Synthesis and structure of nanomaterials in the system K2O-Nb2O5-SiO2

The aim of the present work is synthesis of ferroelectric nanomaterials, in the K2O-Nb2O5-SiO2 system via solgel method and studying the processes of formation and structure of the synthesized ferroelectric nanomaterials. The structure of synthesized materials has been studied by means of the following methods: EDS, XRD, FT-IR, SEM and AFM. The results obtained showed that the structure of the investigated compositions does not depend on the niobium content and all the samples keep their amorphous nature at room temperature. The surface structure shows random distribution of different kinds of aggregates with dimensions about 200–500 nm. The presence of a hybrid nanostructure with well-defi ned nanounits having special geometry is clearly observed

Factors Of Psychic Tension In Medical Specialists Working In Psychiatric Structures

Worldwide, the treatment, care, and follow-up of patients with mental disorders is considered to be a difficult process, depleting the mental resources of the involved professionals. Most studies related to the functioning of specialists working with such patients, however, have a static (cross-sectional) character and are result-oriented. Very few studies are focused on the dynamic tracking of psychic tension factors in medical professionals.The purpose of this study is to identify factors of psychic tension that are predictive of the overall psychic functioning of the specialists and sensitive enough to its changes. All this should be considered in the context of psychiatric help and treatment.The solution of the stated objective is related to the operationalization and the explanation of the empiric indicators of the presented problem

PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND AGGRESSION AMONG EMERGENCY HEALTHCARE STAFF

Introduction and aim: Psychosocial factors accompany emergency healthcare workers on a daily basis. The negative impact of these factors intensifies because of the cause that these workers experiences some of the highest risks of job-related violence. That is the reason to study the dependence between psychosocial factors and aggression among emergency healthcare workers.Material and Methods: The study was conducted among 468 workers in 2 emergency healthcare centers. The male participants are 58.3% and 41.7% are female. The distribution by position is: nurses— 35.8%, followed by ambulance drivers—26.1%, the doctors are 18.1%, the paramedics—14.2% and theorderlies—5.8%. A sociological method was used—a survey. The statistical methods included descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.Results and Discussion: The participants which reported that psychosocial factors have negative impact on their work – 70.5%. Their distribution was as follows: 78.8% of paramedics, followed by doctors – 73.7%, nurses 71.7%, ambulance workers 67.8% and sanitarians 44.4%. The part of workers which claim that have been victims of aggression or violence are 46.6% and the distribution of answersby position are as follow: 60.7% of doctors, 49.2% of paramedics, 46.8% of nurses, 42.5% of ambulance drivers and 15.4% of medical orderlies. The part of participants which claim that psychosocial factors have negative impact on their work and at the same time they have been victims of aggression at the workplace are 46.3%. Our results confirm the results obtained in a number of other studies.Conclusion: The dependence between psychosocial risk factors and aggression at work is clearly visible. It is necessary to take urgent measures to limit it

Sol-gel synthesis and structure of cordierite/tialite glass-ceramics

In the present work the results of the research on the sol-gel synthesis and structure of cordierite (2MgO·2Al2O3·5SiO2), tialite (Al2O3·TiO2) and cordierite/tialite glass-ceramics as well cordierite containing 2 wt.% of Co and Co+Cu have been described and discussed. The sol-gel synthesis was carried out using different kind of precursors as follows: Al(NO3)×9H2O, Si(OC2H5)4 , Ti(OC4H9)4 , Mg(NO3)2×6H2O, chlorides or nitrates of corresponding metals, H2O, C2H5OH, Aqua Regia, NH4F and PEG. The synthesized gels were dried and thermally treated in the temperature range from 800°C to 1200°C. The sol-gel processes and structure of the cordierite, tialite and cordierite/tialite glass-ceramics have been investigated by means of XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM and EPMA

Apatite Glass-Ceramics: A Review

The authors would like to thank Cera Dynamics Limited, part of the James Kent Group and the Institute of Dentistry (Queen Mary University of London) for jointly funding TD

Sleep Disorders among Workers in an Environment with High Psychosocial Risk

Introduction: Numerous workplaces are related to exposure to high psychosocial risk. Typical example for such employees are the ambulance workers. High proportion of them report serious sleep disorders.Aim: The aim of our research is to find the frequency of sleep disorders and psychosocial risk factors among ambulance workers and the relationship between them.Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 468 workers in 2 emergency healthcare centers. The male participants are 58.3% and 41.7% are female. The distribution by position is: nurses—35.8%, followed by ambulance drivers—26.1%, the doctors are 18.1%, the paramedics—14.2% and the orderlies—5.8%. A sociological method was used—a survey. The statistical methods included descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.Results: The majority of the participants (70.5%) reported that psychosocial factors like shift work, night shifts, violence, stress, interpersonal conflicts have negative impact on their work. The analysis showed that 69.7% of men and 70.7% of women gave a positive answer to the question. The distribution by position was as follows:  78.8% of paramedics, followed by doctors—73.7%, nurses—71.7%, ambulance workers—67.8%, and orderlies—44.4%. The part of participants who had sleep disorders was 36.3%, from them 35.2% were men and 37.1%—women. The largest is the share of participants with sleep disorders at age over 55 years—41%, according to the distribution by position the majority were physicians—46.4%.Conclusion: The work of the ambulance workers is stressful, overloaded, and the levels of psychosocial risk factors and sleep disorders among them are high, unhealthy and common. It is necessary to take urgent preventive measures in order to limit them

Poor Lighting and Visual Impairments Among Administration Workers

Introduction: Typical for modern society is the use of computers for both professional and non-professional activities. This is the reason for a significant impact not only on visual comfort but also on occupational productivity. Between 64% and 90% of computer users experience symptoms such as eyestrain, headaches, ocular discomfort, dry eye, diplopia, and blurred vision after prolonged computer use.Administration workers are exposed to daily forced work pose and prolonged work on the computer and in most workplaces there is poor lighting. This fact intensifies all the negative symptoms related to the problems with vision.Aim: The aim of our study is to find the relationship between poor lighting and visual impairments among administration workers.Materials and Methods:  A sociological method—a survey, was used . The results of the study were presented using descriptive statistics. The study was conducted among 386 workers in administration. The male participants were 15.8%, and 84.2% were female.Results: Participants who reported burning in the eyes were 69%, 65.3% had dry eyes, and 42.5% of the participants had flashes or black spots in front of the eyes. The part of participants who worked in poor lighting was 54%. The results from health analyses of the data from mandatory routine preventive exams for 2020 showed that the share of eye diseases was 92.14% of all examined workers. The part of newly diagnosed eye diseases was 45.7%. The largest share of workers had myopia, followed by workers with presbyopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism and one worker with optic neuritis.Conclusion: The results from the questionnaire show that there are many risk factors and symptoms which predispose to the appearance of eye diseases among workers. The health analyses confirm this statement. It is necessary to take emergency measures to limit these factors

Organic / inorganic bioactive materials Part I: Synthesis, structure and in vitro assessment of collagen/silicocarnotite biocoatings

Abstract The silicocarnotite, as an inorganic part of the coatings, has been synthesized using a polystep sol-gel method. The chemical composition of the prepared silicocarnotite sol is described as 58.12 CaO, 29.42 P2O5, 12.45 SiO2 (wt%), where Ca/P+Si = 1,67. The acid soluble type I collagen, as an organic part of the obtained coatings, was mixed with silicocarnotite powder in a weight ratio of 25:75 and 75:25 weight ratio without cross-linkage. The acidity of the obtained mixture was readjust with 25% NH4OH to pH = 9.0. The mixture was then dried at 37°C for 12 h. The growth of B-type carbonate containing hydroxyapatite (B-type CO3HA) in which CO3 2+→PO4 3− on the surface of collagen/silicocarnotite coatings soaked in 1.5 simulated body fluid (1.5 SBF) was observed. The nucleation of B-type CO3HA was estimated on the obtained coatings after 3 days immersion in 1.5 SBF. The negatively charged carboxylate groups from the collagen surface may be responsible for the HA deposition. This was confirmed by the “red shift” of carboxylate groups of collagen molecules in the FTIR spectra. After soaking in 1.5 SBF, the morphology of prepared coatings and HA formation was observed by SEM.</jats:p

Ergonomic risk factors and physical fatigue among ambulance workers in Bulgaria

Abstract Background Ambulance workers' job is characterized by extended shifts, inconsistent shift patterns, poor sleep, non-ergonomic work places and work postures, high levels of physical and mental strain. Fatigue in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workplace may be related to high patient care loads, demanding work schedules, physical overload and associated stress. The impaired health of those workers can result in pressure on health and insurance systems for treating them as well as bad health care services for emergency patients. Methods The study was conducted among 468 workers in emergency healthcare centers in Bulgaria in the period from December 2017 to April 2018. A sociological method was used - a questionniare. The results of the study are presented using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Results The biggest part of participants complained from ergonomic hazards such as lifting, carrying weights have negative impact on their health: 71.1% of the ambulance drivers, 61.4% of the doctors, 53% of paramedics, followed by nurses with 52.4% and sanitarians with 51.9%. The distribution by positions show that high levels of physical fatigue are among paramedics 59.1%, followed by doctors - 58.3%, nurses 47.6%, medical orderly 33.3% and ambulance drivers 31.9%. The highest levels of the physical fatigue are among respondents at age up to 35 years. Risk reduction measures were developed and distributed among ambulance workers and their employers. Special stress coping strategies were implemented. Conclusions Work among ambulance workers is associated with a number of risks as among the main once are ergonomics and related high levels of physical fatigue at the end of the working day. Key messages The levels of ergonomic hazards are high among ambulance workers. Ergonomic hazards have negative impact on ambulance workers’ health and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is very high. </jats:sec