Synergistic Self-Healing Enhancement in Multifunctional Silicone Elastomers and Their Application in Smart Materials.

Organosilicon polymers (silicones) are of enduring interest both as an established branch of polymer chemistry and as a segment of commercial products. Their unique properties were exploited in a wide range of everyday applications. However, current silicone trends in chemistry and materials engineering are focused on new smart applications, including stretchable electronics, wearable stress sensors, protective coatings, and soft robotics.

Eugenol-Based Polymeric Materials-Antibacterial Activity and Applications.

Eugenol (4-Allyl-2-methoxy phenol) (EUG) is a plant-derived allyl chain-substituted guaiacol, widely known for its antimicrobial and anesthetic properties, as well as the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species. It is typically used as a mixture with zinc oxide (ZOE) for the preparation of restorative tooth fillings and treatment of root canal infections. However, the high volatility of this insoluble-in-water component of natural essential oils can be an obstacle to its wider application.

Self-Healing Antimicrobial Silicones-Mechanisms and Applications.

Organosilicon polymers (silicones) are an important part of material chemistry and a well-established commercial product segment with a wide range of applications. Silicones are of enduring interest due to their unique properties and utility. Recently, new application areas for silicone-based materials have emerged, such as stretchable electronics, wearable stress sensors, smart coatings, and soft robotics.

Hybrid Perovskite-Based Materials Modified with Polyhedral Silsesquioxanes-Structure and Properties.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) and hybrid organo-halide perovskites are two important types of hybrid nanoscale frameworks with great potential in materials chemistry. Both are currently under intensive investigation for a wide range of possible applications. Recent results suggest that POSS can be attractive passivating and structure-controlling agents for perovskite materials.

Hybrid Bio-Based Silicone Coatings with Anti-adhesive Properties.

Hybrid polysiloxanes and polysilsesquioxanes grafted with naturally occurring bioactive phytochemicals: eugenol and linalool, were synthesized and investigated with regard to their structure and properties. The two series of materials, differing in the type of inorganic structure and the content of active groups, were coated onto the surface of glass plates, and their antibiofilm activities against bacteria were assessed by luminometry and fluorescence microscopy. Bioactivity was correlated with specific properties of the hybrid coatings (chemical structure, surface free energy and adhesiveness).

Trends in Adolescent Substance Use: Analysis of HBSC Data for Four Eastern European Countries, 1994-2018.

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to analyze the trends of adolescent substance use in four eastern European countries over the time period from 1994 to 2018. The four countries in focus were selected based on their shared historical backgrounds and major economic and social transformations experienced.

Methods: Two decades (1993/1994-2017/2018) of repeated cross-sectional data from the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Polish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey were used.

Who Is Able to Resist What Is Forbidden?-The Relationship between Health Literacy and Risk Behaviours in Secondary School Students in the Broader Social and Educational Context.

In the last Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey conducted in Poland in 2018, a group of 17-year-old adolescents ( = 1663; mean age 17.63 ± 0.36 years) was included outside the international protocol.

Self-Healing Silsesquioxane-Based Materials.

This review is devoted to self-healing materials (SHM) containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) as building blocks. The synthetic approach can vary depending on the role POSS are expected to play in a given system. POSS (especially double-decker silsesquioxanes) can be grafted in side chains of a polymer backbone or used as segments of the main chain.

Phase Structure and Properties of Ternary Polylactide/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Polysilsesquioxane Blends.

Ternary blends of polylactide (PLA, 90 wt.%) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, 10 wt.%) with functionalized polysilsesquioxanes (LPSQ-R) were obtained by solution blending.

Modification of Polylactide Nonwovens with Carbon Nanotubes and Ladder Poly(silsesquioxane).

Electrospun nonwovens of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and linear ladder-like poly(silsesquioxane) with methoxycarbonyl side groups (LPSQ-COOMe) were obtained. MWCNT and LPSQ-COOMe were added to the polymer solution before the electrospinning. In addition, nonwovens of PLLA grafted to modified MWCNT were electrospun.

New Antiadhesive Hydrophobic Polysiloxanes.

Intrinsic hydrophobicity is the reason for efficient bacterial settlement and biofilm growth on silicone materials. Those unwelcomed phenomena may play an important role in pathogen transmission. We have proposed an approach towards the development of new anti-biofilm strategies that resulted in novel antimicrobial hydrophobic silicones.

Hybrid Fluorescent Poly(silsesquioxanes) with Amide- and Triazole-Containing Side Groups for Light Harvesting and Cation Sensing.

Hybrid polymers containing pyrene (Py) units bound to linear poly(silsesquioxane) (LPSQ) chains through flexible linkers containing heteroatoms (S, N, O) (LPSQ-triazole-Py and LPSQ-amide-Py) exhibit intense fluorescence emission, both in very diluted solutions (c = 10-8 mol/L) and in the solid state. The materials are thermally stable and exhibit good thin film forming abilities. Their optical and physicochemical properties were found to be strongly dependent on the structure of the side chains.

Psychosocial determinants of sexual norms and their impact on sexual debut in Polish adolescents.

Objectives: In an attempt to describe composite scales relating to sexual norms, we present their structure, psychosocial determinants, and the association with adolescent sexual initiation.

Methods: A representative sample of Polish students was surveyed in 2015 (n = 1024, mean age 17.8 ± 0.

Supramolecular Interactions in Hybrid Polylactide Blends-The Structures, Mechanisms and Properties.

The conformation of polylactide (PLA) chains can be adjusted by supramolecular interactions (the formation of hydrogen bonds or host-guest complexes) with appropriate organic molecules. The structures formed due to those intermolecular interactions may act as crystal nuclei in the PLA matrix ("soft templating"). In this review, the properties of several supramolecular nucleating systems based on synthetic organic nucleators (arylamides, hydrazides, and 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-d-sorbitol) are compared to those achieved with biobased nucleating agents (orotic acid, humic acids, fulvic acids, nanocellulose, and cyclodextrins) that can also improve the mechanical properties of PLA.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm N-acetyl-L-cysteine Grafted Siloxane Polymers with Potential for Use in Water Systems.

Antibiofilm strategies may be based on the prevention of initial bacterial adhesion, the inhibition of biofilm maturation or biofilm eradication. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), widely used in medical treatments, offers an interesting approach to biofilm destruction. However, many Eubacteria strains are able to enzymatically decompose the NAC molecule.

Poly(silsesquioxanes) and poly(siloxanes) grafted with N-acetylcysteine for eradicating mature bacterial biofilms in water environment.

Bacteria adapt to their living environment forming organised biofilms. The survival strategy makes them more resistant to disinfectants, which results in acute biofilm-caused infections, secondary water pollution by biofilm metabolites and bio-corrosion. New, efficient and environmentally friendly strategies must be developed to solve this problem.

Nanostructured surfaces by supramolecular self-assembly of linear oligosilsesquioxanes with biocompatible side groups.

Linear oligomeric silsesquioxanes with polar side moieties (e.g., carboxylic groups and derivatives of N-acetylcysteine, cysteine hydrochloride or glutathione) can form specific, self-assembled nanostructures when deposited on mica by dip coating.

[Smoking among 15-year-olds in Poland depending on selected sociodemographic factors--trends 2006-2014].

International HBSC (Health Behavior in School-aged Children) studies provide an unique opportunity to monitor trends in health behaviours. The purpose of the present study is to describe current trends in the prevalence and determinants of daily smoking among Polish adolescents. Materials and methods: Analyses were based on data from the samples of 15-year-olds who participated in the HBSC study in 2005/2006, 2009/2010 and 2013/2014 (total N = 5722).

[School performance as a mediator of the association between family affluence and risk behaviour in adolescents in Poland].

Unlabelled: It can be assumed that family socioeconomic status does affect the frequency of undertaking risk behaviours by adolescents directly or indirectly, i.e. by having impact on other proven risk factors.

Current trends in tobacco smoking among 15-year-old adolescents in Poland in the background of 30 countries.

Unlabelled: The international HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey has enabled the comparison of the patterns of changes with respect to a number of health indicators in adolescence. The aim of the study was to show international trends and how the position of Poland in international rankings of smoking prevalence has changed since 2002.

Material And Methods: The study comprised 30 countries for which data was available from four rounds of HBSC survey (2002-2014).

Supramolecular self-assembly of linear oligosilsesquioxanes on mica--AFM surface imaging and hydrophilicity studies.

Linear oligomeric [2-(carboxymethylthio)ethylsilsesquioxanes] (LPSQ-COOH) adsorb spontaneously on muscovite mica and form smooth, well-ordered lamellar structures at the liquid-solid interface. Side carboxylic groups, having donor-acceptor character with regard to hydrogen bonds, are engaged both in multipoint molecule-to-substrate interactions and intermolecular cross-linking. The unique arrangement of silsesquioxane macromolecules, with COOH groups situated at the interface with air, produces highly hydrophilic surfaces of good thermal and solvolytic stability.

Novel blends of polylactide with ethylene glycol derivatives of POSS.

Polylactide (PLA), a main biodegradable and biobased candidate for the replacement of petrochemical polymers, is stiff and brittle at room conditions. It is therefore of high interest to formulate new PLA-based materials suitable for applications demanding flexibility and toughness. In this work, novel blends of PLA with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) grafted with longer (P1) and shorter (P2) arms of ethylene glycol derivatives were prepared and studied.

[Family structure of smoking onset and regular smoking among adolescents in Poland].

The aim of the research was to present the prevalence of the regular tobacco smoking, the age of Polish adolescents' smoking onset, as well as the trends in these behaviours in 2010-2014, and to identify the fam- ily factors related to early tobacco initiation, and regular smoking. The study was conducted in 2013/2014 as a part of the HBSC--Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO collaborative cross-national study, in a representative sample of Polish students (n=4545; 2263 boys, and 2282 girls), in three age groups, in mean age 11.6; 13.

Adolescent's perception of peer substance use in relation to social relationship and the neighbourhood social capital.

The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between the perception of selected peer behaviours, social relationships and the neighbourhood social capital among 15-year-old adolescents in Poland. Research was carried out in 2010 as part of a successive series of the HBSC international studies on health behaviours in school-aged children (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: AWHO Collaborative Cross-national Study). 1551 students in the third grade of junior high schools were surveyed (762 boys and 789 girls).

[Smoking initiation and watching television, video, DVD among adolescents in Poland].

The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between smoking initiation and the time spent watching TV, video, DVD by adolescents 11, 13, and 15-year-old in Poland. The research was conducted in 2010 as a part of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO Collaborative Cross-national Study (HBSC) in a sample of 4751 students, using a standard, international HBSC questionnaire. It was found that there is a relationship between smoking attempts made by the young people and time spent watching TV during weekdays.