Modified Design of a Precision Planter for a Robotic Assistant Farmer

Modified design of a planter to be attached to a mobile robot, was the main objective of this project. This research project was part of a larger project, called “Developing robotics assisted technology for farming”. The main motivation for this research project is the fact that mobile robot, is an electric powered vehicle with limited power and pulling force. Thus, a customized planter with a customized connection mechanism should be designed. Besides, it should require less draft force compared to existing planters so that it can be pulled by the mobile robot. The developed planter should have the same efficiency as the existing planters in seeding. To find the forces between soil engagement tool (disc coulter) and soil, experiments were designed and performed in the Linear Soil Bin at University of Saskatchewan. Disc and tilt angle of a disc coulter was changed and draft, vertical and side forces applied to it were measured to find the disc and tilt angle combinations that results in minimum draft force. Experiments showed that 7° disc angle and 25° tilt angle provides the least draft force compared to other disc angle and tilt angle combinations. Then, using the knowledge obtained from literature and the soil bin experiments, a planter was designed conceptually and in detail, based on the existing CNH planter. For further analyses computer modeling was performed. The whole planter was modeled in 3D, using SolidWorks. Stress analysis was performed in ANSYS Workbench to calculate safety factor of the designed parts. Two prototypes were fabricated and were attached to the mobile robot for field tests. Tests were performed in indoor settings to measure the total draft force required to pull developed planters. Draft force was very close to the value that was calculated in design stage. Results showed that an average of 460 N pulling force is required to pull one row planter for 50 mm depth of cut, which can be compared to n existing CNH corn planter that requires a pulling force of between 900 N to 1300 N. Seed drop accuracy and function of the developed planters in opening and closing a packed soil in presence of residue, were also observed in outdoor tests

risk factors of Febrile Status Epilepticus

Objective: we aimed to investigate risk factors of FSE in children.Materials and methods: This is an analytic case control study which was conducted on all patients  records with first FS admitted to 17 shahrivar hospital during 2007-2014, Rasht. cases were children aged 6 to 60 months with febrile status epilepticus and controls were children with complex and simple febrile seizures. Data were gathered by a checklist including age, sex, type of milk consuming during first year, temperature, the interval  between fever and seizure, family history of epilepsy and febrile seizure, and prematurity.  Data were reported by descriptive statistics (number, percent, mean, standard deviation) and analyzed by chi square in SPSS 19.Results: In this study, 756 patients with FS participated including 39 patients with FSE, 194 complex febrile seizure (CFC) and 523 simple febrile seizure(SFC).Most of the patients (57.8%) experienced seizure with low grade fever (<39 c). The mean age in SFC group was significantly higher than FSE patients. Significant relation was noted between groups regarding body temperature during seizure (p=0.006), family history of febrile seizure (0.029), family history of epilepsy (p=0.042) and the premature birth (p=0.023)Significant relation was noted between FSE and CFC groups regarding body temperature during seizure (p=0.004), family history of febrile seizure (0.011), family history of epilepsy (p=0.037), and the premature birth (p=0.025) between FSE and CFC groups.In Conclusion: According to results, It seems that further investigation which assess these factors can be recommended

Circadian Rhythm and the Seasonal Variation in Childhood Febrile Seizure

How to Cite This Article: Sharafi R, Hassanzadeh Rad A, Aminzadeh V. Circadian Rhythm and the Seasonal Variation in Childhood Febrile Seizure. Iran J Child Neurol. Summer 2017; 11(3):27-30. AbstractObjectiveWe aimed to assess the circadian rhythm and the seasonal variation in childhood febrile seizure (FS).Materials & MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted retrospectively on patients’ records. Investigators assessed the records of patients with simple FS aged 6 to 60 months referred to Emergency Department of 17-Shahrivar Hospital, Rasht northern Iran during Jan 2010 to Jan 2013. Data were gathered by a checklist including age, sex, temperature, duration of seizure, seasonal, months, diurnal variation, and level of consciousness.ResultsTotally, 349 patients including 193 (55.3%) boys and 156 (44.7%) girls with the mean age of 22.85±18.34 months were enrolled in this study. The mean temperature of patients was 38.45±0.53°C. The mean duration of seizure was 97.91±57 sec. Awake, drowsy and slept patients were noted in 170 (48.7%), 33 (9.5%) and 146 (41.8%) cases, respectively. Most of the FS occurred in winter 118 (33.8%), afternoon 132 (37.8%) and in Jan 55 (15.8%).ConclusionBody temperature adjusted by hypothalamus affecting by circadian rhythm. FS is the most common form of seizure in childhood occurred by multifactorial issues. Otherwise, the occurrence of seizure in patients with epilepsy may be affected by the circadian rhythm. Seizures happen more frequent at a specific time in 24 h during a day.References1. Dubé CM, Brewster AL, Richichi C, Zha Q, Baram TZ. Fever, febrile seizures and epilepsy. Trends Neurosci 2007; 30(10):490-6.2. Patterson KP, Baram TZ, Shinnar S. Origins of temporal lobe epilepsy: febrile seizures and febrile status epilepticus. Neurotherapeutics 2014;11(2):242-50.3. Racinais S, Fernandez J, Farooq A, Valciu S, Hynes R. Daily variation in body core temperature using radiotelemetry in aluminium industry shift-workers. J Thermal Biol 2012;37(4):351-4.4. Scales WE, Vander AJ, Brown MB, Kluger MJ. Human circadian rhythms in temperature, trace metals, and blood variables. J Appl Physiol 1988;65(4):1840-6.5. Martinez D, Lenz MD, Menna-Barreto L. Diagnosis of circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia 2008 34(3):173-80.6. Azevedo CV, Sousa I, Paul K, MacLeish MY, Mondejar MT, Sarabia JA, et al. Teaching chronobiology and sleep habits in school and university. Mind Brain Edu 2008;2(1):34-47.7. Ishihara K. Development of body temperature rhythm: 6 years follow up of three cases. Psychiatr Clin Neurosci 2001;55(3):229-30.8. Torshin V, Vlasova I. Biorhythmologic aspects of seizure activity. Bulletin Exp Biol Med 2001;132(5):1025-8.9. Uberos J, Augustin-Morales M, Molina Carballo A, Florido J, Narbona E, Muñoz-Hoyos A. Normalization of the sleep–wake pattern and melatonin and 6- sulphatoxymelatonin levels after a therapeutic trial with melatonin in children with severe epilepsy. J Pineal Res 2011; 50(2):192-6.10. Ogihara M, Shirakawa S, Miyajima T, Takekuma K, Hoshika A. Diurnal variation in febrile convulsions. Pediatr Neurol 2010;42(6):409-12.11. Manfredini R, Vergine G, Boari B, Faggioli R, Borgna- Pignatti C. Circadian and seasonal variation of first febrile seizures. J Pediatr 2004;145(6):838-9.12. Panahandeh K, Harandi V, Esma’ili Jazanabadi F. Evaluation of seasonal variation and circadian rhythm of febrile seizures in children admitted to the pediatric ward of Rasoul-e-Akram hospital. Razi J Med Sci 2008; 15(59): 59-66.13. Mikkonen K, Uhari M, Pokka T, Rantala H. Diurnal and seasonal occurrence of febrile seizures. Pediat Neurol 2015;52(4):424-7

Prevalencija protutijela za protozoon Neospora caninum u goveda u provinciji Kerman u Jugoistočnom Iranu.

Neospora caninum is an intracellular parasite which causes abortion in cattle worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in cattle in the province of Kerman in South East Iran. Blood samples were collected from 285 cattle in the province of Kerman for determining the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum. A total of 285 serum samples were tested for anti-neospora antibodies. Serum samples were analyzed for antibodies against N. caninum antigen using a commercial N. caninum ISCOM ELISA kit. Antibodies to N. caninum were found in 36 of the 285 (12.6%) sera based on ELISA test results. This study is the first report of Neospora infection in this area. With regard to seropositivity, no significant difference was observed regarding origin, sex and age (P>0.05).Protozoon Neospora caninum je intracelularni parazit koji uzrokuje pobačaje u goveda diljem svijeta. Cilj istraživanja bio je odrediti seroprevalenciju neosporoze u goveda u području Kerman u Jugoistočnom Iranu. Ukupno je sakupljeno i pretraženo 285 uzoraka seruma. Uzorci su bili pretraženi komercijalnim testom N. caninum Iscom ELISA. Protutijela su pronađena u 36 od 285 uzoraka seruma (12,6%). U ovom je istraživanju prvi put dokazana prisutnost invazije vrstom Neospora caninum u pretraživanom području Irana. Seroprevalencija se nije značajno razlikovala s obzirom na podrijetlo pretraženih životinja, njihovu dob i spol (P<0,05)

Prevalencija protutijela za protozoon Neospora caninum u goveda u provinciji Kerman u Jugoistočnom Iranu.

Neospora caninum is an intracellular parasite which causes abortion in cattle worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in cattle in the province of Kerman in South East Iran. Blood samples were collected from 285 cattle in the province of Kerman for determining the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum. A total of 285 serum samples were tested for anti-neospora antibodies. Serum samples were analyzed for antibodies against N. caninum antigen using a commercial N. caninum ISCOM ELISA kit. Antibodies to N. caninum were found in 36 of the 285 (12.6%) sera based on ELISA test results. This study is the first report of Neospora infection in this area. With regard to seropositivity, no significant difference was observed regarding origin, sex and age (P>0.05).Protozoon Neospora caninum je intracelularni parazit koji uzrokuje pobačaje u goveda diljem svijeta. Cilj istraživanja bio je odrediti seroprevalenciju neosporoze u goveda u području Kerman u Jugoistočnom Iranu. Ukupno je sakupljeno i pretraženo 285 uzoraka seruma. Uzorci su bili pretraženi komercijalnim testom N. caninum Iscom ELISA. Protutijela su pronađena u 36 od 285 uzoraka seruma (12,6%). U ovom je istraživanju prvi put dokazana prisutnost invazije vrstom Neospora caninum u pretraživanom području Irana. Seroprevalencija se nije značajno razlikovala s obzirom na podrijetlo pretraženih životinja, njihovu dob i spol (P<0,05)

Mobile phones: a trade-off between speech intelligibility and exposure to noise levels and to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields

When making phone calls, cellphone and smartphone users are exposed to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and sound pressure simultaneously. Speech intelligibility during mobile phone calls is related to the sound pressure level of speech relative to potential background sounds and also to the RF-EMF exposure, since the signal quality is correlated with the RF-EMF strength. Additionally, speech intelligibility, sound pressure level, and exposure to RF-EMFs are dependent on how the call is made (on speaker, held at the ear, or with headsets). The relationship between speech intelligibility, sound exposure, and exposure to RF-EMFs is determined in this study. To this aim, the transmitted RF-EMF power was recorded during phone calls made by 53 subjects in three different, controlled exposure scenarios: calling with the phone at the ear, calling in speaker mode, and calling with a headset. This emitted power is directly proportional to the exposure to RF EMFs and is translated into specific absorption rate using numerical simulations. Simultaneously, sound pressure levels have been recorded and speech intelligibility has been assessed during each phone call. The results show that exposure to RF-EMFs, quantified as the specific absorption in the head, will be reduced when speaker-mode or a headset is used, in comparison to calling next to the ear. Additionally, personal exposure to sound pressure is also found to be highest in the condition where the phone is held next to the ear. On the other hand, speech perception is found to be the best when calling with a phone next to the ear in comparison to the other studied conditions, when background noise is present

Fabrication and characterization of flexible spray-coated antennas

This paper investigates the potential of using spray coating as a methodology for flexible antenna fabrication. The methodology has advantages compared with other antenna-printing techniques, such as screen-printing and gravure printing (more flexibility in design), or inkjet printing (faster production). The methodology is demonstrated using two different types of folded dipole antennas that are designed to operate in the ultra-high frequency radio-frequency identification (UHF RFID) band. Both antennas show good agreement between simulation and measurement of the spray-coated samples in terms of power reflection coefficient and gain. The two folded dipoles, with and without ground plane, show comparable performance in terms of gain, as similar antennas found in literature. The folded dipole on a ground plane is more stable near conductive surfaces and on the human body. Given these results, we conclude that spray coating is a good technique for printing small to medium sized batches of antennas

Characterisation of spatial and temporal variability of RF-EMF exposure levels in urban environments in Flanders, Belgium

Personal exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (RF-EMFs) was studied using personal measurements in five different microenvironments in each of five cities (Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges and Hasselt) in Flanders, Belgium. These measurements were carried out by two researchers using on-body calibrated personal exposimeters. In three out of the five studied cities (Brussels, Ghent and Bruges), temporal aspects of personal exposure to RF-EMFs were studied as well. Measurements during and outside of rush hours (7:00-9:15 and 16:30-19:00) were compared. Likewise, measurements were executed during night time and compared to the ones measured during working hours. Representativeness and repeatability of the measurement method was studied as well. The highest mean total exposure was found in Brussels (2.63 mW/m(2)), the most densely populated city in this study. However, we measured higher downlink exposure in Antwerp than in Brussels, which might be an effect of the stronger legislation on base stations in Brussels. The measurements and used protocol were found to be both repeatable over time (r = 0.95 for median total exposure) and representative for the studied microenvironments in terms of path selection (r = 0.88 for median total exposure). Finally, in 10 out of the 13 on-body calibrated frequency bands we found that the measurement devices underestimate the intensity of the incident RF-EMFs with median underestimations up to 68%

The Effect of Corrective Exercises with and without Myofascial Release on Pain, Posture, Disability Index and Quality of Life in Men with Video Display Syndrome

سابقه و هدف: استفاده از نمایشگرهای ویدئویی منجر به قرارگیری فرد در معرض ریسک فاکتورهای اسکلتی-عضلانی (درد، ناتوانی) شده که درنهایت سلامت شغلی و کیفیت زندگی کارکنان را تحت تأثیر قرار می‌دهد؛ بنابراین، هدف از پژوهش حاضر، بررسی تأثیر 6 هفته تمرینات اصلاحی با و بدون رهاسازی مایوفاشیال بر میزان درد، پاسچر، شاخص ناتوانی و کیفیت زندگی مردان مبتلا به سندروم نمایشگر ویدئویی بود. روش کار: این مطالعه­ از نوع نیمه تجربی و کاربردی با طرح پیش آزمون-پس آزمون با گروه کنترل بود. 45 مرد میانسال (45-40 سال) مبتلا به سندروم نمایشگر ویدئویی بر اساس معیارهای ورود به مطالعه به‌عنوان نمونه­ی آماری انتخاب و به‌صورت تصادفی در سه گروه تجربی 1 (15 نفر)، تجربی 2 (15 نفر) و کنترل (15 نفر) تقسیم شدند. قبل و بعد از ۶ هفته مداخله تمرینی که به مدت ۴۵ دقیقه و 3 جلسه در هفته صورت گرفت؛ به‌منظور اندازه‌گیری میزان درد و ناتوانی، وضعیت سر به جلو، کیفوز و کیفیت زندگی به ترتیب از مقیاس آنالوگ بصری (VAS)، پرسشنامه شاخص ناتوانی گردن (NDI)، پرسشنامه مقیاس درد و ناتوانی گردن (NPDS)، روش عکس‌برداری و پرسشنامه SF-36 استفاده شد. یافته‌ها: نتایج نشان داد که میزان درد (F=31.40 و P=0.001)، پاسچر سر به جلو (F=29.75 و P=0.01)، کیفوز (F=29.75 و P=0.01)، شاخص ناتوانی (F=30.79 و P=0.01) و کیفیت زندگی (F=51.83 و P=0.01) گروهای مداخله در پس‌آزمون نسبت به پیش‌آزمون به‌طور معناداری بهبود یافت (P &lt;0.05). همچنین تفاوت معناداری در تمامی متغیرها بین دو گروه تجربی 1 و تجربی 2 در پس‌آزمون مشاهده شد (P&lt;0.05). به‌طوری‌که تمرینات اصلاحی با رهاسازی مایوفاشیال تأثیر بیشتری بر بهبود متغیرهای پژوهش داشت. نتیجه‌گیری: یافته‌ها نشانگر کاهش درد، بهبود پاسچر، شاخص ناتوانی و کیفیت زندگی در گروه تمرینات اصلاحی با رهاسازی مایوفاشیال نسبت به گروه تمرینات اصلاحی بدون رهاسازی مایوفاشیال بود؛ بنابراین، جهت کاهش آسیب‌های اسکلتی عضلانی و افزایش کارآمدی و بهره‌وری، استفاده از تمرینات اصلاحی همراه با رهاسازی مایوفاشیال برای مردان مبتلا به سندروم نمایشگر ویدئویی، توصیه می‌شود. Shariat Panahi M, Mohammad Rahimi N, Aminzadeh R. The Effect of Corrective Exercises with and without Myofascial Release on Pain, Posture, Disability Index and Quality of Life in Men with Video Display Syndrome. Irtiqa Imini Pishgiri Masdumiyat. 2022;10(3):210-22.Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a corrective exercise course on myofascial release on pain, posture, disability index, and quality of life in people with video display syndrome. Methods: This study was semi-experimental and applied with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. 45 middle-aged men (40-45 years old) suffering from video screen syndrome based on the study inclusion criteria were selected as a statistical sample and randomly divided into three experimental groups 1 (15 people), experimental 2 (15 people), and control (15 people) were separated. Before and after 6 weeks of training intervention that took place for 45 minutes and 3 sessions per week; In order to measure the amount of pain and disability, forward head posture, kyphosis, and quality of life, respectively, using a visual analog scale (VAS), neck disability index questionnaire (NDI), neck pain and disability scale questionnaire (NPDS), photography method and SF-36 questionnaire were used. Results: The results showed that the amount of pain (F=31.40 and P=0.001), forward head posture (F=29.75 and P=0.01), kyphosis (F=29.75 and P=0.01) P), disability index (F=30.79 and P=0.01) and quality of life (F=51.83 and P=0.01) of the intervention group improved significantly in the post-test compared to the pre-test (P &lt;0.05). Also, a significant difference was observed in all the variables between the experimental 1 and experimental 2 groups in the post-test (P&lt;0.05). So that corrective exercises with myofascial release had a more significant effect on the improvement of research variables. Conclusion: The findings showed a reduction in pain, improved posture, disability index, and quality of life in the group of corrective exercises with myofascial release compared to the group of corrective exercises without myofascial release; Therefore, in order to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and increase efficiency and productivity, it is recommended to use corrective exercises with a myofascial release for men with video monitor syndrome. Shariat Panahi M, Mohammad Rahimi N, Aminzadeh R. The Effect of Corrective Exercises with and without Myofascial Release on Pain, Posture, Disability Index and Quality of Life in Men with Video Display Syndrome. Irtiqa Imini Pishgiri Masdumiyat. 2022;10(3):210-22