Search results for: EXPOSURE
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Impact of high-pressure processing on the bioactive compounds of milk - A comprehensive review
PublicationHigh-pressure processing (HPP) is a promising alternative to thermal pasteurization. Recent studies highlighted the effectivity of HPP (400–600 MPa and exposure times of 1–5 min) in reducing pathogenic microflora for up to 5 logs. Analysis of modern scientific sources has shown that pressure affects the main components of milk including fat globules, lactose, casein micelles. The behavior of whey proteins under HPP is very important...
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Anisotropic optical properties of few-layer black phosphorus coatings: from fundamental insights to opto-electrochemical sensor design
PublicationFew-layer black phosphorus (FLBP) is characterised by a tuneable bandgap, high carrier mobility and anisotropic optical properties. It therefore has the potential to find applications in electronics and photonics. FLBP oxidizes upon exposure to air, limiting its utility in devices and components. To address this issue, the thesis introduces methods and tools developed for studying FLBP's optical parameters, with a particular emphasis...
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DNA-damaging imidazoacridinone C-1311 induces autophagy followed by irreversible growth arrest and senescence in human lung cancer cells
PublicationImidazoacridinone 5-diethylaminoethylamino-8-hydroxyimidazoacridinone (C-1311) is an antitumor inhibitor of topoisomerase II and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 receptor. In this study, we describe the unique sequence of cellular responses to C-1311 in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, A549 and H460. In A549 cells, C-1311 (IC80 = 0.08 µM) induced G1 and G2/M arrests, whereas H460 cells (IC80 = 0.051 µM) accumulated...
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Application of dispersive liquid - liquid microextraction for determination of pesticides from various chemical groups in water samples
PublicationPesticides are a global risk because they move with the wind, rain and sea currents from other regions, which makes getting to places which were never used before. Their presence was detected in all types of water circulating in the ecosystem, which is an easy source of exposure to life and health of all living organisms. Currently, it is considered one of the most dangerous and toxic pollutants, which fate and function is still...
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Implementation of advanced micropollutants removal technologies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) - Examples and challenges based on selected EU countries
PublicationThe accumulation of micropollutants (MPs) and their increasing concentration in the aquatic environment are an emerging issue for water quality in the world. The complex web of exposure pathways, as well as the variety in the chemical structure and potency of MPs, represents enormous challenges for researchers and policy initiatives. In order to manage MPs, it has to be decided which of them have to be reduced and to what extent,...
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One Year Evaluation of Material Properties Changes of Polylactide Parts in Various Hydrolytic Degradation Conditions
PublicationBiodegradable biocompatible materials are widely used in medical applications. Determining the possibility of using biodegradable materials depends on determining the changes in their parameters over time due to degradation. The current scientific research on biodegradable materials has presented results based on research methods characterized by the different geometry and cross-section size of the specimen, type of degradation...
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Influence of Different Nanometals Implemented in PMMA Bone Cement on Biological and Mechanical Properties
PublicationCemented arthroplasty is a common process to fix prostheses when a patient becomes older and his/her bone quality deteriorates. The applied cements are biocompatible, can transfer loads, and dampen vibrations, but do not provide antibacterial protection. The present work is aimed at the development of cement with antibacterial effectivity achieved with the implementation of nanoparticles of different metals. The powders of Ag,...
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Emerging oxidized and defective phases in low-dimensional CrCl3
PublicationTwo-dimensional (2D) magnets such as chromium trihalides CrX3 (X ¼ I, Br, Cl) represent a frontier for spintronics applications and, in particular, CrCl3 has attracted research interest due its relative stability under ambient conditions without rapid degradation, as opposed to CrI3. Herein, mechanically exfoliated CrCl3 flakes are characterized at the atomic scale and the electronic structures of pristine, oxidized, and defective...
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Online Volatile Compound Emissions Analysis Using a Microchamber/Thermal Extractor Coupled to Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry
PublicationIndoor air is a complex and dynamic mixture comprising manifold volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may cause physiological and/or psychological discomfort, depending on the nature of exposure. This technical note presents a novel approach to analyze VOC emissions by coupling a microchamber/thermal extractor (μ-CTE) system to a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS). This configuration provides an alternative to...
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Characterization of Arctic Driftwood as Naturally Modified Material. Part 1: Machinability
PublicationArctic driftwood has reached the coast of Iceland for centuries. This material was used by the inhabitants of the island as a building material for houses, boats, churches and pasture fences. Nowadays, the driftwood is used in the furniture industry, for the finishing of internal and external walls of buildings and also by artists. The properties of driftwood differ to that of original resource due the long-term effects of exposure...
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Real-time monitoring of volatiles and particles emitted from thermoplastic filaments during 3D printing
PublicationThe proliferation of consumer-grade three-dimensional (3D) printers using fused deposition, also known as fused filament fabrication, has given rise to concerns over the exposure of users to potentially harmful substances. Thermoplastic filaments made of different polymers are extruded through a heated printer nozzle and deposited layer by layer on a build platform to form the printed object. This process leads to the emission...
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Protect our right to light
Publication“The struggle for light” is how the Swiss architect Le Corbusier described the history of architecture in 1935. Today, with the skies crowded out by buildings in modern cities, those words should ring in the ears of policymakers and planners. Skyscraper construction is booming. China is the leader, last year completing 88 of the 143 buildings around the world that are taller than 200 metres (see ‘Vertical growth’). As the nation’s...
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The Ellenbogen's “Matter as Software” Concept for Quantum Computer Implementation. C60 and X@C60 Molecules as Available Molecular Building Blocks (MBBs) for Tip-Based Nanofabrication (TBN) of Quantum Computing Devices
PublicationThe TBN bottom-up strategy of building quantum devices from C60 and X@C60 MBBs is proposed as an extension of the Ellenbogen's “Matter as Software” idea to quantum information processing. The capped SW or DW CNT STM tip is considered as device for manipulating C60 and X@C60 molecules. In this article, the possibility of using easily available on the market C60 Fullerene and endohedral X@C60 molecules together with commercial CNT...
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A mechanistically approached review upon assorted cell lines stimulated by athermal electromagnetic irradiation
PublicationThe probable influence of electromagnetic irradiation on cancer treatment has been deduced from the interaction of artificial electromagnetic emissions with biological organisms. Nonetheless, the suspected health effects induced by electromagnetic-based technology imply that such a treatment may contaminate the adjacent healthy cells. Thus, gaining mechanistic insights into the problem is required to avoid athermal health hazards....
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Impact of abiotic stressors on nutrient removal and rhizomicrobiome composition in floating treatment wetland with Equisetum hyemale
PublicationFloating treatment wetlands (FTW) are receiving growing interest as a phyto-technology. However, there are significant research gaps regarding the actual role of plant species and plant-microbiome interactions. In this study, the nutrient uptake of Equisetum hyemale was examined in FTW microcosms under the influence of abiotic stressors: As (3 mg/L) and Pb (3 mg/L) as well as Cl− (300 and 800 mg/L) in reference to a control during...
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Results of acoustic emission tests of corrosion protection degree of ship steel tanks covered by means of protective coatings (Phase I)
PublicationThis paper presents methods and results of the 1st series of tests of acoustic emission (AE) signals, aimed at assessing degree of corrosion protection of a tank made of hull structural steel, protected by means of a protective coating combined from polyurethane layer and concrete filler. The tests were carried outin compliance with a method specially elaborated for application to the work in question. In the method were used requirements...
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Beyond Antioxidant Activity: Redox Properties of Catechins May Affect Changes in the DNA Methylation Profile—The Example of SRXN1 Gene
PublicationThe role of catechins in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression has been widely studied; however, if and how this phenomenon relates to the redox properties of these polyphenols remains unknown. Our earlier study demonstrated that exposure of the human colon adenocarcinoma HT29 cell line to these antioxidants affects the expression of redox-related genes. In particular, treatment with (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) downregulated...
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Determination of free tyrosine in equestrian supplements by LC–MS/MS and comparison of its quantity with total free amino acids content in view of doping control
PublicationThe reports on the probable beneficial impact of tyrosine (TYR) supplementation on performance enhancement have contributed to the growth of interest in TYR in equestrian sports field and related industries, such as the manufacture of dietary and nutritional supplements. In this study, the first attempt to the assessment of horses exposure to TYR during nutritional supplementation was demonstrated by quantification of unbound TYR...
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Corrosion Inhibition Mechanism and Efficiency Differentiation of Dihydroxybenzene Isomers Towards Aluminum Alloy 5754 in Alkaline Media
PublicationThe selection of efficient corrosion inhibitors requires detailed knowledge regarding the interaction mechanism, which depends on the type and amount of functional groups within the inhibitor molecule. The position of functional groups between different isomers is often overlooked, but is no less important, since factors like steric hinderance may significantly affect the adsorption mechanism. In this study, we have presented how...
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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,...
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Novel insights into conjugation of antitumor-active unsymmetrical bisacridine C-2028 with glutathione: characteristics of non-enzymatic and glutathione S-transferase-mediated reactions
PublicationUnsymmetrical bisacridines (UAs) are a novel potent class of antitumor-active therapeutics. A significant route of phase II drug metabolism is conjugation with glutathione (GSH), which can be non-enzymatic and/or catalyzed by GSH-dependent enzymes. The aim of this work was to investigate the GSH-mediated metabolic pathway of a representative UA, C 2028. GSH supplemented incubations of C-2028 with rat, but not with human, liver...
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The Effect of Increasing the Amount of Indium Alloying Material on the Efficiency of Sacrificial Aluminium Anodes
PublicationAl-Zn-In alloys having 4.2% zinc content and various indium content in the range of 0.02–0.2% were tested with respect to the most important electrochemical properties of sacrificial anodes in a cathodic protection, i.e., the current capacity and potential of the operating anode. The distribution of In and Zn in the tested alloys was mapped by means of the EDX technique, which demonstrated that these elements dissolve well in the...
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Heavy Metals in Sediments of Urban Streams: Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Influencing Factors
PublicationSediments of two urban streams in northern Poland outflowing to the Baltic Sea were assessed to explain the spatial variation in relation to urbanization level of the catchment, the role of retention tanks (RTs) and identification of pollution level. During the 3 month period of investigation sediment samples were collected from the inflow (IN) and outflow (OUT) of six RTs located on streams for flood protection. Six heavy metals...
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Visual Content Representation for Cognitive Systems: Towards Augmented Intelligence
PublicationCognitive Vision Systems have gained significant attention from academia and industry during the past few decades. One of the main reasons behind this interest is the potential of such technologies to revolutionize human life since they intend to work robustly under complex visual scenes (which environmental conditions may vary), adapting to a comprehensive range of unforeseen changes, and exhibiting prospective behavior. The combination...
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Efficient Calibration of Cost-Efficient Particulate Matter Sensors Using Machine Learning and Time-Series Alignment
PublicationAtmospheric particulate matter (PM) poses a significant threat to human health, infiltrating the lungs and brain and leading to severe issues such as heart and lung diseases, cancer, and premature death. The main sources of PM pollution are vehicular and industrial emissions, construction and agricultural activities, and natural phenomena such as wildfires. Research underscores the absence of a safe threshold for particulate exposure,...
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Effects of beach wrack on the fate of mercury at the land-sea interface – A preliminary study
PublicationSince the 1970s, the amount of aquatic plants and algae debris, called beach wrack (BW), has increased along the shores of industrialised regions. The strong ability of primary producers to accumulate pollutants can potentially result in their deposition on the beach along with the BW. Despite that, the fate and impact of such pollutants on sandy beach ecosystems have not been investigated so far. This study examines the fate...
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Modulation of CYP3A4 activity and induction of apoptosis, necrosis and senescence by the antitumor imidazoacridinone C-1311 in human hepatoma cells
PublicationThere is increasing evidence that the expression level of drug metabolic enzymes affects the final cellular response following drug treatment. Moreover, anti-tumour agents may modulate enzymatic activity and/or cellular expression of metabolic enzymes in tumour cells. We investigated the influence of CYP3A4 overexpression on the cellular response induced by the anti-tumour agent C-1311 in hepatoma cells. C-1311-mediated CYP3A4...
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Impacts on human health in the Arctic owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling – The EU ArcRisk project policy outcome
PublicationResults of the EU ArcRisk project on human health impacts in the Arctic owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling are summarized in the context of their policy application. The question on how will climate change affect the transport of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury, both to and within the Arctic has been addressed, as well as the issue of human health impacts of these pollutants in the...
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The relationship between standard reduction potentials of catechins and biological activities involved in redox control
PublicationRedox homeostasis involves factors that ensure proper function of cells. The excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to oxidative stress and increased risk of oxidative damage to cellular components. In contrast, upon reductive stress, insufficient ROS abundance may result in faulty cell signalling. It may be expected that dietary antioxidants, depending on their standard reduction potentials (E°), will affect both scenarios....
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The geometry of free-standing titania nanotubes as a critical factor controlling their optical and photoelectrochemical performance
PublicationTitanium dioxide nanotubes are regarded as one of the most important functional materials and due to their unique electronic properties, chemical stability and photocorrosion resistance, they find applications in, for example, highly efficient photocatalysis or perovskite solar cells. Nevertheless, modification of TiO2 nanotubes is required to overcome their main drawback, i.e. large energy bandgap (>3.2 eV) limiting their ability...
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Thermally tuneable optical and electrochemical properties of Au-Cu nanomosaic formed over the host titanium dimples
PublicationAu-Cu nanostructures offer unique optical and catalytic properties unlike the monometallic ones resulting from the specific interaction. Among others, they have the ability to exhibit surface plasmon resonance, electrochemical activity towards the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction (OER, HER) as well as improved photoresponse in relation to monometalic but those properties depend highly on the substrate where bimetallic structures...
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A Novel Method for the Deblurring of Photogrammetric Images Using Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks
PublicationThe visual data acquisition from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may encounter a situation in which blur appears on the images. Image blurring caused by camera motion during exposure significantly impacts the images interpretation quality and consequently the quality of photogrammetric products. On blurred images, it is difficult to visually locate ground control points, and the number of identified feature points decreases...
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Uptake, accumulation, and translocation of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr by P. australis seedlings in an urban dredged sediment mesocosm: impact of seedling origin and initial trace metal content
PublicationThe study presents results from 6 months of phytoremediation of sediments dredged from three urban retention tanks carried out in a mesocosm setup with the use of P. australis. Two kinds of P. australis seedlings were considered: seedlings originating from natural (uncontaminated - Suncont) and anthropogenically changed environments (contaminated – Scont); this distinction was reflected in the baseline concentrations of trace metals...
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Chemical characterization of wild populations of Brassica oleracea complex species (n=9) for the content of their bioactive compounds
PublicationThe wild species belonging to Brassica oleracea complex species (n=9) are widespread in the Mediterranean basin and represent the relative species of several vegetable crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage. They are characterized by the high level of bioactive compounds, such as glucosinolates (GLSs), known for their benefits for human health. Four accessions were evaluated: B. macrocarpa (BM) from Favignana (Trapani),...
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Concentration levels of selected analytes in the gas phase of an e-cigarette aerosol
PublicationThe aerosols generated from e-cigarettes are composed of liquid and gas phases resulting from vapourized e-liquid. The apportioning of substances from e-liquid into the liquid and gas phases during e-cigarette use has not been extensively studied. Partitioning of e-liquid components between the gas and the liquid phase of the aerosol influences the substances inhaled and exhaled by the users, leading to second-hand exposure. It...
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Phytoextraction and recovery of rare earth elements using willow (Salix spp.)
PublicationSoil and water contaminations are caused by rare earth elements (REEs) due to mining and industrial activities, that threaten the ecosystem and human health. Therefore, phytoremediation methods need to be developed to overcome this problem. To date, little research has been conducted concerning the phytoremediation potential of Salix for REEs. In this study, two Salix species (Salix myrsinifolia and Salix schwerinii) and two Salix...
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How do personality traits influence Open Government Data (OGD) adoption and usage? Investigating the indirect and moderating effects
PublicationOpen Government Data (OGD) research has focused for a long on the adoption and usage from the perspectives of users across different contexts. The underlying rationale for this specific focus is that OGD initiatives are undertaken to further citizen engagement with OGD for value generation and innovation purposes. Conceding that usage propensity is different across individuals, it is important to understand the influence of personality...
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Targeting of FLT3-ITD kinase contributes to high selectivity of imidazoacridinone C-1311 against FLT3-activated leukemia cells
PublicationDrugs targeting receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 are of particular interest since activating FLT3-internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations abundantly occur in fatal acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs). Imidazoacridinone C-1311, a DNA-reactive inhibitor of topoisomerase II, has been previously shown to be a potent and selective inhibitor of recombinant FLT3. Here, we expand those findings by studying its effect on leukemia cells with...
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DNA restriction analysis as a supportive tool in mechanistic studies carried out by 32P-postlabelling
PublicationNumerous antitumor and carcinogenic compounds are able to modify DNA by forming covalent bonds with its constituents, while some anticarcinogenic compounds are known to prevent such a modification. All these processes are of vital biological import_ance, though deeper inside into factors influencing formation of DNA adducts is difficult due to the low level of their occurrence. 32P-Postlabelling approach ensures very sensitive...
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The role of isolated farmsteads in the open landscape protection on the example of Kashubia
PublicationAs a result of the social and economic transformation of rural areas, open landscapes are disappearing. Former farmsteads are being devastated or beginning to lose their landscape context due to the spread of residential building development. At the same time, in many places, the farmstead form is clearly legible and remains an element with which the view is structured and enriched. The article was aimed at drawing attention to...
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Linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from one hospital in Poland –commensals or hospital-adapted pathogens?
PublicationOne of the most pressing problems of enterococci infections is occurring resistance to linezolid, which is an antibiotic used in the treatment of infections caused by vancomycin-resistant strains (VRE). The main objective of our research was to investigate the relationship of 19 linezolid-resistant E. faecium isolates from 18 patients hospitalized at Clinical Hospital in Gdansk (Poland). One of the LZDREF was isolated in 2003...
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Analysis of the influence of polystyrene microplastics and their derivatives on the DNA of human colon epithelial cells HT29 with the comet assay
PublicationWe have been using plastic for almost a century and nowadays a lot of them circulates as pollutants in the environment and still defragmenting to micro and nanoscale. The exposition through the food chain and its precise impact on human health is still not clear. In our study, we tested real food packaging after contact with food products and real thermoinsulation and environmental samples of polystyrene in different model liquids,...
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Caffeine Inhibits Differentiation Of Lung Cancer Stem Cells By Modulating Their Respiratory Metabolism
PublicationIt is ell established that many tumor types contain a fraction of cells, with stem cell-like properties, called cancer stem cells (CSCs), that are resistant to apoptosis induced by therapeutic agents. The presence of CSCs may explain why a standard anticancer treatment, that eliminates only differentiated cancer cells, does not lead to cancer cure.We previously showed the existence of caffeine-sensitive mechanism that controls...
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Antitumor 1-nitroacridine derivative C-1748 induces significant apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.
PublicationPancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death and has the lowest survival rate of any solid cancer in the industrial countries. The poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer results from its tendency for late presentation, aggressive invasion, early metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. Gemcitabine still remains the best chemotherapeutic agent available for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. However, gemcitabine...