Methodology for Assessing the Transport Accessibility of Capital Objects in a Megacity Based on Geoinformation Data

Purpose: to present the author's methodology and the test results for calculating integral indicators of transport accessibility on the basis of weighted normalized private indicators for three housing estates in Moscow.Methods: the study is based on the application of methods for collecting factual material, its processing, systematic, comparative historical and structural-functional analysis, which were supplemented by multivariate analysis of secondary information using content analysis of existing methods for calculating indicators of transport accessibility of capital objects. The results and conclusions of the research are based on the use of the author's methodology for calculating integral indicators of transport accessibility based on weighted normalized private indicators for three housing estates in Moscow. The analysis of a possible set of criteria for assessing transport accessibility of housing estates in Moscow metropolis was carried out on the basis of the use of a geographic information system database GIS NextGIS QGIS.Results: a review of methodological approaches to the calculation of objective quantitative indicators characterizing the transport accessibility of capital objects is carried out; the author's methodology for calculating the integral indicators of the transport accessibility of residential complexes in Moscow is presented and tested on the basis of weighted normalized private criteria / indicators. The use of the authors’ methodology for calculating integral indicators of transport accessibility based on weighted normalized private criteria / indicators made it possible to calculate the values of indicators of transport accessibility for three housing estates in Moscow, calculate an integrated score for a set of transport accessibility criteria for each housing estate, to give a comparative quantitative assessment of their transport accessibility, to conduct a rating of housing estates in terms of their transport accessibility.Conclusions and Relevance: the presented results of approbation of the author's methodology for calculating the integral indicators of transport accessibility for housing estates in Moscow allow to conduct a comparative and dynamic analysis of housing estates (or larger units) transport accessibility. The results of such an analysis can be applied in order to develop programs for transport infrastructure development of the megacity as a whole, its certain districts and city parts, as well as to assess such programs efciency. The authors see the directions for future research in the defnition and calculation of indicators based on the city dwellers perception of the transport accessibility

LOCAL HYPOXIA AND IMMUNODEFICIENCY. EFFECT OF OBESITY ON REDUCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENT FOR BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS

Проведен анализ результатов обследования 143 больных бактериальным вагинозом с учетом наличия у них алиментарного ожирения. Все женщины, принимавшие участие в нашем исследовании, дали письменное информированное согласие на участие в нем. Исследование проводили до начала лечения бактериального вагиноза. В зависимости от наличия алиментарного ожирения больных разделили на 2 группы. В I группу вошли 97 с нормальным весом телом, без признаков алиментарного ожирения. Во II группе у 46 больных отмечалось увеличение массы тела, соответствующее алиментарному ожирению II степени. Критериями для анализа являлись результатами бактериоскопического исследования мазков из влагалища, окрашенных по Грамму и выявления в них количественных показателей «ключевых клеток» и показатели оксиметрии, определение интегративного коэффициента Кслиз%, отражающий содержание кислорода в слизистой оболочке, по отношению к показателям, зарегистрированным на II пальце кисти, позволяющего прогнозировать результативность лечения. Таким образом, на фоне алиментарного ожирения еще до начала лечения интенсивность патологического процесса при бактериальном вагинозе была более выражена, чем без него. При этом локальные гипоксия и иммунодефицит свидетельствовали о риске снижения эффективности лечения The analysis of the results of examination of 143 patients with bacterial vaginosis, taking into account the presence of alimentary obesity, was carried out. All women who took part in our study gave written informed consent to participate in it. The study was carried out before starting treatment for bacterial vaginosis. Depending on the presence of alimentary obesity, the patients were divided into 2 groups. Group I included 97 people with normal body weight, without signs of alimentary obesity. In group II, 46 patients showed an increase in body weight corresponding to alimentary obesity of the II degree. The criteria for the analysis were the results of bacterioscopic examination of vaginal smears stained according to Gram and the identification of quantitative indicators of "key cells" in them and oximetry indicators, determination of the integrative coefficient Cmucous membrane% , reflecting the oxygen content in the mucous membrane, in relation to the indicators recorded on the second finger of the hand, which allows predicting the effectiveness of treatment. Thus, amid alimentary obesity, even before the start of treatment, the intensity of the pathological process with bacterial vaginosis was more pronounced than without it. At the same time, local hypoxia and immunodeficiency indicated the risk of a decrease in the effectiveness of treatment.

Introducing the SWOT Scorecard Technique to Analyse Diversified AE Collective Schemes with a DEX Model

Comparing diversified agri-environmental (AE) collective schemes in their capability to provide AE public goods faces great challenges, mostly because of their diversified nature and relatively new way to approach the provision of AE public goods. The state of the art is that there are not yet any common quantitative indicators or data to build a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model to compare it with other practices and to set the strategic plan for the scheme’s improvement. Nevertheless, some qualitative common data of SWOT analyses are available, but the question remains how to simultaneously compare several SWOT analyses in an MCDM model. This study introduces a new way of transforming the qualitative results of SWOT analyses to fit in the MCDM Decision Expert (DEX) model using a special transformation technique SWOT scorecard. The SWOT scorecard evaluates the importance of qualitative results of several SWOT analyses simultaneously in a quantitative way, describing with points how supportive the environment is to each criterion in the DEX model. The SWOT scorecard keeps track of the original results from SWOT analysis and considers the diversity of AE schemes, which results in an appearance of the convergence points. This gives a key for comparing the AE collective schemes in providing AE public goods. Furthermore, it gives a solution for discussing the synergy between aspects that affect AE public goods provision for every AE scheme investigated. The technique is tested via five AE collective schemes in the DEXi program and gives deeper insight into factors that affect each scheme’s performance.

Mercury as an indicator of geological and environmental risks in the development of various mineral raw materials

Mercury is a highly toxic pollutant of the environment, and a quantitative assessment of its emission and migration in the technogenic transformation of mining regions is vital. The presented study focuses on the features of mercury concentration in the natural mineral raw materials, commercial products and processing waste by the example of mercury-containing copper pyrite deposits in the Urals. Mercury (its quantitative indicators) is used as a reliable element-tracer of the evolution of the technogenic system: mineral raw materials – subsurface use wastes – environmental components – food products – the human body. Such integrated approach is recommended for optimizing the forecasting, assessment and management of geological and environmental risks, as well as for the geological and environmental monitoring of the modern mining engineering system.

The content of heavy metals in the raw materials of some representatives of the genus Paeonia L. in an urbanized environment

At present, heavy metals are generally recognized as priority soil pollutants, while the most active pollutants are their mobile forms, which can pass from solid phases into soil solutions and be absorbed by plants. It is known that the vegetative mass of agricultural crops is capable of accumulating large amounts of heavy metals. Ornamental flower crops, which firmly occupy their ecological niche, are practically not considered from this point of view. The aim of this work was to study the features of the accumulation of heavy metals in the aboveground and underground organs of some representatives of the genus Paeonia L. in the urbanized environment of the city of Ufa. The objects of research were four species ( P. peregrina Mill., P. lactiflora Pall., P. lactiflora f. rosea, P. delavayi Franch.) (Family Paeoniaceae Rudolphi) and three varieties of hybrid peony (Appassionata, Mustai Karim, Jeanne dArc). The study of the elemental composition of the aboveground and underground parts was carried out according to the method Determination of As, Pb, Cd, Sn, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni in samples of food products and food raw materials by the atomic absorption method with electrothermal atomization. Mathematical data processing was carried out using generally accepted methods of variation statistics using the AgCStat software package in the form of an Excel add-in. Eight element studies are presented for each raw material group. Quantitative indicators of elements are given in mmol/kg of air-dry raw materials. It was revealed that in the studied samples the copper content was 4.152520.00 times higher than that of other elements. The minimum concentrations of arsenic (0.00350.0064 mmol/kg), chromium (0.00190.0046 mmol/ kg), manganese (0.01740.0219 mmol/ kg) and iron (0.00590.0125 mmol/ kg) were noted in the roots; lead (0.0030.037 mmol/kg), cadmium (0.00020.001 mmol/kg) and copper (0.14770.2134 mmol/kg) - in the leaves; nickel (0.00820.0179 mmol/kg) - in the flowers of the studied paeonies. The maximum content of arsenic (0.00620.0123 mmol/kg) and chromium (0.00280.0063 mmol/kg) was found in the leaves; lead (0.00270.0223 mmol/kg), nickel (0.01670.0209 mmol/kg), manganese (0.01730.0212 mmol/kg) and iron (0.00870.0138 mmol/kg) - in stems; cadmium (0.00020.0009 mmol/kg) and copper (0.1440.244 mmol/kg) - in flowers. Therefore, cutting paeonies in the autumn before retirement avoids the accumulation of these microelements in the soil. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the absolute values of the concentrations of the studied elements in the considered taxon of paeonies correlate with each other to a moderate and strong degree.

Improving the system of quantitative indicators for risk assessment of financial companies

The paper examines the existing methodological recommendations for assessing risk of financial institutions of non-bank financial services market participants. In particular, the focus is on the activities of financial companies, which are the largest non-banking market participants. The purpose of the study is to develop an approach to risk assessment of financial companies. The methodological basis for achieving the goal is a systematic analysis of the existing provisions of the regulator on the criteria for assessing the risk of financial institutions. The paper examines in detail the state of the modern risk assessment system in accordance with the criteria developed by the regulator, identifies key shortcomings of the recommendations and proposes to supplement the existing list of indicators that were taken into account by the previous regulator. An analysis of the legislation on the availability of quantitative indicators for assessing risk of non-banking financial services market participants was carried out, which made it possible to offer an expanded list of criteria for achieving the research goal. The expediency of the proposed system of quantitative indicators for assessing the risks of activity is confirmed by the existing actions of the regulator, which partially coincide with the proposed provisions. The developed recommendations provide an opportunity to improve the risk assessment system both for inspections by supervisors and for financial institutions seeking to strengthen preventive measures for their management.

Damage evaluation and precursor of sandstone under the uniaxial compression: Insights from the strain-field heterogeneity

The stress-induced microcrack evolution in rock specimens causes a series of physical changes and heterogeneous deformations. Some of these attributes (such as sound, electricity, heat, etc.) have been effectively used to identify the damage state and precursory information of the rock specimens. However, the strain-field heterogeneity has not been investigated previously. In this study, the relationship of the strain-field heterogeneity and damage evolution of three sandstone specimens under the uniaxial compressive load was analyzed statistically. The acoustic emission (AE) and two-dimensional digital image correlation were employed for real-time evaluation of the AE parameters and strain-field heterogeneity. The results showed that the strain-field heterogeneity was closely related to the rock damage that amplified with the applied stress, and exhibited two features; numerical difference and spatial concentration. Subsequently, these two features were characterized by the two proposed heterogeneous quantitative indicators (i.e., the degree and space heterogeneities). Further, their four transition processes were in agreement with the damage stages confirmed by AE parameters: a relatively constant trend; growth with a relatively constant rate; drastic increase trend; and increase with a high rate to maximum value. Moreover, a time sequence chain for damage precursor was built, where the heterogeneous quantitative indicators and AE parameters differed in sensitivity to microcrack development and can be used as a damage warning at the varying magnitude of the external load.

Romania’s Anti-Corruption Policy: Results, Prospects and Experience for Ukraine

The article analyzes the results and prospects of anti-corruption policy in Romania. Using the method of a logical chain model for evaluating government programs and projects made it possible to prove that two competing approaches have emerged in Romania regarding the appropriateness of the forms and methods of this process: the first of them is focused on the quantitative result of anti-corruption policy, which is achieved despite numerous procedural violations of the legal procedure; the second emphasizes the need and importance of ensuring and strict observance of procedural guarantees and legal decisions focused on the quality of the results of anti-corruption activities of special anti-corruption structures. It was found that the growth of the institutional and organizational potential of anti-corruption structures in Romania led to a quantitative increase in the effectiveness of anti-corruption policy, while reducing its qualitative indicators, reflected in the procedural characteristics of the implementation of anti-corruption policy. Such a ratio of quantitative and qualitative results of anti-corruption policy indicates a certain imbalance in the activities of the structures of the anti-corruption activity system and requires a political adjustment of anti-corruption policy. It has been substantiated that the most important aspect of anti-corruption practices that can be used in Ukraine is the public consensus on the ratio of quantitative and qualitative indicators of the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of anti-corruption policy. It is noted that the pursuit of quantitative indicators, however, as well as neglect of them, will inevitably form a public discourse about the organizational necessity / importance of the national system of anti-corruption institutions and the principles of anti-corruption policy.

Methodology of Assessing the Comlectarity of Consumer Services in the Territory of Urban Aglomeration

The article presents methodological approaches to the formation of a criteria of assessing the level of consumer services sphere development on the territory of an urban agglomeration, taking into account the determination of the indicative supply rate of companies providing services. The semantic basis of the category "complectarity" is formulated and the significance of this category in the approach of assessing the actual state of the development level of the consumer services sphere is shown, taking into account the actual set of services provided by enterprises in relation to the set of services, which serve as a measure of their number. The application of this methodology allows us to reveal the unevenness of the supply of consumer services relative to real demand of this services and to explain the formation of pricing policy of companies, providing services in conditions of deviation from the equilibrium of supply and demand, which fully meets the principles of the theory of pricing formation by formulating a coherent strategy of the consumer services sphere development. Research carried out on the basis of using methodology of complectarity makes it possible to more accurately determine the species and quantitative disparities in supply in any territory of an urban agglomeration, taking into account the size of the population living in it. Evaluation of the supply of consumer services relative to their real demand based on the application of the bundling methodology allows us to determine the specific and quantitative disproportions of the supply of consumer services in any territory of an urban agglomeration relative to the number of people living there, which corresponds to the theory of pricing, explains the possibility of forming an equilibrium price, subject to the presence or absence of a package offer of consumer services, including specific and quantitative indicators. Thus, a program or strategy for the development of consumer services should be aimed at bringing the indicator of integral completeness to one. It is with this meaning that economic equilibrium and the absolute achievement of the goals of strategic development of the consumer services sector take place. This condition corresponds to the concepts of "set", "ideal completeness" and serves as a criterion for assessing the level of development of consumer services in the territory under consideration.