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Search results for: HUMAN EXPOSURE
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Effect of native air-formed oxidation on the corrosion behavior of AA7075 aluminum alloys
PublicationThe microstructure of aluminum alloys plays a key role in their corrosion resistance. In particular, the presence of intermetallic precipitates differing in the potential from the alloy matrix induces local corrosion. The study presents the effect of native air-formed oxidation on the corrosion behavior of AA 7075 aluminum alloy. Various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques were used to examine the changes occurring in the...
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Radionuclides activity and effective doses referred to geological formations
PublicationNaturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are present in Earth’s crust and they caused natural background radiation, variable in different regions. Liquid, gas and solid radionuclides emit three types of radiation – alpha, beta and gamma. Fluctuations of natural radioactivity in different geological formations in the world and in Poland were compared in relation to radiological hazard. Also drilling cuttings from boreholes...
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Situational Awareness Network for the Electric Power System: the Architecture and Testing Metrics
PublicationThe contemporary electric power system is highly dependent on Information and Communication Technologies which results in its exposure to new types of threats, such as Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) or Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. The most exposed components are Industrial Control Systems in substations and Distributed Control Systems in power plants. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the cyber security of...
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Design of power cable lines partially exposed to direct solar radiation – special aspects
PublicationPower cable lines are usually buried in the ground. However, in some cases, their ending sections are mounted along the supports of overhead lines. This leads to a situation where the cables are exposed to direct solar radiation and, consequentially, overheat. The paper presents the advanced computer modelling of power cables’ heating, considering their insolation as well as the effect of wind. The temperature and current-carrying...
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Transcriptomic Effects of Estrogen Starvation and Induction in the MCF7 Cells. The Meta-analysis of Microarray Results
PublicationEstrogen is one of the most important signaling molecules which targets a number of genes. Estrogen levels regulate cell proliferation and a plethora of metabolic processes, which may interfere with a range of medical conditions and drug metabolism. The MCF7 breast cancer cell line, expressing the estrogen receptor α, is a well-studied model of cellular answer to estrogen. The aim of this study was to characterize transcriptomic...
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Svalbard reindeer as an indicator of ecosystem changes in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem
PublicationOver the years, noticeable effort has been directed towards contaminant determination in multiple biotic samples collected from the inhabitants of the Arctic. Little consideration has been given to polar herbivores, however, especially those from the European parts of the Arctic. To provide a broader perspective, we aimed to decipher trace element concentration in hairs of the key species in the Arctic, namely the Svalbard reindeer...
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Analytical procedures for determination of cocaine and its metabolites in biological samples
PublicationThe dangerous effects and increased usage of illicit drugs have inspired the development of analytical methodologies. We based our review of analytical procedures for determination of cocaine (COC) and its metabolites on literature from the past two decades. Our main aim was to compare the capabilities of different analytical techniques. The diversity of matrices from which COC is determined (e.g., blood, hair, saliva, plasma,...
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Entrepreneurial Education and Attitude among Young Generations in a Gender perspective: the Case of Polish Education System
PublicationThis article is an attempt to analyze the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions of young people: male and female students of Polish high schools and universities. The author makes an effort to verify the impact of the exposure to the business education and entrepreneurs on the decision to start-up. Special emphasis will be placed on the gender differences when discussing a respective factors’...
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Aqueous Molybdate Provides Effective Corrosion Inhibition of WE43 Magnesium Alloy in Sodium Chloride Solutions
PublicationCorrosion and corrosion inhibition of WE43 magnesium alloy were investigated in NaCl solutions containing different amounts of sodium molybdate. Electrochemical, microscopic, and spectroscopic experiments were utilized to examine the mechanism of corrosion inhibition by molybdates. Electrochemical data showed that Na2MoO4 inhibitor provides reliable inhibition at concentrations at and above 100 mM. Raman and XPS spectroscopy demonstrated...
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Entrepreneurial education and attitudes among young generations in a gender perspective: the case of Polish educational system
PublicationThis paper is an attempt to analyze the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions of young people: male and female students of Polish high schools and universities. The author makes an effort to verify the impact of the exposure to the business education and entrepreneurs on the decision to start-up. Special emphasis will be placed on the gender differences when discussing a respective factors’...
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Impact of configuration of earth continuity conductor on induced sheath voltages in power cables
PublicationIn high voltage power cable systems a problem of induced sheath voltages exist. Due to these voltages electric shock and damage of non-metallic outer sheath of the cables may occur. Exposure to voltage of the outer sheath may be very high in case of earth fault with high value of earth current. In order to reduce induced sheath voltages an earth continuity conductor (conductors) along power cables is applied. Configuration of this...
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The home-made in situ passive flux sampler for the measurement of monoterpene emission flux: preliminary studies
PublicationThe paper presents the construction and metrological characteristics of the home-made in situ passive flux sampler, an analytical tool representing small-scale emission chambers working in situ and passively sampling analytes from the gaseous phase. The sorption element was a cylindrical container made of stainless steel net, packed with a carbon sorbent bed-graphitized charcoal, Carbograph 4 (35/50mesh). The recommended working/exposure...
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Volatile Compound Emissions from Stereolithography Three-Dimensional Printed Cured Resin Models for Biomedical Applications
PublicationStereolithography three-dimensional printing is used increasingly in biomedical applications to create components for use in healthcare and therapy. The exposure of patients to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from cured resins represents an element of concern in such applications. Here, we investigate the biocompatibility in relation to inhalation exposure of volatile emissions of three different cured commercial resins...
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Processing of Polyester-Urethane Filament and Characterization of FFF 3D Printed Elastic Porous Structures with Potential in Cancellous Bone Tissue Engineering
PublicationThis paper addresses the potential of self-made polyester-urethane filament as a candidate for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)-based 3D printing (3DP) in medical applications. Since the industry does not provide many ready-made solutions of medical-grade polyurethane filaments, we undertook research aimed at presenting the process of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filament formation, detailed characteristics, and 3DP of specially...
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Water sorption and blistering of GFRP laminates with varying structures
PublicationThe microstructures, water absorption as well as blistering was studied for bi- and tri- axial glass fibre vinyl ester and polyester -matrix laminates coated with gel coat layer and uncoated. The effect of manufacturing technique on water sorption characteristics was considered. It was found that water sorption characteristics of GFRP depend on manufacturing methods. The least water intake was found for specimens having perfect...
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Developments in Green Chromatography
PublicationGreen analytical chemistry is a widely recognized concept that has led to the development of new analytical methods with reduced environmental impact and minimized analyst occupational exposure. Achievements include the development of microextraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) techniques. Research towards greener separation processes focuses on the elimination of toxic solvents...
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New approach to urban housing - Report of ISOCARP Young Planning Professionals Workshop, Gdynia School of Urbanizm, Aesop Urban Summer School
PublicationThe workshop was organized along with the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE LIVING IN THE CITY – PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES OF SHAPING HOUSING POLICY which is hosted by the City of Gdynia Poland. It was conducted in frame of Young Planning Professionals Program and 7th AESOP uropean Urban Summer School but also as the new type of the activity for the Young Planners “Gdynia School of...
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Application of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy to evaluate cathodically protected coated steel in seawater
PublicationTwo types of organic coated carbon steel (S235JR2 grade) electrodes were exposed to artificial seawater environment. One prepared type was defect free while the other one had an intentionally introduced φ0,5 cm coating defect. Both kinds of samples were polarized during the exposure to four potentials corresponding to four different cathodic protection levels. Evolution of their EIS spectra is presented in this paper. Results obtained...
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Credit default swaps and banks
PublicationThis chapter aims to explore the evolving role of credit default swaps (CDS) in managing and transferring default risk from the perspective of banks from a holistic perspective. This chapter examines credit default swaps (CDSs) as derivative financial instruments that transfer credit risk on debt securities. While CDSs offer benefits such as risk management and risk trading, they also introduce potential systemic risks, as evidenced...
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Ceria Based Protective Coatings for Steel Interconnects Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis
PublicationStainless steels can be used in solid oxide fuel/electrolysis stacks as interconnects. For successful long term operation they require protective coatings, that lower the corrosion rate and block chemical reactions between the interconnect and adjacent layers of the oxygen or the hydrogen electrode. One of the promising coating materials for the hydrogen side is ceria. Using standard sintering techniques, ceria sinters at around...
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IMPACT OF DIRECT CURRENT ON NITRIFYING BIOMASS
PublicationEffects of short term exposure of nitrifying biomass to direct current were studied. DC was applied to mixed liquor from municipal BNR plant using graphite electrodes in no substrate limiting conditions. Both, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) populations were affected by the current, however in opposite ways. The AOB population activity was inhibited by applied voltage. Activity decrease was...
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Performance and Stability in H2S of SrFe0.75Mo0.25O3-δ as Electrode in Proton Ceramic Fuel Cells
PublicationThe H2S-tolerance of SrFe0.75Mo0.25O3-δ (SFM) electrodes has been investigated in symmetric proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFC) with BaZr0.8Ce0.1Y0.1O3-δ (BZCY81) electrolyte. The ionic conductivity of the electrolyte under wet reducing conditions was found to be insignificantly affected in the presence of up to 5000 ppm H2S. The fuel cell exhibited an OCV of about 0.9 V at 700 °C, which dropped to about 0.6 V and 0.4 V upon exposure...
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Development of tools for road infrastructure safety management for the provinces (voivodeships) in Poland
PublicationThe development of modern tools for road infrastructure safety management will help to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries as one of the main objectives adopted in 2013 in the National Road Safety Programme 2014-2020 and the new Road Safety Programme 2011-2020 in the EU. Risk Management in Highway Engineering can be applied in developing tools essential in the process of safety management. Risk Management in Highway...
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WHAT DRIVES CROSS-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES IN EXPORT VARIETY? A BILATERAL PANEL APPROACH
PublicationA worldwide event like the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak can only reinforce the interest in modelling trade diversification as a key factor in countries’ vulnerability to external shocks. This paper adopts a detailed relative framework to study the determinants of product-level export variety in a large bilateral panel of developing and developed economies (16,770 country pairs in the period 1988–2014). We find that country pairs characterized...
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The use of bioassays in the analysis of environmental samples
PublicationToxicological tests are increasingly used as effective tool to complement the information obtained during the environmental monitoring. Moreover bioassays provide basic knowledge about the health effects of exposure to harmful factors associated with the environment. Toxicity tests might be a source of information about the content of pollutants in the sample, and the possibility of their interactions. They can be considered as...
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Security Information Sharing for the Polish Power System
PublicationThe Polish Power System is becoming increasingly more dependent on Information and Communication Technologies which results in its exposure to cyberattacks, including the evolved and highly sophisticated threats such as Advanced Persistent Threats or Distributed Denial of Service attacks. The most exposed components are SCADA systems in substations and Distributed Control Systems in power plants. When addressing this situation...
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On degradation of glass/polyester laminate immersed in water
PublicationMechanical behaviour was compared for glass/ polyester laminates manufactured in the boatbuilding plant using three methods: hand lay-up, vacuum bagging, infusion. Specimens were tested in dry condition and following accelerated water immersion test (70°C- corresponding to the exposure of 30 years at 19°C). In three point bending test 40-50% reduction in laminate strength was observed due to water immersion. The highest degradation...
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Problems and chellenges to determine pesticide residues in bumblebees
PublicationBumblebees play an important role in t he pollination process of many crops and flowers. Therefore, taking action to protect and assess the impact of p esticides on these insects is fully justi fied. Pesticides may cause mortality and also sub-lethal effects that are not always directly visible. Bumblebees, like honeybees, can be used as indicators for environmental monitoring contamination. Two approaches are mainly used for the...
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Detection, identification and determination of resveratrol in wine. Problems and challenges
PublicationResveratrol is a compound synthesized by plants in response to unfavorable conditions of growth like mechanical injury, siege of bacteria or fungi and UV exposure. It is concentrated mostly in grapes skin and further more in the products made from grapes especially red wines. Each wine is characterized by different amount of given stilbene since its occurrence is affected by many factors like: types of grapes, environment (climate,...
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Glass-ceramic joining of Fe22Cr porous alloy to Crofer22APU: interfacial issues and mechanical properties
PublicationThis work deals with the joining of porous Fe22Cr ferritic stainless steel to a dense Crofer22APU plate by using a silica-based, Ba-containing glass-ceramic. The chemical and interfacial stability and the mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated before and after thermal ageing at 700 ◦C for 500hrs. The sintering behaviour of the glass was assessed by using heating stage microscopy (HSM) to study the influence of a porous...
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Manganese–Cobalt Based Spinel Coatings Processed by Electrophoretic Deposition Method: The Influence of Sintering on Degradation Issues of Solid Oxide Cell Oxygen Electrodes at 750 °C
PublicationThis paper seeks to examine how the Mn–Co spinel interconnect coating microstructure can influence Cr contamination in an oxygen electrode of intermediate temperature solid oxide cells, at an operating temperature of 750 °C. A Mn–Co spinel coating is processed on Crofer 22 APU substrates by electrophoretic deposition, and subsequently sintered, following both the one-step and two-step sintering, in order to obtain significantly...
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Monitoring the BTEX Volatiles during 3D Printing with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Using Electronic Nose and Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry
PublicationWe describe a concept study in which the changes of concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds and styrene within a 3D printer enclosure during printing with different acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filaments were monitored in real-time using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer and an electronic nose. The quantitative data on the concentration of the BTEX compounds, in particular...
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Unraveling a novel microwave strategy to fabricate exposed {001}/{101} facets anatase nanocrystals: Potential for use to the elimination of environmentally toxic metronidazole waste
PublicationThis study present a novel microwave strategy to fabricate highly active anatase particles, exposing {101} and {001} facets. Microwave treatment time was shown to determine the growth of crystals in a certain direction. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report revealing that the contact time of TiO2 crystals with fluorine ions during the microwave process affects the formed morphology, in particular exposed facets ratio....
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Seismic pounding behavior of multi-story buildings in series considering the effect of infill panels
PublicationThe aim of the present paper is to study the influence of the infill panels on the seismic pounding response of adjacent structures in series. The contribution of the masonry infill has been simulated using equivalent diagonal compression struts. Steel frames have been assumed to have elastic-plastic behavior with 1% linear strain hardening. The dynamic contact analysis has been utilized where contact surface model (target and...
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Evaluation of structural and electrical properties of multicomponent spinel oxide thin films deposited via spray pyrolysis technique
PublicationThis work reports the preparation of (Mn,Co,Fe,Ni,Cr)3O4 high-entropy spinel oxide in the form of a ~ 500 nm thin film utilising a facile spray pyrolysis technique. The structural and electrical properties of the layers were characterised after exposure to temperatures in the range of 400–900 ◦C. The as-deposited layers were amorphous, and crystallised upon heat treatment at 500 ◦C. Microstructural analyses proved a homogeneous...
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Evaluation of organic coating systems for corrosion protection of industrial equipment using impedance spectroscopy
PublicationThe high economic impact of corrosion can be reduced by enhanced corrosion management and prevention based on appropriate means. This applies in particular to the protection of structures with organic protective coatings. Steel is subject to corrosion that reduces its service life and leads to destruction in most severe cases. The application of paints to metallic objects for corrosion control has been known for a long time and...
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Study of the NO2 sensing mechanism of PEDOT-RGO film using in situ Raman Spectroscopy
PublicationIn this work, the mechanism of the NO2 reaction with PEDOT-RGO composite film has been investigated via in situ Raman spectroscopy. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene)-reduced graphene oxide (PEDOT-RGO) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene)/ClO4− (PEDOT/ClO4−) films were fabricated using an electrodeposition method and used as resistance sensors of gaseous nitrogen dioxide. The experimental results indicate...
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Template chart detection for stoma telediagnosis
PublicationThe paper presents the concept of using color template charts for the needs of telemedicine, particularly telediagnosis of the stoma. Although the concept is not new, the current popularity and level of development of digital cameras, especially those embedded in smartphones, allow common and reliable remote advice on various medical problems, which can be very important in the case of limitations in a physical contact with a doctor....
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Mitochondrial DNA copy number and trimethylamine levels in the blood: New insights on cardiovascular disease biomarkers
PublicationAmong cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers, the mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) is a promising candidate. A growing attention has been also dedicated to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), an oxidative derivative of the gut metabolite trimethylamine (TMA). With the aim to identify biomarkers predictive of CVD, we investigated TMA, TMAO, and mtDNAcn in a population of 389 coronary artery disease...
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Application of advanced spectroscopic methods in the assessment of the leachability degree of hazardous elements from the matrix of cellular concretea
PublicationDue to its structure, autoclaved cellular concrete exhibits good insulating properties with relatively high compressive strength values. It is increasingly used in construction because of its economic attractiveness. Autoclaved cellular concrete is mainly used in interior structure layers, and therefore its potential exposure to heavy metal leaching from the matrix may be related to the presence of a high pH medium from other materials...
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Distinction of clenbuterol intake from drug or contaminated food of animal origin in a controlled administration trial – the potential of enantiomeric separation for doping control analysis
PublicationThe differentiation of clenbuterol abuse and unintentional ingestion by contaminated meat is crucial with respect to the valuation of an adverse analytical finding in human sports doping control. The proportion of the two enantiomers of clenbuterol may serve as potential discriminating parameter. For the determination of the individual enantiomers, specific methods were developed and validated for the different matrices under investigation...
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Auxetic foams
PublicationThis paper presents a method of producing auxetic polyurethane foams (PUFs) and their unique properties. The experience was based on a synthesis of traditional flexible polyurethane foam and thermal conversion to auxetic foam. The foam specimens were transformed from conventional Poisson's ratio to auxetic (negative Poisson's ratio) [1]. Basic research was performed to determine the mechanical properties and cell structure. Auxetic...
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Sick building syndrome due to molds
PublicationThe term Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is a combination of ailments occurring in a specific building. Building occupants complain of symptoms such as headaches and dizziness, fainting, nausea, irritation of the mucosal membranes, skin irritation and other nonspecific hypersensitivity reactions.One of the SBS causes can be molds, which are ubiquitous in the air (over 400 species). It is estimated that 30% of the health problems (related...
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The importance of the shape of the protein-water interface of a kinesin motor domain for dynamics of the surface atoms of the protein
PublicationSingle kinesin motor domain immersed in water has been investigated using molecular dynamics. It has been found that local properties of water in solvation shell change along with the nature of neighboring protein surface. However, a detailed analysis leads to the conclusion that the geometrical features of hydrogen bonds and overall structure of kinesin hydration water is not very different from bulk water. The local values of...
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ROAD SAFETY MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR COUNTRY STRATEGIC LEVEL
PublicationStrategic road safety programmes setting out long-term visions and road infrastructure development plans must be based on road safety forecasts and an understanding of the long-term impact of different measures on road safety. The objective of this paper is to discuss a concept of road safety management for an area of a selected country because there are no simple tools of road safety management for the development and implementation...
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The importance of the shape of the protein–water interface of a kinesin motor domain for dynamics of the surface atoms of the protein
PublicationA single kinesin motor domain immersed in water has been investigated using molecular dynamics. It has been found that local properties of water in the solvation shell change along with the nature of the neighboring protein surface. However, a detailed analysis leads to the conclusion that the geometrical features of hydrogen bonds and overall structure of kinesin hydration water are not very different from bulk water. The local...
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An incorporation of contemporary daylight assessment methods into architecture and urban planning of residential areas in Poland
PublicationThis paper presents the preliminary results of the ongoing research focusing on daylight design methods for the urban planning of residential areas in Poland. The purpose of this research is to find out if modern daylight performance metrics and design methods can be beneficial to the process of urban residential planning. The paper presents a review of daylight guidelines derived from historic, Polish building regulations. A summary...
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Cancer-selective, single agent chemoradiosensitising gold nanoparticles
PublicationTwo nanometre gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), bearing sugar moieties and/or thiol-polyethylene glycol-amine (PEG-amine), were synthesised and evaluated for their in vitro toxicity and ability to radiosensitise cells with 220 kV and 6 MV X-rays, using four cell lines representing normal and cancerous skin and breast tissues. Acute 3 h exposure of cells to AuNPs, bearing PEG-amine only or a 50:50 ratio of alpha-galactose derivative and...
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An in situ technique for the assessment of adhesive properties of a joint under load
PublicationSlow crack propagation in adhesive bonded joints has been characterised using an asymmetric wedge test. Crack position was evaluated from strain gauge measurements, both in the debonded partof the joint and in the bonded zone. Test temperature was changed during loading, giving insight into bond evolution. The technique allows accurate, and virtually continuous, determination of crack position to be made, and therefore the evaluation...
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Isolation and structure of a covalent cross-link adduct between mitomycin C and DNA
PublicationA DNA cross-link adduct of the antitumor agent mitomycin C (MC) to DNA has been isolated and characterized; the results provide direct proof for bifunctional alkylation of DNA by MC. Exposure of MC to Micrococcus luteus DNA under reductive conditions and subsequent nuclease digestion yielded adducts formed between MC and deoxyguanosine residues. In addition to the two known monoadducts, a bisadduct was obtained. Reductive MC activation...