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Search results for: prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
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A multi‑criteria approach to investigate spatial distribution,sources, and the potential toxicological effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of urban retention tanks
PublicationBottom sediments deposited in retention tanks (RTs) located on two urban streams (Oliwski and Strzyza) in the central part of Gdansk (Poland) were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons’ (PAHs) content. PAHs were extracted from samples with methylene chloride, then the extracts were subjected to clean-up applying the solid phase extraction (SPE) method. Quantitative and qualitative determination of 16 PAHs was performed...
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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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Conserved motifs of MutL proteins
PublicationtThe MutL protein is best known for its function in DNA mismatch repair (MMR). However, there isevidence to suggest that MutL is not only the linker connecting the functions of MutS and MutH in MMR,but that it also participates in other repair systems, such as Very Short Patch (VSP), Base Excision (BER)and Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER). This study set out to identify the most highly conserved aminoacid sequence motifs in MutL...
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Electrochemical oxidation of landfill leachate using boron-doped diamond anodes: pollution degradation rate, energy efficiency and toxicity assessment
PublicationElectrochemical oxidation (EO), due to high efficiency and small carbon footprint, is regarded as an attractive option for on-site treatment of highly contaminated wastewater. This work shows the effectiveness of EO using three boron-doped diamond electrodes (BDDs) in sustainable management of landfill leachate (LL). The effect of the applied current density (25–100 mA cm−2) and boron doping concentration (B/C ratio: 500 ppm, 10,000...
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Masowe wymieranie pszczół – problem nie tylko pszczelarzy
PublicationPestycydy to bardzo liczna grupa różnorodnych związków chemicznych stosowanych w rolnictwie. Ze względu na swoją trwałość gromadzą się w różnych elementach środowiska i mogą występować w obszarze, na którym nigdy nie zostały użyte. Zachodzi także proces ich bioakumulacji w tkankach oraz narządach zwierząt i roślin. Stosowane w rolnictwie środki ochrony roślin (szczególnie w okresie wzmożonych zabiegów agrotechnicznych wiosną...
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Selected anionic and cationic surface active agents determined in river sediments – the Klodnica catchment
PublicationSurface active agents (SAAs) are specific compounds that contain hydrophilic/ hydrophobic group in their molecules named as amphiphilic structures. According to charge on the hydrophilic part of surfactants they can be classified into three main groups: anionic, cationic and non-ionic compounds. Due to the amphiphilic structure of SAAs they have specific properties (e.g. ability to adsorption at different surfaces, reduction of...
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Pesticides in the Environment
PublicationApplied all over the world, pesticides are some of the most dangerous pollutants of the environment becauseof their mobility and ability to accumulate in the environment and their consequent long-term adverseeffects on living organisms in general and human health in particular. For these reasons, it is essential tomonitor and analyze pesticide residues in the environment. This entry discusses the classification of pesticidesas...
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Novel approach to ecotoxicological risk assessment of sediments cores around the shipwreck by the use of self-organizing maps
PublicationMarine and coastal pollution plays an increasingly important role due to recent severe accidents which drew attention to the consequences of oil spills causing widespread devastation of marine ecosystems. All these problems cannot be solved without conducting environmental studies in the area of possible oil spill and performing chemometric evaluation of the data obtained looking for similar patterns among pollutants and optimize...
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The particle method for simulation of self-organization phenomena
PublicationThe aim of the work was to design, implement, and use, in a number of experiments, an abstract software environment (an artificial world)suitable for modelling systems consisting of many moving and interactingobjects distributed in space. The environment, named DigiHive, is directed towards modeling of complex systems manifested by processes of self-organization, self-reproduction and self modifications. The environment is mainly...
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Development and validation of an LC–MS/MS method for the determination of biogenic amines in wines and beers
PublicationBiogenic amines are group of organic, basic, nitrogenous compounds that naturally occur in plant, microorganism, and animal organisms. Biogenic amines are mainly produced through decarboxylation of amino acids. They are formed during manufacturing of some kind of food and beverages such as cheese, wine, or beer. Histamine, cadaverine, agmatine, tyramine, putrescine, and b-phenylethylamine are the most common biogenic amines found...
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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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Modeling N2O behavior during denitrification with different carbon sources and electron acceptors
PublicationA mathematical model was developed for identification of the most important mechanism leading to nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation in denitrifying activated sludge systems. The activated sludge model No. 2d (ASM2d) was extended to include intermediate three steps of the denitrification process. The formation and accumulation of nitric oxide (NO) was assumed to be very low in the performed laboratory experiments. These experiments...
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Selected issues related to the toxicity of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents—a review
PublicationGreen Chemistry plays a more and more important role in implementing rules of sustainable development to prevent environmental pollution caused by technological processes, while simultaneously increasing the production yield. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) constitute a very broad group of substances. Apart from many imperfections, ILs and DESs have been the most promising discoveries in the world of Green...
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Structure and evolution of the 4-helix bundle domain of Zuotin, a J-domain protein co-chaperone of Hsp70
PublicationThe J-domain protein Zuotin is a multi-domain eukaryotic Hsp70 co-chaperone. Though it is primarily ribosome-associated, positioned at the exit of the 60S subunit tunnel where it promotes folding of nascent polypeptide chains, Zuotin also has off-ribosome functions. Domains of Zuotin needed for 60S association and interaction with Hsp70 are conserved in eukaryotes. However, whether the 4-helix bundle (4HB) domain is conserved remains...
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Cząsteczki mikroRNA - nowy biologicznie aktywny składnik mleka kobiecego
PublicationCząsteczki mikroRNA są krótkimi, niekodującymi oligonukleotydami odpowiadającymi za potranskrypcyjną regulację ekspresji genów. W wyniku ich aktywności kontrolowanych jest wiele procesów komórkowych oraz szlaków sygnalizacyjnych. Od 2010 roku wiadomo, że wchodzą one w skład mleka kobiecego, które obecnie uznaje się za jedno z najbogatszych pokarmowych źródeł mikroRNA. Funkcje tych cząsteczek w organizmie karmionego mlekiem matki...
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Determination of organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides in water samples
PublicationPesticides are among the most dangerous environmental pollutants because of their stability, mobility and long-term effects on living organisms. Their presence in sources of drinking water, essential to life, is a particular danger. In water, these compounds can undergo transformations, leading to the production of substances of even greater toxicity. Legal regulations are in force, stipulating the highest permissible level of...
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Analytics of Surfactants in the Environment: Problems and Challenges
PublicationSurfactants (surface active agents = SAAs) are a group of compoundswith specific physicochemical properties (amphiphilicity,solubility in polar and nonpolar liquids, ability to form micelles,adsorption at phase boundaries).1,2 Because of their properties,surface-active compounds are widely applied in industry and thehousehold (e.g., in detergents, personal-care products, paints,pesticides, petroleum products). As their applications...
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Environmental risk assessment of Polish wastewater treatment plant activity
PublicationWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an extremely important role in shaping modern society's environmental wellbeing and awareness, however only well operated and supervised systems can be considered as environmentally sustainable. For this reason, an attempt was undertaken to assess the environmental burden posed by WWTPs in major Polish cities by collecting water samples prior to and just after wastewater release points....
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Determination of cyanide ion in urine samples using ion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.
PublicationCyanides are widely applied in industrial activity, including gold and silver mining and the production of organic chemicals. HCN is also formed directly from fossil fuel combustion sources from gasoline and diesel vehicles. In natural environment, in plants seeds for example an apple seed, it exists as a cyanogenic glycosides. The amount of cyanide ions originating from food products is however rather small. Larger concentrations...
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Real-Time PCR: molecular technique of many applications
PublicationReal-Time PCR is a sensitive DNA amplification technique initially applied in genetics and molecular biology. It enables in vivo copying of the selected DNA fragment (flanked by two primers) by the thermostable polymerase (in the presence of magnesium ions and deoxynucleotide triphosphates) and simultaneous measurement of the fluorescence. For one or more specific sequences in a DNA sample, real-time PCR enables both detection...
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Modeling the Effect of External Carbon Source Addition under Different Electron Acceptor Conditions in Biological Nutrient Removal Activated Sludge Systems
Publicationhe aim of this study was to expand the International Water Association Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) to predict the aerobic/anoxic behavior of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) and “ordinary” heterotrophs in the presence of different external carbon sources and electron acceptors. The following new aspects were considered: (1) a new type of the readily biodegradable substrate, not available for the anaerobic activity...
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Variations in host surfaces morphology and biology of ciliate epibionts explaining distribution pattern of epibionts in the invasive signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852)
Publicationciliates on the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in relation to specialized structures of the host’s exoskeleton for the first time. This species is known to maintain a relatively clean carapace, but it is sometimes overgrown by other organisms. Epibionts cover different parts of the signal crayfish body, mainly antennae, antennules, maxillipedes III and pereiopods with inner edges of chelae; however, some parts of the...
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How green are ionic liquids? – A multicriteria decision analysis approach
PublicationDue to various desirable physicochemical properties, ionic liquids (ILs) are still gaining in popularity. ILs have been recurrently considered green solvents. However, environmental, health and safety assessments of ILs have raised certain doubts about their benignness, and their greenness status is currently unclear. To clarify the situation on their greenness, we perform a comprehensive assessment of more than 300 commercially...
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Molecular targets for antifungals in amino acid and protein biosynthetic pathways
PublicationFungi cause death of over 1.5 million people every year, while cutaneous mycoses are among the most common infections in the world. Mycoses vary greatly in severity, there are long-term skin (ringworm), nail or hair infections (tinea capitis), recurrent like vaginal candidiasis or severe, life-threatening systemic, multiorgan infections. In the last few years, increasing importance is attached to the health and economic problems...
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Wytrzymałość pętli wplatanych na linach podwójnie plecionych
PublicationCechą wyróżniającą statki żaglowe z grona innych obiektów pływających są żagle. To cecha widoczna, za którą kryją się mniej romantyczne elementy, takie jak maszty, liny i osprzęt. Rozpostarcie białych płócien na maszcie i następnie żeglowanie wymaga sprawnego operowania nimi, co wiąże się z doborem odpowiedniego ich zestawu, ułożenia i napięcia. To maszty są kręgosłupem takielunku, a liny jego mięśniami i ścięgnami. Do poprawnego...
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Mercury concentrations in marine biota with special focus on grey and ringed seals
PublicationMarine organisms are exposed and sensitive to effects of environmental contamination by heavy metals including different forms of mercury. Baltic seals as the top predators of the marine ecosystem are even more endangered due to (considerable) longevity as well as a long biological half-time of toxin elimination. The concentrations of mercury in seals from the Baltic is poorly known, thus the aim of this work is to determine and...
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Light formed through urban morphology and different organism groups: First findings from a systematic review
PublicationThe prevailing implementation and usage of contemporary lighting technologies and design practices in cities have created over-illuminated built environments. Recent studies indicate that exposure to electric lighting effects formed through spatial characteristics has visual, physiological, and behavioural effects on both humans and non-humans, such as wildlife. In order to gain a better understanding of the impact that electric...
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Future opportunities for products derived from black soldier fly (BSF) treatment as animal feed and fertilizer - A systematic review
PublicationThe pursuit of novel food products with good nutritional value for both direct and indirect human consumption is crucial. Given the nutritional benefits of insects and the sustainability of this sort of farming, using them as food for farmed animals is a promising alternative. In this regard, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is most capable of efficiently converting a wide variety of organic materials, from food waste...
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Landfill leachates and wastewater of maritime origin as possible sources of endocrine disruptors in municipal wastewater
PublicationIn this study, wastewater from municipal services, such as a port wastewater reception facility (PRF-WW) and a municipal solid waste plant (MSWP), was tested for the presence of the suspected endocrine-disrupting compounds phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA). PAEs and BPA were found in this study in high concentrations in raw wastewater obtained from passenger ships (RMT-WWs) (up to 738 μg/L and 957 μg/L, respectively) collected...
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Application potential of dummy molecularly imprinted polymers as solidphase extraction sorbents for determination of low-mass polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil and sediment samples
PublicationDespite the introduction of restrictive regulations in the USA and the European Union, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are still found in various types of environmental and biological samples at significant concentration levels. The presence of these persistent organic pollutants in the environment raises important issues because of their negative impact on immunological and neurological systems, and on the hormonal balances...
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Influence of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields on the circadian system – current stage of knowledge
PublicationOne of the side effects of each electrical device work is the electromagnetic field generated near its workplace. All organisms, including humans, are exposed daily to the influence of different types of this field, characterized by various physical parameters. Therefore, it is important to accurately determine the effects of an electromagnetic field on the physiological and pathological processes occurring in cells, tissues and...
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Specific detection of Alternaria alternata by PCR and real-time PCR
PublicationFungi of Alternaria genus are cosmopolitan organisms, which spores can be found in the air, soil, water, clothing and food. They commonly occur as saprotrophs on the plant remains, contributing to the decomposition of organic matter. Additionally, they are components of the normal human and animal skin flora. Alternaria spp. are also known human allergens, causing hay fever and allergic reactions that can lead to the development...
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A significance of multi slip condition for inclined MHD nano-fluid flow with non linear thermal radiations, Dufuor and Sorrot, and chemically reactive bio-convection effect
PublicationThe aim of this research is to discuss the significance of slip conditions for magnetized nanofluid flow with the impact of nonlinear thermal radiations, activation energy, inclined MHD, sorrot and dufour, and gyrotactic micro motile organisms over continuous stretching of a two-dimensional sheet. The governing equations emerge in the form of partial differential equations. Since the resultant governing differential equations...
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Potential Toxic Effects of Airport Runoff Water Samples on the Environment
PublicationDespite the positive aspects of the intensive development of aviation, airports are considered large-scale polluters. Pollution caused by runoff water (stormwater) is one of the major problems related to airport operations. The aim of this study was to characterize the potential toxic impact on aquatic life from runoff water discharges from four international airports in Europe. Samples of stormwater were collected at airports...
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Bacteriophages as potential tools for use in antimicrobial therapy and vaccine development
PublicationThe constantly growing number of people suffering from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, parasitic diseases, and cancers prompts the search for innovative methods of disease prevention and treatment, especially based on vaccines and targeted therapy. An additional problem is the global threat to humanity resulting from the increasing resistance of bacteria to commonly used antibiotics. Conventional vaccines based on bacteria...
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Mass spectrometric identification of 13C-Labeled metaboloites during anaerobic propanoic acid oxidation
PublicationBiowaste digestion is a possibility to gain biogas as a renewable fuel source. However, the anaerobic food chain may be disrupted by, e.g., substrate overload or by inhibitors, leading to the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), predominantly of propanoic acid (PA). VFA Accumulation may cause a rapid pH decrease, less biogas production, or even a total inhibition. To maintain high biogas productivity or to prevent a collapse...
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Organotin Compounds: Environmental Fate and Analytics
PublicationFor more than 50 years, organotin compounds have been used in almost all sectors of industry. As a consequence, specific environmental compartments are affected by the emission of these xenobiotics. The emissions of organotin compounds into the environment from paints used in the shipbuilding industry for ship hull coating, and from the plant protection products are particularly significant.In 2001, the IMO introduced a global...
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Mass Spectrometric Identification of 13C-Labeled Metabolites DuringAnaerobic Propanoic Acid Oxidation
PublicationBiowaste digestion is a possibility to gain biogas as a renewable fuel source. However, the anaerobic food chain may be disrupted by, e.g., substrate overload or by inhibitors, leading to the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), predominantly of propanoic acid (PA). VFA Accumulation may cause a rapid pH decrease, less biogas production, or even a total inhibition. To maintain high biogas productivity or to prevent a collapse...
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The speciation of organotin compounds in sediment and water samples from the port of Gdynia
PublicationOrganotin compounds (OTC) are toxic towards all living organisms. The application of organitin-based antifouling systems is becoming the main source of OTC in the ocean. Harbor sediments and water contain large deposits of organotin compounds due to application of antifouling systems in the shipping industry. OTC contamination presents a potential risk to the marine environment. Sediment and water samples were collected in 2009...
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Ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis as a tool for monitoring methanogenic archaea changes in an anaerobic digester
PublicationThe applicability of a newly-designed PCR primer pair in examination of methanogenic Archaea in a digester treating plant biomass was evaluated by Ribosmal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA). To find a suitable approach, three variants of RISA were tested: (1) standard, polyacrylamide gel-based, (2) automated, utilized capillary electrophoresis (GA-ARISA), and (3) automated microfluidics-based (MF-ARISA). All three techniques yielded...
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A Data Driven Model for Predicting RNA-Protein Interactions based on Gradient Boosting Machine
PublicationRNA protein interactions (RPI) play a pivotal role in the regulation of various biological processes. Experimental validation of RPI has been time-consuming, paving the way for computational prediction methods. The major limiting factor of these methods has been the accuracy and confidence of the predictions, and our in-house experiments show that they fail to accurately predict RPI involving short RNA sequences such as TERRA RNA....
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Binary Mixtures of Selected Bisphenols in the Environment: Their Toxicity in Relationship to Individual Constituents
PublicationBisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most popular and commonly used plasticizer in the industry. Over the past decade, new chemicals that belong to the bisphenol group have increasingly been used in industrial applications as alternatives to BPA. Nevertheless, information on the combined effects of bisphenol (BP) analogues is insufficient. Therefore, our current study aimed to find the biological response modulations induced by the...
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Mitigating metal-organic framework (MOF) toxicity for biomedical applications
PublicationMetal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a novel class of crystalline porous materials, consisting of metal ions and organic linkers. These hybrid materials are highly porous and have a large specific surface area, making them of great interest for applications in gas separation, energy storage, biomedical imaging, and drug delivery. As MOFs are being explored for biomedical applications, it is essential to comprehensively assess their...
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The Many Faces of Enterococcus spp.—Commensal, Probiotic and Opportunistic Pathogen
PublicationEnterococcus spp. are Gram-positive, facultative, anaerobic cocci, which are found in the intestinal flora and, less frequently, in the vagina or mouth. Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are the most common species found in humans. As commensals, enterococci colonize the digestive system and participate in the modulation of the immune system in humans and animals. For many years reference enterococcal strains have...
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Recent Advancements in Cyclodextrin-Based Adsorbents for the Removal of Hazardous Pollutants from Waters
PublicationWater is an essential substance for the survival on Earth of all living organisms. However, population growth has disturbed the natural phenomenon of living, due to industrial growth to meet ever expanding demands, and, hence, an exponential increase in environmental pollution has been reported in the last few decades. Moreover, water pollution has drawn major attention for its adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem....
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Presence of antibiotics in the aquatic environment in Europe and their analytical monitoring: Recent trends and perspectives
PublicationThe presence of antibiotics and their metabolites in the aquatic environment exerts a negative impact on all organisms. Moreover, the easy migration of these substances to drinking water may also have serious consequences for public health, such as drug resistance. Although antibiotics and their metabolites are detected in surface waters and wastewater, there are still no systemic solutions preventing environmental pollution with...
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MutS3: a MutS homologue of unknown biological function
PublicationThe homologues of MutS proteins are widespread among both Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes. MutS designated as MutS1 is a part of MMR (mismatch repair) system which is responsible for removal of mispaired bases and small insertion/deletion loops in DNA. Initially, the only MutS homologues known were those engaged in mismatch repair and these were later designated as MutS1. Subsequently, the MutS2 homologue was distinguished. MutS2 does...
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Ultrafiltration Process in Disinfection and Advanced Treatment of Tertiary Treated Wastewater
PublicationThe paper presents the results of research on the use of ultrafiltration, using membranes of 200 and 400 kDa separation, for disinfection of municipal treated wastewater. The research was conducted on a fractional technical scale using real municipal treated wastewater from two large wastewater treatment plants treating most of the wastewater over the one-million polycentric Gdańsk agglomeration (1.2 million inhabitants). UF 200...
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Mercury concentrations in Antarctic zooplankton with a focus on the krill species, Euphausia superba
PublicationThe Antarctic is the most isolated region in the world; nevertheless, it has not avoided the negative impact of human activity, including the inflow of toxic mercury (Hg). Hg deposited in the Antarctic marine environment can be bioavailable and accumulate in the food web, reaching elevated concentrations in high-trophic-level biota, especially if methylated. Zooplankton, together with
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The supramolecular organization of self-assembling chlorosomal bacteriochlorophyll c, d, or e mimics
PublicationBacteriochlorophylls (BChls) c, d, and e are the main light-harvesting pigments of green photosynthetic bacteria that self-assemble into nanostructures within the chlorosomes forming the most efficient antennas of photosynthetic organisms. All previous models of the chlorosomal antennae, which are quite controversially discussed because no single crystals could be grown so far from these organelles, involve a strong hydrogen-bonding...