This paper presents a video encoding method in which noise is encoded using a novel parametric model representing spectral envelope and spatial distribution of energy. The proposed method has been experimentally assessed using video test sequences in a practical setup consisting of a simple, real-time noise reduction technique and High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC). The attained results show that the use of the proposed parametric modelling of noise can improve the subjective quality of reconstructed video by approximately 1.8 Mean Opinion Scope (MOS) points (in 11-point scale) related to the classical video coding. Moreover, the present work confirms results attained in the previous works that the usage of even sole noise reduction prior to the encoding provides quality increase.

On the one hand, shale gas extraction has been portrayed as the future of Poland's energy sector, and on the other, as an undertaking potentially harmful to the natural environment that might spark public protests. Why are opinions on this issue so widely disparate?

In order to survive, butteńlies of the Maculinea genus must occur together with Myrmica ants, whose nests provide the environment for a significant part of their development.

Honesty and transparency in vaccination safety – monitoring adverse reactions to vaccines

We talk to Prof. Lidia Brydak, director of the Influenza Virus Research Institute and the National Influenza Centre, and Dr. Iwona Paradowska-Stankiewicz, national consultant for epidemiology, about how vaccines work and why they are so important

The author presents the search for the identity of individuals and families displaced after World War II from Vilnius to Gdańsk in the context of the urban community integration. Gdańsk being a city where the population after the war was almost fully replaced, becomes in this sense a kind of laboratory of social integration processes. The text serves as an introduction to the topic and is based on the results of the pilot qualitative research conducted within the The Common Room Gdańsk” (2013–2015) project coordinated by prof. M. Mendel. The analyses are a contribution to the reflection on identity determinants of integration processes within the urban community, also in relation to contemporary times. When discussing the issues of identity, the author points to the importance of the turning point which was the end of World War II, and the experience of expatriation in the spatial and socio-cultural context.

Żeby motyle z rodzaju Maculinea mogły przetrwać, muszą występować razem z mrówkami wścieklicami, w których gniazdach przebiega znaczna część ich rozwoju.

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.

Laser triangulation is one of the machine vision measurement methods most commonly used in 3D quality control. However, considering its susceptibility to interference, it cannot be used in certain areas of industrial production e.g. very shiny surfaces. Thus, for the improvement of its applicability, a predictive algorithm of light profile segmentation was designed, where - as a result of using a'priori knowledge - the method becomes resistant to secondary reflexes.

The developed technique has been tested on selected parts with surfaces typical for the machine-building industry. The evaluation has been presented based on the surface representation (mapping) error analysis, using the difference between the obtained cloud of points and the nominal surface as processing data, as well as scatter of the discrete Gauss curvature.

This perspective paper focuses on the changes in teaching chemical engineering in Europe triggered by new challenges and megatrends observed in the chemical and related industries. Among the new teaching areas to address those challenges and megatrends, process intensification, digitalization and advanced materials are expected to play the most important role and are discussed in more detail. The discussion on incorporation of those new areas in the university curricula is illustrated with a comparison of educational approaches to the chemical engineering teaching at two universities – Delft University of Technology and Warsaw University of Technology. The aim of this paper is to focus the attention of university teachers and potential decision makers on the most important challenges for contemporary teaching of chemical engineering.