Search results for: biological materials
-
Reliability and Validity of Optoelectronic Method for Biophotonical Measurements
PublicationReliability and validity of measurements is of utmost importance when assessing measuring capability of instruments developed for research. In order to perform an experiment which is legitimate, used instruments must be both reliable and valid. Reliability estimates the degree of precision of measurement, the extent to which a measurement is internally consistent. Validity is the usefulness of an instrument to perform accurate...
-
H2AX phosphorylation, its role in DNA damage response and cancer therapy
PublicationDouble-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most deleterious DNA lesions, which, if left unrepaired, may have severe consequences for cell survival, as they lead to chromosome aberrations, genomic instability, or cell death. Various physical, chemical, and biological factors are involved in DSB induction. Cells respond to DNA damage by activating the so-called DNA damage response (DDR), a complex molecular mechanism developed to detect...
-
Degradation of xylose using a microbial fuel cell
PublicationIt is generally known, that many kind of microorganisms are capable of using carbohydrates as a source of carbon and energy in an environment. The biodegradation process of monosaccharides from pentoses (in this case- racemic mixture of D - and L – xylose) is an immense opportunity for an entire reduction of biological contamination to neutral compounds through MFC. The process is occurred in a single-chamber MFC, which is contained...
-
Silver-modified titania with enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties under UV and visible light irradiation
PublicationCommercial titania photocatalysts were modified with 2 wt% of silver by photodeposition. The properties of the samples were characterized by DRS, XPS, XRD, FE-SEM and STEM. The modified samples exhibited activity under visible light and enhanced activity under UV irradiation for 2-propanol and acetic acid oxidation, respectively. The time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) analysis indicated that enhanced activity (2.5–8-fold...
-
The impact of precipitation and external carbon source addition on biological nutrient removal in activated sludge systems – experimental investigation and mathematical modeling
PublicationThe aim of this study was to determine the effects of chemical precipitation and addition of external carbonsources on the denitrification capability and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) interactions atthe ‘Wschod’ WWTP (600,000 PE) in Gdansk (northern Poland). For this purpose, different kinds of batch experimentswere carried out with the settled wastewater (without pretreatment and after coagulation-flocculation)and...
-
Application 2D Descriptors and Artificial Neural Networks for Beta-Glucosidase Inhibitors Screening
PublicationBeta-glucosidase inhibitors play important medical and biological roles. In this study, simple two-variable artificial neural network (ANN) classification models were developed for beta-glucosidase inhibitors screening. All bioassay data were obtained from the ChEMBL database. The classifiers were generated using 2D molecular descriptors and the data miner tool available in the STATISTICA package (STATISTICA Automated Neural...
-
Mercury concentrations in marine biota with special focus on grey and ringed seals
PublicationMarine organisms are exposed and sensitive to effects of environmental contamination by heavy metals including different forms of mercury. Baltic seals as the top predators of the marine ecosystem are even more endangered due to (considerable) longevity as well as a long biological half-time of toxin elimination. The concentrations of mercury in seals from the Baltic is poorly known, thus the aim of this work is to determine and...
-
Hierarchical predictive control of integrated wastewater treatment systems
PublicationThe paper proposes an approach to designing the control structure and algorithms for optimising control of integrated wastewater treatment plant-sewer systems (IWWTS) under a full range of disturbance inputs. The optimised control of IWWTS allows for significant cost savings, fulfilling the effluent discharge limits over a long period and maintaining the system in sustainable operation. Due to the specific features of a wastewater...
-
Pathways of nitrogen compounds depletion in hybrid constructed wetlands
PublicationHybrid Constructed Wetlands are composed of two or more filters with mixed flow direction of sewage. Apparently in the HCWS the benefits of both types of bed are merged, resulting in better effluent quality (organic and nitrogen componds removal). Such heterogeneous environment creates possibilities for different ways of nitrogen "disappearing". The objective of the present study was to compare the removal of nitrogen with accompanying...
-
Assessment and design of greener deep eutectic solvents – A multicriteria decision analysis
PublicationDeep eutectic solvents (DES) are often considered as green solvents because of their properties, such as negligible vapor pressure, biodegradability, low toxicity or natural origin of their components. Due to the fact that DES are cheaper than ionic liquids, they have gained many applications in a short period of time. However, claims about their greenness sometimes seem to be exaggerated. Especially, bearing in mind lots of data...
-
Application of safirinium N-hydroxysuccinimide esters to derivatization of peptides for high-resolution mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, and fluorescent labeling of bacterial cells
PublicationMass spectrometry methods are commonly used in the identification of peptides and biomarkers. Due to a relatively low abundance of proteins in biological samples, there is a need for the development of novel derivatization methods that would improve MS detection limits. Hence, novel fluorescent N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridin-2-ium carboxylates (Safirinium P dyes) have been synthesized. The...
-
Endocrine disrupting compounds in the baby's world - A harmful environment to the health of babies
PublicationGlobally, there has been a significant increase in awareness of the adverse effects of chemicals with known or suspected endocrine-acting properties on human health. Human exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) mainly occurs by ingestion and to some extent by inhalation and dermal uptake. Although it is difficult to assess the full impact of human exposure to EDCs, it is well known that timing of exposure is of importance...
-
Mangiferin Affects Melanin Synthesis by an Influence on Tyrosinase: Inhibition, Mechanism of Action and Molecular Docking Studies
PublicationMangiferin is a strong antioxidant that presents a wide range of biological activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the influence of mangiferin on tyrosinase, an enzyme responsible for melanin synthesis and the unwanted browning process of food. The research included both the kinetics and molecular interactions between tyrosinase and mangiferin. The research proved that mangiferin inhibits tyrosinase...
-
Procognitive activity of nitric oxide inhibitors and donors in animal models
PublicationNitric oxide is a small gaseous molecule that plays important roles in the majority of biological functions. Impairments of NO-related pathways contribute to the majority of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and mental disorders, such as schizophrenia. Cognitive decline is one of the most serious impairments accompanying both AD and schizophrenia. In the present study, the activities of NO donors, slow (spermine...
-
Investigation of the Effect of the Rocket's Suborbital Flight on Biofilm, Enzymes and Biosynthesis on Autonomous, Modular and Scalable Platforms For Conducting Experiments of an Astrobiotechnological Nature
PublicationWith new incentives for human space exploration, biotechnological experiments in orbit became imperative. Answering this need, we build an autonomous, modular, and scalable platform that enables those experiments on rockets. We called it AMBER. The aim of the payload of the R6 suborbital rocket is to perform an experiment to study the influence of rocket flights on biofilm, molecular biology enzymes and biosynthesis using our platform....
-
Age Prediction from Low Resolution, Dual-Energy X-ray Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks
PublicationAge prediction from X-rays is an interesting research topic important for clinical applications such as biological maturity assessment. It is also useful in many other practical applications, including sports or forensic investigations for age verification purposes. Research on these issues is usually carried out using high-resolution X-ray scans of parts of the body, such as images of the hands or images of the chest. In this...
-
Detection and Model of Thermal Traces Left after Aggressive Behavior of Laboratory Rodents
PublicationAutomation of complex social behavior analysis of experimental animals would allow for faster, more accurate and reliable research results in many biological, pharmacological, and medical fields. However, there are behaviors that are not only difficult to detect for the computer, but also for the human observer. Here, we present an analysis of the method for identifying aggressive behavior in thermal images by detecting traces...
-
The impact of precipitation and external carbon source addition on biological nutrient removal in activated sludge systems - experimentalinvestigation and mathematical modeling
PublicationThe aim of this study was to determine the effects of chemical precipitation and addition of external carbonsources on the denitrification capability and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) interactions atthe 'Wschod' WWTP (600,000 PE) in Gdansk (northern Poland). For this purpose, different kinds of batch experimentswere carried out with the settled wastewater (without pretreatment and after coagulation-flocculation)and...
-
Bacterial presence in polar regions associated with environment modification by chemical compounds including contaminants
PublicationMicrobes are omnipresent and diverse members of all biological communities. In marine and freshwater ecosystems, microorganisms form the base of the food chain supporting higher trophic levels. Even though, microbes generally are thought to live in warm regions of Earth, many of them develop in cold climates. Polar regions remain relatively protected from widespread anthropogenic disturbances, which is a consequence of its remoteness...
-
Preconcentration and Analytical Methods for Determination of Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether and Other Fuel Oxygenates and Their Degradation Products in Environment: A Review
PublicationFuel oxygenates (FOs) are mainly ethers or alcohols which are added to gasoline either to boost the octane number or to make the fuel burning process more "cleaner" with increasing the oxygen content, or to obtain a combination of both effects. FOs are water soluble with high mobility in the environment which presence even at very low concentrations lower the quality of water making it unsafe or unpleasant due to their objectionable...
-
Synthesis, molecular structure, and metabolic stability of new series of N' -(2-alkylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-1-(5-phenyl-1 H -pyrazol-1-yl)amidine as potential anti-cancer agents
PublicationA series of new N'-(2-alkylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-1-(5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)amidine derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated in vitro by MTT assays for their antiproliferative activity against cell lines of colon cancer HCT-116, cervical cancer HeLa and breast cancer MCF-7. The studied compounds display selective activity mainly against HCT-116 and HeLa cells. Thus, five compounds show selective cytotoxic...
-
The imidazoacridinone C-1311 induces p53-dependent senescence or p53-independent apoptosis and sensitizes cancer cells to radiation
PublicationC-1311 is a small molecule, which has shown promise in a number of preclinical and clinical studies. However, the biological response to C-1311 exposure is complicated and has been reported to involve a number of cell fates. Here, we investigated the molecular signaling which determines the response to C-1311 in both cancer and non-cancer cell lines. For the first time we demonstrate that the tumor suppressor, p53 plays a key role...
-
Synthesis and biological evaluation of thiophosphate tricyclic coumarin derivatives as steroid sulfatase inhibitors
PublicationSteroid sulfatase (STS) enzyme inhibition is an important approach to the management of hormone-dependent breast cancer. In this paper, we report convenient methods for the synthesis and biological evaluation of thiophosphate tricyclic coumarin analogs exhibiting STS activity. The described methods are based on the straightforward preparation of 7-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]chromen-2-one, 3-hydroxy- 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one,...
-
Operation of multistage constructed wetlands systems in temporary climate
PublicationThe investigation were carried out at two different hybrid constructed wetlands, which treated municipal sewage after mechanical treatment from small villages in Pomeranian Region. In all facilities first step of biological treatment were horizontal flow beds. The main difference concern configuration of the facilities and sewage distributions systems into vertical flow beds. The measurement period was divided into vegetation...
-
Chiral Schiff base complexes as an effective catalyst in Diels-Alder reaction
PublicationDiels Alder reaction is a very important tool in carbon-carbon bond formation. It is a cycloaddition between a conjugated diene and a second compound called dienophile. Where one or more heteroatoms are present in the diene and/or dienophile framework, the cycloaddition is called hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (HDA). The asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction is among the most powerful available methodologies for that construction of optically...
-
Organotin Compounds: Environmental Fate and Analytics
PublicationFor more than 50 years, organotin compounds have been used in almost all sectors of industry. As a consequence, specific environmental compartments are affected by the emission of these xenobiotics. The emissions of organotin compounds into the environment from paints used in the shipbuilding industry for ship hull coating, and from the plant protection products are particularly significant.In 2001, the IMO introduced a global...
-
Pathways of Nitrogen Removal in Hybrid Treatment Wetlands
PublicationHybrid Treatment Wetlands (HTWs) are composed of two or more filters with different modes of flow, allowing the benefits of both types of bed to be combined, resulting in better effluent quality (nitrogen and organic compounds removal). Such a heterogeneous environment creates possibilities for different mechanisms of nitrogen removal. The objective of the present study was to investigate the removal of nitrogen versus a range...
-
Polyurethanes modified with natural polymers for medical application. I. Polyurethanes/ Chitosan and polyurethane/collagen.
PublicationFor over three decades polyurethanes (PUR or PU) have been reported for application in a variety of medical devices. These polymers consist of hard and soft segments, which allow for more subtle control of their structure and properties. By varying the composition of the different segments, properties of PURcan be tuned up for use in many areas of medicine. Recently there is a great interest in modification of biomedical PUR with...
-
Impact of influent wastewater quality on nitrogen removal rates in multistage treatment wetlands
PublicationNitrogen removal in treatment wetlands is influenced by many factors, and the presence of electron donors (biodegradable organic matter) and electron acceptors (nitrate ions) is the main limiting one; for obtaining these conditions, multistage treatment wetlands (MTWs) are required, where an extensive nitrification can be obtained in the first stages under aerobic conditions leaving then to the following anoxic/anaerobic stages...
-
PERS - QUIET ROAD SURFACE FOR URBAN AREAS
PublicationTraffic noise is one of the most important environmental problems in densely populated urban areas. At low speeds the tyre/road interaction dominates all other sources. It is anticipated that when electric and hybrid vehicles gain dominance in city traffic, the importance of tyre/road noise will still increase as electric engines are much less noisy than combustion engines. On the other hand, electric and hybrid urban vehicles...
-
The impact of slowly biodegradable organic compounds on the oxygen uptake rate in activated sludge systems
PublicationThe hydrolysis process of slowly biodegradable substrate (Xs) have impact on the efficiencies of nutrient removal in activated sludge systems. Measurement of OUR and corresponding COD is accepted as a very useful tool to reflect the consumption of biodegradable substrates. The influence of the readily biodegradable substrate (Ss) in biological wastewater treatment systems has been extensively investigated, but little is known about...
-
The impact of slowly biodegradable organic compounds on the oxygen uptake rate in activated sludge systems
PublicationThe hydrolysis process of slowly biodegradable substrate (Xs) have impact on the efficiencies of nutrient removal in activated sludge systems. Measurement of OUR and corresponding COD is accepted as a very useful tool to reflect the consumption of biodegradable substrates. The influence of the readily biodegradable substrate (Ss) in biological wastewater treatment systems has been extensively investigated, but little is known about...
-
Photosensitive and pH-dependent activity of pyrazine-functionalized carbazole derivative as promising antifungal and imaging agent
PublicationCarbazole skeleton plays a significant role as a structural scaffold of many pharmacologically active compounds. Pyrazine-functionalized carbazole derivative was constructed by coupling 2-amino-5-bromo-3-methylaminepyrazine (ABMAP) into 3 and 6 positions of the carbazole ring. Multi-experimental methods were used, e.g., potentiometric, spectroscopic (ATR, UV, XRD powder,1H and13C NMR), electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry), and...
-
Process Control of Biogas Purification Using Electronic Nose
PublicationNowadays, biogas produced from landfills and wastewater treatment plants or lignocellulosic biomass is important sustainable and affordable source of energy. Impurities from biogas stream can cause a serious odor problem, especially for residents of areas immediately adjacent to production plants. Therefore, biogas pre-treatment is necessary to protect engines that convert biogas into energy and in order to increase the specific...
-
A Data Driven Model for Predicting RNA-Protein Interactions based on Gradient Boosting Machine
PublicationRNA protein interactions (RPI) play a pivotal role in the regulation of various biological processes. Experimental validation of RPI has been time-consuming, paving the way for computational prediction methods. The major limiting factor of these methods has been the accuracy and confidence of the predictions, and our in-house experiments show that they fail to accurately predict RPI involving short RNA sequences such as TERRA RNA....
-
Palindromic carbazole derivatives: unveiling their antiproliferative effect via topoisomerase II catalytic inhibition and apoptosis induction
PublicationHuman DNA topoisomerases are essential for crucial cellular processes, including DNA replication, transcription, chromatin condensation, and maintenance of its structure. One of the significant strategies employed in cancer treatment involves the inhibition of a specific type of topoisomerase, known as topoisomerase II (Topo II). Carbazole derivatives, recognised for their varied biological activities, have recently become a significant...
-
A stochastic approach for the solution of single and multi – objective optimisation problems of biological processes in sequencing batch reactor
PublicationThis paper investigates the impact of implementing single and multi-optimisation solutions on the biological treatment process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The research is based on a case study of the water resource recovery facility (WRRF) in Swarzewo, Northern Poland. The paper introduces the adaptive extremum seeking control (ESC) method for dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration control and places it in a layered control structure....
-
Searching for the primary metabolic alterations of polycystic ovary syndrome by application of the untargeted metabolomics approach
PublicationDespite a large number of studies, the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) still remains unexplained. In light of ambiguous observations reported in metabolomics, there is a need to carry out studies focusing on confirming the discriminating power of the proposed metabolomics biomarkers. Our research aimed to perform a validation study of metabolites detected in our previous study from serum samples, on the new set...
-
An optimal designed experiment for the alkaline hydrolysis of feather keratin
PublicationFeathers, burdensome waste from the poultry industry, can be a cheap source of keratin, a protein with excellent physico- chemical, biological, and mechanical properties. Acid and alkaline hydrolyses are usually adopted for isolation of keratin from its natural resources. This study aimed at assessing the statistically significant effect of input variables in the alkaline hydrolysis of keratin from chicken feathers on the process...
-
Preferences of the Facade Composition in the Context of Its Regularity and Irregularity
PublicationAbstract: The aim of this study is to determine the preferences of Polish society towards building facades depending on the degree of the composition regularity of the facade elements. The subject matter is inspired by the authors’ observations in relation to the current architectural trends. The purposefulness of the conducted research results from several issues. Firstly, the reports of psychology and neurosciences clearly indicate...
-
Prediction of Bioactive Peptides From Chicken Feather and Pig Hair Keratins Using In Silico Analysis Based on Fragmentomic Approach
PublicationBackground: Keratin is among the most abundant structural proteins of animal origin, however it remains broadly underutilized. Objective: Bioinformatic investigation was performed to evaluate selected keratins originating from mass-produced waste products, i.e., chicken feathers and pig hair, as potential sources of bioactive peptides. Methods: Pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, papain, and subtilisin were used for in silico keratinolysis...
-
Synthesis, Structure, and Spectroscopic Properties of Calcium Thiophenecarboxylate Polymers. Structural Comparison with Analogous Lead Complexes
PublicationThree novel calcium coordination polymers [Ca(2tpCOO)2(2mpa)(H2O)]n (1), [Ca(3tpCOO)2(2mpa)(H2O)]n (2), and {[Ca(3tpacCOO)2(H2O)2]⋅⋅⋅H2O}n (3) (2tpCOO− or 3tpCOO− – thiophene-2- or thiophene-3-carboxylate, 3tpacCOO− – thiophene-3-acetate, 2mpa – 2-methylpropanal), were synthesised using a self-assembly method. The obtained polymers were characterised using SC-XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS, thermogravimetric and luminescence analyses. The...
-
Glutathione-mediated conjugation of anticancer drugs: an overview of reaction mechanisms and biological significance for drug detoxification and bioactivation.
PublicationThe effectiveness of many anticancer drugs depends on the creation of specific metabolites that may alter their therapeutic or toxic properties. One significant route of biotransformation is a conjugation of electrophilic compounds with reduced glutathione, which can be non-enzymatic and/or catalyzed by glutathione-dependent enzymes. Glutathione usually combines with anticancer drugs and/or their metabolites to form more polar...
-
Chemical and biological evaluation of antioxidant activity of endogenous redox-active compounds compared to plant-derived exogenous antioxidants
PublicationThe research conducted so far has shown that endogenous antioxidants, despite being regarded as the first line of antioxidant defense, may not be sufficient to maintain redox homeostasis in cells exposed to oxidative stress. The results obtained in the doctoral dissertation show that endogenous redox-active compounds were moderate or weak scavengers of ABTS and DPPH radicals, while in cellular setting, their impact on the reducing...
-
How do sterols determine the antufungal activitiy of amphotericin B? Free energy of binding between the drug and its membrane targets.
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB) is a well-known polyene antibiotic used to treat systemic fungal infections. It is commonly accepted that the presence of sterols in the membrane is essential for the AmB biological activity, that is, for the formation of transmembrane ion channels. The selective toxicity of AmB for fungal cells is attributed to the fact that it is more potent against fungal cell membranes containing ergosterol than against...
-
A comprehensive review on Ginger (Zingiber officinale) as a potential source of nutraceuticals for food formulations: Towards the polishing of gingerol and other present biomolecules
PublicationCurrently, ginger is one the most consumed plants when dealing with the treatments of various illnesses. So far, it is known that various biologically active molecules, such as gingerols, shogaols and zingerone, among others, are the main responsible for specific biological activities, opening a new window for its utilization as a nutraceutical in foods. In pioneering extraction processes, solvent extraction has been initially...
-
The influence of plant protection by effective microorganisms on the content of bioactive phytochemicals in apples
PublicationThe phytochemicals of two apple cultivars (Yellow Transparent and Early Geneva) protected in two ways, conventionally with chemical pesticides or by effective microorganisms (EM), were compared. Two types of components were determined: lipids synthesised constitutively and generated via inducible pathways polyphenols along with antioxidant activity and profiles. The antioxidant activities assessed with ABTS, DPPH and Folin–Ciocalteu...
-
A Comparison of the Efficiency of Deammonification under Different Aeration Strategies in a Laboratory-Scale Sequencing Batch Reactor
PublicationAn important source of nitrogen load entering the biological part of wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) is derived from the anaerobic sludge digestion processes. Sludge digestion liquors constitute only 1-2% of the inflow to the plant, but the load of nitrogen directed with them to the main stream may be as high as 10-20% of the total nitrogen load. Therefore, numerous studies have focused on treatment of sludge digestion liquors...
-
Study of pH and temperature effect on lipophilicity of catechol-containing antioxidants by reversed phase liquid chromatography
PublicationLipophilicity of selected antioxidant phytochemicals, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and xanthonoids, was determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (RP-HPLC-UV). The analyses run at different temperature and pH conditions in isocratic mode suggested that lipophilicity as distribution coefficient (logD) between aqueous and organic phase decreases with increasing temperature. For...
-
Physical crosslinking of hyaluronic acid in the presence of phospholipids in an aqueous nano-environment
PublicationHyaluronic acid and phospholipids are two components in the synovial joint cavity that contribute to joint lubrication synergistically. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed and hydrogen bonds in hyaluronic acid were analyzed to identify specific sites that are responsible for its physical cross-linking. Two molecular masses of hyaluronic acid, 10 kDa and 160 kDa, were considered. We use molecular dynamics simulations and...