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Gdańsk University of Technology

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  • 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 Full text 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 Full text 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.

  • Growth inhibition of cultured cancer cells by Ribes nigrum leaf extract
    • Mikayel Ginovyan
    • Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska
    • Izabela Koss-Mikołajczyk
    • Barbara Kusznierewicz
    • Pierre Andreoletti
    • Mustapha Cherkaoui-malki
    • Naira Sahakyan
    2022 Full text AIMS Biophysics

    The present article includes data on the possible selective cytotoxic effect of extract of Ribes nigrum L. growing at high Armenian landscape. For this purpose, different non-cancer (microglial BV-2 wild type (Wt), acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1) deficient (Acox1-/-) and cancer (human colon adenocarcinoma HT29 and human breast cancer MCF7) cell lines were applied. R. nigrum leaf ethanol extract showed a growth inhibition effect towards HT29 and MCF7 cells started from 6 h of treatment at the concentration of 0.5 mg/mL DW. The lowest concentration (0.125 mg/mL DW) of the investigated extract expressed cytotoxicity after 72 hours following cancer cell treatment. In contrast to the cancer cells, in the case of the tested non-cancer cells, cytotoxic effect was not observed at the applied concentrations. The extract sub-cytotoxic concentration, in this case, was reported to be the 1 mg/mL DW. Further investigations are needed to confirm the selective cytotoxicity and possible action mechanisms of the leaf extract of R. nigrum.

  • GTR/Thermoplastics Blends: How Do Interfacial Interactions Govern Processing and Physico-Mechanical Properties?
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Paulina Wiśniewska
    • Agnieszka Susik
    • Łukasz Zedler
    • Henri Vahabi
    • Xavier Colom
    • Javier Cañavate
    • Agnieszka Tercjak
    • Krzysztof Formela
    2022 Full text Materials

    In this work, GTR/thermoplastics blends (in ratio 50/50 and 75/25 wt.%) were prepared by melt-compounding in an internal mixer. During research, trans-polyoctenamer rubber (TOR), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), ethylene-octene copolymer (EOC), and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), were used in their thermoplastic phase. Microstructure and processing-performance property interrelationships of the studied materials were investigated by: atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rubber process analyzer (RPA), Mooney viscometer, plastometer, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile tests and swelling behavior. In blends of thermoplastics with a high content of GTR (50 and 75 wt.%), the thermoplastic modifier type had a significant impact on the processing behavior and microstructure of blends. In terms of the physico-mechanical properties, the GTR/thermoplastics ratio affected elongation at break, hardness, and density, while its effect on tensile strength was negligible. DSC analysis showed that thermoplastics, as modifiers of GTR, should be considered as binders and not plasticizers, as reflected in the almost constant glass-transition temperature of the blends. RPA measurements indicated higher values of G* and η* for GTR-rich blends. SEM showed a rubber-like interfacial break, while AFM confirmed interfacial contact between GTR and thermoplastics.

  • Guanosine Dianions Hydrated by One to Four Water Molecules
    • Samanta Makurat
    • Qinqin Yuan
    • Jacek Czub
    • Lidia Chomicz-Mańka
    • Wenjin Cao
    • Xue-Bin Wang
    • Janusz Rak
    2022 Full text Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

    Intermolecular interactions such as those present in molecule···water complexes may profoundly influence the physicochemical properties of molecules. Here, we carried out an experimental–computational study on doubly deprotonated guanosine monophosphate···water clusters, [dGMP – 2H]2–·nH2O (n = 1–4), using a combination of negative anion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES) with molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum chemical (QM) calculations. Successive addition of water molecules to [dGMP – 2H]2– increases the experimental adiabatic detachment (ADE) and vertical detachment energy (VDE) by 0.5–0.1 eV, depending on the cluster size. In order to choose the representative conformations, we combined MD simulations with a clustering procedure to identify low energy geometries for which ADEs and VDEs were computed at the CAM-B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level. Our results demonstrate that the assumed approach leads to sound geometries and energetics of the studied microsolvates since the calculated ADEs and VDEs are in pretty good agreement with the experimental characteristics. The evolution of hydrogen bonding with cluster size indicates the possibility of the occurrence of proton transfer for clusters comprising a larger number of water molecules.

  • GVC involvement and the gender wage gap: Micro -evidence on European countries
    • Dagmara Nikulin
    • Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz
    2022 Full text Structural Change and Economic Dynamics

    We examine linkages between involvement in global value chains (GVCs) and gender wage inequalities. We use merged data from Structure of Earnings Survey and the World Input Output Database covering 18 European countries. We employ information on employees’ personal and company characteristics and a sectoral involvement in GVCs. In general, the wages of workers from sectors more involved in GVCs are lower. However, the relationship between GVC and wages differs according to gender: women are more affected by the negative impact of greater trade involvement than men. There is some education/skill heterogeneity: workers with a medium level of education and medium skills are most affected. Our results show different patterns for concentrated and competitive industries: a greater female wage penalty due to GVC intensification is observed in less competitive sectors. Finally, using the RIF decomposition we differentiate GWG into explained and unexplained part with GVC being responsible for the latter.

  • Harnessing digital technologies for poverty reduction. Evidence for low-income and lower-middle income countries
    • Ewa Lechman
    • Magdalena Popowska
    2022 Full text TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY

    This paper contributes to understanding the relationship between ICT deployment and poverty alleviation in developing countries. It assess the digital technologies contribution to poverty reduction, through different channels of impact, like education, labor market, income and ICTtrade related activities. Using the sample of 40 developing countries between 1990 and 2019, it relies on macro data extracted from the World Bank Development Indicators (2021) and the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database (2020). Methodological framework combines time trend analysis and locally weighted polynomial smoother, logistic growth model, and panel regression modelling techniques. Our major findings suggest growing ICT deployment, school enrolments, and increases in material wealth are significant drivers of poverty eradication in developing economies. However, the impact of digitalization on poverty is neither direct nor immediate. Therefore, we claim that national and local authorities, together with civil society must consider ICT as a key element of their broad development strategies.

  • Have you heard about ALAN? Now, there is also ROLAN!
    • Karolina Zielińska-Dąbkowska
    2022 Full text ARC Lighting In Architecture

    This article examines the new ROLAN movement and points out why this might be the next big thing for lighting professionals.

  • HDAC Inhibitors: Innovative Strategies for Their Design and Applications
    • Mateusz Daśko
    • Beatriz De Pascual-Teresa
    • Irene Ortín
    • Ana Ramos
    2022 Full text MOLECULES

    Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a large family of epigenetic metalloenzymes that are involved in gene transcription and regulation, cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and death, as well as angiogenesis. Particularly, disorders of the HDACs expression are linked to the development of many types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, making them interesting molecular targets for the design of new efficient drugs and imaging agents that facilitate an early diagnosis of these diseases. Thus, their selective inhibition or degradation are the basis for new therapies. This is supported by the fact that many HDAC inhibitors (HDACis) are currently under clinical research for cancer therapy, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved some of them. In this review, we will focus on the recent advances and latest discoveries of innovative strategies in the development and applications of compounds that demonstrate inhibitory or degradation activity against HDACs, such as PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs), tumor-targeted HDACis (e.g., folate conjugates and nanoparticles), and imaging probes (positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorescent ligands).

  • Head-Space SPME for the Analysis of Organophosphorus Insecticides by Novel Silica IL-Based Fibers in Real Samples
    • Karolina Delińska
    • Kateryna Yavir
    • Adam Kloskowski
    2022 Full text MOLECULES

    This work demonstrates the suitability of a newly developed ionic liquid (IL)-based silica SPME fiber for the determination of seven organophosphorus insecticides in cucumber and grapefruit samples by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with a gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (FID). The sol-gel method released four different sorbent coatings, which were obtained based on a silica matrix containing ILs immobilized inside its pores. In order to obtain ionogel fibers, the following ionic liquids were utilized: 1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide; Butyltriethyl ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide; 1-(2-Methoxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, and 1-Benzyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. The developed fibers were applied for the extraction of seven different insecticides from liquid samples. The most important extraction parameters of HS-SPME coupled with the GC-FID method were optimized with a central composite design. The new SPME fiber demonstrated higher selectivity for extracting the analyzed insecticides compared with commercially available fibers. The limit of detection was in the range of 0.01–0.93 μg L−1, the coefficients of determination were >0.9830, and 4.8–10.1% repeatability of the method was found. Finally, the obtained ionogel fibers were utilized to determine insecticides in fresh cucumber and grapefruit juices.

  • Health Enhancing Physical Activity Policies in Poland: Findings from the HEPA PAT Survey
    • Aleksandra Romanowska
    • Agnieszka Morawiak
    • Catherine Woods
    • Liam Kelly
    • Kevin Volf
    • Peter Gelius
    • Sven Messing
    • Sarah Forberger
    • Jeroen Lakerveld
    • Nicolette R. Den Braver
    • Enrique García Bengoechea
    • Joanna Żukowska
    2022 Full text International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

    Insufficient physical activity (PA) is one of major risk factors for serious diseases and premature mortality worldwide. Public policies to enhance PA across society are recognized as an effective tool against the problem. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive assessment of national-level PA policy approach in Poland. A standardized survey of Word Health Organization named the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) was used for data collection. Content analysis and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT) were used to characterize various PA policy aspects, to appraise the current situation, and accommodate organizational and environmental factors that it is influenced by. The results show that the national PA policy approach has been constantly developing in Poland, but there is room for improvement in a number of areas. The most important weaknesses are the lack of clear leadership, no mechanisms in place to coordinate efforts undertaken at different levels, and lack of collaboration across different levels of government and across different sectors of economy. Providing an umbrella covering all PA promotion policies and activities is, therefore, a key issue to be addressed. The country should seize the opportunity coming from an increasing awareness of a healthy lifestyle among Polish society.

  • HEALTH SAFETY OF BREAD IN SMALL BAKERIES
    • Radosław Drozd
    2022 Full text Zeszyty Naukowe. Organizacja i Zarządzanie / Politechnika Śląska

    The aim of the article is to present the safety and health risks in the production process of bread, supported by research in small bakeries located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Health safety of bread is one of the features that decide its quality. This article additionally presents other determinants influencing the quality of bread. It also demonstrates opinions showing food safety as a separate attribute of quality. The paper cites Polish domestic and EU legislation in the areas of food safety, as well as competences of sanitary inspection bodies. The major part of the paper is devoted to the identification of types and potential sources of health threats in the production process of bread and the prevailing prevention system, i.e. HACCP. The research on the structure of the bread and the level of implementation of HACCP was performed in Pomeranian small bakeries, which form 89.4% of the overall Pomeranian bakeries.

  • Healthier and Environmentally Responsible Sustainable Cities and Communities. A New Design Framework and Planning Approach for Urban Illumination
    • Karolina Zielińska-Dąbkowska
    2022 Full text Sustainability

    Although sustainability and sustainable development are both considered necessary practices in various fields today, a recent analysis showed that the Sustainable Development Goal SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities established by the United Nations does not address urban illumination and its impact. This oversight is of concern because research carried out in the last 20+ years indicates artificial light at night (ALAN) in cities, and the light pollution this generates can have negative consequences on human health and well-being and the entire environment, including ecosystems and the flora and fauna that inhabit them. By applying a literature review, analysis and synthesis method, this work offers a new perspective on lighting and a timeline of key events that established ALAN and light pollution awareness in different disciplines and professional groups connected to urban illumination. It also identifies three fundamental aspects which require further transdisciplinary research and the translation of this knowledge into practice in order to enable the development of sustainable cities and communities at night. Finally, it presents in detail a new, theoretical environment-centred design framework for responsible urban illumination, with four iterative design phases, in order to help guide various stakeholders in cities, along with a four-level pyramid model that can be applied to urban illumination in the form of principles, processes, practices, and tools. This framework is especially relevant for those urban planners, architects, and landscape designers, who are unfamiliar with the subject in order to present the most effective and appropriate lighting design approach and methods that should be taken into consideration with the design of a given urban nighttime environment/situation.

  • Heave Plates with Holes for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines
    • Ewelina Ciba
    • Paweł Dymarski
    • Mirosław Grygorowicz
    2022 Full text Polish Maritime Research

    The paper presents an innovative solution which is heave plates with holes. The long-known heave plates are designed to damp the heave motion of platforms. They are most often used for Spar platforms. The growing interest in this type of platform as supporting structures for offshore wind turbines makes it necessary to look for new solutions. Based on the available literature and the authors’ own research, it was concluded that the main element responsible for the damping of heave plates is not so much the surface of the plate, but its edge. Therefore, it was decided to investigate the effect of the holes in heave plates on their damping coefficient. Model tests and CFD calculations were performed for three different structures: a smooth cylinder, a cylinder with heave plates with a diameter of 1.4 times the diameter of the cylinder, and a cylinder with the same plate, in which 24 holes were cut (Fig. 1). Free Decay Tests (FDT) were used to determine the damping coefficient and the natural period of heave, and then the values obtained were compared. The full and punched heave-plate designs were also tested with regular waves of different periods to obtain amplitude characteristics. The results obtained are not unequivocal, as a complex motion appears here; however, it is possible to clearly define the area in which the damping of a plate with holes is greater than that of a full plate.

  • Hebb–Wagner polarization method for determining the oxygen ion conductivity in barium cerate-zirconate
    • Tadeusz Miruszewski
    • Kacper Dzierzgowski
    • Piotr Winiarz
    • Sebastian Wachowski
    • Aleksandra Mielewczyk-Gryń
    • Maria Gazda
    2022 Journal of Materials Chemistry A

    In this work, the partial conductivity of oxygen ions in BaCe0.6Zr0.2Y0.2O3 was studied at different temperatures and water partial pressures. For this purpose, a modified DC Hebb–Wagner polarization method with an electrode blocking for protons and electrons was used. A new type of measuring cell as well as a suitable calculation model were proposed for the determination of partial oxygen ionic conductivity in materials with three mobile charge carriers, namely, oxygen ions, protons and electrons. The obtained oxygen ion partial conductivity (σO) in the BaCe0.6Zr0.2Y0.2O3 mixed protonic oxygen ionic–electronic conductor was 2.3 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 800 °C and pO2 = 0.20 atm, pH2O = 0.023 atm. This is in agreement with the literature reports and indicates the feasibility of this method for characterization of mixed-conducting ceramics with unknown oxygen ionic conductivity. The obtained results also indicate the influence of protons on the conduction mechanism of oxygen ions. This information may be very useful for the analysis of the interaction between the charge carriers in mixed conducting materials.

  • High Dynamic Range Microwave Displacement and Rotation Sensors Based on the Phase of Transmission in Groove Gap Waveguide Technology
    • Ali Karami Horestani
    • Zahra Shaterian
    • Michał Mrozowski
    2022 Full text IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL

    This research is focused on the design and realization of displacement sensors in gap waveguide technology. It is shown that with a small but fundamental change in the structure of a conventional gap waveguide, a linear displacement can be sensed. To this end, a unique feature of gap waveguides, i.e. the fact that no electrical connection between the top and bottom parts of the gap waveguide is required, is used. It is further shown that the concept can be also used for the development of rotation sensors. To validate the proposed concept linear and angular displacement sensors are designed and simulated. A prototype of the proposed linear displacement sensor is fabricated for demonstration. Agreement between the computed and measured results validates the concept.

  • High gain/bandwidth off‑chip antenna loaded with metamaterial unit‑cell impedance matching circuit for sub‑terahertz near‑field electronic systems
    • Mohammad Alibakhshikenari
    • Bal S. Virdee
    • Dion Mariyanayagam
    • Valeria Vadala
    • Mohammad Naser-moghadasi
    • Chan Hwang See
    • Iyad Dayoub
    • Sonia Aissa
    • Patrizia Livreri
    • Shah Nawaz Burokur
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Francisco Falcone
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Ernesto Limiti
    2022 Full text Scientific Reports

    An innovative off-chip antenna (OCA) is presented that exhibits high gain and efficiency performance at the terahertz (THz) band and has a wide operational bandwidth. The proposed OCA is implemented on stacked silicon layers and consists of an open circuit meandering line. It is shown that by loading the antenna with an array of subwavelength circular dielectric slots and terminating it with a metamaterial unit cell, its impedance bandwidth is enhanced by a factor of two and its gain on average by about 4 dB. Unlike conventional antennas, where the energy is dissipated in a resistive load, the technique proposed here significantly reduces losses. The antenna is excited from underneath the antenna by coupling RF energy from an open-circuited feedline through a slot in the ground-plane of the middle substrate layer. The feedline is shielded with another substrate layer which has a ground-plane on its opposite surface to mitigate the influence of the structure on which the antenna is mounted. The antenna has the dimensions 12.3 × 4.5 × 0.905 mm3 and operates across the 0.137–0.158 THz band corresponding to a fractional bandwidth of 14.23%. Over this frequency range the average measured gain and efficiency are 8.6 dBi and 77%, respectively. These characteristics makes the proposed antenna suitable for integration in sub-terahertz near-field electronic systems such as radio frequency identification (RFID) devices with high spatial resolution.

  • High-conducting Bi4V2-xFexO11-δ ceramics containing Fe2O3 nanocrystals: Structure and properties
    • Natalia Wójcik
    • Katarzyna Polcyn
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Karolina Górnicka
    • Ryszard Barczyński
    2022 Full text JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY

    The topography, structure, thermal, magnetic, and electrical properties of Bi4V2-xFexO11-δ ceramics substituted with x = 0.5 and 0.7 Fe were studied. The microscope analysis showed the presence of iron-rich nanocrystals formed on the Bi-Fe-V-O grains. The X-ray diffraction studies confirmed that grains are built mostly of tetragonal Bi4V1.5Fe0.5O10.5 phase. Thermal properties analysis showed an order-disorder type γ ↔ γʹ phase transition at a temperature of around 916 K, pronounced in samples doped with x = 0.5 Fe. The magnetic anomaly was observed in ceramics doped with x = 0.7 Fe which was assigned to Morin transition of Fe2O3. The conductivity was measured over a wide frequency range from 10 mHz to 1 MHz and at a wide temperature range from 373 to 923 K, using impedance spectroscopy. The D.C. conduction process was due to oxygen vacancies hopping while at low temperatures electron holes hopping is also possible.

  • High-density Polyethylene - Expanded Perlite Composites: Structural Oriented Analysis of Mechanical and Thermomechanical Properties
    • Mateusz Barczewski
    • Aleksander Hejna
    • Paulina Kosmela
    • Olga Mysiukiewicz
    • Adam Piasecki
    • Kamila Sałasińska
    2022 Full text MATERIALE PLASTICE

    As part of this work, research was carried out on the effect of the addition of expanded perlite (PR) on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of high-density polyethylene (PE) composites. Composites containing from 1 to 10 wt% of the inorganic filler were produced. Polyethylene-based composites manufactured by twin-screw extrusion and formed in the compression molding process were subjected to mechanical, thermomechanical, and structural analyses. The structure of polymer composites and filler was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It has been correlated with the static tensile tests and results of dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA). As part of the work, several thermomechanical parameters were calculated, and the obtained results were discussed with the evaluation of interfacial adhesion based on microscopic analysis. The research indicate that despite introducing a 10 wt% of particle-shaped filler, the composites show increased stiffness without noticeable deterioration in tensile strength, simultaneously reducing toughness and brittleness. The analysis of the thermomechanical properties showed the lack of significant effects of the filler influence on the polymer matrix.