INOVACIJE I PREPREKE U TRANSFERU TEHNOLOGIJE U NOVIM ČLANICAMA EU, POSEBNO U SLOVAČKOJ

The performance of European Union in terms of R&D investment, innovations, and educational attainments generally lags behind that of its main competitors - the United States and Japan. Within the EU, the new member states from Central and Eastern Europe belong to the group of moderate innovators. As technology is the key component of the innovation system of the 2nd generation, this paper is dedicated to discussing the methods of technology transfer applied by innovation leaders in the EU (e.g. Germany or Finland) and to identifying the factors that may represent the main stumbling blocks in the way of more effective innovation procedures in the new member states (e.g. Governments´ preferences for FDI that is attracted by the relatively cheap and skilled labour force; investors´ preferences for using know-how developed in their home countries; the absence of venture capital available for R&D and technology transfers, etc.). As the situation in the new member states begins to change - wages are growing and the countries are building new research infrastructure with the help of the EU funds - a new innovation and TT paradigm enters the stage. We discuss the ways of coping with these new challenges – such as better governance in the field of patents, extended education of students in the field of innovative competences and entrepreneurial skills, deeper understanding of the operations of industry technology transfer organizations and improved access to venture capital.Učinkovitost Europske unije u smislu istraživanja i razvoja, inovacija i pohađanja obrazovnih institucija uglavnom zaostaje za glavnim konkurentima - Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama i Japanom. Unutar EU-a, nove države članice iz srednje i istočne Europe pripadaju u skupinu umjerenih inovatora. Kako je tehnologija ključna komponenta u inovacijskom sustavu 2. generacije, ovaj članak je posvećen raspravi o metodama transfera tehnologije koje primjenjuju inovacijski lideri u EU (npr. Njemačka i Finska) i identificiranje čimbenika koji mogu predstavljati glavni kamen spoticanja u načinu učinkovitijih inovacijskih postupaka u novim članicama EU (npr. sklonosti vlada za izravnim stranim ulaganjima koja privlači relativno jeftinu i kvalificiranu radnu snagu; sklonosti investitora za korištenjem know-how razvijen u svojim matičnim zemljama, izostanak rizičnog kapitala na raspolaganju za istraživanje i razvoj i transfer tehnologija, itd.). Kao što se situacija u novim državama članicama počinje mijenjati - plaće rastu i zemalje grade novu istraživačku infrastrukturu uz pomoć EU fondova – nove inovacije i TT paradigme ulaze na pozornicu. Raspravlja se o načinima suočavanja s novim izazovima - kao što su bolje upravljanje u području patenata, prošireno obrazovanje učenika u području inovativnih kompetencija i poduzetničkih vještina, dublje razumijevanje o poslovanju industrije za transfer tehnologije i poboljšanje pristupa kapitalu

INOVACIJE I PREPREKE U TRANSFERU TEHNOLOGIJE U NOVIM ČLANICAMA EU, POSEBNO U SLOVAČKOJ

The performance of European Union in terms of R&D investment, innovations, and educational attainments generally lags behind that of its main competitors - the United States and Japan. Within the EU, the new member states from Central and Eastern Europe belong to the group of moderate innovators. As technology is the key component of the innovation system of the 2nd generation, this paper is dedicated to discussing the methods of technology transfer applied by innovation leaders in the EU (e.g. Germany or Finland) and to identifying the factors that may represent the main stumbling blocks in the way of more effective innovation procedures in the new member states (e.g. Governments´ preferences for FDI that is attracted by the relatively cheap and skilled labour force; investors´ preferences for using know-how developed in their home countries; the absence of venture capital available for R&D and technology transfers, etc.). As the situation in the new member states begins to change - wages are growing and the countries are building new research infrastructure with the help of the EU funds - a new innovation and TT paradigm enters the stage. We discuss the ways of coping with these new challenges – such as better governance in the field of patents, extended education of students in the field of innovative competences and entrepreneurial skills, deeper understanding of the operations of industry technology transfer organizations and improved access to venture capital.Učinkovitost Europske unije u smislu istraživanja i razvoja, inovacija i pohađanja obrazovnih institucija uglavnom zaostaje za glavnim konkurentima - Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama i Japanom. Unutar EU-a, nove države članice iz srednje i istočne Europe pripadaju u skupinu umjerenih inovatora. Kako je tehnologija ključna komponenta u inovacijskom sustavu 2. generacije, ovaj članak je posvećen raspravi o metodama transfera tehnologije koje primjenjuju inovacijski lideri u EU (npr. Njemačka i Finska) i identificiranje čimbenika koji mogu predstavljati glavni kamen spoticanja u načinu učinkovitijih inovacijskih postupaka u novim članicama EU (npr. sklonosti vlada za izravnim stranim ulaganjima koja privlači relativno jeftinu i kvalificiranu radnu snagu; sklonosti investitora za korištenjem know-how razvijen u svojim matičnim zemljama, izostanak rizičnog kapitala na raspolaganju za istraživanje i razvoj i transfer tehnologija, itd.). Kao što se situacija u novim državama članicama počinje mijenjati - plaće rastu i zemalje grade novu istraživačku infrastrukturu uz pomoć EU fondova – nove inovacije i TT paradigme ulaze na pozornicu. Raspravlja se o načinima suočavanja s novim izazovima - kao što su bolje upravljanje u području patenata, prošireno obrazovanje učenika u području inovativnih kompetencija i poduzetničkih vještina, dublje razumijevanje o poslovanju industrije za transfer tehnologije i poboljšanje pristupa kapitalu

Effect of plasma treatment on the release kinetics of a chemotherapy drug from biodegradable polyester films and polyester urethane films

Investigation was made into the effect of plasma treatment on the release kinetics of the drug Temozolomide (TMZ) from thin, biodegradable polyester films, comprising polylactic acid (PLA) and polyester urethane. The authors utilized two systems to achieve this, the first being diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge, applying air as the gaseous medium, while the other involved capacitively coupled radio frequency discharge plasma under an argon atmosphere with hexamethyldisiloxane. Results showed that both forms of plasma treatment positively reduced the undesirable burst effect and benefited the release rate of TMZ. The hydrolytic degradability of the materials was slightly enhanced following hydrophilization, whereas the same diminished after hydrophobization had taken place. This was especially true for PLA due to modification of its wettability. © 2017 Taylor & Francis.02/0199/14, VEGA, Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV; APVV-14-0518, APVV, Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja; QJ1310254, MZe, Ministerstvo Zemědělství; SAV, Slovenská Akadémia Vied; 15-08287Y, GACR, Grantová Agentura České Republiky; CZ.1.05/2.1.00/19.0409; LO1504Czech Science Foundation [15-08287Y]; Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic [QJ1310254]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic [LO1504, CZ.1.05/2.1.00/19.0409]; Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic; Slovak Academy of Sciences, as a part of the "VEGA" project [02/0199/14]; Slovak Research and Development Agency [APVV-14-0518

Foamy phase change materials based on linear low-density polyethylene and paraffin wax blends

Foamy phase-change materials (FPCMs) based on linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) blended with 30 wt.% of paraffin wax (W) were successfully prepared for the first time. The advantage of these materials is their double functionality. First, they serve as standard thermal insulators, and second, the paraffin wax acts as a phase change component that absorbs thermal energy (the latent heat) during melting if the temperature increases above its melting point, which ensures better heat protection of buildings, for instance, against overheating. The density of the porous fabricated FPCM was 0.2898 g/cm(3) with pore content 69 vol.% and gel portion achieved 27.5 wt.%. The thermal conductivity of the LLDPE/W foam was 0.09 W/m.K, whereas the thermal conductivity of the neat LLDPE foam prepared under the same conditions was 0.06 W/m.K, which caused a higher porosity of approximately 92 vol.%. The FPCM absorbed or released approximately 22-23 J/g during melting or cooling, respectively, and the material was stable under thermal and mechanical cycling.Qatar Foundation, QF; Qatar National Research Fund, QNR

Electrical Conductivity of Rubber Composites with Varying Crosslink Density under Cyclic Deformation

Studies addressing electroconductive composites based on rubber have attracted great interest for many engineering applications. To contribute to obtaining useful materials with reproducible behavior, this study focused on understanding the mechanism of conductivity changes during mechanical deformation for rubber composites based on styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) or ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) vulcanized for various times. The composites were characterized by static electrical conductivity, tensile testing, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), and crosslink density measurements. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus were found to increase significantly with rising vulcanization time. Higher static conductivity values of the composites were observed with the increase in vulcanization time. The most important aspect of this investigation consisted in the electrical current measurement online with recording the stress-strain curves, revealing the details of the uniaxial cyclic deformation effect on changes in the structure of conductive pathways indirectly. The electrical conductivity during five runs of repeated cyclic mechanical deformations for SBR composites increased permanently, although not linearly, whereas EPDM composites showed a slight increase or at least a nearly constant current, indicating healing of minor defects in the conductive pathways or the formation of new conductive pathways

Natural rubber nanocomposites with organo-modified bentonite

Enhancement of the physico-chemical properties of elastomers can be achieved by the addition of fillers, such as silica, but the search for less expensive alternative materials continues. The objective of this study was to investigate natural or organically modified clay minerals as such an alternative. Organo-clays modified by quaternary ammonium cations with three methyl groups and longest alkyl chains of different lengths were prepared by ion-exchange reaction of the commercial product JP A030 (Envigeo, Slovakia) based on Jelšový Potok bentonite with organic salts: tetramethylammonium (TMA) chloride, octyltrimethylammonium (OTMA) bromide, and octadecyltrimethylammonium (ODTMA) bromide. Physico-chemical characterizations of the organo-clays used as fillers in rubber nanocomposites and their mechanical properties were measured using Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectroscopy, which provided information on the chemical composition of the mineral and on the amount of organic moieties adsorbed. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) was used to monitor the arrangement of organic chains in galleries of montmorillonite and showed that the longest-chain alkylammonium ODTMA ions were intercalated between layers, adopting a pseudotrimolecular conformation, while OTMA and TMA were in monomolecular arrangement. Surface areas were measured by sorption of N and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether. Natural rubber-clay nanocomposites were prepared by melt intercalation, in some cases also with addition of silica, a conventional reinforcing filler. The microstructure of montmorillonite in these composites was characterized by XRD analysis. The effect of clay and organo-clays loading from 1 to 10 phr (parts by weight per hundred parts of rubber) on stress at break, strain at break, and Modulus 100 (M100) was investigated by tensile tests. Filler ODTMA-JP A030 appears to be the most effective among the organoclays; surprisingly similar values of composite elongation and strength were obtained with unmodified bentonite JP A030