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Introduction. Secure airway for proper ventilation during anesthesia is one important component of a successful surgery. Endotracheal intubation is one of the most important methods in this context. Intubation method and used medication are considerably important in attenuating complications. This research aimed to investigate the impact of two different doses of dexmedetomidine in mitigating cardiovascular responses to endotracheal intubation in candidate cases supporting voluntary operation. Methods. The current research contained 90 cases in the range of 18 and 50 old, with ASA I,II supporting voluntary operation, who were randomly classified into three teams, each group consisting of 30 cases. The first set (A) got 0.5 μg/ kg dexmedetomidine, the second set (B) got 1 μg/ kg dexmedetomidine and the third set (C) got an equal volume of saline as placebo, 600 seconds earlier the initiation of anesthesia. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded at baseline (T0), then after the injection and the earlier initiation of anesthesia (T1), after the induction of anesthesia and before the endotracheal intubation (T2), promptly after tracheal intubation, 180, and 300 after endotracheal intubation (T4, T5). Data was analyzed and p < 0.05 was supposed notable. Findings. In this research, 3 teams were similar regarding weight, age, height, sex and duration of laryngoscopy. The diastolic mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and systolic arterial pressure were significantly lower in dexmedetomidine teams (A,B) at all times after the endotracheal intubation compared to group C. There were no significant differences in hemodynamic factors among group A, B. Conclusion. Dexmedetomidine effectively and significantly attenuates cardiovascular and hemodynamic responses during endotracheal intubation. In addition, different doses of dexmedetomidine did not cause any significant distinct result in mitigating cardiovascular responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most prevalentdiseases and a significant determinant of morbidity and death global. This study intended to compare and evaluate the benefits and importance of chest X-ray and chest ultrasound in the investigation of CAP in children. Methods. Study Population. One hundred children of one-month to five-years of age who suggested to the Children's Hospital in Bandar Abbas for pneumonia were evaluated by chest ultrasound and chest X-ray by different radiologists. Results. Evidence of involvement was recognized in 96% of the chest X-rays of those children, and also in 9% of the chest ultraultrasounds (6% opacity, 3% effusion). Pleural effusion was recognized in three of the children only by ultrasound. Conclusion. The utilization of ultrasound is a suitable method to estimate the complication of pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The main problem of health care services is their economic aspect. Hospitals are one of the most important and costly units of health care system in every country and are of great importance in health and economy, as one of the main organizations providing health care services. For this reason, identification and analysis of funding sources and incomes of hospitals is very important in careful management decision making. Objective: Determine the status of specific incomes of hospitals of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2012 Materials and Methods: This research is a descriptive study which is conducted in 22 Hospitals affiliated with Guilan University of Medical Sciences, and based on the data collected in 2012. In order to collect data, we referred to the finance units of the centers. The instrument used in this study is a checklist which was used for data collection related to cash income, insurance income, total income and insurance deductions, after the confirmation of its content validity. Results: On average, 17.61% of the income of the hospitals under study (in 2012) was earned through cash revenues and 82.39% obtained from insurance organizations and 2.31% of hospitals invoices from insurance organizations is included in insurance deductions. Also, the proportion of the amount received from patients to the total income in more deprived hospitals, is more and the proportion of the amount received from insurance organizations to the total income of these hospitals, is lower. Conclusion: Since the main source of revenues for the hospitals under study is the amount received from insurance organizations, it is necessary to take essential steps in order to reduce insurance deductions and collect the maximum revenue of hospitals. Also, the higher amount of direct payments by patients and the lower amount of payments by insurance organizations to the total income in more deprived hospitals could be due to a lack of full coverage insurance on these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative damage is implicated in the pathogenesis of kidney injury. Cornus mas is used for in renal aliments traditionally in Iran. The present study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of C. mas fruit extract (CMFE) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treated oxidative stress in Wistar albino rats. Forty two male albino rats were divided into seven groups. Group I served as a sham; Group II served as a normal control; Group III served as a toxic control, with CCl4 (1 ml/kg body weight; 80% in olive oil); Groups IV and V received CMFE at doses of 300 and 700 mg/kg before CCl4 injection; Groups VI and VII received extract at same doses orally at 2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after CCl4 intoxication. CCl4 injection produced a significant rise in serum markers of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde along with the reduction of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismuta, catalase and glutathion peroxidase. Serum creatinine, urea and uric acid concentrations were increased whereas level of protein and albumin were reduced. Treatment of rats with different doses of fruit extract (300 and 700 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05) ameliorated the alterations induced with CCl4 in lipid peroxidation, antioxidant defenses, biochemical and renal lesions. Based on these results, we conclude that CMFE protects kidney from oxidative stress induced by CCl4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, pole placement-based design and analysis of a free piston Stirling engine (FPSE) is presented and compared to the well-defined Beale number design technique. First, dynamic and thermodynamic equations governing the engine system are extracted. Then, linear dynamics of the free piston Stirling engine are studied using dynamic systems theory tools such as root locus. Accordingly, the effects of variations of design parameters such as mass of pistons, stiffness of springs, and frictional damping on the locations of dominant closed-loop poles are investigated. The design procedure is thus conducted to place the dominant poles of the dynamic system at desired locations on the s-plane so that the unstable dynamics, which is the required criterion for energy generation, is achieved. Next, the closed-loop poles are selected based on a desired frequency so that a periodical system is found. Consequently, the design parameters, including mass and spring stiffness for both power and displacer pistons, are obtained. Finally, the engine power is calculated through the proposed control-based analysis and the result is compared to those of the experimental work and the Beale number approach. The outcomes of this work clearly reveal the effectiveness of the control-based design technique of FPSEs compared to the well-known approaches such as Beale number.

Drillability indices, i.e., the Drilling Rate Index™ (DRI), Bit Wear Index™ (BWI), Cutter Life Index™ (CLI), and Vickers Hardness Number Rock (VHNR), are indirect measures of rock drillability. These indices are recognized as providing practical characterization of rock properties used in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) time and cost prediction models available for hard rock tunneling and surface excavation. The tests form the foundation of various hard rock equipment capacity and performance prediction methods. In this paper, application of the tests for tunnel boring machine (TBM) and drill and blast (D&B) tunneling is investigated and the impact of the indices on excavation time and costs is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban development affects the quantity and quality of urban surface runoff. In recent years, the best management practices (BMPs) concept has been widely promoted for control of both quality and quantity of urban floods. However, means to optimize the BMPs in a conjunctive quantity/ quality framework are still under research. In this paper, three objective functions were considered: (1) minimization of the total flood damages, cost of BMP implementation and cost of land-use development; (2) reducing the amount of TSS (total suspended solid) and BOD5 (biological oxygen demand), representing the pollution characteristics, to below the threshold level; and (3) minimizing the total runoff volume. The biological oxygen demand and total suspended solid values were employed as two measures of urban runoff quality. The total surface runoff volume produced by subbasins was representative of the runoff quantity. The construction and maintenance costs of the BMPs were also estimated based on the local price standards. Urban runoff quantity and quality in the case study watershed were simulated with the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) optimization technique was applied to derive the optimal trade off curve between various objectives. In the proposed structure for the NSGA-II algorithm, a continuous structure and intermediate crossover were used because they perform better as far as the optimization efficiency is concerned. Finally, urban runoff management scenarios were presented based on the optimal trade-off curve using the k-means method. Subsequently, a specific runoff control scenario was proposed to the urban managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban development and affects the quantity and quality of urban floods. Generally, flood management include planning and management activities to reduce the harmful effects of floods on people, environment and economy is in a region. In recent years, a concept called Best Management Practices (BMPs) has been widely used for urban flood control from both quality and quantity aspects. In this paper, three objective functions relating to the quality of runoff (including BOD5 and TSS parameters), the quantity of runoff (including runoff volume produced at each sub-basin) and expenses (including construction and maintenance costs of BMPs) were employed in the optimization algorithm aimed at finding optimal solution MOPSO and NSGAII optimization methods were coupled with the SWMM urban runoff simulation model. In the proposed structure for NSGAII algorithm, a continuous structure and intermediate crossover was used because they perform better for improving the optimization model efficiency. To compare the performance of the two optimization algorithms, a number of statistical indicators were computed for the last generation of solutions. Comparing the pareto solution resulted from each of the optimization algorithms indicated that the NSGAII solutions was more optimal. Moreover, the standard deviation of solutions in the last generation had no significant differences in comparison with MOPSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: with the developments of technology, contact with various frequencies of electromagnetic fields ( EMF ) has significantly increased, while the abundant benefits of using microwaves in routine life cannot be neglected. During recent years there have been reports of adverse effects caused by contact with electric and magnetic fields of these waves that spread from BTS antennas. The purpose of this study is the measurement of microwaves spreading around BTS antennas in Tehran. Materials and Methods: according to the location of BTS antennas in Tehran, power density of electromagnetic waves around 63 antennas in near and distant fields in different distances was measured. The measurements were performed using the standard method of IEEE Std C95.1 by Hi-4333 device .in order to analysis data we used spss 16 and descriptive and deductive statistical tests. Results: results of this study show that in the near field, with increase of distance from the foot of antenna, the average power density of electromagnetic waves increase in a way that in the distance of 10 meters from the antenna foot, the increase of average power density is hardly conceivable and from 10 to 15 meters distance is perfectly noticeable. But in the distant field, with increase of distance from 20 meters, the average power density of the electromagnetic waves decreases; and from 100 meter and further, the gradient of the diagram will get almost linear and the rate of power density reaches the base limit in a way that with the increase of distance there would be no significant decrease. Conclusion: All the measures of power density of electromagnetic waves caused by BTSs are about 0.06% of recommended measures of environmental standards and 0.0000013% of occupational standards. The results of this study are close to the results of other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Lake Urmia area, northwestern Iran, parthenogenetic Artemia and the bisexual Artemia urmiana Günther 1890 are found to occupy different ecological niches determined by salinity. Given the fluctuations of the lake over geological times, we thus hypothesized that species identification of Artemia cysts, buried in the sediments, can provide information on lake conditions in the past. Therefore, encysted embryos of Artemia were recovered from lake sediments by augering at a site near the present shoreline. Cysts and associated plant remains from two studied levels yielded radiocarbon ages in the range 5,000-6,700 YBP. For determination of the type of Artemia, the constant synonym mutation in exon-7 of the Na/K ATPase gene was verified, and the diameter of the recovered cysts was compared with that of modern cysts from the Lake Urmia region. The results show that the cysts represent a parthenogenetic type of Artemia, whose cyst diameter is somewhat different from that of present-day local parthenogenetic Artemia. The present study firstly confirms the stability of DNA in ancient Artemia cysts for molecular analysis. Moreover, it suggests variation in Lake Urmia's conditions over time, and based on comparison with salinity preferences of contemporary Artemia populations, it more specifically suggests that Lake Urmia was a brackish lake dominated by a parthenogenetic Artemia population in the geological period sampled. It finally illustrates how, like in the study of freshwater propagule banks, paleogenetic analysis of Artemia DNA recovered from sediment cores can be used as a tool in the paleoecological study of generally highly fluctuating saline habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find a marker for differentiating between a bisexual and a parthenogenetic Artemia strain, Exon-7 of the Na/K ATPase α subunit gene was screened by RFLP technique. The results revealed a constant synonymous SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) in digestion by the Tru1I enzyme that was consistent with these two types of Artemia. This SNP was identified as an accurate molecular marker for discrimination between bisexual and parthenogenetic Artemia. According to the Nei's genetic distance (1973), the lowest genetic distance was found between individuals from Artemia urmiana Günther 1890 and parthenogenetic populations, making the described marker the first marker to easily distinguish between these two cooccurring species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoonotic concerns of cattle sarcocystosis are of importance, because humans are the final host for Sarcocystis hominis. Therefore the meat products containing beef may encompass sarcocysts which endanger food safety. In this study, we described the first report of molecular identification of S. hominis in Iranian traditional hamburgers using PCR-RFLP. Throughout a pilot research that was carried out to setup a molecular approach to identify the Sarcocystis spp., using PCR-RFLP, a sample of raw Iranian traditional hamburger was purchased from a street food seller located in Yazd, central Iran in May 2013. DNA extraction was done, by salting out method; briefly, the sample was lysed with NET buffer. The DNA purification and precipitation was then performed. Amplicon and digestion results were analyzed, using gel agarose electrophoresis. The results showed a PCR product with 926 bp in length after amplification and 376 and 550 bp in length after digestion. This product was identified as S. hominis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. hominis infection in Iranian hamburger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, using mutation in the metal resistant bacteria, the bioremediation of the copper and zinc from copper factory effluents was investigated. Wastewater effluents from flocculation and rolling mill sections of a factory in the city of Kerman were collected and used for further experiments. 20 strains of Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from soil and effluents surrounding factory and identified by microbiological methods. Minimum inhibitory concentrations for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were determined by agar dilution method. Those strains that exhibited highest minimum inhibitory concentrations values to the metals (5mM) were subjected to 400-3200 mg/L concentrations of the three mutagenic agents, acriflavine, acridine orange and ethidium bromide. After determination of subinhibitory concentrations, the minimum inhibitory concentrations values for copper and zinc metal ions were again determined, which showed more than 10 fold increase in minimum inhibitory concentrations value (10 mM for Cu and 20 mM for Zn) with P<0.05. The atomic absorption spectroscopy of dried biomass obtained from resistant strains after exposure to mutagenic agents revealed that strains 13 accumulate the highest amount of intracellular copper (0.35% Cu/mg dried biomass) and strain 10 showed highest accumulation of zinc (0.3% Zn/mg dried biomass) respectively with P<0.05. From above results it was concluded that the treatment of industrial waste containing heavy metals by artificially mutated bacteria may be appropriate solution for effluent disposal problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple and highly sensitive method is described for direct voltammetric determination of noscapine in blood and pharmaceutical sample. Glassy carbon electrode with effective method is modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) to cause activation of multiwall carbon nanotubes structures for electrocatalyzes of noscapine oxidation. The cyclic voltammetric (CV) results indicated that MWNTs remarkably enhances electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of noscapine, which is leading to considerable improvement of anodic peak current for noscapine, and allows the development of a highly sensitive voltammetric sensor for detection of noscapine in pharmaceutical and clinical samples. Under the optimum condition, the calibration curve was linear in the concentration range 4.0×10−7–1.0×10−4 molL−1 with the detection limit of 8.0×10−8 molL−1 and relative standard deviation (R.S.D.%) lower than 1.0% (n =5). Finally, some kinetic parameters were determined and multistep mechanism for oxidation of noscapine for first time was proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Multi-geometry simulations were performed by developing a special routine of importing object files. • DEM simulation revealed a high degree of non-uniformity in distribution of cone crusher feed. • Cylindrical feed chute in comparison to cubical feed chute provided more uniform distribution. • DEM-based feed chute design resulted in lower power draw fluctuations, higher throughput and finer product. The effect of feed chute design on tertiary cone crusher performance at the Sarcheshmeh copper complex was studied by an in-house developed DEM software called KMPC DEM ©. To simulate the overall crushing circuit, the multi-geometry procedure by improving the routines of object files importing into the simulation environment was implemented in DEM codes. The calibration of DEM parameters was performed using the observed angle of the pile formed on the conveyor (surcharge angle). Various feed chute designs were then employed in the simulations based on an experimental design to find more uniform feed distribution on the distribution plate of the crusher. More uniform feed distribution was obtained by changing the shape of feed chute from cubic to cylindrical, decreasing its surface area from 0.34 to 0.24 m2 and increasing the cylinder length above and below the feed chute plate from 0 to 45 cm and from 53 to 74 cm, respectively. This was verified by proximity of center of the mass of distributed feed to the center of crusher distribution plate. After installing the new feed chute design in the plant, a detail monitoring over a period of 15 months showed a reduction of the standard deviation of crusher power draw from 13 to 3 kW. A better crusher control, 36% increase in the crusher throughput and finer and narrower product size distribution were among the main outcomes of the new feed chute. It was concluded that the wear rate on mantle and liners of crusher not only decreased but it also became uniform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The applicability of Nanofiber amendment on soil and water conservation was assessed. • Application of Nanofiber with one l m−2 had maximum effectiveness on study variable. • Soil loss was controlled more than runoff generation due to Nanofiber amendment. Soil erosion control by amendments is an effective method to reduce runoff and soil loss. In this respect, application of nanofiber (NF) produced from recycled old paperboard containers as a novel approach has not been reported yet. Therefore, application of the produced lignocellulose NF suspension was carried out at various typical dosage levels (i.e., 0.5, 1, and 1.5 L m−2) at small plots of 50 × 50 × 30 cm3 dimensions. The plots were filled by 18 cm of mineral pumices as a drainage layer and the rest (upper 12 cm) was filled by fine soils. They were then subjected to rainfall simulation with intensity of 70 mm.h-¹ and duration of 30 min. The results showed that the NF amendment at all three levels increased time to runoff at tunes of 76, 86 and 81 %, decreased runoff volumes by 55, 100 and 70 % and also ameliorated soil losses some 87, 100 and 96 % compared to control (dry) plots, 23 respectively. The results also verified the efficiency of biocompatible amendment for soil and water conservation in sensitive areas facilitating sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Triple therapy and amoxycillin plus omeprazole are the two most widely recommended regimens for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. However, no controlled studies with a large number of cases are available for the reliable comparison of these two regimens. The aim of this controlled, randomized, prospective study was to compare the effect of these two regimens and a further regimen for metronidazole-resistant patients on duodenal ulcer healing, H. pylori eradication, and prevention of ulcer relapse. Methods: Patients (n = 144) with proven duodenal ulcer (DU) were randomized to one of the three following regimens: group A, omeprazole (2 X 40 mg) plus amoxycillin (4 X 500 mg) for 2 wk; group B, triple therapy: bismuth nitrate (4 x 375 mg) plus metronidazole (4 X 250 mg) and tetracycline (4 X 500 mg) daily for 2 wk and ranitidine (150 mg) for the first week and bismuth nitrate (4 x 375 mg) alone for a further 2 wk; group C, omeprazole (20 mg) plus amoxycillin (4 X 500 mg) and tinidazole (2 x 500 mg) for 2 wk. Results: A total of 46 patients in group A, 39 in group B, and 43 in group C completed the study. One patient in group A and three in group B did not tolerate the regimens and dropped out of the study. Control endoscopy was performed 8 wk after the start of treatment and when symptoms appeared (up to 1 yr after the start of treatment). In subjects who completed the study, both the healing rate of DU in group B (97 % compared with 74 and 73% in A and C, respectively, > 0.02) and the H. pylori eradication rate in group B (85 compared with 35%, p > 0.0001 in A and 58%, p > 0.02, in C) were significantly higher than in groups A and C. The symptomatic ulcer relapse during the 1-yr follow-up in patients with initially healed ulcers was similar in all groups (18, 16, and 19% in A, B, and C, respectively). The predictor of healing using logistic regression analysis was night pain (p > 0.05). The predictor of H. pylori eradication... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of dietary Terbutaline, a beta adrenergic agonist, on carcass characteristics and blood attributes in 288 Japanese quails was studied from 21 through 49 days of age. Dietary treatments included four levels of Terbutaline [0 (T0), 1 (T1), 3 (T3), and 5 (T5) mg/Kg of the diet]. Quails were bled at the end of the trial for biochemical assays and the carcass characteristics were then measured. The relative weights of breast and drumstick muscles were increased in birds treated with 3 and 5 mg/Kg diet of Terbutaline (P). Regardless of Terbutaline dietary levels included, the weight of subcutaneous and abdominal fat pad was significantly decreased in treated birds (P). The relative weight of heart was increased in T3 treatment group and that of liver was increased in all birds receiving Terbutaline as compared with the control group (P). Irrespective of the dosing level, the percentage of protein in breast muscle was higher in Terbutaline-treated birds (P). However, the fat percentage in drumstick muscle was reduced in birds treated with 3 and 5 mg/Kg diet of Terbutaline, but its protein percentage was increased in T1, T3, and T5 (P). A significant increase in plasma levels of free fatty acids was found in all birds that received Terbutaline (P) as compared with the control. Overally, the data suggested that dietary Terbutaline had a profound positive effect on carcass composition, but a minimal one on the plasma metabolites (glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride) of Japanese quails.

PURPOSE: Open rhinoplasty is an esthetic surgical technique that is becoming increasingly popular, and can affect the nose and upper lip compartments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of open rhinoplasty on tooth show and the smile line. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study participants were 61 patients with a mean age of 24.3 years (range, 17.2 to 39.6 years). The surgical procedure consisted of an esthetic open rhinoplasty without alar resection. Analysis of tooth show was limited to pre- and postoperative (at 12 months) tooth show measurements at rest and the maximum smile with a ruler (when participants held their heads naturally). Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 13.0, and paired-sample t tests were used to compare tooth show means before and after the operation. RESULTS: Analysis of the rest position showed no statistically significant change in tooth show (P = .15), but analysis of participants' maximum smile data showed a statistically significant increase in tooth show after surgery (P < .05). In contrast, Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive relation between rhinoplasty and tooth show increases in maximum smile, especially in subjects with high smile lines. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the nasolabial compartment is a single unit and any change in 1 part may influence the other parts. Further studies should be conducted to investigate these interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objectives : Chemicals are serious harmful agents in the workplace, especially chemistry labs. This material may cause poisoning and different diseases. Laboratory hoods as first safety device protect laboratory workers against hazardous chemicals. This research conducted on chemistry labs in a petrochemical company for awareness of the hoods performance and proposed the needed reforms . Methods: In this study, in the studied laboratories, in order to evaluate performance of lab hoods, a capture velocity for 22 chemical hoods was conducted. Information concerning the structural characteristics of the baffle position , airfoil and opening area of hood s and situational characteristics their position relative to the air stream sources include general ventilation system vents , doors and windows of the laboratory were gathered . Results: The mean velocity of hoods compared to the minimum acceptable value of 80 fpm showed that the only 9.09 % of their hoods can provide an acceptable velocity . There was a significant relationship between the numerical value of the velocity and position features hoods structure (Pvalue

In this study, we investigate a relativistic fermion in an elastic medium as well as a linear topological defect by focusing on the spiral dislocation. Then, we solve the coupled Dirac equation in the presence of scalar and vector potentials. We investigate two special cases by focusing on a spin symmetry limit and a pseudospin symmetry limit. After considering a fermion based on the Dirac equation in the background of spiral dislocation, by considering two special cases, in the presence of oscillator and Kratzer-like potentials, we find the energy eigenvalues according to the wave functions by using of analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]