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Ecological viticulture represent an upward trend in many countries. Unlike conventional viticulture, it avoids the use of chemical fertilizers and other additives, minimizing the impact of chemicals on the environment and human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of nanofiltration (NF) process on volatiles and chemical composition of conventional and ecological Cabernet Sauvignon red wine. The NF process was conducted on laboratory Alfa Laval LabUnit M20 (De Danske Sukkerfabrikker, Nakskov, Denmark) equipped with six NF M20 membranes in a plate module, at two temperature regimes, with and without cooling and four pressures (2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 MPa). Different processing parameters significantly influenced the permeate flux which increased when higher pressure was applied. In initial wines and obtained retentates, volatile compounds, chemical composition and elements concentration were determined. The results showed that the higher pressure and retentate cooling was more favourable for total volatiles retention than lower pressure and higher temperature. Individual compound retention depended on its chemical properties, applied processing parameters and wine composition. Nanofiltration process resulted in lower concentrations of ethanol, acetic acid (&gt, 50%), 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol (&gt, 90%). Different composition of initial feed (conventional and ecological wine) had an important impact on retention of elements.

Recently, quantum contextuality has been proved to be the source of quantum computation&rsquo, s power. That, together with multiple recent contextual experiments, prompts improving the methods of generation of contextual sets and finding their features. The most elaborated contextual sets, which offer blueprints for contextual experiments and computational gates, are the Kochen&ndash, Specker (KS) sets. In this paper, we show a method of vector generation that supersedes previous methods. It is implemented by means of algorithms and programs that generate hypergraphs embodying the Kochen&ndash, Specker property and that are designed to be carried out on supercomputers. We show that vector component generation of KS hypergraphs exhausts all possible vectors that can be constructed from chosen vector components, in contrast to previous studies that used incomplete lists of vectors and therefore missed a majority of hypergraphs. Consequently, this unified method is far more efficient for generations of KS sets and their implementation in quantum computation and quantum communication. Several new KS classes and their features have been found and are elaborated on in the paper. Greechie diagrams are discussed.

Europe is one of the leading tourist destinations where tourism is one of the key economic sectors. The quality of bathing waters is a very important factor when choosing a vacation destination. Croatia recognized this early and was one of the first Mediterranean countries to start systematic monitoring of bathing waters. On the other hand, monitoring of inland bathing waters is relatively new and includes a much smaller number of sites (41) compared to coastal waters (894). The aim of this paper was to summarize and analyze the water quality of inland and coastal bathing sites of Croatia, closer regions (non-EU Member States) and in the EU for the last decade. The share of excellent water quality in EU Member States increased by 10.1% and 6.6% for inland and coastal waters, respectively (2011–2020). Germany recorded the highest proportion of excellent water quality for inland waters (92.2%) and Cyprus for coastal waters (99.3%). Looking at the 10-year average of the proportion of bathing waters with excellent quality, the proportion of coastal bathing sites exceeds that of inland waters by 7.1%. It is clear that additional efforts should be made to improve the management and monitoring of inland waters.

In this paper, we emphasized the dual application of Cu-modified vertically aligned TiO2 nanotube arrays as photocatalyst and a relative humidity sensor. The TiO2 nanotube arrays were obtained by anodization of the titanium layer prepared using radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) and modified with different copper concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 M) by a wet-impregnation method. The sample modified with 2 M Cu(NO3)2 solution showed the highest efficiency for the NH3 photocatalytic degradation and the most pronounced humidity response in comparison to the other studied samples. In order to investigate the structure and impact of Cu modification, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used. The photocatalytic activity and the kinetic study of ammonia oxidation were studied in a mini-photocatalytic wind tunnel reactor (MWPT), while relative humidity sensing was examined by impedance spectroscopy (IS). Higher NH3 oxidation was a direct consequence of the increased generation of •OH radicals obtained by a more efficient photogenerated charge separation, which is correlated with the increase in the DC conductivity.

CaCO3 precipitation is physical-chemical basis of biomineral formation of hard tissue (shells, skeletons) in marine calcifying organisms (=biomineralization). Processes controlling biomineralization are still not fully clarified, so the study of influence of pH on basic processes of CaCO3 precipitation should contribute to better understanding of biomineralization under climate change. This paper reports on the effect of initial pH (pH0) and type of stirring (mechanical and magnetical) on spontaneous precipitation and phase composition, size and morphology of spontaneously precipitated CaCO3 formed at the identical initial supersaturation, ionic strength and a(Ca2+)/a(CO32−) ratio. The initial pH varied in a range 8.50 ≤ pH0 ≤ 10.50 and included values relevant for mimicking the conditions related to biomineralization in marine organisms. In all systems two CaCO3 polymorphs were found: calcite and/or vaterite. The increase of pH0 favoured the formation of rhombohedral calcite no matter the type of stirring. This was exclusively influenced by the systems’ pH0 (other relevant initial parameters were identical). Furthermore, increase of pH0 caused change of vaterite morphology from cauliflower-like spheroids to regular spherulites. The mechanically stirred systems produced larger calcite and vaterite particles and higher content of calcite.

Research over the past decade has indicated that melanocortin peptides are potent inhibitors of inflammation and a promising source of new anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective therapies. The purpose of the present paper is to compare protective effects of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone on acetaminophen induced liver lesions in male CBA mice. Acetaminophen was applied intragastrically in a dose of 150 mg/kg, and tested substances were applied intraperitoneally 1 hour before acetaminophen. Mice were sacrificed after 24 hours and intensity of liver injury was estimated by measurement of plasma transaminase activity (AST and ALT) and histopathological grading of lesions. It was found that alpha-, beta-, and gamma-MSH decrease intensity of lesions by both criteria in a dose-dependent manner.