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ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences

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ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences | 2006 | Nr 3 (11) 2006 Chaos vs. Harmony

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Abstract

Is the presence of harmony (which in the political domain is identified with the idea of consensus) always a factor conducive to the development of civilization - or was the emergence of the modern Polish state in fact more the product of a multiplicity of views and a certain degree of conflict?
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Authors and Affiliations

Janusz Tazbir
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Abstract

Can we predict the behavior of evolving systems? While it is sometimes easy to do so, as in the case of an ordinary, slightly tilted pendulum, there are some systems whose ultimate state is practically impossible to ascertain.
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Tomasz Kapitaniak
ORCID: ORCID
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Abstract

If animals were unable to harness the signals coming in from their environs, their lives would be a chaotic affair. In the special conditions that prevail in Antarctic waters, chemical signals represent a particularly important source of information that acts to organize their way of life on the sea floor.
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Authors and Affiliations

Tomasz Janecki
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Abstract

Within the complex dynamics of the solar wind's fluctuating plasma parameters, there is a detectable, hidden order described by a chaotic strange attractor which has a multifractal structure.
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Authors and Affiliations

Wiesław Macek
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Abstract

Our recognition and quantitative characterization of real-word phenomena cannot be complete (indeed being impossible in many situations) unless we account for the great role played by randomness.
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Kazimierz Sobczyk
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Abstract

The complexity and refinement of biological phenomena lead many to see them as the work of forces we do not know or understand. Nevertheless, one does not have to resort to any "intelligent design" concept, for instance, to explain the diversity of live on Earth - it suffices to be familiar with the theory of evolution by natural selection and the molecular foundations of biological processes. Our understanding of evolution may be built on a set of relatively simple and verifiable tenets.
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Authors and Affiliations

Adam Łomnicki
Ryszard Korona
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Abstract

Church organs began to be used in the liturgy in Europe from the Early Middle Ages, and all the way until the Enlightenment they were seen as an exceptional instrument of a sacred nature whose very sound paid eternal homage to divine laws.
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Authors and Affiliations

Marcin Zgliński
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Abstract

Modern times have us so accustomed to technological progress that we take it entirely for granted. Nevertheless, a real revolution in lighting technology now lies just around the corner.
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Authors and Affiliations

Jerzy Karpiuk
Marek Pietraszkiewicz
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Abstract

When viewed against the backdrop of European standards, Poland's cńminal justice system (regardless of the political conditions and the degree of cńminality in the country) has remained highly punitive - although this trait has at times abated somewhat, chiefly as a consequence of the stance adopted by the scholarly legal community.
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Authors and Affiliations

Mirosława Melezini
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Abstract

Image processing algorithms are enabling computers to learn to automatically recognize characteństics of what camera images portray. In geological research, speedy computers can relieve researchers from having to perform painstaking measurements on mineral grains.
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Authors and Affiliations

Mariusz Młynarczuk
ORCID: ORCID
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Abstract

Newborn piglets offer an excellent model for studying the human digestive system, enabling us to learn much about our own physiology and to develop treatment methods for many illnesses.
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Authors and Affiliations

Jarosław Woliński
Wojciech Korczyński
Monika Słupecka
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Abstract

For both up-and-coming research grant holders from Poland and internationally-renowned Polish researchers, the address Rue Lauriston 74 in Paris symbolizes the very best tradition of scholarly ties between Poland and France.
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Authors and Affiliations

Jerzy Pielaszek
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Abstract

The caliber of modern-day scholarly pursuits hinges not only on research now being carried out, but also on the careful nurturing of scientific heritage - the preservation and study of documents that trace the development of past achievements.
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Authors and Affiliations

Józef Malinowski
Anna Marciniak

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