The Role of Interior Design in Optimizing Living Space: A Case Study in Interior Arrangement and Lighting

Individual’s behavior depends on the condition of living spaces and how comfortably he is spending time including activities or doing specified tasks in that atmosphere. Interior spaces are products of our architectural point of view and our imagination. In order to form these spaces, users need to familiarize themselves with their needs and make an effort to create a space to help them reflect their inner feeling. However, there are many other factors impact on the quality of these spaces including lighting and interior arrangement. Not only do artists pay attention to their living and work spaces and intend to change it accordingly by color, material and lighting, people would prefer to make the probable changes in interior spaces in different ways as they believe the interior can represent the whole building and it is strong enough to directly impact on people’s behavior. The best and simplest way in order to see changes are to adjust the lighting and of course work on the interior arrangement. This article aims to discuss in what way users can change the aforementioned factors properly and increase the quality of their living spaces

PRIMJENA METODOLOGIJA MEKOGA RAČUNARSTVA U PREDVIĐANJU 28-DNEVNE TLAČNE ČVRSTOĆE MLAZNOGA BETONA: KOMPARATIVNA USPOREDBA INDIVIDUALNOGA I HIBRIDNOGA MODELA

Shotcreting is a popular construction technique with wide-ranging applications in mining and civil engineering. Compressive strength is a primary mechanical property of shotcrete with particular importance for project safety, which highly depends on its mix design. But in practice, there is no reliable and accurate method to predict this strength. In this study, existing experimental data related to shotcretes with 59 different mix designs are used to develop a series of soft computing methodologies, including individual artificial neural network, support vector regression, and M5P model tree and their hybrids with the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm so as to predict the 28-day compressive strength of shotcrete. Analysis of the results shows the superiority of the hybrid model over the individual models in predicting the compressive strength of shotcrete. Overall, data clustering prior to use of machine learning techniques leads to certain improvement in their performance and reliability and generalizability of their results. In particular, the M5P model tree exhibits excellent capability in anticipating the compressive strength of shotcrete.Mlazni beton popularna je konstrukcijska tehnika široke uporabe u rudarstvu i građevinarstvu. Tlačna čvrstoća primarno je mehaničko svojstvo mlaznoga betona s posebnom važnošću za sigurnost projekta, ovisno o sastavu betona. U praksi ne postoji pouzdana i točna metoda za predviđanje toga svojstva. Ovdje su prikazani eksperimentalni podatci za 59 različitih sastava mlaznoga betona, na kojima je razvijen niz metodologija temeljem mekoga računarstva, uključujući pojedinačnu umjetnu neuronsku mrežu, podržanu vektorskom regresijom, stablastim dijagramima, njihovim hibridima na temelju klastera vrijednosti c-sredina, a s ciljem predviđanja promjene tlačne čvrstoće mlaznoga betona tijekom 28 dana. Općenito su klasteri podataka već prije uporabe strojnoga učenja znatno pomogli u kvaliteti, pouzdanosti i općenitosti rezultata. Posebno je istaknut stablasti model M5P kao onaj koji izvrsno predviđa tlačnu čvrstoću mlaznoga betona

Application of random survival forest for competing risks in prediction of cumulative incidence function for progression to AIDS

Objective: There has remained a need to better understanding of prognostic factors that affect the survival or risk in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), particularly in developing countries. The aim of the present study aimed to identify the prognostic factors influencing AIDS progression in HIV positive patients in Hamadan province of Iran, using random survival forest in the presence of competing risks (death from causes not related to AIDS). This method considers all interactions between variables and their nonlinear effects. Method(s): A data set of 585 HIV-infected patients extracted from 1997 to 2011 was utilized. The effect of several prognostic factors on cumulative incidence function (probability) of AIDS progression and death were investigated. Result: The used model indicated that using antiretroviral therapy tuberculosis co-infection are two top most important variables in predicting cumulative incidence function for AIDS progression in the presence of competing risks, respectively. The patients with tuberculosis had much higher predicted cumulative incidence probability. Predicted cumulative incidence probability of AIDS progression was also higher for mother to child mode of HIV transmission. Moreover, transmission type and gender were two top most important variables for the competing event. Men and those patients with IDUS transmission mode had higher predicted risk compared to others. Conclusion: Considering nonlinear effects and interaction between variables, confection with tuberculosis was the most important variable in prediction of cumulative incidence probability of AIDS progression

Evaluation of the Client Patients Waiting Time in Referral Restorative Dentistry Department of Dental Clinic Using Six Sigma Model

Introduction: Waiting time is one of the factors affecting patients' satisfaction with the quality of services, therefore, reducing the waiting time has an essential role in the improvement of services and clients' satisfaction. The present study was performed to study the client patients waiting time in referral restorative dentistry department of dental clinic using Six Sigma model. Method: In this descriptive study, 300 patients who referred to the restorative dentistry department of dental clinic, were included. Finally, 30 subjects were selected using random sampling method. Data were collected by waiting time measurement forms and researcher-made checklists. To determine the process quality, six sigma model was used. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: The highest mean waiting time belonged to the oral diseases department (mean=31 min) and the lowest one belonged to the examination unit of restorative dentistry department (mean=15 min). The most important factors extending the waiting time were simultaneous entrance of patients (mean=4.6 min), lack of medical students' skill and experience (mean=4.2 min), lack of employees and integration of reception unit with cash desk (mean=4 min), respectively. Conclusion: Therefore, by analyzing reception process, appropriate management, and using Six Sigma model, waiting time will reduce, clients' satisfaction will increase, and the quality of services will improve

The Effects of Thiamine Supplementation on General Health and Infertility Treatment Outcomes in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Triple-Blinded Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) on general health and infertilitytreatment outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Materials and Methods: The study is a triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial performed on 64 infertilewomen with PCOS referred to Sarem Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The primary outcomes of the study were general healthand infertility treatment outcomes. Eligible women were randomly assigned to the vitamin B1 group (n=32, vitamin B1tablet at a dose of 300 mg/day for 4 weeks) or the placebo group (n=32, placebo tablet daily for 4 weeks). A general healthquestionnaire was completed before and after the intervention by both groups and treatment success was evaluated at theend of the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software ver.16 P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The mean age of participants in the vitamin B1 (VB1) group was 30.4 ± 3.27 years and in the placebo (Pl)group was 29.1 ± 2.66 years with the mean duration of marriage 12.7 ± 3.01 and 13.2 ± 2.97 years respectively. Ourresults showed that there were significant differences between the two groups in overall score (P<0.001) and scoresfor all domains of the general health questionnaire including somatic symptoms (P<0.001), anxiety and insomnia(P<0.001), social dysfunction (P=0.028), and severe depression (P<0.001) after the intervention. Four weeks of consumptionof vitamin B1 also resulted in higher numbers of positive pregnancy tests (P=0.006), although the numberof fetuses was not significantly different between the two groups after the intervention.Conclusion: The results of the current study support a possible favourable effect of vitamin B1 on improving generalhealth, infertility treatment outcome, and retrieved follicle count without changing the number of fetuses in womenwith polycystic ovary syndrome (registration number: IRCT201510266917N3)

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF VANCOMYCIN, MUPIROCIN AND ANTISEPTIC RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAINS.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of nosocomial infections that leads to broad spectrum of diseases. Increasing antibiotic resistance among S. aureus strains, particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a serious concern. In addition, the emergence of antiseptics resistance in MRSA helps organism to easily persist and spread in healthcare environments. The aim of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of vancomycin, mupirocin and antiseptic resistant S. aureus strains. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on a total of 120 MRSA isolates collected from two major hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of vancomycin and mupirocin were determined by E-test method according to CLSI and Eucast guidelines. Presence of resistance genes were investigated by PCR method. Results: Antibacterial susceptibility tests for MRSA isolates showed that 7 isolates (5.8%) were vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) and 15 isolates (12.5%) were high-level mupirocin resistant (MuH). None of the isolate had vancomycin resistance gene (vanA), but the frequency of mupirocin resistance gene was significant and 55 (45.8%) isolates carried mupA gene. Moreover, norA, smr and qacA/B genes were detected in 110 (91.7%), 55 (45.8%) and 36 (30%) strains, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed the existence of VISA and VRSA strains in our region, and we also found high frequency of mupirocin and biocide resistance genes among strains