A comparative evaluation of the efficacy of magneto- and laser therapy in patients with osteoarthrosis deformans

A comparative evaluation of efficacy of magneto- and laser therapy was carried out in 82 patients with osteoarthrosis deformans. The magnetic field and laser irradiation dispelled the pain syndrome and synovitis manifestations. It is recommendable that the multiple-modality therapy of patients with osteoarthrosis deformans should involve magneto- and laser therapy (15 to 20 procedures per one course) that improve results of the treatment being received and allow the time of hospitalization to be reduced at an average by 5 bed-days. Laser appeared to be a very effective mode of treatment. No unfavourable side effects were recordable.     

Power determination for small-volume rotary disintegrator-mixers used for the treatment of liquid media

It is noted that simple and reliable mechanization is required for continuity of a production process involving the treatment of liquid media, and regulation of their mixing parameters over a broad range. It is demonstrated that a production mixture with required properties can be obtained with a minimum of energy expenditures when rotary mixers are used. A small-volume unit with working elements in the form of perforated disks — rotary disintegrator-mixer — is described. As a result of this structural layout, the unit satisfies requirements set forth for modern production mixing equipment. Since the power consumed by the unit is a basic parameter characterizing the treatment effectiveness of production media, a relationship is derived for determination of the given amount and structural parameters, depending on the properties of the mixture being treated. Comparison of experimental and theoretical data enable us to conclude that the proposed model adequately describes actual processes.     

Ultrastructural osteopontin localization in papillary stones induced in rats

OBJECTIVES: To detect in situ the precise osteopontin (OPN) localization in papillary stones. METHODS: Immunocytochemical labelling procedures are applied to detect OPN localizations in crystalline material of renal papillary stones. The tissue-processing procedure for electron microscopy, which includes OsO4 postfixation, preserves both immunocytochemical OPN reactivity and cellular membrane contrast up to the ultrathin section. Reflection-contrast light microscopical images are correlated with high resolution transmission-electron microscopical observations from consecutive ultrathin epon sections. RESULTS: Preserved crystalline material in interstitial and peripheral papillary stones is recognized as calcium oxalate monohydrate. After section incubation with markers conjugated to an antibody against OPN (alpha OPN) the crystals are converted into ghosts. In the ghosts, alpha OPN markers are present around microcrystals. The size of these microcrystals ranges from several nanometers to micrometers. It is observed (due to the OsO4-preserved membranes) that interstitial cells are separated from the stone surfaces by unidentified extracellular material, also present in the center as a stone matrix. CONCLUSION: The microcrystal-growth inhibitor OPN is detected in situ in interstitial stones induced in the rat's papilla and at the surface of the papilla.     

Modes of defense in nematine sawfly larvae

Ventral glands are common in nematine larvae (Hymenoptera: Symphyta), but they show various degrees of development and are functional for defense only in some species. In those species, volatile irritants are produced which are effective against ants. Alternative or complementary mechanisms against ants are the pubescence ofTrichiocampus spp., the foam pillars constructed byStauronema compressicornis, various movements of the abdomen, which occur independently of the glandular secretion in several species, immobility of the flat larvae ofNematinus luteus, and burrowing within plant tissues in gallicolous larvae or miners. Glandular development is not clearly related to the appearance of the larvae, either cryptic or aposematic. The secretion, even when it is produced in large amounts by species with well-developed glands, is only moderately efficient against great tits. Bright colors are found in gregarious larvae; these were accepted only with reluctance by great tits and sometimes rejected, even species in which the ventral glands are reduced. We suggest that the various volatile irritants secreted by ventral glands are aimed primarily against insects (e.g., ants) and only secondarily against birds.     

Magnetic properties of plasma-electrolytic iron-containing oxide coatings on aluminum alloy

Applications of the plasma-electrolytic oxidation technique for the formation of magnetically active oxide coatings on aluminum and titanium are reviewed. Specimens of aluminum-, iron-, and tungsten-containing oxide layers on aluminum substrates with ferro- and ferrimagnetic properties are experimentally produced and studied, as well as specimens that can be remagnetized at certain external magnetic field intensities and specimens the magnetization of which is opposite to the external field. The existence of nano- and microscale crystallites, in which aluminum and metals from the electrolyte are accumulated, are found in pores of the coatings. The crystallites supposedly determine the magnetic properties of the specimens. A correlation between the Fe/Σ(W, Al) atomic ratio in crystallites and the magnetic properties of the systems studied is discovered.     

Formation of CdS nanoparticles by gas-diffusion method in sol–gel derived ureasilicate matrix

CdS nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by exposing a hybrid ureasilicate gel containing cadmium (II) ions to H₂S gas at room temperature. Additional component (tetraethoxysilane) was introduced during the synthesis in order to improve the mechanical properties of the host matrix. The obtained material was subsequently subjected to an annealing treatment under an argon atmosphere at temperatures that varied from 43 to 102 °C. The size of the embedded NPs increased with thermal annealing. The optical absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements confirmed the formation of CdS nanoparticles (NPs) exhibiting quantum confinement effect.     

Improving the Durability of Stamping Tools from Kh12MF Steel by Quenching in High-Pressure Nitrogen and Thermal Cycling

Metal Science and Heat Treatment - A possibility of using hardening treatment of the stamping tools in high-pressure nitrogen with thermal cycling was analyzed. A thermal field of Kh12MF steel...     

Photoinduced changes in the optical constants of Ge–Se–AgI thin films

The photoinduced changes in the complex refractive index n=n − ik of thin films from the Ge–Se–AgI system with constant ratio Ge/Se=1/4 and concentrations of AgI of 0, 5 and 10 mol% are studied by real time measurements of reflectance (R) and transmittance (T) of the films. The phase delay (δ) between the components of the transmitted wave, which is proportional to the birefringence of the film, is measured in real time as well. The changes in the average value of the refractive index (Δn), and in the average value of the absorption index (Δk) in the imaginary part of n as well as the induced optical anisotropy are estimated by solving the inverse optical problem. It is found that involving small quantities of AgI into a Ge–Se matrix increases the sensitivity of the films, but the anisotropic effects are comparatively weakly in them. The maximum values of changes in the average refractive index (Δn=0.025) and in the average absorption index (Δk=−0.03) are obtained in the films, containing 5 and 10 mol% AgI, respectively. Considerable values of the photoinduced anisotropy – birefringence (Δn_a≈−0.002) and dichroism (ΔD≈0.05, which corresponds to Δk_a≈0.035) are observed in films without addition of AgI (“pure” Ge–Se film).