Border Politics and Practices of Resistance on the Eastern Side of ‘Fortress Europe’: The Case of Chechen Asylum Seekers at the Belarusian–Polish Border

While the number of forced migrants moving out of conflict-ridden or otherwise troubled regions into relatively stable and safe parts of the world is higher than ever, the countries of destination are increasingly trying to prevent migrants from reaching their territories. Given the scale of forced displacement and current trends of tightening immigration policies, it should be expected that tragedies at the borders, similar to that recently witnessed in Europe, will become the norm rather than the exception and that new discourses and practices will continue to emerge, transforming territorial borders in various parts of the world into highly conflictual and politicised ‘borderspaces’. This article is a contribution to the understanding of borders through a case study of the recent policy of ‘closed doors’ that Poland has adopted towards Russia’s North Caucasus asylum seekers at the country’s eastern border with Belarus, preventing them from entering the territory and claiming protection. It demonstrates that, through the process of ‘bordering’, power is no longer exercised only by the border guards at the crossing point in Terespol from where asylum seekers are being returned and that it is increasingly to be found in social practices that occur on both sides of the border, away from the clearance points. The article examines the various practices of resistance undertaken by the asylum seekers and other actors on several different levels in response to the changed reality at the border. It also analyses the meanings and discourses developed by Polish state actors in order to legitimise restrictive migration policies

HR Activities Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic across Levels of Analysis

Theoretical background: The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic heralded significant changes to existing HR activities followed by organizations and companies, trying to respond to government restrictions and new employment conditions. During these challenging times, employees are in the need of robust support by HR professionals in order to keep on performing, being motivated and thriving within their organizations and companies. Nonetheless, these modified HR activities are going through the stages of conception, actual implementation and, finally, they are experienced by employees. The intended, actual and experienced HR activities may evolve over time due to external and internal factors that are connected to pandemic. Understanding these changes is necessary for achieving effective HR management and optimal levels of organizational performance.Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to discuss the factors that affect HR activities through the framework of their internalization process. The factors that may be catalysts for changes of the HR activities on different levels: intended, actual and experienced activities over time are discussed and guidelines for future research are suggested.Research methods: The article applies literature review of possible factors that may induce changes in intended, actual and experienced HR practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Main findings: Absence of appropriate HR activities may increase anxiety and stress levels of employees. This negative impact can be potentially augmented by the perceived gap between employee expectations and the actual experience of these HR activities. In an effort to better understand these gaps occurring during the internalization process, we suggest that HR activities at the intended level may change due to business transformation, workplace transformation and employee well-being, while line manager’s characteristics and interactions with HRM departments may be catalysts for change in the actual HR. Finally, the assessment of the outcome of HR activities, the way in which they are delivered, and their continuity could be considered as important factors at the experienced level of the internalization process.Theoretical background: The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic heralded significant changes to existing HR activities followed by organizations and companies, trying to respond to government restrictions and new employment conditions. During these challenging times, employees are in the need of robust support by HR professionals in order to keep on performing, being motivated and thriving within their organizations and companies. Nonetheless, these modified HR activities are going through the stages of conception, actual implementation and, finally, they are experienced by employees. The intended, actual and experienced HR activities may evolve over time due to external and internal factors that are connected to pandemic. Understanding these changes is necessary for achieving effective HR management and optimal levels of organizational performance.Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to discuss the factors that affect HR activities through the framework of their internalization process. The factors that may be catalysts for changes of the HR activities on different levels: intended, actual and experienced activities over time are discussed and guidelines for future research are suggested.Research methods: The article applies literature review of possible factors that may induce changes in intended, actual and experienced HR practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Main findings: Absence of appropriate HR activities may increase anxiety and stress levels of employees. This negative impact can be potentially augmented by the perceived gap between employee expectations and the actual experience of these HR activities. In an effort to better understand these gaps occurring during the internalization process, we suggest that HR activities at the intended level may change due to business transformation, workplace transformation and employee well-being, while line manager’s characteristics and interactions with HRM departments may be catalysts for change in the actual HR. Finally, the assessment of the outcome of HR activities, the way in which they are delivered, and their continuity could be considered as important factors at the experienced level of the internalization process

Stan odżywienia pacjentów z uszkodzonym centralnym systemem nerwowym oraz urazem wielonarządowym hospitalizowanych w oddziale intensywnej terapii

StreszczenieWstęp. Uszkodzenie centralnego systemu nerwowego oraz uraz wielonarządowy, to schorzenia kwalifikujące pacjentów do leczenia w oddziale intensywnej terapii. Specyfika tych chorób polega między innymi na zintensyfikowaniu procesów metabolicznych. Wynikiem tego często jest niedożywienie organizmu, co w konsekwencji prowadzi do jego wyniszczenia. Rozpoznanie zaburzeń odżywienia oraz wczesne wdrożenie leczenia żywieniowego jest niezwykle istotne, przyspiesza proces regeneracji organizmu, tym samym hospitalizacji chorego. Cel. Ocena oraz porównanie stanu odżywienia pacjentów z uszkodzeniem centralnego systemu nerwowego oraz po urazie wielonarządowym leczonych w oddziale intensywnej terapii. Materiał i metody. Badaniem objęto 102 osoby: z uszkodzeniem centralnego systemu nerwowego (48 osób) oraz z urazem wielonarządowym (54 osoby). Badanie retrospektywne przeprowadzono w oddziale intensywnej terapii na terenie Krakowa. Zastosowano metody statystyki opisowej oraz przeprowadzono analizę jakościową. Analizy zmiennych dokonano za pomocą testu istotności dla średniej – Model III. Związek pomiędzy zmiennymi sprawdzono przy użyciu testów statystycznych przyjmując poziom istotności dla p<0,05. Wyniki. W grupie badanej stan odżywienia oceniany w 5 tygodniu pobytu pod kątem wartości albumin uległ pogorszeniu względem badania w 1 tygodniu. Pacjenci z uszkodzeniem centralnego systemu nerwowego w 1 tygodniu przyjęcia na oddział wartość białka w surowicy krwi wykazywali poniżej przyjętej normy. W każdym kolejnym tygodniu wartości zbliżały się do granicy normy, natomiast pacjenci z urazem wielonarządowym statystycznie przez cały okres hospitalizacji utrzymywali poziom białka poniżej przyjętej normy. W grupie pacjentów z uszkodzeniem centralnego systemu nerwowego, stan odżywienia oceniany w 5 tygodniu pobytu pod kątem całkowitej liczby limfocytów uległ poprawie względem badania w 1 tygodniu pobytu, natomiast w grupie pacjentów po urazie wielonarządowym, stan odżywienia oceniany w 5 tygodniu pobytu pod kątem całkowitej liczby limfocytów uległ pogorszeniu względem badania w 1 tygodniu pobytu.Wnioski. Ocena stan odżywienia wszystkich badanych pacjentów przebywających w oddziale intensywnej terapii wskazała na wystąpienie niedożywienia u 76% tych chorych oraz pogłębienie się go w ciągu 5 tygodniowej hospitalizacji.Słowa kluczowe. Niedożywienie, uraz wielonarządowy, centralny system nerwow

Rodzina w zdrowiu i w chorobie. Wybrane aspekty opieki nad przewlekle chorym

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed pape

Immune Modulating Peptides for the Treatment and Suppression of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which the immune system recognizes proteins of the myelin sheath as antigenic, thus initiating an inflammatory reaction in the central nervous system. This leads to demyelination of the axons, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, and lesion formation. Current therapies for the treatment of MS are generally non-specific and weaken the global immune system, thus making the individual susceptible to opportunistic infections. Antigenic peptides and their derivatives are becoming more prevalent for investigation as therapeutic agents for MS because they possess immune-specific characteristics. In addition, other peptides that target vital components of the inflammatory immune response have also been developed. Therefore, the objectives of this review are to (a) summarize the immunological basis for the development of MS, (b) discuss specific and non-specific peptides tested in EAE and in humans, and (c) briefly address some problems and potential solutions with these novel therapies

The ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Refugees? Imagined Refugeehood(s) in the Media Coverage of the Migration Crisis

This text is an attempt to analyze a particular, normative aspect of the media narrative about refugees during the recent migration crisis in Europe. It looks at the substantive semantic distance between the ‘good’ or ‘real’ refugees presented in some media outlets and the definition of a refugee under international law. This difference is later explained by a particular kind of exposure to the events of the refugee crisis – a ‘mediated experience’, and by the existence of a normative ‘refugee archetype’. I look at images representing refugees through the lenses of John B. Thompson’s (1995) concept of opposition between lived and mediated experience – the figures of ‘bad’ and ‘good’ refugees are seen as belonging to the order of mediated experience, therefore, as argued by Thomson, impersonal and dispersed in time and space. Finally, I refer to the Malkki’s (1996) concept of a refugee as a ‘universal humanitarian subject’ – an apolitical and de-historicized figure, reduced to the role of aid beneficiary which serves me to explain the ambiguity of representations of refugees and their dependence on political interests

Own translation of fragments of the novel “MaddAddam” by Margaret Atwood and explanation of translational decisions

Niniejsza praca stanowi próbę przekładu fragmentów powieści Margaret Atwood „MaddAddam”, będącej trzecią częścią tak samo zatytułowanego cyklu. Przekład ten został opatrzony komentarzem objaśniającym decyzje dotyczące tak strategii, jak i poszczególnych procedur. Przekładu dokonano w oparciu o założenia teorii skoposu. Porównano go również z tłumaczeniami poprzednich części cyklu, tj. „Oryks i Derkacz” (tłum. M. Hesko-Kołodzińska) i „Rok Potopu” (tłum. M. Michalski). Celem zachowania ciągłości między wszystkimi częściami cyklu zadbano o spójność tłumaczeń typowych dla gatunku fantastyki naukowej neologizmów i nazw własnych, co zilustrowano za pomocą glosariusza, w którym dokonano również analizy budowy morfologicznej poszczególnych terminów oraz wyjaśniono ich znaczenie.The aim of this paper is the translation of “MaddAddam”, a novel by Margaret Atwood, the last part of “MaddAddam” trilogy. The translator’s choices regarding both general strategy and particular procedures were explained. Skopos theory was used as a theoretical base. The translation was also compared with the translations of the two previous parts of the trilogy, i.e. “Oryx and Crake” (translated by M. Hesko-Kołodzińska” and “The Year of the Flood” (translated by M. Michalski). In order to ensure continuity of the whole cycle, consistency of translation of proper names and neologisms typical for science-fiction genre was maintained, which was illustrated by a glossary containing explanation of the terms and their morphological structure