Acta Innovations

13-20

Authors: Justyna Czerwińska, Grzegorz Wielgosiński, Alicja Zawadzka

The aim of the study was the analysis of acoustic climate around the Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant in Lask. In the analysis, using computer program HPZ_2001 ITB, the calculations on the impact of the acoustic climate were carried out. In addition, to verify the calculations, current noise emission measurements during the operation of the wastewater treatment plant were made. The results found that during operation, the wastewater treatment plant does not teach exceeded permissible noise levels in adjacent areas under acoustic protection, both during the day and night.

29-37

Authors: Adrian Smagur, Karolina Nowak

Nowadays we see an increase of interest in immersive technologies connected with new modes of communication. With novel devices possibilities open for research in the field of Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI) and Virtual Reality (VR). This project is focused on the creation of interactive virtual reality scenery and on the verification of usefulness of different interfaces in such contexts. We designed a virtual urban space that is accessible to users through VR goggles: Oculus Rift paired with Leap Motion. We prepared an experiment to test how well users can interact in proposed virtual environment through this setup. Results show that in simple tasks users can quickly learn on their own how to use given interface without tutoring.

47-56

Authors: Michał Gacki, Karolina Kafarska

The novel metal complexes of ketoprofen (Hket)(1) with general formulae Mn(L)4(2), Co(L)4(3), Ni(L)4(4), and Zn(L)4(5) (where L= Hket, ket) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR- spectroscopy and thermal decomposition techniques. All IR spectra revealed absorption bands related to the asymmetric (νas) and symmetric (νs) vibrations of carboxylate group. The Nakammoto criteria clearly indicate that this group is bonded in a bidentate-chelate mode. The thermal behavior of complexes was studied by TG, DTG methods under dynamic condition in air. Upon heating, all compounds decompose progressively to metal oxides, which are the final products of pyrolysis.

14-21

Authors: Katarzyna Zajda

Non-governmental organizations encounter some barriers when trying to implement social innovations, such as having limited ability to collaborate with other entities designed to solve social problems or limiting that collaboration to entities which are not interested in implementing such innovations. The aim of this article is to characterize the collaboration between non-governmental organizations from Lubelskie Province and local entities, as well as to evaluate the collaboration in terms of the possibility of implementing social innovations. The study was carried out between October and December 2016 and was based on the following research questions: 1. What kind of social problems do the investigated non-governmental organizations from the rural communes of Lubelskie Province try to solve? 2. What entities are involved in solving those problems? 3. Do the investigated organizations often collaborate with them? 4. Should the collaboration be modified or changed? 5. What entities should increase their participation in the cooperation network? The study involved 108 chairpersons of non-governmental organizations from the rural communes of Lubelskie Province, with whom in-depth interviews with a standardized list of targeted information were carried out. The article presents part of the collected empirical material. Although non-governmental organizations are willing to engage in non-standard, unconventional or atypical projects, they limit their activity to problems regarded as “easier to solve” or to activities that are not likely to solve those problems. In this context, extending nongovernmental organizations' cooperation networks by new local non-governmental organizations (out of the social welfare field) does not seem as desirable as their further collaboration with public sector organizations based on the principle of partnership and oriented at implementing social innovations.

30-37

Authors: Ilona Matysiak

The article explores the potential of elderly people living in rural areas in terms of implementing social innovations related to care provision. It is argued that seniors should receive greater recognition as important actors organizing care at the local level. Two examples of care cooperatives recently established in Dutch rural communities are used to illustrate the argument. The article is based on a literature review and in-depth interviews conducted in the Netherlands in February 2017. The challenges involved in transferring this model to Poland are also discussed.

47-52

Authors: Małgorzata Dziekanowska

The purpose of this is to address the social activities of women living in rural areas, and especially the degree to which such activities are innovative. Special attention is given to innovations designed to improve the quality of life in local communities, to identify their needs and social problems, and to make attempts to address these. Data for this study comes from in-depth interviews with women who are particularly involved in various areas of social life in their local communities.

65-73

Authors: Kamila Hernik

The article discusses problems of joining of social economy and social innovation, illustrated by the example of activities undertaken in the last decade in the rural commune of Bałtów (Świętokrzyskie voivodship). In the theoretical section, I present the context of emergence of social innovations in Europe and some of their definitions. In the empirical section, I depict the development of social entrepreneurship initiatives in Bałtów commune based on the case study conducted in 2013 and analyse them in the context of social innovation.

87-93

Authors: Barbara Szczepańska

The scientific objective of the research conducted on Lower Silesia in 2013 was to identify social factors that influence the implementation process of agricultural development in agricultural holdings. The processes of land concentration proceed very slowly and the agricultural structure is dominated by small farms with low economic viability where income from farming is not sufficient to maintain the family, and surely does not provide any possibilities for development of such farms. To increase the productivity and efficiency of agriculture, it is necessary and essential to speed up the absorption of progress in agricultural holdings of 5 to 50 ha in area.

17-24

Authors: Ewelina Pawlikowska, Dorota Kręgiel

The aim of the study was to characterize the antimicrobial properties of 5 strains belonging to the yeast species Metschnikowia pulcherrima. The antimicrobial activity of the strains was studied by observing pulcherrimin production and inhibition of microbial growth on YPG plates. Enzymatic assays were carried out using API ZYM tests. All strains of M. pulcherrima showed α-glucosidase and leucine arylamidase activities. The widest spectrum of activity was observed for strains NCYC2321, CCY145, and CCY149. All tested strains produced pucherrimin, and the yeasts Wickerhamomyces anomalus and Dekkera bruxellensis, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis and the moulds Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus brasiliensis were the most sensitive to M. pulcherrima.

35-42

Authors: Karolina Nowak, Adrian Smagur

In the digital age, more and more artists are starting to present their works in an interactive way. Due to the rapid progression of the virtual environment and its attractiveness, it appears that new explorations of intuitive and user-friendly galleries are required. We created a draft of a computer application interface and then prepared a special gallery driven by different hand motions performed in mid-air. We conducted research of our proposed solution to compare these gestures and to find out how it is being perceived by people from outside the IT industry.

51-61

Authors: Robert Cichowicz, Artur Wacław Stelęgowski

In every boiler plant, including industrial boiler plants of thermal capacity above 2 MW, substantial heat gains are generated during the work of combustion units. As a result, the indoor air temperature raises in the room, which affects thermal comfort of workers operating such technological installations. Therefore, heat removal requires an effective mechanical ventilation system. A numerical analysis of the selected air parameters in a room equipped with combustion devices was undertaken using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations in the DesignBuilder software. This was done for a combustion plant in the “Installation of Thermal Treatment of Sewage Sludge” building, located in the “Group Sewage Treatment Plant” complex of Lodz, Poland. The numerical analysis was based on experimental measurements and the results concerning the personnel work area were compared to the guidelines of the ISO international standard 7730:2005.

20-29

Authors: Paulina Pędziwiatr, Dawid Zawadzki, Karina Michalska

Fish and seafood production has grown steadily in the past five decades. Total world fisheries and aquaculture production reached 167.2 million tonnes in 2014 [1]. Intensive fish production triggers growth in the amount of waste processing, which has serious environmental impacts. Utilization and energy recovery from fish waste have become areas of interest for the global economy. Specialized methods and techniques have been developed to acquire biomethane, biodiesel and biofertilizer from fish biomass. Also, using physical, biochemical and thermochemical processes, relevant substances (such as fish protein hydrolysate, natural pigments, chitosan and collagen) can be obtained.

40-57

Authors: Krzysztof Jastrzębski, Aleksandra Jastrzębska, Dorota Bociąga

In the modern world, there is an increasing demand for implants, and technologies connected with their manufacturing. One of the possible paths of their development relates to the use of diamond-like carbon coatings (DLC) for the improvement of surface properties of the biomaterials used for implants. Further improvement of the mentioned properties can be induced by means of doping of the coating. Among the elements which are under current investigation of researchers, the following can be placed: Ag, Si, F, Cu, Ti, Ca and P. This paper reviews previously published experimental data concerning mechanical and physicochemical properties of DLC coatings doped with Ag, Si, Cu, Ti, Ca, F and P as candidates for biomedical applications. Although plenty of articles are published in the mentioned field, the differences of coatings’ synthesis techniques, various sources of dopants and substrates, as well as conducted experiments make no consistent view about a possible solution for their future implementation in medicine. Some of the selected dopants (Cu, Ca, P), still require better characterisation of mechanical properties. There is a necessity to conduct studies of mechanical and physicochemical properties of DLC coatings doped with these elements. This will enable adjustment of the necessary technological parameters to biomedical requirements.