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The role of hydrogen bonding on tuning hard-soft segments in bio-based thermoplastic poly(ether-urethane)s
PublicationThis work describes the preparation of bio-based thermoplastic poly(ether-urethane)s (TPU) via a prepolymer method and investigates the effect of varying the interphase hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) on physicochemical, thermal and mechanical properties. This was achieved by varying the glycol type and molar ratio of [NCO]/[OH] groups used during the prepolymer chain extending step. The TPUs’ chemical structure was analyzed by Fourier...
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POM/EVA Blends with Future Utility in Fused Deposition Modeling
PublicationPolyoxymethylene (POM) is one of the most popular thermoplastic polymers used in the industry. Therefore, the interest in its potential applications in rapid prototyping is understandable. Nevertheless, its low dimensional stability causes the warping of 3D prints, limiting its applications. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of POM modification with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 wt.%) on its processing...
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Plasticity of Bead-On-Plate Welds Made with the Use of Stored Flux-Cored Wires for Offshore Applications
PublicationExtreme atmospheric conditions in the marine and offshore industry are harmful to engineering materials, especially to welded joints, and may cause degradation of their properties. This article presents the results of research on the plasticity of bead-on-plate welds made using two types of seamless, copper plated flux-cored wires. Before welding, spools with wire were stored for 1 month in two distinct locations with different...
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Enhancing Economic Development Through ICT-Based Governance: Evidence for Developing Countries
Publicationhis shows novel empirical evidence on how e-government solutions enhance the emergence of inclusive societies, increase institutional quality, and through that channels dynamize economic development in developing countries. With this aim we examine digital development inequalities adopting 2 core ICT indicators: mobile cellular telephony and Internet users; and gross per capita income and Human Development Index to show the level...
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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) determination in disposable baby diapers with the application of natural deep eutectic solvent
PublicationIn this work a new method involving solvent extraction of porous membrane-packed solid samples (SE-PMSS) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been developed for the determination of six polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and five polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxines (PCDDs) in disposable baby diapers. In that aim, a terpenoid-based natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) composed of carvone and camphor in a 1:1 M ratio...
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Design and Optimization of Metamaterial-based Highly-isolated MIMO Antenna with High Gain and Beam Tilting Ability for 5G Millimeter Wave Applications
PublicationThis paper presents a wideband multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with high gain and isolation, as well as beam tilting capability, for 5G millimeter wave (MMW) applications. A single bow-tie antenna fed by a substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) is proposed to cover the 28 GHz band (26.5–29.5 GHz) with a maximum gain of 6.35 dB. To enhance the gain, H-shaped metamaterial (MM)-based components are incorporated into the...
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Towards understanding the role of peroxide initiators on compatibilization efficiency of thermoplastic elastomers highly filled with reclaimed GTR
PublicationThermoplastic elastomers based on recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer were highly filled with reclaimed ground tire rubber (RR). The impact of various organic peroxides (dicumyl peroxide (DCP), benzoyl peroxide (BP) and di-tert-butyl peroxide (DB)), applied as free-radical initiators, on the processing, structure and performance properties of rHDPE/SBS/RR blends was investigated....
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Analysis of bisphenols and their derivatives in infant and toddler ready-to-feed milk and powdered milk by LC MS/MS
PublicationReady-to-feed milk and powdered milk packed in different types of packaging lined with resin are chosen as the primary or complementary diet for infants and toddlers. An HPLC–MS/MS method was established and validated for the determination of nineteen bisphenols and their derivatives in such samples. The recoveries were from 31% to 120%, while the values of limit of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.24–0.40 and...
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Optical properties of the chemotherapy drugs used in the central nervous system lymphoma therapy: monitoring drug delivery
PublicationOur aim is to optically monitor the delivery of the chemotherapy drugs for brain tumours, particularly used in the central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma therapy. In vivo monitoring would help to optimize the treatment and avoiding unnecessary medications. Moreover, it would be beneficial to be able to measure which of the multi-regimen drugs actually do penetrate and how well into the brain tissue. There exist several potential...
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LIGHT POLLUTION IN THE CONTEXT OF THREATS TO THE WILDLIFE CORRIDORS
PublicationAccess to remote sensing night-time imagery allows for modeling of light pollution Increasingly, data on the propagation of artificial light are a source of interesting information for different fields of science and affect the planning of economic development. The article presents the problem of light pollution in the context of threats to the wildlife corridors in Poland. Wildlife corridors are areas that allow safe migration...
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Emerging strategies for enhancing detection of explosives by artificial olfaction
PublicationExplosives detection systems need to be able to reliably detect a wide range of explosive materials and their vapours. The continued development and improvement of artificial olfaction techniques, including electronic nose (EN), remains important to overcome existing challenges and meet requirements posed by new improvements in the field of explosives. There is an increasingly popular trend aimed at improvement of fundamental metrological...
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Olfactory receptor-based biosensors as potential future tools in medical diagnosis
PublicationThe detection of biomarkers is the future of non-invasive medical diagnosis and screening. Discovery and identification of reliable disease specific volatile organic compounds is dependent on repeatable, accurate analysis of trace level gaseous analytes mainly in breath samples. Natural variety of the olfactory systems and the compounds capable of gas molecules binding creates wide possibilities of acquisition and implementation...
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The Application of Satellite Image Analysis in Oil Spill Detection
PublicationIn recent years, there has been an increasing use of satellite sensors to detect and track oil spills. The satellite bands, namely visible, short, medium infrared, and microwave radar bands, are used for this purpose. The use of satellite images is extremely valuable for oil spill analysis. With satellite images, we can identify the source of leakage and assess the extent of potential damage. However, it is not yet clear how to...
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Hyperelastic Microcantilever AFM: Efficient Detection Mechanism Based on Principal Parametric Resonance
PublicationThe impetus of writing this paper is to propose an efficient detection mechanism to scan the surface profile of a micro-sample using cantilever-based atomic force microscopy (AFM), operating in non-contact mode. In order to implement this scheme, the principal parametric resonance characteristics of the resonator are employed, benefiting from the bifurcation-based sensing mechanism. It is assumed that the microcantilever is made...
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Establishing the allosteric mechanism in CRISPR‐Cas9
PublicationAllostery is a fundamental property of proteins, which regulates biochemical information transfer between spatially distant sites. Here, we report on the critical role of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in discovering the mechanism of allosteric communication within CRISPR‐Cas9, a leading genome editing machinery with enormous promises for medicine and biotechnology. MD revealed how allostery intervenes during at least three...
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A New Adaptive Method for the Extraction of Steel Design Structures from an Integrated Point Cloud
PublicationThe continuous and intensive development of measurement technologies for reality modelling with appropriate data processing algorithms is currently being observed. The most popular methods include remote sensing techniques based on reflected-light digital cameras, and on active methods in which the device emits a beam. This research paper presents the process of data integration from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and image data...
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Open-source software (OSS) and hardware (OSH) in UAVs
PublicationThe popularity of the Open Source Tool (OST) has expanded significantly. This is the case for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) based on open-source hardware (OSH) as well. Open-source software (OSS) and OSH can be applied in a wide range of applications and can improve several technologies. The chapter begins with an introduction to OSS depicting its rationale, description of fundamental differences between OSS and proprietary software...
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CaZnO-based nanoghosts for the detection of ssDNA, pCRISPR and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen and targeted delivery of doxorubicin
PublicationOverexpression of proteins/antigens and other gene-related sequences in the bodies could lead to significant mutations and refractory diseases. Detection and identification of assorted trace concentrations of such proteins/antigens and/or gene-related sequences remain challenging, affecting different pathogens and making viruses stronger. Correspondingly, coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) mutations/alterations and spread could lead to overexpression...
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Exploring the Beam Squint Effects on Reflectarray Perfromance: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Specular and Scattered Reflection of the Unit Cell
PublicationIn this article, the phenomena of beam deviation in reflectarray is discussed. The radiation pattern of the unit cell, which plays a vital role in shaping the beam of the reflectarray, is analyzed by considering undesired specular and scattered reflections. These unwanted reflections adversely affect the pattern of the single unit cell, thereby reducing the overall performance of the reflectarray. To conduct our investigations,...
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INFLUENCE OF TEST CONDITIONS ON TYRE/ROAD NOISE MEASURED BY THE DRUM METHOD
PublicationTyre/road noise is one of the most important environmental problems related to road traffic. Nowadays a few standard procedures of tyre/road noise measurements are in use. Unfortunately, measurement conditions specified within relevant standards are very different. For example, procedure described in ISO 11819-2 used for pavement investigations requires tyre load of 3200 N and capped inflation pressure of 200 kPa. At the same time...
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On the Handling of Outliers in the GNSS Time Series by Means of the Noise and Probability Analysis
PublicationThe data pre-analysis plays a significant role in the noise determination. The most important issue is to find an optimum criterion for outliers removal, since their existence can affect any further analysis. The noises in the GNSS time series are characterized by spectral index and amplitudes that can be determined with a few different methods. In this research, the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) was used. The noise amplitudes...
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Factors determining accumulation of bisphenol A and alkylphenols at a low trophic level as exemplified by mussels Mytilus trossulus
PublicationThe aim of the study was to investigate abiotic and biotic factors influencing the accumulation of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) such as bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4- nonylphenol (NP) in mussels Mytilus trossulus from the Gulf of Gdansk (Southern Baltic). The key abiotic factor influencing BPA, OP and NP accumulation in mussels is their hydrophilicity/lipophilicity, which affects their main assimilation...
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Transparency of publicly available information about fiscal and monetary policy in Poland
PublicationResearch background: The quality of information provided by fiscal and monetary authorities are important in a democratic state. Ensuring fiscal policy transparency reduces fiscal risk and corruption and promotes public acceptance of fiscal reforms. Ensuring transparency in monetary policy allows market participants to anticipate central bank responses and take their effects into account when making investment and consumption decisions. Aim...
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Thermoplastic starch nanocomposites using cellulose-rich Chrysopogon zizanioides nanofibers
PublicationGreen thermoplastic starch (TPS) nanocomposite films aided by cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from Chrysopogon zizanioides roots were developed and characterized. When compared to other lignocellulosic fibers, Chrysopogon zizanioides roots revealed exceptionally high cellulose content (~48%). CNFs were separated using an environmentally friendly acid isolation technique that included three stages: (i) alkali treatment; (ii) bleaching;...
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Biomechanics of Lumbar Spine Injury in Road Barrier Collision–Finite Element Study
PublicationLiterature and field data from CIREN database have shown that lumbar spine injuries occur during car crashes. There are multiple hypotheses regarding how they occur; however, there is no biomechanical explanation for these injuries during collisions with road safety barriers (RSBs). Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the mechanics of vertebral fractures during car collisions with concrete RSBs. The finite...
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The influence of atmospheric circulation on the occurrence of dry and wet periods in Central Poland in 1954–2018
PublicationThis work presents the influence of atmospheric circulation on the occurrence of dry and wet periods in the central Polish region of Kujawy. The material on which the authors relied encompassed monthly totals of precipitation obtained from 10 weather stations in the period 1954–2018. Both dry and wet periods have been identified on the basis of monthly values of the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI). Additionally, the calendar...
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Exergy and Energy Analyses of Microwave Dryer for Cantaloupe Slice and Prediction of Thermodynamic Parameters Using ANN and ANFIS Algorithms
PublicationThe study targeted towards drying of cantaloupe slices with various thicknesses in a microwave dryer. The experiments were carried out at three microwave powers of 180, 360, and 540 W and three thicknesses of 2, 4, and 6 mm for cantaloupe drying, and the weight variations were determined. Artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) were exploited to investigate energy and exergy indices of...
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Optimum shapes and dimensions of rubber bumpers in order to reduce structural pounding during seismic excitations
PublicationLarge displacement of structures observed during seismic excitations may lead to collisions between two adjacent, insufficiently-separated buildings and may result in major damages of both of them. In many building codes, appropriate equations or approximately recommended distances between structures in order to avoid pounding hazard have been introduced. Unfortunately, further, more detailed considerations show that safety situation...
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Monitoring of odors emitted from stabilized dewatered sludge subjected to aging using proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry
PublicationOne of the potential emission sources of odorous compounds from wastewater treatment plants is sludge processing. The odorous compounds released from dewatered sludge can result in odor nuisance. This study concerns the use of flux hood chamber combined with proton transfer reaction—time of flight—mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) technique for periodical monitoring of odorous compounds emitted from aged, stabilized dewatered sludge samples...
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Hidden Champions of Poland
PublicationPoland is a country with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. The hidden champions’ performance has been closely related to political and economic changes: the fall of communism in 1989 and the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. This led to the emergence of small private businesses focused on the domestic market. The accession to the European Union in 2004 created new perspectives for the hidden champions’...
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Industry-level analysis of COVID-19’s impact in emerging markets – evidence from Pakistan
PublicationPurpose – The main purpose of this study is to evaluate COVID-19’s impact on the emerging stock markets. Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate the influence of COVID-19, this study uses a novel method of event study methodology to measure the impact of COVID-19 on emerging stock markets. The research’s sample includes a total of 79 firms from 26 industries that are included in the KSE-100 Index from the Pakistan Stock Exchange....
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Seven Different Lighting Conditions in Photogrammetric Studies of a 3D Urban Mock-Up
PublicationOne of the most important elements during photogrammetric studies is the appropriate lighting of the object or area under investigation. Nevertheless, the concept of “adequate lighting” is relative. Therefore, we have attempted, based on experimental proof of concept (technology readiness level—TRL3), to verify the impact of various types of lighting emitted by LED light sources for scene illumination and their direct influence...
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Insights into Stoichiometry Adjustments Governing the Performance of Flexible Foamed Polyurethane/Ground Tire Rubber Composites
PublicationPolyurethanes (PU) are widely applied in the industry due to their tunable performance adjusted by changes in the isocyanate index—stoichiometric balance between isocyanate and hydroxyl groups. This balance is affected by the incorporation of modifiers of fillers into the PU matrix and is especially crucial for PU foams due to the additional role of isocyanates—foaming of the material. Despite the awareness of the issue underlined...
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Developing the Urban Blue-Green Infrastructure as a Tool for Urban Air Quality Management
PublicationUrban structure is an important factor that shapes the process of urban ventilation and pollution dispersion. With proper planning of the urban spatial layout, city breathability can be effectively regulated, contributing to urban air quality improvement. This paper investigates the development and current management of urban systems of green and open spaces in four Polish cities: Gda ´nsk, Warsaw, Pozna ´n and Wrocław, with a...
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Genetic Algorithm Approach for Gains Selection of Induction Machine Extended Speed Observer
PublicationThe subject of this paper is gains selection of an extended induction machine speed observer. A high number of gains makes manual gains selection difficult and due to nonlinear equations of the observer, well-known methods of gains selection for linear systems cannot be applied. A method based on genetic algorithms has been proposed instead. Such an approach requires multiple fitness function calls; therefore, using a quality index...
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Implementation of the Concept of Flexicurity in the Selected Countries of Central Eastern Europe
PublicationThe CEE countries have to create their own flexicurity policies which would take into account the employment policy guidelines, cultural traditions and socio-economic development. The aim of this article is to examine and evaluate the implementation of the flexicurity concept on the basis of the adopted set of composite indicators. The study covers 9 countries of the CEE region, and the research period covers the years 2007 and 2013....
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Application of discrete wavelet transform in seismic nonlinear analysis of soil–structure interaction problems
PublicationSimulation of soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects is a time-consuming and costly process. However, ignoring the influence of SSI on structural response may lead to inaccurate results, especially in the case of seismic nonlinear analysis. In this paper, wavelet transform methodology has been utilized for investigation of the seismic response of soil-structure systems. For this purpose, different storey outrigger braced buildings...
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Unconditionally blue: Curing epoxy with polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface-functionalized Zn Fe3-O4 magnetic nanoparticles
PublicationNanoparticles govern early (chemical-controlled) and late (diffusion-controlled) stages of epoxy crosslinking, respectively. Surface functionalization of nanoparticles with macromolecules was recognized as an effective route to compensate for inadequate diffusion-controlled crosslinking. However, the effect of bulk composition amended with cations having catalytic effect towards epoxy ring opening has remained hitherto undescribed....
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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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The Substantial Improvement of Amphotericin B Selective Toxicity Upon Modification of Mycosamine with Bulky Substituents
PublicationAbstract: Background: It is assumed that the unfavorable selective toxicity of an antifungal drug Amphotericin B (AmB) can be improved upon chemical modification of the antibiotic molecule. Objective: The aim of this study was verification of the hypothesis that introduction of bulky substituents at the amino sugar moiety of the antibiotic may result in diminishment of mammalian vitro toxicity of thus prepared AmB derivatives. Methods:...
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Organic Acids and Polyphenols Determination in Polish Wines by Ultrasound-Assisted Solvent Extraction of Porous Membrane-Packed Liquid Samples
PublicationIn the near future, Poland is going to have more and more favorable conditions for viticulture. Organic acids and polyphenols are among the most commonly analyzed compounds due to their beneficial properties for human health and their importance in the winemaking process. In this work, a new technique involving ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction of porous membrane-packed liquid samples (UASE-PMLS) was for the first time described...
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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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Application of shifted Chebyshev polynomial-based Rayleigh–Ritz method and Navier’s technique for vibration analysis of a functionally graded porous beam embedded in Kerr foundation
PublicationPresent study is dealt with the applicability of shifted Chebyshev polynomial based Rayleigh-Ritz method and Navier’s technique on free vibration of Functionally Graded (FG) beam with uniformly distributed porosity along the thickness of the beam. The material properties such as Young’s modulus, mass density, and Poisson’s ratio are also considered to vary along the thickness of the FG beam as per the power-law exponent model....
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MRI assessment of ectopic fat accumulation in pancreas, liver and skeletal muscle in patients with obesity, overweight and normal BMI in correlation with the presence of central obesity and metabolic syndrome
PublicationPurpose: Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 30 kg/m2, is a serious health problem, which can be called an epidemic on a global scale and is one of the most important causes of preventable death. The aim of this study was to assess ectopic fat accumulation in pancreas, liver and skeletal muscle in patients with obesity, overweight and normal BMI in correlation with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Patients and methods:...
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Spatial variability of throughfall in a stand of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with deciduous admixture as influenced by canopy cover and stem distance
PublicationVegetation cover affects the amount of precipitation, its chemical composition and its spatial distribution, and this may have implications for the distribution of water, nutrients and contaminants in the subsurface soil layer. The aim of this study was a detailed diagnosis of the spatio-temporal variability in the amount of throughfall (TF) and its chemical components in a 72-year-old pine stand with an admixture of oak and birch....
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Chlorine-free extraction and structural characterization of cellulose nanofibers from waste husk of millet (Pennisetum glaucum)
PublicationThis study aims to extract cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from a sustainable source, i.e. millet husk, which is an agro-waste worthy of consideration. Pre-treatments such as mercerisation, steam explosion, and peroxide bleaching (chlorine-free) were applied for the removal of non-cellulosic components. The bleached millet husk pulp was subjected to acid hydrolysis (5% oxalic acid) followed by homogenization to extract CNFs. The extracted...
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Single-Phase 15-Level Switched-Capacitor Boost Multilevel Inverter Topology for Renewable Energy Applications
PublicationGalvanic isolation is a vital part of a grid-connected solar PV system. With the growth of multilevel inverters for grid-connected applications, the multilevel inverters having isolation are not sufficiently discussed in the literature. In this paper, a 15-level isolated multilevel inverter topology requiring only thirteen switches is proposed. The envisaged configuration includes two cells, designated as upper and lower cells....
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Effective sonophotocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in water: Optimization, kinetic modeling, and degradation pathways
PublicationHybrid advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are gaining interest in degradation of variety of recalcitrant compounds for water and wastewater treatment, due to possible synergistic effects. The present study systematically evaluated the degradation of tetracycline (TC) with a sonophotocatalytic process combining acoustic cavitation (sonocavitation) and photocatalysis based on N-doped TiO2 catalyst. The TC degradation rate constant...
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Corporate social responsibility and forward default risk mediated by financial performance and goodwill
PublicationIn today’s business environment, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an increasingly significant factor for firms. This study is driven by the motivation to add to the current literature by investigating the mediating elements that explain the relationship between CSR and forward default risk. In this paper, we attempt to identify the important mediators and give a more comprehensive explanation of this connection...
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Ground lemon and stevia leaves as renewable functional fillers with antioxidant activity for high-density polyethylene composites
PublicationThe development of new sustainable material solutions in the processing of thermoplastic polymers concerns both the application of biopolymers and the use of valorized plant derivatives as fillers and modifiers of petrochemical polymers. Herein, the possibility of using unprocessed raw parts of two commonly used in the food industry leaves, i.e., lemon (LL) and stevia (ST), as active and functional fillers for high-density polyethylene...