Određivanje kritičnih uvjeta probijanja sjemenki badema metodom odzivnih površina i genetskim algoritmom

In this study, the effect of seed moisture content, probe diameter and loading velocity (puncture conditions) on some mechanical properties of almond kernel and peeled almond kernel is considered to model a relationship between the puncture conditions and rupture energy. Furthermore, distribution of the mechanical properties is determined. The main objective is to determine the critical values of mechanical properties significant for peeling machines. The response surface methodology was used to find the relationship between the input parameters and the output responses, and the fitness function was applied to measure the optimal values using the genetic algorithm. Two-parameter Weibull function was used to describe the distribution of mechanical properties. Based on the Weibull parameter values, i.e. shape parameter (β) and scale parameter (η) calculated for each property, the mechanical distribution variations were completely described and it was confirmed that the mechanical properties are rule governed, which makes the Weibull function suitable for estimating their distributions. The energy model estimated using response surface methodology shows that the mechanical properties relate exponentially to the moisture, and polynomially to the loading velocity and probe diameter, which enabled successful estimation of the rupture energy (R²=0.94). The genetic algorithm calculated the critical values of seed moisture, probe diameter, and loading velocity to be 18.11 % on dry mass basis, 0.79 mm, and 0.15 mm/min, respectively, and optimum rupture energy of 1.97·10-³ J. These conditions were used for comparison with new samples, where the rupture energy was experimentally measured to be 2.68 and 2.21·10-³ J for kernel and peeled kernel, respectively, which was nearly in agreement with our model results.U ovom je radu ispitan utjecaj udjela vlage u sjemenki, promjera sonde i brzine povećanja opterećenja (tj. uvjeta probijanja) na mehanička svojstva neoljuštene i oljuštene sjemenke badema. Izrađen je model za usporedbu uvjeta probijanja i čvrstoće sjemenki, te su ispitane mehaničke značajke sjemenki radi utvrđivanja kritičnih vrijednosti važnih za rad uređaja za ljuštenje badema. Metodom je odzivnih površina utvrđen odnos između početnih parametara i krajnjih vrijednosti, a optimalni su uvjeti procesa određeni genetskim algoritmom pomoću funkcije prikladnosti. Raspodjela mehaničkih svojstava opisana je primjenom Weibullovog modela s dva parametra, i to oblika (β) i skaliranja (η), te su u cijelosti prikazane varijacije tih značajki. Potvrđeno je da je Weibullova funkcija prikladna za određivanje raspodjele mehaničkih svojstava. Metodom odzivnih površina uspješno je procijenjena energija loma (R²=0,94), te je utvrđeno da je odnos između mehaničkih svojstava i udjela vlage eksponencijalan, a onaj između mehaničkih svojstava i brzine povećanja opterećenja te promjera sonde polinoman. Pomoću genetskog algoritma izračunate su sljedeće vrijednosti: kritični udjel vlage u bademu od 18,11 % (na bazi suhe tvari), promjer sonde od 0,79 mm, brzina povećanja opterećenja od 0,15 mm/min, te optimalna energija loma od 1,97·10-³ J. Ispitivanjem novih uzoraka određena je energija loma neoljuštenih badema od 2,68·10-³ J i oljuštenih od 2,21·10-³ J, što je u skladu s rezultatima dobivenim pomoću modela

Sustainability of wheat production in Southwest Iran : A fuzzy-GIS based evaluation by ANFIS

Funding Information: The financial support provided by Jahrom University, Iran, is gratefully acknowledged. Acknowledgements Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Perceptions of Employees on Psychological Factors Affecting Obesity: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Obesity has now become an epidemic in Iran and there is convincing evidence that psychological factors play an important role in obesity and overweight. Given the key role of employees, as valuable human resources, in providing services and the increasing sedentary lifestyle among them, the current study aimed to explore governmental employees’ perceptions of psychological factors that affect obesity. Method: This qualitative study was conducted through content analysis. In total, 4 focus group discussions were held with groups of 8 subjects (32 subjects). Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a diverse sample of 35 obese or overweight governmental employees between February 2014 and January 2015. All interviews were audio recorded and were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin method. Results: As a result of data analysis, the 3 main categories of poor adaptability in stressful periods, low self-efficacy, and motivators emerged. Poor adaptability in stressful periods consisted of the 5 main subcategories of periods of university entrance exam, soldiering, career, marriage, and childbirth. Low self-efficacy was explored in the 2 main subcategories of lack of positive model and the sense of lack of control over circumstances. Motivators included the subcategories of pleasure and apprehension. Conclusion: This study showed that perceptions of employees on psychological factors influencing obesity differed. Therefore, further researches, both qualitative and quantitative, are required in this field. Keywords: Grounded theory, Obesity, Qualitative stud

Developing a Model for the Establishment of Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine Bases in the Northern Provinces of Iran

BACKGROUND: The faster and more accurately Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine as the first line of care and treatment is done, the less the mortality and disability rates are.AIM: The present study is an attempt to design a model for the establishment of pre-hospital emergency bases in the northern provinces of Iran.METHODS: This quantitative-qualitative (mixed-method) research was conducted in two parts: First, using the literature review, interviews with experts in the field, and a comparative study, the most important factors affecting the establishment were extracted. Second, the obtained data were employed to formulate the development model and to design the questionnaire. The required data for factor analysis were collected through a questionnaire distributed among 200 operational personnel in January 2018. The results were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression.RESULTS: Five components were identified after the exploratory factor analysis and Varimax with an eigenvalue larger than 1. The effect coefficients calculated for human resources components, service speed, and information and communication system were 0.935, 0.765 and 0.752, respectively. The obtained goodness of fit was very close to one, indicating the one-dimensional strength of the model. The highest parameter estimation in this model was allocated to the human component as 0.935, which has a significant correlation with other components.CONCLUSIONS: In order to reduce the response time, more attention should be paid to the allocation of budget and organizational roles, education, participation from government departments, establishment of an independent medical emergency organization, and appropriate accessibility to reduce the rates of mortality and morbidity

Relationship between Health Literacy and Addiction among Women of Reproductive Age Referring to Addiction Treatment Centers in Tehran, Iran

Background and Objective: Health literacy can affect individuals’ physical and psychological status and quality of life. Regarding this, the present study was conducted to determine the relationship between health literacy and addiction in women of reproductive age referring to addiction treatment centers in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 141 women of reproductive age referring to the addiction treatment centers of Tehran in 2017. The study population was selected through a census sampling method. The data were collected using the Health Literacy for Iranian Adults Questionnaire developed by Montazeri et al. The addiction level in women was determined based on the frequency of drug abuse. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 20) using Pearson correlation test and one-way ANOVA. Results: The mean score of health literacy was 65.11±16.49. Among the dimensions of health literacy, evaluation (31.5%) and conceptualization (17.82%) had the highest and lowest scores, respectively. The results also revealed an indirect relationship between health literacy and addiction rate in women of reproductive age (P<0.05). Conclusion: As the findings indicated, women with a higher level of health literacy had a lower tendency toward addiction. Health literacy seems to be an essential element of health among women and can have a positive impact on their lives

Geographical spread of gastrointestinal tract cancer incidence in the Caspian Sea region of Iran : spatial analysis of cancer registry data

BACKGROUND: High incidence rates of gastrointestinal tract cancers have been reported in the Caspian region of Iran. This study aimed to: 1) describe the geographical spatial patterns of gastrointestinal tract cancer incidence based on cancer registry data and, 2) determine whether geographical clusters of statistical significance exist. METHODS: The Babol Cancer Registry, which covers the two major northern Iranian provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan (total population = 4,484,622) was used to identify new gastrointestinal tract cancer cases during 2001 to 2005. Age-specific cancer incidence rates were calculated for 7 gastrointestinal tract cancer sites in 26 wards of the Mazandaran and Golestan provinces. Spatial autocorrelation indices, hierarchical Bayesian Poisson models, and spatial scan statistics were used in measuring the geographic pattern and clusters. RESULTS: There were non-random spatial patterns in esophageal and stomach cancers that were similar for both sexes. Clusters of high incidence were identified in esophageal, stomach, colorectal and liver cancer for both sexes, as well as a possible cluster of pancreas cancer in males. CONCLUSION: Gastrointestinal tract cancers exhibit significant spatial clustering of risk in northern Iran. Further work is needed to relate these geographical patterns to information on potential life-style and environmental factors

CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION-REVIEW ARTICLE

Introduction: Cardiac arrest is one of the major causes of increased mortality and morbidity worldwide Regarding the occurrence of physiological changes in the vital system of pregnant mothers and reminders, it must be stated that the fact that heart disease in pregnant women can endanger two lives simultaneously, it is clearly indicative of the importance of taking correct remedial and precautionary measures. On the other hand, since the implementation of cardiopulmonary arrest on pregnant women cause incidents, timely and correct remediation is associated with a high percentage of success. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review the recovery of heart rhythm in pregnant mothers. Methods: In this review article, the databases Medline, Cochrane, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were thoroughly searched to identify the studies investigating Pulmonary cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In this review, the papers published until early January 2017 that were conducted to study the Paget's disease were selected. In searching for the articles, those English papers were selected that had investigated Pulmonary cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Results: . Side effects such as heart rhythm disorders and pulmonary edema usually arise in the context of old heart disease and follow physiological changes in the cardiovascular and pulmonary causes which, unless treated timely and correctly, may lead to cardiac arrest. Conclusion: In case of cardiac arrest, ventilation of pregnant mothers is initially performed by mask and bag valve mask and the oxygen core. If additional ventilation is needed, intubation of the trachea should be done as soon as possible and the ventilation must continue through the tracheal tube and bag valve mask; finally, in case of prolonged cardiac and respiratory difficulty, long-term ventilation can be used. Keywords: Pulmonary, cardiopulmonary, resuscitatio

The spatial distribution of esophageal and gastric cancer in Caspian region of Iran: An ecological analysis of diet and socio-economic influences

Recent studies have suggested a systematic geographic pattern of esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC) incidence in the Caspian region of Iran. The aims of this study were to investigate the association between these cancers and the region's dietary and socioeconomic risk factors and to map EC and GC after adjustment for the risk factors and the removal of random and geographic variations from area specific age standardised incidence ratios (SIRs)