Selection of parameters to predict dew point temperature in arid lands using Grey theory: a case study of Iran

Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into liquid with the same rate it evaporates. Dew point study is important in arid lands with low rainfall, also in other regions with various hydrological and climatological conditions. In this study, the Grey theory is applied for the first time to propose a framework approach to identify the important parameters affecting the prediction of dew point temperature. The ability of Grey theory to estimate and rank the parameters of a problem with missing data and uncertain conditions means that it has a good potential for mentioned application. For this research, 8 parameters are selected using literature review including: global solar radiation on a horizontal surface (H), water vapor pressure (VP), atmospheric pressure (P), sunshine duration (n), minimum air temperature (Tmin), maximum air temperature (Tmax), average air temperature (Tavg), and Relative Humidity (RH). The study is conducted for the city of Abadeh in Iran by using the data pertaining to a 10 year period between 2005 and 2015. The findings show that RH, Tavg, P, Tmax, Tmin, H, n and Vp with the grey possibility degrees of, respectively, 0.534, 0.551, 0.608, 0.622, 0.635, 0.695, 0.697 and 0.712, are the most important and effective parameters in prediction of dew point temperature. The proposed method also prioritizes the studied parameters in the order of their effectiveness on predicted dew point temperature

Assessing commitment to principles of prescription writing for outpatients in teaching hospitals of Ahvaz: 2015

Background: The observance of standard prescription principles by physicians increases the likelihood of proper treatment, its effectiveness and patients’ recovery. The present study aims to explore the level of physicians’ observance of prescription standards while visiting outpatients referring to teaching hospitals in Ahvaz.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 550 prescriptions written for outpatients referring to (Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences) affiliated hospitals in 2015. In each prescription, issues related to legibility, medication form and order and identity information were extracted and recorded on a checklist prepared based on the World Health Organization guidelines. Each prescription was scored with a score range from 0 to 21 and then analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: The average number of items per prescription was 3.48; 1396 drugs (72.78%) were written legibly; 1032 drugs (58.81%) were prescribed incorrect forms; 1281 drugs (66.07%) were prescribed in correct order; doctor’s identity was written in 98.08% of the examined prescriptions; patient’s identity was written in 80.36% of the prescriptions; and 1428 drugs were prescribed consistent with the standards of prescription.Conclusions: Study results revealed that most of the examined doctors prescribed medications consistent with the standards of prescription; however, the two dimensions of medication form and order of use were not adequately noticed by doctors. Use of electronic prescriptions can improve the communication of prescriptions in teaching hospitals

Development of a novel lot sizing model with variable lead time in supply chain environment

Supply chain management (SCM) addresses the management of materials and information across the entire chain from suppliers to producers, distributors, retailers, and customer. The theory of supply chain management suggests that lead time reduction is a pioneer to the use of market mediation to reduce transaction uncertainty in the chain, which can be conceptualized as the primary goal of supply chain management. In the past few decades, scholars gave ample attention about the impact of inventory on SCM. This paper relates to the development of a lot sizing model for a single component multiple delivery system with variable demand and lead time of a multinational transformer company. Two models and the modification were developed on the basis of the following assumptions. For first model distribution of demand is normal, distribution of procurement lead time is exponential and the quantity is coming in a single lot. For second model distribution of demand is normal distribution of ‘procurement’ and ‘administrative delay’ lead time is exponential and the quantity is coming in a single lot. Modification of the first model has been done by taking the effect of multiple deliveries in the models and correcting the Re-order point as obtained from the previous models. The results were observed by the second model and analysis has been done for different parametric conditions. The effect of multiple deliveries is also taken into account. The optimum re-order point and economic ordering quantity with various different inputs have been discussed

Large-vscale hydrogen production and storage technologies: Current status and future directions

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy on 13/11/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.10.110 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Over the past years, hydrogen has been identified as the most promising carrier of clean energy. In a world that aims to replace fossil fuels to mitigate greenhouse emissions and address other environmental concerns, hydrogen generation technologies have become a main player in the energy mix. Since hydrogen is the main working medium in fuel cells and hydrogen-based energy storage systems, integrating these systems with other renewable energy systems is becoming very feasible. For example, the coupling of wind or solar systems hydrogen fuel cells as secondary energy sources is proven to enhance grid stability and secure the reliable energy supply for all times. The current demand for clean energy is unprecedented, and it seems that hydrogen can meet such demand only when produced and stored in large quantities. This paper presents an overview of the main hydrogen production and storage technologies, along with their challenges. They are presented to help identify technologies that have sufficient potential for large-scale energy applications that rely on hydrogen. Producing hydrogen from water and fossil fuels and storing it in underground formations are the best large-scale production and storage technologies. However, the local conditions of a specific region play a key role in determining the most suited production and storage methods, and there might be a need to combine multiple strategies together to allow a significant large-scale production and storage of hydrogen.Published versio

An association between change in health expenditures and health indicators; A cross country comparison

Background and purpose: Improved life standards, over the past few decades, had led to an increase in health expenditures. The aim of this article was  to compare the trend of health expenditure per capita and its association with health indicators in selected countries. Materials and Methods: The health indices of World Health Organization and World Bank health statistics for 10 years (2003 to 2013) were employed. Countries includes Denmark, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Nigeria and Liberia. Six indices were compared with the global average in 5 income groups. Results: Denmark with health expenditure per capita more than the Netherlands had higher life expectancy at birth and more deaths as a result of alcohol abuse and tobacco smoking. Nigeria’s health spending per capita was 2.5 times more than that of Liberia, because it had worse results in all health indicators with high mortality rate due to lower vaccination coverage for malaria, AIDS, and tuberculosis, and at the same time, high costs for the labor force and corruption in health system. Iran with health expenditure per capita less than Turkey had lower total mortality rate of infants and children under 5 years and lower total fertility. Well-organized PHC system and highly qualified professionals in the field of healthcare are among the strengths of the healthcare system in Iran. Conclusion: Increasing trend of health expenditures in selected countries did not have a significant impact on the health indicators trend. Countries must identify and invest on their health priorities to improve population health status

Asymmetric/Axisymmetric buckling of circular/annular plates under radial load using first-order shear deformation theory

This paper proposes a mathematical method for the asymmetric buckling analysis of homogeneous and isotropic circular/annular plates under radial load based on the first-order shear deformation theory and nonlinear von Kármán relations. The buckling load is presented for different combinations of the free, clamped, and simply supported boundary conditions at the plate outer edges and different aspect ratios. The equilibrium equations which are five coupled nonlinear partial differential equations are extracted using the principle of virtual work and they are solved analytically using the perturbation technique. The stability equations which are a system of coupled linear partial differential equations with variable coefficients are obtained by employing the adjacent equilibrium criterion. The differential quadrature method is utilized to find the buckling load which is the eigenvalue of the stability equations. Also, the buckling load is examined using the classical plate theory as well. The sensitivity analysis investigates the effect of geometrical parameters on the buckling load. The results are compared with the obtained results from the classical plate theory, finite elements, and the results were reported in the other references

Validation of Medical Tourism Service Quality Questionnaire (MTSQQ) for Iranian Hospitals

Introduction: Assessing service quality is one of the basic requirements to develop the medical tourism industry. There is no valid and reliable tool to measure service quality of medical tourism. This study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of a Persian version of medical tourism service quality questionnaire for Iranian hospitals. Methods: To validate the medical tourism service quality questionnaire (MTSQQ), a cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 Iraqi patients referred to hospitals in Ahvaz (Iran) from 2015. To design a questionnaire and determine its content validity, the Delphi Technique (3 rounds) with the participation of 20 medical tourism experts was used. Construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed by Excel 2007, SPSS version18, and Lisrel l8.0 software. Results: The content validity of the questionnaire with CVI=0.775 was confirmed. According to exploratory factor analysis, the MTSQQ included 31 items and 8 dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, exchange and travel facilities, technical and infrastructure facilities and safety and security). Construct validity of the questionnaire was confirmed, based on the goodness of fit quantities of model (RMSEA=0.032, CFI= 0.98, GFI=0.88). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.837 and 0.919 for expectation and perception questionnaire. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the medical tourism SERVQUAL questionnaire with 31 items and 8 dimensions was a valid and reliable tool to measure service quality of medical tourism in Iranian hospitals

Assessing commitment to principles of prescription writing for outpatients in teaching hospitals of Ahvaz: 2015

Background: The observance of standard prescription principles by physicians increases the likelihood of proper treatment, its effectiveness and patients’ recovery. The present study aims to explore the level of physicians’ observance of prescription standards while visiting outpatients referring to teaching hospitals in Ahvaz.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 550 prescriptions written for outpatients referring to (Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences) affiliated hospitals in 2015. In each prescription, issues related to legibility, medication form and order and identity information were extracted and recorded on a checklist prepared based on the World Health Organization guidelines. Each prescription was scored with a score range from 0 to 21 and then analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: The average number of items per prescription was 3.48; 1396 drugs (72.78%) were written legibly; 1032 drugs (58.81%) were prescribed incorrect forms; 1281 drugs (66.07%) were prescribed in correct order; doctor’s identity was written in 98.08% of the examined prescriptions; patient’s identity was written in 80.36% of the prescriptions; and 1428 drugs were prescribed consistent with the standards of prescription.Conclusions: Study results revealed that most of the examined doctors prescribed medications consistent with the standards of prescription; however, the two dimensions of medication form and order of use were not adequately noticed by doctors. Use of electronic prescriptions can improve the communication of prescriptions in teaching hospitals