The risk of indoor sports and culture events for the transmission of COVID-19.

Nearly all mass gathering events worldwide were banned at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as they were suspected of presenting a considerable risk for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We investigated the risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 by droplets and aerosols during an experimental indoor mass gathering event under three different hygiene practices, and used the data in a simulation study to estimate the resulting burden of disease under conditions of controlled epidemics. Our results show that the mean number of measured direct contacts per visitor was nine persons and this can be reduced substantially by appropriate hygiene practices. A comparison of two versions of ventilation with different air exchange rates and different airflows found that the system which performed worst allowed a ten-fold increase in the number of individuals exposed to infectious aerosols. The overall burden of infections resulting from indoor mass gatherings depends largely on the quality of the ventilation system and the hygiene practices. Presuming an effective ventilation system, indoor mass gathering events with suitable hygiene practices have a very small, if any, effect on epidemic spread.

[The organization of medical care of foreign servicemen].

The article covers the study of normative legal and organizational issues concerning the support of medical care of such special contingent of patients as servicemen of military forces of foreign countries during their stay on the territory of the Russian Federation. The actuality of studying the issue of organization of medical care of foreign servicemen is grounded as one of the aspects forming the international prestige of the state. The results of analysis of normative legal base regulating procedure and conditions of medical care of this kind of patients are presented. The morbidity of officers of foreign military services is analyzed. Moreover the article presents the results of questionnaire survey of foreign servicemen purposed to study the subjective assessment of quality of medical care provided to them on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Postmating behavior of female dogwood borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) in apple orchards.

The postmating behavior of female dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), was examined in a young apple orchard planted on size-controlling rootstock in Virginia. All female dogwood borers captured while exhibiting casting flight near the base of trees were mated, based on the presence of a spermatophore. Surveys of female activity within orchards were conducted at regular intervals throughout the daylight hours, showing a diel periodicity that peaked between 1700 and 1900 hours, with most females located below the graft union of trees. A transition matrix based on 1,108 behavioral sequences exhibited by 66 females was used to produce a first-order Markov chain of behavioral events that occurred significantly more often than expected by chance. Casting flight, probing with ovipositor, and oviposition were the most frequent behaviors observed, representing 31.7, 30.0, and 18.1% of all behaviors recorded, respectively. Our observations showed that 88, 99, and 99% of casting flight, probing with the ovipositor, and oviposition, respectively, occurred below the graft union. Observed behaviors considered not directly related to oviposition site selection or oviposition included antennal grooming, noncasting flight, and resting, representing 1.3, 8.3, and 10.6% of all behaviors recorded, respectively. Mated females spent significantly more time resting than in other behaviors and significantly more time in that state within the apple tree canopy than on other parts of the tree. Results are discussed in relation to the influence of insect-host plant interactions on oviposition site selection by female dogwood borer.