Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic metals. Its toxicity depends on the route of exposure, on its chemical form and the dose to which a person is exposed. The most susceptible population are pregnant women and children. Epidemiological studies suggest neuropsychological dysfunctions in children who were prenatally exposed …
Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) is the end member of several alkaline niobate-based solid solutions, which represent an important group of environment-friendly lead-free piezoceramics. Even though alkaline niobates are of considerable technological importance, problems in obtaining high densities and a fine-grained microstructure are still reported and not much is known about the …
Presented work is a study of magnetic iron oxide (referred to as spinel) coating synthesis. The coatings were synthesized on the surfaces of selected core nanoparticles with heterogeneous nucleation during the co-precipitation of the Fe3+/Fe2+ ions. The work is divided into three parts. The first part comprise the synthesis of …
Dielectric materials, used to control and store charges and electric energy, play a key role in modern electronics and electric power systems. Dielectric spectroscopy is a versatile method, well-suited for detection, separation and characterization of various contributions to dielectric response of advanced ceramic and polymeric materials, as it enables understanding …
Heterogeneous reactions of trifluoromethane CHF3 with solid xerogel oxides, alkali hydroxides and carbonates were investigated under static and dynamic conditions and at moderate temperatures. In all cases, main reaction is fluorination characterised by a complete decomposition (mineralisation) of the fluorinating agent, CHF3, and the formation of the solid metal fluorides. …
The KNN solid solution was prepared from pre-synthesized binary compounds of, sodium and potassium niobate in a 1/1 molar ratio. The KNG sintering aid was prepared by homogenizing the pre-reacted binary mixtures of alkaline reagents and germanium oxide with the Na/Ge = 1/1 and K/Ge = 1/1 molar ratios. The …
Apoptosis is an innate mechanism by which a multicellular organisms eliminates unwanted, damaged and potentially harmful cells. During apoptosis inflammation of the surrounding tissues is prevented. Defects in an apoptotic signaling can lead to numerous pathological conditions. Apoptosis is mediated through two main pathways, the extrinsic or the death receptor …
The presence of steroid estrogens in the environment has been studied intensively for two decades because of their possible deleterious effects on living organisms at very low (ng/L) concentrations. To determine concentrations of steroid estrogens and the estrogenic potential of environmental samples, sophisticated and sensitive analytical techniques as well as …
The task of mathematical modeling of dynamic systems from observed system behavior, widely known under the name of system identification, breaks down into two subtasks. The first task, referred to as structure identification, is to specify the model structure, i.e., the functional form of the model. In practice, the model …
This doctoral thesis describes the preparation of moderately porous Y-TZP ceramics with improved flexural strength. The main field of application is dentistry, where the elastic mismatch between the Y-TZP material and tooth substance influences the survival rate of fixed partial dentures (FPDs). By introducing porosity into the bulk samples a …