Search

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due to the development of Information and communication technologies, data clouds produced by several sources containing vital information about cities, give more opportunities to tourists to access more information and services. Tourists can overcome challenges such as movement and finding information and services by improving the digital Tourism System's efficiency. Digital tourism system can help tourists to move and to live in unfamiliar destinations, know different cultures, and buy services and productions more easily and independently. Therefore, digital tourism systems and their efficiency are a significant concern, which this research aims to address by evaluating the position of digital tourism systems and identifying the dimensions and influential factors affecting their efficiency. METHODS: This study was a quantitative research and its target population consists of tourists or residents of the city of Mashhad use digital tourism systems. Due to the large population size, encompassing nearly 3 million residents and 20 million tourists annually, and considering the methods for determining the sample size for this study due to limitations arising from COVID-19, online questionnaires were utilized for data collection. Out of a total of 778 distributed questionnaires, 389 questionnaires were fully and accurately completed. The collected data was analysed using SPSS data analysis software to assess the analysis and relationships between the factors affecting the efficiency of digital tourism systems in Mashhad. FINDINGS: The results showed that more than 82% of respondents are using digital tourism system for managing their travels and three main functions of digital tourism system mentioned by tourists are "reservation services" (41%), "take information" (31%), "moving, find destination" (28%). Additionally, in brightness of this study, it demonstrated that digital tourism system usually uses smart recommender systems to personalise its recommendations, which need tourists' information. However, many of tourists (56%) are unwilling to share their personal information. one of the most important finding of this research is that receiving social content significantly correlates with users' confidence in digital tourism system for sharing their personal information. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that digital tourism system can optimise its personalisation process by using social content. It can ameliorate the users' confidence in digital tourism system for sharing their personal information, which will increase the efficiency of digital tourism system. This finding cannot only be a solution to overcome tourists' challenges but also is a key factor for tourism companies that are the beneficiaries of digital tourism system to achieve their business goals. Moreover, it is a wake-up alert for the public sector to accept its responsibility for legislating, monitoring and producing social content in digital tourism systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the dynamic and quasi-static plastic behavior of single and nested mild steel square tubes under lateral loadings experimentally and numerically. The dynamic experimental tests are carried out using a gas gun and the dynamic force-time responses are measured with a load cell. Also, the quasi-static experimental tests are performed in a universal test machine. The dynamic experimental tests are also simulated with the finite element software Abaqus. Furthermore, the square tubes' combinations in the nested systems are investigated in the present work. It is revealed that the amount of peak load decreases significantly when the form of the single tube changes from square to lozenge. It is also observed that in the nested tube structures, by changing each of the outer or inner tubes or both of them from the square form to lozenge one, the amount of peak load decreases meanwhile the energy absorption capacity decreases too, which is not desirable for energy absorbers. By comparing the impact results of both the single and nested square tubes which have the same mass, it can result that the nested square tubes behave better as energy absorbers compared with the single tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the genetic diversity of Rutilus frisii kutum, 25 samples were collected from Gharesou and Gorgan-rud rivers in April 2008. The genomic DNA was extracted from the caudal fin using phenol- chloroform method and investigated with 10 microsatellite loci. All the 10 investigated loci were polymorphic and showed variability in the two populations of the rivers. The mean number of allele per locus at population level and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 4 to 13 and 0.22 to 1.00, respectively. The FST value between populations was 0.014 (P

Wave load cycles, wet-deck slamming events, accelerations and motion comfort are important considerations for high-speed catamarans operating in moderate to large waves. Although developing a hull monitoring system according to classification guidelines for such vessels is broadly acceptable, the data processing requirements for outputs such as rainflow counting, filtering, probability distribution, fatigue damage estimation and warning due to slamming can be as sophisticated to implement as the system components themselves. Advanced analytics such as machine learning and deep learning data pipelines will also create more complexities for such systems, if included. This paper provides an overview of data analytics methods and cloud computing resources employed for remotely monitoring motions and structural responses of a 111 m high-speed catamaran. To satisfy the data processing requirements, MATLAB Reference Architectures on Amazon Web Services (AWS) were used. Such combination enabled fast parallel computing and advanced feature engineering in a time-efficient manner. A MATLAB Production Server on AWS has been set up for near real-time analytics and execution of functions developed according to the class guidelines. A case study using Long ShortTerm Memory (LSTM) networks for ship speed and Motion Sickness Incidence (MSI) is provided and discussed. Such data architecture provides a flexible and scalable solution, leading to deeper insights through big data processing and machine learning, which supports hull monitoring functions as a service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of estimation of fatigue life in the design process for weight-optimized ships. Topics include the comparison of the long-term distributions of stress, measured on a 111m long wave-piercing catamaran ferry whilst operating in the Canary Islands; proposes an improved distribution fitment method for fatigue analysis, and method to convert measured stress histories in the time domain into an appropriate stress-spectrum.

An onboard monitoring system can measure features such as stress cycles counts and provide warnings due to slamming. Considering current technology trends there is the opportunity of incorporating machine learning methods into monitoring systems. A hull monitoring system has been developed and installed on a 111 m wave piercing catamaran (Hull 091) to remotely monitor the ship kinematics and hull structural responses. Parallel to that, an existing dataset of a similar vessel (Hull 061) was analysed using unsupervised and supervised learning models; these were found to be beneficial for the classification of bow entry events according to key kinematic parameters. A comparison of different algorithms including linear support vector machines, naïve Bayes and decision tree for the bow entry classification were conducted. In addition, using empirical probability distributions, the likelihood of wet-deck slamming was estimated given a vertical bow acceleration threshold of 1 g in head seas, clustering the feature space with the approximate probabilities of 0.001, 0.030 and 0.25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objective. Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a treatment option with high curative potential in patients with prostate cancer of moderate-risk. The aim of the study is to assess perioperative results of laparoscopic RP (LRP) and open retropubic RP (ORRP). Methods. From 2016 to 2020, a total of 244 patients undergone RP, as follow: 145 patients LRP and 99 patients ORRP. Demographic data, preoperative parameters, perioperative and pathological outcomes were analyzed and compared among LRP and ORRP groups. Results. In regard to demographic data and preoperative parameters (BMI, mean age, median pretreatment prostate-specific antigen, clinical stage and Gleason score from biopsy), there are no differences between the observed groups. Patients from ORRP group had significantly shorter operative time (p < 0.05). Patients from LRP group had major advantages in regard to estimated blood loss (EBL) (550 ml for LRP vs. 1450 ml for ORRP), hospitalization time (six days for LRP vs. nine days for ORRP), catheter removal (6.5 days for LRP vs. 12 days for ORRP), overall complication rates (29% for LRP vs. 48.4% for ORRP) and blood transfusion rates (22.7% for LRP and 37.4% for ORRP). Conclusion. Both LRP and ORRP provide favorable operative results in terms of efficacy, safety and oncologic outcome. However, patients undergoing LRP were more likely to have less EBL, shorter length of hospital stay, earlier catheter removal and lower rates of overall perioperative complications.

Reef-protected beaches are vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise and degradation of their associated fringing reefs. The SWAN hydrodynamic wave model is combined with classical theory describing the planform of beaches in equilibrium with the wave forcing to estimate the reef top hydrodynamics and the shoreline configuration in the lee of the reefs. Open access Bayesian Belief Networks with high accuracy and simple user interfaces have been built to communicate the results. The BBN enable end users to access all the model results and to compare different scenario to determine how changes in the wave climate or reef elevation change the shoreline configuration. The results show that recession of the shoreline in the lee of fringing reefs due to sea level rise may be much greater than that expected on open coast beaches. Loss of reef flat elevation can also lead to severe shoreline erosion. • Bayesian Belief Networks are constructed for end-users to model complex coastal processes. • Models include the hydrodynamics and shoreline response behind fringing reefs. • The impact of climate change and reef degradation is considered. • Results are communicated using open-access BBNKeywords. • End-user experience was used to develop accurate and transparent networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundCOVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Given that the severe shortage of hospital beds has led to early discharge and insufficient patient education on home care routines and isolation protocols, the close follow-up of patients and their immediate relatives is an integral part of transitioning from hospital care to home care for patients with COVID-19. ObjectiveWe designed the Tele-COVID-19 prospective cohort to follow-up with COVID-19 patients in Tehran, Iran, and improve health care delivery and the recording of postdischarge patients’ clinical profiles. MethodsAll adult patients who were admitted to the COVID-19 wards of teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran were eligible to participate in this cohort study. At baseline, patients were recruited from 4 major hospitals from March 9, 2020 to May 20, 2020. Telephone follow-ups, which were led by volunteer medical students, were conducted on postdischarge days 1-3, 5, 7, 10, and 14. We collected data on a range of sociodemographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics by using a standard questionnaire. ResultsOf the 950 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were approached, 823 (response rate: 86.6%) consented and were enrolled into the cohort. Of the 823 participants, 449 (54.5%) were male. The mean age of participants was 50.1 years (SD 12.6 years). During the initial data collection phase, more than 5000 phone calls were made and over 577 reports of critical patients who were in need of urgent medical attention were recorded. ConclusionsThe Tele-COVID-19 cohort will provide patients with sufficient education on home care and isolation, and medical advice on care and the proper use of drugs. In addition, by preventing unnecessary hospital returns and providing information on household SARS-CoV-2 transmission as early as possible, this cohort will help with effective disease management in resource-limited settings. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/23316

Estimating relative permeability curves from capillary pressure data is a well-known technique and the reliability of these techniques for approximation of liquid-gas relative permeability curves had thoroughly investigated. However, there is not enough information to conclude which method is the standard one for calculating oil-water relative permeability curves. The authors utilized various capillary pressure techniques such as the Corey, Brooks-Corey, Li-Purcell, and Li-Burdine methods to calculate oil-water relative permeabilities using the measured oil-water capillary pressure data in drainage process in an oil-wet Dolomite reservoir. Despite wide popularity of Purcell and Burdine methods for calculating relative permeability, the authors used new Li-Purcell and Li-Burdine methods. The calculated results were compared to the experimental data of oil-water relative permeabilities measured in a Dolomite reservoir. The Corey and Brooks-Corey models show an acceptable and nearly exact match with the measured oil relative permeability values. However, the Li-Purcell and Li-Burdine models underestimate the values for wetting phase in most cases. It is also worth mentioning that, except Li-Purcell method, the results of all other methods for calculating nonwetting phase relative permeability are almost the same and they are in good agreement with the measured data. Results of this work reveal that calculation of oil-water relative permeability using the capillary pressure data is also a reliable technique in oil-wet systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rare earth ions (Ln = Gd3+, Ho3+, Yb3+)-doped Bi2MoO6,(B2-xLnxM), with different Ln3+ contents were successfully synthesized by polymeric precursor method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), photoluminescence spectra (PL) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). XRD results indicated that the prepared compounds are of Aurivillius layered structures. The DRS results indicated that the Ln3+ doping increased the visible light absorption ability of B2-xLnxM and a red shift was appeared when compared to pure Bi2MoO6. From SEM images it was found that different lanthanides doping leads to various morphology. The photocatalytic activity of prepared compounds was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the doping of the rare earth ions can significantly improve the photocatalytic activity of Bi2MoO6 due to the efficient inhibition of the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The effects of concentration of lanthanides ions on the photocatalytic activities of bismuth molybdate are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]