Learning Factory as Integration Form of Education in Sustainably Developing Healthcare Organisations

Introduction. The task set by the public authorities in the sphere of health care to train personnel of a new quality, capable of working successfully in the conditions of intensive reform of the industry requires not only a closer integration of universities and medical organizations, but also new educational technologies. The process factory is a new model of education for training of medical personnel, so the purpose of the article is to study the experience of training factories in international practice and to substantiate the effectiveness of the implementation of this educational form in a steadily de veloping medical organization. Materials and Мethods. The research draws on general scientific methods of empirical and theoretical knowledge, general methodological methods and techniques, as well as methods of system analysis, comparisons and analogues, generalisations, materials of our own sociological research of personnel policy affecting the sustainable development of healthcare organisation, conducted between 2013-2016. A key aspect of the review of scientific works was the study of problems of training in academic factories of different profiles and fields of knowledge. Results. The authors revealed that the Factory of processes as integration form of education allows modeling the conditions necessary for the head, recreating not only the real processes occurring in the healthcare organisation, but also the desired processes in the implementation of organisational changes, which allows you to demonstrate complex business processes without compromising the healthcare organisation itself. It is highlighted that the introduction of lean medicine and other management models is advisable to trial in academic factory first, and then apply the most successful options to the main activities of the healthcare organisation. In addition, Factory of processes makes it possible to make more effective adaptation of new employees to the workplace, be it young professionals or professionals with experience in h ealthcare organisation. Discussion and Conclusions. The practical significance of the article is that the introduction of such a model as a training factory in the educational process of medical universities will not only improve the efficiency of the integration of the University and the medical organization, but also will allow to prepare specialists capable of implementing organizational changes in the work of health care institutions

MnFeNi‐based composite as a case study of a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst under dynamically changing electrode potentials

High-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are essential components in energy conversion and storage technologies. Yet, their poor reversibility hinders their applicability. A highly active ORR/OER catalyst, consisting of multiwalled carbon nanotubes-supported MnFeNiOx nanoparticles, was subjected to sequences of chronoamperometric steps alternating between the ORR, the OER and highly cathodic potentials (Ec). Rotating ring disk electrode methods revealed that applying Ec leads to a small increase in the current and peroxide species yield during the ORR while enhancing substantially the OER. X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed irreversible changes in the chemical state of MnFeNiOx correlating with its catalytic properties. The complexity of changes that a composite catalyst may undergo under varying potentials, the importance of monitoring product formation, and the convenience of using dynamic electrochemical sequences for the assessment of catalyst reversibility, as well as for the activation and/or restoration of their catalytic properties, are highlighted

Dielectric Properties of Hybrid Polyethylene Composites Containing Cobalt Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes

Polymer composites with electrically conductive inclusions are intensively developed for microwave shielding applications, where lightweight and elastic coatings are necessary. In this paper, dielectric properties of hybrid polyethylene composites containing cobalt nanoparticles and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were investigated in the wide frequency range of 20–40 GHz for electromagnetic shielding applications. The percolation threshold in the hybrid system is close to 6.95 wt% MWCNT and 0.56 Co wt%. Cobalt nanoparticles (up to highest investigated concentration 4.8 wt%) had no impact on the percolation threshold, and for the fixed total concentration of fillers, the complex dielectric permittivity is higher for composites with bigger MWCNT concentrations. Moreover, the microwave complex dielectric permittivity of composites with high concentration of fillers is quite high (for composites with 13.4 wt% MWCNT and 1.1 wt% Co ε′ ≈ ε″ ≈ 20 at 30 GHz, it corresponds to microwave absorption 50% of 1 mm thickness plate); therefore, these composites are suitable for electromagnetic shielding applications

Nafion-Induced Reduction of Manganese and Its Impact on the Electrocatalytic Properties of a Highly Active MnFeNi Oxide for Bifunctional Oxygen Conversion

Electrocatalysts for bifunctional oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are commonly studied under hydrodynamic conditions, rendering the use of binders necessary to ensure the mechanical stability of the electrode films. The presence of a binder, however, may influence the properties of the materials under examination to an unknown extent. Herein, we investigate the impact of Nafion on a highly active ORR/OER catalyst consisting of MnFeNi oxide nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Electrochemical studies revealed that, in addition to enhancing the mechanical stability and particle connectivity, Nafion poses a major impact on the ORR selectivity, which correlates with a decrease in the valence state of Mn according to X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These findings call for awareness regarding the use of electrode additives, since in some cases the extent of their impact on the properties of electrode films cannot be regarded as negligible

Crystal plane dependent dispersion of cobalt metal on metastable aluminas

Metallic Co nanoparticles, widely used and studied as supported heterogeneous catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS), display catalytic properties that can vary significantly depending on their size and crystal structure. In this work, we used 59Co Internal Field NMR (59Co IF NMR) complemented by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to demonstrate the influence of strong metal-support interaction on two noticeably different metastable alumina phases - γ-Al2O3 and χ-Al2O3. According to 59Co IF NMR and HRTEM, the metallic particles supported on χ-Al2O3 were larger and displayed a significantly higher content of hcp Co phase, which are known to be more active and selective to C5+ in FTS. The 1H NMR chemical shifts of hydroxyl groups anchored to the (110) and (111) spinel crystal planes were calculated by DFT. It revealed that the hydroxyl coverage of γ-Al2O3 facilitates the dispersion of Co precursor over the surface of the support, ultimately leading to the formation of smaller metal Co nanoparticles on γ-Al2O3, than on χ-Al2O3

The sum is more than its parts

Successful design of reversible oxygen electrocatalysts does not only require to consider their activity towards the oxygen reduction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reactions (OER), but also their electrochemical stability at alternating ORR and OER operating conditions, which is important for potential applications in reversible electrolyzers/fuel cells or metal/air batteries. We show that the combination of catalyst materials containing stable ORR active sites with those containing stable OER active sites may result in a stable ORR/OER catalyst if each of the active components can satisfy the current demand of their respective reaction. We compare the ORR/OER performances of oxides of Mn (stable ORR active sites), Fe (stable OER active sites), and bimetallic $Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}$ (reversible ORR/OER catalyst) supported on oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Despite the instability of Mn and Fe oxide for the OER and the ORR, respectively, $Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}$ exhibits high stability for both reactions

Trimetallic Mn‐Fe‐Ni oxide nanoparticles supported on multi‐walled carbon nanotubes as high‐performance bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalyst in alkaline media

Discovering precious metal‐free electrocatalysts exhibiting high activity and stability toward both the oxygen reduction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution (OER) reactions remains one of the main challenges for the development of reversible oxygen electrodes in rechargeable metal–air batteries and reversible electrolyzer/fuel cell systems. Herein, a highly active OER catalyst, Fe$_{0.3}$Ni$_{0.7}$O$_X$ supported on oxygen‐functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes, is substantially activated into a bifunctional ORR/OER catalyst by means of additional incorporation of MnO$_X$. The carbon nanotube‐supported trimetallic (Mn‐Ni‐Fe) oxide catalyst achieves remarkably low ORR and OER overpotentials with a low reversible ORR/OER overvoltage of only 0.73 V, as well as selective reduction of O$_{2}$ predominantly to OH$^{−}$. It is shown by means of rotating disk electrode and rotating ring disk electrode voltammetry that the combination of earth‐abundant transition metal oxides leads to strong synergistic interactions modulating catalytic activity. The applicability of the prepared catalyst for reversible ORR/OER electrocatalysis is evaluated by means of a four‐electrode configuration cell assembly comprising an integrated two‐layer bifunctional ORR/OER electrode system with the individual layers dedicated for the ORR and the OER to prevent deactivation of the ORR activity as commonly observed in single‐layer bifunctional ORR/OER electrodes after OER polarization