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Experimental and Numerical Study on Pounding of Structures in Series
PublicationPounding between structures in series during earthquakes may cause serious damage in the structural elements. The aim of this paper is to show the results of an experimental and numerical study that is focused on pounding between more than two structures which may be described as “structures in series”. In this study, the shaking table experiments, as well as the numerical analyses, were performed using three tower models including...
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Modeling of Ice Passage Through Reservoirs System on the Vistula River
PublicationNumerical model was used to assess ice passage through proposed reservoir on the lower Vistula River. Model results were compared with observation on the Vistula River, but because the dam is not constructed yet, the direct comparison was not possible. The study focused on ice movement and accumulation in the reservoir for variety of low flow condition with and without wind effect. Bridge’s piers in the upper part of the reservoir...
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Impact of Tensile and Compressive Stress on Classical and Acoustic Barkhausen Effects in Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel
PublicationIn this paper, we present the results of the investigation of impact of tensile and compressive stress on the classical Barkhausen effect, magnetoacoustic emission (MAE) signal properties, and B(H) hysteresis loops for grain-oriented (GO) electrical steel. Samples have been glued to a nonmagnetic steel bar and stressed within elastic range (±800 μdef) by means of four-point bending method. The samples were cut out in two directions...
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Ultrafast Intramolecular Relaxation and Wave-Packet Motion in a Ruthenium-Based Supramolecular Photocatalyst
PublicationThe hydrogen-evolving photocatalyst [(tbbpy)2 Ru(tpphz)Pd(Cl)2 ](2+) (tbbpy=4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine, tpphz=tetrapyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c:3'',2''-h:2''',3'''-j]phenazine) shows excitation-wavelength-dependent catalytic activity, which has been correlated to the localization of the initial excitation within the coordination sphere. In this contribution the excitation-wavelength dependence of the early excited-state relaxation...
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Honey as an indicator of heavy metals in the environment
PublicationHoney bees collect nectar, pollen and honeydew to produce bee products. One of them is honey, which due to chemical composition and properties is considered by human as a valuable food product. When honey bees collect substrates to produce honey they can bring contaminants to the hive. The presence of xenobiotics in bee products may lower their quality and devalue their properties, and also endanger human health. Many scientists...
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Genetic predisposition to inflammatory bowel disease
PublicationInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, incurable inflammatory disease of the digestive system. The two main disease entities included in the IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. According to epidemiological studies there are more and more new cases every year. In especially among the youngest patients with symptoms of malnutrition and growth inhibition to land up in hospitalwith cancer suspected. The purpose...
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On structural physical approximations and entanglement breaking maps
PublicationVery recently, a conjecture saying that the so-called structural physical approximations (SPAs) to optimal positive maps (optimal entanglement witnesses) give entanglement breaking (EB) maps (separable states) has been posed (Korbicz et al 2008 Phys. Rev. A 78 062105). The main purpose of this contribution is to explore this subject. First, we extend the set of entanglement witnesses supporting the conjecture. Then, we ask whether...
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Application of modern sample-preparation techniques to the determination of chloropropanols in food samples
PublicationChloropropanols are heat-induced food toxicants that recently caused concern among industrial and scientific experts. World and European organizations related to food safety asked researchers to investigate mitigation strategies regarding these contaminants. The essential objective of this project was development of fast analytical methods enabling reliable determination and quantification of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol, 2-monochloropropane-1,3-diol...
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Effect of adhesive compliance in the assessment of soft adhesives with the wedge test
PublicationWedge tests are usually analysed assuming that the free, unbonded members may be treated as encastré cantilever beams. However, if the adhesive layer is sufficiently flexible (e.g., due to low elastic modulus), then significant strain in the bonded region may occur and lead to modification of the behaviour outside this region. Using in conjunction a sensitive strain gauge method on asymmetric wedge tests and a mathematical analysis...
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Isoprostanes-Biomarkers of Lipid Peroxidation: Their Utility in Evaluating Oxidative Stress and Analysis
PublicationIsoprostanes (IsoPs) are key biomarkers for investigating the role of free radical generation in the pathogenesis of human disorders. To solve IsoPs-related problems with regard to isoprostanes, analytical tools are required. This paper reviews the problems and trends in this field focusing on the methodology for assaying biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples. A large amount of work has been done in the qualitative...
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Numerical study on seismic response of a base-isolated building modelled with shell elements
PublicationSeismic isolation is counted among the most popular and effective means of protecting structures against earthquake forces. Base isolators, like Lead-Rubber Bearings (LRB), High-Damping Rubber Bearings (HDB) or Friction Pendulum Systems (FPS) are extensively used in practice in many earthquake-prone regions of the world. The present paper reports the results obtained from the numerical study on seismic response of a base-isolated...
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Modeling Object Oriented Systems via Controlled English Verbalization of Description Logic
PublicationThe need for formal methods for Object Oriented (OO) systems resulted in methods like UML and Lepus3 that are de-facto graphical languages equipped with formal tools that are able to handle the design of OO systems. However, they lack precise semantics which might lead to problems, such as inconsistencies or redundancies. On the other hand, to our knowledge, there is no approach that allows one to understand and follow the requirements...
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A novel method for archiving multibeam sonar data with emphasis on efficient record size reduction and storage
PublicationOver the past few years considerable advances in sonar technology, spatial positioning capabilities and computer processing power have lead to significant improvements in mapping, imaging and technologies of seafloor exploration. Recently, modern multibeam echosounder systems (MBES) capable of recording backscatter data for the whole water column, not just for the seabed, have become available thus providing data allowing for...
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Effect of Laser Treatment on Intrinsic Mechanical Stresses in Titanium and Some of Its Alloys
PublicationLaser surface treatment conducted at different power levels is an option to modify titanium bone implants to produce nano- and microtopography. However, such processing can lead to excess mechanical stress within the surface layer. This research aims to calculate the level of such residual stresses after the surface processing of Ti grade IV, Ti15Mo, and Ti6Al7Nb alloys with an Nd:YAG laser. Light and scanning electron microscopies...
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Hopping or Tunneling? Tailoring the Electron Transport Mechanisms through Hydrogen Bonding Geometry in the Boron-Doped Diamond Molecular Junctions
PublicationMechanisms of charge transport in molecular junctions involving hydrogen bonds are complex and remain mostly unclear. This study is focused on the elucidation of the electron transfer in a molecular device consisting of two boron-doped diamond interfaces bound with an aromatic linker and a hydrogen bonding surrogating molecule. The projected local density of states (PLODS) analysis coupled with transmission spectra and current−voltage...
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Adaptive stochastic and hybrid nonlinear optimization algorithms for improving the effectiveness of the biological processes at WWTP
PublicationWastewater treatment plays an important factor in the modern world. Insufficient treatment may result in environmental pollution which can further lead to disasters and diseases. However, processes that take place inside wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are highly complex in nature, therefore it is difficult to design an efficient, optimal control system. The problem regarding biochemical reactions inside Sequential Batch Reactor...
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Study of ZrS3-based field-effect transistors toward the understanding of the mechanisms of light-enhanced gas sensing by transition metal trichalcogenides
PublicationExtending knowledge of the properties of low-dimensional van der Waals materials, including their reactivity to the ambiance, is important for developing innovative electronic and optoelectronic devices. Transition metal trichalcogenides with tunable optical band gaps and anisotropic conductivity are an emerging class among low- dimensional structures with the possibility of gate tunability and photoreactivity. These properties...
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Pursuing Analytically the Influence of Hearing Aid Use on Auditory Perception in Various Acoustic Situations
PublicationThe paper presents the development of a method for assessing auditory perception and the effectiveness of applying hearing aids for hard-of-hearing people during short-term (up to 7 days) and longer-term (up to 3 months) use. The method consists of a survey based on the APHAB questionnaire. Additional criteria such as the degree of hearing loss, technological level of hearing aids used, as well as the user experience are taken...
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Fluid–Structure Interaction methods for the progressive anatomical and artificial aortic valve stenosis
PublicationCardiovascular system diseases, as aortic valve stenosis, are the main cause of mortality and morbidity among patients. There is still a room for enhancement of the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which will lead to improvement of the treatment. One of the remedies are the computer tools to support the medical diagnoses and prostheses design. The development of a procedure for modeling the aortic valves: anatomical tricuspid...
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SURFACTANTS IN KLODNICA RIVER (KATOWICE, POLAND). PART I. LINEAR ALKYLBENZENE SULPHONATES (LAS)
PublicationSurfactants are a group of compounds with specific physico-chemical properties and therefore they are used in many spheres of human activity. Surface-active substances undergo various physico-chemical transformations, what enables their migration between different elements of the environment and may lead to its pollution. Selected anionic surfactants were determined in samples of water from the Klodnica river (25 samples) and bottom...
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Electronic noses: Powerful tools in meat quality assessment
PublicationMain factors that are considered by consumers when choosing meat products are colour and aroma, of which the latter is a more reliable indicator of quality. However, a simple sensory evaluation of hedonistic qualities is often not sufficient to determine whether protein is past its shelf life, and consumption of spoiled meat can lead to serious health hazards. Some volatile compounds can be used as spoilage indicators, and so a...
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Tyre rolling resistance and its influence on fuel consumption
PublicationRolling resistance of tyres is one of the major resistive forces acting on any wheeled vehicle. Unfortunately, it is also one of the forces very difficult to measure. It is estimated that in certain traffic conditions (like for example constant speed driving with slow or moderate speed) so called Rolling Resistance Impact Factor may be as high as 0.3. This means that reduction of rolling resistance by 50% would lead to 15% of energy...
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A Comparative Study on Methods of Distinction Between Near- and Far-Side Defects as Techniques Used Alongside with the Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing
PublicationResults of the finite element analysis show that a far-side defect in a steel plate, with the depth greater by 10% of the plate thickness than a near-side defect, can produce a very similar magnetic flux leakage (MFL) signal. Due to the fact that a measurement of MFL itself can lead to misclassification of a far-side defect as a near-side one, and thus to underestimation of its depth, a comparative study of three complementary...
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Within- and between-person factor structure of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory: Analysis of a diary study using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis
PublicationThe study examined the factor structure of burnout, as measured with the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. The participants were 235 employees of a public administration agency who assessed their burnout online for 10 consecutive working days. Two models were tested with multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, assuming the same one or two-factor structure at the within- and between-person levels. Both models showed a reasonable fit...
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Effective Gap Size Index for Determination of Optimum Separation Distance Preventing Pounding between Buildings during Earthquakes
PublicationSeismic excitations may lead to collisions between adjacent civil engineering structures causing major damage. In this paper, an effective equation for calculating the gap size index is proposed so as to provide the optimum separation distance preventing structural pounding during different earthquakes. Evaluation of the best prediction of the required separation distance between two adjacent buildings was carried out by using...
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The Touristification of Italian Historic City Centres: The Lesson for Central Europe about the Airbnb Eruption
PublicationThe unparalleled scale of the recent growth in tourism – the rise of the number of temporary visitors – could not have emerged without the impact on other socio‑economic aspects, namely, a change on the part of the destinations. Especially historic city centres are vulnerable to such an impact that could be manifested through diverse transformations of public space usage, housing market economics, availability of services, employment...
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Accumulation of radioisotopes and heavy metals in selected species of mushrooms
PublicationSeven species of forest mushrooms from different regions of Poland (edible: Imleria badia, Cantharellus cibarius, Xerocomus subtomentosus, Suillus luteus and inedible by humans but being food for animals: Paxillus involutus, Tylopilus felleus and Russula emetica) were analyzed for radioisotope activity (Cs-137, K-40, Bi-214 and Pb-210) as well as concentrations of heavy metals (aluminum, chromium, cadmium, manganese, iron, lead,...
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Stability analysis of interconnected discrete-time fractional-order LTI state-space systems
PublicationIn this paper, a stability analysis of interconnected discrete-time fractional-order (FO) linear time-invariant (LTI) state-space systems is presented. A new system is formed by interconnecting given FO systems using cascade, feedback, parallel interconnections. The stability requirement for such a system is that all zeros of a non-polynomial characteristic equation must be within the unit circle on the complex z-plane. The obtained...
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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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Determination of ionic conductivity in the Bi-Si-O and Pb-Si-O glasses
PublicationImpedance spectroscopy measurements in various gas atmospheres were carried out in order to explain the doubts about the type of carriers and the mechanism of electrical conductivity in Bi-Si-O and Pb-Si-O glasses. In bismuth silicate glass, a typical ionic conductivity with oxygen ions as charge carriers was observed. The level of electrical conductivity of the glass at 400 °C was 5 × 10−8 S·cm−1 , with the activation energy of...
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Frequency response spectra applied to assess efficiency of the training techniques
PublicationThe purpose of the research is to assess the increase of the muscle strength and power. Movement of the human body when the moving one impacts a stationary or moving body is taken under consideration. The waveform produced by an impact is transformed into frequency domain. The acceleration record is transformed as a complex spectrum, by the use of a Discrete Fourier Transformation. In this paper the applications of the discrete...
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Half-Order Modeling of Saturated Synchronous Machine
PublicationNoninteger order systems are used to model diffusion in conductive parts of electrical machines as they lead to more compact and knowledge models but also to improve their precision. In this paper a linear half-order impedance model of a ferromagnetic sheet deduced from the diffusion of magnetic field is briefly introduced. Then, from physical considerations and finite elements simulation, the nonlinear half-order impedance model...
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Induced-fit binding of laccase to gold and carbon electrodes for the biological fuel cell applications
PublicationAnalogues of laccase natural substrates (syringic, veratric, ferulic, vanillic, isovanillic, 3,5-dimethoxybenzoic aldehydes) were employed to bind and orient laccase molecules in a way which facilitates adsorption of the catalyst molecules and their electrical connection with the conductive support. Laccase was bound efficiently to these substrates both on gold and carbon electrodes forming, respectively, 2D and 3D films sensitive...
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Benefit of the doubt approach to assessing the research performance of Australian universities
PublicationThis paper proposes a benefit of the doubt (BoD) approach to assess the research performance of 37 public Australian universities based on data from 2015. The primary activities of Higher Education institutions are teaching and research, but the prestige of a university depends mainly on the results of its research activities. The BoD method is rooted in the data envelopment analysis methodology, which enables the flexible and...
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The role of Herzberg-Teller effects on the resonance Raman spectrum of trans-porphycene investigated by time dependent density functional theory.
PublicationThe S1 excited state properties as well as the associated absorption and resonance Raman (RR) spectra of trans-porphycene are investigated by means of time dependent density functional theory calculations. The relative magnitude of the Franck-Condon (FC) contribution and of the Herzberg-Teller (HT) effects is evaluated for both the absorption and RR intensities. The accuracy of the calculated spectra is assessed by employing different...
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Threats to Rural Landscape and Its Protection in Poland
PublicationThe article describes the premises and conditions for the implementation of a pro-landscape spatial policy in rural areas in Poland. It presents the erosion of spatial order in a large part of the country’s territory. Firstly, the state of protection of the rural landscape and the legal aspects of shaping the space of rural areas are described. Secondly, the location is depicted, and the main physiognomic and environmental threats...
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Risks associated with the transportation of hazardous materials on public roads
PublicationA significant proportion of the transport of hazardous materials is carried out on public roads. Therefore, the safety of such transport is becoming increasingly important. Every catastrophe involving hazardous materials has a negative impact on direct road users and the surrounding environment, becauses its range is mostly not local. It follows that in the event of such catastrophe, its effects should be minimized. This is possible...
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Gold nanoparticles evaluation using functional optical coherence tomography
PublicationThe main object of this research was to assess the ability to characterize the gold nanoparticles using optical modalities like optical coherence tomography. Since the nanoparticles, especially gold one, have been very attractive for medical diagnosis and treatment the amount of research activities have been growing rapidly. The nanoparticles designed for different applications like contrast agents or drugs delivery change the...
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Analysis of the Impact of Galileo Observations on the Tropospheric Delays Estimation
PublicationIn this study we present analysis of the impact of Galileo observations on the ZTD and tropospheric gradients estimation. The tropospheric parameters were obtained in various scenarios, which differ from each other only in used satellite systems: Galileo-only, GPS-only, GPS/Galileo, GPS/GLONASS and GPS/GLONASS/Galileo. Then, comparative analysis between Galileo-only solution and the other ones, was carried out. As a reference,...
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UNDECLARED WORK IN POLAND CHARACTERISTICS AND PREVALENCE
PublicationThis article aims to present the significance and prevalence of the phenomenon of undeclared work. First, we discuss the definitional issues of this phenomenon. Then, we present previous estimates on shadow economy and undeclared work in Poland, based on statistics provided by Central Statistical Office and other research entities. Our analysis covers the years 2000–2014. In the last part of the article, we use data from the Labour...
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Criteria for selection of working fluid in low-temperature ORC
PublicationThe economics of an ORC system is strictly linked to thermodynamic properties of the working fluid. A bad choice of working fluid could lead to a less efficient and expensive plant/generation unit. Some selection criteria have been put forward by various authors, incorporating thermodynamic properties, provided in literature but these do not have a general character. In the paper a simple analysis has been carried out which resulted...
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Pounding between Inelastic Three-Storey Buildings under Seismic Excitations
PublicationStructural interactions between adjacent, insufficiently separated buildings have been repeatedly observed during damaging ground motions. This phenomenon, known as the structural pounding, may result in substantial damage or even total collapse of structures. The aim of the present paper is to show the results of the nonlinear numerical analysis focused on pounding between inelastic three-storey buildings under seismic excitations....
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Analytical Buckling of FG Nanobeams on The Basis of A New One Variable First-Order Shear Deformation Beam Theory
PublicationIn this work, buckling analysis of functionally graded (FG) nanobeams based on a new refined beam theory has been analyzed. The beam is modeled as an elastic beam subjected to unidirectional compressive loads. To achieve this aim, the new obtained beam theory has only one variable which lead to one equation similar to Euler beam theory and also is free of any shear correction factor. The...
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Pesticide Analysis of Bee and Bee Product Samples
PublicationBee products possess therapeutic properties and are the source of many essential trace elements,which is why they are regarded as valuable food products. Honey bees may bring to thehive numerous contaminants deposited on the plants they visit, including pesticide withoutxenobiotics. The large-scale application of pesticides in agriculture and horticulture can lead tomass mortality among bees, and the chemicals find their way into...
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Settlement of a historic building due to seepage-induced soil deformation
PublicationThe research paper reviews issues associated with the impact of groundwater flow on soil characteristics and parameters, hence, the entire structure of a building set on it. Water seepage through the ground, building subsoil or structural elements of buildings made of soil affects the soil skeleton and may lead to changes in the arrangement of individual grains relative to each other, i.e., a modified soil structure. Soil solid...
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Pesticide analysis of bee and bee product samples
PublicationBee products possess therapeutic properties and are the source of many essential trace elements,which is why they are regarded as valuable food products. Honey bees may bring to thehive numerous contaminants deposited on the plants they visit, including pesticide withoutxenobiotics. The large-scale application of pesticides in agriculture and horticulture can lead tomass mortality among bees, and the chemicals find their way into...
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Viability of decisional DNA in robotics
PublicationThe Decisional DNA is an artificial intelligence system that uses prior experiences to shape future decisions. Decisional DNA is written in the Set Of Experience Knowledge Structure (SOEKS) and is capable of capturing and reusing a broad range of data. Decisional DNA has been implemented in several fields including Alzheimer’s diagnosis, geothermal energy and smart TV. Decisional DNA is well suited to use in robotics due to the...
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Multivariate analysis of impedance data obtained for coating systems of varying thickness applied on steel
PublicationElectrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has proven to be a valuable test method for the electrochemical characterization of protective coatings on metals. The common way of analysis in impedance spectroscopy is to model the impedance spectrum by means of an equivalent circuit and to extract the quantity of interest using optimization techniques. A model, corresponding to the behavior of the sample under testing, is important...
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Color-based Detection of Bleeding in Endoscopic Images
PublicationIn this paper a color descriptor designed for bleeding detection in endoscopic images is proposed. The development of the algorithm was carried out on a representative training set of 36 images of bleeding and 25 clear images. Another 38 bleeding and 26 normal images were used in the final stage as a test set. All of the considered images were extracted from separate endoscopic examinations. The experiments include color distribution...
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New method to monitor changes in the subarachnoid width and pial artery pulsation for physiological and clinical research
PublicationThere are several medical conditions associated with brain oedema such as traumatic brain injury, intoxication or tumors. Brain edema and related brain parenchyma expansion may lead to compression and subsequent injury of several brain structures. So far, the only method enabling detection and monitoring of the progress a cerebral oedema in a patient, has been monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) with a pressure probe inserted...