BACKGROUND Infection at the pin tract is a frequent and feared complication of external fixators(EF).The type of pin material and coatings have been regarded as possibly influencing infection rates.Over the last 20 ye...BACKGROUND Infection at the pin tract is a frequent and feared complication of external fixators(EF).The type of pin material and coatings have been regarded as possibly influencing infection rates.Over the last 20 years,few prospective clinical studies and systematic reviews addressed the role of coated pins on the rate of pin site infection in human clinical studies.AIM To assess the EF literature over the past 20 years on the clinical benefits of pins manufactured from varied materials and coating systems and their possible role in pin tract infection rates.METHODS We performed a systematic review according to the PRISMA and PICOS guidelines using four scientific platforms:PubMed,LiLacs,SciELO,and Cochrane.We searched the literature for related publications over the past 20 years.RESULTS A literature search yielded 29 articles,among which seven met the inclusion criteria.These studies compared stainless-steel pins and pins coated with hydroxyapatite(HA),titanium and silver.The pin tract infection definitions were arbitrary and not standardized among studies.Most studies included a low number of patients in the analysis and used a short follow-up time.Three metaanalyses were carried out,comparing stainless steel vs silver pins,stainless steel vs HA-coated pins,and titanium vs HA-coated pins.None of this analysis resulted in statistically significant differences in pin tract infection rates.CONCLUSION Currently,no clinical evidence supports the advantage of EF pins manufactured with materials other than stainless steel or coated over uncoated pins in reducing the rates of pin tract infections.A standardized definition of pin tract infection in external fixation is still lacking.展开更多
Volume pinning forces were determined for a variety of bulk high-Tc superconductors of the 123-type from magnetization measurements. By means of scaling of the pinning forces, the acting pinning mechanisms in various ...Volume pinning forces were determined for a variety of bulk high-Tc superconductors of the 123-type from magnetization measurements. By means of scaling of the pinning forces, the acting pinning mechanisms in various temperature ranges were identified. The Nd-based superconductors and some YBCO crystals exhibited a dominating pinning of the δTc-type (i.e. , small, superconducting pinning sites). In contrast to this, the addition of insulating 211 particles provided pinning of the δ/-type; providing effective pinning in the entire temperature range acting as a 'background' pinning mechanism for the peak effect. Due to the small coherence lengths of the high-Tc compounds, effective pinning sites are defects or particles of nanometer size relative to ζ3. Integral magnetic measurements of the magnetization as a function of temperature in large applied magnetic fields (up to 7 T) revealed that practically all high-Tc compounds were spatially inhomogeneous, which could be caused by oxygen deficiency (YBCO), solid solutions of Nd/Ba (NdBCO and other light rare earth compounds), intergrowths (Bi-based superconductors), and doping by pair-breaking dopants like Zn, Pr. This implies that the superconducting sample consists of stronger and weaker superconducting areas, coupled together. In large applied fields, this coupling gets broken and the magnetization versus temperature curves revealed more than one superconducting transition. In contrast, irradiation experiments by neutrons, protons, and heavy-ions enabled the artificial introduction of very effective pinning sites into the high-Tc superconductors, thus creating a large variety of different observations using magnetic data. From all these observations, we construct a pinning diagram for bulk high-Tc superconductors explaining many features observed in high-Tc samples.展开更多
FePt thin films and [FePt/Ag]n multilayer thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering technique and subsequent annealing process. By comparing the microstructure and magnetic properties of these two kinds of thin...FePt thin films and [FePt/Ag]n multilayer thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering technique and subsequent annealing process. By comparing the microstructure and magnetic properties of these two kinds of thin films, effects of Ag addition on the structure and properties of FePt thin films were investigated. Proper Ag addition was found helpful for FePt phase transition at lower annealing temperature. With Ag addition, the magnetic domain pattern of FePt thin film changed from maze-like pattern to more discrete island-like domain pattern in [FePt/Ag]n multilayer thin films. In addition, introducing nonmagnetic Ag hindered FePt grains from growing larger. The in-depth defects in FePt films and [FePt/Ag]n multilayer films verify that Ag addition is attributed to a large number of pinning site defects in [FePt/Ag]n film and therefore has effects on its magnetic properties and microstructure.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Infection at the pin tract is a frequent and feared complication of external fixators(EF).The type of pin material and coatings have been regarded as possibly influencing infection rates.Over the last 20 years,few prospective clinical studies and systematic reviews addressed the role of coated pins on the rate of pin site infection in human clinical studies.AIM To assess the EF literature over the past 20 years on the clinical benefits of pins manufactured from varied materials and coating systems and their possible role in pin tract infection rates.METHODS We performed a systematic review according to the PRISMA and PICOS guidelines using four scientific platforms:PubMed,LiLacs,SciELO,and Cochrane.We searched the literature for related publications over the past 20 years.RESULTS A literature search yielded 29 articles,among which seven met the inclusion criteria.These studies compared stainless-steel pins and pins coated with hydroxyapatite(HA),titanium and silver.The pin tract infection definitions were arbitrary and not standardized among studies.Most studies included a low number of patients in the analysis and used a short follow-up time.Three metaanalyses were carried out,comparing stainless steel vs silver pins,stainless steel vs HA-coated pins,and titanium vs HA-coated pins.None of this analysis resulted in statistically significant differences in pin tract infection rates.CONCLUSION Currently,no clinical evidence supports the advantage of EF pins manufactured with materials other than stainless steel or coated over uncoated pins in reducing the rates of pin tract infections.A standardized definition of pin tract infection in external fixation is still lacking.
文摘Volume pinning forces were determined for a variety of bulk high-Tc superconductors of the 123-type from magnetization measurements. By means of scaling of the pinning forces, the acting pinning mechanisms in various temperature ranges were identified. The Nd-based superconductors and some YBCO crystals exhibited a dominating pinning of the δTc-type (i.e. , small, superconducting pinning sites). In contrast to this, the addition of insulating 211 particles provided pinning of the δ/-type; providing effective pinning in the entire temperature range acting as a 'background' pinning mechanism for the peak effect. Due to the small coherence lengths of the high-Tc compounds, effective pinning sites are defects or particles of nanometer size relative to ζ3. Integral magnetic measurements of the magnetization as a function of temperature in large applied magnetic fields (up to 7 T) revealed that practically all high-Tc compounds were spatially inhomogeneous, which could be caused by oxygen deficiency (YBCO), solid solutions of Nd/Ba (NdBCO and other light rare earth compounds), intergrowths (Bi-based superconductors), and doping by pair-breaking dopants like Zn, Pr. This implies that the superconducting sample consists of stronger and weaker superconducting areas, coupled together. In large applied fields, this coupling gets broken and the magnetization versus temperature curves revealed more than one superconducting transition. In contrast, irradiation experiments by neutrons, protons, and heavy-ions enabled the artificial introduction of very effective pinning sites into the high-Tc superconductors, thus creating a large variety of different observations using magnetic data. From all these observations, we construct a pinning diagram for bulk high-Tc superconductors explaining many features observed in high-Tc samples.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60571010)the Open Foundation of the Key Laboratory of Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials and Devices of Hubei Province in Hubei University
文摘FePt thin films and [FePt/Ag]n multilayer thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering technique and subsequent annealing process. By comparing the microstructure and magnetic properties of these two kinds of thin films, effects of Ag addition on the structure and properties of FePt thin films were investigated. Proper Ag addition was found helpful for FePt phase transition at lower annealing temperature. With Ag addition, the magnetic domain pattern of FePt thin film changed from maze-like pattern to more discrete island-like domain pattern in [FePt/Ag]n multilayer thin films. In addition, introducing nonmagnetic Ag hindered FePt grains from growing larger. The in-depth defects in FePt films and [FePt/Ag]n multilayer films verify that Ag addition is attributed to a large number of pinning site defects in [FePt/Ag]n film and therefore has effects on its magnetic properties and microstructure.
