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Gdańsk University of Technology

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  • MRI-Derived Subcutaneous and Visceral Adipose Tissue Reference Values for Children Aged 6 to Under 18 Years
    • Kacper Marunowski
    • Dominik Świętoń
    • Włodzimierz Bzyl
    • Małgorzata Grzywińska
    • Mariusz Kaszubowski
    • Piotr Bandosz
    • Dmitry Khrichenko
    • Maciej Piskunowicz
    2021 Full text Frontiers in Nutrition

    The assessment of body composition in pediatric population is essential for proper nutritional support during hospitalization. However, currently available methods have limitations. This study aims to propose a novel approach for nutrition status assessment and introduce magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived subcutaneous and visceral fat normative reference values. A total of 262 healthy subjects aged from 6 to 18 years underwent MRI examinations and anthropometric measurements. MRI images at the second lumbar vertebrae were used by two radiologists to perform the semi-automatic tissue segmentation. Based on obtained adipose tissue surface areas and body mass index (BMI) scores sex-specific standard percentile curves (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 97th) and z-scores were constructed using LMS method. Additionally, 85th and 95th centiles of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue were proposed as equivalents of overweight and obesity. Bland-Altman plots revealed an excellent intra-observer reproducibility and inter-observer agreement. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate highly reproducible method and suggest that MRI-derived reference values can be implemented in clinical practice.

  • Multi-Aspect Quality Assessment Of Mobile Image Classifiers For Companion Applications In The Publishing Sector
    • Karol Draszawka
    2021

    The paper presents the problem of quality assessment of image classifiers used in mobile phones for complimentary companion applications. The advantages of using this kind of applications have been described and a Narrator on Demand (NoD) functionality has been described as one of the examples, where the application plays an audio file related to a book page that is physically in front of the phone's camera. For such a NoD application, an image classifier is a key component. A thorough quantitative evaluation of the accuracy and robustness of such classifiers was conducted using 18 books of various sorts, 48 test classifiers and 10 testers. We analyzed the impact of the type and condition of the books that define the page classification problem, the position of the mobile device camera in the image acquisition process, the parameters of mobile devices used in tests, and selected options in a training process of classifiers.

  • Multicriteria Decision Analysis and Grouping of Analytical Procedures for Phthalates Determination in Disposable Baby Diapers
    • Magdalena Fabjanowicz
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Marek Tobiszewski
    2021 Full text MOLECULES

    This study presents the application of one of the tools from the multicriteria decision analysis set (MCDA), the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Selected green analytical chemistry metrics were used to rank analytical procedures for the phthalate determination in disposable baby diapers. Nine analytical procedures were assessed in order to find one that has the lowest environmental impact and the best analytical figures of merit. Nine different criteria, where weighting was based on the experts’ evaluation, were used in the procedures’ assessment. With the use of TOPSIS, an easy and straightforward technique, selection of the most appropriate procedure was made.

  • Multifaceted Analyses of Four Different Prototype Lightweight Photovoltaic Modules of Novel Structure
    • Krzysztof Mik
    • Paweł Zawadzki
    • Jan Tarłowski
    • Marcin Bugaj
    • Piotr Grygiel
    • Sebastian Bykuć
    2021 Full text ENERGIES

    Dynamic growth of photovoltaic capacity in Poland encourages many entities to invest in photovoltaic systems. However, in the case of buildings with low roof-bearing capacity it can be problematic or even impossible to mount conventional PV modules due to their relatively high weight. Hence, the use of lightweight PV modules is a potential solution. In this paper four different prototype silicon lightweight modules of novel structure manufactured by the Xdisc S.A have been investigated in terms of their electrical and thermal features. The measurements showed that all prototypes have efficiency exceeding 19.5% and power in range of 214 to 242 Wp at standard test conditions. Their area density is about 3.5 kg/m2 which is typical for lightweight modules. In turn, the Power-to-Weight Ratio exceeds 40 W/kg threshold and in one case reaches almost 58 W/kg. Thanks to the measurements, the prototypes could be modelled in PVsyst (PVsyst SA, Satigny, Switzerland). The performed simulations of an example PV system revealed that installations based on prototypes have comparable performance to a conventional installation. Nevertheless, at current prices they are less profitable than the standard system and it shows the need for future cost reductions in the manufacturing process. The proposed materials selection may be the starting point for search of inexpensive substitutes of these materials which still conserve modules high performance. A system based on the prototypes can still prove advantageous when simplicity and promptness outweigh higher initial costs.

  • Multimateriałowe oraz wielokolorowe drukowanie wysokiej jakości części z żywic utwardzanych światłem UV w technologii PolyJet
    • Dawid Zieliński
    2021 Full text Materiały & Maszyny Technologiczne

    Możliwość budowania multimateriałowych oraz wielokolorowych elementów stanowi ważny trend w rozwoju technologii żywicznych druku 3D. W niniejszym opracowaniu skupiono się na charakterystyce podstawowej metody przetwarzającej ciekłe fotopolimery – technologii PolyJet. Omówiono zasadę jej działania oraz najważniejsze aspekty procesu dotyczące m.in. parametrów drukarki, stosowanych struktur podporowych oraz rodzaju uzyskiwanej powierzchni wydruków. Wskazano ponadto główne grupy przetwarzanych materiałów wraz z charakterystyką ich wybranych właściwości. W końcowej części pracy zaprezentowano kluczowe korzyści oraz ograniczenia związane z wykorzystaniem technologii PolyJet, jak i również szereg praktycznych wskazówek.

  • Multi-objective optimization of the cavitation generation unit structure of an advanced rotational hydrodynamic cavitation reactor
    • Xun Sun
    • Ze Yang
    • Xuesong Wei
    • Yang Tao
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Joon Yong Yoon
    • Xiaoxu Xuan
    • Songying Chen
    2021 Full text ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY

    Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has been widely considered a promising technique for industrial-scale process intensifications. The effectiveness of HC is determined by the performance of hydrodynamic cavitation reactors (HCRs). The advanced rotational HCRs (ARHCRs) proposed recently have shown superior performance in various applications, while the research on the structural optimization is still absent. The present study, for the first time, identifies optimal structures of the cavitation generation units of a representative ARHCR by combining genetic algorithm (GA) and computational fluid dynamics, with the objectives of maximizing the total vapor volume, , and minimizing the total torque of the rotor wall, . Four important geometrical factors, namely, diameter (D), interaction distance (s), height (h), and inclination angle (θ), were specified as the design variables. Two high-performance fitness functions for and were established from a central composite design with 25 cases. After performing 10,001 simulations of GA, a Pareto front with 1630 non-dominated points was obtained. The results reveal that the values of s and θ of the Pareto front concentrated on their lower (i.e., 1.5 mm) and upper limits (i.e., 18.75°), respectively, while the values of D and h were scattered in their variation regions. In comparison to the original model, a representative global optimal point increased the by 156% and decreased the by 14%. The corresponding improved mechanism was revealed by analyzing the flow field. The findings of this work can strongly support the fundamental understanding, design, and application of ARHCRs for process intensifications.

  • Multi-objective Tabu-based Differential Evolution for Teleportation of Smart Virtual Machines in Private Computing Clouds
    • Jerzy Balicki
    • Piotr Dryja
    2021

    We propose a multi-objective approach for using differential evolution algorithm with tabu search algorithm as an additional mutation for live migration (teleportation) of virtual machines. This issue is crucial in private computing clouds. Teleportation of virtual machines is supposed to be planned to determine Pareto-optimal solutions for several criteria such as workload of the bottleneck host, communication capacity of the critical node, electric power of hosts, and computer costs. Some numerical results are presented for the experimental cloud based on OpenStack platform for smart city and smart education systems.

  • Multi-Technique Investigation of Grave Robes from 17th and 18th Century Crypts Using Combined Spectroscopic, Spectrometric Techniques, and New-Generation Sequencing
    • Magdalena Śliwka-Kaszyńska
    • Marek Ślebioda
    • Anna Brillowska-Dąbrowska
    • Martyna Mroczyńska
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Anna Marzec
    • Przemysław Rybiński
    • Anna Drążkowska
    2021 Full text Materials

    The textile fragments of the funeral clothes found in the 17th and 18th century crypts were subjected to spectroscopic, spectrometric, and microbial investigation. The next-generation sequencing enabled DNA identification of microorganisms at the genus and in five cases to the species level. The soft hydrofluoric acid extraction method was optimized to isolate different classes of dyes from samples that had direct contact with human remains. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode matrix and tandem mass spectrometry detectors with electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) enabled the detection and identification of 34 colourants that are present in historical textiles. Some of them are thus far unknown and uncommon dyes. Indigo, madder, cochineal, turmeric, tannin-producing plant, and young fustic were identified as sources of dyes in textiles. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to identify and characterize fibres and mordants in funeral gowns. Of the 23 textile samples tested, 19 were silk while the remaining four were recognized as wool. The presence of iron, aluminium, sodium, and calcium suggests that they were used as mordants. Traces of copper, silica, and magnesium might originate from the contaminants. The large amount of silver indicated the presence of metal wire in one of the dyed silk textiles. SEM images showed that textile fibres were highly degraded.

  • Multiuser Stereoscopic Projection Techniques for CAVE-Type Virtual Reality Systems
    • Jacek Lebiedź
    • Adam Mazikowski
    2021 Full text IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems

    Despite the development of increasingly popular head mounted displays, CAVE-type systems may still be considered one of the most immersive virtual reality systems with many advantages. However, a serious limitation of most CAVE-type systems is the generation of a three-dimensional (3-D) image from the perspective of only one person. This problem is significant because in some applications, the participants must cooperate with each other in the virtual world. This paper presents the adaptation of a one-user CaveAutomaticVirtual Environment (CAVE) installation in the Immersive 3-D Visualization Lab at the Gda´nsk University of Technology to a two-user stereoscopy system. Simultaneous use of two alternative one-user stereoscopies available in the I3DVL (a technique with spectrum separation—Infitec, and active stereo) and a simple electronic circuit have allowed us to transform the one-user stereoscopy CAVE installation to a two-user stereoscopic system. The experiments performed concentrated on several objective measurable parameters. The calculated crosstalk value was low, approximately 1%, which can be considered negligible and shows the proper operation of the proposed technique. Additionally, initial experiments based on the tested two-user application and related to user comfort in the developed two-user stereoscopy are discussed in this paper. However, this topic still needs further research. The proposed solutions are a cheap alternative to adapt the existing one-user CAVE-type systems which support two projection techniques to a two-user system.

  • Multivariate Assessment of Procedures for Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Synthesis for Pesticides Determination in Environmental and Agricultural Samples
    • Mariusz Marć
    • Marta Bystrzanowska
    • Katarzyna Pokajewicz
    • Marek Tobiszewski
    2021 Full text Materials

    In the case of quantitative and qualitative analysis of pesticides in environmental and food samples, it is required to perform a sample pre-treatment process. It allows to minimalize the impact of interferences on the final results, as well as increase the recovery rate. Nowadays, apart from routinely employed sample preparation techniques such as solid-phase extraction (SPE) or solid-phase microextraction (SPME), the application of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) is gaining greater popularity. It is mainly related to their physicochemical properties, sorption capacity and selectivity, thermo-mechanical resistance, as well as a wide range of polymerization techniques allowing to obtain the desired type of sorption materials, adequate to a specific type of pesticide. This paper targets to summarize the most popular and innovative strategies since 2010, associated with the MIPs synthesis and analytical procedures for pesticides determination in environmental and food samples. Application of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) allows for visualization of the most beneficial analytical procedures in case of changing the priority of each step of analysis (MIPs synthesis, sample preparation process—pesticides extraction, chromatographic analysis) bearing in mind metrological and environmental issues

  • Multivariate Statistical Approach for Nephrines in Womenwith Obesity
    • Ralitsa Robeva
    • Miroslava Nedyalkova
    • Georgi Kirilov
    • Atanaska Elenkova
    • Sabina Zacharieva
    • Błażej Kudłak
    • Natalia Jatkowska
    • Vasil Simeonov
    2021 Full text MOLECULES

    Catecholamines are physiological regulators of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism during stress, but their chronic influence on metabolic changes in obese patients is still not clarified. The present study aimed to establish the associations between the catecholamine metabolites and metabolic syndrome (MS) components in obese women as well as to reveal the possible hidden subgroups of patients through hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The 24-h urine excretion of metanephrine and normetanephrine was investigated in 150 obese women (54 non diabetic without MS, 70 non-diabetic with MS and 26 with type 2 diabetes). The interrelations between carbohydrate disturbances, metabolic syndrome components and stress response hormones were studied. Exploratory data analysis was used to determine different patterns of similarities among the patients. Normetanephrine concentrations were significantly increased in postmenopausal patients and in women with morbid obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension but not with prediabetes. Both metanephrine and normetanephrine levels were positively associated with glucose concentrations one hour after glucose load irrespectively of the insulin levels. The exploratory data analysis showed different risk subgroups among the investigated obese women. The development of predictive tools that include not only traditional metabolic risk factors, but also markers of stress response systems might help for specific risk estimation in obesity patients.

  • NA STYKU LĄDU I WODY - GDAŃSK
    • Anna Orchowska-Smolińska
    2021 Zawód: Architekt

    Na wyjątkowość zasobu kulturowego dawnej Stoczni Gdańskiej składają się różne wartości i czynniki działające na siebie wzajemnie w sposób synergiczny. Obok treści historycznych, związanych z samym zakładem przemysłowym, znajdują się te dotyczące strajków robotniczych i przemian ustrojowych. Dodatkowo, specyfiką krajobrazu przemysłowego, w rozumieniu zabudowy i zagospodarowania, jest pewna „warstwowość”, a dla obserwatora z zewnątrz czasem niezrozumiałe zagęszczenie i chaotyczność. W rzeczywistości są one wynikiem dostosowywania struktury przestrzennej i modyfikacji ciągów technologicznych do nowych potrzeb. Można zatem powiedzieć, że układ ten rozważnie wpisuje nowe potrzeby eksploatacyjne w zastaną przestrzeń. A co z przyszłością tego terenu? Bliższe poznanie zespołu dysponującego całym wachlarzem zasobów, wartości, atutów i symboliki karze postawić sobie szereg pytań o sposoby dalszego postępowania. Jak poprowadzić proces planowanych na tym terenie inwestycji i jak zarządzać dziedzictwem stoczni, by miejsce to dalej żyło? Czy możliwy jest rozwój tego terenu symbiotycznie powiązany z jego ochroną? Jak uszlachetnić jego dziedzictwo, nie redefiniując cennego przekazu? Czy możliwe jest przekształcenie tego terenu zapewniające jego dostępność i przystępność dla wszystkich? Jak sprawić, by dzielnica ta wciąż mówiła o sobie jako o dawnej stoczni, nie będąc sztucznym tworem dla elit? Na te i wiele innych pytań szukamy wciąż odpowiedzi.

  • Najczęstsze problemy usługowych środowisk wdrożeniowych
    • Andrzej Sobecki
    2021

    Zakres dostępnych obecnie rozwiązań informatycznych umożliwia zna- czące usprawnienie procesu wytwarzania i dostarczania oprogramowania do klienta. Poprawna integracja środowiska wytwórczego pozwala wy- eliminować szereg problemów dotyczących wewnętrznej współpracy ze- społów developerskich. Zmiana architektur aplikacji z monolitycznych na rozproszone heterogeniczne zbiory usług wymaga innego podejścia do wdrażania usług. Dotychczasowe metody wydają się być nieefektywne i mogą istotnie zwiększać koszty operacyjne. Nowe typy narzędzi i bi- bliotek pozwalają wreszcie na pełną automatyzację procesu konfiguracji i wdrażania usług, utrzymywania ich wysokiej dostępności oraz dostar- czają nowe mechanizmy zabezpieczania usług. Są one również dostoso- wane m.in. do wykorzystania chmur obliczeniowych, które oferują znacz- nie większa funkcjonalność niż jedynie zbiór połączonych ze sobą serwe- rów. W rozdziale opisano nowoczesne architektury oprogramowania, ich wymagania względem środowiska wdrożeniowego oraz zaprezentowano przykład takiego środowiska. Przy czym nie jest wymagane posiadanie chmury obliczeniowej, aby skorzystać z przedstawianych mechanizmów.

  • Nanosilver-loaded PMMA bone cement doped with different bioactive glasses – evaluation of cytocompatibility, antibacterial activity, and mechanical properties
    • Marcin Wekwejt
    • Si Chen
    • Beata Kaczmarek
    • Małgorzata Nadolska
    • Krzysztof Łukowicz
    • Anna Pałubicka
    • Anna Michno
    • Anna Maria Osyczka
    • Martin Michalek
    • Andrzej Zieliński
    2021 Full text Biomaterials Science

    Nanosilver-loaded PMMA bone cement (BC-AgNp) is a novel cement developed as a replacement for conventional cements. Despite favorable properties and antibacterial activity, BC-AgNp still lacks biodegradability and bioactivity. Hence, we investigated the doping with bioactive glasses (BGs) to create a new bioactive BC characterized by time-varying porosity and gradual release of nanosilver. The BC Cemex was used as the base material and modified simultaneously with the AgNp and BGs: melted 45S5 and 13-93B3 glasses with various particles size and sol-gel derived SiO2/CaO microparticles. The effect of BGs addition was examined by microscopic analysis, an assessment of setting parameters, wettability, FTIR and UV-VIS spectroscopy, mechanical testing, hemo- and cytocompatibility and antibacterial efficiency studies. The results show that it is possible to incorporate various BGs into BC-AgNp that lead to different properties depending on the type and size of BGs. The smaller particles of melted BGs showed higher porosity and better antibacterial properties with the moderate deterioration of mechanical properties. The sol-gel derived BGs, however, displayed a tendency for agglomeration and random distribution in BC-AgNp. The BGs with greater solubility more efficiently improves the antibacterial properties of BC-AgNp. Besides, the unreacted MMA monomer release could negatively influence the cellular response. Despite that, the cements doped with different bioactive glasses are suitable for medical applications.

  • Nanotechnologie w implantologii – osiągnięcia i wyzwania
    • Michał Bartmański
    2021

    Aktualnie nanotechnologia jest jedną z najszybciej rozwijających się gałęzi przemysłu, w tym również w zakresie medycyny i implantologii. Osiągnięcia nanotechnologii wykorzystuje się w obrazowaniu, diagnostyce, leczeniu chorób nowotworowych i bólu, lecz również szeroko w obszarze projektowania i wytwarzania implantów, w tym głownie modyfikacji powierzchni materiałów, które mają za zadanie chwilowo lub permanentnie zastąpić funkcję naturalnej tkanki lub narządu. Najczęściej wykorzystywanymi materiałami na implanty długotrwałe są tytan i jego stopy, ze względu na odpowiednie właściwości mechaniczne, chemiczne i wysoką biokompaty-bilność. W zakresie interakcji implantu z tkanką, głównie kostną, to powierzchnia materiału implantowanego odgrywa kluczową rolę. W celu nadania lepszych właściwości powierzchniowych implantu, głównie mecha-nicznych i biologicznych, stosuje się wiele metod modyfikacji powierzchni wykorzystujących osiągnięcia nanotechnologii. Wśród nich między innymi wykorzystywanie metalicznych nanocząstek o udowodnionym działaniu antybakteryjnym w celu nadania implantom właściwości biobójczych w obrębie wszczepu. Innymi metodami pozostają elektrolityczne wytwarzanie nano-rurkowych warstw ditlenku tytanu czy osadzanie powłok o grubościach nanometrycznych, głównie na bazie fosforanów wapnia, lub po prostu osadzanie powłok i wytwarzanie warstw z dodatkiem nanocząstek. W prezentacji przedstawione zostaną główne osiągnięcia w zakresie wyko-rzystania nanotechnologii w implantologii oraz omówione zostaną kwestie wciąż nierozwiązane, a które pozostają wyzwaniem dla naukowców z całego świata.

  • Nanotubular Oxide Layer Formed on Helix Surfaces of Dental Screw Implants
    • Magdalena Jażdżewska
    • Michał Bartmański
    2021 Full text Coatings

    Surface modification is used to extend the life of implants. To increase the corrosion resistance and improve the biocompatibility of metal implant materials, oxidation of the Ti-13Nb- 13Zr titanium alloy was used. The samples used for the research had the shape of a helix with a metric thread, with their geometry imitating a dental implant. The oxide layer was produced by a standard electrochemical method in an environment of 1M H3PO4 + 0.3% HF for 20 min, at a constant voltage of 30 V. The oxidized samples were analyzed with a scanning electron microscope. Nanotubular oxide layers with internal diameters of 30–80 nm were found. An analysis of the surface topography was performed using an optical microscope, and the Sa parameter was determined for the top of the helix and for the bottom, where a significant difference in value was observed. The presence of the modification layer, visible at the bottom of the helix, was confirmed by analyzing the sample cross-sections using computed tomography. Corrosion tests performed in the artificial saliva solution demonstrated higher corrosion current and less noble corrosion potential due to incomplete surface coverage and pitting. Necessary improved oxidation parameters will be applied in future work.

  • Natural Products Counteracting Cardiotoxicity during Cancer Chemotherapy: The Special Case of Doxorubicin, a Comprehensive Review
    • Izabela Koss-Mikołajczyk
    • Vanja Todorovic
    • Sladjana Sobajic
    • Jamal Mahajna
    • Marko Gerić
    • Josep Tur
    • Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska
    2021 Full text INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

    Cardiotoxicity is a frequent undesirable phenomenon observed during oncological treatment that limits the therapeutic dose of antitumor drugs and thus may decrease the effec-­‐‑ tiveness of cancer eradication. Almost all antitumor drugs exhibit toxic properties towards cardiac muscle. One of the underlying causes of cardiotoxicity is stimulation of oxidative stress by chem-­‐‑ otherapy. This suggests that an appropriately designed diet or dietary supplements based on edi-­‐‑ ble plants rich in antioxidants could decrease the toxicity of antitumor drugs and diminish the risk of cardiac failure. This comprehensive review compares the cardioprotective efficacy of edible plant extracts and foodborne phytochemicals whose beneficial activity was demonstrated in vari-­‐‑ ous models in vivo and in vitro. The studies selected for this review concentrated on a frequently applied in cancer therapy anthracycline antibiotic – doxorubicin -­‐‑ as the oxidative stress and car-­‐‑ diotoxicity inducing agent.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera - phishing w mediach elektronicznych
    • Dominika Bieńkowska
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2021 Pismo PG

    Phishing to metoda oszustwa, w której przestępca podszywa się pod inną osobę lub instytucję w celu wyłudzenia poufnych danych, zainstalowania szkodliwego oprogramowania bądź też nakłonienia ofiary do wykonania określonych zadań. Jest to przestępstwo wykorzystujące zarówno metody socjotechniczne, jak i sztuczki technologiczne do osiągnięcia zaplanowanego celu. Działania hakerów żerują na nieostrożnych ofiarach, skłaniając je do uwierzenia, że mają do czynienia z zaufanym źródłem.

  • NbIr 2 B 2 and TaIr 2 B 2 – New Low Symmetry Noncentrosymmetric Superconductors with Strong Spin–Orbit Coupling
    • Karolina Górnicka
    • Xin Gui
    • Bartlomiej Wiendlocha
    • Loi T. Nguyen
    • Weiwei Xie
    • Robert J. Cava
    • Tomasz Klimczuk
    2021 ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

    Superconductivity was first observed more than a century ago, but the search for new superconducting materials remains a challenge. The Cooper pairs in superconductors are ideal embodiments of quantum entanglement. Thus, novel superconductors can be critical for both learning about electronic systems in condensed matter and for possible application in future quantum technologies. Here two previously unreported materials, NbIr2B2 and TaIr2B2, are presented with superconducting transitions at 7.2 and 5.2 K, respectively. They display a unique noncentrosymmetric crystal structure, and for both compounds the magnetic field that destroys the superconductivity at 0 K exceeds one of the fundamental characteristics of conventional superconductors (the “Pauli limit”), suggesting that the superconductivity may be unconventional. Supporting this experimentally based deduction, first-principle calculations show a spinsplit Fermi surface due to the presence of strong spin–orbit coupling. These materials may thus provide an excellent platform for the study of unconventional superconductivity in intermetallic compounds.

  • Network design for surface water quality monitoring in a road construction project using Gamma Test theory
    • Sama Azadi
    • Hamid Amiri
    • Mehrdad Ghorbani Mooselu
    • Helge Liltved
    • Roberto Castro-Muñoz
    • Xun Sun
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2021 Full text Water Resources and Industry

    Road construction has a negative environmental impact on the surrounding aquatic environment, requiring the continuous monitoring of surface water quality. Here, optimization of the water quality monitoring network (WQMN) is an essential step in supporting the sustainable development of road construction projects. This study introduces Gamma Test theory (GTT) as a practical method for optimizing the WQMN of surface waters during road construction. The water quality index (WQI) was computed in 48 monitoring stations for six monitoring periods from 2017 to 2019; data was acquired from a primary monitoring network over a new highway in southern Norway. Based on the results, it is possible to reduce the number of stations by 23% in comparison with the original empirical network. The proposed method could be useful to design the monitoring networks of projects with limited construction time and budget, as well as projects lacking enough data.

  • Neural Modelling of Steam Turbine Control Stage
    • Jerzy Głuch
    • Marta Drosińska-Komor
    2021

    The paper describes possibility of steam turbine control stage neural model creation. It is of great importance because wider application of green energy causes severe conditions for control of energy generation systems operation Results of chosen steam turbine of 200 MW power measurements are applied as an example showing way of neural model creation. They serve as training and testing data of such neural model. Relatively simple set of nozzle boxes neural models consisting control stage is applied. They act as a neural regresor. Research study on ways of creation mentioned neural model is the main purpose of the paper. Finally accurate neural tool is created. It can serve as a proper pattern of control stage operation for engineers tuning turbine control equipment. Another way of application consists in usage as a component of turbomachinery heat and flow diagnostic programs. These programs take mainly into account of technical objects efficiency degradation.

  • Neural Oscillation During Mental Imagery in Sport: An Olympic Sailor Case Study
    • Dagmara Budnik-Przybylska
    • Adrian Kastrau
    • Patryk Jasik
    • Maria Każmierczak
    • Łukasz Doliński
    • Paweł Syty
    • Marta Łabuda
    • Jacek Przybylski
    • Selenia di Fronso
    • Maurizio Bertollo
    2021 Full text Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

    The purpose of the current study was to examine the cortical correlates of imagery depending on instructional modality (guided vs. self-produced) using various sports-related scripts. According to the expert-performance approach, we took an idiosyncratic perspective analyzing the mental imagery of an experienced two-time Olympic athlete to verify whether different instructional modalities of imagery (i.e., guided vs. self-produced) and different scripts (e.g., training or competition environment) could differently involve brain activity. The subject listened to each previously recorded script taken from two existing questionnaires concerning imagery ability in sport and then was asked to imagine the scene for a minute. During the task, brain waves were monitored using EEG (32-channel g. Nautilus). Our findings indicate that guided imagery might induce higher high alpha and SMR (usually associated with selective attention), whereas self-produced imagery might facilitate higher low alpha (associated with global resting state and relaxation). Results are discussed in light of the neural efficiency hypothesis as a marker of optimal performance and transient hypofrontality as a marker of flow state. Practical mental training recommendations are presented.

  • Neurochemical changes underlying cognitive impairment in olfactory bulbectomized rats and the impact of the mGlu5-positive allosteric modulator CDPPB
    • Agata Płoska
    • Paulina Cieślik
    • Anna Siekierzycka
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    • Joanna M. Wierońska
    2021 BRAIN RESEARCH

    The olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) rat model is a well-established model of depression in which antidepressant drugs reverse deficits in the passive avoidance test 14 days after administration. Recently, the olfactory bulbectomized rat model has been proposed to be a model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the available data indicate similarities between the changes that typically occur in AD and those observed in OBX animals. In the present study, the occurrence of neurochemical impairments related to AD were investigated 8 months after OB ablation. The expression of the nitric oxide synthases eNOS and nNOS, receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGEs) and dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH1) in the prefrontal cortices (PFCs), hippocampi and striata of olfactory bulbectomized and sham-operated rats was evaluated. Subsequently, the impact of the administration of a positive allosteric modulator of the mGlu5 receptor, CDPPB (14 days, 2.5 or 5 mg/kg), on OBX-related changes was assessed. OB ablation induced typical deficits in passive avoidance. Significant aberrations in the expression of both isoforms of NOS were observed in the hippocampus and striatum, and the expression of DDAH1 was increased in the PFCs of OBX animals. CDPPB at a dose of 5 mg/kg ameliorated cognitive impairment in the passive avoidance test and partially reversed the changes in eNOS and nNOS expression induced by the lesion. The results of this study confirm that some of the neurochemical changes observed in OBX animals may resemble those associated with AD pathology and that activation of the mGlu5 receptor may partially counteract these pathological alterations.

  • Neuronowe modele z atencją w przetwarzaniu języka naturalnego
    • Szymon Olewniczak
    2021

    Celem niniejszego rozdziału jest wprowadzenie w tematykę sieci neuronowych z atencją oraz ich zastosowań w przetwarzaniu języka naturalnego. Rozdział skupia się w szczególności na dokładnym omówieniu architektury modelu Transformer, wykorzystującego atencję jako podstawowy mechanizm swojego działania.

  • Neurotrophic factors in human milk in early lactation and the effect of Holder and microwave pasteurization on their concentrations
    • Dorota Martysiak-Żurowska
    • Małgorzata Puta
    • Bogumiła Kiełbratowska
    • Aleksandra Wesołowska
    2021 JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY AND NUTRITION

    Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in human milk in the first two weeks of breastfeeding and compare of the effects of Holder pasteurization (HoP, 62.5°C, 30 minutes) and microwave pasteurization (MP) at constant temperature (62.5°C) on the concentraion of both neurotrophic factors (NFs). Methods: Concentration of NFs in human milk was determined using a commercially available ELISA assay. Results: The average concentration of BDNF and GDNF in milk was 11±6 ng/mL and 336 ±238 pg/mL respectively. There was a positive correlation between the concentrations of BDNF and GDNF in human milk and day of lactation (r=0.441, p<0.05 and r=0.482, p<0.05 respectively). In addition, there was a significant correlation between the levels of BDNF and GDNF (r=0.366, p<0.05). HoP and MP for 10 minutes affected both NF levels similarly, causing degradation of BDNF by about 24% and 17%, and GDNF by 47% and 45% respectively. Use of MP for 5 minutes resulted in preservation of nearly 91% BDNF and 79% GDNF in human milk. Conclusions: In the pasteurization processes carried out, results showed that GDNF is more susceptible to degradation under the influence of high temperature. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the effects of HoP and MP at constant temperature on the concentration of NFs in human milk. It was found that the MP for 5 minutes is the optimal method.

  • Neutralising Responsibility: A Critical Analysis of an Airline’s Climate Disclosures
    • Eljas Johansson
    2021 Full text

    Sustainability reporting provides companies with a medium through which they can communicate their non-financial impacts to stakeholders. The airline industry has been much at the centre of the climate change debate in recent years, which is why it is hardly surprising that airlines seek to take a proactive stance in such reporting. This study critically assesses how an airline based in the Scandinavian region constructs sustainability discourse in relation to climate impact in its corporate reporting to stakeholders. The paper uniquely approaches this question by drawing upon thematic analysis combined with an examination of the text’s grammatical meanings. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the company’s climate discourse is characterised by optimistic forward-looking statements and justifications, realised by techniques of neutralisation, whose purpose is to rationalise and legitimise the company’s adverse climate impact. This short paper contributes to the still relatively underexamined research area of airline sustainability reporting by concentrating on the climate disclosures and responding to the lack of latent analysis in this context. This paper’s findings are intended to stimulate the discussion amongst academics and practitioners on how sustainability is communicated in corporate annual reporting to make it more meaningful.

  • New Carvone-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents for Siloxanes Capture from Biogas
    • Patrycja Makoś-Chełstowska
    • Edyta Słupek
    • Aleksandra Kramarz
    • Jacek Gębicki
    2021 Full text INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

    During biogas combustion, siloxanes form deposits of SiO2 on engine components, thus shortening the lifespan of the installation. Therefore, the development of new methods for the purification of biogas is receiving increasing attention. One of the most effective methods is physical absorption with the use of appropriate solvents. According to the principles of green engineering, solvents should be biodegradable, non-toxic, and have a high absorption capacity. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) possess such characteristics. In the literature, due to the very large number of DES combinations, conductor-like screening models for real solvents (COSMO-RS), based on the comparison of siloxane activity coefficient of 90 DESs of various types, were studied. DESs, which have the highest affinity to siloxanes, were synthesized. The most important physicochemical properties of DESs were carefully studied. In order to explain of the mechanism of DES formation, and the interaction between DES and siloxanes, the theoretical studies based on σ-profiles, and experimental studies including the 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and FT-IR spectra, were applied. The obtained results indicated that the new DESs, which were composed of carvone and carboxylic acids, were characterized by the highest affinity to siloxanes. It was shown that the hydrogen bonds between the active ketone group (=O) and the carboxyl group (-COOH) determined the formation of stable DESs with a melting point much lower than those of the individual components. On the other hand, non-bonded interactions mainly determined the effective capture of siloxanes with DES.

  • NEW DESIGNS OF MAGNETIC FLUID SEALS FOR RECIPROCATING MOTION
    • Leszek Matuszewski
    • Piotr Bela
    2021 Full text Polish Maritime Research

    T he operating conditions of magnetic fluid seals during reciprocating motion are so different from those observed in rotating motion that the use of their conventional structures for reciprocating motion seals yields no good results. The analysis of the sealing mechanism of magnetic fluid seals in reciprocating motion shows that the operation of these seals is affected by the carry-over phenomenon and magnetic fluid film deformation in the sealing gap, which depends on the velocity of the reciprocating motion. The reduced amount of magnetic fluid in the sealing gap caused by the reciprocating motion of the shaft is the main reason for seal failures. T he paper presents a short characterisation of magnetic fluid sealing technology, the principle of sealing, the operation of the magnetic fluid and the seal failure mechanism in linear motion of the shaft. Moreover, some new structural designs of hybrid seals, being combinations of typical hydraulic seals with magnetic fluid seals for reciprocating motion, and some examples of magnetic fluid sealing structures for hydraulic cylinders and piston compressors which have practical application values are presented.

  • New insights on lithium storage in silicon oxycarbide/carbon composites: Impact of microstructure on electrochemical properties
    • Dominik Knozowski
    • Magdalena Graczyk-Zając
    • Dragoljub Vrankovic
    • Grzegorz Trykowski
    • Mirosław Sawczak
    • Dario M. De Carolis
    • Monika Wilamowska-Zawłocka
    2021 Full text COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING

    In this work, we study the impact of the preceramic precursor vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) on the electrochemical performance of silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) glass/graphite composites. We apply an innovative approach based on high-power ultrasounds in order to obtain highly homogenous composites with a uniform distribution of small graphitic flakes. This procedure enhances gelation and drying of VTES-based preceramic polymer/graphite blends. The SiOC/graphite composites reveal stable capacities (up to 520 mAh g−1 after 270 cycles), which are much higher than the sum derived from the ratio of the components. Additionally, the first cycle Coulombic efficiencies obtained for the composites are 15% higher than that of the pristine VTES-based SiOC ceramic. These properties are identified as the synergistic effect, originated from the addition of graphite to VTES-based SiOCs. Interestingly, such improvement in electrochemical performance is not noticed in the case of analogous SiOC/graphite composites based on phenyltriethoxysilane (PhTES) precursor. The microstructural investigation of the composites based on two different preceramic precursors using solid-state 29Si NMR and Raman Spectroscopy unveils the reason for such discrepancy in their electrochemical behaviour.

  • New methodology for calculating cost-efficiency of different ways of voting: is internet voting cheaper?
    • Robert Krimmer
    • David Duenas Cid
    • Iuliia Krivonosova
    2021 Full text PUBLIC MONEY & MANAGEMENT

    New ways of voting in elections are being sought by electoral administrations worldwide who want to reverse declining voter turnouts without increasing electoral budgets. This paper presents a novel approach to cost accounting for multi-channel elections based on local elections in Estonia. By doing so, it addresses an important gap in the academic literature in this field. The authors confirm that internet voting was most cost-efficient voting channel offered to Estonian voters. This paper presents a new, proven methodology for calculating the cost-efficiencies of various ways of voting. The authors provide rare data on electoral costs, including costs ranging from stationery to depreciation costs and provide a detailed cost breakdown of activities. The findings will have direct practical implications for electoral management bodies and policy-makers around the world.

  • New patterns in the position of CEE countries in global value chains: functional specialisation approach
    • Aleksandra Kordalska
    • Magdalena Olczyk
    2021 Full text Oeconomia Copernicana

    Research background: High servitisation of manufacturing makes it impossible to separate services from manufactured goods properly, which implies difficulties in the assessment of the position of the country on the smile curve, i.e. in the proper assignment of products or services to one of the industrial process steps: pre-production, pure fabrication or post-production services. Therefore, we propose to use the business functions of industries identified with the aid of labour market data rather than the industrial classification of products in order to create a more appropriate measure of the position of countries in GVCs. Purpose of the article: We aim to identify and analyse the patterns of functional specialisation for eight Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) ? the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia ? both at the country and industry level. In addition, we analyse functional specialisation patterns for Germany, which serves as a reference country. Methods: To assess functional specialisation patterns, we employ the methodology proposed by Timmer et al. (2019a). It allows us to obtain functional specialisation indices for four different business functions ? management, R&D, marketing, and fabrication. To compute them, we combine two sources of data ? domestic value added from decomposed sectoral input-output tables (the World Input Output Database) and the Occupations Database built up by Timmer et al. (2019a). Findings & value added: Our research shows a very heterogeneous pattern in CEEC countries' position in GVCs by taking into account their functional specialisation at the countries and industries levels. Poland and Slovakia focus primarily on low value-added fabrication processes, the Baltic countries and Slovenia specialise in management services, Hungary and Latvia gain in marketing services, and the Czech Republic and Slovenia win in R&D activities. We indicate that some CEE countries (Poland, Slovakia) could be stuck in a functional trap, and our approach could be a valuable tool for assessing the process of coming out of it.

  • New potent steroid sulphatase inhibitors based on 6-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)naphthalen-2-yl sulphamate derivatives
    • Olga Ciupak
    • Mateusz Daśko
    • Karol Biernacki
    • Janusz Rachoń
    • Maciej Masłyk
    • Konrad Kubiński
    • Aleksandra Martyna
    • Sebastian Demkowicz
    2021 Full text JOURNAL OF ENZYME INHIBITION AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY

    In the present work, we report a new class of potent steroid sulphatase (STS) inhibitors based on 6-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)naphthalen-2-yl sulphamate derivatives. Within the set of new STS inhibitors, 6-(1-(1,2,3-trifluorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)naphthalen-2-yl sulphamate 3L demonstrated the highest activity in the enzymatic assay inhibiting the STS activity to 7.98% at 0.5 µM concentration. Furthermore, to verify whether the obtained STS inhibitors are able to pass through the cellular membrane effectively, cell line experiments have been carried out. We found that the lowest STS activities were measured in the presence of compound 3L (remaining STS activity of 5.22%, 27.48% and 99.0% at 100, 10 and 1 nM concentrations, respectively). The measured STS activities for Irosustat (used as a reference) were 5.72%, 12.93% and 16.83% in the same concentration range. Moreover, a determined IC50 value of 15.97 nM for 3L showed that this compound is a very promising candidate for further preclinical investigations.

  • New Product Creativity Dimensions and Performance
    • Dariusz Dąbrowski
    2021 Full text

    A new product’s meaningfulness and novelty are recognized as two distinct and important dimensions. Thus, researchers started to investigate their impact on new product performance. However, researchers’ reports on the impact of novelty on performance are still mixed, and several issues need to be solved. One of these problems is comparing how strongly each of these dimensions affects the new product performance. The other is to investigate the contingent influence of market turbulence on the relation between the new product’s novelty and its performance. Building on the resource-based view of the firm and signaling theory, this study aims to: 1) examine the impact of a new product’s meaningfulness and novelty on its commercial performance; 2) compare the relative influence of these dimensions on product performance; and 3) examine the moderating effect of market turbulence on the relationship between the novelty and the new product’s commercial performance. Data concerning 374 new products of Polish high- and medium-high-technology companies were examined to achieve these goals using structural equation modeling. First, the results indicated that a new product’s meaningfulness is positively related to its commercial performance, whereas novelty is not. Furthermore, meaningfulness affects performance more strongly than product novelty, and market turbulence moderates the relation between the new product’s novelty and performance. Subsequently, based on these findings, theoretical and managerial implications and directions for future research are provided.

  • Nieliniowa statyka 6-parametrowych powłok sprężysto plastycznych. Efektywne obliczenia MES
    • Stanisław Burzyński
    2021

    Głównym zagadnieniem omawianym w monografii jest sformułowanie sprężysto-plastycznego prawa konstytutywnego w nieliniowej 6-parametrowej teorii powłok. Wyróżnikiem tej teorii jest występujący w niej w naturalny sposób tzw. stopień 6 swobody, czyli owinięcie (drilling rotation). Podstawowe założenie pracy to przyjęcie płaskiego stanu naprężenia uogólnionego na ośrodek typu Cosseratów. Takie podejście stanowi oryginalny aspekt opracowania. Powłokowe siły i momenty przekrojowe wyrażone są przez całki ze składowych naprężenia, co pozwala na sformułowanie nieliniowego prawa konstytutywnego dla powłoki. Zawarte w pracy rozważania teoretyczne obejmują: wyprowadzenie zlinearyzowanej zasady prac wirtualnych dla powłok, krótkie omówienie odkształceniowej teorii plastyczności, opisy liniowego ośrodka typu Cosseratów oraz funkcji plastycznego płynięcia. Zostały omówione dwa algorytmy numeryczne rozwiązywania równań plastyczności. Opisano też klasyczny algorytm MES uwzględniający nieliniowość materiałową. Osobną część monografii stanowią rozważania dotyczące efektywności obliczeń MES. Skoncentrowano się na kwestii zrównoleglenia obliczeń numerycznych oraz użyciu algorytmów rozwiązywania wielkich układów równań o rzadkiej macierzy współczynników. Celem przedstawionych technik jest skrócenie czasu trwania obliczeń numerycznych. Zwieńczenie pracy stanowią przykłady numeryczne, w których analizowane są konstrukcje powłokowe. Obliczenia przeprowadzono za pomocą autorskiego programu MES, napisanego w języku Fortran. Zaimplementowano w nim algorytmy rozwiązywania równań plastyczności oraz techniki zwiększenia efektywności obliczeń. Rozpatrywane są przykłady płaskie, powłoki cylindryczne i powłoki wielopłatowe. Stosowana w pracy teoria powłok jest w naturalny sposób przeznaczona do rozwiązywania problemów związanych z ostatnią spośród wymienionych grup. Ze względu na brak dostępnych przykładów w literaturze zaproponowano nowy przykład analizy sprężysto-plastycznej powłoki wielopłatowej. Oryginalne są również wyniki analizy stateczności powłok cylindrycznych.

  • Nietechnologiczne nie znaczy gorsze. Rzecz o innowacjach
    • Julita Wasilczuk
    • Magdalena Popowska
    • Marita Mcphillips
    • Magdalena Licznerska
    2021 Full text

    Innowacje nietechnologiczne nie zajmują istotnego miejsca w dyskursie naukowym jak i praktycznym. Zauważona luka badawcza oraz brak praktycznych rozwiązań wspierających innowacje nietechnologicznie, były motywem podjęcia tego tematu przez międzynarodowy zespół, składający się z badaczy z czterech krajów (Danii, Finlandii, Litwy i Polski) oraz szeregu instytucji wspierających biznes, w tych krajach, pełniących funkcje pośredników innowacji. W takim właśnie składzie w latach 2017-2020 realizowano projekt o wdzięcznym akronimie SNOwMAN, oznaczającym: Supporting Non-technology Innovation in Owner-managed Manufacturing czyli wsparcie nietechnologicznych innowacji w przedsiębiorstwach produkcyjnych, zarządzanych przez właścicieli, po przez stworzenie metody doradztwa . W trakcie realizacji tego projektu, okazało się, że niewiele wiadomo na temat innowacji nietechnologicznych, a zebrane materiały, doświadczenia oraz wyniki przeprowadzonych badań, mogą zostać spożytkowane w postaci monografii, która posłuży upowszechnianiu tej grupy innowacji.

  • Nilpotent singularities and chaos: Tritrophic food chains
    • Fátima Drubi
    • Santiago Ibáñez
    • Paweł Pilarczyk
    2021 Full text CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS

    Local bifurcation theory is used to prove the existence of chaotic dynamics in two well-known models of tritrophic food chains. To the best of our knowledge, the simplest technique to guarantee the emergence of strange attractors in a given family of vector fields consists of finding a 3-dimensional nilpotent singularity of codimension 3 and verifying some generic algebraic conditions. We provide the essential background regarding this method and describe the main steps to illustrate numerically the chaotic dynamics emerging near these nilpotent singularities. This is a general-purpose method and we hope it can be applied to a huge range of models.

  • Nitric Oxide-Dependent Pathways as Critical Factors in the Consequences and Recovery after Brain Ischemic Hypoxia
    • Joanna M. Wierońska
    • Paulina Cieślik
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    2021 Full text Biomolecules

    Brain ischemia is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. Nitric oxide (NO), a molecule that is involved in the regulation of proper blood flow, vasodilation, neuronal and glial activity constitutes the crucial factor that contributes to the development of pathological changes after stroke. One of the early consequences of a sudden interruption in the cerebral blood flow is the massive production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in neurons due to NO synthase uncoupling, which leads to neurotoxicity. Progression of apoptotic or necrotic neuronal damage activates reactive astrocytes and attracts microglia or lymphocytes to migrate to place of inflammation. Those inflammatory cells start to produce large amounts of inflammatory proteins, including pathological, inducible form of NOS (iNOS), which generates nitrosative stress that further contributes to brain tissue damage, forming vicious circle of detrimental processes in the late stage of ischemia. S-nitrosylation, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and HIF-1-dependent genes activated in reactive astrocytes play essential roles in this process. The review summarizes the roles of NO-dependent pathways in the early and late aftermath of stroke and treatments based on the stimulation or inhibition of particular NO synthases and the stabilization of HIF-1 activity

  • Nitrofurazone Removal from Water Enhanced by Coupling Photocatalysis and Biodegradation
    • Wojciech Smułek
    • Zuzanna Bielan
    • Amanda Pacholak
    • Agata Zdarta
    • Agnieszka Zgoła-Grześkowiak
    • Anna Zielińska-Jurek
    • Ewa Kaczorek
    2021 Full text INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

    (1) Background: Environmental contamination with antibiotics is particularly serious because the usual methods used in wastewater treatment plants turn out to be insufficient or ineffective. An interesting idea is to support natural biodegradation processes with physicochemical methods as well as with bioaugmentation with efficient microbial degraders. Hence, the aim of our study is evaluation of the effectiveness of different methods of nitrofurazone (NFZ) degradation: photolysis and photodegradation in the presence of two photocatalysts, the commercial TiO2-P25 and a self-obtained Fe3O4@SiO2/TiO2 magnetic photocatalyst. (2) Methods: The chemical nature of the photocatalysis products was investigated using a spectrometric method, and then, they were subjected to biodegradation using the strain Achromobacter xylosoxidans NFZ2. Additionally, the effects of the photodegradation products on bacterial cell surface properties and membranes were studied. (3) Results: Photocatalysis with TiO2-P25 allowed reduction of NFZ by over 90%, demonstrating that this method is twice as effective as photolysis alone. Moreover, the bacterial strain used proved to be effective in the removal of NFZ, as well as its intermediates. (4) Conclusions: The results indicated that photocatalysis alone or coupled with biodegradation with the strain A. xylosoxidans NFZ2 leads to efficient degradation and almost complete mineralization of NFZ.

  • Nitrogen-Incorporated Boron-Doped Nanocrystalline Diamond Nanowires for Microplasma Illumination
    • Salila Kumar Sethy
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Kamatchi J Sankaran
    • Sourav Sain
    • Anupam R. Tripathy
    • Shivam Gupta
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Susanta Sinha Roy
    • Nyan-Hwa Tai
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    2021 Full text ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

    The origin of nitrogen-incorporated boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NB-NCD) nanowires as a function of substrate temperature (Ts) in H2/CH4/B2H6/N2 reactant gases is systematically addressed. Because of Ts, there is a drastic modification in the dimensional structure and microstructure and hence in the several properties of the NB-NCD films. The NB-NCD films grown at low Ts (400 °C) contain faceted diamond grains. The morphology changes to nanosized diamond grains for NB-NCD films grown at 550 °C (or 700 °C). Interestingly, the NB-NCD films grown at 850 °C possess one-dimensional nanowire-like morphological grains. These nanowire-like NB-NCD films possess the co-existence of the sp3-diamond phase and the sp2-graphitic phase, where diamond nanowires are surrounded by sp2-graphitic phases at grain boundaries. The optical emission spectroscopy studies stated that the CN, BH, and C2 species in the plasma are the main factors for the origin of nanowire-like conducting diamond grains and the materialization of graphitic phases at the grain boundaries. Moreover, conductive atomic force microscopy studies reveal that the NB-NCD films grown at 850 °C show a large number of emission sites from the grains and the grain boundaries. While boron doping improved the electrical conductivity of the NCD grains, the nitrogen incorporation eased the generation of graphitic phases at the grain boundaries that afford conducting channels for the electrons, thus achieving a high electrical conductivity for the NB-NCD films grown at 850 °C. The microplasma devices using these nanowire-like NB-NCD films as cathodes display superior plasma illumination properties with a threshold field of 3300 V/μm and plasma current density of 1.04 mA/cm2 with a supplied voltage of 520 V and a lifetime stability of 520 min. The outstanding plasma illumination characteristics of these conducting nanowire-like NB-NCD films make them appropriate as cathodes and pave the way for the utilization of these materials in various microplasma device applications.

  • No Evidence for Sex-specificity in Vitamin C, E and Fatty Acid Content of Human Milk from Healthy Polish Mothers
    • Maciej Zagierski
    • Anna Krukowska
    • Karolina Kawska
    • Dorota Martysiak-Żurowska
    • Katarzyna Sznurkowska
    • Agnieszka Szlagatys-Sidorkiewicz
    2021 Full text JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY AND NUTRITION

    Human milk (HM) is a complex fluid that meets the nutritional needs of infants. Its composition idrfs associated with environmental, maternal, and foetal variables. It provides nutrients and bioactive substances, including cytokines, immunoglobulins, and constituents with antioxidative properties. Boys are reportedly more susceptible to oxidative stress. This study aimed to determine the relationship between infant sex and the antioxidants vitamins C and E, and the fatty acid (FA) profile of HM. Results of this investigation may infer sex differences for the composition of infant formulas. Thirty days after delivery, a sample of HM was collected from 152 healthy, non-smoking mothers of full-term new-borns (77 males) born in good clinical condition. After FAs were extracted from the fat component, they were converted into methyl esters and separated using high-performance gas chromatography. Tocopherol content was determined using a method described in a previous study. Vitamin C content was determined using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, as described in the same study. The study groups (male versus female offspring) did not differ in terms of vitamin and FA content in HM. The only difference found was in gondoic acid 20:1 (n-9), with a higher concentration in the HM of mothers with female offspring (mean 0.63 ± 0.18 versus 0.59 ± 0.15 g/100 g FA; p < 0.047). Despite the acknowledged differences in the composition of HM associated with infant sex and the increased oxidative stress in males, antioxidant content did not appear to differ according to infant sex. These results suggest that there is no need for the antioxidant content of infant formulas to be sex specific.

  • Nomination Dossier, The Modernist Centre of Gdynia, Part 2b, History and Development
    • Maria Sołtysik
    2021

    History and development of Gdynia, from Medieval times up until today. The project concerns such chapters as: Introduction; The village of Gdynia; Gdynia as a seaside resort; Construction of the port and the city in the interwar period; The modernist city centre – layout; architecture;Architecture of the city centre; South Pier and Grand District; Post-war development of Śródmieście: a continuation

  • NOMINATION DOSSIER, The Modernist Centre of Gdynia, parts 4 - 7
    • Robert Hirsch
    • Celina Łozowska
    • Anna Orchowska-Smolińska
    • Katarzyna Piotrowska
    • Maria Sołtysik
    2021

    The city of Gdynia is commonly known in Poland as a symbol of the country’s independence and evidence of the foresight of planners and politicians. It is the outcome of the efforts and aspirations of generations of people from all kinds of backgrounds who made Gdynia their home. Document prepared by researchers from Gdansk University of Technology and other experts is the important part of the Nomination Dossier prepared for international official bodies (ICOMOS, UNESCO) to present the city, its assets and current state of protection.

  • Non-Coaxially Rotating Motion in Casson Martial along with Temperature and Concentration Gradients via First-Order Chemical Reaction
    • Noman Jabbar
    • Muhammad Bilal Hafeez
    • Sameh Askar
    • Umar Nazir
    2021 Full text ENERGIES

    The effect of non-coaxial rotation on the transport of mass subjected to first-order chemical reaction is studied analytically. The effects of thermal radiation, buoyancy, constructive and destructive chemical reactions along with Casson fluid in rotating frame are discussed. Time evolution of primary and secondary velocities, energy and solute particles are analyzed. The behavior of flow under the variation of intensity of magnetic field is also investigated. Evolutionary behavior of primary velocity is opposite to the evolutionary behavior of secondary velocity. The impact of buoyant force on primary velocity is opposite to the role of buoyant force on the secondary velocity. The evolutionary behavior of temperature is also examined and a remarkable enhancement in temperature is noticed. Thermal radiation causes the fluid to be cooled down as heat energy is escaped by thermal radiation. Evolutionary behavior of concentration is also analyzed and an increasing of concentration versus time is noted. Destructive chemical reaction results a remarkable reduction in the concentration and vice versa for generative chemical reaction.

  • Non-Destructive Diagnostics of Concrete Beams Strengthened with Steel Plates Using Modal Analysis and Wavelet Transform
    • Magdalena Knak
    • Erwin Wojtczak
    • Magdalena Rucka
    2021 Full text Materials

    Externally bonded reinforcements are commonly and widely used in civil engineering objects made of concrete to increase the structure load capacity or to minimize the negative effects of long-term operation and possible defects. The quality of adhesive bonding between a strengthened structure and steel or composite elements is essential for effective reinforcement; therefore, there is a need for non-destructive diagnostics of adhesive joints. The aim of this paper is the detection of debonding defects in adhesive joints between concrete beams and steel plates using the modal analysis approach. The inspection was based on modal shapes and their further processing with the use of continuous wavelet transform (CWT) for precise debonding localization and imaging. The influence of the number of wavelet vanishing moments and the mode shape interpolation on damage imaging maps was studied. The results showed that the integrated modal analysis and wavelet transform could be successfully applied to determine the exact shape and position of the debonding in the adhesive joints of composite beams.

  • Nondestructive methods complemented by FEM calculations in diagnostics of cracks in bridge approach pavement
    • Mikołaj Miśkiewicz
    • Karol Daszkiewicz
    • Jacek Lachowicz
    • Paweł Tysiąc
    • Piotr Jaskuła
    • Krzysztof Wilde
    2021 AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION

    Nondestructive methods of road pavement diagnostics are an alternative to traditional approach to pavement failure investigation. The article presents a detailed multidisciplinary inspection carried out using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), laser scanning technology and finite element method (FEM) calculations. It was done in order to assess the factors that contributed to occurrence of premature cracks of a bridge approach pavement. Assessments of permittivity values in the GPR method are dependent on two factors: thickness of successive layers and electromagnetic wave reflection in time. Electromagnetic field propagation in the pavement structure was also simulated using two numerical models: the first one reflected the undamaged pavement, while the second one included the defects next to the bridge joint. The comparison of the radargrams for both models enables identification of reflections and anomalies caused by the assumed defects. Nonhomogeneous compaction zones in the bridge approach pavement structure were detected by analysis of layer permittivity and anomalies observed in the in situ GPR maps. The GPR measurements were positively verified afterwards by values of air void content in the pavement layers, determined in standard invasive tests. Laser scanning technology was also used in the distressed area in order to assess its geometric changes. Results are presented in the form of contour plots depicting differences between the measured and the designed surfaces. The three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of the approach pavement was created to determine pavement deformation under moving load and stress state next to the bridge joint. The influence of insufficient support of the top asphalt layers on pavement response was investigated. The analysis of the cracks shows that some errors were made both during the design process and construction of the bridge approach pavement.

  • Non-destructive Testing of Wooden Elements
    • Monika Zielińska
    • Magdalena Rucka
    2021 Full text IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering

    Examining the condition of wooden elements is crucial from the perspective of proper structure performance. If the deterioration in the internal wood condition, which displays no symptoms visible from the outside, is detected, the further spread of the deterioration can be prevented. Test results often point to the necessity of conducting repairs and, renovations, replacing the structure of wooden beams, or even substituting a significant part of the structure. To achieve acceptable results, test methods should take into account the anisotropic nature of wood, which includes the shape of annual rings, as well as the location of the core in crosssection. To adopt methods based on physical effects, profound knowledge of wood physics is needed, particularly of interdependence. Apart from simple tests such as a visual inspection or tapping that are used to determine near-surface defects, non-destructive testing (NDT) plays an important role in the process. This paper presents the methods of non-destructive testing of wooden elements. These methods include tests conducted with ground penetrating radar (GPR), thermal techniques, microwaves, acoustic emission, ultrasonic tomography, and X-ray tomography. The paper summarises the use of non-destructive methods, indicating their advantages, disadvantages as well as some limitations.

  • Nonlinear Free and Forced Vibrations of a Hyperelastic Micro/Nanobeam Considering Strain Stiffening Effect
    • Amin Alibakhshi
    • Shahriar Dastjerdi
    • Mohammad Malikan
    • Victor Eremeev
    2021 Full text Nanomaterials

    In recent years, the static and dynamic response of micro/nanobeams made of hyperelasticity materials received great attention. In the majority of studies in this area, the strain-stiffing effect that plays a major role in many hyperelastic materials has not been investigated deeply. Moreover, the influence of the size effect and large rotation for such a beam that is important for the large deformation was not addressed. This paper attempts to explore the free and forced vibrations of a micro/nanobeam made of a hyperelastic material incorporating strain-stiffening, size effect, and moderate rotation. The beam is modelled based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, and strains are obtained via an extended von Kármán theory. Boundary conditions and governing equations are derived by way of Hamilton’s principle. The multiple scales method is applied to obtain the frequency response equation, and Hamilton’s technique is utilized to obtain the free undamped nonlinear frequency. The influence of important system parameters such as the stiffening parameter, damping coefficient, length of the beam, length-scale parameter, and forcing amplitude on the frequency response, force response, and nonlinear frequency is analyzed. Results show that the hyperelastic microbeam shows a nonlinear hardening behavior, which this type of nonlinearity gets stronger by increasing the strain-stiffening effect. Conversely, as the strain-stiffening effect is decreased, the nonlinear frequency is decreased accordingly. The evidence from this study suggests that incorporating strain-stiffening in hyperelastic beams could improve their vibrational performance. The model proposed in this paper is mathematically simple and can be utilized for other kinds of micro/nanobeams with different boundary conditions.

  • Nonlinear Interaction of Magnetoacoustic Modes in a Quasi-Isentropic Plasma Flow
    • Anna Perelomova
    2021 Full text Archives of Acoustics

    The nonlinear interaction of magnetoacoustic waves in a plasma is analytically studied. A plasma is an open system. It is affected by the straight constant equilibrium magnetic flux density forming constant angle with the wave vector which varies from 0 till . The nonlinear instantaneous equation which describes excitation of secondary wave modes in the field of intense magnetoacoustic perturbations is derived by use of projecting. There is a diversity of nonlinear interactions of waves in view of variety of wave modes, which may be slow or fast and may propagate in different directions. The excitation is analysed in the physically meaningful cases, that is: harmonic and impulsive exciter, oppositely or accordingly directed dominant and secondary wave modes.

  • Nonlinear resultant theory of shells accounting for thermodiffusion
    • Victor Eremeev
    • Wojciech Pietraszkiewicz
    2021 Full text CONTINUUM MECHANICS AND THERMODYNAMICS

    The complete nonlinear resultant 2D model of shell thermodiffusion is developed. All 2D balance laws and the entropy imbalance are formulated by direct through-the-thickness integration of respective 3D laws of continuum thermodiffusion. This leads to a more rich thermodynamic structure of our 2D model with several additional 2D fields not present in the 3D parent model. Constitutive equations of elastic thermodiffusive shells are discussed in more detail. They are formulated from restrictions imposed by the resultant 2D entropy imbalance according to Coleman–Noll procedure extended by a set of 2D constitutive equations based on heuristic assumptions.

  • Nonlocal elasticity analysis of moderately thick porous functionally graded plates in a hygro-thermal environment
    • Shahriar Dastjerdi
    • Mohammad Malikan
    • Rossana Dimitri
    • Francesco Tornabene
    2021 Full text COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

    This work performs a novel quasi three-dimensional (3D) bending analysis for a moderately thick functionally graded material (FGM) made of nanoceramics and metal powders, in presence of porosities due to some incorrect manufacturing processes. Such porosities can appear within the plate in two forms, namely, even and uneven distributions. The modeled system assumes a polymer matrix where both shear and transverse factors coexist. The bending equations are obtained by using the Hamiltonian principle. In order to apply the quantum effects for the nanosystem, the well-known nonlocal theory of Eringen is simply assumed, while checking for its numerical accuracy. A physically-consistent analysis of the nanostructures would investigate possible surrounding effects. Thus, the thermal and humidity influence is accounted for the 3D problem, whose governing equations are solved through a semi-analytical polynomial method (SAPM), as recently proposed in literature for different applications. The proposed method is based on a simple procedure with very accurate numerical outcomes, whose performance is checked against the available literature. After computing the deflection relations, a systematic study is performed for the bending response of nanoporous FGMs in a hygro-thermal surrounding environment, with promising results for practical applications.