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Gdańsk University of Technology

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  • Successive cytotoxicity control by evolutionary surface decorated electronic push-pull green ZnCr-LDH nanostructures: Drug delivery enlargement for targeted breast cancer chemotherapy
    • Mahsa Kiani
    • Mojtaba Bagherzadeh
    • Yousef Fatahi
    • Hossein Daneshgar
    • Moein Safarkhani
    • Ghazal Salehi
    • Pooyan Makvandi
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Eder C. Lima
    • Navid Rabiee
    2022 Full text OpenNano

    The reason for the increasing bioavailability and biocompatibility of the porous nanomaterials in the presence of different (bio)molecules is still unknown. The role of difference functional groups and their interactions with the potential bioavailability and biocompatibility is of great importance. To investigate the potential contribution of the electronic effects (especially on the surface of the porous nanomaterials) on their biomedical behavior, a series of surface-decorated green ZnCr-layered double hydroxide (LDH) porous nanocarriers is developed as a non-viral vector. Different conjugations investigated these porous LDHs for optimizing and minimizing the cytotoxicity for targeted breast cancer therapy. Quick low-temperature synthesized ZnCr-LDH nanocarriers method with enlarged drug delivery windows decorated with leaf extracts and benzamide-like molecules revealed a push-pull electronic synergistic effect on cytotoxicity and enhanced cell viability, biocompatibility, aggregations, and interactions with the cell membranes. The pre-defined model drug, doxorubicin (DOX), unraveled chemotherapy performance in response to MCF-7 cell lines, with ≈ 60% drug payload contributed from functional groups of leaf extracts. Moreover, electron-poor and electron-rich benzamide-like molecules attached to the ZnCr-LDH surface enhanced the relative cell viability up to 29% and 32%, respectively. The in vivo experiments on breast cancer of treated mice (H&E) revealed unaggregated cellular arrays and antibacterial activity against E. coli (gram-negative) and S. aureus (gram-positive) bacteria. Benzamide-like ZnCr-LDH nanocarriers showed a suitable zone of inhibition beyond 10 mm, compared to the standard. Cytotoxicity control achieved herein seems promising for the future ahead of nanomedicine.

  • SUICIDES FOR ECONOMIC REASONS AS A MEASURE OF THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY: THE CASE OF POLAND
    • Jarosław Ziętarski
    • Agnieszka Pobłocka
    2022 Full text Współpraca Europejska

    Suicides are a phenomenon observed in many countries. The causes of a decision so drastic as far as consequences are concerned include i.a. economic reasons. The question arises whether the changing number of suicides reflects the state of the economy. The direct link between the state of the economy and suicides has not been sufficiently studied so far. The authors of this article attempted to identify the links between selected economic indicators and the number of suicides using statistical and econometric methods. The end result is a description of the connection between indicators determining economic tendencies and suicides for economic reasons. Finding such a connection constitutes an alternative, much cheaper method of assessing the tendencies (climate) of the economy compared to the methods used currently by the Central Statistical Office in Poland or the Ipsos company. In addition, the results of the study allowed to propose an original linear regression model taking into account new variables, compared to the available studies of other authors. The authors' model is an expansion of rather modest scientific discourse on the impact of the economy on the number of suicides. More than 10 years have passed since the beginning of the global financial crisis. In the years 2008–2009, Poland was considered to be 'a green island', i.e. the only country in Europe that did not experience a decline in GDP. The image of this country from the perspective of the consumer looks very different. The increasing number of suicides for economic reasons prompts the analysis of the reasons for this kind of decision. There are relatively few available research papers that would illustrate the link between the state of the economy and the phenomenon of suicides. The authors of this publication, using statistical methods (statistical description and statistical inference), attempted to link the number of suicides for economic reasons to selected economic indicators. The result of the research was the indication of an alternative method for the measurement of selected economic tendency indices of the Polish Central Statistical Office and the Economic Climate Indicator published by Ipsos Polska Sp. z o.o. In addition, a single-equation linear regression model was proposed which not only explains the association of selected indicators describing the condition of an economy with the phenomenon of suicides but can also serve as an early-warning indicator of future suicides

  • Sulfonamides with hydroxyphenyl moiety: Synthesis, structure, physicochemical properties, and ability to form complexes with Rh(III) ion
    • Małgorzata Gawrońska
    • Mateusz Kowalik
    • Joanna Duch
    • Katarzyna Kazimierczuk
    • Mariusz Makowski
    2022 Full text POLYHEDRON

    Sulfonamides are the first successfully synthesized antimicrobial drugs. The mechanism of sulfonamides’ antimicrobial action involves competitive inhibition of folic acid synthesis and prevention of the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Even though they have been applied in therapy for more than 75 years, sulfonamides are still the drugs of choice for the treatment of various diseases. The aim of this work was to synthesize and characterize two new sulfonamides hydroxyphenyl moiety and investigate their ability to form complexes with Rh(III). The results of recent studies indicate an increased interest in the application of potential platinum-group metal ion complexes as an alternative, promising candidates for anticancer and antimicrobial drugs.

  • Super tough interpenetrating polymeric network of styrene butadiene rubber‐poly (methyl methacrylate) incorporated with general purpose carbon black ( N660 )
    • Jose James
    • George Vazhathara Thomas
    • Krishanagegham Sidharathan Sisanth
    • Hanna Joseph Maria
    • Didier Rouxel
    • Michał Strankowski
    • Nandakumar Kalarikkal
    • David Laroze
    • Oluwatobi Samuel Oluwafemi
    • Tatiana Volova
    • Sabu Thomas
    2022 JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE

    A classic set of polymeric interpenetrating polymeric network (IPN) microcomposites has been fabricated using an elastomer—styrene butadiene rubber [SBR], a thermoplastic poly(methyl methacrylate)-PMMA and with carbon black (CB)-N660 as a filler and reinforcing agent. This synthesized IPN composite can be promisingly employed as a toughened plastic and vibrational damper in a wide service range with excellent thermal stability, optimum storage modulus, and co-continuous morphological pattern. transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman imaging are successfully employed for the morphological characterization. Mechanical, thermal, viscoelastic, and damping features of IPN composites have been carefully studied in detail and compared with parent polymers, corresponding IPN, and composites. The double network formation of filler CB and plastic component PMMA form an intercalated morphological pattern in the SBR matrix with 20 times enhancement in toughness value compared with neat SBR. The fabrication and characterization adopted in this work can definitely act as a platform for the design of new toughened material with excellent performance and cost-effectiveness.

  • Superconductivity and appearance of negative magnetocaloric effect in Ba1–xKxBiO3 perovskites, doped by Y, La and Pr
    • Paweł Pęczkowski
    • Maciej Łuszczek
    • Elżbieta Szostak
    • Naveen Kumar Chogondahalli Muniraju
    • Anna Krztoń-Maziopa
    • Łukasz Gondek
    2022 Full text ACTA MATERIALIA

    Recently, substantial attention is given to the bismuth-based perovskites for variety of electronic applications. The perovskites are used for quantum dots displays (QLED), photovoltaic systems and superconducting (HTS) devices. In this paper comprehensive studies of Ba1–xKxBi1–yREyO3 bismuth perovskites (REBKBO, RE = Y , La or Pr) are reported. Apart from structural anomalous behavior at low temperatures, the electronic properties of the REBKBO can be easily tailored by doping. For instance, critical current den- sities differ by 3 orders of magnitude from 0.07 kA/cm2 (LaBKBO) to 65 kA/cm2 (BKBO). To explain the above behavior, microstructural, magnetic, calorimetric, spectroscopic (FT-IR) studies and ab-initio electronic structure calculations were carried out. The FT-IR shows that the biggest difference in the spectrum compared to the undoped sample was recorded for PrBKBO, due to magnetic contribution of the Pr3+ multiplet. Electronic structure calculations revealed that the BKBO compound shows the highest DOS(EF) compared to the other samples, however, the electronic structure of PrBKBO is very different. The negative magnetocaloric effect observed below 30 K is a highlight of the peculiar properties of that sample. These findings extend possible usage of bismuth-based perovskites towards new applications.

  • Superhydrophobic sponges based on green deep eutectic solvents for spill oil removal from water
    • Patrycja Makoś-Chełstowska
    • Edyta Słupek
    • Aleksandra Małachowska
    2022 Full text JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

    The paper described a new method for crude oil-water separation by means of superhydrophobic melamine sponges impregnated by deep eutectic solvents (MS-DES). Due to the numerous potential of two-component DES formation, simple and quick screening of 156 non-ionic deep eutectic solvents using COSMO-RS (Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvents) computational model was used. DES which were characterized by high solubility of hydrocarbons and the lowest water solubility were synthesized and embedded on melamine sponges. The new sponges were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and goniometer. Several parameters affecting the crude oil-water separation (i.e. type and amount of DES, density and porosity of sponges, water contact eagle) were thoroughly studied. In order to studies of MS-DES affinity to the selected groups of crude oil i.e. Saturated, Aromatic, Resins, Asphaltenes (SARA) the thin layer liquid chromatography-flame ionization detection (TLC-FID) was used. The obtained results indicate that the melamine sponges impregnated by DES composed of eucalyptol and menthol in 1:5 molar ratio have high real crude oil absorption capacity in the range of 96.1 – 132.2 g/g and slightly depends on crude oil compositions, superhydrophobic properties (water contact angle 152°), low density of 9.23 mg/cm3, high porosity of 99.39%, and excellent reusability which was almost not changing even after 80 cycles. The outcomes indicate that new MS-DES materials could be excellent alternatives as absorbents for the cleanup of crude oil-polluted water.

  • Superstitions and customs in construction - a contribution to the discussion on the disappearance of this tradition
    • Maciej Niedostatkiewicz
    2022 Full text Modern Engineering

    Construction is one of the most important, but also the most extensive areas of the economy. That is why we encounter superstitions and customs related to this discipline of the economy quite often:we blew and repeat them, not even knowing what their origin is and what according to old beliefs resulted in their lack of application. This situation applies in practice to all buildings, including residential buildings implemented at different times of time, including today. The aim of the article is to indicate the genesis of selected exaggerations, describe the customs that arose on their basis and present the alleged effects of not cultivating them. Due to the criterion of time in relation to the period of construction of the building, the article discusses superstitions and customs specific to the following stages of the investment: preparatory works and designa, direct implementationand operation and operationand.

  • Supervised-learning-based development of multi-bit RCS-reduced coding metasurfaces
    • Muhammad Abdullah
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2022 Full text IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES

    Coding metasurfaces have been introduced as efficient tools allowing meticulous control over the electromagnetic (EM) scattering. One of their relevant application areas is radar cross section (RCS) reduction, which principally relies on the diffusion of impinging EM waves. Despite its significance, careful control of the scattering properties poses a serious challenge at the level of practical realization. This article is concerned with (global) design optimization of coding metasurfaces featuring broadband RCS reduction. We adopt a two-stage optimization procedure involving data-driven supervised-learning, sequential-search strategy, and direct EM-based design closure of the entire metasurface oriented toward maximizing the RCS reduction bandwidth. Our framework is then used to develop a two-bit coding metasurface. To handle the combinatorial explosion at the concurrent meta-atom optimization stage, a sequential-search strategy has been developed that enables global search capability at low computational cost. Finally, EM-based optimization is executed to maximize RCS reduction bandwidth at the level of entire metasurface. The properties of the coding metasurface are demonstrated using monostatic and bistatic RCS performance. The 10-dB RCS reduction can be obtained in the frequency range of 14.8 GHz to 37.2 GHz, in a monostatic configuration. Also, 15-dB RCS reduction can be maintained in the frequency range of 16.7 GHz to 37 GHz. Simulations are validated using physical measurements of the fabricated prototypes. Finally, the performance of the structure is benchmarked against recently reported designs.

  • Supramolecular deep eutectic solvents and their applications
    • Patrycja Janicka
    • Massoud Kaykhaii
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Jacek Gębicki
    2022 GREEN CHEMISTRY

    In recent years, the growing awareness of the harmfulness of chemicals to the environment has resulted in the development of green and sustainable technologies. The compromise between economy and environmental requirements is based on the development of new efficient and green solutions. Supramolecular deep eutectic solvents (SUPRADESs), a new deep eutectic solvent (DES) subclass characterized by inclusion properties, are a fresh discovery that could have a significant impact on the development of green chemistry. SUPRADESs known in the literature consist of green ingredients, their physicochemical properties are similar to those of conventional DESs, and their supramolecular nature allows for selective binding of numerous chemical compounds – for many applications SUPRADESs show much higher efficiency compared with DESs. Because of the inclusion of cyclodextrins in their structure, these solvents are able to bind to many compounds through the formation of hydrogen bonds (typical of DESs) and at the same time interact with them in a host–guest mechanism. The combination of the environmentally friendly properties of DESs with those of cyclodextrins could be a breakthrough in the context of green chemistry. This review paper summarizes the available knowledge about SUPRADESs – their composition, physicochemical properties, applications and perspectives. SUPRADESs described in the work are fully green, non-toxic, and biodegradable solvents which are capable of efficiently absorbing many substances. So far, few SUPRADESs are known, but some of them are classified as low melting mixtures (LMM). It is very important to systematize the data available on these green solvents and properly classify them. We hope that identifying their potential and green characteristics will support further promising discoveries.

  • Surface and Trapping Energies as Predictors for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Aromatic Organic Pollutants
    • Szymon Dudziak
    • Marta Kowalkińska
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Marcin Pisarek
    • José D. Gouveia
    • José R. B. Gomes
    • Anna Zielińska-Jurek
    2022 Full text Journal of Physical Chemistry C

    In this study, anatase samples enclosed by the majority of three different crystal facets {0 0 1}, {1 0 0}, and {1 0 1} were successfully synthesized. These materials were further studied toward photocatalytic degradation of phenol and toluene as model organic pollutants in water and gas phases. The obtained results were analyzed concerning their surface structure, reaction type, and surface development. Moreover, the regression model was created to find the correlation between the possible predictors and the photodegradation rate constants (k). From the studied factors, the trapping energy of charge carriers at the surface was found to be the most significant one, exponentially affecting the observed k. This resulted in the overall per-surface activity between the samples being in the order {1 0 1} > {1 0 0} > {0 0 1}. Further introduction of the surface energy (Esurf) to the regression model and the number of possible trapping centers per number of pollutant’s molecules (ntrap·n–1) improved the model accuracy, simultaneously showing the dependence on the reaction type. In the case of phenol photocatalytic degradation, the best accuracy was observed for the model including Esurf ·(ntrap·n–1)1/2 relation, while for the toluene degradation, it included Esurf2 and the S·n–1 ratio, where S is the simple surface area. Concerning different surface features which influence photocatalytic performance and are commonly discussed in the literature, the results presented in this study suggest that trapping is of particular importance.

  • Surface engineering of graphene oxide membranes for selective separation of perfluorooctanoic acids
    • Hasan Khorramdel
    • Meysam Omidvar
    • Milad Tajaddini
    • Yang Huang
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Farzad Seidi
    • Huining Xiao
    2022 JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE

    Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) are environmental toxicants and their widespread detection and accumulation in the environment can be detrimental to the ecosystem. In this study, surface charge of GO membranes was engineered to enhance selectivity of graphene oxide (GO) membranes and for the removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA ∼400 Da) in real concentration ranges in wastewater streams. The structure and physicochemical properties of the GO and modified GO nanosheets and their corresponding membranes were assessed using several characterization techniques. The modified GO membranes showed a water flux of 83.1 ± 1 L m−2 h−1 together with maximum rejection efficiency of 98.4% for 50 ppm PFOA at pressure of 0.45 MPa, which is the highest value reported to date. Compared to the GO membrane, the modified GO membrane exhibited higher water flux and PFOA rejection efficiency by 300% and 70%, respectively. The high surface charged and electron rich GO nanosheets reduce the interlayer spacing in the modified membrane and simultaneously enhance the surface hydrophilicity which leads to increased PFOA retention and enhanced water permeation. These results point to the potential of the modified GO membranes for wastewater treatment.

  • Susceptibility to Degradation in Soil of Branched Polyesterurethane Blends with Polylactide and Starch
    • Joanna Brzeska
    • Grzegorz Jasik
    • Wanda Sikorska
    • Barbara Mendrek
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Marek Kowalczuk
    • Maria Rutkowska
    2022 Full text Polymers

    A very important method of reducing the amount of polymer waste in the environment is the introduction to the market of polymers susceptible to degradation under the influence of environmental factors. This paper presents the results of testing the susceptibility to degradation in soil of branched polyesterurethane (PUR) based on poly([R,S]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (R,S-PHB), modified with poly([D,L]-lactide) (PLA) and starch (St). Weight losses of samples and changes in surface morphology (SEM, OM and contact angle system) with simultaneously only slight changes in molecular weight (GPC), chemical structure (FTIR and 1HNMR) and thermal properties (DSC) indicate that these materials are subject to enzymatic degradation caused by the presence of microorganisms in the soil. Chemical modification of branched polyesterurethanes with R,S-PHB and their physical blending

  • Sustainability reporting in justice systems: a comparative research in two European countries
    • Floriana Fusco
    • Renato Civitillo
    • Paolo Ricci
    • Sylwia Morawska
    • Katarzyna Pustułka
    • Przemysław Banasik
    2022 Meditari Accountancy Research

    Purpose – That on accountability in public organizations is quite an old debate. Its introduction in judicial systems is, however, still viewed with some suspicion, due to its potential trade-off with independence and impartiality. Nevertheless, the need to respond to the demands for greater transparency and accountability has also pushed judicial organizations to establish a dialogue with a wide range of subjects. This study aims to explore the understanding and the current practices of sustainability reporting currently in place in judicial systems. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a comparative approach, conducting an online survey in two European countries (Italy and Poland). The survey was built around the research questions and literature and administered between February and March 2020. Specifically, 804 courts were involved, of which 430 are in Italy and 374 in Poland. Findings – Findings show that the current practices are still not widespread and there is still a lack of understanding of what sustainability reporting is, and therefore, of what its potential usefulness within the courts could be. Moreover, many differences between the two countries are pointed out, so it is possible to assume that the different cultural and institutional settings influence sustainability reporting practices. Finally, some interesting implications for policymakers are provided. Originality/value – Judicial organizations are still poorly investigated in the literature, despite being at the center of a wide public and political debate. Moreover, the international comparative perspective adopted constitutes a further aspect of novelty.

  • Sustainability reporting in the airline industry: Current literature and future research avenues
    • Małgorzata Zięba
    • Eljas Johansson
    2022 Full text TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART D-TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

    Sustainability reporting (SR) allows organisations to communicate their non-financial impacts to stakeholders. It has also become a widespread business practice in aviation, a transport sector that contributes significantly to global warming. Academia has begun to examine SR in the context of airlines surprisingly late, and no comprehensive reviews of its respective developments have been made so far. Consequently, a systematic literature review was performed with an exclusive focus on airline SR to synthesise its associated scholarly research and distinguish the common concerns and gaps that have emerged from it. The analysed publications indicate that the industry has lacked a unified policy and common understanding of how to define and measure sustainability, which has led to inconsistent SR practices. This causes ambiguity between the real actions and promotional communication through which airlines may legitimise their operations. Academia and various airline stakeholders would benefit from more in-depth studies examining the stakeholder views and quality of disclosures, helping the industry improve its SR.

  • Sustainable Knowledge Sharing Model for IT Agile Projects
    • Edward Szczerbicki
    • Rodrigo Oliveira de Castro
    • Cesar Sanin
    2022 Full text

    In order to overcome work environment challenges and remain competitive in the market, organisations must adapt. An organisation's competitiveness can be improved through knowledge sharing; however, improvement without responsibility can have a negative impact on the sociotechnical environment which people cannot fully comprehend. According to researchers, business involvement in sustainable development goals remains minimal [51]. As a result, a sustainable consciousness is crucial to improve the business. In the project profession, sustainability is a business approach that balances the environmental, social, economic, and political aspects of project-based work to fulfil the demands of stakeholders without jeopardising or overburdening the availability of natural resources for future generations [33]. This study goes a step further and proposes a theoretical design that aims to ensure sustainable development during conceptual knowledge transfer in Agile IT projects.

  • Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans: implementation process and indicators to evaluate effects on physical activity
    • Romanika Okraszewska
    • Noah Peters
    • Lucia Reisch
    • Marion Flechtner-Mors
    • Carlijn B.M. Kamphuis
    • Janine Wendt
    • Daniel Scheller
    • Karolina Konsur
    • Joanna Żukowska
    2022 Full text EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

    Background: Active mobility and public transport increase physical activity (PA) levels. With varying intensity and effectiveness, European cities implement Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) to spur transport-related PA. Therefore, we aim to examine drivers and barriers to SUMP implementation and assess its influence on PA across European cities. Methods: We screened policy reports to gain insights into SUMP implementation in one Danish, two German and two Polish cities. Further, we conducted semi-structured interviews with SUMP stakeholders in these cities to explore their experiences with SUMP implementation. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was applied to identify similarities and differences across cities. To assess the effect of SUMP implementation on PA, we searched for data on indicators of transport-related PA. Results: All investigated cities are committed to sustainable mobility. Nonetheless, complex institutional structures, the dominant role of motorized traffic as well as complex regional and local policy integration hamper SUMP implementation. Danish, German and Polish cities face different contexts in terms of financing, national guidelines and the prominence of sustainability as a policy objective. Each city adopts unique indicators for monitoring the effects of SUMPs on transport-related PA. The variety of indicators and limited data availability impede a comparative evaluation across cities. Constrained by this restriction, we identified motorization rate, modal split and public transport ridership as suitable indicators. Conclusions: Local idiosyncrasies need to be accounted for when assessing the implementation of SUMPs. Nonetheless, consistent indicators and data transparency are essential for comparing the effectiveness of SUMPs and their impact on PA.

  • Synchronizacja wiedzy w systemach agentowych
    • Mariusz Matuszek
    2022

    Agenty inteligentne są jednym z komponentów stosowanych w pro- jektowaniu rozproszonych inteligentnych systemów obliczeniowych. W rozdziale wskazano istotne aspekty systemów agentowych, a na- stępnie omówiono wybrane metody synchronizacji wiedzy między agentami będącymi częścią systemu agentowego. Omówiono podej- ście właściwe dla agentów zaufanych oraz jego modyfikację dla agen- tów, które mogą celowo próbować wprowadzać inne agenty w błąd.

  • Synergistic effects of hybrid advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on hydrodynamic cavitation phenomenon – A review
    • Kirill Fedorov
    • Kumaravel Dinesh
    • Xun Sun
    • Reza Darvishi
    • Zhaohui Wang
    • Shirish H. Sonawane
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2022 Full text CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

    High-performance water treatment systems based on cavitational processes have received an increasing interest of scientific community in the past few decades. Numerous studies indicated the advantageous application of hydrodynamic cavitation as an alternative, reagent-free treatment method of various pollutants in water. Both approaches were proved as an effective method to achieve mineralization of many organic contaminants as well as a disinfection method, which is able to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. This makes cavitation-based methods a promising candidate implemented in a post-treatment stage of water treatment facilities. Nowadays, hybrid methods based on combination of cavitation with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), possessing enhanced oxidation capacity were proposed. Compared to the individual utilization of cavitation and AOPs (e.g., O3, H2O2, Fenton’s process), hybrid processes are capable to degrade even highly persistent contaminants and shorten the operation time reducing the overall consumption of energy and oxidants. The improved performance of hybrid methods is attributed to the synergistic effect occurring between integrated technologies, which is expressed by the synergistic index. In this paper, recent reports focusing on coupling of cavitation and AOPs were reviewed to reveal major principles and mechanisms governing the synergistic effect. The review discusses the effect of process parameters (oxidant type, pH, hydraulic and ultrasonic properties, Kow) on the oxidation effectiveness. Comparative analysis was provided in order to highlight the advantages and limits laying behind the discussed methods. The analysis of the economic feasibility was performed to assess the potential applicability of hybrid techniques in large-scale wastewater treatment.

  • Synthesis and characterization of biopolyols through biomass liquefaction of wood shavings and their application in the preparation of polyurethane wood composites
    • Adam Olszewski
    • Paulina Kosmela
    • Łukasz Piszczyk
    2022 Full text European Journal of Wood and Wood Products (HOLZ ALS ROH-UND WERKSTOFF)

    The sustainability of production systems in wood processing, wood industry, and wooden waste disposal is an important issue for European industry and society. Proper development of products based on renewable wood resources gives an opportunity to provide materials with long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This study aims to establish a new way of forestry and agricultural waste materials utilization by synthesis of bio-based polyols and manufacturing of polyurethane wood composites (PU-WC). The first part of this paper describes the liquefaction of wood shavings at a temperature of 150 °C for 6 h in three different solvents—glycerol, poly (ethylene glycol) and their mixture in a 1:1 ratio. The second part deals with the synthesis of polyurethane (PU) resins containing 90% of biopolyol. Eight sets of materials with different NCO:OH ratios were obtained in a one-step method using a hydraulic press. These materials were characterized, and the material with the most promising properties was selected for polyurethane wood composites production. Composites with 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% of wood shavings were obtained. The addition of filler caused an increase in flexural strength, Young`s modulus, hardness, and impact strength. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed good adhesion between the polymer and the filler. The optimum filler content is between 50 and 60% by weight of the composite. The presented study provides a significant step toward a greener alternative for materials produced mainly from non-renewable resources.

  • Synthesis Attempt and Structural Studies of Novel A2CeWO6 Double Perovskites (A2+ = Ba, Ca) in and outside of Ambient Conditions
    • Damian Wlodarczyk
    • Mikolaj Amilusik
    • Katarzyna M. Kosyl
    • Maciej Chrunik
    • Krystyna Lawniczak-Jablonska
    • Michal Strankowski
    • Marcin Zajac
    • Volodymyr Tsiumra
    • Aneta Grochot
    • Anna Reszka
    • Andrzej Suchocki
    • Tomasz Giela
    • Przemyslaw Iwanowski
    • Michal Bockowski
    • Hanka Przybylinska
    2022 Full text ACS Omega

    Synthesis Attempt and Structural Studies of Novel A 2 CeWO 6 Double Perovskites (A 2+ = Ba, Ca) in and outside of Ambient Conditions Damian Wlodarczyk,* Mikolaj Amilusik, Katarzyna M. Kosyl, Maciej Chrunik, Krystyna Lawniczak-Jablonska, Michal Strankowski, Marcin Zajac, Volodymyr Tsiumra, Aneta Grochot, Anna Reszka, Andrzej Suchocki, Tomasz Giela, Przemyslaw Iwanowski, Michal Bockowski, and Hanka Przybylinska Cite This: ACS Omega 2022, 7, 18382−18408 Read Online ACCESS Metrics & More Article Recommendations *sı Supporting Information ABSTRACT: This comprehensive work showcases two novel, rock-salt-type minerals in the form of amphoteric cerium−tungstate double perovskite and ilmenite powders created via a high-temperature solid-state reaction in inert gases. The presented studies have fundamental meaning and will mainly focus on a detailed synthesis description of undoped structures, researching their possible polymorphism in various conditions and hinting at some nontrivial physicochemical properties like charge transfer for upcoming optical studies after eventual doping with selectively chosen rare-earth ions.

  • Synthesis, crystal structure and spectroscopic characterization of new anionic iridium(III) complexes and their interaction with biological targets
    • Joanna Masternak
    • Agnieszka Gilewska
    • Mateusz Kowalik
    • Katarzyna Kazimierczuk
    • Jerzy Sitkowski
    • Karol Okła
    • Joanna Wietrzyk
    • Barbara Barszcz
    2022 POLYHEDRON

    The synthesis and characterisation of new anionic iridium(II) complexes (NH4)2[IrCl4(κ2N,N’-H2biim)]2 · 5H2O (1) and ((CH3)2NH2)[IrCl4(κ2N,N’-PyBIm)] · H2O (2) are presented in this article. Spectroscopic methods (1H, 13C and 15N NMR, FTIR, UV-Vis) were used to characterize these new complexes. Solid-state structural analysis (SC-XRD) of complexes 1 and 2 shows a slightly distorted octahedral geometry of Ir(III) ions, which is constructed by one chelating κ2N,N’-2,2’-biimidazole (H2biim (1)) or 2-(2’-pyridyl)benzimidazole (PyBIm (2)) and four chloride ions. In the crystal structures, the presence of organic ligands containing NH groups favours the formation of strong hydrogen bonds (X-H···Cl (X = O, N, C)), which have significant impact on the crystal structure forming 2D (1) and 3D (2) systems during the self-assembly process. Additionally, preliminary studies of the biological activity of the obtained complexes were performed. Considering the above properties, the observed stronger binding affinity of complex 1 to DNA and HSA can be interpreted in terms of changes in the number of hydrogen bonds that are potentially formed with the target molecule. Furthermore, higher reactivity towards NADH and the lower reactivity towards GSH were observed for complex 2. Both complexes showed moderate cytotoxicity against selected cancer cell lines (LoVo, MV-4-11, MCF-7) and did not show toxicity towards normal cells (BALB/3T3). The cytotoxicity of 2 may be compromised by a weaker interaction with DNA, HSA or GSH and a stronger reactivity towards NADH.

  • Synthesis of a state feedback controller for an averaging tank with variable filling
    • Michał Kolankowski
    • Robert Piotrowski
    2022

    In paper, a nonlinear averaging tank with variable filling is considered. The main purpose of this research work was the modelling and control system synthesis of an averaging tank. The control objectives included ensuring stability and zero steady-state error of the system and achieving settling time as short as possible, while maintaining a minimal overshoot. In order to achieve the intended purpose, firstly a mathematical model of the control plant was derived. The model was adapted to the form required to design the control system by linearization and re-duction of its dimensions, resulting in two system variants. A state feedback and output feedback with integral action control system of the averaging tank was de-signed using a linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) and optimization of weights. The developed control system was tested using Matlab environment. Finally, based on simulation results, performance of the control system in different variants and effects of optimization were assessed.

  • Synthesis of bimetallic Co–Pt/cellulose nanocomposites for catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol
    • Vividha K. Landge
    • Vikas S. Hakke
    • Manohar Kakunuri
    • G. Uday B. Babu
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Shirish H. Sonawane
    2022 Reaction Chemistry & Engineering

    In this study, bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) of Co–Pt anchored on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) for catalytic applications were synthesized via a sonochemical approach. The electro-spinning technique was employed for the synthesis of CNFs from cellulose acetate. The thorough characterization of synthesised Co–Pt/CNF nanocomposites was performed with the help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). This method leads to the facile preparation of Co–Pt bimetallic NPs using cellulose as a support. The synthesized nanocomposites were used for the p-nitrophenol (p-NP) reduction to p-aminophenol (p-AP) with excess sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to assess their catalytic performance. The effects of various parameters on the performance of the catalyst were also investigated. The investigated parameters are catalyst loading, initial p-NP concentration and NaBH4 concentration. The extent of p-NP reduction into p-AP over Co–Pt/CNF nanocomposites with an excess of NaBH4 was examined with UV-vis spectroscopy. The p-NP reduction to p-AP over Co–Pt NPs anchored on CNFs was achieved within 98 seconds with around 100% conversion. The efficiency of the catalyst did not vary significantly up to 5 consecutive cycles. The excellent catalytic activity (Kapp = 0.028 s−1) and stability of the as-synthesized Co–Pt nanoparticles supported on CNFs make them potential catalysts for nitrophenol reduction and wastewater treatment.

  • Synthesis of green benzamide-decorated UiO-66-NH2 for biomedical applications
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Amir Mohammad Ghadiri
    • Vida Alinezhad
    • Anna Sedaghat
    • Sepideh Ahmadi
    • Yousef Fatahi
    • Pooyan Makvandi
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Mojtaba Bagherzadeh
    • Mohsen Asadnia
    • Rajender S. Varma
    • Eder C. Lima
    2022 CHEMOSPHERE

    Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) biocompatible systems can host enzymes/bacteria/viruses. Herein we synthesized a series of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)-decorated UiO-66-NH2 based on Citrus tangerine leaf extract for drug delivery and biosensor applications. Five chemically manipulated FAAH-like benzamides were localized on the UiO-66-NH2 surface with physical interactions. Comprehensive cellular and molecular analyses were conducted on HEK-293, HeLa, HepG2, PC12, MCF-7, and HT-29 cell lines (cytotoxicity assessment after 24 and 48 h). MTT results proved above 95 and 50% relative cell viability in the absence and presence of the drug, respectively. A complete targeted drug-releasing capability of nanocarriers was demonstrated after capping with leaf extract from Citrus tangerine, with a stimuli-responsive effect in acidic media. Targeted delivery was complete to the nucleus and cytoplasm of HT-29 cell, but merely to the cytoplasm of HeLa cell lines. Nanocarrier could be targeted for drug delivery to the cytoplasm of the HeLa cell line and to both the nucleus and cytoplasm of HT-29 cell lines. MOF-based nanocarriers proved authentic in vivo towards kidney and liver tissues with targeted cancerous cells efficiently. Besides, FAAH-like molecules revealed optical biosensor potential with high selectivity (even ˂5 nM LOD) towards ssDNA, sgRNA, and Anti-cas9 proteins.

  • Synthesis, Structure, and Spectroscopic Properties of Calcium Thiophenecarboxylate Polymers. Structural Comparison with Analogous Lead Complexes
    • Joanna Masternak
    • Katarzyna Kazimierczuk
    • Bogumiła Kupcewicz
    • Jakub Brzeski
    • Mateusz Kowalik
    2022 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

    Three novel calcium coordination polymers [Ca(2tpCOO)2(2mpa)(H2O)]n (1), [Ca(3tpCOO)2(2mpa)(H2O)]n (2), and {[Ca(3tpacCOO)2(H2O)2]⋅⋅⋅H2O}n (3) (2tpCOO− or 3tpCOO− – thiophene-2- or thiophene-3-carboxylate, 3tpacCOO− – thiophene-3-acetate, 2mpa – 2-methylpropanal), were synthesised using a self-assembly method. The obtained polymers were characterised using SC-XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS, thermogravimetric and luminescence analyses. The polymer fluorescence studies showed that calcium complexes can emit light of different colours ranging from violet (1) and blue (2) to green (3). The molecular structure of each polymer consists of a calcium ion at the centre of a dodecahedral coordination sphere. The crystal structure consists of one dimensional zigzag chains that form a three-dimensional network via π⋅⋅⋅π, C−H⋅⋅⋅π and O−H⋅⋅⋅O or O−H⋅⋅⋅S interactions. Additionally, a comparative structural analysis of CaCPs with lead(II) coordination polymers containing analogous linkers was performed as part of modelling studies to explore the substitution of calcium ions by lead ions in biological polymers.

  • S&YP + Mentors + Peace + Love = Science and Growing
    • Giuseppe Buja
    • Zbigniew Krzemiński
    • Marek Adamowicz
    • Marek Jasiński
    2022 Full text IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine

    In this extraordinarily difficult time, we understand better that only peace, love, and cooperation are the keys to growing in technology for humanity. Let us learn from our mentors how they grow from their hard work and international cooperation. Thanks to Prof. Giuseppe Buja and Prof. Zbigniew Krzemiński, we have unique schools of adjustable speed drives that are helping people convert electrical to mechanical power and vice versa. Let’s learn how it was possible.

  • System diagnostyki oddechowej oparty na konwolucyjnych sieciach neuronowych
    • Zdzisław Kowalczuk
    • Michał Czubenko
    • Michał Bosak
    2022 Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny + Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne

    Choroby układu oddechowego człowieka od zawsze były obciążeniem dla całego społeczeństwa. Sytuacja stała się szczególnie trudna po wybuchu pandemii COVID-19. Jednak nawet teraz nierzadko zdarza się, że ludzie konsultują się ze swoim lekarzem zbyt późno, już po niepożądanym rozwinięciu się choroby. W celu ochrony pacjentów przed ciężką chorobą płuc, zaleca się jak najwcześniejsze wykrycie wszelkich objawów zaburzających pracę układu oddechowego. W artykule przedstawiono wczesny prototyp urządzenia, który przypomina cyfrowy stetoskop. Przeprowadza on automatyczną analizę oddechu, poza rejestrowaniem cykli oddechowych. Dodatkowo urządzenie ma funkcję powiadamiania użytkownika (np. przez smartfon) o konieczności udania się do lekarza na bardziej szczegółowe badanie. Dźwiękowe nagranie cykli oddechu przekształcane jest na dwuwymiarową macierz za pomocą współczynników cepstrum w skali melowej (MFCC). Taka macierz jest analizowana przez sztuczną sieć neuronową. W wyniku przeprowadzonych badań stwierdzono, że najlepsze z otrzymanych rozwiązań prezentowanej sieci neuronowej osiągnęło pożądaną dokładność i wysoką precyzję.

  • System stabilizacji piłki na ruchomej platformie
    • Michał Banach
    • Robert Piotrowski
    2022 Full text Pomiary Automatyka Robotyka

    W ostatnich latach nastąpił znaczny rozwój i wzrost zastosowań układów regulacji nadążnej. Ich wykorzystanie przestało ograniczać się do zastosowań przemysłowych, a zaczęto je używać w aplikacjach życia codziennego. Artykuł przedstawia proces projektowania i syntezy nadążnego układu stabilizacji piłki na ruchomej platformie. Opisano część mechaniczną oraz elektroniczną platformy. Przedstawiono model matematyczny, a także opisano proces oprogramowania platformy i syntezy sterowania. Na koniec przeprowadzono testy sprawdzające.

  • System wynagradzania nauczycieli w Polsce – skutki dla lokalnych budżetów
    • Alicja Sekuła
    • Joanna Nucińska,
    2022 Full text STUDIA BAS

    Artykuł podejmuje problematykę systemu wynagradzania nauczycieli w Polsce. W pierwszej części przedstawiono oświatę jako zadanie publiczne polskich gmin, powiatów i województw oraz miast na prawach powiatu, które wypełniają zadania zarówno gmin, jak i powiatów. W kolejnej części omówiono kryteria (zwłaszcza dotyczące nauczycieli) podziału części oświatowej subwencji ogólnej z budżetu państwa pomiędzy jednostki samorządu terytorialnego. Następnie opisano zasady naliczania wynagrodzeń nauczycieli. W części empirycznej artykułu przedstawiono strukturę i dynamikę wydatków oświatowych na wynagrodzenia w latach 2004–2020 oraz porównano ich wysokość z oświatową częścią subwencji. Następnie analizowana jest różnica między minimalnym i średnim wynagrodzeniem nauczycieli. Ostatnia część to studium przypadku pokazujące wpływ wynagrodzeń nauczycieli na wydatki w budżecie Lublina.

  • Systematic comparison of a biotrickling filter and a conventional filter for the removal of a mixture of hydrophobic VOCs by Candida subhashii
    • Milena Marycz
    • Yadira Rodríguez
    • Jacek Gębicki
    • Raúl Muñoz
    2022 Full text CHEMOSPHERE

    This work systematically compared the potential of a conventional fungal biofilter (BF) and a fungal biotrickling filter (BTF) for the abatement of a mixture of hydrophobic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Candida subhashii was herein used for the first time, to the best of the author's knowledge, to remove n-hexane, trichloroethylene, toluene and α-pinene under aerobic conditions. C. subhashii immobilized on polyurethane foam supported steady state removal efficiencies of n-hexane, trichloroethylene, toluene and α-pinene of 25.4 ± 0.9%, 20.5 ± 1.0%, 19.6 ± 1.5% and 25.6 ± 2.8% in the BF, and 35.7 ± 0.9%, 24.0 ± 1.6%, 44.0 ± 1.7% and 26.2 ± 1.8% in the BTF, respectively, at relatively short gas residence times (30 s). The ability of C. subhashii to biodegrade n-hexane, TCE, toluene and α-pinene was confirmed in a batch test conducted in serum bottles, where a biodegradation pattern (toluene ≈ n-hexane > α-pinene > trichloroethylene) comparable to that recorded in the BF and BTF was recorded.

  • Systematic Literature Review for Emotion Recognition from EEG Signals
    • Paulina Leszczełowska
    • Natalia Dawidowska
    2022

    Researchers have recently become increasingly interested in recognizing emotions from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and many studies utilizing different approaches have been conducted in this field. For the purposes of this work, we performed a systematic literature review including over 40 articles in order to identify the best set of methods for the emotion recognition problem. Our work collects information about the most commonly used datasets, electrodes, algorithms and EEG features, as well as methods of their extraction and selection. The number of recognized emotions was also extracted from each paper. In the analyzed articles, the SEED dataset turned out to be the most frequently used. The two most prevalent groups of electrodes were frontal and parietal. Evaluated papers suggest that alpha wavelets are the most beneficial band for feature extraction in emotion recognition. FFT, STFT, and DE appear to be the most popular feature extraction methods. The most prominent algorithms for feature selection among analyzed studies were classifier-dependent wrappers, such as the GA or SVM wrapper. In terms of predicted emotions, developed models in more than half of the papers were designed to predict three emotions. The predictive algorithms that were mostly used by researchers are neural networks or vector machine-based models.

  • Systematic Literature Review for Emotion Recognition from EEG Signals
    • Paulina Leszczełowska
    • Natalia Dawidowska
    2022 Full text

    Researchers have recently become increasingly interested in recognizing emotions from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and many studies utilizing different approaches have been conducted in this field. For the purposes of this work, we performed a systematic literature review including over 40 articles in order to identify the best set of methods for the emotion recognition problem. Our work collects information about the most commonly used datasets, electrodes, algorithms and EEG features, as well as methods of their extraction and selection. The number of recognized emotions was also extracted from each paper. In the analyzed articles, the SEED dataset turned out to be the most frequently used. The two most prevalent groups of electrodes were frontal and parietal. Evaluated papers suggest that alpha wavelets are the most beneficial band for feature extraction in emotion recognition. FFT, STFT, and DE appear to be the most popular feature extraction methods. The most prominent algorithms for feature selection among analyzed studies were classifier-dependent wrappers, such as the GA or SVM wrapper. In terms of predicted emotions, developed models in more than half of the papers were designed to predict three emotions. The predictive algorithms that were mostly used by researchers are neural networks or vector machine-based models.

  • Szacowanie przewagi konkurencyjnej w procesie rozwoju nowego produktu - ujęcie praktyczne
    • Dariusz Dąbrowski
    2022

    Celem rozdziału jest przedstawienie koncepcji szacowania przewagi konkurencyjnej w procesie rozwoju nowego produktu. Potrzeba takiego szacunku wynika z przyjęcia założenia mówiącego, że nadrzędnym celem rozwoju nowego produktu jest takie jego kształtowanie, które umożliwi przedsiębiorstwu tworzenie przewagi konkurencyjnej. Planowanie i monitorowanie przewagi konkurencyjnej w projektach nowych produktów wymaga ustalenia, w jaki sposób szacować tę przewagę już w procesie rozwoju nowego produktu. Ta kwestia nie była do tej pory podejmowana w fachowej literaturze, zaś jej rozstrzygnięcie powinno wspomóc praktyki przedsiębiorstw w zakresie kształtowania nowych produktów. W pracy najpierw przedstawiono istotę przewagi konkurencyjnej opartej na produkcie. Następnie, uzasadniono przyjęcie perspektywy zakładającej, że nadrzędnym celem rozwoju nowego produktu powinno być takie jego kształtowanie, które umożliwi przedsiębiorstwu osiąganie przewagi konkurencyjnej. W tej kwestii posłużono się teorią zasobową i metodą dedukcji. W kolejnej części opracowania, na podstawie analizy znaczenia pojęcia przewagi konkurencyjnej, wskazano informacje niezbędne do wyznaczenia tej przewagi. Do nich zaliczono postrzegane korzyści uzyskiwane przez klientów i koszty produktu, zarówno nowego jak i konkurencyjnego. Następnie, stosując dedukcję, przyjęto, że jeśli można wskazać sposoby szacowania wspomnianych informacji już w procesie rozwoju nowego produktu, to można oszacować planowaną przewagę konkurencyjną. Kolejno zaproponowano sposoby określania tychże informacji i zasugerowano, w których fazach procesu rozwoju nowego produktu może wystąpić szacowanie planowanej przewagi konkurencyjnej.

  • Szkoła letnia Wydziału Architektury
    • Anna Górka
    2022 Pismo PG

    Artykuł opisuje tematykę cyklu szkół letnich Wydziału Architektury pn. "Architektura dla miejsca" Wakacyjne warsztaty stanowią realizację ważnego celu w dydaktyce projektowania architektonicznego, jakim jest gotowość projektanta do gromadzenia doświadczeń bezpośrednio w terenie i poznawania wielowymiarowych – ekologicznych, społecznych, kulturowych – uwarunkowań kształtowania przestrzeni. Małomiasteczkowe lub wiejskie, studio projektowania to naturalne przedłużenie edukacji architektów, urbanistów i planistów przestrzennych, które przywraca procesowi dydaktycznemu spontaniczność i autentyzm oraz daje radość i przynosi satysfakcję wszystkim uczestnikom

  • Szybkie wykrywanie wirusa grypy we wczesnej fazie rozwoju za pomocą sensorów nanodiamentowych domieszkowanych borem
    • Dawid Nidzworski
    • Siuzdak Katarzyna
    • Pawel Niedzialkowski
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Michał Sobaszek
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Paulina Weiher
    • Sawczak Mirosław
    • Elżbieta Wnuk
    • Andres Jarmillo-Botero
    • Tadeusz Ossowski
    • Marcin Gnyba
    2022 Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny + Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne

    Przedstawiono konstrukcję i wyniki wstępnych badań szybkiego elektrochemicznego sensora wykonanego na bazie cienkich warstw nanokrystalicznego diamentu domieszkowanego borem, który umożliwia wykrywanie śladowych ilości wirusa grypy we wczesnej fazie rozwoju. Zapewnia to identyfikację ognisk pandemii.

  • T1 RELAXATION TIME CALLIBRATION IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING USING NANODIAMOND PHANTOMS
    • Monika Kosowska
    • Anna Sękowska-Namiotko
    • A. Sabisz
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Małgorzata Szczerska
    2022 PHYSICA MEDICA

    MRI is increasingly used in radiation treatment planning because of the excellent soft tissue contrast in the obtained images. It allows more precise definition of the boundaries between healthy tissues and those affected by cancerous lesions. To obtain good image quality, the difference in signal between two types of tissue must be significant despite the noise so it must be properly calibrated. This calibration includes testing whether the system correctly reflects the spatial distribution of the individual phantom elements as well as verification of relaxation times and proton densities. The aim of this research was to create a phantom that would reflect the magnetic parameters of liver tissue, allowing the calibration of relaxation times.

  • Tacit knowledge influence on intellectual capital and innovativeness in the healthcare sector: A cross-country study of Poland and the US
    • Wioleta Kucharska
    2022 Full text JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH

    This study provides empirical proof that whole organizational innovativeness is rooted in tacit knowledge due to its potency of human capital creation and, that a learning culture composed of a learning climate and mistakes acceptance component fosters human capital development. The main practical implication is that if the IC components are externally rather than internally determined in the particular organization embedded in the specific healthcare system, human capital’s power to create an innovative solution is diminished even if the learning culture is developed. So, practically, private healthcare organizations are more innovative than public. Novelty: This study exposed how tacit knowledge creation driven by learning culture and its mistakes acceptance critical component drives next IC components structure, which influences internal performance innovation in the healthcare sector driven by private and public funds. Findings were obtained from a healthcare industry sample composed of 350 cases from Poland and 365 from the United States. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method using Amos and OLS regression using SPSS PROCESS macro.

  • Tailoring Diffusional Fields in Zwitterion/Dopamine Copolymer Electropolymerized at Carbon Nanowalls for Sensitive Recognition of Neurotransmitters
    • Adrian Olejnik
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Marek Szkodo
    • Alicja Stanisławska
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Anna Dołęga
    • Katarzyna Siuzdak
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    2022 Full text ACS NANO

    The importance of neurotransmitter sensing in the diagnosis and treatment of many psychological illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases is non-negotiable. For electrochemical sensors to become widespread and accurate, a long journey must be undertaken for each device, from understanding the materials at the molecular level to real applications in biological fluids. We report a modification of diamondized boron-doped carbon nanowalls (BCNWs) with an electropolymerized polydopamine/polyzwitterion (PDA|PZ) coating revealing tunable mechanical and electrochemical properties. Zwitterions are codeposited with PDA and noncovalently incorporated into a structure. This approach causes a specific separation of the diffusion fields generated by each nanowall during electrochemical reactions, thus increasing the contribution of the steady-state currents in the amperometric response. This phenomenon has a profound effect on the sensing properties, leading to a 4-fold enhancement of the sensitivity (3.1 to 14.3 μA cm–2 μM–1) and a 5-fold decrease of the limit of detection (505 to 89 nM) in comparison to the pristine BCNWs. Moreover, as a result of the antifouling capabilities of the incorporated zwitterions, this enhancement is preserved in bovine serum albumin (BSA) with a high protein concentration. The presence of zwitterion facilitates the transport of dopamine in the direction of the electrode by intermolecular interactions such as cation−π and hydrogen bonds. On the other hand, polydopamine units attached to the surface form molecular pockets driven by hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions. As a result, the intermediate state of dopamine–analyte oxidation is stabilized, leading to the enhancement of the sensing properties.

  • Tailoring of Optical Properties of Methacrylate Resins Enriched by HPHT Microdiamond Particles
    • Ewelina Kowalewska
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Krzysztof Formela
    • Artur Zieliński
    • Srinivasu Kunuku
    • Mirosław Sawczak
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    2022 Nanomaterials

    Diamond particles have great potential to enhance the mechanical, optical, and thermal properties of diamond–polymer composites. However, the improved properties of diamond–polymer composites depend on the size, dispersibility, and concentration of diamond particles. In the present study, diamond–polymer composites were prepared by adding the microdiamond particles (MDPs) with different concentrations (0.2–1 wt.%) into polymers (acrylate resins) and then subjected to a photocuring process. The surface morphology and topography of the MDPs–polymer composites demonstrated a uniform high-density distribution of MDPs for one wt.% MPDs. Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to investigate the thermal stability of the MDPs–polymer composites. The addition of MDPs has significantly influenced the polymers’ thermal degradation. Absorption and emission spectra of thin layers were recorded through UV/Vis spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry. The obtained results revealed a significant increase in the fluorescence intensity of MDPs–polymer composites (at 1 wt.% of MDPs, a 1.5×, 2×, and 5× increase in fluorescence was observed for MDPs–green, MDPs–amber daylight, and MDPs–red resin, respectively) compared with the reference polymer resins. The obtained results of this work show the new pathways in producing effective and active 3D-printed optical elements.

  • Targeting DNA Topoisomerase II in Antifungal Chemotherapy.
    • Kavya Kondaka
    • Iwona Gabriel
    2022 Full text MOLECULES

    Topoisomerase inhibitors have been in use clinically for the treatment of several diseases for decades. Although those enzymes are significant molecular targets in antibacterial and anticancer chemotherapy very little is known about the possibilities to target fungal topoisomerase II (topo II). Raising concern for the fungal infections, lack of effective drugs and a phenomenon of multidrug resistance underlie a strong need to expand the range of therapeutic options. In this review paper, we discussed the usefulness of fungal topo II as a molecular target for new drug discovery. On the basis of previously published data, we described structural and biochemical differences between fungal and human enzymes as well as a molecular basis of differential sensitivity to known anticancer drugs targeting the latter. This review focuses especially on highlighting the differences that may underlie the selectivity of action of new inhibitors. Distinct sites within fungal topo II in comparison with human counterparts are observed and should be further studied to understand the significance of those sites and their possible usage in design of new drugs.

  • Task Scheduling – Review of Algorithms and Analysis of Potential Use in a Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant
    • Tomasz Ujazdowski
    • Robert Piotrowski
    2022 Full text IEEE Access

    The idea of task scheduling is to increase the efficiency of a system by minimising wasted time, evenly loading machines, or maximising the throughput of machines. Moreover, the use of appropriate scheduling algorithms often leads to a reduction in the energy costs of the process. Task scheduling problems are found in a variety of industrial areas, and their scale changes significantly depending on the problem. This review shows the extent to which task scheduling methods are applied in industry. This paper presents methods and algorithms for solving task scheduling problems. In addition, an analysis of the possibility of using task scheduling methods to improve the efficiency of biological wastewater treatment plants was also conducted. This approach is based on the assumption of a balanced workload for multiple reactors. Analysing the case study of a wastewater treatment plant in Swarzewo in Northern Poland is applied.

  • Technical solutions and benefits of introducing rain gardens – Gdańsk case study
    • Magda Kasprzyk
    • Wojciech Szpakowski
    • Eliza Poznańska
    • Floris Boogaard
    • Katarzyna Bobkowska
    • Magdalena Gajewska
    2022 Full text SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

    Nowadays, Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are developing as innovative multifunctional tools to maximize urban ecosystem services such as storm water preservation, reduction of runoff and flood protection, groundwater pollution prevention, biodiversity enhancement, and microclimate control. Gdańsk is one of the first Polish cities to widely introduce rain gardens (one example of an NBS) in different areas such as parks, city center, main crossroads, and car parks. They involve different technical innovations individually tailored to local architecture, including historic buildings and spaces. Gdańskie Wody, which is responsible for storm water management in the city, adopted a pioneering strategy and started the construction of the first rain garden in 2018. Currently, there are a dozen rain gardens in the city, and this organisation's policy stipulates the construction of NBSs in new housing estates without building rainwater drainage. Various types of rain gardens can be created depending on location characteristics such as geo-hydrology, as well as local conditions and needs. Furthermore, each of them might be equipped with specific technical solutions to improve the rain garden's function – for example, an oil separator or setter can be included to absorb the initial, most polluted runoff. During winter, the large amount of sodium chloride usually used to grit the roads may pose the greatest threat to biodiversity and plants. These installations have been included in a large rain garden in Gdańsk, located in the central reservation of the main streets in the city center. This work presents various technical considerations and their impact on ecosystem functions, and the urban circularity challenges provided by rain gardens operating in different technologies and surroundings. The precipitation quantity and the following infiltration rate were estimated by installing pressure transducers. Furthermore, mitigation of the urban heat island was analysed based on remote sensing images.

  • Techniki wielokryterialnego podejmowania decyzji jako narzędzia wspierające etap przygotowania próbek do analizy
    • Marta Bystrzanowska
    • Marek Tobiszewski
    2022 Full text Analityka: Nauka i Praktyka

    Dylematami decyzyjnymi chemików-analityków są wybór odpowiednich technik przygotowania próbek do analizy, procedur analitycznych, warunków ich prowadzenia oraz dobór odczynników chemicznych. Elementy szczególnie istotne w aspekcie metrologicznym. Jednakże rozwiązanie optymalne powinno także uwzględniać kwestie ekonomiczne i środowiskowe, ostatnie reprezentowane przez koncepcję zielonej chemii (wytyczne do projektowania bardziej prośrodowiskowych procedur analitycznych). Przygotowanie próbek do analizy to kluczowy etap, zajmujący najwięcej czasu, generujący liczne błędy, co znacząco wpływa na jakość oznaczeń. Złożoność procedur analitycznych oraz konieczność jednoczesnego uwzględnienia ogromnej ilości kryteriów i wariantów czyni podejmowanie decyzji zadaniem trudnym. Pomocą może być zastosowanie technik analizy wielokryterialnej w podejmowaniu decyzji (ang. MCDA), bazujących na algorytmach matematycznych, gdzie problem decyzyjny oraz wynik analizy przedstawiane są numerycznie, a warianty szeregowane malejąco zgodnie do zadanych warunków analizy. W artykule przybliżono złożoność problemów decyzyjnych w chemii analitycznej. Na przykładzie wyboru najkorzystniejszej procedury analitycznej do oznaczania DDT w próbkach miodu, omówiono zastosowanie technik MCDA i wynikające korzyści.

  • Technologia CyberOko do diagnozy, rehabilitacji i komunikowania się z pacjentami niewykazującymi oznak przytomności
    • Andrzej Czyżewski
    • Piotr Odya
    • Bożena Kostek
    • Agnieszka Kwiatkowska
    • Michał Lech
    • Michał Kucewicz
    2022 Full text Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny + Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne

    CyberOko jest rozwiązaniem opracowanym w Politechnice Gdańskiej, które umożliwia nawiązanie kontaktu i pracę z osobami głęboko upośledzonymi komunikacyjnie. W sposób inteligentny śledzi ruch gałek ocznych, dzięki czemu umożliwia rehabilitację i ocenę stanu świadomości pacjenta nawet w stanie całkowitego porażenia. Rozwiązanie obejmuje także analizę fal EEG, obiektywne badanie słuchu i badanie sygnałów z macierzy elektrod wszczepianych w głąb ludzkiego mózgu. Wspomaga komunikację z pacjentami niewykazującymi oznak przytomności i ich dalszą rehabilitację sposobami umożliwiającymi pokonanie istotnych ograniczeń, jakie mają metody i technologie będące w powszechnym użyciu, tzn. subiektywne skale ocen pacjentów (np. ocena w skali GCS – Glasgow Conciousness Scale), badanie procesów pamięciowych wewnątrz mózgu ludzkiego. Wdrożone urządzenie jest często jedyną szansą dla osoby chorej (np. w stanach podobnych do śpiączki, w przetrwałym stanie wegetatywnym, osoby sparaliżowanej, bez możliwości mówienia), aby mogła ona wyrazić swoje potrzeby.

  • Technologia wytwarzania addytywnego przewodzących nanokompozytów węglowych z matrycą polilaktydową w aspekcie zastosowań elektrochemicznych
    • Mateusz Cieślik
    2022 Full text

    Druk 3D jest obecny w wielu przestrzeniach życia codziennego, od hobbystów po przemysł samochodowy, lotniczy czy medycynę. Znalazł on również swoje zastosowanie w badaniach elektrochemicznych. We wstępie pracy opisano historię oraz rozwój druku 3D. Szczególnie skupiono się na komercyjnie dostępnych przewodzących materiałach kompozytowych PLA, używanych w badaniach elektrochemicznych. Rozdział zawierający wyniki badań podzielono na poszczególne podrozdziały. W podrozdziale 4.1 i 4.2 opisano nowatorskie metody aktywacji powierzchni elektrod CB_PLA za pomocą ablacji laserowej, przy pomocy laserów: nanosekundowego i femtosekundowego. W podrozdziale 4.3 opisano jak wielokrotne przetwórstwo komercyjnie dostępnych na rynku przewodzących materiałów kompozytowych mających swoje zastosowanie w druku 3D wpływa na ich charakterystykę elektrochemiczną. W podrozdziale 4.4 przedstawiono wyniki badań wpływu czynników chemicznych i fizycznych na procesy utleniania powierzchniowego elektrod diamentowych domieszkowanych borem. W szczególności skupiono się na wpływie oddziaływania wysokiej temperatury. W podrozdziale 4.5 opisano charakterystykę fizyko-chemiczną proszków nanodiamentowych DND i BCNW_GC, których użyto jako napełniaczy do wytworzenia kompozytowych materiałów przewodzących na bazie PLA jako matrycy. W podrozdziale 4.6 opisano poszczególne etapy projektowania, prototypowania oraz drukowania wolnostojących trójwymiarowych struktur 3D, przy użyciu ekstrudera dwumateriałowego. W rozdziale piątym podsumowano zaprezentowane wyniki.

  • Technology and democracy: the who and how in decision-making. The cases of Estonia and Catalonia
    • Rosa Borge
    • Joaquim Brugué
    • David Duenas Cid
    • David Duenas-Cid
    2022 Full text Profesional de la Informacion

    This paper focuses on the use of technology to improve democracy, comparing the cases of Estonia and Catalonia. Both examples are closely related in their use of technology to further democratize the decision-making processes but have opposite starting points. Estonia’s internet voting system is an offshoot of the comprehensive e-governance system developed by the Estonian government. It is meant to make it more convenient for people to vote and, thus, easier for them to take part in elections. In Catalonia, the online participation system Decidim, initially set up in the city of Barcelona, represents a bottom-up project that emerged from the 15 May protests and aims to make the representative democratic system more direct and participatory. In our comparison, we approach both paradigmatic cases from a theoretical reflection on the ideal types of democracy in relation to how decisions are made and by whom. Both projects have evolved and integrated new features that draw them together. First, internet voting is able to reach wider portions of society and digitally transform the Public Administration. Second, online participation platforms increase the potential for collecting citizens’ proposals and enriching discussions. These features make them more like a mixed model which, in the current model of representative democracy, creates spaces for more direct and deliberative democracy.

  • Teloxantron inhibits the processivity of telomerase with preferential DNA damage on telomeres
    • Natalia Maciejewska
    • Mateusz Olszewski
    • Jakub Jurasz
    • Maciej Bagiński
    • Stasevych Maryna
    • Zvarych Viktor
    • Marco Folini
    • Nadia Zaffaroni
    2022 Full text Cell Death and Disease

    Telomerase reactivation is one of the hallmarks of cancer, which plays an important role in cellular immortalization and the development and progression of the tumor. Chemical telomerase inhibitors have been shown to trigger replicative senescence and apoptotic cell death both in vitro and in vivo. Due to its upregulation in various cancers, telomerase is considered a potential target in cancer therapy. In this study, we identified potent, small-molecule telomerase inhibitors using a telomerase repeat amplification protocol assay. The results of the assay are the first evidence of telomerase inhibition by anthraquinone derivatives that do not exhibit G-quadruplex-stabilizing properties. The stability of telomerase in the presence of its inhibitor was evaluated under nearly physiological conditions using a cellular thermal shift assay. Our data showed that the compound induced aggregation of the catalytic subunit (hTERT) of human telomerase, and molecular studies confirmed the binding of the hit compound with the active site of the enzyme. The ability of new derivatives to activate DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was determined by high-resolution microscopy and flow cytometry in tumor cell lines differing in telomere elongation mechanism. The compounds triggered DSBs in TERT-positive A549 and H460 lung cancer cell lines, but not in TERT-negative NHBE normal human bronchial epithelial and ALT-positive U2OS osteosarcoma cell lines, which indicates that the induction of DSBs was dependent on telomerase inhibition. The observed DNA damage activated DNA damage response pathways involving ATM/Chk2 and ATR/Chk1 cascades. Additionally, the compounds induced apoptotic cell death through extrinsic and intrinsic pathways in lung cancer cells. Taken together, our study demonstrated that anthraquinone derivatives can be further developed into novel telomerase-related anticancer agents.

  • TEMPERATURE INFLUENCE ON TIRE ROLLING RESISTANCE MEASUREMENTS QUALITY
    • Jerzy Ejsmont
    • Grzegorz Ronowski
    • Wojciech Owczarzak
    • Sławomir Sommer
    2022 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY

    Global warming makes it necessary to reduce energy consumption, which in the case of motor vehicles, is connected, among other things, with reduction of resistive forces acting on a vehicle during its motion. One of the most important components of those forces is rolling resistance, which is very difficult to measure, especially in road conditions. The article deals with issues related to the influence of the thermal state of the tire on the accuracy of the results of rolling resistance measurements, especially for “on the road” tests. This is an important issue because currently road measurements of rolling resistance, unlike laboratory tests, are not covered by any standard indicating the correct measuring procedures and data analysis. The influence of temperature on the tire rolling resistance for passenger car and truck tires is presented, and it is determined what conditions must be met for the thermal state of the tire to ascertain a reliable measurement of the rolling resistance.

  • Temperature Sensors Based on Polymer Fiber Optic Interferometer
    • Małgorzata Szczerska
    2022 Full text Chemosensors

    Temperature measurements are of great importance in many fields of human activities, including industry, technology, and science. For example, obtaining a certain temperature value or a sudden change in it can be the primary control marker of a chemical process. Fiber optic sensors have remarkable properties giving a broad range of applications. They enable continuous real-time temperature control in difficult-to-reach areas, in hazardous working environments (air pollution, chemical or ionizing contamination), and in the presence of electromagnetic disturbances. The use of fiber optic temperature sensors in polymer technology can significantly reduce the cost of their production. Moreover, the installation process and usage would be simplified. As a result, these types of sensors would become increasingly popular in industrial solutions. This review provides a critical overview of the latest development of fiber optic temperature sensors based on Fabry–Pérot interferometer made with polymer technology.

  • Temperature-controlled nanomosaics of AuCu bimetallic structure towards smart light management
    • Wiktoria Lipińska
    • Katarzyna Grochowska
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Katarzyna Siuzdak
    2022 Full text JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN ELECTRONICS

    Gold–copper nanostructures are promising in solar-driven processes because of their optical, photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical properties, especially those which result from the synergy between the two metals. Increasing interest in their internal structure, such as the composition or distribution of the Au and Cu as well as the size and shape of the nanoparticles, have developed to define their physicochemical properties. In this work, we present the influence of thermal treatment in temperature ranges from 100 to 600 °C on the formation process of bimetallic AuCu structures and their properties. AuCu materials were placed on nanostructured titanium foil substrates that were fabricated using electrochemical anodisation and chemical etching. Thin layers of AuCu mixture, as well as Au and Cu, were sputtered on the obtained Ti nanodimples. The materials were then annealed in a rapid thermal annealing furnace in an air atmosphere. Thermal treatment strongly affected the morphology and optical properties of the fabricated materials. AuCu NPs formed at 400 °C in titanium dimples. The material exhibits absorption of visible light in the range from c.a. 400 to 700 nm. The characterisation of the chemical nature of the samples was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy defined composition and crystallinity. Based on photoelectrochemical studies carried out with the use of linear voltammetry in 0.1 M NaOH, it is possible to distinguish two types of interactions of light with the materials such as photogenerated charge accumulation and electron–hole pair separation. A 10AuCu electrode annealed at 300 °C achieved the highest current registered under illumination at − 0.17 V vs. Ag/AgCl/0.1 M KCl. The value was 11 times higher than for a non-annealed structure.