Mobile psychiatry: towards improving the care for bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND: Mental health has long been a neglected problem in global healthcare. The social and economic impacts of conditions affecting the mind are still underestimated. However, in recent years it is becoming more apparent that mental disorders are a growing global concern and there is a necessity of developing novel services and researching effective means of providing interventions to sufferers. Such novel services could include technology-based solutions already used in other healthcare applications but are yet to make their way into standard psychiatric practice. METHODS: This manuscript proposes a system where sensors are utilised to devise an “early warning” system for patients with bipolar disorder. The system, containing wearable and environmental sensors, would collect behavioural data independent from the patient’s self-report. To test the feasibility of the concept, a prototype system was devised, which was followed by trials including four healthy volunteers as well as a bipolar patient. RESULTS: The sensors utilised in the study yielded behavioural data which may be of significant use in detecting early effects of a bipolar episode. Basic processing performed on particular data inputs provided information about activity patterns in areas, which are usually strongly influenced by the course of Bipolar Disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The manuscript discusses the basic usage issues and other barriers which are to be tackled before technology-based approaches to mental care can be successfully rolled out and their true value appraised

Technological innovations in mental healthcare: harnessing the digital revolution

Digital technology has the potential to transform mental healthcare by connecting patients, services and health data in new ways. Digital online and mobile applications can offer patients greater access to information and services and enhance clinical management and early intervention through access to real-time patient data. However, substantial gaps exist in the evidence base underlying these technologies. Greater patient and clinician involvement is needed to evaluate digital technologies and ensure they target unmet needs, maintain public trust and improve clinical outcomes

Personalised Ambient Monitoring (PAM) for People with Bipolar Disorder

This paper presents the architecture and preliminary trial results of a monitoring system for patients with bipolar disorder containing environmental and wearable sensors

Polyester and Polyesterimide Compounds with Nanofillers for Impregnating of Electrical Motors

Polyester and polyesterimide compounds for impregnating of electrical motors were modified by incorporating of three kinds of nanofillers: zinc oxide, fumed nanosilica and titanium dioxide so as to improve their properties. Nanosized particles were added at 1 wt.% of loading and homogeneously dispersed in polyester and polyesterimide matrix. The results on mechanical, electrical and barrier properties of standard and nanofilled compounds were compared. Thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis showed that thermal stability of nanofilled compounds was significantly higher. Also the electrical and bonding strength of nanofilled impregnating compounds increased and at the same time water absorption decreased. The highest improvement of properties owing to nanofillers was obtained in the case of nanosilica

Możliwości modyfikacji mikrostruktury warystorów tlenkowych

The electrical properties of varistors, similarly like posistors and other devices made of semiconducting ceramic, are controlled by grain boundaries. In varistor conductivity the main role play potential barriers which arise at grain boundaries during varistor sintering. The I-V behavior of varistor ceramic is such that during conduction the varistor voltage remains relatively constant while a current changes are of several orders of magnitude. Varistor is produced by sintering a mixture of ZnO with a small addition of Bi2O3 and other metal oxides. Varistor microstructure composes of ZnO grains. Each ZnO grain acts as it has a semiconducting junction at the grain boundary. The non-linear electrical behavior occurs at the boundary of each ZnO grain. The junctions between grains are separated by an intergranular phase. The best varistor performance is attained when the Bi-rich intergranular layer is of nanometer size. When the intergranular phase is in a shape of agglomerates embedding Bi2O3 crystal phases and spinel grains it forms areas excluded from conduction. The problem has been studied with emphasis on determining the relation between ZnO dopants and microstructure evolution. It was established that the vulnerability of varistor ceramic for formation of agglomerates depend on the composition of additive oxides. With SrO, MnO and PbO varistor ceramic is more susceptible for formation of agglomerates, while Co2O3, Sb2O3 and SnO2 facilitates the homogenous distribution of additives in varistor body. Elimination of an electrically inactive areas from varistor body would enable the decrease of the amount of additives (e.g. the amount of Bi2O3 would decrease from 1 mol % to 0.2 mol %) and bring about the diminishment of the cost of varistor processing along with improvement of varistor performance.Własności elektryczne warystorów, podobnie jak pozystorów i innych wyrobów z ceramiki półprzewodnikowej, są kontrolowane przez ukształtowanie granicy ziaren. Ceramika warystorowa ZnO swoje niewłaściwości elektryczne zawdzięcza domieszce małej ilości innych tlenków metali. Mikrostruktura warystora rozwija się podczas spiekania. Głównym elementem mikrostruktury warystora są ziarna ZnO odseparowane od siebie cienką , bogatą w bizmut, warstwą międzyziarnową. Najlepsze własności elektryczne warystor wykazuje wtedy, kiedy warstwa ta jest możliwie cienka. Jeżeli warstwa ta jest w formie aglomeratów, a w dodatku zawiera w sobie wykrystalizowany Bi2O3 lub krystality innych związków to tworzy obszar wykluczony z przewodnictwa. W warystorze o takiej strukturze w czasie przepływu prądu dochodzi do miejscowych przegrzań i zakłóceń w działaniu. W pracy udowodniono doświadczalnie, że spiekając wstępnie tlenek bizmutu z tlenkami innych metali można wpływać na kształt warstwy miedzyziarnowej, a więc i na elektryczne własności warystora. Przeprowadzone doświadczenia dowiodły, że jeżeli Bi2O3 przed dodaniem do warystora spieczemy wstępnie z tlenkami Co, Sb lub Sn to tak zmodyfikowany tlenek bizmutu sprzyja równomiernemu rozprowadzeniu domieszek w warystorze przyczyniając się do eliminacji ze struktury warystora obszarów nieaktywnych elektrycznie. Natomiast wstępne modyfikowanie tlenku bizmutu tlenkami tzw. szkłotwórczymi jak PbO, SrO i MnO nie przynosi podobnego efektu

Mobile psychiatry: towards improving the care for bipolar disorder

Abstract Background Mental health has long been a neglected problem in global healthcare. The social and economic impacts of conditions affecting the mind are still underestimated. However, in recent years it is becoming more apparent that mental disorders are a growing global concern and there is a necessity of developing novel services and researching effective means of providing interventions to sufferers. Such novel services could include technology-based solutions already used in other healthcare applications but are yet to make their way into standard psychiatric practice. Methods This manuscript proposes a system where sensors are utilised to devise an “early warning” system for patients with bipolar disorder. The system, containing wearable and environmental sensors, would collect behavioural data independent from the patient’s self-report. To test the feasibility of the concept, a prototype system was devised, which was followed by trials including four healthy volunteers as well as a bipolar patient. Results The sensors utilised in the study yielded behavioural data which may be of significant use in detecting early effects of a bipolar episode. Basic processing performed on particular data inputs provided information about activity patterns in areas, which are usually strongly influenced by the course of Bipolar Disorder. Conclusions The manuscript discusses the basic usage issues and other barriers which are to be tackled before technology-based approaches to mental care can be successfully rolled out and their true value appraised.</p

Study of Structure Densification in TiO2TiO_2 Coatings Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering under Low Pressure of Oxygen Plasma Discharge

Current work presents results of studies on structural and optical properties of the $TiO_2$ thin films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering. Oxide thin films were deposited from metallic targets using oxygen gas only instead of usually used mixture of Ar-$O_2$. Additionally, an increased amplitude of unipolar pulses powering the magnetron has been applied. It is shown that all prepared coatings were stoichiometric and by changing only the discharge voltage it is possible to influence the resulting structural phase and optical properties of prepared thin films. Depending on conditions of magnetron powering, $TiO_2$ thin films had either the anatase structure with refraction index n = 2.1 (λ = 500 nm) or a high temperature stable rutile structure with n = 2.52 (λ = 500 nm)