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Search results for: IMPROVED DIALOGUE INTELLIGIBILITY
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eFRADIR: An Enhanced FRAmework for DIsaster Resilience
PublicationThis paper focuses on how to increase the availability of a backbone network with minimal cost. In particular, the new framework focuses on resilience against natural disasters and is an evolution of the FRADIR/FRADIR-II framework. It targets three different directions, namely: network planning, failure modeling, and survivable routing. The steady state network planning is tackled by upgrading a sub-network (a set of links termed...
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Hybrid metal and non-metal activation of Oxone by magnetite nanostructures co-immobilized with nano-carbon black to degrade tetracycline: Fenton and electrochemical enhancement with bio-assay
PublicationElectrochemically synthesized magnetite nanostructures (ESMNPs) as a metal activator and nano-carbon black (NCB) as a non-metal activator were co-immobilized by alginate natural polymer to activate Oxone for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic. The formation of sulfate radical was indirectly confirmed during the Oxone/ESMNPs/NCB/alginate process via the addition of scavenging compounds. This study revealed the high...
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Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Poly(Lactic Acid) Blends Compatibilized by Peroxide Initiators: Comparison of Two Strategies
PublicationPoly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends were compatibilized by reactive blending and by copolymers formed during reaction in the solution. The reactive blending of PCL/PLA was performed using di-(2-tert-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)benzene (BIB) or dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as radical initiator. PCL-g-PLA copolymers were prepared using 1.0 wt. % of DCP or BIB via reaction in solution, which was investigated through...
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INFOGEST static in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal food digestion
PublicationDeveloping a mechanistic understanding of the impact of food structure and composition on human health has increasingly involved simulating digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract. These simulations have used a wide range of different conditions that often have very little physiological relevance, and this impedes the meaningful comparison of results. The standardized protocol presented here is based on an international consensus...
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Sensorless field oriented control for five-phase induction motors with third harmonic injection and fault insensitive feature
PublicationThe paper presents a solution for sensorless field oriented control (FOC) system for five-phase induction motors with improved rotor flux pattern. In order to obtain the advantages of a third harmonic injection with a quasi-trapezoidal flux shape, two vector models, α1–β1 and α3–β3, were transformed into d1– q1, d3– q3 rotating frames, which correlate to the 1st and 3rd harmonic plane respectively. A linearization approach of the...
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Fighting Administrative Corruption with Digital Government in Sub-Saharan Africa
PublicationAdministrative corruption is a pervasive problem and a major threat to economic and social development around the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa which lags behind other regions in various development indicators and is seen as one of the most corrupt regions globally. This paper examines a hypothesis that digital government – the use of digital technology to transform public administration organizations and their relationships...
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Stannates, titanates and tantalates modified with carbon and graphene quantum dots for enhancement of visible-light photocatalytic activity
PublicationMost efforts in heterogeneous photocatalysis are focused on development of new and stable photoactive materials efficient in degradation of various pollutants under visible-light irradiation. In this regard, the wide-bandgap perovskite semiconductors, i.e., SrTiO3 (titanate), SrSnO3 (stannate) and AgTaO3 (tantalate), were prepared by a solvothermal method, and then modified with carbon quantum dots (CQDs) or graphene quantum dots...
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Integrated plant-wide modelling for evaluation of the energy balance and greenhouse gas footprint in large wastewater treatment plants
PublicationModern wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) should maintain a balance between three combined sustainability criteria, including effluent quality, energy performance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. All of these criteria were considered in the integrated plant-wide model developed in this study. The proposed model incorporates new features, including: (i) the addition of associated facilities to the overall energy balance and...
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20+ years of Polish residential real estate prices – a house price index proxy
PublicationInformation on house prices is often considered crucial when assessing developments in economy. However, in Poland for the long time house prices haven’t been tracked in an organized manner. Recent developments, most notably house price indices developed by Poland’s national bank and by the statistical office do not go back more than 10 years, therefore data series are relatively short compared to those of other macroeconomic data. In...
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Generalized Pareto ranking bisection for computationally feasible multi-objective antenna optimization
PublicationMulti-objective optimization (MO) allows for obtaining comprehensive information about possible design trade-offs of a given antenna structure. Yet, executing MO using the most popular class of techniques, population-based metaheuristics, may be computationally prohibitive when full-wave EM analysis is utilized for antenna evaluation. In this work, a low-cost and fully deterministic MO methodology is introduced. The proposed generalized...
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Rapid optimization of compact microwave passives using kriging surrogates and iterative correction
PublicationDesign of contemporary microwave components is—in a large part—based on full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools. The primary reasons for this include reliability and versatility of EM analysis. In fact, for many microwave structures, notably compact components, EM-driven parameter tuning is virtually imperative because traditional models (analytical or network equivalents) are unable to account for the cross-coupling effects,...
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Biological and mechanical properties of bone cement with nanoarticles - in vitro and in vivo research
PublicationDespite antibiotic preventive treatment both before and after implant implementation, the risks of infection are real. These infections develop at the implant surface a few months after inserting them into the body. To prevent the development of bacteria and reduce the risk of infection, implants coated with nanoparticles are used. The Mechanical Department of the Technical University of Gdansk carries out research into using bone...
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Electrochemistry from first-principles in the grand canonical ensemble
PublicationProgress in electrochemical technologies, such as automotive batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells, depends greatly on developing improved charged interfaces between electrodes and electrolytes. The rational development of such interfaces can benefit from the atomistic understanding of the materials involved by first-principles quantum mechanical simulations with Density Functional Theory (DFT). However, such simulations are...
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Sensorless Control of Induction Motor Based on Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Observer With Speed Convergence Improvement
PublicationThe super twisting sliding-mode observer (ST-SMO) has been proposed to achieve an effective method for alleviating low-order harmonics of measured quantities, issues related to DC drift, and suppression of chattering due to low-frequency sampling. The conventional ST-SMO, on the other hand, suffers from control delay in the convergence trajectory due to the system disturbance, resulting in decreased anti-disturbance capability...
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Advanced Bayesian study on inland navigational risk of remotely controlled autonomous ship
PublicationThe arise of autonomous ships has necessitated the development of new risk assessment techniques and methods. This study proposes a new framework for navigational risk assessment of remotely controlled Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). This framework establishes a set of risk influencing factors affecting safety of navigation of a remotely-controlled MASS. Next, model parameters are defined based on the risk factors, and...
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Imidazole-Based Lithium Salt LiHDI as a Solid Electrolyte Interphase-Stabilising Additive for Lithium-Conducting Electrolytes
PublicationLithium salt LiHDI (lithium 4,5-dicyano-2-(n-heptafluoropropyl)imidazolide) is proposed as a solid electrolyte interphase-stabilising additive for lithium-ion batteries, which can be added in a smaller amount than fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and vinylene carbonate (VC) additives. Electrolytes containing either lithium 4,5-dicyano-2-(trifluoromethyl)imidazolide (LiTDI) or battery-standard LiPF6 were tested with various amounts...
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Enhancing colloidal stability of nanodiamond via surface modification with dendritic molecules for optical sensing in physiological environments
PublicationPre-treatment of diamond surface in low-temperature plasma for oxygenation and in acids for carboxylation was hypothesized to promote the branching density of the hyperbranched glycidol polymer. This was expected to increase the homogeneity of the branching level and suppress interactions with proteins. As a result, composite nanodiamonds with reduced hydrodynamic diameters that are maintained in physiological environments were...
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Effect of the ex situ physical and in situ chemical modification of bacterial nanocellulose on mechanical properties in the context of its potential applications in heart valve design
PublicationBacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a promising material for heart valve prostheses. However, its low strength properties limit its applicability in cardiovascular surgery. To overcome these limitations, the mechanical properties of BNC can be improved through modifications. The aim of the research was to investigate the extent to which the mechanical properties of BNC can be altered by modifying its structure during its production...
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Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets decorated with HAp@Bi2S3 core–shell nanorods: Dual S-scheme 1D/2D heterojunction for environmental and hydrogen production solutions
PublicationBy combining different semiconductors, scientists have developed innovative materials capable of converting solar energy into useful forms of energy or driving chemical reactions that clean up pollutants. These materials offer a promising path to combat global environmental and energy challenges. In this study, HAp@Bi2S3 core–shell structures were synthesized using a facile microemulsion technique, and then loaded onto graphitic...
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Boron-doped diamond nanosheet volume-enriched screen-printed carbon electrodes: a platform for electroanalytical and impedimetric biosensor applications
PublicationThis paper focuses on the development of a novel electrode based on boron-doped diamond nanosheet full-volume-enriched screen-printed carbon electrodes (BDDPE) for use as an impedimetric biosensor. Impedimetric biosensors offer high sensitivity and selectivity for virus detection, but their use as point-of-care devices is limited by the complexity of nanomaterials’ architecture and the receptor immobilisation procedures. The study...
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Cu-HKUST-1 and Hydroxyapatite–The Interface of Two Worlds toward the Design of Functional Materials Dedicated to Bone Tissue Regeneration
PublicationA novel composite based on biocompatible hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles and Cu-HKUST-1 (Cu-HKUST-1@HA) has been prepared following a layer-by-layer strategy. Cu-HKUST-1 was carefully selected from a group of four Cu-based metal−organic frameworks as the material with the most promising antimicrobial activity. The formation of a colloidal Cu- HKUST-1 layer on HA nanoparticles was confirmed by various techniques, e.g., infrared...
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Biochemical assays of intensified methane content in biogas from low-temperature processing of waste activated sludge
PublicationAnaerobic digestion (AD) is implemented as an important ‘waste to energy’ approach for converting organic-rich byproducts such as sewage sludge into biogas and nutrient-rich digestate. Sewage sludge consists of primary sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS), and low biodegradability of WAS limits methane production. This study presents the influence of the low-temperature pretreatment (LT-PT) of WAS on the efficiency of AD. Different...
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An investigation of microstructural basis for corrosion behavior of Al-CNT composites fabricated by SPS
PublicationIn this research effect of the addition of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as additive powder on microstructure and corrosion behavior of fabricated Al-CNT composites was studied. The aluminum powder and CNTs were mixed with high energy planetary ball-mill. It is observed that by increasing milling time, the uniformity of CNTs on aluminum matrix and consequently corrosion resistance of Al-CNT composite is increased. On the...
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Design and Synthesis of NTU-9/C3N4 Photocatalysts: Effects of NTU-9 Content and Composite Preparation Method
PublicationHybrid materials based on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and NTU-9 metal–organic frameworks (MOF) were designed and prepared via solvothermal synthesis and calcination in air. The as-prepared photocatalysts were subsequently characterized using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy...
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Diurnal variability of atmospheric water vapour, precipitation and cloud top temperature across the global tropics derived from satellite observations and GNSS technique
PublicationThe diurnal cycle of convection plays an important role in clouds and water vapour distribution across the global tropics. In this study, we utilize integrated moisture derived from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), satellite precipitation estimates from TRMM and merged infrared dataset to investigate links between variability in tropospheric moisture, clouds development and precipitation at a diurnal time scale. Over...
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Intercalation complex of imidazoacridinone C-1311, a potential anticancer drug, with DNA helix d(CGATCG)2: stereostructural studies by 2D NMR spectroscopy.
PublicationImidazoacridinone C-1311 (Symadex®) is a powerful antitumor agent, which successfully made its way through the Phase I clinical trials and has been recommended for Phase II few a years ago. It has been shown experimentally that during the initial stage of its action C-1311 forms a relatively stable intercalation complex with DNA, yet it has shown no base-sequence specificity while binding to DNA. In this paper, the d(CGATCG)2:C-1311...
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The effect of nanoparticles size on photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties of Ag-Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts
PublicationAg-Pt-modified TiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized using the sol–gel method. Bimetallic modified TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited improved photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation, better than monometallic Ag/TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). All modified powders showed localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in visible region. The photocatalysts’ characteristics by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning transmission...
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Fabrication and characterization of composite TiO2 nanotubes/ boron-doped diamond electrodes towards enhanced supercapacitors
PublicationThe composite TiO2 nanotubes / boron-doped diamond electrodes were deposited using Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition resulting in the improved electrochemical performance. This composite electrode can deliver high specific capacitance of 7.46 mF cm‐− 2 comparing to boron-doped diamond (BDD) deposited onto flat Ti plate (0.11 mF cm‐− 2).The morphology and composition of composite electrode were characterized...
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Professional activity and women entrepreneurship in Poland – Europe 2020 Strategy perspective
PublicationThe level of economic activity of women in Poland is the lowest among Baltic Sea Region countries. The analysis of Europe 2020 targets, shows that at least 3 of the 5 main objectives relate, more or less, to women (e.g. participation in labor market). The objective concerning social inclusion assumes the increase in the employment rate of men and women (aged 20-64) in Poland up to 71%. To achieve this goal, support programs to...
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Perfectly Wetting Mixtures of Surfactants from Renewable Resources: The Interaction and Synergistic Effects on Adsorption and Micellization
PublicationThis paper presents a study of the surface properties of mixtures of surfactants originating from renewable sources, i.e., alkylpolyglucoside (APG), ethoxylated fatty alcohol (AE), and sodium soap (Na soap). The main objective was to optimize the surfactant ratio which produces the highest wetting properties during the analysis of the solution of the individual surfactants, twoand three-component mixtures, and at different pH values....
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MINERAL MATTER IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
PublicationMunicipal solid waste (MSW) contains mineral materials which are seldom considered as a potential resource. Currently, the waste management sector pays attention to recyclable parts, biodegradable material, waste-to-energy fraction, and residues after waste reuse and recycle. In contrast, this study focus as on the mineral matter in MSW. The aim was to analyze and discuss the sources of mineral matter in MSW, the impact which the...
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Positive management of the university
PublicationPurpose: To demonstrate that contemporary universities may be improved by synthesis of strategic antinomies, i.e. seeking the possibility of combining opposite approaches to solving problems concerning university organization and management. Findings: That approach discounts the importance of building positive relationships between members of staff and undertaking activities intended to create a situation where the...
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The importance of CEFTA 2006 for Western Balkan countries
PublicationFree foreign trade is one of the most important issues all over the world. The impact of bilateral trade can be studied both from economic as well as political perspectives; when it improves economic development, it also creates the conditions for international stability. The aim of the article is to conduct a comparison of the changes to export trade flow in the Central European Free Trade Agreement 2006, with reference to countries...
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Gold nanoparticles for cancer radiotherapy: a review
PublicationRadiotherapy is currently used in around 50% of cancer treatments and relies on the deposition of energy directly into tumour tissue. Although it is generally effective, some of the deposited energy can adversely affect healthy tissue outside the tumour volume, especially in the case of photon radiation (gamma and X-rays). Improved radiotherapy outcomes can be achieved by employing ion beams due to the characteristic energy deposition...
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A multi-analytical approach to the characterization of natural organic dyestuffs and inorganic substrates present in the 19th-century artistic oil paints manufactured by a French art materials supplier Richard Aines
PublicationThis paper presents a comprehensive analysis of artistic paints produced in the 19th century by a French art materials supplier Richard Ain`es. Improved mild extraction with hydrofluoric acid enabled the observation of intact organic dyes. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography with diode-array and mass spectrometry detection was utilised for the identification of 35 dyes present in yellow and red paint samples, and in selected plant...
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Rapid Design of 3D Reflectarray Antennas by Inverse Surrogate Modeling and Regularization
PublicationReflectarrays (RAs) exhibit important advantages over conventional antenna arrays, especially in terms of realizing pencil-beam patterns without the employment of the feeding networks. Unfortunately, microstrip RA implementations feature narrow bandwidths, and are severely affected by losses. A considerably improved performance can be achieved for RAs involving grounded dielectric layers, which are also easy to manufacture using...
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Properties of an innovative multi-functional finish for the improvement of indoor air quality
PublicationDue to lifestyle changes, people spend most of their time indoors at present; thus, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a matter of utmost importance. Multi-functional and innovative finishes can help to passively improve the IAQ, benefitting the health and comfort of occupants. For this study, reference and pre-mixed commercial mortars are compared to a new multi-functional hydraulic lime mortar for indoor finishes, in which conventional...
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Convenient identification of desulfoglucosinolates on the basis of mass spectra obtained during liquid chromatography-diode array-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry analysis: Method verification for sprouts of different Brassicaceae species extracts
PublicationOver the past decade, glucosinolates (GLs) present in different tissues of Brassicaceae and their breakdown products, especially isothiocyanates formed after myrosinase catalyzed hydrolysis, have been regarded as not only environment friendly biopesticides for controlling soilborne pathogens, but most importantly as promising anticarcinogenic compounds. For these reasons, the identification and quantitative determination of the...
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Preparation and characterization of natural rubber composites highly filled with brewers' spent grain/ground tire rubber hybrid reinforcement
PublicationBrewers' spent grain (BSG) and ground tire rubber (GTR) were applied as low-cost hybrid reinforcement natural rubber (NR). The impact of BSG/GTR ratio (in range: 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100 phr) on processing and performance properties of highly filled natural rubber composites was evaluated by oscillating disc rheometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy,...
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Titania nanotubes modified by a pyrolyzed metal-organic framework with zero valent iron centers as a photoanode with enhanced photoelectrochemical, photocatalytical activity and high capacitance
PublicationThe paper discusses the synthesis, photoelectrochemical and electrochemical behaviour of titania nanotube arrays modified by a pyrolyzed metal-organic framework (MOF). A poly(3,4–ethylenedioxyphene) (PEDOT) matrix with an embedded inorganic network of iron hexacyanoferrate (BP) covering TiO2 nanotubes (TNT) is used as a MOF for the further sintering procedure, resulting in a novel, thin film of carbonaceous wrap supported Fe catalytic...
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The smartest location for an eco-district– investigation of urban spatial energy efficiency
Publicationncreasing awareness concerning environmental aspects of spatial and architectural planning led to more deliberated projects of eco-districts. Located all over the world and constantly being improved, apart from excellent energetical parameters, most of them have one specific characteristic in common, which is location in the outskirts. The aim of this article was to understand the importance of ecological district location depending...
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Super-resolved Thermal Imagery for High-accuracy Facial Areas Detection and Analysis
PublicationIn this study, we evaluate various Convolutional Neural Networks based Super-Resolution (SR) models to improve facial areas detection in thermal images. In particular, we analyze the influence of selected spatiotemporal properties of thermal image sequences on detection accuracy. For this purpose, a thermal face database was acquired for 40 volunteers. Contrary to most of existing thermal databases of faces, we publish our dataset...
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Epigenetic inhibitor zebularine activates ear pinna wound closure in the mouse
PublicationBackground:Most studies on regenerative medicine focus on cell-based therapies and transplantations.Small-molecule therapeutics, though proved effective in different medical conditions, have not been extensivelyinvestigated in regenerative research. It is known that healing potential decreases with development and devel-opmental changes are driven by epigenetic mechanisms, which suggests epigenetic repression of regenerativecapacity.Methods:We...
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KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO / SAPERE QUANDO DIRE NO
PublicationEver since we began illuminating the exterior of the slender skyscrapers built during the of 20s and 30s in XX century, urban lighting has been considered a way to beautify cities, and make them more visually prominent and safe. At that time, we knew so little about the impact of lighting on humans, flora and fauna, so it never occurred to lighting designers then, that their actions would have harmful consequences. In those days,...
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Combined effect of nitrogen-doped functional groups and porosity of porous carbons on electrochemical performance of supercapacitors
PublicationIn this work, nitrogen-doped porous carbons obtained from chitosan, gelatine, and green algae were investigated in their role as supercapacitor electrodes. The effects of three factors on electrochemical performance have been studied— of the specific surface area, functional groups, and a porous structure. Varying nitrogen contents (from 5.46 to 10.08 wt.%) and specific surface areas (from 532 to 1095 m2g−1) were obtained by modifying...
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Multi-objective optimization of the cavitation generation unit structure of an advanced rotational hydrodynamic cavitation reactor
PublicationHydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has been widely considered a promising technique for industrial-scale process intensifications. The effectiveness of HC is determined by the performance of hydrodynamic cavitation reactors (HCRs). The advanced rotational HCRs (ARHCRs) proposed recently have shown superior performance in various applications, while the research on the structural optimization is still absent. The present study, for the...
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The Influence of Drying Temperature on Color Change of Hornbeam and Maple Wood Used as Surface and Inner Layers of Wood Composites
PublicationThe thermal treatment of wood changes its structure due to the degradation of wood polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin), so the physical properties of wood are either improved or degraded. Color changes apply not only to natural wood, but also to such wood composites for which some amount of glue is used in their construction (e.g., plywood, blockboard or laminboard). This article is focused on the analysis of hornbeam...
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A comprehensive review on current and emerging technologies toward the valorization of bio‐based wastes and by products from foods
PublicationIndustries in the agro-food sector are the largest generators of waste in the world. Agro-food wastes and by products originate from the natural process of senescence, pretreatment, handling, and manufacturing processes of food and beverage products. Notably, most of the wastes are produced with the transformation of raw materials (such as fruits, vegetables, plants, tubers, cereals, and dairy products) into different processed...
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Beyond quid pro quo: good soldiers and characteristics of their helping behaviours
PublicationPurpose – Good soldiers are people who engage in citizenship behaviours “to do good” instead of “to look good”. The purpose of this article is to explore the motivations behind and the specific characteristics of behaviours of the good soldiers in the context of work using social exchange theory (SET) as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach – 47 dyadic interviews with 94 individuals from three organisations...
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Boron-doped carbon nanowalls for fast and direct detection of cytochrome C and ricin by matrix-free laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry
PublicationDetecting proteins via surface assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) method is still highly challenging, and only few examples of nanomaterials have been demonstrated to perform such detection so far. In this study, carbon nanowalls (CNWs), vertically aligned graphene sheet-based materials, presenting specific morphology, dimensions, and boron doping levels have shown improved performances for both qualitative...