Diagrams Based on Structured Object Perception

Most diagrams, particularly those used in software engineering, are line drawings consisting of nodes drawn as rectangles or circles, and edges drawn as lines linking them. In the present paper we review some of the literature on human perception to develop guidelines for effective diagram drawing. Particular attention is paid to structural object recognition theory. According to this theory as objects are perceived they are decomposed into 3D set of primitives called geons, together with the skeleton structure connecting them. We present a set of guidelines for drawing variations on node-link diagrams using geon-like primitives, and provide some examples. Results from three experiments are reported that evaluate 3D geon diagrams in comparison with 2D UML (Unified Modeling Language) diagrams. The first experiment measures the time and accuracy for a subject to recognize a sub-structure of a diagram represented either using geon primitives or UML primitives. The second and third experiments compare the accuracy of recalling geon vs. UML diagrams. The results of these experiments show that geon diagrams can be visually analyzed more rapidly, with fewer errors, and can be remembered better in comparison with equivalent UML diagrams

Treatment-resistant ulcerative necrobiosis lipoidica in a diabetic patient responsive to ustekinumab

Necrobiosis lipoidica is a chronic granulomatous disease of unknown etiopathogenesis, which is often difficult to treat. While data from randomized controlled trials for the treatment of necrobiosis lipoidica is lacking, several treatments of varying efficacy for necrobiosis lipoidica have been reported in the scientific literature. We present a case of a 29-year-old female with uncontrolled diabetes and treatment-resistant necrobiosis lipoidica which was responsive to ustekinumab

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Coping Styles and Psychological Adaptation with Recovery Process in a Sample of Coronary Heart Disease Patients

AbstractThe relationship between coping styles and psychological adaptation with recovery process was investigated in a sample of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) patients. 150 patients were included in this study at intake and forty five patients (27 men, 18 women) participated in follow-up study. All participants were asked to complete Tehran Coping Styles Scale (TCSS) and Mental Health Inventory (MHI). Recovery Process Questionnaire (RPQ) was completed through patient's medical file and clinical examinations by cardiologists. Perceived recovery revealed a significant positive association with negative emotional-focused coping style. It can be concluded that perceived recovery of CHD patients is positively influenced by negative emotional-focused coping style

Exploring the use of hand-to-face input for interacting with head-worn displays

International audienceWe propose the use of Hand-to-Face input, a method to interact with head-worn displays (HWDs) that involves contact with the face. We explore Hand-to-Face interaction to find suitable techniques for common mobile tasks. We evaluate this form of interaction with document navigation tasks and examine its social acceptability. In a first study, users identify the cheek and forehead as predominant areas for interaction and agree on gestures for tasks involving continuous input, such as document navigation. These results guide the design of several Hand-to-Face navigation techniques and reveal that gestures performed on the cheek are more efficient and less tiring than interactions directly on the HWD. Initial results on the social acceptability of Hand-to-Face input allow us to further refine our design choices, and reveal unforeseen results: some gestures are considered culturally inappropriate and gender plays a role in selection of specific Hand-to-Face interactions. From our overall results, we provide a set of guidelines for developing effective Hand-to-Face interaction techniques

Les défis et les avantages du télétravail

RÉSUMÉ : Les êtres humains passent plus d'un tiers de leurs heures éveillées à s'engager dans des activités liées au travail. Il est donc primordial de prendre en considération l'importance de maintenir un environnement de travail optimal, surtout lorsqu'il s'agit de télétravail au sein d'un contexte familial et résidentiel. Dans de telles circonstances, il est essentiel de veiller à créer une atmosphère propice, tout en mettant l'accent sur l'importance de facteurs physiques, psychologiques et ergonomiques de qualité. En donnant la priorité à ces aspects, les individus peuvent améliorer leur performance professionnelle globale, ce qui entraîne une productivité accrue et un bien-être dans leur vie professionnelle. Le but de notre recherche est de comprendre les tendances et les schémas plus larges associés au télétravail. Pour cela, nous avons choisi l'autopraxéographie, une méthode narrative à la première personne centrée sur l'expérience du chercheur et une approche multidisciplinaire. L'autopraxéographie a été choisie afin de pouvoir non seulement se référer à la littérature, mais aussi fournir des exemples pratiques de situations que la chercheuse a rencontrées lors de son expérience personnelle en tant que travailleuse à distance, ce qui a conduit à une meilleure compréhension de son vécu. J'ai approfondi le sujet en comparant ces expériences des participants à la littérature existante sur le télétravail. Cette analyse comparative a, non seulement fourni un contexte plus large, mais m'a également permis d'identifier des similitudes entre les expériences rapportées par les participants et les résultats de la littérature. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en français : Télétravail, Travail à domicile, Défis du télétravail, Travail flexible, Technologie du télétravail, Équilibre travail/vie personnelle, distractions, Flou des frontières. -- ABSTRACT : Humans spend over a third of their waking hours engaged in work-related activities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to consider the significance of maintaining an optimal work environment, especially when teleworking within a family and housing context. In such circumstances, ensuring a conducive atmosphere becomes crucial, alongside emphasizing the importance of excellent physical, psychological, and ergonomic factors. By prioritizing these aspects, individuals can enhance their overall job performance, leading to increased productivity and well-being in their professional lives. The purpose of our research is to gain insights into the broader patterns and trends associated with remote work. To do this, we chose autopraxeography, a first-person narrative method centered on the researcher's experience and multidisciplinary theory. Autopraxeography has been chosen to have the chance to not only refer to the literature but also provide practical examples of situations that the researcher has encountered during her personal experience as a remote worker that led to a better understanding of lived experience. I delved deeper into the topic by comparing these participant experiences with existing literature on remote working. This comparative analysis not only provided a broader context but also allowed me to identify commonalities between the experiences reported by participants and the findings from the literature. -- Mot(s) clé(s) en anglais : remote working, Work-from-home, Remote work challenges, Flexible work, Remote work technology, work-life balance, Distributions, blurring boundaries

Effect of Substrate on In-flight Particle Characteristics in Suspension Plasma Spraying

Thermal spray technology is a widely used technique in industry in which surfaces of materials are coated by spraying a wide range of metals or ceramics. Considering the growing interest in building nanostructured coatings due to their significant characteristics a new technique called suspension plasma spraying is developed. In this method, a coating is formed by injecting a suspension of nano or sub-micron sized particles into a plasma flame. Obtaining a uniform coating on mechanical parts is one of the industrial challenges in suspension plasma spraying. Through a three dimensional numerical analysis, this study is aimed at providing a better understanding of the effect of substrate position and curvature on in-flight particle temperature, velocity and trajectory. The high temperature and high velocity plasma flow is simulated inside the plasma torch using a uniform volumetric heat source in the energy equation. The suspension of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particles is used here due to its vast applications in forming thermal barrier coatings. Suspension is molded in this study as a multicomponent droplet while catastrophic breakup regime is considered for simulating the secondary break-up when the suspension interacts with the plasma flow. A two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach along with a stochastic discrete model was used to track the particle trajectory. Particle size distribution in the vicinity of the substrate at different standoff distances has been investigated. Then the effect of substrate curvature on in-flight particle characteristics is discussed. The results show that sub-micron particles obtain higher velocity and temperature compared to the larger particles. However, due to the small Stokes number associated with sub-micron particles, they are more sensitive to the change of the gas flow streamlines in the vicinity of the substrate

Designing and establishment of ISO/IEC17025 in the research centers affiliated to IFRO the first phase: the Persian Gulf Ecological Research Center, Caspian Sea Ecology Research Center and Iran Shrimp Research Center

The plan entitled "designing and establishment of ISO/IEC17025 in laboratories of three research centers affiliated to Iran Fisheries Research Organization" was carried out in the frame of three projects from March 2008 for about three years. Among the laboratories of The Persian Gulf ecological research center, the Caspian Sea ecological research center and the national shrimp research center 7, 5 and 3 laboratories were selected for accreditation, respectively. The quality manuals of the test laboratories were written following the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. During the establishment of the system standardization of the test methods, calibration of the equipment, test methods validation and update and improvement of physical conditions of the laboratories were performed. The technical and quality management competence of the laboratories affiliated to the Persian Gulf ecological research center were evaluated by the auditors from DGA (the German Accreditation System for Testing Laboratories), which is signatory of ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation). But in the case of the two other centers, the laboratories were accredited by Iran Accreditation System (IAS). The laboratories officially accredited, after the successful completion of the accreditation process (including implementation of corrective actions for the detected non-conformities). Production of reliable results of the test methods from national and international scientific organizations' point of view as well as facilitation in development of bilateral and multilateral relations with them can be considered as the advantages of the system establishment. Moreover, exchange of the relevant scientific information and experiences among the researchers will be facilitated

Use of preputial island flap for penile skin reconstruction in hypospadias

Introduction: Providing the material for penile reconstruction after release of chordee associated with hypospadias is challenging. We have used the preputial vascularized island flap for this purpose. We report the results of this prospective study.Materials and Methods: One hundred and twelve boys ranging from 13 months to 12 years of age were enrolled in this study. The location of meatus ranged from midshaft to glanular and all of them had associated penile curvature from 10 to 40 degrees. The preputial skin vascularized flap was created and used for covering the defect in all cases. The underlying dartus tissue of the flap also lied on the uretheral suture line to prevent the formation of fistula. The follow up period ranged from 2 months to 72 months. All patients received caudal anesthesia for postoperative pain management. Results: All patients had skin defects on the ventral surface of their penile shaft after correction of penile curvature. The ischemia and necrosis of the flap developed in 5 cases however these were in initial phases of the study. In 20 cases the appearance of the flap seemed liked a hyperthrophied loose patch on the ventral aspect of penis. These cases went on to have a good appearance over time. Only in two of these cases a second operation to refashion the flap was needed. Conclusion: Thepreputial island flap is a safe method for covering the new urethra and penile skin defects, with good cosmetic results