A computer model for the study of light water reactor fuel pin behaviour

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Cross-species amplification of Clupeidae microsatellite DNA markers in common kilka, Clupeonella cultriventris from the Caspian Sea

Common kilka Clupeonella cultriventris (Nordmann, 1840) is a brackish water and small pelagic fish species and is one of the most abundant fishes that live gregariously in the Caspian Sea. A total of 60 specimens of adult common kilka were sampled from two seasons. Fifteen pairs of microsatellites previously developed for A. sapidissima, C. pallasi, C. harengus, and S. pilchardus were tested for cross-species amplification on the common kilka. In this study, only five primer pairs were used successfully. Analyses revealed that the average of alleles per locus was 14.4. The average observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.153 and 0.888, respectively. All loci significantly deviated from H–W equilibrium. These results together with significant Rst. values for genotypic differences support the existence of different genetic populations along the Caspian Sea coast (Guilan Province)

Neo-orientalism? A critical appraisal of changing Western perspectives: Bernard Lewis, John Esposito and Gilles Kepel

In order to justify and naturalise domination and exploitation of ‘others,’ some ideologies that theorise ‘they are less human’ have been invented and employed throughout history. Among these ideologies is the ‘West‐and‐Islam’ dualism, which has been comprehensively and critically studied by Edward Said in Orientalism. Since Orientalism was published in 1978, however, the world seems to have become much more interdependent and political interrelations between the West and Islam have changed dramatically. Consequently this dualism, though more or less in place, has been influenced by escalating waves of globalisation and redistributed and reshaped in a different form. To critically appraise this dualism in this new era, three prominent contemporary Western Islamologists, Bernard Lewis, John Esposito and Gilles Kepel, have been selected and different aspects of their perspectives, their methodologies, their views on Islam and modernity, their political propositions and Islamic belief and law in their vision, are closely compared and critically examined. These three scholars are used to describe parts of the fabric of what I call neo‐Orientalism; they are exemplars suggesting the existence of a larger whole. This dissertation aims to present the genealogy of some lingering traces of the West‐and‐Islam dualism in order to know how they were originated and how they can be replaced by an egalitarian perspective. This is particularly important in this new interdependent world, where we are very close to each other and any crisis anywhere can affect human beings everywhere. This thesis also aims to criticise the often unquestioned assumptions of Western works on Islam and to show through a comparative examination that there can be very different routes with healthier outcomes to look at other cultures. In addition to methods used by Said and to avoid his shortcomings, this research is informed by a Popperian methodology, relying on his theory of the growth of knowledge, his situational analysis and his views on framework and ideology. In conclusion, this thesis suggests that if the West‐and‐Islam dualism is considered as a spectrum of views on Islam, Lewis is the most dualist, perfectly following all principles of dualism, Esposito is the least, and Kepel is (so to say) in between. Moreover, some promising changes in neo‐Orientalism as well as some additional dualistic tendencies that can define neo‐Orientalism are found in this new era. To portray a better future for our interdependent world some new approaches to identity, global ethics and global civil society are suggested. Eradicating the roots of Orientalism and Occidentalism alike and accepting, protecting and even promoting diversity are first steps towards countering devastating threats that endanger humankind as a whole

Robust non-blind color video watermarking using QR decomposition and entropy analysis

Issues such as content identification, document and image security, audience measurement, ownership and copyright among others can be settled by the use of digital watermarking. Many recent video watermarking methods show drops in visual quality of the sequences. The present work addresses the aforementioned issue by introducing a robust and imperceptible non-blind color video frame watermarking algorithm. The method divides frames into moving and non-moving parts. The non-moving part of each color channel is processed separately using a block-based watermarking scheme. Blocks with an entropy lower than the average entropy of all blocks are subject to a further process for embedding the watermark image. Finally a watermarked frame is generated by adding moving parts to it. Several signal processing attacks are applied to each watermarked frame in order to perform experiments and are compared with some recent algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme is imperceptible and robust against common signal processing attacks

Genetic variability and differentiation of common Kilka fish (Clupeonella cultriventris Nordmann, 1840) in the southern coasts of Caspian Sea

A total of 120 samples of adult common Kilka fish (Clupeonella cultriventris) were collected during spring and summer from the southern coasts of Caspian Sea (Bandar Anzali and Babolsar). Fifteen sets of microsatellite primers were developed from Clupeidae being tested on genomic DNA of common Kilka. Allele frequency, observed and expected heterozygosity, FST, RST, FIS index were determined. Five primer sets as polymorphic loci were used to analyze the genetic variation in adults of the common Kilka population. Results revealed that average alleles per locus was 13.1 (range 5 to 22 alleles per locus in regions, Ne=9.5). All sampled regions contained private alleles. Average observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.348 and 0.877, respectively. Deviations from Hardy Weinberg equilibrium were observed in most cases. FST, RST and gene flow estimates in AMOVA and the genetic distance between populations indicated that the genetic difference among the studied populations was pronounced. The data generated in this study provide primary information on the genetic variation and differentiation in populations of Caspian common Kilka

Cross-species amplification of Clupeidae microsatellite DNA markers in common kilka, Clupeonella cultriventris from the Caspian Sea

Common kilka Clupeonella cultriventris (Nordmann, 1840) is a brackish water and small pelagic fish species and is one of the most abundant fishes that live gregariously in the Caspian Sea. A total of 60 specimens of adult common kilka were sampled from two seasons. Fifteen pairs of microsatellites previously developed for A.sapidissima, C. pallasi, C.harengus, and S. pilchardus were tested for cross-species amplification on the common kilka. In this study, only five primer pairs were used successfully. Analyses revealed that the average of alleles per locus was 14.4. The average observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.153 and 0.888, respectively. All loci significantly deviated from H–W equilibrium. These results together with significant Rst. values for genotypic differences support the existence of different genetic populations along the Caspian Sea coast (Guilan Province)

Assessment of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in patients with chronic mitral regurgitation using torsional parameters described by tissue doppler imaging

Background: Left ventricular (LV) twist is due to oppositely directed apical and basal rotation and has been proposed as a sensitive marker of LV function. We sought to assess the impact of chronic pure mitral regurgitation (MR) on the torsional mechanics of the left human ventricle using tissue Doppler imaging. Methods: Nineteen severe MR patients with a normal LV ejection fraction and 16 non-MR controls underwent conventional echocardiography and apical and basal short-axis color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI). LV rotation at the apical and basal short-axis levels was calculated from the averaged tangential velocities of the septal and lateral regions, corrected for the LV radius over time. LV twist was defined as the difference in LV rotation between the two levels, and the LV twist and twisting/untwisting rate profiles were analyzed throughout the cardiac cycle. Results: LV twist and LV torsion were significantly lower in the MR group than in the non-MR group (10.38 ° ± 4.04 ° vs. 13.95 ° ± 4.27 °; p value = 0.020; and 1.29 ± 0.54 °/cm vs. 1.76 ± 0.56 °/cm; p value = 0.021, respectively), both suggesting incipient LV dysfunction in the MR group. Similarly, the untwisting rate was lower in the MR group (-79.74 ± 35.97 °/s vs.-110.96 ± 34.65 °/s; p value = 0.020), but there was statistically no significant difference in the LV twist rate. Conclusion: The evaluation of LV torsional parameters in MR patients with a normal LV ejection fraction suggests the potential role of these sensitive variables in assessing the early signs of ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients

Population genetic structure of common kilka (Clupeonella cultriventris) in the south Caspian Sea costline (Mazandaran province) using micro satellite markers

Common kilka, Clupeonella cultriventris is an economic fish in Caspian sea and we investigate population genetic structure of common kilka in the South Caspian Sea costline (Mazandaran province) using microsatellite markers. Totally, 60 individuals of adult common kilka from two seasons were sampled. Eight sets of microsatellite primers were developed from American shad and Pacific herring tested on genomic DNA of common kilka. At this point only the five successfully used primer sets and were used to analyze the genetic variation in adultsof the common kilka population. Analyses revealed that average of alleles per locus was 11.7 (Na range 6 to 17 alleles per locus). Both of sampled seasons contained private alleles. Average observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.543 and 0.866 respectively. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were in most cases (P<0.01). Basis on AMOVA for both FST values among pairs them indicated a significant difference between the two seasons (P≤0.01). These results support the existence of different genetic populations along the South Caspian Sea costline (Mazandaran province) in different seasons

Intracardiac metastasis of malignant melanoma

Aim: To report a case of intracardiac metastasis of malignant melanoma with multiple mobile, large masses in left atrium (LA), left ventricle (LV) and right atrium (RA). © The Author 2007

Pulmonary arterial pressure detects functional mitral stenosis after annuloplasty for primary mitral regurgitation: An exercise stress echocardiographic study

Introduction: The restrictive mitral valve annuloplasty (RMA) is the treatment of choice for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR), but postoperative functional mitral stenosis remains a matter of debate. In this study, we sought to determine the impact of mitral stenosis on the functional capacity of patients. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 32 patients with degenerative MR who underwent RMA using a complete ring were evaluated. All participants performed treadmill exercise test and underwent echocardiographic examinations before and after exercise. Results: The patients� mean age was 50.1 ± 12.5 years. After a mean follow-up of 14.1 ± 5.9 months (6�32 months), the number of patients with a mitral valve peak gradient >7.5 mm Hg, a mitral valve mean gradient >3 mm Hg, and a pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) �25 mm Hg at rest were 50, 40.6, and 62.5, respectively. 13 patients (40.6) had incomplete treadmill exercise test. All hemodynamic parameters were higher at peak exercise compared with at rest levels (all P <.05). The PAP at rest and at peak exercise as well as peak transmitral gradient at peak exercise were higher in patients with incomplete exercise compared with complete exercise test (all P <.05). The PAP at rest (a sensitivity and a specificity of 84.6 and 52.6, respectively; area under the curve AUC =.755) and at peak exercise (a sensitivity and a specificity of 100% and 47.4%, respectively; AUC =.755) discriminated incomplete exercise test. Conclusion: The RMA for degenerative MR was associated with a functional stenosis and the PAP at rest and at peak exercise discriminated low exercise capacity. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc