ACADEMIA - The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences

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.

Antarctica is a land of surprises. How low are the lowest temperatures ever recorded there? Is there life at –50°C? Is there anywhere on the continent tourists can actually enjoy swimming?

Dr. Aleksandra Przegalinska explains why we find humanoid robots so creepy and considers whether watching machines play football is actually fun.

New oil and natural gas deposits can be recognized using X-ray computed tomography (CT) technology, and their potential value can be evaluated using increasingly advanced computational methods.

We all face a wide array of different choices every day of our lives. Asst. Prof. Miłosz Kadziński explains how artificial intelligence could be used to help us make decisions.

Polish-Belgian relations are not just about economics or joint membership in European institutions. Rather, they are a story of centuries-old friendship between two nations that cherish freedom. This was the leitmotif of a conference held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The conference took place at the headquarters of the Belgian Ambassador in Poland on 11 April 2019, with Polish Senator Anna Maria Anders in attendance.

They are unfairly regarded as junk protein, but the truth is they have not been properly studied due to a lack of suitable tools. So how much do we really know about non-globular proteins?

Hydrological modelling uses modern computational methods to simulate local and regional water circulation systems. How does this work, and what benefits does it bring?

In the Middle Ages, nature influenced human settlements, which in turn affected the surrounding landscape. Experts have turned to an early medieval village in Santok to learn more about this intricate relationship.

Dr. Takao Ishikawa from the University of Warsaw talks about why perhaps not all scientists should aim to become professors, and explains what we can learn from yeast proteins.

We talk to Prof. Stanisław Filipowicz, Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, about the significance of truth, the role of fiction, the consequences of living in a culture of excess, and the crisis of democracy.

Prof. Przemysław Perlikowski, a mechanical engineer, and his wife Asst. Prof. Renata Perlikowska, who studies opioid peptides used in medicine, discuss the challenges of research work and life.

Weather forecasting requires knowledge of the laws of atmospheric movement. Apart from classic fluid mechanics, we must consider the rotational motion of our planet, the differential heating of its surface through the absorption of solar radiation, as well as water evaporation and condensation processes.

Prof. Daniel Wójcik from the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology explains the principles of brain modelling

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) – a kind of optical counterpart of ultrasound imaging – is continually being improved as image contrast boosting techniques are developed.

Simulation-based models standing in for the real world are unfettered by any biological, emotional, historical, logical, or practical limitations.

The Medical Simulation Center at the Medical University of Białystok was created as part of a broader project. Throughout Poland there are 12 such centers, and each with a somewhat different concept. The common denominator is that they help medical, nursing, and obstetrics students test their knowledge and skills in practice. The Medical Simulation Center in Białystok boasts a sizeable set of simulation facilities, including an operating room, ambulance, emergency ward, labor ward, and nurse’s station. The technicians devise scenarios for students to enable them to practice reacting to specific cases. All the facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art audio-video equipment to record lessons for later review and analysis.