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  • Bio‑derived polyurethanes obtained by non‑isocyanate route using polyol‑based bis(cyclic carbonate)s—studies on thermal decomposition behavior
    • Paulina Parcheta-Szwindowska
    • Kamila Rohde
    • Janusz Datta
    2022 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY

    Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) constitute one of the most prospective groups of eco-friendly materials based on their phosgene-free synthesis pathway. Moreover, one of the steps of their obtaining includes the use of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which allows for the promotion of the development of carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies. In this work, non- isocyanate polyurethanes were obtained via three-step synthesis pathway with the use of epichlorohydrin. In the I step, the addition reaction of epichlorohydrin with polyhydric alcohols was conducted for diglicydyl ethers obtaining. In the II step carbon dioxide reacted with diglicydyl ethers to obtain five-membered bis (cyclic carbonate)s in the cycloaddition reaction. Then, one-pot polyaddition reaction between bis (cyclic carbonate) and dimerized fatty acids-based diamine allowed for non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPU)s preparation. Three bio-based materials (two semi-products and one bio-NIPU) and three petrochemical-based materials (two semi-products and one NIPU) were obtained. The selected properties of the products of each step of NIPUs preparation were compared. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR and proton nuclear magnetic resonance 1 H NMR measurements allowed to verify the chemical structure of all obtained products. The average molecular masses of the semi-products were measured with the use of size exclusion chromatography SEC. Moreover, thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics were determined based on thermogravimetric analysis TGA. The results confirmed that the activation energy of thermal decomposition was lower for semi-products and NIPUs prepared with the use of petrochemical-based epichlorohydrin than for their bio-based counterparts.

  • Biological and mechanical research of titanium implants covered with bactericidal coating
    • Klaudia Malisz
    • Beata Świeczko-Żurek
    2022 Pełny tekst Engineering of Biomaterials / Inżynieria Biomateriałów

    The paper concerns the biological and mechanical properties of titanium implants with an antibacterial coating. The Ti13Zr13Nb alloy samples were coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings using the electrophoretic deposition technique (EPD). Subsequently, the surface of the samples was modified with silver, copper, and nickel nanoparticles by the immersion method. Different titanium sample types (i.e. HAp-only and nanometals-enriched coatings) were placed in a bacterial solution for a period of one month. Each sample was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nanoindentation, nanoscratch, and contact angle tests. The significant amount of dead biofilm on the surface proves the effectiveness of antibacterial activity. The wettability assessment showed that the samples were hydrophilic. The conducted tests of mechanical properties indicate the heterogeneity of the coatings

  • Biomedical engineering of polysaccharide-based tissue adhesives: Recent advances and future direction
    • Hanieh Shokrani
    • Amirhossein Shokrani
    • Farzad Seidi
    • Muhammad Tajammal Munir
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Yousef Fatahi
    • Justyna Kucińska-Lipka
    • Mohammad Saeb
    2022 Pełny tekst CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS

    Tissue adhesives have been widely used for preventing wound leaks, sever bleeding, as well as for enhancing drug delivery and biosensing. However, only a few among suggested platforms cover the circumstances required for high-adhesion strength and biocompatibility, without toxicity. Antibacterial properties, controllable degradation, encapsulation capacity, detectability by image-guided procedures and affordable price are also centered to on-demand tissue adhesives. Herein we overview the history of tissue adhesives, different types of polysaccharide-based tissue adhesives, their mechanism of gluing, and different applications of polysaccharide-based tissue adhesives. We also highlight the latest progresses in engineering of tissue adhesives followed by existing challenges in fabrication processes. We argue that future studies have to place focus on a holistic understanding of biomaterials and tissue surface properties, proper fabrication procedures, and development of magnetic and conductive responsive adhesives in order to bridge the huge gap between the present studies for clinical implementation.

  • Biometric identity verification
    • Maciej Smiatacz
    2022

    This chapter discusses methods which are capable of protecting automatic speaker verification systems (ASV) from playback attacks. Additionally, it presents a new approach, which uses computer vision techniques, such as the texture feature extraction based on Local Ternary Patterns (LTP), to identify spoofed recordings. We show that in this case training the system with large amounts of spectrogram patches may be difficult, and concentrate on feature engineering issues. The goal is to make the algorithm independent from the contents of the training set as much as possible; we look for the descriptors that would allow the method to detect attacks performed in an environment entirely different from the training one and with the use of the equipment that differs considerably from the devices that captured the training samples. The final form of the new method performs significantly better than the reference Textrogram algorithm.

  • BJS-03 DO WE NEED FIXATION OF THE MESH IN LAPAROENDOSCOPIC TECHNIQUES FOR M3 INGUINAL DEFECTS? AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
    • Mateusz Zamkowski
    • Agnieszka Tomaszewska
    • Izabela Lubowiecka
    • Krzysztof Karbowski
    • Maciej Śmietański
    2022 BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY

    The authors conducted a research experiment to verify the hypothesis that it is possible to preserve the mesh in the operating field in large direct hernias (M3) without the need to use fixing materials. The results showed that mesh fixation is not the only alternative to preventing recurrence in complex defects and that the type of implant seems to be a key factor from the point of view of mechanics and biophysics.

  • Blockchain based Secure Data Exchange between Cloud Networks and Smart Hand-held Devices for use in Smart Cities
    • Muneer Ahmad Dar
    • Aadil Askar
    • Sameer Ahmad Bhat
    2022 Pełny tekst

    In relation to smart city planning and management, processing huge amounts of generated data and execution of non-lightweight cryptographic algorithms on resource constraint devices at disposal, is the primary focus of researchers today. To enable secure exchange of data between cloud networks and mobile devices, in particular smart hand held devices, this paper presents Blockchain based approach that disperses a public/free key to save it on a block within a Blockchain. The proposed system generates public-private key pair to encrypt data digitally to allow data communication. This empowers communication devices to encipher data using keys stored in the Blockchain i.e. the public key. Generated cipher text can be decrypted/deciphered only with the respective private keys, meaning that only the communicating devices can obtain their own plain text in a data exchange process. Smart mobile employed in smart city can then encipher the data using the keys and store them on the cloud. The proposed system is able to decrease the number of overheads that relate to key generation, key delivery and key storage whilst providing solutions for data processing, information exchange and data over-collection, respectively. Thus, the study proposes a robust and secure solution to exchange keys and secure data communication based on Blockchain technology.

  • Błędy projektowe i wykonawcze przyczyną uszkodzeń posadzki antyelektrostatycznej
    • Sylwia Świątek-Żołyńska
    • Maciej Niedostatkiewicz
    • Władysław Ryżyński
    2022 Pełny tekst

    : Koniczność odprowadzania ładunków elektrostatycznych z powierzchni posadzki czyli ochrona przed elektrycznością statyczną występuje w pomieszczeniach w których w wyniku prowadzonych procesów technologicznych lub magazynowania składowane są substancje łatwopalne lub wybuchowe, ponadto problematyka ta jest również bardzo istotna w przypadku prowadzenia procesów produkcyjnych gdzie niekontrolowane rozładowanie nagromadzonego potencjału elektrycznego może spowodować zniszczenie produkowanego elementu. W artykule przedstwiono opis przypadków uszkodzeń posadzek antyelektrostycznych które powstały w wyniku popełnianych błędów projektowych oraz wykonawczych. Artykuł zawiera również opis zastosownych rozwiązań mających na celu doprowadzenie posadzek do właściwego stanu technicznego, umożlwiającego ich użytkowanie zgodnie z pierwotnym przeznaczeniem.

  • Błędy projektowe przyczyną stabu awaryjnego żelbetowego zbiornika na koks
    • Tomasz Majewski
    • Maciej Niedostatkiewicz
    2022 Pełny tekst

    W artykule przedstawiono opis uszkodzeń konstrukcji otwartego prostopadłościennego żelbetowego zbiornika który stanowi element ciągu technologicznego produkcji koksu w zakładzie rafineryjnym. Występujące uszkodzenia zbiornika były następstwem istotnego błędu projektowego. W pracy przedstawiono koncepcję naprawy możliwej do przeprowadzenia w trakcie ciągłej pracy instalacji, z podziałem na etapy realizacji.

  • Born–Oppenheimer potential energy curves of NaK from the optimised atomic basis sets
    • Klaudia Bączek
    • Patryk Jasik
    • Tymon Kilich
    • Józef Sienkiewicz
    2022 Pełny tekst MOLECULAR PHYSICS

    The article presents adiabatic potential energy curves of the ground and excited electronic states for the diatomic NaK molecule. The calculations were made using the ab initio computational methods to include electron correlation. The studied molecule was calculated as the effective two-electron problem, in which only the valence electrons of the molecule are explicitly taken into account. The remaining electrons with atomic nuclei are described with appropriate, energy-consistent relativistic pseudopotentials. Additionally, a bespoke basis set, generated and optimised for both ground and excited electronic states of the NaK system was developed. The spectroscopic parameters of the calculated potential energy curves were determined and compared with the available experimental and theoretical results. The compliance of the obtained results, despite slight differences, is very satisfactory.

  • Boundary conditions for non-residential buildings from the user’s perspective: literature review
    • Natalia Sokół
    • Julia Kurek
    • Justyna Martyniuk-Pęczek
    • Claudia Naves David Amorim
    • Natalia Giraldo Vasquez
    • Julia Resende Kanno
    • Sergio Sibilio
    • Barbara Matusiak
    2022 Pełny tekst ENERGY AND BUILDINGS

    Background and objective: This paper aims to review the boundary conditions (B/C) in specific categories (energy, building use, and lighting) within non-residential buildings to pave the way to a better understanding of users’ requirements and needs of the built environment. For this paper, B/C are understood as unique preconditions, specific characteristics for use, determining specific features of buildings, enabling an accurate understanding of non-residential spaces concerning energy use, user behaviour, and lighting. Methods: This paper describes the results of an overall quantitative (1st method) review and a systematic review (2nd method) of boundary conditions and their factors within different types of non-residential buildings from the users’ perception. Followed by a qualitative experts’ literature review (3rd method) on B/C within offices, schools, and hospitals chosen by a team of international experts working together on Subtask A: User perspective and requirements, Task 61 IEA (International Energy Agency): Solutions for daylighting and electric lighting. . Results: The first review method led to the selection of 21 papers. The second method resulted in the selection of 7 papers out of 93,143 found in Scopus; during the 3rd review, experts collectively chose 74 additional papers focussing on the main and users factors contributing to specific B/C. The scope of this paper is limited only to offices, schools, and hospitals. Based on the findings, the authors recognise a broad definition of boundary conditions from specific values, and conditions to interconnected factors, user profiles, functions of the building types, and operating hours. Conclusions: This paper provides an overview of B/C factors found in the literature that can help explain the occupants’ behaviour and the use of spaces. B/C are often type of building/user/location/situation/simulation input-values and method-specific. Therefore, they cannot be widely applicable but offer patterns and help to understand the correlations between various factors shaping the built environment. A better comprehension of the reasons for identifying B/C and their factors can help in developing a deeper knowledge of how we use buildings to find optimal ways to design them

  • BP-EVD: Forward Block-Output Propagation for Efficient Video Denoising
    • Piotr Kopa Ostrowski
    • Efkleidis Katsaros
    • Daniel Węsierski
    • Anna Jezierska
    2022 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON IMAGE PROCESSING

    Denoising videos in real-time is critical in many applications, including robotics and medicine, where varying light conditions, miniaturized sensors, and optics can substantially compromise image quality. This work proposes the first video denoising method based on a deep neural network that achieves state-of-the-art performance on dynamic scenes while running in real-time on VGA video resolution with no frame latency. The backbone of our method is a novel, remarkably simple, temporal network of cascaded blocks with forward block output propagation. We train our architecture with short, long, and global residual connections by minimizing the restoration loss of pairs of frames, leading to a more effective training across noise levels. It is robust to heavy noise following PoissonGaussian noise statistics. The algorithm is evaluated on RAW and RGB data. We propose a denoising algorithm that requires no future frames to denoise a current frame, reducing its latency considerably. The visual and quantitative results show that our algorithm achieves state-of-the-art performance among efficient algorithms, achieving from two-fold to two-orders-of-magnitude speed-ups on standard benchmarks for video denoising.

  • Breastfeeding as a regulating factor of the development of the intestinal microbiome in the early stages of life
    • Bartosz Ostrowski
    • Beata Krawczyk
    2022 Pełny tekst EUROPEAN FOOD RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

    Since the first bacterial inhabitants of the human gastrointestinal tract were identified, a lot of research into the study of the human microbiome and its effects on health has been conducted. Currently, it is accepted that humans have a symbiotic relationship with the gut microbiome, though the specifics of this relationship are not well understood. The microbiome of neonates constantly changes and appears to influence many facets of the infant’s health and predisposition later in life. This review aims to show how the microbiome develops over time. We discuss its composition, origins and stages of development of microbiota, the possible health benefits of a proper neonatal microbiome, and the dangers associated with dysbiosis. We emphasize the shielding, modulating, and stimulating effects breast milk has on the infant microbiota. The methods commonly used for the study of microbiota are also discussed.

  • Bridge Ergonomic Design: A Review
    • Michał Stopa
    • Rafał Szłapczyński
    2022 Pełny tekst TransNav - The International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation

    Human error remains the most common cause of marine incidents and it is worth emphasizing that navigator’s performance is directly affected by ergonomic factors on the bridge. Studies regarding influence of bridge design and work environment on the operator are rare, thus the main purpose of this paper is to fill in this gap. Documents issued by recognized organizations, research publications and additional sources were reviewed to check if navigators obtain enough support in this area and what should be improved. It was found that present ergonomic guidelines for the bridge design require revision and there is a need for making the regulations more meaningful and direct. The main documents that require reworking include Guidelines on Ergonomics Criteria for Bridge Equipment and Layout, International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) as well as selected parts of SOLAS V/15 regulation.

  • Bridge Non-Destructive Measurements Using a Laser Scanning during Acceptance Testing: Case Study
    • Paweł Tysiąc
    • Mikołaj Miśkiewicz
    • Dawid Bruski
    2022 Pełny tekst Materials

    Owing to the recent proliferation of inventory works on roads and railways, bridge acceptance tests have increased exponentially. These tests’ results are often misinterpreted owing to the use of various measuring equipment types, rendering integrated interpretation problematic. It is also problematic that adjusting the measurement method is difficult when the structure’s response to load is uncertain. Therefore, it is important to observe the largest possible range of possible deformations. For this reason, the present study suggests a novel approach to bridge non-destructive measurements using a laser scanner during acceptance testing. The main advantage of our method is the ability it affords to observe all points of the structure during testing, an ability that is extremely important is the absence of unambiguous data regarding the bridge’s condition. To significantly increase the scanning accuracy (up to 0.5 mm), measurements from a limited number of linear sensors are used (whose accuracy is up to 0.1 mm). To achieve optimal accuracy, we performed the following steps: first, we adapted the precision requirements to the numerical project. For this purpose, we used potentiometric sensors to measure linear deformations. Next, we performed laser scanning measurements from two scan positions. Finally, we filtered the data for the selected cross-section and modelled the points into polynomial deflection. The performed tests confirmed that the structure’s response was as predicted by the FEM model, and the object was approved for use. Our future tests will be based on the selection of a structure with minimal measurement errors, and the results will be compared using a total station, ensuring the highest possible quality of service, which can be repeated in simple steps. As study objects, we presented two items: the first without proper calibration on a linear sensor and the second using linear sensors to present the highest possible accuracy of our experiment.

  • Broadening the scope of measurement and analysis of vibrations of an organ pipe employing intensity probe, simulations, and highspeed camera
    • Paolo Bordoni
    • Józef Kotus
    • Piotr Odya
    • Fabio Antonacci
    • Bożena Kostek
    2022 Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

    This paper shows an integrated approach to measure, analyze, and model phenomena occurring in an organ pipe driven by pressurized air. The aim of this paper is two-fold, i.e., to measure the pressure signal and the intensity field around the mouth by means of an intensity probe and to visualize and observe the motion of the air jet, which represents the excitation mechanism of the system. This is realized through two techniques, i.e., measurements conducted on a Bourdon organ pipe and numerical simulations of the air flow in a pipe of the same geometry. Measurements were carried out in an anechoic chamber using the Cartesian robot. Simulations were performed on a server equipped with graphical cards, and the results were visualized employing ParaVIEW software. Moreover, an analysis was conducted by observing phenomena in both audio and video signals. A high-speed camera was employed to make the jet getting out from the windway visible. This was realized using the steam that produced the reaction of dry ice and hot water. This choice has been adopted to ensure safety conditions in the measurement environment. Finally, a comparison between the sound spectrum measured and the spectrum resulted from simulations was made.

  • Budowa portu w Gdyni 1920-1939: "ksztatł rozwartych palców ręki, władczo wyciągniętej ku morzu"
    • Maria Sołtysik
    2022

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  • Building modernization located in the conservation protection zone in the aspect of technical conditions
    • Maciej Niedostatkiewicz
    2022 Pełny tekst Inżynieria Bezpieczeństwa Obiektów Antropogenicznych

    The paper presents a description of the technical condition of the building after many years of operation and analyzes the impact of the current use and the lack of regular periodic repairs on the technical efficiency of the building. The influence of the technical solutions applied during the construction of the building on the current limitations related to the planned, target change in the way of use was discussed. Variant conceptual solutions for the modernization of the building were also presented, taking into account the preservation of its historic character.

  • Bunker demolition located in a conservation protection zone in the light of technical, national defense, functional-utility and economic conditions
    • Maciej Niedostatkiewicz
    • Tomasz Majewski
    2022 Pełny tekst Inżynieria Bezpieczeństwa Obiektów Antropogenicznych

    The paper presents a description of the technical condition of the Bunker building located at the port quay, which has been out of use for several decades. The direct reason for the cessation of exploitation was the deletion of Bunker from the Civil Defense records. The paper contains a detailed analysis of the Bunker's technical condition, also taking into account the national defense, functional and utility aspects and the issues of economics of carrying out renovation works. The paper shows that despite the location of the Bunker in the conservation protection zone, the optimal solution was its demolition and the final use of the area where the Bunker was located as a place for the construction of warehouse buildings with parameters adapted to the current needs and target transshipment capabilities of the port quay.

  • Byłe porty lotnicze jako element dziedzictwa architektonicznego i urbanistycznego
    • Agnieszka Szuta
    2022 Pełny tekst

    Tematyka niniejszej rozprawy dotyczy wpływu byłych, cywilnych portów lotniczych na kształtowanie nowej zabudowy na ich dawnym terenie. Przebadane zostają wartości kulturowe oraz społeczno­ekonomiczne pozostałej po nich infrastruktury. Rozwój i dzieje lotnictwa są przedmiotem zainteresowania historyków, a kwestie związane z budową nowych portów lotniczych - urbanistów, co czyni zagadnienia te przedmiotem licznych badań. Niemniej pozornie bogata literatura tematu ma zasadniczą lukę: brakuje opracowań nt. infrastruktury zniszczonych i/lub pełniących nowe funkcje portów lotniczych. W pozycjach poruszających tematykę wartościowania dziedzictwa techniki obiekty związane z infrastrukturą lotniskową traktowane są marginalnie. Wobec powyższego w dysertacji rozpoznano lotniska funkcjonujące w dawnych i obecnych granicach Polski, które obsługiwały loty pasażerskie do lat 70. XX w. Zostały skatalogowane i scharakteryzowane, a przeprowadzone analizy umożliwiły wyłonienie Portu Lotniczego Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz, którego pozostałości, jako jedyne w kraju, stały się silnym elementem kompozycyjnym zaprojektowanego na jego terenie osiedla mieszkaniowego. Przeprowadzono waloryzację pozostałości po ww. porcie oraz zbadano związki społeczeństwa z tym miejscem. Ponadto zweryfikowano wartości społeczno­ekonomiczne byłych portów lotniczych oraz rozpoznano możliwości ich ponownego wykorzystania. Odwołując się do najnowszych metod waloryzacji dziedzictwa techniki zaproponowano uznanie, dotychczas nieuwzględnionej, wartości potencjału ekologicznego.

  • Can architecture be 11-dimensional? The nature of space in the architecture of the digital world era
    • Mosleh Ahmadi
    • Justyna Martyniuk-Pęczek
    2022 Pełny tekst Space-Society-Economy

    This research aims to explore the development of architectural theories about ‘architectural dimensions’ and look at architecture as a multidimensional space. It is important to understand that with today's development of virtual reality technology and through the combination of theories of physics and architecture, a new possibility of creating space has emerged. The arguments are made through inductive reasoning and grounded theory approach. According to the M-theory (one of the contemporaneous leading physics theories), physics suggests a world with 11 dimensions. A question could be asked in this way that should architecture be perceived whether as subjective or objective? Therefore, the theoretical arguments have been focused on three parameters of ‘Subjectivity’, ‘Time’, and ‘Reality’. These parameters are the joint integration of the theories in architecture and quantum physics about dimensions. This representation is justified by the demonstration of identical theoretical attributes that are manifested both in the continuum of ‘quantum architecture’ and ‘quantum realm’. On this basis, the dimensions counted for the status quo of architecture would be 1. ‘Physical and Virtual Creatress of Space’ (Physical/Virtual depth, edge, and ceiling height) or a space of mixed reality (real world merged with virtual reality); 2. ‘Active Architecture’ (corporation of Relative and External time in the creation of Physical/Virtual Dynamism); and 3. ‘Smart Engagement of Experiential Dimensions’ (interactive mental, sensorial, and corporeal engagements based on local and non-local realities). These three factors account for ‘Reality’, ‘Time’, and ‘Subjectivity’, respectively. In the end, ‘Eleven-Dimensional Architecture’ would be introduced. Examples of this kind of architecture could be found in smart architecture with mixed reality settings.

  • Cannabinoids: Challenges, opportunities and current techniques towards its extraction and purification for edibles
    • Sharon Lustenberger
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Roberto Castro-Muñoz
    2022 Food Bioscience

    Due to the multiple health benefits associated with the consumption of cannabinoids, there is a current trend on continuing to explore their biological properties. Cannabidiol (CBD) is likely to be the most investigated endocannabinoid from the cannabis plant. Unfortunately, the purification of CBD from its natural source and psychotropic analogue (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) is timely challenging for the research community based on the similar physiochemical properties of both molecules. This latter fact becomes relevant for the final application of CBD in edibles as a bioactive compound. Therefore, this paper comprehensively reviews the latest development works (over the last 2–3 years) aiming at the extraction of cannabinoids and purification of CBD using traditional, emerging, and synergistic extraction techniques and strategies. Particular emphasis and discussion have been focused on the innovative extraction techniques and the relevant outcomes with detailed strategies to meet such high extraction rates. Biological properties (at lab-scale and clinical case studies), current practices, progress in legislation and commercialization of CBD are also overviewed. Finally, according to the findings of this review, the future trends and research gaps are also given.

  • Capacity Transforming challenges into opportunities
    • Joanna Bach-Głowińska
    • Jacek Łubiński
    • Joanna Tobolewicz
    2022

    The Urban Initiative Laboratory (UIL) aims to upgrade the smart city concept in Gdańsk by introducing the Food-Water-Energy (FWE) nexus to the city. It was agreed in the CRUNCH international consortium that projects on different scales would be implemented in the individual countries to test the Integrated Decision Supportive system platform, which would, in principle, concern urban scale. The regular urban scale was to be researched in Urban Living Labs (ULL) in Uppsala, Eindhoven, Southend-on-Sea, and Taipei. The Miami project developed appropriate tools for an IDSS platform, with maximum use of GIS data on a regional scale. The open test bed of the micro ULL FWE Nexus Square – i.e. a pavilion prototype – was supposed to be opened in Gdańsk in June 2020, in accordance with the CRUNCH action plan. However, the approved functionalities of the pavilion were no longer applicable due to the significant social changes in public spaces caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, the ULL’s business partner used the prototype pavilion for the purpose of a mobile diagnostic laboratory in a different location. It was absolutely clear that UIL could not continue the micro ULL in Gdańsk in the form previously planned. ULLs focus on, amongst other things, strategic learning to achieve systemic change (van den Bosch, 2010) and better anticipation of constraints on upscaling and inclusion (Dijk et al., 2019). Therefore, UIL began the theoretical research, which emerged from tackling the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on city life from the urban perspective.

  • Capping ligand initiated CuInS2 quantum dots decoration on, ZnIn2S4 microspheres surface under different alkalinity levels resulting in different hydrogen evolution performance
    • Onur Cavdar
    • Anna Malankowska
    • Justyna Łuczak
    • Andrzej Żak
    • Wojciech Lisowski
    • Tomasz Klimczuk
    • Adriana Zaleska-Medynska
    2022 Pełny tekst COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS

    Surface distribution of quantum dots (QDs) at the semiconductor matrix caused by synthesis condition (e.g. pH of solution during coupling) could lead to different photocatalytic activity. Thus, achieving an optimal covering of semiconductor matrix by QDs has been challenging. Herein, the influence of the alkalinity level of aqueous decoration medium for the coupling of mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) capped CuInS2 quantum dots (CIS) and ZnIn2S4 microspheres (ZIS) on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) performance was investigated. Aqueous decoration medium with different alkalinity levels for the formation of ZIS/CIS photocatalytic system resulted in significantly different PHE performances in the presence of (0.5 wt%) Pt co-catalyst deposition without any change in crystal structure of ZIS matrix up to pH 12.5. The photocatalytic system obtained at pH 10.5 possessed the highest performance followed by the decrease at pH 11.5 and again the remarkable increase was detected at pH 12.5 that was the pH level for uniform dispersion of CIS in aqueous medium. This work remarks the importance of the nanoparticle’s aggregates on PHE performance over non-toxic ZnIn2S4/CuInS2 photocatalytic system.

  • Case Study on the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the Maintenance of Ocean Engineering Facilities
    • Mariusz Deja
    • Mirosław Gerigk
    • Mieczysław Siemiątkowski
    2022 Pełny tekst IFAC-PapersOnLine

    The article presents the concept of using innovative unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including autonomous UAV-I for inspection activities, auxiliary and transport works in the processes of servicing large-scale ocean engineering structures in the offshore part of the sea. The proposed areas of application of UAV-I devices and key technologies determining the possibility of using these vehicles in difficult operating conditions at sea are presented. Simulation studies were carried out on the possibility of sequencing maintenance tasks and maintaining the efficiency of technical devices installed in various locations of the mining platform at relatively short time intervals not exceeding 3-4 hours. It was envisaged to use a limited resource of three drones with a specific purpose and functional characteristics. The limitation of the time horizon of the analysis was determined by the specific ranges of drone flights and the time-consuming nature of their operations.

  • Cassier E. Filozofia form symbolicznych tom 3. Fenomenologia poznania.Przekład, wstęp i opracowanie : Przemysław Parszutowicz i Andrzej Karalus.Wydaw. Marek Derewiecki, 2022
    • Andrzej Karalus
    • Przemysław Parszutowicz
    2022

    Trzeci tom opus magnum Cassirera zawiera szczegółową prezentację teoretycznego szkieletu całej koncepcji Filozofii form symbolicznych Cassirera oraz jej głównych pojęć (takich jak symboliczna pregnancja), wraz z opisem funkcji świadomości i poziomów jej obiektywizacji. Naczelnym przedmiotem badań tomu jest ogólnie pojęta świadomość rozumiana jako specyficzna funkcja poznawczo-syntetyzująca, kształtująca różnorodność świata kultury. Dużą partię książki stanowią rozważania na temat „najwyższej” formy obiektywizacji, jaką reprezentują nauki ścisłe.

  • Categorization of emotions in dog behavior based on the deep neural network
    • Zdzisław Kowalczuk
    • Michał Czubenko
    • Weronika Żmuda-Trzebiatowska
    2022 Pełny tekst COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

    The aim of this article is to present a neural system based on stock architecture for recognizing emotional behavior in dogs. Our considerations are inspired by the original work of Franzoni et al. on recognizing dog emotions. An appropriate set of photographic data has been compiled taking into account five classes of emotional behavior in dogs of one breed, including joy, anger, licking, yawning, and sleeping. Focusing on a particular breed makes it easier to experiment and recognize the emotional behavior of dogs. To broaden our conclusions, in our research study we compare our system with other systems of different architectures. In addition, we also use modern transfer learning with augmentation and data normalization techniques. The results show that VGG16 and VGG19 are the most suitable backbone networks. Therefore, a certain deep neural network, named mVGG16, based on the suboptimal VGG16 has been created, trained and fine-tuned with transfer (without augmentation and normalization). The developed system is then tested against an internal test dataset. In addition, to show the robustness of the system, a set of external data outside the breed is also taken into account. Being able to detect unsafe dog behavior and rely on a generalization for other breeds is worth popularizing. Equally important are the possible applications of the system to monitor the behavior of pets in the absence of their owners.

  • Cathodic Activation of Titania-Fly Ash Cenospheres for Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Production: A Proposed Solution to Treat Fly Ash Waste
    • Tariq Altalhi
    • Amine Mezni
    • Mohamed Ibrahim
    • Moamen Refet
    • Adil Gobouri
    • Ayham Safklou
    • Adel Mousli
    • Mohamed Attia
    • Purna Boruah
    • Manash Das
    • Jacek Ryl
    • Rabah Boukherroub
    • Amin Mohammed
    2022 Pełny tekst Catalysts

    Fly ash (FA) is a waste product generated in huge amounts by coal-fired electric and steam-generating plants. As a result, the use of FA alone or in conjunction with other materials is an intriguing study topic worth exploring. Herein, we used FA waste in conjunction with titanium oxide (TiO2) to create (FA-TiO2) nanocomposites. For the first time, a cathodic polarization pre-treatment regime was applied to such nanocomposites to efficiently produce hydrogen from an alkaline solution. The FA-TiO2 hybrid nanocomposites were prepared by a straightforward solvothermal approach in which the FA raw material was mixed with titanium precursor in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and refluxed during a given time. The obtained FA-TiO2 hybrid nanocomposites were fully characterized using various tools and displayed a cenosphere-like shape. The synthesized materials were tested as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.1 M KOH solution in the dark, employing various electrochemical techniques. The as-prepared (unactivated) FA-TiO2 exhibited a considerable HER electrocatalytic activity, with an onset potential (EHER) value of −144 mV vs. RHE, a Tafel slope (−bc) value of 124 mV dec−1 and an exchange current density (jo) of ~0.07 mA cm−2. The FA-TiO2′s HER catalytic performance was significantly enhanced upon cathodic activation (24 h of chronoamperometry measurements performed at a high cathodic potential of −1.0 V vs. RHE). The cathodically activated FA-TiO2 recorded HER electrochemical kinetic parameters of EHER = −28 mV, −bc = 115 mV dec−1, jo = 0.65 mA cm−2, and an overpotential η10 = 125 mV to yield a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Such parameters were comparable to those measured here for the commercial Pt/C under the same experimental conditions (EHER = −10 mV, −bc = 113 mV dec−1, jo = 0.88 mA cm−2, η10 = 110 mV), as well as to the most active electrocatalysts for H2 generation from aqueous alkaline electrolytes

  • Cathodic Protection System of the Spiral Classifier at the KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Ore Concentration Plant—Case Study of Commissioning and Control of Operating Parameters
    • Marcin Czekajło
    • Krzysztof Żakowski
    2022 Pełny tekst Minerals

    The project involved designing, constructing and commissioning a cathodic protection system for a selected spiral classifier operating at the KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Ore Concentration Plant (O/ZWR). The authors developed a concept and assumptions regarding the corrosion protection of a large industrial device using a cathodic protection system with an external power source. Pre-project studies included conducting a trial polarization of one of the 28 classifiers operating at O/ZWR. The obtained results enabled the determination of the protective current demand re-quired and the selection of a target polarization device, ensuring the flow of current with an in-tensity that guarantees that the required corrosion protection level will be achieved. The ulti-mately installed cathodic protection system consisted of an external cathodic protection current source with maximum output parameters of 50V/20A, a power supply system and a polarization anode system. Elements for monitoring corrosion occurring during system operation were in-stalled, which employed reference electrodes of zinc (Zn) and silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) to measure the potential of the structure under cathodic protection. Furthermore, resistive corro-sion sensors were installed to measure the steel corrosion rate under polarization conditions, making it possible to assess the effectiveness of the protection. The system will also be equipped with a prototype system for remote monitoring of the operation of the protection system, ena-bling online observation and analysis of settings and temporary indicators influencing the on-going corrosion processes.

  • Cattaneo–Christov heat flow model for copper–water nanofluid heat transfer under Marangoni convection and slip conditions
    • Khalid Abdul khaliq M.A Alharbi
    • Naseer Mohammad Alshahrani
    • Naeem Ullah
    • Mohammad Naseer Khan
    • Marek Krawczuk
    • Abd Allah Mousa
    • Sajid Ali
    2022 Pełny tekst Scientific Reports

    This report is devoted to the study of the flow of MHD nanofluids through a vertical porous plate with a temperature-dependent surface tension using the Cattaneo–Christov heat flow model. The energy equation was formulated using the Cattaneo–Christov heat flux model instead of Fourier’s law of heat conduction. The Tiwari–Das model was used to take into account the concentration of nanoparticles when constructing the momentum equation. The problem is described mathematically using the boundary layer approach as a PDE, which is then converted into an ODE with the help of the transformation process. The solution finding process was completed by running the bvp4c code in MATLAB. A quantitative analysis of the influence of some newly occurring parameters on physical quantities was carried out using graphics. The addition of nanoparticles to the base fluid leads to an increase in both skin friction and thermal conductivity. The increase in thermal conductivity is the advantage, while the increase in skin friction is the disadvantage of the nanoparticle concentration. Marangoni convection has proven to be one of the most cost-effective tools available that can reduce skin friction. Marangoni convection improves the heat transfer coefficient during suction but decreases the heat transfer coefficient during the injection.

  • Cavitation based cleaner technologies for biodiesel production and processing of hydrocarbon streams: A perspective on key fundamentals, missing process data and economic feasibility – A review
    • Elvana Çako
    • Zhaohui Wang
    • Roberto Castro-Muñoz
    • Manoj P Rayaroth
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2022 Pełny tekst ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY

    The present review emphasizes the role of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and acoustic cavitation in clean and green technologies for selected fuels (of hydrocarbon origins such as gasoline, naphtha, diesel, heavy oil, and crude oil) processing applications including biodiesel production. Herein, the role of cavitation reactors, their geometrical parameters, physicochemical properties of liquid media, liquid oxidants, catalyst loading, reactive oxygen species, and different types of emulsification and formation of radicals, formation as well as extraction of formed by-products are systematically reviewed. Among all types of HC reactors, vortex diode and single hole orifices revealed more than 95 % desulfurization yield and a 20 % viscosity reduction in heavy oil upgrading, while multi-hole orifice (100 holes) and slit Venturi allowed obtaining the best biodiesel production processes in terms of high (%) yield, low cost of treatment, and short processing time (5 min; 99 % biodiesel; 4.80 USD/m3). On the other hand, the acoustic cavitation devices are likely to be the most effective in biodiesel production based on ultrasonic bath (90 min; 95 %; 6.7 $/m3) and desulfurization treatment based on ultrasonic transducers (15 min; 98.3 % desulfurization; 10.8 $/m3). The implementation of HC-based processes reveals to be the most cost-effective method over acoustic cavitation-based devices. Finally, by reviewing the ongoing applications and development works, the limitations and challenges for further research are addressed emphasizing the cleaner production and guidelines for future scientists to assure obtaining comprehensive data useful for the research community.

  • Cavitation-Based Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment
    • Kirill Fedorov
    • Elvana Cako
    • Kumaravel Dinesh
    • Reza Darvishi Cheshmeh Soltani
    • Zhaohui Wang
    • Javed Ali Khan
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2022 Pełny tekst

    Cavitation based on advanced oxidation processes (Cav-AOPs) is interesting alternatives for already implemented wastewater treatment technologies. Destructive and strongly undesirable phenomena in the industry, i.e., cavitation, revealed to be useful in a positive manner as a source of energy for chemical reactions. During the implosion of cavitation bubbles, focused energy and resulting high temperature and pressure allows to effectively degrade many chemical compounds present in the cavitated liquid phase. The main reactions taking place in the cavitation zone are the thermal decomposition of chemical moieties as well as oxidation with dissolved oxygen and hydroxyl radicals produced during the implosion of cavitation bubbles. Great interest on this topic is supported by an increased number of publications dedicated to several aspects relating to the formation of cavitation phenomena and its application for water and wastewater treatment as well as hybrid processes based on external oxidants providing effective formation of radical species in cavitation conditions. In this chapter, a state of the art of cavitation-based water treatment technologies, including AOPs, as well as recent trends in this field is discussed. The principles of cavitation combined with AOPs are presented, followed by the evaluation of their effectiveness in the oxidation of organic contaminants. A comparison of hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation processes for the same type of pollutants has been discussed. For example, the sanitization (disinfection) of water, as well as the degradation of pollutants including sulfide ions and several groups of organic compounds such as sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen-containing organic compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons, dyes, and pharmaceuticals, has been taken into account while comparing the different cavitation processes.

  • Cavity-expansion approximation for projectile impact and penetration into sand
    • V Kotov
    • Anatoly Bragov
    • V Balandin
    • Leonid Igumnov
    • Andrey Lomunov
    • Victor Eremeev
    • Antonio Cazzani
    2022 Pełny tekst CONTINUUM MECHANICS AND THERMODYNAMICS

    A one-dimensional problem of a spherical cavity expanding at a constant velocity from zero initial radius in an infinite granular medium, which has the first-kind self-similar solution, is considered. We are solving this dynamic spherical cavity-expansion problem to model rigid spheres penetrating into a granular media. Elastic–plastic deformation of the granular media is described in a barotropic approximation, using the high-pressure equation of state and Mohr–Coulomb Tresca’s limit yield criterion. The medium is assumed to be incompressible behind the shock wave front propagating through the unperturbed medium. The problem in this formulation was solved analytically. Besides, a generalized solution of the problem was obtained numerically, which involves transition of a continuous elastic–plastic wave into a plastic shock wave when pressure grows with the cavity expansion velocity. The comparison of the analytical and numerical solutions shows that a linearized analytical solution is a good approximation of the pressure along the boundary of the cavity as a function of its expansion, except for low velocities. The linearized rigid plastic solution can be used for analyzing resistance to a rigid sphere that penetrates into the granular media. The computational results are compared with known experimental relations for resistance to spherical projectiles penetrating dry and water-saturated sand. Good agreement between the numerical and experimental results is obtained without any correction factors.

  • CaZnO-based nanoghosts for the detection of ssDNA, pCRISPR and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen and targeted delivery of doxorubicin
    • Navid Rabiee
    • Omid Akhavan
    • Yousef Fatahi
    • Amir Mohammad Ghadiri
    • Mahsa Kiani
    • Pooyan Makvandi
    • Mohammad Rabiee
    • Mohammad Hossein Nicknam
    • Mohammad Saeb
    • Rajender S. Varma
    • Milad Ashrafizadeh
    • Ehsan Nazarzadeh Zare
    • Esmaeel Sharifi
    • Eder C. Lima
    2022 CHEMOSPHERE

    Overexpression of proteins/antigens and other gene-related sequences in the bodies could lead to significant mutations and refractory diseases. Detection and identification of assorted trace concentrations of such proteins/antigens and/or gene-related sequences remain challenging, affecting different pathogens and making viruses stronger. Correspondingly, coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) mutations/alterations and spread could lead to overexpression of ssDNA and the related antigens in the population and brisk activity in gene-editing technologies in the treatment/detection may lead to the presence of pCRISPR in the blood. Therefore, the detection and evaluation of their trace concentrations are of critical importance. CaZnO-based nanoghosts (NGs) were synthesized with the assistance of a high-gravity technique at a 1,800 MHz field, capitalizing on the use of Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract as the templating agent. A complete chemical, physical and biological investigation revealed that the synthesized NGs presented similar morphological features to the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), resulting in excellent biocompatibility, interaction with ssDNA- and/or pCRISPR-surface, through various chemical and physical mechanisms. This comprise the unprecedented synthesis of a fully inorganic nanostructure with behavior that is similar to MSCs. Furthermore, the endowed exceptional ability of inorganic NGs for detective sensing/folding of ssDNA and pCRISPR and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen (RSCSA), along with in-situ hydrogen peroxide detection on the HEK-293 and HeLa cell lines, was discerned. On average, they displayed a high drug loading capacity of 55%, and the acceptable internalizations inside the HT-29 cell lines affirmed the anticipated MSCs-like behavior of these inorganic-NGs.

  • Ce site dilution effects in the antiferromagnetic heavy fermion CeIn3
    • Soonbeom Seo
    • In Cheol Kim
    • Han-oh Lee
    • Tomasz Klimczuk
    • Chan-Koo Park
    • Tuson Park
    2022 Physical Review Materials

    La-doped intermetallic single crystals of Ce1−xLaxIn3 were synthesized via an In self-flux method throughout the entire range (x = 0–1). The prototypical heavy-fermion compound CeIn3 shows an antiferromagnetic phase transition at 10.1 K and becomes superconducting near a critical pressure where TN is completely suppressed. As the La concentration increases, Ce moments are diluted, and the lattice constant increases linearly, satisfying Vegard’s law. The electrical resistivity of the high-quality single crystals of Ce1−xLaxIn3 shows a gradual suppression of TN to 0 K at approximately xc = 0.65. The sign of the slope of the low-temperature resistivity vs temperature changes from positive to negative in the vicinity of the critical concentration xc, indicating a change in the Kondo ground states from the Kondo lattice to the Kondo impurity state. In the Kondo lattice state (x < xc ), the coherence temperature (=50K) assigned as the peak in the resistivity is almost independent of the La concentration. In the Kondo impurity state (x > xc ), on the other hand, a kinklike feature in the resistivity appears at ∼50K and persists up to x = 0.97, indicating a change of the Kondo scattering owing to the crystalline electric field effects. These results suggest that the critical concentration is closely connected to the emergence of the Kondo coherence state.

  • Cellular network quality evaluation at a university campus on the eve of 5G
    • Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski
    • Tadeus Uhl
    2022 Pełny tekst Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Morskiej w Szczecinie

    Thanks to the availability of mobile devices and the spread of broadband access around the world, the number of network users continues to grow. This has raised user awareness when it comes to the quality of content they consume. Many service providers and operators focus on monitoring QoN (Quality of Network) and QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, particularly those influenced by bandwidth and latency. However, for most end-users, quality is understood as the subjective QoE (Quality of Experience), a mixture of several individual factors. This paper presents a QoN evaluation, carried out under real-time operating conditions at a university campus, considering the overall performance of the cellular network. The study involved 50 mobile devices, i.e., smartphones, used by students during their typical activity throughout a week. The results were gathered on the eve of 5G, using a custom-built Android application. This application enabled the acquisition of valuable data about the wireless link, including download and upload speed, latency (pink), the ID of the serving base station, and type of cellular connection. This approach can be used to detect the strengths and weaknesses of back-end networks.

  • Cellulose and its derivatives, coffee grounds, and cross-linked, β-cyclodextrin in the race for the highest sorption capacity of cationic dyes in accordance with the principles of sustainable development
    • Anna Skwierawska
    • Monika Bliźniewska
    • Kinga Muza
    • Agnieszka Nowak
    • Dominika Nowacka
    • Muhammad Khan
    • Shan E Zehra Syeda
    • Bogusława Łęska
    • Bogusława Leska
    2022 Pełny tekst JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

    In this study, seven different materials were analyzed and includes coffee grounds (CG), two types of cellulose (CGC and CC), two types of modified cellulose (CT and CTCD), and cross-linked β-cyclodextrin (CD-1 and CD-2) were tested as adsorbents for the removal of dyes from the wastewater. The composition, morphology, and presence of functional groups in the obtained sorption materials were characterized by elemental analysis, SEM, TG/DTA, and FTIR spectroscopy. The sorption processes of the model contaminant, crystal violet (CV), were studied by kinetics and equilibrium models. The results showed, that using CTCD, the dye was adsorbed rapidly in 1 min and the slowest adsorption occurred in 20 min by CG. The time evolution was adjusted using two models, the pseudo-second-order model (CG and CGC) and the pseudo-first-order model in the rest adsorbents. According to the Langmuir and Sips isotherm models, the maximum adsorption capacities were very high in each case ranging from 1092.24 to 1220.40 mg g-1. Moreover, the adsorption capacity of the near-natural materials remained even higher after five regeneration cycles. The regeneration is almost waste-free and the materials used can be decomposed during composting. In addition, almost complete removal of cationic dyes was observed during the treatment of real wastewater samples.

  • Centrum aktywności / Lubawa
    • Joanna Kabrońska
    2022 Pełny tekst Architektura-Murator

    Stworzenie przestrzeni publicznej wpływającej pozytywnie na społeczne relacje – poczucie sprawczości, odpowiedzialności oraz współuczestnictwa jednostek w życiu lokalnej społeczności – wymaga wzięcia pod uwagę nie tylko obecnych oczekiwań jej użytkowników. Taka przestrzeń powinna również przewidywać i kształtować przyszłe aspiracje wspólnoty. Otwarte w 2020 roku Centrum Aktywności Społecznej zaprojektowane przez Autorską Pracownię Architektury CAD stanowi odpowiedź na istniejące w regionie problemy wykluczenia społecznego.

  • CENTRUM GMINNE JAK ŻADNE INNE . Trąbki Wielkie
    • Agnieszka Kurkowska
    • Alicja Karaś
    • Tomasz Szymański
    2022

    Wystawa zaprezentowana w Gmachu Głównym Politechniki Gdańskiej oparta jest o prace studentów zrealizowane w ramach przedmiotu “Projektowanie architektoniczne 5” i zgłoszone do konkursu pt. NOWE CENTRUM GMINNE. Koncepcja rozwoju Trąbek Wielkich. prowadzący: mgr inż. arch. Alicja Karaś, dr inż. arch. Agnieszka Kurkowska dr inż. arch. Tomasz Szymański

  • Centrum kompetencji energetyki odnawialnej w przyjaznej mieszkańcom nowoczesnej dzielnicy przemysłowo-logistycznej
    • Karolina Krośnicka
    • Katarzyna Zielonko-Jung
    2022

    Rozdział zawiera opis celów i przyczyn podjęcia tematu projektu Centrum kompetencji energetyki odnawialnej i wyjaśnia społeczne konsekwencje planowanej w mieście Rumia inwestycji.

  • CERTIFICATION SYSTEM AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF SCHOOL-RELATED TRAVELS
    • Romanika Okraszewska
    • Tomasz Mackun
    2022 Pełny tekst Journal of Civil Engineering and Transport

    Despite the well-established physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spatial benefits of active and autonomous school commuting of children and adolescents', many are driven by car. Pilot surveys and field research held in 2019 in 10 Gdansk primary schools confirmed this trend. The article presents a certification system for schools, commissioned by the City of Gdańsk, which is an element of a systemic solution shaping patterns of transport behavior in school trips. The essence of the proposed approach is motivating and supporting schools by government to create conditions conducive to independent and active travel of children and adolescents. An important element of the certification process is the assessment stage in accordance with the set of criteria adopted and grouped into six areas concerning: children transport behavior, infrastructure and traffic organization in and around the school, mobility policy, road safety, promotion, and education. Groups of criteria were divided into basic and extended ones and assigned points in an assessment calculator. A minimum threshold of points has been set in each category to attract schools to take comprehensive action. The assessment calculator has been supplemented by catalogues of good practices describing possible actions that could be taken to meet a given criterion. The full certification process has not yet been completed in Gdańsk due to the coronavirus pandemic and the transition to remote learning. However, the first infrastructural improvements have already been made in the vicinity of schools.

  • Challenges and Possibilities of Deep Eutectic Solvent-Based Membranes
    • Rene Cabezas
    • Elsie Zurob
    • Belén Gomez
    • Gastón Merlet
    • Andrea Plaza
    • Claudio Araya-Lopez
    • Julio Romero
    • Felipe Olea
    • Esteban Quijada-Maldonado
    • Luis Pino-Soto
    • Thais Gonzalez
    • Roberto Castro-Muñoz
    2022 INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH

    Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are a category of a new class of solvents that can overcome some of the main drawbacks of typical solvents and ionic liquids (ILs). DES have been widely investigated and applied by the research community in several applications since their invention. Over the past years, the use of DES has been directed to the production of new materials and items for new products and processes. This is the case for the implementation of DES in various fields of chemical engineering directed to separations. DES have been very recently initiated to be combined into membranes for membrane processes. In this regard, this Review timely elucidates the current progress in utilizing this new generation of solvents in membrane preparation. In this work, different techniques, methods, and strategies for incorporating DES into polymer membranes for different concepts of membranes according to the final application have been reviewed. Particular emphasis has been devoted to the most relevant development works and results. After the current literature was analyzed, the main challenges and possibilities of DES in membranes were declared.

  • Challenges in operating and testing loop heat pipes in 500–700 K temperature ranges
    • Paweł Szymański
    • Dariusz Mikielewicz
    2022 Pełny tekst Archives of Thermodynamics

    The potential applications of loop heat pipes (LHPs) are the nuclear power space systems, fuel cell thermal management systems, waste heat recovery systems, medium temperature electronic systems, medium temperature military systems, among others. Such applications usually operate in temperature ranges between 500–700 K, hence it is necessary to develop an LHP system that will meet this requirement. Such a thermal management device require to meet various technical problems and challenges currently existing in the development of LHP working in medium temperatures, including: (1) selection of appropriate working fluid; (2) selection of appropriate LHP construction material; (3) construction of suitable test rig capable of testing at elevated temperatures; (4) development of new testing methods. Currently, there are no proven working fluids that can be used in LHPs in medium temperature ranges. Water can be applicable only at temperatures up to 570 K. Caesium can be applicable at temperatures above 670 K. Organic fluids usually tend to generate non-condensable gasses and/or decompose at elevated temperatures and their viscosity dramatically increases. For halides, most of them are very reactive or toxic and their full property data are not available or the majority of the physical properties are predicted, also live tests and their environmental impact data are not adequate. As for casing/LHP construction material, there are no full chemical compatibility tables with most of the medium temperature working fluids and the reactivity of fluids significantly limits the potential materials. Also, testing such an LHP is an endeavour as the reactivity of medium temperature fluids and the use of obscure metals create new challenges. Altogether creates multiple challenges in the development, testing, handling and operating of LHP in the medium temperature range.

  • Changes in the Global Competitiveness Index 4.0 Methodology: The Improved Approach of Competitiveness Benchmarking
    • Magdalena Olczyk
    • Marta Kuc-Czarnecka
    • Andrea Saltelli,
    2022 Pełny tekst Journal of Competitiveness

    The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) is used as a standard for measuring a country’s competitiveness. However, in literature, the GCI has been accused of numerous methodological flaws. Consequently, in 2018, the WEF introduced significant methodological changes. This study aims to examine whether the methodological modifications in the GCI’s structure increase its ability to capture the real competitiveness of economies. In addition, the study considers whether the selection of weights of individual elements included in the GCI is optimal or could be improved. By employing a sensitivity-based analysis, we find that the change in methodology resulted in fewer pillars of marginal importance. In the case of the GCI 2017, there were four pillars, whereas in that of the GCI 4.0, there were only two pillars: product market and labor market. Furthermore, we reveal that the WEF weights do not reflect the measured importance of the variables. In the optimization process, numerous variables (primarily opinion-based indicators) were insignificant in explaining the GCI variance and could be eliminated from the set of diagnostic variables without affecting the index’s value. For instance, in the case of the GCI 4.0, 35 out of 103 variables could be eliminated. The new rankings obtained by weight optimization and reduction of the diagnostic variables demonstrated a strong positive correlation with the original rankings. This research contributes to the literature from both a theoretical perspective (indicating the most vital indicators in the GCI) and a practical standpoint (reducing the costs and time of obtaining redundant data).

  • Chapel at St. Joseph's Church in Gdańsk
    • Aleksander Piwek
    2022 Pełny tekst Architectus

    The subject of this article is the chapel located in the former Gdańsk Carmelite monastery complex. The results of the architectural research carried out in it in 2014–2015 are presented. As a result, the time and purpose of the building’s construction were established. The original appearance and traces of later alterations were also recognised. The recesses found on the longitudinal walls, of similar dimensions, not reaching the floor, were considered to be the original decoration of the chapel. Other details, such as the original passage into the church and the west matroneum, also belonged to it. The wide cupboard recesses reaching to the floor were evidence of later changes, also linked to the function of the sacristy. Other changes include a major redesign of the interior at the beginning of the 20th century. This involved the construction of two stone pillars and the installation of vaults on top of them. Recent construction and restoration work has left exposed medieval details, some reconstructed in fragments or even as a whole. Traces of alterations considered secondary have been eliminated. The principle adopted allowed the medieval decoration of the chapel to be shown to a considerable extent for the first time in centuries. The building is one of the most interesting to be found in the city today.

  • Characterization of diatomaceous earth coated with nitrated asphaltenes as superior adsorbent for removal of VOCs from gas phase in fixed bed column
    • Maksymilian Plata-Gryl
    • Malwina Momotko
    • Sławomir Makowiec
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    2022 Pełny tekst CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

    Asphaltenes isolated from bitumen possess unusual adsorption characteristics that can be further enhanced by chemical modifications to promote interactions with VOCs’. Herein, nitrated asphaltenes are used as an active layer coated on a surface of a diatomaceous earth, in order to prepare an efficient adsorbent (AsfNitro). Breakthrough experiments with benzene, pyridine, and 1-nitropropane revealed significant increase in adsorption capacity, after deposition of nitrated asphaltenes, by 26, 12, and 8 times respectively. The adsorption capacity of AsfNitro for benzene per square meter of surface area is far more superior than for other adsorbents in use. Moreover, the AsfNitro exhibited excellent efficiency. For adsorption of 1-nitropropane and pyridine, almost 100% of the adsorbent’s bed was effectively used. Inverse gas chromatography measurements proved that nitrated asphaltenes were exclusively responsible for the adsorption properties, and the role of the diatomaceous earth was only to provide the surface area. Presented findings can be extended to other support materials and their inherent limitations for adsorption of VOCs can be overcome. Comparison of adsorption enthalpies demonstrated that common adsorbents e.g. activated carbons, cannot compete with AsfNitro in terms of sorbate-sorbent interactions. Additionally, contribution of chemisorption mechanism was recognized for AsfNitro, which indicate catalytic properties, and opens a new research field about asphaltenes’ novel practical applications. Application of asphaltenes in adsorption processes can be an effective procedure for risk mitigation of hazardous VOCs, accompanied by effective waste management and materials’ valorisation. Wasted adsorbent can be easily regenerated (without deterioration of surface properties), or blended in bitumen-aggregates mixes for road paving applications.

  • Checkpoints that regulate balanced biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and its essentiality in Escherichia coli
    • Gracjana Klein-Raina
    • Alicja Wieczorek
    • Martyna Szuster
    • Satish Raina
    2022 Pełny tekst INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

    The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, is essential for their viability. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) constitutes the major component of OM, providing the permeability barrier, and a tight balance exists between LPS and phospholipids amounts as both of these essential components use a common metabolic precursor. Hence, checkpoints are in place, right from the regulation of the first committed step in LPS biosynthesis mediated by LpxC through its turnover by FtsH and HslUV proteases in coordination with LPS assembly factors LapB and LapC. After the synthesis of LPS on the inner leaflet of the inner membrane (IM), LPS is flipped by the IM-located essential ATP-dependent transporter to the periplasmic face of IM, where it is picked up by the LPS transport complex spanning all three components of the cell en-velope for its delivery to OM. MsbA exerts its intrinsic hydrocarbon ruler function as another checkpoint to transport hexa-acylated LPS as compared to underacylated LPS. Additional checkpoints in LPS assembly are: LapB-assisted coupling of LPS synthesis and translocation; car-diolipin presence when LPS is underacylated; the recruitment of RfaH transcriptional factor en-suring the transcription of LPS core biosynthetic genes; and the regulated incorporation of non-stoichiometric modifications, controlled by the stress-responsive RpoE sigma factor, small RNAs and two-component systems.

  • Chemical analysis of low carbon content coals and their applications as dye adsorbent
    • Mohd Azfar Shaida
    • R.k. Dutta
    • A.k. Sen
    • S.s. Ram
    • M. Sudarshan
    • Mu. Naushad
    • Grzegorz Boczkaj
    • Md Sadique Nawab
    2022 CHEMOSPHERE

    Coal is primarily a fuel material but lately it has been utilized as an adsorbent for removing toxic metal ions. However, its usage for removing organic pollutants is not well studied. We report here a systematic study on the use of coal samples of varying carbon contents as adsorbents for removing Basic Blue 41 as a model cationic dye. The coal samples were collected from coal mines and were thoroughly characterized. The concentrations of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur contents were measured by CHNS analyzer. The concentrations of aluminum, silicon, sulphur, titanium and iron were determined by EDXRF, which corresponded to silicon dioxide (quartz) and aluminium silicate (kaolinite) as the major mineral inclusions, corroborated by XRD results and micrographs showing elemental maps determined from SEM-EDAX. The coal samples with low carbon content revealed higher adsorption capacity (qe ∼ 8.0–9.3 mg/g) of Basic Blue dye at optimized adsorbent dose (2 mg/mL), pH 9 and contact time (120 min). The adsorption kinetic studies satisfied pseudo second order model and the intra-particle diffusion of the dye was evident. The dye adsorption followed Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and the qmax values ranged between 17 and 30 mg/g for low carbon content coal. The FT-IR, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and zeta potential results of the coal samples could explain the adsorption phenomenon of cationic dye. The kinetic and thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption of Basic Blue 41 dye was based on chemisorptions mechanism.

  • Chemical and biological evaluation of antioxidant activity of endogenous redox-active compounds compared to plant-derived exogenous antioxidants
    • Patrycja Jakubek
    2022 Pełny tekst

    The research conducted so far has shown that endogenous antioxidants, despite being regarded as the first line of antioxidant defense, may not be sufficient to maintain redox homeostasis in cells exposed to oxidative stress. The results obtained in the doctoral dissertation show that endogenous redox-active compounds were moderate or weak scavengers of ABTS and DPPH radicals, while in cellular setting, their impact on the reducing capacity of HT29 cells was diversified. The results showed no significant correlation between the cellular antioxidant activity and electrochemical properties of tested compounds. Better compliance with biological activity was found for the kinetic parameter describing the velocity of neutralization of ABTS and DPPH radicals. Most of the tested redox-active compounds did not have significant impact on growth of HT29 cells. The inhibition of growth was observed solely in the case of high concentrations. Endogenous redox-active compounds did not protect DNA from fragmentation induced by oxidants in HT29 cells. The obtained results showed that endogenous redox-active compounds display weaker antioxidant activity compared to exogenous antioxidants. This research provided the systematic evidence that the maintenance of redox homeostasis, should the oxidative stress challenge occur, requires the support of exogenous dietary antioxidants.

  • Chemical characterization of wild populations of Brassica oleracea complex species (n=9) for the content of their bioactive compounds
    • F. Branca
    • M.c. Di Bella
    • D. Arena
    • A. Tribulato
    • Barbara Kusznierewicz
    • Karol Parchem
    • Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska
    2022

    The wild species belonging to Brassica oleracea complex species (n=9) are widespread in the Mediterranean basin and represent the relative species of several vegetable crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage. They are characterized by the high level of bioactive compounds, such as glucosinolates (GLSs), known for their benefits for human health. Four accessions were evaluated: B. macrocarpa (BM) from Favignana (Trapani), B. trichocarpa (BTR) from Monte Gallo (Palermo), B. villosa (BV) from Monte Occhio (Palermo) and B. rupestris (BX) from Scalfani Bagni (Palermo). All these populations are widespread in the central-western Sicily inland areas and along the northwestern coast, in limestone cliffs or rarely sandstone, usually with exposure to the North or in shady positions, from sea level up to 1000 m. The accessions were stored in the genebank of Catania University. Characterization trial was performed in an open field in Catania (37°31’N, 15°4’E at 105 m a.s.l.) applying organic practices and with irrigation when required. Ten plants per populations were grown in open field in randomised blocks. The leaves were characterized by using the international descriptors IBPGR and UPOV, such as, area (m2), height (cm), longitude (cm) and colour as well as days to flower (g.d.). Leaves were freeze-dried and analysed to determine bioactive metabolites such as: phenolic compounds, glucosinolates. B. trichocarpa had the highest value of polyphenols 1.63 mg g‑1 dw while B. macrocarpa showed the lowest one (0.01 mg g‑1 dw). B. villosa showed highest level of glucoraphanin (35.2 μmol g‑1 dw). The results obtained showed high variability within the same population that present different morphometric traits and biochemical profile.

  • Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Air in Nemoral Scots Pine Forests and Submountainous Beech Forests: The Potential Region for the Introduction of Forest Therapy
    • Tomasz Dudek
    • Mariusz Marć
    • Bożena Zabiegała
    2022 Pełny tekst International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

    Studies show that forests are one of the main recreational destinations. This can be explained by their beneficial effects on the health of their visitors, which can be attributed to compounds from the terpene group. The aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition of air in the interiors of Nemoral Scots pine forests and submountainous beech forests, with the determination of compounds of the terpene group. Samples of organic compounds present in the air were collected with the use of Tenax TA sorbent tubes. The process of separation, identification, and determination of the extracted organic compounds was carried out with the use of the gas chromatography technique integrated with a flame ionization detector. Additional identification of the extracted compounds was carried out with the use of GC coupled with mass spectrometry. The most abundant group of compounds was the aliphatic hydrocarbons, both saturated (linear and branched) and unsaturated (terpenes). Carbonyl compounds were also found in the collected samples, but they constituted no more than 10% of all compounds present on the chromatograms. The concentrations of terpenes and terpenoids in the forest atmosphere varied from 10 to 74 gm3, representing on average 33% of the total volatile organic compounds.