Accurate heat loss evaluation of water-cooled electric motors using a differential ultrasonic calorimeter

Measuring thermal losses of electric motors are important for their design optimization and correct pricing after manufacture. This measurement can be conducted by measuring the temperature difference of the motor coolant (commonly water) between the coolant's inlet and outlet. High speed of measurement facilitates testing various load scenarios and manufacture throughput; high measurement accuracy and resolution enables correct conclusions on efficiency of various design alterations and price bracketing of manufactured pieces. Ultrasonic temperature sensors can fast sense temperature with high resolution and accuracy across the complete ultrasonic pathway. Conventional high resolution ultrasonic sensors are expensive; however, oscillating ultrasonic temperature sensors can be implemented using mass produced transducers and electronic parts which cost a fraction of the price of conventional high resolution ultrasonic measurement equipment. The presented ongoing research focuses on development of a differential ultrasonic oscillating temperature sensor for evaluation of power losses in electrical motors. Computer simulations, electronic and firmware design, and experimental results are presented and discussed

An Unclear Future for Iranian Energy Transition in Light of the Re-imposition of Sanctions

Moving toward energy transition for an oil and gas rich country such as Iran could be a great advancement for the global energy transition and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Despite the international and national commitments of Iran to reduce GHG emissions and increase the share of renewables in its energy mix, the re-imposition of sanctions following the withdrawal of the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have hindered the successful achievement of such targets. This paper examines the main impediments derived from these sanctions, as a lack of foreign investment, a lack of technology transfers and consequently, the shift in Iran’s policy away from renewable energy. As energy transition toward renewables falls into the category of a global public good through its decarbonising the energy sector, the US’s sanctions on Iran will not only affect Iran, but also the global population as a whole. This paper is original since the situation is examined from an Iranian perspective and uses official documents, statements, and laws, obtained from both Persian and English sources

Survival rate of prostate cancer in asian countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most common health issues among men, especially older men. In recent years, incidences of prostate cancer is increasing. Objective: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive estimate of the survival of prostate cancer in Asian countries. Methods: We searched five international databases including Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Knowledge and ProQuest until June 1, 2018. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment was used to evaluate the quality of selected papers. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019117044). Results: A total of 714 titles were retrieved. Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the random-effect model one-year, five-year and ten-year survival rate of prostate cancer were 81 (95 CI 77.8�84.2), 61.9 (95 CI 59.5�64.3) and 36.2 (95 CI 9.2�63.2) respectively. Survival rates based on HDI level for five-year were 30.07, 43.43 and 70.84 percent for medium, high and very high levels, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of our study, the prostate cancer survival rate in Asian countries is relatively lower than in Europe and North America. © 2020 The Author(s)

The survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in asian countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma or Liver cancer (LC) is the sixth most common cancer and the fourth cause of death worldwide in 2018. There has not been a comprehensive study on the survival rate of patients with LC in Asia yet. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the survival rate of patients with LC in Asian countries. The methodology of the present study is based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) statement. The researchers searched five international databases including Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Knowledge and ProQuest until July 1, 2018. We also searched Google Scholar for detecting grey literature. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form was used to evaluate the quality of selected papers. A total of 1425 titles were retrieved. 63 studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the random-effect model one-year, three-year and five-year survival rate of LC were 34.8 (95 CI; 30.3-39.3), 19 (95 CI; 18.2-21.8) and 18.1 (95 CI;16.1-20.1) respectively. According to the results of our study, the LC survival rate in Asian countries is relatively lower than in Europe and North America. © 2020, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors. All rights reserved

Emergence of light-driven protometabolism on recruitment of a photocatalytic cofactor by a self-replicator

Establishing how life can emerge from inanimate matter is among the grand challenges of contemporary science. Chemical systems that capture life’s essential characteristics—replication, metabolism and compartmentalization—offer a route to understanding this momentous process. The synthesis of life, whether based on canonical biomolecules or fully synthetic molecules, requires the functional integration of these three characteristics. Here we show how a system of fully synthetic self-replicating molecules, on recruiting a cofactor, acquires the ability to transform thiols in its environment into disulfide precursors from which the molecules can replicate. The binding of replicator and cofactor enhances the activity of the latter in oxidizing thiols into disulfides through photoredox catalysis and thereby accelerates replication by increasing the availability of the disulfide precursors. This positive feedback marks the emergence of light-driven protometabolism in a system that bears no resemblance to canonical biochemistry and constitutes a major step towards the highly challenging aim of creating a new and completely synthetic form of life. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Complementary and alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Iranian patients with cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the application of some Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) techniques among cancer patients in Kerman, Southeast of Iran. Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study. The statistical population consisted of patients referring to the Cancer Clinic and Yas Association of Kerman in 2016-2017. Data were collected using a two-part researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square test and logistic regression test) with SPSS version 18. Results: According to the present study, 45.9% of participants used at least one of the CAM methods except for prayer in the past year. 37.5% of the people consulted with their doctor for the use of CAMs. Regarding the number of used methods, the result of the study showed that 88% of the subjects used one of the methods, 3.6% used two, 7.2% used 3, and 1.2% used 4 CAM methods during the last year. The multifactor logistic regression showed that gender was the only factor which had a significant association with being or not being a user of CAMs. Conclusions: The results showed that almost one out of two cancer patients uses CAMs for cancer treatment indicating high prevalence of these treatments in cancer. Women were more willing to use CAM methods than men. Therefore, health care providers must pay more attention to this group during cancer treatment to reduce treatment interactions and increase the quality of care

The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Gastrointestinal Functions: a Systematic Review

Introduction: abdominal massage with regular and rhythmic movements has been used to treat some symptoms of diseases. Objectives: to review data collected from randomized controlled trials regarding the effect of abdominal massage (AM) on gastrointestinal functions (GFs). Methods: we conducted a systematic review of articles accessible through PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. All eligible English RCT- published articles related to the effect of AM on GFs were included in the study from the time of their acceptance until June 2019. Results: ten studies with 464 patients met the inclusion criteria. Three studies reported that AM alleviated constipation symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis, cancer, and elderly adults. In three studies, AM increased bowel movements in people with constipation and patients undergoing skeletal traction. The results of three studies conducted on intensive care patients showed that AM improved GFs, and decreased abdominal circumference and distension. Two studies showed the effectiveness of AM in reducing the gastric residual volume. However, one study indicated no significant difference between the intervention and control groups. The results of two studies showed that AM did not affect laxative intake, nausea or vomiting, frequency of defecation, and food intake. Furthermore, AM did not decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. The studies reported no adverse effects of AM. Conclusions: there was promising evidence for the effect of AM on GFs. However, further studies are needed to measure the unknown dimensions of AM in patients. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

The global prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among operating room personnel: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most important occupational problems. However, there has also been no worldwide review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of MSDs among operation room personnel. The present study aimed to investigate and estimate the prevalence of MSDs among operating room personnel using a systematic review and meta-analysis study. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in 2019. The researchers searched Medline/PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Embase, and Google Scholar. Studies classified by categories of country and populations. In order to determine and control the quality assessment of articles, researchers use the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. Results: A total of 111 articles from databases were found. Final screening included 12 into statistical analysis. Based on the random-effect model, the prevalence of MSDs in neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists & hands, upper back, lower back, hip, knees, and ankles & feet was 53.66 (CI 95: 43.30�64.02), 55.63 (CI 95: 43.90�67.36), 23.01 (CI 95: 14.75�31.27), 38.79 (CI 95: 21.95�55.62), 44.20 (CI 95: 27.80�60.59), 61.48 (CI 95: 44.33�78.64), 26.56 (CI 95: 10.40�42.72), 43.43 (CI 95: 23.80�63.06), and 57.06 (CI 95: 48.25�65.87), respectively. Based on the results of meta-regression, there was no statistically significant relationship between prevalence of MSDs and mean of age, and year of study. Conclusion: The study results revealed the high prevalence of MSDs, specifically in lower back among the operating room personnel. Considering the difficult conditions of working in the operating room, MSDs and particularly back pain are unpreventable. © 2020 INDIACLE

The effect of different genres of music and silence on relaxation and anxiety: A randomized controlled trial

High stress and anxiety in healthy individuals may lead to use different pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies. The study aimed to investigate the effect of different genres of music on anxiety and relaxation in healthy participants. This study was a randomized controlled trial with a cross-over design. Forty-six healthy undergraduates participated in the study and randomly received different genres of music (Pop, Rock, Western Classical, and Persian Traditional) and silence for five consecutive days between February and June 2018. Each participant was her/his own control. Relaxation and the State Anxiety were checked with Smith Relaxation States Inventory 3 and The State Anxiety Inventory before and after listening to 15 min of music or laying down in silence. None of the five procedures were preferred for a more relaxing effect (P > 0.05). Also, none of the interventions were preferred for reduction of the state anxiety (P > 0.05). Although different genres of music, i.e., Pop, Rock, Western Classical, Persian Traditional, could reduce state anxiety and improve relaxation, they had no extra effect compared to Silence. © 2020 Elsevier Inc

Stress and Quality of Life of Patients with Cancer: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness

Background. Cancer is one of the major health problems worldwide, which in addition to physical disorders, causes stress and anxiety in patients and affects the quality of life of cancer patients. Mindfulness can affect stress and improve the quality of life. This research explained the correlation between stress, quality of life, and mindfulness. Materials and Methods. Two hundred five cancer patients participated in this cross-sectional study. Patients completed the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results. Perceived stress and mindfulness predict nearly 39 of the changes of QOL in cancer patients. In addition, perceived stress was negatively associated with mindfulness and quality of life P<0.05. Mindfulness was positively correlated with quality of life P<0.05. Mindfulness played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life (standardized β =-0.13; SE = 0.07, 95 confidence interval =-0.28 to-0.01; P value = 0.04). Conclusion. In the present study, the variables of mindfulness and perceived stress affected the quality of life of cancer patients. Mindfulness can affect the quality of life of cancer patients directly and indirectly. These results emphasize the importance of mindfulness in the lives of cancer patients. © 2020 Mahlagha Dehghan et al