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Search results for: GEOCHEMICAL BACKGROUND
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Port Cities within Port Regions: Shaping Complex Urban Environments in Gdańsk Bay, Poland
PublicationPort cities located within various metropolitan or functional regions face very different development scenarios. This applies not only to entire municipalities but also to particular areas that play important roles in urban development—including ports as well as their specialized parts. This refers also to the various types of maritime industries, including the processing of goods, logistics operations, shipbuilding, or ship repairing,...
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Higher platelet counts correlate to tumour progression and can be induced by intratumoural stroma in non-metastatic breast carcinomas
PublicationBackground Platelets support tumour progression. However, their prognostic significance and relation to circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in operable breast cancer (BrCa) are still scarcely known and, thus, merit further investigation. Methods Preoperative platelet counts (PCs) were compared with clinical data, CTCs, 65 serum cytokines and 770 immune-related transcripts obtained using the NanoString technology. Results High normal...
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Transparency of publicly available information about fiscal and monetary policy in Poland
PublicationResearch background: The quality of information provided by fiscal and monetary authorities are important in a democratic state. Ensuring fiscal policy transparency reduces fiscal risk and corruption and promotes public acceptance of fiscal reforms. Ensuring transparency in monetary policy allows market participants to anticipate central bank responses and take their effects into account when making investment and consumption decisions. Aim...
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The early failure of the gamma nail and the dynamic hip screw in femurs with a wide medullary canal. A biomechanical study of intertrochanteric fractures
PublicationBackground: Intertrochanteric fractures may occur in a bone with a wide medullary canal that may lead to significant mobility of a intramedullary nail, contrary to an extramedullary device. This study evaluates the Dynamic Hip Screw and the gamma nail in AO 31.A2.1 fractures in these circumstances. Methods: Synthetic femora with canals drilled to 18 mm were used. Five fixation types were examined: a 2 - hole and a 4 – hole Dynamic...
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The Substantial Improvement of Amphotericin B Selective Toxicity Upon Modification of Mycosamine with Bulky Substituents
PublicationAbstract: Background: It is assumed that the unfavorable selective toxicity of an antifungal drug Amphotericin B (AmB) can be improved upon chemical modification of the antibiotic molecule. Objective: The aim of this study was verification of the hypothesis that introduction of bulky substituents at the amino sugar moiety of the antibiotic may result in diminishment of mammalian vitro toxicity of thus prepared AmB derivatives. Methods:...
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Mild X-linked Alport syndrome due to the COL4A5 G624D variant originating in the Middle Ages is predominant in Central/East Europe and causes kidney failure in midlife
PublicationA study of 269 children enrolled into a National Registry for children with persistent glomerular hematuria identified 131 individuals with genetically confirmed X-linked Alport Syndrome. A single variant c.1871G>A p.Gly624Asp (G624D) in COL4A5 was predominant and accounted for 39% of Xlinked Alport Syndrome in unrelated Polish families (44 of 113). To evaluate its origins, the genetic variation in a 2.79 Mb segment encompassing...
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Clothes Detection and Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks
PublicationIn this paper we describe development of a computer vision system for accurate detection and classification of clothes for e-commerce images. We present a set of experiments on well established architectures of convolutional neural networks, including Residual networks, SqueezeNet and Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD). The clothes detection network was trained and tested on DeepFashion dataset, which contains box annotations...
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Architektura i układ przestrzenny portu gdyńskiego lat międzywojennych jako dziedzictwo kulturowe
PublicationW rozprawie podjęto przedstawienie dwóch głównych składowych krajobrazu kulturowego portu gdyńskiego - przestrzeni portowej jako zrealizowanej myśli planistycznej oraz zbudowanymi na terenie kompleksu obiektami architektonicznymi. Analiza zasobu w jego najistotniejszym - z punktu widzenia dziedzictwa kulturowego - podejściu historycznym okresu dwudziestolecia międzywojennego dowodzi znacznych, tkwiących w nim, wartości historycznych....
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Characterization of recombinant homocitrate synthase from Candida albicans
PublicationLYS21 and LYS22 genes from Candida albicans encoding isoforms of homocitrate synthase (HCS), an enzyme catalyzing the first committed step in the L-lysine biosynthetic pathway, were cloned and expressed as NoligoHistagged fusion proteins in Escherichia coli. The purified gene products revealed HCS activity, i.e. catalyzed the condensation of α-ketoglutarate with acetyl-coenzyme A to yield homocitrate. The recombinant enzymes were purified...
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The Simulation of Activated Sludge System for Optimization of Predictive Aeration at Large WWTP
PublicationEffective use of biodegradable substrates as an internal carbon sources (ICS) for denitrification and EBPR and predicting performance of aeration systems during nitrification in activated sludge bioreactors, may be useful in realization the sustainable development by potentially saving energy consumption at WWTPs. A large number of WWTPs use activated sludge systems with an integrated removal of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus...
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Attenuation of Hyperglycemia in Diabetic Rats Assisted by Immobilized Probiotic in Sodium Alginate
PublicationDiabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is the most common chronic disease worldwide, characterized mainly by increased glucose concentration in the blood and affecting several organs’ functionality. The daily consumption of probiotic bacteria can help control diabetes and reduce the damage caused. Cell immobilization techniques are a powerful tool that provides physical cell protection to such probiotic bacteria against gastrointestinal...
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Retained features of embryonic metabolism in the adult MRL mouse
PublicationThe MRL mouse is an inbred laboratory strain that was derived by selective breeding in 1960 from the rapidly growing LG/J (Large) strain. MRL mice grow to nearly twice the size of other commonly used mouse strains, display uncommonly robust healing and regeneration properties, and express later onset autoimmune traits similar to Systemic Lupus Erythematosis. The regeneration trait (heal) in the MRL mouse maps to 14-20 quantitative...
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Water and chemical properties of hydrometeors over central european mountains
PublicationAtmospheric pollutants are transferred to the groundby the contribution of various types of hydrometeors. Because ofthe different techniques of measurement, comparative analysesbetween them are often neglected. Hence, the main goal is tocompare water volume and chemistry of different types ofhydrometeors and their role in both: water balance and pollutantsdeposition. The results of water input and atmospheric depositschemistry...
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Waveguide model of the hearing aid earmold system
PublicationBackground The earmold system of the Behind-The-Ear hearing aid is an acoustic system that modifies the spectrum of the propagated sound waves. Improper selection of the earmold system may result in deterioration of sound quality and speech intelligibility. Computer modeling methods may be useful in the process of hearing aid fitting, allowing physician to examine various earmold system configurations and choose the optimum one...
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Microbial diversity of inflamed and noninflamed gut biopsy tissues in inflammatory bowel disease.
PublicationBACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition without any known cause or cure. An imbalance in normal gut biota has been identified as an important factor in the inflammatory process. METHODS: Fifty-eight biopsies from Crohn's disease (CD, n = 10), ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 15), and healthy controls (n = 16) were taken from a population-based case-control study. Automated ribosomal intergenic...
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O07 Filaggrin insufficiency renders keratinocyte-derived small extracellular vesicles capable of affecting CD1a-mediated T-cell responses and promoting allergic inflammation
PublicationThe association between FLG loss-of-function mutations and the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) indicates that filaggrin is critical to skin barrier function; the mutations are also linked to additional allergic manifestations, but it is unknown how the skin may influence inflammation in distant tissues. Here we investigated the impact of filaggrin insufficiency on keratinocyte-derived exosome-enriched small extracellular...
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Photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide nanorods incorporated graphitic carbon nitride catalyst
PublicationBackground Photocatalysts are user-friendly and serve as compatible materials for degrading industrial dye pollutants. This study utilizes zinc oxide/graphitic carbon nitride (ZnO/g-C3N4) nanocomposites against degrading methylene blue (MB). Methods The hydrothermal method assisted sonication technique was used to fabricate the ZnO/g-C3N4 composite with varying ratios of ZnO/g-C3N4 (1:0.25, 1:0.50, 1:1). The synthesized materials...
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Current advances in membrane processing of wines: A comprehensive review
PublicationBackground Membrane-based operations, especially pressure-driven membrane operations, are today well-established procedures for various applications in the wine industry thanks to their intrinsic properties and undoubted advantages over traditional methods. Emerging membrane processes, such as pervaporation, electrodialysis and osmotic distillation, forward osmosis, membrane contactors, offer new and interesting perspectives to...
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An Analysis of Contextual Aspects of Conceptualization: A Case Study and Prospects
PublicationIn this chapter we present a new approach to development of modularized knowledge bases. We argue that modularization should start from the very beginning of modeling, i.e. from the conceptualization stage. To make this feasible, we propose to exploit a context-oriented, semantic approach to modularization. This approach is based on the Structural Interpretation Model (SIM) presented earlier elsewhere. In the first part of thischapter...
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Waveguide model of the hearing aid earmold system
PublicationBackground The earmold system of the Behind-The-Ear hearing aid is an acoustic system that modifies the spectrum of the propagated sound waves. Improper selection of the earmold system may result in deterioration of sound quality and speech intelligibility. Computer modeling methods may be useful in the process of hearing aid fitting, allowing physician to examine various earmold system configurations and choose the optimum one...
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Application of adjusted subpixel method (ASM) in HRCT measurements of the bronchi in bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals
PublicationBackground: Recently, we described a model system which included corrections of high-resolution computedtomography (HRCT) bronchial measurements based on the adjusted subpixel method (ASM).Objective: To verify the clinical application of ASM by comparing bronchial measurements obtained bymeans of the traditional eye-driven method, subpixel method alone and ASM in a group comprised ofbronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals.Methods:...
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Mathematical Modeling of Ice Dynamics as a Decision Support Tool in River Engineering
PublicationThe prediction of winter flooding is a complicated task since it is affected by many meteorological and hydraulic factors. Typically, information on river ice conditions is based on historical observations, which are usually incomplete. Recently, data have been supplemented by information extracted from satellite images. All the above mentioned factors provide a good background of the characteristics of ice processes, but are not...
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Determinants of trade balance in Polish and Czech manufacturing sectors
PublicationResearch background: A strong industrial base is essential for achieving long-term sustainable economic growth and export competitiveness. In that sense, manufacturing remains a significant contributor to exports in the CEE countries. However, its role and its influence vary between CEE economies and change over time. Purpose of the article: The main objective of this paper is to compare the determinants of the international competitiveness,...
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Volatile Organohalogen Compounds Determination with Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Applying Solvent Lighter than Water
PublicationBackground: Volatile organohalogen compounds (VOX) are a group of environmental pollutants that risk the quality of drinking water. These compounds are characterized by certain acute and chronic toxicities, possessing mutagenic properties. Because of these potential risks factors that these compounds cause, the maximum allowable concentrations (MACs) have been established by respective organizations. The abundance of VOX, their...
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Social convergence in Nordic countries at regional level
PublicationResearch background: Geographical proximity, common historical roots and collaboration within the Nordic Council cause the Nordic countries to be often wrongly treated as monoliths. However, in reality, Nordic regions differ in terms of broadly defined social and economic development. Issues concerning the standard of living are one of the priorities of the Helsinki Treaty signed by Nordic countries. Purpose of the article: The...
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Morphometric evaluation of the delayed cerebral arteries response to acetazolamide test in patients with chronic carotid artery stenosis using computed tomography angiography
PublicationBackground: The evidence accumulates that the response to acetazolamide test is delayed on the ipsilateral side to stenosis. However, the effect of acetazolamide beyond 30 minutes after acetazolamide administration remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the diameters of: anterior cerebral arteries (ACAs), middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) and posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs) before and 60 minutes after the acetazolamide...
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Characterization of exceptionally thermostable single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from Thermotoga maritima and Thermotoga neapolitana
PublicationBACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in SSBs because they find numerous applications in diverse molecular biology and analytical methods.RESULTS: We report the characterization of single-stranded DNA binding proteins (SSBs) from the thermophilic bacteria Thermotoga maritima (TmaSSB) and Thermotoga neapolitana (TneSSB). They are the smallest known bacterial SSB proteins, consisting of 141 and 142 amino...
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Opitmalising Human Development Index with sensitivity analysis
PublicationResearch background: Composite indicators are commonly used not only to measure economic development, the standard of livin g, competitiveness, fairness, effectiveness but are also willingly implemented in to many different fields. How- ever, it seems that in most cases the variable weig hting procedure is avoided or erroneous since in most cases so-called “wights by belief” are...
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Degree of monopoly and market power vs. price flexibility in Polish economy: empirical analysis based on COICOP classification
PublicationResearch background: The issue of price flexibility is crucial in the economy both in the aspect of company theory and its macroeconomic consequences. In a number of publications, the sources of variable price flexibility are linked to the market power of enterprises as well as the market structure that has developed in a given branch. It is difficult to indicate empirical studies that would state clearly whether price flexibility...
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The non-invasive evaluation of heart function in patients with an acute myocardial infarction: The role of impedance cardiography
PublicationBackground: The purpose of this study was to analyze hemodynamic changes in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at an early stage of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and at one-month follow-up. Methods: Patients with AMI (n = 27) who underwent PCI were analyzed using impedance cardiography (ICG). ICG data were collected continuously (beat by beat) during the whole PCI procedure and thereafter at every...
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Electronic structure calculations in electrolyte solutions: Methods for neutralization of extended charged interfaces
PublicationDensity functional theory (DFT) is often used for simulating extended materials such as infinite crystals or surfaces, under periodic boundary conditions (PBCs). In such calculations, when the simulation cell has non-zero charge, electrical neutrality has to be imposed, and this is often done via a uniform background charge of opposite sign (“jellium”). This artificial neutralization does not occur in reality, where a different...
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COVID-19 and digital deprivation in Poland
PublicationResearch background: The problem of digital deprivation is already known, but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted its negative consequences. A global change in the way of life, work and socialisation resulting from the epidemic has indicated that a basic level of digital integration is becoming necessary. During the lockdown, people were forced to use ICTs to adapt to a rapidly changing reality. Current experience with coronavirus...
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In vivo imaging of the human eye using a two-photon excited fluorescence scanning laser ophthalmoscope
PublicationBACKGROUND. Noninvasive assessment of metabolic processes that sustain regeneration of human retinal visual pigments (visual cycle) is essential to improve ophthalmic diagnostics and to accelerate development of new treatments to counter retinal diseases. Fluorescent vitamin A derivatives, which are the chemical intermediates of these processes, are highly sensitive to UV light; thus, safe analyses of these processes in humans...
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Detecting Apples in the Wild: Potential for Harvest Quantity Estimation
PublicationKnowing the exact number of fruits and trees helps farmers to make better decisions in their orchard production management. The current practice of crop estimation practice often involves manual counting of fruits (before harvesting), which is an extremely time-consuming and costly process. Additionally, this is not practicable for large orchards. Thanks to the changes that have taken place in recent years in the field of image...
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Segmentation Quality Refinement in Large-Scale Medical Image Dataset with Crowd-Sourced Annotations
PublicationDeployment of different techniques of deep learning including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) in image classification systems has accomplished outstanding results. However, the advantages and potential impact of such a system can be completely negated if it does not reach a target accuracy. To achieve high classification accuracy with low variance in medical image classification system, there is needed the large size of the...
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DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION ANALYSIS OF QUICKLY CHANGING TEMPERATURE OF EXHAUST GAS FROM MARINE DIESEL ENGINE PART I SINGLE FACTOR ANALYSIS
PublicationIn this paper, attention was paid to the problem of low controllability of marine medium- and high-speed engines during operation, which significantly limits the parametric diagnosis. The measurement of quickly changing temperature of engine exhaust gas was proposed, the courses of which can be a source of diagnostic information. The F statistic of the Fisher-Snedecor distribution was chosen as a statistical tool. Laboratory tests...
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Higher Responsiveness to Rosuvastatin in Polygenic versus Monogenic Hypercholesterolemia: A Propensity Score Analysis
PublicationBackground: The monogenic defect in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is detected in ∼40% of cases. The majority of mutation-negative patients have a polygenic cause of high LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). We sought to investigate whether the underlying monogenic or polygenic defect is associated with the response to rosuvastatin. Methods: FH Individuals were tested for mutations in LDLR and APOB genes. A previously established LDL-C-specific...
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Rethinking Sustainable Cities at Night: Paradigm Shifts in Urban Design and City Lighting
PublicationSince the establishment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, various perspectives on sustainable cities have been developed and adopted in order to achieve a better and more sustainable future. However, background research has revealed that these goals and targets are limited because they do not take into account the growing body of lighting-related research in diverse fields...
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The atlas of inequality aversion: theory and empirical evidence on 55 countries from the Luxembourg Income Study database
PublicationResearch background: In the distributive analysis, the constant relative inequality aversion utility function is a standard tool for ethical judgements of income distributions. The sole parameter ε of this function expresses a society’s aversion to inequality. However, the profession has not committed to the range of ε. When assessing inequality and other welfare characteristics, analysts assume an arbitrary level of ε, common...
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Remote Work Support Needs of Employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Poland: Perspectives of Individuals with Autism and Their Coworkers
PublicationBackground and Aims: With remote work becoming more common across industries, employees with autism may experience different work support needs from neurotypical peers. However, the specific remote work needs of this group of employees are underexplored in the literature. We aim to propose ways to assess workplace digital adaptation needs for individuals with autism and a framework for communicating these needs to employers. Methods:...
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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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Level of public finances decentralization in European Union countries
PublicationResearch background: Despite of the universality of the implementation in democratic countries the principle of decentralization resulting from the belief that it is an instrument to improve the efficiency of public funds management, both the scope of public services and the level of decentralization in individual countries are not identical. Purpose of the article: Comparison the scope of fiscal decentralization...
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Labour share and income inequalities in the European Union, taking into account the level of development of economies
Publicationesearch background: The relationship between labour share and income inequality is a complex and multifaceted problem. Despite ongoing discussions among economists, there is still no consensus on the direction of the relationship between labour share and income ine-quality. Purpose of the article: The article aims to assess the impact of labour share on income inequal-ity, which is measured in three ways: the Gini index...
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Hybrid Laboratory of Radio Communication With Online Simulators and Remote Access
PublicationContribution: Two toolsets for the remote teaching of radio communication laboratory classes: 1) online simulators for individual work of students and 2) a remote access system to laboratory workstations for group work. Initial assumptions and method of implementation of both tools are presented. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a change in teaching at all levels of education. The specificity of practical classes, such...
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Association of Genes Related to Oxidative Stress with the Extent of Coronary Atherosclerosis
PublicationOxidative stress is believed to play a critical role in atherosclerosis initiation and progression. In line with this, in a group of 1099 subjects, we determined eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to oxidative stress (PON1 c.575A>G, MPO c.463G>A, SOD2 c.47T>C, GCLM c.590C>T, NOS3 c.894G>T, NOS3 c.786T>C, CYBA c.214C>T, and CYBA c.932A>G) and assessed the extent of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries based on...
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Treated wasetewater as a source of humic substances in surface waters
PublicationHumic substances impose substantial effect on the aquatic environment as well as the water organisms and human health. Among other features, the humic acids determine organoleptic properties of surface waters. Therefore explanation of the origin and properties of humic acids in surface waters is one of the priorities of water technology.Recently it was pointed out that in the wastewater treatment process organic compounds characterized...
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The advanced monitoring as a key factor for appropriate optimization and control of full-scale activated sludge systems – case study Debogorze WWTP.
PublicationComputer simulation has become a helpful tool in wastewater treatment systems performance and effectiveness analysis. Advanced monitoring, by using appropriate software, enables to create a mathematical model of a real wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), run a simulation and subsequently interpret results under various conditions. An operation of WWTP is usually controlled by global parameters such as flow, solids retention time,...
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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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Effect of pH on optical sensing with poly-L-lysine-modified nanodiamonds
PublicationNitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers are crystallographic defects which provide diamonds with unique physical properties. The centers are known for their intensive, time-stable fluorescence, and an electron spin, which exhibits long coherence time and may be manipulated using external stimuli. Nanodiamonds containing the NV centers are promising tools in biolabeling, biosensing, and drug delivery due to the aforementioned properties of...
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China’s international trade and global value chains under One-Belt One-Road initiative
PublicationResearch background: After China acceded to the WTO in 2001, its foreign trade has expanded rapidly to be the largest share in the world. However, China's economic development changing from high-speed growth to medium high-speed growth in recent years. At the same time, the increase in labour cost and overcapacity also hinder China’s international trade. In order to solve these challenges and strengthening ties...