Formation of human capital as a key factor in ensuring the national security of agriculture in the digital economy

Over the past few years in many literary sources and the media an issue of the digital economy is rapidly gaining popularity due to the qualitative technological changes in society. In current circumstances the qualitative component of labor resources called “human capital” is a priority value. The authors have identified the main realities of the development of agribusiness, studied the main directions of information support on the example of the agricultural sector of the economy and identified the root causes of the slowdown in the innovation development of agriculture in Russia, the features of using information technologies in agribusiness have been considered in detail.peer-reviewe

Emotional intelligence and behavior styles of Russian middle managers in business communication

The study focuses on emotional intelligence and preferred negotiating styles of managers at work. There were 162 respondents (22 to 60 years old, MD=36.38) from a Russian food manufacturing company approached to study their negotiating experience with clients, customers, vendors, etc. The following methods were used: the Emotional Intelligence ("EQ") Test, the Emotional Intelligence ("EmIn") Test, negotiating style determination procedure, "Your Business Communication Style" test, the Conflict Mode Instrument, and authors' questionnaire. Data was processed with Pearson’s r correlation and regression coefficient and factor analysis (main component analysis). Results of the study revealed a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and the preferred negotiating styles. As a result, it was concluded that people-oriented interaction style correlates with developed interpersonal emotional intelligence; their relationship is indirect with other variables in between. Regression analysis revealed a relationship between emotional intelligence and process orientation in negotiations. This study was the first one to theoretically develop and empirically test the possibility of studying a relationship between the levels of emotional intellect and preferred negotiating styles.peer-reviewe

The Use of Social Networks to Train the Intercultural Dimension of Foreign Languages at Higher Educational Institutions

The paper aims to identify how social networks contribute to training the intercultural dimension of foreign languages at higher educational institutions. We attempted to answer the questions of what effect the use of social networks has on foreign language training, fostering intercultural and occupational skills, and how both students and teachers perceive the intervention. To achieve research goals, we used quantitative tools, such as (1) checklists, (2) assessment records on English for Specific Purposes, (3) the cultural intelligence scale, (4) the multidimensional emotional empathy scale, and (5) the questionnaire for reflective thinking. Qualitative data were drawn from the observations and interviews. The research findings confirmed that the use of social networks provided students with a true-to-life (authentic) environment and context to gain cultural experience and train a foreign language. This strategy boosts English for Specific Purposes learning and teaching experiences using a distance-learning component. A longitudinal research design enhances transformations in students in terms of emotional empathy and reflective thinking

Ensuring the national security of agriculture in the digital era through the formation of human capital

Purpose: Over the past few years in many literary sources and the media an issue of the digital economy is rapidly gaining popularity due to the qualitative technological changes in society. In current circumstances the qualitative component of labor resources called “human capital” is a priority value. Design/Methodology/Approach: The following research methods have been used in the work: monographic, abstract-logical, sociological, economic-mathematical and calculation-constructive ones. Findings: The solution of the problem of ensuring food security of the population of the region depends on the methods and strategies of applying technologies in domestic and global agriculture, as well as on the correct and effective use of scientific-technical implementations in the industry. Practical implications: Identification of segments in tourism is mainly made based on their geographical, demographical, socio-economic, psychographic, behavior characteristics or their combinations. On the other hand, the authors stress on the fact that there is no universal segmentation approach and therefore, potential tourists can be classified based on other characteristics. Originality/Value: The use of digital technologies in the agricultural industry will increase the efficiency of production activities.peer-reviewe

Problems and prospects of human capital development in modern Russia

Purpose: In the context of dynamically changing modern labor market there is a need to develop a model of congruence and correlation of the process of building professional competencies provided by educational standards. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was performed using monographic, abstract logical, sociological and statistical methods. However, this approach does not imply the formation of supra-professional competencies, which generally predetermine the success of professional tasks performed by a specialist. Findings: The article discusses the role of human capital as a fundamental factor affecting the increase in the competitiveness of production. Practical implications: The study focusses on the most demanded competencies for the development of digital society. The authors have grouped countries by level of human capital use. Originality/Value: At present, the appropriate parameters for measuring professional and general cultural competencies have been adopted as a system for assessing the quality of education in general and the quality of specialist training.peer-reviewe

New records of lichens and allied fungi from the Leningrad Region, Russia. VIII

Thirteen species and one variety of lichens, nine lichenicolous and two saprobic fungi are reported for the first time for St. Petersburg, the whole Leningrad Region or its western or eastern parts. The lichens Bacidina brandii, B. neosquamulosa, Porina leptalea, Rinodina aspersa and the lichenicolous fungus Scutula dedicata are reported for the first time for Russia, lichenicolous fungus Lichenoconium aeruginosum – for European Russia, the lichen Tetramelas chloroleucus, lichenicolous fungi Lichenoconium pyxidatae and Tremella cetrariicola are new for the North-Western European Russia. The most interesting records are briefly discussed.

Pedagogical management of the quality of training for a physical culture specialist in higher school: An expectation approach to the problem

The paper is devoted to the problem of pedagogical management of the quality of training for physical education specialists in higher education: the authors have determined theoretical and methodological foundations of the problem, a conceptual model and pedagogical conditions for its implementation have been presented. The authors of the paper have proved that professional expectations are a construct that anticipates actions aimed at building professional competence, but at the same time it is a product of the processes of mastering the education content. The expectation approach suggests considering the pedagogical management of the quality of training for specialists in physical education at a pedagogical university as a process of changing and shaping professional expectations of the subject of the educational process. In our study, the expectation approach is based on the conceptual ideas of the axiological, competence, and integrative constituent elements. The identified axiological, competence, and integrative constituent elements of the expectation approach determine the multilevel and hierarchical nature of the theoretical and methodological fundamentals of pedagogical management of the quality of training for physical education specialists including the general scientific, concrete scientific, methodological and technological levels of the methodology

Influenza A Virus Induces an Immediate Cytotoxic Activity in All Major Subsets of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

A replication defective influenza A vaccine virus (delNS1 virus) was developed. Its attenuation is due to potent stimulation of the innate immune system by the virus. Since the innate immune system can also target cancer cells, we reasoned that delNS1 virus induced immune-stimulation should also lead to the induction of innate cytotoxic effects towards cancer cells.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), isolated CD56+, CD3+, CD14+ and CD19+ subsets and different combinations of the above subsets were stimulated by delNS1, wild type (wt) virus or heat inactivated virus and co-cultured with tumor cell lines in the presence or absence of antibodies against the interferon system. Stimulation of PBMCs by the delNS1 virus effectively induced cytotoxicity against different cancer cell lines. Surprisingly, virus induced cytotoxicity was exerted by all major subtypes of PBMCs including CD56+, CD3+, CD14+ and CD19+ cells. Virus induced cytotoxicity in CD3+, CD14+ and CD19+ cells was dependent on virus replication, whereas virus induced cytotoxicity in CD56+ cells was only dependent on the binding of the virus. Virus induced cytotoxicity of isolated cell cultures of CD14+, CD19+ or CD56+ cells could be partially blocked by antibodies against type I and type II (IFN) interferon. In contrast, virus induced cytotoxicity in the complete PBMC preparation could not be inhibited by blocking type I or type II IFN, indicating a redundant system of activation in whole blood.Our data suggest that apart from their well known specialized functions all main subsets of peripheral blood cells also initially exert a cytotoxic effect upon virus stimulation. This closely links the innate immune system to the adaptive immune response and renders delNS1 virus a potential therapeutic tool for viro-immunotherapy of cancer

Analyzing Thioflavin T Binding to Amyloid Fibrils by an Equilibrium Microdialysis-Based Technique

A new approach for the determination of the amyloid fibril – thioflavin T (ThT) binding parameters (the number of binding modes, stoichiometry, and binding constants of each mode) is proposed. This approach is based on the absorption spectroscopy determination of the concentration of free and bound to fibril dye in solutions, which are prepared by equilibrium microdialysis. Furthermore, the proposed approach allowed us, for the first time, to determine the absorption spectrum, molar extinction coefficient, and fluorescence quantum yield of the ThT bound to fibril by each binding modes. This approach is universal and can be used for determining the binding parameters of any dye interaction with a receptor, such as ANS binding to proteins in the molten globule state or to protein amorphous aggregates

The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes

This is the final version. Available on open access from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordData availability: All collapsed and paired-end sequence data for samples sequenced in this study are available in compressed fastq format through the European Nucleotide Archive under accession number PRJEB44430, together with rescaled and trimmed bam sequence alignments against both the nuclear and mitochondrial horse reference genomes. Previously published ancient data used in this study are available under accession numbers PRJEB7537, PRJEB10098, PRJEB10854, PRJEB22390 and PRJEB31613, and detailed in Supplementary Table 1. The genomes of ten modern horses, publicly available, were also accessed as indicated in their corresponding original publications57,61,85-87.NOTE: see the published version available via the DOI in this record for the full list of authorsDomestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 BC. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia and Anatolia, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 BC, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 BC driving the spread of Indo-European languages. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium BC Sintashta culture