Convex mirrors are universally used as rear-view mirrors in automobiles. However, the ocular accommodative responses during the use of these mirrors have not yet been examined. This study investigated the effects of a convex mirror on the ocular accommodative systems. Seven young adults with normal visual functions were ordered to ...

There are many situations where it is necessary to hear, understand and be able to recall spoken information in less than ideal listening conditions. For example within an aircraft cabin where, despite improvements in modern passenger aircraft, noise generated from aircraft engines and aerodynamic airflow make it difficult to hear ...

For magnetic particle imaging (MPI), specific absorption rate (SAR) and more critically magnetostimulation (i.e., dB/dt) safety limits will determine the optimal scan parameters, such as the drive field strength and frequency. These parameters will impact the scanning speed, field-of-view (FOV) and signalto- noise ratio (SNR) in MPI. Understanding the potential ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety, stability, and performance of the broad-spectrum, light-based contact hearing device (CHD) on listeners with hearing impairment. STUDY DESIGN: Feasibility study. SETTING: Single-site research and development facility. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen participants with symmetric mild-to-severe sensorineural hearing impairment had the CHD placed bilaterally. INTERVENTION: A custom-molded light-activated tympanic ...

Motor vehicle crashes involving civilian and emergency vehicles (EVs) have been a known problem that contributes to fatal and nonfatal injuries; however, characteristics associated with civilian drivers have not been examined adequately. This study used data from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National ...

Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) is a widely used UV filter characterized by good absorbing properties; however, it shows light susceptibility (photoinstability) and potential skin permeation. This paper describes the application of a new particulate carrier to improve OMC safety and photostability. The UV filter was included into the pores of the ...

Motivational models of driving behaviour agree that choice of speed is modulated by drivers' goals. Whilst it is accepted that some goals favour fast driving and others favour safe driving, little is known about the interplay of these conflicting goals. In the present study, two aspects of this interplay are ...

A two-pronged effort to quantify the impact of lighting on traffic safety is presented. In the statistical approach, the effects of lighting on crash frequency for different intersection types in Minnesota were assessed using count regression models. The models included many geometric and traffic control variables to estimate the association ...

Bicycles held an important position in transportation of China and other developing countries. As accidents rate involving electronic and regular bicycles is increasing, the severity of the bicycle safety problem should be paid more attention to. The current research explored the effect of sunshields (a kind of affordable traffic facility ...

'Safety floors' (also known as 'compliant floors') may reduce the risk of fall-related injuries by attenuating impact force during falls, but are only practical if they do not negatively affect balance and mobility. In this study, we evaluated seven safety surfaces based on their ability to attenuate peak femoral neck ...

Retinal implants offer prospects of vision restoration for some blind patients by eliciting visual percepts of spots of light called 'phosphenes'. Recently, a mathematical model has been developed that predicts patients' perception of phosphene brightness for current-driven electrical stimulation of the retina. This model is explored for different stimulation parameters ...

Road traffic sounds are a major source of noise pollution in urban areas. But recent developments such as low noise pavements and hybrid/electric engine vehicles cast an optimistic outlook over such an environmental problem. However, it can be argued that engine, tire, and road noise could be relevant sources of ...

Electrically based vehicles have produced some concern over their lack of sound, but the impact of artificial sounds now being implemented have not been examined in respect to their effects upon the driver. The impact of two different implementations of vehicle sound on driver stress in electric vehicles was examined. ...

High noise levels in the workplace are a significant health hazard to employees. Dealing with high noise levels can be a difficult and expensive undertaking, but it is also necessary. Insulated curtain walls represent a cost-effective and flexible alternative to classic methods used for noise abatement and bring their own ...

Eight subjects with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) (47.13 ± 7.83 years) and 8 matched controls (46.29 ± 7.27 years) manipulated a test object fitted with an accelerometer and force sensor, both before and after hand muscle fatigue. Grip force and object acceleration were recorded and used to calculate grip force ...

Purpose:  To examine the basis of previous findings of an association between indices of driving safety and visual motion sensitivity and to examine whether this association could be explained by low-level changes in visual function. Methods:  A total of 36 visually normal participants (aged 19-80 years) completed a battery of standard ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate use of helmets, lights, and visible clothing among cyclists and to examine trip and personal characteristics associated with their use. METHODS: Using data from a study of transportation infrastructure and injuries to 690 adult cyclists in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, ...

Eight subjects with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) (47.13 ± 7.83 years) and 8 matched controls (46.29 ± 7.27 years) manipulated a test object fitted with an accelerometer and force sensor, both before and after hand muscle fatigue. Grip force and object acceleration were recorded and used to calculate grip force ...

Light curing has become increasingly popular for orthodontic bonding, partly as a result of improvements in light-curing unit technology and higher light intensities. The aim of this study was to determine orthodontists' knowledge of dental light-curing units, their safety aspects, and the possible effects on color perception. Questionnaires were administered ...

An earlier report describing a lack of compensation to imposed myopic and hyperopic defocus in chicks reared in UV lighting has led to the belief that the spatial resolving power of the UV cone photoreceptor network in chicks is not capable of decoding optical defocus. However this study used dim ...

The influence of amendments to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, requiring conspicuity treatments on heavy tractors and trailers, was determined in analyses of the odds of fatal collisions in darkness. Comparisons were made between crashes in which conspicuity treatment was likely relevant, and those in which it was ...

This study was performed between 2004 and 2011 at mail sorting facilities in Sweden. During this time, different interventions were performed. The first was a lighting intervention that had a positive impact on the postal workers, especially those with eyestrain. A new lighting system also improved the illuminance and gave ...

The extensor carpi ulnaris musculotendinous unit has important agonist and antagonist action in wrist motion, including the dart-throwing action, and is a dynamic stabilizer of the distal radioulnar joint during forearm rotation. Despite its functional and clinical importance, little is known about its internal structure. Investigation of the ultrastructure of ...

Little is known about the sensory abilities of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) compared with other fishes. Despite their role as apex predators in most marine and some freshwater habitats, interspecific variations in visual function are especially poorly studied. Of particular interest is whether they possess colour vision and, if ...

PURPOSE: An initial step in the understanding of Achilles tendon dynamics is to investigate the effects of passive motion, thereby minimising muscle activation and reducing internal joint forces. Internal tendon dynamics during passive ankle joint motion have direct implications for clinical rehabilitation protocols after Achilles tendon surgery. The aim of ...

For a long time, motorcycles were the only vehicles with daytime running lights (DRLs), but this conspicuity advantage has been questioned due to the rapidly increasing introduction of DRLs on cars as well. The present experiment was designed to assess effects of car DRLs on motorcycle perception in a situation ...

Pathologies of the wrist, such as fractures or instabilities, can lead to alterations in joint biomechanics. Accurate treatment of these pathologies is a frequent challenge for the surgeon. For biomechanical investigations, a test-setup that applies physiological loading of the wrist joint is necessary. A force controlled test-bench with agonistic and ...

The stridulation of the giant pill-millipede genus Sphaerotherium from South Africa, one of only three groups of millipedes that produce sounds, was studied. One hundred one stridulation series of a total of nine different species (Sphaerotherium dorsaloide, Sphaerotherium hanstroemi, Sphaerotherium mahaium, Sphaerotherium similare, Sphaerotherium punctulatum, Sphaerotherium convexitarsum, Sphaerotherium dorsale, Sphaerotherium ...

Five elite gymnasts performed giant circles on the high bar under different conditions of loading (without and with 6-kg loads attached to the shoulders, waist or ankles). Comparing the gymnasts' kinematic pattern of movement with that of a triple-pendulum moving under the sole influence of non-muscular forces revealed qualitative similarities, ...

We used behavioral techniques to assess the hearing sensitivity of four, critically endangered, giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Study subjects included one adult male (age 19), two adult females (ages 5 and 19), and one sub-adult female (age 3). We used a down-up staircase presentation order and a ...

The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of wrist tendon vibration on a multijoint elbow/shoulder tracking task. We hypothesized that tendon vibration applied at the wrist musculature would improve upper arm tracking performance in chronic stroke survivors through increased, Ia-afferent feedback to the central nervous system (CNS). ...

The male-produced bicyclic acetal endo-brevicomin is a component of the pheromone blend that mediates colonization of host pines by the bark beetle Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann. Efforts to identify its behavioral function have been complicated by contrasting reports that it either enhances or reduces attraction of flying beetles. Our studies failed ...

Trap designs for banana root borer, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), have been done essentially on the understanding that C. sordidus rely primarily on chemical cues. Our present results indicate that these borers also rely on visual cues. Previous studies have demonstrated that among the eight differently colored traps tested ...

Controversy exists on stretching and warm-up in injury prevention. We hypothesized that warm up has a greater effect on Achilles tendon biomechanics than static stretching. This study investigated static stretching and warm-up on Achilles tendon biomechanics in recreational athletes, in vivo. Ten active, healthy subjects, 5 males, 5 females, With ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Ifakara tent traps (ITT) are currently the only sufficiently sensitive, safe, affordable and practical method for routine monitoring host seeking mosquito densities in Dar es Salaam. However, it is not clear whether ITT catches represent indoors or outdoors biting densities. ITT do not yield samples of resting, fed ...

The biting cycle of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Diptera: Culicidae) was assessed by hourly light trap collections in three villages in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. Hourly catches were conducted in two houses in each village, for four consecutive nights. Light traps were set from 18.00 hours to 07.00 hours ...

The 'paddy paradox', the occurrence of large populations of vectors but low amounts of malaria transmission where irrigated rice is grown, was investigated in a village in Ghana where M form Anopheles gambiae are common. Peridomestic and indoor host-seeking mosquitoes were collected in tent traps and light traps over 21 ...

Restricting the angular range in which a photovoltaic system emits light, is a promising but rather unexplored approach to enhance conversion efficiency. In this paper we analyze and discuss the effect of a directionally selective filter on the absorption of light and the generation of charge carriers in a germanium ...

We conducted two experiments to determine the best CDC-trap configuration for catching male and female Phlebotomus papatasi. First, visual features were evaluated. Standard CDC traps were modified to have black or white catch bags, black or white lids, or no lids and these were tried in different combinations. Significantly more ...

We conducted trapping experiments for the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in Michigan, U.S.A., and Ontario, Canada, to compare unbaited light green sticky prism traps with traps baited with phoebe oil, (Z)-3-hexenol (Z3-6:OH), or blends of other green leaf volatiles (GLVs) with Z3-6:OH. Traps were placed in ...

Periodic alternations of the interaural correlation of a noise stimulus evoke an auditory steady state response that can be measured at the scalp, providing an objective measure of binaural integration. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of interaural level differences on this steady state response. Auditory ...

We show that light trapping and releasing can be switched by a mechanic tuning effect in metamaterial waveguides. The transition mechanism between the trapping and releasing states relies on the synergetic effect of the local Bragg reflection and cavity resonance in the waveguides. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, a heterostructured metamaterial ...

We demonstrate for the first time the dielectrophoretic trapping and manipulation of a whole animal, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We studied the effect of the electric field on the nematode as a function of field intensity and frequency. We identified a range of electric field intensities and frequencies that trap ...

We designed solar-blind deep-ultraviolet semiconductor photodetectors using individual Ga2O3 nanobelts. The photoconductive behavior was systematically studied. The photodetectors demonstrate high selectivity towards 250 nm light, fast response times of less than 0.3 s, and a large photocurrent to dark current ratio of up to 4 orders of magnitude. The photoresponse ...

The kairomone octenol is known as attractive to hematophagous Diptera such as mosquitoes, tsetse flies, and midges. There is little evidence that traps baited with octenol are also effective in attracting phlebotomine sand flies. The present report evaluated octenol in modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traps in ...

Trap-building, sit-and-wait predators such as spiders, flies and antlions tend to have low standard metabolic rates (SMRs) but potentially high metabolic costs of trap construction. Members of the genus Arachnocampa (glowworms) use an unusual predatory strategy: larvae bioluminesce to lure positively phototropic insects into their adhesive webs. We investigated the ...

We report a novel method for characterizing the stiffness of white light supercontinuum tweezers, in which the nonlinear photonic crystal fiber used for supercontinuum generation is also utilized as an effective confocal pinhole to track the motion of a trapped bead and as a scan head to realize rapid scanning ...

Adult triatomines occasionally fly into artificially lit premises in Amazonia. This can result in Trypanosoma cruzi transmission to humans either by direct contact or via foodstuff contamination, but the frequency of such behaviour has not been quantified. To address this issue, a light-trap was set 45 m above ground in ...

Our objective was to study and evaluate the richness and diversity of Phlebotominae fauna in the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve (DBBR) in the state of Espírito Santo, in southeastern Brazil. Sand fly collections were carried out during four consecutive nights each month between August 2007 and July 2008 at DBBR ...

The possible effect of moonlight on the biting behaviour of mosquitoes in southern Mozambique, in particular that of Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae), a primary vector of malaria, was investigated by comparing catches indoors and outdoors using CDC light traps and 'Furvela' tent traps, respectively, for 35 consecutive nights, from 9 ...