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Pain management - from acute to chronic and beyond
No full textWith more than 230 million surgical procedures performed annually worldwide, and 30% or more of people affected by chronic pain globally, pain management is consistently a top priority. Its personal and social burden is enormous and thus much literature and research focuses on pain medicine. Along with the evolution of precision medicine, today’s typical pain management strategies include a personalized, multimodal, interdisciplinary treatment approach, which might include pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, integrative treatments, and invasive procedures. This book presents the latest advancements in pain management, covering a wide field of topics in pain medicine.Various polymorphisms in several genes appear to be involved in the development of chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP). These genes are involved in the transduction, transmission and modulation of a nociceptive impulse. Understanding the influence of such polymorphisms would lead to a better awareness of the underlying processing in CPSP, with the possibility of stratifying the risk of CPSP for individual patients. It may also identify new treatment options by targeting specific points in this pathway. We look into six genes—SCN9A, KCNS1, GCH1, COMT, OPRM1, OPRK1—that are involved in nociception, and look at current literature to support their involvement in the development of CPSP. We also describe the potential use of such information in clinical practice.peer-reviewe
Intellectual property management
Get PDFAt a time when digital innovation is at the forefront of policy discussions, the management and protection of intellectual property (IP) has become a critical challenge for creators, businesses, and legal entities alike. This report by the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum looks at the transformative potential of blockchain technology in revolutionising IP management.
However, the integration of blockchain into IP management faces challenges. In this report, we identify and present key hurdles, such as the need for comprehensive legal frameworks that recognise and enforce blockchain transactions, the standardisation of different blockchain platforms to ensure interoperability, and the technical scalability required for widespread adoption.
Despite these challenges, the report is optimistic about the future of blockchain in IP management. It calls for a collaborative approach between policymakers, technologists, IP owners, and IP users to create an environment conducive to innovation while protecting creators’ rights. The development of supportive regulatory frameworks, together with advances in blockchain technology will be crucial to realising the full potential of blockchain for the management of intellectual property.peer-reviewe
The role of consistency in verbal and nonverbal communication : enhancing trust and team effectiveness in management
Get PDFPURPOSE: The article examines the role of consistency between verbal and nonverbal
communication in management and the impact of inconsistencies on trust, message clarity,
and team effectiveness within an organization.APPROACH/METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: The article is based on a review of the literature on
nonverbal communication, with a particular focus on the influence of gestures, facial
expressions, body posture, and tone of voice on managerial effectiveness. The analysis draws
on key studies and theoretical models, including Mehrabian's rule, communication
consistency models, and neurobiological findings on nonverbal signals.FINDINGS: The research shows that inconsistencies between verbal and nonverbal
communication can lead to misunderstandings, confusion, and a decline in trust within
teams. It emphasizes that managers who do not align their nonverbal signals with their
verbal messages may encounter difficulties in building effective relationships and
maintaining team morale. The article suggests that regular training and reflection on
communication practices can help in eliminating these inconsistencies.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Managers can improve their communication effectiveness by
increasing awareness of nonverbal signals and ensuring consistency with their verbal
messages. Regular feedback sessions, coaching, and the use of evaluation tools such as video
analysis can help managers identify and correct inconsistencies in communication.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article contributes to the field of management by integrating
theoretical insights and empirical findings on nonverbal communication and providing
practical recommendations for managers. It underscores the importance of nonverbal
communication in leadership and offers specific guidance for improving communication
consistency in organizational settings.peer-reviewe
Multilingual assessment - finding the nexus?
No full textDespite growing interest and renewed calls to embrace a multilingual turn in education, particularly in terms of development and implementation of plurilingual pedagogies, a pervasive monolingual mindset is still observable in the field of assessment. In this contribution, we present the main characteristics of cross-linguistic mediation as an ability to be considered in the foreign/ second/heritage language classroom and discuss why and how it is particularly appropriate to renew assessment practices anchored in a monolingual tradition. The point of departure for our reflections is the Mediation in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (METLA) project within the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML), which sees cross-linguistic mediation as part of an individual's plurilingual repertoire. At the heart of the project is the view that alternative assessment tasks, which allow for the use of different languages, are useful in evaluating learners' performance in mediation as well as in developing learners' mediation skills as learners are encouraged to reflect on the entire mediation process.peer-reviewe
Spatial differentiation of Poland’s gross domestic product
Get PDFPURPOSE: The main aim of this study was to evaluate changes in spatial differentiation of
Poland’s gross domestic product (GDP). We also evaluated changes in GDP in specific
provinces in Poland. Last, we analyzed the shadow economy in Poland.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Data for the study were obtained from the Statistics Poland
data. The analyzed data covered the period from 1990 to 2023, which reported a total of 34
years of observations. We used tabular, graph and descriptive methods to present the spatial
differentiation of GDP development.FINDINGS: The study revealed that in 2023, Poland’s GDP exceeded PLN 3 trillion. We used
the nominal GDP that is explained in current prices. Moreover, the biggest GDP was
observed in the Mazovia, Silesia and Wielkopolskie voivodeships. In 2021 the highest GDP
was produced in the Mazovia voivodeship (593 814 PLN million), the Silesia voivodeship
(314 500 PLN million) and the Wielkopolska voivodeship (259 958 PLN million). The
smallest GDP was observed in 2021 in the Opole voivodeship (53 994 PLN million), the
Podlasie (58 369 PLN million) and the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship (60 381 PLN million).
East voivodeships in Poland produce lower gross domestic products.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study contributes to the development of the economy in Poland
showing changes in gross domestic products (GDP). Poland is still divided into west with a
better developed Poland and east with a lesser developed Poland. This is a clue for policy
makers to address additional funding for the development in east Poland.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper brings original value in GDP analysis and shadow economy in
Poland.The results presented in this paper were obtained as part of a
comprehensive study funded by the Minister of Science under „the Regional Initiative of
Excellence Program”. University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Agriculture
and Forestry, Department of Agrotechnology and Agribusiness (Grant. No 30.610.012-110).peer-reviewe
BEING SEA-EU Abstract Booklet
No full textUnderstanding the factors that affect wellbeing can help policy-makers identify where they need to intervene to alleviate misery and to allocate resources accordingly. As part of the Malta Wellbeing INDEX project, this report presents an analysis of 2018 microdata on the self-assessed wellbeing of the Maltese population collected by the National Statistics Office (NSO) through the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (n=9815). Informed by the extant literature, we first construct a model that is conceptually capable of explaining why different people experience diverse levels of misery and wellbeing including both material and lifestyle conditions. We then synthesize the data capturing life satisfaction in various domains (0-10 scale) and the self-assessed frequency of feeling diverse emotions (0-4) into two distinct factor variables. We employ econometric analysis to forecast these variables as well as two other standard proxies of wellbeing (life-satisfaction and happiness). We find that by far the strongest predictors of misery are the inability to work, material deprivation, ill-health, and poor social interaction. We further observe that higher income is associated with higher life-satisfaction, but not with more happiness. Districts across Malta emerge as powerful predictors of wellbeing, possibly capturing some of the unexplained variance.peer-reviewe
Vaucheria (Heterokontophyta, Vaucheriaceae) from the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean)
Get PDFThe Vaucheria species list of the Maltese Islands is reviewed based on literature and collected material. Since many collections were sterile, culture was necessary for identification. Eleven species of Vaucheria have
been found from saline and freshwater habitats, including
several additions to previous lists, namely Vaucheria cruciata, Vaucheria dillwynii, Vaucheria longicaulis, Vaucheria
pseudogeminata and Vaucheria synandra. In addition,
Vaucheria mulleola was recorded again. Several other past
records remain unidentified.peer-reviewe
Towards the circular economy implementation in Poland
Get PDFPURPOSE: The circular economy concept has been widely addressed in various research
disciplines. It also has a practical dimension because European countries are facing the need
to implement such a non-linear model, which is dictated by meeting the requirements of the
new EU agenda. Since Poland is still not among the European leaders in this area, the paper
aims to identify and analyze the most important problem areas, barriers, and actions
conditioning the implementation of the circular economy in Poland.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The paper is theoretical and cognitive and is based on an
in-depth literature review. Using empirical data contained in the EU circular economy
monitoring framework in the Member States, the most important problem areas of the
country in this respect have been identified. Further, by combining two separate sources of
knowledge (academic literature and gray literature), the most critical barriers impeding
Poland’s economic transformation towards the circular economy have been identified and
described, and measures leading to their limitation have been proposed.FINDINGS: The analysis carried out in the paper may constitute an essential contribution to
the still-developing stream of scientific literature dedicated to the practical aspects of
implementing the circular economy concept in EU countries. Although the substantive scope
of the paper refers strictly to the Polish economy, it can be a methodological basis for
conducting future empirical studies in other national contexts.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The paper's findings provide valuable insights into the methods and
strategies for fostering circularity in Poland. This understanding is crucial for developing
effective policy guidelines and designing organizational strategies.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper's key scientific contribution is the development of a holistic
conceptual approach that integrates barriers, shows their interrelationships, refers them to
the country's identified most essential problem areas, and also considers several practical
recommendations for removing barriers to Poland's transition to the circular economy
model.peer-reviewe
Ethical and legal dilemmas in management : the case of the tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFPURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to analyse situational dilemmas in organizational
management. A dilemma is now a fundamental analytical tool in managerial ethics. The
authors focus on the issues faced by the tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, as
this sector and time have concentrated key dilemmas of business ethics like a lens. The
primary characteristics of situational dilemmas (complexity, unpredictability, decisionmaking risk, stress, and time pressure) position them at the centre of contemporary
management psychology.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The article presents an analysis of ethical dilemmas based
on selected aspects of the game theory. The contemporary approach must consider nonrational factors influencing the behaviour of individual players; thus, the concept of
generalized game is enriched in the article with an analysis of emotional intelligence (EQ),
social psychology, moral psychology, and cultural anthropology. This interdisciplinary
approach allows for an expansion of the classical perspective with new elements.CONCLUSIONS: Situational dilemmas are gaining significance in light of complex decisionmaking problems. The tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a
particular example of such dilemmas. The more complicated the issue, the more challenging
it becomes to choose the right solution, which often means selecting the lesser evil.
Dilemmas provide analytical tools that enhance the ability to accurately assess complex
ethical problems and respond quickly to changes.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: In all types of organizations, in light of the crisis of traditional
normative-code ethics, there is an increasing demand for practical ethics in everyday
managerial practice. Situational dilemmas can serve as an appropriate tool for such
practice, enabling effective education and the sharing of experiences.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article proposes a new, interdisciplinary analysis of business ethics
issues. The authors move away from the classical perspective focused on the concept of objective, universal norms and concentrate on situational ethics, taking into account context
and the analytical application of the game theory.peer-reviewe
An exploration of available methods and tools to improve the efficiency of systematic review production : a scoping review
Get PDFBackground: Systematic reviews (SRs) are time-consuming and labor-intensive to perform. With the growing number of scientific publications, the SR development process becomes even more laborious. This is problematic because timely SR evidence is essential for decision-making in evidence-based healthcare and policymaking. Numerous methods and tools that accelerate SR development have recently emerged. To date, no scoping review has been conducted to provide a comprehensive summary of methods and ready-to-use tools to improve efficiency in SR production.Objective: To present an overview of primary studies that evaluated the use of ready-to-use applications of tools or review methods to improve efficiency in the review process.Methods: We conducted a scoping review. An information specialist performed a systematic literature search in four databases, supplemented with citation-based and grey literature searching. We included studies reporting the performance of methods and ready-to-use tools for improving efficiency when producing or updating a SR in the health field. We performed dual, independent title and abstract screening, full-text selection, and data extraction. The results were analyzed descriptively and presented narratively.Results: We included 103 studies: 51 studies reported on methods, 54 studies on tools, and 2 studies reported on both methods and tools to make SR production more efficient. A total of 72 studies evaluated the validity (n = 69) or usability (n = 3) of one method (n = 33) or tool (n = 39), and 31 studies performed comparative analyses of different methods (n = 15) or tools (n = 16). 20 studies conducted prospective evaluations in real-time workflows. Most studies evaluated methods or tools that aimed at screening titles and abstracts (n = 42) and literature searching (n = 24), while for other steps of the SR process, only a few studies were found. Regarding the outcomes included, most studies reported on validity outcomes (n = 84), while outcomes such as impact on results (n = 23), time-saving (n = 24), usability (n = 13), and cost-saving (n = 3) were less often evaluated.Conclusion: For title and abstract screening and literature searching, various evaluated methods and tools are available that aim at improving the efficiency of SR production. However, only few studies have addressed the influence of these methods and tools in real-world workflows. Few studies exist that evaluate methods or tools supporting the remaining tasks. Additionally, while validity outcomes are frequently reported, there is a lack of evaluation regarding other outcomes.peer-reviewe