Transaction Costs and Export Intensification – The Cases of Poland and Hungary

The purpose of this paper is to explain if and how foreign sales are affected by the level of transaction costs within industries in Poland and Hungary. The main hypotheses reflect the potential correlation for different types of industries. The paper attempts to transfer the notion of transaction costs, originally applied at the micro-perspective level, to the analysis of industries using a mesoeconomic perspective. We argue that transactions cost levels influence the overall willingness to expand abroad. While there has been much research carried out in the area of export intensification of particular companies, few empirical studies can be found concerning entire industries

Types of hazel (Corylus spp.) and alder (Alnus spp.) pollen seasons in Sosnowiec 1997-2007 (Poland)

This paper investigates pollen seasons for Corylus spp. and Alnus spp. for the years 1997-2007 in Sosnowiec, southern Poland. The research was conducted by means of the volumetric method using a Burkard-type spore trap. The duration of pollen seasons was determined by means of the 98% method. The aim of this study was to distinguish the types of the course of hazel and alder pollen seasons using cluster analysis, including non-hierarchical clustering of multi-feature objects - k-means clustering. The pollen seasons were divided into five types because of considerable variations from one year to another. For both taxons one dominant type was found, which was characterized by a very long period of compact pollen release with low values of the pollen count and by the occurrence of several maximums divided by periods of a lower pollen count. This work contains only a preliminary analysis on the types of pollen seasons because of relatively short data set. Future research on a larger series of measurements should be proved

The influence of meteorological factors on the hazel (corylus l.) pollen concentration in Sosnowiec in the years 1997-2007

An analysis of hazel pollen seasons in Sosnowiec was presented on the basis of data from the years 1997-2007. The research was conducted by means of the volumetric method using a Burkard-type spore trap. The duration of pollen seasons was determined by means of the 98% method. The research demonstrated statistically significant correlations between the average, maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity as well as the number of days with sub-zero temperature and the beginning of the hazel pollen season. It was demonstrated that the duration of the pollen season depended on air relative humidity, insolation and precipitation during the season and the annual sum depended on the weather conditions of the year preceding pollen production and also the weather conditions two years earlier. Significant correlations were also found between weather conditions and the daily concentration of pollen grains. The daily concentration decreased when relative humidity was high and increased with high insolation and air temperature

The Offstage of Democracy: The Problem of Social Dialogue in John Dewey’s and Walter Lippmann’s Writings

The aim of this article is to present and discuss John Dewey’s and Walter Lippmann’s views on the problem of communication in a democratic society, particularly their views on the question of a role of communication in forming social processes. First part of the paper outlines the framework of this problem and its meaning to the question of possibility of democracy. Part two is concerned with anthropological and socio-political considerations: I discuss the Deweyan and the Lippmannian understanding of individual, society, intelligence and democracy. In part three I examine in detail the problem of communication, with special attention given to the questions of the role of communication in forming social processes, the foundations and conditions of communication, the debaters, and a subject matter of a debate as well as the questions of who and what forms this debate and whether we can form it altogether.Celem niniejszego artykułu jest prezentacja i omówienie poglądów Johna Deweya i Waltera Lippmanna na problem komunikacji w społeczeństwie demokratycznym, a w szczególności na kwestię roli, jaką pełni ona w kształtowaniu procesów społecznych. W części pierwszej nakreślam ramy owej problematyki i jej znaczenie dla pytania o możliwość demokracji. Część drugą stanowią rozważania z zakresu antropologii oraz filozofii społeczno-politycznej; omawiam w niej Deweyowskie i Lippmannowskie rozumienie jednostki, społeczeństwa, inteligencji oraz demokracji. W części trzeciej rozważam szczegółowo problem komunikacji, a zwłaszcza pytania o rolę komunikacji w kształtowaniu procesów społecznych, o podstawy i warunki komunikacji, o uczestników oraz przedmiot debaty społecznej, o to, kto i co nadaje owej debacie kształt, a także pytanie o to, czy i na ile możemy ową debatę kształtować

Współistnienie choroby Addisona z niedoborem kortykotropiny z towarzyszącą przysadkową opornością na CRH — opis przypadku

A 36-year-old woman was found to have a low morning ACTH concentration despite a history of Addison’s disease. Past medical history: At the age of 23 years the subject developed Graves’s disease, which was treated with radioiodine. At about the same time, she claimed to have two episodes of pancreatitis treated with cholecystectomy. About seven months later she was euthyroid on L-thyroxine (TSH 1.51 mIU/mL) but was admitted with hypotension, hyponatraemia (sodium 109 mmol/L), and low morning cortisol (119 nmol/L). Further investigations confirmed primary adrenal failure with ACTH concentration of 779 pg/mL (ref. range 0–60) prior to the dose of hydrocortisone. About nine years later she complained about tiredness. Clinically she was normotensive and not pigmented. BMI 22.3 kg/m2. Periods were regular. ACTH concentration was surprisingly low (ACTH 8.53 pg/mL, ref. range 0–46), despite very low cortisol (3.37 nmol/L). She was admitted for further assessment. Investigations: Pituitary MRI scan was unremarkable. An insulin tolerance test was performed and showed a clear increase of ACTH (from 15.2 to 165 pg/mL). There was, however, hardly any increase of ACTH after CRH stimulation (from 6.05 pg/mL to 10.2 pg/mL), thus demonstrating central CRH resistance. In summary, this patient developed secondary adrenal failure in the setting of previous Addison’s disease. Interestingly, hypoglycaemia (but not CRH) provided a stimulus for ACTH release, thus demonstrating CRH resistance. The case confirms that besides CRH, other factors are responsible for stimulation of the ACTH-cortisol axis during insulin tolerance test.Prezentujemy przypadek 36-letniej pacjentki z chorobą Addisona, u której stwierdzono niskie poranne stężenie ACTH. Wywiad chorobowy: w wieku 23 lat pacjentka była poddana radiojodoterapii z powodu choroby Gravesa i Basedowa. Siedem miesięcy póź­niej została przyjęta do szpitala z powodu hipotonii z towarzyszącą hiponatremią (sód 109 mmol/l) i niskim porannym stężeniem kortyzolu (119 nmol/l). Dalsze badania potwierdziły rozpoznanie pierwotnej niewydolności kory nadnerczy. Oznaczone wówczas stężenie ACTH było wysokie i wynosiło 779 pg/ml (N: 0–60 pg/ml). Dziewięć lat później pacjentka została przyjęta do kliniki z powodu znacznego osłabienia. W badaniu przedmiotowym nie obserwowano ciemnego zabarwienia skóry, wartości ciśnienia tętniczego były prawidłowe. BMI wynosiło 22,3 kg/m2. Pacjentka miesiączkowała regularnie. W badaniach laboratoryjnych, pomimo bardzo niskiego stężenia kortyzolu (3,37 nmol/l), stwierdzono zaskakująco niskie stężenie ACTH (8,53 pg/ml, N: 0–46 pg/ml). W badaniu RM przysadki nie stwierdzono nieprawidłowości. W teście z hipoglikemią poinsulinową uzyskano znaczny wzrost stężenia ACTH (z 15,2 do 165 pg/ml). Natomiast w teście stymulacji z CRH wzrost stężenia ACTH był nieznamienny (z 6,05 pg/ml do 10,2 pg/ml). Wyniki te wskazywały na centralną oporność na CRH. W podsumowaniu, u pacjentki z wcześniej rozpoznaną chorobą Addisona rozwinęła się wtórna niewydolność kory nadnerczy. Brak wzrostu stężeń ACTH w teście stymulacji z CRH u tej chorej, przy zachowanej prawidłowej odpowiedzi przysadki w warunkach hipoglikemii, potwierdza, że poza CRH również inne czynniki są odpowiedzialne za pobudzenie wydzielania ACTH i kortyzolu w teście hipoglikemii poinsulinowej

The impact of meteorological conditions on the concentration of alder pollen in Sosnowiec (Poland) in the years 1997-2017

The aim of the work was to compare the alder pollen seasons in the years 1997–2017 in Sosnowiec. The measurements of pollen concentration were taken with the volumetric method using Burkard’s apparatus. The impact of atmospheric conditions on the daily alder pollen grain concentration, the annual totals, and the duration of pollen seasons were studied. The dependency between each meteorological condition and different features of the alder pollen season was determined by using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, variance analysis with multiple comparison tests, and the linear regression model using backward elimination. It was proven that the temperatures directly preceding the pollination, i.e. the January and February temperatures as well as those from the period from 210 to 180 days preceding the beginning of the season, have the greatest impact on the beginning of the alder pollen season. The value of the daily alder pollen concentration in Sosnowiec showed a positive statistically significant correlation with the air temperature and sunshine duration and a negative correlation with the thickness of the snow cover and air relative humidity. The daily concentration also depended on the type of the weather front, direction of air mass inflow, and the type of the inflowing air mass. The season temperatures and the thermal conditions which were present in the summer of the preceding year impacted the annual totals (SPI) of the alder pollen grains

Efficiency of National Innovation Systems – Poland and Bulgaria in The Context of the Global Innovation Index

The purpose of this paper is to explain how national innovation systems may transform innovation input into innovation output in different counties. Using the Global Innovation Index (GII) we discuss what can be understood by the term ‘innovation’ and how it is translated into the national level. The research question is founded on the assumption that the higher the innovation input, the higher the innovation output attained by a country. We use cluster analysis to verify our assumption, referring to a total of 228 countries. Afterwards we conduct a more in‑depth analysis of two cases (Poland and Bulgaria), where the research question does not find confirmation. Using the cross‑comparison method we aim to verify how and why national innovation systems failed (or succeeded) in creating innovations

An assessment of the Ambrosia L. pollen threat at a regional scale using the example of the town of Sosnowiec (Silesian Uplands, Poland)

The investigation of Ambrosia pollen counts in the air of Sosnowiec was carried out from 1998 to 2010 by means of the volumetric method. The pollen season which was determined by means of the 98% method started at the end of July and the beginning of August and lasted until the end of October. The highest Ambrosia pollen count was recorded in 1999 (222 grains x m-3) and the lowest in 2001 (18 grains x m-3). It was stated that the daily count of pollen grains depended on the wind direction and maximum air temperature. The strongest correlations were found with maximum temperature and with a wind direction from the south east. A high negative correlation coefficient was found between the frequency of inflows of air masses from the west and the annual total of pollen grains and the value of the maximum daily count. The closest sites of Ambrosia L. are at a distance of 25–40 kilometres from the sampling point. Significant correlations with the frequency of inflow of air masses can support the conclusion that Ambrosia pollen grains recorded in Sosnowiec were most probably carried not only from local sources but also, at least in part, from distant places

Are in-utero interventions justified? – perspective of neonatologists. – Part II. Spina Bifida, Obstructive Uropathy, Pleural Effusion

Abstract Introduction: Spina bifida, obstructive uropathy, and congenital pleural effusion (PE) belong to the group of congenital defects in which attempts of in-utero treatment were undertaken. Objective: Main objective of our study was to search for scientific evidence that would justify offering, and performing, in utero interventions in fetuses with spina bifida, obstructive uropathy and PE. Methods: Using Pubmed as the main source, all publications relevant to the subject of in-utero interventions in fetuses with spina bifida, obstructive uropathy, and PE were sought and carefully reviewed. An extra effort was made to identify all randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses. Results: Up to date, none of the aforementioned in-utero interventions was evaluated in the randomized controlled trial. Two ongoing studies, one for patients with spina bifida, and one for patients with obstructive uropathy, are still actively recruiting the subjects. As suggested by the results of meta-analysis, vesico-amniotic shunt might be recommended for selected group of fetuses with obstructive uropathy. For fetuses with unilateral or bilateral PE, in-utero drainage seems to improve the outcome only in cases complicated by hydrops fetalis. However, only case series are available. Conclusions: Because of insufficient scientific evidence, offering in utero intervention to women with pregnancy complicated by spina bifida, obstructive uropathy, and fetal PE on the routine basis is not justified. Until more data, preferably from randomized controlled trials are available, these procedures should only be performed in specialized centers as a part of carefully designed clinical trial