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Search results for: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES
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Self-assembly of vertically oriented graphene nanostructures: multivariate characterisation by Minkowski functionals and fractal geometry
PublicationThe enormous self-assembly potential that graphene and its derived layered materials offer for responding to the contemporary environmental challenges has made it one of the most investigated materials. Hence, tuning its extraordinary properties and understanding the effect at all scales is crucial to tailoring highly customised electrodes. Vertically oriented graphene nanostructures, also known as carbon nanowalls (CNWs), due...
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MXene-based composites for capacitive deionization – The advantages, progress, and their role in desalination - A review
PublicationMXenes, a novel large family of 2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides are currently a “hot topic” in science due to their several fascinating physical and chemical properties. It follows from a rich diversity of their elemental compositions and chemical functionalities. MXenes can form composites with many substances, including polymers or metal oxides, which allows to effective “tune” MXene characteristics to...
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Multi-Taper-Based Automatic Correction of Non-Anechoic Antenna Measurements
PublicationPrototype measurements belong to the key steps in the development of antenna structures. Although accurate validation of their far-field performance can be realized in dedicated facilities, such as anechoic chambers, the high cost of their construction and maintenance might not be justified if the main goal of measurements is to support teaching or low-budget research. Instead, they can be performed in non-anechoic conditions and...
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Analysis of Video Transmission Capabilities in a Simulated OFDM-Based Supplementary BPL-PLC System
PublicationThe design and maintenance of a reliable communication system, especially in harsh working conditions for the oil and mining industry, brings many challenges. With the use of a video transmission system, one can monitor the crew and their working environment. Broadband over power line–power line communication (BPL-PLC) seems an ideal medium for such a service, since it enables the use of the existing wired infrastructure for supplementary...
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A comprehensive survey on low-cost ECG acquisition systems: Advances on design specifications, challenges and future direction
PublicationAvailability of low-cost, reliable, and portable Electrocardiography (ECG) devices is still very important in the medical world today. Despite the tremendous technological advancement, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) remain a serious health burden claiming millions of lives on an annual basis globally. This is more prevalent in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) where there are huge financial instability and lack of critical...
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Facilitating free travel in the Schengen area—A position paper by the European Association for Biometrics
PublicationDue to migration, terror-threats and the viral pandemic, various EU member states have re-established internal border control or even closed their borders. European Association for Biometrics (EAB), a non-profit organisation, solicited the views of its members on ways which biometric technologies and services may be used to help with re-establishing open borders within the Schengen area while at the same time mitigating any adverse...
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Overcoming Challenges of Virtual Scrum Teams: Lessons Learned Through an Action Research Study
PublicationAfter the COVID-19 breakout, agile teams found themselves in situations that “pure agilists” and textbooks on agile methods had preferred to ignore. Whereas agile mindsets helped them to quickly shift to remote work, mere virtualization of agile practices often proved insufficient, and several challenges emerged. This paper reports on an Action Research project carried out in Lufthansa Systems Poland with the aim of (1) revisiting...
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Mitigating metal-organic framework (MOF) toxicity for biomedical applications
PublicationMetal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a novel class of crystalline porous materials, consisting of metal ions and organic linkers. These hybrid materials are highly porous and have a large specific surface area, making them of great interest for applications in gas separation, energy storage, biomedical imaging, and drug delivery. As MOFs are being explored for biomedical applications, it is essential to comprehensively assess their...
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Interictal high-frequency oscillations in focal human epilepsy
PublicationPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Localization of focal epileptic brain is critical for successful epilepsy surgery and focal brain stimulation. Despite significant progress, roughly half of all patients undergoing focal surgical resection, and most patients receiving focal electrical stimulation, are not seizure free. There is intense interest in high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) recorded with intracranial electroencephalography as potential...
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Fabrication of Durable Ordered Ta2O5 Nanotube Arrays Decorated with Bi2S3 Quantum Dots
PublicationOne of the most important challenges in the fabrication of ordered tantalum pentaoxide (Ta2O5) nanotube arrays (NTs) via the electrochemical method is the formation of nanotubes that adhere well to the Ta substrate. In this paper, we propose a new protocol that allows tight-fitting Ta2O5 nanotubes to be obtained through the anodic oxidation of tantalum foil. Moreover, to enhance their activity in the photocatalytic reaction, in...
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Personalized nutrition in ageing society: redox control of major-age related diseases through the NutRedOx Network (COST Action CA16112)
PublicationA healthy ageing process is important when it is considered that one-third of the population of Europe is already over 50 years old, although there are regional variations. This proportion is likely to increase in the future, and maintenance of vitality at an older age is not only an important measure of the quality of life but also key to participation and productivity. So, the binomial “nutrition and ageing” has different aspects...
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Expedited Globalized Antenna Optimization by Principal Components and Variable-Fidelity EM Simulations: Application to Microstrip Antenna Design
PublicationParameter optimization, also referred to as design closure, is imperative in the development of modern antennas. Theoretical considerations along with rough dimension adjustment through supervised parameter sweeping can only yield initial designs that need to be further tuned to boost the antenna performance. The major challenges include handling of multi-dimensional parameter spaces while accounting for several objectives and...
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Extremal thermal loading of a bifurcation pipe
PublicationThe subject of considerations is a spherical bifurcation pipe of a live steam made of steel P91, which is an element of a block of coal-fired power plant working with a 18K370 turbine. As experience shows, it is a very sensitive element of the boiler pipelines. An extreme work scenario for such a block has been adopted, in which the turbine is shutting down to a warm state three times in 24 hours. This is an action dictated by...
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End-Of-Life Management of Photovoltaic Solar Modules
PublicationThe PV industry continues to push its credentials as a technology that addresses one of the fundamental challenges of our times – climate change. There are however two major concerns about this technology: first, the potential negative environmental impacts of energy used in the production stage and second, the possible shortage of the valuable materials in the future. The currently dominant semiconductor used in photovoltaic modules...
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Adsorptive Removal of Aqueous Phase Crystal Violet Dye by Low-Cost Activated Carbon Obtained from Date Palm (L.) Dead Leaflets
PublicationUp to now, water pollution is still one of the important issues and challenges worldwide, due to its environmental, economic and human life impacts. It is also remains a challenge to environment scientists and technologists. Nowadays, the textile dyeing industry is considered one of the largest water consuming industries and produces large volumes of colored wastewater in its dyeing and finishing process. In this study, date palm...
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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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Application of Aqueous Biphasic Systems Extraction in Various Biomolecules Separation and Purification: Advancements Brought by Quaternary Systems
PublicationAqueous biphasic systems (ABS) extraction is a simple, selective, efficient and easy to scale-up technology that, over the years, has attracted a considerable attention from the researcher community as an alternative methodology in downstream processing of a wide variety of biomolecules. This review summarizes and discusses the fundamental features of ABS, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, as a separation and purification...
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pH-Responsive Drug Delivery Nanoplatforms as Smart Carriers of Unsymmetrical Bisacridines for Targeted Cancer Therapy
PublicationSelective therapy and controlled drug release at an intracellular level remain key challenges for effective cancer treatment. Here, we employed folic acid (FA) as a self-navigating molecule in nanoconjugates containing quantum dots (QDs) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) for the delivery of antitumor unsymmetrical bisacridine compound (C-2028) to lung and prostate cancers as well as normal cells. The bisacridine derivative can form the...
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COVID‐19: A systematic review and update on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
PublicationSince the rapid onset of the COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the world in 2019, extensive studies have been conducted to unveil the behavior and emission pattern of the virus in order to determine the best ways to diagnosis of virus and thereof formulate effective drugs or vaccines to combat the disease. The emergence of novel diagnostic and therapeutic techniques considering the multiplicity of reports from one side and contradictions...
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Bandwidth Dependence of the Propagation Channel in Circular Metallic BAN Environments
PublicationIn this paper, the bandwidth dependence of the propagation channel for Body Area Networks (BANs) in circular metallic environments is addressed and models are proposed to evaluate the appropriate short-term fading margins that should be considered as a function of the system bandwidth. The deployment of BANs in metallic indoor environments, such as ships, factories, warehouses and other similar environments, involves additional...
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A comparative analysis of methods and tools for low impact development (LID) site selection
PublicationThe site selection for Low Impact Development (LID) practices is a significant process. It affects the effectiveness of LID in controlling stormwater surface runoff, volume, flow rate, and infiltration. This research paper presents a comprehensive review of various methods used for LID site selection. It starts by introducing different methods and tools. Three main methods: index-based methods, GIS-based multi-criteria decision...
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An Overview of Sport and the Future Smart Cities
PublicationOne of the main challenges for future cities is to strengthen the role of people and their activities. Therefore, sport provides an opportunity to engage in physical activity, connecting citizens to the city. The question of how sport influences the development of cities and the concept of future smart cities arises. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between sport and the concept of smart cities by identifying...
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Green and sustainable hydrogels based on quaternized chitosan to enhance wound healing
PublicationHydrogel-based biomaterials applied as wound dressings provide the wound with a moist environment, which facilitates tissue regeneration through granulation and re-epithelialization. The inherent flexibility and adjustable architecture of hydrogels enables incorporation of cells, antimicrobial drugs, growth factors, and bioactive compounds, which leads to expediting wound contraction and enhancing the regeneration process. The...
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Robust Parameter Tuning of Antenna Structures by Means of Design Specification Adaptation
PublicationParameter tuning through numerical optimization has become instrumental in the design of high-performance antenna systems. Yet, practical optimization faces several major challenges, including high cost of massive evaluations of antenna characteristics, normally involving full-wave electromagnetic (EM) analysis, large numbers of adjustable variables, the shortage of reasonable initial solutions in the case of topologically complex...
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Ti/TiO2 nanotubes sensitized PbS quantum dots as photoelectrodes applied for decomposition of anticancer drugs under simulated solar energy
PublicationOne of the challenges in research into photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of pollutants is finding the appropriate photoanode material, which has a significant impact on the process efficiency. Among all others, photoelectrodes based on an ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays are a promising material due to well-developed surface area and efficient charge separation. To increase the PEC activity of this material, the SILAR method was...
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Editorial for the special issue on advances in forward and inverse surrogate modeling for high-frequency design
PublicationThe design of modern‐day high‐frequency devices and circuits, including microwave/RF, antenna and photonic components, historically has relied on full‐wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools. Initially used for design verification, EM simulations are nowadays used in the design process itself, for example, for finding optimum values of geometry and/or material parameters of the structures of interest. In a growing number of...
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Harmonization and Quality Assurance of Income and Wealth Data: The Case of LIS.
PublicationComparability of concepts in survey data harmonization is essential for scientific analyses. LIS – also known as the Luxembourg Income Study or LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg – acquires and harmonizes income and wealth microdata to provide the scientific community with a comparable database that is unique in the world in its growing temporal and geographic breadth. Over many decades, scholars worldwide have used the...
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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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Transforming a Traditional, Family-Run Car Dealership into a Digital-Era Modern Service Provider
PublicationThe automotive industry today faces multiple challenges. The automotive market is characterised by frequent changes and technological developments in comfort and safety of travel by all types of vehicles. The division between traditional and modern services is related to their susceptibility to technological progress. We should differentiate between two types of technology: technology used directly in vehicles and technology utilized...
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Contemporary bottom-up tools for public spaces activation. Współczesne oddolne narzędzia aktywizacji przestrzeni publicznych
PublicationThis article attempts to figure out the current understanding of public spaces and the contemporary tools for bottom-up activation of public spaces to make them more friendly and functional. The paper investigates contemporary public spaces' challenges and what tools can be used to improve them. In this research, the main issue will be the question: what kind of tools and actions can be offered to maintain the quality of public...
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The experience of movement in orbital space architecture: A narrative of weightlessness
PublicationBased upon a combination of architectural theories, the knowledge of space environment, and psychology of isolated and confined environments, this qualitative research aims to study orbital space settlement in a way to get the built space congenial to the human experience of movement. In this sense, sensors, self-propulsion or mechanical actuators, the inhabitant’s mental and visual capacity for movement, as well as the represented...
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Psychological capital and happiness at work: The mediating role of employee thriving in multinational corporations
PublicationWorking in multicultural work environments of multinational corporations (MNCs) creates challenges whose expected impact on happiness is equivocal. In the following paper, we examine the relationship between psychological capital and happiness at work in the specific MNCs’ context. We assume that thriving (eudemonic well-being) at work fosters individuals’ development and enhances their happiness composed of both the affective...
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Surrogate modeling of impedance matching transformers by means of variable‐fidelity electromagnetic simulations and nested cokriging
PublicationAccurate performance evaluation of microwave components can be carried out using full‐wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools, routinely employed for circuit verification but also in the design process itself. Unfortunately, the computational cost of EM‐driven design may be high. This is especially pertinent to tasks entailing considerable number of simulations (eg, parametric optimization, statistical analysis). A possible...
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Coupling of Blood Pressure and Subarachnoid Space Oscillations at Cardiac Frequency Evoked by Handgrip and Cold Tests: A Bispectral Analysis
PublicationThe aim of the study was to assess blood pressure–subarachnoid space (BP–SAS) width coupling properties using time–frequency bispectral analysis based on wavelet transforms during handgrip and cold tests. The experiments were performed on a group of 16 healthy subjects (F/M; 7/9) of the mean age 27.2 ± 6.8 years and body mass index of 23.8 ± 4.1 kg/m². The sequence of challenges was first handgrip and then cold test. The handgrip...
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INFOGEST static in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal food digestion
PublicationDeveloping a mechanistic understanding of the impact of food structure and composition on human health has increasingly involved simulating digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract. These simulations have used a wide range of different conditions that often have very little physiological relevance, and this impedes the meaningful comparison of results. The standardized protocol presented here is based on an international consensus...
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TaRh 2 B 2 and NbRh 2 B 2 : Superconductors with a chiral noncentrosymmetric crystal structure
PublicationIt is a fundamental truth in solid compounds that the physical properties follow the symmetry of the crystal structure. Nowhere is the effect of symmetry more pronounced than in the electronic and magnetic properties of materials—even the projection of the bulk crystal symmetry onto different crystal faces is known to have a substantial impact on the surface electronic states. The effect of bulk crystal symmetry on the properties...
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Redifining the Space – The Impact of Art Instalation in the Public Space
PublicationThe article presents the outcomes of the ‘Art and design’ - interdisciplinary programme WIRE 2013, and the work of studio regarding the impact of art instalation in the public Space . The subject of the workshop was an ‘Architectural Installation’. The relationship between art and architecture remains a challenging issue today, first and foremost in the domain of architecture, and particularly in art and design schools. To address...
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Embodying Intelligence in Autonomous Systems with the Use of Cognitive Psychology and Motivation Theories
PublicationThe article discusses, on a certain level of abstraction and generalization, a coherent anthropological approach to the issue of controlling autonomous robots or agents. A contemporary idea can be based on appropriate modeling of the human mind using the available psychological knowledge. One of the main reasons for developing such projects is the lack of available and effective top-down approaches resulting from the known research...
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Customization of UWB 3D-RTLS Based on the New Uncertainty Model of the AoA Ranging Technique
PublicationThe increased potential and effectiveness of Real-time Locating Systems (RTLSs) substantially influence their application spectrum. They are widely used, inter alia, in the industrial sector, healthcare, home care, and in logistic and security applications. The research aims to develop an analytical method to customize UWB-based RTLS, in order to improve their localization performance in terms of accuracy and precision. The analytical...
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Embodying Intelligence in Autonomous and Robotic Systems with the Use of Cognitive Psychology and Motivation Theories
PublicationThe article discusses, on a certain level of abstraction and generalization, a coherent anthropological approach to the issue of controlling autonomous robots or agents. A contemporary idea can be based on appropriate modeling of the human mind using the available psychological knowledge. One of the main reasons for developing such projects is the lack of available and effective top-down approaches resulting from the known research...
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Experiencing historic waterways and water landscapes of the Vistula River Delta
PublicationThe paper gives insights into the characteristics of Vistula River Delta water landscapes, referring to the process of creating land out of water by Polish, Dutch and German settlers. Based on this, the paper presents an integrated strategy formed upon studies in cultural geography and aesthetics, and focused on enhancing the unique characteristics of the region and its rediscovery by tourism. The long process of constructing Vistula...
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AI-powered Digital Transformation: Tools, Benefits and Challenges for Marketers – Case Study of LPP
PublicationThe article aims to show the role (benefits and challenges) of AI-powered digital marketing tools for marketers in the age of digital transformation. The considerations were related to the Polish market and a case study of LPP, a Polish clothing retailer. The starting point for this study was the analysis of the literature on the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) with reference to digital marketing. In the next steps, the...
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Molecular mechanism of proton-coupled ligand translocation by the bacterial efflux pump EmrE
PublicationThe current surge in bacterial multi-drug resistance (MDR) is one of the largest challenges to public health, threatening to render ineffective many therapies we rely on for treatment of serious infections. Understanding different factors that contribute to MDR is hence crucial from the global “one health” perspective. In this contribution, we focus on the prototypical broad-selectivity proton-coupled antiporter EmrE, one of the...
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The experience of movement in orbital space architecture: A narrative of weightlessness
PublicationBased upon a combination of architectural theories, the knowledge of space environment, and psychology of isolated and confined environments, this qualitative research aims to study orbital space settlement in a way to get the built space congenial to the human experience of movement. In this sense, sensors, self-propulsion or mechanical actuators, the inhabitant’s mental and visual capacity for movement, as well as the represented...
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The energy concept of money
PublicationPurpose: This paper aims to provide the literature review seeking an answer whether energy can be used as a universal equivalent instead of money. Methodology: The author conducted a review of available literature and data sources related to the money theory and energy concept of money. Findings: It was found that the definition of energy as a general equivalent has a contextual and dynamic nature, and this field’s consolidation...
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Highly Integrable Planar-structured Printed Circularly Polarized Antenna for Emerging Wideband Internet of Things Applications in the Millimeter-Wave Band
PublicationThis paper proposes a numerically and experimentally validated printed wideband antenna with a planar geometry for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This design tackles the challenges associated with deploying IoT sensors in remote areas or across extensive geographical regions. The proposed design exploits a coplanar-waveguide-fed modified microstrip line monopole for excitation of circularly polarized waves radiating in...
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How Integration of a Brain-Machine Interface and Obstacle Detection System Can Improve Wheelchair Control via Movement Image
PublicationThis study presents a human-computer interaction combined with a brain-machine interface (BMI) and obstacle detection system for remote control of a wheeled robot through movement imagery, providing a potential solution for individuals facing challenges with conventional vehicle operation. The primary focus of this work is the classification of surface EEG signals related to mental activity when envisioning movement and deep relaxation...
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Eco-friendly modification of bitumen: The effects of rubber wastes and castor oil on the microstructure, processability and properties
PublicationThe bitumen industry in the European Union is facing several difficulties, including rising demand, unstable oil supply, rising prices for synthetic polymer modifiers, and a focus on lowering carbon footprint. Bitumen modification with crumb rubber (CR) is one of the most promising solution to these challenges. However, CR-modified bitumen have poor processability and low storage stability. To overcome these flaws we are introducing...
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Imunofan—RDKVYR Peptide—Stimulates Skin Cell Proliferation and Promotes Tissue Repair
PublicationRegeneration and wound healing are vital to tissue homeostasis and organism survival. One of the biggest challenges of today’s science and medicine is finding methods and factors to stimulate these processes in the human body. Effective solutions to promote regenerative responses will accelerate advances in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, transplantology, and a number of other clinical specialties. In this study, we...
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Management Strategy for Seaports Aspiring to Green Logistical Goals of IMO: Technology and Policy Solutions
PublicationRecently, because of serious global challenges including the consumption of energy and climate change, there has been an increase in interest in the environmental effect of port operations and expansion. More interestingly, a strategic tendency in seaport advancement has been to manage the seaport system using a model which balances environmental volatility and economic development demands. An energy efficient management system...