Solidarische Ökonomie als alternatives lateinamerikanisches und europäisches Wirtschaftsmodell

Zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts, an dem wir eine Reihe von global auftretenden Krisen (wie zum Beispiel die Wirtschafts-, die Finanz-, Ressourcen-, Umwelt- oder Klimawandelkrise) erleben, stellt sich automatisch die Frage nach der Überwindung dieses Zustands. Gefragt wird auch nach Mitteln und Werten, anhand derer die Menschen agieren bzw. sich orientieren sollen. Ereignisse wie die Prekarisierung der Arbeitsverhältnisse und die immer weiter wachsende Kluft zwischen Armen und Reichen erfordern auch Überlegungen zur Neugestaltung der Verhältnisse in der Gesellschaftsstruktur. Neben den staatlichen Maßnahmen zur Bewältigung der Krise, die man als solche „von oben― verstehen kann, kann man immer öfter so genannte Selbsthilfe-Initiativen, die „von unter― passieren, beobachten. Als Beispiel für solche Praktiken kann Solidarische Ökonomie dienen. Diese alternative Wirtschaftsform, die ihre Ursprünge in Lateinamerika hat, konzentriert sich auf das Prinzip der Solidarität. Auf dem Subkontinent werden Ihre Praktiken sogar in die politische Praxis übertragen, in Europa beziehen sie sich vor allem auf Initiativen, die durch gemeinschaftliche Zusammenarbeit, welche in erster Linie Grundbedürfnisse decken soll, den Verzicht auf Kommerz praktizieren. In beiden Fällen besitzen die solidarisch-ökonomischen Tätigkeiten Traditionen auf beiden Kontinenten anhand derer ihre Besonderheiten analysiert werden können. Solidarische Ökonomie als eine Wirtschaftsform, die die menschliche Zusammenarbeit unter den Bedingungen des Mitbestimmungsrechts und eines nachhaltigen Bewusstseins unterstützt, kann also als eine Alternative verstanden werden und zu einem gutem Leben beitragen

Influence of a lower content of energy in the ration on blood biochemical profile and selected hormones concentration in bulls

The purpose of the study was to examine the blood biochemical profile and selected hormones content in Black-and-White Polish Holstein-Fresian bulls (PHF) and crossbreds obtained from PHF dams sired by Limousine (PHFxLM), on different date during the experiment. Animals in group: I (PHF) and III (PHFxLM) over 63 days prior to slaughter were provided with the ration energy limited to 80% of the maintenance requirement. Until slaughter the bulls in group II (PHF) and IV (PHFxLM) were receiving a balanced ration. Blood from all the animals was collected three times. The date of blood collection during the experiment did not have a significant effect on the content of total protein, albumin, triglyceride and alanine aminotransferase activity (ALT) as well as the insulin and triiodothyronine (T3) content. Significant increase in the level of glucose in group II and IV, HDL and urea in III and activity of AST in all groups in 14th (B) and 70th (C) day of experiment occurred. Significant decrease of thyroxine (T4) was found in all animals. The analyses of total blood plasma cholesterol initially showed decrease and then significant increase

Adipocyte extracellular matrix composition, dynamics and role in obesity

The central role of the adipose tissue in lipid metabolism places specific demands on the cell structure of adipocytes. The protein composition and dynamics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is of crucial importance for the functioning of those cells. Adipogenesis is a bi-phasic process in which the ECM develops from a fibrillar to a laminar structure as cells move from the commitment phase to the growth phase characterized by storage of vast amounts of triglycerides. Mature adipocytes appear to spend a lot of energy on the maintenance of the ECM. ECM remodeling is mediated by a balanced complement of constructive and destructive enzymes together with their enhancers and inhibitors. ECM remodeling is an energy costing process regulated by insulin, by the energy metabolism, and by mechanical forces. In the obese, overgrowth of adipocytes may lead to instability of the ECM, possibly mediated by hypoxia

The Immune System in Stroke

Stroke represents an unresolved challenge for both developed and developing countries and has a huge socio-economic impact. Although considerable effort has been made to limit stroke incidence and improve outcome, strategies aimed at protecting injured neurons in the brain have all failed. This failure is likely to be due to both the incompleteness of modelling the disease and its causes in experimental research, and also the lack of understanding of how systemic mechanisms lead to an acute cerebrovascular event or contribute to outcome. Inflammation has been implicated in all forms of brain injury and it is now clear that immune mechanisms profoundly influence (and are responsible for the development of) risk and causation of stroke, and the outcome following the onset of cerebral ischemia. Until very recently, systemic inflammatory mechanisms, with respect to common comorbidities in stroke, have largely been ignored in experimental studies. The main aim is therefore to understand interactions between the immune system and brain injury in order to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Recent data from clinical and experimental research clearly show that systemic inflammatory diseases -such as atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes or infection - similar to stress and advanced age, are associated with dysregulated immune responses which can profoundly contribute to cerebrovascular inflammation and injury in the central nervous system. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the field of inflammation and stroke, focusing on the challenges of translation between pre-clinical and clinical studies, and potential anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory therapeutic approaches

"The Smartest Place: 3D Innovation" (pol. Inteligentna przestrzen trzeci wymiar innowacyjnosci")

"Smartest Place: 3D innovation" is an attempt to present the perspective of smart growth and smarter cities, which together form the material reality of urban spaces. The title contains connotations of innovation, material space around human and vicious SMART. Recalled acronym refers to different scale in meanings, because the concept of "smart growth" has a broad, regional dimension; "smarter city" presents city scale, while the smartest place has its local community dimension relating to everyday landscape, and therefore - architectural scale. 3D innovation has the clear space connotations, especially since the main consideration is shaping material reality of physical landscape around us, which should have an impact on human creativity / innovation. What is so the smartest place that combines the creativity of the human and material reality? The book begins with smart growth definitions which attempt to clarify how the adaptability of pro-innovation policies stimulating innovation (socio-economic dimension through the concept of smarter city and on the individual by stimulating creativity of residents) can help in the renewal of European cities. Smarter City, which is based on instrumentation–interconnection–intelligence of cities, is aimed not only on achieving their climate responsibility, but on the formation of “smarter community”: creative and able to absorb innovation in everyday life as well. The effectiveness of these strategies is evaluated through selected indicators describing urban changes phenomena, which compared allows you to assess “smartness” in selected European cities. The suburbanization processes are dictated by the will to escape from the feeling of shattered balance between nature and civilization, so counteracting this natural need creates asymmetry of the cognitive mechanism of the man, imbalance between his emotional and rational spheres…and can block human creativity in effect. Smarter City has impact on urban changes and, from the point of view of psychical human needs, it influences upon loose of human creativeness. The aspirations to the innovation, which is crucial element of European Strategy 2020, should be thus complemented by idea, helping to achieve creativity by pointing the activities in everyday spaces. Smartest Place Concept identifies a set of actions stimulating creativity in users of given space on three planes: common plane of values; feeling of human needs fulfillment (subjective well-being); and stimulating of creativity psycho-physical base in human. Described set of necessary actions to boost creativity with reference to the material space constitutes third dimension of innovation. All three together: smart growth, smarter city and smartest place concept shape the space at the local scale, which represents the most complete link between human creativity and space

Smart growth - is it a fairy tale or the best initiative for Polish cities and their functional regions?

Smart growth can be perceived as natural step in sustainable development understanding, combining sustainability with optimalization of urban processes within cities and their functional regions. On one hand, the integrated planning in Smart growth can be identified in smart grids, smart buildings and smarter cities concept finally, proving that smart growth is a kind of evolutionary process. On the other, both processes of European cohesion and smart growth itself will determine European Union future expressed in Horizon 2020. It is interesting whether they will overlap to create NEW quality of accepted smart strategy for European future