National-scale surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater

SARS-CoV-2 surveillance is crucial to identify variants with altered epidemiological properties. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides an unbiased and complementary approach to sequencing individual cases. Yet, national WBE surveillance programs have not been widely implemented and data analyses remain challenging. We deep-sequenced 2,093 wastewater samples representing 95 municipal catchments, covering >57% of Austria's population, from December 2020 to September 2021. Our Variant Quantification in Sewage pipeline designed for Robustness (VaQuERo) enabled us to deduce variant abundance from complex wastewater samples and delineate the spatiotemporal dynamics of the dominant Alpha and Delta variants as well as regional clusters of other variants of concern. These results were cross validated by epidemiological records of >130,000 individual cases. Finally, we provide a framework to predict emerging variants de novo and infer variant-specific reproduction numbers from wastewater. This study demonstrates the power of national-scale WBE to support public health and promises particular value for countries without dense individual monitoring.

ELABORATION OF AN OPTIMAL MODEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF GASTRONOMIC TOURISM IN THE RIGHT-BANK POLISSIA OF UKRAINE

Based on the study of spatial forms of tourism organization, their structure and patterns of formation to prove that the most optimal form is a cluster model of organization. Also to describe the features, structure, composition and life cycle of potential tourist clusters of the object of study. In the process of substantiating the development of a cluster model on the Right-Bank Polissia of Ukraine the authors used a combination of general and special methods of scientific research (modeling, information, cluster analysis, geoinformation mapping). It is proved that the creation of regional clusters of gastronomic tourism development of the Right-Bank Polissia of Ukraine will lead to the strengthening of competitive advantages of its participants. The proposed cluster model has been visualized cartographically, also its administrative and functional structure has been developed. Substantiated clusters of gastronomic tourism of the region will become the basis for further scientific research aimed at dividing the territory of the Right-Bank Polissia of Ukraine on the basis of the operational units allocation for gastronomic and tourist zoning.

Relevance, criteria and factors of cluster regional differentiation of students in the framework of informatization of cross-border education

Problem and goal. This article, based on the analysis of domestic and foreign experience, reveals the need to study the feasibility and possibility of dividing foreign students into regional clusters for the subsequent differentiation of methods and teaching materials within the framework of the development of approaches to the informatization of cross-border education. Methodology. A series of ascertaining experiments was carried out with students of the specialty Economics from Zambia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries, aimed at identifying differences in educational motivation, reflection and other characteristics of cross-border students. A model of approaches to informatization of cross-border education based on cluster differentiation is proposed. Results. A system of clusters was proposed, the expediency of introducing the described complex of criteria and factors, illustrated by the example of highlighting previous educational experience as one of the significant criteria for cluster regional differentiation of students, was substantiated. Conclusion. Students from different countries have different motivation, experience and perception of information, in many respects this is facilitated by school education. There is a need to find a balance between co-operative and differentiated education of cross-border students. Cluster differentiation of cross-border students is advisable for the subsequent use of information technologies in the framework of ensuring the variability of methodological systems of teaching individual disciplines at a university.

Clusters are the basis for the sustainable development of industrial mariculture in the Russian Federation. Part 1. Trends in the development of world fisheries and aquaculture

Global problems and trends in the development of world fisheries and aquaculture are considered. The reasons and factors of the extensive development of the world industrial fisheries and the sustainable development of the production of world aquaculture products are shown. The contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to the GDP of the national economy of the countries is noted. Russia needs to actively develop industrial mariculture, based on the existing significant scientific and practical groundwork and the formation of regional clusters.

Regional Clusters, Similarities, and Changes in Turkey’s Wood Production

This study aimed to separate the wood production in regions and provinces of Turkey into homogeneous groups based on similarities by using the country’s wood production figures for 2013 and 2018. Within this context, the hierarchical Ward’s and non-hierarchical K-means clustering methods were used comparatively. Clustering analyses of 2 to 6 in number were performed via both methods, and the same regions mostly fell into the same cluster groups, although in different cluster combinations. The results showed that some provinces with rich forest areas did not produce enough wood. It was observed that these provinces were in the same clusters with provinces having a low amount of forest areas and low wood production. Over the five-year period, very few provinces and regions differed in line with the previous development plans. The creation of a spatial database for wood raw material production using the findings obtained in this study will contribute to the development of operational inventory methods that can be included in long- and medium-term forestry plans.

Genome Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 Allows Monitoring of Variants of Concern through Wastewater

Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater has shown to be an effective tool for epidemiological surveillance. More specifically, RNA levels determined with RT-qPCR have been shown to track with the infection dynamics within the population. However, the surveillance of individual lineages circulating in the population based on genomic sequencing of wastewater samples is challenging, as the genetic material constitutes a mixture of different viral haplotypes. Here, we identify specific signature mutations from individual SARS-CoV-2 lineages in wastewater samples to estimate lineages circulating in Luxembourg. We compare circulating lineages and mutations to those detected in clinical samples amongst infected individuals. We show that especially for dominant lineages, the allele frequencies of signature mutations correspond to the occurrence of particular lineages in the population. In addition, we provide evidence that regional clusters can also be discerned. We focused on the time period between November 2020 and March 2021 in which several variants of concern emerged and specifically traced the lineage B.1.1.7, which became dominant in Luxembourg during that time. During the subsequent time points, we were able to reconstruct short haplotypes, highlighting the co-occurrence of several signature mutations. Our results highlight the potential of genomic surveillance in wastewater samples based on amplicon short-read data. By extension, our work provides the basis for the early detection of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants.

АНАЛІЗ ЕКОНОМІКО-ГЕОГРАФІЧНИХ ПІДХОДІВ ДО ІДЕНТИФІКАЦІЇ РЕГІОНАЛЬНИХ КЛАСТЕРІВ

This article is devoted to the study of economic and geographical approaches to cluster identification at the regional level. Most modern research on the identification of regional clusters is aimed at studying economic aspects, almost completely ignoring geospatial factors. The aim of the research is to analyze economic and geographical approaches to the identification of clusters at the regional level, taking into account the problem of variability of area units. The subject of the research is the study of approaches to the identification of clusters at the regional level. The study used such methods as: comparative, statistical, descriptive, systemic, analysis and synthesis. Research hypothesis. Identifying methodological limitations of cluster identification methods at the regional level in the context of economic and geographical approaches will allow a more comprehensive consideration of the cluster potential of the territory, determine the confidence interval and identify cluster structures at different levels of aggregation. The statement of basic materials. This article considers economic and economic-geographical methodological approaches to the identification of regional clusters (model of intersectoral balance, multi-sector analysis, localization and specialization coefficients, Ellison-Glaser index, Duranton-Overman method of the smallest distances, Propulsive indicators, etc.); the classification of methods of identification of regional clusters which take into account aggregation of territories is given; the technique of primary estimation of cluster potential of the territory and typology of industries on a parity of regional and branch conditions of development is offered; the index of spatial clustering is analyzed. The originality and practical significance of the research is due to the geospatial factors of clustering (MAUP) in the identification of regional clusters, which allows to determine the geographical boundaries and the unique clustering threshold for clusters at different levels of aggregation. Analysis of economic and geographical approaches to the identification of regional clusters taking into account the geospatial aspects of clustering allows to determine the degree of concentration / dispersion at certain intervals of distances with justification of clustering thresholds at different levels of aggregation. Conclusions and perspectives of further research. The economic-geographical approach to the identification of regional clusters, in contrast to the economic one, takes into account the MAUP factor, which allows to use it at different levels of aggregation and to determine geographical boundaries and a unique clustering threshold. However, further research is needed on methods for identifying regional clusters in order to develop an integrated approach that will take into account as many factors as possible and allow the most accurate identification of potential cluster formations.