Evaluation of Drivers’ Affectability and Satisfaction with Black Spots Warning Application

Since a significant percentage of crashes occur at black spots, different methods have been proposed to prioritize the modification of these spots and prevent crashes. One of these prevention methods in transportation is the hazard warning systems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the satisfaction of drivers and their affectability from a map-based warning application is evaluated. To this end, black spots were identified on one of the two-way two-lane highways in the North-West of Iran and 32 male drivers were tested in the intervention group (warning state) and the control group (non-warning state). The evaluation of the warning application was done in two steps. In the first stage, drivers’ affectability between the two groups was compared, where average speed and number of speed limit violations were studied in warning and non-warning states. In the second stage, drivers' satisfaction with application features was examined using questionnaires. The findings showed that the difference in mean speeds at black spots between warning and non-warning states was significant with 95% confidence level and the use of warning application was effective in reducing the number of drivers with speed limit violations at black spots. Most drivers were highly content with the warning from car speakers, advisory warnings and warning distance from black spot, and did not have enough satisfaction with visual warnings, the application installation procedure, and warnings from smartphone speakers. Additionally, the results of the questionnaire revealed that not only warnings did not cause distraction for the drivers, they were effective in increasing their caution. These findings can be used to eliminate the shortcomings of the hazard warning application

Intraorbital Steroid Injection for Active Thyroid Ophthalmopathy

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of orbital steroid injections in patients with active thyroid ophthalmopathy resistant to or dependent on systemic steroids, or with complications related to systemic steroid use. Methods: This prospective non-comparative case series includes 31 eyes of 17 patients with active thyroid ophthalmopathy and clinical activity score (CAS) of 3 or more, without compressive optic neuropathy or overt exposure keratopathy. All subjects had a history of previous systemic steroid use (with steroid resistance or dependence) or had developed complications related to steroids. A combination of steroids including triamcinolone acetonide 20 mg and dexamethasone 4 mg was injected in the upper and lower retroseptal orbital spaces three or four times at one-month intervals. The patients were examined periodically after each injection and at least three months after the last injection. Results: Mean pre-injection CAS was 5.2 ± 1.3 which was improved to 1.6 ± 1 after the fourth injection (P < 0.001). Upper and lower lid retraction improved in 100% and 68.2% of the affected eyes, respectively. Strabismus completely resolved in one of five affected patients and the most significant improvement was observed in supraduction. Mean improvement in exophthalmos was 1.2 ± 1.1 mm. Visual acuity did not significantly change after the injections. Eyelid ecchymosis and/or subconjunctival hemorrhage was observed in 7.1% and intraocular pressure rise occurred in 8.8% of eyes. Conclusion: Orbital steroid injections can be used for the treatment of active thyroid ophthalmopathy when the patient is resistant to or dependent on systemic steroids or has developed complications of systemic steroids

Eco-Friendly Asphalt Containing Recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE): Performance Assessment and Cost Analysis

Utilization of the recycled waste materials for new products is considered as a viable solution for saving the environment. This study paper targets the performance evaluation of hot-mix asphalt made with the modified bitumen 60/70 containing 3% and 5% of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (by the weight of optimum bitumen). First, the properties of modified bitumen mixtures including specific density, penetration depth, ductility, and softening point were measured. Then, the properties of asphalt mixtures made with the modified bitumen including rutting depth and resilient modulus were measured. Findings indicated the suitability of recycled HDPE available in Iranian market in the development of eco-friendly asphalt mixtures. Results showed a 49% decrease in penetration depth and a 15% increase in softening point for the suggested modified bitumen mixture containing 3% of recycled HDPE compared to those of control bitumen mixture, i.e.  the bitumen mixture containing 0% of recycled HDPE. Results also showed a 47% decrease in rutting depth and a 113% increase in resilient modulus of asphalt made with the bitumen mixture containing 3% of recycled HDPE compared to those of control asphalt mixture, i.e. the asphalt mixture containing 0% of recycled HDPE. The results showed that the suggested asphalt mixture can be an appropriate option to be adopted not only in moderate climates but also in tropical climates as its characteristics become comparable to those of the bitumen 40/50 and the bitumen 30/40. Replacing a portion of bitumen by the recycled HDPE not only improves the characteristics of asphalt, but also has a positive impact on reducing the natural resource depletion and environmental pollution resulting from burning and/or the retention of plastic waste left in nature. The suggested eco-friendly asphalt is also cost effective

Quantum Organizations with Islamic Way Forward

Firstly, this paper describes a phenomenon of transnational organization and general condition of world and ‘man in the world’. For developing a comprehensive framework, it presents authentic literature review beginning from modernity to post modernity using the hermeneutic-interpretivism research tradition to show the similarities between modernism and post modernism. By revealing the missing link in the quantum paradigm of ralph Kilmann (scholar of quantum organization) on one hand, it develops the possibility of reviving revealed knowledge back into the main frame knowledge of organization theory, on the other hand. By raising and addressing the question of how can the revealed knowledge addresses the current economic dilemma, the paper describes the three lenses available used to understand natural world, socio economic world and behavioral world in Newtonian verses quantum assumptions on organization theory   along with their implications. For cross fertilization of ideas and better understanding of God, cosmos and human it presents an alternative of Islamic way forward suggested by scholarly views from East and West. To further substantiate, it presents the stunning insights from the renowned wisdom traditions (pragmatic civilizations) to highlight why religions matter to show (the levels of reality and levels of selfhood as well as relationship between Necessity being and contingent being), responding the situation of power and domination prevalent in organizing world by suggesting historical/civilizational ethical mode and adopting psycho, spiritual-pragmatic approach with holistic world view (Big picture)

Cross Sectional Crash Severity Analysis among Various Vehicle Driver Characteristics

The current study evaluated road crashes in three categories of drivers: passenger car drivers, heavy vehicle drivers and pickup truck drivers. The crash data of road crashes that occurred from 2009 to 2012 in Iranian suburban roads were analyzed. The crashes involved 194,041 damage, 9,677 injury and 1,303 fatality crashes. Because of the ordinal nature of crash severity, ordered logit model was selected for each vehicle driver category. In the passenger car driver category, the independent variables of driver’s gender, driver’s age and driver’s educational level (uneducated, less than high school diploma, high school diploma) were obtained for modeling; in the heavy vehicle driver category, the independent variables of driver’s age and driver’s educational level (uneducated, less than high school diploma) were obtained for modeling, and in the pickup truck driver category, the independent variables of driver’s age and driver’s educational level (uneducated, high school diploma) were obtained for modeling. The variable of driver’s gender with respect to passenger cars shows that crashes by female drivers are more severe than those involving male drivers in suburban roads. Regarding the variable of driver’s age, if the driver’s age increases in each vehicle driver category, the probability of occurrence of a severe crash will decrease. The variable of driver’s educational level shows that the severity of crashes involving a driver that has a low level of education is more compared with a driver that has a high level of education

Phenomenal Consciousness; a Challenge to Physicalism

The undeniable success of neuroscience in explaining human mental states, which in the past were explained in terms of supernatural concepts, has led many modern-day scientists and philosophers to advocate physicalist methods in explaining human nature. According to this view, science, by recognizing the physiological structures of man, especially the brain and its functions, will finally be able to explain human nature with all its features through mere physical concepts. The most important challenge to this view has always been the question of consciousness, or in its traditional sense, how the mind and body relate. However, contemporary scientists try to explain the phenomenon of consciousness through the physical sciences by presenting new scientific theories and concepts about the mechanisms of the brain and its relation to mental states. The purpose of this article is to show that phenomenal awareness is the most important challenge to the theory of materialism. Examining the concept of consciousness and dividing it into two parts, "perceptual consciousness" and "phenomenal consciousness", we have argued that scientific theories at best provide only an explanation of perceptual consciousness, while challenging The main science of the natural sciences is the explanation of phenomenal consciousness. But phenomenal consciousness is beyond the reach of the physical sciences because of the inherent nature of mentality, unless it recognizes first-person perspective science

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Evolution of Digital Education: A Comparative Study of OpenAI Text Generation Tools including ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard, and Ernie

In the digital era, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has ushered in transformative changes, redefining teaching methodologies, curriculum planning, and student engagement. This review paper delves deep into the rapidly evolving landscape of digital education by contrasting the capabilities and impact of OpenAI's pioneering text generation tools like Bing Chat, Bard, Ernie with a keen focus on the novel ChatGPT. Grounded in a typology that views education through the lenses of system, process, and result, the paper navigates the multifaceted applications of AI. From decentralizing global education and personalizing curriculums to digitally documenting competence-based outcomes, AI stands at the forefront of educational modernization. Highlighting ChatGPT's meteoric rise to one million users in just five days, the study underscores its role in democratizing education, fostering autodidacticism, and magnifying student engagement. However, with such transformative power comes the potential for misuse, as text-generation tools can inadvertently challenge academic integrity. By juxtaposing the promise and pitfalls of AI in education, this paper advocates for a harmonized synergy between AI tools and the educational community, emphasizing the urgent need for ethical guidelines, pedagogical adaptations, and strategic collaborations

Prediction of domestic violence according to cognitive emotion regulation and early maladaptive schemas of couples

Background: Domestic violence causes the family institution to turn into a tense, stressful, cold and soulless environment. The current study was handled to the aim of predicting domestic violence according to cognitive emotion regulation (CER) and early maladaptive schemas (EMS) in couples. Methods: The present study was a descriptive correlational Research, which was carried out on couples with domestic violence problems referring to counseling centers in Tehran, 2021. The number of 400 people was selected as samples through convenience sampling among those who were referred to counseling centers. The research tools included the questionnaire of Haj-Yahia violence against women, Garfenski et al.'s cognitive regulation of emotion, and Young's early maladaptive schemas. Data analysis was done using SPSS 21 software, Pearson's correlation coefficient and analysis of regression. Results: The findings revealed that domestic violence has a significant and inverse correlation with CER, and a direct and significant correlation with EMSs (P < 0.001). Domestic violence was predictable based on CER (B = -0.411, P = 0.001) and EMSs (B =0.372, P = 0.001). Conclusion: According to the results, CER and EMSs were able to reduce and increase domestic violence in couples, respectively. It is suggested to pay attention to the CER and EMSs of couples and supply the required teaching in this regard

The Role of Inflammatory Mediators in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder associated with advanced age, is the most common cause of dementia globally. AD is characterised by cognitive dysfunction, deposition of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuro-inflammation. Inflammation of the brain is a key pathological hallmark of AD. Thus, clinical and immunopathological evidence of AD could be potentially supported by inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines, the complement system, acute phase proteins and oxidative mediators. In particular, oxidative mediators may actively contribute to the progression of AD and on-going inflammation in the brain. This review provides an overview of the functions and activities of inflammatory mediators in AD. An improved understanding of inflammatory processes and their role in AD is needed to improve therapeutic research aims in the field of AD and similar diseases