Ten-year longitudinal investigation of astigmatism: The Yamagata Study (Funagata)

Despite numerous investigations into ocular or corneal astigmatism, the dynamic nature of astigmatism remains poorly understood. To reveal potential associations between age and astigmatism, 264 Japanese participants who underwent systemic and ophthalmological examinations in Funagata Town (Yamagata Prefecture, Japan) were evaluated over a 10-year period. Astigmatism was evaluated with regard to the cylinder power, cylinder axis, and vector analyses. Whereas the refractive cylinders showed age-related increases in patients in their 40s to 60s, the corneal cylinders did not change over 10 years. Nevertheless, cylindrical axis of the cornea demonstrated a continuous shift toward against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism. Vector analyses revealed that the astigmatic shift toward ATR progressed continually after patients reached their 40s, although the shift did not accelerate with age. These novel insights may pave the way for the development of potential strategies for vision correction, including refractive surgeries, and vision-quality maintenance in the elderly.

Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (Lasik) Versus Trans Epithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy (T-Prk) In Astigmatic Patients

Purpose: To compare the results of LASIK versus Trans Epithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy (T-PRK) in correcting astigmatic refractive error. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Lahore Medicare Hospital from January to October 2018. Methods: One hundred and twenty six eyes of 63 patients, age 18 to 35 years, either gender, presenting with astigmatism were enrolled in this study. Myopes with spherical equivalent (SE) ? -13.0 diopter sphere (DS), hyperopes with SE ? +5.0 DS and astigmatism ? 1.5 D with visual acuity better or equal to 0.3 LogMAR were included. Astigmatic eyes with < 1.5D and with any other ocular pathology were excluded. Refractive status was assessed by Canon Autorefractor and Heine Retinoscope. Average reading of both methods was taken. Patients were divided into two groups (31: LASIK; 32: trans-PRK) by spin of a coin method. Refractive surgery was done in both groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS 20. Normality of quantitative data was checked by Shapiro Wilk test. Mann Whitney-U test was used for non-parametric data. P-value ? 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Mean age of the patients was 25.83 ± 3.09 years. The difference in residual sphere, amount of cylinder, axis of cylinder and CCT (central corneal thickness) after surgery in two groups was insignificant. P values were as follows; for sphere p = 0.85, amount of cylinder p = 0.22, axis of cylinder P = 0.46 and CCT p = 0.07. Conclusion: Both techniques are equally good in correcting astigmatism (p = 0.22). LASIK or T?PRK can be done alternatively in patients with astigmatism. Key Words: LASIK, Trans epithelial PRK, Astigmatism.

Healing of Internal Defects in a Compressive Stress Field Using the Plastic Properties of Materials

Numerical simulation of defect healing process in the field of previously created compressive stresses is performed. Isotropic cylinders with small axisymmetrically located defects are used as samples. The pressure created the initial field of compressive stresses inside the cylinder. The defects were modeled as a small blind closed annular cavity or as a through annular cut located around the cylinder axis. In the first case, a numerical three-dimensional solution is considered. For the second defect, the plane stress state model was used. The problems were solved in both elastic and elastoplastic formulations with an ideally elastoplastic behavior of the material. The external pressure was varied from values significantly lower than the yield strength to the yield strength and (for the first problem) for values slightly exceeding it. Based on the results of the numerical solution, the radial displacements of the cavity sides parallel to the cylinder axis are obtained depending on the external pressure. We found the values of pressure at which the cylindrical surfaces of the void defect were in contact. For the blind cavity, at any external pressure, there were unhealed areas. Healing was assessed by the volume of the material filling the initial cavity at the initial residual stresses. The value of the newly formed contact pressure at a certain value of the compressive stresses was determined by the ratio of the height of the healed area to the cavity height. The evaluation of the healing effect for a through cut in the cylinder was performed by varying the size of the gap formed by the cut between the inner cylinder and the outer ring depending on the applied external pressure. When the gap is completely healed, the values of the maximal contact pressure in the notch zone are determined.

ENERGY LOSSES OF A POINT MAGNETIC DIPOLE DUE TO INTERACTION WITH A MAGNETIZED PLASMA CYLINDER

In this work, the excitation problem of bulk-surface helicons by a point magnetic dipole moving in a vacuum parallel to the element of magnetized solid-state plasma cylinder is theoretically studied. The external magnetic field is directed parallel to the cylinder axis. The problem is solved in the magnetostatic approximation. It is shown that hybrid modes of the magnetic type with large values of the azimuthal mode index and one field variation along the radius are most efficiently excited at nonrelativistic velocities of magnetic dipole.

Calculation of the parameters of a cylinder measured by a cross-section strategy on a coordinate measuring machine

A computer program for calculating cylinder parameters was developed based on a measurement strategy of five circles arranged along the cylinder axis. The parameters calculated by the program are: cylinder diameter, axis of inclination of the cylinder axis to the reference plane, deviations from the least squares reference cylinder (LSCY), the axis passing through the centers of the outermost measurement circles. The graphics of deviation from the cylinder dimension is shown in the Auto CAD system using the script command. The developed program complements the CMM software.

Bullet fast matching based on single point laser detection

Bullet trace detection’s main task is determining the type of bullet and the identity of the gun that fired it. In order to solve conventional bullet trace matching method problems, a bullet fast matching method based on single point laser detection is proposed. First, adaptive control of the bullet center position and cylinder axis were performed. Then, a laser displacement sensor was implemented to perform a 360° detection in order to trace rifling on the bullet surface in the circumferential direction; grayscale morphological filtering was implemented in order to de-noise detection data, and the Pearson correlation coefficient was implemented in order to perform the trace similarity matching calculation, thereby achieving a fast bullet trace matching. Moreover, the algorithm’s effectiveness was verified via practical testing data.

Analysis of heating time and of temperature distributions for cylindrical geometry with the use of solution to the inverse problem

Changes in heating time of a cylinder in the furnace for thermal and thermochemical treatments depending on the given heating rate is analysed in this paper. Temperature distributions from the axis to the boundary of the cylinder were determined based on solving non-stationary and non-linear inverse problem for the heat equation. Differences between the temperature on the boundary and along the cylinder axis for processes with the given heating rates from 5 to 10ᵒC/min were calculated. Twofold increase in the heating rate allowed the heating time to be reduced significantly. Increase in the heating rate had no impact on the difference between the temperature on the boundary and on the axis of the cylinder and on the quantity of energy being consumed by heating elements.

Curvature effects on phase transitions in chiral magnets

Periodical equilibrium states of magnetization exist in chiral ferromagnetic films, if the constant of antisymmetric exchange (Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction) exceeds some critical value. Here, we demonstrate that this critical value can be significantly modified in curved film. The competition between symmetric and antisymmetric exchange interactions in a curved film can lead to a new type of domain wall which is inclined with respect to the cylinder axis. The wall structure is intermediate between Bloch and Néel ones. The exact analytical solutions for phase boundary curves and the new domain wall are obtained.

Effect of light elements impurity on process of nickel crystallization near the triple interface of grain boundaries: a molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamics method was used to study the effect of impurities of light elements of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen on crystallization process near the triple interface of grain boundaries in nickel. Tilt boundaries with misorientation axis <111> were considered as the grain boundaries. Interactions of nickel atoms with each other were described by many-particle Clery-Rosato potential constructed within the framework of the tight binding model. To describe interactions of atoms of light elements impurities with nickel atoms and atoms of impurities with each other, Morse pair potentials were used. Calculation cell had a shape of cylinder, axis of which coincided with the line of triple interface and the axis of grain misorientation. Periodic boundary conditions were imposed along the cylinder axis, and the atoms on side surface of cylinder were motionless. To simulate crystallization, calculation cell was melted by heating to a temperature well above the melting temperature of nickel. After the simulated polycrystal become liquid, the thermostat was turned on and held at a constant temperature below the melting temperature. Rigid boundary conditions on the lateral surface of cylindrical calculation cell in this case simulated crystallization fronts from three crystallization centers. The area near the triple interface had crystallized the last. In this area, defects and free volume were concentrated. Presence of impurities led to a significant slowdown in the rate of crystallization. With introduction of 10 % of impurity atoms, the rate of motion of crystallization front decreased several times. The effect of impurities on crystallization rate was enhanced in C – N – O direction, which is due to difference in crystal lattice deformation caused by impurity atoms. The greater this deformation was, the stronger was impurity atoms inhibit crystallization front. Formation of aggregates at fairly high concentrations was typical for impurity carbon atoms. Crystallization front had impeded on these aggregates. The oxygen and nitrogen atoms did not form aggregates. However, due to distortions of crystal lattice caused by them, they also strongly slowed down the crystallization front.

Balancing the Moments of a VR5 Engine Taking into Account a Desaxial Crank Mechanism and Cylinder Camber Angle

Automobile piston engines with a desaxial crank mechanism are characterized by increased vibration activity associated with a cyclic change in the pressure of the working fluid in the cylinders and inertial forces associated with the reciprocating and rotational movement of the crank mechanism moving masses. Properties reflecting the consumer properties of the engine, including acoustic characteristics, are largely determined by the level of vibration of the structural elements of the desaxial crank mechanism and, first of all, by the balance of inertial forces during operation. The article discusses balancing of five-cylinder four-stroke VR type engines with a desaxial crank mechanism and uniform flash alternation. The authors introduce formulas that can be used to determine and analyze moments of the inertia forces of the reciprocating and rotating masses arising in VR5 engines at the set values of the cylinder camber angle, the ratio of the crank radius to the connecting rod length and the relative displacement of the cylinder axis. A method of balancing the moments of inertia forces of the reciprocating and rotating masses is proposed.