Modelling Driver Behaviour at Urban Signalised Intersections Using Logistic Regression and Machine Learning

This study investigated several factors that may influence driver actions throughout the yellow interval at urban signalised intersections. The selected samples include 2,168 observations. Almost 33% of drivers stopped ahead of the stop line, 60% passed the intersection through the yellow interval, and 7% passed after the yellow interval was complete (red light running, RLR violations). Binary logistic regression models showed that the chance of passing went up as vehicle speed went up and down as the gap between the vehicle and the traffic light and green interval went up. The movement type and vehicle position influenced the passing probability, but the vehicle type did not. Moreover, multinomial logistic regression models showed that the legal passing probability declined with the growth in the green time and vehicle distance to the traffic signal. It also increased with the growth in the speed of approaching vehicles. Also, movement type directly affected the chance of legally passing, but vehicle position and type did not. Furthermore, the driver’s performance during the yellow phase was studied using the k-nearest neighbours algorithm (KNN), support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF) and AdaBoost machine learning techniques. The driver’s action run prediction was the most accurate, and the run-on-red camera was the least accurate

The role of self-efficacy as an attribute of principals’ leadership effectiveness in K-12 private and public institutions in Lebanon

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The aim of this study is to explore the role of K-12 school principals’ self-efficacy as an attribute for their leadership effectiveness in Lebanon. The Norwegian principal self-efficacy scale (NPSES) instrument was translated into Arabic and used to collect quantitative data from participants. Internal consistency of factors within this study was checked (24 items; α = 0.73). By comparing private and public schools in Lebanon, all located in the governorate of Mount Lebanon, the researchers revealed the extent to which principals’ self-efficacy plays a role in their leadership. In addition, while no statistical difference was found between self-efficacy levels of private and public principals, females reported higher scores on the majority of the dimensions than their male counterparts in both types of schools. This study highlights the importance of the interaction effect of age and gender on self-efficacy levels. Moreover, it offers knowledge and practice to policy makers when recruiting principals or designing training programs. It also suggests the implementation of an in-house mentoring program to create school-school partnerships. Finally, this paper offers a platform for future researchers interested in principal self-efficacy in similar conflict-affected places with high economic depression. Limitations are further mentioned

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Modelling Driver Behaviour at Urban Signalised Intersections Using Logistic Regression and Machine Learning

This study investigated several factors that may influence driver actions throughout the yellow interval at urban signalised intersections. The selected samples include 2,168 observations. Almost 33% of drivers stopped ahead of the stop line, 60% passed the intersection through the yellow interval, and 7% passed after the yellow interval was complete (red light running, RLR violations). Binary logistic regression models showed that the chance of passing went up as vehicle speed went up and down as the gap between the vehicle and the traffic light and green interval went up. The movement type and vehicle position influenced the passing probability, but the vehicle type did not. Moreover, multinomial logistic regression models showed that the legal passing probability declined with the growth in the green time and vehicle distance to the traffic signal. It also increased with the growth in the speed of approaching vehicles. Also, movement type directly affected the chance of legally passing, but vehicle position and type did not. Furthermore, the driver’s performance during the yellow phase was studied using the k-nearest neighbours algorithm (KNN), support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF) and AdaBoost machine learning techniques. The driver’s action run prediction was the most accurate, and the run-on-red camera was the least accurate

Driver performance through the yellow phase using video cameras at urban signalized intersections

The main objective of this research is to examine the influencing parameters of driver performance through the yellow phase at urban signalized intersections with and without red-light running (RLR) cameras. Data were collected to include the intersection type, vehicle type, turning movement type, whether the vehicle position is in a platoon or not, presence of RLR cameras, green light flash devices, pedestrians, and pavement markings. A total of 2168 driver observations were extracted. Only 33.3% of the drivers stopped before the stop line, 59% of the drivers passed the intersection through the yellow phase, and 7% of the drivers committed RLR violations. The results showed that drivers were more likely to stop before the stop line through the yellow phase at locations with RLR cameras, green light flash devices, pavement markings, where pedestrians were present, and at a four-leg intersection. Chi-square tests indicated that all parameters had a significant impact on driver performance, except for the type of turning movement

Susceptibility of multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens for the new antimicrobial agents in Jordan

Background To study resistance rates of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR) for new Cephalosporines before their widespread use in Jordan. Methods During September 2019 - May 2020, MDR-bacteria were prospectively collected from microbiology laboratories of three hospitals, susceptibility of the extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL), K. pneumoniae-carbapenemases strains (KPC), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPa), carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAb), and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were tested. Demographic details for patients were identified. Antimicrobials evaluated were ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, and ceftobiprole medocaril. Results Non-duplicate 263 MDR clinical isolates were collected from sterile sites; ESBL (128), P. aeruginosa (57), MRSA (37), KPC (22), A. baumannii (11), and CRE (n = 8). The age was dominated by the older age group (Age > 64, Pearson R = 0.985, R2 = 0.969, P = 0.000). Males were 143 and females 107 (P < 0.000). There were (194) isolate from the wards and (55) were from the ICUs. Sources were urine (96), blood (36), soft tissues (49), abdomen (24), URT (14), and osteo-skeletal (12). Clinical diagnoses were: UTI (90). Bacteremia (36), SSTI (45), IAI (23), pneumonia (17), URTI (13), osteomyelitis (11), and diabetic foot (6). The susceptibility of the ESBL-producing bacteria was 100% for meropenem, 99% for ceftazidime-avibactam, and 90% for ceftolozane/tazobactam. P. aeruginosa was, 73% for ceftazidime-avibactam, 62% susceptible to ceftolozane/tazobactam, 62% for meropenem, and 45% to ceftobiprole. CRE was 38% susceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam and KPC 15%, while ceftolozane-tazobactam susceptibility was zero, and 14% for CRE, and 0% for Ceftobiprole Medocaril. A. baumannii was 13% susceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam, meropenem 9%, and 2% for ceftolozane/tazobactam Conclusion Ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane/tazobactam may be useful alternatives for the treatment of ESBL-producers and P. aeruginosa, though the MDR-bacteria demonstrated some resistance to the newly introduced agents before their widespread use in the country. &nbsp

The Effect of Visual Impairment and Its Severity on Vision-Related and Health-Related Quality of Life in Jordan: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: To assess the effect of visual impairment (VI), its severity, and ocular diseases on vision-related and health-related quality of life (QoL) in Jordan. Patients and Methods: A comparative, cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted among a group of 278 patients with VI aged ≥ 18 years, and age and sex-matched control group of 278 individuals with no VI. An interviewer administered the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) to all participants. Results: All the mean VFQ-25 subscales scores, physical component scale (PCS) and the mental component scale (MCS) of the SF-12 were significantly lower in patients with VI compared to controls with no VI. The VFQ-25 subscales (except general health and ocular pain), PCS, and MCS scores significantly decreased with more severity of VI. In the adjusted multivariate analysis, lower level of education (p=0.013), male sex (p=0.016), and the presence of cerebrovascular disease (p=0.019) were significantly associated with lower VFQ-25 composite scores in visually impaired patients compared to controls. Ocular disease duration of >5 years and progressive VI were significantly associated with lower VFQ-25 composite scores (p= 0.026 and p<0.001) respectively, in patients with VI. Glaucoma had a significantly larger reduction in mean scores of all the VFQ-25 subscales, and the PCS of the SF-12 compared to all other ocular diseases. Conclusion: Both VI and increasing severity of impairment were associated with reduced vision-related and health-related quality of life in adult Jordanians. Glaucoma patients and less educated people were particularly affected. Routine assessment of QoL in visually impaired patients and improving referral protocols to vision rehabilitation services is recommended to improve the QoL in those patients.This work was funded by the deanship of research, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Grant No: [20210196]

Implementation of Surfactant Administration through Laryngeal or Supraglottic Airways (SALSA): A Jordanian NICU’s Journey to Improve Surfactant Administration

Administration of liquid surfactant through an endotracheal tube for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome has been the standard of care for decades. Surfactant administration through laryngeal or supraglottic airways (SALSA) is a simplified procedure for delivery of surfactant that is less invasive and better tolerated. The Al Bashir Maternity and Children’s Hospital NICU in Amman, Jordan, implemented SALSA as a potentially better practice in 2019 with the objective to effectively and efficiently deliver surfactant in a minimally invasive way and to decrease the adverse events associated with intubation–surfactant–extubation (InSurE) and laryngoscopy. The quality improvement initiative was conducted from March 2019 to December 2019. All infants who weighed 750 g or more who required surfactant were eligible. As physicians were trained in the technique and use expanded, we were able to use plan–do–study–act cycles to observe differences between SALSA and InSurE. The primary aim was the optimization of non-invasive ventilation by the effective and efficient delivery of surfactant. Balancing measures included episodes of bradycardia while receiving surfactant or the need for a second dose of surfactant. We evaluated 220 infants who received surfactant by SALSA or InSurE with a mean gestational age of 32 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1.8 kg. The Respiratory Severity Score (RSS) prior to surfactant administration was 2.7 in the SALSA group compared to 2.9 in the InSurE group (p = 0.024). Those in the InSurE group had a lower mean heart rate during the procedure (p =p = 0.026) or require intubation for mechanical ventilation (p = 0.022). Both groups were effectively delivered surfactant as evidenced by improvement in their RSS over an 8 h period. SALSA was a more time efficient surfactant delivery method (93 vs. 111 secs, p =< 0.0001). Implementation of SALSA into the Al Bashir NICU was successful. We found that it was equally effective to InSurE, but was a more efficient method of delivery. Infants who received surfactant by this method tolerated it well