Role of intraretinal cysts in the prediction of postoperative closure and photoreceptor damages of the idiopathic full-thickness macular hole

Background To determine whether it would be effective in predicting the results of the postoperative full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) closure when intraretinal cyst (IRC) is present. Methods Case-control study. Patients with idiopathic FTMH who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative spectral-domain optical coherence tomography was undertaken in all patients. The new parameter, macular hole closing factor (MHCF) was defined as the base diameter - (arm length + IRC height) by adding IRC to the existing parameter. After surgery, patients were classified and analyzed according to the type of hole closure and the damage of photoreceptor. Results Of the 35 patients, 28 (80.00%) had type 1 closure and seven (20.00%) had type 2 closure. There was a significant difference in postoperative BCVA (P < 0.01), base diameter (P = 0.037), arm length (P = 0.045), and IRC height (P = 0.011) between the two groups. In the type 1 closure, they were further divided into two subgroups according to photoreceptor damage, and it was confirmed that there were significant differences in postoperative BCVA (P = 0.045), hole height (P = 0.048), and IRC height (P = 0.046) in the two subgroups. As for the new parameters, a significant difference between the three groups was confirmed (P < 0.01). Conclusion IRC may help predict hole closure along with the known horizontal parameters. Therefore, the new parameter containing both two factors can help predict not only hole closure but also damage to photoreceptors that affects postoperative visual prognosis.

Numerical Study on Broadband Antireflection of Moth-Eye Nanostructured Polymer Film with Flexible Polyethylene Terephthalate Substrate

The application of moth-eye nanostructured polymer film on the flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate is an effective way to improve its antireflection (AR) performance. However, many factors affect the AR properties of the moth-eye structure in the actual manufacturing process. Moreover, the antireflection research based on PET substrate has been relatively lacking compared with the silicon substrate. In this paper, we simulate and analyze the AR performance of the moth-eye nanostructured polymer film on PET substrate by using the finite-difference time-domain method within the wavelength range of 400–1100 nm. Simulation results show that the parabola-shaped moth-eye structure (PSMS) can suppress the Fresnel reflection significantly. Moreover, the height and filling ratios are the dominant factors that affect the AR performance of PSMS. Additionally, the base diameter, residual layer thickness, and the refractive index of PSMS polymer film also affect the reflectivity of PET slightly. As a result, an optimal PSMS with base diameter of 400 nm, height of 300 nm, and the hexagonal close-packed arrangement is appropriate, and the solar-weighted reflectivity of PET can be suppressed to 0.21%, which shows a prominent advantage over the bare PET (≈6%). Therefore, this research has promising potential for improving the optical performance of optoelectronic devices by using nanostructured polymer materials.

Alleviation of Nematode-Mediated Apple Replant Disease by Pre-Cultivation of Tagetes

Apple replant disease (ARD) is a severe problem in orchards and tree nurseries caused by yet unknown soil biota that accumulate over replanting cycles. This study tested the contribution of nematodes to ARD, and cultivation of Tagetes as a control option. In a pot experiment, Tagetes patula or Tagetes tenuifolia were grown in ARD soil, incorporated or removed. Nematodes extracted from untreated ARD soil and washed on 20-µm sieves induced ARD symptoms when inoculated to apple plantlets growing in a sterile substrate. In contrast, nematodes from Tagetes treated ARD soil did not reduce root growth compared to uninoculated plants, irrespective of Tagetes species and incorporation. In plots of five apple tree nurseries or orchards, either Tagetes or grass was grown on ARD soil. Nematodes extracted from the grass plots and inoculated to apple plantlets significantly reduced plant growth compared to nematodes from Tagetes plots for all five farms. Apple rootstocks showed overall a significantly higher increase in shoot base diameter when grown on Tagetes-treated plots compared to grass plots, while this effect differed among farms. Plant-parasitic nematodes were too low in abundance to explain plant damage. In conclusion, Tagetes alleviated ARD by changing the nematode community in soil.

Alleviation of Nematode-Mediated Apple Replant Disease by Pre-Cultivation of Tagetes

Apple replant disease (ARD) is a severe problem in orchards and tree nurseries caused by yet unknown soil biota that accumulate over replanting cycles. This study tested the contribution of nematodes to ARD, and cultivation of Tagetes as a control option. In a pot experiment, Tagetes patula or Tagetes tenuifolia were grown in ARD soil, incorporated or removed. Nematodes extracted from untreated ARD soil and washed on 20 &micro;m-sieves induced ARD symptoms when inoculated to apple saplings growing in a sterile substrate. In contrast, nematodes from Tagetes treated ARD soil did not reduce root growth compared to uninoculated plants, irrespective of Tagetes species and incorporation. In plots of five apple tree nurseries or orchards, either Tagetes or grass was grown on ARD soil. Nematodes extracted from the grass plots and inoculated to apple saplings significantly reduced plant growth compared to nematodes from Tagetes plots for all five farms. Apple rootstocks showed overall a significantly higher increase in shoot base diameter when grown on Tagetes-treated plots compared to grass plots, while this effect differed among farms. Plant-parasitic nematodes were too low in abundance to explain plant damage. In conclusion, the free-living nematodes involved in ARD can be controlled by Tagetes.

Effect of Biomimetic Surface Geometry, Soil Texture, and Soil Moisture Content on the Drag Force of Soil-Touching Parts

Soil adhesion is a major problem for agricultural machinery, especially in sticky soils within the plastic range. One promising and practical way to minimize soil–tool adhesion is to modify the surface geometry to one inspired by soil-burrowing animals. In this study, 27 domed discs were fabricated according to an L27 (33) Taguchi orthogonal array and tested to determine the optimal dimensions of domed surfaces to reduce drag force. The optimized domed disc was tested in a soil bin under different soil conditions (soil texture: silty loam and sandy clay loam; soil moisture content: 23%, 30%, and 37%). All trials included a flat disc (without a dome pattern) as a control. The optimal dimensions of domed surfaces to generate the lowest possible drag force under the present experimental conditions were explored based on signal-to-noise ratio analysis. The optimal levels of control parameters were found at a surface coverage ratio of 60%, dome height of 5 mm, and dome base diameter of 20 mm. Statistics revealed that the dome height-to-diameter ratio and disc coverage ratio are crucial factors that influence the drag force of domed surfaces. In contrast, the dome base diameter had a limited influence on drag force. In all treatments, the drag force of the optimized domed disc was less than that of the flat disc (by about 9% to 25%, according to soil conditions). Accordingly, it can be concluded that adequately designed domed surfaces could significantly reduce the drag force in sticky soil compared to their flat counterparts.

Photonic Jet-Shaped Optical Fiber Tips versus Lensed Fibers

Shaped optical fiber tips have recently attracted a lot of interest for photonic jet light focusing due to their easy manipulation to scan a sample. However, lensed optical fibers are not new. This study analyzes how fiber tip parameters can be used to control focusing properties. Our study shows that the configurations to generate a photonic jet (PJ) can clearly be distinguished from more classical-lensed fibers focusing. PJ is a highly concentrated, propagative light beam, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) that can be lower than the diffraction limit. According to the simulations, the PJs are obtained when light is coupled in the guide fundamental mode and when the base diameter of the microlens is close to the core diameter. For single mode fibers or fibers with a low number of modes, long tips with a relatively sharp shape achieve PJ with smaller widths. On the contrary, when the base diameter of the microlens is larger than the fiber core, the focus point tends to move away from the external surface of the fiber and has a larger width. In other words, the optical system (fiber/microlens) behaves in this case like a classical-lensed fiber with a larger focus spot size. The results of this study can be used as guidelines for the tailored fabrication of shaped optical fiber tips according to the targeted application.

Experimental Analysis of Temperature Influence on Waste Tire Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is an optimal thermochemical process for obtaining valuable products (char, oil, and gas) from waste tires. The preliminary research was done on the three groups of samples acquired by cutting the same waste tire of a passenger vehicle into cylindrical granules with a base diameter of 3, 7, and 11 mm. Each batch weighed 10 g. The heating rate was 14 °C/min, and the final pyrolysis temperature was 750 °C, with 90 s residence time. After the pyrolysis product yields were determined for all of the three sample groups, further research was performed only on 3 mm granules, with the same heating rate, but with altered final pyrolytic temperatures (400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, and 750 °C). The results of this study show that thermochemical decomposition of the waste tire sample takes place in the temperature range of 200–500 °C, with three distinct phases of degradation. The highest yield of the pyrolytic oil was achieved at a temperature of 500 °C, but further heating of volatile matters reduced the oil yield, and simultaneously increased the yield of gas, due to the existence of secondary cracking reactions. The analysis of pyrolytic oil and char showed that these products can be used as fuel.

Spontaneous closure of full thickness macular hole in the presence of an epiretinal membrane in a vitrectomised eye. A Case Report

Purpose: To report a case of spontaneous closure of full thickness macular hole (FTMH) in the presence of an epiretinal membrane (ERM) in a previously vitrectomized eye. Case: The patient underwent vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and developed an epiretinal membrane 2 weeks after the surgery which laterconverted into a full thickness macular hole after 1 week.The aperture and base diameter of FTMH was recorded. Result: Eight months after vitrectomy, spontaneous closure of FTMH was observed with an improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). These findings remained stable at 21 months of follow-up, with an additional increase in BCVA. Conclusion: Spontaneous closure of FTMH is possible even in the presence of an ERM. Follow up examination with optical coherence tomography(OCT) may be considered before surgery for FTMH, particularly if the surgery is scheduled after a few weeks. Key Words: FTMH, Epiretinal Membrane, Vitrectomy for RRD, Continuous...

Data-driven time-dependent state estimation for interfacial fluid mechanics in evaporating droplets

Droplet evaporation plays crucial roles in biodiagnostics, microfabrication, and inkjet printing. Experimentally studying the evolution of a sessile droplet consisting of two or more components needs sophisticated equipment to control the vast parameter space affecting the physical process. On the other hand, the non-axisymmetric nature of the problem, attributed to compositional perturbations, introduces challenges to numerical methods. In this work, droplet evaporation problem is studied from a new perspective. We analyze a sessile methanol droplet evolution through data-driven classification and regression techniques. The models are trained using experimental data of methanol droplet evolution under various environmental humidity levels and substrate temperatures. At higher humidity levels, the interfacial tension and subsequently contact angle increase due to higher water uptake into droplet. Therefore, different regimes of evolution are observed due to adsorption–absorption and possible condensation of water which turns the droplet from a single component into a binary system. In this work, machine learning and data-driven techniques are utilized to estimate the regime of droplet evaporation, the time evolution of droplet base diameter and contact angle, and level of surrounding humidity. Droplet regime is estimated by classification algorithms through point-by-point analysis of droplet profile. Decision tree demonstrates a better performance compared to Naïve Bayes (NB) classifier. Additionally, the level of surrounding humidity, as well as the time evolution of droplet base diameter and contact angle, are estimated by regression algorithms. The estimation results show promising performance for four cases of methanol droplet evolution under conditions unseen by the model, demonstrating the model’s capability to capture the complex physics underlying binary droplet evolution.

Histopathological analysis of the correlation between uveal melanomas and retinal tissue

AIM: To analyze the impacts of the shape of uveal melanoma on retinal structure. METHODS: Histopathological sections and clinical data from patients with uveal melanoma were retrospectively observed and analyzed, and key indicators including the tumor’s shape, size, height-to-base ratio, retinal thinning and retinal invasion were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 102 patients (102 eyes) with a mean age of 45.6±12.4y, with 76 (75%) uveal melanomas showing the spindle cell type, 6 (6%) showing the epitheloid cell type, 16 (16%) showing the mixed cell type and 4 (4%) showing predominantly other cell types. Differentiated by tumor locations: 3 cases of ciliary body melanoma (2.9%), 28 cases of ciliary body and choroid melanoma (27.5%), 71 cases of choroid melanoma (69.6%). Retinal thinning was detected in 43 (43%) eyes and retinal invasion by the tumor cells in 86 (84%) eyes. Maximal tumor height ranged between 1.2 and 15.6 (mean: 8.3±3.6) mm, and mean maximal tumor base diameter was 17.3±6.5 (range: 4.8-31.2) mm. Mean R-value as ratio of tumor peak height to maximal tumor base diameter was 0.53±0.32. Mean R-value was significantly higher in the group with retinal thinning (n=43) than in the group without retinal thinning (n=59; 0.69±0.31 vs 0.42±0.27; P<0.01). R-value was slightly, however statistically not significantly (P=0.09) higher in the group with retinal tumor invasion (n=86) than without retinal tumor invasion (n=16) (0.56±0.33 vs 0.41±0.25). CONCLUSION: A high R-value indicating a prominent tumor is associated with tissue thinning in the adjacent retina, and marginally significantly with intra-retinal tumor cell invasion. Shape of uveal melanomas’s corss section is of importance for the secondary involvement of the adjacent retina.