2023 - Publications Repository - Gdańsk University of Technology

Show publications from the year

Publications from the year 2023

Show all

Extractive detoxification of hydrolysates with simultaneous formation of deep eutectic solvents
- Patrycja Makoś-Chełstowska
- Edyta Słupek
- Karolina Kucharska
- Jacek Gębicki
2023 Full text Chemical and Process Engineering : New Frontiers
The hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass results in the production of so-called fermentation inhibitors, which reduce the efficiency of biohydrogen production. To increase the efficiency of hydrogen production, inhibitors should be removed from aqueous hydrolysate solutions before the fermentation process. This paper presents a new approach to the detoxification of hydrolysates with the simultaneous formation of in-situ deep eutectic solvents (DES). In the first stage of the study, inhibitors were identified in the real hydrolysate samples using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Four monoterpenes were tested for their potential to extract furfural (FF) with simultaneous DES formation. An optimization process of the most important parameters affecting the extraction process and DES formation (Thymol:FF) was conducted using the Central Composite Design (CCD) model. A temperature of 40 ◦C, pH of 7, mHBD : mHYD ratio of 2:1, and time of 50 min were selected as the optimal conditions. These results indicate the high efficiency of FF removal from hydrolysates (92.1–94.6%) in a one-step process. Meanwhile, the structural properties of the formed DES measured by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) differed only slightly from those of the DES composed of pure substances (Furfural and Thymol).
Fabrication and Characterization of Green Polyurethane Foams with Enhanced Vibration Damping Capability
- Paulina Parcheta-Szwindowska
- Karina Kopczyńska
- Martyna Kordyzon
- Janusz Datta
2023 Full text ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Over the past decades, there has been an intensive development of the technologies and innovations aimed at increasing the quality of life. This development largely concerns the comfort of use of everyday products that, among others, are products of the automotive, construction, or furniture industries. Considering the increase in the comfort of using products such as cars, houses, and flats, one of the comfort features of their use is the ability to dampen the sounds coming from the outside. Currently, in addition to wood based boards, mineral wool, or glass wool fillings, polyurethane foams are more often used as oundproofing materials. This article describes the method of obtaining selected mechanical and thermal properties in flexible polyurethane foams with the ability to dampen vibrations, which were obtained with the use of raw materials of natural origin. The results of the tests of thermal stability and the vibration damping coefficient confirmed the possibility of using flexible polyurethane foams of natural origin as an alternative to the previously used vibration damping materials in the construction or the automotive industry.
Fabrication of wormhole-like YSZ and Ni-YSZ by the novel soft-hard template CTAB/NaCl-assisted route. Suppressing Ni coalescence in SOFC
- Patryk Błaszczak
- Agata Ducka
- Barbara Wolanin
- Krzysztof Matlak
- Grzegorz Machowski
- Marta Prześniak-Welenc
- Sea-Fue Wang
- Beata Bochentyn
- Piotr Jasiński
2023 Full text JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
A novel one-pot synthesis route leading to the formation of a wormhole-like structure was developed for the successful fabrication of porous YSZ and Ni-YSZ systems. This method involved co-precipitation in the presence of the micelle-forming agents CTAB/Pluronic P123 and crystallising NaCl. The obtained skeletons were mechanically stable and presented almost 50% uniform, open porosity without using any additional pore-formers. The fabricated 0.3 M CTAB/NaCl Ni-YSZ showed better long-term electrical stability in hydrogen than a traditional Ni-YSZ cermet. It resulted from the suppression of Ni structural changes throughout the anode scaffold. Moreover, higher electrochemical activity of this novel anode is expected due to the smaller particle sizes of Ni/YSZ, high homogeneity, highly developed TPB, and better interfacial interaction between the Ni and YSZ. Therefore, the novel soft-hard templating method is recognised as a promising route for the fabrication of the YSZ or Ni-YSZ with a highly developed microstructure and improved stability.
Facilitating free travel in the Schengen area—A position paper by the European Association for Biometrics
- Christoph Busch
- Farzin Deravi
- Dinusha Frings
- Els Kindt
- Ralph Lessmann
- Alexander Nouak
- Jean Salomon
- Mateus Achcar
- Fernando Alonso-Fernandez
- Daniel Bachenheimer
- David Bethell
- Josef Bigun
- Matthew Brawley
- Guido Brockmann
- Enrique Cabello
- Patrizio Campisi
- Aleksandro Cepilovs
- Miles Clee
- Mickey Cohen
- Christian Croll
- Andrzej Czyżewski
- Bernadette Dorizzi
- Martin Drahansky
- Paweł Drozdowski
- Fankhauser Catherine
- Julian Fierrez
- Marta Gomez-Barrero
- Georg Hasse
- Richard Guest
- Ekaterina Komleva
- Sebastien Marcel
- Gianluca Marcialis
- Laurent Mercier
- Emilio Mordini
- Stefance Mouille
- Pavlina Navratilova
- Javier Ortega-Garcia
- Dijana Petrovska
- Norman Poh
- Istvan Racz
- Raghavendra Ramachandra
- Christian Rathgeb
- Christophe Remillet
- Uwe Seidel
- Luuk Spreeuwers
- Brage Strand
- Sirra Toivonen
- Andreas Uhl
2023 Full text IET Biometrics
Due to migration, terror-threats and the viral pandemic, various EU member states have re-established internal border control or even closed their borders. European Association for Biometrics (EAB), a non-profit organisation, solicited the views of its members on ways which biometric technologies and services may be used to help with re-establishing open borders within the Schengen area while at the same time mitigating any adverse effects. From the responses received, this position paper was composed to identify ideas to re-establish free travel between the member states in the Schengen area. The paper covers the contending needs for security, open borders and fundamental rights as well as legal constraints that any technological solution must consider. A range of specific technologies for direct biometric recognition alongside complementary measures are outlined. The interrelated issues of ethical and societal considerations are also highlighted. Provided a holistic approach is adopted, it may be possible to reach a more optimal trade-off with regards to open borders while maintaining a high-level of security and protection of fundamental rights. European Association for Biometrics and its members can play an important role in fostering a shared understanding of security and mobility challenges and their solutions.
Factors affecting low-temperature cracking of asphalt pavements: analysis of field observations using the ordered logistic model
- Dawid Ryś
- Mariusz Jaczewski
- Marek Pszczoła
- Agnieszka Kamedulska
- Bartosz Kamedulski
2023 Full text International Journal of Pavement Engineering
Accurate identification of factors that primarily affect the number of low-temperature cracks is crucial for selection of road materials and planning of pavement maintenance. Field investigations of lowtemperature cracks were performed in the years 2014 and 2020 on the same 68 road sections being in service in typical traffic conditions. The collected data were statistically analysed using the ordered logistic regression model. Comparison of the odds ratios which were calculated on the basis of the model enabled ordering of the selected factors from those having the greatest effect on lowtemperature cracking of pavements to those with the least influence: (1) pavement age, (2) type of asphalt concrete, (3) modification of bitumen, (4) climatic zone (on the basis of low performance grade temperature). The odds of a section belonging to the group of cracked sections decreased by half when a polymer-modified bitumen was used in its binder course and asphalt base. Regardless of the considered factors, the odds of a pavement section being classified into the group of heavily cracked sections are comparable. It means that some external factors, including quality of paving works and bitumen chemistry, may prove the most crucial.
Factors affecting the conclusion of an arrangement in restructuring proceedings: evidence from Poland
- Błażej Prusak
- Ulyana Zaremba
- Paweł Galiński
2023 Full text Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny
The EU Restructuring Directive (2019/1023) requires Member States to provide a preventive restructuring framework for financially distressed entities that remain viable or are likely to readily restore economic viability. The first step to a successful restructuring is the approval of an arrangement between the debtor and creditors. The main research objective of the article is to identify factors affecting the conclusion of an arrangement in restructuring proceedings. In the process of filtering companies initiating a restructuring procedure, these factors are seen as increasing the probability of concluding an arrangement between debtor and creditors. Moreover, an additional research objective is to construct a turnaround prediction model aimed at assessing the probability of a conclusion of an arrangement in restructuring proceedings. The study covered the companies in Poland for which restructuring proceedings opened between 2016 and 2021 end-ed with the approval of an arrangement, and a similar number of companies that failed to restruc-ture successfully. Binary logistic regression was applied to achieve the aims of this study. The results show that two financial variables affected companies in terms of their chances to conclude the arrangement: the current ratio and return on assets were among the statistically significant indicators and they are characterized by higher values for debtors reaching the arrangement with their creditors. A direct positive relationship was also identified between the company’s lifespan and the outcome of the proceedings. The probability of the conclusion of the arrangement was also affected by the type of industry. Models assessing the probability of completing restructuring proceedings with an arrangement can be useful for insolvency practitioners and financial analysts during viability assessments.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE CONCLUSION OF AN ARRANGEMENT IN RESTRUCTURING PROCEEDINGS: EVIDENCE FROM POLAND
- Błażej Prusak
- Paweł Galiński
2023 Full text
The EU Restructuring Directive (2019/1023) requires Member States to provide a preventive restructuring framework for financially distressed entities that remain viable or are likely to readily restore economic viability. The first step to a successful restructuring is the approval of an arrangement between the debtor and creditors. The main research objective of the article is to identify factors affecting the conclusion of an arrangement in restructuring proceedings. In the process of filtering companies initiating a restructuring procedure, these factors are seen as increasing the probability of concluding an arrangement between debtor and creditors. Moreover, an additional research objective is to construct a turnaround prediction model aimed at assessing the probability of a conclusion of an arrangement in restructuring proceedings. The study covered the companies in Poland for which restructuring proceedings opened between 2016 and 2021 ended with the approval of an arrangement, and a similar number of companies that failed to restructure successfully. Binary logistic regression was applied to achieve the aims of this study. The results show that two financial variables affected companies in terms of their chances to conclude the arrangement: the current ratio and return on assets were among the statistically significant indicators and they are characterized by higher values for debtors reaching the arrangement with their creditors. A direct positive relationship was also identified between the company's lifespan and the outcome of the proceedings. The probability of the conclusion of the arrangement was also affected by the type of industry. Models assessing the probability of completing restructuring proceedings with an arrangement can be useful for insolvency practitioners and financial analysts during viability assessments.
Factors Affecting the Rheological Properties of Foods
- Robert Tylingo
2023
In this chapter, engineering aspects concerning real body mechanics and the impact of respective food ingredients on said properties are presented together. Food is a complex matrix and each of macro and micro ingredients plays its role in the formation of rheologic properties, and minor changes in the basic ingredient structure may affect the change of these properties significantly. Basic analytic techniques are presented for the assessment of rheologic parameters. Furthermore, this chapter includes the evaluation of the impact of selected food ingredients, such as: proteins, saccharides, lipids on the creation of measurable, rheologic parameters of food products and their modification possibilities.
Failure characterisation of sandwich beams using integrated acoustic emission and digital image correlation techniques
- Łukasz Pyrzowski
- Magdalena Knak
- Magdalena Rucka
2023 Full text COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
The paper presents the experimental study of the failure behaviour of sandwich beams subjected to bending. The samples examined are sandwich beams made of polyethylene terephthalate foam core and glass fibre-reinforced polymer laminate face sheets. In a series of experiments, it has been proposed to integrate diagnostic techniques with acoustic emission and digital image correlation to accurately track the cracking process on the surface as well as in the entire volume of the beam. The research programme carried out allowed observing various modes of failure in composite specimens. The results obtained showed that the integration of acoustic and optical diagnostic techniques provided complementary results and can be used successfully for failure monitoring in sandwich beams.
Fashion and Tourism: Parallel Stories of Two "Dream Marvels".
- Maria Gravari-Barbas
- Nadzeya Sabatini
2023
Fashion and tourism are two social, cultural, and economic phenomena that have both numerous connections and surprising similarities. These are not new: they have been built and developed since the beginnings of tourism as a modern social phenomenon, emerged in Europe in the context of the industrial revolution. They consolidated in the first decades of the 21st century, in a context where both phenomena have completed their “mass” cycle and are currently seeking alternative ways of expression and development. The chapter analyzes first the common characteristics of these two phenomena, fashion and tourism, as well as the challenges they are facing in the beginning of the 21st century. What can one learn from these proximities? What does the evolution of the practices, policies, and space planning of one phenomenon say about the other?
Fashion Games, Fashion in Games and Gamification in Fashion. A First Map
- Alice Noris
- Nadzeya Sabatini
- Lorenzo Cantoni
2023
Fashion companies have been using different forms of entertainment such as film and television, sport, music, museums, and photography as inspiration sources and as communication and marketing channels for decades. However, in recent years, they have also started to consider the gaming world. While gaming offers a potential revenue stream from sales of physical and digital clothing, change in it is also the gateway to access new opportunities of the so-called metaverse. Moreover, the development of mixed realities might, in a sense, “democratize” the industry by offering at a lower price the digital version of products that attract customers. Through an analysis of secondary data and the study of three cases, this research aims to understand how fashion companies adopt and adapt digital games to develop their communication and marketing strategies, and how gaming companies exploit fashion to develop their products. The main goal is to analyze from an academic perspective how the gaming industry represents a communication and marketing channel in which creative companies can produce immersive experiences different from those available through other means. Finally, this article provides a map of the relationships between fashion and gaming by proposing three categories: gamification in fashion, fashion games and fashion in games.
Fast Algorithms for Identification of Time-Varying Systems with Both Smooth and Discontinuous Parameter Changes
- Maciej Niedźwiecki
- Artur Gańcza
2023 Full text
The problem of noncausal identification of a time-varying linear system subject to both smooth and occasional jump-type changes is considered and solved using the preestimation technique combined with the basis function approach to modeling the variability of system parameters. The proposed estimation algorithms yield very good parameter tracking results and are computationally attractive.
Fast Calibration-Free Single-Anchor Indoor Localization Based on Limited Number of ESPAR Antenna Radiation Patterns
- Mateusz Groth
- Krzysztof Nyka
- Łukasz Kulas
2023
— In this article, we investigate how the calibrationfree single-anchor indoor localization algorithm developed for base stations equipped with electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) antennas can further be improved. By reducing the total number of ESPAR antenna radiation patterns used in localization process, one can significantly reduce the time needed for an object localization. Performed localization measurements involved different placement and number of reference nodes (RNs) used by the calibration-free singleanchor indoor localization algorithm, as well as different possible radiation patterns sets involving 6, 4 or 3 radiation patterns. Test results show that without significant deterioration of the overall accuracy one can easily speed up the algorithm execution time.
Fatigue life prediction of notched components under size effect using strain energy reformulated critical distance theory
- Zhouyang Shuai
- Shun-Peng Zhu
- Jin-Chao He
- Ding Liao
- José A.F.O. Correia
- Wojciech Macek
- Ricardo Branco
- Qingyuan Wang
2023 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FATIGUE
Notch and size effects show significant impact on the fatigue performance of engineering components, which deserves special attention. In this work, a strain energy reformulated critical distance theory was developed for fatigue life prediction of notched components under size effect. Experimental data of different notched specimens manufactured from GH4169, TC4, TC11 alloys and low carbon steel En3B were used for model validation and comparison. Results indicate the proposed model works better than the Yang’s and the Shen’s models.
Fatty acids as molecular carriers in cleavable antifungal conjugates
- Michał Nowak
- Andrzej Skwarecki
- Joanna Pilch
- Justyna Górska
- Piotr Szweda
- Maria Milewska
- Sławomir Milewski
2023 Full text EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
Conjugates composed of C2-18 fatty acid (FA) residues as a molecular carrier and 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) as an active agent, released upon the action of intracellular esterases on the ester bond between FA and “trimethyl lock” intramolecular linker, demonstrate good in vitro activity against human pathogenic yeasts of Candida spp. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values for the most active conjugates containing caprylic (C8), capric (C10), lauric (C12), or myristic (C14) acid residues were in the 2–64 μg mL.
Fault detection and diagnostics of complex dynamic systems using Gaussian Process Models - nuclear power plant case study
- Bartosz Puchalski
2023
The article examines the use of Gaussian Process Models to simulate the dynamic processes of a Pressurized Water nuclear Reactor for fault detection and diagnostics. The paper illustrates the potential of Gaussian Process Models as a tool for monitoring and predicting various fault conditions in Pressurized Water nuclear Reactor power plants, including reactor coolant flow and temperature variations, deviations from nominal working point or faulty power measurements. The article discusses the characteristics and benefits of Gaussian Process Models and how they can be utilized to improve: the reliability and accuracy of nuclear power plant anomaly detection, fault diagnosis and decision making process in states of emergency. Overall, this paper highlights the capabilities of Gaussian Process Models to enhance the safety, reliability and efficiency of nuclear power plants. The results of this study are expected to provide valuable insights for engineers and researchers in the fields of control engineering and nuclear power.
FDTD Method for Electromagnetic Simulations in Media Described by Time-Fractional Constitutive Relations
- Piotr Pietruszka
- Tomasz Stefański
- Jacek Gulgowski
2023 Full text Applied Sciences-Basel
In this paper, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is derived for electromagnetic simulations in media described by the time-fractional (TF) constitutive relations. TF Maxwell’s equations are derived based on these constitutive relations and the Grünwald–Letnikov definition of a fractional derivative. Then the FDTD algorithm, which includes memory effects and energy dissipation of the considered media, is introduced. Finally, one-dimensional signal propagation in such electromagnetic media is considered. The proposed FDTD method is derived based on a discrete approximation of the Grünwald–Letnikov definition of the fractional derivative and evaluated in a code. The stability condition is derived for the proposed FDTD method based on a numerical dispersion relation. The obtained numerical results are compared with the outcomes of reference frequency-domain simulations, proving the accuracy of the proposed approach. However, high spatial resolution is required in order to obtain accurate results. The developed FDTD method is, unfortunately, computation and memory demanding when compared to the ordinary FDTD algorithm.
Feasibility Study of Biohydrogen Production from Acid Cheese Whey via Lactate-Driven Dark Fermentation
- Brenda Aranda-Jaramillo
- Elizabeth León-Becerril
- Oscar Aguilar-Juárez
- Roberto Castro Munoz
- Octavio García-Depraect
2023 Full text Fermentation
The high loading of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present in cheese whey still limits its use as hydrogen feedstock. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of producing hydrogen from acid cheese whey via lactate-driven dark fermentation (LD-DF). Mesophilic batch fermentations were performed with delipidated acid cheese whey at a fixed pH of 5.8 and driven by an acidogenic bacterial culture containing LAB and lactate-oxidizing hydrogen producers (LO-HPB). The results obtained indicated that it is technically feasible to produce hydrogen from undiluted cheese whey through lactate oxidation-mediated fermentation. It was elucidated that the acidogenic fermentation of cheese whey followed a two-step lactate-type fermentation, in which fermentable carbohydrates were first converted into lactate, and then lactate was metabolized into hydrogen with the co-production of butyrate. The hydrogen yield and the maximum volumetric hydrogen production rate achieved were 44.5 ± 2.9 NmL/g-CODfed and 1.9 NL/L-d, respectively. Further microbial community analysis revealed that Lactobacillus, Clostridium, and Klebsiella were the dominant bacterial genera when the hydrogen production rate peaked. It was therefore suggested that the metabolic potential behind the association between LAB and LO-HPB was important in driving the two-step lactate-type fermentation. Overall, the LD-DF can be a strategic hydrogen-producing pathway to be implemented with cheese whey.
Federated Learning in Healthcare Industry: Mammography Case Study
- Krystian Zieliński
- Natalia Kowalczyk
- Tomasz Kocejko
- Magdalena Mazur-Milecka
- Tomasz Neumann
- Jacek Rumiński
2023
The paper focuses on the role of federated learning in a healthcare environment. The experimental setup involved different healthcare providers, each with their datasets. A comparison was made between training a deep learning model using traditional methods, where all the data is stored in one place, and using federated learning, where the data is distributed among the workers. The experiment aimed to identify possible challenges that could arise when training a model in a federated learning scenario, including the impact of federated learning on the obtained measures for breast density classification and examining the impact of data preprocessing and domain adaptation. The results indicate that using federated learning deep-learning models can be effectively trained on distributed healthcare data, performing similarly to the traditional approach while providing additional benefits such as improved data privacy and security. However, domain adaptation and data heterogeneity must be carefully addressed to achieve optimal performance in federated learning.
FEM modelling of screw displacement pile interaction with subsoil
- Paweł Więcławski
- Adam Krasiński
2023 Full text Archives of Civil Engineering
Predicting the-settlement characteristics of piles is an important element in the designing of pile foundations. The most reliable method in evaluating pile-soil interaction is the static load test, preferably performed with instrumentation for measuring shaft and pile base resistances. This, however, is a mostly post-implementation test. In the design phase, prediction methods are needed, in which numerical simulations play an increasingly popular role. This article proposes a procedure for numerically modeling the interaction of screw displacement piles with soil using the ZSoil 2D FEM program. The procedure takes into account technological characteristics of this type of pile, such as the process of soil expansion during the screwing-in of the auger and the pressure of concrete mix after pile concreting. They significantly affect the soil stress state, which is a key parameter for the pile load capacity. Geotechnical parameters of the subsoil were adopted from CPTU probing and laboratory tests. Due to the physical complexity, a constitutive soil model "Hardening Soil" (HS) was used in the analyses. The modeling procedure was calibrated on the basis of the static load test results of several instrumented piles, which were carried out as part of the "DPDT-Auger" research project. As a result of these calibrations, generalized recommendations were derived for an entire single pile modeling process with the axisymmetric system of ZSoil program. These can be useful in the reliable FEM prediction of the-characteristics for screw displacement piles for practical engineering purposes.