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  • Novel fused pyran derivatives induce apoptosis and target cell cycle progression in anticancer efficacy against multiple cell lines.
    • K. Fabitha
    • Anoop Kallingal
    • Natalia Maciejewska
    • C. G. Arya
    • Munugala Chandrakanth
    • Neethu Mariam Thomas
    • Yupeng Li
    • Ramesh Gondru
    • Manne Munikumar
    • Janardhan Banothu
    2024 Pełny tekst NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY

    Nitrogen-based heterocycles such as pyrazole, imidazole, 1,2,4-triazole, benzimidazole, and benzotriazole substituted fused pyran derivatives (6a–e, 8a–e, 10a–e, 12a–e,&14a–e) have been synthesized and tested for their in vitro anticancer efficacies against MCF7, A549, and HCT116 cancer cell lines. Among the compounds, 6e, 14b, and 8c were identified as the most potent against MCF7, A549, and HCT116, with IC50 values of 12.46 2.72 mM, 0.23 0.12 mM, and 7.58 1.01 mM, respectively. Further studies demonstrated that these compounds can change cellular and nuclear morphology and inhibit colony formation in the tested cancer cells. They also remarkably block/inhibit the cell cycle progression of cancer cells at various phases. DNA damage analysis and apoptosis studies revealed that these compounds have the potential to induce DNA double-strand breaks and apoptosis. In silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of the potent compounds were assessed, revealing that all the compounds exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties. The potent compounds identified from this study can be considered as a lead for further drug design and development.

  • Novel materials and approaches for solid-phase (micro) extraction in LC-MS-based metabolomics
    • Michał Młynarczyk
    • Mariusz Belka
    • Weronika Hewelt-Belka
    2024 TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

    Metabolomics offers a unique approach to study biological systems. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry serves as a powerful analytical tool to analyze complex mixtures of metabolites. However, successful metabolomic analysis relies on sample preparation. While untargeted analysis traditionally favors nonselective procedures like liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), these methods can compromise analytical performance due to limited analyte enrichment and potential matrix interferences. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) has emerged as a well-established and versatile technique for this purpose, offering advantages over other traditional methods like LLE. This review explores the applications of SPE and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in LC-MS-based metabolomics. We discuss various modes of SPE, ranging from conventional flow-through cartridges and plates to approaches involving the dispersion of sorbent in a sample, as well as sorbents, their properties, and the diverse geometries of support materials employed in SPME. This review underscores the potential of emerging extraction protocols to further accelerate metabolomics research.

  • Novel monovalent and multivalent recombinant proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato with potential diagnostic value – construction and biotechnological production
    • Weronika Grąźlewska
    2024 Pełny tekst

    The diverse antigenic structure of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and the low degree of protein sequence conservation between genospecies causes many limitations in serodiagnosis of Lyme disease (LD). Using expression systems based on Escherichia coli, five monovalent B. burgdorferi s.l. recombinant proteins were produced. i.e., BB0108, BB0126, BB0298, BB0323, BB0689 (each in three variants derived from Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia garinii) and four multivalent chimeric proteins containing fragments of BmpA, BBK32 and BBA64 antigens. Data obtained from bioinformatic analysis of the amino acid sequence and linear epitope mapping with polypeptide array were used to design chimeric proteins. Subsequently, Western blot (WB) and ELISA determined the reactivity of the obtained antigens with specific anti-B. burgdorferi s.l. antibodies contained in human sera. The results indicate that BB0108 and BB0323 show moderate reactivity with specific IgG and IgM in WB and ELISA, regardless of the antigen variant used. At the same time, the obtained chimeric proteins showed high reactivity with IgG in WB. In addition, it has been shown that epitope mapping can be useful in the design of chimeric proteins that exhibit reactivity with a specific antibody isotype to increase the effectiveness of Lyme disease serodiagnosis.

  • Novel sorptive extraction techniques in bioanalysis evaluated by Blue Applicability Grade Index: The paradigm of fabric phase sorptive extraction and capsule phase microextraction
    • Natalia Manousi
    • Justyna Płotka-Wasylka
    • Victoria F. Samanidou
    2024 TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

    Fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) and capsule phase microextraction (CPME) are two sol-gel derived microextraction techniques that emerged in the last decade towards the minimization of the environmental impact of conventional sample preparation approaches. Complementary to the well-established green metric tools, Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) was recently proposed for the evaluation of method’s practicability. In this frame, BAGI evaluates the main characteristics of the sample preparation and analytical method (i.e., type of analysis, number of analytes, sample preparation, sample volume, sample throughput and simultaneous sample preparation, reagents and materials, instrumentation and automation degree, the fitness for purpose, and the automation degree) which revolve around the practical aspects of White Analytical Chemistry. The new index could easily identify the weak and strong points of each protocol for the successful evaluation of their practicality. In this article, BAGI was applied for the evaluation of different FPSE and CPME methods used in bioanalysis, proving their applicability.

  • Nowe zasady projektowania infrastruktury tramwajowej
    • Jacek Szmagliński
    2024 Pełny tekst Inżynier Budownictwa

    Wprowadzone we wrześniu 2022 roku zmiany w zasadach projektowania dróg, zwieńczone nowym Rozporządzeniem Ministra Infrastruktury w sprawie przepisów techniczno-budowlanych dotyczących dróg publicznych spowodowały pojawienie się daleko idących konsekwencji w przypadku projektowania tras tramwajowych.

  • Numerical Analysis of Mice Carotid Arteries’ Response Emphasizing the Importance of Material Law Constants’ Validation
    • Bartosz Sobczyk
    • Jacek Chróścielewski
    • Krzysztof Wilde
    2024 Pełny tekst Applied Sciences-Basel

    In this paper, a detailed validation of the passive material properties of mice carotid arteries and constants of the Fung and Holzapfel hyperelastic material laws is conducted by means of static nonlinear FEM analyses. The response of the carotid arteries in an inflation test is studied here for the following mouse models: wild-type, mdx, sgcd−/−, Eln+/+, Eln+/−, Fbln5+/+, and Fbln5−/−. All FEM computations are conducted on models that have been preliminarily checked for their reliability. The results of the calculations, namely, the relation between the internal pressure and the artery outer diameter, are verified against experimental responses and the applicability of the laws is assessed. New sets of Holzapfel constitutive relation constants are proposed for Eln+/+ and Fbln5−/− mice. Finally, the problem of carotid artery buckling is also discussed. The buckling pressures of the arteries are predicted using FEM models and nonlinear static analyses. These values are compared with the reference experimental results, which allow for further validation of the constitutive relations. The research emphasizes that computations and numerical methods enable an accurate description of bioengineering processes and behaviors but only if the models used are appropriately validated.

  • Numerical Determination of the Load-Bearing Capacity of a Perforated Thin-Walled Beam in a Structural System with a Steel Grating
    • Arkadiusz Denisiewicz
    • Tomasz Socha
    • Krzysztof Kula
    • Wojciech Macek
    • Wojciech Błażejewski
    • Grzegorz Lesiuk
    2024 Pełny tekst Applied Sciences-Basel

    This article presents the results of numerical simulations of a structural system consisting of steel perforated thin-walled beams and a steel grating. The simulations were conducted using the finite element method. The analysis took into account physical and geometric nonlinearity as well as the contact between the steel grating and the beams. The main goal of the research was to develop load-bearing curves for the main beam in the span range of 3–6 m and to identify destruction patterns depending on the span of the structural system. For the purpose of validating the developed numerical model, laboratory tests were conducted on two structural systems with spans of 3 m and 6 m, as well as tests on the strength parameters of the material taken from the tested beams. The laboratory tests confirmed the correctness of the proposed numerical model, which allowed for the simulation of the behavior of the structural system in the full range of spans.

  • Numerical Method for Stability Testing of Fractional Exponential Delay Systems
    • Tomasz Stefański
    • Sebastian Dziedziewicz
    • Piotr Kowalczyk
    • Jacek Gulgowski
    2024

    A numerical method for stability testing of fractional exponential systems including delays is presented in this contribution. We propose the numerical test of stability for a very general class of systems with a transfer function, which includes polynomials and exponentials of fractional powers of the Laplace variable s combined with delay terms. Such a system is unstable if any root of its characteristic equation, which usually involves transcendental functions, is localized on the right half-plane of the s-domain. Due to the infinite size of the right half-plane, the bilinear transformation is employed to map it onto the unit disc on the complex plane. Then, the global roots and poles finding algorithm based on phase analysis is executed on the unit disc. That is, the roots of the characteristic equation for the considered system are detected with the use of an efficient algorithm based on domain meshing and Cauchy’s argument principle. In order to demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of the proposed numerical method, we executed stability tests for fractional exponential delay systems, which are considered benchmarking cases in other publications. It occurs that, each time, the proposed method correctly evaluates the system stability. However, unlike other methods, it is a very general technique that allows evaluation of almost any system, which does not require any preprocessing of the characteristic equation to execute the stability test.

  • Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Vehicular Crashes into Three-Bar Metal Bridge Rail
    • Howie Fang
    • Christopher Jaus
    • Qian Wang
    • Emre Palta
    • Łukasz Pachocki
    • Dawid Bruski
    2024 Pełny tekst Computation

    Advanced finite element (FE) modeling and simulations were performed on vehicular crashes into a three-bar metal bridge rail (TMBR). The FE models of a sedan, a pickup truck, and a TMBR section were adopted in the crash simulations subject to Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test Level 2 (TL-2) and Test Level 3 (TL-3) requirements. The test vehicle models were first validated using full-scale physical crash tests conducted on a two-bar metal bridge using a sedan and a pickup truck with similar overall physical properties and sizes to their respective vehicles used in the simulations. The validated vehicular models were then used to evaluate the crash performance of the TMBR using MASH evaluation criteria for structural adequacy, occupant risk, and post-impact trajectory. The TMBR met all MASH TL-2 requirements but failed to meet the MASH TL-3 Criteria H and N requirements when impacted by the sedan. The TMBR was also evaluated under in-service conditions (behind a 1.52 m wide sidewalk) and impacted by the sedan under MASH TL-3 conditions. The simulation results showed that the TMBR behind a sidewalk met all safety requirements except for the occupant impact velocity in the longitudinal direction, which exceeded the MASH limit by 3.93%.

  • Numerical modeling of PFAS movement through the vadose zone: Influence of plant water uptake and soil organic carbon distribution
    • Barbara Biesek
    • Adam Szymkiewicz
    • Jirka Simunek
    • Anna Gumuła-Kawęcka
    • Beata Jaworska-Szulc
    2024 Pełny tekst SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

    In this study, we investigated the effects of soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution and water uptake by plant roots on PFAS movement in the vadose zone with a deep groundwater table under temperate, humid climate conditions. Two series of numerical simulations were performed with the HYDRUS computer code, representing the leaching of historical PFOS contamination and the infiltration of water contaminated with PFOA, respectively. We considered soil profiles with three distributions of SOC (no SOC, realistic SOC distribution decreasing with depth, and uniform SOC equal to the content measured in topsoil), three root distributions (bare soil, grassland, and forest), and three soil textures (sand, sandy loam, and loam). The SOC distribution had a profound impact on the velocity of PFOS movement. The apparent retardation factor for realistic SOC distribution was twice as large as for the scenario with no SOC and more than three times smaller than for the scenario with uniformly high SOC content. We also showed that the root distribution in soil profoundly impacts the simulations of PFAS migration through soil. Including the root zone significantly slows down the movement of PFAS, primarily due to increased evapotranspiration and reduced downward water flux. Another effect of water uptake by plant roots is an increase of PFAS concentrations in soil water (evapo-concentration). The evapo-concentration and the slowdown of PFAS movement due to root water uptake are more significant in fine-textured soils than in sand.

  • Numerical modelling of different airbag folding patterns and their influence on occupant responses in frontal vehicle impact
    • Łukasz Pachocki
    • Howie Fang
    2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CRASHWORTHINESS

    This paper presented a procedure for airbag folding for the application in occupant safety studies and analysed the influence of different airbag folding patterns on the occupant severity in frontal impact. Airbags were folded in two patterns: zig-zag and top-roll, using two folding techniques: Initial Metric Method and Explicit Folding. The explicit folding was found to be more expensive in terms of preparation time. However, this approach provided more control over the whole folding process. The Initial Metric Method was more robust, however, it’s hard to apply for complex folding patterns. Deployments of airbags were validated against experimental data of pendulum tests. Those airbag models were applied to 2006 Ford F250 pickup truck. This vehicle was used for simulations of frontal vehicle impact where the 50th male Hybrid III crash test dummy was an occupant. Results of this simulation were compared with an actual test with a similar vehicle, under the same impact conditions. Results showed the head and chest accelerations were lower for top-roll folded airbag cases, however neck normal forces were higher compared to zig-zag folded airbag. The internal pressure in the early stage of deployment was 33% higher for the top-roll folded airbags.

  • Numerical Test for Stability Evaluation of Analog Circuits
    • Tomasz Stefański
    • Piotr Kowalczyk
    • Jacek Gulgowski
    2024 Pełny tekst

    In this contribution, a new numerical test for the stability evaluation of analog circuits is presented. Usually, if an analog circuit is unstable then the roots of its characteristic equation are localized on the right half-plane of the Laplace s- plane. Because this region is unbounded, we employ the bilinear transformation to map it into the unit disc on the complex plane. Hence, the existence of any root inside the unit disc implies circuit instability. In our test, we employ the global roots and poles finding algorithm based on phase analysis to detect the roots of the characteristic equation inside the unit disc. Unlike other stability tests, our approach allows one to evaluate the stability of analog circuits and systems whose characteristic equations are not polynomials. In order to demonstrate its efficiency, generality and applicability, we analyze a memristor-based chaotic circuit whose stability depends on the value of the fractional-order parameter. The proposed test correctly detects the parameter ranges of either stability or instability for the considered analog circuit.

  • Nutritional Characterization of Whole Mangosteen Pulp with Seeds and Its Application as an Alternate Functional Ingredient in Crackers
    • Nisa Saelee
    • Roberto Castro Munoz
    • Worawan Panpipat
    • Manat Chaijan
    2024 Foods

    Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) fruits are high in nutrients and phytochemical compounds. The use of fresh whole mangosteen fruit pulp, including the seeds (MFS), instead of flour and sugar in crackers not only enhances the functional nutritional and medicinal benefits for consumers but also adds value to the products. The study investigated the nutritional value of MFS and then employed MFS to formulate MFS-based crackers with varying levels of MFS substitution in order to develop crackers enriched with functional ingredients. Proximate compositions, amino acids, sugars, minerals, fatty acids, color, texture, and antiradical properties were analyzed in fresh MFS and MFS-based crackers. The results indicated that MFS can be a source of crude fiber, minerals, amino acids, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids. Adding 13%, 18%, and 23% ground MFS to the crackers improved their nutritional value and physical characteristics compared to the control (0% MFS). MFS-based crackers promoted significantly (p < 0.05) higher fiber (4.04 ± 0.00–5.66 ± 0.01%gdw), ash (2.45 ± 0.00–2.74 ± 0.01%gdw), and protein (4.72 ± 0.00–7.72 ± 0.05%gdw) than the control without MFS addition. Carbohydrates (including dietary fiber) and total sugar decreased significantly (p < 0.05) to 57.68 ± 0.00–55.21 ± 0.11%gdw and 2.37 ± 0.00–4.42 ± 0.01%gdw, respectively, in all MFS-based crackers compared to the control basal cracker with added sugar. Moreover, MFS-based crackers contained oleic acid (C18:1, omega-9) at 5.19–5.78%gdw and linoleic acid (C18:2, omega-6) at 0.63–0.77%gdw. Furthermore, the MFS-based crackers had higher levels of minerals (i.e., potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium) and bioactive compounds such as total phenolic acid and total flavonoid, as well as antiradical activity. This study revealed that MFS can be applied as an alternative functional ingredient in the manufacturing of nutritious cracker products, and the findings could potentially be implemented to promote the utilization of mangosteen seed as a sustainable agricultural product and waste-reducing method.

  • Observing its long-term effects on a short-term, multi-day evaluation of the effectiveness of hearing aid use
    • Piotr Szymański
    • Bożena Kostek
    2024

    The main objective of the research study was to develop a method for evaluating the effectiveness of hearing protection with hearing aids tailored to the needs and prevailing conditions in the acoustic environments where the elderly most often reside. The method was also intended to estimate the benefits of hearing aids and allow prediction of such an effect based on a short-term trial. It is noteworthy that a short-term evaluation of effectiveness is usually made 30-45 days after the first fitting of hearing aids. The present study evaluated data obtained only after seven days of hearing aid use. Also, modifying the proposed method included the possibility of including a set of sounds, allowing auditory familiarization with environmental situations.

  • Occurrence of specific pollutants in a mixture of sewage and rainwater from an urbanized area
    • Magdalena Gajewska
    • Karolina Fitobór
    • Wojciech Artichowicz
    • Rafał Ulańczyk
    • Małgorzata Kida
    • Katarzyna Kołecka
    2024 Scientific Reports

    Urban runoff appears to be a pathway for transferring new emerging pollutants from land-based sources to the aquatic environment. This paper aimed to identify and describe the groups of pollutants present in rainwater surface runoff as well as their mixture with wastewater in the combined sewer system from urbanized catchments and to determine the correlations between these pollutants. Four leading groups of new emerging pollutants have been identified that may be present in rainwater and municipal wastewater mixtures. The samples were tested for microplastics, phthalic acid esters, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as basic parameters. The pilot site was Słupsk (northwestern Poland). We conducted nine sampling campaigns at three points. The results of the present study revealed that (i) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were not present in the tested samples; (ii) the selected organochlorine pesticides were detected during one campaign in the dry season and therefore were not of critical importance; (iii) out of the 11 analyzed phthalic acid esters, five selected substances released from commonly used plastic products were present; and (iv) the number of microplastics contained in the tested samples ranged from 1,400 to 14,036 pcs/L and evenoccurred during pure rainfall.

  • OCENA FUNKCJONOWANIA PASÓW RUCHU DLA ROWERÓW – PRZYPADEK TRÓJMIASTA
    • Katarzyna Cholc
    • Joanna Wachnicka
    2024 Pełny tekst Transport Miejski i Regionalny

    Artykuł dotyczy analizy nagrań trzech wybranych odcinków skrzyżowań w Gdańsku, na których znajdują się pasy dla rowerów wyznaczone w ramach jezdni. Na podstawie ww. materiału filmowego została wykonana ocena organizacji i natężenia ruchu, zachowania rowerzystów i kierowców oraz analiza sytuacji konfliktowych. Na każdym z trzech poligonów badawczych zostały przeanalizowane zachowania rowerzystów w ich obrębie. Przedstawiono liczbę rowerzystów na skrzyżowaniach w przedziale godzinowym (od godz. 6.00 do godz. 20.00) w zależności od wybranej przez nich trasy, procentowy udział rowerzystów na wybranych trasach na skrzyżowaniu oraz procentowy udział rowerzystów na pasach rowerowych i poza jezdnią na skrzyżowaniu. Z przedstawionych wyników wywnioskowano, iż niewielu cyklistów skorzystało z dostępnych pasów rowerowych na analizowanych skrzyżowaniach. Znacząca ich liczba wybrała trasy biegnące po chodnikach znajdujących się w obrębie skrzyżowania. Następnie skupiono się na obserwacji interakcji pomiędzy rowerzystami a kierowcami na jezdni. Zostały opisane i zliczone sytuacje niebezpieczne, które powtarzały się najczęściej. Na wszystkich trzech skrzyżowaniach najczęsciej obserwowano najeżdżanie przez pojazdy na pasy rowerowe. Przestrzeń przeznaczona dla rowerzystów była naruszana, co mogłoby się skończyć kolizją. Obserwacje te doprowadziły do postawienia pytania: czy zastosowanie pasów rowerowych w takich miejscach ma sens i czy jest to rozwiązanie bezpieczne dla rowerzystów. Efektem ww. analizy jest stwierdzenie, że stosowanie pasów rowerowych na skrzyżowaniach z dużą liczbą pasów ruchu oraz trudną geometrią skrzyżowania nie jest odpowiednim rozwiązaniem.

  • Ocena stanu chemicznego i zagrożeń wód podziemnych oraz powierzchniowych w rejonie Zalewu Wślanego
    • Małgorzata Pruszkowska-Caceres
    • Patrick Barwinski
    • Jakub Bożejewicz
    • Szymon Grabowski
    • Jakub Kopanicki
    • Kacper Aleksandrowicz
    2024 Przegląd Geologiczny

    The purpose of the research was to examine how factors such as land use and land management affect the quality of groundwater and surface water. These studies were possible thanks to funding from the IDUB Technetium Talent Management Grants project titled “Assessment of Anthropogenic Threat to Groundwater and Surface Water in the Region of the Vistula Lagoon”. The research area included a section of the Vistula Spit, ¯u³awy Wielkie and the coastal waters of the Vistula Lagoon. Field studies were conducted during three field trips; 15 groundwater points and 35 surface water points were examined. During these studies parameters such as temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and the content of nitrogen, nitrates, phosphates, and sulfates were measured. In the Żuławy area it was found that surface water and groundwater are under the direct influence of the Vistula Lagoon, causing their salinity increase. Locally, man-induced chemical changes are also visible. The inflow of nutrients from fertilization of agricultural fields and uncontrolled discharge of wastes into drainage canals have been observed. The local anthropogenic impact on the water environment was also found in the Vistula Spit area. It was caused by pollutions from tourist facilities.

  • On Accelerated Metaheuristic-Based Electromagnetic-Driven Design Optimization of Antenna Structures Using Response Features
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Bogdan Pankiewicz
    2024 Pełny tekst Electronics

    Development of present-day antenna systems is an intricate and multi-step process requiring, among others, meticulous tuning of designable (mainly geometry) parameters. Concerning the latter, the most reliable approach is rigorous numerical optimization, which tends to be re-source-intensive in terms of computing due to involving full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simu-lations. The cost-related issues are particularly pronounced whenever global optimization is necessary, typically carried out using nature-inspired algorithms. Although capable of escaping from local optima, population-based algorithms exhibit poor computational efficiency, to the extent of being hardly feasible when directly handling EM simulation models. A popular miti-gation approach provides the involvement of surrogate modeling techniques, facilitating the search process by replacing costly EM analyses with a fast metamodel. Yet, surrogate-assisted procedures feature complex implementations, and their range of applicability is limited in terms of design space dimensionality that can be efficiently handled. Rendering reliable surrogates is additionally encumbered by highly nonlinear antenna characteristics. This paper investigates potential benefits of employing problem-relevant knowledge in the form of response features into nature-inspired antenna optimization. As demonstrated in the recent literature, re-formulating the design task with the use of appropriately selected characteristics locations of the antenna responses permits flattening the functional landscape of the objective function lead-ing to faster convergence of optimization procedures. Here, we apply this concept to na-ture-inspired global optimization of multi-band antenna structures, and demonstrate its rele-vance, both in terms of accelerating the search process but also improving its reliability. The advantages of feature-based nature-inspired optimization are corroborated through comprehen-sive (based on three antenna structures) comparisons with population-based search involving conventional (e.g., minimax) design problem formulation.

  • On effective surface elastic moduli for microstructured strongly anisotropic coatings
    • Victor Eremeev
    • Giuseppe Rosi
    • Salah Naili
    2024 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE

    The determination of surface elastic moduli is discussed in the context of a recently proposed strongly anisotropic surface elasticity model. The aim of the model was to describe deformations of solids with thin elastic coatings associated with so-called hyperbolic metasurfaces. These metasurfaces can exhibit a quite unusual behaviour and concurrently a very promising wave propagation behaviour. In the model of strongly anisotropic surface elasticity, strain energy as a function of the first and second deformation gradients has been introduced in addition to the constitutive relations in the bulk. In order to obtain values of surface elastic moduli, we compare dispersion relations for anti-plane surface waves obtained using the two-dimensional (2D) model and three-dimensional (3D) straightforward calculations for microstructured coatings of finite thickness. We show that with derived effective surface moduli, the 2D model can correctly describe the wave propagation.

  • On mechanics of piezocomposite shell structures
    • Mohammad Malikan
    2024 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE

    This study presents an original and novel investigation into the mechanics of piezo-flexo-magneto-elastic nanocomposite doubly-curved shells (PFMDCSs) and the ability to detect the lower and higher levels of electro-magnetic fields. In this context, by utilizing the first-order shear deformation shell model, stresses and strains are acquired. By imposing Hamilton's principle and the von Kármán approach, the governing equations have been obtained. The intelligent shell model consists of size-dependent influences, viz., strain gradients. This will take place via Mindlin's strain gradient elasticity theory and the subsequent re-establishing of the mathematical framework by incorporating this concept. The strain gradient results in a flexoelectric/flexomagnetic effect. The converse effect of the magnetic field on the basis of a close circuit has been assumed. The developed bending equations have been transferred into the algebraic ones by substituting an analytical technique based on homogeneous immovable simple support for the four edges. The problem has been solved according to the Newton-Raphson iteration scheme, and transverse deflections have been computed. For researching the rightness and precision of the shell models together with the solution process, a comparison is prepared by the finite element method (FEM) results for simplified shells, and a good correlation has been observed. At last, by examining several factors governing the problem, the conditions under which the magnetic effects can be noticeable and dominant in doubly-curved shells have been sought. This study could serve as a benchmark reference for piezoceramic-DCSs, as the presented governing equations are original. The most interesting outcome of this research is that the electro-magnetic response of intelligent structures can be entirely geometry-dependent.

  • On Memory-Based Precise Calibration of Cost-Efficient NO2 Sensor Using Artificial Intelligence and Global Response Correction
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    • Marek Wójcikowski
    • Bogdan Pankiewicz
    2024 KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS

    Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a prevalent air pollutant, particularly abundant in densely populated urban regions. Given its harmful impact on health and the environment, precise real-time monitoring of NO2 concentration is crucial, particularly for devising and executing risk mitigation strategies. However, achieving precise measurements of NO2 is challenging due to the need for expensive and cumbersome equipment. This has spurred the development of more affordable alternatives, although their reliability is often uncertain. The aim of this study is to present a new method for accurately calibrating low-cost NO2 sensors. Our approach utilizes artificial intelligence techniques, particularly neural networks (NNs) acting as surrogates, trained to forecast sensor correction coefficients. These predictions rely on environmental variables (temperature, humidity, etc.), data from additional nitrogen dioxide sensors, and a short series of previous NO2 readings from the main sensor, all serving as inputs for the NN metamodel. As shown, integrating short-time-scale previous measurements significantly improves the quality of the calibration process, further bolstered by global response correction. Similar enhancements are achieved by considering environmental parameter differentials. Our calibration approach has been validated using a custom-built, cost-efficient monitoring platform and reference data collected over five months from high-performance public stations in Gdansk, Poland. The results demonstrate outstanding correction quality, with a correlation coefficient close to 0.93 compared to the reference data and an RMSE below 2.8 µg/m3. This establishes the calibrated sensor as a practical and cost-effective alternative to expensive traditional NO2 monitoring stations.

  • On optimal tracking of rapidly varying telecommunication channels
    • Maciej Niedźwiecki
    • Artur Gańcza
    2024 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SIGNAL PROCESSING

    When parameters of mobile telecommunication channels change rapidly, classical adaptive filters, such as exponentially weighted least squares algorithms or gradient algorithms, fail to estimate them with sufficient accuracy. In cases like this, one can use identification methods based on explicit models of parameter changes such as the method of basis functions (BF). When prior knowledge about parameter changes is available the BF approach can be optimized. The paper presents and compares three locally optimized BF algorithms differing in computational requirements. It also demonstrates how the performance of the proposed algorithms can be enhanced in cases where prior knowledge depends on unknown and/or time-varying environmental factors.

  • On rotary inertia of microstuctured beams and variations thereof
    • Victor Eremeev
    • Isaac Elishakoff
    2024 Pełny tekst MECHANICS RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

    We discuss the classic rotary inertia notion and extend it for microstructured beams introducing new microinertia parameters as an additional dynamic response to microstructure changes. Slender structures made of beam- or platelet-lattice metamaterials may exhibit not only large translations and rotations but also general deformations of inner structure. Here we considered a few examples of beam-like structures and derive their inertia properties which include effective mass density, rotary inertia and microinertia. Extended dynamic characteristics related to enhanced kinematics may be crucial for description of origami-like structures or other beam-lattice metamaterials.

  • On the Business Analyst's Responsibilities in an Agile Software Project - A Multi-Method Study
    • Mateusz Kwiatkowski
    • Aleksander Jarzębowicz
    2024 Pełny tekst

    [Context] Agile methods are now used in the majority of software projects, but the definitions of such methods rarely include the role of a business analyst (BA). [Objective] This paper investigates the responsibilities assigned to BAs participating in agile software projects. [Method] We identified potential responsibilities through a systematic literature review (3 databases) and interviews with 6 practitioners. The most commonly mentioned responsibilities were further evaluated in a questionnaire survey study with 72 respondents. [Results] The combined findings from the SLR and interviews resulted in 89 unique responsibilities grouped into 7 areas. 49 of these were ranked according to the frequency with which they were assigned in the survey respondents' organizations. [Conclusions] Our findings show that BAs typically support Product Owners (rather than taking on that role) and focus on requirements engineering, business needs, and working closely with development teams.

  • On the Fenchel–Moreau conjugate of G-function and the second derivative of the modular in anisotropic Orlicz spaces
    • Jakub Maksymiuk
    2024 CALCULUS OF VARIATIONS AND PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

    In this paper, we investigate the properties of the Fenchel–Moreau conjugate of G-function with respect to the coupling function c(x, A) = |A[x]2 |. We provide conditions that guarantee that the conjugate is also a G-function. We also show that if a G-function G is twice differentiable and its second derivative belongs to the Orlicz space generated by the Fenchel–Moreau conjugate of G then the modular generated by G is twice differentiable on the Orlicz space generated by G. We also investigate second-order differentiability of action functionals on anisotropic Orlicz–Sobolev spaces.

  • On the Possibility of Improving the Oxidation Resistance of High-Chromium Ferritic Stainless Steel Using Reactive Element Oxide Nanoparticles
    • Łukasz Mazur
    • Aleksander Gil
    • Bartosz Kamecki
    • Kamil Domaradzki
    • Maciej Bik
    • Patryk Zając
    • Dariusz Zientara
    • Sebastian Molin
    • Tomasz Brylewski
    2024 Pełny tekst METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A-PHYSICAL METALLURGY AND MATERIALS SCIENCE

    High-chromium ferritic steels are current the only viable candidates for cheap interconnect materials for application in high-temperature solid oxide fuel and electrolyzer cells (HT-SOFCs/SOECs). The durability and operating characteristics of interconnects manufactured using these materials may be improved significantly by applying a protective-conducting MoCo2O4 coating and depositing an intermediate layer consisting of nanoparticles of Gd2O3—a reactive element oxide—on the surface of the steel substrate. The study demonstrated that the conditions of the thermal treatment of this layered system determine the efficacy of the applied modification with the reactive element. The persistence of this effect was tested over 7000 hours of quasi-isothermal oxidation in air at 800 C.

  • On the use of black tea waste as a functional filler for manufacturing self-stabilizing polyethylene composites: In-depth thermal analysis
    • Joanna Aniśko-Michalak
    • Paulina Kosmela
    • Mateusz Barczewski
    2024 INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS

    Thermal and oxidative stabilization are critical aspects in the processing and exploitation of polyolefins. Black tea contains many natural antioxidants, the largest group of compounds in its composition. When used as a filler for composite manufacturing, the thermo-oxidation process of polyethylene can be slowed down. Black tea waste (BTW) generated during the process of packing tea into sachets was introduced into a bio-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as a filler. The composites containing 1, 2, 5, and 10 wt% were produced by melt extrusion. In order to assess the antioxidant capacity of the used filler, an analysis was carried out using the DPPH solution on both the filler extracts and the produced composites. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content analysis were also carried out on black tea waste extracts. Thermogravimetric analysis of composites was held in an inert and oxidative atmosphere, and data from the test in a nitrogen atmosphere was used to calculate degradation kinetics. The composites were also evaluated in terms of their thermal behavior by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to describe their crystallization process and oxidation induction time (OIT) to confirm stabilization effects caused by functional waste fillers on polyethylene. Adding 10 wt% of black tea waste elongates OIT nearly 36 times compared to LDPE. The thermo-oxidation process was also conducted at 90 °C for 1, 2, 4, 7, 11 and 15 days. The composites aged this way were subjected to the FTIR test. Thanks to this study, the carbonyl index (CI) was determined, which showed that adding tea waste limits the oxidation of polyethylene.

  • On the use of uniaxial one-parameter damage laws for estimating fatigue life under multiaxial loading
    • Ricardo Branco
    • José Domingos Costa
    • L.p. Borrego
    • Zbigniew Marciniak
    • Wojciech Macek
    • Filippo Berto
    2024 Pełny tekst Procedia Structural Integrity

    The goal of this paper is to evaluate the capabilities of different one-parameter fatigue laws to estimate crack initiation in notched components under multiaxial loading. Fatigue damage is accounted for through stress-based, strain-based, and energy-based approaches while the cyclic plasticity at the notch-controlled process zone is estimated using linear-elastic simulations. The results show that energy-based formulations established from both the absorbed energy at the mid-life cycle and the energy absorbed throughout the entire life are more accurate.

  • One year performance evaluation of low volume road with cold recycled base course on the basis of FWD and Dynamic Modulus tests
    • Mariusz Jaczewski
    • Cezary Szydłowski
    • Bohdan Dołżycki
    2024

    Article presents results of assessment of performance of trial section of flexible pavement with cold recycled base constructed on low volume road within typical contract conditions. Performance evaluation was made based on Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) test performed during construction stage – 2 times on the top of cold recycled base course – 28 and 180 days after compaction of base course and 2 times on the top of the wearing course – 270 and 360 days after compaction of base course. Deflections and back calculated moduli were analyzed. Additionally, performance of the cold recycled base was determined on the basis of Dynamic Modulus test conducted on the material col-lected during trial section construction. Moduli were determined for 7, 14, 28, 90, 180 and 360 days after the specimen compaction. Performed analysis showed that the development of rheological properties shows similar trends for both field and laboratory tests and proved high bearing capacity of pavements with cold recycled bases.

  • Ontology-based text convolution neural network (TextCNN) for prediction of construction accidents
    • Shi Donghui
    • Li Zhigang
    • Jozef Zurada
    • Andrew Manikas
    • Jian Guan
    • Paweł Weichbroth
    2024 KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

    The construction industry suffers from workplace accidents, including injuries and fatalities, which represent a significant economic and social burden for employers, workers, and society as a whole.The existing research on construction accidents heavily relies on expert evaluations,which often suffer from issues such as low efficiency, insufficient intelligence, and subjectivity.However, expert opinions provided in construction accident reports offer a valuable source of knowledge that can be extracted and utilized to enhance safety management.Today this valuable resource can be mined as the advent of artificial intelligence has opened up significant opportunities to advance construction site safety. Ontology represents an attractive representation scheme.Though ontology has been used in construction safety to solve the problem of information heterogeneity using formal conceptual specifications, the establishment and development of ontologies that utilize construction accident reports are currently in an early stage of development and require further improvements. Moreover, research on the exploration of incorporating deep learning methodologies into construction safety ontologies for predicting construction incidents is relatively limited.This paper describes a novel approach to improving the performance of accident prediction models by incorporating ontology into a deep learning model.A domain word discovery algorithm, based on mutual information and adjacency entropy, is used to analyze the causes of accidents mentioned in construction reports. This analysis is then combined with technical specifications and the literature in the field of construction safety to build an ontology encompassing unsafe factors related to construction accidents.By employing TransH model, the reports are transformed into conceptual vectors using the constructed ontology. Building on this foundation, we propose a TextCNN model that incorporates the ontology specifically designed for construction accidents. We compared the performance of the model against five traditional machine learning models, namely Naive Bayes, support vector machine, logistic regression,random forest, and multilayer perceptron, using three different data sets:One-Hot encoding, word vector, and conceptual vectors. The results indicate that the TextCNN model integrated with the ontology outperformed the other models in terms of performance achieving an impressive accuracy rate of 88% and AUC value of 0.92.

  • OOA-modified Bi-LSTM network: An effective intrusion detection framework for IoT systems
    • Siva Surya Narayana Chintapalli
    • Satya Prakash Singh
    • Jaroslav Frnda
    • Bidare Parameshachari Divakarachar
    • Vijaya Lakshmi Sarraju
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2024 Pełny tekst Heliyon

    Currently, the Internet of Things (IoT) generates a huge amount of traffic data in communication and information technology. The diversification and integration of IoT applications and terminals make IoT vulnerable to intrusion attacks. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that guarantees the reliability, integrity, and security of IoT systems. The detection of intrusion is considered a challenging task because of inappropriate features existing in the input data and the slow training process. In order to address these issues, an effective meta heuristic based feature selection and deep learning techniques are developed for enhancing the IDS. The Osprey Optimization Algorithm (OOA) based feature selection is proposed for selecting the highly informative features from the input which leads to an effective differentiation among the normal and attack traffic of network. Moreover, the traditional sigmoid and tangent activation functions are replaced with the Exponential Linear Unit (ELU) activation function to propose the modified Bi-directional Long Short Term Memory (Bi-STM). Themodified Bi-LSTM is used for classifying the types of intrusion attacks. The ELU activation function makes gradients extremely large during back-propagation and leads to faster learning. This research is analysed in three different datasets such as N-BaIoT, Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity Intrusion Detection Dataset 2017 (CICIDS-2017), and ToN-IoT datasets. The empirical investigation states that the proposed framework obtains impressive detection accuracy of 99.98 %, 99.97 % and 99.88 % on the N-BaIoT, CICIDS-2017, and ToN-IoT datasets, espectively. Compared to peer frameworks, this framework obtains high detection accuracy with better interpretability and reduced processing time.

  • Open Strategy for Digital Business. Managing in ICT-Driven Environments
    • Ewa Lechman
    • Joanna Radomska
    • Ewa Stańczyk-hugiet
    2024

    This book offers the reader a novel perspective on how digital contexts and open strategy approaches – the act of opening up strategic initiatives beyond company managers to involve front-line employees, stakeholders, and entrepreneurs – are related. Going beyond the claim that digital media drives open strategy by containing a detailed analyses of the interrelations between the two, the authors examine how ICT have diffused globally and trace the emerging links between digitally driven environments and open strategizing approaches. This book also draws a general picture of how and why digital technologies create new networks. A more competitive, transparent, empowered, and inclusive environment would enhance development and encourage novel approaches to strategies implemented. Real-life exemplifications of how and why digital technologies contribute to open strategizing are also provided. Various drivers impacting the necessity to develop more relational advantage are discussed and intertwined with the description of challenges observed in the case of imposing openness. A useful resource for researchers of strategic management and information systems, as well as those looking at digital strategy and transformation.

  • Operational Performance and Weld Bead Characteristics of Experimental Tubular-Wires for Underwater Welding
    • Orlando Castellanos-Gonzalez
    • Eduardo Sanchez Lobo
    • Dariusz Fydrych
    • Bruno Silva Cota
    • José Gedael Fagundes Júnior
    • Andrés M. Moreno-Uribe
    2024 Advances in Science and Technology Research Journal

    Aiming to evaluate new formulations and their operational behavior underwater, two experimental tubular wires with different chemical compositions in their internal flux were initially manufactured, employing a pilot machine and a unique manufacturing process. Weld beads were deposited on a plate placed in a flat position inside a tank using a mechanized system and the IMC 300 welding power source. The work was done at a depth of 0.3 meters of water, and both reverse and direct polarities were used. Arc voltage at 28 V, wire feed speed at 4.5 m/min and welding speed at 250 mm/min were maintained in all experiments. As a result, the weld bead morphology and the electrical variables related to arc voltage and welding current were analyzed. It was concluded that the metal transfer showed a predominance of short circuits and a decrease in the average value of the Short Circuit Index by 67% when using the positive polarity configuration compared to the negative polarity. Moreover, the average penetration value was 38 % higher for the oxidizing-based tubular wire than for the rutile-based tubular wire, which has a possible relationship with the more significant presence of oxygen in the flux. In addition, the results present an analysis of the performance of the process and the characterization of the weld beads obtained to guide possible modifications in the parameters.

  • Opracowanie i wprowadzenie nowoczesnego systemu utrzymania ruchu urządzeń opartego na strategii planowo – zapobiegawczej na obiekcie offshore
    • Paweł Magulski
    2024 Pełny tekst

    W pracy przedstawiono metodykę utrzymania ruchu maszyn i urządzeń na obiekcie offshore. Opracowany autorski system utrzymania ruchu, który został wdrożony na morskiej platformie wydobywczej „Petrobaltic” gdzie do przesyłu i przetwarzania danych wykorzystano dostępną infrastrukturę informatyczną. Założenia realizowano z wykorzystaniem metod naukowych takich jak analiza case study, metody eksperckie i inne. Pracę zrealizowano w ośmiu etapach, w ramach których stworzono bazy danych systemów i urządzeń z podziałem na lokalizacje funkcjonalne; opracowano i wdrożono do istniejących systemów ERP listy zadań przeglądowych wynikających z eksploatacji urządzeń, wzbogaconych o kalendarze upływu ważności certyfikatów, atestów, przeglądów poszczególnych urządzeń; opracowano i wdrożono do istniejących systemów ERP zadania remontowe dla urządzeń w myśl metodologii „Planned Maintenance”; przypisano do poszczególnych lokalizacji funkcjonalnych pełną dokumentację urządzeń wchodzących w jej skład; określono i wdrożono podstawowe wymogi dokumentacyjne pozwalających na tworzenie baz danych prowadzonych remontów; w oparciu o stworzone lokalizacje funkcjonale określono krytyczności urządzeń oraz wprowadzono efektywne zarządzania magazynami części zamiennych i środkami eksploatacyjnymi w oparciu o analizę ryzyka. Praca zawiera prezentację wdrożenia na bazie systemu SAP PM, w której przedstawiono funkcjonujący schemat utrzymania ruchu wraz z wzorcami przetwarzania informacji i realizacji zawiadomień przeglądowych uwzględniającą dalsze postępowania w przypadku konieczności realizacji zawiadomienia awaryjnego, remontowego lub protokołu z dodatkowych prac. Badania nad funkcjonowaniem wdrożonego systemu w przedsiębiorstwie LOTOS Petrobaltic potwierdziły właściwe działanie systemu. Wdrożony system poprawił stan techniczny platformy Petrobaltic należącego do przedsiębiorstwa LOTOS Petrobaltic, zwiększając bezpieczeństwo oraz zapewniając lepszą dostępność techniczną instalacji, maszyn i urządzeń, zgodnie z istniejącymi ograniczeniami organizacyjnymi, założeniami technicznymi, ekonomicznymi co zostało potwierdzone wskaźnikami skuteczności procesu utrzymania ruchu. System funkcjonuje zgodnie z oczekiwaniami nieprzerwanie od 2021, a wszystkie założenia wdrożenia zostały zrealizowane.

  • Opracowanie metodologii rozpoznawania i klasyfikowania emocji w filmach przy użyciu sztucznych sieci neuronowych
    • Dawid Weber
    2024 Pełny tekst

    Celem rozprawy doktorskiej jest opracowanie metodologii pozwalającej na rozpoznawanie i klasyfikację emocji w filmie za pomocą sztucznych sieci neuronowych. W pracy przedstawiono tematykę związaną z kolorowaniem sceny filmowej w kontekście oddziaływania koloru na emocje widza. W celu analizy wpływu filmow na emocje widza dokonano wyboru tytułow filmowych, następnie przeprowadzono szereg wstępnych testow subiektywnych pozwalających na wybor i potwierdzenie sześciokolorowego modelu emocji oraz przypisanie do danego fragmentu filmowego odpowiedniej etykiety emocji. Wyniki testow subiektywnych pozwoliły na przygotowanie bazy danych fragmentow filmow, ktorą następnie wykorzystano do treningu i testow modeli uczenia głębokiego. W drugiej części pracy przygotowano analizę sygnałow audio i wideo poprzez rożne sposoby parametryzacji tych sygnałow, a następnie dokonano klasyfikacji klas emocji na podstawie sygnału audio oraz wideo. Modele o najwyższej dokładności dla zbioru testowego zostały wybrane do stworzenia modelu multimodalnego. W trzeciej części pracy przygotowano model bimodalny wykorzystujący dwa wybrane wcześniej modele klasyfikacji sygnałow fonicznych oraz wideofonicznych. Model bimodalny wykazał się wyższą dokładnością podczas testow niż pojedynczy model klasyfikacji wideo, przy niewielkim koszcie wzrostu liczby parametrow modelu i stopnia skomplikowania.

  • Optical method supported by machine learning for dynamics of C‐reactive protein concentrations changes detection in biological matrix samples
    • Patryk Sokołowski
    • Kacper Cierpiak
    • Małgorzata Szczerska
    • Maciej Wróbel
    • Aneta Łuczkiewicz
    • Sylwia Fudala-Książek
    • Paweł Wityk
    2024 Pełny tekst Journal of Biophotonics

    In this article we present the novel spectroscopy method supported with machine learning for real-time detection of infectious agents in wastewater. In the case of infectious diseases, wastewater monitoring can be used to detect the presence of inflammation biomarkers, such as the proposed C-reactive protein, for monitoring inflammatory conditions and mass screening during epidemics for early detection in communities of concern, such as hospitals, schools, and so on. The proposed spectroscopy method supported with machine learning for real-time detection of infectious agents will eliminate the need for time-consuming processes, which contribute to reducing costs. The spectra in range 220–750 nm were used for the study. We achieve accuracy of our prediction model up to 68% with using only absorption spectrophotometer and machine learning. The use of such a set makes the method universal, due to the possibility of using many different detectors.

  • Optimal shape and stress control of geometrically nonlinear structures with exact gradient with respect to the actuation inputs
    • Ahmed Manguri
    • Domenico Magisano
    • Robert Jankowski
    2024 Pełny tekst Structures

    This paper presents an efficient and robust optimization methodology for stress and shape control of actuated geometrically nonlinear elastic structures, applied to 3D trusses. The actuation inputs, modeled as prescribed strains, serve as the optimization variables. The objective is to minimize total actuation while satisfying several constraints: (i) actuation bounds in each actuated element and (ii) target ranges for nodal displacements and element stresses. Optimizing large nonlinear structures is computationally intensive. While gradient-based methods typically converge faster than gradient-free ones, their main bottleneck lies in numerical gradient evaluation, requiring multiple time-consuming nonlinear structural analyses (finite differences) with inaccuracies that may slow down convergence. The novelty of the proposal is an implicit differentiation approach to quickly compute the exact gradient of the nonlinear finite element solution with respect to the actuation inputs. This is implemented within the structural solver and leverages the already factorized tangent stiffness matrix to make the gradient cost negligible. As a result, the number of structural analyses and overall optimization time are significantly reduced.

  • Optimisation of the Energy Consumption of a Small Passenger Ferry with Hybrid Propulsion
    • Magdalena Kunicka
    2024 Pełny tekst Polish Maritime Research

    The main goal in the design phase is to create a safe ship with a very efficient (and preferably zero-emission) propulsion system. To obtain such ships, new concepts are being developed for both propulsion systems and individual components. The choice of a propulsion system is not straightforward. To optimise the selection of the propulsion system, it is valuable to optimise the energy demand of this unit, which can be done by creating operational movement profiles that indicate the differences in energy demand needed to cover the same route within similar times. Optimisation can be performed based on many different criteria, especially for crowded waterways, and can not only reduce the amount of energy needed to power the propulsion system but also increase navigational safety. In this work, optimisation is carried out by searching the space of all possible solutions, which allows for an in-depth analysis according to various criteria.

  • Optimising Sequencing Batch Reactor Operation Cycle Planning Using Evolutionary Algorithm
    • Tomasz Ujazdowski
    • Robert Piotrowski
    2024

    The objective of this research was to optimise the operation cycle of the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR). Appropriate time balances of aerobic to anaerobic phases, as well as a set dissolved oxygen level are the key to ensuring the quality of effluent from the wastewater treatment process. The proposal to solve this optimisation problem was based on multi-objective optimisation using an evolutionary multi-objective optimisation algorithm called ϵv-MOGA. Three indicators of effluent quality and a process cost factor were adopted as functions to be optimised. The results were tested using multi-level control system of a complex SBR simulation model. The research is based on a case study of the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) in Swarzewo, Northern Poland.

  • Optimization of Division and Reconfiguration Locations of the Medium-Voltage Power Grid Based on Forecasting the Level of Load and Generation from Renewable Energy Sources
    • Karol Sidor
    • Piotr Miller
    • Robert Małkowski
    • Michał Izdebski
    2024 ENERGIES

    The article addresses challenges in optimizing the operation of medium voltage networks, emphasizing optimizing network division points and selecting the best network configuration for minimizing power and energy losses. It critically reviews recent research on the issue of network configuration optimization. The optimization of the medium voltage power grid reconfiguration process was carried out using known optimization tools. The novelty lies in the inclusion of a probabilistic approach in the decision-making process in forecasting loads and generation from renewable energy sources (RES). Optimization studies utilizing heuristic optimization methods were completed, and an algorithm was developed for forecasting load and power generated from RES based on historical data and current weather data obtained from weather API. The solution proposed in the article allows multiple applications, including optimizing network division points’ locations (which decreases financial costs of modernizing network infrastructure) as well as improving the reconfiguration process, resulting in lower power losses while maintaining voltage requirements.

  • Optimization of Hydrogen Utilization and Process Efficiency in the Direct Reduction of Iron Oxide Pellets: A Comprehensive Analysis of Processing Parameters and Pellet Composition
    • Angelo Perrone
    • Pasquale Cavaliere
    • Behzad Sadeghi
    • Leandro Dijon
    • Aleksandra Mirowska
    2024 Pełny tekst STEEL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL

    The article deals with the H2 consumption for different processing conditions and the composition of the processed pellets during the direct reduction process. The experiments are carried out at 600–1300 °C, with gas pressures of 1–5 bar, gas flow rates of 1–5 L min−1, and basicity indices of 0 to 2.15. Pellets with different compositions of TiO2, Al2O3, CaO, and SiO2 are analyzed. The gas flow rate is crucial, with 0–10 L min−1 leading to an H2 consumption of 0–5.1 kg H2/kg pellet. The gas pressure (0–10 bar) increases the H2 consumption from 0 to 5.1 kg H2/kg pellet. Higher temperatures (600–1300 °C) reduce H2 consumption from 5.1 to 0 kg H2/kg pellet, most efficiently at 950–1050 °C, where it decreases from 0.22 to 0.10 kg H2/kg pellet. An increase in TiO2 content from 0% to 0.92% lowers H2 consumption from 0.22 to 0.10 kg H2/kg pellet, while a higher Fe content (61–67.5%) also reduces it. An increase in SiO2 content from 0% to 3% increases H2 consumption from 0 to 5.1 kg H2/kg pellet. Porosity structure influences H2 consumption, with the average pore size decreasing from 2.83 to 0.436 mm with increasing TiO2 content, suggesting that micropores increase H2 consumption and macropores decrease it.

  • Optimization of Microwave Components Using Machine Learning and Rapid Sensitivity Analysis
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Anna Pietrenko-Dąbrowska
    2024 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    Recent years have witnessed a tremendous popularity growth of optimization methods in high-frequency electronics, including microwave design. With the increasing complexity of passive microwave components, meticulous tuning of their geometry parameters has become imperative to fulfill demands imposed by the diverse application areas. More and more often, achieving the best possible performance requires global optimization. Unfortunately, global search is an intricate undertaking. To begin with, reliable assessment of microwave components involves electromagnetic (EM) analysis entailing significant CPU expenses. On the other hand, the most widely used nature-inspired algorithms require large numbers of system simulations to yield a satisfactory design. The associated costs are impractically high if not prohibitive. The use of available mitigation methods, primarily surrogate-based approaches, is impeded by dimensionality-related problems and the complexity in microwave circuit characteristics. This research introduces a procedure for expedited globalized parameter adjustment of microwave passives. The search process is embedded in a surrogate-assisted machine learning framework that operates in a dimensionality-restricted domain, spanned by the parameter space directions being of importance in terms of their effects on the circuit characteristic variability. These directions are established using a fast global sensitivity analysis procedure developed for this purpose. Domain confinement reduces the cost of surrogate model establishment and improves its predictive power. The global optimization phase is complemented by local tuning. Verification experiments demonstrate the remarkable efficacy of the presented approach and its advantages over the benchmark methods that include machine learning in full-dimensionality space and population-based metaheuristics.

  • Optimization of vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent-based liquid liquid microextraction for the determination of mercury in real water and food samples
    • Muhammad Farooque Lanjwani
    • Adil Elik
    • Ayşenur Öztürk Altunay
    • Mustafa Tuzen
    • Hameed Haq
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2024 JOURNAL OF FOOD COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

    A novel method was developed for sample preparation for spectrophotometric determination of Hg(II) in water and food samples. The method was based on vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (VA-SUPRASs-LLME). Analytical parameters such as pH, chelating agent, solvent type and volume, vortex time and salting out effect were optimized. Surface and normal probability plots were drawn for the variables using the optimization data. Microwave-assisted digestion of samples was performed before the extraction procedure. L-cysteine was found to be more effective as a ligand for Hg(II). Five different SUPRASs were prepared and used for the extraction of Hg(II). A 1-decylamine/thymol/water at a 1:2:1 molar ratio assisted by a salting effect was found most effective for optimal extraction. Limits of detection and limit of quantification were found 0.6 μg L−1 and 2.0 μg L−1 with a very good linearity range of 2–350 μg L−1. Intra-day and inter-day precisions were in the range of 1.8–4.0 % with a preconcentration factor 150. The accuracy of the method estimated by analysis of certified reference materials was 96–98.5 %. Finally, the new method was used for the determination of Hg(II) in real water, food samples, and certified reference materials (NIST, IAEQ/W-4(simulated freshwater), and DORM-4; fish protein).

  • Optimization-based stacked machine-learning method for seismic probability and risk assessment of reinforced concrete shear walls
    • Farzin Kazemi
    • Neda Asgarkhani
    • Robert Jankowski
    2024 EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS

    Efficient seismic risk assessment aids decision-makers in formulating citywide risk mitigation plans, providing insights into building performance and retrofitting costs. The complexity of modeling, analysis, and post-processing of the results makes it hard to fast-track the seismic probabilities, and there is a need to optimize the computational time. This research addresses seismic probability and risk assessment of reinforced concrete shear walls (RCSWs) by introducing stacked machine learning (Stacked ML) models based on Bayesian optimization (BO), genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and gradient-based optimization (GBO) algorithms. The study investigates 4-, to 15-Story RCSWs assuming different bay lengths and soil types to build a comprehensive database based on the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) subjected to 56 near-field pulse-like and no-pulse records. Having 227,200 and 63,384 data points for a median of IDA curve (MIDA) and seismic probability curve, respectively, the proposed Stacked ML models have shown good performance on curve fitting ability by accuracy of 99.1% and 99.4% for MIDA and seismic fragility curves, respectively. In addition, the proposed models can estimate the mean annual frequency, λ, which is a key parameter in seismic risk assessment of buildings. To provide the results of the study for general buildings, a user-friendly GUI is proposed that facilitates result utilization, offering insights into seismic performance levels, providing the estimated MIDA and seismic failure probability curves, and mean annual frequency calculations for specific performance levels and seismic hazard curves.

  • Optimized Protocol for RNA Isolation from Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus fumigatus Strains
    • Aleksandra Siniecka-Kotula
    • Martyna Mroczyńska-Szeląg
    • Anna Brillowska-Dąbrowska
    • Lucyna Holec-Gąsior
    2024 CURRENT ISSUES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

    Efficient RNA isolation from filamentous fungi is crucial for gene expression studies, but it poses significant technical challenges due to the robust cell walls and susceptibility of RNA to degradation by ribonucleases. This study presents the effectiveness of two RNA isolation protocols for four species of filamentous fungi: Penicillium crustosum, Penicillium rubens, Penicillium griseofulvum, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Both protocols utilized Fenzol Plus for cell lysis but varied in the mechanical disruption methods: bead-beating versus manual vortexing. The results show that the bead-beater method (Protocol 1) yielded significantly higher RNA quantities, with better purity and integrity, as demonstrated by higher A260/A280 and A260/A230 ratios. RNA concentrations ranged from 30 to 96 µg/g of dry biomass in Penicillium species and up to 52 µg/g in A. fumigatus. The use of chloroform in Protocol 1 also enhanced RNA purity, effectively separating contaminants such as DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides. This optimized protocol is highly efficient and can be applied in routine laboratories handling large numbers of fungal samples, making it a robust method for downstream applications such as cDNA synthesis and transcriptome analysis.

  • Optimizing CO2 Purification in a Negative CO2 Emission Power Plant
    • Milad Amiri
    • Jaroslaw Mikielewicz
    • Paweł Ziółkowski
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    2024 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

    In the pursuit of mitigating CO2 emissions, this study investigates the optimisation of CO2 purification within a Negative CO2 Emission Power Plant using a spray ejector condenser (SEC) coupled with a separator. The approach involves direct-contact condensation of vapour, primarily composed of an inert gas (CO2), facilitated by a subcooled liquid spray. A comprehensive analysis is presented, employing a numerical model to simulate a cyclone separator under various SEC outlet conditions. Methodologically, the simulation, conducted in Fluent, encompasses three-dimensional, transient, and turbulent characteristics using the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) turbulent model and mixture model to replicate the turbulent two-phase flow within a gas-liquid separator. Structural considerations are delved into, evaluating the efficacy of single and dual inlet separators to enhance CO2 purification efficiency. The study reveals significant insights into the optimisation process, highlighting a notable enhancement in separation efficiency within the dual inlet cyclone compared to its single inlet counterpart. Specifically, a 90.7% separation efficiency is observed in the former, characterised by symmetrical flow patterns devoid of wavering CO2 cores, whereas the latter exhibits less desirable velocity vectors. Furthermore, the investigation explores the influence of key parameters, such as liquid volume fraction (LVF) and water droplet diameter, on separation efficiency. It is ascertained that a 10% LVF with a water droplet diameter of 10 μm yields the highest separation efficiency at 90.7%, whereas a 20% LVF with a water droplet diameter of 1 μm results in a reduced efficiency of 50.79%. Moreover, the impact of structural modifications, such as the addition of vanes, on separation efficiency and pressure drop is explored. Remarkably, the incorporation of vanes leads to a 9.2% improvement in separation efficiency and a 16.8% reduction in pressure drop at a 10% LVF. The findings underscore the significance of structural considerations and parameter optimisation in advancing CO2 capture technologies, with implications for sustainable energy production and environmental conservation.

  • Optimizing conductivity in Na-V-Te-O glass through controlled heat treatment
    • Michalina Wanat
    • Piotr Okoczuk
    • Marcin Łapiński
    • Barbara Kościelska
    • Stefania Wolff
    • Sharafat Ali
    • Natalia Wójcik
    2024 CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL

    Semiconducting Na2O-V2O5-TeO2 glasses with various Na2O contents were melted and subjected to controlled heating to improve conductivity. Topography analysis were performed using confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy on both as-quenched and heat-treated samples. X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous nature of the samples post-melting, with subsequent heating resulting in the formation of nanocrystallites primarily composed of vanadium ions. The Na2O addition caused progressive depolymerization of the tellurite-vanadate network, as evidenced by IR spectroscopy, although heating exhibited an opposing effect, particularly noticeable in vanadate-related bands. Thermal properties revealing a decrease in the glass transition temperature, crystallization process, and thermal stability with increasing sodium ion concentration. Electrical properties were investigated using impedance spectroscopy, which enabled determination of DC conductivity values, polaron jump energies, and disturbance energies in the samples. The electrical conductivity mechanisms were described as mixed ionic-polaronic, with polaron hopping predominating. Heat treatment significantly enhanced polaron conductivity and altered its nature.

  • Optimizing Construction Engineering Management Using Metaheuristic Methods and Bayesian Networks
    • Anna Jakubczyk-Gałczyńska
    • Agata Siemaszko
    • Maryna Poltavets
    2024 Pełny tekst Applied Sciences-Basel

    The construction of buildings invariably involves time and costs, and disruptions impact ongoing construction projects. Crisis situations in management strategies, structural confusion, and finan-cial miscalculations often arise due to misguided decision-making. This article proposes a method that combines the learning of Bayesian Networks and heuristic techniques to optimize deci-sion-making processes in construction scheduling. As an innovative approach in order to enhance construction management, the functioning of biological, molecular, and physical objects and nervous systems is considered, applying bionic features to mimic their efficiency and precision, thereby optimizing construction processes and improving coordination and decision-making. Bayesian Networks are used for probabilistic analysis, and heuristic methods guide quick deci-sion-making. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of Bayesian Networks and heuristic methods in data analysis and decision-making in construction engineering. The developed algo-rithm can be successfully applied to both erecting and planning construction projects.

  • Optimizing Control of Wastewater Treatment Plant With Reinforcement Learning: Technical Evaluation of Twin-Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient Agent
    • Zuzanna Klawikowska
    • Michał Grochowski
    2024 IEEE Access

    Control of the wastewater treatment processes presents significant challenges due to the fluctuating nature of inflow and wastewater composition, alongside the system’s non-linear dynamics. Traditional control methods struggle to adapt to these variations, leading to an economically suboptimal operation of the process and a violation of norms imposed on the quality of wastewater discharged to the catchment area. This study proposes using a reinforcement learning approach to control a wastewater treatment plant. Specifically, the twin-delayed deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm is employed and comprehensively validated. This algorithm enhances control efficiency, optimizing costs while improving the plant’s wastewater treatment capabilities. The proposed control approach is implemented and evaluated using Benchmark Simulation Model No. 1. The evaluation is based on four representative weather scenarios and examines sixteen different metrics. In the proposed case study, an agent controls oxygen transfer coefficients in three oxygen tanks of a wastewater treatment plant. Two distinct reward functions are employed to guide the reinforcement learning agent. The first one focuses on maintaining aerobic conditions and minimizing total nitrogen. The second function retains these objectives and also aims to minimize the aeration energy. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy significantly enhances aeration energy efficiency and reduces the overall cost index, indicating a more cost-effective operation. However, future work is required to improve further the performance of reinforcement learning that optimizes the wastewater treatment process.

  • Optimizing Ni–Cr patterned boron-doped diamond band electrodes: Doping effects on electrochemical efficiency and posaconazole sensing performance
    • Anna Dettlaff
    • Michał Rycewicz
    • Łukasz Macewicz
    • Paweł Rutecki
    • Mirosław Sawczak
    • Paul Wittendorp
    • Shruti Jain
    • Elizaveta Vereshchagina
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    2024 TALANTA.The International Journal of Pure and Applied Analytical Chemistry

    There is growing interest in developing diamond electrodes with defined geometries such as, for example, micrometer-sized electrode arrays to acquire signals for electroanalysis. For electroanalytical sensing applications, it is essential to achieve precise conductive patterns on the insulating surface. This work provides a novel approach to boron-doped diamond patterning using nichrome masking for selective seeding on an oxidized silicon substrate. The optimized process involves nichrome deposition, sonication, chemical etching, seeding, and tailored chemical vapor deposition of boron-doped diamond with an intrinsic layer to suppress boron diffusion. Through a systematic investigation, it was determined that isolated boron-doped diamond band electrodes can be efficiently produced on non-conductive silica. Additionally, the influence of boron doping on electrochemical performance was studied, with higher doping enhancing the electrochemical response of band electrodes. To demonstrate sensing capabilities, boron-doped diamond bands were used to detect posaconazole, an antifungal drug, exploiting its electroactive behaviour. A linear correlation between posaconazole concentration and oxidation peak current was observed over 1.43 × 10−8 – 5.71 × 10−6 M with a 1.4 × 10−8 M detection limit. The developed boron-doped diamond microbands could significantly impact the field of electroanalysis, facilitating detection of diverse biologically relevant molecules. Overall, this diamond patterning approach overcomes major challenges towards all-diamond electrochemical sensor chips.