Visibility Aids Research Articles

The role of innovative visibility aids on e-scooter riders’ conspicuity in daylight

ObjectiveThis study explores how different visibility aids of contrasting colours could enhance the e-scooter riders’ conspicuity under daylight conditions. BackgroundWith the rise in popularity of shared e-scooter services, an increase in incidents involving e-scooter riders and motorized counterparts was noticed. Method48 licensed drivers (mean age = 24.6 years) detected the e-scooter riders in the videos and images featuring a simulated urban road environment in daylight, while performing a secondary task (n-back). The time to detect standing and moving e-scooter riders and subjective conspicuity ratings were assessed in three visibility aid conditions: Control (grey clothes and grey backpack), Patterned Jacket (jacket and backpack with checkerboard black and yellow pattern) and Wheels-Backpack (yellow stripes on the e-scooter wheels and on a dark backpack). ResultsImproved detectability was observed for e-scooter riders in the Wheels-Backpack condition, resulting in a minimum 168 ms increase in detection time compared to other two conditions. In terms of conspicuity ratings, participants gave higher scores to riders wearing Wheels-Backpack and Patterned Jacket (6.02 and 6.31, respectively, on a Likert 10-point scale), with no significant difference between them. Detection from videos or images showed similar effects. For all of these analyses, Bonferroni post-hoc tests followed a Repeated-measures ANOVA. ConclusionDistributing contrasting colours across the e-scooter and the rider enhanced their daylight conspicuity better than when contrasting colours were located on the riders’ upper body. However, drivers did not realise that these two visibility aids were not equal in terms of conspicuity benefits.

The role of IoT in boosting supply chain transparency and efficiency

This review paper explores the pivotal role of the Internet of Things (IoT) in enhancing transparency and efficiency within supply chains. As global industries increasingly demand sustainability and streamlined operations, IoT emerges as a key enabler, providing unprecedented visibility and control. This paper synthesizes findings from a broad range of literature, including case studies and empirical research, to assess the impact of IoT on supply chain dynamics. The analysis reveals that IoT facilitates real-time tracking of goods and data flow, significantly increasing transparency across all supply chain tiers. This enhanced visibility aids in proactive decision-making, compliance with regulatory standards, and adherence to sustainability criteria. Additionally, the integration of IoT is shown to streamline operations, reduce costs, and elevate customer satisfaction through more reliable and responsive service delivery. The paper concludes that while the adoption of IoT drives considerable improvements in supply chain management, it also introduces challenges such as the need for substantial infrastructure investment and ongoing concerns regarding data security and privacy. Recommendations for practitioners include adopting a phased IoT integration strategy and prioritizing robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive information. This review provides a comprehensive overview of IoT's capabilities and outlines strategic approaches to harness its full potential for transforming supply chain operations.

Object Detection and Image Classification

Walking thoroughly and expectantly without any human assistance in the city or unknown environments is a tough undertaking for blind people. Blind people face numerous issues in their existence, any such issues that are the most important one is identity the stumbling blocks once they are strolling. When shifting from one vicinity to another, they want the help of different human beings around. Their independence in taking walks is misplaced. Sticks may be usable however aren't that dependable nor do all people have them. A visually impaired person needs absolution to help him conquer troubles in the navigation due to his incapacity. The project is in particular focused on providing a sort of visible aid to the visually impaired human beings. With the current advances in complete innovation, it's miles manageable to stretch out the help given to people with visible challenges throughout their mobility. In this context, we recommend a device in which an Android cell phone is used to assist a blind person in impediment detection and navigation. Today, smartphones are available to each person. In reality, they have grown to be the most unusual device to be had anywhere. Hence, this task makes use of an Android telephone that uses its digital camera to identify gadgets in the surroundings and offers an audio output. The listening capability of the consumer tries to fulfill his seeing ability.

Interpersonal distance preferences: an unexplored consequence of hearing loss

BackgroundInterpersonal distance (IPD), which reflects the physical space between people, ensures the regulation of social behavior in interaction as part of nonverbal communication. Our research aims to reveal whether there is a difference in personal distance preference between individuals with hearing loss and normal hearing (NH).MethodsThirty-five adults (26.54 ± 7.05 years) were divided into three groups according to hearing status: hearing aid (HA) users, cochlear implant (CI) users, and NH individuals. The preferred interpersonal distance scale (PIPDS) and a stop distance paradigm were employed for measurements in various environments. Personal space violations were monitored using an electrodermal activity (EDA) wristband.ResultsOur findings showed a significant relationship between preferred interpersonal distance (PID) and hearing loss duration (r = 571; p < .01) and a significant difference in PIDs between CI users and NH individuals (p = .025). There was a correlation between PIPDS results and interpersonal distance preference in two outdoor conditions where the experimenter was male. However, there was no correlation between interpersonal distance and EDA results.ConclusionsFor the CI group, PIPDS results indicated an increased interpersonal distance preference with the severity of hearing loss, possibly to enhance lip-reading cues and conceal visible hearing aids. Understanding these preferences is essential for effective communication and good interpersonal relationships among individuals with hearing loss.

Evaluation of biosecurity measures on a swine operation using Glo Germ powder as a visible learning aid

Glo Germ powder was used to determine the efficacy of common biosecurity practices to prevent the powder from spreading to other areas within a farm. Pictures from 4 locations were taken before and after personnel movement to observe any differences in Glo Germ coverage. The percentage of Glo Germ coverage observed in the pictures was evaluated by 47 panelists and averaged. The area without biosecurity measures had more Glo Germ coverage than the 3 areas with biosecurity measures (P &lt; .001). The use of Glo Germ can be used as a learning aid to demonstrate the efficacy of common biosecurity practices.

Visible light-induced, highly responsive, below lower explosive limit (LEL) LPG sensor based on hydrothermally synthesized barium hexaferrite nanorods

Here, the photo-enhanced behavior in LPG sensing of hydrothermally synthesized BaFe12O19 nanorods at room temperature under visible light radiation has been thoroughly inspected and reported. The sensing element is observed to be poorly responsive towards LPG in dark conditions at room temperature, while it reveals a good photo response in presence of visible light of 30 mW/cm2, and the visible light aids in improving the LPG sensing response up to a great extent at room temperature. Under the irradiation, the nanorods are found to detect the presence of LPG molecules of concentration as small as 0.5 vol% at the response and recovery times ~5.02 s and ~10.10 s respectively. The sensitivity of the visible-light induced material was evaluated ~41.27 sensor response/vol% with the maximum sensor response as high as 108, whereas, in dark, the same material showed a maximum response of ~6.64 with a sensitivity of merely 1.94 sensor response/vol%. The photo-generated carriers are suggested to be responsible for achieving a significant, stable, fast response in presence of LPG. This is the first ferrite based visible light-induced LPG sensor.

Barriers to physical distancing among healthcare workers on an academic hospital unit during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Physical distancing among healthcare workers (HCWs) is an essential strategy in preventing HCW-to-HCWs transmission of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To understand barriers to physical distancing among HCWs on an inpatient unit and identify strategies for improvement. Qualitative study including observations and semistructured interviews conducted over 3 months. A non-COVID-19 adult general medical unit in an academic tertiary-care hospital. HCWs based on the unit. We performed a qualitative study in which we (1) observed HCW activities and proximity to each other on the unit during weekday shifts July-October 2020 and (2) conducted semi-structured interviews of HCWs to understand their experiences with and perspectives of physical distancing in the hospital. Qualitative data were coded based on a human-factors engineering model. We completed 25 hours of observations and 20 HCW interviews. High-risk interactions often occurred during handoffs of care at shift changes and patient rounds, when HCWs gathered regularly in close proximity for at least 15 minutes. Identified barriers included spacing and availability of computers, the need to communicate confidential patient information, and the desire to maintain relationships at work. Physical distancing can be improved in hospitals by restructuring computer workstations, work rooms, and break rooms; applying visible cognitive aids; adapting shift times; and supporting rounds and meetings with virtual conferencing. Additional strategies to promote staff adherence to physical distancing include rewarding positive behaviors, having peer leaders model physical distancing, and encouraging additional safe avenues for social connection at a safe distance.

Séances, “Sperrits,” and Self-Playing Accordions

The accordion was the stalwart staple of spiritualist encounters in Victorian London. Introduced into séances by the Scottish American Daniel Dunglas Home (1833–86), the most celebrated medium of the era, the instrument was typically used to produce music without the visible aid of a performer (what I call the “spirit accordian”). This article seeks to explain why the accordion came to capture the imagination of the nineteenth-century spiritualist community. It does so by reconstructing the auditory culture in which the instrument was embedded, relying on scientific writings, the popular press, and the sonic experiences of both the spiritualists, who heard the spirit accordion as emitting the ethereal tones of other worlds, and the skeptics, who described the same sounds as grating squeaks. Linking the instrument and its role in the séance to eighteenth-century theories of neurophysiology, the article traces the spirit accordion’s various musical predecessors, arguing that Home’s canny selection of the instrument to represent the next world reflected the intersection of specific cultural signifiers.

Evaluation of Biosecurity Measures on a Commercial Swine Operation Using Glo Germ Powder as a Visible Learning Aid

Evaluation of Biosecurity Measures on a Commercial Swine Operation Using Glo Germ Powder as a Visible Learning Aid

Effects of night-time bicycling visibility aids on vehicle passing distance

Bicycling at night is dangerous, with vehicle passing distances being a key concern, given that the main cause of night-time bicycling fatalities is from motorists hitting bicyclists from behind. However, little is known about vehicle passing distances at night or how they are affected by bicyclist visibility. This study assessed the impact of different bicyclist visibility configurations on vehicle passing distances at night-time. Fourteen licenced drivers with normal vision (age 24.2 ± 3.7 years) drove an experimental vehicle with low-beam headlights around a 1-km section of a closed-road circuit at night. Each lap involved passing two bicyclists displaying one of four visibility configurations: Control (red rear-facing light and reflector), Handlebars (control plus two red rear-facing lights on each handlebar), Helmet (control plus one red rear-facing light on the helmet), and Leg Retro-reflectors (control plus retro-reflective strips positioned on the knees and ankles). Participants were instructed to pass each bicyclist at a distance of 1-metre at a speed no greater than 50 km/hr, consistent with Queensland’s Minimum Passing Distance rule. Participants completed eight laps, two for each configuration, in a randomised sequence. Passing distance was measured using a vehicle-mounted ultra-sonic sensor (ToughSonic14; Senix). Following each lap, participants rated the difficulty level in judging the 1-metre passing distance, as well as their estimated passing distance. Visibility configuration significantly affected passing distance (p = 0.001), with wider passing distances for the Handlebar configuration (1.54 ± 0.62 m), followed by the Helmet (1.51 ± 0.63 m), Leg Retro-reflectors (1.50 ± 0.62 m) which were all significantly greater than the Control (1.42 ± 0.57 m), but not significantly different from each other. There was also a significant effect of visibility configuration on difficulty rating (p = 0.035), with the Control rated as the most difficult, followed by Helmet, Handlebars and Leg Retro-reflectors. Overall, additional visibility aids resulted in wider vehicle passing distances, likely due to enhanced visual cues for drivers. The findings suggest that bicyclists should incorporate additional visibility aids to encourage safer passing distances of vehicles at night-time.

Поэтика описаний в романе М.Ю. Лермонтова «Герой нашего времени» на уроках литературы

The purpose of the study is to actualize the role of descriptions in the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time” as an important constructive element of the narrative. The most common form of description in the novel is the descriptions of nature and descriptions of the characters’ portraits. The descriptions found a lively response in literature studies, literary criticism, in art criticism, which responded to the paintings of the poet-and-artist and illustrations for the novel. Naturally, it attracted the author’s attention to the study of the works of those scholars, who viewed the features of Lermontov’s narrative manner. In the stories that made up Lermontov’s novel, descriptions play an important compositional role: they accompany the narrative, the thoughts of the characters, and they are often motivated by the author. The article highlights a number of techniques that will allow students to specify ideas about the descriptions in the novel. The students’ comprehension of landscape descriptions can be supported by drawing up a plan that will reflect the spatial and time-line structure of the story “Bela”, which represents both “travel notes” and the novelette. The use of reproductions of Lermontov’s Caucasian landscapes, similar in the object image to its verbal descriptions in the novel, serves as a visible emotional aid in the nature descriptions comprehension by schoolchildren. Turning to Pechorin’s psychological portrait caused such ways of discovery of his portrait features as drawing up a stylistic map that assists students to focus on linguistic means that the narrator uses to relate the hero image with his potential ingrain. The image and words are closely intertwined in the art print that performs the function of figure of speech and gives a spatial image to the piece of writing. The illustration serves as a means of specifying the students’ perceptions of the characters’ portraits, descriptions of nature and the related plot situations. Ways to comprehend a literary text with the wide involvement of works of art assist students to learn about the peculiarities of Lermontov’s narrative manner and facilitate their aesthetic development.

What the People of Africa Think about International Organisations

International organisations have long sought to promote peace and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Much research has focused on their policies and activities, but little is known about how people living in Africa view them. How aware are people in Africa of international organisations, and how helpful do they believe them to be? This article analyses public perceptions using data from Afrobarometer Round 4 surveys conducted in 20 countries. Awareness of international organisations is widespread, especially in countries that have experienced peacekeeping missions and among individuals who have completed primary school. Evaluations are favourable on balance, more so for the United Nations and other “global” organisations than for the African Union and its sub-regional bodies. Though most Africans see development aid as helpful, large and highly visible aid inflows are associated with concerns about the influence that donors and NGOs wield over recipient governments.

The Difference in Night Visibility between Shared Bikes and Private Bikes during Night Cycling with Different Visibility Aids

In recent years, bike sharing has increasingly spread across the world. Compared with personal bikes, shared bikes are uniform and have bright surfaces to help the public to find them easily. At the same time, unfamiliarity is still a problem for some users of shared bikes. Therefore, these features should be understood to improve the night visibility of cyclists and improve traffic safety. Our study tested and compared differences in night visibility using five types of visibility aids. The results showed two cognitive differences between cyclists and drivers. First, cyclists believed that using flashing lights or static lights would provide better visibility than other visibility aids. However, using a static light and reflectors showed better results in our research. Secondly, compared to private bikes, cyclists showed more confidence in the nighttime visibility of shared bikes, especially with retroreflective strips. But the behavior of drivers in our study did not support such differences. A post-experiment survey was conducted to explore such cognitive differences, and showed that unfamiliarity with these strips was a possible reason for driver unawareness. This study will aid policy makers in incorporating suitable visibility aids within bike-sharing programs. Further, this study includes helpful advice for cyclists in terms of improving their night visibility.

Integrating Communication with Conspicuity to Enhance Vulnerable Road User Safety: ArroWhere Case Study

This paper presents findings from a research study into the role that communication plays in the safety of vulnerable road users (VRUs), including a literature review, a hypothesis, and a case study testing our hypothesis. Many governments and road authorities lack capital or have not made it a priority to implement full VRU safety measures, with many gaps in VRU infrastructure and networks. These gaps leave VRUs to take safety into their own hands, including use of conspicuity aids such as high-visibility wear, helmets, bells, and lights with differing levels of effectiveness. The knowledge gap regarding the conventional wisdom, “be safe, be seen,” is the absence of communication and comprehension between road users (VRUs and vehicles). We hypothesize that communication aids are equally, if not more important than visibility aids for VRU safety. A case study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of several Hi-Viz safety vest designs including online surveys and separate in-field experiments using Instrumented Probe Bicycles. The results suggest that Hi-Viz safety vests using arrow designs (ArroWhere’s proprietary products and designs) similar to those found in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) can increase VRU safety until road authorities can fully fund and complete proper and sustainable VRU networks.

Impression Formation of Male and Female Millennial Students Wearing Eye Glasses or Hearing Aids

The purpose of this study was to examine impressions of persons wearing hearing aids (HA) and glasses. A survey consisting of impression formation measures was administered to 569 participants. Factor analysis and a series of T-tests were used to examine the effect of wearing glasses and hearing aids on first impressions. T-tests indicated significant differences between the control and glasses style for both the male and female model. Male and female control models (without glasses) were rated more positively. Another series of t-tests between hearing aid styles and the control indicated significant differences for the heavier, more visible hearing aid with the control model being rated higher on every factor except “reliable”. There were almost no significant differences between the control and the light, less visible hearing aid for either the male or the female. Correlations among traits differ as a function of both stimulus person and relevance of trait. Data indicates that different types of hearing aids stimulate varying impressions. The findings have implications for advising potential HA users who are disinclined to wear a device for cosmetic reasons. Findings support other literature on impression formation and the hearing aid effect. However, the findings are encouraging, as hearing aid use has historically been associated with an impression of lower cognitive function, yet participants did not indicate a significant perceptual difference between the hearing aid user and the control, possibly indicating stronger social acceptance.

Perceptual Judgments of the Efficacy of Visibility AIDS (Extended Abstract)

Perceptual Judgments of the Efficacy of Visibility AIDS (Extended Abstract)

An Assistive Bag for Blind and Deaf

People with disabilities who use visual aids like hearing aid, blind stick for obstacle detection while walking etc. are often discriminated in the society as they are handicapped. The main focus of this paper is to create an assistive device for the visually impaired as well as the deaf to make them socially acceptable without showing their disability to the society by using visible aid. It is incorporated with features like GPS location update, GSM-based messaging system to notify relatives of the location of the user in case of emergency situations and voice recognition based home automation. It uses ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles and vibration motors to notify the user about the obstacle thus eliminating the use of external device for communication.

Value of emergency department triage data to describe and understand patterns and mechanisms of cycling injuries.

To characterise patients presenting to EDs for a bicycle-related injury, identify contributing factors to the injuries and describe the data gaps. A retrospective study of bicycle-related injury presentations over the 5 year period 2010-2014 to two major metropolitan EDs. Data collected from the emergency presentation database consisted of patient demographics, presenting complaint, discharge diagnosis and details about the circumstances and mechanism of the accident. Bicycle injuries (n = 4144) increased from 20.0 to 25.2 per 1000 injury presentations over 5 years. Patients were 80% male across all age groups and 35% of presentations occurred at the weekend. Fractures accounted for one-third (34%) of all injuries, while injuries to the upper extremities and head resulted in 36% and 19% of cases, respectively. Admission rate was 17%. The number of falls exceeded collisions (1611 vs 937), and in the 13.3% of the fall cases where documentation was present for which how the fall occurred, over half were attributed to bike handling errors. Information related to type of bicycle, accident location, type of activity, protective clothing worn (including helmets) and visibility aids was not recorded for over 95% of the cases. Bicycle injuries carry a considerable burden to the ED and the incidence of presentations appears to be rising. The current triage data, designed to provide a rapid assessment for medical urgency, are limited to describing broad demographics, trends and causes.

Does a yellow jacket enhance cyclists’ sensory conspicuity for car drivers during daylight hours in an urban environment?

The aim of this study was to find out if the colour contrast of a vest worn by cyclists improved their visibility for motorists in a simulated car driving task. BackgroundIn several cases involving collisions between cars and cyclists, car drivers failed to detect the latter in time to avoid collision because of their low visibility or sensory conspicuity. We studied the effect of a yellow cyclist jacket on the detection of cyclists by motorists in an urban environment during daylight hours. Method43 motorists performed a vulnerable road user detection task in a car-driving simulator. They had to detect cyclists and pedestrians in an urban setting, to locate them and estimate how difficult it was to detect them. Cyclists’ levels of visibility for car drivers were either high or low in critical situations. The cyclists were dressed in grey and wore yellow jackets, or they did not. ResultsMotorists detected cyclists wearing jackets at a greater distance, but only in those situations previously identified as being of high cyclist visibility. Several mechanisms underlying the sensory conspicuity of cyclists for car drivers were considered. Motorists were able to estimate cyclist visibility correctly based on the type of situation, but were unable to evaluate the jacket’s effect on cyclist visibility. ConclusionThe attentional selection of a cyclist in the road environment during car driving depends partly on bottom-up processing (such as saliency related to colour contrast). However, the yellow cyclist jacket proved to be insufficient as a visibility aid.

The effect of an italian nationwide mandatory visibility aids law for cyclists

Abstract The role of conspicuity in preventing bicycle–motorized vehicle collisions has been the subject of investigation. To date, no study has evaluated the impact on bicycle safety of legislation imposing bicycling visibility aids. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether a legislation imposing high-visibility clothing for cyclist affects bicycle safety. Data on the monthly number of vehicles (including bicycles) involved in road crashes during the period 2001–2015 were obtained from the Italian National Institute of Statistics. Data were analyzed through an interrupted time-series analysis using a generalized least-squares method. Results revealed that the implementation of legislation imposing high-visibility clothing for cyclist did not influence the number of bicycles involved in road crashes as well as its proportion in the total vehicles involved in road crashes. The introduction of the legislation did not produce immediate effects, nor did it have any effects over time. Lack of knowledge on how the law was introduced, the degree of enforcement by the police, and behavioral changes in response to the law makes it difficult to attribute the lack of effect on bicycle crashes.