Relative peripheral refraction in school children with different refractive errors using a novel multispectral refraction topographer

AIM:To compare relative peripheral refraction(RPR)in Chinese school children with different refractive errors using multispectral refraction topography(MRT).METHODS:A total of 713 eyes of primary school children[172 emmetropia(E),429 low myopia(LM),80 moderate myopia(MM),and 32 low hypermetropia(LH)]aged 10 to 13y were analyzed.RPRs were measured using MRT without mydriasis.MRT results showed RPR at 0-15°(RPR 0-15),15°-30°(RPR 15-30),and 30°-45°(RPR 30-45)annular in the inferior(RPR-I),superior(RPR-S),nasal(RPR-N),and temporal(RPR-T)quadrants.Spherical equivalent(SE)was detected and calculated using an autorefractor.RESULTS:There were significant differences of RPR 15-30 between groups MM[0.02(-0.12;0.18)]and LH[-0.13(-0.36;0.12)](P<0.05),MM and E[-0.06(-0.20;0.10)](P<0.05),and LM[-0.02(-0.15;0.15)]and E(P<0.05).There were also significant differences of RPR 30-45 between groups MM[0.45(0.18;0.74)]and E[0.29(-0.09;0.67)](P<0.05),and LM[0.44(0.14;0.76)]and E(P<0.001).RPR values increased from the hyperopic to medium myopic group in each annular.There were significant differences of RPR-S between groups MM[-0.02(-0.60;0.30)]and E[-0.44(-0.89;-0.04)](P<0.001),and LM[-0.28(-0.71;0.12)]and E(P<0.05).There were also significant differences of RPR-T between groups MM[0.37(0.21;0.78)]and LH[0.14(-0.52;0.50)](P<0.05),LM[0.41(0.06;0.84)]and LH(P<0.05),and LM and E[0.29(-0.10;0.68),P<0.05].A Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between RPR and SE in the 15°-30°(P=0.005),30°-45°(P<0.05)annular(P=0.002),superior(P<0.001),and temporal(P=0.001)quadrants.CONCLUSION:Without pupil dilation,values for RPR 15-30,30-45,RPR-S,and T shows significant differences between myopic eyes and emmetropia,and the differences are negatively correlated with SE.

A robust triaxial localization method of AE source using refraction path

Acoustic emission(AE)localization algorithms based on homogeneous media or single-velocity are less accurate when applied to the triaxial localization experiments.To the end,a robust triaxial localization method of AE source using refraction path is proposed.Firstly,the control equation of the refraction path is established according to the sensor coordinates and arrival times.Secondly,considering the influence of time-difference-of-arrival(TDOA)errors,the residual of the governing equation is calculated to estimate the equation weight.Thirdly,the refraction points in different directions are solved using Snell’s law and orthogonal constraints.Finally,the source coordinates are iteratively solved by weighted correction terms.The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method are verified by pencil-lead breaking experiments.The simulation results show that the new method is almost unaffected by the refraction ratio,and always holds more stable and accurate positioning performance than the traditional method under different ratios and scales of TDOA outliers.

Observation of peripheral refraction in myopic anisometropia in young adults

AIM:To investigate the differences in retinal refraction difference values(RDVs)of adult patients with myopic anisometropia compared with those without myopic anisometropia,and to investigate the relationship between ocular biometric measurements and relative peripheral refraction.METHODS:This clinical observation study included 130 patients with myopia(-0.25 to-10.00 D)between October 2022 and January 2023 aged between 18 and 40y.The patients were divided into anisometropia(n=63;difference in binocular anisometropia≥1.00 D)and non-anisometropia(n=67;difference in binocular anisometropia<1.00 D)groups accordingly.Ocular biometric measurements were performed by optical biometrics and corneal topography to assess the steep keratometry(Ks),flap keratometry(Kf),axial length(AL),corneal astigmatism(CYL;Ks-Kf),surface regularity index(SRI),surface asymmetry index(SAI),and central corneal thickness(CCT).The RDV was measured at five retinal areas from the fovea to 53 degrees(RDV-0-10,RDV-10-20,RDV-20-30,RDV-30-40,and RDV-40-53),the total RDV(TRDV)of 53 degrees,and four regions,including RDV-superior,RDV-inferior,RDV-temporal,and RDV-nasal.An analysis of Spearman correlation was carried out to examine the correlation between RDV and the spherical equivalent(SE)and ocular biological parameters.RESULTS:Within RDV-20-53,both groups showed relative hyperopic defocus,and the increase in RDV corresponds to the increase in eccentricity.In the myopic anisometropia group,the TRDV,RDV-20-53,RDV-superior,and more myopic eyes had significantly higher RDVtemporal values than less myopic eyes.(P<0.05).In the non-anisometropia group,there was no significant difference in the RDV between the more and less myopic eyes at different eccentricities(P>0.05).There was a negative correlation between SE and TRDV(r=-0.205,P=0.001),RDV-20-53(r=-0.281,-0.183,-0.176,P<0.05),RDV-superior(r=-0.251,P<0.001),and RDV-temporal(r=-0.230,P<0.001),a negative correlation between CYL and RDV-10-30(r=-0.147,-0.180,P<0.05),and a negative correlation between SRI and RDV-0-20(r=-0.190,-0.170,P<0.05).AL had a positive correlation with RDV-20-30(r=0.164,P=0.008)and RDV-temporal(r=0.160,P=0.010).CONCLUSION:More myopic eyes in patients with myopic anisometropia show more peripheral hyperopic defocus.Diopter and corneal morphology may affect peripheral retinal defocus.

Nonreciprocal negative refraction in a dense hot atomic medium

We investigate the electromagnetic properties of a four-level dense atomic gas medium with Doppler effect.It is shown that the relative permittivity and relative permeability of the medium can be negative simultaneously with low absorption in the same detuning interval on account of electromagnetically induced transparency.Furthermore,with the suitable parameters,the nonreciprocal negative refraction can be obtained due to the Doppler effect,and the nonreciprocity frequency band can be regulated by adjusting the temperature,the intensity of the control field and the atomic density in this hot atomic medium.

Research on Temperature Field Reconstruction Based on RBF Approximation with Polynomial Reproduction Considering the Refraction Effect of Sound Wave Paths

The temperature field distribution directly reflects the combustion condition in a furnace.In this paper,acoustic thermometry to reconstruct temperature distribution is investigated.A method based on radial basis function approximation with polynomial reproduction(RBF-PR)is proposed in order to improve the accuracy and stability of the method based on RBF approximation.In addition,the refraction effect of sound wave paths is considered in the process of reconstruction.The curved lines with refraction effect are numerically calculated by solving differential equations,which show that sonic waves curve towards the zones of higher temperature.The reconstructed performance is validated via numerical simulation using four temperature distribution models.Results and analysis show that the proposed method has much greater accuracy than the method based on RBF approximation,and when considering the effect of refraction,our method can reconstruct more excellent reconstruction performance than others,which do not take into account the refraction effect of sound wave paths.

Effects of glycemic control on refraction in diabetic patients

AIMTo evaluate the effects of glycemic control on refraction in diabetic patients.

Unidirectional Negative Refraction at an Exceptional Point of Acoustic P T-Symmetric Systems

We demonstrate a method to realize unidirectional negative refraction in an acoustic parity-time(P T)-symmetric system, which is composed of a pair of metasurfaces sandwiching an air gap. The pair of metasurfaces possesses loss and gain modulations. The unidirectional negative refraction, which is strictly limited to the case of incident wave imposing on the loss end of the metasurface, is demonstrated at the exception point(EP) in this P T-symmetric system, while the incidence from the other side leads to strong reflection. Based on rigorous calculations, we explicitly show the underlying mechanism of this model to achieve unidirectional wave scatterings around the EP in the parametric space. In addition, the perfect imaging of a point source in the three-dimensional space, as a signature of negative refraction, is simulated to provide a verification of our work. We envision that this work may sharpen the understanding of P T-symmetric structures and inspire more acoustic functional devices.

Auto-refraction versus subjective refraction in different phakic and pseudophakic conditions:the Tehran Geriatric Eye Study(TGES)

AIM:To compare the subjective refraction data with non-cycloplegic auto-refraction findings in the geriatric population above 60 years of age according to the different crystalline lens conditions.METHODS:This report is a part of the Tehran Geriatric Eye Study(TGES)that was conducted from January 2019 to January 2020 on elderly population 60 years of age and above in Tehran.The samples were selected by multistage stratified random cluster sampling.Of 3791 individual invitees,3310(response rate:87.3%)participated in this study.All study participants underwent non-cycloplegic autorefraction(auto-refractometer/keratometer Nidek ARK-510)and subjective refraction.RESULTS:Regarding the sphere,eyes with mixed cataract had the worst limits of agreement(LoA:-1.24 to 0.87)and the best agreement was related to the pseudophakic eyes(LoA:-0.83 to 0.54).The highest(0.27±0.31 D)and lowest(0.21±0.27 D)differences between the two methods regarding the cylinder power were observed in eyes with cortical cataract and normal eyes,respectively.The worst LoA between the two methods in measuring the cylinder power was related to the eyes with mixed cataract(LoA:-0.44 to 0.96).Regarding the J0(horizontal/vertical components of astigmatism),the mean values of J0 obtained by auto-refraction were tended more toward against the rule direction in all crystalline lens conditions,and the two methods had the greatest difference in cortical cataract cases(0.05±0.17 D).Regarding the J45(oblique components of astigmatism),the lowest(0±0.11 D)and highest(-0.01±0.12 D)differences were observed in normal eyes and eyes with cortical cataract,respectively.CONCLUSION:The auto-refractometer/keratometer Nidek ARK-510 results in the elderly with different phakic and pseudophakic conditions do not correspond well with subjective refraction findings.This discrepancy in spherical findings is more pronounced in individuals with mixed cataract than in other cases.

240 nm AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet micro-LEDs:size effect versus edge effect

240 nm AlGaN-based micro-LEDs with different sizes are designed and fabricated.Then,the external quantum efficiency(EQE)and light extraction efficiency(LEE)are systematically investigated by comparing size and edge effects.Here,it is revealed that the peak optical output power increases by 81.83%with the size shrinking from 50.0 to 25.0μm.Thereinto,the LEE increases by 26.21%and the LEE enhancement mainly comes from the sidewall light extraction.Most notably,transversemagnetic(TM)mode light intensifies faster as the size shrinks due to the tilted mesa side-wall and Al reflector design.However,when it turns to 12.5μm sized micro-LEDs,the output power is lower than 25.0μm sized ones.The underlying mechanism is that even though protected by SiO2 passivation,the edge effect which leads to current leakage and Shockley-Read-Hall(SRH)recombination deteriorates rapidly with the size further shrinking.Moreover,the ratio of the p-contact area to mesa area is much lower,which deteriorates the p-type current spreading at the mesa edge.These findings show a role of thumb for the design of high efficiency micro-LEDs with wavelength below 250 nm,which will pave the way for wide applications of deep ultraviolet(DUV)micro-LEDs.

Novel application of multispectral refraction topography in the observation of myopic control effect by orthokeratology lens in adolescents

BACKGROUND Myopia,as one of the common ocular diseases,often occurs in adolescence.In addition to the harm from itself,it may also lead to serious complications.Thus,prevention and control of myopia are attracting more and more attention.Previous research revealed that single-focal glasses and orthokeratology lenses(OK lenses)played an important part in slowing down myopia and preventing high myopia.AIM To compare the clinical effects of OK lenses and frame glasses against the increase of diopter in adolescent myopia and further explore the mechanism of the OK lens.METHODS Changes in diopter and axial length were collected among 70 adolescent myopia patients(124 eyes)wearing OK lenses for 1 year(group A)and 59 adolescent myopia patients(113 eyes)wearing frame glasses(group B).Refractive states of their retina were inspected through multispectral refraction topography.The obtained hyperopic defocus was analyzed for the mechanism of OK lenses on slowing down the increase of myopic diopter by delaying the increase of ocular axis length and reducing the near hyperopia defocus.RESULTS Teenagers in groups A and B were divided into low myopia(0 D--3.00 D)and moderate myopia(-3.25 D--6.00 D),without statistical differences among gender and age.After 1-year treatment,the increase of diopter and axis length and changes of retinal hyperopic defocus amount of group A were significantly less than those of group B.According to the multiple linear analysis,the retinal defocus in the upper,lower,nasal,and temporal directions had almost the same effect on the total defocus.The amount of peripheral retinal defocus(15°-53°)in group A was significantly lower than that in group B.CONCLUSION Multispectral refraction topography is progressive and instructive in clinical prevention and control of myopia.

Experimental study on the effect of water absorption level on rockburst occurrence of sandstone

To investigate the mechanism of rockburst prevention by spraying water onto the surrounding rocks,15 experiments are performed considering different water absorption levels on a single face.High-speed photography and acoustic emission(AE)system are used to monitor the rockburst process.The effect of water on sandstone rockburst and the prevention mechanism of water on sandstone rockburst are analyzed from the perspective of energy and failure mode.The results show that the higher the ab-sorption degree,the lower the intensity of the rockburst after absorbing water on single side of sand-stone.This is reflected in the fact that with the increase in the water absorption level,the ejection velocity of rockburst fragments is smaller,the depth of the rockburst pit is shallower,and the AE energy is smaller.Under the water absorption level of 100%,the magnitude of rockburst intensity changes from medium to slight.The prevention mechanism of water on sandstone rockburst is that water reduces the capacity of sandstone to store strain energy and accelerates the expansion of shear cracks,which is not conducive to the occurrence of plate cracking before rockburst,and destroys the conditions for rockburst incubation.

Evaluation of the intracellular lipid-lowering effect of polyphenols extract from highland barley in HepG2 cells

Active ingredients from highland barley have received considerable attention as natural products for developing treatments and dietary supplements against obesity.In practical application,the research of food combinations is more significant than a specific food component.This study investigated the lipid-lowering effect of highland barley polyphenols via lipase assay in vitro and HepG2 cells induced by oleic acid(OA).Five indexes,triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(T-CHO),low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),were used to evaluate the lipidlowering effect of highland barley extract.We also preliminary studied the lipid-lowering mechanism by Realtime fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR).The results indicated that highland barley extract contains many components with lipid-lowering effects,such as hyperoside and scoparone.In vitro,the lipase assay showed an 18.4%lipase inhibition rate when the additive contents of highland barley extract were 100μg/m L.The intracellular lipid-lowering effect of highland barley extract was examined using 0.25 mmol/L OA-induced HepG2 cells.The results showed that intracellular TG,LDL-C,and T-CHO content decreased by 34.4%,51.2%,and 18.4%,respectively.ALT and AST decreased by 51.6%and 20.7%compared with the untreated hyperlipidemic HepG2 cells.q PCR results showed that highland barley polyphenols could up-regulation the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes such as PPARγand Fabp4.

High responsivity photodetectors based on graphene/WSe_(2) heterostructure by photogating effect

Graphene, with its zero-bandgap electronic structure, is a highly promising ultra-broadband light absorbing material.However, the performance of graphene-based photodetectors is limited by weak absorption efficiency and rapid recombination of photoexcited carriers, leading to poor photodetection performance. Here, inspired by the photogating effect, we demonstrated a highly sensitive photodetector based on graphene/WSe_(2) vertical heterostructure where the WSe_(2) layer acts as both the light absorption layer and the localized grating layer. The graphene conductive channel is induced to produce more carriers by capacitive coupling. Due to the strong light absorption and high external quantum efficiency of multilayer WSe_(2), as well as the high carrier mobility of graphene, a high photocurrent is generated in the vertical heterostructure. As a result, the photodetector exhibits ultra-high responsivity of 3.85×10~4A/W and external quantum efficiency of 1.3 × 10~7%.This finding demonstrates that photogating structures can effectively enhance the sensitivity of graphene-based photodetectors and may have great potential applications in future optoelectronic devices.

Cavity effect on Rayleigh wave dispersion and P-wave refraction

Sinkholes and cavities can represent serious hazards to human safety and urban infrastructures,cause roadbed subsidence,and so on.It is therefore essential to evaluate various sinkholes in different depths and sizes to assess the risk of collapse.This paper evaluates the effect of different cavities on Rayleigh-wave propagation and body(P)wave refraction.Rayleigh(R)wave propagation is analyzed according to the classical multi-channel analysis of surface waves(MASW)method also considering the R-wave backscattering.Synthetic seismic traces are computed by means of finite element modeling(FEM)for cavity and intrusion at different depths and sizes.Furthermore,field acquisition data is used to verify the detection effect of a cavity on R-and P-waves.The results show that the presence of backscattered R-waves and the changes in the R-wave velocity spectrum can help in cavity identification.Additional possible evidence is represented by significant changes in the refraction travel times over the cavity location.It can be concluded that the field data are in good agreement with the synthetic,and it could be effective to consider the results of both R-and P-wave analysis in order to efficiently identify the cavities.

Engineering Strategies for Suppressing the Shuttle Effect in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are supposed to be one of the most potential next-generation batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the shuttle effect of firm multi-step two-electron reaction between sulfur and lithium in liquid electrolyte makes the capacity much smaller than the theoretical value.Many methods were proposed for inhibiting the shuttle effect of polysulfide,improving corresponding redox kinetics and enhancing the integral performance of Li–S batteries.Here,we will comprehensively and systematically summarize the strategies for inhibiting the shuttle effect from all components of Li–S batteries.First,the electrochemical principles/mechanism and origin of the shuttle effect are described in detail.Moreover,the efficient strategies,including boosting the sulfur conversion rate of sulfur,confining sulfur or lithium polysulfides(LPS)within cathode host,confining LPS in the shield layer,and preventing LPS from contacting the anode,will be discussed to suppress the shuttle effect.Then,recent advances in inhibition of shuttle effect in cathode,electrolyte,separator,and anode with the aforementioned strategies have been summarized to direct the further design of efficient materials for Li–S batteries.Finally,we present prospects for inhibition of the LPS shuttle and potential development directions in Li–S batteries.

Carbon Emission Effects Driven by Evolution of Chinese Dietary Structure from 1987 to 2020

Exploring carbon emission effects based on the evolution of residents’ dietary structure to achieve the carbon neutrality goal and mitigate climate change is an important task.This study took China as the research object(data excluding Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan) and used the carbon emission coefficient method to quantitatively measure the food carbon emissions from 1987–2020,then analyzed the carbon emission effects under the evolution of dietary structure.The results showed that during the study period,the Chinese dietary structure gradually changed to a high-carbon consumption pattern.The dietary structure of urban residents developed to a balanced one,while that of rural residents developed to a high-quality one.During the study period,the per capita food carbon emissions and total food consumption of Chinese showed an increasing trend.The per capita food carbon emissions of residents in urban and rural showed an overall upward trend.The total food carbon emissions in urban increased significantly,while that in rural increased first and then decreased.The influence of beef and mutton on carbon emissions is the highest in dietary structure.Compared with the balanced dietary pattern,the food carbon emissions of Chinese residents had not yet reached the peak,but were evolving to a high-carbon consumption pattern.

Effect of axial length and anterior chamber depth on the peripheral refraction profile

AIM:To evaluate the effect of axial length(AL)and anterior chamber depth(ACD)on peripheral refractive profile in myopic patients compared to emmetropic participants.METHODS:This cross-sectional study was conducted in right eyes of 58 participants of whom 38 were emmetropic and 20 were myopic.Central and peripheral refraction were measured at 10°,20°,and 30°eccentricities in nasal and temporal fields using an open-field autorefractor.The Lenstar LS900 was used to measure ACD and AL.The participants were divided into three groups of short(<22.5 mm),normal(22.5-24.5 mm),and long eye(>24.5 mm)according to AL and three groups of low ACD(<3.00 mm),normal ACD(3.00-3.60 mm),and high ACD(>3.60 mm)according to ACD.RESULTS:The mean age of the participants was 22.26±3.09 y(range 18-30 y).The peripheral mean spherical refractive error showed a hypermetropic shift in myopic and emmetropic groups although this shift was more pronounced in the myopic group.The results showed significant changes in the spherical equivalent,J0,and J45 astigmatism in all gazes with an increase in eccentricity(P<0.001).The pattern of refractive error changes was more noticeable in long and short eyes versus normal AL eyes.Moreover,the pattern of peripheral refractive changes was much more prominent in the high ACD group versus the normal ACD group and in the normal ACD group versus the low ACD group.CONCLUSION:Peripheral refraction changes are greater in participants with AL values outside the normal range and deeper ACD values compared to participants with normal AL and ACD.

“Buckets effect”in the kinetics of electrocatalytic reactions

In this study,we systematically investigated the effect of proton concentration on the kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)on Pt(111)in acidic solutions.Experimental results demonstrate a rectangular hyperbolic relationship,i.e.,the ORR current excluding the effect of other variables increases with proton concentration and then tends to a constant value.We consider that this is caused by the limitation of ORR kinetics by the trace oxygen concentration in the solution,which determines the upper limit of ORR kinetics.A model of effective concentration is further proposed for rectangular hyperbolic relationships:when the reactant concentration is high enough to reach a critical saturation concentration,the effective reactant concentration will become a constant value.This could be due to the limited concentration of a certain reactant for reactions involving more than one reactant or the limited number of active sites available on the catalyst.Our study provides new insights into the kinetics of electrocatalytic reactions,and it is important for the proper evaluation of catalyst activity and the study of structureperformance relationships.

Understanding the Relationship Between Shrinking Cities and Land Prices:Spatial Pattern,Effectiveness,and Policy Implications

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land,particularly in terms of land use and price.This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan,and‘no data’areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau)as the fundamental units of analysis.By employing nighttime light(NTL)data to identify shrinking cities,the propensity score matching(PSM)model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices,and evaluate the magnitude of this influence.The findings demonstrate the following:1)there were 613 shrinking cities in China,with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least.2)Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities,especially in areas with diverse terrain.3)The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels.4)Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price(ATT=–0.1241,P<0.05).However,the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions.This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities,ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas.

The Refractive Effect of k-Factor on Radio Propagation over Lokoja, Nigeria

The effective earth radius factor(k-factor)has a refractive propagation effect on transmitted radio signals thus making its study necessary for the proper planning of terrestrial radio links and power budget.This study was carried out over the city of Lokoja,Nigeria,using ten years(2011 to 2020)atmospheric data of temperature,pressure and humidity both at the surface(12 m)and at 100 m AGL.The data were retrieved from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF)ERA5.The k-factor yearly variation follows the same trend with minimum and maximum values obtained during dry and wet season months respectively.In addition,the highest mean value of 1.00042 was recorded in the month of August while the lowest value of 1.00040 was recorded in the month of January with an overall mean value of 1.0003.This value is less than the recommended standard of 1.33 by ITU-R.The propagation effect corresponding to k<1.33 is sub-refractive.The implication of this on radio wave propagation,especially terrestrial communications is that transmitted wireless signal is prone to losses.This can be mitigated through an effective power budget:Choice of transmitting antenna’s height and gain,so as to improve the Quality of Service over the study area.