Carbon, one of the most abundant materials in the earth crust, has gained research attention owing to its high structural stability, electrical conductivity, optical and thermal properties. Additionally, the possibility of tailoring carbon materials at nanoscales makes them promising materials for many applications, including energy storage, sensors, biomedical and electronics. …
U and Th isotopic composition have been proven to be a valuable tool in environmental science, oceanography, hydrology, geology, nuclear forensics, and science-based archaeology. These applications require simultaneous detection of both minor and major isotopes at high accuracy. Often, the amount of sample or concentration of U and Th are …
Access to clean water is a key requirement for a good quality of life. However, due to climate change, population growth and lack of proper water treatment, the availability of clean water is in constant decline. Among the many waterborne contaminants, viruses present an increasing concern. Human waterborne viruses infect …
Recycling and reuse of waste by-products from steel industry is a common practice worldwide, which is in the last decade becoming more and more established also in Slovenia. Wastes from steel-making industry can be reused as alternative materials to successfully replace natural raw materials in asphalt mixes and in numerous …
Laser ablation (LA) is a versatile technique that can be used for the elemental analysis of diverse materials as well as for synthesis purposes, i.e. for pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of a wide range of materials. Analysis and synthesis will only be successful if the ablated material can be stoichiometrically …
In this thesis we present the development of the device for the removal of carbon deposits in fusion reactors. Amorphous hydrogenated carbon deposits (a-C:H) represent a major problem for smooth operation of future fusion reactors with divertors containing carbon tiles, because they cause retention of radioactive tritium. There are techniques …
Plasma glutamate carboxypeptidase (PGCP) is a metalloproteinase. It is able to hydrolyze dipeptides into free amino acids. The enzyme is involved in the release of hormone thyroxin (T4) from Thyroglobulin (Tg), as suggested by thyroid gland studies. Prediction from the primary structure of human PGCP suggests the presence of five …
In this doctoral thesis, we present the superhydrophilic effect on surfaces of three different materials, i.e. highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, graphite foil and graphite grain in polymer composite. In order to induce this complicated effect on the surface we used reactive oxygen plasma treatment. The plasma was created in glass …
The research work presented in this thesis considers the development of new biocompatible surfaces that are able to control the adhesion of specific proteins responsible for the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt–Jakob, Alzheimer, Parkinson and Lewis body disease. Our approach was focused on problems prior to the detection …
Adaptation to altitude can enhance performance if the hypoxic dose and the frequency of the exposures are appropriate. While many hypoxic training modalities exist, the protocols utilizing short intermittent hypoxic exposures are gaining popularity. However, the effects of such novel hypoxic protocols on athletic performance are unclear. The aim of …