Innovative Biochar-Based Composite Fibres from Recycled Material

Carbon materials are becoming crucial in several industrial sectors. The drawbacks of these materials include their high cost and oil-based essence. In recent years, recycled materials have become possible alternative sources of carbon with several advantages. Firstly, the production of this alternative source of carbon may help to reduce biomass disposal, and secondly, it contributes to CO2 sequestration. The use of carbon derived from recycled materials by a pyrolysis treatment is called biochar. Here, we present composite materials based on different biochar filler contents dispersed in several thermoplastic polymer matrixes. Electrical conductivity and tensile break strength were investigated together with the material characterisation by DTA/TGA, XRD, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Materials with good flexibility and electrical conductivity were obtained. The local ordering in composites resembles both biochar and polymer ordering. The similarity between biochar and carbon nanotubes’ (CNTs) XRD patterns may be observed. As biochar is highly cost-effective, the proposed composites could become a valid substitute for CNT composites in various applications

Nonradiative Energy Transfer and Selective Charge Transfer in a WS₂/(PEA)₂PbI₄Heterostructure

van der Waals heterostructures are currently the focus of intense investigation; this is essentially due to the unprecedented flexibility offered by the total relaxation of lattice matching requirements and their new and exotic properties compared to the individual layers. Here, we investigate the hybrid transition-metal dichalcogenide/2D perovskite heterostructure WS2/(PEA)2PbI4 (where PEA stands for phenylethylammonium). We present the first density functional theory (DFT) calculations of a heterostructure ensemble, which reveal a novel band alignment, where direct electron transfer is blocked by the organic spacer of the 2D perovskite. In contrast, the valence band forms a cascade from WS2 through the PEA to the PbI4 layer allowing hole transfer. These predictions are supported by optical spectroscopy studies, which provide compelling evidence for both charge transfer and nonradiative transfer of the excitation (energy transfer) between the layers. Our results show that TMD/2D perovskite (where TMD stands for transition-metal dichalcogenides) heterostructures provide a flexible and convenient way to engineer the band alignment

Automation of testing in the transfusion serology laboratory - analytical and operational evaluation of the automated immunohematology analyzer IH-1000

Introduction: At present test-tube methods are used in serology less frequently. They are replaced by partial or complete automation of the diagnostic process. Depending on the number of tests performed daily and the size of the laboratory, there is the possibility of different configurations of equipment.Aim of study: Analytical and operational evaluation of automated immunohematology analyzer IH-1000.Material and methods: The material was venous blood collected from patients of the University Hospital in Krakow. Tests were performed on the analyzer IH-1000 and compared with classical manual methods and microcolumn manual methods . The study also includes the analysis of data archived in the consultation lab in Regional Centre for Blood Donation and Blood Treatment in Krakow.Results: The minimum volume of blood required to perform the test is 500 µl, dead space which is not used in the test amounts to 200 µl. Time of blood group tests is in the range from 36 to 37 minutes with a standard number of samples. The average time of the compatibility test is ranged from 32 to 44 minutes depending on the number of samples . In order to use microcards fully, there should be selected (if it possible) an even number of blood group tests. For compatibility an even number of recipient's samples and the amount of donations as a multiple of the six should be selected. The results of antibody screening in manual and automated methods are compatible in 87% of patients samples and 70% of blood donors samples, which indicates comparability of both methods.Conclusions: Immunohematology analyzer IH-1000 performs tests quickly, in a small volume of material, ensuring reproducibility and comparability of the results with classical methods. The automated analyzer requires constant supervision of serologist because of the possibility of analytical and interpretation errors.Wstęp: Obecnie coraz rzadziej wykonuje się badania serologiczne z wykorzystaniem metod probówkowych, coraz powszechniejsza jest częściowa lub całkowita automatyzacja procesu diagnostycznego. W zależności od liczby dziennie wykonywanych oznaczeń oraz od wielkości laboratorium istnieje możliwość różnych konfiguracji aparatury i usprawnienia pracy.Cel pracy: Ocena analityczna i eksploatacyjna analizatora immunohematologicznego IH-1000 firmy Bio-Rad w warunkach codziennej pracy laboratorium serologicznego.Materiał i metody: Materiałem do badań była krew żylna pobrana na EDTA od pacjentów Szpitala Uniwersyteckiego w Krakowie. Badania wykonywano na analizatorze IH-1000 i porównywano z metodami manualnymi w technice klasycznej i mikrokolumnowej. W pracy wykorzystano również archiwalne wyniki badań konsultacyjnych Regionalnego Centrum Krwiodawstwa i Krwiolecznictwa w Krakowie. Wyniki: Minimalna objętość materiału potrzebna do wykonania badania wynosi 500 µl, z czego objętość martwa nieużywana w badaniu właściwym stanowi aż 200 µl. Czas oznaczeń grup krwi zawiera się w 36- 37 minutach przy standardowej ilości próbek. Średni czas wykonania próby zgodności wynosi 32- 44 minut w zależności od liczby próbek biorców i donacji. W celu całkowitego wykorzystania mikrokart powinno należy dobierać (jeśli to możliwe) parzystą ilość oznaczeń grup krwi. W przypadku prób zgodności parzystą ilość próbek biorców, a ilość donacji jako wielokrotność „szóstki”. Wyniki oznaczeń przeciwciał metodami automatycznymi i manualnymi w technice kolumnowej są zgodne w 87% (próbki pacjentów) i w 70% (próbki dawców), co świadczy o porównywalności obydwu metod.Wnioski: Oceniany analizator immunohematologiczny IH-1000 wykonuje badania szybko, w niewielkiej objętości materiału, zapewniając przy tym powtarzalność wyników i ich porównywalność z metodami klasycznymi. Ze względu na możliwość wystąpienia błędów analitycznych oraz błędów w automatycznej interpretacji wyników analizator wymaga stałego nadzoru serologa

FPGA-Oriented LDPC Decoder for Cyber-Physical Systems

A potentially useful Cyber-Physical Systems element is a modern forward error correction (FEC) coding system, utilizing a code selected from the broad class of Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes. In this paper, development of a hardware implementation in an FPGAs of the decoder for Quasi-Cyclic (QC-LDPC) subclass of codes is presented. The decoder can be configured to support the typical decoding algorithms: Min-Sum or Normalized Min-Sum (NMS). A novel method of normalization in the NMS algorithm is proposed, one that utilizes combinational logic instead of arithmetic units. A comparison of decoders with different bit-lengths of data (beliefs that are messages propagated between computing units) is also provided. The presented decoder has been implemented with a distributed control system. Experimental studies were conducted using the Intel Cyclone V FPGA module, which is a part of the developed testing environment for LDPC coding systems

Low Power QC-LDPC Decoder Based on Token Ring Architecture

The article presents an implementation of a low power Quasi-Cyclic Low-Density Parity-Check (QC-LDPC) decoder in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. The proposed solution is oriented to a reduction in dynamic energy consumption. The key research concepts present an effective technology mapping of a QC-LDPC decoder to an LUT-based FPGA with many limitations. The proposed decoder architecture uses a distributed control system and a Token Ring processing scheme. This idea helps limit the clock skew problem and is oriented to clock gating, a well-established concept for power optimization. Then the clock gating of the decoder building blocks allows for a significant reduction in energy consumption without deterioration in other parameters of the decoder, particularly its error correction performance. We also provide experimental results for decoder implementations with different QC-LDPC codes, indicating important characteristics of the code parity check matrix, for which an energy-saving QC-LDPC decoder with the proposed architecture can be designed. The experiments are based on implementations in the Intel Cyclone V FPGA device. Finally, the presented architecture is compared with the other solutions from the literature

UrBIOfuture webinar

Based on results of 'UrBIOfuture experience survey' and co-creation workshop, the webinar is dedicated to University students (undergraduate, master and PhD students). According to 'main results of the UrBIOfuture experience survey' the event is dedicated to low and middle skilled audiences, and gives a practical information session with little theor

UrBIOfuture webinar

Based on results of 'UrBIOfuture experience survey' and co-creation workshop, the webinar is dedicated to University students (undergraduate, master and PhD students). According to 'main results of the UrBIOfuture experience survey' the event is dedicated to low and middle skilled audiences, and gives a practical information session with little theor