The Effect of Longitudinal Gastric Resection in Morbid Obesity Surgery on the Course of Insulin-Dependent Diabetes and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Longitudinal resection of the stomach is a relatively new type of gastroplasty within the framework of bariatric surgery, which is gaining popularity worldwide today not only as a method of getting rid of excess subcutaneous fat, but also from a range of serious chronic diseases together. The potential of longitudinal gastric resection turned out to be promising, and if the first performed longitudinal gastric resection in 1988 was only a restrictive stage of biliopancreotic bypass surgery, then since the 2000s, laparoscopic longitudinal resection has been started as a deliberately first stage in patients with morbid obesity with high operational risk. To date, longitudinal gastric resection has become increasingly used in particularly difficult cases in the form of independent surgical intervention, for example, in the elderly, teenagers, people with cirrhosis of the liver and other severe pathologies. At the initial stages of the formation of this type of treatment, different surgeons did not have a common opinion on many issues related to the technique of this operation. And therefore, to date, the data on the longitudinal resection of the stomach of many years ago are contradictory. They do not create a holistic view of the effectiveness of surgical intervention, especially in the long term. According to IFSO (The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) data, in 2012, longitudinal gastric resection accounted for 27.8% of all bariatric operations, which even then overtook the gastric banding operation in terms of the number of operations. Over the past 20 years, a little more than 250 thousand such operations have been performed worldwide, and the frequency of performing longitudinal gastric resection increases every year. The purpose of this article is to reveal the statistics of the effectiveness of longitudinal gastric resection.

What is the Difference Between Philosophical Ideas and Concepts?

Introduction. The paper attempts to clarify the relation between ideas and concepts in philosophy seen as science and worldview. The author analyzes these forms of philosophical thought and reveals their epistemological similarities, as well as their essential and notional differences.Materials and Methods. The paper draws upon monographs and papers by Russian and foreign scholars focusing on issues connected with the analysis of philosophical ideas and notions. The methods implemented are comparative analysis, historico-philosophical synthesis, generalization, idealization, abstraction, and interpretation.Results. The central issue explored in the paper concerns similarities and differences between philosophical ideas and concepts. Philosophers do not have serious disagreements over the notion of a concept, but there is no consensus on what an idea is. While many thinkers seem to reduce ideas to representations, a philosophical idea is clearly different from a common opinion. Most notably, it must be expressed in form of a concept – the fact that characterizes it as an act of thinking. Analyzing these forms of thinking, the author arrives at the following conclusions: 1. Concepts reflect essence, ideas reflect aim (an ideal). 2. Concepts are a form of knowledge and are limited to the cognitive sphere; ideas pertain to understanding and are impactful. 3. Concepts are value-neutral, ideas are value-oriented. 4. Concepts are more static, ideas are more dynamic. 5. Philosophical concepts are usually anonymous, ideas are authorial. Ideas endow concepts with their original essence, while concepts endow ideas with their theoretical form. Without the creative power of ideas concepts degrade into banal epigonic thoughts. Thus, ideas and concepts are forms of thinking that have different purposes, but are still deeply connected and interchangeable.Discussion and Conclusions. The understanding of ideas proposed in the paper goes against the currently dominant epistemological tradition which regards ideas as opinions, views, or representations and in doing so renders the term conceptually indeterminable. The heuristic and creative potential possessed by ideas that influence and stimulate the development of philosophy should be adequately evaluated. The essential role that ideas play in history should not be ignored as well. While ideas express interests of different social groups, they should not be equated with interests, as philosophical ideas are meant to express fundamental issues of human essence and existence.

ICON OF THE APOCALYPSE FROM THE DORMITION CATHEDRAL OF THE KREMLIN. DATE AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The “Apocalypse” icon from the Domition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin has long been in the field of view of researchers, but still there is no common opinion about its dating, and therefore there is no context in which this monument would take its place. The icon has many inscriptions, all of which correspond to the text of the Revelation of John the Theologian. In the construction of the composition, the master of the “Apocalypse” could not rely on the Byzantine tradition of illustrating the Revelation, since it actually did not exist. So what could the author of the iconography of the Moscow Apocalypse have been inspired by? The process of penetration of Renaissance influences into Russian culture, which began in the reign of Ivan III, reached its highest point at the beginning of the XVI century. The coincidence of certain motives of the iconographic program of the «Apocalypse» with the motives of Botticelli’s illustrations for the Divine Comedy, as well as the role of the line in both works, indicate the penetration of Renaissance art influences into iconеpainting. The discovered parallels do not allow us to date the icon from the Domition Cathedral earlier than 1491-1500, the icon was most likely written after 1500, in the first decade of the XVI century. The icon became the “banner” of a new period of understanding of eschatological ideas.

Modern Problems of Building the Russian Model of the Administrative Process: A Review of the All-Russian Scientific-Practical Conference

The review contains the abstracts of the participants of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference “Modern problems of building the Russian model of the administrative process”, held on June 4, 2021 at the Siberian Law University (Omsk) and being the next stage in the development of the discussion of domestic administrative law scholars about the current model of the Russian administrative process, its concept, types,volume and structure, directions for improving the administrative procedural legislation, based on the standards of a legal state and taking into account the experience of foreign countries. Despite the difference in approaches to understanding the administrative process, the theoretical construction of its model, the conference participants expressed a common opinion about the urgent need to develop and adopt legislative acts that ensure an appropriate level of proceduralization of administrative activities and, accordingly, reliable protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and organizations in the field of their relationship with the public administration.

Economic management of the developmentsocial protection of the population

The issue of fighting poverty is especially acute today. Scientists from different countries of the world have come to a common opinion that targeting is the most important component of the existing mechanisms of social protection of the population. There is an assumption that legislative equality is not identical with social equality. Equalization of incomes of the population and strengthening of the middle class can only be achieved after the formation of targeted social protection of the population. The targeting of social guarantees should include a large list of mechanisms for its regulation, including a differentiated approach and a flexible framework focused on an individual approach. Needy families, whose incomes slightly exceed the established limits, should be able to receive social guarantees from the state in a short amount. At the same time, the establishment of criteria requires constant change, focused on the quarterly living wage of the subject in question. The statement of a fixed income in the current market conditions is unfair. When establishing targeted assistance, it is especially important to take into account the financial condition of the family, not only in terms of income, but actual expenses. It is here that each situation must be considered separately, taking into account external factors. Therefore, there arises an objective need for interaction between social protection bodies of the population with credit (financial) institutions, state tax authorities and other services through the introduction of a single database. This will make it possible to avoid receiving benefits for citizens receiving “shadow” income, as well as to save financial resources for the population in need. Support for the needy segments of the population should not be only quantitative – there should be a qualitative component. The number of planned support programs and implemented programs does not indicate an effective policy, since official statistics on the number of those in need may not correspond to the real picture and the target figures may be underestimated. As part of the implementation of programs to help the population, a conditional number of citizens may be planned, determined according to funding, however, the number of those in dire need may differ significantly. The effectiveness of the implementation of social programs can be determined by a significant reduction in the number of citizens living below the poverty line. There is an objective need to reform the current system of social protection of the population. External and internal economic factors cause changes in wages, employment levels, purchasing power, etc., all of this affects the change in the average per capita income of the population, the real size of wages, etc. To equalize incomes, support the poor and reduce social risks, it is necessary to create a new format based on the principle of targeting.

Remote work at international enterprises

The aim of the chapter is to initiate discussion on the positive and negative aspects of remote work in Polish branches of international enterprises. In 3 short case studies presented in the text, situations that made organizations’ managements allow their employees work remotely are discussed. In each case, different reasons initiated a decision: plant relocation, hiring a specialist living far from the plant and a threat of pandemic. There is a common opinion on employees in many countries (including Poland) that they are not flexible enough when searching for a job, they expect it to be “round the corner”, whilst it is not only them but also employers that should present a more flexible approach, also in terms of remote working. On the other hand, it must be stressed that such solutions have both advantages and disadvantages and sometimes cannot be available for certain roles in an organisation.

Faḍlallāh Al-Ḥurūfī and His World: Power, Religion, and Sufism

This article discusses Faḍlallāh al-Ḥurūfī’s relations with political and religious circles in detail from his early youth when he left Astarabad, until his execution at the behest of Mīrānshāh, Timur’s son, in 796/1394. The common opinion of why Faḍlallāh was executed is considered to be either his superstitious ideas or his pursuit of some messianic, and thus power-related, goals. We tried to find some clues to confute such stereotypical approaches. To this end, we tried to determine Faḍlallāh’s view and stance in regard to power by taking into consideration his relationships with statesmen. It was the ʿulamāʾ and the sufis who played the most critical and significant role in Faḍlallāh’s relationships with commoners and statesmen, as well as in his execution. That is why we have placed special emphasis on Faḍlallāh’s ties with the ʿulamāʾ and sufi circles. We discuss how the ʿulamāʾ and sufis tried to disqualify the other flourishing rival groups in the period leading up to Faḍlallāh’s execution.

Toward the Specificity of Bare Nanomaterial Surfaces for Protein Corona Formation

Aiming at creating smart nanomaterials for biomedical applications, nanotechnology aspires to develop a new generation of nanomaterials with the ability to recognize different biological components in a complex environment. It is common opinion that nanomaterials must be coated with organic or inorganic layers as a mandatory prerequisite for applications in biological systems. Thus, it is the nanomaterial surface coating that predominantly controls the nanomaterial fate in the biological environment. In the last decades, interdisciplinary studies involving not only life sciences, but all branches of scientific research, provided hints for obtaining uncoated inorganic materials able to interact with biological systems with high complexity and selectivity. Herein, the fragmentary literature on the interactions between bare abiotic materials and biological components is reviewed. Moreover, the most relevant examples of selective binding and the conceptualization of the general principles behind recognition mechanisms were provided. Nanoparticle features, such as crystalline facets, density and distribution of surface chemical groups, and surface roughness and topography were encompassed for deepening the comprehension of the general concept of recognition patterns.

STYLISTIC PECULIARITIES OF THE MODERN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LITERARY PROCESS (BASED ON THE NOVELS “THE BLIND ASSASSIN”, “MILKMAN”, “GIVING UP THE GHOST”)

Статья посвящена изучению стилистических особенностей произведений современного литературного процесса на материале романов Маргарет Этвуд “The Blind Assassin”, Анны Бернс “Milkman” и Хилари Мантел “Giving up the Ghost”. В данной работе отмечается, что литература служит некоего рода лакмусовой бумажкой, запечатлевающей и отражающей всеобщее стремление к упрощению языка, его отдельных единиц и синтаксических структур. По мнению исследователей, подобные тенденции приводят к упрощению не только устных форм языка, но и языка художественной прозы, тем самым понижая ее эстетическую значимость и культурологический статус. В статье описывается процедура общефилологического анализа художественного текста и его основные методы. Среди исследователей нет единого мнения относительно поэтичности литературных произведений и роли в ее формировании различных языковых единиц. Некоторые ученые рассматривают тропы как один из обязательных элементов любого художественного текста, представляя их как нечто независимое и существующее даже в изоляции от текстового пространства. Согласно другому мнению, формирование стилистических приемов обусловлено взаимодействием языковых единиц, которые, лишь попадая в структуру текста, приобретают несвойственные им ранее образность и метафоричность. Проведенный филологический анализ материала исследования позволил опровергнуть распространенное мнение о крайнем обеднении стилистического потенциала современных англоязычных романов и установить, что задачей авторов современного литературного процесса является создание текстов, чья стилистическая организация не только сохранит статус литературы как искусства слова, но и сможет приблизить произведение к описываемой действительности. The article is devoted to the study of stylistic peculiarities of the literary works of the modern literary process on the material of the novels “The Blind Assassin” by Margaret Atwood, “Milkman” by Anna Burns and “Giving up the Ghost” by Hilary Mantel. The article notes that literature serves as some sort of a touchstone depicting and reflecting the universal desire to simplify the language, its separate units and syntactic structures. According to scientists, such tendencies lead to simplification of both oral speech and literary prose, which understates its esthetic value and cultural status. The article describes the procedure of philological analysis of a literary text and its basic methods. There is no common opinion on the poetry of literary works and on what role linguistic units play in its creation among scientists. Some researchers consider tropes one of the essential elements of any literary work, viewing them as something independent and existing even in isolation from the text. Others believe that the formation of stylistic devices results from interaction of linguistic units, which acquire earlier extrinsic imagery and metaphorical character only in the structure of a text. The philological analysis of the research material made it possible to refute a widespread impression of utmost impoverishment of stylistic potential in modern English novels and to establish the aim of modern literary process writers, which is to create texts which stylistic organization will not only preserve the status of literature as the art of the word but will also be able to bring the text closer to the described reality.