Anisotropic random resistor networks: a model for piezoresistive response of thick-film resistors

A number of evidences suggests that thick-film resistors are close to a metal-insulator transition and that tunneling processes between metallic grains are the main source of resistance. We consider as a minimal model for description of transport properties in thick-film resistors a percolative resistor network, with conducting elements governed by tunneling. For both oriented and randomly oriented networks, we show that the piezoresistive response to an applied strain is model dependent when the system is far away from the percolation thresold, while in the critical region it acquires universal properties. In particular close to the metal-insulator transition, the piezoresistive anisotropy show a power law behavior. Within this region, there exists a simple and universal relation between the conductance and the piezoresistive anisotropy, which could be experimentally tested by common cantilever bar measurements of thick-film resistors.Comment: 7 pages, 2 eps figure

Correction: Fine tuning of ferromagnet/antiferromagnet interface magnetic anisotropy for field-free switching of antiferromagnetic spins.

Correction for 'Fine tuning of ferromagnet/antiferromagnet interface magnetic anisotropy for field-free switching of antiferromagnetic spins' by M. Ślęzak et al., Nanoscale, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0nr04193a

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Revitalization of prefabricated housing. Implementation of European solutions to Polish conditions

Problem rewitalizacji osiedli z wielkiej płyty jest w Polsce niezmiennie aktualnym zagadnieniem; ze względu na niedobór lokalowy, popyt na mieszkania w budownictwie z wielkiej płyty jest nadal wysoki. Europa zachodnia zaczęła zmagać się z tym problemem znacznie wcześniej i ma już duże doświadczenia w działaniach z zakresu rewitalizacji. Jednak odmienny od zachodnioeuropejskiego kontekst społeczno – gospodarczy w kraju uniemożliwia przeniesienie gotowych rozwiązań rewitalizacyjnych. Prezentowane przykłady prezentują zróżnicowane strategie stosowane w przeszłości i obecnie w Europie (rewitalizacja osiedla Bijlmer w Amsterdamie i zabudowy w Halle-Neustadt). W mniejszym lub większym stopniu oparte zostały one na wyburzeniach. Trudna sytuacja mieszkaniowa w Polsce związana z brakiem wystarczającej ilości mieszkań (według danych z 2013 r. w Polsce brakuje 1,5 – 1,8 mln mieszkań), słaba infrastruktura budownictwa socjalnego (mieszkania spółdzielcze, komunalne i socjalne stanowiły zaledwie 5% wszystkich mieszkań oddanych do użytku w 2013 r.), oraz zróżnicowana struktura własnościowa mieszkań w poszczególnych budynkach najczęściej wyklucza wyburzenia. Jakość zamieszkiwania osiedli z wielkiej płyty można jednak w znaczący sposób poprawić, bez konieczności burzenia, czego dowodzi spektakularny przykład rewitalizacji paryskiego wieżowca Tour Bois le Prêtre.The problem regeneration of prefabricated housing in Poland is invariably the current issue. Due to a housing shortage, the demand for apartments in pre-fab housing is still high. Western Europe has begun to struggle with this problem much earlier and has a large experience in the subject of revitalization. However, the context of socio - economic development in Poland, different from the Western European, makes the transfer of complete solutions revitalization impossible . Presented examples show different strategies used in the past and now in Europe (housing revitalization Bijlmer in Amsterdam and building in Halle - Neustadt). They were based on the demolition to a lesser or greater extent. The difficult housing situation in Poland, related to the lack of sufficient amount of housing, poor infrastructure of social housing and complicated housing ownership structure of the buildings, mostly excludes demolition. However, the quality of prefabricated housing living could be significantly improved, without the need for demolition, as evidenced by the spectacular example of the revitalization of the Parisian skyscraper Tour Bois le Prêtre

Obscure fate of the Palace in Łobzow during the reign of Jan III Sobieski. Attempt at computer reconstruction based on the analysis of the palace history since 1655 till the mid-19th century

Pałac w Łobzowie został doszczętnie zniszczony przez Szwedów w 1655 roku. Za jego późniejszą odbudowę odpowiada Jan III Sobieski. To właśnie temu władcy udało się przywrócić rezydencji królewskiej w Łobzowie jej dawną świetność. Materiały źródłowe potwierdzają, że Sobieski otoczył pałac szczególną opieką i mieszkał w nim przez wiele lat wraz z żoną i dziećmi. Nie byłoby to możliwe, gdyby nie generalny remont rezydencji łobzowskiej po szwedzkich zniszczeniach. Do dziś jednak nie wiadomo, w jakiej formie i do jakiego stopnia król odbudował budynek. Po jego śmierci pałac ponownie podupadł i popadł w ruinę, która przetrwała aż do początku XIX wieku. To właśnie wtedy został on przejęty przez Austriaków. Na podstawie analizy wykonanych przez nich inwentaryzacji oraz projektów przebudowy możliwa jest próba rekonstrukcji retrospektywnej, mająca na celu komputerowe odtworzenie bryły rezydencji z czasów, gdy mieszkał w niej Jan III Sobieski wraz z rodziną.The palace in Łobzow was completely destroyed by the Swedish troops in 1655. Jan III Sobieski is responsible for its later reconstruction. It was the monarch who managed to restore the royal residence in Łobzow to its former glory. Source materials confirm that Sobieski took particular care of the palace and lived there for many years with his wife and children. It wouldn’t have been possible, if it hadn’t been for the general refurbishment of the Łobzow residence after the damage incurred by the Swedish troops. However, the form and extent to which the King had the edifice rebuilt has remained unknown till today. After this death the palace again fell into decline and ruin, and remained so until the beginning of the 19th century. It was when the object was taken over by the Austrians. On the basis of an analysis of the Austrian inventories and projects of alterations, it is possible to attempt a retrospective reconstruction involving a computer recreation of the shape of the residence from the times when it was inhabited by Jan III Sobieski with his family

Tunable interplay between exchange coupling and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial CoO/Au/Fe trilayers

Abstract We show that the interaction between ferromagnetic Fe(110) and antiferromagnetic CoO(111) sublayers can be mediated and precisely tuned by a nonmagnetic Au spacer. Our results prove that the thickness of the Fe and Au layers can be chosen to modify the effective anisotropy of the Fe layer and the strength of the exchange bias interaction between Fe and CoO sublayers. Well-defined and tailorable magnetic anisotropy of the ferromagnet above Néel temperature of the antiferromagnet is a determining factor that governs exchange bias and interfacial CoO spins orientation at low temperatures. In particular, depending on the room temperature magnetic state of Fe, the low-temperature exchange bias in a zero-field cooled system can be turned “off” or “on”. The other way around, we show that exchange bias can be the dominating magnetic anisotropy source for the ferromagnet and it is feasible to induce a 90-degree rotation of the easy axis as compared to the initial, exchange bias-free easy axis orientation