The Euro as a Reserve Currency

There has been an unusual accumulation of foreign exchange reserves in recent years. Central banks have to diversify their reserves away from the US dollar, especially towards the euro. The same situation is in a private sector, where investors reduce the share of dollar denominated assets. This process has progressed gradually, but it is possible that the euro’s role as a reserve currency will continue to increase. The purpose of this article is to define an international currency and its functions, first of all as a reserve currency. Furthermore, this paper shows factors which, influence on country’s choices between specific currencies as their reserve assets. The US dollar holdings position is still much stronger than the euro’s one, and the aim of this article is to present how great this difference is

Job stress and mortality in older age

Objectives: This paper aims to assess the relationship between the determinants of the psychosocial work environment, as expressed in terms of JDC or ERI models, and all-cause mortality in older individuals. Materials and Methods: The baseline study was conducted on a cohort comprising a random sample of 65-year-old community-dwelling citizens of Kraków, Poland. All of the 727 participants (410 women, 317 men) were interviewed in their households in the period between 2001 and 2003; a structured questionnaire was used regarding their occupational activity history, which included indexes measuring particular dimensions of their psychosocial work environment based on Karasek's Job Demand-Control model and Siegrist's Effort-Reward Imbalance model, as well as health-related quality of life and demographic data. Mortality was ascertained by monitoring City Vital Records for 7 years. Analyses were conducted separately for men and women, with the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. Results: During a 7-year follow-up period, 59 participants (8.1%) died, including 21 women (5.1% of total women) and 38 men (12%) (p < 0.05). Significant differences in the number of deaths occurred regarding disproportion between physical demands and control in men: those with low physical demands and low control died three times more often than those with high control, regardless of the level of demands. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that significantly higher risk of death was observed only in men with low physical demands and low control, compared to those with low physical demands and high control (Exp(B) = 4.65, 95% CI: 1.64-13.2). Conclusions: Observed differences in mortality patterns are similar to the patterns of relationships observed in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) level at the beginning of old age; however, the relationship between efforts and rewards or demands and control and mortality was not fully confirmed

ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS AS SIMPLE AND CHEAP DEVICES FOR RAPID DETERMINATION OF VARIOUS SPECIES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES

The electrochemical methods are very good tool for determination of trace concentrations of various species in water samples. The analysis carried out using these methods are usually simple, fast and also the cost of the required equipment is much lower comparing to other instrumental methods. Furthermore, the electroanalytical methods are easy to automate and computerize. Among five major groups of these methods (potentiometry, voltammetry, coulometry, conductometry and dielectrometry), potentiometry and voltammetry attract the greatest attention of researchers. In this paper, experimental results of research related to development of procedures (voltammetric and potentiometric) for the determination of elements in environmental water samples were presented. Due to their common occurrence in environment and possible toxic effects on living organisms, vanadium and nitrate ions were selected for investigation. Optimization of voltammetric procedure for V(V) determination were carried out in matrix containing different surfactants and humic acids, using lead film electrode as a working electrode. Results showed that only nonionic surfactant Brij-35 did not interfere with the voltammetric signal. Other surfactants as well as humic acids reduced the signal, and possibility of their elimination with suitable resins were also investigated. Potentiometric measurements were consisted of preparation and determination of analytical properties of nitrate ion-selective electrodes with solid contact. The results showed that among three different membrane composition, the best response was achieved by membrane containing: Ni(Phen)2, THTDPCl, PVC and NPOE in the ratio of 1:2:33:64 wt. %, respectively. With the detection limit of 2.8 × 10^-6 mol L^-1, the working concentration range from 5 × 10^-5 to 1 × 10^-1 mol L-1 and a slope of -55.1 mV per decade, this electrode showed good selectivity to sulfate, acetate, carbonate, dihydrogen phosphate, fluoride and chloride ions, and also good potential reversibility

CINiBA jako przestrzeń dialogu : działalność wystawiennicza biblioteki

Działalność wystawiennicza Centrum Informacji Naukowej i Biblioteki Akademickiej – „biblioteki otwartej” jest istotną częścią kulturotwórczej aktywności książnicy. W szkicu zaprezentowano projekty CINiB-y eksponowane w latach 2011-2020. Celem artykułu jest zaakcentowanie różnorodności przedstawionych w Centrum wystaw. Szkic stanowi swoistego rodzaju studium przypadku. Wśród omówionych prac znajdują się zarówno inicjatywy autorskie biblioteki, jak i te współorganizowane z innymi instytucjami. Działalność wystawiennicza Centrum wzbogaca życie intelektualne i towarzyskie regionu, a sama biblioteka staje się przestrzenią szeroko rozumianego dialogu

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.This study was funded by: - The UK Medical Research Council (grant number MR/V034057/1) - The Wellcome Trust (Pathways to Equitable Healthy Cities grant 209376/Z/17/Z). - The AstraZeneca Young Health Programme and the European Commission (STOP project through EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement 774548)

The linguistic picture of the Polish history

This work addresses the problem of cabaret groups and sketches. First of all, it describes and analyses the linguistic picture of the Polish history, including Polish stereotypes (e.g. the stereotype of a German or Russian person), in sketches of modern cabaret groups. This article presents the linguistic methods of creating a comic interpretation of history used by the authors of sketches. As a result of data analysis, three kinds of sketches are distinguished: historical ones, sketches based on convention, and manners sketches

Znaczenie różnic kulturowych w biznesie międzynarodowym

Aim: The aim of this study is to systematize the knowledge on the characteristics and classification of cultures, which will allow national representatives to be assigned to their respective types of cultures, and to present the characteristics of selected countries in some business areas.Design / Research Method: The applied research method is the analysis of the literature in the field of cross-cultural determinants of business and the description of the findings observed and analyzed in theprocess of deductive conclusions.Conclusions / findings: The main conclusion of the research is confirming the view that cultural differences in today's global economy can significantly affect the business in an international context. In order to eliminate or actually to minimize the cultural factor of entrepreneurs, those operating on the international market should diagnose the culture of the country with which they will enter into business relationships and they should develop strategies in different markets taking into account the diagnosis made.Originality / value of the paper: The paper is a voice in the scientific discussion on the impact of cultural differences on international business; it can provide guidance and inspiration for entrepreneurs, helping them to understand the complexity of the issue, and for students interested in cultural diversity and its impact on business. The paper comprehensively connects the characteristics of national cultures with different areas of international business and shows the relationship and complexity of the issue. Such a presentation of the problem shows how important it is to know these differences for proper management of the company.Implications of the research: This paper focuses on the overall functioning of the company on the international market and discusses the cultural differences associated with the negotiation process. It may be the beginning of further research related to cross-cultural communication and management of transnational corporations and international marketing.Cel: Celem niniejszego opracowania jest systematyzacja wiedzy na temat charakterystyki i podziałukultur, która pozwoli na przyporządkowanie przedstawicieli poszczególnych państw do odpowiednichdla nich rodzajów kultur oraz przedstawienie cech charakterystycznych dla wybranych państw wniektórych obszarach biznesowych.Metodyka badań: Zastosowana metoda badawcza to analiza literatury z zakresu międzykulturowychuwarunkowań biznesu oraz opis zaobserwowanych i przeanalizowanych w procesie dedukcjiwniosków.Wnioski: Głównym wnioskiem badań jest potwierdzenie tezy, że różnice kulturowe we współczesnejgospodarce światowej mogą w znaczący sposób wpływać na biznes w kontekście międzynarodowym.W celu wyeliminowania, a raczej zminimalizowania czynnika kulturowego przedsiębiorcy działającyna rynku międzynarodowym powinni dokonać rozpoznania kultury kraju, z którym będą wchodzić wrelacje biznesowe oraz powinni opracować strategie działania na różnych rynkach, uwzględniającdokonane rozpoznanie.Wartość artykułu: Artykuł jest głosem w dyskusji naukowej na temat wpływu różnic kulturowych nabiznes międzynarodowy, może stanowić źródło wskazówek i inspiracji dla przedsiębiorców,pomagając zrozumieć złożoność zagadnienia, oraz dla studentów zainteresowanych kwestiami różnickulturowych i ich wpływu na biznes. Artykuł w sposób kompleksowy łączy charakterystykę kulturnarodowych z różnymi obszarami biznesu międzynarodowego oraz pokazuje powiązania i złożonośćzagadnienia. Taka prezentacja problemu wskazuje, jak ważna jest znajomość różnic kulturowych wodpowiednim zarządzaniu przedsiębiorstwem.Implikacje badań: Artykuł koncentruje się na ogólnym funkcjonowaniu przedsiębiorstwa na rynkumiędzynarodowym i omawia w szczególności różnice kulturowe związane z procesem negocjowania.Jednocześnie może być początkiem dalszych badań związanych z komunikacją międzykulturową,zarządzaniem w korporacjach transnarodowych i marketingiem międzynarodowym

The Euro as a Reserve Currency

There has been an unusual accumulation of foreign exchange reserves in recent years. Central banks have to diversify their reserves away from the US dollar, especially towards the euro. The same situation is in a private sector, where investors reduce the share of dollar denominated assets. This process has progressed gradually, but it is possible that the euro’s role as a reserve currency will continue to increase. The purpose of this article is to define an international currency and its functions, first of all as a reserve currency. Furthermore, this paper shows factors which, influence on country’s choices between specific currencies as their reserve assets. The US dollar holdings position is still much stronger than the euro’s one, and the aim of this article is to present how great this difference is

The Use of a Solid Bismuth Microelectrode for Vanadium Quantification by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry in Environmental Water Samples

This paper presents for the first time the use of an environmentally friendly solid bismuth microelectrode for the voltammetric quantification of V(V) in natural water samples. These studies were designed to replace the film bismuth electrode that had been introduced to eliminate the conventional sensors based on highly toxic mercury. In the proposed procedure, V(V) is preconcentrated at the solid bismuth microelectrode surface via the formation of electroactive complexes with cupferron from a solution of 0.1-mol L&minus;1 acetate buffer, pH = 4.6 at a potential of &minus;0.4 V. The linearity of the calibration graph is in the V(V) concentration range from 8 &times; 10&minus;10 to 1 &times; 10&minus;7 mol L&minus;1 with a preconcentration time of 1 min. The limit of detection (calculated as 3 &sigma;) is 2.5 &times; 10&minus;10 mol L&minus;1 for a preconcentration time of 1 min. It was also demonstrated that significant improvement in analytical parameters was achieved as a result of the activation of the solid electrode surface at a potential of &minus;2.5 V for 2 s. The developed procedure is highly selective for the presence of foreign ions and organic compounds in tested samples. The accuracy of the recommended procedure was checked using SPS-WW1 waste water-certified reference materials of a complex composition, in which the concentration of V(V) determined by the proposed method was 95.1 &plusmn; 1.6 ng mL&minus;1. Moreover, in keeping with the outlined procedure, river, tap and rain water samples were analyzed without any pretreatment, and recovery values from 96% to 106% were obtained