In Poland, in recent years, there has been a rapid accumulation of sewage sludge – a by-product in the treatment of urban wastewater. This has come about as a result of infrastructure renewal, specifically, the construction of modern sewage treatment plants. The more stringent regulations and strategic goals adopted for modern sewage management have necessitated the application of modern engineering methodology for the disposal of sewage sludge. One approach is incineration. As a consequence, the amount of fly ash resulting from the thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge has grown significantly. Hence, intensive work is in progress for environmentally safe management of this type of waste. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the possibility of using the fly ash that results from municipal sewage sludge thermal treatment (SSTT) as an additive to hardening slurries. The article presents the technological and functional parameters of hardening slurries with an addition of fly ash obtained by SSTT. Moreover, the usefulness of these slurries is analyzed on the basis of their basic properties, i.e., density, contractual viscosity, water separation, structural strength, volumetric density, hydraulic conductivity, compressive and tensile strength. The research on technological and functional properties was carried out, the aim of which was to determine the practical usefulness of the hardening slurries used in the experiment. Subsequently, leaching tests were performed for heavy metals in the components, the structure of the hardening slurries. An experiment showed leaching of hazardous compounds at a level allowing their practical application. The article presents the potential uses of fly ash from SSTT in hardening slurry technology.

The Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences (Bull.Pol. Ac.: Tech.) is published bimonthly by the Division IV Engineering Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, since the beginning of the existence of the PAS in 1952. The journal is peer‐reviewed and is published both in printed and electronic form. It is established for the publication of original high quality papers from multidisciplinary Engineering sciences with the following topics preferred: Artificial and Computational Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Civil Engineering, Control, Informatics and Robotics, Electronics, Telecommunication and Optoelectronics, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Thermodynamics, Material Science and Nanotechnology, Power Systems and Power Electronics.

Journal Metrics: JCR Impact Factor 2018: 1.361, 5 Year Impact Factor: 1.323, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) 2017: 0.319, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 2017: 1.005, CiteScore 2017: 1.27, The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education 2017: 25 points.

Abbreviations/Acronym: Journal citation: Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech., ISO: Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci.-Tech. Sci., JCR Abbrev: B POL ACAD SCI-TECH Acronym in the Editorial System: BPASTS.

The Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences (Bull.Pol. Ac.: Tech.) is published bimonthly by the Division IV Engineering Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, since the beginning of the existence of the PAS in 1952. The journal is peer‐reviewed and is published both in printed and electronic form. It is established for the publication of original high quality papers from multidisciplinary Engineering sciences with the following topics preferred: Artificial and Computational Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Civil Engineering, Control, Informatics and Robotics, Electronics, Telecommunication and Optoelectronics, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Thermodynamics, Material Science and Nanotechnology, Power Systems and Power Electronics.

Journal Metrics: JCR Impact Factor 2018: 1.361, 5 Year Impact Factor: 1.323, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) 2017: 0.319, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 2017: 1.005, CiteScore 2017: 1.27, The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education 2017: 25 points.

Abbreviations/Acronym: Journal citation: Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech., ISO: Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci.-Tech. Sci., JCR Abbrev: B POL ACAD SCI-TECH Acronym in the Editorial System: BPASTS.

Cities seeking their individual development path use various development models. Urban development management through large urban projects is an expression of departure from the so-called global change regulated urbanism to urbanism through projects. This approach is also used by the city of Lodz, recovering, e.g. through large revitalization projects, its industrial heritage, but processed and adapted to the needs of current residents. The Horticultural EXPO 2024 exhibition (so-called Green EXPO) planned in Lodz belongs to the highest world-class exhibitions, i.e. class A1. The topics of this type of exhibition focus on various aspects related to, among others with greenery in cities, ecology, agriculture and gardening. It is another development opportunity for Lodz in accordance with a relatively new and innovative model – urban agriculture – in urban planning. The article presents the historical context of the organization of the exhibition, the results of research on the needs and expectations of the inhabitants of Lodz related to the planned exhibition, including the spatial aspect, the importance of the exhibition for the needs of shaping a healthy living environment.

Coal is a naturally occurring solid fuel used, among others, for heating and for electricity production. Despite the development of the gas and heating network in our country, as well as the growing interest in the use of renewable energy sources, it still remains the most frequent fuel burned in local sources for the production of thermal energy. The article describes actual heating coal demand in the municipal and residential sector, with the distinction of different assortments, depending on the solid fuel heating source applied. Moreover, a subjective list of factors that have a key impact on the change in heating coal demand for this market was presented, taking the regulatory environment, global trends in housing heating and statistical surveys on the preferences for individual heat sources replacement into account. The confrontation of observed phenomena allowed for possible scenarios of changes in the demand for heating coal with the prospect until 2030, broken down into its individual assortments to be elaborated.

This paper deals with the issue of shaping the public spaces in the small coastal cities. This process is influenced by radical changes in the economy of these towns: from maritime-oriented towards the tourist-oriented. In result there is a growing interest in developing new and renewing (revitalizing) historic spaces, as cities adapt to these new functions. This process takes different forms, according to the urban composition of the particular city. On the example of the Pomeranian region in Poland three groups of these cities were defined on the basis of the type of their urban composition. The more in-depth analysis of the selected cities allowed also drawing some final conclusions regarding the consequences of this process for the future of these cities and – in more general view – to the marine economy.

The smart city concept is constantly evolving. More and researchers in Poland and also in the whole world deal with this issue. In practice, it is noted that in cities around the world you can find more and more implemented projects referred as smart, in particular in Barcelona, Vienna and Copenhagen and others. According to the classical definition, smart city means introducing solutions based on the latest information technologies to urban spaces in order to improve the quality of life of city residents. Smart city is a city concept in which solutions can solve the most important problems related to the functioning of cities, such as improvements in public transport and goods in cities, counteracting climate change through the use of energy-saving solutions of city lighting, social inclusion (access city) and others. The concept of smart city is based on IT solutions that are constantly modernized and adapted to specific needs of individual cities. By using real-time access to information, they help make more efficient decisions for city users. However, recent approaches highlight the relationship between modern network technologies and the urban community. One can notice the focus of the researchers on the relational approach, which means combining the smart city concept with the participation of residents in the city management process, and in particular making choices and implementing smart projects. In this sense, the smart city idea defines the way of managing a city in which relations between the self-government, IT providers and science as well as the inhabitants of the city are particularly important. Responding to the needs of residents is particularly important as counteracting the tendency to focus smart products and services in richer places and create socalled an innovation hub with the simultaneous periphery of the remaining districts. Criticism of the smart city concept focuses on the problem of the social polarization of cities, in which the technological revolution contributes more to the increase of socio-economic disparities rather than their decreasing. The aim of the article is to answer the question whether the implementation of the smart city concept polarizes the urban community and does it allow the inclusive development of cities?

Wszystkie obiekty budowlane w trakcie użytkowania podlegają procesom starzeniowym o zróżnicowanym przebiegu. Cecha budynku wyrażona przez wartość określoną zbiorem wszystkich czynników fizycznych, które charakteryzują makroskopowe właściwości elementów konstrukcji, określa jego stan techniczny. Stan techniczny jest cechą obiektu budowlanego zmienną w czasie, bezpośrednio związaną z postępującym obniżaniem się właściwości wytrzymałościowych i użytkowych elementów konstrukcji. Proces ten jest nazywany zużyciem technicznym. W ogólnym ujęciu zużycie pozostaje w funkcji czasu i jest określane mianem zużycia naturalnego. Budynki położone w obszarach ujawniania się na powierzchni terenu wpływów eksploatacji górniczej podlegają zwiększonym obciążeniom, które pochodzą od wymuszonej deformacji podłoża budowlanego. Dlatego w przypadku obiektów na terenach górniczych należy mówić o zużyciu technicznym, które jest sumą występowania naturalnych procesów starzeniowych i zużycia wynikającego z pojawiania się uszkodzeń mechanicznych wskutek oddziaływania górniczych deformacji podłoża. Ustalenie wielkości zużycia technicznego obiektu ma znaczenie dla ustalenia wysokości odszkodowania za tzw. szkody górnicze. W praktyce wysokość odszkodowania ustalana jest na podstawie określonej wartości odtworzeniowej budynku pomniejszonej o „wielkość” jego zużycia. W artykule zdefiniowano pojęcie zużycia technicznego na terenach górniczych, omówiono zespół czynników określających stan techniczny budynków podlegających wpływom oddziaływań górniczych. Przedstawiono również autorską metodologię określania globalnego zużycia technicznego budynków o konstrukcji tradycyjnej położonych w granicach terenów górniczych.

Waterproof lime dust used in coal mines is an important element in the system of protection against explosions. This is one of the oldest methods used to prevent coal dust explosions and, according to an expert’s opinion, it will remain so for a long time. T he work is a summary of research on the development of a new method of producing waterproof limestone dust to use it as an anti-explosive powder in coal mines. The typical method of hydrophobic dust production (milling limestone with stearic acid) is no longer profitable due to the restructuring of the mining industry. The main research was conducted on raw materials traditionally used during the production of anti-explosion powder, namely limestone meal with a grain size diameter equal to 80 μm (Czatkowice Limestone Quarry) and stearic acid as a modifier. Silicone preparation and bituminous preparation (Bitumenovoranstrich) were used as additional modifiers. The hydrophobization process was conducted with the use of different techniques: from stearic acid ether solution, from stearic acid vapor, from methyl silicone resin or bituminous preparation solutions. A series of research on modified powders to determine hydrophobization and flow properties was conducted. Depending on method of hydrophobization, the test of “floating on water”, the extraction of stearic acid was carried out, water contact angles on compacted material were determined, the thermal decomposition of powder was made. The increase in moisture after wet storage was indicated. The flow properties of powders were measured with the use of the Powder Characteristics Tester. The evaluation of the suitability of each hydrophobization methods in achieving the intended purpose was valued.

A mine cannot function without monitoring systems: environmental, basic mining machinery and equipment. The exploitation of ore in the mine depends heavily on properly functioning machines and mining equipment, and acceptable for the miner technical environmental conditions occurring in underground excavations. The monitoring systems of the technical environment in underground mines are primarily telemetry and gasometry systems. The first part of the article shows the typical structure of gasometry systems operating in the Polish underground mines. The existing provisions include the so-called security systems of the mining plant. The article presents a quantitative summary of the telephone exchange types and count of main telecommunication lines operating in these systems. Monitoring systems of machines and mining equipment are an essential element of the effec-tive management of the mine, because they affect the safe operation and increase time of effi-ciency equipment. The second part of the article shows selected monitoring systems of mining machinery and equipment currently used in the dispatcher rooms of mines. Attention was paid to the monitoring systems, which are only software tools as well as those in which additionally use dedicated IT solutions for these systems, hardware and measuring tools. The table shows the types of monitoring systems and technological configurations used in underground mines, preferred for them.

The concept of endogenous development assumes the use of specifi c resources of the region, difficult to copy, to its development, and even to gain a competitive advantage in a wider dimension. This concept has been used in the provisions of the Regional Innovation Strategy of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship for 2014-2020 for smart specialization (RIS3), especially in relation to leading smart specialization the quality of life, in the areas of: production and processing of ecological, regional and traditional food; renewable energy and distributed energy; agrotourism and ecotourism. It was targeted at the development of the entire region, not only the leading urban centers. The special role of the food economy lies in the need to guarantee food security and food sovereignty in the region. This issue is of strategic importance.

News might trigger jump arrivals in financial time series. The “bad” news and “good” news seem to have distinct impact. In the research, a double exponential jump distribution is applied to model downward and upward jumps. Bayesian double exponential jump-diffusion model is proposed. Theorems stated in the paper enable estimation of the model’s parameters, detection of jumps and analysis of jump frequency. The methodology, founded upon the idea of latent variables, is illustrated with simulated data.

The study included bituminous coal seams (30 samples coal from the Bogdanka and Chełm deposits)

of the Lublin Formation, the most coal-bearing strata in the best developed and recognized in

terms of mining parts of the Lublin Coal Basin in Poland. High phosphorus concentrations in coal of

the Lublin Formation were found (1375 g/Mg) as well as P2O5 in coal ash (2.267 wt%). The phosphorus

contents in coal and coal ash from the 385 and 391 coal seams in the area of the Lubelski Coal Bogdanka

Mine and in the area of its SE neighbor is the highest (max. 2.644 wt. % in coal and 6.055 wt. %

of P2O5 in coal ash). It has been shown that mineral matter effectively affects phosphorus contents

in coal and coal ash. At the same time, phosphate minerals (probably apatite and crandallite) present

in kaolinite aggregates of tonsteins contain the most of phosphorus and have the greatest impact on

the average P content in the 382, 385, 387, and 391. The secondary source of phosphorus in these

coal seams and main source of phosphorus in these coal deposits that do not contain mineral matter

of pyroclastic origin (378, 389, 394) may be clay minerals, which absorbed phosphorus compounds

derived from organic matter released during coalification. Phosphorus-rich ash from the combustion

of the Lublin Formation coal tend to be environmentally beneficial to the environment and also useful

for improving the soil quality. Due to the low degree of coalification and high content of phosphorus

in coal, this coals of little use for coking.

Changes in activity of amylase, cellulase, protease and dehydrogenase during biodegradation of petroleum contaminants were investigated in laboratory studies. Refinery soil polluted for a long time was modified by commercial biological preparation and natural biological preparation (prepared from this soil). These modifications did not influence cellulase and protease activity. Activity of amylase and dehydrogenase changed in these samples. In the sixth week the highest activity of dehydrogenase was noticed, especially in soil with commercial biological preparation. Modifications had a great influence on contaminants degradation. The highest elimination of TPH (20,4%) and heavy fractions (10,5%) took place in soil modified by commercial biological preparation. The highest PAH elimination was in soil with natural bacterial preparation

In selected mining sinkhole ponds and sand-pits in the Upper-Silesian Industrial Region there were collected 346 sunbleak, in the age classes 1-5, with mean length and body weight 4.5 cm and 1.34 g, respectively. In the infected fish there were found: adult cestodes Caryophyllaeides Jennica, plerocercoids of Ligula intestinalis and Schistocephalus solidus, metacercariae of the trematode Posthodiplostomum cuticola, as well as two crustaceans Lernea cyprinacea and Argulusfoliaceus. In the case of the infection with plerocercoids of both cestodes distincly greater prevalence of the infection was observed in sand-pits, whereas maximal prevalence of the infection with the crustacean Argulus foliaceus - in examined sinkhole ponds. Authors discuss this phenomenon in the context of differences in temperature and oxygen conditions in both types of analyzed reservoirs.

GNSS systems are susceptible to radio interference despite then operating in a spread spectrum. The commerce jammers power up to 2 watts that can block the receiver function at a distance of up to 15 kilometers in free space. Two original methods for GNSS receiver testing were developed. The first method is based on the usage of a GNSS simulator for generation of the satellite signals and a vector signal RF generator for generating different types of interference signals. The second software radio method is based on a software GNSS simulator and a signal processing in Matlab. The receivers were tested for narrowband CW interference, FM modulated signal and chirp jamming signals and scenarios. The signal to noise ratio usually drops down to 27 dBc-Hz while the jamming to signal ratio is different for different types of interference. The chirp signal is very effective. The jammer signal is well propagated in free space while in the real mobile urban and suburban environment it is usually strongly attenuated.

The presented results of investigations are part of a larger study focused on the optimization of the flow and mixing of liquid steel in the industrial tundish of continuous casting machine. The numerical simulations were carried out concern the analysis of hydrodynamic conditions of liquid steel flow in a tundish operating in one of the national steelworks. Numerical simulations were performed using the commercial code ANSYS Fluent. The research concerns two different speeds of steel casting. In real conditions, these speeds are the most commonly used in the technological process when casting two different groups of steel. As a result of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations, predicted spatial distributions of velocity and liquid steel turbulence fields and residence time distribution (RTD) curves were obtained. The volume fractions of different flows occurring in the tundish were also calculated. The results of the research allowed a detailed analysis of the influence of casting speed on the formation of hydrodynamic conditions prevailing in the reactor.

This article discusses the question, to what extent the late and post- socialist transformation in Poland can be considered a key stage in the decline of industrial modernity. Setting out from the premise that state socialism constituted a paradigmatic version of industrial or high modernity, it addresses the major discursive rupture that preceded the regime change of 1989: While the workers’ mass movement of Solidarity had embraced political and social imagina-ries typical of industrial modernity in 1980/81, these came to be re-placed by new socio-economic and cultural frameworks by the end of the 1980s. By outlining the spectacular rise of informal trading, as well as the Polish and transnational input into the promotion of grassroot capitalism, the article indicates how Poland’s late and post-socialist transformation was intrinsically linked to the down-fall of industrial modernity and reflects on the historiographical po-tential of this approach.

The results of studies presented in this article are an example of the research activity of the authors related to lead-free alloys. The studies covered binary SnZn90 and SnZn95 lead-free alloys, including their microstructure and complex mechanical characteristics. The microstructure was examined by both light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The identification of alloy chemical composition in micro-areas was performed by SEM/EDS method. As regards light microscopy, the assessment was of both qualitative and quantitative character. The determination of the geometrical parameters of microstructure was based on an original combinatorial method using phase quantum theory. Comprehensive characterization of mechanical behavior with a focus on fatigue life of alloys was performed by means of the original modified low cycle fatigue method (MLCF) adapted to the actually available test machine. The article discusses the fatigue life of binary SnZn90 and SnZn95 alloys in terms of their microstructure. Additionally, the benefits resulting from the use of the combinatorial method in microstructure examinations and MLCF test in the quick estimation of several mechanical parameters have been underlined.

Casting process takes a major percentage of manufacturing products into consideration. No-bake casting is swiftly developing technology for foundry industries. In the no-bake family, furan no-bake casting process employs resins and acid catalyst to form a furan binder system. However, this process configures castings with augmented strength and quality surface finish. Compressive strength, transverse strength and tensile strength of moulds are also high in this furan binder system. Hence this method is apt for producing accurately dimensioned castings. Our well thought-out deliberations in the subsequent write up entail the numerous effects of variation of resin and acid catalyst on the surface defect i.e. sulfur diffusion on the surface of FNB casting. Furan resin; used in the production of casting is furfuryl alcohol and acid catalyst is sulphonic acid. Sulfur diffusion is tested by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis and also by the spectrometer with jet stream technology. This paper also comprises economic advantages of optimizing resin because furan resin is expensive and catalyst with reduction of sulfur diffusion defect as it saves machining, labor cost, and energy.

The paper presents the results of the computer simulations of solidification with consideration of the liquid phase movement. Simulations were conducted in a real, complex cast. There is a multi-stage resolution to the problem of convection in solidification simulations. The most important resolution concerns the development of the numerical model with the momentum and continuity equations, as well as conditions which are determined by the convection. Simulations were carried out with the use of our authorial software based on stabilized finite elements method (Petroy-Galerkin). In order to solve Navier-Stokes equation (with the convection element), Boussinesq’s approximation were used. Finite Elements Method (FEM) was responsible for the solidification. FEM is close to the heat conduction equation solution (with the internal heat source responsible for the heat released during phase transformation). Convection causes movement in the liquid phase in the solidifying cast and can significantly influence the process of heat transfer from the cast. It may change the distribution of the defects. Results of this article make it possible to assess the conditions in which the influence of the convection on solidification is significant.

Złomowanie statków morskich ma historię sięgającą połowy XIX w. W ostatnich 20 latach stocznie złomowe z Azji Południowej zdominowały światowy rynek recyklingu statków wykorzystując tanią siłę roboczą i nie zawsze stosując się do obowiązującego prawa międzynarodowego. Międzynarodowa Organizacja Morska (IMO) doprowadziła do uchwalenia Konwencji z Hongkongu w 2009 r., która w kompleksowy sposób reguluje niemal wszystkie kwestie związane z bezpiecznym dla środowiska i dla ludzi recyklingiem statków. Unia Europejska wprowadziła własne regulacje, oparte na postanowieniach konwencji z Hongkongu, które odnoszą się głównie do statków zarejestrowanych w państwach unijnych, ale stwarzają pewne trudności w uznaniu stoczni złomowych znajdujących się w państwach trzecich, w tym państwach azjatyckich, do prowadzenia recyklingu statków podnoszących banderę państwa unijnego. Armatorzy statków, które mają być oddane na złom, stają przed dylematem czy poddać je drogiemu recyklingowi w zakładzie recyklingu wskazanym w europejskim wykazie zakładów, prowadzonym przez Komisję Europejską, czy zmienić banderę statku i wysłać je do stoczni w Azji, obchodząc przepisy unijne dotyczące recyklingu statków. Problemy tego rodzaju rozwiążą się same po wyjściu w życie Konwencji z Hongkongu, ale jak dotąd tylko 15 państw przystąpiło do konwencji, jednak z niewystarczającym tonażem, aby spełnić wszystkie warunki postawione przez konwencję do tego, aby weszła ona w życie. W artykule omówiono zagrożenia związane ze złomowaniem, umowę sprzedaży statku na złom, w tym używane na rynku formularze umów przygotowanych przez BIMCO, metody przekazywania statku stoczni złomowej oraz proces recyklingu stosowany przez stocznie zgodny z wymaganiami konwencji z Hongkongu. W tekście pokazanych zostało także kilka kopii dokumentów używanych w procesie recyklingu statku w praktyce obrotu.

A novel method for thermal diffusivity evolution of thin-film materials with pulsed Gaussian beam and infrared video is reported. Compared with common pulse methods performed in specialized labs, the proposed method implements a rapid on-line measurement without producing the off-centre detection error. Through mathematical deduction of the original heat conduction model, it is discovered that the area s, which is encircled by the maximum temperature curve rTMAX(θ), increases linearly over elapsed time. The thermal diffusivity is acquired from the growth rate of the area s. In this study, the off-centre detection error is avoided by performing the distance regularized level set evolution formulation. The area s was extracted from the binary images of temperature variation rate, without inducing errors from determination of the heat source centre. Thermal diffusivities of three materials, 304 stainless steel, titanium, and zirconium have been measured with the established on-line detection system, and the measurement errors are: −2.26%, −1.07%, and 1.61% respectively.