Glaucoma surgery experiments using digital microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography and OCT-compatible instruments

There is a certain failure rate in traditional glaucoma surgery because of the lack of depth information in microscope images.In this work,we present a digital microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography(MIOCT)system and several custom-made OCT-compatible instruments for glaucoma surgery.Sixteen ophthalmologists were asked to perform trabeculectomy and canaloplasty on live porcine eyes using the system and instruments.After surgery,a subjective feedback survey about the user experience was taken.The experiment results showed that our system can help surgeons easily locate important tissue structures during surgery.The custom-made instruments also solved the shadowing problem in OCT imaging.Surgeons preferred to use the system in their future practice.

Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe, and Innovation Leading the Future——Astronomical Techniques and Instruments

Dear Readers:Astronomical Techniques and Instruments is a professional English journal of open access devoted to recent develop-ments,discoveries,and theories in astronomical techniques,methods,and instruments.It will serve as a platform for dis-course,learning,and information sharing for astronomic and astrophysics professionals worldwide.

Analysis Of Urban Planning Instruments in Comala,Colima,Mexico(1997-2009)from a Gender Perspective-A Secondary Publication

This work is carried out based on the analysis of urban planning instruments,taking the gender perspective as a foundation.It arises from the inclusion of women in the participation of urban development,through an analysis of the gender gaps that have marked the history of women,the inequalities serve as a basis for carrying out this study.It highlights the challenges we face today as a society in the process of building citizen participation,where we must all be recognized and have equal opportunities within the territory in which we live.This article analyzes the extent to which the Municipal Urban Development Programs of the Mexican municipality of Comala,Colima,Mexico,consider the recommendations on gender and urbanism,established since the 1990s by international entities and applied transversally to urban planning policies.Considerable differences are found between women and men in terms of empowerment and participation in urban territorial planning instruments,mainly in the oldest instrument(1997).Significant progress is observed in the most recent document and is currently in force in the municipality of Comala(2009).

Problems and principles in translation of cross-cultural research instruments

The process of translation is an important part of cross-cultural studies. Cross-cultural researchers are often confronted by the need to translate instruments from one language to another. In the translation, linguistic equivalence, functional equivalence, cultural equivalence and metric equivalence are factors that need to be considered greatly. This paper examines the translation of cross-cultural research instrument from these points of view, illustrates with examples and puts forward suggestions for incorporating each factor into research studies.

Research on Instruments of Formative Assessment for Differentiated Language Teaching

Formative assessment is crucial to differentiated language teaching.To ensure the quality of differentiated teaching,some assessment instruments should be adopted during formative assessment,such as differentiated learning portfolios and group activity journal.The effective application of these instruments can also improve the students' autonomous language learning ability.

Literature review and analysis of the application of health outcome assessment instruments in Chinese medicine

OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the application of health assessment instruments in Chinese medicine. METHODS： According to a pre-defined search strategy, a comprehensive literature search for all articles published in China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted. The resulting articles that met the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used for analysis. RESULTS： A total of 97 instruments for health outcome assessment in Chinese medicine have been used in fundamental and theoretical research, and 14 of these were also used in 29 clinical trials that were randomized controlled trials, or descriptive or cross-sectional studies. In 2 152 Chinese medicine-based studies that used instruments in their methodology, more than 150 questionnaires were identified. Among the identified questionnaires, 51 were used in more than 10 articles （0.5%）. Most of these instruments were developed in Western countries and few studies （4%） used the instrument as the primary evidence for their conclusions. CONCLUSION： Usage of instruments for health outcome assessment in Chinese medicine is increasing rapidly; however, current limitations include selection rationale, result interpretation and standardization, which must be addressed accordingly.

Cone-beam computed tomography analysis of curved root canals after mechanical preparation with three nickel-titanium rotary instruments

Cone beam computed tomography is a 3-dimensional high resolution imaging method. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 3 different NiTi rotary instruments used to prepare curved root canals on the final shape of the curved canals and total amount of root canal transportation by using cone-beam computed tomography. A total of 81 mesial root canals from 42 extracted human mandibular molars, with a curvature ranging from 15 to 45 degrees, were selected. Canals were randomly divided into 3 groups of 27 each. After preparation with Protaper, Revo-S and Hero Shaper, the amount of transportation and centering ability that occurred were assessed by using cone beam computed tomography. Utilizing preand post-instrumentation radiographs, straightening of the canal curvatures was determined with a computer image analysis program. Canals were metrically assessed for changes （surface area, changes in curvature and transportation） during canal preparation by using software SimPlant; instrument failures were also recorded. Mean total widths and outer and inner width measurements were determined on each central canal path and differences were statistically analyzed. The results showed that all instruments maintained the original canal curvature well with no significant differences between the different files （P=0.226）. During preparation there was failure of only one file （the protaper group）. In conclusion, under the conditions of this study, all instruments maintained the original canal curvature well and were safe to use. Areas of uninstrumented root canal wall were left in all regions using the various systems.

Structural optimization of precision instruments through modal analysis

In order to improve the dynamic stability of precision instruments during the design process, a compositive design method based on modal analysis of structure is proposed. With uniform boundary conditions and material characters, the results of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) vary with models. It should be checked whether the model is correctly simplified. Modal experiments can be used for such purpose. The method combines the high efficiency and agility of FEA with the reliability and accuracy of experiments, and avoids the drawbacks of FEA or experiments, such as uncertainty of FEA and high cost of experiments. Taking rotor frame structure as an example, this method is applied as follows: First the modal characters of structure are analyzed with FEA, and then the natural frequencies of the structure are tested by experiments to check the reliability of FEA method, and finally the design scheme is optimized by modifying structure parameters with confirmed FEA.

An overview on observational instruments and measuring methods for dewfall

This paper systematically summarizes previous measuring methods and observational instruments for the magnitude of dewfall on land surface, analyzes the characteristics of common observational instruments for land surface dewfall, and describes several basic dewfall measurement methods. Moreover, the basic principles of these methods and instruments are interpreted, and their advantages, disadvantages, and applicability are analyzed. Recommendations for the further improvement of these observational instruments and the development of dewfall measuring methods are presented, and new technologies and scientific proposals for exploiting dewfall are elucidated.

Automatic Recognition Method for Optical Measuring Instruments Based on Machine Vision

Based on a comprehensive study of various algorithms, the automatic recognition of traditional ocular optical measuring instruments is realized. Taking a universal tools microscope(UTM) lens view image as an example, a 2-layer automatic recognition model for data reading is established after adopting a series of pre-processing algorithms. This model is an optimal combination of the correlation-based template matching method and a concurrent back propagation(BP) neural network. Multiple complementary feature extraction is used in generating the eigenvectors of the concurrent network. In order to improve fault-tolerance capacity, rotation invariant features based on Zernike moments are extracted from digit characters and a 4-dimensional group of the outline features is also obtained. Moreover, the operating time and reading accuracy can be adjusted dy-namically by setting the threshold value. The experimental result indicates that the newly developed algorithm has optimal recognition precision and working speed. The average reading ratio can achieve 97.23%. The recognition method can automatically obtain the results of optical measuring instruments rapidly and stably without modifying their original structure, which meets the application requirements.

Prevention and management of fractured instruments in endodontic treatment

Intracanal instrument fracture is an unpredictable and problematic occurrence that can prevent adequatecleaning and shaping procedures and influence the prognosis of endodontic treatment. The prevalence of instrument fracture is reported to range between 0.28% and 16.2%. This article presents an overview of the prevention and management of instruments fractured during endodontic therapy on the basis of literature retrieved from Pub Med and selected journal searches. Instrument fracture occurs because of reduced metal fatigue and/or torsional resistance. The reasons include canal morphology and curvature, manufacturing processes and instrument design, instrument use times and technique, rotational speeds and operator experience. With the development of various equipment and techniques, most of the retained instrument separations can be removed safely. However, in canals without associated periapical disease not every fractured separation should be removed from difficult locations because of the increased risk for root perforation and fracture. In difficult cases, either retain or bypass the fragment in the root canal and ensure regular follow-up reviews. Fractured instruments retained in the presence of periapical disease reduce significantly the prognosis of endodontically treated teeth, indicating a greater need to attempt the removal or bypass of the file separations. Apical surgery might be required in some instances, emphasizing the importance of preventing instrument fracture.

Lijiang 2.4-meter Telescope and its instruments

The Lijiang 2.4-meter Telescope(LJT), the largest common-purpose optical telescope in China,has been available to the worldwide astronomical community since 2008. It is located at the Gaomeigu site,Lijiang Observatory(LJO), in the southwest of China. The site has very good observational conditions.During its 10-year operation, several instruments have been equipped on the LJT. Astronomers can perform both photometric and spectral observations. The main scientific goals of LJT include recording photometric and spectral evolution of supernovae, reverberation mapping of active galactic nuclei, investigating the physical properties of binary stars and near-earth objects(comets and asteroids), and identification of exoplanets and all kinds of transients. Until now, the masses of 41 high accretion rate black holes have been measured, and more than 168 supernovae have been identified by the LJT. More than 190 papers related to the LJT have been published. In this paper, the general observation conditions of the Gaomeigu site is introduced at first. Then, the structure of the LJT is described in detail, including the optical, mechanical, motion and control system. The specification of all the instruments and some detailed parameters of the YFOSC is also presented. Finally, some important scientific results and future expectations are summarized.

Global Financial Crisis and Accounting Rules： The Implications of the New Exposure Draft （ED） Financial Instruments： Expected Credit Losses on the Evaluation of Banking Company Loans

During the financial crisis, the delayed recognition of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments was identified as a weakness in existing incurred loss model of impairment stated by International Accounting Standards （IAS） 39, because it is believed that this delay might generate pro-cyclical effects. In response to the recommendations of G20, Financial Crisis Advisory Group （FCAG）, and other international bodies, the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） has undertaken, since 2009, as a part of the project to replace IAS 39, a project （partially shared with Financial Accounting Standards Board （FASB）） aimed at introducing an expected loss model of impairment. Within the scope of this subset project, the IASB has previously issued two exposure documents proposing models to account for expected credit losses： an exposure draft （ED） Financial Instrument： Amortized Cost and Impairment, published in November 2009, and a supplementary document （SD） Financial Instrument： Impairment, published jointly with the FASB in January 2011. However, neither of the two proposals received strong support from interested parties. Recently, the IASB, after the FASB＇s decision to withdraw from the joint project and to develop a separate expected credit loss model based on a single measurement approach consisting in the sole recognition of lifetime expected credit losses, published a third proposal--Ahe so-called expected credit losses model （ED/2013/3 Financial Instruments： Expected Credit Losses）.

Several Key Issues in Networking Management of Analytic Instruments

To improve the application of networking to analytic instruments, a kind of networking method based on conversion module between serial port RS-232 and protocol TCP/IP of MOXA Company is studied and compared with traditional methods. Several characteristic classifications of equipment are summarized, and the methods of relevant data treatment are introduced. The key technical issues and successful cases are also presented which provides the networking of equipment in laboratories with a flexible and highly efficient solution.

The possible effects on the future management of local Italian authorities following the use of financial derivative instruments

The appeal from municipalities, provinces and regions to financial derivative instruments is tied to the need of overcoming the situations in a state of urgency inherent in a balance. On average, one local Italian authority in twenty has decided to underwrite a derivative product, giving life to a number of contracts that had a value of over 35 billion euro with an average value of 6.5 million for each contract until 2007. The boom of swaps has, since 2000 on, experienced a peak period from 2003 to the end of 2005, in which the Euribor rate touched a very low level, maintained itself for long periods at around 2% and fallen in some cases even under this value. Many of the contracts completed before 2006, which link the debt of local authorities to variable rates, but also many of those completed from 2006 onwards that moved debt onto fixed rate, which are now a source of loss for the balance of local authorities that have underwritten them. In the 2002-2008 period, the number of the stipulation of contracts local authorities reported to the Ministry of Economy and Finance is about 900, corresponding to more or less 150 per year, which affected 18 regions, 44 provinces, 532 municipalities and 4 mountain commtmities, for a total of 594 authorities. Therefore, the local authorities have approached the derivative instruments in an often approximate way without a real awareness, both for the conditions that were being negotiated and the effects that they would have produced in perspective. The purpose of this work is to highlight the consequences of the use of derivative instruments on the future management of local authorities.

Competence investigation on insulation testing on electrosurgical instruments and needs analysis of training for Central Sterile Supply Department staff

Objective:The objective of this article is to investigate the competence of Central Sterile Supply Department(CSSD)staff in insulation testing on electrosurgical instruments,to analyze the needs of training for CSSD staff,and also to strengthen the effectiveness of monitoring the insulation testing on electrosurgical instruments for CSSD staff to provide a reference for the nursing safety training.Materials and Methods:A total of 180 CSSD staff from 36 hospitals were enrolled as the research objects and investigated using“self‑assessment questionnaire of the competence in insulation testing on electrosurgical instruments and the needs of training".Results:The overall self‑assessment score of competence in insulation testing on electrosurgical instruments for CSSD staff is 3.10±0.42,including four dimensions which are attitude,system,cognition,and skills with the scores 3.31±0.55,2.80±0.63,2.74±0.68,and 3.03±0.36,respectively.Based on the survey of training needs for CSSD staff,the top three ranked training needs are trace management record of insulation testing on electrosurgical instruments(93.89%),disposal procedures for insulation damage of electrosurgical instruments(92.78%),and adverse events caused by leakage of electrosurgical instruments(80.55%).Conclusion:The competence of insulation testing for CSSD staff is at a low level by overall.The competence of CSSD staff could be improved by analyzing the needs of training,establishing a systematic training system,and taking effective training action,thus ensuring the safety of patients and medical personnel.

Structural Fiscal Regulation and Choice of Instruments in the New Normal

Based on the overall consideration of individual behaviors of Ricardian and non-Ricardian households, this paper develops a New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium(DSGE) model to form a relatively systematic research framework for analyzing the economic effects of structural fiscal instruments. Our study findsthat great differences exist in the macroeconomic effects of different fiscal instruments, suggesting that the government should prudently select these fiscal instruments in fiscal macro-control. The simulating results of fiscal shocks show that the effect of tax cut is superior to the effect of increased spending. In the context of slowing economic growth and less potent stimulation policy, the government should transform its previous regulatory approach of fiscal policy and shift from hefty spending stimulus policy to structural tax cuts. This paper believes that China should step up the implementation of public-private partnership, increase its spending on social security, healthcare, pension and public services and facilitate the transition toward a service-based government; and that tax policy should focus on structural tax cuts on consumption to promote the transition of demand structure toward consumption-driven.

The Impact of New Standard of Financial Instruments on Commercial Banks- A Case Study of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

In July 2014,《International Financial Reporting Standard 9:Financial Instruments》(Referred to IFRS 9)was formally published. Compared to the former standard,《International Accounting Standard 39: Financial Instruments》(Referred to IAS 39), rules of two main aspects, the classification and measurement of financial assets and the impairment model of financial assets have been changed in IFRS 9. Taking ICBC as an example, this paper studies the impact of changes in financial instruments on commercial banks. The study shows three impacts on commercial banks’ financial report. Firstly, the changes of the classification and measurement of financial assets will have limited impacts on commercial banks. Secondly, the expected-loss model will significantly increase the loan loss reserves under the new standard, thus reducing the net asset and net profit. Thirdly, the change in the measurement way of the equity instruments of available-for-sale securities will increase the fluctuation of the net profit. This study shows investors and regulators the impact of the new standard of financial instruments on commercial banks.

Prospects of borehole NMR instruments and applications Dedicated to Professor Chaohui Ye on the occasion of his 80th birthday

Borehole nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)is a powerful technology to characterize the petrophysical properties of underground reservoirs in the petroleum industry.The rising complexity of oil and gas exploration and development objectives,as well as the novel application contexts of underground reservoirs,have led to increasingly demanding requirements on borehole NMR technology including instrument design and related processing methods.This mini review summarizes the advances and applications of borehole NMR instruments along with some future possibilities.It may be helpful for researchers and engineers in the petroleum industry to understand the development status and future trends of borehole NMR technology.

Research on market-based policy instruments for eco-environmental protection

The selection of policy instruments involves policy efficiency and policy effect.Effective settlement of eco-environment problems in the process of industrialization and implementation of active eco-environment protection depend on the innovation of policy instruments.In this paper,based on a descriptive analysis of the policy instruments for ecoenvironmental protection of our country,combined with the theoretical analysis and the empirical research on current marketization of eco-environmental protection,the authors indicate that eco-environmental problems originate fi'om the damage of eco-environment and the extemalities of eco-service,and that the market-based policy instruments which are helpful to balance the relationship between fight,responsibility and interest in the eco-service are effective measures to eliminate externalities and protect eco-environment.