Single and double Auger decay of 4f-ionized mercury including cascade and direct processes

Single（SA） and double（DA） Auger decay including cascade and direct processes are investigated for Hg 4 f^（-1） with multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method and two-step approaches, i.e., knockout and shakeoff mechanisms. Due to the computational effort, only the major transitions are considered to describe the SA and DA decays for the Hg＋ions with complex electronic configurations. In order to estimate the Auger transition energies and amplitudes, the reference configuration sets producing the configuration state functions are carefully chosen for balancing electron correlations among the successive singly, doubly and triply ionized mercury. The Auger rates and electron spectra, DA probabilities as well as the populations of the final Hg^（3＋）states are obtained. Our results well explain the recent experimental data about the 4 f hole states of Hg[Palaudoux J et al., Phys. Rev. A 91 012513（2015）], and could provide guidance for further studies on complex atoms.Particularly for the DA decay, the contributions of the direct processes, which are neglected in their calculations, are found to be important, accounting for as high as about 38% and 34% of the total DA decays for the 4 f（7/2）^（-1） and 4 f（5/2）^（-1）, respectively.

Debye-screening effect on electron-impact excitation of helium-like Al^(11+)and Fe^(24+)ions

Debye-screening effects on the electron-impact excitation(EIE)processes for the dipole-allowed transition 1 s_(2)^(1)S→1 s2 p^(1)P in He-like Al^(11+)and Fe^(24+)ions are investigated using the fully relativistic distorted-wave methods with the Debye-Huckel(DH)model potential.Debye-screening effects on the continuum-bound(CB)interaction and target ion are discussed,both of which result in reduction of EIE cross sections.This reduction due to screening on the CB interaction is dominant.The non-spherical and spherical DH potentials are adopted for considering the screening effect on the CB interaction.It is found that the spherical DH potential could significantly overestimate the influence of plasma screening on EIE cross sections for multielectron He-like ions.

Efficacy of Huoxue Qianyang Qutan Recipe on essential hypertension:A randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled trial

Background:Hypertension,a prevalent disease,is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease.Huoxue Qianyang Qutan Recipe (HQQR),a traditional Chinese herbal remedy,has been used for treating hypertension over several years.Objective:This study assesses HQQR’s efficacy for controlling blood pressure among patients with hypertension related to blood stasis,yang hyperactivity and phlegm.Design,setting,participants and interventions:A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,China,from July 2020 to June 2022.Major components of HQQR were identified using thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography.Participants aged18–80 years,exhibiting traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of blood stasis,yang hyperactivity or phlegm,along with grades 1 or 2 hypertension,were randomly categorized into two groups.The intervention group was given HQQR granules alongside conventional hypertension treatment,while the control group was given placebo granules in addition to conventional treatment for 12 weeks.Main outcome measures:The primary outcome was clinic blood pressure,whereas secondary outcomes included metabolic indices (e.g.,homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance[HOMA-IR],total cholesterol[TC],low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride),target organ damage indices (left ventricular mass index and urinary albumin creatinine ratio[UACR]) and inflammation indices(interleukin-6[IL-6]and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein[hs-CRP]).Results:HQQR’s primary components were identified as salvianolic acid B,emodin and ferulic acid.Of the 216 participants (108 in each group),compared to the control,the intervention group exhibited significant improvements (P<0.001) in clinic systolic blood pressure ([136.24±7.63]vs[130.06±8.50]mmHg),clinic diastolic blood pressure ([84.34±8.72]vs[80.46±6.05]mmHg),home systolic blood pressure([131.64±8.74]vs[122.36±8.45]mmHg) and home diastolic blood pressure ([78.47±9.53]vs[71.79±6.82]mm Hg).HQQR demonstrated a reduction in ambulatory blood pressure (24-hour systolic blood pressure:[133.75±10.49]vs[132.46±8.84]mmHg and 24-hour diastolic blood pressure:[84.12±8.01]vs[82.11±7.45]mmHg) and an improvement in HOMA-IR ([4.09±1.72]vs[3.98±1.44]),TC ([4.66±1.47]vs[3.75±1.81]mmol/L) and UACR (75.94[5.12,401.12]vs 45.61[4.26,234.26]).Moreover,HQQR demonstrated a decrease in hs-CRP (1.46[0.10,10.53]vs 0.57[0.12,3.99]mg/L) and IL-6 (6.69[2.00,29.74]vs 5.27[2.00,9.73]pg/mL),with no reported side effects (P<0.001).Conclusion:This study highlights the therapeutic potential of HQQR use in ameliorating blood pressure,glycolipid metabolism,and inflammation in patients with hypertension.