Field Modeling of the Influence of Defects Caused by Bending of Conductive Textronic Layers on Their Electrical Conductivity.

One of the critical parameters of thin-film electrically conductive structures in wearable electronics systems is their conductivity. In the process of using such structures, especially during bending, defects and microcracks appear that affect their electrical parameters. Understanding these phenomena in the case of thin layers made on flexible substrates, including textile ones, which are incorporated in sensors that monitor vital functions, is a key aspect when applying such solutions. Cracks and defects in such structures appearing during their use may be critical for the correct operation of such systems. In this study, the influence of defects resulting from the repeated bending of the conductive layer on its conductivity is analyzed. The anisotropic and partly stochastic characteristics of the defects are also taken into account. The defects are modeled in the form of broken lines, whose segments are generated in successive iterative steps, thus simulating the gradual wear of the layer material. The lengths and inclinations of these sections are determined randomly, which makes it possible to consider the irregularity of real defects of this type. It was found that near the percolation threshold, defects with a more irregular shape have a dominant effect on the reduction of conductivity due to the greater probability of their connection. The simulation results were compared with the experimental data. It was found that the dependence of the conductivity of the conductive layer on the number of bends is logarithmic. This allowed for the derivation of a formula linking the iteration number of the simulation procedure with the number of bends. Improving the strength of such layers is a technological challenge for researchers.

Prototype of Data Collector from Textronic Sensors.

In the era of miniaturization of electronic equipment and the need to connect sensors with textile materials, including clothing, the processing of signals received from the implemented sensors becomes an important issue. Information obtained by measuring the electrical properties of the sensors must be sent, processed, and visualized. For this purpose, the authors of this article have developed a prototype of a data collector obtained from textronic sensors created on composite textile substrates. The device operates in a system consisting of an electronic module based on the nRF52 platform, which supports wireless communication with sensors using Bluetooth technology and transmits the obtained data to a database hosted on the Microsoft Azure platform. A mobile application based on React Native technology was created to control the data stream. The application enables automatic connection to the selected collector, data download and their presentation in the form of selected charts. Initial verification tests of the system showed the correctness and reliability of its operation, and the presented graphs created from the obtained data indicate the usefulness of the device in applications where measurements and recording of impedance, resistance, and temperature are necessary. The presented prototype of a data collector can be used for resistance, impedance, and temperature measurements in the case of textronic structures but also in other wearable electronic systems.

The influence of combined treatment of municipal wastewater and landfill leachate on the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment - A preliminary case study.

Environmentally-friendly management of landfill leachate (LL) poses a challenge, and LL is usually co-treated with municipal wastewater in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The extent to which the co-treatment of LL and municipal wastewater influences the spread of antibiotic resistance (AR) in the environment has not been examined to date. Two WWTPs with similar wastewater composition and technology were studied. Landfill leachate was co-treated with wastewater in one of the studied WWTPs. Landfill leachate, untreated and treated wastewater from both WWTPs, and river water sampled upstream and downstream from the wastewater discharge point were analyzed. Physicochemical parameters, microbial diversity, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) abundance were investigated to determine the impact of LL co-treatment on chemical and microbiological contamination in the environment. Landfill leachate increased pollutant concentrations in untreated wastewater and river water. Cotreatment of LL and wastewater could affect the abundance and diversity of microbial communities and the interactions between microbial species. Co-treatment also decreased the stability of microbial co-occurrence networks in the examined samples. The mexF gene was identified as a potential marker of environmental pollution with LL. This is the first study to explore the impact of LL on the occurrence of AR determinants in wastewater and rivers receiving effluents.

Poultry manure-derived microorganisms as a reservoir and source of antibiotic resistance genes transferred to soil autochthonous microorganisms.

Animal husbandry is increasing yearly due to the growing demand for meat and livestock products, among other reasons. To meet these demands, prophylactic antibiotics are used in the livestock industry (i.e., poultry farming) to promote health and stimulate animal growth. However, antibiotics are not fully metabolized by animals, and they are evacuated to the environment with excreta. Animal manure is used as fertilizer to reduce the volume of waste generated in the livestock sector. However, manure often contains microorganisms harboring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Then, the microbiome of manure applicate to the soil may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment, including autochthonous soil-dwelling microorganisms. The present study was conducted during the crops growing season in Poland (May to September 2019) to determine the influence of poultry manure as well as poultry manure supplemented with selected antibiotics on the diversity of the soil microbiome in treatments that had not been previously fertilized with manure and the ability of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to transfer ARGs to other soil bacteria. Antibiotic concentrations were elevated at the beginning of the study and decreased over time. Poultry manure induced significant changes in the structure of microbial communities in soil; the diversity of the soil microbiome decreased, and the abundance of bacterial genera Bradyrhizobium, Streptomyces, and Pseudomonas, which are characteristic of the analyzed manure, increased. Over time, soil microbial diversity was restored to the state observed before the application of manure. Genes conferring resistance to multiple drugs as well as genes encoding resistance to bacitracin and aminoglycosides were the most frequently identified ARGs in the analyzed bacteria, including on mobile genetic elements. Multidrug resistance was observed in 17 bacterial taxa, whereas ARGs were identified in 32 bacterial taxa identified in the soil microbiome. The results of the study conclude that the application of poultry manure supplemented with antibiotics initially affects soil microbiome and resistome diversity but finally, the soil shows resilience and returns to its original state after time, with most antibiotic resistance genes disappearing. This phenomenon is of great importance in sustainable soil health after manure application.

Statistical and clustering validation analysis of primary students' learning outcomes and self-awareness of information and technical online security problems at a post-pandemic time.

The authors decided to investigate the impact of the pandemic period and the resulting limitations in Polish primary school online security education. The first part of the study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' educational learning outcomes in information and Internet security. The study has been performed via a student-oriented survey of 20 questions. The statistical analysis confirms the significant difference before and after the pandemic in several questions at most. Nevertheless, this justifies the statement that pandemics had a positive impact on post-pandemic Internet-related security education. The second part of the study has been focused on students' perception and self-awareness of cyberspace problems. For this purpose, the authors used novel majority-based decision fusion clustering validation methods. The revealed results illustrate the positive tendency toward the students' self-awareness and self-confidence of online security problems and e-threats before, during and after the challenging pandemic period. Moreover, the presented validation methods show the appealing performance in educational data analysis, and therefore, the authors recommended these methods as a preprocessing step that helps to explore the intrinsic data structures or students' behaviors and as a postprocessing step to predict learning outcomes in different educational environments.

The soil bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum, from biosynthesis of value-added products to bioremediation: A master of many trades.

Ever since its discovery in 1957, Corynebacterium glutamicum has become a well-established industrial strain and is known for its massive capability of producing various amino acids (like L-lysine and L-glutamate) and other value-added chemicals. With the rising demand for these bio-based products, the revelation of the whole genome sequences of the wild type strains, and the astounding advancements made in the fields of metabolic engineering and systems biology, our perspective of C. glutamicum has been revolutionized and has expanded our understanding of its strain development. With these advancements, a new era for C. glutamicum supremacy in the field of industrial biotechnology began. This led to remarkable progress in the enhancement of tailor-made over-producing strains and further development of the substrate spectrum of the bacterium, to easily accessible, economical, and renewable resources. C. glutamicum has also been metabolically engineered and used in the degradation/assimilation of highly toxic and ubiquitous environmental contaminant, arsenic, present in water or soil. Here, we review the history, current knowledge, progress, achievements, and future trends relating to the versatile metabolic factory, C. glutamicum. This review paper is devoted to C. glutamicum which is one of the leading industrial microbes, and one of the most promising and versatile candidates to be developed. It can be used not only as a platform microorganism to produce different value-added chemicals and recombinant proteins, but also as a tool for bioremediation, allowing to enhance specific properties, for example in situ bioremediation.

Textronic Glove Translating Polish Sign Language.

Communication between people is a basic social skill used to exchange information. It is often used for self-express and to meet basic human needs, such as the need for closeness, belonging, and security. This process takes place at different levels, using different means, with specific effects. It generally means a two-way flow of information in the immediate area of contact with another person. When people are communicating using the same language, the flow of information is much easier compared to the situation when two people use two different languages from different language families. The process of social communication with the deaf is difficult as well. It is therefore essential to use modern technologies to facilitate communication with deaf and non-speaking people. This article presents the results of work on a prototype of a glove using textronic elements produced using a physical vacuum deposition process. The signal from the sensors, in the form of resistance changes, is read by the microcontroller, and then it is processed and displayed on a smartphone screen in the form of single letters. During the experiment, 520 letters were signed by each author. The correctness of interpreting the signs was 86.5%. Each letter was recognized within approximately 3 s. One of the main results of the article was also the selection of an appropriate material (Velostat, membrane) that can be used as a sensor for the proposed application solution. The proposed solution can enable communication with the deaf using the finger alphabet, which can be used to spell single words or the most important key words.

Uptake of Pharmaceutical Pollutants and Their Metabolites from Soil Fertilized with Manure to Parsley Tissues.

Manure is a major source of soil and plant contamination with veterinary drugs residues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the uptake of 14 veterinary pharmaceuticals by parsley from soil fertilized with manure. Pharmaceutical content was determined in roots and leaves. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used for targeted analysis. Screening analysis was performed to identify transformation products in the parsley tissues. A solid-liquid extraction procedure was developed combined with solid-phase extraction, providing recoveries of 61.9-97.1% for leaves and 51.7-95.6% for roots. Four analytes were detected in parsley: enrofloxacin, tylosin, sulfamethoxazole, and doxycycline. Enrofloxacin was detected at the highest concentrations (13.4-26.3 ng g-1). Doxycycline accumulated mainly in the roots, tylosin in the leaves, and sulfamethoxazole was found in both tissues. 14 transformation products were identified and their distribution were determined. This study provides important data on the uptake and transformation of pharmaceuticals in plant tissues.

New realities for Polish primary school informatics education affected by COVID-19.

In the paper, the authors discuss the first research effort to explore the transition from traditional teaching into distance teaching in Polish primary schools enforced by COVID-19. The first research question was addressed to primary school students and was dedicated to furnishing them with ICT equipment for crisis-prompted distance informatics learning. According to the obtained results, almost all Polish students during the pandemic have a technical opportunity to participate in distance learning and to use digital devices to develop their digital competences. Hence the second research question was addressed to the experts, demystifies whether the accessibility and the availability of ICTs could increase students' informatics learning outcomes in out-of-school primary education settings. The obtained results reveal the significant importance of out-of-school informatics education in pandemic time. Moreover, in the first wave of pandemic, distance informatics education had the same or similar effect as if students learn informatics by themselves, without school lessons and teachers' support. The obtained results should strengthen teachers and school leaders in making informed decisions during the shift into distance informatics education. Also, by investigating participants' informatics learning outcomes and teacher preparedness and choices when implementing distance education, authors hope that the study may be helpful for policy-makers with the progressive changes in education and government support for informatics, especially in Poland, in making informed decisions to aid the transition into distance education as well as developing preparedness plans for future pandemics.

Sewage sludge in agriculture - the effects of selected chemical pollutants and emerging genetic resistance determinants on the quality of soil and crops - a review.

In line with sustainable development principles and in order to combat climate change, which contributes to progressive soil depletion, various solutions are being sought to use treated sewage sludge as a soil amendment to improve soil quality and enrich arable soils with adequate amounts of biogenic compounds. This review article focuses on the effects of the agricultural use of biosolids on the environment. The article reviews the existing knowledge on selected emerging contaminants in treated sewage sludge and describes the impact of these pollutants on the environment and living organisms based on 183 publications selected from over 16,000 papers on related topics published over the last ten years. This study deals not only with chemical contaminants but also genetic determinants of resistance to these compounds. Current research has questioned the agricultural use of biosolids due to the presence of mutual interactions between antibiotics, heavy metals, the genetic determinants of resistance (antibiotic resistance genes - ARGs and heavy metal resistance genes - HMRGs) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as the risks associated with their transfer to the environment. This study emphasizes the need for more extensive legal regulations that account for other pollutants of environmental concern (PEC), particularly in countries where sewage sludge is applied in agriculture most extensively. Future research should focus on more effective methods of eliminating PEC from sewage sludge, especially from the sludge that is used to fertilize agricultural land, because even small amounts of these micropollutants can have serious implications for the health and life of humans and animals.

The Comparative Estimation of Primary Students' Programming Outcomes Based on Traditional and Distance Out-of-School Extracurricular Informatics Education in Electronics Courses during the Challenging COVID-19 Period.

The authors decided to investigate the impact of the lockdown period and the resulting limitations in informatics education, especially programming, in out-of-school electronics courses using traditional and distance learning modes in primary school COVID-19 pandemic settings. Two extracurricular courses were held successively; the first electronics course was performed in a traditional out-of-school learning mode using Arduino kits, while the other was held using the TinkerCad circuits virtual environment in distance learning mode. A structured questionnaire was administered to students to map their knowledge of programming. The questionnaire consists of three emotional dimensions: enjoyment, satisfaction and motivation. The fourth dimension was dedicated to the students' programming outcomes. Three emotional dimensions were addressed to primary school students, while the fourth dimension was addressed to the tutors' observations toward the students' programming outcomes. The obtained results revealed that learning modes have no significant impact on students perceiving the programming issues. However, three emotional dimensions revealed a significant difference in the students' enjoyment, satisfaction and motivation in favor of the traditional learning mode. Our findings are of particular interest in light of possible crisis-prompted distance education in the future but can also serve to inform government institutions and policymakers seeking to develop effective concepts for successful distance learning.

The Influence of Laser Modification on a Composite Substrate and the Resistance of Thin Layers Created using the PVD Process.

For physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology, cleaning a substrate is one of the key preliminary processes before depositing the metal layer. In this article, we present the results of research on the modification of a textile composite substrate using laser technology and its influence on the surface resistance of silver structures intended for use in wearable electronics. As a result of the substrate modification, the resistance of the layers increased as compared with the structures produced on an unmodified substrate. An experimental planning technique was used to optimize the laser modification process.

A Method for the Assessment of Textile Pilling Tendency Using Optical Coherence Tomography.

Pilling is caused by friction pulling and fuzzing the fibers of a material. Pilling is normally evaluated by visually counting the pills on a flat fabric surface. Here, we propose an objective method of pilling assessment, based on the textural characteristics of the fabric shown in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. The pilling layer is first identified above the fabric surface. The percentage of protruding fiber pixels and Haralick's textural features are then used as pilling descriptors. Principal component analysis (PCA) is employed to select strongly correlated features and then reduce the feature space dimensionality. The first principal component is used to quantify the intensity of fabric pilling. The results of experimental studies confirm that this method can determine the intensity of pilling. Unlike traditional methods of pilling assessment, it can also detect pilling in its early stages. The approach could help to prevent overestimation of the degree of pilling, thereby avoiding unnecessary procedures, such as mechanical removal of entangled fibers. However, the research covered a narrow group of fabrics and wider conclusions about the usefulness and limitations of this method can be drawn after examining fabrics of different thickness and chemical composition of fibers.

Changes in Fabric Surface Pilling under Laser Ablation.

Textiles require finishing to improve their usability and functionality but in the first place, to reduce of pilling tendency, which affects all kinds of synthetic and natural fabrics. Several laser ablation tests have been applied to the selected fabrics with different chemical composition to reveal the impact of this process on the pilling behavior. To reflect the pilling changes, two textural descriptors have been proposed to textile images obtained with optical coherence tomography (OCT). They showed the trend to reduce values with increasing laser power applied to the tested fabrics. It has been demonstrated, that in the case of textiles based on polyester threads, laser modification of the product surface led to a significant reduction in their tendency for pilling.

Prototype of a Textronic Sensor Created with a Physical Vacuum Deposition Process for Staphylococcus aureus Detection.

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium which people have been in contact with for thousands of years. Its presence often leads to severe disorders of the respiratory and circulatory systems. The authors of this article present a prototype of a textronic sensor enabling the detection of this bacterium. This sensor was created using a process of physical vacuum deposition on a flexible textile substrate which can be implemented on clothing. With increasing numbers of bacterial colonies, changes in the sensor's electrical parameters were observed. The sensor's resistance reduced by 50% and the capacitance more than doubled within the first two days of starting bacterial cultures. Extensive changes in electrical parameters were observed at 100 Hz and 120 Hz of the measurement signal.

Applications of Smart Textiles in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation.

Stroke is a disease affecting a large part of our society. According to WHO data, it is the second world's biggest killer, accounting for near six million deaths in 2016 and it is about 30% of the total number of strokes per year. Other patients affected by such a disease should be rehabilitated as soon as possible. As a result of this phenomenon, paresis may occur. Among the devices available on the market there are many rehabilitation robots, but the method of electrostimulation can be used. The authors focused their attention on electrostimulation and commercially available therapies. Using this method, application to people with large hand muscle contracture is difficult. The authors of the work present a solution dedicated to exactly such people. A solution of textronic sensors manufactured on a textile substrate using the technology of physical vapor deposition is presented in the article. As a result of the conducted research, an electroconductive structure was obtained with a low surface resistance value of 1 Ω/□ and high flexibility. It can alternatively be used in hand rehabilitation for electrostimulation of fingertips. The solution is dedicated to people with high hands spasticity for whom it is impossible to put on a rehabilitation glove.

Surface Morphology Analysis of Metallic Structures Formed on Flexible Textile Composite Substrates.

This paper compares methods for measuring selected morphological features on the surface of thin metallic layers applied to flexible textile substrates. The methods were tested on a silver layer with a thickness of several hundred nanometers, which was applied to a textile composite with the trade name Cordura. Measurements were carried out at the micro scale using both optical coherent tomography (OCT) and the traditional contact method of using a profilometer. Measurements at the micro-scale proved the superiority of the OCT method over the contact method. The method of contactless measurement employs a dedicated algorithm for three-dimensional surface image analysis and does not affect the delicate surface structure of the measured layer in any way. Assessment of the surface profile of textile substrates and the thin films created on them, is important when estimating the contact angle, wetting behavior, or mechanical durability of the created metallic structure that can be used as the electrodes or elements of wearable electronics or textronics systems.

Environmental Risk and Risk of Resistance Selection Due to Antimicrobials' Occurrence in Two Polish Wastewater Treatment Plants and Receiving Surface Water.

In this study, a screening of 26 selected antimicrobials using liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometry method in two Polish wastewater treatment plants and their receiving surface waters was provided. The highest average concentrations of metronidazole (7400 ng/L), ciprofloxacin (4300 ng/L), vancomycin (3200 ng/L), and sulfamethoxazole (3000 ng/L) were observed in influent of WWTP2. Ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole were the most dominant antimicrobials in influent and effluent of both WWTPs. In the sludge samples the highest mean concentrations were found for ciprofloxacin (up to 28 µg/g) and norfloxacin (up to 5.3 µg/g). The removal efficiency of tested antimicrobials was found to be more than 50% for both WWTPs. However, the presence of antimicrobials influenced their concentrations in the receiving waters. The highest antimicrobial resistance risk was estimated in influent of WWTPs for azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, and trimethoprim and in the sludge samples for the following antimicrobials: azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, norfloxacin, trimethoprim, ofloxacin, and tetracycline. The high environmental risk for exposure to azithromycin, clarithromycin, and sulfamethoxazole to both cyanobacteria and eukaryotic species in effluents and/or receiving water was noted. Following the obtained results, we suggest extending the watch list of the Water Framework Directive for Union-wide monitoring with sulfamethoxazole.

Microbial evaluation of sandboxes located in urban area.

This paper presents the results of a study on the degree of bacteriological pollution of sandboxes situated in fenced and unfenced housing estates located in an urban area in Olsztyn, Poland. Heterotrophic plate counts (HPC22, HPC37), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Clostridium perfringens determined by cultivation and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods were used as indicators of the sanitary state. Their maximum number in the sand samples reached values of up to 5.4×10(7), 2.6×10(6), 3.3×10(4), 2.1×10(3), 1.8×10(4), 1.9×10(1) and 1.2×10(4)CFU/g, respectively. It was found that values of culture-independent method were two-four orders greater than those obtained by the cultivation method. Among identified Enterobacteriaceae, Pantoea spp. and Enterobacter cloacae were the most numerous, whereas Escherichia cells were detected only occasionally. Pathogenic bacteria of the genus Salmonella sp. were isolated from sandboxes also when E. coli were absent. Bacteria from Staphylococcus genus were isolated irrespective of the site and time of sampling. Additionally, the presence of molds and yeasts was studied. Maximum counts of these microorganisms amounted to 1.0×10(5) and to 3.5×10(4)CFU/g. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Trichoderma genera were most numerous among molds, whereas Trichosporon was detected most frequently among yeasts. Sandboxes in the fenced housing estate and those located in the area which is not close to trees were less polluted than the sand collected from sandboxes in the unfenced housing estate. Potentially pathogenic bacteria of the genus Salmonella spp. were identified in analyzed sandboxes, also when Toxocara and E. coli were absent. It seems that assessing the contamination of children's play areas basing only on fecal bacteria counts and by monitoring number of parasites' eggs may be insufficient to evaluate microbial pollution of sandboxes and may not fully reflect their safety for children.

Environmental pitfalls and associated human health risks and ecological impacts from landfill leachate contaminants: Current evidence, recommended interventions and future directions.

The improper management of solid waste, particularly the dumping of untreated municipal solid waste, poses a growing global challenge in both developed and developing nations. The generation of leachate is one of the significant issues that arise from this practice, and it can have harmful impacts on both the environment and public health. This paper presents an overview of the primary waste types that generate landfill leachate and their characteristics. This includes examining the distribution of waste types in landfills globally and how they have changed over time, which can provide valuable insights into potential pollutants in a given area and their trends. With a lack of specific regulations and growing concerns regarding environmental and health impacts, the paper also focuses on emerging contaminants. Furthermore, the environmental and ecological impacts of leachate, along with associated health risks, are analyzed. The potential applications of landfill leachate, suggested interventions and future directions are also discussed in the manuscript. Finally, this work addresses future research directions in landfill leachate studies, with attention, for the first time to the potentialities that artificial intelligence can offer for landfill leachate management, studies, and applications.