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Politechniki Gdańskiej

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  • Mutagenic and Carcinogenic Compounds in Food
    • Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska
    • Serhii Holota
    2023

    Food is a major environmental human cancer risk factor. One of the reasons for this is that food products contain substances that exhibit mutagenic and carcinogenic potential which may induce the transformation of normal somatic cells into cancerous cells. These compounds occur in food as a result of microbial contaminations (mycotoxins produced by molds), are generated from natural food components upon processing (e.g. heterocyclic aromatic amines formed during thermal treatment of meat), penetrate into foodstuffs due to environmental exposure (pesticides used to protect crops), but also sometimes are added to foods purposefully (some food additives). Although food components may affect carcinogenic processes in the human organism in many ways, affecting different hallmarks of cancer, the genotoxic mutagens and carcinogens are likely to remain the convenient marker of food safety as their detection and association with the development of oncological diseases are best established. This chapter presents major food mutagens and carcinogens with an emphasis on their established usefulness in the assessment of diet-related cancer risk.

  • Mutual Coupling Reduction in Antenna Arrays Using Artificial Intelligence Approach and Inverse Neural Network Surrogates
    • Saeed Roshani
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    • Salah Yahya
    • Muhammad Chaudhary
    • Yazeed Ghadi
    • Sobhan Roshani
    • Łukasz Gołuński
    2023 Pełny tekst SENSORS

    This paper presents a novel approach to reduce undesirable coupling in antenna arrays using custom-designed resonators and inverse surrogate modeling. To illustrate the concept, two stand-ard patch antenna cells with 0.07λ edge-to-edge distance are designed and fabricated to operate at 2.45 GHz. A stepped-impedance resonator is applied between the antennas to suppress their mutual coupling. For the first time, the optimum values of the resonator geometry parameters are obtained using the proposed inverse artificial neural network (ANN) model, constructed from the sampled EM-simulation data of the system, and trained using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The inverse ANN surrogate directly yields the optimum resonator dimensions based on the target values of its S-parameters being the input parameters of the model. The in-volvement of surrogate modeling also contributes to acceleration of the design process, as the ar-ray does not need to undergo direct EM-driven optimization. The obtained results indicate a re-markable cancellation of the surface currents between two antennas at their operating frequency, which translates into isolation as high as −46.2 dB at 2.45 GHz, corresponding to over 37 dB im-provement as compared to the conventional setup.

  • MXene-based materials for removal of antibiotics and heavy metals from wastewater– a review
    • Farooque Janjhi
    • Ihsanullah Ihsanullah
    • Muhammad Bilal
    • Roberto Castro-Muñoz
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Fausto Gallucci
    2023 Pełny tekst Water Resources and Industry

    As a novel family of 2D materials, MXenes provide an extensive variety of applications in water and effluent treatment due to their distinctive properties and attractive applicability, including superior electrical conductivity, higher thermal stability, hydrophilicity, and high sorption-reduction capacity. Their excellent sorption selectivity makes them perfect for removing hazardous contaminants. Currently, MXene-based materials are regarded as one of the most important topics in membrane separation processes. This work presents a comprehensive review of recent developments in MXene-based water treatment materials. The applications of MXene-based membranes, adsorbents, and photo-catalysts in removing antibiotics and heavy metals from water are discussed. A comparison of MXene-based membranes with other 2D membranes is outlined. Finally, prospects and challenges for future research are discussed.

  • MXenes Antibacterial Properties and Applications: A Review and Perspective
    • Farzad Seidi
    • Ahmad Arabi Shamsabadi
    • Mostafa Dadashi Firouzjaei
    • Mark Elliott
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Yang Huang
    • Chengcheng Li
    • Huining Xiao
    • Babak Anasori
    2023 SMALL

    The mutations of bacteria due to the excessive use of antibiotics, and generation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have made the development of new antibacterial compounds a necessity. MXenes have emerged as biocompatible transition metal carbide structures with extensive biomedical applications. This is related to the MXenes’ unique combination of properties, including multifarious elemental compositions, 2D-layered structure, large surface area, abundant surface terminations, and excellent photothermal and photoelectronic properties. The focus of this review is the antibacterial application of MXenes, which has attracted the attention of researchers since 2016. A quick overview of the synthesis strategies of MXenes is provided and then summarizes the effect of various factors (including structural properties, optical properties, surface charges, flake size, and dispersibility) on the biocidal activity of MXenes. The main mechanisms for deactivating bacteria by MXenes are discussed in detail including rupturing of the bacterial membrane by sharp edges of MXenes nanoflakes, generating the reactive oxygen species (ROS), and photothermal deactivating of bacteria. Hybridization of MXenes with other organic and inorganic materials can result in materials with improved biocidal activities for different applications such as wound dressings and water purification. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of MXene nanomaterials as biocidal agents are presented.

  • Nano soil improvement technique using cement
    • Hamed Niroumand,
    • Lech Bałachowski
    • Reza Parviz
    2023 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    Nano soil-improvement is an innovative idea in geotechnical engineering. Nanomaterials are among the newest additives that improve soil properties. Herein, laboratory tests, such as unconfined compressive strength, direct shear test, and initial tests, were conducted to investigate the geotechnical properties of Kelachay clay with micro- and nanosized cement to evaluate its particles in untreated soil and observe changes in the behavioral properties of treated soil compared to those of untreated soil. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence images were analyzed before and after the grinding process to determine the nature of the studied particles. Furthermore, effects of time and nanocement content (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) on curing performance were evaluated. The optimum percentage of nano-cement was found to be 7%, which increased the unconfined compressive strength by up to 29 times and reduced the strain at rupture by 74% compared to the untreated soil. The results showed that nano-cement significantly improved the strength and stiffness of the soil–cement mixture by forming calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) gel that filled the pores and bonded the soil particles. Nano-cement also acted as a nucleation site for more C–S–H growth, enhancing the durability and strength of the mixture.

  • Nanobiocatalysis for biofuel production
    • Faisal Khan
    • Nazim Hussain
    • Hafiz M.N. Iqbal
    • Jesús Fernández-Lucas
    • Jakub Zdarta
    • Teofil Jesionowski
    • Muhammad Bilal
    2023

    The human race is relied on the use of conventional and non-renewable energy resources like fossil fuels for centuries. With the rising environmental issues linked with the use of these conventional energy resources, the trend soon shifted towards more robust and sustainable energy resources. In this regard, the different generations of biofuels have revolutionized the industrial sector by ensuring an eco-friendly and more economical way of producing energy. The second-generation feedstock has widely been exploited in the industries to generate vital biofuels like biodiesel and bioethanol. The conventional methods utilized for biofuel production had some major drawbacks like greenhouse gases emission, lower conversion yield, high enzyme cost, and the energy requirement for pretreatment processes. These complications led scientists and researchers around the globe to find ways to not only enhance the pre-existing methods but also to introduce novel methods for biofuel production. In this regard, nanobiocatalysis emerged as a novel system where the advances in nanotechnology and biotechnology unraveled novel methods for efficient biofuels production. The application of nanobiocatalysis has thus greatly enhanced the biocatalytic properties of enzymes in the production of biofuels such as biodiesel, bioethanol, and biogas. This chapter provides a general overview of the different generations of biofuels and feed stocks. Moreover, it highlights the recent trends in nanobiocatalysis for biofuel production and summarizes the various immobilization methods of enzymes by exploiting nanoparticles developed recently.

  • Nanocrystallization as a tool for controlling in vitro dissolution of borophosphate glass
    • Julia Dziewanowska
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Sharafat Ali
    • Natalia Wójcik
    2023 CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL

    The controlled nanocrystallization of sodium-calcium-borophosphate glass (Na16.6Ca5.1B10.5Al0.8P10.5 O56.5 in at %) was conducted to investigate its influence on in vitro dissolution. Three temperatures (570 ◦C, 590 ◦C, and 610 ◦C) were selected based on thermal analysis and investigation of the morphology, structure, and in vitro dissolution of glass and glass-ceramics was conducted. The results of X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of calcium phosphates nanocrystallites in glass-ceramics, with their contents increasing proportionally to the crystallization temperature. Infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of phosphate and borate network units, along with phosphates in a crystalline form. It was found that the target glass shows the highest mass loss in comparison to the glass-ceramics. Controlled nanocrystallization slowed down the dissolution of the materials (>10%), but did not adversely affect the deposition of hydroxyapatite layer. The presence of calcium phosphate nanocrystallites favors the process of B3+ release. The nanocrystallization of borophosphate glasses is a perspective tool for controlling the rate of dissolution of bioactive materials and enhancing their ability to deposit hydroxyapatite on their surface.

  • Nanodiamonds Doped with Manganese for Applications in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
    • Srinivasu Kunuku
    • Bo-Rong Lin
    • Chien-Hsu Chen
    • Chun-Hsiang Chang
    • Tzung-Yuang Chen
    • Tung-Yuan Hsiao
    • Hung-Kai Yu
    • Yu-Jen Chang
    • Li-Chuan Liao
    • Fang-Hsin Chen
    • Robert Bogdanowicz
    • Huan Niu
    2023 Pełny tekst ACS Omega

    Nanodiamonds (NDs) are emerging with great potential in biomedical applications like biomarking through fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), targeted drug delivery, and cancer therapy. The magnetic and optical properties of NDs could be tuned by selective doping. Therefore, we report multifunctional manganese-incorporated NDs (Mn-NDs) fabricated by Mn ion implantation. The fluorescent properties of Mn-NDs were tuned by inducing the defects by ion implantation and enhancing the residual nitrogen vacancy density achieved by a two-step annealing process. The cytotoxicity of Mn-NDs was investigated using NCTC clone 929 cells, and the results revealed no cytotoxicity effect. Mn-NDs have demonstrated dual mode contrast enhancement for both T1- and T2-weighted in vitro MR imaging. Furthermore, Mn-NDs have illustrated a significant increase in longitudinal relaxivity (fivefold) and transversal relaxivity (17-fold) compared to the as-received NDs. Mn-NDs are employed to investigate their ability for in vivo MR imaging by intraperitoneal (ip) injection of Mn-NDs into mice with liver tumors. After 2.5 h of ip injection, the enhancement of contrast in T1- and T2-weighted images has been observed via the accumulation of Mn-NDs in liver tumors of mice. Therefore, Mn-NDs have great potential for in vivo imaging by MR imaging in cancer therapy.

  • Nanokrystaliczne warstwy ceramiczne otrzymywane metodą pirolizy aerozolowej w tlenkowych ogniwach paliwowych
    • Bartosz Kamecki
    2023 Pełny tekst

    Niniejsza rozprawa doktorska dotyczy badań materiałów wytwarzanych w postaci cienkich, nanokrystalicznych warstw ceramicznych metodą pirolizy aerozolowej dla zastosowań w tlenkowych ogniwach paliwowych (SOFC). Badane są trzy możliwe obszary zastosowań wytwarzanych warstw tj. osadzanie powłok ochronnych na stalowych interkonektorach dostarczających gazy do elektrody tlenowej, wytwarzanie bariery ochronnej zapobiegającej dyfuzji jonów pomiędzy elektrodą tlenową, a elektrolitem oraz modyfikacja interfejsu katoda - elektrolit poprzez wprowadzenie funkcjonalnej warstwy katodowej na interfejsie. Zakres przeprowadzonych prac eksperymentalnych obejmuje wytwarzanie materiałów w postaci cienkich warstw metodą pirolizy aerozolowej, badania strukturalne metodą dyfrakcji rentgenowskiej, analizę mikrostruktury, morfologii i składu chemicznego metodami mikroskopowymi, pomiary przewodności elektrycznej i właściwości elektrochemicznych, a także badania pojedynczych ogniw paliwowych z zastosowaniem opracowanych warstw. Pierwsza część rozprawy przedstawia podstawy funkcjonowania i dotychczasowy stan wiedzy na temat ogniw paliwowych. Kolejna część pracy zawiera opis i przegląd literatury na temat metody wytwarzania warstw - pirolizy aerozolowej oraz metody eksperymentalne wykorzystywane do ich pomiaru. Główną część pracy przedstawiającą przeprowadzone badania i ich analizę stanowi zbiór sześciu publikacji opublikowanych w czasopismach: Journal of the European Ceramic Society (IF 6.364, 140 pkt MNiSW 2021), ECS Transactions, Journal of Electronic Materials (IF 2.047, 40 pkt MNiSW 2021), Advanced Materials Interfaces (IF 6.389, 100 pkt MNiSW 2021), oraz ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (IF 10.383, 200 pkt MNiSW 2021). Końcowa część rozprawy podsumowuje wykonane badania oraz płynące z nich wnioski.

  • Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis of Urinary Extracellular Vesicle Proteins as a New Challenge in Laboratory Medicine
    • Kornelia Sałaga-zaleska
    • Agnieszka Kuchta
    • Beata Bzoma
    • Gabriela Chyła-Danił
    • Anna Safianowska
    • Agata Płoska
    • Leszek Kalinowski
    • Alicja Dębska-ślizień
    • Maciej Jankowski
    2023 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

    Urinary extracellular vesicle (uEV) proteins may be used as specific markers of kidney damage in various pathophysiological conditions. The nanoparticle-tracking analysis (NTA) appears to be the most useful method for the analysis of uEVs due to its ability to analyze particles below 300 nm. The NTA method has been used to measure the size and concentration of uEVs and also allows for a deeper analysis of uEVs based on their protein composition using fluorescence measurements. However, despite much interest in the clinical application of uEVs, their analysis using the NTA method is poorly described and requires meticulous sample preparation, experimental adjustment of instrument settings, and above all, an understanding of the limitations of the method. In the present work, we demonstrate the usefulness of an NTA. We also present problems encountered during analysis with possible solutions: the choice of sample dilution, the method of the presentation and comparison of results, photobleaching, and the adjustment of instrument settings for a specific analysis. We show that the NTA method appears to be a promising method for the determination of uEVs. However, it is important to be aware of potential problems that may affect the results.

  • Nanoparticles and nanofiltration for wastewater treatment: From polluted to fresh water
    • Tomy M. Joseph
    • Hussein Al-Hazmi
    • Bogna Śniatała
    • Amin Esmaeili
    • Sajjad Habibzadeh
    2023 ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

    Water pollution poses significant threats to both ecosystems and human health. Mitigating this issue requires effective treatment of domestic wastewater to convert waste into bio-fertilizers and gas. Neglecting liquid waste treatment carries severe consequences for health and the environment. This review focuses on intelligent technologies for water and wastewater treatment, targeting waterborne diseases. It covers pollution prevention and purification methods, including hydrotherapy, membrane filtration, mechanical filters, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and copper-zinc cleaning. The article also highlights domestic purification, field techniques, heavy metal removal, and emerging technologies like nanochips, graphene, nanofiltration, atmospheric water generation, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)-based cleaning. Emphasizing water cleaning's significance for ecosystem protection and human health, the review discusses pollution challenges and explores the integration of wastewater treatment, coagulant processes, and nanoparticle utilization in management. It advocates collaborative efforts and innovative research for freshwater preservation and pollution mitigation. Innovative biological systems, combined with filtration, disinfection, and membranes, can elevate recovery rates by up to 90%, surpassing individual primary (<10%) or biological methods (≤50%). Advanced treatment methods can achieve up to 95% water recovery, exceeding UN goals for clean water and sanitation (Goal 6). This progress aligns with climate action objectives and safeguards vital water-rich habitats (Goal 13). The future holds promise with advanced purification techniques enhancing water quality and availability, underscoring the need for responsible water conservation and management for a sustainable future

  • Nanoparticles: Taking a Unique Position in Medicine
    • Tomy Muringayil Joseph
    • Debarshi Kar Debarshi
    • Amin Esmaeili
    • Łukasz Piszczyk
    • S. Mohamed Hasanin
    • Kattali Mashhoor
    • Józef Haponiuk
    • Sabu Thomas
    2023 Nanomaterials

    The human nature of curiosity, wonder, and ingenuity date back to the age of humankind. In parallel with our history of civilization, interest in scientific approaches to unravel mechanisms underlying natural phenomena has been developing. Recent years have witnessed unprecedented growth in research in the area of pharmaceuticals and medicine. The optimism that nanotechnology (NT) applied to medicine and drugs is taking serious steps to bring about significant advances in diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease—a shift from fantasy to reality. The growing interest in the future medical applications of NT leads to the emergence of a new field for nanomaterials (NMs) and biomedicine. In recent years, NMs have emerged as essential game players in modern medicine, with clinical applications ranging from contrast agents in imaging to carriers for drug and gene delivery into tumors. Indeed, there are instances where nanoparticles (NPs) enable analyses and therapies that cannot be performed otherwise. However, NPs also bring unique environmental and societal challenges, particularly concerning toxicity. Thus, clinical applications of NPs should be revisited, and a deep understanding of the effects of NPs from the pathophysiologic basis of a disease may bring more sophisticated diagnostic opportunities and yield more effective therapies and preventive features. Correspondingly, this review highlights the significant contributions of NPs to modern medicine and drug delivery systems. This study also attempted to glimpse the future impact of NT in medicine and pharmaceuticals.

  • Nanostructured biocatalysis for biotechnological applications
    • Areej Shahbaz
    • Nazim Hussain
    • Ayesha Mumtaz
    • José R. Guimarães
    • Paulo W. Tardioli
    • Roberto Fernández-Lafuente
    • Hafiz M.N. Iqbal
    • Muhammad Bilal
    2023

    The purpose immobilization process is to enhance the performance of an enzyme for commercial processes. A large number of structures have been reported in the literature to boost the effectiveness of immobilized enzymes. The nanomaterials have the optimal properties for equilibrating key parameters that govern the performance of biocatalysts, such as high enzyme loading ability, specific surface area, and mass transfer resistance. With the advent of nanotechnology, nanomaterials have emerged as novel and intriguing matrices for enzyme immobilization due to their distinct physicochemical features. Immobilizing enzymes on functionalized nanostructured materials may improve nano-biocatalyst stability while maintaining the free enzyme activity and allowing for facile recyclability under various settings. It is essential for the successful implementation of enzyme-based industrial processes. This chapter reviews recent advances in the study and application of various classes of nanostructured materials for enzyme immobilization (nanocrystals, nanostructured supportive material, carbon nanotubes, nanofibers, nanoparticles, and composite materials), as well as some examples of their use in the development of biologically active systems. Nanoparticles as an immobilization matrix are also examined for their benefits and drawbacks. To improve the state of enzyme immobilization and bring new perspectives to the industrial sector, future research should be focused on using novel approaches and innovatively adapted support materials.

  • Narratives on cutting down trees on private land. A comparison of urban and rural municipalities in Poland using the Q-deliberation method
    • Krzysztof Mączka
    • Piotr Matczak
    • Marcin Mielewczyk
    • Patrycja Przewoźna
    • Adam Inglot
    • Piotr Wężyk
    • Karolina Zięba-kulawik
    • Paweł Hawryło
    2023 LAND USE POLICY

    Increased development in rural and urban areas leads to a decrease in tree cover and reduces the ecosystem services that trees provide. Municipal authorities must consider managing trees on private land to ensure that residents have access to trees and green spaces. In doing so, they must frequently confront conflicting stakeholder views, which are driven by diverse public and private interests and impacted by the type of landscape in question. In this paper, we investigate stakeholders’ views on tree removing on privately owned land, as represented by narratives about tree management in urban and rural municipalities, to assess whether a deliberation process can alter these views. We rely on the theory of wicked problems and apply two measurements by Q-method in two municipalities in Poland (N = 38 in both cases), with an intervening deliberation session between each measurement. The results reveal that, before the deliberation, narratives were divided mainly around the issue of where the right to decide about tree removing should reside. This division was visible in both municipalities, but was particularly pronounced in the rural one. The division was sharp and straightforward, and was linked with deeply shared values. After the deliberation, the narratives shifted and a new division emerged around the issue of how to organize the decision-making process and decision-making criteria. Moreover, after deliberation, the narratives of participants from both municipalities coalesced to a much greater extent than previously. The results prove that, although wicked problems do not have unambiguous solutions, deliberation processes can influence views and are instrumental in facilitating better informed tree management.

  • Natura i dziedzictwo – Cele Zrównoważonego Rozwoju (SDG) jako czynniki integracji społecznej w przestrzeniach osiedli mieszkaniowych. Studium Zaspy./ Nature and heritage – Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as factors of social integration in the space of housing estates. Study of Zaspa
    • Agnieszka Kurkowska
    • Paulina Duch-Żebrowska
    • Anna Wróblewska
    2023 Środowisko Mieszkaniowe

    This article introduces the topic of revitalising outdoor common spaces in existing housing developments. The aim of the research is to present universal design models by analysing nature and heritage as dominant values, complementing perceived natural and cultural deficiencies. For this purpose, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), UNESCO (UNESCO, 2015) and the Research Through Design (RTD) method were used. The Zaspa housing estate was chosen as the research area because of its characteristic urban layout and its high cultural and social recognition. As a result of this research, elements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were identified and analysed. Graphic spatial models from the projects, were divided into groups for which the intensity of the contribution of nature or heritage to social inclusion was determined. The next important step was the international validation and participation in the European Heritage Days exhibition and the verification of the results of the citizens' survey opening the second phase of the research. This article summarises the first phase of the multi-year research project

  • Natural deep eutectic solvent based ultrasound assisted liquid-liquid micro-extraction method for methyl violet dye determination in contaminated river water
    • Hameed Haq
    • Azmat Wali
    • Faisal Safi
    • Muhammad Balal Arain
    • Lingshuai Kong
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2023 Pełny tekst Water Resources and Industry

    Simple and green natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) based ultrasound assisted liquid-liquid micro-extraction (UA-LLME) method was developed for extraction and determination of methyl violet dye in contaminated river water samples using UV/Vis spectrophotometry. Choline chloride - decanoic acid based natural deep eutectic solvent was used for extraction. Important analytical parameters like pH, deep eutectic solvent volume/phase ratio, tetrahydrofuran volume, sonication time, and temperature were optimized. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 2.20 μg/L and 7.34 μg/L respectively. Relative standard deviation was 2.35–3.21%. Linearity of method was investigated in a concentration range 10–400 μg/L. Enrichment factor was calculated as 20. For 20 mL sample, the optimized parameters were as deep eutectic solvent volume 1.5 mL, tetrahydrofuran volume was 0.6 mL, pH = 6, sonication time 2 min. The optimized method was tested for extraction of methyl violet in real water samples confirming its applicability in routine environmental analysis.

  • Naturally-derived hydrogels for 3D pancreatic tumor models: A short review
    • Edyta Piłat
    • Agnieszka Kurdyn
    • Justyna Kucińska-Lipka
    2023 Polymers from Renewable Resources

    Statistics suggest a high proportion of mortality rate by pancreatic cancer, which is a solid tumor characterized by high heterogeneity and the presence of a complex extracellular matrix. The very low effectiveness of pancreatic cancer treatment roots in the high metastatic potential and drug resistance of this tumor. Therefore, the quest for efficient cellular models enabling precise mimicking in vivo conditions, and anticancer drug development is emerging as a priority. Routinely used 2D culture models offer an initial evaluation of the therapeutic potential of a compound against tumors, while scaffold-free and next-generation scaffold-based 3D hydrogel-based models are found to be promising for appropriate mimicking of the tumor environment and cell interactions. Over the last few years, attention was paid to the use of naturally-derived hydrogel as 3D models for pancreatic tumor modeling. Herein we first overview scaffold-free and scaffold-based 3D tumor models as advanced approaches, followed by placing the focus on naturally-derived hydrogels applied as scaffolds in pancreatic cancer modeling. This short review emphasizes that sustainable hydrogels can almost precisely imitate the complex in vivo microenvironment of pancreatic tumor, thereby hydrogel-based scaffold tumor models may be a breakthrough in pancreatic cancer studies and, in result, significantly improve the poor pancreatic tumor survivability prognosis. Nevertheless, anticancer drug development might be overshadowed by using this family of biomaterials.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera - ciekawe profesje w branży informatycznej
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2023 Pismo PG

    Umiejętność organizowania i przetwarzania informacji jest kluczowym elementem w dzisiejszych czasach. Komputery i inne urządzenia elektroniczne są zaprojektowane tak, aby szybko i efektywnie obsługiwać, przetwarzać i prezentować duże ilości informacji. Jednak nie mogą nic zrobić, dopóki ktoś nie powie im, co mają robić. Celem tego artykułu jest przybliżenie młodym adeptom technologii cyfrowych ciekawych zawodów w branży informatycznej.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera - strumieniowanie muzyki w sieci
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2023 Pismo PG

    Na początku konsumpcja treści multimedialnych, związanych początkowo z sygnałami audio, była możliwa tylko w sposób stacjonarny. Odtwarzacz muzyczny znajdował się w domu, wraz z niezbędnym nośnikiem fizycznym. Alternatywnym sposobem dla jednostki był udział w występie na żywo w sali koncertowej lub zorganizowanie prywatnego koncertu w domu. Podsumowując, efekty audiowizualne były zarezerwowane tylko dla wąskiego grona odbiorców.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera - wpływ pandemii na branżę transmisji strumieniowej
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2023 Pismo PG

    Trwająca pandemia znacznie ograniczyła mobilność użytkowników. Wiele osób zrezygnowało ze swobodnego przemieszczania się z powodów zdrowotnych, osobistych lub innych. Fakt ten dotyczył zwłaszcza studentów, którzy musieli przejść na kształcenie na odległość. Także wiele zawodów powiązanych z technologiami ICT postanowiło skorzystać ze zdalnych mechanizmów wymiany informacji i komunikacji z klientem. Czynniki te z pewnością dały się odczuć jeszcze szerzej w całym świecie cyfrowym.

  • Nauka w świecie cyfrowym okiem młodego inżyniera - zawód streamer
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    2023 Pismo PG

    Bezapelacyjnie nowe środki łączności i komunikacji bezprzewodowej oraz mobilne terminale użytkownika zmieniły nie tylko metody dostarczania treści, ale też sposób, w jaki postrzegamy samą informację. Obecnie, dzięki globalnej sieci, ludzie mogą z łatwością konsumować i wymieniać zdigitalizowane dane. Współcześnie większość z nas nie używa już fizycznych dysków do przechowywania plików, robią to za nas platformy chmurowe online.

  • N-doped carbon materials as electrodes for highly stable supercapacitors
    • Anna Ilnicka
    • Malgorzata Skorupska
    • Mariusz Szkoda
    • Zuzanna Zarach
    • Jerzy Łukaszewicz
    2023 Pełny tekst Materials Research Letters

    This article reports a strategy to use nitrogen-doped carbon materials as electrodes for supercapacitors. Depending on the carbon precursor, the porous structure is changed with specific surface area reached up to 2270 m2 g−1. The capacitance of carbon materials used as electrodes is related strictly to pore size. The microstructure and nitrogen functionalities enable a high capacitance (327 F g−1) and cycle durability. The nanoporous carbon electrode exhibits long-term cycle life and high cycle stability with a retention of 86% of its initial after 10,000 cycles in neutral electrolyte. Highly porous carbons are thus considered a promising material for supercapacitors.

  • N-doped carbon nanospheres as selective fluorescent probes for mercury detection in contaminated aqueous media: chemistry, fluorescence probing, cell line patterning, and liver tissue interaction
    • Soheil Sojdeh
    • Ali Banitalebi Dehkordi
    • Alireza Badiei
    • Ali Zarrabi
    • Pooyan Makvandi
    • Milad Ashrafizadeh
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Eder C. Lima
    • Mohammad Rabiee
    • Mohsen Asadnia
    • Thomas J. Webster
    • Navid Rabiee
    2023 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH

    A precise nano-scale biosensor was developed here to detect Hg2+ in aqueous media. Nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres (NCS) created from the pyrolysis of melamine–formaldehyde resin were characterized by FESEM, XRD, Raman spectra, EDS, PL, UV–vis spectra, and N2 adsorption–desorption, and were used as a highly selective and sensitive probe for detecting Hg2+ in aqueous media. The sensitivity of NCS to Hg2+ was evaluated by photoluminescence intensity fluctuations under fluorescence emission in the vicinity of 390 nm with a λexc of 350 nm. The fluorescence intensity of the NCS probe weakened in the presence of Hg2+ owing to the effective fluorescence quenching by that, which is not corresponding to the special covalent liking between the ligand and the metal. The effects of the fluorescence nanoprobe concentration, pH, and sensing time were monitored to acquire the best conditions for determining Hg2+. Surprisingly, NCS revealed excellent selectivity and sensitivity towards Hg2+ in the samples containing Co2+, Na+, K+, Fe2+, Mn2+, Al3+, Pb2+, Ni2+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Mg2+, Cd2+, Cr3+, Li+, Cs+, and Ba2+. The fluorescence response was linearly proportional to Hg2+ concentration in 0.013–0.046 µM with a limit of detection of 9.58 nM. The in vitro and in vivo toxicological analyses confirmed the completely safe and biocompatible features of NCS, which provides promise for use for water, fruit, vegetable, and/or other forms of natural-connected materials exposed to Hg2+, with no significant toxicity noticed toward different cells/organs/tissues.

  • Near-Field Wireless Sensing of Plastics and Papers Using Frugal Peel-Off Passive Tag
    • Abhishek Kumar Jha
    • Adam Lamęcki
    • Roberto Gómez-García
    • Michał Mrozowski
    2023 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES

    This article presents a novel frugal approach of testing plastics and papers using a near-field microwave sensing technique with a peel-off tag. The proposed sensing technique involves two electrical entities: the sensor, which may be regarded as a reader, and a disposable tag. The reader is a modified design of a gap-coupled microstrip line (GCML) sensor, while the passive tag is a standard double-ring complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) engraved on a commercially available copper foil using laser printing techniques. A detailed numerical study is presented for the engineered sensing methodology, showing the effect of the sample height, sensing distance, bending angle, and inclination. Empirical formulas associated with the dielectric properties of the sample under test are also given. The errors associated with a possible air gap between the peel-off tag and the sample, as well as the relative positioning of the tag and the reader, are analyzed while also considering the bending of the tag. Finally, the sensor is fabricated on a 1.5-mm-thick Rogers RT5880 laminate, and several standard samples are prepared to experimentally check the validity of the approach. The sensor provides a transmission bandwidth (BW) of 1.9 GHz with a typical insertion loss (IL) of 1 dB and a reflection loss of 20 dB. The tag engraved on the frugal peel-off copper foil is used for sensing various dielectric materials by placing it on planar and curved surfaces. The simulation and measured results are found to be in close agreement. The proposed scheme is found to be reliable and cost-effective also for the testing of microwave substrates. It provides robust results for the wireless sensing of objects located within a range of 10 mm from the reader.

  • Negative carbon dioxide gas power plant integrated with gasification of sewage sludge
    • Paweł Ziółkowski
    • Kamil Stasiak
    • Milad Amiri
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    2023 Pełny tekst ENERGY

    One of the primary objectives of the negative carbon dioxide gas power plant (nCO2PP) is to develop an innovative technology confirming the possibility of the use of sewage sludge to produce electricity while having a positive impact on the environment. In this paper, a mathematical model is presented to estimate thermodynamic parameters of the system in relation to the gasification process and changes in such parameters in the bleeds as well as temperature and pressure. The main novelty of this paper is the integration of the gas-steam turbine model with the gasification reactor model in such a way that the effect of the gasification products on the turbine output is established. In turn, parameters from the turbine bleed directly affect the gasification process and cause feedback for the system. Developed code allows determination of parameters such as efficiency of the proposed nCO2PP cycle, gas composition from the gasifier, temperature in the gas turbine bleed and other related information. The synergy between the CCS plant and the proposed utilization of sewage sludge (which is considered as a renewable energy source) enables the installation to achieve negative overall emissions of CO2.

  • Negative impact of constant RPM control strategy on ship NOx emission in waves
    • Mohammad Ghaemi
    • Hamid Zeraatgar
    2023 Pełny tekst International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering

    In severe wave conditions, the ship propulsion system is loaded with high fluctuations due to external disturbances. The highly fluctuating loads enforce radical changes in the main engine torque, which in turn demands variation of the fuel rate injected into the cylinders if a constant rotational speed strategy is applied. Therefore, the temperature of gases varies to a large extent during the combustion process in the cylinders. The emitted NOx is a function of this highly fluctuating temperature. The main goal of this study is to investigate NOx emission under the aforementioned conditions when a usual constant RPM control strategy is applied in waves similar to the calm water condition. The paper presents a mathematical model of the whole system, which is applied to a selected ship both in regular waves and in calm water conditions. The results show that the sea waves, in comparison with the calm water condition, can radically increase the emitted NOx under the constant rotational speed strategy. This change can reach even 1014 times more, averagely. The results also show that the higher the wave height the higher the emitted NOx. It is concluded that the control strategy of keeping the engine rotational speed in waves at a constant level is the most important reason for the significantly increased NOx emission in waves in comparison with the calm water condition.

  • Network effects—do they matter for digital technologies diffusion?
    • Ewa Lechman
    • Helena Anacka
    2023 JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT

    Purpose The main research target of this paper is to capture the network effects using the case of mobile cellular telephony, identified in European telecommunication markets, and its determinants enhancing the process of digital technologies diffusion. Design/methodology/approach This research relies on panel and dynamic panel regression analysis. The empirical sample covers 30 European countries, and the period for the analysis is set for 2000–2019. Findings This work contributes by examining the network effects identified on European telecommunication markets that drive the process of digital technologies diffusion, but it also extends the understanding of the latter by tracing major determinants of fast network expansion, e.g. prices of access to and use of, per capita income, urbanisation, population density, accessibility of fixed telephony infrastructure. The main findings support the initial supposition that the installed base strongly enhances diffusion of new technologies, while other factors, for example, prices, are not of prime importance. Research limitations/implications This research has certain managerial implications. The unveiled network effects driving adoption of technological innovations constitute a significant determinant of implementation of differentiation strategy by telecommunication companies. Due to network effects consumers' propensity to join the network is valued higher than the prices of services offered, which is crucial not only from the perspective of the company's pricing strategy but also enables telecommunication companies to introduce to the market new products and/or services concentrating on increasing its quality and usability rather than future prices. Originality/value This is the first work that empirically verifies the intercompanies and interpersonal diffusion of cellular telephony, hypothesising that this process relies on unique network effects.

  • Networking and Familiness as Factors Stimulating the Early Internationalization of High-Tech Firms
    • Nelly Daszkiewicz
    • Krzysztof Wach
    2023 Pełny tekst Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics

    The problem of the role and importance of time in the process of firm’s internationalization belongs to the mainstream of international business research, as is the problem of the key role of high-tech firms operating across borders. The main goal of the paper is to understand how selected factors determine early internationalization of high-tech firms in Poland as an emerging market. The theoretical framework of the article is built on international entrepreneurship literature, supported by the network perspective and family firm theory. Then, the article focuses on the high-tech firms that become international through export or any other entry mode in the first three years of their life. A survey was conducted on the sample of 263 firms operating in high-tech industries in Poland. The results of our empirical studies show that high-tech firms functioning in networks and clusters are more likely to start their international expansion early. Moreover, family high-tech firms are less likely to internationalize early than non-family firms.

  • Net-zero carbon condition in wastewater treatment plants: A systematic review of mitigation strategies and challenges
    • Mojtaba Maktabifard
    • Hussein Al-Hazmi
    • Paulina Szulc
    • Mohammad Mousavizadegan
    • Xianbao Xu
    • Ewa Zaborowska
    • Xiang Li
    • Jacek Mąkinia
    2023 Pełny tekst RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS

    The wastewater sector accounts for up to 7 and 10% of anthropogenic CH4 and N2O emissions, respectively. Nowadays wastewater treatment plants are going through a paradigm shift to approach a net-zero carbon condition. Numerous ongoing measures have taken place to identify the sources of greenhouse gases and minimize the carbon footprint. This paper systematically reviews all known practices leading towards net-zero carbon wastewater treatment. The greenhouse gas emissions from the wastewater sector are identified and carbon footprint quantification tools, such as reliable models and emission factors are compared. The direct process emissions can contribute to over 60% of the carbon footprint in wastewater treatment plants, while around 30% of the carbon footprint is due to energy-related indirect emissions. Therefore, greenhouse gas mitigation via process optimization and energy usage in wastewater treatment plants are comprehensively described. The implantation of novel nitrogen removal processes can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Other techniques such as source separation systems can potentially allow mitigation of N2O emissions by 60% while avoiding energy-intensive nitrogen fertilizer production. Nutrient recovery methods are another approach which offer negative value for the net carbon footprint. Recovering N2O for energy production is a promising method which can lead to both direct and indirect carbon footprint reductions. Ultimately, to achieve full decarbonization any remaining emissions need to be offset, including carbon footprint of chemicals usage and

  • Neural Graph Collaborative Filtering: Analysis of Possibilities on Diverse Datasets
    • Dariusz Kobiela
    • Jan Groth
    • Michał Sieczczyński
    • Rafał Wolniak
    • Krzysztof Pastuszak
    2023

    This paper continues the work by Wang et al. [17]. Its goal is to verify the robustness of the NGCF (Neural Graph Collaborative Filtering) technique by assessing its ability to generalize across different datasets. To achieve this, we first replicated the experiments conducted by Wang et al. [17] to ensure that their replication package is functional. We received sligthly better results for ndcg@20 and somewhat poorer results for recall@20, which may be due to the randomness. Afterward, we applied their framework to four additional datasets (NYC2014, TOKYO2014, Yelp2022, and MovieLens1M) and compared NGCF with HOP-Rec [18] and MF-BPR [14] as in the original study. Our results confirm that NGCF outperforms other models in terms of ndcg@20. However, when considering recall@20, either HOP-Rec or MF-BPR performed better on the new datasets. This finding suggests that NGCF may have been optimized for the datasets used in the original paper. Furthermore, we analyzed the models’ performance using recall@K and ndcg@K, where K was set to 1, 5, 10, and 40. The obtained results support our previous finding. The replication package for this paper can be found in our GitHub repository [1].

  • Neurocontrolled Car Speed System
    • Markiyan Nakonechnyi
    • Orest Ivakhiv
    • Dariusz Świsulski
    2023 Pełny tekst Journal of Automation, Mobile Robotics and Intelligent Systems - JAMRIS

    The features of the synthesis of neural controllers for the car speed control system are considered in this article. The task of synthesis is to determine the weight coefficients of neural networks that provide the implementation of proportional and proportional-integralderivative control laws. The synthesis of controllers is based on an approach that uses a reversed model of the standard. A model of the car speed control system with the use of permitting subsystems has been developed, with the help of the synthesized controller that is connected under certain specified conditions. With the iterative programming and mathematical modeling environment in MATLAB, and using the Simulink package, a structural scheme for controlling the speed of the car was constructed and simulated using synthesized neural controllers.

  • Neurodiversity and remote work in times of crisis: lessons for HR
    • Joanna Szulc
    • Frances-Louise McGregor
    • Emine Cakir
    2023 Pełny tekst Personnel Review

    Purpose The rich qualitative study builds on 11 semi-structured interviews with nine neurodivergent employees and two business professionals supportive of neurodiversity to understand the lived experiences of dealing with crisis in a remote working environment. Design/methodology/approach The purpose of the reported research is to understand how neurominorities experience remote working in the times of crisis and what the implications of this are for human resource (HR) professionals. Findings Moving to remote work resulted in a lack of routine, distractions and working long hours, which can all be difficult for line managers to monitor. Further problems with communication in a virtual environment and lack of understanding by others were found to be particularly burdensome to neurodivergent individuals. On the positive note, remote working in the times of crisis allowed for avoiding sensory overwhelm and was seen as an important step in creating a healthy work–life balance (WLB). Practical implications The findings of this study point HR practitioners' attention towards building a more neurodiversity friendly post-pandemic workplace and prompt employers to offer working arrangements, which better suit employees' domestic and personal circumstances. Originality/value This study addresses the lack of research on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on neurominorities. In doing so, it answers recent calls to move away from universal HR as a route to positive employee outcomes and facilitates a more accurate reflection of organizational reality for disadvantaged members of society.

  • New Complementary Resonator for Permittivity- and Thickness-Based Dielectric Characterization
    • Tanveer Haq Ul
    • Sławomir Kozieł
    2023 Pełny tekst SENSORS

    The design of high-performance complementary meta-resonators for microwave sensors featur-ing high sensitivity and consistent evaluation of dielectric materials is challenging. This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel complementary resonator with high sensi-tivity for dielectric substrate characterization based on permittivity and thickness. A comple-mentary crossed arrow resonator (CCAR) is proposed and integrated with a fifty-ohm mi-crostrip transmission line. The CCAR's distinct geometry, which consists of crossed ar-row-shaped components, allows for implementing a resonator with exceptional sensitivity to changes in permittivity and thickness of the material under test (MUT). The CCAR's geometrical parameters are optimized to resonate at 15 GHz. The CCAR sensor's working principle is ex-plained using a lumped-element equivalent circuit. The optimized CCAR sensor is fabricated using LPKF protolaser on a 0.762-mm-thick dielectric substrate AD250C. The MUTs with dielec-tric permittivity ranging from 2.5 to 10.2 and thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 1.9 mm are used to investigate the properties and calibrate the proposed CCAR sensor. A two-dimensional cali-bration surface is developed using an inverse regression modelling approach to ensure precise and reliable measurements. The proposed CCAR sensor is distinguished by its high sensitivity of 5.74 percent, low fabrication cost, and enhanced performance compared to state-of-the-art de-signs, making it a versatile instrument for dielectric characterization.

  • New Design of Axial Piston Pump with Displaced Swash Plate Axis of Rotation for Hydro-Mechanical Transmissions
    • Paweł Załuski
    • Piotr Patrosz
    • Marcin Bąk
    2023

    This paper presents a prototype design of an axial piston pump with displaced swash plate axis of rotation in two directions of discharge with electronic control intended for installation on a hydraulic-mechanical gearbox dedicated to working machines. The effect of displacement of the swash plate rotation axis on dead space volume and volumetric efficiency is presented. The construction and principle of operation of the capacity change mechanism and the delivery direction change mechanism are described. The design and hydraulic diagram of the pump are presented.

  • New empirical correlations for the viscosity of selected organic phase change materials
    • Janusz Cieśliński
    • Maciej Fabrykiewicz
    • Tomasz Wiśniewski
    • Michał Kubiś
    • Slawomir Smolen
    • Albrecht Eicke
    • Krzysztof Dutkowski
    • Małgorzata Głuszek-Czarnecka
    2023 Pełny tekst Archives of Thermodynamics

    Although there are many methods and instruments for measuring viscosity, it is still difficult to determine a reliable value of the dynamic viscosity of complex chemicals such as paraffins and fatty acids. This is due to the complex and heterogeneous structure of these compounds in the case of commercial products. On the other hand, the measuring instrument should be selected very carefully, including its measuring principle and measuring range. This paper presents results of viscosity measurements of three organic PCMs (phase change materials) obtained in four different research institutions. Commercial products: paraffin, myristic acid (97%) and mixture of palmitic acid (55%) and stearic acid (45%) were selected as PCMs. Four different viscometers, namely Fungilab V-Pad, Rheotest LK 2.2, Rheometer Anton Paar MCR 102, and Brookfield DV-II + Pro have been used to determine temperature dependent dynamic viscosity of the tested PCMs. Using a large database of present measurement results, correlations were developed to calculate the dynamic viscosity of fatty acids and paraffins, which predict the experimental data within a band of ±20%.

  • New, fast and cheap prediction tests for BRCA1 gene mutations identification in clinical samples.
    • Aleksandra Gajda-Walczak
    • Agnieszka Potęga
    • Agata Kowalczyk
    • Sławomir Sęk
    • Sebastian Zięba
    • Artur Kowalik
    • Andrzej Kudelski
    • Anna M. Nowicka
    2023 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    Despite significant progress in cancer therapy, cancer is still the second cause of mortality in the world. The necessity to make quick therapeutic decisions forces the development of procedures allowing to obtain a reliable result in a quick and unambiguous manner. Currently, detecting predictive mutations, including BRCA1, is the basis for effectively treating advanced breast cancer. Here, we present new insight on gene mutation detection. We propose a cheap BRCA1 mutation detection tests based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or quartz crystal microbalance with energy dissipation (QCM-D) response changes recorded during a hybridization process of an oligonucleotide molecular probe with DNA fragments, with and without the BRCA1 mutation. The changes in the morphology of the formed DNA layer caused by the presence of the mutation were confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The unique property of the developed SPR and QCM tests is really short time of analysis: ca. 6 min for SPR and ca. 25 min for QCM. The proposed tests have been verified on 22 different DNA extracted from blood leukocytes collected from cancer patients: 17 samples from patients with various BRCA1 gene mutation variants including deletion, insertion and missense single-nucleotide and 5 samples from patients without any BRCA1 mutation. Our test is a response to the need of medical diagnostics for a quick, unambiguous test to identify mutations of the BRCA1 gene, including missense singlenucleotide (SNPs).

  • New hybrid quadrature schemes for weakly singular kernels applied to isogeometric boundary elements for 3D Stokes flow
    • Maximilian Harmel
    • Roger Sauer
    2023 ENGINEERING ANALYSIS WITH BOUNDARY ELEMENTS

    This work proposes four novel hybrid quadrature schemes for the efficient and accurate evaluation of weakly singular boundary integrals (1/r kernel) on arbitrary smooth surfaces. Such integrals appear in boundary element analysis for several partial differential equations including the Stokes equation for viscous flow and the Helmholtz equation for acoustics. The proposed quadrature schemes apply a Duffy transform-based quadrature rule (Duffy, 1982) to surface elements containing the singularity and classical Gaussian quadrature to the remaining elements. Two of the four schemes additionally consider a special treatment for elements near to the singularity, where refined Gaussian quadrature and a new moment-fitting quadrature rule are used. The hybrid quadrature schemes are systematically studied on flat B-spline patches and on NURBS spheres considering two different sphere discretizations: An exact single-patch sphere with degenerate control points at the poles and an approximate discretization that consist of six patches with regular elements. The efficiency of the quadrature schemes is further demonstrated in boundary element analysis for Stokes flow, where steady problems with rotating and translating curved objects are investigated in convergence studies for both, mesh and quadrature refinement. Much higher convergence rates are observed for the proposed new schemes in comparison to classical schemes.

  • New LED photoreactor with modulated UV–vis light source for efficient degradation of toluene over WO3/TiO2 photocatalyst
    • Joanna Mioduska
    • Marcin Łapiński
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Jan Hupka
    • Anna Zielińska-Jurek
    2023 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN

    The efficiencies of prepared WO3/TiO2 photocatalysts with varying amounts of WO3 were evaluated for gas-phase photocatalytic degradation of toluene. The obtained results revealed that the best photocatalytic properties were characteristic for samples calcined at 500ºC, which can be associated with high crystalline phase content (> 97%) and favourable BET surface area. The photocatalytic degradation tests were performed in two photoreactors equipped with different LED arrays as light sources – a flat circular reactor and a scaled-up batch photoreactor. In the first photoreactor, experiments performed under UV light (375 nm) revealed a negligible effect of WO3 content in the range of 0.1–3% mol on the photocatalytic activity. 1–hour irradiation contributed to around 99% elimination of toluene. Higher WO3 content (5% mol WO3) affected a 10% reduction in toluene removal. Furthermore, toluene degradation was performed in a scaled-up LED batch photoreactor equipped with modulated irradiation source consisting of a set of LEDs with wavelengths of 365 nm, 400 nm, and 450 nm appropriately selected for the photocatalytic material optical properties. The processes performed in a scaled-up photoreactor with a volume of 1 dm3 in the presence of a sample containing 2 mol% of WO3 showed above 80% effectiveness in toluene degradation after only 30 min of irradiation.

  • New light on the photocatalytic performance of NH4V4O10 and its composite with rGO
    • Małgorzata Nadolska-Dawidowska
    • Mariusz Szkoda
    • Konrad Trzciński
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Aneta Lewkowicz
    • Kamila Sadowska
    • Julita Smalc-Koziorowska
    • Marta Prześniak-Welenc
    2023 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    Solar-driven photocatalysis has shown great potential as a sustainable wastewater treatment technology that utilizes clean solar energy for pollutant degradation. Consequently, much attention is being paid to the development of new, efficient and low-cost photocatalyst materials. In this study, we report the photocatalytic activity of NH4V4O10 (NVO) and its composite with rGO (NVO/rGO). Samples were synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method and successfully characterized using XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, XAS, TG-MS, SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption, PL and UV‒vis DRS. The results indicate that the obtained NVO and NVO/rGO photocatalysts exhibited efficient absorption in the visible wavelength region, a high content of V4+ surface species and a well-developed surface area. Such features resulted in excellent performance in methylene blue photodegradation under simulated solar light illumination. In addition, the composite of NH4V4O10 with rGO accelerates the photooxidation of the dye and is beneficial for photocatalyst reusability. Moreover, it was shown that the NVO/rGO composite can be successfully used not only for the photooxidation of organic pollution but also for the photoreduction of inorganic pollutants such as Cr(VI). Finally, an active species trapping experiment was conducted, and the photodegradation mechanism was discussed.

  • NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CREATING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
    • Dariusz Dąbrowski
    2023 Pełny tekst Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych

    It is acknowledged that achieving product-based competitive advantage is a key task for a company. However, there is still a research gap in determining those specific actions in the process of developing new products that arise from companies' efforts to achieve product-based competitive advantage. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the specific actions in the new product development (NPD) process that result from companies' intention to introduce a new product to the market, enabling the achievement of a competitive advantage. The primary research method used in this study is deductive reasoning, supplemented by a literature review. The result of the study is the proposal of three types of actions: a) evaluating an opportunity in terms of its potential to generate a competitive advantage; b) creating a new product with high economic value; and c) assessing both the planned new product and the new product introduced to the market in terms of achieving a competitive advantage. The latter two types of actions can be undertaken at various stages of the NPD process and can pertain to the product concept itself and to specific product forms (e.g., prototypes, pilot products). These proposed actions are significant because attaining a product-based competitive advantage contributes to the achievement of other objectives related to new products (e.g., revenue generation). Therefore, it is recommended that companies incorporate these actions into their NPD process. This study contributes to the field of management by proposing few specific actions in each phase of the NPD process, which arise from a company's intention to achieve a product-based competitive advantage, addressing a previous gap in the literature.

  • New Transparent Flame-Retardant (FR) Coatings Based on Epoxy-Aluminum Hypophosphite Nanocomposites
    • Fouad Laoutid
    • Maryam Jouyandeh
    • Oltea Murariu
    • Henri Vahabi
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Loic Brison
    • Marius Murariu
    • Philippe Dubois
    2023 Pełny tekst Coatings

    The present study investigated the flame-retardant (FR) effect of transparent epoxy coating containing aluminum hypophosphite (AHP) nanoparticles (NPs) on polylactic acid (PLA) sheets used as a typical model of combustible polymeric material. First, AHP NPs (≤60 nm) were prepared by a specific two-stage wet milling process and deeply analyzed (morphology, thermal/mechanisms of degradation under nitrogen and air). The thermal properties of epoxy–AHP nanocomposites were compared with the pristine epoxy resin. The addition of AHP NPs into epoxy resin accelerated thermal degradation of the coating, thereby increasing the amount of char residue. The application of blank epoxy coating on the surface of PLA plate slightly made PLA more ignitable, without any reduction in the peak of heat release rate (pHRR). The decrease of time to ignition (TTI) was more important in the presence of AHP NPs due to their reactivity toward epoxy resin. Epoxy coating containing 15 wt.% AHP NPs showed the most significant reduction in pHRR as the result of the formation of a homogenous char layer. Further increase of AHP NPs content up to 20 wt.% did not end in any further enhancement, as a consequence of structural cracks observed in the coating that prevent the formation of an effective char. The coated samples remained transparent, promisingly paving the way to appropriate decorative flame-retardant coatings.

  • Nexus between stock markets, economic strength, R&D and environmental deterioration: new evidence from EU-27 using PNARDL approach
    • Muhammad Mushafiq
    • Błażej Prusak
    2023 Pełny tekst ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH

    This research investigates the impact of stock market indices, economic strength, and research and development expenditures on environmental deterioration in the EU-27 countries for the period 2000–2020. This study utilized linear and non-linear panel ARDL to estimate the short- and long-run effect. According to the results, the stock market indices have negative effect on environmental deterioration in the symmetric form. However, the asymmetric evidence shows that in the long run the positive shocks of stock market indices contribute positively to the environmental deterioration and negative shocks decrease the environmental deterioration. This effect is reversed in the short run. Linear effect of economic strength on environmental deterioration is positive. For non-linear effect, the long-run shocks show no difference. However, the negative shock of economic strength in the short run causes an increase in the environmental deterioration. Symmetric evidence for research and development increases environmental deterioration. However, asymmetric results show weak evidence. The study has policy implications in context of achieving sustainable development goals.

  • Nick Srnicek. Kapitalizm platform.Przekład i opracowanie naukowe: Janusz Grygieńć i Andrzej Karalus
    • Janusz Grygieńć
    • Andrzej Karalus
    2023

    Autor książki dowodzi, że aby zrozumieć współczesną gospodarką należy analizować największe spółki technologiczne, traktując je jako aktorów ekonomiczni w ramach kapitalistycznego systemu produkcji. Punktem wyjścia jest diagnoza, iż w wyniku długotrwałego spadku rentowności produkcji przemysłowej kapitalizm zaczął wykorzystywać dane do tego, żeby utrzymać wzrost gospodarczy oraz witalność, których nie mógł zapewnić sektor produkcyjny. W XXI wieku, w związku z ewolucją technologii cyfrowych, dane stają się coraz bardziej istotne dla firm i ich relacji z pracownikami, klientami oraz z innymi podmiotami gospodarki kapitalistycznej. Platforma wyłoniła się jako nowy model biznesowy, zdolny do gromadzenia i kontrolowania ogromnych ilości danych, a wraz z tą zmianą można było zaobserwować powstanie dużych firm monopolistycznych. Dziś kapitalizm średnio i wysokodochodowych gospodarek jest coraz bardziej zdominowany przez tego typu firmy, a zarysowana w książce dynamika sugeruje, że trend ten będzie się tylko utrzymywał.

  • Nickel phase deposition on V2CTx/V2AlC as catalyst precursors for a dry methane reforming: The effect of the deposition method on the morphology and catalytic activity
    • Izabela Wysocka
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Anna Gołąbiewska
    • Marcin Łapiński
    • Bartłomiej Cieślik
    • Michał Maciejewski
    • Barbara Kościelska
    • Andrzej Rogala
    2023 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY

    Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a promising alternative technology for the production of syngas with simultaneous utilization of two main greenhouse gases (CH4, CO2). However, DRM technology is still an industrially immature process due to the lack of stable and active catalyst. Therefore, the search for new catalytic materials is of great research interest. Recently, MAX and MXenes materials are increasingly being tested as potential materials for catalytic processes including dry reforming of hydrocarbons. However, transition metal carbides may be deactivated under DRM conditions due to phase transition caused by an oxidation process. The combining of the MAX/MXene materials with nickel phase may be beneficial for to improve catalytic activity and stability. In this view, we report preparation and characterization of nickel-modified V2CTx/V2AlC materials. The Ni–V2CTx/V2AlC catalysts were prepared using HF-etching followed by impregnation/precipitation method. The effect of preparation route on morphology and catalytic activity was investigated. The properties of fresh and spent catalysts were evaluated using XRD, XPS, MP-AES, SEM, BET surface area, H2-TPR, CO2-TPD, TG/DTG and TEM techniques. Catalytic activity was investigated in the DRM process at 800 °C and 1 bar. It was found that the V2CTx/V2AlC- based materials undergo phase transition to vanadium oxide V2O3, vanadium carbide V8C7 and aluminium oxide. The presence of nickel was crucial for the catalyst activity of V2CTx/V2AlC- based catalysis. The catalytic activity was different and related to the preparation procedure resulting in dissimilar nickel-phase morphology and intercalation of sodium ions. It was found that the distribution of nickel phase and presence of alkali ions determined catalysts’ activity and stability. The highest activity and stability in DRM process was observed for Ni–V2CTx/V2AlC_IMP catalysts obtained using only impregnation method without precipitation agents. For the catalysts nickel phase was distributed uniformly forming needle-like structures. The CO2 and CH4 conversions during 20 h-test were in the range of 90–93% and 90-80%, respectively. The molar ration of H2 to CO in outlet stream fluctuated from 1.05 in the first hour of the process to 0.95 after 20 h of the DRM. The activity and stability of Ni–V2CTx/V2AlC_IMP catalyst was higher compared to unmodified V2CTx/V2AlC, unetched V2AlC and Ni–SiO2.

  • Nickel-based catalysts for electrolytic decomposition of ammonia towards hydrogen production
    • Justyna Łuczak
    • Marek Lieder
    2023 Pełny tekst ADVANCES IN COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE

    Nickel is an attractive metal for electrochemical applications because it is abundant, cheap, chemically resilient, and catalytically active towards many reactions. Nickel-based materials (metallic nickel, its alloys, oxides, hydroxides, and composites) have been also considered as promising electrocatalysts for ammonia oxidation. The electrolysis of ammonia aqueous solution results in evolution of gaseous hydrogen and nitrogen. Up to date studies showed that metallic Ni and Ni (hydro)oxides are not catalytically active unless they are electrochemically converted to NiOOH at ~1.3 V vs. RHE. Then, dehydrogenation of NH3 begins with electron-coupled proton transfer to NiOOH resulting in a would-be reversible reduction of the latter to Ni(OH)2. Unlike the water electrolysis process, in which solely oxygen is obtained at the anode, during ammonia electrooxidation apart from release of N2, many undesired oxygenated nitrogen moieties may also turn up. These products appear after at least partial dehydrogenation of ammonia. Studies on NiOOH activity have been conducted for systems containing various modifiers, e.g., Cu, Co, S, P, however, their particular role in catalytic activity has not yet been elucidated. Nowadays research is being conducted in the direction of increasing the activity, selectivity, and stability of NiOOH. In this review, the electroactivity of Ni is analyzed and discussed in accordance with its oxidation states along with the ammonia oxidation mechanism. The main research problems to be solved and challenges for the future industrial use of ammonia are presented

  • Nitrogen transformation during fermentation in agricultural biogas plants
    • Anna Wilińska-Lisowska
    • Otton K. Roubinek
    • Andrzej G. Chmielewski
    • Krzysztof Czerwionka
    2023 Pełny tekst Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery

    The aim of the present study was to determine changes in the organic nitrogen fraction in the liquid fraction of the digestate during laboratory tests of mono- and co-digestion. Three agricultural wastes were tested: distillery residue, cattle slurry and corn silage. In the mono-fermentation tests, the initial total nitrogen concentration depended on the feedstock used. As a result of the hydrolysis and ammonification of the organic matter contained in the feedstocks, there was an increase in ammonium nitrogen concentration after 28 days of fermentation. Analysis of organic nitrogen fractions showed that different organic nitrogen fractions predominated in each of the feedstocks. Four co-digestion tests were performed with 20% and 80% inoculum content and the combination of feedstocks used in the mono-fermentation. Proper evaluation of the transformation of nitrogen forms for the tests with 20 and 80% inoculum participation required the calculation of concentrations from the mass balance, taking into account the effect of changes taking place in the inoculum itself (control test). For these tests, the initial concentrations of nitrogen forms are similar to those found in the mono-fermentation tests. A greater increase in ammonium nitrogen concentrations was found for the test with 80% inoculum than in the test with 20% (for the same feedstock). An increase in the removal efficiency of the dissolved organic nitrogen fraction (DON), and an increase for the colloidal (CON) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) fractions after 28 days of co-digestion were observed. The trend of change was similar for 20% and 80% inoculum.

  • Ni-WC/Al2O3 and Ni-WC/MgWO4/MgAl2O4 catalysts for resource recovery via pyrolysis combined with the dry reforming of plastics (PCDR)
    • Izabela Wysocka
    • Jakub Karczewski
    • Michał Maciejewski
    • Barbara Kościelska
    • Adam Kubiak
    • Andrzej Rogala
    • Jacek Gębicki
    2023 Pełny tekst Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

    Plastic waste (PW) is currently one of an environmental threat. Despite the increasing share of recycled plastics, their disposal remains high. Therefore, there is a high demand for new PW management systems. Among them, pyrolysis combined with dry reforming (PCDR) is an advantageous solution because it allows for resource recovery in the form of gas and liquid fuels, with simultaneous utilization of CO2. To date, catalysts based on Ni, Co, and noble metals supported on metal oxides have been examined. However, these catalysts suffer from quick deactivation due to coking and sintering. Therefore, testing other materials for PCDR is of particular importance. In this regard, Ni-WC/Al2O3 and Ni-WC/MgWO4/MgAl2O4 were investigated as potential PCDR catalysts. The catalysts were characterized by BET, BJH, XRD, CO2-TPD, H2-TPR, SEM, TEM, TG and DTG. The catalytic activity was evaluated in a two-step PCDR process using low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and simulated waste plastic (SWP). The structure of the polymer strongly determines the yields of gas, liquid, and solid products. The highest yield of synthetic gas generation was observed for Ni-WC/MgWO4/MgAl2O4 and was 48.20 ± 2.41 mmol/gp. Different origins of the structural changes including oxidation or coking were observed for different plastics. PCDR of PET led mainly to oxidation, LDPE to the coking deposition. Catalysts after the process with PS were characterized by preservation of crystalline structure. The results indicate a high potential of carbide catalysts in the recovery of gaseous and liquid raw materials.

  • Noise effect on parameters of quiet sonar with code modulation
    • Roman Salamon
    • Jacek Marszal
    • Andrzej Jedel
    2023 Pełny tekst Vibrations in Physical Systems

    Earlier publications of the paper authors have shown that the use of code keying mixed with the CW FM sound signal allows the significant reduction in the distance measurement error, compared to classic silent CW FM sonar. In addition to the code modulation parameters, the magnitude of this error is influenced by the received input acoustic noise. The article shows the dependence of the input signal-to-noise ratio and the sound signal parameters on the target distance measurement error and the detection conditions, such as the output signal-to-noise ratio and the side lobe level. The results of the analysis were compared to the same parameters of the CW FM silent sonar without code modulation.

  • Non-destructive Diagnostics of the Floor in the Gdańsk Crane Using Ground Penetrating Radar = Diagnostyka nieniszcząca posadzki w gdańskim Żurawiu z zastosowaniem metody georadarowej
    • Monika Zielińska
    • Magdalena Rucka
    • Erwin Wojtczak
    • Tomasz Ciborowski
    • Michał Steffens
    2023 Pełny tekst Wiadomości Konserwatorskie

    This paper presents the results of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey carried out at the Crane in Gdańsk. The measurements were conducted on the floor of the southern and northern towers. The aim of the experiment is to assess the possibility of detecting anomalies beneath the floor. The surveys were carried out in a non-destructive manner, using a georadar unit with 2 GHz and 400/900 MHz antennas. This paper compares the tomographic maps and echograms (B-scans) obtained from both measurements. In view of the ongoing renovation of this monument of great historical importance, it was possible to compare the results obtained with the elements uncovered during the excavation. The paper proves the effectiveness of using the GPR method to detect elements such as wooden beams, pipes, stone substructures or manholes in the ground. The superiority of the 2 GHz antenna was also demonstrated for the detection of deeper elements.

  • Non-ergodic fragmentation upon collision-induced activation of cysteine–water cluster cations
    • Lukas Tiefenthaler
    • Paul Scheier
    • Ewa Erdmann
    • Néstor Aguirre
    • Sergio Díaz-Tendero
    • Thomas F. M. Luxford
    • Jaroslav Kočišek
    2023 Pełny tekst PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS

    Cysteine–water cluster cations Cys(H2O)3,6 + and Cys(H2O)3,6H+ are assembled in He droplets and probed by tandem mass spectrometry with collision-induced activation. Benchmark experimental data for this biologically important system are complemented with theory to elucidate the details of the collisioninduced activation process. Experimental energy thresholds for successive release of water are compared to water dissociation energies from DFT calculations showing that clusters do not only fragment exclusively by sequential emission of single water molecules but also by the release of small water clusters. Release of clustered water is observed also in the ADMP (atom centered density matrix propagation) molecular dynamics model of small Cys(H2O)3 + and Cys(H2O)3H+ clusters. For large clusters Cys(H2O)6 + and Cys(H2O)6H+ the less computationally demanding statistical Microcanonical Metropolis Monte–Carlo method (M3C) is used to model the experimental fragmentation patterns. We are able to detail the energy redistribution in clusters upon collision activation. In the present case, about two thirds of the collision energy redistribute via an ergodic process, while the remaining one third is transferred into a non-ergodic channel leading to ejection of a single water molecule from the cluster. In contrast to molecular fragmentation, which can be well described by statistical models, modelling of collisioninduced activation of weakly bound clusters requires inclusion of non-ergodic processes.