112 research outputs found

    Identifying the applications and requirements of using artificial intelligence in new automotive products

    Get PDF
    Artificial intelligence provides unique opportunities to improve the performance of various industries, including the automotive industry. The present study seeks to identify the applications and requirements of using artificial intelligence in new automotive products such as self-driving cars by obtaining opinions from managers and employees of domestic automotive companies through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The interviewees included 11 managers and 17 employees, of which 15 had a bachelor's degree, 11 had a master's degree, and 2 had a doctorate degree. 21 codes were identified in the applications section and 26 codes were identified in the requirements section. After conducting 28 interviews, theoretical saturation was achieved. From the codes identified in the applications section, self-driving cars and voice assistants, shared transportation, and resource allocation, expert staff, and team formation can be mentioned in the requirements section. Considering the variety of artificial intelligence applications in new car products and according to the specified requirements according to the opinions of experts, the development of a suitable platform for hard and soft technologies in an integrated manner; And government support regarding the creation of legal infrastructure can improve the development path of the current technology. Of course, in order to create a context for the successful operation of artificial intelligence in the automotive industry, all the effects of its application from different cultural and social aspects should be considered with a systematic perspective

    Statistical modeling of the inactivation of spoilage microorganisms during ohmic heating of sour orange juice

    Get PDF
    To reduce food pathogens, increase shelf life of fruit juices and maintaining bioactive properties preservation technologies as ohmic heating have gained interest. This study sought to investigate the effect of four ohmic resistance variables, temperature (Temp), voltage (V), current (AMP) and electric conductivity (EC), on the population of two yeasts, an ascospore and three fermentative bacteria, by inoculation into sour orange juice. The incidence of the variables was evaluated through different regression models. The results of the simple linear regression (SLR) indicated that Temp, AMP and EC had a significant negative effect on the population of all microorganisms, while V had no effect on the population of any microorganism. The results of the stepwise linear regression (SWLR) showed that, for each microorganism, the variables Temp and AMP were considered to be significant being the only ones included in the model. Temperature had the highest negative effect on the population of each microorganism, explaining more than 87% of the variability of the microorganism. A full quadratic multiple linear regression (FQMLR) model fitted to the dataset such that all significant variables and interactions between variables were considered. Diverse statistical analysis confirmed the goodness of the model.publishe

    Curcuma longa: A review of therapeutic effects in traditional and modern medical references

    Get PDF
    Turmeric with scientific name of Curcuma longa is a perennial and herbaceous plant from family Zingiberaceae that grows in East Asia, such as China, and India. Ample evidence from previous studies indicates that C. longa is effective on many diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. It also has hepatoprotective, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system protective effects, and may stimulate immune system. Because C. longa contains antioxidant compounds such as curcumin, zingibran, alpha and beta-Turmerin, arabinose, fructose, glucose, starch and desmetoxicurcumin. The therapeutic effects that have already been confirmed in with animal and human studies can be attributed to these compounds. Therefore, the effective compounds of C. longa on the above diseases should be investigated in clinical trials. This may help to produce effective and strong drugs to treat these diseases. This article was aimed to summarize and present the therapeutic effects of Curcuma longa in traditional and modern medical reference

    Epidemiology of Guillain-BarréSyndrome in Iranian Children Aged 0-15 Years (2008-2013)

    Get PDF
    Abstract Objective: Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyneuropathy characterized by a rapid progressive symmetric weakness. This is the most common cause of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) in most parts of the world. This study was carried out to investigate the epidemiological features of GBS in Iranian children. Materials & Methods: Data were extracted using the AFP surveillance system: a National screening program to detect all cases of AFP aged 0-15 years, around the country. National Population Statistics data and AFP demographic data during 2008-2013 intervals was obtained from the relevant authorities in ministry of health. GBS cases were then extracted from this data base. Chi-square and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results: 1884 cases of GBS were identified in years of study and average annual incidence rate was 1.72 per 100,000 populations. The highest incidence rate was in the range of 0-5 years. There was no statistically significant relation between the incidence of GBS and the season in the whole country. Conclusion: High costs of GBS treatment, morbidity and occasional mortality and the number of new cases which is estimated to be about 300 people per year, need particular attention of health system

    Insight into molecular characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein following D614G point mutation, a molecular dynamics study

    Get PDF
    Undoubtedly, the SARS-CoV-2 has become a major concern for all societies due to its catastrophic effects on public health. In addition, mutations and changes in the structure of the virus make it difficult to design effective treatment. Moreover, the amino acid sequence of a protein is a major factor in the formation of the second and tertiary structure in a protein. Amino acid replacement can have noticeable effects on the folding of a protein, especially if an asymmetric change (substitution of polar residue with non-polar, charged with an uncharged, positive charge with a negative charge, or large residue with small residue) occurs. D614G as a spike mutant of SARS-CoV-2 previously identified as an associated risk factor with a high mortality rate of this virus. Using structural bioinformatics, our group determined that D614G mutation could cause extensive changes in SARS-CoV-2 behavior including the secondary structure, receptor binding pattern, 3D conformation, and stability of it. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

    Numerical Study of Scouring pattern around Bridge pier in 180-degree bend Divergent and Convergent Using SSIIM software

    Get PDF
    Bridges are the most important river structures that are destroyed due to erosion. The change in the shape of the river geometry along the course of the river leads to erosion of the river bed and can also affect scour around the pier. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of the convergence and divergence ratio of 15% in the 180º bend was investigated on the amount of scour around the pier of the circular bridge using the SSIIM numerical model. The results showed that the SSIIM software has a high ability and accuracy in determining the scour pattern in bend channels. The most scour depth appeared in the bend with 15% convergence and it increased by 1.75 and 2.33 times compared to the uniform and divergent bend, respectively. Also, the most sedimentation height occurred in the bend with 15% convergence and it increased by 3.25 and 4.33 times compared to the uniform and divergent bend, respectively

    Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Effects on Phenotype and IL-12 Production of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

    Get PDF
    Objective(s)Recent studies on human indicate that the introduction of therapeutic use of tolerogenic dendritic cell (DC) for chronic inflammatory conditions is imminent. For the purpose of defining CGRP potency in tolerogenic DC production, we investigated the phenotype and IL-12 production of DCs generated from the monocytes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in the presence of the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), as a multifunctional neuropeptide.Materials and MethodsDCs were generated from isolated monocytes from four resistant and two early female RA patients using IL-4, GM-CSF, and CGRP at concentrations of 0, 1, and 100 nM. Then, the phenotype of neuropeptide-treated or untreated DCs was determined using flow cytometry and the IL-12 production was measured by ELISA.ResultsOur study showed that, on the last day of the culture, at a concentration of 1 nM CGRP, the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) for CD80 increased (14.13%) and the MFIs for CD83, CD86, and HLA-DR decreased (14.57%, 5.28%, and 6.88% respectively). Moreover, at 100 nM CGRP concentration, the MFI for CD80 increased (11.10%) and the MFIs for CD83, CD86, and HLA-DR decreased (4.27%, 18.60%, and 19.75% respectively). In addition, our results indicated that the mean concentrations of IL-12 produced at 0, 1, and 100 nm CGRP concentrations measured 13.72±2.41, 11.01±1.61, and 7±1.34 pg/ml respectively. ConclusionDecreased CD83, CD86, and HLA-DR expression and reduced IL-12 production by CGRP were found in the RA patients' monocyte-derived DCs. CD83 is a well-defined DC activation marker. HLA-DR and CD86 are appropriate molecules for inducing an immune response. IL-12 promotes cell-mediated immunity. Therefore we suggest that CGRP may be used as an inducer in the production of tolerogenic DCs
    corecore