The use of natural luminescence to assess the quality of coal

W pracy podjęto próbę określenia możliwości wykorzystania zjawiska naturalnej luminescencji materii do oceny jakości węgla kamiennego. Do eksperymentu użyto stacji pomiarowej wyposażonej w fotopowielacz do identyfikacji fotonów emitowanych przez optycznie wzbudzoną materię. Proces pomiaru liczby emitowanych fotonów przeprowadzono automatycznie, z użyciem środowiska programistycznego LabView. Odnotowano różnicę w liczbie fotonów w wybranym sortymencie węgla. Zaobserwowano, że istnieje praktyczna możliwość różnicowania sortymentu węgla kamiennego pod względem poziomów emisji fotonów.The research attempts to determine the possibility of using the phenomenon of natural luminescence of matter to evaluate the quality of coal. For the experiment, a measuring station equipped with a photomultiplier was used to identify photons emitted by optically piqued matter. The process of measuring the number of photons emitted was performed automatically, to which the LabView programming environment was used. There was a difference in the number of photons within the tested groups of coal. It has been observed that there is a practical possibility of differentiating matter in terms of photone emission levels. (The use of natural luminescence to assess the quality of coal)

Relationships between pulmonary hypertension risk, clinical profiles, and outcomes in dilated cardiomyopathy

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with heart failure (HF) contributes to a poorer prognosis. However, in those with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the true prevalence and role of PH is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the profile of DCM patients at various levels of PH risk, determined via echocardiography, and its impact on outcomes. The 502 DCM in- and out-patient records were retrospectively analyzed. Information on patient status was gathered after 45.9 ± 31.3 months. Patients were divided into 3 PH-risk groups based on results from echocardiography measurements: low (L, n = 239, 47.6%), intermediate (I, n = 153, 30.5%), and high (H, n = 110, 21.9%). Symptom duration, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachyarrhythmia, ejection fraction, right atrial area, and moderate or severe mitral regurgitation were found to be independently associated with PH risk. During the follow-up period, 83 (16.5%) DCM patients died: 29 (12.1%) in L, 31 (20.3%) in I, and 23 (20.9%) in H. L-patients had a significantly lower risk of all-cause death (L to H: HR 0.55 (95%CI 0.32–0.98), p = 0.01), while no differences in prognosis were found between I and H. In conclusion, over one in five DCM patients had a high PH risk, and low PH risk was associated with better prognoses

The use of natural luminescence for the detection of radionuclides in hard coal combustion products

W pracy podjęto próbę określenia możliwości wykorzystania zjawiska naturalnej luminescencji materii do wykrywania radionuklidów w produktach spalania węgla kamiennego. Do eksperymentu użyto stacji pomiarowej wyposażonej w fotopowielacz do identyfikacji i zliczania fotonów emitowanych przez wzbudzoną materię. Proces pomiaru liczby emitowanych fotonów przeprowadzono automatycznie, z użyciem środowiska programistycznego LabView. Odnotowano różnicę w liczbie fotonów w badanych grupach produktów spalania węgla, stwierdzenie to dotyczy produktów końcowych i składników tworzących ich mieszaniny. Zaobserwowano, że istnieje praktyczna możliwość różnicowania produktów spalania węgla kamiennego pod względem poziomów emisji fotonów.The research attempts to determine the possibility of using the phenomenon of natural luminescence of matter to evaluate the radionuclide transfer pathway in coal combustion processes. For the experiment, a measuring station equipped with a photomultiplier was used to identify photons emitted by optically piqued matter. The process of measuring the number of photons emitted was performed automatically, to which the LabView programming environment was used. There was a difference in the number of photons within the tested groups of coal combustion products, this statement concerns the final products and components constituting their mixtures. It has been observed that there is a practical possibility of differentiating matter in terms of photone emission levels. (The use of natural luminescence for the detection of radionuclides in hard coal combustion products)

Extended Precordial T Wave Inversions Are Associated with Right Ventricular Enlargement and Poor Prognosis in Pulmonary Hypertension

In pulmonary hypertension (PH), T wave inversions (TWI) are typically observed in precordial leads V1–V3 but can also extend further to the left-sided leads. To date, the cause and prognostic significance of this extension have not yet been assessed. Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationship between heart morphology and precordial TWI range, and the role of TWI in monitoring treatment efficacy and predicting survival. We retrospectively analyzed patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) treated in a reference pulmonary hypertension center. Patients were enrolled if they had a cardiac magnetic resonance (cMR) and 12-lead surface ECG performed at the time of assessment. They were followed from October 2008 until March 2021. We enrolled 77 patients with PAH and 56 patients with inoperable CTEPH. They were followed for a mean of 51 ± 33.5 months, and during this time 47 patients died (35.3%). Precordial TWI in V1–V6 were present in 42 (31.6%) patients, while no precordial TWI were observed only in 9 (6.8%) patients. The precordial TWI range correlated with markers of PH severity, including right ventricle to left ventricle volume RVEDVLVEDV (R = 0.76, p < 0.0001). The presence of TWI in consecutive leads from V1 to at least V5 predicted severe RV dilatation (RVEDVLVEDV ≥ 2.3) with a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 84.1% (AUC of 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83–0.94, p < 0.0001). Presence of TWI from V1 to at least V5 was also a predictor of mortality in Kaplan–Meier estimation (p = 0.02). Presence of TWI from V1 to at least V5 had a specificity of 64.3%, sensitivity of 58.1%, negative predictive value of 75%, and positive predictive value of 45.5% as a mortality predictor. In patients showing a reduction in TWI range of at least one lead after treatment compared with patients without this reduction, we observed a significant improvement in RV-EDV and RV−EDVLV−EDV. We concluded that the extension of TWI to left-sided precordial leads reflects significant pathological alterations in heart geometry represented by an increase in RV/LV volume and predicts poor survival in patients with PAH and CTEPH. Additionally, we found that analysis of precordial TWI range can be used to monitor the effectiveness of hemodynamic response to treatment of pulmonary hypertension