This paper argues that it is the causative structuration of the motion situation that seems to be the crucial factor determining the status of intransitive verbs of locomotion and their potential to enter into a certain set of syntactical configurations. More specifically, the paper attempts to provide arguments against the commonly held view that locomotion verbs in directed motion constructions are unaccusative (this applies to both intransitive structures and transitive causative structures). If the subject argument of an intransitive manner of locomotion verb displays reduced agentivity (i.e. if it displays properties of both an agent and a patient), it is not admitted into transitive causative structures, in spite of the alleged unaccusativity of verbs that are admitted into them. The inability of path verbs to causativize is explained by appealing to the fact that these types of verbs render motion as not forming part of an energetic (i.e. a causal) chain. Related to this is the fact that the subject argument of these verbs falls outside the agent vs. patient classifi cation, which is commonly claimed to be directly related to the verb’s unergative vs. the unaccusative status, respectively.

Genetic-environmental controls of the tolerance of forest trees to industrial pollution arc discussed on the example of the Scots pine. Within the pine population under study, various responses to man-made stress were observed in individual specimens, which gave rise to the hypothesis about a genetic origin of the phenomenon. The research procedure was preceded by an assessment of the environmental conditions which focused especially on the pollution of the atmosphere and pedosphere as a background for estimating the level of variation and examining the genetic structure of specimens sensitive to, or tolerant of, the pollution. The analysis covered a pine population coming from natural forest regeneration growing in the zone of direct impact of pollution from the Miasteczko Śląskie Zinc Works. Two groups of trees were distinguished: S (sensitive) and T (tolerant), characterized by different genetic parameters. The observed tendencies (slower cell division rates, lower values of the mitotic index than in the control group, a high level of chromosomal aberrations) indicate a direct effect of the pollution on the genetic material of the trees.

A film stress measurement system applicable for hyperbaric environment was developed to characterize stress evolution in a physical simulation test of a gas-solid coupling geological disaster. It consists of flexible film pressure sensors, a signal conversion module, and a highly-integrated acquisition box which can perform synchronous and rapid acquisition of 1 kHz test data. Meanwhile, we adopted a feasible sealing technology and protection method to improve the survival rate of the sensors and the success rate of the test, which can ensure the accuracy of the test results. The stress measurement system performed well in a large-scale simulation test of coal and gas outburst that reproduced the outburst in the laboratory. The stress evolution of surrounding rock in front of the heading is completely recorded in a successful simulation of the outburst which is consistent with the previous empirical and theoretical analysis. The experiment verifies the feasibility of the stress measurement system as well as the sealing technology, laying a foundation for the physical simulation test of gas-solid coupled geological disasters.

The software for co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) is used for approximating geometric elements in plane (2d) and in space (3d) by approximation algorithms when number of measuring points obtained is larger than the minimum number of points necessary for element definition. Orthogonal regression methods are discussed in this paper. For 2d and 3d cases and they are compared with methods for defining straight line using linear regression. The advantage of orthogonal regression over linear regression is shown by comparing variance of measuring point displacement from both approximation line types.Algorithms for orthogonal regression make it possible to determine optimum position of a straight line for which value of variance of point distance from the line is the lowest possible. The tests have been performed on the Carl Zeiss CMM.

The non-linearity of the modulus in the zone of small deformations has become one of the three basic concepts of modern soil mechanics, together with “effective stresses” or “critical state”. It is therefore necessary to obtain suitable parameters to describe these phenomena through the development of modern measuring equipment and newresearch methods. Limitations in the availability of the research area or research equipment indicate the need to create a data set, in the formula of regional assessments. The article presents a compilation of data on the deformation characteristics of soils covering about 75% of the country’s area, which are the most common subsoils for building. Descriptions, images of microstructures, and a record of mechanical parameters are presented for various age-old glacial clays and marginal clays and loesses. Emphasis is placed on parameters obtained from triaxial tests, including the determination of the shear modulus at small deformations obtained from BET measurements. In combination with the patented solution of sample strain measurement, complete deformability curves of the tested samples were obtained, indicating model reference curves developed for the above soil types. The statistically significant amount of data collected allowed the creation of a specific portfolio for selected soils as a starting point for assessing deformability. This corresponds to the current expectations regarding the characteristics of the behaviour of the substrate in the full spectrum of stresses and deformations, obtained from different types of tests, which, as in the case of soil stiffness degradation, together allow the correct determination of the necessary parameters.

Soft bottom fauna have been sampled along the Spitsbergen fjord depression entering shelf, slope and Greenland Sea Ocean Basin at 200, 300, 500, 1500, 2000 and 3000 m depths. From 19 samples covering 1.9 m2, 4295 individuals of 194 macrofauna species have been sorted. Density decreased markedly from over 6000 ind/m2 in shelf stations to some 600 ind/m2 below 1500 m depth. Only two taxa (Chaetozone group and Lumbrineris sp. A) occurred in more than 75% of samples, 55 taxa (28% of the total) were represented by single specimens only. The highest number of species per sample (65 taxa in 0.1 m2) was noted at 525 depth. There were 14 eurybathic species and the same number of taxa were found exclusively below 2000 m depth, while 117 species were found only shallower than 300 m depth.

A direct problem and an inverse problem for the Laplace’s equation was solved in this paper. Solution to the direct problem in a rectangle was sought in a form of finite linear combinations of Chebyshev polynomials. Calculations were made for a grid consisting of Chebyshev nodes, what allows us to use orthogonal properties of Chebyshev polynomials. Temperature distributions on the boundary for the inverse problem were determined using minimization of the functional being the measure of the difference between the measured and calculated values of temperature (boundary inverse problem). For the quasi-Cauchy problem, the distance between set values of temperature and heat flux on the boundary was minimized using the least square method. Influence of the value of random disturbance to the temperature measurement, of measurement points (distance from the boundary, where the temperature is not known) arrangement as well as of the thermocouple installation error on the stability of the inverse problem was analyzed.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the concept of the digital Leviathan as it appears in literature in the middle field between philosophy of technology and social philosophy. The digital Leviathan, beyond the obvious reference to the classic Hobbesian concept, is a continuation of what Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt called ‘the Empire’ and Benjamin Bratton named ‘the Stack’. The key insight, as I argue in this paper, is to look at this digital Leviathan as an ongoing construction process, and therefore in a processual way that allows us to extract important characteristics of this global techno‑political construct. In this text, I point out that the development of the digital Leviathan is centrifugal and devoid of a top‑down plan indicating the target effects or its final shape, which results from its subordination to J.F. Lyotard’s performativity criterion, as well as its totalizing feature. It is also manifested by the fact that its expansion involves us all. I also point out how the digital Leviathan can be a deadly final achievement on the way from Reason, through rationality, to the madness of rationalization. I discuss the consequences that the development of Leviathan has on our ability to think in general, and in particular on the conceptualization of Leviathan itself. I also associate it with an attempt to criticize the utopian mode of thinking, accepting the conditions of ‘non‑place’ (in accordance with the thought of Negri and Hardt), which, following M. Heidegger, detaches us from the place and location that should be the basis of thinking.

The art of the leading 20th century still-life painter Giorgio Morandi (1898–1960) drew inspiration from various sources. One of the most important points of reference was Jean Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, an older master of still life active in the 18th century. In this article, the dialogue with Chardin will thus be considered in the context of important inter-pictorial associations leading to the reflection on the approach of both masters to the studied objects. Formal similarities between their paintings allow us to question their relationships in terms of the ways of representing objects, with a particular emphasis on the difference in their materialization in the field of vision.

An analysis of their works shows that in Chardin’s case the pictorial status and living texture of objects is an extension of the interior in which they are located, while in Morandi’s they are isolated from it and their earlier functions. The objects appearing in the paintings of the Bolognese painter are largely ‘eviscerated’ of any references to the rhythm of everyday life. Instead of a free gaze, characteristic of the domesticated atmosphere evoked by Chardin’s paintings, Morandi’s compositions force the viewer to an intense and focused contemplation, which corresponds to the painter’s own intense observation of the objects in his studio. An important aspect of the comparison will be an analysis of the temporality of the perception of objects implied by the works of both artists. Chardin’s still lifes aim to bring together the temporality of seeing objects and the time of seeing an image. They play their game by simulating in the pictures the natural process of looking – they allow the viewers to freely immerse themselves in the temporal development of the image. In their expression, Chardin’s paintings thus encourage the viewers to come to terms with the material reality of the surrounding world. If the 18th century artist stages in his still lifes the man’s time of looking at objects, Morandi activates the distinct temporality of the image itself. Looking at the latter’s works we experience pictorial fluctuations, in connection with which objects appear like actors leaving their everyday lives behind them. In this register, they become participants in the drama taking place in the act of observation, which touches upon the foundations of their existence. In Morandi’s paintings, the viewer is prompted to reflect on the distance between one object and another; to experience the threshold between oneself and things.

This article, however, is not limited to the identification of analogies and differences, but also aims to show a special relationship in which Chardin’s work stages elements of a still-life painter’s practice. From this point of view, Morandi’s reception of Chardin’s Boy Building a House of Cards is important. An analysis of the testimony of the Italian artist’s encounter with this painting during his stay in Winterthur shows that the art of the 18th century painter was for Morandi an object of a unique self-reflexive and existential identification.

One of the main threats to constructions made from rammed earth is destruction due to exposure to water. The way to limit this dangerous phenomenon is to supplement the local soil mixtures with stabilizing agents. The main component used is Portland cement. This article analyses the results of research which focused on the resistance of rammed earth to water erosion. Because of the lack of national standards regarding the method of examining the durability of rammed earth, the research was based on the New Zealand standard NZS 4298: 1998. The results confirm the possibility of using rammed earth stabilized by cement in a temperate climate.

Currently, a worldwide dynamic rise of interest in using soil as a construction material can be observed. This trend is evident in the rapid rise of the amount of standards that deal with soil techniques. In 2012 the number of standards was larger by one third than five years prior. To create a full standardization of the rammed earth technique it is necessary to take into account the diversity of used soil and stabilizing additives. The proportion of the components, the process of element production and the research methods must also be made uniform. The article describes the results of research on the compressive strength of rammed earth samples that differed from each other with regards to the type of loam used for the mixture and the amount of the stabilizer. The stabilizer used was Portland cement CEM I 42.5R. The research and the analysis of the results were based on foreign publications, the New Zealand standard NZS 4298:1998, the American Standard NMAC14.7.4 and archival Polish Standards from the 1960’s that dealt with earth material.

The article focuses on the term “train situation” created by Vyacheslav Kuricin, which is considered a metaphor of the work of the contemporary Russian writer Elena Dolgopyat. The proper analysis of Dolgopyat’s works is preceded by an introduction in which the definition of magical realism and its history in Russia is briefl y presented. The attitude of the Russian literary scholars to this phenomenon is presented as well. Next, the meanings of the figure of train in the writer’s stories are discussed. It is noteworthy that the features of magical realism (specific space-time construction, polyphonic narrative, fantastic elements perceived as something natural) are realized in her texts often through the image of a train. In works in which this picture does not exist, we deal with the „train situation”, which boils down to the combination in the presented world of various aspects of reality, unlimited by matter. The heroes live between different dimensions of reality, and combining into one cohesive whole of various space-times, ways of existence, realistic and fantastic elements allows to see the term of Kuricin also as a metaphor of all magical realism.

In these remarks I recall such views which pretended to be scientific or at least rational enough to give some acceptable arguments to support them. One of such notions is made by epicureic physicalism and the so called scientific racism. Not all assumptions of those notions or the conclusions drawn from them may be included in the pseudoscientific and irrational sphere. At least some of them may be said that they had made a testimony of science and rationality „designed” for the context of their times and when this time passed they still remain in social circulation it is worth to look how they present themselves today and what arguments speak for their prevailing.