ABSTRACT
Objective: Shoulder pain is a common complaint in outpatient clinics and can result in an inability to work or perform household activities, leading to significant socioeconomic burden. Acupotomy, as one kind acupuncture that has flat knife-shaped tip, has been widely used for treating shoulder pain. However, despite the widespread use of acupotomy in primary medical institutions, large sample size clinical trials have not sufficiently been performed. In this respect, this multi-center retrospective study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy in reducing shoulder pain and disability using data from multi-center primary care clinics. Methods: This study was conducted in 25 Korean medicine clinics affiliated with the Korean Medical Society of Acupotomology, Republic of Korea, from August 2021 to December 2021. The medical records of patients who visited the clinics complaining of shoulder pain were gathered, and among them were those of patients who underwent acupotomy treatment and those who received acupuncture combined therapy. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), SPADI (Shoulder Pain and Disability Index), Range of Motion (ROM) and adverse event were evaluated at each visit. A linear mixed-effects models and paired t-test were used to identify the effectiveness of the treatment. Results: Overall analysis showed that the NRS score of patients decreased from 4.95 ± 1.97 before treatment to 3.78 ± 2.03 after treatment (n = 332, difference in NRS score, 1.17; 95% CI: 0.96-1.38, t = 10.89 p < 0.001). SPADI score decreased from 19.05 ± 20.44 at baseline before treatment to 12.12 ± 17.26 after the last visit, which was statistically significant (n = 332, mean difference in SPADI score, 6.93; 95% CI: 4.71-9.15, t = 6.150, p < 0.001). No serious adverse event was reported in both groups. Conclusion: This study showed the effectiveness of acupotomy therapy for shoulder pain, and as the treatment sessions increased, the effect of pain reduction and shoulder function improvement were also increased.
ABSTRACT
We proposed to use a miniature single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) sensor, fabricated by alternating current dielectrophoresis, to detect dissociated and oxidized sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas species generated by partial discharge (PD) activity in a concealed chamber such as gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). The SWNT sensor did not react with pure SF6 gas but sensitively responded to the dissociated and oxidized SF6 species. Also, the SWNT sensor could be regenerated by purging with fresh air since the transduction was based on the physisorption of analytes. Therefore, the SWNT sensor is a promising device for the detection of the dissociated and oxidized SF6 species and for the monitoring of the PD activity inside GIS.
ABSTRACT
Alternating current dielectrophoresis in water was used to position graphite oxide soot (GO-soot) particles generated by rapid thermal expansion of graphite oxide under inert gas. The dielectrophoretic deposition was carried out at a frequency of 10 MHz and a peak-to-peak voltage of 10 V, and the deposited particles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The vertical cross section, obtained by focused ion beam cutting, shows the wrinkled layers of the GO-soot particles and cavities between the layers. The electrical transport measurements show typical characteristics of metal-like pathways. The improved electrical contact between electrodes and GO-soot, probably due to the thin platelet structure of GO-soot, makes the material favorable for electrical device applications. The results demonstrate that AC dielectrophoresis can be used to selectively deposit graphite oxide soot particles at desired locations.
ABSTRACT
Monitoring of argon gas dissociation was demonstrated using a matted sheet of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), prepared by alternating current dielectrophoresis. The conductance of the SWNT network increased upon exposure to dissociated byproducts induced by corona discharge (CD), and the sensor signal was recovered rapidly by purging with the pure argon. Similar experiments on argon plasma were also carried out to investigate the applicability of the SWNT sensor in the monitoring of plasma-induced dissociation. The transduction mechanisms in both CD activity and plasma were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the detection of argon dissociation generated inside the reaction zone is possible using a miniaturized SWNT sensor.
ABSTRACT
Alternating current dielectrophoresis has attracted considerable attention as a possible candidate to separate single-walled carbon nanotubes according to electronic types. Recently, the significant effect of surface charge on the polarizability of semiconducting nanotubes was demonstrated using comparative Raman spectroscopic studies. Here we present electrical transport characteristics of surface-charge-controlled, dielectrophoretically deposited nanotube arrays. The surface charge was controlled using cationic/anionic surfactant mixtures. Complete separation between metallic and semiconducting species was achieved at the electric field frequency of 10 MHz only when the surface charge of nanotubes was neutralized, which is consistent with previous Raman investigation. A theoretical analysis, using zeta potential information as input, further supported the experimental observation.
Subject(s)
Electric Conductivity , Nanotubes, Carbon/chemistry , Electrons , Electrophoresis , Surface PropertiesABSTRACT
Dielectrophoresis has received considerable attention for separating nanotubes according to electronic types. Here we examine the effects of surface conductivity of semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), induced by ionic surfactants, on the sign of dielectrophoretic force. The crossover frequency of semiconducting SWNT increases rapidly as the conductivity ratio between the particle and medium increases, leading to an incomplete separation of ionic surfactant suspended SWNT at an electric field frequency of 10 MHz. To reduce the conductivity ratio, the surface charge of SWNT is neutralized by an equimolar mixture of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), resulting in negative dielectrophoresis of semiconducting species at 10 MHz. A comparative Raman spectroscopy study shows a nearly complete separation of metallic SWNT.
