bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between gut microbiome characteristics and the effect of nutritional therapy on glycemic control in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Chen Jing , Yang Yuying , Yu Ningning , Sun Wanxiao , Yang Yuanyuan , Zhao Mei
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the characteristics of gut microbiome and the effect of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) on glycemic control in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Seventy-four pregnant women newly diagnosed with GDM received MNT for one-week. The effect of glycemic control was evaluated by fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose; and stool samples of pregnant women were collected to detect the gut microbiome before and after MNT. We used a nested case-control study design, with pregnant women with GDM who did not meet glycemic standards after MNT as the ineffective group and those with an age difference of ≤5 years, matched for pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) 1:1, and meeting glycemic control criteria as the effective group. Comparison of the gut microbiome characteristics before MNT showed that the ineffective group was enriched inDesulfovibrio,Aeromonadales,Leuconostocaceae,Weissella,Prevotella,Bacillales_Incertae Sedis XI,GemellaandBacillales, while the effective group was enriched inRoseburia,Clostridium,Bifidobacterium,Bifidobacteriales,Bifidobacteriaceae,HoldemaniaandProteus. After treatment, the effective group was enriched inBifidobacteriumandActinomycete, while the ineffective group was enriched inHoldemania,Proteus,CarnobacteriaceaeandGranulicatella. In conclusion, the decrease in the abundance of characteristic gut microbiome positively correlated with blood glucose may be a factor influencing the poor hypoglycemic effect of MNT in pregnant women with GDM. Abundance of more characteristic gut microbiome negatively correlated with blood glucose could help control blood glucose in pregnant women with GDM.
Investigating the linkage between professional development and mathematics instructors’ use of teaching practices using the theory of planned behavior
Authors: Archie Tim , Hayward Charles N. , Yoshinobu Stan , Laursen Sandra L.
Published: April 2022

Professional development has been identified as an effective way to increase college STEM instructors’ use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) known to benefit student learning and persistence in STEM. Yet only a few studies relate professional development experiences to later teaching behaviors of higher education instructors. This study of 361 undergraduate mathematics instructors, all of whom participated in multi-day, discipline-based workshops on teaching held in 2010–2019, examined the relationship between such participation and later use of RBIS. We found that instructors’ RBIS attitudes, knowledge, and skills strengthened after participating in professional development, and their self-reported use of RBIS became more frequent in the first year after the workshop. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior as a conceptual framework, we used a structural equation model to test whether this theory could explain the roles of workshop participation and other personal, professional and contextual factors in fostering RBIS use. Findings indicated that, along with workshop participation, prior RBIS experience, class size, and course coordination affected RBIS use. That is, both targeted professional development and elements of the local context for implementation were important in supporting instructors’ uptake of RBIS—but, remarkably, both immediate and longer-term outcomes of professional development did not depend on other individual or institutional characteristics. In this study, the large sample size, longitudinal measurement approach, and consistency of the form and quality of professional development make it possible to distinguish the importance of multiple possible influences on instructors’ uptake of RBIS. We discuss implications for professional development and for institutional structures that support instructors as they apply what they learned, and we offer suggestions for the use of theory in future research on this topic.
Country of birth as a potential determinant of inadequate antenatal care use among women giving birth in Brussels. A cross-sectional study
Authors: Schönborn Claudia , Castetbon Katia , De Spiegelaere Myriam
Published: April 2022

Background

One of the mechanisms explaining perinatal health inequalities could be inadequate antenatal care among some immigrant groups. Few European studies compared antenatal care use between different groups of immigrants taking into account individual characteristics. This research investigates the associations of three birth regions with the use of antenatal care, by also considering socioeconomic and migration-related determinants.

Methods

We included 879 mothers born in Belgium, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, and interviewed them in four Brussels hospitals after they gave birth, using an adapted version of the Migrant-Friendly Maternity Care Questionnaire. We additionally collected clinical data from hospital records. We carried out descriptive analyses and ran univariate and multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the associations of socioeconomic and migration characteristics with a) late start of antenatal care and b) less than minimum recommended number of consultations.

Results

The vast majority of women in this study had adequate care in terms of timing (93.9%), frequency of consultations (82.2%), and self-reported access (95.9%). Region of birth was an independent risk factor for late initiation of care, but not for infrequent consultations. Women born in Sub-Saharan Africa were more prone to accessing care late (OR 3.3, 95%CI 1.5–7.7), but were not more at risk of infrequent consultations. Women born in North Africa, had similar adequacy of care compared to the Belgium-born population. The three groups also differed in terms of socioeconomic profiles and socioeconomic predictors of antenatal care use. Housing type, professional activity, and health insurance status were important predictors of both outcomes.

Conclusions

This study showed that the region of birth was partly associated with adequacy of care, in terms of initiation, but not number of consultations. Further dimensions of adequacy of care (content, quality) should be studied in the future. Socioeconomic factors are also key determinants of antenatal care use.
In dialogue with the environment: The environment, creativity, materials and making
Authors: Mäkelä Maarit , Aktaş Bilge Merve
Published: April 2022

In a making process, a craftsperson starts a dialogue with the environment, tools and materials that are essential to their professional practice. During this materially and bodily entangled process, the act of making is thinking per se: the forming of the material emerges through the interaction with the material and is thus simultaneous with, and intrinsic to, the creative process itself. This article presents a practice-led case study of material thinking in the context of contemporary ceramics that one of the authors experienced during a research period in New Zealand. By utilizing walking along the changing landscapes as a creative method, as well as interacting with local practitioners, the craftsperson collects natural minerals and follows the material’s flow, letting it actively shape the creative events. The encounter with soil-based materials in their different forms and working with them in renewed ways reveal how the material’s behaviours influence the craftsperson’s thinking and making. This study shows that walking can facilitate the entanglement between the craftsperson’s knowledge and newly discovered materials, generating emotional and dialogical relationship with the environment, including human collaborators.
Notturno: An atmospheric aesthetic
Authors: Pollard Damien
Published: April 2022

Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno (‘Nocturne’) (2020) lays a subtle but consistent formal emphasis on the air. In this article, I argue that Rosi’s filmmaking technique privileges patience and stasis and that it consequently allows manifestations of the air, including wind, breath, bubbles and smoke, to attain prominence in his shots. I draw on the work of Gernot Böhme, Tonino Griffero and Robert Spadoni to suggest that the emphasis Rosi places on the air grants the film a pervasive formal unity that literalizes the notion of cinematic atmosphere. I also argue that the film’s ‘atmospheric aesthetic’ offers up the air’s spatial and corporeal complexity as a formal cipher for the film’s themes of separation and connection, and that it offers a way of thinking through Notturno’s intertextual relationship to Rosi’s previous film, Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea) (2016).
Homo Eroticus: Cinema, identità maschile e società italiana nella rivista ‘Playmen’, Gabriele Rigola (2021)
Authors: Scarcelli Cosimo Marco
Published: April 2022

Review of: Homo Eroticus: Cinema, identità maschile e società italiana nella rivista ‘Playmen’, Gabriele Rigola (2021)

Soveria Mannelli: Rubettino, 187 pp.,

ISBN 978-8-84986-538-7, p/bk, €14.00
Numerical Investigation of Solidity Effect Based on Variable Diameter on Power Performance of H-type Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)
Authors: Ramlee Muhamad Fadhli , Zishan Shaikh , Muzammil Wan Khairul , Fazlizan Ahmad
Published: April 2022

Renewable energy resources especially wind energy, have seen significant growth in the worldwide energy market as clean energy sources. This has brought attention to areas with low and moderate wind speeds. Small-scale Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) with omnidirectional capability captures potential energy in these areas at a cost-effective scale. Numerous studies have been conducted to optimise their design, hence improving the performance of these turbines. Turbine solidity, σ, representing the ratio of the overall area of the blades over the swept area of the turbine, is one of the influential geometrical factors that significantly affect wind turbine performance. Previous studies on solidity focused on the number of blades and blade length variations, while the study on turbine diameter is limited. Hence, this paper intends to numerically investigate the effect of solidity that corresponds to different turbine diameters. Power performance and flow characteristics are investigated closely according to different solidity, σ and tip speed ratios, λ using high-fidelity computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method, which solves the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. Solidity and tip speed ratios vary within a wide range of 0.3 – 0.7 and 0.5 – 4.5, respectively. The results show that decreasing the turbine solidity from 0.7 to 0.3 could significantly increase the maximum power coefficient, Cp, by 30%. However, turbine with high solidity (σ = 0.7) generate much higher instantaneous moment coefficient, Cm than the low solidity turbine (σ = 0.3), but at lower λ and a narrower range of λ. The difference in turbine's performance between high and low solidity turbine is attributed to stall experienced by the blade at low λ and the blockage effect experienced by the turbine at moderate to high λ that significantly influence the energy generation at downstream region
Rational Drug Use and Inventory Drug Management in the Peak of Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia
Authors: Soegiantoro Didiek Hardiyanto , Soegiantoro Holy Rhema , Soegiantoro Gregory Hope
Published: April 2022

The rational use of drugs is characterized by the appropriate diagnosis, treatment, the appropriate drugs, dosage and duration, the appropriate information and counseling, and evaluation of treatment responses. Panic buying for medications used in the treatment of COVID-19, including prescribed drugs, resulted from public panic prompted by the high fatality rate of COVID-19. The demand for COVID-19 prescribed pharmaceuticals without a prescription refers to irrational drug use and uncontrollable growth in demand that has caused drug supply management issues. From June to August 2021, researchers conducted an observational study employing a cross-sectional analysis method from several pharmacies in each region. The findings revealed a more than 2-fold rise in demand for COVID-19 medications without a prescription, resulting in a more than 3-fold increase in purchasing lead times, as well as a more than 3-fold increase in drug purchase costs that could be regulated with government selling price standards. This study concludes that at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in irrational demand due to people's indiscipline to use rational drugs, resulting in drug scarcity and uncontrolled price increases.
Viragoes, Spermatophagy, and Racial Degeneration: Cultural Contraventions in Josephine Butler’s Meditations on the Levite’s Woman
Authors: Lee Bernon
Published: April 2022

The exponents of fin-de-siècle literary artistry painted New Woman a lascivious man-eating beast whose emasculating initiatives would check Western European ascent to civilization’s apogee. Unfettered by tradition, her intemperate spirit, blind to the fine(r) things of a “higher” cultural order, would return humankind to a primitive state. Literature and science, it seems, conspire along these lines to curb Late Victorian sexual-social anxiety. In this article, I situate Josephine Butler’s reading of the story of the Levite and his woman (Judges 19) in the stream of a broader challenge to the literary sensibilities of the time. Butler’s voluminous writings from the latter half of the nineteenth century brought a Christian acumen to bear upon a sustained critique of the androcentric and misogynistic persuasion at the heart of a cultural consensus on women’s character and sexuality. Her contention through an astute consideration of the Judges story is that a pervasive masculine animus of lust and rapine is the root of a crippling decline that is moral and religious, not strictly devolutionary. Yet, Butler’s favor for the tropes of the time—female salaciousness, mangled bodies, diseased members, and national degeneration—is resonant of language in the service of a broader consternation respecting the revisionary social-sexual movements afoot. Butler’s co-option of the cultural cadences in currency, I contend, is symptomatic of a shared ethos—that European dominance and splendor is the high-water mark of human achievement. In this respect, I propose, Butler’s critique of fin-de-siècle literary and scientific discourse is ambivalent. In rejecting and replacing the faddish cult of the inordinate woman with the scourge of the intemperate man, she stays, still, within the bounds of a British (and European) masterly optic on the non-European world.
Diagnosis of congenital infections in premature, low-birthweight newborns with intrauterine growth restriction caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Parvo-B 19, and Zika virus: a systematic review
Authors: Lino Janaina F. , Diniz Lilian M. O. , Rezende Larissa G. , Costa Victoria F. T. , Romanelli Roberta M. C.
Published: April 2022

Objectives

To identify the prevalence of viral congenital infections in newborns classified as premature, low-birthweight, small for gestational age or intrauterine growth restriction.

Methods

The definition considered for selecting papers were: P as newborns younger than 28 days; V as low-birthweight, prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction; O as frequency of congenital infections with Cytomegalovirus, Parvovirus B19, Herpes Simplex, and Zika virus. The research was performed using EMBASE, LILACS, SCOPUS and MEDLINE databases, with no limitations on date and language.

Results

Eight studies were included. Manuscripts including Herpes Simplex, Zika virus or Parvovirus B19 did not fulfill the defined criteria. A wide variation in the frequency of CMV congenital infection (0–4.8%) was found, which might be attributed to regional and methodological differences between investigations.

Conclusions

Newborn characteristics associated with CMV congenital infections may direct investigations towards these patients with a higher probability of infection. However, as data are controversial, studies concerning screening of infection are important to define recommendations of diagnosis.
Crystal structure of (Z)-4-[(p-tolylamino)(furan-2-yl)methylene]-3-phenyl-1-1-p-tolyl-1H-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one, C28H23N3O2
Authors: Wei Wei , Wu Qiong , Jin Tong-Yin , Zhang Ya-Zhai , Xuan Zhao-Kun , Zhang Heng-Qiang
Published: April 2022

C28H23N3O2, triclinic,

P

1
‾

$P\overline{1}$

(no. 2), a = 7.6590(7) Å, b = 11.8598(12) Å, c = 12.4954(14) Å, α = 92.027(9)°, β = 99.837(9)°, γ = 93.597(8)°, V = 1114.9(2) Å3, Z = 2, R

gt
(F) = 0.0508, wR

ref
(F
2) = 0.1317, T = 293(2) K.
Case Study of Tertiary Students‟ Experiences Using Edmodo in Language Learning
Authors: Ali Zuraina
Published: April 2022

The past decade has seen the rapid development of technology in online learning. Its development has led many researchers to investigate the use of Web 2.0, where learning is present not only in the four-walls of the classroom. This paper, therefore, reports on students‟ experiences using a Web 2.0 tool, namely Edmodo. In particular, the study aims at identifying their perceptions of using the platform in language learning and their views on the possibility of using it to supplement face-to-face discussions in English language classes. The study involved 24 samples who undergone focus group interview as the method of collecting data. In general, results of the study revealed mixed reviews, where some students agreed with the use of Edmodo while others expressed negative opinions towards its use. In addition, two broad themes emerged from analysis of the data. These findings have significant implications in that the teacher, in the first place, needs to be equipped with the knowledge of using the platform to benefit the students. Nevertheless, this research extends our knowledge for the understanding of how to integrate Web 2.0 technologies in language classes.
Demotivating Factors Affecting EFL Learning of Saudi Undergraduate Students
Authors: Al-Khasawneh Fadi Maher
Published: April 2022

Demotivation is a research area which has recently been the focus of many research works in language learning field. In Saudi context, there is lack of reserach that investigated demotivating factors affecting learning English among Saudi undergraduate students. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the factors affecting English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning of Saudi undergraduate students. A questionnaire adopted from Sakai and Kikuchi (2009) was used to obtain the data. The questionnaire consists of 35 close-ended items on a 5-point Likert scale on six factors of demotivation: characteristics of classes, teacher’s behavior, course contents and teaching materials, effects of low test scores, classroom environment, and lack of selfconfidence and interest. The sample of this study involved 101 undergraduate students from three faculties studying at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia; these faculties are: Languages and Translation, Sharia, and Humanities. Descriptive statisticsand T-test were used to anlayze the data collected in the present study. The findings reveal that characteristics of classes was the most demotivating factors affecting EFL learning of Saudi undergraduate students. The findings of this study provide pedagogical implications on the teaching and learning of English in Saudi Arabia.
Paralinguistik dalam Pemerolehan Bahasa Kanak-kanak
Authors: Zukeflli Nur Nadirah , Subramaniam Vijayaletchumy
Published: April 2022

Paralinguistik merupakan suatu kajian tentang penggunaan suara atau vokalisasi, iaitu memperbesar dan mengecilkan suara, dan ia menjadi batasan antara interaksi verbal dengan bukan verbal atau bahasa badan. Paralinguistik adalah fokus utama kajian ini untuk membuktikan tentang penggunannya secara tidak langsung dalam proses pemerolehan bahasa kanak-kanak. Penyelidikan ini berlandaskan Teori Jean Piaget dan teori paralinguistik yang diperkenalkan oleh Bloch dan Trager, dan penganalisisan data kajian dilakukan dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif. Objektif utama kajian adalah untuk mengenal pasti dan menghuraikan ciri paralinguistik dalam proses pemerolehan bahasa kanak-kanak. Elemen paralinguistik yang menjadi fokus perbincangan dalam kajian ini ialah seperti kualiti suara, vokal, anggota badan dan juga ekspresi wajah yang sangat kerap digunakan dalam membantu sesuatu proses pemerolehan bahasa kanak-kanak itu berlaku. Dapatan kajian mendapati hampir kesemua kanak-kanak yang melalu fasa pemerolehan bahasa akan menggunakan bantuan bahasa badan untuk berkomunikasi. Hal ini menunjukkan bahawa kehadiran aspek paralingustik adalah sangat perlu dalam melancarkan lagi proses pemerolehan bahasa terutamanya bagi golongan kanak-kanak.
Penggunaan Eufemisme dalam Kalangan Penutur Iban
Authors: Daud Muhammad Zaid , Abd Wahid Mohammad Shahrul Nizam , Gedat Remmy
Published: April 2022

Penggunaan eufemisme digunakan dalam sesuatu ujaran adalah bagi menunjukkan suatu tabu bahasa itu kedengaran lebih sopan dan beradab jika didengari oleh pelbagai lapisan masyarakat. Namun begitu, penggunaan eufemisme dalam kalangan penutur kini terbatas penggunaannya. Oleh itu, objektif utama kajian ini akan (i) menentukan kekerapan penggunaan eufemisme dalam kalangan masyarakat Iban berdasarkan umur mereka dan (ii) untuk mengkaji faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi penggunaan eufemisme dalam masyarakat Iban. Pendekatan kualitatif dan kuantitatif telah digunakan oleh penyelidik dengan menemu bual dua penutur bahasa Iban berumur 50 tahun ke atas berdasarkan teori Allan dan Burridge dan seterusnya, soal selidik telah diedarkan kepada 105 orang responden di Kampung Lebor, Serian, Sarawak. Hasil daripada soal selidik menunjukkan terdapat jurang umur dalam penggunaan eufemisme terutamanya bagi golongan muda iaitu sebanyak 24.8% sebagai yang terendah diikuti dengan golongan dewasa iaitu sebanyak 25.5% manakala, golongan tua mencatatkan penggunaan eufemisme yang tertinggi iaitu sebanyak 39.5%. Di samping itu, kajian ini turut mendapati bahawa faktor penggunaan eufemisme bagi penutur Iban melibatkan perkara seperti berikut, (1) menjaga hati dan perasaan pendengar walaupun dalam keadaan marah; (2) penghormatan kepada adat, kepercayaan dan golongan yang sudah meninggal dunia; (3) perkara yang melibatkan kemudaratan seperti makhluk halus atau haiwan berbahaya serta (4) perkara yang sulit atau aib.
Pemanfaatan Analisis Korpus sebagai Teknik Alternatif Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Tatabahasa
Authors: Isam Hishamudin , Abd Mutalib Mashetoh
Published: April 2022

Penggunaan teknik yang tepat, menarik dan terkini (bersifat kontemporari) sangat dituntut dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran tatabahasa. Hal ini kerana melalui teknik yang tepat inilah, para pelajar dapat memanfaatkan tempoh masa yang terhad untuk memahami aspek penting dalam tatabahasa. Sesuai dengan perkembangan dan perubahan terkini silabus mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu Tingkatan 6 yang bukan sahaja mementingkan aspek bahasa dan tatabahasa, malah adanya komponen baharu iaitu analisis bahasa, maka kajian ini mencadangkan agar teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran tatabahasa berasaskan analisis korpus digunakan untuk mengajar topik tatabahasa Bahasa Melayu Tingkatan Enam. Pemanfaatan analisis korpus dimulakan dengan mencadangkan pangkalan data korpus DBP dan program daftar kata AntConc yang boleh digunakan untuk menganalisis kata. Seterusnya, fokus diteruskan kepada prosedur analisis berdasarkan kaedah demonstrasi yang melibatkan empat (4) langkah utama, sebelum dipanjangkan kepada satu contoh dapatan analisis kata (kata sendi nama daripada) yang melibatkan kaedah demonstrasi kepada pelajar. Berdasarkan senario semasa kaedah demonstrasi dijalankan, dapat dikatakan bahawa penggunaan teknik ini berupaya memupuk minat dan pelibatan pelajar aktif semasa proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran dijalankan. Dapatan ini menjadi penunjuk bahawa sekiranya teknik yang dirancang bersesuaian dengan pendekatan, kaedah, strategi pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang sistematik, maka penggunaan teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran berasaskan analisis data korpus mampu memberi impak positif, bukan sahaja kepada perkembangan pendidikan pelajar, tetapi dapat menyumbang kepada perkembangan pengkajian bidang bahasa dan linguistik Melayu di Malaysia.
Insulting Rhetorical Questions – Mitigators or Amplifiers?
Authors: Špago Džemal
Published: April 2022

The paper examines whether rhetorical questions (RQs) with insulting content or implications soften or intensify the insulting content that they express, as compared to corresponding direct statements with similar insulting content. The analysis is based on the results of two online surveys conducted among 276 Bosnian university students (182 and 94, respectively), who evaluated, in regard to their offensiveness, two sets of RQs and corresponding statements with insulting content or implications. Three types of insulting RQs were included in the surveys: insulting RQs without explicitly offensive terms, insulting RQs that incorporate derogatory words, and sarcastic RQs with insulting implications. The expected results were that: a) in line with Frank’s (1990) account of strengthening effects of RQs as their primary function, insulting RQs, with or without derogatory words, will function as amplifiers, and sound more offensive than corresponding declaratives; and b) sarcastic RQs, following Dews and Winner’s (1995) account of softening effects of sarcastic utterances, will function as mitigators, as compared to non-sarcastic declaratives with insulting content. The obtained results indicate that the first hypothesis cannot be verified (in spite of some indications that slight amplifying effects do exist), and the second hypothesis is completely rejected, with some likelihood that the opposite could be true.
The The Associative Influence of Phonetic Nonce Words (Occasionalisms) in Modern Ukrainian Poetical Discourse
Authors: Hryshko Yuliia
Published: April 2022

The article presents the results of three linguistic associative experiments. The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of specific linguistic units – phonetic nonce words (occasionalisms) – on the perception of modern Ukrainian poetical discourse by addressees (readers). As stimuli for linguistic analysis of phonetic occasional units in modern Ukrainian poetical discourse used the most frequent phonetic nonce words in their graphic actualization (total 16 different stimuli). The three experimentally groups of respondents include 105 students of three Poltava high schools. A result of these experiments are 1684 reactions, among which 1146 (68%) – positive, 300 (18%) – negative, 238 (14%) – neutral. The lowest per cent of neutral reactions is motivated because phonetic nonce words are power intensifiers for the expressiveness of sound background in poetical discourse. The phonetic nonce words positively influence the perception of modern verbal discourse by addressees. The special role in decoding of sound information belongs to acoustic-articulator characteristics of vowels and consonants.
SOCIAL ISOLATION AND POST-COVID NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE
Authors: Encheva-Stoykova E. , Tancheva L. , Kalfin R.
Published: April 2022

Social isolation (SI) exerts a harmful effect on brain plasticity even in healthy animals and humans. We reported some new connections between aggressive behavior and SI, and new mechanisms of SI damaging effect on experimental rodents in previous studies.
SARS-CoV-2 exhibits neurotropism through its affinity for the ACE2 receptor in endothelial cells found in the brain. The neurotropism in the disease caused by the new coronavirus accords with a wide spectrum of neurological, psychiatric and psychological symptoms. It had been reported that up to almost 43 % of SARS survivors developed long-lasting psychiatric morbidity that persisted at 4 years follow up with main diagnoses in diminishing order of representation: posttraumatic stress disorders, depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Full assessment of the long-term risk of neurological and psychological complications will be greatly needed once the coronavirus pandemic is over.
Based on current data and the reported experience with SARS-CoV we hypothesize that the neurobehavioral sequelae of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 will necessitate close interaction between emergency medicine and psychological support. The role of social support for the restoration of post-Covid neuropsychological damage is essential because the human being is not only a biological object but also a social subject who needs support from other humans.
Births: Provisional Data for 2021
Authors: Hamilton E. Brady , Martin A. Joyce , Osterman J.K. Michelle
Published: April 2022

This report presents provisional 2021 data on U.S. births, by age and race and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on cesarean delivery and preterm births are also presented.
The Response of the Catholic Church in the United States to Offences of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics Based on the Example of the Diocese of Fairbanks
Authors: Lewandowski Paweł
Published: April 2022

Offences of sexual abuse committed by clerics, which are a grave sin, cause physical, mental and spiritual harm to their victims and greatly harm the community of the faithful. In order to prevent such situations from happening anymore, it is necessary to take great responsibility for minors, for people who habitually have an imperfect use of reason and for people to whom the law recognizes equal protection. This concern may be considered an indispensable part of the mission entrusted to the Church, which, as a community of the faithful, strives for the salvation of every human being and for the common good of the community in which it carries out its mission. The answer to how to accomplish this task and how to bring church communities out of the deep crisis caused by sexual abuse of clergy comes from the Catholic Church in the United States, including the Diocese of Fairbanks.
The bishop’s responsibility for his presbyterate in the context of sexual offences committed by priests
Authors: Majer Piotr
Published: April 2022

The aim of this paper is to answer the question: How should the bishop act towards his presbyterate so that its members would not commit sexual offences, particularly the most serious ones? The following issues are presented: the relationship between a bishop and his presbyterate, the bishop’s responsibility for the admission of proper candidates to ordination, the assignment of offices and functions in the diocese, the bishop’s obligation to watch over the discipline of the clergy, the bishop’s responsibility for granting the faculty of hearing the confessions.
Sexual abuse of minors by clergy in cinematography: unrecognized signs of the times
Authors: Lis Marek
Published: April 2022

Contemporary theologians apply the historic notion of loci theologici also to media and film. Films that show the Church in a critical way are also theologically significant. Therefore, one should be aware of the appearance of documentaries and feature films, which raise the issue of sexual abuse against the youngest (paedophilia) also in the Church. The article presents the most important films, produced since the end of the 20th century, whose authors present the crime of paedophilia, its victims, the mechanisms leading to its concealment and silence not only in the Church, but also in the media and society. Films about paedophilia, which are a recognisable voice of victims in the public space, a cry for truth and justice, can also be useful tools for media education.
The Doctrinal Foundations of the Change in U.S. Foreign Policy During Trump’s Presidency: Mexico and Canada
Authors:   Volgograd State University, Sokov Ilya
Published: April 2022

Introduction. The research’s subject is the foreign policy’s theoretical foundations of D. Trump’s presidential administration in 2016–2020, which consist in changing the principles’ use of American liberal internationalism to the conservative nationalism’s principles under the motto which is called “Make America Great Again”. The theoretical approaches’ basis of intergovernmental interaction in the field of politics, economics and migration is considered on the example of relations between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The work’s purpose is to identify the doctrinal basis of D. Trump administration’s foreign policy and the impact of the adopted foreign policy settings on changes in intergovernmental interaction in the international arena. Methods. The theoretical bases’ methodology for the doctrinal provisions development of the U.S. foreign policy during the D. Trump’s administration was to use behavioral approach and special methods of political analysis. There were no major analytical studies on this topic at the time of writing. Therefore, the author of the article used the materials for his research from Russian and American scientific and periodical journals for 2019–2020. Analysis. The publications’ analysis by domestic and American authors has shown that the change in the U.S. foreign policy during the D. Trump’s presidency is due not so much to the personal qualities of the U.S. President, as some researchers believe, but to the objective conditions of the world process, where the United States want to but they can’t bear the burden of the world leader in the conditions of significant growth of other global power centers. Results. The author’s analysis of intergovernmental interaction between the United States, Canada and Mexico has shown the chosen path of using the conservative nationalism’s principles in relations with their closest allies is not so much due to the personal qualities of D. Trump how many objective changes taking place in the world political process, which led to an increase in mutual contradictions between these states. Overall, the author argues that the choice of a conservative nationalism’s policy in American foreign policy is associated with the crisis of liberal democracy.
U.S. Digital Diplomacy and Big Data: Lessons from the Political Crisis in Venezuela, 2018–2019
Authors:   Saint Petersburg State University, Sytnik Anna , Tsvetkova Natalia ,   Saint Petersburg State University, Tsvetkov Ivan ,   Saint Petersburg State University
Published: April 2022

Introduction. The article reveals the current U.S. digital diplomacy applying the case study referred to the political crisis in Venezuela culminated in late 2018 and early 2019, when the speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaido declared himself the self-proclaimed acting president after the elections. Confrontation between his supporters and those of the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro reached its apogee. The aim of the research is to reveal whether the U.S. has been able to influence the development of the political situation and opinion of Venezuelan citizens through various digital diplomacy instruments and international broadcasting channels. The analytical part of the paper is divided into two sections. The first section discusses methodological issues relative to research in the field of digitalization of U.S. foreign policy and international relations in general. These methodological approaches are tested on the case study, namely the U.S. digital diplomacy in Venezuela in the second section of the paper. Methods. The methodology of the research includes the analysis of big data and social media. The primary sources are the accounts of U.S. officials, government-sponsored media, Venezuelan media, and bloggers. Twitter was surveyed to the extent that active political discussions flared up there during the crisis. At the time, Venezuela had the third highest number of Twitter users in the world. Analysis. Using the machine analytics, about 10 million tweets were retrieved, allowing us to determine the place of the U.S. governmental accounts among the influencers of public opinion in Venezuela. Results. The analysis shows that local digital media, and the activity of bloggers and politicians, including Juan Guaido and Nicolas Maduro, had more impact on the Twitter community and Venezuelans than U.S. channels of digital diplomacy or tweets of American politicians. The more active local bloggers are, the less chances were left for external players including the United States as well as Russia, China, or Europe, to change public opinions of Venezuelans. Authors’ contribution. Anna Sytnik carried out the big data analysis using Python programming language and developed the methodological foundations of the research. Natalia Tsvetkova developed the methodological foundations of the research and made the interpretations of analysis in terms of U.S. digital and data diplomacy. Ivan Tsvetkov developed the contextual frameworks of the case study.
“Soft Power” Tools in the USA and the Russian Federation
Authors:   Volgograd State University, Parubochaya Elena , Kovach Kenneth ,   Notre Dame College
Published: April 2022

Introduction. In this article, Russian Federation’s public diplomacy (hereinafter – the RF) and the public diplomacy of the United States of America (hereinafter – the USA) are considered as one of the main tools for implementing the principles of modern “soft power”. Today, the importance of implementing certain areas of public diplomacy of the RF is significantly increasing, which is primarily determined by the current contradictory international situation. It is necessary to emphasize that public diplomacy’s certain areas are in the process of formation, however, a comprehensive study of these areas will reveal the weaknesses and strengths of public diplomacy as an effective tool for the implementation of Russian and American “soft power”. It is important to refer to the American experience of building public diplomacy, as a country with advanced experience in this area, as the public diplomacy has become a key tool of U.S. foreign policy in recent years. Methods. The comparative method makes it possible to compare the practices of implementing public diplomacy, the demonstration of “soft power” of the RF and the USA, and also helps to identify the mechanisms of public diplomacy’s influence on international processes in the formation of “soft power” strategies. This method allowed us to establish that the mechanisms for public diplomacy’s implementing and “soft power” realization are identical. Documents’ content analysis of the describing of the RF and the USA foreign policy peculiarities helped to determine the mechanisms and principles of the implementation of “soft power” under consideration by the states. Analysis. Public diplomacy’s activities analysis of the RF and the USA public diplomacy, its relationship with the principles of “soft power” is connected with the search for common and distinctive features of the considered types of diplomacy, comparing it with the “soft power” concept. Attention is drawn to the fact that many public diplomacy’ functions intersect with the tasks of “soft power”, identifying the characteristic features of a joint vector in the “soft power” implementation in the context of the RF and the USA diplomacy. Results. As the study’s result, it was found out that public diplomacy is one of the most important tools of the “soft power” demonstration of the RF and the USA soft power demonstration. Such definitions as “public diplomacy” and “soft power” were distinguished in the article. The approaches of domestic and foreign researchers for understanding public diplomacy from the points of the RF and the USA, as well as directions of its activities, were also determined. In this article, Elena F. Parubochaya identified the characteristic differences Russian interpretation of the terms “public diplomacy”. The author revealed the connection between public diplomacy of the RF and its “soft power”. Kenneth J. Kovach paid attention to the instruments of the USA modern public diplomacy.
The February 1948 Crisis in Czechoslovakia: Reaction, Assessments And Consequenses for the USA Foreign Policy
Authors:   Vyatka State University, Zorin Artem
Published: April 2022

Introduction. The article examines the reaction of American diplomatic, political and media circles, who were involved in the development of the US political course and the formation of mass sentiments, to the crisis in Czechoslovakia in February 1948. It reveals connections between the perceptions of political processes in Eastern Europe by various segments of the American political elite and the nature of political decisions made by the US government. Methods. The research is based on archival documents and articles of leading American papers. Their analysis allows us to consider the transformation of the image of Czechoslovakia, perceptions of its domestic and foreign policy, the evolution of assessments of Czechoslovak realities in the US, depending on the domestic and international situation and changing world situation. Analysis. In February 1948, during the tense political crisis, a communist regime was established in Czechoslovakia. This event completed the creation of the Soviet bloc in Europe, and influenced the development of the US containment policy towards the USSR and the escalation of the Cold War. The February crisis caused a tangible reaction in the United States. It was considered in American media, diplomatic and political circles in general context of growing international tension and Soviet-American controversies. Results. The author concludes that the US government was convinced that the communists’ coup d’état was inspired by the Kremlin. The Americans were shocked by its suddenness and speed, the lack of resistance from democratic forces. This effect was used by the US government to whip up anti-Soviet sentiments and to adopt the Marshall Plan.
Contribution of the COVID-19 pandemic to the prognosis of patients with class III-IV heart failure
Authors: Vaisberg A. R. , Fomin I. V. , Polyakov D. S. , Omarova Yu. V.
Published: April 2022

Aim. To study the survival of patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IIIV heart failure (HF) after a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and compare it with a group of similar patients without COVID-19, both during and before the pandemic.

Material and methods. A sample of 810 patients with HF of any class was created, who were treated in the HF center at the City Clinical Hospital № 38 in Nizhny Novgorod for the period from March 2019 to March 2020. Patients with NYHA class HF III-IV (n=263) were selected from this sample. The diagnosis was confirmed by echocardiography and chest radiography. At the time of discharge, the 6-minute walk test was <300 meters, while the level of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide — >300 pg/ml. The group was analyzed from March 2019 to December 2021 with the definition of all-cause mortality depending on prior COVID-19.

Results. During 520-day follow-up, 30,8% of NYHA class III-IV patients died, while 16,0% of patients underwent COVID-19, of which 79,25% of patients died during this period. Mortality among patients without prior COVID-19 was 23,3% (p<0,001). The 30-day mortality among those with COVID-19 was 50,0%, while for the year, this parameter was 71,4% (p<0,001). Among patients without COVID-19 and with class III-IV HF, 4,64% died in the first 30 days, and 20,7% of patients died during the year (p<0,001). The results obtained were compared with the data from the EPOCHA-CHF program from 2002 to 2017.

Conclusion. Mortality among patients with class III-IV HF after COVID-19 was 3,5 times higher compared with those with class III-IV HF without prior COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mortality rate among patients with class III-IV HF without COVID-19 increased by 2,09 times compared with the pre-pandemic period.
Impact of optimal therapy for noncommunicable diseases on the course and outcome of COVID-19 inpatients
Authors: Frolova I. A. , Tarlovskaya E. I. , Romanov S. V. , Abaeva O. P. , Frolov A. A.
Published: April 2022

Aim. To carry out a comparative analysis of the impact of optimal and suboptimal therapy for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at the prehospital stage on the severity and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Material and methods. The study included 158 patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 and having one or more concomitant NCDs. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the quality of initial therapy for NCDs: group 1 — patients receiving treatment that does not meet modern clinical guidelines, taking drugs not regularly or not taking them at all (n=100; 63%), and group 2 — patients receiving treatment in accordance with current clinical guidelines, taking regularly prescribed therapy (n=58; 37%). The primary endpoint was inhospital death, while secondary endpoints — duration of fever, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, length of hospital stay.

Results. Inhospital mortality was significantly higher in the 1st group of patients compared with the 2nd group (18,0% vs 1,7%, p=0,002). Analysis of secondary endpoints revealed that patients of the 1st group (nonoptimal therapy), in comparison with the 2nd group (optimal therapy), had significantly longer period of fever (10 [7; 12] vs 9 [7; 10] days, p=0,03), longer ICU (0 [0; 3] vs 0 [0; 0] days, p<0,001) and hospital stay (10 [8; 14] vs 8 [7; 11] days, p=0,001).

Conclusion. Patients who received standard NCD therapy before admission to the infectious disease hospital, in accordance with current clinical guidelines and who regularly take drugs, have a more favorable course of COVID-19 at the hospital stage and a lower inhospital mortality rate than patients with suboptimal therapy who are not adherent to treatment or not receiving drugs, but having indications for taking them.
Cytokine profile in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 of different severity
Authors: Grigoryeva N. Yu. , Sinichkina A. A. , Samoliuk M. O. , Kolosova K. S. , Korolеva E. V. , Kondakova E. V. , Vedunova M. V.
Published: April 2022

Analysis of cytokine profile markers in conjunction with the clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can provide valuable information about the pathogenetic manifestations of the disease, and therefore, in the future, determine drugs that affect the cytokine storm and have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Aim. To identify correlations between the parameters of the developed cytokine profile and the clinical course in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 of different severity.

Material and methods. The study included 70 hospitalized patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, with a mean age of 58 [50;69] years, including 40 men (57%) and 30 women (43%). The average lung involvement according to computed tomography (CT) at admission was CT-2 [1;3]. Peripheral venous blood was taken at admission, which averaged 7 [6; 8] days from the symptom onset. Standard biochemical parameters were studied, as well as 47 cytokines and chemokines using the Multiplex system (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany).

Results. Correlations was found between the lung involvement degree and the level of IL-8 (r=0,31, p<0,05), IL-15 (r=0,35, p<0,05), IL-18 (r=0,31, p<0,05), MCP-1 (r=0,36, p<0,05), MIG (r=0,50, p<0,05), TNF-α (r=0,41, p<0,05). An inverse correlation was also found in the level of blood oxygen saturation with the same indicators as follows: IL-8 (r=-0,27, p<0,05), IL-15 (r=-0,34, p<0,05), IL-18 (r=-0,31, p<0,05), MCP-1 (r=-0,40, p<0,05), MIG (r=-0,56, p<0,05), TNF-α (r=-0,45, p<0,05). IL-6 levels were significantly elevated in patients with severe COVID-19 (CT3, CT4), while no increase in IL-6 was observed in patients with moderate disease (CT1, CT2). It is noteworthy that in patients with diabetes, the highest values of IL-12, IL-9 were recorded.

Conclusion. Hyperinflammatory syndrome in severe COVID-19 is manifested by high levels of IL-6, MIG, MDC, MCP-1, M-CSF, TNF-α, β, IL-8, IL-18, IL-15. With the CT-1 and CT-2, an increase in only the level of IL-18, IL-8 is noted. The identified patterns prove and make it possible to explain a number of systemic inflammatory changes that occur with COVID-19.