Comparing introductory undergraduate physics learning and behavior before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examines high school preparation measures [ACT/SAT scores, high school grade point average (HSGPA), and conceptual physics pretest scores], in-class behavior measures (homework submission rates and lecture attendance rates), and in-class achievement measures (homework and test averages) for the last two fully face-to-face prepandemic and the first two fully face-to-face postpandemic semesters of an introductory calculus-based electricity and magnetism class. This class was offered at a large eastern land grant university in the United States. The total number of students for the four semesters was 1033. While some significant differences were measured (higher postpandemic HSGPA, lower postpandemic conceptual pretest scores, higher postpandemic homework average (fall semesters only), and lower postpandemic lecture attendance (spring semesters only), none were larger than a small effect. As such, student achievement, attendance rates, and assignment completion rates were largely unchanged after the pandemic.

Abstract Museum Education in the Digital Space and the Pandemic Period – its Transitive Processes and Rituals

As a specific pedagogical transformation of the above-mentioned cultural anthropo-logical approach, the article attempts to an-swer the questions motivated by museum pedagogy. They are: a) What transitional processes are evident in the world of traditional museums because of digitalisation in the informal processes of museum knowledge transfer? b) How do these processes af-fect the behaviour of museum visitors and the rituals of the museum visit itself? The topical-ity of the research to be presented is that museums closed because of the COVID pandemic have been permanently transformed into virtual space, which has fundamentally changed the range of museum content and their museum education programmes. Research com-plementing the topic analyses the websites of Hungarian museums and examines the main characteristics of virtual visitors (need-based information, search, and user activities) and changes in visitor behaviour. It analyses a) how visitor rituals develop, b) how specific elements of these specific transitional changes appear in cyberspace. The research intervals were Spring quarantine 2020, reopening in summer and closure period from autumn 2020 to spring 2021. © 2022, Comenius National Pedagogical Library. All rights reserved.

Decreasing suicide mortality in Hungary - What are the main causes?

Introduction: Depression and suicidal behaviour are major public health problems everywhere but particularly in Hungary where until 2000 the suicide rate was among the highest in the world. Objective(s): To analyse the possible causes of declining national suicide rate of Hungary. Method(s): Review of the scientific literature on Hungarian suicide scene published in the last 40 years. Result(s): The peak of Hungarian national suicide rate was in 1985 (46/100.000) but due to a steady and continuous, year by year decline, in 2019 it was only 16/100.000, which represents a more than 65% decrease. Rate of unrecognised/untreated mood disorders, availability of health/psychiatric care, antidepressant and lithium prescription, unemployment, smoking and alcohol consumption as well as lithium and arsenic contents of drinking water were the most investigated possible determinants of suicide mortality of the country. More widespread and effective treatment of psychiatric/mood disorder patients, decreased rate of unemployment and smoking as well as the continuously improving living standards were the most important contributors to the great decline of the national suicide rate. However, in 2020 - the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic - the national suicide rate rose by 16%, which was almost totally accounted for by the increase of suicides among males. Conclusion(s): Suicidal behaviour is preventable in many cases, but as it is a complex, multicausal phenomenon, its prevention should involve several medical/psychiatric, psychosocial and community interventions.

[COVID-19 and the central and peripheral nervous system]. / COVID-19: Auswirkungen auf das zentrale und periphere Nervensystem.

The health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the infection of SARS-CoV­2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) are becoming increasingly clear as the pandemic spreads. In addition to the lungs, other organs are also affected, which can significantly influence morbidity and mortality. In particular, neurological symptoms involving the central nervous system can lead to acute or long-term consequences. The mechanisms of this neuropathogenesis of SARS-CoV­2 infection and its relation to acute and chronic neurological symptoms are the subject of current studies investigating a potential direct and indirect viral infection of the nervous system. The following review summarizes the current status of neuropathological manifestations, molecular pathogenesis, possible infection pathways in the nervous system, and systemic effects. In addition, an overview of the Germany-wide CNS-COVID19 registry and collaborations is presented, which should contribute to a better understanding of the neurological symptoms of COVID-19.