The Irish–British Dimension

Power, scale, and wealth have moulded relations between Ireland and Britain historically and will continue to do so in future. Political relations between them have been determined by these asymmetric factors, giving much greater strength to the larger and richer island. Nevertheless, both islands exist within a larger European and transatlantic setting, a geopolitical fact that can mitigate or counteract Britain’s ability to act exclusively in its own interests. The chapter first explores this history and structure of the Irish–British relationship and then examines current political relations between the two islands, as seen in the intense joint efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland and to regularize their interstate relations. Brexit rudely interrupts that new more normal relationship, as the third section argues, opening up several scenarios for changing constitutional futures within and between the two islands explored in the final one.

Study problems and depressive symptoms in adolescents during the COVID-19 outbreak: poor parent-child relationship as a vulnerability

Background Little is known about the prevalence of and risk factors for adolescent mental health problems during the COVID-19 outbreak. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms, their association with study-relevant problems, and the moderating effect of parent-child relationship among Chinese adolescents during the school closures. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis with data collected in middle and high schools in Taizhou, China. Students completed an online survey between April 16 and May 14, 2020. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Children’s Depression Inventory. Three types of study problems were recorded, including having difficulty in studying at home, dislike of remote learning, and excessive screen entertainment time. Parental relationships were categorized into good or normal relationship and poor relationship. Linear regression and logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between study-relevant problems and depressive symptoms. Results Using data from 6435 adolescents, we found that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 17.7%. All the study problem measures were associated with more severe depressive symptoms. There was a moderating effect of the parental relationship on the associations between study problems and depressive symptoms. The association between number of study problems and depressive symptoms was stronger in adolescents with a poor parent-child relationship (regression coefficient 4.34 [95% CI 2.97, 5.72]) than those with a good or normal relationship (2.55 [2.35, 2.75]), p for interaction 0.002, on multivariable adjustment. Conclusions Study problems due to school closures were particularly problematic for adolescents who had poor parent-child relationships. Public health initiatives could help students to adjust study habits and improve parent-child relationships, thereby protecting against the development of depression.

Repellent Effect of the Caraway Carum carvi L. on the Rice Weevil Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera, Dryophthoridae)

The aim of the study was to check the effect of Carum carvi L. essential oil and L-carvone on the emigration, repellence and mortality of Sitophilus oryzae L. In the experiments with caraway essential oil, concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5% and 1% were used, and concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1% were used with L-carvone. We assessed whether, in what concentrations and after what exposure time the substances acted on S. oryzae as repellents and/or insecticides. The laboratory tests were carried out at 29 ± 1 °C with 60 ± 5% relative humidity (RH). The deterrence, mortality and abundance of insects were noted after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 24 and 48 h. For caraway essential oil and L-carvone, the highest repellency was not shown in the highest concentrations that were used in the tests but in the lower concentrations of 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively. In all used concentrations, caraway essential oil showed repellent effects on S. oryzae. The highest repellency (60–98%) was caused by 0.5% caraway essential oil after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 h of research and by 0.1% L-carvone (16–100%). The highest mortality of S. oryzae was caused by 0.5% caraway essential oil and 1% L-carvone. L-carvone at a concentration of 0.05% did not cause mortality in S. oryzae. In conclusion, the greatest repellent effects on S. oryzae were caused by lower doses of caraway essential oil and L-carvone. These compounds do not show the normal relationship described in the previous literature on warehouse pests, in which the repellency increased with increasing concentrations of the tested plant material.

LEXICO-STYLISTIC MEANS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CRISIS REPRESENTATION (BY CECILIA AHERN’S NOVEL THE TIME OF MY LIFE)

The article deals with the phenomenon of psychological crisis and its representation in psychological fiction. The work of the modern English novelist Cecilia Ahern The Time of my Life was chosen for the analysis. The concept of psychological crisis is viewed through the prism of the protagonist’s reaction to the separation as a kind of a personal loss. The research of the individual author style is focused on the set of lexical, stylistic and compositional means used to actualize the mentioned above concept in the novel. Personification as a key stylistic means is applied by the writer to create an image of the protagonist’s life. A variety of depicting and characterological details serve to trace the evolution of the personage named Life, in correlation with the changes that occur in the protagonist’s consciousness, in her life perception. Another set of details is used to show different manifestations of the crisis disregard: neglected apartment, unhealthy food, inability to maintain a normal relationship with friends. The use of key words, their repetitions in different contexts alongside with flashbacks and their role in the composition of the novel are studied. The implicit details, symbols and metaphors indicating different stages of psychological crisis overcoming (from refusal and stagnation to acceptance and acting) are also analyzed.

PROBLEMS OF PROTECTION AGAINST CORRUPTION IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

The Right to health protection is one of the most fundamental constitutional rights. It is subject to criminal legal protection. While the attacks on him appear not only in the form of crimes such as causing harm by negligence (part 2 of article 118 of the Russian Criminal Code), failure to assist a patient (article 124 of the Russian Criminal Code), etc., but also corruption crimes. Corruption threatens the normal relationship between doctor and patient, medical institution and patient, which reduces the quality of medical care. It threatens not only people’s property, but also their lives and health. Manifestations of corruption in health care are different, they are many, and they should all be taken into account in determining measures and means to combat this dangerous social phenomenon. The effectiveness of the fight against corruption in the health sector is largely due to the knowledge of its various manifestations. These problems are the subject of the proposed article

Altered active control of step width in response to mediolateral leg perturbations while walking

During human walking, step width is predicted by mediolateral motion of the pelvis, a relationship that can be attributed to a combination of passive body dynamics and active sensorimotor control. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether humans modulate the active control of step width in response to a novel mechanical environment. Participants were repeatedly exposed to a force-field that either assisted or perturbed the normal relationship between pelvis motion and step width, separated by washout periods to detect the presence of potential after-effects. As intended, force-field assistance directly strengthened the relationship between pelvis displacement and step width. This relationship remained strengthened with repeated exposure to assistance, and returned to baseline afterward, providing minimal evidence for assistance-driven changes in active control. In contrast, force-field perturbations directly weakened the relationship between pelvis motion and step width. Repeated exposure to perturbations diminished this negative direct effect, and produced larger positive after-effects once the perturbations ceased. Both of these results provide evidence of gradual changes in active control in response to perturbations. In the longer term, these methods may be useful for improving deficits in the active control of step width often observed among clinical populations with poor walking balance.