Interstates Cooperation for Irrigation of Amu Darya River Banks, Its Potential Role as a Solution for the Poppy Problem

Depletion of water resources requires us to search for non-conventional strategies for water preservation and irrigation. Sustainable management of such water resources along with the development of sustainable irrigation systems will contribute to the stability of agricultural yield that is a primary concern in all riparian countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan). This paper is an attempt to identify the priorities in the reconstruction assistance planned for all riparian states on Amu Darya river. The problem of growing, processing and traffic of illicit drugs in Afghanistan is then analysed, searching for the economic, social and political causes, with an emphasis on its implications for the future development and the geopolitical picture of the Central Asian region.Afghanistan, Amu Darya River, Central Asia, Drug control programs, Subsurface Drip Irrigation(SDI), Poppy fields, Uzbekistan, Water resources.

The Economy of Opium and Heroin Production in Afghanistan and Its Impact on HIV Epidemiology in Central Asia

The dramatic increase of poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan has led to a serious drug addiction problem in te world. The rising heroin use, because of needle sharing, may lead to a much higher incidence of HIV infection and AIDS in Afghanistan in the future. We organized two expeditions into Afghanistan itself, one through the capital, Kabul and the other through Tajik border on Am-Darya River and along the regions bordering the Central Asian countries. These expeditions included observations on sites and taking photographs and videos, sampling of soil, vegetation and water at random locations for further analysis, interviews with local authorities, and so on. We also used the data provided by other colleagues and organizations. We compared their information with our findings and sometimes used them to enrich and/or correct our own estimates. The production and trade of illicit narcotics is one of the most significant challenges to progress in Afghanistan. As an economic challenge, it diverts agricultural land and labor from more beneficial uses and undercuts the prospects for developing more sustainable lvelihoods. However, a solution for problems associated with poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan requires the inclusion of many srategies. Providing the local farmers with appropriate economic substitutes for poppy is one of such strategies. Other strategies include assistance with agricultural needs such as irrigation systems and seeds, provision of training to farmers for cultivation of other crops, revival of the agricultural infrastructure including irrigation systems, assisting with economic needs of small farmer.Poppy, heroin, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, irrigation agriculture, HIV/AIDS, Amudarya, international cooperation

Bi- and Multi Level Game Theoretic Approaches in Mechanical Design

This dissertation presents a game theoretic approach to solve bi and multi-level optimization problems arising in mechanical design. Toward this end, Stackelberg (leader-follower), Nash, as well as cooperative game formulations are considered. To solve these problems numerically, a sensitivity based approach is developed in this dissertation. Although game theoretic methods have been used by several authors for solving multi-objective problems, numerical methods and the applications of extensive games to engineering design problems are very limited. This dissertation tries to fill this gap by developing the possible scenarios for multi-objective problems and develops new numerical approaches for solving them. This dissertation addresses three main problems. The first problem addresses the formulation and solution of an optimization problem with two objective functions using the Stackelberg approach. A computational procedure utilizing sensitivity of follower\u27s solution to leader\u27s choices is presented to solve the bi-level optimization problem numerically. Two mechanical design problems including flywheel design and design of high speed four-bar mechanism are modeled based on Stackelberg game. The partitioning of variables between the leader and follower problem is discussed, and a variable partitioning metric is introduced to compare various variable partitions. The second problem this dissertation focuses on is modeling the multi-objective optimization problem (MOP) as a Nash game. A computational procedure utilizing sensitivity based approach is also presented to find Nash solution of the MOP numerically. Some test problems including mathematical problems and mechanical design problems are discussed to validate the results. In a Nash game, the players of the game are at the same level unlike the Stackelberg formulation in which the players are at different levels of importance. The third problem this dissertation addresses deals with hierarchical modeling of multi-level optimization problems and modeling of decentralized bi-level multi-objective problems. Generalizations of the basic Stackelberg model to consider cases with multiple leaders and/or multiple followers are missing from the literature. Three mathematical problems are solved to show the application of the algorithm developed in this research for solving hierarchical as well as decentralized problems

Editorial

Welcome to the first volume of the Chronic Disease Journal (http://cdjournal.muk.ac.ir), a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The journal contains manuscripts on the topic of subacute and chronic medical conditions and diseases. The number of medical articles published in Iran has considerably increased during the past decade. The development of any health care system strongly depends on the production, publication, dissemination, and application of updated biomedical knowledge to prevent and treat diseases and improve health services. The most critical role of medical and health professionals is to provide those in need with adequate related knowledge. The quantity of published articles is a commonly used indicator of the scientific level of a country. It also determines a country's contribution to the world science and its status in international academic rankings. We promise that the Chronic Disease Journal will be a medium for the release of timely and thoughtful information on control, planning, treatment, patient education, management guides, policymaking, and biopsychosocial-spiritual factors in the field of subacute and chronic diseases. Visit our editorial board at: http://cdjournal.muk.ac.ir/cdj/index.php/cdj/about/editorialTeam Followings are some of the roles and responsibilities of the Chronic Disease Journal team: Editor in Chief: The leading editorial position in the journal, the Chief Editor assumes overarching responsibility for the scientific and editorial quality of the journal and with it the editorial board and editorial team. Managing Editor: Works with the chief editor to manage the editorial content of the journal. He is often involved in higher level decisions together with the chief editor, and might even be involved in the journal finances or other aspects of administration. Journal Administrator: A journal administrator can take responsibility for handling queries and processing manuscripts through peer review (e.g. the chief editor might indicate reviewers, while the journal administrator sends the request and later the manuscript to the reviewer). We hope you find the Chronic Disease Journal informative. We welcome your comments at [email protected] or my direct address ([email protected] or [email protected]

Synthesis, Modification And Characterization Of Layered Hydroxides And Magnetite And Their Nanohybrids With D-Gluconate And Gallate Anions

Formation of organic-inorganic nanohybrid material of D-gluconate in the lamellae of zinc-aluminum-layered double hydroxide was accomplished by both spontaneous self-assembly (direct method) and ion-exchange methods. PXRD together with CHNS and FTIR analyses showed that the hybridization of D-gluconate with pure phase and good crystallinity was successfully accomplished using both direct and indirect methods. This work showed that a food additive, such as D-gluconate can be hybridized into an inorganic host for the formation of a new nanohybrid compound which can be used to regulate the release of acidity in the food industry. A new organo-mineral nanohybrid material, in which the organic moiety was hybridized into the inorganic interlamellae, was prepared using gallate anion (GA), an anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, and anti-microbial agent as a guest, and Zn-Al-layered double hydroxide, as an inorganic layered host using the ion-exchange technique. The release of the anion from the interlamellae of the nanohybrid was found to be of controlled manner, governed by the first order kinetic and it was also concentration-dependent. Zinc hydroxide nitrate, a brucite-like layered material, was synthesized using pH controlled method. Poly (vinyl alcohol) and poly (ethylene glycol) were used at various percentages as size decreasing agents during the synthesis of zinc layered hydroxide. SEM images, PXRD, TGA and surface area analyses showed the decrease of size and thickness of the resultant zinc layered hydroxides. When zinc layered hydroxides were heat-treated at 500 °C, the sizes of obtained nano zinc oxides were depended on the size of the parent material, zinc layered hydroxide nitrate. The memory effect of calcined zinc layered hydroxide nitrate, with gallate anion solutions, was studied. The brucite-like material, zinc layered hydroxide nitrate was heat-treated at 150-800 ºC. XRD analysis showed the growth of the calcined materials, nano sized zinc oxides in both thickness and diameter occurring simultaneously with increasing calcination temperature. The rehydration behavior of the calcined material was investigated by placing the material in a solution containing gallate anions. The best result for brucite-like phase reconstruction was obtained for a sample heated at 500 ºC and treated with 0.1 M anion. XRD analysis showed the formation of a layered structure material after rehydration process. Brucite-like materials, undoped and doped zinc layered hydroxide nitrate with (2 % molar in mother liquor) Fe3+, Co2+ and Ni2+ were synthesized. Their organic-inorganic nanohybrid materials with gallate anion as a guest, and the undoped and doped zinc hydroxide materials,as inorganic layered hosts, were prepared by the ion-exchange method. The nanohybrid materials were heat-treated at various temperatures, 400-700 ºC. XRD, TGA/DTG and FTIR results showed that incorporation of the doping agents within the zinc layered hydroxide has enhanced thermal stability of the nanohybrid materials in the thermal decomposition pathway. FESEM images have illustrated porous carbon materials obtained from the heating of the nanohybrids at 600 and 700 ºC after the acid washing process. Magnetite nanoparticles with narrow size distribution was prepared by using poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) as a stabilizing agent during the synthesis. Immobilization of gallate anion (GA), onto the surface of magnetite nanoparticles was accomplished by adsorption technique that was found to be efficient for the hybridization process in the formation of the core-shell nanohybrid. FTIR and CHNS results indicated that the GA was actually adsorbed onto the surface of the magnetite nanoparticles. Also, size analysis showed successive size increases of the particles after the adsorption process. The release of the anion from the surface of the nanohybrid was found to be controllable by the selection of the release media. This study showed that the formation of organic-inorganic nanohybrid materials of D-gluconate and gallate anions as organic guests and zinc-aluminum-layered double hydroxide, zinc layered hydroxide nitrate and also magnetite nanoparticles as hosts can be successfully accomplished

Reconfigurable Receiver Front-Ends for Advanced Telecommunication Technologies

The exponential growth of converging technologies, including augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, machine-to-machine and machine-to-human interactions, biomedical and environmental sensory systems, and artificial intelligence, is driving the need for robust infrastructural systems capable of handling vast data volumes between end users and service providers. This demand has prompted a significant evolution in wireless communication, with 5G and subsequent generations requiring exponentially improved spectral and energy efficiency compared to their predecessors. Achieving this entails intricate strategies such as advanced digital modulations, broader channel bandwidths, complex spectrum sharing, and carrier aggregation scenarios. A particularly challenging aspect arises in the form of non-contiguous aggregation of up to six carrier components across the frequency range 1 (FR1). This necessitates receiver front-ends to effectively reject out-of-band (OOB) interferences while maintaining high-performance in-band (IB) operation. Reconfigurability becomes pivotal in such dynamic environments, where frequency resource allocation, signal strength, and interference levels continuously change. Software-defined radios (SDRs) and cognitive radios (CRs) emerge as solutions, with direct RF-sampling receivers offering a suitable architecture in which the frequency translation is entirely performed in digital domain to avoid analog mixing issues. Moreover, direct RF- sampling receivers facilitate spectrum observation, which is crucial to identify free zones, and detect interferences. Acoustic and distributed filters offer impressive dynamic range and sharp roll off characteristics, but their bulkiness and lack of electronic adjustment capabilities limit their practicality. Active filters, on the other hand, present opportunities for integration in advanced CMOS technology, addressing size constraints and providing versatile programmability. However, concerns about power consumption, noise generation, and linearity in active filters require careful consideration.This thesis primarily focuses on the design and implementation of a low-voltage, low-power RFFE tailored for direct sampling receivers in 5G FR1 applications. The RFFE consists of a balun low-noise amplifier (LNA), a Q-enhanced filter, and a programmable gain amplifier (PGA). The balun-LNA employs noise cancellation, current reuse, and gm boosting for wideband gain and input impedance matching. Leveraging FD-SOI technology allows for programmable gain and linearity via body biasing. The LNA's operational state ranges between high-performance and high-tolerance modes, which are apt for sensitivityand blocking tests, respectively. The Q-enhanced filter adopts noise-cancelling, current-reuse, and programmable Gm-cells to realize a fourth-order response using two resonators. The fourth-order filter response is achieved by subtracting the individual response of these resonators. Compared to cascaded and magnetically coupled fourth-order filters, this technique maintains the large dynamic range of second-order resonators. Fabricated in 22-nm FD-SOI technology, the RFFE achieves 1%-40% fractional bandwidth (FBW) adjustability from 1.7 GHz to 6.4 GHz, 4.6 dB noise figure (NF) and an OOB third-order intermodulation intercept point (IIP3) of 22 dBm. Furthermore, concerning the implementation uncertainties and potential variations of temperature and supply voltage, design margins have been considered and a hybrid calibration scheme is introduced. A combination of on-chip and off-chip calibration based on noise response is employed to effectively adjust the quality factors, Gm-cells, and resonance frequencies, ensuring desired bandpass response. To optimize and accelerate the calibration process, a reinforcement learning (RL) agent is used.Anticipating future trends, the concept of the Q-enhanced filter extends to a multiple-mode filter for 6G upper mid-band applications. Covering the frequency range from 8 to 20 GHz, this RFFE can be configured as a fourth-order dual-band filter, two bandpass filters (BPFs) with an OOB notch, or a BPF with an IB notch. In cognitive radios, the filter’s transmission zeros can be positioned with respect to the carrier frequencies of interfering signals to yield over 50 dB blocker rejection

Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in the newborns in Sanandaj, Iran

BACKGROUND: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a genetic disorder and assessment of newborns with or without this deficiency is an essential component in public health evaluation in different countries. Hence, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence of G6PD deficiency in the newborn population in Sanandj, Iran. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study on 2016 newborns in Besat Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran, in the year 2006. Three drops of blood were collected from the infants’ heels using sterile needles. Then fluorescent spot test was utilized to study the activity of G6PD enzyme. RESULTS: The results of the present study conducted on 2016 neonates showed that 48.80% (984) of them were males and 51.20% (1032) were females. Prevalence of G6PD deficiency in boys and girls were 7.62% and 2.52%, respectively with a male to female ratio of 3:1. CONCLUSION: G6PD deficiency is a gender related condition with a higher frequency among boys’ population.