Andrzej Kuczumow

• PhD
• Professor Emeritus at ComerLab Dorota Nowak Radawiec Duży 196 21-030 Motycz Poland

This study primarily focused on the acid erosion of enamel and dentin. A detailed examination of the X-ray diffraction data proves that the products of the acid-caused decay of enamel belong to the family of isomorphic bioapatites, especially calcium-deficient hydroxyapatites. They are on a trajectory towards less and less crystallized substances....

Wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (WD‐XRF) is a somewhat conservative technique, staying in one raw with the traditional X‐ray diffraction method. It seems even unfashionable to apply such heavy, huge, energy‐consuming, and totally costly instruments nowadays. Nevertheless, the good stability and easy quantification give that method the prev...

The matter constituting the enamels of four types of organisms was studied. The variability of the ions was presented in molar units. It was proven that the changes in water contents of the enamel are significantly positively related to changes in Mg; inversely, there is also a strong connection with changes in Ca and P, the main components of bioa...

The introduction of the notion of energy change resulting from the ion exchange in apatites leads to the question: how can some simple isomorphic series be described using the mentioned idea? We concentrated on the simple isomorphic series of compounds: apatite, bioapatite, calcite, aragonite, celestine, K-, Zn- and Cu-Tutton’s salts. It was demons...

The chemical composition and structure of bamboo octocoral Keratoisis spp. skeletons were investigated by using: Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM, Raman Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction XRD, Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma LA-ICP, and amino acid analyzers. Elements discovered in the nodes (mainly organic parts of the skeleton) of bamboo cora...

Developments in the field of nanostructures open new ways for designing and manufacturing innovative materials. Here, we focused on new original ways of calculating energy changes during the substitution of foreign ions into the structure of apatites and bioapatites. Using these tools, the energetic costs of ion exchanges were calculated for the ex...

Apatites are one of the most intensively studied materials for possible biomedical applications. New perspectives of possible application of apatites correspond with the development of nanomaterials and nanocompounds. Here, an effort to systematize different kinds of human bioapatites forming bones, dentin, and enamel was undertaken. The precursors...

New types of biological apatites have been discovered in molar sheep and horse teeth and are divided in two types. In the first and more general type, the release of Mg ions is parallel to the changes in composition of apatite leading to a final stoichiometric ratio of Ca to P ions, going from dentin depth towards the boundary of enamel with air. I...

The dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) is known for its special role in teeth. Several techniques were applied for the investigation of the DEJ in human sound molar teeth. The electron (EPMA) and proton (PIXE) microprobes gave consistent indications about the variability of elemental concentrations on this boundary. The locally increased and oscillating...

A series of linear profiles of the elements of the enamel in human molar teeth were made with the use of an electron microprobe and a Raman microscope. It is postulated that the enamel can be treated as the superposition of variable “overbuilt” enamel on the stable “core” enamel at the macro-, micro- and nanoscale level. The excessive values charac...

Due to the increasing of the price of different materials and resource saving it is very promising to develop technology of creation cheap coatings with specified properties. We developed a diffusion-doped powder based on austenitic steels for producing plasma-sprayed coatings. In comparison with Ni-based powders our materials have better adhesion,...

Water soluble polysaccharides (WSP) were isolated from Lentinus edodes fruiting bodies. The mushrooms were previously subjected to various processing techniques which included blanching, boiling, and fermenting with lactic acid bacteria. Therefore, the impact of processing on the content and biological activities of WSP was established. Non-process...

Application of positron annihilation spectroscopy using a variable-energy slow positron beam (VESPB) as a key experimental tool to understand ion-induced processes and defect structures in a number of polymer composite materials important for a practical use is demonstrated. The results concerning 40 keV B⁺ implanted polymethylmethacrylate (B:PMMA)...

For the enamel and dentin of porcine primary molar teeth, the spatial variability of the elements and chemical groups was studied with the aim of identifying the chemistry of porcine teeth, and it was then compared with results for human primary teeth. Porcine teeth were taken from specially bred animals. An electron microprobe was applied for the...

Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies were subjected to processing: blanching, boiling in water and blanching followed by lactic acid fermentation. Water soluble polysaccharides were obtained from fruiting bodies, quantified and analysed in terms of chemical composition, antioxidant capacity and antiproliferative activity towards cancer cell lines (MCF...

In this paper authors overviewed the most important stages of ceramics production process which give significant influence on final properties of product. Often density and porosity on the all producing stages determines exploitation ceramics properties. A calculation method for fractions ratio selection which provides optimal density is suggested...

The Doppler broadening slow positron beam spectroscopy (SPBS) data for the previously observed effect of carbonization in high-dose (>10¹⁶ ion/cm²) 40 keV boron-ion-implanted polymethylmethacrylate (B:PMMA) and another one obtained for the effect of formation of metal nanoparticles in high-dose 30 keV silver-ion-implanted polymer (Ag:PMMA) are comp...

Water soluble polysaccharides (WSP) were isolated from processed and non-processed fruiting bodies of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). The processing methods involved: blanching, boiling and blanching followed by fermenting with a strain of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum). The yields of WSP ranged from 78.7 ± 1.5 mg/g to 120.1...

Część I. Ekologizm Zdzisława Piątek (Uniwersytet Jagielloński), Ekologiczny pakt z naturą, jego uwarunkowania i konsekwencje Dariusz Liszewski (Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski), Ekologiczna wizja świata Piotr Skubała (Uniwersytet Śląski), Wokół tajemnicy życia na Ziemi Andrzej Kuczumow (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski), Ekologia a katastrofy Zbigniew...

Recently it has been shown that very deep lesions, extending through the enamel into the dentin, can still be remineralized when brought into contact with a mineralizing agent. Biodentine is a calcium silicate based dentin substitute recommended to use in dentistry for direct and indirect pulp capping, perforations, apexification and retrograde roo...

"Legal highs" known also as "smarts", "legal drugs" or "boosters" contain in their composition psychoactive substances the production, sale and possession of which are not prohibited in legislation. They are offered for sale under the cover of collectors' items, a salt bath, aroma sticks, or plant fertilizer. Marketing was the reason for such high...

Objective: The aim of the study was to collect the linear scans along the selected directions on the longitudinal cross-section of human molars. Method: The scans were led starting from the tooth surface, passing the whole enamel, next Dentin-Enamel Junction (DEJ), next dentin on the distance twice so long as the distance inside the enamel. The i...

Raman microscopy enables the delimitation of the dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) in human and animal teeth, by using, e.g., the 1 oscillations of PO43- (960 cm-1) for the boundary with the enamel and of stretching modes for C-H2 (~2935 cm-1) for the boundary with the dentin and it can be strictly compared with the optical image of DEJ. In this way, o...

The aim of a recent paper was to recognize the chemical and structural changes in apatites, which form both the enamel and the dentin of the human tooth. The aim was achieved by scrutinizing the linear elemental profiles along the cross-sections of human molar teeth. Essentially, the task was accomplished with the application of the Electron Probe...

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an amine fluoride dentifrice and dental rinse to occlude dentine tubules, and to characterize the nature of the occlusion in an in-vitro study. Methods: Human dentin samples from unerupted third molars were prepared into 1.5 mm dentinal discs with a diamond saw, and etched. The...

The elemental profiles along the molar teeth of several mammals: sheep, horse, dog and buffalo were studied and compared with human ones. Objectives: The main aim was to reveal if the apatite material of enamel and dentin is chemically identical in mammal teeth and how it obeys the internal transformations inside teeth. Methods: The scanning electr...

. Wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence can be characterized by its advantages and drawbacks. Unbeaten spectral resolution in a range below 5 keV, good operational stability, excellent ability of making averaged analysis, and good presentation of peak shape which gives the basis for the chemical speciation are the advantages. Among the drawback...

Objective: The main aim of the work was to understand the chemical and structural changes in the enamel apatites along the width of the enamel zone. To characterize the overbuilt enamel, the excessive elemental concentrations and mechanical parameters were attributed to this zone, being the differences between real values and those imposed on the c...

The bone fragments of the Australopithecus Africanus from the dolomitic cave in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa have been studied by the use of several spectral techniques. The aim was to establish their degree of preservation and possibilities of inferring the life conditions from them. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the transformation...

Cuttlebone exhibiting high compressive strength is a very interesting material from the biomimetic materials' technology point of view. Its microstructure and chemical composition were characterized by complementary analytical techniques. Structural features of the skeleton were revealed by SEM, micro-Raman, FT-IR and XRD measurements. XRD analyses...

Black corals (Cnidaria, Antipatharia) from three different sources were investigated with the aim of detecting inorganic components and their morphology. In general, the skeleton of black corals was composed of the chitin fibrils admixed with peptides and the chitin presence was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared...

Important bioinorganic objects, both living and fossilized are as a rule characterized by a complex microscopic structure. For biological samples, the cell-like and laminar as well as growth ring structures are among most significant. Moreover, these objects belong to a now widely studied category of biominerals with composite, inorganic-organic st...

Dental enamel has been widely studied by particle-induced x-ray emission (PIXE), but less attention was paid to its demineralization, which leads to caries formation. Using broad-beam PIXE and µ-PIXE, we investigated normal enamel and the in vitro formation of pre-carious lesion in lactic acid solution, aiming also to evaluate intercusp differences...

Among all of X-ray capillaries, those produced from metals attract special attention due to their specific advantages: less severe limitations on the value of the critical reflection angle, better control of the capillary shape, the maintenance of the straight main axis. The metallic, single bounce capillaries with gold and rhodium internal surface...

Among all the fossils, petrified wood belongs to the most impressive and most common of materials. Still, its study has not exceeded the purely phenomenological level. The recognition of the conserved structure of petrified wood seems to be of meaning for understanding the geological past, the complete carbon cycle inside the Earth, and the structu...

A calcite deposit (stalagmite) from the Godarville tunnel (Belgium) was investigated by the use of x-ray and electron microprobes in order to detect any seasonal variations present in the chemical data and to make a comparison with meteorological data. The uniqueness of this speleothem system is that it is human constructed, controlled from the chr...

In our previous contributions [R. Mroczka, G. Żukociński, A. Kuczumow, J. Alloys Compd. 362 (2004) 88–95; R. Mroczka, G. Żukociński, A. Kuczumow, Geometrical description of the X-ray capillary and total reflection mirror surfaces with assumed reflection features, J. Alloys Compd. 382 (2004) 311–319], we solved the problem of analytical description...

The distribution of about twenty inorganic elements was traced in the skeletons of black corals of the Antipathes salix species. Electron microprobe and PIXE mappings revealed the peculiar structure of this material, composed of the large cells (arranged in annual rings), surrounded by thin layers with an elevated level of iodine (up to 5%). Our cu...

Special kinds of petrified wood of complex structure were investigated. All the samples were composed of at least two different inorganic substances. The original cell structure was preserved in each case. The remnants of the original biological material were detected in some locations, especially in the cell walls. The complex inorganic structure...

The geometrical description of the capillary systems adjusted for controlled guiding of X-rays is presented. Simple relationships between the reflection angle ϑ, the angle α of the capillary wall inclination with respect to the capillary main axis and the angle γ of the ray inclination in relation to the main axis are proved. Once established, the...

The possibilities of examining patterned natural and mineralised biological objects, using X-ray synchrotron facilities, complemented by electron microprobe and optical analysis are reviewed. The objects under investigation include: petrified wood, speleothems, corals, shells of molluscs and remains of belemnites. All those objects have important i...

Three representative samples of petrified wood were investigated: wood from King George Island, Antarctica; wood from Bio-Bio province, middle Chile and wood from Łuków, Poland. Microdiffraction measurements of the Chilean and Łuków wood were made at LURE. Chilean and Antarctic samples were permineralised by silica material, but the share of undefi...

Using the methods of geometrical optics, different cases for allowed X-ray trajectories in single capillaries are studied and it is proved that they cannot be described by the same sets of equations. Three main cases should be considered. In two cases, the test X-rays strike both sides of the capillary upon passing, be the second wall convex or con...

Rostra (bullet-shaped internal shells) of two species of belemnites: Belemnopsis sp. (from Bathonian Stage sediments ∼161–166 Ma ago) and Hibolites sp. (from Middle Oxfordian sediments ∼154–157 Ma) were investigated by the use of 1B2 microfluorescence beamline in Pohang Light Source in Korea. The cross-sections of the rostra showed an ordered struc...

A sample of stalagmite from Grotte de Villars, Dordogne, France was analyzed by the use of X-ray synchrotron microprobe in LURE, Orsay, France. Together with the signal of Ca, the main element, much weaker but clear signals of Sr, Fe, Zn and Pb were registered. The X-ray scattered radiation was applied for recognition of the annual zones in the sta...

A piece of stalagmite from a cave in Winthertore, Belgium, was analysed by the use of capillary tabletop and synchrotron versions of X-ray microprobes and then by the electron microprobe. The potential of these microprobes was tested for the first time in the study of such specific periodic objects. Indirect measurements of the morphology/density o...

Since the investigations on petrified wood performed so far have not proved the assumption that the ring structure is coupled to the changes in the crystalline form of silica, attention was paid to other possible reasons. Using small angle X-ray scattering methods we determined the Porod curves and pore size distributions for five different samples...

 The investigation of the interesting collection of the petrified wood from Bondyrz, Roztocze, south-eastern Poland, has been continued. Two kinds of microprobes such as electron microprobe from the Catholic University of Lublin and synchrotron-based X-ray microprobe from LURE, Orsay, were applied to detect the elements associated with the main com...

Pieces of petrified wood from south-eastern Poland comprising one of the greatest European collections were investigated. The age of Miocene wood was estimated at 50 million years. Taxodioxylon sequoianum Gothan. was recognised as the dominating species among the preserved samples. Silica material, basic for the petrifaction processes, was investig...

Grazing emission X-ray fluorescence analysis (GEXRF) is a new approach of X-ray fluorescence analysis to determine light elements by using very small take-off angles for the fluorescence radiation. The technique is in high demand in quantification procedures, since the two known theoretical ways of deduction do not cover all possible cases met in t...

With grazing-emission X-ray fluorescence, the opposite principle of total reflection X-ray fluorescence is utilized. Instead of a ≈0°/90° (incident beam/take-off angle) geometry, a ≈90°/≈0° geometry should be applied. This renders it possible to increase the determined range of elements to elements with the characteristic radiation of longer wavele...

Information included in auxiliary signals, i.e. incoherently and coherently scattered signals and transmitted beam intensities in x-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), a selected channel in the scattered white synchrotron radiation and in the contents of selected bremsstrahlung channels in electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), can be extracted and expl...

The probability density functions Phi(rho z) for electrons, positrons and protons as well as for the ionizations [phi(rho z)] caused in the samples by the primary beams of the above mentioned particles have been studied. All of the dependencies obey Weibullean statistics. It has been shown that the probability density functions for the distribution...

An x-ray microprobe was used to perform both linear and area scans of wood material from PolishPinus silvestris. The investigation revealed variations in behaviour and distribution for different chemical elements. Univalent cations and anions generally show a very irregular distribution in wood which is difficult to associate with any known structu...

An X-ray capillary microprobe was applied to the investigation of Pinus silvestris wood from Polish forests. The micrometre range of the microprobe gave an insight into the wood sub-ring structure. The use of transmitted and scattered radiation permitted the detailed tracing of the subtle changes in the density of the wood. The changes in density w...

The rules are presented which enable to create phi(rhoz) curves from very simple mathematical functions. Among them the Weibull function carries physical meaning for its connection with electron beam attenuation rules. In such approach phi(rhoz) curve can be described by the homogeneous linear differential equation of the second order, the same whi...

The basic definitions of spectral resolution are considered. To the authors' knowledge, the most complete com-pilation of data on the spectral resolution of different elements of spectrometers is given, with careful comparisons.

A new approach to problems associated with enhancement effects in XRF analysis, and by analogy to analysis by electron microprobe and PIXE, is discussed. The concept of enhancement as ‘relative excess absorption’ is introduced. This concept allows an arrangement of mass balances in which the concentration of any given element may be derived explici...

This paper uses already available concentration correction equations for fluorescent and scattered radiations to determine the concentration detection limits for any given element in X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Furthermore, an expression is derived for estimating the contributions of both Compton and Rayleigh scattered radiation to the background. Fr...

Given good concentration correction equations, which take first order matrix effects into account, and for either monochromatic or polychromatic excitation, it is possible to derive simple concentration correction equations that take into account third order effects. These improvements are fully additive to the common concentration correction equat...

Particular attention is paid to the fact that both fundamental parameter equations and concentration correction equations derived from these are a function of all the elements present in the sample. Consequently any concentration correction equation created on the basis of spectral data relating to a single element may be used for the determination...

Since, in previous work, it was possible to derive the concentration correction equations from the fundamental parameter equations for the fluorescent X-ray radiation, a similar trial was performed for the coherently and Compton scattered radiations. The derived equations can be named “concentration correction equations for scattered radiation”. Th...

This paper considers some limiting values of matrix effects on the basis of the version of the Shiraiwa and Fujino equation which takes into account matrix effects, expressed explicitly. It has been proved that one can obtain the limiting values of absorption and enhancement effects in those cases in which the concentration of the matrix element j...

Certain concentration correction equations are considered as a consequence of the Shiraiwa and Fujino equation. Particular correction equations are related to special physical cases. A set of differential equations, derived on the ground of Claisse's considerations, co-exist with the set of classic correction equations. The mutual relations between...

The matrix effects which exist in x-ray fluorescence analysis are considered, Shiraiwa and Fujino equations being the initial point of these considerations. Matrix effects are divided into two groups: simple and so-called unusual. Among the simple ones, absorption and enhancement effects are considered. New concepts of ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ abs...

Objectives: Together with optical, chemical and mechanical changes in the dentin-enamel junction and surrounding zones on the enamel and dentin, the orientation variations in the same zones attract the interest. The orientation effects concern both the c axis of the hydroxyapatite crystallites and the main axis of collagen fibrils. The microRaman m...