accurate identification of seismic hazard and the estimation of associated seismic demands are the key components in the performance-based seismic design (pbsd). although nonlinear time history (nth) analysis is the most precise procedure to evaluate the seismic demands of buildings structures, it is relatively complex and time-consuming for routine applications. nonlinear static procedures (ns...

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) simulates uncertain gains and losses in real life situations and thus is a good measure of uncertain decision-making. The role of working memory (WM) in IGT performance still remains unclear. The present study aimed to examine the effect of WM on IGT performance. Three groups of participants matched on gender ratio were randomly assigned to no WM load, low WM load, ...

A fault-tolerant classification system in wireless sensor networks combining distributed detection with error-correcting codes has recently been proposed. Associated with a decision pattern, each sensor makes a local decision based on its detection result and a set of decision thresholds. The detection result must then be transmitted to a fusion center to make a final decision. The probability ...

The helmet, a transparent latex-free polyvinyl chloride cylinder linked by a metallic ring to a soft collar that seals the helmet around the neck, has been recently proposed as an effective alternative to conventional face mask to deliver pressure support ventilation (PSV) during noninvasive ventilation in patients with acute respiratory failure. We tested the hypothesis that mechanical charact...

Numerous literature reviews indicate a moderate to strong association between manual material handling (MMH) and back injury. A few biomechanical studies contrasted the work techniques of female and male workers during MMH. Recently, Plamondon et al. (2014) found that one important biomechanical variable that characterized experienced females relative to male experts, during lifting of 15-kg bo...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is thought to predominantly affect white matter (WM). Recently, however, loss of cortical gray matter has also been described. Little is known about the cause of cortical atrophy in MS, whether it occurs early in the disease course, and whether it affects all cortical regions equally or if there is a preferential pattern of focal cortical atrophy. An automated method was...