Compaction of Quasi One-Dimensional Elastoplastic Materials

Insight in the crumpling or compaction of one-dimensional objects is of great importance for understanding biopolymer packaging and designing innovative technological devices. By compacting various types of wires in rigid confinements and characterizing the morphology of the resulting crumpled structures, here we report how friction, plasticity, and torsion enhance disorder, leading to a transition from coiled to folded morphologies. In the latter case, where folding dominates the crumpling process, we find that reducing the relative wire thickness counter-intuitively causes the maximum packing density to decrease. The segment-size distribution gradually becomes more asymmetric during compaction, reflecting an increase of spatial correlations. We introduce a self-avoiding random walk model and verify that the cumulative injected wire length follows a universal dependence on segment size, allowing for the prediction of the efficiency of compaction as a function of material properties, container size, and injection force.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Believability on the axes of structuralism: Yan Martel‘s Life of Pi

Elaborating on parallel, substitutional and correlated elements of the narrative in Yan Martel’s Life of Pi, this study aims at examining Martel’s technique for presenting a believable story in his novel. To discuss the way the believability of Pi’s narrative gets solidified, this enquiry takes advantage of the organizing principles of structuralism, namely, the metonymical-syntagmatic and the metaphorical-paradigmatic axes. Attributing the various correlating elements of the novel to these axes shows that what actually makes Pi a reliable narrator and simultaneously his narrative believable are the very parallel structures of the novel

A survey on the users' satisfaction with the hospital information systems (HISs) based on DeLone and McLean's model in the medical-teaching hospitals in Isfahan city

Background and purpose: The user's satisfaction with information system in fact denotes the extent the user is satisfied with the system's achievement in fulfilling his/her information requirements. This study tries to explore the users' satisfaction with hospital information systems (HISs) based on DeLone and McLean's model focusing on the medical-teaching hospitals of Isfahan city. Methodology: This study which was applied and descriptive-analytical in nature was carried out in the medical-teaching hospitals of Isfahan city in 2009. Research population consisted of the system users from which a sample was selected using random sampling method. The size of the sample was 228. Data collection instrument was a self-developed questionnaire produced based on the satisfaction criterion in the DeLone and McLean's model. Its content validity was assessed based on the opinions given by the computer sciences professionals with its estimated Cronbach's alpha found to be 92.2. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Findings: As the findings of the study showed, the differences among the mean scores obtained for the satisfaction with different kinds of HISs in use in the hospitals were statistically significant (p value≤0.05). Generally, Kowsar System (old version) and Pouya Samaneh Diva system gained the highest and lowest mean scores for the criterion in question, respectively. The overall mean score for the satisfaction was 54.6 for different types of systems and 55.6 among the hospitals. Conclusion: Given the findings of the study, it can be argued that based on the used model, the level of users' satisfaction with the systems in question was relatively good. However, to achieve the total optimum condition, when designing the system, the factors affecting the enhancement of the users' satisfaction and the type of hospital activity and specialty must be given special consideration. © AVICENA 2014

Multilevel security in distributed data processing architecture with backup and graceful degradation

Data security and system reliability have long been major concerns in computer system design. For distributed architecture, both have become principal requirements, especially in systems supporting real-time applications. This thesis examines the interaction of data security and fault tolerance in distributed systems generically and illustrates the issues by presenting a case study of the MuTEAM system. A principal conclusion is that the use of protective redundancy techniques (as implemented in hardware) is the preferred approach for the design of secure fault tolerant systems. The feasibility of graceful degradation of security is also examined and it is concluded that graceful degradation is attainable under a particular interpretation. The MuTEAM case study reaffirms the above conclusions and points out some of the problems that may arise if the design and implementation of security and fault tolerance are not coordinated from the start .Includes bibliographical references (pages 78-86)California State University, Northridge. Department of Computer Science

Ultrastructural Islet Study of Early Fibrosis in the Ren2 Rat Model of Hypertension Emerging Role of the Islet Pancreatic Pericyte-Stellate Cell

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial disease with polygenic and environmental stressors resulting in multiple metabolic toxicities and islet oxidative stress. We have integrated the role of the islet renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the pathogenesis of early islet fibrosis utilizing the transgenic (mRen2)27 rodent model of hypertension and tissue RAS overexpression. The Ren2 pancreatic islet tissue was evaluated with transmission electron microscopy to study both early cellular and extracellular matrix remodeling. Major remodeling differences in the Ren2 model were found to be located within the islet exocrine interface, including deposition of early fibrillar-banded collagen (fibrosis) and cellular remodeling of the pericyte suggesting proliferation, migration, hypertrophy and activation as compared to the Sprague Dawley controls.This research was supported by the investigator initiated grants NIH (R01 HL73101-01A1), the Veterans Affairs Merit System (0018) grant and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Male transgenic Ren2 rats and male Sprague-Dawley controls were kindly provided by Dr. Carlos M. Ferrario, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina through the Transgenic Core Facility supported in part by NIH grant HL-51952

Integrating multi-criteria models and Geographical information system for cemetery site selection (a case study of the Sanandaj city, Iran)

The ever increasing urban population growth has created many implications in land use planning in the most of developing countries. Traditional methods of spatial planning are still useful, but they need to be upgraded according to new methodological, technological possibilities and full complexity of spatial planning. The factors which influence the urban structure and its socio-economic life are countless, and so to deal with a huge set of data, Geographic information system (GIS) techniques can help to organize and control the impact of different problems. Urban utilities are the vital elements to provide comfort and amenity for the residents. Clearly in many cases the inappropriate sitting of urban infrastructures has decreased the efficiency and sustainability of the cities. Today GIS as powerful processing means can provide different alternatives for land use planning. One of the most socio-religious urban land uses in Iran is cemetery. Traditionally cemeteries are located in the vicinity of a holy shrine or specified by the local authorities. However, these sites are suitable by the view of people and religious groups but they impose many physical problems such as poor health conditions or accessibility due to the rapid expansion of the city by the population increase.  This paper attempts to select a right site for a new cemetery in town Sanandaj, as the old one now has no empty space. The paper applies GIS and Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) techniques to find an appropriate area. The results show that the integrated GIS and AHP model has a high potential to compare different alternatives by investigating multi-criteria models and different factors which are involved in an urban utility site selection

Conformal bounds for the first eigenvalue of the (p,q)(p,q)-Laplacian system

Consider $\left(M,g\right)$ as an $m$-dimensional compact connected Riemannian manifold without boundary. In this paper, we investigate the first eigenvalue $\lambda_{1,p,q}$ of the $\left(p,q\right)$-Laplacian system on $M$. Also, in the case of $p,q >n$ we will show that for arbitrary large $\lambda_{1,p,q}$ there exists a Riemannian metric of volume one conformal to the standard metric of $\mathbb{S}^{m}$

An evaluation of role of the informational components in decision-making process of health systems’ managers based on World Health Organization’s standards

Background:Objective of current study was to enhance the effectiveness of the organization its goals, health system managers must possess sufficient knowledge about health information systems which are regarded as the basis of decision-making at different managerial levels. The present research tried to explore the extent of meeting the information management components and evaluate its role in decision-making of health systems' managers.Methods:Descriptive-analytical in nature, this study intended to examine the urban and rural health centers as well as health system. Data were collected through a self-designed checklist produced based on the World Health Organization’s standards which include the information presentation (6 components), information interpretation (5 components) and using information in decision-making process (1 component) for urban and rural health centers. The checklist designed for health system included needs-analysis and information collection, presentation, processing and interpretation components. The gathered data were then put into SPSS version of 13 and analyzed using independent t-test.Results:The findings of the study revealed that compared to urban centers, the rural health centers had a higher level in meeting the components in 3 main areas i.e. information presentation, information interpretation and information use in decision-making process (P <0.05). As far as sub-measures were concerned, the rural health centers gained a higher mean score for data presentation in the health system and other interpretation-related components (P <0.05). The level of meeting data presentation components revealed that the mean score for using data for decision-making purposes was high while the mean score for data processing was found to be low.  Conclusion: Proper processing and appropriate use of data in the decision-making by the managers and public policy-makers are the missing requirements which must be taken into account.

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism attenuates vascular apoptosis and injury via rescuing protein kinase B activation

This article may also be found at the publisher's website at http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/53/2/158?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=habibi&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCITEmerging evidence indicates that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade reduces the risk of cardiovascular events beyond those predicted by its blood pressure-lowering actions; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate whether protection elicited by MR blockade is through attenuation of vascular apoptosis and injury, independently of blood pressure lowering, we administered a low dose of the MR antagonist spironolactone or vehicle for 21 days to hypertensive transgenic Ren2 rats with elevated plasma aldosterone levels. Although Ren2 rats developed higher systolic blood pressures compared with Sprague-Dawley littermates, low-dose spironolactone treatment did not reduce systolic blood pressure compared with untreated Ren2 rats. Ren2 rats exhibited vascular injury as evidenced by increased apoptosis, hemidesmosome-like structure loss, mitochondrial abnormalities, and lipid accumulation compared with Sprague-Dawley rats, and these abnormalities were attenuated by MR antagonism. Protein kinase B activation is critical to vascular homeostasis via regulation of cell survival and expression of apoptotic genes. Protein kinase B serine473 phosphorylation was impaired in Ren2 aortas and restored with MR antagonism. In vivo MR antagonist treatment promoted antiapoptotic effects by increasing phosphorylation of BAD serine136 and expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, decreasing cytochrome c release and BAD expression, and suppressing caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, MR antagonism substantially reduced the elevated NADPH oxidase activity and lipid peroxidation, expression of angiotensin II, angiotensin type 1 receptor, and MR in Ren2 vasculature. These results demonstrate that MR antagonism protects the vasculature from aldosterone-induced vascular apoptosis and structural injury via rescuing protein kinase B activation, independent of blood pressure effects

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Blockade Attenuates Chronic Overexpression of the Renin-Angiotensin- Aldosterone System Stimulation of Reduced Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidase and Cardiac Remodeling

doi: 10.1210/en.2006-1691The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system contributes to cardiac remodeling, hypertrophy, and left ventricular dysfunction. Angiotensin II and aldosterone (corticosterone in rodents) together generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) via reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, which likely facilitate this hypertrophy and remodeling. This investigation sought to determine whether cardiac oxidative stress and cellular remodeling could be attenuated by in vivo mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade in a rodent model of the chronically elevated tissue renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, the transgenic TG (mRen2) 27 rat (Ren2). The Ren2 overexpresses the mouse renin transgene with resultant hypertension, insulin resistance, proteinuria, and cardiovascular damage. Young (6- to 7-wk-old) male Ren2 and age-matched Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with spironolactone or placebo for 3 wk. Heart tissue ROS, immunohistochemical analysis of 3-nitrotyrosine,and NADPH oxidase (NOX) subunits (gp91phox recently renamed NOX2, p22phox, Rac1, NOX1, and NOX4) were measured. Structural changes were assessed with cine-magnetic resonance imaging, transmission electron microscopy, and light microscopy. Significant increases in Ren2 septal wall thickness (cine-magnetic resonance imaging) were accompanied by perivascular fibrosis, increased mitochondria, and other ultrastructural changes visible by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Although there was no significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, significant improvements were seen with MR blockade on ROS formation and NOX subunits (each P < 0.05). Collectively, these data suggest that MR blockade, independent of systolic blood pressure reduction, improves cardiac oxidative stress-induced structural and functional changes, which are driven, in part, by angiotensin type 1 receptor-mediated increases in NOX.This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants R01 HL73101-01A1 (to J.R.S.) and P01 HL-51952 (to C.F.), the Veterans Affairs Merit System (0018) (to J.R.S.), and Advanced Research Career Development (to C.S.). Male transgenic Ren2 rats and male Sprague-Dawley controls were kindly provided by C.F. through the Transgenic Core Facility supported in part by NIH Grant HL-51952