Bijan Karimi reviews Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow

The article record may be found at https://www.hsaj.org/articles/21365Sponsored the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA, CHDS is part of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

Combinational Logic Circuits for Which Tests Can Be Generated in N2 Time

Engineerin

A Pilot Program in Internet-of-things with University and Industry Collaboration: Introduction and Lessons Learned

Internet-of-Things (IoT) is one of the most prominent technological eco-systems and an engine of growth with an estimated market size of $14 Trillion to$33 Trillion by 2025 (McKinsey Global Institute). The IoT eco-system uses well-established technologies in many fields; and it adds new and often challenging requirements on extant techniques. For example, many wireless schemes are or being redesigned to address battery life and cost of solution issues. At the same time, the industry needs to hire and retrain many technical personnel to address these issues and support this newly evolving eco-system in many different markets. These facts culminate in the need for engineering students to be skilled to handle the new challenges and match the hiring market needs. As importantly, the more experienced technical personnel need to be retrained to understand this evolving eco-system. In this light, we have taken parallel symbiotic steps to address these challenges. We have piloted a course in IoT covering the most critical technologies in a typical end-to-end IoT system, including various access technologies and higher layer protocols and standards as well as prominent cloud services. Our industry partner has developed new measurement equipment to address more accurate and sensitive current draw of circuits to assist with power-frugal designs for long battery life. They have also developed a programmable board along with several experiments geared towards IoT applications. Last summer a small group of graduate students, with the guidance of a senior faculty member, used the IoT board to assess its efficacy for less experienced engineering students. The board and the associated experiments were found to be very useful and a good addition to the program. The experiments are also valuable for continuing education purposes for developing specific skills in the development of IoT systems. The team created an updated and tailored user’s manual to better serve the needs of less experienced engineering students and to alleviate the initial frustration associated with setting up the system. In this paper, we will present the experiences of the pilot program and the key points that present the enhancements of technical manual for a teaching environment. We will present the value that the IoT board and its experiments bring to the students in order to enhance their experience when learning about the IoT eco-system

The effect of resiliency promotion training package on self-efficacy and work-family conflict

Background: Nowadays, resiliency is one of the determining factors of people responses to stressful issues and mental well-being. The aim of present study was to investigate the effectiveness of resiliency promotion training on self-efficacy and work-family conflict of satellite employees in Iranian Oil Terminals Company (IOTC). Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and follow-up design. The statistical population included the satellite employees of IOTC. Using a convenience sampling method, 30 employees were selected and randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups (each 15 participants). To collect the data, general self-efficacy questionnaire and work-family conflict questionnaire were used at the beginning, at the end of the training, and after one month. The experimental group received training in 9 sessions of 90 minutes for one month, but the control group did not receive any training. Data analysis was performed by multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software. Results: The effect of the resiliency promotion training on the research variables was significant in each of the post-test and follow-up stages. The rate of this effect in improving self-efficacy and work-family conflict was 98.8% in post-test and 99.8% in follow-up.  There is a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group in the self-efficacy and work-family conflict variables in the post-test and follow-up stages (p <0.001). Conclusion: The results revealed that resiliency promotion training was effective on self-efficacy and work-family conflict of satellite employees in the post-test stage and the effects of training remained in the follow-up stage

Design and Modelling of a Novel Combustion Heat Exchanger for Household Heating

The present study is focused on the design and modelling of a novel Combustion Heat Exchanger (CHE), used for heating and hot water supplies in residential buildings. System design includes a combination of an efficient porous burner and heat exchangers. Combined with an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and a Heat Pump (HP), it is meant to deliver higher energy efficiency as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions. A numerical model has been developed in STAR-CCM+ to evaluate the design. Furthermore, system level heat transfer calculations were acquired to assist with the design process. A step by step approach was undertaken to investigate physical and chemical phenomena in the system. System dimensions, exchanger location and geometry, air/fuel ratio, porous media models, radiation and combustion were investigated along with different exchanger geometries. A novel spiral heat exchanger was introduced in addition to the common coil designs to exhibit both convection and radiation heat transfers. The results indicated that the exhibition of spiral heat exchanger would result in significantly enhanced heat transfer. Overall heat transfer coefficients of 4-5 times higher in comparison to coils could be expected for spiral exchangers. It was shown that radiation heat transfer accounts for a prominent share in the total heat transfer. Furthermore, the CHE could operate at a wide range of lean air/fuel ratios, enabling further decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. As the last part of the study, further investigations on the regular coil exchangers indicated that these exchangers could still be used with the design, but heat transfer enhancement is required to reduce the dimensions. Such enhancements were tested through shell geometry designs with improved results. Overall, the system shows a promising solution for further reduction of CO2 emissions while improving thermal efficiency

Experimental Investigation of Interfacial Tension Measurement and Oil Recovery by Carbonated Water Injection : A Case Study Using Core Samples from an Iranian Carbonate Oil Reservoir

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge and appreciate the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Marvdasht Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, 73711-13119, Iran, for the provision of the laboratory facilities necessary for completing this work.Peer reviewedPostprin

The incidence of permanent congenital hypothyroidism: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: One of the most prevalent endocrine disorders is congenital hypothyroidism (CH). The most important complication of this disorder is mental retardation. This study was carried out to evaluate CH prevalence based on newborn screening of CH in different countries through a meta-analysis study.METHODS: The researchers in this study searched the literature among PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, ISI Web of Sciences and Web of Knowledge, and Science Direct databases. The evaluations were carried out using a researcher-made checklist including goals and research questions. Meta-regression with the Mantel-Haenszel method was performed using a random effects model and Egger’s test (ET) and Begg’s test (BT) by the STATA software.RESULTS: A total of 10875 studies were found in the initial literature search related to CH. Ultimately, based on the eligibility criteria considered in the present study, 25 studies were categorized as qualified for systematic review and meta-analysis. The estimate of the CH prevalence among the screened neonates in the studies based on the random effects model was 4.85 per 10000 [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.04- 5.66].CONCLUSION: Due to the importance of CH related diseases especially for detection of type of hypothyroidism, it is necessary more surveillance be carried out in all countries. Based on Different studies, recognition of the most CH patients is before age 1 year so it helps to reduction the risks of developmental delay, and delayed physiological development and mental retardation

Environmental Knowledge of and Training Methods for Physicians and Nurses of Pars-e-Jonoubi Company, Iran

Background & Objective: Having employees with appropriate environmental behaviors and paying attention to their environmental knowledge and training is an important issue especially for industrial companies. However, the lack of prioritization of this important issue is one of the effective factors in the declining trend of environmental performance improvement of industrial companies. Therefore, the main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the environmental knowledge of physicians and nurses working at Pars-e-Jonoubi Company, Iran, and propose appropriate methods for their environmental training. Methods: This research was a descriptive survey. The statistical population included all physicians and nurses working at Pars-e-Jonoubi Company, from among which 135 individuals were selected through random stratified sampling method and based on the Morgan Table. The data collection tool was a researcher-made environmental knowledge questionnaire based on the view of Frick et al. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t, independent t, Friedman, and chi-square tests. Results: The knowledge of physicians and nurses, in their own view, regarding environmental systems was near average (3.1 and 3.3, respectively). Physicians’ and nurses’ knowledge on environmental action was near average (3.2), and below average (2.6), respectively. Their knowledge of effectiveness was higher than average (physicians: 3.8, nurses: 4.3). Generally, physicians estimated their environmental knowledge as slightly higher than average (3.6) and nurses as nearly average (3.2). Moreover, there was a significant difference between the average of the three aforementioned dimensions of their environmental knowledge and the criterion average. In addition, there was a significant difference between the average of the three dimensions of environmental knowledge of physicians and nurses. They also ranked environmental training methods differently. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared test showed that 76 subjects (61%) preferred the compulsive environmental training method and 48 subjects (39%) preferred the optional method. Conclusion: The results of this research indicated that physicians and nurses working at Pars-e-Jonoubi Company felt the need for obtaining, generally, more environmental knowledge, and specifically, more action-related knowledge. Thus, it is suggested that the necessary requirements be provided for the environmental training of physicians and nurses working at this company according to each group’s preferred training method. Key Words: Knowledge, Training, Environmen

Von Willebrand factor propeptide and pathophysiological mechanisms in European and Iranian patients with type 3 von Willebrand disease enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS study

Background Type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a severe bleeding disorder caused by the virtually complete absence of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Pathophysiological mechanisms of VWD like defective synthesis, secretion, and clearance of VWF have previously been evaluated using ratios of VWF propeptide (VWFpp) over VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) and factor (F)VIII coagulant activity (FVIII:C) over VWF:Ag. Objective To investigate whether the VWFpp/VWF:Ag and FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratios may also be applied to understand the pathophysiological mechanism underlying type 3 VWD and whether VWFpp is associated with bleeding severity. Methods European and Iranian type 3 patients were enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS study. Plasma samples and buffy coats were collected and a bleeding assessment tool was administered at enrolment. VWF:Ag, VWFpp, FVIII:C, and genetic analyses were performed centrally, to confirm patients' diagnoses. VWFpp/VWF:Ag and FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratios were compared among different variant classes using the Mann-Whitney test. Median differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using the Hodges-Lehmann method. VWFpp association with bleeding symptoms was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation. Results Homozygosity/compound heterozygosity for missense variants showed higher VWFpp level and VWFpp/VWF:Ag ratio than homozygosity/compound heterozygosity for null variants ([VWFpp median difference, 1.4 IU/dl; 95% CI, 0.2-2.7; P = .016]; [VWFpp/VWF:Ag median difference, 1.4; 95% CI, 0-4.2; P = .054]). FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio was similarly increased in both. VWFpp level did not correlate with the bleeding symptoms (r = .024; P = .778). Conclusions An increased VWFpp/VWF:Ag ratio is indicative of missense variants, whereas FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio does not discriminate missense from null alleles. The VWFpp level was not associated with the severity of bleeding phenotype.Peer reviewe

Bleeding symptoms in patients diagnosed as type 3 von Willebrand disease : Results from 3WINTERS-IPS, an international and collaborative cross-sectional study

Background Type 3 von Willebrand's disease (VWD) patients present markedly reduced levels of von Willebrand factor and factor VIII. Because of its rarity, the bleeding phenotype of type 3 VWD is poorly described, as compared to type 1 VWD. Aims To evaluate the frequency and the severity of bleeding symptoms across age and sex groups in type 3 patients and to compare these with those observed in type 1 VWD patients to investigate any possible clustering of bleeding symptoms within type 3 patients. Methods We compared the bleeding phenotype and computed the bleeding score (BS) using the MCMDM-1VWD bleeding questionnaire in patients enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS and MCMDM-1VWD studies. Results In 223 unrelated type 3 VWD patients, both the BS and the number of clinically relevant bleeding symptoms were increased in type 3 as compared to type 1 VWD patients (15 versus 6 and 5 versus 3). Intracranial bleeding, oral cavity, hemarthroses, and deep hematomas were at least five-fold over-represented in type 3 VWD. A more severe bleeding phenotype was evident in patients having von Willebrand factor antigen levels <20 IU/dL at diagnosis in the two merged cohorts. In type 3 patients, there was an apparent clustering of hemarthrosis with gastrointestinal bleeding and epistaxis, whereas bleeding after surgery or tooth extraction clusters with oral bleeding and menorrhagia. Conclusions In the largest cohort of type 3 VWD patients, we were able to describe a distinct clinical phenotype that is associated with the presence of a more severe hemostatic defect.Peer reviewe