MnO2 nanorods modified screen-printed electrode for the electrochemical determination of Sudan dye in food sample

A novel MnO2 nanorods modified screen-printed electrode was fabricated and used as a voltammetric sensor for Sudan determination. MnO2 nanorods were characterized using Field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Electrochemical measurements were performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and chronoammperometry (CA). The MnO2 nanorods on the electrode surface act as an excellent catalyst for the Sudan oxidation reaction. Our modified electrode presents good electrocatalytic activity toward Sudan, a short response time of <10 s, a low detection limit of around 0.08 µM, and linear detection range from 0.25 to 300.0 µM

Selection of ground motion prediction equations for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis based on an improved fuzzy logic

The fuzzy logic method has been used widely in civil and earthquake engineering, but there is no comprehensive point of view for utilizing fuzzy approach in order to obtain ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). Hence, fuzzy magnitude–distance method as a new approach for choosing GMPEs in the process of PSHA, is developed in this research through the selection of the ruling peak ground acceleration (PGA) of each common cell (the combined cell of earthquake intensity and site to source distance). The presented method reduces the need for engineering judgments in seismic analysis based on a newly developed benchmark. It enables designers to not only determine the range of acceptable fuzzy results but also introduces a concept which ensures the selection of initial well-suited GMPEs for the analysis

Corporate governance and intellectual capital

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between corporate governance and Intellectual capital in the pharmaceutical companies accepted in Tehran Stock Exchange over the period 2004-2009 using a regression based model. The study investigates the impacts of three some independent variables of the corporate governance (i.e. the number of board members, the relative extent of nonexecutive to executive directors, the auditing committee). The results suggest that corporate governance had no special effect on intellectual capital in the pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore among corporate governance's variables, the first one (i.e. board size) had negative impact on firms' intellectual capital and the second and the third variables had no effects on intellectual capital

The Effect of Educational Intervention based on the Health Belief Model on Diabetes Screening Behavior in over 30 Years Old men in Shahr-e-Babak

Background: Diabetes is one of the major health problems in the world and half of the affected patients are unaware of it. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the Health Belief Model on the behavior of male subjects attending diabetes screening. Methods: This interventional study was performed on 180 men over 30 years of age. The intervention group (90 ones) underwent educational intervention conducted over four 60-minute sessions. Data were collected using a questionnaire (including 51 questions) filled out through direct interview before the intervention and two months after that. Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analysis. Results: After the intervention, knowledge scores increased in both intervention and control groups. This was due to the implementation of routine training at the centers. But, significant increase in the attitudes and practice was observed only in the intervention group. Also, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, after the intervention, showed significant increase in the intervention group compared with the control group (P <0.001). Conclusion: Health Belief Model was effective in education of people over 30 years old for participating in diabetes screening programs. Therefore, it is recommended to use this model alongside traditional methods

Effects of cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co3O4 NPs) on ion leakage, total phenol, antioxidant enzymes activities and cobalt accumulation in Brassica napus L.

Interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) as a significant threat to ecosystems with biological processes of plants is very important. Here, the effects of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) NPs on some physio-biochemical characteristics of Brassica napus L. were investigated. The two-weeks seedlings were sprayed with different concentrations of Co3O4 NPs (0, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg L-1). The results showed that this treatment significantly affected the fresh and dry weights, area, relative water content (RWC) and relative chlorophyll value (SPAD) of leaves. The highest reduction of growth and biomass indexes occurred at 4000 mg L-1 NPs. The content of H2O2 and electrolyte leakage (EL) increased respectively, after 100 and 250 mg L-1 of Co3O4 NPs and showed a maximum level at 4000 mg L-1. The activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased after 100 mg L-1 of Co3O4 NPs. However, tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL) activity enhanced after 500 mg L-1. The catalase (CAT) activity and protein content decreased after 1000 mg L-1 of Co3O4 NPs. Application of concentrations higher than 500 mg L-1 of Co3O4 NPs induced polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity but reduced glutathione reductase (GR). The activities of guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) increased at 250-1000 mg L-1 of Co3O4 NPs and then decreased. These results suggested that low concentrations of Co3O4 NPs induced a positive effect on growth parameters but high levels caused extensive oxidative damage and mediated defense responses by organization of phenolic compounds and antioxidative system

Feature decision-making ant colony optimization system for an automated recognition of plant species

In the present paper, an expert system for automatic recognition of different plant species through their leaf images is investigated by employing the ant colony optimization (ACO) as a feature decision-making algorithm. The ACO algorithm is employed to investigate inside the feature search space in order to obtain the best discriminant features for the recognition of individual species. In order to establish a feature search space, a set of feasible characteristics such as shape, morphology, texture and color are extracted from the leaf images. The selected features are used by support vector machine (SVM) to classify the species. The efficiency of the system was tested on around 2050 leaf images collected from two different plant databases, FCA and Flavia. The results of the study achieved an average accuracy of 95.53% from the ACO-based approach, confirming the potentials of using the proposed system for an automatic classification of various plant species

Spiritual wellbeing of Iranian patients with acute coronary syndromes : a cross-sectional descriptive study

Author's accepted version (post-print)

The Effect of Fatigue Due to Backpack Carriage with Different Weights on Shear and Vertical Components of Walking Ground Reaction Forces in Healthy Students

Introduction: The risk factors of fatigue while carrying bags with different weights in students are unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of fatigue due to carrying backpacks with different weights on the kinetic parameters of gait in students.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental research. The statistical population of this study consisted of healthy male students. To investigate the effects of fatigue due to backpack carriage, backpacks with7.5, 10, 12.5%​​, and 15% body weight were used before and after fatigue. The fatigue protocol consisted of 10-minute walking and carrying a backpack with 10 percent of body weight. Kistler force plates were used to measure the ground reaction forces. For statistical analysis, paired sample t-test was used through SPSS v. 20.Results: Fatigue in the healthy group increased propulsive force (10 and 12.5% BW), braking force, vertical force of the first peak of Fz1, whereas it decreased Fz2 valley force (with 7.5 and 10 BW) (P≤0/05). The carrying load increased the second peak of Fz3 in most levels after fatigue (P≤0/05). In addition, the carrying load increased the valley (Fz2) by a 15% level compared to other levels after fatigue (P≤0.05).Conclusion: Muscle fatigue caused by carrying a backpack changes the reaction forces of the ground, so it is considered an important risk factor for secondary effects such as abnormalities or injuries in the lower extremities. Therefore, students, parents, and primary school teachers are advised to pay special attention to the weight of the backpack