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  • Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Maturity Model: Setting New Standards in Responsible Business Education – Evidence from PRIME Reports
    • Elżbieta Karwowska
    • Michał Tomczak
    2024 Social Responsibility Journal

    Purpose Creating diverse, equal and inclusive (DEI) environments is an important and relevant area of research on corporate social responsibility (CSR). This paper aims to identify recent trends in the business schools context, as they are primary sources of ethical management innovation. The paper also aims to identify business school DEI maturity levels. Design/methodology/approach The research design is qualitative. Using thematic analysis, the authors explored all the available and relevant (19) Principal for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Champions’ reports regarding their activities in 2022 and 2023. Based on the data, the authors developed the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Maturity Model (DEIMM) in Business Schools, including the DEI maturity scale. The scale was used to explore the recent trends in four main areas: management, teaching, research and the third mission of the business schools. Findings The most prominent theme across the dataset is gender equality. The authors also identified new practices, including Indigenous people’s inclusion and decolonisation, neurodiversity, homelessness destigmatisation, period destigmatisation and scientific disciplines’ anti-discrimination. These activities were observed at various maturity levels, fitting all levels of our maturity model. Research limitations/implications This may suggest that business schools not only emulate business trends but also are prone to create their path to diversity, equality and inclusion. Originality/value This model can provide a starting point for developing tools for assessing the DEI maturity of business schools and other organisations, i.e. indicating the stage at which a school or a company is on its path to achieving DEI maturity, which creates an important contribution to the CSR research.

  • Divide and not forget: Ensemble of selectively trained experts in Continual Learning
    • Grzegorz Rypeść
    • Sebastian Cygert
    • Valeriya Khan
    • Tomasz Trzciński
    • Bartosz Zieliński
    • Bartłomiej Twardowski
    2024 Pełny tekst

    Class-incremental learning is becoming more popular as it helps models widen their applicability while not forgetting what they already know. A trend in this area is to use a mixture-of-expert technique, where different models work together to solve the task. However, the experts are usually trained all at once using whole task data, which makes them all prone to forgetting and increasing computational burden. To address this limitation, we introduce a novel approach named SEED. SEED selects only one, the most optimal expert for a considered task, and uses data from this task to fine-tune only this expert. For this purpose, each expert represents each class with a Gaussian distribution, and the optimal expert is selected based on the similarity of those distributions. Consequently, SEED increases diversity and heterogeneity within the experts while maintaining the high stability of this ensemble method. The extensive experiments demonstrate that SEED achieves state-of-the-art performance in exemplar-free settings across various scenarios, showing the potential of expert diversification through data in continual learning.

  • Do clusters help companies to "go green"? Experience of Polish National Key Clusters
    • Anna Lis
    • Marta Mackiewicz
    • Anna Wendt
    2024

    This study aims to explore cluster activity in the field of green transformation, taking into account the green, low-carbon and circular economy. Our intention was to identify the main green practices used by cluster organizations, which we showed through the lens of the attributes of both the cluster and the cluster organization. Through our study, we sought to answer the question: what is the role of cluster organizations in supporting green transformation from the perspective of both cluster coordinators and members? The study was conducted in the period 2021-2023 mainly in Polish National Key Clusters. The selection of clusters was based, on the one hand, on the similarity resulting from their maturity (which was determined, among others, by the age and the scope of activities), on the other hand, on the differences resulting from industry affiliation and location (surveyed clusters represent different industries and are located in different parts of Poland). We conducted a two-stage quantitative survey in which we assessed cluster green transformation activity from the perspective of cluster managers (first stage) and from the perspective of cluster enterprise representatives (second stage), using the same survey questionnaire. Our study showed that for the development of cluster cooperation within green transformation, the role of geographical proximity is crucial. It was with this cluster attribute that the most popular green practices identified in the study were linked. They are associated with relationship building, learning and knowledge sharing processes, and growth of innovation potential.

  • Do personality traits influence the user’s behavioral intention to adopt and use Open Government Data (OGD)? An empirical investigation
    • Nina Rizun
    • Charalampos Harris Alexopoulos
    • Stuti Saxena
    • Fernando Kleiman
    • Ricardo Matheus
    2024 TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS

    The academic interest in the Open Government Data (OGD) domain has been burgeoning over the years. Conceding that the prime focus of an OGD initiative is its further re-use for value creation and innovation by stakeholders, the present study seeks to underscore the role of HEXACO personality traits on behavioral intention (BI) to adopt and use OGD in developing countries' context. We investigate the direct, indirect, and moderating effects of HEXACO personality traits provide a better understanding of how and to what extent personality traits influence future behavioral intention to use OGD. The results demonstrate that Trust and Performance Expectancy are positive predictors of BI to adopt and use OGD. Users with higher Openness to Experience tend to have higher Effort and Performance Expectancy; are characterized by exposure to Social Influence; have higher level of Trust and positive experience of Facilitating Conditions and Information Quality. Agreeable people are more likely to Voluntarily Use OGD. Conscientiousness enhances the individual's perception of OGD quality-related factors. Excessive Emotionality affects negative perception to System and Information Quality issues. Honesty–Humility and Extraversion are able to maintain the effect of OGD Information Quality and Trust on users' BI. Our findings could be useful for practitioners to level the divergence between actual and potential use of OGD by considering the user's personality traits

  • Do You Know What You Drink? Comparative Research on the Contents of Radioisotopes and Heavy Metals in Different Types of Tea from Various Parts of the World
    • Grządka Elżbieta
    • Anna Bastrzyk
    • Jolanta Orzeł
    • Agata Oszczak-Nowińska,
    • Bartłomiej Fliszkiewicz
    • Mateusz Siemieniuk
    • Krzysztof Sobczyński
    • Olgierd Spławski
    • Katarzyna Gołębiewska
    • Oskar Ronda
    • Bartłomiej Cieślik
    2024 Pełny tekst Foods

    The aim of this study was to assess the potential health risks of radioactive elements and heavy metals ingested through the consumption of various types of tea imported to the Polish market (black, green, red, oolong and white). The concentrations [Bq/kg] of radionuclides (40K, 137Cs, 226Ra, 210Pb and 228Th) in tea leaves before and after brewing were measured using γ-ray spectrometry with high-purity germanium (HPGe). The concentrations [mg/kg] of the studied elements (Fe, Cr, Cu, Mo, Al, Mn, Ni, P, V, Cd and Pb) were determined using a microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometer (MIP-OES). The results presented here will help to expand the database of heavy metals and radioactivity in teas. With regard to the potential health risk, the percentage of leaching of individual elements in different types of tea infusions was determined, and the assessment of the consumption risk was estimated. Since the calculated exposure factors, namely the HQ (Hazard Quotient) and THQ (Target Hazard Quotient), do not exceed critical levels, teas can still be considered health-beneficial products (most of the radionuclides as well as elements remain in the leaves (65–80%) after brewing).

  • Docieranie i szlifowanie powierzchni płasko-równoległych na docierarkach tarczowych
    • Adam Barylski
    2024 Kwartalnik Naukowo-Techniczny "Obróbka Metalu"

    W artykule przedstawiono aktualny stan techniki i technologii docierania powierzchni płasko-równoległych na docierarkach dwutarczowych oraz sposób obróbki przez szlifowanie na tych obrabiarkach. Omówiono warunki kinematyczne docierania obiegowego, sposób chłodzenia tarcz docierających oraz możliwe ich zużycie profilowe. Podano przykłady obróbki cześci maszynowych. Charakteryzowano wydajność docierania i szlifowania, uzyskiwane parametry chropowatości powierzchni, sposób wyrównywania tarcza docierających i ściernic oraz budowę narzędzi segmentowych i nasypem diamentowym. Podano zalety szlifowania z kinematyką docierania obiegowego.

  • Dot-com and AI bubbles: Can data from the past be helpful to match the price bubble euphoria phase using dynamic time warping?
    • Marcin Potrykus
    2024 Finance Research Letters

    The article investigates the existence of a price bubble in the artificial intelligence market, employing the Generalised Supremum Augmented Dickey-Fuller test and dynamic time warping methodology. It proposes a method to detect the end of the price bubble euphoria phase, generating an average profit of close to 7% over 5 days and over 10.5% over 20 days, with almost 90% effectiveness. The study found that the AI market experienced a phase of euphoria due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four companies – META PLATFORMS, WORKDAY, SALESFORCE and NVIDIA CORPORATION – were identified, whose stock prices currently resemble the euphoria phase.

  • Double Bias of Mistakes: Essence, Consequences, and Measurement Method
    • Wioleta Kucharska
    • Aleksandra Kopytko
    2024 Pełny tekst Electronic Journal on Business Research Methods

    There is no learning without mistakes. However, there is a clash between‘positive attitudes and beliefs’regarding learning processes and the ‘negative attitudes and beliefs’towardthese being accompanied bymistakes. Thisclash exposesa cognitive bias towardmistakesthat might block personal and organizational learning. This study presents an advanced measurement method to assess thebias of mistakes. The essence of it is the detection of the existing contradictionsbetween attitude and behavior towardmistakes at the personal and organizational levels,as well as combined.This study is based on empirical evidence from a sample of 768 knowledge workers, divided into biased and non-biased subsamples following the procedure proposed in this paper. Those subsamples were next applied to the structural model, examining knowledge,learning, and collaboration cultures (the KLC approach) 's influence on organizational intelligence to validate the proposed method. Results showed that the applied method efficiently detects the DBM and exposes that in doubly mistakes-biased knowledge-driven organizations, the influence of knowledge culture on the mistakes acceptance component of learning culture is negative. So, organizations with a dominated double bias of mistakes do not accept the affirmation of learning from mistakes.Summing up, this study constitutes the Double Bias of Mistakes Theory, which states that the clash between positive attitudes and beliefs regarding learning processes and negative attitudes and beliefs toward mistakes exposed by focusing on control managers (bosses) might block organizational learning from mistakes and, as a consequence, negatively affect organizational intelligence. Without the empirical support for this theory, there was a risk that the idea of accepting mistakes as a potential source of learning would be simplified by biased minds to mistakes tolerance and rejected as ridiculous. Accepting that mistakes can be a source of precious learning does not equal mistake tolerance. On the contrary, it is the first step to managing mistakes and creating efficient error avoidance systems thanks to lessons learned from failures. This study introduces the method of measurement and detection of theDouble Bias of Mistakes phenomenon, contributing to the science of organizational learning and collective intelligence-building.

  • Drinking water safety evaluation in the selected sub-Saharan African countries: A case study of Madagascar, Uganda and Rwanda
    • Małgorzata Szopińska
    • Wojciech Artichowicz
    • Danuta Szumińska
    • Daniel Kasprowicz
    • Żaneta Polkowska
    • Sylwia Fudala-Książek
    • Aneta Łuczkiewicz
    2024 SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

    In the sub-Saharan region of Africa, access to safe drinking water remains limited in many countries. This study provides an overview of the quality of surface water and groundwater in rural and peri-urban areas of Madagascar, Uganda, and Rwanda. Selected physico-chemical parameters, inorganic species (including inorganic ions), and organic pollution indicators, such as total organic carbon, non-ionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants, sum of phenolic compounds and formaldehyde, were analysed. Principal component analysis was applied to assess the variability of the water quality and identify regional dependencies. The inorganic ion composition in the majority of the studied samples meets WHO and EU requirements for drinking water intended for human consumption and poses no human health risk. However, an individual non-cancer-causing health index for nitrates and the values of Water Quality Index show a possible threat of ingesting the studied drinking water. The presence of surfactants (0.1–0.65 mgL-1), phenolic compounds (0.025–1.76 mgL-1) and formaldehyde (0.04–0.32 mgL-1) may also pose a risk to human, animal, and aquatic life. Additionally, in-situ measurements for E. coli and Total Coliforms conducted during the last field campaign in Madagascar (2022) revealed that all studied drinking water sources ranged from intermediate risk to unsafe. This result calls for the urgent need to enhance WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) services in the studied areas. The presence of both chemical and microbiological pollutants shows the need for the local authorities to develop and implement a catchment management plan to ensure the protection of water resources from potential pollution, and raise community awareness about the impact of human activity on water resources.

  • Driver fatigue detection method based on facial image analysis
    • Sandra Cichocka
    • Jacek Rumiński
    2024

    Nowadays, ensuring road safety is a crucial issue that demands continuous development and measures to minimize the risk of accidents. This paper presents the development of a driver fatigue detection method based on the analysis of facial images. To monitor the driver's condition in real-time, a video camera was used. The method of detection is based on analyzing facial features related to the mouth area and eyes, such as the frequency of blinking and yawning, mouth aspect ratio (MAR), and the duration of eye closure. The method was implemented in Python using a convolutional neural network (CNN). To validate the method, a dataset was created containing eye images that were subjected to various modifications, including the use of corrective glasses. The model's results confirm the method's effectiveness in detecting fatigue, achieving an average accuracy of 92% for eye detection and 82% for yawning detection under well-lit conditions.

  • Dual-Activity Fluoroquinolone-Transportan 10 Conjugates offer alternative Leukemia therapy during Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
    • Jan Lica
    • Mateusz Heldt
    • Miłosz Wieczór
    • Paweł Chodnicki
    • Natalia Ptaszyńska
    • Anna Łęgowska
    • Wioletta Brankiewicz
    • Katarzyna Gucwa
    • Anna Stupak
    • Natalia Maciejewska
    • Bhaskar Pradhan
    • Agata Gitlin-Domagalska
    • Dawid Dębowski
    • Sławomir Milewski
    • Maria Bieniaszewska
    • Grzegorz Jan Grabe
    • Andrzej Hellmann
    • Rolka Krzysztof
    2024 MOLECULAR PHARMACOLOGY

    Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is often considered a last resort leukemia treatment, fraught with limited success due to microbial infections, a leading cause of mortality in leukemia patients. To address this critical issue, we explored a novel approach by synthesizing antileukemic agents containing antibacterial substances. This innovative strategy involves conjugating fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (CIP) or levofloxacin (LVX), with the cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) transportan 10 (TP10). Here, we demonstrate that the resultant compounds display promising biological activities in preclinical studies. These novel conjugates not only exhibit potent antimicrobial effects but are also selective against leukemia cells. The cytotoxic mechanism involves rapid disruption of cell membrane asymmetry leading to membrane damage. Importantly, these conjugates penetrated mammalian cells, accumulating within the nuclear membrane without significant effect on cellular architecture or mitochondrial function. Molecular simulations elucidated the aggregation tendencies of TP10 conjugates within lipid bilayers, resulting in membrane disruption and permeabilization. Moreover, mass spectrometry analysis confirmed efficient reduction of disulfide bonds within TP10 conjugates, facilitating release and activation of the fluoroquinolone derivatives. Intriguingly, these compounds inhibited human topoisomerases, setting them apart from traditional fluoroquinolones. Remarkably, TP10 conjugates generated lower intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to CIP and LVX. The combination of antibacterial and antileukemic properties, coupled with selective cytostatic effects and minimal toxicity towards healthy cells, positions TP10 derivatives as promising candidates for innovative therapeutic approaches in the context of antileukemic HCT. This study highlights their potential in search of more effective leukemia treatments.

  • Dual-band Millimetre Wave MIMO Antenna with Reduced Mutual Coupling Based on Optimized Parasitic Structure and Ground Modification
    • Bashar Esmail
    • Dustin Isleifson
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    In this study, a high-isolation dual-band (28/38 GHz) multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for 5G millimeter-wave applications is presented. The antenna consists of two interconnected patches. The primary patch is connected to the inset feed, while the secondary patch is arc-shaped and positioned over the main patch, opposite to the feed. Both patches function in the lower 28 GHz band, while the primary patch is accountable for inducing the upper 38 GHz band. An expedited trust-region (TR) algorithm is employed to optimize the dimensions of the antenna components, ensuring the antenna operates efficiently with high reflection at both bands. The antenna demonstrates a gain exceeding 7 dBi at both frequencies. An array of four antennas is configured orthogonally to create a MIMO system with isolation surpassing 19 dB. The isolation is further enhanced through the addition of a circular parasitic patch at the front and modifications made to the ground. The TR method is employed again to optimize their parameters and achieve the desired isolation, exceeding 32 dB at both bands. The MIMO system demonstrates outstanding diversity performance at both frequencies, characterized by low values of the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) (<10−4), channel capacity loss (CCL) (<0.03 bit/s/Hz), and total active reflection coefficient (TARC) (<−10 dB). Additionally, it secures a diversity gain (DG) exceeding 9.99 dB. The MIMO system is manufactured and tested, showing good alignment between simulation and measurement data for all performance metrics.

  • Dual-Polarized Wideband Bandpass Metasurface-Based Filter
    • Adnan Noor
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2024 IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters

    This paper presents a novel metasurface-based bandpass filter. The structure is realized by simply patterning a double-sided AD250 substrate, and does not require any vias or insertion of lumped elements. The top layer is an annular- aperture-array with multiple inner conductors, whereas the bottom layer is a first-order Hilbert-curve array. FEM-based simulation results of the filter are obtained using HFSS. The experimental validation is carried out using a VNA, with the experimental setup placed inside an anechoic chamber. The presence of multiple length scales and fractal nature of the bottom Hilbert-curve layer results in a wide operational bandwidth, and good angular stability. The structure exhibits an operating bandwidth from 5.32 to 8.25 GHz. A good agreement between experimental and numerical results is observed. The filter also features good angular stability for both TE (s-polarized) and TM (p-polarized) polarizations. The thickness of the structure is only 0.796 mm (i.e. just 0.018 at the center frequency of the filter), which makes it very compact.

  • Dynamic Execution of Engineering Processes in Cyber-Physical Systems of Systems Toolchains
    • Federico Montori
    • Marek Sylwester Tatara
    • Pal Varga
    2024 Pełny tekst IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering

    Engineering tools support the process of creating, operating, maintaining, and evolving systems throughout their lifecycle. Toolchains are sequences of tools that build on each others' output during this procedure. The complete chain of tools itself may not even be recognized by the humans who utilize them, people may just recognize the right tool being used at the right place in time. Modern engineering processes, however, do not value such ad-hoc choice of tooling, because of their uncontrolled nature. Building upon the Extended Automation Engineering Model defined by the IEC 81346 standard, this paper proposes to automate the toolchain building and execution process for Cyber-Physical System of Systems (CPSoS), utilizing key principles of the Eclipse Arrowhead framework. The proposed toolchain automation solution addresses issues such as tool interoperability, interaction, automation, and dynamic choreography. The feasibility of this set of integrated concepts is validated through an Arrowhead-based toolchain choreography demonstration.

  • Dynamic impedance measurements of the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell cathode at various operating temperatures
    • Łukasz Gaweł
    • Dominika Parasińska
    2024 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY

    This article discusses the application of impedance analysis for diagnosing the cathode of a direct methanol fuel cell at various operating temperatures. The Dynamic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy technique coupled with a linear current scan was applied for this purpose. This technique allowed the observation of changes in the cathode's properties in the fuel cell operating under real working conditions. An equivalent model based on the thin-film flooded agglomerate model describing the cathode's behavior was presented, and changes in its parameters were compared with current load and different temperatures. Polarization resistance of the active site and carbon support was obtained. Changes in the slope of the resistance curves with increasing load have been observed, which can suggest the change in the electrode process. Differences in slopes depending on temperature were also recorded.

  • Eco-friendly modification of bitumen: The effects of rubber wastes and castor oil on the microstructure, processability and properties
    • Maciej Sienkiewicz
    • Przemysław Gnatowski
    • Mateusz Malus
    • Anna Grzegórska
    • Hossein Ipakchi
    • Maryam Jouyandeh
    • Justyna Kucińska-Lipka
    • Francisco Javier Navarro
    • Mohammad Saeb
    2024 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

    The bitumen industry in the European Union is facing several difficulties, including rising demand, unstable oil supply, rising prices for synthetic polymer modifiers, and a focus on lowering carbon footprint. Bitumen modification with crumb rubber (CR) is one of the most promising solution to these challenges. However, CR-modified bitumen have poor processability and low storage stability. To overcome these flaws we are introducing a sustainable approach for ecological modification of bitumen taking advantage of renewable resources. For this reason, unmodified castor oil was selected as a green modifier of reclaimed rubber dust. The ecologically modified bitumen underwent visco-elastic behavior analysis based on rheological tests varying the temperature. The modification with rubber-oil improved the longevity of typical pavement, featured by an exceptional deformation resistance at elevated temperatures (well above 70°C, the maximum pavement temperature reported in the region). The Cole-Cole graphs and black space diagrams unraveled the enhanced elasticity of bitumen. Technically, in comparison to plain bitumen, the compatibility ratio of modified bitumen to aggregates showed an uplift by 258%. The environmentally friendly bitumen modified ecologically herein revealed potential for performance window enlargement. Nevertheless, future investigations should focus on optimization of the bitumen formulation, along with examination of other sustainable moieties for the sake of commercialization of the developed binders in pavement construction.

  • Edible black ant Smith (Carebara vidua) as human food – A systematic review
    • Shahida Anusha Siddiqui
    • L.-H. Ho
    • S.c. Adimulam
    • A. Nagdalian
    • B. Yudhistira
    • Roberto Castro Munoz
    • S.a. Ibrahim
    2024 Pełny tekst Journal of Insects as Food and Feed

    Meeting food security is one of the major global challenges to ensure sufficient supply of food for current and future generations, considering increasing population growth and climate change issues. Consequently, the consumption of edible insects as an alternative food source has recently gained global attention for combating global food insecurity. The present review aims to provide information on the recent progress in consumption of edible black ant Smith, particularly Carebara vidua, as the main focus. The global consumption record of edible black ant Smith and consumer acceptance as well as the strategies used to increase consumer acceptance of eating edible black ant smith were proposed. In addition, the bioecology of black ant Smith was covered in this review. Further, details are provided in this review on the benefits to health, economy, and environment of practicing eating edible insects such as black ant Smith. Focus on the potential uses of Carebara vidua as a food ingredient in culinary cuisine and their safety concerns from rearing until processing were highlighted. The SCOPUS database was analysed using bibliometric software to understand the connections between recent scientific outputs and ant as human food thoroughly. BioRender software was used to create scientific figures. It is noteworthy to highlight that black ant smith contains high protein and micronutrient, especially iron and zinc are higher than that of plant-, animal-based food, and seafood that contribute significantly to meeting the daily protein and mineral intake amount for human. Moreover, the exhibition of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of edible black ant smith suggests that it can be used as a future functional ingredients for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics purposes. Hence, edible black ant smith is promising as an alternative and potential source of food or medicine for sustainable food security.

  • Edible dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata) as human food – A comprehensive review
    • Shahida Anusha Siddiqui
    • K. Asante
    • N. Ngah
    • Y.r. Saraswati
    • Y.s. Wu
    • M. Lahan
    • O.f. Aidoo
    • I. Fernando
    • S.n. Povetkin
    • Roberto Castro Munoz
    2024 Pełny tekst Journal of Insects as Food and Feed

    The rapid growth of the human population leads to a big concern about the food y and demand worldwide. However, due to the reduction in global arable land area, humans need to find alternative food sources to fulfil their needs. Consequently, edible insects have been identified as a promising solution to ameliorate food security and increase global nutrition. Among more than 2,100 identified edible insect species, dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata) are considered as one of nutritious food resources. Nevertheless, detailed information on the frequency and distribution of consumption of odonatans around the world is scattered and poorly documented. Based on this review, at least 61 out of 1,964 species of odonatans were reported consumed by people worldwide. The most consumed dragonflies (suborder Epiprocta; infraorder Anisoptera) are from the family of Libellulidae, followed by Aeshnidae and Gomphidae, whereas the most consumed edible damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are from the Coenagrionidae family. Many nutrients, including proteins, lipids, energy, fibre, vitamins, and minerals are abundant in edible odonatans. Moreover, studies reported that humans employed these insects as therapeutic agents to remedy various ailments. Challenges associated with the consumption of edible odonatans include safety concerns, legal frameworks, and limited information on their bioecology which become barrier for their successful mass-rearing. However, because entomophagy is gradually gaining recognition, new and more improved methods of rearing are now being developed including for edible odonatans, encouraging sustainable insect farming. As the world strives to achieve the sustainable development goals, insect farming will pave a way for resources to be utilised for sustainable economic development.

  • Edible Lepidoptera as human foods – a comprehensive review
    • Shahida Anusha Siddiqui
    • N. Ngah
    • A.m. Eddy-Doh
    • I. Ucak
    • M. Afreen
    • I. Fernando
    • S. Singh
    • M.a. Shah
    • S.n. Povetkin
    • Roberto Castro Munoz
    2024 Pełny tekst Journal of Insects as Food and Feed

    As the global population continues to grow, traditional protein sources like meat and fish are becoming increasingly unsustainable due to their environmental impact. Edible insects, on the other hand, are highly nutritious, require minimal resources to produce, and emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases than traditional livestock. Lepidoptera, one of the most diverse insect orders, contains some popular edible species that have been consumed traditionally for centuries across the globe. Based on this review, about 24 families with a total of about 350 edible lepidopteran species were recorded. They are often praised for their excellent nutritional value, such as having high protein and healthy fat content. Edible lepidopterans also contain minerals, essential amino acids, and vitamins, making them a nutritious addition to a balanced diet. They also contain bioactive compounds which have various nutraceutical and pharmaceutical properties. Furthermore, some edible lepidopterans can be farmed and require minimal space and resources. However, there are significant challenges associated with their use as food. One of the primary challenges is the lack of regulations governing their production and distribution, which creates uncertainty for consumers and businesses alike. Consumer acceptance is also a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of insects as food. To overcome these challenges, there is a need for clear regulations that ensure the safety and quality of insect-based products. Furthermore, it is important to raise awareness about the nutritional and environmental benefits of edible insects as sustainable food for the future to promote their acceptance among consumers.

  • Edu Inspiracje WZiE: Czy mikrokwalifikacje i cyfrowe odznaki zmienią oblicze edukacji?
    • Karol Flisikowski
    • Alina Guzik
    2024 Pismo PG

    Mikrokwalifikacje nazywane również mikropoświadczeniami (micro- -credentials), mówiąc prostymi słowami, są cyfrowymi certyfikatami potwierdzającymi uzyskanie umiejętności, wiedzy lub kompetencji. To dowody ukończenia mniejszych (niż określają np. dyplomy uniwersyteckie) form edukacyjnych takich jak kursy e-learningowe, warsztaty lub szkolenia. Pozwalają też szybko pokazać to, co umiemy, i przedstawić w postaci atrakcyjnego cyfrowego portfolio.

  • EEG-Based Analysis of ASMR Stimuli: A Pilot Study of Neuropsychological Responses through Conventional vs. Bone-Conduction Headphones
    • Sahar Seifzadeh
    • Bożena Kostek
    • L. Giulia Poerio
    2024 Vibrations in Physical Systems

    In this study, the impact of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) experiences delivered through different types of headphones was evaluated with respect to neural responses and anxiety levels. The EEG data of a 24-year-old participant was recorded while he underwent ASMR stimulation using conventional and bone-conduction headphones. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) assessed anxiety levels before and after ASMR stimulation, showing decreased state anxiety following intervention. Based on spectral analysis of Electroencephalography (EEG) data, significant differences were found between headphone types and cognitive tasks (Mathematical calculations). Using conventional headphones, gamma activity was evident in the posterior brain regions, suggesting that headphone type may influence ASMR-induced neural activity. The pilot study findings emphasize the importance of refining auditory delivery methods for clinical applications to maximize ASMR efficacy and therapeutic outcomes.

  • Effect of Agitation and Temporary Immersion on Growth and Synthesis of Antibacterial Phenolic Compounds in Genus Drosera
    • Wojciech Makowski
    • Kinga Mrzygłód
    • Agnieszka Szopa
    • Pawel Kubica
    • Marta Krychowiak-Maśnicka
    • Krzysztof Michał Tokarz
    • Barbara Tokarz
    • Iga Ryngwelska
    • Ewa Paluszkiewicz
    • Aleksandra Krolicka
    2024 Biomolecules

    Sundews (Drosera sp.) are the source of biologically active secondary metabolites: phenolic acids, flavonoids, and 1,4-naphtoquinones. Because obtaining them from the natural environment is impossible (rare and endangered species), in this study modifications of traditional tissue cultures grown in solid medium (SM), such as agitated cultures (ACs) (cultures in liquid medium with rotary shaking) and temporary immersion bioreactors PlantformTM (TIB), were used for multiplication of four sundew species: Drosera peltata, Drosera indica, Drosera regia, and Drosera binata, with simultaneously effective synthesis of biologically active phenolic compounds. Each species cultivated on SM, AC, and TIB was tested for biomass accumulation, the content of total phenols and selected phenolic derivative concentrations (DAD-HPLC), the productivity on of phenolic compounds, as well as its antibacterial activity against two human pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The results showed that the type of culture should be selected for each species separately. Phytochemical analyses showed that the synthesis of secondary metabolites from the groups of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and 1,4-naphthoquinones can be increased by modifying the cultivation conditions. D. regia turned out to be the richest in phenolic compounds, including 1,4-naphtoquinones: plumbagin and ramentaceone. Extracts from D. indica and D. regia tissue showed strong antibacterial activity against both pathogens. It has also been shown that the growth conditions of sundews can modify the level of secondary metabolites, and thus, their biological activity.

  • Effect of AlF3 and KF addition on the structure and luminescent properties of P2O5 – K2O – Nb2O5 – Bi2O3 glasses doped with Eu3+
    • Michał Maciejewski
    • Karolina Milewska
    • Anna Synak
    • Marcin Łapiński
    • Wojciech Sadowski
    • Barbara Kościelska
    2024 JOURNAL OF LUMINESCENCE

    Based on the developed phosphate glasses P2O5–K2O–Bi2O3–Nb2O5 doped with Eu3+, the influence of AlF3 and KF on the structural and luminescent properties was investigated. For this purpose, three series of glasses containing from 5 to 15 mol% fluorides were synthesized. Two of the series included the KF additive, which was introduced in two ways - proportionally and disproportionately at the expense of the K2O share. The structural characterization (XRD, FTIR) allowed us to determine the evolution of the internal structure of the glasses caused by changes in the type and content of the introduced additives and the presence of the Eu dopant. Similarly, using DSC/DTA, the thermal properties of undoped matrices were defined. The luminescence enhancement caused by the addition of ≥10 mol% fluorides was confirmed by the obtained fluorescence spectra. The presented studies not only expand the state of knowledge about the effects of fluorides on phosphate glasses but also demonstrate the ease of obtaining materials with improved properties suitable for use as phosphor in LEDs.

  • Effect of applied standard wood machining fluid on colour and chemical composition of the machined wood surface
    • Daniel Chuchała
    • Agata Sommer
    • Kazimierz Orłowski
    • Hanna Staroszczyk
    • Szymon Mania
    • Jakub Sandak
    2024 Pełny tekst European Journal of Wood and Wood Products (HOLZ ALS ROH-UND WERKSTOFF)

    Appropriate monitoring of wood machining processes is a key issue to ensure the expected quality of the processed wood, expected efficiency and minimize energy consumption of production processes. A new trend is the design of environmentally friendly machining fluids. In this paper, as a preliminary study in this field, the effect of applied standard wood machining fluid on changes in the colour and chemical composition of the machined wood surface is presented. Scots pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.) was used for this research. Colour measurements were carried out based on the three-axis CIELab system test in time intervals and coefficients such as: colour chroma (Cab*), colour saturation (Sab*), colour hue (h°), and total colour changes (ΔE*). Changes in chemical composition were analysed on the Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR). The results confirmed that standard machining fluids cause a significant change in the colour of the treated pine surface, which decreases over time but is still present even after 24 h. For the spectral analysis, no chemical changes were observed between the machining fluid and the wood. However, the fluid particles remained in the wood after 24 h. In order to reduce the effect of the machining fluid on the colour of the wood, its composition should be changed to allow and/or accelerate the evaporation of their components from the treated wood surface.

  • Effect of bio-polyol molecular weight on the structure and properties of polyurethane-polyisocyanurate (PUR-PIR) foams
    • Adam Olszewski
    • Paulina Kosmela
    • Laima Vevere
    • Mikelis Kirpluks
    • Ugis Cabulis
    • Łukasz Piszczyk
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    The increasing interest in polyurethane materials has raised the question of the environmental impact of these materials. For this reason, the scientists aim to find an extremely difficult balance between new material technologies and sustainable development. This work attempts to validate the possibility of replacing petrochemical polyols with previously synthesized bio-polyols and their impact on the structure and properties of rigid polyurethane-polyisocyanurate (PUR-PIR). To date, biobased polyols were frequently used in the manufacturing of PU, but application of bio-polyols synthesized via solvothermal liquefaction using different chains of polyethylene glycol has not been comprehensively discussed. In this work, ten sets of rigid polyurethane foams were synthesized. The influence of bio-polyols addition on foam properties was investigated by mechanical testing, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and cone calorimetry. The structure was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a gas pycnometer. The tests revealed a significant extension of foam growth time, which can be explained by possible steric hindrances and the presence of less reactive secondary hydroxyl groups. Moreover, an increase average size of pores and aspect ratio was noticed. This can be interpreted by the modification of the cell growth process by the introduction of a less reactive bio-polyol with different viscosity. The analysis of foams mechanical properties showed that the normalized compressive strength increased up to 40% due to incorporation of more cross-linked structures. The thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the addition of bio-based polyols increased temperature of 2% (T2%) and 5% (T5%) mass degradation. On the other hand, evaluation of flammability of manufactured foams showed increase of total heat release (HRR) and smoke release (TSR) what may be caused by reduction of char layer stability. These findings add substantially to our understanding of the incorporation of bio-polyols into industrial polyurethane systems and suggest the necessity of conducting further research on these materials.

  • Effect of composition on the thermal properties and structure of M-Al-Si-O-N glasses, M = Na, Mg, Ca
    • Sharafat Ali
    • Natalia Wójcik
    • Abbas Saeed Hakeem
    • Yann Gueguen
    • Stefan Karlsson
    2024 PROGRESS IN SOLID STATE CHEMISTRY

    The primary objective of this study is to explore the relationship between the composition, structure, and thermal characteristics of M-Al-Si-O-N glasses, with M representing sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), or calcium (Ca). The glasses were prepared by melting in a quartz crucible at 1650 °C and AlN precursor (powder) was utilized as a nitrogen source. The measured thermal properties studied were glass transition temperature (Tg), crystallization temperature (Tc), glass stability, viscosity, and thermal expansion coefficient (α). The findings indicate that increasing the aluminum content leads to higher glass transition, crystallization temperatures, and viscosities. In contrast, fragility values increase with the Al contents, while modifier elements and silicon content influence thermal expansion coefficient values. FTIR analysis revealed that in all glasses, the dominant IR bands are attributed to the presence of Q2 and Q3 silicate units. The effect of Al is observed as a progressive polymerization of the silicate network resulting from the glass-forming role of Al2O3. In most samples, the Q4 silicate mode was also observed, strongly related to the high Al content. Overall, the study shows that the complexity of composition-property correlations where the structural changes affect the properties of Mg/Ca-based oxynitride glasses has potential implications for their use in various technological fields.

  • Effect of copper and silver modification of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) on the photoreduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid over this framework under visible-light irradiation
    • Mateusz Baluk
    • Aleksandra Pieczyńska
    • Paweł Mazierski
    • Malwina Kroczewska
    • Kostiantyn Nikiforow
    • Alicja Mikolajczyk
    • Joanna Dołżonek
    • Justyna Łuczak
    • Adriana Zaleska-Medynska
    2024 Pełny tekst APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL

    Cu and Ag enhance the photocatalytic activities of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) toward CO2 conversion because of their CO2 adsorption capacities and effects on the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) overpotentials of MOFs. However, to date, targeted introduction of metals into MOFs to achieve visible (Vis)- light-active photocatalysts for CO2 photoconversion has not been realized. Herein, a series of aminefunctionalized Ti MOF (NH2-MIL-125(Ti))-based photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using metalation, incorporation, and photodeposition, allowing Cu and Ag incorporation into NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and attainment of ultraviolet- and Vis-light-active photocatalysts. Notably, the most active photocatalyst obtained by post-synthetic metalation of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) by Cu2+ (MOF_met_0.5%Cu) demonstrated excellent performance in photoreducing CO2 to HCOOH: a conversion rate of 30.1 umolg− 1 h− 1 and quantum yield of 1.18% at 380 nm. Photoconversion of CO2 to HCOOH was further confirmed using 13CO2. The novel approach proposed herein is a significant step toward clean energy production and environmental pollutant elimination

  • Effect of ectoine on hydration spheres of peptides–spectroscopic studies
    • Aneta Panuszko
    • Marek Szymczak
    • Julia Dłużewska
    • Julia Godlewska
    • Anna Kuffel
    • Piotr Bruździak
    2024 SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY

    In this paper, we use FTIR spectroscopy to characterize the hydration water of ectoine, its interactions with two peptides–diglycine and NAGMA, and the properties of water molecules in the hydration spheres of both peptides changed by the presence of the osmolyte. We found that the interaction of ectoine with the peptide hydration shells had no effect on its own hydration sphere. However, the enhanced hydration layer of the osmolyte influences the hydration shells of both peptides and does so in a different way for both peptides: (1) the interfacial interaction of the NAGMA peptide and ectoine hydration spheres strengthened the hydration shell of this peptide; (2) the inclusion of water molecules from the ectoine hydration sphere into the diglycine hydration sphere had only a marginally enhancing effect. Since ectoine is being used in more and more biopharmaceutical products and cosmetics, knowledge of the properties of its hydration shell and its effect on the hydration shell of other molecules is extremely relevant to understanding its protective mechanism.

  • Effect of free water on the quasi‑static compression behavior of partially‑saturated concrete with a fully coupled DEM/CFD approach.
    • Marek Krzaczek
    • Andrzej Tejchman-Konarzewski
    • Michał Nitka
    2024 GRANULAR MATTER

    The work aims to numerically investigate the quasi-static response of partially fluid-saturated concrete under two-dimensional uniaxial compression at the mesoscale. We investigated how the impact of free pore fluid content (water and gas) affected the quasi-static strength of concrete. The totally and partially fluid-saturated concrete behavior was simulated using an improved pore-scale hydro-mechanical model based on DEM/CFD. The fluid flow concept was based on a fluid flow network made up of channels in a continuous region between discrete elements. A two-phase laminar fluid flow was postulated in partially saturated porous concrete with very low porosity. Position and volumes of pores/cracks were considered to correctly track the liquid/gas content. In both dry and wet conditions, a series of numerical simulations were performed on bonded granular specimens of a simplified spherical mesostructure that mimicked concrete. The effects of fluid saturation and fluid viscosity on concrete strength and fracture, and fluid pore pressures were investigated. It was found that each of those effects significantly impacted the hydro-mechanical behavior of concrete. Due to the rising fluid pressure in pores during initial specimen compaction under compressive loading that promoted a cracking process, the compressive strength increased as fluid saturation and fluid viscosity decreased.

  • Effect of lag screw on stability of first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis with medial plate
    • Karol Daszkiewicz
    • Magdalena Rucka
    • Krzysztof Czuraj
    • Angela Andrzejewska
    • Piotr Łuczkiewicz
    2024 PeerJ

    Background: First metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP-1) arthrodesis is a commonly performed procedure in the treatment of disorders of the great toe. Since the incidence of revision after MTP-1 joint arthrodesis is not insignificant, a medial approach with a medially positioned locking plate has been proposed as a new technique. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the application of a lag screw on the stability and strength of first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis with medial plate. Methods: The bending tests in a testing machine were performed for models of the first metatarsal bone and the proximal phalanx printed on a 3D printer from polylactide material. The bones were joined using the locking titanium plate and six locking screws. The specimens were divided into three groups of seven each: medial plate and no lag screw, medial plate with a lag screw, dorsal plate with a lag screw. The tests were carried out quasi-static until the samples failure. Results: The addition of the lag screw to the medial plate significantly increased flexural stiffness (41.45 N/mm vs 23.84 N/mm, p = 0.002), which was lower than that of the dorsal plate with a lag screw (81.29 N/mm, p < 0.001). The similar maximum force greater than 700 N (p > 0.50) and the relative bone displacements lower than 0.5 mm for a force of 50 N were obtained for all fixation techniques. Conclusions: The lag screw significantly increased the shear stiffness in particular and reduced relative transverse displacements to the level that should not delay the healing process for the full load of the MTP-1 joint arthrodesis with the medial plate. It is recommended to use the locking screws with a larger cross-sectional area of the head to minimize rotation of the medial plate relative to the metatarsal bone.

  • Effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes properties on the photocatalytic activity of bismuth-based composites synthesised via an imidazolium ionic liquid
    • Aleksandra Bielicka-giełdoń
    • Patrycja Wilczewska
    • Monika Paszkiewicz
    • Anna Malankowska
    • Karol Szczodrowski
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Ewa Siedlecka
    2024 Pełny tekst APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE

    The use of various types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the synthesis of bismuth oxybromide semiconductors via imidazolium ionic liquid was studied in detail. The effect of the MWCNT shape, specific surface area, and various diameters on the morphology, surface properties and photoactivity of the Bi-based composites has been investigated for the first time. So far, the literature has only shown the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of composites containing MWCNT; however, our research shows a broader view of the issue. The photocatalytic activity of the individual composites under UV–Vis irradiation was assessed by the degradation of various micropollutants, showing the diversity of properties of the obtained composites. It is also significant that in the composite system, the imidazolium ionic liquid played a crucial role in the formation of microspheres and acted as a dispersing agent, leading to an even distribution of MWCNTs on the surface of the spherical bismuth oxybromide.

  • Effect of rPET Content and Preform Heating/Cooling Conditions in the Stretch Blow Molding Process on Microcavitation and Solid-State Post-Condensation of vPET-rPET Blend: Part I—Research Methodology and Results
    • Paweł Wawrzyniak
    • Waldemar Karaszewski
    • Artur Różański
    2024 Materials

    Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used in bottle production due to its costeffectiveness and low environmental impact. The first part of this article describes the research and statistical analysis methodology of the influence of the virgin PET (vPET) and recycled PET (rPET) content in the vPET-rPET blend, as well as the preform heating/cooling conditions in the stretch blow molding (SBM) process on the microscopic bottle properties. Microscopic properties such as crystallinity, density, viscosity, relaxation degree of the amorphous phase, and microcavitation in PET were examined. This study reveals that microcavity and solid-state post-condensation effects occur during PET deformation in the SBM process. The increase in free volume, indicating microcavitation, was confirmed by measuring positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). PALS and density of the amorphous phase studies prove a reduction in the dimensions of the free volumes, with a simultaneous significant increase in their number and ellipsoidization. It can be associated with crystallite rotation in a temperature-dependent non-crystalline matrix. The occurrence of solidstate post-condensation effects was confirmed by measuring the intrinsic viscosity. The conclusions resulting from the analysis of the microstructure affecting the mechanical strength of the material were validated by pressure resistance tests of the bottles.

  • Effect of strain level on the stiffness of cold recycled bituminous mixtures
    • Vittoria Grilli
    • Andrea Grilli
    • Andrea Graziani
    • Mariusz Jaczewski
    2024

    Cold recycling is a sustainable technology for the rehabilitation of bitumi-nous pavements. This study investigates the stiffness response of cement-bitumen treated materials (CBTM)manufactured with 80% reclaimed asphalt and treated with 2.0% Portland cement and 4.0% bitumen emulsion. Indirect tensile stiffness modulus tests were carried out to assess the strain dependence of stiffness at target horizontal deformation levels between 2 and 15 micrometers. Ultrasonic pulse velocity was also measured to evaluate stiffness at very low strain level. The tests were carried out at three temperatures (5, 20, 35C) on CBTMspecimens with 14 % of voids. The results showed that the CBTM stiffness decreased with increasing deformation level. Small-strain results can be used to estimate the linear viscoelastic response whereas damage can be observed when the deformation level is increased

  • Effect of the ex situ physical and in situ chemical modification of bacterial nanocellulose on mechanical properties in the context of its potential applications in heart valve design
    • Alicja Stanisławska
    • Marek Szkodo
    • Hanna Staroszczyk
    • Kinga Dawidowska
    • Magdalena Kołaczkowska
    • Piotr Siondalski
    2024 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES

    Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a promising material for heart valve prostheses. However, its low strength properties limit its applicability in cardiovascular surgery. To overcome these limitations, the mechanical properties of BNC can be improved through modifications. The aim of the research was to investigate the extent to which the mechanical properties of BNC can be altered by modifying its structure during its production and after synthesis. The study presents the results of various analyses, including tensile tests, nanoindentation tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, conducted on BNC chemically modified in situ with hyaluronic acid (BNC/HA) and physically modified ex situ through a dehydration/rehydration process (BNC 25DR, BNC105DR, BNC FDR and BNC/HA 25DR, BNC/HA 105DR, BNC/HA FDR). The results demonstrate that both chemical and physical modifications can effectively shape the mechanical properties of BNC. These modifications induce changes in the crystalline structure, pore size and distribution, and residual stresses of BNC. Results show the effect of the crystalline structure of BNC on its mechanical properties. There is correlation between hardness and Young’s modulus and Iα/Iβ index for BNC/HA and between creep rate of BNC/HA, and Young’s modulus for BNC vs Iα/Iβ index.

  • Effect of ultrasound on the physicochemical, mechanical and adhesive properties of micro-arc oxidized coatings on Ti13Nb13Zr bio-alloy
    • Balbina Makurat-Kasprolewicz
    • Marcin Wekwejt
    • Luca Pezzato
    • Anna Ronowska
    • Jolanta Krupa
    • Sławomir Zimowski
    • Stefan Dzionk
    • Agnieszka Ossowska
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    Implant surgeries are increasingly challenging due to their rising number. Achieving the desired biomaterial surface properties to ensure a strong bond with human tissue is a significant issue. This study investigates the influence of ultrasound (US) during the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process on Ti13Zr13Nb bio-alloy, an area not previously explored, to enhance titanium alloy coatings’ properties for biomedical applications. Porous calcium-phosphate-based coatings were successfully deposited on Ti13Zr13Nb using MAO and ultrasound micro-arc oxidation (UMAO). Various properties such as morphology, chemical composition, topography, wettability, surface free energy, thickness, adhesion to the substrate, as well as mechanical and corrosion characteristics were thoroughly analyzed. Cytocompatibility was assessed using human osteoblasts. Using US during the MAO process increased coating roughness (up to ~ 17%), core height (up to 22%), isotropy (up to 17%), thickness (up to ~ 46%), and hardness (up to ~ 18%), depending on MAO parameters and US mode. Optimal coating performance was achieved at 136 mA, 600 s, and a sinusoidal US setting, resulting in the highest isotropy (~ 79%) and rutile quantity (2.6%), the lowest elastic modulus (~ 57 GPa), and the contact angle of ~ 70°, all of which could have contributed to enhancing osteoblast viability in vitro. This study, for the first time, underscores the importance of using the US during the MAO in tailoring the Ti13Zr13Nb for specific biomedical applications.

  • Effect of underwater friction stir welding parameters on AA5754 alloy joints: experimental studies
    • Anna Janeczek
    • Dariusz Fydrych
    • Jacek Tomków
    • Hamed Aghajani Derazkola
    • Katarzyna Łyczkowska
    2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

    The water as a welding environment may generate serious technological and metallurgical problems but in certain cases, the physicochemical properties of water can be used effectively, e.g., to impart the specific properties of welded materials. The purpose of the work was verification of effectiveness of the water cooling of aluminium alloy AA5754 for various sets of technological parameters of underwater friction stir welding (UFSW). For the joints performed with the range of parameters of rotational speed: 475–925 rpm and welding speed: 47.5–95 mm/min, the following examinations were carried out: visual tests, radiographic tests, static tensile test, fractography (SEM, scanning electron microscope) analysis, and surface texture analysis performed with 3D measurement system. All of the joints were characterized with some amount of flash. Besides, depending on the values of selected parameters, the defects arising from inadequate stirring were found—tunnel defects and melting. The best appearance of the joint was obtained for the set of parameters of 925 rpm and 47.5 mm/min. The samples of the same joint were found to be of the highest mechanical properties—ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 194 MPa and elongation (A) of 9.2%. The results were confirmed by the fractography analysis, which in this case indicated the ductile fracture mode. Dynamic plastic behaviour strongly depends on the process parameter values, which was reflected in the results of surface texture analysis. The parameter selection resulted in significant changes in the roughness results (from 8 to 14.2 µm depending on the sample) as well as the flow ring distance of the weld (from 20 to 50 µm depending on the sample).

  • Effect of Vascular Lumen Reduction on the Performance and Energy Consumption of an Innovative Implantable LVAD
    • Ryszard Jasiński
    • Krzysztof Tesch
    • Leszek Dąbrowski
    • Jan Rogowski
    2024 Pełny tekst Applied Sciences-Basel

    This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of vascular lumen reduction on the performance of an innovative implantable LVAD (left ventricular assist device). It details the pressures in the individual cardiac chambers as a function of device frequency. In addition, mass flow rates and energy consumption of the device are examined, varying with lumen reduction and operating frequency. While the lumen reduction of the vessels has little effect on energy consumption, the mass flow rates vary considerably, i.e., above 140 cyc/min, the mass flow rate increment is no longer achieved for specified initial conditions. There are also differences regarding the pressures in the heart; namely, it was found that the pressure plots look similar in all cases, leading to the conclusion that the reduction of the vessel lumen does not affect their shape, but does affect the maximum values of the left ventricular and aortic pressures. Importantly, the innovative device in the form of an intra-cardiac balloon assembly for circulatory support is based on a pulsatile flow strategy and is synchronized with the ECG signal. Other advantages of the proposed solution include a minimally invasive method of implantation, which is important for patients with end-stage heart failure. The design of the device is portable and the device itself is battery-powered, allowing for shorter hospitalization times and faster recovery, even in patients with end-stage heart failure associated with mitral regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension.

  • Effective sonophotocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in water: Optimization, kinetic modeling, and degradation pathways
    • Ansaf Karim
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Amritanshu Shriwastav
    2024 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND PROCESSING

    Hybrid advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are gaining interest in degradation of variety of recalcitrant compounds for water and wastewater treatment, due to possible synergistic effects. The present study systematically evaluated the degradation of tetracycline (TC) with a sonophotocatalytic process combining acoustic cavitation (sonocavitation) and photocatalysis based on N-doped TiO2 catalyst. The TC degradation rate constant was 2.4 × 10−2 min−1, i.e., much higher than individual sonocatalytic (0.5 × 10−2 min−1) and photocatalysis (0.6 × 10−2 min−1) processes at the optimized conditions. The synergy index was 2.14, which reveals a significant improvement in the process performance. Maximum TC degradations of 55.5 ± 1.8 % for photocatalysis, 66.4 ± 1.8 % for sonocatalysis, and 79.5 ± 0.3 % for sonophotocatalysis were observed for 10 mg L−1 initial TC concentration after 90 min of treatment. The photocatalytic experiments were extended further to 210 min to achieve a maximum degradation of 78.9 ± 0.2 % at the optimized condition. Scavenging experiments confirmed that hydroxyl radicals (•OH), electron holes (h+), and superoxide radical anions (O2−•) played a significant role in the degradation of TC. Further, the degradation intermediates for each process were identified and degradation pathways were proposed. Empirical kinetic models based on operational parameters were also developed and validated.

  • Effects Induced by the Temperature and Chemical Environment on the Fluorescence of Water-Soluble Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with a Perylene-Derivative Dye
    • Agnieszka Lindstaedt
    • Justyna Doroszuk
    • Aneta Machnikowska
    • Alicja Dziadosz
    • Piotr Barski
    • Vittoria Raffa
    • Dariusz Witt
    2024 Materials

    We developed a fluorescent molecular probe based on gold nanoparticles functionalized with N,N′-bis(2-(1-piperazino)ethyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid diimide dihydrochloride, and these probes exhibit potential for applications in microscopic thermometry. The intensity of fluorescence was affected by changes in temperature. Chemical environments, such as different buffers with the same pH, also resulted in different fluorescence intensities. Due to the fluorescence intensity changes exhibited by modified gold nanoparticles, these materials are promising candidates for future technologies involving microscopic temperature measurements.

  • Effects of Deck-Abutment Pounding on the Seismic Fragility Curves of Box-Girder Highway Bridges
    • Seyyed Amirhossein Moayyedi
    • Hossein Rezaei
    • Afshin Kalantari
    • Robert Jankowski
    2024 JOURNAL OF EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

    Earthquake-induced pounding in bridges is a complex contact phenomenon in which the dynamic responses of structures, including collisions between deck and abutments, are strongly related to structural properties and earthquake excitation. The goal of this study is to develop and compare the seismic fragility curves of overall system and individual components of regular and irregular box-girder highway bridges in two cases: with pounding and without pounding. For this purpose, four levels of altitudinal irregularity, ranging from regular to highly irregular, are considered. To extend the results for all bridges in the same class, different sources of uncertainties related to earthquakes, structural geometries, and material properties are taken into account. The analytical fragility curves have been developed based on nonlinear time history analyses in OpenSees finite element software for the cases with and without pounding effects. The process has been repeated for each two-, three-, and four-span classes at four irregularity levels. The fragility function parameters for the two cases with and without pounding have been compared for all classes considered in this study. Using fragility functions, this paper clarifies the interactive roles of irregularity and pounding between deck and abutments for seismic vulnerability of multi-span box-birder highway bridges. The results indicate that collisions often show an adverse effect on all structural components. It has also been observed that the detrimental effect of pounding on seismic fragility is more apparent in irregular bridges when compared with regular ones. In addition, the study introduces a conversion coefficient to clarify the effects of pounding on the fragility of bridge components and the overall system. This coefficient can be applied in both conventional analytical methods like static or simplified analysis and technical earthquake models like HAZUS, adjusting fragility values for pounding and irregularity effects.

  • Effects of interfacial sliding on anti-plane waves in an elastic plate imperfectly attached to an elastic half-space
    • Gennadi I. Mikhasev
    • Victor Eremeev
    2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE

    We study the anti-plane shear waves in a domain consisting of an elastic layer (plate) with a coating attached to an elastic half-space (substrate). We assume an imperfect contact between the layer and the half-space, allowing some sliding. We also assume some elastic bonds between the layer and the substrate. On the free top surface we apply the compatibility conditions within the Gurtin–Murdoch surface elasticity. We found two different solutions: (i) the transversely exponential–transversely exponential (TE–TE) regime with amplitudes decaying exponentially from the free top surface and the interface in both the plate and the half-space, and (ii) the transversely harmonic–transversely exponential (TH–TE) regime with harmonic wave behaviour in the transverse direction in the plate and exponential decay in the half-space. The TE regime of anti-plane waves in an elastic half-space with non-perfect contact is also considered as a special case. A detailed analysis of the derived dispersion relations reveals a crucial influence of the interface stiffness on the phase velocities of anti-plane waves. This effect consists in the decrease of the phase velocities when the interfacial bonds are weakened. The strongest effect of the interfacial sliding on the phase velocities was observed for the long-length waves belonging to the TE–TE regime. Based on the derived lower bounds for the wave numbers from which the TE–TE regime of anti-plane waves exists, we have developed the theoretical background and methodology for assessing the bond stiffness of thin plates imperfectly bonded to an elastic substrate.

  • Effects of preheating on laser beam–welded NSSC 2120 lean duplex steel
    • Michał Landowski
    • Soma Csaba Simon
    • Csaba Breznay
    • Dariusz Fydrych
    • Balázs Varbai
    2024 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

    Duplex stainless steels show sustainable alternative for the conventional austenitic grades, with higher strength, higher resistance against stress corrosion cracking, and lower purchase cost. Thus, duplex stainless steel gains more attention in construction, oil and gas, and chemical industries. Among duplex stainless steels, low nickel and low molybdenum alloyed lean duplex stainless steel are a cost-efective substitution of austenitic grades. However, keeping the balanced ferrite/ austenite phase ratio in the weld metal can be challenging, mostly for autogenous and low heat input welding processes. In our research, a newly developed NSSC 2120 lean duplex stainless steel grade was welded autogenously by fber laser welding process. Diferent welding parameters and preheating temperatures were used during the experiments. The welds were evaluated by microscopic and metallographic techniques, and also by electrochemical corrosion measurements. The welding parameters and the preheating temperature greatly infuenced the weld shape and the austenite content in the weld metal. It was found that the focus point distance from the sheet surface had signifcant efect on the weld geometry. Changing the focus point distance to+2 mm, the penetration depth increased from 4.96 to 5.53 mm, and increased the austenite content by 2.6%. Due to the preheating the welds became wider and shallower, e.g., from 4.96 to 4.08 mm penetration depth, while the cross-section are increased from 5.10 to 6.12 mm2 at the same sample. The preheating resulted in more intergranular austenite formation, which meant maximum 4% increase in the weld metal. The increasing austenite content resulted in increasing pitting corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl electrolyte, the highest increase was 90 mV.

  • Efficacy of modal curvature damage detection in various pre-damage data assumptions and modal identification techniques
    • Milena Drozdowska
    • Marek Szafrański
    • Anna Szafrańska
    • Agnieszka Tomaszewska
    2024 Pełny tekst Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences-Technical Sciences

    The efficacy of modal curvature approach for damage localization is discussed in the paper in the context of input data. Three modal identification methods, i.e., Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA), Natural Excitation Technique with ERA (NExT-ERA) and Covariance Driven Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI-Cov), and four methods of determining baseline data, i.e., real measurement of the undamaged state, analytical function, Finite Element (FE) model and approximation of current experimental mode shape, are considered. Practical conclusions are formulated based on analysis of two cases. The first is a laboratory beam with a notch and the second is a stone masonry historic lighthouse with modern restoration in its upper part. The analysis shows that NExT-ERA and SSI-Cov in combination with approximation of current mode shape provide high efficacy in damage localization alongside relatively straightforward determination of baseline data. It proves that the construction of advanced FE models of a structure can be replaced with a much simpler method of baseline data acquisition. Furthermore, the research shows the structural mode shapes identified with ERA may not always indicate the presence of damage.

  • Efficiency of Artificial Intelligence Methods for Hearing Loss Type Classification: an Evaluation
    • Michał Kassjański
    • Marcin Kulawiak
    • Tomasz Przewoźny
    • Dmitry Tretiakow
    • Jagoda Kuryłowicz
    • Andrzej Molisz
    • Krzysztof Koźmiński
    • Aleksandra Kwaśniewska
    • Paulina Mierzwińska-Dolny
    • Miłosz Grono
    2024 Journal of Automation, Mobile Robotics and Intelligent Systems - JAMRIS

    The evaluation of hearing loss is primarily conducted by pure tone audiometry testing, which is often regarded as golden standard for assessing auditory function. If the presence of hearing loss is determined, it is possible to differentiate between three types of hearing loss: sensorineural, conductive, and mixed. This study presents a comprehensive comparison of a variety of AI classification models, performed on 4007 pure tone audiometry samples that have been labeled by professional audiologists in order to develop an automatic classifier of hearing loss type. The tested models include Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machines, Stochastic Gradient Descent, Decision Trees, Random Forest, Feedforward Neural Network (FNN), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The presented work also investigates the influence of training dataset augmentation with the use of a Conditional Generative Adversarial Network on the performance of machine learning algorithms and examines the impact of various standardization procedures on the effectiveness of deep learning architectures. Overall, the highest classification performance, was achieved by LSTM with an out-of-training accuracy of 97.56%.

  • Efficient Analysis of Noise Induced in Low-Voltage Installations Placed Inside Buildings with Lightning Protection Systems
    • Artur Noga
    • Tomasz Topa
    • Tomasz Stefański
    2024 Electronics

    This paper describes an efficient approach to the broadband analysis of lightning protection systems (LPSs) using the method of moments (MoM) implemented in the frequency domain. The adaptive frequency sampling (AFS) algorithm, based on a rational interpolation of the relevant observable (e.g., voltage, current, electric or magnetic field) which describes the properties of the LPS, is employed to reduce the number of samples computed by the full-wave MoM. This improvement is achieved by the quick comparison of two interpolants with the use of the Stöer–Bulirsch algorithm, which provides the frequency location of the next MoM samples for computations. This algorithm allows for the efficient localization of resonant frequencies while reducing the number of samples computed over the entire frequency range. In the instances when the induced noise is determined in low-voltage installations protected by various types of LPSs, reductions in computational overhead equal to 47.9× and 72.1× in broadband LPS simulations are obtained. Hence, the proposed approach allows for a significant reduction in computational overhead in comparison to standard, uniformly sampled simulations.

  • Efficient Calibration of Cost-Efficient Particulate Matter Sensors Using Machine Learning and Time-Series Alignment
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Marek Wójcikowski
    • Bogdan Pankiewicz
    2024 KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS

    Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) poses a significant threat to human health, infiltrating the lungs and brain and leading to severe issues such as heart and lung diseases, cancer, and premature death. The main sources of PM pollution are vehicular and industrial emissions, construction and agricultural activities, and natural phenomena such as wildfires. Research underscores the absence of a safe threshold for particulate exposure, highlighting the crucial need for monitoring PM levels to develop and implement effective risk mitigation measures. Notwithstanding, accurate measurement of PM concentration relies on expensive and cumbersome equipment. Despite the rising popularity of low-cost alternatives, their reliability remains questionable, given their sensitivity to environmental conditions, inherent instability, and manufacturing imperfections. This article proposes a novel approach to efficient correction of low-cost PM sensors. The primary calibration model is a feedforward artificial neural network (ANN), which directly renders predicted output of the corrected sensor based on environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. The ANN hyper-parameters are identified by aligning time series of prior reference and low-cost sensor readings, which enables the network to learn typical temporal changes of the sensor outcome as a function of the aforementioned parameters as well as operational relationships between the sensor and the reference device. The architecture of the ANN is optimized in terms of the number of neurons in each layer to enhance its generalization capability. Our methodology has been demonstrated using a custom-designed portable monitoring platform and reference data acquired from public stations in Gdansk. The results are indicative of excellent calibration reliability. The achieved correlation coefficients w.r.t. the reference readings are 0.86, 0.88, and 0.72 for PM1, PM10, and PM2.5, respectively, whereas RMSE values are only 3.0, 3.9, and 5.4 µg/m³.

  • Efficient method for octahedral NH2-MIL-125 (Ti) synthesis: Fast and mild conditions
    • Mateusz Baluk
    • Aleksandra Pieczyńska
    • Malwina Kroczewska
    • Justyna Łuczak
    • Krzysztof Matus
    • Kostiantyn Nikiforow
    • Adriana Zaleska-Medynska
    2024 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

    A new hot injection method for preparing octahedral NH2-MIL-125 (Ti) was developed. This method is six times faster and conducted under milder conditions, i.e., at 120°C in a flask, and exhibits higher crystal formation efficiency than the commonly used solvothermal method while maintaining comparable structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties.

  • Efficient removal of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) from industrial/military wastewater using anodic oxidation on boron-doped diamond electrodes
    • Małgorzata Szopińska
    • Piotr Prasuła
    • Piotr Baran
    • Iwona Kaczmarzyk
    • Mattia Pierpaoli
    • Jakub Nawała
    • Mateusz Szala
    • Sylwia Fudala-Książek
    • Agata Kamieńska-Duda
    • Anna Dettlaff
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    With growing public concern about water quality particular focus should be placed on organic micropollutants, which are harmful to the environment and people. Hence, the objective of this research is to enhance the security and resilience of water resources by developing an efficient system for reclaiming industrial/military wastewater and protecting recipients from the toxic and cancerogenic explosive compound – 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), which has been widely distributed in the environment. This research used an anodic oxidation (AO) process on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for the TNT removal from artificial and real-life matrices: marine water and treated wastewater. During experiments, TNT concentrations were significantly decreased, reaching the anodic degradation efficiency of above 92% within two hours and > 99.9% after six hours of environmental sample treatment. The presented results show the great potential of AO performed on BDD anodes for full-scale application in the industry and military sectors for TNT removal.

  • Efficient Simulation-Based Global Antenna Optimization Using Characteristic Point Method and Nature-Inspired Metaheuristics
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    2024 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION

    Antenna structures are designed nowadays to fulfil rigorous demands, including multi-band operation, where the center frequencies need to be precisely allocated at the assumed targets while improving other features, such as impedance matching. Achieving this requires simultaneous optimization of antenna geometry parameters. When considering multimodal problems or if a reasonable initial design is not at hand, one needs to rely on global search. Yet, a reliable rendition of the system outputs necessitates the employment of electromagnetic (EM) analysis, associated with considerable CPU costs. Global optimization under such circumstances is extremely challenging. This especially applies to nature-inspired algorithms known for exceptionally poor computational efficiency. Whereas surrogate-assisted approach is of limited use due to difficulties related to a construction of reliable behavioral antenna models. Here, we suggest a novel methodology for efficient global optimization of multi-band antenna structures, where the surrogate is repeatedly built and refined using custom-defined response features. The infill criteria are based on minimizing surrogate-evaluated objective function, whereas the underlying optimization engine is the particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO). Comprehensive benchmarking, demonstrates superiority of the presented approach over surrogate-assisted methods handing antenna frequency responses, as well as direct nature-inspired optimization.

  • Electrical Interface Parameters of PEDOT: PSS: Effect of Electrodeposition Charge Evaluated Under Body Conditions for Neural Electrode Applications
    • Mohammad Taghi Tourchi Moghadam
    • Karolina Cysewska
    2024 JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY

    This study explores the influence of the deposition charge of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) on its electrical interface parameters. For this purpose, PEDOT:PSS was fabricated by electrodeposition on commercial platinum electrodes with the time limited by different charges (1, 3, 6, 9 mC). Further, the electrodes were characterized regarding their electrical interface such as interfacial impedance, potential window, double-layer capacitance, charge storage capacity, and current injection limit under simulated body conditions. The work showed whether and to what extent the change of deposition charge affected the electrical interface parameters of PEDOT:PSS-based platinum electrodes. The electrodes polymerized with 9 mC exhibited a significant increase in specific capacitance, indicating enhanced charge storage capacity. Additionally, this sample demonstrated lower resistance in phosphate-buffered saline, suggesting improved conductivity.