bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Child Health Needs and the Pediatric Pulmonology Workforce: 2020–2040
Authors: Noah Terry L. , Boyer Debra , Davis Stephanie D. , Vinci Robert J. , Oermann Christopher M.
Published: February 2024

There is concern as to whether the supply of pediatric pulmonology (PULM) subspecialists will be adequate to meet future demand. As part of an American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation-sponsored supplement investigating the future of the pediatric subspecialty workforce, this article assesses the current PULM clinical workforce and estimates the clinical workforce supply in the United States through 2040. The current workforce was assessed using ABP certification and Maintenance of Certification data, and a workforce supply model evaluating population growth, clinical effort, and geographic trends was developed after incorporating ABP data. Findings demonstrate that the number of pediatric pulmonologists has gradually increased over the past decade, and the ratio of subspecialists to children is likely to increase another 20% to 40% over the next 2 decades, although absolute numbers remain small. Geographic variation in access will persist in some regions. The proportion of women in the discipline has increased, but the proportion of pediatric pulmonologists from underrepresented in medicine backgrounds still lags behind the general population. Based on current trends, the PULM clinical workforce appears equipped to meet both population growth and the modest increase in demand for clinical services speculated to occur because of changes in the subspecialty’s clinical portfolio. However, several factors could inhibit growth, and geographic maldistribution may continue to impact care access. Efforts to address variation in access and demographic diversity in the field are warranted. This article concludes by discussing the training, clinical practice, policy, and future workforce research implications of the data presented.
Child Health Needs and the Pediatric Rheumatology Workforce: 2020–2040
Authors: Correll Colleen K. , Klein-Gitelman Marisa S. , Henrickson Michael , Battafarano Daniel F. , Orr Colin J. , Leonard Mary B. , Mehta Jay J.
Published: February 2024

The Pediatric Rheumatology (PRH) workforce supply in the United States does not meet the needs of children. Lack of timely access to PRH care is associated with poor outcomes for children with rheumatic diseases. This article is part of a Pediatrics supplement focused on anticipating the future pediatric subspecialty workforce supply. It draws on information in the literature, American Board of Pediatrics data, and findings from a model that estimates the future supply of pediatric subspecialists developed by the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Strategic Modeling and Analysis Ltd., and the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation. PRH has a smaller workforce per capita of children than most other pediatric subspecialties. The model demonstrates that the clinical workforce equivalent of pediatric rheumatologists in 2020 was only 0.27 per 100 000 children, with a predicted increase to 0.47 by 2040. Although the model predicts a 72% increase in providers, this number remains inadequate to provide sufficient care given the number of children with rheumatic diseases, especially in the South and West regions. The likely reasons for the workforce shortage are multifactorial, including lack of awareness of the field, low salaries compared with most other medical specialties, concerns about working solo or in small group practices, and increasing provider retirement. Novel interventions are needed to increase the workforce size. The American College of Rheumatology has recognized the dire consequences of this shortage and has developed a workforce solutions initiative to tackle these problems.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Authors: Fraga Nicole R. , Minaeian Nare , Kim Mimi S.
Published: February 2024

We describe congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency, which is the most common primary adrenal insufficiency in children and adolescents. In this comprehensive review of CAH, we describe presentations at different life stages depending on disease severity. CAH is characterized by androgen excess secondary to impaired steroidogenesis in the adrenal glands. Diagnosis of CAH is most common during infancy with elevated 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels on the newborn screen in the United States. However, CAH can also present in childhood, with late-onset symptoms such as premature adrenarche, growth acceleration, hirsutism, and irregular menses. The growing child with CAH is treated with hydrocortisone for glucocorticoid replacement, along with increased stress doses for acute illness, trauma, and procedures. Mineralocorticoid and salt replacement may also be necessary. Although 21-hydroxylase deficiency is the most common type of CAH, there are other rare types, such as 11β-hydroxylase and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency. In addition, classic CAH is associated with long-term comorbidities, including cardiometabolic risk factors, impaired cognitive function, adrenal rest tumors, and bone health effects. Overall, early identification and treatment of CAH is important for the pediatric patient.
lanzar de dados: la evaluación de la producción académica del personal académico titular en la Universidad de Costa Rica
Authors: Blanco Laura Cristina
Published: February 2024

Se utiliza un análisis de regresión Tobit en dos etapas y la descomposición Oaxaca-Ransom para examinar la existencia de una brecha de género en el puntaje asignado a las obras académicas y profesionales que se someten a evaluación ante la Comisión de Régimen Académico de la Universidad de Costa Rica. Los resultados muestran que, efectivamente, existe una brecha de género significativa y equivalente a 5,54% en promedio. La mayor parte de este diferencial se asocia al coeficiente de discriminación contra las mujeres. Los resultados también permiten observar la existencia de una fuerte penalización a los trabajos con coautorías y diferencias importantes en las evaluaciones promedio asociadas a las facultades de pertenencia de las personas autoras. Finalmente, cabe preguntar si existe un alto componente de aleatoriedad en la evaluación, por lo que se sugiere una revisión del procedimiento de evaluación de obras académicas y profesionales utilizado actualmente por la institución.
“Breughelland”: Subverting the Antinomy of Utopia and Dystopia
Authors: Dorschel Andreas
Published: February 2024

Is György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre (1974–1977/1996) a dystopian work, or rather one of utopia? Traditionally, dystopia and utopia have formed an alternative. Yet Ligeti and librettist Michael Meschke enact an intertwinement of dystopia and utopia, in a series of moves and countermoves: (1) Death threatens to eliminate all life. (2) The earth is saved from the fate of the destruction of life – “Death is dead” (II/4). (3) Yet “Breughelland” is and will remain a crude and cruel tyranny. (4) The farcical character of the whole calls into question whether any of the previous moves can be taken seriously. Ligeti's/Meschke's subversion of the antinomy of utopia and dystopia, introduced in the opening “Breughellandlied,” turns out to be in the spirit of Piet the Pot's namesake Pieter Breughel the Elder, as a closer look at his 1567 painting Het Luilekkerland, an inspiration already to de Ghelderode, reveals. The irritating role thus assigned to consumption, however, seems to trivially lose all ambiguity through the words of the opera's final stanza. While this is a weighty objection to the reading proposed here, the conclusion attempts to outline a rejoinder to it.
Engaging Turkish Learners in Digital Participatory Culture Through Social Media?Enhanced Language Instruction
Authors: Solmaz Osman , Reinhardt Jonathon
Published: February 2024

Research has shown that social media can provide valuable tools for L2 teaching and learning, particularly for developing learners’ informal learning of non-academic interactional registers, socio-pragmatics, culture, and multiliteracies. However, the fact that their benefits are more pronounced in informal contexts due to their quotidian nature poses a challenge for incorporating them into formal language instruction settings. In response, we designed social media-enhanced instruction for 12 intermediate-level learners of Turkish as a foreign language at a large public American university. Learners were required to post tweets in Turkish and engage with both their colleagues and native speakers of Turkish on Twitter each week, writing biweekly journal entries about their experiences. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative data, consisting of learners’ journal entries, tweets, and the projects they developed as part of the instruction, were collected before, during, and after instruction and then analyzed using grounded qualitative techniques. The findings provide insight into how Turkish learners can engage in various social media literacy practices, developing awareness of everyday Turkish cultural discourses and language uses. The findings highlight the potential of social media-enhanced language learning as a means to engage in digital participatory culture.
Online Fan Practices and Informal Language Learning
Authors: Kim Haeun , Chapelle Carol A. , Sollier Noëmie
Published: February 2024

Extensive and repeated language exposure is essential for second language learning. While not all learners can get such exposure routinely in face-to-face contexts, English language learners today create pathways to opportunities for learning English through participation in social media communities. The informal exposure to English they obtain can be driven by their passionate interest in popular culture and affiliation with communities of fans. The potential of interaction in online fandoms for language learning, however, depends in part on the language that learners are exposed to. In this study, a lexical bundle analysis was conducted to identify frequently used word combinations in YouTube comments posted under South Korean music band BTS fan-edited videos and performance videos. Lexical bundles retrieved from a corpus of 8,000 comments were investigated structurally and functionally. The bundles were found to display structural similarities with spoken registers, even though comments have unique textual characteristics. Functional analysis results showed that many of the bundles express interpersonal meanings, such as positive appraisal, with stance expressions. Findings from the structural and functional analyses of lexical bundles increase knowledge of the type of language that English learners are exposed to and can potentially benefit from by engaging in online fan communities.
Diseño y construcción de marca Carolina Reyes: una guía desde el centro de emprendimiento del Politécnico Grancolombiano
Authors: Vianney Paola Cancelado Ortiz  , Juliethe Carolina Reyes Fino
Published: February 2024

En este proyecto, se mostró la propuesta para llevar a cabo el proceso de posicionamiento de la marca de Carolina Reyes, la importancia de la marca gráfica de una empresa juega un papel fundamental, ya que representa emociones, sentimientos y los valores que la empresa quiere transmitir a sus potenciales clientes. Para Carolina Reyes el no contar con un manual de identidad corporativa, incrementa la dificultad de reconocimiento de la empresa, esta investigación se enfoca en dos líneas de trabajo por un lado la entrega del manual de marca y una parte documental que hace referencia ¿Cómo construir atributos de personalidad a la marca Carolina Reyes para distinguirse en el mercado y que le permitan alcanzar los objetivos de mercado, con el fin de encontrar respuestas se trabajó con el método de la escala de Likert, que es una de las más utilizadas en las encuestas de marketing que tienen como objetivo detectar las actitudes, opiniones e intenciones de los consumidores. El proceso continuo con la etapa del estudio de resultados de las encuestas en la que nos arroja, la intención del cliente con el producto, ha jugado un papel importante, como los atributos del producto y servicio de la marca, causa que aumenta la confianza, fidelidad y por ende la demanda, generando una marca rentable de garantía y de confianza.
Chronobiological approach to study microsymbiont catalase activity in female reproductive tract
Authors: Nikolenko Marina V. , Vaseva Ekaterina M. , Baryshnikova Natalya V. , Malishevskaya Olga I.
Published: February 2024

Catalase is a heme-containing enzyme belonging to protection factors that destroys peroxide compounds. The presence of catalase activity is an important ability of microorganisms that allows them to be protected from unfavorable factors as well as adapt to macroorganism conditions. Catalase along with superoxide dismutase plays an important role in pathogen resistance to phagocyte oxygen-dependent bactericidal mechanisms. The aim of the study was to investigate microsymbiont catalase activity from female reproductive tract in normocenosis and candidiasis dysbiosis using the chronobiological approach. The study was conducted on clinical isolates, isolated from female reproductive tract microsymbiocenosis. The catalase activity was determined by spectrophotometry based on 24 hour-long hydrogen peroxide reduction with 3-hours interval in winter season. Dynamic hydrogen peroxide was assessed in 3–5 experiment replicates. In some Lactobacillus spp., catalase was found containing no heme group — pseudocatalase. Chronobiological approach allowed to reveal enzyme activity from all microsymbionts. The dominant and associative microbiota isolated from healthy females was characterized by circadian (24 hours) rhythms of catalase activity early in the morning — 5 a.m. (р 0.05). Hydrogen peroxide decomposes spontaneously or via non-enzymatic catalysts, and microorganisms cope with this situation under such conditions. In microsymbionts characteristic of female reproductive tract dysbiosis, and usually found in large numbers along with decreased Lactobacillus spp. ultradian rhythms with 12- and 8-hour harmonics of catalase activity with acrophase were recorded in the morning (8 a.m.) and evening hours (8 p.m.). The minimum values of enzyme production in all cultures were recorded at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Therefore, the contribution of the rhythm of the studied parameter at varying degree of vaginal sterility reflects the adaptive pathogen capabilities to the conditions of existence and can be the basis for studying related regulatory mechanisms. Mesor and amplitude phase stability are universal rhythmometric parameters used to evaluate patient’s condition independent of species assignment.
Fulminant invasive group A streptococcal infection in children
Authors: Yatsyshina S. B. , Mamoshina M. V. , Elkina M. A. , Polyaeva O. A. , Mikhailova Yu. V. , Shelenkov A. А. , Egorova A. Е. , Maleev V. V.
Published: February 2024

Group A streptococcal infections dominate among invasive streptococcal infections, with the major causative agent, Streptococcus pyogenes, being quite stable in the environment and bearing a large number of chromosome encoded pathogenicity factors or transmitted by horizontal transfer through bacteriophages. Different genetic variants of S. pyogenes can have a different set of pathogenicity factors able to change during pathogen evolution and determine virulence level for specific isolate. With a short incubation period, the disease can proceed with developing invasive infection and toxic shock syndrome with unfavorable outcome within 7 days from disease onset. The purpose of this article is to increase the doctors’ alertness to early recognition and diagnosis, which directly affects adequate treatment in a timely manner and disease outcome. The data on streptococcal morbidity in Russia and worldwide, review of laboratory diagnostic methods and pathogen genetic typing are presented. The maximum number of cases of streptococcal septicemia in Russia was registered in 2022, which accounted for 69% of all cases during the 2014–2022 observation period. The article also describes two clinical cases of fulminant invasive group A streptococcal infection in children with symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections at the onset of the disease. The results of various laboratory diagnostics methods verifying the diagnosis are presented. The genetic characterization of microbial isolates was performed by deep DNA sequencing. In the biological material from patients (including autopsy in one case), S. pyogenes sequence type ST-28, serotypes emm-1.25 and emm-1.0 were identified. The increasing importance of invasive streptococcal infection for health care in Russia and other countries may be associated with a possible change in dominating S. pyogenes genetic variants. In this regard, the study on circulating S. pyogenes genotypes on an ongoing basis as part of surveillance of streptococcal infection and development of vaccine for specific prevention are required.
Features of baseline and lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine secretion in mononuclear leukocyte cultures from patients with the erythema migrans form of acute lyme borreliosis based on clinical parameters
Authors: Ilyinskikh E. N. , Voronkova O. V. , Hasanova R. R. , Samoylov K. V. , Semenova A. V. , Esimova I. E. , Motlokhova E. A. , Yampolskaya O. V. , Yampolskaya A. V.
Published: February 2024

Introduction. Features of cytokine production in mononuclear cell cultures from Lyme borreliosis patients based on clinical data remained poorly studied. The study aim was to estimate the patterns of baseline and lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine-secretory activity of peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes from patients with erythema migrans form of acute Lyme borreliosis based on clinical parameters. Materials and methods. Groups of 22 and 12 patients with the diagnoses of mild or moderate severity of monoinfection and co-infection with tick-borne encephalitis of Lyme borreliosis with erythema migrans were examined twice: on week 1 after disease onset and day 14. The control group included 17 healthy donors. Basal and lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-6, IL-10, and TNFα secretion levels were assessed in mononuclear leukocyte culture supernatants applying enzyme immunoassay. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Mann–Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon test, and Spearman’s rank correlation. Results. The group of moderate severity patients was clinically distinguished by severer fever and intoxication manifestations. At the disease onset, the basal TNFα, IL-6 and IL-10 secretion levels in the moderate severity patient cultures were significantly higher than in those of the other groups. After antibiotics treatment, the baseline TNFα and IL-10 levels tended to decrease. At the onset, lipopolysaccharide-induced cultures from the moderate severity patients showed significantly suppressed TNFα production and increased IL-10 secretion as compared to the other groups. Lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-6 secretion in the moderate vs. mild severity group supernatants was significantly lower. In dynamics, the induced TNFα levels in the moderate severity patients were increased to the magnitude exceeding that in the controls. Positive correlations between the IL-6 and TNFα basal levels and maximum body temperature or the C-reactive protein serum concentrations were revealed in the patients. Induced TNFα levels showed negative correlations with fever levels or with IL-10 secretion. Conclusions. It was demonstrated that basal TNFα, IL-6 and IL-10 secretion levels in the mononuclear cell cultures of acute Lyme borreliosis patients increased with the increasing disease severity. Suppression of lipopolysaccharide-induced TNFα production in the moderate severity patient cultures was presumably associated with the regulatory cytokine IL-10 effects.
Optimized properties of live vaccine influenza reassortant strains obtained by reverse genetics
Authors: Larionova N. V. , Kiseleva I. V. , Bazhenova E. A. , Stepanova E. A. , Rudenko L. G.
Published: February 2024

Classical reassortment in developing chicken eggs is a well-established technique for obtaining LAIV strains. Naturally generated reassortant vaccine strains are characterized by high reproductive capacity, genetically stable characteristics of temperature sensitivity and cold resistance, which correspond to the characteristics of the MDV involved in crossing with the epidemic virus. Along with antigenic relevance, natural reassortment ensures attenuation of vaccine strains, good reproduction capacity in upper respiratory tract cells and inability to reproduction in the lower respiratory tract. With classical reassortment, the speed and efficiency of obtaining vaccine reassortants largely depend on the properties of epidemic virus, and therefore cannot be stable. The potential of reverse genetics is attractive because it allows to obtain vaccine reassortants quickly and efficiently, reduce the likelihood of spontaneous mutations; however, the vaccine strain is deprived of the advantages of natural selection, in which the most viable clones are selected. This study presents the results of comparatively assessed A(H3N2) LAIVs obtained in parallel by classical reassortment and reverse genetics according to criteria confirming that vaccine strains inherit the necessary properties that guarantee their harmlessness and high reproduction in chicken embryos. Strains for LAIV obtained by both methods retained all attenuating mutations inherited from the MDV, were highly reproductive at the optimal temperature, with temperature sensitivity corresponded to the MDV. However, strains obtained by reverse genetics, was observed to have partial loss of cold resistance in comparison with that of the MDV and classical reassortants. Reduced cold adaptation may negatively affect vaccine effectiveness. It is important that after several additional passages in chicken embryos at low temperature, the cold resistance of the vaccine strain, assembled by reverse genetics, was increased. Credibly that cold resistance is a phenotypic trait, the degree of manifestation of which depends on the temperature conditions of virus multiplication. The selective factor of reduced incubation temperature is missing in reverse genetics. In order for the cold-adapted phenotype to be fully realized, additional passages at low temperature of RG-reassortants are necessary. Thus, the reverse genetics method using plasmid technology allows to effectively prepare reassortant strains for LAIV. An important stage in obtaining vaccine strains using genetic engineering techniques should be the control of their cold-adapted phenotype and its optimization by additional passages at low temperature.
Wczesna edukacja środowiskowa w epoce człowieka – od uczenia się o świecie do uczenia się i stawania razem ze światem
Authors:   Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie, Kowalik-Olubińska Małgorzata
Published: February 2024

Implications of human-induced phenomena that include global warming and the drastic reduction of biodiversity adversely affect the entire biosphere, putting the existence of humans and non-human beings at risk. Shifting away from considering humans to be the centre of the world and viewing them as one of many equal elements that comprise that world is seen as the remedy for the resulting state of affairs. Education is believed to play a significant role in transforming the way people think about themselves and their position in the world. In view of the thesis presented above, the aim of this article is to demonstrate the changes occurring in the theory and practice of early environmental education, representing a specific response of its creators to the challenges of the human age. From a theoretical viewpoint, these changes involve a shift beyond ideas of anthropocentrism and turn to theories that show the world as a complex human-post-human community. At a practical level, this takes the form of what is referred to as a common worlds pedagogy. The author’s thesis is that practising a common worlds pedagogy enables children not only to learn about the world but also to learn and become with the world.
Debating the Noon Universe: A. and B. Strugatsky vs M. and S. Dyachenko
Authors:   Institute of Slavic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Kovtun Elena N.
Published: February 2024

This article provides a comparative analysis of the concepts of the world of the future as presented in the story Noon: 22nd Century (and partially in other parts of the Noon Universe cycle) by A. and B. Strugatsky and the novel Pandem by M. and S. Dyachenko. It discusses the common basic principles (infinity of knowledge, creative work, personal self-realisation) underlying the social models proposed by the writers, analyses salient characteristics of the writers’ “happy tomorrow” (society organisation, management system, upbringing of the younger generation, and space expansion). The article pays close attention to the similarity of the artistic structures of the story and the novel, representing an “in-the-story-narrative” with the mosaic composition of chronological type, which shows the main stages of the development of the society depicted. The author enlarges on the fantastic premise (the works under analysis do not give its detailed substantiation), typical of social science fiction, and both duos are recognised masters of it. The author singles out functions of the cross-cutting characters that bind together individual episodes with independent plots into a single large-scale canvas, revealing not only general processes and global events in the world of the future, but also details of private life and the ups and downs of personal destinies of our descendants. Additionally, the author analyses the finale of the story (and more widely, of the cycle about the Noon Universe) and the novel. While externally opposed (an optimistic assertion of the utopian world by the Strugatsky brothers and the growing social imbalance and rejection of the social experiment conducted by Pandem in Dyachenkos’ work), both works demonstrate common aspects of the writers’ views on the fate of humanity. Observations and conclusions reflect similarities and differences in the interpretation of multifaceted utopian and dystopian social models in Russian-language science fiction of the second half of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century.
Features of Dystopia in P. Christen and S. Verdier’s Graphic Novel Orwell
Authors:   Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University named after V. P. Astafyev, Krasnoyarsk, Prudius Irina G.
Published: February 2024

This article analyses the graphic novel Orwell (2019) by French authors Pierre Christin and Sebastian Verdier from the point of view of its genre affiliation, i.e. a dystopia. The author aims to reveal the dystopian characteristics of the texts of this genre in the twentieth century and their transformation in the texts of the early twenty-first century. The author of the article presents an analysis of the graphic novel which examines the history, life, and conditionality of the life position of the writer George Orwell in relation to the reality of his most famous novel, 1984 (1948). In accordance with the aim, the author uses the analysis and synthesis of theoretical information regarding dystopia as a genre, as well as structural-typological and comparative methods as research methods. As a result of the analysis, the author reveals the following characteristics of dystopia in the biographical graphic novel about the life of the English writer: the image of the anti-humanistic society which Orwell lived in, his loneliness and detachment as a confrontation with the imperfect surrounding world filled with fear and despair, the writer’s fight with a totalitarian world order, and the opposition of violence and love. A distinctive characteristic of the graphic novel was the combination of Orwell’s image with the images of rebels from his dystopias which allowed the authors, P. Christen and S. Verdier, to present the English writer as a person struggling with an unacceptable world order with the help of literature. The authors of the early twenty-first century consider Orwell a prophetic figure and bring the writer to the foreground of their graphic novel, thus emphasising the continuity of his views in modern literature which also often shows dystopian features that characterise the instability of the present which we exist in.
Ministry of the Imperial Court under Alexander III (with Reference to Prince V. S. Obolensky’s Diary)
Authors:   Institute of Russian History RAS, Moscow, Chernikova Natalia V.
Published: February 2024

This article studies the specifics of court administration as a component of the extensive problem of the history of state institutions of pre-revolutionary Russia. Due to its proximity to the monarch, the Ministry of the Imperial Court occupied a special position in the bureaucratic system of the state. In its structure and organisation of work, the vestiges of the eighteenth century were strong. The purpose of the study is to reveal the nuances of the work of the court department in providing for the life of the royal family in the 1880s, when an attempt was made to reform the Ministry of the Court on a common basis for the bureaucratic system, to determine the reasons for the failure of this restructuring, and the origins of the transformations that did take place. The article is based on the diary of Prince V. S. Obolensky-Neledinsky-Meletsky, Marshal of the Imperial Court of Alexander III, which has not been introduced into scholarly circulation previously and is stored in the Department of Written Sources of the State Historical Museum. Unlike the well-known testimonies of the highest officials of the Ministry of the Court (V. S. Krivenko, A. A. Mosolov), which are of a memoir nature, Obolensky’s diary reveals the daily and multifaceted activities of employees at the court, restores the importance of individual senior and middle officials, and the relationships among them. The analysis makes it possible to conclude that the organisation of the household and ceremonial aspects of the life of the royal family was ensured by the coordinated work of a huge mechanism, whose precision of functioning largely depended on the orderliness and professionalism of the highest ranks of the court. Unlike other ministries, in the work of the court department, the system of relations that developed among representatives of the imperial family and court ranks was of great importance. This is what prevented the timely rotation of personnel and the implementation of much needed reforms. This situation was levelled by the dominant role of the personal factor, which determined the importance of employees to a greater extent than their official position.
Names of Yuletide Mummers in the Russian Subdialects of Perm Krai
Authors:   Institute for the Humanities, Perm Federal Research Centre of the Ural Branch of the RAS, Perm, Chernykh Alexander V. , Rusinova Irina I. ,   Institute for the Humanities, Perm Federal Research Centre of the Ural Branch of the RAS, Perm
Published: February 2024

This article deals with the main groups of nominations denoting mummers (Rus. ряженые) in the Russian colloquialisms of Perm Region. The aim of the study is to describe the semantic groups of such terms associated with various ideas of dressing up: ritual dressing up, attributes and methods of dressing up, mythological ideas, and calendar time; to demonstrate the geographical distribution of units of these groups in the region. The study refers to field materials collected under the direction of A. V. Chernykh in various districts of Perm Region, data from Perm dialect dictionaries, collections and monographs, and data from the card index of the Dictionary of Russian Colloquialisms of the North of Perm Region (ed. by I. I. Rusinov) of Perm State National Research University. The various nominations of mummers reflect the complexity and polyfunctionality of the phenomenon of mummers; together they represent a certain set of attributes perceived as essential. The names of these attributes serve as motivators of the denominations of mummers. Several most frequent groups of units motivationally connected with the names of ritual transformation can be distinguished among the regional nominations of disguised persons (наряжунчики, посряжунчики, ряженки, ряженчики, ряжунчики, снаряжёнцы, снаряженщики, срядчики, сряженцы, сряжунчики, сряжушки), features of their appearances (замаскированные, маскарованные, маскированные, машкарованные, машкированные, мышкарики), means and ways of dressing up (горбуницы, горбунки, горбунцы, горбунчики, горбушки; старушки), lower demonology characters (ошуликаны, силикуны, сюликуны, чиликуны, шеликуны, шиликуны, шулеконы, шулиганы, шуликаны, шуликины, шуликуны, шулихуны, шульганы, шульканы, шулюкины; шиши, шишочки; полуденки, полудники, полудницы; мухтари, мухтарики, мухтары), calendar times (святки, святошни, святошники, святошные), which, at the same time, form areas on the territory of Perm Krai and are conditioned by the peculiarities of settlement. One can talk about a significant variability of the terminology of mummers in Perm Krai. Some nominations are often recorded in the region, others are less frequent and are characteristic only of specific areas and local traditions. Perm data demonstrate the use of terms both widely spread in Russian traditions in general and several names characteristic only of the region.
Conceptual Approach to Managing the Development of Creative Industries in Second-Tier Industrial Cities
Authors:   Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation, Turgel Irina , Derbeneva Valentina ,   Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation, Baskakova Irina ,   Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation
Published: February 2024

Relevance. In contemporary urban development, knowledge and creativity play pivotal roles in transforming cities into instruments for increased attractiveness, economic growth, and citizen well-being. Despite this recognition, second-tier cities face challenges due to the lack of a comprehensive concept for managing creative industries. The creative economy, proven effective in various countries, holds potential solutions to address accumulated issues. Research objective. This study aims to conceptualize the management of the creative sector in second-tier industrial cities, fostering their revitalization and transformation into growth zones. Data and methods. The empirical focus includes 14 creative clusters in old industrial second-tier cities of the Urals and Siberia in Russia. The study constructs a typology delineating five types of creative cluster formation, based on public-private sector interaction. Content analysis examines research literature and is complemented by a systematic approach. Results. The article systematizes the most pivotal problems in the management of creative industries' development and shows the importance of addressing institutional and coordination issues. Types of creative cluster formation are identified based on the degree of interaction between the public and private sectors in the development of creative industries. Two key types of creative cluster formation—initiative-based and dependent—are identified through case studies. The study formulates a conceptual approach to managing creative industries in second-tier industrial cities. Conclusions. The management of creative industries in second-tier cities deserves to be acknowledged as a distinct area of management. Development of creative industries requires a systematic state support system and a well-defined strategy. Local authorities play a crucial role in this process, acting as focal points for cooperative efforts through regulatory innovations in urban creative industries. Key instruments for effective policy implementation include the transformation of urban spaces, establishment of creative clusters, provision of grants to support small businesses, and stimulation of export activities.
Assessment of the level and structure of stress in tax revenues of the federal and regional budgets
Authors:   Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation, Malkina Marina Yu. , Balakin Rodion V. ,   Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation
Published: February 2024

Relevance. In recent years, the Russian economy has faced the global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented sanctions. Understanding how the tax systems of Russian regions respond to these external shocks is crucial for identifying critical stress sources affecting budgets at various levels. Research objective. This study aims to assess and compare tax revenue stress across the federal districts of the Russian Federation, considering different levels of the budget system, and to identify the underlying sources of this stress. Data and methods. The study relies on official data from the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation on tax revenues to federal and regional budgets in the federal districts. The analysis covers monthly data from January 2013 to December 2022. The stress index was calculated by measuring the difference between the moving standard deviation and the mean of the annual tax revenue growth rate, with a lag of 1 month. The methodology for decomposing the sources of tax revenue stress was also tested. Results. Over-time assessments of stress indices for tax revenues to federal and regional budgets were obtained for the Russian Federation and its federal districts. The varying levels, dynamics, and budgetary distribution of tax revenue stress across federal districts are explained by differences in the structure, growth rates, and volatility of various taxes, as well as their correlations in these districts. Decomposition of federal and regional tax stress showed the unique role of mineral extraction tax and profit tax as stress amplifiers during crises, while in stable periods, they contribute significantly to stress reduction. The study also establishes the distinct roles of federal districts in intensifying or alleviating overall tax revenue stress during pandemic and sanctions shocks, as well as periods of relative stability. Conclusions. This research demonstrates the importance of assessing and identifying sources of tax revenue stress in regions. Such insights help identify vulnerabilities and reserves for enhancing the resilience of regional and federal budgets through the diversification of regional economic systems and adjustments to tax system rules in response to changing external conditions.
Production of No-Carrier-Added105 Rh from Neutron Irradiated Ruthenium Target
Authors: Jia Wei , Ma Dangshe , Volkert Eric W. , Ketring Alan R. , Ehrhardt Gary J. , Jurisson Silvia S.
Published: February 2024

Nuclear medicine radiotherapy involves the administration of a radiolabelled drug whose purpose is tissue damage and/or destruction at the point of localisation. Radionuclides useful for this application are those which emit particles (that is alpha, beta or Auger electrons) because they deposit their decay energy over a relatively short range (for example, at the tumour site). Rhodium-105 is a radionuclide with desirable nuclear properties for therapeutic applications (its half-life is 35.4 hours, the maximum α- energy is 0.56 MeV and it produces a 319 keV γ-ray suitable for imaging). However, this radionuclide is not readily available to most of the interested investigators due to the difficulty in production scale-up. The work reported here was designed to develop a viable method to produce and purify multi-millicurie quantities of 105Rh for radiotherapy research. Rhodium-105 was produced at the University of Missouri Research Reactor by the nuclear reaction, 104Ru (n, γ) → 105Ru (β- decay) → 105Rh and a new procedure was developed to chemically separate the no-carrier-added 105Rh from the neutron irradiated ruthenium target. Rhodium-105 production yields, for 10 runs, averaged about 5 mCi per milligram of ruthenium from a 72-hour irradiation at a thermal neutron flux of 8 × 1013 neutrons cm-2 s-1. Rhodium-105 was successfully isolated from the ruthenium radionuclides and the non-radioactive ruthenium. This new separation technique was fast (a total time of 3 hours) and highly efficient for removing the ruthenium. The decontamination factor of ruthenium averaged 16,600, indicating that only 0.006 per cent of the ruthenium remained after separation.
The Foundation of the Metric System in France in the 1790s
Authors: Smeaton William A.
Published: February 2024

On 22nd July 1799 the definitive standards of the metric system, the platinum metre and the platinum kilogramme, were ceremonially deposited in the French National Archives (), and on 10th December 1799 a law was passed confirming their status as the only legal standards for measuring length and mass in France (). The accurate determination of these standards had occupied a number of outstanding French scientists for ten years, using elaborate equipment partly made from platinum by Etienne Lenoir, a skilled instrument maker. This work had been undertaken after more than a century of discussion. The events surrounding this momentous occasion which now affects all our everyday lives are described here.
Optimised Mechanical Properties of Ordered Noble Metal Alloys
Authors: Greenberg B. A. , Kruglikov N. A. , Rodionova L. A. , Volkov A. Yu. , Grokhovskaya L. G. , Gushchin G. M. , Sakhanskaya I. N.
Published: February 2024

The deformation behaviour of alloys that are ordered to form an L10 or L12 superstructure after heavy plastic deformation has been studied. Alloys with the LI0 superstructure, such as NiPt, FePd, CoPt and CuAu, possess an optimum combination of high strength and plasticity after thermomechanical treatment. However, such properties were not obtained in Pd3Fe, Pt3Co or Cu3Au which have the L12 superstructure. The structure of FePd was examined by transmission electron microscopy upon annealing after heavy drawing and a set of typical superstructural states was found. The conditions needed to impart high strength and plastic properties to some ordered alloys based on noble metals are discussed.
The Discoverers of the Iridium Isotopes
Authors: Arblaster J. W.
Published: February 2024

This paper is the second in a series of reviews of work performed that led up to the discoveries of the isotopes of the six platinum group elements. The first review, on platinum isotopes, was published in this Journal in October 2000 . Here, a brief history of the discovery of the thirty-six known isotopes of iridium in the sixty-seven years from the first discovery in 1934 to 2001 is considered in terms of the discoverers.
Platinum Group Metal Chalcogenides
Authors: Dey Sandip , Jain Vimal K.
Published: February 2024

Some salientfeatures of platinum group metal compounds with sulfur, selenium or tellurium, known as chalcogenides, primarily focusing on binary compounds, are described here. Their structural patterns are rationalised in terms of common structural systems. Some applications of these compounds in catalysis and materials science are described, and emerging trends in designing molecular precursors for the syntheses of these materials are highlighted.
Platinum Oxidation Catalysts in the Control of Air Pollution
Authors: Houdry J. H. , Hayes C. T.
Published: February 2024

Catalytic combustion as a means of controlling or eliminating unpleasant fumes from industrial processes has made considerable progress, and many air pollution problems are now being solved in this way. This article demonstrates the versatility of the method and gives some examples of the success achieved when the control equipment is properly engineered.
The Penex Process for Pentane Isomerisation
Authors: Dean L. E. , Harris H. R. , Belden D. H. , Haensel Vladimir
Published: February 2024

The Phillips Petroleum Company recently put on stream at Borger, Texas, industry’s first pentane isomerisation unit. This installation, employing Universal Oil Products Company’s Penex Process based upon a platinum-bearing catalyst, is unusually large for an initial unit but has given every indication of providing a very economical and efficient process.
Lead-Platinum Bi-Electrodes
Authors: Shreir L. L.
Published: February 2024

The introduction into a lead electrode of a small piece of platinum brings about a remarkable change in the electrode behaviour. It is shown that lead-platinum bi-electrodes may well have important applications in electrolytic processes such as cathode protection.
Electrochemical Properties of the Platinum Metals
Authors: Pourbaix M. J. N. , Van Muylder J. , de Zoubov N.
Published: February 2024

For a number of years Dr. Pourbaix has been well known for his original method of treatment, based on thermo-dynamic equations, of the changes occurring when a metal is immersed in an aqueous solution. His graphical method, which compresses a great deal of information into a relatively simple diagram, has helped to elucidate a number of problems concerning corrosion, cathodic protection and other electrochemical phenomena. This article summarises the general basis of treatment and describes the work recently completed in his laboratories on the platinum metals.
Platinum in the Glass Industry
Authors: Preston Eric
Published: February 2024

Concluding his article from the January issue of “Platinum Metals Review”, Dr Preston deals with the application of platinum and its alloys as a means of protecting refractories from attack by molten glass, with the production of fibre glass through platinum bushings, and with other applications of platinum in glass melting practice.
Bright Platinum Plating
Authors: Hopkin N. , Wilson L. F.
Published: February 2024

This article, a communication from the Johnson Matthey Research Laboratories, describes the development of a stable platinum plating bath capable of producing heavy and bright deposits on a wide range of base metals. This bath has been given the name DNS Platinum Plating Solution.
The Pallador Thermocouple
Authors: Bennett H. E.
Published: February 2024

A sensitive thermocouple, of much greater response than the well-known platinum : rhodium-platinum combinations, and free from the oxidation problems associated with base metal thermocouples, is provided by a palladium-gold alloy and an iridium-platinum alloy. This article describes recent investigations that confirm the usefulness of this thermocouple at temperatures up to 1000°C.
The Platinum Chalice of Pope Pius VI
Authors: Donald McDonald
Published: February 2024

In the Treasury of St. Peter’s in Rome there is a large and very fine chalice, consisting entirely of platinum. It is of great historical interest, having been made as long ago as 1788 from the first platinum produced in malleable form and in the following year presented to Pope Pius VI by Charles III, King of Spain.
The Ruthenium-Palladium System
Authors: Darling A. S. , Yorke J. M.
Published: February 2024

In this paper, a communication from the Johnson Matthey Research Laboratories, an investigation of the equilibrium diagram of the ruthenium-palladium system by microscopical and X-ray methods is described. It is established that the diagram is of the simple peritectic type. No intermediate phases or eutectoid transformations of the types recently reported by Russian workers have been observed.
The Hydrides of Palladium and Palladium Alloys
Authors: Lewis F.A.
Published: February 2024

In this article, to be published in two parts, some recent findings are included in a review of the pressure-concentration temperature(P-C-T)relationships of the palladium/hydrogen and palladium/ deuterium systems. A brief account is given of experimental information concerning the structure of, and diffusion of hydrogen in, the solids which are the products of the absorption of hydrogen by palladium. Attention is paid to considering errors of interpretation of experimental results that can arise when true thermodynamic equilibrium does not exist between the solids and hydrogen molecules—both in the presence and absence of aqueous solution