Weak Side Research Articles

A COMPLEX APPROACH TO THE FORMATION OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES OF THE ENTERPRISE

The research focuses on modern academic sources related to theoretical definitions in the field of strategic management of international business processes. A special attention is paid to different approaches for strategy development. The key factors impacting the success of export strategies are determined. In particular, strategies for entering foreign markers are researched based on criteria such as a degree of control over distribution, a level of investment, a predisposition to risks, elasticity, speed of entering a market, and market access. A comparative analysis of main strategies is given, taking into account the above-mentioned factors as well as an evaluation of the strong and weak sides of each approach. In addition, the strategies are analyzed from the perspective of instruments that are used for their implementation, highlighting the necessity of choosing a complex and polyhedral approach for achieving success on international markets. The research outlines the main challenges faced by businesses entering external markets, describing in detail potential obstacles at every step of the process. An emphasis is put not only on the development of strategies but also on the support of a reliable system of continuous monitoring and control. An algorithm for forming a complex approach for realization and control of the implementation of the strategies is suggested. Main principles that ensure successful access to foreign markers are outlined. The main principles for successful strategy implementation are defined, including a detailed market analysis, the use of unique product characteristics, consideration of local market specifics, and adaptability to changes. Adherence to these principles will enhance the enterprise’s competitiveness. Assessment and forecasting methods of external and internal business environments are discussed for effective execution of the chosen strategies. The study provides an overview of qualitative and quantitative methods, including peer review methods, extrapolation methods, and econometric modeling, that allow companies to better adapt their strategies to the dynamic conditions of the global market.

Problematic aspects of medical artificial intelligence. Part 2

The capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are growing at an unprecedented pace. These technologies have many useful applications, from machine translation to medical image analysis. A large number of such applications are currently being developed, and an increasing number of such applications is expected in the long term. Unfortunately, weaknesses and other unpleasant aspects of AI have received insufficient attention. In this review, we consider a whole range of already known problems and possible risks associated with the use of innovative neural network technologies, paying special attention to the ways of preventing real dangers and potential threats in order to expand the range of stakeholders and profile experts involved in the discussion of current issues of medical AI cybersecurity, formation of responsible approach to the vulnerabilities of neural network platforms, increasing the reliability of equipment protection for its safe use, as well as the importance of legal and ethical aspects of regulating the use of AI. Despite certain challenges described in our review, it is clear that AI will be an important element of the healthcare future. As the population continues to age and the demand for healthcare services grows, neural networks are expected to drive healthcare very soon, especially in the areas of medical image analysis, virtual assistants, drug development, treatment recommendations and patients' data processing. We would like to emphasize that while we recognize the innovative role that digital technologies and AI can and should play in strengthening the domestic healthcare system, we should not overlook the importance of timely and accurate assessment of their beneficial or negative impact on the industry to ensure such management decisions do not unnecessarily divert our attention and resources from non-digital approaches and research. This article is a continuation of the article by Berdutin VA, Romanova TE, Romanov SV, Abaeva OP. Problematic aspects of medical artificial intelligence. Part 1. Sociology of Medicine. 2023;22(2):202–211. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/socm619132

ABOUT SOME APPROACHES TO THE INTERNATIONAL LAW IN BRITISH SCIENTISTS’ RESEARCHES (PART I)

The purpose of the research. At the present time there is a shortage of scientific researches devoted to the concepts of the international law of foreign countries. At the same time, there is a significant need for such works, since any interstate cooperation, as well as confrontation, requires a detailed knowledge of the approaches to the international law of the relevant country. In this context Great Britain stands out. Positions of Great Britain continue to have a significant impact on the formation of the approaches to the international law of the Anglo-Saxon legal family states. Largely due to the ideas of the British the foundations of the pan-Western system of views on the international law were laid. This article deals with the interpretation of various international law issues by the representatives of scientific schools of several universities in Great Britain. The positions of these scientists concerning the essence and meaning of the international law, its application are of interest from the point of view of their comprehension on the basis of Russian approaches. That is the purpose of this article. Results. The approaches of British scientists to the international law considered in the article demonstrate both similarities and differences in comparison with the domestic international legal doctrine. These include: the vision of the international law as simply a set of rules or as a complex system; the role of normativity in the international law; analysis of some of the weak and strong sides of the international law; international law criticism of the foreign policy courses of certain countries, including Great Britain and the Unites States; consideration of Russia as a country that supports special, far from Western, approaches to the international law.

Evaluasi Kinerja Penegakan Protokol Kesehatan Oleh Anggota Posko Merdeka di Masa Covid-19 Oleh Dinas Pemadam Kebakaran dan Penanggulangan Bencana Kota Palembang

Iskandar Suhardi, Evaluation of Health Protocol Enforcement Performance by Members of the Merdeka Post during the Covid-19 Period by the Palembang City Fire and Disaster Management Service. This study aims to analyze the Performance Evaluation of Health Protocol Enforcement by Members of the Merdeka Post during the Covid-19 Period by the Palembang City Fire and Disaster Management Service. The study used qualitative methods with data collection techniques, namely observation, interviews and documentation. The results of the study show that in the application of the health protocol itself in a combined unit of several elements and agencies, it has several weaknesses, first from the community side who really underestimates the Corona virus, then from the officers themselves there is still minimal knowledge in providing education about the importance of complying with health protocol. The enforcement of health protocols did not go as expected, based on the health protocol policy itself, because there were several aspects, where in fact not all people believed in the existence of the corona virus, some even said that this corona was just a political conspiracy and the like, so that officers had difficulty in enforcement of health protocols. In 2020-2021 the health protocol policy is going quite well, people still have fear and vigilance about the spread of the corona virus, but in the course of time and being supported by people who have been vaccinated 1 and 2, it makes people feel safer, so that strict adherence to simple wearing a mask is no longer obeyed, not to mention other things such as washing hands and so on. The implementation of this health protocol policy has many obstacles and the weak side is public awareness and the pros and cons regarding the presence or absence of the corona virus, so that some people do not obey the applicable rules, and this makes it difficult for officers to carry out the policies that have been determined. So in this case the officer must have the right technique or method so that the implementation process can be easier.

Analisis Akuntabilitas Pelayanan Kenaikan Pangkat Pegawai Negeri Sipil

Dian Ekawati. Analysis of Accountability for Promotion of Civil Servant Ranks (Case Study of Application of SAPK BKN in BKD, South Sumatra Province). Accountability of Service Promotion for Civil Servants (Case Study of Application of SAPK BKN in BKD of South Sumatra Province) has basically been going well, but because there were some disturbances related to network problems and application system problems, so there were some things that were delayed in the management process. . It has not been added to the terms and files that are not appropriate so that many promotion files have not been approved and must be repaired. The supporting factor is the existence of technological advances that become service innovations, in the form of online applications, namely online SAPK in the management of promotions, it will provide convenience in the management of promotions. The inhibiting factor is that the existence of signal interference in several districts is a weak side of the online system that must be improved, as well as the requirements for completeness of files that have not been met by employees hampering the approval process for promotions.

Current trends in world agricultural trade by product: the place and role of Ukraine in the context of its own food security

Methods. The methods used as the methodological basis of the study were: analysis and synthesis - when identifying modern trends in the development of international trade in agricultural products; factor analysis – when identifying factors that stimulate the growth of international trade in agricultural products; generalization – when processing statistical data with the aim of establishing the dynamics of global export and import of grain crops by the largest exporting countries; normative analysis – when formulating recommendations for improving the position of Ukraine on the world market of agricultural products and creating conditions for its food security. Results. Current global trends in the development of international trade in agricultural products were considered, and the main subjects of the global agricultural market are singled out. The place of Ukraine in the world market of agricultural products is determined and the role played by the country in shaping the offer of the specified product is shown. The main problems of Ukraine's food security, which are related to its participation in international trade and economic relations in the agrarian sector of the economy, are singled out. Recommendations were given to strengthen Ukraine's competitive position on the world market of agricultural products and create conditions for its food security. Novelty. The main global trends in the field of international trade in agricultural products were proposed, which is based on a comparative analysis of challenges and opportunities for a country that participates in the international exchange of agricultural products. The weak and strong sides of Ukraine's participation in the international trade of agricultural products have been identified in view of its economic security. New opportunities and challenges for the export of nationally produced agricultural products have been identified. Practical value. The conducted analysis provides an understanding of the state and development trends of the world market of agricultural products, which allows to strengthen the place and role of Ukraine in trade and economic relations with other countries of the world, as well as to create conditions for its food security.

Facilitating topic modeling in tourism research:Comprehensive comparison of new AI technologies

In the past few years, a new crop of transformer-based language models such as Google's BERT and OpenAI's ChatGPT has become increasingly popular in text analysis, owing their success to their ability to capture the entire document's context. These new methods, however, have yet to percolate into tourism academic literature. This paper aims to fill in this gap by providing a comparative analysis of these instruments against the commonly used Latent Dirichlet Allocation for topic extraction of contrasting tourism-related data: coherent vs. noisy, short vs. long, and small vs. large corpus size. The data are typical of tourism literature and include comments of followers of a popular blogger, TripAdvisor reviews, and review titles. We provide recommendations of data domains where the review methods demonstrate the best performance, consider success dimensions, and discuss each method's strong and weak sides. In general, GPT tends to return comprehensive, highly interpretable, and relevant to the real-world topics for all datasets, including the noisy ones, and at all scales. Meanwhile, ChatGPT is the most vulnerable to the issue of trust common to the “black box” model, which we explore in detail.

A Study on the Language Status of Left-behind Children in Key Counties of National Rural Revitalization and a relevant Application development : A Case Study of Youyang

At present, the problem of left-behind children in our country is receiving more and more attention. As the key object of rural revitalization, the language status of left-behind children is very important to the improvement of rural education quality and the overall revitalization strategy. Taking Youyang County as an example, this paper aims to explore the influencing factors of left-behind children's language attitude in Youyang area, and analyze the role and benefits of corresponding Putonghua Help App on language learning. Through the investigation and analysis of the left-behind children's language use in Youyang area, it is found that they have the characteristics of "multi-language coexistence, strong side and weak side" in language. In this context, the emergence of Mandarin Help App provides a convenient, efficient and interesting way for left-behind children to learn. By using Putonghua Help App, left-behind children can better improve their Putonghua level and promote ethnic language exchange and cultural inheritance. Therefore, Putonghua Help App plays an important role in improving the language attitude of left-behind children in Youyang area and improving Putonghua level, which has positive significance in promoting the improvement of local language environment. Meanwhile, the research results will provide strong support for improving the language education of left-behind children and promoting rural revitalization.

THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MAKING FOREIGN POLICY DECISIONS IN THE UKRAINIAN-RUSSIAN WAR

The article considers the application of the artificial intelligence systems as a new tool in making foreign policy decision. The content of the concept of artificial intelligence is studied, the scope of the use of artificial intelligence systems in everyday life and in international relations is studied. It can be noted that AI, as a progressive and rapidly developing technology, has a large set of tools that help people make decisions and increase the efficiency of their work, for example, save time and spent resources to achieve a particular result. With the development of technology, more and more machines with artificial intelligence are used in various areas of life. For example, the field of medicine, mechanical engineering, data analysis, public administration and politics - all these fields are actively developing with using of artificial intelligence technologies. Special attention is paid to how artificial intelligence affects in making decision, event forecasting, and automation of data analysis. The use of artificial intelligence systems in international diplomacy was analyzed. Attention is focused on the weak and strong sides and what risks this technology can carry for foreign policy decisions. The given statistical data show how artificial intelligence is treated in Ukraine. Based on the research, it can be concluded that for the widespread use of artificial intelligence, it is necessary to develop convenient and transparent rules and algorithms, norms for the using of technology and its interaction with people. Summarizing the discussed topic, we will come to the conclusion that artificial intelligence will soon become a powerful tool in international relations, diplomacy, and in other areas of our life, which will bring benefit and a real threat. But in order for the benefit to be greater, it is necessary that the people who will use artificial intelligence be trained and knowledgeable in the technology.

Discussion and analysis the value of supine median³ nystagmus in the diagnosis and treatment of HC-BPPV

Objective:To explore the clinical value of supine median³ nystagmus in the accurate diagnosis of horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo（HC-BPPV）. Methods:A total of 187 patients with HC-BPPV admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from June 2020 to March 2021 were selected. Among them 42 cases of Cupulolithiasis and 145 cases of Canalithiasis. The nystagmus parameters of patients left and right supine position and supine median³ position were recorded in detail by RART. According to the direction of supine median³ nystagmus, patients were divided into three groups: group A（nystagmus to weak side）, group B（nystagmus to strong side）, group C（negative nystagmus）. The canalith repositioning manoeuvres（CRM） was carried out by utility of an automatic vestibular function diagnosis and therapy system（SRM-IV）. The cure rate of CRM in three groups of HC-BPPV patients was compared, Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the influencing factors of CRM for HC-BPPV. Results:The cure rates of group A, group B and group C were 81.58%, 16.13% and 56.25%, respectively. The difference among the three groups was statistically significant. Then a pairwise comparison of group A, B and C, the difference was statistically significant（χ²A-B=40.294,P<0.001,χ²B-C=14.528, P<0.001,χ²A-C=11.606, P=0.001）; the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the direction of supine median³ nystagmus and BMI were the influencing factors of CRM for HC-BPPV. Conclusion:The direction, intensity and duration of supine median³ nystagmus play an important role in determining the responsibility semicircular canal of HC-BPPV.

Electronic Sales Partnership Network Management Information System Model Of In Multi-Level Marketing

Advertising is a commercial activity that has found its place in our lives since the earliest known periods of trade. The impact of developing technologies has led to changes in advertising techniques and media. An important part of trade has recently moved online. Similarly, advertising activities have also moved online. Advertising activities to be carried out online have superior and weak sides. One of the marketing methods adopted and accepted by businesses today is multi-level marketing. Another working method adopted by businesses is the sales revenue partnership system. Within the scope of our research, we have tried to put forward a working model that brings together the superior aspects of multi-level marketing and sales revenue partnership system organization. On the one hand, it is aimed to create a management information system model that accepts the advertising campaigns organized by advertisers and acts as an affiliate system, and on the other hand, it is aimed to create a management information system model for promoting these campaigns quickly and reliably on the internet through publishers who have come together with the multi-level marketing organization. The question "How can a management information system be designed for this type of working model?" was adopted as the main problem of the research and a literature review was conducted in this direction. Leading global and local companies adopting both working models were analyzed in terms of structure and terms used. With the information gathered, an application software based on the theoretical model was developed and tested in terms of all stakeholders and workflows. In cases where the objectives of the theoretical model could not be achieved, the model was revised and workflow problems were eliminated. After the successful operation of the application software, concrete results were presented on how this new working model should be managed as a management information system. Suggestions are presented for the superior aspects of the new model, as well as the points that may create vulnerabilities.

The convergence of national constitutional and international humanitarian law – challenges and opportunities for Ukraine

Today, there is a clear need for ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and its implementation into Ukraine's national (domestic) legislation. Regardless of when the ongoing full-scaled Russian aggression against Ukraine finishes, we should have a real possibility (that should be foreseen on the national constitutional level) to apply an effective internationally recognized mechanism and instruments to investigate mass atrocity crimes and ensure respect for humanitarian law, fundamental rights, and human freedoms and punish everyone, who committed them following the rule of law. This article aims to examine the legal (constitutional) background and political narratives regarding the accession of Ukraine to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (signed on January 20, 2000, not ratified till now due to some political tensions and overcome legal (legislative) disparities). We search for strong and weak sides, challenges (threats), and opportunities created by its forthcome ratification.

Postawić kwantową teorię pola z głowy na nogi część 3

Despite the impression that can be gained from most of the standard textbooks, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other wave equations do not constitute the basis of quantum field theory. In this article I attempt to show how it should be formulated properly and discuss some of its aspects which usually are presented unsatisfactorily.The aim of the text is to cause the change in the way quantum field theory is taught.The text is split into three parts. In this part 3 (the last one) I discuss the LSZ prescription which allows to extract S-matrix elements without making the usual, very restrictive assumptions and advantages and weak sides of formulating quantum field theory with the help of path integrals.

О некоторых аспектах применения статьи 428 ГК РФ для регулирования договорных отношений

The article analyzes some problems of using accession agreements (Article 428 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) to regulate relations in the field of entrepreneurship and the features of its application in protecting the interests of business entities. The conclusion is substantiated that in the current realities of market relations, the most effective way to protect the rights of the weak side of a civil law contract is the use of legal mechanisms of competition law, based on Article 10 of the Federal Law No. 135-FZ dated July 26, 2006 “On Protection of Competition”.

A Study on the Battle of Changping

Abstract This article conducts a comprehensive study on the battle of Changping 長平 (260 BCE) between Qin 秦 and Zhao 趙 and challenges some traditional views on it. This article estimates the sizes and losses of the opposing sides and argues that although the number of losses of the Zhao army in this battle looks unreasonably large, it is too subjective to say that the ancient sources exaggerate the numbers because the definition of “soldiers” at that time was different from today. This article concludes that the reasons for Zhao’s defeat are not because of replacing an experienced chief commander with an inexperienced one or shortage in supply but because it was the relatively weaker side and more importantly, its long-term strategic planning and diplomacy were inferior to Qin’s. This article also argues that the influence of this battle is not as significant as claimed by some scholars.

Representations of tenor arias from G. Puccini’s operas (“La boh&amp;#232;me”, “Tosca” and “Turandot”) by masters of Russian and Chinese vocal schools

The article examines the issue of performing interpretations of famous tenor arias from operas by J. Puccini, who are not only firmly established in the repertoire of outstanding singers, but are also an obligatory part of the program of vocal competitions and the educational repertoire of music universities. We analyzed the representation of arias of their operas "Bohemia", "Tosca" and "Turandot") by masters of the Russian (S. Lemeshev, V. Atlantov, P. Melentyev, E. Raikov, M. Mikhailov, V. Galuzin) and Chinese vocal schools (Kang Wang, Yijie Shi, Wei Song, Shi Chu Jang, Deng Chao Hong). This article analyzes performers from different schools and eras, in which the weak and strong sides of interpretations were identified and the features of the part and its performance variants were highlighted by outstanding representatives of the Russian vocal school and young singers from China. The author aims to identify various techniques of the vocal technique of the tenor, using as an example arias from the operas of J. Puccini, as well as the task – to analyze arias performed by outstanding Russian and Chinese artists, paying special attention to interpretation and means of performance, in particular the bel canto technique, using a comparative analysis of interpretations. Masterpieces of world opera are of equal importance for both Russian and Chinese culture, and they are often addressed by directors. The immortal figure of opera mastery for Russia and China is J. Puccini and, in general, the Italian opera school with its unique bel canto style, embodied also in the works of masters Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti. Since Chinese are actively interested in Russian and Italian opera and often perform them, this aspect is seen as relevant in our time, to which many research papers are devoted. In this work, the author aims to identify various techniques of the tenor vocal technique, using as an example arias from the operas of J. Puccini, as well as the task of analyzing arias performed by outstanding Russian and Chinese artists, paying special attention to interpretation and means of performance, in particular the bel canto technique.

How the Magnetization Angle of a Linear Halbach Array Influences Particle Steering in Magnetic Drug Targeting—A Systematic Evaluation and Optimization

The main challenge in magnetic drug targeting lies in steering the magnetic particles, especially in deeper body layers. For this purpose, linear Halbach arrays are currently in focus. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the impact of the magnetization angle between two neighboring magnets in Halbach arrays has not been investigated for particle steering so far. Therefore, in this paper, a systematic numerical parameter study of varying the magnetization angle of linear Halbach arrays is conducted. This is completed by undertaking a typical magnetic drug targeting scenario, where magnetic particles have to be steered in an optimized manner. This includes the calculation of the magnetic flux density, its gradient, the total magnetic energy, and the resulting magnetic force based on a fitting function for the different Halbach constellations in the context of examining their potential for predicting the particle distribution. In general, increased magnetization angles result in an increased effective range of the magnetic force. However, as there is a trade-off between a weak force on the weak side of the array and a simple manufacturing process, a magnetization angle of 90∘ is recommended. For evaluating the steering performance, a numerical or experimental evaluation of the particle distribution is mandatory.

A Two‐Step Entanglement Concentration for the Less‐Entangled Four‐Photon Cluster States

AbstractEntanglement concentration serves as an essential tool to obtain the maximally entangled states from the less‐entangled states in quantum information processing tasks. An efficient two‐step entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) is proposed to concentrate the less‐entangled four‐photon cluster states with four unknown coefficients into the maximally entangled states in this paper. The protocol utilizes parity‐check gate and photon‐polarized controlled‐Z gate, constructed with a single semiconductor quantum dot in a single optical microcavity (quantum dot‐cavity coupled system) and several linear optical elements. The discarded quantum states can be recycled in the next round concentration to achieve a higher success probability. Under conditions of strong coupling and weak side leakage rate, the ECP can tend toward ideal fidelity and efficiency. Compared to the previously proposed ECPs that utilize various auxiliary tools such as additional entangled states and complex quantum logic gates, the ECP significantly simplifies the analysis process and enables efficient implementation. Thus, the ECP is more economical and feasible in future optical systems.

АЛГОРИТМ ДІАГНОСТИКИ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА ДЛЯ ВИРІШЕННЯ ПИТАНЬ ДЕФІЦИТУ КАДРІВ

The article presents six groups of approaches to addressing the issue of staff shortages, gathered by the authors using own methodology. For practical implementation of these approaches in enterprises, a three-step algorithm has been developed and presented, which should precede the development of a customized strategy for hiring personnel or improving labour productivity. In the first stage, based on the assessment of labour productivity in Ukraine compared to other countries, it is proposed for the enterprises to conduct a self-diagnosis aimed at determining whether a sufficient level of labour productivity has been achieved. Thus, it becomes evident to choose one of three scenarios: quantitative, aimed at attracting additional personnel; qualitative, aimed at radically improving the productivity of existing personnel, processes, and equipment; or a combination of the first two scenarios. The second step proposes conducting a SWOT analysis of the tools selected in the previous step to confirm the feasibility of their further use via comparison of strong and weak sides, available opportunities and existing risks and threats. As an example SWOT analysis of establishing training centres in the sewing industry provided as well as analysis of implementing artificial intelligence tools. In the third step, it is suggested for the enterprises to perform stakeholders mapping to identify key ecosystem players and their roles, distribute the necessary connections and resources for the implementation of the chosen tools. The proposed map includes: the target business, competitors, the broader market, external infrastructure, and external influencers, that will allow enterprises to better understand cooperation mechanisms, optimize resource use, and ensure comprehensive support in the project of implementing tools to overcome the staff shortage issue. The proposed three-step algorithm is an effective foundation for further strategies development and tools selection to solve the problem of workforce shortages or increase productivity, which can significantly enhance the capabilities of Ukrainian enterprises to fulfil orders and develop in the challenging conditions of martial law.

Фрески придела святителя Николая Мирликийского в соборе Рождества Богородицы Ферапонтова монастыря: принципы визуализации житийного цикла

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Ferapontov Monastery houses the life of St. Nicholas of Myra, consisting of 12 episodes, the earliest one among Russian murals. The cathedral was painted by the artel of the Muscovite painter Dionisy in 1502. The frescoes of St. Nicholas chapel (actually, a sacristy) with the central image of the Saint, located in the conch of the altar apse, have attracted much attention. Researchers did not fail to notice the expressiveness and psychological characterisation of the face of St. Nicholas in the central image. The combination of the themes of the Theotokos and St. Nicholas in the Ferapontov Cathedral was a manifestation not only of the Byzantine tradition but also of the idea of spe-cial closeness of St. Nicholas to the Mother of God characteristic for the Russian religiosity. The iconographic program of Cathedral’s sanctuary with the image of John the Baptist and the consecration of the sacristy to St. Nicholas, was unusual for the Russian tradition, but echoed mosaic decorations of side apses with a similar dedication in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin in Daphne (circa 1100). The custom of having a side church in the sacristy was widely spread in Byzantium and was also adopted in Medieval Russia. When examining the frescoes of St. Nicholas chapel, scientists did not pay sufficient attention to the principles of placement and order of scenes running in the space of the apse in two tiers, but not in a chron-ological order. In this regard, a hypothesis was formulated about the influence of the hagiog-raphic icons of St. Nicholas on the spatial composition of the paintings in St. Nicholas chapel. This paper discusses both strong and weak sides of this hypothesis with a purpose to further the study of the problem. When studying the location of the episodes of the cycle, we found that a few scenes were placed relative to each other in a similar manner. In addition, it turned out that the main principle governing the placement of the episodes was the principle of pair-ing. Within the pair, scenes and images were selected in accordance with iconographic simi-larity or a thematic relation. The axis of symmetry of the apse was of crucial importance. The compositions were distributed in the space of the sacristy with visual and semantic balance relative to this axis. The very principle of the spatial design, where thematically related scenes were placed opposite to each other endowed the entire composition with completeness and integrity, being quite different from a linear historical narrative with a more primitive visual conception.