An ultrasonic system for intravascular measurement and visualisation of anatomical structures and blood flow

Imperial Users onl

Marble Slabs Classification System Based on Image Processing (Ark Marble Mine in Birjand)

Marble is one of the semi-precious stones that has been used in decorating building façade and making decorative things. This stone is present in the nature in the form of rock or layered stone. Examining the kind of stone, extent of impurity and different streaks in white marble is a widely confronted subject by those who are involved in this industry. Obtaining the extent of impurity of white marble using methods of detecting and analyzing material is expensive and time-consuming. In this research carried out on while marbles of Arc Mine in Birjand, it has been attempted to present very fast method using Image Processing Techniques so that while preserving identity and appearance of stone and without any damage to it, we compute the impurity level and different streaks on white marble surface. The proposed method includes two stages; in the first stage applying image processing functions, it is attempted to segment the present impurities and streaks on marble surface from the stone background and in the second stage, the area of these impurities and streaks is computed. Results obtained in this paper (97.8%) in comparison with other researches and experimental methods indicate acceptability of this algorithm

Morphological and physiological responses of some halophytes to salinity stress

A pot experiment was conducted to examine whether the morphological and physiological characteristics of some halophytes may be affected by salt stress. For this purpose, a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design was carried out with three replications. The treatments were some halophytes (Salicornia europaea, Atriplex leucoclada, and Kochia scoparia) and salinity stress levels [Electrical conductivity 0 (Hoagland’s solution), Hoagland’s solution consisting of 100, 200, 300 and 500 mM NaCl]. Among the halophytes tested, Salicornia europaea had significantly higher shoot and root of dry matters compared to the other halophytes in all salt treatments. Salinity stress resulted in an increase in photosynthetic pigments up to 200 mM and thereafter, it decreased in all of the studied plants. Photosynthetic pigments, ranked in a descending order, were high in Kochia scoparia, Salicornia europaea, and Atriplex leucoclada. In addition, salinity stress led to an enhancement in malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2. The tolerance of Salicornia europaea under high salinity stress was associated with low MDA and H2O2 contents as well as high contents of photosynthetic pigments. The shoot and root Na+ increased considerably by augmenting the salinity levels in all halophytic plants; however, there was a significant difference among halophytes at higher salinity levels. The shoot K+ decreased by increasing the salinity levels, but K+ partitioning pattern varied among the halophytes. Under saline conditions, the shoot and root Na+/K+ ratio of all halophytes grew. The highest and the lowest of Na+ were observed in Salicornia europaea and Kochia scoparia, respectively. Thus, the Na+/K+ ratio could be considered as an indicator of salt evaluation. Nitrogen, protein content, dry matter digestibility (DMD), and metabolizable energy (ME) were high in Salicornia europaea plants in comparison to other plants at 200–500 mM salinity levels; in contrast, acid detergent fiber (ADF) and netural detergent fiber (NDF) were low. According to the results of this study, the tolerance of halophytes towards NaCl is possibly due to the differences in damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially H2O2, and toxicity to metabolism Na+

Investigation of the Dynamics Bed Shear Stress Distribution around a Circular Cylinder Using Various Turbulences Models

Scouring around cylinders is greatly affected by the value of bed shear stress entered on sediment materials of the bed around cylinders. Regarding the importance of the bed shear stress fluctuations and their influence on the initiation and development of scouring around cylinders, in this paper the dynamic bed shear stress distributions around a circular cylinder in high Reynolds numbers flow is investigated using various turbulence models. Since the bed shear stress can be regarded as one of the key parameters in scour and erosion predictions, then the accurate calculation of this parameter would be the first step in scour prediction and calculation. As the vortex shedding at the downstream of a cylinder depends on the turbulence intensity of flow, similar behavior may be anticipated for the dynamic bed shear stress. To evaluate the bed shear stress distribution, several numbers of numerical simulations are conducted to predict the bed shear stress around the circular cylinder using the CFD solver Fluent. Various turbulence models of time-and space-averaged types are used to simulate the turbulence effects. Regarding to the importance of the turbulence models inaccurate simulation of the cylinder wake region, three models of , RSM and LES are evaluated using a comparison of the flow pattern and fluctuation of near wake vortices. Results revealed that in simulation with LES turbulence model, the wake remains very symmetrical, consisting primarily of two large vortices in the near wake at two sides of the cylinder. With time passing, a transition occurs between the two states, from the initially symmetrical to the asymmetrical. Also, comparing the critical bed shear stress pattern in different phases shown that the bed shear stress is repeated again after a certain time period. This is in good agreement with the fluctuation time period of wake vortices. Evaluation of vortex and bed shear stress fluctuations shows that the pattern of bed shear stress fluctuation is in good agreement with vortex fluctuation phases in the near wake of a cylinder.Scouring around cylinders is greatly affected by the value of bed shear stress entered on sediment materials of the bed. Regarding the importance of the bed shear stress fluctuations and their influence on the initiation and development of scouring around cylinders, in this paper, the dynamic bed shear stress distributions around a circular cylinder in high Reynolds numbers flow is investigated using various turbulence closures. Since the bed shear stress can be regarded as one of the key parameters in scouring and erosion predictions, then the accurate calculation of this parameter would be the first step in scour prediction and calculation. As the vortex shedding at the downstream of a cylinder depends on the turbulence intensity of flow, a similar behavior may be anticipated for the dynamic bed shear stress. To evaluate the bed shear stress distribution, several numbers of numerical simulations are conducted to predict the bed shear stress using the CFD solver FLUENT. Various turbulence models of time-and space-averaged types are used to simulate the turbulence effects. Regarding the importance of the turbulence models in accurate simulation of the cylinder wake region, three models of k - ε, RSM and LES are evaluated using a comparison of the flow pattern and the fluctuation of near wake vortices. Results revealed that in the simulation with LES turbulence model, the wake remains very symmetrical, consisting primarily of two large vortices in the near wake at two sides of the cylinder. With time passing, a transition occurs between the two states, from the initially symmetrical to the asymmetrical. Also, comparing the critical bed shear stress pattern in different phases show that the bed shear stress is repeated again after a certain time period. This is in good agreement with the fluctuation time period of wake vortices

Does Pimecrolimus Cream Enhance the Effect of Excimer Laser on Eyelid Vitiligo?

INTRODUCTION: Vitiligo is a cutaneous disorder of pigmentation, for which, there are some proven modalities of treatment. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the addition of topical pimecrolimus to 308nm Excimer laser in reducing treatment duration and improving the response rate of eyelid vitiligo, compared with 308nm Excimer laser monotherapy.METHODS: Fifty two symmetrically localized lesions of eyelid vitiligo in 26 patients were observed. Each of vitiliginous patches was treated with 308nm Excimer laser twice a week for a total of 30 sessions. Topical pimecrolimus 1% cream was applied to the patches of right eyelid(group A lesions) and eucerine cream as a placebo to the left side patches(group B lesions)twice daily, throughout the study. Photographs were taken at baseline, 6 and 15 weeks after starting the treatment.RESULTS: Twenty two patients (44 lesions) completed the study. Repigmentation was appeared in all (100%) of groups A and B lesions. A 75% or more repigmentation was achieved in 17(78%) of group A versus 14 (64%) of group B lesions. The average number of sessions needed for the appearance of repigmentation was 8 for group A lesions and 12 for group. The repigmentaion of 50% or more in patients with disease duration of 2 years or less and those with more than 2 years duration ere 100% and 59.2%, respectively.CONCLUSION: Repigmentation rate obtained by the combination therapy of eyelid vitiligo with 308nm Excimer laser and topical Pimecrolimus 1%cream is significantly higher, and obtained in fewer sessions in comparison with 308nm Excimer laser and placebo combination therapy.

The effects of vitamin D on Immunoresponsive gene 1 and Krüppel-like Factor 2 protein expression in the lung due to the cadmium poisoning

Background: Cadmium, a well-known hazardous heavy metal and non-essential component, has several negative health effects. The long-term use of cadmium toxin to develop a pulmonary model, evaluation of Irg1 gene expression and KLF-2 protein and serum IL4 levels following model induction, and evaluation of vitamin D's therapeutic effects in reducing pulmonary and hepatic complications in a mice model have not been studied.Methods: A total of 40 healthy female C57 black 6 mice weighing 20–25 g and approximately 6–8 weeks’ old were purchased from animal husbandry, Pasteur Institute of Iran. After induction of the model, the mice were assigned to the following groups such as Group 1 (G1): mice were euthanized the day after induction. Group 2(G2): mice were ethically killed 21 days after induction. Group 3(G3) mice were treated with vitamin D and euthanized 5 days after treatment. Group 4(G4): mice were treated with vitamin D and euthanized 21 days after treatment. Vitamin D3 with a concentration of 300,000 units per milliliter, which is equivalent to 7.5 mg per 1 microliter, and 13.5 μl of the main stock is equivalent to 100 ng, which is used for 1 kg of mice. Blood samples were collected to measure serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase to evaluate liver toxicity.Results: Based on the results obtained, serum SGPT levels in vitamin D treatment groups did not show a significant decrease compared to cadmium groups (p >0.001). The ALP biomarker in the groups treated with vitamin D was decreased significant in comparison to untreated model groups (p<0.001). While any significant differences were not observed between the Cd model and the Cd model treated with Vitamin D.Conclusion: This study proved that administration vitamin D to some extent reduces the toxic effects of cadmium on the liver and lung.Keywords: Ameliorated; Vitamin D; Protein expression; Lung; Cadmiu

Factors Related to Breast Cancer Screening in Women in the Northern Part of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and affects many women around the world each year. Breast cancer screening is one of the best strategies that can be used to reduce the death rate from the disease. Different factors influence the breast cancer screening rate. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the factors that affect the screening of women for breast cancer in the northern part of Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Mazandaran Province of Iran in 2016 on 1,165 women who participate in breast cancer screening programs, using a cluster-sampling method. A valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect the data. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS 21. RESULTS: In this study, 62% of the women had a history of breast self-examinations, 41.1% had breast examinations by healthcare staff, and 21.7% received mammography. The woman’s age, age at first marriage, age at onset of sexual intercourse, occupation, spouse’s occupation, household income, health status, history of infertility, smoking, and decision-maker on issues of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) were the best predictors of participation in screening for breast cancer (P &lt; 0.05). CONCLUSION: To encourage participation in breast cancer screening programs, women should be encouraged to seek preventive care. Also, factors that affect screening should be considered an appropriate educational method should be provided. ould be considered and appropriate educational methods should be provided