Search results for: SUBSOIL IMPROVEMENT
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Modifications to the anaerobic digestion model no. 1 (ADM1) for enhanced understanding and application of the anaerobic treatment processes – A comprehensive review
PublicationAnaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising method for the recovery of resources and energy from organic wastes. Correspondingly, AD modelling has also been developed in recent years. The International Water Association (IWA) Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) is currently the most commonly used structured AD model. However, as substrates become more complex and our understanding of the AD mechanism grows, both systematic and specific...
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Biochemical assays of intensified methane content in biogas from low-temperature processing of waste activated sludge
PublicationAnaerobic digestion (AD) is implemented as an important ‘waste to energy’ approach for converting organic-rich byproducts such as sewage sludge into biogas and nutrient-rich digestate. Sewage sludge consists of primary sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS), and low biodegradability of WAS limits methane production. This study presents the influence of the low-temperature pretreatment (LT-PT) of WAS on the efficiency of AD. Different...
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Reduction of exceeding the guaranteed service time for external trucks at the DCT Gdańsk container terminal using a six sigma framework
PublicationPurpose The purpose of this research was to investigate ways to reduce the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time for external trucks at Deepwater Container Terminal Gdańsk Sp z o.o. (DCT Gdańsk) via dosing the gate activities, in particular IN-Gate entry process of trucks carrying import/export/transit containers. Design/methodology/approach A Six Sigma methodology with the DMAIC methods along with the SIPOC chart,...
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Interactive Prototypes in Teaching User-Centred Design and Business Process Modelling
PublicationThis publication describes experiences gathered during the use of interactive prototyping in two areas: design of user interfaces for a touch screen information kiosk and interactive prototyping of business processes. Prototyping is promoted here as a technique useful for both visualizing design concepts and for stimulating communication within relevant teams. Developing interactive prototypes of use interfaces is discussed here...
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Strategies for mitigating nitrous oxide production and decreasing the carbon footprint of a full-scale combined nitrogen and phosphorus removal activated sludge system
PublicationNitrous oxide (N2O) emitted from biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems contributes significantly to the total carbon footprint of modern wastewater treatment plants. In the present study, N2O production and emissions were experimentally determined in a large-scale plant (220,000 PE) employing combined nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal. As a modelling tool, the Activated Sludge Model 2d (ASM2d) was extended...
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Global Approaches to Reduce Light Pollution from Media Architecture and Non-Static, Self-Luminous LED Displays for Mixed-Use Urban Developments
PublicationUrban environments have become significantly brighter and more illuminated, and cities now consider media architecture and non-static, self-luminous LED displays an essential element of their strategy to attract residents, visitors, and tourists in the hours after dark. Unfortunately, most often, they are not designed with care, consideration, and awareness, nor do they support the visual wellbeing and circadian rhythms of humans....
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Assessment of Environmental Loads in the Life Cycle of a Retail and Service Building
PublicationIn order to achieve the European Union’s climate and energy goals, investments are required, mainly in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and infrastructure. Buildings are responsible for almost half of total energy consumption, and nearly 80% of them are energy and ecologically inefficient. The policy of European countries is increasingly more focused on facilities with the highest potential in the areas...
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Parallelization of large vector similarity computations in a hybrid CPU+GPU environment
PublicationThe paper presents design, implementation and tuning of a hybrid parallel OpenMP+CUDA code for computation of similarity between pairs of a large number of multidimensional vectors. The problem has a wide range of applications, and consequently its optimization is of high importance, especially on currently widespread hybrid CPU+GPU systems targeted in the paper. The following are presented and tested for computation of all vector...
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Know your safety indicator – A determination of merchant vessels Bow Crossing Range based on big data analytics
PublicationEven in the era of automatization maritime safety constantly needs improvements. Regardless of the presence of crew members on board, both manned and autonomous ships should follow clear guidelines (no matter as bridge procedures or algorithms). To date, many safety indicators, especially in collision avoidance have been proposed. One of such parameters commonly used in day-to-day navigation but usually omitted by researchers is...
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Seismic performance evaluation of steel buckling-restrained braced frames including SMA materials
PublicationThe permanent deformation of the building after seismic excitations can be determined by the Maximum Residual Interstory Drift Ratio (MR-IDR), which may be used for measuring the damage states. Low-post yield stiffness of the steel buckling-restrained braced frame (BRBF) makes this system vulnerable to large MR-IDR after a severe earthquake event. To overcome this issue, this paper investigates the seismic limit state performances...
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CERTIFICATION SYSTEM AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF SCHOOL-RELATED TRAVELS
PublicationDespite the well-established physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spatial benefits of active and autonomous school commuting of children and adolescents', many are driven by car. Pilot surveys and field research held in 2019 in 10 Gdansk primary schools confirmed this trend. The article presents a certification system for schools, commissioned by the City of Gdańsk, which is an element of a systemic solution shaping patterns...
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An Impact Analysis of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) on Bats. A Case Study of the Historic Monument and Natura 2000 Wisłoujście Fortress in Gdansk, Poland
PublicationThe artificial light at night (ALAN) present in many cities and towns has a negative impact on numerous organisms that live alongside humans, including bats. Therefore, we investigated if the artificial illumination of the historic Wisłoujście Fortress in Gdańsk, Poland (part of the Natura 2000 network), during nighttime events, which included an outdoor electronic dance music (EDM) festival, might be responsible for increased...
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Rethinking non-governmental organizations – at the crossroad of economics and civil society
PublicationThe article aims to close the existing knowledge gaps, show why non‑governmental organizations are founded and maintained, and elaborate and systematize the existing knowledge through an analysis of the existing subdisciplines within economics, laying the groundwork for the economics of non‑governmental organizations. The article was written based on a structured literature review with an approach similar to the grounded theory...
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Immunophenotyping and transcriptional profiling of in vitro cultured human adipose tissue derived stem cells
PublicationAdipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have become an important research model in regenerative medicine. However, there are controversies regarding the impact of prolonged cell culture on the ASCs phenotype and their differentiation potential. Hence, we studied 10 clinical ASCs replicates from plastic and oncological surgery patients, in six-passage FBS supplemented cultures. We quantified basic mesenchymal cell surface marker transcripts...
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Protection System Design of Induction Motor for Industries
PublicationThe fundamental and durable structures of induction motor, as well as their low manufacturing cost, make them popular components in a wide range of current applications. Providing a safety net for employees is a must-have for businesses. This project’s motivation for improvement is to provide industrial motors, lift motors, pumps, and so on with safety. An induction motor’s primary goal is to protect it from problems, such as...
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Yade-open DEM: an open-source software using a discrete element methodto simulate granular material
PublicationPurpose - YADE-OPEN DEM is an open source software based on the Discrete Element Method which uses object oriented programming techniques. The paper describes the softwarearchitecture.Design/methodology/approach - The DEM chosen uses position, orientation, velocity and angular velocity as independent variables of simulated particles which are subject to explicit leapfrog time-integration scheme (Lagrangian method). The three-dimensional...
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Influence of Asphalt Binder on the Compactability of Asphalt Mixtures Using Locking Point
PublicationCompaction is an important process for the asphalt mixture service life. A properly compacted mixture is crucial for long-lasting pavement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of asphalt binders on the compactability of the asphalt mixtures by utilizing the concept of the locking point. To achieve this objective, two compaction methods (impact and gyration), different temperatures and asphalt content, and...
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Fracture Surface Topography Parameters for S235JR Steel Adhesive Joints After Fatigue Shear Testing
PublicationThis paper presents the experimental results of a study investigating the effect of holes and notches made on the overlap ends on the strength of adhesive joints. Single-lap joints made of S235JR steel sheets bonded with Araldite 2024-2 epoxy adhesive were tested. For comparative reasons, static shear strength tests and high-cycle fatigue strength tests were performed. Adhesive-filled joints having three holes, each with a diameter...
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Comparison of Tire Rolling Resistance Measuring Methods for Different Surfaces
PublicationThe rolling resistance of car tires is one of the most important parameters characterizing tires today. This resistance has a very significant contribution to the energy consumption of wheeled vehicles. The climate crisis has forced tire and car manufacturers to place great emphasis on the environmental impact of their products. Paradoxically, the development of electric vehicles has led to an even greater importance of rolling...
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Addressing challenges of BiVO4 light-harvesting ability through vanadium precursor engineering and sub-nanoclusters deposition for peroxymonosulfate-assisted photocatalytic pharmaceuticals removal
PublicationIn this study, we present a complex approach for increasing light utilisation and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation in BiVO4-based photocatalyst. This involves two key considerations: the design of the precursor for BiVO4 synthesis and interface engineering through CuOx sub-nanoclusters deposition. The designed precursor of ammonium methavanadate (NH4VO3, NHV) leads to reduction in particle size, better dispersion and improved light...
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Improving automatic surveillance by sound analysis
PublicationAn automatic surveillance system, based on event detection in the video image can be improved by implementing algorithms for audio analysis. Dangerous or illegal actions are often connected with distinctive sound events like screams or sudden bursts of energy. A method for detection and classification of alarming sound events is presented. Detection is based on the observation of sudden changes in sound level in distinctive sub-bands...
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Protection System Design of Induction Motor for Industries
PublicationThe fundamental and durable structures of induction motor, as well as their low manufacturing cost, make them popular components in a wide range of current applications. Providing a safety net for employees is a must-have for businesses. This project’s motivation for improvement is to provide industrial motors, lift motors, pumps, and so on with safety. An induction motor’s primary goal is to protect it from problems, such as...
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A Concept of Using Knowledge Models to Secure Intellectual Capital in Enterprise
PublicationWithout a doubt, knowledge has become the most important resource for all companies in the world. Knowledge extended of our own observations and practice is being called experience. With the increase of knowledge and gained experience, the individual becomes more and more valuable employee in terms of business. The above mentioned knowledge can be gained only by self-improvement, which requires time and other necessary elements...
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Detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental samples
PublicationToxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that has capacity to infect warm-blooded animals. Human toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic, whereas severe complications may occur in immunocompromised patients (e.g. AIDS) or in case of congenitalinfection. One of the sources of acquiring human toxoplasmosis is ingestion of T. gondii oocysts. It is known that newly infected cats can shed millions of oocysts into the environment,...
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Analysis of features of stainless steels in dissimilar welded joints in chloride inducted corrosion
PublicationStainless steels of femtic-austenitic microstructure that means the duplex Cr-Ni-Mo steels, in comparison with austenitic steel includes less expensive nickel and has much better mechanical properties with good formability and corrosion resistance, even in environments containing chloride ions. Similar share of high chromium ferrite and austenite, which is characterized by high ductility, determines that the duplex steels have...
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Low temperature growth of diamond films on optical fibers using Linear Antenna CVD system
PublicationIt is not trivial to achieve a good quality diamond-coated fibre interface due to a large difference in the properties and composition of the diamond films (or use coating even) and the optical fibre material, i.e. fused silica. One of the biggest problems is the high temperature during the deposition which influences the optical fibre or optical fibre sensor structure (e.g. long-period gratings (LPG)). The greatest advantage of...
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Effect of Overloaded Vehicles on Whole Life Cycle Cost of Flexible Pavements
PublicationThe phenomenon of vehicle overloading—illegal exceeding of maximum legal weight of vehicles, is a serious problem both in developing and developed countries around the world. Overloaded vehicles occur less frequently in comparison to properly loaded vehicles but due to their greater potential to cause damage they significantly contribute to distress of pavement structure. As studies show, the number of overloaded vehicles increases...
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Landscape Rurality: New Challenge for The Sustainable Development of Rural Areas in Poland
PublicationThe standard of country living was a matter of Polish elites’ concern from the eighteenth century. In different historical conditions different concepts of the rural renewal were formed. Today in rural areas of Poland some spatial processes that threaten the quality of life occur. The disadvantageous changes are the result of national or local governments spatial policy and they are an inhabitants’ response to it. The political...
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Rapid tolerance‐aware design of miniaturized microwave passives by means of confined‐domain surrogates
PublicationThe effects of uncertainties, primarily manufacturing tolerances but also incomplete information about operating conditions or material parameters, can be detrimental to the performance of microwave components. Quantification of such effects is essential to ensure a meaningful evaluation of the structure, in particular, its reliability under imperfect fabrication procedures. The improvement of the circuit robustness can be achieved...
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The Effect of Laser Re-Solidification on Microstructure and Photo-Electrochemical Properties of Fe-Decorated TiO2 Nanotubes
PublicationFossil fuels became increasingly unpleasant energy source due to their negative impact on the environment; thus, attractiveness of renewable, and especially solar energy, is growing worldwide. Among others, the research is focused on smart combination of simple compounds towards formation of the photoactive materials. Following that, our work concerns the optimized manipulation of laser light coupled with the iron sputtering to...
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Influence of several biodegradable components added to pure and nanosilver-doped PMMA bone cements on its biological and mechanical properties
PublicationAcrylic bone cements (BC) are wildly used in medicine. Despite favorable mechanical properties, processability and inject capability, BC lack bioactivity. To overcome this, we investigated the effects of selected biodegradable additives to create a partially-degradable BC and also we evaluated its combination with nanosilver (AgNp). We hypothesized that using above strategies it would be possible to obtain bioactive BC. The Cemex...
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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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Low-cost multi-criterial design optimization of compact microwave passives using constrained surrogates and dimensionality reduction
PublicationDesign of contemporary microwave circuits is a challenging task. Typically, it has to take into account several performance requirements and constraints. The design objectives are often conflicting and their simultaneous improvement may not be possible; instead, compromise solutions are to be sought. Representative examples are miniaturized microwave passives where reduction of the circuit size has a detrimental effect on its electrical...
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Effect of MgSO4 nutrition on Theobroma cacao L. susceptibility to Phytophthora megakarya infection
PublicationA new strategy to reduce the severity of black pod disease (BPD) in T. cacao plants using MgSO4 nutrition was investigated. The dynamics of the tolerance to BPD of 18 susceptible T. cacao plantlets coming from the cross (♀SNK64 × ♂UPA14) was monitored during weekly (8 weeks) supply of MgSO4 into the soil. Prior to MgSO4 application, disease scores of the 18 plantlets (in six sets of three plantlets per set) were varying between...
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Using differential pressure sensor to measure nitrous oxide level in a tank
PublicationA method for measuring the level of liquid nitrous oxide oxidizer in a hybrid rocket motor oxidizer tank is proposed. Presented approach is more accurate than the most commonly used method of this measurement, which employs weighting of the whole sounding rocket or an oxidizer tank. In our solution we use a differential pressure sensor to measure the change of pressure at the bottom of an oxidizer tank in comparison to the pressure...
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Investigation of Acoustic Properties of Poroelastic Asphalt Mixtures in Laboratory and Field Conditions
PublicationMeasures for the improvement of acoustic conditions in the vicinity of roads include the construction of pavement structures with low-noise surfaces with optimal macrotexture and the highest possible sound absorption coefficient. Laboratory evaluation of acoustic properties of a designed asphalt mixture before its placement in the pavement is a good solution. Currently, the most popular method for the determination of the sound...
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Generalized Formulation of Response Features for Reliable Optimization of Antenna Input Characteristics
PublicationElectromagnetic (EM)-driven parameter adjustment has become imperative in the design of modern antennas. It is necessary because the initial designs rendered through topology evolution, parameter sweeping, or theoretical models, are often of poor quality and need to be improved to satisfy stringent performance requirements. Given multiple objectives, constraints, and a typically large number of geometry parameters, the design closure...
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The optimization of enzyme immobilization at Au-Ti nanotextured platform and its impact onto the response towards glucose in neutral media
PublicationThe market of non-invasive glucose sensors is drastically growing due to increasing number of people suffering from diabetes. Therefore, there is a significant need for any improvement in the field of biosensors that can be used for monitoring glucose level in human body. In recent years the emphasis is put onto the modification of electrode material with enzymes possessing recognition centre specific towards particular molecules....
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ZnO-decorated green-synthesized multi-doped carbon dots from Chlorella pyrenoidosa for sustainable photocatalytic carbamazepine degradation
PublicationThe promising green synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) from microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa was achieved using simple hydrothermal and microwave-assisted methods. Doping of nanomaterials by nonmetals (N, S, and P) was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while the existence of metals in the CDs was confirmed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM),...
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Technologie prośrodowiskowe dla budynków miejskich
PublicationWspółczesne duże miasta na całym świecie charakteryzują się dużą i wciąż rosnącą intensywnością zabudowy. Jest to tendencja utrwalona, którą pogłębia idea „miasta zwartego” jako rozwiązania dla problemu nadmiernego rozrastania terytorialnego i rozpraszania się struktury terenów miejskich. Jednocześnie realną potrzebą współczesnych miast jest poprawa jakości ich środowiska (eliminacja zanieczyszczeń, minimalizacja zjawiska miejskiej...
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Właściwości niskotemperaturowe betonów asfaltowych o wysokim module sztywności (AC-WMS) w badaniach trzypunktowego zginania
PublicationArtykuł przedstawia właściwości niskotemperaturowe betonów asfaltowych o wysokim module sztywności. Przedstawione wyniki zostały uzyskane w dwóch badaniach zginania trzypunktowego próbek belkowych: ze stałą prędkością przemieszczenia oraz pod stałym obciążeniem. Obie te metody są od dawna stosowane na Politechnice Gdańskiej do oceny właściwości niskotemperaturowych betonów asfaltowych. Badaniu poddano pięć betonów asfaltowych –...
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Machine-Learning-Based Global Optimization of Microwave Passives with Variable-Fidelity EM Models and Response Features
PublicationMaximizing microwave passive component performance demands precise parameter tuning, particularly as modern circuits grow increasingly intricate. Yet, achieving this often requires a comprehensive approach due to their complex geometries and miniaturized structures. However, the computational burden of optimizing these components via full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations is substantial. EM analysis remains crucial for circuit...
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Starch-clay nanocomposite films
PublicationStarch is a natural polymer which, due to its renewability, biodegrability, availability and a relatively low cost, has a high potential for applications in biodegradable materials. However, because of its hydrophilic nature, the number of commercially available starch-based products is still limited. Recently, starch-based nanocomposites with the addition of clay minerals as nanofillers have given rise to large-scale improvements...
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Advanced Potential Energy Surfaces for Molecular Simulation
PublicationAdvanced potential energy surfaces are defined as theoretical models that explicitly include many-body effects that transcend the standard fixed-charge, pairwise-additive paradigm typically used in molecular simulation. However, several factors relating to their software implementation have precluded their widespread use in condensed-phase simulations: the computational cost of the theoretical models, a paucity of approximate models...
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Portable raman spectrometer for maritime security applications
PublicationThe fast identification of explosives, narcotics and other chemicals carried on board of ships or transported in containers to the harbors is an important problem of maritime security. Raman spectroscopy is widely used for fast identification of various chemicals. Continuous progress in the field of photonics has resulted in commercial availability of low-power compact Raman spectrometers which can be integrated into portable systems....
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Hyperbranched polyethylenimine functionalized silica/polysulfone nanocomposite membranes for water purification
PublicationHyperbranched polyethyleneimine functionalized silica (PEI-SiO2) nanoparticles with considerable hydrophilicity were synthesized and incorporated into a polysulfone (PSF)/dimethylacetamide (DMA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) membrane casting solution in five different ratios to fabricate PEI-SiO2/PSF nanocomposite membranes using nonsolvent-induced phase separation. The hydrophilic PEI-SiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by TEM,...
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Improved Modeling of Microwave Structures Using Performance-Driven Fully-Connected Regression Surrogate
PublicationFast replacement models (or surrogates) have been widely applied in the recent years to accelerate simulation-driven design procedures in microwave engineering. The fundamental reason is a considerable—and often prohibitive—CPU cost of massive full-wave electromagnetic (EM) analyses related to solving common tasks such as parametric optimization or uncertainty quantification. The most popular class of surrogates are data-driven...
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DEPO: A dynamic energy‐performance optimizer tool for automatic power capping for energy efficient high‐performance computing
PublicationIn the article we propose an automatic power capping software tool DEPO that allows one to perform runtime optimization of performance and energy related metrics. For an assumed application model with an initialization phase followed by a running phase with uniform compute and memory intensity, the tool performs automatic tuning engaging one of the two exploration algorithms—linear search (LS) and golden section search (GSS), finds...
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Assessment of Sewage Molecular Markers: Linear Alkylbenzenes in Sediments of an Industrialized Region in Peninsular Malaysia
PublicationIn this study, the use of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) was employed to pinpoint the sources of human activity that cause detrimental impacts on the coastal environment and river ecosystems. LABs were detected using GC–MS in sediment samples assembled from Kim Kim River (KKR) and the Port Dickson coast (PDC). To assess the significance of variations in the distribution and concentrations of LABs across the sampling sites, this study...
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Job Demands, Engagement, and Turnover Intentions in Polish Nurses: The Role of Work-Family Interface
PublicationBackground: Poland has lower ratios of employed registered nurses per 1,000 inhabitants than the EU average. Polish nurses work under miserable conditions without assisting personnel, and they reconcile their professional demands with responsibilities for their families; 96% of them are women. Rationale/Aims: This study uses Hobfoll’s conservation of resources (CORs) theory to explain the role of various resources in the improvement...