Ucieczka od etymologii? Korpusowe studium polskich przysłówków wzmacniających

Using the Polish National Corpus (NKJP), the author discusses 31 Polish reinforcing adverbs to determine the degree of their semantic specificity and freedom of connection with adjectives. Empowering adverbs express the person’s judgement, attitudes, and emotions. The author shows that most of the reinforcing adverbs have not deviated from their etymology, even though they are considered synonyms of the word “very”: their etymological meanings influence the choice of the adjective. The most frequently reinforced adjectives in NKJP are “difficult”, “important” and “essential”.Używając Narodowego Korpusu Języka Polskiego (NKJP), autorka omawia 31 polskich przysłówków wzmacniających, aby określić stopień ich specyficzności semantycznej oraz dowolności łączenia się z przymiotnikami. Przysłówki wzmacniające wyrażają sądy, postawy i emocje osoby mówiącej. Autorka pokazuje, że większość przysłówków wzmacniających nie oddaliło się od swojej etymologii, mimo że są uważane za synonimy słowa bardzo: ich etymologiczne znaczenia wpływają na wybór przymiotnika. Najczęściej wzmacniane przymiotniki w NKJP to trudny, ważny i istotny

Self-selection and risk sharing in a modern world of lifelong annuities - Abstract of the London Discussion

This abstract relates to the following paper: Gerrard, R., Hiabu, M., Kyriakou, I. and Nielsen, J. P. (2018) Self-selection and risk sharing in a modern world of lifelong annuities ‐ Abstract of the London Discussion. British Actuarial Journal. Cambridge University Press, 23. doi: 10.1017/S135732171800020X

China vs. Itself. The Perpetual War Against Corruption

The compelling task of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the disasters of the Maoist regime was to reform both the economy and the instruments of government toward a set of far more effective institutions. Chinese governments and indeed all of China’s society had been perverted by the commune movement so that it was not until Mao died in 1976 that the successor political leadership could safely begin a purge of government structure, procedures and workforce. The CCP finally realized that it had created a monster – truly the worst government in the world. One of the great truths for the Chinese people is the fact that, whatever their dissatisfactions with their current government, everything – everything – was far worse under Mao.The Maoist mess existed at all government levels: national, provincial, township, county and municipality. Three things were critical: first, the amateur apparatus of communes, collectives, work brigades and so forth had quietly to be dismantled with a minimum of political turmoil. Second, thousands of local governments had to build up sturdier and more professional local administrations, capable of taking on a far more complex range of public responsibilities. But this had to be accomplished in a country in which few had an adequate education, and more than 80% were still illiterate. Third, the whole financial system of revenues, expenditures and management of the flow of funds had to be gotten under control

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Multidrug Resistance (MDR): Overview of Current Approaches, Consortia and Intellectual Property Issues

The supply of new diagnostics and treatments is insufficient to keep up with the increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR) as older medicines are used more widely and microbes develop resistance to them. At the same time, significant quantities of antibiotics are used on patients and animals that do not need them, while others who do need them lack access. Effective responses to AMR/MDR require effort by both the public and private sectors to develop and disseminate new diagnostics, vaccines and treatments on a global scale, as well as to adapt them to local needs. This calls for good governance to identify priorities, raise awareness and ensure effective stewardship at global, regional and national levels to minimize the development of resistance. Failure to act appropriately in one country will adversely impact all countries as resistance travels fast. Based on a review of recent literature, this WIPO Global Challenges Report includes a broad overview of current approaches and consortia designed to meet the challenge of research and development (R&D) investment for new treatments. It also examines patent applications by both the public and the private sectors as an indicator of innovative activity. This report finds that there is a need to address the unique market challenges and specific uncertainties associated with the development of new diagnostics and treatments, where current approaches are not optimal. An effective global framework that achieves the necessary political support while ensuring effective local implementation is crucial. There is an opportunity to complement this work by formulating mechanisms that drive innovation for results to incentivize success, while feeding expertise and experience into stewardship and access efforts. Intellectual property (IP) could be used in a constructive manner as one element in any reward or prize system for AMR/MDR R&D – both in terms of providing an incentive and governance