Adjustment Problems Research Articles

A Study to Assess the Adjustment Problems and Their Coping Strategies Among Working Mothers in Selected Areas of Sikar

Background: A descriptive study was conducted to assess the adjustment problems and their coping strategies among working mothers in selected areas of Sikar, Rajasthan. A total sample of 60 working mothers were selected using simple random sampling technique. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of adjustment problems and coping strategies used among working mothers and to find out the correlation between the level of adjustment problems and level of coping strategies used, to find out the association between the level of adjustment problems among working mothers with their selected demographic variables. The final objective was to find out the association between the level of coping strategies used among working mothers with their demographic variables. Materials and Methods: A descriptive design was adopted for the study. A sample comprising of 60 working mothers were enrolled using the simple random sampling technique. The conceptual framework used in the study was based on Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s General System Model. Results: Data analysis were done using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings of the study revealed that the mean score for severe adjustment problems was 20.29 ± 1.19, that of those with moderate adjustment problems was 15.05 ± 1.17, and that of those with mild adjustment problem was 7.79 ± 0.89. Most to the samples 38.33% (23) had inadequate coping strategies while 36.67% (22) had moderately adjustment coping strategies and 25% (15) had adequate coping strategies. The mean score for inadequate coping strategies was 57.49 ± 7.64, that of those with moderately adequate coping strategies was 95 ± 5.45, and that of those with mild adjustment problem was 111.27 ± 6.64. There is a negative correlation between the level of adjustment problems and the level of coping strategies used among the working mothers. This means that as the level of coping strategies increased the level of adjustment problems decreased among the working mothers. There was no association between level of coping strategy and level of adjustment problems with selected demographic variables. Conclusion: The findings of the study confirmed that as the level of coping strategies increased the level of adjustment problems decreased among the working mothers. Keywords: Adjustment problems, coping strategies, working mothers.

Validación externa y actualización de un modelo predictivo de lesión renal aguda en pacientes adultos hospitalizados en cuidados intensivos

AimTo analyze the predictive performance of the risk model for acute kidney injury (AKI) by Malhotra et al., in adults hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Clínica Somer (Colombia), 2017 and 2021. MethodsRetrospective follow-up study of a cohort based on medical records. Critically ill patients over 18 years of age admitted to the ICU were included. Patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease or on renal replacement therapy, AKI at admission were excluded. AKI in the first week in the ICU was defined as the outcome variable, and those of the Malhotra model and additional clinical variables as predictor variables. The predictive performance was analyzed for the original (m0), calibrated (m1–m2) and updated (m3–m6) models using the C statistic, the Hosmer–Lemeshow (HL) test, and calibration maps. ResultsA total of 1235 patients were included, median age 60 years (IQR 45–60), 39.9% women. The incidence of AKI was 30.6%. The original model (m0) showed fit problems (p-HL value <0.05) overestimating the risk of AKI and obtained a C statistic of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.65–0.71). Calibration using intercept and global factor (m2) solved the adjustment problem. The update with ten additional variables (m6) only increased the C statistic to 0.72 (95% CI: 0.69–0.75). ConclusionThe performance of the original model in the external validation cohort is not perfect due to differences in the epidemiology of AKI in the ICU. The model updated improves the fit but not the discrimination, yet it still holds some degree of utility in clinical practice.

An Equilibrium Strategy for Target Benefit Pension Plans with a Longevity Trend and Partial Information

This paper considers the problem of portfolio selection and adjustment for target benefit plans (TBP) with longevity trends and partial information. The longevity trends are modeled by a time-varying force function. The financial market consists of risk-free assets and stocks, in which the return rate of stocks is a stochastic process and cannot be completely observed. This paper adopts the mean-variance utility model as an optimization criterion. The aim is to maximize the terminal value of the pension fund and the excess pension benefit after the participant’s retirement. The optimization equations are developed in game theory to obtain explicit solutions for the equilibrium strategies. Finally, the influence of the longevity trend on the internal structure of the pension system and the sensitivity of the equilibrium strategies to the related parameters are explored by numerical analysis. The conclusion shows that this model’s results can provide stable and adequate retirement benefits for participants.

The UK BiLEVE and Mendelian randomisation: using multivariable instrumental variables to address “damned if you, damned if you don’t” adjustment problems

ObjectiveTo explore the use of multivariable instrumental variables to resolve the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” adjustment problem created for Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis using the smoking or lung function related phenotypes in the UK Biobank (UKB).Result“damned if you do, damned if you don’t” adjustment problems occur when both adjusting and not-adjusting for a variable will induce bias in an analysis. One instance of this occurs because the genotyping chip of UKB participants differed based on lung function/smoking status. In simulations, we show that multivariable instrumental variables analyses can attenuate potential collider bias introduced by adjusting for a proposed covariate, such as the UKB genotyping chip. We then explore the effect of adjusting for genotyping chip in a multivariable MR model exploring the effect of smoking on seven medical outcomes (lung cancer, emphysema, hypertension, stroke, heart diseases, depression, and disabilities). We additionally compare our results to a traditional univariate MR analysis using genome-wide analyses summary statistics which had and had not adjusted for genotyping chip. This analysis implies that the difference in genotyping chip has introduced only a small amount of bias.

Concern for mianzi: Relations with adjustment in rural and urban Chinese adolescents.

The present study examined relations between concern for mianzi, or the social perception of one's prestige and standing in the group, and adjustment in Chinese adolescents. Participants were seventh- and ninth-grade students in rural and urban regions of China (n = 794, Mage = 14 years). Data were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The results showed that concern for mianzi was associated with social competence, leadership, academic achievement, as well as aggression and mixed peer relationships in rural adolescents. In contrast, concern for mianzi was associated with comprehensive social, school, and psychological adjustment problems in urban adolescents. The results indicate the role of context in shaping the relations between adolescents' concern for mianzi and adjustment.

Teacher–student relationships, stress, and psychosocial functioning during early adolescence

AbstractEarly adolescence is a time of increased stress and risk for poorer psychosocial functioning, but few studies have explored the relationship between stress and psychosocial functioning in the context of teacher–student relationships during early adolescence. This study used a two‐wave longitudinal design to investigate the unique and interactive effects of stress and teacher–student relationships on anxiety/depression, aggression, and rule‐breaking behaviors. The sample included 288 sixth‐ and seventh‐grade students (Mage = 12.01; 54% females; 47% Black, 36% White, 9% Hispanic) and their parents and teachers. Student‐perceived stress and teacher‐reported teacher–student conflict were related to more aggressive and rule breaking behaviors at Wave 1; perceived stress also predicted more anxiety/depression symptoms at Wave 1. Further, teacher‐reported teacher–student closeness predicted less aggressive behaviors over time. The findings suggest that interventions that promote stress management and positive teacher–student relationships may reduce adjustment problems concurrently and over time among early adolescents.

Parental Stress and Chinese American Preschoolers' Adjustment: The Mediating Role of Parenting.

Family contexts, such as parental stress and parenting practices, play critical roles in preschoolers' adjustment. However, these processes have been understudied in Chinese American families. The present study examined the associations between Chinese American mothers' experiences of two types of stress (i.e., general/contextual stress and parenting stress) and their preschoolers' socio-emotional and behavioral adjustment problems; in addition, the mediating roles of maternal psychologically controlling parenting and maternal warmth in these associations were assessed. Participants included 207 first-generation Chinese American mothers (Mage = 37.78 years, SDage = 4.36) and their 3- to 6-year-old children (Mage = 4.50 years, SDage = 0.90; 52% boys). Mothers reported on their levels of stress, psychologically controlling parenting, and warmth practices; teachers reported on child adjustment in the school setting. The results revealed that higher levels of general/contextual stress and parenting stress were each uniquely associated with more maternal psychologically controlling parenting practices, which in turn was associated with fewer socio-emotional and behavioral adjustment problems in children. Our findings can inform parenting intervention programs designed to improve Chinese American preschoolers' adjustment.

Parametric subharmonic instability of inertial shear at ocean fronts

The two-dimensional stability of vertically sheared inertial oscillations at ocean fronts is explored through a linear stability analysis and nonlinear simulations. Baroclinic effects reduce the minimum frequency of inertia-gravity waves to an extent determined by the balanced Richardson number ${{Ri}}$ of the front. Below a critical value of ${{Ri}}$ , which depends on the strength of the inertial shear, the inertial oscillations become unstable to parametric subharmonic instability (PSI) resulting in growing perturbations that oscillate at half the inertial frequency $f$ . Since the critical value is always greater than 1, PSI can occur at fronts stable to symmetric instability. Although modest in weak inertial shear, growth rates exceeding $f/2$ can be achieved for inertial shear greater than or equal to the thermal wind shear. Our formulation allows for non-hydrostatic perturbations and can be applied to initially unstratified geostrophic adjustment problems. We find that PSI will almost totally damp the transient oscillations that arise during geostrophic adjustment. The perturbations gain energy at the expense of the inertial oscillations through ageostrophic shear production. The perturbations then themselves become unstable to secondary Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities creating a pathway by which the inertial oscillations can be dissipated rapidly. In contrast to symmetric and baroclinic instabilities that draw on a front's kinetic or potential energy, PSI acts to increase the energy stored in the balanced front as the convergence and divergence of the eddy-momentum fluxes set up a secondary circulation in the sense to stand up the front.

Social participation and health-related quality of life before and during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in individuals with traumatic brain injury: A follow-up exploratory correlational study

Objective: Little is known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on quality of life and social participation in individuals with traumatic brain injury. We aimed to compare social participation and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of individuals with TBI before and during the second wave of COVID-19 and explored the relationships between the perceived impacts of COVID-19, social participation, and HRQoL.Patients and methods: Eighteen individuals with traumatic brain injury with a mean (standard deviation) age of 47.7 (17.0) years at 48.2 (10.5) months post-injury were administered a questionnaire on overall disability and participation (Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4th edition; MPAI-4), HRQoL (Quality of Life after Brain Injury Questionnaire; QOLIBRI), and the Coronavirus Impacts Questionnaire before and during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic at an interval of 6.4 (SD = 8.2) months. Results: Compared with pre-pandemic levels, individuals with traumatic brain injury reported a statistically significant decrease in the QOLI-BRI total score and its emotional subscale (with medium to large effect sizes), but without statistically significant differences in MPAI-4 scores. Increased difficulties with access to resources during COVID-19 were associated with increased adjustment problems on the MPAI-4, and with daily life and autonomy difficulties, emotional issues, and lower physical functioning on the QOLIBRI. Conclusion: The relationships identified in this exploratory correlational study suggest that COVID-19 had a negative impact on quality of life in individuals with traumatic brain injury, but not specifically on their social participation. LAY ABSTRACTLittle is known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the lives of individuals with traumatic brain injury. This study compared social participation and health-related quality of life in individuals with TBI before and during the second wave of COVID-19 and explored relationships between the perceived impacts of COVID-19, social participation, and health-related quality of life, but not specifically on social participation in individuals with traumatic brain injury. Also, increased difficulties with access to resources during COVID-19 were associated with increased adjustment problems, daily life and autonomy difficulties, emotional issues, and lower physical functioning.

Research on rice leaf area index estimation based on fusion of texture and spectral information

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is one of the indicators used to measure the growth status of rice fields. Rapid, accurate, and large-scale monitoring of LAI plays an important role in ensuring stable grain yield increase. In recent years, the spectral saturation problem and the parameter adjustment problem of machine learning algorithms have become the main limitations to improve the accuracy of LAI estimation. High-resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) images contain not only rich spectral information, but also texture information reflecting the crop canopy structure. Therefore, in order to fully understand the role of spectral information and texture information fusion in rice LAI estimation, this study used the hyperspectral sensor carried by the UAVs to obtain the spectral images of rice canopy of different varieties and different growth stages. Rice canopy reflectance and 8 basic texture features based on Gray-level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) were extracted from hyperspectral images to calculate vegetation indexs (VIs) and combined texture features. Normalized difference texture index (NDTI), Non-linear texture index (NLTI), Enhanced vegetation texture index (EVTI), and Modified triangular texture index (MTTI) were calculated using two and three GLMC-based texture features to explore the effect of combinations of different basic texture features on LAI sensitivity. Two rice LAI estimation models were developed for single spectral indicators and combined with texture indicators, respectively. The results show that: (1) After preprocessing and feature band screening, the optimal spectral band, vegetation index, and trilateral parameters were obtained. When the combined spectral parameters (SP) of the three were used as the only input to the model, R2 showed an increasing trend throughout the growth period. The best results were achieved using the support vector regression (SVR) combined with the pelican optimization algorithm (POA) in the pre jointing stage: R2= 0.839, RMSE = 0.107, and MAPE = 7.02%. (2) When texture information based on hyperspectral images was incorporated into the model input, the results showed that the models based on spectral indicators combined with texture measurements were all superior to those using spectral indicators alone, with the best model having a coefficient of determination: R2 = 0.917, RMSE = 0.078, and MAPE = 4.19%, which has promising applications in crop growth index detection. This technology can quickly and effectively monitor the growth status of crops in the field, providing a theoretical basis for estimating crop yield in the later stage.

Development and Validation of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Scale for Screening General Population

Objective: To develop a reliable and valid Urdu indigenous Body Dysmorphic Disorder Scale (BDDS) for the Pakistani community.&#x0D; Study Design: Cross-sectional study&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Department of Psychology, University of Gujrat, Gujrat Pakistan, from Jun to Dec 2020.&#x0D; Methodology: Based on the literature review, DSM-V criteria and semi-structured interviews conducted with psychologists clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists, an item pool of 78 items was generated for BDDS. A panel of five experts evaluated these items for content and revised them based on judgemental remarks. In the pilot study, 40 individuals were purposively selected, and 78 items were administered, yielding 0.94 Cronbach Alpha. Pilot study-I was conducted on 350 participants for Inter-item correlations and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Pilot study II selected 120 participants conveniently, and Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) along with a Scale of Adjustment Problems for Adults (SAPA) and BDDS were administered to analyse the validation of BDDS. In the main study, 200 conveniently selected individuals were given BDDS for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).&#x0D; Results: Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded three factors with 77 total items of BDDS, each having 19 (Behavioural Slants), 14 (Relational Sensitivity) and 44 (Self-Criticism) items, showing Cronbach Alpha of 0.98 on the present sample. Convergent validity and discriminant validity DCQ and SAPA were satisfactory, respectively. CFA on 200 conveniently selected general population youth yielded 18 items screening BDDS.&#x0D; Conclusion: Body Dysmorphic Disorder Scale is a reliable and valid indigenous tool developed in Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed to screen the general population.

Social cognition and adjustment in adult survivors of pediatric central nervous system tumors.

Survivors of pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors are at risk for neurocognitive and social difficulties throughout childhood. This study characterized social cognition (perception and reasoning from social cues) and adjustment in adulthood. A total of 81 adult survivors of pediatric CNS tumors (51% female; mean [SD] age,28.0 [5.8] years), were recruited across four groups: (1) no radiation therapy (RT) [n=21], (2) infratentorial (IT) tumors+focal RT [n=20], (3) IT tumors+craniospinal irradiation [n=20], and (4) supratentorial tumors+focal RT [n=20]. Prevalence of social cognitive and adjustment impairments was compared to test norms. Multivariable models examined clinical and neurocognitive predictors of social cognition and its impact on functional outcomes. Survivors demonstrated elevated risk of severe social cognitive impairments (social perception Morbidity Ratio [95% CI] 5.70 [3.46-9.20]), but self-reported few social adjustment problems. Survivors of IT tumors treated with craniospinal irradiation performed nearly 1 SD worse than survivors treated without RT on multiple measures of social cognition (e.g., social perception: β=-0.89, p=.004). Impaired executive functioning and nonverbal reasoning were associated with worse social cognitive performance (e.g., social perception: β=-0.75, p<.001; β=-0.84, p<.001, respectively). Better social perception was associated with higher odds of attaining full-time employment (odds ratio, 1.52 [1.17-1.97]) and at least some college education (odds ratio, 1.39 [1.11-1.74]). Adult survivors of CNS tumors are at elevated risk of severely impaired social cognition, but do not perceive social adjustment difficulties. Better understanding of potential mechanisms underlying social cognitive deficits may inform intervention targets to promote better functional outcomes for at-risk survivors.

Assessment of the Knowledge of Educational and Adjustment Problems among College students at selected Degree Colleges, Tirupathi, AP, India

Adjustment is an eternal process and satisfies one’s desires involving many aspects of behaviour. Education is the process of facilitating learning or acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits. Adjustment is a behavioural process of balancing conflicting needs. Objectives: To assess the adjustment problem among the college students and to find an association between the adjustment score and selected background variables among college students. Methodology: In this study 100 samples were selected by non-probability convenience sampling technique. The tool used for data collection consisted of adjustment problem for college students. Validity of the tool was appraised by experts and was found to be valid for the study with required modification. Reliability was done by using Cronbach’s alpha reliability method and was found at 0.94. The tools were found reliable. The pilot study was conducted for assessing the feasibility of the study design at selected colleges of Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh. The collected data was analyzed by harnessing descriptive and inferential statistics.

A Comparative Analysis of Students' Mental Health and Adjustment Levels

“Taking care of one's mental health is just as important as one's physical health.” As part of one’s overall health, mental and emotional health or well being is a necessary condition to enable one to manage one’s life successfully. Mental health is the emotional and spiritual resilience that allows one to enjoy life and to survive pain, suffering, and disappointment. It is a positive sense of well being and an underlying belief in one’s own and others’ dignity and worth.The main aim of the study is to find out the mental health and level of adjustment among the Government &amp; Private school students. Some of the objectives are to find out the level of mental health status of the respondents and the level of adjustment among government and private school students, compare the level of mental health and adjustment problems of the respondents, and provide recommendations and suggestions to the school students to cope with their adjustment problems and enhance their mental health. The research was conducted in Vadavalli area, Coimbatore District, with 150 samples. Disproportionate Stratified Random Sampling was used for this study. The findings will be discussed in the full paper.

Normalized nodal distance-based J2-perturbed ground-track adjustment with apsidal-altitude constraints

This paper presents a novel analytical approach based on normalized nodal distance to obtain the entire set of solutions for the J2-perturbed ground-track adjustment problem under apsidal-altitude constraints. First, by introducing general nodes and considering apsidal-altitude and maximum fuel constraints, a conversion method is proposed to convert these constraints into equivalent linear inequality constraints on normalized nodal distance. A relation curve between post-maneuver apsidal altitudes is also provided. Next, two explicit analytical expressions are derived separately based on Lagrange's expansion for two crucial transcendental equations, one for the time-of-flight concerning the argument of latitude and the other for the impulse concerning the normalized nodal distance. Then, by obtaining a starting node, this constrained ground-track adjustment problem can be transformed into a simple distance assignment problem. Combining with the inequality constraints, the entire solution set concerning the normalized nodal distance can be obtained immediately. Additionally, for the case of an empty solution set, a method for determining the relative longitude coordinates of no-solution intervals is also proposed. The case study demonstrates the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method and finds that for a fixed departing point, the most fuel-efficient time-of-flight window is not always the maximum allowable window within the specified time range.

Adjustment challenges and coping strategies of Arab female international university students.

Over the past decade, Türkiye has experienced an increasing influx of international students, particularly from various Arab countries. The significant number of Arab international university students has prompted researchers to pay more attention to the experiences of this population in the country. This study examined the adjustment problems experienced by Arab female international university students in Türkiye. The research has a mixed methods design and includes both quantitative and qualitative studies. In the quantitative study, the International Students Adjustment Scale (ISAS) was used with 373 participants to examine the challenges in which dimensions of adjustment (academic, sociocultural, or personal) were more challenging for the study group. In the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 Arab female international university students to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences in the domain that is found the issues are more profound. Data from the quantitative study revealed that these students experienced similar challenges in each dimension of adjustment; however, problems in the sociocultural domain were much more profound. In line with the quantitative study, the interview questions of the qualitative study were prepared to explore the sociocultural domain and included the pre-arrival expectations, the post-arrival adjustment challenges, and the coping strategies of the study group. The Results of the qualitative study showed that although their prearrival expectations were almost met, they encountered various problems, ranging from cultural differences in daily activities to discrimination. It was also found that many of them were reluctant to ask for help, and to cope with adjustment problems, they usually used maladaptive or dysfunctional coping strategies such as avoidance and isolation. The findings of the quantitative study are in line with the previous studies that the overall adjustment of international students is influenced by different domains that are broadly academic, sociocultural, and personal. Among them, the sociocultural domain is found as the one in the study population that encounters more challenges. The results of the qualitative study support the findings of previous studies related to prearrival expectancies, provide more understanding of adjustment challenges and bring more information about adopted coping strategies.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and dissociation as serial mediators of the relationship between cumulative victimization and adjustment problems among poly-victimized at-risk youth.

Poly-victimization (PV) has a greater adverse impact on adolescents' lives than any single victimization type, even when repeatedly experienced. Adolescents who experience PV tend to present with an array of adjustment problems, and research has begun to identify mechanisms linking PV to adjustment problems. Both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation are linked to PV and adjustment problems; however, it is unclear how these variables play a role in the pathways from PV to adjustment problems. This study assessed PTSD and dissociation as serial mediators in the PV-adjustment problems link. Two hundred eighteen Portuguese youth identified as poly-victims (56% girls) and aged between 12 and 17 years old (M = 15.63; SD = 1.26) were recruited from three at-risk contexts' cohorts. Participants completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, posttraumatic symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and emotional and social adjustment problems. The study results suggest that, among poly-victim adolescents, PTSD and dissociation may be mediators of the relationship between the cumulative extent of victimization and adjustment problems. The current study's findings highlight the importance of careful assessment of both PTSD and dissociative symptoms and indicate that targeted interventions are essential when working with poly-victimized youth with the highest scores of cumulative victimization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION OF SYRIAN-ARMENIAN CHILDREN DIFFICULTIES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION PROCESS

This article analyzes and reveals the socio-psychological difficulties of adaptation of Syrian-Armenian children during elementary school educational activities. The effectiveness of social-psychological adaptation in the educational process is conditioned not only by the correct choice and application of educational programs, methods, means, but also by the pedagogues who implement the whole systematic educational process. The problem of the adaptation of Syrian-Armenian children in the educational process of primary classes can be called one of the most important problems of the school. It needs extensive research in terms of pedagogy and psychology and practical work in this direction. In order to study and identify the difficulties of adaptation in the educational process of Syrian-Armenian children, we have carried out research and corrective works from previously developed psychological tasks. The positive results of the research can be used to work with Syrian-Armenian children in educational institutions, reducing their social and psychological adjustment problems in the educational process.

Effect of Problem Area on Outcomes Among Adolescents Treated With Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression.

Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) aims to treat depression by addressing one of four problem areas: grief, role disputes, role transitions, or interpersonal deficits. This study compared the characteristics of adolescents by problem area and evaluated the impact of problem area on outcomes. Forty adolescents (ages 12-17) participated in a randomized trial of adaptive treatment strategies that included IPT-A. Adolescents with role disputes were younger than adolescents with interpersonal deficits or role transitions and had worse expectations for therapeutic alliance than those in the transitions group. Adolescents with interpersonal deficits had higher attachment avoidance than those in the transitions group. Posttreatment, adolescents in the transitions group had more severe depression and social adjustment problems than those in the deficits group and more social adjustment problems than those in the disputes group. This preliminary study's findings suggest that differing IPT-A problem areas may affect prognosis.

LAU-Net: A low light image enhancer with attention and resizing mechanisms

Nighttime environments with sub-optimal lighting conditions significantly degrade the quality of captured images. Even though many notable state-of-the-art methods had been proposed to enhance low-light images, many of the enhanced outcomes exhibit color distortion, and uneven light adjustment problems. To remedy these issues, we propose an effective supervised network, Low-light Advanced U-Net (LAU-Net), which restructures the regular U-Net to offer a better network for low-light image enhancement. Specifically, we merged several efficacious components into our LAU-Net, namely the Parallel Attention Unit (PAU), the Internal Resizing Module (IRM), and external convolutional layers. The PAU places two attention modules in parallel to extract features along the convolutional streams. Meanwhile, the IRM comprises resizing components to optimize the information flow from encoder blocks to decoder blocks, whereas the external convolutional layers simulate the autoencoder to suppress noises. We employed the LOL dataset, which is composed of 500 paired images, to train, validate, and test the proposed network. Rigorous experiments showed that our model delivered remarkable performance both in qualitative and quantitative assessments and outperforms state-of-the-art approaches. Moreover, ablation studies also justified the necessity of each module in our proposed design. Lastly, we demonstrated that the proposed method could serve as an excellent pre-processing tool for image classification tasks in challenging nighttime environments, as it has successfully improved the object classification accuracy of a ResNet-50 model when applied onto low-light images from the ExDark dataset.