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Questions for EPM defense 12/5/2015
Questions for the general course:
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Describe the bubble mediated selection of matter in the water column.
What happens when an individual bubble bursts at the water surface?
Describe the mechanisms of pollution accumulation at the sea surface.
Describe the influence of rain on the production and vertical distribution of sea salt
aerosol.
5. Discuss the solubility of CO2 in oceanic water. What effects will increasing CO2 levels
have on aquatic life? Why?
6. What influences do wind generators have on the environment? How can these be
mitigated?
7. Describe the gaseous mercury exchange in the Baltic Sea.
8. Discuss the future of electricity generation in Poland? What options does the country
have?
9. How are fuels for heating compared?
10. How much carbon dioxide is produced by burning coal, gasoline and natural gas?
11. What is shale gas and why is it important? How is shale gas extracted?
12. How is nuclear waste managed and disposed? What options for nuclear waste disposal
exist?
13. Discuss the degradation of polymer materials. What structural aspects influence this
degradation?
14. How may polymer material be more sustainable?
15. What is the environmental significance of microplastics?
16. Describe the main types of microscopy and their applications.
17. What are the principles of staining: negative, positive, simple and complex staining, the
procedure of Gram staining?
18. What methods exist of physical sterilization methods and how do they differ from
chemical disinfectants. What is the mode of action?
19. What are the main factors influencing microbial growth. Describe the phases of
microbial growth.
20. Differentiate the functional anatomy of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
21. What are the molecules of life and what is their biological functions: water, amino acids,
peptides and proteins, nucleotides and nucleic acids, carbohydrates, fats, lipids.
22. Describe gene transfer (horizontal and vertical) and gene expression.
23. What are the main biogeochemical cycles and what is the role of microorganisms in
these cycles?
24. What is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and describe the principle and
application?
25. What is ELISA? Please describe the principle and application
26. How are bacteria classified?
27. What are Koch's postulates and their implications in diagnostics of infectious diseases
28. What are nosocomial infections?
29. Describe the principles of atomic adsorption spectroscopy. What advantages and
limitations does the method have?
30. What is the difference between reverse and normal phase liquid chromatography? How
would you separate a stereoisomer?
31. Describe the principles of the Gram staining procedure
32. What is catalysis? Outline using the example of the Haber-Bosch process.
33. Describe how to calculate the heat of a chemical reaction?
34. Describe how to decide whether, at specific conditions, if a chemical reaction is
spontaneous?
35. Explain basic concepts of chemical kinetics: reaction rate, reaction order, rate law,
elementary (simple) reaction, complex reaction.
36. How can one transform the rate law into integrated rate law? What is the practical
meaning of the latter?
37. What is the practical meaning of the electrochemical series?
38. What are the measurement techniques to determine pollution discharge?
39. Outline the basic types of hydro-engineering structures and their function.
40. What is global warming? What is a runaway greenhouse effect? What are the
consequences?
Questions for the Specialty:
41. What is eutrophication, and how can a lake which has been eutrophicated be
remediated?
42. What is the principle of separation of gas chromatography? Why does the flow rate
decrease with increasing temperature?
43. What is an ionic liquid? Why does an ionic liquid have negligible vapor pressure?
44. What are the principles of chromatograph? Differentiate between gas, liquid, and size
exclusion chromatography.
45. Describe the principle of froth flotation. What property allows minerals to be separated?
How is this property altered?
46. What is the cation exchange capacity, and how can it be determined? Why is it an
important property in for a landfill barrier?
47. What are marker genes? What function do they serve?
48. What parameters are important for exploitation of solar radiation?
49. How are photovoltaic solar cells produced and what features do they have?
50. How can carbon dioxide from industrial processes be captured? Describe several
methods.