Border areas can play a crucial role in market integration and infrastructure development between Central Asian countries, thus creating favorable economic growth and regional cooperation conditions. This study aims to assess the economic impact of border areas between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, focusing on their role in enhancing market integration and infrastructure development to foster regional growth and cooperation.  Focusing on labor and capital as essential production drivers, this study employs a sophisticated panel data regression model to explore the Cobb-Douglas production function’s application in these border territories. The research findings indicate that regions’ elasticity towards capital and labor inputs vary, necessitating differentiated economic strategies. For capital-intensive areas, we recommend prioritizing investments in infrastructure and technology to boost production outputs. Conversely, in regions where labor significantly influences production, the emphasis should be on human capital development through education, training, and improved labor market conditions. The study’s insights into the evolving trade relations between the two countries underscore the need for flexible economic policies to enhance regional integration and cooperation. This research not only fills a crucial knowledge gap but also offers a blueprint for leveraging the diverse economic landscapes of Central Asia’s border areas in future policy-making and regional economic strategy.

The relationship between new-quality productivity and educational equity is characterized by close mutual influence and co-evolution. Driven by technological innovation, new-quality productivity is profoundly transforming the economic and social landscape. Educational equity, a crucial component of social justice, is vital for ensuring equal development opportunities for all individuals. The robust growth of new-quality productivity not only optimizes the distribution of educational resources and enhances educational quality but also poses new challenges and demands for equity in education. In turn, the continuous advancement of educational equity provides a solid talent foundation and a conducive environment for innovation to new-quality productivity. These two aspects intertwine and progress together in various domains, including policy systems, cultural values, and educational practices. This interplay highlights the central role of new-quality productivity and educational equity in societal development, while also demonstrating their dynamic and complementary relationship.

Humic substances are used in agriculture as promoters of plant growth, especially of the root system. The objective of the work was to evaluate the effect of the application of different doses of fulvic acid on the growth and productivity of American lettuce, Raider Plus cultivar. The experimental design used was entirely randomized, with five treatments of fulvic acid 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 mL·L^-1 and four repetitions, applied at the time of transplanting. Two experiments were conducted simultaneously: one in the greenhouse, where fresh and dry mass of the aboveground and root parts, length and volume of the roots were evaluated; and the other in the field, where, at the end of the cycle, fresh and dry mass of the aboveground parts, number of leaves, stem length and average head circumference were evaluated. The application of different doses of fulvic acid promoted the growth of lettuce plants, especially the root system. The emission of roots, with predominance, of those of smaller diameter, was found in the higher concentrations of fulvic acid. The number of leaves and the average circumference of the head expressed responses in the concentrations of fulvic acid.

The cross wire projection welding of wires (Al 5182, = 4 mm) performed using the conventional (i.e. pneumatic) electrode force system was subjected to thorough numerical analysis. Calculations were performed until one of adopted boundary conditions, i.e., maximum welding time, maximum penetration of wires, the occurrence of expulsion or the exceeding of the temperature limit in the contact between the electrode and the welded material was obtained. It was observed that the ring weld was formed within the entire range of welding parameters. The process of welding was subjected to optimisation through the application of a new electromechanical electrode force system and the use of a special hybrid algorithm of electrode force and/or displacement control. Comparative numerical calculations were performed (using SORPAS software) for both electrode force systems. Technological welding tests were performed using inverter welding machines (1 kHz) provided with various electrode force systems. The research also involved the performance of metallographic and strength (peeling) tests as well as measurements of welding process characteristic parameters (welding current and voltage).
The welding process optimisation involving the use of the electromechanical force system and the application of the hybrid algorithm of force control resulted in i) more favourable space distribution of welding power, ii) energy concentration in the central zone of the weld, iii) favourable (desired) melting of the material within the entire weld transcrystallisation zone and iv) obtainment of a full weld nugget.

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is an electricity generation system that uses organic fluid instead of water in the low temperature range. The Organic Rankine cycle using zeotropic working fluids has wide application potential. In this study, data mining (DM) model is used for performance analysis of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) using zeotropik working fluids R417A and R422D. Various DM models, including Linear Regression (LR), Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), M5 Rules, M5 Model Tree, Random Committee (RC), and Decision Tree (DT) models are used. The MLP model emerged as the most effective approach for predicting the thermal efficiency of both R417A and R422D. The MLP’s predicted results closely matched the actual results obtained from the thermodynamic model using Genetron software. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for the thermal efficiency was exceptionally low, at 0.0002 for R417A and 0.0003 for R422D. Additionally, the R-squared (R²) values for thermal efficiency were very high, reaching 0.9999 for R417A and R422D. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the DM model for complex tasks like estimating ORC thermal efficiency. This approach empowers engineers with the ability to predict thermal efficiency in organic Rankine systems with high accuracy, speed, and ease.

This work shows the results of the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using the microalga Chlorella sp, using growth media with different concentrations of glycerol, between 5%–20%, and different light and temperature conditions. The synthesis of nanoparticles was studied using supernatants and pellets from autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic cultures of the microalga. The presence of nanoparticles was verified by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and the samples showing the highest concentration of nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The mixotrophic growth conditions favored the excretion of exopolymers that enhanced the reduction of silver and thus the formation of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles obtained presented predominantly ellipsoidal shape with dimensions of 108 nm × 156 nm and 87 nm × 123 nm for the reductions carried out with the supernatants of the mixotrophic cultures with 5% and 10% glycerol, respectively.