Search

W artykule przedstawiono normatywne aspekty działalności komisji do spraw etyki badań naukowych z udziałem ludzi na polskich uczelniach technicznych. Spośród osiemnastu uczelni, jedenaście w ostatnich latach powołało takie komisje. Szczegółowo opisano działalność komisji etyki badań z udziałem ludzi działającej na Politechnice Wrocławskiej, zestawiając jej sposób funkcjonowania z wybranymi elementami praktyki działania analogicznej komisji z Uniwersytetu Technicznego w Delft. W kontekście pracy komisji omówiono problemy dotyczące definicji, zakresu kompetencji komisji oraz identyfikacji czynników ryzyka i zarządzania ryzykiem badawczym. Podsumowaniem badań są propozycje organizacyjne i badawcze związane z funkcjonowaniem komisji etyki badań naukowych z udziałem ludzi na uczelniach technicznych.

In the area of human–computer interaction (HCI) of persons with disabilities (PWDs), the knowledge about the mechanisms determining their evaluation of the assistive technology is particularly impo...

Two different methods: REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) and the revised Quick Exposure Check (QEC) were applied for the assessment of three jobs involving forklift truck driving. The application of MSD risk assessment tools was followed by ergonomic checklists analysis. The results were used for ergonomic intervention program. Although both methods shown their usefulness in the MSD risk assessment, QEC results were more specific, gave more detailed information about possible ways of ergonomic intervention and better showed the decrease of MSD risk as an effect of changes applied.

The titanium has been a part of the group of materials used in areas where excellent corrosion resistance and high strength are required...

The performance comparison of two head-controlled interaction systems was made using a multi-directional tapping test on the basis of Fitts’ paradigm, as recommended by ISO 9241-9 standard. Both investigated input systems were based on head position and movements visual recognition by a camera and a special software. The study was made on the sample of 14 healthy subjects without motoric deficiencies, with counterbalanced within-subject experiment design. Both systems were marked by similar error rates (average 23.45%), while their throughput values were significantly different (0.67 versus 1.92 bit/s). Additionally, a comparison of performance characteristics with several other head activated systems was made by means of a literature review.

This paper presents the results of the application of freeze granulation to the production of transparent neodymium-doped yttrium–aluminum garnet ceramics. Aqueous suspensions of aluminium oxide, yttrium oxide and neodymium oxide powders were prepared based on nanometric or submicronic powders which were either commercially available or prepared by precipitation. The relations between the composition of suspension, the properties of granulate and the final properties of ceramics (microstructure, optical transmission and emission spectra) were studied.

The aim of this work has been to obtain transparent Tm, Ho:YAG ceramics (thulium doping range: 2–6 at.%, holmium doping range: 0.1–1.0 at.%) by reaction sintering using commercial powders. It has been proved that the particle size, purity and degree of agglomeration of the powders used are crucial from the point of view of the optical quality of ceramics. The spectroscopic measurements of Tm, Ho:YAG ceramics with different concentration of active ions (including transmission and emission spectra measurements) have been presented and discussed. As has been found, both concentration of holmium and thulium separately as well as the balance between them are of great importance. Energy transfer between Tm and Ho ions has been demonstrated.

The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of precipitation parameters on the morphology of obtained thulium oxide powders. Tm2O3 precursor powders were synthesized by precipitation method using 0.1–0.25M water solutions of thulium nitrate and 1.5M ammonium hydrogen carbonate water solution as a precipitation agent. The processes were conducted at different temperatures (25–50°C). The result showed that the morphology of the obtained thulium oxide (Tm2O3) powders depends both on the molar concentration of thulium nitrate and the temperature of precipitation. Small, round, loosely agglomerated Tm2O3 nanoparticles were obtained after air calcination of precursor precipitated at room temperature with the use of 0.1M thulium nitrate solution.

The results of studies on preparation of gadolinium zirconate pyrochlore ceramics are presented. Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 powders were prepared by repeated annealing and milling runs of commercial ZrO 2 and Gd 2 O 3 micro- and nanopowders and hot-pressed at 1450 °C. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis of the microstructure shows average grain size to vary from 1.0 to 5.9 µm depending on a type of used mixtures. Sintered ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction. The highest intensity of the pyrochlore superstructure peaks was found for ceramics obtained from the mixture of nanopowders. The ratio of intensity of the strongest pyrochlore line to the intensity of the strongest peak characteristic for both structures (fluorite and pyrochlore) equals to 4.5% indicating about 80% pyrochlore ordering.

Fatigue, as a psychophysiological state, is a normal human condition experienced as a result of mental or physical activity that consumes one's biological resources. In order to relieve its symptoms and to restore human's ability to continue work, a return to a fresh, relaxed state is required. It is usually obtained by an adequate amount of rest and/or sleep, but under the presence of some disadvantageous factors, such as too hot or too cold microclimate, high levels of noise at a workplace, work overload, psychological stress, lack of motivation, and others, e.g., family or health-related problems, this needed amount of rest simply may not fit into a normal 24-hour cycle of activity, resulting in the fatigue built-up. A fatigued worker becomes prone to performance deterioration, loss of concentration, misjudgment of his/her environmental safety, hazardous behaviors, anxiety and sleepiness. Therefore, worker's fatigue management is essential for improving productivity and quality of work, as well as for building worker's satisfaction, motivation and overall wellbeing. To supervise fatigue, appropriate tools for its measurement are required. This paper presents an overview of existing methods of fatigue measurement, including psychological (self-reports and questionnaires), physiological (i.e., changes in various body functions), and performance related (e.g., reaction time, sensory abilities) ones.

The Subjective Overall Workload Assessment (SOWA) is a tool for overall evaluation of workload. It takes into account the work environment, both static and dynamic workload as well as mental workload. The method allows to identify the dimensions and factors having the greatest influence on the workload. Its huge advantage is an internal consistency assessment which lets researchers to eliminate the unreliable subjects. SOWA has been applied as a tool for evaluation of workload until now. The article shows the application of SOWA method as an effectiveness evaluation tool in ergonomic training. About 300 workers participated in the two-part ergonomic training. Each part included an expert talk, a demonstration and training of proper technique of weight lifting and carrying as well as physical exercises. Between both parts of training there was a six-month interval. The SOWA questionnaire was applied before the first part of training and after the second one in order to control its effectiveness. As the conclusion, it was stated that the ergonomic training influences on the overall workload measured by the SOWA method.

This research is focused on determining the relative importances of diverse work dimensions and their attributes in a large company producing transportation vehicles. Fifty four employees from three different departments took part in this examination. They were all males with significant work experience in the current post and overall in the company. The obtained results were investigated both for all of the examined workers as well as individually for a number of various professions. The whole study was conducted within the Subjective Overall Workload Assessment (SOWA) framework and included the analysis of the manual material handling, body posture and movements, work environment, and mental requirements. The applied method allowed for identifying crucial areas in which immediate ergonomic interventions are necessary. Moreover, it was also possible to specify the hierarchy and order of the issues of ergonomic nature that should be addressed in the longer term.

The paper demonstrates the Polish version of Device Assessment Questionnaire. Adaptation process was made in order to create the universal tool for the assessment of pointing devices other than keyboard, as it is intended in ISO9241-9 standard. The authors’ main purpose was to include in the adaptation process some of the problems of psychological rather than the content or language nature. These problems are associated with the uncertainty of those respondents, especially people with disabilities, in the subject of evaluation and excessive internal attribution (assessment of their own competencies and not the characteristics of the device).The results of three studies with an adapted diagnostic tool for comfort of work are presented. Obtained study results show compliance with the Standard, versatility and flexibility of the Questionnaire.

In this work alumina preforms with an open porosity of 85 and 90% were produced by the replication method. The obtained preforms were used for the fabrication of Cu–Al2O3 composites. We analyzed the effect of applying pressure during a hot-pressing process on the microstructure and mechanical and thermal properties of the obtained materials. It was found that application of higher pressure (10 MPa) during sintering led to the destruction of the ceramic preforms. It facilitated filling of the remaining pores with copper, which resulted in a more homogeneous material with better mechanical and thermal properties.

This paper presents new solution to manufacturing Cu-Al2O3 composites with a dispersed reinforcement phase. It consists in substituting commonly used commercial alumina powder with crushed ceramic foam. Very low strength of thin-walled Al2O3 porous foams results in both their easy destruction and isolation of fragments

The ability of gadolinium zirconate pyrochlore for actinides incorporation in its lattice makes this material a possible matrix for the immobilization of nuclear wastes. The aim of the presented work was to develop a novel method of gadolinium zirconate synthesis by using a reactive sintering procedure under high pressure based on commercial ZrO2 and Gd2O3 nanopowders. Samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and SEM to check their phase composition and microstructure. The obtained sintered pellets demonstrated peaks characteristic for pyrochlore structure for a wide range of preparation temperatures and high density (99.5 % of the theoretical value). It was found that the resulting materials exhibited a homogeneous microstructure and the average grain size dependent on sintering temperature.

The usability research on web pages layout preferences of online shops consumers has been continued since 2008 on a sample of over 1,000 Polish students. This gives a possibility to observe changes in preferences, both over time as well as across the respondents’ buying experience. Preferred locations of selected interface objects specific for an online shop, like a shopping cart, product image and search button were analyzed. The research showed that the main differentiating factor of preferences is the users’ experience. Concurrently, the layout patterns preferred by more experienced participants were consistent with standards defined as the most frequently used placement of the objects on existing online shop web pages.

Celem artykułu jest zwrócenie uwagi menedżerów na praktyki budzące dylematy etyczne, szczególnie w zakresie działalności marketingowej przedsiębiorstwa. Autorzy wskazują te działania w obszarze budowania strategii marketingu-mix, które są problematyczne z punktu widzenia etyki. Struktura artykułu nawiązuje do czterech podstawowych elementów marketingu-mix: produktu, promocji, dystrybucji i ceny.

As known fabrication of fully transparent YAG ceramics using solid-reaction method needs highly sinterable Y2O3 and Al2O3 powders. In the work reported, as a source of alumina Taimicron TM-DR nanopowder was used, but Y2O3 nanopowder with controlled morphology was prepared by AHC precipitation starting from nitrates. The effect of ammonium sulfate was intensively studied throughout the precipitation process. As found, sinterability of final Y2O3 powders were strongly affected by the addition of (NH4)2SO4. Transmittance of sintered YAG ceramics based on commercial alumina and yttria powders prepared showed that an optimum of ammonium sulfate addition exists. Mechanism of Y2O3 nanopowders properties regulation by presence of ammonium sulfate in precipitation process was studied and discussed.

It has been known for many years that the incorporation of metallic particulates into a ceramic matrix can bring about the improvement of the mechanical properties of ceramics. Alumina/copper composites are well-known for their good frictional wear resistance, high resistance to thermal fatigue, high thermal conductivity as well as high absorption and dissipation of heat. The combination of the properties offered by alumina-copper composites makes them particularly interesting for wear applications in both automobile and aerospace industries. In the present paper we report on the design and production of a new class of alumina-copper functionally graded materials (FGM) which have technological potential for application in automotive brake disks. More specifically, this work deals with the development of the interpenetrating network structure of the FGM material. The manufacturing procedure was based on the gas-pressure infiltration of graded porous alumina preforms by liquid copper. The graded porous ceramic preforms with porosity ranging between 20 and 60% were made by casting foils made from slurries, the main components of which were alumina powder and rice starch powder (a pore forming agent), laminating these foils, subsequently burning-out the starch and last but not least performing a sintering process. A fundamental part of the presented investigations was to correlate the grain size of the alumina powders (Almatis, HVA FG and CT 1200 SG) and the pore size distribution, microstructure and selected mechanical and thermal properties of the porous ceramic preforms.

Porous ceramic materials are used in medicine as well as in industry. They can be prepared in the form of filter components, thermal insulators, or composite components. Preforms of this type can only be applied if they meet the respective structural requirements. In the present study, such a porous ceramic material was produced by the polymeric sponge method using a polyurethane sponge and a-Al2O3 Almatis. The aqueous suspension was prepared with binders of the two types: polyvinyl alcohol and a dispersion based on methacrylic acid esters and styrene. The aim of this study was to find the relationship between the composition of the weight slips, sintering conditions, and the structure of the porous ceramic obtained. The paper presents the results of studies on the rheological properties of the ceramic slurries and the results of strength tests of the ceramic material.

Journal title: "Zeszyty Naukowe Małopolskiej Wyższej Szkoły Ekonomicznej w Tarnowie" ISSN 1506-2635. Abstrakt: Standardową metodą stosowaną do oceny obciążenia pracą monotypową jest metoda OCRA, rekomendowana do użytku w normie PN-EN 1005-5:2007 E. Problemem jest jednak ocena obciążenia pracą, jeśli ten sam pracownik wykonuje w ciągu dnia pracy różne zadania robocze, a każde z nich charakteryzuje się wysoką monotypowością. W tej sytuacji wyniki oceny obciążenia metodą OCRA lub innymi metodami do oceny pracy kończyn górnych (RULA, JSI) są niemiarodajne. Do oceny obciążenia zastosowano metodę Assessment of Repetitive Tasks of the Upper Limbs (w skrócie: ART). Metoda jest rekomendowana do użytku przez brytyjskie służby BHP (Health and Safety Executive – HSE). Służy ona do oceny zadań powtarzalnych wykonywanych kończynami górnymi, z uwzględnieniem wielu różnych czynności składających się na obciążenie. Wykazano przydatność metody do wykrywania zagrożeń związanych z obciążeniem pracą statyczną i czynnościami monotypowymi. Słowa kluczowe: praca monotypowa, metoda OCRA, metoda JSI, metoda ART, rotacja pracy, obciążenie pracą, ergonomia