2016 - Publications Repository - Gdańsk University of Technology

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Publications from the year 2016

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Challenges associated with the design of a small unmanned autonomous maritime vehicle
- Mirosław Gerigk
2016 Full text Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Morskiej w Szczecinie
The paper contains the preliminary results of the research connected with development of a small unmanned autonomous maritime vehicle. First of all a general description of research is introduced. Next, a concept of a vehicle is presented. Then, a brief description of a research method is given. Next, the current research problems under way are introduced. They concern the ballasting, motion and precise position stabilization system of the vehicle. Finally, some practical remarks and conclusions are given.
CHALLENGES TO NATIONAL ECONOMIES OF SELECTED EU COUNTRIES IN THE CONTEXT OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN SOCIETY
- Małgorzata Gawrycka
- Marta Maier
2016 Intellectual Economics
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which acceded to the EU in 2004, are facing a great challenge related to transformations in the level and demographic structure of the population. The observed adverse demographic developments require taking decisive actions aimed at curbing the negative trend. The purpose of this paper is to present changes in the level and demographic structure of population and their impact on the functioning of national labour markets of nine countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which joined the EU in 2004. The research period covers the years 2004–2015. The scope of the study includes reviewing literature and collecting source materials, which are presented in the empirical part. The study used the method of deduction and elements of descriptive statistics.
Changes in gene methylation patterns in neonatal murine hearts: Implications for the regenerative potential
- Bartosz Górnikiewicz
- Anna Ronowicz
- Michał Krzemiński
- Paweł Sachadyn
2016 Full text BMC GENOMICS
Background The neonatal murine heart is able to regenerate after severe injury; this capacity however, quickly diminishes and it is lost within the first week of life. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism which plays a crucial role in development and gene expression regulation. Under investigation here are the changes in DNA methylation and gene expression patterns which accompany the loss of regenerative potential. Results The MeDIP-chip (methylated DNA immunoprecipitation microarray) approach was used in order to compare global DNA methylation profiles in whole murine hearts at day 1, 7, 14 and 56 complemented with microarray transcriptome profiling. We found that the methylome transition from day 1 to day 7 is characterized by the excess of genomic regions which gain over those that lose DNA methylation. A number of these changes were retained until adulthood. The promoter genomic regions exhibiting increased DNA methylation at day 7 as compared to day 1 are significantly enriched in the genes critical for heart maturation and muscle development. Also, the promoter genomic regions showing an increase in DNA methylation at day 7 relative to day 1 are significantly enriched with a number of transcription factors binding motifs including those of Mfsd6l, Mef2c, Meis3, Tead4, and Runx1. Conclusions The results indicate that the extensive alterations in DNA methylation patterns along the development of neonatal murine hearts are likely to contribute to the decline of regenerative capabilities observed shortly after birth. This conclusion is supported by the evidence that an increase in DNA methylation in the neonatal murine heart from day 1 to day 7 occurs in the promoter regions of genes playing important roles in cardiovascular system developmebt.
Chapter 11 – Application of Chemical Sensors and Sensor Matrixes to Air Quality Evaluation
- Jacek Gębicki
- Tomasz Dymerski
2016
Indoor and outdoor air quality is one of the key factors influencing human health. However, air quality evaluation is not easy task. Air is a complex system, which is subjected to changes even within short period of time. Progress in analytical methods and analytical tools provides increasingly more reliable information on the condition and quality of indoor and outdoor air. This progress, however, generates an increase in the cost of monitoring and air quality control, which substantially limits their widespread implementation. Hence, new, alternative methods of gaining the information about air quality are being sought. Sensor-based techniques are quite promising in this field. The term ‘chemical sensor’ refers to a device, which transforms chemical information originating from the surroundings into analytically useful signal. Some of numerous advantages of this approach include low production cost of the sensors, their simple design and possibility of miniaturization as well as relatively good metrological parameters. Combination of the sensors with the data analysis methods based on reference identification allow elaboration of modern measurement systems. For many years the chemical sensors for measurement of gaseous air pollutants have been available commercially. Recently sensor matrixes (named also electronic noses) gained increased popularity. This contribution is going to present basic categories of the chemical sensors together with their utility parameters (including electrochemical, optical, thermal, mass sensors), which are employed for air quality control. The sensors utilizing selective detection of particular compound (marker) in investigated gaseous sample as well as the sensor matrixes systems comprised of non-selective sensors utilizing acquired information for analysis and proper discrimination of chemical image of gaseous sample will also be presented. Moreover, the contribution is going to provide some information on commercial availability of the chemical sensors and sensor matrixes. Finally, practical aspects of the sensors and sensor matrixes application will be discussed with respect to air quality evaluation in different fields of human activity.
Chapter 7: Engineering Thermodynamics and the Carnot Cycle
- Michael Collins
- Jan Stąsiek
- Jarosław Mikielewicz
2016
The chapter presents information about thermodynamics and thermodynamic cycles, especially the history and meaning of Carnot Cycle as well as P-v and T-s Diagrams
Chapter 8 – Active Sampling of Air
- Mariusz Marć
- Bożena Zabiegała
2016
This chapter reviews the literature information on analytical techniques and laboratory equipment used for active sampling of air (atmospheric and indoor) in regular monitoring research. It describes popular analytical devices applied for sample collection using various types of polymeric bags, e.g. Tedlar bags, Teflon or Nafion bags, and/or stainless steel vacuum containers. It reviews literature data about the application of various types of sorption media and cryogenic traps for the collection of analytes from air samples in terms of analytical approach and monitoring of organic compounds (e.g. volatile organic compounds) present in outdoor and indoor air. This chapter also contains information about in-situ monitoring devices like mobile and portable gas chromatographs and hand-held analytical instruments, which can be applied directly in the field measurements. Moreover, it presents the characteristics of measurements conducted with the use of automatic on-line analyzers installed on air quality monitoring stations.
Characteristics of odors emitted from municipal wastewater treatment plant and methods for their identification and deodorization techniques
- Paulina Kolasińska
- Bartłomiej Cieślik
- Tomasz Dymerski
- Piotr Konieczka
- Jacek Namieśnik
2016 Full text ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
Odors emitted from municipal wastewater treatment plants belong to a group of pollutants, which is the main cause of people complaining about atmospheric air quality. The limitation of emissions of unpleasant odors generated by wastewater treatment plants by using appropriate deodorization methods is omitted on numerous occasions. This can have a negative inflence on public trust and the quality of atmospheric air. The article presents basic information on the characteristics of odors from wastewater treatment lines and wastewater processing and management lines in a model biological wastewater treatment plant conducting the biogas recovery process and also information is provided on deodorization methods, such as odor masking, biofiltration, thermal disposal and diffusion through activated sludge dedicated to neutralization of odors in biological treatment plants. The main focus is on the field olfactometry technique, which is one of the tools used in environmental protection. Its application facilitates performance of tests concerning the assessment of olfactory properties of odorants in polluted air.
Characteristics of the Polarised Off-Body Channel in Indoor Environments
- Kenan Turbić
- Sławomir Ambroziak
- Luis M. Correia
2016
This paper addresses the depolarisation effect in off-body Body Area Networks channels, based on measurements performed at 2.45 GHz in an indoor environment. Seven different scenarios, involving both static and dynamic users, were considered, taking a statistical perspective. The analysis of the cross-polarisation discrimination is performed, as well as the analysis of path loss in co- and cross-polarised channels. Results show a strong dependence of the cross-polarisation discrimination and of channel characteristics on the polarisation and propagation condition, i.e., line-of-sight (LoS), non-LoS or quasi-LoS. The variation in distance, from 1 m to 6 m, shows very little impact. In dynamic scenarios, the shadow fading is observed to exhibit a Lognormal distribution, whereas multipath fading is seen to follow the Nakagami one, with essentially different parameter values in the co- and cross-polarised channels, showing a trend towards Rice in the former and Rayleigh in the latter cases. Based on results, a model is proposed for a dynamic off-body channel.
Characterization of recombinant homocitrate synthase from Candida albicans
- Iwona Gabriel
- Sławomir Milewski
2016 PROTEIN EXPRESSION AND PURIFICATION
LYS21 and LYS22 genes from Candida albicans encoding isoforms of homocitrate synthase (HCS), an enzyme catalyzing the first committed step in the L-lysine biosynthetic pathway, were cloned and expressed as NoligoHistagged fusion proteins in Escherichia coli. The purified gene products revealed HCS activity, i.e. catalyzed the condensation of α-ketoglutarate with acetyl-coenzyme A to yield homocitrate. The recombinant enzymes were purified to homogeneity and characterized for their physical properties and substrate specificities. As determined by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and native page electrophoresis, both isoenzymes adopt multiple quaternary structures, with the homotetrameric one being the most abundant. The KM (acetyl-CoA) = 0.8 ± 0.15 mM and KM (α-ketoglutarate) = 0.113 ± 0.02 mM for His6CaLys21p and KM (acetyl-CoA) = 0.48 ± 0.09 mM and KM (α-ketoglutarate) = 0.152 ± 0.03 mM values for His6CaLys22p were determined. Both enzyme versions were inhibited by L-Lys, i.e. the end product of the α-aminoadipate pathway but Lys22p was more sensitive than Lys21p, with Ki (L-Lys) = 128 ± 8 μM for His6CaLys21p and Ki (LLys) = 4.37 ± 0.68 μM for His6CaLys22p. The isoforms of C. albicans HCS exhibited differential sensitivity to several L-Lys analogues. Most notably, DL-α-difluoromethyllysine strongly inhibited His6CaLys22p (IC50 32 ± 3 μM) but was not inhibitory at all towards His6CaLys21p. Differential sensitivity of recombinant C. albicans Δlys21/LYS22, LYS21/Δlys22 and Δlys21/Δlys22 mutant strains to lysine analog, 2-aminoethyl-L-cysteine and biochemical properties of homocitrate synthase isoforms suggest different roles of two HCS isoenzymes in α-aminoadipate pathway.
Characterization of structural, thermal and mechanical properties of bismuth silicate glasses
- Beata Bochentyn
- Agata Warych
- Natalia Anna Wójcik
- Aleksandra Dorota Mielewczyk-Gryń
- Jakub Karczewski
- Marta Prześniak-Welenc
- Maria Gazda
- Bogusław Kusz
2016 JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS
he influence of heating and reduction processes on the structural, thermal and mechanical properties of bismuth-silicate glasses has been investigated. Two compositions of glasses: 40Bi2O3–60SiO2 (Bi0.57Si0.43Ox) and 27Bi2O3–73SiO2 (Bi0.43Si0.57Ox) were fabricated by a typical melt quenching technique. Then the reduction in hydrogen at 380 °C for 20, 42 or 67 h was performed. It was found that a 50 μm-thick layer was formed on the glass surface after reduction process. It was confirmed that this layer is formed by granules of metallic bismuth embedded in a glass matrix. The DSC measurements confirmed that melting of metallic bismuth takes place during heating of a previously reduced glass sample. It was also found that heat treatment process influences hardness and Young modulus of Bi–Si–O glass.
Characterization of volatile compounds, structural, thermal and physico-mechanical properties of cross-linked polyethylene foams degraded thermo-mechanically at variable times
- Krzysztof Formela
- Magdalena Wołosiak
- Marek Klein
- Shifeng Wang
2016 POLYMER DEGRADATION AND STABILITY
Waste cross-linked polyethylene foam (wXLPE) was thermo-mechanically degraded at variable time using internal batch mixer. The progress of wXLPE degradation has been investigated by using a simultaneous thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry analyzer coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, swelling measurements, tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy. Volatile organic compounds generated during wXLPE degradation were determined using static headspace and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was observed that duration of thermo-mechanical processing of wXLPE has significant impact on content of low molecular degradation products, chemical structure, swelling, thermal and morphological properties of degraded wXLPE, while its impact on physico-mechanical properties was negligible. This indicates complex structural and chemical changes in wXLPE during its thermo-mechanical degradation, which is related to two opposite factors: (i) decrosslinking efficiency during thermo-mechanical processing of wXLPE and (ii) partial plasticization of polyethylene matrix by volatile degradation products.
Characterizing surface and air temperature in the Baltic Sea coastal area using remote sensing techniques and GIS
- Andrzej Chybicki
- Marcin Kulawiak
- Zbigniew Łubniewski
2016 Full text Polish Maritime Research
Estimation of surface temperature using multispectral imagery retrieved from satellite sensors constitutes several problems in terms of accuracy, accessibility, quality and evaluation. In order to obtain accurate results, currently utilized methods rely on removing atmospheric fluctuations in separate spectral windows, applying atmospheric corrections or utilizing additional information related to atmosphere or surface characteristics like atmospheric water vapour content, surface effective emissivity correction or transmittance correction. Obtaining accurate results of estimation is particularly critical for regions with fairly non-uniform distribution of surface effective emissivity and surface characteristics such as coastal zone areas. The paper presents the relationship between retrieved land surface temperature, air temperature, sea surface temperature and vegetation indices (VI) calculated based on remote observations in the coastal zone area. An indirect comparison method between remotely estimated surface temperature and air temperature using LST/VI feature space characteristics in an operational Geographic Information System is also presented.
Charakterystyka mechanizmów samoorganizującej się, wieloskokowej sieci bezprzewodowej w strefie B systemu netBaltic
- Krzysztof Gierłowski
2016 Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny + Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne
Strefowa struktura systemu netBaltic pozwala na zastosowanie w jego obrębie odmiennych mechanizmów komunikacji sieciowej w zależności od dostępnych w określonym momencie dla danej jednostki możliwości komunikacyjnych. W strefie B systemu przewidziano wykorzystanie samoorganizującej, wieloskokowej sieci o strukturze kratowej, pozwalającej znacząco rozszerzyć zasięg łączności sieciowej poza obszar funkcjonowania lądowych systemów dostępowych pracujących w trybie punkt-wielopunkt (strefa A), szczególnie na obszarach koncentracji użytkowników, takich jak np. tory żeglugowe. Proponowane rozwiązania pozwolą także na dynamiczne tworzenie grup jednostek dysponujących wzajemną łącznością sieciową nawet w przypadku braku łączności z lądem, co ma szansę znacząco ułatwić realizację szeregu zadań związanych z usługami e-Nawigacji. Proponowane rozwiązanie oferuje ponadto możliwość wykorzystania szerokiej gamy, tak dostępnych obecnie jak i dopiero opracowywanych, technik transmisji bezprzewodowej, dzięki ulokowaniu wykorzystywanych mechanizmów w warstwie sieciowej modelu ISO-OSI.
Charakterystyka odcieków powstających w aspekcie wyboru metody ich oczyszcania
- Sylwia Fudala-Książek
- Aneta Łuczkiewicz
- Eliza Kulbat
- Anna Remiszewska-Skwarek
2016 Full text Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska
Artykuł obejmuje analizę odcieków generowanych w zakładach utylizacji odpadów w aspekcie ich ilości i jakości oraz możliwości oczyszczania/zagospodarowania, ze szczególnym zwróceniem uwagi na metody biologiczne, najbardziej przyjaznej środowisku. Ponad trzyletnie badania prowadzono na dwóch obiektach zlokalizowanych w woj. pomorskim, gdzie pobierano próbki ścieków technologicznych, powstających podczas sortownia oraz kompostownia odpadów oraz odcieków składowiskowych generowanych przez nową (spełniającą aktualne wymogi prawne) oraz tradycyjną, tzw. starą kwaterę (eksploatowaną w warunkach nieograniczonej depozycji odpadów biodegradowalnych)
Charge-assisted N(+)–H···(−)S hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure of selected diammonium thiophenolates.
- Katarzyna Kazimierczuk
2016 Full text STRUCTURAL CHEMISTRY
New salts of thiophenol with three flexible aliphatic diamines H2N(CH2)nNH2 (n = 2, 4 and 6) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography in order to analyze their supramolecular architecture. Structural analyses indicate that in the crystals, proton transfer has occurred, with the –SH group giving (+)N–H···S(−) hydrogen bonding interaction. The structure of compound 1 exhibits a two-dimensional network and compounds 2–3 a three-dimensional supramolecular networks, and each of them is based on hydrogen bonds and CH···π interactions. The transfer of proton from the thiol to the diamines was confirmed by the solid-state FTIR spectra of 1–3.
Checkpointing of Parallel MPI Applications using MPI One-sided API with Support for Byte-addressable Non-volatile RAM
- Piotr Dorożyński
- Paweł Czarnul
- Artur Malinowski
- Krzysztof Czuryło
- Łukasz Dorau
- Maciej Maciejewski
- Paweł Skowron
2016
The increasing size of computational clusters results in an increasing probability of failures, which in turn requires application checkpointing in order to survive those failures. Traditional checkpointing requires data to be copied from application memory into persistent storage medium, which increases application execution time as it is usually done in a separate step. In this paper we propose to use emerging byte-addressable non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) as a persistent storage medium and we analyze various methods of making consistent checkpoints with support of MPI one-sided API in order to minimize checkpointing overhead. We test our solution on two applications: HPCCG benchmark and PageRank algorithm. Our experiments showed that NVRAM based checkpointing performs much better than traditional disk based approach. We also simulated different possible latencies and bandwidth of future NVRAM and our experiments showed that only bandwidth had visible impact onto application execution time.
Chemical denudation and the role of sulfide oxidation at Werenskioldbreen, Svalbard
- Łukasz Stachnik
- Elżbieta Majchrowska
- Jacob C. Yde
- Adam P. Nawrot
- Katarzyna Cichała-Kamrowska
- Dariusz Ignatiuk
- Agnieszka Piechota
2016 JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
This study aims to determine the rate of chemical denudation and the relationships between dominant geochemical reactions operating in the proglacial and subglacial environments of the polythermal glacier Werenskioldbreen (SW Svalbard) during an entire ablation season. Water sampling for major ion chemistry was performed at a proglacial hydrometric station and from subglacial outflows from May to September 2011. These data were combined with measurements of discharge and supraglacial ablation rates. Our findings also show that sulfide oxidation is a better indicator of the configuration of subglacial drainage systems than, for instance, Na+ and K+. In the proglacial area and in sub-artesian outflows, the ion associations represent sulfide oxidation but other processes such as ion exchange and dissolution of Ca and Mg efflorescent salts may also contribute to the solute variations. These processes may cause enhanced fluxes of Ca2+ and HCO3- from glacierized basins during the early ablation and peak flow seasons as the proglacial salts re-dissolve. The overall chemical denudation rate in the basin for 2011 (ranging from 1601 to 1762 meq m(-2) yr(-1) (121.9 to 132.2 t km(-2) yr(-1))) was very high when compared to other Svalbard valley glaciers suggesting that the high rate of chemical denudation was mostly caused by the high rates of discharge and ablation. Chemical weathering intensities (876 and 964 meq m(-3) yr(-1)) exceeded previously reported intensities in Svalbard.
Chemical modifications of graphene and their influence on properties of polyurethane composites: a review
- Damian Włodarczyk
- Magdalena Urban
- Michał Strankowski
2016 PHYSICA SCRIPTA
Polyurethane composites are materials of great interest nowadays due to their wide range of available forms and applications in industry. Controlling and achieving unique properties via matrix modifications and addition of various specific nanofillers seems be one of the key elements to success. The purpose of this work is to briefly present some examples of graphene nanoderivatives, their syntheses, properties and influence on polyurethane matrix after application. Structural, mechanical and electrical properties of graphene nanofillers were analyzed before and after implementation into polymer matrices. Additionally properties of obtained composites were considered in the context of shape memory. The first chapter presents methods of synthesizing carbon nanofillers and some structure investigations via x-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The second part discusses influence of graphene modifications on polymer structure and changes in thermomechanical properties via stress-strain tests and Thermogravimetry (TG).
Chemically Selective Alternatives to Photoferroelectrics for Polarization-Enhanced Photocatalysis: The Untapped Potential of Hybrid Inorganic Nanotubes
- Joshua Elliott
- Emiliano Poli
- Ivan Scivetti
- Laura Ratcliff
- Lampros Andrinopoulos
- Jacek Dziedzic
- Nicholas Hine
- Arash Mostofi
- Chris-Kriton Skylaris
- Peter Haynes
- Gilberto Teobaldi
2016 Full text Advanced Science
Linear-scaling density functional theory simulation of methylated imogolite nanotubes (NTs) elucidates the interplay between wall-polarization, bands separation, charge-transfer excitation, and tunable electrostatics inside and outside the NT-cavity. The results suggest that integration of polarization-enhanced selective photocatalysis and chemical separation into one overall dipole-free material should be possible.
Chemometria praktyczna: zinterpretuj wyniki swoich pomiarów
- Jan Mazerski
2016
Wbrew swojej nazwie chemometria nie zajmuje się sposobami i teorią wykonywania pomiarów wielkości chemicznych ani nie ogranicza się tylko do chemii, nawet szeroko pojętej. Chemometria jest dziedziną nauki i techniki zajmującą się wydobywaniem użytecznej informacji z wielowymiarowych danych pomiarowych, wykorzystującą metody statystyki i matematyki.Chemometria różni się od statystyki nie tylko charakterem zestawu analizowanych danych, ale również sposobem analizy danych. Typowe metody statystyczne powstały dla analizy pojedynczych zmiennych lub co najwyżej nie wielkiej ich liczby. Podejście chemometryczne do analizy danych zakłada z góry jednoczesną analizę dużej liczby zmiennych. Dlatego też chemometryczne metody analizy danych różnią się wyraźnie do metod statystycznych.