Foreign Approaches to Cover Uninsurable Risks Offering Opportunities for the Czech Insurance Market

AbstractUninsurable risks belong to actual issues of insurance industry. These risks weaken the role of commercial insurance. Insurers make exceptions in coverage of excessive claims. Property, health and lives are excluded from protection of commercial insurance products. In order to look for an effective solution of uninsurable risk we have focused our interest in uninsurable risk of flood, which is significant non-life insurance risk in the Czech Republic. Main aim is to describe multi-sourcing system based on cooperation between the state, insurers and insured objects. The system as a result of the research includes features of foreign approaches to uninsurable flood risk and is adjusted according to specific conditions of the Czech insurance market. Foreign approaches of uninsurable flood risk have determined the opportunities for the Czech insurance industry and have made a contribution to define the multi-sourcing system

Phytotoxicological tests - applications of foils based on graphene (graphene oxide)

This paper discusses the problematics of phytotoxicity of chemicals. It mainly focuses on the phytotoxicity of nanomaterials made of graphene. It describes phytotoxicological tests performed with foils from materials belonging to the graphene family. It also describes testing the influence of plants on these films. Furthermore, the paper discusses the issues of mutual influence between plants and tested nanomaterials

Study of Different Printing Design Type Polymer Samples Prepared by Additive Manufacturing

3D printing is one of the most progressive additive technologies today. It finds its application also in industry. In terms of mechanical properties, the printing design of the product is an important parameter. The presented study investigates the effects of the printing design of a thin-walled 3D polymer model on the mechanical properties of the model. The material used for printing was acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and the 3D print method was Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). ABS was tested at various die temperatures and with various printing designs at a constant 3D print speed and identical print bed temperature. We examined the effect of printing temperature and product printing design on the resulting mechanical properties. We compared theoretical and experimental results by CAE–FEM Advanced Simulation modules. Results tensile deformations at maximum load by experiment and simulations are comparable. The best results of testing the mechanical properties were found in the pattern printed at a 45° angle at temperature 285 °C

Raman spectroscopic study of counterfeit electronic components

The paper deals with the potential of Raman spectroscopy as an analytical method for the authenticity assessment of electronic components. Electronic components are an integral part of the devices that people use in their daily activities. Incidence of counterfeit electronic components is an increasingly common phenomenon in our modern world that may compromise reliability, functionality and other related purposes of the devices. As the Raman spectroscopy provides detailed information on the material used, the focus of the Raman spectroscopic study of selected original components was given especially on materials of polymer-based and ceramic-based packages and markings. Knowledge of this information can help to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit component. The non-original component was revealed using other methods used in our workplace. Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the differences in materials of counterfeits compared to the original. © 2018, World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society. All rights reserved

Nov način ocenjevanja kemijske mikroheterogenosti kontinuirno ulitih slabov

The paper deals with a new approach to measuring and evaluating the chemical micro-heterogeneity of the elements in solidified poly-component metallic systems. The original approach is based on experimental measurements made on the samples taken from characteristic places in a casting and the subsequent application of an original mathematical model for determining the element-distribution profile, characterizing the most probable distribution of an element concentration in the frame of a dendrite, and an original mathematical model for determining the effective partition coefficients of these elements in the structure of the analyzed alloy. The paper also describes an application of this method in the research of the chemical heterogeneity on a cross-section of a CC steel slab and presents the selected results (indices of the heterogeneity and effective partition coefficients of seven analyzed elements) characterizing the chemical micro-heterogeneity on one-half of the cross-section of this CC steel slab. The following main results were obtained: (i) the dendritic heterogeneity of the accompanying elements and impurities is comparatively high; (ii) all the analyzed elements segregate during the solidification into an inter-dendritic melt, and their partition coefficient is smaller than one; (iii) the effective partition coefficients calculated in this new way inherently include both the effect of segregation in the course of an alloy solidification, and the effect of the homogenization occurring during the solidification as well as during the cooling of an alloy.Web of Science471837

Rescue Paracetamol in Postoperative Pain Management in Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonates Following Abdominal Surgery:A Single Unit Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: Intravenous paracetamol added to morphine reduces postoperative morphine consumption in (near)term neonates. However, there are only sparse data on intravenous paracetamol as multimodal strategy in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) neonates. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the effects of rescue intravenous paracetamol on postoperative pain management (≤48 h postoperatively) in relation to both analgesic efficacy (validated pain assessment, drug consumption, adequate rescue medication) and safety (hypotension and bradycardia). This rescue practice was part of a standardized pain management approach in a single neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: A single-center retrospective observational study included 20 ELBW neonates, who underwent major abdominal surgery. The primary endpoints of the postoperative study period were pain intensity, over-sedation, time to first rescue analgesic dose, and the effect of paracetamol on opiate consumption. Secondary endpoints were safety parameters (hypotension, bradycardia). And as tertiary endpoints, the determinants of long-term outcome were evaluated (i.e., duration of mechanical ventilation, intraventricular hemorrhage - IVH, periventricular leukomalacia - PVL, postnatal growth restriction, stage of chronic lung disease – CLD or neurodevelopmental outcome according to Bayley-II Scales of Infant Development at 18–24 months). RESULTS: All neonates received continuous opioids (sufentanil or morphine) and 13/20 also intravenous paracetamol as rescue pain medication during a 48-h postoperative period. Although opioid consumption was equal in the non-paracetamol and the paracetamol group over 48 h, the non-paracetamol group was characterized by oversedation (COMFORTneo < 9), a higher incidence of severe hypotension, and younger postnatal age (p < 0.05). All long-term outcome findings were similar between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study focused on postoperative pain management in ELBW neonates, and showed that intravenous paracetamol seems to be safe. Prospective validation of dosage regimens of analgesic drugs is needed to achieve efficacy goals

Rock massif changes caused by undermining

Classical observation of surface deformation in undermined territories use repeated geodetic surveying. Results from these surveying do not offer data about physical changes that happen in the rock massif. To find out these changes, a complex of repeated geodetic and geophysical measurements of surface, borehole and surface-borehole system was used from 2002 to 2006. These measurements pointed out (beside the well known surface deformations) also that the changes inside the rock massif do not affect the massif as whole, but the “faulty zones” are formed there

Scalable dissolution-dynamic nuclear polarization with rapid transfer of a polarized solid

In dissolution-dynamic nuclear polarization, nuclear spins are hyperpolarized at cryogenic temperatures using radicals and microwave irradiation. The hyperpolarized solid is dissolved with hot solvent and the solution is transferred to a secondary magnet where strongly enhanced magnetic resonance signals are observed. Here we present a method for transferring the hyperpolarized solid. A bullet containing the frozen, hyperpolarized sample is ejected using pressurized helium gas, and shot into a receiving structure in the secondary magnet, where the bullet is retained and the polarized solid is dissolved rapidly. The transfer takes approximately 70 ms. A solenoid, wound along the entire transfer path ensures adiabatic transfer and limits radical-induced low-field relaxation. The method is fast and scalable towards small volumes suitable for high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy while maintaining high concentrations of the target molecule. Polarization levels of approximately 30% have been observed for 1-13C-labelled pyruvic acid in solution

A higher response of plasma neuropeptide Y, growth hormone, leptin levels and extracellular glycerol levels in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue to Acipimox during exercise in patients with bulimia nervosa: single-blind, randomized, microdialysis study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an important central orexigenic hormone predominantly produced by the hypothalamus, and recently found to be secreted in adipose tissue (AT). Acipimox (Aci) inhibits lipolysis in AT and reduces plasma glycerol and free fatty acid (FFA) levels. Exercise and Aci are enhancers of growth hormone (GH) and NPY secretion and exercise may alter leptin levels. We expect to find abnormal neuropeptidergic response in plasma and AT in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN). We hypothesize that Aci influences these peptides via a FFA-independent mechanism and that Aci inhibits lipolysis through a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent pathway. Dysregulations of the AT-brain axis peptides might be involved in binge eating as is the case in BN.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The objective of this study was to determine the responses of plasma NPY, GH, leptin, FFA and glycerol levels to exercise in BN patients and healthy women (C) given the anti-lipolytic drug Aci or placebo. The secondary objective of this study was to compare the responses of extracellular glycerol levels and plasma glycerol levels to exercise alone or together with Aci administration in BN patients and C women. Extracellular glycerol was measured <it>in vivo </it>in subcutaneous (sc) abdominal AT using microdialysis. Eight BN and eight C women were recruited for this single-blind, randomized study. Aci or placebo was given 1 hour before the exercise (45 min, 2 W/kg of lean body mass [LBM]). NPY, GH, leptin, FFA, glycerol plasma and AT glycerol levels were measured using commercial kits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The primary outcome of this study was that the exercise with Aci administration resulted in plasma NPY and GH increase (after a 45-minute exercise) and leptin (after a 90-minute post-exercise recovering phase) increased more in BN patients. The secondary outcomes of this study were that the exercise with Aci administration induced a higher decrease of extracellular glycerol in BN patients compared to the C group, while the exercise induced a higher increase of glycerol concentrations in sc abdominal AT of BN patients. Plasma glycerol levels decreased more in BN patients and plasma FFA levels were depressed in both groups after the exercise with Aci administration. The exercise induced similar increases in plasma NPY, GH, FFA and glycerol levels, and a similar decrease in the plasma leptin level in both groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We confirm the results of a single-blind, randomized, microdialysis study, i.e. that the Aci-induced elevation in plasma NPY and GH levels during the exercise is higher in BN patients and that Aci increased plasma leptin levels in the post-exercise recovering phase (90-minute) more in BN patients. The post-exercise rise (45-minute) in AT glycerol is much more attenuated by acute Aci treatment in BN patients. Simultaneously, we found facilitated turnover of plasma glycerol after the exercise together with Aci administration in BN. Our results support the hypotheses that Aci exerts an effect on the FFA-independent and cAMP-dependent mechanism.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): <a href="http://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12611000955910.aspx">ACTRN12611000955910</a></p