An analysis of farmers' perception of the new cooperative medical system in Liaoning Province, China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since 2003, the number of pilot areas of the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) has increased in rural China. And the major efforts have been concentrated on the enrollment of prospective members. In this study, we examined the satisfaction of the rural residents with the NRCMS as well as factors affecting their attitudes towards the NRCMS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data for this study were collected from a survey involving twenty counties in Liaoning Province. Interviews and focus groups were conducted between 10^thJanuary and 20^thAugust 2008. A total of 2,780 people aged 18-72 were randomly selected and interviewed. Data were evaluated by nonparametric tests and ordinal regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>71.6% of the study subjects were satisfied with the NRCMS. Single factor analysis showed that attitudes towards the NRCMS were influenced by gender, age, marital status, and self-rated health status. In the ordinal regression analysis, gender, age, and self-rated health status affect satisfaction (P < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found that a considerable proportion of farmers were satisfied with the NRCMS. Gender, age, and self-rated health status had significant effects on farmers' attitudes towards the NRCMS. The Chinese Central Government attempted to adopt active measures in the future to continuously improve the NRCMS, including initiating educational programs, building new medical facilities and increasing financial investment.</p

Simultaneous numerical examination of thermal and entropy characteristics of Al2O3–H2O nanofluid within a porous diamond-shaped container with a ⊥-shaped obstacle

The present work may deal with the flow, heat transfer and entropy dissections of hydromagnetic buoyancy-driven nanoliquid inside a diamond-shaped container considering ⊥- shaped obstacle of varying configurations subject to heat/sink source and porous matrix. The importance of the above problem is due its potential utilizations in modern industries such as thermal extrusion systems, solar energy collectors, heat exchangers, microelectronic cooling, automobiles, building ventilation, bio-medicine etc. The equations governed may well be solved via finite element method. The present work's novelty would be the introduction of ⊥- shaped obstacle of varying configurations in a diamond shaped cavity embodying a porous matrix and analyzing the flow along with heat transfer aspects there in. The main findings are that alteration of flow nature from hydrodynamic to hydromagnetic whittles down streamlines and augments isotherms at given Rayleigh number in presence of source/sink subject to porous medium. Total entropy exhibits 3896 % enhancement and average Bejan number shows sharp 85.5 % diminution due to rise of Rayleigh number. The outcomes of the present study finds effective and persistent industrial cooling due to better stability of alumina nanoparticles in nanofluid involved in complex geometries like diamond shaped cavities which is the beyond of existing literature

Incorporation of Lutein on Layered Double Hydroxide for Improving the Environmental Stability

To overcome the poor stability of natural lutein to environmental factors, layered double hydroxide was incorporated by a green mechanical grinding process. The influences of external factors (chemical reagents, heating and light) on the stability of lutein before and after being loaded were evaluated. The results confirmed that lutein was mainly adsorbed on the surface of layered double hydroxide (LDH) via the chemical interaction. Compared with pure lutein, the thermal decomposition of lutein/LDH was improved from 100 &deg;C to 300 &deg;C, and the retention ratio of lutein was increased by about 8.64% and 21.47% after 96 h of light exposure and accelerated degradation, respectively. It is expected that the stable lutein/LDH composites may constitutean additive in animal feed

Study on the Effect of Pile Foundation Reinforcement of Embankment on Slope of Soft Soil

In order to study the working mechanisms of pile foundations applied to embankment engineering on weak slope foundations, a finite element model of embankment on weak slope foundation reinforced by a pile foundation is established. The influence of the position and the length of the pile foundation on the stability of the embankment is studied, and the mechanical response of the pile foundations are also studied. The results show that the different positions of the pile foundation have great influence on the safety factor and deformation of the embankment. The safety factor varies greatly from one reinforcement location to another. The maximum vertical deformation of the embankment reinforced by the 3 m pile is 27 times that of the 7 m. With different pile lengths, the horizontal displacement of the pile foundation can be significantly reduced by approximately 83.3% at most. The research results may provide more scientific help for the design of embankments on soft soil slopes reinforced by pile foundations

Numerical Simulation Study on Lining Damage of Shield Tunnel under Train Load

Under the long-term dynamic load influence of trains, shield tunnel structures are damaged. With the increase in operating number, cumulative damage gradually increases. When cumulative damage increases to a certain value, the tunnel lining produces cracks and loses tensile strength, which leads to tunnel deformation, damage, etc. In serious cases, the tunnel ceases operation, causing traffic accidents and casualties. Based on the finite element software ABAQUS, this paper analyses the change rule of tunnel lining damage under long-term dynamic train load and explores the influence of tunnel buried depth on the change rule of tunnel lining damage. The excitation force function is used to generate a series of dynamic and static loads superimposed by sine functions to simulate the dynamic loads of trains. Load is applied above the tunnel by writing DLOAD subprogram. The results show that the damage of tunnel lining mainly occurs at the arch foot and the structural damage in other places can be neglected. Under the same loading condition, the greater the tunnel lining damage is. Under the same loading conditions, the tunnel lining damage increases with the increase in buried depth. According to the test results, the mathematical expressions of cumulative damage value versus loading times at the location prone to fatigue damage. It provides theoretical reference for safety evaluation and protection of tunnel structure under long-term train load

Synthesis of a Rare Water-Soluble Silver(II)/Porphyrin and Its Multifunctional Therapeutic Effect on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Porphyrin derivatives are popular photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents; however, their typical insolubility in water has made it challenging to separate cells of organisms in a liquid water environment. Herein, a novel water-soluble 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl-3-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin (TMPPS) was synthesized with 95% yield by modifying the traditional sulfonation route. The reaction of TMPPS with AgNO3 afforded AgTMPPS an unusual Ag(II) oxidation state (97% yield). The free base and Ag(II) complex were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectroscopy, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier-transform infrared, UV-vis, fluorescence, and X-ray photolectron spectroscopies. Upon 460 nm laser irradiation, AgTMPPS generated a large amount of 1O2, whereas no &#10625;OH was detected. Antibacterial experiments on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) revealed that the combined action of Ag&#8545; ions and PDT could endow AgTMPPS with a 100% bactericidal ratio for highly concentrated MRSA (108 CFU/mL) at a very low dosage (4 &mu;M) under laser irradiation at 360 J/cm2. Another PDT response was demonstrated by photocatalytically oxidizing 1,4-dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to NAD+ with AgTMPPS. The structural features of the TMPPS and AgTMPPS molecules were investigated by density functional theory quantum chemical calculations to demonstrate the efficient chemical and photodynamical effects of AgTMPPS for non-invasive antibacterial therapy

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study on the Growth of Structure II Nitrogen Hydrate

Crystal growth of N-2 hydrate in a three-phase system consisting of N-2 hydrate, liquid water, and gaseous N-2 was performed by molecular dynamics simulation at 260 K. Pressure influence on hydrate growth was evaluated. The kinetic properties including the growth rates and cage occupancies of the newly formed hydrate and the diffusion coefficient and concentration of N-2 molecules in liquid phase were measured. The results showed that the growth of N-2 hydrate could be divided into two stages where N(2 )molecules in gas phase had to dissolve in liquid phase and then form hydrate cages at the liquid-hydrate interface. The diffusion coefficient and concentration of N-2 in liquid phase increased linearly with increasing pressure. As the pressure rose from 50 to 100 MPa, the hydrate growth rate kept increasing from 0.11 to 0.62 cages.ns(-1).angstrom(-2) and then dropped down to around 0.40 cages.ns(-1).angstrom(-2) once the pressure surpassed 100 MPa. During the hydrate formation, the initial sII N-2 hydrate phase set in the system served as a template for the subsequent growth of N(2 )hydrate so that no new crystal structure was found. Analysis on the cage occupancies revealed that the amount of cages occupied by two N-2 molecules increased evidently when the pressure was above 100 MPa, which slowed down the growth rate of hydrate cages. Additionally, a small fraction of defective cages including two N-2 molecules trapped in 5(12)6(5) cages and three N-2 molecules trapped 5(12)6(8) cages was observed during the hydrate growth

Non-bone-derived exosomes: a new perspective on regulators of bone homeostasis

Abstract Accumulating evidence indicates that exosomes help to regulate bone homeostasis. The roles of bone-derived exosomes have been well-described; however, recent studies have shown that some non-bone-derived exosomes have better bone targeting ability than bone-derived exosomes and that their performance as a drug delivery vehicle for regulating bone homeostasis may be better than that of bone-derived exosomes, and the sources of non-bone-derived exosomes are more extensive and can thus be better for clinical needs. Here, we sort non-bone-derived exosomes and describe their composition and biogenesis. Their roles and specific mechanisms in bone homeostasis and bone-related diseases are also discussed. Furthermore, we reveal obstacles to current research and future challenges in the practical application of exosomes, and we provide potential strategies for more effective application of exosomes for the regulation of bone homeostasis and the treatment of bone-related diseases. Video Abstrac