Search results for: LIGHT & HEALTH
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An IoT-Based Computational Framework for Healthcare Monitoring in Mobile Environments
PublicationThe new Internet of Things paradigm allows for small devices with sensing, processing and communication capabilities to be designed, which enable the development of sensors, embedded devices and other ‘things’ ready to understand the environment. In this paper, a distributed framework based on the internet of things paradigm is proposed for monitoring human biomedical signals in activities involving physical exertion. The main...
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Eulerian motion magnification applied to structural health monitoring of wind turbines
PublicationSeveral types of defects may occur in wind turbines, as physical damage of blades or gearbox malfunction. A wind farm monitoring and damage prediction system is built to observe abnormal vibrations of elements of wind turbine: blades, nacelle, and tower. Contactless methods are developed which do not require turbine stopping. In this work, structural health monitoring of a wind turbine is evaluated using a conversion from the captured...
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A Simplified Method of Trend Removal to Determine Noise Observed During a Supercapacitor’s Discharging
PublicationIn this paper, new method of trend removal is proposed. This is a simplified method based on Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). The method was applied for voltage time series observed during supercapacitor discharging process. It assured the determination of an additive noise component after subtracting the identified trend component. We analyzed voltage time series observed between the terminals of the supercapacitor when discharged...
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Fabrication and Characterization of Flexible Medical-Grade TPU Filament for Fused Deposition Modeling 3DP Technology
PublicationThe possibility of using additive manufacturing (AM) in the medicine area has created new opportunities in health care. This has contributed to a sharp increase in demand for 3D printers, their systems and materials that are adapted to strict medical requirements. We described herein a medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (S-TPU) which was developed and then formed into a filament for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers...
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Evaluation of the Commercial Electrochemical Gas Sensors for the Monitoring of CO in Ambient Air
PublicationAir pollution is a growing concern of civilized world, which has a significant impact on human health and the environment. Recent studies highlight that the exposure to polluted air can increase the incidence of diseases and deteriorate the quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to develop tools for real-time air quality monitoring. For air pollution monitoring a wide range of stationary gas and particulate analysers can be used....
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Cognition and Decisional Experience to Support Safety Management in Workplaces
PublicationHazards are present in all workplaces and can result in serious injuries, short and long-term illnesses, or death. In this context, management of safety is essential to ensure the occupational health of workers. Aiming to assist the safety management process, especially in industrial environments, a Cognitive Vision Platform for Hazard Control (CVP-HC) is proposed. This platform is a Cyber Physical system, capable of identifying...
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Mass Spectrometry-Based Direct Analytical Techniques
PublicationDirect analysis of samples is considered as one of the most environmentally sustainable solutions in analytical chemistry. In the ideal case, such solutions do not require sample preparation and analytes separation steps, therefore do not consumpt harmful substances (or consumpt only minimum amounts of them) and do not generate hazardous waste. Technical solutions for direct analysis also offer miniaturized and field-portable analyzers...
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The Energy of Finance in Refining of Medical Surge Capacity
PublicationThe availability of resources and their concentration in the place of greatest need, will not allow us to successfully overcome a medical surge without the energy required to activate these resources and activities, and increase their quantities if necessary, that is why the staff and management of healthcare institutions are forced to making ethical crisis decisions about who wins and who loses. This study highlights the versatility...
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Gold nanoparticles evaluation using functional optical coherence tomography
PublicationThe main object of this research was to assess the ability to characterize the gold nanoparticles using optical modalities like optical coherence tomography. Since the nanoparticles, especially gold one, have been very attractive for medical diagnosis and treatment the amount of research activities have been growing rapidly. The nanoparticles designed for different applications like contrast agents or drugs delivery change the...
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Cannabinoids: Challenges, opportunities and current techniques towards its extraction and purification for edibles
PublicationDue to the multiple health benefits associated with the consumption of cannabinoids, there is a current trend on continuing to explore their biological properties. Cannabidiol (CBD) is likely to be the most investigated endocannabinoid from the cannabis plant. Unfortunately, the purification of CBD from its natural source and psychotropic analogue (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) is timely challenging for the research community based...
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Application of deep eutectic solvents for separation and determination of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants
PublicationThe medicinal plants industry, particularly in regard to products rich in biologically active substances for maintaining health, has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade, with sales of over-the-counter drugs containing these substances growing by billions of dollars. Attention has thus also been paid to the safety and effectiveness of these medicines. We are currently witnessing a rapid increase in the number of publications...
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Properties of Different Varieties of Durian
PublicationDurian (Durio zibethinus Murr.), like many other exotic, tropical, and conventional fruits, is important in the prevention of different diseases. In this study, the characterization of the main bioactive compounds of the most popular cultivars of durian and their properties are described. The changes in the quality indices of the antioxidant status were determined by CUPRAC, ABTS, FRAP, DPPH, and ORAC assays. The profiling of phytochemicals...
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Biological Activity of Tea-Chokeberry and Chokeberry Fermented Beverages
PublicationFermented beverages, such as kombucha are gaining more and more popularity due to their beneficial effects on human health. These products are obtained by the fermentation of tea infusion using so called tea fungus. This microbial consortium can also be used to prepare fermented fruit beverages. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the changes in the antioxidant profile of tea-chokeberry and chokeberry beverages...
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Long-term comparative evaluation of an acoustic climate in selected schools before and after the acoustic treatment
PublicationThe results of long-term continuous noise measurements in two selected schools are presented in the paper. Noise characteristics were measured continuously there for approximately 16 months. Measurements started eight months prior to the acoustic treatment of the school corridors of both schools. An evaluation of the acoustic climates in both schools, before and after the acoustic treatment, was performed based on comparison of...
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Levels of 13 multi-class pesticide residues in Polish honeys determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS
PublicationLevels of 13 pesticides in 40 honey samples form Poland are reported. A rapid and sensitive method was developed for the LC-ESI-MS/MS determination of multi-class pesticide residues in honey samples. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) on a diatomaceous earth support (requiring the use of small amounts of organic solvent), followed by chromatographic separation on a C18 column and gradient elution were employed. The method quantifies...
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Focused crawler for trustworthy healthcare information search
PublicationArtykuł zawiera opis prac wykonanych w projekcie 6 Programu Ramowego Unii Europejskiej: Personalised Information Platform for life and health Services (PIPS). Głównym celem projektu jest zapewnienie obywatelowi Unii kompleksowego wspomagania w zakresie zagadnień ochrony zdrowia oraz odżywiania. Do realizacji tego celu konieczne jest pozyskanie i dostarczenie obywatelowi wiarygodnej, prawdziwej i aktualnej informacji z tych dziedzin....
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Propagation Characteristics of Partial Discharges in an Oil-Filled Power Transformer
PublicationPower transformers are among the most important assets in the power transmission and distribution grid. However, they suffer from degradation and possible faults causing major electrical and financial losses. Partial discharges (PDs) are used to identify the insulation health status and their degradation level. PDs are incipient, low-magnitude faults caused by localized dielectric breakdown. Those activities emit signals in many...
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Speciation of heavy metal compounds in samples of biota from marine ecosystems
PublicationIt has become increasingly evident that the toxicity, mobility, bioavailability and bioaccumulation of metals are dependent on the particular physico-chemical form in which the element occurs in the environment. Special attention is paid to metals, which are essential for the proper functioning of organisms if present in appropriate amounts but are toxic if in excess (i.e. Se, Cr, Zn), and also to non-essential elements (i.e. Hg,...
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The usefulness of birch saps from the area of Podkarpacie to produce birch syrup
PublicationIn northern European countries, as well as in North America tree saps of maples and birches are used for the production of syrups. Birch syrups are characterized by a specific aromatic taste and can be used as an addition to sweets, desserts, salads and meats. Attention is paid to the health benefits of birch syrups, mainly for high mineral content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of birch saps obtained from...
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AN ALTERNATIVE WAY OF DETERMINING MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD BY MEASURING CUTTING FORCES
PublicationThe cutting force is an energetic effect of splitting material, and might be therefore considered from a point of view of modern fracture mechanics. The dedicated mathematical model developed for description of the wood cutting has been developed here on the base of fracture theory, and includes work of separation (fracture toughness) in addition to the material plasticity and friction. The effect of the cutting edge dullness is...
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New Trends in Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of the Residues of Pharmaceuticals in Environmental Samples
PublicationPharmaceutical residues in the environment is a field of special interest due to the adverse effects to either human health or aquatic and soil environment. Pharmaceuticals have been already detected in underground, surface and wastewaters, soils, manure and sediments. The growing awareness of environmental pollution arising from human activity forces the need for their comprehensive determination. Environmental samples are complex...
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Chitosan-based electrospun nanofibers for encapsulating food bioactive ingredients: A review
PublicationToday, society has been more aware of healthy food products and related items containing bioactive compounds, which potentially contribute to human health. Unfortunately, the long-term stability and bioactivity of biologically active compounds against environmental factors compromise their target and effective action. In this way, lab-designed vehicles, such as nanoparticles and nanofibers, provide enough properties for their preservation...
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Crack monitoring in concrete beams under bending using ultrasonic waves and coda wave interferometry: the effect of excitation frequency on coda
PublicationConcrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. In recent years, various non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques have been investigated to improve the safety and control of the current condition of concrete structures. This study focuses on micro-crack monitoring in concrete beams. The experimental analysis was carried out on concrete elements subjected to three-point...
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Mangiferin: A comprehensive review on its extraction, purification and uses in food systems
PublicationWith the target of fabricating healthier products, food manufacturing companies look for natural-based nutraceuticals that can potentially improve the physicochemical properties of food systems while being nutritive to the consumer and providing additional health benefits (biological activities). In this regard, Mangiferin joins all these requirements as a potential nutraceutical, which is typically contained in Mangifera indica...
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Membrane distillation assisting food production processes of thermally sensitive food liquid items: a review
PublicationPhysical separation technologies have become important tool for processing in the current food manufacturing industries, especially for the products containing bioactive compounds thanks to their health benefits in costumers. As for the processing of bioactive food ingredients implies the implementation of integrated systems oriented to their separation, fractionation, and recovery. In this field, membrane distillation (MD), which...
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Integrated development plans of the functional urban areas in Pomeranian region in Poland
PublicationThe European Commission put a growing emphasis on the territorial and integrated app roach to policy support addressed in the frame of regional policy. In a special way this process refers to cities along with their functional environment. In Poland the National Spatial Development Concept 2030 has introduced the concept of functional areas, among others – Functional Urban Areas (FUAs). There is...
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Miniaturized passive emission test chamber for in-situ measurement of emissions of organic compounds
PublicationThe results of many different studies have demonstrated unequivocally that the quality of indoor air is often much worse than that of atmospheric air (outdoor). One of the main groups of chemical compounds present in indoor air, with proven harmfulness to health,are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs present indoor comprise a wide variety of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons derivatives including aliphatic, aromatics, alkylbenzens,...
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How green are ionic liquids? – A multicriteria decision analysis approach
PublicationDue to various desirable physicochemical properties, ionic liquids (ILs) are still gaining in popularity. ILs have been recurrently considered green solvents. However, environmental, health and safety assessments of ILs have raised certain doubts about their benignness, and their greenness status is currently unclear. To clarify the situation on their greenness, we perform a comprehensive assessment of more than 300 commercially...
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Proposal of a mobile medical waste incinerator with automatic waste feeder and heat recovery system
PublicationThe paper presents and discusses the issue of medical waste (including hazardous ones) and their proper management. Inappropriate handling of infectious medical waste directly endangers the human being health and the environment. Infectious waste must therefore be properly disposed of – one of the most commonly used methods is the thermal treatment in the incinerators tailored for this purpose. During designing an incinerator unit,...
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Insights into the Thermo-Mechanical Treatment of Brewers’ Spent Grain as a Potential Filler for Polymer Composites
PublicationThis paper investigated the impact of twin-screw extrusion parameters on the properties of brewers’ spent grain. The chemical structure, antioxidant activity, particle size, and color properties, as well as the emission of volatile organic compounds during extrusion, were investigated. The main compounds detected in the air during modifications were terpenes and terpenoids, such as α-pinene, camphene, 3-carene, limonene, or terpinene....
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Young shoots of red cabbage are a better source of selected nutrients and glucosinolates in comparison to the vegetable at full maturity
PublicationCruciferous vegetables are a valuable source of ingredients with health benefits. The most characteristic compounds of cruciferous vegetables with identified anticancer properties are glucosinolates. Young shoots and sprouts of red cabbage are becoming a popular fresh food rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. The objective of this research was to determine, for the first time in a comprehensive approach, whether young shoots...
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Determination of cyanide in urine and saliva samples by ion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection
PublicationCommonly known as a highly toxic chemical, cyanide is also an essential reagent for many industrial processes. It naturally occurs in plant seeds as a cyanogenic glycosides. Another relatively common mode of cyanide exposure is inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke. This study concerns importance to determine cyanide ion in human biological samples. Urine and saliva samples were collected healthy volunteers exposed to tobacco...
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Interaction of human serum albumin with volatiles and polyphenols from some berries
PublicationHeadspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC GCeTOFMS) identified 19 and quantified 6 monoterpenes in gooseberries, blueberries and cranberries. As a protein model human serum albumin (HSA) was used in interaction with terpenes. Specific binding of terpenes to HSA under the physiological conditions was a result of the formation...
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The effect of external load on ultrasonic wave attenuation in steel bars under bending stresses
PublicationThe stress state in deformed solids has a significant impact on the attenuation of an ultrasonic wave propagating through the medium. Measuring a signal with certain attenuation characteristics can therefore provide useful diagnostic information about the stress state in the structure. In this work, basic principles behind a novel attenuation-based diagnostic framework are introduced. An experimental study on steel bars under three-point...
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End-of-life management of single-use baby diapers: Analysis of technical, health and environment aspects
PublicationSingle-use baby diapers belongs to an important group of products used in the parenting journey because of their high performance and convenience. Single-use baby diapers are normally thrown away after one-time use, resulting in a waste management problem. The goal of this paper was to better understand main environmental concerns of different types of diapers and address how to reduce them, with a special consideration of waste...
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The impact of interactions between polyphenolic antioxidants on the redox-related chemical and biological properties of their mixtures – the extension of food synergy concept.
PublicationThe results of studies indicate that chemopreventive efficiency of isolated phytochemicals is lower than that of polyphenol-rich foods. This discrepancy has been ascribed to the food synergy concept that assumes additive or even synergistic influence of different food ingredients on human health. The results presented in the dissertation made it possible to propose an alternative and innovative explanation of these observations. The...
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Molecular targets for antifungals in amino acid and protein biosynthetic pathways
PublicationFungi cause death of over 1.5 million people every year, while cutaneous mycoses are among the most common infections in the world. Mycoses vary greatly in severity, there are long-term skin (ringworm), nail or hair infections (tinea capitis), recurrent like vaginal candidiasis or severe, life-threatening systemic, multiorgan infections. In the last few years, increasing importance is attached to the health and economic problems...
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Determination of Thermophysical Parameters Involved in The Numerical Model to Predict the Temperature Field of Cast-In-Place Concrete Bridge Deck
PublicationThe paper dealswith a concept of a practical computationmethod to simulate the temperature distribution in an extradosed bridge deck. The main goal of the study is to develop a feasible model of hardening of concrete consistent with in-situ measurement capabilities. The presented investigations include laboratory tests of high performance concrete, measurements of temperature evolution in the bridge deck and above all, numerical...
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Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Air in Nemoral Scots Pine Forests and Submountainous Beech Forests: The Potential Region for the Introduction of Forest Therapy
PublicationStudies show that forests are one of the main recreational destinations. This can be explained by their beneficial effects on the health of their visitors, which can be attributed to compounds from the terpene group. The aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition of air in the interiors of Nemoral Scots pine forests and submountainous beech forests, with the determination of compounds of the terpene group. Samples...
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Recent advances in reinforced bioplastics for food packaging – A critical review
PublicationRecently, diversifying the material, method, and application in food packaging has been massively developed to find more environment-friendly materials. However, the mechanical and barrier properties of the bioplastics are major hurdles to expansion in commercial realization. The compositional variation with the inclusion of different fillers could resolve the lacking performance of the bioplastic. This review summarizes the various...
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Microplastics removal from aqueous environment by metal organic frameworks
PublicationThis paper provides an overview of recent research performed on the applications of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for microplastics (MPs) removal from aqueous environments. MPs pollution has become a major environmental concern due to its negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Therefore, developing effective and sustainable methods for removing them from aqueous environments is crucial. In recent years, MOFs...
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Report for the Short Term Scientific Mission within COST Action FP1101: development of the in-field sensor for estimation of fracture toughness and shear strength by measuring cutting forces
PublicationKnowledge on the fracture properties of materials is essential to assure structural integrity and proper design of mechanical connections in timber constructions. Measurement of this property is, however, a very challenging task. The linear fracture mechanics is usually used for its assessment assisted with experimental data acquired by means of various techniques, usually of destructive nature. The cutting force is an energetic...
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Nondestructive Optical Sensing of Flavonols and Chlorophyll in White Head Cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata subvar. alba ) Grown under Different Nitrogen Regimens
PublicationA multiparametric optical sensor was used to nondestructively estimate phytochemical compounds in white cabbage leaves directly in the field. An experimental site of 1980 white cabbages (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata subvar. alba), under different nitrogen (N) treatments, was mapped by measuring leaf transmittance and chlorophyll fluorescence screening in one leaf/cabbage head. The provided indices of flavonols (FLAV) and...
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Climate Change Impacts on Environmental and Human Exposure to Mercury in the Arctic
PublicationThis paper reviews information from the literature and the EU ArcRisk project to assess whether climate change results in an increase or decrease in exposure to mercury (Hg) in the Arctic, and if this in turn will impact the risks related to its harmful effects. It presents the state-of-the art of knowledge on atmospheric mercury emissions from anthropogenic sources worldwide, the long-range transport to the Arctic, and it discusses...
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Application of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of selected organochlorine pesticides in honey by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry
PublicationDispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) is a rapid and easy technique that consumes minute amounts of organic solvents. In this work, we present chemometric study on optimization of DLLME parameters for the extraction of aldrin, endrin, lindane, alfa-endosulfan, 4,4'-DDT and its metabolites from honey matrix. Method quantification limits (MQLs) vary between 0.3 ng/g for 2,4'-DDE and 4,4'-DDE to 13.2 ng/g for alfa-endosulfan...
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Endocrine disrupting compounds in the baby's world - A harmful environment to the health of babies
PublicationGlobally, there has been a significant increase in awareness of the adverse effects of chemicals with known or suspected endocrine-acting properties on human health. Human exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) mainly occurs by ingestion and to some extent by inhalation and dermal uptake. Although it is difficult to assess the full impact of human exposure to EDCs, it is well known that timing of exposure is of importance...
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How high-tech solutions support the fight against IUU and ghost fishing: a review of innovative approaches, methods, and trends
PublicationIllegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing is a major threat to human food supply and marine ecosystem health. Not only is it a cause of significant economic loss but also its effects have serious long-term environmental implications, such as overfishing and ocean pollution. The beginning of the fight against this problem dates since the early 2000s. From that time, a number of approaches and methods have been developed and reported....
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Chromatographic analyses of Lavandula angustifolia and Rosmarinus officinalis extracts and their biological effects in mammalian cells and cell-free systems
PublicationKnowledge of biological properties of natural compounds allows to understand their therapeutic value, efficacy and security. We investigated: composition of Lavandula angustifolia (LA) and Rosmarinus officinalis (RO) extracts, their antioxidant capacity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, their DNA-protective potential against DNA damage induced in hamster V79 cells by several genotoxins or in plasmid DNA by Fe2+ ions and activity...
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Application of ion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection for the determination of trace cyanide in biological samples, including breast milk
PublicationCyanide (CN) is the biomarker of exposure to the components of tobacco smoke, although its presence in biological samples is also due to the consumption of products containing cyanogenic glycosides. In this work, we determine the concentration of the free cyanide in urine, saliva and breast milk matrices, using ion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (IC-PAD). IC-PAD is an emerging method, with only few documented...
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Relevance of the EU Structural Funds’ Allocation to the Needs of Combating Air Pollution in Poland. Analysis of the Operational Programmes of Regions Threatened With Critical Air Pollution from Distributed Energy Sources
PublicationRecent years, the European Environmental Agency, has been reporting air quality parameters in Poland, as the poorest among all the EU countries. Despite of adoption of the EU legislation on energy efficiency and energy performance of buildings, existing legal solutions occur insufficient in reducing air pollution in Polish regions. Lack of an effective schemes supporting complex thermal renovation of buildings, exchange of inefficient...