Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses of Business Environment Institutions from Warmia-Masurian Voivodeship as Well as Opportunities and Threats for Their Operations

  Business environment institutions create an ambient for small and medium-sized enterprises, their activities are reflected in, among others the competitiveness of this group of entities. Within a dynamically changing market economy the BEI, similar to other entities, compete with one another. In the effort to achieve and maintain market advantage, BEI, simi­lar to other organisations, are forced to conduct in depth environment analysis. The paper aims at analysing the environment and internal conditions of operation for business environment in­stitutions in Warmia-Masurian voivodeship. The presented results come from the surveys con­ducted for implementation of the project Business Environment Institutions survey from the perspective of the competitiveness and innovation of services provided with recommendations, developed within the frameworks of the project Regional System of Services – InnoWaMa Network implemented with involvement of the Operational Programme Human Capital 2007–2013 (VIII. Regional Staff of the Economy, measure 8.2 Knowledge Transfer, sub-measure 8.2.2 Regional Innovation Strategies) by the Department of Regional Policy of the Marshal’s Office of the Warmia-Masurian Provence in Olsztyn. The main information source for the preparation of this publication was the primary research conducted using a survey method. The basis for an analysis was data collected from 24 BEI

Low-symptomatic skeletal muscle disease in patients with a cardiac disease – Diagnostic approach in skeletal muscle laminopathies

Mild skeletal muscle symptoms might be accompanied with severe cardiac disease, sometimes indicating a serious inherited disorder. Very often it is a cardiologist who refers a patient with cardiomyopathy and/or cardiac arrhythmia and discrete muscle disease for neurological consultation, which helps to establish a proper diagnosis. Here we present three families in which a diagnosis of skeletal muscle laminopathy was made after careful examination of the members, who presented with cardiac arrhythmia and/or heart failure and a mild skeletal muscle disease, which together with positive family history allowed to direct the molecular diagnostics and then provide appropriate treatment and counseling

Supply chain digitization using GS1 standards : research results

PURPOSE: Assessment of the level of products and services offered by the GS1 Poland organization to its customers - companies-participants of the GS1 system. Assessment of the needs of companies - customers of the GS1 system in relation to the solution provider - the GS1 organization.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The research was a direct interview. It was conducted with an expert - representative of the company: owner/manager, manager/specialist. The survey covered 775 companies that are members of GS1 Poland.FINDINGS: Digitization of the supply chain is mainly related to the use of barcodes. The most useful digital tool is My GS1. The companies-participants of the system expect in the future from GS1 organizations first of all individual approach and increase of the number of educational actions.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The obtained assessment constitutes a ranking of popularity of solutions in the offer of GS1 Poland organization. Understanding expectations of companies-participants of GS1 system will allow to improve existing products and services, as well as introduce new ones - expected by market.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The presented results fill a gap in the form of a lack of published research on supply chain digitalization in the Polish logistics market.This article is co-financed by the European Union under the Operational Programme Knowledge, Education, Development 2014-2020 within the realization of “The Integrated Programme of Poznan School of Logistics” (no. POWR.03.05.00-00-Z089/17).peer-reviewe

Managing economic and social changes during the COVID-19 pandemic : a case study for Szczecin and Krakow

PURPOSE: The aim of the article is to analyze the economic and social changes during the Covid-19 pandemic on the example of economic centers such as cities.APPROACH/METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: In the framework of the presented article, the main research methods are the quantitative analysis of financial data on changes in city budgets and the qualitative analysis of the impact of actions taken on the further situation in the economies in question, based on the example of selected cities.FINDINGS: The obtained results will indicate the sectors of major socio-economic changes and will allow for recommendations on the issues of crisis management of budgets of public institutions and saving economies as a whole.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The practical implications of the research results in the article are recommendations for practical actions managing the economy of cities, which bring tangible results and are effective in crisis management as a result of various pandemics.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The original value of the article is the analysis of financial data influenced by the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic and developed recommendations for practical actions to save economies reflected in their centers, which are cities.The project was financed within the framework of the program of the Minister of Science and Higher Education in Poland under the name “Regional Excellence Initiative” in the years 2019–2022, project number 001/RID/2018/19, the amount of financing PLN 10,684,000.00.peer-reviewe

Evolution of glassy carbon under heat treatment : correlation structure-mechanical properties

In order to accommodate an increasing demand for glassy carbon products with tailored characteristics, one has to understand the origin of their structure-related properties. In this work, through the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy it has been demonstrated that the structure of glassy carbon at different stages of the carbonization process resembles the curvature observed in fragments of nanotubes, fullerenes, or nanoonions. The measured nanoindentation hardness and reduced Young’s modulus change as a function of the pyrolysis temperature from the range of 600–2500 °C and reach maximum values for carbon pyrolyzed at around 1000 °C. Essentially, the highest values of the mechanical parameters for glassy carbon manufactured at that temperature can be related to the greatest amount of non-planar sp2-hybridized carbon atoms involved in the formation of curved graphene-like layers. Such complex labyrinth- like structure with sp2-type bonding would be rigid and hard to break that explains the glassy carbon high strength and hardness

Biomechanical and morphological stability of acellular scaffolds for tissue-engineered heart valves depends on different storage conditions

Currently available bioprosthetic heart valves have been successfully used clinically; however, they have several limitations. Alternatively, tissue-engineering techniques can be used. However, there are limited data concerning the impact of storage conditions of scaffolds on their biomechanics and morphology. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different storage conditions on the biomechanics and morphology of pulmonary valve dedicated for the acellular scaffold preparation to achieve optimal conditions to obtain stable heart valve prostheses. Scaffold can then be used for the construction of tissue-engineered heart valve, for this reason evaluation of these parameters can determine the success of the clinical application this type of bioprosthesis. Pulmonary heart valves were collected from adult porcines. Materials were divided into five groups depending on the storage conditions. Biomechanical tests were performed, both the static tensile test, and examination of viscoelastic properties. Extracellular matrix morphology was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Tissue stored at 4 °C exhibited a higher modulus of elasticity than the control (native) and fresh acellular, which indicated the stiffening of the tissue and changes of the viscoelastic properties. Such changes were not observed in the radial direction. Percent strain was not significantly different in the study groups. The storage conditions affected the acellularization efficiency and tissue morphology. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first that attributes the mechanical properties of pulmonary valve tissue to the biomechanical changes in the collagen network due to different storage conditions. Storage conditions of scaffolds for tissue-engineered heart valves may have a significant impact on the haemodynamic and clinical effects of the used bioprostheses

Stem photosynthesis : a key element of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) acclimatisation to salinity

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a leguminous plant of outstanding tolerance to abiotic stress. The aim of the presented study was to describe the mechanism of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) photosynthetic apparatus acclimatisation strategies to salinity stress. The seedlings were cultivated in a hydroponic system in media containing various concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, and 100 mM), imitating none, moderate, and severe salinity, respectively, for three weeks. In order to characterise the function and structure of the photosynthetic apparatus, Chl a fluorescence, gas exchange measurements, proteome analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis were done inter alia. Significant differences in the response of the leaf and stem photosynthetic apparatus to severe salt stress were observed. Leaves became the place of harmful ion (Na+) accumulation, and the efficiency of their carboxylation decreased sharply. In turn, in stems, the reconstruction of the photosynthetic apparatus (antenna and photosystem complexes) activated alternative electron transport pathways, leading to effective ATP synthesis, which is required for the efficient translocation of Na+ to leaves. These changes enabled efficient stem carboxylation and made them the main source of assimilates. The observed changes indicate the high plasticity of grass pea photosynthetic apparatus, providing an effective mechanism of tolerance to salinity stress

Mesh-covered (Roadsaver) stent as a new treatment modality for symptomatic or high-risk carotid stenosis

Introduction: Prevention of periprocedural stroke has a crucial role in carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures. Aim: To assess retrospectively 30-day safety and effectiveness of 41 procedures of internal and common carotid artery stenting using the Roadsaver double nitinol layer micromesh stent in 40 non-consecutive patients with symptomatic or high-risk carotid artery stenosis. Material and methods: The patients were men (n = 31) and women (n = 9); mean age was 67.8 ±7.9 years. Femoral access was used in 39 cases, whereas radial access was used in 2. Proximal (n = 27) or distal (n = 14) embolic neuroprotection was used. Results: The Roadsaver stents (nominal diameter 7, 8 or 9 mm, length 25 or 30 mm) were implanted successfully in all cases. One minor stroke occurred after common carotid artery intubation with a guiding catheter (before stent deployment) and one transient postprocedural ischemic attack (TIA) of the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere was observed. Internal/common carotid artery stenosis severity was evaluated by duplex Doppler. Maximal peak systolic velocity (PSV) before CAS was in the range: 2.0–7.0 m/s, mean: 3.9 ±1.0 m/s, at 24–48 h after stenting mean PSV was 1.1 ±0.4 m/s (p < 0.05), and at 30 days 1.1 ±0.3 m/s (p < 0.05). Maximal end-diastolic velocity (EDV) was 0.85–3.5 m/s, mean 1.4 ±0.5 m/s, at 24–48 h after stenting mean EDV was 0.3 ±0.1 m/s (p < 0.05), and at 30 days 0.4 ±0.1 m/s (p < 0.05). No restenosis or thrombosis was observed. Angiographic stenosis decreased from 82.9 ±9.1% (range: 61–97%) to 19.3 ±7.3% (range: 0–34%) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The CAS using the Roadsaver stent seems to be safe and effective. Further studies involving larger patient populations and longer follow-up are needed

Structural and Mechanistic Analysis of the Slx1-Slx4 Endonuclease

SummaryThe SLX1-SLX4 endonuclease required for homologous recombination and DNA repair in eukaryotic cells cleaves a variety of branched DNA structures. The nuclease subunit SLX1 is activated by association with a scaffolding protein SLX4. At the present time, little is known about the structure of SLX1-SLX4 or its mechanism of action. Here, we report the structural insights into SLX1-SLX4 by detailing the crystal structure of Candida glabrata (Cg) Slx1 alone and in combination with the C-terminal region of Slx4. The structure of Slx1 reveals a compact arrangement of the GIY-YIG nuclease and RING domains, which is reinforced by a long α helix. Slx1 forms a stable homodimer that blocks its active site. Slx1-Slx4 interaction is mutually exclusive with Slx1 homodimerization, suggesting a mechanism for Slx1 activation by Slx4

Nelson’s syndrome — a case report

Zespół Nelsona jest rzadką jednostką chorobową występującą u 10–15% pacjentów z chorobą Cushinga po obustronnej adrenalektomii. Charakteryzuje się wysokim stężeniem ACTH w surowicy, nadmierną pigmentacją skór y, błon śluzowych oraz występowaniem objawów neurologicznych.Autorzy przedstawiają opis przypadku 44-letniej kobiety z rozpoznanym zespołem Nelsona, porównując metody leczenia, jakie mogą być wykorzystane w leczeniu przedstawionej jednostki chorobowej.Nelson’s syndrome is a rare disease that occurs in 10–15% of patients with Cushing’s disease after bilateral adrenalectomy. It is characterized by high levels of ACTH in the serum, hyperpigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes, and the occurrence of neurological symptoms.The authors present a case of 44-year-old woman diagnosed with Nelson’s syndrome. They compare methods of treatment that can be used to treat Nelson’s syndrome