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The article defines the competitive advantages and competitive potential of life insurance companies (LICs). It is noted that the insurance business is an important part of the financial and credit system, and the insurance market is an ideal place for the development of this industry. Attention is focused on the fact that the life insurance market in Ukraine is at the stage of formation. The current unstable socioeconomic situation, the military aggression of the russian federation, and the peculiarities of the cultural and historical traditions of Ukrainians are the main obstacles and problems for its development. Based on the carried out SWOT analysis, it is concluded that there are certain problems in the activities of LICs. Along with the spread of global trends in globalization and integration of national markets, automation of operational processes, increased competition, trends that are characteristic features of the Ukrainian insurance market are manifested. It is determined that the management of the competitive potential of LICs depends on the adoption of the right managerial decisions in the formation and use of its competitive advantages. The measures are presented in the form of program-target blocks that will provide the basis for creating a mechanism for managing the competitive potential of LICs. In addition, each of the blocks can be considered as a separate subsystem that consists of different components. The components of management of the competitive potential of LICs are defined. It is determined that the assessment of the insurer’s competitive advantages and competitive potential will be possible only with the help of a systematic assessment, which has a clear basis of comparison. This assessment should take into account not only the financial aspect, but also the results of management, the effectiveness of the use of marketing tools, the quality of insurance services and the service of the insured. Measures to increase the competitive potential of insurance services are presented. It is concluded that one of the important conditions for effective management of the competitiveness of life insurance companies is to determine the competitive advantages and competitive potential of LICs, which in the long run allows to assess the level of competitiveness of an insurance company and develop certain measures to adapt to the needs of the insurance market at all stages of operational activities and management links for a quick and prompt response to external threats.

The article defines the features of strategic management of competitiveness of life insurance companies (LICs). It is specified that the development of insurance and the need to protect people from the increasing impact of various risks associated with their livelihood, such as loss of income as a result of loss of human ability to work or the death of a family breadwinner, have led to the emergence of life insurance companies. It is noted that any decisions aimed at ensuring competitive advantages are risky, since they are based on the inability to accurately predict how the competitive environment will affect the company’s actions. The competitiveness management strategy of a LIC should take into account how likely its relationship with the competitive environment is, as this significantly increases the level of uncertainty in the management process and creates a risk that the company will lose in competition. A model of strategic management of the competitiveness of a LIC has been developed, which is closely related to the managerial qualities of its activities, that is, it provides for a certain complex that has: components of management, strategic goals, tactical tasks of management. An algorithm for assessing the level of management of the competitiveness of LICs has been proposed, which is based not only on the assessment of the competitive position through the efficiency of management, but also reflects the effectiveness of the insurance company’s activities in the formation of competitive advantages in the process of struggle for effective demand, taking into account the conditions of the insurance market and the needs of consumers. It is concluded that one of the important conditions for effective strategic management of competitiveness of life insurance companies is the study of the insurance market and determination of the competitive status of the company in it. Assessment of the level of competitiveness of a LIC is mandatory for all market participants who seek to maintain their place or increase their competitiveness. It is proved that managing the competitiveness of a life insurance company is a priority direction of the organization’s management, since it determines the company’s ability to exist in the market.

Wheat stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici) is a damaging disease widespread in all grain‐producing regions of the world. In this work, the effectiveness of Sr genes was analysed under field conditions in the southern region of Russia (Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai and Rostov Oblast) during 2016‐2021. The data were obtained using a set of 46 isogenic lines and varieties with artificial inoculation. The Sr31 gene proved absolute effectiveness in the field. Effective (1R–10R) Sr genes were the following: 5, 12, 35 and 37; moderately effective (10MR–30MR) Sr genes: 1, 6, 9g, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 32, 33, 38 and WLD. Lines with Sr genes 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 9d, 9e, 9f, 16, 17, 19, 21, 26, 27, 29, 30, 36, 39, 40, 44, Dp2, Gt and Tmp were ineffective in the adult plant phase (30MS–70S). Polymorphism of infection types and disease severity was noted for most of these lines in different years. Ongoing analysis of the efficiency of Sr genes in the region is important to prevent the risk of epidemics, and lines with stem rust resistance genes that have shown efficiency can be used as donors in breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yttria-stabilized zirconia is one of the most widely used solid electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) as well as solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). The crystalline, defect structure, and heat conductivity of (ZrO2)1−x(Y2O3)x, crystals where x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 have been studied using Raman and optical spectroscopy and absolutely steady-state longitudinal heat flow method. The studies have shown that the main factors affecting the thermal conductivity of the crystals are the chemical composition, positions of oxygen vacancies relative to the trivalent cations of the stabilizing oxide, vacancy ordering, and the formation of defect complexes. The effect of changes in the local structure of the cubic solid solutions on the pattern of the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity in the crystals has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the results of personal certification for eddy current testing of railway facilities. The influences of education level, the work experience, the candidate age on the qualifying examinations results are considered. The conformity between test task difficulties and certification candidate training is analyzed with Rasch method. The characteristic curves of test task difficulties and the characteristic curves of candidate training levels are constructed. The results general and special examinations of 2020 and 2021 are analyzed to identify extreme test questions. The research results enable to assess the candidate training and the test task difficulties through latent parameters measured as logit unit. The analysis identified test tasks with overstated and understated task difficulty logits compared with the logits of the candidate training, assessed the correspondence between test difficulties and training candidate level, and assessed a distribution uniformity of the tasks difficulty. The required training logit of candidates for the certification is calculated for successful passing general and special exam tests. The getting results give a basis for further analysis of the tasks complexity, identification the reasons for the insufficiency of the auditory material familiarization for the tasks with low rate of response, for making adjustments to the consulting sessions, as well as the content and form of the test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]