Prioritizing public health? Factors affecting the issuance of stay-at-home orders in response to COVID-19 in Africa

COVID-19 has sickened and killed millions of people globally. Conventional non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly stay-at-home orders (SAHOs), though effective for limiting the spread of disease have significantly disrupted social and economic systems. The effects also have been dramatic in Africa, where many states are already vulnerable due to their developmental status. This study is designed to test hypotheses derived from the public health policymaking literature regarding the roles played by medical and political factors as well as social, economic, and external factors in African countries’ issuance of SAHOs in response to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using event history analysis, this study analyzed these five common factors related to public health policy to determine their impact on African states’ varying decisions regarding the issuance of SAHOs. The results of this analysis suggest that medical factors significantly influenced decisions as did factors external to the states, while the role of political factors was limited. Social and economic factors played no discernible role. Overall, this study suggests how African leaders prioritized competing factors in the early stages of a public health crisis.

Review on Seismic Analysis of Multistoried Building in Hilly Region

Due to sloping land and high seismically active zones, designing and construction of multistory buildings in hilly regions is always a challenge for structural engineers. This review paper focuses to establish a review study on the Possible Types of building frame configuration in the hilly region and he behavior of Such building frames under seismic loading conditions, and (3) The recent research and developments to make such frames less vulnerable to earthquakes. This paper concludes that the dynamics characteristics of such buildings are significantly different in both horizontal and vertical directions, resulting in the center of mass and center of stiffness having eccentricity at point of action and not vertically aligned for different floors. When such frames are subjected to lateral loads, due to eccentricity it generates torsion in the frame. Most of the studies agree that the buildings resting on slanting ground have higher displacement and base shear compared to buildings resting on plain ground and the shorter column attracts more forces and undergoes damage when subjected to earthquake. Keywords: Building frame configuration, Seismic behavior, Dynamic characteristics, Response spectrum analysis, time history analysis.

The historical way of embroidery of traditional clothing

Purpose of the article. Trace the historical origins and genesis of embroidery decoration of traditional Ukrainian clothing and analyze the implementation of technological and technical innovations in the decoration of Ukrainian clothing. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism, art history analysis, scientific objectivity, and consistency in the study of the genesis of the decoration of the Ukrainian dress. Scientific novelty. The current state of embroidery decoration of traditional Ukrainian clothing is revealed and the issue of introducing innovative technologies in modern clothing design is raised. Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, we can conclude that modern decoration imitates the traditions of folk dress, including more and more the latest technologies. The unique experience of modern masters is analyzed and the ways of development in the direction of the art of embroidery decoration are determined. A variety of embroidery techniques with limitless skillful potential appear alongside machine embroidery works. Keywords: traditions, fashion designer, embroidery, creativity, innovation, education.

Formation and development of Ukrainian tapestry in the environment design

The purpose of the article is to highlight the provisions and track the historical evolution of a special Ukrainian art craft, known as the art of tapestry in environmental design. The research methods are based on art history analysis, the principles of historicism, scientific consistency, and objectivity in the study of Ukrainian tapestry. Scientific novelty. The historical origins of tapestry art are revealed, the issue of introducing innovative techniques for making tapestry is raised, which influenced the modern design of the environment of the XXI century. Based on the results of the study, we can conclude that the art of tapestry follows the traditions of folk carpet weaving. In modern conditions, the tapestry is able to actively fill the ethnocultural environment, in rare cases, it is a monumental decorative art. From aristocratic and elite art, it becomes more democratic, decorating the interiors of the premises of the XXI century. Keywords: tapestry, carpet weaving, tradition, innovation, environmental design.

The formation of the art of socialistic realism in Mongolia: the main stages, the role of the Russian art school

Статья посвящена стилю социалистического реализма в изобразительном искусстве Монголии. Выделены основные этапы становления и факторы его формирования: революционные события и утверждение идеологии социализма; поддержка нового направления правительством Монголии, а также влияние российской художественной школы. Показана роль Российской академии художеств, Института им. И.Е. Репина, Института им. В.И. Сурикова в обучении и передаче художественных традиций и навыков монгольским художникам. Отмечено своеобразие монгольского варианта стиля соцреализма, синтезировавшего приемы и методы российской школы живописи с народными формами художественного творчества и буддийским искусством; показана непреходящая значимость и востребованность данного стиля в современном искусстве Монголии. Охарактеризовано творчество ведущих монгольских художников, и проведен искусствоведческий анализ ряда произведений. The article is devoted to the style of socialistic realism in the fine arts of Mongolia. The main stages of formation and factors of its formation are highlighted: revolutionary events and the establishment of the ideology of socialism; support of the new authorities of Mongolia, as well as the influence of the Russian art school. The role of the Russian Academy of Arts, the I.E. Repin St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov in teaching and transferring artistic traditions and skills to Mongolian artists is shown. The peculiarity of the Mongolian version of the style of socialist realism, which synthesized the techniques and methods of the Russian school of painting with folk forms of art and Buddhist art, is noted; the enduring importance and relevance of this style in the contemporary art of Mongolia is shown. The work of leading Mongolian artists is characterized and an art history analysis of a number of works is carried out.

Icon-Pendant with an Image of the Saint Warrior-Horseman from the Excavation of the Mangup’s Palace. Old Rus’ or Byzantium?

Introduction. The article is devoted to the icon-pendant with the image of the horseman St. George the Warrior, discovered in 2020 in the cultural horizon of the late 13th–14th centuries at the research site of the Mangup’s Princely Palace. Methods. The study is complex. The traditional methods of art history analysis and the method of analogies, widely used in archaeological science, are used in the description and attribution of the sign icon. The dating of the product is established using one of the most important stratigraphic methods in archaeology. In explaining the historical context of the find, the available data from archaeological and narrative sources on the history and culture of Mangup at the end of the 13th–14th centuries are used. Analysis. The value of the icon, in addition to its clear archaeological context and the iconographic type of the holy rider-triumphant, which is rare for Byzantine applied art, lies in the expansion of our source base on the spread of the cult of St. George in the Late Byzantine period of the history of South-Western Crimea, represented before that mainly by the churches of Eski-Kermen and Mangup. Results. Despite the general proximity of the iconography and the technique of making the Mangup find and numerous similar products from the territory of Old Rus, there is no reason to consider it as an icon-pendant of Ancient-Russian origin. The conducted research definitely indicates a weak study of this category of Christian objects of personal piety on the territory of Byzantium, the lack of their cataloging and the study of special issues. In this regard, the conclusion that the icon belongs to the number of finds of the Byzantine circle from the cultural layer of the Mangup settlement, made in one of the provincialbyzantine centers, seems to be the most objective.

Creative dimensions of dniprovs's underground artists: Volodymyr Bublyk and Anatoly Sologub

The purpose of the article is to analyze the creative layer of the little-known Dnipro underground representatives in Ukrainian art criticism Volodymyr Bublyk (1950–2007) and Anatolii Solohub (1953–2014). As the methodology of scientific research was used an art history analysis based on the complex systematization, comparison, and generalization. The scientific novelty is in the introduction into scientific circulation of a significant part of the graphic heritage of Volodymyr Bublyk and Anatolii Solohub in the Dnipro region underground context of the 1980 s – 2000 s. Conclusions. An analysis of Volodymyr Bublyk and Anatolii Solohub’s work reveals a number of important aspects for characterizing the Dnipro “art of resistance”. The latter was formed in the conditions of a “closed” city, the impossibility of official exhibiting due to an alienated attitude towards the dominant ideology in the artistic process of that time. For many artists, these factors often became the cause of the existential catastrophe of every creative person. With contemporaries-brothers Volodymyr Loboda (1943), Serhii Aliev-Kovyka (1956), Oleksandr Nemiatyi (1954), the above-mentioned masters were related by the chosen format of radicalism, which was truly underground. However, the methods of creative communication of each person differed depending on the acquired life experience, the available body of knowledge, and personal temperament. The paintings of Volodymyr Bubluk combine the expression of images in a coloristic system that goes back to the aesthetics of the Fauves. A similar stylistic model of the master's painting can be delineated by the category of intuitive expressionism. The works of Anatolii Solohub are closely related to the folk tradition in their subject matter. The inner tension of his compositions, combined with unrestrained dynamics, strives for visual communication with the viewer. Key words: Dnipro underground, plein air, painting, graphics, sculpture, folk painting, art society "Steppe".

Trademark development: from stamp, mark, packaging – to certification

The purpose of the article is to perform an art history analysis to show the impact of the development of brands, trademarks, packaging, and product quality control on certification development. The research methodology consists of the application of a specific historical method to analyze the impact of the development of trademark design and the popularization of certification actions, as well as the use of a comparative analysis method and a historical and cultural approach. This will help to identify the main trends in the development of a trademark, packaging for the establishment of certification in a global context. The scientific novelty lies in an attempt to comprehend and identify the main trends in the development of a trademark and packaging, which influenced the control of product quality and the establishment of certification, which is due to historical, social, cultural processes. Conclusions. The article shows the idea of certification and its general meaning since ancient times. The analysis of literary sources is carried out, which confirms the need for branding of products by the manufacturer to obtain high quality, the development of the design of an aesthetic and functional sign, packaging, and the formation of a legislative basis for certification. Analysis of brands, trademarks, the packaging indicates the interdependence of the ancient cultural heritage and the development of these areas since the twentieth century, which influenced the improvement of certification and should affect the quality of products and design in Ukraine. Key words: brand, trademark, packaging, certification, design.

Statistical inference for seed mortality and germination with seed bank experiments

Plant population ecologists regularly study soil seed banks with seed bag burial and seed addition experiments. These experiments contribute crucial data to demographic models, but we lack standard methods to analyze them. Here, we propose statistical models to estimate seed mortality and germination with observations from these experiments. We develop these models following principles of event history analysis, and analyze their identifiability and statistical properties by algebraic methods and simulation. We demonstrate that seed bag burial, but not seed addition experiments, can be used to make inferences about age-dependent mortality and germination. When mortality and germination do not change with seed age, both experiments produce unbiased estimates but seed bag burial experiments are more precise. However, seed mortality and germination estimates may be inaccurate when the statistical model that is fit makes incorrect assumptions about the age-dependence of mortality and germination. The statistical models and simulations that we present can be adopted and modified by plant population ecologists to strengthen inferences about seed mortality and germination in the soil seed bank.