The Cyrilka Cave-the longest crevice-type cave in Czechia: structural controls, genesis, and age

The Cyrilka Cave is the second longest pseudokarst cave and the longest crevice-type cave in Czechia. Developed within the headscarp area of a deep-seated landslide, the cave became a focus of scientific research in recent years when new passages were discovered. Structural analysis provided a general tectonic plan of the cave, as well as more detailed data on geometry and kinematics of the relaxed rock massif. The primary structure of NNE- to ENE-striking bedding is broken by a system of NNE-striking fissures interconnected by two continuous ENE-striking dextral fracture zones. Abundant signs of recent sinistral strike-slips within the rock massif represent a bold structural feature of the cave. Along with DEM imaging and a detailed survey of the cave, 2-D and 3-D ERT measurements completed an image of the main predispositions and revealed the internal structure of the slope deformation. These measures also detected unknown crevices above the existing headscarp, which indicate the retrograde evolution of the landslide. Methodologically, we used the 3-D electrical resistivity tomography in the incoherent sedimentary flysch rocks for the first time. Based on radiocarbon dating of the stalactite core, the minimum age of the cave is up to 19,900 +/- 280 cal BP, which is the oldest age detected in the area of the Outer Flysch Carpathians so far; we thoroughly discuss further indirect evidence indicating a probable Late Pleistocene age of the cave.Web of Science47339237

Structure of Carbon Materials Explored by Local Transmission Electron Microscopy and Global Powder Diffraction Probes

Transmission electron microscopy and neutron or X-ray diffraction are powerful techniques available today for characterization of the structure of various carbon materials at nano and atomic levels. They provide complementary information but each one has advantages and limitations. Powder X-ray or neutron diffraction measurements provide structural information representative for the whole volume of a material under probe but features of singular nano-objects cannot be identified. Transmission electron microscopy, in turn, is able to probe single nanoscale objects. In this review, it is demonstrated how transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray and neutron diffraction methods complement each other by providing consistent structural models for different types of carbons such as carbon blacks, glass-like carbons, graphene, nanotubes, nanodiamonds, and nanoonions

Estimation of the chemical specific surface area of catalytic nanoparticles by TEM images analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this article is the development of quantitative methods for assessing the quality of nanocomposite materials used in fuel cells. Design/methodology/approach: latinum is the most commonly used catalyst in fuel cells, commonly in the form of nanoparticles deposited on the surface of carbon black. Due to the nanometric size of platinum particles, transmission electron microscopy can be applied to evaluate the produced catalysts. TEM image also allow to determinate the approximate value of the chemical specific surface area) of platinum nanoparticles, but only in case of spherical particles. Findings: In present work, taking into account additional assumptions resulting directly from the analysis of microscopic images, the method of estimation of the particle diameter and the chemical specific surface area for nonsymmetrical (elongated) nanoparticles is present. Research limitations/implications: The presented work presents a method for determining the specific surface of platinum, when their shape is elongated. It is worth noting that the modified formulas for determining the particle diameter and the value of the chemically active specific surface of the platinum nanoparticles of the elongated shape are equivalent to the formulas previously given for spherical particles, if the particle length and its diameter are equal. In this case, patterns for symmetric particles and more general (modified) patterns can be used interchangeably. Practical implications: Development of new and more effective catalysts for fuel cells. Originality/value: The significance of the presented work results from the possibility of using the described method in the catalyst studies during real catalytic processes. It allows comparing catalytic activity after the process, also in unusual conditions and in an aggressive environment, using minimal amounts of material

The human bone oxygen isotope ratio changes with aging

The oxygen isotope ratio (\delta^{18}O) in tissues is the outcome of both climatic and geographical factors in a given individual’s place of abode, as well as the physiology and metabolism of his organism. During an individual’s life, various rates and intensities of physiological and metabolic processes are observable in the organism, also within the bone tissue. The aim of this study is to verify whether involutional changes occurring as a result of the organism’s ageing have a significant impact on \delta^{18}O determined in the bone tissue. The material used for analysis was fragments of the long bones taken from 65 people, (11 children and 54 adults), whose remains had been uncovered at the early mediaeval (X-XI century) cemetery located at the Main Market Square in Kraków (Poland). The correlation analysis between \delta^{18}O of bone tissue and an individual’s age shows that up to 40 years of age, such a relationship does not exist in both, males and females. However, the conducted correlation analysis prompted the observation that after 40 years of life, \delta^{18}O in bone tissue significantly drops as females increase in age. Results suggest that the\delta^{18}O in bone tissue among older people may be the outcome not only of environmental factors but also involutional changes in bone linked to an organism’s ageing. Therefore, the interpretation of \delta^{18}O results relating to the description of the origin and migrations of older individuals should be treated with caution

Oxygen isotopic fractionation in rat bones as a result of consuming thermally processed water : bioarchaeological applications

Stable isotope analyses of oxygen are used in anthropology for such purposes as determi-nation of origin of individuals, tracking migration routes or dynamics of human community reloca-tion. The methodology related to oxygen isotope analysis has been founded on the relationship between its isotopic composition within phosphate groups of bone tissue (\delta^{18}O_{p}) in individuals being analysed and the water consumed by such individuals (\delta^{18}O_{w}). Such a relationship has been observed in many species of mammals, including humans. However, the influence of culinary practices on the isotopic delta values of apatite phosphates of individuals has not yet been researched. The present study, which was conducted using laboratory rats, is an investigation of the influence of the thermal processing of water drank by such rats on the isotopic composition (\delta^{18}O_{p}) of bone apatite. Increasing the value of the isotopic composition of water by about 6.1 ‰ during boiling resulted in an increase in the oxygen isotopic value \delta^{18}O_{p} of rats drinking the water by about 4 ‰ (29%). It can be expected that regular consumption of heavily isotopic drinks and foods by humans may cause the \delta^{18}O_{p} of individuals to exceed the range of isotopic environmental variability, even by a few per mille

Genesis of iron and manganese sediments in Zoloushka Cave (Ukraine/Moldova) as revealed by δ13C organic carbon

Zoloushka Cave is one of the largest maze gypsum caves in the world. Mining of the gypsum bedrock and lowering of the water level due to the pumping of groundwater led to exposure of the cave passages to vadose conditions and changed the hydrochemistry of the karst water. As a result, large quantities of Fe and Mn hydroxides were deposited in the passages. It was found that at least two groups of various organisms were involved in depositing ferrous and manganese sediments. In order to establish the mechanism of deposition, we conducted chemical analyses of the sediments and isotopic analyses of organic carbon. This enabled us to formulate a hypothetical model of the biogenic deposition of Fe and Mn compounds. According to the model, autotrophic iron bacteria precipitated Fe hydroxides. Organisms of this type assimilate CO2 from cave atmospheres and, as a result of isotopic fractionation during that process, organic matter in 13C is depleted by 7.3‰ relative to CO2. Heterotrophic bacteria (responsible for depositing manganese oxides) parasitise on autotrophic bacteria without changing the carbon isotope composition of organic matter. Fungal organisms living in ferrous sediments separate carbon from organic matter, resulting in enrichment with the heavier carbon isotope by 2‰

Control of arms of au stars size and its dependent cytotoxicity and photosensitizer effects in photothermal anticancer therapy

Gold nanostars (AuS NPs) are a very attractive nanomaterial, which is characterized by high effective transduction of the electromagnetic radiation into heat energy. Therefore, AuS NPs can be used as photosensitizers in photothermal therapy (PTT). However, understanding the photothermal conversion efficiency in nanostars is very important to select the most appropriate shape and size of AuS NPs. Therefore, in this article, the synthesis of AuS NPs with different lengths of star arms for potential application in PTT was investigated. Moreover, the formation mechanism of these AuS NPs depending on the reducer concentration is proposed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with selected area diffraction (SEAD) and X-ray diffraction (X-Ray) showed that all the obtained AuS NPs are crystalline and have cores with similar values of the diagonal (parameter d), from 140 nm to 146 nm. However, the widths of the star arm edges (parameter c) and the lengths of the arms (parameter a) vary between 3.75 nm and 193 nm for AuS1 NPs to 6.25 nm and 356 nm for AuS4 NPs. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra revealed that, with increasing edge widths and lengths of the star arms, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak is shifted to the higher wavelengths, from 640 nm for AuS1 NPs to 770 nm for AuS4 NPs. Moreover, the increase of temperature in the AuS NPs solutions as well as the values of calculated photothermal efficiency grew with the elongation of the star arms. The potential application of AuS NPs in the PTT showed that the highest decrease of viability, around 75%, of cells cultured with AuS NPs and irradiated by lasers was noticed for AuS4 NPs with the longest arms, while the smallest changes were visible for gold nanostars with the shortest arms. The present study shows that photothermal properties of AuS NPs depend on edge widths and lengths of the star arms and the values of photothermal efficiency are higher with the increase of the arm lengths, which is correlated with the reducer concentration

Evolution of glassy carbon under heat treatment : correlation structure-mechanical properties

In order to accommodate an increasing demand for glassy carbon products with tailored characteristics, one has to understand the origin of their structure-related properties. In this work, through the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy it has been demonstrated that the structure of glassy carbon at different stages of the carbonization process resembles the curvature observed in fragments of nanotubes, fullerenes, or nanoonions. The measured nanoindentation hardness and reduced Young’s modulus change as a function of the pyrolysis temperature from the range of 600–2500 °C and reach maximum values for carbon pyrolyzed at around 1000 °C. Essentially, the highest values of the mechanical parameters for glassy carbon manufactured at that temperature can be related to the greatest amount of non-planar sp2-hybridized carbon atoms involved in the formation of curved graphene-like layers. Such complex labyrinth- like structure with sp2-type bonding would be rigid and hard to break that explains the glassy carbon high strength and hardness

Multiproxy study of anthropogenic and climatic changes in the last two millennia from a small mire in central Poland

The Żabieniec kettle hole is the first peatland in central Poland analyzed quantitatively with four biotic proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, testate amoebae and chironomids) to reconstruct the past environmental change. Palaeoecological data were supported by historical and archaeological records. We focused on autogenic vegetation change and human impact in relation to climatic effects. The aims of our study were (a) to describe the development history of the mire during the last 2,000years, (b) to date and reconstruct the anthropogenic land-use changes and (c) to discuss a possible climatic signal in the peat archive. The combination of proxies revealed dramatic shifts that took place in the peatland since the Roman Period. Żabieniec was a very wet telmatic habitat until ca. AD 600. Then, the water table declined, and the site transformed into a Sphagnum-dominated mire. This dry shift took place mainly during the Early Medieval Period. Human impact was gradually increasing, and it was particularly emphasized by deforestation since AD 1250 (beginning of the Late Medieval Period). Consequently, surface run-off and aeolian transport from the exposed soils caused the eutrophication of the mire. Furthermore, chironomids and testate amoebae reveal the beginning of a wet shift ca. AD 1350. Openness considerably increased in the Late Medieval and the Modern Periods. The highest water table during the last 1,000years was recorded between AD 1500 and 1800. This wet event is connected with deforestation, but it could be also associated with the Little Ice Age. Our study shows plant succession in the Żabieniec peatland, which can be explained with the recent landscape transformation. However, such changes are also possibly linked with the major climatic episodes during the last two millennia, such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Ag

Evaluation of Bacterial Adhesion to the ZrO2 Atomic Layer Deposited on the Surface of Cobalt-Chromium Dental Alloy Produced by DMLS Method

The main purpose of the research was to analyze the influence of surface modification of the cobalt-based alloy used in dental prosthetics by applying zirconium oxide (ZrO2) layers using the ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method. The samples were made using the DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) technique, and their surfaces were prepared in accordance with the principles of removable partial dentures (RPDs). A 50 nm-thick zirconium oxide coating was applied to the prepared substrates. This paper deals with the issues of prosthetic stomatopathy, which is a complex of pathological changes occurring in approx. 40% of the Polish population using removable dentures. Often, these changes, occurring on the mucosa, are related to improper performance, allergic reactions or the multiplication of bacteria on the surface of partial dentures. An innovative method of surface modification was proposed, together with the analysis of its influence on the physicochemical properties of the alloy and the adhesion of bacteria to the surface