A novel magneto-optical current sensor (MOCS) with two sensing arms is proposed to improve the temperature stability. One of the arms, with a highly stable permanent magnet attached and orthogonal to the other one, is designed to provide a reference that follows the temperature characteristics of the sensing material. By a normalization operation between two arms, the temperature drift is compensated adaptively and a sensing output proportional to the measured current can be reached. A dual-input and dual-output structure is specially designed for the reference sensing arm to demodulate the DC Faraday rotation angle. This scheme compensates simultaneously two main temperature influence factors, the Verdet constant and linear birefringence. Validation tests were carried out and are discussed.

In recent years, deep learning and especially deep neural networks (DNN) have obtained amazing performance on a variety of problems, in particular in classification or pattern recognition. Among many kinds of DNNs, the convolutional neural networks (CNN) are most commonly used. However, due to their complexity, there are many problems related but not limited to optimizing network parameters, avoiding overfitting and ensuring good generalization abilities. Therefore, a number of methods have been proposed by the researchers to deal with these problems. In this paper, we present the results of applying different, recently developed methods to improve deep neural network training and operating. We decided to focus on the most popular CNN structures, namely on VGG based neural networks: VGG16, VGG11 and proposed by us VGG8. The tests were conducted on a real and very important problem of skin cancer detection. A publicly available dataset of skin lesions was used as a benchmark. We analyzed the influence of applying: dropout, batch normalization, model ensembling, and transfer learning. Moreover, the influence of the type of activation function was checked. In order to increase the objectivity of the results, each of the tested models was trained 6 times and their results were averaged. In addition, in order to mitigate the impact of the selection of learning, test and validation sets, k-fold validation was applied.

The article presents the methodology for selecting the optimal variant of the road on a regional level. The suggested methodology is based on a combination of criteria value normalization method and the variant assessment method. Based on survey studies conducted using the Delphi method, a starting list of criteria was designed and the significance of the individual groups of main criteria and sub-criteria was determined. The final assessments of the analysed variants are calculated based on the aggregation of the marks obtained for the normalization and assessment methods. The methodology can be divided into six stages: determining the variants for analysis, selecting the variant assessment criteria, creating the assessment matrix, normalizing criteria value, using the variant assessment method, variant ranking. The methodology was tested on the examples of planning a bypass of Mazury and Księżyno towns as a part of Regional Road 678 in Poland.

In the text, a polemic is undertaken against the model of the child expected in Polish institutions of early childhood education, and which appropriates the rationalities producing social practices. The source of this model is in the logic of standardization whose cognitive and effects on identity are criticized by the author. Identifying the sources of validation of the practices normalizing some children and stigmatizing others, who do not meet the requirements of the cognitively rigid and morally trivialized standards, the text points to developmental psychology as a discipline which potentially triggers this form of oppression. In conclusion, the author describes briefly a number of examples of educational solutions in which an attempt has been made to move beyond the discourse of standardized quality in child education.

This article explores the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) migrants from Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union in Scotland. Drawing on interviews with 50 migrants, the article focuses on the experiences and aspirations which they articulate as being part of ‘a normal life’, and analyses them within broader conceptual understandings of security and ‘normal-ity’. We first examine how normality is equated with an improved economic position in Scotland, and look at the ways in which this engenders feelings of emotional security and well-being. We then explore how more positive experiences around sexuality and gender identity are key to a sense of emotional security – i.e. of feeling accepted as ‘normal’, being visible as an LGBT person but ‘blending in’ rather than standing out because of it. Finally we look at the ways in which the institutional framework in Scotland, in particular the presence of LGBT-affirmative legislation, is seen by participants to have a normalising effect within society, leading to a broader sense of inclusion and equality – found, again, to directly impact upon participants’ own feelings of security and emotional well-being. The article engages with literatures on migration and sexuality and provides an original contribution to both: through its focus upon sexuality, which remains unexplored in debates on ‘normality’ and migration in the UK; and by bringing a migration perspective to the debates in sexuality studies around the normal-ising effect of the law across Europe. By bringing these two perspectives together, we reveal the inter-rela-tionship between sexuality and other key spheres of our participants’ lives in order to better understand their experiences of migration and settlement.

Flood inundation processes in urban areas are primarily affected by artificial factors such as drainage facilities, local al-terations of topography and land uses. The objective of this study is to examine the capability of hydrological model SI-MODAS to estimate runoff and investigating the utilization of storage well in controlling runoff in a residential area. The result of the estimated runoff from the hydrological model was compared with the existing capacity of the drainage channel to identify which channel experienced the problem of inundation. The location of inundation was used to determine the location and number of storage well. The results showed that SIMODAS model could be applied in runoff analyses with 8.09% of relative error compared with runoff depth from field measurement. The existing capacity of the channel could not accommodate runoff Q10yr where the inundation discharge was approximately 0.24 m3·s–1 (at outlet point 1) and 0.12 m3·s–1 (at outlet point 2). The inundation problem was overcome by using a combination system between channel normalization (reduce 35% of total inundation discharge) and storage well system (reduce 65% of total inundation discharge). The storage well was designed at 20 locations (at outlet point 1) and 16 locations (at outlet point 2) which each well had a discharge of 0.0058 m3·s–1. The storage well combined with channel normalization could be used as an alternative way to solve inunda-tion problems in a residential area considering the constraint of land space limitation in the urban area.

The accuracy of vehicle speed measured by a speedometer is analysed. The stress on the application of skew normal distribution is laid. The accuracy of measured vehicle speed depends on many error sources: construction of speedometer, measurement method, model inadequacy to real physical process, transferring information signal, external conditions, production process technology etc. The errors of speedometer are analysed in a complex relation to errors of the speed control gauges, whose functionality is based on the Doppler effect. Parameters of the normal distribution and skew normal distribution were applied in the errors analysis. It is shown that the application of maximum permissible errors to control the measuring results of vehicle speed gives paradoxical results when, in the case of skew normal distribution, the standard deviations of higher vehicle speeds are smaller than the standard deviations of lower speeds. In the case of normal distribution a higher speed has a greater standard deviation. For the speed measurements by Doppler speed gauges it is suggested to calculate the vehicle weighted average speed instead of the arithmetic average speed, what will correspond to most real dynamic changes of the vehicle speed parameters.

The subject of the paper is the analysis of factors determining the value of multi-entity organizations in the energy sector and their ranking according to the degree of impact on this value. For this purpose, statistical methods were used, which are best suited to determine the order of diagnostic features according to a specific criterion. The survey covered companies from the Polish energy sector, while the process itself is based on aggregated data, which represents the financial data of capital groups currently operating in the Polish energy sector.

The first part of the article presents a short description of the Polish energy sector, paying particular attention to the organizational structure of the sector, i.e. companies operating on the domestic energy market. The nature of a multi-entity enterprise as a typical economic unit in the sector is described. The second part of the article describes the assumptions of multidimensional comparative analysis (MCA) as a tool for comparing multifunctional units. The MCA makes it possible to find the most important parameters or indicators having the greatest impact on the value of a multi-entity organization, i.e. a capital group. The survey covered four companies from the Polish energy sector: TAURON Polska Energia SA, ENEA SA, ENERGA SA and PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA.

The study with the use of MCA was conducted in three stages:

- in the first stage, on the basis of information contained in the financial statements, a matrix of diagnostic features was created, describing the financial condition of the examined entity,

- in the second stage, the values of diagnostic variables were normalized/unified; two methods of normalization were applied: the method of standardization and zero unitization,

- in the third stage, the diagnostic variables were grouped using two methods: the model measure of Hellwig’s development and the non-standard measure of development.

The results of the analysis are illustrated by tables and figures.

The by-products of wood sawdust and wood fiber are considered to be waste material. It is utilized in the construction of buildings in the form of sawdust concrete or wood fiber concrete. It is used to make lightweight concrete and possesses heat transfer of a long duration. In this study, wood concrete was made at eleven different mix proportions of cement to wood waste by weight, to produce a lightweight concrete aggregate that has the density 1508-2122 kg/m3. The experimental work consists of 330 concrete specimens as 99 cubes (150 * 150 * 150) mm, 165 cylinders (150 * 300) mm, 33 prisms (50 * 100 * 200) mm, and 33 prisms (100 * 100 * 500) mm. Mechanical and thermal properties such as stiffness, workability, compressive strength, static elasticity modulus, flexural forces, splitting tensile strength and density were examined in the specimens after 28 days of 20 oC curing. Also, compressive strength was investigated at 7 and 14 days of curing at 20 oC. The basic observation of the results shows the values with the limitations of ACI and ASTM. Moreover, it is the perfect way to reduce solid wood waste and produce lightweight concrete to be used in industrial construction. It was found that with the increase in the quantity of wood waste, the strength decreased; however, in terms of workability and concrete with a higher quantity of wood waste held very well. Lightweight concrete aggregate is around 25 percent lighter in dead load than standard concrete. Given all the physical and mechanical properties, the study finds that wood concrete can be used in the construction of buildings.

The article concerns modern, flexible adhesive joints, which might be used in timber construction. The article discusses the test results carried out for timber elements joints using polymeric adhesives produced by Sika®. The scope of the tests includes the analysis of strength criteria, tests of polymer adhesion to the timber with a pull-off method, tests of polymer layer shearing between timber elements as well as examination of bending of timber elements joined with polymer. The conclusions indicate the types of these polymers which are recommended for the creation of polymeric joints of timber-polymeric type in timber constructions.