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Poland’s syndrome patients often seek medical interventions to improve their aesthetic appearances. Design and manufacturing technologies make it possible to produce custom-made implants for such medical conditions. The purpose of this study was to compare the 3D digital geometries that were designed using Magics and Geomagic^® Freeform^® for two anonymous case studies of Poland’s syndrome patients.

Computed tomography data were acquired and processed in Mimics^® to isolate the pectoralis muscles in STL file format. STL files were imported into Magics and Geomagic^® Freeform^® to design 3D digital geometries. Thereafter, comparative analyses were performed of the respective 3D digital geometries.

The angle between the vertical and oblique planes for both sides of the thorax was 6.5° for the female and 14° for the male. The surface areas and volumes of the geometries for the female were smaller than the male. Deviation analyses between the healthy side and reconstructed side of a thorax showed that 73 per cent of the test points for Magics and 78 per cent for Geomagic^® Freeform^® fell in the nominated tolerance region of >−5 and <+5 mm for the female. For the male, it was 83 per cent for Magics and 88 per cent for Geomagic^® Freeform^®.

Geomagic^® Freeform^® provides a more versatile design environment; however, the STL editor Magics may be an option to design 3D geometries for less intricate and less contoured implants.

This was a first attempt to compare the 3D geometries for Poland’s syndrome designed with an STL editor to those designed with a computer-aided design program.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the enlargement of the European Union (EU) by countries from the former Central and Eastern Europe became possible. Science and education are among the best assets of the accession countries, but the unfettered free market represents an increasing threat to their intellectual capital. Science and education have long been instruments of international cooperation. Now they have a vital role to play in leading Europe towards a new age of enlightenment.

The purpose of this study is to identify consumer buying behavior, sense of security on the market and basic economic knowledge among young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – Asperger Syndrome, while the empirical goal is the development of conclusions and implications, which may be used in consumer strategies.

The research consisted of a pilot study and used the diagnostic survey method. A survey questionnaire of the own devising was used. The study used a purposive (arbitrary) sample. This was a non-probability respondent sample, consisting of subjective selection by researchers among a selected closed representative sample, the aim of which was to test the research tool (survey questionnaire) during the pilot study. The survey questionnaire was constructed on the basis of theoretical assumptions explaining consumer buying behavior and on a literature review regarding research conducted in this area. The study was conducted on adolescents aged between 16 and 19 years of age, 40 of whom suffered from ASD – Asperger syndrome and 50 of whom were without ASD – Asperger syndrome (control group).

The results indicate a limited range of consumer behaviors, a relatively poor sense of security in consumer (retail) spending and a limited understanding of fundamental consumer issues among young consumers with ASD – Asperger syndrome in comparison to people from the control group.

This study suggests that marketers should prepare diverse means of communication with consumers and a variety of sales strategies targeted at consumers with communication disorders. The research may be extended to include the large number of factors that influence consumer behavior among people with ASD – Asperger syndrome, together with the determination of the predictors. The factors contribute to a varying extent to constant changes in consumer behavior, which makes it necessary for longitudinal or even cyclical studies to be carried out. In further research, the research tool should be improved in terms of more precise questions relevant to a given issue and random sampling should be implemented.

The research concept can be transferred to other vulnerable groups with communication disorders (e.g. with hearing disorders).

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to investigate selected aspects of consumer (and financial consumer) behavior among young people with ASD – Asperger syndrome.

Among thoracic malformations, pectus deformities have the highest incidence and can result in a wide range of severe and mild clinical manifestations. Recently, the treatment of pectus deformities is shifting from traditional approaches toward customized solutions. This occurs by leveraging innovative rapid prototyping tools that allow for the design and fabrication of patient-specific treatments and medical devices. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive view of the growing literature in this area to analyze the progress made in this direction.

The search was performed on major search engines through keywords inherent to reverse engineering (RE) and additive manufacturing (AM) technologies applied to pectus deformities and related treatments, selecting 54 papers. These were analyzed according to the addressed pathology, the hardware and software tools used and/or implemented and their integration within the clinical pathway.

First, the analysis led to analyze and divide the papers according to how RE and AM technologies are applied for surgical and non-surgical treatments, pathological assessment and preoperative simulation and planning. Second, all papers were considered within the typical rapid prototyping framework consisting of the three phases of three-dimensional (3D) scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, to date, no survey has provided a comprehensive view of innovative and personalized treatment strategies for thoracic malformations; the present work fills this gap, allowing researchers in this field to have access to the most promising findings on the treatment and evaluation of pathology.

Our chapter focuses on the situation of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We present the results of a qualitative study aimed at outlining the state of policies dedicated to individuals with ASD prior to and during the global health crisis. We conducted desk research based on documents published by third sector organisations dedicated to individuals with ASD and categorised in our study as epistemic communities. Next, we carried out interviews with parents and professionals on the social practices of supporting children and adolescents with ASD during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region of Lesser Poland [PL: Małopolska]. The discourse of NGOs enabled us to identify the greatest challenges of individuals with ASD and their families and solutions introduced prior to and during the pandemic. Based on the accounts of parents and professionals, we found that as many as every single person with ASD struggled with the epidemic in an individual manner, ceasing pre-pandemic habits, adapting to the new school context, and missing contacts with peers were the major difficulties.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the process of socio-economic modernization experienced by Poland in the period following the fall of communism in 1989 through the lens of three major narratives in domestic public discourse: the neoliberal, the conservative and the social democratic. Each of them distributes differently the accents, not only as regards preferred values and directions of change but also the modality, methods and pace of their introduction.

The reflections are inspired by a constructivist approach, stressing the large impact of ideas, narrative and discourse on social change. Moreover the author proposes in the analysis his own identification of three types of modernization: from below, from above and from beyond.

At least two conclusions follow from the paper. The first asserts that across the entire 25-year period from 1989 to 2014, the most powerful presence in the discourse has been marked by the neoliberal modernization narrative, although the popularity of conservative narrative has been important too. The other conclusion can be expressed in a nutshell as a thesis that impacts “from beyond” have had greatly shaped not only particular narratives but also the very systemic transformation of Poland. Those impacts have assumed forms of various transfers (ideological, institutional, financial and policy), with important roles being played by western governments, epistemic communities and integration structures of the western world.

The following analysis of the public discourse about the modernization of Poland in the recent 25 years is an attempt to develop an original approach to the said issue from the perspective of the three narratives identified by the author. The emphasis on international factors in explaining the nature of Polish transformations after 1989 appears to be another asset of the paper.

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome which can be reversible or less severe through appropriate nutritional interventions. In the present study, to test the efficiency of individualized nutritional intervention was conducted a comprehensive assessment of the nutritional status of frail older adults and evaluation of the effect of nutritional intervention on the nutritional status of pre-frail older patients.

Frail older adults (n = 43; mean age 84.6 ± 6.4 years old; 81.4% women) had nutritional status assessed using nutritional anthropometry, body composition, and food frequency questionnaire. Pre-frail patients (n = 16; mean age 68.4 ± 5.5 years old; 81.3% women) for eight weeks were consuming 1.0 g protein/kg BW/day. Robust older adults formed a control group (n = 29; mean age 69.3 ± 5.3 years old; 82.8% women).

Frail older adults had weight and muscle mass loss, and their diet variety was sufficient. After the intervention, pre-frail patients increased their protein consumption by 25.8% (P = 0.002). An increase in lean body mass (+1.0 kg), skeletal muscle mass (+0.3 kg) and improvement in physical performance was also observed.

An individual diet for pre-frail older adults can reverse weight loss and increase lean body mass, furthermore preventing or delaying the development of frailty syndrome. Moreover, increased protein consumption improves physical performance of pre-frail older adults.

This chapter focuses on the special education system of education in Poland since the transformation of the political system in the late 1980s. The move from segregated settings toward more integrated settings for students with low-incidence disabilities is described along with the new structure of special education identification and classroom settings. Current strategies and support for students with high-incidence disabilities in Poland who are placed in general education and special education are discussed. Ideas on how to improve the existing system are outlined and solutions are presented. Overall, the implementation of educational reforms brought about positive changes in educational settings for most students identified with special needs in Poland. Due to this emphasis on inclusion, more students with high-incidence disabilities have the chance to succeed in integrated schools with adequate support.

Though undergoing changes for a decade, the foster care system in Poland is still dominated by the adult model of childhood management. Assuming that the biological, psychological and social immaturity of children precludes their autonomy, this model expects adults to focus on control over the integration of a child into society. A consequence is the instrumentalisation of childhood and the deprivation of a child's sense of agency, i.e., the right to (co-)create one's own life space. Additionally, the foster care system concentration on adult problems relegates children to the background. Treatment of children as the object of adult interactions significantly impedes approaches that could empower, reduces chances for relationships built on dialogue, limits a child's openness and authenticity and hinders development of his/her identity structure and resourcefulness. Such institutionalised systems do not satisfy a child's needs, especially unconditional acceptance, enjoyment of life, and self-fulfilment. Instead, from the child's perspective, residential/foster care is a traumatic experience that deprives a human being of childhood. Such an institutional experience interferes in the acquisition of functional patterns for adulthood, reinforces traumas, and denies a chance to reclaim one's childhood. Research conducted with children indicates a need for a change in direction. The aim herein is to show the current situation of children in the Polish foster care system, identify threats to the development of an autonomous identity, and present an alternative, child-centred foster care model in which the caregiver treats the child as a competent person.

The policing profession is associated with psychosocial hazard. Fatigue and burnout often affect police officers, and may impair the functioning of the organization and public safety. The relationship between fatigue and burnout may be modified by job-related emotions. While negative emotions have been extensively studied, the role of positive emotions at work is relatively less known. Additionally, there is insufficient knowledge about the role of the intensity of emotions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of job-related emotions in the relationship between fatigue and burnout in police officers.

In all, 169 police officers (26 women) completed a test battery that assessed acute fatigue, burnout (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory: exhaustion and disengagement), and emotions (Job-related Affective Well-being Scale).

Acute fatigue was associated more strongly with exhaustion than with disengagement. Low-arousal negative emotions partially mediated the relationship between fatigue and exhaustion. High-arousal positive and negative emotions were partial mediators between fatigue and disengagement experienced by police officers.

The results show that high-arousal emotions were associated with changes in work motivation, while low-arousal negative emotions reduced energetic ability to work.

This paper enhances understanding of burnout among police officers and the mediating role of emotions. The patterns of the relationships between fatigue, burnout and emotions are discussed in the context of the conservation of resources theory and the tripartite model of anxiety and depression.