Sorption of Eu(III) on Attapulgite Studied by Batch, XPS and EXAFS Techniques.

The effects of pH, ionic strength and temperature on sorption of Eu(III) on attapulgite were investigated in the presence and absence of fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA). The results indicated that the sorption of Eu(III) on attapulgite was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength, and independent of temperature. In the presence of FA/HA, Eu(III) sorption was enhanced at pH 7. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested that the sorption of Eu(III) might be expressed as ≡X3Eu0 ≡SwOHEu3+ and ≡SOEu-OOC-/HA in the ternary Eu/HA/attapulgite system. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis of Eu-HA complexes indicated that the distances of d(Eu-O) decreased from 2.451 to 2.360 Å with increasing pH from 1.76 to 9.50, whereas the coordination number (N) decreased from ~9.94 to ~8.56. Different complexation species were also found for the different addition sequences of HA and Eu(III) to attapulgite suspension. The results are important to understand the influence of humic substances on Eu(III) behavior in the natural environment

Ginkgo biloba extract for essential hypertension: A systemic review

AbstractBackgroundGinkgo biloba extract (GBE), a traditional natural herbal product, is often used in the treatment of essential hypertension (EH) as complementary therapy in China and European countries.AimTo critically assess the current clinical evidence of efficacy and safety of GBE for EH.Methods7 electronic databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, VIP, CBM, Wanfang data, and CNKI) were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of GBE for EH. Methodological quality was assessed independently using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.ResultsA total of 9 RCTs with 1012 hypertensive patients were identified and reviewed. Most RCTs were of high risk of bias with flawed study design and poor methodological quality. 6 trials demonstrated potential positive effect of GBE as complementary therapy on BP reduction when compared with antihypertensive drug therapy; however, it was not associated with a statistically significant effect on both SBP and DBP reduction in 3 other trials. Despite the positive findings, there were so many methodological limitations and significant clinical heterogeneity. Most of the trials did not report adverse effects, and the safety of GBE is still uncertain.ConclusionNo confirmative conclusions on the efficacy and safety of GBE for EH could be drawn. More rigorous trials are warranted to support their clinical use

Structure and magnetic properties of sputtered (Nd,Dy)(Fe,Co,Nb,B) \u3csub\u3e5.5\u3c/sub\u3e/M (M = FeCo,Co) multilayer magnets

The magnetic properties of nanocomposite multilayer magnets of the (Nd,Dy)(Fe,Co,Nb,B) 5.5/M (M = Co,FeCo) on Ti-buffered Si substrates have been investigated. X-ray diffraction results reveal that the Nd2Fe14B-type phase in almost all the films is randomly oriented. Different thickness x (nm) for Co layers and y (nm) for FeCo layers were adopted in the multilayers. It is found that high remanence is achieved in the nanocomposite multilayer films consisting of the Nd2Fe14B-type phase and soft magnetic phase for Co with 6≥x≥4 and for FeCo with 10≥y≥6. The enhancement of the remanence in the nanocomposite multilayer films is attributed to the exchange coupling between the magnetically soft and hard phases. Increasing the soft magnetic components results in a continuously decreasing coercivity

Structure and magnetic properties of sputtered (Nd,Dy)(Fe,Co,Nb,B) \u3csub\u3e5.5\u3c/sub\u3e/M (M = FeCo,Co) multilayer magnets

The magnetic properties of nanocomposite multilayer magnets of the (Nd,Dy)(Fe,Co,Nb,B) 5.5/M (M = Co,FeCo) on Ti-buffered Si substrates have been investigated. X-ray diffraction results reveal that the Nd2Fe14B-type phase in almost all the films is randomly oriented. Different thickness x (nm) for Co layers and y (nm) for FeCo layers were adopted in the multilayers. It is found that high remanence is achieved in the nanocomposite multilayer films consisting of the Nd2Fe14B-type phase and soft magnetic phase for Co with 6≥x≥4 and for FeCo with 10≥y≥6. The enhancement of the remanence in the nanocomposite multilayer films is attributed to the exchange coupling between the magnetically soft and hard phases. Increasing the soft magnetic components results in a continuously decreasing coercivity

A first-principles study of MgB2 (0001) surfaces

We report self-consistent {\it ab initio} calculations of structural and electronic properties for the B- and Mg-terminated MgB$_{2}$ (0001) surfaces. We employ ultra-soft pseudopotentials and plane wave basis sets within the generalized gradient approximation. The surface relaxations are found to be small for both B- and Mg-terminated surfaces. For the B-terminated surface, both B ${\sigma}$ and ${\pi}$ surface bands appear, while only one B ${\pi}$ surface band exists near the Fermi level for the Mg-terminated surface. The superconductivity of the MgB$_2$ surfaces is discussed. The work function is predicted to be 5.95 and 4.25 eV for the B- and Mg-terminated surfaces respectively. The simulated scanning tunneling microscopy images of the surfaces are not sensitive to the sign and value of the bias voltages, but depend strongly on the tip-sample distance. An image reversal is predicted for the Mg-terminated surface.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, Revte

Design of Current Leads for the MICE Coupling Magnet

A pair of superconducting coupling magnets will be part of the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE). They were designed and will be constructed by the Institute of Cryogenics and Superconductivity Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The coupling magnet is to be cooled by using cryocoolers at 4.2K. In order to reduce the heat leak to the 4.2K cold mass from 300 K, a pair of current leads composed of conventional copper leads and high temperature superconductor (HTS) leads will be used to supply current to the magnet. This paper presents the optimization of the conventional conduction-cooled metal leads for the coupling magnet. Analyses on heat transfer down the leads using theoretical method and numerical simulation were carried out. The stray magnetic field around the HTS leads has been calculated and effects of the magnetic field on the performance of the HTS leads has also been analyzed

A Single-band Cold Mass Support System for the MICE Superconducting Coupling Magnet

The cooling channel of the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) consists of eighteen superconducting solenoid coils, which are magnetically hooked together and contained in seven modules. The operations of a pair of MICE superconducting coupling magnets are affected directly by the other solenoid coils in the MICE channel. In order to meet the stringent requirement for the magnet center and axis azimuthal angle at 4.2 K, a self-centered tension-band cold mass support system with intermediate thermal interruption was applied for the MICE superconducting coupling magnet. The physical center of the magnet does not change as it is cooled down from 300 K to 4.2 K using this support system. This paper analyzed and calculated force loads on the coupling magnet under various operation modes of the MICE cooling channel. The performance parameters of a single-band cold mass support system were calculated also

Hole concentration and phonon renormalization in Ca-doped YBa_2Cu_3O_y (6.76 < y < 7.00)

In order to access the overdoped regime of the YBa_2Cu_3O_y phase diagram, 2% Ca is substituted for Y in YBa_2Cu_3O_y (y = 7.00,6.93,6.88,6.76). Raman scattering studies have been carried out on these four single crystals. Measurements of the superconductivity-induced renormalization in frequency (Delta \omega) and linewidth (\Delta 2\gamma) of the 340 cm^{-1} B_{1g} phonon demonstrate that the magnitude of the renormalization is directly related to the hole concentration (p), and not simply the oxygen content. The changes in \Delta \omega with p imply that the superconducting gap (\Delta_{max}) decreases monotonically with increasing hole concentration in the overdoped regime, and \Delta \omega falls to zero in the underdoped regime. The linewidth renormalization \Delta 2\gamma is negative in the underdoped regime, crossing over at optimal doping to a positive value in the overdoped state.Comment: 18 pages; 5 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev. B Oct. 24, 2002 (BX8292

Progress on the Design of the Coupling coils for MICE andMUCOOL

The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) [1]willdemonstrate ionization cooling in a short section of a realistic coolingchannel using a muon beam at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in theUK. The MICE RF and Coupling Coil (RFCC) Module consists of asuperconducting solenoid mounted around four normal conducting 201.25-MHzRF cavities. The coil package that surrounds the RF cavities is to bemounted in a 1.4 m diameter vacuum vessel. The coupling coil confines thebeam in the RFCC module within the radius of the RF cavity beam windows.Each coupling magnet will be powered by a 300 A, 10 V power supply. Themaximum design longitudinal force that will be carried by the cold masssupport system is 0.5 MN. The detailed design and analysis of thecoupling magnet has been completed by ICST. The primary magnetic andmechanical design features of the coils are presented in thispaper