Effect of the iridocorneal angle size on the diurnal pressure profile in a glaucoma suspect cohort and patients with glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of the iridocorneal angle size (ICAS) on the diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with suspected glaucoma (SG). METHOD: Patients with any eye-pressure lowering medication or previous ocular surgery were excluded. In a retrospective study set, diurnal IOP profiles of 120 patients (205 eyes) within a 48-h period were analysed by regression analysis. Of those eyes, 44 were diagnosed to have glaucoma. The remaining eyes were used as healthy control group (HCG). RESULTS: The overall mean IOP was 15.63 mmHg ± 2.72 mmHg and mean ICAS was 23.92° ± 4.74°. In the glaucoma cohort, mean IOP was 18.77 ± 1.86 mmHg and mean ICAS was 25.02° ± 4.96°. In the HCG, mean IOP was 14.77 ± 2.25 mmHg and mean ICAS was 23.62° ± 4.64°. In the total cohort, as well as in the subgroups (HCG or glaucoma), regression analysis showed no significant impact even of the minimum ICAS, which was larger than 10°, on average (P = 0.89), maximum (P = 0.88), and range of IOP (P = 0.49) within 48 h. The difference between glaucoma cohort and HCG cohort was significant in terms of IOP (P < 0.001), but not for minimum ICAS (P = 0.07). Chi-square test showed no increase in prevalence of IOP peaks of  > 21 mmHg within 48 h in eyes with an angle between 10° and 20° (P = 0.18). CONCLUSION: An ICAS of larger than 10° in HCG or glaucoma patients with an open-angle does not influence the minimum, average, maximum or range of IOP. Additionally, an angle size larger than 10° does not allow the prediction of IOP changes in these two cohorts.

Older Adults Knowledge about using smart technology during the Covid-19 crisis-a qualitative pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: The exponential increase of the older population is coinciding with the growing challenges of digital technology in the different socio-cultural environments. This pilot study aimed to examine the knowledge of institutionalized elderly people about the use of technology and digital literacy and to analyze the perspectives of older users on the impact of smart technology on their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: 10 users of the Home for the Elderly and Infirm "Jordanovac", Zagreb participated in a semi-structured 1:1 interview conducted in January 2021 after the approval of the Ethics Committee, respecting all epidemiologically prescribed measures. All narratives were recorded, then transcribed into tables, and went through a content analysis process. RESULTS: All 10 participants (average age: 83.4) use and own a mobile device, but only 4 of them use smart devices. They mostly use ordinary calls for communication, and of the applications, with only 3 users, Viber, WhatsApp, and video calling are equally represented. Only one user uses Skype to communicate with their family. DISCUSSION: Despite long-term isolation, respondents do not see technology as an opportunity to establish and maintain social contacts and do not have enough knowledge about using it. Most were educated on their own or by their families, which can be a good starting point for developing strategies in the form of activating volunteers who would teach the elderly about the possibilities of using digital content after the Covid crisis.

Wear Behaviour of ZA27/SiC/Graphite Composites under Lubricated Sliding Conditions.

The composites samples based on ZA27 alloy were subjected to tribological tests and the observed results are presented in this paper. The samples (ZA27/5%SiC and ZA27/5%SiC/5%Gr) were obtained by compo-casting technique. Their wear behaviour was compared to the base alloy. The wear tests were done by using a block-on-disc tribometer under lubricated sliding conditions. Tribological investigation were conducted for three normal loads (40 N, 80 N, and 120 N), three sliding speeds (0.25 m/s, 0.5 m/s, and 1 m/s), and sliding distance of 1200 m. The tested materials were analysed by the scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and the energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The presence of oil lubricant improved the wear resistance and friction behaviour of both composites and base alloy. The tested composites show much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material. It was established that the ZA27/5%SiC/5%Gr hybrid composite has best tribological properties.

Dealing with the Effect of Air in Fluid Structure Interaction by Coupled SPH-FEM Methods.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and the finite element method (FEM) are often combined with the scope to model the interaction between structures and the surrounding fluids (FSI). There is the case, for instance, of aircrafts crashing on water or speedboats slamming into waves. Due to the high computational complexity, the influence of air is often neglected, limiting the analysis to the interaction between structure and water. On the contrary, this work aims to specifically investigate the effect of air when merged inside the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) computational models. Measures from experiments were used as a basis to validate estimations comparing results from models that include or exclude the presence of air. Outcomes generally showed a great correlation between simulation and experiments, with marginal differences in terms of accelerations, especially during the first phase of impact and considering the presence of air in the model.

Structural Design and Manufacturing of a Cruiser Class Solar Vehicle.

Cruisers are multi-occupant solar vehicles that are conceived to compete in long-range (over 3,000 km) solar races based on the best compromise between the energy consumption and the payload. They must comply to the race's rules regarding the overall dimensions, the solar panel size, functionality, and safety and structural requirements, while the shape, the materials, the powertrain, and the mechanics are considered at the discretion of the designer. In this work, the most relevant aspects of the structural design process of a full-carbon fiber-reinforced plastic solar vehicle are detailed. In particular, the protocols used for the design of the lamination sequence of the chassis, the leaf springs structural analysis, and the crash test numerical simulation of the vehicle, including the safety cage, are described. The complexity of the design methodology of fiber-reinforced composite structures is compensated by the possibility of tailoring their mechanical characteristics and optimizing the overall weight of the car.

Mechanical Characterization of Gres Porcelain and Low-Velocity Impact Numerical Modeling.

The current investigation was conducted on gres porcelain stoneware, a robust, impermeable and aesthetically pleasing type of ceramic mainly used for flooring, characterizing its resistance to bending and low-velocity impact, both representative efforts to which flooring tiles are constantly subjected as a consequence of the fall of objects and microsubsidences. The mechanical characterization was made through experimental tests following an adapted low-velocity impact testing routine, and the model was by validated numerical simulation through the explicit code software LS-DYNA based on the Johnson⁻Holmquist constitutive material model. Specimens were tested before and after an annealing cycle industrially used to allow porcelain folding. The thermal treatment demonstrated to infer a decrease in mechanical resistance on the material, understood as a consequence of its elevated maximum temperature and fast cooling rate. The numerical model calibrated successfully allows predicting the behavior of gres porcelain before and after annealing against low-velocity impact.