Search

Herein, we investigate silicate-phosphate glasses from the SiO2–P2O5–K2O–MgO–SO3 system enriched with various amounts of sulfur, as a nutrient indispensable for the proper development of plants, in order to gain a profound understanding of the structure of such materials. An inherent capability of glasses from the studied system to incorporate sulfate groups into the vitreous matrix was discussed on the basics of the results from XRF, XRD and internal Al2O3 standard techniques. It has been found, that as much as 3 mol.% of SO3 can be loaded into the glass batches to obtain fully amorphous material, while beyond this limit K2SO4 crystallizes within the matrix. Comprehensive spectroscopic investigation, comprising Raman, Middle Infrared (MIR), 29Si and 31P MAS-NMR, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES and XAS) techniques, has been implemented in order to determine an impact of sulfur on silicate-phosphate glass framework. On this basics, it has been concluded, that sulfur exists in the vitreous matrix in the form of specific domains, in which [SO4]2- anions are surrounded by the shell of charge-compensating K+ cations. Such sulfate groupings maintain their individuality without direct bonding to silico-oxygen or phospho-oxygen subnetwork. Spectroscopic results revealed also, that the presence of sulfur affects silico-oxygen subnetwork to a significantly greater extent than the phospho-oxygen one. It has been demonstrated, that along with SO3 addition, the more polymerized Q S i 3 units increase in abundance at the expense of less polymerized Q S i 2 groups. Results of the present study are believed to contribute to a greater understanding of the nature of sulfur-bearing oxide glasses.

Levofloxacin is considered an alternative treatment option of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The fluoroquinolone resistance in S. maltophilia is usually caused by an overproduction of efflux pumps. In this study, the contribution of efflux systems to levofloxacin resistance in S. maltophilia clinical isolates was demonstrated using phenotypic (minimal inhibitory concentrations, MICs, of antibiotics determination ± efflux pump inhibitors, EPIs) and molecular (real-time polymerase-chain-reaction and sequencing) methods. Previously, the occurrence of genes encoding ten efflux pumps was shown in 94 studied isolates. Additionally, 44/94 isolates demonstrated reduction in susceptibility to levofloxacin. Only 5 of 13 isolates (with ≥4-fold reduction in levofloxacin MIC) in the presence of EPIs showed an increased susceptibility to levofloxacin and other antibiotics. The overexpression of smeD and smeV genes (in five and one isolate, respectively) of 5 tested efflux pump operons was demonstrated. Sequencing analysis revealed 20–35 nucleotide mutations in local regulatory genes such as smeT and smeRv. However, mutations leading to an amino acid change were shown only in smeT (Arg123Lys, Asp182Glu, Asp204Glu) for one isolate and in smeRv (Gly266Ser) for the other isolate. Our data indicate that the overproduction of the SmeVWX efflux system, unlike SmeDEF, plays a significant role in the levofloxacin resistance.

The spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation is the advanced tool for materials characterization. In the current work we are reporting recent activity in this research field implemented at the 04BM (PEEM/XAS) beamline of the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS in Krakow, Poland. The beamline is designed to cover wide energy range of soft X-rays, which is well suited for a broad range of applications, including surface physics, material science and magnetism. The comparison of the experimental parameters and selected examples of the results achieved on the PEEM and XAS end stations is demonstrated.

A new X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) beamline is currently under construction at a bending magnet of the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS. The front end of this beamline was installed in April 2020. This beamline has a few outstanding characteristic features: The monochromator is a fixed exit beam Lemmonier type monochromator allowing to cover the pursued energy range (1 keV to ~15 keV) with 3 sets of crystals: KAP (100) + multilayer, InSb (111) and Ge (220). The monochromator is a high vacuum system allowing the change of crystals in less than an hour. In order to minimize absorption of photons no windows will be installed in the beamline down to the monochromator, and just one thin polypropylene window will be used for separating the vacuum of the monochromator from the ionization chambers and the sample chamber. A special differential ion pump will be installed to maintain the pressure difference of four orders of magnitude between the storage ring and the monochromator. As SOLARIS is a low energy machine, the beamline can be built without any radiation safety hutches without exceeding the strict low radiation safety levels. The straightforward design of the beamline without additional optical elements, its compact overall dimensions and an easy to handle monochromator make this beamline especially user friendly. In combination with the characteristics of the 1.5 GeV SOLARIS storage ring this beamline will be specifically attractive for the tender X-ray range, i.e. the K-edges of important elements such as P, S, Si, Al and Mg.

In this survey, we review the classical Hamilton-Jacobi theory from a geometric point of view in different geometric backgrounds. We propose a Hamilton-Jacobi equation for different geometric structures attending to one particular characterization: whether they fulfill the Jacobi and Leibniz identities simultaneously, or if at least they satisfy one of them. This property reviews the work of the present authors in such a way that it is presented according to a hierarchy of nested brackets. This is a new outlook in which we do not only present the geometric structures themselves, but their hierarchical relations and how they affect their dynamic through the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. In this regard, we review the case of time-dependent (t-dependent in the sequel) and dissipative physical systems as systems that fulfill the Jacobi identity but not the Leibnitz identity, as instances of cosymplectic and contact mechanical problems. Let us remark that dissipative here means dissipation provided by a dissipation parameter included in the Hamiltonian function, for instance, the entropy in some thermodynamical systems. Furthermore, we review the contact-evolution Hamilton-Jacobi theory as a split off the regular contact geometry, and that actually satisfies the Leibniz rule instead of Jacobi. Furthermore, we include a novel result, which is the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for conformal Hamiltonian vector fields as a generalization of the well-known Hamilton-Jacobi on a symplectic manifold, that is retrieved in the case of a zero conformal factor. The interest of a geometric Hamilton-Jacobi equation is the primordial observation that if a Hamiltonian vector field X H can be projected into a configuration manifold by means of a one-form dW, then the integral curves of the projected vector field XHdW can be transformed into integral curves of X H provided that W is a solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Geometrically, the solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation plays the role of a Lagrangian submanifold of a certain bundle. Exploiting these features in different geometric scenarios we propose a geometric theory for multiple physical systems depending on the fundamental identities that their dynamic satisfies. Different examples are pictured to reflect the results provided, being all of them new, except for one that is reassessment of a previously considered example. Finally, let us mention that an important issue in the study of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is separability, relevant for finding conserved quantities. However, we will not deal with this subject in this survey, although we refer the reader to papers [16, 17, 136]., Manuel de León acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN), under Grants PID2019-106715GB-C21, EIN2020-11210, and "Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D" (CEX2019-000904-S).

We show that in a uniform thickness NiO(111)/Fe(110) epitaxial bilayer system, at given temperature near 300 K, two magnetic states with orthogonal spin orientations can be stabilized in antiferromagnetic NiO. Field-free, reversible switching between these two antiferromagnetic states is demonstrated. The observed phenomena arise from the unique combination of precisely tuned interface magnetic anisotropy, thermal hysteresis of spin reorientation transition and interfacial ferromagnet/antiferromagnet exchange coupling. The possibility of field-free switching between two magnetic states in an antiferromagnet is fundamentally interesting and can lead to new ideas in heat assisted magnetic recording technology.

Simple Summary Nosocomial infections caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia have been increasing worldwide. These bacteria are intrinsically resistant to most antibiotics. The underestimated resistance mechanism of Gram-negative rods is an overexpression of multidrug-resistant (MDR) efflux pumps. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity of isolates derived from various clinical materials, including blood, and the prevalence of MDR efflux pump genes and susceptibility profiles to the anti-S. maltophilia drugs. The research was conducted on 94 S. maltophilia isolates derived from hospitalized patients and outpatients in Warsaw, Poland. All isolates were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and minocycline, while 44/94 isolates demonstrated reduction in susceptibility to levofloxacin. A large genetic variation was observed among these isolates. However, a clonal relationship was revealed among two groups of bloodstream isolates from one hospital ward: (1) nine isolates, (2) six isolates. Moreover, the presence of genes encoding ten different efflux pumps from the resistance-nodulation-division family and the ATP-binding cassette family was shown in the majority of the 94 isolates. The obtained knowledge about the prevalence of efflux pump genes in clinical S. maltophilia strains makes it possible to predict the scale of the risk of resistance emergence in strains as a result of gene overexpression. Abstract An increase of nosocomial infections caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains has recently been observed all over the world. The isolation of these bacteria from the blood is of particular concern. In this study we performed the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of 94 S. maltophilia isolates, including isolates from patients hospitalized in a tertiary Warsaw hospital (n = 79) and from outpatients (n = 15). All isolates were found to be susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and minocycline, while 44/94 isolates demonstrated a reduction in susceptibility to levofloxacin. A large genetic variation was observed among the isolates tested by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A clonal relationship with 100% similarity was observed between isolates within two sub-pulsotypes: the first included nine bloodstream isolates and the second involved six. Multilocus sequence typing showed two new sequence types (ST498 and ST499) deposited in public databases for molecular typing. Moreover, the presence of genes encoding ten different efflux pumps from the resistance-nodulation-division family and the ATP-binding cassette family was shown in the majority of the 94 isolates. The obtained knowledge about the prevalence of efflux pump genes in clinical S. maltophilia strains makes it possible to predict the scale of the risk of resistance emergence in strains as a result of gene overexpression.

The control of the spin orientation in antiferromagnets is of key importance in modern spintronics. Here, the authors demonstrate controllable antiferromagnetic spin switching in a synthetically fabricated epitaxial ferromagnet/antiferromagnet bilayer. Thanks to the precise nanoengineering of ferromagnet anisotropy and interface exchange coupling, two orthogonal spin states in the antiferromagnet can be either thermally stabilized in a field-free manner or written by a small external magnetic field.

Virgin and Yb-implanted epitaxial ZnO films grown using atomic layer deposition (ALD) were investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). XAS study revealed a strong polarization dependence of films determined by the orientation of the polarization vector of the synchrotron radiation to the sample surface. It also indicated that the implantation and subsequent annealing have an important influence on the native point defect complexes in the ZnO. Comparison of experimental spectra with the modelled ones, which are computed based on the linear combination of model spectra corresponding to the selected point defects and their complexes, confirmed the presence of donor-acceptor complexes (mVZn - nVO, m = 1,4; n = 1,2) in the samples under study. The mechanism of vacancy complexes formation is unclear as it takes place under non-equilibrium conditions, for which any theoretical method has not been well established. Exploring the 3 d → 4 f absorption, it was found that oxidation state of Yb in ZnO is 3+, which is consistent with the XPS findings and previously conducted Resonant Photoemission Spectroscopy (RPES) investigations. The inversion of the polarization dependence for samples with different Yb fluences visible in Yb M5 spectra can be associated with a tilt of the oxygen pseudo octahedra or/and with their distortion. The analysis of the presented data suggests that the donor-acceptor complexes are present both in as grown and implanted films and may influence their electrical properties. This suggestion was confirmed by previous Hall measurements showing that the resistivity of annealed ZnO:Yb film with a fluence of 5e15 ions/cm2 decreases by about one order compared to the one with a fluence of 5e14 ions/cm2.

The aim of the article was to present the results of the research, which concerned the analysis of the stream of passenger reports to the queuing system of passport control in the departure hall. These studies are very useful and may be used in the future by those stakeholders who want to develop a simulation model for such a system. This work fills a gap in the scientific literature. There are many different works that are related to security control or check-in. Passport control has so far been neglected. Particular interest should be shown by those who manage a system where passport control is directly in front of the departure gates. This structure of the system may then be a bottleneck in the process of departing passengers handling. This article provides details of the various air operations within many destinations.

This chapter summarizes the present status of bulk GaN crystals grown by ammonothermal basic and acidic methods, and reviews their intrinsic physical properties. Crystals with low dislocation densities, typically well below 105 cm−2, high crystal lattice flatness, and sharp X-ray rocking curves (typically below 20 arcsec) are reproducibly grown by both methods. High quality strain-free homoepitaxial films have been successfully deposited on both polar and non-polar ammonothermal substrates. Characteristics of testing devices produced using these epitaxial templates confirm the potential of ammonothermal substrates for fabrication of high performance and high yield devices.

The origin of nematicity and its relation to superconductivity in iron pnictide high-temperature superconductors remains unclear. One of its possible sources is the uneven occupation of Fe ${d}_{xz}$ and ${d}_{yz}$ orbitals. Here, by using x-ray linear dichroism technique, we show that such an imbalance is present in $\mathrm{Eu}{({\mathrm{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Co}}_{x})}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ single crystals deep in the tetragonal phase and also in the superconducting state, where we find that the ${d}_{xz}$ orbital has a higher occupation as indicated by an x-ray linear dichroism magnitude of 1.5%. Our result shows the importance of orbital polarization in the theoretical description of nematicity and superconductivity, particularly for determination of the superconducting gap symmetry, which is affected by orbital fluctuations.

We report on exchange bias and interfacial antiferromagnetic spin orientation in epitaxial CoO(111)/Fe(110) bilayers. Our X-ray magnetic linear dichroism and magneto-optic Kerr effect results show that exchange bias sets on in the zero-field-cooled system and is governed by in-plane magnetic state Fe(110) sublayer above Neel temperature of CoO. Uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of Fe layer determines the direction of interfacial frozen antiferromagnetic CoO spins within CoO(111)//Fe(110) sample plane. Choice of the particular magnetic state of Fe sublayer, when passing Neel temperature of CoO, determines both the axis and direction of interfacial antiferromagnetic spins after the sample is cooled and allows for imprinting their +/- 90° and 0/180° alignment within the sample plane.

We have applied positron annihilation spectroscopy to study the formation of Ga vacancy related defects in Mg and Mn doped bulk GaN crystals grown by the ammonothermal method. We show that Mn doping has little or no effect on the formation of Ga vacancies, while Mg doping strongly suppresses their formation, in spite of both dopants leading to highly resistive material. We suggest the differences are primarily due to the hydrogen-dopant interactions. Further investigations are called for to draw a detailed picture of the atomic scale phe-nomena in the synthesis of ammonothermal GaN.

Both preserved gapless states and gapping of Dirac states due to broken time reversal symmetry in bismuth chalcogenide topological insulators with surface and bulk magnetic impurities have been observed and reported in the literature. In order to shed more light on the mechanism of such effects we have performed comprehensive element selective study of the impact of Fe impurity position in the Bi2Se3 lattice on its magnetism. The iron atoms were imbedded in the structure (volume dopants) or deposited on the surface (adatoms) and they revealed striking phenomena. Volume doping preserves non-trivial topology of Bi1.98Fe0.02Se3. Fe atoms not only substitute Bi, but also locate in van der Waals gap. The former are magnetically isotropic, while the latter reveal large magnetic moment (4.5 μ B) with perpendicular anisotropy if located near the surface. Majority of Fe adatoms on the surface of Bi2Se3 exhibit weaker moment (3.5 μ B) with in-plane anisotropy, as expected for non-interacting species. Negligible interaction between surface electronic states and magnetic adatoms is confirmed by identical vibration spectra of Fe deposited on TI surface of Bi2Se3 and non-TI surface of Bi2S3. The data gathered show how indispensable is the knowledge of the magnetic impurity distribution for applications of bismuth chalcogenide systems.

An attempt is undertaken to chemically modify YMnO3+δ by the partial substitution of Y with larger Nd and Sm, aiming to boost the oxygen storage performance in the temperature swing process. Single-phase (P63cm) Y0.95Nd0.05MnO3+δ and Y0.95Sm0.05MnO3+δ compounds are obtained in a sol-gel auto-combustion process followed by the annealing at 1000 °C in Ar. Both materials show improved oxygen storage capacity, however, doping with Nd3+ enables the effective operation in air – capacity reached 1453 μmol-O g−1, which is over 86% of the capacity in O2. As documented for the Nd-containing sample, oxygen absorption is accompanied by oxidation of Mn3+ to Mn4+, and no changes in the valence of neodymium occur. The reversible oxygen intake and release occur at exceptionally low temperatures for Y0.95Nd0.05MnO3+δ, as low as in the 201–240 °C range. This enables utilization of the recovery of low- and medium-temperature waste heat. In addition, the paper presents the impact of the preparation route of the material on the oxygen storage-related performance. It is shown that lowering of the annealing temperature allows to further increase the rate of O2 absorption, making the material a promising candidate for practical application, however, it results also in the presence of the secondary phases. © 2021 The Authors

The common approach to modify the thermoelectric activity of oxides is based on the concept of selective metal substitution. Herein, we demonstrate an alternative approach based on the formation of multiphase composites, at which the individual components have distinctions in the electric and thermal conductivities. The proof-of-concept includes the formation of multiphase composites between well-defined thermoelectric Co-based oxides: Ni, Fe co-substituted perovskite, LaCo0.8Ni0.1Fe0.1O3 (LCO), and misfit layered Ca3Co4O9. The interfacial chemical and electrical properties of composites are probed with the means of SEM, PEEM/XAS, and XPS tools, as well as the magnetic susceptibility measurements. The thermoelectric power of the multiphase composites is evaluated by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, calculated from the independently measured electrical resistivity (ρ), Seebeck coefficient (S), and thermal conductivity (λ). It has been demonstrated that the magnitude’s electric and thermal conductivities depend more significantly on the composite interfaces than the Seebeck coefficient values. As a result, the highest thermoelectric activity is observed at the composite richer on the perovskite (i.e., ZT = 0.34 at 298 K).

Solaris is a third generation light source built and commissioned at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. It is a replica of the MAX IV 1.5 GeV storage ring and part of its injector. The commissioning of the storage ring started in May 2015. First light at the bending magnet beamline front end was observed after two weeks of optimisation. After one year of commissioning excellent performance of the Solaris synchrotron has been achieved. Injection into the storage ring occurs at the designed electron energy of 525 MeV, next the beam is ramped to the final energy of 1.5 GeV. Beam optics has been adjusted to be close to the design one. Solaris is operating at a working point of (11.22, 3.15) and with a corrected chromaticity of (+0.93, +0.91). Recently over 600 mA of beam current was stored for injection energy. The vacuum system of the storage ring is still being conditioned. After about 90 A.h of beam cleaning dose the total beam lifetime at 100 mA is approaching 11 h at 1.5 GeV. So far two beamlines have been constructed. The UV angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (UARPES) beamline with a photon energy range from 8 eV to 100 eV, is in commissioning since April 2016 and the soft X-ray spectroscopy dedicated PEEM/XAS beamline from a bending magnet source, which is at the end of its installation phase. This paper reports on the current status of the Solaris facility and the commissioning results.

In this article, the results of computational structural studies on Al-containing zeolites, via periodic DFT + D modelling and FDM (Finite Difference Method) to solve the Schrödinger equation (FDMNES) for XAS simulations, corroborated by EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) spectroscopy and PXRD (powder X-ray diffractometry), are presented. The applicability of Radial Distribution Function (RDF) to screen out the postulated zeolite structure is also discussed. The structural conclusions are further verified by HR-TEM imaging.

The trial was undertaken to measure the amount of different types of seeds industrial hemp. Photonic analysis was used to make measurements which bases on counting the amount of emitted photons from standardized sample within estimated time interval. Photon emission tests were carried out in the Laboratory of Experimental Research Techniques of Raw Materials and Biological Products with PCA accreditation in the subject measurement procedure.

Adsorption of oxygen on the (110) surface of epitaxial iron films on tungsten (110) was studied using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM), and Auger electron spectroscopy within an exposure range of 0–300 Langmuir (L). Selected oxygen adsorption structures on Fe(110) reported in the literature were critically compared and revised in reference to the present study. The initial adsorption of 1/4 oxygen monolayer resulting in the commonly observed (2 × 2) structure was followed by a structure that was frequently termed as (3 × 1). Its complex LEED pattern was ultimately resolved and interpreted as originating from two structural domains of a large oblique unit cell (eight times larger than the substrate unit cell) and 3/8 oxygen coverage. A new (3 × 2) structure was identified at a coverage of 2/3. The domain interpretation of last two structures was verified by LEEM and confirmed by density functional theory calculations. The onset of oxygen–iron bonding formation w...

A ferromagnet/antiferromagnet (FM/AFM) Fe/NiO bilayer was grown using molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(001) and Cr buffered MgO(001) substrates. X-ray linear dichroism measurements showed a dominating out-of-plane component for the NiO spins in Fe/NiO/MgO and an in-plane spin direction for NiO layers grown on the Cr buffer. Furthermore, systematic studies on the magnetic properties of Fe/NiO grown on the wedge-shaped Cr buffer revealed a continuous strain-induced spin reorientation transition from out-of-plane to in-plane NiO spin directions when the Cr thickness increased from 0 nm to 3.5 nm. The analysis of the in-plane magnetic structure of NiO in Fe/NiO/Cr showed a pronounced uniaxial anisotropy in thin AFM layers. The AFM spins are perpendicular to the Fe spins due to spin–flop interaction. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using strain and coupling with FMs to manipulate spin structures in NiO.

Laser-plasma short-wavelength source based on double-stream gas-puff target and emitting soft X-rays (SXR) is demonstrated as a compact tool suitable for X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) of metal oxides. The source, optimized for emission in the spectral range between 1.5 and 5 nm from a krypton/helium target appears to be useful for the near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS) close to the Ti L-edge and Mo M-edge, as well as the K-edge of oxygen. High photon flux from the source enabled the simultaneous acquisition of the reference and transmission spectra using a flat-field grating spectrometer. The measurements conducted in the transmission mode revealed the spectral features near the absorption edges (Ti-L2,3 and Mo-M5) in metal oxides.

We show that in a uniform thickness NiO(111)/Fe(110) epitaxial bilayer system, at given temperature near 300 K, two magnetic states with orthogonal spin orientations can be stabilized in antiferromagnetic NiO. Field-free, reversible switching between these two antiferromagnetic states is demonstrated. The observed phenomena arise from the unique combination of precisely tuned interface magnetic anisotropy, thermal hysteresis of spin reorientation transition and interfacial ferromagnet/antiferromagnet exchange coupling. The possibility of field-free switching between two magnetic states in an antiferromagnet is fundamentally interesting and can lead to new ideas in heat assisted magnetic recording technology.

Antiferromagnet/ferromagnet (AFM/FM) bilayers that display the exchange bias (EB) effect have been subjected to intensive material research, being the key elements of novel spintronics systems. In a commonly accepted picture, the antiferromagnet, considered as a rigid material due to its high anisotropy and magnetic hardness, controls the magnetic properties of the ferromagnet, such as a shift of the hysteresis loop or coercivity. We show that this AFM-FM master-slave hierarchy is not generally valid and that the influence of the ferromagnet on the magnetic anisotropy (MA) of the neighbouring antiferromagnet must be considered. Our computer simulation and experimental studies of EB in an epitaxial CoO/Fe(110) bilayer show that the ferromagnetic layer with strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy determines the interfacial spin orientations of the neighbouring AFM layer and rotates its easy axis. This effect has a strong feedback on the EB effect experienced by the FM layer. Our results show new physics behind the EB effect, providing a route for grafting a desired anisotropy onto the AFM and for precise tailoring of EB in AFM/FM systems.

The aim of the project is to monographically describe the history of popular science periodicals that were published on Polish lands until the year 1939. A collection of approx. 200 titles published in the Polish language, addressed to both adult readers as well as children and adolescents, published individually or as part of a publication will be analysed. It is planned to prepare a bibliography of periodicals, which will be the basis for conducting a multifaceted analysis of the studied phenomenon, in the designated time intervals and to detect the differences as well as the similarities that occur during these time periods. A hypothesis has been formed that these journals, that are an important element of permanent learning accompanying the recipient throughout his/her life, have been subject to transformation, both in terms of form and contents. By conducting the analyses, we aim to seek the general regularities that have shaped the popular science magazine market during the studied period, to indicate its determinants, trends, relations with the institutional and social environment and to demonstrate that their setting up was supported by patriotic, educational, practical and cultural making reasons. The starting point for the research will be to redefine the term "popular science journal", in order to eliminate terminology confusion. The next step will bet to create a database of bibliographic titles, which will be discussed in the context of press studies (quantitative development, publishing centres, frequency, publishers, durability, profile, circulation, pictorialness, internal structure) having in mind the political and pedagogical context, as well as the context of cultural studies and the study of science. The picked out typological groups and their main representatives will be described in detail. Studies concerning the evolution of the internal structure, the language and form of expression, the origins of the texts, layout, and the evolution of design as an important element affecting the reception of the presented contents as well as its typology, shall also be included. The phenomenon, namely the evolution of a popular science magazine’s shape, that is the transition from imitating foreign templates to creating one’s own model based on national material and collaboration with Polish scholars, will also be presented. The following methods will be used in the study: the bibliographic method (collection and verification of data), written and formal contents analysis (description of the individual titles and their categorization), methods used for the systemizing and interpretation of press photographs, compositional interpretation, a iconographic and iconological method of analysing a work of art, statistical techniques (comparative analysis). The aim of the project is to prepare a comprehensive analysis of the popular science periodicals of the chosen time intervals. The research results will determine not only the their quantitative development, their transformation in terms of form and contents, but also their functions and tasks in the changing political and social conditions on Polish lands. Acknowledgement of the popular science magazine as an information medium, will allow to acquire knowledge about the scope and coverage of the presented contents, the changes in understanding the essence of popularization and its functions and the level of program tasks implementation. The results of the conducted studies will interest media experts, bibliologists, cultural history scholars, historians of science and literary scholars. The conducted research will fill in a missing gap in the history of Polish press, it may contribute to undertake monographic studies of individual titles, since they have not so far been presented in a monography. This group of magazines is also ignored in comprehensive summaries on the history of Polish press. The faint interest of the researchers, and consequently a little progress being made, was primarily caused by the lack of basic research in the areas of registration and documentation, as well as the lack of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the studied phenomenon.

Acireductone dioxygenase (ARD) is an intriguing enzyme from the methionine salvage pathway that is capable of catalysing two different oxidation reactions with the same substrate depending on the type of the metal ion in the active site. To date, the structural information regarding the ARD–acireductone complex is limited and possible reaction mechanisms are still under debate. The results of joint experimental and computational studies undertaken to advance knowledge about ARD are reported. The crystal structure of an ARD from Homo sapiens was determined with selenomethionine. EPR spectroscopy suggested that binding acireductone triggers one protein residue to dissociate from Fe(2+), which allows NO (and presumably O(2)) to bind directly to the metal. Mössbauer spectroscopic data (interpreted with the aid of DFT calculations) was consistent with bidentate binding of acireductone to Fe(2+) and concomitant dissociation of His88 from the metal. Major features of Fe vibrational spectra obtained for the native enzyme and upon addition of acireductone were reproduced by QM/MM calculations for the proposed models. A computational (QM/MM) study of the reaction mechanisms suggests that Fe(2+) promotes O—O bond homolysis, which elicits cleavage of the C1—C2 bond of the substrate. Higher M(3+) /M(2+) redox potentials of other divalent metals do not support this pathway, and instead the reaction proceeds similarly to the key reaction step in the quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase mechanism.

The synchrotron radiation facility ‘Solaris’ is currently being built in Krakow, Poland. The first experimental beamline at Solaris will use bending magnet radiation and two exchangeable end stations: a spectroscopic X-ray photoemission electron microscope and a soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy chamber. We present the beamline specifications and exemplary results obtained with our end station microscope, which (in statu nascendi of Solaris) has been operated at the NanoXAS beamline in the Swiss Light Source. The end stations should be available for a broad user community at Solaris in 2016. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this paper we show the structural parameters and structural anisotropy of the bulk GaN substrates of various crystallographic orientations (00.1), (10.0), (11.0) and (20.1) obtained by ammonothermal method. The structural parameters were investigated using high resolution X-Ray Diffraction. Perfect crystalline structure manifests in very narrow peaks in X-ray rocking curves. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of 16 and 18 arcsec for the symmetrical and asymmetrical peaks, respectively, have been observed. In addition, we observed structural anisotropy in the non-polar and semi-polar crystals, depending on the orientation of the sample relative to the X-ray beam. It is conducted that this anisotropy is a intrinsic property of non-polar and semi-polar GaN substrates.

The issue of reliability in the cargo handling process is very important. The particular importance is the level of cargo service in relation to intermodal transport. The specificity of this way of good transportation require high effectiveness in the mutual interaction of information systems, technology and man activity. Container handling process on intermodal terminal is presented and divided into five pub-processes. The aim of the article is to present level of disruptions coming from information fail. The Authors focused on information system that appear the weakest among the primary reasons of disruptions. The article includes errors selection due to the cause of their formation and their impact on the correctness of the process implementation.

W artykule omówiono dotychczasowe badania nad polskimi czasopismami popularnonaukowymi wydawanymi do 1939 roku. Zaprezentowano również projekt badawczy realizowany z funduszy Narodowego Centrum Nauki, mający na celu monografi czne ujęcie dziejów czasopiśmiennictwa popularnonaukowego na ziemiach polskich do 1939 roku. The article presents research on the Polish popular-science journals until 1939. A research project was carried out with the funds of the National Science Centre and it refers to a monographic approach of the history of the Polish popular-science journals until 1939.

We have applied positron annihilation spectroscopy to study in-grown vacancy defects in bulk GaN crystals grown by the ammonothermal method. We observe a high concentration of Ga vacancy related defects in n-type samples with varying free electron and oxygen content. The positron lifetimes found in these samples suggest that the Ga vacancies are complexed with hydrogen impurities. The number of hydrogen atoms in each vacancy decreases with increasing free electron concentration and oxygen and hydrogen content. The local vibrational modes observed in infrared absorption support this conclusion.

Suppressed immune status facilitates immune escape mechanisms that allow chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells to proliferate and expand. The expression of HLA-G could effectively inhibit the immune response. In immune response inhibitory signals follow activation of immune system which might be occur during bacterial or viral infection in CLL patients. In the current study we characterized two components of immune system, inhibitory molecule HLA-G with its receptor - CD85j and Toll-like receptor 9. The material was obtained from 41 CLL patients and 41 HV with similar median age. In CLL patients expression of intracellular and surface HLA-G and soluble HLA-G levels were significantly higher than in HV. We found higher expression of CD85j compared to HV and the positive correlation between expression of HLA-G and CD85j. All the CLL cells expressed TLR-9, and the level of expression positively correlated with expression of HLA-G and CD85j. Patients with higher expression of intracellular expression of TLR-9 have significantly longer treatment-free survival than patients with low expression of TLR-9 (57 months vs. 8 months, respectively). Summarizing in CLL we characterized activatory and inhibitory components of immune system that might be connected functionally. Analysis of TLR-9 expression might have additional prognostic value for CLL patients.