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Waste plywood containing phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resin is one of the materials that are difficult to use in the production of particleboards based on UF resin. Therefore, the aim of this research was to analyze the possibility of using this type of waste in the production of particleboards bonded with melamine-urea-phenol-formaldehyde (MUPF) resin in order to determine their suitability for particleboard production. The pressing process and density profile of three-layer particleboards were presented. The press closing time for mats containing only recovered particles in the core layer (100%), produced with a face layer ratio of 50%, a resin load for a face layer of 12%, and a core layer of 10%, at a unit pressure of 3 MPa, was 29% shorter than for the industrial particle mats. Regardless of the level of variability of independent factors, the heating time of the mats containing recovered particles was 10–20% shorter than the heating time of the mats with industrial particles. The greatest impact on the maximum density of the face layer of particleboards was observed for the content of the recovered particles and then the resin load. The maximum density area of the face layer was located closer to the surface in particleboards produced with a higher (80%, 100%) content of the recovered particles, a higher (i.e., 12% and 10%, respectively, for face and core layers) resin load, a lower (35%) face layer ratio, and a higher (3 MPa) unit pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local innovation systems (LIS) constitute a relatively new term as usually the discussion about the systemic approach to innovation has focused on the level of countries, and most of all - regions. In this article an attempt was made to assess Polish municipalities from the perspective of their potential for development of local innovative systems. The performed factor analysis allowed characterization of five types of institution networks which may impact creation and development of LIS. The study was completed with case studies in selected voivodeship cities as centres of the highest concentration of institutions usually building local innovation systems, three of which were capitals of the poorest regions in Poland.

The aim of this article is to reveal crucial factors (political, administrative and financial) that influence the attitudes of local governments in the internationalisation process. The paper’s conclusions are based on a study referring to various types of analyses, both quantitative and qualitative, of official documents, databases as well as in-depth interviews. The study was conducted in Lublin, Poland and Nancy in France.

The demographic low, and thus the inevitable aging of the populations of economically developed countries, makes it necessary to extend the working life of citizens. Therefore, an increasing percentage of workers are representatives of the so-called "silver" generation, i.e., people over 50 years of age. The main objective of the study is to characterize the system of values, attitudes to work, and related expectations of professionally active women and men over 50 years of age and to determine whether, and if so, how the hierarchy of values, attitudes to work, and job satisfaction affect the further development of their professional careers. In order to achieve such a goal, a CAVI survey was conducted on a sample of n = 600 respondents. The statistical significance of the differences between the groups was tested with the Mann–Whitney U test. To verify the main hypothesis, ordinal logistic regression models were built. The results of the study were supplemented with elements of descriptive statistics. In the course of the research work, it was confirmed that there are significant differences between the studied men and women in the assessment of traits concerning their value hierarchy, attitudes towards work, and career prospects. Traits such as value hierarchy and attitudes toward work have a significant impact on the career development of both women and men of the "silver" generation, while job satisfaction shows a significant impact on career development only for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

background: Positive orientation (PO) is a hidden variable explaining a tendency to formulate global evaluations regarding one's self, life and the future. It is inherited to a large degree and it could be considered a common base for numerous aspects of subjective well-being. The self-concept, in turn, is a basic adaptation formed during individual experiences that is responsible for adjustment. The primary aim of the current study was to verify hypotheses about the significant relationship between PO and a "core self" (high self-concept clarity, low self-esteem contingency, low self-rumination), as well as the meditational role of the "core self" in the relation between PO and hedonic balance. participants and procedure: A group of 200 participants completed several measures referring to PO, self-concept and emotions. results: The canonical correlation analysis revealed PO to be a strong predictor of the adaptive features of the self-concept. Moreover, the tested models suggest that (1) self-concept clarity is a significant mediator between PO and hedonic balance, and (2) PO directly predicts only self-concept clarity, whereas its relations with self-esteem contingency and rumination are mediated by the self-knowledge structure. conclusions: These findings indicate that PO is an important and independent factor enhancing adaptive features of the self-concept structure as well as well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]