Circular Economy Idicators for the European Union and Poland

The circular economy is one of the key elements of the European economic policy, aimed at rational use of resources and minimising the negative impact of product or process on the environment in the value chain. The results of these actions should maintain the value of products and materials for as long as possible and reduce waste and resource use. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop and select indicators for strategical actions in the field of circular economy. Therefore, the article reviews the proposed indicators and priority areas of the circular economy in the EU and selected countries, and assess the ranking of the Polish economy. The priority of circular economy tasks in Poland was the basis to propose important indicators for the assessment of transformation of Polish economy towards circular economy.Gospodarka o obiegu zamkniętym jest jednym z kluczowych elementów europejskiej polityki gospodarczej, zmierzającej do racjonalnego wykorzystania zasobów i ograniczenia negatywnego oddziaływania produktów i procesów na środowisko w całym łańcuchu wartości. Efektem podejmowanych działań powinno być pozostawanie w gospodarce produktów, surowców i materiałów tak długo, jak to możliwe, a wytwarzanie odpadów powinno być w możliwie największym zakresie zredukowane. W tym celu konieczne jest właściwe opracowanie i dobranie wskaźników do strategii działania w zakresie GOZ. Stąd też celem artykułu jest dokonanie przeglądu proponowanych wskaźników i priorytetowych obszarów GOZ w UE i w wybranych krajach oraz zidentyfikowanie pozycji Polski w wybranych obszarach GOZ. Na tej podstawie oraz uwzględniając specyficzne cele GOZ w Polsce, wyszczególnione w krajowych dokumentach, zaproponowano wskaźniki istotne dla monitorowania transformacji gospodarki polskiej w kierunku GOZ

Public awareness of circular economy in southern Poland : case of the Malopolska region

In the transition to the circular economy (CE) model in Europe, increasing public awareness is one of the major driving forces. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of public awareness and attitudes about CE in the Malopolska region of southern Poland. The data used in this study was collected by random distribution of questionnaires in the Malopolska region and interviews with 430 respondents. Malopolska was chosen for research because the region has significant economic and social potential, but features serious environmental problems - primarily air pollution. As environmental protection has become an important aspect for regional and local policy, the CE concept has already begun to be promoted. The questionnaires distributed to residents were divided into three areas: (1) knowledge and attitudes about CE, (2) CE-related behaviour, and (3) future development of CE in the region. The results show that the CE concept was well recognized mainly by the younger generation, which is more familiar with CE-related behaviours like waste segregation and buying recycled and remanufactured goods. The findings additionally indicate that sharing and collaborative economy practices are becoming popular among residents due to the belief that such services create more economic, environmental, and social benefits for users. People's awareness of the CE concept also has a positive correlation with their educational level, such individuals believing that the CE model could, in the future, be implemented in the region. However, this requires time and additional economic and educational resources

Assessment of arterial stiffness in Marfan syndrome and marfanoid phenotype

Wstęp. Zespół Marfana jest uwarunkowaną genetycznie chorobą tkanki łącznej spowodowaną nieprawidłową syntezą białka fibryliny. U chorych występuje wiele objawów klinicznych, zwłaszcza wiązanych z układem sercowo- naczyniowym, szkieletem i narządem wzroku. Fenotyp marfanoidalny definiuje się jako występowanie niektórych cech zespołu Marfana, jednak niespełniających kryteriów rozpoznania tego zespołu. Nieprawidłowa synteza fibryliny powoduje zaburzenia struktury włókien elastycznych. To prowadzi do zwiększenia sztywności tętnic, którą można mierzyć za pomocą szybkości fali tętna (PWV, pulse wave velocity) i wskaźnika wzmocnienia (AI, augmentation index). Materiał i metody. Do badania włączono 72 chorych z podejrzeniem zespołu Marfana. Na podstawie zmodyfikowanych kryteriów Ghenta chorych podzielono na dwie grupy: u 37 osób rozpoznano zespół Marfana, a u 35 stwierdzono fenotyp marfanoidalny. W badaniu uwzględniono ponadto grupę kontrolną złożoną z 36 zdrowych osób. Wartości PWV i AI uzyskano metodą tonometrii aplanacyjnej. Wyniki. Średnia wartość PWV była wyższa u osób z zespołem Marfana niż w grupie z fenotypem marfanoidalnym i w grupie kontrolnej. Najniższą wartość PWV stwierdzono u osób z fenotypem marfanoidalnym. Najwyższą średnią wartością AI cechowała się grupa z zespołem Marfana, natomiast najniższą — osoby z fenotypem marfanoidalnym. Wnioski. U chorych z zespołem Marfana wartości PWV i AI były wyższe niż u osób z fenotypem marfanoidalnym i zdrowych osób z grupy kontrolnej. Najniższe wartości PWV i AI stwierdzono u osób z fenotypem marfanoidalnym. Chorzy ci są wyżsi niż pozostali, jednak w ich przypadku ściany tętnic mają zwykle prawidłową budowę, co zapewnia korzystne warunki hemodynamiczne.Introduction. Marfan syndrome is a hereditary connective tissue disorder caused by impaired synthesis of a fibrillin protein. This results in a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, in particular cardiovascular, skeletal and ocular features. Marfanoid phenotype is defined as manifesting some features of Marfan syndrome, but not fulfilling the criteria of the diagnosis. Abnormal synthesis of the fibrillin is the reason of impairment of elastic fibers. This effects in increasing arterial stiffness, which can be characterized by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AI). Material and methods. Study included 72 patients suspected of Marfan syndrome. On the basis of modified Ghent criteria they were divided into two groups: 37 patients were diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and 35 patients were classified as marfanoid phenotype. Research included also 36 healthy controls. PWV and AI values were obtained by applanation tonometry method. Results. Mean PWV is higher in Marfan syndrome rather than marfanoid phenotype and healthy controls. The lowest mean value of PWV was found among patients with marfanoid phenotype. The highest mean AI value was presented in Marfan syndrome. The lowest mean AI was obtained in a group with marfanoid phenotype. Conclusions. Patients with Marfan syndrome are presenting higher values of PWV and AI than patients with marfanoid phenotype or healthy controls. The lowest values of PWV and AI were obtained among patients with marfanoid phenotype. Patients like these are taller than the others, however, their arterial walls most likely have correct structure, which causes beneficial hemodynamic conditions

Wybrane aspekty podejmowania decyzji w sytuacjach kryzysowych. Studium przypadku

This article is a study of research on factors influencing decision-making under risk. An important management competence is the ability to make rational decisions. In reality, however, decisions are made with limited rationality or using heuristic methods. The right decisions are the basic factor affecting the condition of an enterprise and determining its development. Typically, the decisions made are influenced by the decision-maker's personality, experience and emotions. However, in professional life, decisions are also influenced by formal and legal regulations and rules as well as the rules and methodology adopted in a particular company. By confronting the ways in which decisions are made in both professional and personal life, it is possible to infer the tendencies that drive decision-makers. The article presents the results of an extensive literature analysis on governance and the influence of personality on decisionmaking. In the research part, a survey of a selected group of people was conducted and the results obtained were analysed comparatively in relation to the gender of the respondents. The results showed a greater tendency for men to take risks. Women were better at assessing the consequences of their decisions. Both women and men were cautious in estimating risks in professional decisions

Quantum mechanical studies of lincosamides

Lincosamides are a class of antibiotics used both in clinical and veterinary practice for a wide range of pathogens. This group of drugs inhibits the activity of the bacterial ribosome by binding to the 23S RNA of the large ribosomal subunit and blocking protein synthesis. Currently, three X-ray structures of the ribosome in complex with clindamycin are available in the Protein Data Bank, which reveal that there are two distinct conformations of the pyrrolidinyl propyl group of the bound clindamycin. In this work, we used quantum mechanical methods to investigate the probable conformations of clindamycin in order to explain the two binding modes in the ribosomal 23S RNA. We studied three lincosamide antibiotics: clindamycin, lincomycin, and pirlimycin at the B3LYP level with the 6-31G** basis set. The focus of our work was to connect the conformational landscape and electron densities of the two clindamycin conformers found experimentally with their physicochemical properties. For both functional conformers, we applied natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis and the atoms in molecules (AIM) theory, and calculated the NMR parameters. Based on the results obtained, we were able to show that the structure with the intramolecular hydrogen bond C=O…H–O is the most stable conformer of clindamycin. The charge transfer between the pyrrolidine-derivative ring and the six-atom sugar (methylthiolincosamide), which are linked via an amide bond, was found to be the dominant factor influencing the high stability of this conformer