Comparison of Intelligent Systems, Artificial Neural Networks and Neural Fuzzy Model for Prediction of Gas Hydrate Formation Rate

The main objective of this study was to present a novel approach for predication of gas hydrate formation rate based on the Intelligent Systems. Using a data set including about 470 data obtained from flow tests in a mini-loop apparatus, different predictive models were developed. From the results predicted by these models, it can be pointed out that the developed models can be used as powerful tools for prediction of gas hydrate formation rate with total errors of less than 4%

Privacy policy preference (P3P) in e-commerce: key for improvement

E-commerce is one of the mediums being used for online business via internet. Buying, selling and exchanging information are examples of activities conducted in e-commerce. In order to use e-commerce, some private information must be revealed by the customer. At this point, privacy policy plays the role in preventing unauthorized access to the user's private information. This study will investigate the concept of a privacy policy and the role of a platform for privacy policy preference (P3P) in e-commerce. This paper suggest some key improvements that should be included in privacy policy statements based on P3P and end with suggestions for future work

Association of invasive breast carcinoma and multicentric high grade astrocytoma: a case report with a review.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Multicentric gliomas are uncommon lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) with an unprecise rate of occurrence that diffusely infiltrate large portions of the brain. High grade astrocytoma is the most agressive form of gliomas and often has a distinct neuroimaging pattern with a poor prognosis. We report a case of a 29-year-old woman patient with primary breast carcinoma and high grade astrocytoma subsequently developed. The woman was treated by mastectomy and 20 months post-diagnosis of the cancer she exhibited a transient facial paralysis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed two cranial masses suspicious of metastasis. A complete tumor removal from the brain was performed. On histological examination, this tumor was a high grade astrocytoma

GGE biplot and AMMI analysis of barley yield performance in Iran

Successful production and development of stable and adaptable cultivars only depend on the positive results achieved from the interaction between genotype and environment that consequently has significant effect on breeding strategies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate genotype by environment interactions for grain yield in barley advanced lines and to determine their stability and general adaptability. For these purposes, 18 advanced lines along with two local cultivars were evaluated at five locations (Gachsaran, Lorestan, Ilam, Moghan and Gonbad) during three consecutive years (2012–2015). The results of the AMMI analysis indicated that main effects due to genotype (G), environment (E) and GE interaction as well as four interaction principal component axes were significant, representing differential responses of the lines to the environments and the need for stability analysis. According to AMMI stability parameters, lines G5 and G7 were the most stable lines across environments. Biplot analysis determined two barley mega-environments in Iran. The first mega-environment contained of Ilam and Gonbad locations, where the recommended G13, G19 and G1 produced the highest yields. The second mega-environment comprised of Lorestan, Gachsarn and Moghan locations, where G2, G9, G5 and G7 were the best adapted lines. Our results revealed that lines G5, G7, G9 and G17 are suggested for further inclusion in the breeding program due to its high grain yield, and among them G5 recommended as the most stable lines for variable semi-warm and warm environments. In addition, our results indicated the efficiency of AMMI and GGE biplot techniques for selecting genotypes that are stable, high yielding, and responsive

Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: A pilot double-blind randomized trial [ISRCTN45683816]

BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality associated with depression are considerable and continue to increase. Depression currently ranks fourth among the major causes of disability worldwide, after lower respiratory infections, prenatal conditions, and HIV/AIDS. Crocus sativus L. is used to treat depression. Many medicinal plants textbooks refer to this indication whereas there is no evidence-based document. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of stigmas of Crocus sativus (saffron) with imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a 6-week pilot double-blind randomized trial. METHODS: Thirty adult outpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th )edition for major depression based on the structured clinical interview for DSM IV participated in the trial. Patients have a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind, single-center trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive capsule of saffron 30 mg/day (TDS) (Group 1) and capsule of imipramine 100 mg/day (TDS) (Group 2) for a 6-week study. RESULTS: Saffron at this dose was found to be effective similar to imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression (F = 2.91, d.f. = 1, P = 0.09). In the imipramine group anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth and also sedation were observed more often that was predictable. CONCLUSION: The main overall finding from this study is that saffron may be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. To the best of our knowledge this is the first clinical trial that supports this indication for saffron. A large-scale trial with placebo control is warranted

Automated Planning of Concrete Joint Layouts with 4D-BIM

Concrete pouring represents a major critical path activity that is often affected by design limitations, structural considerations and on-site operational constraints. As such, meticulous planning is required to ensure that both the aesthetic and structural integrity of joints between cast in-situ components is achieved. Failure to adequately plan concrete pouring could lead to structural defects, construction rework or structural instability, all having major financial implications. Given the inherent complexity of large-scale construction projects, the ‘manual planning’ of concrete pouring is a challenging task and prone to human errors. Against this backdrop, this study developed 4D Building Information Management (BIM) approach to facilitate automated concrete joint positioning solution (as a proof of concept) for design professionals and contractors. The study first developed structural model in Revit, then extracted spatial information regarding all construction joints and linked them to dynamic Microsoft (MS) Excel and Matlab spreadsheets using integration facilitated by Dynamo software. Midspan points of each beam as well as floor perimeter information were gathered via codes developed in MS Excel macros. Based on the Excel outputs, Matlab programming was used to determine best concreating starting points and directions, and daily allowed concrete volume, considering limitations due to cold joints. These information were then pushed back to Revit via Dynamo in order to develop daily concrete scheduling. The developed automated programme framework offers a cost-effective and accurate methodology to address the limitations and inefficiencies of traditional methods of designing construction joints and planning pours. This framework extends the body of knowledge by introducing innovative solutions to integrate structural design considerations, constructional procedures and operational aspects for mitigating human error, and providing a novel, yet technically sound, basis for further application of BIM in structural engineering

Proceedings of the 29th EG-ICE International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering

This publication is the Proceedings of the 29th EG-ICE International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering from July 6-8, 2022. The EG-ICE International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering brings together international experts working on the interface between advanced computing and modern engineering challenges. Many engineering tasks require open-world resolution of challenges such as supporting multi-actor collaboration, coping with approximate models, providing effective engineer-computer interaction, search in multi-dimensional solution spaces, accommodating uncertainty, including specialist domain knowledge, performing sensor-data interpretation and dealing with incomplete knowledge. While results from computer science provide much initial support for resolution, adaptation is unavoidable and most importantly, feedback from addressing engineering challenges drives fundamental computer-science research. Competence and knowledge transfer goes both ways. &nbsp

Proceedings of the 29th EG-ICE International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering

This publication is the Proceedings of the 29th EG-ICE International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering from July 6-8, 2022. The EG-ICE International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering brings together international experts working on the interface between advanced computing and modern engineering challenges. Many engineering tasks require open-world resolution of challenges such as supporting multi-actor collaboration, coping with approximate models, providing effective engineer-computer interaction, search in multi-dimensional solution spaces, accommodating uncertainty, including specialist domain knowledge, performing sensor-data interpretation and dealing with incomplete knowledge. While results from computer science provide much initial support for resolution, adaptation is unavoidable and most importantly, feedback from addressing engineering challenges drives fundamental computer-science research. Competence and knowledge transfer goes both ways. &nbsp

A case report on tubular duplication of cervical esophagus

Background: Foregut duplication is commonly found in the posterior mediastinum. About 10-20 of these anomalies are associated with esophageal duplication. It can occur in all parts of esophagus. Although the duplication of cervical esophagus has been previously reported, a majority of it was found in the thoracic oesophagus. Infant esophageal duplication is usually associated to respiratory distress or asymptomatic thoracic mass, casually detected in x-ray. Case Report: In this report the case was a 7 months old infant (7.5 kg) with the chief compliant of respiratory distress, fever and nutritional intolerance. Results: Physical examination of the case showed dehydration, stridor, tachypnea, intercostal retraction and neck stiffness. Plain chest radiogram showed a dual cystic mass in the distal neck region. Neck and chest CT- scan showed cervical cystic lesion disseminated to the posterior mediastinum, probably propagated to the respiratory system. For treatment, cystic lesion attached to the esophagus was partially resected, esophagus was repaired and the remaining mucosa of the cyst was removed, then gastrostomy tube was inserted. Conclusion: Although the cervical esophageal duplication of cysts are rare in infant respiratory distress, they must be considered as one of differential diagnoses of the cervical masses

Effect of methanolic extract of hawthorn (Crataegus aronia) fruit on Leishmania major in vitro

Background: Pentavalent antimonate compounds are the routine drugs for leishmaniasis. Apart from side effects, relapse and drug resistance are among the main problems of these compounds. Hawthorn has antioxidant and antibacterial effects. The aim of present study was to determine the anti-leishmanial effect of hawthorn fruit extract in vitro. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study different doses of hawthorn fruit extract was added to Leishmania major promastigotes. Cytotoxicity was investigated by both direct counting and MTT assay after 24, 48 and 72 hours. In addition, hawthorn extract was added to amastigote-infected macrophages and then the mean of amastigote per macrophage was counted after 24 and 48 hours. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Results: The cytotoxicity of the highest and lowest concentration of the extract (60 µg/ml and 0.5 µg/ml) after 24, 48 and 72 hours was 31.86, 27.93; 20.11, 20.94; and 35.19, 55.14, respectively. After 24 hours the IC50 was 49.13 μg/ml; the mean number of amastigote per macrophage in Control and Plant extract-treated groups (1, 10 and 100 μg/ml) were: 3.91; (1.97, 1.76 and 1.78), respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that hawthorn fruit extract has no significant cytotoxic effect on promastigotes. However, to some extent it can inhibit the proliferation of amastiogtes inside macrophages