A smart city is a system solution of actual urban problems through the use of the possibilities created by the latest achievements in the field of digital technologies. The article analyzes 15 world ratings of smart cities from the position of defining the priority areas of urban digitalization which in total become the drivers of the development of intelligent cities. The article gives a hybrid consensus-rating of top 25 smart cities of the world and reveals its connection with the level of digitalization of the country. The article shows that active use of innovative digital technologies helps smart cities more successfully overcome the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The features of the organization of distance learning of students in a higher educational institution, as well as the information and educational technologies necessary for this, are considered. A system of automatic assessment of students’ knowledge is proposed. It is based on a model in the form of an artificial neural network. The features of such a model are given. The two implemented methods for constructing artificial neural networks have been used in the software module for testing students’ knowledge. The choice of the type of network, its structure, and parameters has been substantiated. The first method is related to the construction of an artificial neural network in the manual mode. An algorithm is presented that reflects the iterative process of its training. In the second case, the network is built automatically by applying a genetic algorithm. At the beginning of the work, a set of randomly generated initial data arrives at the input of the algorithm. In the course of its work, the genetic algorithm determines the architecture and parameters of the neural network, which ensure the successful solution of the assigned applied problem. Trained networks are used to classify data. Both networks showed acceptable classification accuracy of the results obtained in the course of the students’ knowledge testing.

The possibility of using a ring oscillator circuit for measuring the propagation delays of signals through symmetrical APUF paths of various lengths implemented on an FPGA is considered. The creation of the experimental setup and the course of the experiments are described. The dependence of the absolute values of the signal propagation delays and their statistical characteristics on the number of blocks of the symmetric paths under study is investigated. The metrics of stability and intercrystalline uniqueness are calculated based on the obtained experimental data of delay measurements. The improvement of APUF stability and uniqueness depending on the length of the symmetric paths is confirmed.

The article proposes an original system of indicators, including financial performance indicators, digital development efficiency indicators, and bank competitiveness indicators. On the basis of systematic and integrated approaches, index methods and the formed system of indicators, a methodology for rating the competitiveness of banks in the Republic of Belarus has been developed. A correlation analysis of competitiveness indices was carried out. The results of the assessment are presented and recommendations for their practical use are given. Based on the results of the assessment, the top 5 banks were identified in terms of such indicators as the Digital Development Efficiency Index and the Bank Competitiveness Index, and the reasons that led to the leadership of these banks were identified. On the basis of the study, a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of development and competitiveness of banks in the Republic of Belarus was formed, which takes into account the peculiarities of the functioning and development of Belarusian banks.

The concept of digital culture refers to a transdisciplinary field of research located at the intersection of the complex of social sciences and the humanities (culturology, philosophy, history, jurisprudence, economics, etc.). This article examines the essence and content of the digital culture of an organization as a holistic phenomenon through the prism of a transdisciplinary connection between the economic and legal aspeof the problem. The essence and interrelation of the terms “information culture”, “digital culture”, “legal culture” are analyzed. A methodology for assessing the level of digital culture of an organization’s ecosystem is proposed.

The article highlights the problematic issues related to the appearance of a new specialized GSM-R modem TRC-5RME (ext)* H on the market, the serial production of which was launched in 2020 by the German company TRIORAIL, which is one of the leaders in the European market for the production of specialized equipment for railway rolling stock. Would it be rational to use the new TRC-5rme (ext)* H modem to solve the tasks assigned to the rolling stock communication equipment? What major changeswill already existing solutions that have been used for a long time on the railway transport of different countries undergo? To identify the factors contributing to the adoption of such a decision, a comparative analysis of the characteristics of modems will be carried out. Special attention will be paid to the speed of information transmission and indicators of the reliability of the communication channel. The design features of the modem of the new series will also be analyzed, a preliminary assessment of the integration of the TRC-5rme (ext) H modem into existing communication equipment manufactured by enterprises will be carried out.

This article describes the experience of a number of regulatory measures by the governments of Great Britain and France on Bigtech companies with the largest share in the process of creating digital solutions and platforms. An author’s assessment of such a phenomenon is given. The article also addresses the experience of digitalization of the energy complex for a number of countries, highlights the most important areas for the development of scientific and technological progress with a classification by source type in terms of electricity production and supply. A number of measures and mechanisms have been proposed to accelerate digitalization of the economy of the Republic of Belarus, taking into account international experience.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has stimulated the scientific activity of virology and interdisciplinary sciences: medical cybernetics and bioinformatics. The article is focused on the study of algorithms for processing bioinformatic data of genomic origin predominantly for the purposes of predominantly immunoinformatics and computational vaccinology. The schemes of algorithms developed by the authors for the analysis of bioinformatic data are presented. The algorithms for processing genomic information developed by the authors based on the analysis of the available literature and many years of experience in computational and laboratory experiments can be used not only for the design and analysis of epitope vaccine components, but also for the other tasks of computational virology and microbiology. In silico experiments on the analysis of bioinformatic data are relatively low-cost and multi-informative, but they require highly qualified scientists with extensive experience, interdisciplinary training, and, accordingly, a wide range of knowledge and skills. However, for the complete analysis and implementation of, for example, the epitope vaccines, subsequent validation by the laboratory and in vivo experiments are required.