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Gdańsk University of Technology

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  • Fundamentals of Physics-Based Surrogate Modeling
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2022

    Chapter 1 was focused on data-driven (or approximation-based) modeling methods. The second major class of surrogates are physics-based models outlined in this chapter. Although they are not as popular, their importance is growing because of the challenges related to construction and handling of approximation surrogates for many real-world problems. The high cost of evaluating computational models, nonlinearity of system responses, dimensionality issues as well as combinations of these factors, may lead to a situation, where setting up a data-driven model is not possible or at least not practical. On the other hand, incorporation of the problem-specific knowledge, typically in the form of a lower-fidelity computational model, often alleviates the aforementioned difficulties. The enhancement of the low-fidelity models using a limited amount of high-fidelity data is the essence of physics-based surrogate modeling. This chapter provides a brief characterization of this class of surrogates, explains the concept and various types of low-fidelity models, as well as outlines several specific modeling approaches, also in the context of surrogate-assisted optimization.

  • Galerkin Finite Element Process for Entropy Production and Thermal Evaluation of Third-Grade Fluid Flow: A Thermal Case Study
    • Faisal Shahzad
    • Wasim Jamshed
    • El Sayed M. Tag El Din
    • Rabia Safdar
    • Nor Air Azeany Mohd Nazir
    • Rabha W. Ibrahim
    • Syed M. Hussain
    • Ikram Ullah
    • Muhammad Bilal Hafeez
    • Marek Krawczuk
    2022 Full text Applied Sciences-Basel

    : A fluid’s moving class improves its heat transmission capability, as well as its rigidity, owing to multivariate molecule suspension. In this way, nanofluids are superior to common fluids. In this study, we evaluated the features of ease and heat transfer. Furthermore, we investigated permeable media, heat source, variable heat conductivity, and warm irradiation results. A mathematical technique known as the Galerkin finite element (G-FEM) approach was used to solve the supervising conditions. Third-grade nanofluid (TGNF), which consists of two types of nanoparticles (NPs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) distributed in a base liquid of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) water, was used for this examination. The main conclusion of this study is that MWCNT-CMC nanofluid has a higher heat transfer velocity than SWCNT-CMC nanofluid. The entropy of the framework can be increased by adjusting the thermal conductivity. Additionally, we found that increasing the main volume section decreases the speed but increases the dispersion of atomic energy. In order to separately account for the development properties of inertial forces and shallow heat dispersion forces, Reynolds and Brinkman values can be used to accelerate the entropy rate of the heating framework.

  • Galerkin formulations with Greville quadrature rules for isogeometric shell analysis: Higher order elements and locking
    • T.j.r. Hughes
    • Zhihui Zou
    • M.a. Scott
    • Roger Sauer
    • E.j. Savitha
    2022

    We propose new Greville quadrature schemes that asymptotically require only four in-plane points for Reissner-Mindlin (RM) shell elements and nine in-plane points for Kirchhoff-Love (KL) shell elements in B-spline and NURBS-based isogeometric shell analysis, independent of the polynomial degree of the elements. For polynomial degrees 5 and 6, the approach delivers high accuracy, low computational cost, and alleviates membrane and transverse shear locking.

  • Game-based Sprint retrospectives: multiple action research
    • Adam Przybyłek
    • Marta Albecka
    • Olga Springer
    • Wojciech Kowalski
    2022 Full text EMPIRICAL SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

    In today’s fast-paced world of rapid technological change, software development teams need to constantly revise their work practices. Not surprisingly, regular reflection on how to become more effective is perceived as one of the most important principles of Agile Software Development. Nevertheless, running an effective and enjoyable retrospective meeting is still a challenge in real environments. As reported by several studies, the Sprint Retrospective is an agile practice most likely to be implemented improperly or sacrificed when teams perform under pressure to deliver. To facilitate the implementation of the practice, some agile coaches have proposed to set up retrospective meetings in the form of retrospective games. However, there has been little research-based evidence to support the positive effects of retrospective games. Our aim is to investigate whether the adoption of retrospective games can improve retrospective meetings in general and lead to positive societal outcomes. In this paper, we report on an Action Research project in which we implemented six retrospective games in six Scrum teams that had experienced common retrospective problems. The received feedback indicates that the approach helped the teams to mitigate many of the “accidental difficulties” pertaining to the Sprint Retrospective, such as lack of structure, dullness, too many complaints, or unequal participation and made the meetings more productive to some degree. Moreover, depending on their individual preferences, different participants perceived different games as having a positive impact on their communication, motivation-and-involvement, and/or creativity, even though there were others, less numerous, who had an opposite view. The advantages and disadvantages of each game as well as eight lessons learned are presented in the paper.

  • Gdańsk Urban Initiative Laboratory
    • Joanna Bach-Głowińska
    • Jacek Łubiński
    • Karolina Krośnicka
    • Joanna Tobolewicz
    2022

    Gdansk is Poland's principal seaport, situated on the southern edge of the Gdansk Bay on the Baltic Sea. The city is the capital and largest city of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Gdansk, in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia and the resort town of Sopot, and suburban communities, jointly forms Poland's fourth largest metropolitan area, with a population approaching 1.4 million. The pathways towards the Micro ULL FWE Nexus Square were established together by academics, city experts, business partners, and international experts as stakeholders. The several thematic Urban Living Labs undertaken within carefully selected groups had created chances for user friendly innovations. The integrated multi-channel monitoring system will allow for the detailed tracking of individual use of media by devices on board.

  • Gender differences in the perception of the Quality of College Life in Spanish University
    • Juan Jose Blazquez-Resino
    • Edyta Gołąb-Andrzejak
    • Santiago Gutierrez-Broncano
    2022 Full text International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise

    Through the current research, we intend to analyse how students differ in their levels of quality of college life (QCL) according to gender, and how this relates to overall quality of life (QoL) and loyalty [measured by Identification and word of mouth (WoM)] to their specific university. The survey included 243 students attending public university in Spain. The results obtained through the analysis of data allow affirming that there are differences between women and men both in the configuration of the quality of their college life and in its effect on the loyalty shown towards the college. This paper contributes towards an improved comprehension regarding the differences between the students according to their gender, so that managers can develop strategies better adapted to students.

  • Generalized Dobrushin Coefficients on Banach Spaces
    • Wojciech Bartoszek
    • Marek Beśka
    • Wiktor Florek
    2022 Full text Bulletin of the Iranian Mathematical Society

    The asymptotic behavior of iterates of bounded linear operators (not necessarily positive), acting on Banach spaces, is studied. Through the Dobrushin ergodicity coefficient, we generalize some ergodic theorems obtained earlier for classical Markov semigroups acting on L1 (or positive operators on abstract state spaces).

  • Generalized Dold sequences on partially-ordered sets
    • Grzegorz Graff
    • Jacek Gulgowski
    • Małgorzata Lebiedź
    2022 Full text ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF COMBINATORICS

    Dold sequences constitute an important class of integer sequences that play an important role in combinatorics, number theory, topology and dynamical systems. We generalize the notion of Dold sequence for the case of partially ordered sets and describe their properties. In particular we give two alternative descriptions of generalized Dold sequences: by some class of elementary sequences as well as by different generalized arithmetical functions, both defined on a partially ordered set. We also define vector Dold sequences and show their combinatorial interpretation in terms of periodic points.

  • Generalized Formulation of Response Features for Reliable Optimization of Antenna Input Characteristics
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2022 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION

    Electromagnetic (EM)-driven parameter adjustment has become imperative in the design of modern antennas. It is necessary because the initial designs rendered through topology evolution, parameter sweeping, or theoretical models, are often of poor quality and need to be improved to satisfy stringent performance requirements. Given multiple objectives, constraints, and a typically large number of geometry parameters, the design closure should be carried out through numerical optimization. Unfortunately, standard algorithms entail high CPU expenses and are prone to failure. Feature-based optimization (FBO) is one of the methods developed to alleviate these difficulties by reformulating the design task in terms of the characteristic points extracted from EM-simulated responses. FBO capitalizes on a less nonlinear relationship between the feature point coordinates and antenna dimensions as compared to the original responses (e.g., frequency characteristics). This leads to flattening the functional landscape to be handled, faster convergence of the optimization algorithms, and a possibility of mitigating the issues pertinent to multi-modality. Notwithstanding, the response features have to be individually defined for each type of antenna response and tailored to a particular type of design specifications. This requires user experience and hinders a widespread application of FBO. This paper proposes a generalized and unified feature point definition, which is suitable for majority of typical antenna input characteristics (narrow-, multi-band, enhanced bandwidth, wideband), and performance specifications (matching improvement, bandwidth enhancement, mixture thereof). Our framework allows for an automated definition of the feature points given the performance specifications, along with their extraction from EM-simulated responses. The operation of the framework is illustrated using a range of planar antennas and favorably compared to conventional (non-feature-based) design closure task formulation.

  • Generalized regression neural network and fitness dependent optimization: Application to energy harvesting of centralized TEG systems
    • Adeel Mirza
    • Syed Kamran Haider
    • Abbas Ahmed
    • Ateeq Ur Rehman
    • Muhammad Shafiq
    • Mohit Bajaj
    • Hossam M. Zawbaa
    • Paweł Szczepankowski
    • Salah Kamel
    2022 Full text Energy Reports

    The thermoelectric generator (TEG) system has attracted extensive attention because of its applications in centralized solar heat utilization and recoverable heat energy. The operating efficiency of the TEG system is highly affected by operating conditions. In a series-parallel structure, due to diverse temperature differences, the TEG modules show non-linear performance. Due to the non-uniform temperature distribution (NUTD) condition, several maximum power points (MPPs) appear on the P/V curve. In multiple MPPs, the true global maximum power points (GMPP) are very important for optimum action. The existing conventional technologies have slow tracking speed, low productivity, and unwanted fluctuations in voltage curves. To overcome the TEG system behavior and shortcomings, A novel control technology for the TEG system is proposed, which utilizes the improved generalized regression neural network and fitness dependent optimization (GRNNFDO) to track the GMPP under dynamic operating conditions. Conventional TEG system control techniques are not likely to trace true GMPP. Our novel GRNNFDO can trace the true GMPP for NUTD and under varying temperature conditions In this article, some major contributions in the area of the TEG systems are investigated by solving the issues such as NUTD global maxima tracking, low efficiency of TEG module due to mismatch, and oscillations around optimum point. The results of GRNNFDO are compared with the Cuckoo-search algorithm (CSA), and grasshopper optimization (GHO) algorithm and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Results of GRNNFDO are verified with experiments and authenticated with MATLAB/SIMULINK. The proposed GRNNFDO control technique generates up to 7% more energy than PSO and 60% fast-tracking than meta-heuristic algorithms.

  • Genetic and pharmacologic proteasome augmentation ameliorates Alzheimer’s-like pathology in mouse and fly APP overexpression models
    • Paweł Wityk
    • E. Sandra Chocron
    • Erin Munkácsy
    • Harper S. Kim
    • Przemyslaw Karpowicz
    • Nisi Jiang
    • Van Skike E. Candice
    • Nicholas DeRosa
    • Banh Q. Andy
    • Palavicini P. Juan
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    • Veronica Galvan
    • Pawel A. Osmulski
    • Elzbieta Jankowska
    • Maria Gaczynska
    • Andrew M. Pickering
    2022 Full text Science Advances

    The proteasome has key roles in neuronal proteostasis, including the removal of misfolded and oxidized proteins, presynaptic protein turnover, and synaptic efficacy and plasticity. Proteasome dysfunction is a prominent feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We show that prevention of proteasome dysfunction by genetic manipulation delays mortality, cell death, and cognitive deficits in fly and cell culture AD models. We developed a transgenic mouse with neuronal-specific proteasome overexpression that, when crossed with an AD mouse model, showed reduced mortality and cognitive deficits. To establish translational relevance, we developed a set of TAT-based proteasome-activating peptidomimetics that stably penetrated the blood-brain barrier and enhanced 20S/26S proteasome activity. These agonists protected against cell death, cognitive decline, and mortality in cell culture, fly, and mouse AD models. The protective effects of proteasome overexpression appear to be driven, at least in part, by the proteasome’s increased turnover of the amyloid precursor protein along with the prevention of overall proteostatic dysfunction.

  • Genetic and pharmacologic proteasome augmentation ameliorates Alzheimer’s-like pathology in mouse and fly APP overexpression models
    • E. Sandra Chocron
    • Erin Munkácsy
    • Harper S. Kim
    • Przemyslaw Karpowicz
    • Nisi Jiang
    • Candice E. Van Skike
    • Nicholas DeRosa
    • Andy Q. Banh
    • Juan P. Palavicini
    • Paweł Wityk
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    • Veronica Galvan
    • Pawel A. Osmulski
    • Elzbieta Jankowska
    • Maria Gaczynska
    • Andrew M. Pickering
    2022 Full text Science Advances

    The proteasome has key roles in neuronal proteostasis, including the removal of misfolded and oxidized proteins, presynaptic protein turnover, and synaptic efficacy and plasticity. Proteasome dysfunction is a prominent feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We show that prevention of proteasome dysfunction by genetic manipulation delays mortality, cell death, and cognitive deficits in fly and cell culture AD models. We developed a transgenic mouse with neuronal-specific proteasome overexpression that, when crossed with an AD mouse model, showed reduced mortality and cognitive deficits. To establish translational relevance, we developed a set of TAT-based proteasome- activating peptidomimetics that stably penetrated the blood-brain barrier and enhanced 20 S /26 S proteasome activity. These agonists protected against cell death, cognitive decline, and mortality in cell culture, fly, and mouse Downloaded from https://www.science.org at Medical University of Gdansk on June 11, 2022 AD models. The protective effects of proteasome overexpression appear to be driven, at least in part, by the pro- teasome’s increased turnover of the amyloid precursor protein along with the prevention of overall proteostatic dysfunction.

  • Geodezyjne wyznaczanie przemieszczeń pionowych obiektów inżynierskich z pomiarów uzyskanych metodą niwelacji hydrostatycznej
    • Waldemar Kamiński
    2022 Inżynieria Morska i Geotechnika

    Niwelacja hydrostatyczna (NH) jest obecnie często stosowaną metodą wyznaczenia przemieszczeń pionowych obiektów inżynierskich takich jak: mosty, wiadukty, estakady, tunele, wysokie budynki, obiekty zabytkowe, specjalistyczne obiekty inżynierskie (np. synchrotron), hale sportowe, widowiskowe, itp. Zastosowane w systemach niwelacji hydrostatycznej (SNH) sensory (czujniki) pomiarowe obejmują sensor referencyjny (RS) oraz czujniki umieszczone w punktach kontrolowanych (PK). Sensor referencyjny jest to czujnik umieszczony w takim miejscu i w takim punkcie, który w założeniach teoretycznych nie podlega przemieszczeniom pionowym i w stosunku do jego wysokości wyznaczane są przemieszczenia PK. Zasada NH wynika z prawa Bernoulliego. Wykorzystując w NH prawo Bernoulliego, należy uwzględnić między innymi następujące parametry: ciśnienie atmosferyczne, siłę grawitacji, gęstość cieczy przepływającej przez sensory pomiarowe. Wymienione parametry wyznaczane są z pewnymi błędami średnimi mającymi wpływ na oszacowanie dokładności rezultatów przemieszczeń pionowych. Należy dodać, że w literaturze przedmiotu przedstawiono szereg prac dotyczących między innymi analiz dokładności indywidualnych wymienionych wyżej parametrów i ich wpływu na otrzymane przemieszczenia pionowe. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono koncepcję geodezyjnego wyznaczania przemieszczeń SNH, oceny dokładności i istotności otrzymanych wielkości. Do oceny dokładności wykorzystano macierze kofaktorów (estymatorów wariancji). Posługując się modelem kinematycznym przemieszczających się PK badanego obiektu inżynierskiego przedstawiono problematykę predykcji przemieszczeń pionowych na dowolną epokę pomiarową. Wyznaczono także współczynnik korelacji liniowej Pearsona dla analizowanych w artykule parametrów. Przemieszczenia pionowe i analizę dokładności uzyskanych wartości wykonano dla zmodyfikowanego przykładu praktycznego zaczerpniętego z literatury przedmiotu [2]. Natomiast problem predykcji przedstawiono w oparciu o symulowane wyniki pomiaru przyspieszeń trzech PK badanego obiektu i ich błędów średnich. Prezentowane opracowanie jest uzupełnieniem i rozszerzeniem teoretyczno- empirycznych analiz przedstawionych w pracy [5].

  • Glass-ceramic joining of Fe22Cr porous alloy to Crofer22APU: interfacial issues and mechanical properties
    • Fabiana D'Isanto
    • Milena Salvo
    • Sebastian Molin
    • Damian Koszelow
    • Hassan Javed
    • Sufyan Akram
    • Andreas Chrysanthou
    • Federico Smeacetto
    2022 Full text CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL

    This work deals with the joining of porous Fe22Cr ferritic stainless steel to a dense Crofer22APU plate by using a silica-based, Ba-containing glass-ceramic. The chemical and interfacial stability and the mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated before and after thermal ageing at 700 ◦C for 500hrs. The sintering behaviour of the glass was assessed by using heating stage microscopy (HSM) to study the influence of a porous metal substrate on the shrinkage of the joining material. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that there were no defects or cracks at the porous alloy/glass-ceramic interface for both the as-joined samples and the samples after thermal ageing at 700 ◦C for 500 h. However, at this exposure temperature, the porous alloy started to form an oxide scale at the interface with the glass-ceramic and the internal surface of the porous alloy. Finally, the evaluation of the mechanical properties by tensile testing showed that the properties were not affected by thermal ageing at 700 ◦C.

  • Global defensive secure structures
    • Michał Małafiejski
    • Kacper Wereszko
    2022

    Let S ⊂ V (G) for a given simple non-empty graph G. We define for any nonempty subset X of S the predicate SECG,S(X) = true iff |NG[X]∩S| ≥ |NG[X]\S|. Let H be a non-empty family of graphs such that for each vertex v ∈ V (G) there is a subgraph H of G containing v and isomorphic to a member of H. We introduce the concept of H-alliance extending the concept of global defensive secure structures. By an H-alliance in a graph G we mean a set S ⊂ V (G) such that (1) each vertex v ∈ S belongs to a subgraph H of G that is isomorphic to a member of H, and (2) for each H ⊂ G[S] isomorphic to a member of H, SECG,S(V (H)) = true. If S is also a dominating set of G, we call it a global H-alliance of G. If H = {K1}, then such an H-alliance we call a defensive alliance (GA) [1] or a vertex alliance. If H = {K2}, then such an H-alliance we call an edge alliance [2]. In the case of H is a class of all complete graphs (i.e., K1, K2, . . .), then an H-alliance we call a complete alliance [3]. If H = {K1, . . . , Kk}, then an H-alliance we call k-complete alliance. In this talk we present general properties of global defensive secure structures (i.e., H-alliances), algorithms for H-alliance problems (exact and approximation ones), and we provide new N P-complete results for global defensive secure structures for bounded degree graphs. We formulate also H-alliance problem in some special cases as ILP problem and study a few algorithmic approaches.

  • Global Design Optimization of Microwave Circuits Using Response Feature Inverse Surrogates
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Leifur Leifsson
    2022

    Modern microwave design has become heavily reliant on full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools, which are necessary for accurate evaluation of microwave components. Consequently, it is also indispensable for their development, especially the adjustment of geometry parameters, oriented towards performance improvement. However, EM-driven optimization procedures incur considerable computational expenses, which may become impractical even in the case of local tuning, and prohibitive whenever global search is vital (e.g., multi-model tasks, simulation-based miniaturization, circuit re-design within extended ranges of operating frequencies). This work presents a novel approach to a computationally-efficient globalized parameter tuning of microwave components. Our framework employs the response feature technology, along with the inverse surrogate models. The latter permit low-cost exploration of the parameter space, and identification of the most advantageous regions that contain designs featuring performance parameters sufficiently close to the assumed target. The initial parameter vectors rendered in such a way undergo then local, gradient-based tuning. The incorporation of response features allows for constructing the inverse model using small training data sets due to simple (weakly-nonlinear) relationships between the operating parameters and dimensions of the circuit under design. Global optimization of the two microstrip components (a coupler and a power divider) is carried out for the sake of verification. The results demonstrate global search capability, excellent success rate, as well as remarkable efficiency with the average optimization cost of about a hundred of EM simulations of the circuit necessary to conclude the search process.

  • Global Surrogate Modeling by Neural Network-Based Model Uncertainty
    • Leifur Leifsson
    • Jethro Nagawkar
    • Laurel Barnet
    • Kenneth Bryden
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    2022

    This work proposes a novel adaptive global surrogate modeling algorithm which uses two neural networks, one for prediction and the other for the model uncertainty. Specifically, the algorithm proceeds in cycles and adaptively enhances the neural network-based surrogate model by selecting the next sampling points guided by an auxiliary neural network approximation of the spatial error. The proposed algorithm is tested numerically on the one-dimensional Forrester function and the two-dimensional Branin function. The results demonstrate that global surrogate modeling using neural network-based function prediction can be guided efficiently and adaptively using a neural network approximation of the model uncertainty.

  • Global value chains and labour markets – simultaneous analysis of wages and employment
    • Sabina Szymczak
    • Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz
    2022 Full text Economic Systems Research

    This study examines the overall effect of global value chains (GVCs) on wages and labour demand. It exploits the World Input–Output Database to measure GVC involvement via recently developed participation indices (using both backward and forward linkages) and the relative GVC position using three-stage least squares regression. We find that the relative GVC position is negatively correlated with wages and employment and that the GVC participation effect depends on whether backward or forward linkages are considered. Moreover, we find heterogeneity across both countries (middle- vs high-income) and sectors (manufacturing versus services). Notably, the effect of GVC involvement on the labour market differs from that produced by traditional domestic trade.

  • Globalized Simulation-Driven Miniaturization of Microwave Circuits by Means of Dimensionality-Reduced Constrained Surrogates
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Marzieh Mahrokh
    2022 Full text Scientific Reports

    Small size has become a crucial prerequisite in the design of modern microwave components. Miniaturized devices are essential for a number of application areas, including wireless communications, 5G/6G technology, wearable devices, or the internet of things. Notwithstanding, size reduction generally degrades the electrical performance of microwave systems. Therefore, trade-off solutions have to be sought that represent acceptable compromises between the ability to meet the design targets and physical compactness. From an optimization perspective, this poses a constrained task, which is computationally expensive because a reliable evaluation of microwave components has to rely on full-wave electromagnetic (EM) analysis. Furthermore, due to its constrained nature, size reduction is a multimodal problem, i.e., the results are highly dependent on the initial design. Thus, utilization of global search algorithms is advisable in principle, yet, often undoable in practice because of the associated computational expenses, especially when using nature-inspired procedures. This paper introduces a novel technique for globalized miniaturization of microwave components. Our technique starts by identifying the feasible region boundary, and by constructing a dimensionality-reduced surrogate model therein. Global optimization of the metamodel is followed by EM-driven local tuning. Application of the domain-confined surrogate ensures low cost of the entire procedure, further reduced by the incorporation of variable-fidelity EM simulations. Our framework is validated using two microstrip couplers, and compared to nature-inspired optimization, as well as gradient-based size reduction. The results indicate superior miniaturization rates and low running cost, which make the presented algorithm a potential candidate for efficient simulation-based design of compact structures.

  • Glossary [Intellectual Output 1] Glossary as a method for reflection on complex research questions
    • Małgorzata Kostrzewska
    • Justyna Borucka
    • Bartosz Macikowski
    • Dorota Kamrowska-Załuska
    • Lotte Bjerregaard Jensen
    2022

    Globalization and digitization are strongly influencing the process of shaping the built environment. The latter is causing the new design tools to emerge faster than ever before in history, while the former is speeding up not only the development, but also the broad roll-out of more agile and interdisciplinary methodologies and work approaches. The design process is also becoming more and more inter- and trans-disciplinary. This is leading to the formation of design teams, in which team members bring together not only very different backgrounds and experiences but also different sets of vocabulary, which is one of the causes impeding flawless cooperation and a lack of common understanding within the team. These trends call for a shared platform of understanding and clarification of professional terms and concepts in order to make the design process not only efficient, but also fully relatable and well-founded. In today’s highly specialized world, professionals and specialists immerse themselves deeply into their fields, using a highly specialized, often hermetic vocabulary that is becoming less accessible and comprehensible to the wider public. The BuildDigiCraft project explores what concepts and notions researchers and participants use who are involved in design processes aimed at a high-quality built environment. The question is whether engineers, architects, planners, builders, designers, craftsmen, artists, environmental engineers and other experts, regardless of whether they deal with digitally-driven or traditionally-based methods and tools, are actually able to understand each other today using a mutually comprehensible linguistic corpus. Therefore, the aim of this intellectual output is to create a foundation for a shared understanding of the main concepts explored within the BuildDigiCraft project. The aim of the intellectual output Glossary is to create a common foundation for shared understanding of the main concepts explored within the BuildDigiCraft project. Unlike classical glossaries based on jointly developed vocabulary definitions, the BuildDigiCraft Glossary offers a method for reflection on complex research questions by applying a Glossary Matrix Tool for a temporal and scale-oriented exploration of terms, concepts and ideas used in the project.

  • Glucose oxidase as an important yet overlooked factor determiningthe antibacterial activity of bee pollen and bee bread
    • Karolina Pełka
    • Marcela Bucekova
    • Jana Godocikova
    • Piotr Szweda
    • Juraj Majtan
    2022 EUROPEAN FOOD RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

    Bee pollen (BP) and bee bread (BB) have attracted great attention due to their biological activities including antibacterial activity. However, the mechanism of antibacterial activity is largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to characterise the antibacterial effect of BP and BB aqueous extracts against bacterial pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Enterococcus faecalis) and identify the key compound(s) responsible for this effect. Here, we demonstrate that BP and particularly BB extracts display antibacterial activity which is significantly increased in the presence of glucose. Immunoblot analysis of extracts revealed the presence of MRJP1 in all analysed BP and BB samples and the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOX) in the majority of BB samples. Treatment of extracts with catalase resulted in the restoration of bacterial growth but only in those samples where glucose supplementation caused the enhancement of antibacterial activity. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of antibacterial activity of BP/BB which is mediated by the enzymatic activity of bee-derived GOX.

  • Glucosinolates from lepidium peruvianum as potential antiamnestic drugs
    • Dominik Tarabasz
    • Dominik Szwajgier
    • Paweł Szczeblewski
    • Tomasz Laskowski
    • Wojciech Płaziński
    • Ewa Baranowska-Wójcik
    • Wirginia Kukula-Koch
    • Henry O. Meissner
    2022

    Lepidium peruvianum (maca) (Brassicaceae) is a naturally occurring plant mainly in the high Andes of Peru. In recent years, it has been intensively researched in terms of its influence on various diseases and towards health improvement. Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable disease that most often affects adults over the age of 60. As since 2003 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not approve any new drug for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) until 2021, there is still a need for new drugs to slow down the progress of the disease. The study focuses on glucosinolates that are present in different cultivars of L. peruvianum tubers and evaluates their inhibitory properties against two cholinesterases: acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). By comparing the HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS fingerprints of different extracts, the phenotypes that were the most rich in glucosinolates were selected. Qualitative analysis of the sulphur-containing metabolites in 50% ethanolic extracts confirmed the presence of ten major components that belonged to the groups of: aliphatic, indolyl, and aromatic glucosinolates, with glucotropaeolin being the leading one, detected at levels between 0–1.57% depending on phenotype, size, processing, and collection site. The PCA analysis showed important variations in glucosinolate content between the samples and different ratios of the detected compounds. The color and size of maca tubers have been shown to have a significant effect on the glucosinolate content. The applied in vitro activity tests confirmed inhibitory properties of extracts and single glucosinolates against AChE and BuChE. The molecular activity of glucosinolates has been explained in relation to both enzymes: AChE and BuChE showing that these metabolites most likely work by blocking the catalytic sites of the enzymes. Based on the obtained results and described mechanism of action, it could be concluded that glucosinolates exhibit inhibitory properties against two cholinesterases present in the synaptic cleft, which indicates that selected phenotypes of L. peruvianum cultivated under well-defined environmental and ecological conditions may present a valuable plant material to be considered for the development of therapeutic products with memory-stimulating properties.

  • Glutathione-mediated conjugation of anticancer drugs: an overview of reaction mechanisms and biological significance for drug detoxification and bioactivation.
    • Agnieszka Potęga
    2022 Full text MOLECULES

    The effectiveness of many anticancer drugs depends on the creation of specific metabolites that may alter their therapeutic or toxic properties. One significant route of biotransformation is a conjugation of electrophilic compounds with reduced glutathione, which can be non-enzymatic and/or catalyzed by glutathione-dependent enzymes. Glutathione usually combines with anticancer drugs and/or their metabolites to form more polar and water-soluble glutathione S-conjugates, readily excreted outside the body. In this regard, glutathione plays a role in detoxification, decreasing the likelihood that a xenobiotic will react with cellular targets. However, some drugs once transformed into thioethers are more active or toxic than the parent compound. Thus, glutathione conjugation may also lead to pharmacological or toxicological effects through bioactivation reactions. My purpose here is to provide a broad overview of the mechanisms of glutathione-mediated conjugation of anticancer drugs. Additionally, I discuss the biological importance of glutathione conjugation to anticancer drug detoxification and bioactivation pathways. I also consider the potential role of glutathione in the metabolism of unsymmetrical bisacridines, a novel prosperous class of anticancer compounds developed in our laboratory. The knowledge on glutathione-mediated conjugation of anticancer drugs presented in this review may be noteworthy for improving cancer therapy and preventing drug resistance in cancers.

  • Gospodarka ciepłem
    • Tomasz Minkiewicz
    2022

    Wymieniono zadania i wymagania stawiane scentralizowanym systemom zaopatrzenia w ciepło, scharakteryzowano nośniki ciepła i układy sieci cieplnych, opisano wybrane zagadnienia technologii i eksploatacji rurociągów ciepłowniczych oraz przedstawiono przykładowe układy wykorzystywane do skojarzonego wytwarzania energii elektrycznej i ciepła.

  • Gospodarka paliwami gazowymi
    • Waldemar Kamrat
    2022

    Przedstawiono problematykę gospodarowania paliwami gazowymi. Określono potencjał produkcji wodoru w Polsce. Przedstawiono aspekty ekonomiczne transportu rurociągowego.

  • GPU Power Capping for Energy-Performance Trade-Offs in Training of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Image Recognition
    • Adam Krzywaniak
    • Paweł Czarnul
    • Jerzy Proficz
    2022 Full text

    In the paper we present performance-energy trade-off investigation of training Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for image recognition. Several representative and widely adopted network models, such as Alexnet, VGG-19, Inception V3, Inception V4, Resnet50 and Resnet152 were tested using systems with Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000 as well as Nvidia V100 GPUs. Using GPU power capping we found other than default configurations minimizing three various metrics: energy (E), energy-delay product (EDP) as well as energy-delay sum (EDS) which resulted in considerable energy savings, with a low to medium performance loss for EDP and EDS. Specifically, for Quadro 6000 and minimization of E we obtained energy savings of 28.5%–32.5%, for EDP 25%–28% of energy was saved with average 4.5%–15.4% performance loss, for EDS (k = 2) 22%–27% of energy was saved with 4.5%–13.8% performance loss. For V100 we found average energy savings of 24%–33%, for EDP energy savings of 23%–27% with corresponding performance loss of 13%–21% and for EDS (k = 2) 23.5%–27.3% of energy was saved with performance loss of 4.5%–13.8%.

  • Grafo-ania, czyli rzecz o grafach i algorytmach. Drzewa Steinera
    • Marek Kubale
    2022 Pismo PG

    Problem: na płaszczyźnie leżą 3 punkty. Znajdź czwarty, taki że jego sumaryczna odległość od 3 pozostałych jest minimalna, Pokazujemy jak rozwiązać ten problem i jego uogólnienie.

  • Grafo-mania, czyli rzecz o grafach i algorytmach. Liczby Ramseya
    • Marek Kubale
    2022 Pismo PG

    Zdefiniowano liczby Ramseya i wskazano na trudności obliczeniowe ich wyznaczania już przy niewielkich wartościach takich liczb.

  • Grafo-mania, czyli rzecz o grafach i algorytmach. Problem 8 hetmanów
    • Marek Kubale
    2022 Pismo PG

    W eseju spojrzano na problem 8 hetmanów na szachownicy z punktu widzenia teorii grafów

  • Grafo-mania, czyli rzecz o grafach i algorytmach. Szybkie mnożenie macierzy
    • Marek Kubale
    2022 Pismo PG

    Miniesej zawiera komentarz na temat zastosowania sztucznej inteligencji do problemu mnożenia macierzy.

  • Grafting and reactive extrusion technologies for compatibilization of ground tyre rubber composites: Compounding, properties, and applications
    • Mapoloko Mpho Phiri
    • Mohau Justice Phiri
    • Krzysztof Formela
    • Shifeng Wang
    • Shanganyane Percy Hlangothi
    2022 JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

    Chemical modification of ground tyre rubber (GTR) to compatibilize it with the matrix is a well-known approach. Based on our recent review of the surface etching methods used in GTR modification, the purpose of the current work is to take a deeper look into more advanced methods such as grafting and reactive extrusion. While grafting is more efficient in achieving compatibility, however, it usually involves multi-step synthesis protocol and purification procedures making it very difficult to be applied in the industry. On the other hand, reactive extrusion is easy to apply in the industry as it uses the same equipment that is already employed in the rubber and thermoplastics industries. Furthermore, it is solvent-free and achieves compatibility via in-situ grafting of GTR and the matrix. The composites properties achieved via each of these processes and the resulting properties are highlighted in this work. For grafting, the initiation methods used to introduce an active centre onto the GTR are also highlighted.

  • Granie nie tylko na murawie! Zostań Lewandowskim pipety i termocyklera. Synergia nowoczesnych metod analitycznych opartych o wykrywanie DNA z nowymi formami nauczania (grywalizacja).
    • Paweł Filipkowski
    2022 Full text Pismo PG

    KOnkurs Innowacji Dydaktyznych PG: "Granie nie tylko na murawie! Zostań Lewandowskim pipety i termocyklera. Synergia nowoczesnych metod analitycznych opartych o wykrywanie DNA z nowymi formami nauczania (grywalizacja)."

  • Graphene Reinforced Phenolic Foams
    • Michał Strankowski
    2022 Full text

    Phenolic foams (PF) belong to the polymeric materials, which are very attractive from the point of many possible applications such as insulation or fire protection materials. This chapter attempts to explain the influence of graphene and graphene derivatives on the phenolic foams. This work briefly presents different graphene nanoparticles introduced to the phenolic foams matrix, in terms of impact on the thermal, mechanical, and cell structure (morphological) behavior. In particular, the characterization of the morphology of polymer systems reinforced with graphene derivatives has received considerable attention. Due to the correlation resulting from the influence of structure on the macroscopic properties of this group of materials. This study also focuses on the presentation of various (experimental) methods enabling the introduction of graphene nanoparticles into the phenolic matrix. The presented chapter summarizes the work carried out on the modification of phenolic foams with the graphene derivatives, which seem to be a promising nanomodifiers of these materials in connection with obtaining completely new valuable properties.

  • Graphene-Coated PVDF Membranes: Effects of Multi-Scale Rough Structure on Membrane Distillation Performance
    • Emilia Gontarek-Castro
    • Giuseppe Di Luca
    • Marek Lieder
    • Annarosa Gugliuzza
    2022 Full text Membranes

    Graphene-coated membranes for membrane distillation have been fabricated by using a wet-filtration approach. Graphene nanoplatelets have been deposited onto PVDF membrane surfaces. Morphology and physicochemical properties have been explored to evaluate the changes in the surface topography and related effects on the membrane performance in water desalination. The membranes have been tested in membrane distillation plants by using mixtures of sodium chloride and humic acid. The multi-scale rough structure of the surface has been envisaged to amplify the wetting and fouling resistance of the graphene-coated membranes so that a better flux and full salt rejection have been achieved in comparison with pristine PVDF. Total salt rejection and an increase of 77% in flux have been observed for coated membrane with optimized graphene content when worked with NaCl 0.6 M (DCMD, ΔT ≈ 24 °C) over a test period of 6 h. The experimental findings suggest these novel graphene-coated membranes as promising materials to develop functional membranes for high-performing water desalination.

  • Graphical interface adaption for children to explain astronomy proportions and distances
    • Kim García Martínez
    • Jacek Lebiedź
    • Andrés Iglesias Bustillo
    2022

    Mobile Science Center is a Polish project that seeks to bring astronomy knowledge to wider social groups through various applications. In its development it is necessary to design a graphical interface that explains a concept that is difficult to assimilate such as spatial proportions and distances. This paper develops a framework to create graphical representations that explain this learning to the target audience of children. Important aspects of this interface are the inclusion of storytelling to guide the educational content, along with feedback and difficulty and accessibility adaptations. Regarding spatial representation, previous works highlight the use of shapes and geometric objects, cartographic tools, reference points, and comparison with known velocities and spaces. The graphical interface proposed is based on a decimal system scale that compares traveling at the speed of light with a person walking. There are 4 proposals that represent the units of this scale with different geometric shapes and interrelated structures, in addition to assigned colors and positions. Future development of this project will apply these ideas to identify the optimal graphical interface so children can learn spatial proportions and distances.

  • Green analytical chemistry metrics: A review
    • Muhammad Sajid
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    2022 TALANTA.The International Journal of Pure and Applied Analytical Chemistry

    Green analytical chemistry encourages reducing the use of toxic chemicals/reagents, using energy-efficient equipment, and generating minimal waste. The recent trends in analytical method development focus on the miniaturization of the sample preparation devices, the development of solventless or solvent-minimized extraction techniques, and the utilization of less toxic solvents. The twelve principles of GAC serve as a basic guideline for inducing greenness in the analytical procedures. Despite these guidelines, in many conditions, some undesired steps are unavoidable. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the greenness of analytical procedures to assess and, if possible, reduce their impact on the environment and workers. Several metrics have been developed for the evaluation of the greenness of analytical procedures. Analytical Eco-Scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index, and Analytical Greenness Metric are among some important tools for assessing the greenness of analytical procedures. All these metrics take different aspects of the analytical procedure into account to provide the green index of the procedure. This review covered these metrics, their principles, and examples of their application to selected analytical procedures. The advantages and limitations of these metrics with the perspective of common reader/user are presented. We believe that this paper will inspire many new perspectives and developments in this area.

  • Green, blue and energy in cities
    • Katarzyna Weinerowska-Bords
    2022 Energetyka Wodna

    The article refers to the implementation of blue-green infrastructure in cities, with particular emphasis on the aspect of rainwater and energy management. The article presents the advantages of water and greenery in the city and gives examples of engineering solutions used, both the more popular (including green and biosolar roofs), as well as experimental solutions, which are an interesting and necessary alternative in the era of energy transformation of cities.

  • Green capsule phase microextraction employing hydrophobic monolithic sol-gel octadecyl siloxane platforms for the monitoring of organophosphorus pesticides in environmental water samples
    • Natalia Manousi
    • Antonio Ferracane
    • Abuzar Kabir
    • Kenneth G. Furton
    • Peter Q. Tranchida
    • George A. Zachariadis
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Luigi Mondello
    • Victoria F. Samanidou
    • Erwin Rosenberg
    2022 Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy

    In this study, a novel, facile and green capsule phase microextraction (CPME) method is presented for the extraction and preconcentration of organophosphorus pesticides (i.e., chlorpyrifos, disulfoton, ethoprophos, fenchlorphos, prothiofos, and parathion-methyl) from environmental water samples. Monolithic sol-gel octadecyl siloxane (sol-gel C18) sorbent encapsulated within porous polypropylene capsules was synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for its efficiency towards the adsorption of the target organophosphorus pesticides. CPME was combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the monitoring of the target analytes. The method was optimized to ensure high method sensitivity and it was fully validated. The limits of detection of the CPME-GC-MS method for the OPPs were 0.02–0.15 ng mL−1. The relative standard deviations were 1.5–8.7% for intra-day study and 5.4–9.6% for inter-day study, demonstrating satisfactory precision. Moreover, good method accuracy was obtained, since the relative recoveries were within the range 92.6–107.0% and 90.8–107.6% for intra-day and inter-day (c = 5.00 and 20.0 ng mL−1), respectively. The absence of interferences in the blank samples demonstrates that the proposed method is selective. The sol-gel C18 sorbent encapsulated CPME media could be reused for at least 25 adsorption/desorption cycles. In addition, the methodology presents advantageous features in comparison to existing methods. The final protocol was used for analyzing four different water sample types (i.e., lake water, river water, pond water and tap water sample).

  • Green energy extraction for sustainable development: A novel MPPT technique for hybrid PV-TEG system
    • Muhammad Kamran Khan
    • Muhammad Hamza Zafar
    • Majad Mansoor
    • Adeel Mirza
    • Umer Amir Khan
    • Noman Mujeeb Khan
    2022 Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments

    The Photovoltaic (PV) module converts only a small portion of irradiance into electrical energy. Most of the solar energy is wasted as heat, resulting in a rise in PV cell temperature and a decrease in solar cell efficiency. One way to harvest this freely available solar thermal energy and improve PV cell efficiency is by integrating PV systems with thermoelectric generators (TEG). This cogeneration approach of the hybrid PV-TEG system uses waste heat as an energy production source, resulting in higher output power density. Furthermore, as hybrid PV-TEG systems are frequently used in dynamic environments with temperature and irradiance variations, it is critical to modify the electrical operating points effectively and precisely to maximize the collected power, a process known as maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Under stochastic environmental conditions, a properly chosen MPPT technique can improve the generation efficiency from 10 to 15%. Therefore, in this study a novel implementation of atomic orbital search optimization algorithm is presented for MPPT tracking. Several case studies are designed to test AOS based MPPT algorithm performance under stochastic operating conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated by comparing it with the conventional Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm and other highly-efficient metaheuristic algorithms such as Grasshopper Optimization (GHO), Particle swarm optimization (PSO), and Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO). AOS based controller extracts 6% more energy and tracks optimal power at an efficiency of 99.984% under various test scenarios. The tracking time is improved by 616.48% as compared to PSO. Experimental, quantitative, comparative, and statistical results demonstrate the AOS-based proposed technique’s superior performance under various practical conditions.

  • Green monoterpenes based deep eutectic solvents for effective BTEX absorption from biogas
    • Patrycja Makoś-Chełstowska
    • Edyta Słupek
    • Aleksandra Kramarz
    • Dominik Dobrzyniewski
    • Bartosz Szulczyński
    • Jacek Gębicki
    2022 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN

    The combustion of biogas which contains significant amounts of monoaromatic hydrocarbons, i.e. benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene (BTEX) can cause many technological, environmental, and health problems. Therefore, in these studies, a new physical absorption method based on deep eutectic solvents (DES) consisting of monoterpenes and carboxylic acids was developed for BTEX removal. A total of 39 DES were synthesized, of which seven were selected based on their affinity to BTEX, favorable physicochemical properties, and “green” character. Detailed structural (i.e. 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and FT-IR) and physicochemical experiments (i.e. melting point, density, viscosity, and surface tension) were performed for the DES. Then, DESs were used for the absorption process in both the laboratory and enlarged scale. BTEX absorption was monitored using two methods, including "in-situ" gas chromatography, and "online" sensors matrices. The crucial absorption parameters i.e. type of DES, temperature, and regeneration possibility were carefully studied. The mechanism of BTEX absorption was explained using experimental spectroscopic techniques and theoretical analysis based on the COSMO-RS model. The obtained results indicate that Eucalyptol:Octanoic acid can selectively capture BTEX from a biogas mixture due to the formation of electrostatic interaction. DES absorption capacity is 53.96 mg/g, which is comparable with commercially available absorbents.

  • Green Polymer Nanocomposites for Skin Tissue Engineering
    • Hanieh Shokrani
    • Amirhossein Shokrani
    • Maryam Jouyandeh
    • Farzad Seidi
    • Fatemeh Gholami
    • Saptarshi Kar
    • Muhammad Tajammal Munir
    • Daria Kowalkowska-Zedler
    • Payam Zarrintaj
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Mohammad Saeb
    2022 ACS Applied Bio Materials

    Fabrication of an appropriate skin scaffold needs to meet several standards related to the mechanical and biological properties. Fully natural/green scaffolds with acceptable biodegradability, biocompatibility, and physiological properties quite often suffer from poor mechanical properties. Therefore, for appropriate skin tissue engineering and to mimic the real functions, we need to use synthetic polymers and/or additives as complements to green polymers. Green nanocomposites (either nanoscale natural macromolecules or biopolymers containing nanoparticles) are a class of scaffolds with acceptable biomedical properties window (drug delivery and cardiac, nerve, bone, cartilage as well as skin tissue engineering), enabling one to achieve the required level of skin regeneration and wound healing. In this review, we have collected, summarized, screened, analyzed, and interpreted the properties of green nanocomposites used in skin tissue engineering and wound dressing. We particularly emphasize the mechanical and biological properties that skin cells need to meet when seeded on the scaffold. In this regard, the latest state of the art studies directed at fabrication of skin tissue and bionanocomposites as well as their mechanistic features are discussed, whereas some unspoken complexities and challenges for future developments are highlighted.

  • Green porous benzamide-like nanomembranes for hazardous cations detection, separation, and concentration adjustment
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Yousef Fatahi
    • Mohsen Asadnia
    • Hossein Daneshgar
    • Mahsa Kiani
    • Amir Mohammad Ghadiri
    • Monireh Atarod
    • Amin Hamed Mashhadzadeh
    • Omid Akhavan
    • Mojtaba Bagherzadeh
    • Eder C. Lima
    • Mohammad Saeb
    2022 JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

    Green biomaterials play a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases as well as health-related problem-solving. Typically, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical strength are requirements centered on biomaterial engineering. However, in-hospital therapeutics require an elaborated synthesis of hybrid and complex nanomaterials capable of mimicking cellular behavior. Accumulation of hazardous cations like K+ in the inner and middle ear may permanently damage the ear system. We synthesized nanoplatforms based on Allium noeanum to take the first steps in developing biological porous nanomembranes for hazardous cation detection in biological media. The 1,1,1-tris[[(2′-benzyl-amino-formyl)phenoxy]methyl]ethane (A), 4-amino-benzo-hydrazide (B), and 4-(2-(4-(3-carboxy-propan-amido)benzoyl)hydrazineyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid (B1) were synthesized to obtain green ligands based on 4-X-N-(…(Y(hydrazine-1-carbonyl)phenyl)benzamide, with X denoting fluoro (B2), methoxy (B3), nitro (B4), and phenyl-sulfonyl (B5) substitutes. The chemical structure of ligand-decorated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules (S-ATP) was characterized by FTIR, XRD, AFM, FESEM, and TEM techniques. The cytotoxicity of the porous membrane was patterned by applying different cell lines, including HEK-293, PC12, MCF-7, HeLa, HepG2, and HT-29, to disclose their biological behavior. The morphology of cultured cells was monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The sensitivity of S-ATP to different cations of Na+, Mg2+, K+, Ba2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ was evaluated by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) in terms of extraction efficiency (η). For pH of 5.5, the η of A-based S-ATP followed the order Na+ (63.3%) > Mg2+ (62.1%) > Ba2+ (7.6%) > Ca2+ (5.5%); while for pH of 7.4, Na+ (37.0%) > Ca2+ (33.1%) > K+ (25.7%). The heat map of MTT and dose-dependent evaluations unveiled acceptable cell viability of more than 90%. The proposed green porous nanomembranes would pave the way to use multifunctional green porous nanomembranes in biological membranes.

  • Green products from herbal medicine wastes by subcritical water treatment
    • Farzad Seidi
    • Mohsen Khodadadi Yazdi
    • Maryam Jouyandeh
    • Sajjad Habibzadeh
    • Muhammad Tajammal Munir
    • Henri Vahabi
    • Babak Bagheri
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Payam Zarrintaj
    • Mohammad Saeb
    2022 JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

    Herbal medicine wastes (HMWs) are byproducts of medicine factories, which are mainly landfilled for their environmental problems. Only bearing in mind the contamination and concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental emissions, the worth of herbal medicine wastes management and conversion to green products can be understood. In this work, subcritical water treatment was carried out batch-wise in a stainless tube reactor in the pressure range of 0.792–30.0 MPa, varying the temperature (127–327 °C) and time (1–60 min) of extraction. This resulted in new and green material sources, including organic acids, amino acids, and sugars. Amazingly, at very low extraction times (below 5 min) and high temperatures (above 277 °C), about 99% of HMWs were efficaciously converted to clean products by subcritical hydrothermal treatment. The results of hydrothermal extraction after 5 min indicated that at low temperatures (127–227 °C), the total organic carbon in the aqueous phase increased as the residual solid phase decreased, reaching a peak around 220 °C. Acetone soluble extracts or fat phase appeared above 227 °C and reached a maximum yield of 21% at 357 °C. Aspartic acid, threonine, and glycine were the primary amino acids; glycolic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid were obtained as the main organic acids, glucose, fructose, and cellobiose were substantial sugars produced from the aqueous phase after 5 min of hydrothermal subcritical hydrolysis extraction.

  • Green, simple analytical method for biogenic amines determination in fruit juice samples using salting-out assisted liquid-liquid microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
    • Anna Różańska
    • Magdalena Fabjanowicz
    • Kaja Kalinowska
    • Żaneta Polkowska
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    2022 Full text FOOD CHEMISTRY

    Salting-out assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (SALLME) was integrated with the derivatization procedure to establish a one-step sample pre-treatment approach for rapid analysis of 14 biogenic amines (BAs) in fruit juices. The methodology consists of salting-out of analytes, derivatization with ethyl chloroformate (ECF), extraction with ethyl acetate (EtAc), and the analysis of the derivatized BAs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Optimization of the SALLME parameters, including the amount of sample, NaOH, and ECF was carried out through a Box-Behnken response surface design. The developed method exhibits satisfactory limits of detection (from 1.5 to 8.1 μg/L) and quantification (from 5.0 to 26.7 μg/L), and average recoveries between 84% and 108%. The developed procedure was used for BAs determination in juices of different berries with the highest determined concentrations found for cadaverine, putrescine, tryptamine, and tyramine. Both GAPI and AGREE tools were used to assess the green character of the SALLME-GC–MS procedure.

  • Greencoin – educational information system for ecoinclusion and empowering urban adaptability.
    • Hanna Obracht-Prondzynska
    • Helena Anacka
    • Ewa Duda
    • Kacper Radziszewski
    • Kacper Wereszko
    • Jolanta Kowal
    2022 Full text

    The SARS-CoV19 pandemic exposed a broad spectrum of challenges for modern cities, societies and the environment at large. The post-Covid transformation requires new social, ecological and educational solutions, adjusted to modern challenges, but also equipped with technological advances that allow for digital inclusion and sustainable urban development to benefit the local economy and society. Many information systems designed to enable pro-environmental behaviours are being tested or implemented worldwide, mostly in developed countries; however, most of them focus on a sectorial approach only. On the other hand, community currencies (CCs) consider social, economic, and environmental issues yet do not fully exploit the potential of the current technological advancement. Therefore, the paper describes the process of defining the theoretical framework for Greencoin as an information system designed to be a supportive tool while shaping urban adaptability and mitigating climate change, within which a CC is embedded. The 120 social currencies and information systems (IS) analysed in this research provide valuable data that is essential to shaping the framework of the Greencoin IS, to be implemented in the subsequent stages of the project. Greencoin IS aims to operate based on an application, the work resulting from studies of existing solutions, their functionalities and technological aspects, which enable social engagement and eco-inclusion. It responds to the question of how the new types of currencies and applications enriched with gamification elements can encourage residents to get involved in shaping urban resilience. This research goal is to build a future framework for Greencoin IS based on the performed systematic literature review and case studies.

  • Greencoin as an AI-Based Solution Shaping Climate Awareness.
    • Hanna Obracht-Prondzynska
    • Ewa Duda
    • Helena Anacka
    • Jolanta Kowal
    2022 Full text International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

    Our research aim was to define possible AI-based solutions to be embedded in the Green- coin project, designed as a supportive tool for smart cities to achieve climate neutrality. We used Kamrowska-Załuska’s approach for evaluating AI-based solutions’ potential in urban planning. We narrowed down the research to the educational and economic aspects of smart cities. Furthermore, we used a systematic literature review. We propose solutions supporting the implementation process of net zero policies benefiting from single actions of urban dwellers based on the Greencoin project developed by us. By following smart city sectors, the paper introduces AI-based solutions which can enrich Greencoin by addressing the following needs: (1) shaping pro-environmental behaviors, (2) introducing instruments to reinforce the urban management process, (3) supporting bottom-up ini- tiatives allowing to shape urban resilience, (4) enhancing smart mobility, (5) shaping local economies supporting urban circularity, and (6) allowing better communication with residents. Our research fills the gap in the limited group of studies focused on shaping climate awareness, enhancing smart governance, and supporting social participation and inclusion. It proves that AI-based educational tools can be supportive when implementing adaptation policies toward climate neutrality based on our proposed AI-based model shaping climate awareness.

  • Greenery and Urban Form vs. Health of Residents: Evaluation of Modernist Housing in Lodz and Gdansk
    • Magdalena Rembeza
    • Malgorzata Hanzl
    2022 Full text Urban Planning

    Urban forms can have numerous direct and indirect effects on the health of residents. This article focuses on the rela‐ tionship between health and urban form, in particular the role of green open spaces. The goal is to identify criteria for evaluating the impact of physical forms such as streets and open spaces, green infrastructure, and built structures on urban health. These criteria are then used to identify paths for the redevelopment of modernist housing estates with the aim of improving living conditions. This challenge remains particularly significant in Poland and Eastern Europe, where a large share of the urban population lives in modernist blocks of flats. First, we examine the modernist housing concept in Europe and Poland and the guiding principles for their development, including the role of green, open spaces. Then, we refer to several studies on urban health to identify normative factors that define the open space design conditions in modernist housing estates. We apply the typo‐morphological approach with qualitative and quantitative assessment of building forms and forms of green open spaces to examine the structures of two modernist housing estates in Poland: Lodz and Gdansk. We evaluate their living conditions, especially the organisation of outdoor space, in terms of their impact on the health of residents. A comparison of the two housing estates reveals common factors defining the relationship between urban form and health.

  • Grid-Forming Operation of Energy-Router Based on Model Predictive Control with Improved Dynamic Performance
    • Mahdieh Najafzadeh
    • Natalia Strzelecka
    • Oleksandr Husev
    • Indrek Roasto
    • Kawsar Nassereddine
    • Dmitri Vinnikov
    • Ryszard Strzelecki
    2022 Full text ENERGIES

    The focus of this study is on the grid-forming operation of the Energy Router (ER) based on Model Predictive Control (MPC). ER is regarded as a key component of microgrids. It is a converter that interfaces the microgrid (s) with the utility grid. The ER has a multiport structure and bidirectional energy flow control. The ER concept can be implemented in Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB) to provide flexible energy control. A concept is proposed where the ER works as a single grid-forming converter. The challenge is to keep the predefined reference voltage and frequency inside the NZEB in all possible modes, including the idle operation mode, current sources, and nonlinear load control. To gain stability and output voltage quality, the MPC is proposed. The design of the modified MPC algorithm with improved dynamics performance is explained. PLECS software is utilized to verify the proposed algorithm. The results demonstrate the suitable performance of the proposed control method in terms of total harmonic distortion of the output voltage. The influence of weighting coefficiencies is evaluated, showing the higher impact of the capacitor filter voltage on lowering the total harmonics distortion of the output voltage. Finally, the capability of the control system toward step change in the reference value is evaluated.

  • Ground tire rubber functionalization as a promising approach for the production of sustainable adsorbents of environmental pollutants
    • Łukasz Zedler
    • Shifeng Wang
    • Krzysztof Formela
    2022 Full text SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

    Waste tires management and further utilization are currently one of the biggest concerns regarding the environment and human health protection. At present, shredding, grinding, or pulverization of waste tires are the most popular options for industrial recycling. Although many solutions for ground tire rubber (GTR) applications were checked and verified so far, their further implementation at an industrial scale is still very limited. In this brief review work, ground tire rubber functionalization strategies as a promising approach for the production of sustainable adsorbents of environmental pollutants were presented and discussed. Our findings indicate that suitable functionalization of GTR significantly improves adsorption capacity or selectivity of prepared GTR-based adsorbents. However, it should be mentioned that most of the performed research based on multi-step and time-consuming protocols of GTR functionalization is performed usually in the presence of solvents, which results in very low efficiency and as a consequence high-cost and limited applications. Current research trends showed that reactive extrusion can be considered as efficient, solvent-free, and pro-ecological alternative for commonly investigated periodic methods of GTR functionalization. This work shows that reactive extrusion is a promising method for further development of GTR-based adsorbents dedicated to environmental pollutants.

  • Ground Tire Rubber Modified by Elastomers via Low-Temperature Extrusion Process: Physico-Mechanical Properties and Volatile Organic Emission Assessment
    • Paulina Wiśniewska
    • Łukasz Zedler
    • Mariusz Marć
    • Marek Klein
    • Józef Haponiuk
    • Alina Formela
    2022 Full text Polymers

    In this paper, low-temperature extrusion of ground tire rubber was performed as a proecological waste tires recycling method. During this process, ground tire rubber was modified with constant content of dicumyl peroxide and a variable amount of elastomer (in the range: 2.5–15 phr). During the studies, three types of elastomers were used: styrene-butadiene rubber, styreneethylene/butylene-styrene grafted with maleic anhydride and ethylene-octene copolymer. Energy consumption measurements, curing characteristics, physico-mechanical properties and volatile organic compounds emitted from modified reclaimed GTR were determined. The VOCs emission profile was investigated using a passive sampling technique, miniature emission chambers system and static headspace analysis and subsequently quantitative or qualitative analysis by gas chromatography. The VOCs analysis showed that in the studied conditions the most emitted volatile compounds are dicumyl peroxide decomposition by-products, such as: α-methylstyrene, acetophenone, α-cumyl alcohol, methyl cumyl ether, while the detection level of benzothiazole (devulcanization “marker”) was very low. Moreover, it was found that the mechanical properties of the obtained materials significantly improved with a higher content of styrene-butadiene rubber and styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene grafted with maleic anhydride while the opposite trend was observed for ethylene-octene copolymer content.