COVID-19 Coronavirus Research Articles

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of the covid-19 coronavirus infection in pregnant women

The coronavirus infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains one of the most significant global healthcare challenges [1-10]. COVID-19 has affected all aspects of modern society, from economic consequences to profound changes in healthcare systems and social structures. The rele­vance of studying the coronavirus infection is based on several important reasons. First, COVID-19 is characterized by its high transmission rate, leading to large outbreaks, which necessitates a detailed study of transmission methods and control measures. It should be noted that coronavirus infection affects various systems of the body, including the respi­ra­tory, cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems. Second, the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 range from asymptomatic cases to severe forms with fatal outcomes, making it essential to thoroughly investigate both the pathogenesis and risk factors.

Comparative study of Alpha, Beta, and Omicron spike protein by computing the IR/Raman frequencies and UV-Vis adsorption – A computational analysis through DFT

The outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus disease around the end of 2019 was a pandemic. The virus has been mutated and so many strains like Alpha, Beta, and Omicron are present in different parts of the world. Hence, timely detection technique is important to overcome the diagnostic challenges. Considering the need for this pandemic situation, we used a spectroscopy test methodology to distinguish different strains of Covid-19 by computing the infrared & Raman frequencies and the optical absorption data. Optimization of spike protein of Alpha, and Omicron mutations showed the high value of dipole moment (4.44, and 4.36) Debye, and polarizability [Alpha (233.62), Omicron (228.65)] indicating more bioactivity of Alpha and Omicron instead of Beta. Molecular electrostatic potential map exhibits the presence of electrophilic and nucleophilic region suggesting charge transfer of spikes to accept/donate electrons and hence the system increased reactiveness. UV-Vis absorption analysis also shows electronic transitions (σ to π* and π to π*) due to that protein probe mechanism of Alpha and Omicron becomes increasingly become unsaturated thus confirming its easy binding ability to the target human protein as compared to binding affinity of Beta spike protein.

Two Birds with One Stone: Drug Regime Targets Viral Pathogenesis Phases and COVID-19 ARDS at the Same Time.

Severe COVID-19 or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a kind of viral pneumonia induced by infection with the coronavirus that causes ARDS. It involves symptoms that are a combination of viral pneumonia and ARDS. Antiviral or immunosuppressive medicines are used to treat many COVID-19 patients. Several drugs are now undergoing clinical studies in order to see if they can be repurposed in the future. In this study, in silico biomarker-targeted methodologies, such as target/ molecule virtual screening by docking technique and drug repositioning strategy, as well as data mining approach and meta-analysis of investigational data, were used. In silico findings of used combination of drug repurposing and high-throughput docking methods presented acetaminophen, ursodiol, and β-carotene as a three-drug therapy regimen to treat ARDS induced by viral pneumonia in addition to inducing direct antiviral effects against COVID-19 viral infection. In the current study, drug repurposing and high throughput docking methods have been employed to develop combination drug regimens as multiple-molecule drugs for the therapy of COVID-19 and ARDS based on a multiple-target therapy strategy. This approach offers a promising avenue for the treatment of COVID-19 and ARDS, and highlights the potential benefits of drug repurposing in the fight against the current pandemic.

Lightweight convolutional neural network for chest X-ray images classification

In this study, we developed a lightweight and rapid convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture for chest X-ray images; it primarily consists of a redesigned feature extraction (FE) module and multiscale feature (MF) module and validated using publicly available COVID-19 datasets. Experiments were conducted on multiple updated versions of the COVID-19 Radiography Database, a publicly accessible dataset on Kaggle. The database contained images categorized into three classes: COVID-19 coronavirus, viral or bacterial pneumonia, and normal. The results revealed that the proposed method achieved a training accuracy of 99.85% and a validation accuracy of 96.28% when detecting the three classes. In the test set, the optimal results were 96.03% accuracy for COVID-19, 97.10% accuracy for viral or bacterial pneumonia, and 97.86% accuracy for normal individuals. By reducing the computational requirements and improving the speed of the model, the proposed method can achieve real-time, low-error performance to help medical professionals with rapid diagnosis of COVID-19.

AI Driven Face Mask Recognition for Real-Time Safety

Wearing a face mask in public is the most effective preventive approach against the corona virus COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is producing a global health calamity. Lockdowns were imposed by governments across the globe as a means of controlling the spread of the virus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are indications that wearing a face mask at work greatly lowers the likelihood of transmission. a productive and economical way to use AI to establish safety in an industrial scenario. A deep learning model will be used to show face mask detection. We'll use a face mask detection dataset made up of photographs taken with and without masks to use OpenCV to detect faces in real time from a live feed captured by our webcam. We will create a deep learning COVID-19 face mask detector with Python, OpenCV, and Karas. We aim to identify whether or not the person in the image/video stream is wearing a face mask using deep learning.

Energy management strategy for food Industry amidst the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic: yogurt manufacturing plant

This study aims to optimize the energy efficiency of an industrial production factory, using an optimal multi-objective model for electricity management during the COVID-19 pandemic. This tool is a procedure based on the load profile, and measured data at the level of each production chain, such as hourly electricity consumption by industrial equipment, and daily production. These measured data are used to calculate and evaluate two indicators of performance: the first indicator is the specific electricity consumption cost (SECC) which informs about the financial performance. The second is the specific electricity consumption (SEC) that highlights the energy performance of the production process. A case study was carried out on a yogurt manufacturing plant in Algeria. After optimization, SEC is decreased from 0.070 to 0.068 kWh/liter, and SECC is decreased from 7.2 to 6.6 cents US$/liter. In addition, the electricity consumption is reduced at the peak period from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. by 35%. Therefore, the monthly electricity bill is reduced by 4,089 $US/month which represents 10.2 %. It was also recorded that there is a new peak period formed between midday and 5 p.m. due to containment during this period of pandemic in Algeria.

Clinical and neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections: A literature review

As is known, the issues of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 are the most priority areas of scientific research in the modern clinic of internal diseases. The rate of emergence of new scientific data in the leading libraries PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library and eLibrary, which can potentially be important in the correction of ongoing therapy for infection and its complications, is extremely high. In turn, this dictates the need for a comprehensive discussion of the results of newly published studies. These issues include clinical and neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections. The exact mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the structures of the central nervous system is unknown. Thus, two pathways for the penetration of the COVID-19 pathogen are most actively discussed: the hematogenous pathway (through the systemic circulation into the vessels of the brain with a low linear blood flow velocity, which allows the virus to adhere to the surface of the endothelium and penetrate into the nervous tissue through damage to the latter) and the contact pathway (through the cribriform plate and the olfactory bulb). It should also be noted that a number of experimental works clearly demonstrate the pathogenic effect of other members of the Coronaviridae family on the neurons of the respiratory and vasomotor centers. The review presents an analysis of current literature data on the study of clinical and neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections. It is important to emphasize that patients with a severe course of COVID-19 deserve special attention, requiring observation in the intensive care unit in order to prevent the development of fatal neurological complications.

Jobless Rate and Its Dynamic Determinants in ASIA Countries During Global Crisis

Issues of unemployment are widespread globally, impacting living standards and economies. It is measured by the proportion of jobless individuals actively seeking employment but unable to find it. Higher unemployment rates signal economic strain which affects both individuals and governments. Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 has led to significant job loss not only in Asia but at a global level. Thus, this study is motivated to compare and investigate the impact of the jobless rate with its factor determinations during the turbulent crisis, especially during the economic crisis and post-COVID-19 pandemic in Asia’s neighbouring region. Secondary data were retrieved from the CEIC Data Global Database for 9 countries based on unbalanced monthly data, from January 2020 to December 2023, and run using pooled OLS, robust and multivariate regressions. Overall, the results show a significant relationship between the jobless rate and its determinants in all countries except Japan and Singapore, consistent with the Philip Curve theory.

Efeitos psicológicos do distanciamento social causado pela pandemia da COVID-19 (coronavirus) ao longo do ciclo vital

A pandemia causada pela COVID-19 fez com que fossem adotadas medidas de distanciamento social para impedir a propagação do vírus ao redor do mundo. Este estudo teve como objetivo sistematizar informações sobre as consequências do distanciamento social ao longo das diferentes fases do ciclo vital para pessoas que não foram contaminadas pelo vírus, mas que vivenciam as consequências indiretas da pandemia. Por meio de uma revisão narrativa, foram sistematizados resultados de pesquisas recentes realizadas em diferentes países, assim organizados: implicações do distanciamento social para crianças e adolescentes, implicações do distanciamento social para adultos, implicações do distanciamento social para idosos, e implicações do distanciamento social para a ocorrência da violência doméstica, a qual se revelou um tema transversal a todas as fases do ciclo vital. Apresentam-se ainda recomendações para o manejo dos efeitos do distanciamento social em diferentes etapas do desenvolvimento humano.

Study On Mathematical Model For Forecasting of Novel Coronavirus in India

This paper reveals that the new coronavirus (Covid-19) is the biggest challenge for the whole world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it an epidemic. The data was collected from 209 different individual WHO situation reports for COVID-19 in India. First, prognostic models were compared based on minimum AIC, MAPE, and MAE. Then the best forecasting models were used on the epidemiologic data of India to predict the epidemiologic pattern of prevalence. New and Total Covid-19 Deaths and Incidence ARIMA and SARIMA have been found suitable and predicted for September 1, 2020. Also, the prophet model is used for accuracy and prediction of the total number of coronavirus cases in India. The predicted values are checked against the past observed values so that the two values are very close. Using such time series models we can forecast for the next 15-20 days and plan accordingly. This kind of projection helps in planning for the future.

Somatic and neurological comorbidities in COVID-19 with fatal outcome

Introduction. Although the risk of emerging coronavirus infection may seem to have disappeared at first glance, SARS-COV-2 has complex and poorly understood effects on many organ systems, including the nervous system. Disease progression and unfavorable outcome COVID-19 are not only due to lung damage, elderly age, concomitant pathology: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, etc. have a significant impact.Aim. To study the structure of mortality in a new coronavirus infection COVID-19, caused by delta strain of coronavirus SARS- CoV-2, taking into account the nature of concomitant therapeutic and neurological pathology, the degree of comorbidity, fatal complications, and sex and age characteristics.Materials and methods. A postmortem analysis of pathological and anatomical conclusions of 209 patients with COVID-19 with comorbid somatic and neurological pathology who received inpatient treatment in covid hospitals of the Republic of Mordovia in 2021 was performed. The severity of the underlying disease, concomitant therapeutic and neurological pathology, and comorbidity were analysed. The coincidence of the final clinical and pathological diagnoses, fatal complications were assessed. The presented data allowed to identify the main factors of unfavourable outcome.Results and discussion. In unfavourable outcome of the disease, concomitant pathology is represented by hypertension, ischemic heart disease, chronic heart failure, chronic cerebral ischemia. In women, cases of diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis were more frequent, in men - hypertension and chronic heart failure.Conclusions. New coronavirus COVID-19 infection associated with delta strain of SARS-COV-2 virus is characterised by severe and extremely severe course in elderly patients with comorbid somatic and neurological pathology.

Features of acute coronary syndrome after a COVID-19 in the aspect of pulmonary hypertension

BACKGROUND: After recovery from COVID-19 patients may develop new risk factors that lead to changes in cardiopulmonary interactions, i.e. an increase in the afterload on the right ventricle due to increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and change in pulmonary vascular resistance. It can be assumed that the presence of such a spectrum of problems can influence the severity of dyspnea and the development of pathogenetic events (pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular failure, subendocardial ischemia), which in turn can determine the outcome. AIM: To identify the characteristics of acute coronary syndrome after a COVID-19, taking into account angiographic data on coronary artery lesions and hemodynamic manifestations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparative analysis of the clinical and hemodynamic consequences of the COVID-19 and the development of acute coronary syndrome in 157 patients was carried out. The group 1 included 69 patients who had had COVID-19 (vaccinated — 24.6%) during the 6 months preceding acute coronary syndrome; group 2 — 88 patients without a history of COVID-19 (vaccinated — 42%). The 12-lead electrocardiogram has been used in the diagnosis of subendocardial ischemia in acute coronary syndrome. The ST segment displacement in lead aVR was analyzed. RESULTS: After COVID-19, dispnoe occurred in 52% of the patients and in 14.8% without previous infection. Echocardiographic signs of right ventricular overload were present in 42% of the patients in group 1 and 10.2% in group 2. The mean pressure in the pulmonary artery was increased after COVID-19 in 58% of the patients in group 1 and in 10.2% of group 2 in the range from 20 to 24 mm Hg and in the range from 25 to 36 mm Hg in 29% of the patients in group 1 and 2.3% of the patients in group 2. The average value of left ventricular ejection fraction in the patients who had had COVID-19 was 55.9 ± 14%, which was less than in the patients in the control group (63.2 ± 5.5%; p 0.001). ST segment elevation in lead aVr indicated high incidence of subendocardial ischemia. 40.6% in group 1, and 11.4% in group 2 (χ2 = 17.9; p 0.001); in group 1 vaccinated — 17.6%, and not vaccinated — 48.1% (χ2 = 4.9; p = 0.027), in group 2 vaccinated — 8.1%, and not vaccinated — 13.7% (χ2 = 0.7; p = 0.41). All the patients had drug-eluting stents implanted in the infarct-related artery. After stenting, no recurrence of pain or further increase in chest pain was observed. CONCLUSIONS: After coronavirus infection COVID-19, 58% of patients have increased mean pressure in the pulmonary artery in the range from 20 to 24 mm Hg and in the range from 25 to 36 mm Hg in 29%. Atherothrombosis is the main mechanism of acute coronary syndrome after COVID-19 coronavirus infection. The main feature of acute coronary syndrome after a coronavirus infection COVID-19 is increased pressure in the pulmonary artery after a lung injury, which must be taken into account when planning surgical treatment tactics and management tactics in the postoperative period.

CLINICAL COURSE OF SEVERE AND CRITICAL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION COVID-19 AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic, which spread in 2020, is a global problem that humanity has faced. Women during gestation are 3 times more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit, 2.9 times more likely to need invasive ventilation, 2.4 times more likely to need extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 1.7 times more likely to have fatal outcomes than non-pregnant women Materials and methods. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the birth histories of 92 pregnant women and postpartum women with COVID-19 coronavirus infection at the clinical sites of the Scientific Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, perinatal centers in the space of 2020. Results. All patients with coronavirus infection COVID-19 were young pregnant women from the age of 20 to 42 years, at a gestational age of 12 to 41 weeks, of which at full term (38-41 weeks) — 17 (18.5%), at a period of 30-37 weeks — 45 (48.9%), 21-29 weeks — 25 (27.2%), at 12-17 weeks — 5 (5.4%). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has shown that there are statistically relevant differences in the days of hospitalization among the patients, depending on the parity of births (p<0.05). Complications during pregnancy on the part of the fetus were: a threatening state of the fetus was observed among 5 (5.4%), intrauterine fetal death - in 22 (23.9%), premature separation of the normally located placenta (PSNLP) was observed among 3 (3.3%), miscarriage among 2 (2.2%), therapeutic abortion - 1 (1.1%); 28 children (34.2%) were born prematurely, with birth weight from 510g (at 22 weeks) to 3100g (at 37 weeks). Conclusions. Thus, pregnant women with severe and critically severe forms of COVID-19 were predominantly urban residents, at a gestational age of 30 to 37 weeks, and were multiparous. The risk of complications did not depend on the number of previous births, highlighting the need for special attention to this patient category regardless of their obstetric history.

Social support, happiness, work–family conflict, and state anxiety among single mothers during the covid-19 pandemic

Israel has been greatly affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19), which the World Health Organization defined as a pandemic in March 2020. This study explored state anxiety, social support, work–family conflict, and happiness among mothers who are single by choice. This population’s experiences have not been examined during crises such as a global pandemic. Using snowball sampling, we recruited 386 single mothers by choice to complete an online questionnaire. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between income and state anxiety (r = −0.12, p < 0.05). Social support (r = −0.35, p < 0.01) and level of happiness (r = −0.58, p < 0.01) also had negative correlations with state anxiety. A positive and significant relationship was found between work–family conflict and state anxiety (r = 0.42, p < 0.01). Stepwise regression analysis showed that happiness explained 34% of the variance in state anxiety. Future studies could compare mothers in relationships and how single mothers by choice coped in other countries. This would shed light on state anxiety among mothers with varying relationship statuses and in differing locations.

The morbidity in children population of various age groups against the background of COVID-19 pandemic and new challenges in organization of medical care

In children population, infectious diseases propagate rather rapidly and they have their own peculiarities in course. The COVID-19 coronavirus infection was no exception in it and created new challenges in organization of medical care and prevention of its spread. The purpose of the study was to investigate dynamics of general and primary morbidity in children aged 0-14 and 15-17 years and characteristics of organization of medical care in conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analytical and statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, were applied. The software MS Excel 2007 and Statistica 10 were applied to process data. It was established that in 2017-2022 total children morbidity aged 0-14 years decreased up to 18.0%, primary morbidity up to 19.3%, in children aged 15-17 years up to 3.8% and 4.2% respectively. Despite implemented anti-epidemic measures morbidity of COVID-19 in children increased annually. The medical care of children was provided according to the Procedure of provision of medical care by profile "Pediatrics" but due to COVID-19 propagation, adjustments were applied. This affected state medical organizations re-profiled for medical care of patients with confirmed COVID-19 corona-virus infection. Despite increasing of general and primary children morbidity against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic during study period indicators decreased. At that, respiratory diseases increased that determined decision-making in management of medical care organization of patients.

Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Delta/Omicron BA.5 emerging in an immunocompromised long-term infected COVID-19 patient.

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to a global pandemic, prompting extensive research efforts to understand its molecular biology, transmission dynamics, and pathogenesis. Recombination events have been increasingly recognized as significant contributor to the virus's diversity and evolution, potentially leading to the emergence of novel strains with altered biological properties. Indeed, recombinant lineages such as the XBB variant and its descendants have subsequently dominated globally. Therefore, continued surveillance and monitoring of viral genome diversity are crucial to identify and understand the emergence and spread of novel strains. Through routine genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Norway, we discovered a SARS-CoV-2 recombination event in a long-term infected immunocompromised COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) patient. A deeper investigation showed several recombination events between two distinct lineages of the virus, namely AY.98.1 and BA.5, that resulted in a single novel recombinant viral strain with a unique genetic signature. Our data is consistent with the presence of several concomitant recombinants in the patient, suggesting that these events occur frequently in vivo. This study underscores the importance of continued tracking of viral diversity and the potential impact of recombination events on the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Characterization of Collaborative Cross mouse founder strain CAST/EiJ as a novel model for lethal COVID-19

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have expanded the viral host range beyond primates, and a few other mammals, to mice, affording the opportunity to exploit genetically diverse mouse panels to model the broad spectrum of responses to infection in patient populations. Here we surveyed responses to VOC infection in genetically diverse Collaborative Cross (CC) founder strains. Infection of wild-derived CC founder strains produced a broad range of viral burden, disease susceptibility and survival, whereas most other strains were resistant to disease despite measurable lung viral titers. In particular, CAST/EiJ, a wild-derived strain, developed high lung viral burdens, more severe lung pathology than seen in other CC strains, and a dysregulated cytokine profile resulting in morbidity and mortality. These inbred mouse strains may serve as a valuable platform to evaluate therapeutic countermeasures against severe COVID-19 and other coronavirus pandemics in the future.

Ethical Considerations of Establishing Social Restrictions in the Prevention and Control of the Corona Epidemic from the Point of View of Medical Students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

Background: Covid-19 (coronavirus), with its different dimensions, has created a serious international crisis in the world and has presented mankind with a new challenge. Among these, it can be claimed that the most difficult challenge in the Corona crisis is the moral challenge. Objectives: Considering the significance of ethical considerations and the crucial role students play in conveying these concepts to society, we decided to examine their perspectives. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive study, and the statistical population was medical students in the basic sciences of Kermanshah Medical School. The sample size was 205 people based on Cochran's formula (d = 0.05), and the sampling method was random sampling. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed based on current issues and approved by several professors (25 questions with a 5-point Likert scale from "very much" to "very little"). The reliability coefficient (0.83 Cronbach's Alpha) was satisfactory for the questionnaire. After completion and collection, the data was entered into SPSS-21 software. Then, it was subjected to statistical analysis with descriptive statistics (prevalence, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (due to the non-normality of the data distribution, non-parametric tests were used to analyze and compare the answers). Results: The average age was 20.58 ± 2.41 years, 115 people (56.1%) were male, and 198 people (96.6%) were single. Natives accounted for 63.2%. The effective factors in interventions were, in order: Use of different media for information, appropriate, accurate, and timely information, appropriate and sufficient training, preparation and provision of conditions before the above interventions, presentation of decisions and programs in simple and practical language, and fair distribution of protective equipment. Conclusions: According to our results, it was found that the role of using different media for informing, training, preparing, and providing conditions before interventions is very important. Therefore, policymakers and health planners should have the necessary preparation in these matters to control future epidemics.

Retraction Note: Association of the corona virus (Covid-19) epidemic with environmental risk factors.

Retraction Note: Association of the corona virus (Covid-19) epidemic with environmental risk factors.

Employment, labor and social protection in a hybrid enforcement regime

The features of the hybrid law enforcement regime in the field of employment, labor and social protection are considered. Russia and the whole world have entered an era of turbulence, when customary and even emergency legal regimes that have been developed over decades do not allow us to respond effectively to challenges, regulate public relations and protect the rights and freedoms of legal entities in response to changes in the current situation. The traditional systematic approach to legal regulation using blocks of legislation formed in advance as a reaction to the situation changing in one direction or another often does not justify itself and each time requires a creative and individual, rather than template, approach from the law enforcement officer to the selection of used tools and norms of different legal regimes , which requires active rule-making to fill emerging gaps. Avoiding complex legal regulation adds originality to rulemaking and law enforcement in the early 2020s, the general direction of which is to accelerate the creation of rules of conduct in the field of labor, employment and social protection by increasing the role of the Government, speeding up the lawmaking process, expanding regional rulemaking, and giving greater legitimacy to the instructions of officials in comparison with documented acts. The legislator has consistently optimized the legal technique of preparing and adopting laws that meet the needs of operational support of a special military operation with labor legal means. The growth of regional rule-making in the field of social protection requires the elimination of shortcomings and unification at the federal level. A noticeable phenomenon was in a number of cases the replacement of written administrative acts with instructions from a senior official. The legal regimes formed in this way - aimed at countering the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, accompanying the conduct of a special military operation, etc., can be called hybrid or constructed – assembled from various legal elements and do not form systems sufficient to achieve an integration-entropy balance. Moreover, for this design, elements of normatively established special legal regimes are used, which, however, have undergone significant transformation - a self-isolation regime instead of mandatory quarantine measures, special measures in the economic sphere instead of special economic measures established by presidential decree; mobilization – but partial. All this points to the 2020s as a period of hybrid law enforcement, when elements of other emergency regimes are used to construct the current law enforcement regime, but not in combination, while avoiding measures that entail a radical and total violation of civil rights and freedoms. At the same time, accelerated law-making clearly indicates that the array of norms that have been created over decades is insufficient to regulate the current agenda.