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Background: Forward head posture (FHP) leads to the anterior excursion of the center of gravity, which can affect a person's standing balance. Evaluating the balance in different degrees of severity of FHP can help design and plan appropriate balance exercises for people with FHP. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the limits of stability (LOS) in people with mild and moderate-to-severe grades of FHP. Methods: The participants in this study were 70 individuals suffering from FHP, aged between 17 - 45. They were divided into two groups based on their craniovertebral angle: Mild (> 45.5 degrees) and moderate-to-severe (< 45.5 degrees). The LOS test was performed using a posturography device (NeuroCom, Equitest, USA). Five indices—movement reaction time (RCT), movement velocity (MVL), endpoint excursion (EPE), maximum excursion (MXE), and directional control (DCL)—were evaluated. Results: Based on the results of the LOS test, RCT, MVL, EPE, MXE, and DCL were significantly different between the mild and moderate-to-severe FHP groups in both anterior and posterior directions (P < 0.05). However, in other directions, no significant difference was observed in these variables based on the LOS test (P > 0.05). Conclusions: It can be concluded that individuals with moderate-to-severe FHP are more likely to have postural control deficits. Therefore, it is necessary to design appropriate targeted interventions to prevent falls in these individuals. Specifically, they should receive balance exercises in dynamic situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a responsive analysis of the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in risk management, contrasting traditional approaches with those augmented by AI and highlighting the challenges and opportunities that emerge. AI, intense learning methodologies such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have been identified as pivotal in extracting meaningful insights from image data, a form of analysis that holds significant potential in identifying and managing risks across various industries. The research methodology involves a strategic selection and processing of images for analysis and introduces three case studies that serve as benchmarks for evaluation. These case studies showcase the application of AI, in place of image processing capabilities, to identify hazards, evaluate risks, and suggest control measures. The comparative evaluation focuses on the accuracy, relevance, and practicality of the AI-generated findings alongside the system's response time and comprehensive understanding of the context. Results reveal that AI can significantly enhance risk assessment processes, offering rapid and detailed insights. However, the study also recognises the intrinsic limitations of AI in contextual interpretation, advocating for a synergy between technological and domain-specific expertise. The conclusion underscores the transformative potential of AI in risk management, supporting continued research to further integrate AI effectively into risk assessment frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a delayed master-slave teleoperation system, if the slave robot interacts with a delicate and sensitive environment, it is essential to control the slaveenvironment interactions. Variable impedance control has been proposed as a useful method for this aim in the literature. However, changing the impedance parameters based on the system requirements imposes a complex process in the controller design. To address this issue, we propose a variable impedance control strategy for the slave side, where the impedance variables are changed using fuzzy logic. This is carried out based on the environment destruction threshold—defined based on the contact force and the velocity of the slave robot—and system stability range. The proposed method is simulated in MATLAB’s Simulink considering telesurgery conditions and soft tissue environment under an unknown and varying time delay. Simulation results show that the proposed method maintains the velocity of the slave robot and the environment force in the desired interval and performs better in keeping the environment safe compared to the constant-coefficient impedance control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and analysis of high‐index dielectric metasurfaces based on Fano resonance for image processing applications. With the aim of optical edge detection, two different metasurface structures are proposed to create first‐ and second‐order derivative operators. The metasurfaces designed for second‐order derivative is a square lattice structure consisting of silicon cylinders surrounded by a silicon dioxide layer. Moreover, another metasurface with a square lattice structure composed of three different silicon cylinders embedded in a silicon dioxide layer is proposed to perform first‐order derivation. To achieve the best performance of the proposed metasurfaces in edge detection, the physical dimensions of the proposed structures are optimized by conducting parametric studies to reach the maximum available numerical aperture (NA)$({{\mathrm{NA}}})$. Consequently, the second‐order derivative metasurface attains a numerical aperture with a magnitude NA=sin(47.5∘)=0.7372${\mathrm{NA}} = \sin ({{{47.5}}^\circ }) = 0.7372$, while the first‐order derivative metasurface achieves a numerical aperture of NA=sin(66.5∘)=0.917${\mathrm{NA}} = \sin ({{{66.5}}^\circ }) = 0.917$. Finally, the applicability of the proposed structures in optical edge detection is verified in the analog domain. The proposed metasurfaces provide high spatial resolution, high efficiency, and low dependence on the horizon angle, which pave the way for high‐quality image processing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are various industries, each of them is concerned with heat transfer, and in many cases, their goal is to increase the rate of heat transfer. In this study, one, two or four injection jets were used together for cooling and the results were compared in terms of the average Nusselt number. In the following, by placing the twisted tape at different angles of 180°, 360° and 720° in the injection jet, the average Nusselt number and the minimum and maximum temperature were checked. The results showed the diameter of the fluid outflow from the nozzle increases by moving away from the jet opening and approaching the hot plate due to the pressure distribution. When we using two jets in the vicinity, the Outputs from each vortex is created in this place. When using four jets, the outflow from the jet hits the hot plate and creates vortices. With increase in the number of jets, the Nusselt number and the maximum temperature on the hot surface also increase. The results showed that the average Nusselt number with the angle of the twisted strip that is placed inside the rotating jet tube increases at 180° and decreases at 720° and 360°. In all cases using twisted strips, the maximum and minimum temperatures of the hot plate are higher than when the non-rotating jet is injected on the hot plate. As the jet-to-plate spacing plate increases, the Nusselt number decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Anabasis aphylla L. aerial parts was harvested from five different populations located in Golestan National Park, Iran. The phenolic content and antioxidant potencies of the ethanolic extracts were measured using the Folin–Ciocalteu and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods, respectively. Moreover, the effects of two factors soil electrical conductivity and soil acidity on phenolic content and antioxidant properties of the extracts were evaluated. Consequently, no significant difference between different populations of Anabasis aphylla L. in terms of total phenol content was detected; however, a significant difference was observed between the electrical conductivity of the soil samples. The studied factors showed no significant correlation between the electrical conductivity and soil acidity with the total phenol and antioxidant effect, although a negative correlation between total phenol and IC50 (–0.81) was identified. In conclusion, the present study the effect of two factors of soil acidity and electrical conductivity on the amount of total phenol is not confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]