Search results for: threspect
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Systems of General Grants for Local Governments in Selected EU Countries Against the Background of the General Theory of Fiscal Policy
PublicationFiscal policy, including its expenditure aspect, is often discussed and analysed from a variety of angles in the literature on public finances, undoubtedly due to the major importance of this topic. However, not all areas of the expenditure part of fiscal policy have been subjected to in-depth analysis. One of the less discussed tools of fiscal policy consists of general purpose transfers, which are a certain type of expenditure...
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Investigation of vortex assisted magnetic deep eutectic solvent based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for separation and determination of vanadium from water and food matrices: Multivariate analysis
PublicationA new and simple vortex assisted magnetic deep eutectic solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure (VA-MDES-DLLME) was developed for the determination of vanadium (V) in food and water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). In the extraction medium, a bis(acetylpivalylmethane) ethylenediimine (H2APM2en) was used for the complexation of V(V) in sample solution at pH 6. The VA-MDES-DLLME was optimized...
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The impact of security aspects on functional safety analysis = Wpływ aspectów ochrony informacji na wyniki analiz bezpieczeństwa funkcjonalnego
PublicationIt can be said that a distributed control and protection system’s security level may have a significant impact on functional safety analyses and their results. However the issue of integrating those both aspects are difficult and usually is neglected during functional safety analyses. Known methods of functional safety analyses don’t take into consideration this kind of concept also. This paper discusses an attempt to integrate...
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Comparison of tuning procedures based on evolutionary algorithm for multi-region fuzzy-logic PID controller for non-linear plant
PublicationThe paper presents a comparison of tuning procedures for a multi-region fuzzy-logic controller used for nonlinear process control. This controller is composed of local PID controllers and fuzzy-logic mechanism that aggregates local control signals. Three off-line tuning procedures are presented. The first one focuses on separate tuning of local PID controllers gains in the case when the parameters of membership functions of fuzzy-logic...
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Issues related to noise and protection against noise against the background of hazards present in the working environment
PublicationNoise is one of the physical factors that poses the greatest threat in the working environment. In order to reduce the noise exposure, noise reduction at the source should be considered. Next, the engineering and administrative controls are being developed. Finally, hearing protectors are used. Issues related to protection against noise are part of the topics in the field of occupational...
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Schemes of transmission of classical information via quantum channels with many senders: Discrete- and continuous-variable cases
PublicationSuperadditivity effects in the classical capacity of discrete multiaccess channels and continuous variable (CV) Gaussian MACs are analyzed. Several examples of the manifestation of superadditivity in the discrete case are provided, including, in particular, a channel which is fully symmetric with respect to all senders. Furthermore, we consider a class of channels for which input entanglement across more than two copies of the...
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Zero-pole approach to computer aided design of in-line siw filters with transmission zeros
PublicationThis paper presents a design of a new type of in-line pseudo-elliptic filters implemented in substrate integrated waveguide(SIW) technology. To realize transmission zeros in in-line topology,frequency-dependent couplings were used. Such dispersive couplingswere implemented as shorted stubs. The design process startswith the generation of a suitable starting point. To this end, anapproximation of SIW as a rectangular waveguide is...
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Relative product diversification in the course of economic development: import-export analysis.
PublicationThis paper contributes to trade diversification literature by comparing changes in relative (i.e. assessed in comparison with world patterns) heterogeneity of import and export structures in the process of economic development. In particular, by focusing on the diversification of imports, we add a missing piece to already analysed export trends. We use highly disaggregated trade statistics (4963 product lines) for 163 countries...
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Personal Branding—A New Competency in the Era of the Network Economy. Corporate Brand Performance Implications
PublicationPrimary assets of the network economy are information, network, re-lationships, knowledge, and a virtual environment. The competency of personal branding exercised by knowledge workers, also thought of as knowledge producers, is becoming a natural consequence of the business environment where the significance of hierarchies is constantly decreasing. Knowledge workers are powerful as never be-fore and can exist as separate actors...
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Cure kinetics of epoxy/MWCNTs nanocomposites: Nonisothermal calorimetric and rheokinetic techniques
PublicationNonisothermal calorimetric and isothermal rheokinetic analyses were used to study cure kinetics of epoxy/anhydride systems containing very low concentration of pristine and amine-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Isoconversional methods were applied in calorimetric modeling of cure kinetics. Eα vs. α dependency and autocatalytic nature of curing were identified for both types of nanocomposites by isoconversional...
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Disaster-Resilient Routing Schemes for Regional Failures
PublicationLarge-scale natural disasters can have a profound effect on the telecommunication services in the affected geographical area. Hence, it is important to develop routing approaches that may help in circumventing damaged regional areas of a network. This prompted the development of geographically diverse routing schemes and also of disaster-risk aware routing schemes. A minimum-cost geodiverse routing, where a minimum geographical...
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Free-standing TiO2 nanotubes decorated with spherical nickel nanoparticles as a cost-efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction
PublicationHere, we report significant activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of spherical nickel nanoparticles (NPs) electrodeposited onto free-standing TiO2 nanotubes (TNT) via cyclic voltammetry. It has been shown that simple manipulation of processing parameters, including scan rate and number of cycles, allows for formation of the NPs in various diameters and amounts. The polarization data with respect to transmission electron...
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A Review of Emotion Recognition Methods Based on Data Acquired via Smartphone Sensors
PublicationIn recent years, emotion recognition algorithms have achieved high efficiency, allowing the development of various affective and affect-aware applications. This advancement has taken place mainly in the environment of personal computers offering the appropriate hardware and sufficient power to process complex data from video, audio, and other channels. However, the increase in computing and communication capabilities of smartphones,...
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Performance-Driven Inverse/Forward Modeling of Antennas in Variable-Thickness Domains
PublicationDesign of contemporary antenna systems is a challenging endeavor. The difficulties are partially rooted in stringent specifications imposed on both electrical and field characteristics, demands concerning various functionalities, but also constraints imposed upon the physical size of the radiators. Furthermore, conducting the design process at the level of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations, otherwise dictated by reliability,...
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Novel Binary Mixtures of Alkanolamine Based Deep Eutectic Solvents with Water—Thermodynamic Calculation and Correlation of Crucial Physicochemical Properties
PublicationThis paper demonstrates the assessment of physicochemical and thermodynamic properties of aqueous solutions of novel deep eutectic solvent (DES) built of tetrabutylammonium chloride and 3-amino-1-propanol or tetrabutylammonium bromide and 3-amino-1-propanol or 2-(methylamino)ethanol or 2-(butylamino)ethanol. Densities, speeds of sound, refractive indices, and viscosities for both pure and aqueous mixtures of DES were investigated...
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Mechanical Properties of Twisted Carbon Nanotube Bundles with Carbon Linkers from Molecular Dynamics Simulations
PublicationThe manufacturing of high-modulus, high-strength fibers is of paramount importance for real-world, high-end applications. In this respect, carbon nanotubes represent the ideal candidates for realizing such fibers. However, their remarkable mechanical performance is difficult to bring up to the macroscale, due to the low load transfer within the fiber. A strategy to increase such load transfer is the introduction of chemical linkers...
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Molecular targets for antifungals in amino acid and protein biosynthetic pathways
PublicationFungi cause death of over 1.5 million people every year, while cutaneous mycoses are among the most common infections in the world. Mycoses vary greatly in severity, there are long-term skin (ringworm), nail or hair infections (tinea capitis), recurrent like vaginal candidiasis or severe, life-threatening systemic, multiorgan infections. In the last few years, increasing importance is attached to the health and economic problems...
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Proposal of a mobile medical waste incinerator with automatic waste feeder and heat recovery system
PublicationThe paper presents and discusses the issue of medical waste (including hazardous ones) and their proper management. Inappropriate handling of infectious medical waste directly endangers the human being health and the environment. Infectious waste must therefore be properly disposed of – one of the most commonly used methods is the thermal treatment in the incinerators tailored for this purpose. During designing an incinerator unit,...
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A semi-empirical model for flow boiling heat transfer with account of the reduced pressure effect
PublicationIn the present study the attention was focused on the influence of reduced pressure on the predictions of heat transfer during flow boiling at the extensive range of pressures. The results of calculations were to test the sensitivity of the in-house flow boiling model with respect to the selection of the appropriate two-phase flow multiplier, which is one of the distinctive elements of that model. For this purpose a few two-phase...
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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...
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Application of human bile salts for in vitro digestion models
PublicationIn this study, experimental in vitro models simulating the environment of the human gastrointestinal tract were used to assess the impact of physiological surfactants, such as bile salts, on the kinetics of digestion. Bile salts are biosurfactants synthesised in the liver and secreted together with bile into the small intestine. There are many reports on the role of bile salts in lipolysis, but the knowledge of their influence...
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Ultrasound assisted dispersive solid phase microextraction using polystyrene-polyoleic acid graft copolymer for determination of Sb(III) in various bottled beverages by HGAAS
PublicationA new polyoleic acid-polystyrene (PoleS) block/graft copolymer was synthesized and applied as adsorbent for ultrasound assisted dispersive solid phase microextraction (UA-DSPME) of Sb(III) in different bottled beverages and analysis using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). Adsorption capacity of the PoleS was 150 mg g−1. Several sample preparation parameters such as sorbent amount, solvent type, pH, sample...
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Superheroes or Super Spreaders? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Attitudes towards Nurses: A Qualitative Study from Poland
PublicationThe social perception of the nursing profession in Poland is profoundly affected by social stereotypes that may discourage young people from entering the profession and lead to prejudice towards nurses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses gained visibility, which caused the social image of nurses to likewise grow. In this study, we explore nurses’ experiences with respect to how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the social image...
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Design and numerical testing of 5-box gfrp shell footbridge
PublicationThe paper formulates new design conditions for composite footbridges, taking into account the material and structural specificity of these objects, i.e. the strength condition, the serviceability condition and the frequency condition. A GFRP composite footbridge labelled with CFB2 code has been designed, with the original superstructure in the form of an opened-closed 5-box girder. The foot and cycle track bridge is simply supported,...
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The complexity of minimum-length path decompositions
PublicationWe consider a bi-criteria generalization of the pathwidth problem, where, for given integers k, l and a graph G, we ask whether there exists a path decomposition P of G such that the width of P is at most k and the number of bags in P, i.e., the length of P, is at most l. We provide a complete complexity classification of the problem in terms of k and l for general graphs. Contrary to the original pathwidth problem, which is fixed-parameter...
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The new concept of capillary forces aided evaporator for application in domestic organic rankine cycle
PublicationThis paper presents studies on the possibility of applying capillary forces induced in the porous structure to a modern design of evaporator. The potential application of such heat exchanger is for example an evaporator of the domestic micro combined heat and power (CHP) unit. One of the problems in the micro-CHP is excessive demand for pumping power. The proposed design helps in overcoming that issue. In the evaporator outlined...
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Clothes Detection and Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks
PublicationIn this paper we describe development of a computer vision system for accurate detection and classification of clothes for e-commerce images. We present a set of experiments on well established architectures of convolutional neural networks, including Residual networks, SqueezeNet and Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD). The clothes detection network was trained and tested on DeepFashion dataset, which contains box annotations...
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Instrumental measurement of odour nuisance in city agglomeration using electronic nose
PublicationThe paper describes an operation principle of odour nuisance monitoring network in a city agglomeration. Moreover, it presents the results of investigation on ambient air quality with respect to odour obtained during six-month period. The investigation was carried out using a network comprised of six prototypes of electronic nose and Nasal Ranger field olfactometers employed as a reference method. The monitoring network consisted...
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Triangulation-based Constrained Surrogate Modeling of Antennas
PublicationDesign of contemporary antenna structures is heavily based on full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools. They provide accuracy but are CPU-intensive. Reduction of EM-driven design procedure cost can be achieved by using fast replacement models (surrogates). Unfortunately, standard modeling techniques are unable to ensure sufficient predictive power for real-world antenna structures (multiple parameters, wide parameter ranges,...
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Ultra Low Noise Poroelastic Road Surfaces
PublicationNoise is one of the most important environmental problems related to road traffic. During the last decades, the noise emitted by the engines and powertrains of vehicles was greatly reduced and tires became a clearly dominant noise source. The article describes the concept of low noise poroelastic road surfaces that are composed of mineral and rubber aggregate bound by polyurethane resin. Those surfaces have a porous structure and...
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Anion–water interactions of weakly hydrated anions: molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous NaBF4 and NaPF6
PublicationIn aqueous ionic solutions, both the structure and the dynamics of water are altered dramatically with respect to the pure solvent. The emergence of novel experimental techniques makes these changes accessible to detailed investigations. At the same time, computational studies deliver unique possibilities for the interpretation of the experimental data at the molecular level. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate...
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Evaluation of organic coatings condition with AFM-based method
PublicationThe paper presents an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based approach to evaluation of local protective properties of organic coatings. Apart from topography, it provides local ac and dc characteristics of examined coating. The method consists in application of ac voltage perturbation signal between conductive AFM tip and coated metal substrate. The resulting current is used to determine local impedance characteristics. Both impedance...
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Multi-fidelity EM simulations and constrained surrogate modelling for low-cost multi-objective design optimisation of antennas
PublicationIn this study, a technique for low-cost multi-objective design optimisation of antenna structures has been proposed. The proposed approach is an enhancement of a recently reported surrogate-assisted technique exploiting variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) simulations and auxiliary kriging interpolation surrogate, the latter utilised to produce the initial approximation of the Pareto set. A bottleneck of the procedure for higher-dimensional...
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Postquarter-Point Case of Ship’s Side-Berthing and Its Influence on Marine Fender Pitch
PublicationThis paper presents a critical analysis of some selected codes and practical recommendations used as basic rules in the design procedures of modern marine fender systems. The first part of the discussion pertains to the existing equations used in calculating the eccentricity coefficient in the ship’s kinetic energy equation and the maximum allowable fender pitch (spacing) in a set of fenders installed along a quay wall. A new approach...
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Comparison of predictive methods for flow boiling heat transfer in conventional channels and minichannels - the effect of reduced pressure
PublicationIn the paper are presented the results of follow on studies from [1]–[3] using authors own model to predict heat transfer coefficient during flow boiling. The model has been tested against a large selection of experimental data collected from various researchers to investigate the sensitivity of the in-house developed model. The collected experimental data came from various studies from literature and were conducted for the full...
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Determination of volatile organic compounds in water samples using membrane-solid phase microextraction (M-SPME) (headspace version)
PublicationThe results of a study on the use of membrane-solid phase microextraction (M-SPME) for sampling volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the headspace above the liquid medium are presented. The sampled VOCs were subsequently quantified by gas chromatography (GC). Two systems were compared in this study, i.e. a novel two-phase sorption system (M-SPME), and a commercial fibre. Headspace sampling using SPME was optimized with respect...
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A Novel Trust-Region-Based Algorithm with Flexible Jacobian Updates for Expedited Optimization of High-Frequency Structures
PublicationSimulation-driven design closure is mandatory in the design of contemporary high-frequency components. It aims at improving the selected performance figures through adjustment of the structure’s geometry (and/or material) parameters. The computational cost of this process when employing numerical optimization is often prohibitively high, which is a strong motivation for the development of more efficient methods. This is especially...
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Characterization of the Functionally Graded Shear Modulus of a Half-Space
PublicationIn this article, a method is proposed for determining parameters of the exponentialy varying shear modulus of a functionally graded half-space. The method is based on the analytical solution of the problem of pure shear of an elastic functionally graded half-space by a strip punch. The half-space has the depth-wise exponential variation of its shear modulus, whose parameters are to be determined. The problem is reduced to an integral...
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The impedance of hydrogen oxidation reaction in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell in the presence of carbon monoxide in hydrogen stream
PublicationEvaluation of performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which is affected by carbon monoxide that pollutes the hydrogen stream, was presented. This influence was studied for carbon monoxide concentration of 125–325 ppb, which are close to values specified in ISO 14687:2019 standard. Performed studies provided crucial information for further development of fuel cell as an energy source for automotive application. Impedance...
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Principles and Practices of Corporate Governance in the Global Economy
PublicationThe book places ownership at the centre of all relevant choices that the company makes. In particular, it addresses the issue of governance from the perspective of ownership, and in a broader and more articulated sense than most Anglo-Saxon studies do. The authors analyse the relationship between ownership, governance, and corporate strategy, with a dual objective. On the one hand, the aim is to identify the consistency relationships...
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Correlation–polarization effects in electron/positron scattering from acetylene: A comparison of computational models
PublicationDifferent computational methods are employed to evaluate elastic (rotationally summed) integral and differential cross sections for low energy (below about 10 eV) positron scattering off gas-phase C2H2 molecules. The computations are carried out at the static and static-plus-polarization levels for describing the interaction forces and the correlation–polarization contributions are found to be an essential component for the correct...
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Uncertainty quantification of modal parameter estimates obtained from subspace identification: An experimental validation on a laboratory test of a large-scale wind turbine blade
PublicationThe uncertainty afflicting modal parameter estimates stems from e.g., the finite data length, unknown, or partly measured inputs and the choice of the identification algorithm. Quantification of the related errors with the statistical Delta method is a recent tool, useful in many modern modal analysis applications e.g., damage diagnosis, reliability analysis, model calibration. In this paper, the Delta method-based uncertainty...
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Non-Perfect Propagation of Information to a Noisy Environment with Self-Evolution
PublicationWe study the non-perfect propagation of information for evolving a low-dimensional environment that includes self-evolution as well as noisy initial states and analyse the interrelations between the degree of objectivization and environment parameters. In particular, we consider an analytical model of three interacting qubits and derive its objectivity parameters. The numerical analysis shows that the quality of the spectrum broadcast...
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Detection of Anomalies in the Operation of a Road Lighting System Based on Data from Smart Electricity Meters
PublicationSmart meters in road lighting systems create new opportunities for automatic diagnostics of undesirable phenomena such as lamp failures, schedule deviations, or energy theft from the power grid. Such a solution fits into the smart cities concept, where an adaptive lighting system creates new challenges with respect to the monitoring function. This article presents research results indicating the practical feasibility of real‐time...
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Novel Vision Monitoring Method Based on Multi Light Points for Space-Time Analysis of Overhead Contact Line Displacements
PublicationThe article presents an innovative vision monitoring method of overhead contact line (OCL) displacement, which utilizes a set of LED light points installed along it. A light point is an, LED fed from a battery. Displacements of the LED points, recorded by a camera, are interpreted as a change of OCL shape in time and space. The vision system comprises a camera, properly situated with respect to the OCL, which is capable of capturing...
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Application of g-C3N4/ZnO nanocomposites for fabrication of anti-fouling polymer membranes with dye and protein rejection superiority
PublicationPolysulfone (PSf) membranes are privileged for water and wastewater treatment, but because of their hydrophobic nature, they suffer from fouling, which lowers their performance and lifetime. In this work, g-C3N4 and g-C3N4/ZnO nanomaterials were synthesized via a hydrothermal method to modify the PSf membrane for effective dye separation and reduction of organic fouling. Since g-C3N4/ZnO possesses –OH and –NH reactive groups, g-C3N4/ZnO/PSf...
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Effect of dendrimer-based interlayers for enzyme immobilization on a model electrochemical sensing system for glutamate
PublicationIn this paper, we discuss dendrimer usage in enzyme-based electrochemical biosensors, particularly with respect to biomolecule loading on the sensing surface. A novel approach to design bioactive layers with immobilized enzymes for electrochemical biosensors using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) method in combination with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was presented. The gold surface was modified with linear linkers...
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Novel method of estimation of inertial and dissipative parameters of a railway pantograph model
PublicationAn increase in electric railway vehicles service velocity requires that correct interaction between the pantograph and the catenary is ensured. This implies the need for developing mathematical models of pantographs and catenaries and determining their parameters. The article presents a method to determine parameters of mechanical joints of a railway pantograph based on analysis of pantograph subassemblies in swinging motion. The...
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Ultimate compressive strength assessment of uncleaned and cleaned corroded plates with locked crack
PublicationThe work presented here investigates the structural response of cleaned corroded plates, subjected to compressive load in the presence of a locked crack, where the change of mechanical properties as a result of corrosion development and the cleaning process is also accounted for. A Finite Element model for assessing the compressive strength, considering geometric and material nonlinearities, is developed, and the analysed plates...
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Optimizing FSO networks resilient to adverse weather conditions by means of enhanced uncertainty sets
PublicationThis work deals with dimensioning of wireless mesh networks (WMN) composed of FSO (free space optics) links. Although FSO links realize broadband transmission at low cost, their drawback is sensitivity to adverse weather conditions causing transmission degradation on multiple links. Hence, designing such FSO networks requires an optimization model to find the cheapest configuration of link capacities that will be able to carry...