Zrównoważony rozwój w działalności UE – na przykładzie realizacji i monitorowania środowiskowych priorytetów Strategii Zrównoważonego Rozwoju

Koncepcja zrównoważonego rozwoju może być definiowana i interpretowana na wiele różnych sposobów. Jednak w swej istocie polega ona na rozwoju, który równoważy różne – i często sprzeczne – wymagania środowiskowe, społeczne i gospodarcze. Podstawowym celem artykułu jest przedstawienie istoty koncepcji zrównoważonego rozwoju ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem jej wymiaru środowiskowego, zarówno w aspekcie teoretycznym, jak i na przykładzie Strategii Zrównoważonego Rozwoju Unii Europejskiej. Analizie poddane zostały dwa wskaźniki wiodące Strategii Zrównoważonego Rozwoju, czyli emisja gazów cieplarnianych oraz zużycie energii pierwotnej

The effectiveness of development aid : EU as a leader?

PURPOSE: An attempt was made to build an analytical framework for measuring the evaluation of the effectiveness of EU development aid in comparison to other donors. We integrated the theoretical aspects of development aid effectiveness with practical indicators created by the Center for Global Development, which, in the authors' opinion, are a good analytical tool for assessing the quality of development assistance provided by international institutions and countries.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: An inductive method was used to formulate general statements within the following procedures: defining, describing, classifying. Classification was presented using the QuODA method of assessing development aid effectiveness. Comparative analysis and synthesis were also used in the study. The spectrum of applied methods guarantees the objectivity of obtained results.FINDINGS: Based on the research, it was confirmed that in the light of the realisation of its priorities and its role as an international organisation, the EU is a platform reconciling multinational interests and a coordinator of activities aimed at increasing the effectiveness of development aid. The analysis of the process of increasing the effectiveness of development cooperation and its evaluation by QuODA allowed for the conclusion that the actions undertaken in this field by the EU have not yet proven to be fully effective and have not produced the full extent of expected results.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: QuODA is a simple and transparent method with a potential for development. It enabled the study to analyse, compare and classify the EU and other donors of development aid. The literature research and measuring of the quality of provided development aid, as well as performance ratings attributed to individual donors including the EU, allowed for a practical assessment of the effectiveness of EU development aid against other donors that stakeholders can take advantage of.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: In the study, the authors departed from the traditional understanding of development aid effectiveness from the perspective of beneficiaries' activities, focusing instead on assistance provided by the donors. This area is poorly researched and not discussed comprehensively in the available literature. Few researchers have so far addressed this important issue.This publication was produced within the project: Jean Monnet Module on the European Union Multidimensional Strategy for Tackling Africa’s Challenges (EU4AFRI). With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.peer-reviewe

Stroke and TIA mimics in patients referred to a neurological emergency department by non-ambulance physicians, ambulance physicians and paramedics

Introduction. Our aim was to compare the structure and management of conditions mimicking acute cerebrovascular events (ACE) defined as stroke or transient ischaemic attack between patients referred directly to a neurological emergency department (ED) by non-ambulance physicians, ambulance physicians and paramedics. Methods. This is a retrospective study of 802 consecutive patients referred to a Polish urban neurological ED with a prehospital suspicion of ACE between January and December 2014. Results. After proper neurological assessment, ACE was excluded in 258 (32.2%) patients. The ratios of neurological to non--neurological ACE mimics were similar across all groups (35:93 for non-ambulance physicians, 22:39 for ambulance physicians, and 28:39 for paramedics). The most frequent conditions mimicking ACE were vertigo (14.0%), headache (9.7%), seizures (7.0%), blood hypertension (7.0%), electrolyte and metabolic disturbances (5.4%), infections (4.7%) and syncope (4.3%). There were no major differences between patients with ACE-mimics referred by ambulance physicians and referred by paramedics in terms of demographic, previous medical history, extent of diagnostic workup, final diagnosis or further management (neurological admission in 42.6% and 28.4% of cases). However, the characteristics and management of ACE mimics referred by non-ambulance physicians were slightly different, including a lower need for hospital admission (neurological admission in 21.5% of cases). Conclusions. There seem to be no major differences in the structure, early diagnostic approach or management of ACE mimics between referrals from ambulance physicians and ambulance paramedics, which provides reassurance to healthcare systems that rely solely on paramedics. Mimics referred by non ambulance physicians appear different in structure and are less resource-consuming

2,6-diaminopurine promotes repair of DNA lesions under prebiotic conditions

High-yielding and selective prebiotic syntheses of RNA and DNA nucleotides involve UV irradiation to promote the key reaction steps and eradicate biologically irrelevant isomers. While these syntheses were likely enabled by UV-rich prebiotic environment, UV-induced formation of photodamages in polymeric nucleic acids, such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), remains the key unresolved issue for the origins of RNA and DNA on Earth. Here, we demonstrate that substitution of adenine with 2,6-diaminopurine enables repair of CPDs with yields reaching 92%. This substantial self-repairing activity originates from excellent electron donating properties of 2,6-diaminopurine in nucleic acid strands. We also show that the deoxyribonucleosides of 2,6-diaminopurine and adenine can be formed under the same prebiotic conditions. Considering that 2,6-diaminopurine was previously shown to increase the rate of nonenzymatic RNA replication, this nucleobase could have played critical roles in the formation of functional and photostable RNA/DNA oligomers in UV-rich prebiotic environments

H_3 histamine receptor antagonist pitolisant reverses some subchronic disturbances induced by olanzapine in mice

The use of atypical antipsychotic drugs like olanzapine is associated with side effects such as sedation and depression-like symptoms, especially during the initial period of the use. It is believed that the occurrence of these undesirable effectsis mainly the result of the histamine H(1)receptors blockade by olanzapine. In addition, use of olanzapine increases the level of triglycerides in the blood, which correlates with growing obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of pitolisant – H(3) histamine antagonist - on subchronic olanzapine-induced depresion-like symptoms, sedation and hypertriglicerydemia. Forced swim test was conducted to determinate depressive-like effect of olanzapine and antidepressive-like activity during the co-administered pitolisant. The test was performed after the first and fifteenth day of the treatment of the mice. The spontaneous activity of the mice was measured on the fourteenth day of the treatment with a special, innovative RFID-system (Radio-frequency identification system) – TraffiCage (TSE-Systems, Germany). Triglyceride levels were determined on the sixteenth day of the experiment after 15 cycles of drug administration. Daily olanzapine treatment (4 mg/kg b.w., i.p., d.p.d) for 15 days significantly induces sedation (p < 0.05) and prolongs immobility time in forced swim tests (FST) in mice (p < 0.05); and also elevates the level of triglycerides (p < 0.05). Administration of pitolisant (10 mg/kg b.w., i.p.) subsequentto olanzapine normalizes these adverse effects. This study presents a promising alternative for counteracting some behavioral changes and metabolic disturbances which occur in the early period of treatment with antipsychotic drugs

9-(Biphenyl-4-yl­oxycarbon­yl)-10-methyl­acridinium trifluoro­methane­sulfonate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C27H20NO2 +·CF3SO3 −, the cations form inversion dimers through π–π inter­actions between the acridine ring systems [centroid-centroid distances = 3.668 (2)–3.994 (2) Å]. These dimers are further linked by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π inter­actions. The cation and the anion are connected by C—H⋯O inter­actions. The mean plane of the acridine ring system makes dihedral angles of 10.6 (1) and 82.5 (1)°, respectively, with the adjacent phenyl ring and the carb­oxy group. The two phenyl rings of the biphenyl group are oriented at 42.9 (1)°

Places of Memory and Oblivion in the Cultural Landscapes of the Polish Jurassic Highland. References and Extensions

Publikacja powstała w ramach projektu badawczego „Miejsca pamięci i zapomnienia. Interdyscyplinarne badania północnych terenów Jury Krakowsko-Częstochowskiej”. | The publication was prepared as part of the project Places of Memory and Oblivion. Interdisciplinary Studies of the Northern Areas of the Polish Jurassic Highland.Prezentowany tom zamyka serię 6 opublikowanych wcześniej raportów badawczych, przygotowanych w ramach projektu „Miejsca pamięci i zapomnienia. Badania interdyscyplinarne północnych terenów Jury Krakowsko-Częstochowskiej”, zrealizowanego na Wydziale Filozoficzno-Historycznym Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego w latach 2014–2019 w ramach Narodowego Programu Rozwoju Humanistyki Ministerstwa Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego. Nie jest on jednak ani rekapitulacją samych badań, ani podsumowaniem treści zawartych w poprzednich tomach serii. Idea, która mu przyświeca, przewiduje raczej tematyczne splecenie, lecz zarazem swobodne nawiązanie do tego, co w badaniach w Jurze zrobiliśmy lub do tego, co o nich napisaliśmy. Szczególnie ważne są w nim poszerzenia i uzupełnienia motywów badawczych oraz wątków pisarskich znanych z poprzednich tomów serii, ale także wprowadzenie wątków i motywów nowych, podpowiadających świeże ujęcia i alternatywne spojrzenia. Autorzy tekstów pomieszczonych w tym tomie nie uchylają się więc od ujęć krytycznych i spojrzeń odmiennych wobec tych przyjętych w badaniach w Jurze, w szczególności wobec założeń oraz kroków badawczych przyjętych i realizowanych przez siebie samych. Ich teksty często mają przez to charakter „sięgających w głąb spraw” komentarzy metodologicznych. Czytelników, znających teksty z poprzednich tomów, teksty z tego tomu z pewnością przez to zainteresują. Czytelników, którzy dawniejszych tekstów jeszcze nie znają, zachęcą – mamy nadzieję – do sięgnięcia po nie i do ich konfrontacji z tekstami przynoszącymi tworzone dziś nawiązania i poszerzenia. Do uczestnictwa w tym wydawniczym przedsięwzięciu zaprosiliśmy studentów biorących udział w jurajskich badaniach, ale również autorów przyglądających się dotąd naszym badaniom z zewnątrz, lecz i ich tematyką, i ich metodologią, i – co równie ważne – ich terenową realizacją autentycznie zainteresowanych, często mających zgromadzone w Jurze własne doświadczenia biograficzne oraz badawcze.Praca naukowa finansowana w ramach programu Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego pod nazwą „Narodowy Program Rozwoju Humanistyki” w latach 2014–2019. Projekt realizowany jest na Wydziale Filozoficzno-Historycznym Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego