Pandemic Challenges for the Technological Startups in the Russian Regions

Technological startups help to adapt to the global risks and allow one to track future trends. This paper identifies the main trends and birth factors of new high-tech companies in the Russian regions during 2013-2020. In 2020, fewer than 10,000 startups were created, this number has been steadily declining (by 40% since 2015), especially during the pandemic (-21%). Most of the startups are concentrated in Moscow, the Moscow region, St Petersburg, and the largest metropolitan areas. The share of the Leningrad, Belgorod, Kaliningrad, Lipetsk, Ulyanovsk, and Kaluga regions is growing due to the proactive policies of local authorities. Most startups are associated with knowledge-intensive services for business (B2B) and digital technologies. In 2020, their number increased in pharmaceuticals (about 100%) and in the production of medical devices (by about 30%).Based on the results of econometric analysis, start-up activity in Russia, analogous to countries with an established market economy, depends upon human capital concentration, market access, and a favorable business climate. Universities, through attracting students, especially those in STEM specialties, stimulate startup creation; although the share of university startups does not exceed one third of a percent. Budgetary and university expenditures on R&D are ineffective in terms of creating new companies. The influence of development institutions on start-up activity was not found, while clusters and technology parks have a weak effect. The growth of startups is lower in regions with a predominance of large organizations, as well as in resource centers. The latter may be one of the manifestations of the “resource curse”. Startup activity is stable over time and depends on the situation in neighboring regions, which limits the chances to change the situation by means of entrepreneurship support policy. During the pandemic, start-up activity decreased minimally in regions with large metropolitan areas and a high level of education. Recommendations include tools for establishing a more balanced cross-regional situation by implementing the model of an entrepreneurial university, an expansion of start-ups’ access to capital and markets, and the regionalization of entrepreneurship policies.

The Influence of Maternal Childbirth Experience on Early Infant Behavioural Style

The use of interventions during childbirth is increasing (WHO, 2018) and, while such interventions can be life-saving, they may have a negative impact on the mother’s experience of birth and her psychological wellbeing post birth. They may also adversely affect the newborn infant’s physiology and behaviour (Taylor, Swift & Glover, 2000; Gitau et al., 2001; Douglas & Hill, 2013). However, little is known about whether the birth and early postnatal experiences influence infant behavioural style (known as temperament) (Thomas & Chess, 1977) beyond the initial postnatal period. Employing an exploratory mixed methods approach, the overarching aim of this thesis was to explore how any potential impacts of birth experience on newborn infant behaviours may occur, and if so, whether they persist beyond the neonatal period; as well, to explore how the mother’s response to her birth experience might mediate such effects. Part One involved a qualitative exploration of the experiences and beliefs of eighteen health professionals and twenty-two mothers in relation to childbirth and early infant behavioural style. Health professionals interviewed in Study One believed that the birth experience could have a direct impact on newborn wellbeing and behaviour as well as influencing it indirectly via the mother’s response to the birth and her subsequent perceptions of and interactions with her baby. In contrast, most of the mothers interviewed in Study Two did not perceive any association between their birth experience and their baby’s early behavioural style. However, a simple content analysis highlighted strong patterns in the data between reported maternal physical and emotional birth experiences and perceived infant temperament during the first year. Part Two (Study Three) involved a detailed online survey of approximately a thousand mothers, employing quantitative methods of analysis. Although physical birth factors contributed to the newborn baby’s response (e.g. alert-content or cry-fuss behaviours), it was subjective and psychological birth factors that predicted ongoing infant behavioural style (0-6 months), for example alert-responsive or unsettled, irritable infant behaviours. Taken together, the data suggest that subjective and psychological factors could be as important as objective physical factors in post-birth mother-infant wellbeing and developing infant temperament. These findings may have important implications for future maternity and perinatal care of mothers and their infants.

LOGISTICS REGRESSION MODELING ON INFANT MORTALITY RATES IN EAST JAVA PROVINCE

Infant Mortality Rate was death that occurs between the time after the baby was born until the baby not exactly one year old. Broadly speaked, from the side of the caused of infant mortality there are two kinds of endogenous infant death and exogenous infant mortality. Estimated about 8.8 million children whose age less than 5 years passed away. Based on previous data IDHs indicated that infant mortality has fallen by half, from 68 deaths per 1,000 live births for the 1987-1991 period to 32 deaths per 1,000 births for the 2008-2012 period. The purposed of this researched was to examine which factor most dominant influenced on infant mortality in East Java Province.This research used secondary data with a large sample of total population that consists of parents whose children (infants) died at the age <12 months. Variables in this study was infant mortality (IMR), Occupation, Education, Parity, Age of the mother during pregnancy. Access to antenatal care, Birth delivery helpers, and LBW. Inter-variables in this study tested its effect using logistic regression test. The conclusion of this study was infant mortality rated in East Java there 34 infant mortality per 1000 live birth. Factors affecting infant mortality rates was education and parity. Factors were not influenced in infant mortality such as Antenatal Care, Relief, LBW and Employment.Keywords: Baby Birth Mortality and Logistic Regression

PEMBERIAN KOLOSTRUM PERTAMA PADA BAYI BARU LAHIR DAN FAKTOR TERKAIT

Decreased use of breast milk 98% causes neonatal mortality in the world. One of the factors influencing the decrease is lactation management which is closely related to the practice of early breastfeeding in the form of colostrum. Delay in the giving of colostrum in early birth has an impact on the success of exclusive breastfeeding. This research is observational with cross sectional approach, aims to find out the probability of giving initial colostrum and related factors. The population in this study were 61 postpartum mothers and newborns in 2 hospitals (TK III Reksodiwiryo Hospital and DR. Rasyidin Hospital) and 4 Independent Midwives Practice (BPM) in the Andalas, Ambacang and Belimbing Community Health Centre. Samples were obtained by consecutive sampling. Statistical test results showed that in the vaginally group more than half of the respondents (42.9%) started giving colostrum <1 hour after birth while in the C-section born group most respondents (80.8%) started giving colostrum 7-23 hours after birth. Factors not related to when colostrum was first given to newborns were maternal education (p=0.654), occupation (p=1,000), parity (p=0.113) and infant sex (p=0.781). Factors related to when colostrum was first given to newborns were birth method (p=0,000) and infant birth weight (p=0.004). In this study it can be concluded that the probability of the first time colostrum was given by postpartum mothers was slower than that proclaimed by the ministry of health (30 minutes to 1 hour after birth) which was influenced by the way of birth of the baby and the birth weight of the baby. It is expected that the role of health workers in the Early Breastfeeding Initiation (IMD) as soon as possible after birth

Vaginal microbiota of adolescents and their mothers: A preliminary study of vertical transmission and persistence

BackgroundThe composition of the human vaginal microbiota is related to many aspects of health from infection susceptibility to preterm birth. Factors that influence human vaginal microbiota composition, including its source, are not well understood.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to determine if vaginal microbiota transmission from mother to daughter at birth influences the human vaginal microbiota composition in adolescence.Study DesignWeekly vaginal swab samples from 13 adolescents and their mothers were collected for up to 4 weeks. After DNA was isolated from the swabs, the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified, sequenced and analyzed. We calculated distances between the bacterial communities in different samples to investigate the relationship between the vaginal microbiota of the mother/daughter pairs and the daughter’s birth mode. We also cultivated Lactobacillus crispatus from the mother and daughter of 1 pair. To investigate the possibility of direct transmission and persistence of one member of the vaginal microbiota, we isolated DNA from the L. crispatus isolates and compared their genomes with each other and other publicly available L. crispatus genome sequences.ResultsThe vaginal microbiotas of mother/daughter pairs were more similar to each other if the daughter was born by vaginal delivery rather than by C-section. Additionally, genome sequences from an important member of the vaginal microbiota, L. crispatus, isolated from one mother/daughter pair in which the daughter was born by vaginal delivery, were highly similar.ConclusionBoth community-level analysis and isolate genome sequence analysis are consistent with birth-mode dependent transmission and persistence of at least some members of the vaginal microbiota.

Poor Little Rich Kids? The Role of Nature versus Nurture in Wealth and Other Economic Outcomes and Behaviours

Wealth is highly correlated between parents and their children; however, little is known about the extent to which these relationships are genetic or determined by environmental factors. We use administrative data on the net wealth of a large sample of Swedish adoptees merged with similar information for their biological and adoptive parents. Comparing the relationship between the wealth of adopted and biological parents and that of the adopted child, we find that, even prior to any inheritance, there is a substantial role for environment and a much smaller role for pre-birth factors and we find little evidence that nature/nurture interactions are important. When bequests are taken into account, the role of adoptive parental wealth becomes much stronger. Our findings suggest that wealth transmission is not primarily because children from wealthier families are inherently more talented or more able but that, even in relatively egalitarian Sweden, wealth begets wealth. We further build on the existing literature by providing a more comprehensive view of the role of nature and nurture on intergenerational mobility, looking at a wide range of different outcomes using a common sample and method. We find that environmental influences are relatively more important for wealth-related variables such as savings and investment decisions than for human capital. We conclude by studying consumption as an overall measure of welfare and find that, like wealth, it is more determined by environment than by biology.

Influence of pregnancy and birth factors on the development of acute kidney injury in premature infants

The Objective of this article is to assess the influence of the factors of pregnancy, childbirth and the early neonatal period on the development of acute kidney damage in premature newborns with very low and extremely low body weight. In addition, this disease significantly affects the prognosis and quality of life of the child. In addition, acute kidney damage significantly increases mortality among patients of the intensive care unit for newborns. There has been established a connection between acute hypoxia in childbirth, extremely low body weight at birth, intrauterine infection and III severity on the NTISS scale with the development of acute kidney damage in the early neonatal period. Early detection of this condition requires a comprehensive study of the mechanisms of its development and possible risk factors.

Variable DNA methylation in neonates mediates the association between prenatal smoking and birth weight

There is great interest in the role epigenetic variation induced by non-genetic exposures may play in the context of health and disease. In particular, DNA methylation has previously been shown to be highly dynamic during the earliest stages of development and is influenced by in utero exposures such as maternal smoking and medication. In this study we sought to identify the specific DNA methylation differences in blood associated with prenatal and birth factors, including birth weight, gestational age and maternal smoking. We quantified neonatal methylomic variation in 1263 infants using DNA isolated from a unique collection of archived blood spots taken shortly after birth (mean = 6.08 days; s.d. = 3.24 days). An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of gestational age and birth weight identified 4299 and 18 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) respectively, at an experiment-wide significance threshold of p < 1 × 10 −7 . Our EWAS of maternal smoking during pregnancy identified 110 DMPs in neonatal blood, replicating previously reported genomic loci, including AHRR . Finally, we tested the hypothesis that DNA methylation mediates the relationship between maternal smoking and lower birth weight, finding evidence that methylomic variation at three DMPs may link exposure to outcome. These findings complement an expanding literature on the epigenomic consequences of prenatal exposures and obstetric factors, confirming a link between the maternal environment and gene regulation in neonates. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine’.