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Search results for: paid work
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Endocrine Disrupting Compounds – Problems and Challenges
PublicationIn this chapter, information about some of the estrogenic compounds and their environmental fate and biological influence can be found. Special attention is paid to the review of the analytical approaches used at the stages of detection and determination of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) in the environmental samples. Also, a brief characterization of both cellular and non-cellular bioassays is presented. The discovery of...
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New Trends in Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of the Residues of Pharmaceuticals in Environmental Samples
PublicationPharmaceutical residues in the environment is a field of special interest due to the adverse effects to either human health or aquatic and soil environment. Pharmaceuticals have been already detected in underground, surface and wastewaters, soils, manure and sediments. The growing awareness of environmental pollution arising from human activity forces the need for their comprehensive determination. Environmental samples are complex...
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Speciation of heavy metal compounds in samples of biota from marine ecosystems
PublicationIt has become increasingly evident that the toxicity, mobility, bioavailability and bioaccumulation of metals are dependent on the particular physico-chemical form in which the element occurs in the environment. Special attention is paid to metals, which are essential for the proper functioning of organisms if present in appropriate amounts but are toxic if in excess (i.e. Se, Cr, Zn), and also to non-essential elements (i.e. Hg,...
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Non-destructive inspection of ground anchors using guided wave propagation
PublicationThis paper deals with numerical and experimental investigations of specific problems of guided wave propagation in ground anchors. The research focuses on recognizing the phenomenon of the energy transfer between anchor components. Particular attention is paid to characteristic features of guided waves propagating in free and embedded parts of the tendon, at the interface between the tendon and the surrounding anchor body as well...
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Optimisation of turbine shaft heating process under steam turbine run-up conditions
PublicationAn important operational task for thermal turbines during run-up and run-down is to keep the stresses in the structural elements at a right level. This applies not only to their instantaneous values, but also to the impact of them on the engine lifetime. The turbine shaft is a particularly important element. The distribution of stresses depends on geometric characteristics of the shaft and its specific locations. This means a groove manufactured...
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Chitosan-based electrospun nanofibers for encapsulating food bioactive ingredients: A review
PublicationToday, society has been more aware of healthy food products and related items containing bioactive compounds, which potentially contribute to human health. Unfortunately, the long-term stability and bioactivity of biologically active compounds against environmental factors compromise their target and effective action. In this way, lab-designed vehicles, such as nanoparticles and nanofibers, provide enough properties for their preservation...
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Forecasting of railway track tamping based on settlement of sleepers using fuzzy logic
PublicationThe sleepers in a railway track transfer vertical, transverse and longitudinal loads to the track ballast and subgrade. The sleepers allow for keeping the distance between the rails constant. The thickness of ballast should be between 16 and 35 cm depending on the design standard of the track, and it should be densified where the ballast supports the sleeper. The exploitation causes contamination of the ballast, crushing the material...
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Dynamic analysis of the railway bridge span under moving loads
PublicationThe first part of this paper provides a review of the state of knowledge of the dynamic behaviour of railway bridges under moving loads. Particular attention is paid to developments in modelling railway bridge loading and dynamic vehicle-span (structure) interaction. The most important aspects determining the advancements in this area of knowledge are identified. The contemporary techniques for defining bridge span finite element...
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New achievements in the field of extraction of trace analytes from samples characterized by complex composition of the matrix
PublicationWithout any doubt, the monitoring of compounds present in samples at trace or ultra-trace level usually requires a preliminary step of isolation and/or enrichment of analytes due to the fact that majority of analytical techniques are not sensitive enough for direct determination of trace compounds. On the other hand, sample preparation is considered as crucial part of whole analytical procedures, in particular in samples characterized...
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On weak solutions of the boundary value problem within linear dilatational strain gradient elasticity for polyhedral Lipschitz domains
PublicationWe provide the proof of an existence and uniqueness theorem for weak solutions of the equilibrium problem in linear dilatational strain gradient elasticity for bodies occupying, in the reference configuration, Lipschitz domains with edges. The considered elastic model belongs to the class of so-called incomplete strain gradient continua whose potential energy density depends quadratically on linear strains and on the gradient of...
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The usefulness of birch saps from the area of Podkarpacie to produce birch syrup
PublicationIn northern European countries, as well as in North America tree saps of maples and birches are used for the production of syrups. Birch syrups are characterized by a specific aromatic taste and can be used as an addition to sweets, desserts, salads and meats. Attention is paid to the health benefits of birch syrups, mainly for high mineral content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of birch saps obtained from...
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New Challenges in Management and Economics in 21st century. Selected studies and examples
PublicationIn Chapter 1 authors describe the method used to assess the level of readiness of an organization to introduce the Lean Six Sigma concept supporting the Quality 4.0 assumptions, which is gaining more and more interest not only in large organizations, but also in the SME sector. Its use will be illustrated by the example of a small service company. Chapter 2 presents the characteristics of blockchain technology applications in the...
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Experimental Investigations of Fracture Process Using DIC in Plain and Reinforced Concrete Beams under Bending
PublicationThe fracture behaviour of concrete and reinforced concrete beams under quasi-static three-point bending was comprehensively investigated with experiments at laboratory scale. The eight various concrete mixes were tested. The influence of the shape, volume and size of aggregate particles and reinforcement on concrete fracture under bending was studied. Displacements on the surface of concrete beams were measured by means of the...
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Nonlinear Properties of Seawater as a Factor Determining Nonlinear Wave Propagation
PublicationTaking practical advantage of nonlinear acoustical interactions occurring in seawater [1, 2] requires knowledge of the parameter of nonlinearity B=A of this medium. The literature does not offer much reports on B=A parameter value for seawater. In the few papers concerning that address the issue, results concerning ocean waters with high salinity and at large depths are given [3], while studies concerning seawater with low salinity...
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Influence of the air phase on water flow in dikes
PublicationNumerical models are often used to describe flow and deformation processes occurring in dikes during flood events. Modeling of such phenomena is a challenging task, due to the complexity of the system, consisting of three material phases: soil skeleton, pore water and pore air. Additional difficulties are transient loading caused by variable in time water levels, heterogeneity of the soil or air...
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Orientation-aware ship detection via a rotation feature decoupling supported deep learning approach
PublicationShip imaging position plays an important role in visual navigation, and thus significant focuses have been paid to accurately extract ship imaging positions in maritime videos. Previous studies are mainly conducted in the horizontal ship detection manner from maritime image sequences. This can lead to unsatisfied ship detection performance due to that some background pixels maybe wrongly identified as ship contours. To address...
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Experimental Evaluation of ND: YAG Laser Parameters and Sample Preparation Methods for Texturing Thin AISI 316L Steel Samples
PublicationIn mechanical and material engineering, the effect of laser texturing depends on many factors besides device specification, primarily the properties of the materials being processed, and, secondly, the preparation of the sample. Laser texturing of thin (<5 mm) samples is mostly performed utilizing short-pulse lasers, but depending on the power of the laser beam, the process can also be performed by using continuous operation lasers....
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Maritime traffic situation awareness analysis via high-fidelity ship imaging trajectory
PublicationSituation awareness provides crucial yet instant information to maritime traffic participants, and significant attentions are paid to implement traffic situation awareness task via various maritime data source (e.g., automatic identification system, maritime surveillance video, radar, etc.). The study aims to analyze traffic situation with the support of ship imaging trajectory. First, we employ the dark channel prior model to...
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Diagnostic Model of Crankshaft Seals
PublicationT he paper presents a research stand being a diagnostic model of radial lip seals used, among others, on crankshafts of piston combustion engines in order to identify the correctness of their operation. The possibility of determining the technical condition of lip seals on the basis of the proposed coefficient of correctness of operation has been described. T he basic features of seals influencing their correctness of...
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Biomechanical testing of bioactive bone cements – a comparison of the impact of modifiers: antibiotics and nanometals
PublicationApart from its bone filler and fracture stabilizing function, bone cement can be used as a carrier of bioactive substances, and such modified bone cement can protect the implant against microorganisms, treat local infections and combat bacteria introduced during the surgical procedure. In this paper, the effects of modifying antibiotics and nanosilver on the biomechanical properties of bone cement were examined. The following tests...
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Pedestrian safety management using the risk-based approach
PublicationThe paper presents a concept of a multi-level pedestrian safety management system. Three management levels are distinguished: strategic, tactical and operational. The basis for the proposed approach to pedestrian safety management is a risk-based method. In the approach the elements of behavioural and systemic theories were used, allowing for the development of a formalised and repeatable procedure integrating the phases of risk...
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Automatic Incident Detection at Intersections with Use of Telematics
PublicationWhile there are many examples of Intelligent Transport System deployments in Poland, more attention should be paid to traffic incident management and detection on dual-carriageways and urban street networks. One of the aims of CIVITAS DYN@MO, a European Union funded project, is to use TRISTAR (an Urban Transport Management System) detection modules to detect incidents at junctions equipped with traffic signals. First part of paper...
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Current trends in analytical strategies for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in samples with different matrix compositions – Part 2: New approaches to PBDEs determination
PublicationHerein, we review the latest technical solutions for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) determination in samples with different matrix compositions, largely focusing on gas chromatography but also presenting some liquid chromatography–based solutions. Moreover, we discuss the use of diverse sample injection techniques while considering the advantages and disadvantages of each injection system in the context of PBDEs analysis....
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Experimental ORC micro-power plant for CHP application Part B: Radial and Multi-stage axial turbines
PublicationThe co-generative micro-power plant with the HFE7100 applied as a working medium was designed and built for experimental investigations. Special attention is paid to a micro-turbine which was built and tested in two variants: a radial turbine and an axial turbine. A concept of a radial turbine with 2 centripetal and 2 centrifugal stages is shown. This prototype was equipped with an aerostatic gas bearing and, alternatively, with...
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Bearing capacity of working platform using distinct layout optimization method
PublicationBearing capacity of the working platforms from sandy soil resting on NC and OC clays was analyzed using LimitState GEO program. Different failure modes are considered using distinct layout optimization (DLO) method, which forms the upper bound solution of limit state analysis. Different mechanisms of failure were observed as a function of the platform thickness, angle of internal friction of the platform material and undrained...
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A Comparison of the Efficiency of Deammonification under Different Aeration Strategies in a Laboratory-Scale Sequencing Batch Reactor
PublicationAn important source of nitrogen load entering the biological part of wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) is derived from the anaerobic sludge digestion processes. Sludge digestion liquors constitute only 1-2% of the inflow to the plant, but the load of nitrogen directed with them to the main stream may be as high as 10-20% of the total nitrogen load. Therefore, numerous studies have focused on treatment of sludge digestion liquors...
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Inhibition effect of free ammonia on deammonification process under different intermittent aeration strategies in sequencing batch reactor
PublicationThe deammonification process involves two steps. The first step is the partial nitrification of ammonia (NH4-N) by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to produce nitrite (NO2-N) and the second step is the anammox process to “anaerobically” oxidize ammonia to nitrogen gas with nitrite as an electron acceptor (Lackner et al., 2014). Free ammonia (FA) plays a significant role in the stable, long-term deammonification system operation....
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New light on the photocatalytic performance of NH4V4O10 and its composite with rGO
PublicationSolar-driven photocatalysis has shown great potential as a sustainable wastewater treatment technology that utilizes clean solar energy for pollutant degradation. Consequently, much attention is being paid to the development of new, efficient and low-cost photocatalyst materials. In this study, we report the photocatalytic activity of NH4V4O10 (NVO) and its composite with rGO (NVO/rGO). Samples were synthesized via a facile one-pot...
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Mind the framing: Match purpose and context
PublicationIn several ways, the following chapters will allude to the concept of frames. The assumptions of a mathematical model tell us what it can explain and what it cannot (see chapter 5). The trade-off between the usefulness of a mathemati- cal model and the scale of complexity it seeks to capture further conditions the narrative, highlighting or downsizing cognitive elements relevant to responsible modelling (see ‘Mathematics and tales’...
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Gender and Labor Market Situation among Technical University Graduates in Poland
PublicationThe aim of article is to analyse the professional situation of technical university graduates in Poland, focusing on the gender as the key impact factor. The research problem was to examine the influence of gender on the employee’s professional situation among technical university graduates in Poland. Empirical data was gained as a result of six annual quantitative research projects, conducted in the years 2012‑2017 on a total...
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Assessment of hearing in coma patients employing auditory brainstem response, electroencephalography, and eye-gaze-tracking
PublicationThe results of the study conducted by Tagliaferri et al. in 12 European countries indicate that the ratio of registered brain injury cases in Europe amounts to 150-300 per 100 000 people, with the European mean value of 235 cases per 100 000 people. The project presented in the paper assumes development of a combined metric of patients’ state remaining in coma by intelligent fusion of GCS (subjective Glasgow Coma Scale or its derivatives)...
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Modelling of high frequency dynamic responses of engineering structures
PublicationModelling of high frequency dynamic responses of engineering structures, especially those related to wave propagation, is a real numerical challenge. Nowadays most of numerical models, used for that purpose, are based on the application of various finite element techniques. However, finite element discrete models may also be considered as possessing certain periodic structures, which may manifest themselves in particular scenarios....
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The potential of LC–MS technique in direct analysis of perfume content
PublicationPerfumes are products that consist of a wide range of natural and synthetic compounds. Due to complex composition, the determination of their ingredients is a difficult task. Most of the perfume components are either volatile or semi-volatile; however, most of the attention has been paid to volatile ones, and thus, gas chromatography or electronic noses are generally used. Nevertheless, in this study, liquid chromatography coupled...
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Nondestructive Testing of the Miter Gates Using Various Measurement Methods
PublicationWhen any problems related to civil engineering structures appear, identifying the issue through the usage of only one measuring method is difficult. Therefore, comprehensive tests are required to identify the main source. The strains and displacement measurements, as well as modal identification, are widely used in the nondestructive testing of structures. However, measurements are usually carried out at several points and confirm...
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GPR investigation of the strengthening system of a historic masonry tower
PublicationIn this paper the condition assessment of the strengthening system of a masonry tower was carried out by the GPR method. The study provided unique experimental data acquired during measurements of the reinforced concrete frame embedded in masonry walls. Conducted numerical and experimental investigations were focused on the phenomenon of the diffraction-refraction scattering of the electromagnetic energy. A hyperbola resulting...
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Arsenic-Based Warfare Agents: Production, Use, and Destruction
PublicationSince the beginning of time, civilizations have looked for more creative ways to dominate and defeat their enemies. The rapid development of the chemical industry just before the Second World War started the era of modern chemical weapon production based on poisons, including toxic arsenic compounds. This paper provides a detailed overview of the production, usage and destruction of this dangerous chemical weapon. Milestones include:...
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An additional ultrasonographic sign of Hashimoto’s lymphocytic thyroiditis in children
PublicationWe present an additional sonographic sign of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HLT), increasing the specifi city of this method in pediatric populations. Methods: A total of 98 children (mean age 12.7 years, range 7–17 years) were selected from the registry of the endocrinology outpatient department. All subjects met the diagnostic criteria for HLT. All children underwent a prospective thyroid ultrasound examination with special attention...
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Trends in Locally Balanced Energy Systems without the Use of Fossil Fuels: A Review
PublicationIn recent years, the idea of the operation of energy systems (power systems, heating systems) has changed significantly. This paper is an overview of locally balanced energy systems without the use of fossil fuels. The paper justifies the concept of local energy balancing in a new energy system that does not use fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and crude oil), based on European Union guidelines and formal documents as well as the...
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Selected local stability problems of channel section flanges made of aluminium alloys
PublicationThe paper addresses the issue of local buckling of compressed flanges of cold-formed thin-walled channel columns and beams with nonstandard flanges composed of aluminium alloys. The material behaviour follows the Ramberg–Osgood law. It should be noted that the proposed solution may be also applied for other materials, for example: stainless steel, carbon steel. The paper is motivated by an increasing interest in nonstandard cold-formed...
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Exploring the Solubility Limits of Edaravone in Neat Solvents and Binary Mixtures: Experimental and Machine Learning Study
PublicationThis study explores the edaravone solubility space encompassing both neat and binary dissolution media. Efforts were made to reveal the inherent concentration limits of common pure and mixed solvents. For this purpose, the published solubility data of the title drug were scrupulously inspected and cured, which made the dataset consistent and coherent. However, the lack of some important types of solvents in the collection called...
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Marine traffic risk modelling – an innovative approach and a case study
PublicationThis paper presents a model to analyse the risk of two common marine accidents: collision and grounding. Attention is focused on oil tankers since they pose the highest environmental risks. A case study in selected areas of the Gulf of Finland in ice-free conditions is presented. The model utilizes a formula for risk calculation that considers both the probability of an unwanted event and its consequences. The model can be decomposed...
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Migration of trace elements and radioisotopes to various fractions of solid wastes generated as a result of the sewage sludge incineration process
PublicationThe research was aimed at providing new knowledge in the field of chemical characteristics of solid waste generated in the process of combustion of sewage sludge in fluidized bed furnaces. The research material consisted of disposed fluidized beds (DFB), sewage sludge ash (SSA) and air pollution control residues (APC) from three Polish installations for the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. Natural radionuclides as well as anthropogenic...
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Integrated algorithm for selecting the location and control of energy storage units to improve the voltage level in distribution grids
PublicationThis paper refers to the issue that mainly appears in distribution grids, where renewable energy sources (RES) are widely installed. In such grids, one of the main problems is the coordination of energy production time with demand time, especially if photovoltaic energy sources are present. To face this problem, battery energy storage units (ESU) can be installed. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to optimizing...
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Naturally-derived hydrogels for 3D pancreatic tumor models: A short review
PublicationStatistics suggest a high proportion of mortality rate by pancreatic cancer, which is a solid tumor characterized by high heterogeneity and the presence of a complex extracellular matrix. The very low effectiveness of pancreatic cancer treatment roots in the high metastatic potential and drug resistance of this tumor. Therefore, the quest for efficient cellular models enabling precise mimicking in vivo conditions, and anticancer...
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Testing Question Order Effects of Self-perception of Risk Propensity on Simple Lottery Choices as Measures of the Actual Risk Propensity
PublicationUncertainty together with the necessity of making choices inevitably results in risky decisions. For many years now, scientists have been studying notions connected with risk such as risk management, risk perception or risk propensity. While many sophisticated methods regarding measurement of risk propensity have been developed so far, it seems that little attention has been paid to checking whether they are not inherently flawed....
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LS-DYNA simulations of the impacts of a 38-ton Heavy Goods Vehicle into a road cable barrier
PublicationNowadays, more and more attention is being paid to safety on roads and motorways. It is due to the continuous development of road and motorway network and a significant increase of the number of vehicles on roads. To meet the expectations of improving road safety in Poland, the Road Innovations Development (RID) research programme was implemented in 2016. The aim of the RID 3A - Road Safety Equipment (RoSE) project is a comprehensive...
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Determination of stepped plate thickness distribution using guided waves and compressed sensing approach
PublicationGuided waves recently have attracted significant interest as a very promising research area. The signals registered by a specially designed sensor network are processed to assess the state of the tested structure. Despite the constant development of novel damage detection algorithms employing guided waves, the phenomenon of wave propagation still needs detailed recognizing and understanding for the further progress of non-destructive...
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Deep eutectic solvents – A new platform in membrane fabrication and membrane-assisted technologies
PublicationDeep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a new class of solvents that can offset some of the primary drawbacks of typical solvents and ionic liquids (ILs). Since DESs fall into the guidelines of “Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry”, their implementation in several types of applications has exponentially increased over the last years. The usage of DESs has been directed to the designing, manufacture and purification of new materials...
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Functionalized Peptide Fibrils as a Scaffold for Active Substances in Wound Healing
PublicationTechnological developments in the field of biologically active peptide applications in medicine have increased the need for new methods for peptide delivery. The disadvantage of peptides as drugs is their low biological stability. Recently, great attention has been paid to self-assembling peptides that can form fibrils. Such a formulation makes bioactive peptides more resistant to enzymatic degradation and druggable. Peptide fibrils...
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How can systems thinking help us in the COVID‐19 crisis?
PublicationThe COVID-19 pandemic outbreak remains one of the most influential events in the global economy over the recent years. While being primarily public health related, it has a tremendous impact on many other aspects, including business management. Many businesses were forced to introduce rapid changes to their business models in order to survive. The aim of this paper is to show the complexity and interrelations of changes triggered...