Integral Index Research Articles

AI-Based Fully Automated Left Atrioventricular Coupling Index as a Prognostic Marker in Patients Undergoing Stress CMR

BackgroundThe left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI) is a strong and independent predictor of heart failure (HF) in individuals without clinical cardiovascular disease. Its prognostic value is not established in patients with cardiovascular disease. ObjectivesThis study sought to determine in patients undergoing stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) whether fully automated artificial intelligence–based LACI can provide incremental prognostic value to predict HF. MethodsBetween 2016 and 2018, the authors conducted a longitudinal study including all consecutive patients with abnormal (inducible ischemia or late gadolinium enhancement) vasodilator stress CMR. Control subjects with normal stress CMR were selected using propensity score matching. LACI was defined as the ratio of left atrial to left ventricular end-diastolic volumes. The primary outcome included hospitalization for acute HF or cardiovascular death. Cox regression was used to evaluate the association of LACI with the primary outcome after adjustment for traditional risk factors. ResultsIn 2,134 patients (65 ± 12 years, 77% men, 1:1 matched patients [1,067 with normal and 1,067 with abnormal CMR]), LACI was positively associated with the primary outcome (median follow-up: 5.2 years [IQR: 4.8-5.5 years]) before and after adjustment for risk factors in the overall propensity-matched population (adjusted HR: 1.18 [95% CI: 1.13-1.24]), in patients with abnormal CMR (adjusted HR per 0.1% increment: 1.22 [95% CI: 1.14-1.30]), and in patients with normal CMR (adjusted HR per 0.1% increment: 1.12 [95% CI: 1.05-1.20]) (all P < 0.001). After adjustment, a higher LACI of ≥25% showed the greatest improvement in model discrimination and reclassification over and above traditional risk factors and stress CMR findings (C-index improvement: 0.16; net reclassification improvement = 0.388; integrative discrimination index = 0.153, all P < 0.001; likelihood ratio test P < 0.001). ConclusionsLACI is independently associated with hospitalization for HF and cardiovascular death in patients undergoing stress CMR, with an incremental prognostic value over traditional risk factors including inducible ischemia and late gadolinium enhancement.

The P600 as a continuous index of integration effort.

The integration of word meaning into an unfolding utterance representation is a core operation of incremental language comprehension. There is considerable debate, however, as to which component of the ERP signal-the N400 or the P600-directly reflects integrative processes, with far reaching consequences for the temporal organization and architecture of the comprehension system. Multi-stream models maintaining the N400 as integration crucially rely on the presence of a semantically attractive plausible alternative interpretation to account for the absence of an N400 effect in response to certain semantic anomalies, as reported in previous studies. The single-stream Retrieval-Integration account posits the P600 as an index of integration, further predicting that its amplitude varies continuously with integrative effort. Here, we directly test these competing hypotheses using a context manipulation design in which a semantically attractive alternative is either available or not, and target word plausibility is varied across three levels. An initial self-paced reading study revealed graded reading times for plausibility, suggesting differential integration effort. A subsequent ERP study showed no N400 differences across conditions, and that P600 amplitude is graded for plausibility. These findings are inconsistent with the interpretation of the N400 as an index of integration, as no N400 effect emerged even in the absence of a semantically attractive alternative. By contrast, the link between plausibility, reading times, and P600 amplitude supports the view that the P600 is a continuous index of integration effort. More generally, our results support a single-stream architecture and eschew the need for multi-stream accounts.

Assessment of the trophic state of the Soła River dam cascade, Polish Carpathians: a comparison of the methodology

The aim of this research was to determine the trophic state of mountain dam reservoirs, which are characterized by greater hydrological and ecological dynamics than lowland reservoirs. The trophic state of three dam reservoirs forming a cascade system was investigated. Trophic evaluation was carried out based on multiple criteria, i.e., (1) the content of chlorophyll a in the water, (2) planktonic algal biomass, (3) groups and species of algae, (4) the total phosphorus concentration in the water, and (5) the Integral Trophic State index (ITS). The analyzed parameters were characterized by high variability during the study period, which to a large extent may have resulted from the mountain environmental conditions. The greatest dynamics concerned parameters related to phytoplankton development. Unequivocal determinations of the trophic states of the reservoirs were difficult; however, it was found that in successive reservoirs of the cascade (from the highest to the lowest), a reduction in water fertility occurred.

Influence of Biosteel on the reproductive ability of American Mink, the Standard dark brown genotype with different defensive response to humans

The article presents the results of studies on the effect of different doses of Biosteel, when administered orally, on the reproductive ability of American mink females of the Standard dark brown (+/+) genotype with a positive and negative defensive reaction to humans. The studies were carried out at the Department of Obstetrics, Anatomy and Histology of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education of the Novosibirsk State Agrarian University and based on the Mustelidae Genetics Sector of the Center for Collective Use “Gene Pools of Fur and Agricultural Animals” of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In the technology of reproduction of animals of the experimental and control groups, the system of conducting the rut, generally accepted on fur farms, was used. Biosteel was applied to females and males of Standard dark brown (+/+) American mink of manual and aggressive types of behaviour at a dose of 0.05 ml/kg and 0.025 ml/kg of body weight before mating for five days and during mating for five days. The effectiveness of using Biosteel to improve the reproductive function of females depended on its dose and the type of animal behaviour. Compared with the minks of the control groups, the females of the experimental groups showed higher rates of reproductive ability. In the group of tame females that received the drug with food at a dose of 0.05 ml/kg of body weight, there were no dead females, the survival of puppies in the first seven days of life increased by 3.8 times, and there was a tendency to reduce stillbirths. Biosteel had a pronounced beneficial effect on the reproduction of females with an aggressive type of behaviour at a dose of 0.025 ml/kg of body weight: the integral reproduction index increased by 1.13 heads. And the number of females that successfully whelped by 17%, the number of females without offspring decreased by 5.9 times, and the mortality of minnows in the first seven days of life declined by 3.9%. The absolute body weight of the offspring of females by the time of jigging increased by 19.2 – 24.5%, and by 6 – 7 months of age – by 4 – 11%.

Identification of the integrity index in local governments in Java

Decentralization system of government in Indonesia creates local governments that have their own authority. However, this may raise the risk of corruption. The high level of corruption in Indonesia obstructs goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The disclosure of integrity through the local government websites can create public disclosure information, so the public can assess the performance of each government and mitigate corruption levels. This study aims to explore the integrity disclosure index and identify the problems in disclosing integrity through the websites. This study uses Institutional Theory with coercive isomorphism. Data was collected based on content analysis on 113 websites of local governments in Java. The result shows that the average disclosure on the websites of the local governments in Java is 64.83%. With this good disclosure of integrity, local governments in Java can support the law on public information disclosure.

Intergrading Water Quality Parameters, Benthic Fauna and Acute Toxicity Test for Risk Assessment on an Urban-Rural River

Climate change, river pollution and loss of biodiversity are increasing and becoming global environmental concerns. The Yellow River is China’s mother river, providing water for about 114 million residents in towns and cities along its route. Yet in 2012, the Yellow River received 4.474 × 109 tons of sewage containing a large number of exogenous pollutants, posing a huge ecological and public health threat. Water quality safety is not only a matter of ecosystem health but also of human survival and social development. Therefore, the effects of pollutants on water quality safety should be carefully studied, which is important to ensure the sustainability of the Yellow River and the surrounding cities and towns. In this study, water and sediment samples from the Jishan River of the Juancheng, a typical city in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, were collected and evaluated by integrating the traditional physicochemical water indicators, benthic Index of Biological Integrity (B-IBI) and zebrafish embryotoxicity test. The results showed that water dissolved oxygen, pH, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were strongly correlated with zebrafish embryonic teratogenicity, lethality, abundance index and Shannon Winner index. A total of 21 benthic species were collected, including mollusks, arthropods and annelids, with the upper reaches having the largest biomass and B-IBI values indicating the urban reaches have better biological integrity than rural reaches. The teratogenic rate of zebrafish embryos in raw water was greatest in rural rivers and was significantly different from the negative control (p &lt; 0.05). When exposed to 100 mg/mL sediment samples, embryo hatching rates were inversely correlated with teratogenic rates, with lethal rates reaching over 96% in all rural reaches. The results showed that the water quality safety at the rural farms in the Yellow River transfer-type towns is poor, and they especially recommended that the river near the farms in rural areas should be monitored with emphasis.

Spatial patterns of tourism development in Germany

Tourism is one of the most important and dynamic sectors of the world's economy. However, the coronavirus pandemic in 2020–2021 caused significant losses in the tourism industry. The pandemic has also significantly affected the tourism development in Germany, which is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. The article analyzes the dynamics of tourism development in Germany in 2012–2022 and calculates the indicator of the integral index of tourism development in the federal states of Germany. The average values of the initial partial indicators for 2018–2022 are taken, to determine the integral index of tourism development level in the federal lands of Germany, which reflect both absolute and relative parameters of tourism growth. Based on the calculated average integrated index of the tourism development level in the federal lands of Germany, the features of spatial differentiation in the tourism development in the country are clarified. The analysis shows that before the coronavirus pandemic, tourism in Germany was significantly developing. The total number of tourist arrivals by 2020 increased annually by more than 20 %. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, their number and tourism revenues halved in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, this indicator and other indicators of the development of the German tourism industry tended to improve. Domestic tourists dominate the total number of tourist arrivals. The calculated average integral index of tourism development in the federal lands showed a significant spatial asymmetry in the levels of development of the German tourism industry. According to this index, the federal lands of Germany are divided into five groups: high, high than average, medium, lower than average, and low tourism development levels. The lands of Berlin and Bavaria have a high level of tourism development. These regions are well-known tourist destinations in Germany. They have a rich cultural heritage, abundant natural resources and attractive landscapes, and a large number of tourist accommodation facilities. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Baden-Württemberg have a higher level of tourism development than the national average. These lands are characterised by a large number of tourist overnight stays, accommodation facilities, territorial concentrations, and a high intensity of tourism. The western German lands of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia have an average level of tourism development. These lands are characterised by high tourist arrivals and the number and capacity of accommodation facilities. However, due to the large area of these territories, they have low indicators of the territorial concentration of tourism activity. Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bremen, Saxony and Brandenburg have a lower level of tourism development than the German average. These regions are characterised by moderate tourism development indicators. The federal lands of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saarland have the lowest level of tourism development due to low volumes of tourist flows and low concentration of accommodation facilities. The German government has introduced several measures to support the tourism industry during the pandemic, including emergency financial assistance, grant support, a special loan program, tax measures, and short-term leave for businesses. It is known that higher tourism development indicators are typical for the lands with the highest level of social and economic development. Tourism is a factor that influences the economic development of both the country and individual federal states. Keywords: integral index of tourism development, Germany, tourism, tourist arrivals, federal state.

Heavy metal content in soil-like fractions on the landfills within Volgograd boundaries and assessment of health risk connected to its presence in the environment.

The heavy metal content (Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cd) in a soil-like fraction from two landfills located within the boundaries of Volgograd was described using pollution indices and health risks. The calculated pollution index (PI) values have shown a lack of Pb and Zn pollution in the soil-like fraction from both landfills. For landfill No.1, the pollution level was determined as very high for Cd and as low for Cu and Ni, and for landfill No.2, this level was determined as very high, low, and non-polluted, respectively. The Nemerov integral pollution index (NIPI) values (25.24-43.90 for landfill No. 1 and 10.37-40.38 for landfill No. 2) indicated a high level of pollution in a soil-like fraction with studied elements in both landfills. According to the calculated values of the hazard index (HI), which are significantly lower than 1 in all samples, there is no non-carcinogenic risk for children and adults associated with the presence of a soil-like fraction in the environment. The total potential carcinogenic risks (TCR) associated with the heavy metals in a soil-like fraction were determined to be high for both target groups. The health of a child target group (TCR = 1.30E-03 and 4.87E-04) was found to be more exposed to carcinogenic risk than an adult target group (TCR = 1.40E-04 and 5.21E-05). Because the risk of a carcinogenic effect is high, the use of a soil-like fraction from both landfills for territory reclamation without prior detoxification is not allowed.

Integral Index of Water Quality: A New Methodological Proposal for Surface Waters

A methodology is proposed aimed at defining an integral index of water quality in surface waters that incorporates the information for five variables currently used to independently measure the condition of water in the Cupatítzio River, Michoacán. The variables considered were the current water quality index used by CONAGUA, the concentration of metals, biodiversity as assessed through the BMWP index, microbiological values for Escherichia coli, and the level of toxicity. The index was applied at 17 sites along the Cupatitzio riverbed in the dry season of 2017. Each variable was assigned a rank, which was standardized to a scale of 1–10 and subsequently multiplied by a weight (W) that numerically represented the degree of importance and influence that each factor had in terms of pollution. These factors depended on the anthropic condition of the area, with a value of 5 indicating the method with the most significant impact and 1 the least. The integral index of water quality (IIWQ) was calculated as the arithmetic sum of each factor considered, generating a single value. It had intervals of 15 points minimum to 150 maximum. Five water quality levels were proposed: excellent, good, fair, bad, and very bad. The results showed that, of the 17 sites studied, the majority (ten) were in the fair quality category, ranging from 69 to 95 points; six were in the good category (96 to 122 points); and only one was in the bad category (42–68 points). With the application of this methodology incorporating the information for the five variables already described, it was possible to assess the water quality conditions in the Cupatitzio River as adequate and the water as suitable for its uses in the different socioeconomic activities for which it is destined.

Functional topography of the neocortex predicts covariation in complex cognitive and basic motor abilities.

Although higher-order cognitive and lower-order sensorimotor abilities are generally regarded as distinct and studied separately, there is evidence that they not only covary but also that this covariation increases across the lifespan. This pattern has been leveraged in clinical settings where a simple assessment of sensory or motor ability (e.g. hearing, gait speed) can forecast age-related cognitive decline and risk for dementia. However, the brain mechanisms underlying cognitive, sensory, and motor covariation are largely unknown. Here, we examined whether such covariation in midlife reflects variability in common versus distinct neocortical networks using individualized maps of functional topography derived from BOLD fMRI data collected in 769 45-year-old members of a population-representative cohort. Analyses revealed that variability in basic motor but not hearing ability reflected individual differences in the functional topography of neocortical networks typically supporting cognitive ability. These patterns suggest that covariation in motor and cognitive abilities in midlife reflects convergence of function in higher-order neocortical networks and that gait speed may not be simply a measure of physical function but rather an integrative index of nervous system health.

Assessing the effects of aquaculture on tidal flat ecological status using multi-metrics interaction-based index of biotic integrity (Mt-IBI)

Given tidal flat special environmental conditions and the degree of pollution caused by human activities, there is an urgent need to quantitatively assess their ecological status. Bioindication has become an indispensable part of environmental quality monitoring on account of its sensitivity to environmental disturbance. Thus, this study used bio-indicators to establish a multi-metrics-based index of biotic integrity (Mt-IBI) to evaluate the ecological status of the tidal flats with/without aquaculture through metagenomic sequencing. Four core indexes that were significantly correlated to other indexes with redundancy (p < 0.05), including Escherichia, beta-lactam antibiotic resistance genes, cellulase and xyloglucanases and the keystone species with 21° in the network, were selected after the screening processes. By implementing Mt-IBI in the tidal flats, the ecological health of the sampling sites was categorized into three levels, with Mt-IBI values of 2.01–2.63 (severe level), 2.81–2.93 (moderate level) and 3.23–4.18 (mild level), respectively. Through SEM analysis, water chemical oxygen demand and antibiotics were determined to be the primary controlling factors of the ecological status of tidal flat regions influenced by aquaculture, followed by salinity and total nitrogen. It is worth noting that the alteration of microbial communities impacted ecological status through the mediation of antibiotics. It is hoped that the results of our study will provide a theoretical basis for coastal environment restoration and that the use of Mt-IBI to assess ecosystem status in different aquatic environments will be further popularized in the future.

Local thermal comfort chart for non-uniform building environments: Comparison with vehicle environments and its application

There have been many laboratory studies of human subjects exposed to non-uniform thermal environments such as radiant temperature asymmetry from different directions, vertical air temperature differences, and draught. However, there are no final conclusions on the unified quantitative index for general non-uniform environments, which will be stressed in this study. The equivalent temperature (teq) that integrates air temperature, radiant temperature and air velocity at different body parts and well relates with thermal perceptions is adopted as an integral evaluation index. Published data from laboratory measurements of office environments with subjects exposed to different types of radiant asymmetry and measurements with a thermal manikin were analysed. A new comfort chart of teq was developed to evaluate non-uniform building environments and it was compared with the existing comfort chart (in ISO 14505) applied in vehicle. The results indicated that overall sensible heat loss of the human body remained constant, but local thermal discomfort and sensation changed with the non-uniform environments. The new comfort chart identified the source of discomfort and predicted the observed subjective evaluations. Significant discrepancy of the comfort chart between buildings and vehicles was found, indicating the necessity of developing a comfort chart that applied in the building environment. The study provides new insights into the causes of local thermal discomfort and can provide information on the sensitivity of different body parts to heat loss that can be used to optimise the thermal design of indoor environments.

Evaluation of the Development of the Intellectual Property Field in the Russian Federation's Regions and Methodological Approaches

Introduction. The study is relevant given the need for the Russian Federation's regions to experience sustained socioeconomic growth based on innovation activity, the need to create enabling environ­ments for the domestic production of competitive goods and the establishment of knowledge-intensive industries amid the rising im­portance of import substitution and the adverse effects of the sanc­tions pressure from unfriendly countries. The study's objective is to evaluate the development of the intellectual property field across the Russian Federation. To achieve the study's objective, it is necessary to complete the following tasks: creating an algorithm for assessing the development of the intellectual property field in the regions; se­lecting a method for doing so; creating a system of indicators for the development of the intellectual property field in the regions; iden­tifying and evaluating the risks associated with the development of the intellectual property field in the regions; drawing conclusions re­garding the current situation. Methods. The article uses the integral assessment method to evaluate the development of the intellectual property field in the Russian Federation's regions. An evaluation of the scientific literature served as the foundation for the development of a system of indicators for measuring the development of the intellec­tual property field in the study's regions. We chose 18 areas of greatest interest for the assessment, computed their integral index, and pro­vided an interpretation of its results. Results and Discussion. The re­gions where the field of intellectual property is most developed and those where it is degrading were identified. Conclusion. Conclusions were drawn regarding the reasons why the Russian Federation's re­gions differ in terms of the degree of the intellectual property field's development.

부패와 기업가 활동의 관계에 관한 연구

Corruption induces a shift in entrepreneurial activity in the economy from creative and innovative activities to areas influenced by rent-seeking and cronyism. This study examined the relationship between corruption and entrepreneurial activities in the region from 2012 to 2017 targeting primary local governments. The analysis model was constructed as follows: the explanatory variable, corruption, was set as an integrity index (general integrity level, external integrity level, and internal integrity level), and the dependent variable, entrepreneurial activities, which consist of the percentage of construction and that of education in the region, respectively. The construction industry was defined as an area highly affected by corruption, while the education industry was defined as less affected by corruption. The results are as follows. External integrity and concentration in the construction industry have a negative relationship, while internal integrity has a positive relationship. In addition, internal, external, and general integrity level indices all had a positive relationship with the concentration in the education industry. The analysis results mostly confirmed the research hypothesis that local corruption affects changes in entrepreneurial activities.

Assessment of potential hazard for humans when eating apples and grapes treated with insecticide based on spiromesifen

Chemical plant protection pro­ducts account for at least 3 % of all biosphere pollutants and are the most studied pollutants on our planet. A very significant potential risk to public health is the consumption of foodstuffs contaminated with residual quantities of pesticide compounds. The aim of the work was to assess the potential hazard to humans when eating apples and grapes treated with an insecticide based on spiromesifen. A stepwise study was used: the content of spiromesifen in apples and grapes was calculated; the risk to humans was assessed (comparing the values of the permissible daily intake of the compound with food products with the maximum possible daily intake); the integral hazard index of pesticide-contaminated products consumption was calculated and assessed. The results obtained for the determination of residual amounts of spiromesifen in apples and grapes made it possible to substantiate the value of its maximum allowable value – 0.02 mg/kg; apple and grape juices – 0.01 mg/kg. It was found that the actual intake of spiromesifen with apples and grapes can be 0.0065 mg, and this does not exceed 0.5% of the permissible daily intake, or 0.7% of the estimated permissible amount of spiromesifen that can be consumed with food. According to the value of the integral index of hazard in contaminated food consumption (6 points) spiromesifen belongs to class 3 – moderately dangerous to humans. It has been established that substantiated standards for spiromesifen make it possible to ensure the safety of consumption of grapes and apples grown with the Oberon Rapid 240 SC application, as well as the use of other pesticide formulations based on this substance on other crops.

Quantification of mitochondrial cfDNA reveals new perspectives for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer

BackgroundTo unravel how the integrity of nuclear and mitochondrial circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) contributes to its plasma quantity in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.MethodsCfDNA from plasma samples of 80 CRC patients stratified by tumour stage and 50 healthy individuals were extracted. Total cfDNA concentration was determined and equal template concentrations (ETC) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) resulting in small and long fragments of KRAS, Alu and MTCO3. The obtained data was also examined relative to the total cfDNA concentration (NTC) and diagnostic accuracy was estimated using receiver operating characteristics.ResultsTotal cfDNA levels were significantly higher in CRC group compared to healthy control and increased with tumour stage. Long nuclear fragment levels were significantly lower in CRC patients in ETC but not NTC condition. The integrity indices of nuclear cfDNA decreased from controls to patients with highly malignant tumor. Mitochondrial cfDNA fragment quantities were strongly reduced in early and late stages of tumor patients and prognostic value was higher in ETC. Predictive models based on either ETC or NTC predictor set showed comparable classification performance.ConclusionIncreased blood cfDNA concentration in late UICC stages inversely correlate with nuclear cfDNA integrity index and suggest that necrotic degradation is not a major cause for higher total cfDNA quantity. The diagnostic and prognostic value of MTCO3 is highly significant in early stages of CRC and can be evaluated more comprehensively, using ETC for qPCR analysis.Trial registrationThe study was registered retrospectively on DRKS, the german register for clinical trials (DRKS00030257, 29/09/2022).

Analysis of the readiness of Russian regions for the COVID-19 pandemic based on demographic sustainability and development of the healthcare system

Assessment of the readiness of regions for the occurrence of critical situations is atopical area of research in modern conditions. The problem of high mortality in Russia determines the importance of studying the factors that shape the current state of the socio-demographic system of the population and the prerequisites for its change in the future or in the present under the influence of negative processes. To form an objective picture of the current situation, two areas are identified: potential (the state of the region's healthcare system) and demographic stability (risks of population decline), on the basis of which complex integral indices are calculated and regions are ranked. The specificity of the author's approach to the analysis consists in the complex use of demographic indicators, morbidity indicators and the functioning of the healthcare system. As a result of the analysis, it was found out that an ambiguous situation has developed in the regions. According to the assessment of demographic sustainability, the republics of the North Caucasus have become the best, but there is also the lowest level of development of the healthcare system. The opposite situation is observed in remote and sparsely populated regions of the Far East — Sakhalin Oblast, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug — with high indicators of the potential of the healthcare system there are high demographic risks. The depth of the consequences of the pandemic was reflected in the form of excess mortality. In the first year, the regions of the North Caucasus became leaders in terms of mortality growth — Chechnya (by 44%), Dagestan (by 32%) and Ingushetia (by 27%).The most stable were Adygea, Sevastopol and Buryatia — excess mortality did not exceed 6%. In the second year, actively increasing mortality has already affected all regions, with the exception of the Republic of Tyva and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug having the lowest proportion of the population over working age. The proposed concept of a two-way study of regions will make it possible to trace the main problem areas in dynamics and give an opportunity to prevent the consequences of other possible force majeure.

Assessment of the Coefficient of Tension in the Labor Market. Regional Aspect

.Assessing the situation in the labor market of the region, and ultimately forecasting the level of employment and unemployment, is a complex multidimensional mathematical problem that does not have a reliable and proven solution to date. Research in the direction of creating evaluation methods and forecasting the situation on the labor market is an actual task. The subject of the work is an assessment of the situation on the labor market of the Volga Federal District, through the analysis and modeling of the coefficient of tension in the labor market. The purpose of the study was to develop a methodology that allows making a preliminary forecast of the situation on the labor market of the subject of the Volga Federal District. The information base of the study was the results of a sample survey of the labor force conducted by state statistics bodies in accordance with the classifier of objects of administrative-territorial division (OKATO – Russian Classification on Objects of Administrative Division). To date, the length of the time series is four time periods (2018–2021) of the year. As methods of analysis and modeling, methods of descriptive statistics were used, as well as mathematical modeling of the relationship between the coefficient of tension in the labor market and the rating index of the socio-economic situation of the Volga Federal District. It is shown that the statistical grouping of the coefficient of tension in the labor market as a whole for all subjects of the Russian Federation is extremely heterogeneous, which makes it difficult to model processes in the labor market. At the same time, the statistical grouping of the coefficient of tension in the labor market of the regions of the Volga Federal District is quite homogeneous, which makes it possible to carry out simulations using such an integral index as the rating of the socio-economic situation of the subject of the Volga Federal District. In the process of modeling in the environment of the SPSS computer program, a nonlinear regression model of the relationship between the coefficient of tension in the labor market (dependent variable) and the place in the rating of the socio-economic situation of the subject of the Volga Federal District (explanatory variable) was formed. The model allows you to make a preliminary forecast of the situation on the labor market of the subject of the Volga Federal District.

Особенности цифровизации пространства арктических регионов России

Digital space allows connecting people without regard to physical space and makes many social services available, which is especially relevant for the Arctic territories. The aim of the study is to analyze the features of the digital space of the Russian Arctic regions. Research objectives: building a database of series of variables in the context of the Russian Arctic regions for the period 20142020, making a retrospective analysis of the dynamics of their digitalization, ranking the Russian Arctic regions by the level of digitalization based on the construction of an integral index. The objects of the study are nine Arctic regions of Russia. The results of the study provide recommendations for further digitalization of the Arctic regions. The scientific novelty of the study is determined by the application of the index method for ranking the Russian Arctic regions by the level of digitalization for the period 20142020 according to four sub-indices: activities of households, population, authorities, organizations, which made it possible to trace the dynamics of indicators, evaluate the effectiveness of measures to develop the digital space of the regions. The methodology makes it possible to carry out calculations based on publicly available statistical data and can be used for territories of various levels when conducting retrospective analysis and strategic forecasting procedures. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the results obtained may be in demand when assessing the effectiveness of digitalization in the course of developing strategies and programs for digitalization of the regional space. The prospects for further research are determined by a deeper analysis of the degree of influence of variables on the level of digitalization of regions and the formation of proposals and recommendations for adapting digitalization processes, taking into account the current international situation.

On the Legislation and Integrity of the Electoral Management Bodies in Western Balkans Countries

The comparative analysis of national legislation related to EMBs (Electoral Managment Bodies) in Western Balkan countries shows that in the process of drafting this legislation, all these countries had as a roadmap the recommendations given by international institutions and CoE for countries that have insufficient experience in the exercise of democracy and the rule of law. These countries have used the independent EMBs model. Political representation is the basic principle implemented in these countries for establishing the EMBs. Efforts for political balancing of EMBs are not identified in all countries and for all levels of EMBs. In the Albanian legislation, this issue is treated in a more complete way than in other countries. In multi-ethnic countries, such as North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and BiH, the legislation guarantees the representation in EMBs of ethnic minorities. Referring to the integrity of the EMB, the countries of the Western Balkans are classified in the group of countries with a "moderate" level. To increase the Electoral Integrity Index, these countries must make changes in the legislation related to EMBs and its operation in accordance with the recommendations of international institutions, such as OSCE/ODIHR, CoE, Venice Commission.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 5 January 2023 / Accepted: 20 February 2023 / Published: 20 March 2023