A New CMOS Fully Differential Low Noise Amplifier for Wideband Applications

In this paper, a multi-stage fully differential low noise amplifier (LNA) has been presented for wideband applications. A common-gate input stage is used to improve the input impedance matching and linearity. A common-source stage is also used as the second stage to enhance gain and reduce noise. A shunt-shunt feedback is employed to extend bandwidth and enhance linearity. The proposed low noise amplifier has been designed and simulated using RF-TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS process technology. In frequency band of 3.5-7.5 GHz, this amplifier has a flat power gain (S21) of 16.5 ± 1.5 dB, low noise figure (NF) of 3dB, input (S11) and output (S22) return losses less than -10 dB and high linearity with input thirdorder intercept point (IIP3) of -3dBm. It’s power consumption is also less than 10 mw with low power supply voltage of 0.8v

Selective Toxicity of Persian Gulf Stonefish (Pseudosynanceia Melanostigma) Venom on Human Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia B Lymphocytes

Persian Gulf Stonefish (Pseudosynanceia melanostigma) is one of the poisonous fish which is naturally found in Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. The venom, which is isolated from this species, is suspected to use as an anticancer agent. In this study, we showed the cytotoxic effect of stonefish crude venom on lymphocytes, which obtained from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients and normal donors. Our results demonstrated that crude venom of Persian Gulf Stonefish could affect cancerous lymphocytes by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and mitochondrial membrane damage without any significant effect on normal cells.Highlights Persian Gulf Stonefish (Pseudosynanceia melanostigma) is one of the poisonous fishThis venom is composed of various proteins with cardiotoxic and the hemolytic activityCrude venom of Persian Gulf Stonefish can affect cancerous lymphocytes by ROS generation

Proposing an Appropriate Soil Water Content Estimation Technique for Iran

Limitation of water resources is one of the major factors in the agricultural development of Iran. In recent years. Iran suffers from increases water consumption and drought conditions, This is why efficient water management in agriculture production becomes an inevitable requirement. One of the main aspects of water management in agriculture production is operating any type of irrigation system efficiently. A good on-farm irrigation water management requires a routine monitoring of soil water content (SWC). Recently a substantial number of different experimental methods in categories of direct, indirect, ground based and remote sensing have been developed to determine the SWC, and a large body of knowledge is now available on theory and applications. The need for indirect ground-based automatic methods for obtaining water content or indices of water content is evident when the time and labor involved in direct sampling is considered. In view of Iran conditions, selecting the best soil water measurement technology for the optimal management of irrigation system is a challenge for managers and the decision makers. This research aims to (i) compile the available ground based SWC measurement methods and discuses along with their advantages and their limitations, (ii) propose a technique that will be most useful for Iran condition. Considering regional parameters of Iran, these researchers found tensiometers as a proper technique for good water management. This technique with lower price in addition with other advantages could be more effective in development of Iran Agricultural Mechanization

Hexavalent Chromium Induced Oxidative Stress and Toxicity on isolated human lymphocytes

Introduction: The most toxic form of chromium (Cr) in the environment is the oxyanion chromate (Cr (VI)). In this form it is soluble and is transported into the cells. Chromate structurally resemble phosphate and sulfate, and can be transported into cells by the anion carrier.  Methods and Results: In this study, toxicity effects of Cr (VI) on isolated human lymphocytes was studied using accelerated cytotoxicity mechanisms screening (ACMS) technique. Human lymphocytes were isolated from blood of healthy persons using Ficoll-paque PLUS standard method. The trypan blue dye was used to cytotoxicity assay. The mechanistic parameters including reactive oxygen species (ROS), lysosomal membrane destabilization, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) collapse, lipid peroxidation, GSH and GSSG levels were assessed after 1, 2 and 3 hrs in potassium dichromate treated lymphocytes. The results indicate that toxicity of Cr (VI) was concentration dependent in human lymphocytes. Cr (VI) significantly (p<0.05) induced ROS production, MMP reduction, lysosomal membrane destabilization and lipid peroxidation in human lymphocytes. There was also a decrease in intracellular GSH and raise in extracellular GSSG levels in Cr (VI) treated lymphocytes.  Conclusion: OOur findings revealed that ROS formation with subsequent cellular damages is the molecular mechanism for Cr (VI) induced human blood lymphocyte toxicity

Educational-Communicative Factors Affecting the Health Literacy of People with Chronic Diseases from the Perspective of Health Staff: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Health literacy includes a set of skills in reading, listening, comprehension, analysis, and decision-making in health-related issue. This does not mean the person's ability to read and write during school days. The purpose of this study was to explain the views of health staff on health literacy and educational-communicative factors affecting it in health centers in Mashhad City, Iran. Method: In this qualitative study, 12 health workers in health centers affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, participated in four focused group discussions. Collected data were recorded and analyzed using contractual content analysis in continuous comparison. Results: Participant’s perspective revealed "quality of health order transferring", "quality of communication", and "quantity of educational orders transferring" as three main educational-communicative factors affecting health literacy of patients with chronic diseases. Conclusion: Understanding existing facts with the evolutionary approach is necessary in developing curriculums for changing behavior. Hence, health literacy, as an effective strategy for self-care in patients with chronic diseases, requires improved modulators such as education and communication skills. Keywords: Health literacy, Chronic disease, Qualitative research, Health personne

Linked Fault Analysis

Numerous fault models have been developed, each with distinct characteristics and effects. These models should be evaluated in light of their costs, repeatability, and practicability. Moreover, there must be effective ways to use the injected fault to retrieve the secret key, especially if there are some countermeasures in the implementation. In this paper, we introduce a new fault analysis technique called ``linked fault analysis\u27\u27 (LFA), which can be viewed as a more powerful version of well-known fault attacks against implementations of symmetric primitives in various circumstances, especially software implementations. For known fault analyses, the bias over the faulty value or the relationship between the correct value and the faulty one, both produced by the fault injection serve as the foundations for the fault model. In the LFA, however, a single fault involves two intermediate values. The faulty target variable, $u\u27$, is linked to a second variable, $v$, such that a particular relation holds: $u\u27=l(v)$. We show that LFA lets the attacker perform fault attacks without the input control, with much fewer data than previously introduced fault attacks in the same class. Also, we show two approaches, called LDFA and LIFA, that show how LFA can be utilized in the presence or absence of typical redundant-based countermeasures. Finally, we demonstrate that LFA is still effective, but under specific circumstances, even when masking protections are in place. We performed our attacks against the public implementation of AES in ATMEGA328p to show how LFA works in the real world. The practical results and simulations validate our theoretical models as well

Mathematical modeling and numerical seismic study of smart concrete beams

The seismic response of the smart layer is studied in this article based on mathematical modeling and numerical solution. The structure is modeled by sinusoidal shear deformation (SSDT) and the motion equations are derived by energy method and virtual work. The concrete beam is covered by a piezoelectric layer for smart control of the structure. The differential quadrature (DQ) and Newark methods are applied for numerical solution and dynamic response of the smart concrete beam under the earthquake load. The influences of boundary conditions; external voltage, and geometrical parameters of the beam are studied on the seismic response of the smart concrete beam. The results indicate that by applying an external negative voltage, the dynamic deflection of the smart concrete beam is reduced, which is important for smart control of the system while this phenomenon is converse for positive external voltage

Optimization of Urban Spaces to Municipal Development (Case Bandar Abbas)

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/2179460X19386Cities have grown haphazardly and urban areas have expanded to several times their primary size in a short while or have developed in separate sections without planning, tightly and randomly. This issue has come to be known as dispersion pattern or Sprawl and is a source of many problems in developing and developed cities. Bandar Abbas has also had a haphazard growth in the recent years. This paper attempts to investigate horizontal and vertical congestion in different parts of the city as a grid and then tries to draw on entropic indices with a cellular view to assess the order and balance of this grid city. Also, the results are used to compare the physical-operational concentration of the city between 2014 and 2006. In the end, a table is formulated according to the results presenting approaches, policies and projects for maintaining a balance between different parts of the city.Cities have grown haphazardly and urban areas have expanded to several times their primary size in a short while or have developed in separate sections without planning, tightly and randomly. This issue has come to be known as dispersion pattern or Sprawl and is a source of many problems in developing and developed cities. Bandar Abbas has also had a haphazard growth in the recent years. This paper attempts to investigate horizontal and vertical congestion in different parts of the city as a grid and then tries to draw on entropic indices with a cellular view to assess the order and balance of this grid city. Also, the results are used to compare the physical-operational concentration of the city between 2014 and 2006. In the end, a table is formulated according to the results presenting approaches, policies and projects for maintaining a balance between different parts of the city

Does Long-Term Night Shift Work Cause Dry Eye in Hospital Nurses?

Purpose: To determine the long-term effects of night shift work on dry eye in hospital nurses. Methods: Each participant was evaluated four times, including at the beginning of the day shift (8 am), at the end of the day shift (2 pm), at the beginning of the night shift (8 pm), and at the end of the night shift (8 am), using the tear break-up time (TBUT) test and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire. Results: The results showed significant differences in the TBUT and OSDI between the end of the day shift (2 pm) (10.26, 16.61) and the end of the night shift (8 am) (6.89, 38.59) relative to each other and relative to the beginning of the day and night shifts. As for the correlation between TBUT and OSDI, a significant correlation was found at all measurement times (correlation coefficient: −0.478, −0.707, −0.556, and −0.365, respectively) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that the severity of dry eye increased after the night shift with variation over a 24-hr period. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between TBUT and OSDI results at the beginning and at the end of the day and night shifts

Statistical Effective Fault Attacks: The other Side of the Coin

The introduction of Statistical Ineffective Fault Attacks (SIFA) has led to a renewed interest in fault attacks. SIFA requires minimal knowledge of the concrete implementation and is effective even in the presence of common fault or power analysis countermeasures. However, further investigations reveal that undesired and frequent ineffective events, which we refer to as the noise phenomenon, are the bottleneck of SIFA that can considerably diminish its strength. This includes noise associated with the attack’s setup and caused by the countermeasures utilized in the implementation. This research aims to address this significant drawback. We present two novel statistical fault attack variants that are far more successful in dealing with these noisy conditions. The first variant is the Statistical Effective Fault Attack (SEFA), which exploits the non-uniform distribution of intermediate variables in circumstances when the induced faults are effective. The idea behind the second proposed method, dubbed Statistical Hybrid Fault Attacks (SHFA), is to take advantage of the biased distributions of both effective and ineffective cases simultaneously. Our experimental results in various case studies, including noise-free and noisy setups, back up our reasoning that SEFA surpasses SIFA in several instances and that SHFA outperforms both or is at least as efficient as the best of them