomically the virgin forests of the park belong to two associations: Symphyto cordati-Fagetum Vida (1959) 1963 (alliance Fagion sylvaticae Luquet 1926, order Fagetalia sylvaticae Pawłowski 1928, class Сarpino-Fagetea sylvaticae Jakucs ex Passarge 1968) and Luzulo luzuloidis-Fagetum (Du Rietz 1923) Markgraf 1932 (alliance Luzulo-Fagion sylvaticae Lohmeyer & Tx. in Tx. 1954, order Luzulo-Fagetalia Scamoni & Passarge 1959, class Quercetea roboripetraeae Br.-Bl. & Tx. ex Oberd. 1957). The natural and anthropogenic biodiversity threats of these virgin forests are summarized. The results of the research formed the basis for the inclusion of the beech virgin forests of Synevyr NNP as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the list of objects on “Beech virgin forests and ancient forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe”

Deep phenotyping of 34,128 adult patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in an international network study

Comorbid conditions appear to be common among individuals hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but estimates of prevalence vary and little is known about the prior medication use of patients. Here, we describe the characteristics of adults hospitalised with COVID-19 and compare them with influenza patients. We include 34,128 (US: 8362, South Korea: 7341, Spain: 18,425) COVID-19 patients, summarising between 4811 and 11,643 unique aggregate characteristics. COVID-19 patients have been majority male in the US and Spain, but predominantly female in South Korea. Age profiles vary across data sources. Compared to 84,585 individuals hospitalised with influenza in 2014-19, COVID-19 patients have more typically been male, younger, and with fewer comorbidities and lower medication use. While protecting groups vulnerable to influenza is likely a useful starting point in the response to COVID-19, strategies will likely need to be broadened to reflect the particular characteristics of individuals being hospitalised with COVID-19.</p