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Search results for: enhanced pretreatment
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Scrutiny of power grids by penetrating PV energy in wind farms: a case study of the wind corridor of Jhampir, Pakistan
PublicationThis study examines the problems caused by intermittent renewable energy sources, especially wind farms, and suggests a different solar energy penetration strategy to improve their loading capacity. The study uses real-time data from a wind farm in Jhampir, Pakistan, to analyse and assess various aspects of grid stations connected to wind farms. Electrical Transient Analyzer Program is used to validate the results by linking these...
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Reliable low-cost surrogate modeling and design optimisation of antennas using implicit space mapping with substrate segmentation
PublicationAbstract: In this work, a reliable methodology for fast simulation-driven design optimisation of antenna structures is proposed. The authors’ approach exploits implicit space mapping (ISM) technology. To adopt it for handling antenna structures, they introduce substrate segmentation with separate dielectric permittivity value assigned for each segment as ISM preassigned parameters. At the same time, the coarse model for space mapping...
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Enhancement of fiber-optic low-coherence Fabry-Pérot interferometer with ZnO ALD films
PublicationIn this paper investigation of the enhanced fiber-optic low coherence Fabry-Pérot interferometer with zinc oxide (ZnO) film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) was presented. Model of the interferometer, which was constructed of single-mode optical fiber with applied ZnO ALD films, was built. The interferometer was also examined by means of experiment. Measurements were performed for both reflective and transmission modes,...
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The Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Response of AISI D3 Tool Steel Punches
PublicationRecently, deep cryogenic treatment is performed to improve the mechanical responses (wear, hardness, fatigue, and thermal conductivity) of various steel components. Researchers have tried to evaluate the eco-friendly and nontoxic process to optimize the parameters. Cold-shearing punches used to manufacture various holes that undergo severe impact loading and wear in the metal forming process. This study concerns the effect of soaking...
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Fast bubble dynamics and sizing
PublicationSingle bubble sizing is usually performed by measuring the resonant bubble response using the Dual Frequency Ultrasound Method. However, in practice, the use of millisecond-duration chirp-like waves yields nonlinear distortions of the bubble oscillations. In comparison with the resonant curve obtained under harmonic excitation, it was observed that the bubble dynamic response shifted by up to 20 percent of the resonant frequency...
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The use of thin diamond films in fiber optic low-coherence interferometers”
PublicationIn this paper we present the use of thin diamond films in fiber-optic low-coherence interferometers. Two kinds of diamond surfaces were used: undoped diamond film and boron-doped diamond film. They were deposited on glass plates as well as silicon layers. A conventionally used mirror was used as a reference layer. Diamond films were deposited using Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (μPE CVD) system. Measurements...
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Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel analogues of batracylin with synthetic amino acids and adenosine: an unexpected effect on centromere segregation in tumor cells through a dual inhibition of topoisomerase IIa and Aurora B
PublicationIn the search for new anticancer agents we designed and synthesized batracylin derivatives with linking synthetic amino acid side chains of different lengths and adenosine. Unexpectedly, we have found that in water and the culture media adenosine–amino acid–BAT conjugates form supramolecular structures and this prevents these compounds from entering cells. Consequently, these compounds exerted no biological activity when tested...
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The low coherence Fabry-Pérot interferometer with diamond and ZnO layers
PublicationThe authors present a fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot interferometer built with the application of diamond and zinc oxide (ZnO) thin layers. Thin ZnO films were deposited on the tip of a standard telecommunication single-mode optical fiber (SMF- 28) while the diamond layer was grown on the plate of silicon substrate. Investigated ZnO layers were fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and the diamond films were deposited using Microwave...
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Effects of n-butanol presence, inlet loading, empty bed residence time and starvation periods on the performance of a biotrickling filter removing cyclohexane vapors from air
PublicationThis paper presents the results of investigations on the removal of cyclohexane vapors from air using a peat-perlite packed biotrickling filter. Effects of basic process parameters i.e. IL (inlet loading) and EBRT (empty bed residence time) as well as introduction of n-butanol to the treated air stream and starvation periods on the process performance were evaluated. The results show that the introduction of hydrophilic n-butanol...
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Fusion of DNA-binding domain of Pyrococcus furiosus ligase with TaqStoffel DNA polymerase as a useful tool in PCR with difficult targets
PublicationThe DNA coding sequence of TaqStoffel polymer- ase was fused with the DNA-binding domain of Pyrococcus furiosus ligase. The resulting novel recombinant gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified and its enzymatic features were studied. The fusion protein (PfuDBDlig-TaqS) was found to have enhanced processivity as a result of the conversion of the Taq DNA polymerase from a relatively low processive...
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Adsorption-assisted transport of water vapour in super-hydrophobic membranes filled with multilayer graphene platelets
PublicationThe effects of confinement of multilayer graphene platelets in hydrophobic microporous polymeric membranes are here examined. Intermolecular interactions between water vapour molecules and nanocomposite membranes are envisaged to originate assisted transport of water vapour in membrane distillation processes when a suitable filler-polymer ratio is reached. Mass transport coefficients are estimated under different working conditions,...
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General Mechanism of Osmolytes’ Influence on Protein Stability Irrespective of the Type of Osmolyte Cosolvent
PublicationThe stability of proteins in an aqueous solution can be modified by the presence of osmolytes. The hydration sphere of stabilizing osmolytes is strikingly similar to the enhanced hydration sphere of a protein. This similarity leads to an increase in the protein stability. Moreover, the hydration sphere of destabilizing osmolytes is significantly different. These solutes generate in their surroundings so-called “structurally different...
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Three-dimensional mapping for data collected using variable stereo baseline
PublicationThe paper describes a system of 3D mapping of data collected with due regard for variable baseline. This solution constitute an extension to a VisRobot sub-system developed as a subsystem, necessary for implementing the generic idea of using mobile robots to explore an indoor static environment. This subsystem is to acquire stereo images, calculate the depth in the images and construct the sought 3D map. Stereo images are obtained...
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Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical characterization of photoanodes based on titania nanotubes modified by a BiVO4 thin film and gold nanoparticles
PublicationTitania nanotubes (TNT) modified with thin films of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) and gold nanoparticles (GNP) were photoelectrochemically characterized as photoanodes for water photooxidation. Presence of bismuth vanadate enhanced efficiency of photocurrent generation in comparison with pristine TNTs under visible light illumination. Besides an extended range of absorbed light, the presence of both BiVO4 and GNP reduced the charge...
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New insights of nanomaterials usage toward superhydrophobic membranes for water desalination via membrane distillation: A review
PublicationMembrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology for seawater desalination due to the ability to process high-salinity waters and the ability to be driven by low-grade or waste heat. However, practical applications of MD membranes are limited by the low vapor flux and fouling problem. Recently, there is a growing interest in developing novel MD membrane materials with enhanced hydrophobicity to improve the efficiency of desalination...
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Diamond-Phase (Sp3-C) Rich Boron-Doped Carbon Nanowalls (Sp2-C): A Physico-Chemical And Electrochemical Properties
PublicationThe growth of B-CNW with different boron doping levels controlled by the [B]/[C] ratio in plasma, and the influence of boron on the obtained material’s structure, surface morphology, electrical properties and electrochemical parameters, such as -ΔE and k°, were investigated. The fabricated boron-doped carbon nanowalls exhibit activity towards ferricyanide redox couple, reaching the peak separation value of only 85 mV. The flatband...
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Simulation Studies of Control Systems for Doubly Fed Induction Generator Supplied by the Current Source Converter
PublicationThe control system for a Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) supplied by a grid-connected Current Source Converter (CSC) is presented in this paper. Nonlinear transformation of DFIG model to the multi-scalar form is proposed. The nonlinear control strategy of active and reactive power of DFIG is realized by feedback linearization. In the proposed control scheme, the DFIG model and CSI parameters are included. Two Proportional-Integral...
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Condition of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Their Degradation Mechanism at the Former Auschwitz Concentration and Extermination Camp
PublicationThis paper presents the results of investigations on reinforced concrete structures present in the former Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. Field inspection employing the non-destructive method of reinforcement potential measurement according to the ASTM-C 876–15 standard, followed by laboratory investigations performed on genuine historic reinforced concrete samples collected from the...
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Investigations on strength and fracture in RC beams scaled along height or length
PublicationThe objective of the present paper is to identify experimentally and theoretically differing failure mechanisms in reinforced concrete beams subjected to four-point bending for a separate variation of the depth and length at the constant thickness. Experiments were performed on reinforced concrete beams under four-point bending. Different failure mechanisms included steel yielding, diagonal tension or shear- compression depending...
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Global Surrogate Modeling by Neural Network-Based Model Uncertainty
PublicationThis work proposes a novel adaptive global surrogate modeling algorithm which uses two neural networks, one for prediction and the other for the model uncertainty. Specifically, the algorithm proceeds in cycles and adaptively enhances the neural network-based surrogate model by selecting the next sampling points guided by an auxiliary neural network approximation of the spatial error. The proposed algorithm is tested numerically...
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On root finding algorithms for complex functions with branch cuts
PublicationA simple and versatile method is presented, which enhances the complex root finding process by eliminating branch cuts and branch points in the analyzed domain. For any complex function defined by a finite number of Riemann sheets, a pointwise product of all the surfaces can be obtained. Such single-valued function is free of discontinuity caused by branch cuts and branch points. The roots of the new function are the same as the...
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Quality Assurance of Educational Processes as the Foundation of the Quality Management System in Gdansk University of Technology
PublicationThe paper presents a model of quality management system (QMS) developed by the author in Gdansk University of Technology (GUT). The core of the model is internal quality assurance system of educational processes based on the ENQA guidelines. Next described in the paper steps of GUT QMS development are the implementation of one of the normative QMS models (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 17025) in selected organizational units of GUT and...
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Novel 5.1 Downmix Algorithm with Improved Dialogue Intelligibility
PublicationA new algorithm for 5.1 to stereo downmix is introduced, which addresses the problem of dialogue intelligibility. The algorithm utilizes proposed signal processing algorithms to enhance the intelligibility of movie dialogues, especially in difficult listening conditions or in compromised speaker setup. To account for the latter, a playback configuration utilizing a portable device, i.e. an ultrabook, is examined. The experiments...
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How Do Ionic Liquids Affect the Surface Structure of Titania Photocatalyst? An Electron-Trap Distribution-Analysis Study
PublicationTitanium(IV) oxide, titania, photocatalyst particles were prepared from titanium alkoxide in the presence of several kinds of ionic liquids, and it was clarified that a group of samples exhibited photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation under the irradiation of light of wavelength >400 nm higher than those of the other group of samples. Although the conventional structural analytical results could not be related to the activity,...
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Addressing the Weaknesses of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods using Python
PublicationThe book aims to draw attention to the weaknesses in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods and provide insights to improve the decision-making process. By addressing these weaknesses, it seeks to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of MCDM methods in selecting the best alternatives in various fields. The book covers popular MCDM methods such as TOPSIS, ELECTRE, VIKOR, and PROMETHEE. It compares traditional methods with...
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Vocalic Segments Classification Assisted by Mouth Motion Capture
PublicationVisual features convey important information for automatic speech recognition (ASR), especially in noisy environment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate to what extent visual data (i.e. lip reading) can enhance recognition accuracy in the multi-modal approach. For that purpose motion capture markers were placed on speakers' faces to obtain lips tracking data during speaking. Different parameterizations strategies were tested...
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THE MELT FLOWABILITY AND TENSILE PERFORMANCE OF POLY (-CAPROLACTONE)/BREWERS’ SPENT GRAIN COMPOSITES AS A FUNCTION OF FILLER MODIFICATION
PublicationNowadays, it is essential to reduce the environmental impact of products and technologies. Such an approach should be highlighted in all research activities. In the case of polymer composites, it can be realized by introducing by-products or waste materials as fillers. An auspicious example of such material is the brewers’ spent grain, the major byproduct of the beer production. Its chemical composition, relatively similar to conventional...
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Enhancing the bioconversion rate and end products of black soldier fly (BSF) treatment – A comprehensive review
PublicationFood security remains a pressing concern in the face of an increasing world population and environmental challenges. As climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity continue to impact agricultural productivity, traditional livestock farming faces limitations in meeting the growing global demand for meat and dairy products. In this context, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have emerged as a promising alternative for sustainable...
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Health by Art: the Remedial Role of Artistic Installations in Public Space
PublicationDesigning public spaces has become one of the most relevant issues in contemporary cities thanks to their integrating and inclusionary character. Public spaces are playing a far more important role in promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging us to do different activities. Therefore, contemporary public spaces should enhance creativity, stimulate physical activity and influence mental health. The methodology used in the research...
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Experimental and theoretical solubility advantage screening of bi-component solid curcumin formulations
PublicationA comprehensive experimental and theoretical screening was performed for identification of curcumin solubilizers. Experimental data led to formulation of a non-linear QSPR model correlating molecular descriptors with measured solubilities. The majority of synthesized binary systems exhibited a moderate enhancement of curcumin solubility, which was found to be the highest in the case of curcumin cocrystallized with pyrogallol. New...
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Naturally occurring mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy in the MRL mouse
PublicationThe MRL/MpJ mouse is an inbred laboratory strain of Mus musculus, known to exhibit enhanced autoimmunity, increased wound healing, and increased regeneration properties. We report the full-length mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence of the MRL mouse (Accession # EU450583), and characterize the discovery of two naturally occurring heteroplasmic sites. The first is a T3900C substitution in the TpsiCloop of the tRNA methionine gene...
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Detection of Denatonium Benzoate (Bitrex) Remnants in Noncommercial Alcoholic Beverages by Raman Spectroscopy
PublicationIllegal alcoholic beverages are often introduced into market using cheap technical alcohol, which is contaminated by denatonium benzoate (Bitrex) of very small concentration. Bitrex is the most bitter chemical compound and has to be removed before alcohol consumption. The home-made methods utilize sodium hypochlorite to disintegrate particles of denatonium benzoate in alcohol and to remove bitter taste before trading. In this experimental...
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Natural radioactivity of solid and liquid phases from shale oil and gas prospection in Pomerania
PublicationIonizing radiation intensity data and estimation of equivalent absorbed dose from solid and liquid samples from prospection of shale gas and oil at selected sites in Pomerania are presented. Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are associated with geological formations or fluids and can be enhanced during oil and gas production. They appear in e.g. drilling cuttings, flow back water, produced water, scale and sludge....
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EFFICIENCY OF GAS MIXTURES DETECTION BY RESISTIVE GAS SENSORS
PublicationResistive gas sensors are very popular and are commonly used to detect various gases and their mixtures. Their main disadvantage is very limited selectivity. Practical use of gas sensors in environmental applications (e.g., in sewage systems to protect workers, in air conditioning systems to monitor atmosphere quality) requires determination of concentration of a few mixed gases at the same time. We would like to present recent...
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Navier number and transition to turbulence
PublicationThe motivation behind this article is to explain a role of the Navier number (Na -dimensionless slip-length) in prediction of closures for laminar to turbulent transition undergoing via eddies detachment from the slip layer in nano-cannals. Additionally the role of the Navier number Na in universal modeling of phenomenon of enhanced mass flow rate reported in micro- and nano-channels has been explained. The Na number should be...
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Rapid design of miniaturised branch-line couplers through concurrent cell optimisation and surrogate-assisted fine-tuning
PublicationIn this study, the authors introduce a methodology for low-cost simulation-driven design optimisation of highly miniaturised branch-line couplers (BLCs). The first stage of their design approach exploits fast concurrent optimisation of geometrically dependent, but electromagnetically isolated cells that constitute a BLC. The cross-coupling effects between the cells are taken into account in the second stage, where a surrogate-assisted...
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Morphology and mechanical properties of polyamide/clay nanocomposites toughened with NBR/NBR-g-GMA: A comparative study
PublicationThis work highlights the importance of nanoclay dispersion state in the nanocomposites containing polyamide 6 (PA6), nanoclay and elastomers as well as clay localization at the interface of thermoplastic/elastomer. Morphology and mechanical properties of a series of nanocomposites containing acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), glycidyl methacrylate-grafted NBR (NBR-g-GMA), and combined NBR/NBR-g-GMA were compared and discussed...
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Prototype design and development of low-load-roof photovoltaic modules for applications in on-grid systems
PublicationFour prototypes of lightweight photovoltaic modules for applications in on-grid systems have been designed, developed, manufactured and tested for compliance with relevant IEC standards. Selected, commercially available materials characterized by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, dilatometry, scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation technique were used in frameless, adhesively-bonded sandwich-structures...
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An isogeometric finite element formulation for geometrically exact Timoshenko beams with extensible directors
PublicationAn isogeometric finite element formulation for geometrically and materially nonlinear Timoshenko beams is presented, which incorporates in-plane deformation of the cross-section described by two extensible director vectors. Since those directors belong to the space R3, a configuration can be additively updated. The developed formulation allows direct application of nonlinear three-dimensional constitutive equations without zero...
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Microporous N-Doped Carbon Obtained from Salt Melt Pyrolysis of Chitosan toward Supercapacitor and Oxygen Reduction Catalysts
PublicationThe direct carbonization of low-cost and abundant chitosan biopolymer in the presencesalt eutectics leads to highly microporous, N-doped nanostructures. The microporous structureeasily manufactured using eutectic mixture (ZnCl2 -KCl) and chitosan. Potassium ions here can act as an intercalating agent, leading to the formation of lamellar carbon sheets, whereas zinc chloride generates significant porosity. Here, we present an efficient...
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Study on VR Application Efficiency of Selected Android OS Mobile Devices
PublicationCurrently, the number of scenarios for using VR (Virtual Reality) technology grows every year. Yet, there are still issues associated with it, related with the performance of the mobile device itself. The aim of this work is to perform an analysis of the effectiveness of virtual reality applications in case of mobile platforms. We put the main emphasis on examining the performance and efficiency of four different hardware and software...
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Effect of ectoine on hydration spheres of peptides–spectroscopic studies
PublicationIn this paper, we use FTIR spectroscopy to characterize the hydration water of ectoine, its interactions with two peptides–diglycine and NAGMA, and the properties of water molecules in the hydration spheres of both peptides changed by the presence of the osmolyte. We found that the interaction of ectoine with the peptide hydration shells had no effect on its own hydration sphere. However, the enhanced hydration layer of the osmolyte...
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Synergistic effects of nitrogen-doped carbon and praseodymium oxide in electrochemical water splitting
PublicationHybrid materials featuring perovskite-type metal oxide in conjunction with heteroatom-doped graphene hold immense promise as alternatives to costly noble metal catalysts for electrochemical water splitting, facilitating the generation of environmentally friendly hydrogen. In this study, perovskite-type oxide containing praseodymium, barium, strontium, cobalt, and iron atoms dispersed in a carbon matrix as a catalyst is synthesized...
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A selectively reduced degree basis for efficient mixed nonlinear isogeometric beam formulations with extensible directors
PublicationThe effect of higher order continuity in the solution field by using NURBS basis function in isogeometric analysis (IGA) is investigated for an efficient mixed finite element formulation for elastostatic beams. It is based on the Hu–Washizu variational principle considering geometrical and material nonlinearities. Here we present a reduced degree of basis functions for the additional fields of the stress resultants and strains...
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“Green” nature of the process of derivatization in analytical sample preparation
PublicationNowadays, the idea of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) is of high importance what impacts on the rapid growth in the sample preparation area with special emphasis on sample preparation simplification, miniaturization, and automation. Because the derivatization process is often an essential element of the analytical procedure, it should be important to focus on this issue from GAC perspective and conduct a series of experiments...
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Towards Precise Visual Navigation and Direct Georeferencing for MAV Using ORB-SLAM2
PublicationA low accuracy of positioning using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) are not meet geodetic requirements for direct images georeferencing for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry. A majority of UAVs are equipped with a monocular or stereo non-metric cameras for either visual data gathering or live video feed for operator. A cheap positioning techniques used on board commercial UAVs are not that precise as geodetic...
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Influence of reactive oxygen species during deposition of iron oxide films by high power impulse magnetron sputtering.
PublicationIron oxide films were deposited using high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of an iron cathode in an argon/oxygen gas mixture at different gas pressures (0.5~Pa, 1.5~Pa, and 5.0~Pa). The HiPIMS system was operated at a repetition frequency $f = 100$~Hz with a duty cycle of 1~\%. A main goal is a comparison of film growth during conventional and electron cyclotron wave resonance-assisted HiPIMS. The deposition plasma...
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Effect of osmolytes on the thermal stability of proteins: replica exchange simulations of Trp-cage in urea and betaine solutions
PublicationAlthough osmolytes are known to modulate the folding equilibrium, the molecular mechanism of their effect on thermal denaturation of proteins is still poorly understood. Here, we simulated the thermal denaturation of a small model protein (Trp-cage) in the presence of denaturing (urea) and stabilizing (betaine) osmolytes, using the all-atom replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations. We found that urea destabilizes Trp-cage...
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The psychrotrophic yeast Sporobolomyces roseus LOCK 1119 as a source of a highly active aspartic protease for the in vitro production of antioxidant peptides
PublicationA psychrotrophic yeast strain producing a cold-adapted protease at low temperature was classified as Sporobolomyces roseus. In standard YPG medium, S. roseus LOCK 1119 synthesized an extracellular protease with an activity of approximately 560 U/L. Optimization of medium composition and process temperature considerably enhanced enzyme biosynthesis; an approximate 70% increase in activity (2060 U/L). The native enzyme was purified...
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EM-driven topology evolution for bandwidth enhancement of hybrid quadrature patch couplers
PublicationA broad operational bandwidth is one of the key performance figures of hybrid patch couplers. Due to the lack of systematic design procedures, bandwidth enhancement is normally obtained through manual modifications of the structure geometry. In this work, an optimization-based topology evolution for EM-driven design of patch couplers with enhanced bandwidth has been proposed. The method exploits a novel spline-based EM model where...