The author has presented a short history of the Economic Geography Department of the Cracow University of Economics in the years 1958–2018. The scientific and didactic staff, its basic journalistic achievements and the main didactic activity were presented.

For successful active control with a vibrating plate it is essential to appropriately place actuators. One of the most important criteria is to make the system controllable, so any control objectives can be achieved. In this paper the controllability-oriented placement of actuators is undertaken. First, a theoretical model of a fully clamped rectangular plate is obtained. Optimization criterion based on maximization of controllability of the system is developed. The memetic algorithm is used to find the optimal solution. Obtained results are compared with those obtained by the evolutionary algorithm. The configuration is also validated experimentally.

It is possible to enhance acoustic isolation of the device from the environment by appropriately controlling vibration of a device casing. Sound insulation efficiency of this technique for a rigid casing was confirmed by the authors in previous publications. In this paper, a light-weight casing is investigated, where vibrational couplings between walls are much greater due to lack of a rigid frame. A laboratory setup is described in details. The influence of the cross-paths on successful global noise reduction is considered. Multiple vibration actuators are installed on each of the casing walls. An adaptive control strategy based on the Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm is used to update control filter parameters. Obtained results are reported, discussed, and conclusions for future research are drawn.

Studies undertaken in 2002–2004 on ‘Golden Delicious’ apple fruits showed the presence of amino acids on the surface of their skin. Amount of total free amino acids ranged from 2.5 to 3.0 mg/L. In in vitro bioassays it was found that amino acids as a basic source of nitrogen did not activate germination of conidia of Peltaster fructicola (Johnson). However amino acids stimulated elongation of germ tubes and early hyphal growth. It was confirmed that fruit washings also contained sugars that stimulated both conidial germination and germ tube elongation. We proved also that different carbon to nitrogen proportions significantly affected P. fructicola growth. Proportions of C:N were evaluated according to newly introduced amino acid sugar index (ASI)

Investigations have been undertaken to determine which fungi species are responsible for occurrence of sooty blotch disease in Poland. It was found that disease complex is caused by Tripospermum myrti (Lind) Hughes, Phialophora sessilis de Hoog and Peltaster fructicola Jonhson. There was no evidence of the presence fun- gus described as Gloedes pomigena which was previosly considered as a casual agent of apple sooty blotch disease in Poland.

The fungi that cause sooty blotch grow only on the apple skin, so they use appropriate nutrients which are present on the fruit surface. It has been shown that when the first symptoms of sooty blotch occur a noticeable increase of glucose and fructose content both on the apple skin and in juice is observed. Such increase occurs at pH 4.4. An effect of surface glucose and fructose on the growth of patho- gens responsible for the disease was also confirmed by evaluating the germination of conidia of Phialophora sessilis de Hoog and Peltaster fructicola Jonhson in solution of above mentioned sugars, distilled water and standard d-glucose solutions.

Decision-making processes, including the ones related to ill-structured problems, are of considerable significance in the area of construction projects. Computer-aided inference under such conditions requires the employment of specific methods and tools (non-algorithmic ones), the best recognized and successfully used in practice represented by expert systems. The knowledge indispensable for such systems to perform inference is most frequently acquired directly from experts (through a dialogue: a domain expert - a knowledge engineer) and from various source documents. Little is known, however, about the possibility of automating knowledge acquisition in this area and as a result, in practice it is scarcely ever used. lt has to be noted that in numerous areas of management more and more attention is paid to the issue of acquiring knowledge from available data. What is known and successfully employed in the practice of aiding the decision-making is the different methods and tools. The paper attempts to select methods for knowledge discovery in data and presents possible ways of representing the acquired knowledge as well as sample tools (including programming ones), allowing for the use of this knowledge in the area under consideration.

Complex structural engineering projects that involve information-gathering and decision-makingprocesses need to be approached with appropriate systems and tools. As transactional databasesare found to be insufficient for this purpose, engineers are adopting multidimensional informationsystems that have been successfully used in other areas of management, especially business.

Molluscan fossils accompanied by familiar SSF have been recovered from Early Cambrian limestone erratics in the Early Miocene glaciomarine Cape Melville Formation of King George Island, West Antarctica. The molluscan fauna comprises the hyoliths Conotheca, Microcornus, Parkula, Hyptiotheca, “Hyolithes”, the helcionelloids ?Pararacornus, Yochelcionella, Anabarella, the low dextrally coiled Pelagiella and the high helically coiled Beshtashella, as well as the problematic mollusc Cupitheca. Most of described species are recorded here for the first time from Antarctica. The lithological and fossil contents of the erratics are almost the same as from autochthonous successions the Shackleton Limestone in the Argentina Range and Transantarctic Mountains. Early Cambrian outcrops around the Weddell Sea are a probable source of the erratic boulders. The Antarctic fauna is very similar to that from uppermost Botomian and Toyonian carbonate deposits in the Cambrian Basins of South Australia. These faunal and facies similarities between Antarctica and Australia confirm their neighbouring position and common biotic and basin evolution on the Cambrian Gondwana margin.

Arthropod carapaces have been recovered from the Early Cambrian fossiliferous limestone erratics (dropstones) in the Early Miocene glaciomarine Cape Melville Formation of King George Island (South Shetland Islands), West Antarctica. The arthropod fauna comprises the bradoriide carapaces of Albrunnicola bengtsoni Hinz-Schallreuter, Liangshanella birkenmajeri sp. nov., Melvillella corniculata gen. et sp. nov., Mongolitubulus squamifer Missarzhevsky, Zepaera sp., the phosphatocopid Dabashanella sp., and one problematic taxon. With the exception of M. squamifer, all described species are recorded from Antarctica for the first time. The described Antarctic bradoriide assemblage attests to a close relationship with similar faunas from South Australia and South China, but also includes more widely distributed taxa extending the relationship to the palaeocontinents of Siberia, Baltica and Laurentia.

The glacial and glacio-marine sediments of the Oligocene Polonez Cove and Early Miocene Cape Melville Formations on King George Island (South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica) yield numerous erratic boulders of limestone, in particular archaeocyathan-algal boundstone, oolite, onkolite, and biomicrite. Some of these boulders are fossiliferous and contain archaeocyathans, sponges, inarticulate brachiopods, monoplacophorans, gastropods, hyolithids, trilobites, ostracodes and such enigmatic fossils as: Chancelloria, Coleolella. Dailyatia. Halkieria. Hadimopanella. Hyolithellus. "Lenastella", Mongolitubulus and Torellella. The small shelly fauna appears to be Early Cambrian (Botomian) in age. The boulders of fossiliferous limestones resemble the rocks of the Shackleton Limestone unit in the central Transantarctic Mts. The lithological composition of the boulder assemblage brought to King George Island during the Tertiary glaciations suggests that the Cambrian outcrops around the Weddell Sea are the source of the erratics. The Antarctic Lower Cambrian fauna resembles its analogues in Australia and Asia.

The size and complexity of decision problems in production systems and their impact on the economic results of companies make it

necessary to develop new methods of solving these problems. One of the latest methods of decision support is business rules management.

This approach can be used for the quantitative and qualitative decision, among them to production management. Our study has shown that

the concept of business rules BR can play at most a supporting role in manufacturing management, but alone cannot form a complete

solution for production management in foundries.

Gas emissions from underground sites to the atmosphere depend on many factors. Pressure drops are considered to be the most important. However, emissions can also be observed during the initial phase of the pressure rise, following a previous drop in pressure. On the other hand, gas emissions may not be detected when the pressure drops, especially when a previous pressure rise has taken place. The aim of the research was to determine the role of variations in baric tendency on airflow rate and its direction. To solve this problem a numerical model was built utilizing the Ansys Fluent software package. Subsequently, three scenarios of baric tendency variations were tested: a) rise – drop, b) drop – drop, c) drop – rise. The results showed inert behavior of gases. Under scenario (c), 1 hour after the change in tendency gases still were flowing out to the atmosphere. Considering scenario (a), it was proved that even during a pressure drop gas emissions do not take place, which can be crucial for further determination of the gas hazard at the surface or for assessment of the rate of gas emissions from a particular gas emitter. Scenario (b) merely gave an overview of the process and was mainly used for validation purposes. It gave a maximal CO2 concentration of 2.18%vol (comparable to measurements) and a CO2 mass flow rate 0.15kg/s. Taking into account greenhouse gas emissions this amounted to 514 kg CO2/h.

The paper outlines the methodology of virtual design of a foundry plant as a system. The most important stage in the procedure involves the development of a model defined as a set of data about the system. Model development involves two stages: defining the model’s architecture and specifying the model data in the form of parameters and input-output relationships. The structure is understood as configuration of machines and transport units, representing the sub-systems and system components. As the main purpose of the simulation procedure is to find the characteristics of the system’s behaviour, the merits of the iterative method involving analysis, synthesis and evaluation of results are fully explored.

Design of a compressed air system is a complex issue, involving the design of structures formed by the air sources, air receptors and

installations connecting all structure components. Another major task is to ensure the required quality of compressed air. The paper briefly

outlines the methodology of integrated and network structure design, using an objective function to find the optimal solution. In terms of

quality assurance, the technological aspects of compressed air generation, treatment and distribution are defined.

This study summarises the research efforts undertaken in iron foundry plants in which the process are mostly automated and mechanised.

The research program was limited in scope, focusing on causes of surface defects in castings products that are attributable to the

bentonite-containing sand and the mould system. One of the potential roots of surface defects is heterogeneity of sand grains, containing

lumped ball-shaped grains and irregular pellets with a layered-structure. The moisture contents of those lumped grains is different than

the moisture level required in the process, besides these grains may contain various elements and metallic compounds which, when cast

into moulds, may react with molten metals in an uncontrolled manner. As a result, surface defects are produced, such as surface blowholes,

burst penetration, sand holes, slag inclusions, pinhole porosity. This study investigated the efficiency of key sand preparation and

moulding machines and installations integrated into the casting process line. The efficiency of machines and installations is defined in

terms of quality parameters of sand mix and moulds, which are associated with the emergence of surface defects on castings.

Investigations of operating parameters of widely used sand mixers reveal a wide variability range in the values of parameters associated

with their power demand. Power efficiency of manufacturing processes has received a great deal of attention lately, which encourages the

research efforts to optimise this aspects of operation of machines and installations as well. In the first place these machines

and installations have to work properly as a part of the process line- which applies also to moulding sand mixers. Experiments conducted

by the authors suggest that the same goal can be achieved at variable energy input levels. To obtain information about the power demands

of sand mixers requires the use of highly specialised equipment, methodology and result processing procedures. This study provides a brief

characteristic of measurement equipment and results of measurements taken on a unit AG-015 (based on a roller mixer) and a laboratory

rotor mixer.

The ‘incriminated (suppressed) text’ and its removal remains the key object on the conceptual map of censorship studies. In this approach to censor ship the analysis focuses on demonstrable facts of official intervention in the media, the documentation of the process as well as the reconstruction of the effects of individual gagging orders for the author, the publisher and the editor in charge. An alternative, historical approach to censorship takes a much broader view of the subject. It looks at the institutions involved, their competences, procedures and aims (ranging from prevention to repression) as well as the tools at their disposal. The latter approach, systemic and comparative in scope, requires ‘digging up’ considerably more information than establishing the fact of a censor’s intervention.