Search results for "Hard"
showing 10 items of 2294 documents
Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity screening with a new iPad application
2016
We present a new iPad application (app) for a fast assessment of Visual Acuity (VA) and Contrast Sensitivity (CS) whose reliability and agreement was evaluated versus a commercial screening device (Optec 6500). The measurement of VA was programmed in the app in accordance with the Amblyopia Treatment Study protocol. The CS was measured with sinusoidal gratings of four different spatial frequencies: 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd at the same contrast values of the Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT) included in the Optec 6500. Forty-five healthy subjects with monocular corrected visual acuities better than 0.2 logMAR participated in the agreement study. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to assess…
Cocaine-related oronasal communication and hard palate destruction
2011
Four cases of midpalatal perforation in cocaine abusers are presented. Other potential etiological processes are discussed to establish an adequate differential diagnosis. These patients were treated at our department, due to the drawback promoted by the establishment of oronasal communication that was provided after an accurate diagnosis. Histopathological evaluation of the lesion margins were conducted in two of the four cases, and yielded no evidence of vasculitis or active cocaine abuse. Therapeutic approach consisted of reconstructive surgeries and/or sealing prostheses. Histological assessment of oronasal communication margins could be useful in establishing the persistence of active …
Early cortical processing of vection-inducing visual stimulation as measured by event-related brain potentials (ERP)
2019
Abstract Visual motion stimuli can induce the perception of self-motion in stationary observers (known as vection). In the present study, we investigated the sensory processing underlying vection by measuring the human event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by the movement onset of a visual stimulus. We presented participants a visual stimulus consisting of alternating black-and-white vertical bars that moved in horizontal direction, creating the sensation of vection. The stimulus was presented on a screen that was divided into a central and a surrounding peripheral visual area. Both areas moved independently from each other, resulting in four different movement patterns: the periph…
Predictors of visually induced motion sickness in women
2019
Abstract Background Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is commonly experienced when visual motion information is in conflict with motion information provided by the vestibular system and/or tactile and kinesthetic senses. According to some studies, women experience higher levels of VIMS than men, whereas other studies do not find this to be the case. Hypothesis This study investigated whether gender differences can be attributed to changes in VIMS-susceptibility due to the menstrual cycle and perceived menstrual pain. We hypothesized that higher perceived menstrual pain correlates positively with VIMS susceptibility. Methods We measured the influence of estimated concentrations of four…
Software/Hardware Issues in Modelling Insect Brain Architecture
2011
The concept of cognitive abilities is commonly associated to humans and animals like mammals, birds and others. Nevertheless, in the last years several research groups have intensified the studies on insects that posses a much simpler brain structure even if they are able to show interesting memory and learning capabilities. In this paper a survey on some key results obtained in a joint research activity among Engineers and Neurogeneticians is reported. They were focussed toward the design and implementation of a model of the insect brain inspired by the Drosophila melanogaster. Particular attention was paid to the main neural centers the Mushroom Bodies and the Central Complex. Moreover a …
Evaluation of a lattice-Boltzmann method for mercury intrusion porosimetry simulations
2004
We have simulated intrusion of a non-wetting liquid into pores of varying shape and size. Simulations were based on the lattice-Boltzmann method and the Shan–Chen multiphase model. The liquid–solid contact angle for pores with circular cross-section was found to be equal to that for pores with square cross-section, and constant even for small pore sizes if the discretised shape of the circular cross-section was taken into account. For comparison, contact angle was also determined for a liquid column descending in a capillary tube, and the results were found to be consistent. Application of the method to mercury intrusion porosimetry is discussed.
Single Event Transients and Pulse Quenching Effects in Bandgap Reference Topologies for Space Applications
2016
An architectural performance comparison of bandgap voltage reference variants, designed in a $0.18~\mu \text {m}$ CMOS process, is performed with respect to single event transients. These are commonly induced in microelectronics in the space radiation environment. Heavy ion tests (Silicon, Krypton, Xenon) are used to explore the analog single-event transients and have revealed pulse quenching mechanisms in analogue circuits. The different topologies are compared, in terms of cross-section, pulse duration and pulse amplitude. The measured results, and the explanations behind the findings, reveal important guidelines for designing analog integrated circuits, which are intended for space appli…
Applying Minimalism in the Real World: Results From a Workshop
2020
Minimalism is a user-centered, contextual and goal-oriented approach to technical communication originally developed by John M. Carroll (1990). In minimalism, the aim is to produce user documentation that focuses on the user’s needs, helps the user recover from error situations, and strengthens the user’s skills in working with the system (Carroll & van der Meij 1995: 245). The challenge with minimalism has been its practical application: although user-centeredness – the core of minimalism – is the key issue in technical communication, the abstract nature of the approach and its focus on software documentation has made it difficult to apply in industry settings (Virtaluoto, Suojanen & Isohe…
Vastuullisuusarvot suomalaisten tekstiiliyritysten tarinoissa
2022
Textile industry causes significant negative environmental and social impacts. Sustainability in the industry has lately yielded more and more research interest, however, sustainability communication is underresearched area. In this paper, we will focus on sustainability communications in the Finnish textile industry through the stories of companies in their webpages. Storytelling has traditionally been a mode of transmitting, producing and reproducing the culture. Stories produce a structure in the reality, explain phenomena and concretize abstract concepts. In this research, we approach the stories as rhetorical devises, which address, attract and connect the reader to the company behind …
Minimalism for the Win : User-Centered Design for Guidance in Industrial Maintenance
2022
Background: We conducted an exploratory study to test the delivery of technical instructions built on the principles of minimalism. The aim was to investigate how we could support target users’ skill levels in a context-sensitive manner. Literature review: Related work examines minimalism, user needs and profiling, and industrial maintenance and technician experience. Research questions: 1. How can the semantic structure of DITA XML be utilized in delivering technical information to users based on their skill levels? 2. How would a layered system of information support the principles of minimalism? Methodology: We created material and tested the concept in user studies with maintenance pers…