Comparison of the Thermomagnetic and Thermal Effects duringNanocrystallization of Amorphous Fe_(76.5-x)Cu_1Nb_xSi_(13.5)B_9 Alloys

The results of thermomagnetic (TM) and calorimetric (DSC) measurements have been compared in order to clarify some details of the mechanism of nanophase-formation from Finemet-type precursors with different Nb contents. It was found that the main features of the DSC thermograms (shape, relative separation and amplitude of the exothermic peaks characteristic for the precipitation of the Fe-(Si) solid solution and the transition metal borides) depend mainly on the composition of the precursor glass, and are only slightly affected by the heating rate between 20 and 80 K/min. The amplitude of the uprise of the magnetization in the TM curves (attributed to the precipitation of bcc-Fe(Si) and borides) decreases with increasing Nb-content. The Curietemperature of the precursor glasses. Tc(am1), the remainder amorphous phases, Tc(am2) and the bcc nanophase, Tc(n-Fe) are determined from the thermomagnetic curves. The shape of the TM curves is interpreted on the basis of the reactions describing the crystalIization of the hypo-eutectic Fe-B glasses.

Comparison of the effects of autotransfusion and homologous transfusion on milieu interieur and secretion of erythropoietin

Objective To compare the effects of autotransfusion and homologous transfusion on milieu interieur and secretion of erythropoietin (EPO). Methods Thirty patients aged 8-21 yr, undergoing surgical correction of kyphoscoliosis were randomly divided into two groups of fifteen:group A and group B. In group A patients received homologous transfusion during operation, while in group B shed blood was collected from operative field and after filtration RBCs were separated by a differential centrifugation and washed in normal saline and reinfused. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl 2 μg· kg-1 ,propofol 1 mg·kg-1 and vecuronium 0.1 mg·kg-1 and maintained with inhalation of isoflurane and 50 % N2O in oxygen and intermittent iv boluses of vecuronium and fentanyl. Blood routine, blood gases, electrolytes, plasma osmotic pressure and activated clotting time (ACT) were measured before operation, 2 h after skin incision and at the end of surgery. Blood EPO concentration was measured before operation,at the end

A comparison of the short-term effects of fixed platform versus rotating high-fiexion prosthesis for the patients with osteoarthrities of knee

Objective To compare the preliminary clinical outcome between fixed platform and rotating high-flexion prosthesis following total knee replacement(TKR).Methods Form January 2007 to December 2009,68 patients with osteoarthritis of

Comparison of Hypolipidemic Effect of Refined Konjac Meal With Several Common Dietary Fibers and Their Mechanisms of Action

The effects of RKM in comparison with pectin, algin and agar on lipid levels in serum and liver and on liver histopathology in rats were studied. In addition, the effects of all the tested materials on the composition and output of fecal bile acid were observed. All four kinds of dietary fiber were given at a level of 5% of diet to young male rats of Wistar strain fed on a lipid-rich diet contalning 5 % lard, 1% cholesteral and 0. 25 % cholate. All the dietary fibers tested have similar effects on serum lipid composition. In all groups, these substances prevent ed increases in total cholesterol in fasting serum, but the level of triglyceride was tmchangd.The concentrations of totaI cholesterol and triglyceride in the liver were lower in the RKM group than in the control group and the other three groups. Hepatic histopathological exami nation also showed the most significant lipotropic effect in the RKM group. The daily output of fecal bile acids (CDCA+GDCA) was significantly increased in the four experimental groups than in the normal group and the control group. The increase of CDCA was more significant than GDCA, suggesting that the increase of fecal bile acids, especially CDCA, may be one of the mechanisms by which RKM and the other three dietary fibers exerts a hypocholesterolemic effect

Protective Effects of Common Masks against PM2.5

By using two PM2.5 automatic monitors,the protective effects of five common masks against PM2.5 were synchronously tested under actual ambient air conditions for a whole day. The results showed that not all masks had protective effects on PM2.5,and the protective effects of masks N95 and N90,which were designed specially for dust-proof,were superior among the five tested masks.

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS BETWEEN ANTERIOR CAPSULOTOMY WITH Nd:YAG LASER AND WITH BENT NEEDLE IN PATIENTS WITH CONGENITAL CATARACT

The effectiveness of capsulotomy with Nd:YAG laser and with bent needle were compared in 50 patients(66 eyes) with congenital cataract. There were 24 patients(32 eyes) in the laser group and 26 patients(34 eyes) in the needle group. There were not significant differences in sex, age, pre-operative visual acuity and intraocular pressures, and classification of cataract between the two groups. The results show that patients in the laser group have better post-operative visual acuity. The reason is YAG las...

Production quality and pricing strategy for substitutable products under comparison effects

Comparison effects have been studied extensively in many fields.In particular,existing operations management articles have discussed the impact of comparison effects on enterprises'production and pricing decisions.Research has also shown that consumers'purchasing decisions are primarily determined by three factors:product quality,selling price,and comparison effects.The current study introduces the concepts of social and temporal comparison effects to examine how comparison effects influence a monopolist's production quality and pricing strategy for substitutable products.Results reveal the following:(1)Setting different prices for even two types of substitutable products with negligible quality differences can divide customers into three groups under the influence of social comparison effects in a single-stage model.(2)The monopolist should avoid using a price discrimination strategy in which products with a short market life cycle have the same quality but different prices.(3)When the market life cycle of products is sufficiently long in the single-product market and the market with two substitutable products,the monopolist's optimal choice in the second stage is to keep production quality constant and increase the selling price.Consequently,the number of buyers does not decrease because of temporal comparison effects.Therefore,the firm increases its revenue.(4)For the market with two substitutable products with quality differences,one approximate optimal strategy for the enterprise in the second stage is to keep the selling price constant with the assumption that product quality cannot be adjusted after the first period.At this point,the consumption situation in the market is the same as that in the first stage.Therefore,when no external constraints exist,the monopolist firm can obtain more benefits in the second stage than in the first stage by exploiting the temporal comparison effects of consumers in the second stage.(5)When consumer identity information can be confirmed in the market,social comparison effects,similar to temporal comparison effects,could help the enterprise increase its price and profit while maintaining product quality.These social and temporal comparison effects constrain consumers.Thus,the number of people who continueto buyproducts does not decrease.

Comparison of the effects of water temperature on the photoacoustic signals

Acoustic impulses produced through the mechanism of the laser-induced breakdown in water have been investigated in the range from 0℃ to room temperature. Differently from the acoustic impulses produced via thermal expansion, the polarity and the amplitude of acoustic impulse produced via liquid breakdown mechanism do not change with water temperature. This indirectly proves that the production of acoustic impulse is due to the expansion of the cavity itself which includes plasma. A semiempirical description of this phenomenon is given in this paper.

Waste sludge disintegration, methanogenesis and final disposal via various pretreatments: Comparison of performance and effectiveness

This study compared the three wastewater pretreatments of ozonation,Fe2þ-S2O82and freeze-thawing(F/T)in the disintegration,anaerobic digestion(AD)and final disposal of the sludge.The F/T pretreatment increased the dewaterability and settleability of the sludge by 7.8%and 47.1%,respectively.The ozonation pretreatment formed more volatile fatty acids(VFAs),with a peak value of 320.82 mg SCOD/L and controlled the release of sulfides.The Fe2þ-S2O82pretreatment removed heavy metals through the absorption and flocculation of ferric particles formed in-situ.During the anaerobic digestion of the sludge,the ozonation pretreatment accelerated the hydrolysis rate(k)rather than the biochemical methane potential(B0)of the sludge due to the high VFA content in the supernatant.Comparatively,the F/T pretreatment facilitated the B0 with great economic efficiency by enhancing the solubilisation of the sludge.Although Fe2þ-S2O82pretreatment decreased the methane production,the ferric particle was a unique advantage in the disintegration and harmless disposal of the sludge.The digested sludge had more VFAs after ozonation pretreatment,which contributed to the recycling of carbon.In addition,the lower sludge volume could save the expense of transportation and disposal by ozonation pretreatment.Different pretreatments had different characteristics.The comparative study provided information allowing the selection of the type of pretreatment to achieve different objectives of the treatment and disposal of sludge.

Control strategies and their effects on the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in representative countries

COVID-19 is the most severe pandemic globally since the 1918 influenza pandemic.Effectively responding to this once-in-a-century global pandemic is a worldwide challenge that the international community needs to jointly face and solve.This study reviews and discusses the key measures taken by major countries in 2020 to fight against COVID-19,such as lockdowns,social distancing,wearing masks,hand hygiene,using Fangcang shelter hospitals,large-scale nucleic acid testing,close-contacts tracking,and pandemic information monitoring,as well as their prevention and control effects.We hope it can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pandemic prevention and control in future.

Potential threat of human pathogenic orthopoxviruses to public health and control strategies

Orthopoxviruses(OPXVs)belong to a group of nucleo-cytoplasmic large DNA viruses.Human pathogenic OPXVs(hpOPXVs)include at least five viruses,among which smallpox virus and monkeypox virus are the most dangerous viral pathogens.Both viruses are classified as category-one human infectious pathogens in China.Although smallpox was globally eradicated in the 1980 s,it is still a top biosecurity threat owing to the possibility of either being leaked to the outside world from a laboratory or being weaponized by terrorists.Beginning in early May 2022,a sudden outbreak of monkeypox was concurrently reported in more than 100 disparate geographical areas,representing a public health emergency of international concern,as declared by the World Health Organization(WHO).In this review,we present the reasons for hpOPXVs such as monkeypox virus presenting a potential threat to public health.We then systematically review the historical and recent development of vaccines and drugs against smallpox and monkeypox.In the final section,we highlight the importance of viromics studies as an integral part of a forward defense strategy to eliminate the potential threat to public health from emerging or re-emerging hpOPXVs and their variants.

Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine treatment of non-acute bronchial asthma complicated by gastroesophageal reflux

OBJECTIVE:To assess the effectiveness and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) treatment of non-acute bronchial asthma complicated by gastroesophageal reflux.METHODS:We searched databases from MEDLINE,Cochrane Library,CNKI,VIP,CBM,Wanfang Data,and TCM Database Systems.All randomized,controlled trials(RTCs) of TCM treatment of non-acute asthma complicated by gastroesophageal reflux were included.Data were independently collected by two reviewers.The standards for assessing quality described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions were used to evaluate articles.Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.0.17 software.Heterogeneity was assessed,and a corresponding effects model was used to merge and analyze results.Indexes used to evalu-ate curative effects were:clinical efficacy,symptom scores,pulmonary function values,and adverse incidents.Effectiveness was indicated using risk ratio(RR) or mean difference(MD),and 95% confidence intervals(CIs) were calculated.RESULTS:Six RCTs were included,involving 304 patients with non-acute asthma complicated by gastroesophageal reflux.The treatment groups received Chinese drugs alone or TCM combined with standard Western medical treatment,and the control groups received standard Western medical treatment alone.Standard Western medical treatment included anti-inflammatory drugs and bronchodilators for asthma,and drugs to promote gastric peristalsis and inhibit gastric acid production for gastroesophageal reflux.Methodological quality was low in all six RCTs.Two RCTs showed that clinical efficacy was higher in the treatment group than in the control group(RR:1.43,95%CI:1.10 to 1.87 vs RR:1.51,95% CI:1.09 to 2.08).One RCT showed that the asthma score was lowered more effectively in the treatment group than in the control group(MD:-1.10,95% CI:-2.04 to-0.16).Two RCTs showed that the gastroesophageal reflux score was reduced more effectively in the treatment group than in the control group(RR:-3.70,95% CI:-4.30 to 3.10 vs RR:-5.30,95% CI:-6.32 to-4.28).One RCT showed that some pulmonary function values were improved more effectively in the treatment group than in the control group(P< 0.05).No differences were seen in the various indexes between groups in the other RCTs.No adverse reactions,dropout rates,or follow-up rates were reported in any of the RCTs.CONCLUSIONS:The clinical symptoms ofnon-acute asthma complicated by gastroesophageal reflux can be improved by some Chinese drugs.Curative effects can be increased by combining the use of TCM with Western medicine.Because of the small quantity and low quality of research reported to date,it is necessary to conduct further RCTs to confirm these results.The results of this systematic review indicate that the quality of future clinical trials should be improved by including larger patient numbers,correctly randomizing patients into study groups,using blinding methods to measure and assess outcomes,and using accepted indexes to evaluate curative effects.