This work is aimed at analyzing demand dynamics for hydrocarbon fuels from March 2020 and developing a forecast model for the near future. Based on the method of artificial neural network with feedforward and backpropagation learning, a model is proposed for forecasting oil demand and passenger mobility during a pandemic for the United States, Russia, and India. The results of the calculations showed that road and air transport dynamics strongly depend on the application of measures to limit and ban and the level of COVID‐19 incidence in a country. The proposed method can be used to make forecasts during pandemics and unforeseen situations to regulate the price policy for hydrocarbon fuels and the safety of passenger traffic in the future.

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Today's world trends in the field of rapid population growth and urbanization have led to uncontrolled waste accumulation. The development of industrial activities in developing countries has increased the amount of waste generated from economic activities, which has led to environmental problems due to the complexity of waste management. The purpose of the study is to consider and update the knowledge on the practical application of national waste management strategies and plans in developed countries (United States, Japan, Australia, European Union countries), states with economies in transition (Russian and Kazakhstani cases), and developing countries (Asia and South America cases). The conceptual method was used to analyze the nature of complete and partial waste disposal and utilization as forms of waste management as well as for practical application of certain forms of waste management in different states. Knowledge about the practical aspects of the implementation of national waste management strategies and plans in various states was updated and systematized, the advantages and disadvantages of certain waste management forms were revealed. The paper provides an opportunity to systematize world experience regarding innovations in the field of waste recycling and how it can be applied in countries with different levels of development.

Aim/Purpose: The main purpose is to study the experience of using virtual team building as a means of forming educational and research teams in the context of the development of online education and its effect among students and teachers of higher educational institutions. Background: Methods ensuring effective engagement of students in learning are critical to the success of online education. The most obvious problems in higher educational institutions are procrastination, academic dishonesty due to easy access to electronic resources, decreased attendance, and insufficient interaction between teachers and students. Methodology: The research methodology is based on an empirical approach, which is a research survey using a questionnaire to collect data based on closed-ended questions. For quantitative analysis, the independent sample t-test was used. The survey was conducted among students and teachers of two educational institutions in the Russian Federation. Contribution: This study is of practical and scientific importance as it can contribute to the introduction of virtual team building in the modern education system. Findings: Based on the analysis of the data obtained, it can be concluded that students and teachers approximately equally assess the impact of team building on the ability to get to know each other better, improve communication skills, and psycho-emotional intimacy. Despite the need and sometimes no alternative to virtual team building (for example, during a pandemic), half of the sample of students (50.8%) agreed that team building was more effective in an offline environment while 64.3% of teachers believe that the effectiveness could have been higher in the offline environment. The respondents assessed the positive effect of team building on their interest and motivation to study or work. Recommendations for Practitioners: These findings can contribute to a broader and faster implementation of virtual team-building practices in the education system of the Russian Federation and other countries of the world. The results of this study can be applied by higher educational institutions that are interested in increasing team cohesion, interest, and motivation to study or work, as well as the creation of closer and trusting relationships, and an atmosphere of psycho-emotional safety. Recommendation for Researchers: This topic requires more observations to verify the influence of student personality on the effectiveness of virtual team building in intelligent collaborative learning environments. Impact on Society: The study highlights the importance of communication between the student and the teacher, as well as between students, as psycho-emotional well-being in the micro-society results in a better academic performance. Future Research: Further research can be aimed at studying the difference in the effectiveness of team building in online and offline learning environments, as well as the impact of team building on the teaching staff.