Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Śląskiego RE-BUŚ
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Badanie składu jakościowego oraz oznaczanie właściwości chemicznych i biologicznych wybranych surowców roślinnych stosowanych w kosmetyce i farmakoterapii
No full textNowadays, we observe a widespread ecotrend in nutrition, care and health prevention. We reach for food products, cosmetics and medicines based on plant and fruit raw materials, convinced of their pro-health effects. In the face of the destructive influence of the environment and free radicals on human health, natural plant materials are most desirable by the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. So far, no complete analyzes of the chemical composition of plants of pro-health importance have been performed. For this reason, studying composition of plant raw materials and their classification in terms of the content of specific active substances is a challenge for modern phytochemistry and chemotaxonomy.
Currently, in addition to testing chemical and physical properties of herbal raw materials, biological properties are also commonly analyzed, including determination of antibacterial and antifungal properties. Moreover, the influence of plant materials on biochemical processes is observed and the influence on activity of specific cells or tissues is determined.
In the presented doctoral thesis, plant raw materials used in production of cosmetics, fruit juices, infusions of dried fruit and wine samples were used as research material. Vegetable preparations and herbal raw materials that were selected are commonly used in cosmetics, pharmacotherapy and food industry.
Research has been carried out to analyze the cosmetic and pharmaceutical plant raw materials in terms of chemical composition and biological properties, were divided into the following stages:
1. First stage included the analysis of chemical composition of individual raw materials and included the following tasks:
a. qualitative and quantitative determination of trans-resveratrol in selected plant extracts by thin-layer chromatography
b. qualitative and quantitative determination of trans-resveratrol in selected plant extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography
c. development of a method for determination and analysis of selected plant pigments anthocyanins and anthocyanidins by thin-layer chromatography
d. development of a method of determination and analysis of the content of selected flavonoids and phenolic acids by thin-layer chromatography in plant extracts by thin-layer chromatography.
2. Second stage involved the analysis of antioxidant properties of individual raw materials using the following techniques:
a. UV-Vis spectrophotometry with the use of DPPH reagent (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl)
b. UV-Vis spectrophotometry using the ABTS reagent (2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate)), c. UV-Vis spectrophotometry using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (contains phosphoromolybdic acid phosphorus tungsten) by the FRAP method,
d. UV-Vis spectrophotometry using TPTZ reagent (iron-2,4,6-tripyridyl-S-triazine complex)
e. UV-Vis spectrophotometry - CUPRAC method, using the neocuproin reagent (2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)
f. electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR)
g. dot blot test on TLC plates using DPPH reagent (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl).
3. Third stage included the analysis of antibacterial properties of individual plant materials using the direct bioautography method (TLC-BD).
4. Fourth stage is the in vitro evaluation of the influence of selected vegetable cosmetic raw materials on proliferation of fibroblasts (skin cells).
The results of the research show a comprehensive comparison of cosmetic ingredients, fruit juices and infusions in terms of health-promoting properties. The results for cosmetic raw materials seem particularly interesting, as there are no reports in the literature on this subject
The role of new media in shaping a creative environment for regional development
No full textProgressive technologization of society has an impact on an innovative approach to art
and culture. New media play an important role in this context by shaping the environments of
creative people who refer to regional resources in their work. The main purpose of the paper is to
analyse selected theoretical concepts covering the issues of the use of new media art in the context
of a symbiotic relationship with the creative environment of the region. The authors use the method
of literature analysis and an interdisciplinary synthesis of the achievements of social sciences and
humanities. The theoretical assumptions presented before are illustrated by the reference to a part
of wider authors’ sociological research – expert debates in the environment of regional creators of
new media art. The conclusions indicate potential development trends and especially promising
directions for further activities in the field of using new media in shaping the creative environment
A New Hand-Movement-Based Authentication Method Using Feature Importance Selection with the Hotelling’s Statistic
Get PDFThe growing amount of collected and processed data means that there is a need to control access to these resources. Very often, this type of control is carried out on the basis of biometric analysis. The article proposes a new user authentication method based on a spatial analysis of the movement of the finger’s position. This movement creates a sequence of data that is registered by a motion recording device. The presented approach combines spatial analysis of the position of all fingers at the time. The proposed method is able
to use the specific, often different movements of fingers of each user. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the method in biometric applications. In this paper, we also introduce an effective method of feature selection, based on the Hotelling T2 statistic. This approach allows selecting the best distinctive features of each object from a set of all objects in the database. It is possible thanks to the appropriate preparation of the input data
Saccharides in atmospheric particulate and sedimentary organic matter : status overview and future perspectives
Get PDFSaccharides are omnipresent compounds in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Since the 2000s, their role in
environmental and geochemical studies has significantly increased, but only anhydrosaccharides (mainly levoglucosan)
have been reviewed. Here we present the wider knowledge about saccharides in organic matter of
aerosols, bottom sediments, soils, dust, and sedimentary rocks. The main purpose here is to characterize the
possible sources of saccharides, as well as sacharol formation, seasonal variability, and the possible applications
in environmental and paleoenvironmental interpretations. Different saccharide sources were designated,
including biomass burning, and particulate matter such as pollen, spores, lichen, and fungi, as well as polysaccharide
decomposition as possible inputs of monosaccharides. The main focus was on the most common
saccharides encountered in environmental samples and sedimentary rocks. These are the mono- and disaccharides
glucose, fructose, sucrose, and trehalose, and sacharols arabitol and mannitol. The anhydrosaccharides
levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan were evaluated as ancient wildfire indicators and
industrialization tracers found in lacustrine sediments starting from Pleistocene to contemporary deposits.
However, other anhydrosaccharides like xylosan and arabinosan were also found as products of fossil wood
burning. These anhydrosaccharides have the potential to be further tracers of hemicellulose burning. Additional
recommendations are proposed for future research, including environmental and paleoenvironmental topics that
need to be addressed
An examination of the factor structure of the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale in clinical and non-clinical samples of Polish women
Get PDFAlthough associations between fear of fat and eating disorders (ED) have been frequently studied, it appears
that the construct of fear of fat requires in-depth understanding to determine whether it is similar in
individuals diagnosed with bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and individuals from the general population.
The purpose of our study was to confirm the factor structure of the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale (GFFS) in
clinical and non-clinical settings. This issue has not yet been investigated in the literature. Data were
collected from 126 female patients diagnosed with ED and a total of 581 women from the general population.
Our findings are highly consistent with the original single-factor structure of GFFS but only in the
clinical sample. In the non-clinical sample, a good fit to the data has been achieved with a two-factor model
composed of Fear of gaining weight and Fear of losing control over eating/weight. The Polish version of GFFS
demonstrated good psychometric properties. It can be used as a fast screening tool to identify individuals
with eating disorders and those at risk of developing such disorders. We recommend the two-factor model
for non-clinical samples and the one-dimensional model for clinical samples for both research and practice
The Properties of Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia L. to Selectively Accumulate Chemical Elements from Soils of Ecologically Transformed Areas
Get PDFThe black locust Robinia pseudoacacia L. is a common species that originated from North America. In Europe, it is an invasive and introduced plant. Due to its low habitat requirements and ecological plasticity, this species colonizes new anthropogenically transformed areas quickly. This study investigated the chemical composition of selected tissues of Robinia pseudoacacia L. in five various habitats with different levels of anthropopression conditions in southern Poland. The presented research aimed to compare the chemical composition of black locust parts tissues (leaves, branches, and seeds) and the soil under its canopy. To determine the heavy metal contamination and enrichment in soil, the geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, contamination factor, pollution load index, and potential ecological risk index were calculated. The results showed that all examined soils are considerably or very highly contaminated and the main heavy metals, which pollute the studied samples, are cadmium (1.3–3.91 ppm), lead (78.17–157.99 ppm), and zinc (129.77–543.97 ppm). Conducted research indicates that R. pseudoacacia leaves are the primary carrier of potentially toxic elements. Due to low bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values, it is clear that black locusts do not accumulate contaminants in such amounts that it would pose risk to its use in degraded area reclamation. The obtained results showed that R. pseudoacacia is able to grow in a wide range of habitats and could be applied for greening urban habitats and disturbed ecosystems caused by industry
Analysis of the Genome of the Heavy Metal Resistant and Hydrocarbon-Degrading Rhizospheric Pseudomonas qingdaonensis ZCR6 Strain and Assessment of Its Plant-Growth- Promoting Traits
Get PDFThe Pseudomonas qingdaonensis ZCR6 strain, isolated from the rhizosphere of Zea mays growing in soil co-contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals, was investigated for its plant growth promotion, hydrocarbon degradation, and heavy metal resistance. In vitro bioassays confirmed all of the abovementioned properties. ZCR6 was able to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, and ammonia, solubilized Ca3(PO4)2, and showed surface active properties and activity of cellulase and very high activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (297 nmol α-ketobutyrate mg−1 h−1). The strain degraded petroleum hydrocarbons (76.52% of the initial hydrocarbon content was degraded) and was resistant to Cd, Zn, and Cu (minimal inhibitory concentrations reached 5, 15, and 10 mM metal, respectively). The genome of the ZCR6 strain consisted of 5,507,067 bp, and a total of 5055 genes were annotated, of which 4943 were protein-coding sequences. Annotation revealed the presence of genes associated with nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, sulfur metabolism, siderophore biosynthesis and uptake, synthesis of IAA, ethylene modulation, heavy metal resistance, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and organic compound degradation. Complete characteristics of the ZCR6 strain showed its potential multiway properties for enhancing the phytoremediation of co-contaminated soils. To our knowledge, this is the first analysis of the biotechnological potential of the species P. qingdaonensis
Post-tracheostomy complications: respiratory failure caused by authologic foreign body – case report
Get PDFTracheostomy is performed frequently as a palliative treatment in patients with end-stage
respiratory failure (RF). However, in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation it may be difficult to recognize and can often lead to life-threatening RF. We present two cases of acute-on-chronic respiratory failure (ACRF) occurring in patients who had undergone tracheostomy [one with percutaneous dilatational
tracheostomy (PDT) and the second with surgical tracheostomy (ST)]. The first case was admitted due to
ACRF several months after previous successful decannulation and the second case after failure of several
attempts of weaning from tracheal cannula. In both cases, noninvasive mechanical ventilation assisted flexible
bronchoscopy (NIV-FB) was able to identify and solve the tracheal stenosis secondary to stiff bananashaped
whitish foreign bodies. Histology sampling and genetic testing confirmed autologous foreign body
formation—tracheal cartilage calcification. NIV-FB was found to be safe and effective in both diagnosis
and treatment of the tracheal stenosis. Life-threatening RF connected with tracheal stenosis may be caused
by rupture of tracheal cartilage ossification in patients with a history of ST and PDT. Bronchofiberoscopy
performed with NIV will be a useful procedure to evaluate and treat the respiratory tract in patients with RF
with suspected tracheal stenosis
A comprehensive study of pristine and calcined f-MWCNTs functionalized by nitrogen-containing functional groups
Get PDFWe present the study of pristine and calcined f-MWCNTs functionalized by nitrogen-containing
functional groups. We focus on the structural and microstructural modification tuned by
the previous annealing. However, our primary goal was to analyze the electronic structure and
magnetic properties in relation to the structural properties using a multi-technique approach. The
studies carried out by X-ray diffraction, XPS, and 57Fe Mössbauer spectrometry revealed the presence
of -Fe nanoparticles, Fe3C, and -FeOOH as catalyst residues. XPS analysis based on the deconvolution
of core level lines confirmed the presence of various nitrogen-based functional groups
due to the purification and functionalization process of the nanotubes. The annealing procedure
leads to a structural modification mainly associated with removing surface impurities as purification
residues. Magnetic studies confirmed a significant contribution of Fe3C as evidenced by a Curie
temperature estimated at TC = 452 15K. A slight change in magnetic properties upon annealing
was revealed. The detailed studies performed on nanotubes are extremely important for the further
synthesis of composite materials based on f-MWCNTs
Structure and Properties of Copper Pyrophosphate by First-Principle Calculations
Get PDFInvestigated the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of copper pyrophosphate
dihydrate (CuPPD) by the first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT).
Simulations were performed with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of the exchangecorrelation
functional (Exc) supplemented by an on-site Coulomb self-interaction (U–Hubbard term).
It was confirmed that the GGA method did not provide a satisfactory result in predicting the electronic
energy band gap width (Eg) of the CuPPD crystals. Simultaneously, we measured the Eg of CuPPD
nanocrystal placed inside mesoporous silica using the ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS)
technique. The proposed Hubbard correction for Cu-3d and O-2p states at U = 4.64 eV reproduces the
experimental value of Eg = 2.34 eV. The electronic properties presented in this study and the results of
UV–VIS investigations likely identify the semiconductor character of CuPPD crystal, which raises the
prospect of using it as a component determining functional properties of nanomaterials, including
quantum dots