Financial performance of groups of companies in Poland against the background of historical determinants and knowledge management procedures applied

Polish businesses are passing the fifteen year mark of the free market experience. The important processes that could be observed during that time include the formation of groups of companies. What were the establishment paths of these multiple organisations and what was the impact of historical determinants on their operation and financial performance? What is the extent of contribution of subsidiaries to the financial performance of the groups? And finally what are the main drivers of their effectiveness in the context of group management system applied and knowledge management procedures? This paper attempts to provide answers to these questions. It presents insights, observations and selected findings of research conducted over the period of the last five years. It is shown that the operation of these organisations is on the one hand strongly determined by historical factors, and on the other the strength of this impact diminishes with time. Groups of companies see positive operational changes, reflected mainly in improved financial performance, growing significance of subsidiaries and the enhanced effectiveness of the management systems applied which are broadly based on knowledge management procedures

Biosynthesis of Vitamin C by Yeast Leads to Increased Stress Resistance

during respiration, or indirectly-caused by other stressing factors. Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid acts as a scavenger of ROS, thereby potentially protecting cells from harmful oxidative products. While most eukaryotes synthesize ascorbic acid, yeast cells produce erythro-ascorbic acid instead. The actual importance of this antioxidant substance for the yeast is still a subject of scientific debate. is increased, but also the tolerance to low pH and weak organic acids at low pH is increased. cells endogenously producing vitamin C as a cellular model to study the genesis/protection of ROS as well as genotoxicity

Current issues in medically assisted reproduction and genetics in Europe: research, clinical practice, ethics, legal issues and policy. European Society of Human Genetics and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

In March 2005, a group of experts from the European Society of Human Genetics and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology met to discuss the interface between genetics and assisted reproductive technology (ART), and published an extended background paper, recommendations and two Editorials. Seven years later, in March 2012, a follow-up interdisciplinary workshop was held, involving representatives of both professional societies, including experts from the European Union Eurogentest2 Coordination Action Project. The main goal of this meeting was to discuss developments at the interface between clinical genetics and ARTs. As more genetic causes of reproductive failure are now recognised and an increasing number of patients undergo testing of their genome before conception, either in regular health care or in the context of direct-to-consumer testing, the need for genetic counselling and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) may increase. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) thus far does not have evidence from randomised clinical trials to substantiate that the technique is both effective and efficient. Whole-genome sequencing may create greater challenges both in the technological and interpretational domains, and requires further reflection about the ethics of genetic testing in ART and PGD/PGS. Diagnostic laboratories should be reporting their results according to internationally accepted accreditation standards (International Standards Organisation - ISO 15189). Further studies are needed in order to address issues related to the impact of ART on epigenetic reprogramming of the early embryo. The legal landscape regarding assisted reproduction is evolving but still remains very heterogeneous and often contradictory. The lack of legal harmonisation and uneven access to infertility treatment and PGD/PGS fosters considerable cross-border reproductive care in Europe and beyond. The aim of this paper is to complement previous publications and provide an update of selected topics that have evolved since 2005

Alternative medicine and herbal remedies in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: A systematic review

Objectives: To systematically review and discuss the current evidence from placebo-controlled clinical trials that investigated the use of alternative medicines and herbal remedies in the management of erectile dysfunction (ED). Methods: A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)- based systematic review using specific keyword combinations was conducted on the PubMed and Scopus databases. Randomised controlled trials investigating herbal medicine in at least one group and using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) as an outcome in patients primarily diagnosed with ED were included for review. Results: Following the literature search, screening and eligibility analysis, a total of 42 articles were included. The 42 articles were categorised as single herb extractions (n = 14), combination herbal formula (n = 5), combination of herbal formula and non-herbal nutraceuticals (n = 7), non-herbal nutraceuticals (n = 5), acupuncture and moxibustion (n = 2), diet and nutrition (n = 3), exercise (n = 5), and topical treatments (n = 1). Based on the results, Korean ginseng, Pygnogenol and Prelox, Tribulus terrestris, Lepidium meyenii, L-arginine, acupuncture and lifestyle interventions were the more predominantly investigated treatments interventions for ED. Conclusions: Panax ginseng, Pygnogenol, Prelox and Tribulus terrestris have promising evidence as herbal products, alongside L-arginine as a nutritional supplement, for ED based on IIEF outcomes, and warrant further clinical investigation. The mechanisms of action remain unclear, but each of these appears to in part increase nitric oxide synthesis. Importantly, improved diet and exercise should be considered, particularly in patients with obesity or diabetes mellitus

Construction status and prospects of the Hyper-Kamiokande project

The Hyper-Kamiokande project is a 258-kton Water Cherenkov together with a 1.3-MW high-intensity neutrino beam from the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The inner detector with 186-kton fiducial volume is viewed by 20-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and multi-PMT modules, and thereby provides state-of-the-art of Cherenkov ring reconstruction with thresholds in the range of few MeVs. The project is expected to lead to precision neutrino oscillation studies, especially neutrino CP violation, nucleon decay searches, and low energy neutrino astronomy. In 2020, the project was officially approved and construction of the far detector was started at Kamioka. In 2021, the excavation of the access tunnel and initial mass production of the newly developed 20-inch PMTs was also started. In this paper, we present a basic overview of the project and the latest updates on the construction status of the project, which is expected to commence operation in 2027

Prospects for neutrino astrophysics with Hyper-Kamiokande

Hyper-Kamiokande is a multi-purpose next generation neutrino experiment. The detector is a two-layered cylindrical shape ultra-pure water tank, with its height of 64 m and diameter of 71 m. The inner detector will be surrounded by tens of thousands of twenty-inch photosensors and multi-PMT modules to detect water Cherenkov radiation due to the charged particles and provide our fiducial volume of 188 kt. This detection technique is established by Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande. As the successor of these experiments, Hyper-K will be located deep underground, 600 m below Mt. Tochibora at Kamioka in Japan to reduce cosmic-ray backgrounds. Besides our physics program with accelerator neutrino, atmospheric neutrino and proton decay, neutrino astrophysics is an important research topic for Hyper-K. With its fruitful physics research programs, Hyper-K will play a critical role in the next neutrino physics frontier. It will also provide important information via astrophysical neutrino measurements, i.e., solar neutrino, supernova burst neutrinos and supernova relic neutrino. Here, we will discuss the physics potential of Hyper-K neutrino astrophysics

Accelerometer profile of motion of the pelvic girdle in butterfly swimming

Purpose: The aim of the study was to develop a method to measure and analyse kinematics of movement of the pelvic girdle in butterfly swimming in order to support training of technical skills. Methods: A device for recording triaxial accelerations and triaxial rotational angular velocities was mounted on the dorsal part of the pelvic girdle of athlete. The measurements were performed in ten elite butterfly swimmers (age: 23.1 ± 3.7 years, body height: 187.6 ± 4.3 cm, body mass 83.4 ± 6.33 kg). The task of the athlete was to swim one length of short course pool at maximal intensity. Individual mean graphical and numerical profiles of the kinematics of the movement of the pelvic girdle was computed, within the average cycle based on five consecutive cycles. Results: Statistical analysis of numerical individual parameters of profiles of the athletes studied revealed statistically significant differences between the swimmers. Statistically significant correlations were also found between personal best times in 50 m swimming (r = –0.76, p < 0.05) and 100 m swimming (r = –0.76, p < 0.05) and duration of the part of the cycle connected with the decline in velocity from maximum translational motion velocity obtained during propulsion with the upper and lower limbs to minimum value of the velocity obtained before the beginning of propulsion only with the lower limbs. Conclusion: The proposed measurement method, presentation and analysis of the profile of the pelvic girdle motion in butterfly swimming represents a good tool for fast and effective qualitative and quantitative biomechanical evaluation of movement technique components

Computer-aided process design of evaporation station

W pracy omówiono koncepcję komputerowego projektowania i obliczania aparatów służących do zatężania roztworów. Celem pracy było napisanie aplikacji do wstępnego obliczania powierzchni grzejnej trójstopniowej stacji wyparnej w programie C++ Builder. Algorytm aplikacji został opracowany na podstawie modelu matematycznego zaczerpniętego z literatury. Podano parametry wejściowe potrzebne do obliczania wymiarów stacji wyparnej oraz opisano główne karty programu. Aplikacja "WYPARKA" umożliwia szybkie obliczenie parametrów strumieni wewnętrznych i wszystkich strumieni wylotowych produktów głównych i ubocznych procesu zatężania. Program może być wykorzystany zarówno w celach dydaktycznych do analizy zależności pomiędzy wielkościami strumieni wejściowych, a rozmiarami aparatu wyparnego, jak i do wstępnego obliczania gabarytów trójdziałowej stacji wyparnej stosowanej w praktyce przemysłowej."WYPARKA" application developed under C++ Builder software was presented in the paper. The algorithm of application was based on a mathematical model from the literature. The application has been proved to be an effective tool in the design and analysis relationship between parameters of the evaporation process and the total heat surface of the evaporation station

Feedback and human learning:preliminary insights from disengaged students

Abstract Background: How to reconnect the disengaged learners has been a major challenge for human learning. Motivating the disengaged learners through traditional interventions has not been effective. Objective: The study aims to examine whether feedback from an external unit would be more persuasive for the disengaged learners. The perception on a lack of learning stems from poor attitude of learning, poor behavior, laziness, and lack of learning ability and attention. Methods: A foreign business community has collaborated with two Bangkok Metropolitan Administration schools since 2016 on creating constructive and indirect feedback. There were 337 students from both schools participated in the survey. 163 students participated in the revised practices while 174 students attended the traditional practices. Results: The results show the gap between the two groups on the effects from constructive and indirect feedback. The disengaged students from the revised pedagogy show that they are attracted to constructive feedback and indirect feedback more. Conclusions: The findings show that, unlike the traditional paradigm, the disengaged students are perceptive to external feedback. The findings show some consistency with previous studies. Integrating external feedback can attract the attention from the disengaged students which could potentially contribute to human learning