Search results for: geminate recombination
-
Preparation of Well-Compatibilized PP/PC Blends and Foams Thereof
PublicationThe performance of polypropylene-poly(ethylene brassylate) block and graft copolymers and a polypropylene-polycaprolactone graft copolymer as compatibilizers for polypropylene-rich polypropylene/bisphenol A polycarbonate (PP/PC, 80/20 wt/wt) blends was elucidated. The copolymers were synthesized either by metal-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization or transesterification of a presynthesized polyester, initiated by hydroxyl-functionalized...
-
Advanced oxidation processes for the removal of mono and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – A review
PublicationAromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) are toxic environmental contaminants presented in most of the environmental matrices. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for the removal of AHs in the account of complete mineralization from various environmental matrices have been reviewed in this paper. An in-depth discussion on various AOPs for mono (BTEX) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives is presented. Most of the AOPs were...
-
Adjusting the Stiffness of Supports during Milling of a Large-Size Workpiece Using the Salp Swarm Algorithm
PublicationThis paper concerns the problem of vibration reduction during milling. For this purpose, it is proposed that the standard supports of the workpiece be replaced with adjustable stiffness supports. This affects the modal parameters of the whole system, i.e., object and its supports, which is essential from the point of view of the relative tool–workpiece vibrations. To reduce the vibration level during milling, it is necessary to...
-
A Surrogate-Assisted Measurement Correction Method for Accurate and Low-Cost Monitoring of Particulate Matter Pollutants
PublicationAir pollution involves multiple health and economic challenges. Its accurate and low-cost monitoring is important for developing services dedicated to reduce the exposure of living beings to the pollution. Particulate matter (PM) measurement sensors belong to the key components that support operation of these systems. In this work, a modular, mobile Internet of Things sensor for PM measurements has been proposed. Due to a limited...
-
Non-Destructive Testing of the Longest Span Soil-Steel Bridge in Europe—Field Measurements and FEM Calculations
PublicationThe article describes interdisciplinary and comprehensive non-destructive diagnostic tests of final bridge inspection and acceptance proposed for a soil-steel bridge made of corrugated sheets, being the European span length record holder (25.74 m). As an effect of an original concept a detailed and precise information about the structure short-term response was collected. Periodic diagnostics of bridge deformations was done one...
-
A ship domain-based model of collision risk for near-miss detection and Collision Alert Systems
PublicationThe paper presents a new model of ship collision risk, which utilises a ship domain concept and the related domain-based collision risk parameters. An encounter is here described by five variables representing: degree of domain violation (DDV), relative speed of the two vessels, combination of the vessels’ courses, arena violations and encounter complexity. As for the first three variables, their values can be directly computed...
-
Comparison of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and near-infrared transillumination-backscattering sounding (NIR-T/BSS) methods
PublicationThe aim of the study was to compare simultaneously recorded a NIR-T/BSS and NIRS signals from healthy volunteers. NIR-T/BSS is a device which give an ability to non-invasively detect and monitor changes in the subarachnoid space width (SAS). Experiments were performed on a group of 30 healthy volunteers (28 males and 2 females, age 30.8 ± 13.4 years, BMI = 24.5 ± 2.3 kg/m2). We analysed recorded signals using analysis methods based...
-
Effect of Ethanol Extracts of Propolis (EEPs) against Staphylococcal Biofilm—Microscopic Studies
PublicationStaphylococci growing in the form of biofilm exhibit high resistance to a plethora of antibiotics. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEPs) on S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 biofilm using fluorescent microscopy. Propidium iodide (PI) and SYTO 9 were used for differentiation of live and dead cells, and calcofluor white was used to stain the extracellular matrix, the self-produced extracellular...
-
Variable-fidelity response feature surrogates for accelerated statistical analysis and yield estimation of compact microwave components
PublicationAccounting for manufacturing tolerances is an essential part of a reliable microwave design process. Yet, quantification of geometry and/or material parameter uncertainties is challenging at the level of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation models. This is due to inherently high cost of EM analysis and massive simulations necessary to conduct the statistical analysis. Here, a low-cost and accurate yield estimation procedure...
-
Design-oriented computationally-efficient feature-based surrogate modelling of multi-band antennas with nested kriging
PublicationDesign of modern antenna structures heavily depends on electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools. EM analysis provides reliable evaluation of increasingly complex designs but tends to be CPU intensive. When multiple simulations are needed (e.g., for parameters tuning), the aggregated simulation cost may become a serious bottleneck. As one possible way of mitigating the issue, the recent literature fosters utilization of faster representations,...
-
Temperature influence on tyre/road noise of selected tyres
PublicationAir and road temperatures substantially affect road vehicle noise emission. The temperature influence on tyre/road noise depends mainly on tyre-road combination. It is different for dense and porous pavements, for bituminous and cement ones. It differs also depending on tyres. The correction procedures for temperature effect are still under consideration and preparation. Tyre/road noise measurements using CPX method were performed...
-
Interaction of cisplatin and two potential antitumoral platinum(ii) complexes with a model lipid membrane: a combined NMR and MD study
PublicationIn this study, the interaction of cisplatin (1) and two potential antitumoral Pt(II) complexes (2 and 3) with a model DMPC bilayer was investigated by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and MD simulations in order to understand its implication for the different antitumoral properties shown by the three complexes. In particular, 31P, 13C and 2H solid state NMR experiments were performed to obtain information on the phase structure, phase...
-
Structure and Molecular Dynamics in Renewable Polyamides from Dideoxy-Diamino Isohexide
PublicationThe chemical structure, the conformation, andthe flexibility of the polymer chain fragments present in thepolyamides synthesized from 2,5-diamino-2,5-dideoxy-1,4;3,6-dianhydrosorbitol, 1,4-diaminobutane, and either sebacic orbrassylic acid have been studied by liquid-state 2D NMRspectroscopy viz. correlation spectra (COSY) and heteronuclearmultiple-bond correlation spectra (gHMBC), by 13Ccross-polarization/magic-angle spinning...
-
Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in meat - available techniques
PublicationToxoplasma gondii, which belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa, is an absolute intercellular parasite that infects a wide range of hosts, including warm-blooded animals and humans. An infection with this parasite causes toxoplasmosis, which in most cases remains latent. However, this disease is a major threat to immunocompromised people and pregnant women. In extreme cases, it can damage nervous system or case fatal abortion. Infected...
-
Low-Cost Method for Internal Surface Roughness Reduction of Additively Manufactured All-Metal Waveguide Components
PublicationIn this study, a novel low-cost polishing method for internal surface roughness reduction of additively manufactured components, developed for waveguide (WG) circuits operating in the millimeter frequency range is proposed. WG components fabricated using powder bed fusion (PBF) generally feature roughness of ten to fifty microns, which influences the increase of roughness-related conductor power losses having a major effect on...
-
Effect of osmolytes of different type on DNA behavior in aqueous solution. Experimental and theoretical studies
PublicationOsmolytes, the small organic molecules accumulated in cells under environmental stress, can modulate the stability of biopolymers such as proteins and DNA. In spite of many years of research, there is no established molecular mechanism of the influence of osmolytes on DNA structure. Here, we used two model osmolytes that denature (urea) or stabilize (trimethylglycine, TMG) proteins to study their effect on DNA in aqueous solutions...
-
Size Exclusion Coupled to Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography for the Characterization of Cranberry Products
PublicationA combination of solvent extraction, size exclusion purification, and reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV absorption and fluorescence detection was here used for the determination of flavan-3-ols and related oligomeric compounds in cranberry products. The method relied on robust, simple, and inexpensive instrumental equipment present in most of routine analytical laboratories. Sample extracts in methanol/water/hydrochloric...
-
New trifunctional acrylic water-based paint with self-cleaning, biocidal and magnetic properties
PublicationIn the present study, we report the synthesis and application of ZnFe2O4/SiO2-TiO2 nanocomposites with nonstoichiometric content of Fe to Zn used for the first time for the preparation of new generation trifunctional paints with self-cleaning, biocidal and magnetic properties. Currently, there are no compositions on the market for obtaining protective coatings in the form of paint, which simultaneously exhibit biocidal, magnetic...
-
Optimizing Medical Personnel Speech Recognition Models Using Speech Synthesis and Reinforcement Learning
PublicationText-to-Speech synthesis (TTS) can be used to generate training data for building Automatic Speech Recognition models (ASR). Access to medical speech data is because it is sensitive data that is difficult to obtain for privacy reasons; TTS can help expand the data set. Speech can be synthesized by mimicking different accents, dialects, and speaking styles that may occur in a medical language. Reinforcement Learning (RL), in the...
-
Investigation on Filaments for 3D Printing of Nasal Septum Cartilage Implant
PublicationSeptoplasty is a widely used method in treating deviated septum. Although it is successfully implemented, there are problems with excessive bleeding, septal perforation, or infections. The use of anatomically shaped implants could help overcome these problems. This paper focuses on assessing the possibility of the usage of a nasal septum cartilage implant 3D printed from various market-available filaments. Five different types...
-
Magnetic semiconductor photocatalysts for the degradation of recalcitrant chemicals from flow back water
PublicationIn the present study treatability of persistent organic compounds from the flow back water after hydrauling fracturing was investigated. The combination of TiO2 photocatalyst and magnetic oxide nanoparticles enhance the separation and recoverable property of nanosized TiO2 photocatalyst. Fe3O4/ TiO2 and Fe3O4@SiO2/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by heteroagglomeration. The photocatalysts’ characteristics by X-ray diffractometry...
-
Latent fingerprint imaging by spectroscopic optical coherence tomography
PublicationOptical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-contact and non-invasive optical method for evaluating semitransparent and scattering objects. Its unique features, such as non-destructive 3D measurements of tested objects with a fast scanning rate, make this technique interesting for latent fingerprint reading, which is the subject of this paper. So far, OCT has not found widespread use for reading fingerprints directly from surfaces...
-
Solar light driven degradation of norfloxacin using as-synthesized Bi 3+ and Fe 2+ co-doped ZnO with the addition of HSO 5 – : Toxicities and degradation pathways investigation
PublicationIn this study, solar light responsive Bi3+ and Fe2+ doped ZnO were synthesized and used for photocatalytic degradation of norfloxacin (NOR), an emerging water pollutant. Analysis with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron...
-
Characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from the psychrophilic bacteria Desulfotalea psychrophila, Flavobacterium psychrophilum, Psychrobacter arcticus, Psychrobacter cryohalolentis, Psychromonas ingrahamii, Psychroflexus torquis, and Photobacterium profundum
PublicationBackground: Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) play essential roles in DNA replication, recombination and repair in Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in SSBs, since they find numerous applications in diverse molecular biology and analytical methods. Results: We report the characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from the psychrophilic bacteria Desulfotalea...
-
Highly effective degradation of selected groups of organic compounds by cavitation based AOPs under basic pH conditions
PublicationCavitation has become on the most often applied methods in a number of industrial technologies. In the case of oxidation of organic pollutants occurring in the aqueous medium, cavitation forms the basis of numerous advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). This paper presents the results of investigations on the efficiency of oxidation of the following groups of organic compounds: organosulfur, nitro derivatives of benzene, BTEX, and...
-
Unique agreement of experimental and computational infrared spectroscopy: a case study of lithium bromide solvation in an important electrochemical solvent
PublicationInfrared (IR) spectroscopy is a widely used and invaluable tool in the studies of solvation phenomena in electrolyte solutions. Using state-of-the-art chemometric analysis of a spectral series measured in a concentration-dependent manner, the spectrum of the solute-affected solvent can be extracted, providing a detailed view of the structural and energetic states of the solvent molecules influenced by the solute. Concurrently,...
-
In Search of Naval Beauty. Historical Study of Ship Architecture
PublicationDesigning ships is no mean achievement. In the old days, constructors focused on making their ships visually appealing, while paying scant regard to the living conditions of the crew. Such an approach reflected the state of the art in ship building at the time as well as the social order prevalent in those days. A breakthrough came no earlier than at the turn of the 19th / 20th centuries. The industrial revolution brought along...
-
HIERARCHICAL CYCLES IN MODERN POWER SYSTEMS – EXERGY ANALYSIS UNDER PART LOADS
PublicationThe aim of the paper is to investigate thermodynamic efficiency of advanced hierarchic power cyclesunder partial loads by using of exergy analyze. Advanced hierarchical power systems arecomposed of few energy conversion cycles, most common are steam and gas cycles in various configurations, but they may contain fuel cells, ORC, lithium bromide absorption chillers and others. Moreover hierarchical cycles can be powered by several...
-
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...
-
Composite Polyurethane-Polylactide (PUR/PLA) Flexible Filaments for 3D Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) of Antibacterial Wound Dressings for Skin Regeneration
Publicationhis paper addresses the potential application of flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) compositions as a material for the production of antibacterial wound dressings using the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing method. On the market, there are medical-grade polyurethane filaments available, but few of them have properties required for the fabrication of wound dressings, such as flexibility...
-
Stable Field Electron Emission and Plasma Illumination from Boron and Nitrogen Co‐Doped Edge‐Rich Diamond‐Enhanced Carbon Nanowalls
PublicationSuperior field electron emission (FEE) characteristics are achieved in edge-rich diamond-enhanced carbon nanowalls (D-ECNWs) grown in a single-step chemical vapor deposition process co-doped with boron and nitrogen. The structure consists of sharp, highly conductive graphene edges supplied by a solid, diamond-rich bottom. The Raman and transmission electron microscopy studies reveal a hybrid nature of sp3-diamond and sp2-graphene...
-
Bioactivities of Phenolic Compounds from Kiwifruit and Persimmon
PublicationFruit used in the common human diet in general, and kiwifruit and persimmon particularly, displays health properties in the prevention of heart disease. This study describes a combination of bioactivity, multivariate data analyses and fluorescence measurements for the differentiating of kiwifruit and persimmon, their quenching and antioxidant properties. The metabolic differences are shown, as well in the results of bioactivities...
-
Design and computational fluid dynamics analysis of the last stage of innovative gas-steam turbine
PublicationResearch regarding blade design and analysis of flow has been attracting interest for over a century. Meanwhile new concepts and design approaches were created and improved. Advancements in information technologies allowed to introduce computational fluid dynamics and computational flow mechanics. Currently a combination of mentioned methods is used for the design of turbine blades. These methods enabled us to improve flow efficiency...
-
Nonlinear free and forced vibrations of a dielectric elastomer-based microcantilever for atomic force microscopy
PublicationThe majority of atomic force microcode (AFM) probes work based on piezoelectric actuation. However, some undesirable phenomena such as creep and hysteresis may appear in the piezoelectric actuators that limit their applications. This paper proposes a novel AFM probe based on dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). The DE is modeled via the use of a hyperelastic Cosserat model. Size effects and geometric nonlinearity are included...
-
Assessing Roadside Hybrid Energy Absorbers Using the Example of SafeEnd
PublicationA combination of crash cushion and end-terminal, hybrid energy absorbing devices have been in use worldwide for a few years already. They include SafeEnd, a system Poland has recently introduced. Some road authorities have raised concerns as regards the operating conditions of the devices and how they work together with safety barriers. The objective of this research is to clarify the concerns and answer the following questions:...
-
Improving the Accuracy of Automatic Reconstruction of 3D Complex Buildings Models from Airborne Lidar Point Clouds
PublicationDue to high requirements of variety of 3D spatial data applications with respect to data amount and quality, automatized, effcient and reliable data acquisition and preprocessing methods are needed. The use of photogrammetry techniques—as well as the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) automatic scanners—are among attractive solutions. However, measurement data are in the form of unorganized point clouds, usually requiring transformation...
-
Human Feedback and Knowledge Discovery: Towards Cognitive Systems Optimization
PublicationCurrent computer vision systems, especially those using machine learning techniques are data-hungry and frequently only perform well when dealing with patterns they have seen before. As an alternative, cognitive systems have become a focus of attention for applications that involve complex visual scenes, and in which conditions may vary. In theory, cognitive applications uses current machine learning algorithms, such as deep learning,...
-
Synthesis and structural characterization of bio-based bis(cyclic carbonate)s for the preparation of non-isocyanate polyurethanes
PublicationBio-based cyclic carbonates are of significant research interest as monomers for non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) synthesis. This research describes the synthesis of a series of five-membered bis(cyclic carbonate)s using bio-based polyether polyols (PO3G) with different molecular weights (250, 650 and 1000 g mol−1) and carbon dioxide as green feedstocks. The utilization of CO2 as a source of carbon in the chemical reaction is...
-
The Anti-Staphylococcal Potential of Ethanolic Polish Propolis Extracts
PublicationAbstract: The principal objective of this study was to determine the anti-staphylococcal potential of ethanol extracts of propolis (EEPs). A total of 20 samples of propolis collected from apiaries located in different regions of Poland were used in the study. The two-fold broth microdilution method revealed some important differences in the antimicrobial activity of investigated EEPs. Up to the concentration of 4096 µg/mL no activity...
-
The Central European GNSS Research Network (CEGRN) dataset
PublicationThe Central European GNSS Research Network (CEGRN) collects GNSS data since 1994 from contributors which today include 42 Institutions in 33 Countries. CEGRN returns a dataset of coordinates and velocities computed according to international standards and the most recent processing procedures and recommendations. We provide a dataset of 1229 positions and velocities resulting from 3 or more repetitions of coordinate measurements...
-
Real-time hybrid model of a wind turbine with doubly fed induction generator
PublicationIn recent years renewable sources have been dominating power system. The share of wind power in energy production increases year by year, which meets the need to protect the environment. Possibility of conducting, not only computer simulation, but also laboratory studies of wind turbine operation and impact on the power system and other power devices in laboratory conditions would be very useful. This article presents a method...
-
Visual content representation and retrieval for Cognitive Cyber Physical Systems
PublicationCognitive Cyber Physical Systems have gained significant attention from academia and industry during the past few decade. One of the main reasons behind this interest is the potential of such technologies to revolutionize human life since they intend to work robustly under complex visual scenes, which environmental conditions may vary, adapting to a comprehensive range of unforeseen changes, and exhibiting prospective behavior...
-
Dynamic Bayesian Networks for Symbolic Polyphonic Pitch Modeling
PublicationSymbolic pitch modeling is a way of incorporating knowledge about relations between pitches into the process of an- alyzing musical information or signals. In this paper, we propose a family of probabilistic symbolic polyphonic pitch models, which account for both the “horizontal” and the “vertical” pitch struc- ture. These models are formulated as linear or log-linear interpo- lations of up to fi ve sub-models, each of which is...
-
Inverse surrogate modeling for low-cost geometry scaling of microwave and antenna structures
PublicationPurpose–The purpose of this paper is to investigate strategies for expedited dimension scaling ofelectromagnetic (EM)-simulated microwave and antenna structures, exploiting the concept of variable-fidelity inverse surrogate modeling.Design/methodology/approach–A fast inverse surrogate modeling technique is described fordimension scaling of microwave and antenna structures. The model is established using referencedesigns obtained...
-
Cost-efficient design optimization of compact patch antennas with improved bandwidth
PublicationIn this letter, a surrogate-assisted optimization procedure for fast design of compact patch antennas with enhanced bandwidth is presented. The procedure aims at addressing a fundamental challenge of the design of antenna structures with complex topologies, which is simultaneous adjustment of numerous geometry parameters. The latter is necessary in order to find a truly optimum design and cannot be executed-at the level of high-fidelity...
-
Chiral analysis of chloro intermediates of methylamphetamine by one-dimensional and multidementional NMR and GC/MS
PublicationImpurity profiling and classification of abused drugs using chiral analytical techniques is of particular interest and importance because of the additional information obtained fromthis approach. When these methods are applied to the synthesis of illicitly used substances, they can supply valuable information about the conditions/chemicals used in the synthesis. We have applied GC and NMR methods to the study of intermediates found...
-
Evolution of the nanostructure of Pt and Pt–Co polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell electrocatalysts at successive degradation stages probed by X-ray photoemission
PublicationWe present a set of XPS (X-ray photoemission spectroscopy) measurements and detailed data-analysis of electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) based on carbon supported catalysts (Pt and Pt–Co) subjected to a step-like potential cycling (accelerated degradation test). The results of the measurements complete and corroborate parallel TEM (transmission electron microscopy), XRD (X-ray diffraction) and XAS (X-ray...
-
Wpływ stosowanych praktyk rolniczych na dopływ wód podziemnych oraz azotanów do Zatoki Puckiej
PublicationEutrophication of marine basins associated with submarine groundwater discharge is currently one of the most important challenges in modern coastal hydrogeology, and is classified as a serious global environmental problem. A particular source of groundwater pollution is agricultural activity, which is commonly carried out in the coastal zone. Research was conducted on a representative part of the Bay of Puck watershed, dominated...
-
Fabrication of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Supported on Zinc Imidazolate Metal–Organic Frameworks as Active Catalysts for Hydrogen Release from Ammonia Borane
PublicationWell-dispersed Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been immobilized on a zinc imidazolate metal−organic framework, Zn(mim), using the “one-pot” method and tested as catalysts in ammonia borane hydrolysis. The AuNPs@Zn(mim) and AgNPs@Zn(mim) materials were characterized by FTIR, XRD, ICP-OES, TGA, BET, SEM, and TEM. The AgNPs@Zn(mim) catalyst showed a high yield (98.5%) and high hydrogen generation rate (3352.71 mL min−1 gAg−1) in...
-
The Dominant Influence of Plastic Deformation Induced Residual Stress on the Barkhausen Effect Signal in Martensitic Steels
PublicationThe paper presents the results of investigation of the influence of plastic deformation on the magnetic properties of martensitic steel (P91 grade). The properties of the hysteresis loops as well as of the Barkhausen effect (BE) signal are analysed for both tensile and compressive loading up to ε = 10% of plastic deformation. The choice of the steel and of the deformation range is unique, since for such combination one can expect...