824 research outputs found
Simulated Tornado Optimization
We propose a swarm-based optimization algorithm inspired by air currents of a
tornado. Two main air currents - spiral and updraft - are mimicked. Spiral
motion is designed for exploration of new search areas and updraft movements is
deployed for exploitation of a promising candidate solution. Assignment of just
one search direction to each particle at each iteration, leads to low
computational complexity of the proposed algorithm respect to the conventional
algorithms. Regardless of the step size parameters, the only parameter of the
proposed algorithm, called tornado diameter, can be efficiently adjusted by
randomization. Numerical results over six different benchmark cost functions
indicate comparable and, in some cases, better performance of the proposed
algorithm respect to some other metaheuristics.Comment: 6 pages, 15 figures, 1 table, IEEE International Conference on Signal
Processing and Intelligent System (ICSPIS16), Dec. 201
Ageing and ankle pulse pressure
Background: Pulse pressure (PP) is a marker of arterial stiffness. Ageing of the arterial
system is accompanied by atherosclerosis of coronary arteries and atherosclerosis of popliteal
artery. However, severe impairment of the brachial artery is rare. This study investigates
whether there is any significant inter-limb (brachial/ankle) PP difference.
Methods: Blood pressure was measured in a group of young and a group of old non-smoking
men; all were free from medication and disease with a mean age of 22 ± 1.3 and 59 ± 2 years
respectively. The blood pressure was taken while they were in a supine position on three separate
occasions. Lower limb pressure was measured by placing the cuff on the calf muscle. For auscultation
of Korotkoff sounds the stethoscope was placed on the posterior surface of the internal
malleolus. The mean of the second and third readings were rounded off and used for analysis.
Results: Significant differences were found between brachial and ankle PP in both groups
(p < 0.01). The ratio of brachial PP to ankle PP in the young men was greater than 1. In the
old men it was less than 0.15. There was no significant difference between the brachial PP in
the two groups, but on both sides the ankle PP was significantly greater in the old men (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: With the ageing of the arterial system, raised PP is more prominent in the
lower limb (e.g. ankle). Cuff measurement of blood pressure at this site may be a useful index
of peripheral PP changes with ageing. (Cardiol J 2010; 17, 2: 163-165
Pin-point effect determination using a rigorous approach
A new method for evaluating the pin-point effect of pile yarn of carpets before weaving has been introduced. The method has been initially accomplished by presenting a standard method for bundle preparation and consequently the pin-point index is presented by image analysis technique. To this end, yarns with different twists are heat set at various times and temperatures. Comparison of the results shows that increasing the twist, time and temperature positively contribute to the pin-point index. In the last section, an adaptive neuro fuzzy model (ANFIS) and an artificial neural network model (ANN) have been designed to predict the pin-point index of the heat set yarns based on training with the experimental data. The input parameters are twist, time and temperature, and the output is the pin-point index. The results illustrate that the learning capability of the ANFIS model is superior and its generalization ability is slightly better than that of a standalone ANN model
COMPARISON OF SECOND-DEGREE BURNS HEALING TIME IN TWO METHODS OF DRESSING WITH FUNDERMOL HERBAL OINTMENT AND% 1 SILVER SULFADIAZINE OINTMENT
BACKGROUND: Burn wounds are one of the health problems in modern societies that are associated with irreparable harms
and many side problems for patients and their families. Infection due to burn wounds is the main cause of death in such
patients. One of the methods to prevent infection of burn wounds is topical antibiotic ointments. This study aimed to investigate
and identify effective ointments to treat burn wounds. For this purpose, the effects of two types of ointment, fundermol
and 1% silver sulfadiazine cream on second degree burn wounds were compared.
METHODS: This was a clinical trial study conducted in 2008. Using convenient and continuous sampling method, 50 patients
referred to Imam Mousa Kazem Burn Injury Clinic in Isfahan, Iran with 2nd degree burn wounds in 1% to 10% surface
area were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of treatment with fundermol and sulfadiazine
and the dressing was changed once a day. The healing time for burn wounds in each patient was recorded in a checklist
and data were analyzed by independent t-test via SPSS software.
RESULTS: The healing time of burn wounds in the group treated with fundermol was shorter than that in the group treated
with sulfadiazine (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that fundermol ointment accelerates burn wound healing. Therefore, fundermol
can be introduced as a good replacement for current treatments of burn wounds
MicroRNA-129-1 acts as tumour suppressor and induces cell cycle arrest of GBM cancer cells through targeting IGF2BP3 and MAPK1
Background MicroRNA-129-1 (miR-129-1) seems to behave as a tumour suppressor since its decreased expression is associated with different tumours such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is the most common form of brain tumours originating from glial cells. The impact of miR-129-1 downregulation on GBM pathogenesis has yet to be elucidated. Methods MiR-129-1 was overexpressed in GBM cells, and its effect on proliferation was investigated by cell cycle assay. MiR-129-1 predicted targets (CDK6, IGF1, HDAC2, IGF2BP3 and MAPK1) were also evaluated by western blot and luciferase assay. Results Restoration of miR-129-1 reduced cell proliferation and induced G1 accumulation, significantly. Several functional assays confirmed IGF2BP3, MAPK1 and CDK6 as targets of miR-129-1. Despite the fact that IGF1 expression can be suppressed by miR-129-1, through 30-untranslated region complementary sequence, we could not find any association between IGF1 expression and GBM. MiR-129-1 expression inversely correlates with CDK6, IGF2BP3 and MAPK1 in primary clinical samples. Conclusion This is the first study to propose miR129-1 as a negative regulator of IGF2BP3 and MAPK1 and also a cell cycle arrest inducer in GBM cells. Our data suggests miR-129-1 as a potential tumour suppressor and presents a rationale for the use of miR-129-1 as a novel strategy to improve treatment response in GBM
Examination of the Behavior of Gravity Quay Wall against Liquefaction under the Effect of Wall Width and Soil Improvement
Deformation of quay walls is one of the main sources of damage to port facility while liquefaction of backfill and base soil of the wall are the main reasons for failures of quay walls. During earthquakes, the most susceptible materials for liquefaction in seashore regions are loose saturated sand. In this study, effects of enhancing the wall width and the soil improvement on the behavior of gravity quay walls are examined in order to obtain the optimum improved region. The FLAC 2D software was used for analyzing and modeling progressed models of soil and loading under difference conditions. Also, the behavior of liquefiable soil is simulated by the use of “Finn” constitutive model in the analysis models. The “Finn” constitutive model is especially created to determine liquefaction phenomena and excess pore pressure generation
NEURAL STEM/PROGENITOR CELL TRANSPLANTATION FOR SPINAL CORD INJURY TREATMENT; A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS
—Despite the vast improvements of cell therapy in
spinal cord injury treatment, no optimum protocol has been
developed for application of neural stem/progenitor cells. In
this regard, the present meta-analysis showed that the effi-
cacy of the neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC) transplantation
depends mainly on injury model, intervention phase,
transplanted cell count, immunosuppressive use, and probably
stem cell source. Improved functional recovery post
NSPC transplantation was found to be higher in transection
and contusion models. Moreover, NSPC transplantation in
acute phase of spinal injury was found to have better functional
recovery. Higher doses (>3 � 106 cell/kg) were also
shown to be optimum for transplantation, but immunosuppressive
agent administration negatively affected the motor
function recovery. Scaffold use in NSPC transplantation
could also effectively raise functional recovery. � 2016 Published
by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of IBR
Survival rate of prostate cancer in asian countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most common health issues among men, especially older men. In recent years, incidences of prostate cancer is increasing. Objective: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive estimate of the survival of prostate cancer in Asian countries. Methods: We searched five international databases including Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Knowledge and ProQuest until June 1, 2018. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment was used to evaluate the quality of selected papers. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019117044). Results: A total of 714 titles were retrieved. Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the random-effect model one-year, five-year and ten-year survival rate of prostate cancer were 81 (95 CI 77.8�84.2), 61.9 (95 CI 59.5�64.3) and 36.2 (95 CI 9.2�63.2) respectively. Survival rates based on HDI level for five-year were 30.07, 43.43 and 70.84 percent for medium, high and very high levels, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of our study, the prostate cancer survival rate in Asian countries is relatively lower than in Europe and North America. © 2020 The Author(s)
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