Search results for: Amir Mirzaei
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 334

Search results for: Amir Mirzaei

334 The Assessment Groundwater Geochemistry of Some Wells in Rafsanjan Plain, Southeast of Iran

Authors: Milad Mirzaei Aminiyan, Abdolreza Akhgar, Farzad Mirzaei Aminiyan

Abstract:

Water quality is the critical factor that influence on human health and quantity and quality of grain production in semi-humid and semi-arid area. Pistachio is a main crop that accounts for a considerable portion of Iranian agricultural exports. Give that pistachio tree is a tolerant type of tree to saline and alkaline soil and water conditions, but groundwater and irrigation water quality play important roles in main production this crop. For this purpose, 94 well water samples were taken from 25 wells and samples were analyzed. The results showed give that region’s geological, climatic characteristics, statistical analysis, and based on dominant cations and anions in well water samples (piper diagram); four main types of water were found: Na-Cl, K-Cl, Na-SO4, and K-SO4. It seems that most wells in terms of water quality (salinity and alkalinity) and based on Wilcox diagram have critical status. The analysis suggested that more than eighty-seven percentage of the well water samples have high values of EC that these values are higher than into critical limit EC value for irrigation water, which may be due to the sandy soils in this area. Most groundwater were relatively unsuitable for irrigation but it could be used by application of correct management such as removing and reducing the ion concentrations of Cl‾, SO42‾, Na+ and total hardness in groundwater and also the concentrated deep groundwater was required treatment to reduce the salinity and sodium hazard. Given that irrigation water quality in this area was relatively unsuitable for most agriculture production but pistachio tree was adapted to this area conditions. The integrated management of groundwater for irrigation is the way to solve water quality issues not only in Rafsanjan area, but also in other arid and semi-arid areas.

Keywords: groundwater quality, irrigation water quality, salinity, alkalinity, Rafsanjan plain, pistachio

Procedia PDF Downloads 417
333 The Structure and Function Investigation and Analysis of the Automatic Spin Regulator (ASR) in the Powertrain System of Construction and Mining Machines with the Focus on Dump Trucks

Authors: Amir Mirzaei

Abstract:

The powertrain system is one of the most basic and essential components in a machine. The occurrence of motion is practically impossible without the presence of this system. When power is generated by the engine, it is transmitted by the powertrain system to the wheels, which are the last parts of the system. Powertrain system has different components according to the type of use and design. When the force generated by the engine reaches to the wheels, the amount of frictional force between the tire and the ground determines the amount of traction and non-slip or the amount of slip. At various levels, such as icy, muddy, and snow-covered ground, the amount of friction coefficient between the tire and the ground decreases dramatically and considerably, which in turn increases the amount of force loss and the vehicle traction decreases drastically. This condition is caused by the phenomenon of slipping, which, in addition to the waste of energy produced, causes the premature wear of driving tires. It also causes the temperature of the transmission oil to rise too much, as a result, causes a reduction in the quality and become dirty to oil and also reduces the useful life of the clutches disk and plates inside the transmission. this issue is much more important in road construction and mining machinery than passenger vehicles and is always one of the most important and significant issues in the design discussion, in order to overcome. One of these methods is the automatic spin regulator system which is abbreviated as ASR. The importance of this method and its structure and function have solved one of the biggest challenges of the powertrain system in the field of construction and mining machinery. That this research is examined.

Keywords: automatic spin regulator, ASR, methods of reducing slipping, methods of preventing the reduction of the useful life of clutches disk and plate, methods of preventing the premature dirtiness of transmission oil, method of preventing the reduction of the useful life of tires

Procedia PDF Downloads 80
332 Analysis of Hydraulic Velocity in Fishway Using CCHE2D Model

Authors: Amir Abbas Kamanbedast, Masood Mohammad Shafipor, Amir Ghotboddin

Abstract:

Fish way is a structure that in generally using to migrate to the place where they are spawned and is made near the spillway. Preventing fish spawning or migrating to their original place by fishway structures can affect their lives in the river or even erase one access to intended environment. The main objective of these structures is establishing a safe path for fish migration. In the present study first the hydraulic specifications of Hamidieh diversion dam were assessed and then it is problems were evaluated. In this study the dimensions of the fish way, including velocity of pools, were evaluated by CCHE2D software. Then by change slope in this structure streamlines like velocity in the pools were measured. For calibration can be use measuring local velocities in some pools. The information can be seen the fishway width of 0.3 m has minimum rate of descent in the total number of structures (pools and overflow).

Keywords: fishway, velocity, Hamidieh-Diversion Dam, CCHE2D model

Procedia PDF Downloads 495
331 Comparative Analysis of Traditional and Modern Roundabouts Using Sidra Intersection

Authors: Amir Mohammad Parvini, Amir Masoud Rahimi

Abstract:

Currently, most parts of the world have shifted from traditional roundabouts to modern roundabouts with respect to the role of roundabouts in reducing accidents, increasing safety, lowering the maintenance costs compared to traffic circles with their improper functional and safety experiences. In this study, field data collected from a current traditional roundabout was analyzed by the software AIMSUN and the obtained numbers were recorded. The modern roundabout was designed by changes in the traditional one, considering the geometric standards listed in regulations. Then, the modern roundabout was analyzed by applying a heterogeneous traffic by a micro-simulation software SIDRA (5.1). The function, capacity, and safety of the roundabout were analyzed assuming the superiority of modern roundabouts and acceptable LOS. The obtained results indicate that the function, capacity, and safety of modern roundabouts are better than traditional ones.

Keywords: traditional roundabout, traffic circles, modern roundabout, AIMSUN, SIDRA

Procedia PDF Downloads 399
330 Political Cinema: Rewriting The Malaysian Political History Through Documentary Films

Authors: Raja Rodziah Binti Raja Zainal Hassan

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The development of Malaysian political cinema is rapidly taking shape in the local film industry. The paper focuses on the production of independent political documentary by two Malaysian filmmakers, Amir Muhammad and Fahmi Reza. Revolutionary cinema can be understood by utilizing the Third Cinema Theory in order to analyse the meaning and its impact on the audience. The issue surrounding the political cinema in Malaysia is the question of national identity. The implementation of racial or ethnic based politics has resulted in hostility within Malaysia’s multiracial society. Amir Muhammad and Fahmi Reza revisit the Malaysian political history through their films in order to understand the reasons behind the hostility and conflict.

Keywords: Political cinema, third cinema theory, revolutionary cinema, national identity, racial or ethnic politics

Procedia PDF Downloads 434
329 Development of 90y-Chitosan Complex for Radiosynovectomy

Authors: A. Mirzaei, S. Zolghadri, M. Athari-Allaf, H. Yousefnia, A. R. Jalilian

Abstract:

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common autoimmune disease, leading to the destruction of the joints. The aim of this study was the preparation of 90Y-chitosan complex as a novel agent for radiosynovectomy. The complex was prepared in the diluted acetic acid solution. At the optimized condition, the radiochemical purity of higher than 99% was obtained by ITLC method on Whatman No. 1 and by using a mixture of methanol/water/acetic acid (4:4:2) as the mobile phase. The complex was stable in acidic media (pH=3) and its radiochemical purity was above 98% even after 48 hours. The biodistribution data in rats showed that there was no significant leakage of the injected activity even after 48 h. Considering all of the excellent features of the complex, 90Y-chitosan can be used to manipulate synovial inflammation effectively.

Keywords: chitosan, Y-90, radiosynovectomy, biodistribution

Procedia PDF Downloads 484
328 Alternator Fault Detection Using Wigner-Ville Distribution

Authors: Amin Ranjbar, Amir Arsalan Jalili Zolfaghari, Amir Abolfazl Suratgar, Mehrdad Khajavi

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This paper describes two stages of learning-based fault detection procedure in alternators. The procedure consists of three states of machine condition namely shortened brush, high impedance relay and maintaining a healthy condition in the alternator. The fault detection algorithm uses Wigner-Ville distribution as a feature extractor and also appropriate feature classifier. In this work, ANN (Artificial Neural Network) and also SVM (support vector machine) were compared to determine more suitable performance evaluated by the mean squared of errors criteria. Modules work together to detect possible faulty conditions of machines working. To test the method performance, a signal database is prepared by making different conditions on a laboratory setup. Therefore, it seems by implementing this method, satisfactory results are achieved.

Keywords: alternator, artificial neural network, support vector machine, time-frequency analysis, Wigner-Ville distribution

Procedia PDF Downloads 374
327 Assessment and Analysis of Literary Criticism and Consumer Research

Authors: Mohammad Mirzaei

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This article proposes literary criticism as a source of insight into consumer behavior, provides an extensive overview of literary criticism, provides concrete illustrative analysis, and offers suggestions for further research. To do, a literary analysis of advertising copy identifies elements that provide additional information to consumer researchers and discusses the contribution of literary criticism to consumer research. Important post-war critical schools of thought are reviewed, and relevant theoretical concepts are summarized. Ivory Flakes' advertisements are analyzed using a variety of concepts drawn from literary schools, primarily sociocultural and reader responses. Suggestions for further research on content analysis, image analysis, and consumption history are presented.

Keywords: consumer behaviour, consumer research, consumption history, criticism

Procedia PDF Downloads 100
326 Circadian Rhythm and Demographic Incidence

Authors: Behnaz Farahani, Abbas Mirzaei

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This study explores association between circadian rhythm pattern and some demographic incidences. The participants targeting 193 (97 females and 96 males between the ages of 20-30 years) Iranian bachelor students from Islamic Azad University who completed the self-reported over the 2nd semester 2011-2012 university year. The questionnaire has been tailored amalgamation of Horn & Östberg Questionnaire (MEQ) and Demographic Incidences Questionnaire in order to measure the students circadian rhythm pattern and their Demographic Incidences. The finding of this quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional analysis confirmed the hypothesis in that 'circadian rhythm pattern' was positively associated with the demographic indices like age, marital status, gender, day in week and month of the birth time, and parent’s age and educational level at the time of the birth of the samples.

Keywords: circadian rhythm pattern, demographic incidences, morning type, evening type

Procedia PDF Downloads 529
325 Development of 111In-DOTMP as a New Bone Imaging Agent

Authors: H. Yousefnia, S. Zolghadri, AR. Jalilian, A. Mirzaei, A. Bahrami-Samani, M. Erfani

Abstract:

The objective of this study is the preparation of 111In-DOTMP as a new bone imaging agent. 111In was produced at the Agricultural, Medical and Industrial Research School (AMIRS) by means of 30 MeV cyclotron via natCd(p,x)111In reaction. Complexion of In‐111 with DOTMP was carried out by adding 0.1 ml of the stock solution (50 mg/ml in 2 N NaoH) to the vial containing 1 mCi of 111In. pH of the mixture was adjusted to 7-8 by means of phosphate buffer. The radiochemical purity of the complex at the optimized condition was higher than 98% (by using whatman No.1 paper in NH4OH:MeOH: H2O (0.2:2:4)). Both the biodistribution studies and SPECT imaging indicated high bone uptake. The ratio of bone to other soft tissue accumulation was significantly high which permit to observe high quality images. The results show that 111In-DOTMP can be used as a suitable tracer for diagnosis of bone metastases by SPECT imaging.

Keywords: biodistribution, DOTMP, 111In, SPECT

Procedia PDF Downloads 534
324 Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes for Computations of Flow Around Three-Dimensional Ahmed Bodies

Authors: Maryam Mirzaei, Sinisa Krajnovic´

Abstract:

The paper reports a study about the prediction of flows around simplified vehicles using Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS). Numerical simulations are performed for two simplified vehicles: A slanted-back Ahmed body at Re=30 000 and a square back Ahmed body at Re=300 000. A comparison of the resolved and modeled physical flow scales is made with corresponding LES and experimental data for a better understanding of the performance of the PANS model. The PANS model is compared for coarse and fine grid resolutions and it is indicated that even a coarse-grid PANS simulation is able to produce fairly close flow predictions to those from a well-resolved LES simulation. The results indicate the possibility of improvement of the predictions by employing a finer grid resolution.

Keywords: partially-averaged Navier-Stokes, large eddy simulation, PANS, LES, Ahmed body

Procedia PDF Downloads 600
323 Environmental Effects of Interactions of Industry and Residence in District No 21 Tehran Municipality (Iran)

Authors: Farideh Gheitasi, Zahra Mirzaei Pour

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Considering mutual interactions of industry and residence in an environmental point of view is essential in effective urban management and all the policies must be made based on the results of these interactions. So, District No 21 of Tehran Municipality (Iran) which is almost industrial combined with some residential area was selected to study the consequences of industrial and residential area neighborhood. In this paper the results of two observations conducted in two timescales in 2010 and 2015, according to completed questionnaires by residents of an industrial region in the study area, were analyzed. The questionnaires contain 19 different environmental parameters considering positive and negative effects of industry on human life. The results of this study show that 96% of the target group in 2010 believed if the companies regard the law, mutual coexistence of industry and residency is possible. While this number decreased to 21% in 2015, which indicates that the problem got worse and people became more unsatisfied with the situation.

Keywords: environment, industry, residence, pollution

Procedia PDF Downloads 312
322 Effects of Biocompatible Substrates on the Electrical Properties of Graphene

Authors: M. Simchi, M. Amiri, E. Rezvani, I. Mirzaei, M. Berahman, A. Simchi, M. Fardmanesh

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Graphene is a single-atomic two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms that has considerable properties due to its unique structure and physics with applications in different fields. Graphene has sensitive electrical properties due to its atomic-thin structure. Along with the substrate materials and their influence on the transport properties in graphene, design and fabrication of graphene-based devices for biomedical and biosensor applications are challenging. In this work, large-area high-quality graphene nanosheets were prepared by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using methane gas as carbon source on copper foil and transferred on the biocompatible substrates. Through deposition of titanium and gold contacts, current-voltage response of the transferred graphene on four biocompatible substrates, including PDMS, SU-8, Nitrocellulose, and Kapton (Fig. 2) were experimentally determined. The considerable effect of the substrate type on the electrical properties of graphene is shown. The sheet resistance of graphene is changed from 0.34 to 14.5 kΩ/sq, depending on the substrate.

Keywords: biocompatible substrates, electrical properties, graphene, sheet resistance

Procedia PDF Downloads 132
321 Effect pH on Chemical and Physical Properties of Iranian Fetta Cheese

Authors: M. Dezyani, R. Ezzati, H. Mirzaei

Abstract:

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of pH on chemical, structural, and functional properties of Fetta cheese, and to relate changes in structure to changes in cheese unctionality. Fetta cheese was obtained from a cheese-production facility and stored at 4°C. Ten days after manufacture, the cheese was cut into blocks that were vacuum-packaged and stored for 4 d at 4°C. Cheese blocks were then high-pressure injected one, three, or five times with a 20% (wt/wt) glucono-δ-lactone solution. Successive injections were performed 24 h apart. Cheese blocks were then analyzed after 40 d of storage at 4°C. Acidulant injection decreased cheese pH from 5.3 in the uninjected cheese to 4.7 after five injections. Decreased pH increased the content of soluble calcium and slightly decreased the total calcium content of cheese. At the highest level, injection of acidulant promoted syneresis. Thus, after five injections, the moisture content of cheese decreased from 34 to 31%, which esulted in decreased cheese weight. Lowered cheese pH, 4.7 compared with 5.3, also resulted in contraction of the protein matrix. Acidulant injection decreased cheese hardness and cohesiveness, and the cheese became more crumbly.

Keywords: calcium, high-pressure injection, protein matrix, syneresis

Procedia PDF Downloads 481
320 CT Medical Images Denoising Based on New Wavelet Thresholding Compared with Curvelet and Contourlet

Authors: Amir Moslemi, Amir movafeghi, Shahab Moradi

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One of the most important challenging factors in medical images is nominated as noise.Image denoising refers to the improvement of a digital medical image that has been infected by Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN). The digital medical image or video can be affected by different types of noises. They are impulse noise, Poisson noise and AWGN. Computed tomography (CT) images are subjected to low quality due to the noise. The quality of CT images is dependent on the absorbed dose to patients directly in such a way that increase in absorbed radiation, consequently absorbed dose to patients (ADP), enhances the CT images quality. In this manner, noise reduction techniques on the purpose of images quality enhancement exposing no excess radiation to patients is one the challenging problems for CT images processing. In this work, noise reduction in CT images was performed using two different directional 2 dimensional (2D) transformations; i.e., Curvelet and Contourlet and Discrete wavelet transform(DWT) thresholding methods of BayesShrink and AdaptShrink, compared to each other and we proposed a new threshold in wavelet domain for not only noise reduction but also edge retaining, consequently the proposed method retains the modified coefficients significantly that result in good visual quality. Data evaluations were accomplished by using two criterions; namely, peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and Structure similarity (Ssim).

Keywords: computed tomography (CT), noise reduction, curve-let, contour-let, signal to noise peak-peak ratio (PSNR), structure similarity (Ssim), absorbed dose to patient (ADP)

Procedia PDF Downloads 441
319 Web-Based Intervention for Addressing Cigarette Smoking Prevention among College Students

Authors: Farzad Jalilian, Mehdi Mirzaei Alavijeh, Mohammad Ahmadpanah, Behzad Karami Matin, Abbas Aghaei, Ahmad Ali Eslami

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Background: Smoking is introduced as one of the main risky factors to develop different types of diseases around the world, especially related to non-contagious diseases. The goal of the present study was assessment of the effectiveness of web based education program to prevent cigarette smoking among college students. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, during 2014, 150 male college students in Isfahan and Kermanshah University of medical sciences were assigned to intervention group (receiving web based education program) and control groups. The study information was analyzed by SPSS software version 21 using cross-tabulation, t-test, repeated measures and GEE. Results: It was found significantly that average response for attitude towards cigarette smoking and sensation seeking after education reduced (P < 0.05). After intervention there was no significant difference between intervention and control group of cigarette smoking (P > 0.05). Conclusion: web based education have usefulness to reduce belief towards cigarette smoking.

Keywords: web-based intervention, smoking, students, Iran

Procedia PDF Downloads 485
318 Production, Quality Control, and Biodistribution Assessment of 111In-BPAMD as a New Bone Imaging Agent

Authors: H. Yousefnia, A. Aghanejad, A. Mirzaei, R. Enayati, A. R. Jalilian, S. Zolghadri

Abstract:

Bone metastases occur in many cases at an early stage of the tumour disease; however, their symptoms are recognized rather late. The aim of this study was the preparation and quality control of 111In-BPAMD for diagnostic purposes. 111In was produced at the Agricultural, Medical, and Industrial Research School (AMIRS) by means of 30 MeV cyclotron via natCd(p,x)111In reaction. Complexion of In‐111 with BPAMD was carried out by using acidic solution of 111InCl3 and BPAMD in absolute water. The effect of various parameters such as temperature, ligand concentration, pH, and time on the radiolabeled yield was studied. 111In-BPAMD was prepared successfully with the radiochemical purity of 95% at the optimized condition (100 µg of BPAMD, pH=5, and at 90°C for 1 h) which was measured by ITLC method. The final solution was injected to wild-type mice and biodistribution was determined up to 72 h. SPECT images were acquired after 2 and 24 h post injection. Both the biodistribution studies and SPECT imaging indicated high bone uptake while accumulation in other organs was approximately negligible. The results show that 111In-BPAMD can be used as an excellent tracer for diagnosis of bone metastases by SPECT imaging.

Keywords: biodistribution, BPAMD, 111In, SPECT

Procedia PDF Downloads 561
317 ANA Negative but FANA Positive Patients with Clinical Symptoms of Rheumatic Disease: The Suggestion for Clinicians

Authors: Abdolreza Esmaeilzadeh, Mehri Mirzaei

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Objective: Rheumatic disease is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling and limited motion and function of many joints. RA is the most common form of autoimmune arthritis, affecting more than 1.3 million Americans. Of these, about 75% are women. Materials and Methods: This study was formed due to the misconception about ANA test, which is frequently performed with methods based upon solid phase as ELISA. This experiment was conducted on 430 patients, with clinical symptoms that are likely affected with rheumatic diseases, simultaneously by means of ANA and FANA. Results: 36 cases (8.37%) of patients, despite positive ANA, have demonstrated negative results via Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IIFA), (false positive). 116 cases (27%) have demonstrated negative ANA results, by means of the ELISA technique, although they had positive IIFA results. Conclusion: Other advantages of IIFA are antibody titration and specific pattern detection that have the capability of distinguishing positive dsDNA results. According to the restrictions and false negative cases, in patients, IIFA test is highly recommended for these disease's diagnosis.

Keywords: autoimmune disease, IIFA, EIA, rheumatic disease

Procedia PDF Downloads 499
316 Optimal Protection Coordination in Distribution Systems with Distributed Generations

Authors: Abdorreza Rabiee, Shahla Mohammad Hoseini Mirzaei

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The advantages of distributed generations (DGs) based on renewable energy sources (RESs) leads to high penetration level of DGs in distribution network. With incorporation of DGs in distribution systems, the system reliability and security, as well as voltage profile, is improved. However, the protection of such systems is still challenging. In this paper, at first, the related papers are reviewed and then a practical scheme is proposed for coordination of OCRs in distribution system with DGs. The coordination problem is formulated as a nonlinear programming (NLP) optimization problem with the object function of minimizing total operating time of OCRs. The proposed method is studied based on a simple test system. The optimization problem is solved by General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) to calculate the optimal time dial setting (TDS) and also pickup current setting of OCRs. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method and its applicability.

Keywords: distributed generation, DG, distribution network, over current relay, OCR, protection coordination, pickup current, time dial setting, TDS

Procedia PDF Downloads 139
315 Factors Related with Self-Care Behaviors among Iranian Type 2 Diabetic Patients: An Application of Health Belief Model

Authors: Ali Soroush, Mehdi Mirzaei Alavijeh, Touraj Ahmadi Jouybari, Fazel Zinat-Motlagh, Abbas Aghaei, Mari Ataee

Abstract:

Diabetes is a disease with long cardiovascular, renal, ophthalmic and neural complications. It is prevalent all around the world including Iran, and its prevalence is increasing. The aim of this study was to determine the factors related to self-care behavior based on health belief model among sample of Iranian diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 301 type 2 diabetic patients in Gachsaran, Iran. Data collection was based on an interview and the data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 using ANOVA, t-tests, Pearson correlation, and linear regression statistical tests at 95% significant level. Linear regression analyses showed the health belief model variables accounted for 29% of the variation in self-care behavior; and perceived severity and perceived self-efficacy are more influential predictors on self-care behavior among diabetic patients.

Keywords: diabetes, patients, self-care behaviors, health belief model

Procedia PDF Downloads 468
314 Role of Social Support in Drug Cessation among Male Addicts in the West of Iran

Authors: Farzad Jalilian, Mehdi Mirzaei Alavijeh, Fazel Zinat Motlagh

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Social support is an important benchmark of health for people in avoidance conditions. The main goal of this study was to determine the three kinds of social support (family, friend and other significant) to drug cessation among male addicts, in Kermanshah, the west of Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 132 addicts, randomly selected to participate voluntarily in the study. Data were collected from conduct interviews based on standard questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS-18 at 95% significance level. The majority of addicts were young (Mean: 30.4 years), and with little education. Opium (36.4%), Crack (21.2%), and Methamphetamine (12.9%) were the predominant drugs. Inabilities to reject the offer and having addict friends are the most often reasons for drug usage. Almost, 18.9% reported history of drug injection. 43.2% of the participants already did drug cessation at least once. Logistic regression showed the family support (OR = 1.110), age (OR = 1.106) and drug use initiation age (OR = 0.918) was predicting drug cessation. Our result showed; family support is a more important effect among types of social support in drug cessation. It seems that providing educational program to addict’s families for more support of patients at drug cessation can be beneficial.

Keywords: drug cessation, family support, drug use, initiation age

Procedia PDF Downloads 551
313 Review and Classification of the Indicators and Trends Used in Bridge Performance Modeling

Authors: S. Rezaei, Z. Mirzaei, M. Khalighi, J. Bahrami

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Bridges, as an essential part of road infrastructures, are affected by various deterioration mechanisms over time due to the changes in their performance. As changes in performance can have many negative impacts on society, it is essential to be able to evaluate and measure the performance of bridges throughout their life. This evaluation includes the development or the choice of the appropriate performance indicators, which, in turn, are measured based on the selection of appropriate models for the existing deterioration mechanism. The purpose of this article is a statistical study of indicators and deterioration mechanisms of bridges in order to discover further research capacities in bridges performance assessment. For this purpose, some of the most common indicators of bridge performance, including reliability, risk, vulnerability, robustness, and resilience, were selected. The researches performed on each index based on the desired deterioration mechanisms and hazards were comprehensively reviewed. In addition, the formulation of the indicators and their relationship with each other were studied. The research conducted on the mentioned indicators were classified from the point of view of deterministic or probabilistic method, the level of study (element level, object level, etc.), and the type of hazard and the deterioration mechanism of interest. For each of the indicators, a number of challenges and recommendations were presented according to the review of previous studies.

Keywords: bridge, deterioration mechanism, lifecycle, performance indicator

Procedia PDF Downloads 105
312 Study on the Stages of Knowledge Flow in Central Libraries of Tehran Universities by the Pattern of American Productivity & Quality Center

Authors: Amir Reza Asnafi, Ehsan Tajabadi, Mohsen Hajizeinolabedini

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The purpose of this study is to identify the concept of knowledge flow in central libraries of Tehran universities in by the pattern of American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). The present study is an applied and descriptive survey in terms of its purpose and the methodology used. In this study, APQC framework was used for data collection. The study population is managers and supervisors of central libraries’ departments of public universities of Tehran belonging to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. These libraries include: Central Libraries of Al-Zahra University, Amir Kabir, Tarbiat Modarres, Tehran, Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology, Shahed, Sharif, Shahid Beheshti, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Iran University of Science and Technology. Due to the limited number of members of the community, sampling was not performed and the census was conducted instead. The study of knowledge flow in central libraries of public universities in Tehran showed that in seven dimensions of knowledge flow of APQC, these libraries are far from desirable level and to achieve the ideal point, many activities in the field of knowledge flow need to be made, therefore suggestions were made in this study to reach the desired level. One Sample t Test in this research showed that these libraries are at a poor level in terms of these factors: in the dimensions of creation, identification and use of knowledge at a medium level and in the aspects of knowledge acquisition, review, sharing and access and also Manova test or Multivariable Analyze of Variance proved that there was no significant difference between the dimensions of knowledge flow between these libraries and the status of the knowledge flow in these libraries is at the same level as well. Except for the knowledge creation aspect that is slightly different in this regard that was mentioned before.

Keywords: knowledge flow, knowledge management, APQC, Tehran’s academic university libraries

Procedia PDF Downloads 165
311 Prevalence of Drug Injection among Male Prisoners in the West of Iran

Authors: Farzad Jalilian, Mehdi Mirzaei Alavijeh

Abstract:

Background: Substance addiction is one of the major worldwide problems that destroys economy, familial relationships, and the abuser’s career and has several side effects; in the meantime drug injection due to the possibility of shared use of syringes among drug users could have multiple complications to be followed. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of drug injection among male prisoners in Kermanshah city, the west of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 615 male prisoners were randomly selected to participate voluntarily in the study. Participants filled out a writing self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software (ver. 21.0) at 95% significant level. Results: The mean age of respondents was 31.13 years [SD: 7.76]. Mean initiation age for drug use was 14.36 years (range, 9-34 years). Almost, 39.4 % reported a history of drug use before prison. Opium (33.2%) and crystal (27.1%) was the most used drug among prisoners. Furthermore, 9.3 % had a history of injection addiction. There was a significant correlation between age, crime type, marital status, economic status, unprotected sex and drug injection (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The low age of drug abuse and the prevalence of drug injection among offenders can be as a warning for responsible; in this regard, implementation of prevention programs to risky behavior and harm reduction among high-risk groups can follow useful results.

Keywords: substance abuse, drug injection, prison, Iran

Procedia PDF Downloads 485
310 Microstracture of Iranian Processed Cheese

Authors: R. Ezzati, M. Dezyani, H. Mirzaei

Abstract:

The effects of the concentration of trisodium citrate (TSC) emulsifying salt (0.25 to 2.75%) and holding time (0 to 20 min) on the textural, rheological, and microstructural properties of Iranian Processed Cheese Cheddar cheese were studied using a central composite rotatable design. The loss tangent parameter (from small amplitude oscillatory rheology), extent of flow, and melt area (from the Schreiber test) all indicated that the meltability of process cheese decreased with increased concentration of TSC and that holding time led to a slight reduction in meltability. Hardness increased as the concentration of TSC increased. Fluorescence micrographs indicated that the size of fat droplets decreased with an increase in the concentration of TSC and with longer holding times. Acid-base titration curves indicated that the buffering peak at pH 4.8, which is due to residual colloidal calcium phosphate, decreased as the concentration of TSC increased. The soluble phosphate content increased as concentration of TSC increased. However, the insoluble Ca decreased with increasing concentration of TSC. The results of this study suggest that TSC chelated Ca from colloidal calcium phosphate and dispersed casein; the citrate-Ca complex remained trapped within the process cheese matrix. Increasing the concentration of TSC helped to improve fat emulsification and casein dispersion during cooking, both of which probably helped to reinforce the structure of process cheese.

Keywords: Iranian processed cheese, cheddar cheese, emulsifying salt, rheology

Procedia PDF Downloads 445
309 Blockchain Solutions for IoT Challenges: Overview

Authors: Amir Ali Fatoorchi

Abstract:

Regardless of the advantage of LoT devices, they have limitations like storage, compute, and security problems. In recent years, a lot of Blockchain-based research in IoT published and presented. In this paper, we present the Security issues of LoT. IoT has three levels of security issues: Low-level, Intermediate-level, and High-level. We survey and compare blockchain-based solutions for high-level security issues and show how the underlying technology of bitcoin and Ethereum could solve IoT problems.

Keywords: Blockchain, security, data security, IoT

Procedia PDF Downloads 211
308 Effect of Microfiltration on the Composition and Ripening of Iranian Fetta Cheese

Authors: M. Dezyani, R. Ezzati belvirdi, M. Shakerian, H. Mirzaei

Abstract:

The effect of Microfiltration (MF) on proteolysis, hardness, and flavor of Feta cheese during 6 mo of aging was determined. Raw skim milk was microfiltered two-fold in two cheese making trials. In trial 1, four vats of cheese were made in 1 d using unconcentrated milk (1X), 1.26X, 1.51X, and 1.82X Concentration Factors (CF). Casein-(CN)-to-fat ratio was constant among treatments. Proteolysis during cheese aging decreased with increasing CF due to either limitation of substrate availability for chymosin due to low moisture in the nonfat substance (MNFS), inhibition of chymosin activity by high molecular weight milk serum proteins, such as α2-macroglobulin, retained in the cheese or low residual chymosin in the cheese. Hardness of fresh cheese increased, and cheese flavor intensity decreased with increasing CF. In trial 2, the 1X and 1.8X CF were compared directly. Changes made in the cheese making procedure for the 1.8X CF (more chymosin and less cooking) increased the MNFS and made proteolysis during aging more comparable for the 1X and 1.8X cheeses. The significant difference in cheese hardness due to CF in trial 1 was eliminated in trial 2. In a triangle test, panelists could not differentiate between the 1X and 1.8X cheeses. Therefore, increasing chymosin and making the composition of the two cheeses more similar allowed production of aged Fetta cheese from milk concentrated up to 1.8X by MF that was not perceived as different from aged feta cheese produced without MF.

Keywords: feta cheese, microfiltration, concentration factor, proteolysis

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307 Predicting the Relationship Between the Corona Virus Anxiety and Psychological Hardiness in Staff Working at Hospital in Shiraz Iran

Authors: Gholam Reza Mirzaei, Mehran Roost

Abstract:

This research was conducted with the aim of predicting the relationship between coronavirus anxiety and psychological hardiness in employees working at Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Shiraz. The current research design was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the research consisted of all the employees of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Shiraz in 2021. From among the statistical population, 220 individuals were selected and studied based on available sampling. To collect data, Kobasa's psychological hardiness questionnaire and coronavirus anxiety questionnaire were used. After collecting the data, the scores of the participants were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient multiple regression analysis and SPSS-24 statistical software. The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient showed that there is a significant negative correlation between psychological hardiness and its components (challenge, commitment, and control) with coronavirus anxiety; also, psychological hardiness with a beta coefficient of 0.20 could predict coronavirus anxiety in hospital employees. Based on the results, plans can be made to enhance psychological hardiness through educational workshops to relieve the anxiety of the healthcare staff.

Keywords: the corona virus, commitment, hospital employees, psychological hardiness

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306 Assessing Flood Risk and Mapping Inundation Zones in the Kelantan River Basin: A Hydrodynamic Modeling Approach

Authors: Fatemehsadat Mortazavizadeh, Amin Dehghani, Majid Mirzaei, Nurulhuda Binti Mohammad Ramli, Adnan Dehghani

Abstract:

Flood is Malaysia's most common and serious natural disaster. Kelantan River Basin is a tropical basin that experiences a rainy season during North-East Monsoon from November to March. It is also one of the hardest hit areas in Peninsular Malaysia during the heavy monsoon rainfall. Considering the consequences of the flood events, it is essential to develop the flood inundation map as part of the mitigation approach. In this study, the delineation of flood inundation zone in the area of Kelantan River basin using a hydrodynamic model is done by HEC-RAS, QGIS and ArcMap. The streamflow data has been generated with the weather generator based on the observation data. Then, the data is statistically analyzed with the Extreme Value (EV1) method for 2-, 5-, 25-, 50- and 100-year return periods. The minimum depth, maximum depth, mean depth, and the standard deviation of all the scenarios, including the OBS, are observed and analyzed. Based on the results, generally, the value of the data increases with the return period for all the scenarios. However, there are certain scenarios that have different results, which not all the data obtained are increasing with the return period. Besides, OBS data resulted in the middle range within Scenario 1 to Scenario 40.

Keywords: flood inundation, kelantan river basin, hydrodynamic model, extreme value analysis

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305 Green Synthesis of Nano Liposomes Containing Berberine Chlorideagainst Leishmania major

Authors: Ali Fattahi Bafghi, Abolghasem Siyadatpanah, Farzaneh Mirzaei, Fahimeh Pournasir, Roghayeh Norouzi, Maria De Lourdes Pereira

Abstract:

Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major is one of the main infectious diseases that affect populations in developing countries around the world. We assessed the effectiveness of berberine chloride nano-liposome (BcNLs) against L. major promastigotes in vitro. Nano-liposomal berberine chloride was prepared using the thin-film hydration method and characterized based on encapsulation efficiency, size, and zeta potential. Anti-Leishmania effect of different concentrations (0.05-60 µg/ml) of BcNLs as studied in L. major [MRHO/IR/75/ER] at 24, 48, and 72 h using the hemocytometer technique. Berberine chloride was successfully loaded into nano-liposomes with an encapsulation efficiency of 85.54%. The surface charge of nanoparticles is neutral, and the morphology of nano-liposomal berberine chloride is spherical without any agglomeration. Cell viability assay was performed on the HFF cell line to show the biocompatibility of liposome nanoparticles. IC50 of BcNPs at 24, 48, and 72 h against L. major were found to be 7.6, 5.96, and 3.19 µg/ml, respectively. BcNLs showed a significant anti-Leishmania effect and induced a better and more tangible effect on the survival of L. major promastigotes and could be suitable candidates for further investigation. The results showed that the BcNLs agent is effective against L. major promastigotes and may be a promising alternative to current treatments.

Keywords: Leishmania major, berberine chloride, nano-liposomes, cutaneous leishmaniasis

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