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In the process of water purification to increase the reflective capacity of ultrafiltration membranes, their surface modification is applied with aluminium oxychloride and polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride are used. This enables to extract organic contaminations at 90% level, not less their salt balance. To estimate the reaction capacity, the method of calculation of energetic parameters and structural characteristics with the help of chemical analysis quanta is applied. For the analysis, the semiempirical method of modified neglect of diatomic overlapping is used. The prospective estimation of gel layer formation on the membrane surface is made. The method of molecular mechanics is applied in quantumchemical calculations for each substance and the material of the membrane. While analyzing the interaction between the material of the membrane and membrane-forming supplement, the charges on molecules` atoms, the determination of energetic levels of the lower vacant and upper filled molecular orbitals and energetic gap are estimated. It was proved that aluminium oxychloride precipitates on the membrane surface due to Van der Waltz forces, and the inoculation of polyhexamethylene guanidine occurs at fiber functionalization through the formation of hydrogen type of bond between the groups С≡N polymer and =N-H group. Scientific substantiation of membrane modification was obtained.

Assisted partner services (APSs; sometimes called index testing) are now being brought to scale as a high-yield HIV testing strategy in many nations. However, the success of APSs is often hampered by low levels of partner elicitation. The Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (CASI)-Plus study sought to develop and test a mobile health (mHealth) tool to increase the elicitation of sexual and needle-sharing partners among persons with newly diagnosed HIV. CASI-Plus provides client-facing information on APS methods and uses a standardized, self-guided questionnaire with nonjudgmental language for clients to list partners who would benefit from HIV testing. The tool also enables health care workers (HCWs) to see summarized data to facilitate partner tracking. The formative research phase of the CASI-Plus study aimed to gather client and HCW input on the design of the CASI-Plus tool to ensure its acceptability, feasibility, and usability. This study gathered input to prioritize features and tested the usability of CASI-Plus with HCWs and clients receiving HIV services in public health clinics in wartime Ukraine. The CASI-Plus study's formative phase, carried out from May 2023 to July 2024, adapted human-centered design (HCD) methods grounded in principles of empathy, iteration, and creative ideation. The study involved 3 steps: formative HCD, including in-depth individual interviews with clients, such as men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs, and internet-based design workshops with HCWs from rural and urban HIV clinics in Chernihiv and Dnipro; software platform assessment and heuristic evaluation, including assessment of open-source mHealth platforms against CASI-Plus requirements, prototype development, and testing of the REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) prototype based on usability heuristics; and usability walk-throughs, including simulated cases with HCWs and clients. The formative phase of the CASI-Plus study included in-depth individual interviews with 10 clients and 3 workshops with 22 HCWs. This study demonstrated how simplified HCD methods, adapted to the wartime context, gathered rich input on prioritized features and tool design. The CASI-Plus design reflected features that are both culturally sensitive and in alignment with the constraints of Ukraine's wartime setting. Prioritized features included information about the benefits of HIV index testing; a nonjudgmental, self-guided questionnaire to report partners; client stories; and bright images to accompany the text. Two-way SMS text messaging between clients and HCWs was deemed impractical based on risks of privacy breaches, national patient privacy regulations, and HCW workload. It was feasible to conduct HCD research in Ukraine in a wartime setting. The CASI-Plus mHealth tool was acceptable to both HCWs and clients. The next step for this research is a randomized clinical trial of the effect of the REDCap-based CASI-Plus tool on the number of partners named and the rate of partners completing HIV testing.

In Europe, two species of hantaviruses, Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) and Dobrava orthohantavirus (DOBV), cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans. The rodent reservoirs for these viruses are common throughout Ukraine, and hence, the goal of this study was to identify the species and strains of hantaviruses circulating in this region. We conducted surveillance of small rodent populations in a rural region in northwestern Ukraine approximately 30 km from Poland. From the 424 small mammals captured, we identified nine species, of which the most abundant were Myodes glareolus, the bank vole (45%); Apodemus flavicollis, the yellow-necked mouse (29%); and Apodemus agrarius, the striped field mouse (14.6%) Using an indirect immunofluorescence assay, 15.7%, 20.5%, and 33.9% of the sera from M. glareolus, A. glareolus, and A. flavicollis were positive for hantaviral antibodies, respectively. Additionally, we detected antibodies to the hantaviral antigen in one Microtus arvalis, one Mus musculus, and one Sorex minutus. We screened the lung tissue for hantaviral RNA using next-generation sequencing and identified PUUV sequences in 25 small mammals, including 23 M. glareolus, 1 M. musculus, and 1 A. flavicollis, but we were unable to detect DOBV sequences in any of our A. agrarius specimens. The percent identity matrix and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of the S-segment of PUUV from 14 M. glareolus lungs suggest the highest similarity (92–95% nucleotide or 99–100% amino acid) with the Latvian lineage. This new genetic information will contribute to future molecular surveillance of human cases in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, a retrospective review of clinical case reports by public health officials suggest that human cases of febrile illnesses associated with hemorrhage may be due to infections of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) and Old World hantaviruses. In a serosurvey of 966 healthy individuals in the Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, bordering Poland, we found that 1.6% showed cross-reactivity to hantaviral antigens by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and 1.7% of the study participants had antibodies cross-reactive to CCHFV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Demographic variables and history of exposures obtained through questionnaires were assessed by logistic regression models for association with seroprevalence for both viruses with no significant risk factors found. Analysis of spatial distribution identified two clusters of samples positive for antibodies to both hantaviruses and CCHFV, which, however, were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In general, the study results suggest that the population of the study area is exposed to hantaviruses and CCHFV. Further surveillance for respective pathogens in Ukraine is warranted and prospective surveillance of febrile patients with unidentified febrile illness.

The surface water sources for water supply are contaminated with substances that cause water discoloration. These substances include soluble humic and fulvic acids, which are retained on the surface during ultrafiltration membrane treatment, forming a fouling layer that deteriorates membrane performance and reduces membrane productivity. These substances also form a mixed fouling layer with water-soluble metals and coagulants. This work proposes a theoretical justification for cleaning solutions capable of restoring the properties of ultrafiltration membranes. Quantum-chemical calculations and modeling were chosen as the method for prediction and justification. EDTA-Na, SDS, and sodium tripolyphosphate can wash away the fouling layer, but it is impossible to justify the use of mixtures of these substances theoretically. As the quantum-chemical analysis showed, each of these substances has a tendency to wash away the fouling layer. However, it is impossible to justify the use of mixtures of these substances from a theoretical point of view. The pollutants in surface waters have a complex organomineral composition. Considering this, optimal components and concentration ratios of reagents for ultrafiltration membrane cleaning cannot be determined using quantum-chemical prediction methods, so experimental studies of cleaning processes are necessary.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has displaced more than a quarter of the population. Assessing disease burdens among displaced people is instrumental in informing global public health and humanitarian aid efforts. We estimated the disease burden in Ukrainians displaced both within Ukraine and to other countries by combining a spatiotemporal model of forcible displacement with age- and gender-specific estimates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, cancer, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB) in each of Ukraine’s 629 raions (i.e., districts). Among displaced Ukrainians as of May 13, we estimated that more than 2.63 million have CVDs, at least 615,000 have diabetes, and over 98,500 have cancer. In addition, more than 86,000 forcibly displaced individuals are living with HIV, and approximately 13,500 have TB. We estimated that the disease prevalence among refugees was lower than the national disease prevalence before the invasion. Accounting for internal displacement and healthcare facilities impacted by the conflict, we estimated that the number of people per hospital has increased by more than two-fold in some areas. As regional healthcare systems come under increasing strain, these estimates can inform the allocation of critical resources under shifting disease burdens.

The paper covers the problems of the domestic system of state pension insurance. Using the example of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the influence of certain macroeconomic, demographic, financial and economic factors on the formation of the revenue part of the budget of the respective fund is investigated by the method of mathematical modelling. It is identified that the following endogenous indicators, whose changes should be under special attention of the state when forecasting the income of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, will serve as determining parameters: average monthly wage dynamics and inflation (macroeconomic indicators), the amount of the single premium, which is divided into compulsory state pension insurance (financial and economic index), and the number of employed population (demographic index). The existence of multicollinearity between the selected factor variables was tested using the Farrar-Globeer test. It is proved that since there is no high degree of correlation between factor variables, it is expedient to carry out the parameterization step using the method of least squares (MLS). Based on the constructed econometric model of multiple regression, while maintaining the average salary, the growth rate of the revenue side of the budget of the Pension Fund of Ukraine will be 0,41, taking into account the synergistic effect of other factors considered (growth rate of single contribution, growth rate of employed population, and inflation rate). 2. While maintaining the rates of insurance premiums for employers in the funds of compulsory state social insurance of Ukraine, the growth rate of the revenue side of the budget of the Pension Fund of Ukraine will be 0,73 taking into account the synergistic effect of other factors under consideration (growth rate of average monthly wage, growth rate of employed population, and inflation rate). 3. While maintaining the number of employed population, the growth rate of the revenue part of the budget of the Pension Fund of Ukraine is 0,86 taking into account the synergistic effect of other factors under consideration (average monthly wage growth rate, single contribution rate, and inflation rate).

У статті аналізуються проблеми вітчизняної системи державного пенсійного страхування. Зокрема, на прикладі Пенсійного фонду України (ПФУ), методом математичного моделювання досліджується вплив певних макроекономічних, демографічних та фінансово-економічних чинників на формування доходної частини бюджету ПФУ. Встановлено, що в якості визначальних параметрів, змінам яких має приділятися особлива державна увага при прогнозуванні доходної частини Пенсійного фонду України, виступають такі ендогенні показники: динаміка середньомісячної заробітної плати та рівень інфляції (макроекономічні показники), розмір єдиного страхового внеску, що розподілений на загальнообов’язкове державне пенсійне страхування (фінансово-економічний показник), чисельність зайнятого населення (демографічний показник). Здійснено перевірку наявності мультиколінеарності між обраними факторними змінними за допомогою тесту Фаррара-Глобера. Доведено, що оскільки між факторними змінними немає високого ступня кореляції, то етап параметризації доцільно здійснити за допомогою методу найменших квадратів (МНК). На базі побудованої економетричної моделі множинної регресії було встановлено, що при збереженні середнього розміру заробітної плати темп росту доходної частини бюджету Пенсійного фонду України буде становити  0,41 з урахуванням синергетичної дії інших факторів, що розглядаються (темпу росту величини єдиного внеску, темпу зростання кількості зайнятого населення, рівня інфляції). При збереженні тарифів страхових внесків для роботодавців у фонди загальнообов’язкового державного соціального страхування України темп зростання доходної частини бюджету Пенсійного фонду України буде становити 0,73 з урахуванням синергетичної дії інших факторів, що розглядаються (темпу росту середньомісячної заробітної плати, темпу зростання кількості зайнятого населення, рівня інфляції). При збереженні кількості зайнятого населення темп росту доходної частина бюджету Пенсійного фонду України  становить 0,86 з урахуванням синергетичної дії інших факторів, що розглядаються (темпу росту середньомісячної заробітної плати, темпу росту величини єдиного внеску, рівня інфляції).

The purpose of this paper is to improve the risk management process in the quality management system of higher education, taking into account the hazardous factors that increase the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences of undesirable events, as well as favorable factors that reduce the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences of hazardous events. The basis of risk management in the quality management systems of higher education institutions is the “Bowtie” method, which involves six main steps of identifying inconsistency, determining the impact of hazardous and favorable factors according to the impact group, ranking hazardous and favorable factors, calculating risk, substantiating precautionary measures and checking calculations. To rank hazardous and favorable factors, the authors used the “Decision Making Trial and Evaluation” method (hereinafter—DE-MATEL), which is based on paired comparison and decision-making tools based on graph theory. An improved process is proposed for risk assessment, which differs from the known ones by the presence of the identification of the cause-and-effect relationship “hazard (inconsistency)-hazardous event-consequences”, identification of hazardous and favorable factors of the internal and external environment that affect the probability and/or the degree of severity of a hazardous event—the appearance of an inconsistency, which is carried out after the inconsistency has been determined; determination of causal hazardous and favorable factors by an acceptable method. Registers of inconsistencies (hazards), hazardous and favorable factors have been developed and proposed based on the requirements for accreditation of educational programs and the international standard ISO 9001:2015, which will allow, based on a risk-oriented approach, to provide a basis for setting the goals of a higher education institution under martial law in order to guarantee effective implementation of the mission and strategy. They are proposed for decision-making in the quality management systems of educational organizations on the substantiation of precautionary or corrective measures based on ranking the risks from identified inconsistencies, which are determined taking into account the impact of the entire set of identified significant hazardous and favorable factors. The value of this paper is to improve the quality risk management process in educational organizations, taking into account the impact of hazardous and favorable factors, and to develop an appropriate step-by-step algorithm of actions and a risk assessment form.