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(1) To investigate the functional and anatomical outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with or without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); (2) In total, 65 patients with AMD with or without OSA who received three consecutive doses of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections were enrolled. The primary outcomes—best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT)—were assessed at 1 and 3 months. Moreover, morphological changes observed through optical coherence tomography were analyzed; (3) In total, 15 of the 65 patients had OSA and were included in the OSA group; the remaining 50 patients were included in the non-OSA (control) group. At 1 and 3 months after treatment, BCVA and CMT had improved but did not differ significantly between the groups. More patients in the OSA group demonstrated subretinal fluid (SRF) resorption at 3 months after treatment than in the non-OSA group (p = 0.009). Changes in other imaging biomarkers, such as intraretinal cysts, retinal pigment epithelium detachment, hyperreflective dots, and ellipsoid zone disruptions, did not differ significantly between the groups; (4) Our results suggest that the BCVA and CMT outcomes 3 months after anti-VEGF treatment are similar between patients with and without OSA. Moreover, patients with OSA may exhibit superior SRF resorption. A large-scale prospective study is mandatory to evaluate the association between SRF resorption and visual outcomes in AMD patients with OSA.

To assess the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)–associated uveitis (JIA-U) in Taiwan. Retrospective, multicenter database. Totally, 44 (6.1%) of the 722 JIA patients had uveitis. The mean ages of JIA and JIA-U diagnosis were 10.7 and 11.1 years, respectively. JIA-U patients had more antinuclear antibody presence. Among JIA-U patients, 25 (56.8%) were male, 11 (25.0%) experienced any ocular complication, and 8 (18.2%) received ocular surgery. Inactivity lasting ≥6 months was achieved in 17 (38.6%) patients; however, 11 (25.0%) of those experienced reactivation with a mean of 624.7 days after achieving inactivity. Female had more ocular complications and surgeries. Late age at JIA-U diagnosis and male predominance were distinctive in Taiwan. For patients with inactivity lasting ≥ 6 months was achieved, they still required close follow-up due to the high reactivation rate within 2 years. Female had poorer ocular outcomes.

Purpose: To report a case of Paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) caused by severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and discuss the correlation between PAMM and ICA stenosis. Case description: A 67-year-old male patient presented with left acute blurred vision for 1 week. The best-corrected visual acuity of the left eye was 0.01. Funduscopic examination showed multiple grayish patches around the left macula. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated train-track hyperreflective lesions over the inner nuclear layer of the left eye. Afterwards, he experienced sudden slurred speech with fair comprehension. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography of the brain demonstrated left lacunar infarction with severe left ICA stenosis. After anticoagulant therapy, his dysarthria and left visual acuity were improved significantly. Conclusions: To our knowledge, PAMM in coincidence with lacunar infarction induced by ICA stenosis is firstly described in the literature. PAMM could be a critical warning of ICA stenosis, and this case can alert ophthalmologists to survey ICA stenosis in patients with PAMM.

Background/Objectives The purpose of this study was to present an association between the treatment response of diabetic macular edema (DME) to intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injections and different morphology patterns using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Subjects/Methods This retrospective study included 216 eyes of 142 subjects who received IVR for DME and were observed for at least 2 years. Medical charts and SD-OCT images of consecutive patients were reviewed at baseline, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after first IVR treatment. The OCT patterns were characterized as diffuse retinal thickening (DRT), cystoid macular edema (CME), serous retinal detachment (SRD), and vitreomacular interface abnormalities (VMIAs). All patients were classified into four groups based on the OCT findings. Results For a total of 216 eyes, 36 eyes were classified into the DRT group, 76 in the CME group, 42 in the SRD group, and 62 in the VMIA group. There were significant central macula thickness (CMT) improvements in all groups at the 1st month and the 2nd year, except for the DRT group at the 2nd year. Patients with OCT findings of hyperreflective dots (HRDs), metabolic parameters of hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease (CAD) had significantly less improvements in CMT at 2-year follow-up (P=0.029, 0.007

Obesity contributes to multiple systemic disorders, however, extensive discussion regarding obesity and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) remains limited, and conclusions in the existing literature diverge. This study aims to analyze the risk of OAG among obese adults in Taiwan. In this study, adults (aged ≥18 years) with a diagnostic code of obesity or morbid obesity registered in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) 2000 and LHID2005 from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 were included. All adults were traced until the diagnosis of OAG, the occurrence of death, or 31 December 2013. Risk of OAG was significantly higher in obese adults than in non-obese adults after multivariable adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.43 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.84)/aHR: 1.54 (95% CI 1.23–1.94) in the LHID2000/LHID2005). Both databases demonstrated that young obese adults (aged ≤40 years) had a remarkably increased risk of OAG compared with young non-obese adults (aHR 3.08 (95% CI 1.82–5.21)/aHR 3.81 (95% CI 2.26–6.42) in the LHID2000/LHID2005). This two-database matched-cohort study suggests that obese adults have an increased risk of OAG. In young adults, in particular, obesity could be a potential risk factor of OAG.

To propose a modified Quickert procedure combined with prolapsed fat and preseptal orbicularis muscle removal which corrects involutional lower eyelid entropion, and to validate the procedure as an adequate surgical management according to anatomical deformities and pathogenesis of Asian patients.Ninety-five patients (45 men, 50 women; 108 eyelids [55 right eyes, 53 left eyes]) who underwent this modified surgical procedure with a minimum follow-up period of 2 months were examined. All pre- and post-operative evaluations and surgical procedure were performed exclusively from the same oculoplastic surgeon. Postoperative results, recurrence rate, and complications were assessed.The mean follow-up period was 13.33 months (range, 2-67 months). Of the 108 eyelids, 4 developed recurrent entropion with trichiasis, corresponding to an overall recurrence rate of 3.70%. No major complications, such as overcorrection (ectropion), symblepharon, infection, or wound dehiscence, occurred during the follow-up period after surgery. Of these 4 eyelids exhibiting recurrence, 3 occurred within 10 months and 1 occurred 49 months after surgery. Three recurrent patients received secondary surgery for re-correction with successful results.The modified Quickert procedure combined with prolapsed fat and preseptal orbicularis muscle removal not only demonstrated safety and effectiveness, but also led to low rate of recurrence and complications. It could be a strategy for correction of involutional entropion in Asian patients.

Purpose We sought to analyze the incidence and risk of noninfectious uveitis (NIU) among postdelivery women with a history of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PEE). Design Population-based retrospective matched cohort study. Methods All participant data were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Two thousand seventy-three postdelivery women ≥20 years of age were diagnosed with PEE between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2012 and were included in the study. We traced the occurrence of NIU during 5 years of follow-up. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of NIU with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and adjudication by an ophthalmologist. Results NIU occurred in 14 of 2073 (0.7%) postdelivery women with PEE. The incidence rate of NIU was 1.5 and 0.5 per 1000 person-years among postdelivery women with and without PEE, respectively (incidence rate ratio 2.96 [95% confidence interval 1.48–5.90]; P = .002). Postdelivery women with PEE demonstrated a significant increase in the cumulative incidence of NIU compared with those without PEE (P = .001). The risk of the occurrence of NIU was significantly higher in the PEE group than in the non-PEE group (adjusted hazard ratio 2.96 [95% CI 1.48–5.92]; P = .002) after adjusting for age, income, urbanization, and comorbidities. Conclusions This is the first study to substantiate an association between PEE and NIU. Our results suggest that PEE could be a potential risk factor for the occurrence of NIU among postdelivery women.

The circadian rhythm regulates blood pressure and maintains fluid and electrolyte homeostasis with central and peripheral clock. However, the role of circadian rhythm in the pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial fibrosis remains unclear. Here, we found that the amplitudes of circadian rhythm oscillation in kidneys significantly increased after unilateral ureteral obstruction. In mice that are deficient in the circadian gene Clock, renal fibrosis and renal parenchymal damage were significantly worse after ureteral obstruction. CLOCK-deficient mice showed increased synthesis of collagen, increased oxidative stress, and greater transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) expression. TGF-β mRNA expression oscillated with the circadian rhythms under the control of CLOCK-BMAL1 heterodimers. The expression of cyclooxygenase 2 was significantly higher in kidneys from CLOCK-deficient mice with ureteral obstruction. Treatment with a cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor celecoxib significantly improved renal fibrosis in CLOCK-deficient mice. Taken together, these data establish the importance of the circadian rhythm in tubulointerstitial fibrosis and suggest CLOCK/TGF-β signaling as a novel therapeutic target of cyclooxygenase inhibition.

This study aims to optimize angular placements of the LEDs with novel cone-shaped caps for achieving high optical efficiency in an ultra-thin, directly-lit RGB LED backlight unit (BLU) for large-sized LCD-TVs. This novel lens cap is used as a diffuser with the purpose to gain higher efficiency and provide satisfactory uniformity over a display panel. To this aim, the outer surface of the novel lens is coated with aluminum for mirroring effects to reflect most of the LED emitted light horizontally and then reflect the light at the BLU boundaries, finally to the output plane. Since the emitted white light from LEDs result from color-mixing of three individual RGB chips in a LED package, the addition of the LED cap however deteriorates the aforementioned expected color mixing. The optimal design on angular placements of LEDs presented in this study for satisfactory color-mixing and emission uniformity is achieved by necessary optics simulations via TracePro, followed by utilizing an intelligent numerical optimization technique, genetic algorithm (GA). The design parameters for GA optimization are different combinations of LED placement angles in a backlight module. Favorable color balance is shown achievable in terms of high low color difference resulted. Finally, experiments are conducted, which successfully validate the expected performance of color balance and emission uniformity for a novel cone-shaped LED lens with optimized angular placements in a large-area backlight module.

This study presents a battery fast-charging mechanism for an intelligent generic photovoltaic (PV) system and also a pulse-charging method for the on-line temperature compensation. The fuzzy logic control (FLC) is adopted for fast maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of the PV system. Along with proposed battery charging algorithms, the controller presented in this study is named a fuzzy battery-managing controller (FBMC). The fast battery charging by this controller does not only prolong battery lifetime by restoring the maximum battery state of charge (SOC) in the shortest time but also with the temperature compensation. The designed charging algorithm consists of three different stages, namely constant current (CC), pulse charging and trickle charging. In the CC mode, the current at maximum power of the PV array is used for fast charging. The pulse charging mode is next adopted to contain temperature rise while maintaining relatively fast charging speed. To prevent battery damage by charging as battery capacity is close to its full status, 100 % SOC, the float charging mode is finally activated by further decreasing charging currents. Simulations are conducted via Powersim to validate the FBMC performance and the PV system model. The FBMC is next implemented by a DSP module (TMS320F2812) in order to adjust the switching duty cycle during operations of the buck converter. Finally, experimental results were compared with a general constant current and/or voltage method. The results show favorable performance of the propose charging method.

Circadian clocks are fundamental machinery in organisms ranging from archaea to humans. Disruption of the circadian system is associated with premature aging in mice, but the molecular basis underlying this phenomenon is still unclear. In this study, we found that telomerase activity exhibits endogenous circadian rhythmicity in humans and mice. Human and mouse TERT mRNA expression oscillates with circadian rhythms and are under the control of CLOCK-BMAL1 heterodimers. CLOCK deficiency in mice causes loss of rhythmic telomerase activities, TERT mRNA oscillation, and shortened telomere length. Physicians with regular work schedules have circadian oscillation of telomerase activity while emergency physicians working in shifts lose the circadian rhythms of telomerase activity. These findings identify the circadian rhythm as a mechanism underlying telomere and telomerase activity control that serve as interconnections between circadian systems and aging.

The nonlinear dynamics of hula hoop motion is deciphered in this study by nonlinear dynamic modeling techniques to find solution and stability analysis. This is different from the previous study [1], where a homotopy method is employed. The analysis results are capable of transforming linear reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The dynamic governing equations of the system are first successfully derived by force balance. The non-linear dynamic analysis is next applied to derive approximate, asymptotic solutions. Stabilities associated with all solution are determined by subsequent analysis on the derived asymptotic solutions. In addition, the transformer could be integrated with coils, magnets, and electric circuits to form a portable energy scavenging device. A novel front-end circuit is proposed in this work for harvesting human’s energy. The situation of human’s walking and running is simulated by a shaker. And the ac-like energy is processed by the novel energy harvesting circuit, transformed as a DC voltage suitable for devices successfully. The efficiency of the entire circuit is proven up to 60%, and is an input-powered circuit with no standby power. A complete experimental system is also designed and successfully confirm the existence of the stable nonlinear solutions found by analytical and numerical analysis.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

This study aims to develop an on-line tester machine for evaluating the image quality of a camera lens that is used in a lens module in a cell phone. This tester is not only suitable for conventional solid lens, but also applicable to the developing tunable liquid crystal lens by using the conoscopy approach to measure focus length and its quality. On the other hand, the approach using a commercial inspection chart along with a automatic feeding machine is also adopted for a quick estimate on the focusing quality that is primarily based on Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). In addition to the MTF, the proposed tester aims to has other functions of measuring Effect Focal Length (EFL), Back Focal Length (BFL), Field of View (FOV), Field curvature, Distortion, Astigmatism, Lateral/Axial Color, the distribution of index of refraction and phase retardation pattern. The constructed tester is capable of measuring varied optical performance indices for the next-generation tunable lens.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Imaging technology has been in revolutionary progresses in decades with well-developed semiconductor and memory industries. Silicon sensors are used in most of camera and DV, since silicon is the best material for visible light imaging (wavelength from 400nm∼700nm). Short wave infrared (SWIR) requires indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), composed of chemical compounds including indium arsenide (InAs) and gallium arsenide (GaAs), to cover SWIR spectrum. Wavelength of typical SWIR is defined between 0.7um and 2.5um; SWIR cameras focus on wavelength between 0.9um∼1.7um (In0.53Ga0.47As). Unlike Mid-Wave IR and Long-Wave IR, SWIR is reflected and absorbed by objects, which advantages SWIR imaging higher resolution due to better contrast. SWIR also has excellent imaging quality in low illumination environment and moon light or star light are good emitters outdoor at night. Another primary characteristic of SWIR is high penetration, providing effective imaging under hazy conditions. An Example for night vision between SWIR.

The market of electronic products such as mobile phones and portable devices grows rapidly while the demand of lithium battery for fast charge, long duration, and long life cycle increases significantly as well. There are several charge methods for lithium battery, such as constant current (CC)/constant voltage (CV) charge [1], pulse charge [2] and reflex charge [3], etc. In general, a flyback converter has been widely adopted as the front-end converter of battery charger due to its low-cost, wide power range, and galvanic isolation between input and output stage. The battery charge controller with flyback converter has been developed in digital control with opto-coupler feedback [4]–[6]. The conventional flyback converter with CC or CV applications always requires two sensed ADC channels for regulating [7]–[9]. An improved control method is proposed in this study to achieve CC/CV by only one ADC channel. This study presents a battery charge mechanism with a flyback converter and associated trickle charge method for the temperature compensation. The PSR is adopted for switching the charge modes within trickle current (TC), constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV). The TC charging method is used to avoid the rapid increase in the temperature of the battery which is based on the characteristics of the internal resistance of the battery [10]. The proposed system circuit contains two stages in topology. The first stage is a front-end flyback converter which operates in DC-DC discontinuous current mode (DCM) by using PSR to sense the output voltage from auxiliary winding. It is adopted to replace the opto-coupler for avoiding temperature limitation for operations and reducing cost. The software Powersim is used to simulate the proposed flyback converter and PSR method. The second stage is the digital feedback loop, which processes the controlled signal by a digital processor (DSP) TMS320F2812. The experimental results were compared with general CC/CV method. The results show favorable performance of the propose charging method.