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Gdańsk University of Technology

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  • Gdańsk oczami Irlandzkich i Polskich Artystów Plastyków. Krenz J.: Cykl 7 akwarel i pasteli. Zimowy Gdańsk
    • Jacek Krenz
    2019

    Międzynarodowa wystawa zbiorowa, poplenerowa: Gdańsk oczami Irlandzkich i Polskich Artystów Plastyków. Galeria Sztuki Domu Aktora w Gdańsku. Przez kilka grudniowych dni artyści plastycy z Irlandii i Polski malowali zimowy Gdańsk. Stronę irlandzką reprezentowali: Jonathan Brennan, Katherine St.Angelo, Esther O’Kelly, Joanna Mules, Marcus Patton. Polscy uczestnicy: Magdalena Nowacka-Kolano, Anna Schumacher, Krzysztof Ludwin i Komisarz Pleneru - Jacek Krenz.

  • Gdańska Międzynarodowa Szkoła Letnia na WETI
    • Marek Kubale
    2019 Pismo PG

    W dniach 6-12 lipca 2019 roku Katedra Algorytmów i Modelowania Systemów zorganizowała 3. Międzynarodową Szkołę Letnią poświęconą algorytmom dla problemów optymalizacji dyskretnej.

  • General, Mild, and Metal-Free Functionalization of Indole and Its Derivatives Through Direct C3-Selenylation
    • Adam Hałuszczuk
    • Natalia Babul
    • Łukasz Nierzwicki
    • Witold Przychodzeń
    2019 Full text EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

    A very mild method for the introduction of functionalized alkylselenyl group at C-3 position of the indole ring was developed. The proposed procedure consists of an electrophilic substitution of indole and its derivatives with bis(O,O-diisopropoxyphosphorothioyl) diselenide and subsequent cleavage of the P–Se bond with tetrabutylammonium fluoride in the presence of various electrophilic reagents. This method can be successfully applied, inter alia, for the preparation of amino acid and glucoside derivatives of 3-selenoindole.

  • Generalized Savitzky–Golay filters for identification of nonstationary systems
    • Maciej Niedźwiecki
    • Marcin Ciołek
    2019 Full text AUTOMATICA

    The problem of identification of nonstationary systems using noncausal estimation schemes is consid-ered and a new class of identification algorithms, combining the basis functions approach with localestimationtechnique,isdescribed.Unliketheclassicalbasisfunctionestimationschemes,theproposedlocal basis function estimators are not used to obtain interval approximations of the parametertrajectory, but provide a sequence of point estimates corresponding to consecutive instants of time.Based on the results of theoretical analysis conducted for nonstationary finite impulse responsesystems the paper proposes two mechanisms for adaptive selection of the number of basis functionsand the size of the local analysis window.

  • Generating sequences of Lefschetz numbers of iterates
    • Grzegorz Graff
    • Małgorzata Lebiedź
    • Piotr Nowak-Przygodzki
    2019 Full text MONATSHEFTE FUR MATHEMATIK

    Du, Huang and Li showed in 2003 that the class of Dold–Fermat sequences coincides with the class of Newton sequences, which are defined in terms of socalled generating sequences. The sequences of Lefschetz numbers of iterates form an important subclass of Dold–Fermat (thus also Newton) sequences. In this paper we characterize generating sequences of Lefschetz numbers of iterates.

  • Generation and Propagation of Nonlinear Waves in a Towing Tank
    • Marcin Drzewiecki
    • Wojciech Sulisz
    2019 Full text Polish Maritime Research

    The paper presents the results of the research focused on linear and nonlinear wave generation and propagation in a deepwater towing tank equipped with a single flap-type wavemaker of variable draft. The problem of wave generation and propagation has been theoretically formulated and solved by applying an analytical method; linear and nonlinear solutions were obtained. The linear solution has been verified experimentally. The laboratory experiments confirmed that a linear model can be applied to predict the generation and propagation of water waves of low steepness. However, according to the analysis, the discrepancies between wave profiles predicted by applying the linear and nonlinear models rapidly increases with increasing wave steepness. Additionally, the secondary phenomena which occur in the towing tank, including: disintegration of wave profile, wave reflections from the beach and wave damping, were analyzed. Knowledge on the nonlinear processes and phenomena is essential for modeling the environmental conditions during tests carried out to secure the safety of the naval and offshore constructions. The theoretical formulation was derived and the solution was obtained by the Institute of Hydroengineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences IBW PAN while the experimental research was carried out in Ship Hydromechanics Division of the Ship Design and Research Centre CTO S.A.

  • Genotoxicity of selected pharmaceuticals, their binary mixtures, and varying environmental conditions – study with human adenocarcinoma cancer HT29 cell line
    • Monika Wieczerzak
    • Jacek Namieśnik
    • Błażej Kudłak
    2019 Full text DRUG AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY

    Pharmaceutical residues are present in the environment in mixtures and their adverse effects may also result from interactions that occur between compounds. Studies presented in this work focus on genotoxicity of pharmaceuticals from different therapeutic groups in mixtures and in individual solutions impacted with different environmental conditions assessed using comet assay (alkaline approach). Binary mixtures of pharmaceuticals (in different concentration ratios) and in individual solutions impacted with pH change (range from 5.5 to 8.5) or addition of inorganic ions, were incubated with HT29 cells and after 24 h time period cells were tested for the presence of DNA damage. To estimate whether mixtures act more (synergistic) or less (antagonistic) efficiently Concentrations Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA) approaches were applied followed by a calculation of the Model Deviation Ratio (MDR) to determine deviation from the predicted values. Addition of inorganic ions mainly reduced their genotoxicity. Diclofenac s. was the most susceptible to potassium, fluoride, and bromide ions. Change of the pH of pharmaceutical solutions had significant impact on genotoxicity of diclofenac s. and fluoxetine h. Among mixtures, more commonly observed interactions were synergistic ones, exactly twenty-five cases (ten pairs containing chloramphenicol or oxytetracycline h.) and ten cases of antagonism (four for pairs containing chloramphenicol or fluoxetine h.). The results obtained indicate that interactions between tested compounds occur frequently and can lead to DNA damage. This topic especially concerning in vitro tests using cells is still rare, however, it should not be neglected.

  • Geochemical fractionation of organic matter in the Jurassic-Cretaceous Vaca Muerta shale, Argentina
    • Aleksandra Małachowska
    2019

    Several studies have indicated the presence of more than one generation of bitumen that could be isolated from rocks through sequential extraction or after demineralization or both. Nabbefeld et al. (2010a) and Holman et al. (2012, 2014) termed bitumen obtained after solvent extraction from the undigested rock as “Bitumen I" and that obtained by extraction after demineralization of rock as “Bitumen II.” The occurrence of different bitumen fractions in rocks poses the question of whether subsequent bitumens are of the same origin as those of the first generation, remaining trapped in the rock matrix and unable to be easily extracted, or if they originated from different source. Based on the distinct composition of Bitumen I and Bitumen II in Paleoproterozoic marine rocks in Australia, Williford et al. (2011) and Holman et al. (2012, 2014) suggested that Bitumen II was closely related to the in-situ organic matter, whereas Bitumen I could be over- printed by migrated hydrocarbon phases. The investigation includes the chemical functional group characteristics and origin of different bitumen fractions present in Jurassic to early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation from Argentina. The main objectives of the paper were to relate the differences in chemical functional groups of the two bitumen fractions to their origin in correspondence to kerogen macerals present in Jurassic to early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation from Argentina. The impact of thermal decomposition of kerogen to Bitumen I and Bitumen II was discussed with regard to hydrocarbons mobilization in shales. The research is broadly described in Malachowska et al., 2019.

  • Geoscience Methods in Real Estate Market Analyses Subjectivity Decrease
    • Malgorzata Renigier-Biłozor
    • Artur Janowski
    • Marek Walacik
    2019 Full text Geosciences

    Real estate management, including real estate market analysis, is part of a so-called geosystem. In recent years, the popularity of creating various types of systems and automatic solutions in real estate management, including those related to property classification and valuation, has been growing in the world, mainly to reduce the impact of human subjectivity, to increase the scope of analyses and reduce research time. A very important fact that should be underlined is that properties are strongly related to geolocation (space) and strongly determine it. Authors proposed in the paper solutions that highlight implementation of geoscience and “geo-approach” combined with fuzzy logic methods that allow to decrease subjectivity in property analyses and diminish uncertainty in decision making process. The proposed methodology involves three main problematic components of decision support system in property investment analyses development with the use of geo-technologies such as: determination of the database model; elaboration geo-property-zones with geoprocessing activities; identification of homogeneous group of properties transactions. The influence of spatial decision factor determined in the study lead to objective and precise calculation of value differentiation from 22 to 43% depending on the property’s remoteness to the sea.

  • Geotechnical characterization of soft soil deposits in Northern Poland
    • Jakub Konkol
    • Kamila Międlarz
    • Lech Bałachowski
    2019 Full text ENGINEERING GEOLOGY

    This paper presents a geotechnical characterization of deltaic soft soil deposits in the Vistula Marshlands, northern Poland. It shows the limited applicability of organic soil classifications based on Cone Penetration Tests (CPTU) and Dilatometer Tests (DMT). None of the in-situ-based classifications correctly identifies peat. Analysis of the behaviour of contractive/dilative soil layers according to Robertson's updated classification (2016) is shown to be in agreement with volumetric changes observed during triaxial compression tests. The coefficient of primary compression Cc is found to decrease exponentially with the initial bulk density (ρd0) and to increase linearly with the in-situ water content (wc). The presented geotechnical characterization and reference data can be used for foundation design and soil improvement in the soft organic soils of northern Poland.

  • Global and regional economic inequality: Methods of measurement and evidences
    • Stanisław Kot
    • Katarzyna Ostasiewicz
    2019

    The lack of countries’ statistical income data, comparable across countries and years, seems to be the main reason of controversial conjectures concerning global inequality and its evolution over time. In the databases, which purport to collect income data on a worldwide scale, only some summary statistics (quantile income shares, means, Gini indices) are presented. Therefore, the development of efficient methods of extracting micro-data from available secondary statistics now seems to be the only way of overcoming the scarcity of national household surveys’ samples. In this monograph, a new method of retrieving the global sample of incomes is proposed. This method, based on the Sequential Probability Ratio Test, generates random samples, which reconstruct unavailable national samples with predetermined statistical reliability and numerical precision. The application of this method brings empirical evidences which contradict the widespread opinion about rising global inequality in two recent decades.

  • Global Approaches to Reduce Light Pollution from Media Architecture and Non-Static, Self-Luminous LED Displays for Mixed-Use Urban Developments
    • Karolina Zielińska-Dąbkowska
    • Kyra Xavia
    2019 Full text Sustainability

    Urban environments have become significantly brighter and more illuminated, and cities now consider media architecture and non-static, self-luminous LED displays an essential element of their strategy to attract residents, visitors, and tourists in the hours after dark. Unfortunately, most often, they are not designed with care, consideration, and awareness, nor do they support the visual wellbeing and circadian rhythms of humans. They also increase light pollution which has an adverse effect on the environment. The aim of this study was to estimate the scale of the negative impact of 28 non-static, self-luminous LED shop window displays within a real-life city context along the main shopping street Banhofstrasse in Zurich, Switzerland. An experimental field measurement survey investigation was performed to identify visual luminance with commonly available tools such as a luminance meter and a digital reflex camera for luminance photography. Moreover, the most important global approaches to reduce light pollution were evaluated in the form of existing guidelines, technical standards, and laws, all of which should be considered when specifying illuminated digital advertisements. A literature review and survey results both confirmed the extent of the problem and highlighted, too, the need to better measure, apply, and manage this new technology. The authors’ proposal for improvements involve practical recommendations for the design and implementation of future projects which can positively guide and direct this growing trend.

  • Global edge alliances in graphs
    • Robert Lewoń
    • Anna Małafiejska
    • Michał Małafiejski
    • Kacper Wereszko
    2019 Full text DISCRETE APPLIED MATHEMATICS

    In the paper we introduce and study a new problem of finding a minimum global edge alliance in a graph which is related to the global defensive alliance (Haynes et al., 2013; Hedetniemi, 2004) and the global defensive set (Lewoń et al., 2016). We proved the NP-completeness of the global edge alliance problem for subcubic graphs and we constructed polynomial time algorithms for trees. We found the exact values of the size of the minimum global edge alliance for certain classes: paths, cycles, wheels, complete k-partite graphs and complete k-ary trees. Moreover, we proved some lower bounds for arbitrary graphs.

  • Global Value Chains and Wages: Multi-Country Evidence from Linked Worker-Industry Data
    • Aleksandra Parteka
    • Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz
    2019 Full text OPEN ECONOMIES REVIEW

    This paper uses a multi-country microeconomic setting to contribute to the literature on the nexus between production fragmentation and wages. Exploiting a rich dataset on over 110,000 workers from nine Eastern and Western European countries and the United States, we study the relationship between individual workers’ wages and industry ties into global value chains (GVCs). We find an inverse (but weak) relationship between the degree of industries’ involvement in GVCs and wages. Workers employed in routine occupations clearly earn less, but it is difficult to attribute it to the role played by the involvement of their countries and industries in global value chains.

  • Gość Inność, Wystawa sztuki współczesnej, Galeria MD_S, Wrocław 2019
    • Patryk Różycki
    2019

    Grudzień. Zimno, szaro, mokro, wszyscy biegają, żeby wyrobić się na święta; żeby kupić prezenty, odwiedzić rodzinę do której średnio chce Ci się jechać, żeby usiąść przy stole, odpowiadać na sztywne pytania w sztywnych koszulach, zapychając usta karpiem. Zapraszamy w gościnę do galerii MD_S 20 grudnia, gdzie o 18:00 będzie biła ciepłem i przytulnością, bo gościnność nie ocenia tak jak my nie oceniamy, każdy z nas jest gościem i każdy z nas jest inny. Każde ciało ma swój zapach, po co się kłócić o perfumy? Gościnność nie wybiera, stwarza przestrzeń do wspólnego obcowania. Klementyna Epa Malwina Gaj Wiktor Gałka Drag queen Larwa Kasper Lecnim Mortimer Hesper Patryk Różycki Michał Rutz Agnieszka Sejud Łukasz Stokłosa Daniel Weiss Melania Wróblewska

  • Graphs with equal domination and certified domination numbers
    • Magda Dettlaff
    • Magdalena Lemańska
    • Jerzy Topp
    • Mateusz Miotk
    • Radosław Ziemann
    • Paweł Żyliński
    2019 Full text Opuscula Mathematica

    A setDof vertices of a graphG= (VG,EG) is a dominating set ofGif every vertexinVG−Dis adjacent to at least one vertex inD. The domination number (upper dominationnumber, respectively) ofG, denoted byγ(G) (Γ(G), respectively), is the cardinality ofa smallest (largest minimal, respectively) dominating set ofG. A subsetD⊆VGis calleda certified dominating set ofGifDis a dominating set ofGand every vertex inDhas eitherzero or at least two neighbors inVG−D. The cardinality of a smallest (largest minimal,respectively) certified dominating set ofGis called the certified (upper certified, respectively)domination number ofGand is denoted byγcer(G) (Γcer(G), respectively). In this paperrelations between domination, upper domination, certified domination and upper certifieddomination numbers of a graph are studied

  • Green analytical chemistry: Social dimension and teaching
    • Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf
    • Marcin Zwierżdżyński
    • Anita Bevanda
    • Stanislava Talić
    • Anita Ivanković
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    2019 Full text TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

    Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) is the idea which every analytical chemist should be familiar of. Due to continuous improvement in the subject both from the aspects of theory and experimentation, the dynamic way analytical chemistry studies are evolving in the frame of chemistry degrees should not be surprising. Recently, many efforts have been made in order to include Green Chemistry principles to Education, also in the field of analytical chemistry, where twelve GAC principles play a main role. The understanding and awareness of these principles and other evolving related concepts requires special teaching of GAC as a part of curriculum at undergraduate and graduate levels. This article is focused on the main concepts and challenges of teaching GAC and also presents the current accomplishment in this field. In addition, teaching social responsibility in GAC is discussed. Several case studies are also presented as an example for the learners.

  • Green Analytical Chemistry: Summary of Existing Knowledge and Future Trends
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Agnieszka Gałuszka
    • Jacek Namieśnik
    2019

    Analysis of recent publications in green analytical chemistry shows the current trends and future needs in this area. The main issues are related with search for cheaper, more efficient, more accurate, greener and miniaturized alternatives. Miniaturization is perhaps, the most notable current trend in analytical chemistry. Rapid developments and improvements in instrumentation have led to impressive range of benchtop technology and portable devices. In addition, an important issue that has been explored by many authors is metrics of green analytical chemistry, such as Analytical Eco-Scale or Green Analytical Procedure Index. Implementation of interdisciplinary methods is an emerging trend in green analytical chemistry. Employment of multicriteria decision analysis, a technique which is used in environmental management, to green analytical chemistry is very popular and common trend. Another important issue that will determine the future of green analytical chemistry is education and popularization of this concept in the society. This chapter summarizes contemporary problems and gives future perspectives of Green Analytical Chemistry.

  • Green and equitable analytical chemistry
    • Renata Marcinkowska
    • Jacek Namieśnik
    • Marek Tobiszewski
    2019 Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry

    Green analytical chemistry introduces the ideas of reduction ofanalytical activities impact on the environment. However, to bemore sustainable, analytical chemistry should include socialaspects in greater manner. In this light‘equitable’analyticalprocedures, which are easily available in terms of price andapplicability by everyday user, are developed. These positivetrends are observed as many procedures, based on commonlyused for nonanalytical purpose devices, are developed. Someexamples of methods based on smartphones, scanners, 3Dprinters, or espresso machines are presented herein. With thiscontribution, we want to stress that green analytical chemistryis not tantamount to sustainable analytical chemistry as it doesnot include social equity factors

  • Ground tire rubber thermo-mechanically devulcanized in the presence of waste engine oil as asphalt modifier
    • Yue Li
    • Aiqin Shen
    • Zhenghua Lyu
    • Shifeng Wang
    • Krzysztof Formela
    • Guangtai Zhang
    2019 CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS

    Cross-linked elastomers network is main limitation for industrial usage of ground tire rubber (GTR) as asphalts’ and road pavements modifier. GTR was thermo-mechanically devulcanized via extrusion in the presence of waste engine oil (WEO) at temperature ranges from 150 to 280 °C. Combined impact of WEO content and extruder barrel temperature on the change of cross-linked structure of degraded GTR (DTGR) was investigated through sol fraction measurements and thermogravimetric analysis. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis, storage stability, viscosity, temperature susceptibility and rheological properties of asphalt modified with DGTR were studied via infrared spectrometer, conventional tests, viscosity, dynamic shear rheology, dynamic mechanical analysis. Fluorescence microscopy was also applied to observe microstructure and the interfacial interaction between DGTR and asphalt. The results shown that the sol fraction of DGTR increases with the increase of WEO content, which results in low dynamic viscosity and storage modulus of the modified asphalts. Barrel temperature strongly affects the form of DGTR and final properties of modified asphalt. Modified asphalts with DGTR at barrel temperature in 180 °C and 210 °C show better rheological properties and broader operating temperature than that of at 280 °C, which is related to degradation of polymer main chain. In addition, 30 %wt. of DGTR content resulted in significant improvement rheological properties and storage stability of modified asphalt. Moreover, it was observed that higher content (above 40 %wt.) of DGTR causes the deterioration of performance properties of modified asphalts, due to the excessive quantities of undissolved rubber particles in asphalt.

  • Growth and Isolation of Large Area Boron‐Doped Nanocrystalline Diamond Sheets: A Route toward Diamond‐on‐Graphene Heterojunction
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Michał Sobaszek
    • Adrian Nosek
    • Łukasz Gołuński
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Andrés Jaramillo-botero
    • William A. Goddard III
    • Marc Bockrath
    • Tadeusz Ossowski
    2019 Full text ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

    Many material device applications would benefit from thin diamond coatings, but current growth techniques, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition require high substrate and gas‐phase temperatures that would destroy the device being coated. The development of freestanding, thin boron‐doped diamond nanosheets grown on tantalum foil substrates via microwave plasma‐assisted CVD is reported. These diamond sheets (measuring up to 4 × 5 mm in planar area, and 300–600 nm in thickness) are removed from the substrate using mechanical exfoliation and then transferred to other substrates, including Si/SiO2 and graphene. The electronic properties of the resulting diamond nanosheets and their dependence on the free‐standing growth, the mechanical exfoliation and transfer processes, and ultimately on their composition are characterized. To validate this, a prototypical diamond nanosheet–graphene field effect transistor‐like (DNGfet) device is developed and its electronic transport properties are studied as a function of temperature. The resulting DNGfet device exhibits thermally activated transport (thermionic conductance) above 50 K. Below 50 K a transition to variable range hopping is observed. These findings demonstrate the first step towards a low‐temperature diamond‐based transistor.

  • Guessing Intrinsic Forwarding Trustworthiness of Wireless Ad Hoc Network Nodes
    • Jerzy Konorski
    • Karol Rydzewski
    2019 Full text

    A novel node misbehavior detection system called GIFTED is proposed for a multihop wireless ad hoc network (WAHN) whose nodes may selfishly refuse to forward transit packets. The system guesses the nodes’ intrinsic forwarding trustworthiness (IFT) by analyzing end-to-end path performance rather than utilizing unreliable and incentive incompatible low-layer mechanisms. It can work with occasional IFT jumps, directional antennae, multichannel transmission, end-to-end encrypted packets, any single-path source routing protocol, and any number of selfish nodes; this makes it a valuable alternative to existing misbehavior detection schemes. GIFTED relies on approximate decomposition of a path equation system arising from successive performance reports from source nodes. The ability to near-perfectly guess IFT in the presence of various perturbations is demonstrated through Monte Carlo and time-true simulations, and compared with an existing weighted path trust scheme.

  • Guided Wave Propagation in Detection of Partial Circumferential Debonding in Concrete Structures
    • Beata Zima
    2019 Full text SENSORS

    The following article presents results of investigating the damage detection in reinforced concrete beams with artificially introduced debonding between the rod and cover, using a non-destructive method based on elastic waves propagation. The primary aim of the research was to analyze the possible use of guided waves in partial circumferential debonding detection. Guided waves were excited and registered in reinforced concrete specimens with varying extents of debonding damage by piezoelectric sensors attached at both ends of the beams. Experimental results in the form of time–domain signals registered for variable extent of debonding were compared, and the relationships relating to the damage size and time of flight and average wave velocity were proposed. The experimental results were compared with theoretical predictions based on dispersion curves traced for the free rod of circular cross-section and rectangular reinforced concrete cross-section. The high agreement of theoretical and experimental data proved that the proposed method, taking advantage of average wave velocity, can be efficiently used for assessing debonding size in reinforced concrete structures. It was shown that the development of damage size in circumferential direction has a completely different impact on wave velocity than development of debonding length. The article contains a continuation of work previously conducted on the detection of delamination in concrete structures. The proposed relationship is the next essential step for developing a diagnostics method for detecting debondings of any size and orientation.

  • Hard carbon derived from rice husk as low cost negative electrodes in Na-ion batteries
    • Maria Rybarczyk
    • Yunming Li
    • Mo Qiao
    • Yong-Sheng Hu
    • Magdalena Titirici
    • Marek Lieder
    2019 Journal of Energy Chemistry

    Here, we report the synthesis of hard carbon materials (RH) made from natural rice husk through a single pyrolysis process and their application as an anode in sodium-ion batteries. The studies show that the electrochemical properties of RHs are affected by the treatment temperatures, which determine the materials morphology, in particular, their degree of graphitization and extent of continuous channels (nanovoids). The latter are accessible to sodium ions and significantly contribute to charge storage capacity of the produced anodes. The RHs obtained at 1600 °C deliver the highest reversible capacity of 276 mAh g−1 mainly due to insertion of sodium ions into the nanovoids. This work deepens the basic understanding of the influence of the carbonization temperature on the sodium storage mechanism.

  • Heat recovery from the hybrid photovoltaic tile – experimental studies with the solar light simulator
    • Jan Wajs
    • Aleksandra Gołąbek
    • Roksana Bochniak
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    2019

    Considering the current development of micro-cogeneration energy sources, supported by the national prosumer policy and the act on the renewable energy sources, there is a great demand for the effective solar technologies. In this area, the photovoltaic cells with a combined conversion of the solar radiation energy into the electrical and thermal energy (PV/T cells) seem to be attractive. They are already widely available and treated as the classical solutions. On the other hand, the photocells forming the autonomous roof coverings (the photovoltaic tiles) are still kind of a novelty. In addition to the benefits of electricity generation in PV modules, the heat recovery from them could partially cover the heat demand in the residential or industrial buildings. The paper is dedicated to the hybrid solar systems (PV/T). The greatest attention was devoted to the analysis of heat recovery from the photovoltaic panel and an impact of this process on the efficiency of electricity generation. It is worth to emphasize that one of the very few models of the photovoltaic roof tiles available on the market has been tested. Experimental investigations were carried out on a dedicated experimental stand, equipped with a solar light simulator, designed for the needs of this research.

  • Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of the silicone-based plate heat exchanger
    • Tomasz Muszyński
    • Rafał Andrzejczyk
    • Il Wong Park
    • Carlos Alberto Dorao
    2019 Full text Archives of Thermodynamics

    The paper presents an experimental investigation of a silicone based heat exchanger, with passive heat transfer intensification by means of surface enhancement. The main objective of this paper was to experimentally investigate the performance of a heat exchanger module with the enhanced surface. Heat transfer in the test section has been examined and described with precise measurements of thermal and flow conditions. Reported tests were conducted under steady-state conditions for single-phase liquid cooling. Proposed surface modification increases heat flux by over 60%. Gathered data presented, along with analytical solutions and numerical simulation allow the rational design of heat transfer devices.

  • Heat transfer intensification by jet impingement – numerical analysis using RANS approach
    • Tomasz Kura
    • Elżbieta Fornalik-Wajs
    • Jan Wajs
    • Sasa Kenjeres
    2019 Full text E3S Web of Conferences

    Jet impingement is a method of the heat transfer enhancement applied in the engineering systems. The idea is to generate fast-flow fluid jet which impinge on the heated (or cooled) surface, causing significantly higher heat transfer rate. Although some flat surface jet impingement cases are described in the literature, the validated data is still limited. The reason is coming from the fact, that these flows are hydrodynamically complex. Therefore the numerical analysis is necessary to understand the phenomena, especially in the range of turbulent flow. The well-known and accurate method is Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach. However, depending on the applied turbulence model, various results can be obtained. The reason is that the jet impingement strongly depends on the complex boundary layer effects and their resolving is still challenging for RANS models and until now it is their weakest point. In the paper, the hydrodynamic and thermal, numerical results of jet impingement are presented, depending on selected RANS based models. The aim was to indicate their ability to anticipate the turbulence parameters.

  • Heavy Duty Vehicle Fuel Consumption Modelling Based on Exploitation Data by Using Artificial Neural Networks
    • Oskar Wysocki
    • Lipika Deka
    • David Elizondo
    • Jacek Kropiwnicki
    • Jacek Czyżewicz
    2019 Full text

    One of the ways to improve the fuel economy of heavy duty trucks is to operate the combustion engine in its most efficient operating points. To do that, a mathematical model of the engine is required, which shows the relations between engine speed, torque and fuel consumption in transient states. In this paper, easy accessible exploitation data collected via CAN bus of the heavy duty truck were used to obtain a model of a diesel engine. Various polynomial regression, K-Nearest Neighbor and Artificial Neural Network models were evaluated, and based on RMSE the most relevant sets of parameters for the given algorithm were selected. Finally, the models were compared by using RMSE and Absolute Relative Error scores for 5 test samples. These represent the whole engine’s operating area. Apart from goodness of fit, the models were analyzed in terms of sensitivity to the size of the training samples. ANN and KNN proved to be accurate algorithms for modeling fuel consumption by using exploitation data. The ANN model was ranked best, as it required less observations to be trained in order to achieve an absolute relative error which was lower than 5%. A conventional method, i.e. polynomial regression, performed significantly worse than either the ANN or the KNN models. The approach presented in this study shows the potential for using easy accessible exploitation data to modeling fuel consumption of heavy duty trucks. This leads to the reduction of fuel consumption having a clear positive impact on the environment.

  • Heavy duty vehicle fuel consumption modelling using artificial neural networks
    • Oskar Wysocki
    • David Elizondo
    • Lipika Deka
    2019 Full text

    In this paper an artificial neural network (ANN) approach to modelling fuel consumption of heavy duty vehicles is presented. The proposed method uses easy accessible data collected via CAN bus of the truck. As a benchmark a conventional method, which is based on polynomial regression model, is used. The fuel consumption is measured in two different tests, performed by using a unique test bench to apply the load to the engine. Firstly, a transient state test was performed, in order to evaluate the polynomial regression and 25 ANN models with different parameters. Based on the results, the best ANN model was chosen. Then, validation test was conducted using real duty cycle loads for model comparison. The neural network model outperformed the conventional method and represents fuel consumption of the engine operating in transient states significantly better. The presented method can be applied in order to reduce fuel consumption in utility vehicles delivering accurate fuel economy model of truck engines, in particular in low engine speed and torque range.

  • Heavy Metals in Sediments of Urban Streams: Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Influencing Factors
    • Ewa Wojciechowska
    • Nicole Nawrot
    • Jolanta Walkusz-miotk
    • Karolina Matej-Łukowicz
    • Ksenia Pazdro
    2019 Full text Sustainability

    Sediments of two urban streams in northern Poland outflowing to the Baltic Sea were assessed to explain the spatial variation in relation to urbanization level of the catchment, the role of retention tanks (RTs) and identification of pollution level. During the 3 month period of investigation sediment samples were collected from the inflow (IN) and outflow (OUT) of six RTs located on streams for flood protection. Six heavy metals (HMs) were investigated: Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cr. The assessment of four geochemical enrichment indices used to quantify contamination of HMs in the sediments at IN and OUT samples was carried out. Contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and potential ecological risk (RI) were calculated and the indices usefulness was assessed. Also, the hazard quotient (HQ) was calculated to assess health risk associated with dredging works. In sediments from RTs where paved surfaces constituted more than 70% of the catchment the HMs concentrations were from one to three times higher for Ni and from two to 143 times higher for Cu in comparison to soft catchment results. The extremely high Cu concentration (1114 mg/kg d.w.) found in sediments at RT Orłowska IN was most likely associated with large area of roofs covered with copper sheet. Calculation of CF, PLI, Igeo, RI, HQ indicators allows for a complex and multi-dimensional assessment of sediment status. Among these, CF and PLI classified the analyzed sediments as most polluted. Basing on the sedimentary HMs concentrations the health risk level via dermal exposure pathway was assessed as low.

  • Heterogeneous oxidation of highly boron-doped diamond electrodes and its influence on the surface distribution of electrochemical activity
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Łukasz Burczyk
    • Artur Zieliński
    • Mateusz Ficek
    • Artur Franczak
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Kazimierz Darowicki
    2019 Full text ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA

    The electrochemical active surface area (EASA) of polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes is heterogeneous and can be affected by numerous factors. There is a strong need for proper consideration of BDD heterogeneity in order to improve this material's range of application in electrochemistry. Localized changes in surface termination due to the influence of oxidation agent result in increased surface resistance. The observed behavior of this characteristic feature varies among individual grains, depending on their crystallographic orientation. Still, there is not much information about this key factor in terms of its influence on the electrochemical response of BDD. In this study we compared two approaches towards BDD surface oxidation, namely: anodic polarization at potentiostatic and potentiodynamic conditions. The surface impedance measurements via Nanoscale Impedance Microscopy (NIM) allowed the confirmation of diversified propensity for the modification of surface termination in BDD. We showed that the NIM studies provide a deep understanding on the electrical characterization and variation of surface resistance in BDD electrodes. In order to evaluate the actual heterogeneity of electrochemical activity distribution, voltammetry, dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) studies were performed. For each investigated electrode, departure from the Randles-Sevcik equation was observed, with its level depending on the surface heterogeneity and oxidation treatment, justifying the standardization of pre-treatment procedure and development of non-standard model for diffusion transport in proximity of BDD electrode.

  • High performance super-twisting sliding mode control for a maritime autonomous surface ship (MASS) using ADP-Based adaptive gains and time delay estimation
    • Hossein Nejatbakhsh Esfahani
    • Rafał Szłapczyński
    • Mohammad Hossein Ghaemi
    2019 Full text OCEAN ENGINEERING

    This research addresses two kinds of problems related to optimal trajectory tracking of a Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS): those caused by the time-varying external disturbances including winds, waves and ocean currents as well as those resulting from inherent dynamical uncertainties. As the paper shows, an accurate and robust optimal controller can successfully deal with both issues. An improved Optimal Adaptive Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control (OAST-SMC) algorithm is proposed here as a robust optimal adaptive strategy. In this strategy, in order to improve performance of the standard super-twisting approach, we apply an Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP)-based optimal tuning of gains and an underlying concept based on Time Delay Estimation (TDE). An ADP algorithm is implemented using an actor-critic neural network to deal with the curse of dimensionality in Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation. The critical role of TDE part in this algorithm is estimating the impact of disturbances and uncertainties on the MASS model. The results have shown that OAST-TDE significantly outperforms the ST-TDE and AST-TDE algorithm in terms of the optimal control efforts. Also, compared with a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), proposed controller meets the optimal control efforts and accurate tracking concurrently.

  • High Performance Tubular Heat Exchanger with Minijet Heat Transfer Enhancement
    • Jan Wajs
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    • Elżbieta Fornalik-Wajs
    • Michał Bajor
    2019 Full text HEAT TRANSFER ENGINEERING

    In the paper, the original cylindrical heat exchanger with minijets (MJHE) was introduced. The systematic experimental analysis of the prototype heat exchanger was described with special attention paid to such parameters as the heat transfer effectiveness, heat transfer rates, overall heat transfer coefficients, and pressure drop. The heat transfer coefficients were determined based on Wilson plot method, the most suitable approach for heat transfer coefficient determination in exchangers of complex geometry. The thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the in-house manufactured prototype of MJHE in water–water and gas–water configuration are also presented. The experimental results were compared with the predictions from well-known correlations found in the published research papers dedicated to the free-surface and submerged types of jets.

  • High temperature oxidation behavior of SUS430 SOFC interconnects with Mn-Co spinel coating in air
    • Chuan Jia
    • Yuhao Wang
    • Sebastian Molin
    • Yongliang Zhang
    • Ming Chen
    • Minfang Han
    2019 JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS

    In this study, SUS430 alloy is evaluated for its high temperature corrosion properties as a possible material for interconnects of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Samples are coated with Mn-Co by commercial physical vapor deposition (PVD) process and oxidized in air for 1250 h at 800 °C. A dense cubic Mn-Co-Fe spinel layer is formed on the surface, showing great effect on corrosion reduction compared with the samples without coating. A corrosion rate constant of 1.22 × 10−14 g2 cm−4 s−1 is presented in this study for the coated samples, with an area specific resistance (ASR) of around 31 mΩ cm2. After the experiment, microstructures of the samples are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), which shows that the SUS430 alloy with Mn-Co coating can be considered as one of the low-cost material for the interconnects of SOFCs with good performance.

  • High-efficiency mini and micro heat exchangers for dispersed power generation
    • Jan Wajs
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    2019

    Taking into account the dispersed systems technologies and their development, the ORC systems seem to be promising technology amongst various micro-CHP domestic units (electrical power production below 10 kWe), however practical realization of the ORC cycle in a micro-scale is technically challenging. The system consists in devices such as the vapour generation unit (boiler), expansion device and heat exchangers. Each of them should be of high performance so that the system as a whole could work efficiently. This is the reason why novel constructions of heat exchangers or heat transfer enhancement mechanisms are looked for in relation to the evaporator, condenser or regenerator. In the present paper the own construction of compact heat exchangers (plate-type and cylindrical constructions) with microjets and with minichanels are proposed. They were designed on the basis of several years of experiences, for the needs of domestic ORC system and other dispersed energy generation technologies. The features of mentioned above heat exchangers are discussed together with the flow and thermal characteristics of their prototypes. As a summary, the experimental studies of the authors domestic ORC unit equipped with prototype minichannel heat exchangers are also presented.

  • Highlights from RNDM 2018 – 10th Anniversary Workshop on Resilient Networks Design and Modeling
    • Jacek Rak
    • Poul Heegaard
    • Bjarne Helvik
    2019 IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE

    Artykuł prezentujący relację z workshopu RNDM 2018

  • Highly effective asphaltene-derived adsorbents for gas phase removal of volatile organic compounds
    • Maksymilian Plata-Gryl
    • Malwina Momotko
    • Sławomir Makowiec
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2019 Full text SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY

    A novel nitrated asphaltene-derived adsorbent (Asf-Nitro) was prepared using facile isolation and modification procedures. The successful modification was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The nitrated adsorbent was evaluated in terms of dispersive and specific interactions, Lewis acid-base properties and adsorption isotherms by means of inverse gas chromatography (IGC). Nitration was found to be extremely effective in enhancing adsorption properties of asphaltenes towards variety of chemical compounds. Asf-Nitro adsorbent exhibits superior dispersive interactions (197.50 ± 1.12 mJ m-2 at 423 K), as compared to unmodified asphaltenes, which are comparable with activated carbons, zeolites or alumina. Examination of the specific interactions revealed a shift from basic to acidic character of the surface, what will be beneficial for adsorption of alkaline gases. Additionally, adsorption isotherms revealed that developed surface properties of the Asf-Nitro results in more than doubled monolayer adsorption capacity. Obtained results demonstrates the applicability of the asphaltene-derived materials in adsorption processes as highly effective and low cost adsorbents. This studies revealed a highly effective adsorption of environmentally important VOCs, e.g. n-butanol (odorous compound), trichloromethane (chlorinated hydrocarbon) and benzene (carcinogenic).

  • High-temperature heat pumps – potential technology for heat recovery and production of process heat
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    • Jan Wajs
    2019

    In the paper, the high temperature vapour compressor based heat pump with a selection of working fluids, both perspective and ecological ones, is considered. Such system is not yet commercially available on the market and in author’s opinion it has significant potential for various applications. In the presented analysis it was assumed that the heat source has a temperature of 50oC and the temperature lift is 60, 80 and 100K respectively. Such temperature lift is a requirement for perspective applications. On the basis of obtained results the fluid working temperatures, heat rates, coefficient of performance of proposed solution as well as second law analysis have been determined. They confirm the potential for implementation in high temperature heat pumps in energy engineering area. Especially ethanol as working fluid seems to outperform other fluids.

  • High-temperature kinetics study of 430L steel powder oxidized in air at 600–850 °C
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Tomasz Brylewski
    • Tadeusz Miruszewski
    • K. H. Andersen
    • Piotr Jasiński
    • Sebastian Molin
    2019 CORROSION SCIENCE

    The 430L stainless steel powder with a mean particle size of 95 μm was studied to determine its high-temperature oxidation properties. Continuous thermogravimetric measurements were carried out for 100 h in air at temperatures in the range of 600–850 °C. Even though a considerable amount of Cr (up to ˜5 wt.% Cr) inside the grains was depleted – especially inside small grains – no breakaway oxidation was observed. This indicates that both the remaining Cr and the formed chromia scale remained protective with regard to the metallic core until the Cr concentration reached very low levels.

  • High-temperature oxidation of the Crofer 22 H ferritic steel with Mn1.45Co1.45Fe0.1O4 and Mn1.5Co1.5O4 spinel coatings under thermal cycling conditions and its properties
    • M Bednarz
    • Sebastian Molin
    • Michał Bobruk
    • M Stygar
    • E Długoń
    • M Sitarz
    • Tomasz Brylewski
    2019 MATERIALS CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

    The aim of the presented study was to deposit protective-conducting Mn1.45Co1.45Fe0.1O4 and Mn1.5Co1.5O4 spinel coatings on the Crofer 22 H ferritic steel by means of electrophoresis and to evaluate their physicochemical properties after high-temperature oxidation under thermal cycling conditions. When the Crofer 22 H steel – whether uncoated or coated with the two spinels – was oxidized in 48-h cycles involving a temperature of either 750 or 800 °C, its oxidation kinetics approximately obeyed the parabolic rate law. The oxidation rate observed for uncoated steel was higher than that for the studied coating/steel systems. The Fe-doped spinel coating material improved the oxidation resistance of steel to a higher degree than the undoped spinel coating. The obtained bulk spinels exhibited a regular phase composition and high electrical conductivity, while the Mn1.45Co1.45Fe0.1O4 and Mn1.5Co1.5O4 coatings were dual-phase, compact, and exhibited good adhesion to the metallic substrate. The area-specific resistance values measured for the steel/coating systems indicate that the coatings significantly improve the electrical properties of the studied ferritic steel, especially at 800 °C. The conducted research confirmed the suitability of the Mn1.45Co1.45Fe0.1O4 and Mn1.5Co1.5O4 spinels as coatings on the Crofer 22 H ferritic steel to be applied in the production of interconnects used in intermediate-temperature SOFCs.

  • High-temperature properties of titanium-substituted yttrium niobate
    • Aleksandra Mielewczyk-Gryń
    • Piotr Winiarz
    • Sebastian Wachowski
    • Maria Gazda
    2019 JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH

    he defect fluorite titanium-doped yttrium niobate samples Y3Nb1−xTixO7−δ have been synthesized and investigated by the means of high-temperature X-ray diffraction, dilatometry, and thermogravimetry. Thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) as well as chemical expansion coefficients for material with 5, 10, and 15 mol% of titanium were determined. All investigated samples exhibit chemical contraction caused by Ti doping. The values of TECs obtained by two different methods show similar results, which suggests the isotropy of the polycrystalline ceramic. Thermogravimetric studies have shown that all of the compositions exhibit a mass increase upon being exposed to a humid air atmosphere. The total proton concentration calculated on the basis of these results was in the range of 0.1 mol%. Moreover, titanium content influences chemical expansion coefficient, water uptake, and protonic defects concentration, whereas it does not significantly affect the values of TECs

  • Historia i materialne relikty fortyfikacji Westerplatte sprzed 1920 r.
    • Arkadiusz Woźniakowski
    2019

    Z uwagi na swoje położenie Westerplatte od momentu uformowania się wyspy, a następnie półwyspu, miało kluczowe znaczenie dla obrony wejścia do portu w Gdańsku. Pierwsze znane nowożytne fortyfikacje na terenie Westerplatte to oszańcowany obóz warowny wojsk pruskich z końca XVII w., ale najintensywniejsza rozbudowa umocnień nastąpiła od połowy XIX w., kiedy położono większy nacisk na zabezpieczenie ujścia Wisły. Od lat osiemdziesiątych XIX w. w Gdańsku rozbudowywano już tylko fortyfikacje nadbrzeżne, z których wiele znalazło się na Westerplatte. Przechodziły one wiele przemian związanych przede wszystkim z rozwojem uzbrojenia i taktyki, ale także naturalną działalnością morza, rozwojem przemysłu portowego i zmianami geopolitycznymi. Celem artykułu jest prześledzenie rozwoju i zmian w układzie przestrzennym fortyfikacji Westerplatte do momentu utworzenia Wolnego Miasta Gdańska oraz identyfikacja zachowanych reliktów w świetle najnowszych badań i źródeł kartograficznych. Jest to przyczynek do badań nad mniej znanym rozdziałem w militarnej historii tego miejsca, jeszcze przed ustanowieniem Wojskowej Składnicy Tranzytowej.

  • History and Milestones of Green Analytical Chemistry
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Magdalena Fabjanowicz
    • Kaja Kalinowska
    • Jacek Namieśnik
    2019

    Due to the increased environmental consciousness, Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) is an important concept steadily gaining popularity, as its implementation facilitates the decrease the detrimental effect analytical chemistry methodologies may have on the environment. In this chapter, a brief overview of the history of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) and its milestones was given. Emphasis has been put on the beginnings of green chemistry awareness and on the possibilities of increasing and evaluating the greeness of both currently used and designed analytical chemistry methodologies. In addition, the prospects of implementation of 12 principles of Green Analytical Chemistry have been briefly described.

  • Home Sweet Home. Connecting the dots for healthy evening residential illumination
    • Karolina Zielińska-Dąbkowska
    2019 Full text ARC Lighting In Architecture

    During the twentieth century, lighting designers would commonly use incandescent light sources for residential homes as they provided a visual comfort, with high quality colour rendering properties, along with relaxing ambient atmosphere. Unfortunately, it’s now difficult to buy incandescent light sources because they have been banned in many countries (https://bit.ly/2GwN2Wv). This article addresses some of the challenges in regards to health, brought about by the changeover to new LEDs and other related technologies, and tries to offer some context on how to keep up with these rapid transformations. While we know it’s necessary to limit blue-rich light at night (as it prevents melatonin production and impaires nocturnal sleep), and that it’s important to maximise exposure to the blue wavelength of light in the morning (to trigger circadian timing, increase alertness), there are other issues that are misunderstood and often ignored. This includes flicker from LEDs and electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which can be produced by smart home lighting technology.

  • Homo- i heteroleptyczne związki koordynacyjne metali przejściowych z pochodnymi imidazolu, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem 4(5)-(β-hydroksyetylo)imidazolu – badania strukturalne i spektroskopowe w ciele stałym i roztworze
    • Piotr Maślewski
    2019 Full text

    Rozprawa doktorska porusza zagadnienia związane z syntezą oraz właściwościami związków koordynacyjnych metali przejściowych z pochodnymi imidazolu. Główna uwaga poświęcona jest 4(5)-(β-hydroksyetylo)imidazolowi — występującemu naturalnie ligandowi, będącemu hydroksylowym analogiem histaminy, o zwyczajowej nazwie histaminol. Praca skupia się na ligandach zbliżonych strukturalnie do 4(5)-(β-hydroksyetylo)imidazolu oraz wykazującymi tę samą co on zdolność do chelatacji jonów metali w związkach kompleksowych. W ramach pracy przeprowadzono syntezę trzech ligandów imidazolowych, a następnie wykorzystano je do otrzymania związków kompleksowych z wybranymi jonami metali, przeważnie z tymi które występują w układach biologicznych. Za pomocą rentgenografii strukturalnej uzyskano struktury krystalograficzne dwóch otrzymanych ligandów oraz czternastu nowo poznanych związków koordynacyjnych z 4(5)-(β-metoksyetylo)imidazolem, 4(5)-(β-hydroksyetylo)imidazolem, 2,2’-bis(4,5-dimetyloimidazol)em oraz 1H-imidazolem. Oznaczono stałe trwałości związków koordynacyjnych 4(5)-(β-hydroksyetylo)imidazolu z wybranymi jonami metali w roztworach wodnych oraz prześledzono proces ich tworzenia za pomocą metod potencjometrycznych. Dzięki uzyskanym wynikom udało się scharakteryzować właściwości badanych ligandów oraz tworzonych przez nie kompleksów zarówno w ciele stałym jak i roztworze.

  • Host and pathogen factors in Klebsiella pneumoniae upper urinary tract infections in renal transplant patients
    • Justyna Gołębiewska
    • Beata Krawczyk
    • Magdalena Wysocka
    • Aleksandra Ewiak
    • Jolanta Komarnicka
    • Marek Bronk
    • Bolesław Rutkowski
    • Alicja Dębska-ślizień
    2019 Full text JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY

    Purpose . To analyse the role of virulence factors (VFs) and host in Klebsiella pneumoniae upper urinary tract infections (UTIs) in renal transplant (RTx) recipients. Methodology. Clinical and demographic data were registered prospectively. Phylogenetic background of K. pneumoniae isolates was analysed by PCR melting profiles (MP) and the following VFs genes: fimH-1, uge, kpn, ycfM, mrkD, rmpA, magA, hlyA, cnf-1, irp-1, irp-2, fyuA, entB, iutA, iroN by PCR. Results. We studied urine cultures and clinical data from 61 episodes of K. pneumoniae UTI in 54 RTx recipients. There were 32 cases of AB (53%), 10 cases of lower UTI (16%), 19 cases of AGPN (31%), including six cases of bacteraemia. In total, 74 % of strains were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase+, and there were two carbapenemase-producing strains. PCR MP typing showed a diverse population with 52 different genetic profiles of K. pneumoniae . Analysis of the DNA profiles indicated 45 unrelated, unique genotypes and 7 related (16 isolates from 15 patients) genotypes. Urine flow impairment emerged as an independent predictor of K. pneumoniae upper UTIs (OR 14.28, CI 2.7–75.56, P 0.002), while we did not find any association between the profile of VFs and developing upper UTIs. The prevalence of the uge gene was lower in RTx patients on everolimus when compared to isolates from patients not receiving mTOR inhibitors (33.3 % vs 82.8 % P<0.05). Conclusions . K. pneumoniae upper UTI may be a marker of urine flow impairment. Bacterial VFs could not discriminate between upper and lower UTIs. However, immunosuppression may influence the selection of particular VFs.

  • How green are ionic liquids? – A multicriteria decision analysis approach
    • Marta Bystrzanowska
    • Pena-pereira Francisco
    • Łukasz Marcinkowski
    • Marek Tobiszewski
    2019 Full text ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY

    Due to various desirable physicochemical properties, ionic liquids (ILs) are still gaining in popularity. ILs have been recurrently considered green solvents. However, environmental, health and safety assessments of ILs have raised certain doubts about their benignness, and their greenness status is currently unclear. To clarify the situation on their greenness, we perform a comprehensive assessment of more than 300 commercially available ILs. We apply multicriteria decision analysis, the tool that allows ranking many alternatives according to relevant criteria. They are toxicity towards various organisms, biodegradability, hazard statements and precautionary measures during their handling. We incorporated organic solvents to rankings, as their greenness is better described, so they serve as greenness reference points. The ranking results obtained considering the whole set of criteria show that ILs are placed between recommended polar solvents and problematic/undesirable non polar organic solvents in terms of greenness. However, the exclusion of toxicity data due to unavailability of endpoints results in assessment of ILs as greener than most of organic solvents.

  • How to achieve sustainability?-Employee's point of view on company's culture and CSR practice
    • Wioleta Kucharska
    • Rafał Kowalczyk
    2019 Full text Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management

    The people are the company. This study aims to examine the structure of relationships between company culture, performance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and reputation, as seen from the employee's perspective, to determine which company culture factors most influence CSR practice and, as a result, sustain a company's development and improve its performance. To accomplish this goal, we conducted a survey among employees of Polish construction companies regarding CSR practices in their organizations. We applied a structural equation model based on 539 individual cases. For a better understanding of the employee's perception of CSR practice, the model included control variables such as company size and position in the company. Our findings suggest that company reputation is a strong mediator of the CSR practice and company performance relationship, and the cultural dimension of long‐term orientation has the greatest influence on CSR practice. The study advances the knowledge on the subject using a microlevel approach to stakeholders' engagement in CSR by exploring the personalized employee‐centric view of organizational culture, CSR practice, and company reputation to sustain a company's development and improve its performance.

  • How to stop salami science: promotion of healthy trends in publishing behavior
    • Jarosław Wawer
    2019 Accountability in Research-Policies and Quality Assurance

    The career of scientists often depends on the number of their published works. This fact leads to the overproduction of low quality papers burying the important articles and making the knowledge less accessible. One of the methods to counteract these negative aspects might lie in the promotion of healthy trends in publishing behavior. In the present work, the theoretical analysis of a new bibliometric measure is presented, and its potential impact on the publishing strategies is carefully discussed.

  • Human Centric Lighting. The New X Factor?
    • Karolina Zielińska-Dąbkowska
    2019 Full text ARC Lighting In Architecture

    We live in challenging times, and one could even claim we’re experiencing a revolution in lighting with LED technology taking over the world. Part of this rapid change involves a concept called Human Centric Lighting (HCL). In Frankfurt this year, during Light+Building, it was the buzzword, with nearly every second manufacturer’s stand claiming they had figured out the special formula necessary to create perfect HCL illumination. But how can such claims be legitimate when we know so little about the full and complex impact of artificial lighting on human biology, let alone how to responsibly apply this new approach?