The paper is devoted to explication of one of the advantages of heat and electricity cogeneration, rarely considered in technical literature. Usually attention is paid to the fact that heat losses of the heat distribution network are less severe in the case of cogeneration of heat in comparison with its separate production. But this conclusion is also true in other cases when the internal consumption of heat is significant. In this paper it has been proved in the case of two examples concerning trigeneration technology with an absorption chiller cooperating with a combined heat and power (CHP) plant and CHP plant integrated with amine post-combustion CO2processing unit. In both considered cases it might be said that thanks to cogeneration we have to do with less severe consequences of significant demand of heat for internal purposes.

The paper presents an analysis of energy and economic effectiveness of the combined heat and power (cogeneration) technologies fired with natural gas that may be deemed prospective for the Polish electric power system. The current state of the cogeneration technologies fired with natural gas in Poland is presented. Five cogeneration technologies fired with natural gas, prospective from the point of view of the Polish electric power system, were selected for the analysis. Namely, the paper discusses: gas-steam combined heat and power (CHP) unit with 3-pressure heat recovery generator (HRSG) and steam interstage reheat, gas-steam CHP unit with 2-pressure HRSG, gas-steam CHP unit with 1-pressure HRSG, gas CHP unit with small scale gas turbine, operating in a simple cycle and gas CHP unit with gas engine. The following quantities characterizing the energy effectiveness of the cogeneration technologies were selected for the analysis: electricity generation efficiency, heat generation efficiency, primary energy savings (PES) and CO2 unit emission. The economic effectiveness of particular technologies was determined based on unit electricity generation costs, discounted for 2019, including the costs of purchasing CO2 emission allowances. The results of calculations and analyses are presented in a table and on a figures.

This commentary on the Court of Justice’s ruling in the Pawlak case concentrates on questions of the judicial application of EU law, in particular EU Directives. On the basis of the recent jurisprudence of the Court the authors present three issues: 1) the incidental effects of EU law for the procedural provisions of Member States; 2) the inability to rely on an EU directive by a member state’s authority in order to exclude the application of national provisions which are contrary to a directive; 3) the limits of the duty to interpret national law in conformity with EU law from the perspective of the Court of Justice and the referring court. Further, the article presents the judicial practice of the Polish Supreme Court, and in particular the follow-up decision of this Court not only taking into the account the ruling of the ECJ but also showing how the limitation of a conforming interpretation can be overcome in order to give full effect to EU law. In the authors’ view, this case is worth noting as an example of judicial dialogue in the EU.

In cities with large educational institutions, the inflow of educational migrants is important for con-sumption demand, and can trigger multiplier effects. The main aim of this article is to show the mecha-nism of the aggregate demand-income effect created by educational migration in the Polish city of Opole. An estimate of this effect is provided, based on questionnaire research among a sample of 1 075 students from all institutions of higher education located in the city. The estimated effects analysed concern the direct consumption impulse, as well as the indirect job creation and increase in income for providers of accommodation for students, in turn triggering increased consumption demand. While the results must be interpreted with care, an estimated 15 per cent of consumption demand created through expenditure of migrant students (about PLN 175 400 000) and 485 extra job show the significance of such expenditure for the local economy.

Noise reduction inside waveguide systems has gained momentum owing to a great interest in it. To attenuate the sound in a broad frequency range, this study aims to compare the effects of two acoustic liners, a perforated plate backed by an air cavity (PP-Air cavity), or by a porous material (PP-PM), on the acoustic behaviour of lined ducts using a numerical model to compute the multimodal scattering matrix. From this matrix, the reflection and the transmission coefficients are computed and therefore the acoustic power attenuation is deduced. Moreover, the effects of geometry of ducts with and without changes in the section are investigated. The numerical results are obtained for five configurations, including cases of narrowing and widening of a duct portion with sudden or progressive discontinuities. Accordingly, numerical coefficients of reflection and transmission as well as the acoustic power attenuation show the relative influence of acoustic liners in each type of configuration.

The hierarchical structure of InSe<β-CD<FeSO₄>> composition with 4-fold grade expansion was synthesized with the intercalation-deintercalation technique. Electrical properties of the structure obtained were examined using impedance and thermostimulated current spectroscopy methods. Influence of temperature, static magnetic field and illumination on electrical properties of the synthesized compound was investigated. Changes in the impurity spectrum of the expanded hierarchical structure were analyzed and extraordinary magneto- and photoimpedance behavior of InSe<β-CD<FeSO₄>> at room temperature was explained.

The paper presents an analysis of the influence of the energy generated from renewable sources on an improvement in the energy efficiency of public utility building and households. It also presents the current state of the technologies for the production of electricity from renewable sources, as well as their share in the national power supply system. The conducted analysis concerns both micro, as well as large systems generating electricity. Systems generating power from renewable sources are gaining in popularity. With an increasing awareness in the society of the beneficial influence that renewable power generating systems have on the environment, as well as the support in form of various programs offering subsidies for the construction of new systems, power generation from renewable sources is becoming increasingly popular and common. Although the renewable energy systems are still not widely considered to be a profitable solution, systems using renewable sources of energy are positively perceived and treated as a new trend in the construction of multi or single-family residential buildings. The increasing share of the renewable energy in the national power supply system significantly reduces the demand for energy produced from conventional sources. This obviously translates into a reduced consumption of primary energy, for example, fossil fuels, and, in turn, leads to the reduced exploitation of natural resources, thus contributing to the protection of the natural environment. A reduced consumption of fossil fuels also means a significant reduction in environmental pollution during their processing into electricity or heat. Actions aiming at improving energy efficiency and reducing final energy consumption are being undertaken by many countries all over the world, and by the European Union. In 2012, the European Parliament and the Council issued Directive 2012/27/EU obliging the Member States to initiate actions aiming at a reduction in the consumption of final energy by 1.5% a year. The paper presents the current status of generation of energy from renewable sources during the last 13 years. The ways for using energy from the renewable sources to improve the energy efficiency of facilities were also discussed.

Research suggests that placebo can reduce the misinformation effect. We aimed to examine for the first time whether placebo administered in the guise of caffeine can reduce the misinformation effect. One hundred and twenty -three healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to four groups in a 2 Placebo (Present, Not Present) × 2 Narrative (Misleading, Correct) study design. Participants from placebo groups drank 100 ml of placebo solution. They were told that it was water mixed with caffeine which could positively influence their memory. After three minutes, they watched a short movie clip as an original event and read a narrative with misleading details or correct details as a postevent information; they then completed a 22 -item, two -alternative forced -choice questionnaire. The results reveal that the misinformation effect occurred. Although participants in the placebo with misinformation group scored better than participants who did not drink placebo and read the narrative containing misleading details, the difference was not statistically significant. Thus, it is concluded that placebo might not be enough to reduce the misinformation effect when it is administered in the guise of caffeine.

Several human studies have reported that capsaicin has anti-pruritic effects. Moreover, sever- al concentrations of topical capsaicin have been used to alleviate itch. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-pruritic effect of capsaicin against histamine-induced pruritus compared with that of topical steroid or vehicle in 15 healthy beagles. Fifteen dogs were divided into three groups (n = 5 each), and treated topically with one of the following on the left side of the neck: capsaicin, positive control (steroid), or negative control (vehicle). Each treatment was performed twice daily for 8 days. All dogs were injected with histamine intradermally before treatment and on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th days of the treatment to evoke itch. Pruritus, wheal, and erythema intensity were assessed at each evaluation; cutaneous temperature was also recorded. On the final day, skin biopsy was conducted for histopathological evaluation for all dogs. The severity of pruritus was lesser in the capsaicin-treated group compared with the negative control group on day 8 (p<0.05). In the capsaicin and steroid groups, wheal size, erythema index, and cutaneous temperature also decreased compared with pretreatment. Histopathological evaluation showed that the capsaicin-treated group had a higher number of inflammatory cells in the dermis com- pared to the vehicle control group; however, the steroid-treated group showed less severe inflam- matory reactions than the vehicle control group. These results suggest that capsaicin cannot reduce inflammation but may play a helpful role in reducing pruritus in dogs.

Empathy and psychopathy seem to be two distant extremes, which only differ, with nothing similar. Therefore, the question that seems to be surprising is whether such a theoretical perspective is justified. Empathy exerts significant influence on social relationships and is associated with moral development, whereas psychopathy seems to be an opposite phenomenon, as it is associated with the lack of deep interpersonal bonds and the violation of legal norms. As studies from various disciplines and scientific areas indicate, such concepts as behavioral effectiveness, morality or altruism might help explain the complex nature of the interrelationship between psychopathy and empathy. The authors tried to explore and describe the complexity of the two presented concepts in the light of the conducted research, and the resulting theoretical and empirical implications.

The subject of the research presented in this paper were financial results of mining industry enterprises (PKD 5 – P olish C lassification of A ctivity – “Mining of coal and lignite”) in 2007–2019. The research was conducted using relative and absolute financial measures, forming an extensive and coherent set of features characterizing their financial condition. The purpose was to measure and evaluate the efficiency of examined enterprises operation, considered as an attribute of development as well as factors describing and determining it. This evaluation was made against the background of ongoing restructuring processes taking into account their potential effects.

The article presents the course of the process of adapting P olish hard coal mining to market economy conditions after 1989. The process can be conventionally divided into several periods. The scope and intensity of changes in the mining industry followed the subsequent government programs for mining industry restructuring.

The lignite mining has not implemented any specific restructuring programs. The remedy processes were mainly related to organizational and ownership changes.

In relation to operation efficiency and value creation three turning points in the development path of enterprises were highlighted – 2011, 2015 and 2017, while the period of strong deterioration of results occurred in 2011–2015. I t was proved that restructuring processes did not affect the operating return on sales. However, there was a strong relation between changes in economic conditions on the coal market (prices) and the accumulation rate.

The progressive development of miniature systems increases the demand for miniature parts. Reducing the size of manufactured components on one hand is a serious challenge for traditional technologies, but on the other hand, mainly by removing the energy barrier opens the possibility of using other unconventional techniques. A good example is the ultrasonic excitation of the punch during the micro-upsetting process. The anti-barreling phenomenon and dependent on the amplitude of vibrations, intensive deformation of the surface layers in contact with the tools at both ends of the sample was noted. Based on the measured strains and stresses, an increase in temperature in the extreme layers to approx. 200°C was suggested. By adopting a simplified dynamic model of the test stand, the possibility of detaching the surface of the punch from the surface of the sample was demonstrated.

This study aims to explore the effects of age across adult groups on selected aspects of language learning. To achieve the aim, a study was conducted at the Open University of University of Warsaw. It focuses on reasons for taking up learning, relative importance of individual skills, major difficulties, individual goals, emotions and self-assessed ability to learn. The assumption that adults represent a single age group is questioned and the results are interpreted in terms of practical implications for course design.