The Effect Of Display Brightness On Visual Function For Young And Old Drivers

Nowadays outdoor advertising displays have become popular. Bright displays near the roads could cause drivers to experience disability or discomfort glare, especially at night. Disability glare increases with age, but discomfort glare thresholds are independent of age. The aim of the study was to assess a luminance level of displays, which causes glare for younger and older subjects. 24 young subjects age of 20 to 24 years and 13 older subjects age of 55 to 69 years participated in the study. The task was by using the method of adjustment to find out the acceptable level of display brightness when the recognition of high (>90%) contrast objects was comfortable. Measurements were done in a photopic and mesopic lighting conditions. Results showed that discomfort glare were larger in mesopic than in photopic lighting conditions (p < 0.001) for both age groups. Preferred display brightness in both lighting conditions did not significantly differ between age groups (p > 0.05). We can conclude that discomfort glare thresholds for displays with textual elements are independent of age.

The measurement of proprioceptive accuracy. A systematic literature review

Proprioceptive accuracy refers to the individual’s ability to perceive proprioceptive information, i.e., the information referring to the actual state of the locomotor system, that originates from mechanoreceptors located in various parts of the locomotor system and from tactile receptors of the skin. Proprioceptive accuracy appears an important aspect in the evaluation of sensorimotor functioning; however, no widely accepted standard assessment exists. In this systematic review, our goal was to identify and categorize different methods that are used to assess different aspects of proprioceptive accuracy. A literature search was conducted in five different databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect and SpringerLink). Overall, 1139 articles reporting 1346 methods were included in this review. The methods measure eight different aspects of proprioception, i.e., the perception of joint position, movement, trajectory, velocity and the sense of force, muscle tension, weight and size. They apply various paradigms of psychophysics (i.e. the method of adjustment, constant stimuli and limits). The appropriate measurement method should be chosen based on theoretical considerations or ecological validity.

ADJUSTMENT OF A PID REGULATOR USING TRANSIENT FUNCTION OF THE OPEN CONTROL LOOP

The problem of optimal adjustment of a PID regulator, which is basic algorithm for automatic control systems for thermal plants, remains relevant. A simple and practical method of adjustment the PID regulator, using the transient function of the open control clop in the time domain is offered, convenient for practical use. The optimal graph of the transient function of the open control loop should be a broken straight line with delay. By varying time constants of the integration and differentiation channels of the PID regulator, the graph of the transient function of the open control loop should be straightened, that is converted to a straight line with delay. Variating the proportionality factor of the regulator, the growth rate (slope of the graph) of the transient function should be made 0.52, relative to its delay. Adjusting the PID regulator according to the proposed method guarantees the minimal possible regulation time. The proposed method for adjusting the parameters of a PID regulator is recommended to be used both for the computer simulation of the regulation dynamics and for operating systems of automatic control.

Development of methods for equalizing level networks

The article is devoted to comparison of methods of calculating the approximate elevations of nodal points when adjusting leveling networks by strict and non-strict methods. Ensuring geomechanical monitoring of the mutual influence of constructed and operated objects is important in the intensive development of underground space of megacities, the construction of unique objects and structures. In the course of the research, mathematical models of level networks were developed and presented in the form of a closed loop and a set of open polygons. Analysis of modeling allows to determine the feasibility of applying the knot method by Professor V.V. Popov instead of the parametric method of adjustment. It is established that the quality of the results of strict equalization depends entirely on the quality of measurements, since deviations from the true values do not exceed the measurement error. The research has shown that it is possible to simplify the processing of monitoring data and evaluation of various configuration options for leveling networks, using algorithms for calculating approximate marks of nodal points. This makes it easier to process monitoring results and evaluate various network configuration options while ensuring the required level of measurement accuracy.

Unimpaired perception of relative depth from perspective cues in strabismus

Strabismus is a relatively common ophthalmological condition where the coordination of eye muscles to binocularly fixate a single point in space is impaired. This leads to deficits in vision and particularly in three-dimensional (3D) space perception. The exact nature of the deficits in 3D perception is poorly understood as much of understanding has relied on anecdotal reports or conjecture. Here, we investigated, for the first time, the perception of relative depth comparing strabismic and typically developed binocular observers. Specifically, we assessed the susceptibility to the depth cue of perspective convergence as well as the capacity to use this cue to make accurate judgements of relative depth. Susceptibility was measured by examining a 3D bias in making two-dimensional (2D) interval equidistance judgements and accuracy was measured by examining 3D interval equidistance judgements. We tested both monocular and binocular viewing of images of perspective scenes under two different psychophysical methods: two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) and the method of adjustment. The biasing effect of perspective information on the 2D judgements (3D cue susceptibility) was highly significant and comparable for both subject groups in both the psychophysical tasks (all p s < 0.001) with no statistically significant difference found between the two groups. Both groups showed an underestimation in the 3D task with no significant difference between the group's judgements in the 2AFC task, but a small statistically significant difference (ratio difference of approx. 10%, p = 0.016) in the method of adjustment task. A small but significant effect of viewing condition (monocular versus binocular) was revealed only in the non-strabismic group (ratio difference of approx. 6%, p = 0.002). Our results show that both the automatic susceptibility to, and accuracy in the use of, the perspective convergence cue in strabismus is largely comparable to that found in typically developed binocular vision, and have implications on the nature of the encoding of depth in the human visual system.

The Effect of Eccentricity of Concrete Specimen on Measured Value of Modulus of Elasticity

The measurement of the modulus of elasticity is a technologically demanding test and its correct implementation has a fundamental effect on the resulting measured value. The main influences that may affect the proper performance of the test include, for example, the shape and size of the test specimen, the method of obtaining the test specimen, the method of adjustment of contact area between specimen and hydraulic equipment, but also the eccentricity of the specimen in the test apparatus. The paper presents the results of an experiment focused on the influence of the eccentricity of the test specimen and the observance of standard measurement conditions. The standard determines the maximum strain difference on individual measuring sensors when the maximum test force is reached.

Modeling the COVID-19 dissemination in the South Region of Brazil and testing gradual mitigation strategies

This study aims to understand the features of the COVID-19 spread in the South Region of Brazil by estimating the Effective Reproduction Number (ERN) for the states of Paraná (PR), Rio Grande do Sul (RS), and Santa Catarina (SC). We used the SIRD (Susceptibles-Infectious-Recovered-Dead) model to describe the past data and to simulate strategies for the gradual mitigation of the epidemic curve by applying non-pharmacological measures. Besides the SIRD model does not include some aspects of COVID-19, as the symptomatic and asymptomatic subgroups of individuals and the incubation period, for example, in this work we intend to use a classical and easy to handle model to introduce a thorough method of adjustment that allows us to achieve reliable fitting for the real data and to obtain insights about the current trends for the pandemic in each locality. Our results demonstrate that for localities for which the ERN is about 2, only rigid measures are efficient to avoid overwhelming the health care system. These findings corroborate the relevance of keeping the value of the ERN below 1 and applying containment measures early.