Erratum

This paper describes the experience of teaching «Nuclear Knowledge Management» course at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI). Currently, the course is implemented both in engineer and master degree programs and is attended by over 50 students. Goal, objectives and syllabus of the course are discussed in detail. A special attention is paid to practical exercises and final examination options in the case of small and large student groups. The course is supported by the Cyber Learning Platform for Nuclear Education and Training (CLP4NET), developed by the IAEA. The experience of NRNU MEPhI lecturers assisting in conducting the International School of Nuclear Knowledge Management, held annually in Trieste (Italy), is described with a special attention to the fact, that the course has passed the certification process at Academic Council of NRNU MEPhI. In 2014 and 2015 the course has been recognized as one of the best ones in NRNU MEPhI. Finally, perspectives of «Nuclear Knowledge Management» course are considered. They include increase of the course duration, introduction of the course into the learning process of other departments and institutions of the university, and transferring the course to other members of the Association «Consortium of ROSATOM supporting universities».

This special volume contains the Proceedings of the XVII International Scientific Conference and the School of Young Scholars “Physical and Chemical Processes in Atomic Systems”. This forum was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of D.I. Mendeleev’s Periodic System of Chemical Elements. The conference was held in Moscow, Russian Federation from 28 to 30 October 2019.The organizers of the conference were• Institute of Nanotechnologies in Electronics, Spintronics, and Photonics at National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI”;• State Research Center of Russian Federation Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (“TRINITI”);• National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”.This event has offered a platform in bringing together for students, postdocs, academics and industrial experts to exchange their ideas and contributing an integrative approach to research physical and chemical processes in various atomic systems. This event has been attended by more than 100 participants representing 33 organizations of Russia and foreign countries.The program of the conference consisted in oral invited lectures of the leading experts on selected topics and numerous posters for other participants.The wide range of fundamental and applied physical and chemical processes in various atomic systems has been undergone to consideration during the meeting. The main topics of the conference include the following tracks:Track 1: physics of separation processes, including separation of isotopes in rapidly rotating flows.Track 2: selective transport phenomena in membranes.Track 3: water treatment.Track 4: physics of surface and colloids.Track 5: extremal gas dynamics.Track 6: physical phenomena in porous medium.As is well known, the study of physical and chemical processes in numerous atomic systems requires using the diverse physical and chemical methods. This will explain why a fair amount of reports was focused on development of new techniques and instruments for the research of multiple phenomena in such systems.Note that some reports presented in these Proceedings have been considerably modified by their authors after discussion during presentations or in the lobby. Also, the program committee of the conference came to the opinion of possibility to include in the Proceedings a few additional posters corresponding to a scope of the meeting as a result of the carried out round table discussion.The interest shown by Russian and foreign scholars as well as students either to the forum format or the subjects of reports, gives us hope for a continuation of this meeting.Special volume is supported by MEPhI Academic Excellence Project, contracts No 02.a03.21.0005, 27.08.2013. Guest Editor Professor Vladimir D. Borman Head of the Department of Molecular Physics National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Russia

In the journal Bulletin of the Russian State Medical University (July – August 2018/04, p. 32–38), mistakes were made in the article: https://vestnikrgmu.ru/archive/2018/4/4/abstract?lang=en Kleymenov DA, Verdiev BI, Enenko AA, Guschin VA, Tkachuk AP. Performance of the original workstation for aerosol tests under controlled conditions. Bulletin of RSMU. 2018; (4): 32–8. DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2018.053 The editors ask for the following changes: Printed by: p. 32, "Funding" This work was supported by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation as part of the project The National System for Chemical and Biological Security of the Russian Federation (2015-2020) and by the Ministry of Education and Science as part of the project RFMEFI60117X0018. It should be: This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science within the framework of the project RFMEFI60117X0018.

The ODETTA calculation code and a comparative analysis of the program simulation with using of MPI principles as well as the possibility of applying MPI technology to speed up the calculation code are considered. The development of the ODETTA program algorithmic part with MPI using is described. Features and specifics of this program parallelizing are presented. The modification of the calculation code is given. The corresponding software algorithms are considered. The structure of ODETTA program modules with MPI using is displayed. The results of ODETTA serial and parallel versions in OS Linux with MPI using on the HPC cluster of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI are presented. In addition, the comparative analysis of two program implementations in terms of speed and accuracy of results by using of two different clusters and a different number of nodes on them is given.

The prototype of a novel type EAS (extensive air shower) recording and investigation array (the PRISMA project) is created on the basis of the NEVOD experimental complex through cooperation between Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. The prototype (ProtoPRISMA) consists of thirty-two en-detectors sensitive to EAS electromagnetic (e) and hadronic (via the registration of thermal neutrons) (n) components. The array is designed to develop and to test a new method of EAS investigation using neutron and electromagnetic components and to obtain preliminary data on the spectrum and composition of cosmic rays.

In the published HTML version of this article, the affiliations of the authors of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Moscow, Russia were unfortunately marked incorrectly.

Learning management system (LMS) optimization has been one of the core issues in the face of increasing learning content supply and the rising number of online-course participants. This optimization is mostly based on LMS logs data analysis and revealing the users’ behavior patterns linked to the content. This article focuses on the approach to LMS users’ behavior pattern simulation that stems from the fuzzy cognitive maps-featuring approach. The proposed model describes the user-content interaction within the system and can be applied to predict users’ reactions to its learning, testing and practical elements. The obtained cognitive map has been tested with the INFOMEPHIST system data. This system has been used to assist leaning process in a number of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI departments for more than nine years. The current and further research is supported by the NRNU MEPhI development program.

Due to develop the original method of research of electrophysical properties of composites the information measuring system for control of electric resistance of powders during consolidation as well as the system for thermoelectric measurement was designed in National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. The prototypes of the system allow collecting data from measuring probes on-line and recording changes of composite powder density during cold pressing at room temperature as well as obtain data of coating thickness via thermoelectric measurement. The article also highlights the items of information support for automation of electrical resistance measurement of powder materials and thermoelectric thickness measurement.

The new coordinate-tracking detector based on drift chambers TREK, for research of ultrahighenergy cosmic rays is under development at National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. At the present, a prototype of the future detector—coordinate-tracking unit based on drift chambers (CTUDC)—is functioning. The prototype consists of 16 drift chambers. Results of experimental series have shown wide capabilities of this type of detectors for registration of muon bundles, including bundles with high density of particles. Results of operation of the prototype and prospects of developing a full-size detector TREK are presented.

Equity is defined as a correlation between a person's merits and their remuneration. The article deals with social and labour equity, regarding it as a subjective assessment of the ratio of payments for the physical and/or intellectual efforts of employees. The article aims to determine the grounds for the subjective assessment of academic and teaching staff pay equity. The empirical study was conducted in 2019-2020, based on expert interviews with 86 faculty members of leading Russian universities (University of Tyumen, Tomsk State University, Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, and National Research Nuclear University MEPhI). The expert interview narratives allowed identifying seven categories for assessing subjective perception of pay equity (1) at a corporate level; comparing faculty members (2) in Russia and (3) internationally; (4) in terms of public/business organisations; (5) different spheres of activity; (6) historical periods; and (7) previous positions held either in the same or other organizations. The results show that (1) disparity in pay within a university (between structural units and positions) can reduce motivation or increase career aspirations. A high level of social and labour equity provides a sense of stability and increases organisational productivity. (2) The level of pay equity in Russian universities depends on their prestige and ranking. (3) When comparing the level of remuneration and the workload with their Western colleagues, the respondents were more likely to prioritise Russia. Employees experienced in international academic mobility choose to work in Russia. (4) Compared to other spheres of activity, university wages are mostly lower whereas faculty members appreciate the opportunity to increase their income through active scientific research. (5) The last 3-5 years have seen a positive change in pay equity, with teachers and other jobs compared. (6) Comparison between historical periods shows a positive assessment of the current situation in Russia. However, not all the respondents believe in the long term perspective. (7) Pay at the early career is the lowest, but the teaching and research load is high. Young teachers invest a lot of time in career development, working on their dissertations. Pay equity assessment by teachers of retirement age is high, due to family stability and availability of additional funding (e.g. pension, support by children).

In this paper, the influence of the reactor power behavior on the LBLOCA hydrodynamics at the initial moment of the process (0-1 second) is considered. The calculations are carried out for the first loop in case of the beginning of loading, end of loading and constant power. The parameters of a typical reactor plant V-320 (VVER-1000) were used for the calculation, particularly, the 3rd unit of the Kalinin NPP. All initial data for the calculation were obtained from the materials of the international standard problem Kalinin-3 [1]. The fuel composition and kinetics of the reactor core was considered for the case of the end of the cycle. For the calculations, the computational best estimate code ATHLET [2.3] was used, which is included in the software package AC2 and officially acquired by the national research Nuclear University MEPhI according to the license agreement with Gesellschaft fur Anlagen-und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gg GmbH, Germany [3]. Code ATHLET is certified in Russia for stationary and transient conditions at reactors with water coolant [4].

Loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) often lead to dire consequences. That’s why the global community are actively engaged in research aimed at creating accident tolerant fuels. One of the areas of such research is preserving zirconium alloys as the material for fuel-element claddings by creating corrosion-resistant coatings that would be in contact with the coolant. Chromium could be a promising material to be used in such protective coatings as chromium oxide (Cr2O3) serves as an effective barrier for oxygen both in normal operation and in case of LOCA. Chromium coating hinders oxygen diffusion into the metal substrate and thus prevents embrittlement and failure of the fuel-element cladding. This paper describes the results of research studies that have been carried out in recent years and that look at the resistance of magnetron sputtered chromium coatings to high-temperature oxidation in water vapour up to 1,500 oC. The paper demonstrates advantages and drawbacks of chromium coatings in hightemperature oxidation conditions. The focus is on understanding how regimes of magnetron sputtering influence the resistance of chromium coatings to high-temperature oxidation and how the structure and phase state of chromium coatings are related to their properties. The authors describe the optimal regimes of magnetron sputtering for obtaining dense coatings and examine the effect of the substrate temperature and the bias voltage on the structure and density of resulting coatings. High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) serves as an effective technique that helps enhance the density of coatings. The conclusion drawn is that in order to broaden the temperature range in which chromium coatings can effectively protect zirconium alloys from failure up to 1500 oC, there should be a diffusion barrier between the surface of the fuel-element cladding and the chromium coating. The authors would like to thank B. A. Kalin, supervisor of this project, who had passed away before this publication was made. The staff of the Laboratory of Ion-Plasma and Ion-Beam Machining of Materials, a part of Department No. 9 at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, devote this paper to his memory.

The main aim of this paper is to acquaint readers of the journal “Open Education” with the accumulated experience of construction and practical use in the educational process of Cybernetics Department of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI of a special class of intelligent tutoring systems, based on the architectures of tutoring integrated expert systems. The development is carried out on the problem-oriented methodology basis and intelligent software environment of AT-TECHNOLOGY workbench. They provide automation of support of all the stages of construction and maintenance of the life cycle of such systems.In the context of basic models, methods, algorithms and tools that implement the conceptual foundations of a problem-oriented methodology, and which are evolutionarily developed and experimentally investigated in the process of constructing various architectures of training integrated expert systems, including webbased ones, some features of the generalized model of intellectual learning and its components are considered (in particular, the competence-based model of the trainee, the adaptive tutoring model, the ontology model of the course /discipline et al.) as well as methods and means of their realization in the current versions of tutoring integrated expert systems.In current versions of tutoring integrated expert systems examples of implementation of typical intelligent tutoring problems are described for the generalized ontology “Intelligent systems and technologies” (individual planning of the method of studying the training course, intelligent analysis of training tasks, intelligent support for decision making).A brief description of the conceptual foundations of the model of the intelligent software environment of the AT-TECHNOLOGY workbench is given and a description of some components of the model is presented with a focus on the basic components – intelligent planner, standard design procedures and reusable components, which provide automated support for the prototyping processes of tutoring integrated expert systems. A brief description of the models and approaches, used in the formalization of the planning and management processes of prototyping is presented.Schemes for the implementation of the standard design procedure “Construction of training IES and web-IES” in different modes of operation are described, as well as the technology of using reusable components for the development of tutoring integrated expert systems. Quantitative estimations of various components/ parameters of tutoring integrated expert systems are given and further prospects for their application are analyzed.

A method for optimizing the configuration of the shield from ionizing radiation for the facility analyzing the elemental composition of rocks, which is installed at the Department of Applied Nuclear Physics of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. Optimization is performed by the methods of mathematical simulation of the distribution of the equivalent dose rate generated during the facility operation. The Geant4 toolkit is used as the simulation environment. The influence of construction elements of the facility and the objects at the laboratory on the dose value is analyzed. In addition, the simulation results are validated by comparison to the data of dosimetry measurements. In conclusion, the possibility of using the algorithm presented for the design of biological shields from ionizing radiation sources is shown.

The authors of the article: Bobinac M, Susic N, Sijacic-Nikolic M, Kerkez Jankovic I, Veljovic-Jovanovic S. Photosynthetic insights into winter-green leaves in Quercus pubescens Willd. seedlings. Arch Biol Sci. 2024;76(2):223-32. have notified the Editorial Office of an error in the Funding section. The name ?Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia? was incorrectly stated and should instead read ?Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.? The authors have requested this correction, and as a result, the journal is publishing this Corrigendum. The correct funding source is: This research was funded by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, Contracts 451-03-66/2024-03/200053 and 451-03-65/2024-03/200169, and by the Secretariat for Environmental Protection of the City of Belgrade, Project: Identification and Monitoring of the Gene Pool of Rare, Vulnerable, and Endangered Plant Species in NM Kosutnjak Forest. <br><br><font color="red"><b> Link to the corrected article <u><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/ABS240417015B">10.2298/ABS240417015B</a></b></u>