Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the vision quality using double-pass technique in eyes with corrected refractive errors and emmetropic eyes.

PURPOSE To evaluate the vision quality by measuring the objective light scatter index and objective optical quality parameters (Strehl Ratio and Modulation Transfer Function) in patients with emmetropia and ametropia. METHODS This prospective, cross-sectional study included 408 eyes. The ametropic group comprised of eyes with best-corrected visual acuity of 0.0 logMAR or better and present at least a refractive error of ≥0.25 D. Patients underwent slit lamp examination, visual acuity, refraction, and vision quality using the HD Analyzer. RESULTS The mean objective light scatter indices were 0.62 ± 0.63, 0.77 ± 0.70, 0.74 ± 0.30, 0.93 ± 0.55, and 0.85 ± 0.61, and mean Strehl Ratio and Modulation Transfer Function scores were 38.17 ± 10.4, 37.37 ± 10.06, 29.84 ± 9.71, 33.2 ± 12.11, and 33.13 ± 10.09 in emmetropes, myopia, hyperopia, spherical equivalent of ≥0, and spherical equivalent of <0, respectively. Differences in all variables were significant between emmetropic and corrected hyperopic and between spherical equivalent of ≥0, and spherical equivalent of <0 eyes (p<0.05). CONCLUSION In spectacle-corrected conditions (with trial frames), emmetropic and simple myopic eyes had significantly better vision quality compared to hyperopic and astigmatic eyes. The clinical significance of these results should be investigated in further studies.
Comparison of web plate numerical models for self‐centering steel plate shear walls

Previous research has shown that self‐centering steel plate shear walls (SC‐SPSWs) are capable of achieving enhanced seismic performance at multiple hazard levels, including recentering following design‐level earthquakes. When modeling SC‐SPSWs numerically, these studies considered an idealized tension‐only steel plate shear wall (SPSW) web plate behavior. Research has shown that web plate behavior is more complex than predicted by the idealized model, and web plates can provide more strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation than predicted by the idealized model. The idealized model of web plate behavior is used widely in SPSW numerical models where the moment‐resisting boundary frame provides supplemental hysteretic damping and stiffness; however, in SC‐SPSWs, where the post‐tensioned boundary frame is designed to remain elastic during an earthquake, accounting for the more complex web plate behavior can have a significant impact on seismic performance estimates from numerical simulation. This paper presents different methods for modeling SC‐SPSWs. Responses from these models are compared with experimental results. A simple modification of the tension‐only model, referred to as the tension‐compression strip model, is shown to provide a reasonable approximation of SC‐SPSW behavior. Results from nonlinear response history analyses of SC‐SPSWs with the tension‐only and tension‐compression web plate models are compared to assess how the approximation of web plate behavior affects SC‐SPSW seismic performance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication and Characterization of Polymeric Pharmaceutical Emulgel Co-Loaded with Eugenol and Linalool for the Treatment of Trichophyton rubrum Infections

Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) is the main cause of chronic dermatophytosis which is highly prevalent worldwide. This study was aimed to fabricate and characterize polymeric emulgel of eugenol and linalool for the treatment of T. rubrum infections. Using the slow emulsification method, the emulgel was prepared and characterized for thermodynamic stability, pH analysis, viscosity, spreadability, swelling behavior, %drug content, surface morphology, globules size, polydispersity index, surface charge (mV), thermal behavior, in vitro drug release and XRD studies. Biological activities of emulgel were conducted against T. rubrum in vitro and in vivo. Results indicated that emulgel formulations were thermodynamically stable. The pH of the formulations was within an acceptable range for skin. The viscosity and spreadability were optimum for the better patient compliance. The swelling behavior was 111.10 ± 1.25% after 90 min. The drug content was within the official pharmacopeia limit i.e., 100 ± 10%. The surface morphology revealed by scanning electron microscopy showed a spherical-shaped structure with characteristic larger cracks and wrinkles. The droplet size, PDI, and surface charge of the optimized emulgel were 888.45 ± 8.78 nm, 0.44 and −20.30 mV, respectively. The emulgel released 84.32% of eugenol and 76.93% of linalool after 12 h. There was complete disappearance of the diffraction peaks corresponding to the drugs after XRD analysis. In rabbits, the infection was safely and completely recovered after 12 days and the emulgel produced significant effects (p < 0.05) similar to the standard product Clotrim®. It is concluded that the eugenol–linalool emulgel best described all its physical properties and can be applied topically for the treatment of T. rubrum infections.
Dimensionality of the Chinese CES-D: Is It Stable across Gender, Time, and Samples?

Depression is a common mental illness among Chinese adolescents. Although the Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) has been widely used in diverse populations, the reported factor structures are inconsistent, and its longitudinal invariance is under-researched. This study examined the psychometric properties and factorial invariance across gender and time of the CES-D among Chinese adolescents. Adolescents aged above 11 years from five schools in Chengdu responded to a questionnaire at Wave 1 (n = 5690). Among them, 4981 participants completed the same questionnaire after six months (Wave 2). The matched sample was composed of 4922 students (51.5% were girls; mean age = 13.15 years) at Wave 1. We used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the factor structure and performed multi-group CFA to test the factorial invariance across gender and time. A three-factor solution was identified, including “positive affect”, “somatic complaints”, and “depressed affect”. Results of multi-group CFA comparisons supported the factorial invariance of the resultant three-factor solution. Using a new sample of Chinese adolescents in Southwestern China, the present study reproduced earlier findings on adolescents in other areas in China. This study has implications for depression assessment and research in Chinese adolescents.
Conducting a Qualitative Return on Investment: Determining Whether to Migrate to Blackboard[TM]

In 1998, a state university received grant funding to convert their Special Education Blindness and Visual Impairment graduate degree program to an online format. At that time, commercial web course management systems were not accessible to blind and visually impaired users. As a result, grant designers developed a custom, accessible platform, which led to accessibility standards for online courses and to an award-winning design and interface. In 2002, the university licensed BlackboardTM and encouraged the migration of all online delivered courses to this standardized system. After determining that the newer version met accessibility standards, the instructional design staff conducted a qualitative return on investment analysis to evaluate whether the migration to BlackboardTM would cause losses in instructional and interface quality. This paper explores the pro cess for developing a qualitative return on investment and how the benefits and tradeoffs were analyzed related to maintaining an internally developed system versus migrating to BlackboardTM.
EGM Toolbox—Interface for Controlling ABB Robots in Simulink

The development of industrial robotics requires the use of increasingly sophisticated control algorithms. In modern tasks posed by industry, it is not sufficient for the manipulator to move along a programmed path, reaching individual points with the greatest accuracy. There is a need for solutions that can allow detection and avoidance of obstacles appearing on the robot’s path and that can compensate the path for low-repetitive workpieces, adjust the strength of the impact of manipulator tools on the workpiece or enable safe cooperation of manipulators with people. To support this development, this work proposes an interface for controlling industrial robots in the Simulink environment. With its use, we can easily test our control algorithms using an external controller without the need to write an extensive program in the RAPID language. The robot controller’s task is to control the drives to achieve the set trajectory.
Design and implementation of an integrated dynamic vision system for autonomous systems operating in uncertain domains

In recent years unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have been successfully used in a wide variety of applications. Their value as surveillance platforms has been proven repeatedly in both military and civilian domains. As substitutes to human inhabited aircraft, they fulfill missions that are dull, dirty and dangerous. Representative examples of successful use of UAS are in areas including battlefield assessment, reconnaissance, port security, wildlife protection, wildfire detection, search and rescue missions, border security, resource exploration and oil spill detection. The reliance of almost every UAS application on the ability to sense, detect, see and avoid from a distance has motivated this thesis, attempting to further investigate this issue. In particular, among the various types of UAS, small scale unmanned rotorcraft or Vertically Take-off and Landing, (VTOL) vehicles have been chosen to serve as the sensor carrier platforms because of their operational flexibility. In this work we address the problem of object identification and tracking in a largely unknown dynamic environment under the additional constraint of real-time operation and limited computational power. In brief, the scope of this thesis can be stated as follows: Design a vision system for a small autonomous helicopter that will be able to: Identify arbitrary objects using a minimal description model and a-priori knowledge; Track objects of interest; Operate in real-time; Operate in a largely unknown, dynamically changing, outdoors environment under the following constraints: Limited processing power and payload; Low cost, off-the-shelf components. The main design directives remain that of real-time execution and low price, high availability components. It is in a sense an investigation for the minimum required hardware and algorithmic complexity to accomplish the desired tasks. After development, the system was evaluated as to its suitability in an array of applications. The ones that were chosen for that purpose were: Detection of semi-concealed objects; Detection of a group of ground robots; Traffic monitoring. Adequate performance was demonstrated in all of the above cases.
Experimental Study on Evaluation of Replacing Minimum Web Reinforcement with Discrete Fibers in RC Deep Beams

This study investigates the possibility of replacing the minimum web reinforcement in deep beams with discrete fibers. Additionally, the equivalent dosage of fibers required to obtain similar performance of the deep beam with minimum web reinforcement is investigated. Deep beams made of plain concrete with no fibers, beams with minimum web reinforcement as per AASHTO LFRD recommendations (0.3% in both horizontal and vertical), and with a 0.5% volume fraction of steel, macro-synthetic and hybrid fibers are tested at a shear span to height ratio (a/h) of one. Test results show that the presence of 0.3% web reinforcement in horizontal and vertical directions increased the peak load by 25% compared to the plain concrete beams. However, it did not significantly change the first diagonal crack load. With the addition of 0.5% of steel, macro-synthetic and hybrid fibers, the peak load increased by 49%, 42%, and 63%, respectively, compared to the plain concrete specimen. The addition of steel fibers significantly improved the first cracking load. In contrast, macro-synthetic fibers did not affect the first cracking load but improved the ductility with higher deflections at peak. Hybridization of steel and macro synthetic fibers showed improved performance compared to the individual fibers of the same volume in peak load and ductility. Test results showed that a 0.5% volume fraction of discrete macro steel or synthetic or hybrid fibers can be used to completely replace the minimum web reinforcement (0.3% in both directions).
A route guidance system of a traffic network

This paper presents a traffic control system, an optimal route guidance algorithm and an evaluation algorithm of mean travel time. The traffic control system is constructed by combining a route guidance system and a traffic signal control system. The optimal route guidance algorithm is derived from Dijkstra's algorithm weighted by the mean travel time of each link. The mean travel time is evaluated by taking account of traffic congestion lengths, traffic signal control parameters, moving directions at the downstream signalized intersection and so on. The optimal route guidance algorithm is simulated and compared with actual measurement values in a traffic network.
Exploratory Analysis of Motor Carrier Accident Risk And Daily Driving Patterns

Interstate motor carriers are subject to limitations on the hours that their drivers may be on-duty and driving. The regulations include a requirement that a driver be off-duty for a minimum of 8 hours after driving for 10 hours or being on-duty for 15 hours. There are also cumulative restrictions for on-duty time over several days: 70 hours on duty in 8 days for carriers operating 7 days a week and 60 hours in 7 days or those operating 5 days a week. These limitations, referred to as the hours of service regulations, were initiated in the 1930's. Since then the U.S. highway system has changed dramatically as has the nature of the trucking business and the technology of the vehicles. Despite these changes, there have been rather limited attempts to assess the safety implications of the hours of service for contemporary conditions.
Integrated tactile-optical coordinate measurement for the reverse engineering of complex geometry

Complex design specifications and tighter tolerances are increasingly required in modern engineering applications, either for functional or aesthetic demands. Multiple sensors are therefore exploited to achieve both holistic measurement information and improved reliability or reduced uncertainty of measurement data. Multi-sensor integration systems can combine data from several information sources (sensors) into a common representational format in order that the measurement evaluation can benefit from all available sensor information and data. This means a multi-sensor system is able to provide more efficient solutions and better performances than a single sensor based system. This thesis develops a compensation approach for reverse engineering applications based on the hybrid tactile-optical multi-sensor system. In the multi-sensor integration system, each individual sensor should be configured to its optimum for satisfactory measurement results. All the data measured from different equipment have to be precisely integrated into a common coordinate system. To solve this problem, this thesis proposes an accurate and flexible method to unify the coordinates of optical and tactile sensors for reverse engineering. A sphere-plate artefact with nine spheres is created and a set of routines are developed for data integration of a multi-sensor system. Experimental results prove that this novel centroid approach is more accurate than the traditional method. Thus, data sampled by different measuring devices, irrespective of their location can be accurately unified. This thesis describes a competitive integration for reverse engineering applications where the point cloud data scanned by the fast optical sensor is compensated and corrected by the slower, but more accurate tactile probe measurement to improve its overall accuracy. A new competitive approach for rapid and accurate reverse engineering of geometric features from multi-sensor systems based on a geometric algebra approach is proposed and a set of programs based on the MATLAB platform has been generated for the verification of the proposed method. After data fusion, the measurement efficiency is improved 90% in comparison to the tactile method and the accuracy of the reconstructed geometric model is improved from 45 micrometres to 7 micrometres in comparison to the optical method, which are validated by case study.
Young Driver Emotions Relate To Their Intention To Engage In Cellphone Distraction

Young drivers’ disproportionate involvement in road crashes due to cellphone distractions calls for remedial programs. Development of such programs requires an understanding of the reasons behind engagement in distractions and identifying factors to leverage, such as emotions. This investigation sought to determine how young drivers’ intention to engage in cellphone distractions is associated with negative emotions. An online survey was administered to 99 young drivers (18 to 25). Participants rated their intention to engage in cellphone distractions while driving and their anticipation of negative emotions while doing so. Our results showed an association between anticipating negative emotions and the intention to engage in cellphone distractions while driving. There was no difference between males and females in their reported intention. However, females reported greater anticipation of negative emotions compared to males. These findings have implications for emotion-based manipulations aimed at reducing distracted driving among young drivers.
Isolation of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria From The Atmospheric Air In Hospital Wards And Outdoor Areas In Kuwait During Sandstorms

Aim: Antibiotic resistance is a public health concern that is linked to increased mortality, morbidity, extended hospital stays, decreased productivity, and therefore, increased financial implications. The source and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance have been linked to environmental factors, including dust storms. There is clear evidence that there has been a rapid increase in temperature in the past decades which increases the risk of sandstorms in places that had never previously experienced this phenomenon. The aim of this study is to isolate medically important micro-organisms in atmospheric air samples from outdoor spaces and inside hospital wards during sandstorms and to characterize their antimicrobial sensitivity profiles to common antibiotics.Findings: Eighty-four colonies were isolated from the target sites and identified as Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Bacillus spp. , Acinetobacter spp. , from hospital air samples, and Pseudomonas spp. , and Staphylococcus spp. from outdoor air samples. Multi-drug resistance patterns were observed for isolates obtained from both indoor and outdoor air samples. PCR showed 6.5% of S. aureus contained mecA. Conclusion: This finding supports the notion that atmospheric air during dust storms can be counted as a source of antibiotic resistant bacteria which merits more attention especially with global warming and climate change contributing to extreme weather events.
Convergence Analysis on Normal and Atherosclerotic Blood Vessel Finite Element Models

Analysis of blood vessel mechanics in normal and diseased conditions is essential for disease research, medical device design and treatment planning. In this work, 3D finite element models of normal vessel and atherosclerotic vessels with 50% and 90% plaque deposition were developed and were meshed using Delaunay triangulation method. The developed models were simulated using actual blood pressure signals. In this paper, the results of the convergence analysis on the developed models are presented. Results demonstrate that the solution takes less time to converge for the case of normal vessel model. Whereas, for vessels with plaque deposition, the solution takes more time to converge.
Verbal abuse facing Saudi nurses during internship program

Background: Verbal abuse, in the context of workplace violence, is increasing, with nurses at high liability of being subjected to it since they are the first line of care delivery. This phenomenon is now receiving greater recognition due to its negative impact on nurses. This study aims to assess the prevalence of verbal abuse faced by Saudi nursing intern students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via a modified online questionnaire completed by Saudi intern nurses in Jeddah in March 2020. Descriptive statistical analysis was executed using statistical software SPSS Version 21.Results: From a total of 132 nurses, 94 participants met the study criteria. The findings show that 39.4% of Saudi intern nurses have experienced verbal abuse. The common perpetrators are patient/client (73%) and other staff members (73%), followed by patients’ relatives (45.9%). 48.6% of the participants did not report incidences of verbal abuse, commonly citing fear of the negative consequences (51.4%) and not knowing who to report it to (45.9%). A significant relation between working night shifts (6 pm to 7 am) and being verbally abused was found.Conclusions: Saudi nursing interns are vulnerable to verbal abuse. This study’s results highlight the possible risk to nursing interns, which may be diminished by modifying perceptions of verbal abuse and by clarifying the rules and regulations for both nursing interns and suspected perpetrators. We recommend future studies of verbal abuse are conducted in larger groups of nurses across different provinces in Saudi Arabia.
The use of Key Performance Indicator in Malaysian Government-Linked Company

Government-linked companies (GLCs) play an important role in the development of the Malaysian economy. To enhance performance in GLCs, Malaysian government introduced GLC Transformation program. The first initiative in GLCT is to intensifying performance management systems. The GLC Blue-Book as a guidance in intensifying performance management and include suggested key performance indicator (KPI). However, the use of KPI always become an issues in the companies. The purpose of this article is to examine the use of KPI in one of Malaysian Government-Linked Companies. A qualitative case-study approach is applied using semi- structured interviews, participant observations and analysis of documents. This article illustrates the criteria of KPI linked with planning, information flow, linked with performance evaluation and control employees behavior at the organizational level based on the perceptions of the multi-level of employees from different departments. This article concludes the use of KPI linked with the planning, good information flow, linked with performance evaluation and influences the behavior and performance of employees.