Prediction of Load in Reverse Extrusion Process of Hollow Parts using Modern Artificial Intelligence Approaches

Extrusion is one of the important processes to manufacture and produce military and industrial components. Designing its tools is usually associated with trial and error and needs great expertise and adequate experience. Reverse extrusion process is known as one of the common processes for production of hollow parts with closed ends. The significant load required in formation of a workpiece is one of the existing constraints for the reverse extrusion process. This issue becomes rather difficult especially for the parts having thin walls since its analysis using finite element softwares is exposed to some limitations. In this regard, application of artificial intelligence for prediction of load in the reverse extrusion process will not only save time and money, but also improve quality features of the product. Based on the existing data and methods suggested for variations of punching force through the reverse extrusion process, the system is trained and then performance of the system is evaluated using the test data in this paper. Efficiency of the proposed method is also assessed via comparison with the results of others.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v4i3.535

High-Resolution Identification of Multiple Salmonella Serovars in a Single Sample by Using CRISPR-SeroSeq

Salmonella enterica is represented by \u3e2,600 serovars that can differ in routes of transmission, host colonization, and in resistance to antimicrobials. S. enterica is the leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States, with well-established detection methodology. Current surveillance protocols rely on the characterization of a few colonies to represent an entire sample; thus, minority serovars remain undetected. Salmonella contains two CRISPR loci, CRISPR1 and CRISPR2, and the spacer contents of these can be considered serovar specific. We exploited this property to develop an amplicon-based and multiplexed sequencing approach, CRISPR-SeroSeq (serotyping by sequencing of the CRISPR loci), to identify multiple serovars present in a single sample. Using mixed genomic DNA from two Salmonella serovars, we were able to confidently detect a serovar that constituted 0.01% of the sample. Poultry is a major reservoir of Salmonella spp., including serovars that are frequently associated with human illness, as well as those that are not. Numerous studies have examined the prevalence and diversity of Salmonella spp. in poultry, though these studies were limited to culture-based approaches and therefore only identified abundant serovars. CRISPR-SeroSeq was used to investigate samples from broiler houses and a processing facility. Ninety-one percent of samples harbored multiple serovars, and there was one sample in which four different serovars were detected. In another sample, reads for the minority serovar comprised 0.003% of the total number of Salmonella spacer reads. The most abundant serovars identified were Salmonella enterica serovars Montevideo, Kentucky, Enteritidis, and Typhimurium. CRISPR-SeroSeq also differentiated between multiple strains of some serovars. This high resolution of serovar populations has the potential to be utilized as a powerful tool in the surveillance of Salmonella species

Spinaler Infarkt

Zusammenfassung: Die durch einen Rückenmarkinfarkt verursachte Symptomatik kann aufgrund der komplexen Blutversorgung des Myelons zu unterschiedlichen neurologischen Ausfällen führen. Dabei steht häufig die durch eine arterielle Minderperfusion des Myelons bedingte Querschnittssymptomatik im Vordergrund. Venös induzierte Mikrozirkulationsstörungen sind anhand des neurologischen Befundes klinisch nicht immer von arteriellen Infarkten zu unterscheiden. Die moderne Bildgebung unter Einsatz der CT- (CTA) und MR-Angiographie (MRA) dient dem Ausschluss nichtvaskulärer Ursachen für die Symptomatik wie Entzündungen und Tumoren sowie der präoperativen Planung vor der Aortenchirurgie zum Nachweis der für die Myelondurchblutung entscheidenden A.Adamkiewicz. Im Gegensatz zur CT kann mittels MRT ein Infarkt im Myelon mit hoher Verlässlichkeit nachgewiesen werde

Associations Between Presenting Symptoms, Clinicopathological Parameters, and Prognosis in a Contemporary Series of Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of presenting symptoms on survival in a contemporary series of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively recorded data on the presenting symptoms, pathology, and RCC-specific survival of 633 consecutive RCC patients who underwent surgery between 2003 and 2012. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-three RCCs (68%) were incidental, 111 (18%) were associated with local symptoms, and 89 (14%) were associated with systemic symptoms. Among those with incidental RCC, 317 patients (73%) were completely asymptomatic and 116 patients (27%) presented with symptoms not related to the tumor. During a median follow-up interval of 40 months (interquartile range: 39 to 69 months), 77 patients died from RCC. In univariate analyses, symptom classification was significantly associated with RCC-specific survival (p<0.001). Patients with incidental RCC and unrelated symptoms tended to have worse prognosis than did patients who were completely asymptomatic, although this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.057). The symptom classification was associated with advanced TNM stages (p<0.001) and grade (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that presenting symptoms are associated with tumor characteristics and survival. The majority of RCCs are diagnosed incidentally in patients without any symptoms or with symptoms not related to RCC. Patients in the latter group tend to have a worse prognosis than do patients who are completely asymptomatic. With the increasing number of incidentally diagnosed RCCs, substratification of patients with incidental tumors may be prognostically relevant

Effect of intensive neuromuscular electrical stimulation on chronic neck pain: A case report

© Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Chronic neck pain is a relatively common problem that can interfere with daily activities, and it is often experienced following musculoskeletal injuries. To identify the impact of intensive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (INES) for reducing chronic neck pain in a 21-year-old female athlete, following a traumatic sports injury, which occurred two years earlier. A treatment package including three separate sessions of intensive neuromuscular electrical stimulation and exercise therapy were prescribed. Outcomes measurements were short form McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), visual analogue scale (VAS), and the neck disability index (NDI). Measurements were performed at baseline, following the intervention, and three months later. Following our intervention; VAS score decreased from 6/10 to 3/10, and 1/10 after three months; and NDI decreased from 54/100 to 18/100, and 10/100 after three months. A combination of INES and resistance training significantly reduced neck pain after three months in a female gymnast. Further research is required to determine the effectiveness of this combination of treatments in larger cohorts with more diffuse musculoskeletal conditions

Celecoxib as an Adjuvant to Fluvoxamine in Moderate to Severe Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Trial

Introduction: A growing body of evidence implicates inflammatory cascades in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), making this pathway a target for development of novel treatments. Methods: 50 outpatients with moderate to severe OCD participated in the trial, and underwent 10 weeks of treatment with either celecoxib (200 mg twice daily) or placebo as an adjuvant to fluvoxamine. Participants were investigated using Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The main outcome measure was to assess the efficacy of celecoxib in improving the OCD symptoms. Results: General linear model repeated measures demonstrated significant effect for time � treatment interaction on the Y-BOCS total scores F (1.38, 66.34)=6.91, p=0.005. Kaplan-Meier estimation with log-rank test demonstrated significantly more rapid response in the celecoxib group than the placebo group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in adverse event frequencies between the groups. Discussion: The results of the current study suggest that celecoxib could be a tolerable and effective adjunctive treatment for more rapid and more satisfying improvements in OCD symptoms. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart, New York

Comparison of risk factors related to intraventricular hemorrhage between preterm infants born after normal and in vitro fertilization conceptions

Objectives We aimed to compare the level of significance of risk factors related Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) between preterm infants born after IVF and non-IVF conceptions. Materials & Methods This historical cohort study was done in four Iranian Hospitals in 2013-2014. Overall, 155 preterm newborns were divided into case (IVF) and control (normal conception) groups. Both groups� demographic data were extracted and recorded. The incidence of IVH and its grades were compared between case and control groups. Significant related risk factors were also considered. Results No differences were observed between 2 groups except for gestational age and mode of delivery. The incidence of IVH especially grades II and III were significantly higher in the case group (P=0.003). Results showed no correlations between Gestational age (GA), birth weight and number of gestations with the incidence of IVH in the case group (0.059, 0.85 and 0.49, respectively). On the other hand, among GA, birth weight and number of gestations; multi gestations (P=0.0001) was an effective risk factor for IVH occurrence in the controls. Conclusion The incidence of IVH in the IVF group was significantly higher than in the non-IVF group. IVF as an independent risk factor may cause high-grade IVH; however, in the controls, multi gestational pregnancy (P=0.0001) was an effective risk factor for IVH occurrence. © 2019, Iranian Child Neurology Society. All rights reserved

How gender, majors, religion and mental health affect the justified death attitude?

Background: Death penalty and euthanasia are disputed practices in the world. However, they are considered "justified" by their proponents. We newly developed a scale for assessment of the attitude toward justified death, which determines "hot cognition" using a number of scenarios. Objectives: This study aimed at assessing the effects of the major demographic items including gender, major, religion, and mental health on the justified death attitude. Methods: A total of 481 participants including 419 university students and 62 seminarians participated in the study in Tehran, Iran. The Persian versions of the justified death attitude scale and the general health questionnaire-12 were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using the multivariate analysis of variance. Results: Capital punishment was suggested more frequently for rape and drug trafficking and less frequently for murder, and infrequently for adultery. Men and religious subjects showed a more positive attitude toward execution. Furthermore, most of the subjects did not agree with euthanasia; surprisingly, active euthanasia was more acceptable than passive euthanasia. Finally, death penalty and euthanasia did not show an association with mental health. Conclusions: Individual characteristics like gender, major, and religiosity could significantly affect the attitude of people toward justified death. Further studies including neuropsychological methods are suggested. © 2017, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Concomitant CIS on TURBT does not impact oncological outcomes in patients treated with neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy

© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018Background: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer improves all-cause and cancer specific survival. We aimed to evaluate whether the detection of carcinoma in situ (CIS) at the time of initial transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) has an oncological impact on the response to NAC prior to radical cystectomy. Patients and methods: Patients were identified retrospectively from 19 centers who received at least three cycles of NAC or induction chemotherapy for cT2-T4aN0-3M0 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder followed by radical cystectomy between 2000 and 2013. The primary and secondary outcomes were pathological response and overall survival, respectively. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine the independent predictive value of CIS on these outcomes. Results: Of 1213 patients included in the analysis, 21.8% had concomitant CIS. Baseline clinical and pathologic characteristics of the ‘CIS’ versus ‘no-CIS’ groups were similar. The pathological response did not differ between the two arms when response was defined as pT0N0 (17.9% with CIS vs 21.9% without CIS; p = 0.16) which may indicate that patients with CIS may be less sensitive to NAC or ≤ pT1N0 (42.8% with CIS vs 37.8% without CIS; p = 0.15). On Cox regression model for overall survival for the cN0 cohort, the presence of CIS was not associated with survival (HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.63–1.18; p = 0.35). The presence of LVI (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.01–1.96; p = 0.04), hydronephrosis (HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.23–2.16; p = 0.001) and use of chemotherapy other than ddMVAC (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34–0.94; p = 0.03) were associated with shorter overall survival. For the whole cohort, the presence of CIS was also not associated with survival (HR 1.05 (95% CI 0.82–1.35; p = 0.70). Conclusion: In this multicenter, real-world cohort, CIS status at TURBT did not affect pathologic response to neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy. This study is limited by its retrospective nature as well as variability in chemotherapy regimens and surveillance regimens.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio