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In the wake of the IT revolution of recent decades, Polish companies have experienced changes, such as the obligation to report financials in purely electronic form. This shift creates benefits but is also a source of challenges. The authors' inspiration for this research stems from the recognition of a clear research gap in the literature relating to the electronic reporting of micro and small companies. The article aims to verify how Poland's smallest companies covered by reporting obligations cope with the compulsory compilation, signing and publication of financial statements solely by electronic means. The study was qualitative in nature, followed a case study methodology, and concerned two Polish micro-companies. The results show that the entities analyzed essentially do cope with e-reporting. Certain attributes of these reports - - such as timeliness or completeness, are questionable, however. The results contribute to the understanding of the financial reporting practice by micro companies in Poland. They can indicate directions for changes in the actions taken by those involved in corporate reporting. Cognizance of this issue can also provide the regulator with directions for regulatory changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We present organ donation and transplantation activities in Poland from 2017 to 2022. • Data were from registries maintained by the Polish Transplant Coordinating Center Poltransplant and consisted of the national waiting list, deceased donor registry, transplant registry, and the live donor registry. • In 2022, 640 potential deceased organ donors were reported to the Polish Transplant Coordinating Center Poltransplant. In this paper, we present organ donation and transplantation activities in Poland from 2017 to 2022. Data came from registries maintained by the Polish Transplant Coordinating Center Poltransplant and consisted of the national waiting list, deceased donor registry, transplant registry, and the live donor registry. Poltransplant is the Competent Authority in Organs, with tasks related to preparing assessments, analyses, information, and reports in transplantation medicine and publishing and disseminating these results in the country and abroad. Poltransplant edits the Poltransplant Bulletin on its web pages and presents its activities at Polish Transplantation Society congresses, published consecutively as professional papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pulmonary complications of systemic scleroderma are responsible for up to 60% of patients' deaths. • For many years, most centers considered systemic scleroderma a contraindication to lung transplantation. • We proved that lung transplantation in this group of patients is possible with acceptable 1-year results. • More studies addressing the issue of lung transplantation in patients with systemic scleroderma are needed to establish more precise eligibility criteria for transplantation. Pulmonary complications of systemic scleroderma (SSc), such as interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension (PH), are responsible for up to 60% of deaths among patients. For many years, most centers considered SSc a contraindication to lung transplantation (LTx); however, recent publications show that appropriately selected SSc candidates for LTx give results comparable to patients with idiopathic PH or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This paper presents the cases of a 60-year-old male patient (patient 1) and a 42-year-old female patient (patient 2) diagnosed with SSc in 2019 and 2013, respectively. In both patients, interstitial-fibrotic changes in the lungs leading to respiratory failure were confirmed by high-resolution computed tomography as well as pulmonary hypertension (WHO group 3), which was also diagnosed during right heart catheterization. In both cases, despite pharmacotherapy, pulmonary fibrosis progressed, leading to severe respiratory failure. The patients were referred for LTx qualification. LTx was possible to consider in patients due to the lack of significant changes in other internal organs. Double LTx was successfully performed in both patients (patient 1—July 19, 2022; patient 2—September 14, 2022). They were discharged from the hospital in good condition on the 22nd and 20th postoperative day, respectively. LTx is a last-chance therapy that saves lives among patients with extreme respiratory failure in the course of SSc. It prolongs and improves the quality of life. The selection of appropriate patients is key to the success of the procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Transplant recipients of solid organs report better sleep after transplantation. • Females reported a more positive overall impact of transplantation on sleep; however, they experienced worse sleeping hygiene, when asked specifically. • Women get out of bed later than men (30 minutes difference), need more time to fall asleep, and more often experience sleepiness the next day. Males in our study have better well-being the next day. • Older transplant recipients reported more frequent awakenings at night and instances of waking up before the scheduled time. Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining health. Transplant patients are exposed to numerous stressors and are at risk of sleep disturbances. The aim of this study was to assess the sleep patterns of transplant patients. An anonymous paper survey was carried out among patients from one transplant center in Poland. Respondents were asked about the quality and quantity of sleep and the overall impact of the transplantation on their night rest. Data were collected from June to November 2023. Data were obtained from 212 respondents (122 males and 90 females), aged 48.38 ± 13.68. The positive impact of transplantation on sleep hygiene was indicated by 57.4% of respondents, 28.9% observed no impact, and 13.6% rated the impact as negative. Our study showed that sleep is more satisfying in males than in females (62.8% of males and 46.7% of females). The analysis revealed that 38.9% of females need 30 minutes more than men to fall asleep. Additionally, females tend to get up half an hour later compared to men. About 71.9% of males declared good well-being the next day compared to 62.2% of females. Furthermore females declared more sleepiness the next day. The study also showed that older transplant recipients (over 50 years-of-age) report more frequent awakenings at night. The data collected showed differences in sleep patterns according to gender and age. Females and older patients should be screened for sleep disturbances during post-transplantation care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• One Polish household wasted 0.56 kg of food per day. • In Polish households, fruit, vegetables, bread are wasted the most during the day. • Household characteristics explain food waste more than individual characteristics. • Single-person households waste more food products and semi-products than other. • On a per capita level Polish households with children waste less food. In Poland, to our best knowledge, none of the scientific publications produced to date have addressed the scale of wasted food in households and the impact of sociodemographic and economic factors on this. This study fills this research gap. The study was carried out in 2019 on a nationwide random-quota sample of 500 households, which are representative of all households. The survey was carried out in the respondents' homes for seven consecutive days. It consisted of an interview conducted by an interviewer (Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews method) and a paper diary completed by the respondents themselves. The aim of the study was to present the volume of wasted food, taking five groups into account,and to examine the impact of the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of the households and the person responsible for preparing meals on food waste. The results show that one person, on average, wasted 62.6 kg of edible food per year (98.2 kg of edible and inedible parts combined). According to the results, the most discarded food products include fruit and vegetables, bread, dairy products, drinks and juices, and cold cuts. Statistical analysis showed that the level of food waste in Polish households is conditioned by characteristics such as household size (persons), the presence and number of children, monthly income, as well as the characteristics of the person responsible for preparing meals, such as age and employment status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovativeness is important for the success and performance of firms on both the domestic and international markets. The majority of firms with a solid foothold on the market acknowledge the need for innovation as the driving force of organic growth and the way to distinguish themselves from the competition. This paper is aimed at analyzing both the internal and external factors that support the innovativeness of companies and the impact of these factors on the performance of enterprises. The methodological framework of research is of a deductive nature and the existing theories of innovativeness were availed of for the purposes of research on these particular phenomena. By availing of survey responses from personnel directors, heads of HR departments, while also specialists of the field of HR among 179 enterprises from various sectors, evidence was established in the cases of (1) the positive relation between external factors and the internal processes supporting the innovativeness of companies, while also (2) the positive relation between external and internal factors supporting innovativeness and the market situation, economic efficiency and the development of companies. The herein paper makes a theoretical and empirical contribution in terms of research into the innovativeness of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a study on the use of the online service e-Tax Office (hereinafter e-TO) recently made available by the Polish Ministry of Finance to, inter alia, implement the concept of Polish revenue authorities e-communication with taxpayers. To achieve the objectives assumed, the following research methods were used: multiple case study, literature study, analysis of relevant legal regulations, and own observation method. As a result of the study, it has been found that the e-TO, developed at high expense, did not meet the expectations in any of the cases analyzed, as communication between the Tax Office and the taxpayers in ongoing cases was still carried out in traditional 'paper-based' form; what is more, it was the revenue authorities themselves, who initiated paper-based communication, as opposed to contacting the taxpayer electronically. The study also resulted in an attempt to identify some of the limitations hindering the taxpayer and the tax office e-communication via e-TO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial sector absorbs a significant amount of energy and solutions are still being sought, the use of which will allow energy consumption during production processes to be reduced, but which will not influence on the quality of the final product or an order's completion time. One solution is to change the technology in the production process, but such a drastic decision would require a detailed analysis of the profitability of an investment. This article analyses movement in production technology processes towards additive manufacturing (AM) technologies in terms of reducing energy consumption. This paper has used literature studies to describe AM methods, in terms of energy consumption in production companies and a questionnaire survey, which was conducted within 125 automotive manufacturing companies in western Poland and finally for further analysis data from the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) were selected in order to determine the impact of the use of AM technology on energy consumption. This sector in particular needs to conduct energy consumption reducing activities at a time when Europe is threatened with massive increases in energy prices. Additionally a statistical analysis was also conducted using correlation coefficients. The results show that the SMEs surveyed, which bore the highest costs of energy consumption in production, declared that they were not interested in implementing AM technology while other companies, incurring high energy consumption costs for illuminating their production halls, saw the benefits of implementing AM and were able to reduce production costs in the assembly stage, use material more effectively and have greater freedom in the design and customization of their products, according to specific customer requirements. It was also determined that managers of manufacturing companies, who are interested in implementing AM would also like to implement water or heat recovery systems. • This paper explores the energy consumption in the context of the implementation of AM. • Employs the empirical analysis Polish SMEs (automotive industry) • Provides the actions taken by manufacturing enterprises to reduce energy consumption • Determines benefits of implementing AM in the automotive industry in the context of energy consumption • The media consumption monitoring system implemented in production processes enhances awareness of energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The amount of separately collected bio-waste, its composition and selected properties are subject to seasonal variations. • Food waste is the main component of bio-waste from each tested site. • Substantial part of contaminants (e.g. plastics, glass) was found in the waste stream. • Waste collected in containers in multi-family housing area the most contaminated. • Heavy metals content of tested samples varied, both in terms of location and season. The progress of civilisation contributes, among other things, to an increase in the mass of waste produced in households. A significant part of it is bio-waste (about 31% in Poland). It is generally agreed that bio-waste is a suitable substrate for valorisation through fermentation with biogas production. Designing new and optimising existing facilities, however, requires precise data on the composition of bio-waste and its properties, which is challenging due to seasonal variability, place of origin (single- or multi-family housing, urban or rural) and collection method. This paper presents the method adopted for conducting the study and the results of an annual, monthly analysis of the morphological composition and selected properties of bio-waste from source-segregated households from 4 rural municipalities and 4 cities, from neighbourhoods with single-family and multi-family housing in Poland. In household bio-waste, the proportion of food waste content ranges from 36.7 to 47.6% (annual average values). The proportion of edible food waste in relation to the total weight of food waste is 5 to 7 times lower. The yearly percentage of garden waste varied from 35.8 to 52.8%. A considerable amount of impurities (such as plastics, glass, and stones) is present in the bio-waste stream. The waste collected in containers in urban areas with multi-family houses is the most polluted (16.6%). The proportion of pollutants in bio-waste collected in bags (rural areas and cities with single-family housing) does not exceed 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of implementing single and multi-optimisation solutions on the biological treatment process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The research is based on a case study of the water resource recovery facility (WRRF) in Swarzewo, Northern Poland. The paper introduces the adaptive extremum seeking control (ESC) method for dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration control and places it in a layered control structure. Further, it presents the introduction of an optimisation layer for the structure and parameters of the SBR cycle, through the synthesis of stochastic methods: single-objective optimisation (SOO) using a genetic algorithm (GA) and multi-objective optimisation (MOO) using the NSGA-II algorithm. The results were compared to a classical approach with fixed cycle parameters. The paper shows the advantages of optimising cycle parameters, including the number of phases as well as the DO value, on the process flow. These control structures underwent simulation tests in the MATLAB environment with the Simba package. The biochemical processes occurring in the reactor are based on the Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d). The optimising control system demonstrates tangible improvements in operational efficiency and significant reductions in electrical energy consumption, highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. • Wastewater treatment is one of the key concerns in ecology and environmental engineering. • Hierarchical control system has been used to the WWTP. • Optimisation of biological processes reduces WWTP operating costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced an interest in the relationship between air pollution and respiratory viral infections, indicating that their burden can be increased under poor air quality. This paper reviews the pathways through which air pollutants can enhance susceptibility to such infections and aggravate their clinical course and outcome. It also summarizes the research exploring the links between various viral infections and exposure to solid and gaseous pollution in Poland, a region characterized by poor air quality, especially during a heating season. The majority of studies focused on concentrations of particulate matter (PM; 86.7%); the other pollutants, i.e., BaP, benzene, CO, NO x , O 3 , and SO 2, were studied less often and sometimes only in the context of a particular infection type. Most research concerned COVID-19, showing that elevated levels of PM and NO 2 correlated with higher morbidity and mortality, while increased PM 2.5 and benzo[a]pyrene levels were related to worse clinical course and outcome in hospitalized, regardless of age and dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant. PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels were also associated with the incidence of influenza-like illness and, along with NO 2 concentrations, with a higher rate of children's hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract RSV infections. Higher levels of air pollutants also increased hospitalization due to bronchitis (PM, NO x , and O 3) and emergency department admission due to viral croup (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO x , CO, and benzene). Although the conducted studies imply only correlations and have other limitations, as discussed in the present paper, it appears that improving air quality through reducing combustion processes in energy production in Poland should be perceived as a part of multilayered protection measures against respiratory viral infections, decreasing the healthcare costs of COVID-19, lower tract RSV infections, influenza, and other respiratory viral diseases prevalent between autumn and early spring, in addition to other health and climate benefits. [Display omitted] • Polluted air may increase the severity of respiratory viral infections. • Poland is a PM and BaP pollution hot spot in Europe. • Air pollution is associated with a higher burden of respiratory viral infections. • Improving the air quality should be a protection measure against infections. • Further studies are encouraged to explore the relationships with other pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper was to present data on organ donation and transplantation from foreigners in Poland. • In Poland, the rules for collecting organs and tissues for transplantation from foreigners who died in Poland and the rules for transplanting organs to foreigners are adopted and applied. • In 2022, 640 potential deceased organ donors were reported to the Polish Transplant Coordinating Center POLTRANSPLANT, out of which 445 became effective donors (70%). Of the total number of reported potential donors, 24 (4%) were foreigners, and from 14 of them (58%), organs had been procured for transplantation. The majority of donors came from Ukraine. • In 2022, a total of 30 foreigners were registered on the National (Polish) Organ Transplant Waiting List. Most of them were Ukrainians. The aim of the work was to present data concerning organ donation from and transplantation to foreigners in Poland. Data came from registries maintained by the Polish Transplant Coordinating Center POLTRANSPLANT, consisting of the national waiting list, deceased donor registry, transplant registry, and live donor registry. In Poland, the rules for organ and tissue procurement for transplantation from foreigners who died in Poland and the rules for transplanting organs to foreigners are adopted and applied. Before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, "cross-border" cases of donations and transplants were rather sporadic. After the outbreak of the war, due to the mass influx of Ukrainian citizens, the situation changed, and the participation of foreigners (mostly Ukrainians) in transplantation procedures increased significantly and, in 2022, accounted for the total number of events: approximately 4% in the case of donation, slightly over 1% in the case of qualifications for transplantation and almost 2% in the number of transplantations performed. Despite this increase, the number of events is not high or critical and does not affect the efficiency of organ transplantation medicine in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Right to the City as vehicle of urban movements network successful mobilization. • Polish Urban Movements Congress unusual in terms of professionalism and diversity. • In response to growing activists role developers claim their "right to the city" • PZFD organizational platform builds sector credibility & undermine activists' legitimacy. • Developers remain in the incumbent positions, appropriate new norms and practices. The insufficient access to housing and the commercialization of public space are most problematic aspects of urban development in Poland. As we witness the effects of neoliberalization in the urban policy sector – with an increased presence of private corporate actors combined with a withdrawal of the earlier so dominant public authorities – there is still no long-term policy in place to counteract the negative social as well as economic effects on the citizens. To the contrary, existing political order in many cities supports market solutions, while scaling down investments in public space, municipal housing or building for rent. To better explain the dynamics of urban policy, the paper uses a field theory approach (Martin, 2003), to analyse the role of developers and urban grassroots movements in planning and building of Polish cities. Data from formal and informal interviews with developers, urban activists and public authorities are used, supplemented by results of participatory observations at national conferences, government workshops and activists' gatherings. Paper describes the ongoing 'game of the city' (Domaradzka and Wijkström, 2016) in which incumbents defend their dominant position and control over space, while a set of challengers seek to introduce new values and behaviours. It presents the wider context of Polish urban policy field and organizational practices of developers and urban activists to illustrate the field dynamics and actors' changing strategies. The analysis also shows how the dominant narratives are shaped through re-defining the 'right to the city' frame and incorporating it into the developers' agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The company's innovativeness is largely influenced by external factors, which is influenced by the increasing demand for new products, pressure from competition, or accelerating the processes of europeanization and globalization. An enterprise described as innovative is considered to be better and more desirable. Businesses recognize that they need to understand where the market is heading and create products and services that fit with it. The entrepreneurs understand that they need to innovate so as not to be left behind. The aim of the paper was to show the importance of the issues of sustainable development in relation to the innovativeness of Polish enterprises. The paper presents the idea of sustainable development, the concept of innovation and sustainable innovation in business. The theoretical considerations have been extended to the presentation of selected projects for sustainable innovations in enterprises in Poland and around the world. The considerations were also enriched with the results of research conducted among the managerial staff of selected Polish enterprises located in the Silesian Voivodeship. The research was conducted in the period November 2021 - March 2022 among companies that were known to have experience in activities related to sustainable development. The aim of the research was to get to know the awareness of management staff about sustainable development and to find out what importance is given in companies to issues related to sustainable development and sustainable innovation, how it affects their company and what actions are taken to further take into account the principles of sustainable development in their activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the problem of selecting a state-made electronic document management system (EDMS) using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model. The problem of EDMS selection from two available variants is analysed and the selection criteria related are highlighted on the basis of the literature and the authors' experience. Calculations related to pairwise comparisons and prioritisation between criteria and variants form the core of the paper. This problem is only applicable to municipalities in Poland that have implemented an older state-made system; based on pair-wise comparisons, retaining the older system is preferable to implementing the new state-made EDMS because of the lack of integration of the new EDMS with internal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of primary research involving a survey of Polish passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was conducted in January 2022 using the CAWI method on a representative sample of N = 1,129 Polish adults aged 18 to 60. First, means of transport were classified by distance covered into urban, regional and interregional transport. Survey participants were asked a series of questions regarding the use of modern technologies in public transportation. Before that, however, the frequency of urban (agglomeration), regional, interregional (transregional) and private transport use during the COVID-19 pandemic was examined. More than half of respondents said they used modern technology across all modes of public transportation, and about a quarter said that while they had not yet used these technologies, they intended to do so. Only about 15% of respondents replied they did not use and did not intend to use modern technologies, regardless of the mode of transport. The aim of the paper is to examine the use of modern technologies by passengers in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research results may help to influence passengers' purchasing decisions and to improve services offered by carriers in accordance with the objectives of long-term transport policy of both the European Union and Poland related to sustainable transport development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of primary research involving a survey of travelers in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was conducted in January 2022 using the CAWI method on a representative sample of n =1,129 Polish adults aged 18 to 60. As many as 74% of respondents believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed traveler preferences with regard to urban, regional and trans-regional transport. Two-thirds of respondents (67%) cited a car as the most common mode of transportation, 40% said they walk, and 25% use buses. Just over 10% chose a bicycle (14%) or tram (11%). The least preferred mode of transportation was the train (7%). The three most frequently cited features of transportation services that respondents considered most important included easy ticket purchasing, ticket prices, and cost of travel. The aim of this paper is to discuss the decisions of Polish passengers using public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the research may help to influence the passengers' purchasing decisions in accordance with the objectives of long-term transport policy of both the European Union and Poland related to sustainable transport development, as well as the decisions of transport operators as this is a stakeholder group that may be interested in applying them in their daily work and carriers themselves, competing for passengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past decade, Industry 4.0 has become the basis for building competitive advantage for business operations. The key technologies of Industry 4.0 are implemented in enterprises of various industries. This paper focuses on presenting the results of research on the influence of the Industry 4.0 concept on the operations of enterprises that are implementing smart manufacturing (SM) projects. The paper analyses the following areas of influence of projects on the enterprises' operations: productivity, agility and speed, quality, competitiveness and enterprise value, profitability, staff reduction, delivery improvements, vertical and horizontal integration, resource savings, reduction of operating costs, technology adaptability and quality of machine operations. The paper belongs to the research paper category. The research tool was a questionnaire. The research was carried out in the segment of steel enterprises in Poland. The results of the presented research belong to pilot research of a segment of steel industry in Poland. The main conclusion of the study is that implementation of Industry 4.0 in the Polish steel sector had a positive influence on many factors strictly connected with the innovativeness of the company. Especially, the implementation of this conception in the steel sector leads to an increase in the quality of the product and the possibility to achieve a good level of customization of the product. Those factors are very important for the steel sector potential to succeed on the competitive market. The individual SM projects that were evaluated were a form of case study. The participants of the research were employees in managerial positions and operating technological installations in steel sector enterprises. In the opinion of the surveyed (79 people), depending on the type and scope of changes implemented in the company in the direction of Industry 4.0, decision-makers expect a higher quality of processes and products, the ability to meet customer requirements—the direction of the personalization of products and services, agility and flexibility of performed operations with the use of smart technology and accuracy and precision of performance higher than in the case of manual human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper presents critical perspective of the DFI research technique. • Presented empirical data may modify the findings formulated by other researchers of communicating about CC(U)S. • The analysed argumentation is based on presenting the innovative usage of captured CO2 as a cushion for stored natural gas. The paper presents the results of deliberative group interviews with the representatives of local communities in West Pomeranian Province (Poland) on the opportunities and challenges related to the theoretical location of combined CO 2 and natural gas underground storage (CC(U)S and UGS) in their immediate vicinity. The research has been conducted within AGaStor Project that focuses on innovative usage of captured CO 2 as a cushion for stored natural gas. Therefore, there are two possible benefits: active limitation of CO 2 emissions (Poland is and will be dependent on conventional energy sources) and reduction of gas storage costs (by using waste CO 2 as so-called cushion gas). However, previous experiences in these types of projects show the key role of local public opinion in the final shape of the investment. CC(U)S projects are usually located in less developed, less populated areas, with smaller, more rural local communities facing serious socio-economic challenges. This is the case presented in this paper. In such communities, socially expressed uncertainty and dissent are mechanisms of emancipation and articulating community's subjectivity, and a strategy for articulating fears of distrust and inadequacy of empowerment. The presented results of the research lead to four significant mechanisms of building trust for CC(U)S and UGS in West Pomeranian Province communities: a) communicating safety, b) communicating the lack of nuisances, c) communicating the benefits and d) transparent and competent knowledge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushrooms have become a relevant part of our diet globally, as non-animal sources of proteins; but data on their value chain and environmental impact are still scarce. Therefore, a good understanding of the environmental impacts of mushroom production, the environmental hotspots throughout the value chain, comparisons between production systems and regions, and an assessment of the improvement potential of mushroom production is required. This paper carried out a life cycle assessment (LCA) to estimate the environmental impacts of three Agaricus bisporus mushroom production systems in three different European countries: Spain, Poland and Serbia. We found that there is a large variability in the composition of the substrates, which is in all cases a combination of compost (mainly straw and animal manure) topped by casing materials (mainly peat), and a large variability in energy use, substrate use and yields. Especially the Serbian organic dried mushroom case distinguishes from the other conventional fresh mushroom cases. This is also reflected in the life cycle impact assessment results. The composting processes resulted in the largest contribution to environmental impact (about 49.6% on average ranging between 16.4% and 84.4% across all impacts assessed), followed by the electricity production and the casing (respectively 20.3% and 10.3% on average across all systems and impact categories analysed). Thus, optimizing composting and casing production together with switching to renewable energy sources appeared to be the most effective to reduce the overall environmental impacts of mushroom production. This paper provided a comprehensive assessment across Europe which could be further expanded to have a broader and more representative overview of the impact of mushroom production at European level. • A life cycle assessment (LCA) of three mushroom production systems was carried out. • Composting, casing and electricity production are the main source of impacts. • Large variability was observed in casing and compost use. • Optimising compost, casing and electricity production improves mushroom impacts. • Increasing mushroom productivity reduced mushroom production environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of small district heating systems (DHS) in Poland are supplied with coal and do not have a status of efficient ones according to Energy Efficiency Directive. They should transform into efficient ones by taking an appropriate measures by the end of 2035. At the same time, a significant reduction of CO 2 emissions is expected in this sector. One of the possible solution for such systems is to apply unites fueled with fuels alternative to coal such as biomass. Cost benefits analysis of implementation a biomass ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) cogeneration unit in municipal district heating system of 22 MW thermal capacity is the subject of the paper. The research included building configuration scenarios of a heat source regarding ORC size and operation modes. Different economic inputs such as electricity, fuel and European Union Allowance (EUA) for CO 2 prices as well as financial support mechanisms were considered. Economic indexes (Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and payback times) have been derived for both Polish and German conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to examine the issue of automated decision-making, i.e. decisions made by artificial intelligence. The use of automated decision-making is on the rise not only within private sectors, but also within the public sector. In today's world, people increasingly expect speedy decision-making, in particular in areas of public administration where to the so-called mass decisions are made pertaining to, i.a., taxation, social benefits, fees, permits, licences. Despite the fact that artificial intelligence has long been used in many areas of public administration in Poland, the automated, algorithmic decision-making process has not been regulated at the national level. The existent regulations pertain only to the serving and signing of documents. In Poland, there is a severe lack of comprehensive rules regulating automated-decision making, and at the same time, safeguarding administrative due process. The paper is based on analysis of normative acts and practice, supported by the study of secondary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplier selection is a decision of strategic nature that significantly influences a company's competitive advantage. The supplier selection criteria list has evolved over the years. Traditional criteria are: cost, quality and delivery. In manufacturing industry, those were highlighted as being the most important supplier selection criteria. The paper focuses on of the steel industry company in Poland. The evaluation sheets in this enterprise are the basis for creating a vendor ranking. However, they do not contain evaluation criteria in line with the sustainable development strategy. The discussed company requires introducing significant changes in the supplier selection criteria. Thus, the aim of this paper is to implement a method that will help in the selection of suppliers. Studied company operates in the area of ​​prefabrication of steel structures. In the paper, the AHP method is used. The results show dominant position of 3 suppliers out of 11. Moreover, the case study shows that in analyzed enterprise managers do not use the evaluation criteria that are in line with the sustainable development strategy. Thus, this area requires introducing significant changes in the supplier selection criteria in this company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connected vehicles revolutionize the automotive industry. A connected car can be defined as a new form of vehicle that combines ICT technology with automobiles. The main objective of this paper is to identify the benefits of connected vehicles within an organization. In addition, the paper discusses in-vehicle data, which can be used in management information systems to boost their effectiveness and new business models, such as in-vehicle payments or usage-based insurance. The research employed a questionnaire and the final sample included 161 respondents. The data were collected through the use of an online survey. The results reveal that only 42.2% of respondents declared knowledge of the connected vehicles technology. The employed respondents declared more knowledge about connected cars than those unemployed. Navigation and road traffic monitoring (mean = 4.25) were perceived by the respondents as the top benefit of connected cars. Location and condition monitoring of the vehicle (4.19) were ranked as the second top benefit. Conversely, the least potential benefits were environmental aspects (3.61) as well as access to the Internet and possibility to work while driving (3.79). The findings indicated benefits of the connected vehicles and could support managers in deploying a new technology in their organizations. The research limitation concerns the fact that this study focuses on respondents from Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New technologies that are applied in many areas of social and economic life, make the processes of creating, distributing and communicating value to customers continuously transform. It is also connected with redefining the roles performed by market entities, including producers, service providers, distributors and consumers. New technologies expand the possibilities of engaging the consumer in processes that have been conducted before only by companies. In this context, technology management is important. It translates into creating a spiral of values, in which what is possible in the field of new technologies will inspire what is indicated in the area of value management for the customer and vice versa. This is reflected in the concept of technological determinism, as well as in the ongoing changes in consumer behaviour and consumption virtualization. The aim of the paper is to present the scope of Internet applications in the processes of managing value for customers in Poland. The paper is based on literature studies and the results of a quantitative empirical study, which was performed on a sample of 156 companies operating on the Polish market. The research included people responsible for the use of the Internet in marketing or for maintaining contacts with customers with the use of new technologies. The analysis of the research results shows that the Internet is used to a greater extent to communicate and distribute value rather than to involve customers in its creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to point out selected issues about the Total Performance Scorecard and its usefulness for Polish universities in performance measurement as well as in support in making decisions about the goals of employees and in helping them in personal develop. The carried out research, which small part is presented in this paper, indicates that current way of universities management is not really helping employees in their development as well as it does not take into account the needs of employees (specially while personal goals are set) and what's worst it can have an impact on their considerations of resignation of work. The research shows that the Total Performance Scorecard seems to be adequate for the universities. It is because this concept assumes that continuous improvement, development and learning, not only of the organization itself, but its employees as well, are very important elements of effective management of an economic unit and universities required continuous develop from their employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to show the development of the information society in Poland through the prism of the use of e-government services in comparison to the other EU countries. At the same time, as part of the research, the aim is to indicate the strategies and methods of data security in intelligent IT systems that eliminate development barriers of the information society and e-government services. Research methodology was based on the desktop-based research that consisted of a document and database review of available information, statistics and other data from international, national, regional sources. The statistical analysis was performed on the basis of qualitative data collected from both Poland and other European Union member countries. Time frame for the research was set up for the year 2019. The analysis of the data presented in this paper shows that the demand for and willingness to use e-government services is enormous. Moreover, organizations ought to actively develop a comprehensive strategic security plan including security policy, procedures to be developed and technologies to be implemented that would integrate new applications and processes, while complying with security requirements and relevant laws and regulations. The paper also rises awareness about the importance of ensuring the protection of sensitive date in ICT and therefore limit the barriers for the development of information society, information systems (IS) and the use of Decision Support Systems (DSS) in e-government services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to improve understanding of the differences and similarities between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) that are offered to consumers to gain their knowledge and ICTs that are expected by consumers in terms of their engagement in knowledge sharing. Thus, this paper aims to solve this problem by answering the main research question: Are the ICT offered to consumers to engage them in knowledge sharing in line with their expectations? The presented outcomes result from two sets of data, (1) a survey questionnaire on consumers and (2) a case study online observation of enterprises and public sector organizations (PSOs). Popular and well-known ICTs were taken into consideration. The findings show that both enterprises and PSOs most often offer consumers their own websites. That indicates that they choose an easily accessible and convenient tool for them to facilitate consumer engagement. The comparison of the results taken from two sets of data has revealed that consumer expectations as to ICT usage for knowledge sharing are much higher than the possibilities offered by enterprises and PSOs. This is especially true for Internet forums, industry-specialized portals, and specialized organization websites. The results also show that females would like to use ICTs in greater scope than males. It is especially true for popular information websites and Facebook portal. What is more, the results show statistically significant differences between age generations for two ICTs only, i.e., mobile applications and Facebook portal. Detailed analyses indicated that the elder generations, i.e., Baby-Boomers and Builders, would like to use these ICTs in greater scope than the younger ones. In particular, the results reveal that consumers expect to use ICTs in greater scope than those offered by enterprises and PSOs. However, the results must be interpreted with caution because of their limitations that pertain to the survey sample, which embraced consumers from Poland only, as well as to ICTs selection limited to nine items. The findings presented could be relevant to any enterprise and PSO that would like to engage consumers in providing feedback about their product and service offerings with the ICT usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU MSP Directive imposed the requirement to develop plans for all water areas under the jurisdiction of an EU country by the end of March 2021. Poland is the only country in the Baltic Sea Region whose maritime administration has decided to elaborate detailed maritime spatial plans for port waters. The aim of the paper is to draw conclusions from the work carried out so far on the MSP for Polish port water areas. For this purpose, the drafts of the first ever plans for port areas, constituting Poland's internal marine waters, were considered. The authors analysed planning efforts concerning Polish port water areas in two stages, quantitative and qualitative. The subjects of the analysis were the draft spatial maritime plans, prepared or in preparation, for three selected ports – Gdańsk, Szczecin and Elbląg. These study cases were chosen to represent the best variety of approaches (they were elaborated by different planning companies, having very different planning backgrounds) and were the basis for evaluating the solutions proposed in the draft plans in terms of possible interpretations of the plan's provisions. The paper raises such questions as: What kind of functions (uses) occur while elaborating the maritime spatial plan of the port's waters?; How are the functions distinguished within the ports' plans interpreted by planers originating from different environments and having different types of planning experience?; How could the process of maritime spatial planning for port waters be coordinated between port authorities, maritime administration, and municipal authorities? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent focus on sustainability and its three pillars (economic, environmental, and social) brought new issues, especially for manufacturing companies, to be addressed. The article uses the methodology of a case study based on observation, panel expert, interviews with employees and the documentation analysis. The research had been carried out in steel processing enterprise in West Pomeranian region in Poland. The purpose of the article is twofold. Firstly, the aim is to present the company in the context of the production scheme and information flow, as well as the scheme for solving a decision problem that may increase the company's sustainable development potential. Secondly, the aim of the paper is to present the methodology of the process of selecting and assessing a range of criteria and fields of operation based on the identified sustainability criteria, which should be taken into account when deciding what type of the product to choose to improve the potential of sustainability of the company. The described methodology of this process is a scientific contribution based on literature research, observation of the company under study, interviews with employees, analysis of documents and work with experts inside the company, which allowed the creation of a tool for determining operational and decision-making areas that are directly related to the company's sustainable development potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to explore the success factors and barriers to digital co-creation between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). The analysis is based on a qualitative approach, and particularly 80 semi-structured interviews with experts in digital co-creation from HEIs and NGOs from Poland, Germany, Turkey and Italy. The article identifies key success factors, including country's level of digitalization, individual's motivation to engage with digital platforms and methods, common goals, attitudes, and expectations. The study also highlights several barriers to successful digital co-creation, including variety of digital platforms, interpersonal connection, disengagement, and decreased attention spans. Among the success factors and barriers both external and internal factors were identified, all comprising a network of driving fosters and limitations to digital co-creation. Main of them include country's level of digitalization, motivation to engage with digital technology, digital literacy, incentives for engagement, shared goals and mutual understanding, variety of digital platforms, fear from losing interpersonal interactions, disengagement, and decreased attention span. The findings of this study will be of interest to HEIs, NGOs, policymakers, and other stakeholders involved in digital co-creation initiatives, providing insights on how to overcome barriers and optimize success factors to achieve effective and sustainable partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to assess the state and changes of innovativeness of Poland in 2011–2022. According to the study, innovation in Poland still remained low, although it was slightly improving. The results of this study can be used as an instrument in setting the direction of the country's innovation policy to support the increase of its innovativeness. Knowing the innovation strengths of the Polish economy, such as trademark protection and human capital, allows for their further strengthening. In turn, the identification of weaknesses and barriers to innovation growth (including significant underinvestment in research and innovation activities, little cooperation between R&D and business, and an unfavourable climate for innovation) allows them to be reduced and transformed from barriers into growth drivers, resulting in a significant improvement in Poland's innovativeness, the consequence of which will be closing the gap dividing it from the EU average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aimed to investigate the relationship between subjective quality of life (QoL) measured by life satisfaction and two domains: material and non-material. Additionally, the aim is also to compare the effect of these two dimensions on subjective QoL among females and males. The study was conducted based on a representative sample of adult inhabitants of Poland (N=1067) in December 2021. The question regarding the quality of life consists of eight items that were focused on the following aspects of quality of life: work, level of living, income, family life, work-life balance, health, access to infrastructure (sports, cultural), and access to healthcare. These items encompass two dimensions of quality of life: material (level of living, income) and non-material (the other items). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis were used in the study. The data do not follow the normal distribution. Therefore, the estimation method was WLSMV (robust weighted least squares). Based on confirmatory factor analysis, it can be stated that two constructs (dimensions: material and non-material) are correlated at an acceptable level. Eight manifested variables are valid and the two constructs are reliable. Structural equation models in the pooled sample and based on gender are at an acceptable level according to the majority of fit indices. Two dimensions – material and non-material – affect positively subjective QoL and are statistically significant. The strength of the influence of two dimensions on subjective QoL is very similar but there are significant differences among women (higher effect of material dimension) and men (higher effect of non-material dimension). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the healthcare system are triggered by, among other things, technological developments. As such, have a correlative effect on changes in the approach to task performance of healthcare professionals. One of the other reasons for changes affecting individuals among health care personnel is also the sense of transformation of the roles undertaken by them from classically accepted to being oriented by current needs and situations. This paper presents the results of a study related to such situation in the Polish healthcare system based on quantitative results of questionnaire survey distributed to staff at selected healthcare facilities countrywide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to classify major errors affecting the security of information resources made by employees. Human factors that can be a direct cause of these errors were enumerated. The empirical part presents surveys conducted among small businesses in 2019 and 2022 related to the human factors discussed in the theoretical part. The study compared the results obtained before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A discussion related to the factors and the results was presented. The main aim of the present research, conducted twice on a group of 287 small businesses in Poland, was to show changes in attitudes toward the security of intangible resources and how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way of thinking of people responsible for information security in terms of behavioral security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience of highly developed countries proves that innovation is the driving force of economy. Emerging economies should in particular be focused on innovation, in order to achieve higher productivity and boost their competitive advantage. This is especially important in the current reality of disruptive changes related to IT and ICT new technologies rapid emergence. Technologies already partly adopted on the ground of industrial automation lead to further implementations in many sectors of economy. The reality is often adverse. This particularly concerns insufficient activities of enterprises with respect to intellectual assets creation. Although some progress is observed, emerging economies enterprises rather applicate existing solutions, than invest in their own intellectual assets. Furthermore, financial performance measures concerning innovation activity of enterprises often provide mixed findings. In this context, the purpose of this paper was threefold: to propose a practical set of adjusted performance measures, to verify if innovators sustain performance development and receive additional economic profits, and finally to encourage stronger innovation engagement of managers and entrepreneurs. The results of this empirical study proved that the selected group of enterprises generated positive performance development within three perspectives: financial, economic and intellectual capital efficiency. Moreover, these enterprises seem to have additional innovation bias revealed by further investments of retained profits in new implementations, which should also be taken into consideration with respect to performance measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper concerns the role of e-leadership in organizations operating in crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the extensive literature review, it introduces a new model of organizational performance based on e-leadership, as a response for sudden growth of dependence of modern organizations on IT. The influence of e-leadership on organizational performance is assumed to be mediated by work engagement, employees' dynamic capabilities, work motivation, P-J fit and job performance. The theoretical model is verified by empirical research performed among 1160 organizations operating in Poland, Italy and USA during an active wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The obtained results confirmed the proposed hypotheses, allowing to conclude that e-leadership activates work engagement of employees, who are more willing to use their dynamic capabilities to shape work motivation and reestablish P-J fit, which in turn influences positively job and organizational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of hydrogen is still a major challenge, due to the high costs and often also environmental burdens it generates. It is possible to produce hydrogen in emission-free way: e.g. using a process of electrolysis powered by renewable energy. The paper presents the concept of a research, experimental stand for the storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen chemical energy with the measurement methodology. The research involves the use of proton exchange membrane electrolysis technology, which is characterized by high efficiency and flexibility of energy extraction for the process of electrolysis from renewable sources. The system consist of PV panel, PEM electrolyzer, battery, programmable logic controller system and optional a wind turbine. Preliminary experimental tests results have shown that the electrolyzer can produce in average 158.1 cc/min of hydrogen with the average efficiency 69.87%. • Zero-emission hydrogen production is possible. • Hydrogen production using a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for Polish conditions. • Proposal for experimental studies on hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing and expanding zone of the free-market economy results in increasing competition in the global market, which leads companies to seek and implement solutions that will give them a competitive advantage. The authorities of countries and regions are also increasingly involved in this process, seeing it as an opportunity to develop and build a knowledge-based economy. One of the main factors improving competitiveness and providing opportunities for development is innovation, particularly developed at the local level. For this reason, activities that support research and development of innovation at the regional level are increasingly appreciated and gain greater importance. This article refers to regional innovation in Poland by analyzing its level between 2010 and 2020. The basis of the analysis was 15 selected indicators characterizing three dimensions related to the innovative development of regions, namely innovative capacity, innovative position, and economic development. This assessment was regarded as a multi-criteria problem, for which the CODAS method was used. Its application made it possible to achieve the main objective of this paper, which was to determine the level of innovation of studied regions and, on this basis, to create their ranking. In addition, the evaluation of the level of innovation of the regions for each of the analyzed dimensions was also carried out, and the relationship between the level of economic development and the capacity and innovative position of the regions was specified. The measure for evaluating the level of innovation, for each case studied, was the value of the Hi index, taken as a synthetic measure of regional innovation. The results show that the level of innovation for the regions in Poland varies widely as a function of time as well as the location of these regions. Differences in the dynamics of change and different levels of development of the analyzed dimensions characterizing innovation are evident. The results provide new knowledge in the field of regional development and should be used when creating a regional development strategy for individual regions, Poland, and the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of tension-compression fatigue tests of a new steel-aluminum welding transition joint with a titanium Grade 1 interlayer. The new explosive welded transition joint prototype used as a connector in the shipbuilding industry has been developed by the Explomet company situated in Opole-Poland. The paper discusses the advantages of the use of these types of connectors in comparison to the classical approach of using the bolted joints as connectors between non-weldable materials in ships. We are emphasizing its eco-friendly effect on fuel consumption by lowering the weight of the whole structure. The thickness of the new prototype of the transition joint is lower than the standard thicknesses used by other manufacturers. The multilayer metallic composite was subjected to microstructural analysis. Factors influencing fatigue durability were analyzed and the basic analysis of fatigue cracks observed during tests was presented in form of crack propagation curves. The obtained fatigue results show that in most of the analyzed cases, the crack initiation is spotted in the heat-affected zone. According to the standard procedure of fatigue testing none of the prototype test specimens would fulfill the requirements set in the ABS standard used for the testing. This is crucial information in terms of the modification of the welding technology of the transition joint which has to be adapted. Nevertheless, the presented results show that there is a place for improvement in the used welding technology. • Tension-compression fatigue test results for new explosive bonded transition joints. • The approach to fatigue tests of transition joints is discussed. • Hardness measurements of transition joints were made and discussed. • Crack propagation curves for transition joints are shown. • MARSpline regression analysis was performed to obtain the relationship between the model parameters and the maximum stress in the joint). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the presented paper, a thermochemical conversion via pyrolysis of spent grain from the local brewery (Alternatywa, Ruda Śląska, Poland) for phenolic compounds and fatty acids recovery is presented. Thermogravimetric pyrolysis was carried out at non-isothermal conditions (1, 2, and 4 K/min), under an inert N 2 atmosphere. Deconvolution procedure for the kinetic modeling was implemented using own algorithm based on Gaussian function, using 3-stage kinetic mechanism, ascribed to the independent decomposition of the pseudo-components i.e. , hemicellulose, cellulose, and bulk lignin-extractives. Released volatiles during pyrolysis was evaluated and recognized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, which confirmed the high content of fatty acids, phenolic compounds, and nitrogen compounds, with shares of 23.95%, 13.94%, and 25.10% respectively. Linkage of the desired product formations to the modeled kinetic stages of the BSG pyrolysis is a complex subject, and it is encouraged for future studies. [Display omitted] • BSG pyrolysis resulted in high shares of phenolics and fatty acids in the products. • 3 stage kinetic model of BSG pyrolysis based on Gaussian deconvolution is presented. • Isoconversional Eα varied from 44 to 228 kJ/mol showing complex decomposition pattern. • BSG pyrolysis was investigated at TGA and GC-MS FTIR method at low heating rates. • Kinetic computations were validated through kinetic predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present the full sequence of Eemian succession from the Kozłów palaeolake – one of the key sites for Eemian Interglacial in this part of Poland. In the paper, previous palynological and diatom assessments were supplemented by further pollen, Cladocera and macrofossil analysis. This enabled detailed reconstruction of a palaeolake functioning under changes of climate and other environmental conditions during MIS 5e. All identified alterations of trophy, depth and aquatic vegetation within the reservoir point to dynamic changes in early stages of lake functioning, relatively stable conditions in mid-Eemian and gradual lake shallowing starting from Caprinus phase. Thus, Kozlów palaeolake joins the noble group of sites with exceptionally well-recognized multi-proxy records of the Eemian Interglacial environment, and has the potential to become a benchmark for this part of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A faunal assemblage was recently recovered from the Krosinko site in Poland, marking a new site in the Warsaw–Berlin ice-marginal valley. Analysis and radiocarbon dating of the remains revealed the presence of two subassemblages: one Late Pleistocene (at least MIS 3–2) and one Holocene (MIS 1), with the former being taxonomically highly diverse. By referring to previous Polish studies, the Pleistocene mammal bone assemblage allowed us to reconstruct the biogeography of its individual components: woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceri, horses, giant deer, red deer, fallow deer, reindeer, steppe bison, aurochses, bears, and cave lions. The biogeography was later combined with radiocarbon chronology using 21 dates from Krosinko. The wide range of radiocarbon dates (48.4–26.4 ka BP) probably reflects different chronological distributions of species resulting from the changing climate and environment as well as the diverse original sources of the bones. The remains, which constituted a single, compact geological horizon, was possibly deposited in a single geological event around 26 ka BP, as inferred from the most recently produced radiocarbon date. Radiocarbon datings of woolly rhinoceros remains have shown the species to have been present around 38 ka BP, a time that it had previously been considered to have been non-existent in Europe (with no evidence having been discovered for the period 40–34 ka BP). This result alters the stratigraphic gap range for the woolly rhinoceros in Europe to 40–38 ka BP. The clear dominance of woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros specimens reflects the structure of the Mammuthus–Coelodonta faunal complex. The main representatives of this complex preferred the dry and cold conditions that characterized the palaeoenvironmental conditions in Krosinko in MIS 2 and thus in Central Europe, as shown by the integration of the results of the fauna and those of the sediments in which they were deposited. These palaeoenvironmental features are related to the mammoth steppe, which was a long-lived biome in Eurasia and whose diversity influenced the faunal distribution. Thus, the species-by-species review of taxa performed in this paper, against the background of previous results from Poland, illuminates the individual responses of taxa to changing environmental conditions in response to climatic ones. These changes led to the disappearance of the mammoth steppe and near or total extinction of the fauna species inhabiting it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sites identified as the Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP or transitional industries) in Central Europe (CE) have become subject to extensive discussion on the possible interactions between anatomically modern humans and indigenous human species which inhabited the area in the Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3, 50–35 ka BP). An open-air site Dzierżysław 1 (SW Poland), known for nearly a hundred years, played a crucial role in envisaging scenarios associated with the development and adaptation of the EUP society. In the late 20th c., due to the excavations in the southern part of the site, it was given status of a multicultural site, with artefacts assigned to the Micoquian, Bohunician and Szeletian culture. This paper presents the findings of the multi-faceted revision of this site. We present the results of field work and chronometric analyses based on a new set of samples and archaeological study of archive records. The use of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) showed that all the sediments of the site should be assigned to the Plenivistulian (MIS 4/3 and MIS 2). The new chronometric assessment indicates the absence of deposits corresponding to the transitional industries' time window. The sedimentological data integrating with spatial distribution of finds and raw material variation as well as state of preservation and typo-technological features of lithic artefacts indicate that the inventory represents a compilation of the late Middle Palaeolithic (MP, Micoquian) and classical Upper Palaeolithic industries (Aurignacian or Gravettian) with very few pieces corresponding with indeterminate EUP industry. The revision throws a light on the situation in the Moravian Gate and areas north of the Carpathians and Sudetes. The results suggest that sites from the late MP are more numerous than those from the EUP. It seems that the over-representation may result from a long time of accumulation during the MP period. It cannot be excluded that the small number of EUP sites reflects a marginal role of the area north of the Sudetes and Carpathians in the human occupation system of that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU's goal of digital transformation of the economy and society requires increased participation of businesses and citizens. This cannot be achieved without a high level of digitalization in public administration. The paper aims to examine the scale and determinants of cloud computing (CC) adoption in Polish public administration units from 2018 to 2021. A comparison was conducted between the level of adoption of cloud services in the public administration sector and in the enterprise sector in Poland. Next, a synthetic taxonomic measure of technology development was determined so as to assess the differentiation of cloud computing usage in the country's voivodeships. Finally, a two-way fixed effects panel data model was estimated to identify the determinants of the level of CC implementation in public administration. The results showed a wide variation in the adoption of cloud solutions between voivodeships (Polish provinces). The study found a significant correlation between the CC use in public administration and the level of economic development of individual voivodeships, as well as IT training for employees, but no correlation with the level of CC use in enterprises. • There is a tendency to increased adoption of cloud technology in organizations. • CC usage in Polish public administration varies significantly among voivodeships. • CC use in public administration is higher than in enterprise sector. • The larger the organization, the more often it uses cloud solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers the term unreproductive citizenship to characterise the social positionality of LGBTQ people in Poland. Unreproductive citizenship is brought about by means of social sterilisation : while queer and trans people are 'tolerated,' they are not treated as reproductive subjects with a potential to participate in social reproduction. Drawing on Polish and international literature on queer families, reproductive politics, and forced sterilisation, as well as research including interviews, political speeches and auto-ethnography, I argue that the discursive and political framing of LGBTQ people as unreproductive subjects is eugenic. Leading political figures representing Poland's robust political right-wing, as well as the majority of Poles, have expressed fears that LGBTQ reproduction could somehow 'contaminate' future generations and therefore poses a threat to the nation's moral order. The social sterilisation of queer Polish people as 'unreproductive citizens' illustrates how the logics of reproductive righteousness operate in contemporary Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper continues the studies on the role of bacteria in the environment of summer truffle (Tuber aestivum), focusing on ascomata at three sites in the Nida Basin (southern Poland). Bacterial taxa and the number of OTU sequences identified were determined based on analysis of peridium and gleba collected in 2017 and 2018. The aim of the presented work is to learn the structure of bacterial communities associated with the ascomata of the summer truffle T. aestivum forming in specific stands in south Poland and fine roots of surrounding trees. Sanger DNA sequencing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were used. NGS sequencing platforms short-read (300 bases) was selected, using a MiSeq Illumina. The Kruskall-Wallis test was used for alpha diversity analysis and the PERMANOVA test for beta diversity. Alpha and beta biodiversity analyzes were performed using various indices (Chao1, Simpson, Shannon, Faith's phylogenetic, observed OTUs, Heip's evenness measure - alpha diversity; UniFrac, Jaccard, Bray–Curtis - beta diversity). The Sanger method identified six bacterial taxa that were dominant in the community: Bacillus (86.7 %), Pseudomonas (51.5 %), Stenotrophomonas (15.5 %), Paenibacillus (7.9 %), Rhizobium (7.3 %), and Chryseobacterium (8.5 %). In contrast, NGS results showed the dominance (at OTUs >10,000) of taxa: Bradyrhizobiaceae, Sphingobacteriaceae, Micrococcaceae, Yersiniaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Rhizobiaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Comamonadaceae. The PERMANOVA test for the Bray-Curtis and Jaccard indices showed dissimilarities between samples from two of the sites with respect to beta diversity. Significant differences were found in the bacterial communities colonizing the ascomata of T. aestivum and in the root communities with T. aestivum ectomycorrhizae the purpose of this study. The results obtained may be helpful in selecting and monitoring sites suitable for the formation of ascomata of T. aestivum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaotic post-socialist suburbs need retrofitting through planning a system of local centres. The paper is aimed at recognizing the orientation of recent suburban planning in Poland through a focus on centres and identifying conditions for and examples of a proactive approach to planning local centres. The hierarchy of centres and the set of functions assigned to them is important since it could prevent the dispersion of public facilities and strengthen the potential of higher-order centres. Documents subjected to analysis encompassed spatial policies of 27 suburban municipalities included in the Functional Area of Warsaw. The Polish spatial planning system neglects centres as a category of functional, economic, and social space, leaving municipalities complete freedom in planning them. The study proved that a system of local centres should become an urban planning standard since it helps municipalities locate public functions more reasonably. A vision of local centre development is rarely based on rational premises. The Polish case shows that in outer suburbs, a proactive approach to LC planning that involves designing a desired future and then inventing ways to create that future state is still a long way off. • Chaotic post-socialist suburbs need retrofitting through planning a hierarchical system of local centres. • Service hierarchy corresponding to centre levels helps municipalities prevent the dispersion of economic potential. • The best arrangement of suburban local centres is a four-level order with local integration space as the lowest level. • The problem is that in Poland, the arrangement of local centres is rarely based on rational premises. • In post-socialist Poland, a proactive approach to local centre planning is still a long way off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an extensive experimental campaign related to the use of Coal Mining Waste Geomaterials (CMWGs) as recycled constituents (fine and coarse aggregates) in Ordinary Portland Cement mortars and concretes. To this purpose, a reference mix and other mixes with different percentages of replacement of natural aggregates by CMWGs, up to 40% by volume, were investigated. CMWGs came from different providers: Central Mining Institute (GIG), POLTEGOR, both in Poland, and SUBTERRA in Spain and tests were performed at two different laboratories working on similar, but not identical, compositions. This represents a novelty in the literature, generally focusing on one single-source waste and single-lab results. The physical and mechanical properties of all the mixes were evaluated and correlated with respect to the percentage of replacement of natural aggregates by CMWGs. While the presence of CMWGs, likely because of their grain size distribution, reduced the porosity of mortars (decrease of 9.5 and 20.4% for 10 and 20% of replacement respectively) and concretes (70% reduction for concretes with 10% of fines and 30% of coarse aggregates replaced by CMWGs), the mechanical properties decreased when natural aggregates were replaced with CMWGs, likely because of the reduced strength of the CMWGs aggregates. This decrease was found to be roughly proportional to the percentage of replacement of aggregates (for instance, a 12–23% reduction of flexural strength in mortars with 25% replacement of sand and, a decrease of 25% in concretes for a 25% replacement of fine and coarse aggregates); nonetheless the concrete performance remained in the range of applicability for several civil engineering applications without affecting their functionality. In conclusion, the replacement of natural aggregates by CMWGs has resulted an interesting option for real applications providing an added value to the implementation of circular economy concepts in the management and up-cycling of coal mine tailings and CMWGs. • Recycling Coal Mine Waste Geomaterials as partial replacement of fine and coarse aggregates in concrete is feasible.. • Complementarity and coherence of results from two different labs with aggregates from three sources validate the methodology. • Thin section analysis provides insight into microstructural reasons of macroscopic properties highlighting the interaction of CMWGs with cement paste. • Reduction in compressive strength induced by weaker CMWG aggregates does not jeopardize the possibility of producing concrete still retaining values of compressive strength fit for several structural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning losses during the COVID-19 pandemic have been well documented. In this paper, we attempt to learn more about the determinants of the magnitude of the adverse effects of the emergency shift to remote learning in Polish upper secondary schools. Because of concerns that differences in access to and quality of local internet would disadvantage lower socio-economic status children, the analysis focuses on local internet speed and the structure of remote classes. We adopt a value-added framework to account for differences among students, families, and prior school quality and find that local internet speed and the structure of remote classes are strongly related to the achievement of vocational school students. Those in communities with internet speed in the lowest decile fare particularly poorly in mathematics, highlighting the adverse effects of deficiencies in infrastructure and access to higher-quality internet services. • Vocational school students in communities with the lowest internet speed fare particularly poorly in mathematics. • Vocational school students who are given assignments, in place of remote instruction, do less well in mathematics. • The requirement to have a camera on is associated with higher Polish achievement of vocational school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]