Areas Of Human Activity Research Articles

Green investments in agriculture: Modernization and sustainable development of the agricultural complex

Currently, green investments in various areas of human activity are understood as a set of current trends in modern Russia and world practice, associated both with the need to introduce the environmental agenda into business processes, and with the emergence and active development of new financial instruments that help in the implementation of ESG- strategies of global companies. At the present stage, “green” investments are a set of financial instruments based on private and public investments aimed at financing “green” projects. The purpose of this study is to examine modern approaches to green investment in the agricultural sector of the Russian Federation. The study also summarizes the results achieved in various countries in terms of investing in new mechanisms for environmentally sustainable development. A calculated forecast model was obtained, taking into account possible risks, characterizing the expansion of the scope of environmental policy in the country. Based on the study, conclusions were drawn about the need to improve the market for “green” securities and long-term lending.

Privatnost pod pretnjom - ukrštanje Interneta stvari i masovnog nadzora

The rapid development of information and communication technologies, blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), as well as the Internet of Things (IoT) devices has brought numerous advantages to modern society. Alongside increased comfort of life and efficiency in all areas of human activity, the automation enabled by interconnected networks also poses a challenge to citizens' right to privacy. The goal of this research is to identify weaknesses in this use of modern technologies, specifically in how they negatively impact the citizens' right to privacy, by analyzing the relationship between mass surveillance practices and IoT devices. The research established that the implementation of mass surveillance measures using IoT technology can lead to violations of ethical standards, security protocols, and the right to privacy. It has been shown that there are issues with applying existing regulations to IoT and mass surveillance and that no universal legal framework currently exists to protect the right to privacy. The use of IoT technology, especially given the rapid development of artificial intelligence, will in the future raise numerous dilemmas regarding the entities responsible for collecting personal data, the consents required for data usage and processing, where the collected personal data will be used, and for what purposes. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt privacy laws to modern technological advancements such as IoT and AI. This study utilized methods of induction, deduction, and content analysis.

Experimental Digital Twins with Socio-Economic Artificial Environments of Forecast and Analytical Simulation Models

The technological development of Russia in recent years has been moving at an active pace due to external challenges that dictate the need to search for internal resources and poses serious challenges to the scientific community in terms of developing research potential and creating software and technological sovereignty, especially emphasizing the importance of the IT industry and long-term forecasting. Nanotechnology, which incorporates the concepts of IT, is a supra-industry technology, that is, it is the basis for achieving progress in any area of human activity. Without the use of information technology, it will be extremely difficult to achieve outstanding achievements in a dynamically changing world. There is an emerging interest in new computer modeling methods that make it possible to create experimental digital twins in the form of simulation models and can partially compensate for the incompleteness of information. Having modeled the necessary processes, it is possible to make management decisions on the construction of facilities, simulate socio-economic processes, and formulate a 10-year forecast about the demographic situation of the country. The applied modeling tools discussed in the article demonstrate the usefulness of such management tools with developed functional elements in information and analytical management structures. Soon, this trend will increase and those countries that will take leading positions in this direction will be able to create ultra-effective forecasting and analytical scenarios with various levels of detail. By using all the functionality of simulation modeling, it is possible to create truly applied instrumental complexes with a potential basis for the implementation of such solutions in the structures of systems of distributed situational centers for the future development of technological sovereignty and the introduction of fundamentally new methods of strategic forecasting in the Russian Federation.

ИСКУССТВЕННЫЙ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТ И ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКИЙ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТ: ПРОТИВОСТОЯНИЕ И/ИЛИ ПАРТНЕРСТВО

The digital transformation of various spheres of human life provides for the development and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies. Artificial intelligence technologies are already being used in everyday life, automating processes that were previously performed by humans. Artificial intelligence technologies are all around us, from smart assistants in smartphones and home devices to facial recognition systems and recommendation algorithms on the Internet. Artificial intelligence allows us to make scientific discoveries and find solutions to many global problems. In most modern studies, there is a tendency towards a generally positive acceptance of and attitude towards the artificial, and the main argument here is a huge list of the outstanding advantages that it provides in various areas of human activity. It is in these undeniable achievements that the effective and long-term partnership between artificial intelligence and human intelligence is manifested. At the same time, we are on the verge of the fact that artificial intelligence is opposed to human intelligence, especially in the processing of large amounts of information. There is an opinion that these technologies at some point can reach the cognitive abilities of a person and even surpass them. Artificial intelligence can undermine the anthropocentrism and ontological security of people in relation to their unique position in the world, and this is the quintessence of their confrontation. The purpose of the article is to track the dynamics of the relationship between artificial intelligence and humans and how this will affect the development of technologies. Will artificial intelligence become a creative partner or will it remain a tool that is created by people? The authors analyzed the main achievements in the field of artificial intelligence and identified several areas in which human intelligence is not surpassed by AI.

The Stress Influence on Population Health

Background: The term stress refers to the internal state of the organism (sometimes labeled as "load"), an external event ("stressor"), an experience created by the transaction of a person and the environment. Stress is an extremely used term in all areas of human activity. It is a natural phenomenon and a companion of mankind since its very existence. Although a large number of professional and scientific articles related to the concept of stress and reaction to stress have been published during the last 60 years, various authors state that not all concepts are clearly and unambiguously defined in this field. Objective: The aim of this paper is to present different theories of stress and to familiarize the reader about the consequences of everyday stress on human health. Methods: The subject of research is stress and its impact on health in today's modern world. The type of research on this topic is based on a retrospective and descriptive method based on the use of published articles in the PubMed and Scopus index databases. Results and Discussion: Therefore, different theories of stress define differently the concept of stress, reactions to stress, coping with stress and the consequences of a stressful event. Studies on stress was started by Hans Selye in the thirties of the 20th century. Understanding stress as the organism's reaction to various physical and physiological stressors, Selye also became the originator of the first, so-called of the reductionist model in the study of stress. Another theoretical approach in the concepts of stress boils down to the explanation that stress is determined by the nature of the stressor. This paradigm has been offered since the late sixties of the 20th century and is called the interactionist model of stress. At the same time as the interactionist model, a third, transactional model in the study of stress appeared, created by Richard Lazarus. According to this model, the consequences of a stressful transaction are the result of the interplay of personal and external factors that continuously affect each other. Conclusion: The stress is a state in which the psychophysical balance of the organism is disturbed and which, in order to adapt, requires additional efforts. Circumstances that cause stress are also called stressors. Among the psychological changes characteristic of stress, the most pronounced are changes in the sphere of emotional processes. Emotional reactions characteristic of stress are most often anxiety, anger and sadness, and shame, guilt, oversaturation can also occur. After a traumatic or other intense stress (related to losses or diagnosed with an incurable disease), emotional flattening can occur. Changes in psychological functioning during stress can be so intense that they take on the dimensions of a psychological crisis.

Agglomeration compaction promotes corrosion of gold nanoparticles

Corrosion of gold nanoparticles in Cl-containing acidic solutions is a consecutive reaction, including erosion of the organic coating, agglomeration and metal dissolution in a confined space between bodies bound by Casimir and van der Waals forces.

ИСКУССТВЕННЫЙ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТ: ДРАЙВЕР ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО РАЗВИТИЯ ИЛИ ГЕНЕРАТОР ПРОБЛЕМ И УГРОЗ?

The article examines the problems of the development of artificial intelligence at the pre-sent stage and emphasizes the need to develop scientific research in all areas of intelligence: human, biological and artificial. The purpose of the study is to identify the main problems and limitations of the current level of artificial intelligence development. The relevance of the problem under consid-eration lies in the fact that the work analyzes a set of problems that determine the factors of the development and use of artificial intelligence, since the idea of artificial intelligence arose among people relatively recently and this understanding is rapidly developing. The term “artificial intelli-gence” was proposed by John McCarthy in 1956 at Dortmund College at aconference on the “mecha-nization of intelligence”. Changes in society related to the development of AI have been happening and are happening constantly and, judging by the basis on which AI is developing, will never stop, since its development is completely based on the capabilities of the human mind, and we cannot determine its potential even approximately. Currently, AI is penetrating almost all areas of human activity and will dominate them. The future of AI is limitless and depends only on its creators and users. The transformations that the use of artificial intelligence brings often radically change our daily lives and relationships. The ongoing changes contain both undoubted significant positive ef-fects that greatly facilitate the solution of various problems, as well as pitfalls that manifest them-selves in various aspects: starting from imperfections of applied technical solutions and ending in ethical and social areas, which result not only in current technical, technological, and social prob-lems, but also potentially significant threats that pose the danger of human existence itself. The article shows that there is a need to clarify some concepts of AI, to determine the direction of AI development. Research in the work has shown that developments are conducted mainly in the field of “weak” artificial intelligence. They are mainly focused on commercialization and early implemen-tation of practical results. In this regard, the authors note the need to strengthen fundamental and exploratory research on the properties of intelligence and the creation of scientific foundations for the practical implementation of “strong” AI systems. In the long run, AI, as a tool for optimizing and accelerating various processes, has a future that promises its maximum possible use and develop-ment in attempts to achieve, and eventually try to surpass human intelligence. In this regard, it is necessary to provide for possible positive and negative consequences, to determine the boundaries and direction of the use of artificialintelligence so that people do not become victims of unsuccess-ful developments, and humanity can benefit from this invention.

Issues of digital development and management in agriculture of the Republic of Belarus

There is now active digitalization of almost all areas of human activity in all developed countries of the world and now we can say with absolute certainty that any aspect of human existence has already either become digital, is becoming or will probably be digital in the near future. The most important direction of the state innovation policy of the Republic of Belarus for the current fi ve-year period is the digital transformation of traditional sectors of the national economy. For the successful digitalization of these traditional sectors of the Belarusian economy, it is imperative to support the introduction of completely new management models that are based on innovative digital technologies. The digitalization of management in the agricultural industry at all levels from government to small agricultural businesses will be no exception. Today, comprehensive, large-scale digitalization of domestic agriculture is a requirement of the time and the most important simply vital condition for increasing its competitiveness and achieving acceptable profi tability of both the processing of agricultural products with their subsequent sale and initially the agricultural production itself, the profi tability of which remains low in the Republic of Belarus. The purpose of the work was to consider issues of digital development and management in agriculture of the Republic of Belarus. Some provisions for studying the world experience of modern transformation of management systems in agriculture and in particular taken from the experience of North America, Western Europe and the Russian Federation have been presented in the article. The main key problems and trends in the digital development of agriculture, important aspects of implementing tasks for its successful digital transformation and increasing the effi ciency of public administration in the Belarusian agro-industrial complex have been described.

Performance Study of Intermittent Heating Mode Combining Air‐Source Heat Pump with Radiator in Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zones of China

An intermittent heating mode combining air‐source heat pumps and radiators (ASHP‐R) was proposed to meet the time‐sharing heating demand of office workers’ residential buildings in hot summer and cold winter zones. Taking Hefei City as an example, the heating performance of the ASHP‐R system under intermittent operation was experimentally studied from January 18 to 21, 2017. Based on the data on a typical day (January 19), the variation characteristics of thermal parameters and thermal comfort of heating rooms were analyzed, and the economic and environmental benefits of the ASHP‐R system were evaluated. The results show that the water supply temperature of 60°C at the startup stage can rapidly increase the indoor air temperature; in the stable stage, the water supply temperature is 40°C, the indoor air maintains a suitable temperature and relative humidity, and the indoor thermal environment is basically unaffected by the change in outdoor temperature and humidity; the inner surface temperature of the envelope (except the window) presents a similar trend to the indoor air temperature, which reduces the asymmetry of the thermal radiation field around the human body. The air temperature distribution in the human activity area is uniform, and the indoor PMV is in an acceptable, comfortable, and satisfactory state; compared with all‐day continuous heating with an air‐source heat pump, the expense can be saved by 24.4% (by 21.5 yuan/m2) in each heating season, and the system can reduce the emissions of CO2, SO2, and NOX by 988, 29.73, and 14.86 kg/year, respectively. Therefore, the system exhibits good environmental performance and economic performance.

Клиническое разнообразие афатических нарушений у больных в остром периоде ишемического полушарного инсульта. Взгляд невролога

Aphasia syndrome is a frequently diagnosed disorder in patients with acute cerebrovascular accident (ACVA), which is of great interest for study, since it affects all areas of human mental activity and has a number of distinctive features from aphasias of other etiologies. The article presents a literature review of speech disorders and describes the authors’ own observations of patients in the acute period of ischemic hemispheric stroke in the left middle cerebral artery basin suffering from various types of aphasic disorders.

НАУКА И ИСКУССТВО В ДИЗАЙН-ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИИ: ИСТОРИЯ И СОВРЕМЕННОСТЬ

Design is one of significant areas of human professional activity, in which the languages of science and the languages of art interact in different forms. The problems of such interaction were posed by Russian scientists and designers back in the 1960-70s. That time was characterized by the emergence of a number of theoretical and methodological works in the field of design, philosophy, and psychology devoted to a new understanding of design as the interaction of a person with his objective world. In a variety of interpretations, it is possible to note the common positions — interdisciplinarity and project-based nature of design. The special place of project development in design activities was emphasized in theory and methodology of design. Project development requires knowledge about things, their properties, about how a person can act with them, about their place and role in his life as well as about the methods of producing these things. The concept of design thinking as a modern approach to project development focuses on the need to meet human needs and consumer demands, i.e., beauty and convenience, dressed in an aesthetic form. The general principles for the considered approaches in design are orientation toward the person, his needs, ease of use of things and technologies, fulfilment of his potential in a variety of areas of life, including professional, social, creative. Design thinking can be applied in business, medicine, transport industry, and especially in information and creative fields. Both in history and in modern times, this approach necessarily has led to the emergence of interdisciplinary interactions and the development of conceptual foundations for the methodology of interdisciplinarity. In terms of the methodological bases of interdisciplinarity, this methodology was in demand in design and ergonomics in our country, and it was included in the principles of organizing research and development. A significant role in the implementation of the methodology of interdisciplinarity is played by projectivity as a state, an intention toward creativity, transformation, and the search for something new.

Особливості блокчейн-технології та можливості її застосування в аудиторській діяльності

The article examines the history of the emergence of blockchain technology in order to understand its widespread implementation in many areas of modern human activity. It is defined that blockchain technology can be used to create an immutable or perpetual ledger for tracking orders, payments, invoices and other transactions. Thus, the researched technology is suitable for use in the field of finance and accounting. At its core, blockchain represents a type of distributed ledger technology, which is based on a token as an accounting object. This opens up opportunities for faster and more efficient financial transactions, as well as for the creation of new types of financial instruments. As a result of the study, the features of this innovative technology are revealed, namely: decentralization and immutability of data. The widespread use of blockchain technology in various fields has not bypassed auditing. In accounting and auditing, blockchain can serve as the basis for decentralized accounting systems, where every transaction is recorded and stored in on-chain blocks, ensuring that they are immutable and consistent. This can facilitate auditing, promote accounting accuracy, and provide greater transparency in financial operations. It is substantiated that the introduction of blockchain technology by auditing entities has a number of advantages and risks, which are described in the presented methodological study. Prospects for further research in this direction are to determine the efficiency of the use of the latest information technologies in the work of auditing entities and assess the potential risks that can arise in the auditing process.

Text processing using LLM for automatic creation of agricultural crops knowledge bases

The complexity of subject areas in which intelligent information systems operate is steadily increasing. Tasks assigned to smart agriculture systems are increasingly focused on automating and robotizing areas of human activity. Solving such tasks requires adaptive and flexible methods capable of accommodating dynamic changes in the environment in real-time. The mivar approach to creating intelligent decision-making systems enables working with adaptive discrete structures and provides methods for managerial decision-making based on adaptive active logical inference from the mivar rule knowledge base. The mivar logical inference machine forms the core of expert systems based on the mivar approach. As a result of the development of the mivar approach across various subject areas, different versions of mivar logical inference machines with their algorithms for rule traversal in the knowledge base have been created. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning have opened new opportunities for enhancing the mivar approach. The integration of large language models for automating text processing in mivar systems significantly enhances the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making processes based on expert systems for sustainable agriculture. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using automated text processing, intended for human training, through large language models, and its subsequent application in action planning tasks within technical systems. The proposed methodology is aimed at creating extensive knowledge bases based on textual information for real-time monitoring and decision-making in smart agriculture systems.

Use of artificial intelligence in the organization of scientific research

Artificial intelligence is a powerful and revolutionary field that has the potential to change many areas of human activity fundamentally, including the process of scientific research. At the heart of AI is the idea of creating machines that can think and reason like humans, and can learn from their own experiences to improve their performance over time. The article analyzes the main possibilities of using artificial intelligence in conducting scientific research. The scientific process has many stages and it is expected that artificial intelligence will contribute to each stage of the development of science, therefore the use of artificial intelligence in the organization of scientific research is highly relevant. The article provides a review from various perspectives, including the idea of generating, writing and structuring the text, searching and in-depth analysis of the literature on the research topic. Recommendations are provided for the use of programs that function on the basis of AI technologies, which can significantly increase the level of productivity during scientific research. Their use is possible at the stage of searching, analyzing and summarizing scientific works, when checking grammatical and linguistic errors in scientific work and for the purpose of improving the writing style in general. In addition, the article considers the potential threats of introducing. AI can help integrate graphs, tables, charts into research content, thereby greatly increasing its visual appeal and comprehensibility. In addition, the article considers the potential threats of introducing AI into scientific research and emphasizes the need to observe academic integrity and minimize the use of artificial intelligence in scientific work. Excessive use of artificial intelligence can lead to the creation of fraudulent scientific papers.

Potential Antiviral Effect of Korean Forest Wild Mushrooms against Feline Coronavirus (FCoV).

Coronaviruses (CoV) are among the major viruses that cause common cold in humans. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a high-risk human pathogen that derived from bat coronaviruses, although several other animals serve as CoV hosts, contributing to human infection. As the human activity area expanded, viruses previously prevalent only in animals mutated and became threats to humans as well, leading to worldwide epidemics. Therefore, controlling CoV infections in animals is essential to prevent CoV-related human infections. Feline coronavirus (FCoV) could be reportedly used as an alternative model for SARS-CoV-2. Traditionally, mushrooms are not only foods but are also consumed to prevent diseases. Importantly, certain edible and medicinal mushrooms display antibacterial and antiviral effects against respiratory pathogens; therefore, they could be tested as potential coronavirus treatment agents. In this study, we investigated if wild forest mushrooms with various reported physiological activities could exhibit an antiviral activity against CoV, using FCoV as a SARS-CoV-2 model infecting Crandell Rees feline kidney cells. We measured the antiviral activity of 11 wild mushrooms overall and our results demonstrated that Pleurotus ostreatus and Phallus luteus displayed the highest antiviral efficacy of 55.33%, followed by Tricholoma bakamatsutake at 43.77%. Grifola frondosa, Morchella esculenta, and Sarcodon imbricatus exhibited mild efficacy of 29.21%. We also tested Amanita caesareoides, Marasmius siccus, Pachyma hoelen, Phallus rubrovolvata, and Sparassis latifolia but could not detect any antiviral activity in their case. Our study confirms that wild forest mushrooms could be used as potential functional foods or pharmacological materials against coronavirus.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Background: Healthcare is one of the most monitored areas of human activity. The healthcare segment, especially healthcare, drug development and manufacturing are among the defensive sectors that thrive even in times of uncertainty. Aims: The aim of the paper is to apply methods of financial analysis in the financial management of hospitals in NACE 861 – Hospital activities, to assess and increase competitiveness and financial performance. Sample: The research sample consists of medical facilities under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic transformed into joint-stock companies and hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic, and the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic according to NACE 861 – Hospital activities. Methods: We use basic thought operations and selected mathematical-statistical methods in the paper. The financial analysis of the hospitals will be carried out based on the data taken from the financial statements available in the Register of Financial Statements of the Slovak Republic for the years 2007 - 2022. Results: The results show that the geometric mean for the period 2008 - 2020 for costs is G = 1.01 and for revenues is G = 1.02. Conclusions: Financial aspects are key factors in the company's development process. Knowledge regarding the financial health of the company can help the company in its competitiveness. In the framework of business management, many decisions are influenced by financial and economic analysis. Every manager should strive to understand financial theory. Implications: The benefit will be an evaluation of the financial situation and insight into the competitiveness of the healthcare industry.

Humanitarian demining: How can UAVs and Internet of Things help?

The history of active mine use spans nearly two centuries. In this relatively short historical period, mines have become a global problem. Explosive objects and mines, remnants of wars and military conflicts, continue to pose a threat to people residing in these areas for a long time. As of the beginning of 2023, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that approximately 40% of the territory (over 250,000 km2) had been mined. In terms of the extent of mined land, the United Nations classifies Ukraine among the most heavily mined countries. The scale of mine contamination surpasses countries where military conflicts have lasted for decades. The invention and improvement of mines have contributed to the development of methods to counter them. Today, more than fifty different methods and their modifications are known, but none guarantee a 100% success rate, underscoring the relevance of further scientific research. The creation and use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been a significant breakthrough in the field of intellectual achievements. Innovations manifest in all aspects, from modern composite materials to state-of-the-art navigation equipment and software. UAVs are actively deployed in various areas of human activity, demonstrating excellent results. The primary advantage of UAVs in humanitarian demining is the safety they provide, allowing individuals to operate in hazardous conditions beyond physiological and psychophysiological capabilities. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a relatively new combination of information and telecommunications technologies whose popularity is rapidly growing, opening up previously unexplored possibilities for practical applications. UAV and IoT technologies do not fall into the traditional classification of humanitarian demining methods. However, they serve as a connecting link for implementing, based on them or with their direct participation, other technological solutions (including geoinformation system (GIS), neural networks, artificial intelligence, Big Data, etc.). The prospects of implementing 5G communication networks in Ukraine will enhance spatial accuracy when combining both technologies, which is especially crucial for humanitarian demining. The recent advancements in communication technologies, such as 5G, and programs like the IoT, play a crucial role in aerial communication using UAVs. Depending on the application and operational region, UAVs have also been utilized to enhance coverage and throughput in 5G wireless communication. In such cases, UAVs act as intermediate nodes or flying base stations. This helps conduct operations in remote and challenging-to-reach locations. The idea of integrating cloud computing with UAVs enhances their role by providing additional computational capabilities.

Finding the Best Analysis for the Sleeper Cells of Terrorist Acts in the Crowded Areas of Human Activities in the City of Baghdad

Terrorist operations disturbed societies and threatened their existence due to destructive ideas carried by those groups that believe in radical change and the use of multiple methods to implement their ideas, as well as taking methods of concealment among society, so it has become difficult to detect them. The study's purpose is to locate sleeper cells of terrorist operations in areas dense with various human activities using remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems programs. The programs were used to analyze the group of terrorist incidents data that occurred in Baghdad in 2011 and study how to limit the crimes spreading in Baghdad. The study included building a model in spatial information systems for sites by identifying the accidents by simulating the reality with the Global Positioning System (GPS) to be a starting point for the spatial analysis of the accidents and devising a scientific approach to locate sleeper cells using statistical methods and theories. Moreover, predictive research focuses on several spatial studies to produce predictive maps for the sleeper cell sites spreading from their location toward the cities. The GIS proved to be one of the primary software packages that help decision-makers take appropriate measures at the right time, predict the spatial spread of future accidents, and control them in the future to be an effective model for researchers.

Digital competence of society as a component of modern public administration

Today, digital transformation covers all areas of human activity, including the public administration sector. At the same time, the effectiveness of reforms in this area largely depends on society’s digital competence, which determines people’s ability to use innovative products and services. The study aims to analyse the impact of society’s digital competence on developing e-government as a component of digital public administration. The study used statistical analysis, correlation analysis, and multivariate regression analysis. It was found that there is a significant or high correlation between the level of the population’s digital competence and the development of e-government. Assessment of the impact of separate indicators characterising the citizens’ digital competence on the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) revealed that approximately 74.54% of the variation in this indicator can be explained through the used independent variables, namely, “Digital Skills among Population”, “Global Science and Technology Skills” and “E-Participation Index”. The novelty of the research is to quantify the impact of citizens’ digital competence on the level of e-government development in European countries. Government officials can use the results to further develop strategies and measures to improve digital public administration.

Microbiome profile of the Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica.

The filter feeder clam Laternula elliptica is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem. As a stenothermal benthic species, it has a poor capacity for adaptation to small temperature variations. Despite their ecological importance and sensitivity to climate change, studies on their microbiomes are lacking. The goal of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities of L. elliptica and the tissues variability of this microbiome to provide an initial insight of host-microbiota interactions. We investigated the diversity and taxonomic composition of bacterial communities of L. elliptica from five regions of the body using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the microbiome of L. elliptica tended to differ from that of the surrounding seawater samples. However, there were no significant differences in the microbial composition between the body sites, and only two OTUs were present in all samples, being considered core microbiome (genus Moritella and Polaribacter). No significant differences were detected in diversity indexes among tissues (mean 626.85 for observed OTUs, 628.89 Chao1, 5.42 Shannon, and 0.87 Simpson). Rarefaction analysis revealed that most tissues reached a plateau of OTU number according to sample increase, with the exception of Siphon samples. Psychromonas and Psychrilyobacter were particularly abundant in L. elliptica whereas Fluviicola dominated seawater and siphons. Typical polar bacteria were Polaribacter, Shewanella, Colwellia, and Moritella. We detected the prevalence of pathogenic bacterial sequences, particularly in the family Arcobacteraceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Mycoplasmataceae. The prokaryotic diversity was similar among tissues, as well as their taxonomic composition, suggesting a homogeneity of the microbiome along L. elliptica body.The Antarctic clam population can be used to monitor the impact of human activity in areas near Antarctic stations that discharge wastewater.