Filters
total: 1837
filtered: 1501
displaying 1000 best results Help
Search results for: COCAINE ADDICTION
-
Comparison of noise reduction methods in radiometric correlation measurements of two-phase liquid-gas flows
PublicationTwo-phase liquid-gas flows occur frequently in the mining, energy, chemical, and petrochemical industries. One of non-contact methods used to analyse these flows is the gamma ray absorption method. However, the signals received from radiation detectors contain a significant stochastic noise, which makes them difficult to analyse. The article describes four methods of noise reduction in cross-correlation measurements of water-air...
-
Speaker Recognition Using Convolutional Neural Network with Minimal Training Data for Smart Home Solutions
PublicationWith the technology advancements in smart home sector, voice control and automation are key components that can make a real difference in people's lives. The voice recognition technology market continues to involve rapidly as almost all smart home devices are providing speaker recognition capability today. However, most of them provide cloud-based solutions or use very deep Neural Networks for speaker recognition task, which are...
-
Synthesis and Physicochemical Characteristics of Chitosan-Based Polyurethane Flexible Foams
PublicationThe use of shrimp waste to obtain chitosan (Ch) is an essential issue, considering a circular economy, waste management, and its application to environmentally friendly materials. In this study, northern prawn shells were utilized to obtain Ch, which could then be used for synthesizing chitosan-based polyurethane (PUR+Ch) foams with different Ch concentration. The chemical structure, morphology, hardness, thermal properties, viscoelastic...
-
Importance of Conjugation of the Bile Salt on the Mechanism of Lipolysis
PublicationWe aim to advance the discussion on the significance of the conjugation of bile salts (BS) in our organism. We hypothesize that conjugation influences the rate of lipolysis. Since the rate of lipolysis is a compound parameter, we compare the effect of conjugation on four surface parameters, which contribute to the rate. Since deconjugation is due to gut microbiota, we hypothesize that microbiota may affect the rate of lipolysis....
-
Assessment of unusual failure in crankshaft of heavy-duty truck engine
PublicationThe unusual premature failure of a heavy-duty truck engine crankshaft has been the subject of a rigorous study, and this manuscript describes it in detail. The failure was happened to begin with the growth of the crack from the surface defects, in the form of the clusters of non-metallic inclusions, in the lubrication hole zone of the first main journal, which was the stress concentration zone. A series of experiments including...
-
Ladder-Based Synthesis and Design of Low-Frequency Buffer-Based CMOS Filters
PublicationBuffer-based CMOS filters are maximally simplified circuits containing as few transistors as possible. Their applications, among others, include nano to micro watt biomedical sensors that process physiological signals of frequencies from 0.01 Hz to about 3 kHz. The order of a buffer-based filter is not greater than two. Hence, to obtain higher-order filters, a cascade of second-order filters is constructed. In this paper, a more...
-
If Gravity is Geometry, is Dark Energy just Arithmetic?
PublicationArithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), as well as the calculus they imply, are non-unique. The examples of four-dimensional spaces, R^4 and (−L/2,L/2)^4, are considered where different types of arithmetic and calculus coexist simultaneously. In all the examples there exists a non-Diophantine arithmetic that makes the space globally Minkowskian, and thus the laws of physics are formulated in terms...
-
Flexible Knowledge–Vision–Integration Platform for Personal Protective Equipment Detection and Classification Using Hierarchical Convolutional Neural Networks and Active Leaning
PublicationThis work is part of an effort to develop of a Knowledge-Vision Integration Platform for Hazard Control (KVIP-HC) in industrial workplaces, adaptable to a wide range of industrial environments. The paper focuses on hazards resulted from the non-use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The objective is to test the capability of the platform to adapt to different industrial environments by simulating the process of randomly selecting...
-
Effective method of treatment of industrial effluents under basic pH conditions using acoustic cavitation – a comprehensive comparison with hydrodynamic cavitation processes
PublicationThe use of acoustic cavitation in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is a promising trend in research for treatment of industrial effluents. The paper presents the results of investigations on the use of acoustic cavitation aided by additional oxidation processes (ozonation/H2O2 oxidation/Peroxone/UV-C) for the treatment of effluents from the production of bitumens. Under these conditions, the total contaminant load, expressed...
-
Pressure effects on the electronic structure and superconductivity of (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 high entropy alloy
PublicationEffects of pressure on the electronic structure, electron-phonon interaction, and superconductivity of the high entropy alloy ( TaNb ) 0.67 ( HfZrTi ) 0.33 are studied in the pressure range 0–100 GPa. The electronic structure is calculated using the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method with the coherent potential approximation. Effects of pressure on the lattice dynamics are simulated using the Debye-Grüneisen model and the Grüneisen...
-
Properties of Nanohydroxyapatite Coatings Doped with Nanocopper, Obtained by Electrophoretic Deposition on Ti13Zr13Nb Alloy
PublicationNowadays, hydroxyapatite coatings are the most common surface modification of long-term implants. These coatings are characterized by high thickness and poor adhesion to the metallic substrate. The present research is aimed at characterizing the properties of nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHAp) with the addition of copper nanoparticle (nanoCu) coatings deposited on the Ti13Zr13Nb alloy by an electrophoresis process. The deposition of...
-
Diagnosing wind turbine condition employing a neural network to the analysis of vibroacoustic signals
PublicationIt is important from the economic point of view to detect damage early in the wind turbines before failures occur. For this purpose, a monitoring device was built that analyzes both acoustic signals acquired from the built-in non-contact acoustic intensity probe, as well as from the accelerometers, mounted on the internal devices in the nacelle. The signals collected in this way are used for long-term training of the autoencoder...
-
Role of surface recombination in perovskite solar cells at the interface of HTL/CH3NH3PbI3
PublicationIn order to achieve the highest performance of organometal trihalide perovskite solar cells, it is required to recognize the dominant mechanisms which play a key role in a perovskite material. In the following studies, we have focused on the interfacial recombination between the hole transporting layer (HTL) and the perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 in solar cell devices with p–i–n architecture. It has been shown that Cu:NiOx : used as HTL...
-
Water Behavior Near the Lipid Bilayer
PublicationIn this chapter, we focus on the dynamics of water molecules situated in the vicinity of a phospholipid bilayer. Using a molecular dynamics simulation method, we studied interactions between water and the bilayer and tracked trajectories of the water molecules. Based on the hypothesis that molecules trapped inside the bilayer make different motions than the ones which are either attached to the surface or move freely in the water...
-
Evaluation the P-Delta Effect on Collapse Capacity of Adjacent Structures Subjected to Far-field Ground Motions
PublicationIn urban areas, adjacent structures can be seen in any insufficient distance from each other, because of economic reasons and refusal of acquired minimum separation distance according to seismic previsions. Collapse capacity assessment of structures is one of the important objectives of performance-based seismic engineering. The purpose of this study is to consider the pounding phenomenon and P-Delta effect in seismic collapse...
-
Guanosine Dianions Hydrated by One to Four Water Molecules
PublicationIntermolecular interactions such as those present in molecule···water complexes may profoundly influence the physicochemical properties of molecules. Here, we carried out an experimental–computational study on doubly deprotonated guanosine monophosphate···water clusters, [dGMP – 2H]2–·nH2O (n = 1–4), using a combination of negative anion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES) with molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum chemical (QM) calculations....
-
Investigations of size effect in concrete at aggregate level - experiments and calculations results using discrete element method
PublicationSize effect is a fundamental phenomenon in concrete. It is characterised by decreasing strength and increasing brittleness of concrete with increasing size. The thesis includes experimental and theoretical elements. The main goal of the thesis were investigations of a size effect at the aggregate level by taking fracture into account with the discrete element method (DEM) for various failure modes. Comprehensive experiments on...
-
Simultaneous removal of heavy metals and dyes in water using a MgO-coated Fe3O4 nanocomposite: Role of micro-mixing effect induced by bubble generation
PublicationThis study focused on the development of a nano-adsorbent for contaminant removal without the use of any external energy. An eco-friendly Fe3O4@MgO core-shell nanocomposite was synthesized and tested for the removal of a heavy metal, lead (Pb2+) and a dye, rhodamine B (RhB). The addition of H2O2 into the system enabled the self-mixing of the aqueous solution containing Fe3O4@MgO through the generation of bubbles. This system showed...
-
Cattaneo–Christov heat flow model for copper–water nanofluid heat transfer under Marangoni convection and slip conditions
PublicationThis report is devoted to the study of the flow of MHD nanofluids through a vertical porous plate with a temperature-dependent surface tension using the Cattaneo–Christov heat flow model. The energy equation was formulated using the Cattaneo–Christov heat flux model instead of Fourier’s law of heat conduction. The Tiwari–Das model was used to take into account the concentration of nanoparticles when constructing the momentum equation....
-
Quantitative assessment of the influence of tensile softening of concrete in beams under bending by numerical simulations with XFEM and cohesive cracks
PublicationResults of the numerical simulations of the size effect phenomenon for concrete in comparison with experimental data are presented. In-plane geometrically similar notched and unnotched beams under three-point bending are analyzed. EXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) with a cohesive softening law is used. Comprehensive parametric study with the respect to the tensile strength and the initial fracture energy is performed. Sensitivity...
-
Analytical Methods for Causality Evaluation of Photonic Materials
PublicationWe comprehensively review several general methods and analytical tools used for causality evaluation of photonic materials. Our objective is to call to mind and then formulate, on a mathematically rigorous basis, a set of theorems which can answer the question whether a considered material model is causal or not. For this purpose, a set of various distributional theorems presented in literature is collected as the distributional...
-
Joint experimental and theoretical study on low-energy elastic electron scattering by gaseous alkynes: Differential cross sections, shape resonances, and methylation effects
PublicationA detailed comparison of experimental and theoretical elastic cross sections for low-energy electron scattering by ethyne, taken earlier in our group by Gauf et al. [Phys. Rev. A 87, 012710 (2013)], and some of its methylated derivatives, propyne, and the isomers 1-butyne and 2-butyne, taken here, are presented. The present differential cross sections were measured at incident electron energies ranging from 1 eV to 30 eV and...
-
The Effect of Posaconazole, Itraconazole and Voriconazole in the Culture Medium on Aspergillus fumigatus Triazole Resistance
PublicationTriazoles are the only compounds used as antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture. The presence of triazoles in the environment can contribute to the acquisition of azole resistance among isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of A. fumigatus exposure to triazoles on susceptibility to these compounds. Seventeen triazole-resistant and 21 triazole-sensitive A. fumigatus isolates...
-
Circular polarization diversity implementation for correlation reduction in wideband low-cost multiple-input-multiple-output antenna
PublicationIn this paper, a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna featuring circular polarization diversity, and designed on a common coplanar ground is presented. The proposed antenna design utilizes a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feeding technique with three parallel coplanar ground planes, and two feedlines in-between. For circular polarization (CP), quasi-loops are created by etching slots on the outermost ground planes. With this...
-
An innovative approach to the forecasting of energetic effects while wood sawing
PublicationIn the classical approach, energetic effects (cutting forces and cutting power) of wood sawing process are generally calculated on the basis of the specific cutting resistance, which is in the case of wood cutting the function of more or less important factors. On the other hand, the cutting forces (power) problem may be tackled with an innovative, up-to-date fundamental analysis of the mechanics of sawing based on modern fracture...
-
A PROPOSAL FOR ONE-IMAGE PHOTOGRAMMETRY SYSTEM FOR MEASURING THE CLEARANCE DISTANCE. CASE STUDY
PublicationMeasurement of the clearance distance (both in the context of the rail and road) is one of the current and increasingly discussed topics in the context of photogrammetric and image processing (computer vision) methods. The article presents a description of a simple and rapid method of measure the clearance distance between the obstacles by using one-image photogrammetry. The proposed method was tested for the railway, tram and...
-
Performance measurements and optimization of visualization of routes traveled in the distributed dispatcher and teleinformation system for visualization of multimedia data for the Border Guard
PublicationMonitoring of country maritime border is an important task of the Border Guard. This activity can be enhanced with the use of the technology enabling gathering information from distributed sources, processing of that information and its visualization. The system presented in the paper is an advancement of the previously developed distributed map data exchange system. The added functionality allows to supplement the map data with...
-
Wave Frequency Effects on Damage Imaging in Adhesive Joints Using Lamb Waves and RMS
PublicationStructural adhesive joints have numerous applications in many fields of industry. The gradual deterioration of adhesive material over time causes a possibility of unexpected failure and the need for non-destructive testing of existing joints. The Lamb wave propagation method is one of the most promising techniques for the damage identification of such connections. The aim of this study was experimental and numerical research on...
-
Analytical procedures for short chain chlorinated paraffins determination - How to make them greener?
PublicationThe aim of the following paper was to gather current scientific information about the analytical protocols dedicated to measuring the content level of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in various types of environmental samples. Moreover, the data about the basic validation parameters of applied procedures for SCCPs determination are listed. The main issue which is highlighted in the paper is the possibility of the application...
-
Channel Blockage and Flow Maldistribution during Unsteady Flow in a Model Microchannel Plate heat Exchanger
PublicationThis paper describes the problem of channel blockage as a result of flow maldistribution between the channels of a model mini channel plate heat exchanger consisting of one pass on each leg. Each leg of the heat exchanger contains 51 parallel and rectangular minichannels of four hydraulic diameters namely 461 μm, 571 μm, 750 μm and 823 μm. In addition, a more complex geometry has been investigated where for the sake of breaking...
-
Role of nitrogen in evolution of sp2/sp3 bonding and optical band gap in hydrogenated carbon nitride
PublicationDrastic changes in the bonding are found in amorphous hydrogenated carbon nitride (a-CNx:H) film as a function of nitrogen concentration (or N/C ratio). The total C-sp3 fraction and hardness shows a sharp decrease (at N/C = 0.40) whereas optical band gap and resistivity shows a gradual increase as nitrogen concentration increases from 0.07 to 0.58. Raman spectrum of a-CNx:H film is fitted with both Gaussian (integrated intensity...
-
Computer -Aided Local Energy Planning Using ALEP-PL Software
PublicationThe issue of energy system planning, including the planning of local energy systems, is critical, since it affects the security of energy supplies in communities, regions, and consequently the security of energy supply within the country. Energy planning is a complex process that requires integration of different goals i.e. improvement of energy efficiency, increase in the share of renewables in the energy balance and CO2} emission...
-
Tyre/road noise reduction of poroelastic road surface tested in a laboratory
PublicationA so-called poroelastic road surface (PERS) is being developed in Europe. This contains a large percentage of rubber particles mixed with hard aggregate (stone and sand) and bound with polyurethane. This gives high air void content (around 30 %), high elasticity and smooth texture, all of which should give low noise properties. Inthis experiment anominally 30 mm thick sample of PERS was mounted on a steel drum. Various car tyres...
-
Inhibitory and antimicrobial activities of OGTI and HV-BBI peptides, fragments and analogs derived from amphibian skin
PublicationA series of linear and cyclic fragments and analogs of two peptides (OGTI and HV-BBI) isolated from skin secretions of frogs were synthesized by the solid-phase method. Their inhibitory activity against several serine proteinases: bovine beta-trypsin, bovine alpha-chymotypsin, human leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G from human neutrophils, was investigated together with evaluation of their antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative...
-
Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and functionalized carbon nanotubes
PublicationThis work is focused on new composite materials consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (pEDOT) and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized electrochemically. Three types of composites were synthesized: the first one containing carbon nanotubes with carboxyl groups (covalent functionalization), the second one containing oxidized carbon nanotubes ox-MWCNTs (with different oxygen-rich polar groups) (covalent...
-
The influence of pre- and postharvest treatments on selected biological and epigenetic activities of Brassica sprouts
PublicationIntroduction The Brassica vegetables are rich in glucosinolates (GLs), which are enzymatically hydrolysed to bioactive isothiocynates (ITC) and indoles, regarded as the most promising chemopreventing agents. However, in the majority of brassica sprouts the GL conversion into these beneficial derivatives occurs at the level of about 1 %, while in cabbage leaves exceeds 70%. Since sprouts represent plant material, which is frequently...
-
An Innovative Approach to the Forecasting of Energetic Effects While Wood Sawing
PublicationIn the classical approach, energetic effects (cutting forces and cutting power) of wood sawing process are generally calculated on the basis of the specifi c cutting resistance, which is in the case of wood cutting the function of more or less important factors. On the other hand, the cutting forces (power) problem may be tackled with an innovative, up-to-date fundamental analysis of the mechanics of sawing based on modern fracture mechanics....
-
Smart sustainable cities : Reconnaissance Study
PublicationThe global urban population is expected to grow by 63 percent between 2014 and 2050 – compared to an overall global population growth of 32 percent during the same period. Megacities with over 20-million inhabitants will see the fastest increase in population – and at least 13 new megacities are expected by 2030, in addition to the 28 existing today. The fastest growing urban centres contain around one-million inhabitants, and...
-
Morphology changes in Fe-Cr porous alloys upon high-temperature oxidation quantified by X-ray tomographic microscopy
PublicationThe effect of high-temperature oxidation at 850 C (10 h, 30 h, 100 h) and 900 C (10 h) on porous (30 % porosity) ferritic stainless steel (Fe22Cr) has been investigated using synchrotron tomographic microscopy, which allowed for visualisation, separation and quantitative analysis of the metallic core, closed pores, open pores and oxide scale phase. The same regions within the samples were investigated before and after oxidation...
-
Influence of hydrochloric acid concentration and type of nitrogen source on the electrochemical performance of TiO2/N-MoS2 for energy storage applications
PublicationIn this work, nitrogen-doped molybdenum sulfide was directly deposited on titanium dioxide nanotubes substrate (TiO2/N-MoS2) during hydrothermal synthesis. The study focuses on the influence of hydrochloric acid concentration used for the synthesis, with the results indicating its essential role in thioacetamide hydrolysis and thus in the effectiveness of the N-MoS2 deposition. The electrode material itself is characterized by...
-
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....
-
Self-Adaptive Mesh Generator for Global Complex Roots and Poles Finding Algorithm
PublicationIn any global method of searching for roots and poles, increasing the number of samples increases the chances of finding them precisely in a given area. However, the global complex roots and poles finding algorithm (GRPF) (as one of the few) has direct control over the accuracy of the results. In addition, this algorithm has a simple condition for finding all roots and poles in a given area: it only requires a sufficiently dense...
-
Tuning of eg electron occupancy of MnCo2O4 spinel for oxygen evolution reaction by partial substitution of Co by Fe at octahedral sites
PublicationTo study the effect of partial Co substitution by Fe in the B site of MnCo2O4 spinel on its physicochemical and electrochemical properties, a series of MnCo2-xFexO4 powders (x=0.125; 0.250; 0.500; 0.750; 1.000) were synthesized by means of the sol-gel method. The produced powders were characterized by powder X ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM & TEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy...
-
Sustainable Strategy for Algae Biomass Waste Management via Development of Novel Bio-Based Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers Composites
PublicationThis work concerns the waste management method of algae biomass wastes (ABW). For this purpose, we prepared bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (bio-TPU) composites. Algae biomass wastes are derived from algal oil extraction of Chlorella vulgaris and from biomass of Enteromorpha and Zostera marina. ABWs were used in the bio-TPUs composites as a filler in the quantity of 1, 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. The bio-based composites...
-
Using Minimum Actuators to Control Shape and Stress of a Double Layer Spherical Model Under Gravity and Lateral Loadings
PublicationSpherical domes are picturesque structures built in developed countries to attract tourists. Due to horizontal and vertical overloading, the structures’ attractive shapes may be disturbed, and some members' stress may exceed the elastic level. In this paper, the shape and stress of a deformed double-layer spherical numerical model due to simultaneous lateral and vertical loadings are controlled, meanwhile, the number of actuators...
-
A simplified method to assess the impact of ship-to-ship collision on the risk of tanker ship hull girder breaking accounting for the effect of ageing
PublicationOne of the most critical structural failures is the exceedance of the ship hull girder’s ultimate strength, which may result in hull breaking, and subsequent severe consequences, including loss of life and property as well as environmental damage in case of an oil spill. A cause for such loss of structural continuity can be triggered by a collision with another vessel. In addition, the ageing mechanisms of the hull structure could...
-
Estimation of smokers' exposure to mercury from combustible tobacco products, based on the approach used in food consumers’ exposure estimation
PublicationSmoking has been known to mankind for centuries, but it is only in recent decades that much attention has been paid to the harmfulness of this habit. Mercury inhalation is particularly dangerous in this respect and smoking creates extremely favorable conditions for the emission and targeted delivery of this element into the lungs. Despite this fact, a lack of a clear method for estimating the exposure of tobacco consumers to mercury...
-
Tuning of food wastes bioavailability as feedstock for bio-conversion processes by acoustic cavitation and SPC, SPS, or H2O2 as external oxidants
PublicationThe growing amount of food wastes makes them a suitable source for the generation of bioproducts through anaerobic digestion. Appropriate hydrolysis of the feedstock can enhance the efficiency of production of desired products. In this work, acoustic cavitation (AC) was employed as a pretreatment method to enhance hydrolysis stage by the modification of model (potato-based) food waste for increase in soluble chemical oxygen demand...
-
Evaluating Gelatin-Based Films with Graphene Nanoparticles for Wound Healing Applications
PublicationIn this study, gelatin-based films containing graphene nanoparticles were obtained. Nanoparticles were taken from four chosen commercial graphene nanoplatelets with different surface areas, such as 150 m2/g, 300 m2/g, 500 m2/g, and 750 m2/g, obtained in different conditions. Their morphology was observed using SEM with STEM mode; porosity, Raman spectra and elemental analysis were checked; and biological properties, such as hemolysis...
-
Introducing a Computational Method to Retrofit Damaged Buildings under Seismic Mainshock-Aftershock Sequence
PublicationRetrofitting damaged buildings is a challenge for engineers, since commercial software does not have the ability to consider the local damages and deformed shape of a building resulting from the mainshock record of an earthquake before applying the aftershock record. In this research, a computational method for retrofitting of damaged buildings under seismic mainshock-aftershock sequences is proposed, and proposed computational...