Steroid glaucoma

Glucocorticosteroids are widely used in clinical and ophthalmic practice, but their unjustifi ed and uncontrollable use is unacceptable. Prescription of steroids has to be controlled strictly and the level of intraocular pressure must be diagnosed, because one of the signifi cant side eff ect of steroids is increased intraocular pressure level and, as a result, the development of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. This review deals with the pathogenesis of an increase in the level of intraocular pressure against various forms of glucocorticosteroids intake, describes the time and duration of their ocular-hypertensive eff ect. The available data on the features of the clinical picture of steroid glaucoma, depending on the routes of their entry, have been studied in detail. The tactics of treating patients with ocular hypertension or a proven case of steroid glaucoma are described.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID PRESSURE AND ATHEROGENIC INDEX OF PLASMA IN IDIOPATIC INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION PATIENTS

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a disease thought to be associated with obesity and rapid weight gain. There is no objective parameter with practical use in its follow-up and treatment other than optical coherence tomography. Objective: The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship between atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. Methods: Serum vitamin B12, vitamin D, homocysteine, folic acid, triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, CSF pressure, CSF microprotein levels were recorded from the file data of patients diagnosed with IIH. AIP was calculated by dividing the TG level logarithmically by HDL-C. Height (kg) and weight (kg) data of the patients were used to calculate the body mass index (BMI). Results: File data of 64 patients were examined. 8 patients with secondary intracranial hypertension were excluded from the study. 80.36% of the patients were overweight, 16.07% were obese, 3.57% were with normal weight. There was no significant correlation between vitamin B12, vitamin D, homocysteine, HDL-C and CSF microprotein levels and CSF pressure level in patients with a diagnosis of IIH. There was a negative correlation between folic acid level and CSF pressure level, and a positive correlation between BMI, TG, AIP and CSF pressure level. Conclusion: Using folic acid supplements and drugs that reduce TG levels can contribute positively to the course of the disease.

The Use of Potassium Chloride and Tapioca Starch to Enhance the Flavour and Texture of Phosphate- and Sodium-Reduced Low Fat Breakfast Sausages Manufactured Using High Pressure-Treated Meat

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of potassium chloride (KCl) and tapioca starch (TS) to reduce salt levels below 1.5% in sausages manufactured using previously high pressure (HP) processed pork (150 MPa). A 3 × 2 × 1 factorial design was used to formulate breakfast sausages with three salt levels (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%), two ingredient levels (no added ingredient or added as a combination of KCl\TS), and one pressure level (150 MPa). Partial replacement of NaCl with KCl and addition of TS had beneficial effects on the water binding abilities of sausage batters by decreasing (p < 0.05) total expressible fluid (%) and increasing water holding capacity (%). Overall, results indicated that the use of KCl\TS imparted some beneficial effects to salt-reduced low fat breakfast sausages and has the potential to reduce salt levels in the breakfast sausages to 1.0% while still maintaining the organoleptic and functional properties traditionally associated with these meat products.

Phosgene distribution derived from MIPAS ESA v8 data: intercomparisons and trends

The Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) measured the middle-infrared limb emission spectrum of the atmosphere from 2002 to 2012 on board ENVISAT, a polar-orbiting satellite. Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) completed the final reprocessing of MIPAS measurements, using version 8 of the level 1 and level 2 processors, which include more accurate models, processing strategies, and auxiliary data. The list of retrieved gases has been extended, and it now includes a number of new species with weak emission features in the MIPAS spectral range. The new retrieved trace species include carbonyl chloride (COCl2), also called phosgene. Due to its toxicity, its use has been reduced over the years; however, it is still used by chemical industries for several applications. Besides its direct injection in the troposphere, stratospheric phosgene is mainly produced from the photolysis of CCl4, a molecule present in the atmosphere because of human activity. Since phosgene has a long stratospheric lifetime, it must be carefully monitored as it is involved in the ozone destruction cycles, especially over the winter polar regions. In this paper we exploit the ESA MIPAS version 8 data in order to discuss the phosgene distribution, variability, and trends in the middle and lower stratosphere and in the upper troposphere. The zonal averages show that phosgene volume mixing ratio is larger in the stratosphere, with a peak of 40 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) between 50 and 30 hPa at equatorial latitudes, while at middle and polar latitudes it varies from 10 to 25 pptv. A moderate seasonal variability is observed in polar regions, mostly between 80 and 50 hPa. The comparison of MIPAS–ENVISAT COCl2 v8 profiles with the ones retrieved from MIPAS balloon and ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment – Fourier Transform Spectrometer) measurements highlights a negative bias of about 2 pptv, mainly in polar and mid-latitude regions. Part of this bias is attributed to the fact that the ESA level 2 v8 processor uses an updated spectroscopic database. For the trend computation, a fixed pressure grid is used to interpolate the phosgene profiles, and, for each pressure level, VMR (volume mixing ratio) monthly averages are computed in pre-defined 10∘ wide latitude bins. Then, for each latitudinal bin and pressure level, a regression model has been fitted to the resulting time series in order to derive the atmospheric trends. We find that the phosgene trends are different in the two hemispheres. The analysis shows that the stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere is characterized by a negative trend of about −7 pptv per decade, while in the Southern Hemisphere phosgene mixing ratios increase with a rate of the order of +4 pptv per decade. This behavior resembles the stratospheric trend of CCl4, which is the main stratospheric source of COCl2. In the upper troposphere a positive trend is found in both hemispheres.

Nonlinear modeling and prediction of forklift acoustic annoyance based on the improved neural networks

Aiming at the characteristics of high decibels and multiple samples for forklift noise, a subjective evaluation method of rank score comparison (RSC) based on annoyance is presented. After pre-evaluation, comprehensive evaluation and data tests on collected 50 noise samples, the annoyance grades of all noise samples were obtained, and seven psycho-acoustic parameters including linear sound pressure level (LSPL), A-weighted sound pressure level (ASPL), loudness, sharpness, roughness, impulsiveness and articulation index (AI) were determined by correlation calculation. Considering the nonlinear characteristics of human ear subjective perception, objective parameters, and annoyance were used as input and output variables correspondingly and then three nonlinear mathematical models of forklift acoustic annoyance were established using traditional artificial neural network (ANN), genetic-algorithm neural network (GANN), and particle-swarm-optimization neural network (PSONN). Moreover, the prediction accuracy of the three models was tested and compared by sample data. The results indicate that the average relative error (ARE) between the experimental and predicted values of acoustic annoyance based on PSONN model is 3.893%, which provides an effective technical support for further optimization and subjective evaluation.

Design and research of a low-noise pyrotechnic separation device

To solve the problem of large operating noise of existing pyrotechnic separation devices, a new low-noise pyrotechnic separation device is designed by changing the utilisation mode of pyrotechnic separation, using micro gas pyrotechnic as heat sources, and shape memory alloy material to convert heat energy into mechanical energy. The results showed that the separation time was 1.526 s when the preload was 20 kN, and the maximum shock response was 319 G (2268 Hz) for 100 Hz–100 kHz. When used underwater, the maximum sound pressure level is 106.9 dB at 12,698 Hz and 98.5 dB from 10 Hz–5 kHz. Compared with a conventional separation nut, the frequency band sound pressure level can be reduced by more than 70 dB, realising underwater low-noise separation.

Influence of sound-absorping properties of noise protection barriers on road traffic participants

The object of research is the sound field from linear sound sources between two parallel impedance noise barriers. The presence of barriers changes the structure of the sound field, as a result of which the sound pressure level in the area between the barriers increases. An increase in sound levels leads to both a decrease in the effectiveness of noise barriers and an increase in the negative impact on road users. One of the ways out of this situation is the construction of barriers with sound-absorbing properties. In this paper, the influence of the impedance properties of the barriers at the level of sound pressure in the area between the barriers is considered. The finite element method was chosen to calculate the sound field around the barrier. A computer model of a linear sound source with vertical sound-absorbing barriers on both sides of the source was built in the Comsol Multiphysics software environment. The sound absorption properties of the barrier were determined by the acoustic impedance of the face of the barrier. The sound fields were calculated in octave bands with geometric mean frequencies from 31 to 500 Hz. In addition, the parameters that were also analyzed were the distance between the barriers and their height. The solution of the problem made it possible to obtain a field of sound pressure levels around the barrier. Changeable simulation parameters made it possible to analyze a large number of situations of relative position of barriers and their heights encountered in engineering. Studies have shown that only at low frequencies and relatively small distances between barriers, the sound pressure level can increase significantly. However, it has also been shown that the use of sound-absorbing lining of noise barriers can reduce the sound pressure levels in the area between the barriers and improve the acoustic conditions for road users.

Emotional artificial neural network (EANN)-based prediction model of maximum A-weighted noise pressure level

Noise is considered one of the most critical environmental issues because it endangers the health of living organisms. For this reason, up-to-date knowledge seeks to find the causes of noise in various industries and thus prevent it as much as possible. Considering the development of railway lines in underdeveloped countries, identifying and modeling the causes of vibrations and noise of rail transportation is of particular importance. The evaluation of railway performance cannot be imagined without measuring and managing noise. This study tried to model the maximum A-weighted noise pressure level with the information obtained from field measurements by Emotional artificial neural network (EANN) models and compare the results with linear and logarithmic regression models. The results showed the high efficiency of EANN models in noise prediction so that the prediction accuracy of 95.6% was reported. The results also showed that in noise prediction based on the neural network-based model, the independent variables of train speed and distance from the center of the route are essential in predicting.