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Jan Kochanowski University

UniversityKielce, Poland

Research output, citation impact, and the most-cited recent papers from Jan Kochanowski University (Poland). Aggregated across the NobleBlocks index of 300M+ scholarly works.

Total works
13.0K
Citations
228.0K
h-index
152
i10-index
5.0K
Also known as
Akademia ŚwiętokrzyskaJan Kochanowski UniversityUniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w KielcachŚwiętokrzyska Academy

Top-cited papers from Jan Kochanowski University

Structural Changes Accompanying Intramolecular Electron Transfer:  Focus on Twisted Intramolecular Charge-Transfer States and Structures
Zbigniew R. Grabowski, Krystyna Rotkiewicz, Wolfgang Rettig
2003· Chemical Reviews3.6Kdoi:10.1021/cr940745l

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTStructural Changes Accompanying Intramolecular Electron Transfer: Focus on Twisted Intramolecular Charge-Transfer States and StructuresZbigniew R. Grabowski, Krystyna Rotkiewicz, and Wolfgang RettigView Author Information Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland, and Institute of Chemistry, Akademia Świȩtokrzyska, Chȩcińska 5, 25-020 Kielce, Poland Institute of Chemistry, Humboldt University, Brook-Taylor-Strasse 2, D-12489 Berlin, Germany Cite this: Chem. Rev. 2003, 103, 10, 3899–4032Publication Date (Web):September 17, 2003Publication History Received20 June 2001Published online17 September 2003Published inissue 1 October 2003https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cr940745lhttps://doi.org/10.1021/cr940745lresearch-articleACS PublicationsCopyright © 2003 American Chemical SocietyRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views35683Altmetric-Citations3094LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-AlertscloseSupporting Info (1)»Supporting Information Supporting Information SUBJECTS:Fluorescence,Molecules,Polarity,Reaction products,Solvents Get e-Alerts

The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene
Colin N. Waters, Jan Zalasiewicz, Colin Summerhayes, Anthony D. Barnosky +4 more
2016· Science2.3Kdoi:10.1126/science.aad2622

Human activity is leaving a pervasive and persistent signature on Earth. Vigorous debate continues about whether this warrants recognition as a new geologic time unit known as the Anthropocene. We review anthropogenic markers of functional changes in the Earth system through the stratigraphic record. The appearance of manufactured materials in sediments, including aluminum, plastics, and concrete, coincides with global spikes in fallout radionuclides and particulates from fossil fuel combustion. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles have been substantially modified over the past century. Rates of sea-level rise and the extent of human perturbation of the climate system exceed Late Holocene changes. Biotic changes include species invasions worldwide and accelerating rates of extinction. These combined signals render the Anthropocene stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene and earlier epochs.

Students’ perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
Michał Bączek, Michalina Zagańczyk-Bączek, Monika Szpringer, Andrzej Jaroszyński +1 more
2021· Medicine585doi:10.1097/md.0000000000024821

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted teaching in a variety of institutions, especially in medical schools. Electronic learning (e-learning) became the core method of teaching the curriculum during the pandemic. After 8 weeks of only online learning, a survey was conducted to investigate perception of this type of learning among medical students.A survey was conducted by distributing an online questionnaire to Polish medical students. Data gathered from the survey were analyzed with routine statistical software.Eight hundred four students answered the questionnaire. According to respondents' answers, the main advantages of online learning were the ability to stay at home (69%), continuous access to online materials (69%), learning at your own pace (64%), and comfortable surroundings (54%). The majority of respondents chose lack of interactions with patients (70%) and technical problems with IT equipment (54%) as the main disadvantages. There was no statistical difference between face-to-face and online learning in terms of opinions on the ability of the learning method to increase knowledge (P = .46). E-learning was considered less effective than face-to-face learning in terms of increasing skills (P < .001) and social competences (P < .001). Students assessed that they were less active during online classes compared to traditional classes (P < .001). E-learning was rated as enjoyable by 73% of respondents.E-learning is a powerful tool for teaching medical students. However, successful implementation of online learning into the curriculum requires a well thought-out strategy and a more active approach.

Physico-geographical mesoregions of Poland: Verification and adjustment of boundaries on the basis of contemporary spatial data
Jerzy Solon, Jan Borzyszkowski, Małgorzata Bidłasik, Andrzej Richling +4 more
2018· Geographia Polonica564doi:10.7163/gpol.0115

The programme of identification, cataloguing and evaluation of Polish landscapes, part of the implementation of the European Landscape Convention, has caused an increase in interest in physico-geographical regionalisation over recent years. The commonly accepted regionalisation of Poland developed by J. Kondracki (Kondracki & Richling 1994) is sufficient for work at an overview scale (e.g. 1:500,000), whereas its spatial accuracy is too low to make use of it for the purpose of Polish landscape cataloguing. The aim of this article is to present a more up-to-date and detailed division of Poland into mesoregions, adjusted to the 1:50,000 scale. In comparison with older work, the number of mesoregions has increased from 316 to 344. In many cases, somefar-reaching changes in meso- and macroregions were made. Nevertheless, in most cases the previous system of units was maintained, with more detailed adjustment of boundaries based on the latest geological andgeomorphological data and the use of GIS tools for the DEM analysis. The division presented here is a creatively developing new work aligning the proposals of the majority of Polish researchers. At the same time, it is a regionalisation maintaining the idea of the work developed by J. Kondracki as well as his theoretical assumptions and the criteria used to distinguish units, which makes it a logical continuation of his regional division.

Green Chemistry Metrics with Special Reference to Green Analytical Chemistry
Marek Tobiszewski, Mariusz Marć, Agnieszka Gałuszka, Jacek Namieśnik
2015· Molecules553doi:10.3390/molecules200610928

The concept of green chemistry is widely recognized in chemical laboratories. To properly measure an environmental impact of chemical processes, dedicated assessment tools are required. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge in the field of development of green chemistry and green analytical chemistry metrics. The diverse methods used for evaluation of the greenness of organic synthesis, such as eco-footprint, E-Factor, EATOS, and Eco-Scale are described. Both the well-established and recently developed green analytical chemistry metrics, including NEMI labeling and analytical Eco-scale, are presented. Additionally, this paper focuses on the possibility of the use of multivariate statistics in evaluation of environmental impact of analytical procedures. All the above metrics are compared and discussed in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. The current needs and future perspectives in green chemistry metrics are also discussed.

Plant-Derived Antioxidants: Significance in Skin Health and the Ageing Process
Monika Michalak
2022· International Journal of Molecular Sciences415doi:10.3390/ijms23020585

Natural substances have traditionally been used in skin care for centuries. There is now an ongoing search for new natural bioactives that not only promote skin health but also protect the skin against various harmful factors, including ultraviolet radiation and free radicals. Free radicals, by disrupting defence and restoration mechanisms, significantly contribute to skin damage and accelerate ageing. Natural compounds present in plants exhibit antioxidant properties and the ability to scavenge free radicals. The increased interest in plant chemistry is linked to the growing interest in plant materials as natural antioxidants. This review focuses on aromatic and medicinal plants as a source of antioxidant substances, such as polyphenols, tocopherols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and macromolecules (including polysaccharides and peptides) as well as components of essential oils, and their role in skin health and the ageing process.

IPC – Isoelectric Point Calculator
Łukasz Kozłowski
2016· Biology Direct407doi:10.1186/s13062-016-0159-9

BACKGROUND: Accurate estimation of the isoelectric point (pI) based on the amino acid sequence is useful for many analytical biochemistry and proteomics techniques such as 2-D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, or capillary isoelectric focusing used in combination with high-throughput mass spectrometry. Additionally, pI estimation can be helpful during protein crystallization trials. RESULTS: Here, I present the Isoelectric Point Calculator (IPC), a web service and a standalone program for the accurate estimation of protein and peptide pI using different sets of dissociation constant (pKa) values, including two new computationally optimized pKa sets. According to the presented benchmarks, the newly developed IPC pKa sets outperform previous algorithms by at least 14.9 % for proteins and 0.9 % for peptides (on average, 22.1 % and 59.6 %, respectively), which corresponds to an average error of the pI estimation equal to 0.87 and 0.25 pH units for proteins and peptides, respectively. Moreover, the prediction of pI using the IPC pKa's leads to fewer outliers, i.e., predictions affected by errors greater than a given threshold. CONCLUSIONS: The IPC service is freely available at http://isoelectric.ovh.org Peptide and protein datasets used in the study and the precalculated pI for the PDB and some of the most frequently used proteomes are available for large-scale analysis and future development. REVIEWERS: This article was reviewed by Frank Eisenhaber and Zoltán Gáspári.

The Characteristics, Occurrence, and Geochemical Behavior of Rare Earth Elements in the Environment: A Review
Zdzisław M. Migaszewski, Agnieszka Gałuszka
2014· Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology406doi:10.1080/10643389.2013.866622

The increasing number of rare earth elements (REEs) studies in the past decade has been induced by their wider applications in industry, including electronics and high technology. This review presents the brief characteristics of REE, their occurrence in abiotic and biotic systems, and their possible detrimental effects on the environmental quality and human health. This also outlines the REE behavior in different geochemical interactions and the potential for tracing anthropogenic pollution sources.

Energy and system size dependence of chemical freeze-out in relativistic nuclear collisions
F. Becattini, Jussi Manninen, M. Gaździcki
2006· Physical Review C405doi:10.1103/physrevc.73.044905

We present a detailed study of chemical freeze-out in p-p, C-C, Si-Si, and Pb-Pb collisions at beam momenta of 158A GeV as well as Pb-Pb collisions at beam momenta of 20A, 30A, 40A, and 80A GeV. By analyzing hadronic multiplicities within the statistical hadronization model, we studied the parameters of the source as a function of the number of participating nucleons and the beam energy. We observe a nice smooth behavior of temperature, baryon chemical potential, and strangeness under-saturation parameter as a function of energy and nucleus size. Interpolating formulas are provided which allow us to predict the chemical freeze-out parameters in central collisions at center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s}{}_{\mathit{NN}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}4.5$ GeV and for any colliding ions. Specific discrepancies between data and the model emerge in particle ratios in Pb-Pb collisions at beam energies between 20A and 40A GeV which cannot be accounted for in the considered model schemes.

Managing distance by interdependence: Goal setting, task interdependence, and team-based rewards in virtual teams
Guido Hertel, Udo Konradt, Borris Orlikowski
2004· European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology394doi:10.1080/13594320344000228

Virtual teams, i.e., work groups in which members collaborate from distant locations predominantly based on electronic communication media, are increasingly introduced in organizations due to new opportunities of electronic communication media and recent trends of globalization and teamwork. Among the main challenges of virtual teams is the maintenance of high work motivation due to reduced face-to-face interaction. The current study examined whether these motivational challenges can be compensated by the experienced interdependence within virtual teams. Consistent with our expectations, the result of a field study with 31 virtual teams showed that management practices related to goal, task, and outcome interdependence correlated with the effectiveness of the teams. In more effective teams, quality of goal setting processes and task interdependence were higher compared to less effective teams. Positive effects of task interdependence were particularly present during the first year of virtual teamwork. Moreover, the use of team-based rewards as operationalization of outcome interdependence was also positively related with team effectiveness. Further analyses revealed that the positive effects of these management practices were partially mediated by motivational processes of the team members. Implications for successful virtual teamwork are discussed.

Pion and kaon production in central<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Pb</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Pb</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>collisions at<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>20</mml:mn><mml:mi>A</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>and<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>30</mml:mn><mml:mi>A</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>GeV: Evidence for the onset of deconfinement
C. Alt, T. Anticic, B. Baatar, D. Barna +4 more
2008· Physical Review C380doi:10.1103/physrevc.77.024903

Results on charged pion and kaon production in central $\mathrm{Pb}+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions at $20A$ and $30A$ GeV are presented and compared to data at lower and higher energies. Around $30A$ GeV a rapid change of the energy dependence for the yields of pions and kaons as well as for the shape of the transverse mass spectra is observed. The change is compatible with the prediction that the threshold for production of a state of deconfined matter at the early stage of the collisions is located at low CERN Super Proton Synchroton energies.

The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS)
L. Guzzo, M. Scodeggio, B. Garilli, B. R. Granett +4 more
2014· Astronomy and Astrophysics344doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321489

We describe the construction and general features of VIPERS, the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey. This ESO Large Programme is using the Very Large Telescope with the aim of building a spectroscopic sample of ~ 100 000 galaxies with iAB< 22.5 and 0.5 <z< 1.5. The survey covers a total area of ~ 24 deg2 within the CFHTLS-Wide W1 and W4 fields. VIPERS is designed to address a broad range of problems in large-scale structure and galaxy evolution, thanks to a unique combination of volume (~ 5 × 107h-3 Mpc3) and sampling rate (~ 40%), comparable to state-of-the-art surveys of the local Universe, together with extensive multi-band optical and near-infrared photometry. Here we present the survey design, the selection of the source catalogue and the development of the spectroscopic observations. We discuss in detail the overall selection function that results from the combination of the different constituents of the project. This includes the masks arising from the parent photometric sample and the spectroscopic instrumental footprint, together with the weights needed to account for the sampling and the success rates of the observations. Using the catalogue of 53 608 galaxy redshifts composing the forthcoming VIPERS Public Data Release 1 (PDR-1), we provide a first assessment of the quality of the spectroscopic data. The stellar contamination is found to be only 3.2%, endorsing the quality of the star–galaxy separation process and fully confirming the original estimates based on the VVDS data, which also indicate a galaxy incompleteness from this process of only 1.4%. Using a set of 1215 repeated observations, we estimate an rms redshift error σz/ (1 + z) = 4.7 × 10-4 and calibrate the internal spectral quality grading. Benefiting from the combination of size and detailed sampling of this dataset, we conclude by presenting a map showing in unprecedented detail the large-scale distribution of galaxies between 5 and 8 billion years ago.

New theories of relativistic hydrodynamics in the LHC era
Wojciech Florkowski, Michał P. Heller, Michał Spaliński
2017· Reports on Progress in Physics333doi:10.1088/1361-6633/aaa091

The success of relativistic hydrodynamics as an essential part of the phenomenological description of heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and the LHC has motivated a significant body of theoretical work concerning its fundamental aspects. Our review presents these developments from the perspective of the underlying microscopic physics, using the language of quantum field theory, relativistic kinetic theory, and holography. We discuss the gradient expansion, the phenomenon of hydrodynamization, as well as several models of hydrodynamic evolution equations, highlighting the interplay between collective long-lived and transient modes in relativistic matter. Our aim to provide a unified presentation of this vast subject-which is naturally expressed in diverse mathematical languages-has also led us to include several new results on the large-order behaviour of the hydrodynamic gradient expansion.

Directed and elliptic flow of charged pions and protons in<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Pb</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Pb</mml:mi></mml:math>collisions at<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mn>4</mml:mn><mml:mn>0</mml:mn><mml:mi>A</mml:mi></mml:math>and<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mn>5</mml:mn><mml:mn>8</mml:mn><mml:mi>A</mml:mi><mml:mi/><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">GeV</mml:mi></mml:math>
C. Alt, T. Anticic, B. Baatar, D. Barna +4 more
2003· Physical Review C330doi:10.1103/physrevc.68.034903

Directed and elliptic flow measurements for charged pions and protons are reported as a function of transverse momentum, rapidity, and centrality for $40A$ and $158A\mathrm{GeV}$ $\mathrm{Pb}+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions, as recorded by the NA49 detector. Both the standard method of correlating particles with an event plane and the cumulant method of studying multiparticle correlations are used. In the standard method the directed flow is corrected for conservation of momentum. In the cumulant method elliptic flow is reconstructed from genuine four-, six-, and eight-particle correlations, showing the first unequivocal evidence for collective motion in $A+A$ collisions at SPS energies.

Bioactive Compounds for Skin Health: A Review
Monika Michalak, Monika Pierzak, Beata Kręcisz, Edyta Suliga
2021· Nutrients324doi:10.3390/nu13010203

Human skin is continually changing. The condition of the skin largely depends on the individual's overall state of health. A balanced diet plays an important role in the proper functioning of the human body, including the skin. The present study draws attention to bioactive substances, i.e., vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, polyphenols, and carotenoids, with a particular focus on their effects on the condition of the skin. The aim of the study was to review the literature on the effects of bioactive substances on skin parameters such as elasticity, firmness, wrinkles, senile dryness, hydration and color, and to define their role in the process of skin ageing.

Human exposure to high natural background radiation: what can it teach us about radiation risks?
J.H. Hendry, Steven L. Simon, Andrzej Wójcik, Mehdi Sohrabi +4 more
2009· Journal of Radiological Protection309doi:10.1088/0952-4746/29/2a/s03

Natural radiation is the major source of human exposure to ionising radiation, and its largest contributing component to effective dose arises from inhalation of (222)Rn and its radioactive progeny. However, despite extensive knowledge of radiation risks gained through epidemiologic investigations and mechanistic considerations, the health effects of chronic low-level radiation exposure are still poorly understood. The present paper reviews the possible contribution of studies of populations living in high natural background radiation (HNBR) areas (Guarapari, Brazil; Kerala, India; Ramsar, Iran; Yangjiang, China), including radon-prone areas, to low dose risk estimation. Much of the direct information about risk related to HNBR comes from case-control studies of radon and lung cancer, which provide convincing evidence of an association between long-term protracted radiation exposures in the general population and disease incidence. The success of these studies is mainly due to the careful organ dose reconstruction (with relatively high doses to the lung), and to the fact that large-scale collaborative studies have been conducted to maximise the statistical power and to ensure the systematic collection of information on potential confounding factors. In contrast, studies in other (non-radon) HNBR areas have provided little information, relying mainly on ecological designs and very rough effective dose categorisations. Recent steps taken in China and India to establish cohorts for follow-up and to conduct nested case-control studies may provide useful information about risks in the future, provided that careful organ dose reconstruction is possible and information is collected on potential confounding factors.

Extraordinary human energy consumption and resultant geological impacts beginning around 1950 CE initiated the proposed Anthropocene Epoch
James P. M. Syvitski, Colin N. Waters, John W. Day, John D. Milliman +4 more
2020· Communications Earth & Environment301doi:10.1038/s43247-020-00029-y

Abstract Growth in fundamental drivers—energy use, economic productivity and population—can provide quantitative indications of the proposed boundary between the Holocene Epoch and the Anthropocene. Human energy expenditure in the Anthropocene, ~22 zetajoules (ZJ), exceeds that across the prior 11,700 years of the Holocene (~14.6 ZJ), largely through combustion of fossil fuels. The global warming effect during the Anthropocene is more than an order of magnitude greater still. Global human population, their productivity and energy consumption, and most changes impacting the global environment, are highly correlated. This extraordinary outburst of consumption and productivity demonstrates how the Earth System has departed from its Holocene state since ~1950 CE, forcing abrupt physical, chemical and biological changes to the Earth’s stratigraphic record that can be used to justify the proposal for naming a new epoch—the Anthropocene.

Olaparib Versus Nonplatinum Chemotherapy in Patients With Platinum-Sensitive Relapsed Ovarian Cancer and a Germline BRCA1/2 Mutation (SOLO3): A Randomized Phase III Trial
Richard T. Penson, Ricardo Villalobos-Valencia, David Cibula, Nicoletta Colombo +4 more
2020· Journal of Clinical Oncology294doi:10.1200/jco.19.02745

PURPOSE A phase II study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00628251 ) showed activity of olaparib capsules versus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in patients with germline BRCA-mutated platinum-resistant or partially platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer. We conducted a phase III trial (SOLO3) of olaparib tablets versus nonplatinum chemotherapy in patients with germline BRCA-mutated platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer who had received at least 2 prior lines of platinum-based chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this randomized, open-label trial, patients were randomly assigned 2:1 to olaparib 300 mg twice a day or physician’s choice single-agent nonplatinum chemotherapy (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, or topotecan). The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) in the measurable disease analysis set assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR). The key secondary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) assessed by BICR in the intent-to-treat population. RESULTS Of 266 randomly assigned patients, 178 were assigned to olaparib and 88 to chemotherapy. In patients with measurable disease (olaparib, n = 151; chemotherapy, n = 72), the BICR-assessed ORR was significantly higher with olaparib than with chemotherapy (72.2% v 51.4%; odds ratio [OR], 2.53 [95% CI, 1.40 to 4.58]; P = .002). In the subgroup who had received 2 prior lines of treatment, the ORR was 84.6% with olaparib and 61.5% with chemotherapy (OR, 3.44 [95% CI, 1.42 to 8.54]). BICR-assessed PFS also significantly favored olaparib versus chemotherapy (hazard ratio, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.91]; P = .013; median, 13.4 v 9.2 months). Adverse events were consistent with the established safety profiles of olaparib and chemotherapy. CONCLUSION Olaparib resulted in statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements in ORR and PFS compared with nonplatinum chemotherapy in patients with germline BRCA-mutated platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer who had received at least 2 prior lines of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Highly anisotropic and strongly dissipative hydrodynamics for early stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions
Wojciech Florkowski, Radosław Ryblewski
2011· Physical Review C290doi:10.1103/physrevc.83.034907

We introduce a new framework of highly anisotropic hydrodynamics that includes dissipation effects. Dissipation is defined by the form of the entropy source that depends on the pressure anisotropy and vanishes for the isotropic fluid. With a simple ansatz for the entropy source obeying general physical requirements, we are led to a nonlinear equation describing the time evolution of the anisotropy in purely longitudinal boost-invariant systems. Matter that is initially highly anisotropic approaches naturally the regime of the perfect fluid. Thus, the resulting evolution agrees with the expectations about the behavior of matter produced at the early stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The equilibration is identified with the processes of entropy production.

Bacterial Urease and its Role in Long-Lasting Human Diseases
Iwona Konieczna, Paulina Żarnowiec, M. Kwinkowski, Beata Kolesińska +3 more
2012· Current Protein and Peptide Science289doi:10.2174/138920312804871094

Urease is a virulence factor found in various pathogenic bacteria. It is essential in colonization of a host organism and in maintenance of bacterial cells in tissues. Due to its enzymatic activity, urease has a toxic effect on human cells. The presence of ureolytic activity is an important marker of a number of bacterial infections. Urease is also an immunogenic protein and is recognized by antibodies present in human sera. The presence of such antibodies is connected with progress of several long-lasting diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis or urinary tract infections. In bacterial ureases, motives with a sequence and/or structure similar to human proteins may occur. This phenomenon, known as molecular mimicry, leads to the appearance of autoantibodies, which take part in host molecules destruction. Detection of antibodies- binding motives (epitopes) in bacterial proteins is a complex process. However, organic chemistry tools, such as synthetic peptide libraries, are helpful in both, epitope mapping as well as in serologic investigations. In this review, we present a synthetic report on a molecular organization of bacterial ureases - genetic as well as structural. We characterize methods used in detecting urease and ureolytic activity, including techniques applied in disease diagnostic processes and in chemical synthesis of urease epitopes. The review also provides a summary of knowledge about a toxic effect of bacterial ureases on human body and about occurrence of anti-urease antibodies in long-lasting diseases.