The influence of (beta) technology intensity and evaluating TCC using aHP model in Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company (ITMCO)

Due to the strategists in business World, the most important strategic consideration in international economic and industrial competition is in managing innovation and technology context. Increasing the competitive advantage of each economic institution needs the increase of technologic content improvement applied in production process of that institution. The present paper aims to study and evaluate the technology intensity and TCC in Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company (ITMCO). According to the results of research work, the authors have offered proposals to improve the technology by introducing the turning points and defects existed in technology parts in the company

Effects of cell phone radiation on migration of granule cells in rat cerebellum

Introduction: There are a growing number of cell phone devices and they are one of the most popular sources for electromagnetic waves. However, there are many concerns regarding their biological effects on the body, especially the central nervous system. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cell phone radiation on histology of the cerebellar granular cells in the neonatal rat. Materials and methods: We selected some Wistar rats. Then, we randomly divided their newborns into four groups. One of the groups was control and the other three were experimental groups. Groups I, II, and III were exposed to radiation from cell phone (with a distance of 10 cm from the rats) for a duration of 30 minutes, 2 hoursand 8 hours, respectively. After killing of the rats and preparing histological sections, we counted the granular cells of the cerebellum using Motic software. We measured the thickness of granular layers with Nickon software. Then, after data collection, statistical analysis was conducted using Tukey and Anova tests. Results: Results showed that cell population in internal granular region significantly decreased in group III. Also, results indicated a reduction in the external granular layer thickness in group III. Furthermore, cerebellar weight to body weight ratio in group III was significantly reduced as compared with the other groups. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that cell phone electromagnetic radiation can reduce the number of internal granular cells of the cerebellum and the external granular layer thickness is reduced

The impact of customer satisfaction, customer experience and customer loyalty on brand power: empirical evidence from hotel industry

This research aims to investigate the impact of customer satisfaction, experience, and loyalty on brand power in the Hotel industry. This study used a descriptive-survey research design based on the correlation method. The selected populations were Pars Hotels’ customers. Sample size was 384, based on Krejcie and Morgan’s sampling table. The structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the causal simulation and to examine the reliability and validity of the measuring model. The research results showed that customer expectation has the most impact on customer satisfaction with path coefficient of 0.74. On the other hand, customer loyalty, with path coefficient of 0.65, is known as an influential factor. This study helps to understand that customer satisfaction and customer expectations are positive drivers of customer loyalty. Customer loyalty also is a strong predictor of brand power in hoteling and tourism industry. By strengthening that part, which you have better resources, you can have a better supply and thus, there would be more opportunities in establishing reputation and increasing visibility

Evaluation of mouse embryos produced in vitro after electromagnetic waves exposure; Morphometric study.

INTRODUCTION Today, the use of electromagnetic waves in medical diagnostic devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has increased, and many of its biological effects have been reported. The aim of the present study was to assess the biological effects of 1.5 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on fertility and reproductive parameters. METHODS Eighty adult male and female NMRI mice (NMRI: Naval Medical Research Institute) of age 6-8 weeks were studied and randomly divided into two study and control groups. After confirmation of pregnancy, the mice in the study group were exposed to the MRI (1.5 T) machine's waves over the next three weeks, once a week for 36 minutes. One day and thirty-five days after the last radiation, the mice were killed in order to do the in vitro fertilization (IVF) by neck beads' displacement and the impact on the evolution of embryos, and its quality was studied. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and the significance level of less than 0.05 was considered. RESULTS Embryo morphometry showed that the total diameter and the cytoplasm diameter of the study group embryos suffered significant reduction compared to the control group, 1 day after the last irradiation (p < 0.05), but the diameter of the perivitelline space of this group's embryos had a significant increase (p < 0.05). The qualitative results during 35 days after irradiation showed that morphologically parameters of the embryos in the study group had no significant differences from the control group. CONCLUSION Exposure to MRI irradiation can transiently disturb the development of mouse embryos and fertility, but these effects are reversible 35 days after the last irradiation

Evaluation of cost-effectiveness criteria in supply chain management : case study

The aim of this paper is to evaluate and prioritize the proposed cost-effectiveness criteria in supply chain management using fuzzy multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) approach. Over the past few years, the determination of suitable cost-effectiveness criteria in the supply chain has become a key strategic issue. However, the nature of these kinds of decisions is usually complex and unstructured. Many quantitative and qualitative factors must be considered to determine the suitable criteria. As the human decision-making process usually contains fuzziness and vagueness, a hierarchy of MADM model based on fuzzy-sets theory is used in this research. Using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), the weights of criteria and subcriteria are determined and then the final ranking is determined by technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Finally, fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS) is employed to compare the results with classic TOPSIS. This paper concludes that the subcriteria in all the items are in the same rank

Multi criteria decision making for assisting business angels in investments

The roles of business angels (BAs) are especially important in view of both decreasing the levels of formal venture capital investment and growing the average amount of individual deals. Angel investors typically invest at an earlier stage of growth and provide more business guidance than venture capital providers. Therefore, angel investors are the key players in generating high-growth companies, essential to regional economic development. As a result, they have attracted the attention of policy makers. Thus, this research attempted to improve the conception of decision-making criteria used by the BAs for investment, and reports the findings of an exploratory project that analysed the Malaysian BAs’ decision-making process. A hierarchy of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model based on fuzzy sets theory and VIKOR (in Serbian: Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method were proposed in order to look into the decision making process. For this reason, 5 main criteria and 29 sub criteria were developed to be evaluated by 5 well-known BAs to assess and rate the criteria and alternatives using fuzzy linguistic variables. For the purpose of illustration, an empirical case study was conducted on Malaysian BAs and the results are presented with numerical examples. The final finding of the research suggested that Johor is the most suitable city for investment. Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Sabahare placed in the subsequent ranks. The proposed framework had been successfully applied for the decision making process, and could be used by other BAs for their cases with slight modifications

Assessment of the toxicity effects of nicotine on sperm and IVF and the potential protective role of silymarin—an experimental study in mice

Abstract Background: Male infertility is usually caused via the inability to produce adequate quantities of healthy and active sperms. Nicotine (NIC) is an alkaloid organic compound, predominantly found in the leaves of the tobacco plant. The major part of the nicotine is not ionized, so it can easily pass through cell membranes. Meanwhile, most of the disorders are caused by oxidative stress due to oxygen free radicals and other reactive species. Antioxidant supplements and antioxidant-rich foods can reduce induced oxidative stress without becoming destabilized themselves. This study aimed to examine spermato-protective potential of silymarin (SIL), on sperm and in vitro fertility (IVF) rate in nicotine-treated mice. Results: Our results show a significant increase in the number of abnormal sperm morphology after nicotine exposure, when compared to control groups (p < 0.05). On the other hand, SIL had a significant effect on the sperm count at each of the treated doses. Further, in the mice that received nicotine plus silymarin, the viable sperm percentage and the progressive sperm motility were significant (p < 0.05). Also, a significant reduction in the number of two-cell embryos and blastocyst-derived embryo was seen with increment in the number of dead embryos in mice receiving nicotine alone (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, SIL could support prevention of the adverse reproductive effects of nicotine. Moreover, SIL200 mg/kg may be therefore considered as a spermato-protective agent in dietary and herbal supplements. © 2020, The Author(s). Author:Antioxidant, Fertility, In vitro fertility, Nicotine, Silymarin, Spermatogenesi

Effects of nitric oxide on reproductive organs and related physiological processes

Nitric oxide (NO), a member of the reactive nitrogen species family, plays a role in several physiologic processes, including vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, growth and puberty, and senescence and apoptosis. NO plays an important role in the production of ovarian steroids, ovulation, and follicular apoptosis. In other words, increased activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) leads to an increased amount of NO, which triggers production of prostaglandins and inflammatory cascades which facilitate follicular rupture and atresia. NO concentration elevation inhibits steroid synthesis in luteal and granulosa cells. Since NO is a major paracrine mediator of various biological processes, as well as a key factor in both the reproductive cycle and embryo implantation, oversynthesis of NO in the uterus results in toxicity and inflammation in epithelial cells and immunorejection of implantation. In the male physiological system, NO synthesized by NOS plays a major role in erectile function and androgen secretion, as well as semen parameters, and oocyte junction to the sperm. Furthermore, this supposedly simple molecule is involved in a number of other functions, such as germ cell evolution, connections between sertoli cells and germ cells in the blood-testis barrier, homodynamic contraction, and germ cell apoptosis. Moreover, NO is considered a key factor in male fertility due to its widespread distribution in both normal and diseased testis tissue. The difference of expression level of NOS in normal and pathological states is a probable cause of fertility destructive processes