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Shrinking-shifting and amplifying-shifting device using transformation optics
PublicationBased on transformation optics (TO), this paper uses geometric divisions and linear coordinate transformations to design “shrinking-shifting—and reshaping”, and “amplifying-shifting—and reshaping” devices. The proposed devices can reshape the sizes and locations of the wrapped-objects inside the core-region. The shrinking-shifting device shrinks the larger object into a smaller one and shifts it to different location, whereas the...
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MINERAL MATTER IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
PublicationMunicipal solid waste (MSW) contains mineral materials which are seldom considered as a potential resource. Currently, the waste management sector pays attention to recyclable parts, biodegradable material, waste-to-energy fraction, and residues after waste reuse and recycle. In contrast, this study focus as on the mineral matter in MSW. The aim was to analyze and discuss the sources of mineral matter in MSW, the impact which the...
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Comparative Study of the Mechanical Behaviour of Bitumen- and Cement-Dominated Mixtures with Reclaimed Asphalt
PublicationThe bitumen emulsion-based recycling is a commonly used maintenance treatment in the rehabilitation of low-and medium-volume roads in Europe. Nevertheless, the wide range of climatic conditions across the continent resulted in the variety of mixture concepts and the requirements being adopted for various local conditions. In this regard, the most commonly used parameter to distinguish between the main mixture concepts is bitumen...
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Chromatographic behavior of a new hybrid type RP material containing silica bonded 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis-[cyanopropyloxy]-26,28-bis-[3-propyloxy]-calix[4]arene
PublicationA novel 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis-[cyanopropyloxy]-26,28-bis-[3-propyloxy]-calix[4]arene-bonded silica gel stationary phase (CalixPrCN) was prepared and it's structure was confirmed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The CalixPrCN phase was characterized in terms of their surface coverage, hydrophobic selectivity, aromatic selectivity, shape selectivity, hydrogen bonding capacity, residue metal content, and silanol...
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Radio Channel Measurements in Off-Body Communications in a Ferry Passenger Cabin
PublicationThis paper presents an off-body radio channel measurements in a ferry passenger cabin at 2.45 GHz band, for static sleeping scenarios with different body orientation and on-body antennas placements, and also for upper and lower sleeping berths. The measurements have been performed with two types of on-body wearable receiving antennas: FlexPIFA (flexible planar inverted F antenna), and FlexNotch (flexible adhesive-backed notch antenna)...
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In Situ Random Microseeding and Streak Seeding Used for Growth of Crystals of Cold-Adapted beta-D-Galactosidases: Crystal Structure of betaDG from Arthrobacter sp. 32cB
PublicationThere is an increasing demand for cold-adapted enzymes in a wide range of industrial branches. Nevertheless, structural information about them is still scarce. The knowledge of crystal structures is important to understand their mode of action and to design genetically engineered enzymes with enhanced activity. The most difficult task and the limiting step in structural studies of cold-adapted enzymes is their crystallization,...
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An overview of the strategies for the deammonification process start-up and recovery after accidental operational failures
PublicationThe deammonification process has been universally acknowledged as an energy-efficient technology for sewage disposal. In contrast with traditional biological nitrogen removal technology, the deammonification process is able to remove ammonia from wastewater with the simplest nitrogen removal process because of its advantages of lower operating expenses, no organic carbon consumption, lower biomass production, lower carbon dioxide...
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Approximation Strategies for Generalized Binary Search in Weighted Trees
PublicationWe consider the following generalization of the binary search problem. A search strategy is required to locate an unknown target node t in a given tree T. Upon querying a node v of the tree, the strategy receives as a reply an indication of the connected component of T\{v} containing the target t. The cost of querying each node is given by a known non-negative weight function, and the considered objective is to minimize the total...
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Influence of temperature on the activity of anammox granular biomass.
PublicationThe aim of this study was to determine a short-term and long-term effect of temperature on the anammox rate and determination of temperature coefficients in the Arrhenius and Ratkowsky equations. The short-term effects of temperature on the anammox granular biomass were investigated in batch tests at ten different temperatures in the range of 10–55 °C. The maximum overall nitrogen removal rate of 1.3 gN gVSS−1·d−1 was observed...
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Synthesis of 3-(2-Alkylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-2-(1-phenyl-3-arylprop-2-enylideneamino)guanidine Derivatives with Pro-Apoptotic Activity against Cancer Cells
PublicationThe untypical course of reaction between chalcones and benzenesulfonylaminoguanidines led to the new 3-(2-alkylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-2-(1-phenyl-3-arylprop-2- enylideneamino)guanidine derivatives 8–33. The new compounds were tested in vitro for their impact on the growth of breast cancer cells MCF-7, cervical cancer cells HeLa and colon cancer cells HCT-116 by MTT assay. The results revealed that the activity of...
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Intermolecular Interactions as a Measure of Dapsone Solubility in Neat Solvents and Binary Solvent Mixtures
PublicationDapsone is an effective antibacterial drug used to treat a variety of conditions. However, the aqueous solubility of this drug is limited, as is its permeability. This study expands the available solubility data pool for dapsone by measuring its solubility in several pure organic solvents: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (CAS: 872-50-4), dimethyl sulfoxide (CAS: 67-68-5), 4-formylmorpholine (CAS: 4394-85-8), tetraethylene pentamine (CAS:...
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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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Density functional theory calculations on entire proteins for free energies of binding: Application to a model polar binding site
PublicationIn drug optimization calculations, the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) method can be used to compute free energies of binding of ligands to proteins. The method involves the evaluation of the energy of configurations in an implicit solvent model. One source of errors is the force field used, which can potentially lead to large errors due to the restrictions in accuracy imposed by its empirical nature....
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Starch-clay nanocomposite films
PublicationStarch is a natural polymer which, due to its renewability, biodegrability, availability and a relatively low cost, has a high potential for applications in biodegradable materials. However, because of its hydrophilic nature, the number of commercially available starch-based products is still limited. Recently, starch-based nanocomposites with the addition of clay minerals as nanofillers have given rise to large-scale improvements...
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A spline-based FE approach to modelling of high frequency dynamics of 1-D structures
PublicationIn this paper a computational methodology leading to the development of a new class of FEs, based on the application of continuous and smooth approximation polynomials, being splines, has been presented. Application of the splines as appropriately defined piecewise elemental shape functions led the authors to the formulation of a new approach for FEM, named as spFEM, where contrary to the well-known NURBS approach, the boundaries...
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Invasive Assessment of the Myocardial Microcirculation during Beating Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
PublicationCoronary artery bypass grafting may be associated with several cardiac complications, including ischemia, acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, or hemodynamic instability. Accumulating evidence suggests that well-developed coronary collateral circulation may protect against adverse effects, including myocardial ischemia. Assessment of myocardial microvascular perfusion is, therefore, of great clinical interest in beating heart...
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Design, synthesis and high antitumor potential of new unsymmetrical bisacridine derivatives towards human solid tumors, specifically pancreatic cancers and their unique ability to stabilize DNA G-quadruplexes
PublicationNew promising unsymmetrical bisacridine derivatives (UAs), have been developed. Three groupsincluding 36 compounds were synthesized by the condensation of 4-nitro or 4-methylacridinone, imi-dazoacridinone and triazoloacridinone derivatives with 1-nitroacridine compounds linked with anaminoalkyl chain. Cytotoxicity screening revealed the high potency of these compounds against severaltumor cell lines. Particularly, imidazoacridinone-1-nitroacridine...
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Intracranial hemorrhage detection in 3D computed tomography images using a bi-directional long short-term memory network-based modified genetic algorithm
PublicationIntroduction: Intracranial hemorrhage detection in 3D Computed Tomography (CT) brain images has gained more attention in the research community. The major issue to deal with the 3D CT brain images is scarce and hard to obtain the labelled data with better recognition results. Methods: To overcome the aforementioned problem, a new model has been implemented in this research manuscript. After acquiring the images from the Radiological...
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Controlling the europium oxidation state in diopside through flux concentration
PublicationThis paper explores the connection between the H3BO3 flux concentration and the co-existence of Eu2+ and Eu3+ dopants within CaMgSi2O6 crystals (diopside). The samples were synthesised using a solid-state synthesis method under varying atmospheric conditions, including oxidative (air), neutral (N2), and reductive (H2/N2 mixture) environments. Additionally, some materials underwent chemical modification by partially substituting...
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Organizational Wisdom: The Impact of Organizational Learning on the Absorptive Capacity of an Enterprise
PublicationPurpose: In this article, we analyze the concept of organizational wisdom, indicating its key elements and verifieng the relationships between them. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was conducted at Vive Textile Recycling Sp. z o.o in Poland. Empirical data was collected from 138 managers using the PAPI technique. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to test the research hypotheses. Additionally, the significance...
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Mechanism of recognition of parallel G-quadruplexes by DEAH/RHAU helicase DHX36 explored by molecular dynamics simulations
PublicationBecause of high stability and slow unfolding rates of G-quadruplexes (G4), cells have evolved specialized helicases that disrupt these non-canonical DNA and RNA structures in an ATP-dependent manner. One example is DHX36, a DEAH-box helicase, which participates in gene expression and replication by recognizing and unwinding parallel G4s. Here, we studied the molecular basis for the high affinity and specificity of DHX36 for parallel-type...
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Development of cooperation in localized cooperation networks: A comparative study of cluster organizations and technology parks
PublicationThe main aim of the paper is to analyze the level of development of cooperative relationships in localized cooperation networks – among enterprises associated in cluster organizations and park tenants. The author reports the findings from the quantitative study carried out in the selected cluster organizations and technology parks functioning in Poland. The basic method of data collection was a survey questionnaire. The research...
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Influence of the Spectral Quality of Light on Daytime Alertness Levels in Humans
PublicationExposure to light is very important for human health. However, the characteristics of the light stimulus and the appropriate timing of such exposure are essential. Studies that have used monochromatic light exposure have shown no systematic patterns for the effects of blue light compared to longer wavelengths. Previous studies have shown that red light exposure increases objective and subjective measures of alertness at night without...
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The Emergence of ETFs in Asia-Pacific
PublicationThe major objective of this book is to contribute to the present state of knowledge by exploring empirical links between the processes of diffusion of financial innovations— exchange-traded funds—and growing deployment of ICT across Asia-Pacific countries, between 2004 and 2017. We examine the evolutionary patterns of ETFs on selected Asia-Pacific stock exchanges and verify the hypothesized relationship between increasing ICT penetration...
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Svalbard reindeer as an indicator of ecosystem changes in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem
PublicationOver the years, noticeable effort has been directed towards contaminant determination in multiple biotic samples collected from the inhabitants of the Arctic. Little consideration has been given to polar herbivores, however, especially those from the European parts of the Arctic. To provide a broader perspective, we aimed to decipher trace element concentration in hairs of the key species in the Arctic, namely the Svalbard reindeer...
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The new diphosphanylphosphido complexes of tungsten(VI) and molybdenum(VI). Their synthesis, structures and properties
PublicationWe report on the reactivity of R2P–P(Li)–PR’2 (R = tBu, iPr, R’ = NEt2, iPr) towards diimido complexes [(dippN)2MCl2·dme] (M = Mo, W and dipp = 2,6-iPr2C6H3). A series of new complexes with diphosphanylphosphido ligands R2P–P–PR’2 were isolated. The solid-state structures of [(dippN)2M(Cl)(1,2-η-iPr2P–P– PiPr2)] (2Mo and 2W) and [(dippN)2M(Cl){1,2-η-tBu2P–P–P(NEt2)2}] (3Mo and 3W) were established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction...
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The role of bile salts in digestion
PublicationBile salts (BS) are bio-surfactants present in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) that play a crucial role in the digestion and absorption of nutrients. The importance of BS for controlled release and transport of lipid soluble nutrients and drugs has recently stimulated scientific interest in these physiological compounds. BS are so-called facial amphiphiles showing a molecular structure that is very distinct from classical surfactants....
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Electrochemical degradation of textile dyes in a flow reactor: effect of operating conditions and dyes chemical structure
PublicationIn this study, electrochemical oxidation of five azo dyestuffs (Yellow D-5GN, Red D-B8, Ruby F-2B, Blue D-5RN, Black DN), that are widely used in the textile industry, was investigated in a flow reactor. BDD electrode with a high boron doping level (C/B = 10 000) was prepared and used. Two configurations of reactor were considered, i.e., one with the undivided cell, and the other with the cell divided by anodic and cathodic compartments....
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Molecular basis of the osmolyte effect on protein stability: a lesson from the mechanical unfolding of lysozyme
PublicationOsmolytes are a class of small organic molecules that shift the protein folding equilibrium. For this reason, they are accumulated by organisms under environmental stress, and find applications in biotechnology where proteins need to be stabilized or dissolved. However, despite years of research, debate continues over the exact mechanisms underpinning the stabilizing and denaturing effect of osmolytes. Here, we simulated the mechanical...
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Tailoring the optical parameters of optical fiber interferometer with dedicated boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond thin film
PublicationOptical fiber interferometer using nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond film was investigated. The diamond films were deposited on glass plates using a Microwave Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (μPE CVD) sys-tem. The growth time was 3h, with boron doping level of 10 000 ppm producing films (B-NCD-10) of thickness ~ 200 nm. The presence of boron atoms in the diamond film is evident in Raman spectrum as peaks at 1212 cm-1...
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Spectral Finite Element Method in Condition Monitoring and Damage Detection
PublicationIt is well known that the dynamic behaviour of engineering structures may carry very important and crucial information that can be further used for the assessment of their condition as well as detection of any damage induced. The current interest in monitoring techniques based on the propagation of guided elastic waves requires that numerical techniques used for modelling the phenomena associated must shift into the realm of high...
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Dynamics of algae growth and nutrients in experimental enclosures culturing bighead carp and common carp: Phosphorus dynamics
PublicationThis is the third paper of the series about “Dynamics of algae growth and nutrients in experimental enclosures culturing bighead carp and common carp”. In this paper, phosphorus dynamics were investigated under the condition of culturing bighead carp and common carp with added fish food (nitrogen dynamics is discussed in the second paper because their behaviors are so different from each other). Nearly fifty days’ observation results...
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Photocatalytically Active TiO2/Ag2O Nanotube Arrays Interlaced with Silver Nanoparticles Obtained from the One-Step Anodic Oxidation of Ti–Ag Alloys
PublicationThe development of a photocatalyst with remarkable activity to degrade pollutants in aqueous and gas phase requires visible lightresponsive stable materials, easily organized in the form of a thin layer (to exclude the highly expensive separation step). In this work, we present a one-step strategy for synthesizing material in the form of a self-organized TiO2/Ag2O nanotube (NT) array interlaced with silver nanoparticles (as in a...
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Future of nature, our future. A preregistered report on future time perspective, social value orientation, and pro-environmental outcomes based on data from Poland and Sweden
PublicationIntroduction: The objective of the study was to examine the role of social value orientation and future time perspective to account for individual differences in pro-environmental behaviors, intentions, and opinions about the link between pro-environmental action and pandemic threat (three separate models) in Polish and Swedish samples expected to differ in rate of pro-environmental behaviors (higher in Sweden). We hypothesized...
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Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of fermented beverages obtained from fruit pomace
PublicationFruit pomace should not be considered as a waste product but as a by-product as it contains a lot of valuable components such as dietary fiber, bioactive compounds and a source of nutrients. The reasonable way to utilize these by-products, both fresh or dried, could be the fermentation of its extracts, leading to beverages with functional properties. In our research, we checked the possibility of using chokeberry, apple and...
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Sewage sludge co-pyrolysis with agricultural/forest residues: A comparative life-cycle assessment
PublicationThis study aims to determine the sustainability and energy efficiency of co-pyrolysis scenarios as treatment processes for municipal sewage sludge through a life cycle assessment (LCA). In addition, sensitivity and energy recovery analyses are conducted to determine the possible methods for optimizing the co-pyrolysis process from a circular bioeconomy perspective. Corncob and wood residue have been selected as potential co-feed...
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Fluconazole resistant Candida auris clinical isolates have increased levels of cell wall chitin and increased susceptibility to a glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase inhibitor
PublicationIn 2009 Candida auris was first isolated as fungal pathogen of human disease from ear canal of a patient in Japan. In less than a decade, this pathogen has rapidly spread around the world and has now become a major health challenge that is of particular concern because many strains are resistant to multiple class of antifungal drugs. The lack of available antifungals and rapid increase of this fungal pathogen provides an incentive...
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Trace elements content of surface peat deposits in the Solovetsky Islands (White Sea)
PublicationPeatlands form environmental archives of trace element deposition. In this regard they are particularly valuable for areas such as the Arctic, where regular pollution monitoring is either impossible or extremely costly. The aim of this study was to assess pollution in the Solovetsky Islands (65° 05' N, 35° 53' E) by examining the spatial variability in trace element content of the uppermost layer of peat, immediately below the...
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Interactions between bioactive components determine antioxidant, cytotoxic and nutrigenomic activity of cocoa powder extract
PublicationNumerous studies have shown, rather disappointingly, that isolated bioactive phytochemicals are not as biologically effective as natural plant products. Such a discrepancy may be explained by the concept of food synergy, which was verified in this research for cocoa extract versus its major components with regard to cancer chemoprevention. The evaluation embraced the relationship between redox properties evaluated in cell-free systems...
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Spatio-Temporal Validation of GNSS-Derived Global Ionosphere Maps Using 16 Years of Jason Satellites Observations
PublicationExisting ionospheric models perform very well in mapping the calm state of the ionosphere. However, the problem is accurately determining the total electron content (TEC) for disturbed days. Knowledge of the exact electron density is essential for single−frequency receivers, which cannot eliminate the ionospheric delay. This study aims to investigate temporal and spatial variability in the distribution of TEC based on differences...
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Functional fluorine-doped tin oxide coating for opto-electrochemical label-free biosensors
PublicationSensors operating in multiple domains, such as optical and electrochemical, offer properties making biosensing more effective than those working in a single domain. To combine such domains in one sensing device, materials offering a certain set of properties are required. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin film is discussed in this work as functional optically for guiding lossy modes and simultaneously electrochemically, i.e....
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Sustainable nitrogen removal in anammox-mediated systems: Microbial metabolic pathways, operational conditions and mathematical modelling
PublicationAnammox-mediated systems have attracted considerable attention as alternative cost-effective technologies for sustainable nitrogen (N) removal from wastewater. This review comprehensively highlights the importance of understanding microbial metabolism in anammox-mediated systems under crucial operation parameters, indicating the potentially wide applications for the sustainable treatment of N-containing wastewater. The partial...
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Highly Conserved Homotrimer Cavity Formed by the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein: A Novel Binding Site
PublicationAn important stage in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) life cycle is the binding of the spike (S) protein to the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) host cell receptor. Therefore, to explore conserved features in spike protein dynamics and to identify potentially novel regions for drugging, we measured spike protein variability derived from 791 viral genomes and studied its properties by molecular...
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Emulsification alters simulated gastrointestinal proteolysis of β-casein and β-lactoglobulin
PublicationWe have studied the effect of the adsorption of milk proteins at the oil-water interface on their digestibility in simulated gastrointestinal environment. The investigations aimed to characterize how both the breakdown of the adsorbed proteins and the interactions with physiological surfactants, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and bile salts (BS), influence structural transformations of model, protein-stabilized food emulsions in the...
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Acid-aided epoxy-amine curing reaction as reflected in epoxy/Fe3O4 nanocomposites: Chemistry, mechanism, and fracture behavior
PublicationThis work seeks to answer the question whether or not the presence of acid functional groups accelerate epoxyamine curing reaction. Epoxy/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was considered as a case, where discussions are based on chemistry, mechanism behind curing reactions and fracture behavior influenced by acid assistance to crosslinking. Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with nanosilica decorative layer (B-MNP) were synthesized and subsequently...
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Gamma oscillations precede interictal epileptiform spikes in the seizure onset zone
PublicationOBJECTIVE: To investigate the generation, spectral characteristics, and potential clinical significance of brain activity preceding interictal epileptiform spike discharges (IEDs) recorded with intracranial EEG. METHODS: Seventeen adult patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy were implanted with intracranial electrodes as part of their evaluation for epilepsy surgery. IEDs detected on clinical macro- and research microelectrodes...
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Comparison of hydrochemistry and organic compound transport in two non-glaciated high Arctic catchments with a permafrost regime (Bellsund Fjord, Spitsbergen)
PublicationAn increase in air temperature related to climate change results in the retreat of glaciers, the degradation of permafrost, and the expansion of glacier-free areas in the polar regions. All these processes lead to changes in the Arctic landscape. They influence the hydrochemistry of streams and rivers fed by glaciers and thawing permafrost. In this study, we examine eighty two water samples from two non-glaciated catchments with...
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THRIVING AND JOB SATISFACTION IN MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS OF MNCS
PublicationPurpose of the article The aim of the paper is to analyze the relationship between thriving and job satisfaction in multicultural environments of multinational corporations (MNCs). Methodology/methods The quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on the sample of 128 individuals from subsidiaries of various MNCs located in Poland involved in intercultural interactions. Scientific aim The aim of this study was to examine...
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A novel analytical approach in the assessment of unprocessed Kaffir lime peel and pulp as potential raw materials for cosmetic applications
PublicationVolatile fraction of fruits is a rich source of bioactive and aroma compounds, which can be used in the cosmetics industry after meeting relevant criteria. This is particularly evident in citrus fruits, especially in Citrus hystrix, in which the headspace consists mainly of terpenes. Due to the insufficient sensitivity of analytical methods, essential oils are used in investigations in contrast to fresh fruits. Therefore, a novel...
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Thriving in multicultural workplace
PublicationThriving at work is defined as the psychological state that links both a sense of vitality and learning. The vitality component of thriving may be seen as positive energy, while learning enhances a sense of competence and efficacy. Thriving sheds new light on individual psychological functioning and the experience of growth in the work context. Thriving at work promotes growth through playing an active role in interaction with...