Specific Techniques Research Articles

Numerical Solution of External Boundary Conditions Inverse Multilayer Diffusion Problems

The present study is concerned with the numerical solution of external boundary conditions in inverse problems for one-dimensional multilayer diffusion, using the difference method. First, we formulate multispecies parabolic problems with three types of Dirichlet–Neumann–Robin internal boundary conditions that apply at the interfaces between adjacent layers. Then, using the symmetry of the diffusion operator, we prove the well-posedness of the direct (forward) problem in which the coefficients, the right-hand side, and the initial and boundary conditions are given. In inverse problems, instead of external boundary conditions of the first and the last layers, point observations of the solution within the entire domain are posed. Rothe’s semi-discretization of differential problems combined with a symmetric exponential finite difference solution for elliptic problems on each time layer is proposed to develop an efficient semi-analytical approach. Next, using special solution decomposition techniques, we numerically solve the inverse problems for the identification of external boundary conditions. Numerical test examples are discussed.

Adverse Events in Competitive Freediving – Clinical Presentation, Management, and Prevention

Freediving (synonyms: breath-hold diving, apnea diving) has become a popular leisure activity and continues to gain popularity and recognition as both a competitive and recreational sport. Formal freediving competitions are sanctioned by the international Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) or the Association Internationale pour le Développement de l’Apnée (AIDA). Both organizations have set up rules and guidelines for competitive pool disciplines where athletes compete for maximum submerged breath-hold time or underwater swimming distance with or without fins. In freshwater disciplines athletes strive for maximum depth using different freediving techniques. These aquatic breath-holding activities carry unique medical risks that are related to environmental factors eliciting extreme physiological challenges. Pool disciplines carry an increased risk of hypoxemia and, consequently, loss of consciousness, particularly in untrained individuals. Hypoxic complications are reported to occur in up to 10% of dives during freediving competitions. Shallow water blackout following hyperventilation to extend breath-hold capability is a serious risk applying to all aquatic breath-hold activities, however, is more common during recreational freediving. Deep freediving poses the athlete to further risks such as barotrauma of ear drums or lungs, immersion pulmonary edema, nitrogen narcosis, and decompression sickness when reaching great depths. While serious complications in competitive freediving are rare, however, the risk clearly rises with increasing depth. Special breathing techniques to increase lung volumes such as glossopharyngeal insufflation carry additional risks. This article reviews possible complications and injury that may occur in competitive freedivers and discusses strategies for management and prevention of possible injury.

Intricacies of Using Spaced Repetition Tools

I was really intrigued to read an article by Cooper et al. that described how using spaced repetition study techniques raised GPA, USMLE Step 1, and COMLEX Level 1 results. In addition, I appreciate the writers' efforts in spreading the word about this special study technique that has been shown to improve grades. I do want to draw attention to a few areas of concern with this approach including the proper usage of the software as well as certain things that could have affected and altered the results of the study.

Colonization of Bone Flaps by Cutibacterium acnes During Decompressive Craniectomies for Traumatic and Non-traumatic Indications: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is one of the most common bacteria in the human skin microbiota. Due to it generally requiring special culturing techniques, it was generally not routinely included in culture. However, recent laboratory automation advancements have allowed C. acnes to be a routinely tested pathogen. Though this could improve outcomes by detecting a virulent pathogen early, it has raised concerns about potential false positives leading to increased costs and medical risks. This study aims to analyze the C. acnes colonization rates in traumatic craniectomies and compare it to non-traumatic craniectomies, the former including risk factors due to penetrations and the latter being conceptually similar to a craniotomy with a lack thereof. This would help establish a baseline rate to understand the pathogen's implications better. Methodology We analyzed the electronic health records of 124 patients who underwent a craniectomy followed by a cranioplasty at Inova Health System from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2023. The following categories of data were recorded for each patient: patient descriptors, comprehensive surgical timelines and outcomes, and bone flap viability and microbial colonization assessment. The chi-squared tests of independence and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess statistical significance between groups in the indications underlying surgery (traumatic vs. non-traumatic) with C. acnes colonization, flap status (reimplanted vs. discarded), hospital length of stay (LOS), and unexpected 30-day readmission. Results Traumatic (67%) and non-traumatic (33%) craniectomies were compared. There was no significant association between the two craniectomy etiologies in terms of C. acnes colonization (40% vs. 26.5%, p=0.19), flap discardment (40% vs. 24%, p=0.12), or readmission rates (20% vs. 9.6%, p=0.18). However, a significant association was found between C. acnes colonization and LOS during the index craniectomy procedure (24.8 vs. 25.9 days, p=0.049), indicating that colonization may influence LOS. No significant association was found between the type of cranial surgery and LOS (p=0.83), suggesting other factors may play a more crucial role in determining LOS. The findings highlight the need to consider the impact of C. acnes colonization on surgical outcomes and hospital protocols. Conclusion Our findings illustrate that there is no significant difference between C. acnes colonization in traumatic and non-traumatic craniectomies; therefore, C. acnes can be expected to be cultured at a baseline level regardless of the etiology. Furthermore, there was no association with surgical indication and flap status, LOS, and readmission rates. However, a significant association was found between C. acnes status and LOS, indicating the increased complexity of care associated with the pathogen's detection. These findings support the protocol of deferring C. acnes culturing unless specific concerns are found.

Contribution of Spectral and Temporal Cues in Timbre Recognition among Normal-Hearing and Hearing- Impaired People

Background and Aim: Timbre perception is a multidimensional feature of music perception and hearing loss may deteriorate timbre and instrument recognition. Deficits in timbre recognition may originate from poor temporal or spectral coding of musical notes subsequent to hearing loss However, it is not well understood which of these features are more dominant in instrument recognition with normal hearing and hearing loss. This study aimed to evaluate the relative importance of temporal and spectral cues instrument recognition in people with and without nearing loss. Methods: Two groups of adults with normal-hearing and hearing loss were tested with the timbre subtest of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception (CAMP). Originally, a series of notes is played with eight musical instruments and participants were asked to identify the played instrument among them. In two other conditions, either the rise time or spectral cues of the same notes were masked using a special masking technique. Among eight instruments. Results: Instrument recognition scores were not significantly different between the original and spectral-manipulated conditions but were lower at the temporal-manipulated condition. The difference between the two groups was significant (p<0.05), where the normal-hearing group recognized the musical instruments significantly better than participants with hearing loss group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Temporal cues may have greater importance on timbre recognition regardless of hearing status. This suggests that the interventions and assistive devices which are designed to improve timbre recognition for people with hearing loss should prioritize improvement in temporal coding. Keywords: Timbre recognition; hearing loss; music; musical instrument; temporal; spectral

Codification as a way of systematizing the legislation of Ukraine

The article examines the theoretical and legal issues of the essence of codification as a way of systematizing legislation. The article states that the integration processes of adaptation of domestic legislation to the legislation of the European Union oblige the domestic legislator to adapt the country’s legal system to the requirements for its systematization established by the European community. Attention is drawn to the fact that this process conditions the revision of ideas about the essence and approaches to the systematization of legislation, the introduction of new mechanisms of law-making technology. It is concluded that codification is of great importance in these processes. The article substantiates that codification, as a form of systematization of legislation, includes official activity on improvement and systematization of legal norms, which is carried out by subjects of such activity, authorized for this. It is noted that this process is carried out by systematizing legal norms into a single codified act. Codification of legislation includes a complex process of applying a special (codification) law-making technique. It is proven that this process involves the purposeful activity of law-making subjects, aimed at processing and ordering legal acts with the aim of their systematization and consistency with the needs of law enforcement activities, avoiding gaps, collisions and shortcomings. It is substantiated that the purpose of codification is the development and adoption of a single, logically constructed and internally structured act that regulates homogeneous social relations as completely as possible. It is concluded that codification should be considered a specific method of systematization of legislation, which combines the features of official systematization and law-making activity, and therefore codification has a «dual nature», which includes both the systematization of law and the active process of creating new regulatory and legal acts. It is justified that this type of activity is aimed at the radical revision and streamlining of the existing legislation, leading to the adoption of a single, fundamental and internally and externally agreed comprehensive legal act, this act regulates the most principled and fundamental social relations. It is emphasized that, from this point of view, codification should be considered as a way of systematizing legislation, and at the same time, the law-making (or law-making) process and activities of authorized subjects in this area are the content, the essence of codification.

Innovative methods for trackability and identification improvement of small objects for space traffic management

Technology solutions and operational implications need a evaluation for their crucial role in tracking and identification methodologies. The growth of objects in Earth orbit have made it more important that every space system can be accounted for to be able manage the collision risk between all space objects. Tracking and identification are intimately related as enhanced tracking capabilities minimizes the need for special identification techniques. For both features, the difference between active and passive systems are discussed. Tracking is primarily optical or radar; which of these that is being used drives the most operationally-relevant identification solutions. For example, radar tags can be made to be respond to the radio frequency (RF) energy from the radar and laser reflectors can be completely passive. Whereas identification aids for use by optical tracking are active light sources (of some selected frequency) requiring a power source.

Alternative and simple method to determine the refractive index of human dentin.

Determining a substance's refractive index (RI) is of great importance in a wide variety of disciplines, such as chemistry, biomedicine, engineering, and optics, to name just a few. This work utilizes critical-angle reflectometry to measure the refractive index of dentin, a biological tissue characterized by its high RI and complex structure. We fabricated a hollow semicircular prism and filled it with bromonaphthalene (1-B), allowing us to measure RIs up to 1.65. We used 5 tooth samples with exposed dentin and a laser diode beam (λ = 650nm) incident on interface 1-B/Dentine; the reflectance curve was measured from 60° to 75°. The critical angle is determined, and dentin RI is calculated. The real part of the calculated dentine's RI coincided well with those determined by other more expensive and specialized techniques with high technical support.

The Subjective Dimension of a Journalist’s Professional Culture

The article is devoted to the professional culture of modern journalists as a dynamic phenomenon that has become the subject of discussion in the media employees’ corporation and the academic community. In this regard, the authors review the contradictory experts’ opinions on the future of the world and domestic press. The originality of the presented research is that the issues are considered from the journalists’ subjective point of view. For this purpose, the special technique of semi-structured in-depth interviews with acting editorial workers was developed as a part of a comprehensive research project “Professional Ideology of Journalism” organized by the Department of Theory of Journalism and Mass Communications of St. Petersburg State University. The results of the performed procedures are described in the article. Hypothetically, the authors assumed that, in a subjective dimension, the existing knowledge on the professional culture of a journalist and, in particular, the normative ideas on it would be noticeably corrected. Accordingly, the purpose of the study is to identify the real diversity of journalists’ subjective views on the profession and their position in it, as far as this is achievable within the framework of a particular research project. The analysis of the interview materials showed that the ideas and skills of media employees are formed without the direct infl uence of standards adopted in the global and national community, they are formed mainly on the basis of personal experience and communication in the industrial environment. Thus, culture gets a lot of subjective versions. This means that in the process of transformation of current journalism, individual creativity is enhanced, which is especially typical for the younger generation. On the other hand, the contours of the profession become blurred at the ideological, instrumental, and ethical levels. The authors of the article support regular discussions of the problems of the profession, which will contribute to the removal of emerging contradictions and to mutual understanding between generations. Keywords: professional culture of a journalist, subjective view, in-depth interview, standards, diversity

Methodology of legal research in the security field

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that in the context of armed aggression against Ukraine, the most scientifically relevant issues are those related to the security and defense sector, and the development of effective practical recommendations in this area is impossible without proper theoretical substantiation. The purpose of the study was to determine certain aspects of the use of methodological tools in conducting legal research in this area. To achieve its purpose and objectives, the author used general scientific and special research methods. The main results of the study are the argumentation of the position that at the present stage, the most reliable and objective legal knowledge should be considered that which involves the use of special methods, techniques and compliance with the principles of knowledge acquisition. Today, the system of legal sciences is gradually developing its own methodology based on the general scientific principles of knowledge; legal science forms it in close connection with and in accordance with the subject matter of research, reflecting the peculiarities of the object of study and its specifics. The security and defense sector, in turn, also requires a separate scientific approach and research tools, since the activities of the State in this sector, which are its exclusive prerogative, involve ensuring the sovereignty of the State, its independence in the international arena, and protection of the population on its territory. The conclusions of the study are that the system of legal sciences in Ukraine is gradually developing its own methodology in accordance with the peculiarities of the object under study and the area in which it realizes its tasks. The research is devoted to the study of an issue which is of topical importance both for the practical activities of state bodies performing functions in the security and defense sector and for further scientific research.

The composition of early lactation milk in recipient dairy cows determines success in bovine embryo transfer.

To identify new criteria for selecting recipient dairy cows for embryo transfer (ET), we retrospectively examined the effects of the composition of early lactation milk on fertility risk in ET. This study investigated the association between milk fat (FAT), milk protein (PRO), and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels during early lactation, based on production records, and subsequent fertility risk in ET using contingency table analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis, which included five confounding variables. The results showed that MUN levels during early lactation were negatively associated with fertility risk in ET, while FAT and PRO levels showed no clear association. A reduction in MUN levels during the peak lactation period suggests a deficiency in dry matter intake, an inadequate protein supply, and an imbalance in the ratio of proteins to fermentable carbohydrates in the rumen, which may have adversely impacted fertility risk in ET.Monitoring MUN levels is crucial for maintaining a proper protein balance. The results obtained in this study suggest that MUN levels in the early lactation phase obtained from production records can be used as a predictor of fertility in recipients to improve the fertility risk in ET. No special techniques or costs are required for using production records, making them easy to use in clinical practice. Our findings provide valuable insights for optimizing cost-effectiveness and fertility risk in ET and their clinical applications.

From Biosensors to Robotics: Pioneering Advances in Breast Cancer Management.

Breast cancer stands as the most prevalent form of cancer amongst females, constituting more than one-third of all cancer cases affecting women. It causes aberrant cell development, which can assault or spread to other sections of the body, perhaps leading to the patient's death. Based on research findings, timely detection can diminish the likelihood of mortality and enhance the quality of healthcare provided for the illness. However, current technologies can only identify cancer at an advanced stage. Consequently, there is a substantial demand for rapid and productive approaches to detecting breast cancer. Researchers are actively pursuing precise and timely methods for the diagnosis of breast cancer, aiming to achieve enhanced accuracy and early detection. Biosensor technology can allow for the speedy and accurate diagnosis of cancer-related cells, as well as a more sensitive and specialized technique for generating them. Additionally, numerous treatments for breast cancer are depicted such as herbal therapy, nanomaterial-based drug delivery, miRNA targeting, CRISPR technology, immunotherapy, and precision medicine. Early detection and efficient therapy are necessary to manage such a severe illness properly.

Accelerated Computer-Aided Screening of Optical Materials: Investigating the Potential of Δ-SCF Methods to Predict Emission Maxima of Large Dye Molecules.

Accurate simulation of electronic excited states of large chromophores is often difficult due to the computationally expensive nature of existing methods. Common approximations such as fragmentation methods that are routinely applied to ground-state calculations of large molecules are not easily applicable to excited states due to the delocalized nature of electronic excitations in most practical chromophores. Thus, special techniques specific to excited states are needed. Δ-SCF methods are one such approximation that treats excited states in a manner analogous to that for ground-state calculations, accelerating the simulation of excited states. In this work, we employed the popular initial maximum overlap method (IMOM) to avoid the variational collapse of the electronic excited state orbitals to the ground state. We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain emission energies from the first singlet (S1) excited state of many thousands of dye molecules without any external intervention. Spin correction was found to be necessary to obtain accurate excitation and emission energies. Using thousands of dye-like chromophores and various solvents (12,318 combinations), we show that the spin-corrected initial maximum overlap method accurately predicts emission maxima with a mean absolute error of only 0.27 eV. We further improved the predictive accuracy using linear fit-based corrections from individual dye classes to achieve an impressive performance of 0.17 eV. Additionally, we demonstrate that IMOM spin density can be used to identify the dye class of chromophores, enabling improved prediction accuracy for complex dye molecules, such as dyads (chromophores containing moieties from two different dye classes). Finally, the convergence behavior of IMOM excited state SCF calculations is analyzed briefly to identify the chemical space, where IMOM is more likely to fail.

Lattice dynamics of Bi12GeO20 crystal: Polarized Raman scattering and first-principles analysis

Our paper presents a combined experimental and theoretical study of the lattice dynamics of Bi12GeO20 crystal. Polarized Raman spectra were measured in two x-ray oriented single crystals. In a crystal of cubic symmetry, phonon modes of A- and E-types are spectroscopically indistinguishable. Using a special experimental technique, we separated the phonon modes that transform according to A and E irreducible representations. Since the number of E-type lines observed in Raman scattering is higher than theoretically allowed by group theory, we performed a first-principles calculation of the Bi12GeO20 lattice dynamics to accurately identify the symmetry of phonon modes. All experimental lines observed in Raman scattering are classified according to irreducible representations of the cubic I23 group. Using samples of different thicknesses, 10 mm and 0.120 mm, we have demonstrated that the optical activity plays an insignificant role at Raman backscattering in Bi12GeO20 crystal.

Flexural Rigidity Influence on Dynamic Response of Orthoropic Rectangular Plate Resting on Constant Elastic Foundation

This research article considers the flexural rigidity influence along both x and y axes on the dynamic response of orthotropic rectangular plate resting on constant elastic foundation with elastic end conditions. The orthotropic rectangular plate model is a coupled fourth order partial differential equation having variables and singular coefficients. The solutions to this model are arrived at by reconstructing the fourth order partial differential. This partial differential equation model is converted to a set of coupled second order ordinary differential equations by using a special technique adopted by Shadnam et al., [11]. This set of second order ordinary differential equations is then reduced using modified asymptotic method of Struble. The closed form solution is evaluated, resonance conditions are obtained and the results are showed in plotted curves to depict the influence of flexural rigidities along both x and y axes on the dynamic response of orthotropic rectangular plate resting on constant elastic foundation with elastic end conditions for both cases of moving distributed mass and moving distributed force.

Amplitude Variations of Moving Distributed Masses of Orthotropic Rectangular Plate with Elastically Supported Ends under Moving Loads

The deflection of thin orthotropic rectangular plate under moving loads is a classic problem in solid mechanics. However, the equations are challenging to solve due to their non linearity and complexity. At the same time, this equation is a coupled fourth order partial differential equation having variables and singular coefficients. In this research article, the partial differential equation is converted to a set of coupled second order ordinary differential equations by using a special technique adopted by Shadnam et al., [19]. This transformed set of second order ordinary differential equations is then reduced using modified asymptotic method of Struble and Laplce transformation. The closed form solution is evaluated, resonance conditions are obtained and the results are showed in plotted curves to solve the variations in amplitudes for some varying orthotropic plate parameters with elastically supported ends under moving loads for both cases of moving distributed force and moving distributed mass.

DIGITAL SOLUTION FOR OPTIMIZATION OF FORMATION TESTING DESIGN

Evaluation of pumping time to receive a clean sample during fluid sampling job with wireline formation tester as well as evaluation of pumping scenarios to minimize sampling duration under existing constrains (reservoir and sandface constrains, safety etc.) are actual problems especially for fluid sampling in low-permeability formation. The article describes the digital solution allowing to simulate mud filtrate invasion in near-wellbore zone during well drilling and mud filtrate displacement by reservoir fluid during fluid sampling job with taking into account a formation damage dynamics. In this way, the software is able to evaluate depth of mud filtrate invasion and simulate both the multiphase inflow dynamics and the skin-factor dynamics during sampling job and predict sampling duration. To take into account a complex, essentially non-1D geometry of multiphase fluid flow in near-wellbore zone during fluid sampling, the special upscaling technique was developed. This upscaling technique is based on modification of 1D model by introduction of «effective» mud filtrate invasion profile and «geometry factor» which depend on ratio of vertical to horizontal permeabilities. The correlations between empirical model parameters and ratio of vertical to horizontal permeabilities were obtained by matching results of «pseudo 2D» simulations of pumping dynamics with results of 2D / 3D simulations conducted using commercial simulators ECLIPSE® and COMSOL Multiphysics®. The developed «pseudo 2D» model is computationally fast ones that allows to effectively conduct sensitivity study as well as adjust the model parameters and sampling scenario in real time in accordance with the real-time wireline formation tester measurements.

Comparison of foci of active inflammation and fatty degeneration according to MRI and CT data of syndesmophytes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Introduction. Syndesmophyte, which is the hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), is a vertically oriented ossification located outside the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc. In recent decades, the most widespread theory is that after inflammation in the area of attachment of the fibrous ring to the vertebral body, fatty degeneration occurs with reparative processes, as a result of which the growth of new bone – syndesmophyte – begins. It is believed that the likelihood of developing syndesmophyte is two to three times higher in the angles of those vertebrae in which active inflammation or fatty changes were detected on magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) in the previous 2 years, the latter having a stronger association with subsequent pathological bone formation. However, this relationship is ambiguous according to different studies.The aim – comparison of the exact localization of magnetic resonance tomography and computed tomography (CT) signs of lesions on the vertebral endplates, characteristic of axial spondyloarthritis, in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.Material and methods. The cross-sectional study included 10 patients with AS who met the inclusion criteria.All patients underwent a standard examination for AS, as well as MRI and CT examination of the lumbar spine.A special technique for joint assessment of changes detected during MRI and CT examination has been developed.For the primary analysis, changes found on the upper endplates of 5 lumbar vertebrae were taken.Results. On the upper endplates of 5 lumbar vertebrae, a CT examination revealed 35 syndesmophytes (from 1 to 7 syndesmophytes in 1 patient), and MRI revealed 9 foci of acute inflammation and 24 of chronic inflammation (fatty degeneration). When jointly analyzing the MRI foci of detectable inflammation and syndesmophytes transferred to the vertebral diagram, it turned out that in the majority of cases (68%), the latter were not associated with sites of active and/or chronic inflammation. Correlation analysis showed a certain direct relationship only between the number of syndesmophytes and foci of chronic inflammation (r=0.68).Discussion. Preliminary data show that the proposed method for comparing MRI and CT lesions in AS allows us to jointly study the localization of MRI and CT spinal injuries in patients with AS using multidirectional sections. The first results of our one-time study showed that in most cases the localization of developing syndesmophytes does not coincide with the foci of inflammation detected by MRI (both acute and chronic).

Imaging of Ulcerative Colitis: The Role of Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a promising and appealing alternative to endoscopy in the objective assessment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a specialized imaging technique that enables the mapping of water molecule diffusion within biological tissues, eliminating the need for intravenous gadolinium contrast injection. It is expanding the capability of traditional MRI sequences in Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Recently, there has been growing interest in the application of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging in the field of IBD. This technique combines diffusion and perfusion information, making it a valuable tool for assessing IBD treatment response. Previous studies have extensively studied the use of DWI techniques for evaluating the severity of activity in IBD. However, the majority of these studies have primarily focused on Crohn's disease (CD), with only a limited number of reports specifically examining UC. Therefore, this review briefly introduces the basics of DWI and IVIM imaging and conducts a review of relevant studies that have investigated its application in UC to show whether these techniques are useful techniques for evaluating patients with UC in terms of detection, characterization, and quantification of disease activity. Through the extensive literature survey, most of these studies indicate that DWI proves valuable in the differential diagnosis of UC and could be used as an effective modality for staging UC.

Образность иллюстраций М.В. Добужинского к сказке Ю.К. Олеши «Три толстяка»

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky’s illustrations to the tale by Yury Olesha The Three Fat Men have not received a convincing interpretation. It is suggested to read these illustrations as a special work with the social imaginary that expands the participation of the fairy tale’s characters in revolutionary events through a special gaze technique. Two types of imagination are distinguished: the narrative imagination, implying the acceptance of the structure of an event, and the eccentric imagination, in which the event requires immediate action. This distinction is rooted in the practices of political rhetoric and was internalized by Olesha himself from his experience with European prints and decals. The magic of decals is essential to the plot of his fairy tale, but even more so to Dobuzhinsky’s pictorial program. Dobuzhinsky uses unusual avantgarde angles, framing, the view from the protagonist’s perspective and the meeting of views, drawing, among other things, on images of knowledge in European utopias. Referring to the philosophical concepts of the gaze, it is possible to reconstruct the system of empathy, sympathy for the characters and their eccentric actions, which Dobuzhinsky’s illustrations are meant to evoke. When reading Olesha’s tale, we follow the twists and turns of the narrative; when looking at the illustrations, we realize how each character contributes to the unusual development of events and how the meeting of gazes can establish a new social order. Dobuzhinsky does not simply interpret Olesha’s tale, but plays it out, engaging readers in an interactive game.