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In order to track how cities develop and grow, multidimensional systems of urban development indicators taking into account the balance between economic, social, and environmental aspects are the best solution found so far. However, there is no unique measurement system that would be widely accepted and applied within various urban areas to verify whether a given city is developing in a sustainable way. The aim of this paper is to apply the TOPSIS algorithm on the basis of selected urban indicators, in order to evaluate the progress of a single city towards the concept of sustainable development observed over a longer period of time. A capital city of Poland, Warsaw, faces several challenges associated with development policy evaluation, thus confirming the need for this research. We meticulously selected 48 indicators from the economic, social and environmental areas as an input for TOPSIS algorithm, which allowed us to calculate a new proposed aggregated index for evaluating urban policy on the example of Warsaw. Research has shown usefulness of applied TOPSIS algorithm in assessing the long-run development of an urban area towards the concept of a sustainable city. The results of our analysis indicated that over a period of ten years, during 2008-2017, the urban policy decision-making has been balancing the socio-economic and environmental aspects and the city of Warsaw has been developed in a sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, Poland celebrated the 10th anniversary of the access to the European Union. At present, air traffic has been increasing since 2004, when the open sky policy was introduced. Unfortunately, the dynamics of year to year growth is getting lower. In 2014 Polish airports operated more than 25 million passengers. Polish Civil Aviation Authority forecasts the growth of air traffic by 2020. It is possible to predict that in 2020 in Poland 38 over million passengers will be traveling by plane. The flight operations and the rate of population mobility will increase. Polish government as well as local authorities and regions have to prepare a strategy of air transport development. This strategy should be realized for the central airport in Warsaw, major regional airports, small regional airports, and local and business aviation. The main aim of this paper is to identify opportunities for Polish airports in the new perspective of European funds for 2014–2020. The main problems of the issue will be presented from various points of view. The first problem focuses on the development of Polish air transport area. Moreover, the paper concentrates on the availability of European funds for air transport. Finally, the paper presents the analysis of selected investments in air transport area: infrastructure, capital and operations. These investments and regional strategies as well as individual programs and the concept of Central airports for Poland will be determining the model of the Polish air transport system until 2020. In the paper, I conducted the detailed research about the development with the management of Warsaw Chopin Airport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents essence of traffic risk. Determinants of this derivative of frequency and consequences are enumerated and described. The main attention is focused on kind of consequences, type of vehicle, injury seriousness as well as kind of accident participant. Basing on classical risk approach, traffic risk assessment methodology is created. It plays a crucial role in formulating risk strategies, implemented from most popular, international risk management standards – PRINCE2® and PMI®. Recommendations for traffic safety improvement base on an unique comparison of risk assessment results and general risk strategies, and they are implemented into real data that characterizes the biggest city in Poland – Warsaw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses selected problems with the estimation of environmental flows (EF) in the aspect of hydroelectric potential of rivers. The study was conducted for mountain catchments located in the upper Vistula catchment in Poland: Mszanka, Poroniec, Grajcarek, Ochotnica, and Kamienica Nawojowska. The data for calculations, in the form of observational series of daily flows in the years 1985-2014, were obtained from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management of the National Research Institute in Warsaw. Based on the data, environmental flows were calculated as 25% Mean Annual Flow (MAF), 70% Median Flow, Q 90 , 7Q10, 7Q2, and additionally with the Eflows Management Framework and Upscaling method (EMFU). The calculations made it possible to indicate the main problems related to the calculation of environmental flows using hydrological methods: selection of the appropriate characteristic flow, the method of determining guaranteed flows, selection of appropriate statistical distributions or sensitivity of environmental flows to the length of the observation series for which they are esteemed. In addition, the paper showed that the choice of method for calculating the environmental flow influences the volume of electricity production in hydroelectric plants. For watercourses not covered by specific forms of protection, the compromise between environmental protection and investment economics seems to be calculating the EF value by 25% MAF or Q 90. It was also found that it is optimal to maintain the value of EF (from the point of view of caring caring for the aquatic environment) along with choosing the economically justified options. Image 10061 • The link between the environmental flow (EF) and energy potential of rivers. • Lack of significant trends of mean annual flows (MAF) in the analysed catchments. • Sensitivity of EF values in reflect to length of hydrometric time series. • Best solution for environmental and energy production: EF as 25% MAF or Q90. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The method of tillage effect on microbial diversity and metabolism genes. • The lack of plow cultivation resulted in Nitrospirae dominating the soil. • The abundance of Sorangium sp. in the soil is independent of plow cultivation. • Mycobacterium sp. can may be an indicator of resistance to no-till in soil. • Gemmatimonas sp. can be recommended as indicator to prolonged lack of plowing. The idea of agricultural sustainable in the EU is based on, both minimizing interference with the soil system as well as diversifying crop rotation what relates to the limited cultivation system (changed from plow to no-plowing tillage) as well as organic fertilization is often abandoned. Taking above into account, our goal was determined of the structure, composition, and metabolic profiles of soil microbiomes in various cultivation methods (under multiannual plow and no-plow cultivation) using metagenomic analysis. Having regard to the recommendations contained in EU report (European Commission et al., 2020) of the Mission board for Soil health and food, 2020 indicating the lack of microbiological indicators of "healthy soil". So, we have tried to select of microbiological indicators showing sensitivity and resistance to use the methods of soil cultivation. The research object was located on almost 100-year field experiments at the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Agriculture and Biology in Skierniewice/near Warsaw on, luvisoils dominated in the temperate climate of Central Europe. Soil microorganisms respond with changes in their abundance and taxonomic composition depending on the methods of soil cultivation. Actinobacteria were the most abundant, while Planctomycetes were the least abundant in the metagenome of soil fertilized with manure, whereas the uncultivated soil was dominated by Nitrospirae. We can recommend the following taxa, including Gemmatimonas sp. as a microbiological indicator sensitive to the long-term lack of both plow cultivation of soil and organic fertilization, and Mycobacterium sp. as a resistancivity indicator to this soil cultivation method. Sorangium sp. could be recommended as microbiological indicators which responds by reducing the quantity under effect of the organically fertilized soil, while the plow and no-plow cultivation does not affect changes in its quantity. The use of various cultivation methods changed the biochemical functions in soil metagenoms, including nitrogen and sulfur metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism, and in the production of plant hormones and siderophores. Additionally, soil cultivation ways changed the response of microorganism's stresses, including oxidative stress. The conducted research indicates the necessity to conduct further research on the influence of various cultivation methods, on the diversity of the microorganism community and soil metabolism. The result of which may be the selection of appropriate microbiological indicators for determining "soil health" depending on the type of soil under cultivation located in different climatic zones, not only presented in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the analyses of the long-term observations of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10) in the Warsaw extended area. The AOT was observed between 2005 and 2011 in Warsaw and in Belsk (about 45 km away from Warsaw) with hand-held Microtops (Warsaw) and CIMEL (Belsk) sun photometers. The PM10 concentrations were measured at three Warsaw stations as well as in Belsk. The ground-based observations, and the satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provided information about the influence of Warsaw emissions on the AOT. The estimated effect is about 0.02 (at 500 nm) based on the sun photometers'' comparisons and 0.03 (at 550 nm) based on the MODIS results. Relatively small impact of Warsaw emissions on the AOT (about 10–15%) is consistent with the PM10 data. The mean PM10 differences, estimated during the same time as sun photometer measurements, for Warsaw Ursynow (a residential area) and Belsk was only 5.7 μg m−3 (13%), and for Warsaw Targowek (a mixed shopping and residential area) and Belsk was about 9.8 μg m−3 (20%). For the station located in the central Warsaw, near to the street with the heavy traffic, the difference in the long-term mean of the PM10 was significantly larger and reached 22.1 μg m−3 (36%). Finally, an extreme smoke event observed on 4 April 2009, when favorable weather conditions led to the differences in the AOT between Warsaw and Belsk in a range of 0.11–0.2 (at 500 nm) has been described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

According to the Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe''s (eCAADe) mission, exchange and collaboration within the area of CAAD education and research, respecting the pedagogical and administrative approaches in the different schools and countries, can be regarded as a core activity. The following paper reports on some of the pedagogical issues that have been derived from a preliminary review and roundtable participants'' experiences with CAAD curricula. This review reflects discussions that were held at the eCAADe 2002 conference in Warsaw (Poland) and also follows up on two earlier discussions held at eCAADe 2001 and eCAADe 2000. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper summarises 1 year of monitoring of a roof-mounted 1-kWp grid-connected system in Warsaw. The system has been in operation since December 2000. The PV array consists of 20 Millennia MST-50 MV modules. Climatic and solar radiation conditions at the site are reviewed, and the performance of the system is assessed from a component perspective (PV array, power conditioning unit) and from a global perspective (AC power delivered to the grid, system efficiency and system reliability). The performance of the system exceeded computer simulation expectations. The annual system energy yield is about 830 kWh, and the performance ratio ranges from 0.6 to 0.8. The efficiency of the PV system is in the range of 4–5%. The installed PV system plays an important role in demonstration and education. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examine topological pairs (Δ , Σ) which have computable type: if X is a computable topological space and f : Δ → X a topological embedding such that f (Δ) and f (Σ) are semicomputable sets in X , then f (Δ) is a computable set in X. It is known that (D , W) has computable type, where D is the Warsaw disc and W is the Warsaw circle. In this paper we identify a class of topological pairs which are similar to (D , W) and have computable type: we prove that (Δ , Σ) has computable type if Δ can somehow be approximated by a 2-cell whose boundary circle approximates Σ. Moreover, we examine higher-dimensional analogues of such pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to present a methodical approach for developing a hydrodynamic model of groundwater flow and transport of nitrogen compounds in the area covered by the precision farming system. The study area covers the part of the Vistula River floodplain terrace near Warsaw (Poland), in the vicinity of nature reserves: Wyspy Zawadowskie, Wyspy Świderskie and Łęgi Oborskie. The components of the water balance in the analysed area were determined using the HELP (Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance) model. In reference to the doses of mineral nitrogen used during precise fertilisation, the scenarios of the spread of nitrogen ions in the soil-water environment were detailed. The results were presented graphically in the form of hydroisohypses and isolines of nitrate and ammonium concentrations. The activity of overbank flows and the effect of the geological settings on the course of aquifer layers in the active exchange zone were taken into consideration when describing groundwater flow. This allowed us to indicate potential paths of intense nitrate migration resulting from the evolution of the fluvial environment. Moreover, "hydrogeological windows" have been identified, where contaminants can freely migrate to usable aquifer in the major groundwater basin. Unlabelled Image • Laboratory tests were conducted to determine parameters for hydrogeological modelling. • Multi-stage approaches for assessing the spread of nitrogen compounds are explained. • Remote sensing tools were applied to recognise hydrogeological windows. • Migration paths of nitrogen compounds were predicted using numerical modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]