University of Haifa

About: University of Haifa is a education organization based out in Haifa, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 7558 authors who have published 27141 publications receiving 711629 citations. The organization is also known as: Haifa University & Universiṭat Ḥefah.

Perceived Classroom Control, Self-Regulated Learning Strategies, and Academic Achievement

Abstract: Relations between perceived classroom control, self-regulation strategies and academic achievement were investigated in a sample of 302 sixth grade students. Four distinct perceived classroom control styles were determined, based on the balance between teacher and student control over learning. It was hypothesised that student mathematics achievement would be contingent on the combined effects of teacher and student control: it would be highest when both teacher and student control is high, and would be lowest when both of them are low. Student adoption of self-regulated learning strategies would be linked to the net effect of student control: they would be highest when student control is high and teacher control is low, and would be lowest when teacher control is high and student control is low. The data tended to support these hypotheses, indicating that both achievement and self-regulation strategies were contingent on classroom processes.

Sea-Thru: A Method for Removing Water From Underwater Images

Abstract: Robust recovery of lost colors in underwater images remains a challenging problem. We recently showed that this was partly due to the prevalent use of an atmospheric image formation model for underwater images. We proposed a physically accurate model that explicitly showed: 1)~the attenuation coefficient of the signal is not uniform across the scene but depends on object range and reflectance, 2)~the coefficient governing the increase in backscatter with distance differs from the signal attenuation coefficient. Here, we present a method that recovers color with the revised model using RGBD images. The \emph{Sea-thru} method first calculates backscatter using the darkest pixels in the image and their known range information. Then, it uses an estimate of the spatially varying illuminant to obtain the range-dependent attenuation coefficient. Using more than 1,100 images from two optically different water bodies, which we make available, we show that our method outperforms those using the atmospheric model. Consistent removal of water will open up large underwater datasets to powerful computer vision and machine learning algorithms, creating exciting opportunities for the future of underwater exploration and conservation.

Effect of physical therapy on muscle strength, respiratory muscles and functional parameters in patients with intensive care unit-acquired weakness

Abstract: Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an intensive physical therapy protocol in patients who contract 'intensive care unit-acquired weakness' (ICUAW), in terms of muscle strength, breathing and functional indices. Methods This was a prospective, single-blinded study in a general hospital intensive care unit (ICU). Patients who required mechanical ventilation longer than 48 h and who were expected to remain mechanically ventilated for at least another 48 h were randomly divided into two intervention groups: group I (n = 9) - the routine care group, received physical therapy according to our daily custom protocol; and group II (n = 9) - the intensive treatment group, were treated by the same protocol twice a day. The main outcome measures included the Medical Research Council (MRC) physical strength examination, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), hand grip dynamometer and sitting balance test. Results Significant strength improvement from first (T1) to second (T2) measurements was demonstrated for variables MIP and MRC physical strength examination in favor of the intensive treatment group (P Conclusions It is possible that an intensive therapy protocol may facilitate the initial recovery process in patients who suffer from ICUAW.