The problems related to construction production are multi-faceted and complex. This has promoted the search for different methods/approaches for analizing the data which supports the decision-making process in the construction industry. In the article the authors focus their attention on well-known methods and tools, and on some new approaches to solving decision-making problems. The aim of the article is to analyze the methods used to analyse data in a construction company, convey their advantages and disadvantages, and specify the degree of efficiency in the discussed area.

During the planning and controlling of the construction process, most attention is focu sed on risk analysis, especially in the context of final costs and deadlines of the investment. In this analysis, the primary and most significant concern is the proper identification and quantification of events, which on a certain level of probability may affect the development process. This paper presents the result of a risk analysis for a particular building object, made after completion of the investment and accepting it for use. Knowledge of the planned values and the actual investment process allowed for the identification of the events and their effects that in this case have significantly disrupted the investment process. The limited total cost of the investment project in question had a considerable impact on the progress of the project execution. Despite three transitions of administrative procedures, the opening date of the shopping centre was delayed by only three weeks.

The ability of case-based reasoning systems to solve new problems mainly depends on their case adaptation knowledge and adaptation strategies. In order to carry out a successful case adaptation in our case-based reasoning system for a low frequency electromagnetic device design, we make use of semantic networks to organize related domain knowledge, and then construct a rule-based inference system which is based on the network. Furthermore, based on the inference system, a novel adaptation algorithm is proposed to derive a new device case from a real-world induction motor case-base with high dimensionality.

Passive noise reduction methods require thick and heavy barriers to be effective for low frequencies and those clasical ones are thus not suitable for reduction of low frequency noise generated by devices. Active noise-cancelling casings, where casing walls vibrations are actively controlled, are an interesting alternative that can provide much higher low-frequency noise reduction. Such systems, compared to classical ANC systems, can provide not only local, but also global noise reduction, which is highly expected for most applications. For effective control of casing vibrations a large number of actuators is required. Additionally, a high number of error sensors, usually microphones that measure noise emission from the device, is also required. All actuators have an effect on all error sensors, and the control system must take into account all paths, from each actuator to each error sensor. The Multiple Error FXLMS has very high computational requirements. To reduce it a Switched-Error FXLMS, where only one error signal is used at the given time, have been proposed. This, however, significantly reduces convergence rate. In this paper an algorithm that uses multiple errors at once, but not all, is proposed. The performance of various algorithm variants is compared using simulations with the models obtained from real active-noise cancelling casing.

The analysis of the Italian preposition su in spatial contexts (static, involving undirectional movement or dynamic) leads to the conclusion that su engenders support and contiguity schema interpretation in whatever context it appears. The term support implies terms such as surface and contiguity (contact). In both static and dynamic contexts the location of a trajector is visualized as contigously situated on the surface of the landmark. In both cases the landmark is an idealized plane whose boundaries are perceptively unimportant in a given configuration, even though in the real world they are clearly cut. The boundaries, which are not focalized, render possible the temporal uses of the unit su with the meaning of an approximate location in time.

The Polish equivalents of su phrases are the following: na+loc, na+acc, po+loc, około(koło)+gen. The structures na+loc, na+acc involve the support and contiguity schema. The construction około(koło) +gen can be analyzed with near – far schema and applies to the approximate location in space and time in Polish. The schematic meaning is conveyed not only by prepositional units but also by inflectional case governed by prepositions. Usually such a case is convergent with dynamic (accusative) or static (locative, genitive) predication.

In order to explore creativity in design, a computational model based on Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) (an approach to employing old experiences to solve new problems) and other soft computing techniques from machine learning, is proposed in this paper. The new model is able to address the four challenging issues: generation of a design prototype from incomplete requirements, judgment and improvement of system performance given a sparse initial case base library, extraction of critical features from a given feature space, adaptation of retrieved previous solutions to similar problems for deriving a solution to a given design task. The core principle within this model is that different knowledge from various level cases can be explicitly explored and integrated into a practical design process. In order to demonstrate the practical significance of our presented computational model, a case-based design system for EM devices, which is capable of deriving a new design prototype from a real-world device case base with high dimensionality, has been developed.

The paper discusses some of the recent advances in kriging based worst-case design optimisation and proposes a new two-stage approach to solve practical problems. The efficiency of the infill points allocation is improved significantly by adding an extra layer of optimisation enhanced by a validation process.

Sustainable development refers to the development of a business in such a way that future

generations will be able to satisfy the same needs. This article describes how sustainable

development can be measured by economic performance and a positive impact on the natural

environment. A general indicator of a company’s environmental impact is presented in the

article. It can be determined, on the one hand, by a company’s environmental impact, and on

the other hand, by savings in the use of natural resources, which is associated with savings

in a financial sense. Therefore, it can be used to analyze the progress of sustainability in

terms of environmental and economic performance. The case study provides an example of

how emissions and energy factors can be analyzed to form a synthetic indicator and create

a general indicator.

The article describes semantic roles of instrumental case (tvoritel’nyj padezh) in Russian and other Slavic languages. Its functions as the instrument, agent, route, temporative, vehicle, comparison, nominal predicate and object of action, and their place in human mental world are considered. Examples of izosemic (standard) and non-izosemic realization of these functions are provided. It is concluded that each semantic role is associated with the specifi c range of lexemes. The idea of interdependence or syncretism of meanings of the instrumental case is discussed. Examples from modern fi ction, where the opposition between certain functions of instrumental case is neutralized, worn off, are provided too. It is hypothesized that in certain discourse circumstances the instrumental case becomes the symbol of common dependency of noun from verb.

The cement industry has been using waste as a raw material for many years. Waste is also used as alternative fuel. Cement plants are an important element of the waste management system and fit the idea of a circular economy. When waste is recovered in the cement production process, direct and indirect CO ₂ emissions are partially avoided. This article discusses the cement industry in Poland. The current situation in terms of the use of alternative fuels and raw materials in Poland, the different types of waste and the amount of waste used is discussed. The article discusses changes in the amount of waste (the increase in the amount of waste used as raw materials from the year 2006 to the year 2019) and the types of waste recovered in the cement production process and the possibility of closing material cycles on the plant scale (recycling to the primary process – cement kiln dust) and industry (using waste from other industries: metallurgy – granulated blast furnace slag, iron bearings; energy production – fly ash, reagypsum/phosphogypsum, fluidized bed combustion fly ash, and fluidized bed combustion bottom ash; wastewater treatment plants – sewage sludge, etc.). The analysis shows that the role of cement plants in waste management and the circular economy in Poland is important. Industrial waste from metallurgy, power plants, heat and power plants, wastewater treatment plants, and municipal waste is used as the raw material for the cement industry, leading to an industrial symbiosis.

People appear in the courtroom when they engage in various disputes with others and have diverse problems of their own. The courts are supposed to provide them with a space where they can obtain justice, in accordance with the law. It is no less important, however, that while pursuing this goal the courts should deal with people’s problems in a way that makes the people willing to accept and comply with their decisions. The central issue defining the scope of this empirical study was the question of what element of the construct of procedural justice promotes behaviors associated with legitimacy and compliance with the law in the Polish judicial system. The author set out to investigate what identified procedural justice in Polish legal culture and what variables pertaining to the context of legal proceedings it was related to. The sample consisted of 115 individuals taking part in civil court proceedings conducted in civil divisions of district courts. Based on analyses performed on research results it can be concluded that behaviors associated with legitimacy and compliance with the law in the Polish judicial system is determined by the sense of fairness experienced in the courtroom, whose structure is built by experiences such as being given the opportunity to speak, being treated with respect, the judge’s impartiality, the comprehensibility of the language used and procedures applied in the courtroom, and the sense of influence on the final outcome of the proceedings.

This paper investigates left-dislocated free relatives in Old English. On the theoretical level, it contributes to the ongoing discussion on the syntax of free relatives. It confirms a sharp distinction between wh- free relatives and demonstrative free relatives. The former type favours the Comp analysis, whereas the latter class is amenable to both the Comp and Head analyses. On the empirical level, it provides evidence that the Comp analysis with wh- pronouns is selected mainly on the basis of pied piping/stranding facts, while case marking regulates the choice of an appropriate analysis with demonstrative free relatives with þe. This corpus-based study also offers some quantitative information on the frequent patterns and cases commonly found in them.

The authors developed the definition of construction defect and fault and construction defect management based on Polish and foreign publications. In order to assist identification of faults and their analysis in the process of home collection, the authors applied the Case Based Reasoning (CBR) method. In the paper, the authors used Case Based Reasoning (CBR) to support acceptance of apartments. The CBR method allows to determine the magnitude of global similarity for the problem under consideration between the new and old case from the Case Base, using weighted sums of local similarities using criteria weights as coefficients. As a result of CBR-based solutions, an Employer’s representative receives information about the type of construction defects that can be expected, their location and significance, occurrence frequency, and estimated repair cost.

Large floors of industrial enterprises, warehouses, stores, and shopping centres are quite heavily loaded with production technologies, transport mechanisms, stored material or shelf stackers. Regarding simple reinforcement and construction, industrial floors have been used in recent decades mainly reinforced with fibres from so-called fibre-reinforced concrete. Most slab failures are caused by extreme loads on the unbearable subsoil, a small amount of fibres, or by the shrinkage of concrete due to insufficient structural design of sliding, shrinking and expansion joints. Recently, however, in several constructions, structural failures have occurred caused by a volume-unstable subsoil in the form of a mixture of slag or metallurgical debris. The article deals with some failures of fibre concrete floors in practice, their methods of diagnostics and laboratory analysis of samples. The results are supplemented by practical examples of floor failures with respect to their origin.

The author presents the thesis that the referent of the dative noun phrase is ‘a second human participant’ of the event ‒ referent of the proposition in question. The same applies to the referent of the genitive noun phrase. The two constructions differ only in their syntactic distribution ‒ dative is an adverbal case, while genetive is adnominal, which is the result of their semantic roles ‒ ‘recipient’ for dative and ‘possessor’ for genetive.

The paper presents the results of investigating the effect of increase of observation correlations on detectability and identifiability of a single gross error, the outlier test sensitivity and also the response-based measures of internal reliability of networks. To reduce in a research a practically incomputable number of possible test options when considering all the non-diagonal elements of the correlation matrix as variables, its simplest representation was used being a matrix with all non-diagonal elements of equal values, termed uniform correlation. By raising the common correlation value incrementally, a sequence of matrix configurations could be obtained corresponding to the increasing level of observation correlations. For each of the measures characterizing the above mentioned features of network reliability the effect is presented in a diagram form as a function of the increasing level of observation correlations. The influence of observation correlations on sensitivity of the w -test for correlated observations (Förstner 1983,Teunissen 2006) is investigated in comparison with the original Baarda’s w -test designated for uncorrelated observations, to determine the character of expected sensitivity degradation of the latter when used for correlated observations. The correlation effects obtained for different reliability measures exhibit mutual consistency in a satisfactory extent. As a by-product of the analyses, a simple formula valid for any arbitrary correlation matrix is proposed for transforming the Baarda’s w -test statistics into the w -test statistics for correlated observations.

Both the growing number of dispersed generation plants and storage systems

and the new roles and functions on the demand side (e.g. demand side management) are

making the operation (monitoring and control) of electrical grids more complex, especially

in distribution. This paper demonstrates how to integrate phasor measurements so that

state estimation in a distribution grid profits optimally from the high accuracy of PMUs.

Different measurement configurations consisting of conventional and synchronous mea-

surement units, each with different fault tolerances for the quality of the calculated system

state achieved, are analyzed and compared. Weighted least squares (WLS) algorithms for

conventional, linear and hybrid state estimation provide the mathematical method used in

this paper. A case study of an 18-bus test grid with real measured PMU data from a 110 kV

distribution grid demonstrates the improving of the system’s state variable’s quality by

using synchrophasors. The increased requirements, which are the prerequisite for the use

of PMUs in the distribution grid, are identified by extensively analyzing the inaccuracy of

measurement and subsequently employed to weight the measured quantities.

This article presents a computer system for the identification of casting defects using the methodology of Case-Based Reasoning. The

system is a decision support tool in the diagnosis of defects in castings and is designed for small and medium-sized plants, where it is not

possible to take advantage of multi-criteria data. Without access to complete process data, the diagnosis of casting defects requires the use

of methods which process the information based on the experience and observations of a technologist responsible for the inspection of

ready castings. The problem, known and studied for a long time, was decided to be solved with a computer system using a CBR (CaseBased

Reasoning) methodology. The CBR methodology not only allows using expert knowledge accumulated in the implementation

phase, but also provides the system with an opportunity to "learn" by collecting new cases solved earlier by this system. The authors

present a solution to the system of inference based on the accumulated cases, in which the main principle of operation is searching for

similarities between the cases observed and cases stored in the knowledge base.

Six enigmatic fossils from the Famennian (Devonian) Cleveland Shale in Ohio, U.S.A., are interpreted here as

arthrodiran (Placodermi) egg cases. Recognition as egg cases is confirmed based on the observation of layered

collagen fibers. The presence of a tuberculated bone fragment preserved within one case confirms a vertebrate

source. The nature of the tubercles and the unique morphology of the egg cases supports the interpretation of

an arthrodiran source. Reports of Devonian egg cases are limited to either assumed chondrichthyan producers

or a putative ‘egg sac’ with a morphology atypical for any vertebrate. The Cleveland Shale egg cases thus

represent the first record for a non-chondrichthyan producer. Among placoderms, behaviors of a pelagic life

style with obligate nesting sites, reef fishes with live birth, and estuarine and fluvial nurseries, along with eggcase

oviparity testifies to the diversity of reproductive strategies. As with modern fishes these strategies may

be ecologically driven and the derived and variable reproductive biology of extant chondrichthyans is actually

a primitive condition among gnathostomes. One consequence of the diversity of reproductive strategies (dependent

on the topology of relationships) is the independent origin of internal fertilization within placoderms,

possibly suggesting external fertilization as the primitive gnathostome reproductive mode.

The present paper considers the novel O?on-o?ak bala sak ("Quite a Long Childhood" or "A Long, Long Childhood") by Mostay / Mostaj Karim or Mustay Karim, if transliterated from Russian (1919-2005), a prominent Bashkir writer, poet, publicist and playwright, whose contribution to the Bashkir literature has been honoured with the title of the People's Poet of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Apart from the fact that the work under consideration is within the scope of the author's current research, the reason for choosing exactly this piece of M. Karim's literary work is that it is perhaps the first and best known example of an autobiographic novel written in Bashkir. This fact in turn implies that this novel is a valuable object of linguistic and cultural research.

Despite significant changes of a political, legal and economic nature, despite clearly expressed intentions, the natural environment of most areas of Europe is further degraded. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt effective solutions, and one of the possibilities of determining the directions of support is the pro-ecological nature of the regional innovation strategy, which will allow transfer of much larger funds to support eco-innovation. The work is a case study. The aim of the research presented in this work is to show the relationship between the provisions of the Regional Innovation Strategy of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship for 2014-2020 for intelligent specialization (RIS3), and the assumptions of the five-helix concept, and the justifi cation for its use in future, in the form of a developed regional eco-innovation strategy.

Mercury emissions have become one of the problems in the energy sector in recent years. The currently used mercury removal techniques include: primary, secondary and preliminary methods. However, due to the large variation in the mercury content in hard and brown coal and the different characteristics of power plants, these methods are often not effective enough to meet the new requirements set by BREF/BAT which requires a search for new, high-efficiency solutions. The proposal for a new technology has been developed in the project “Hybrid Adsorption Systems to Reduce Mercury Emissions Using Highly Effective Polymer Components” (HYBREM). The project was implemented by the consortium of SBB Energy SA and ZEPAK Pątnów II Power Plant. An innovative, high-efficiency hybrid technology for purifying exhaust gases from mercury was developed. GORE polymer modules were used as a technology base where, in combination with the injection of solid sorbents, a hybrid technology was developed. To assess the economic efficiency of the similar case as in the HYBREM project model based on OPEX and CAPEX, each method was selected separately. The article focused on the substitution of solid sorbents used in the HYBREM project by zeolite based materials. Modified zeolite X, applied in the project, was derived from fly ash. Preliminary analysis shows that the system of proposed technologies is very cost-competitive compared only to GORE technology. The basic factors are the possibility of recovering zeolites from ash, combined with low investment outlays.

This article is an attempt to identify the essence of new positivism, described by Ludwik Ehrlich as a method of interpretation of international law. The evolution of his views on international law is examined with respect to the place of this method from the beginning of 1920s until his retirement in 1961. The article expounds on both the theoretical and methodological aspects of new positivism, according to which judicial decisions should be taken into account in addition to international treaties and customs for the determination of international law. The question of the obligatory force of international law is discussed as being related to the principle of good faith, which is at the core of Ehrlich’s views on international law. The article offers suggestions on how the method of new positivism might be used and what tasks it can fulfil today. It also makes an attempt to critically analyse Ehrlich’s method and to characterize it both in general and in the context of the theory of international law.