The making of a (dog) movie star: The effect of the portrayal of dogs in movies on breed registrations in the United States

The media is a powerful force that can affect the welfare of the domiciled dog population. Dogs have long been in human stories and their depictions can create demand for the breeds shown. While previous research has found that this effect can last for up to ten years after the release of a movie, how this phenomenon occurs is unknown. This paper examines if how a dog is portrayed in a movie is associated with a subsequent change in American Kennel Club breed registrations for that breed. Following a systematic literature review, four key themes were identified in how dogs are portrayed in the media; dogs portrayed as heroes, as anthropomorphised, as embodying the ideals of Western societies (Whiteness and heteronormativity) and as boundaries between wilderness and human society. Forty movies from between 1930 to 2004 were analysed, resulting in 95 dog characters scored, and hierarchical multiple linear regression was run. Movies with dogs portrayed as heroes were followed by significant increases in the number of American Kennel Club breed registrations for the breed shown, while anthropomorphised dogs were followed by significant decreases in the number of dogs registered for up to five years after a movie’s release. These results indicate that how dogs are portrayed may be an important driver of demand for breeds. Future work should investigate whether these portrayals may have negative welfare implications for real dogs by leading to owners having unrealistic expectations for dogs or increasing demand for dogs with in-breeding related disorders.

CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT AND INTENSIFICATION OF CORPORATE FINANCE

The article discloses the author's position on the issues of calculating indicators reflecting the efficiency and intensification of the finances of organizations engaged in large business (corporate finance), which is the most popular among both the population and the state, due to their possession of hypertrophic resource potential, which they need rationally ( effectively) apply in the process of carrying out economic activities, including absolute leadership financial opportunities. It is based on the diversification of corporations' activities, which is a set of operational, investment, financial commercial transactions with corresponding cash receipts (results) and payments (costs), when comparing them with each other, performance indicators are formed that affect their subsequent change (intensification) ... The content of this position includes a toolkit composed of the proposed methods for determining the efficiency indicators and intensification of corporate finance of a direct (direct) and indirect (indirect) nature, which do not contradict the interpretations of both categories established in economic science and fully disclose the mechanism for the formation of interacting results. (net profit) and costs (payments), performance (direct profitability or direct profitability) and cost (indirect profitability or indirect profitability) of cash flows. All of these techniques will help managers heading corporations in accurately assessing efficiency and intensifying finance, including through the harmony of statistical and mathematical calculation postulates that fit into the concept developed by the authors.

545 Actigraphic sleep parameters and anxiety symptoms among community-dwelling older adults

Introduction A number of cross-sectional studies have found that elevated levels of anxiety are associated with poor sleep among healthy older adults, but most have used self-reported sleep measures. We investigated the longitudinal association between objectively measured sleep (by wrist actigraphy) and subsequent change in anxiety symptoms in this population. Methods We studied 555 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 72.52±7.35, 77.48% white, 53.15% women) in the National Social Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) study who completed 3 nights of wrist actigraphy at wave 2 (2010–2011) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at waves 2 and 3 (2015–2016). Actigraphic sleep parameters were averaged across nights and included: total sleep time (TST; minutes), percent sleep (%), wake after sleep onset (WASO; minutes), and sleep fragmentation. Change in anxiety was calculated as the difference between anxiety scores at wave 3 and wave 2. Results After adjusting for age, race, sex, education, body mass index, number of medical conditions, depression symptoms, and anxiety scores at wave 2, we found no significant associations between any actigraphic sleep parameter and subsequent change in anxiety symptoms (all p ≥ 0.390). Additional analyses revealed no significant cross-sectional associations at wave 2 (p ≥ 0.390). Conclusion We found no evidence for an association between actigraphic sleep and anxiety symptoms, or change in anxiety symptoms, in community-dwelling older adults. Additional studies using clinical anxiety disorder diagnoses are needed to evaluate the extent to which objectively measured sleep disturbance predicts clinically significant anxiety in older adults. Support (if any) American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation (#223-BS-19).

The Effect of Transoesophageal Echocardiography on Treatment Change in a High-Volume Stroke Unit

Background and purpose—current guidelines recommend the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in relation to cardio-embolic sources of stroke. Methods—by using an hospital-based cohort, we retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), acute hemorrhagic stroke (AHS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) who were admitted in Strasbourg Stroke Center, France between November 2017 to December 2018. TEE reports were screened for detection of potential cardiac sources of embolism and the subsequent change in medical management. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify predictors of relevant TEE findings. Results-out of the 990 patients admitted with confirmed stroke, 432 patients (42.6%) underwent TEE. Patients with TEE were younger (62.8 ± 14.8 vs. 73.8, p < 0.001), presented less comorbidities and lower stroke severity assessed by lower NIHSS (2 IQR (0–4) vs. 3 IQR (0–10), p < 0.01) and Modified Rankin Scale (1 IQR (0–1) vs. 1 (0–3), p < 0.01). A total of 227 examinations (52.5%) demonstrated abnormal findings considered as potential cardiac sources of embolism and 31 examinations (7.1%) were followed by subsequent change in medical management. Age (HR: 0.948, 95% CI 0.923 to 0.974; p < 0.001), previous AIS (HR: 3.542, 95% CI 1.290 to 9.722; p = 0.01), previous TIA (HR: 7.830, CI 95% 2214 to 27,689; p = 0.001) and superficial middle cerebral artery territory infarction (HR: 2.774, CI 95% 1.168–6.589; p = 0.021) were strong independent predictors with change in medical management following TEE. Conclusions—additional TEE changed the medical course of stroke patients in 7.1% in a French high-volume stroke unit.

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NOVOTROITSK RESERVOIR IN STAVROPOL TERRITORY

Purpose: checking the headrace canal to the fall no. 1 for diversion capacity in connection with a change in the canal discharge. Due to the increase in the estimated flow for irrigation and watering, it is planned to build a canal from the reservoir to the fall no. 1. The tasks of the hydraulic computation included the determining of the headrace canal parameters for the intended catastrophic water discharge of 375 cubic m/s, the computation was carried out taking into account the non-steady flow in canal. For effective energy extinction in the tail-race of the fall, it is required to make a constructive decision and carry out a justification taking into account the topographic conditions of the structure's operation. It is necessary to resolve the issue of energy extinction in tail-race of the structure. Calculations of the toothed overfall for energy extinction in the tail-race are presented. Materials and methods. A version of the dissipator with an indented wall which allows dissipate energy in the constraint environment effectively and obtain a favorable distribution of velocities in the flow in tail race of the structure was adopted for the computation. A step-by-step computation for determining the diversion capacity of the fall no. 1 was carried out: first, the diversion capacity of the headrace canal was determined at a catastrophic discharge Q = 375 cubic m/s with a subsequent change in its hydraulic parameters, then the computation for dissipating the flow energy in the downstream of the structure are given. Results: the calculations of the jagged sill for damping the energy in the tail-race are presented, the indented wall of the fall is designed and the corresponding depths in the tail-race are calculated. Conclusions: the performed computation of the headrace canal and fall no. 1 made it possible to ensure the passage of a catastrophic flow rate equal to 375 cubic m/s, under set conditions.

ON PROTECTION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN THE UST-CHUMYSH MICRODISTRICT

The article analyzes the conducted activities for protection of several archaeological sites of the Ust-Chumysh microdistrict located at the mouth of the Chumysh River in the Talmensky District of the Altai Territory. It should be noted that it has been the first and the only experience of preventive protection measures in the Altai Territory so far. At the initiative of the scientific community, conservation measures started, which led to the creation of the only natural and historical reserve in Altai, one of its goals being the preservation of archaeological sites. Specific measures for completion of this work have been proposed. The positive results of such activities of interdepartmental interaction were in the absence of both natural and anthropogenic destruction in the analyzed archaeological microdistrict, which prompted us to formulate a proposal to share this experience, its essence being a creation of an interdepartmental working group with involvement of scientific community in order to include archaeological sites in the list of protected objects of the existing specially protected areas, with a subsequent change in their status from natural to natural-historical. Keywords: nature reserve, protection, archaeology, interaction, Altai Territory, microdistrict

HISTORY OF RUSSIAN MONGOLIAN STUDIES OF THE 1920–1930s ON THE PAGES OF «VOSTOK» JOURNAL

Studies of Mongolian history and culture in the context of the events of the October Socialist Revolution and the subsequent change of the agenda of our state have moved to a new stage of development. Academic and popular science periodicals played an important role in the process of studying and spreading scientific knowledge during that period. The article analyzes the development of Russian Mon-golian studies on the pages of the Soviet journal of literature, science and art “Vos-tok”.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations

This chapter analyses the reasons why governments rejected a formal recognition of the ASEAN Interparliamentary Organization/Assembly for a long time, but finally established an official affiliation during the Charter-making process in 2008/10. Until today, ASEAN provides a comparatively unfavourable context for parliamentarization because the organization has little authority and the membership is largely non-democratic. Yet, when the Asian financial crisis hit the region in 1997/98, a demand for re-legitimation emerged, which was supplied as a result of the combination of a subsequent change in the purpose of the organization, which created affinities with other ‘parliamentarized’ organizations and diffusion from the European Union.

Protest Wave and Countermeasures of Fear: Lebanese Act of a Global Drama

The paper examines the dynamics of social protests in Lebanon from October 2019 till March-May 2020 when the government imposed unprecedentedly rigorous restrictive measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 infection. The paper identifies the underlying causes of the protests. The author stresses that from the very beginning socio-economic demands of protestors addressed to the executive power (particularly, to grapple with the rising income inequality) were accompanied by calls for democratization on the secular principles and elimination of political confessionalism. At the same time, the author outlines certain specifics of popular uprisings in Lebanon that distinguish them from simultaneous protests in other countries, namely their supra-ethnic, supra-religious and non-partisan character and their remarkable coherence and coordination, given the lack of overall leadership. The author emphasizes that the subsequent change of government has not brought, however, significant changes the protestors hoped for. The new Cabinet was not free from traditional confessional and political bias, whereas legal and administrative measures undertaken by the new government to combat the pandemic were, apparently, also aimed at ‘freezing’ the current situation favorable for both the parliamentary majority and the government. In particular, the recent laws and regulations reflect the Government’s desire to prevent the resumption of protests equivalent to those of the fall of 2019. All these measures did not face serious resistance, even though the economic situation of the population has worsened, and many people have lost their livelihoods. However, the fear of the COVID-19 has proved to be a more efficient means of preventing protests than any punitive measure. The author concludes that the dynamics of inter-party competition even under strict quasi-quarantine measures shows that the hopes of protestors for a genuine transition from a traditional clan and confessional structure of the Lebanese political system to the standards and principles of a developed democracy proved futile.