Finland’s readiness for comprehensive national defence

Finland has long been following the comprehensive security strategy creating a network of cooperation between authorities, businesses, organisations, and citizens. Its comprehensive approach to providing the population’s security is viewed as a model for Europe. Finland has become the leader in building national preparedness for contemporary challenges and threats. This preparedness is more than an approach, it is also an ability fostered by the whole society. Most importantly, such an approach is widely supported in society. This comprehensive approach to security makes it possible to maintain social functions, promote the well-being and security of citizens, and protect the nation’s independence. The aim of the article is to present the concept of national preparedness and to analyse practical ways of achieving comprehensive security in Finland

Regional variations of symptoms of the chronic venous disease among primary health care patients in Poland

Introduction. The diverse social and cultural contexts may cause differences in perceiving symptoms of the chronic venous disease (ChVD), not only in global, European terms, but also in a regional context. The purpose of the study was to find the regional differences of the reported symptoms and the applied conservative treatment methods among patients with ChVD diagnosed by the primary health care (PHC) doctors in Poland. Material and methods. 13 393 patients participated in the multi-centre PHLEBOS-2 research carried out by 330 PHC doctors in 15 voivodeships. Results. In the study group of patients, 31.9% of patients had ChVD symptoms – the C0 stage, telangiec­tasias and venulectasias (C1 stage) occurred among 56.1% of patients, varices without symptoms of venous insufficiency occurred among 6% of patients and venous insufficiency among 6% of patients. Venous ulcers (active or healed) occurred among 0.6% of subjects. Essential differences in the ChVD structure between voivodeships were noted. Among the most frequently reported ChVD ailments were heaviness of legs (72.9%), ankle swelling in the eve­nings (68.4%) and nighttime leg cramps (58.6%). Leg swelling during the night hours occurred less frequently — 39.8%, paraesthesias — 30.4%, restless legs syndrome — 18.6%. The average intensity of calf pain was moderate (3.82 ± 1.86 points in the 10 point scale). The territorial diversity in the prevalence of symptoms was significant and resulted neither from the ChVD seriousness, nor from the age of the patients. Compression therapy was applied on average by 12.5% of patients and 24.8% of patients used phlebotropic drugs with large territorial variations (respectively from 3.4% to 28.8% and from 11.2 to 56.1%). The differences between the voivodeships were greater than the regional differences and did not depend on the ChVD stage. Conclusions. There are significant territorial variations in Poland in the frequency of the reported symptoms and in the conservative therapy of the chronic venous disease

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in the diagnosis of orbital cavernous hemangioma

Background: Cavernous hemangiomas are among the most common benign neoplasms observed in the eye socket, making up 3-7% of all pathological orbital masses. Scintigraphy using 99mTc-labeled red blood cells is the currently approved method regarding liver hemangiomas. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the application of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-labeled RBCs is as useful in orbital hemangioma diagnostics as in evaluating liver hemangiomas. Case Report: SPECT diagnostics of the facial skeleton using 99mTc–labeled RBCs was carried out in two patients suspected of orbital hemangiomas. The erythrocytes were labeled by an in vivo method; 20 mCi (700 MBq) of 99mTc-pertechnetate was injected 20 minutes after intravenous application of pyrophosphate. SPECT of the facial skeleton with a one-head gamma camera was initiated 10 minutes after administering the radioisotope. Conclusions: SPECT with application of 99mTc-labeled RBCs might be a useful supplementary examination to US, CT, or MRI, especially with the use of fusion techniques (SPECT/MRI, SPECT/CT) in suspected orbital hemangiomas

Insight into the Binding and Hydrolytic Preferences of hNudt16 Based on Nucleotide Diphosphate Substrates

Nudt16 is a member of the NUDIX family of hydrolases that show specificity towards substrates consisting of a ucleoside diphosphate linked to another moiety X. Several substrates for hNudt16 and various possible biological functions have been reported. However, some of these reports contradict each other and studies comparing the substrate specificity of the hNudt16 protein are limited. Therefore, we quantitatively compared the affinity of hNudt16 towards a set of previously published substrates, as well as identified novel potential substrates. Here, we show that hNudt16 has the highest affinity towards IDP and GppG, with Kd below 100 nM. Other tested ligands exhibited a weaker affinity of several orders of magnitude. Among the investigated compounds, only IDP, GppG, m7GppG, AppA, dpCoA, and NADH were hydrolyzed by hNudt16 with a strong substrate preference for inosine or guanosine containing compounds. A new identified substrate for hNudt16, GppG, which binds the enzyme with an affinity comparable to that of IDP, suggests another potential regulatory role of this protein. Molecular docking of hNudt16-ligand binding inside the hNudt16 pocket revealed two binding modes for representative substrates. Nucleobase stabilization by Π stacking interactions with His24 has been associated with strong binding of hNudt16 substrates

Security theory and practice: Energy security and environmental/climate protection in the second decade of the 21st century: Development trends

ZE WSTĘPU: W niniejszym tomie podjęte zostały aktualne zagadnienia związane z wybranymi aspektami bezpieczeństwa ekologicznego (w ujęciu przedmiotowym i narodowym), jak również implikacjami powiązania kwestii ochrony środowiska i klimatu z rozwojem społeczno-ekonomicznym oraz polityką i bezpieczeństwem energetycznym

Meandry norweskiej europejskości

Norwegia jest częścią Europy, nie tylko geograficznie, ale również pod względem historycznym, finansowym i kulturowym. Unia Europejska jest najważniejszym partnerem handlowym tego państwa, a polityka UE ma wpływ na wiele sektorów życia norweskiego. Pomimo to Norwegowie dwukrotnie w referendum odrzucili członkostwo w Unii Europejskiej. Jest wiele powodów tej decyzji. Wśród nich najczęściej podkreślane — gospodarczy. Norwegowie nie chcą dzielić się zyskiem z połowu ryb, a tym bardziej surowcami naturalnymi. Ich gospodarka jest zdrowa i dobrze prosperuje, nie będąc częścią Unii Europejskiej. Norweska nieobecność w UE jest więc niczym innym, jak instynktem samozachowawczym, a eurosceptycyzm Norwegów jest oparty na przywiązaniu do autonomii.Meanders of Norwegian EuropeanismNorway is a part of Europe, not only geographically, but historically, financially and culturally. The European Union is the main trading partner of that country, and EU policies have an impact on many sectors of Norwegian life. Despite this, the Norwegians twice in a referendum rejected membership in the European Union. There are many reasons for this decision. Among them, the most stressed — economic reasons. Norwegians do not want to share profits from fishing, and, what is more, the extraction of natural resources. Norwegian economy is healthy and prospers well without being part of the European Union. Norwegian absence in the EU is therefore nothing other than self-preservation and Norwegians Euroscepticism is based on a commitment to autonomy. Norwegia jest częścią Europy, nie tylko geograficznie, ale również pod względem historycznym, finansowym i kulturowym. Unia Europejska jest najważniejszym partnerem handlowym tego państwa, a polityka UE ma wpływ na wiele sektorów życia norweskiego. Pomimo to Norwegowie dwukrotnie w referendum odrzucili członkostwo w Unii Europejskiej. Jest wiele powodów tej decyzji. Wśród nich najczęściej podkreślane — gospodarczy. Norwegowie nie chcą dzielić się zyskiem z połowu ryb, a tym bardziej surowcami naturalnymi. Ich gospodarka jest zdrowa i dobrze prosperuje, nie będąc częścią Unii Europejskiej. Norweska nieobecność w UE jest więc niczym innym, jak instynktem samozachowawczym, a eurosceptycyzm Norwegów jest oparty na przywiązaniu do autonomii.Meanders of Norwegian EuropeanismNorway is a part of Europe, not only geographically, but historically, financially and culturally. The European Union is the main trading partner of that country, and EU policies have an impact on many sectors of Norwegian life. Despite this, the Norwegians twice in a referendum rejected membership in the European Union. There are many reasons for this decision. Among them, the most stressed — economic reasons. Norwegians do not want to share profits from fishing, and, what is more, the extraction of natural resources. Norwegian economy is healthy and prospers well without being part of the European Union. Norwegian absence in the EU is therefore nothing other than self-preservation and Norwegians Euroscepticism is based on a commitment to autonomy

Territorial defence in the Nordic countries

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationObrona terytorialna w krajach nordyckich ma długą historię i odgrywa istotną rolę w systemach bezpieczeństwa tych krajów. Jest ona odrębnym rodzajem sił zbrojnych, tak więc jej obecność nie tylko uzupełnia i wzmacnia istniejące wojsko, ale wpływa na poprawę stanu bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego i zewnętrznego. Organizacja sił obrony terytorialnej jest mocno związana z narodowymi strategiami bezpieczeństwa oraz położeniem geopolitycznym krajów nordyckich. Kraje nordyckie rozwijają obronę terytorialną, jako kolejny, samodzielny rodzaj sił zbrojnych. Sukcesywnie wzmacniają one swoje Gwardie Krajowe, zarówno organizacyjnie, jak i finansowo. W efekcie mają bardzo silne struktury obrony terytorialnej.Territorial defence in the Nordic countries has a long history and plays an important role in the security systems of these countries. It is a separate kind of armed force, so its presence not only complements and strengthens the existing military, but also improves internal and external security. The organization of territorial defence forces is strongly linked to the national security strategies and the geopolitical position of the Nordic countries. Nordic countries are developing territorial defense as another independent type of armed force. They successively reinforce their Home Guard – organizationally and financially. As a result, they have very strong territorial defense structures

Rola policji w systemie ochrony ludności i zarządzania kryzysowego Islandii

Islandii po 2008 r. nastąpiła centralizacja i koordynacja sił i środków potrzebnych do ochrony ludności i bezpieczeństwa cywilnego. Obowiązki w zakresie ochrony ludności na szczeblu krajowym są delegowane na komendanta krajowego policji, który działa zgodnie z rządową polityką ochrony ludności i bezpieczeństwa. Niezawodność funkcjonowania systemu udało się uzyskać dzięki ścisłej współpracy urzędników wielu szczebli administracji rządowej i samorządowej, którą nadzoruje komendant krajowy policji

Nordic Model of Subregional Co-operation

Nordic co-operation is renowned throughout the world and perceived as the collaboration of a group of countries which are similar in their views and activities. The main pillars of the Nordic model of co-operation are the tradition of constitutional principles, activity of public movements and organisations, freedom of speech, equality, solidarity, and respect for the natural environment. In connection with labour and entrepreneurship, these elements are the features of a society which favours efficiency, a sense of security and balance between an individual and a group. Currently, the collaboration is a complex process, including many national, governmental and institutional connections which form the “Nordic family”

The Finnish concept of sustainable development in the light of Agenda 2030. Selected aspects

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationPrzekształcanie naszego świata: Agenda na Rzecz Zrównoważonego Rozwoju – 2030, zawierający 17 celów zrównoważonego rozwoju. Agenda określa wspólne cele dla wszystkich państw członkowskich ONZ. Odwołując się do długoletniej tradycji zrównoważonego rozwoju, Finlandia znajduje się wśród liderów we wdrażaniu Agendy 2030. Państwo to stworzyło model, który wzbudza powszechne zainteresowanie, a jego zasadniczym wyróżnikiem jest zobowiązanie społeczeństwa do zrównoważonego rozwoju. Procedura ta zapewnia organizacjom i aktywnym obywatelom możliwość samodzielnego dążenia do osiągnięcia celów zrównoważonego rozwoju. Jest to praktyczne i rzadkie narzędzie służące realizacji Agendy 2030 na poziomie krajowym.In September 2015 in New York, member states of the United Nations adopted the document „Transforming our world: Agenda for Sustainable Development – 2030”, containing 17 goals for sustainable development. The Agenda sets common goals for all UN member states. Finland wants to become a leader in implementing Agenda 2030, referring to a long tradition of sustainable development. The state has created a model that arouses general interest. Its main distinguishing feature is society’s commitment to sustainable development. This procedure provides organizations and active citizens with the opportunity to independently strive to achieve the goals of sustainable development. It is a practical and rare tool for serving implementation of the Agenda 2030 at the national level