NewConnect - an alternative platform for new innovative companies

The article discusses the attributes of innovation in the context of creating a knowledge-based economy and presents the alternative stock market NewConnect where the small and medium-sized firms may seek funds to finance their innovative projects. NewConnect's functions and goals are shown with respect to capital circulation, stock market training, education and promotion of SMEs aspiring to enter the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the future, as well as the expansion of the financial infrastructure in Poland and the EU.W artykule zaprezentowano atrybuty innowacyjności w kontekście kreacji Gospodarki Opartej na Wiedzy oraz alternatywny parkiet NewConnect, stanowiący szanse pozyskiwania kapitału na nowatorskie projekty przez małe i średnie firmy. Wskazano na realizowane funkcje i zadania NewConnect w dziele przepływu kapitału, treningu giełdowego, edukacji i promocji małych i średnich spółek aspirujących w przyszłości do zajęcia pozycji na GPW oraz rozbudowy infrastruktury finansowej Polski i Unii Europejskiej

Microstructure evolution in aluminium 6060 during incremental ECAP

An AA6060 Al-Mg-Si alloy was used to investigate the microstructure evolution on X, Y and Z planes after processing by Incremental Equal Channel Angular Pressing (IECAP) at room temperature after 1 and 4 passes. The basic microstructural parameters (mean grain size, grain boundary statistics) were evaluated

Venture Capital and Business Angels and the Creation of Innovative Firms in Poland

The article also points out that conditions fostering further development of the described types of entrepreneurship and innovation financing and a dynamic environment generating innovative capacity should be created.W artykule zasygnalizowano również potrzebę kreowania uwarunkowań sprzyjających rozwojowi opisanych form finansowania przedsiębiorczości, innowacyjności i dynamicznego otoczenia generującego zdolności innowacyjne

Qualitätsprodukt Erziehungsberatung. Empfehlungen zu Leistungen, Qualitätsmerkmalen und Kennziffern

Neben einer Beschreibung der Leistung Erziehungs- und Familienberatung - Beratung und Therapie, präventive Angebote und Vernetzungsaktivitäten - werden ihre Qualitätsmerkmale - gegliedert nach Struktur-, Prozess- und Ergebnisqualität - ausführlich dargestellt und Kennziffern zu ihrer quantitativen Erfassung vorgeschlagen. Der Anhang enthält u.a. eine Kurzfassung der vorliegenden Empfehlungen zu Leistungen, Qualitätsmerkmalen und Kennziffern. (DIPF/Autor

Dynamics and Critical Behaviour of the q-model

The $q$-model, a random walk model rich in behaviour and applications, is investigated. We introduce and motivate the $q$-model via its application proposed by Coppersmith {\em et al.} to the flow of stress through granular matter at rest. For a special value of its parameters the $q$-model has a critical point that we analyse. To characterise the critical point we imagine that a uniform load has been applied to the top of the granular medium and we study the evolution with depth of fluctuations in the distribution of load. Close to the critical point explicit calculation reveals that the evolution of load exhibits scaling behaviour analogous to thermodynamic critical phenomena. The critical behaviour is remarkably tractable: the harvest of analytic results includes scaling functions that describe the evolution of the variance of the load distribution close to the critical point and of the entire load distribution right at the critical point, values of the associated critical exponents, and determination of the upper critical dimension. These results are of intrinsic interest as a tractable example of a random critical point. Of the many applications of the q-model, the critical behaviour is particularly relevant to network models of river basins, as we briefly discuss. Finally we discuss circumstances under which quantum network models that describe the surface electronic states of a quantum Hall multilayer can be mapped onto the classical $q$-model. For mesoscopic multilayers of finite circumference the mapping fails; instead a mapping to a ferromagnetic supersymmetric spin chain has proved fruitful. We discuss aspects of the superspin mapping and give a new elementary derivation of it making use of operator rather than functional methods.Comment: 34 pages, Revtex, typo correcte

Evolution of airway inflammation in preschoolers with asthma : results of a two-year longitudinal study

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a non-invasive marker for eosinophilic airway inflammation and has been used for monitoring asthma. Here, we assess the characteristics of FeNO from preschool to school age, in parallel with asthma activity. A total of 167 asthmatic children and 66 healthy, age-matched controls were included in the 2-year prospective PreDicta study evaluating wheeze/asthma persistence in preschool-aged children. Information on asthma/rhinitis activity, infections and atopy was recorded at baseline. Follow-up visits were performed at 6-month intervals, as well as upon exacerbation/cold and 4-6 weeks later in the asthmatic group. We obtained 539 FeNO measurements from asthmatics and 42 from controls. At baseline, FeNO values did not differ between the two groups (median: 3.0 ppb vs. 2.0 ppb, respectively). FeNO values at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months (4.0, CI: 0.0-8.6; 6.0, CI: 2.8-12.0; 8.0, CI: 4.0-14.0; 8.5, CI: 4.4-14.5 ppb, respectively) increased with age (correlation p <= 0.001) and atopy (p = 0.03). FeNO was non-significantly increased from baseline to the symptomatic visit, while it decreased after convalescence (p = 0.007). Markers of disease activity, such as wheezing episodes and days with asthma were associated with increased FeNO values during the study (p < 0.05 for all). Age, atopy and disease activity were found to be important FeNO determinants in preschool children. Longitudinal and individualized FeNO assessment may be valuable in monitoring asthmatic children with recurrent wheezing or mild asthma