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Gdańsk University of Technology

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  • Multifactor consciousness level assessment of participants with acquired brain injuries employing human–computer interfaces
    • Andrzej Czyżewski
    • Adam Kurowski
    • Piotr Odya
    • Piotr Szczuko
    2020 Full text Biomedical Engineering Online

    Background A lack of communication with people suffering from acquired brain injuries may lead to drawing erroneous conclusions regarding the diagnosis or therapy of patients. Information technology and neuroscience make it possible to enhance the diagnostic and rehabilitation process of patients with traumatic brain injury or post-hypoxia. In this paper, we present a new method for evaluation possibility of communication and the assessment of such patients’ state employing future generation computers extended with advanced human–machine interfaces. Methods First, the hearing abilities of 33 participants in the state of coma were evaluated using auditory brainstem response measurements (ABR). Next, a series of interactive computer-based exercise sessions were performed with the therapist’s assistance. Participants’ actions were monitored with an eye-gaze tracking (EGT) device and with an electroencephalogram EEG monitoring headset. The data gathered were processed with the use of data clustering techniques. Results Analysis showed that the data gathered and the computer-based methods developed for their processing are suitable for evaluating the participants’ responses to stimuli. Parameters obtained from EEG signals and eye-tracker data were correlated with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and enabled separation between GCS-related classes. The results show that in the EEG and eye-tracker signals, there are specific consciousness-related states discoverable. We observe them as outliers in diagrams on the decision space generated by the autoencoder. For this reason, the numerical variable that separates particular groups of people with the same GCS is the variance of the distance of points from the cluster center that the autoencoder generates. The higher the GCS score, the greater the variance in most cases. The results proved to be statistically significant in this context. Conclusions The results indicate that the method proposed may help to assess the consciousness state of participants in an objective manner.

  • Multimedia Communications, Services and Security MCSS. 10th International Conference, MCSS 2020, Preface
    • Andrzej Dziech
    • Wim Mees
    • Andrzej Czyżewski
    2020

    Multimedia surrounds us everywhere. It is estimated that only a part of the recorded resources are processed and analyzed. These resources offer enormous opportunities to improve the quality of life of citizens. As a result, of the introduction of a new type of algorithms to improve security by maintaining a high level of privacy protection. Among the many articles, there are examples of solutions for improving the operation of monitoring systems or preventing threats in the industrial environment. The important group of issues is the creation of solutions and functionalities into ready-to-use systems. The practical use of research results was discussed during the conference. Connecting them with modern architectures is a natural necessity in the case of future implementation

  • Multimodal Genetic Algorithm with Phase Analysis to Solve Complex Equations of Electromagnetic Analysis
    • Damian Trofimowicz
    • Tomasz Stefanski
    2020 Full text

    In this contribution, a new genetic-algorithm-based method of finding roots and poles of a complex function of a complex variable is presented. The algorithm employs the phase analysis of the function to explore the complex plane with the use of the genetic algorithm. Hence, the candidate regions of root and pole occurrences are selected and verified with the use of discrete Cauchy's argument principle. The algorithm is evaluated in an electromagnetic benchmark that successfully solves the eigenvalue problem determining the propagation of surface waves along a spatially dispersive graphene sheet. The numerical results show that the possibility to find all roots and poles of the function may be limited by the initial population size, especially when the search region is large and roots and poles are located close to each other.

  • Multimodal Particle Swarm Optimization with Phase Analysis to Solve Complex Equations of Electromagnetic Analysis
    • Damian Trofimowicz
    • Tomasz Stefanski
    2020 Full text

    In this paper, a new meta-heuristic method of finding roots and poles of a complex function of a complex variable is presented. The algorithm combines an efficient space exploration provided by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the classification of root and pole occurrences based on the phase analysis of the complex function. The method initially generates two uniformly distributed populations of particles on the complex plane and extracts the function phase in a position of each particle. By collecting phase samples, the candidate regions of root and pole occurrences are selected. Then, the second population, by iteratively converging towards candidate regions, thoroughly explores an area outside candidate regions and reduces the possibility of root or pole omission. The subsequent swarms are generated locally to explore candidate regions and decrease their size. The algorithm is verified in electromagnetic benchmark that solves the equation determining surface waves on a microstrip antenna. The numerical results show that the algorithm is able to solve multimodal problems quickly even with a small initial population and a small number of generated swarms.

  • Multiparameter sensitivity analysis of a GFRP composite footbridge of a sandwich structure and U-shaped cross-section
    • Tomasz Ferenc
    2020 Full text COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

    The paper deals with multiparameter sensitivity analysis of a composite footbridge. A shell‐like structure is 14.5 m long shows U‐shaped cross‐section and inner service dimensions 1.3 × 2.5 m. Glass fiber reinforced polymer GFRP laminate constitutes faces of a sandwich structure while PET foam received from recycled bottle builts a core. The structure was divided into 285 independent areas where the thickness of laminates and stiffness modulus of PET foam were established as design variables. The impact of their variation on variation of state variables was investigated, vertical displacement of structure, longitudinal strain in handrail and transverse strain in deck were addressed here. Sensitivity vector was computed by a semi‐analytical method and, subsequently, expressed in a matrix form and next presented graphically in the form of sensitivity areas. The conducted sensitivity analysis exhibits areas that can be strengthened in order to minimize vertical displacement, longitudinal strain in handrail and transverse strain deck, determining the areas where parameters can be reduced without increasing the value of state variables. The obtained results are bound to support the structural design process or to improve the performance of existing structures.

  • Multiple reference frame theory in the synchronous generator model considering harmonic distortions caused by nonuniform pole shoe saturation
    • Filip Kutt
    • Michał Michna
    • Grzegorz Kostro
    2020 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ENERGY CONVERSION

    The paper describes a synchronous generator model developed based on the multiple reference frame theory. The main physical phenomena included in the model are the machine armature non-sinusoidal voltage waveform and the influence of armature current in load conditions on the armature voltage waveform higher harmonic components. The modified multiple reference frame theory model is proposed. In this modified theory model the field and armature currents are the cause of the non-sinusoidal airgap spatial field distribution. The influence of this airgap spatial field distribution is also investigated. The resulting nonuniform saturation of the pole shoe affects the machine voltage waveform in load conditions. Simulation and measurements of the machine performance in steady and transient states are conducted in order to validate the model.

  • Multisine impedimetric probing of biocatalytic reactions for label-free detection of DEFB1 gene: How to verify that your dog is not human?
    • Paweł Niedziałkowski
    • Paweł Ślepski
    • Joanna Wysocka
    • Joanna Chamier-Ciemińska
    • Łukasz Burczyk
    • Michał Sobaszek
    • Anna Wcisło
    • Tadeusz Ossowski
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Jacek Ryl
    2020 Full text SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL

    Albert is a dog (Canis familiaris), but he does not realize this. Albert loves human food (and beer), watching movies on the internet, sleeping in bed, and more. But he should not do all these things. To convince him that, we have desinged a test procedure. The DEFB1 gene is unique to human species. Detecting its presence from saliva and in short periods may offer an advantage in the field of forensic medicine, and influence Albert’s bad habits. This study reveals novel utilization of the multisine impedance spectroscopy carried out during potentiodynamic polarization (pDEIS) of the electrode. We have utilized pDEIS to detect DEFB1 gene in collected saliva samples. The detection process was conducted at the boron-doped diamond surfaces functionalized with DEFB1-complimentary oligonucleotide sequence, anchored at the electrode surface. Next, a short-term electrode incubation in presence of target DNA sample allows for achieving DNA hybridization when exposed to human DNA material. The dsDNA orientation vs electrode surface is affected by polarization, and tracked by changes in the electrode kinetics preceded by subtle capacitance dispersion effects. The optimized measurement conditions range between +0.5 and +0.9 V vs Ag|AgCl due to nonspecific DNA adsorption, affecting heterogeneous charge transfer. The DNA hybridization is not achieved in the case of non-complimentary ssDNA originated from any other species subjected to this test. The discussed differences obtained during electrode incubation are supported by the XPS analyses.

  • Multi-transformer primary-side regulated flyback converter for supplying isolated IGBT and MOSFET drivers
    • Maciej Kolincio
    • Piotr Chrzan
    • Piotr Musznicki
    2020 Full text IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS

    This paper presents primary-side voltage regulated multi-transformer quasi-resonant flyback converter (MTFC) for supplying isolated power switch drivers. The proposed topology offers distinct advantages over frequently used flyback converter possessing one high frequency transformer with isolated multiple outputs. Particularly, when a large number of separate dc supply units is required, then MTFC enables improved regular distribution of magnetic coupling between the common primary and the multiple secondary transformers' windings providing high degree of galvanic and electromagnetic isolation between multiple outputs. Primary side voltage regulation is based on the average value of output voltages estimation using auxilliary RDC circuit mounted across the primary windings. Operation principles of MTFC are enhanced with analytical study of cross regulation of multiple output voltages at unbalanced load conditions, indicating reduced voltage deviation of multiple outputs by applying the primary-side average voltage regulation. Experimental results of prototype 2, 3, and 6-transformer quasi-resonant flyback converters confirmed their cross regulation quality and application potential for independent multiple output supplies.

  • Musical Instrument Tagging Using Data Augmentation and Effective Noisy Data Processing
    • Damian Koszewski
    • Bożena Kostek
    2020 Full text JOURNAL OF THE AUDIO ENGINEERING SOCIETY

    Developing signal processing methods to extract information automatically has potential in several applications, for example searching for multimedia based on its audio content, making context-aware mobile applications (e.g., tuning apps), or pre-processing for an automatic mixing system. However, the last-mentioned application needs a significant amount of research to reliably recognize real musical instruments in recordings. In this paper we primarily focus on how to obtain data for efficiently training, validating, and testing a deep-learning model by using a data augmentation technique. These data are transformed into 2D feature spaces, i.e., mel-scale spectrograms. The Neural Network used in the experiments consists of a single-block DenseNet architecture and a multi-head softmax classifier for efficient learning with the mixup augmentation. For automatic noisy data labeling, the batch-wise loss masking, which is robust to corrupting outliers in data, was applied. To train the models, various audio sample rates and different audio representations were utilized. The method provides promising recognition scores even with real-world recordings that contain noisy data.

  • Mutual Interaction between Temperature and DO Set Point on AOB and NOB Activity during Shortcut Nitrification in a Sequencing Batch Reactor in Terms of Energy Consumption Optimization
    • Mehdi Sharifshourjeh
    • Przemysław Kowal
    • Jakub Drewnowski
    • Bartosz Szeląg
    • Aleksandra Szaja
    • Grzegorz Łagód
    2020 Full text ENERGIES

    Recently, many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have had to deal with serious problems related to the restrictive requirements regarding the euent quality, as well as significant energy consumption associated with it. In this situation, mainstream deammonification and/or shortened nitrification-denitrification via nitrite (so-called “nitrite shunt”) is a new promising strategy. This study shows the mechanisms and operating conditions (e.g., dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, temp.), leading to the complete domination of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) over nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) under aerobic conditions. Its successful application as shortcut nitrification in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology will represent a paradigm shift for the wastewater industry, oering the opportunity for ecient wastewater treatment, energy-neutral or even energy-positive facilities, and substantial reductions in treatment costs. In this study, under low and moderate temperatures (10–16 C), averaged DO concentrations (0.7 mg O2/L) were preferable to ensure beneficial AOB activity over NOB, by maintaining reasonable energy consumption. Elevated temperatures (~30 C), as well as increased DO concentration, were recognized as beneficial for the NOB activity stimulation, thus under such conditions, the DO limitation seems to be a more prospective approach.

  • Nadmierne osiadania nawierzchni drogowej w ujęciu geotechnicznym - przyczyny, monitoring, możliwe metody naprawy
    • Grzegorz Horodecki
    2020

    Nadmierne osiadania nawierzchni stanowią „wieczny” problem użytkowników dróg. Z odkształceniami nawierzchni łączy się obniżenie komfortu i bezpieczeństwa jazdy (BRD). Jedną z podstawowych przyczyn takiego zjawiska jest zachowanie się podłoża gruntowego. Najczęściej dotyczy to zjawiska osiadania podłoża gruntowego, stanowiącego efekt ściśliwości gruntów w wyniku przyłożenia obciążenia i jest przekroczeniem stanów granicznych użytkowalności (SGU). W rzadszych przypadkach odkształcenia wiążą się z przekroczeniem stanu granicznego nośności (SGN).

  • NADPH Oxidase Gene Polymorphism is Associated with Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in 7-Year Follow-Up
    • Milena Racis
    • Wojciech Sobiczewski
    • Anna Stanisławska-Sachadyn
    • Marcin Wirtwein
    • Elżbieta Bluj
    • Michał Nedoszytko
    • Joanna Borzyszkowska
    • Janusz Limon
    • Andrzej Rynkiewicz
    • Marcin Gruchała
    2020 Full text Journal of Clinical Medicine

    The CYBA gene encodes the regulatory subunit of NADPH oxidase, which maintains the redox state within cells and in the blood vessels. That led us to investigate the course of coronary artery disease (CAD) with regards to CYBA polymorphisms. Thus, we recruited 1197 subjects with coronary atherosclerosis and observed them during 7-year follow-up. Three CYBA polymorphisms: c.214C>T (rs4673), c.-932G>A (rs9932581), and c.*24G>A (1049255) were studied for an association with death, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and an elective percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting (PCI/CABG). We found an association between the CYBA c.214C>T polymorphism and two end points: death and PCI/CABG. CYBA c.214TT genotype was associated with a lower risk of death than C allele (9.5% vs. 21%, p < 0.05) and a higher risk of PCI/CABG than C allele (69.3% vs. 51.7%, p < 0.01). This suggests that the CYBA c.214TT genotype may be a protective factor against death OR = 0.47 (95%CI 0.28–0.82; p < 0.01), while also being a risk factor for an elective PCI/CABG OR = 2.36 (95%CI 1.15–4.82; p < 0.05). Thus, we hypothesize that among patients with coronary atherosclerosis, the CYBA c.214TT genotype contributes to atherosclerotic plaque stability by altering the course of CAD towards chronic coronary syndrome, thereby lowering the incidence of fatal CAD-related events.

  • Nagrzewanie się elementów układu obróbkowego w docieraniu powierzchni płaskich
    • Adam Barylski
    2020

    Przedstawiono analizę temperatury elementów układu wykonawczego docierarki jednotarczowej przy użyciu kamery termowizyjnej. W badaniach stosowano różne wartości prędkości obrotowej tarczy docierającej oraz dwa zakresy ziarnistości mikroziaren ściernych w dozowanej paście. Obrabiano elementy płaskie wykonane ze stali chromowo - niklowej oraz brązu berylowego.

  • Nano Tin/Tin Oxide Attached onto Graphene Oxide Skeleton as a Fluorine Free Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries
    • Andrzej Nowak
    • Konrad Trzciński
    • Mariusz Szkoda
    • Grzegorz Trykowski
    • Maria Gazda
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Marcin Łapiński
    • Dominik Maskowicz
    • Mirosław Sawczak
    • Anna Lisowska-Oleksiak
    2020 INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

    Herein, we show a composite formation method of tin/tin oxide nanoparticles with graphene oxide and CMC based on laser ablation technique as an electrode material for energy storage devices. The material exhibited a three-dimensional conducting graphene oxide network decorated with tin or tin oxide nanoparticles. The structure, homogeneous distribution of nanoparticles, and direct contact between inorganic and organic parts were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron spectroscopy. Electrochemical performances of composite electrode material showed a reversible capacity of 644 mAh/g at a current density equal to 35 mA/g, and 424 mAh/g at 140 mA/g. The capacity retention of 90% after 250 cycles show that tested electrode material is suitable as a negative electrode for lithium-ion batteries.

  • Nanocrystalline diamond sheets as protective coatings for fiber-optic measurement head
    • Monika Kosowska
    • Daria Majchrowicz
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Paweł Wierzba
    • Yafit Fleger
    • Dror Fixler
    • Małgorzata Szczerska
    2020 CARBON

    Fiber-optic sensors find numerous applications in science and industry, but their full potential is limited because of the risk of damaging the measurement head, in particular, due to the vulnerability of unprotected tips of the fiber to mechanical damage and aggressive chemical agents. In this paper, we report the first use of a new nanocrystalline diamond structure in a fiber-optic measurement head as a protective coating of the fiber tip. The nanocrystalline sheet structures, produced with the use of Microwave Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition System (MW PA CVD), were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and successfully transferred from the deposition substrate onto the surface of the tip of a single-mode fiber sensor head. A Fabry-Perot sensing interferometer for distance measurement comprising that fiber was built. The measurement results were compared with numerical modeling. High values of achieved correlation coefficients (R2 > 0.99) between a linear model and distance measurements data indicate that the diamond sheet does not affect the correct operation of the sensor while extending its potential scope of applications.

  • Nanodiamond phantoms mimicking human liver: perspective to calibration of T1 relaxation time in magnetic resonance imaging
    • Anna Sękowska
    • Daria Majchrowicz
    • Agnieszka Sabisz
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Barbara Bułło-Piontecka
    • Monika Kosowska
    • Lina Jing
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Małgorzata Szczerska
    2020 Full text Scientific Reports

    Phantoms of biological tissues are materials that mimic the properties of real tissues. This study shows the development of phantoms with nanodiamond particles for calibration of T1 relaxation time in magnetic resonance imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a commonly used and non-invasive method of detecting pathological changes inside the human body. Nevertheless, before a new MRI device is approved for use, it is necessary to calibrate it properly and to check its technical parameters. In this article, we present phantoms of tissue with diamond nanoparticles dedicated to magnetic resonance calibration. The method of producing phantoms has been described. As a result of our research, we obtained phantoms that were characterized by the relaxation time T1 the same as the relaxation time of the human tissue T1 = 810.5 ms. Furthermore, the use of diamond nanoparticles in phantoms allowed us to tune the T1 value of the phantoms which open the way to elaborated phantoms of other tissues in the future.

  • Nanofiltration in the food industry
    • Roberto Castro-Muñoz
    • Emilia Gontarek
    2020

    Nanofiltration (NF), as a pressure-driven membrane process, has been widely demonstrated to have great potential for food processing applications. There are several advantages of this membrane process over traditional methods that makes NF suitable for food processing, such as the low thermal damage to the product, higher aroma retention, lower energy consumption, and low maintenance costs. In this chapter, according to the recent literature, a review of the main areas of NF applications in the food industry is presented, such as juice and plant extract clarification and concentration, wine application, sugar industry, dairy processing, and recovery of high-added value compounds from food wastes. The productivity and the separation performance of NF membranes toward target compounds have also been discussed.

  • Nanoindentation tests titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V after interference laser treatment
    • Magdalena Jażdżewska
    • Dominika Trochowska
    • Michał Bartmański
    2020 Full text Inżynieria Materiałowa

    The study aimed was to assess selected mechanical properties of surface layers obtained after interference laser treatment – DLIL of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V used for implants. The samples were melted in still air at room temperature, for this purpose Nd:YAG laser was used, the number of laser shots was variable. Next, nanoindentation tests were performed, based on which Young’s modulus and nanohardness in the obtained surface layers were determined. An increase in nanohardness is observed in the surface layers after laser melting. An increase in the modulus of elasticity and higher hardness was observed for both the first and second areas on the sample surface. In the case of a sample for which three laser beam shots were used, hardness and Young’s modulus almost doubled. On the basis of the obtained results, it was found that the modified Ti-6Al-4V alloy can be used as an implant material, and the proposed method of modifying its surface may extend the life of such implants and improve their frictional properties.

  • Nanoparticles: Synthesis, characteristics, and applications in analytical and other sciences
    • Muhammad Sajid
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    2020 Full text MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL

    Nanoparticles (NPs) are widely employed in different research areas, ranging from analytical chemistry and environmental science to medicine, the agriculture and pharmaceutical industry. This is mainly due to the unique characteristics of NPs and the novelty they introduce in such applications. In analytical chemistry, the role of NPs can differ depending on the nature of the steps involved in analytical process. NPs are probably most useful for detection, but sample preparation has also profited from them. For instance, NPs can advantageously replace conventional sorbents for solid-phase extraction. Moreover, NPs are being increasingly used as stationary phases in gas and liquid chromatography or electrochromatography. In this review, a brief summary on the classification, synthesis methods, and properties of NPs is given. Moreover, the examples of applications in different research area are shortly presented. However, the merits of this work are to present the use of NPs in analytical chemistry field.

  • Narracje o świeżej traumie. Upamiętnianie ataków terrorystycznych w krajobrazie codziennym miast
    • Anna Awtuch
    • Agnieszka Gębczyńska-Janowicz
    2020 Full text Politeja. Pismo Wydziału Studiów Międzynarodowych i Politycznych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego

    Recent trauma Narratives: commemorating terrorist attacks in Everyday cityscape Contemporary city incidentally becomes a non-accidental target of acts violating the primary sense of security and safety. The fundamental assumptions about so- cial and interpersonal interactions that guarantee social life are severely disturbed. These events, primarily the ones related to terrorist attacks, leave in social memo- ry traces associated with everyday places scattered in urban landscape. Should the trace of a catastrophe be preserved and exhibited, or should it be interpreted to give a new meaning to endangered places? What significance can one attribute to trauma narratives in everyday landscape?To what extent can spatial and ephemeral narratives related to dramatic events address the social need of coping with trauma and constructing a new approach to a given place? Spontaneous and official commemorative forms are created in response to terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S.A. Official memorials are created over just a few years and sometimes even one year, which corresponds to a natural closure of mourning process leading to the acceptance of loss and reconstructing life. However, other representations – spontaneous memorials created in the aftermath of attacks, composed of objects left in urban space to honour victims and survivors – become an important element of collective mourning ritual and constitute a transition from informal commemoration to top-down representations. The article discusses how different forms of trauma narratives constructed in urban space can enhance trauma recovery.

  • Natural carbon-based quantum dots and their applications in drug delivery: A review
    • Akhila Nair
    • Józef Haponiuk
    • Sabu Thomas
    • Sreeraj Gopi
    2020 Full text BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY

    Natural carbon based quantum dots (NCDs) are an emerging class of nanomaterials in the carbon family. NCDs have gained immense acclamation among researchers because of their abundance, eco-friendly nature, aqueous solubility, the diverse functionality and biocompatibility when compared to other conventional carbon quantum dots (CDs).The presence of different functional groups on the surface of NCDs such as thiol, carboxyl, hydroxyl, etc., provides improved quantum yield, physicochemical and optical properties which promote bioimaging, sensing, and drug delivery. This review provides comprehensive knowledge about NCDs for drug delivery applications by outlining the source and rationale behind NCDs, different routes of synthesis of NCDs and the merits of adopting each method. Detailed information regarding the mechanism behind the optical properties, toxicological profile including biosafety and biodistribution of NCDs that are favourable for drug delivery are discussed. The drug delivery applications of NCDs particularly as sensing and real-time tracing probe, antimicrobial, anticancer, neurodegenerative agents are reviewed. The clinical aspects of NCDs are also reviewed as an initiative to strengthen the case of NCDs as potent drug delivery agents.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera - metody i aplikacje wspomagające uczenie
    • Konrad Witek
    • Damian Białobrzycki
    • Tomasz Skiba
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2020 Pismo PG

    W niniejszym artykule opisano metody uczenia się oraz popularne aplikacje wspomagające przyswajanie wiedzy. Jest to kontynuacja poprzedniej części, poświęconej procesowi uczenia oraz najpopularniejszym technikom. Zawarte informacje można traktować jako wskazówki dla osób w trakcie tzw. instytucjonalnej nauki - szkoła, studia, kursy doszkalające - związanej z ciągłą potrzebą samodoskonalenia i podnoszenia kwalifikacji.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera – proces i techniki uczenia
    • Konrad Witek
    • Damian Białobrzycki
    • Tomasz Skiba
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2020 Pismo PG

    W obecnym świecie, z uwagi na wszechobecność cyfrowych urządzeń, odtwarzaczy multimedialnych itp., trudno jest skupić uwagę na pojedynczej czynności. Z kolei wzrost dostępnych źródeł informacji powoduje niekiedy rozproszenie i problemy z koncentracją. Naturalne wydaje się skorzystanie z urządzenia osobistego, które posiada niemal każdy z nas, czyli smartfona, w celu poprawy koncentracji i systematycznej pracy. W niniejszym artykule opisano proces uczenia się oraz techniki przyswajania wiedzy. Zawarte informacje traktować można jako wskazówki dla osób w trakcie tzw. instytucjonalnej nauki - szkoła, studia, kursy doszkalające- związanej z ciągłą potrzebą samodoskonalenia i podnoszenia kwalifikacji.

  • Naukowcy pracują nad poprawą efektywności terapii borowo-neutronowej w chorobach nowotworowych
    • Brygida Mielewska
    • Marek Maryański
    • Edyta Michaś
    2020 Pismo PG

    Badacze konsorcjum zamierzają wspólnie wypracować nowatorską metodologię, która znacznie poprawi kliniczną efektywność terapii boro- wo-neutronowej chorób nowotworowych. Technologia wypracowana przez konsorcjum stanie się podstawą nowych produktów i usług dla klinik onkologicznych w skali globalnej.

  • Near Field Coupled Wireless Microwave Sensor
    • Abhishek Jha
    • Adam Lamęcki
    • Roberto Gomez-Garcia
    • Michał Mrozowski
    2020 Full text

    This paper presents a wireless planar microwave sensor operating at industrial scientific and medical (ISM) frequency for the detection of dielectric materials. The microwave sensor consists of a reader (ground defected microstrip coupled line) and a passive tag where a complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) is made on the commercially available copper-foil. The CSRR is a peel-off type tag that is excited using the near field of microstrip coupled transmission line. The near field coupling, the low-cost passive tag design, and the high sensitivity (~250 MHz change per unit change in dielectric constant) make the proposed sensor wireless, cost-effective, and reliable.

  • Neoclassical Navier–Stokes Equations Considering the Gyftopoulos–Beretta Exposition of Thermodynamics
    • Janusz Badur
    • Michel Feidt
    • Paweł Ziółkowski
    2020 Full text ENERGIES

    The seminal Navier-Stokes equations were stated even before the creation of the foundations of thermodynamics and its first and second laws. There is a widespread opinion in the literature on thermodynamic cycles that the Navier-Stokes equations cannot be taken as a thermodynamically correct model of a local "working fluid", which would be able to describe the conversion of "heating" into "working" (Carnot's type cycles) and vice versa (Afanasjeva's type cycles). Also, it is overall doubtful that "cycle work is converted into cycle heat" or vice versa. The underlying reason for this situation is that the Navier-Stokes equations come from a time when thermodynamic concepts such as "internal energy" were still poorly understood. Therefore, this paper presents a new exposition of thermodynamically consistent Navier-Stokes equations. Following that line of reasoning-and following Gyftopoulos and Beretta's exposition of thermodynamics-we introduce the basic concepts of thermodynamics such as "heating" and "working" fluxes. We also develop the Gyftopoulos and Beretta approach from 0D into 3D continuum thermodynamics. The central role within our approach is played by "internal energy" and "energy conversion by fluxes." Therefore, the main problem of exposition relates to the internal energy treated here as a form of "energy storage." Within that context, different forms of energy are discussed. In the end, the balance of energy is presented as a sum of internal, kinetic, potential, chemical, electrical, magnetic, and radiation energies in the system. These are compensated by total energy flux composed of working, heating, chemical, electrical, magnetic, and radiation fluxes at the system boundaries. Therefore, the law of energy conservation can be considered to be the most important and superior to any other law of nature. This article develops and presents in detail the neoclassical set of Navier-Stokes equations forming a thermodynamically consistent model. This is followed by a comparison with the definition of entropy (for equilibrium and non-equilibrium states) within the context of available energy as proposed in the Gyftopoulos and Beretta monograph. The article also discusses new possibilities emerging from this "continual" Gyftopoulos-Beretta exposition with special emphasis on those relating to extended irreversible thermodynamics or Van's "universal second law".

  • Nested Kriging Surrogates for Rapid Multi-Objective Optimization of Compact Microwave Components
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2020 APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL ELECTROMAGNETICS SOCIETY JOURNAL

    A procedure for rapid EM-based multi-objective optimization of compact microwave components is presented. Our methodology employs a recently developed nested kriging modelling to identify the search space region containing the Pareto-optimal designs, and to construct a fast surrogate model. The latter permits determination of the initial Pareto set, further refined using a separate surrogate-assisted process. As an illustration, a three-section impedance transformer is designed for the best matching and minimum size. The set of trade-off designs is produced at the low computational cost of only a few hundred of high-fidelity EM simulations of the transformer circuit despite a large number of its geometry parameters.

  • Nested Kriging with Variable Domain Thickness for Rapid Surrogate Modeling and Design Optimization of Antennas
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2020 Full text Electronics

    Design of modern antennas faces numerous difficulties, partially rooted in stringent specifications imposed on both electrical and field characteristics, demands concerning various functionalities (circular polarization, pattern diversity, band-notch operation), but also constraints imposed upon the physical size of the radiators. Conducting the design process at the level of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations, otherwise dictated by reliability, entails considerable computational expenses, which is another and a serious challenge. It is especially pronounced for the procedures involving repetitive EM analyses, e.g., parametric optimization. Utilization of fast surrogate models as a way of mitigating this issue has been fostered in the recent literature. Unfortunately, construction of reliable surrogates for antenna structures is hindered by their highly nonlinear responses and even more by the utility requirements: design-ready models are to be valid over wide ranges of operating conditions and geometry parameters. Recently proposed performance-driven modeling, especially the nested kriging framework, addresses these difficulties by confining the surrogate model domain to a region that encapsulates the designs being optimum with respect to the relevant figures of interest. The result is a dramatic reduction of the number of training samples needed to render a usable model. This paper introduces a variable-thickness domain, which is an important advancement over the basic nested kriging. The major benefit demonstrated using two antenna examples is a further and significant (up to seventy percent) reduction of the training data acquisition cost. It is achieved while ensuring that the model domain covers the regions containing optimum designs for various sets of performance specifications.

  • Neural Architecture Search for Skin Lesion Classification
    • Arkadiusz Kwasigroch
    • Michał Grochowski
    • Agnieszka Mikołajczyk
    2020 Full text IEEE Access

    Deep neural networks have achieved great success in many domains. However, successful deployment of such systems is determined by proper manual selection of the neural architecture. This is a tedious and time-consuming process that requires expert knowledge. Different tasks need very different architectures to obtain satisfactory results. The group of methods called the neural architecture search (NAS) helps to find effective architecture in an automated manner. In this paper, we present the use of an architecture search framework to solve the medical task of malignant melanoma detection. Unlike many other methods tested on benchmark datasets, we tested it on practical problem, which differs greatly in terms of difficulty in distinguishing between classes, resolution of images, data balance within the classes, and the number of data available. In order to find a suitable network structure, the hill-climbing search strategy was employed along with network morphism operations to explore the search space. The network morphism operations allow for incremental increases in the network size with the use of the previously trained network. This kind of knowledge reusing allows significantly reducing the computational cost. The proposed approach produces structures that achieve similar results to those provided by manually designed structures, at the same time making use of almost 20 times fewer parameters. What is more, the search process lasts on average only 18h on single GPU.

  • Neural network based algorithm for hand gesture detection in a low-cost microprocessor applications
    • Tomasz Kocejko
    • Filip Brzezinski
    • Jacek Rumiński
    • Artur Poliński
    • Jerzy Wtorek
    2020

    In this paper the simple architecture of neural network for hand gesture classification was presented. The network classifies the previously calculated parameters of EMG signals. The main goal of this project was to develop simple solution that is not computationally complex and can be implemented on microprocessors in low-cost 3D printed prosthetic arms. As the part of conducted research the data set EMG signals corresponding to 5 different gestures was created. The accuracy of elaborated solution was 90% when applied real time on data sampled with 1kHz frequency and 75% when applied real time on data acquired and process directly on microprocessor with lower,100Hz sampling frequency.

  • Neural Network Subgraphs Correlation with Trained Model Accuracy
    • Izajasz Wrosz
    2020

    Neural Architecture Search (NAS) is a computationally demanding process of finding optimal neural network architecture for a given task. Conceptually, NAS comprises applying a search strategy on a predefined search space accompanied by a performance evaluation method. The design of search space alone is expected to substantially impact NAS efficiency. We consider neural networks as graphs and find a correlation between the presence of subgraphs and the network’s final test accuracy by analyzing a dataset of convolutional neural networks trained for image recognition. We also consider a subgraph based network distance measure and suggest opportunities for improved NAS algorithms that could benefit from our observations.

  • New Approaches for Escherichia coli Genotyping
    • Roman Kotłowski
    • Katarzyna Grecka
    • Barbara Kot
    • Piotr Szweda
    2020 Full text Pathogens

    Easy-to-perform, fast, and inexpensive methods of differentiation of Escherichia coli strains beyond the species level are highly required. Herein two new, original tools for genotyping of E. coli isolates are proposed. The first of the developed method, a PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) test uses a highly variable fliC gene, encoding the H antigen as a molecular target. The designing of universal pair of primers and selection of the optimal restriction enzyme RsaI was preceded by in silico comparative analysis of the sequences of the genes coding for 53 different serotypes of H-antigen (E. coli flagellin). The target fragments of E. coli genomes for MLST method were selected on the basis of bioinformatics analysis of complete sequences of 16 genomes of E. coli. Initially, seven molecular targets were proposed (seven pairs of primers) and five of them were found useful for effective genotyping of E. coli strains. Both developed methods revealed high differentiation power, and a high genetic diversity of the strains tested was observed. Within the group of 71 strains tested, 29 and 47 clusters were revealed with fliC RFLP-PCR and MLST methods, respectively. Differentiation of the strains with the reference BOX-PCR method revealed 31 different genotypes. The in silico analysis revealed that the discriminatory power of the new MLST method is comparable to the Pasteur and Achtman schemes and is higher than the discriminatory power of the method developed by Clermont. From the epidemiology point of view, the outcomes of our investigation revealed that in most cases, the patients were infected with unique strains, probably from environmental sources. However, some strains isolated from different patients of the wards of pediatrics, internal medicine, and neurology were classified to the same genotype when the results of all three methods were taken into account. It could suggest that they were transferred between the patients.

  • New Challenges in Management and Economics in 21st century. Selected studies and examples
    • Piotr Grudowski
    • Dariusz Dudek
    • Julita Majczyk
    • Mateusz Muchlado
    2020

    In Chapter 1 authors describe the method used to assess the level of readiness of an organization to introduce the Lean Six Sigma concept supporting the Quality 4.0 assumptions, which is gaining more and more interest not only in large organizations, but also in the SME sector. Its use will be illustrated by the example of a small service company. Chapter 2 presents the characteristics of blockchain technology applications in the modern economy. Particular attention was paid to aspects such as security, staff issues and trust. Chapter 3 deals with the entrepreneurship of immigrants from the Far East. Patterns of approaches leading to strategy choices implemented by the immigrants were presented as well as processes of defining customers and factors influencing the choice between an ethnic and local business, immigrants' approaches to building market position and development. In this diverse way, the authors wanted to indicate how many factors can determine the effectiveness and efficiency of various organizations in the age of Industry 4.0. Only knowledge of management and economics that is wide and open to various challenges will allow executives to successfully face contemporary and future risks.

  • New pathways for functionalization of phosphorus ligands
    • Anna Ordyszewska
    2020

    The presented dissertation consistsof two main partsand focuses on the synthesis and characterization of new low-valent phosphorus compounds. Thesestudies have already been fully described in three JCR-journals. The first partdescribes the utilization ofselectedphosphanylphosphinidene transition metal complexes as a source of diversified phosphorus ligands. For thispurposethree complexes havebeenchosen:[(DippN)2(Cl)W(η2-tBu2P-P)][Li(dme)3], [(pTol3P)2Pt(η2-tBu2P=P)], and [(dppe)Pt(η2-tBu2P=P)]. The reactivity of these complexes toward terminal dihaloalkanes and chalcogens was taken under investigation. As a result, new complexes with a variety of phosphorusmoietiessuch astBu2PP-R (R = Me, I, (CH2)3Br, (CH2)nPPtBu2 (n = 4, 6), PPtBu2 )ortBu2P-P-Se, tBu2P(Se)-P, tBu2P-P-P andtBu2P(S)-P-P-PtBu2were obtained.In the second part a new family of diphosphinoboraneswas synthesized that contain not only phosphorus but also boron atom in the structure. Diphosphinoboranes(R2P)2BR’were formed as a result of the reactions of selected lithium phosphides R2PLi (R2P=tBu2P, Cy2P, Ph2P,tBuPhP) and dibromoboranes R’BBr2(R’ = NiPr2, Ph). Theycan be classified in three different groups depending on their electronic and structural properties. The amino(diphosphino)borane(Ph2P)2BNiPr2has also been proven to actaschelating ligand in the reaction with CODPtMe2.

  • New synthesis route of highly porous InxCo4Sb12 with strongly reduced thermal conductivity
    • N. Gostkowska-Lekner
    • B. Trawinski
    • A. Kosonowski
    • Beata Bochentyn
    • Marcin Lapinski
    • Tadeusz Miruszewski
    • Krzysztof W. Wojciechowski
    • Bogusław Kusz
    2020 Full text JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE

    Highly porous, In-filled CoSb3 skutterudite materials with an attractive thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT * 1) and corresponding dense samples were fabricated through the cost-effective method of reduction in oxides in dry hydrogen and the pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) method, respectively. The reduction process was described in detail using in situ thermogravimetric analysis of Co2O3, Sb2O3 and In(NO3)35H2O separately and in a mixture. Two methods to synthesise the same material were examined: (a) free sintering of an initially reduced powder and (b) PECS. The free-sintered materials with higher porosities (up to * 40%) exhibited lower values of electrical conductivity than the dense PECS samples (porosity up to * 5%), but the benefit of an even sixfold reduction in thermal conductivity resulted in higher ZT values. The theoretical values of thermal conductivity for various effective media models considering randomly oriented spheroid pores are in good agreement with the experimental thermal conductivity data. The assumed distribution and shape of the pores correlated well with the scanning electron microscope analysis of the microstructure. The lowest value of thermal conductivity, equal to 0.5 W/m K, was measured at 523 K for In0.1Co4Sb12 with 41% porosity. The highest value of ZT max = 1.0 at 673 K was found for the In0.2Co4Sb12 sample in which the porosity was 36%

  • New Unsymmetrical Bisacridine Derivatives Noncovalently Attached to Quaternary Quantum Dots Improve Cancer Therapy by Enhancing Cytotoxicity toward Cancer Cells and Protecting Normal Cells
    • Joanna Pilch
    • Edyta Matysiak-Brynda
    • Agata Kowalczyk
    • Piotr Bujak
    • Zofia Mazerska
    • Anna M. Nowicka
    • Ewa Augustin
    2020 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

    The use of nanoparticles for the controlled drug delivery to cells has emerged as a good alternative to traditional systemic delivery. Quantum dots (QDs) offer potentially invaluable societal benefits such as drug targeting and in vivo biomedical imaging. In contrast, QDs may also pose risks to human health and the environment under certain conditions. Here, we demonstrated that unique combination of nanocrystals core components (Ag-In-Zn-S) would eliminate the toxicity problem and increases their biomedical applications. The alloyed quaternary nanocrystals Ag-In-Zn-S (QDgreen: Ag1.0In1.2Zn5.6S9.4 and QDred: Ag1.0In1.0Zn1.0S3.5) were used to transport new unsymmetrical bisacridine derivatives (UAs: C-2028 and C-2045) into lung H460 and colon HCT116 cancer cells for improving the cytotoxic and antitumor action of these compounds. UAs were coupled with QD through physical adsorption. The obtained results clearly indicate that the synthesized nanoconjugates exhibited higher cytotoxic activity than unbound compounds, especially towards lung H460 cancer cells. Importantly, unsymmetrical bisacridines non-covalently attached to QD strongly protect normal cells from the drug action. It is worth to point out that QDgreen or QDred without UAs did not influence the growth of cancer as well as normal cells what is consistent with in vivo results. In non-cellular systems, at pH 5.5 and 4.0, which relates to the conditions of endosomes and lysosomes, the UAs released from QD-UAs nanoconjugates. An increase of total lysosomes content was observed in H460 cells treated with QDs-UAs what can affect the release of the UAs from the conjugates. Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy analyses revealed that QD-UAs nanoconjugates enter to H460 cells more efficiently than to HCT116 and normal cells, which may be the reason of their higher cytotoxicity against lung cancer. Summarizing, the non-covalent attachment of UAs to QDs increases the therapeutic efficiency of UAs, by improving cytotoxicity toward lung H460 cancer cells and having protecting effects on normal cells.

  • New uranium(vi) and isothiouronium complexes: synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic characterization and a DFT study
    • Ewelina Grabias
    • Bogdan Tarasiuk
    • Anna Dołęga
    • Marek Majdan
    2020 CRYSTENGCOMM

    The crystal structures of S,S′-2,5-dimethylbenzene-1,4-diylbis(methylisothiouronium) diacetate (1_ac), S,S′-2,5-dimethylbenzene-1,4-diylbis(methylisothiouronium) dichloride (1_Cl), 1_U complex, S,S′-naphthalene-1,4-diylbis(methylisothiouronium) dichloride (2_Cl), and 2_U complex were determined for the first time. The supramolecular structures of the compounds obtained are mainly based on hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions between the isothiouronium cations and the counter anions Cl−, CH3COO−, and [UO2(CH3COO)3]−. Their structural and spectroscopic properties were studied, and the results of DFT calculations were compared with the experimental findings to provide insights into the properties of these new compounds. The DFT calculations indicate a strong preference for the formation of the outer-sphere complex (ion-pair) between the uranyl species and an isothiouronium cation, and very large stabilization energies of the interactions, which can be utilized for the selective binding of U(VI). The compounds obtained are the first f-element and isothiouronium salt complexes described so far.

  • Newton’s Method for the McKendrick-von Foerster Equation
    • Agnieszka Bartłomiejczyk
    • Monika Wrzosek
    2020

    In the paper we study an age-structured model which describes the dynamics of one population with growth, reproduction and mortality rates. We apply Newton’smethod to the McKendrick-von Foerster equation in the semigroup setting. We prove its first- and second-order convergence.

  • Ni/cerium Molybdenum Oxide Hydrate Microflakes Composite Coatings Electrodeposited from Choline Chloride: Ethylene Glycol Deep Eutectic Solvent
    • Juliusz Winiarski
    • Anna Niciejewska
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Kazimierz Darowicki
    • Sylwia Baśladyńska
    • Katarzyna Winiarska
    • Bogdan Szczygieł
    2020 Full text Materials

    Cerium molybdenum oxide hydrate microflakes are codeposited with nickel from a deep eutectic solvent-based bath. During seven days of exposure in 0.05 M NaCl solution, the corrosion resistance of composite coating (Ni/CeMoOxide) is slightly reduced, due to the existence of some microcracks caused by large microflakes. Multielemental analysis of the solution, in which coatings are exposed and the qualitative changes in the surface chemistry (XPS) show selective etching molybdenum from microflakes. The amount of various molybdenum species within the surface of coating nearly completely disappear, due to the corrosion process. Significant amounts of Ce3+ compounds are removed, however the corrosion process is less selective towards the cerium, and the overall cerium chemistry remains unchanged. Initially, blank Ni coatings are covered by NiO and Ni(OH)2 in an atomic ratio of 1:2. After exposure, the amount of Ni(OH)2 increases in relation to NiO (ratio 1:3). For the composite coating, the atomic ratios of both forms of nickel vary from 1:0.8 to 1:1.3. Despite achieving lower corrosion resistance of the composite coating, the applied concept of using micro-flakes, whose skeleton is a system of Ce(III) species and active form are molybdate ions, may be interesting for applications in materials with potential self-healing properties.

  • Nieniszczące badania stalowych konstrukcji obiektów budowlanych
    • Dariusz Kowalski
    2020

    W miarę powszechne jest wykonywanie badań nieniszczących w zakresie wytwarzania elementów i obiektów o konstrukcji stalowych. Wynika to z potrzeby właściwego kontrolowania materiału stalowego poddawanego przetwarzaniu i łączeniu za pomocą technik spawalniczych. Badania nieniszczące związane są też z wykonywaniem zabezpieczeń antykorozyjnych, które chronią nasz materiał przed jego przyspieszoną degradacją w warunkach jakim przychodzi nam eksploatować konstrukcje stalowe. Badania materiału, połączeń spawanych, całych konstrukcji czy też powłok antykorozyjnych wykonywane są przede wszystkim w fazie wytwarzania, montażu i odbioru. Nader często w życiu inżynierskim przychodzi nam te same techniki badawcze stosować w sposób kompleksowy czy też wybiórczy do badania obiektów już eksploatowanych, które albo uległy awariom, zniszczeniom lub też nastąpiła ich degradacja, zużycie eksploatacyjne czy też korozyjne lub występują w nich określone problemy eksploatacyjne, np. drgania konstrukcji. Nie sposób, w niniejszym materiale, przedstawić wszystkie badania które są możliwe do wykonania w ramach produkcji materiału, wytwarzania konstrukcji czy też ich zabezpieczania dlatego, że czynniki i potrzeby tych badań są bardzo różne, tak jak różne metody możemy do tych działań zastosować. W badaniach obiektów lub ich określonych części często stosujemy nieznormalizowane, metody innowacyjne. W materiale niniejszym przedstawiono podstawowe wymagania normowe oraz badania odbiorowe w zakresie wytwarzania konstrukcji stalowych spawanych oraz badania z zakresu powłok.

  • Nietypowa podziemna konstrukcja oporowa w technologii DSM jako zabezpieczenie głębokiej wymiany gruntu
    • Grzegorz Horodecki
    2020

    W artykule przedstawiono nietypowe rozwiązanie podparcia i zabezpieczenia głębokiej wymiany gruntu z zastosowaniem przestrzennej konstrukcji oporowej w technologii DSM, ze względu na ograniczenie miejsca oraz zapewnienie stateczności nasypu drogowego. Opisano również realizację rozwiązania oraz prowadzony monitoring geotechniczny.

  • Nikola Tesla i jego wynalazki
    • Dariusz Świsulski
    2020 Wiadomości Elektrotechniczne

    Przedstawiono biografię Nikoli Tesli. Omówiono dziedziny, którymi się zajmował i opisano najważniejsze wynalazki.

  • Nitrogen removal in vertical flow constructed wetlands: influence of bed depth and high nitrogen loadings
    • Adelaide Almeida
    • Krzysztof Jóźwiakowski
    • Alina Kowalczyk-Juśko
    • Piotr Bugajski
    • Karolina Kurek
    • Fátima Carvalho
    • Anabela Durao
    • Carlos Ribeiro
    • Magdalena Gajewska
    2020 ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the nitrogen removal and its effects on the plant’s growth and leaves morphology. using two subsurface vertical flow (VF bed), with different depths (0.24 m2 × 0.70 m; 0.24 m2 × 0.35 m) and nitrogen load increments. The VF bed were planted with Vetiveria zizanioides, filled with light expanded clay aggregates (Leca®NR 10/20) and fed in parallel mode with synthetic wastewater. High ammonium nitrogen concentration ([NH4+–N] from 68 ± 3 to 290 ± 8 mg L−1) was used without toxicity symptoms in plants, although the effects of ammonium nitrogen load were stopped the growth of the plants. Significant differences between ammonium nitrogen removed in each VF bed obtained for total nitrogen (TNinfl.) ≥ 27 ± 0.8 g m−2 d−1. The nitrification was contributed to ammonium nitrogen removal because was found higher values of nitrate and nitrite in the effluent. These values were more higher in VF bed 1 than in the VF bed 2, since ammonium nitrogen removal were also more higher in VF bed 1 than in the VF bed 2. Total nitrogen mass balance was carried out and the results show that the nitrification/denitrification process occurred with nitrogen plants uptake. It was observed that the VF bed depth has an influence on all nitrogen removal processes. As higher the depth root system it is seemed to favour the creation of zones with different oxidations conditions that allow the nitrogen compounds to be removed intensively.

  • NLP Questions Answering Using DBpedia and YAGO
    • Tomasz Boiński
    • Julian Szymański
    • Bartłomiej Dudek
    • Paweł Zalewski
    • Szymon Dompke
    • Maria Czarnecka
    2020 Full text Vietnam Journal of Computer Science

    In this paper, we present results of employing DBpedia and YAGO as lexical databases for answering questions formulated in the natural language. The proposed solution has been evaluated for answering class 1 and class 2 questions (out of 5 classes defined by Moldovan for TREC conference). Our method uses dependency trees generated from the user query. The trees are browsed for paths leading from the root of the tree to the question subject. We call those paths fibers and they represent the user intention. The question analysis consists of three stages: query analysis, query breakdown and information retrieval. The aim of those stages is the detection of the entities of interest and its attributes, indicating the users’ domain of interest. The user query is then converted into a SPARQL query and sent to the DBpedia and YAGO databases. The baseline and the extended methods are presented and the quality of the solution is evaluated and discussed.

  • Nonadaptive estimation of the rotor speed in an adaptive full order observer of induction machine
    • Marcin Morawiec
    • Paweł Kroplewski
    2020 Full text Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences-Technical Sciences

    The article proposes a new method of reproducing the angular speed of the rotor of a cage induction machine designed for speed observers based on the adaptive method. In the proposed solution, the value of the angular speed of the rotor is not determined by the classical law of adaptation using the integrator only by an algebraic relationship. Theoretical considerations were confirmed by simulation and experimental tests.

  • Non-compulsory practical education programme for modernist heritage
    • Anna Orchowska-Smolińska
    2020 Full text World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education

    A non-compulsory programme for students of architecture that contains more specialised topics beyond the basic subjects is an important educational tool. The advantages include classes in smaller groups, the possibility of practical exercises in real field conditions and the benefits of meeting professional practitioners. This type of programme is particularly useful for teaching architectural heritage of the 20th Century, its protection and conservation; this knowledge is not widespread. The topic is current and there have been numerous developments over the years. The aims outlined in this article are to present the scope of this non-compulsory programme, including the interactive field classes, workshops and summer school. The benefits of this practically oriented programme are confirmed by the results achieved.

  • Non-Destructive Testing of the Longest Span Soil-Steel Bridge in Europe—Field Measurements and FEM Calculations
    • Mikołaj Miśkiewicz
    • Bartosz Sobczyk
    • Paweł Tysiąc
    2020 Full text Materials

    The article describes interdisciplinary and comprehensive non-destructive diagnostic tests of final bridge inspection and acceptance proposed for a soil-steel bridge made of corrugated sheets, being the European span length record holder (25.74 m). As an effect of an original concept a detailed and precise information about the structure short-term response was collected. Periodic diagnostics of bridge deformations was done one year after it was built. Load test design was based on numerical simulations performed by means of finite element method (FEM). In situ measurements were done with the aid of: inductive sensors, optical total station, and terrestrial laser scanner. The results produced by terrestrial laser scanning were used to build a precise image of structure deformation in 3D space during the tests. The accuracy of laser mapping was significantly increased using the information coming from total station and inductive sensors. These have higher accuracy and therefore can be used as reference. Thus, new quality in measurements is introduced. Good correspondence between in situ values and FEM estimations was achieved. Therefore, such a combination of testing methods can be used in non-destructive diagnostics of structures and is an interesting alternative for the standard approach, in which the measurements are done in limited number of points.

  • Nondestructive Testing of the Miter Gates Using Various Measurement Methods
    • Mikołaj Binczyk
    • Przemysław Kalitowski
    • Jakub Szulwic
    • Paweł Tysiąc
    2020 Full text SENSORS

    When any problems related to civil engineering structures appear, identifying the issue through the usage of only one measuring method is difficult. Therefore, comprehensive tests are required to identify the main source. The strains and displacement measurements, as well as modal identification, are widely used in the nondestructive testing of structures. However, measurements are usually carried out at several points and confirm or exclude only one of many potential causes of the problem. The main aim of this paper is to identify the causes of miter gates’ excessive vibration. The research includes displacement measurements using a tachometer and a laser scanner, acceleration measurements connected with modal analysis, and calculations with the finite element method (FEM) model. The numerical model underwent verification regarding test results. Particular attention was paid to evaluate the practical use of a laser scanner for diagnosing miter gates. Unlike classical methods, it measures many points. The analysis eliminated a number of potential causes of excessive vibration and highlighted the field of excessive deformation. The identified anomaly could be associated with bearings’ misalignment after closing the door. This construction part should be subjected to further research using classical methods. The laser scanning has been proven to be a method that can only generally present the deformation of the structure.

  • Non-Diophantine Arithmetics in Mathematics, Physics and Psychology
    • Mark Burgin
    • Marek Czachor
    2020

    For a long time, all thought there was only one geometry — Euclidean geometry. Nevertheless, in the 19th century, many non-Euclidean geometries were discovered. It took almost two millennia to do this. This was the major mathematical discovery and advancement of the 19th century, which changed understanding of mathematics and the work of mathematicians providing innovative insights and tools for mathematical research and applications of mathematics. A similar event happened in arithmetic in the 20th century. Even longer than with geometry, all thought there was only one conventional arithmetic of natural numbers — the Diophantine arithmetic, in which 2+2=4 and 1+1=2. It is natural to call the conventional arithmetic by the name Diophantine arithmetic due to the important contributions to arithmetic by Diophantus. Nevertheless, in the 20th century, many non-Diophantine arithmetics were discovered, in some of which 2+2=5 or 1+1=3. It took more than two millennia to do this. This discovery has even more implications than the discovery of new geometries because all people use arithmetic. This book provides a detailed exposition of the theory of non-Diophantine arithmetics and its various applications. Reading this book, the reader will see that on the one hand, non-Diophantine arithmetics continue the ancient tradition of operating with numbers while on the other hand, they introduce extremely original and innovative ideas.

  • Nonlinear dynamic analysis of the pure “buckling” mechanism during blow-out trauma of the human orbit
    • Marcin Zmuda Trzebiatowski
    • Paweł Kłosowski
    • Andrzej Skorek
    • Krzysztof Żerdzicki
    • Paweł Lemski
    • Mateusz Koberda
    2020 Full text Scientific Reports

    Considering the interplay between orbital bones and intraorbital soft tissues, commonly accepted patterns of the blow-out type of trauma within the human orbit require more thorough investigation to assess the minimal health-threatening impact value. Two different three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) models of the human orbital region were developed to simulate the pure “buckling” mechanism of orbital wall fracture in two variants: the model of orbital bone elements and the model of orbital bone, orbit and intraorbital tissue elements. The mechanical properties of the so-defined numerical skull fragment were applied to the model according to the unique laboratory tensile stress tests performed on small and fragile specimens of orbital bones as well as using the data available in the literature. The nonlinear transient analysis of the contact problem between bodies that differ substantially in terms of the Young’s modulus was carried out to investigate the interaction of different bodies within an instant injury. Potential damage areas were found within the lower orbital wall as well as the destructive load values for both FEM skull models (7,660 N and 8,520 N). Moreover, numerical simulations were validated by comparing them with computed tomography scans of real injuries.