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PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of water drinking test and dark room provocative testing (WDT + DRPT) in current clinical practice by evaluating input parameters from Swept-source Optical Coherence Tomography (SS-OCT) images, and to determine if clinical factors like axial length, central endothelial cell count (CECC) and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFL) thickness are associated with a positive WDT + DRPT.METHODS: SS-OCT examination was performed in consecutive subjects presenting as new patients in the outpatient clinic aged > 40 years. If at least one eye met the inclusion criteria (anterior chamber angles RESULTS: A total of 95 subjects with a mean age of 64 years were included. There was an association between IOP increase after WDT + DRPT and anterior chamber angle characteristics, however this was not of clinical significance. No positive results after WDT + DRPT were found in patients with anterior chamber angles ≥ 20°.CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate that this combined provocative test has no definite correlative or predictive value in angle closure disease. Further, the test is not useful in predicting early diagnosis or possible CECC or RNFL loss.

A nighttime nap is expected to mitigate melatonin suppression during night work by blocking light input to the retina, but it is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a nap break on melatonin level, subjective sleepiness, and vigilance performance during simulated night work. Eleven healthy young males (mean +/- SD age: 22.2 +/- 4.1 years) participated in counterbalanced crossover design experiments with two conditions (nap vs. no nap). The subjects performed I 2-hour simulated night work from 21:00 to 09:00 h (illuminance: similar to 500 lx). Subjects with a nap condition took a nap for 2 hours in a dark room from 03:00, si bile subjects with a no nap condition continued the simulated night work. The results showed that immediately after the 2-h nap break, the melatonin level at 05:00 h temporarily recovered from light-induced melatonin suppression during the simulated night work but significantly suppressed again at 07:00 and 09:00 h. Subjective alertness and vigilance performance were impaired immediately after the nap break but subsequently enhanced. The results suggest that a single nap break for 2 hours could be a strategy to enhance alertness (luring the last part of night shift but inadequate for mitigating melatonin suppression.

espanolLa habitacion oscura (2013) de Isaac Rosa advierte, a traves de tecnicas discursivas como las analepsis y las prolepsis, enumeraciones ascendentes, prestamos de tecnicas cinematograficas, entre otras, que la libertad prometida por el sistema neoliberal es una ilusion que tiene como objetivo crear en el individuo la idea de independencia laboral cuando en realidad inocula en el la necesidad de producir constantemente, cumplir con las exigencias autoimpuestas y, de este modo, mantener su estatus o ascender a otro. La autoexplotacion de los protagonistas de la novela es una de las representaciones de la violencia positiva, la cual es imperceptible y, por ello, mas nociva y peligrosa debido a que los sujetos no se percatan del dano autoinflingido hasta que es demasiado tarde. En este sentido, el cuarto oscuro que un grupo de amigos comparten durante quince anos se transforma en el espacio para alejarse del vertigo, el bullicio y las obligaciones que trasfiguran a la persona en prisionera de sus propios mandatos y las demandas implicitas del sistema neoliberal. EnglishThe Dark Room (2013) by Isaac Rosa warns, through discursive techniques such as analepsis and prolepsis, ascending enumerations, borrowing from cinematographic techniques, among others, that the freedom promised by the neoliberal system is an illusion that aims to create in the individual the idea of ​​labor independence when in fact it inoculates in them the need to constantly produce, meet self-imposed demands and, in this way, maintain their status or advance to another. The self-exploitation of the protagonists of the novel is one of the representations of positive violence, which is imperceptible and, therefore, more harmful and dangerous because the subjects do not realize the self-inflicted damage until it is too late. In this sense, the dark room that a group of friends share for fifteen years is transformed into the space to get away from the vertigo, hustle and bustle and the obligations that transform the person into a prisoner of their own mandates and the implicit demands of the neoliberal system.

AimsTo validate a deep learning (DL) algorithm (DLA) for 360° angle assessment on swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) (CASIA SS-1000, Tomey Corporation, Nagoya, Japan).MethodsThis was a reliability analysis from a cross-sectional study. An independent test set of 39 936 SS-OCT scans from 312 phakic subjects (128 SS-OCT meridional scans per eye) was analysed. Participants above 50 years with no previous history of intraocular surgery were consecutively recruited from glaucoma clinics. Indentation gonioscopy and dark room SS-OCT were performed. Gonioscopic angle closure was defined as non-visibility of the posterior trabecular meshwork in ≥180° of the angle. For each subject, all images were analysed by a DL-based network based on the VGG-16 architecture, for gonioscopic angle-closure detection. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) and other diagnostic performance indicators were calculated for the DLA (index test) against gonioscopy (reference standard).ResultsApproximately 80% of the participants were Chinese, and more than half were women (57.4%). The prevalence of gonioscopic angle closure in this hospital-based sample was 20.2%. After analysing a total of 39 936 SS-OCT scans, the AUC of the DLA was 0.85 (95% CI:0.80 to 0.90, with sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 87%) to classify gonioscopic angle closure with the optimal cut-off value of >35% of circumferential angle closure.ConclusionsThe DLA exhibited good diagnostic performance for detection of gonioscopic angle closure on 360° SS-OCT scans in a glaucoma clinic setting. Such an algorithm, independent of the identification of the scleral spur, may be the foundation for a non-contact, fast and reproducible ‘automated gonioscopy’ in future.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in color stability of maxillofacial silicon after exposing it to natural weathering and disinfection using neutral soap (shampoo). Material and Methods: 60 specimens were prepared from addition linking vinyl polydimethyl siloxane and divided into 3 groups (n=20). The specimens were then conditioned differently as follows, Group I: Dark room storage (control group); Group II: Neutral soap disinfection; Group III: Outdoor natural weathering for 2 months. The color changes of the specimens were measured using a Reflective spectrophotometer (X-Rite, model RM200QC, Neu-Isenburg, Germany) using the Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage (CIE).5 The measurements were taken after 1 month then after two months (follow up period). Results: There was insignificance increase in color change in neutral soap (shampoo) group. There was significance increase in color change in natural weathering group. Also there was significance difference between groups after 1 month and two months. Conclusions: Exposure to outdoor natural weathering and the disinfection with neutral soap (shampoo) causes color alteration of the maxillofacial silicone.

Background: Over past few months due to COVID-19 lockdown, our society has been in indoor settings where the education, work and entertainment are through digital platform. This created an increase in rate of digital eye strain. Method & materials: An epidemiological observational study conducted during lockdown period among people of Kerala with a structured and validated questionnaire using Google form. People with age ≥ 18 years, using digital screen on continuous basis were included in the study.Inform consent were collected from the participants before the survey.The statistical analysis were done using SPSS software. Results and Discussions: A total of 584 were participated in the study where more than 86% reported at least one symptom. Smart phone and computer were the major platform used by participants mainly for learning and entertainment.31% of participants were continuously using digital screen for >2hours.One fourth of participants were using the screen for >9 hours and a 20% uses the screen in dark room or dim light for >5 hours. 66% had mild and 2.2% had severe symptoms.Headache was the common symptom found followed by eye pain and neck/shoulder/joint pain. Females were found to be more prone to develop CVS. Headache, eye redness, burning, etc. were correlated with duration of use. Conclusion: The digital screens demands high visual strain, much attention and care should be taken for vision problems and related issues.Since we are depending on digital screens for many of the daily activities, the information related to CVS and associated discomfort along with the prevention strategies should be explained by health professionals. Keywords: Digital Eye Strain, Computer vision syndrome, Lockdown, COVID-19

The relation between working memory capacity (WMC) and baseline pupil diameter was examined. Participants (N = 341) performed several WMC tasks and baseline pupil diameter was measured in a dark room with a black background screen. The results indicated a weak and non-significant correlation between WMC and baseline pupil diameter consistent with some prior research. A meta-analysis of available studies (k = 26; N = 4356) similarly indicated a weak and non-significant correlation between WMC and baseline pupil diameter. Moderator analyses indicated that the primary moderator responsible for heterogeneity across studies was where the study was conducted. Studies from one laboratory tend to demonstrate a significant positive correlation, whereas other laboratories have yet to demonstrate the correlation. Broadly, the results suggest that the correlation between WMC and baseline pupil diameter is weak and not particularly robust.

The calls for reform of investment treaty regime are neither novel nor entirely unexpected. And the need for that reform has recently reached its pitiful nadir where the UNCITRAL Working Group III gathered for its first meeting in Vienna back in November-December 2017 to discuss states’ concerns about investor-state dispute settlement. States’ concerns about the reform have been repeatedly referred to in recent publications, but international scholars have not yet discussed Russia's stance in detail. In the following an attempt has been made to fill the gap in literature by introducing the Russian position which contrasts nicely with Canada or the EU. Why is this important? Russia is a significant state in the UNCITRAL Working Group III and any slight shifts in its approach in the UNCITRAL reforms are closely watched. It is the right time to provide an analytical framework for understanding the Russian position in these reform dynamics.

This marble extracted from deposits in Elazığ in Turkey resembles red meat in appearance and is only found in Elazığ. This type of marble has been widely used in the most famous architectural structures and buildings. In this study, the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of a unique marble that originated from Turkey, named Rosso Levanto, were investigated. Two distinct TL peaks were observed at 160°C and around 375°C. Particle size experiments showed that best TL intensity was seen at 200 μm particle size and therefore dose-response, heating rate, cycle of measurement and fading experiments were carried out on powdered samples with a particle size of 200 μm. The findings revealed good linearity in dose-response, observed up to 0.5 kGy. The reproducibility experiment gave good results, but peak intensity decreased by about 40% in first 6 h of storage in a dark room.

According to modern view uncertainty is considered essential to science and technology, it is not only the unavoidable plague but also it has impact a great utility. Generally, fuzzy sets are used to analyse fuzzy system reliability. To analyse the fuzzy system reliability, the reliability of each component of the system is considered as a Triangular intuitionistic Type 2 fuzzy number (TIT2FN). At first, TIT2FN and their arithmetic operations are introduced. Expressions for computing the fuzzy reliability of a series system and a parallel system following TIT2FN have been described. Here, an imprecise reliability model of an electric network model of a dark room is taken. To compute the imprecise reliability of the above said system, the reliability of each component of the systems is represented by TIT2FN. A corresponding numerical example is presented.

What determines which colour combinations will be attractive to a person and which will not? Is colour attractiveness only a subjective human experience, or can we predict it based on physical colour parameters? One of the pioneers of the attraction of colour theories was Michel Eugène Chevreul (1786–1889). He distinguished two types of colour harmony – analog colour and contrast – and tried to describe what harmonics are based on physical colour parameters. This was later done by other scientists. Later, semantic evaluation of colours was introduced and factor analysis attempted to identify emotions caused by colours or combinations of colours. The aim of this research is to test whether there is a consistent pattern of judgments of colour combinations under controlled conditions and, if so, to what extent they are influenced by the objective physical characteristics of those combinations. Subjects. The study involved 40 students (20 men, 20 women). All subjects had normal colour vision and were not related to fine art. Research tools. The study used 8 colours: 4 opponent (green, red, yellow and blue) and 4 additional (orange, lettuce, blue and purple). The 28 colour combinations (made up of two different colours) were composed of those 8 colours and printed onto cardboard card where each colour had area of 80 mm x 80 mm. Questionnaire of 40 adjectives consisting of 20 pairs of antonyms were used for semantic colour assessment. Procedure. The investigation was conducted in a dark room. Initially, all 28 cards with colour combinations were placed randomly on a desk lit by a 40 cm high fluorescent lamp (4000K correlated colour temperature). The subject was asked to select one of the cards with the most preferable colour combination, to write its code on the questionnaire and to mark all the epithets in the questionnaire which suits this colour combination. The same procedure was applied to the all other cards. One experiment lasted 35–50 minutes. Results and conclusions. Independent component analysis distinguished 4 dimensions describing colours: pleasure, energy, purple color and strength. Logistic regression analysis was run on colour factor loadings to discriminate colour combinations into two groups: liked and disliked colour combinations. It shows that that colour combination could be predicted as being liked or disliked with 85% probability. Adding physical colour parameters to the regression increases prognostic probability to 92 %. Also a relationship between subjective factors and physical characteristics of colour combinations was found. Pleasure correlates with hue contrast and strength with saturation contrast. It can be argued that the reliability of colour combinations is determined by both subjective and physical factors.

Germination constitutes one of bio-processing techniques and has attracted a tremendous attention due to its advantageous effects on the improvement of technical functional properties of grains. Mean-while, blanching has been used as the complementary treatment in germination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the functional properties of Moringa oleifera seed flour due to germination and blanching that affect the characteristics of the resulting food the products. Germination was performed at four levels of incubation time (0, 48, 72, and 96 hours) at room temperature in the dark room and two levels of blanching time (0 and 30 second). The functional properties analyzed consisted of bulk density, flour solubility, water and oil absorption, and capacity and stability of emulsion. The results of this study showed that germinated Moringa seed flour had significantly better technical functional characteristics than the ungerminated ones, i.e. bulk density (0.33-0.43 g/mL), flour solubility (16.82-21.00 g/g), water absorp-tion capacity (0.93-0.99 g water/g), oil absorption capacity (1.18-1.58 mL oil/g), and emulsion capacity (88.80-91.70%). Blanching decreased the functional properties of the flour. The statistical analysis showed that there was no significant interaction between two factors in all parameters. This study shows that ger-mination is a good method to improve the functional properties of Moringa seed flour, but blanching dec-reases them. Germination without blanching is recommended to improve the technical functional charac-teristics of the flour.

This paper presents a massage-treatment prototype on acupuncture points whose method of detecting is based on differences of blood oxygen saturation ratio. Sensor MAX30100 is used to measure blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) of more than 20 people in bright room conditions with an intensity of 115 lx and an ideal dark room condition. Then based on Beer's law of absorbance and experiment, we determined that the points with SPO2 concentration over 99.2% are the locations of the acupuncture ones in order to perform biological massaging pulse. The main scientific principle is the diffuse remittances of diverse red led from meridian and acupuncture point that make blood oxygen saturation levels higher than other areas. In the experiment, we also consider prudently the results of tissues surrounding acupuncture points with the distance of 5, 10 and 20 mm and the influence of that to the final outcome. In general, the final result is reliable with moderate accuracy. However, there are some drawbacks in this system such as errors for people who have inappropriate skin surface for optical detection.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panel imported into Africa was observed to have low lifespan due to the spectrum of harmful solar radiation hitting the surface of the PV panel. In this research, the bio-filter was synthesized using plant extract and silver. The dark room experiment was carried out to examine capacity of the PV panel accept specific radiations. The bio-filter was sprayed on the PV panel and the measurement for a sprayed and unsprayed PV panel were obtained. It was discovered that the bi-filter was effective to stabilize the measured parameters such as current, voltage and power.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of dark room storage, neutral soap (shampoo) and outdoor weathering on the mechanical properties (roughness, flexibility and elastic recovery) of maxillofacial silicone elastomer.Material and Methods: 60 specimen were prepared and divided into 3 groups (n=20).And conditioned differently as follows: Group I: Dark room storage; Group II: Neutral soap disinfection (shampoo); Group III: Outdoor natural weathering for 2 months. Specimens were subjected to roughness evaluation using scanning electron microscope, flexibility test and elastic recovery by means of materials testing device (Model LRX-plus; Lloyd Instruments Ltd., Fareham, UK) before storage, after 1 month and one more after another 1 month.Results: There was significant increase in the roughness of natural weathering group, roughness decreases in dark room and shampoo groups. There was increase also in the flexibility in natural weathering group and decrease in dark room and shampoo groups. Finally in the recovery percentage there was decrease in natural weathering group but increase in both dark room and shampoo groups. Conclusions: Natural weathering conditions affected the mechanical properties of maxillofacial silicone.

This paper reports the productivity of a small-scale pilot biofarm of grey oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Sing.). The pilot was tested in Mekelle city (Ethiopia) in a brick-walled dark room. Growing structures were constructed by erecting three wood poles and fixing them with three wooden side bars at multiple locations to make a prism-shaped rack with multiple triangular open shelves, each capable of carrying one bag of spawned substrate. Mushroom substrates were prepared from maize stalk and wheat bran supplement. Pasteurized chopped maize stalk and wheat bran were mixed at the ratio of 10:0, 9:1, 8:2, and 7:3—yielding four treatments. Five kilograms of substrate was taken from each treatment and was mixed with one kilogram of gypsum to produce a growing mass. Each mass was spawned with 200 g of inoculum under aseptic conditions and put in polyethylene bags. The treatments were replicated thrice and the bags were put on the growth racks in completely randomized design. The growing room was maintained at optimum conditions. Maize stalk substrates supplemented with 10% and 20% of wheat bran have resulted in statistically comparable productivities but statistically significantly higher than those grown on nonsupplemented and highly supplemented maize stalk substrates (p ≤ 0.05). The ingenuity of the design and the convenience of the construction of the racks, the availability of the substrates, and the simplicity of the management and maintenance of the biofarm rendered the piloted design suitable for home-based and small- and medium-scale mushroom biofarm entrepreneurship.

Purpose The head-mounted automated perimeter imo® is a new portable perimeter that does not require a dark room and can be used to examine patients in any setting. In this study, imo 24plus (1-2) AIZE examinations were compared with previous Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) 30-2 (SITA standard) examinations within the same patient. Patients and methods imo examinations (either head-mounted [i-H] or fixed [i-F] type) were performed in patients with glaucoma or suspected glaucoma who had already experienced HFA five or more times. Measurement time and correlations of mean deviation (MD) and visual field index (VFI) values were compared between groups for HFA, i-H, i-F, and imo total (i-T). Fixation loss (FL), false-positive (FP), and false-negative (FN) detection rates were compared. The percentage of binocular random single-eye tests under possible non-occlusion conditions using imo was determined. Mann-Whitney U test was performed, and Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient was calculated. Results The inclusion period was July to December 2016. Among 273 subjects (543 eyes), 147 (292 eyes) were tested with i-H type and 126 (251 eyes) with i-F type. Mean MD values for HFA and i-T were -6.1±7.8 and -6.2±7.1 dB, respectively. Mean measurement times for HFA, i-H, i-F, and i-T were 15.23±2.07, 10.47±2.11, 11.04±2.31, and 10.54±2.19 minutes, respectively (P 0.81 for HFA vs i-H and i-F. FP and FN detection rates were significantly higher with i-T than HFA; there was no significant difference in FL. Binocular random single-eye tests were possible in 85% of cases. Conclusion imo reduced measurement time by 30.8%. imo VFI and MD values were highly correlated with HFA. As i-F and i-H types produced similar results, imo can be used in accordance with the patient's situation.

Photochromic TiO 2 -based composite films , with a particle size of 30–40 nm, were prepared using a titanium tetra-isopropoxide and a transparent urethane resin . The transparent films turned blue upon UV irradiation. They were color-saturated in about 20 min, then bleached reaching the initial transparency after two hours in a dark room.

Purpose of review Medication errors remain a prominent source of medical harm in spite of over 20 years of effort in establishing standardized protocols and procedures, implementing assistive electronic technologies to identify medications and prevent administration errors and in establishing a just culture with regard to reporting events and near misses. Recent findings Some of these interventions are even more necessary in the nonstandard environment of a non-operating room anesthesiology (NORA) procedure suite, where the anesthesiologist is often far removed from colleagues, in a dark room, lacking the standard medications commonly found in their operating room. Medication availability in NORA sites may be limited because of lack of standardization or distance from the operating room pharmacy. Proper preparation of medication may be impaired by poor lighting and cramped conditions. Medication administration might be hampered by a lack of infusion pumps or pumps without the proper medication library needed by the anesthesiologist. Summary Specific attention must be paid to enhancement of medication safety in NORA sites to overcome additional challenges inherent in the provision of anesthesia care remote from the standard operating room setting.

The retina is famous for its ability to operate under a broad range of light intensities. This is partly due to the presence of two types of photoreceptor cells, rods and cones. Rods are used mostly for dim light vision, and cones are used for bright light and colour vision. These cells are also able to adapt to a broad range of light intensities using light- and dark-adaptation mechanisms. Dark adaptation is used by the vertebrate retina to increase its visual sensitivity when moving from a brightly lit environment to a dark environment. The brighter the surrounding light, the longer it takes for the retina to adapt to the dark. Most retina biologists have studied dark adaptation by exposing animals to a 90% bleach, meaning that 90% of the light-sensing proteins in these photoreceptor cells have been activated, followed by transfer of these animals to a dark room and analysis of their light sensitivity using electrophysiological methods. In this report, we introduce the basic elements of the visual system and describe how the system might operate during dark adaptation. We also introduce a novel role for cAMP-mediated phosphorylation of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 1 (GRK1), a major kinase in visual signalling.

If you report with the lights on, you are letting the entire profession down. Reporting in a dark room is for logical visual reasons but it also handily disorientates those who trespass.

One of the inventions that had a major impact on astronomy was the camera and photography. It had been known from ancient times that one could use a dark room and have light pass through a small hole in one wall to project an image on the far wall of objects outside the room. This was known as the camera obscura. There was no way to capture the projected image, although artists sometimes placed a canvas on the far wall to trace it. The only improvement to the camera obscura occurred in the late sixteenth century, when the Italian scientist Giambattista della Porta used a lens in place of the hole.

Cet article s’engage dans l’étude des rapports complexes entre les photographies de Proust et sa métaphore de la création littéraire comme processus photographique. Pour ce faire, l’article s’arrête dans un premier temps sur le seuil du texte de Proust afin d’examiner le choix éditorial d’intégrer un portrait photographique de l’auteur sur les couvertures de ses livres. Cette étude s’efforce de montrer ensuite comment Proust brouille la distinction entre fiction et autobiographie lorsqu’il insère une référence à une photographie réelle dans sa narration. L’article se termine en analysant les portraits de Proust sur son lit de mort, exécutés par des artistes et photographes qui ont pénétré dans sa chambre noire afin d’immortaliser une dernière image de lui. Ces images marquent le basculement entre le dernier mot de l’auteur et le premier pas du lecteur dans le texte., Savoirs en prisme, No. 12 (2020): Portraits d’auteurs : l’écrivain mis en images

The present paper intends to analyze and put under scrutiny Brian Dillon’s memoir In the Dark Room (2005) in the light of Gaston Bachelard’s theories of house as an intimate space explicated and expounded on in his magnum opus The Poetics of Space (1964). Since Bachelard’s ideas are often associated with phenomenology which accentuates the significance of the manner in which phenomena appear to us and are given meaning, the house and objects in it as a place of intimacy are of paramount importance to him. The spaces along with objects are not merely possessions which can be lived in or owned by individuals, but rather they express and suggest human emotions and human soul. They also have the power to transport us back into a distant past and evoke deeply buried memories and feelings. The house, says Bachelard, protects both daydreaming and the dreamer and allows one to dream in peace. Moreover, it provides a restful place in which imagination and thought are both stimulated. The title-mentioned work can be investigated in the light of Gaston Bachelard’s theories to provide proof for the above claim. The narrator of In the Dark Room is surrounded with objects and places which are capable of taking him back to the past arousing his interest and making him conjure up bygone days. Not only does the house function as a metaphor for evoking memories, but also the street and the place in which Dillon’s mother was hospitalized are accentuated. Hence, in the subsequent sections of the current paper, first phenomenology will be defined and elaborated on, then Brian Dillon’s selected work will be scrutinized based on Gaston Bachelard’s house-related theories and notions in order to demonstrate the association of the house and its objects with human soul and imagination.

Significance The prevalence of myopia and use of electronic displays by children has grown rapidly in recent years. We found that children viewing electronic displays, however, experience hyperopic defocus levels similar to those previously reported for other stimuli. Purpose This study aimed to compare accommodative behavior of nonmyopic and myopic children viewing a computer screen or mobile phone. Methods Accommodative behavior was examined in 11 nonmyopic and 8 myopic children (11.32 ± 2.90 and 14.13 ± 2.30 years, respectively; P = .04; refractions, +0.51 ± 0.51 and -2.54 ± 1.29, respectively) using an open-field autorefractor (Grand Seiko) at target vergences from -0.25 to -5.00 D. Different size (scaled or nonscaled) and type (text or movie) stimuli were presented on an LCD monitor (distant) or an iPhone (near), with subjects viewing monocularly or binocularly in an illuminated or dark room. Results At the typical reading distances (20 and 33 cm), all 19 children exhibited some amount of accommodative lag. Stimulus type had little impact on accommodation. However, slightly but statistically significant lower slopes were observed (Bonferroni-corrected significance level of P ≤ .01) for low room lighting (0.96 vs. 0.91; t test, t = 3.88; P = .003), nonscaled targets (0.99 vs. 0.92; t test, t = 4.28; P = .001), and monocular viewing (0.99 vs. 0.90; t test, t = 4.0; P = .002) in the nonmyopic group only. When viewing nonscaled stimuli binocularly (natural viewing), the means and standard deviations of accommodative lags (averaged across room lights on and off, and text and movie) were generally larger for the nonmyopes at all distances and were largest at 33 cm (0.73 ± 0.18 D for the nonmyopes and 0.49 ± 0.23 for the myopes; t test, t = 2.62; P = .01). Conclusions Generally small (≤0.50 D) amounts of hyperopic defocus are present in children binocularly viewing handheld electronic devices (nonmyopes slightly more than myopes). Modern electronic devices do not expose children to unusually high levels of hyperopic defocus.

In keeping with its function and importance, the retina and its support system (the choroid) are hidden far behind in a relatively dark space. Projections of lighted images are better appreciated in a dark room! In addition to the posterior segment being critical in the image processing, it is the only part in the body where we can see a part of the brain (optic nerve) directly. Direct viewing of the posterior segment is not possible and one needs special strategies for its clinical evaluation. Besides knowledge one needs to practice these clinical skills to become competent in its use.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are commonly used to backlight text indicators in vehicles, among other uses. It is desirable that such text indicators are both easily legible and have low fatigue-inducing qualities. Suitable spectral distributions for text presentation in vehicles have not yet been clarified. This study examined the legibility and fatigue experienced by participants when reading sentences presented through backlight emission for 10 min in a dark room. The backlight indicators employed both colored and white LEDs. The participants were asked to answer questionnaires to evaluate the LEDs’ legibility and fatigue. Moreover, the participants’ critical fusion frequency and brain activity were measured to objectively evaluate fatigue. The questionnaire results show that all of the colored backlighting displayed an almost equal legibility. The overall results suggest that participants were most (least) fatigued when viewing text illuminated by high color-rending (greenish white backlighting). Thus, fatigue can be reduced by using LEDs with different spectral distributions.

This study aims to examine the relationship between visual fatigue and brain function in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during a luminescent sentence reading task. We conducted a 10 min luminescent sentence reading task in a dark room. Twelve healthy young volunteers participated in this study and performed six repeated experiments. The time-course of oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in the PFC was measured using a 22-channel wearable near-infrared spectroscope. Subjective visual fatigue and sleepiness were assessed using the “ Jikaku-sho shirabe” questionnaire. In addition, the critical flicker-fusion frequency (CFF) was measured as the objective index of fatigue. CFF could be used as the objective support for sleepiness, because $\Delta $CFF and the feeling of drowsiness, $\Delta \text{I}$, were negatively correlated (${r}$=-0.24, ${p}$

In current studies, the disintegration process of tablets has been studied by thermal imaging. The study covers two major aspects; first, new revelations in the mechanism of tablet disintegration, and second, the development of disintegration test as a multi-point test by new thermometric and non-thermometric methods. The study has been carried out on fexofenadine rapidly disintegrating tablets (FEX RDTs) in a dark room cabinet fitted with a Fluke thermal imager and using water as the disintegration medium. The studies exhibit the existence of endothermic peaks during the early penetration of water in FEX RDTs. These endotherms are prominent at the starting point when the disintegration has just started, or the tablet has been just exposed to the water. Such endotherms have not been reported earlier for tablets and can be considered as a part of the wicking mechanism during disintegration. In later stages, when the water has completely wet the tablet, the endotherms are superimposed by exotherms. The endotherms or exotherms have also been used as a measurement of disintegration in the form of a new thermometric parameter, “area under temperature curve” (AUTC). Non-thermometric disintegration profiling by residual and subtraction methods is also performed. Among these, disintegration by the residual method, i.e., disintegration (residual) is newly introduced. In the end, the principal component analysis (PCA) describes the relationship between various disintegration methods, particle size distribution, and dissolution. PCA reveals that AUTC is the best method for studying the disintegration behavior of FEX RDTs.

Studies on user acceptance of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting were largely done in developed countries, while there are presumably significant differences between the developed and developing countries. Series of measurements of various domestic LED lamps in Indonesia were conducted to investigate the effects of varying illuminance ( Eav), Correlated-Colour Temperature (CCT), and Colour Rendering Index (CRI) on visual perception and to determine the users’ preference of those parameters in Indonesian context. Visual assessments were conducted using observation booths in a dark room. The assessments were consisted of subjective performance and preference tests. The performance tests focused on the subjects’ acuity in reading letters with various size and contrast; while the preference tests focused on the perception of lighting level, colour clarity, colour appearance, and overall visual comfort. It was found that variation of CCT yields significant effect on colour clarity and visual comfort. In term of colour appearance, variation of CCT yields more significant effect compared to CRI, while illuminance gives no effect. On lighting level, variation of both Eav and CCT yields more significant effect compared to CRI. Most of the participating subjects felt visually comfortable under the CCT of 6500 K, average desktop illuminance of 350 lx, and higher CRI value.

We investigated whether adding vibrotactile feedback to a myoelectric-controlled hand, when visual feedback is disturbed, can improve performance during a functional test. For this purpose, able-bodied subjects, activating a myoelectric-controlled hand attached to their right hand performed the modified Box & Blocks test, grasping and manipulating wooden blocks over a partition. This was performed in 3 conditions, using a repeated-measures design: in full light, in a dark room where visual feedback was disturbed and no auditory feedback - one time with the addition of tactile feedback provided during object grasping and manipulation, and one time without any tactile feedback. The average time needed to transfer one block was measured, and an infrared camera was used to give information on the number of grasping errors during performance of the test. Our results show that when vibrotactile feedback was provided, performance time was reduced significantly, compared with when no vibrotactile feedback was available. Furthermore, the accuracy of grasping and manipulation was improved, reflected by significantly fewer errors during test performance. In conclusion, adding vibrotactile feedback to a myoelectric-controlled hand has positive effects on functional performance when visual feedback is disturbed. This may have applications to current myoelectric-controlled hands, as adding tactile feedback may help prosthesis users to improve their functional ability during daily life activities in different environments, particularly when limited visual feedback is available or desirable.

Storage of feed plays an important role in the economic and health aspect of livestock production. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of varying storage conditions (lit and dark room) on physical changes, occurrence of insects in stored feed, storage loss and nutrient composition of owner selected broiler finisher feeds. Bags of 25kg each of broiler finisher diets from four feed companies (A, B, C and D) were obtained on the day of production and were stored under two storage media (lit and dark room) for a period of 8 weeks. The experiment was arranged in a 4 x 2 factorial layout to form eight treatments with 5 replications. Feed colour, storage loss, occurrence of insects, and proximate analysis were carried out at 2 week intervals. Data generated were statistically analyzed by ANOVA technique in a 4 x 2 factorial design using PROC GLM procedure of SAS (2007). Storage temperature (27.27 oC and 26.65 oC for lit and dark room, respectively) and relative humidity (79.83% and 80.64% for lit and dark room, respectively) monitored were not significantly (p>0.05) different. Colour changes were observed in the feed from the 29th day of storage. By the 42nd day, presence of lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica F.) was observed in all the feeds. Appearance of frass, dusty particles and webbing were observed in feeds stored in lit room on 42nd day and those in dark room on 56th day. Storage loss (%) was reduced (p

Predictive Processing theories hold that the mind’s core aim is to minimize prediction-error about its experiences. But prediction-error minimization can be 'hacked', by placing oneself in highly predictable environments where nothing happens. Recent philosophical work suggests that this is a surprisingly serious challenge, highlighting the obstacles facing ‘theories-of-everything’ in psychology.

This paper develops a distributed technique to populate the network graph of a decentralized multi-robot system (MRS) by employing a consensus protocol for extracting the identities and states of each robot’s neighbors in the MRS. A dark-room exchange (DRE) technique is proposed wherein each robot uses its on-board 2D LiDAR for range sensing and peer-to-peer communication to identify and track neighboring objects. The resulting information is utilized to build and maintain a distributed ledger populated with the information of the MRS network graph structure to facilitate supervision by human operators. The system is tested in a simulated environment consisting of TurtleBot3 robots scattered in a 2D plane. Using the results of simulation, an analysis of the speed and performance of the DRE technique is conducted that illustrates high reliability and fast response times. The paper concludes with a discussion of the future scope of this research for multi-robot/swarm applications.

This project is focused on taking advantage of the light reflection in order to illuminate a dark room. In order to achieve this objective, a prototype was developed, which consists of a mirror mounted on a base with capabilities of rotating in the X and Y axis, a sensor that allows to know in which direction the sun is located and the necessary program code to maintain the illumination spot in the same position in a room, despite the movement of the sun through the day. Data was obtained through measurements, which allows to conclude that the energy invested in the prototype is lower than the energy needed to illuminate that room.

In order to verify the heat dissipation characteristics of selective low emissivity materials, the traditional low emissivity materials and selective low emissivity materials were coated on the oxidized steel surface, and the heat transfer model between the target and the dark room was established. Finally, the heat dissipation characteristics of selective low emissivity materials were simulated, and the effects of the emissivity and the darkroom temperature on the heat dissipation characteristics of selective low emissivity materials were analyzed. The results showed that for high temperature targets, selective low emissivity materials had better heat dissipation characteristics than traditional low emissivity materials. The lower the emissivity in mid-far infrared bands, the better the heat dissipation characteristics of selective low emissivity materials. When the ambient temperature of the dark room fell from 30°C to -30°C, the lower the temperature, the better heat dissipation characteristics of selective low emissivity materials.

To investigate if a new ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) parameter, iris lens distance (ILD), and its model could predict clinically significant intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation after darkroom provocative test (DRPT). Cases with a peripheral anterior chamber depth less than one-fourth corneal thickness were enrolled. All subjects underwent UBM examination and DRPT if possible. Anterior chamber depth (ACD) and ILD were measured in the central axis at different positions in dark (ACDD, ILDD) and bright (ACDB, ILDB). An IOP elevation over 5 mmHg and 8 mmHg was set as cutoffs for a positive DRPT result (positive-5 and positive-8). SAS 9.3 statistical software was used to manage and analyze data and calculate the linear probability model (LPM). Another 17 patients (34 eyes) were included to validate the model. Two hundred and ten (210) UBM images qualified for analysis. ILD was significantly less in the dark than in the bright and in patients with a positive DRPT result (p < 0.001). The LPM for positive-5 and positive-8 were P = 1.14 + (− 0.49*ILDD) + (− 0.41*ACDD) (n = 210, R2 = 0.1079, AUC = 0.715), and P = 0.87 + (− 0.44*ILDD) + (− 0.35*ACDD) (n = 210, R2 = 0.1358, AUC = 0.807), respectively. LPMs based on ILD could predict the risk of an IOP elevation over 5 mmHg or 8 mmHg. The LPM for positive-8 reached a good level of diagnostic accuracy.

Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) were trained on a Morris-type spatial learning task. There were four tubes in a pool, but the eels could hide in only one of these. The eels learned the position of the open tube, and maintained their performance when the pool was rotated to remove possible intra-maze cues. The eels could not maintain their performance in a dark room, suggesting that spatial learning involved extra-maze visual cues. When the position of the open tube was randomly changed every day, the performance of the eels in finding the open tube did not improve.

IntroductionThe use of night vision goggles (NVGs) by medical staff operating in active combat areas may present a tactical advantage in maintaining unit concealment. This study seeks to assess the degree to which NVG use improves speed and ease of intravenous access in comparison to no NVG use, and which NVG system (monocular, binocular or panoramic) provides the best conditions for the clinician.MethodsCannulation was carried out using both eyes open (BEO) and one eye open (OEO) in well-lit conditions to establish a baseline measurement. The same procedure was then performed with a variety of NVGs, with and without infrared (IR) light sources in a dark room, and the degree of difficulty, time to procedural completion and success rate were compared.ResultsNVG use improved procedure speed in comparison to the BEO method in the dark. Among the NVG methods trialled, binocular NVG (BNVG) methods outperformed panoramic NVG (PNVG) and monocular NVG in terms of success rate.ConclusionsUse of BNVG resulted with a better success rate in our study. We would like to emphasise that although combatant units prefer PNVGs for the wider temporal vision they provide, it must be kept in mind that this may pose a disadvantage in peripheral vascular access procedures while providing first aid to the casualty at close distances.

The success of group biomarking with rhodamine B (RB) is determined by two key stages—baiting and mark detection. This work has two objectives: (1) to examine the suitability of a new bait type and the proposed experimental procedures for marking small mammals with RB and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the new method of RB detection in field studies of small mammals. Uniquely designed bait with RB was placed in nine rectangular plots in forest stands. The experiments differed in the area of the marking plots, application rate of the bait, and the time interval before the start of animal trapping. Small mammals were captured and evaluated in a dark room for the presence of RB markings. A green laser with a diffuser was used as the illuminator to excite fluorescence, and orange glass was used for separation of the emission spectrum. The new method for the detection of RB was shown to be simple and reliable. The bait used in this study was proven to be effective and is potentially suitable for most species of small mammals, especially rodents, under certain conditions.

The free energy principle describes cognitive functions such as perception, action, learning and attention in terms of surprisal minimisation. Under simplifying assumptions, agents are depicted as systems minimising a weighted sum of prediction errors encoding the mismatch between incoming sensations and an agent's predictions about such sensations. The ``dark room'' is defined as a state that an agent would occupy should it only look to minimise this sum of prediction errors. This (paradoxical) state emerges as the contrast between the attempts to describe the richness of human and animal behaviour in terms of surprisal minimisation and the trivial solution of a dark room, where the complete lack of sensory stimuli would provide the easiest way to minimise prediction errors, i.e., to be in a perfectly predictable state of darkness with no incoming stimuli. Using a process theory derived from the free energy principle, active inference, we investigate with an agent-based model the meaning of the dark room problem and discuss some of its implications for natural and artificial systems. In this set up, we propose that the presence of this paradox is primarily due to the long-standing belief that agents should encode accurate world models, typical of traditional (computational) theories of cognition.

During the first months of the war, Edith helped with the Imperial Services League unit and with a VAD Hospital for refugees in Hampstead. On her resignation from the LSMW, she joined the Scottish Women’s Hospitals, appointed to take charge of the X-ray department of the Girton and Newnham Unit under Louise McIlroy. Concerns were expressed by some at the SWH head office over her lack of medical qualifications. Edith took some of Florence’s equipment that had been returned from Cherbourg and some that she bought herself. She was accompanied by Florence’s engineer, George Mallett. The Unit first went to Troyes, France, where they established a 200-bed tented hospital at the Chateau de Chanteloup in June 1915. Edith set up her X-ray room in the stables, using a makeshift shed as a dark room. She successfully introduced X-ray localisation for foreign bodies and pioneered radiology to show gas gangrene. In early October the hospital was instructed to join the French Expeditionary Force in Serbia. Edith bought an engine/dynamo to provide power and a high-frequency therapy unit. The unit sailed from Marseille to Salonika, arriving on 3 November 1915.

How to precisely quantify the binocular eye balance (i.e., the contribution that each eye makes to the binocular percept) across a range of spatial frequencies using a binocular combination task, is an important issue in both clinical and basic research. In this study, we aimed to compare the precision of a binocular orientation combination paradigm with that of the standard binocular phase combination paradigm in measuring the binocular eye balance at low to high spatial frequencies. Nine normal adults (average age: 24.6 ± 2.0 years old) participated. Subjects viewed an LED screen dichoptically with polarized glasses in a dark room. The method of constant stimuli was used to quantitatively assess the point of subjective equality (PSE), i.e., the interocular contrast ratio when two eyes are balanced in binocular combination, for stimulus spatial frequencies from 0.5 to 8 cycles/degree. Precision was quantified by the variance [i.e., standard error (SE), obtained from 100 bootstrap estimates] associated to the PSE. Using stimuli whose interocular phase difference at the edge of the gratings was matched at 45°, we found that the orientation paradigm provides more precision than the standard binocular phase combination paradigm, especially at high frequencies (Experiment 1). Such differences remained when using stimuli that had three times larger interocular phase difference (Experiment 2) or displayed at four times higher stimuli resolution (Experiment 3). Our results indicate that a binocular combination tasked based on orientation rather than phase, provides a more precise estimate of binocular eye balance in human adults at high spatial frequencies, thus allowing a binocular balance to be assessed within the spatial region where amblyopes are most defective (i.e., high spatial frequencies).

Durante largos pasajes de la historia de la historiografía latinoamericana, se ha mantenido incólume una concepción bastante estrecha sobre el tiempo histórico, cuyos atributos de linealidad, homogeneidad y monoculturalidad son derivación directa de la filosofía de la historia europea. Con la excepción de reflexiones procedentes de otros campos de investigación (sociología, filosofía y antropología, principalmente), la historiografía ha eludido un posicionamiento, desde sus propias necesidades epistémicas y metodológicas, que virtualmente pudiese aportar a la recuperación de la diversidad experiencial de los sectores subalternizados (campesinos): experiencias que el nudo gordiano del tiempo moderno criollo permanentemente ha condenado al cuarto oscuro de lo tradicional, del resabio y el lastre histórico. En este artículo nos proponemos esbozar una propuesta histórico-metodológica alternativa que, desde una fundamentación del tiempo fenomenológico, antropológico y el presente vivido, permita una relectura del “acontecimiento histórico” y la “anomalía desafiante” como categorías centrales para la superación de esta herencia.