Evaluation of a novel dichoptic training method using polarising film for treatment of amblyopia

We have developed a new, low-cost, easily administered method that uses a polarising film to enable dichoptic training for amblyopia. In this study, we compared its effects with occlusion therapy using an eye patch. Fifty-eight patients (4.7 ± 0.1 years old) diagnosed with anisometric amblyopia were included and instructed to wear complete refractive correction glasses with either occlusion therapy using an eye patch (eye patch group) or dichoptic training using polarising film (polarising film group) for two hours per day. We examined the improvement in the visual acuity and adherence rate of the patients two months after treatment initiation. After training, the polarising film group showed significant improvement in visual acuity compared with the eye patch group. The adherence rate was also significantly better in the polarising film group than in the eye patch group. In both groups, there was a significant correlation between the improvement in visual acuity and adherence rate. This new dichoptic training using a polarising film was shown to be effective for anisometropic amblyopia.

Sterile Gelatin Film Reduces Cortical Injury Associated With Brain Tumor Re-Resection

BACKGROUND Recurrent intracranial tumors frequently require re-resection. Dural adhesions to the cortex increase the morbidity and duration of these revision craniotomies. OBJECTIVE To describe the use of commercially available sterile gelatin film to prevent meningocerebral adhesions and decrease the rate of surgically induced ischemia from revision craniotomy. METHODS This retrospective cohort study examined patients with recurrent glioma, meningioma, and metastasis who underwent re-resection at least 30 d following their initial tumor resection. Cortical surface tissue ischemia after re-resection on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was compared for patients with (gelatin film group) and without (nongelatin film group) a history of gelatin film placement at the conclusion of their initial tumor resection. RESULTS A total of 84 patients in the gelatin film group were compared to 86 patients in the nongelatin film group. Patient age, sex, tumor pathology, tumor volume, tumor eloquence, laterality of surgical approach, history of radiotherapy, and time interval between resections did not differ between groups. Radiographic evidence of cortical ischemia following reoperation was less prevalent in the gelatin film group (13.1% vs 32.6%; P < .01). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, no gelatin film (P < .01) and larger tumor size (P = .02) predicted cortical surface ischemia following revision craniotomy. Postoperative complications in the gelatin film and nongelatin film group otherwise did not differ. CONCLUSION Routine placement of commercially available sterile gelatin film on the cortex prior to dural closure is associated with decreased surgically induced tissue ischemia at the time of revision tumor craniotomy.

Bionic Silk Fibroin Film Induces Morphological Changes and Differentiation of Tendon Stem/Progenitor Cells

Purpose. Tendon injuries are common musculoskeletal system disorders, but the ability for tendon regeneration is limited. Silk fibroin (SF) film may be suitable for tendon regeneration due to its excellent biocompatibility and physical properties. This study is aimed at evaluating the application value of bionic SF film in tendon regeneration. Methods. Tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) were isolated from rat Achilles tendon and characterized based on their surface marker expression and multilineage differentiation potential. SF films with smooth or bionic microstructure surfaces (5, 10, 15, 20 μm) were prepared. The morphology and mechanical properties of natural tendons and SF films were characterized. TSPCs were used as the seed cells, and the cell viability and cell adhesion morphology were analyzed. The tendongenesis-related gene expression of TSPCs was also evaluated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results. Compared to the native tendon, only the 10, 15, and 20 μm SF film groups had comparable maximum loading and ultimate stress, with the exception of the breaking elongation rate. The 10 μm SF film group had the highest percentage of oriented cells and the most significant changes in cell morphology. The most significant upregulations in the expression of COL1A1, TNC, TNMD, and SCX were also observed in the 10 μm SF film group. Conclusion. SF film with a bionic microstructure can serve as a tissue engineering scaffold and provide biophysical cues for the use of TSPCs to achieve proper cellular adherence arrangement and morphology as well as promote the tenogenic differentiation of TSPCs, making it a valuable customizable biomaterial for future applications in tendon repair.

Atomistic Simulation of the Strain Driven Phase Transition in Pure Iron Thin Films Containing Twin Boundaries

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the strain-induced phase transitions in pure body-centered-cubic (bcc) iron (Fe) thin films containing twin boundaries (TBs) with different TB fractions and orientations are studied. Two groups of bcc thin films with different TB-surface orientation relationships are designed. In film group 1, the (112) [ 11 1 ¯ ] TBs are perpendicular to the ( 11 1 ¯ ) free surfaces, while the (112) [ 11 1 ¯ ] TBs are parallel to the free surfaces in film group 2. We vary the TB numbers inserted into the films to study the effect of TB fraction on the phase transition. Biaxial strains are applied to the films to induce the bcc to close packed (cp) phase transition. The critical strain, at which the first phase transition takes place, decreases with the TB fraction increase in film group 1 with a perpendicular TB-surface orientation, while such a relationship is not observed in film group 2 with parallel TB-surface orientation. We focus on the free surface and TB as the nucleation positions of the new phase and the afterward growth. In addition, the dynamics of the phase transition is discussed. This work may help to understand the mechanism of phase transition in nanoscale or surface-dominant systems with pre-existing defects.

Disney's Portrayal of Women: An Analysis of Female Villains and Princesses

This study was conducted to understand how our views of women are shaped by Disney films. Specifically, this paper looks at how female villains and princesses are portrayed in nine Disney movies. These films were studied and coded for similarities and differences within specific themes. Ultimately, this study concluded there were a number of similar themes in regard to appearance, nonverbals, interactions, and common female stereotypes. The study also noted a shift between older (four movies before 1990) and newer (five movies after 1990) Disney movies; however, many of the changes do not occur until the most recent Disney movie (Moana) came out in 2016. The study shows an association between Disney’s media portrayal of women and the negative impacts on society. Research finds that because the film group provides two options for young girls to choose from, they are not given effective role models.

Association among Blink Rate, Changes in Ocular Surface Temperature, Tear Film Stability, and Functional Visual Acuity in Patients after Cataract Surgery

Purpose. To investigate the association among the ocular surface temperature (OST), tear film stability, functional visual acuity (FVA), and blink rate in patients after cataract surgery. Methods. We recruited 98 eyes of 69 patients (mean age, 73.7 ± 5.2 years) 1 month after phacoemulsification with implantation of acrylic intraocular lenses and assessed slit-lamp microscopy, corrected distance VA, FVA, noninvasive tear breakup time (NIBUT), and OST. We defined the changes in the OST from 0 to 10 seconds after eye opening as the ΔOST. We measured the FVA and blink rate using the FVA measurement system. We divided the patients into two groups based on tear film stability: stable tear film (NIBUT, >5.0 seconds) and unstable tear film (NIBUT, ≤5.0 seconds). We evaluated the differences between the two groups and the association between the blink rate and other clinical parameters. Results. The unstable tear film group (56 eyes) had significantly (p<0.0001, unpaired t-test) shorter NIBUTs than the stable tear film group (42 eyes). The ΔOSTs and blink rates were significantly (p<0.0001) higher in the unstable tear film group than in the stable group. Linear single regression analysis showed that the ΔOST (r = −0.430, p<0.0001), NIBUT (r = −0.392, p<0.0001), and gender (r = −0.370, p=0.0002) were correlated significantly with the blink rate. Multiple regression analysis showed that the ΔOST independently contributed to the blink rate. Conclusions. The frequency of blinks is associated with tear film stability in patients after cataract surgery. The blink rate may be useful for evaluating the tear film stability in clinical practice. The ΔOST should be an important contributing factor to the blink rate. [This trial is registered with UMIN000026970].

ANALISIS ASPEK NASIONALISME PADA FILM 1911 REVOLUTION (辛亥革命) (Nationalism in Film 1911 Revolution [辛亥革命])

Penelitian ini berjudul Analisis Aspek Nasionalisme pada Film 1911 Revolution (辛亥革命). Latar belakang penelitian ini beranjak dari ketertarikan terhadap karya sastra yang berlatar tentang perjuangan kaum revolusioner untuk mencapai kemerdekaan. Yang menjadi rumusan masalah penelitian ini yaitu apa saja aspek nasionalisme pada film Xinhai Geming. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mencari, mengungkapkan dan mendeskripsikan rumusan masalah tersebut secara utuh dan terperinci. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif kualitatif. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teori sosiologi sastra menurut Wellek dan Warren. Sumber data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah film Xinhai Geming yang disutradarai oleh Zhang Li dan Jackie Chan yang berdurasi 125 menit dan dirilis oleh Shanghai Film Group pada tanggal 23 September 2011. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah aspek nasionalisme dan faktor yang mempengaruhi nasionalisme dalam film diwakili oleh beberapa potongan kutipan dan adegan. Nasionalisme yang dimiliki oleh masyarakat Tionghoa adalah pengabdian dan semangat juang untuk membangun rakyatnya demi tercapainya misi bangsa. This research is entitled Nationalism in Film 1911 Revolution (辛亥革命). The background of this study are an literary work set against the struggle of the revolutionaries to achieve independence. Two things that formulate the research problem are (1) what are the aspects of nationalism in the film Xinhai Geming. The purpose of this research is to find, express and describe the formulations of the problem in a complete and detailed manner. The research method used in this study is a qualitative descriptive method. The theory used in this study is the theory of literary sociology according to Wellek and Warren. The data sources used in this study were the Xinhai Geming film directed by Zhang Li and Jackie Chan which lasted 125 minutes and was released by the Shanghai Film Group on September 23, 2011. The results of this study were aspects of nationalism and factors that influenced nationalism in the film. represented by several quotations and scenes that show nationalism in the film. Nationalism possessed by the Chinese community as devotion and fighting spirit to build its people for the achievement of the nation’s mission.

Differential Effects of Poor Recall and Memory Disjointedness on Trauma Symptoms

Clinical theories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that trauma memories are disorganized. In the present study, we examined how trauma-film exposure affects two aspects of memory disorganization, poor memory recall and memory disjointedness, and their relationship to PTSD-like symptoms. In Session 1, 90 healthy participants were exposed to a trauma ( n = 60) or a neutral film ( n = 30). Cognitive processing styles, memory characteristics, and intrusive memories of the film were assessed. The trauma-film group reported greater memory disjointedness of the worst moments of the film but better memory recall of the film than the neutral-film group. In the trauma-film group, cognitive processing and memory disjointedness were related to intrusive memories and PTSD-like symptoms in the week after film exposure. Memory disjointedness but not poor memory recall mediated the relationship between cognitive processing and intrusions. The findings suggest that different aspects of memory disorganization need to be distinguished to explain PTSD symptoms.