Toward a neurophysiological foundation for altered states of consciousness

Singh's cultural evolutionary theory posits that methods of inducing shamanic altered states of consciousness differ, resulting in profoundly different cognitive states. We argue that, despite different methods of induction, altered states of consciousness share neurophysiological features and cause shared cognitive and behavioral effects. This common foundation enables further cross-cultural comparison of shamanic activities that is currently left out of Singh's theory

Coding Schemes for Distributed Storage Systems: Implementation and Improvements

Distributed data storage systems are used to store data reliably over a distributed collection of storage locations, called peers. Coding schemes are used to store a portion of the data in the peers ensuring the complete retrieval of data, during peer failures. This has applications in various areas like Wireless Networks, Sensor Networks etc. In this framework we consider a large file to be stored in a distributed manner over few peers of limited capacity. Each peer stores a portion of the coded data, without the knowledge of the contents of other peers. Random Coding is one of the coding schemes used for this. In [1] coding coefficients are chosen randomly from a finite field to encode the data. The encoding is basically a linear combination of file pieces (pieces are elements of finite fields). The data downloader downloads these coded data from several peers and decodes to get the original data. The decoding is basically solving a system of linear equations over a finite field, which is the most time consuming step in the whole process. We give a simple C++ implementation of the schemes in [1] and plot the results. We are trying to find a scheme where coding vectors can be chosen such that the decoding complexity is reduced significantly. Also in a dynamic setting where nodes enter and leave system intermittently, are discussed

Ultrasonic-assisted ruthenium-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of biscoumarins

The Ru-grafted zeolite beta was found to be an excellent heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot synthesis of biscoumarins. This reaction was carried out under reflux condition and ultrasonic irradiation. On the other hand, the catalyst could be recovered for the subsequent reactions and reused without appreciable loss of activity

Synthesis of biscoumarin derivatives by the reaction of aldehydes and 4-hydroxycoumarin using ruthenium (III) chloride hydrate as a versatile homogeneous catalyst

The one-pot domino Knoevenagel-type condensation/Michael reaction of aromatic, heteroaromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with 4-hydroxycoumarin in aqueous media in the presence of ruthenium salt as homogeneous catalyst was investigated. It was found that 5 mol% of RuCl3.nH2O catalyzes biscoumarin synthesis in high yields (70-95%) under optimised, mild, green and environmentally benign reaction conditions in short times (25-35min)

An Educational Intervention on Based Information, Motivation and Behavior Skills Model and Predicting Breast Self-examination

Introduction: Breast self-examination recommend as a breast screening method in developing countries where there are limited access to other screening methods. Therefore promoting breast self-examination required to identify effective interventions and relevant factors.Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental design which carried out on 314 women 20-69 years. Sampling was conducted from April to 10 August, 2016. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection in before and after the educational intervention. Then participants were followed by phone call after one month for breast self-examination performance.We used descriptive statistical analysis (mean, standard division, frequency distribution), and also other statistical methods (Paired t-test, Pearson’s correlation and logistic regression).The data were analyzed using SPSS version 18 with considering a significant level less than 0.05.Results: There was significant difference between mean scores of information, motivation and behavior skill before and after intervention (P<0/001). After one month following 205 of women (72.2%) reported to perform breast self-examination. Pearson’s correlation showed that breast self-examination significantly correlated with information (r=.305, p=.000), motivation (r=.128, p=.031) and behavior skills (r=.161, p=.006). Also the logistic regression results demonstrated that information (p<.001, OR=1.071), motivation (p=.045, OR=.978) and behavior skills (p=.001, OR=1.033) predicted breast self- examination.Conclusions: Considering the results of this study, it appears that the use of educational interventions based on three constructs of information, motivation and behavior skills can be used to promote breast self-examination. Moreover these results can apply to improve breast self-examination among women by health care providers

Data-Driven Structural Health Monitoring in Laminated Composite Structures: Characterisation of Impact Damage

There is a high level of uncertainty for detecting damage, such as barely visible impact damage, hidden manufacturing defects, and subsurface cracks in laminated composites, which is a main limiting factor in wider use of these materials. This highlights the necessity of developing innovative structural health monitoring (SHM) strategies to meet the safety and reliability of current composite structures. In this research, a wide range of laminated composite specimens were designed, manufactured and tested under drop-weight impact with several impact energies to generate visual evidence of such impact events. The dataset was then used to train a user developed artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm to identify and predict damaged areas. The results showed that the developed algorithm could well identify the impact damage on both front and back faces of the specimens. The results obtained from the new AI-based platform were in good agreement with visual observations. The research highlights the importance of a high quality dataset in training the AI-based algorithms for visual SHM

Investigating Factors Affecting the Development of Knowledge Base Businesses Based on IT

IntroductionIn recent decades, a large number of information technology-based businesses have risen to the top of the world's top companies list. Until the early years of the third millennium AD, large companies and owners of oil wells and mineral resources, along with industrial production complexes that are several decades and several hundred years old, have been the flagships of the list of the largest and most successful companies in the world, but this dominance has been challenged by IT-based start-ups during the last two decades. According to the report of the Economist magazine, between the years 2006 and 2016, the top of the list of the world's top companies was suddenly empty of companies active in the fields of energy and production, and their places were filled by information technology young companies. These changes are clear examples of the transition of the world economy from resource-oriented to data-oriented.According to international reports, the value of the production of information technology businesses from the total production of the world’s economy has increased by 29% in the period of 5 years, between 2015 and 2020, reaching 24 trillion and 615 billion dollars, and the share of the digital economy has reached 25% of the total world economy. In other words, the digital economy has swallowed two and a half percent of the share of the traditional economy in 5 years. (UNCTAD, 2019)These facts show the need to pay attention to the position of businesses based on information technology.Theoretical LiteratureIT-based businessesBusinesses that convey their value proposition to customers through various information technology tools, and the main components of their business model are based on information technology, are called information technology-based businesses.Digital EconomyThere are three defined levels in the definition of digital economy. Its limited definition as the main core of the digital economy includes specialized products in the field of information and communication technology, including hardware production, software development, and the provision of Internet and telecommunication services. In the second level, in addition to the central core, it also includes the added value resulting from digital platforms and services. The third level of definition, referred to in the literature as the digitized economy, includes the added value resulting from the use of information technology in all industries.MethodologyThe present research is based on a model that is the product of a qualitative study. The mentioned model became the basis for designing the research questionnaire. After evaluating the validity of the content, the designed questionnaire was sent to a community consisting of three different groups of industry activists, and the received data was analyzed using the Structural Equations Method.ResultsAfter conducting the tests and making the corrections, the final research model was confirmed, consisting of 5 main categories and 22 subcategories or indicators. The main categories counted include 1) organizational factors, 2) environmental factors, 3) policy factors, 4) economic results, and 5) non-economic results.Internal characteristics refer to the factors that a business must focus on for success. In other words, if the following factors are present in a business, the chance of being successful in the market are much higher than that in businesses that did not pay attention to these factors. In other words, this group of factors refers to the internal coordinates of businesses prone to growth and development. These factors include the right project team, business model, specialized human resources, access to financial resources, innovation, and effective marketing.The second group of factors affecting the development of businesses under research are environmental factors. These factors include five categories of sanctions, inappropriate laws, weak information technology infrastructure, economic stagnation of the country, and problems of the information technology innovation system.The third category of factors explained in this research is the role of the government in the development of such businesses in the country. These factors have focused on how the government intervenes in this matter in such a way as to facilitate and accelerate the growth of these businesses. Although these factors are also relevant for businesses in different sectors, the examples of these policies in IT businesses and how the government supports them are different.ConclusionBased on the results of this research, policy factors in this model are an exogenous and independent variable that plays a key role in the development of this category of businesses. This issue confirms the necessity of the government's presence and adoption of policies to support the development of these businesses

A review on self-reporting mechanochromic composites: an emerging technology for structural health monitoring

Recently emerging mechanochromic systems are becoming highly attractive for structural health monitoring (SHM) purposes in various industries, such as civil, wind, and aerospace, to improve the safety and performance of structures. These are based on self-reporting polymer composites which provide a light-weight sensor with an easy-to-read visual cue for SHM purposes. The present paper reports a critical overview of mechanochromic self-reporting approaches and discusses the outlook for future development in the field. Design principles and cutting-edge applications of the main physical- and chemical-based self-reporting mechanisms, i.e., mechanochromism based on dye-filled materials, modified polymers, structural color materials, and smart hybrid composite sensors, are presented with special attention to SHM. These emerging sensors create a new generation of user-friendly, cheap, and power-free SHM systems, guaranteeing economic and technological advantages that will open up new horizons for innovative, safer, and lighter composite products with significantly lower maintenance costs