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Drop-coating deposition surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on silver substrates for biofluid analysis
PublicationUtilization of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy as a measurement technique is of particular interest in biodetection due to its superb chemical specificity and high sensitivity. The use of SERS substrates further improve this method by massive enhancement of the molecule Raman spectrum, permitting very low levels of detection. Therefore it is important to seek for new ways to develop reliable substrates, which are quickly and...
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SURFACTANTS IN KLODNICA RIVER (KATOWICE, POLAND). PART II. QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
PublicationThe paper presents methods of determination of analytes of the cation group (alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium (BDDA-C12-C16), alkyl trimethyl ammonium (TMA), hexadecyl piridinium (HP)) in surface water and bottom sediment samples. In the sample preparation phase the solid phase extraction (SPE) or accelerated solvent extraction/ultrasound assisted extraction (ASE/UAE)-SPE technique was used and in the identification phase and quantitative...
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Effect of Acetylation and Beta‐Amylase Treatment on Complexation of Debranched Starch with Naringenin
PublicationStarch inclusion complexation has been shown to improve solubility of water insoluble molecules. Potato starch and Hylon VII are acetylated at two levels and then debranched alone or combined with β‐amylase hydrolysis, and its complexes with naringenin are prepared in aqueous conditions and characterized in this study. Both soluble and insoluble complexes are formed with the soluble complex present in the supernatant and the insoluble...
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Localization and Orientation of Xanthophylls in a Lipid Bilayer
PublicationXanthophylls (polar carotenoids) play diverse biological roles, among which are modulation of the physical properties of lipid membranes and protection of biomembranes against oxidative damage. Molecular mechanisms underlying these functions are intimately related to the localization and orientation of xanthophyll molecules in lipid membranes. In the present work, we address the problem of localization and orientation of two xanthophylls...
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Electron-Induced Decomposition of 5-Bromo-4-thiouracil and 5-Bromo-4-thio-2′-deoxyuridine: The Effect of the Deoxyribose Moiety on Dissociative Electron Attachment
PublicationWhen modified uridine derivatives are incorporated into DNA, radical species may form that cause DNA damage. This category of molecules has been proposed as radiosensitizers and is currently being researched. Here, we study electron attachment to 5-bromo-4-thiouracil (BrSU), a uracil derivative, and 5-bromo-4-thio-20 -deoxyuridine (BrSdU), with an attached deoxyribose moiety via the N-glycosidic (N1-C) bond. Quadrupole mass spectrometry...
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Silica In Silico: A Molecular Dynamics Characterization of the Early Stages of Protein Embedding for Atom Probe Tomography
PublicationA novel procedure for the application of atom probe tomography (APT) to the structural analysis of biological systems, has been recently proposed, whereby the specimen is embedded by a silica matrix and ablated by a pulsed laser source. Such a technique, requires that the silica primer be properly inert and bio-compatible, keeping the native structural features of the system at hand, while condensing into an amorphous, glass-like...
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Plasma-Based Deposition and Processing Techniques for Optical Fiber Sensing
PublicationPlasma-based techniques are widely applied for well-controlled deposition, etching or surface functionalization of a number of materials. It is difficult to imagine fabrication of novel microelectronic and optoelectronic devices without using plasma-enhanced deposition of thin films, their selective etching or functionalization of their surfaces for subsequent selective binding of chemical or biological molecules. Depending on...
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Bioelectronic nose: Current status and perspectives
PublicationA characteristic feature of human and animal organs of smell is the ability to identify hundreds of thousands of odours. It is accompanied by particular smell sensations, which are a basic source of information about odour mixture. The main structural elements of biological smell systems are the olfactory receptors. Small differences in a structure of odorous molecules (odorants) can lead to significant change of odour, which is...
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Theoretical and Experimental Studies on the Visible Light Activity of TiO2 Modified with Halide-Based Ionic Liquids
PublicationFormation of a surface complex between organic molecules and TiO2 is one of the possible strategies for the development of visible light-induced TiO2 photoactivity. Herein, three ionic liquids (ILs) with the same cation and dierent anions (1-butylpirydynium chloride/bromide/iodide) have been applied for the surface modification of TiO2 and to understand the role of anions in visible light-induced activity of ILs-TiO2 systems. Photocatalytic...
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Interfacial water controls the process of adsorption of hyperactive antifreeze proteins onto the ice surface
PublicationA mechanism of interactions between the ice-binding surface of a hyperactive antifreeze protein molecule and the ice surface is proposed, involving the influence of water present between the two surfaces on the behavior of the approaching molecule. It is demonstrated that the interfacial water, even before its full solidification, can act as a factor that pushes away or pulls nearer the protein molecule to ensure its proper positioning....
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Precipitation and Transformation of Vaterite Calcium Carbonate in the Presence of Some Organic Solvents
PublicationIn this paper, the production of CaCO3 particles via the carbonation route in the reaction of CaCl2 and CO2, using NH3 as a promoter of CO2 absorption, was studied. The solvents used as the reaction media for CaCO3 precipitation were aqueous solutions of methanol, isopropanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), in a concentration range of 0–20% (v/v). It was found that the presence of an organic additive influenced the precipitation...
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Soft X-ray Induced Production of Neutral Fragments in High-Rydberg States at the O 1s Ionization Threshold of the Water Molecule
PublicationDissociation of water molecules after soft X-ray absorption can yield neutral fragments in high-Rydberg (HR) states. We have studied the production of such fragments by field ionization and ion time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometry. Neutral HR fragments are created at all resonances below the O 1s ionization potential (IP) and particularly within 1 eV above the O 1s IP. The latter effect is due to the recapture of the O 1s photoelectrons...
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Thermophysical study of the binary mixtures of triethyl phosphate with N-methylformamide, N,N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide – Experimental and theoretical approach
PublicationDensities at (293.15, 298.15, 303.15 and 308.15) K, and viscosities and ultrasonic velocities at 298.15 K of binary liquid mixtures of triethyl phosphate with N-methylformamide, N,N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide have been measured over the entire range of composition at p = 0.1 MPa. From the experimental data, values of excess molar volume, excess isentropic compressibility, viscosity deviation and excess Gibbs energy...
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Understanding the interactions between protein stabilizers and the peptide bond through the analysis of the volumetric and compressibility properties for the model systems
PublicationThis work confirms our earlier supposition, that volumetric and acoustic parameters for simple model proposed by us are directly related to stabilizing/destabilizing effect of osmolytes on proteins structure. The apparent molar volumes, V and the apparent molar isentropic compressions, KS,, of glycine and N,N,N –trimethylglycine (betaine) were determined from densities and speed of sound measurements in aqueous solution of N-methylacetamide...
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Development of Safirinium dyes for new applications: fluorescent staining of bacteria, human kidney cells, and the horny layer of the epidermis
PublicationLow-molecular synthetic fluorophores are convenient tools in bioimaging applications. Several derivatives of Safirinium dyes as well as their reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters bearing diverse substituents were synthesized and evaluated experimentally in terms of their lipophilicity by means of reverse-phase and immobilized artificial membrane high-performance liquid chromatography. Subsequently, the selected compounds...
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Mapping the Structural and Dynamic Determinants of pH-Sensitive Heparin Binding to Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor
PublicationGranulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) is an immunomodulatory cytokine that is harnessed as a therapeutic. GMCSF is known to interact with other clinically important molecules, such as heparin, suggesting that endogenous and administered GMCSF has the potential to modulate orthogonal treatment outcomes. Thus, molecular level characterization of GMCSF and its interactions with biologically active compounds is critical...
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Generation-recombination and 1/f noise in carbon nanotube networks
PublicationThe low-frequency noise is of special interest for carbon nanotubes devices, which are building blocks for a variety of sensors, including radio frequency and terahertz detectors. We studied noise in as-fabricated and aged carbon nanotube networks (CNNs) field-effect transistors. Contrary to the majority of previous publications, as-fabricated devices demonstrated the superposition of generation-recombination (GR) and 1/f noise...
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Application of BDD thin film electrode for electrochemical decomposition of heterogeneous aromatic compounds
PublicationThe aim of the presented study is to investigate the applicability of electrochemical oxidation of aromatic compounds containing heteroatoms, e.g. waste from production of pesticides or pharmaceutics, at a borondoped diamond (BDD) electrode. The BDD electrodes were synthesized by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MW PE CVD). Investigation of the electrode surface by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy...
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Progress in targeting tumor cells by using drug-magnetic nanoparticles conjugate.
PublicationTo limit the cytotoxicity of anticancer drugs against healthy cells, an appropriate carrier should be synthesized to deliver the drug to the tumor tissue only. A good solution is to anchor a magnetic nanoparticle to the molecule of the drug and to use a properly directed external magnetic field. We have shown that the improved by us synthesis of the conjugate of doxorubicin with iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles allows a substantial...
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Are the short cationic lipopeptides bacterial membrane disruptors? Structure-Activity Relationship and molecular dynamic evaluation
PublicationShort cationic lipopeptides are amphiphilic molecules that exhibit antimicrobial activity mainly against Grampositives. These compounds bind to bacterial membranes and disrupt their integrity. Here we examine the structure-activity relation (SAR) of lysine-based lipopeptides, with a prospect to rationally design more active compounds. The presented study aims to explain how antimicrobial activity of lipopeptides is affected by...
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Chemistry of human breast milk – a comprehensive review of the composition and role of milk metabolites in child development
PublicationEarly nutrition has an enormous influence on a child's physiological function, immune system maturation and cognitive development. Human breast milk (HBM) is recognized as the gold standard for human infant nutrition. Accordingly to WHO report breastfeeding is consider as an unequalled way of providing ideal food to the infant, which is required for his healthy growth and development. HBM contains various macronutrients (carbohydrates,...
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Multi-state multi-reference Møller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory for molecular calculations
PublicationThis work presents multi‐state multi‐reference Møller–Plesset second‐order perturbation theory as a variant of multi‐reference perturbation theory to treat electron correlation in molecules. An effective Hamiltonian is constructed from the first‐order wave operator to treat several strongly interacting electronic states simultaneously. The wave operator is obtained by solving the generalized Bloch equation within the first‐order...
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Enhanced visible light-activated gas sensing properties of nanoporous copper oxide thin films
PublicationMetal oxide gas sensors are popular chemoresistive sensors. They are used for numerous tasks, including environmental and safety monitoring. Some gas-sensing materials exhibit photo-induced properties that can be utilized for enhanced gas detection by modifying the sensor selectivity and sensitivity when illuminated by light. Here, we present the gas sensing characteristics of highly nanoporous Cu2O thin films towards both electrophilic...
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Maillard-reaction (glycation) of biopolymeric packaging films; principles, mechanisms, food applications
PublicationBackground The biodegradable, biocompatible, sustainable, and renewable nature of biomaterials has led to increased interest in developing biopolymeric food packaging films (BFPFs) with green ingredients and strategies. To enhance the performance of these films, biopolymer molecules can be modified or combined with additives like nanomaterials, cross-linkers, bioactive compounds, and other polymers, particularly with Maillard-reaction...
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Experimental and DFT insights into an eco-friendly photocatalytic system toward environmental remediation and hydrogen generation based on AgInS2 quantum dots embedded on Bi2WO6
PublicationBismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) can work as a photocatalyst but suffers from rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) simulations revealed that the formation of a thermodynamically stable AgInS2(112)/Bi2WO6(010) heterojunction could promote charge separation and enhance the photoactivity of Bi2WO6. To confirm these theoretical predictions, a new type of photocatalysts in the form...
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Pathogenesis of psoriasis in the “omic” era. Part II. Genetic, genomic and epigenetic changes in psoriasis
PublicationPsoriasis is a multifactorial disease in which genetic, environmental and epigenetic factors regulating gene expression play a key role. In the “genomic era”, genome-wide association studies together with target genotyping platforms performed in different ethnic populations have found more than 50 genetic susceptible markers associated with the risk of psoriasis which have been identified so far. Up till now, the strongest association...
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Simultaneous removal of heavy metals and dyes in water using a MgO-coated Fe3O4 nanocomposite: Role of micro-mixing effect induced by bubble generation
PublicationThis study focused on the development of a nano-adsorbent for contaminant removal without the use of any external energy. An eco-friendly Fe3O4@MgO core-shell nanocomposite was synthesized and tested for the removal of a heavy metal, lead (Pb2+) and a dye, rhodamine B (RhB). The addition of H2O2 into the system enabled the self-mixing of the aqueous solution containing Fe3O4@MgO through the generation of bubbles. This system showed...
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Topical delivery of pharmaceutical and cosmetic macromolecules using microemulsion systems
PublicationMicroemulsions are transparent, thermodynamically stable colloidal systems. Over the recent years, they have been increasingly investigated due to their potential as skin delivery vehicles for a wide range of drug molecules. The nanoscale particle size and the specificity of microemulsion components are the main features determining the skin permeation process. However, in order to effectively cross the skin barrier, the active...
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Advantageous conditions of saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuels generation via fermentation processes
PublicationProcessing of lignocellulosic biomass includes four major unit operations: pre-treatment, hydrolysis, fermentation and product purifcation prior to biofuel generation via anaerobic digestion. The microorganisms involved in the fermentation metabolize only simple molecules, i.e., monosugars which can be obtained by carrying out the degradation of complex polymers, the main component of lignocellulosic biomass. The object of this...
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DFT study of low-energy electron interaction with pyridine, pyrazine and their halo derivatives
PublicationIn this work, the density functional theory with B3LYP hybrid functional was employed to calculate quantities useful for estimating the behavior of pyridine, pyrazine and their derivatives monosubstituted with Cl or Br atom, when exposed to low-energy electron impact. Vertical electron affinities obtained in several Pople basis sets and in aug-cc-pVTZ basis set are reported. Although some of the investigated molecules do not form...
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Soiling Effect Mitigation Obtained by Applying Transparent Thin-Films on Solar Panels: Comparison of Different Types of Coatings
PublicationDust accumulation on the front cover of solar panels is closely linked to location and orientation of photovoltaic (PV) installation. Its build-up depends on the module tilt angle, frequency of precipitation, humidity, wind strength and velocity, as well as grain size. Additionally, soil composition is determined by solar farm surroundings such as local factories, agricultural crops, and traffic. Over time, molecules of atmospheric...
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Common methods for the chiral determination of amphetamine and related compounds II: Capillary electrophoresis and nuclear magnetic resonance
PublicationAmphetamine group and related ring-substituted substances are generally synthetic compounds, belonging to one of the most heavily abused drug groups in recent years. Some compounds in this class also originate from plants. Analysis of the enantiomers of AM-type compounds and metabolites is extremely important for a number of scientific disciplines. From studies of biological activity or mechanisms through determination of precursor...
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Preparation and characterization of Pt–N/TiO2 photocatalysts and their efficiency in degradation of recalcitrant chemicals
PublicationSeries of Pt–N/TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized using the sol–gel method. The photocatalysts’ characteristics by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that sample with the molar ratio Ti:N equal 1:4 and platinum nanoparticles size of about 3 nm had anatase structure, about 94 m2/g specific surface area...
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Novel Functionalization of Boron-Doped Diamond by Microwave Pulsed-Plasma Polymerized Allylamine Film
PublicationWe report the novel modification of a hydrogen-terminated polycrystalline boron-doped electrode with a microwave pulsed-plasma polymerized allylamine. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) was coated with a very thin layer of adherent cross-linked, pinhole- and additive-free allylamine plasma polymer (PPAAm) resistant to hydrolysis and delamination and characterized by a high density of positively charged amino groups. The pulsed microwave...
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Occurrence of Surface Active Agents in the Environment
PublicationDue to the specific structure of surfactants molecules they are applied in different areas of human activity (industry, household). After using and discharging from wastewater treatment plants as effluent stream, surface active agents (SAAs) are emitted to various elements of the environment (atmosphere, waters, and solid phases), where they can undergo numerous physic-chemical processes (e.g., sorption, degradation) and freely...
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The potential of imogolite nanotubes as (co-)photocatalysts: a linear-scaling density functional theory study
PublicationWe report a linear-scaling density functional theory (DFT) study of the structure, wall-polarization absolute band-alignment and optical absorption of several, recently synthesized, open-ended imogolite (Imo) nanotubes (NTs), namely single-walled (SW) aluminosilicate (AlSi), SW aluminogermanate (AlGe), SW methylated aluminosilicate (AlSi-Me), and double-walled (DW) AlGe NTs. Simulations with three different semi-local and dispersion-corrected...
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Experimental and Quantum Chemical Evaluation of 8-Hydroxyquinoline as a Corrosion Inhibitor for Copper in 0.1 M HCl
PublicationThe corrosion inhibition properties of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) in 0.1 M HCl for copper have been investigated by using experimental (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS), and potentiodynamic polarization) and theoretical methods complemented by surface morphological examination with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy...
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Anion–water interactions of weakly hydrated anions: molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous NaBF4 and NaPF6
PublicationIn aqueous ionic solutions, both the structure and the dynamics of water are altered dramatically with respect to the pure solvent. The emergence of novel experimental techniques makes these changes accessible to detailed investigations. At the same time, computational studies deliver unique possibilities for the interpretation of the experimental data at the molecular level. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate...
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New bis(azobenzocrown)s with dodecylmethylmalonyl linkers as ionophores for sodium selective potentiometric sensors
PublicationNovel biscrowns 1 and 2 were synthesized from 13-membered azobenzocrown ethers containing bromoalkylenoxy chains in para position relative to the azo group. The synthesized diester molecules are dodecylmethylmalonic acid derivatives differing by the linker length. The synthesized compounds have the potential of being used as sodium ionophores in ion-selective electrodes. They were characterized and used as ionophores in classic...
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Electron-impact dissociation of molecular hydrogen: benchmark cross sections
PublicationWe present a joint experimental and theoretical investigation of a fundamental process in atomic and molecular physics: electron impact excitation of molecular hydrogen’s (H2) most dominant transition (X1Σg+ → b3Σu+). Excitation of this state is by far the main channel that causes the dissociation of H2 into H + H atoms at low energies. The Convergent Close-Coupling (CCC) calculations predicted significant, more than factor of...
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Which casein in sodium caseinate is most resistant to in vitro digestion? Effect of emulsification and enzymatic structuring
PublicationWe investigated the resistance of individual constituent casein epitopes (αS1-, αS2-, β- and κ-CN) in food-grademilk protein sodium caseinate (NaCN) to simulated human gastro-duodenal digestion. The influence of NaCNadsorption to the surface of oil-in-water emulsion droplets and the effect of crosslinking of the protein withenzyme transglutaminase (TG) on the proteolysis were studied by indirect ELISA. TG crosslinking renderedfragments...
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Biopolymer based nanomaterials in drug delivery systems: A review
PublicationDrug delivery systems (DDS) are used to achieve a higher therapeutic effects of a pharmaceutical drug or natural compound in a specific diseased site with minimal toxicological effect and these systems consists of liposomes, microspheres, gels, prodrugs and many. Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing multi-disciplinary science that ensures the fabrication of the polymers to nanometer scale for various medical applications. Uses...
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Correlation–polarization effects in electron/positron scattering from acetylene: A comparison of computational models
PublicationDifferent computational methods are employed to evaluate elastic (rotationally summed) integral and differential cross sections for low energy (below about 10 eV) positron scattering off gas-phase C2H2 molecules. The computations are carried out at the static and static-plus-polarization levels for describing the interaction forces and the correlation–polarization contributions are found to be an essential component for the correct...
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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...
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Can sodium 1-alkylsulfonates participate in the sodium dodecyl sulfate micelle formation?
PublicationThe aggregation behavior of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was studied in an aqueous solution in the presence of increasing concentrations of selected sodium 1-alkylsulfonates, namely sodium 1-octanesulfonate, sodium 1-decanesulfonate, and sodium 1-dodecanesufonate. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS was determined by conductivity and fluorescence intensity measurements. The steady-state fluorescence quenching experiments...
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Deep Eutectic Solvents or Eutectic Mixtures? Characterization of Tetrabutylammonium Bromide and Nonanoic Acid Mixtures
PublicationDeep eutectic solvents have quickly attracted the attention of researchers because they better meet the requirements of green chemistry and thus have the potential to replace conventional hazardous organic solvents in some areas. To better understand the nature of these mixtures, as well as expand the possibilities of their use in different industries, a detailed examination of their physical properties, such as density, viscosity,...
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Magnetism from fundamentals to spintronics 22/23
e-Learning Courses1. Basic magnetic quantities2. Magnetism of atoms and molecules, atoms in external magnetic fields3. Solid state magnetism, types of magnetic materials (dia-, para-, and ferromagnetism)4. Ferromagnetism and domain structures5. Magnetism of small particles, single domain particles (StonerWohlfarth model), thin films6. Experimental techniques of magnetic properties and magnetisation state determination. Domain structurevisualisation...
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Heptaene macrolides biosynthesis by Streptomyces species
PublicationPolyene macrolides are one of the groups of secondary metabolites, generated by microorganisms belonging to the Streptomyces genus. These compounds, containing 3 - 7 conjugated double bonds systems in their molecules exhibit high antifungal activity against a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens with heptaenes demonstrating the highest antifungal potential. At the large extent, efficiency of biosynthesis of these natural products...
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The influence oil additives on spread cracks in silicon nitride
PublicationThe paper presents an experimental study of the influence of oil additives (Cl, S, P, cerium dioxide (CeO2)) on spread cracks in silicon nitride. The additives Cl, S, P are bound in molecules in liquid form soluble in the base oil. The CeO2 is purely in powder form in suspension. The use of CeO2 powder was made based on the good results of polishing of silicon nitride. A ceramic angular contact ball bearing was modelled using a...
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Sano-Tachiya-Noolandi-Hong, Onsager and Braun models vs Monte Carlo simulation of charge photogeneration in organic solids
PublicationThe Sano-Tachiya-Noolandi-Hong (STNH), Onsager, and Braun models as well as Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of charge recombination/separation have been applied for the first time to reproduce the results of the electromodulated photoluminescence measurements in vacuum-evaporated films of fluorescent materials commonly used in optoelectronic devices. The values of the electron-hole pair final recombination speed in the monomer emitters:...