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Politechniki Gdańskiej

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  • Cassirer E. Logos, dike, kosmos, eidos i eidolon. Przekł. i oprac. P. Parszutowicz.Kęty,2024
    • Przemysław Parszutowicz
    2024

    We wszystkich trzech prezentowanych tutaj i poświęconych myśli starożytnej rozprawach Cassirera otrzymujemy nie tylko przedstawienie jej dziejów, ale przede wszystkim ich interpretację, jako spójnej, systematycznej całości, której rozwój prowadzi w pewnym określonym kierunku, kierunku precyzowanym i określanym w jego własnej koncepcji. Nie znajdziemy tu jedynie relacji z tego, jak wyglądają poglądy poszczególnych filozofów greckich, ale przede wszystkim próbę określenia, jaka jest ich rola w całej późniejszej myśli. Autor nie analizuje treści stworzonych przez nich pojęć, lecz ich funkcję, nie zajmuje się nimi w ich gotowej, wykształconej już postaci, lecz woli ujmować je „niejako in statu nascendi ”, bowiem w jego opinii tylko w ten sposób możemy sobie uświadomić żmudną i trudną pracę, jaką – za pośrednictwem Heraklita, Parmenidesa, Platona czy Demokryta – wykonała myśl, by pojęcia te ukształtować. Pokazuje je jako swego rodzaju narzędzia, swego rodzaju soczewki, za pomocą których starożytni myśliciele realizowali swe próby uchwycenia i skupienia nieprzebranej różnorodności otaczającego ich świata – realizowali dążenia wspólne wszystkim przeszłym, przyszłym i w ogóle możliwym konceptualizacjom.

  • Catalysts for advanced oxidation processes: Deep eutectic solvents-assisted synthesis – A review
    • Amir Mohammad Sheikh Asadi
    • Łukasz Cichocki
    • Ali Atamaleki
    • Marjan Hashemi
    • Holger Lutze
    • Muhammad Imran
    • Lingshuai Kong
    • Chongqing Wang
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2024 Pełny tekst Water Resources and Industry

    New catalyst synthesis techniques, including green materials, are extensively studied for heterogeneous photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) on spotlight of sustainable development. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) started to be used in this field as environmentally friendly alternative to ionic liquids (ILs). During the catalyst synthesis, DESs can act as stabilizers, capping agents, structure directing agents, templates, hydrolyzing agents, etching agents, intercalators, and latent supramolecular catalysts. Importantly, DESs have exhibited the ability to significantly influence catalyst morphology, functionalization and photocatalytic properties (confirmed both for classic UV lamps and light emitting diode (LED)), including band-gap modification. DESs positive effect was proved for a variety of materials, including metal oxides, metalorganic (MO) complexes and doped materials, MXene (MAX phase etching in DES environment), inorganic-organic hybrids, carbo-catalysts. Substantial enhancements were obtained for modification of photocatalytic materials like TiO2, ZnO, MnO2, iron oxides, ceria oxides, CdS, bismuth based photocatalysts and biochar modification. In this aspect, a particular role of DESs was confirmed for synthesis of nanomaterials in a form of nanoparticles, nanopowders or nanosheets. Effectiveness was further increased by oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, persulfates and Fenton process. Effective application of DES-modified catalysts was confirmed for degradation of dyes (Rhodamine B, Reactive orange 16, Safranine, Orange II, methylene blue), pharmaceuticals and antibiotics (Cefixime, Tetracycline, Oxytetracycline, Flumequine, Sulfamethaxazole), PFASs (Perfluorooctanoic acid) and Cr(VI). This reveals high potential of DES based photocatalysts for environmental engineering and remediation. There are still remaining a significant gaps in our understanding of the roles and impacts of DESs in AOPs. Furthermore, there is an absence of data regarding the recovery of DESs in the catalyst synthesis processes applied in AOPs. Addressing this aspects is vital for economic and environmentally friendly applications. As research progresses, it is essential to unravel the intricacies of DES-mediated catalyst synthesis and their broader consequences.

  • Catalytic activity of Ni-MgAl2O4 modified with transition metal (Ti, Mo, W) carbides as potential catalysts for resource recovery via dry reforming of waste plastics
    • Ewelina Pawelczyk
    • Izabela Wysocka
    • Tomasz Dymerski
    • Jacek Gębicki
    2024 Pełny tekst CATALYSIS TODAY

    The growing amounts of plastic waste and CO2 emissions are two environmental threats that require urgent attention. Pyrolysis combined with dry reforming (PCDR) is a technology that allows both CO2 utilization and resource recovery from waste plastic. New catalysts for PCDR are crucial for developing efficient and stable processes that can be widely implemented in the industry. In this study, Ni/MgAl2O4 catalysts modified using different transition metal (Ti, Mo, W) carbides were investigated in the PCDR of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polystyrene (PS) with emphasis on syngas yield, H2/CO ratio, product distribution, and catalyst deactivation. In addition, the effect of reforming temperature and process pressure was investigated. The catalysts were characterized using H2-TPR, CO2-TPD, N2 physisorption, XRD, TEM, XPS and TGA. The combined characterization and activity tests demonstrated that modification with different metal carbides affects the structure and activity of Ni/MgAl2O4 catalysts in relation to product yields, syngas composition, and catalyst stability. The investigation revealed that modification of nickel catalysts with different transition metal carbides enables manipulation of syngas composition, which is of great importance because different industrial processes require synthesis gas with different H2:CO ratios. Moreover, mixed outcomes were observed when different plastic feedstocks were used in the PCDR, indicating that different metal carbide-modified catalysts may be suitable for the process depending on the feedstock used. Regarding the effectiveness of synthesis gas production and catalyst stability, the most promising catalyst was the Ni-TiC/MgAl2O4 catalyst. According to the obtained results, modification with TiC resulted not only in increased synthesis gas production but also in reduced carbon deposition in PCDR of both LDPE and PS.

  • Category Adaptation Meets Projected Distillation in Generalized Continual Category Discovery
    • Grzegorz Rypeść
    • Daniel Marczak
    • Sebastian Cygert
    • Tomasz Trzciński
    • Bartłomiej Twardowski
    2024

    "Generalized Continual Category Discovery (GCCD) tackles learning from sequentially arriving, partially labeled datasets while uncovering new categories. Traditional methods depend on feature distillation to prevent forgetting the old knowledge. However, this strategy restricts the model’s ability to adapt and effectively distinguish new categories. To address this, we introduce a novel technique integrating a learnable projector with feature distillation, thus enhancing model adaptability without sacrificing past knowledge. The resulting distribution shift of the previously learned categories is mitigated with the auxiliary category adaptation network. We demonstrate that while each component offers modest benefits individually, their combination – dubbed CAMP (Category Adaptation Meets Projected distillation) – significantly improves the balance between learning new information and retaining old. CAMP exhibits superior performance across several GCCD and Class Incremental Learning scenarios. The code is available on Github."

  • Catheter-induced coronary artery and aortic dissections. A study of the mechanisms, risk factors, and propagation causes
    • Jacek Klaudel
    • Michał Glaza
    • Barbara Klaudel
    • Wojciech Trenkner
    • Krzysztof Pawłowski
    • Marek Szołkiewicz
    2024 Pełny tekst Cardiology Journal

    Background: Only the incidence, management, and prognosis of catheter-induced coronary artery and aortic dissections have been systematically studied until now. We sought to evaluate their mechanisms, risk factors, and propagation causes. Methods: Electronic databases containing 76,104 procedures and complication registries from 2000– –2020 were searched and relevant cineangiographic studies adjudicated. Results: Ninety-six dissections were identified. The overall incidence was 0.126%, and 0.021% for aortic injuries. The in-hospital mortality rate was 4.2%, and 6.25% for aortic dissections. Compared to the non-complicated population, patients with dissection were more often female (48% vs. 34%, p = 0.004), with a higher prevalence of comorbidities such as hypertension (56% vs. 25%, p < 0.001) or chronic kidney disease (10% vs. 4%, p = 0.002). They more frequently presented with acute myocardial infarction (72% vs. 43%, p < 0.001), underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (85% vs. 39%, p < 0.001), and were examined with a radial approach (77% vs. 65%, p = 0.011). The most prevalent predisposing factor was small ostium diameter and/or atheroma. Deep intubation for support, catheter malalignment, and vessel prodding were the most frequent precipitating factors. Of the three dissec- tion mechanisms, ‘wedged contrast injection’ was the commonest (the exclusive mechanism of aortic dissections). The propagation rate was 30.2% and led to doubling of coronary occlusions and aortic extensions. The most frequent progression triggers were repeat injections and unchanged catheter. In 94% of cases, dissections were inflicted by high-volume operators, with ≥ 5-year experience in 84% of procedures. The annual dissection rate increased over a 21-year timespan. Conclusions: Catheter-induced dissection rarely came unheralded and typically occurred during ur- gent interventions performed in high-risk patients by experienced operators. (Cardiol J) Key words: catheter-induced coronary dissection, iatrogenic aortocoronary dissection, percutaneous coronary intervention complications

  • Cathodes for Sodium‑Ion Batteries
    • Monika Wilamowska-Zawłocka
    • Anita Cymann-Sachajdak
    • Zuzanna Zarach
    • Magdalena Graczyk-Zajac
    2024

    Advances in lithium-ion battery (LIBs) technology have improved living conditions around the globe. However, there are increasing concerns regarding the sustainability and criticality of materials (lithium and cobalt) for LIBs. Considering sodium’s superiority in cost and abundance, the development of electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) has been intensively revisited. Limited types of structures are suitable for intercalation sodium ions due to their preferential sixfold coordination. Layered transition metal oxides and polyanion compounds can hold sodium cations in six-coordinated geometry. Additionally, Prussian Blue analogs (PBAs) with open interstitial sites exhibit Na-ion insertion properties. Sodium layered metal oxides demonstrate advantages such as high capacities and low price, but also exhibit problems like low operating voltage or structural instability upon multiple phase transitions during charge–discharge cycles. Polyanion-type compounds exhibit 3D structures with open channels that facilitate the diffusion of alkali metal ions. Moreover, the highly stable frameworks for reversible Na-ion insertion assure a good cyclability. PBAs possess two metal centers coordinated by cyano-groups. Tailoring the metal centers in this three-dimensional framework provides a tool to vary the redox potential of the compound and the size of the interstitial cavities. These three classes of compounds will be described in this chapter considering their composition, structure, electrochemical performance, sustainability, and cost.

  • CAUSES OF DEFECTS AND DAMAGE TO BRICK MASONRY ELEMENTS IN HISTORIC BUILDINGS
    • Maciej Niedostatkiewicz
    • Tomasz Majewski
    2024 Pełny tekst Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports

    Ceramic brick masonry elements constitute the largest number of structural systems of historic buildings, especially sacral and public utility buildings. In the past, they were also very commonly used as a material for the construction of military facilities. Historic buildings and masonry structures undergo destructive processes over time, the course of which can be very diverse and depends, among other things, on the physicochemical properties of the materials, the type of structure, the age of the building, working conditions and random conditions and events. The paper is an engineering review of the causes of damage to masonry structures and indicates the need for cooperation between representatives of various specialties of science and technology, in particular architectural historians, specialists in the field of conservation of monuments, structural engineers and specialists in the field of geotechnics, geology, hydrogeologists and meliorators in order to ensure the protection of masonry structures in historic buildings.

  • Cavitation and Solid-State Post-Condensation of Polyethylene Terephthalate: Literature Review
    • Waldemar Karaszewski
    • Paweł Wawrzyniak
    • Artur Różański
    2024 Materials

    Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used in bottle production by stretch blow molding processes (SBM processes) due to its cost-effectiveness and low environmental impact. The presented literature review focuses on microcavitation and solid-state post-condensation effects that occur during the deformation of PET in the SBM process. The literature review describes cavitation and microcavitation effects in PET material and solid-state post-condensation of PET on the basis of a three-phase model of the PET microstructure. A three-phase model of PET microstructure (representing the amorphous phase in two ways, depending on the ratio of the trans-to-gauche conformation of the PET macromolecule and the amount of free volume) with a nucleation process, a crystallization process, and the use of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) to analyze PET microstructure are discussed in detail. The conceptual model developed based on the literature combines solid-state post-condensation with microcavitation via the diffusion of the post-condensation product. This review identifies the shortcomings of the developed conceptual model and presents them with five hypotheses, which will be the basis for further research.

  • Celowe zanieczyszczanie pilotów w łączu w górę w interfejsie 5G NR
    • Jarosław Magiera
    • Piotr Rajchowski
    2024 Przegląd Telekomunikacyjny + Wiadomości Telekomunikacyjne

    Referat poświęcono zagadnieniu zakłócania sygnałów pilotowych w interfejsie radiowym 5G NR. Przedstawiono charakterystykę sygnału referencyjnego DMRS oraz uwarunkowania możliwości jego selektywnego zakłócenia. Opisano schemat transmisji w kanale fizycznym PUSCH, zaimplementowany w oprogramowaniu Sionna. Zaprezen-towano model symulacyjny oraz założenia badań wpływu zanieczyszczenia pilotów na jakość transmisji. Przedsta-wiono wyniki badań w zależności od mocy źródła zakłóce-nia oraz od jego lokalizacji względem stacji bazowej.

  • Centrifuge modelling of tapered wall jacked into dense sand
    • Lech Bałachowski
    • Worku Firomsa Kabeta
    • Luc Thorel
    • Matthieu Blanc
    • Thierry Dubreucq
    2024 Pełny tekst

    A series of static penetration tests of trapezoidal walls in dense Fontainebleau sand were performed in the geotechnical centrifuge at Gustave Eiffel University. The models of wall with three different shapes (straight profile with thickness D=16mm, 0.75 degree and 1.5 degree of taper angle) but with the same volume were used. The soil mass was instrumented with five stress cells located at two levels at 2D, 4D and 6D distance from the wall axis to follow the stress state changes during the model penetration. Moreover, three pressure sensors were integrated on the model surface to track the changes of normal stress during the continuous penetration of the wall. Thus for the three walls of different geometry the evolution of the following variables is considered during monotonic penetration of the wall: 1) total vertical force; 2) horizontal stresses in the soil mass; 3) normal stresses on the wall surface.

  • CE-UV method for the determination of catecholamine metabolites from baby pee-covered diapers
    • Jose Grau
    • Magdalena Fabjanowicz
    • Izabela Drążkowska
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    2024 JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A

    A method has been developed for the analysis of vanillylmandelic acid, homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from baby urine as biomarkers of neuroblastoma in infants. Disposable diapers were employed as sampling devices in order to guarantee a low invasiveness during this step. The proposed method consists on a simple extraction step with water from the used diaper followed by the measurement using capillary electrophoresis with UV detection. The Box-Behnken design (BBD) was utilized to optimize the process of extracting catecholamine metabolites from the examined samples. The variables of the sample preparation step were optimized and the method was validated obtaining limits of quantification of 1.65 μg mL−1, good intraday and inter-day precision with RSDs under 15 %. Finally the method was applied to real samples collected from the Department of Neonatology, University Clinical Centre (Gdańsk, Poland). The greenness of the proposed method was also evaluated with different tools (i.e., AGREEPrep and GAPI) with satisfactory results, which allow to state that the method can be considered green. Moreover, its practicality was evaluated by application of BAGI tool, proving to be a practical and economical method to be applied in routine laboratories for determination of catecholamine metabolites in urine-type samples.

  • CFD COUPLING OF VOF MODEL WITH ARRHENIUS EQUATION FOR ANALYSIS OF LASER-INDUCED THERMAL DEACTIVATION OF E. COLI
    • Aimad Koulali
    • Piotr Radomski
    • L. De Sio
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    • Paweł Ziółkowski
    2024 Pełny tekst

    Understanding bacterial deactivation at the micro-scale, particularly with E. coli, is crucial for advancing microbiology and has promising applications in biomedical research. In this research contribution, we investigate the thermal inactivation of E. coli bacteria using gold nanoparticles irradiated by a green 1-W laser within a microfluidic chamber. The microfluidic device comprises a fluidic chamber filled with a thin film of water and air (1 mm thick). The chamber is constructed with 1 mm PDMS coating on the top and side walls, and 1 mm borosilicate glass on the bottom. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations are executed using ANSYS Fluent software employing the Volume of Fluid (VOF) multi-phase model. Bacterial deactivation is described by a first-order kinetic model, while the Arrhenius equation is employed to define the decay coefficient. The light-heat conversion is modeled using a literature-based approach, validated against experimental data. Our findings affirm the efficacy of the proposed physical model (laser + gold nanoparticles) for bacterial inactivation. Additionally, we propose an innovative approach by coupling bacterial inactivation equations and VOF model, opening avenues for further applications in the field.

  • Chained machine learning model for predicting load capacity and ductility of steel fiber–reinforced concrete beams
    • Torkan Shafighfard
    • Farzin Kazemi
    • Faramarz Bagherzadeh
    • Magdalena Mieloszyk
    • Doo-Yeol Yoo
    2024 Pełny tekst COMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING

    One of the main issues associated with steel fiber–reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams is the ability to anticipate their flexural response. With a comprehensive grid search, several stacked models (i.e., chained, parallel) consisting of various machine learning (ML) algorithms and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were developed to predict the flexural response of SFRC beams. The flexural performance of SFRC beams under bending was assessed based on 193 experimental specimens from real-life beam models. The ML techniques were applied to predict SFRC beam responses to bending load as functions of the steel fiber properties, concrete elastic modulus, beam dimensions, and reinforcement details. The accuracy of the models was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error (RMSE) of actual versus predicted values. The findings revealed that the proposed technique exhibited notably superior performance, delivering faster and more accurate predictions compared to both the ANNs and parallel models. Shapley diagrams were used to analyze variable contributions quantitatively. Shapley values show that the chained model prediction of ductility index is highly affected by two other targets (peak load and peak deflection) that show the chained algorithm utilizing the prediction of previous steps for enhancing the prediction of the target feature. The proposed model can be viewed as a function of significant input variables that permit the quick assessment of the likely performance of SFRC beams in bending.

  • Challenges and future prospectives of MXenes
    • Azka Akhlaq
    • Shoomaila Latif
    • Mohammad Imran
    • Ayesha Javaid
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2024

    In the context of nanotechnology, MXenes gained considerable attention as two-dimensional (2D) materials derived from layered transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides. These materials display distinct characteristics with promising implications for a variety of practical applications. This book chapter provides an extensive exploration into MXenes’ fundamental concepts, such as how they are classified based on various composition factors and relevant synthesis techniques. An important aspect is covering diverse applications that range from energy conversion and storage and catalysis and chemical reactions to electronics, optoelectronics, and even biomedicine. Moreover, this chapter provides an insight into future prospects, bottlenecks, and vital considerations. Recognizing this, it serves as a comprehensive resource, offering readers a well-rounded understanding of MXene’s foundational concepts alongside its impressive applications across various scientific domains.

  • Challenges in Observing the Emotions of Children with Autism Interacting with a Social Robot
    • Duygun Erol Barkana
    • Katrin D. Bartl-Pokorny
    • Hatice Kose
    • Agnieszka Landowska
    • Manuel Milling
    • Ben Robins
    • Bjorn Schuller
    • Pinar Uluer
    • Michał Wróbel
    • Tatjana Zorcec
    2024 Pełny tekst International Journal of Social Robotics

    This paper concerns the methodology of multi-modal data acquisition in observing emotions experienced by children with autism while they interact with a social robot. As robot-enhanced therapy gains more and more attention and proved to be effective in autism, such observations might influence the future development and use of such technologies. The paper is based on an observational study of child-robot interaction, during which multiple modalities were captured and then analyzed to retrieve information on a child’s emotional state. Over 30 children on the autism spectrum from Macedonia, Turkey, Poland, and the United Kingdom took part in our study and interacted with the social robot Kaspar. We captured facial expressions/body posture, voice/vocalizations, physiological signals, and eyegaze-related data. The main contribution of the paper is reporting challenges and lessons learned with regard to interaction, its environment, and observation channels typically used for emotion estimation. The main challenge is the limited availability of channels, especially eyegaze-related (29%) and voice-related (6%) data are not available throughout the entire session. The challenges are of a diverse nature—we distinguished task-based, child-based, and environment-based ones. Choosing the tasks (scenario) and adapting environment, such as room, equipment, accompanying person, is crucial but even with those works done, the child-related challenge is the most important one. Therapists have pointed out to a good potential of those technologies, however, the main challenge to keep a child engaged and focused, remains. The technology must follow a child’s interest, movement, and mood. The main observations are the necessity to train personalized models of emotions as children with autism differ in level of skills and expressions, and emotion recognition technology adaptation in real time (e. g., switching modalities) to capture variability in emotional outcomes.

  • Changes in evaporation patterns and their impact on Climatic Water Balance and river discharges in central Poland, 1961–2020
    • Arkadiusz Bartczak
    • Michał Krzemiński
    • Andrzej Araźny
    2024 Regional Environmental Change

    This study investigates the changes in precipitation and evaporation patterns and their impact on Climatic Water Balance and river discharges in central Poland from 1961 to 2020. The analysis focuses on two “normal” periods, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020 (according to the World Meteorological Organization). Bartlett’s test and the Kruskal–Wallis rank sum test were used to assess the homogeneity of variances and compare distributions of analyzed variables over two “normal” periods. The probability density functions were estimated using a kernel density estimator with a Gaussian kernel function. Significant findings indicate alterations in evaporation rates and shifts in water balance dynamics. Mean evaporation increased from 530.8 to 637.9 mm, leading to a notable decrease in the mean Climatic Water Balance from 1.1 to − 107.5 mm (in the periods 1961–1990 and 1991–2020, respectively). Additionally, rivers showed reduced mean annual discharges (from 4.28 to 3.01 m3·s−1 and 1.25 to 0.87 m3·s−1, for the Zgłowiączka and Skrwa Lewa rivers, respectively). These climatic changes in central Poland have substantial implications for regional water resources, especially in spring and summer and particularly in agricultural areas, potentially exacerbating drought conditions and impacting agricultural productivity mainly in the warm half-year.

  • Characteristics of Anthropogenic Pollution in the Atmospheric Air of South-Western Svalbard (Hornsund, Spring 2019)
    • Filip Pawlak
    • Kozioł Krystyna
    • Wanda Wilczyńska-Michalik
    • Mikołaj Worosz
    • Marek Michalik
    • Sara Lehmann-konera
    • Żaneta Polkowska
    2024 Water

    The character of atmospheric pollution and its impact on surface waters may vary substantially in space, and hence, we add a potentially important location for the studies of atmospheric air pollution to the map of the High Arctic. We have investigated the anthropogenic particle characteristics and selected persistent organic pollutant concentrations, in a priorly unmonitored location in the Arctic (Svalbard), exposed to a climatic gradient. Single-particle analysis of PM indicates that besides the prevailing natural aerosol particles, anthropogenic ones were present. The likely anthropogenic origin of some particles was established for spherical Fe-rich or aluminosilicate particles formed in high-temperature processes or metal-rich particles of the chemical composition corresponding to industrial products and atypical for natural minerals; soot, tar balls, and secondary sulfate were also likely of anthropogenic origin. Some of the observed anthropogenic particles could only come from remote industrial sources. POP concentrations indicated a background of LRAT, consistent with the ΣPCB concentrations and volatility profile. However, the ΣDDX composition indicating aged sources and an order of magnitude higher concentrations of both ΣDDXs and ΣHCHs than at other High Arctic monitoring stations indicate their potential source in two types of re-emission from secondary sources, i.e., from seawater and snowpack, respectively.

  • Characteristics of silver-dopped carbon nanotube coating destined for medical applications
    • Dorota Rogala-Wielgus
    • Beata Majkowska-Marzec
    • Andrzej Zieliński
    2024 Pełny tekst Materials Today Communications

    Carbon nanotubes are materials demonstrating outstanding mechanical, chemical, and physical properties and are considered coatings of titanium implants. The present research is aimed to characterize the microstructure and properties of the multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) layer decorated with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the Ti13Nb13Zr alloy destined for long-term implants. The electrophoretic deposition of coatings was performed in a two-stage process, at first at 0.25 wt. pct. of MWCNTs, and next at 0.30 wt. pct. of Ag NPs content in the bath. The SEM, EDS, AFM, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation tests, nano-scratch test, wettability assessments, and corrosion tests were carried out. The effects of the presence of Ag NPs onto the MWCNTs coating were observed as the roughness increased to 0.380 µm and thickness to 5.26 µm, the improved adhesion and corrosion resistance, the water contact angle of 62.94◦, the decreased nanohardness, Young`s modulus and resistance to plastic deformation under load, and slightly improved adhesion. The obtained results can be explained by a specific two-layer structure of the coating, in which the Ag NPs agglomerates create the coating less porous and permeable, but softer structure. Future research will focus on the improvement of the adhesion of the component coatings in different ways.

  • Characterization of corrosion in reinforced concrete beams using destructive and non-destructive tests
    • Tomasz Ferenc
    • Erwin Wojtczak
    • Błażej Meronk
    • Magdalena Rucka
    2024 Pełny tekst Case Studies in Construction Materials

    The paper presents both non-destructive and destructive experimental tests on steel-reinforced concrete beams subjected to electrochemical corrosion. To examine the condition and behavior of the specimens, destructive tests were carried out, i.e., a three-point bending together with a modulated ultrasonic wave test. In addition, a series of non-destructive experiments were conducted, such as the potential measurement method, low-frequency vibrations, and ultrasonic wave propagation. A three-point bending test was conducted to examine the behavior of specimens under applied quasi-static force, together with a modulated ultrasonic wave test. The force-displacement relation, capacity, failure displacement, flexural stiffness, and failure mode were determined for each specimen. A modulated ultrasonic wave test was also performed during the flexural test. Prior to this, the specimens were visually inspected to check if any cracks occurred and a series of non-destructive tests such as potential measurement, low-frequency vibrations, and ultrasonic wave propagation were then performed.

  • Characterization of Corrosion-Induced Fracture in Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Electrical Potential, Ultrasound and Low-Frequency Vibration
    • Tomasz Ferenc
    • Erwin Wojtczak
    • Błażej Meronk
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Krzysztof Wilde
    • Magdalena Rucka
    2024 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION

    The paper deals with the non-destructive experimental testing of the reinforced concrete beams under progressive corrosion. A series of experiments using electrical potential, ultrasound and low-frequency vibrations techniques are reported. Electrical potential and natural frequencies were used to characterise and monitor the corrosion process at its initial state. The P-wave velocity measurements were proved to be effective in quantitative assessment of the level of corrosion as it progresses. The possibility of early detection of damage using a proposed damage index and diagnostic framework is promising for possible applications in the non-invasive diagnostics of reinforced concrete elements.

  • Characterization of Sunflower Waste Carbonization: Energy Balance and Water Holding Properties
    • Jacek Kluska
    • Karolina Matej-Łukowicz
    • Nicole Nawrot
    2024 Sustainability

    This paper characterizes the carbonization process of biomass wastes, including sunflower husk pellets and sunflower sponge stalk pellets, at carbonization temperatures of 450 and 550 ◦C. These studies are important because of the reductions in wood resources for the preparation of barbecue charcoal, as well as agricultural benefits in terms of soil additives. In terms of energy balance, the obtained pyrolysis ensures the autothermal process. The heating characteristics of fixed bed showed that, due to the difference in bulk density, the bed temperature of the sunflower husk pellets reached 450 ◦C in 110 min, whereas the bed temperature of the sunflower stalk sponge reached the same temperature in 200 min. Additionally, the energy used for the sunflower husk carbonization increased from 2.9 kWh at 450 ◦C to 3.3 kWh at 550 ◦C, while the sunflower stalk sponge increased from 3.5 to 3.9 kWh. The combustion characteristics assessed using TGA showed that the carbonization of sunflower husk leads to obtained biochar with a higher combustion activity than biochar derived from sunflower stalk sponge. According to the experimental results, biochar from sunflower husk pellets has a higher water content capacity and water absorption rate than biochar from sunflower stalk sponge pellets.

  • Characterizing Interactions Between Small Peptides and Dimethyl Sulfoxide Using Infrared Spectroscopy and Computational Methods
    • Aneta Panuszko
    • Przemysław Pastwa
    • Jacek Gajewski
    • Piotr Bruździak
    2024 MOLECULES

    This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the interactions between dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and two small peptides, diglycine and N-acetyl-glycine-methylamide (NAGMA), in aqueous solutions using FTIR spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and DFT results revealed that DMSO does not form direct bonds with the peptides, suggesting that DMSO indirectly influences both peptides by modifying the surrounding water molecules. The analysis of HDO spectra allowed for the isolation of the contribution of water molecules that were simultaneously altered by the peptide and DMSO, and it also explained the changes in the hydration shells of the peptides in the presence of DMSO. In the DMSO–diglycine system, DMSO contributes to the additional strengthening of water hydrogen bonds in the reinforced hydration sphere of diglycine. In contrast, DMSO has a more moderate effect on the water molecules surrounding NAGMA due to the similarity of their hydration shells, leading to a slight weakening of the hydrogen bonds in the NAGMA hydration sphere. DFT/ONIOM calculations confirmed these observations. These findings demonstrated that DMSO influences peptide stability differentially based on their structural characteristics.

  • Charakterystyka i zastosowanie związków powierzchniowo czynnych w produktach detergentowych. Skrypt do ćwiczeń
    • Patrycja Szumała
    2024

    Niniejszy skrypt zawiera podstawy teoretyczne wprowadzające w tematykę związków powierzchniowo czynnych znajdujących zastosowanie w produktach detergentowych. Ponadto przedstawiono charakterystykę innych, dodatkowych składników takich produktów, jak również opis specjalistycznych detergentów przemysłowych. Opracowanie jest przeznaczone przede wszystkim dla studentów technologii chemicznej, realizujących zajęcia z przedmiotu technologia związków powierzchniowo czynnych, w ramach którego prowadzone są też ujęte w skrypcie zajęcia laboratoryjne. Jednak zawarte treści mogą się stać użyteczne dla wszystkich osób zainteresowanych produktami detergentowymi, także ze środowiska przemysłowego.

  • Charakterystyka pracy instalacji fotowoltaicznej trójpłaszczyznowej małej mocy – studium przypadku
    • Robert Kowalak
    2024 Pełny tekst Przegląd Elektrotechniczny

    W artykule zaprezentowano specyfikę pracy instalacji fotowoltaicznej zainstalowanej na dachu budynku jednorodzinnego, która charakteryzuje się ułożeniem paneli fotowoltaicznych w trzech grupach, przy czym każda z tych grup ma inną orientację kierunkową. Przedstawiono kształtowanie się krzywej generacji tej instalacji oraz osiągane wartości generowanej energii elektrycznej. Wybrane aspekty pracy tej instalacji porównano z innymi instalacjami, w tym charakteryzującymi się jedną płaszczyzną ułożenia paneli.

  • Charge density wave, enhanced mobility, and large nonsaturating magnetoresistance across the magnetic states of HoNiC2 and ErNiC2
    • Kamil Kolincio
    • Marta Roman
    • Fabian Garmroudi
    • Michael Parzer
    • Ernst Bauer
    • Herwig Michor
    2024 Pełny tekst PHYSICAL REVIEW B

    We report on magnetotransport and thermoelectric properties of two ternary carbides HoNiC2 and ErNiC2 hosting both charge density wave and long-range magnetic order. In the charge density wave state, both compounds show relatively large magnetoresistance MR ≈ 150% in HoNiC2 and ≈ 70%in ErNiC2 at a magnetic field of 9 T and temperature as low as 2 K. This positive field-linear magnetoresistance shows no signatures of saturation. Our combined analysis of diagonal and off-diagonal transport responses reveals electronic mobility values on the order of 103 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 2 K. Both the elevated mobility and related enhanced magnetoresistance persist in the zero-field antiferromagnetic ground state and survive the field-induced crossovers through metamagnetic to field-aligned ferromagnetic states. The robustness of the high-mobility Fermi surface pockets across the magnetically ordered states suggests that the charge density wave is not suppressed but coexists with long-range magnetism in the entire dome of the magnetically ordered states.

  • Charge separation control in organic photosensitizers for photocatalytic water splitting without sacrificial electron donors
    • Małgorzata Rybczyńska
    • Estera Hoffman
    • Karol Kozakiewicz
    • Michał Mońka
    • Daria Grzywacz
    • Olga Ciupak
    • Beata Liberek
    • Piotr Bojarski
    • Illia E. Serdiuk
    2024 JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS

    Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (photoHER) is one of the most promising approaches towards production of “green” hydrogen. Currently, the state-of-the-art photoHER systems require the use of sacrificial electron donors (SED), because of inefficient charge separation in photosensitizers and thermodynamically challenging water oxidation by the same catalyst. Here, we present a molecular design approach for all-organic photosensitizers with effective intramolecular charge separation, microsecond lifetime of excited states, controllable direction of electron transfer, and ability to oxidize water for recovery of the photocatalytic system to its initial state. Such photosensitizers comprise weakly conjugated strong electron donor and acceptor what enables charge transfer during the light absorption. The excitation energy is stored in long-living triplet states, whose lifetime can be monitored by the thermally activated delayed fluorescence. Additionally, application of heavy-atom effect helps not only to increase the population of triplet state but also to increase its stability and lifetime. When such photosensitizers are attached to the platinized TiO2, efficient photoHER catalysts are obtained which produce H2 under irradiation with sunlight. In the presence of SED, the highest turnover number after 24 h (TON24h) of such systems exceed 3500, whilst in pure water without any SED, TON24h reaches 2000. Our best system performs photocatalytic SED-free water-splitting for 48 h keeping 100 % of its activity and constant turnover frequency of 26 h1. The described here investigations reveal that water splitting can be performed by a simple three component system “photosensitizer|TiO2|Pt” under specific control of 1) the charge separation and its direction, 2) intersystem crossing rate and triplet state lifetime, and 3) favorable water oxidation thermodynamics within a photosensitizer together with 4) appropriate alignment of energy levels to the catalyst.

  • Charge Transport in the A6B2O17 (A = Zr, Hf; B = Nb, Ta) Superstructure Series
    • Tadeusz Miruszewski
    • Aleksandra Mielewczyk-Gryń
    • Daniel Jaworski
    • William Foute Rosenberg
    • Scott J. McCormack
    • Maria Gazda
    2024 JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY

    The electrical properties of the entropy stabilized oxides: Zr6Nb2O17, Zr6Ta2O17, Hf6Nb2O17 and Hf6Ta2O17 were characterized. The results and the electrical properties of the products (i.e. ZrO2, HfO2, Nb2O5 and Ta2O5) led us to hypothesize the A6B2O17 family is a series of mixed ionic-electronic conductors. Conductivity measurements in varying oxygen partial pressure were performed on A6Nb2O17 and A6Ta2O17. The results indicate that electrons are involved in conduction in A6Nb2O17 while holes play a role in conduction of A6Ta2O17. Between 900 °C–950 °C, the charge transport in the A6B2O17 system increases in Ar atmosphere. A combination of DTA/DSC and in situ high temperature X-ray diffraction was performed to identify a potential mechanism for this increase. In-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction in Ar does not show any phase transformation. Based on this, it is hypothesized that a change in the oxygen sub-lattice is the cause for the shift in high temperature conduction above 900 °C–950 °C. This could be: (i) Nb(Ta)4+- oxygen vacancy associate formation/dissociation, (ii) formation of oxygen/oxygen vacancy complexes (iii) ordering/disordering of oxygen vacancies and/or (iv) oxygen-based superstructure commensurate or incommensurate transitions. In-situ high temperature neutron diffraction up to 1050 °C is required to help elucidate the origins of this large increase in conductivity.

  • Chat GPT Wrote It: What HCI Educators Can Learn from their Students?
    • Marcin Sikorski
    2024

    Recently students, teachers, and researchers equally have become impressed by Generative AI (GenAI) tools, with ChatGPT at the top. However, numerous concerns about the GenAI-related threats to academic integrity and the validity of learning outcomes are emerging. This problem is also vivid in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) education since students can use GenAI tools to rapidly generate ideas, user interface templates, screen graphics and mock-ups, or entire user research programmes. This paper presents the results of a small-scale survey performed with a group of HCI students regarding their experiences and expectations regarding the use of GenAI tools in their current HCI course, as well as expected GenAI-relevant university policies. Conclusions from this study can be informative for HCI teachers considering the potential use of GenAI tools in their classes and for university managers in the broader context of engineering university education, regarding computer science in particular. Also, results of this study can be useful for the educational management involving students as the teaching process stakeholders in the context of developing institutional policies as to the allowed use of GenAI tools.

  • Chemical and biological characterization of Ocimum basilicum L. phenolic extract and essential oil derived through ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction techniques
    • Sarah Hamid
    • Naima Fadloun Oukil
    • Hamza Moussa
    • Nadjet Djihad
    • Marika Mróz
    • Barbara Kusznierewicz
    • Amel Attia
    • Katia Djenadi
    • Malik Mohamed Mahdjoub
    • Mustapha Mounir Bouhenna
    • Farid Chebrouk
    2024 Food Bioscience

    Plant-derived bioactive molecules are increasingly utilized in food processing as natural additives, driven by a growing interest in healthier lifestyles. This trend has spurred industries to reformulate products to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers. This study investigates the phenolic extract and essential oil of O. basilicum L. obtained via ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted extraction, respectively. Characterization using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) for the basil phenolic extract (BPE) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) for the basil essential oil (BEO) identified 82 compounds in BPE and 51 compounds, with rosmarinic acid and estragole as the main constituents, respectively. Both BPE and BEO exhibited significant antioxidant capacity. BPE showed higher antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 0.740 ± 0.023 mg/mL against DPPH•, 0.408 ± 0.02 mg/mL for ABTS+•, and 0.289 ± 0.02 mg/mL for iron chelation. Conversely, BEO demonstrated IC50 values of 16.296 ± 0.394 mg/mL, 0.6870 ± 0.0203 mg/mL, and 3.9 ± 0.12 mg/mL for DPPH•, ABTS+• scavenging assays, and iron chelation, respectively. The growth inhibitory effect of BEO surpassed that of BPE against microbial strains, achieving total growth inhibition against C. albicans with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 0.04 mg/mL. BPE exhibited inhibitory effects against MRSA with a zone of inhibition of 19 ± 1.15 mm, while the lowest MIC value was observed against E. coli at 0.38 ± 0.03 mg/mL. These findings underling basil’s potential health-boosting, emphasizing its abundance in phenolic and volatile compounds.

  • Chemical investigation on the mechanism and kinetics of the atmospheric degradation reaction of Trichlorofluoroethene by OH⋅ and Its subsequent fate in the presence of O2/NOx
    • Abolfazl Shiroudi
    • Jacek Czub
    • Mohammednoor Altarawneh
    2024 Pełny tekst CHEMPHYSCHEM

    The M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory was used to examine the degradation of Trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE) initiated by OH⋅ radicals. Additionally, the coupled-cluster single-double with triple perturbative [CCSD(T)] method was employed to refine the single-point energies using the complete basis set extrapolation approach. The results indicated that OH-addition is the dominant pathway. OH⋅ adds to both the C1 and C2 carbons, resulting in the formation of the C(OH)Cl2−⋅CClF and ⋅CCl2−C(OH)ClF species. The associated barrier heights were determined to be 1.11 and −0.99 kcal mol−1, respectively. Furthermore, the energetic and thermodynamic parameters show that pathway 1 exhibits greater exothermicity and exergonicity compared to pathway 2, with differences of 8.11 and 8.21 kcal mol−1, correspondingly. The primary pathway involves OH addition to the C2 position, with a rate constant of 6.2×10−13 cm3 molecule−1 sec−1 at 298 K. This analysis served to estimate the atmospheric lifetime, along with the photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) and ozone depletion potential (ODP). It yielded an atmospheric lifetime of 8.49 days, an ODP of 4.8×10−4, and a POCP value of 2.99, respectively. Radiative forcing efficiencies were also estimated at the M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level. Global warming potentials (GWPs) were calculated for 20, 100, and 500 years, resulting in values of 9.61, 2.61, and 0.74, respectively. TCFE is not expected to make a significant contribution to the radiative forcing of climate change. The results obtained from the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) indicated that TCFE and its energized adducts are unable to photolysis under sunlight in the UV and visible spectrum. Secondary reactions involve the [TCFE-OH−O2]⋅ peroxy radical, leading subsequently to the [TCFE−OH−O]⋅ alkoxy radical. It was found that the alkoxy radical resulting from the peroxy radical can lead to the formation of phosgene (COCl2) and carbonyl chloride fluoride (CClFO), with phosgene being the primary product.

  • Chemical Structure and Thermal Properties versus Accelerated Aging of Bio-Based Poly(ether-urethanes) with Modified Hard Segments
    • Julia Godlewska
    • Joanna Smorawska
    • Ewa Głowińska
    2024 MOLECULES

    Aging of polymers is a natural process that occurs during their usage and storage. Predicting the lifetime of polymers is a crucial aspect that should be considered at the design stage. In this paper, a series of bio-based thermoplastic poly(ether-urethane) elastomers (bio-TPUs) with modified hard segments were synthesized and investigated to understand the structural and property changes triggered by accelerated aging. The bio-TPUs were synthesized at an equimolar ratio of reagents using the prepolymer method with the use of bio-based poly(trimethylene ether) glycol, bio-based 1,3-propanediol, and hexamethylene diisocyanate or hexamethylene diisocyanate/partially bio-based diisocyanate mixtures. The polymerization reaction was catalyzed by dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL). The structural and property changes after accelerated aging under thermal and hydrothermal conditions were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). Among other findings, it was observed that both the reference and aged bio-TPUs decomposed in two main stages and exhibited thermal stability up to approximately 300 °C. Based on the research conducted, it was found that accelerated aging impacts the supramolecular structure of TPUs.

  • CHEMOTHERAPY-MEDIATED COMPLICATIONS OF WOUND HEALING. AN UNDERSTUDIED SIDE EFFECT
    • Paulina Słonimska
    • Paweł Sachadyn
    • Jacek Zieliński
    • Marcin Skrzypski
    • Michał Pikuła
    2024 Pełny tekst Advances in Wound Care

    Significance: Chemotherapy is a primary method to treat cancer, but while cytotoxic drugs are designed to target rapidly dividing cancer cells, they can also affect other cell types, including dermal cells and macrophages involved in wound healing, which often leads to the development of chronic wounds. The situation becomes even more severe when chemotherapy is combined with surgical tumor excision. Recent advances: Despite its significant impact on patients' recovery from surgery, the issue of delayed wound healing in individuals undergoing chemotherapy remains inadequately explored. Critical Issues: This review aims to analyze the harmful impact of chemotherapy on wound healing. The analysis showed that chemotherapy drugs could inhibit cellular metabolism, cell division, and angiogenesis and lead to nerve damage. They impede the migration of cells into the wound and reduce the production of extracellular matrix. At the molecular level, they interfere with replication, transcription, translation, and cell signaling. This work reviews skin problems that patients may experience during and after chemotherapy and demonstrates insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these pathologies. Future directions: In the future, the problem of impaired wound healing in patients treated with chemotherapy may be addressed by cell therapies like autologous keratinocyte transplantation, which has already proved effective in this case. Epigenetic intervention to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy is also worth considering, but epigenetic consequences of chemotherapy on skin cells are largely unknown and should be investigated.

  • Chiral-based optical and electrochemical biosensors: Synthesis, classification, mechanisms, nanostructures, and applications
    • Homa Beyrami
    • Marzieh Golshan
    • Justyna Kucińska-Lipka
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Mehdi Salami-Kalajahi
    2024 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

    This review seeks to collect, summarize, classify and discuss the latest advances in chiral-based optical biosensors. Starting from the identification of chiral molecules, photoluminescence, and electrochemical sensors, applications of chiral structures in biosensing molecules are reviewed. Then, biosensors working on the basis of chirality are classified, followed by summarizing the outcomes of research works on design, synthesis, and mechanisms of performances of chiral-based optical biosensors. Electrochemically active molecules are subsequently reviewed, emphasizing molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP), doped electrodeposited conducting polymers, enzymatic chiral sensors, and metal–organic framework (MOF) based chiral molecules applied in biosensing applications.

  • Chitosan pyrolysis in the presence of a ZnCl2/NaCl salts for carbons with electrocatalytic activity in oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solutions
    • Maria K. Kochaniec
    • Marek Lieder
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    The one-step carbonization of low cost and abundant chitosan biopolymer in the presence of salt eutectics ­ZnCl2/NaCl results in nitrogen-doped carbon nanostructures (8.5 wt.% total nitrogen content). NaCl yields the spacious 3D structure, which allows external oxygen to easily reach the active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) distinguished by their high onset potential and the maximum turnover frequency of 0.132 e site−1 s− 1. Data show that the presence of NaCl during the synthesis exhibits the formation of pores having large specific volumes and surface (specific surface area of 1217 ­m2 ­g−1), and holds advantage by their pores characteristics such as their micro-size part, which provides a platform for mass transport distribution in three-dimensional N-doped catalysts for ORR. It holds benefit over sample pre-treated with LiCl in terms of the micropores specific volume and area, seen as their percentage rate, measured in the BET. Therefore, the average concentration of the active site on the surface is larger.

  • Chitosan-Based Material and a Copine-7 Peptide Derivative as a Chondrogenesis Stimulator in Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells
    • Agata Tymińska
    • Natalia Karska
    • Aneta Skoniecka
    • Małgorzata Zawrzykraj
    • Adrianna Banach-Kopeć
    • Szymon Mania
    • Zieliński Jacek
    • Karolina Kondej
    • Katarzyna Gurzawska-Comis
    • Piotr Skowron
    • Robert Tylingo
    • Sylwia Rodziewicz-Motowidło
    • Michał Pikuła
    2024 Pełny tekst BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY

    The natural healing process of cartilage injuries often fails to fully restore the tissue’s biological and mechanical functions. Cartilage grafts are costly and require surgical intervention, often associated with complications such as intraoperative infection and rejection by the recipient due to ischemia. Novel tissue engineering technologies aim to ideally fill the cartilage defect to prevent disease progression or regenerate damaged tissue. Despite many studies on designing biocompatible composites to stimulate chondrogenesis, only few focus on peptides and carriers that promote stem cell proliferation or differentiation to promote healing. Our research aimed to design a carbohydrate chitosan-based biomaterial to stimulate stem cells into the chondrogenesis pathway. Our strategy was to combine chitosan with a novel peptide (UG28) that sequence was based on the copin protein. The construct stimulated human adipose-derived stem cells (AD-SCs) cells to undergo chondrogenic differentiation. Chitosan 75/500 allows AD-SCs to grow and has no harmful effects on the cells. The combination of UG28 peptide with the chitosan composite offers promising properties for cell differentiation, indicating its potential for clinical applications in cartilage regeneration.

  • Chitosan-based modalities with multifunctional attributes for adsorptive mitigation of hazardous metal contaminants from wastewater
    • Shan E Zehra Syeda
    • Anna Skwierawska
    • Muhammad Khan
    2024 Pełny tekst Desalination and Water Treatment

    The increase in population and industrialization has intensified water scarcity and stress, and contaminated water bodies. Therefore, the development of advanced water and wastewater treatment technologies has gained global attention from esearchers. Adsorption, using natural materials (nano, polymer, and bio) is one of the most cost-effective, less challenging, and well-known technologies for wastewater treatment and mproving water quality. Among them, chitosan (CS) has demonstrated a set of unique features, such as biodegradability, eco-riendliness, availability, low cost, and biocompatibility. Hence, this review provides an overview of some recent advancements in the removal of heavy metals, including As (III) and (V), Cd (II), Cu (II), Cr (VI), and Pb (II) by CS-based adsorbents, and their potential effects on human health. It also covers the synthesis of CS-based adsorbents for the elimination of mentioned contaminants in recently reported studies. In addition, this study recommends encountering potential drawbacks by enhancing the adsorption capacity by incorporating functional groups, nanoparticles, and other materials. These modifications may help increase selectivity for specific metal contaminants and synthesize adsorbents that can perform better over a wide range of pH. Insights gained from this study will guide researchers in the future toward optimal water treatment and pollutant elimination strategies.

  • Chitosan-based nanomaterials for removal of water pollutants
    • Mehvish Mumtaz
    • Nazim Hussain
    • Sidra Salam
    • Hafiz Muhammad Azam Husnain
    • Natalia Łukasik
    • Tak H. Kim
    • Jose Cleiton Sousa dos Santos
    • Jens Ejbye Schmidt
    2024

    The rise of micropollutants presents a significant threat to both the environment and human well-being, requiring effective strategies for their mitigation. Chitin serves as the precursor for chitosan, composed of two monomers featuring acetamido and amino groups. Chitosan possesses several noteworthy attributes, including its ability to bind water and fat, humidity content, solubility, consistent molecular weight, and various degrees of deacetylation, all of which facilitate surface functionalization. To enhance quality and effectiveness, chitosan can be combined with other adsorbent and/or functional nanomaterials to produce chitosan-based nanocomposites with distinct functionalities for various applications. These nanocomposites offer unique advantages in combating environmental issues. Examples of such nanocomposites include chitosan-grafted carbon nanoonions, polymer–chitosan blends, chitosan–clay mineral composites, chitosan–graphene oxide nanocomposites, magnetic chitosan, chitosan-based foams and sponges, and chitosan/activated carbon composites. Each of these nanohybrid materials plays a crucial role in selectively removing specific types of environmental contaminants. This chapter provides a recent perspective on innovative chitosan-based nanohybrids designed for the elimination of impurities from the environment. These nanohybrids exhibit diverse functions, including adsorption of contaminants, humus removal, extraction of heavy metals and metal ions, and reduction of inanimate impurities such as nitrate, borate, and phosphate. The adsorption kinetics of these chitosan-based nanocomposites have also been thoroughly reviewed, offering valuable insights for further research. Additionally, a comparative analysis of different chitosan-supported composites is conducted to provide potential methodologies for enhancing efficacy and fostering the development of novel compounds for environmental remediation.

  • Chromogeniczne pochodne azoli jako składniki warstw receptorowych czujników optycznych
    • Błażej Galiński
    2024 Pełny tekst

    Głównym celem badań prowadzonych w ramach studium doktoranckiego była synteza oraz badanie właściwości chromogenicznych pochodnych azoli, makrocyklicznych i acyklicznych, jako składników warstw receptorowych czujników optycznych. Otrzymane związki zawierają w swojej strukturze resztę heterocykliczną – azol, który może uczestniczyć w tworzeniu kompleksów z jonami metali ciężkich oraz co najmniej jedno ugrupowanie azowe. Obecność grupy azowej zapewnia właściwości chromoforowe, ale także stanowi dodatkowe centrum koordynacji jonów metali poprzez jeden z dwóch atomów azotu tej grupy. Wybrane chromojonofory przetestowano pod kątem unieruchomienia ich na podłożach o różnych właściwościach hydrofobowo-lipofilowych, w celu uzyskania warstw receptorowych. Zbadana została odpowiedź spektralna i kolorymetryczna, przy zastosowaniu cyfrowej analizy obrazu, poszczególnych warstw receptorowych na obecność kationów metali ciężkich w funkcji składu warstwy receptorowej. Oczekiwanym efektem końcowym przeprowadzonych badań było określenie zależności pomiędzy właściwościami proponowanych układów gość-gospodarz w roztworze, a ich charakterystyką po unieruchomieniu na stałym podłożu. Zdefiniowanie tej zależności przyczyniło się do opracowania szybkich i niedrogich warstw receptorowych, wykorzystujących metody optyczne do oznaczania jonów metali ciężkich w próbkach wodnych.

  • Chromosome Straightening via Disentangled Representations: Exploring Semantic Trajectories in GAN’s Latent Space
    • Yifeng Peng
    • Haoxi Zhang
    • Fei Li
    • Edward Szczerbicki
    2024

    In the field of chromosome karyotype analysis, performing straightening preprocessing on chromosomes is a critical step to improve the accuracy of chromosome identification. Previous studies have typically relied on geometric algorithms; however, during the straightening process, external perturbations caused by geometric factors often result in the distortion or deformation of chromosome banding patterns, leading to the loss of key feature information and the blurring of details. This, in turn, reduces the model’s representation capability and generalization performance. In this paper, we propose a novel disentangled representation learning framework aimed at exploring the semantic disentanglement trajectories within generative models to generate chromosome images with purer straightening semantics. Our framework consists of four main components: the Generator(G), the Semantic Trajectory Explorer(STE), the Disentangled Encoder(DE), and the Classifier(C). The Generator is responsible for generating chromosome images, the Semantic Trajectory Explorer explores disentangled semantic trajectories within the latent space of the generative model, the Disentangled Encoder maps chromosome images into the disentangled feature space, and the Classifier predicts the chromosome type based on these features. The framework employs a disentanglement loss to force the Semantic Trajectory Explorer to find disentangled semantic trajectories within the latent space of the Generator and uses classification loss to ensure that content information remains unchanged along the semantic trajectory, thereby achieving chromosome straightening without altering karyotype features. Evaluation results show that our method achieves superior performance in terms of both the Rectangular Aspect Ratio(RAR) metric and the Downstream Classification Accuracy (DCA) metric.

  • Chronic Rhinosinusitis—Microbiological Etiology, Potential Genetic Markers, and Diagnosis
    • Michał Michalik
    • Beata Krawczyk
    2024 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

    Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a significant public health problem. Bacterial colonization and impaired mucociliary clearance play a significant role in the inflammatory process. Several inflammatory pathways and host defense elements are altered in CRS, which may contribute to observed differences in the microbiome. To date, researching CRS has been difficult due to limited access to the studied tissue and a lack of available biomarkers. Ongoing scientific research is increasingly based on simple and objective analytical methods, including sensors, detection with PCR, and sequencing. Future research on microbiota and human factors should also include genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics approaches. This report analyzes the changes that occur in the paranasal sinuses of people with acute and chronic rhinosinusitis, the composition of the microbiota, the human genetic markers that may shed light on the predisposition to CRS, and the advantages and disadvantages of classical and molecular diagnostic methods, as well as addressing the difficulties of sinusitis treatment.

  • Circularly Polarized Metalens Antenna Design for 5G NR Sub-6 GHz Communication Systems
    • Rao Aziz
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2024 AEU-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS

    5G NR (new radio) FR1 range refers to as Sub-6GHz band (410MHz to 7125MHz and 3.4GHz to 6GHz). In this paper, the frequency range of interest is from 3.4 to 6GHz, as many cellular companies are focusing on this Sub-6GHz band. A wideband circularly polarized (CP) antenna radiator is designed with diamond shape patches, fed by a microstrip line at the bottom through a rectangular shape wide slot on a ground plane. The proposed CP antenna covering a -10dB bandwidth of 21.52% (5.0 to 6.3GHz) with 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 12.48% (5.1 to 5.8GHz). Furthermore, a metasurface-based lens (metalens) is designed for gain enhancement and fed by 3  1 array of the proposed CP antennas for multibeam operation. The lightweight dual-layer metasurface structure consisting of circular shape unit cell elements are used to implement the lens. For the proof-of-concept, the array of radiating elements is implemented and experimentally validated, which gives a ±18o beam scanning range with a maximum gain of 13dBic at 5.6GHz.

  • Circulating miRNA profiles and the risk of hemorrhagic transformation after thrombolytic treatment of acute ischemic stroke: a pilot study
    • Marcin Stańczak
    • Adam Wyszomirski
    • Paulina Słonimska
    • Barbara Kołodziej
    • Bartosz Jabłoński
    • Anna Stanisławska-Sachadyn
    • Bartosz Karaszewski
    2024 Frontiers in Neurology

    Background: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in acute ischemic stroke is likely to occur in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and may lead to neurological deterioration and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Despite the complex inclusion and exclusion criteria for IVT and some useful tools to stratify HT risk, sICH still occurs in approximately 6% of patients because some of the risk factors for this complication remain unknown. Objective: This study aimed to explore whether there are any differences in circulating microRNA (miRNA) profiles between patients who develop HT after thrombolysis and those who do not. Methods: Using qPCR, we quantified the expression of 84 miRNAs in plasma samples collected prior to thrombolytic treatment from 10 individuals who eventually developed HT and 10 patients who did not. For miRNAs that were downregulated (fold change (FC) <0.67) or upregulated (FC >1.5) with p < 0.10, we investigated the tissue specificity and performed KEGG pathway annotation using bioinformatics tools. Owing to the small patient sample size, instead of multivariate analysis with all major known HT risk factors, we matched the results with the admission NIHSS scores only. Results: We observed trends towards downregulation of miR-1-3p, miR-133a-3p, miR-133b and miR-376c-3p, and upregulation of miR-7-5p, miR-17-3p, and miR-296-5p. Previously, the upregulated miR-7-5p was found to be highly expressed in the brain, whereas miR-1, miR-133a-3p and miR-133b appeared to be specific to the muscles and myocardium. Conclusion: miRNA profiles tend to differ between patients who develop HT and those who do not, suggesting that miRNA profiling, likely in association with other omics approaches, may increase the current power of tools predicting thrombolysis-associated sICH in acute ischemic stroke patients. This study represents a free hypothesis-approach pilot study as a continuation from our previous work. Herein, we showed that applying mathematical analyses to extract information from raw big data may result in the identification of new pathophysiological pathways and may complete standard design works.

  • Classification of Covid-19 using Differential Evolution Chaotic Whale Optimization based Convolutional Neural Network
    • D.p. Manoj Kumar
    • Sujata N. Patil
    • Parameshachari Bidare Divakarachari
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    • R. Suganthi
    2024 Pełny tekst Scalable Computing: Practice and Experience

    COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus disease-2019, is an transferrable disease that spreads rapidly, affecting countless individuals and leading to fatalities in this worldwide pandemic. The precise and swift detection of COVID-19 plays a crucial role in managing the pandemic's dissemination. Additionally, it is necessary to recognize COVID-19 quickly and accurately by investigating chest x-ray images. This paper proposed a Differential Evolution Chaotic Whale Optimization Algorithm (DECWOA) based Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) method for identifying and classifying COVID-19 chest X-ray images. The DECWOA based CNN model improves the accuracy and convergence speed of the algorithm. This method is evaluated {by} Chest X-Ray (CXR) dataset and attains better results in terms of accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and F1-score values of about 99.89}%, 99.83%, 99.81%, 98.92%, and 99.26% correspondingly. The result shows that the proposed DECWOA based CNN model provides accurate and quick identification and classification of COVID-19 compared to existing techniques like ResNet50, VGG-19, and Multi-Model Fusion of Deep Transfer Learning (MMF-DTL) models.

  • Classification of Glacial and Fluvioglacial Landforms by Convolutional Neural Networks Using a Digital Elevation Model
    • Paweł Nadachowski
    • Zbigniew Łubniewski
    • Aleksandra Malecha-Łysakowska
    • Karolina Trzcińska
    • Radosław Wróblewski
    • Jarosław Tęgowski
    2024 IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing

    The rise of artificial neural networks (ANNs) has revolutionized various fields of research, demonstrating their effectiveness in solving complex problems. However, there are still unexplored areas where the application of neural networks, particularly convolutional neural network (CNN) models, has yet to be explored. One area is where the application of ANNs is even expected is geomorphology. One of the tasks of geomorphology is the classification of landforms in a broad sense. Such classification requires a precise interpretation approach to create a homogeneous product, and this requires time and a uniform, consistent approach by the interpreter, which is not easy to achieve with manual operations. Classifications in geomorphology aremainly performed bymanual or semiautomatic methods. The use of ANNs can complement and, in many areas, replace manual classification and reduce the time commitment of the interpreter, not least because of its repeatability and objectivity, which is a definite advantage in the case of geomorphological interpretation of vast areas. This article uses two popular CNN architectures, includingVGGand residual neural network, to solve the problem of classifying glacial and fluvioglacial andforms based on a digital elevation model (DEM). The results of this article show that CNNs can produce high accuracy scores (up to 87% overall accuracy) for a ground-based dataset and are a suitable method for identifying glacial and fluvioglacial landforms using DEM data as input. The presented method provides an objective, reproducible, and fast tool for automatic geomorphological analysis of terrain imagery of vast areas.

  • Climate change impact on groundwater resources in sandbar aquifers in southern Baltic coast
    • Anna Gumuła-Kawęcka
    • Beata Jaworska-Szulc
    • Maciej Jefimow
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    Shallow coastal aquifers are vulnerable hydrosystems controlled by many factors, related to climate, seawater‑freshwater interactions and human activity. Given on‑going climate change, sea level rise and increasing human impact, it is especially true for groundwater resources situated in sandbars. We developed numerical models of unsaturated zone water flow for two sandbars in northern Poland: the Vistula Spit and the Hel Spit using HYDRUS‑1D. The simulations were performed for three types of land use: pine forest, grass cover and bare soil, for 2024–2100 based on weather data and sea level rise forecasts for two emissions scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). The results present prognosis of groundwater recharge, water table level and water content changeability in near‑term (2023–2040), mid‑term (2041–2060), and long‑term period (2081–2100). Expected sea level rise and decreasing hydraulic gradient of the sandbar aquifers will probably cause in‑land movement of the freshwater– saltwater interface, leading to significant decrease or complete salinization of groundwater resources. The study shows that holistic monitoring including groundwater level and salinization, sea level rise, and metheorological data (precipitation amount and variability, temperature) is crucial for sustainable management of vulnerable aquifers located in sandbars.

  • Climbing university rankings under resources constraints: a combined approach integrating DEA and directed Louvain community detection
    • Simone Di Leo
    • Alessandro Avenali
    • Cinzia Daraio
    • Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz
    2024 Pełny tekst ANNALS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH

    Over recent years, scholarly interest in universities’ allocation and effective utilisation of financial resources has been growing. When used efficiently, financial resources may improve universities’ quality of research and teaching, and therefore their positions inworld university rankings. However, despite the relevance of financial efficiency to university placement in academic rankings, universities’ total available financial resources appear much more significant. In the present study, we propose an innovative methodology to determine realistic ranking targets for individual universities, based on their available financial resources. In particular, we combine data envelopment analysis, as developed by Banker et al. (Manag Sci 30(9):1078–1092, 1984), and a directed Louvain community detection algorithm to examine 318 universities across five countries, considering their ARWU scores alongside key financial indicators (i.e., long-term physical capital, total operating revenues).We identify clusters of universities with similar financial profiles and corresponding ARWU scores, as well as universities that have optimised their use of financial resources, representing benchmarks for similar universities to emulate. The approach is subsequently applied to Italian universities, as a specific national case. The findings may be useful for policy makers and university managers seeking reliable strategies for climbing academic rankings, particularly in countries with limited public investment in higher education.

  • Cloud-based system for monitoring loads generated on the quay wall by ship propeller jets
    • Mirosław Gerigk
    • Teresa Abramowicz-Gerigk
    • Łukasz Hapke
    • Katarzyna Tetfejer
    2024 MARINE STRUCTURES

    The paper presents a cloud-based system for monitoring loads generated on the quay wall by ship propeller jets during berthing and unberthing maneuvers. The system provides online measurements of the dynamic pressure generated loads by propellers and warns of exceeding the permissible jet velocities over the seabed protection along the berth. The system has a modular structure consisting of a network of pressure sensors, information mapping server, communication module and web server. The suitability of the system was confirmed during two years of operation in Port of Gdynia. The open architecture of the system allows for its further extension with additional berths and integration with the smart port system.

  • Cluster-spin-glass behavior in new ternary RE2PtGe3 compounds (RE = Tb, Dy, Ho)
    • Leszek Litzbarski
    • Michał Winiarski
    • Igor Oshchapovsky
    • Przemysław Skokowski
    • Karol Synoradzki
    • Tomasz Klimczuk
    • Bartłomiej Andrzejewski
    2024 Materials Research Express

    Two new ternary germanides Tb2Pt1.2Ge2.8, Dy2Pt1.15Ge2.85 and one already known germanium Ho2Pt1.1Ge2.9.were synthesized using an arc melting technique. The obtained samples were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, which indicated that all of them crystallized in a hexagonal structure with P6/mmm (no. 191) space group. This structure is a disordered variant of the AlB2 aristotype that favors the formation of a spin-glass-like state. The physical properties were examined by measuring magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and electrical resistance. Experiments indicated that all of the compounds can be classified as cluster-spin-glasses with the freezing temperature of Tf = 12.0 K, Tf = 6.0 K and Tf = 2.9 K for Tb2Pt1.2Ge2.8, Dy2Pt1.15Ge2.85 and Ho2Pt1.1Ge2.9 respectively.

  • CNN-CLFFA: Support Mobile Edge Computing in Transportation Cyber Physical System
    • Ashok Bhansali
    • Raj Kumar Patra
    • Parameshachari Bidare Divakarachari
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    • Gandla Shivakanth
    • Sujatha N. Patil
    2024 Pełny tekst IEEE Access

    In the present scenario, the transportation Cyber Physical System (CPS) improves the reliability and efficiency of the transportation systems by enhancing the interactions between the physical and cyber systems. With the provision of better storage ability and enhanced computing, cloud computing extends transportation CPS in Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). By inspecting the existing literatures, the cloud computing cannot fulfill the requirements in transportation CPS like lower context-awareness and latency. For enhancing the context-awareness and reducing the latency in a realistic MEC environment, an efficient portable deep learning model: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Chaotic Lévy Flight based Firefly Algorithm (CLFFA) is implemented in this article. In the CNN model, the CLFFA selects the appropriate hyper-parameters or reduces the redundant parameters that results in minimal model size and inference latency than the traditional CNN models. Additionally, the CNN-CLFFA model significantly outperformed the existing models by means of recall, accuracy, F1-score, and precision on the benchmark datasets like German Traffic Sign Recognition Benchmark (GTSRB), MIOvision Traffic Camera Dataset (MIO-TCD) classification, and VCifar-100 datasets. The numerical analysis demonstrates that the CNN-CLFFA model obtained maximum accuracy of 99.02%, 99.11%, and 99.03% on the VCifar-100, MIO-TCD, and GTSRB-T datasets, which are superior to the traditional models.

  • Co warto wiedzieć na temat polii- perfluoroalkilowych związków organicznych (PFAS )?
    • Małgorzata Szopińska
    • Filip Gamoń
    • Mattia Pierpaoli
    • Aneta Łuczkiewicz
    • Sylwia Fudala-Książek
    2024 Forum Eksploatatora

    Poli- i perfluoroalkilowe związki organiczne (ang. poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS) w ostatnich latach są przedmiotem zainteresowania naukowców, technologów, a także całego społeczeństwa. Jest to związane z ich niebywałą trwałością w środowisku – należą bowiem do grupy tzw. wiecznych chemikaliów (ang. forever chemicals), a także zagrożeniem, jakie stanowią dla zdrowia ludzi.