AIM To estimate annual direct and indirect costs for patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) and subtypes.METHODS Patients completed a standardized questionnaire concerning usage of healthcare resources,...AIM To estimate annual direct and indirect costs for patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) and subtypes.METHODS Patients completed a standardized questionnaire concerning usage of healthcare resources, travel costs, meals, and productivity loss of patients when seeking treatment for IBS. Total annual costs per patient were calculated as the sum of direct(including medical and nonmedical) and indirect costs. Total annual costs per patient among various IBS subtypes were compared. Analysis of variance and bootstrapped independent sample t-tests were performed to determine differences between groups after controlling for IBS subtypes.RESULTS A total of 105 IBS patients(64.80% female), mean age of 57.12 years ± 10.31 years), mean disease duration of 4.31 years ± 5.40 years, were included. Total annual costs per patient were estimated as CNy18262.84(USD2933.08). Inpatient and outpatient healthcare use were major cost drivers, accounting for 46.41%and 23.36% of total annual costs, respectively. Productivity loss accounted for 25.32% of total annual costs. The proportions of direct and indirect costs were similarto published studies in other countries. Nationally, the total costs of managing IBS would amount to CNy123.83 billion(USD1.99 billion). Among the IBS subtypes, total annual costs per patient of IBS-M was highest at CNy18891.18(USD3034). Furthermore, there was significant difference in productivity loss among IBS subtypes(P = 0.031).CONCLUSION IBS imposes a huge economic burden on patients and healthcare systems, which could account for 3.3% of the total healthcare budget for the entire Chinese nation. More than two-thirds of total annual costs of IBS consist of inpatient and outpatient healthcare use. Among the subtypes, IBS-M patients appear to have the greatest economic burden but require further confirmation.展开更多
In all convective heat transfer situations, losses occur in the flow field （by dissipation） as well as in the temperature field （by conduction）. Typically these losses are more or less quantified by the friction f...In all convective heat transfer situations, losses occur in the flow field （by dissipation） as well as in the temperature field （by conduction）. Typically these losses are more or less quantified by the friction factorfwith respect to losses in the flow field, and the Nusselt number Nu for the heat transfer quality. Assessing the process of convective heat transfer as a whole, then becomes problematic because two different non-dimensional quantities, f and Nu, have to be combined somehow. From a thermodynamics point of view, there is a reasonable alternative： Since all losses become manifest in corresponding entropy generation rates, these rates are determined in the velocity as well as in the temperature field. Based on the integration of the entropy generation fields, an energy devaluation number is introduced. It basically determines how much oftbe so-called entropic potential of the energy involved in a convective heat transfer process is used within it. This approach is called SLA （second law analysis）.展开更多
This article classifies the seawater desalination technology into four types of hot method, membrane method, electric field method and solvent method. Electric field method and solvent method still remain experimental...This article classifies the seawater desalination technology into four types of hot method, membrane method, electric field method and solvent method. Electric field method and solvent method still remain experimental stage, while hot method and membrane method have been realized in commercialization but are difficult to be promoted. The problem lies in high water-producing cost. It is difficult for membrane method seawater desalination technology to reduce the water-producing cost. The heat utilization efficiency is not high for the current hot method seawater desalination technology and there is large amount of heat lost with the emission of concentrated seawater. The new hot method seawater desalination technology and new solar-powered seawater desalination technology can divide the seawater into fresh water and solid salt without any emission of concentrated seawater so that the heat utilization efficiency can reach theoretical limit to multiply reduce the water-producing cost. They will become the mainstream technology for seawater desalination and can totally eliminate the global water crisis.展开更多
In the present work, water and olive oil are taken as working fluids to study the influence of viscous heating on the entransy dissipation caused by heat transfer in two-fluid heat exchangers. The results show that th...In the present work, water and olive oil are taken as working fluids to study the influence of viscous heating on the entransy dissipation caused by heat transfer in two-fluid heat exchangers. The results show that the influence of viscous heating on the entransy loss associated with heat transfer can not be neglected for the liquids having large dynamic viscosity. The viscous heating effect maintains the heat transfer ability of the working fluids, relatively reduces the entransy loss in heat exchangers; the viscous heating effect relatively augments the entropy generation due to heat transfer and the available energy destruction in heat exchangers. For the working fluid having large dynamic viscosity, the increasing rates of the entransy and entropy generation contributed by the viscous heating are even larger than those contributed by heat transfer, when the mass flow rate of working fluid reaches a certain value under the fixed heat transfer area condition. Thus, the entransy loss rate decreases and the growth rate of entropy generation increases as the mass flow rate of the working fluid increases. Under the same other conditions, the heat transfer entransy loss rate and entropy generation rate per unit heat transfer rate obtained when the fluid having a smaller heat capacity rate is cold fluid are less than those obtained when the fluid having a smaller heat capacity rate is hot fluid.展开更多
文摘AIM To estimate annual direct and indirect costs for patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) and subtypes.METHODS Patients completed a standardized questionnaire concerning usage of healthcare resources, travel costs, meals, and productivity loss of patients when seeking treatment for IBS. Total annual costs per patient were calculated as the sum of direct(including medical and nonmedical) and indirect costs. Total annual costs per patient among various IBS subtypes were compared. Analysis of variance and bootstrapped independent sample t-tests were performed to determine differences between groups after controlling for IBS subtypes.RESULTS A total of 105 IBS patients(64.80% female), mean age of 57.12 years ± 10.31 years), mean disease duration of 4.31 years ± 5.40 years, were included. Total annual costs per patient were estimated as CNy18262.84(USD2933.08). Inpatient and outpatient healthcare use were major cost drivers, accounting for 46.41%and 23.36% of total annual costs, respectively. Productivity loss accounted for 25.32% of total annual costs. The proportions of direct and indirect costs were similarto published studies in other countries. Nationally, the total costs of managing IBS would amount to CNy123.83 billion(USD1.99 billion). Among the IBS subtypes, total annual costs per patient of IBS-M was highest at CNy18891.18(USD3034). Furthermore, there was significant difference in productivity loss among IBS subtypes(P = 0.031).CONCLUSION IBS imposes a huge economic burden on patients and healthcare systems, which could account for 3.3% of the total healthcare budget for the entire Chinese nation. More than two-thirds of total annual costs of IBS consist of inpatient and outpatient healthcare use. Among the subtypes, IBS-M patients appear to have the greatest economic burden but require further confirmation.
文摘In all convective heat transfer situations, losses occur in the flow field （by dissipation） as well as in the temperature field （by conduction）. Typically these losses are more or less quantified by the friction factorfwith respect to losses in the flow field, and the Nusselt number Nu for the heat transfer quality. Assessing the process of convective heat transfer as a whole, then becomes problematic because two different non-dimensional quantities, f and Nu, have to be combined somehow. From a thermodynamics point of view, there is a reasonable alternative： Since all losses become manifest in corresponding entropy generation rates, these rates are determined in the velocity as well as in the temperature field. Based on the integration of the entropy generation fields, an energy devaluation number is introduced. It basically determines how much oftbe so-called entropic potential of the energy involved in a convective heat transfer process is used within it. This approach is called SLA （second law analysis）.
文摘This article classifies the seawater desalination technology into four types of hot method, membrane method, electric field method and solvent method. Electric field method and solvent method still remain experimental stage, while hot method and membrane method have been realized in commercialization but are difficult to be promoted. The problem lies in high water-producing cost. It is difficult for membrane method seawater desalination technology to reduce the water-producing cost. The heat utilization efficiency is not high for the current hot method seawater desalination technology and there is large amount of heat lost with the emission of concentrated seawater. The new hot method seawater desalination technology and new solar-powered seawater desalination technology can divide the seawater into fresh water and solid salt without any emission of concentrated seawater so that the heat utilization efficiency can reach theoretical limit to multiply reduce the water-producing cost. They will become the mainstream technology for seawater desalination and can totally eliminate the global water crisis.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China ("973" Program) (Grant No. 2007CB206900)
文摘In the present work, water and olive oil are taken as working fluids to study the influence of viscous heating on the entransy dissipation caused by heat transfer in two-fluid heat exchangers. The results show that the influence of viscous heating on the entransy loss associated with heat transfer can not be neglected for the liquids having large dynamic viscosity. The viscous heating effect maintains the heat transfer ability of the working fluids, relatively reduces the entransy loss in heat exchangers; the viscous heating effect relatively augments the entropy generation due to heat transfer and the available energy destruction in heat exchangers. For the working fluid having large dynamic viscosity, the increasing rates of the entransy and entropy generation contributed by the viscous heating are even larger than those contributed by heat transfer, when the mass flow rate of working fluid reaches a certain value under the fixed heat transfer area condition. Thus, the entransy loss rate decreases and the growth rate of entropy generation increases as the mass flow rate of the working fluid increases. Under the same other conditions, the heat transfer entransy loss rate and entropy generation rate per unit heat transfer rate obtained when the fluid having a smaller heat capacity rate is cold fluid are less than those obtained when the fluid having a smaller heat capacity rate is hot fluid.
