Cracow University of Technology

Urban sprawl is one of the major challenges facing urbanizing societies. This study quantifies the extent of urban sprawl in southern Poland's four most populous metropolitan areas, encompassing 164 municipalities, and assesses the effectiveness of spatial planning strategies aimed at limiting sprawl. The first phase of the research establishes comparative parameters for evaluating sprawl across these urban regions. To measure it, we apply the weighted urban proliferation (WUP) method, which comprises three indicators: the proportion of built-up land, the degree of spatial dispersion, and land consumption per capita. The most dispersed metropolitan areas are Rzeszów and Upper Silesia-Zagłębiowska and the most compact are Kraków and Wrocław. In the second phase, we analyze sprawl at the municipal level and examine how specific planning instruments—namely local spatial development plans (MPZPs) and decisions on land development and management conditions (WZs)—influence its occurrence. We correlate the WUP metrics for each municipality with the percentage of land covered by MPZPs in 2018 and the total number of WZs issued from 2009 to 2018. The analysis reveals diverse sprawl patterns, shaped by differing historical contexts, planning coverage (MPZPs), and intensity of WZ decisions. Notably, the number of WZs per square kilometer appears to exert a stronger impact on sprawl dynamics than the mere extent of MPZP coverage. Our findings indicate only weak to moderate correlations between the presence of MPZPs and sprawling development, suggesting the need for more targeted and effective anti-sprawl planning policies. This study highlights the critical role of well-designed spatial management tools for coping with urban expansion. • Weighted urban proliferation (WUP), integrating land use, dispersion, and population density, is applied in Poland. • The most dispersed metro areas are Rzeszów and Upper Silesia-Zagłębiowska and the most compact are Kraków and Wrocław. • Certain regions are more dispersed due to historical legacies, weak planning, and high intensity of land development. • Due to the low effectiveness of local spatial development plans, new tools should be used to limit urban sprawl. • The WUP method enables new empirical evidence of planning effectiveness in Polish cities.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains one of the most aggressive breast cancer subtypes and is associated with limited therapeutic options, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. In this study, a library of seventeen 1,3,5-triazine derivatives potentially targeting TNBC was developed using an activity-based approach. Compounds were synthesized via an ultrasound-assisted protocol, providing an efficient and environmentally friendly methodology. The synthesized library was evaluated in vitro against the human TNBC cell lines MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-231, and Hs578T, as well as the non-tumorigenic epithelial cell line MCF10A. Compounds 9 and 17 exhibited the most promising antiproliferative activity against TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-468: IC50 = 36.62 µM for 9 and 38.29 µM for 17; MDA-MB-231: IC50 = 37.32 µM for 9 and 32.86 µM for 17; Hs578T: IC50 = 57.26 µM for 9 and 34.87 µM for 17), while maintaining acceptable selectivity toward non-cancerous cells. The lead compounds were further assessed in vivo using a Danio rerio model to evaluate general toxicity and cardiotoxicity. In addition, ADME parameters were predicted for all compounds using biomimetic chromatography. Overall, compounds 9 and 17 emerged as promising small-molecule candidates for TNBC treatment, requiring further toxicological evaluation in more human-relevant in vivo models.

According to Polish law, it is prohibited to perform excavations or locate buildings closer than 50 m to an embankment. In order to obtain exemption from this ban, filtration and stability analysis of the embankments and excavation in flood conditions must be performed. This paper presents the results of a numerical investigation of a real case on the interactions between an excavation and an embankment. A transient flow model was used for filtration simulations, and the obtained pore pressure distributions automatically underwent stability analysis. The stability and filtration simulation results are presented. The safe design of an excavation support is proven. Changes in the values of the Stability Factor (SF) and stability loss mechanism (sliding surface location) during a flood are observed and discussed, with possible explanations given. A parametric study focused on the influence of the length and stiffness of the steel sheet pile wall on the embankment and excavation behavior. The relationship between wall length and the Stability Factor (SF) is strongly nonlinear and differs significantly between the various phases of flooding. Shortening of the wall may lead to either a decrease or increase in the bending moment. The main novelty of this work is the combination of excavation support and anti-flood embankment analysis, for which references are very limited. Also, the parametric study is considered novel, with no similar analyses being found in the literature. The problem of the reasonable selection of design values of the bending moment in the sheet pile wall is also often omitted. Additionally, one of the analyzed excavations is located on the waterside, where usually only excavations located on the airside are taken into account. All numerical simulations were performed using the ZSOIL.PC FEM (Finite Element Method) system.

A gap test an experimental and numerical test, which is designed to show that the effective mode I fracture energy depends strongly on the crack-parallel normal stress. Talking about the fracture energy one should distinguish between the initial and the total fracture energy. According to Nguyen et al., the initial fracture energy is the area under the initial tangent of the traction–separation curve while the total fracture energy represents the area under the traction–separation curve. Alternatively one can estimate the total fracture energy as the area between the up-and-down curve and the horizontal yield line in the load-displacement diagram. Authors of this paper tried to recreate numerically the gap test with a concrete specimen and to calculate the total fracture energy. They used the concrete damaged plasticity model in Abaqus software. Results presented in this paper are continuation of the authors’ work, presented previously at the FraMCoS 2025 conference.

• Data for meta-analyses may be biased by evaluation quality and journal quality. • We explored this in the context of effectiveness of physical road safety measures. • We combined CMF Clearinghouse (1000 + evaluations) and 8 journal ranking lists. • Most rankings showed that the better journal ranking, the better evaluation ranking. • The finding is critical with regards to predatory journals impacts on meta-analyses. Meta-analyses are an important source of road safety evidence. However, their source data may be biased by both evaluation quality and journal quality. This motivated us to explore the link, focusing on the effectiveness of physical road safety measures. We collected and combined two kinds of datasets: evaluation quality of research (seven samples) and journal quality (eight ranking lists). In the end, only the CMF Clearinghouse dataset of more than 1000 evaluations could be used. Despite some inconsistencies, six of eight rankings showed the expected positive relationship: the better journal ranking, the better evaluation ranking (and vice versa). This calls for the attention of authors and readers, as well as meta-analysts, particularly in the context of predatory journals and their potential impacts on the quality of road safety meta-analyses.

Thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity are key parameters controlling heat transfer and temperature distribution in road pavement structures. Although transient methods are increasingly used in laboratory testing, the thermal properties of asphalt mixtures have not been sufficiently studied using these methods, and no dedicated standards exist for road materials. This creates uncertainty in test procedures, specimen geometry, surface preparation, measurement location, and data interpretation, which may lead to significant errors, especially for massive and heterogeneous mixtures. The objective of this study is to systematically quantify the edge zone effect and assess its influence on the determined thermal parameters of a selected heterogeneous asphalt mixture. The study focuses on the quantitative determination of the edge zone effect, practical identification of its width in slab-shaped specimen, and the identification of scientific and practical methodological consequences, as well as the risks and limitations of applying the Modified Transient Plane Source (MTPS) method in the absence of standards. Laboratory measurements demonstrate a clear edge zone effect, with thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity differing by up to 17% and 18%, respectively, near the specimen edges. These findings highlight the importance of methodological guidelines for slab-shaped asphalt mixture specimens and provide both scientific insight and practical guidance for the reliable application of transient method. They may also support the development of standardized testing procedures for asphalt mixtures.

This paper analyses the impact of inlet air precooling on the efficiency and electricity consumption of an open-type evaporative cooling tower. An Indirect Evaporative Cooler (IEC) was used to reduce the inlet air temperature, and its influence on system efficiency was experimentally evaluated. Although IEC units and the Maisotsenko cycle are increasingly discussed in the literature, no research to date has considered their effect on evaporative tower efficiency under actual operating conditions. For this purpose, a test stand was constructed comprising an open cooling tower and an IEC unit. The system operated automatically for 2952 h, corresponding to a full cooling season in Poland. Two sets of data collected during cooling tower operation were analysed: without precooling (Stage I) and with precooling using IEC (Stage II). Measurements were recorded every 10 s. Additionally, tests were conducted at elevated thermal loads and peak ambient temperatures. The comparative analysis concluded that air precooling using IEC reduced the cooling tower’s electricity consumption by approximately 15% and increased the SCOP of the cooling tower by 30%. This demonstrates the significant potential of the proposed solution.