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Purpose: The purpose of this article is to propose and practically verify the use of the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method for comparing and evaluating occupational risk management in manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach: The adopted approach was verified through a questionnaire survey conducted at four furniture industry companies with similar employment size, product mix and volume. The evaluation criteria were eight detailed occupational risk assessment processes that make up the risk management process. The assessments were carried out by independent experts. Verbal and scoring assessments were used. Conclusions: With the help of the ordered fuzzy TOPSIS method, the surveyed companies were ranked and the best and worst implemented occupational risk assessment process was identified. The research confirmed the usefulness of the fuzzy TOPSIS method in the area of occupational risk management. Limitations of the study: The main limitations relate to subjectivity in the selection of experts and subjective expert judgment. This work may inspire the verification of other multi-criteria decision-making methods for their suitability in the field of occupational safety, including their fuzzy counterparts. Practical implications: The presented approach can be an important tool for improving occupational risk management and, in general, occupational health and safety management in manufacturing companies. Social implications: In the area of occupational risk management, there is a lack of practically validated tools that decision-makers can use in their decision-making process for shaping safe and healthy working conditions. Originality/Value: The use of the fuzzy approach in OHS management is particularly beneficial, as it allows experts to evaluate various criteria using the most commonly used linguistic variables. The fuzzy TOPSIS method has already been used for many years to evaluate alternatives in many different areas, while the application, with ordered fuzzy numbers in the field of occupational risk management, is original. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of tumor and socioeconomic factors on the survival outcomes of minority patients with meningiomas. The study found that Black patients had worse overall survival compared to White patients, while Latinx/White, Latinx/Other, and Asian patients had improved survival. Subtotal resection (STR) was associated with worse survival, and Black and Latinx patients were more likely to undergo STR. Higher grade tumors and larger tumor size were more common in Black, Latinx/Black, and Asian populations. Additionally, Black and Latinx patients were more likely to live in areas with lower education and income levels, and were less likely to have health insurance coverage. The study suggests that genetic factors may play a role in the aggressiveness of tumors in different populations. [Extracted from the article]

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is currently in focus for EU countries due to a shift in policy towards a more sustainable and green economy. The aim of this article is to analyze the possibility of using a grey incidence analysis (GIA) to identify key factors related to the functioning of the IWT system. GIA is classified as a multi-criteria decision-making method and is one of the key applications of grey systems theory (GTS), i.e., systems with incomplete and uncertain information about structure and behavior. GIA identifies the most favorable (or quasi-preferred) system characteristics and the most favorable (or quasi-preferred) system factors. The identification of such characteristics and factors enables a reduction in the inconsistencies in decision making on the functioning of the system. The application of the GIA to the assessment of the IWT system is an original concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces the fi gure of Vladas Šimkus (1936–2004), who had a great impact on the work of many poets of his time, although he himself remained in the shadows. He belongs to a prominent poetic generation, which also includes Vytautas Bložė, Marcelijus Martinaitis, Tomas Venclova, Judita Vaičiūnaitė, Jonas Juškaitis and Sigitas Geda, but he is mostly known as an outstanding translator and editor. Many great Lithuanian poets admit that Šimkus has infl uenced them, but he is a rather forgotten poet. One of the most important elements of Šimkus’s poetics is silence, the meanings and functions of which can be analyzed on several levels and in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Importance: Meningiomas frequently involve critical neurovascular structures. Preoperative imaging with computed tomography angiography (CTA) can help understand the relationship of tumor with neurovascular structures. Although CTA was useful in preoperative planning and less invasive, we present a unique case in which it mistakenly represents a hypoplastic anterior cerebral artery as aplastic and thus displays poor sensitivity in the Circle of Willis., Clinical Presentation: A 66-year-old woman presented with new onset seizures and MRI demonstrated a sphenoid wing meningioma with tumor involvement of the internal carotid artery and right M1 artery. On preoperative CTA, a right A1 artery was not appreciated. However, a hypoplastic right A1 artery was identified during careful dissection guided by micro-Doppler and found to be encased within the tumor. All arteries were preserved, and a near-total resection was achieved with a small remnant of tumor at the supraclinoid internal carotid artery., Conclusion: Although CTAs can be useful in understanding vascular anatomy and its association with tumors, they are not ideal for providing information about hypoplastic arterial segments. Seemingly aplastic arteries on CTA may very well be present, albeit hypoplastic. While we recognize the usefulness of a less invasive modality of CTA to help guide surgical strategy, we underscore recognizing this potential pitfall and recommend the use of the microvascular Doppler during careful dissection when working within tumor in the location of a seemingly aplastic artery., Competing Interests: The authors have no personal, financial, or institutional interest in any of the drugs, materials, or devices described in this article., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of Congress of Neurological Surgeons.)