Innovation as an immanent attribute of an agile enterprise

Motivation: Each organization faces the challenge of operating in an environment that is unpredictable and turbulent. Emergence of business era caused that change had become a key feature that determines the economic environment of an enterprise. Market environment forces companies to seek strategic orientation that would allow them to use market opportunities and come to grips with growing customer demands. These goals can only be achieved by an organization that bears the hallmarks of agility. Therefore, one can assume that the condition of gaining competitive advantage and innovation of modern companies is possessing by them the attributes of agility. The agile organization is innovative, which means that it puts an emphasis on research and development, implements innovation, invests in new technologies and innovative programs.Aim: The purpose of this article is to analyse relationships between obtaining an ability to be innovative and agility attributes of an organization.Result: The presented research confirms that there is a connection between having agility attributes by a company and obtaining by it a high level of innovation. Many authors also specify important role of IT system in introducing product innovations and innovation processes

Innovation as an immanent attribute of an agile enterprise

Motivation: Each organization faces the challenge of operating in an environment that is unpredictable and turbulent. Emergence of business era caused that change had become a key feature that determines the economic environment of an enterprise. Market environment forces companies to seek strategic orientation that would allow them to use market opportunities and come to grips with growing customer demands. These goals can only be achieved by an organization that bears the hallmarks of agility. Therefore, one can assume that the condition of gaining competitive advantage and innovation of modern companies is possessing by them the attributes of agility. The agile organization is innovative, which means that it puts an emphasis on research and development, implements innovation, invests in new technologies and innovative programs.Aim: The purpose of this article is to analyse relationships between obtaining an ability to be innovative and agility attributes of an organization.Result: The presented research confirms that there is a connection between having agility attributes by a company and obtaining by it a high level of innovation. Many authors also specify important role of IT system in introducing product innovations and innovation processes.</p

Impact of polyols on Oral microbiome of Estonian schoolchildren

BackgroundOral microbiome has significant impact on both oral and general health. Polyols have been promoted as sugar substitutes in prevention of oral diseases. We aimed to reveal the effect of candies containing erythritol, xylitol or control (sorbitol) on salivary microbiome.MethodsNinety children (11.30.6years) consumed candies during 3years. Microbial communities were profiled using Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing and real-time PCR.ResultsThe dominant phyla in saliva were Firmicutes (39.1%), Proteobacteria (26.1%), Bacteroidetes (14.7%), Actinobacteria (12%) and Fusobacteria (6%). The microbiome of erythritol group significantly differed from that of the other groups. Both erythritol and xylitol reduced the number of observed bacterial phylotypes in comparison to the control group. The relative abundance of the genera Veillonella, Streptococcus and Fusobacterium were higher while that of Bergeyella lower after erythritol intervention when comparing with control. The lowest prevalence of caries-related mutans streptococci corresponded with the lowest clinical caries markers in the erythritol group.ConclusionsDaily consumption of erythritol, xylitol or control candies has a specific influence on the salivary microbiome composition in schoolchildren. Erythritol is associated with the lowest prevalence of caries-related mutans streptococci and the lowest levels of clinical caries experience.Trial registration p id=Par5 ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01062633

Sensitivity Achieved by the LIGO and Virgo Gravitational Wave Detectors during LIGO's Sixth and Virgo's Second and Third Science Runs

We summarize the sensitivity achieved by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors for low-mass compact binary coalescence (CBC) searches during LIGO's sixth science run and Virgo's second and third science runs. We present strain noise power spectral densities (PSDs) which are representative of the typical performance achieved by the detectors in these science runs. The data presented here and in the accompanying web-accessible data files are intended to be released to the public as a summary of detector performance for low-mass CBC searches during S6 and VSR2-3

Pragmatism as a tool of communication in process organization

This article's aim was to show the role and meaning of communication, based on the rules of pragmatism, the philosophical conception created against metaphysical insight of the world around us. Each epoch, accompanying mankind since the dawning of time, brings new concepts and solutions. Without regard for the period we're focusing on, there is one, main model, mutual element, which is the process of communication between human beings. He can, and he does exist in different forms, which are also natural elements of civilization's progress. The difficulties in showing the correlation between pragmatism and managing in modern organizations, which is the process organization, has been taken up in this article. Human experience, knowledge and not to mention intuition, determined by effective communication, are tools to create such solutions. It's good to keep in mind that all decisions made by people are the effects of choices, which also affect organizations. Managing modern organizations, based on pragmatism rules, needs to be constantly improved, but keeping in mind good and effective communication between people

Uniwersalny przekładnik prądowy do dokładnego pomiaru prądów zwarciowych

The paper presents the design of a special current transformer developed by the Institute of Power Engineering in cooperation with TRANSFORMEX sp. z o.o. The aim of the project was to obtain current transformers allowing not only a thorough transformation of symmetrical currents – which is characteristic for typical current transformers, but also of asymmetrical shortcircuit currents containing an aperiodic component, which are not reproduced by classic current transformers. A current transformer has been developed with a range of short-circuit currents established from 1 kA to 50 kA, and short-circuit currents with an aperiodic component with a decay time constant up to 200 ms, peak value from 2.5 kA to 125 kA, assuming the possibility of five-fold repetition of short circuits with the same value and the same constant component polarity, with the assumed transformation accuracy.W artykule przedstawiono konstrukcję specjalnego przekładnika prądowego opracowanego we współpracy Instytutu Energetyki z firmą TRANSFORMEX sp. z o.o. Celem pracy było uzyskanie przekładników prądowych umożliwiających nie tylko dokładną transformację prądów przemiennych ustalonych – co jest znamienne dla typowych przekładników prądowych, ale również niesymetrycznych prądów zwarciowych zawierających składową bezokresową, których klasyczne przekładniki prądowe nie odtwarzają. Opracowano przekładnik prądowy o zakresie prądów zwarciowych ustalonych od 1 kA do 50 kA oraz prądów zwarciowych ze składową bezokresową o stałej czasowej zanikania do 200 ms, o wartości szczytowej od 2,5 kA do 125 kA, przy przyjęciu możliwości pięciokrotnego powtarzania zwarć tej samej wartości i tej samej biegunowości składowej stałej, przy założonej dokładności transformacji

Związki fenolowe w środowisku - występowanie i wpływ na organizmy żywe

Many of organic compounds used as preservatives in cosmetics, drugs and foods have adverse impact on human and animal health. In recent years, special attention has been paid on substances which interferes with endocrine system of living organisms. The group of this substances is called endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and include wide range of chemicals eg phenolic compounds (parabens, phenylphenols, alkylphenols, bisphenol A etc.). EDCs can mimic or block the action of natural hormones causing changes mainly in the reproductive and immune systems, as well tumours formation. Similar to the natural hormones, EDCs are biologically active at very low concentration (pg/g - ng/g), it is the level comparable with their presence in wastewater effluents. Wastewater treatment plants using conventional treatment methods are not effective in removing most of EDCs, therefore, these compounds are present in the environment for example in marine and riverine sediments and surface water, which is often a drinking water reservoir.Wiele związków organicznych stosowanych jako środki konserwujące w kosmetykach, lekach i żywności niekorzystnie wpływa na zdrowie ludzi i zwierząt. W ostatnich latach szczególną uwagę naukowców na całym świecie zwracają związki chemiczne, powodujące różnego rodzaju zakłócenia w układzie hormonalnym organizmów żywych. Do związków tych, określanych mianem syntetycznych związków endokrynnych (endocrine disrupting compounds - EDCs), zalicza się m.in. szeroką gamę pochodnych fenolowych (np. parabeny, fenylofenole, alkilofenole, bisfenol A) i wiele innych. Związki endokrynne mogą naśladować lub blokować działanie naturalnych hormonów, powodując zmiany w układzie rozrodczym, immunologicznym oraz powstawanie nowotworów, co w konsekwencji prowadzi do poważnego zachwiania równowagi ekologicznej. EDCs, podobnie jak ich naturalne odpowiedniki, wykazują aktywność hormonalną już przy bardzo niskich stężeniach, rzędu pg g–1 i ng g–1. Większość oczyszczalni ścieków nie jest przystosowana do wydajnego usuwania EDCs ze strumienia ścieków, dlatego też związki te są obecne w wielu elementach środowiska, m.in. w osadach rzecznych i morskich, jak również wodzie powierzchniowej, będącej często rezerwuarem wody pitnej