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This paper addresses the critical need for detailed electricity and peak power demand maps for urban public transportation vehicles. Current approaches often rely on overly general assumptions, leading to considerable errors in specific applications or, conversely, overly specific measurements that limit generalisability. We aim to present a comprehensive data-driven methodology for analysing energy consumption within a large urban agglomeration. The method leverages a unique and extensive set of real-world performance data, collected over two years from onboard recorders on all public bus lines in the Capital City of Warsaw. This large dataset enables a robust probabilistic analysis, ensuring high accuracy of the results. For this study, three representative bus lines were selected. The approach involves isolating inter-stop trips, for which instantaneous power waveforms and energy consumption are determined using classical mathematical models of vehicle drive systems. The extracted data for these sections is then characterised using probability distributions. This methodology provides accurate calculation results for specific operating conditions and allows for generalisation with additional factors like air conditioning or heating. The direct result of this paper is a detailed urban map of energy demand and peak power for public transport vehicles. Such a map is invaluable for planning new traffic routes, verifying existing ones regarding energy consumption, and providing a reliable input source for strategic charger deployment analysis along the route.

Are the regulations relating to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) sufficient to ensure the safety of all autonomy systems? EMC is one of the critical factors influencing the proper functioning of a vehicle and its safety. However, the safety of autonomous vehicles from the perspective of EMC has not been comprehensively researched to date. The purpose of this article is to evaluate whether the currently imposed requirements are adequate. To assess research methods and requirements, it is necessary to determine the electromagnetic environment of vehicles. For this purpose, identification tests of the vehicle’s operating environment were conducted. The article presents the results of research on both the internal and external electromagnetic environments of vehicles. These studies were carried out using normative methods. Despite the significant importance of EMC and the existence of defined normative requirements, the results of the conducted research indicate that some devices available on the market, including those unrelated to vehicle autonomy, fail to meet these standards. Consequently, devices responsible for vehicle safety must be resistant to such electromagnetic exposures. In extreme cases, the malfunction of a single vehicle component due to inadequate electromagnetic compatibility could lead to the disruption of vehicle functions or driver disorientation. Such occurrences pose a direct threat to road traffic safety and the well-being of passengers.

The purpose of this article is to describe the model of the most important employee financial participation (EFP) programs and give some proposals aiming at wider promotion of financial participation in tourist companies in order to show the occurring relations between the programs applied and the socioeconomic results of enterprises. The research has been based on available literature and own research conducted on the sample of Polish companies listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange. The author’s research could serve as a guide to carry out similar research in the tourist resort. Financial participation programs existing in particular countries differ because of various circumstances in which they are applied, various range and eligibility of employees, though it is possible to find such elements which they have in common. What can be expected is a radical change in workers’ attitudes towards a higher commitment, stronger identification with the company, and as a result taking responsibility for its future. It is even more important in tourist industry (in transnational tourist companies) in a comparison to the traditional one. It can be assumed that the awareness aspect plays here a vital role in the way to a success of the whole company and individual employees’ as well. Unfortunately, this is not a common condition. We can expect that EFP programs generally would have a positive influence on the functioning of the tourist enterprise. However, the effects could be rather social than economic. More rigorous statistical analysis is needed to know more about economic results in tourist industry, unfortunately such studies are not conducted in tourism, so the question in the title is still open.

The article concerns the issue of retrofitting (i.e., the conversion of worn-out diesel buses into electric buses). As this solution is often cheaper than purchasing new electric buses, it can be attractive for low-population areas with a weaker economic infrastructure. The article aims to present an original method for rapidly selecting components for the electric traction system, such as the electric motor, inverter, and transmission systems, combined with a battery installed in a drawer. The battery swapping solution is dedicated to regions with underdeveloped power infrastructure that does not allow for fast charging of bus batteries using pantographs. A mathematical model in the form of a polynomial was developed to estimate the energy losses for a given route. This model consists of a bus physics model, an energy loss model in the propulsion system, and a battery model. The weight coefficients of the polynomials were determined based on an analytical analysis of the model dependencies. The obtained models were reduced using the Lasso regularization method in linear regression. The input data for the model includes route characteristics (or driving cycle) and technical characteristics of the traction system components. The model output provides a detailed profile of electric energy consumption and peak values of the drive system characteristics (e.g., maximum torque of the motor) which must not be exceeded. Implemented as computer software, the model—combined with a database of motors, inverters, drive transmission systems, and batteries—allows for a quick calculation of the possibilities of applying a selected configuration to cover a given route. The approach proposed in the article enables the rapid composition of electric traction devices based on required driving conditions during the initial vehicle prototyping stage. At the same time, it allows the state of the bus battery to be monitored and estimates the remaining range during the operation of upgraded buses.

Poland is divided into 380 poviats. However the statistical data on the development of these small regions is available from official statistics, there is no study known to the authors which has analysed the mutual dependencies between the tourist development of poviats (understood either as the historic rate of development or the current state of development) and their natural potential for development. Moreover, the research and data available are not coherent methodologically because they are based on single indicators or variables. Authors’ study seeks to be more general because it combines popular tourist development indicators. The basic goals are twofold: (1) use multivariate tourist data to assess the development of all poviats; (2) compare this assessment with the tourist attractiveness of poviats. To this end, widely applied and well-known indicators of tourism and development are used, such as Charvat’s index and Schneider’s index. Statistical tools used are graphs and correlation analysis.

The subject of this article is the design of a nonstandard steering system in cars. The applied methodology takes into account universal design, ensuring the greatest possible adaptation of the steering system to potential users, and at the same time, thanks to the specific nature of the designed steering device, it also assumes a special approach allowing for individual adjustment of the steering system to the needs and limitations of drivers with lower-limb disabilities. It is implemented through the “custom design” methodology. This article presents the impact of the design features of the multifunction steering wheel on the correctness of driving, as well as the level of load on selected muscles of the upper limbs responsible for operating the steering wheel. The tests were carried out on a dynamic simulator of a motor vehicle using the electromyography (EMG) technique, which enables the measurement of muscle load. A systemic approach to training and verifying the skills of drivers using new HMI solutions is proposed.

Air pollution poses a growing threat to public health and the environment, highlighting the need for continuous and precise urban air quality monitoring. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate an autonomous air quality monitoring platform developed by the University of Ruse, “Angel Kanchev”, under Bulgaria’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (project BG-RRP-2.013-0001), co-financed by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU initiative. The system, based on Libelium’s mobile sensor technology, was installed at a height of two meters on the university campus near Rodina Boulevard and operated continuously from 1 March 2024 to 30 March 2025. Every 15 min, it recorded concentrations of CO, CO2, NO2, SO2, PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, along with meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, and pressure), transmitting the data via GSM to a cloud-based database. Analyses included a distributional assessment, Spearman rank correlations, Kruskal–Wallis tests with Dunn–Sidak post hoc comparisons, and k-means clustering to identify temporal and meteorological patterns in pollutant levels. The results indicate the high operational stability of the system and reveal characteristic pollution profiles associated with time of day, weather conditions, and seasonal variation. The findings confirm the value of combining calibrated IoT systems with advanced statistical methods to support data-driven air quality management and the development of predictive environmental models.

The construction of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) vehicle made within the framework of Eco-Mobility project has been described in the present paper. Key features of the vehicles were identified – e.g. drive with three-phase linear motor with winding on the vehicle and fixed rotor in the road surface, contactless dynamic vehicle powering. Attention was paid to the difference in dynamic properties compared to rail vehicles, related to the lack of the so-called ‘centering mechanism’. A development of a nominal model for the analysis of vehicle drive properties was presented. Results of simulation studies were presented for a vehicle with running-drive system construction, planned for implementation in the city of Rzeszów (Poland). While discussing the problems of building a PRT system, there was a focus on the issue of determining power and traction of the vehicle. A methodology for determining the power and traction energy consumption of the vehicle was presented for assumed conditions of travel on road segments. Input values for the calculation of power are variables describing the curvature (or bends radii) of paths of movement between stops and the course of the current speed. Output values are total traction power or traction energy (where ‘traction’ refers to the power or mechanical work of drive forces). Three basic elements of traction power were isolated: the power of kinetic energy (for acceleration/delay of vehicle movement) basic (to offset the aerodynamic force of motion resistance at constant speed) and additional losses (to offset additional motion resistance forces operating in turns at constant speed). Due to the lack of vehicle prototypes with assumed structure, it was proposed that these components are determined via simulation. The presented results relate to the calculation of demand for power and energy for the planned test section. The scope of further work was indicated: determining the required traction characteristics of electric drive, selecting the best values for supercapacitor’s capacity in the drive system, determining the technical parameters of substation. First published online 20 October 2016

Phenolic acids still gain significant attention due to their potential antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties. In this study, we have investigated the antimicrobial of six phenolic acids, namely chlorogenic, caffeic, p -coumaric, rosmarinic, gallic and tannic acids in the concentration range 0.5–500 μM, against Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus rhamnosus . The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay. Additionally, the cytotoxic effects of these phenolic acids on two cancer cell lines, the colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell line and Dukes’ type C colorectal adenocarcinoma DLD-1 cell line was examined. To further understand the molecular properties of these phenolic acids, quantum chemical calculations were performed using the Gaussian 09W program. Parameters such as ionization potential, electron affinity, electronegativity, chemical hardness, chemical softness, dipole moment, and electrophilicity index were obtained. The lipophilicity properties represented by logP parameter was also discussed. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of six phenolic acids, compounds deliberately selected due to their chemical structure. They are derivatives of benzoic or cinnamic acids with the increasing number of hydroxyl groups in the aromatic ring. The integration of experimental and computational methodologies provides a knowledge of the molecular characteristics of bioactive compounds and partial explanation of the relationship between the molecular structure and biological properties. This knowledge aids in guiding the development of bioactive components for use in dietary supplements, functional foods and pharmaceutical drugs.

The article discusses the issue of how potential users perceive automated and autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, emphasizing that its sophistication and reliability are crucial for the safety of driving vehicles with a level of automation starting from the third degree. Safety plays a significant role in determining public acceptance of autonomous vehicles. Without the acceptance of potential users and their willingness to use smart electric vehicles, it is challenging to talk about the rapid implementation of autonomous vehicles, despite their undeniable benefits. The article presents an analysis of survey results regarding public opinion in Poland on this matter. The survey utilized various methods, including CAWI surveys, Focus Group Interviews (FGI), and Individual In-depth Interviews (IDI). The CAWI survey involved 1067 respondents in Poland, with a 95% confidence level and a maximum margin of error of 3%, representing a representative sample of the Polish population aged 16 and above. The article examines issues that illustrate respondents’ acceptance levels concerning perceived security and trust in AVs. The obtained results are compared with opinions from surveys conducted in other countries. Additionally, the article attempts to identify reasons for the low assessment of the technologies among respondents and proposes measures to boost confidence in automated and autonomous vehicles.