Promising Developments in Bio-Based Products as Alternatives to Conventional Plastics to Enable Circular Economy in Ukraine

Transforming the plastic industry toward producing more sustainable alternatives than conventional plastics, as an essential enabler of the bio-based circular economy (CE), requires reinforcing initiatives to drive solutions from the lab to the market. In this regard, startups and ideation and innovation events can potentially play significant roles in consolidating efforts and investments by academia and industry to foster bio-based and biodegradable plastic-related developments. This study aimed to present the current trends and challenges of bioplastics and bio-based materials as sustainable alternatives for plastics. On this basis, having conducted a systematic literature review, the seminal research themes of the bio-based materials and bioplastics literature were unfolded and discussed. Then, the most recent developments of bio-based sustainable products in Ukraine, as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, that have gained publicity through local startup programs and hackathons were presented. The findings shed light on the potential of the bio-based sector to facilitate the CE transition through (i) rendering innovative solutions most of which have been less noticed in academia before; (ii) enhancing academic debate and bridging the gap between developers, scholars, and practitioners within the plastic industry toward creating circularity across the supply chain; (iii) identifying the main challenges and future perspectives for further investigations in the future

Predictors of subgroups based on maximum drinks per occasion over six years for 833 adolescents and young adults in COGA.

ObjectiveA person's pattern of heavier drinking often changes over time, especially during the early drinking years, and reflects complex relationships among a wide range of characteristics. Optimal understanding of the predictors of drinking during times of change might come from studies of trajectories of alcohol intake rather than cross-sectional evaluations.MethodThe patterns of maximum drinks per occasion were evaluated every 2 years between the average ages of 18 and 24 years for 833 subjects from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. Latent class growth analysis identified latent classes for the trajectories of maximum drinks, and then logistic regression analyses highlighted variables that best predicted class membership.ResultsFour latent classes were found, including Class 1 (69%), with about 5 maximum drinks per occasion across time; Class 2 (15%), with about 9 drinks at baseline that increased to 18 across time; Class 3 (10%), who began with a maximum of 18 drinks per occasion but decreased to 9 over time; and Class 4 (6%), with a maximum of about 22 drinks across time. The most consistent predictors of higher drinking classes were female sex, a low baseline level of response to alcohol, externalizing characteristics, prior alcohol and tobacco use, and heavier drinking peers.ConclusionsFour trajectory classes were observed and were best predicted by a combination of items that reflected demography, substance use, level of response and externalizing phenotypes, and baseline environment and attitudes

New Results From CLEO and BES

Latest experimental results from BES in the charmonium mass region, and those from CLEO in the bottomonium and charmonium spectroscopy are reviewed.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, Presented at First Meeting of the APS Topical Group on Hadron Physics, Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois, Oct 24-26, 200

The Trouble with KISSing and Other Mnemonic Devices

In this article, the authors share research on the use of mnemonic devices in mathematics in-struction. In particular, they address the following questions: What are mnemonic devices? What are their benefits? What should teachers be cautious about? How should mnemonic devices be used

Risk Management of IT Projects: The Essence and Features of the Application of the PMBoK and AGILE Approaches

Recently, the relevance of risk management of IT projects has increased significantly, which is associated with their rapid development and a high level of uncertainty in the external environment. The purpose of the study is to determine the features of risk management of IT projects on the basis of modern theory and practice of project management. The paper analyzes the essence of the concept of «IT project», as well as identifies its features, including: non-standard life cycle; mobility and ambiguity of some areas in the IT field; high level of uniqueness of the project; dependence on other IT projects and technologies; low level of project expertise due to the uniqueness of the technologies on which the project is based; high level of project complexity and uncertainty. The essence of the concept of «IT project risk» is also defined, the main types of risks are characterized. The features of using the PMBoK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) methodology in project risk management are analyzed. A characterization of the stages of risk management in IT projects based on the PMBoK approach is provided, including: risk planning; risk identification; qualitative and quantitative risk assessment; planning a risk response strategy; monitoring and control of risks. It is determined that risk management of IT projects using the PMBoK approach has significant shortcomings if used in conditions of a high level of uncertainty and novelty of the project. The article also provides a characterization of flexible risk management of an IT project based on the Agile methodology, which in turn is based on an iterative approach, continuous risk assessment and the development of measures for their adaptation. A comparative characterization of the approaches of PMBoK and Agile to risk management of IT projects is provided: their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of application are identified. It is noted that the choice between PMBoK and Agile approaches should be based on the specific needs of the project and the organizational context. PMBoK will be appropriate for large, long-term projects, as well as in situations where predictability, adherence to the plan are crucial, while Agile is best suited for innovative projects that are implemented in an uncertain or dynamic environment and require flexibility, quick adaptation, and customer focus. A significant number of project managers in the IT field prefer a hybrid approach that combines the strengths of both methodologies

The country's economic growth models and the potential for budgetary, monetary and private financing of gross domestic product growth

This article examines the financing of GDP growth within the framework of catch-up, evolutionary and dynamic models of economic development. Methods/statistical analysis: using the principles of the Solow model and the Cobb-Douglas function, an analysis of the nature of the models has been carried out, considering the processes of capital accumulation, the rate of growth of the workforce, and various aggregate factor productivities. With the help of historical logic and statistical evaluation, examples of countries relating to each of the models examined are reviewed. Based on the analysis, the main ways of financing economic growth are noted: both the state ones, due to budgetary and monetary policy measures, and private ones. It has been proven that with the transition from catch-up to an evolutionary or dynamic model, the role of the state as a centralizing force is diminishing. At the same time, the specificity of a dynamic model is due to the country's objective ability to be among the technological leaders, which is predetermined by the high values of current GDP, per capita GDP, and population size. Countries with an evolutionary model of development are constrained in their ability to maintain a comparable pace of development only within separate "growth points". The main result of the work is the assessment of Russia's potential from the viewpoint of one of the models considered, based on a comparative analysis of several capital indicators, as well as a logical analysis of data on the level of GDP and population with other countries. This makes it possible to make recommendations for financing the country's GDP growth in the medium to long term. Scope/Improvements: The findings can be used in the development of Russia's financial and economic strategy up to 2030.peer-reviewe

Model for integrating monetary and fiscal policies to stimulate economic growth and sustainable debt dynamics

This article examines the main integration trends of the state's monetary and fiscal policy in influencing economic growth and maintaining the sustainability of public debt. It is argued that the relationship between these trends of macroeconomic regulation is predetermined, on the one hand, by the potentially negative impact of fiscal expansion from the point of view of inflation, and by the negative impact of a likely state default in failing to refinance the debt from the Ministry of Finance, on the other hand. The paper studies the selected array of statistical data using the fiscal policy multipliers concept, the relationship between the effect of increase/decrease in budget expenditures, the slowdown in economic activity and the efforts by the Central Bank to offset fiscal measures, on the one hand, and the ratio of an increase/decrease in budget revenues and debt expenditures used to finance the budget investments, on the other hand. It is revealed that the investments are effective if implementing budget expenditures in the presence of the GDP gap and unrealized expectations of economic agents, while reducing spending in such a situation will intensify the recession. The GDP growth determined by these investments should provide the tax effect sufficient to cover the expenses. Otherwise, there can be negative effects of debt that establishes the need for measures to refinance public debt by the Central Bank. The conclusions of the paper can be used to assess the possible integration of monetary and fiscal policy based on various states.peer-reviewe

Dynamic Models in Atmospheric Monitoring Signal Evaluation for Safety, Health and Cost Benefits

It is prudent to interpret atmospheric monitoring signals in real time for checking the safe limits of the air conditions in underground mines. In gassy mines, real-time evaluation increases the safety of operations. In all mines, continuous monitoring and evaluation contributes to maintaining air conditions within healthy and safe limits. Signal interpretation for safety conditions in mines is difficult for many reasons. An increase in hazardous contaminant concentrations can be predicted by signal pattern recognition, root cause analysis of rapid changes toward deterioration, and forward prediction in time using algorithms and numerical models. The paper describes an early warning system for analyzing monitored signal patterns continuously in real time as well as forward predicting the various environmental and working conditions to recognize dangerous trends that may affect safety and health in underground mines. A dynamic, numerical ventilation model with heat and gas contaminant simulation components is used for the analysis of atmospheric data. Methods and test results are discussed with numerical examples for signal propagation prediction. Several mine examples are studied using controlled, synthetic data for malfunction simulations to evaluate time delays between the detection time of suspicious signal trends and the time of dangerous threshold crossing marking an accident scenario. Delay time is found in the order of 20\ua0min in the examples, signifying the useful time period for preventive intervention between EWS warning and the likely breakout of a following accident