The Revision of the Insurance Mediation Rules at EU Level and its Impact on Consumer Protection

The European Commission has put forward a new proposal for a directive on insurance mediation which should provide for significant changes in practices of selling insurance products and guarantee enhanced level of consumer protection. This proposal accompanies other regulatory initiatives in the insurance sector, all of them pursuing three main objectives: firstly, a strengthened insurance supervision with convergent supervisory standards at EU level; secondly, a better risk management of insurance companies; and thirdly a greater protection of policyholders. All these initiatives contribute to the EU programme on consumer protection and herald a new approach to EU insurance regulation and supervision. However, while the new supervisory rules are a direct response to the financial crisis and shortcomings of crossborder cooperation between national supervisors, the plans for the revision of insurance mediation rules were conceived much earlier due to scandals with mis-selling of insurance products in the United States and some EU Member States. This article will focus entirely on the Commission’s initiative in the consumer mediation area and the aspects of insurance supervision and risk management will be dealt with in separate articles

Wartość autoteliczna czy instrumentalna? Rola studiów doktoranckich w opinii kierowników studiów i doktorantów

The discussed in the article issues of the significance of doctoral studies are becoming part of a wider economic, political and social international context. A particularly important factor here is the expectations of the labour market determined by contemporary developmental processes and a need to accommodate to challenges of the global competition, the growth in importance of new technologies, as well as growing classification and competence requirements. The purpose of the article is a reconstruction of the role of doctoral studies in Poland, both from the perspective of doctoral faculty advisors, and doctoral students. The authors are answering the question how much the value of doctoral studies is determined as autotelic, and how much as instrumental. Reconstructing the role and the significance of doctoral studies, the authors are using the results of their own research, including, among others, the analysis of motives for starting doctoral studies, as well as the evaluation of their usefulness. On the basis of this research a typology of doctoral students, in which attitudes towards doctoral studies were taken into account, was established. First, the authors are presenting the results of individual, deepened interviews, conducted with managers of doctoral studies at three leading Warsaw universities, next - with doctoral students. The comparison of statements of persons representing universities with views of doctoral students allowed to determine whether the visions of doctoral studies of these two groups representing the supply side (managers) and the demand side (doctoral students) are similar.Podejmowana w artykule problematyka znaczenia studiów doktoranckich wpisuje się w szerszy międzynarodowy kontekst gospodarczy, polityczny i społeczny. Szczególnie ważnym czynnikiem są tu oczekiwania rynku pracy wyznaczone przez współczesne procesy rozwojowe i konieczność dostosowania się do wyzwań globalnej konkurencji, wzrostu znaczenia nowych technologii, a także rosnących wymagań kwalifikacyjnych i kompetencyjnych. Celem artykuły jest rekonstrukcja roli studiów doktoranckich w Polsce zarówno z perspektywy kierowników studiów doktoranckich, jak i doktorantów. Autorki odpowiadają na pytanie, jak dalece wartość studiów doktoranckich określana jest jako autoteliczna, a jak bardzo jako instrumentalna. Rekonstruując rolę i znaczenie studiów doktoranckich autorki posługują się wynikami badań własnych, których przedmiotem była między innymi analiza motywów podjęcia studiów doktoranckich, jak i ocena ich przydatności. Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań powstała typologia doktorantów, w której wyróżniono postawy wobec studiów doktoranckich. W pierwszej kolejności autorki przedstawiają wyniki indywidualnych wywiadów pogłębionych, przeprowadzonych z kierownikami studiów doktoranckich na trzech wiodących warszawskich uczelniach, w drugiej – z doktorantami. Porównanie wypowiedzi osób reprezentujących uczelnie z poglądami doktorantów pozwoliło określić, czy podobne są wizje studiów doktoranckich tych dwóch grup reprezentujących stronę podaży (kierownicy) i popytu (doktoranci)

Civil Society in the 'Visegrad Four': Data and Literature in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia

The first of three publications on the '25 Years After -- Mapping Civil Society in the Visegrád Four' project contains an overview of existing data and literature in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. It looks at where and what kind of research on civil society has been and is being done, who is doing it and where the gaps are.To be consistent and comparable, the four country reports include the same core sections: relevant publications on civil society in the respective country; existing databases and other data sources; active centres of research, training, and policy studies. More than providing just a list, this report looks at how they can be evaluated in terms of scope, accurateness and depth. Finally, it considers the question of what the most crucial gaps in research and funding in the countries are.An academic volume is slated for the end of 2014. For other publications in English and German, see www.maecenata.eu

Biodegradation and biotransformation of polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

In recent years the increased use of polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has resulted in their presence in the environment. This in turn may cause potential negative effects on living organisms. While the biotransformation mechanisms of polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the human body and in other mammals have been extensively studied, degradation of these drugs by microorganisms has seldom been investigated and is largely unknown. Biotransformation/biodegradation of polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is caused by fungal microorganisms, mainly white-rot fungi, and a few strains of bacteria. However, hitherto only complete degradation of olsazine was described. The first step of the transformation is most often hydroxylation catalyzed by cytochrom P-450 monooxygenases, or oxygenation by laccases and three peroxidases: lignin peroxidase, manganese-dependent peroxidase and versatile peroxidase manganese-dependent peroxidase. The aim of this work is to summarize the knowledge about the biotransformation and/or biodegradation of polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and to present their biotransformation pathways

Propos des musiciens montagnards du Beskide silésien (Pologne)

Les musiciens du Beskide silésien, petite région montagnarde située au sud de la Silésie en Pologne, sont marqués par la culture des Carpates. Leur identité est très forte et ils attachent beaucoup d’importance dans leurs propos à la tradition qu’ils imaginent « très ancienne », transmise par leurs pères. Pour eux, la fête ne va pas sans musique dont ils ont une conception syncrétique ; il s’agit d’un mélange de mélodies vocales, instrumentales et de danse. La musique, indépendamment de l’argent qu’elle permet de rapporter grâce aux touristes, est surtout un moyen de reconnaissance sociale, d’affirmation de sa supériorité individuelle, familiale et régionale. Leurs discours sur leurs instruments de musique, leur fabrication, la difficulté de les accorder et d’en jouer, est aussi un moyen de se singulariser et de se valoriser. Enfin, leurs témoignages mettent en avant la dimension sociale de la musique, à la fois dans sa création et dans sa pratique.Musicians from Beskydy, which is a small mountainous region situated in the southern part of Silesia in Poland, have been deeply influenced by Carpatian culture. They have a strong sense of identity and attach a great deal of importance to what they regard as the ancient traditions handed down by their forefathers. For them, there is no celebration without music of which they have a syncretic conception. What we are referring to here, is a mixture of vocal melodies, instrumentals and dance. Apart from income stemming from the tourist trade, music is mainly a source of social recognition, of individual, family and regional « superiority ». Discourse regarding their instruments, their making, the complexities of tuning them, the difficulty of playing them well, are all ways of enabling individuals to stand out from the crowd and of increasing the esteem in which they themselves are held. Finally, their testimonies highlight the social role and importance of music both in its creation and performance

Right to Privacy in the Context of the Privacy Paradox and Data Collection Patterns: Exploratory Study of Polish Facebook Users

Dark patterns in online data gathering infringe on citizens' right to privacy and create a profound imbalance of power between citizens of digitalizing societies and institutional actors. In effect, even when users declare their concern about privacy, this attitude is often not reflected in actions. In the study reported here we found that Facebook users indeed perceive an imbalance of control over privacy: they feel it is their responsibility to protect it but at the same time they feel that they are less capable to fulfil this task than institutional actors. We also found that privacy concerns were a good predictor of actual effects of privacy protective behaviors, while at the same time they did not correlate with declarations about privacy protection, which suggest a need for careful measurement of such constructs. Our results are a first step towards a comprehensive research agenda on individuals’ attitudes towards institutional privacy

Bacillus thuringiensis B1(2015b) is a gram-positive bacteria able to degrade naproxen and ibuprofen

A Gram-positive bacterium, designated as strain B1(2015b), was isolated from the soil of the chemical factory BOrganika-Azot^ in Jaworzno, Poland. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolated strain was classified as a Bacillus thuringiensis species. Strain B1(2015b) is able to degrade ibuprofen and naproxen, however, these compounds are not sufficient carbon sources for this strain. In the presence of glucose, Bacillus thuringiensis B1(2015b) degrades ibuprofen and naproxen with higher efficiency. Twenty milligrams per liter of ibuprofen was degraded within 6 days and 6 mg l−1 of naproxen was removed within 35 days. Simultaneously, the growth of the bacterial culture was observed. The obtained results suggest that Bacillus thuringiensis B1(2015b) appears to be a powerful and useful tool in the bioremediation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-contaminated environment

« Musée vivant » de Silésie

En Europe Centrale, dans l’extrême sud de la Silésie polonaise, se trouve le Beskide silésien, un terrain montagneux faisant partie de la chaîne des Carpates. Habité par un groupe autochtone de montagnards très attachés à leur passé et fiers de leurs traditions musicales, ce petit territoire isolé possède ses lieux de mémoire collective. Parmi ceux-ci, il y a à Istebna un « musée vivant » tenu par une musicienne-poétesse détentrice des traditions familiales locales. En accueillant le visiteur dans sa vieille maison, elle lui fait vivre un moment d’échange en lui faisant voir ses instruments de musique, entendre ses récits vécus et interpréter avec passion quelques mélodies silésiennes. Guidé et initié à des éléments de la culture des Carpates, le visiteur découvre que l’action du musée s’inscrit également dans un espace plus ouvert de rencontres interculturelles en plein air, organisées chaque année à Wisla non loin d’Istebna, et fondées sur le partage du plaisir musical, où on lui réserve une place de participant. Grâce à cette stratégie, ce petit musée de société, local dans son projet, s’ouvre, par la musique, sur le monde

On the Need To Protect Cemeteries and Memorials in Europe : The Perspective of the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and Hungarian and Polish Regulations

The issue of the protection of cemeteries and memorials is fundamental from a legal and historical perspective because it often touches on sensitive issues of complex and tragic past events. However, it is imperative that the remem- brance of burial sites and memorials is nurtured and protected. This involves two aspects. The first is the personal well-being of relatives who are buried at a particular place or whose memory is cultivated at a particular place. The second concerns the sense of identity of a given people and awareness of their traditions, cultural values, and history. Therefore, it seems necessary to reflect on the extent to which international instruments, such as the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, support the protection of cemeteries and places of remembrance. It is also necessary to analyze the interactions between international regulations and national law solutions. Finally, it is worth considering whether this twofold nature of protection is compelling or requires the formulation of de lege ferenda conclusions for both or one of the systems