Search results for: enhancement
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Hybrid geothermal-fossil power cycle analysis in a Polish setting with a focus on off-design performance and CO2 emissions reductions
PublicationGrowing demand for electricity due to economic development contributes to increased greenhouse gas production, especially CO2. However, emissions can be limited by enhancing the efficiency of primary energy conversion, such as integrating geothermal energy into coal-fired power plants. Therefore, this paper proposes replacing conventional feed-water heaters with geothermal preheaters to create a hybridized system. This study was...
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Recent advances of selected passive heat transfer intensification methods for phase change material-based latent heat energy storage units: A review
PublicationThe following article overviews recent studies regarding heat transfer enhancement methods, explicitly focusing on fins and coils utilization, in phase change material-based latent heat thermal energy storage systems. It discusses the influence of various geometrical and material parameters on the melting and solidification processes, as well as the orientation of the heat transfer surface within the storage tank. Additionally,...
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Polyurethane/ground tire rubber composite foams based on polyglycerol: processing, mechanical and thermal properties
PublicationDuring the synthesis of rigid polyurethane foams, petrochemical polyol was substituted with polyglycerol, the product of thermo-catalytic polycondensation of waste glycerol, resulting from biodiesel production. Two types of ground tire rubbers, untreated and thermo-mechanically reclaimed, were used to obtain ‘‘green’’ polyurethane-polyglycerol composite foams. Samples were prepared by a single-step method for the ratio of NCO/OH...
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Thin layer of ordered boron-doped TiO2 nanotubes fabricated in a novel type of electrolyte and characterized by remarkably improved photoactivity
PublicationThis paper reports a novel method of boron doped titania nanotube arrays preparation by electrochemical anodization in electrolyte containing boron precursor – boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF3 C4H10O), simultaneously acting as an anodizing agent. A pure, ordered TiO2 nanotubes array, as a reference sample, was also prepared in solution containing a standard etching compound: ammonium fluoride. The doped and pure titania...
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Boron doped Nanocrystalline Diamond-Carbon Nanospike Hybrid Electron Emission Source
PublicationElectron emission signifies an important mechanism facilitating the enlargement of devices that have modernized large parts of science and technology. Today, the search for innovative electron emission devices for imaging, sensing, electronics, and high-energy physics continues. Integrating two materials with dissimilar electronic properties into a hybrid material is an extremely sought-after synergistic approach envisioning a...
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Towards understanding the role of peroxide initiators on compatibilization efficiency of thermoplastic elastomers highly filled with reclaimed GTR
PublicationThermoplastic elastomers based on recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer were highly filled with reclaimed ground tire rubber (RR). The impact of various organic peroxides (dicumyl peroxide (DCP), benzoyl peroxide (BP) and di-tert-butyl peroxide (DB)), applied as free-radical initiators, on the processing, structure and performance properties of rHDPE/SBS/RR blends was investigated....
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Electrical Stimulation Modulates High Gamma Activity and Human Memory Performance
PublicationDirect electrical stimulation of the brain has emerged as a powerful treatment for multiple neurological diseases, and as a potential technique to enhance human cognition. Despite its application in a range of brain disorders, it remains unclear how stimulation of discrete brain areas affects memory performance and the underlying electrophysiological activities. Here, we investigated the effect of direct electrical stimulation...
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The Influence of External Load on the Performance of Microbial Fuel Cells
PublicationIn this work, the effect of the external load on the current and power generation, as well as on the pollutant removal by microbial fuel cells (MFCs), has been studied by step-wise modifying the external load. The load changes included a direct scan, in which the external resistance was increased from 120 Ω to 3300 Ω, and a subsequent reverse scan, in which the external resistance was decreased back to 120 Ω. The reduction in the...
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Low temperature rotary Stirling engine: conceptual design and theoretical analysis
PublicationThe use of low-temperature energy sources for electricity generation demands a dual focus: a substantial enhancement in the efficiency of energy conversion devices and a reduction in system production costs. Particularly in scenarios where low-temperature energy sources are scarce, this factor can be pivotal in facilitating widespread adoption of such technologies. The Stirling engine emerges as a promising solution capable of...
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Silver nanoparticles incorporated with superior silica nanoparticles-based rice straw to maximize biogas production from anaerobic digestion of landfill leachate
PublicationTreating hazardous landfill leachate poses significant environmental challenges due to its complex nature. In this study, we propose a novel approach for enhancing the anaerobic digestion of landfill leachate using silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) conjugated with eco-friendly green silica nanoparticles (Si NPs). The synthesized Si NPs and Ag@Si NPs were characterized using various analytical techniques, including transmission electron...
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Millimeter Wave Negative Refractive Index Metamaterial Antenna Array
PublicationIn this paper, a novel negative refractive index metamaterial (NIM) is developed and characterized. The proposed metamaterial exhibits negative effective permittivity (εeffe) and negative effective permeability (µeffe) at millimeter wave frequency of 28GHz. This attractive feature is utilized to enhance the gain of a microstrip patch antenna (MPA). Two thin layers of 5 5 subwavelength unit cell array of NIM are placed above a...
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Laser-Induced Graphitization of Polydopamine on Titania Nanotubes
PublicationSince the discovery of laser-induced graphite/graphene, there has been a notable surge of scientific interest in advancing diverse methodologies for their synthesis and applications. This study focuses on the utilization of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser to achieve graphitization of polydopamine (PDA) deposited on the surface of titania nanotubes. The partial graphitization is corroborated through Raman and XPS spectroscopies and supported...
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Redox State Sensitive Spectroscopy of the Model Compound [(H-dcbpy)(2)Ru-II(NCS)(2)](2-) (dcbpy=2,2 '-Bipyridine-4,4 '-dicarboxylato)
PublicationThe charge transfer reaction mechanism in a ruthenium polypyridine model complex with isothiocyanato ligands, i.e., [(H-dcbpy)(2)Ru(NCS)(2)](2-) 2Bu(4)N(+) (Ru2H) (dcbpy = 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylato), has been investigated by combining UV-vis absorption, resonance Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. Understanding the photophysics of light-harvesting complexes of this class is an indispensable prerequisite to...
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Electron scattering from 2-methyl–1,3-butadiene,C5H8, molecules: Role of methylation
PublicationWe report cross-section results from experimental and theoretical investigations into electron collisions with the 2-methyl–1,3-butadiene [C5H8] molecule. The current results are compared with our previous results for the 1,3-butadiene [C4H6] molecule, a structural homologue of 2-methyl–1,3-butadiene, to investigate how the methylation (the substitution of hydrogen atom by a methyl group) affects the shape and/or magnitude of the...
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Scattering of electrons by a 1,2-butadiene (C4H6) molecule: measurements and calculations
PublicationWe present the results of experimental and theoretical study on electron collisions with a 1,2-butadiene (H2C=C=CHCH3) molecule. Absolute grand-total cross sections (TCSs) were measured using a linear electron-transmission method for collision energies in the 0.5–300 eV range. Two distinct features in the TCS energy curve were detected: a narrow peak located at 2.3 eV and a broad enhancement centered around 9 eV. We attributed...
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Feasibility study of a Raman spectroscopic route to drug detection
PublicationWe present an surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) approach for detection of drugs of abuse in whole human blood. We utilize a near infrared laser with 830 nm excitation wavelength in order to reduce the influence of fluorescence on the spectra of blood. However, regular plasmon resonance peak of plasmonic nanoparticles, such as silver or gold fall in a much lower wavelength regime about 400 nm. Therefore, we have shifted...
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Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents as Agents for Improving Solubility, Stability and Delivery of Curcumin
PublicationPurpose Study on curcumin dissolved in natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) was aimed at exploiting their beneficial properties as drug carriers. Methods The concentration of dissolved curcumin in NADES was measured. Simulated gastrointestinal fluids were used to determine the concentration of curcumin and quantum chemistry computations were performed for clarifying the origin of curcumin solubility enhancement in NADES. Results NADES...
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Chemical-Assisted Mechanical Lapping of Thin Boron-Doped Diamond Films: A Fast Route Toward High Electrochemical Performance for Sensing Devices
PublicationThere is an urgent need for an effective and economically viable increase in electrochemical performance of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes that are used in sensing and electrocatalytic applications. Specifically, one must take into consideration the electrode heterogeneity due to nonhomogenous boron-dopant distribution and the removal of sp2 carbon impurities saturating the electrode, without interference in material integrity....
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MICROPROPAGATION, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, TOTAL PHENOLICS AND FLAVONOIDS CONTENT OF GARDENIA JASMINOIDES ELLIS AS AFFECTED BY GROWTH REGULATORS
PublicationThis investigation has been carried out to study Micropropagation of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis shootlet,induction and growth of callus and enhancement of antioxidant, total phenolics and flavonoids content in shootlet andcalli. The results revealed that for shooting stage adding 2 or 3 mg/l BAP gave the highest shootlet number/explant. Butadding 3 mg/l 2iP produced the longest shootlet and leaves number. The...
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Cost-Efficient Optical Fronthaul Architectures for 5G and Future 6G Networks
PublicationFifth-generation and Beyond (5GB) wireless networks have introduced new centralized architectures such as cloud radio access network (CRAN), which necessitate extremely high-capacity low latency Fronthaul (FH). CRAN has many advantageous features in terms of cost reduction, performance enhancement, ease of deployment, and centralization of network management. Nevertheless, designing and deploying a cost-efficient FH is still a...
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Novel strategies to enhance hydrodynamic cavitation in a circular venturi using RANS numerical simulations
PublicationHydrodynamic cavitation is a popular advanced oxidation technique and it has received wide range of applications from waste water treatment to the nanoparticles synthesis in recent years. The enhancement of the intensity of the hydrodynamic cavitation is always been an emerging field of research. Within this framework, we have proposed and investigated three distinct strategies to enhance the intensity of cavitation in a circular...
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Rapid Variable-Resolution Parameter Tuning of Antenna Structures Using Frequency-Based Regularization and Sparse Sensitivity Updates
PublicationGeometry parameter tuning is an inherent part of antenna design process. While most often performed in a local sense, it still entails considerable computational expenses when carried out at the level of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation models. Moreover, the optimization outcome may be impaired if good initial design is not available. This paper proposes a novel approach to fast and improved-reliability gradient-based...
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Feature Weighted Attention-Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory Model for Change Detection in Remote Sensing Images
PublicationIn remote sensing images, change detection (CD) is required in many applications, such as: resource management, urban expansion research, land management, and disaster assessment. Various deep learning-based methods were applied to satellite image analysis for change detection, yet many of them have limitations, including the overfitting problem. This research proposes the Feature Weighted Attention (FWA) in Bidirectional Long...
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Design and Optimization of Metamaterial-Based Dual-Band 28/38 GHz 5G MIMO Antenna with Modified Ground for Isolation and Bandwidth Improvement
PublicationThis letter presents a high-isolation dual-band multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna based on the ground plane modification and optimized metamaterials (MMs) for 5G millimeter-wave applications. The antenna is a monopole providing a dual-band response at 5G 28/38 bands with a small physical size (4.8 × 2.9 × 0.762 mm3, excluding the feeding line). The MIMO consists of two symmetric radiating elements arranged adjacently...
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Thermal Energy Storage with PCMs in Shell-and-Tube Units: A Review
PublicationThe paper presents a survey of the experimental and numerical studies of shell-and-tube systems in which phase change material (PCM) is used. Due to the multitude of design solutions for shell-and-tube systems, the emphasis is placed on double-tube (DT), triplex-tube (TT), and multitube (MT) units. Additionally, only single-pass systems are considered. Particular attention is paid to the method of heat transfer intensification....
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New Transparent Flame-Retardant (FR) Coatings Based on Epoxy-Aluminum Hypophosphite Nanocomposites
PublicationThe present study investigated the flame-retardant (FR) effect of transparent epoxy coating containing aluminum hypophosphite (AHP) nanoparticles (NPs) on polylactic acid (PLA) sheets used as a typical model of combustible polymeric material. First, AHP NPs (≤60 nm) were prepared by a specific two-stage wet milling process and deeply analyzed (morphology, thermal/mechanisms of degradation under nitrogen and air). The thermal properties...
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Kinetics of molecular decomposition under irradiation of gold nanoparticles with nanosecond laser pulses—A 5-Bromouracil case study
PublicationABSTRACT Laser illuminated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) efficiently absorb light and heat up the surrounding medium, leading to versatile applications ranging from plasmonic catalysis to cancer photothermal therapy. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the thermal, optical, and electron induced reaction pathways is required. Here, the electrophilic DNA nucleobase analog 5-Bromouracil (BrU) has been used as a model compound to...
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The mechanisms of degradation of titanium dental implants
PublicationTitanium dental implants show very good properties, unfortunately there are still issues regarding material wear due to corrosion, implant loosening, as well as biological factors—allergic reactions and inflammation leading to rejection of the implanted material. In order to avoid performing reimplantation operations, changes in the chemical composition and/or modifications of the surface layer of the materials are used. This research...
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Electron collisions with X(CH3)4 molecules (X = C, Si, Ge)
PublicationAbsolute grand-total cross sections (TCSs) for electron scattering from tetramethylmethane [C(CH3)4], tetramethylsilane [Si(CH3)4], and tetramethylgermane [Ge(CH3)4] molecules have been measured at electron-impact energies extending from around 0.5 to 300 eV in the linear electron-transmission experiment. The measured TCS energy dependences show very pronounced broad enhancement, peaking near 5.5 eV for Si(CH3)4 and Ge(CH3)4 molecules...
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Developing a Framework for the Implementation of Landscape and Greenspace Indicators in Sustainable Urban Planning. Waterfront Landscape Management: Case Studies in Gdańsk, Poznań and Bristol
PublicationUrban landscape (UL) management and urban greenspace (UG) delivery require effective planning tools. The aim of the study is to develop a conceptual framework for the implementation of ecological, structural and visual landscape and greenspace indicators (LGI) in spatial development of urban areas. The UL and UG management provisions in Poland are identified at various levels of urban planning (local, municipal and regional). Furthermore,...
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Porous structures in aspects of transpirating cooling of oxycombustion chamber walls
PublicationA wet oxycombustion chamber, which must be effectively cooled due to high temperature evolved during the oxy-combustion process, by using the phenomena of Reynolds thermal transpiration and Navier slip velocity. Closures needed to execute mass flow rate in a microchannel, which should be treated as a single porous structure in the walls of the combustion chamber, have been obtained by applying a local 3D approach. The Navier-Stokes...
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Cost-Efficient Measurement Platform and Machine-Learning-Based Sensor Calibration for Precise NO2 Pollution Monitoring
PublicationAir quality significantly impacts human health, the environment, and the economy. Precise real-time monitoring of air pollution is crucial for managing associated risks and developing appropriate short- and long-term measures. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) stands as a common pollutant, with elevated levels posing risks to the human respiratory tract, exacerbating respiratory infections and asthma, and potentially leading to chronic lung...
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Design and Experimental Validation of a Metamaterial-Based Sensor for Microwave Imaging in Breast, Lung, and Brain Cancer Detection
PublicationThis study proposes an innovative geometry of a microstrip sensor for high-resolution microwave imaging (MWI). The main intended application of the sensor is early detection of breast, lung, and brain cancer. The proposed design consists of a microstrip patch antenna fed by a coplanar waveguide with a metamaterial layer-based lens implemented on the back side, and an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) realized on as a separate...
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Soft Tissue Retraction Maneuver in Cone Beam Computed Tomography Prior to Crown-Lengthening Procedure—A Technical Note
PublicationBackground: An accurate determination of the biological width and the relationship of the cemento-enamel junction with the border of the alveolar bone is crucial during a clinical crown-lengthening (CCL) procedure. The aim of this study was to present a technical note about the retraction techniques in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) prior to CCL, highlighting the significant enhancement in procedural accuracy and predictability...
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Efficient knowledge-based optimization of expensive computational models using adaptive response correction
PublicationComputer simulation has become an indispensable tool in engineering design as they allow an accurate evaluation of the system performance. This is critical in order to carry out the design process in a reliable manner without costly prototyping and physical measurements. However, high-fidelity computer simulations are computationally expensive. This turns to be a fundamental bottleneck when it comes to design automation using numerical...
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Modeling and optimization of chemical-treated torrefaction of wheat straw to improve energy density by response surface methodology
PublicationToday, torrefaction is important technique for extending the potential of biomass for improvement of energy density. The independent variables investigated for torrefaction study were temperature, retention time, acid concentration, and particle size. The experiment was designed by central composite design (CCD) method using design expert (version 11). The three dependent variables were higher heating value (HHV), energy enhancement...
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Heat treatment effect on Eu3+ doped TeO2-BaO-Bi2O3 glass systems with Ag nanoparticles.
PublicationGlass systems of 73TeO2-4BaO-3Bi2O3-2Eu2O3-xAg ( in molar ratio where x= 0, 1, 2, 3) compositions have been successfully synthesized. Silver nanoparticles were obtained with the employment of heat treatment (HT) procedure executed at 350 °C. Glass transition temperatures of different compositions have been determined through DSC measurements. XRD measurement results presented characteristic amorphous halo indicating lack of long...
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Photocatalytically Active TiO2/Ag2O Nanotube Arrays Interlaced with Silver Nanoparticles Obtained from the One-Step Anodic Oxidation of Ti–Ag Alloys
PublicationThe development of a photocatalyst with remarkable activity to degrade pollutants in aqueous and gas phase requires visible lightresponsive stable materials, easily organized in the form of a thin layer (to exclude the highly expensive separation step). In this work, we present a one-step strategy for synthesizing material in the form of a self-organized TiO2/Ag2O nanotube (NT) array interlaced with silver nanoparticles (as in a...
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Visible light photoactivity of TiO2loaded with monometallic(Au or Pt) and bimetallic (Au/Pt) nanoparticles
PublicationTiO2modified with monometallic (Au or Pt) and bimetallic (Au/Pt) nanoparticles have been preparedusing a water-in-oil microemulsion system (water/AOT/cyclohexane) followed by calcination step. Theeffect of metal ratio, reducing agent type (NaBH4or N2H4), TiO2matrix type (P-25, ST-01, TiO-5, TiO2nano-tubes or TiO2obtained by TIP hydrolysis) as well as calcination temperature (from 350 to 650◦C) weresystematically investigated. Obtained...
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Fermi-liquid behavior of binary intermetallic compounds Y3 M (M = Co, Ni, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt)
PublicationA series of polycrystalline samples of Y3 M (M = Co, Ni, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt), intermetallic binary compounds were synthesized by the arc-melting method. Powder x-ray diffraction (pXRD) confirmed the orthorhombic cementite-type crystal structure and allowed for the estimation of the lattice parameters. Physical properties were investigated by means of electrical resistivity and heat capacity measurements between 1.9 K and 300 K. All...
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Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from glycerol-water mixture under visible light over zinc indium sulfide (ZnIn2S4) nanosheets grown on bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) microplates
PublicationZnIn2S4 (ZIS) is one of the widely studied photocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution applications due to its prominent visible light response and strong reduction ability. However, its photocatalytic glycerol reforming performance for hydrogen evolution has never been reported. Herein, the visible light driven BiOCl@ZnIn2S4 (BiOCl@ZIS) composite was synthesized by growth of ZIS nanosheets on a template-like hydrothermally...
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Overcoming carboxylic acid inhibition by granular consortia in high-load liquefied food waste fermentation for efficient lactate accumulation
PublicationGranular sludge, a self-aggregating spherical biofilm, possesses better stability compared to flocculent sludge under extreme conditions. This study compared the ability of anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) and flocculent waste activated sludge (WAS) to convert food waste (FW) into highly-valuable optically active lactic acid (LA), a central and versatile intermediate platform molecule. Different loadings (30–60 g volatile suspended...
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Electrochemical determination of neurotransmitter serotonin using boron/nitrogen co-doped diamond-graphene nanowall-structured particles
PublicationElectrode fouling is a major issue in biological detection due to the adhesion of the protein itself and polymerization of biomolecules on the electrode surface, impeding the electron transfer ability and decreasing the current response. To overcome this issue, the use of anti-fouling material, especially boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode, is an alternative way. However, the electrocatalytic activity of BDD is inadequate compared...
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Three-dimensional numerical investigation of hybrid nanofluids in chain microchannel under electrohydrodynamic actuator
PublicationEnergy efficiency enhancement methods have received considerable attentionwithin the industry and scientific community, owing to the rising concern ofglobal energy sustainability. The present article attempts to scrutinize the effectsof electrohydrodynamics and nanofluids on the rate of heat transfer and fluidflow in the 3-D chain microchannels. Improved heat exchangers (e.g., chainmicrochannel) would have a key role in increasing...
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Investigating the combined impact of plasticizer and shear force on the efficiency of low temperature reclaiming of ground tire rubber (GTR)
PublicationIn the present work, ground tire rubber (GTR) was mechano-chemically reclaimed at ambient temperature using two-roll mills. Road bitumen and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified bitumen at variable content (in range: 2.5–20 phr) were applied as reactive plasticizers to enhance reclaiming of GTR. For better understanding the plasticizing effect of bitumen on the quality of obtained reclaimed rubber, mechano-chemically reclaimed...
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Rapid multi-objective optimization of antennas using nested kriging surrogates and single-fidelity EM simulation models
PublicationEver increasing performance requirements make the design of contemporary antenna systems a complex and multi-stage process. One of the challenges, pertinent to the emerging application areas but also some of the recent trends (miniaturization, demands for multi-functionality, etc.), is the necessity of handling several performance figures such as impedance matching, gain, or axial ratio, often over multiple frequency bands. The...
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Reduced-Cost Design Optimization of High-Frequency Structures Using Adaptive Jacobian Updates
PublicationElectromagnetic (EM) analysis is the primary tool utilized in the design of high-frequency structures. In vast majority of cases, simpler models (e.g., equivalent networks or analytical ones) are either not available or lack accuracy: they can only be used to yield initial designs that need to be further tuned. Consequently, EM-driven adjustment of geometry and/or material parameters of microwave and antenna components is a necessary...
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Electron collisions with methyl-substituted ethylenes: Cross section measurements and calculations for 2-methyl–2-butene and 2,3-dimethyl–2-butene
PublicationWe report electron-scattering cross sections determined for 2-methyl–2-butene [(H3C)HC==C(CH3)2] and 2,3-dimethyl–2-butene [(H3C)2C=C(CH3)2] molecules. Absolute grand-total cross sections (TCSs) were measured for incident electron energies in the 0.5–300 eV range, using a linear electron-transmission technique. The experimental TCS energy dependences for the both targets appear to be very similar with respect to the shape. In each...
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Potencjał kognitywno-kulturowy dzielnicy a innowacyjne strategie rehabilitacji w kontekście społecznej indywidualizacji. Studium przypadku: Mouraria, Lizbona = Innovative Public Space Rehabilitation Models to Create Cognitive-Cultural Urban Economy in the Age of Mass Individualisation. Case of Mouraria, Lisbon
PublicationInnovative Public Space Rehabilitation Models to Create Cognitive- -Cultural Urban Economy in the Age of Mass Individualisation. Case of Mouraria, Lisbon. This paper deals with the issue of sustainable urban rehabilitation interventions in city cores focused on value creation through culture-led development as a tool for building a cognitive city. The objective is to analyze cases of rehabilitation of public space by culture-led...
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Energy efficient indoor localisation for narrowband internet of things
PublicationThere are an increasing number of Narrow Band IoT devices being manufactured as the technology behind them develops quickly. The high co-channel interference and signal attenuation was seen in edge Narrow Band IoT devices make it challenging to guarantee the service quality of these devices. To maximize the data rate fairness of Narrow Band IoT devices, a multi-dimensional indoor localization model is devised, consisting of...