Treatment Zone Research Articles

The Montreal Experience: Impact of Different Orthokeratology Lens Designs on Corneal Treatment Zone Characteristics

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the orthokeratology (OK) lens design, used in the Montreal Experience cohort, on corneal treatment zone characteristics and their relationship to the pupil. METHODS: This retrospective study follows previously published work and refers to the analysis of 4 different OK lenses. Tangential topography maps were obtained at baseline and after 1 month of OK lens wear. The extracted parameters are: distance treatment zone diameter (DTZD (mm)); relative peripheral power (RPP (D)); mid-peripheral width (MPW (mm)); a new concept, the plus power ratio (PPR (%)), corresponding to the coverage of the pupil area by the positive power zones. RESULTS: DTZD and MPW were significantly different between the lens designs (Welch’s ANOVA). (DTZD (OK 1: 3.68 ± 0.46 mm; OK 2: 3.06 ± 0.67; OK 3: 2.83 ± 0.54; OK 4: 3.20 ± 0.53) MPW (OK 1: 1.65 ± 0.21 mm; OK 2: 1.31 ± 0.40 mm; OK 3: 1.46 ± 0.17 mm; OK 4: 1.57 ± 0.17 mm)). PPR was significantly lower in OK 1 (40.1 ± 22.1%) than the other designs (OK 2: 53.8 ± 18.4%; OK 3: 60.3 ± 13.6; OK 4: 54.7 ± 15.3). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the corneal response to OK lens wear varies with lens design. When analyzed, topographic analysis shows that OK 1 is associated with a larger DTZD, which produces a lower PPR. This may explain why previously published results showed significantly faster axial length (AL) progression with this lens.

PSII-5 Temperature preference of nursery pigs housed in groups with mixed body weight

Abstract Current recommendations for ambient temperatures for newly weaned pigs are based on historical research carried out many years ago. Since that time, significant changes have occurred in the genotype of the pigs, as well as in management and housing conditions. The objective of this study was to establish the preferred temperature of groups of pigs, with typical variation in body weight (BW), over the first 4 wk after weaning (at 21 ± 1 d). The study involved 120 newly weaned pigs housed in mixed-sex pens (barrows and gilts) of 20. Three temperature treatments were compared: 26°C vs. 30°C vs. 34°C; the 3 treatments were available to the pigs within each pen. The temperature treatments were created in 3 distinct zones of the pen using a heat lamp suspended over an insulated mat. Room temperature was set at 22°C for the duration of the study. Initial and final BW were 6.2 ± 0.9 kg and 15.3 ± 2.4 kg, respectively. Throughout the study period, the pigs had ad libitum access to nursery diets formulated to meet NRC (2012) requirements. Images of the pen area were captured every 15 min during the study period. The location (in the temperature treatment zones or other areas of the pen) and posture (lying, sitting, or standing) of every pig in the group were recorded from the images. The ambient temperature in the temperature treatment zones and other areas of the pen were recorded every 2 h throughout the study period using a thermal camera. The preferred temperature was calculated by weighting the percentage of observations of pigs located within each temperature treatment zone and the other areas of the pen by the average temperature in each zone and area. The percentage of observations of pigs in the 26, 30, and 34°C temperature treatments areas were: Wk 1 [10.5, 23.1, and 44.2% (SEM 10.70), respectively], Wk 2 [7.8, 25.8, and 44.6% (SEM 5.00), respectively], Wk 3 [7.6, 24.0, and 34.1% (SEM 4.89), respectively], and Wk 4 [12.3, 21.2, and 26.8% (SEM 4.28), respectively]. The calculated preferred temperatures were 31.1, 31.7, 29.6, and 27.7°C for week 1, 2, 3, and 4 post-weaning, respectively. The impact of housing nursery pigs at these temperatures on pig performance needs to be established.

PSII-4 Temperature preference of nursery pigs housed in groups by weaning weight quartile

Abstract There is a lack of recent research investigating the temperature requirements of pigs housed in groups with the genetics and management practices currently being used in commercial production. The objective of this study was to establish the preferred temperature of pigs housed in groups with uniform body weight (BW) over the first 4 wk after weaning (at 21 ± 1 d). The study involved 320 newly-weaned pigs that were kept in mixed-sex pens (barrows and gilts) of 20. Three temperature treatments were compared: 26°C vs. 30°C vs. 34°C. The temperature treatments were created in 3 distinct zones of each pen using a heat lamp suspended over an insulated mat and pigs had free access to each zone. Room temperature was set at 22°C for the duration of the study. The population of pigs was divided into weaning-weight quartiles (Quartile 1, 2, 3, and 4, lightest to heaviest; initial BW 4.5, 5.6, 6.5, and 7.7 ± 0.4 kg, respectively; final BW 12.8, 14.4, 16,3, and 18.2 ± 2.0 kg, respectively). The weight quartiles were kept in different pens. The pigs had ad libitum access to nursery diets throughout the study period formulated to meet the requirements proposed by NRC (2012). Cameras captured images of the pen area every 15 min during the study period. The location (in the temperature treatment zones or other areas of the pen) and posture (lying, sitting, and standing) of every pig in the pen were recorded from the images. The ambient temperature in the temperature treatment zones and other areas of the pen were recorded every 2 h throughout the study period using a thermal camera. The preferred temperature was calculated by weighting the percentage of observations of pigs located within each temperature treatment zone and the other areas of the pen by the average temperature in each zone and area. The percentage of observations of pigs in the 26, 30, and 34°C temperature treatment zones for the overall period were: Quartile 1 (15.3, 15.2, and 42.9%, respectively), Quartile 2 (5.3, 23.1, 39.8%, respectively), Quartile 3 (8.5, 15.7, and 41.2%, respectively), and Quartile 4 (5.0, 34.0, and 25.9%, respectively). The calculated preferred temperatures for the weight quartiles for each week of the study are summarized in Table 1. The preferred temperature for the overall period was 30.0, 30.3, 29.3, and 28.6°C for Quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The impact of housing nursery pigs at these temperatures on pig performance needs to be established.

Integrated Time Nanosecond Pulse Irreversible Electroporation (INSPIRE): Assessment of Dose, Temperature, and Voltage on Experimental and Clinical Treatment Outcomes.

This study sought to investigate a novel strategy using temperature-controlled delivery of nanosecond pulsed electric fields as an alternative to the 50-100 microsecond pulses used for irreversible electroporation. INSPIRE treatments were carried out at two temperatures in 3D tumor models using doses between 0.001 s and 0.1 s. The resulting treatment zones were quantified using viability staining and lethal electric field intensities were determined numerically. Computational modeling was then used to determine parameters necessary for INSPIRE treatments to achieve equivalent treatment zones to clinical electroporation treatments and evaluate the potential for these treatments to induce deleterious thermal damage. Lethal thresholds between 1109 and 709 V/cm were found for nominal 0.01 s treatments with pulses between 350 ns and 2000 ns at physiological temperatures. Further increases in dose resulted in significant decreases in lethal thresholds. Given these experimental results, treatment zones comparable to clinical electroporation are possible by increasing the dose and voltage used with nanosecond duration pulses. Temperature-controlled simulations indicate minimal thermal cell death while achieving equivalent treatment volumes to clinical electroporation. Nanosecond electrical pulses can achieve comparable outcomes to traditional electroporation provided sufficient electrical doses or voltages are applied. The use of temperature-controlled delivery may minimize thermal damage during treatment. Intense muscle stimulation and the need for cardiac gating have limited irreversible electroporation. Nanosecond pulses can alleviate these challenges, but traditionally have produced significantly smaller treatment zones. This study suggests that larger ablation volumes may be possible with the INSPIRE approach and that future in vivo studies are warranted.

Influence of back optic zone diameter on corneal morphology with orthokeratology lenses

ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the changes in corneal morphological characteristics in corneal topography assessments performed after wearing orthokeratology (OK) lenses with different back optic zone diameters (BOZDs). These changes included the change ratios of the apical corneal power (ACP), the maximum relative corneal refractive power (mRCRP), and the treatment zone diameter (TZD). MethodsData from 133 children with myopia (average age 9.50 ± 1.23 years) treated at Fudan University Eye and Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. All participants wore the same brand of tangent-design OK lens (corneal refractive therapy, CRT). According to the BOZD, the patients were divided into two groups, of 5.0 and 6.0 mm BOZD, respectively. Corneal topography was analyzed at baseline, as well as 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after wearing the lenses, and the change ratios of ACP, mRCRP, and TZD were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe change ratio of the ACP did not differ significantly between the BOZD 5.0 and 6.0 groups after 1 day or 1 week of lens wear (P = 0.170 and P = 0.113, respectively). However, after 1 month of lens wear, the change ratio of the ACP in the BOZD 5.0 group was significantly larger than that in the BOZD 6.0 group (P < 0.001). After 1 month of lens wear, the mRCRP along the horizontal and vertical meridians was higher (P < 0.05) and the TZD was significantly smaller (P < 0.001) in the BOZD 5.0 group than in the BOZD 6.0 group. ConclusionIn CRT OK lenses, a small BOZD lens can produce faster corneal shaping, a larger mRCRP, and a smaller TZD, which may have a better effect on slowing ocular axial length elongation. The lens parameters are also a factor affecting the TZD.

Additive manufactured parts surface treatment through impinged hot air jet technique the theoretical and experimental evaluation

PurposeMaterial extrusion-based additive manufacturing is a prominent manufacturing technique to fabricate complex geometrical three-dimensional (3D) parts. Despite the indisputable advantages of material extrusion-based technique, the poor surface and subsurface integrity hinder the industrial application of this technology. The purpose of this study is introducing the hot air jet treatment (HAJ) technique for surface treatment of additive manufactured parts.Design/methodology/approachIn the presented research, novel theoretical formulation and finite element models are developed to study and model the polishing mechanism of printed parts surface through the HAJ technique. The model correlates reflow material volume, layer width and layer height. The reflow material volume is a function of treatment temperature, treatment velocity and HAJ velocity. The values of reflow material volume are obtained through the finite element modeling model due to the complexity of the interactions between thermal and mechanical phenomena. The theoretical model presumptions are validated through experiments, and the results show that the treatment parameters have a significant impact on the surface characteristics, hardness and dimensional variations of the treated surface.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the average value of error between the calculated theoretical results and experimental results is 14.3%. Meanwhile, the 3D plots of Ra and Rq revealed that the maximum values of Ra and Rq reduction percentages at 255°C, 270°C, 285°C and 300°C treatment temperatures are (35.9%, 33.9%), (77.6%,76.4%), (94%, 93.8%) and (85.1%, 84%), respectively. The scanning electron microscope results illustrate three different treatment zones and the treatment-induced and manufacturing-induced entrapped air relief phenomenon. The measured results of hardness variation percentages and dimensional deviation percentages at different regimes are (8.33%, 0.19%), (10.55%, 0.31%) and (−0.27%, 0.34%), respectively.Originality/valueWhile some studies have investigated the effect of the HAJ process on the structural integrity of manufactured items, there is a dearth of research on the underlying treatment mechanism, the integrity of the treated surface and the subsurface characteristics of the treated surface.

Study of association between corneal shape parameters and axial length elongation during orthokeratology using image-pro plus software

BackgroundThe aim was to validate the correlation between corneal shape parameters and axial length growth (ALG) during orthokeratology using Image-Pro Plus (IPP) 6.0 software.MethodsThis retrospective study used medical records of myopic children aged 8–13 years (n = 104) undergoing orthokeratology. Their corneal topography and axial length were measured at baseline and subsequent follow-ups after lens wear. Corneal shape parameters, including the treatment zone (TZ) area, TZ diameter, TZ fractal dimension, TZ radius ratio, eccentric distance, pupil area, and pupillary peripheral steepened zone(PSZ) area, were measured using IPP software. The impact of corneal shape parameters at 3 months post-orthokeratology visit on 1.5-year ALG was evaluated using multivariate linear regression analysis.ResultsALG exhibited significant associations with age, TZ area, TZ diameter, TZ fractal dimension, and eccentric distance on univariate linear regression analysis. Multivariate regression analysis identified age, TZ area, and eccentric distance as significantly correlated with ALG (all P < 0.01), with eccentric distance showing the strongest correlation (β = −0.370). The regressive equation was y = 1.870 − 0.235a + 0.276b − 0.370c, where y represents ALG, a represents age, b represents TZ area, and c represents eccentric distance; R2 = 0.27). No significant relationships were observed between the TZ radius ratio, pupillary PSZ area, and ALG.ConclusionsIPP software proves effective in capturing precise corneal shape parameters after orthokeratology. Eccentric distance, rather than age or the TZ area, significantly influences ALG retardation.

Évaluation des échanges professionnels entre médecins généralistes et psychiatres

ObjectivesThere is in France a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders and higher than average psychotropic consumption in the general population. Considering these elements and the need to involve two complementary medical specialities to manage these disorders, general practice and psychiatry, the necessity for optimal professional exchanges is a major public health concern. In the French public health system, primary care is overseen by self-employed general practitioners. The French psychiatric public sector is said to be “sectorised”, i.e. organised in specific sectors. These sectors include in-patient care entities and out-patient services. The private sector in psychiatry is not sectorised and is mainly composed of self-employed psychiatrists and private clinics. A 2004 law designed to govern who is authorized to refer patients to specialists, stipulated that general practitioners were the only authorized referring doctors for primary care. In the meantime, the number of general practitioners being consulted for cases of depression has doubled between 2005 and 2010. Less than a quarter of these patients were referred to a psychiatrist. Our main objective is to assess the satisfaction with and the efficiency of exchanges between psychiatrists and general practitioners. We also endeavour to identify the main channels through which collaborative care involving these two specialists can be improved. Materials and methodsOur work is an observational, transverse, monocentric and descriptive study carried out using analogous feedback forms mailed by post from June to September 2016. The feedback forms were designed to be analysed both separately and comparatively. Two hundred and ninety nine self-employed general practitioners and 46 psychiatrists employed in the public sector returned the forms. The psychiatric private sector was excluded. All of these doctors worked within three specific geographical treatment zones: Saint-Étienne, Ondaine and Pays de Gier (350,000 inhabitants). The results were treated anonymously via Microsoft Excel® and IBM Corporation SPSS Statistics®. This study was approved by the ethics committee of the university hospital center (CHU) of Saint-Étienne. The doctors’ registers were retrieved via the databases of the Departmental Council of Doctors (CDOM) of the Loire and that of the CHU of Saint-Étienne. ResultsOne hundred and twenty four general practitioners and 30 psychiatrists responded to the feedback form completely. Response rates were 41.4 % for the family physicians and 65.2 % for the psychiatrists. Respectively, 57 % and 70 % knew the identity of their counterpart. A public sector psychiatrist saw 91.9 % of the patients also treated by general practitioners. Of the attending doctors, 79.8 % reported a one third or less return rate of follow-up information from the psychiatrist for the patients they treated together. Similarly, 76.7 % of the psychiatrists reported a return rate of one third or less. One hundred percent (p<0.05) of the general practitioners who did not know the psychiatrists were dissatisfied with their collaboration. Likewise, 98.9% (p<0.05) of the general practitioners who rarely or never received correspondence from the psychiatrists were dissatisfied. Respectively, 77.7% (p>0.05) and 69.5% (p>0.05) of the psychiatrists were dissatisfied. In favor of participating in a standard addressing and return letter process, were 53.4% of the psychiatrists. On the contrary, 64.9% of the general practitioners were against such a process. Willing to receive additional medical training in the psychiatric field were 74.5 % of the family physicians. One out of five psychiatrists considered it a high priority for general practitioners to receive additional training in the psychiatric field. Sharing hospitalisation and consultation reports, along with general practitioners continuous medical training, were considered to be the top priorities for any approach for improving communication. ConclusionsWe observed a high level of dissatisfaction among the participants as a result of the lack of communication. As mentioned above, the field of psychiatry is compartmentalised, psychiatrists are less available for general practitioners. General practitioners are not sufficiently trained but are willing to take more training to improve their practice in the psychiatric field. The results of this study show that first and foremost there is a need to systematise mailings, to simplify phone-based opinion sharing, and to increase the frequency of cross-field training among general practitioners. All of the above could improve exchanges and the management of patients suffering from psychiatric disorders.

The effect of the back optic zone diameter on the treatment zone area and axial elongation in orthokeratology.

To investigate the influence of corneal parameters on the treatment zone area (TZA) after Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) with a 5.0-mm back optical zone diameter (BOZD) were worn and to compare changes in the axial length (AL) with traditional 6.0-mm BOZD lenses. This retrospective study involved 146 subjects (7-12years) who wore orthokeratology (ortho-K) lenses for one year: 86 subjects were treated with CRT 5.0-mm lenses, and 60 subjects were treated with CRT 6.0-mm lenses. The TZA was measured after one year of ortho-K treatment. Both TZA and AL elongation after wearing the two kinds of lenses was compared. The parameters were recorded in the CRT 5.0 group: flat K, steep K, corneal toricity, e value, and anterior corneal elevation values at the 3-, 4-, and 5-mm chords along the principal meridians of the superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal sides. The relationships between these data and the TZA were analyzed. The TZA was 12.90±5.15mm2 and 20.61±4.54mm2, and the AL elongation was 0.15±0.18mm and 0.26±0.18mm in the CRT 5.0 group and the CRT 6.0 group, respectively (all p<0.001). The one-year AL elongation was significantly associated with initial age and the TZA (r=-0.394, 0.393; all p<0.001) in the CRT 5.0 group. The following corneal parameters were found to have statistically significant correlations with the TZA: the e value, difference in corneal elevation (nasal-temporal at the 3-, 4-, and 5-mm chord), and the absolute value of elevation difference (nasal-temporal at the 3- and 4-mm chord and inferior-superior at the 3-, 4-, and 5-mm chord). The e value was the only relevant factor for the TZA by multiple regression analysis (unstandardized β=14.219, p=0.008). In the CRT 6.0 group, the one-year AL elongation was statistically significantly associated only with initial age (r=-0.605, p=0.005), but not with the TZA (p=0.161). A smaller TZA induced by a smaller BOZD may be beneficial for retarding AL elongation in children undergoing ortho-K treatment. The morphology and eccentricity of the cornea may show effects on the TZA.

Оптимизация параметров импульсной лазерной наплавки стали 30ХГСН2А с использованием генетического алгоритма

The paperpresents the optimization of pulsed laser cladding of structural steel using a genetic algo-rithm. Using the ANSYS Workbench software, finite element modelling of laser cladding on a 30ХГСН2А steel substrate with an additive in the form of wire was conducted, considering the temperature dependence of the material's thermophysical properties. A surrogate model for pulsed laser cladding of 30ХГСН2Аsteel was developed employing a face-centered version of the central composite design experiment. The time inter-vals corresponding to the end time of the three fronts of the laser pulse and the diameter of the filler wire were considered as variable factors. The maximum temperatures in the treatment zone were used as re-sponses. In order to optimize pulsed laser cladding of 30ХГСН2А steel, the maximum temperature limit val-ues in the treatment zone were established for three moments of time that corresponded to the laser pulse fronts at the three points in the finite element model. A comparison was made between the parameters ob-tained from optimization and those derived from finite element modelling. When determining temperatures, the maximum percentage error of the results obtained via the genetic algorithm did not exceed 3.5 %

Microplasma radio frequency technology using stationary tips on pig skin: A histological study.

To investigate the histological properties of microplasma radiofrequency (MPRF) using a stationary tip in different treatment strategies on porcine skin. Two Bama miniature pigs received MPRF treatment with two types of stationary tips in eight groups of parameters (power, duration, and pass) on dorsal skin. Skin samples were collected from each treatment zone immediately, at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson staining were performed to assess histologic changes as well as neocollagenesis. The dynamic changes of heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) and heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) were also detected by immunohistochemistry. Skin damage increased with pulse energy, duration, and pass. Longer durations or repeated treatments may cause particularly severe skin damage. During the wound healing process, the newborn collagen of the dermis is rearranged. The distribution of HSP47 and HSP72 was consistent with the extent of collagen remodeling. It peaked 1 month after treatment. MPRF can effectively cause epidermal ablation, dermal collagen hyperplasia, and remodeling. Increasing power should be the first choice when increasing treatment intensity. For longer durations or repeated treatments, caution should be taken to avoid excessive skin trauma.

Domestic Solid Waste Management in Tho Nghiep Commune, Xuan Truong District, Nam Dinh Province: Current Status and Solutions

This article presents research results on the current status and proposes solutions to improve the efficiency of domestic solid waste (DSW) management in Tho Nghiep commune, Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh province. The survey was conducted for 170 households and the results show that 40.59% of households process a part of DSW by themselves (=equivalently 10.8% of total DSW) while the rest is transferred to the commune's garbage collection team. The other 59.41% of the households transfer all the solid waste to the commune's waste collection team for treatment at the centralized area. The average volume of DSW released in the whole commune is about 5.5 tons/day, collected with a frequency of three days/week. The collected solid waste is further classified and treated at the commune's incinerator treatment zone by Truong Phat Agricultural Service and Green Environment Cooperative. The environmental assessment of Tho Nghiep DSW treatment area was conducted in November 2022. The results from the incinerator exhaust gas samples showed that four out of five parameters (including SO2, CO, NOx, HCl) are below the allowable standards, only one out of five parameters (Total dust) are higher than the allowable standard of QCVN 61-MT:2016/BTNMT on DSW incinerators. For the surface water samples taken at the southern infield ditch of the incinerator, all eight parameters (pH, BOD5 (at 20oC), COD, TSS, NH4+, NO3-, PO43-, Coliforms) were below permissible standard of QCVN 08-MT:2015/BTNMT on surface water quality. Based on these results, a few proposed solutions have been identified to improve the effectiveness of DSW management in the study area.&#x0D;

A target containing phantom for accuracy assessment of cone-beam CT-guided histotripsy.

Histotripsy is a nonionizing, noninvasive, and nonthermal focal tumor therapy. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) guidance was developed for targeting tumors not visible on ultrasound. This approach assumes cavitation is formed at the geometrical focal point of the therapy transducer. In practice, the exact location might vary slightly between transducers. In this study, we present a phantom with an embedded target to evaluate CBCT-guided histotripsy accuracy and assess the completeness of treatments. Spherical (2.8cm) targets with alternating layers of agar and radiopaque barium were embedded in larger phantoms with similar layers. The layer geometry was designed so that targets were visible on pre-treatment CBCT scans. The actual histotripsy treatment zone was visualized via the mixing of adjacent barium and agar layers in post-treatment CBCT images. CBCT-guided histotripsy treatments of the targets were performed in six phantoms. Offsets between planned and actual treatment zones were measured and used for calibration refinement. To measure targeting accuracy after calibration refinement, six additional phantoms were treated. In a separate investigation, two groups (N=3) of phantoms were treated to assess visualization of incomplete treatments ("undertreatment" group: 2cm treatment within 2.8cm tumor, "mistarget" group: 2.8cm treatment intentionally shifted laterally). Treatment zones were segmented (3D Slicer 5.0.3), and the centroid distance between the prescribed target and actual treatment zones was quantified. In the calibration refinement group, a 2mm offset in the direction of ultrasound propagation (Z) was measured. After calibration refinement, the centroid-to-centroid distance between prescribed and actual treatment volumes was 0.5±0.2mm. Average difference between the prescribed and measured treatment sizes in the incomplete treatment groups was 0.5±0.7mm. In the mistarget group, the distance between prescribed and measured shifts was 0.2±0.1mm. The proposed prototype phantom allowed for accurate measurement of treatment size and location, and the CBCT visible target provided a simple way to detect misalignments for preliminary quality assurance of CBCT-guided histotripsy.

Synchronous in-situ sludge reduction and enhanced denitrification through improving electron transfer during endogenous metabolisms with Fe(Ⅱ) addition

The creation of large amounts of excess sludge and residual nitrogen are critical issues in wastewater biotreatment. This study introduced Fe(II) into an oligotrophic anaerobic reactor (OARFe) that was implemented to modify an anoxic-oxic process to motivate in-situ sludge reduction and enhance denitrification under an effective electron shuttle among organic matter, nitrogen, and Fe. The addition of 15 mg L−1 Fe(II) resulted in a sludge reduction efficiency reached 32.0% with a decreased effluent nitrate concentration of 33.3%. This was mostly attributed to the electron transfer from Fe(II) to organic matters and nitrogen species in OARFe. The participation of Fe(II) led to the upregulation of Geothrix and Terrimonas, which caused active organic matter hydrolysis and cell lysis to stimulate the release of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and substance transfer between each layer of EPS. The higher utilization of released bioavailable dissolved organic matter improved endogenous denitrification, which can be combined with iron autotrophic denitrification to realize multiple electron donor-based nitrogen removal pathways, resulting in an increased nitrate removal rate of 58.2% in the absence of external carbon sources. These functional bacteria associated with the transformation of nitrogen and carbon and cycling between ferrous and ferric ions were enriched in OARFe, which contributed to efficient electron transport occurred both inside and outside the cell and increased 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride electronic transport system activity by 46.9%. This contributed to the potential operational costs of chemical addition and sludge disposal of Fe-AO being 1.9 times lower than those of conventional A2O processes. These results imply that the addition of ferrous ions to an oligotrophic anaerobic zone for wastewater treatment has the potential for low-cost pollution control.

Comparison of three VST orthokeratology lenses in axial length growth and average corneal reshaping in myopia children: A retrospective self-controlled study

PurposeTo determine the differences in myopia control efficiency and corneal reshaping between three different brands of orthokeratology (OK) lenses (Lucid, Euclid, and Alpha). MethodWe retrospectively reviewed subjects who started simultaneously using different brands of OK lenses. For each participant, every 6 months in the 19 months of following, the changes in axial length (AL), horizontal and vertical maximum distances of the treatment zone (HMDTZ and VMDTZ), width of the high convex zone (WHCZ), distance of decentration, and horizontal and vertical components of the decentration vector were measured. The average values of the above data, the average value of the decentration vector (ADV), and the average value of decentration calculated algebraically (ADA) were calculated. ResultsAll the three pairs (Lucid (n = 46) vs. Euclid (n = 46): groups Lucid-versus-Euclid-Lucid (LE-L) and LE-E), Lucid (n = 50) vs. Alpha (n = 50): groups LA-L and LA-A), and Euclid (n = 17) vs. Alpha (n = 17): groups EA-E and EA-A) showed good comparability. Regarding the change in AL during 19 months, none of the pairs showed significant differences (LE-L:0.27 ± 0.24 mm, LE-E:0.31 ± 0.24 mm (p = 0.68); LA-L:0.36 ± 0.26 mm, LA-A:0.36 ± 0.27 mm (p = 0.85); EA-E:0.34 ± 0.27 mm, EA-A:0.41 ± 0.28 mm (p = 0.63)). Regarding treatment zone, Lucid showed the largest HMDTZ and VMDTZ (both p < 0.05). Regarding the WHCZ, none of the pairs showed significant differences. For the ADV and ADA, Lucid had more ADV and ADA than Euclid (ADV: LE-L:0.73 ± 0.44 mm, LE-E:0.55 ± 0.45 mm, p < 0.05; ADA: LE-L:0.80 ± 0.41 mm, LE-E:0.63 ± 0.44 mm, p < 0.05), and the remaining pairs showed no significant difference. For the overall cohort with 113 eyes, the change in AL was weakly correlated with both ADV and ADA (both p < 0.05). Regarding the ADV/ADA, all pairs showed no significant differences, indicating equal lens position stability. ConclusionAfter OK, there were no significant differences between the different pairs of the three brands in AL growth, WHCZ, or lens position stability, although Lucid had a larger treatment zone than Euclid and Alpha, and Lucid had more decentration than Euclid. A larger lens decentration were weakly related to less AL growth.

Effects of magnetic field and post-weld heat treatment on microstructure and properties of laser welded joints of 22MnB5-TRIP590 steel

Laser welding without and with an auxiliary magnetic field (B = 30 mT) is performed on 22MnB5-TRIP590 steel. Subsequently, post-weld heat treatment, involving quenching at 800 °C followed by tempering at 200 °C, is carried out on the welded joints prepared by these two welding processes (B = 0 mT, B = 30 mT). This study examines the improvement of microstructures and mechanical properties of the welded joints by applying the magnetic field (B = 30 mT). Furthermore, this research investigates whether these enhanced characteristics of the welded joints persist after post-weld heat treatment. When the magnetic field is applied, the overall width of the welded joint is significantly reduced, and the microstructure of the weld is changed mainly from proeutectoid ferrite, granular bainite, and upper bainite to lath martensite and lower bainite. Furthermore, the grains in the coarse grain zone are refined, and the plasticity and overall hardness of the welded joint are considerably improved. After post-weld heat treatment, the weld and coarse grain zone of both welded joints (B = 0 mT, B = 30 mT) are mainly tempered martensite, and the tensile strength and overall hardness are significantly improved compared to those without post-weld heat treatment. Although the plasticity of two welded joints is lower than that of two unheated-treated welded joints, the fracture positions are all at the base metal and are both ductile fractures. The improved characteristics, such as optimized macro-morphology, refined grain morphology, improved plasticity, welded joint efficiency, and weld hardness of magnetic field-assisted laser welded joint, are all retained after post-weld heat treatment. A thorough comparison reveals that the magnetic field-assisted laser welded joint with post-weld heat treatment has better comprehensive mechanical properties.

Nonlinear imaging-based bubble cloud size estimates compared with histotripsy treatment zone: An in vitro study

Volterra filtering combined with subharmonic imaging was previously reported to enhance the visualization of the histotripsy bubble cloud. In this study, we compared the bubble cloud size obtained by imaging to the histotripsy ablation region using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Histotripsy was performed in a red blood cell (RBC)-doped agarose phantom using a 1 MHz transducer. Ultrasound imaging data was acquired using a C5-2V probe and chirp-coded excitation (bandwidth: 2–5 MHz). These ultrasound acquisitions were then processed by subharmonic (SH) matched filtering alone, SH with quadratic Volterra filtering, and SH with cubic Volterra filtering. The therapy pulse and imaging sequence were interleaved (N = 100 frames), and a video camera was used to visualize the damaged region. A mean bubble cloud image was generated across all treatment sequences and co-registered with the camera image. A ROC curve was formed using binary classification of the mean bubble cloud versus the ablation zone, and the area under the ROC curve was determined. Filtering by quadratic and cubic Volterra filters reduced artifacts significantly [over 20 and 30 dB contrast-to-tissue enhancement (p &amp;lt; 0.01), respectively], along with achieving a high area under the ROC curve (0.97). These findings highlight the potential of Volterra filtering for histotripsy guidance.

Comparison of novel intrinsic versus conventional antitachycardia pacing for ventricular tachycardia among implantable cardioverter-defibrillator recipients.

Intrinsic antitachycardia pacing (iATP) is a novel automated antitachycardia pacing (ATP) that provides individual treatment to terminate ventricular tachycardia (VT). However, the clinical efficacy of iATP in comparison with conventional ATP is unknown. We aim to compare the termination rate of VT between iATP and conventional ATP in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators using a unique setting of different sequential orders of both ATP algorisms. Patients with the iATP algorithm were assigned to iATP-first and conventional ATP-first groups sequentially. In the iATP-first group, a maximum of seven iATP sequences were delivered, followed by conventional burst and ramp pacing. In contrast, in the conventional ATP-first group, two bursts and ramp pacing were initially programmed, followed by iATP sequences. We compared the success rates of VT termination in the first and secondary programmed ATP zones between the two groups. Fifty-eight and 56 patients were enrolled in the iATP-first and conventional ATP-first groups, and 67 and 44 VTs were analyzed in each group, respectively. At the first single ATP therapy, success rates were 64% and 70% in the iATP and conventional groups, respectively. At the end of the first iATP treatment zone, the success rate increased from 64% to 85%. Moreover, secondary iATP therapy following the failure of conventional ATPs increased the success rate from 80% to 93%. There was a significant benefit of alternative iATP for VT termination compared to secondary conventional ATP (100% vs. 33%, p = .028). iATP may be beneficial as a secondary therapy after failure of conventional ATP to terminate VT.

Self-Recognition and Allorecognition Mechanisms Exert a Significant Influence on the Sex Allocation Patterns of the Pea Aphid.

The mechanism controlling sex allocation in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), remains a crucial yet unresolved issue in the field of evolutionary ecology. This study aims to assess the influence of the presence of both self and non-self clones, along with juvenile hormone III (JH III) titer, on the sex allocation of aphid offspring. To this end, red and green clones were utilized as experimental subjects, and the agar method was employed. Initially, three distinct experimental treatments were established using sexuparae, and the daily offspring count and sex allocation in each treatment zone were recorded. Subsequently, an additional experimental condition involving mixed-clone treatments was introduced. This procedure entailed the transfer of a single sexupara and 20 oviparous females from either the red (1G + 20Rov) or green clone (1G + 20Gov) onto a leaf on agar medium. Simultaneously, a control setup with a new sexupara (1G) was established. Three days following sexupara production, a dose of 0, 25, or 50 ng of JH III was applied to the aphids' abdomens. Subsequently, the titers of JH III in the sexuparae across each treatment group were quantified, and the extent of sex allocation was tallied. The findings demonstrated pronounced disparities in sex allocation among the various treatments and, notably, a substantial increase in the total offspring and oviparous number in the mixed-clone treatment group. The effects of mixed-clone treatment on the sex allocation patterns of the sexupara progeny could be determined by the application of exogenous JH III, indicating that JH may mediate the effects of mixed-clone treatment on sex allocation. Consequently, it can be concluded that A. pisum sexuparae possess the capability to modulate their sex allocation in response to the nature of adjacent competitor clones, thereby demonstrating a variety of sex allocation patterns. Throughout this process, JH III plays a pivotal role.

Delay in seeking treatment and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending public health facilities in the Metekel zone, Benishangul Gumuz region, Western Ethiopia.

Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. TB prevention and control in low-income countries, such as Ethiopia, face significant challenges, including late detection and treatment initiation. A delay in the initiation of tuberculosis treatment increases the morbidity and mortality of patients and community transmission. Therefore, this study aimed to assess patient delay and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending public health facilities in the Metekel Zone, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Western Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2020 among newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients. All pulmonary tuberculosis patients (416) who came to all public health facilities of the Metekel zone for treatment during the period were included. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured and pretested questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression was fitted to identify independent factors for delay in seeking treatment among PTB patients. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% CIs were determined, and variables with p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Nearly three-fourths 302 (72.6, 95% CI: 68.5, 76.7) of the patients were delayed in seeking medical advice, with a median patient delay of 27 days (IQR: 21-31). Age of the patients [above 54 years (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.30, 5.40), 36-54 years (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.14,3.02)], family size of 5 members and above (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-3.14), travel time above 60 min (AOR = 3.65, 95% CI: 1.55, 8.60), history of visits to informal care providers (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.14), and poor knowledge about PTB (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.04-2.44) were statistically significant factors associated with delays in seeking treatment among PTB patients. Most pulmonary tuberculosis patients delay seeking medical advice for their illnesses. Delays in seeking treatment were associated with older age, large household size, longer travel time to reach the nearby health facility, visiting informal care providers, and poor knowledge about pulmonary tuberculosis. Hence, it is crucial to consider community screening programs, enhance public awareness, and ensure the accessibility of TB diagnostic and treatment services.