PLZT microfibers technology optimization

Electrocaloric (EC) structures for a new generation of cooling or heating elements utilize the temperature dependence of spontaneous polarization in some ferroelectric materials to convert waste heat into electricity and vice versa. A (Pb0.93La0.07) (Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 material, have the largest recorded pyroelectric coefficient. An effective predicted form for such applications is fiber, due to small heat capacitance and quick response time, even for nano second laser excitation. Consequently, the presented work provides a description of the optimization of structural, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of obtained fibers, finally concluding on necessity of sintering temperature reduction in 100°C in contrast to bulk form to effectively prevent its destruction

Short and long-term results of endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery off-pump bypass grafting in patients with left anterior descending artery stenosis

Background: To perform a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent endoscopic atraumaticcoronary artery off-pump bypass grafting (EACAB) in a single center over a period of 11 years.Methods: Data was acquired from the hospital registry and patient medical records. In order to determine changes in clinical profile, patients were subdivided into three groups regarding year of surgery: 1998–2002 (group 1), 2003–2005 (group 2), 2006–2009 (group 3). In-hospital analysis up to 30 days and long-term observation were conducted.Results: The study cohort consisted of 714 patients (581 male). Procedural success accounted for 99%of all patients. No mortality was observed up to 30 days. Complications in the early period includedpleural effusion (7.6%), cardiac arrhythmias (3.6%), bleeding related revision (2.7%) and woundinfection (1.6%). Mean follow-up was 6 years (2132 ± 1313 days; median: 1918.5). Nineteen (2.7%)patients died, of which 52.6% (10 patients) were due to heart related conditions. Overall frequency ofmajor adverse cerebral and cardiovascular events (MACCE) was 10.8% (77 patients). The Kaplan-Meyer analysis defined survival rate and event-free survival in long-term observation of 96.1% and85.3%, respectively. Ejection fraction (EF) < 50% was the only independent factor of mortality (OR:3.35). Regarding cumulative MACCE, older age (OR: 1.72), lower EF (OR: 3.03), the history of percutaneous coronary intervention (OR: 2.13) and higher New York Heart Association class (OR: 2.63)influenced the incidence rate.Conclusions: The presented short and very long-term results confirm that EACAB is an efficient alternative for patients requiring revascularization of the left anterior descending artery. The eliminationof cardiopulmonary bypass significantly reduces the number of complications

Data acquisition system with database using OPC

Our project has been developed as a Senior Design Project. The order for the project came from HSF, and would be considered as a part of researches pursued by HSF in cooperation with Silesian University of Technology. Realisation of the project took place on the premises of Sogn og Fjordane University College in Forde. The subject was to write the OPC client for the Linux platform, that would send the data to the server and to design the database, holding the processed data. The communication should be reliable and the data presentation should be clear and understated

Evolution of Structural and Magnetic Properties of Fe-Co Wire-like Nanochains Caused by Annealing Atmosphere

Thermal treatment is a post-synthesis treatment that aims to improve the crystallinity and interrelated physical properties of as-prepared materials. This process may also cause some unwanted changes in materials like their oxidation or contamination. In this work, we present the post-synthesis annealing treatments of the amorphous Fe1−xCox (x = 0.25; 0.50; 0.75) Wire-like nanochains performed at 400 °C in two different atmospheres, i.e., a mixture of 80% nitrogen and 20% hydrogen and argon. These processes caused significantly different changes of structural and magnetic properties of the initially-formed Fe-Co nanostructures. All of them crystallized and their cores were composed of body-centered cubic Fe-Co phase, whereas their oxide shells comprised of a mixture of CoFe2O4 and Fe3O4 phases. However, the annealing carried out in hydrogen-containing atmosphere caused a decomposition of the initial oxide shell layer, whereas a similar process in argon led to its slight thickening. Moreover, it was found that the cores of thermally-treated Fe0.25Co0.75 nanochains contained the hexagonal closest packed (hcp) Co phase and were covered by the nanosheet-like shell layer in the case of annealing performed in argon. Considering the evolution of magnetic properties induced by structural changes, it was observed that the coercivities of annealed Fe-Co nanochains increased in comparison with their non-annealed counterparts. The saturation magnetization (MS) of the Fe0.25Co0.75 nanomaterial annealed in both atmospheres was higher than that for the non-annealed sample. In turn, the MS of the Fe0.75Co0.25 and Fe0.50Co0.50 nanochains annealed in argon were lower than those recorded for non-annealed samples due to their partial oxidation during thermal processing

Use of teletransmission and influence of telemedicine on enhancing healthcare quality in opinions of paramedics from the Podkarpackie Province - a pilot survey

Burdzy Danuta, Ozga Dorota, Kosydar-Bochenek Justyna, Migut Małgorzata, Burdzy Kamil, Lewandowski Bogumił. Use of teletransmission and influence of telemedicine on enhancing healthcare quality in opinions of paramedics from the Podkarpackie Province - a pilot survey. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(10):79-95. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1013978 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/4963 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Author (s) 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 01.10.2017. Revised 12.10.2017. Accepted: 17.10.2017. Use of teletransmission and influence of telemedicine on enhancing healthcare quality in opinions of paramedics from the Podkarpackie Province - a pilot survey Danuta Burdzy1, Dorota Ozga1, Justyna Kosydar-Bochenek1, Małgorzata Migut1, Kamil Burdzy2, Bogumił Lewandowski1 1 Institute of Midwifery and Medical Emergency, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszów, Poland 2 KB Consulting, 45 Orchard Close, Burgess Hill, United Kingdom Danuta Burdzy E-mail: [email protected] Research funding - own resources Summary Foreword. The paper presents new solutions in approach to telemedicine related to the development and implementation of advanced technologies. In the coming years, it is expected that technologies such as 3D imaging, telemedicine, etc., will contribute to enhancing the quality of medical care and allow faster and cheaper management of patients. Aim. Evaluating the operation of the teletransmission system used by emergency medical services (ZRM) and its impact on the enhancement of medical care quality. Material and methods. The survey was carried out on 50 persons employed in the emergency medical services system (PRM system) within the Podkarpackie Province. The method of diagnostic survey was employed. A questionnaire was designed in order to collect information necessary to meet the research purpose of this work. The questionnaire consists of questions regarding various views, health-related behaviours, and respondents’ knowledge and awareness of ICT (information and communication technology) solutions in medicine. Results. Among 50 surveyed persons, there were 30 paramedics (60%), 11 PRM nurses (PRM: emergency medical services) (22%), 8 PRM doctors (16%), and a doctor of medicine (2%). 10 of the surveyed persons were women (20%) while 40 were men (a majority of 80%). As far as age groups are concerned, 5 persons (10%) were below 25, 17 persons (34%) were between 26 and 35, 25 persons (50%) were between 36 and 45, and 3 persons (6%) were over 46 years of age. All participants work for hospital emergency wards in the Podkarpackie Province. The survey has proven that the idea of the innovative patient care based on telemedicine is strongly supported by the respondents. Conclusions. In the opinion of the PRM personnel, the system operates efficiently. Teletransmission is used by the emergency medical services as a diagnostic tool and allows one to improve procedures and provides help in taking decisions related to managing patients with ACS. It contributes to enhancing quality of medical care and patient comfort. This is also a high potential area. Key words: advanced technologies, telemedicine, teletransmission, health protection, medical systems, improvement of medical services quality Wykorzystanie teletransmisji oraz wpływ telemedycyny na poprawę jakości świadczeń zdrowotnych w opinii ratowników medycznych województwa podkarpackiego – badanie pilotażowe Danuta Burdzy1, Dorota Ozga1, Justyna Kosydar-Bochenek1, Małgorzata Migut1, Kamil Burdzy2, Bogumił Lewandowski1 1 Katedra Ratownictwa Medycznego, Wydział Medyczny, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski, Polska 2 KB Consulting, 45 Orchard Close, Burgess Hill, Wielka Brytania Danuta Burdzy E-mail: [email protected] Finansowanie badań – środki własne Wykorzystanie teletransmisji oraz wpływ telemedycyny na poprawę jakości świadczeń zdrowotnych w opinii ratowników medycznych województwa podkarpackiego – badanie pilotażowe. Streszczenie Wstęp. Praca przedstawia nowe rozwiązania w podejściu do medycyny w związku z pojawianiem się i wdrażaniem do codziennego użytku nowoczesnych technologii. Przewiduje się, że w przeciągu najbliższych lat technologie takie jak na przykład obrazowanie 3D, telemedycyna itp. będą miały wpływ na poprawę jakości świadczonych usług medycznych pozwalając na szybszą i tańszą obsługę pacjentów. Cel. Ocena funkcjonowania systemu teletransmisji stosowanego w praktyce ZRM i jego wpływ na poprawę świadczeń zdrowotnych. Materiał i metody. Badaniem zostało objętych 50 pracowników systemu PRM z obszaru województwa podkarpackiego. Zastosowano metodę sondażu diagnostycznego. W celu zgromadzenia informacji potrzebnych do realizacji celu badawczego w niniejszej pracy skonstruowano kwestionariusz ankiety. Kwestionariusz składa się z pytań dotyczących różnych poglądów, zachowań zdrowotnych, oraz wiedzy i świadomości respondentów na temat technologii teleinformatycznych w medycynie. Wyniki. Na 50 osób, które wzięły udział w badaniu ratownicy medyczni to 30 osób (60%), pielęgniarki systemu 11 (22%), lekarze systemu 8 osób (16%), doktor med.(2%). Wśród badanych 10 osób to kobiety (20%), większość pracowników to mężczyźni 40 (co stanowi 80%). Przedział wiekowy do 25 lat 5 osób (10%), 26-35 lat 17 osób (34%), 36-45 lat 25 osób (50%), powyżej 46 lat 3 osoby (6%). Wszyscy uczestnicy to pracownicy SOR-u w województwie podkarpackim. Ankieta wykazała, że idea innowacyjnej opieki oparta na telemedycynie ma mocne poparcie wśród badanych respondentów. Wnioski. W opinii pracowników PRM system działa sprawnie. Teletransmisja jest wykorzysta przez ZRM jako narzędzie diagnostyczne i pozwala na usprawnienie procedur, a także pomaga w podejmowaniu decyzji związanych z postępowaniem z pacjentem z OZW. Wpływa na poprawę jakości świadczeń i komfort pacjentów. Jest obszarem o wysokim potencjale. Słowa kluczowe: nowoczesne technologie, telemedycyna, teletransmisja ochrona zdrowia, systemy medyczne, poprawa jakości usług zdrowotnych

Utilization of compressible hydrogels as electrolyte materials for supercapacitor applications

Utilization of CoO@Co3O4-x-Ag (x denotes 1, 3, and 5 wt% of Ag) nanocomposites as supercapacitor electrodes is the main aim of this study. A new low-temperature wet chemical approach is proposed to modify the commercial cobalt oxide material with silver nanoparticle (NP) balls of size 1-5 nm. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared nanocomposites were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N-2 adsorption-desorption measurements. Hydrogels known to be soft but stable structures were used here as perfect carriers for conductive nanoparticles such as carbons. Furthermore, hydrogels with a large amount of water in their network can give more flexibility to the system. Fabrication of an electrochemical cell can be achieved by combining these materials with a layer-by-layer structure. The performance characteristics of the cells were examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD). Cobalt oxide modified with 5 wt% Ag gave the best supercapacitor results, and the cell offers a specific capacitance of similar to 38 mF cm(-2) in two-electrode configurations.Web of Science1317115121150

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Deformation and Fracture Mode of Microcantilever Beams Made of Cr(Re)/Al2O3 Metal–Matrix Composite

This work presents a combined experimental and computational study of the deformation and fracture of microcantilever specimens made of chromium(rhenium)-alumina metal–matrix composite (MMC), with a particular focus on the failure properties of the metal–ceramic interfaces. The obtained experimental results show that the bending strength of microcantilevers containing alumina particles in critical cross-sections near specimen’s fixed end is considerably higher than that of unreinforced chromium(rhenium) samples. Brittle cracking along chromium–alumina interfaces is the dominant fracture mode of the composite microcantilevers. The interface characteristics are determined in an indirect way by numerical simulations of the experiment with account of the actual specimen microstructure from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. A parametric study demonstrates that the overall material response may be reproduced by different sets of model parameters, whereas the actual failure mode permits to discriminate among the possible alternatives. Using this approach, the in situ values of the chromium–alumina interface cohesive strength and the fracture energy are estimated

One-step synthesis of a sustainable carbon material for high performance supercapacitor and dye adsorption applications

The sustainable transformation of bio-waste into usable, material has gained great scientific interest. In this paper, we have presented preparation of an activated carbon material from a natural mushroom (Suillus boletus) and explor its properties for supercapacitor and dye adsorption applications. The produced cell exhibited a single electrode capacitance of-247 F g-1 with the energy and power density of-35 Wh kg-1 and 1.3 kW kg-1, respectively. The cell worked well for-20,000 cycles with-30% initial declination in capacitance. Three cells connected in series glowed a 2.0 V LED for-1.5 min. Moreover, ultrafast adsorption of methylene blue dye onto the prepared carbon as an adsorbent was recorded with-100% removal efficiency in an equilibrium time of three minutes. The performed tests indicate that the mushroom-derived activated carbon has the potential to become a high-performance electrode material for supercapacitors and an adsorbent for real-time wastewater treatment applications.Web of Science297art. no. 11676