Endophthalmitis in silicone oil-filled eye: A case report

BACKGROUND Endophthalmitis occurring in silicone oil-filled eyes is a very rare occurrence,with reported incidence rates ranging between 0.07%and 0.039%.Traditional methods of management of infectious endophthalmitis include the removal of silicone oil,washout of the vitreous cavity,administration of intravitreal antibiotics,and reinjection of silicone oil.CASE SUMMARY Herein,we report the case of a 39-year-old man with unilateral endophthalmitis after pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade.Intravitreal injections of full-dose antibiotics and anterior chamber washout were used to treat the patient.No signs of retinal toxicity were observed during the follow-up period.CONCLUSION Intravitreal full-dose antibiotic injections and anterior chamber washout are promising alternatives to traditional therapies for endophthalmitis in silicone oilfilled eyes.

Piezoelectrically Actuated Biomimetic Self-Contained Quadruped Bounding Robot

This paper presents the development of a mesoscale self-contained quadruped mobile robot that employs two pieces of piezocomposite actuators for the bounding locomotion.The design of the robot leg is inspired by legged insects and animals, and the biomimetic concept is implemented in the robot in a simplified form,such that each leg of the robot has only one degree of freedom.The lack of degree of freedom is compensated by a slope of the robot frame relative to the horizontal plane.For the implementation of the self-contained mobile robot,a small power supply circuit is designed and installed on the robot.Experimental results show that the robot can locomote at about 50 mm·s^(-1)with the circuit on board,which can be considered as a significant step toward the goal of building an autonomous legged robot actuated by piezoelectric actuators.

Computer-Based Estimation of Spine Loading during Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Carriage

Firefighters’low back disorders(LBDs)are closely related to excessive spine loading when using the self-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA)continuously.The purpose of this study was to quantify firefighters’spine loading and evaluate the effects of strap lengths of SCBA on altering spine loading.Computer-based musculoskeletal models of three varying-strapped SCBA conditions and a control condition(CC)with no SCBA equipped were developed.The model was driven using three-dimensional(3 D)inertial motion capture data from twelve male subjects performing a walking task and the predicted ground reaction force(GRF).Electromyography(EMG)activities were also recorded to validate the results from the model.The 4 th-5 th lumbar vertebra(L4/L5)joint reaction forces,as well as erector spinae and rectus abdominis forces,were finally obtained.Results demonstrated that carrying SCBA significantly increased the compressive force and anteroposterior shear force at the spine.The risk of potential LBDs increased by about 17.77%.Dynamic balance of erector spinae and rectus abdominis contraction was also disturbed when carrying SCBA,indicating a higher risk of spine muscle strain.Adjustment of SCBA strap length was an efficient method to influence spine loading.The medium-fitting strap(MS)with a length of around 101 cm generated minimum joint reaction forces and achieved the optimum dynamic balance of spine muscle contraction,which was recommended for firefighters.

Non-contact wide-field viewing system-assisted scleral buckling surgery for retinal detachment in silicone oilfilled eyes

AIM:To evaluate scleral buckling(SB)surgery using a noncontact wide-field viewing system and 23-gauge intraocular illumination for the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in silicone oil(SO)-filled eyes.METHODS:Totally 9 patients(9 eyes)with retinal detachment in SO-filled eyes were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent non-contact wide-field viewing system-assisted buckling surgery with 23-gauge intraocular illumination.SO was removed at an appropriate time based on recovery.The patients were followed up for at least 3mo after SO removal.Retinal reattachment,complications,visual acuity and intraocular pressure(IOP)before and after surgery were observed.RESULTS:Patients were followed up for a mean of 8.22mo(3-22mo)after SO removal.All patients had retinal reattachment.At the final follow-up,visual acuity showed improvement for 8 patients,and no change for 1 patient.The IOP was high in 3 patients before surgery,but it stabilized after treatment;it was not affected in the other patients.None of the patients had infections,hemorrhage,anterior ischemia,or any other complication.CONCLUSION:This new non-contact wide-field viewing system-assisted SB surgery with 23-gauge intraocular illumination is effective and safe for retinal detachment in SO-filled eyes.

Effect of Respirator Resistance on Tolerant Capacity during Graded Load Exercise

Respirator breathing resistance impacts performance of wearers during constant work load. However, it is less clear as to how breathing resistance affects the tolerant capacity of users during graded work load. The present study investigated the tolerant capacity of 8 individuals during incremental work load. The 8 subjects were required to wear two matched respirators （respirators Ⅰ and Ⅱ which were designed to have different breathing resistances and the same dead space） respectively on separate days and then work to end points. Minute ventilation （VE）, breathing frequency （BF）, oxygen consumption （VO2） and heart rate （HR） were recorded during exercise, while tolerant time, response time and breathing discomfort were measured at the end of each test trial. The test variables were com-pared between the two respirators by using matched-pairs t-test. The results showed that the tolerant time was significantly reduced for the respiratorⅠwith higher level of breathing resistance when compared with its counterpart with lower breathing resistance （respirator Ⅱ） （P〈0.05）. The same changes occurred for response time. Results also showed a significant increase in VE and BF for respirator Ⅰwearers when the work load was above 125 W. The O2 consumption was similar under the two breathing resistance conditions. These findings suggested that the respiratory resistance caused by self-contained breathing apparatus （SCBA） has an impact on the tolerant capacity of users.

Design and friction loss study of full-ocean depth oil-filled direct current motor

In this study,we designed an oil-filled motor that can be used at full-ocean depths,and investigated the friction losses caused by the rotating seal and the properties of the oil.The direct current(DC)motor is encapsulated in an aluminum alloy housing.A rubber diaphragm is used to balance the internal and external pressures so that the motor can work on the seabed without pressure difference.To study the resistance caused by the rotating seal,a numerical model of the Glyd ring and the rotating shaft was established.Results from a rotational torque test agreed with those from numerical analysis.The kinematic viscosity of four oils was measured at 1-25℃.Oil bath experiments in an incubator showed that the resistance from oil is highly correlated with its dynamic viscosity.Dimethicone appears to be very suitable as an insulating oil for these motors.The working characteristics of the motor were tested in a high-pressure chamber.The results showed that the motor needs to overcome higher oil resistance under higher pressure.A prototype of a pressure-adaptive motor was designed and applied successfully in the hadal zone at a water depth of more than 10000 m.

Online Power System Voltage Stability Index for LCC HVDC Using Local Measurements

This paper proposes an online power system voltage stability index(PVSI Online)that quantifies power system voltage stability in real time between an AC network and LCC HVDC using only local measurements.Previous methods relied on using telecommunications to inform a change in a predetermined AC network model.The proposed method uses local measurements of voltage and current from the HVDC using a newly developed,numerically robust technique called Moving Window Covariance to detect a change in the AC network in real time.These network parameters are fed to a newly devised index that accurately models and captures the dynamics of the interaction between an LCC HVDC and AC network.The index is used to quantify stability,but also to advise network operation.In an onset of instability due to network degradation,the proposed index can provide a power order value for the HVDC to restore stability.All as a self-contained module that can be implemented within a HVDC scheme.