Object-driven and temporal action rules mining

In this thesis, I present my complete research work in the field of action rules, more precisely object-driven and temporal action rules. The drive behind the introduction of object-driven and temporally based action rules is to bring forth an adapted ap- proach to extract action rules from a subclass of systems that have a specific nature, in which instances are observed from assumingly different distributions (defined by an object attribute), and in which each instance is coupled with a time-stamp. In previous publications, we proposed an object-independency assumption that suggests extracting patterns from subsystems defined by unique objects, and then aggregat- ing similar patterns amongst all objects. The motivation behind this approach is based on the fact that same-object observations share similar features that are not shared with other objects, and these features are possibly not explicitly included in our dataset. Therefore, by individualizing objects prior to calculating action rules, variance is reduced, and over-fitting is potentially avoided. In addition to the object- independency assumption, temporal information is exploited by taking into account only the state transitions that occurred in the valid direction.j The common nature of object-driven and temporal action rules made us believe that this work is general enough to solve a diverse fields of areas where it is highly needed. In our case study, we show how our approach was applied to an information system of hypernasality patients; our results were further investigated by physicians collaborators to confirm them

ACUTE EFFECTS OF NINTENDO WII FIT ON BALANCE IN YOUNGADULTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL

To investigate the effects of Nintendo Wii Fit balance board on young adults’ balance. This experimental randomized trial included 98 participants. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, the control (54) and experimental group (44). The control group received no intervention, and was used to give reliable data to be compared with the data from the experimental group. The experimental group on the other hand played the “Table Tilt” game on the Nintendo Wii balance board. The two tests used to observe the effect of the balance board on balance were unipedal and bipedal stance tests by using Biodex stability system (BBS). These tests were performed before and after the program to study the difference. In both groups, there was a significant reduction (p \u3c 0.05) in Double Leg Stance Stability (DLSS), Dominant Single Leg Stance Stability (DSLS), and Non- Dominant Single Leg Stance Stability (NDSLS) in the post treatment condition compared with the pretreatment. Moreover, there was a significant improvement (p \u3c 0.05) in balance in favor of the study group for the Double Leg Stance Stability. However, there wasn’t a significant difference (p \u3c 0.05) between the two groups in the Dominant Single Leg Stance Stability (DSLS), and the Non-Dominant Single Leg Stance Stability(NDSLS

Design and fabrication of optical filters for long wavelength spectroscopy application

The design and fabrication of thin film Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) for long wavelength spectroscopy application is demonstrated. The system is designed to be integrated in a small portable spectrometer for the measurement of molecular absorption or emission as well as substance that has an infrared signature. A Fabry-Perot interferometer with dielectric mirrors was fabricated using fabrication process on a silicon substrate. The FPI was made of multi thin layers, deposited on silicon (Si) substrate, alternating between high and low refractive-index (n) layers. Si was used as a substrate due to the high precision of etching achievable using conventional VLSI fabrication techniques. Since the wavelength of interest was in the far infrared (5 to 15 micrometers), the layers were selected carefully to minimize the thickness required to meet the quarter-wave optical-thickness criteria for the interferometer. Another criterion that had to be met is the ratio of the refractive indices (n) between the layers. In this study, we have utilized germanium (Ge), which has n value of ~ 4 in the wavelength range of interest, and zinc oxide (ZnO), which has n value average of ~1.8 in the range of interest. Deposition of the layers was carried out using electron beam deposition for Ge and sputtering for ZnO. First the Si substrate was etched precisely to provide the gap needed for the wavelengths on interest and then the dielectric layers were deposited. For example, using Ge thickness of 0.576 µm, ZnO thickness of 1.22 µm, and a gap of 4.77 µm, we have demonstrated a filter transmitting a wavelength of 9.2 micrometers with a full width at half maximum of ~ 0.5 microns using one stack of Ge/ZnO layers. Simulations, using Freesnell software, were consistent with the experimental results. The tuning of the FPI with different cavity distances was demonstrated by measuring the transmission spectrum of the FPI. The transmission measurement was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) while the thickness of the layers was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

EVALUATION OF THE RISK OF DEVELOPING WORKRELATEDMUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS IN PRECLINICALAND CLINICAL DENTAL STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders in preclinical and clinical dental students in Beirut Arab University (BAU) clinics.190 students were recruited from the Faculty of Dentistry at BAU: 95 preclinical and 95clinical dentistry students, and asked to fill the Ergonomic Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ). Then the students were blindly assessed by a physical therapist using Rapid Entire Body Assessment Scale (REBA) scale.Results indicated that 90% of the preclinical and clinical students are at medium to high risk of developing musculoskeletal problems. In addition, 78% of preclinical students showed awareness regarding ergonomics compared to 83% of clinical students. However, only 44% of preclinical students and 62% of clinical students follow good ergonomic practices in their work. On the other hand, 58% of preclinical students and 81% of clinical students suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, but only 23% and 33% of preclinical and clinical students, respectively, are seeking medical consultation. Even though dental curricula integrates the work-related ergonomic challenges in several courses, measures seems to be unsatisfactory to lower the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Adoption of more interactive and effective means to foster proper ergonomics is recommended. Incorporating good ergonomics should start in dental practice in order to avoid illnesses and injuries and to increase efficiency and productivity

Weaning of Moderately Preterm Infants from the Incubator to the Crib: A Randomized Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether length of hospital stay is decreased among moderately preterm infants weaned from incubator to crib at a lower vs higher weight. STUDY DESIGN: This trial was conducted in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Infants with gestational ages 29-33 weeks, birthweight <1600 g, and in an incubator were randomly assigned to a weaning weight of 1600 or 1800 g. Within 60 to 100 g of weaning weight, the incubator temperature was decreased by 1.0°C to 1.5°C every 24 hours until 28.0°C. The infants were weaned to the crib following stable temperature at 36.5°C to 37.4°C for 8 to 12 hours. Clothing and bedcoverings were standardized. The primary outcome was length of hospital stay from birth to discharge; secondary outcomes included length of stay and growth velocity from weaning to discharge. Adverse events were monitored. RESULTS: Of 1565 infants screened, 885 were eligible, and 366 enrolled-187 to the 1600-g and 179 to the 1800-g group. Maternal and neonatal characteristics did not differ among weight groups. Length of hospital stay was a median of 43 days in the lower and 41 days in the higher weight group (P = .12). Growth velocity from completion of weaning to discharge was higher in the lower weight group, 13.7 g/kg/day vs 12.8 g/kg/day (P = .005). Groups did not differ in adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among moderately preterm neonates, weaning from incubator to crib at a lower weight did not decrease length of stay, but was safe and was accompanied by higher weight gain after weaning