Visual Outcomes and Risk of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Following Posterior Capsule Rupture during Cataract Surgery: With vs without Dropped Nuclear Lens Fragments

Background: Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery worldwide. Posterior capsule rupture (PCR) remains one of the most common complications of cataract surgery and a major risk factor for poor visual outcomes. Cataract surgeries complicated by PCR and vitreous loss are managed with anterior vitrectomy at the time of surgery. However, the situation can be further complicated by dropping lens particles into the vitreous cavity necessitating a secondary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Purpose: To compare the visual outcomes and risk of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) between eyes that required anterior vitrectomy (AV) alone for the management of vitreous loss and eyes that required AV and subsequent PPV for the management of dropped nuclear lens fragments (DNLF) following cataract surgery complicated by PCR in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Medical records of patients in whom PCR occurred during phacoemulsification cataract surgery requiring AV or subsequent PPV for DNLF were retrospectively reviewed over a 6-year period from January 2016 to December 2021. Results: PCR occurred in 183 (2.3%) of 7757 consecutive eyes that underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery during the study period. Seven eyes were excluded from analysis for missing data or short follow-up. Of the 176 eyes, 147 eyes (83.5%) were managed with AV alone, and the remaining 29 eyes (16.5%) underwent a secondary PPV for DNLF. After excluding eyes with pre-existing ocular pathology, final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was similar in both groups with a mean of 0.32 logMAR (P = 0.99). Two of 147 eyes (1.4%) in the AV group developed RRD with poor final BCVA whereas none of the eyes in DNLF group developed RRD. Conclusion: The risk of RRD is lower in eyes that required PPV for DNLF than in eyes that were managed with AV alone following PCR during cataract surgery. The poor visual outcomes in eyes that suffered RRD underscore the importance of postoperative retinal examination and early detection of retinal breaks.

Severe Weight Loss and Dropped Head Syndrome in MuSK Myasthenia Gravis

Muscle Specific Receptor Thyrosine Kinase (MuSK) Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a rare auto-immune disorder of the neuromuscular junction. The clinical presentation of MG is dominated by fluctuating weakness of the extra-ocular, orofacial and limb muscles. The clinical presentation of MuSK MG can vary, which may delay diagnostic procedures. We present a patient who initially presented with severe weight loss and slowly progressive developing neck extensor weakness and diplopia. A single fiber EMG led to the diagnosis MG and antibodies directed towards MuSK were detected. He was treated with prednisone and the steroid sparing agent azathioprine after which he made full recovery.

Making a Mark on the Boat

Have you heard the story of “Making a Mark on the Boat”? Let’s explore this tale together.One day, a group of people was crossing a river on a boat. Among them was a man who possessed a beautiful sword, proudly displaying it to everyone. However, in a moment of carelessness, the man accidentally dropped his sword into the river.

A data-driven model of drop size prediction based on artificial neural networks using small-scale data sets

An artificial neural network(ANN)method is introduced to predict drop size in two kinds of pulsed columns with small-scale data sets.After training,the deviation between calculate and experimental results are 3.8%and 9.3%,respectively.Through ANN model,the influence of interfacial tension and pulsation intensity on the droplet diameter has been developed.Droplet size gradually increases with the increase of interfacial tension,and decreases with the increase of pulse intensity.It can be seen that the accuracy of ANN model in predicting droplet size outside the training set range is reach the same level as the accuracy of correlation obtained based on experiments within this range.For two kinds of columns,the drop size prediction deviations of ANN model are 9.6%and 18.5%and the deviations in correlations are 11%and 15%.

Aerodynamic optimization of a high-lift system with adaptive dropped hinge flap

The Adaptive Dropped Hinge Flap(ADHF) is a novel trailing edge high-lift device characterized by the integration of downward deflection spoiler and simple hinge flap, with excellent aerodynamic and mechanism performance. In this paper, aerodynamic optimization design of an ADHF high-lift system is conducted considering the mechanism performance. Shape and settings of both takeoff and landing configurations are optimized and analyzed, with considering the kinematic constraints of ADHF mechanism, and the desired optimization results were obtained after optimization. Sensitivity analysis proves the robustness of the optimal design. Comparison shows that the ADHF design has better comprehensive performance of both mechanism and aerodynamics than the conventional Fowler flap and simple hinge flap design.

Buckling Properties of Water-Drop-Shaped Pressure Hulls with Various Shape Indices Under Hydrostatic External Pressure

The water-drop-shaped pressure hull has a good streamline,which has good application prospect in the underwater observatory.Therefore,this study conducted analytical,experimental and numerical investigation of the buckling properties of water-drop-shaped pressure hulls under hydrostatic pressure.A water-drop experiment was conducted to design water-drop-shaped pressure hulls with various shape indices.The critical loads for the water-drop-shaped pressure hulls were resolved by using Mushtari’s formula.Several numerical simulations including linear buckling analysis and nonlinear buckling analysis including eigenmode imperfections were performed.The results indicated that the critical loads resolved by Mushtari's formula were in good agreement with the linear buckling loads from the numerical simulations.This formula can be extended to estimate the buckling capacity of water-drop-shaped pressure hulls.In addition,three groups of pressure hulls were fabricated by using stereolithography,a rapid prototyping technique.Subsequently,three groups of the pressure hulls were subjected to ultrasonic measurements,optical scanning,hydrostatic testing and numerical analysis.The experimental results were consistent with the numerical results.The results indicate that the sharp end of the water-drop-shaped pressure hulls exhibited instability compared with the blunt end.This paper provides a new solution to the limitations of experimental studies on the water-drop-shaped pressure hulls as well as a new configuration and evaluation method for underwater observatories.

Evaluation of frictional pressure drop correlations for air-water and air-oil two-phase flow in pipeline-riser system

Accurate prediction of the frictional pressure drop is important for the design and operation of subsea oil and gas transporting system considering the length of the pipeline. The applicability of the correlations to pipeline-riser flow needs evaluation since the flow condition in pipeline-riser is quite different from the original data where they were derived from. In the present study, a comprehensive evaluation of 24prevailing correlation in predicting frictional pressure drop is carried out based on experimentally measured data of air-water and air-oil two-phase flows in pipeline-riser. Experiments are performed in a system having different configuration of pipeline-riser with the inclination of the downcomer varied from-2°to-5°to investigated the effect of the elbow on the frictional pressure drop in the riser. The inlet gas velocity ranges from 0.03 to 6.2 m/s, and liquid velocity varies from 0.02 to 1.3 m/s. A total of885 experimental data points including 782 on air-water flows and 103 on air-oil flows are obtained and used to access the prediction ability of the correlations. Comparison of the predicted results with the measured data indicate that a majority of the investigated correlations under-predict the pressure drop on severe slugging. The result of this study highlights the requirement of new method considering the effect of pipe layout on the frictional pressure drop.

A novel order-reduced thermal-coupling electrochemical model for lithium-ion batteries

Although the single-particle model enhanced with electrolyte dynamics(SPMe)is simplified from the pseudo-twodimensional(P2D)electrochemical model for lithium-ion batteries,it is difficult to solve the partial differential equations of solid–liquid phases in real-time applications.Moreover,working temperatures have a heavy impact on the battery behavior.Hence,a thermal-coupling SPMe is constructed.Herein,a lumped thermal model is established to estimate battery temperatures.The order of the SPMe model is reduced by using both transfer functions and truncation techniques and merged with Arrhenius equations for thermal effects.The polarization voltage drop is then modified through the use of test data because its original model is unreliable theoretically.Finally,the coupling-model parameters are extracted using genetic algorithms.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model produces average errors of about 42 mV under 15 constant current conditions and 15 mV under nine dynamic conditions,respectively.This new electrochemicalthermal coupling model is reliable and expected to be used for onboard applications.

A combined computational/experimental study of anode-concerned voltage drop in aqueous primary Mg-air batteries

The voltage drop appearing at Mg anode-electrolyte interface is a critical issue for the battery power and energy density of aqueous primary Mg-air batteries.The respective voltage loss is typically assigned to the deposits layer forming on the anode surface during discharge.In this work,we experimentally and computationally investigate the critical factors affecting the voltage drop at Mg anode towards a deeper understanding of the contribution of deposit and its growth.A two-dimensional(2D)mathematical model is proposed to compute the voltage drop of Mg-0.15Ca wt.%alloy(Mg-0.15Ca)by means of a semi-empirical formulas and experiments-based modification model,considering the effect of discharge current density,the negative difference effect(NDE)and surface deposits layer itself.This model is utilized to simulate the discharge potential of the anode at predefined experimental current densities.The computed voltage drop(half-cell voltage)is in good agreement with the experimental value.The applicability of the mathematical model is successfully validated on the second material(namely high-purity Mg).

Impact response and energy absorption of metallic buffer with entangled wire mesh damper

An innovative metallic buffer consisting of series-connected hat-shaped entangled wire mesh damper(EWMD)and parallel springs are proposed in this work to enhance the reliability of engineering equipment.The impact response and the energy dissipation mechanism of hat-shaped EWMD under different quasi-static compression deformations(2-7 mm)and impact heights(100-200 mm)are investigated using experimental and numerical methods.The results demonstrate distinct stages in the quasi-static mechanical characteristics of hat-shaped EWMD,including stiffness softening,negative stiffness,and stiffness hardening.The loss factor gradually increases with increasing compression deformation before entering the stiffness hardening stage.Under impact loads,the hat-shaped EWMD exhibits optimal impact energy absorption when it enters the negative stiffness stage(150 mm),resulting in the best impact isolation effect of metallic buffer.However,the impact energy absorption significantly decreases when hat-shaped EWMD enters the stiffness hardening stage.Interestingly,quasi-static compression analysis after experiencing different impact loads reveals the disappearance of the negative stiffness phenomenon.Moreover,with increasing impact loads,the stiffness hardening point progressively shifts to an earlier stage.

Wettability,reactivity,and interface structure in Mg/Ni system

The sessile drop method was applied to the experimental investigation of the wetting and spreading behaviors of liquid Mg drops on pure Ni substrates.For comparison,the experiments were performed in two variants:(1)using the Capillary Purification(CP)procedure,which allows the non-contact heating and squeezing of a pure oxide-free Mg drop;(2)by classical Contact Heating(CH)procedure.The high-temperature tests were performed under isothermal conditions(CP:760℃for 30 s;CH:715℃for 300 s)using Ar+5 wt%H_(2) atmosphere.During the sessile drop tests,images of the Mg/Ni couples were recorded by CCD cameras(57 fps),which were then applied to calculate the contact angles of metal/substrate couples.Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analyses,both coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,were used for detailed structural characterization of the solidified couples.It was found that an oxide-free Mg drop obtained by the CP procedure showed a wetting phenomenon on the Ni substrate(an average contact angleθ<90°in<1 s),followed by fast spreading and good wetting over the Ni substrate(θ_((CP))~20°in 5 s)to form a final contact angle ofθ_(f(CP))~18°.In contrast,a different wetting behavior was observed for the CH procedure,where the unavoidable primary oxide film on the Mg surface blocked the spreading of liquid Mg showing apparently non-wetting behavior after 300 s contact at the test temperature.However,in both cases,the deep craters formed in the Ni substrates under the Mg drops and significant change in the structure of initially pure Mg drops to Mg-Ni alloys suggest a strong dissolution of Ni in liquid Mg and apparent values of the final contact angles measured for the Mg/Ni system.

Effect of perforation density distribution on production of perforated horizontal wellbore

To address the issue of horizontal well production affected by the distribution of perforation density in the wellbore,a numerical model for simulating two-phase flow in a horizontal well is established under two perforation density distribution conditions(i.e.increasing the perforation density at inlet and outlet sections respectively).The simulation results are compared with experimental results to verify the reliability of the numerical simulation method.The behaviors of the total pressure drop,superficial velocity of air-water two-phase flow,void fraction,liquid film thickness,air production and liquid production that occur with various flow patterns are investigated under two perforation density distribution conditions based on the numerical model.The total pressure drop,superficial velocity of the mixture and void fraction increase with the air flow rate when the water flow rate is constant.The liquid film thickness decreases when the air flow rate increases.The liquid and air productions increase when the perforation density increases at the inlet section compared with increasing the perforation density at the outlet section of the perforated horizontal wellbore.It is noted that the air production increases with the air flow rate.Liquid production increases with the bubble flow and begins to decrease at the transition point of the slug-stratified flow,then increases through the stratified wave flow.The normalized liquid flux is higher when the perforation density increases at the inlet section,and increases with the radial air flow rate.

Effect of the Particle Packing Configuration on Fixed Bed Performance

Fixed-bed reactors are generally considered the optimal choice for numerous multi-phase catalytic reactions due to their excellent performance and stability.However,conventional fixed beds often encounter challenges related to inadequate mass transfer and a high pressure drop caused by the non-uniform void fraction distribution.To enhance the overall performance of fixed beds,the impact of different packing configurations on performance was investigated.Experimental and simulation methods were used to investigate the fluid flow and mass transfer performances of various packed beds under different flow rates.It was found that structured beds exhibited a significantly lower pressure drop per unit length than conventional packed beds.Furthermore,the packing configurations had a critical role in improving the overall performance of fixed beds.Specifically,structured packed beds,particularly the H-2 packing configuration,effectively reduced the pressure drop per unit length and improved the mass transfer efficiency.The H-2 packing configuration consisted of two parallel strips of particles in each layer,with strips arranged perpendicularly between adjacent layers,and the spacing between the strips varied from layer to layer.

正则化深度神经网络的防腐层缺陷超声信号识别

传统智能算法识别防腐层缺陷超声信号依赖于特定技术来提取特征,过程复杂不适用于工业应用,在识别混合频率数据时精度不佳。通过建立铝板防腐层缺陷混合频率的超声信号数据集,训练基于Drop out正则化的深度神经网络DNN,识别脱粘、弱粘接、斑点型脱粘和防腐层结构缺陷。结果表明,在混合频率数据集上给定的DNN结构实现了92.76%的最高精度,比常用的单隐层神经网络提高了13.87%,在不从超声信号中人工提取任何特征的情况下,高精度地识别了缺陷。

Efficacy of recombinant human epidermal growth factor plus sodium hyaluronate eye drops in diabetic dry eye post-cataract surgery

BACKGROUND Dry eye syndrome(DES)after diabetic cataract surgery can seriously affect the patient’s quality of life.Therefore,effective alleviation of symptoms in patients with this disease has important clinical significance.AIM To explore the clinical effect of recombinant human epidermal growth factor(rhEGF)plus sodium hyaluronate(SH)eye drops on DES after cataract surgery in patients with diabetes.METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 82 patients with diabetes who experienced DES after cataract surgery at Tianjin Beichen Hospital,Affiliated Hospital of Nankai University between April 2021 and April 2023.They were classified into an observation group(42 cases,rhEGF+SH eye drops)and a control group(40 cases,SH eye drops alone),depending on the different treatment schemes.The therapeutic efficacy,dry eye symptom score,tear film breakup time(TFBUT),basic tear secretion score[assessed using Schirmer I test(SIt)],corneal fluorescein staining(FL)score,tear inflammatory markers,adverse reactions during treat-ment,and treatment satisfaction were compared between the two groups.RESULTS Therapeutic efficacy was higher in the observation group compared with the control group.Both groups showed improved TFBUT and dry eye,as well as improved SIt and FL scores after treatment,with a more pronounced improvement in the observation group.Although no marked differences in adverse reactions were observed between the two groups,treatment satisfaction was higher in the observation group.CONCLUSION rhEGF+SH eye drops rendered clinical benefits to patients by effectively ameliorating dry eye and visual impairment with favorable efficacy,fewer adverse reactions,and high safety levels.Thus,this treatment should be promoted in clinical practice.

Flow Rate Measurement of Gravity Infusion Set and Functional Evaluation of Drop Counter: A Pilot Study

Developing a novel drop counter by introducing the Internet of Things concept has been vigorously conducted in recent years. Understanding the newly introduced drop counter’s flow rate control accuracy and flow rate count feature is essential for improving safety in infusion management. This study aimed to verify if the new drop counters could secure accurate flow rate and drip count by conducting actual flow rate measurements using gravimetry and functional evaluation. A drop counter was attached to each drip chamber of the infusion set, and an IV drip was conducted at the 100 ml/h flow rate. The weight of discharged physiological saline was measured to plot trumpet curves. Next, three different types of drop counters were evaluated to determine if they maintained drip count accuracy according to the changes in their position angles. The flow rate errors in all conditions indicated trumpet-like curves, exhibiting an overall error range within ±10% in all observation windows. Although every drop counter successfully detected and measured dripping, it was challenging in some counters to detect dripping when the drip chamber was tilted. In comparing adult and pediatric IV sets, the adult IV set was found to be less likely to detect dripping in the angled position. No significant differences in results were confirmed between high and low flow rates, suggesting that the drop count function would not be affected by the flow rate in the ranges of typical infusion practices. Doppler sensors have a wide range of measurements and high sensitivity;the dripping was detected successfully even when the drip chamber was tilted, probably due to the advantages of these sensors. In contrast, miscounts occurred in those equipped with infrared sensors, which could not detect light intensity changes in tilted positions. Understanding the tendencies in flow rate errors in infusion can be valuable information for infusion management.

The Effect of Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Dropping Pill Combined with Butylphthalide Capsule on Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients after Acute Ischemic Stroke and Its Impact on Serum Cytokines

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Ginkgo biloba extract dropping pills combined with butylphthalide capsules on cognitive dysfunction in patients after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and its impact on serum cytokines CRP, IL-6, and Hcy. Methods: This study selected 76 patients with cognitive dysfunction after ischemic stroke who were hospitalized at Zhuji People’s Hospital from January 2023 to January 2024. The patients were divided into two groups. The control group was treated with butylphthalide capsules, while the combination group received Ginkgo biloba extract dropping pills in addition to the treatment given to the control group. The neurological function, cognitive function, activities of daily living, and levels of serum cytokines CRP, IL-6, and Hcy were compared between the two groups after 1 month and 3 months of treatment. Results: The NIHSS scores, MMSE scores, ADL scores, and levels of CRP, IL-6, and Hcy in both groups showed statistically significant differences compared to before treatment (P Conclusion: The combination of Ginkgo biloba extract dropping pills and butylphthalide capsules has a better therapeutic effect on cognitive dysfunction in patients after ischemic stroke. It can improve the neurological function and cognitive function of patients, enhance their ability to perform daily activities, and reduce inflammatory responses.

Neural recovery machine for Chinese dropped pronoun

Dropped pronouns (DPs) are ubiquitous in pro-drop languages like Chinese, Japanese etc. Previous work mainly focused on painstakingly exploring the empirical features for DPs recovery. In this paper, we propose a neural recovery machine (NRM) to model and recover DPs in Chinese to avoid the non-trivial feature engineering process. The experimental results show that the proposed NRM significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches on two heterogeneous datasets. Further experimental results of Chinese zero pronoun (ZP) resolution show that the performance of ZP resolution can also be improved by recovering the ZPs to DPs.

Improvement of Temperature Drop Model Parameters for 4200mm/3500mm Rolling of Baosteel Medium and Thick Plate

Based on the temperature situation during the rolling process of 4200 mm/3500 mm medium and thick plates at Baosteel,this article analyzes the influencing factors of temperature changes during the rolling process from the perspective of heat transfer theory and the temperature change law during the rolling process.The temperature loss during the four rolling processes is tracked on site,and the temperature drop model parameters during the rolling process of 4200mm/3500mm medium and thick plates at Baosteel are quantitatively provided.It is applied to actual rolling production and has achieved good results.

Sales of men’s suits dropped by 15.89% in Apr.of BJ

According to Beijing Commercial Information Consultation Center, sales value of men’s suits in Beijing 18 mid-to-high range department stores in April 2013 was CNY 19.22 million. e data was 15.89% lower than last month