bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spiral Management
Authors: Mikulášková Justína , Čambál Miloš , Polakovič Ľuboš , Urbanovičová Petra
Published: December 2021

Spiral management and its principles are based on the long-term successful existence of living systems. The principles can be applied to the enterprise and organization management. Living systems manage long-term success by acquiring energy from their surroundings (through nutrition), while enterprises acquire customers and employees' energy in order to eliminate entropy (in enterprises manifested as economic losses). Spiral management is based on the synergy of living systems. It describes behavior patterns in the cyclical development of enterprises as well as the ability of the latter to diagnose their own strategic decisions, including the instructions of how to drive an enterprise towards a long-term success. The chapter describes theoretical basis of spiral management while providing a novel insight into this unique managerial approach and emphasizing its importance for the human resources management. Also introduced are the elements of spiral management applied in the enterprises that want to be competitive and survive turbulent periods.
Transferring Japanese Management Practices in Asia and the West
Authors: Iwashita Hitoshi
Published: December 2021

This chapter aims to identify and investigate the transferability of Japanese management practices in Asia and the West. Through a review of existing literature regarding Japanese management practices in Asia and the West, it attempts to identity and further explain how Japanese management practices can be (non-)transferrable into different national contexts. In the past, work on Japanese management practices had mainly focused on their cost-effectiveness in the Western countries. In and after the 2000s, however, this focus on the Western contexts has been gradually shifting to Asia institutionally (i.e., local labour market and regulations) while becoming culturally closer to Japan (i.e., in terms of national culture, such as collectivism and hierarchy). This chapter therefore tries to establish whether or not Japanese management practices can be (non-)transferrable into Asian contexts; if so, why so? If not, why not?
Digital Era and New Methods for Employee Recruitment
Authors: Baykal Elif
Published: December 2021

The ever-increasing digitalization in today's business processes—and incredibly fast-growing markets—have created a more competitive business environment. And, this more competitive business environment has led companies to be more demanding regarding the employee qualifications as well as the quality of tasks carried out by these employees. Moreover, this change process has rendered the traditional human resources management methods inadequate, further digitizing the field of human resources. In this study, the authors examine the handling of recruitment functions within human resources management and the digitization process. Furthermore, they discuss both the basic dynamics of the e-recruitment processes, the tools of e-recruitment, as well as its advantages and disadvantages.
HRM in the Tourism Industry
Authors: Martins-Rodrigues Maria Carolina , Barbieri da Rosa Luciana Aparecida , Sousa Maria José , Barberi Larissa Cristina , Godoy Tais Pentiado
Published: December 2021

This chapter aims to analyze the research from the last 20 years about human resources management in the tourism industry. The research question is: What are the contributions of the international publications on human resources management and tourism in the Web of Science and Scopus databases in the last two decades? In order to accomplish this goal, the research methodology will be a literature survey using the Scopus and WoS databases. To develop this research, first, it will be performed a literature review on HRM as strategic value, and also on the multiple perspectives of the concept of tourism. Moreover, it will be made state of the art on human resources management in the tourism industry. Furthermore, the results of the literature survey are presented. The main findings show that there is still a need for more production about human resources management in the tourism industry, which was based on the importance of one segment to the other, as well as the infinite possibilities of incremental actions that allow a mutual benefit between these two fields.
Human Resources Accounting Disclosure Practices (HRADP)
Authors: Arora Amit Kumar , Panchal Ankit
Published: December 2021

The objective of this paper is to determine the benefits and challenges of valuation and disclosure of human resources based on prior art. The study found low adoption rate of HR accounting, no standard method for valuation of human resource, no legal provision for the adoption of it, and disclosure of the same in the annual reports of the organization. The study recommended adopting the HRAP as there is evidence of an increase in the profitability and increase in the efficiency of the employees.
Fidelity Enhancement of a Multirotor Dynamic Inflow Model via System Identification
Authors: Guner Feyyaz , Prasad J. V. R. , He Chengjian , Peters David
Published: December 2021

Multirotor analytical dynamic inflow models in the literature, such as pressure potential superposition inflow model or velocity potential superposition inflow model (VPSIM), have been shown to capture the fundamental inflow interference effects between the rotors. Some of the differences
in inflow predictions seen between these analytic models and high-fidelity wake models are attributed to missing real flow effects such as wake distortion, contraction, decay, swirl, etc. As such, correction terms are needed in the analytically derived multirotor finite-state inflow models,
because of the potential flow and rigid wake assumptions they are based on, in order to capture some of the missing real flow effects in them. This paper develops a systematic methodology for arriving at the needed correction terms in the VPSIM through comparisons of its inflow predictions
with those of a viscous vortex particle model (VVPM). Also, a procedure is developed to assess the relative importance of individual real flow effects and the associated corrections needed for improving the overall fidelity of the VPSIM. The developed methodology is applied to the Harrington
coaxial rotor using its geometric and aerodynamic data from the literature. It is shown that the addition of swirl coupling correction terms to the VPSIM significantly improves its correlations with the VVPM. Further, it is shown that the required corrections are reasonably insensitive to
thrust sharing ratio conditions between the rotors.
Comment on renal autotransplantation: A final option to preserve the kidney after an iatrogenic ureteral injury
Authors: Damaskos Christos , Garmpis Nikolaos , Nikolettos Konstantinos , Patsouras Alexandros , Schizas Dimitrios , Garmpi Anna , Georgakopoulou Vasiliki E. , Syllaios Athanasios , Dimitroulis Dimitrios
Published: December 2021

To the Editor, Autologous Renal Transplantation (ART) since firstly described in 1963 by Hardy, has been used in various cases. There are various reasons for the transplantation such as iatrogenic ureteral damage, chronic kidney pain, unresectable renal tumors or renovascular diseases. Indications concerning the suitable patients for this kind of procedure are gradually increasing. Nevertheless, each case is unique, and the treatment must be personalized [...].
Health-related quality of life of patients after breast cancer treatment
Authors: Kaur Maninder Deep , Yadav Budhi Singh , Dahiya Divya , Kaur Sukhpal , Sharma Akhilesh , Ghoshal Sushmita
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:

Survival for breast cancer (BC) patients has improved significantly because of better treatment availability. However, patients may experience side effects after the completion of the treatment, which consequently affect their quality of life (QoL). The present study was planned to assess the QoL of BC patients after the completion of treatment.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

One hundred patients of BC after the completion of treatment from the Department of Radiation Oncology, PostGraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, were enrolled in the study during December 2017 to December 2018. EORTC QLQ C30/+BR23 questionnaires were used to quantify the QoL of these patients.

RESULTS:

The mean age of the participants was 49.35 ± 8.66 years. Mean global health status (GHS) QoL score was 64.6 ± 13.6. Functional scales, in most of the domains were high, whereas symptom scales were moderate to low for most items, showing better QoL. Pain (40.6 ± 19.1) and fatigue (54.8 ± 16.1) were the most disturbing symptoms. Patients exhibited higher scores for sexual functioning, whereas the least score was for future perspective.

CONCLUSIONS:

There was significant overall improvement in the QoL of patients with BC after the completion of treatment regarding functional scales and symptom scales as per EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. As per EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaire, there was deterioration of the QoL concerning future perspectives for functional scale and hair loss for symptom scales.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Mittal Rahul Jagdishchandra , Adhit Kanishk K. , Vakkalagadda Naga Praneeth , Salibindla Divya Bala A. M. R. , Suvvari Tarun Kumar
Published: December 2021

Cancer, which is considered one of the most dangerous diseases, can arise from any part of the human body. We are still lacking the effective and curable treatment modalities for many cancers that can affect the life of patients adversely. One such is acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that arises from the myeloid cells due to the somatic gene mutation that can disturb that particular cell lines or many cell lines together, thus causing overcrowding or inhibitory suppression of bone marrow. The biggest challenge that we are facing in terms of AML is not having an effective cure and increasing rates of relapse and recurrence. However, one of the therapeutic methodologies that are emerging nowadays is the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) which have shown promising results, especially in the case of acute settings such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and few relapsed cancers such as Ph negative ALL and multiple myeloma. CAR T-cells are the types of living drugs that are prepared from the T cells of patient's bodies and are cultured and grown artificially in the laboratory. They are also provided with artificially engineered receptors so that they identify the specific cancerous cells and kill only them without harming normal cells. No matter how novel it may sound, this modality is also not free from side effects, and some of the severe ill effects have been described and reported with the usage of CAR T-cells. Some of them may include severe cytokine storms, toxicities and failed treatment. Thus, we need to improvise on our techniques and there is a huge scope of future research in making CAR T-cells an effective and regular treatment option for patients suffering from AML.
Elevated mRNA expression levels of inflammation-related genes in triple-negative breast cancer
Authors: Sultana Rizwana , Salman Chisty Syed Javed
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND:

The prevalence of Triple-Negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for a large percentage of breast cancer cases in India. TNBC is associated with poor prognosis, higher mortality rate, ill-defined molecular etiology, and hence limited therapeutic interventions.

AIM:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of certain inflammatory markers with TNBC pathogenesis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Prospectively collected resected breast cancer tissue samples along with adjacent normal control (n = 100) were prospectively collected in RNA Later. Differential mRNA expression analysis of inflammatory-related genes namely; inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), and Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFκB) and were evaluated in non-TNBC and TNBC tissues samples along with adjacent normal control tissue samples with the help of mRNA specific primers using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSSv13.0 software.

RESULTS:

A total of 60 non-TNBC and 40 TNBC tissue samples along with adjacent normal control were included for the study with informed consent and clinical details. The mean age of the TNBC patients was 39 ± 9 years, All the breast cancer cases were clinically staged as Infiltrating Duct Carcinoma (non-TNBC-invasive ductal carcinoma [IDC] II [n = 29 cases], non-TNBC-IDC III [n = 31 cases], TNBC-IDCII [n = 22 cases], TNBC-IDC III [n = 18 cases]). The results showed an upregulation of all the markers in TNBC cases compared to non-TNBC vis-avis non-neoplastic adjacent control area. Second, significant changes in iNOS mRNA expression were found to be associated with severity of TNBC cases (P = 0.020), while the expression of constitutively expressed eNOS was comparative between IDC-II and IDC-III stages of TNBC.

CONCLUSIONS:

The present study indicates that the mRNA-based differential expression results showed an upregulation of all the markers (iNOS, eNOS, COX2, and NFκB) in TNBC cases compared to non-TNBC cases vis-a-vis non-neoplastic adjacent control area. Significant changes in iNOS mRNA expression were found to be associated with severity of TNBC cases (P = 0.020), depicting the role of iNOS-induced inflammation in the pathogenesis of TNBC.
Delineating the role of autophagy in driving the resistance to cancer chemotherapy
Authors: Shantanu P. A. , Syamprasad N. P , Rajdev Bishal , Gawali Basveshwar , Rai Avdhesh Kumar , Rahman Tashnin , Naidu V. G. M.
Published: December 2021

The development of resistance is one of the major complications faced by an oncologist for cancer treatment. Autophagy plays a crucial role in driving this resistance against most antineoplastic therapies. The evolutionarily conserved autophagy process meant for quality control of cellular organelles and protein complexes is overwhelmed by proliferative signals from various carcinogens. This leads to the accumulation of defective oncogenic proteins leading to carcinogenesis. As the tumor proliferates and grows in size, it reboots its autophagy pathways to supplement its ever-growing need for nutrients, oxygen, and energy supply. This review will discuss various molecular mechanisms of how physiological and metabolic stressors modulate autophagy, which drives the cancer cell's journey from dormancy to survival by fuelling the metabolic pathways involving internal cell restructuring and reshaping the tumor microenvironment. Considering the preclinical success of autophagy modulators for cancer treatment, this review will bring a new perspective and mechanistic explanation for using autophagy inhibitors for curtailing tumor progression and later using autophagy inducers for preventing cancer remission. This review will also help to formulate or repurpose safer and effective stand-alone and combination anticancer treatment strategies involving autophagy modulators.
Effect of the Resin-Based Adhesive Coating on the Shear Punch Strength of Aesthetic Restorative Materials
Authors: Mohammadi Najmeh , Bagheri Rafat , Borazjani Lida Vaziri
Published: December 2021

Introduction:

This study aimed to investigate the effect of G-Coat Plus (GCP) on the shear punch strength (SPS) of conventional glass ionomer cements (CGICs) and resin composites (RCs).

Materials and methods:

In this experimental study, four groups of restorative materials (two CGICs (Equia Forte Fil and Fuji Bulk), and two RCs (Aura Bulk fil and Filtek Z250) were used. Twenty specimens were prepared for each material. GCP was applied on the first subgroup (n = 10). The specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C, and SPS values were measured after 24 hours. Two-way analysis of variance and independent t test were used for data analysis.

Results:

RCs showed significant higher SPS values compared to the CGICs (P < 0.001). All materials tested showed increased SPS values after applying GCP (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Applying GCP significantly improves the SPS of tooth-colored restorative materials used in this study.
Comparative Evaluation of Calendula officinalis and 2% Chlorhexidine against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans
Authors: Vinola Selvanathan M. J. , Sekar Mahalaxmi , Renganathan Senthil Kumar , Dhiraviam Selvanathan
Published: December 2021

Background:

Endodontic infections require effective removal of microorganisms from the root canal system for long-term prognosis. Chlorhexidine (CHX) is one of the most effective irrigants, but it's few drawbacks warrant search for newer alternatives.

Aim:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Calendula officinalis (CO) and 2% CHX against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Candida albicans (C. albicans).

Materials and Methods:

The antimicrobial activity of CO extract and 2% CHX against E. faecalis and C. albicans was checked by the agar diffusion method and the zone of inhibition was statistically analyzed.

Results:

CHX has significantly more antimicrobial activity than CO against E. faecalis and C. albicans. However, CO also possesses reasonable antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis and antifungal activity against C. albicans.

Conclusion:

Under the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that CO has antimicrobial and antifungal activity against E. faecalis and C. albicans; however, CHX is more potent.
Novel Tri-Layered Restorative Technique for Management of External Inflammatory Invasive Cervical Resorption
Authors: Agrawal Vineet S , Vasavda Kesha , Kapoor Sonali
Published: December 2021

Invasive cervical resorption (ICR) is aggressive and expansionist variety of external tooth resorption that commences within the cervical region. The treatment goal must be complete elimination of all resorbing tissues and therefore the reassembling of the resorptive defect by the placement of an acceptable filling material to achieve desired function and esthetics. The restoration of the defect becomes demanding and strenuous if it extends coronally as well as radicular. This case presents the management of a Heithersay's Class 3 ICR in maxillary right central incisor using a surgical approach and restoration of defect with tri-layered combination of biodentine, resin-modified glass ionomer cement, and composite resin.
Association of Human Papillomavirus with other Coinfections Prevailing in Abnormal Cervical Lesions
Authors: Mohanty Gangotree , Singha Partha , Datta Chhanda , Dutta Sankhadeep , Panda Chinmay Kumar
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common and necessary cause for cervical cancer development. However, association of other microbial infections such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), trichomonas vaginalis (TV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) with HPV in development of the disease is not clear. This study aimed to evaluate the association of HPV with the other coinfections with the development of cervical lesions.

Materials and Methods:

Cervical smears of 120 women (age range 20–70 years) were screened by cytology/serology for detection of BV, TV, and HBV. The prevalence of HPV and its copy number were detected by polymerase chain reaction-based methods.

Results:

HPV infection was infrequent (4%) in normal cytology samples followed by increase in atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance (ASCUS) (60.4%), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) (94.1%), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (100.0%), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (100.0%). HPV 16 infection was prevalent than HPV 18 along their coinfections in some samples. The other microbial infections were comparatively less frequent (28.0%) in normal cytology samples than ASCUS (83.3%), LSIL (44.1%), HSIL (58.3%), and SCC (100.0%). BV infection was found in normal cytology as well as in ASCUS, LSIL, and HSIL samples, whereas TV infection was absent in normal cytology though prevalent in other cervical lesions. HBV infection was seen in only one ASCUS sample.

Conclusions:

Significant high HPV 16 copy number was seen to be associated with other microbial infections than the infection negative samples. Coinfection of HPV with other microbes has association with severity of cervical lesions.
Megestrol Acetate in Cancer Cachexia and Anorexia
Authors: Fatima Kaneez , Andleeb Asifa , Hussain Imtiyaz , Sofi Mushtaq Ahmed , Fir Afroz , Qadri Sumyra Khurshid
Published: December 2021

Background:

In clinical practice, the management of cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome (CACS) is a great challenge. We conducted an observational study to find the effectiveness and safety of megestrol acetate (MA) for the treatment of CACS.

Patients and Methods:

One hundred patients of advanced cancer were randomly assigned in the study. Patients received MA 160 mg/oral twice daily. The duration of treatment was 8 weeks.

Results:

The analysis of the study group demonstrated a statistically significant increase from baseline in body weight (P ≤ 0.01), quality of life (P = 0.02), appetite (P = 0.01), and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (P = 0.03).

Conclusion:

We concluded that MA is effective and safe in the treatment of CACS.
Study of Effect of Corona-19 Pandemic on Radiation Oncology Practice – Single Institution Experience
Authors: Rao Arpitha S , Mohan Florence P
Published: December 2021

Context:

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a big challenge to provision of health care. Cancer patients are considered to be at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19 as they are often immunosuppressed. At the same time, treatment delays and late diagnosis during the pandemic due to travel restrictions, staff shortage, active COVID infections to patients or family members, etc., can lead to tumor progression and poor oncological outcomes.

Aims:

This retrospective observational study was undertaken to know the effect of the corona pandemic and consequent lockdown on the radiation treatment of oncology patients in our department.

Materials and Methods:

Subjects of the study were the patients who attended the Oncology Department of Kamineni Academy of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, which is a tertiary care center, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study period was 6 months starting from the lockdown on April 24, 2020.

Results:

In our study, treatment of 16 out of 150 patients (10.67%) was affected due to the lockdown situation consequent to COVID-19 pandemic. Eight patients had treatment interruptions for more than 5 days, six patients discontinued their treatment, and two patients delayed their treatment due to lockdown. Eight patients tested positive for COVID-19 before starting treatment. Out of them, four did not come back for treatment. The mean delay in radiation treatment in the other four patients was 35 days. Two patients had CORAD scores consistent with COVID-19 but were reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction negative. Two patients turned positive during treatment after which they did not come back. Totally 9.3% (14/150) of the patients' treatment was affected due to corona infection.

Conclusions:

In our study, almost 20% of the patients' treatment was affected directly or indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic situation. This in turn may lead to rise in cancer mortality in future.
Evaluation of the efficacy of Zataria multiflora essential oil versus albendazole in patients infected with liver cystic echinococcosis
Authors: Jafari Arash , Moazeni Mohammad , Hosseini Seyed Vahid , Khazraei Hajar , Pourahmad Saeedeh
Published: December 2021

Background:

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a life-threatening disease in many countries. Albendazole, as the drug of choice for medical treatment of CE, is accompanied by adverse effects and may be ineffective in 20%–40% of cases; hence, new and more effective compounds are urgently needed to optimize the management of the disease. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZMEO) versus albendazole against human liver CE.

Materials and Methods:

In this nonrandomized and single-blinded clinical trial, thirty patients who were infected with liver CE were divided into two groups (15 in each) and treated with albendazole (800 mg daily) and ZMEO (60 mg daily), respectively. Albendazole and ZMEO were administered orally for 180 consecutive days. The volume of hydatid cysts was measured by ultrasonography before and 2, 4 and 6 months after the start of treatment. Simultaneously, biochemical analysis was performed on the blood samples of patients to assess the possible side effects of the two treatment regimens.

Results:

Two, 4 and 6 months after the start of treatment, ZMEO indicated a significantly higher ability in reduction of the volume of the hydatid cysts, compared to albendazole (P < 0.05). The mean values of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase were also significantly lower in the patients treated with ZMEO in comparison to those treated with albendazole (P < 0.05). No clinical adverse effects were observed in the patients treated by ZMEO.

Conclusion:

From the point of view of efficacy and safety, ZMEO indicated a significant superiority to albendazole. Hence, ZMEO may be considered as an alternative for albendazole in the medical treatment of liver CE.
Poincare plot
Authors: Bhat Sushma N. , Jindal Ghanshyam D. , Xavier Monica , Wagh Raj D. , Garje Kajal S. , Nagare Gajanan D.
Published: December 2021

“Variability is the sign of life” is the principle being followed by all living beings on the earth. The study of variability came into existence in 1965 with Hon and Lee’s observation of the need for rapid delivery after a decrease in fetal heart rate variation. The field has grown phenomenally since then and has become an essential part of patient care. Heart rate variability is the most studied and explored for its physiological origin and subsequent clinical applications. It has been followed by blood pressure variability, blood flow variability, morphology index variability, and so on. These variabilities are expressed in the time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear domain by different parameters and geometric shapes. Poincare representation is one of the nonlinear domain representations of variability. Elliptical, torpedo-like, or fan-shaped central conglomeration of points in Poincare plots are generally considered normal. The shape distorts considerably in different diseases. Not much effort has been made to classify these distortions since the time domain and frequency domain presentations have dominated most of the studies due to their numerical expression. Poincare presentation in arrhythmias is very interesting to the extent that a diagnosis can be made based on the Poincare plot. The point plots are now being extended to curve plots or line plots for better detection of arrhythmia and its understanding. Owing to large scatter in the time domain and frequency domain parameters of variability, extended Poincare plots are currently being explored as substitutes. Some of these features of Poincare plots and their clinical applications are briefly described in this article.
The all-or-nothing phenomenon in sparse linear regression
Authors: Reeves Galen , Xu Jiaming , Zadik Ilias
Published: December 2021

We study the problem of recovering a hidden binary

k

-sparse

p

-dimensional vector

\beta

from

n

noisy linear observations

Y=X\beta+W

, where

X_{ij}

are i.i.d.

\mathcal{N}(0,1)

and

W_i

are i.i.d.

\mathcal{N}(0,\sigma^2)

. A closely related hypothesis testing problem is to distinguish the pair

(X,Y)

generated from this structured model from a corresponding null model where

(X,Y)

consist of purely independent Gaussian entries. In the low sparsity

k=o(\sqrt{p})

and high signal-to-noise ratio

k/\sigma^2 \to \infty

regime, we establish an “all-or-nothing” information-theoretic phase transition at a critical sample size

n^{\ast}=2 k\log (p/k) /\log (1+k/\sigma^2)

, resolving a conjecture of Gamarnik and Zadik (2017). Specifically, we show that if

\liminf_{p\to \infty} n/n^{\ast}>1

, then the maximum likelihood estimator almost perfectly recovers the hidden vector with high probability and moreover the true hypothesis can be detected with a vanishing error probability. Conversely, if

\limsup_{p\to \infty} n/n^{\ast}<1

, then it becomes information-theoretically impossible even to recover an arbitrarily small but fixed fraction of the hidden vector support, or to test hypotheses strictly better than random guess.

Our proof of the impossibility result builds upon two key techniques, which could be of independent interest. First, we use a conditional second moment method to upper bound the Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence between the structured and the null model. Second, inspired by the celebrated area theorem, we establish a lower bound to the minimum mean squared estimation error of the hidden vector in terms of the KL divergence between the two models.

An extended abstract version of this work appeared at the Proceedings of the Conference on Learning Theory (COLT), 2019.
Status prawny mniejszości narodowych w Republice Słowackiej
Authors: Puzyniak Aleksandra
Published: December 2021

Położenie mniejszości narodowych na terenie Republiki Słowackiej regulują liczne akty prawne. Wśród nich znajdują się dokumenty przyjmowane na gruncie krajowym oraz rozwiązania o charakterze międzynarodowym. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest przedstawienie treści najważniejszych ustaw oraz dokumentów, które wpływają na położenie mniejszości narodowych na Słowacji, a także przybliżenie reakcji organizacji międzynarodowych na wprowadzane przez Bratysławę regulacje prawne.

The legal status of national minorities in the Slovak Republic

The location of national minorities in the territory of the Slovak Republic is regulated by numerous national acts, the most important of which are the constitution, the law on the use of national minority languages and the law on the state language. References to national minorities can be found in many other acts, such as the Act on counteracting discrimination, the Act on Upbringing and Education and the Act on Radio and Television. The issue of minorities is also raised in bilateral agreements, an example of which is the agreement on good neighbourliness and friendly cooperation between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Hungary. The legal situation of minorities in Slovakia is also influenced by international organizations to which Bratislava belongs. In this case, the Council of Europe’s most significant influence, the European Union, the Central European Initiative and the United Nations. Over the years, the Slovak authorities have also created institutions responsible for activities for national minorities, and among them, an important function is performed by the Government Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic for National Minorities. This article aims to analyse the legal acts and institutions regulating the legal status of national minorities in Slovakia. The publication is also intended to show that the issue of minorities is covered in many legal solutions, and the Slovak authorities have developed a system of protection and support for this community over the years. The author used the institutional and legal method.
„Nikdo nic neví”, czyli krótka historia czeskocieszyńskiego słupa granicznego
Authors: Zenderowski Radosław
Published: December 2021

Niniejszy artykuł odnosi się do wydarzenia, które wywołało lawinę kontrowersji i sporów, burząc oficjalnie zadekretowaną przez lokalnych polityków idyllę w relacjach między dwiema częściami podzielonego granicą państwową miasta – Cieszyna i Czeskiego Cieszyna. Wydarzeniem tym było uroczyste odsłonięcie repliki czechosłowackiego słupa granicznego z okresu I Republiki, w centrum Czeskiego Cieszyna, z okazji 100. rocznicy podziału Śląska Cieszyńskiego pomiędzy Czechosłowację i Polskę. Celem artykułu jest po pierwsze – rekonstrukcja dyskursu, jaki towarzyszył temu wydarzeniu, po drugie – analiza lokalnej polityki pamięci, w którą wpisują się poszczególne narracje i podejmowane działania. Artykuł składa się z trzech części. W pierwszej dokonano charakterystyki Cieszyna jako miasta podzielonego granicą państwową. W drugiej – opisano wydarzenie, które wywołało szereg głębokich kontrowersji w relacjach polsko‑czeskich. W trzeciej – przeanalizowano treść dyskursu odnoszącego się do symbolicznego znaczenia repliki czechosłowackiego słupa granicznego z okresu I Republiki ustawionej w centrum Czeskiego Cieszyna dla upamiętnienia 100‑lecia ustanowienia granicy dzielącej miasto na dwie części i powstania najmłodszego miasta I Republiki – Czeskiego Cieszyna.

„Nikdo nic neví”, which is a short history of the boundary post in the Czech Republic

This article refers to an event that caused an avalanche of controversy and disputes, destroying the idyll officially decreed by local politicians in the relations between the two parts of the city divided by the state border – Cieszyn and Česky Těšin. The event was the ceremonial unveiling of a replica of the Czechoslovak boundary post from the period of the First Republic, in the center of Česky Těšin, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the division of Cieszyn Silesia between Czechoslovakia and Poland. The aim of the article is, firstly, to reconstruct the discourse that accompanied this event, and secondly, to analyze the local politics of memory, in which individual narratives and undertaken actions fit in. The article consists of three parts. The first presents the characteristics of Cieszyn as a city divided by a state border. The second describes an event that caused a series of deep controversies in Polish‑Czech relations. The third part analyses the content of the discourse referring to the symbolic meaning of a replica of the Czechoslovak boundary post from the period of the First Republic. It is placed in the center of Česky Těšin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the border dividing the city into two parts and the establishment of the youngest city of the First Republic – Česky Těšin.
Państwa pojugosłowiańskie – partnerstwo w zawiązywaniu „tematycznej” współpracy regionalnej
Authors: Bujwid‑Kurek Ewa
Published: December 2021

Za główny cel badawczy przyjęto ustalenie czy państwa, które powstały w wyniku dekompozycji federacji jugosłowiańskiej, w pierwszym okresie po „usamodzielnieniu się”, były zainteresowane zawiązywaniem współpracy w ramach wspólnych regionalnych przedsięwzięć. Nadto, które z nich wykazały największą aktywność w tym zakresie, a które w stopniu najmniejszym. W związku z tym wzięto pod uwagę „tematyczne” formy współpracy regionalnej w zakresie rozwoju gospodarczego i społecznego, energetyki i infrastruktury, bezpieczeństwa, sądownictwa i spraw wewnętrznych oraz budowania zasobów ludzkich. Jak wynika z przeprowadzonej analizy największym zainteresowaniem cieszyło się partnerstwo na rzecz rozwoju gospodarczego i społecznego, w których wzięte pod uwagę państwa niemal w równej mierze wykazały wzmożoną aktywność, za wyjątkiem Słowenii, która – jak wynika z przeprowadzonej analizy – w stopniu jak najmniejszym była zainteresowana wchodzeniem w tego typu alianse. Podjęty temat jest zbyt mało omówiony, szczególnie w polskiej literaturze przedmiotu poświęconej państwom pojugosłowiańskim, stąd też– w mojej opinii – niewątpliwie potrzebna jest pogłębiona refleksja politologiczna w tym zakresie, namysł nad tymi kwestiami posiada walor poznawczy zarówno dla dyscypliny nauki o polityce i administracji jak też nauk o bezpieczeństwie. Artykuł powstał w głównej mierze przy wykorzystaniu metody badawczej właściwej dla dyscypliny nauki o polityce i administracji – metody studium przypadku.

Post‑Yugoslav states – partnership in estabilishing „thematic” regional cooperation

The main research goal was to establish whether the states that emerged as a result of the decomposition of the Yugoslav federation, in the first period after „becoming independent”, were interested in establishing cooperation within joint regional projects. Moreover, which of them showed the greatest activity in this field, and which the least. In this regard, ‘thematic’forms of regional cooperation in the fields of economic and social development, energy and infrastructure, security, judiciary and home affairs, building human resources were taken into account. As the analysis shows, the most popular was the partnership for economic and social development, in which the countries taken into account showed almost equal increased activity, except Slovenia which, as the analysis shows, was least interested in participation in such alliances. This topic is too little discussed especially in the Polish literature on the subject dedicated to hence, in my opinion, there is undoubtedly a need for in‑depth political science in this area, reflection on these issues is of cognitive value both for the discipline of political science and administration, as well as security science. The article was written mainly with the use of a research method appropriate for the discipline of political science and administration – the case study method.
Rządowe inicjatywy Republiki Północnej Macedonii w dobie pandemii Covid‑19 – wybrane zagadnienia
Authors: Mazepa Diana
Published: December 2021

Koniec 2019 r. przyniósł doniesienia o pojawieniu się nowej choroby w Chinach. Pod koniec roku pierwsze infekcje SARS‑CoV‑2 odnotowano w prowincji Hubei, a w styczniu zaczęła pojawiać się w innych regionach świata, w tym w Europie. Dnia 11 III 2020 r. Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia (WHO) ogłosiła nową chorobę jako pandemię.

Koronawirus uwidocznił luki i niedoskonałości systemów państwowych niezależnie od szerokości geograficznej i pozycji na świecie. Aby uporać się z rozprzestrzeniającym się wirusem, a jednocześnie zapobiec upadkom gospodarczym i społecznym, państwa nałożyły na obywateli liczne ograniczenia. W podobnej sytuacji znajdowała się również Macedonia Północna, a celem niniejszego artykułu jest przedstawienie sytuacji w kontekście inicjatyw rządowych podejmowanych w okresie od stycznia 2020 r. do czerwca 2021 r.

Government initiatives of the Republic of North Macedonia during coronavirus pandemic – selected issues

The end of 2019 brought reports of a new disease emerging in China. At the end of the year, the first SARS‑CoV‑2 infections were recorded in the Hubei province, and in January it began to appear in other regions of the world, including Europe. On 11 III 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new disease as a pandemic.

The coronavirus highlighted the vulnerabilities and imperfections of state systems regardless of latitude and world position. In order to deal with the spreading virus and at the same time to prevent economic and social collapses, states imposed numerous restrictions on citizens. North Macedonia was also in the same situation, and the purpose of this article is to present the situation in the context of government initiatives taken in the period from January 2020 to June 2021.
Afghanistan: Regional Connectivity Hub
Authors: Noorzi Mohammad Yonus
Published: December 2021

The transformation of Afghanistan’s geographical context into regional cooperation and integration is an emerging subject, and investing in progressive policies focused on Afghanistan’s connectivity initiatives will yield substantial outcomes in the region’s development. This paper is to analyze Afghanistan: Regional Connectivity Hub as a case study in order to state the importance of the strategic geographical location of Afghanistan that can play a key role in the progress of the country, and the region in the long‑term. Furthermore, it considers regional connectivity through Afghanistan to be an important subject that can help Afghanistan overcome security challenges to a large extent by increasing mutual economic interests based on a cooperative approach in the region. In order to achieve this goal, constructive politics is seen as the strategic balance for empowering regional connectivity that can lead to peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region. The methodology of this paper is based on a holistic approach, and therefore the method will be qualitative.

Przekształcenie kontekstu geograficznego Afganistanu we współpracę i integrację regionalną to coraz częściej pojawiający się temat. Inwestowanie w polityki rozwojowe, skoncentrowane na inicjatywach w zakresie połączeń i komunikacji w Afganistanie, przyniesie znaczące rezultaty dla rozwoju regionu. Artykuł ten ma na celu analizę Afganistanu jako studium przypadku regionalnego centrum komunikacyjnego. Wskazuje on na wagę strategicznej lokalizacji geograficznej Afganistanu, która może odgrywać kluczową rolę w rozwoju kraju, a także szerzej, regionu, w dłuższej perspektywie czasowej. Ponadto autor wskazuje, że kwestie komunikacji i transportu poprzez Afganistan to istotny czynnik, który może pomóc Afganistanowi przezwyciężyć wyzwania w zakresie bezpieczeństwa, poprzez zwiększenie wzajemnych interesów gospodarczych w oparciu o podejście oparte na współpracy w regionie. Aby osiągnąć ten cel konieczne jest wdrożenie konstruktywnych rozwiązań opartych na strategicznej równowadze, służących wzmocnieniu połączeń w regionie. Może to pomóc w osiągnięciu pokoju i dobrobytu, zarówno samego Afganistanu, jak i całego regionu. Metodologia tego artykułu oparta jest na podejściu holistycznym, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem metod jakościowych.
Le théâtre de Koltès – théâtre des transgressions
Authors: Starak Grażyna
Published: December 2021

The theatre of Bernard-Marie Koltès as a theatre of transgression

When we define specific theatrical forms, the work of Bernard-Marie Koltès transcends the boundaries between the forms. La nuit juste avant les forêts was a soliloquy or a quasi-monologue, Dans la solitude des champs de coton related to the form of the eighteenth-century philosophical dialogue, and Roberto Zucco provoked scandal due to the eponymous character of a serial murderer. All of Koltès’s texts, including the above, transgress the boundaries, either through their form or through the philosophy included in them. The violence that is inseparable from Koltès’s theatre is often devoid of any motivation, it is not grounded in any reasoning, it often acquires a mythical meaning, aggression becomes a desire, and evil becomes a source of fascination and something beautiful. The article is an attempt to demonstrate the unusual cooperation of form and content in Koltès’s theatre, while both of the elements balance between what is acknowledged, acceptable, and definable.
La mirada costumbrista de Jerónimo López Mozo sobre la pandemia COVID-19
Authors: Nawrot Julia
Published: December 2021

The costumbrista look of Jerónimo López Mozo on the COVID-19 pandemic

During 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic affected the entire world. One of the areas that suffered from the situation caused by the virus was culture, and especially the performing arts. To counteract the crisis, various solutions were sought that, on the one hand, would give continuity to theatrical art, and on the other, would maintain the relationship between the artists and the spectators. At the same time, the coronavirus became a subject of literary and theatrical creation, as in the case of five short pieces by Jerónimo López Mozo that have been studied in this article.
La révolte et la croix : Paul Claudel de La Ville
Authors: Turk Boštjan Marko
Published: December 2021

The revolt and the cross : Paul Claudel from La Ville

The second variant of La Ville, written in the light of conversion in 1886, bears the marks of readings made by the author at a crucial moment in the evolution of his thought. Apart from the declared animosities (towards Renan and Taine, above all), the spirit of revolt, as well as the reminiscences of the natural disaster, bring to mind Claudel’s enthusiasm for the Illuminations. But that’s not the only source of inspiration. Claudel, in the throes of conversion, introduces the Judeo-Christian narrative to thwart the enigma of predestination. La Ville is also based on Christian eschatological symbols : at the end of the drama these allow the son of the poet (Coeuvre) and his muse (Lâla) to carry out the general conversion. The kingdom of heaven is now, mutatis mutandis, within the reach of humankind.
(Re)passer la mémoire à travers le rire – le cas d’Alain Berenboom
Authors: Kukuryk Agnieszka
Published: December 2021

(Re)passing memory through laughter: The case of Alain Berenboom

Laughter, a term that at first sight seems incompatible with the Holocaust, has overcome some seemingly insurmountable barriers and has paradoxically become the essence of many literary and cinematographic works dealing with this painful subject. The aim of this article is to present the role of humor in the transmission of the memory of the Holocaust from selected novels by Belgian writer Alain Berenboom. By analyzing his works, we will show that laughter makes it possible to break with the horror experienced during the Shoah and to protect oneself from a real trauma. We will also highlight its role in demystifying and revealing the illusions of post-war society that can lead to its destruction.
Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée : le récit beauvoirien d’émancipation
Authors: Ledwina Anna
Published: December 2021

Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée: The Beauvoir’s emancipation story

Simone de Beauvoir in her autobiography Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée describes her own way of getting to know herself, her abilities and limitations and her search for identity. Considering the past, she ruminates over how certain episodes from her life influenced her later choices, especially the writer’s sensitivity and personality. The autobiographical perspective allows Beauvoir to present evolution of young Simone’s behaviour and worldview, her dreams, traumas and obsessions. In this way the author sketches convincing portrait of a maturing woman, distinguished by brilliant intelligence, opposing traditional values of bourgeois environment, its morality and all authorities, a woman who could experience a kind of “conversion” and also fulfil her ideal of emancipation, and at the same time her idée fixe, which was to become a writer.
“The Halo Paul Celan”. Revisiting Romanian manuscripts of Paul Celan
Authors: Krupa Tomasz
Published: December 2021

This paper aims to explore Paul Celan’s writings in the Romanian language which have been preserved as manuscripts, and their significance to his very earliest poetry. Firstly, I will reconstruct the Bucharest episode in his life and work and then discuss the nature of the manuscripts that I examined in 2015. I will then recapitulate existing research on these texts. Discussing one of them, I will propose to update their meaning for this poetic work, especially in the context of Jacques Derrida’s Shibboleth for Paul Celan.
Codificación del movimiento por aprendices checos de españo: influencia de los patrones de pensar para hablar de la L1 en la L2
Authors: Bocanegra Rosalía Calle
Published: December 2021

Motion encoding by Czech learners of Spanish: Influence of L1 Thinking-for-Speaking patterns in L2

This paper studies verbal encoding of motion events by Czech advanced learners of Spanish and Spanish native speakers. Since these languages differ in terms of Talmy’s (2000) typology of motion encoding, the study aims to assess to what extent the learners acquired the Thinking-for-Speaking patterns (Slobin 1996) of the L2. To this end, written narratives by natives and learners are examined and compared. The results show that the construction “path verb + manner complement”, a typical structure for verb-framed languages such as Spanish, is used significantly less often by the learners compared with the natives. The results also indicate that L1 interference happens when expressing boundary crossing situations in Spanish by the learners, since they tend to use a Manner of motion verb.