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Search results for: BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER
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Determination of thiocyanate as a biomarker of tobacco smoke constituents in selected biological materials of human origin
Publicationn order to protect human health, it is necessary to biomonitor toxic substances originating from tobacco smoke in biological materials sampled from persons with different exposures to tobacco smoke constituents. Thiocyanate anion is a biomarker of exposure to tobacco smoke components which is characterized by a relatively long half‐life in the human body, i.e. 6 days. In this work, we present the results of thiocyanate determinations...
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Novel amides of mycophenolic acid and some heterocyclic derivatives as immunosuppressive agents
PublicationThe group of new amide derivatives of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and selected heterocyclic amines was synthesised as potential immunosuppressive agents functioning as inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) uncompetitive inhibitors. The synthesis employed uronium-type activating system (TBTU/HOBt/DIPEA) while or phosphonic acid anhydride method (T3P/Py) facilitating amides to be obtained in moderate to excellent yields without...
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Long‐time scale simulations of virus‐like particles from three human‐norovirus strains
PublicationThe dynamics of the virus like particles (VLPs) corresponding to the GII.4 Houston, GII.2 SMV, and GI.1 Norwalk strains of human noroviruses (HuNoV) that cause gastroenteritis was investigated by means of long-time (about 30 μs in the laboratory timescale) molecular dynamics simulations with the coarse-grained UNRES force field. The main motion of VLP units turned out to be the bending at the junction between the P1 subdomain (that...
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GDANSK-ORUNIA AS A LIVING LAB FOR INNOVATION IN REVITALISATION
PublicationPoland is at the beginning of the revitalization process, which started in 2015, when the legal framework had been provided. The revitalization process, understood as an innovative change that is based on four equally important aspects – the social, the economic, the infrastructural and the ecological ones, has been facing an important barrier in Poland. After over two decades of constant modernization, public involvement in planning...
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Rigid polyurethane foams modified with selected layered silicate nanofillers
PublicationThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of three different nanofillers on the properties of rigid polyurethane foams, which were prepared by a one-step, laboratory-scale method from a two-component system at the ratio of NCO groups to OH groups equaled to 2. The reaction mixture consisted of the proper amounts of the commercial oligoether polyol, catalysts, water, nanoclays, and polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate....
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Genetic and Epigenetic Aspects of Atopic Dermatitis
PublicationAtopic dermatitis is a heterogeneous disease, in which the pathogenesis is associated with mutations in genes encoding epidermal structural proteins, barrier enzymes, and their inhibitors; the role of genes regulating innate and adaptive immune responses and environmental factors inducing the disease is also noted. Recent studies point to the key role of epigenetic changes in the development of the disease. Epigenetic modifications...
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Tribological Properties of Ni-P/Si3N4 Nanocomposite Layers Deposited by Chemical Reduction Method on Aluminum Alloy AW-7075
PublicationThe article presents the results of tribological tests of Ni-P/Si3N4 nanocomposite and Ni-P nickel layers deposited on the AW-7075 aluminum alloy by chemical reduction method, and the AW-7075 alloy without coating. Nanocomposite layers were produced using Si3N4 siliconnitride in the form of a polydisperse powder whose particle sizes ranged from 20 to 25 nm. The influence of the content of the dispersion phase layer material on...
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Sensing the onset of epoxy coating degradation with combined Raman spectroscopy/atomic force microscopy/electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
PublicationThe paper presents the results of investigation on epoxy resin durability upon 12-week exposure to UV radiation. The aim was early determination of the onset of epoxy degradation and for this purpose an epoxy film on steel substrate systems were periodically inspected using Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The behaviour of examined polymer could be divided into three periods: immunity,...
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The effects of vehicle restraint systems on road safety
PublicationKey to understanding the needs and tools of road infrastructure management for preventing run-off-road crashes or minimising their consequences, is to identify the hazads and sources of hazards caused by wrong or improper use of road safety devices and identify errors in the desifn, structure, construction and operation of road safety devices. Studying such an extended scope of the problem required fieldwork and surveys with road...
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Four Degree-of-Freedom Hydrodynamic Maneuvering Model of a Small Azipod-Actuated Ship With Application to Onboard Decision Support Systems
PublicationThe main contribution of this paper is a numerical ship motion model of NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus, capturing the surge, sway, roll, and yaw dynamics when sailing in uniform and steady currents. The model utilizes a crossflow drag formulation for the transverse viscous loads, and it includes a nonlinear formulation for the propulsion and steering loads provided by two azipod thrusters. A wide range of experimental data obtained...
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Problems in estimation of hand grip force based on EMG signal
PublicationThere has recently been a significant increase in the number of publications on and applications of bioelectric signals for diagnostic purposes. While the use of ECG (electrocardiography) is not surprising, the use of signals from registration of brain activity (EEG) and muscles activity (EMG) still finds new applications in various fields. The authors focus on the use of EMG signals for estimating hand grip force. Currently,...
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Inhibition of T-type calcium channel disrupts Akt signaling and promotes apoptosis in glioblastoma cells.
PublicationGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are brain tumors that are exceptionally resitant to both radio- and chemotherapy regimens and novel approaches to treatment are needed. T-type calcium channels are one type of low voltage-gated channel (LVCC) involved in embryonic cell proliferation and differentiation; however they are often over-expressed in tumors, including GBM. In this study, we found that inhibition of T-type Ca channels in GBM...
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Electrical properties of Na2O-CaO-P2O5 glasses doped with SiO2 and Si3N4
PublicationSodium-calcium-phosphate glasses doped with SiO2 or Si3N4 having similar sodium ion concentrations were prepared by melt quenching. The conductivity was measured by impedance spectroscopy under nitrogen atmosphere in a wide frequency range (10 mHz–1 MHz) and wide temperature range (153–473 K). At 36.6 °C, DC conductivities of all glasses vary between 1.1 ∗ 10−12 and 8.9 ∗ 10−12 S cm−1 and have similar activation energies (between...
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High performance LaNi1-xCoxO3-δ (x = 0.4 to 0.7) infiltrated oxygen electrodes for reversible solid oxide cells
PublicationOxygen electrodes prepared by infiltration of yttria stabilized zirconia backbone with Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.95 barrier layer and LaNi1-xCoxO3-δ (x=0.4 to 0.7) catalyst for application in reversible solid oxide cells have been studied. The effect of temperature and Ni:Co ratio on their phase composition, microstructure and electrochemical properties are discussed. It was shown that oxygen electrodes infiltrated with LaNi0.5Co0.5O3-δ had...
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The Effect of Sodium Tetrafluoroborate on the Properties of Conversion Coatings Formed on the AZ91D Magnesium Alloy by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation
PublicationMagnesium and its alloys are widely used in many areas because of their light weight, excellent dimensional stability, and high strength-to-weight ratio. However, the material exhibits poor wear and corrosion resistance, which limits its use. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is an effective surface modification method for producing ceramic oxide layers on Mg and their alloys. The influence of the additions of sodium tetrafluoroborate...
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Improvement of the Chimney Effect in Stack Ventilation
PublicationThe article is focused on the airflow in a ventilation system in a building. The work examines the methods which enhance the chimney effect. In this paper, three cases with different chimneys were analyzed for the full-scale experiment. These cases were characterized by different geometrical and material parameters, leading to differences in the intensity of the ventilation airflow. The common denominator of the cases was the room...
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Theoretical studies of fragmentation processes of neutral and ionized furan molecule
PublicationThis PhD thesis focuses on the fragmentation mechanism of the furan molecule in the gas phase. The approach taken in this work comprised of three theoretical methodologies considering the dynamical, energetical and entropic aspects of the studied process. First, molecular dynamics simulations were performed. Next, the potential energy surfaces were explored at the DFT/B3LYP level of theory. Finally, a new statistical Microcanonical...
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Mechanism of Li nucleation at graphite anodes and mitigation strategies
PublicationLithium metal plating is a critical safety issue in Li-ion cells with graphite anodes, and contributes significantly to ageing, drastically limiting the lifetime and inducing capacity loss. Nonetheless, the nucleation mechanism of metallic Li on graphite anodes is still poorly understood. But in-depth understanding is needed to rationally design mitigation measures. In this work, we conducted FirstPrinciples studies to elucidate...
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Haemocompatibility Of Non-Functionalized And Plasmachemical Functionalized Detonation Nanodiamond Particles
PublicationThe purpose of this paper is to present the innovative design of microwave plasma system for modification of detonation nanodiamond particles (DNP) using a special rotating drum placed inside the reactor. Nanodiamond particles manufactured by detonation method reveal the biological activity depending on surface functionalization. Plasmachemical modification of detonation nanodiamond particles gives the possibility of controlling...
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Functionalization of indium-tin-oxide electrodes by laser-nanostructured gold thin films for biosensing applications
Publicationof a relatively large area formed by pulsed laser nanostructuring of thin gold films arereported and discussed. The SEM inspection of modified electrodes reveals the presence of the nearlyspherical and disc-shaped particles of dimensions in the range of 40–120 nm. The NP-array geometry canbe controlled by selection of the laser processing conditions. It is shown that particle size and packingdensity of the array are important factors...
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Pilot Testing of Developed Multimodal Biometric Identity Verification System
PublicationThe bank client identity verification system developed in the course of the IDENT project is presented. The total number of five biometric modalities including: dynamic signature proofing, voice recognition, face image verification, face contour extraction and hand blood vessels distribution comparison have been developed and studied. The experimental data were acquired employing multiple biometric sensors installed at engineered...
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Comparative review of piezoelectric biomaterials approach for bone tissue engineering
PublicationBone as a minerals’ reservoir and rigid tissue of the body generating red and white blood cells supports various organs. Although the self-regeneration property of bone, it cannot regenerate spontaneously in severe damages and still remains as a challenging issue. Tissue engineering offers several techniques for regenerating damaged bones, where various biomaterials are examined to fabricate scaffolds for bone repair. Piezoelectric...
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Development and test of fex, a fingers extending exoskeleton for rehabilitation and regaining mobility
PublicationThis paper presents the design process of an exoskeleton for executing human fingers' extension movement for the rehabilitation procedures and as an active orthosis purposes, together with its first clinical usability tests of a robotic exoskeleton. Furthermore, the Fingers Extending eXoskeleton (FEX) is a serial, under-actuated mechanism capable of executing fingers' extension. FEX is based on the state-of-art FingerSpine serial...
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Diagnosis of damages in family buildings using neural networks
PublicationThe article concerns a problem of damages in family buildings, which result from traffic-induced vibrations. These vibrations arise from various causes and their size is influenced by many factors. The most important is the type of a road, type and weight of vehicles that run on the road, type and condition of the road surface, the distance from the house to the source of vibrations and many others which should be taken into account....
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Comparison of Classification Methods for EEG Signals of Real and Imaginary Motion
PublicationThe classification of EEG signals provides an important element of brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, underlying an efficient interaction between a human and a computer application. The BCI applications can be especially useful for people with disabilities. Numerous experiments aim at recognition of motion intent of left or right hand being useful for locked-in-state or paralyzed subjects in controlling computer applications....
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IS THE REGIONAL DIVERGENCE A PRICE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CONVERGENCE? THE CASE OF THE VISEGRAD GROUP
PublicationThe main goal of this article is to verify whether the Visegrad Group countries are achieving social convergence at national level at the expense of internal divergence. For this purpose, the existence of social beta-, sigma- and gamma-convergence at national and regional level was tested. The author of this article decided to tackle the convergence problem since there is a high risk that countries are trying to catch up at...
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A Computationally Efficient Model for Predicting Successful Memory Encoding Using Machine-Learning-based EEG Channel Selection
PublicationComputational cost is an important consideration for memory encoding prediction models that use data from dozens of implanted electrodes. We propose a method to reduce computational expense by selecting a subset of all the electrodes to build the prediction model. The electrodes were selected based on their likelihood of measuring brain activity useful for predicting memory encoding better than chance (in terms of AUC). A logistic...
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Effects of Addictive Substances During Pregnancy and Infancy and Their Analysis in Biological Materials
PublicationThe use of addictive substances during pregnancy is a serious social problem, not only because of effects on the health of the woman and child, but also because drug or alcohol dependency it detracts from childcare and enhances the prospect of child neglect and family breakdown. Developing additive substance abuse treatment programs for pregnant women is socially important and can help ensure the health of babies, prevent subsequent...
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Effect of Maximal Breath Hold Apnea on Pial Artery Pulsation and Subarachnoid Width in Human
PublicationLittle is known about intracranial pressure (ICP)-cerebral hemodynamic interplay during maximal breath-hold apnea. A recently developed method based on near-infrared transillumination/backscattering sounding (NIR-T/BSS) noninvasively measures changes in pial artery pulsation (cc-TQ) as well as subarachnoid width (sas-TQ) in humans. Changes in sas-TQ correlate with ICP to a considerable extent, whereas cc-TQ reflects the functional...
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Flame retardant epoxy/halloysite nanotubes nanocomposite coatings: Exploring low-concentration threshold for flammability compared to expandable graphite as superior fire retardant
PublicationEpoxy nanocomposites containing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were developed and their low-concentration thresholds for thermal stability and flame retardancy were compared with that of epoxy system containing expandable graphite (EG), as a reference with superior flame retardancy. The effects of HNTs and EG on the peak of Heat Release Rate (pHRR), Total Heat Release (THR), and Time-To-Ignition (TTI) of the prepared samples were...
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Attributes of Entrepreneurial Teams as Elements of a Mental Model
PublicationAn entrepreneurial team can be defined as a small group of individuals holding ownership or control positions who create or develop an entrepreneurial venture and have shared commitments towards each other. Entrepreneurial teams start numerous new ventures or affect the performance of firms due to their social capital based on some characteristic attributes. The mental models of teams refer to internal, organised representation...
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Topical delivery of pharmaceutical and cosmetic macromolecules using microemulsion systems
PublicationMicroemulsions are transparent, thermodynamically stable colloidal systems. Over the recent years, they have been increasingly investigated due to their potential as skin delivery vehicles for a wide range of drug molecules. The nanoscale particle size and the specificity of microemulsion components are the main features determining the skin permeation process. However, in order to effectively cross the skin barrier, the active...
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Hierarchical MnO2 nanoflowers blooming on 3D nickel foam: A novel micro-macro catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation
PublicationIn this work, birnessite-type δ-MnO2 nanoflowers were uniformly deposited on 3D nickel foam (NF) by one-step hydrothermal route for high-efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) towards degradation of acid orange 7 (AO7). High specific surface area, large pore volume and 3D hierarchical structure promotes the mass and electron transfer for great catalytic activity. Low reaction energy barrier (Ea=27.5 kJ/mol) and outstanding...
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Hydrogen Embrittlement and Oxide Layer E ect in the Cathodically Charged Zircaloy-2
PublicationThe present paper is aimed at determining the less investigated effects of hydrogen uptake on the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of the oxidized Zircaloy-2 alloy. The specimens were oxidized and charged with hydrogen. The different oxidation temperatures and cathodic current densities were applied. The scanning electron microscopy, X-ray electron diffraction spectroscopy, hydrogen absorption assessment, tensile, and...
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Color-based Detection of Bleeding in Endoscopic Images
PublicationIn this paper a color descriptor designed for bleeding detection in endoscopic images is proposed. The development of the algorithm was carried out on a representative training set of 36 images of bleeding and 25 clear images. Another 38 bleeding and 26 normal images were used in the final stage as a test set. All of the considered images were extracted from separate endoscopic examinations. The experiments include color distribution...
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Analysis of MArkers of Exposure to Constituents of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
PublicationTobacco smoke is a complex mixture of more than 4000 chemical compounds, many of which are harmful to human health. These compounds belong to various chemical classes, including amides, imides, lactams, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenols, amines, hydrocarbons, ethers, and inorganic compounds. There are three types of tobacco smoke streams: the mainstream, the sidestream, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)....
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Oxylipin profiling for clinical research: Current status and future perspectives
PublicationOxylipins are potent lipid mediators with increasing interest in clinical research. They are usually measured in systemic circulation and can provide a wealth of information regarding key biological processes such as inflammation, vascular tone, or blood coagulation. Although procedures still require harmonization to generate comparable oxylipin datasets, performing comprehensive profiling of circulating oxylipins in large studies...
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Arterial cannula shape optimization by means of the rotational firefly algorithm
PublicationThe article presents global optimization results of arterial cannula shapes by means of the newly modified firefly algorithm. The search for the optimal arterial cannula shape is necessary in order to minimize losses and prepare the flow that leaves the circulatory support system of a ventricle (i.e. blood pump) before it reaches the heart. A modification of the standard firefly algorithm, the so-called rotational firefly algorithm,...
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Stress Detection of Children with Autism using Physiological Signals in Kaspar Robot-Based Intervention Studies
PublicationThis study aims to develop a stress detection system using the blood volume pulse (BVP) signals of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during robot-based interven- tion. This study presents the heart rate variability (HRV) analysis method to detect the stress, where HRV features are extracted from raw BVP signals recorded from an E4 wristband during interaction studies with the social robot Kaspar. Low frequency power...
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Identification of Emotional States Using Phantom Miro M310 Camera
PublicationThe purpose of this paper is to present the possibilities associated with the use of remote sensing methods in identifying human emotional states, and to present the results of the research conducted by the authors in this field. The studies presented involved the use of advanced image analysis to identify areas on the human face that change their activity along with emotional expression. Most of the research carried out in laboratories...
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Investigating the disease- modifying properties of sclerotiorin in Alzheimer's therapy using acetylcholinesterase inhibition
PublicationAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused due to the damage and loss of neurons in specific brain regions. It is the most common form of dementia observed in older people. The symptoms start with memory loss and gradually cause the inability to speak and do day-to-day activities. The cost of caring for those affected individuals is huge and is probably beyond most developing countries capability....
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Dietary intervention with beetroot juice during doxorubicin cancer chemotherapy in vivo reduces markers of oxidative stress
PublicationCancer chemotherapy with doxorubicin, despite high antitumor activity and broad spectrum of this drug, is on decline due to toxic side effects. The clinical efficacy of anthracyclines have continuously prompted the search for new adjuvants to alleviate undesirable side toxicity incurred by this group of cytostatics. The recent approaches involve the application of synthetic or purified natural antioxidants in combination with doxorubicin...
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Russian companies on foreign stock markets: alternative to domestic market?
PublicationFirst aim of this study is to present the main aspects of the Russian stock market, including obstacles for local companies and investors. Second aim is presentation of the Russian companies listed on foreign stock exchanges. In order to perform such analysis, descriptive statistics and information about qualitative features were used. Assessment of the Russian stock market’s development level covered 2003-2012 time period. According...
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Regulated Control of the Assembly and Diversity of LPS by Noncoding sRNAs
PublicationThe outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is asymmetric due to the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) facing the outer leaflet of the OM and phospholipids facing the periplasmic side. LPS is essential for bacterial viability, since it provides a permeability barrier and is a major virulence determinant in pathogenic bacteria. In Escherichia coli, several steps of LPS biosynthesis and assembly are regulated by the RpoE...
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Clay-filled starch films. Part I: Effect of clay kind and glycerol concentration on functional properties of composites
PublicationThe aim of this work was to improve the mechanical and water barrier properties of composite filmsprepared from starch and clays, plasticized with glycerol at different concentrations. The effects ofhydrophilic Closite Naþand Nanomer PGV were compared with that exerted by organicallymodifiedmorehydrophobicNanofil2 and NanoBent ZR-1. The antimicrobial activity of compositescontaining hydrophobic clays was also investigated. The hydrophilic...
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THE COST ANALYSIS OF CORROSION PROTECTION SOLUTIONS FOR STEEL COMPONENTS IN TERMS OF THE OBJECT LIFE CYCLE COST
PublicationSteel materials, due to their numerous advantages - high availability, easiness of processing and possibility of almost any shaping are commonly applied in construction for carrying out basic carrier systems and auxiliary structures. However, the major disadvantage of this material is its high corrosion susceptibility, which depends strictly on the local conditions of the facility and the applied type of corrosion protection system....
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Colloidal transport of lipid digesta in human and porcine small intestinal mucus
PublicationSmall intestinal mucus transport of food-derived particulates has not been extensively studied, despite mucus being a barrier nutrients need to cross before absorption. We used complex dispersions of digesta obtained from simulated, dynamic gastrointestinal digestion of yogurt to examine the penetrability of human and porcine mucus to the particles formed of lipolysis products. Quantitative, time-lapse confocal microscopy revealed...
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Enzymatic and Chemical Cross-Linking of Bacterial Cellulose/Fish Collagen Composites—A Comparative Study
PublicationThis article compares the properties of bacterial cellulose/fish collagen composites (BC/Col) after enzymatic and chemical cross-linking. In our methodology, two transglutaminases are used for enzymatic cross-linking—one recommended for the meat and the other proposed for the fish industry—and pre-oxidated BC (oxBC) is used for chemical cross-linking. The structure of the obtained composites is characterized by scanning electron...
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Hyaluronic acid/tannic acid films for wound healing application
PublicationIn this study, thin films based on hyaluronic acid (HA) with tannic acid (TA) were investigated in three different weight ratios (80HA/20TA, 50HA/50TA, 20HA/80TA) for their application as materials for wound healing. Surface free energy, as well as their roughness, mechanical properties, water vapor permeability rate, and antioxidant activity were determined. Moreover, their compatibility with blood and osteoblast cells was investigated....
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IR-THERMAL IMAGING IN CARDIOSURGERY
PublicationA method for monitoring the state of the myocardium during cardiosurgical interventions based on thermal IR imaging is presented. These methods called Static Thermography and Active Dynamic Thermography (ADT) uses information about distribution of temperature on the surface and an external excitation source to induce thermal transient processes in a tested object. Recording time series of thermograms allows to calculate parametric...