The problem of well-being in a turbulent society: aspects of security

Актуальность исследования обусловлена социальными процессами и явлениями, происходящими в современном мире, а именно ростом нестабильности и неустойчивости в природе, обществе и техносфере. В этой связи возникает необходимость обновления категориального аппарата, которым оперируют исследователи современного мира. Цель исследования: анализ содержания категории «благополучие» в условиях современного мира. Для этого вводится концепт турбулентного социума, объединяющий в себе фундаментальные изменения социальной реальности, которые произошли в последние десятилетия и которые позволяют говорить о новой форме социальной организации, пришедшей на смену проекту Модерна. Методы исследования: общелогические методы (анализ, синтез, сравнение), а также методы критического, дискурсивного и исторического анализа, с помощью которых рассмотрены центральные понятия для осмысления современности (благополучие, безопасность, государство и т. д.). Результаты. Проанализированы понятия «поток» и «турбулентность», определяющие онтологическую картину современного общества. Показано, что в эпоху Нового времени основным субъектом управления благополучием становится государство. В связи с этим указывается, что аутентичное значение «благополучия», которое восходит к античной философии, было утрачено. Тенденция на ослабление национального государства негативно отражается на благополучии граждан. Сложившаяся ситуация рассматривается на примере проблемы безопасности, которая в современном обществе становится не только политической проблемой, но и социальной. В качестве альтернативы существующему подходу к решению проблемы благополучия предлагается концепция, в основе которой лежит практика «заботы о себе».Relevance of the research is caused by social processes and phenomena occurring in the modern world, namely the growing instability and imbalance in nature, society and technosphere. This raises the need for renovation of the categorical apparatus, which is operated by the researchers of the modern world. The main aim of the study is the content analysis of the category of «welfare» in the modern world. This introduces the concept of «turbulent society», combining the fundamental changes of social reality that have occurred in recent decades and which allow talking about a new form of social organization, which replaced the Modernist project. Research methods: general logical methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison), as well as methods for critical, discursive and historical analysis, used for considering the concepts (well-being, security, government, etc.), central to the modernity discourse. Results. The author has analyzed the concept of «flow» and «turbulence» that define the ontological picture of modern society. It is shown that in the era of the New time, the state becomes the main subject of management of welfare. In this regard, it is specified that the authentic meaning of «well-being», which dates back to the ancient philosophy, has been lost. The trend in weakening the national State adversely affects the welfare of citizens. The current situation is considered on the example of security problem, which is not only a political problem but also a social one in modern society. As an alternative to the existing approach to solving the problem of well-being, the author proposes the concept based on the «self-care» practice

Assembly of nicotinic alpha7 subunits in Xenopus oocytes is partially blocked at the tetramer level

AbstractThe assembly of nicotinic α1β1γδ, α3β4, and α7 receptors and 5-hydroxytryptamine 3A (5HT3A) receptors was comparatively evaluated in Xenopus oocytes by blue native PAGE analysis. While α1βγδ subunits, α3β4 subunits, and 5HT3A subunits combined efficiently to pentamers, α7 subunits existed in various assembly states including trimers, tetramers, pentamers, and aggregates. Only α7 subunits that completed the assembly process to homopentamers acquired complex-type carbohydrates and appeared at the cell surface. We conclude that Xenopus oocytes have a limited capacity to guide the assembly of α7 subunits, but not 5HT3A subunits to homopentamers. Accordingly, ER retention of imperfectly assembled α7 subunits rather than inefficient routing of fully assembled α7 receptors to the cell surface limits surface expression levels of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Renal haemodynamic responses to exogenous and endogenous adenosine in conscious dogs

Adenosine has been suggested to be the mediator of a metabolic feedback mechanism which transfers acute changes in the tubular load into opposite changes in renal blood flow (RBF). The goal of the present experiments was to assess the importance of endogenously formed adenosine as a ‘homeostatic metabolite’ during short-term changes in metabolic demand.In nine chronically instrumented conscious foxhounds, both the direct effects of adenosine injections (10, 30 and 100 nmol) into the renal artery and the temporal changes of RBF after short renal artery occlusions (15, 30 and 60 s duration), the most widely used experimental model to study the metabolic feedback mechanism in vivo, were studied.Intrarenal bolus injections of adenosine (10, 30 and 100 nmol) induced dose-dependent decreases of RBF (RBF: −34 ± 5, −59 ± 4 and −74 ± 4 %, respectively). This vasoconstrictor effect of adenosine was significantly larger (RBF: −51 ± 4, −68 ± 4 and −83 ± 3 %, respectively) when the dogs received a low salt diet.The post-occlusive responses were characterized by a transient hyperaemia with no detectable drop of RBF below the preocclusion level. The post-occlusive responses were affected neither by changes in local angiotensin II levels, nor by intrarenal infusions of hypertonic NaCl or blockade of A1 adenosine receptors.When intrarenal adenosine levels were elevated by infusion of the adenosine uptake inhibitor dipyridamole, a transient, although weak, post-occlusive vasoconstriction was detected.In summary, the present data demonstrate that adenosine acts as a potent renal vasoconstrictor in the conscious dog. The endogenous production of adenosine during short-lasting occlusions of the renal artery, however, appears to be too small to induce a post-occlusive vasoconstrictor response of RBF. These results suggest that a metabolic feedback with adenosine as ‘homeostatic metabolite’ is of minor importance in the short-term regulation of RBF in the conscious, unstressed animal