Development Assistance for Africa as Part of the Chinese–American Rivalry

The system of development assistance for Africa in recent years has become one of the most important tools in the rivalry between world powers on the continent. Due to the increasingly important position in the global system of China which is now competing with traditional donors, the problems with development assistance are gaining in importance as a potential area for competition among global powers. The aim of the article is to analyze the development assistance of China and the United States for Africa as part of the these two superpowers’ global rivalry

President Trump’s Declarations on Official Development Assistance: A Change of Policy?

For years official development assistance (ODA) has been one of the most important forms of financial assistance provided to developing countries by highly developed countries. Despite the controversy over the effectiveness of assistance, it has become a permanent element of the international aid system. With the election of Donald Trump and one of the key slogans of his campaign – America first – the political climate around official development assistance is changing. The aim of the article is to analyze the role of official development assistance in political declarations of the current president of the United States

Transformacja i reformy gospodarcze w Wietnamie w latach 80. XX wieku. Przyczyny, przebieg i skutki

Problem rozwoju państw postkolonialnych od lat zajmuje znaczące miejsce w rozważaniach ekonomistów. Ze względu na swoją historię jednym z ciekawszych przypadków jest Wietnam. Skolonizowany przez Francję, następnie uwikłany w przedłużający się zimnowojenny konflikt, kraj ten przez wiele lat pozostawał w stanie wojny. Koniec gospodarki wojennej nastąpił dopiero w 1976 r. wraz ze zjednoczeniem Południowego i Północnego Wietnamu i z ustanowieniem reżimu komunistycznego. Mimo podejmowanych prób reform sytuacja gospodarcza nie poprawiała się, co stanowiło realne zagrożenie dla reżimu, które wzrosło po upadku reżimów socjalistycznych w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej. W rezultacie w roku 1986 w Wietnamie miał miejsce wielki przewrót polityczny i przyjęcie nowej polityki gospodarczej đồi mới („odnowy”), które toutes proportions gardées można zdefiniować jako projekt pogodzenia socjalistycznego reżimu politycznego i kapitalistycznej gospodarki. W praktyce oznaczało to decentralizację i reformy przedsiębiorstw państwowych, otwarcie i integrację z gospodarką światową oraz modyfikację roli państwa. W wyniku przemian w ciągu ostatnich dekad Wietnam doświadczył jednego z najwyższych wskaźników wzrostu gospodarczego i redukcji ubóstwa na świecie, połączonych z osiągnięciem ogólnej stabilizacji makroekonomicznej. W świetle tych wydarzeń zasadne są pytania o to, jak przebiegał proces transformacji w Wietnamie i jak wpłynął on na jego gospodarkę. Głównym celem pracy jest przedstawienie procesu reform w Wietnamie i jego skutków, zarówno gospodarczych, jak i społecznych. W tym celu pracę podzielono na trzy zasadnicze części – pierwsza przedstawia w zarysie problem dualizmu gospodarczego między Północnym i Południowym Wietnamem, druga przedstawia przyczyny i charakterystykę reform, a ostatnia omawia ich skutki. W zakończeniu syntetycznie przedstawiono wnioski z przeprowadzonych analiz. W pracy wykorzystywana jest przede wszystkim analiza historyczna bazująca na literaturze krajowej i zagranicznej oraz analiza danych zastanych

Mergers and acquisitions: Evidence on post-announcement performance from CEE stock markets

The paper re-examines the short-term and long-term performance following announcements of mergers and acquisitions. This is the first study that comprehensively explores this phenomenon in Central and Eastern European countries. We find strong evidence that announcement of a takeover creates value for both bidders and acquirers in the short run. Simultaneously, contrary to the stylized fact reported by a majority of U.S. based studies, after controlling for local value, size, and momentum factors the mergers and acquisitions do not destroy the value of the acquirers in the long term. The observations are important for corporate governance and portfolio management. The research is based on 109 deals in years 2001–2014. For the short-horizon event studies, we calculate average cumulative abnormal returns and we employ of the zero, index, and market models. For the long-run studies, we build equally and capitalization-weighted calendar-time portfolios and test their performances with CAPM, three-factor and four-factor models

Effects of growth hormone-replacement therapy in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome - review of recent clinical trials

Introduction and objective: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a severe genetic disorder being manifested by several symptoms such as infantile hypotonia and poor thriving outcomes, low height, hyperphagia, endocrine, reproductive and internal malfunctions and malformations. In the disease treatment, growth hormone (GH)-replacement therapy is commonly carried on. In this article, we sum up the latest clinical trials’ results concerning the effectiveness and safety of GH-replacement therapy.Abbreviated description of the state of knowledge: Taking into consideration six clinical trials performed in the years 2019-2020, most of them showed positive results of GH-replacement therapy in PWS patients, not only in case of better motor skills or body composition, but also concerning their social and adaptive functioning. Moreover, as for the cessation of GH treatment, some authors seem to highlight no deterioration in cognitive functioning in patients who attained adult height after GH-treatment.Summary: GH-replacement therapy seems to be a good therapeutic option for PWS-affected individuals. Nonetheless, in our research we did not come across on any clinical trials with more than one-year-long observations. Thus, on the long term, these results can not exclude a gradual deterioration of cognitive functioning

Diagnosis and management of lipoedema – a review paper

Lipoedema is a chronic progressive disorder of adipose tissue leading to an enlargement of lower extremities. It is considered to be rare; however, the prevalence of the disease is underestimated because it is commonly misdiagnosed as obesity or lymphedema and the general awareness is poor. The etiology of the disorder is considered to be multifarious, including genetic inheritance, hormonal imbalance and microcirculation alterations. Diagnosis is mainly based on medical history and physical examination. Management of lipoedema is focused on reducing the symptoms, improving the quality of life and preventing further progression of the disease. The aim of this paper is to raise the awareness of the disease and provide appropriate clinical guidance for the assessment of lipoedema. We searched through the PubMed/MEDLINE database and took into consideration all of the results available as of 6September, 2020 and outlined the current evidence regarding lipoedema epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management. Better understanding of lipoedema is crucial for establishing an early diagnosis and a proper treatment, which in turn will reduce the psychological and physical implications associated with the disease

The role of artificial intelligence in cancer diagnostics - a review

Introduction and purposeArtificial intelligence (AI) is more advanced than ever and finds more and more new applications. Attempts are being made to use computer data analysis in medicine. The aim of this study is to summarize the knowledge on the use of AI in the diagnosis of breast, prostate, skin and colorectal cancer with particular emphasis on the applications and effectiveness of AI in making diagnoses. A brief description of the state of knowledgeThe most frequently used form of artificial intelligence in diagnostics are algorithms that analyze databases and recognize patterns. They can capture the features of samples characteristic of tumors, such as abnormal cells in the biopsy material or the alarming size and color of the skin lesion. Additionally, AI is capable of analyzing magnetic resonance images, radiographs, and other standardized test results. In most cases, AI is more effective than clinicians, sometimes as effective as they are, and almost never less effective. As a rule, the most accurate and adequate diagnosis can be obtained by joining the forces of AI and medical specialists. Working with learning algorithms requires the use of very extensive data sets. Every effort should be made to protect sensitive information from patients' medical history. ConclusionsThe results of research on the effectiveness of AI in cancer diagnostics are very promising. Further research and development of information technology systems may positively affect the quality and effectiveness of tumor diagnostics

Post-merger returns in frontier markets, or how we learned to stop worrying and love the acquirers

This study presents the results from a comprehensive out-of-sample test of long-run returns following mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Using a unique sample from 23 frontier markets of almost 800 transactions conducted during the years 1992 to 2016, we implement both cross-sectional tests and time-series examinations based on a calendar-time portfolio approach. Contrary to evidence from developed markets, the M&As in these frontier markets do not lead to abnormal underperformance of acquirers, regardless of whether they paid for the acquisition with cash or stock. The results are robust to many considerations, including subsample and subperiod analysis, alternative formation periods, different portfolio construction approaches

POMIAR CZASU MARTWEGO METODĄ DWÓCH ŹRÓDEŁ – OPTYMIZACJA PODZIAŁU CZASU POMIARU

The article presents the analysis of the dead time measurement using two sources for a non-paralyzable detector. It determined the optimum division of count rate measurement time between both source measurement and a single source one. Results of the work can be used to optimize dead time measurement for systems which count photons or particles.W artykule zaprezentowano analizę pomiaru czasu martwego detektora nieparaliżowalnego metodą dwóch źródeł. Wyznaczono optymalny podział czasu pomiaru częstości zliczeń dla pomiaru jednym i dwoma źródłami. Wyniki pracy mogą być wykorzystane do optymalizacji systemów zliczających fotony lub cząstki