Erratum to "Characterization and densification of defect pyrochlore oxide powders ABi2Ta5O16 (A=Na, Tl)" [Heliyon 5 (5) (May 2019) e01628].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01628.].

Characterization and densification of defect pyrochlore oxide powders ABi2Ta5O16 (A=Na, Tl).

Defect pyrochlore oxide powders ABi2Ta5O16, in the pseudo-binary systems BiTaO4-ATa3O8 (A = Na, Tl), were prepared by solid state method. The structural study showed that all oxides crystallize in a cubic system with the space group Fd3m, the lattice parameter "a" were determined using Rietveld refinement method. For systematic study on densification from powders, the samples were pressed with a uniaxial pressure into pellets; sintering temperature, holding time and heating rate were optimized. Techniques, including X-ray diffraction, IR-Raman, MEB, dilatometry, were employed to investigate the structure and the morphology of the synthesized powders and sintered materials. The dielectric characteristics, relative permittivity and dielectric losses (tgδ), determined at room temperature are comparable to those of other pyrochlores.

Study of two tungstates Ca0.5 Cd0.5 WO4 and Ca0.2 Cd0.8 WO4 by transmission electron microscopy.

To better understand the role of crystal structures and local disorder in the photonic properties of the system (1 - x)CaWO4  - xCdWO4 with 0 < x < 1, two specific phases with compositions x = 0.5 (scheelite phase) and 0.8 (wolframite phase) have been studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopies. High-resolution electron microscopy images and image simulations, associated with X-ray diffraction data, allowed confirming the lattices and space groups I41 /a and P2/c of the two scheelite and wolframite phases, at the local scale. The electron microscopy data show the existence of a high degree of crystallization associated with statistical distribution of Ca or Cd atoms on a Ca1- x Cdx site in each lattice.

RuO2 thin films deposited by spin coating on silicon substrates: pH-dependence of the microstructure and catalytic properties.

RuO(2) thin films have been deposited on Si substrates by spin coating with precursor solutions having a pH varying between 1.4 and 4. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses are used to determine correlations between the solution pH and the film microstructure. As the pH varies, the RuO(2) crystal sizes reach a minimum value then increase; the porosity increases at the substrate/film interface with formation of large cavities. The catalytic activity of these RuO(2) layers in the presence of flowing air-methane is analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the conversion of CH(4) into CO(2). The increasing porosity seems to improve the catalytic conversion rate of methane. Electrical impedance spectroscopy analyses show that the conductivity strongly depends on the thin-film microstructure and porosity.

[Possibilities for workflow optimization in radiology departments beyond RIS and PACS]. / Möglichkeiten der Optimierung des Workflows in radiologischen Abteilungen jenseits von RIS und PACS.

Technological progress and the rising cost pressure on the healthcare system have led to a drastic change in the work environment of radiologists today. The pervasive demand for workflow optimization and increased efficiency of its activities raises the question of whether by employment of electronic systems, such as RIS and PACS, the potentials of digital technology are sufficiently used to fulfil this demand. This report describes the tasks and structures in radiology departments, which so far are only insufficiently supported by commercially available electronic systems but are nevertheless substantial. We developed and employed a web-based, integrated workplace system, which simplifies many daily tasks of departmental organization and administration apart from well-established tasks of documentation. Furthermore, we analyzed the effects exerted on departmental workflow by employment of this system for 3 years.

[PACS: storage and retrieval of digital radiological image data]. / PACS: Speicherung und Abruf digitaler radiologischer Bilddaten.

BACKGROUND: Efficient handling of both picture archiving and retrieval is a crucial factor when new PACS installations as well as technical upgrades are planned. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For a large PACS installation for 200 actual studies, the number, modality,and body region of available priors were evaluated. In addition, image access time of 100 CT studies from hard disk (RAID), magneto-optic disk (MOD), and tape archives (TAPE) were accessed. RESULTS: For current examinations priors existed in 61.1% with an averaged quantity of 7.7 studies. Thereof 56.3% were within 0-3 months, 84.9% within 12 months, 91.7% within 24 months, and 96.2% within 36 months. On average, access to images from the hard disk cache was more than 100 times faster then from MOD or TAPE. CONCLUSION: Since only PACS RAID provides online image access, at least current imaging of the past 12 months should be available from cache. An accurate prefetching mechanism facilitates effective use of the expensive online cache area. For that, however, close interaction of PACS, RIS, and KIS is an indispensable prerequisite.

[Recommendations for the selection of storage media for archiving digital radiological image data based on the comparison of retrieval times at different PACS archive levels]. / Empfehlungen zur Medienwahl für die Archivierung radiologischer Bilddaten auf der Basis einer Analyse der Zugriffszeiten auf verschiedene PACS-Archivebenen.

PURPOSE: Recommendations for archiving digital radiological image data based on the comparison of retrieval times for different PACS archive levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For a large PACS installation (Agfa Impax, Release 4.1), image retrieval times for radiological standard examinations (chest radiographs with 2, MRI with 250, CT with 100 and 1000 images; n = 120, each) from hard disk array, magneto-optical disk (MOD), and magnetic tape archives (TAPE) were examined in high and low network traffic load. RESULTS: Even large CT examinations (1000 images) were available from hard disk arrays within 4.0 +/- 0.8 s, smaller studies within 1.8 +/- 0.3 s. Radiographic image retrieval from MOD (30 +/- 4.7 s) was more then 50 % faster than from TAPE. For typical cross-sectional studies, the velocity gain amounted to 19 %. For both technologies, no significant difference was found for large CT examinations (651 +/- 144 s). For high and low network traffic load scenarios, image retrieval times from hard disk, MOD, and TAPE archives increased by 87 %, 7 %, and 22 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: Hard disk arrays are specifically suited as departmental intermediate storage media because they allow fast access to current and previous examinations within a short time. Performance properties enable both MOD and TAPE systems to serve as long-term archives. However, MOD archives are less flexible in the expansion of storage capacity and at present the medium costs per memory unit are about 2 - 3 times higher than for tape archives. The use of existing MOD-archives may be adequate as intermediate archives. For new PACS installations or system expansions, however, it is recommended to combine a sufficiently large local data memory (RAID) with data storage on tape archives outside the radiological unit that can be used by other departments as well. Future development of hard disk prices will show whether archiving for the whole data retention period may be handled by RAID systems. In any case, prefetching problems and waiting periods for demanded pre-studies would not occur any more.

IT services in a completely digitized radiological department: value and benefit of an in-house departmental IT group.

To analyze the benefit of a departmental IT group in comparison to support by hospital IT groups or system manufacturers in a completely digitized radiological department. The departmental IT group comprises a fulltime IT specialist, two student assistants and four clinical employees participating 1 day/week. For 18 months IT problems were quantified and specified according to urgency, responsibility and affected system by use of an intranet-based reporting system. For each IT service provider the performance and duration of problem solution was evaluated. In 18 months 3,234 IT problems emerged. 88.7% were solved by the departmental IT group. In 474 cases (14.7%) a solution within 2 h was required. The departmental IT group solved 35.8% within 30 min, system manufacturers needed 18 h 38 min in mean. The departmental IT group solved 90.2% of the problems within a time limit. System manufacturers met the limit in 60.1% with a mean duration of 7 days 21 h. In 6.7% of the cases, support by system manufacturers was indispensable. A considerable proportion of IT problems in completely digitized radiological departments can be solved by a departmental IT group, providing a fast and cost-efficient first-level IT support with effective prevention of major breaks in the workflow. In a small number of cases support by system manufacturers remains necessary.

[Improving productivity by implementing RIS and PACS throughout the clinic: a case study]. / Produktivitätsverbesserung durch klinikweite RIS und PACS: eine Fallstudie.

PROBLEM: How are improvements in productivity in connection with RIS/PACS to be defined? What do they cost? To limit the problem to the relevant topics, we first describe the objectives of a radiology department and the identified bottlenecks in the workflow. How to define and assess the improvements is discussed. METHODS: The case in question for this study is the RIS/PACS project at the "Klinikum der Universität München, Campus Grosshadern". The goals of the project and its present status are reviewed. The project is not yet completed, so this is a "midterm" report. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We describe the status of the achieved and not yet achieved goals and of the eliminated bottlenecks. On the plus side, for example, nearly 100% of all digitally generated images (except mammogramms) are digitally archived. They are accessible to the same percentage in radiology via PACS and in the hospital via the webbased intranet image distribution system when needed. In some radiology areas, such as multislice CT, already the reporting can no longer be performed without softcopy image interpretation. However, the full elimination of hardcopy images is still not reality, since the distribution to DICOM viewers for selected requesters with demands for almost reporting quality, high cost image displays is still in the testphase. To reduce film costs, images are being printed on a high resolution paper printer in addition to the intranet distribution during this transition period. On the negative side, due to a lack of job positions in the transcription rooms, about 40% of the reports are still being handwritten by radiologists. Furthermore, the dictated and transcribed reports are usually still not available early enough in the RIS and thereby in the intranet report distribution of the hospital. Here only a speech recognition system can remedy the situation. As soon as this problem is solved and the image distribution to the DICOM viewers works routinely, the reports and the images will be accessible within minutes to maximally within some hours after the examination. CONCLUSION: The goals reached so far suffered delays due to unforeseen problems and pitfalls. Altogether, a quieter operation and workflow in radiology has already been achieved, due to less inquiries from the requestors for unfinished examinations, images and/or image copies.

Task-specific authoring functions for end-users in a hospital information system.

Authoring functions--integrated in a Hospital Information System (HIS)--provide a means for physicians and nurses to adapt partly their man/machine interface. We successfully implemented task-specific authoring functions that enable end-users to comprehend and structure a large body of multimedia documents, to focus attention during medical decision making, to speed up medical tasks and to standardise the drafting of documents.