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Background: Aphasia is often accompanied by impairment of non‐language cognitive functions. Assessment of cognitive capacity in people with aphasia (PWA) with standard neuropsychological methods may be problematic due to their language difficulties. Numerous experimental studies indicate that P300 may be considered as an index of cognitive capacity in both healthy and clinical samples. Accordingly, the measurement of event‐related potentials enables the investigation of behaviourally non‐observable mental processes underlying the cognitive functions that are assessed with neuropsychological tests. Aims: To investigate in PWA the relationship between P300 parameters and cognitive function efficiency measured with neuropsychological methods. Methods & Procedures: A total of 25 PWA after left‐hemispheric stroke participated in the study. Electrophysiological (EEG) signals were recorded during the performance of a visual Go‐No Go task. P300 was identified on nine electrodes, which were then pooled in three lines: left (F3, C3, P3), central (Fz, Cz, Pz) and right (F4, C4, P4). The neuropsychological assessment of cognitive functions included mental speed, short‐term memory, divided attention, executive functions, auditory language comprehension and expression. Outcomes & Results: P300 latency correlated with indices of several cognitive functions: temporal resolution, psychomotor speed, spatial short‐term memory, planning, word and sentence comprehension, as well as verbal fluency. Shorter P300 latencies were accompanied by greater efficiency of the abovementioned functions. In contrast, significant correlations between P300 amplitudes and cognitive measures were fragmentary. Conclusions & Implications: In PWA, P300 latency might be related to cognitive functioning, especially to measures that rely heavily on the speed of information processing. However, P300 seems to be unrelated to more complex cognitive functions. P300 latency may be used as a neurophysiological correlate of cognitive efficiency in PWA and might have potential applications in monitoring the effects of therapeutic interventions in this patient group. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: P300 parameters have been reported to be associated with cognitive performance in both healthy individuals and clinical groups (e.g., patients with Alzheimer's disease). Previous studies show that the presence of P300 at the early post‐stroke stage may be a predictor of better recovery of comprehension in PWA. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: Our results show for the first time that P300 may be used as a neurophysiological correlate of cognitive efficiency in PWA. In our study, P300 latency was associated with several languages and non‐language cognitive functions, especially with those whose effectiveness depends mainly on processing speed. In PWA, shorter latency corresponded to more efficient cognitive functioning. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: P300 measurement may be potentially useful in assessing the efficiency of certain cognitive functions in PWA. It may be also used to monitor the recovery process of PWA and to verify the effects of therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor noise can greatly affect the health and comfort of users, so the significance of the right assessment of the compliance with the requirements is obvious. But noise level testing is carried out using different methods, which may not ensure consistency in assessments The paper presents the influence of test methods on measurement results determined based on an analysis of inter-laboratory comparative studies. The analyses presented in the paper apply to an equivalent sound pressure level determined for a permanent source of sound -- an air-conditioning device. The test methods were characterised according to their precision. In order to compare them, their compatibility was analysed based on the methodology described in the literature, alongside a single-factor analysis of variance. It was determined that there were no grounds for rejecting the hypothesis about lack of statistical differences between the results obtained via different methods. Each of the methods is characterised by different precision, so consequently the same result obtained with each method carries a different risk in regards to noise assessment. The reason for taking up this kind of research was the decision of the Polish Technical Committee in 2018 about introducing new acoustic requirements in Poland concerning the admissible indoor sound pressure levels. It was decided to implement new international methods of testing indoor sound pressure levels emanating from the service equipment in the building. It was necessary to show the differences between the current method and its new counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Dividend policy has been a subject of many scientific studies. Although most of them focus on its determinants, there is still a research gap concerning the lack of comprehensive research on the differences between companies implementing different types of dividend policy. Furthermore, no attempt has been made to indicate which of them could be considered as more attractive for stock market investor that invests in dividend stocks. Purpose of the article: The aim of this paper is to carry out a comparative analysis of companies with different dividend policy from the point of view of their investment attractiveness. Methods: The empirical research is conducted among the regular dividend payers listed on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange in years 2001-2017. The data for analysis is collected from Notoria Serwice and Stock Market Yearbooks. The main calculations are carried out using the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance ANOVA with Fisher's LSD test. Findings & Value added: The value added of this paper is a holistic approach to comparison of companies conducting different dividend policy. The most significant differences are observed in case of extreme and residual dividend policy. The first policy should be of particular interest to investors investing for dividends, while the second one should be attractive to investors that invest for capital growth. The research is valuable due to the lack of academic studies concerning different dividend policy in the context of attractiveness of investing in dividend shares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Innovation is a very important pillar within a knowledge-based economy, in the regional and local perspective as well. A literature review on innovation and SME innovation strategies to their correlation and the possibility of their joint examination. Purpose of the article: The aim of this paper is to explore the SME's innovation strategies and their impact on effectiveness of innovation in a peripheral region. We investigate the effects of innovation activities not only among small and medium, but also micro firms which are not covered in official innovation surveys by the national statistical offices. We proposed a model of implementing innovation, and tested our hypotheses. Methods: Research was based on data drawn from CATIs carried out among 419 firms, therefore making a conceptual contribution to the knowledge on innovation strategy. The main statistical test for relationships and dependencies was the chi-square independence test. To arbitrate whether there were statistically significant differences between medians due to different factors among enterprises, analysis for variance (H Kruskal-Wallis' test for k independent samples) procedure was implemented. Findings & Value added: The results of our research show that among SMEs in peripheral regions dominated those which we call 'pragmatists' and 'imitators' in context of their approach towards innovation. The significance of objective factors showed that there was a lack of enterprises that could play the role of 'creators of innovation' in the peripheral region. However, the examined firms more often noticed positive than negative aspects of introduced innovations, which is determined by the scale of enterprise; they were focused mainly on the consequences of innovation for their products and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Languages vary in the type of contexts that affect prosodic prominence. This paper reports on a production study investigating how different types of foci influence prosody in Polish and Czech noun phrases. The results show that in both languages, focus and givenness are marked prosodically, with pitch and intensity as the main acoustic correlates. Like Germanic languages, Polish and Czech patterns show prosodic focus marking in a broad range of contexts and differ in this regard from other fixed-word-stress languages such as French. This suggests that (a) Polish and Czech are similar to Germanic languages and are unlike Romance languages in marking a variety of types of focus prosodically; (b) there is no close correlation between fixed word stress and lack of prosodic focus marking because Polish, which has fixed stress on the penult, shows prosodic focus marking for all types of focus; and (c) there is no straightforward relationship between flexible word order and whether focus and givenness are prosodically marked, contrary to earlier claims, because both Czech and Polish, with their relatively flexible word order, are more similar to English than Romance languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to present the role of the relationship between the location and financial performance of local government units. One of Poland's largest voivodships, Wielkopolskie, was used as an example. Recent acceleration of suburbanisation processes not only results in socioeconomic changes in municipalities surrounding cities but also affects their financial performance. To attain the aforesaid objective, this study used variance analysis to investigate the significance of the differences in the financial ratios between the units analysed by location (measured as the distance of rural municipalities from district towns and from Poznań, the region's capital). The research proved that the closer a municipality is to an urban centre, the greater its financial autonomy, liquidity and investments, yet at a higher level of debt. Also, the proximity to Poznań is a better determinant of the differences in financial performance than the location close to smaller urban centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The proportion of elderly people in the global population is rapidly increasing. Their nutritional status indicates many deficiencies that are risky to health. The aim of this paper was to assess the nutrition and nutritional status in elderly individuals above 60 years old living in their family houses in rural areas. Dietary intake and nutritional status were measured in 174 elderly women and 64 men living in the rural areas of Oleśnica (near Wrocław, SW Poland). Energy intake, consumption of nutrients, selected anthropometric and biochemical indicators, were measured in two groups: one at risk of malnutrition and one with adequate nutrition. Using the mini nutritional assessment (MNA) questionnaire, 238 persons over 60 years of age were qualified according to their nutritional status. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured. The group of women at risk of malnutrition (n =30) showed a statistically significantly lower energy intake in their diet (1127kcal) compared to women with adequate nutrition (1351kcal). The entire group of examined individuals showed a too low consumption of fiber, calcium, vitamins C and D, and folates. Most of the examined women had a too high body mass index (BMI) (on average 28.8), waist circumference was 96.3cm, and the triceps skinfold (TSF) was 25.2mm thick. Women at a risk of malnutrition had statistically significantly lower lipid parameters than those with adequate nutrition (respectively: TC 191.1 vs. 219.1m/dl, p <0.001, LDL-cholesterol 107.1 vs. 125.1m/dl, p <0.008, TG 129 vs. 143mg/dl). Men with a risk of malnutrition had a statistically significantly lower BMI (26.0 vs. 28.7, p <0.04), and also lower waist and arm perimeters compared to men with correct nutrition. According to the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), 8.2% of person with adequate nutrition had poor prognostic indicator for overall survival. All the examined individuals showed many significant nutritional deficiencies. The group with nutritional risk had more pronounced nutritional deficiencies. Despite a too low energy value of foods among individuals with correct nutrition, their anthropometric parameters paradoxically showed the presence of excessive fatty tissue. The most frequent diseases existed in examined group were coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The problem of estimation of the environmental noise hazard indicators and their uncertainty is presented in the hereby paper. The main attention is focused on the estimation process of the long-term noise indicators and their type A standard uncertainty defined by the standard deviation of the mean of the measurement results. The rules given in the ISO/IEC Guide 98 are used in the calculations. It is usually determined by means of the classic variance estimators, at the assumption of the normality of measurements results. However, such assumption in relation to the acoustic measurements is rather questionable. This is the reason that the authors indicated the necessity of implementation of non-classic statistic solutions. There was formulated the estimation idea of seeking density function of long-term noise indicators distribution by the Bayesian inference, which does not generate limitations for form and properties of analyzed statistics. There was presented theoretical basis of the proposed method, and the example of calculation process which make possible determining searched estimators of expected value and variance of long-term noise indicators LDEN and LN. The illustration for indicated solutions and usefulness analysis was constant monitoring results of traffic noise recorded on one of the main arteries of Kraków, Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper is a report of an evaluation of paediatric nurses' assessment and diagnostic skills and interventions used for child maltreatment. Background. The use of violence against children occurs in all environments worldwide. Therefore, broader theoretical and practical knowledge related to this issue is needed in health care to facilitate more accurate identification of child maltreatment in order to instigate implementation of appropriate care for these children. Methods. The study was based on cross-sectional data obtained with a convenience sample of 160 Registered Nurses employed at paediatric wards at two large cities in Poland (response rate 80%). Data collection took place between December 2005 and March 2006. The research tool was a questionnaire form designed on the basis of international literature concerning battered child syndrome. Results. Battered child syndrome seems to be a relatively common phenomenon, as a great majority of participants (86.25%) had encountered it in their practice. The form of child maltreatment which was most often mentioned (by 30.00% of participants) was neglect. Almost three-quarters of the nurses (61.25%; n = 98) said that they had been involved in providing care for a maltreated child. Conclusion. Nurses should work with maltreated children on an individualized basis, combined with interdisciplinary cooperation with specialists from related disciplines concerned with the issue. There appears to be a need for specialized training for nurses to increase their competence in working with maltreated children and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work aimed at the analysis of the influence of colour type on chinchilla utilitarian traits. Research concerns animal size and fur quality traits. The data for the analysis was collected from the breeding farm „ Raba‟ in Myś lenice (southern Poland). The data concerns standard and Polish beige chinchillas and covers 3 years. The analysis included the following factors: year of evaluation, animal sex, colour type and interactions of these factors. The analysis of variance proved statistically significant influence of the year of evaluation, colour type and animal sex on evaluated traits. The year of observation influenced significantly animal weight, fur colour purity, colour type, fur's paunch part and total number of scores. Colour type influenced significantly animal weight and fur colour purity. Animal sex influenced significantly animal weight, animal size, animal build, fur quality, fur colour purity and total number of scores. Arithmetic means of studied traits during 3 years reached various levels, depending on colour type and animal sex; e.g. animal weight (in grams) in chinchilla ranged from about 560 g to 620 g. In what concerns total number of scores (in points), e.g. males of standard colour types were evaluated higher than females of beige colour type, while females of beige colour type obtained higher notes when compared with females of standard colour type. Variability coefficients, depending on traits, varied from 7.15% to 26.17%. It can prove that chinchillas which obtained very high notes in some traits had lower notes in other traits and consequently total number of scores was equalized. Phenotypic correlations were also estimated and ranged from -0.089 to 0.721. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]