History and Contemporary Politics of Poland 1939–2003

The present book “Poland – History, Culture and Society. Selected Readings” is the third edition of a collection of academic texts written with the intention to accompany the module by providing incoming students with teaching materials that will assist them in their studies of the course module and encourage further search for relevant information and data. The papers collected in the book have been authored by academic teachers from the University of Łódź, specialists in such fields as history, geography, literature, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, and political science. Each author presents one chapter related to a topic included in the module or extending its contents. The book contains the extensive bibliography

Ukraine 2014 – The End of the Second European Belle Époque

This article is devoted to the roots of the developments that have taken place in Ukraine since Autumn 2013 and up to the Russian invasion. It stresses the historical differences between Ukraine and Russia, presents the international milieu of Ukrainian independence in the years 1991–2013, and ends with a description of the nature of the Maidan revolution and the pan-European challenge created by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The main thesis is that the struggle for Ukraine ends the post-Cold War epoch marked with an illusion of eternal peace in Europe and with the groundless hope for Russian imperialism to expire

Poland in the Period of Partitions 1795–1914

The present book “Poland – History, Culture and Society. Selected Readings” is the third edition of a collection of academic texts written with the intention to accompany the module by providing incoming students with teaching materials that will assist them in their studies of the course module and encourage further search for relevant information and data. The papers collected in the book have been authored by academic teachers from the University of Łódź, specialists in such fields as history, geography, literature, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, and political science. Each author presents one chapter related to a topic included in the module or extending its contents. The book contains the extensive bibliograph

How expensive is the implementation of rural development programmes? Empirical results of implementation costs and their consideration in cost-effectiveness analyses

The present paper refers to the results from the evaluation of rural development programmes (RDPs) of five German states. It is focussed on two issues. The first is to develop a methodological approach for determining the implementation costs (ICs). The second is the discussion of their relevance in the context of the implementation of rural development policies presenting selected empirical results. The cost-impact synopsis (CIS) is a wider approach to relate the measure-specific implementation costs and disbursed funds, based on implementation cost classes, with achieved impact levels. The principles guiding the discussion are two theses: (1) High implementation costs increase the overall cost of the programme and thus reduce funding efficiency, (2) High implementation costs increase the use efficiency of the programmes because they are associated with more targeted, more effective measures. Sample analytical results for different study levels show that the empirical results lie somewhere between these two extremes.Implementation costs, Rural Development Programmes, Evaluation, Agricultural and Food Policy, H83, Q18,

The SAS Head Office - Spatial Configuration and Interaction Patterns

Interaction is identified as a key office activity, making the most of the knowledge and expertise invested in individuals. This paper describes the investigation of the head office of the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) in Stockholm, abuilding specifically designed to promote interaction. Space Syntax techniques were used to analyse the interior layout, whilst direct observations provided data on interaction levels and locations. The building was found to be strongly interactive, but not in the ways envisaged by its designer or the occupying organisation. The results from the study are compared with an international sample of buildings. General relationships and design principles are described

Monitoring endothelial cells in microfluidic systems

Maciej Grajewski beschrijft in zijn proefschrift het onderzoek dat hij heeft uitgevoerd over het creëren van een micro-omgeving voor het kweken van cellen, als ook de ontwikkeling van een methode om de status van een endotheelcel in een dergelijke omgeving te kunnen monitoren, zonder dat de cellen gelabeld hoeven te worden. De eerste doelstelling is belangrijk omdat biologen die onderzoek doen naar het cardiovasculaire systeem kunnen profiteren van condities voor celkweken die beter overeenkomen met de condities in het lichaam. Om deze reden heeft hij gewerkt aan het ontwikkelen van microkanalen voor celkweken, die vergelijkbare afmetingen hebben met bloedvaten in het lichaam. Bovendien heeft hij de cellen in die microkanalen blootgesteld aan vloeistofstroming, om de bloedstroom na te bootsen. Het celkweeksysteem dat is ontwikkeld door Maciej Grajewski maakt het mogelijk om in de toekomst een beter begrip te krijgen over de mechanismen die aan de basis liggen van de ontwikkeling van cardiovasculaire aandoeningen. Daarnaast heeft Maciej Grajewski gewerkt aan de ontwikkeling van een nieuwe fotonische methode om het gedrag van endotheel cellen in real-time te kunnen bestuderen. Hierbij heeft hij kunnen vaststellen dat de fysiologische parameter die hiermee daadwerkelijk bekeken wordt cellulaire microbeweging is. Door deze cellulaire microbeweging te monitoren met de nieuwe methode, bleek het mogelijk om het signaal te relateren aan verschillende chemische en fysieke stimuli voor de cellen. Het daadwerkelijke microsysteem is slechts zo groot als een microscoopglaasje, en kan tijdens een experiment geïnspecteerd worden onder de microscoop. Deze methode kan worden toegepast in het real-time observeren van cellulair gedrag onder verschillende condities

The Rohingya Muslims: Liminality and Statelessness

The Rohingya Muslims have been subject to decades of persecution, violence and expulsion from Myanmar to Bangladesh. In order to aid the Rohingya, the international refugee regime has repeatedly used repatriation, which has only served as a temporary solution. Yet, are the Rohingya actually repatriated, or are they refouled? Repatriation, the most favored of the three ‘durable solutions’, is the voluntary return of refugees to their country of origin. On the other hand, refoulement is the forced return of refugees to their country of origin, and its use is prohibited under international law. The Rohingya are forcibly repatriated, or refouled, because the international community perceives the Rohingya people as residents of Myanmar and pressures the government to allow them to return on that basis. However, forced repatriation is ineffective, as the Rohingya remain in the liminal space of statelessness, not truly belonging in Myanmar or Bangladesh. This thesis focuses on case studies of the 1991, 2012, and 2017 exoduses and consequential refoulement of the Rohingya to reveal a problematic and seemingly inescapable cycle. We can better understand this cycle by looking at Liisa Malkki’s concept of refugees\u27 liminal positioning within ‘the national order of things’ (Malkki 1995 a). Applying Malkki’s framework to these case studies helps to illuminate why forced repatriation continues to happen and why this ‘durable solution’ is ultimately ineffective

Evaluation of Light Falling Weight Deflectometer for In Situ Measurement of Secondary Deformation Modulus of Various Forest Road Pavements

Roads in forests are necessary for proper forest management and active protection of the natural environment. They facilitate tourism and recreation and have a very important function in firefighting. The cost of building roads in forest areas is considerable, even when relatively cheap materials such as aggregates of natural or anthropogenic origin are used. Therefore, any road investment must be well prepared and executed. Bearing capacity and compaction are among the most important and frequently used geotechnical parameters in road construction. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of predicting the value of the secondary deformation modulus E2 (obtained from measurements with a static plate load test – PLT) based on measurements with a light falling weight deflectometer (LFWD) Zorn, type ZFG 3000 GPS with a drop weight of 10 kg. The regression analysis included 245 results of bearing capacity measurements carried out on 46 forest road sections with various road pavements. Different regression models were tested: linear, logarithmic, polynomial, exponential and power models, excluding polynomials of fourth and higher degree. Prediction of E2 (PLT) values from dynamic deformation modulus Evd (LFWD) values is possible. However, the reported unsatisfactory strength of the relationship between the two parameters is associated with a high risk of error (r=0.73, R2=0.54, Se=80.37 MN·m-2). Neither the use of more complex non-linear regression models nor the use of multiple regression by introducing an additional estimator in the form of the s/v ratio significantly improved the estimation results. The quality of the prediction of E2 values is not constant. It varies depending on the type of forest road pavements, the use of geosynthetic pavement reinforcements and the type of road subgrade. The study also found that the quality of E2 prediction can be improved by limiting the range of tested Evd values upwards. It is advisable to continue this type of research, as the results obtained could be the basis for developing national standards for the application of LFWD to control the bearing capacity and compaction of forest road surfaces in the future

Prozeßorganisation: gegenwärtige Herausforderung

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Genetic variability of some Italian and Polish duck breeds

This study is aimed to estimate and compare the inter- and within-breed variability of duck populations under genetic conservation programmes. The following four duck breeds were analysed: Germanata Veneta (AGV) and Mignon (AMG) from Italy, Pekin Krajowy (33P) and Pomniejszona (2K) from Poland. The characterisation of the four populations was carried out through a panel of 23 microsatellite markers. The analysis involved 180 individuals: 39 for AGV, 41 for AMG, 50 for 33P and 50 for 2K. An average of 11.36 alleles per locus was identified. Twenty-two loci showed high values of polymorphism information content from 0.575 to 0.912, while CAUD136 was monomorphic for the Italian breeds. The breeds showed relatively high heterozygosity: higher for the Polish populations (0.6920 for 33P and 0.6521 for 2K), and lower for the Italian (0.4497 and 0.3718 for AGV and AMG, respectively). The inbreeding coefficient was higher for the Italian breeds, AMG in particular (0.133, 0.097 and 0.121), as well as the differentiation index (0.253). The Nei’s minimum distances (DM) and Reynolds distances (DR) were low between the Polish populations (0.131 and 0.088, respectively); these were associated to AGV (DM = 0.191 and DR = 0.259 for 33P; DM = 0.174 and DR = 0.226 for 2K). Finally, AGV was distant from AMG (DM = 0.259 and DR = 0.317). The molecular coancestry, or mean kinship was higher for the Italian breeds compared to Polish populations. The Italian populations showed intermediate values. The obtained results can be perceived as an important tool for the applied genetic conservation programmes