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Search results for: DIFFERENCE-IN-DIFFERENCES
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Determinants of Business Growth Aspirations among Polish Students: An Empirical Analysis
PublicationThis paper aims to discuss the concept of growth aspirations and growth intentions, as well as to identify factors that influence growth aspirations expressed by students with regard to their future businesses. On the basis of a literature review potential determinants of growth aspirations have been identified and tested empirically using data obtained from 223 students from the Pomeranian region in Poland. The authors...
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Investigating the Impact of Curing System on Structure-Property Relationship of Natural Rubber Modified with Brewery By-Product and Ground Tire Rubber
PublicationThe application of wastes as a filler/reinforcement phase in polymers is a new strategy to modify the performance properties and reduce the price of biocomposites. The use of these fillers, coming from agricultural waste (cellulose/lignocellulose-based fillers) and waste rubbers, constitutes a method for the management of post-consumer waste. In this paper, highly-filled biocomposites based on natural rubber (NR) and ground tire...
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Simulating propagation of coherent light in random media using the Fredholm type integral equation
PublicationStudying propagation of light in random scattering materials is important for both basic and applied research. Such studies often require usage of numerical method for simulating behavior of light beams in random media. However, if such simulations require consideration of coherence properties of light, they may become a complex numerical problems. There are well established methods for simulating multiple scattering of light (e.g....
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Impact of a newly-formed periglacial environment and other factors on fresh water chemistry at the western shore of Admiralty Bay in the summer of 2016 (King George Island, Maritime Antarctica)
PublicationThis study provides a comprehensive analysis of the inorganic chemistry of flowing water at the western shore of Admiralty Bay. In the water samples, ions, and major and trace metals (and B)were detected and quantified. Additionally, the parameters of pH, specific electrolytic conductivity (SEC25) and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined. Moreover, multivariate data set was created and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was...
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Modeling of medium flow processes in transportation pipelines - the synthesis of their state-space models and the analysis of the mathematical properties of the models for leak detection purposes
PublicationThe dissertation concerns the issue of modeling the pipeline flow process under incompressible and isothermal conditions, with a target application to the leak detection and isolation systems. First, an introduction to the model-based process diagnostics is provided, where its basic terminology, tools, and methods are described. In the following chapter, a review of the state of the art in the field of leak detection and isolation...
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Assessment of Sewage Molecular Markers: Linear Alkylbenzenes in Sediments of an Industrialized Region in Peninsular Malaysia
PublicationIn this study, the use of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) was employed to pinpoint the sources of human activity that cause detrimental impacts on the coastal environment and river ecosystems. LABs were detected using GC–MS in sediment samples assembled from Kim Kim River (KKR) and the Port Dickson coast (PDC). To assess the significance of variations in the distribution and concentrations of LABs across the sampling sites, this study...
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City scan as a tool to assess resilience challenges and vulnerabilities at the community level
PublicationThe majority of the world’s population lives in cities and cities are the key to achieving resilience. Local governments own only part of the land and can only partially decide about measures that should be taken ‘on the ground’. Local governments are therefore highly dependent on individuals, communities, and businesses to adapt and transform and take action in their own backyards or neighbourhoods. Since, for many people, climate...
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Analysis of Transformation Methods of Hydroacoustic and Optoelectronic Data Based on the Tombolo Measurement Campaign in Sopot
PublicationMeasurements in the coastal zone are carried out using various methods, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), hydroacoustic and optoelectronic methods. Therefore, it is necessary to develop coordinate transformation models that will enable the conversion of data from the land and marine parts to one coordinate system. The article presents selected issues related to the integration of geodetic and hydrographic data....
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Influence of a Lighting Column in the Working Width of a W-Beam Barrier on TB51 Crash Test
PublicationRoad equipment, such as, e.g., road safety barriers and lighting columns, are subject to certification according to the EN1317 standard to be allowed for use on European roads. In engineering practice, due to the terrain conditions, there are cases where other road equipment is installed within the working width of road safety barriers. Such situations are not considered during the certification process. Hence, the aim of this...
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The Application of Satellite Image Analysis in Oil Spill Detection
PublicationIn recent years, there has been an increasing use of satellite sensors to detect and track oil spills. The satellite bands, namely visible, short, medium infrared, and microwave radar bands, are used for this purpose. The use of satellite images is extremely valuable for oil spill analysis. With satellite images, we can identify the source of leakage and assess the extent of potential damage. However, it is not yet clear how to...
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Numerical Analysis of the Influence of 2D Dispersion Parameters on the Spread of Pollutants in the Coastal Zone
PublicationThe transport of pollutants with flowing waters is one of the most common processes in the natural environment. In general, this process is described by a system of differential equations, including the continuity equation, dynamic equations, pollutant transport equations and equations of state. For the analyzed problem of pollutant migration in wide rivers and the coastal zone, a two-dimensional model is particularly useful because...
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A Comprehensive Framework for Measuring Governments’ Digital Initiatives Including Open Data
PublicationDigital innovation and digital initiatives are generally recognized and considered to be the driving forces behind firm survival and success in the market. This is not the case in the public sector, where digital initiatives have suffered not only from a lack of research trying to explain them but also from a major lack of recognition of their importance. The government’s eagerness to introduce more digital initiatives for better...
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On the Possibility of the Amphotericin B-Sterol Complex Formation in Cholesterol- and Ergosterol-Containing Lipid Bilayers: A Molecular Dynamics Study
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB) is a well-known membrane-active antibiotic that has been used to treat systemicfungal infections for more than 45 years. Therapeutic application of AmB is based on the fact that it is moreactive against ergosterol-containing membranes of fungal cells than against mammalian membranes withcholesterol. In this paper, we examine the hypothesis according to which the selectivity of the AmB's membraneaction originates...
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Exploring the cocrystallization potential of urea and benzamide
PublicationThe cocrystallization landscape of benzamide and urea interacting with aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids was studied both experimentally and theoretically. Ten new cocrystals of benzamide were synthesized using an oriented samples approach via a fast dropped evaporation technique. Information about types of known bi-component cocrystals augmented with knowledge of simple binary eutectic mixtures was used for the analysis...
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Damage-involved response of two colliding buildings under non-uniform earthquake loading
PublicationPounding between insufficiently separated buildings, which may result in considerable damage or may even lead to the total collapse of colliding structures, has been repeatedly observed during earthquakes. Earthquake-induced collisions of buildings has been intensively studied applying various structural models. It was assumed in the analyses, however, that the seismic excitation is identical for all structural supports; whereas,...
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Identification and characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding protein from the facultative psychrophilic bacteria Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis
PublicationSingle-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) plays an important role in DNA metabolism such as DNAreplication, repair, and recombination, and is essential for cell survival. This study reports on the ssb-likegene cloning, gene expression and characterization of a single-stranded DNA-binding protein of Pseudoal-teromonas haloplanktis (PhaSSB) and is the first report of such a protein from psychrophilic microorganism.PhaSSB possesses...
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Load effect impact on the exploitation of concrete machine foundations used in the gas and oil industry
PublicationMachine foundations is a critical topic in the gas and oil industry, which design and exploitation require extensive technical knowledge. Machine foundations are the constructions which are intended for mounting on it a specific type of machine. The foundation has to transfer dynamic and static load from machine to the ground. The primary difference between machine foundations and building foundations is that the machine foundations...
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Low temperature growth of diamond films on optical fibers using Linear Antenna CVD system
PublicationIt is not trivial to achieve a good quality diamond-coated fibre interface due to a large difference in the properties and composition of the diamond films (or use coating even) and the optical fibre material, i.e. fused silica. One of the biggest problems is the high temperature during the deposition which influences the optical fibre or optical fibre sensor structure (e.g. long-period gratings (LPG)). The greatest advantage of...
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Assessment of River Water Quality and Pollution Status Using Physicochemical and Biometrics, Awetu River, Ethiopia
PublicationThe surface water is contaminated by a variety of synthetic organic and inorganic compounds, chemicals, and nutrients; due to this reason, the quality of the water resources of Ethiopia is declining at an alarming rate, resulting in severe environmental degradation. The main objective of the study was to recognize the pollution status river for the study area by physicochemical parameters and the extent of microbial environmental...
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Contr-rotating eccentric-mass rotors used as exciters of sinusoidal forces applied to elastically supported bodies
PublicationThe work focuses on aspects of multibody dynamics. Investigated object is a mass driven by rotations of an inertial shaker. Resulting vibrational set consists of two counter-rotating identically-unbalanced rotors. Since the mass centres of the rotors do not coincide with the axes of their rotations, significant centrifugal forces arise during rotations. As both rotors are identically unbalanced, the inter-axial force components...
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Eco-friendly Route for Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers with Bio-based Hard Segments Composed of Bio-glycol and Mixtures of Aromatic–Aliphatic and Aliphatic–Aliphatic Diisocyanate
PublicationApplication of bio-based diisocyanates with low volatility instead petrochemical diisocyanates has positive impact on environment by reduction of hazardous effects on living organisms and lead to bio-based polyurethanes (bio-PUs) with good usage properties. This work was focused on the synthesis and chosen properties examination of partially bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (bio-PUs) obtained using diisocyanate mixtures,...
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Finite-difference time-domain analyses of active cloaking for electrically-large objects
PublicationInvisibility cloaking devices constitute a unique and potentially disruptive technology, but only if they can work over broad bandwidths for electrically-large objects. So far, the only known scheme that allows for broadband scattering cancellation from an electrically-large object is based on an active implementation where electric and magnetic sources are deployed over a surface surrounding the object, but whose ‘switching on’...
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Preconditioners with Low Memory Requirements for Higher-Order Finite-Element Method Applied to Solving Maxwell’s Equations on Multicore CPUs and GPUs
PublicationThis paper discusses two fast implementations of the conjugate gradient iterative method using a hierarchical multilevel preconditioner to solve the complex-valued, sparse systems obtained using the higher order finite-element method applied to the solution of the time-harmonic Maxwell equations. In the first implementation, denoted PCG-V, a classical V-cycle is applied and the system of equations on the lowest level is solved...
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Air-cooled photovoltaic roof tile as an example of the BIPVT system – An experimental study on the energy and exergy performance
PublicationThe air-cooled photovoltaic tile is a subject of presented investigations, which focused on improving the overall system efficiency of PV tiles with heat recovery. The operational efficiency of a PV roof tile, together with the construction optimising the air cooling efficiency, were the main points of plans realized at this research stage. The article describes the experimental research consisting of the assessment of electrical,...
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The Effect of Steaming Beech, Birch and Maple Woods on Qualitative Indicators of the Surface
PublicationThis work presents the effect of steaming beech, birch and maple woods on the resulting quality of the milled wood surface. The steaming process of the studied woods results in a targeted change in the color of the wood, which changes from the original light white-gray color to fine reddishbrown to dark brown color shades that are more or less saturated depending on the temperature of the saturated water steam. The color changes...
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Molecular level interpretation of excess infrared spectroscopy
PublicationInfrared (IR) spectroscopy is an invaluable tool in studying intermolecular interactions in solvent mixtures. The deviation of the IR spectrum of a mixture from the spectra of its pure components is a sensitive measure of the non-ideality of solutions and the modulation of intermolecular interactions introduced by mutual influence of the components. Excess IR spectroscopy, based on the established notion of excess thermodynamic...
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Model-based identification of the dominant N2O emission pathway in a full-scale activated sludge system
PublicationActivated sludge models (ASMs), extended with an N2O emission module, are powerful tools to describe the operation of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Specifically, such models can investigate the most contributive N2O production pathways and guide towards N2O and carbon footprint (CF) mitigation measures. A common practice is to develop and validate models using data from a single WWTP. In this study, a successfully...
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Assessing Metal Distribution in Diverse Incineration Ashes: Implications for Sustainable Waste Management in Case of Different Incineration Facilities
PublicationIncineration contributes about 10% of metals emission in Europe and leaching of metals from reuse or landfilling of incineration products remains a global concern. Thus, evaluating metal distribution in incineration residues is critical. The present study highlights the distribution of selected metals, Zn, Mn, Ni, Co, Fe, Cr, Al, Cu, and Pb, in incineration ashes in relation to incinerator capacities/sizes. Al was most distributed...
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Optimization of constitutive law for objective numerical modeling of knitted fabric
PublicationThis paper discusses the problem of macroscopic modeling a knitted technical fabric with the aim to determine a constitutive law for adequately modeling the material response under real-life load. As phenomenological, hyperelastic material laws reveal different parameters due to different test modalities used to identify such parameters, an optimization scheme is proposed to determine an objective solution. The study is conducted...
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The reliability of tree and star networks.
PublicationOne of the important parameters characterizing the quality of computer networks is the network's reliability with respect to failures of the communication links and nodes. This chapter investigated the reliability of tree and star networks. The tree and star topology is used in centralized computer networks. In centralized computer networks all communication must take place through some central computer. Following measures of network...
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Influence of separation gap on the structural response of colliding structures under earthquake excitation
PublicationThe high level of urbanization in the XXIst century forces the designers to design closely-separated structures and to take into account many factors influencing their response during seismic excitation, which are the most unpredictable loads which can affect civil engineering structures. Interactions between insufficiently adjacent buildings, known as the earthquake-induced structural pounding, may cause serious damage to the structures,...
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Fabrication and characterization of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond-coated MEMS probes
PublicationFabrication processes of thin boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (B-NCD) films on silicon-based micro- and nano-electromechanical structures have been investigated. Nanocrystalline boron doped -diamond (B-NCD) films were deposited using Microwave Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (MW PA CVD) method. The variation of B-NCD morphology, structure and optical parameters were particularly investigated. The use of truncated...
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A novel approach in wood waste utilization for manufacturing of catalyst-free polyurethane-wood composites (PU-WC)
PublicationIn recent decades, due to the increase in environmental awareness and noticeable environmental degradation, the area of wood waste management has attracted increasing attention. The purpose of this study is to develop a new type of highly filled polyurethane wood-composite (PU-WC) by the utilization of large amount of wood wastes without addition of a catalyst. Although wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are widely known, there is...
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Natural convection in symmetrically heated vertical channels
PublicationThe study describes natural convection through a vertical channel, open on four sides and bound by two isothermal walls. Both balancing and infrared experimental investigations were performed in air (Pr = 0.71) to estimate the impact of channel width s and wall-to-ambient temperature difference (tw - t∞) on natural convective heat transfer, the formation of air flow patterns and the rate of flow pattern formation. The study was...
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US not bright but right method of thyroid volume estimation even in large and substernal extended goitres. Comparison of US and three methods of CT thyroid evaluation - prospective study.ON LINE
PublicationBackground Ultrasound is nowadays a method of choice for thyroid volume assessment. However, its disadvantage is some inaccuracy, which is said to be higher in huge, especially substernally extended goitres. Aims The aim of the study was to compare the US and CT thyroid volumetric measurements: multi-observers (CT MO) and one-observer (CT OO) to CT planimetry results (CT Pl) in patients with large goitres. Materials & Methods The...
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The effect of impacted third molars on second molar external root resorption, a cross-sectional cone beam computed tomography study
PublicationBackground: Third molars have the highest prevalence of impaction in teeth and can cause pathological damage on the adjacent second molars. This study aims to evaluate the effects of factors related to impacted third molars on external root resorption (ERR) in adjacent second molars using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: In CBCTs, the effect of impacted third molars on the root surface of adjacent second...
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I love to write and create. Can I earn money doing it? Entrepreneurial process of bloggers
PublicationNew technologies and a new way of looking at the life of future generations, open up new perspectives of entrepreneurial activities. One of them is to run a blog. Although the first blogs appeared many years ago and earning money from running them is also known to bloggers, little research is devoted to this form of entrepreneurship. The analysis of this phenomenon was carried out using the netnography method, which is not common...
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Seismic gap between buildings founded on different soil types experiencing pounding during earthquakes
PublicationSeveral formulas have been suggested in the literature to evaluate the minimum seismic gap that would prevent collisions between adjacent buildings during earthquakes, including those based on the absolute sum of the peak displacements (ABS), square root of the sum of the squares (SRSS), the double difference method (DDC), Australian code, and approach proposed by Naderpour et al. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the...
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Analysis of cyclone separator solutions depending on spray ejector condenser conditions
PublicationThe core design strategy for minimizing CO2 emissions in gas power plant entails combining a spray ejector condenser (SEC) and separator to accomplish steam condensation and CO2 purification. This innovative process involves direct-contact condensation of steam with CO2, facilitated by interaction with a subcooled water spray, along with a cyclone separator mechanism intended for generating pure CO2. The investigation of the SEC...
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Technical and Economic Analysis of the Supercritical Combined Gas-Steam Cycle
PublicationCombined cycle power plants are characterized by high efficiency, now exceeding 60%. The record-breaking power plant listed in the Guinness Book of World Records is the Nishi-Nagoya power plant commissioned in March 2018, located in Japan, and reaching the gross efficiency of 63.08%. Research and development centers, energy companies, and scientific institutions are taking various actions to increase this efficiency. Both the gas...
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Cooperation areas between universities and industry - case studies in the area of civil engineering
PublicationThe paper describes the areas of cooperation between universities and industry in the area of civil engineering. Presented examples are related to didactics, research grants and commissioned works. On the basis of the authors own experiences the mutual benefits of cooperation in different areas are described. As well as the assessment criteria of the areas of cooperation by the scientific community. The first area of cooperation...
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Modeling external carbon addition in combined N-P activated sludge systems with an extension of the IWA Activated Sludge Models
PublicationThe aim of this study was to expand the IWA Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) to account for a newly defined readily biodegradable substrate that can be consumed by polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) under anoxic and aerobic conditions, but not under anaerobic conditions. The model change was to add a new substrate component and process terms for its use by PAOs and other heterotrophic bacteria under anoxic and aerobic...
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Density functional theory-based simulations of sum frequency generation spectra involving methyl stretching vibrations: effect of the molecular model on the deduced molecular orientation and comparison with an analytical approach
PublicationThe knowledge of the first hyperpolarizability tensor elements of molecular groups is crucial for a quantitative interpretation of the sum frequency generation (SFG) activity of thin organic films at interfaces. Here, the SFG response of the terminal methyl group of a dodecanethiol (DDT) monolayer has been interpreted on the basis of calculations performed at the density functional theory (DFT) level of approximation. In particular,...
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Modeling external carbon addition in combined N-P activated sludge systems with an extension of the IWA Activated Sludge Models
PublicationThe aim of this study was to expand the IWA Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) to account for a newly defined readily biodegradable substrate that can be consumed by polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) under anoxic and aerobic conditions, but not under anaerobic conditions. The model change was to add a new substrate component and process terms for its use by PAOs and other heterotrophic bacteria under anoxic and aerobic...
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Evaluation of Linkers’ Influence on Peptide-Based Piezoelectric Biosensors’ Sensitivity to Aldehydes in the Gas Phase
PublicationRecent findings qualified aldehydes as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis. One of the possibilities is to use electrochemical biosensors in point-of-care (PoC), but these need further development to overcome some limitations. Currently, the primary goal is to enhance their metrological parameters in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. Previous findings indicate that peptide OBPP4 (KLLFDSLTDLKKKMSEC-NH2) is a promising...
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Study on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Laser Welded Dissimilar Joint of P91 Steel and INCOLOY 800HT Nickel Alloy
PublicationThis investigation attempts to explore the weld characteristics of a laser welded dissimilar joint of ferritic/martensitic 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb (P91) steel and Incoloy 800HT austenitic nickel alloy. This dissimilar joint is essential in power generating nuclear and thermal plants operating at 600–650 °C. In such critical operating conditions, it is essential for a dissimilar joint to preserve its characteristics and be free from any kind...
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Health System Efficiency in European Countries: Network Data Envelopment Analysis Approach
PublicationPurpose: The article's main aim is to investigate the effectiveness of health systems in European countries based on EUROSTAT data. A comparative analysis of the health systems' effectiveness in different countries is based on their improvement (reform), using the best practices approach. Design/Methodology/Approach: The network DEA model and a slack-based model (NDEA – SBM) are used. A non-oriented model is used. The research...
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Use of a wastewater recovery product (struvite) to enhance subtropical seagrass restoration
PublicationSeagrasses are in decline worldwide, and their restoration is relatively expensive and unsuccessful compared to other coastal systems. Fertilization can improve seagrass growth in restoration but can also release nutrients and pollute the surrounding ecosystem. A slow-release fertilizer may reduce excessive nutrient discharge while still providing resources to the seagrass's rhizosphere. In this study, struvite (magnesium ammonium...
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Bibliometric analysis and literature review of ultrasound-assisted degradation of organic pollutants
PublicationUltrasound as a clean, efficient, and cheap technique gains special attention in wastewater treatment. Ultrasound alone or coupled with hybrid processes have been widely studied for the treatment of pollutants in wastewater. Thus, it is essential to conduct a review about the research development and trends on this emerging technique. This work presents a bibliometric analysis of the topic associated with multiple tools such as...
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CO2 capture through direct-contact condensation in a spray ejector condenser and T- junction separator
PublicationThe design principle underlying the steam condensation and CO2 purification in a gas power plant with a focus on reducing CO2 emissions encompasses the deployment of a spray ejector condenser (SEC) and separator. This innovative system facilitates direct-contact condensation of steam with non-condensable gas (CO2) by inter acting with a spray of subcooled water, seamlessly integrated with a T-junction separator mechanism aimed...