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Search results for: minimum inhibitory concentration
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Experimental study on static and dynamic properties of polymer mass
PublicationA new method of repairing damaged structures by filling the cracks with a specially prepared polymer mass has been recently proposed. This new and innovative technique, known as the Flexible Joint Method (FJM), is mainly dedicated to masonries and historical objects, where minimum intervention is permitted. The flexible joint bonds the disrupted elements and ensures further safe exploitation of a damaged structure. The aim of the...
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A lower bound on the double outer-independent domination number of a tree
PublicationA vertex of a graph is said to dominate itself and all of its neighbors. A double outer-independent dominating set of a graph G is a set D of vertices of G such that every vertex of G is dominated by at least two vertices of D, and the set V(G)D is independent. The double outer-independent domination number of a graph G, denoted by gamma_d^{oi}(G), is the minimum cardinality of a double outer-independent dominating set of G. We...
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Experimental examination of an elastomeric polymer
PublicationA new method of repairing damaged structures by filling the cracks with a specially prepared elastomeric polymer mass has been recently proposed. This new and innovative technique, known as the Flexible Joint Method (FJM), is mainly dedicated to masonries and historical objects, where minimum intervention is permitted. The flexible joint bonds the disrupted elements and ensures further safe exploitation of a damaged structure....
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Modelowanie przestrzennego rozkładu natężenia magnetycznego pola rozproszonego dla wad wzorcowych w płytach
PublicationW pracy przedstawiono model, przy pomocy którego można obliczyć wektor indukcji rozproszonego pola magnetycznego od wady. Przeprowadzono badania eksperymentalne służące weryfikacji tego modelu. W badaniach wykorzystano dwie wady o geometrii prostopadłościanu wydrążone elektro-iskrowo w stalowej płycie. Dla składowej normalnej wektora indukcji pola magnetycznego występowały najmniejsze rozbieżności pomiędzy wynikami pomiarowymi...
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A method to synthesise groove cam Geneva mechanisms with increased dwell period
PublicationThe present study develops a method to synthesise the groove cam Geneva mechanism with increased dwell period. The main condition of the synthesis is to provide the desired law of motion of the wheel. Additional synthesis conditions are the limitation of the maximum pressure angle and the limitation of the minimum curvature radius of the cam profile. Unlike the conventional Geneva mechanisms, the synthesised groove cam Geneva mechanisms...
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On the partition dimension of trees
PublicationGiven an ordered partition Π={P1,P2,…,Pt} of the vertex set V of a connected graph G=(V,E), the partition representation of a vertex v∈V with respect to the partition Π is the vector r(v|Π)=(d(v,P1),d(v,P2),…,d(v,Pt)), where d(v,Pi) represents the distance between the vertex vv and the set Pi. A partition Π of V is a resolving partition of G if different vertices of G have different partition representations, i.e., for every...
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Can Evaluation Patterns Enable End Users to Evaluate the Quality of an e-learning System? An Exploratory Study.
PublicationThis paper presents the results of an exploratory study whose main aim is to verify if the Pattern-Based (PB) inspection technique enables end users to perform reliable evaluation of e-learning systems in real work-related settings. The study involved 13 Polish and Italian participants, who did not have an HCI background, but used e-learning platforms for didactic and/or administrative purposes. The study revealed that the participants...
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Fast Multi-Objective Optimization of Narrow-Band Antennas Using RSA Models and Design Space Reduction
PublicationComputationally efficient technique for multi-objective design optimization of narrow-band antennas is presented. In our approach, the corrected low-fidelity antenna model (obtained through coarse-discretization EM simulations) is enhanced using frequency scaling and response correction, sampled, and utilized to obtain a fast response surface approximation (RSA) antenna surrogate. The RSA model is constructed in the reduced design space....
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Fake VIP Attacks and Their Mitigation via Double-Blind Reputation
PublicationIn a generic setting subsuming communication networks, resource sharing systems, and multi-agent communities, a client generates objects of various classes carrying class-dependent signatures, to which a server assigns class-dependent service quality. A Fake VIP attack consists in false declaration of a high class, with an awareness that detection of object signature at the server side is costly and so invoked reluctantly. We show...
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Similarities and Differences Between the Vertex Cover Number and the Weakly Connected Domination Number of a Graph
PublicationA vertex cover of a graph G = (V, E) is a set X ⊂ V such that each edge of G is incident to at least one vertex of X. The ve cardinality of a vertex cover of G. A dominating set D ⊆ V is a weakly connected dominating set of G if the subgraph G[D]w = (N[D], Ew) weakly induced by D, is connected, where Ew is the set of all edges having at least one vertex in D. The weakly connected domination number γw(G) of G is the minimum cardinality...
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Natural ventilation performance of family building in cold climate during windless time
PublicationIn this paper, the field measurements results are presented on the stack ventilation effect. The paper presents the results of performance (air change rate ACH) natural ventilation for building with inlet gap measured for the transitional season (between heating and summer season). The measurements were performed during a windless time. The house was located in northern Poland, in a cold climate region. The measurement system...
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Low-fidelity model considerations for simulation-based optimisation of miniaturised wideband antennas
PublicationHere, variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM)-based design optimisation of miniaturised antennas is discussed. The authors focus on an appropriate selection of discretisation density of the low-fidelity EM model, which results in good performance of the optimisation algorithm in terms of its computational complexity and reliability. Trust-region gradient search with low-fidelity model corrected by means of non-linear frequency scaling...
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On low-fidelity models for variable-fidelity simulation-driven design optimization of compact wideband antennas
PublicationThe paper addresses simulation-driven design optimization of compact antennas involving variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) simulation models. Comprehensive investigations are carried out concerning selection of the coarse model discretization density. The effects of the low-fidelity model setup on the reliability and computational complexity of the optimization process are determined using a benchmark set of three ultra-wideband...
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Microwave-assisted synthesis of zinc derivatives of potato starch
PublicationZincatated potato starch was prepared in a solid-state, microwave-assisted reaction using generated in situ sodium tetrahydroxozincate [Na2Zn(OH)4]. For comparison, zincatation of starch was also carriedout on convectional heating. Depending on the irradiation conditions, the products of either mono- or crosslinking esterification were formed. Higher power applied at shorter exposition offered products ofmonoesterification, and...
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Novel analytical approach for real-time monitoring of volatile Maillard reaction products emitted from the sugar-amino acid model system using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry
PublicationIn the presented research, volatile Maillard reaction products formation in the two sugar-amino acid model systems, namely glucoselysine and ribose-lysine model systems were investigated using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Obtained data were supported by the reference method, i.e., UV/Vis spectrometry. A number of volatile organic compounds were selected based on the correlation of the effect of Maillard reaction...
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Influence of Selected Saccharides on the Precipitation of Calcium-Vaterite Mixtures by the CO2 Bubbling Method
PublicationCalcium carbonate is a compound existing in living organisms and produced for many biomedical applications. In this work, calcium carbonate was synthesized by a CO2 bubbling method using ammonia as a CO2 absorption promotor. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, and trehalose were added into the reaction mixture to modify characteristics of precipitated calcium carbonate particles. To determine the polymorphic form of produced calcium carbonate...
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Determination of toxic gases based on the responses of a single electrocatalytic sensor and pattern recognition techniques
PublicationA response from an electrocatalytic gas sensor contains fingerprint information about the type of gas and its concentration. As a result, a single gas sensor can be used for the determination of different gases. However, information about the type of gas and its concentration is hidden in the unique shape of the current–voltage response and it is quite difficult to explore. One of the ways to get precise information about the measured...
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Environmental exposure to cadmium in breast cancer – association with the Warburg effect and sensitivity to tamoxifen
PublicationThe association between cadmium and breast cancer remains unexplained due to inconsistent epidemiological data and unknown underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to assess the relationship between environmental exposure to cadmium and the Warburg effect in breast cancer and, thus, its possible interference with breast cancer treatment. The observational study in two groups of breast cancer patients indicated a positive correlation between...
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The Specific Nature of Chemical Composition of Water from Volcanic Lakes Based on Bali Case Study
PublicationThe research area was localized in the Indonesian Archipelago, at the latitude of eight and nine degrees S on the one of the Lesser Sunda group island provinces, Bali (563,3 km2). Two massive calderas (Mount Batur 1717 m above sea level.; Mount Sangiyang 2093 m above sea level) are one of the most prominent landforms in the chain of volcanic mountain ranges of the Bali Island. Lake Batur (17,18 km2) and Batur Spring (which are...
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Anomalous Behavior of Hyaluronan Crosslinking Due to the Presence of Excess Phospholipids in the Articular Cartilage System of Osteoarthritis
PublicationLubrication of articular cartilage is a complex multiscale phenomenon in synovial joint organ systems. In these systems, synovial fluid properties result from synergistic interactions between a variety of molecular constituent. Two molecular classes in particular are of importance in understanding lubrication mechanisms: hyaluronic acid and phospholipids. The purpose of this study is to evaluate interactions between hyaluronic acid...
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Impact of Cultivation Conditions, Ethylene Treatment, and Postharvest Storage on Selected Quality and Bioactivity Parameters of Kiwifruit “Hayward” Evaluated by Analytical and Chemometric Methods
PublicationOrganic, semiorganic, and conventional “Hayward” kiwifruits, treated with ethylene for 24 h and stored during 10 days, were assessed by UV spectrometry, fluorometry, and chemometrical analysis for changes in selected characteristics of quality (firmness, dry matter and soluble solid contents, pH, and acidity) and bioactivity (concentration of polyphenols via Folin-Ciocalteu and p-hydroxybenzoic acid assays). All of the monitored...
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Determination of selected chemical parameters in surface water samples collected from the Revelva catchment (Hornsund fjord, Svalbard)
PublicationSurface water samples (river and lake) were collected from the Revelva catchment every summer from 2010 to 2013. This study concerns importance of the use of some analytical techniques for pollutants and parameters deter- mination in Arctic environmental samples based on the example of total organic carbon, phenols, and formaldehyde determination and measurement of pH and electrical conductivity parameters. Significant...
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Aggregation of imidazoacridinones - spectroscopic and microcalorimetric approach
PublicationImidazoacridinones (IA) belong to a group of polycyclic heteroaromatic antitumor compounds. IA create the aggregated form in water solution. Self-association of substances is a very important phenomenon in many fields of applied chemistry. It is also fundamental model reaction of many kinds of molecular interactions such as the micelle formation of amphiphilic substances and the binding of small organic molecules to macromolecules....
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From the pills to environment – Prediction and tracking of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug concentrations in wastewater
PublicationThe extend of environment pollution by pharmaceuticals is in a stage that required more automatic and integrated solutions. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most popular pharmaceutical in the world and emerging pollutants of natural waters. The aim of the paper was to check the correlation of the sales data of selected NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac) and their concentration in the WWTP...
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Investigation on air quality of specific indoor environments—spa salons located in Gdynia, Poland
PublicationDue to excessive application of essential oils and scented products in spa salons during aromatherapy and massage sessions, the elevated concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), particularly terpenes, which are known as secondary organic aerosol (SOA) precursors, is expected there. This study was aimed at determination of VOCs with a particular regard to terpenes in air samples collected in selected spa salons...
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Synthesis, characteristics, and photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles stabilized on the stone surface for degradation of metronidazole from aqueous solution
PublicationAbstract Background: The presence of antibiotics such as metronidazole in wastewater even at low concentrations requires searching for a suitable process such as advanced oxidation process (AOP) to reduce the level of pollutants to a standard level in water. Methods: In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal method using zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) as a precursor, then, stabilized on stone and was used...
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Interactions in aqueous solutions of K-peptide and DMSO – spectroscopic and calorimetric studies
PublicationIntroduction K-peptide (GILQINSRW) – short 9 amino acid fragment of the hen egg white lysozyme has the ability to form amyloid structures. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is an osmolyte which can alter this ability. Our goal was to get an insight into the mechanism of Kpeptide-DMSO interactions in aqueous solutions. Such a knowledge can be helpful to understand processes leading to various neurodegenerative diseases. Methods ATR-FTIR...
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Experimental investigation of thermal energy storage in shell-and-multi-tube unit with nano-enhanced phase change material
PublicationThis paper deals with thermal energy storage with use of nanoparticle enhanced phase change material in shell-and-multitube unit. The experiments are conducted under atmospheric pressure. Paraffin wax and two different fatty acids are used as base phase change material. Graphite and multi-walled carbon nanotubes serve as nanoparticles. Graphite nanoparticles are tested at the concentrations of 0.1%, 1% and 5% by weight, while multi-walled...
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Recombinant !ermostable AP Exonuclease from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis: Cloning, Expression, Purification, Properties and PCR Application
PublicationApurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in DNA are considered to be highly mutagenic and must be corrected to preserve genetic integrity, especially at high temperatures. !e gene encoding a homologue of AP exonuclease was cloned from the thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis and transformed into Escherichia coli. The protein product showed high identity (80%) to human Ape1 nuclease, whereas to E. coli exonuclease...
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Development of nanoscale morphology and role of viscoelastic phase separation on the properties of epoxy/recycled polyurethane blends
PublicationA novel and cost-effective approach towards the modification of epoxy matrix has been developed using recycled polyurethane for the first time without sacrificing any of the intrinsic properties of the resin. Polyurethane, recycled from waste foam by glycolysis process (RPU), was found to be very effective in improving the properties of the thermosetting resin based on Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA). The effect of the...
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Determination of MDPBP in postmortem blood samples by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry
PublicationMDPBP (1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-butanone) is a new psychoactive substance sold on the black market. It has been a controlled drug of abuse in Poland and China since 2015 as some toxic and fatal cases connected with use of synthetic cathinone derivatives were observed. The fatal case outlined here concerns a 19 year-old man, who was found dead with an envelope containing white powder lying nearby the cadaver....
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Evaluation of the content of inorganic anions in tree saps
PublicationTree saps were once commonly used in the countries of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Although once almost forgotten, their popularity has been growing recently as part of an interest in organic food and traditional medicine. Tree saps, tapped mainly from birch and maple trees, are drunk both fresh and fermented or are used as raw material for the production of food products, e.g. syrups. The aim of this study was to determine...
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Calix[4]arenes appended with thioamide moieties as powerful tool for heavy metals recognition
PublicationSelectivity of new thioamide derivatives was assessed using those ligands as sensor materials in ion-selective membrane electrodes and tested towards Pb2+ - selectivity. The influence of the nature of the thioamide function (linear, branched or cyclic substituents) on their ionophoric properties was investigated. Electrodes based on cyclic thioamide moieties are promising analytical tools for monitoring Pb2+ concentration in natural...
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Stress analysis of the bridge hangers in terms of the fatigue verification
PublicationThe paper presents the results of numerical stress analysis of the bridge rod hangers. Two types of hangers were taken into account, i.e. the bolted hanger and the welded hanger. A detailed FEM shell models of the connection area between the hanger and the bridge span have been developed. Local stress concentration effects have been investigated in terms of fatigue verification.
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Determination of metals in water samples by atomic absorption spectrometry and flame emission spectrometry
PublicationMetal species in environmental waters are relevant to characterize the metal toxicity, the mobility between different environmental compartments, and for remediation purposes in case of contamination. The concentration of many trace metals in natural water samples are generally at µg/l level. The paper describes determination of metals in water samples based on flame atomic emission and flame atomic absorption spectrometry.
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Pharmaceutical applications of surfactants
PublicationIn this study we focused on biological activity of various surfactants. According to our research, they con act both as carriers as well as therapeutic agents. Depending on their concentration, they can create different structures in a solution, which influence their properties. Liposomes have a significant role in drug delivery system. Surfactants in from of bilayer are analogous to natural biological cell membrane.
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Prediction of Bioactive Peptides From Chicken Feather and Pig Hair Keratins Using In Silico Analysis Based on Fragmentomic Approach
PublicationBackground: Keratin is among the most abundant structural proteins of animal origin, however it remains broadly underutilized. Objective: Bioinformatic investigation was performed to evaluate selected keratins originating from mass-produced waste products, i.e., chicken feathers and pig hair, as potential sources of bioactive peptides. Methods: Pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, papain, and subtilisin were used for in silico keratinolysis...
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Spectroscopic Optical Coherence Tomography for Thin Layer and Foil Measurements
PublicationThe main goal of this research was to assess if it is possible to evaluate the thickness of thin layers (both thin films on the surface and thin layers below the surface of the tested object) and foils using optical coherence tomography (OCT) for thickness assessment under the resolution of the standard commercially available OCT measurement system. In the proposed solution, light backscattered from the evaluated thin layer has...
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Li nucleation on the graphite anode under potential control in Li-ion batteries
PublicationApplication of Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles requires improved safety, increased lifetime and high charging rates. One of the most commonly used intercalation anode material for Li-ion batteries, graphite, is vulnerable to Li nucleation, a side reaction which competes with the intercalation process and leads to loss of reversible capacity of the battery, ageing and short-circuits. In this study, we deploy a combined grand...
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Normal-form preemption sequences for an open problem in scheduling theory
PublicationStructural properties of optimal preemptive schedules have been studied in a number of recent papers with a primary focus on two structural parameters: the minimum number of preemptions necessary, and a tight lower bound on shifts, i.e., the sizes of intervals bounded by the times created by preemptions, job starts, or completions. These two parameters have been investigated for a large class of preemptive scheduling problems,...
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An experimental assessment on a diesel engine powered by blends of waste-plastic-derived pyrolysis oil with diesel
PublicationThe utilization of plastic solid wastes for sustainable energy production is a crucial aspect of the circular economy. This study focuses on pyrolysis as an effective method to convert this feedstock into renewable drop-in fuel. To achieve this, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of feedstock composition, pyrolysis process parameters, and the physicochemical characteristics of the resulting fuel, all correlated...
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Brief Announcement: Energy Constrained Depth First Search
PublicationDepth first search is a natural algorithmic technique for constructing a closed route that visits all vertices of a graph. The length of such route equals, in an edge-weighted tree, twice the total weight of all edges of the tree and this is asymptotically optimal over all exploration strategies. This paper considers a variant of such search strategies where the length of each route is bounded by a positive integer B (e.g. due...
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Evaluation and cellular responses of modulators of TRF1/TRF2 protein’s function as potential anticancer drugs interfering with telomeric shelterin’s function
PublicationA number of proteins that interact with telomeres have been identified in human cells, indicating the high plasticity of human nucleoprotein complex organization. The most important complex is the "shelterin" complex, which consists of six proteins: TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, POT1, TPP1. The TRF1 and TRF2 directly bind to telomeric double-stranded DNA and the TIN2 protein. The TIN2 protein also binds to the TPP1 protein, stabilizing the...
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Identification of synergistic and antagonistic actions of environmental pollutants: Bisphenols A, S and F in the presence of DEP, DBP, BADGE and BADGE·2HCl in three component mixtures
PublicationEcosystems are facing increased pressure due to the emission of many classes of emerging contaminants. However, very little is known about the interactions of these pollutants, such as bisphenols (BPs), plasticizers or pharmaceuticals. By employing bioluminescent bacteria (Microtox assay), we were able to define interactions between selected emerging pollutants (namely BPA, BPS, BPF, BADGE, BADGE·2HCl, DEP, DBP) in ternary mixtures, at...
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New potent steroid sulphatase inhibitors based on 6-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)naphthalen-2-yl sulphamate derivatives
PublicationIn the present work, we report a new class of potent steroid sulphatase (STS) inhibitors based on 6-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)naphthalen-2-yl sulphamate derivatives. Within the set of new STS inhibitors, 6-(1-(1,2,3-trifluorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)naphthalen-2-yl sulphamate 3L demonstrated the highest activity in the enzymatic assay inhibiting the STS activity to 7.98% at 0.5 µM concentration. Furthermore, to verify...
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Precipitation and Transformation of Vaterite Calcium Carbonate in the Presence of Some Organic Solvents
PublicationIn this paper, the production of CaCO3 particles via the carbonation route in the reaction of CaCl2 and CO2, using NH3 as a promoter of CO2 absorption, was studied. The solvents used as the reaction media for CaCO3 precipitation were aqueous solutions of methanol, isopropanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), in a concentration range of 0–20% (v/v). It was found that the presence of an organic additive influenced the precipitation...
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Understanding the interactions between protein stabilizers and the peptide bond through the analysis of the volumetric and compressibility properties for the model systems
PublicationThis work confirms our earlier supposition, that volumetric and acoustic parameters for simple model proposed by us are directly related to stabilizing/destabilizing effect of osmolytes on proteins structure. The apparent molar volumes, V and the apparent molar isentropic compressions, KS,, of glycine and N,N,N –trimethylglycine (betaine) were determined from densities and speed of sound measurements in aqueous solution of N-methylacetamide...
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Bisphenols (A, S, and F) affect the basic hormonal activity determined for pharmaceuticals – Study of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
PublicationPharmaceuticals and analogs of bisphenol A (BPA) are increasingly threatening environmental pollutants. In this study, mixtures of selected pharmaceuticals (diclofenac sodium salt, chloramphenicol, oxytetracycline hydrochloride, fluoxetine hydrochloride, estrone, ketoprofen, progesterone, gemfibrozil and androstenedione) were prepared with BPA and its two analogs (namely, bisphenols F and S) at such ratios to reflect environmentally...
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Release of potassium from actvated sludge as a resultof use peroxyacetic acid = Uwalnianie potasu z osadu czynnego pod wpływem kwasu nadoctowego
PublicationThe phenomenon of potassium efflux (GGKE - glutathione-gated potassium efflux) from the calls of activated sludge bacteria in the result of peroxyacetic acid (CH3CO3H) dosing was investigated. Addition of the strong oxidant to the activated sludge environment caused activation of the defense mechanisms of bacterial cells, related to glutathione transformations, which resulted in the significant increase of potassium ions concentration....
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Investigation of vortex assisted magnetic deep eutectic solvent based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for separation and determination of vanadium from water and food matrices: Multivariate analysis
PublicationA new and simple vortex assisted magnetic deep eutectic solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure (VA-MDES-DLLME) was developed for the determination of vanadium (V) in food and water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). In the extraction medium, a bis(acetylpivalylmethane) ethylenediimine (H2APM2en) was used for the complexation of V(V) in sample solution at pH 6. The VA-MDES-DLLME was optimized...