Identification of different species of squids in Oman Sea (Iranian waters)

Identification of different species of oceanic and neritic squids in Iranian waters of Oman Sea was carried out from December 1996 to February 1997. The trawl surveys were conducted during a 12-months period. Fishing was also undertaken by Mid-water and bottom trawl for species confirmation purposes in deep (200-350m) and shallow (0-100m) waters to collect enough specimens that could be used for later species identification. The RN Ferdows-I was used for sampling with an approximate hauling speed of 3.0 knots. Three oegopsid species including Ancistrocheirus lesueuri, Liocranchia reinhardti, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis and neritic squid, Loligo duvauceli were identified. Another loliginid squid different from Loligo duvauceli was also observed. A. lesueuri (Enoploteuthidae Family) and Liocranchia reinhardti (Cranchiidae Family) are here reported from this area for the first time. Neither was any report about these two families of oegopsid squids in Oman Sea nor Persian Gulf

Techno-economic and reliability assessment of solar water heaters in Australia based on Monte Carlo analysis

Monte Carlo analysis is used in this study to estimate the techno-economic benefits and reliabilities of solar water heaters. The study focuses on a product range manufactured by a local company in Australia. The historical data provided by the company forms the basis of this investigation. The inverse Weibull distribution function is a good match for representing the historical data in the model in terms of the number of failures per operating time for each component. The overall system reliability is determined as the sum of individual component failures during the product lifetime. The analysis is carried out for different system configurations using copper, stainless steel and glass-lined storage tanks. All the systems utilise flat plate collectors. The product with glass-lined storage tanks and electric boosters show a good overall reliability if systems are maintained. Based on the probability model, the variable maintenance costs of solar water heaters were estimated over the product lifetime. This together with capital expenditures and fuel charges are used to compute the specific price of hot water supply for different system configurations. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is implemented to show the impact of auxiliary heating on the economic viability of the products. The results show that solar water heaters can offer significantly better long-term economic viability compared to conventional systems at moderate auxiliary energy consumptions

Imaging of Estrogen Receptor-α in Rat Pial Arterioles using a Digital Immunofluorescent Microscope

Many of estrogen's effects on vascular reactivity are mediated through interaction with estrogen receptors 1, 2, 3. Although two sub-types exist (estrogen receptor -α and β),estrogen receptor-α has been identified in both the smooth muscle and in endothelial cells of pial arterial segments using fluorescent staining combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy 4. Furthermore, ER-α is located in the nuclei and in the cytoplasm of rat basilar arteries 5. The receptors are abundant and fluoresce brightly, but clear visualization of discrete groups of receptors is difficult likely due to the numbers located in many cell layers of pial vessel segments. Additionally, many reports using immunohistochemical techniques paired with confocal microscopy poorly detail the requirements critical for reproduction of experiments 6. Our purpose for this article is to describe a simple technique to optimize the staining and visualization of ER-α using cross-sectional slices of pial arterioles obtain from female rat brains. We first perfuse rats with Evans blue dye to easily identify surface pial arteries which we isolate under a dissecting microscope. Use of a cryostat to slice 8 μm cross sections of the arteries allows us to obtain thin vessel sections so that different vessel planes are more clearly visualized. Cutting across the vessel rather than use of a small vessel segment has the advantage of easier viewing of the endothelial and smooth muscle layers. In addition, use of a digital immunofluorescent microscope with extended depth software produces clear images of ten to twelve different vessel planes and is less costly than use of a confocal laser scanning microscope

Beyond traditional coatings: a review on thermal-sprayed functional and smart coatings

Thermal spraying has been present for over a century, being greatly refined and optimized during this time. It has become nowadays a reliable and cost-efficient method to deposit thick coatings with a wide variety of feedstock materials and substrates. Thermal-sprayed coatings have been successfully applied in fields such as aerospace or electricity production, becoming an essential component of today’s industry. To overpass the traditional capabilities of those coatings, new functionalities and coherent responses are being integrated, opening the field of functional and smart coatings. The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of the current state of functional and smart coatings produced using thermal spraying deposition. It will first describe the different thermal spraying technologies, with a focus on how different techniques achieve the thermal and kinetic energy required to form a coating. It will as well focus on the environment to which feedstock particles are exposed in terms of temperature and velocity. It will first deal with the state-of-the-art functional and smart coatings applied using thermal spraying techniques; a discussion will follow on the fundamentals on which the coatings are designed and the efficiency of its performance; finally, the successful applications both current and potential will be described. The inherent designing flexibility of thermal-sprayed functional and smart coatings has been exploited to explore exciting new possibilities on many different fields. Some applications include, but not limited to, prevention of bacteria contamination and infection on hygienic environments. Here, thermal spray has been used to efficiently deposit antimicrobial compounds on medical furniture and appliances and to develop biocidal and biocompatible coatings for prosthetic implants. The attachment of hard and soft foulers such as algae or molluscs, which represents a considerable issue for any marine or freshwater installation, can be prevented on components where the use of traditional anti-fouling strategies such as paints is not optimal for certain materials (i.e., polymers). Another interesting approach pursued is the development of superhydrophobic surfaces, with contact angles as high as 160° and slide angles below 5°, leading to high droplet mobility. This adds capabilities as self-cleaning or corrosion resistance in addition to the characteristic robustness of thermal-sprayed coatings. The electric and magnetic properties of the feedstock materials have also led to the application of thermal spraying techniques in the creation of patterned structures with desired electromagnetic properties for their use on microelectronics. The possibility to intercalate layers of thermal-sprayed materials doped with optical-reactive elements has led to the development of online and offline temperature sensors which can be readily integrated in current thermal barrier coatings. To finalize the examples of the many applications of thermal-sprayed functional and smart coatings, autonomous self-healing or self-lubricant coatings have been developed. Advantage has been taken of a beneficial phase transformation triggered by the corresponding event (such as a crack or the tribological interactions, respectively) to promote self-healing. Another approach has been the release of an encapsulated component which effectively heals the coating or provides lubrication when required. All these exciting developments pave the way for the numerous applications that are to come in the next decade, making the field of thermal-sprayed coatings a unique opportunity for research and development

The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands

Researchers and brand managers have limited understanding of the effects social media communication has on how consumers perceive brands. We investigated 504 Facebook users in order to observe the impact of firm-created and user-generated social media communication on brand equity, brand attitude and purchase intention by using a standardized online survey throughout Poland. To test the conceptual model, we analyzed 60 brands across three different industries: non-alcoholic beverages, clothing and mobile network operators. When analyzing the data, we applied the structural equation modeling technique to both investigate the interplay of firm-created and user-generated social media communication and examine industry-specific differences. The results of the empirical studies showed that user-generated social media communication had a positive influence on both brand equity and brand attitude, whereas firm-created social media communication affected only brand attitude. Both brand equity and brand attitude were shown to have a positive influence on purchase intention. In addition, we assessed measurement invariance using a multi-group structural modeling equation. The findings revealed that the proposed measurement model was invariant across the researched industries. However, structural path differences were detected across the models

Examining the effects of platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich fibrin on autologous full thickness skin graft survival in rats

Background: Graft survival has been considered the major problem in reconstructive surgery. Clinical studies have helped us to understand the role of PRP in increasing skin survival. Our goal in this study was to examine the treatment effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on autologous full thickness skin graft survival in male rats. Methods: This experimental study was performed on 36 rats of Sprague-Dawley race with weighing approximately 250 to 300 gr on May 2015 in animal laboratory of Hazrat Fatima Hospital. After anesthesia, rats were divided into 3 groups. We injected platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the first group, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in the second and saline in the third group after removing the skin. Microscopic analysis was performed with camera (Canon powershot SX200, Tokyo, Japan) on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after surgery. We used image analysis system (ImageJ, ver. 1.45) to examine necrosis and survival rate. Samples were studied with H&E staining on day 28 microscopically for histological analysis of vascular density and angiogenesis. Results: Our findings showed the area of necrosis in animals injected with PRP on days 7 and 14, was meaningfully less than control group (P= 0.0001). There was no meaningful difference between control and PRP groups (P> 0.05). The area of necrosis in animals injected with PRF did not have any significant difference with control group from beginning to 21st day (P< 0.0001). there was no meaningful difference in vascular density between control and PRP group, whereas in animals injected with PRF the vascular density was significantly less than control group (P= 0.002). Conclusion: According to our results in this study, we can conclude that using autologous PRP can enhance the process of healing soft tissue injury and be affective at increasing graft survival. This method is suggested to be conducted for patients highly at risk of graft loss and also for those who are in need of early treatments. © 2016, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Dismissive and deceptive car dealerships create barriers to electric vehicle adoption at the point of sale

This study investigates the role of car dealerships in the electrification of passenger transport, namely their sales advice about the purchase and use of electric vehicles (EVs). Because most consumers do not have pre-existing knowledge of EVs, and current market conditions favour petrol and diesel vehicles, car dealership experiences may strongly influence EV purchasing decisions. Here we show that car dealerships pose a significant barrier at the point of sale due to a perceived lack of business case viability in relation to petrol and diesel vehicles. In 126 shopping experiences at 82 car dealerships across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, we find dealers were dismissive of EVs, misinformed shoppers on vehicle specifications, omitted EVs from the sales conversation and strongly oriented customers towards petrol and diesel vehicle options. Dealer’s technological orientation, willingness to sell, and displayed knowledge of EVs were the main contributors to likely purchase intentions. These findings combined with expert interviews suggest that government and industry signalling affect sales strategies and purchasing trends. Policy and business strategies that address barriers at the point of sale are needed to accelerate EV adoption

Analogue peptides for the immunotherapy of human acute myeloid leukemia

Accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00262-015-1762-9The use of peptide vaccines, enhanced by adjuvants, has shown some efficacy in clinical trials. However, responses are often short-lived and rarely induce notable memory responses. The reason is that self-antigens have already been presented to the immune system as the tumor develops, leading to tolerance or some degree of host tumor cell destruction. To try to break tolerance against self-antigens, one of the methods employed has been to modify peptides at the anchor residues to enhance their ability to bind major histocompatibility complex molecules, extending their exposure to the T-cell receptor. These modified or analogue peptides have been investigated as stimulators of the immune system in patients with different cancers with variable but sometimes notable success. In this review we describe the background and recent developments in the use of analogue peptides for the immunotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia describing knowledge useful for the application of analogue peptide treatments for other malignancies

Stock assessment of zobaidy, Pampus argenteus, in the north of Persian Gulf

The project “Stock Assessment of Zobaidy, Pampus argenteus, in the North of Persian Gulf” started in April 2003 and completed by the end of April 2006 as a cooperative research project to assess the valuable stock of zobaidy shared between Kuwait and Iran in the North of Persian Gulf. The main objectives were to investigate and determine the basic biological parameters, the standing biomass, seasonal abundance, and the impact of regional fishery activities. These studies are necessary to recommend practical management policies and measures for long-term sustainability of the zobaidy stock. The sampling of fisheries data (catch, effort, fish length distributions, and biological data) was started in May 2003 and ended December 2006. Monthly length frequencies data were collected from both the drift gill net and shrimp trawl fisheries. Age determination was based on otolith sectioning, polishing, etching, and staining method. The age groups ranged from 0 to 10 yrs but the dominant age groups were 1-3 years and the estimated parameters for both sexes were L_∞ = 32.0-36.0 cm FL and K = 0.26-0.30 yr^-1, females grow faster than males. Sea survey on board of two dhow boats was carried out using swept area method. Higher abundance was always obtained in Kuwait Bay rather than the other areas surveyed in Kuwait and Khuzestan waters. The total estimated stock biomass in the surveyed areas varied from 42 t in January 2004 to 2,633 t in November 2004, while the Iranian biomass varied from as low as 19 t in October 2005 to 295 t in November 2003. The data indicated that Ras Al-Gaid, Bubiyan Island is the main nursery area in Kuwait waters, while Lifah, Busaif, and Bahrakan are important nursery areas in the Khuzestan waters. Kuwait Bay and Khor Musa are considered important spawning grounds and should be protected. Yield per recruit analysis showed that higher yield could be gained with increasing fish effort, which is not recommended under the present status of high exploitation rate. In contrast, virtual population analysis indicated that future catches will reduce if the fishery continues with present level fishing effort. A reduction of 50% would be required to maintain the present level of catches as well as to enhance the stock biomass. Formulation of a joint advisory management committee would be advisable approach to manage and monitor the zobaidy stock in the region. This will need commitment from the three countries in the region for data collection on regular basis on length frequency, statistics, and biological data. Copepods with high occurence of 64% - 88% is considered as the main item in the Pomfret fish, while jelly fish and other decapods crustaceans are considered as minor items. Observation of pre- flexion stage larvae of pampus genus among the specimens collected from Khuzestan coast water could be considered as an evidence for the spawning of this fish in this region. The occurrence of pampus larvae in Khuzestan coast during the months of June to October has been reported for several times. Examination of 101 specimens (38 from Kuwait, 63 from Iran) for molecular survey does not show any significant differences between Kuwait and Iran water stocks for this fish, so it is possible to hypothesize a unit population for zobidy stock in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea as whole