Intellectual Capital Statement of a Company Operating in a Made to Measure Industry

This article is a case study of a company operating in the MTM (Made to Measure) industry. The main issue of this manuscript is the evaluation and analysis of a company's intellectual capital in three main areas: human capital, structural and relational capital. The starting point was the analysis of the external environment, its opportunities and threats in relation to the identification of the strategic goals of the company. Against the background of these considerations, key business processes and desired business success of a company that contribute to the achievement of defined strategic objectives were identified. The article used the ICS (Intellectual Capital Statement) method without going into too much detail in defining this method in order to limit the size of the manuscript. For a more detailed description of the ICS method readers should refer to the article [Ujwary-Gil 2012]

Flora jelitowa a patomechanizm powstawania zaburzeń afektywnych i lękowych — aktualny stan wiedzy i dalsze perspektywy

Depressive and anxiety disorders are a significant diagnostic and therapeutic problem, as they cause serious health, socialand financial implications. Due to their disabling effect on life and functioning, new and effective treatment directionsare needed. In recent years, researchers have been looking for alternative pathomechanisms of depression and anxiety,which has triggered interest in exploraton of neuroimmune, endocrine and microbiological phenomena and processes.The relationship between symptoms of mental disorders and functioning of the intestinal flora have been intensivelyinvestigated. Most studies involved analyses conducted on animal models. So far, the results have been promising, butthey are still insufficient to elaborate specific standards of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The authors of thisreview hope that they will help the reader to comprehend the discussed pathomechanisms and encourage their own,original research.Zaburzenia depresyjne i lękowe stanowią istotny problem diagnostyczny i terapeutyczny, niosą poważne implikacje zdrowotne, społeczne i finansowe. Z uwagi na inwalidyzujący wpływ tych schorzeń na życie i funkcjonowanie człowieka potrzebne i poszukiwane są nowe, skuteczne kierunki leczenia. W ostatnich latach badacze, w poszukiwaniu potencjalnych patomechanizmów zaburzeń depresyjnych i lękowych, zaczęli eksplorować zjawiska i procesy neuroimmunologiczne, endokrynologiczne, mikrobiologiczne. Intensywnie analizowano zależności między objawami zaburzeń psychicznych a funkcjonowaniem flory bakteryjnej przewodu pokarmowego. W przypadku większości badań odbywało się to na modelach zwierzęcych. Dotychczasowe wyniki są zachęcające, ale zdecydowanie niewystarczające do opracowania konkretnych standardów postępowania diagnostyczno-terapeutycznego. Autorzy niniejszej pracy poglądowej liczą, że pomogą czytelnikowi zaznajomić się w przystępny sposób z omawianymi patomechanizmami oraz zachęcić do własnych, autorskich badań

Wpływ kultury na komunikację wewnętrzną w międzynarodowej firmie -analiza studium przypadku Aker Solutions

W pracy omówiono następujące zagadnienie: komunikacja wewnętrzna w firmie międzynarodowej oraz wpływ różnic kulturowych na jej przebieg. Celem pracy było określenie interkulturowych kompetencji wpływających na efektywność komunikacji, wskazanie czynników podnoszących efektywność pracy w zespole wielokulturowym oraz określenie problemów komunikacyjnych w zespole wielokulturowym. Wpierw przedstawione zostały podstawowe zagadnienia z zakresu komunikacji i kultury, następnie dokonana jest analiza kompetencji interkulturowych pracowników Aker Solutions. Metodą badawczą, użytą w pracy był wywiad częściowo ustrukturyzowany. Analiza wskazała na większe znaczenie umiejętności miękkich, takich jak: słuchanie, cierpliwość, akceptacja, socjalizacja w efektywnej komunikacji, aniżeli kompetencje twarde, np. wiedza na temat innych kultur.The purpose of this study was to investigate the internal communication in a multinational company and the influence of cultural differences on its process. The aim of the research was defining intercultural competence influencing the multicultural team work, specifying factors improving communication effectiveness communication barriers as well as identifying intercultural communication challenges. Firstly, the theoretical background of communication and culture was introduced. Next, the analysis of intercultural competence of Aker Solutions employees was performed. Semistructured interview was applied. The results of the study were that soft skills such as listening, patience, acceptance, social are more important than hard skills, for example knowledge about different cultures

Spermidine Modify Antioxidant Activity in Cucumber Exposed to Salinity Stress

The effects of short-term 48 h long NaCl-stress and spermidine level modification on polyamines level and antioxidant status in cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. Dar) leaves were investigated. Seedlings kept in nutrient solutions treated with 50 mM NaCl for 48 h exhibited reduced relative water content and accumulation of free polyamines, especially spermidine. Salinity stress caused an increase in superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide generation during the salinity-induced increase in antioxidant enzyme activities. Spermidine application before stress resulted in a marked increase in spermidine and spermine contents in the leaves of salt-stressed cucumber seedlings. Additionally, increased spermidine/spermine level mobilised the antioxidant enzyme’s activity and limited reactive oxygen species content. Polyamine synthesis inhibitor (MGBG) slightly decreased spermidine and spermine levels during salinity and reversed the antioxidant activity mobilisation. These results showed that Spd modifications significantly improved PAs, enhancing salinity stress tolerance by detoxifying ROS. Our findings determined the implication of PAs for improving the salinity tolerance of important vegetable species

Fecal Microbiota Analysis in Patients Going through a Depressive Episode during Treatment in a Psychiatric Hospital Setting

Rationale: There is a worldwide prevalence of generalized anxiety and major depressive disorders (MDD). Gut⁻brain axis dysfunction, antibacterial activity, and modulatory effects of antidepressants toward intestinal bacteria have been shown both in vitro and in vivo. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of hospital stay, including escitalopram administration, on gut microbiota in patients with depressive episodes. Methods: After admission to the hospital and 7-days washout from all medications the composition of fecal microbiota samples was evaluated at baseline (W0) and after 6 weeks (W6), using 16S rRNA sequencing. The study was conducted on 17 inpatients (52.9% females), who followed the same daily hospital routine, including a standard diet and received 5⁻20 mg daily doses of escitalopram. Results: At the end of treatment (W6), no change was observed in the Chao1 index. However, Shannon (median (Q1⁻Q3): W0 2.78 (2.67⁻3.02) vs. W6 3.11 (2.80⁻3.30)), and inverse Simpson (median (Q1⁻Q3): W0 9.26 (7.26⁻13.76) vs. W6 12.13 (9.17⁻15.73)) indices increased significantly compared to baseline values (False Discovery Rate p (q) = 0.031 and q = 0.011, respectively). We also found that between-subject W0 Bray⁻Curtis dissimilarities were significantly higher than W0⁻W6 within-subject dissimilarities (median (Q1⁻Q3): 0.68 (0.56⁻0.77) vs. 0.38 (0.35⁻0.52), two sided Mann⁻Whitney test p < 0.00001. The within-subject dissimilarities did not depend on sex, age, BMI, illness duration and a daily dose of escitalopram. No significant differences between taxa levels, at the studied time points, were observed when adjusted for multiple hypotheses testing procedures. Conclusions: We conclude that a six-week treatment in a psychiatric hospital setting resulted in increased alpha biodiversity in fecal microbiota, however its causal relationship with patients’ mental health was not proved. We have also found that individual microbiome stability was not affected by hospitalization

Analysis of Gut Microbiota and Their Metabolic Potential in Patients with Schizophrenia Treated with Olanzapine: Results from a Six-Week Observational Prospective Cohort Study

Accumulating evidence indicates the potential effect of microbiota on the pathogenesis and course of schizophrenia. However, the effects of olanzapine, second-generation antipsychotics, on gut microbiota have not been investigated in humans. This study aimed to analyze fecal microbiota in schizophrenia patients treated with olanzapine during six weeks of their hospital stay. After a seven-day washout from all psychotropic medications, microbiota compositions were evaluated at baseline and after six weeks of hospitalization using 16S rRNA sequencing. The study was conducted in 20 inpatients, who followed the same hospital routine and received 5–20 mg daily doses of olanzapine. Olanzapine treatment was associated with clinical improvements in all patients and significant increases in body mass index in females, but not changes in gut microbiota compositions and predicted function. The severity of symptoms at the beginning of treatment varied in accordance with the predicted metabolic activity of the bacteria. The present findings indicate that the microbiota of schizophrenia patients is highly individual and has different taxonomical (Type 1, with a predominance of Prevotella, and Type 2 with a higher abundance of Bacteroides, Blautia and Clostridium) and functional clusters, and it does not change following six weeks of olanzapine therapy; in addition, the microbiota is not associated with either the weight gain observed in women or the effectiveness of olanzapine therapy