Search results for: functional materials
-
Determination of trace levels of eleven bisphenol A analogues in human blood serum by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
PublicationChemicals showing structural or functional similarity to bisphenol A (BPA), commonly called BPA analogues, have recently drawn scientific attention due to their common industrial and commercial application as a substitute for BPA. In the European Union, the use of BPA has been severely restricted by law due to its endocrine disrupting properties. Unfortunately, it seems that all BPA analogues show comparable biological activity,...
-
Intelligent Decision Forest Models for Customer Churn Prediction
PublicationCustomer churn is a critical issue impacting enterprises and organizations, particularly in the emerging and highly competitive telecommunications industry. It is important to researchers and industry analysts interested in projecting customer behavior to separate churn from non‐churn consumers. The fundamental incentive is a firm’s intent desire to keep current consumers, along with the exorbitant expense of gaining new ones....
-
Exsolution of Ni nanoparticles on the surface of cerium and nickel co-doped lanthanum strontium titanate as a new anodic layer for DIR-SOFC. Anti-coking potential and H2S poisoning resistance of the prepared material
PublicationThe aim of this study was to evaluate a new catalytic material for biogas fueled DIR-SOFC. This material was a perovskite-type SrTiO3 doped with La, Ce and Ni of a general formula La0.27Sr0.54Ce0.09Ni0.1Ti0.9O3-σ (LSCNT). Additional preparation steps were undertaken to promote a nickel exsolution process. Heat post-treatment of powders in a humidified H2 resulted in an intensive growth of nickel nanoparticles (NPs) while the temperature...
-
Solvothermal growth of {0 0 1} exposed anatase nanosheets and their ability to mineralize organic pollutants. The effect of alcohol type and content on the nucleation and growth of TiO2 nanostructures
PublicationHerein, the series of {0 0 1} exposed anatase nanosheets from HF-assisted solvothermal growth synthesis were obtained. The two-dimensional TiO2 were characterized, including both bulk (XRD, DR-UV–Vis, Mott-Schottky) and surface characteristics (N2 sorption, XPS, SEM) with experimental results compiled with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The effect of alcohol amount and type was studied, demonstrating the crucial...
-
Generalized Formulation of Response Features for Reliable Optimization of Antenna Input Characteristics
PublicationElectromagnetic (EM)-driven parameter adjustment has become imperative in the design of modern antennas. It is necessary because the initial designs rendered through topology evolution, parameter sweeping, or theoretical models, are often of poor quality and need to be improved to satisfy stringent performance requirements. Given multiple objectives, constraints, and a typically large number of geometry parameters, the design closure...
-
Honey antibacterial activity: A neglected aspect of honey quality assurance as functional food
PublicationBackground Honey is considered as a functional food with health-promoting properties. Its potent antibacterial and antibiofilm effects are the major attributes of so called ‘medical-grade honey’ which is topically used for the treatment of burns, wounds and skin disorders. Nevertheless, the current set of honey quality parameters adopted in the European Union do not include its biological properties. Furthermore, in light of the...
-
Intramolecular Proton Transfer in the Radical Anion of Cytidine Monophosphate Sheds Light on the Sensitivities of Dry vs Wet DNA to Electron Attachment-Induced Damage
PublicationSingle-strand breaks (SSBs) induced via electron attachment were previously observed in dry DNA under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), while hydrated electrons were found not able to induce this DNA damage in an aqueous solution. To explain these findings, crossed electron-molecular beam (CEMB) and anion photoelectron spectroscopy (aPES) experiments coupled to density functional theory (DFT) modeling were used to demonstrate the fundamental...
-
Enhancing chain-elongating microbiomes: Sequential fungi-bacteria cooperation for efficient food waste upgrading using endogenous electron donors
PublicationThe upgrading of organic waste such as food waste (FW) into medium-chain carboxylates (MCC) is within a bio-based circular economy concept. An efficient chain elongation (CE) microbiome is difficult to obtain, which normally requires long-term acclimatization and an exogenous supplement of electron donor (ED, especially ethanol). In this study, the CE microbiome was rapidly shaped within 18 days and an efficient endogenous ethanol-based...
-
Characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from the psychrophilic bacteria Desulfotalea psychrophila, Flavobacterium psychrophilum, Psychrobacter arcticus, Psychrobacter cryohalolentis, Psychromonas ingrahamii, Psychroflexus torquis, and Photobacterium profundum
PublicationBackground: Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) play essential roles in DNA replication, recombination and repair in Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in SSBs, since they find numerous applications in diverse molecular biology and analytical methods. Results: We report the characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from the psychrophilic bacteria Desulfotalea...
-
Two-body dissociation of isoxazole following double photoionization – an experimental PEPIPICO and theoretical DFT and MP2 study
PublicationThe dissociative double photoionization of isoxazole molecules has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The experiment has been carried out in the 27.5–36 eV photon energy range using vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron radiation excitation combined with ion time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometry and photoelectron–photoion–photoion coincidence (PEPIPICO) technique. Five wellresolved two-body dissociation channels have...
-
Mutually polarizable QM/MM model with in situ optimized localized basis functions
PublicationWe extend our recently developed quantum-mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach [Dziedzic et al., J. Chem. Phys. 145, 124106 (2016)] to enable in situ optimization of the localized orbitals. The quantum subsystem is described with ONETEP linear-scaling density functional theory and the classical subsystem – with the AMOEBA polarizable force field. The two subsystems interact via multipolar electrostatics and are fully...
-
Art and Healthcare - Healing Potential of Artistic Interventions in Medical Settings
PublicationThe stereotype of a machine for healing seems to be well rooted in common thinking and social perception of hospital buildings. The technological aspect of healthcare architecture has been influenced for several years by three major factors. The first is linked to the necessity of providing safety and security in the environment of elevated epidemiological risk. The second concerns the need for incorporating advanced technology...
-
The metabolic activity of denitrifying microorganisms accumulating polyphosphate in response to addition of fusel oil
PublicationThe effect of distillery waste product (fusel oil) as an alternative external organic carbon source (EOCS) was investigated in terms of the metabolic properties of denitrifying polyphosphate accumulating organisms (DPAOs). Samples of the non-acclimated biomass were collected from a local full-scale wastewater treatment plant employing A2/O type bioreactors. The acclimated biomass was obtained after cultivation (with fusel oil added)...
-
Architects and urban planners in the face of energy transition - smart cities energy aspects in shaping building structures and cities
PublicationContemporary architects and urban planners are facing steadily increasing challenges. The growing problems around environmental issues, shrinking natural resources and climate action are just some of them. Currently, planning should also include balancing with all the aspects of sustainable development such as not only the environmental issues, but also social and economic ones. How to meet them in the era of energy transition...
-
Electrochemical performance of indium-tin-oxide-coated lossy-mode resonance optical fiber sensor
PublicationAnalysis of liquids performed in multiple domain, e.g., optical and electrochemical (EC), has recently focus significant attention. Our previous works have shown that a simple device based on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated optical fiber core may be used for optical monitoring of EC processes. At satisfying optical properties and thickness of ITO a lossy-mode resonance (LMR) effect can be obtained and used for monitoring of optical...
-
Cloning and characterization of a novel cold-active glycoside hydrolase family 1 enzyme with beta-glucosidase, beta-fucosidase and beta-galactosidase activities.
PublicationBackground: Cold-active enzymes, sourced from cold-adapted organisms, are characterized by high catalytic efficiencies at low temperatures compared with their mesophilic counterparts, which have poor activity. This property makes them advantageous for biotechnology applications as it: (i) saves energy costs, (ii) shortens the times for processes operated at low temperatures, (iii) protects thermosensitive substrates or products...
-
Membrane Sterols Modulate the Binding Mode of Amphotericin B without Affecting Its Affinity for a Lipid Bilayer
PublicationMembrane-active antibiotics are known to selectively target certain pathogens based on cell membrane properties, such as fluidity, lipid ordering, and phase behavior. These are in turn modulated by the composition of a lipid bilayer and in particular by the presence and type of membrane sterols. Amphotericin B (AmB), the golden standard of antifungal treatment, exhibits higher activity toward ergosterol-rich fungal membranes, which...
-
Role of Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases in the Biotransformation of the Triazoloacridinone and Imidazoacridinone Antitumor Agents C-1305 and C-1311 : Highly Selective Substrates for UGT1A10
Publication5-Diethylaminoethylamino-8-hydroxyimidazoacridinone, C-1311 (NSC-645809), is an antitumor agent shown to be effective against breast cancer in phase II clinical trials. A similar compound, 5-dimethylaminopropylamino-8-hydroxytriazoloacridinone, C-1305, shows high activity against experimental tumors and is expected to have even more beneficial pharmacological properties than C-1311. Previously published studies showed that these...
-
PARP inhibition potentiates the cytotoxic activity of C-1305, a selective inhibitor of topoisomerase II, in human BRCA1-positive breast cancer cells
PublicationTwo cellular proteins encoded by the breast and ovarian cancer type 1 susceptibility (BRCA1 and BRCA2) tumor suppressor genes are essential for DNA integrity and the maintenance of genomic stability.Approximately 5-10% of breast and ovarian cancers result from inherited alterations or mutations in these genes.Remarkably, BRCA1/BRCA2-deficient cells are hypersensitive to selective inhibition of poly(ADPribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1),...
-
ENERGY AND EMISSION QUALITY RANKING OF NEWLY PRODUCED LOW-SULPHUR MARINE FUEL
PublicationThe article describes the methodology of engine tests on new types of low-sulphur marine fuels in laboratory conditions in order to conduct a comprehensive assessment of their suitability for powering full-size marine engines. The innovativeness of the proposed solution consists of adapting the laboratory Diesel Engine Test Bed to carry out experimental tests using residual and alternative fuels so that it is possible to imitate...
-
Understanding the kinetics and atmospheric degradation mechanism of chlorotrifluoroethylene (CF2=CFCl) initiated by OH radicals
PublicationThe atmospheric degradation of chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE) by OH˙ was investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The potential energy surfaces were also defined in terms of single-point energies derived from the linked cluster CCSD(T) theory. With an energy barrier of −2.62 to −0.99 kcal mol−1 using the M06-2x method, the negative temperature dependence was determined. The OH˙ attack on Cα and Cβ atoms (labeled pathways...
-
Rapid Design Centering of Multi-Band Antennas Using Knowledge-Based Inverse Models and Response Features
PublicationAccounting for manufacturing tolerances as well as uncertainties concerning operating conditions and material parameters is one of the important yet often neglected aspects of antenna development. Appropriate quantification of uncertainties allows for estimating the fabrication yield but also to carry out robust design (e.g., yield maximization). For reliability reasons, statistical analysis should be executed at the accuracy level...
-
Preliminary safety assessment of Polish interchanges
PublicationInterchanges are a key and the most complex element of a road infrastructure. The safety and functionality of interchanges determine the traffic conditions and safety of the entire road network. This applies particularly to motorways and express-ways, for which they are the only way to access and exchange traffic. A big problem in Poland is the lack of comprehensive tools for designers at individual stages of the design process....
-
Performance of electrochemical immunoassays for clinical diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2 based on selective nucleocapsid N protein detection: Boron-doped diamond, gold and glassy carbon evaluation
PublicationThe 21st century has already brought us a plethora of new threats related to viruses that emerge in humans after zoonotic transmission or drastically change their geographic distribution or prevalence. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first spotted at the end of 2019 to rapidly spread in southwest Asia and later cause a global pandemic, which paralyzes the world since then. We have designed novel...
-
Recent Advances in Polymer Nanocomposites: Unveiling the Frontier of Shape Memory and Self-Healing Properties—A Comprehensive Review
PublicationShape memory and self-healing polymer nanocomposites have attracted considerable attention due to their modifiable properties and promising applications. The incorporation of nanomaterials (polypyrrole, carboxyl methyl cellulose, carbon nanotubes, titania nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, mesoporous silica) into these polymers has significantly enhanced their performance, opening up new avenues for diverse applications. The...
-
Catalysts for advanced oxidation processes: Deep eutectic solvents-assisted synthesis – A review
PublicationNew catalyst synthesis techniques, including green materials, are extensively studied for heterogeneous photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) on spotlight of sustainable development. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) started to be used in this field as environmentally friendly alternative to ionic liquids (ILs). During the catalyst synthesis, DESs can act as stabilizers, capping agents, structure directing agents, templates,...
-
Facilitated water transport in composite reduced graphene oxide pervaporation membranes for ethanol upgrading
PublicationHigh purity ethanol is one of the most sought-after renewable energy sources. However, standard production methods yield ethanol of insufficient quality. Membrane processes such as pervaporation are recognized as a viable method for upgrading ethanol. Their performance and selectivity depend solely on membrane employed. Hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes are used industrially for this purpose, but there is a trade-off...
-
Performance tuning of chitosan-based membranes by protonated 2-Pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid-sulfolane DES for effective water/ethanol separation by pervaporation
PublicationToday, the applicability of deep eutectic solvents (DES) in various fields, including membrane science and technology, is extensively investigated. In pioneering works, we have implemented different DES as a component of chitosan (CS)-based flat membranes for pervaporation (PV) separation. Herein, we present a new protonated (by sulphuric acid) 2-Pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid: sulfolane DES, as a green additive for its chemical...
-
Analysis of IPv6 handovers in IEEE 802.16 environment
PublicationThe second generation of WiMAX solutions, based on IEEE 802.16-2005 standard, offers limited mobility support. Unfortunately, after quickly changing the point of attachment on the WiMAX data link layer (DLL), very slow and inefficient IPv6 reconfiguration takes place. Delays introduced by automatic configuration (DHCPv6 and IPv6 protocols) and Mobile IPv6 can easily diminish or even render useless all benefits gained using the...
-
Application of the Msplitmethod for filtering airborne laser scanning data-sets to estimate digital terrain models
PublicationALS point cloud filtering involves the separation of observations representing the physical terrain surface from those representing terrain details. A digital terrain model (DTM) is created from a subset of points representing the ground surface. The accuracy of the generated DTM is influenced by several factors, including the survey method used, the accuracy of the source data, the applied DTM generation algorithm, and the survey...
-
Prediction of Overall In Vitro Microsomal Stability of Drug Candidates Based on Molecular Modeling and Support Vector Machines. Case Study of Novel Arylpiperazines Derivatives
PublicationOther than efficacy of interaction with the molecular target, metabolic stability is the primary factor responsible for the failure or success of a compound in the drug development pipeline. The ideal drug candidate should be stable enough to reach its therapeutic site of action. Despite many recent excellent achievements in the field of computational methods supporting drug metabolism studies, a well-recognized procedure to model...
-
On Accelerated Metaheuristic-Based Electromagnetic-Driven Design Optimization of Antenna Structures Using Response Features
PublicationDevelopment of present-day antenna systems is an intricate and multi-step process requiring, among others, meticulous tuning of designable (mainly geometry) parameters. Concerning the latter, the most reliable approach is rigorous numerical optimization, which tends to be re-source-intensive in terms of computing due to involving full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simu-lations. The cost-related issues are particularly pronounced whenever...
-
Application of Msplit method for filtering airborne laser scanning data sets to estimate digital terrain models
PublicationALS point cloud filtering involves the separation of observations representing the physical terrain surface from those representing terrain details. A digital terrain model (DTM) is created from a subset of points representing the ground surface. The accuracy of the generated DTM is influenced by several factors, including the survey method used, the accuracy of the source data, the applied DTM generation algorithm, and the survey...
-
Impact of Large-scale urban interventions on contemporary city centers. Gdansk case study. Wpływ przedsiewzięć urbanistycznych dużej skali na centra miast. Studium przypadku Gdańska
PublicationLarge scale urban interventions have become a common development practice in cotemporary cities, allowing achieving rapid changes in their urban structure. They can be analyzed taking into account various perspectives. Some of them include planning and development models, transformation of brownfields and other types of distressed urban areas, as well as consequences and results of their implementation in existing urban structures....
-
Modern Management Challenges of Floating Housing Development
PublicationThe aim of the article is to identify factors that determine the development and management models of floating housing development in the analyzed countries. The author indicates factors determining the possibility of settling on bodies of water in Poland, and restrictions connected with this type of development, as well as the need for specialized persons and companies ready to meet the challenges of the modern management of hydro-technical...
-
Density functional theory-based simulations of sum frequency generation spectra involving methyl stretching vibrations: effect of the molecular model on the deduced molecular orientation and comparison with an analytical approach
PublicationThe knowledge of the first hyperpolarizability tensor elements of molecular groups is crucial for a quantitative interpretation of the sum frequency generation (SFG) activity of thin organic films at interfaces. Here, the SFG response of the terminal methyl group of a dodecanethiol (DDT) monolayer has been interpreted on the basis of calculations performed at the density functional theory (DFT) level of approximation. In particular,...
-
Estimation of groundwater recharge in a shallow sandy aquifer using unsaturated zone modeling and water table fluctuation method
PublicationQuantification of groundwater recharge is one of the most important issues in hydrogeology, especially in view of the ongoing changes in climate and land use. In this study, we use numerical models of 1D vertical flow in the vadose zone and the water table fluctuation (WTF) analysis to investigate local-scale recharge of a shallow sandy aquifer in the Brda outwash plain in northern Poland. We show that these two methods can be...
-
Residual Current Devices: Selection, Operation, and Testing
PublicationIn this book, the idea for residual current protection has been presented. The evolution in construction types of residual current devices, which has taken place over decades, is discussed. Types and functional properties of the contemporary residual current devices are described. The main parameters of these devices, from the point of view of their selection and application, are indicated. Special constructions of the protective...
-
The II phase metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds, including antitumor chemotherapeutics
PublicationThe II phase metabolism, it is a set of metabolism and excretion pathways of endogenous as well as exogenous compounds including xenobiotics. UDP-glucuronyltransferases (UGTs; EC 2.4.1.17) are the most crucial representatives of II phase enzymes, which are responsible for the transformation of bilirubine and bile acids, steroids and thyroid hormones and lipids. Exogenous compounds, including drugs, carcinogens, environmental pollutants...
-
Novel DNA-binding protein from Nanoarchaeum equitans Kin4-M binds all kinds of nucleic acids
PublicationNanoarchaeum equitans is the only known representative of Archaea phylum Nanoarchaeota and stands out as one of the tiniest known living organism. What is more it has smallest genome, which is only 490.885 base pairs long. It is also one of the most compact genomes. According to predictions about 95% of the DNA encodes proteins or stable RNA. Nanoarchaeum equitans lacks genes for most vital metabolic pathways including lipid, cofactor,...
-
Chemical investigation on the mechanism and kinetics of the atmospheric degradation reaction of Trichlorofluoroethene by OH⋅ and Its subsequent fate in the presence of O2/NOx
PublicationThe M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory was used to examine the degradation of Trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE) initiated by OH⋅ radicals. Additionally, the coupled-cluster single-double with triple perturbative [CCSD(T)] method was employed to refine the single-point energies using the complete basis set extrapolation approach. The results indicated that OH-addition is the dominant pathway. OH⋅ adds to both the C1 and C2 carbons,...
-
A machine learning approach to classifying New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart failure
PublicationAccording to the European Society of Cardiology, globally the number of patients with heart failure nearly doubled from 33.5 million in 1990 to 64.3 million in 2017, and is further projected to increase dramatically in this decade, still remaining a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. One of the most frequently applied heart failure classification systems that physicians use is the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional...
-
Novel Resveratrol-Based Substrates for Human Hepatic, Renal, and Intestinal UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases
PublicationTrans-Resveratrol (tRes) has been shown to have powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-aging properties; however, its use as a therapeutic agent is limited by its rapid metabolism into its conjugated forms by UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs). The aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that the limited bioavailability of tRes can be improved by modifying its structure to create analogs...
-
Understanding ion–ion and ion–solvent interactions in aqueous solutions of morpholinium ionic liquids with N-acetyl-L-alaninate anion through partial molar properties and molecular dynamics simulations
PublicationAmino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) provide a low toxicity, biodegradable alternative to conventional ionic liquids, while also maintaining solubility in water. Densities and sound velocities of aqueous solutions of four amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs), based on the N-alkyl-N-methylmorpholinium ([Mor1,R], R = 2, 3, 6, 8) cation and N-acetyl-L-alaninate ([N-Ac-L-Ala]) anion were measured at T = (293.15–313.15) K and at atmospheric...
-
Pilicides effectively hinder chaperone-usher interactions in all Gram-negative bacteria
PublicationThe chaperone-usher pathway of adhesive structures biogenesis is highly conserved in all Gram-negative bacteria. Pili are polymers of thousands protein subunits that possess conserved immunoglobuline-like structure denoted by lack of the seventh G strand. The effect of this structural defect is a hydrophobic acceptor cleft. The folding of protein subunits is strictly dependent on the action of specific periplasmic chaperone protein...
-
Mono- and bimetallic nanoparticles decorated KTaO 3 photocatalysts with improved Vis and UV–Vis light activity
PublicationNew mono- and bimetallic nanoparticle-decorated perovskite-type KTaO3 photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal reaction followed by photodeposition of MNPs/BNPs. The effect of noble metal type, amount of metal precursor as well as photoreduction method on the physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of MNPs- and BNPs-KTaO3 have been investigated. Photocatalytic activity under Vis light irradiation was estimated...
-
Selectivity Tuning by Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) for Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Cytinus hypocistis—Studies of Antioxidative, Enzyme-Inhibitive Properties and LC-MS Profiles
PublicationIn the present study, the extracts of Cytinus hypocistis (L.) L using both traditional solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, ethanol, ethanol/water, and water) and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were investigated in terms of their total polyphenolic contents and antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitive properties. The extracts were found to possess total phenolic and total flavonoid contents in the ranges of 26.47–186.13...
-
Człowiek i jego samochód - relacje w strukturach mieszkaniowych w warunkach zrównoważonego rozwoju. Zapis refleksji
PublicationJakość środowiska zbudowanego - przekształcanego i tworzonego dla coraz liczniejszych pokoleń mieszkańców jest przedmiotem wieloletniej i narastającej dyskusji zawodowej środowiska architektonicznego.Ludzka potrzeba samorealizacji poprzez codzienną aktywność, działalność zawodową, przyjmowane role społeczne wpływa na kształtowanie indywidualnych modeli codzienności miejskiej, na decyzje o wyborach miejsca zamieszkania, miejsca...
-
Coarse-grained simulation - an efficient approach for studying motions of large proteins
PublicationOne of the most important challenges in performing Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of large protein complexes is to accommodate the model accuracy and the simulation timescale. Hitherto, for the most relevant dynamics of protein aggregates in an explicit aqueous environment, the timescale reachable for the all-atoms simulations is of hundreds of nanoseconds. This range is four to six orders of magnitude smaller than processes...
-
The Action Mechanisms, Anti-Cancer and Antibiotic-Modulation Potential of Vaccinium myrtillus L. Extract
PublicationHerbal medicinal products containing Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruits and fruit extracts are widely available in the market. Although bilberry leaves and stems are considered as bio-waste, they contain much higher levels of phenolic compounds than fruits. The study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial and anticancer potential of aerial part extracts from Vaccinium myrtillus L. (V. myrtillus, VM) plants harvested at high...