The Kannan fixed point theorem in incomplete modular spaces

In this paper, we prove a fixed point theorem for Kannan contraction mappings definded on incomplete orthogonal modular spaces. Our results improve one of the results given by Abdou and Khamsi [Abdou, A. A. N. and Khamsi, M. A., (2020), Fixed points of Kannan maps in the variable exponent sequence spaces `p(.), Mathematics., 8(1), p. 76].Publisher's Versio

Effect of Foam on Liquid Phase Mobility in Porous Media

We investigate the validity of the assumption that foam in porous media reduces the mobility of gas phase only and does not impact the liquid-phase mobility. The foam is generated by simultaneous injection of nitrogen gas and a surfactant solution into sandstone cores and its strength is varied by changing surfactant type and concentration. We find, indeed, that the effect of foam on liquid-phase mobility is not pronounced and can be ignored. Our new experimental results and analyses resolve apparent discrepancies in the literature. Previously, some researchers erroneously applied relative permeability relationships measured at small to moderate capillary numbers to foam floods at large capillary number. Our results indicate that the water relative permeability in the absence of surfactant should be measured with the capillary pressure ranging up to values reached during the foam floods. This requires conducting a steady-state gas/water core flood with capillary numbers similar to that of foam floods or measuring the water relative-permeability curve using a centrifuge

A minimax inequality and its applications

A minimax inequality of Ky Fan for mapping with non-compact domain is given. Moreover, some minimax inequalities are obtained.Publisher's Versio

Action Capsules: Human Skeleton Action Recognition

Due to the compact and rich high-level representations offered, skeleton-based human action recognition has recently become a highly active research topic. Previous studies have demonstrated that investigating joint relationships in spatial and temporal dimensions provides effective information critical to action recognition. However, effectively encoding global dependencies of joints during spatio-temporal feature extraction is still challenging. In this paper, we introduce Action Capsule which identifies action-related key joints by considering the latent correlation of joints in a skeleton sequence. We show that, during inference, our end-to-end network pays attention to a set of joints specific to each action, whose encoded spatio-temporal features are aggregated to recognize the action. Additionally, the use of multiple stages of action capsules enhances the ability of the network to classify similar actions. Consequently, our network outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches on the N-UCLA dataset and obtains competitive results on the NTURGBD dataset. This is while our approach has significantly lower computational requirements based on GFLOPs measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure

Evaluation of Anti-ulcer Activity of Echinops Persicus on Experimental Gastric Ulcer Models in Rats

Extract of Echinops persicus is traditionally used for a long time in Iran for treatment of cough and constipation. This extract is produced by activity of bug (Situphilus spp.) on the plant. We documented its anti-tussive effect in rats in our previous study.The aim of this study was to assess the anti-ulcer effect of Echinops persicus in an animal model. In this study we evaluated anti-ulcer effect of Echinops persicus by Shay's method in rats. In 3 groups of rats, pylorus was ligatured under anesthesia. The rats were euthanized after 19 hours later and number and level of ulcer in stomach was measured. In group 2 the extract was orally administered 45 minutes before pyloric ligature, and in group 3, it was administered intraperitoneally 20 minutes before pyloric ligature. The number of ulcers in stomach was significantly low in group 2 (P = 0.01) and 3 (P = 0.037) in comparison with group 1. The level of ulcer was significantly decreased in group 2 (P = 0.047) with comparison to group 1. We conclude that, Echinops extract can exhibit potentially cytoprotective and anti-ulcer activity

Evaluating the Effects of Ownership Structure and Cash Holding on Accepted Companies Value in Tehran Stock Exchange

The current research is studying the role of ownership structure and cash holding on the accepted companies' value in Tehran Stock Exchange. The sample of the research includes 62 corporations within 2008 to 2013.The ownership structure can direct the corporate toward better performance and increasing its value and has remarkable importance for increasing the company's success and society's economics. According to the results based on variance analysis, there is positive and significant relationship between ownership structure and corporate value while there are not significant relationships between other independent variables such as the size of the board of directors, power of the board of directors and cash holding with dependent variable (corporate value). Regarding the controlled variables of the research, which are financial leverage, dividend payout ratio, Q Tubin, there is a positive and significant relationship between the corporate value and financial leverage, while the other controlled variables do not have significant relationship with corporate value

Detection of blaNDM, blaDIM, blaIMP, blaVIM and blaCTX-M-15 beta-lactamase Genes among Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Isolated from Two Hospitals of Tehran, Iran

Background: In this study, we evaluated the existence of blaNDM ,  blaDIM, blaIMP, blaVIM, blaCTX-M-15 beta-lactamase  genes among Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from hospitalized patients.Materials and Methods: From June 2013 to May 2014, thirty-four nonduplicate nonconsecutive isolates of A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa were isolated from blood, respiratory tract, wound, sputum and urine samples of patients from hospitalized in two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines. In this study, the frequency of MBL (metallo-beta-lactamase) producers was evaluated by CDDT (Combined disk diffusion test) and prevalence of blaNDM, blaDIM, blaIMP, blaVIM and blaCTX-M-15  genes were evaluated  by PCR and sequencing methods among P. aeruginosa and  A. baumannii strains isolated from  hospitalized patient of Tehran during 2013 -2014 years.Results: Of thirty-four non-fermenter isolates, 24 (70.58%) P. aeruginosa and 10 (29.41%) as A. baumannii were isolated and identified. High rate of resistance to common antibiotics were detected specially among A. baumannii isolates that showed 100% resistance to 4 of tested antibiotics. The CDDT results reveal that 4 (16.66%) of the P. aeruginosa isolates and 1 (10%) of the A.baumannii were positive for production of MBLs. The prevalence of blaCTX-M-15 gene among 10 A. baumannii isolates was 4 (40%), and for IMP-1, 2 (20%). The OXA-51 has been investigated and was detected in all A. baumannii isolates. Also the prevalence of blaCTX-M-15 gene among 24 P.aeruginosa isolates was 11 (45.83%), and for IMP-1, 3(12.5%). Fortunately, NDM, blaVIM, blaDIM gene was not detected in all isolates.Conclusion: The detection of MBL-producing A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa strains detected in this research is of great concern and highlights the need of infection control measures, including antimicrobial management and prompt detection of beta-lactamase-producing isolates.

Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction Using Magnetic NanoparticlesPerformed in a Narrow-Bored Tube for Extraction of Atorvastatin,Losartan, and Valsartan in Plasma

Purpose: In this investigation, a new version of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) performedin a narrow–bore tube has been proposed. In this study, hydrophobic octyl (C8) functionalizedFe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) stabilized by SiOH groups (Fe3O4@SiO2@C8) are used asmagnetic nano–sorbents for the extraction of cardiovascular drugs from human plasma prior totheir determination by high performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection.Methods: After precipitation of the plasma proteins, the supernatant is diluted with deionizedwater and filled into the narrow–bore tube. Then mg–level of the sorbent is added into the tube.The sorbent is dispersed and moved down through the solution instead of passing the solutionfrom the cartridge. Using an external magnet, the collected nano–sorbents at the bottom of thetube are transferred on top of the solution and released to move down through the solution forthree times to increase the extraction efficiency.Results: The linearity of the assay was ranging from 0.4–500 mg mL-1. The limits of detectionand quantification of the method were obtained in the ranges of 0.05–0.07 and 0.16–0.24 mgL-1, respectively. The extraction recoveries were obtained in the range of 31–49%. Intra– andinter–day precisions were calculated and obtained in the ranges of 5–8 and 7%–9% for 0.5 mgL-1 of each analyte, and 5–6 and 6%–8% for 2 mg L-1 of each analyte, respectively.Conclusion: The proposed method was successfully used in determination of the studied drugsin patient’s plasmas

A Review on Application of Microextraction Techniques for Analysis of Chemical Compounds and Metal Ions in Foodstuffs

Foodstuffs analysis is very important due to population growth and increasing consumer demand for safety and nutritional excellence. The Analysis of different compounds in foodstuffs is so difficult without using sample preparation techniques. Traditional techniques require large amounts of toxic organic solvents. As a result, they are not only expensive but also environmentally unfriendly and they generate a considerable amount of waste. Nowadays efforts are being focused on development of microextraction techniques. Different microextraction techniques such as solid phase microextraction (SPME), stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), and liquid phase microextraction (LPME) have found an important place in sample preparation because of their inherent advantages over the conventional procedures. In particular, they have been applied with successfully for the analysis of food samples despite their complexity. The review discusses different microextraction approaches used in analysis of chemical compounds and metal ions in foodstuffs. It summarizes the application of microextraction techniques in food analysis in details as possible