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Search results for: CROP PRODUCTIVITY
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Investigation of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) deposition method influence on properties of ion-selective electrodes based on bis(benzo-15-crown-5) derivatives
PublicationGlassy carbon electrodes modified by conductive polymers and membrane with derivatives of bis(benzo-15-crown-5) were tested as solid contact ion selective electrodes for K+ ions concentration determination. PEDOT with PSS, Cl- and ClO4- counter ions was electrochemically deposited onto glassy carbon substrates using four different electrochemical approaches (potentiostatic, galvanostatic, potentiodynamic and potentiostatic pulses)....
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Green aspects, developments and perspectives of liquid phase microextraction techniques
PublicationDetermination of analytes at trace levels in complex samples (e.g. biological or contaminated water or soils) are often required for the environmental assessment and monitoring as well as for scientific research in the field of environmental pollution. A limited number of analytical techniques are sensitive enough for the direct determination of trace components in samples and, because of that, a preliminary step of the analyte...
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The influence of cultivation conditions on the myrosinase activity and glucosinolate content in white cabbage
PublicationIn the process of biofumigation typically natural compounds present in Brassicaceae family are used to combat pests and protect crops. Glucosinolates, sulfur-containing secondary metabolites found in Brassica plants, are hydrolized by the enzyme myrosinase (β-thioglucosidase, EC 3.2.3.1) with the liberation of degradation products such as isothiocyanates, nitriles, thiocyanates and epithionitriles. Isothiocyanates are the most...
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Chosen aspects of muscle biomechanics
PublicationConsidering a striated skeletal muscle as a different properties mechanical system, one can understand series of important phenomena happening in a real muscle phenomenon of muscle: 1) force delivery to skeletal apparatus through tendons; 2) changing of exerted muscle belly mass distribution with regards to skeletal apparatus; 3) beginning drop of muscle force. A disregard of first phenomenon causes an impossibility to explain...
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Determination of binder-aggregate adhesion by contact angle measurement
PublicationThe key factor in asphalt pavement durability, especially in the presence of water, is adhesion of the bituminous binder to mineral aggregates. There are currently no standard laboratory test procedures that can quickly and accurately measure the strength of the interaction (bond) between the binder and aggregate. In this regard, to evaluate the adhesion force measurements based on the contact angle between the binder and the aggregate...
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Experimental investigation of heat transfer enhancement in straight and U-bend double-pipe heat exchanger with wire insert
PublicationIn this paper, the possibility of heat transfer enhancement in the U-bend exchanger was presented. Experimental research has been carried out for four individual heat exchanger constructions i.e. plain tube in tube, turbulized tube in tube, plain U-bend and U-bend with turbulator. Also, heat transfer experiments for various boundary conditions were performed to obtain reference values. In case of U-bend exchanger with and without...
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Investigating lubricants behaviour in microgravity for vibration damping purposes
PublicationVibration is one of the harshest environments an object is exposed to during and after launch into space on a launch vehicle. Such vibrations should be damped to avoid destruction of the spacecraft or its elements. Currently, active and material damping is used. A possibility of using lubrication as the damping factor is suggested by some research. MoS2 is a typical solid lubricant used in space applications. Its properties vary...
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Impact of adverse winter weather on traffic flow
PublicationThe paper aims to analyse the impact of adverse weather in winter on traffic flow using data from a dual carriageway section of an express road located in Gdansk. For the purposes of the analysis, traffic and meteorological data were collected for a period of 15 months in 2014-2015 and aggregated to 5 minutes intervals. The impact of winter weather conditions on traffic flow was assessed by comparing aggregated traffic stream parameters...
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Elemental composition, environment of deposition of the Lower Carboniferous Emma Fiord Formation oil shale in Arctic Canada
PublicationThe sedimentary succession of 51-m consisting of a thin coal seam (1 m) and oil shale with a marlstone and carbonate-mudstone matrix of the Lower Carboniferous (Viséan) Emma Fiord Formation located on the Grinnell Peninsula, Devon Island, Arctic Canada was examined. The techniques used include reflected light microscopy, and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for elemental concentration, and inductively coupled plasma...
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Cops, a fast robber and defensive domination on interval graphs
PublicationThe game of Cops and ∞-fast Robber is played by two players, one controlling c cops, the other one robber. The players alternate in turns: all the cops move at once to distance at most one each, the robber moves along any cop-free path. Cops win by sharing a vertex with the robber, the robber by avoiding capture indefinitely. The game was proposed with bounded robber speed by Fomin et al. in “Pursuing a fast robber on a graph”,...
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Wastewater reuse in agriculture: Prospects and challenges
PublicationSustainable water recycling and wastewater reuse are urgent nowadays considering water scarcity and increased water consumption through human activities. In 2015, United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (UN SDG6) highlighted the necessity of recycling wastewater to guarantee water availability for individuals. Currently, wastewater irrigation (WWI) of crops and agricultural land appears essential. The present work overviews...
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Long Distance Geographically Distributed InfiniBand Based Computing
PublicationCollaboration between multiple computing centres, referred as federated computing is becom- ing important pillar of High Performance Computing (HPC) and will be one of its key components in the future. To test technical possibilities of future collaboration using 100 Gb optic fiber link (Connection was 900 km in length with 9 ms RTT time) we prepared two scenarios of operation. In the first one, Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical...
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Structural Properties and Water Uptake of SrTi1−xFexO3−x/2−δ
PublicationIn this work, Fe-doped strontium titanate SrTi1−xFexO3−x/2−δ, for x = 0–1 (STFx), has been fabricated and studied. The structure and microstructure analysis showed that the Fe amount in SrTi1−xFexO3−x/2−δ has a great influence on the lattice parameter and microstructure, including the porosity and grain size. Oxygen nonstoichiometry studies performed by thermogravimetry at different atmospheres showed that the Fe-rich compositions...
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The Use of Organic Coagulants in the Primary Precipitation Process at Wastewater Treatment Plants
PublicationMeasurements for determining the effect of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) on the efficiency of pollutant removal from wastewater were carried out using conventional inorganic coagulants PIX113 with polymer A110 (Kemipol, Police, Poland) and unconventional cationic organic coagulants Cofloc (Attana, Coalville, UK) C29510 (Kemipol, Police, Poland) and Sedifloc 575 (3F Chimica, Sandrigo, Italy). The average removal efficiency...
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Impact of slow breathing on the blood pressure and subarachnoid space width oscillations in humans
PublicationThe aim of the study was to assess cardiac and respiratory blood pressure (BP) and subarachnoid space (SAS) width oscillations during the resting state for slow and fast breathing and breathing against inspiratory resistance. Experiments were performed on a group of 20 healthy volunteers (8 males and 12 females; age 25.3 ± 7.9 years; BMI = 22.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2). BP and heart rate (HR) were measured using continuous finger-pulse photoplethysmography....
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Packing Incubation and Addition of Rot Fungi Extracts Improve BTEX Elimination from Air in Biotrickling Filters
PublicationThe removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from air was investigated in two similar biotrickling filters (BTFs) packed with polyurethane (PU) foam, differing in terms of inoculation procedure (BTF A was packed with pre-incubated PU discs, and BTF B was inoculated via the continuous recirculation of a liquid inoculum). The effects of white rot fungi enzyme extract addition and system responses to variable VOC...
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Impact Assessment of Electric Vehicles Integration and Optimal Charging Schemes Under Uncertainty: A Case Study of Qatar
PublicationThe integration of electric vehicles (EVs) is rapidly growing compared to conventional vehicles in Qatar. To assess how these electric vehicles will impact Qatar’s distribution network, it is necessary to accurately model EV loads. However, EV loads exhibit uncertainties due to driving behaviour in charging time, state of charge (SOC), number of trips, and distance travelled. This necessitates the development of a probabilistic...
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Metodyka badań rozwojowych nowego typu silników i pomp satelitowych
PublicationResearch and development of new type satellite motors and satellite pumps SM with small geometrical displacement, from 5 to 73 cm3/rev, has been conducted in cooperation with Stosowanie Maszyn company from Katowice (manufacturer of motors and pump SM). The improvement of construction of those machines, especially construction of axial compensation and construction of fluid distribution channels have been the main problem of research...
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Behaviour of deformed steel columns exposed to impact load during earthquakes: numerical analysis
PublicationIt has been observed during earthquakes that the so called soft-storey failure of an upper floor of a building leads to considerable vertical impact load acting on structural members of the lower storeys. The aim of this paper is to investigate numerically the behaviour of horizontally deformed columns (deformation as the result of earthquake loading) that are additionally subjected to vertical impact load. In the first stage of...
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Carbon nanowalls: A new versatile graphene based interface for laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry detection of small compounds in real samples.
PublicationCarbon nanowalls, vertically aligned graphene nanosheets, attract attention owing to their tunable band-gap, high conductivity, high mechanical robustness, high optical absorbance and other remarkable properties. In this paper, we report for the first time, the use of hydrophobic boron-doped carbon nanowalls (CNWs) for laser desorption/ionization of small compounds and their subsequent detection by mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). The...
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Visual measurement system for chosen parameters of current collectors
PublicationA current collector is an element in a traction vehicle, used for movable, contact con-nection between the main circuit of this vehicle and the contact line. Bad technical condi-tion of these important elements in the main circuit of the vehicle result in its incorrect cooperation with contact line. Periodic control of technical condition of current collectors ensures infallible current collection. The pantograph diagnostics consists...
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Increased concentration of Taq DNA polymerase as a solution for GC-rich templates from clinical and environmental samples
PublicationDNA polymerase is an enzyme which plays crucial role in replication and DNA repair. It found application in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) where catalyses process of in vitro DNA synthesis. To meet the demands posed by mod- ern diagnostic, molecular biology or genetic engineering it is necessary to improve DNA polymerases to obtain new or better features useful in these fields. So far implemented modifications in majority are...
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Economic Situation in Balkan Countries in the First Decade of 21st Century
PublicationThe recent economic crisis affected most of the countries in the world to a greater or lesser extent, including small economies sector. Small economies are a distinctive group of countries distinguished by particular qualities. They are dependent on trade exchange or international investment stream, and both their aggregate demand and supply, and price level depend on the development of the big economies dynamics. This is the reason...
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Porous structures in aspects of transpirating cooling of oxycombustion chamber walls
PublicationA wet oxycombustion chamber, which must be effectively cooled due to high temperature evolved during the oxy-combustion process, by using the phenomena of Reynolds thermal transpiration and Navier slip velocity. Closures needed to execute mass flow rate in a microchannel, which should be treated as a single porous structure in the walls of the combustion chamber, have been obtained by applying a local 3D approach. The Navier-Stokes...
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Numerical Study on Mitigation of Flow Maldistribution in Parallel Microchannel Heat Sink: Channels Variable Width Versus Variable Height Approach
PublicationMicrochannel heat sink on one hand enjoys benefits of intensified several folds heat transfer performance but on the other hand has to suffer aggravated form of trifling limitations associated with imperfect hydrodynamics and heat transfer behavior. Flow maldistribution is one of such limitation that exaggerates temperature nonuniformity across parallel microchannels leading to increase in maximum base temperature. Recently, variable...
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Compact High Efficiency and Zero-Emission Gas-Fired Power Plant with Oxy-Combustion and Carbon Capture
PublicationReduction of greenhouse gases emissions is a key challenge for the power generation industry, requiring the implementation of new designs and methods of electricity generation. This article presents a design solution for a novel thermodynamic cycle with two new devices—namely, a wet combustion chamber and a spray-ejector condenser. In the proposed cycle, high temperature occurs in the combustion chamber because of fuel combustion...
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New nanoadsorbent based on magnetic iron oxide containing 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane in outer chain (Fe3O4@SiO2-cyclen) for adsorption and removal of selected heavy metal ions Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+
PublicationMagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2-cyclen nanoparticles were prepared and used as adsorbent for Cd2+, Pb2+ and Cu2+ from aqueous solution removal process controlled with differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and hanging mercury drop electrode (HDME). Nanomaterial was synthesised in three-step process co-precipitation of Fe3O4 core, coating with silane and N-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1-carboxamide...
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Mapping the Transglycosylation Relevant Sites of Cold-Adapted β-D-Galactosidase from Arthrobacter sp. 32cB
PublicationB-Galactosidase from Arthrobacter sp. 32cB (ArthbetaDG) is a cold-adapted enzyme able to catalyze hydrolysis of beta-D-galactosides and transglycosylation reaction, where galactosyl moiety is being transferred onto an acceptor larger than a water molecule. Mutants of ArthbetaDG D207A and E517Q were designed to determine the significance of specific residues and to enable formation of complexes with lactulose and sucrose and to...
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Fire-Retardant Flexible Foamed Polyurethane (PU)-Based Composites: Armed and Charmed Ground Tire Rubber (GTR) Particles
PublicationInadequate fire resistance of polymers raises questions about their advanced applications. Flexible polyurethane (PU) foams have myriad applications but inherently suffer from very high flammability. Because of the dependency of the ultimate properties (mechanical and damping performance) of PU foams on their cellular structure, reinforcement of PU with additives brings about further concerns. Though they are highly flammable and...
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Evolution of charge density wave order in continuous solid solutions Lu(Ni1-xCox)C2
PublicationPseudo-ternary solid solutions, Lu(Ni1-xCox)C2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), were studied by means of powder X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis as well as electrical resistivity and heat capacity measurements. The crystal structure of the Lu(Ni1-xCox)C2 series, as investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction, is of structure type CeNiC2, space group Amm2, Pearson symbol oS8. The structural analysis reveals a non-monotonous evolution,...
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Discriminating macromolecular interactions based on an impedimetric fingerprint supported by multivariate data analysis for rapid and label-free Escherichia coli recognition in human urine
PublicationThis manuscript presents a novel approach to address the challenges of electrode fouling and highly complex electrode nanoarchitecture, which are primary concerns for biosensors operating in real environments. The proposed approach utilizes multiparametric impedance discriminant analysis (MIDA) to obtain a fingerprint of the macromolecular interactions on flat glassy carbon surfaces, achieved through self-organized, drop-cast,...
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Removal of indicator bacteria from treated wastewater using physical and chemical methods. Pilot plant study.
PublicationEven after highly efficient biological processes the effluents from wastewater treatment plants may contain significant number of fecal bacteria, from 104 to 106 CFU/100 mL. Since no standards are set on the bacteriological quality of treated wastewater in Poland the elimination of bacterial contaminants is not a priority in wastewater treatment policy. Thus microbiological hazards become particularly significant in the situation...
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Experimental and numerical study on deformed steel columns subjected to impact load during earthquakes
PublicationThe soft-storey failure is one of the most typical types of damage observed in buildings during earthquakes. The failure of an upper soft storey of a structure results in large impact load acting on the lower floors and if the resistance of the structural members of the lower storeys is not sufficient it may further lead to progressive collapse of the whole building. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the dynamic behaviour...
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Visible light photoactivity of TiO2loaded with monometallic(Au or Pt) and bimetallic (Au/Pt) nanoparticles
PublicationTiO2modified with monometallic (Au or Pt) and bimetallic (Au/Pt) nanoparticles have been preparedusing a water-in-oil microemulsion system (water/AOT/cyclohexane) followed by calcination step. Theeffect of metal ratio, reducing agent type (NaBH4or N2H4), TiO2matrix type (P-25, ST-01, TiO-5, TiO2nano-tubes or TiO2obtained by TIP hydrolysis) as well as calcination temperature (from 350 to 650◦C) weresystematically investigated. Obtained...
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Shape-dependent enhanced photocatalytic effect under visible light of Ag3PO4 particles
PublicationSilver phosphate (Ag3PO4) could be considered as visible light induced photocatalyst for pollutants degradation, due to its narrow band gap (∼2.4 eV). However, Ag3PO4 photoactivity depends on surface properties and synthesis route. In this study, differently shaped Ag3PO4 photocatalysts have been synthesized through the precipitation, ion exchange, soft-chemical or hydrothermal method. To correlate surface properties with photoactivity all...
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Long-term operating conditions for different sorption materials to capture phosphate from domestic wastewater
PublicationThis paper presents the results of a study on the possibility of applying various configured filters filled with a mixture of Rockfos® and Leca® material for the effective capture of phosphate from domestic wastewater. The tests were carried out for two years at two wastewater flow rates (20 and 40 L/day) in three pairs of filtration columns with a volume of filter material equal to 20 liters each. Columns 1A and 1B were filled...
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Three-dimensional numerical investigation of hybrid nanofluids in chain microchannel under electrohydrodynamic actuator
PublicationEnergy efficiency enhancement methods have received considerable attentionwithin the industry and scientific community, owing to the rising concern ofglobal energy sustainability. The present article attempts to scrutinize the effectsof electrohydrodynamics and nanofluids on the rate of heat transfer and fluidflow in the 3-D chain microchannels. Improved heat exchangers (e.g., chainmicrochannel) would have a key role in increasing...
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Robust and Efficient Machine Learning Algorithms for Visual Recognition
PublicationIn visual recognition, the task is to identify and localize all objects of interest in the input image. With the ubiquitous presence of visual data in modern days, the role of object recognition algorithms is becoming more significant than ever and ranges from autonomous driving to computer-aided diagnosis in medicine. Current models for visual recognition are dominated by models based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), which...
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Hyperelastic Microcantilever AFM: Efficient Detection Mechanism Based on Principal Parametric Resonance
PublicationThe impetus of writing this paper is to propose an efficient detection mechanism to scan the surface profile of a micro-sample using cantilever-based atomic force microscopy (AFM), operating in non-contact mode. In order to implement this scheme, the principal parametric resonance characteristics of the resonator are employed, benefiting from the bifurcation-based sensing mechanism. It is assumed that the microcantilever is made...
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On design and analysis of flow characteristics of the last stage of gas-steam turbine
PublicationResearch regarding blade design and analysis of flow have been conducted for over a century. Meanwhile new concepts and design approaches were created and improved. Advancements in information technologies allowed to introduce computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational flow mechanics (CFM). Currently a combination of mentioned methods is used for design of turbine blades. These methods enabled us to improve flow efficiency...
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Searching for innovation knowledge: insight into KIBS companies
PublicationPurpose – The paper analyzes the patterns of research of “innovation knowledge” (i.e. knowledge that can result in introducing innovations in the company that can be observed in KIBS (Knowledge-Intensive Business Services) companies. Particularly, it identifies and classifies the possible approaches adopted by companies on the basis of two dimensions: the intensity/proactivity of search efforts, and the source primarily used. Design/methodology/approach...
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Elucidating charge transfer process and enhancing electrochemical performance of laser-induced graphene via surface engineering with sustainable hydrogel membranes: An electrochemist's perspective
PublicationLaser-induced graphene (LIG) has emerged as a promising solvent-free strategy for producing highly porous, 3D graphene structures, particularly for electrochemical applications. However, the unique character of LIG and hydrogel membrane (HM) coated LIG requires accounting for the specific conditions of its charge transfer process. This study investigates electron transfer kinetics and the electroactive surface area of LIG electrodes,...
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The importance of individual spray properties in performance improvement of a urea-SCR system employing flash-boiling injection
PublicationThe appropriate mixing of a urea–water solution (UWS) with exhaust gases in a selective catalytic reduction system is crucial to efficiently reduce nitrogen oxides and diminish the deposition of liquid wall film. One of the methods to enhance the mixing of the UWS with the exhaust gases is a flash-boiling injection. Its positive effect has been linked with a reduced Sauter mean diameter (SMD) and improved evaporation, but the...
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Numerical analysis of high temperature minichannels heat exchanger performance
PublicationNowadays, the most difficult technological challenge in energy sector is connected with the gas micro-CHP units, dedicated to the distributed power generation. They are expected to be of high efficiency and at the same time of compact in size. Regarding the first reason, significant increase in microturbine efficiency can only be achieved by increase in the engine operating temperature. Therefore, one of the critical elements in...
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Solventless and solvent-minimized sample preparation techniques for determining currently used pesticides in water samples: A review
PublicationThe intensification of agriculture means that increasing amounts of toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering the environment. The pesticides generally applied nowadays are regarded as some of the most dangerous contaminants of the environment. Their presence in the environment, especially in water, is hazardous because they cause human beings to become more susceptible to disease. For these reasons, it is essential to...
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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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A novel concept of enhanced direct-contact condensation of vapour- inert gas mixture in a spray ejector condenser
PublicationAn analytical model of direct steam condensation (DCC) in the novel idea of spray ejector condenser (SEC) in the presence of inert gas has been developed. It is based on continuity, momentum and energy equations for the steam-carbon dioxide mixture and direct contact condensation mechanisms due to heat transfer and concentration. Crucial in the process of DCC is atomisation of the motive fluid in the ejector. The effect of atomised...
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Dynamic GPU power capping with online performance tracing for energy efficient GPU computing using DEPO tool
PublicationGPU accelerators have become essential to the recent advance in computational power of high- performance computing (HPC) systems. Current HPC systems’ reaching an approximately 20–30 mega-watt power demand has resulted in increasing CO2 emissions, energy costs and necessitate increasingly complex cooling systems. This is a very real challenge. To address this, new mechanisms of software power control could be employed. In this...
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The Impact of Isocyanate Index and Filler Functionalities on the Performance of Flexible Foamed Polyurethane/Ground Tire Rubber Composites
PublicationThe structure and performance of polyurethane (PU) foams are strongly driven by the stoichiometry of the polyaddition reaction, quantitatively described by the isocyanate index. It determines the balance between isocyanate and hydroxyl groups in the reacting system and is affected by the introduction of additional functionalities originated, e.g., from applied fillers. Nevertheless, this issue is hardly taken into account in research...
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Direct-contact condensation from vapour- gas mixture in a spray ejector condenser for negative CO2 power plant
PublicationDirect-contact condensation of vapour containing the inert gas on a spray of subcooled liquid exists in a number of technical applications. For example, it may be found in the nuclear industry (e.g. pressurized jet under normal operating conditions, in safety analyses) or in the chemical industry (e.g. mixing-type heat exchanger, degasser, sea water desalting). The problem is also essential to modelling and analysis of some...