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Pedestrian safety is a critical concern worldwide, as pedestrians account for nearly a quarter of all road crash deaths. In Poland, in the last decade, the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents varied from 25 to 30% of all road accident victims each year. A similar tendency is observed in EU countries, but the average number of pedestrian fatalities is lower and amounts to 20%. Numerous activities have been undertaken to improve the safety of vulnerable road users. Land planning plays a crucial role in enhancing pedestrian safety. Effective land-use planning can mitigate risks by integrating pedestrian-friendly infrastructure into urban design. Numerous measures have been implemented to improve the safety of vulnerable road users, including education campaigns, speed reduction measures, and infrastructure enhancements. One of the latest initiatives involves enhancing the visibility of pedestrian crossings through the installation of additional lighting systems. In order to assess the effects of the undertaken activities, a number of zebra crossings with and without additional luminance were investigated. Crash data gained from police statistics, along with the calculated crash rates (CRs), were utilized to evaluate changes in safety performance at selected crosswalks. For this purpose, a „before–after" method was applied. Importantly, the research results did not show a clear impact of additional lighting on reducing the number of road crashes and they highlight that other factors, including the geometric characteristics of crossings and their location and proximity to land uses generating significant pedestrian traffic, significantly influence crash rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium is an essential inorganic compound in human and animal nutrition, involved in the proper functioning of the body. As a micronutrient, it actively contributes to the regulation of various metabolic activities, i.e., thyroid hormone, and protection against oxidative stress. However, Se exhibits a narrow concentration window between having a positive effect and exerting a toxic effect. In higher doses, it negatively affects living organisms and causes DNA damage through the formation of free radicals. Increased reactivity of Se anions can also disrupt the integrity and function of DNA-repairing proteins. As the permissible concentration of Se in drinking water is 10 µg/L, it is vital to develop sensitive and robust methods of Se detection in aqueous samples. In this study, for the first time, we proposed a selective aptamer for selenate ion detection, chosen following the SELEX process, and its application in the construction of an electrochemical aptasensor towards SeO42− ions. Measurement conditions such as the used redox marker and pH value of the measurement solution were chosen. The proposed aptasensor is characterized by good selectivity and an LOD of 1 nM. Conditions for biosensor regeneration and storage were also investigated in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians, on Polish roads remains among one of the lowest levels among EU countries. A high number of accidents involving pedestrians occur in areas with zebra crossings, and excessive speed is often mentioned in police records as a leading cause of accidents. A number of investigations highlight that drivers' speed strongly influences the impact on pedestrian safety; hence, it should be controlled in areas with pedestrian crossings through effective management. According to traffic law regulations, drivers are required to give special attention and slow down while approaching a pedestrian crossing. The aim of the article is to explore drivers' speed behaviors at zebra crossings depending on their localization. Investigated zebra crossings were located on single and dual carriageways on straight segments and approach sections of intersections without traffic lights. Speed measures were performed under free-flow traffic conditions. The conducted analysis allowed for the identification of road geometry-related parameters significantly influencing vehicles' speeds at pedestrian crosswalk locations. Based on the analyzed parameters, regression models were developed and validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleic acid extraction and purification are crucial steps in sample preparation for multiple diagnostic procedures. Routine methodologies of DNA isolation require benchtop equipment (e.g., centrifuges) and labor-intensive steps. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as solid-phase sorbents could simplify this procedure. A wide range of surface coatings employs various molecular interactions between dsDNA and magnetic nano-sorbents. However, a reliable, comparative evaluation of their performance is complex. In this work, selected Fe3O4 modifications, i.e., polyethyleneimine, gold, silica, and graphene derivatives, were comprehensively evaluated for applications in dsDNA extraction. A family of single batch nanoparticles was compared in terms of morphology (STEM), composition (ICP-MS/MS and elemental analysis), surface coating (UV-Vis, TGA, FTIR), and MNP charge (ζ-potential). ICP-MS/MS was also used to unify MNPs concentration allowing a reliable assessment of individual coatings on DNA extraction. Moreover, studies on adsorption medium (monovalent vs. divalent ions) and extraction buffer composition were carried out. As a result, essential relationships between nanoparticle coatings and DNA adsorption efficiencies have been noticed. Fe3O4@PEI MNPs turned out to be the most efficient nano sorbents. The optimized composition of the extraction buffer (medium containing 0.1 mM EDTA) helped avoid problems with Fe3+ stripping, which improved the validity of the spectroscopic determination of DNA recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: C‐reactive protein (CRP) is one of the crucial biomarkers of inflammation, as well as cardiovascular and cancer diseases. Hence, the development of a sensitive and selective technique for CRP detection is of special importance. One of the possibilities is the application of biosensors containing receptor elements formed of RNA aptamers, as they exhibit high affinity towards C‐reactive protein. Herein, the capability of utilization of thiolated RNA aptamers as sensing layers was verified. The occurrence of aptamer ‐ C‐reactive protein interaction was confirmed by quartz crystal microbalance experiments. The voltammetric measurements performed in the presence of methylene blue redox indicator showed a linear current decrease within 1–100 pmol L−1 range of protein concentration. The interaction between surface‐tethered aptamer and CRP was distinguished with dissociation constant of 25.9 pmol L−1. The developed assay demonstrated a pronounced selectivity to CRP over interfering proteins as well as capability of CRP analysis in serum sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented study is focused on the development of repetitive, fast and versatile "on-off" signaling electrochemical genosensor for detection of pagA gene of Bacillus anthracis. Such a sensor will be further used in the portable devices dedicated to molecular diagnostic. The DNA molecular beacon probe was immobilized onto gold electrodes in its folded state through the alkanethiol linker at the 5'-end, while the 3'-end was labeled with methylene blue redox molecule. Initial optimization was conducted for HPLC purified cDNA. Nonetheless application of such prepared biosensor for unpurified PCR product required further investigations. As the sensor response was significantly dependent on the stem-loop architecture, the three different hairpin probes were analyzed. The detected sequence was interior to amplicon, identical as in case of cDNA. The developed "on-off" genosensor allows for detection, in 5 minute, the pagA gene sequence at the level of 5.7 nM with 22.9--86.0 nM linear detection range also in the great excess of other DNA presented in the sample. Both LOD and linear range were significantly improved in case of longer assay time. The biosensor proved its applicability also in detection of pagA gene of Bacillus anthracis in PCR samples amplified with reduced number of cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]