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Structural properties of superconducting PrBa 2Cu 3O 7−δ single crystals
PublicationThe influence of high-temperature reduction/oxidation treatment on the structural properties of superconducting PrBa2Cu3O7−δ (PrBCO) single crystals was examined. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis has shown that even the short-lasting exposure to the oxygen-deficient atmosphere leads to creation of regular-shaped crystallites of PrBaO3 and BaCuO2 phases with the size of 0.5 ÷ 2.0 μm on the smooth and flat crystal...
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Recent trends in determination of neurotoxins in aquatic environmental samples
PublicationAnatoxins, saxitoxins, ciguatoxins, beta-N-methylamino-l-alanine and its isomers are groups of neurotoxins which have a highly specific effect on the nervous system of animals, including humans, by interfering with the transmission of nerve impulses. In order to assess the human exposure to these neurotoxins, selective, interlaboratory-validated analytical methods are being developed to facilitate obtaining reliable results on...
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Daytime Acute Non-Visual Alerting Response in Brain Activity Occurs as a Result of Short- and Long-Wavelengths of Light
PublicationVery recent preliminary findings concerning the alerting capacities of light stimulus with long-wavelengths suggest the existence of neural pathways other than melatonin suppression that trigger the nonvisual response. Though the nonvisual effects of light during the daytime have not been investigated thoroughly, they are definitely worth investigating. The purpose of the present study is to enrich existing evidence by describing...
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Badania stabilności chemicznej kompozytowego elektrolitu 3-YSZ-Al2O3 w stosunku do materiałów elektrodowych do zastosowania w średniotemperaturowych ogniwach paliwowych
PublicationJednym z podstawowych wymogów stawianych mate- riałom na elektrolity do średniotemperaturowych ogniw paliwowych IT-SOFC (ang. intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells) jest ich kompatybilność chemiczna z elektrodami w temperaturach zarówno eksploatacji, jak i wytwarzania ogniw. W celu sprawdzenia, czy badany w pracy kompozytowy elektrolit o osnowie z częściowo stabilizowanego ditlenku cyrkonu i z wtrąceniami tlenku glinu...
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Algorytmy przetwarzania widm Ramana w procesie detekcji substancji chemicznych
PublicationRozprawa przedstawia szczegółowo algorytmy, jakie są stosowane podczas przetwarzania widm Ramana, rejestrowanych przenośnym spektrometrem o skończonej rozdzielczości. Pracę podzielono na osiem rozdziałów. W pierwszym określono cel i tezy pracy. Rozdział drugi opisuje podstawowe pojęcia dotyczące zjawiska Ramana oraz zasady budowy urządzeń do pomiarów widm Ramana. W rozdziale trzecim scharakteryzowano błędy występujące podczas pomiarów...
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WHAT DRIVES CROSS-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES IN EXPORT VARIETY? A BILATERAL PANEL APPROACH
PublicationA worldwide event like the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak can only reinforce the interest in modelling trade diversification as a key factor in countries’ vulnerability to external shocks. This paper adopts a detailed relative framework to study the determinants of product-level export variety in a large bilateral panel of developing and developed economies (16,770 country pairs in the period 1988–2014). We find that country pairs characterized...
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Performance and Stability in H2S of SrFe0.75Mo0.25O3-δ as Electrode in Proton Ceramic Fuel Cells
PublicationThe H2S-tolerance of SrFe0.75Mo0.25O3-δ (SFM) electrodes has been investigated in symmetric proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFC) with BaZr0.8Ce0.1Y0.1O3-δ (BZCY81) electrolyte. The ionic conductivity of the electrolyte under wet reducing conditions was found to be insignificantly affected in the presence of up to 5000 ppm H2S. The fuel cell exhibited an OCV of about 0.9 V at 700 °C, which dropped to about 0.6 V and 0.4 V upon exposure...
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Measures of region failure survivability for wireless mesh networks
PublicationWireless mesh networks (WMNs) are considered as a promising alternative to wired local, or metropolitan area networks. However, owing to their exposure to various disruptive events, including natural disasters, or human threats, many WMN network elements located close to the failure epicentre are frequently in danger of a simultaneous failure, referred to as a region failure. Therefore, network survivability, being the ability...
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IMPACT OF DIRECT CURRENT ON NITRIFYING BIOMASS
PublicationEffects of short term exposure of nitrifying biomass to direct current were studied. DC was applied to mixed liquor from municipal BNR plant using graphite electrodes in no substrate limiting conditions. Both, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) populations were affected by the current, however in opposite ways. The AOB population activity was inhibited by applied voltage. Activity decrease was...
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Development of tools for road infrastructure safety management for the provinces (voivodeships) in Poland
PublicationThe development of modern tools for road infrastructure safety management will help to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries as one of the main objectives adopted in 2013 in the National Road Safety Programme 2014-2020 and the new Road Safety Programme 2011-2020 in the EU. Risk Management in Highway Engineering can be applied in developing tools essential in the process of safety management. Risk Management in Highway...
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Application of passive sampling techniques as a usable tool in the field of environmental quality monitoring
PublicationAnalysis of literature data published for the past 20 years leads to the conclusion, that passive sampling technique has been developing very quickly and is commonly used in the field of monitoring pollutants in air, water and soil environment. The popularity of application of passive sampling techniques in analytical and environmental chemistry results from its many advantages e.g.: Simplicity in use, low costs of exploitation,...
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Corrosion of AISI1018 and AISI304 steel exposed to sulfates
PublicationThis research analyses the behavior of corrosion, durability, and quality of reinforced concrete samples coated with two different materials when exposed to contaminated soil with sulfates. The initial assessment involved evaluating the water absorption rate of the coating materials before and after exposure to a solution containing 3%푁푎2푆푂4+3%푀푔푆푂4+3%퐾2푆푂4+3%퐶푎푆푂4to determine their durability. the corrosion...
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On degradation of glass/polyester laminate immersed in water
PublicationMechanical behaviour was compared for glass/ polyester laminates manufactured in the boatbuilding plant using three methods: hand lay-up, vacuum bagging, infusion. Specimens were tested in dry condition and following accelerated water immersion test (70°C- corresponding to the exposure of 30 years at 19°C). In three point bending test 40-50% reduction in laminate strength was observed due to water immersion. The highest degradation...
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The use of bioassays in the analysis of environmental samples
PublicationToxicological tests are increasingly used as effective tool to complement the information obtained during the environmental monitoring. Moreover bioassays provide basic knowledge about the health effects of exposure to harmful factors associated with the environment. Toxicity tests might be a source of information about the content of pollutants in the sample, and the possibility of their interactions. They can be considered as...
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Evaluation of the Electronic Nose Used for Monitoring Environmental Pollution
PublicationAir pollution is a one of the major concern of civilized world, which has a significant impact on human health and the environment. Recent studies highlight that the exposure to polluted air can increase the incidence of diseases and deteriorate the quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to develop tools for real-time air quality monitoring. Electronic-nose systems based on sensors are an interesting and promising technology in...
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Detection, identification and determination of resveratrol in wine. Problems and challenges
PublicationResveratrol is a compound synthesized by plants in response to unfavorable conditions of growth like mechanical injury, siege of bacteria or fungi and UV exposure. It is concentrated mostly in grapes skin and further more in the products made from grapes especially red wines. Each wine is characterized by different amount of given stilbene since its occurrence is affected by many factors like: types of grapes, environment (climate,...
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Determination of thiocyanate as a biomarker of tobacco smoke constituents in selected biological materials of human origin
Publicationn order to protect human health, it is necessary to biomonitor toxic substances originating from tobacco smoke in biological materials sampled from persons with different exposures to tobacco smoke constituents. Thiocyanate anion is a biomarker of exposure to tobacco smoke components which is characterized by a relatively long half‐life in the human body, i.e. 6 days. In this work, we present the results of thiocyanate determinations...
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Indoor air quality of everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes—a review
PublicationAccording to literature data, some of the main factors which significantly affect the quality of the indoor environment in residential households or apartments are human activities such as cooking, smoking, cleaning, and indoor exercising. The paper presents a literature overview related to air quality in everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes which are integral parts of residential buildings, such as kitchens, basements,...
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Mercury in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea: A response to decreased atmospheric deposition and changing environment
PublicationOur review of the literature showed that since the beginning of the socio-economic transformation in Poland in the 1990s, the downward trend in Hg emissions and its deposition in the southern Baltic Sea was followed by a simultaneous decrease in Hg levels in water and marine plants and animals. Hg concentrations in the biota lowered to values that pose no or low risk to wildlife and seafood consumers. However, in the first decade...
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Security Information Sharing for the Polish Power System
PublicationThe Polish Power System is becoming increasingly more dependent on Information and Communication Technologies which results in its exposure to cyberattacks, including the evolved and highly sophisticated threats such as Advanced Persistent Threats or Distributed Denial of Service attacks. The most exposed components are SCADA systems in substations and Distributed Control Systems in power plants. When addressing this situation...
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Manganese–Cobalt Based Spinel Coatings Processed by Electrophoretic Deposition Method: The Influence of Sintering on Degradation Issues of Solid Oxide Cell Oxygen Electrodes at 750 °C
PublicationThis paper seeks to examine how the Mn–Co spinel interconnect coating microstructure can influence Cr contamination in an oxygen electrode of intermediate temperature solid oxide cells, at an operating temperature of 750 °C. A Mn–Co spinel coating is processed on Crofer 22 APU substrates by electrophoretic deposition, and subsequently sintered, following both the one-step and two-step sintering, in order to obtain significantly...
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Unraveling a novel microwave strategy to fabricate exposed {001}/{101} facets anatase nanocrystals: Potential for use to the elimination of environmentally toxic metronidazole waste
PublicationThis study present a novel microwave strategy to fabricate highly active anatase particles, exposing {101} and {001} facets. Microwave treatment time was shown to determine the growth of crystals in a certain direction. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report revealing that the contact time of TiO2 crystals with fluorine ions during the microwave process affects the formed morphology, in particular exposed facets ratio....
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Problems and chellenges to determine pesticide residues in bumblebees
PublicationBumblebees play an important role in t he pollination process of many crops and flowers. Therefore, taking action to protect and assess the impact of p esticides on these insects is fully justi fied. Pesticides may cause mortality and also sub-lethal effects that are not always directly visible. Bumblebees, like honeybees, can be used as indicators for environmental monitoring contamination. Two approaches are mainly used for the...
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Glass-ceramic joining of Fe22Cr porous alloy to Crofer22APU: interfacial issues and mechanical properties
PublicationThis work deals with the joining of porous Fe22Cr ferritic stainless steel to a dense Crofer22APU plate by using a silica-based, Ba-containing glass-ceramic. The chemical and interfacial stability and the mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated before and after thermal ageing at 700 ◦C for 500hrs. The sintering behaviour of the glass was assessed by using heating stage microscopy (HSM) to study the influence of a porous...
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Monitoring the BTEX Volatiles during 3D Printing with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Using Electronic Nose and Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry
PublicationWe describe a concept study in which the changes of concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds and styrene within a 3D printer enclosure during printing with different acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filaments were monitored in real-time using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer and an electronic nose. The quantitative data on the concentration of the BTEX compounds, in particular...
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Synthesis and Properties of the Ba2PrWO6 Double Perovskite
PublicationWe report details on the synthesis and properties of barium praseodymium tungstate, Ba2PrWO6, a double perovskite that has not been synthesized before. Room-temperature (RT) powder X-ray diffraction identified the most probable space group (SG) as monoclinic I2/m, but it was only slightly distorted from the cubic structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the initial (postsynthesis) material contained praseodymium...
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Concentrations of heavy metals and PCBs in the tissues of European beavers (Castor fiber) captured in northeastern Poland
PublicationEuropean beavers (Castor fiber) from two regions were examined to identify exposure to persistent environmental contaminants. A reference group was comprised of six animals from the Forest Division of Srokowo, and an exposed group was comprised of five animals from the vicinity of a former military airport operated in 1918–1986—both from Warmia land in Poland. 137 Cs in beavers' muscles was considered negligible for the overall...
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Seismic pounding behavior of multi-story buildings in series considering the effect of infill panels
PublicationThe aim of the present paper is to study the influence of the infill panels on the seismic pounding response of adjacent structures in series. The contribution of the masonry infill has been simulated using equivalent diagonal compression struts. Steel frames have been assumed to have elastic-plastic behavior with 1% linear strain hardening. The dynamic contact analysis has been utilized where contact surface model (target and...
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Evaluation of organic coating systems for corrosion protection of industrial equipment using impedance spectroscopy
PublicationThe high economic impact of corrosion can be reduced by enhanced corrosion management and prevention based on appropriate means. This applies in particular to the protection of structures with organic protective coatings. Steel is subject to corrosion that reduces its service life and leads to destruction in most severe cases. The application of paints to metallic objects for corrosion control has been known for a long time and...
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Evaluation of excessive noise effects on hearing employing psychoacoustic dosimetry
PublicationResearch results regarding the noise impact on hearing applying the concept of the Psychoacoustic Noise Dosimetry (PND) are presented. The general characteristics of the PND algorithm are discussed. Additionally, the results of hearing examinations conducted in the laboratory conditions are shown. The main objective of the research was to determine the time needed for the Temporary Threshold Shift to reverse. The results were used...
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Monitoring and analytics of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in indoor air
PublicationThis paper reviews literature information on the behaviour of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the indoor environment, as well as the most likely emission sources. The consecutive stages of analytical procedures used for monitoring SVOCs in indoor environments are described. The most common approaches used for collecting samples from the gas and particulate phases are mentioned. The paper discusses and compares various...
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Template chart detection for stoma telediagnosis
PublicationThe paper presents the concept of using color template charts for the needs of telemedicine, particularly telediagnosis of the stoma. Although the concept is not new, the current popularity and level of development of digital cameras, especially those embedded in smartphones, allow common and reliable remote advice on various medical problems, which can be very important in the case of limitations in a physical contact with a doctor....
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Application of advanced spectroscopic methods in the assessment of the leachability degree of hazardous elements from the matrix of cellular concretea
PublicationDue to its structure, autoclaved cellular concrete exhibits good insulating properties with relatively high compressive strength values. It is increasingly used in construction because of its economic attractiveness. Autoclaved cellular concrete is mainly used in interior structure layers, and therefore its potential exposure to heavy metal leaching from the matrix may be related to the presence of a high pH medium from other materials...
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Evaluation of structural and electrical properties of multicomponent spinel oxide thin films deposited via spray pyrolysis technique
PublicationThis work reports the preparation of (Mn,Co,Fe,Ni,Cr)3O4 high-entropy spinel oxide in the form of a ~ 500 nm thin film utilising a facile spray pyrolysis technique. The structural and electrical properties of the layers were characterised after exposure to temperatures in the range of 400–900 ◦C. The as-deposited layers were amorphous, and crystallised upon heat treatment at 500 ◦C. Microstructural analyses proved a homogeneous...
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Study of the NO2 sensing mechanism of PEDOT-RGO film using in situ Raman Spectroscopy
PublicationIn this work, the mechanism of the NO2 reaction with PEDOT-RGO composite film has been investigated via in situ Raman spectroscopy. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene)-reduced graphene oxide (PEDOT-RGO) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene)/ClO4− (PEDOT/ClO4−) films were fabricated using an electrodeposition method and used as resistance sensors of gaseous nitrogen dioxide. The experimental results indicate...
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Mitochondrial DNA copy number and trimethylamine levels in the blood: New insights on cardiovascular disease biomarkers
PublicationAmong cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers, the mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) is a promising candidate. A growing attention has been also dedicated to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), an oxidative derivative of the gut metabolite trimethylamine (TMA). With the aim to identify biomarkers predictive of CVD, we investigated TMA, TMAO, and mtDNAcn in a population of 389 coronary artery disease...
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Mutagenic and Carcinogenic Compounds in Food
PublicationFood is a major environmental human cancer risk factor. One of the reasons for this is that food products contain substances that exhibit mutagenic and carcinogenic potential which may induce the transformation of normal somatic cells into cancerous cells. These compounds occur in food as a result of microbial contaminations (mycotoxins produced by molds), are generated from natural food components upon processing (e.g. heterocyclic...
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Optimum Choice of Randomly Oriented Carbon Nanotube Networks for UV-Assisted Gas Sensing Applications
PublicationWe investigated the noise and photoresponse characteristics of various optical transparencies of nanotube networks to identify an optimal randomly oriented network of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based devices for UV-assisted gas sensing applications. Our investigation reveals that all of the studied devices demonstrate negative photoconductivity upon exposure to UV light. Our studies confirm the effect of UV irradiation on the electrical...
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Home Sweet Home. Connecting the dots for healthy evening residential illumination
PublicationDuring the twentieth century, lighting designers would commonly use incandescent light sources for residential homes as they provided a visual comfort, with high quality colour rendering properties, along with relaxing ambient atmosphere. Unfortunately, it’s now difficult to buy incandescent light sources because they have been banned in many countries (https://bit.ly/2GwN2Wv). This article addresses some of the challenges in regards...
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Isolation and structure of a covalent cross-link adduct between mitomycin C and DNA
PublicationA DNA cross-link adduct of the antitumor agent mitomycin C (MC) to DNA has been isolated and characterized; the results provide direct proof for bifunctional alkylation of DNA by MC. Exposure of MC to Micrococcus luteus DNA under reductive conditions and subsequent nuclease digestion yielded adducts formed between MC and deoxyguanosine residues. In addition to the two known monoadducts, a bisadduct was obtained. Reductive MC activation...
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Auxetic foams
PublicationThis paper presents a method of producing auxetic polyurethane foams (PUFs) and their unique properties. The experience was based on a synthesis of traditional flexible polyurethane foam and thermal conversion to auxetic foam. The foam specimens were transformed from conventional Poisson's ratio to auxetic (negative Poisson's ratio) [1]. Basic research was performed to determine the mechanical properties and cell structure. Auxetic...
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Determination of hormones in water samples using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
PublicationOver the past few years, many synthetic (ethinylestradiol) and natural (estradiol,estriol, estrone) compounds present in the environment have been affecting the hormonalbalance of humans and animals. Steroid hormones are very often used for medical purposesand have high estrogenic activity what makes them endocrine disrupters. Most hormonalcompounds are released into the water as a result of their incomplete removal in wastewatertreatment...
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Sick building syndrome due to molds
PublicationThe term Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is a combination of ailments occurring in a specific building. Building occupants complain of symptoms such as headaches and dizziness, fainting, nausea, irritation of the mucosal membranes, skin irritation and other nonspecific hypersensitivity reactions.One of the SBS causes can be molds, which are ubiquitous in the air (over 400 species). It is estimated that 30% of the health problems (related...
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Silver nanoparticles induce premutagenic DNA oxidation that can be prevented by phytochemicals from Gentiana asclepiadea
PublicationAmong nanomaterials, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have the broadest and most commercial applications due to their antibacterial properties, highlighting the need for exploring their potential toxicity and underlying mechanisms of action. Our main aim was to investigate whether AgNPs exert toxicity by inducing oxidative damage to DNA in human kidney HEK 293 cells. In addition, we tested whether this damage could be counteracted...
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The importance of the shape of the protein-water interface of a kinesin motor domain for dynamics of the surface atoms of the protein
PublicationSingle kinesin motor domain immersed in water has been investigated using molecular dynamics. It has been found that local properties of water in solvation shell change along with the nature of neighboring protein surface. However, a detailed analysis leads to the conclusion that the geometrical features of hydrogen bonds and overall structure of kinesin hydration water is not very different from bulk water. The local values of...
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Cancer-selective, single agent chemoradiosensitising gold nanoparticles
PublicationTwo nanometre gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), bearing sugar moieties and/or thiol-polyethylene glycol-amine (PEG-amine), were synthesised and evaluated for their in vitro toxicity and ability to radiosensitise cells with 220 kV and 6 MV X-rays, using four cell lines representing normal and cancerous skin and breast tissues. Acute 3 h exposure of cells to AuNPs, bearing PEG-amine only or a 50:50 ratio of alpha-galactose derivative and...
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Evaluation of the Commercial Electrochemical Gas Sensors for the Monitoring of CO in Ambient Air
PublicationAir pollution is a growing concern of civilized world, which has a significant impact on human health and the environment. Recent studies highlight that the exposure to polluted air can increase the incidence of diseases and deteriorate the quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to develop tools for real-time air quality monitoring. For air pollution monitoring a wide range of stationary gas and particulate analysers can be used....
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ROAD SAFETY MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR COUNTRY STRATEGIC LEVEL
PublicationStrategic road safety programmes setting out long-term visions and road infrastructure development plans must be based on road safety forecasts and an understanding of the long-term impact of different measures on road safety. The objective of this paper is to discuss a concept of road safety management for an area of a selected country because there are no simple tools of road safety management for the development and implementation...
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The importance of the shape of the protein–water interface of a kinesin motor domain for dynamics of the surface atoms of the protein
PublicationA single kinesin motor domain immersed in water has been investigated using molecular dynamics. It has been found that local properties of water in the solvation shell change along with the nature of the neighboring protein surface. However, a detailed analysis leads to the conclusion that the geometrical features of hydrogen bonds and overall structure of kinesin hydration water are not very different from bulk water. The local...
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An in situ technique for the assessment of adhesive properties of a joint under load
PublicationSlow crack propagation in adhesive bonded joints has been characterised using an asymmetric wedge test. Crack position was evaluated from strain gauge measurements, both in the debonded partof the joint and in the bonded zone. Test temperature was changed during loading, giving insight into bond evolution. The technique allows accurate, and virtually continuous, determination of crack position to be made, and therefore the evaluation...