The feasibility and benefits of using high-strength concrete for construction purposes in earthquake prone areas

In recent years, concrete technology has benefited from great advances and evolutions that lead to emergence of new concrete with different properties. One of the most important of these concretes is high strength concrete (HSC). The emergence of HSC has made possible to high-rise buildings and towers with architectural art and delicacy and it is expected that in the next few years, there is the possibility of using HSC in wider areas. Examining the studies on this type of concrete, this paper has deal with the feasibility and benefits of using HSC for construction purposes in earthquake prone areas. The results of this study show that in case of respecting the bylaw constrains and conformity of new bylaws with this type of concrete, it is hoped to use it as a reliable option for safe construction in seismic areas.Keywords: Concrete, High-Strength, Construction, Seismic Area, Feasiblit

Nitrate and nitrite accumulation in tomato and potato in Ardabil province

The research was conducted to determine the residual nitrite and nitrate on potatoes and tomatoes, two commercially important vegetables in Ardabil province. Samples of these plants were collected randomly from farms and wholesale markets in 10 day intervals at harvesting time in three sites (Ardabil, Parsabad and Meshkin Shahr) during 2004 and 2005. The samples were analyzed for residual nitrate and nitrite using spectroscopic method. The results revealed that in 10% of potato samples nitrate concentration was more than acceptable level (465 – 519.3 mg/kg fresh weight). Nitrite residue in potatoes ranged from 0.1 to 1.12 mg/kg. The nitrite and nitrate concentrations of 83.4% and 33% of tomato samples were lower than detecting limit of the methods. The amount of nitrate in tomato samples of Meshghin shahr was 20 fold lowers than Parsabads region that probably resulted from higher nitrogen fertilizers application in this region

Cloning of Vibrio cholerae outer membrane protein W in Pichia pastoris

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The outer membrane protein W (ompW) of Vibrio cholerae is involved in stimulating the immune response via induction of protective immunity. It also plays an important role in bacterial pathogenesis by increasing the adaptability of pathogenic strains. In this study we aimed to clone V. cholerae ompW gene in the strain X-33 of Pichia pastoris. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A gene encoding ompW was cloned into the Ppicza vector downstream of alcohol oxidase promoter. Then recombinant vector was transformed into the genome of the strain X-33 of P. pastoris. After growth of zeocin-resistant transformants, clones were selected and subsequently confirmed for cloning by PCR enzymatic digestion and sequencing. RESULTS: PCR, enzymatic digestion and sequencing showed that the ompW gene was correctly cloned into P. pastoris genome. CONCLUSION: Results of our study showed that the methylotrophic yeast P. pastoris can be considered as an appropriate host instead of mammalian and prokaryotic systems for cloning of ompW. As far as data show, this is the first time that ompW of V. cholera is cloned into the methylotrophic P. pastoris

Management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: A national clinical guideline

One of the best approaches for evidence-based care is providing and using the guidelines. Observing these guidelines results in a better quality of health care, decreased unnecessary or harmful interventions, lower health costs, and an increase in patients� satisfaction. Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-1 in children and adolescents is a guideline published after 6 years of research and review of resources in the domain of treatment of ADHD. A research team formed in Iran University of Medical Sciences provided this guideline by addressing reliable references and observing a scientific approach. This guideline is provided with respect to the present resources for the standard treatment of ADHD in our country. To prepare this guideline, this research team considered the most recent and strict version of the writing method in the treatment section of Health, Treatment, and Education Ministry. Although the present guideline has some shortcomings, it is a turning point in the history of the development of health care. It presents a systematic approach in the treatment of such disorder, one of the most prevalent disorders in child psychiatry. The colleagues and treatment centers can help such an issue by applying this guideline. © 2020, Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Explainable Predictive Maintenance

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) fills the role of a critical interface fostering interactions between sophisticated intelligent systems and diverse individuals, including data scientists, domain experts, end-users, and more. It aids in deciphering the intricate internal mechanisms of ``black box'' Machine Learning (ML), rendering the reasons behind their decisions more understandable. However, current research in XAI primarily focuses on two aspects; ways to facilitate user trust, or to debug and refine the ML model. The majority of it falls short of recognising the diverse types of explanations needed in broader contexts, as different users and varied application areas necessitate solutions tailored to their specific needs. One such domain is Predictive Maintenance (PdM), an exploding area of research under the Industry 4.0 \& 5.0 umbrella. This position paper highlights the gap between existing XAI methodologies and the specific requirements for explanations within industrial applications, particularly the Predictive Maintenance field. Despite explainability's crucial role, this subject remains a relatively under-explored area, making this paper a pioneering attempt to bring relevant challenges to the research community's attention. We provide an overview of predictive maintenance tasks and accentuate the need and varying purposes for corresponding explanations. We then list and describe XAI techniques commonly employed in the literature, discussing their suitability for PdM tasks. Finally, to make the ideas and claims more concrete, we demonstrate XAI applied in four specific industrial use cases: commercial vehicles, metro trains, steel plants, and wind farms, spotlighting areas requiring further research.Comment: 51 pages, 9 figure

Antidepressants during and after Menopausal Transition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To assess the therapeutic benefits of antidepressants in depressive women during and after menopausal transition, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Science Direct were systematically searched from inception to February 1, 2020 for randomized controlled trials examining antidepressants compared to placebo. Primary outcome was change in depressive symptom severity, while secondary outcomes were rates of response/remission rates and dropout/discontinuation due to adverse events. Seven trials involving 1,676 participants (mean age = 52.6 years) showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms (k = 7, Hedges’ g = 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 to 0.57, p < 0.001) relative to that in controls. Furthermore, response (k = 3, odds ratio (OR) = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.24 to 5.15, p = 0.01) and remission (k = 3, OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.57, p < 0.001) rates were significantly higher in antidepressant-treated groups compared to those with controls. Although dropout rates did not differ between antidepressant and control groups (k = 6, OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.26, p = 0.68), the rate of discontinuation due to adverse events was significantly higher in antidepressant-treated groups (k = 6, OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.86, p = 0.01). Subgroup analysis indicated that antidepressants were also efficacious for depressive symptoms in those without diagnosis of MDD. The results demonstrated that antidepressants were efficacious for women with depressive syndromes during and after menopausal transition but associated with a higher risk of discontinuation due to adverse events

Stented ureterovesical anastomosis in renal transplantation: does it influence the rate of urinary tract infections?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Our objective was to evaluate the impact of routine use of double-J stents on the incidence of urinary tract infection after renal transplantation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a retrospective-comparative single-centre study in 310 consecutive adult deceased donor kidney recipients transplanted from 2002 to 2006. Patients were divided in two groups, with or without urinary stent implantation. To evaluate the predictive factors for UTI, donor and recipients pre- and post-transplantation data were analysed. Early urological complications and renal function within 12 months of transplantation were included as well.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 157 patients were enrolled to a stent (ST) and 153 patients to a no-stent (NST) group. The rate of urinary tract infection at three months was similar between the two groups (43.3% ST vs. 40.1% NST, p = 0.65). Of the identified pathogens Enterococcus and Escherichia coli were the most common species. In multivariate analysis neither age nor immunosuppressive agents, BMI or diabetes seemed to have influence on the rate of UTI. When compared to males, females had a significantly higher risk for UTI (54.0% vs. 33.5%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Prophylactic stenting of the ureterovesical anastomosis does not increase the risk of urinary tract infection in the early postoperative period.</p