The optimization method using the ON/OFF sensitivity analysis has an advantage hat an epoch-making construction of magnetic circuit may be obtained. Therefore, it is attractive for designers of magnetic devices. We have already developed the ON/OFF method for the optimization of a static magnetic field problem, and the effectiveness is verified by applying it to the optimization of magnetic recording heads. In this paper, the ON/OFF sensitivity method is extended to the optimization of the eddy current problem using the adjoint variable. The newly developed ON/OFF method is applied to the determination of the optimal topology of the yoke of the billet heater for rolling wire rod. As a result, the optimal shape of yoke, which we could not imagine beforehand can be obtained. It is shown that the local heating of the yoke was reduced without decreasing the heating efficiency.

The geochemistry of sedimentary rocks is increasingly being used in palaeoenvironmental studies, in the identification of marine versus continental stratigraphy and in chemostratigraphic correlation. The selection of an appropriate research methodology, particularly in terms of sample digestion, can have a significant impact on the accuracy of the results obtained. Depending on the type of rock being studied and the aim of the analysis, a suitable mixture of acids should be used. The most commonly used sample digestion methods are based on a mixture of four acids (multi-acid), aqua regia and inverse aqua regia. As opposed to multi-acid whole-rock digestion, the use of aqua regia and inverse aqua regia result in only the partial digestion of sedimentary rocks. Geochemical analyses using these two different methods were carried out on Carboniferous sedimentary rocks from the Lublin Coal Basin from Poland.The elemental concentrations obtained showed essentially different results for some of the elements. A comparison of the elemental concentrations allowed the distinction of three groups of elements:

 - those that showed small differences between the results from the preparation methods (Co, Mn, Bi, Cu, Zn and Fe),

- those where the elemental concentrations were 20–50% lower using aqua regia digestion (i.e. Ni, P, Pb, Mg, Cd, Th, Mo, Sr),

 - elemental concentrations that were significantly lower (by up to 80%) following aqua regia digestion (U, Cr, Ba, Na, V, Al, Rb, K, Zr).

The article presents the criteria taken into account in determining the alignment of regional roads, with particular reference to bypasses of towns located along regional roads. To determine the criteria for the evaluation of variants and their hierarchy, the surveys were conducted using the Delphi method in two rounds, with electronic surveys (the CAWI method). Based on survey studies, an entry list of criteria was set up as a proposal for determining the alignment of regional roads.

The article presents the practical use of biological and hydrological processes (eco-hydrology) for improving the quality of water in the ponds of the Julianowski Park. It also presents an effective method of zoning the park area for new investments.

The paper discusses the modelling of magnetic coupling in ignition coils by fractional differential equations. The use of fractional-order coupling allows us to consider the losses caused by the non-linearity of the ferromagnetic core of the ignition coil and obtain the waveform of the ignition coil’s secondary voltage closest to the values obtained experimentally.

Due to the changing social and program expectations teachers more often look for new and better solutions in the field of education and teaching. Among many teaching methods, the storyline method is a very popular one and is gaining now more and more recognition from pedagogues around the world. The method starts to have its supporters in Poland as well. This article will be devoted to the description of this innovative strategy.

The process of historical building conservation includes the repair of mortars eroded due to material and environmental factors. Identification of old mortar constituents is necessary to enable duplicating the material. Information on the binder and aggregate types and contents can be obtained from microscopic observation used in combination with instrumental methods. This paper presents the results of microstructure and mineral composition tests of mortars collected from the walls of thirteenth century buildings. A combination of techniques was used, which included X-ray diffraction, transmitted light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with micro-area elemental composition analysis. The test results revealed porous lime and sand mortars with a binder-aggregate ratio often beyond the commonly adopted values. The mortars contained sand grains of up to 0.5 mm and larger pieces of limestone, flint, feldspar and brick. Transmitted light optical microscopy and scanning microscopy were found to be essential techniques for mortar characterization in existing buildings and structures.

An isogeometric boundary element method is applied to simulate wave scattering problems governed by the Helmholtz equation. The NURBS (non-uniform rational B-splines) widely used in the CAD (computer aided design) field is applied to represent the geometric model and approximate physical field variables. The Burton-Miller formulation is used to overcome the fictitious frequency problem when using a single Helmholtz boundary integral equation for exterior boundary-value problems. The singular integrals existing in Burton-Miller formulation are evaluated directly and accurately using Hadamard’s finite part integration. Fast multipole method is applied to accelerate the solution of the system of equations. It is demonstrated that the isogeometric boundary element method based on NURBS performs better than the conventional approach based on Lagrange basis functions in terms of accuracy, and the use of the fast multipole method both retains the accuracy for isogeometric boundary element method and reduces the computational cost.

The aim of the paper is to point out that the Monte Carlo simulation is an easy and flexible approach when it comes to forecasting risk of an asset portfolio. The case study presented in the paper illustrates the problem of forecasting risk arising from a portfolio of receivables denominated in different foreign currencies. Such a problem seems to be close to the real issue for enterprises offering products or services on several foreign markets. The changes in exchange rates are usually not normally distributed and, moreover, they are always interdependent. As shown in the paper, the Monte Carlo simulation allows for forecasting market risk under such circumstances.

The problem of research undertaken in the article concerns the adaptation of traditional models of calculating the cost of capital to the specifics of mining companies. Solutions known from the literature do not give reasonable results. This is due to the uniqueness of the activities of mining companies, in which case we are dealing with a lack of reference to the typical market situations. The aim of this article is to identify solutions that allow rational and reliable results to be obtained. One of the proposals is a modified Fama-French method. The article was tested by calculating the cost of capital in the largest Polish mining enterprises. The problem of calculation of the cost of capital is particularly important in the area of assessing the effectiveness of investment projects. The cost of capital is used as the discount rate in dynamic measures of performance, such as NPV.

Magnetic properties of silicon iron electrical steel are determined by using standardized measurement setups and distinct excitation parameters. Characteristic values for magnetic loss and magnetization are used to select the most appropriate material for its application. This approach is not sufficient, because of the complex material behavior inside electrical machines, which can result in possible discrepancies between estimated and actual machine behavior. The materials’ anisotropy can be one of the problems why simulation and measurement are not in good accordance.With the help of a rotational single sheet tester, the magnetic material can be tested under application relevant field distribution. Thereby, additional effects of hysteresis and anisotropy can be characterized for detailed modelling and simulation.

Disk motors are characterized by the axial direction of main magnetic flux and the variable length of the magnetic flux path along varying stator/rotor radii. This is why it is generally accepted that reliable electromagnetic calculations for such machines should be carried out using the FEM for 3D models. The 3D approach makes it possible to take into account an entire spectrum of different effects. Such computational analysis is very time-consuming, this is in particular true for machines with one magnetic axis only. An alternate computational method based on a 2D FEM model of a cylindrical motor is proposed in the paper. The obtained calculation results have been verified by means of lab test results for a physical model. The proposed method leads to a significant decrease of computational time, i.e. the decrease of iterative search for the most advantageous design.