The purpose of the article is to introduce the discourse around advanced technologies that can make a city a well-being city while also creating a surveillance city, an issue that is becoming important to smart city researchers. Researchers seek to answer the question: where is the line between well-being and surveillance? To answer this question, the article will explore Jeremy Bentham’s and Michel Foucault’s positions on panoptic thought, as well as Bentham’s principle of greatest happiness and Janusz Czapinski’s onion theory of happiness.

A market economy requires continuous improvement of products. The classic case is striving to meet customer expectations, i.e., ensuring product quality. However, in terms of sustainable development, it is also necessary to take actions that contribute to the protection of the natural environment and ensure a positive social impact. It is still a challenge. Therefore, the aim of the article is to develop a model for product improvement by considering the criteria of quality, environment, and social impact. The developed model is an original decision indicator, according to which prototypes of modified products are ranked according to their fulfillment of (i) expected quality, (ii) low environmental impact in the life cycle (LCA), and (iii) social responsibility. Based on the results of the model and the proposed decision indicator, it is possible to determine the direction of improvement of any product by assessing prototypes (product variants) in terms of their sustainable development. The model test is carried out for photovoltaic (PV) panels, popular in recent years, verified according to six prototypes and 15 sustainability criteria regarding their quality, environmental impact, and social responsibility. The test confirmed its effectiveness in the case of photovoltaic panels, but the proposed model can be successfully used to design or improve other products. This is supported by a developed original decision indicator supporting the making of multicriteria quality, environmental, and social decisions at the stage of designing new products or improving existing products.

Urban centers, replete with diverse amenities and opportunities, simultaneously grapple with the challenges brought on by rapid urbanization, notably in the realms of transport and logistics. A pivotal move towards energy-efficient and sustainable systems is essential to mitigate these challenges. In this landscape, machine learning (ML), and particularly recurrent neural networks (RNNs), emerge as powerful tools for effectively addressing these urban complexities. This comprehensive review zeroes in on the deployment of RNNs within sustainable urban transportation and logistics, highlighting their adeptness in processing sequential data, a critical component in various forecasting and optimization tasks. We commence with a foundational understanding of RNNs, segueing into their successful applications in urban transport and logistics. This review also critically examines the constraints of current methodologies and potential avenues for enhancement. We scrutinize the application of RNNs across several areas, encompassing the energy shift in both passenger and freight transport, logistics management, integration of low- and zero-emission vehicles, and the energy dynamics of transport and logistics. Additionally, the role of RNNs in traffic and infrastructure planning is explored, particularly in forecasting traffic flow, congestion patterns, and optimizing energy usage. The crux of this review is to amalgamate and present the existing knowledge on the instrumental role of RNNs in facilitating the transition to energy-efficient urban transportation and logistics. Our goal is to highlight effective strategies, pinpoint challenges, and map out avenues for future research in this domain.

This paper presents research results on CO2 emissions originating from maritime vessels with various main engine settings. The impact (i.e., the volume and amount) of gas emissions into the environment is shown, along with the characteristics of the marine fuel used. This research was carried out on a container vessel sailing on a fixed route between Rotterdam and St. Petersburg. It covered mainly two different engine operations, at 124 RPM and 100 RPM settings, in the Kiel Canal area. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the engine setting of 100 RPM compared to the same voyage through the Kiel Canal, with an engine setting of 124 RPM, leads to a significant reduction of CO2 emissions. Though proving such a thesis seems to be evident, the analysis in the paper shows that, in practice, mainly due to time constraints and engineers’ assumptions of engine technical status, the higher speeds are still preferred over lower ones. In studies not related to passive use or active methods, only specific and simplest methods of obtaining CO2 emissions are presented.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant adverse impact on economic trends and the ability of enterprises to manage their global supply chain activities. One major challenge relates to handling disruptions in supply chain activities and conducting humanitarian logistics. When facing disruptions in the humanitarian supply chain, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) need to identify relevant scenarios for supply chain processes, both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine the performance outcomes of these processes. This study aims to measure the logistics performance of the humanitarian supply chain process before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It adopts the performance criteria from the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model and the humanitarian logistics success criteria found in the literature for operationalization. Subsequently, the study employs the spherical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (SF-AHP) methodology as a decision-making tool to prioritize criteria for identifying each aspect of the humanitarian supply chain process. These metrics are valuable for organizations to determine which sustainable supply chain processes are better suited, based on predefined criteria, to mitigate disruptions caused by the pandemic. Document accuracy is identified as the most important metric criterion for the humanitarian supply chain process.

The foundry industry is an important component of the economy on which other progressive industries depend. The reliability of the products it manufactures is determined by the technologies used, but, most importantly, it ensures the expected level of quality. The purpose of the article is to develop a synergistic quality-cost model for the improvement of casting products. The model is based on an integral methodological configuration that makes it possible to determine the level of relevance of the causes of casting nonconformity in the quality-cost context. The model integrates techniques such as the Pareto-Lorenz diagram, ranking, brainwriting, Ishikawa diagram, Likert rating scale, and matrix diagram. Verification of the method by its implication in the manufacturing process of a gearbox casting is performed. The model makes it possible to identify quality-cost relationships between key categories of problem causes and major product nonconformities. The main causes of the loss of quality stability of the analyzed product are found to be low quality of molding sand, poor technical condition of foundry equipment (too infrequent repairs and overhauls), and ineffective quality control. Carrying out the analysis made it possible to develop appropriate improvement measures. It is proposed to implement changes in the casting process, implement the TPM method, conduct periodic training, develop job instructions, implement a control system, and provide supervision of employees. Further research directions will concern the implications of the method within the other positions in the casting company and its development towards automation of analysis.

Abstract This paper presents the results of modelling research concerned with the technological process of the cold bending of a pipe. Stress and plastic strain studies are carried out using the finite element method (FEM) on a thick-walled pipe and various shapes of bending form. The results of the research are benchmarked in terms of the correctness of the implementation of the bending process, including the change in the pipe outside diameter and wall thickness. The level of ovalisation of the cross-section in the bending pipe is used as the primary criterion for assessing the correctness of the bending process. The results show that the most favourable properties in terms of minimising the ovalisation of the pipe cross-section are provided by the use of a bending form with a trapezoidal shape.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused vast changes in the functioning of societies and economies, including restrictions on the use of rail transportation. As a result, the number of passengers has declined, and despite the lifting of restrictions, it is still difficult to estimate when and if passenger rail traffic will return to its pre-pandemic state. Therefore, it seems important to consider the following: how the pandemic has affected the transportation behavior patterns of residents and, above all, what should be done to encourage passengers to use rail transportation more often, which is more environmentally friendly and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, it seems important to consider what the “new normal” in rail transportation should look like. This article analyzes the number of passengers traveling by rail in eight European countries. This work considers quarterly data for 2013‒2019, combined passenger forecasts for 2020‒2021, and annual forecasts of rail passenger traffic until 2025 built using data for 2012‒2021.

Natural rubber is an important industrial material derived from caoutchouc trees (Hevea Brasiliensis). By chemical composition, it is a polymer material that is mostly cis-1,4-polyisoprene. It falls into the category of elastomers, which enables its wide usage due to its specific characteristics. Polymer materials include plastic, rubber, and glue and are the most important technical materials. Rubbers are used in the production of conveyor belts, shock absorbers, coatings, fenders, engines, and device parts. They are also used in composite materials such as threads, particles, and matrix materials. By analyzing the properties of natural rubber, the subject of the research is defined, i.e., the characterization of natural rubber samples and their connection with macroscopic properties. In accordance with the subject of the research, in this paper, tests are carried out on samples of natural rubber, which are obtained in the form of thin films from latex and cross-linked by gamma radiation. A total dose of 300 kGy is applied to the samples in the state of uniaxial deformation. In this sense, a hypothesis is put forward that involves examining the influence of radiation dose on the morphology of natural rubber samples using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). The investigation aims to emphasize the importance of the method in acquiring a comprehensive characterization of the material samples, which are used both in maritime areas and in other fields of application.

With the dynamic socio-economic development of cities, actions of key importance have become necessary to ensure the required accessibility of urban transport. This goal can be achieved by expanding and modernizing the transport infrastructure and expanding the public transport network. It is transport that ensures the flow of goods and the movement of people in cities and beyond their borders. This state of affairs results in an increased importance of appropriate infrastructure, where construction investments have a fundamental role, and the method of their implementation affects a number of areas that significantly determine transport accessibility. This article aims to assess the impact of construction projects involving civil engineering facilities on transport accessibility based on the example of the city of Szczecin. The research process is based on unstructured observation and expert interviews, which allow for the development of a structured survey questionnaire. The authors manage to identify the elements of transport accessibility that are most negatively affected by construction projects. The collected data may constitute a basis for developing recommendations for local authorities and construction companies to reduce the diagnosed negative impact in the studied area.

Based on cloud providers’ reports on service outages, it has become clear that how a web service is deployed is of great importance. Clearly, using one service supplier is insufficient because it introduces single points of failure. In this paper, a novel high-availability multi-cloud model intended for a web service is proposed, which is free from such shortcomings yet preserves convenient assets of computing clouds. The methodology used to improve web service availability should involve several cloud suppliers and devise management techniques that control access to them. This is achieved by means of the server availability tracking algorithm, which controls client apps’ access to the service. Moreover, typical benefits and problems involved in choosing IT infrastructure for a web service are elaborated. State-of-the-art cloud computing models, such as IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, BPaaS, and INaaS, are outlined. Operating systems statistics used for web services are included. Open-source monitoring software solutions are gathered, which help administrators to monitor and govern web servers.

The topic of autonomous vehicles has become popular in recent years, not only because of technological developments but also because of existing challenges in the transportation industry. Autonomization of means of transport has an element of competitive advantage among manufacturers of such vehicles. For their customers ‒ i.e., transport companies ‒ this, in turn, means greater safety, greater driving comfort, and the ability to stay in the market and not fold when such a company runs out of drivers. Over the past few years, we have dealt with such a situation ‒ on the one hand, we have seen a growing trend in the amount of cargo to be transported and, on the other hand, there is a decline in employment in the transport sector (especially cargo). The supply of labor in the industry does not cover the demand for this workforce. The goal of this research is to determine the current state of the cargo transportation sector and to formulate possible advantages and disadvantages of the partial introduction of autonomous vehicles performing cargo transportation as a response to existing threats in the industry

This study explores determinants of organizational support perceptions among employees within container shipping agencies. It examines the influence of leadership styles employed by shipping agency managers on perceived organizational support. Employing correlation and multiple regression analyses, the non-normally distributed data prompts the utilization of the Kruskal-Wallis H test. A survey was administered to 258 employees in 255 shipping agencies from major Turkish shipowner companies dominating the maritime transport sector. A positive correlation is established between perceived organizational support and leadership style dimensions. Additionally, it suggests that efforts to create a supportive environment, especially for junior employees, can mitigate high turnover rates and enhance organizational performance. Practical implications include the recommendation for shipping agencies to focus on leadership development, communication improvement, and skill-building initiatives to foster a supportive workplace environment.

The aim of this article is to identify the best practices to reduce potential risks in passenger transport using the example of urban public transport in Berlin. Due to dynamically progressing urbanization processes and the related development of the German capital, the demand for transport services increases. A significant problem has become the coordinated management of public transport for passengers and ensuring safety in the means of transport and available infrastructure. Local government and public transport managers in Berlin have decided to introduce solutions to reduce potential threats to public transport participants, thereby contributing to improving the quality and safety of the transport services provided. The methods of source analysis, descriptive analysis, and deduction are used to conduct the analysis in this study. The results show that the constant search for new solutions to transport problems is a challenge for city managers in the era of rapidly progressing urbanization processes.

This article presents selected properties of mixtures produced from two types of fly ashes from one coal-fired power plant. Mixtures made of fly ashes from a conventional boiler without flue gas desulfurization products (10 01 02) and from a fluidized bed boiler with flue gas desulfurization products (10 01 82) are subjected to testing. The mixtures are prepared using mine water. The tested mixtures are characterized by a liquid consistency in terms of flowability in a range from 160 mm to 280 mm. The mixtures made of 10 01 82 ashes show twice as much water demand, shorter setting time, and higher strength than those made of 10 01 02 ashes, but, unfortunately, they have a much higher volume of excess water. Moreover, the mixtures of 10 01 82 ash do not undergo full slaking, in contrast to the mixtures of 10 01 02 ash (conventional boiler). The requirements of the PN-G 11011:1998 standard, relative to the discussed parameters, are met by the mixtures made on the basis of ash 10 01 82 originating from a fluidized bed boiler in terms of flowability of up to 240 mm. This is the ash type useable in sealing technology.