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Search results for: SUPRAMOLECULAR SOLVENTS
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Why do G-quadruplexes dimerize through the 5’-ends? Driving forces for G4 DNA dimerization examined in atomic detail
PublicationG-quadruplexes (G4) are secondary structures formed by guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences and shown to exist in living cells where they participate in regulation of gene expression and chromosome maintenance. G-quadruplexes with solvent-exposed guanine tetrads show the tendency to associate together through cofacial stacking, which may be important for packaging of G4-forming sequences and allows for the design of higher-order...
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Hydration of amino acids: FTIR spectra and molecular dynamics studies
PublicationThe hydration of selected amino acids, alanine, glycine, proline, valine, isoleucine and phenylalanine, has been studied in aqueous solutions by means of FTIR spectra of HDO isotopically diluted in H2O. The difference spectra procedure and the chemometric method have been applied to remove the contribution of bulk water and thus to separate the spectra of solute-affected HDO. To support interpretation of obtained spectral results,...
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Multicomponent ionic liquid CMC prediction
PublicationWe created a model to predict CMC of ILs based on 704 experimental values published in 43 publications since 2000. Our model was able to predict CMC of variety of ILs in binary or ternary system in a presence of salt or alcohol. The molecular volume of IL (Vm), solvent-accessible surface (Sˆ), solvation enthalpy (DsolvGN), concentration of salt (Cs) or alcohol (Ca) and their molecular volumes (Vms and Vma, respectively) were chosen...
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Evolutionary sets of safe ship trajectories with speed reduction manoeuvres within traffic separation schemes
PublicationIn the previous paper the author presented the evolutionary ship trajectory planning method designed to support Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS). This time the extensions of this method are described which allow to combine evolutionary trajectory planning with speed reduction manoeuvres. On TSS regions with higher than usual density of traffic and smaller distances between ships, the course alterations alone are not always sufficient...
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An O ( n log n ) algorithm for finding edge span of cacti
PublicationLet G=(V,E) be a nonempty graph and xi be a function. In the paper we study the computational complexity of the problem of finding vertex colorings c of G such that: (1) |c(u)-c(v)|>=xi(uv) for each edge uv of E; (2) the edge span of c, i.e. max{|c(u)-c(v)|: uv belongs to E}, is minimal. We show that the problem is NP-hard for subcubic outerplanar graphs of a very simple structure (similar to cycles) and polynomially solvable for...
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Membrane-SPME the best 'green' sample preparation technique for the gas chromatographic determination polar organic pollutants in polar media
PublicationOne of the most popular technique for sample preparation, which fulfill requirements of green analytical chemistry, is solid phase microextraction (SPME). Because of the undoubted advantages of SPME technique, solvent-free character of the extraction process and the enormous potential in analytical practice, a series of studies has been undertaken to develop new technical solutions, where improving the sensitivity and the extraction...
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Up-to-date strategies and future trends towards the extraction and purification of Capsaicin: A comprehensive review
PublicationBackground According to the current need of manufacturing healthier products, food companies are seeking specific biomolecules that may offer additional added value (i.e., biological activities) to the new food formulations. Capsaicin, as the pungent ingredient of chili peppers, has become so far one of the target biomolecules explored since the 1950s. There is evidence demonstrating that capsaicin exhibits important biological...
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Influence of temperature and anion type on thermophysical properties of aqueous solutions of morpholine based amino acid ionic liquids
PublicationDensities and sound velocities of aqueous solutions of N-butyl-N-methylmorpholine based amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs), including N-acetyl-L-alanine, N-acetyl-Lvalinate, N-acetyl-L-leucinate, and N-acetyl-L-izoleucinate anions were measured at a temperature from 293.15 to 313.15 K at 5 K intervals and atmospheric pressure. These data were used to calculate the apparent molar volumes and the apparent molar compressibilities in...
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Electrochemistry from first-principles in the grand canonical ensemble
PublicationProgress in electrochemical technologies, such as automotive batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells, depends greatly on developing improved charged interfaces between electrodes and electrolytes. The rational development of such interfaces can benefit from the atomistic understanding of the materials involved by first-principles quantum mechanical simulations with Density Functional Theory (DFT). However, such simulations are...
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Molecular mechanism of proton-coupled ligand translocation by the bacterial efflux pump EmrE
PublicationThe current surge in bacterial multi-drug resistance (MDR) is one of the largest challenges to public health, threatening to render ineffective many therapies we rely on for treatment of serious infections. Understanding different factors that contribute to MDR is hence crucial from the global “one health” perspective. In this contribution, we focus on the prototypical broad-selectivity proton-coupled antiporter EmrE, one of the...
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Impact of Tetrazolium Ionic Liquid Thermal Decomposition in Solvothermal Reaction on the Remarkable Photocatalytic Properties of TiO2 Particles
PublicationIonic liquids (ILs) could serve as a structuring agent, a solvent, or a source of dopant during solvothermal synthesis of semiconductors particles. To understand the role of IL during formation of TiO2 particles, it is necessary to study the stability of this IL in solvothermal synthesis conditions, as well as studying the surface properties of formed TiO2 particles. In view of this, the effect of the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium...
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A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitative analysis of ibuprofen and its metabolites in equine urine samples by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
PublicationIbuprofen is widely used in human and veterinary medicine for the treatment of chronic pain as well as rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders. However, t he anal- gesic and anti-inflammatory properties of Ibuprofen have contributed to frequent drug abuse in equestr ian s ports. A sensitive and rapid gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry based method with a simple liquid-liquid extraction and deriva- tization requiring...
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TINKTEP: A fully self-consistent, mutually polarizable QM/MM approach based on the AMOEBA force field
PublicationWe present a novel quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach in which a quantum subsystem is coupled to a classical subsystem described by the AMOEBA polarizable force field. Our approach permits mutual polarization between the QM and MM subsystems, effected through multipolar electrostatics. Self-consistency is achieved for both the QM and MM subsystems through a total energy minimization scheme. We provide an expression...
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Fabrication of polyurethane and polyurethane based composite fibers by the electrospinning technique for soft tissue engineering of cardiovascular system
PublicationElectrospinning is the unique technique, which provides forming of polymeric scaffolds for soft tissue engineering, which include tissue scaffolds for soft tissues of cardiovascular system. Such artificial soft tissues of cardiovascular system may possess mechanical properties comparable to native vascular tissues. Electrospinning technique gives the opportu nity to form fibres with nm- to μm-scale in diameter. The arrangement...
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Progress in ATRP-derived materials for biomedical applications
PublicationThe continuing wave of technological breakthroughs and advances is critical for engineering well- defined materials, particularly biomaterials, with tailored microstructure and properties. Over the last few decades, controlled radical polymerization (CRP) has become a very promising option for the synthesis of precise polymeric materials with an unprecedented degree of control over mo lecular architecture. Atom transfer radical...
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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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An Efficient Framework For Fast Computer Aided Design of Microwave Circuits Based on the Higher-Order 3D Finite-Element Method
PublicationIn this paper, an efficient computational framework for the full-wave design by optimization of complex microwave passive devices, such as antennas, filters, and multiplexers, is described. The framework consists of a computational engine, a 3D object modeler, and a graphical user interface. The computational engine, which is based on a finite element method with curvilinear higher-order tetrahedral elements, is coupled with built-in...
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Monolithic capsule phase microextraction prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in environmental water samples
PublicationIn this study, a capsule phase microextraction (CPME) protocol followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is proposed for the accurate and sensitive monitoring of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in environmental water samples. Different monolithic sol–gel encapsulated sorbents were compared and monolithic sol–gel poly(ethylene glycol)-based sorbent incorporated into porous microextraction capsules resulted in the highest...
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Chemical and biological stability of polyene macrolides
PublicationThe polyene macrolide antibiotics have been used in an-tifungal therapy since first o f them were discovered in 1950's. Up to now, four polyene macrolides are being used in medical practice, namely amphotericin B, nystatin, candi-cidin and pimaricin.The antifungal activity and mode of ac-tion of polyene macrolides is determined by their structure, chemical and physical properties.The main fragment of polyene...
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Silicon’s Influence on Polyphenol and Flavonoid Profiles in Pea (Pisum sativum L.) under Cadmium Exposure in Hydroponics: A Study of Metabolomics, Extraction Efficacy, and Antimicrobial Properties of Extracts
PublicationThe current study aimed to investigate the impact of silicon (Si) supplementation in the form of Na2SiO3 on the metabolome of peas under normal conditions and following exposure to cadmium (Cd) stress. Si is known for its ability to enhance stress tolerance in various plant species, including the mitigation of heavy metal toxicity. Cd, a significant contaminant, poses risks to...
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Role of Silicon in Counteracting Cadmium Stress in Pea Plants (Pisum sativum L.): Insights Into Cadmium Binding Mechanisms and Pectin Methylesterase Activity
PublicationPurpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of silicon (Si) in counteracting a cadmium (Cd) stress to pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) and to identify the mechanism by which Cd is bound within pea roots. Methods: These goals were achieved through (i) a histochemical study of Cd localization in pea roots, (ii) spectrophotometric determination of pectin content and the activity...
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Determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in house dust using standard addition method and gas chromatography with electron capture and mass spectrometric detection
PublicationMonitoring of the environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) involves determination of their concentration in air, airborne particles and settled dust. This requires the implementation of appropriate analytical tools like measuring instruments, reference materials and analytical procedures. In this study an analytical procedure was developed for determining PBDEs in samples with a complex matrix composition. The...
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Comparison of classical and modern approach of determination of highly polar compounds by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry
PublicationAbstract: Sugars and sugar alcohols are known as highly polar compounds. Four analytes were taken into consideration for comparison of classical and modern approach of separation of highly polar substances. Mannitol was chosen as an example of simple sugar alcohol, sucrose and lactulose as examples of disaccharides and structural isomers, raffinose as an example of complex trisaccharide. Raffinose was also used as internal standard...
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Geochemical fractionation of organic matter in the Jurassic-Cretaceous Vaca Muerta shale, Argentina
PublicationSeveral studies have indicated the presence of more than one generation of bitumen that could be isolated from rocks through sequential extraction or after demineralization or both. Nabbefeld et al. (2010a) and Holman et al. (2012, 2014) termed bitumen obtained after solvent extraction from the undigested rock as “Bitumen I" and that obtained by extraction after demineralization of rock as “Bitumen II.” The occurrence of different...
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Stabilities of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, bisphenol F diglycidyl ether, and their derivatives under controlled conditions analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
PublicationBisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), bisphenol F diglycydyl ether (BFDGE), and their related compounds are widely used as precursors in production of epoxy resins. The high reactivity of these compounds makes the development of analytical methodologies that ensure appropriate metrological accuracy crucial. Consequently, we aimed to determine whether and to what extent the composition of the solution and storage conditions affect...
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Synthesis, structural characterization and reactivity of new trisubstituted N1-acylamidrazones: solid state and solution studies
PublicationA series of new linear trisubstituted N1-acylamidrazones have been investigated using a variety of analytical techniques and theoretical calculations to check the influence of the type of N1-acyl substituent on the resonance forms and conformational behavior in the solid state and in solution. The 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments, supported by computational studies, revealed that in solution all amidrazones exhibit conformational syn/anti...
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Microporous Polyurethane Thin Layer as a Promising Scaffold for Tissue Engineering
PublicationThe literature describes that the most efficient cell penetration takes place at 200–500 µm depth of the scaffold. Many different scaffold fabrication techniques were described to reach these guidelines. One such technique is solvent casting particulate leaching (SC/PL). The main advantage of this technique is its simplicity and cost efficiency, while its main disadvantage is the scaffold thickness, which is usually not less than...
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Polyurethane porous scaffolds (PPS) for soft tissue regenerative medicine applications
PublicationTissue engineering requires suitable polymeric scaffolds, which act as a physical support for regenerated tissue. A promising candidate might be polyurethane (PUR) scaffold, due to the ease of the PUR properties design, which can be adjusted directly to the intended purpose. In this study, we report a successful fabrication of porous polyurethane scaffolds (PPS) using solvent casting/particulate leaching technique combined with...
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Microwave radiation in the synthesis of urethane prepolymers
PublicationThis paper describes the use of microwave radiation in the synthesis of urethane prepolymers in bulk (without solvent). The prepolymers were synthesized using 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and poly (ε-caprolactone) diol (PCL) at a molar ratio of 4:1. The reaction was carried out without a catalyst in the reactor with a conventional heating system (oil bath) or in the microwave reactor (MW Reactor NOVA 09) at temperatures...
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Chitosan-Based Membranes as Gentamicin Carriers for Biomedical Applications — Influence of Chitosan Molecular Weight
PublicationOver the past decade, much attention has been paid to chitosan as a potential drug carrier because of its non-toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability and antibacterial properties. The effect of various chitosan characteristics on its ability to carry different antibiotics is discussed in the literature. In this work, we evaluated the influence of the different molecular weights of this polymer on its potential as an antibacterial...
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The computational complexity of the backbone coloring problem for planar graphs with connected backbones
PublicationIn the paper we study the computational complexity of the backbone coloring problem for planar graphs with connected backbones. For every possible value of integer parameters λ≥2 and k≥1 we show that the following problem: Instance: A simple planar graph GG, its connected spanning subgraph (backbone) HH. Question: Is there a λ-backbone coloring c of G with backbone H such that maxc(V(G))≤k? is either NP-complete or polynomially...
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One-dimensional chaos in a system with dry friction: analytical approach
PublicationWe introduce a new analytical method, which allows to find chaotic regimes in non-smooth dynamical systems. A simple mechanical system consisting of a mass and a dry friction element is considered. The corresponding mathematical model is being studied. We show that the considered dynamical system is a skew product over a piecewise smooth mapping of a segment (the so-called base map). For this base map we demonstrate existence of...
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Recent Advancements in Cyclodextrin-Based Adsorbents for the Removal of Hazardous Pollutants from Waters
PublicationWater is an essential substance for the survival on Earth of all living organisms. However, population growth has disturbed the natural phenomenon of living, due to industrial growth to meet ever expanding demands, and, hence, an exponential increase in environmental pollution has been reported in the last few decades. Moreover, water pollution has drawn major attention for its adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem....
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Introduction to MIP synthesis, characteristics and analytical application
PublicationOne of the trends in analytical chemistry is associated with designing and developing new types of sample preparation techniques, which might significantly increase the efficiency and selectivity of the analytes isolation or/and preconcentration process. One of the most widely employed solutions are selective sorption materials, defined as molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), as well as the sorbents with the molecular fingerprint....
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Multimodal Particle Swarm Optimization with Phase Analysis to Solve Complex Equations of Electromagnetic Analysis
PublicationIn this paper, a new meta-heuristic method of finding roots and poles of a complex function of a complex variable is presented. The algorithm combines an efficient space exploration provided by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the classification of root and pole occurrences based on the phase analysis of the complex function. The method initially generates two uniformly distributed populations of particles on the complex...
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New methodology for determination cationic surfactants in liquid environmental samples
PublicationBecause of their specific physical and chemical properties (e.g. amphiphilicity, solubility in polar and nonpolar liquids, ability to form micelles, adsorption at phase boundaries, low toxicity) surfactants (surface-active compounds) are widely applied in industry and in the household. As their applications are on a very large scale, it has become necessary to acquire a more detailed understanding of their environmental fate. Mainly,...
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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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Bioactive polyurethanes applied as a surgical implants
PublicationSynthetic materials are applied in many branches of the industry, i.a. in medicine as a casing of apparatus, elements of artificial organs (hearts, blood vessels), catheters, wound healings, intra aortic balloons, mammary implants to mention but a few. Polymeric material used in such applications must be distinguished by a good biocompatybility. Since many years extensive research are employed to develop a new polymers that can...
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Development and validation of a GC–MS/MS method for the determination of 11 amphetamines and 34 synthetic cathinones in whole blood
PublicationPurpose Psychoactive compounds that contain a phenylethylamine structure (such as amphetamine-type stimulants and synthetic cathinones) are one of the major classes of stimulants on the recreational drug market. Approximately 670 new psychoactive substances (NPS) are monitored only in Europe; however, new psychoactive compounds are being developed for illicit trade each year. In this context, the development of new analytical procedures...
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Polyurethanes Crosslinked with Poly(vinyl alcohol) as a Slowly-Degradable and Hydrophilic Materials of Potential Use in Regenerative Medicine
PublicationNovel, slowly-degradable and hydrophilic materials with proper mechanical properties and surface characteristics are in great demand within the biomedical field. In this paper, the design, synthesis, and characterization of polyurethanes (PUR) crosslinked with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a new proposition for regenerative medicine is described. PVA-crosslinked PURs were synthesized by a two-step polymerization performed in a solvent...
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Determination of trace levels of eleven bisphenol A analogues in human blood serum by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
PublicationChemicals showing structural or functional similarity to bisphenol A (BPA), commonly called BPA analogues, have recently drawn scientific attention due to their common industrial and commercial application as a substitute for BPA. In the European Union, the use of BPA has been severely restricted by law due to its endocrine disrupting properties. Unfortunately, it seems that all BPA analogues show comparable biological activity,...
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Molecular dynamics study on the role of solvation water in the adsorption of hyperactive AFP to the ice surface
PublicationUsing computer simulations, the early stages of the adsorption of the CfAFP molecule to the ice surface were analyzed. We found that the ice and the protein interact at least as early as when the protein is about 1 nm away from the ice surface. These interactions are mediated by interfacial solvation water and are possible thanks to the structural ordering of the solvent. This ordering leads to positional preference of the protein...
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Selected anionic and cationic surface active agents: case study on the Kłodnica sediments
PublicationSurface active agents (surfactants) are a group of chemical compounds, which are used as ingredients of detergents, cleaning products, cosmetics and functional products. After use, wastes containing surfactants or their degradation products are discharged to wastewater treatment plants or directly into surface waters. Due to their specific properties of SAAs, compounds are able to migrate between different environmental compartments...
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The Influence of Calcium Glycerophosphate (GPCa) Modifier on Physicochemical, Mechanical, and Biological Performance of Polyurethanes Applicable as Biomaterials for Bone Tissue Scaffolds Fabrication
PublicationIn this paper we describe the synthesis of poly(ester ether urethane)s (PEEURs) by using selected raw materials to reach a biocompatible polyurethane (PU) for biomedical applications. PEEURs were synthesized by using aliphatic 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), α,ω-dihydroxy(ethylene-butylene adipate) (Polios), 1,4-butanediol (BDO) as a chain extender and calcium glycerolphosphate salt (GPCa) as...
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Computationally-efficient design optimisation of antennas by accelerated gradient search with sensitivity and design change monitoring
PublicationElectromagnetic (EM) simulation tools are of primary importance in the design of contemporary antennas. The necessity of accurate performance evaluation of complex structures is a reason why the final tuning of antenna dimensions, aimed at improvement of electrical and field characteristics, needs to be based on EM analysis. Design automation is highly desirable and can be achieved by coupling EM solvers with numerical optimisation...
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Communication and Load Balancing Optimization for Finite Element Electromagnetic Simulations Using Multi-GPU Workstation
PublicationThis paper considers a method for accelerating finite-element simulations of electromagnetic problems on a workstation using graphics processing units (GPUs). The focus is on finite-element formulations using higher order elements and tetrahedral meshes that lead to sparse matrices too large to be dealt with on a typical workstation using direct methods. We discuss the problem of rapid matrix generation and assembly, as well as...
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Recent developments and future trends in solid phase microextraction techniques towards green analytical chemistry
PublicationSolid phase microextraction find increasing applications in the sample preparation step before chromatographic determination of analytes in samples with a complex composition. These techniques allow for integrating several operations, such as sample collection, extraction, analyte enrichment above the detection limit of a given measuring instrument and the isolation of analytes from sample matrix. In this work the information about...
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Ionogel sorbent coatings for determining organophosphorus and pyrethroid insecticides in water and fresh juice samples by headspace-solid phase microextraction
PublicationThe sol–gel method yielded three different ionogel sorbent coatings that were obtained based on a silica material containing ionic liquids (ILs) immobilized in its pores. Two ILs, triethylsulfonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide [Set3][TFSI] and 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C4C1Pip][TFSI], as well as their equimolar mixture [Set3/C4C1Pip], were used to obtain ionogel fibers. The developed...
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The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in disposable baby diapers: A facile determination method via salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
PublicationIn this paper we demonstrate the development of the extraction procedure of polycyclic aromatic hy- drocarbons from baby diapers along with their quantification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Apart from covering plastic foil, disposable baby diapers contain sorbents intended to absorb urine and feces. A hygroscopic, adsorptive, and tough-to-homogenize fibrous sorbent, represents an analytical chal- lenge to analytical...
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Direct injection liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (DI-LC-MS) analysis for rapid lipidomic profiling of extracellular vesicles
PublicationExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, spherical particles produced by eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, surrounded by a bilayer membrane and carrying various bioactive molecules, such as proteins, surface receptors, membrane and soluble proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. EVs are of substantial interest because of their important roles in cell communication, epigenetic regulation and possible application in disease diagnosis...