Leningrad Research Articles

Digital Platforms in the Focus of National Law

The paper contains an overview of the research workshop Digital platforms: new environment for collaboration at the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Federal Government (ILCL) on 23 April 2024, and findings of the expert survey Digital platforms in the focus of national law. Presentations by participants were systematized by the authors of the overview around the most relevant subjects related to digital platform operations: general issues of digital platform regulation; digital platforms’ impact on human rights; digital platforms in public administration; digital platforms in private law, criminal law and specific branches. The workshop was attended by researchers representing the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law, Kutafin Moscow State Law University, National Research University–Higher School of Economics, Moscow State University, Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of Russia, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Orenburg State University, Siberian Federal University, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Saint Petersburg University of the Interior Ministry, MTS Joint-Stock Company, etc. Legal themes under discussion included the legal nature of digital platforms; digital platforms’ impact on the economy, public administration, human rights and the underlying changes to their amount and content; associated risks; digital platforms and anti-trust regulation; networking effect of digital platforms; labor relations and platform employment; labor right protection and digital platforms; dangers of discrimination related to digital platforms.

Erratum to “Gorham–Stout disease started with recurrent bilateral exudative pleuritis: case description and literature review” (doi: 10.17816/RFD625565)

The editorial board regret that in the published version of “Gorham–Stout disease started with recurrent bilateral exudative pleuritis: case description and literature review” institution (place of work) of the authors North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov was indicated incorrectly. The authors’ institutions are: Olga M. Lesnyak — North Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, Clinical Rheumatological Hospital No. 25, Saint Petersburg; Vadim G. Pischik — Saint Petersburg State University, City Clinical Oncological Clinic, Saint Petersburg; Olga N. Tkach — Clinical Rheumatological Hospital No. 25, Saint Petersburg; Elena S. Kunitsina — Clinical Rheumatological Hospital No. 25, Saint Petersburg. The editorial board is confident that the error could not significantly affect the perception of the work and the interpretation of information by readers. The error has been corrected online, the file of the article and the issue have been updated.

Comparative analysis of the prevalence of smoking and consumption of nicotine-containing products and their risk factors among students of medical and technical universities of Saint Petersburg based on data from the PROTECT study

BACKGROUND: Taking into account the importance of quitting smoking of any nicotine-containing products by young people in various social groups, a comparative analysis of the prevalence of smoking tobacco and nicotine-containing products among students of medical and technical universities in St. Petersburg was carried out. AIM: To compare the prevalence and structure of consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, as well as the smoking behavior of students at medical and technical universities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional cross-sectional study of a random sample of student groups included 1,105 respondents. RESULTS: The prevalence of tobacco smoking among students at a technical university was 2 times higher than at a medical university (p 0.01). Cigarette smoking was also more often noted at the onset of smoking among engineering students and in their families (p 0.05). 17.2% of North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov students and 14.2% of Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” named after V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin) students consume nicotine-containing products. Men from the medical university smoke cigarettes significantly more often than women, or use nicotine-containing products, as well as a combination of both. No similar gender differences were found at the technical university. Female doctors used ES more often than women from a technical university at the beginning of smoking (p 0.05). Men at a medical university started using nicotine-containing products more often than women, considering them the least dangerous to health (p 0.05). The example of friends was the most common reason for starting smoking among respondents from both universities (43.9 and 30.8%, respectively). Common risk factors for smoking any product among students of North-Western State Medical University and LETI were boyfriend/girlfriend smoking, smoking among one’s immediate environment. Studying in senior years was a protective factor for girls at a medical university in comparison with students at a technical university (odds ratio 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained on the lower prevalence of tobacco smoking among medical university students compared to technical students may indirectly indicate the latter’s insufficient knowledge about the harmful effects of tobacco smoking on the body. The high prevalence of nicotine-containing products consumption in universities of various fields of study and the lack of significant differences in the share of their consumers can also be interpreted as an underestimation of the health risks of new smoking products. This requires adjustments to educational programs in order to increase students’ awareness of the potential health hazards not only of smoking cigarettes, but also of using any nicotine-containing products.

Comparative analysis of the detection of diseases of the muscular system in minors of Saint Petersburg

BACKGROUND: Diseases of the musculoskeletal system in children and their dynamics and structure are urgent health problems and have important scientific and practical significance. The epidemiological features of the detectability of pathology in different regions are of interest for detailed consideration. AIM: This study aimed to conduct a comparative characterization of the primary morbidity of children with diseases of the musculoskeletal system in St. Petersburg in the 2017–2022 period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Official collections of statistical reports of the Central Research Institute of Organization and Informatization of Healthcare from 2017 to 2022 were analyzed. Indicators of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue in children were analyzed, and a comparative assessment of the ratio of the probabilities of detecting pathologies in general and for individual nosologies presented in the collections in St. Petersburg and the Russian Federation was performed. Digital analysis was performed in Microsoft Office 2010 programs (Word and Excel). RESULTS: The indicators of primary morbidity in St. Petersburg from 2017 to 2022 exceeded the national and regional averages and had a negative upward trend. In all age groups, over 6 years, the odds ratio in favor of St. Petersburg increased with arthropathies in general and deforming dorsopathies and decreased with spondylopathies and systemic connective tissue lesions. Moreover, in children aged 0–14 years, the chances of detection in St. Petersburg increased with respect to reactive arthropathies and fell with juvenile arthritis, whereas in adolescents the increase concerned juvenile arthritis and the decrease in reactive arthropathies. In rheumatoid arthritis, a transition was noted – the probabilities of detection have become lower in favor of the regions in Russia. CONCLUSIONS: In St. Petersburg, an unfavorable trend in the probabilities of detecting diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue was registered among children. A two-stage increase in indicators was found in 2017–2019 and 2020–2022, and the rate of increase in the detectability of most nosologies during the COVID-19 pandemic exceeded the prepandemic values, indicating the conjugacy of the studied group of diseases with organizational limitations in the outpatient unit, quality and specificity of differential diagnosis, and viral component. The identified features indicate the need for a reassessment of organizational measures and management decisions.

STUDENT YEARS OF ACADEMICIAN P.G. VINOGRADOFF

The article reveals the importance of the period of student studies at Moscow University for the future career of the Russian and British historian Pavel Gavrilovich Vinogradoff (1854–1925), who became a member of Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of London. The research source base was made up of offi cial documents from Moscow University collection and ego-documents, i.e. correspondence, diaries and memoirs. The results are presented in the form of a “thick description”, revealing the culture of higher education in the Russian Empire in the early 1870s. Home training under the guidance of his father, as well as graduation from the 4th men’s gymnasium in Moscow with a gold medal became a reliable basis for Pavel Vinogradoff ’s mastery of the university course at the Department of History and Philology at Moscow University. The author characterizes not only the successes in the study of individual disciplines, but also the infl uence of professors, and most importantly, practices of their educational activities and relationships. He was especially influenced by those professors who were active in research — S.M. Solovyov, F.I. Buslaev, and, especially, V.I. Guerrier, whose disciple Pavel Vinogradoff became from the first year of his study. His scientifi c interests were formed under Guerrier’s infl uence. The system of lecture courses and the professor’s seminars recently introduced into the practice of teaching became a model to be perfected by the student, later himself a professor at Moscow University. N.I. Storozhenko’s home meetings were renewed by P.G. Vinogradoff in the early 1890s and created the basis for the Historical Society at Moscow University. In the author’s opinion, it was the mastery of educational practices, rather than evaluative indicators of success in certain disciplines that were crucial to the success of Vinogradoff ’s future career. Diverging from his teacher’s theoretical and methodological views on the principles of studying the past, nevertheless he, as a successor of Guerrier’s work, improved the methods of the scientific and pedagogical school of Moscow University’s “world historians”.

The state of cancer care in Russia: epidemiology and survival in patients with the most common and life-threatening solid malignant tumors. Part 1 (population study)

BACKGROUND: Solid tumors (solid — firm, non-hematopoietic, i.e. developing not from cells of the hematopoietic system) constitute the majority of malignant tumors. The most important factors for their development are: size, degree of sprouting into surrounding tissues, spread throughout the body in the form of regional and distant metastases. The most common (those having the highest incidence rate) solid malignant tumors in Russia are: lung, stomach and breast cancer. The most life-threatening (those having the worst survival rates) are liver and pancreatic cancer. We paid particular attention to the impact of coronavirus infection pandemic on morbidity, mortality as well as registration quality of patients with solid malignant tumors. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of conducted anticancer measures, we calculated survival rates of patients. AIM: To calculate and evaluate the survival rates of patients with the most common and life-threatening neoplasms in Russia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We based our study on the data of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, reference books of Moscow Herzen Research Oncological Institute (Russia) and N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Centre of Oncology (Saint Petersburg, Russia), as well as databases of population cancer registries of Saint Petersburg and the Northwestern Federal District of Russia. Data processing was performed using licensed programs MS Excel 2013–2016 and STATISTICA 6.1. Modified Eurocare program was used to calculate survival rate, as well as mathematical, bibliographic and statistical methods. RESULTS: The first part of the study analyzed the main regularities of changes in morbidity, mortality and quality of registration of patients with the most common and life-threatening solid malignant tumors in Russia. The incidence of lung and gastric solid malignant tumors has significantly decreased, while the incidence of breast, liver and pancreas cancer has increased. A significant impact of the coronavirus infection pandemic was revealed, and the main changes in age-specific indicators were traced. CONCLUSION: Upon the background of general decrease in mortality of the Russian population from malignant tumors, an increase was noted for mortality from life-threatening localizations (liver and pancreatic cancer), which is confirmed by calculations of the index of accuracy.

Paying Tribute: Returning to the Story of the “Qur‘ān of ‘Uthmān

Objectives: The Qur’an occupies a central position in a religious and philosophical system that has had a significant and emblematic impact on human history, influencing Arabic studies worldwide. Such is particularly true for Russian Arabic studies, where the '‘Uthmanic Qur’an', with copies in Saint Petersburg and Uzbekistan, has played a crucial role. This study aims to honour our teachers and the Arab community of Qashqadarya, who continue to preserve their language and culture. Methodology: Synthetic, Comparative. Findings: The history of these manuscripts spans over twelve centuries, providing rich material linked to the fate of human lineages, nations, cities, peoples, and Islamic civilisation since its emergence in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century until the triumph of Islam. This Islam endured against the communist regime in the Islamic republics of the Soviet Union. The Russian School of Arabic Studies survived the 1917 Revolution due to its concentration on research areas that were of particular importance at the time. These included the study of Arabic sources on the history of the USSR territories and the living Arabic dialects used in the Central Asian republics. Such led to the publication of significant works on the language, ethnography, and history of the Arabs of Qashqadarya, whose ancestors brought the '‘Uthmanic Qur’an' from the Arabian Peninsula via the Silk Road to their land in Uzbekistan. Originality: Today, advanced research techniques must be used to study and analyse the '‘Uthmanic Qur’an' manuscript and reconstruct the origin, culture, and dialects of the Arab population in Qashqadarya, Uzbekistan. These include DNA analysis and modern linguistic methods based on big data and artificial intelligence technology.

Individual Burden of Illness Index in Bipolar Disorder Remission: A Cross-Sectional Study.

A population-based method for estimating disease burden is commonly used. Nevertheless, these measurements do not entirely capture the comprehensive burden of illness on an individual patient. To address the problem, the Individual Burden of Illness Index (IBI index) Index was created and validated, specifically for major depressive disorder. The IBI represents the overall influence of the condition, encompassing distress from symptom intensity, functional impairment, and the patient's quality of life. The aim of the study was to approve and validate the IBI index for the integral assessment of disease burden in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) in remission. The cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient psychiatric services in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from April through October 2020. Eighty-five patients aged 18 to 45 (mean age 36.6±5.7 years) with BD (type I - 75%, n=64; type II - 25%, n=21) in remission were examined. The study procedure included a structured clinical interview and the use of clinical scales: the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Personal and the Social Performance Scale. The principal component analysis in accordance with the adjusted one showed that the burden of illness in patients with BD in remission is directly related to the severity of residual depressive symptoms, reflected in the HDRS score: as the HDRS score increases (0.27, p <0.001), residual mania (-0.14, p <0.001), social functioning (-0.06, p <0.001), and quality of life (-0.04, p <0.001) decrease. In contrast, when there are remaining residual mania symptoms, as indicated by the YMRS score, the result tends to be a lower burden, better social functioning, and enhanced quality of life. The study has demonstrated through statistical means a successful adaptation and validation of the previously calculated IBI index for patients with BD in remission. Residual affective symptoms were shown to have different impacts on the social functioning of patients with BD in remission, indicating the need for a timely assessment and targeted therapy of these symptoms in such patients.

The early days of Tibetan Studies in Europe: some textual and historical considerations regarding I.J. Schmidt (1779–1843) and his German translation of The Wise and the Foolish

ABSTRACT The second half of the eighteenth and the nineteenth century saw the beginnings of Tibetan Studies in Europe through first translations, grammars, and dictionaries. Vital for this development was the Moravian autodidact Isaak Jakob Schmidt (1779–1847), also considered founder of Mongolian Studies, and his successor at the St Petersburg Academy of Science, Anton Schiefner (1817–1879). These scholars saw themselves as researchers of “Oriental languages” and published mostly in German. A notable piece within the works of Schmidt is his 1843 founding text and translation of Der Weise und der Thor (“The Wise and the Foolish,” Tib. mDzangs blun), a collection of Buddhist narratives illustrating the workings of karma. Schiefner later (1852) added corrections to Schmidt’s voluminous work. This paper aims at analysing Schmidt’s contributions to understanding East Asia and Tibet via this pioneering rendition of the stories contained in The Wise and the Foolish. Focus is on the textual sources employed, namely the Tibetan Buddhist canon (Kanjur), and the reception of the translation. Schiefner’s corrections are also considered. This article further reflects on the historical contexts of Schmidt’s life and wishes to add to our comprehension of Buddhist translations in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe.

The Ceremony of Receiving Ambassadresses at the Russian Court of the Eighteenth Century

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the European system of international relations underwent significant changes, marked by the institutional development of diplomatic services and the establishment of more coherent diplomatic ceremonials. Resident embassies became common, introducing the presence of female relatives of diplomats who actively participated in the life of the diplomatic corps. The growing presence of ambassadresses played a transformative role in early modern diplomatic culture, contributing to the development of gendered diplomatic ceremonials. Drawing on relevant approaches to the study of the ‘new diplomatic history’ and using archival material from the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, this article examines the diplomatic ceremonial of ambassadorial spouses at the eighteenth-century Russian court. It examines the presentation of ambassadors’ wives at court, the implementation of protocol, and issues of etiquette that became sources of contention between ‘ambassadresses’ and the St Petersburg court, as well as methods of conflict resolution. The study of the reception ceremony for ‘foreign ladies’ reveals that, although it was governed by legal norms, it depended heavily on the Russian monarch’s personal attitude towards the ambassador and ambassadress, as well as the country they represented.

Employing gamification strategies to prepare school students for journalism competitions

This paper aims to conduct a thorough analysis of the effectiveness of incorporating gamification elements in the preparation of school students for journalism competitions. The authors have examined eighteen competitions facilitated by prominent institutions including the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov (MSU), and Saint Petersburg State University (SPbSU). Drawing from openly available sources, a classification of seven gamification formats for student preparation has been proposed: quizzes, interactive storytelling, games employing virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), process tracking, role-playing games, textual expansions, and games that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Furthermore, the authors have delineated the primary stages of the journalism competitions, which are categorized into theoretical and practice-oriented segments. The theoretical segment encompasses tasks in a test format that assess basic factual knowledge, while the practice-oriented segment comprises written tasks. These tasks are designed to evaluate the students’ proficiency in creating and writing informational materials, encompassing mastery of text style, literacy, and structured logical narration. The results indicate that gamification not only enriches the educational landscape, rendering learning more engaging and interactive, but also significantly enhances students’ proficiency in refining complex journalistic skills.

Work Values in the Generational Aspect on the Example of Younger Millennials of Saint Petersburg

Work Values in the Generational Aspect on the Example of Younger Millennials of Saint Petersburg

Глазной тканевой банк и фемтотехнологии как основа развития кератопластики

Abstract Eye tissue bank and femtotechnologies as fundamentals for keratoplasty development E.V. Boiko, I.E. Panova, A.V. Titov, Ya.I. Masian, A.A. Varavka, D.R. Mirsaitova, O.D. Yagmurov S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution, Saint Petersburg Branch, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation I.I. Mechnikov North-Western State Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation Purpose.To evaluate development of keratoplasty in the St. Petersburg branch, taking into account eye tissue bank opening and femtotechnologies intergation. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of the structure and quantity of keratoplasty in combination with femtosecond laser was carried in Saint Petersburg branch of S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution. Data were analyzed regarding 2-time intervals: from 1990 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2022. Results.Between 1990 and 2019, 1367 corneal transplantations were performed (an average of 46 transplantations per year). Penetrating keratoplasty had a leading position in the structure – 1159 operations (84.8%). At the same time, the lamellar keratoplasty segment took only 15.2% (208 operations), and femtosecond laser was used only in 1% of operations (14 operations). In the period from2019 to 2023, 674 keratoplasty were performed, percentage of penetrating keratoplasty decreased to 50.8% (343 operations), and number of lamellar keratoplasty cases increased to 49.2% (331 operations). Femtosecond laser was used in 73.4% of operations (495 operations). Conclusion.Based on the results of a retrospective analysis, the advantages of eye tissue bank opening and a femtosecond laser integration into the work of the St. Petersburg branch were determined. Key words:eye tissue bank, femtosecond laser, keratoplasty

СРАВНИТЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ РАННЕГО И ПОЗДНЕГО НАЗНАЧЕНИЯ БИОАНАЛОГА РИТУКСИМАБА BCD020 ПРИ СИСТЕМНОЙ КРАСНОЙ ВОЛЧАНКЕ У ДЕТЕЙ: РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ОДНОЦЕНТРОВОГО РЕТРОСПЕКТИВНОГО КОГОРТНОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) is a severe life-threatening disease with an immunoinflammatory pathogenesis and possible involvement of several organs or organ systems, both sequentially and simultaneously. Early initiation of biological therapy may improve disease outcomes. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the benefits of early initiation of genetically engineered biological therapy for jSLE with the Rituximab biosimilar BCD020. Materials and methods used: a single-center retrospective cohort study performed at the Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University (Saint Petersburg, Russia) in 2012-2022 that included information on 36 patients with early Rituximab prescription (ERP; within less than 6 months from the jSLE diagnosis) and late Rituximab prescription (LRP; after over one year). The main characteristics of the disease were compared at the onset, at the time of initiation of Rituximab therapy and at 12 months after that. Results: the main baseline differences between the groups were statistically significantly higher disease activity according to the SLEDAI scale (p=0.003) and a higher incidence of macrophage activation syndrome (p=0.096), a higher average daily dose of glucocorticosteroids (GCS) in the ERP group (p=0.027). At the end of the study there were no statistically significant differences in the main outcomes of SLE between the compared groups. The main advantages of ERP were a statistically significantly shorter time to achieve a low daily dose of GCS (&lt;0.2 mg/kg) - 1.2 (0.9; 1.4) years compared to 2.8 (2.3; 4 .0) years (p&lt;0.001) and a higher likelihood of achieving a low dose of corticosteroids (RR=57.8 [95% CI: 7.2; 463.2], p&lt;0.001) and achieving remission (SLEDAI=0); RR=37.6 [95% CI: 4.45; 333.3], p&lt;0.001). During the research there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse events, including severe adverse events, between the compared groups of patients. Conclusion: ERP makes it possible to improve the control over the activity of jSLE and minimize the volume of GCS drugs with similar treatment outcomes and safety profile. Further research is required in order to determine the indications for biological therapy for jSLE.

КЛИНИЧЕСКОЕ ЗНАЧЕНИЕ РЕАКТИВАЦИИ ГЕРПЕСВИРУСНЫХ ИНФЕКЦИЙ У ДЕТЕЙ С ОНКОЛОГИЧЕСКИМИ ЗАБОЛЕВАНИЯМИ

Herpesvirus infection (HVI) reactivation in children with cancer is a common complication during the period of postcytostatic immunosuppression and occurs mostly after courses of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Clinical manifestations can range from asymptomatic viral reactivation and chemo-induced cytopenia worsening to fatal outcomes of the disease coupled with multiorgan involvement. The purpose of the research was to analyze cases of HVI reactivation in oncological pediatric patients in order to identify the risk factors for HVI development, features of its clinical manifestations and the effectiveness of antiviral therapy. Materials and methods used: a single-center retrospective cohort study was provided. The register of HVI reactivation cases in patients receiving antitumor therapy at the V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Centre of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia (Saint Petersburg, Russia) in Jan. 2017-Jul. 2021 was analyzed. Routine monitoring of HVI reactivation (CMV, HHV-6A/B, EBV) included determination of viral DNA in patients’ biological materials by PCR using the AmpliSens test system on a Rotor-Gene device (amplifier). Results: 40 cases of HVI reactivation were registered, 22 (55%) were associated with cytomegalovirus infection (CMV), 4 (10%) with human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6A/B), 3 (7.5%) with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and 11 (27.5%) mixed. DNAemia was registered in 55%, organ damage in 45%. More often, reactivation of HVI developed after allogeneic HSCT (alloHSCT) (42,5%), autologous HSCT (autoHSCT) (40%). A statistically significant decrease of HVI reactivation cases was observed in patients after alloHSCT without TCRaβ depletion (53% v. 5,5%, p=0.036). Antiviral therapy was carried out in all patients. The first-line drug most often was ganciclovir (60%). Second line antiviral therapy was required in 10% of cases and those were the only CMV infection cases. Conclusion: a statistically significant decrease of HVI reactivation cases was observed in patients without TCRaβ depletion in alloHSCT. The clinical signs usually are not specific and require routine laboratory monitoring. Adequate antiviral therapy allowed achieving infectious control over HVI in most of the cases.

Using a smart city framework to advance justice: applying an equity lens to compare air quality in neighbourhoods of different socioeconomic profiles

ABSTRACT The smart city framework, while initially received with enthusiasm, has been critiqued for reproducing urban inequalities rather than reducing marginalisation. This paper demonstrates how application of an equity lens within a smart city framework can advance justice by addressing air quality inequities in a diverse coastal city. We conducted a pilot study in which integrated air quality sensors are deployed for criteria pollutants in two contrasting neighbourhoods, to demonstrate that the smart city framework can be used with an equity lens for baseline data collection and analysis to support communities of colour in advocating on their own behalf. Communities of colour are disproportionately impacted by poor air quality, pollution exposure, and health burdens. Research shows that marginalised communities often lack air quality sensors installed by traditional regulatory measures. Thus, smart city technology using targeted deployment of air quality sensors can aid neighbourhood-level sampling, and data can be leveraged by marginalised communities for policy development to address inequities in pollution exposure and health impacts. In this study, air quality sensors were deployed and integrated with a web-based interactive platform called Community Resiliency Information Systems (CRIS) to compare a white, affluent neighbourhood with a marginalised, predominantly Black neighbourhood in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Data collected indicates significant differences in concentrations of air pollutants in the study neighbourhoods; exposure levels are higher in the poor, minority-dominated neighbourhood. CRIS facilitates two-way communication between residents and policy makers, demonstrating that careful application of technology can produce data to support community advocacy and address environmental inequalities. Key policy highlights The smart city framework integrated with air quality sensors has the potential to advance justice when applied through an equity lens. This pilot project demonstrates air quality inequities at neighbourhood level comparisons (affluent vs marginalised) in a coastal city – exposure levels are higher in the poor, minority-dominated neighbourhood. The CRIS platform facilitates two-way communication between residents and policy makers, demonstrating that careful application of technology can produce data to support community advocacy and address environmental inequalities.

Soviet savage, stinking cod and Muse – Vladislav Khodasevich’s vision of Saint Petersburg

The aim of this article is to analyze and interpret Vladislav Khodasevich’s poem Petersburg (Петербург, 1925), in which the poet evokes the image of the city during the war communism period from the distance of emigration. The poet presents the city in many dimensions: as a place of struggle for physical survival in an era of crisis caused by the Russian Civil War; as a space where high culture clashed with the barbarism of Bolshevism; and in an autobiographical key – as a time in which his own creative forces flourished. The cityscape is based on a series of antinomies: past – present, tradition – innovation, spirituality – materiality, sacrum – profanum, the real world – the surreal world, the culture of old Russia – the primitivism of new times. This allows us to look at the poem simultaneously from several perspectives: historical-literary (cultural life in St. Petersburg during the Civil War), biographical (the poet’s stay in the city in the years 1920–1922), intertextual (assignment of the poem to the Petersburg text) and metatextual/self-referential (Khodasevich’s aesthetic views).

Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin at the origins of training specialists in dentistry in Russia

Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin, the founder of one of the dental schools in Saint Petersburg, played a crucial role in the formation and development of training in the field of dentistry in Russia. However, information about him in the special literature is limited. The aim of the study was to provide information about the role of Doctor of Medicine I.A. Pashutin as one of the organizers of training specialists in the field of dentistry in Russia. This article is based on the information available in the Russian special literature about Pashutin. Information about the life, family, and training of Pashutin as a person, military doctor, scientist, and specialist in dental diseases were provided. The sources of Pashutin’s knowledge and skills in dentistry were noted, as well as his organizational abilities, especially in the training of dentists, including at the dental school he created in Saint Petersburg. Notably, Pashutin was the first head of an independent course of odontology at the Military Medical Academy. Doctor of Medicine Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin was at the origins of the training of specialists in dentistry in Russia. His main achievement was the opening of a modern dental school at that time and his work as a teacher, consultant, and doctor on diseases of the teeth and oral tissues.

Self-organization of the dental community in Saint Petersburg (historical essay)

In Saint Petersburg, starting from 1883 and over the next 140 years, various professional dental public organizations (societies, trade unions, associations) were created and functioned, analyzing the activities of which one can find a certain similarity in the tasks they solve. Despite the specific conditions of a particular historical era, almost all of them actively performed essentially the same functions related to the organization of scientific communication of dental specialists, protection of their rights, regulation of dental practice, and development of professional education and social design in the healthcare sector. Turning to the retrospective of the self-organization of the dental community enables establishing historical continuity between the modern association of dentists and first societies of dentists, to feel the connection of times and understand that people who devoted their lives to the dental specialty and make up this community are united today by the same values that have always united them, regardless of the change in social formations.

One Classroom, Different Perspectives: Promoting Mutual Understanding between “Secular” and “Religious” Students of Islamic Studies in Russia and the United States

Abstract The article discusses the results from several co-taught courses in Islamic studies shared as a virtual exchange between the University of Michigan (U-M), USA, and Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU), Russian Federation. These courses were designed and taught to expand the range of perspectives to which students were exposed and allow them to learn how their study subject is conceptualized and studied by their peers in the partner country. The SPbU student cohort included graduates of Islamic religious colleges from different regions of the Russian Federation who shared the classroom with “secular” university students specializing in Islamic studies. The U-M cohort included students of various religious, ethnic, and academic backgrounds. In addition to weekly online meetings, the international teams met virtually outside class to prepare questions for weekly synchronous discussions and to work on a group presentation to be delivered at the end of the semester.