Showing papers in "Modern Applied Science in 2016"
TL;DR: In this article, the impacts of tourism on sustainable livelihoods of local people of Lavij rural in Iran were evaluated using a quantitative methodology and questionnaire, and the results show that rural tourism has been able to play an effective role in sustainable livelihood of people and there is a significant relationship between the development of rural tourism and sustainable livelihood in Lavij.
Abstract: Using a quantitative methodology and questionnaire, this study sought to evaluate the impacts of tourism on sustainable livelihoods of local people of Lavij rural in Iran. Data collected from 230 local residents of the study area were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and linear regression. The results show that rural tourism has been able to play an effective role in sustainable livelihoods of people and there is a significant relationship between the development of rural tourism and sustainable livelihoods in Lavij. Rural tourism can predict a high percentage of changes in people’s livelihoods sustainability. Therefore, with a proper planning, rural tourism can be used to development of sustainable livelihoods, quality of people's lives, job opportunities and poverty reduction.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the scale-formation and corrosion potential of drinking water in drinking water distribution network of Shiraz City (south of Iran) was examined by Langelier, Puckorius, Ryznar, Larson and aggressive indices and taking 144 samples of different sources and points of distribution network.
Abstract: Due to increased consumption of drinking water in the world, there are attempts to apply new solutions for accessing sufficient amounts of water with proper quality. In addition, efficient usage of energy and finding a solution for reducing the scale-related problems in drinking water pipes are among major concerns of urban water supply. Annually, significant budgets are assigned for removing the scale of pipes as well as home and industrial devices. The present study endeavors to examine the scale-formation and corrosion potential of drinking water in drinking water distribution network of Shiraz City (south of Iran). This study is of descriptive type conducted through Langelier, Puckorius, Ryznar, Larson and aggressive indices and taking 144 samples of different sources and points of distribution network. The results showed that the mean values of LI, RI, LS and AI were 0.07 (slightly scale forming), 7.1 (non-scale forming), 1.2 (corrosive) and 14 (non-corrosive), respectively. The mean of scale formation rate value in Shiraz drinking water pipes was 0.26 mm/y. Accordingly, zones located in east, southeast and south of Shiraz have more problems of scale formation. Scale composition of 33 home pipe samples and 8 network pipe samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction method. Results indicated that main compositions in scale samples were calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, hematite, maghemite, magnetite, goethite, zinc oxide, gypsum, vivianite, dolomite, hydroxyapatite and troilite. Main elements in scale samples were magnesium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, zinc, copper and lead.
30 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a maceration extraction method using water, ethanol, methanol and hexane solvents was used to extract C. odorata from the leaves, stem and root.
Abstract: Leaf, stem and root of Chromolaena odorata were extracted by maceration extraction method using water, ethanol, methanol and hexane as solvents. The average percentage yield of leaf extracts in water (12.16 ± 0.13%), ethanol (8.42 ± 0.115%), methanol (10.45 ± 0.012%) and hexane (2.37 ± 0.215%) were significantly higher compared with stem and root extracts using the same solvents. All extracts were tested for antimicrobial activity against ten bacterial strains associated with human skin infections. Leaf extracts with ethanol, methanol and hexane solvents gave the best inhibitory activity against six gram-positive bacterial strains ( Bacillus cereus TISTR 687, Enterococcus faecalis TISTR 379, Staphylococcus epidermidis TISTR 518, Staphylococcus aureus TISTR 1466, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615 and Propionibacterium acnes DMST 14916) and one gram-negative bacterial strain ( Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315). The hexane stem extract showed greater inhibitory activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853(15.3±0.5 mm), B. cereus TISTR 687(14.6±0.8 mm) and Klebsiella pneumoniae TISTR 1843 (14.0±1.0 mm), while hexane root extract showed high inhibitory activity against Enterococcus faecalis TISTR 379 (14.5±0.9 mm) and Kleb. pneumoniae TISTR 1843 (14.7±0.6 mm). The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ethanolic leaf extract was 0.81 mg/mL against Staph. aureus TISTR 1466, followed by methanolic and hexane leaf extracts with equal MIC of 1.62 mg/mL against both Staph. aureus TISTR 1466 and Strep. pyogenes ATCC 19615. The antimicrobial activity of the methanolic leaf extract of C. odorata was correlated with the amount of both total phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The results obtained suggest that the ethanolic, methanolic and hexane leaf extracts could be developed to treat bacterial skin infections. The hexane was sutiable solvent for extraction of the stem and root parts of C. odorata .
27 citations
TL;DR: This work tries to demonstrate the benefits of the field by presenting the real world applications of these methods implemented already, among these applications is cloud computing scheduling problem improved by genetic algorithms, ant colony optimization, and bees algorithm.
Abstract: Evolutionary computation is now an inseparable branch of artificial intelligence and smart methods based on evolutional algorithms aimed at solving different real world problems by natural procedures involving living creatures. It’s based on random methods, regeneration of data, choosing by changing or replacing data within a system such as personal computer (PC), cloud, or any other data center. This paper briefly studies different evolutionary computation techniques used in some applications specifically image processing, cloud computing and grid computing. These methods are generally categorized as evolutionary algorithms and swarm intelligence. Each of these subfields contains a variety of algorithms and techniques which are presented with their applications. This work tries to demonstrate the benefits of the field by presenting the real world applications of these methods implemented already. Among these applications is cloud computing scheduling problem improved by genetic algorithms, ant colony optimization, and bees algorithm. Some other applications are improvement of grid load balancing, image processing, improved bi-objective dynamic cell formation problem, robust machine cells for dynamic part production, integrated mixed-integer linear programming, robotic applications, and power control in wind turbines.
25 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive summary which discussed the disadvantages and limitation of a robust approach in each stage depends on the lack, limitation and the results which are expected from the work.
Abstract: Welding is an important technology especially for joining between two metals, fabricated and repairing metals products in manufacturing industries such as in automotive industries. To increase the productivity and lower cost, today the welding operation in industries introduces the welding robot. The main challenges to using welding robot is time taken to program robot path for a new job in low to medium volume manufacturing industries. This paper begins with the review of identified, detected and tracked the weld seams path with different type of welding in welding environment. Next, a review of analysis an identified and detect the weld seams path approaches is included with advantages, drawback and limitation. This paper is concluded by a comprehensive summary which discussed the disadvantages and limitation of a robust approach in each stage. The improvement of a new approach in each stage depends on the lack, limitation and the results which are expected from the work.
21 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the adhesive performances measured by the maximal dry and soaked shear strength of the bonded maple veneers at break were not exactly in the same order of the protein content, indicating that other components (e.g., carbohydrates, metals) might also have played certain roles in the adhesive ability of these products.
Abstract: Adhesive bonding of wood plays an increasing role in the forest products industry and is a key factor for efficiently utilizing timber and other lignocellulosic resources. In this work, we obtained five soy meal products through commercial sources or in-house preparations. The protein content was 49.6%, 56.9%, 66.2%, 86.3%, and 91.9% for untreated defatted soy meal, pH 8.5 water washed meal, neutral water washed meal, commercial protein isolate, and in-house prepared protein isolate. The adhesive performances measured by the maximal dry and soaked shear strength of the bonded maple veneers at break were not exactly in the same order of the protein content, indicating that other components (e.g. carbohydrates, metals) might also have played certain roles in the adhesive ability of these products. Data at two press temperatures (i. e. 100, and 130 o C) with or without the addition of tung oil revealed that water washed soy meals behaved more like untreated meal than soy protein isolates. This observation is different from a recent report on the effect of water washing on cottonseed meal products. Thus, further elucidation of the mechanisms or causes of the differing effects of water washing would shed light on the adhesive mechanisms of the two types of oilseed meal materials, thus optimizing use of these materials and their fractions for wood bonding.
21 citations
TL;DR: A fusion approach to bridge the period of Global Positioning System (GPS) outages using two proprioceptive sensors that are the Inertial Navigation System (INS) and the odometer in order to assure a continuous localization for land vehicle in urban areas where GPS signal blockage is very often.
Abstract: The main purpose of this paper is to present a fusion approach to bridge the period of Global Positioning System (GPS) outages using two proprioceptive sensors that are the Inertial Navigation System (INS) and the odometer in order to assure a continuous localization for land vehicle in urban areas where GPS signal blockage is very often. Odometer and GPS measures are exploited to correct inertial sensor errors. In fact, during GPS availability, INS is integrated with GPS to provide accurate localization solution; whereas during GPS outages, the odometer measurements are used to correct the INS error thereby improving the positioning accuracy and assuring the continuity of navigation solution. The problem of estimation of vehicle localization is realized by Kalman Filter (KF) that merges sensor measurements. The paper thus introduces results from simulation and real data.
19 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare PRINCE2 and PMBOK to recognize the characteristics of these best practices in order to provide decision criteria for governments with regard to selecting IT project management methodology.
Abstract: The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a group of processes and knowledge fields which are generally accepted as greatest practice within the project management discipline. The PMBOK Guide is also an internationally recognized standard which provides the fundamentals of project management as they apply to a wide range of projects. PRINCE2 is a project management methodology standard in the United Kingdom and Europe. This standard is the required method for all UK government commissioned projects. PRINCE2 is in the public domain and offers best practice guidance on how to manage a project. The aim of this study is to compare PRINCE2 and PMBOK to recognize the characteristics of these best practices in order to provide decision criteria for governments with regard to selecting IT project management methodology.
18 citations
TL;DR: A network analysis of Chinese air transportation network based upon large-scale collected data of inter-city air passengers’ volume identifies the world city network of Chinese cities, as well as the internal cooperative relationship and hierarchical structure of these articulations in the network.
Abstract: World city network formation is one of the most robust trends in the context of globalization. The unprecedented economic transformation and infrastructure restructuring enable China to integrate in world city network overwhelmingly. The purpose of this paper is aiming to conduct a network analysis of Chinese air transportation network based upon large-scale collected data of inter-city air passengers’ volume thereby identifying the world city network of Chinese cities, as well as the internal cooperative relationship and hierarchical structure of these articulations in the network. There are 80 sample cities are enclosed in this air transportation network model using UCINET, which is pioneering social network analytical software. Clearly, UCINET is applied to manipulate the matrix of inter-city air passengers flows in order to elaborate analyze of density of the whole network, to calculate multiple centrality of each node cities, which strives to identify the dominance of each cities’ hierarchical power and positions. In addition, NetDraw program in UCINET is designed to visualize the whole network whereas CONCOR program is operationalized to classify major subgroups within national air transportation network of China. Based on the analysis, we can find that Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou play a dominant role in this network, and it is evident that there exist some robust cooperative relationships within and between subgroups arisen from overall air transportation network. Overall, these findings consolidate a concrete cornerstone of Chinese world city network formation.
17 citations
TL;DR: An approach to establish a CTF-based educational framework that allows students to gain more practical skills, knowledge and expertise in information security and related areas is presented.
Abstract: Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions are the most popular events in cybersecurity conferences where participants can demonstrate their skills. Also, the CTF is widely acknowledged as a valuable pedagogical tool for providing the students with real life problems in computer security area when dealing with CTF tasks. However, there is the possibility to go beyond treating CTF tasks only. The paper presents an approach to establish a CTF-based educational framework that allows students to gain more practical skills, knowledge and expertise in information security and related areas. The framework is implemented in Altai State University (Barnaul, Russia) in 2014 as an extracurricular club activity, and the club runs successfully up till now. Pedagogical benefits, learning methodology and educational aspects are discussed, and positive feedback shows the success of the proposed approach.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the effect of goal setting on self-directed learning, achievement motivation, and academic achievement in students and found that teaching of goal-setting had a significant effect on the improvement of selfdirected learning and achievement motivation.
Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effect of goal setting on self-directed learning, achievement motivation, and academic achievement in students. All secondary school students at eighth grade in Semnan city in 2015 constituted the population of the study. From among this population, the number of 40 students with the lowest scores in self-directed learning and achievement motivation was randomly selected as the sample. Then, these students were equally placed in two experimental and control groups. In the next stage, the pretest was administered to both groups and the experimental group received nine training sessions of self-directed learning. It is noteworthy that the control group received no intervention. In this study, pretest-posttest along with control group design was used. Fisher, King & Tague's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale and Herman's Questionnaire Measure of Achievement Motivation along with students' grade point average scores (first semester as the pretest and second semester as the posttest) were used for data collection purposes. Next, data analysis was performed using multivariate MANCOVA and univariate ANCOVA. The results showed that teaching of goal setting had a significant effect on the improvement of self-directed learning and achievement motivation; however, it had no significant effect on students' academic achievement. According to the obtained results, it is recommended that goal setting be taught to promote self-directed learning and achievement motivation.
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive list of influential elements on technology innovation and its commercialization in firms and furthermore categorises and ranks them to assist managers and technology entrepreneurs in their decision making is presented.
Abstract: This article aims to form a comprehensive list of influential elements on technology innovation and its commercialisation in firms and furthermore categorises and ranks them to assist managers and technology entrepreneurs in their decision making. 46 elements are derived from the literature and are organised under nine major factors. Also, by the opinions of 108 computer science university professors and using Friedman test, they are ranked based on their importance. The results show that the top three factors are about the attitude of a firm toward technology innovation (‘support’, ‘knowledge’ and ‘technology’) while the least influential factor is the firm's ‘ideology’. The results would help managers to assess their firms’ abilities regarding technology innovation and its commercialisation and assist them to determine where and how they should distribute their resources and concentrate their efforts.
TL;DR: In this paper, the improvement of axial crushing behavior is determined through the reduction of the Initial Peak Force (IPF) and the increase of the Specific Energy Absorption (SEA).
Abstract: The study of axial crushing behavior is important in designing crashworthy structures especially in automotive applications. The axial crushing of thin-walled tube has better energy absorption capability. Thus, introducing milled geometrical shapes on thin-walled tube may improve the energy absorption performance. The improvement of the crush response is determined through the reduction of the Initial Peak Force (IPF) and the increase of the Specific Energy Absorption (SEA). This was done by employing origami pattern milled on the surface of thin-walled square tube which was investigated experimentally and numerically. The material used for the tube was aluminum alloy 6063-T5. The simulation results were validated by experiments which were conducted using Instron 3382 Universal Testing Machine and Instron Dynatup 8250 Drop Hammer Machine. The numerical simulation then progressed by varying parameters such as dimensions and configurations of the origami pattern on the square tube. ABAQUS finite element (FE) software was used to conduct the numerical simulation. The result of employing the origami square pattern on square tube is expected to improve the crush response by lowering the IPF and increasing the SEA. The obtained results were then compared with the conventional square tube where the origami pattern on square tube enhanced the crush performance.
TL;DR: In this paper, a modified Kozeny equation is used to characterize pore attributes, pore geometry and structure, in an attempt to investigate factors influencing the velocity of compressional or P-wave velocity passing through natural porous rocks with heterogeneous and irregular shapes of the pore system.
Abstract: The behavior of compressional or P-wave velocity passing through natural porous rocks with heterogeneous and irregular shapes of the pore system is not well understood. The present study implemented a modified Kozeny equation to characterize pore attributes, pore geometry and structure, in an attempt to investigate factors influencing the velocity. This equation is in the form of a power law one from which a concept of similarity in pore attributes can be derived. Employing a large number of data of porous sandstones, the results show that a similarity in the pore attribute plays an important role in relating the velocity with the details of geometry and structure of the pores system. For a given group of rocks having similar pore structure, an increase in the pore geometry variable, (k/ f) 0.5 , tends to increase the velocity provided that the increase in the geometry is due to an increase in permeability followed by a decrease in porosity. Overall, the prediction of P-wave velocity is best obtained when the rocks are grouped according to pore structure similarity.
TL;DR: This paper reflects Lean concepts and, in particular, VSM to warehousing context and introduces some methods and guidelines to assure the proper application of VSM in what is an uncertain and dynamic system.
Abstract: Uncertainty within supply chains increases the risk of not meeting objectives. Warehouses can absorb some of these uncertainties, by accumulating inventory. This accumulation has led many to consider warehouses as a source of waste in supply chains. Hence, there is limited research that seeks improving intrinsic warehouse efficiency; particularly in the context of Lean concepts and Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Since, warehouses seek to absorb uncertainty in supply chain by holding inventory; this uncertainty absorption may introduce variability to warehousing function itself. Therefore a methodology is required, which can capture the embodied dynamic within warehousing function. This paper reflects Lean concepts and, in particular, VSM to warehousing context and introduces some methods and guidelines to assure the proper application of VSM in what is an uncertain and dynamic system. In this paper, warehousing function is formulated based on some abstract processes which vary on their output status. This formulation facilitates identifying value-adding activities as one of the most substantial steps, yet confusing in application of VSM in warehousing context. The suggested methods enable fundamental statistical/mathematical analysis, which leverage VSM to a more dynamic evaluation tool. Application of the introduced approach will facilitate the decision making process for warehouse systems evaluation and improvement. The resultant methodology is applied to a factual case and this serves to demonstrate its practical application. It is worth mentioning that the findings applications, which can be termed ‘dynamic VSM’, are not limited to warehouses but can also be applied to any dynamic environment with non-deterministic processes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the factors that affect customer decisions on the purchase of recommended products and services in the context of social commerce and found that social commerce constructs has a positive effect on social support and relationship quality.
Abstract: As a result of the popularity and growth of social networks, consumers often rely on recommendations and suggestions from online friends to make buying decisions. Through social commerce, people are driven from inefficient individual decisions toward collaborative decision-making with higher efficiency. In this paper, we study the factors that affect customer decisions on the purchase of recommended products and services in the context of social commerce. A total of 327 individuals on three popular social networks in Iran (i.e. Facebook, Cloob, and Telegram) were surveyed. Analysis of the results using the PLS-SEM approach revealed that:(1) Social commerce constructs has a positive effect on social support and relationship quality. (2) Perceived usefulness has a positive effect on relationship quality and intention to purchase. (3) social support has a positive effect on relationship quality and (4) relationship quality has a positive effect on intention to purchase.
TL;DR: In this article, the conceptual relation between corporate governance mechanisms and audit quality is emphasized and the authors reemphasise the importance of board size, CEO duality, independent directors, financial experts on the audit committee, and the existence of an internal Shari'ah committee.
Abstract: The issue of corporate governance has been a focus among researchers after the 1997/98 financial crisis. Many countries have implemented codes and guidelines of corporate governance to promote effective boards overseeing the operations of companies. In the case of Shari’ah compliant companies, boards still play a significant role and are responsible to ensure Shari’ah compliance. This paper reemphasises the conceptual relation between corporate governance mechanisms and audit quality. The corporate governance mechanisms are measured by board size, CEO duality, independent directors, financial experts on the audit committee, and the existence of an internal Shari’ah committee. There are numerous methods to measure audit quality including using audit fee and auditor reputation as proxies. The findings are mixed. This means that there is no consistent relationship between good corporate governance mechanisms and audit quality.
TL;DR: This article evaluates the previous works on discovering knowledge using data mining in heart diseases field, and explains the used algorithms in every one of the previous work, to help the future researchers to gain maximum benefits from these abilities.
Abstract: Today the heart disease is one of the most important causes of death in the world. So its early prediction and diagnosis is important in medical field, which could help in on time treatment, decreasing health costs and decreasing death caused by it. In fact the main goal of using data mining algorithms in medicine by using patients’ data is better utilizing the database and discovering tacit knowledge to help doctors in better decision making.Therefore using data mining and discovering knowledge in cardiovascular centers could create a valuable knowledge, which improves the quality of service provided by managers, and could be used by doctors to predict the future behavior of heart diseases using past records. Also some of the most important applications of data mining and knowledge discovery in heart patients system includes: diagnosing heart attack from various signs and properties, evaluating the risk factors which increases the heart attack.In this article the effort focused on evaluating the previous works on discovering knowledge using data mining in heart diseases field, and also explain the used algorithms in every one of the previous works, to help the future researchers to gain maximum benefits from these abilities. Because of this, in the next sections, first we will explain various works in data mining field using heart patients’ data, and will show the ability of data mining in various applications of heart disease field, and based on a table will show the history of data mining and it’s applications in heart diseases field. Finally we will provide the best methods and algorithms used in various applications of heart diseases using a comparison and will show the results in a table. It is obvious in the diagrams that the suggested method has the best performance and best quality in prediction.
TL;DR: Concentration of 0,5% with 6 hours soaking time is the most effective to induced tetraploid in orchid Vanda hybrid, showing a negative correlation between stomatal index and ploidy level.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the growth phase of orchid Vanda hybrid (Vanda limbata Blume X Vanda tricolor Lindl. var. suavis) response with colchicines treatment, to determine precise effective concentration of colchicines and duration of treatment to induce polyploidy. This research used variation of colchicines concentration which were 0.01%; 0.05%; 0.1%; 0.5%; 1% and 0% and incubation for 6 hours; 12 hours; 18 hours; 24 hours; and 4 days. Treatment was done in aseptic condition using protocorm aged 7 week after sowing. After treatments, plants were planted on Vacint and Went (VW) medium supplemented with of 150 ml/l coconut water. After four months, they were subcultured in medium VW + 150 ml/l + 150g/l banana extract. The results showed that the orchid Vanda hybrid was intolerant to colchicine concentration of 0.1; 0.5 and 1% by death protocorm was more than 50%. Concentration of 0,5% with 6 hours soaking time is the most effective to induced tetraploid in orchid Vanda hybrid. Morphological characters of tetraploid plantlets had lower average number and length of roots, the number, length, and width of the leaves than those of control. Anatomical characters of the tetraploid plantlets revealed the highest stomatal size and had smaller of stomatal index than controls. This evident indicated a negative correlation between stomatal index and ploidy level. Cytological analysis with flow cytometry revealed that tetraploid plantlets (2n=4x=76) stained with DAPI showed the chromosome number more than those of control (2n=2x=38).Key words : polyploidization, colchicine, vanda orchid, chromosome number
TL;DR: A common architecture for mobile health cares' services using NFC is developed in order to facilitate providing health cares to people anywhere and anytime using the mobile devices that are connected to wireless communication technology.
Abstract: Although doctors are increasingly interested in electronic systems of registering medical record, but in practice such systems are used less. Mobile devices provide a new way for accessing users to data of health cares and services in a secure environment and user-selection. Mobile health cares' systems (M-health) are considered as a solution to reduce health care costs without reducing the quality of patient care. In this paper we are going to develop a common architecture for mobile health cares' services using NFC in order to facilitate providing health cares to people anywhere and anytime using the mobile devices that are connected to wireless communication technology, to be able to provide required services by a secure and available structure for patient' information in hospitals and health centers and treatment, especially intensive care units, emergency or patients needed home care. Also it can be avoided from forgery and misuse of physicians' stamp in current versions with this system by preparing electronic version using NFC technology.
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of different irrigation regimes (daily, weekly and every two weeks) combined with different water salinities (0.8, 2.5, 5.0 and, 7.0 dS m-1) on eggplant yield (Y) and evapotranspiration (ETc) in outdoor and greenhouse cultivation was determined and compared.
Abstract: Cultivation environment can be effective on the degree of limitations in crop evapotranspiration and yield, as a result of water shortage and salinity. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the impact of different irrigation regimes (daily, weekly and every two weeks) combined with different water salinities (0.8, 2.5, 5.0 and, 7.0 dS m-1) on eggplant yield (Y) and evapotranspiration (ETc) in outdoor and greenhouse cultivation. Daily ETc values were measured by diurnal weighting of microlysimeters throughout the growing season (from May 19th to September 5th, 2012 and June 1st to September 22nd, 2013) placed in a plastic greenhouse and outdoor basins. Measurements showed apparent variations between different irrigation regimes×water salinity treatments, during the early growing season in both years. Both water deficit and salinity factors had significant effects on ETc, ECe, Y, fruit diameter and shoot dry weight in both environments. The applicability of Doorenbos-Kassam linear crop-water production function along with Maas-Hoffman salt tolerance model was investigated in the greenhouse and outdoor conditions. The Ky coefficient obtained for outdoor and greenhouse eggplants treatments were 0.97 and 1.03 in the first year and 0.91 and 0.93 in the second year, respectively. Higher sensitivity of greenhouse eggplants to salinity was later demonstrated for both years, obtaining higher values of b and lower values of ECethreshold in the greenhouse eggplants.
TL;DR: Recombination events existed in the CP coding regions between two distinct sub-populations, the germplasm isolates and the farmers' field isolates, which suggested the incidence of SCSMV variants between the farmers’ fields and the germ plasm collection fields.
Abstract: Sugarcane disease surveys were conducted from 2010 to 2014 at major sugarcane growing areas in 5 provinces (Nakhon Pathom, Kanchanaburi, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima) and germplasm collection fields. Random samples of the virus-like sugarcane leaves obtained from the surveyed areas suggested yellow streak mosaic symptoms. Direct antigen coating ELISA using locally produced SCSMV antiserum, revealed widespread incidence of SCSMV in the major sugarcane growing areas and the germplasm collection fields, ranging from 43.48-90.91% and 54.17-100% respectively. The virus isolate from sugarcane in Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom, designated as THA-NP3, was characterized by genomic sequencing. Complete genome of THA-NP3 (JN163911) contained 9,781 nucleotides, excluding 3¢ Poly (A) tail which encoded a polyprotein of 3,130 amino acid residues comprising 10 functional proteins, namely P1, HC-Pro, P3, 6K1, CI, 6K2, NIa-VPg, NIa-Pro, NIb and CP. Sequence comparisons revealed that THA-NP3 showed 97.84% nucleotide identity to JP2 (JF488065) from China and 81.39-97.78% nucleotide identities to other recorded SCSMV sequences. Detection for the presence of CP gene by RT-PCR indicated 1094 bp containing 846 bp of the CP coding region. Analysis of the CP gene revealed genetic variation of 58 Thai SCSMV isolates, 86.17-100% nucleotide identities among them and 85.70-99.29% nucleotide identities to SCSMV isolates from other countries. Recombination events existed in the CP coding regions between two distinct sub-populations, the germplasm isolates and the farmers’ field isolates. These results suggested the incidence of SCSMV variants between the farmers’ fields and the germplasm collection fields.
TL;DR: In this paper, major characteristics of Tehran's urban growth structure, how various land use factors such as density, diversity, and design affect travel behavior, population growth and land use development, and future travel demands.
Abstract: This paper investigates major characteristics of Tehran’s urban growth structure, how various land use factors such as “density”, “diversity”, “design” and “accessibility” affect travel behavior, population growth and land use development, and future travel demands. Tehran city is currently developing in ways that are likely to increase sprawl and automobile-dependency, which increase problems including traffic and parking congestion, consumer costs, traffic accidents, pollution emissions and inadequate mobility for non-drivers. This analysis indicates that the growth management policies in Tehran’s Comprehensive Plan can significantly reduce vehicle travel and associated problems, resulting in a more sustainable urban development path. This information is useful for evaluating the ability of policies such as Smart Growth, New Urbanism and Accessibility Management to help achieve transport-land use planning objectives.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have studied water resources management under environmental scenarios using the WEAP model in Hirmand catchment in south east Iran, and the results showed that average total demand in dust stabilization and animal-plant sustainable ecosystem scenarios increased about 238 and 231 million cubic meters compared to the current account, respectively.
Abstract: Hirmand catchment is one of the important trans boundary catchment in Iran. Sistan people living in south east Iran related to this catchment. Meanwhile drought of the last two decades, due to dust storms jeopardized the Human health. Also, causing destroyed vegetation cover and animal habitat in region. The first objective of the present study is water resources management under environmental scenarios using the WEAP model in Hirmand catchment. In study, dust stabilization and animal-plant sustainable ecosystem scenarios have been applied. The second objective is economic assessment of defined scenarios. According to the results, average total demand in dust stabilization and animal-plant sustainable ecosystem scenarios increased about 238 and 231 million cubic meters compared to the current account, respectively. Also, unmet demand compared to the current account increased 193 and 200 million cubic meters, approximately. According to the economic assessment calculations, benefit in dust stabilization scenario 160 milliards rials and in animal-plant sustainable ecosystem scenario 209 milliards rials decreased in agriculture sector. Therefore, despite the decline in benefit, in policy making and water resources management should be special attention to protect the environment wetlands.
TL;DR: The statistical properties and security analysis indicate that the knight tour application is highly successful in generating a pseudo random number with good statistical results, high linear complexity and strong capacity to withstand attacks.
Abstract: A random number can be defined as a set of numbers produced by a numerical function, in which the next number is unpredictable and a relationship between successive occurrences is lacking. Moreover, these sequences cannot be reproduced unless the same generator function with an exact initial value is used. The design of a random number generator must overcome the previous problems of a low periodic and the capacity to reproduce the same sequence. This paper proposes the knight tour as a tool for generating pseudo random numbers. These random numbers can be use in the encryption process or in a password generator for network administrators. The randomness test suite is used to ensure the randomness of outcome sequences. Roughly, 75% of the test results obtained is better than the results from other works. The statistical properties and security analysis indicate that the knight tour application is highly successful in generating a pseudo random number with good statistical results, high linear complexity and strong capacity to withstand attacks.
TL;DR: In this paper, modified zeolites were prepared through the modification of raw Zeolites, using hydrochloric acid (HCl) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), whose properties were then characterized by a Zeta potential meter and an X-ray diffractometer.
Abstract: In this study, modified zeolites were prepared through the modification of raw zeolites, using hydrochloric acid (HCl) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), whose properties were then characterized by a Zeta Potential Meter and an X-ray diffractometer. Also, the adsorption mechanisms were investigated in depth. The experimental results indicated that, in terms of the adsorption capacity of Rhodamine B in water, the modified zeolites were more favorable than the raw zeolites. As the dosage of adsorbent increased, the removal percentage of Rhodamine B in the water increased, while the unit adsorption capacity decreased. The pH value of the solution, and reaction temperature imposed little effects on the adsorption of the Rhodamine B. In accordance with the adsorption thermodynamic results, Langmuir and Freundlich isothermal adsorption models were able to accurately describe the adsorption of Rhodamine B in water by the modified zeolites. The fitting results had a higher correlation when using a Freundlich isothermal model. At 303 K, the static saturated adsorption capacity was 4.41 mg/g. The kinetic results demonstrated that the adsorption of Rhodamine B in water using modified zeolites fit well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.
TL;DR: In this paper, the energy levels electromagnetic transition B(E2) and B(M1), branching ratios, mixing ratios and electric quadrupole moment of even-even 120-126 Xe isotopes have been investigated using Interacting Boson Model (IBM-1).
Abstract: In this work, the energy levels electromagnetic transition B(E2) and B(M1), branching ratios, mixing ratios and electric quadrupole moment of even-even 120-126 Xe isotopes have been investigated using Interacting Boson Model (IBM-1). The results were compared with some previous experimental and theoretical values, it was seen that the obtained theoretical results are in agreement with the experimental data.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on analyzing the reasons behind infidelity in women with extra-marital relationships in the form of a qualitative study and conducted a qualitative research approach and by using the content analysis method.
Abstract: Due to the higher statistics of male infidelity, the focus of previous studies has been on investigating the reasons for infidelity in this gender group. On the other hand; since marital infidelity is a phenomenon that affects every country’s culture, people, and even families, the results of research studies conducted overseas cannot be fully implicated to Iranian families. To this end, this study aimed at analyzing the reasons behind infidelity in women with extra-marital relationships in the form of a qualitative study. This study was conducted through a qualitative research approach and by using the content analysis method. Participants included 11 women referred to the counseling centers in the city of Isfahan. Purposive sampling was used and continued until data saturation. Semi-structured interviews were employed as the primary method of data collection. The data were analyzed via qualitative content analysis and constant comparative analysis methods. After the examination and division of the basic concepts, 800 initial codes were extracted from interviews. The categories were created based on the codes following several reviews and summarizations on the basis of similarities. By the nature, these conceptual and abstract themes were named in three categories of intrapersonal factors, marital conflicts, and sexual reasons. The factors affecting female infidelity in this study had three dimensions. These factors included intrapersonal factors, marital conflicts, and sexual reasons. These findings can help psychologists, family counselors, and planners in the field of the social sciences identify the efficient scopes and purposes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented the design and testing of a radiofrequency prototype coil with good performances in terms of B 1 magnetic field homogeneity and can be utilized for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Abstract: In this paper, we present the design and testing of a radiofrequency prototype coil with good performances in terms of B 1 magnetic field homogeneity and can be utilized for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It is constituted of four coaxial separately tuned rings of wire and symmetrically located on a spherical surface. Compared to standard Helmholtz pair, which has 2nd-order magnetic field homogeneity, it yields to improvement in field homogeneity, while preserving the simplicity of design. The four coils of proposed structure are tuned to the same frequency. The proposed structure gets at 4th-order magnetic field homogeneity by optimizing the distance between rings and the diameters of outer loops. An electrical modeling of the four-coil system taking into account the coupling effects between all rings permits to determine the resonance frequency in the homogenous mode. Measurements of B1 field homogeneity were introduced in free space. Compared to the Helmholtz coil, the proposed structure presents good performances in terms of B1 homogeneity, quality factor and sensitivity. The design of proposed coil has been optimized for best SNR performances. Globally, this work claims to be a contribution to the study of the four-coil RF systems derived from the Helmholtz pairs.
TL;DR: The present work evaluates the RDA from different prospective and applications in order to introduce it as an efficient research tools for future dynamic investigations.
Abstract: Power consumption reduction investigations attracted the attention of enormous numbers of researchers in the past few decades due to its high academic and economic impacts. The pumping power losses during the transportation of crude oils are considered as one of the main power consuming applications due to the turbulent mode of transportation. Investigating the possible solutions for this problem is expensive and time consuming due to the large apparatuses needed to simulate the flow in real pipelines. Rotating disk apparatus (RDA) is an instrument mainly comprising a rotating disk and an electrical motor to rotate the disk, which was implemented as an efficient and economical path to simulate what can be done in pipelines through generating a controlled degree of turbulence. This technique was also used in many other scientific applications due to its dynamic mode of operation. For example, a rotating disk electrode was used in electrodeposition processes and to characterize deposition film thickness and uniformity. The rotating disk reactor was employed to investigate the reaction rate between fluids and solid surfaces. The present work evaluates the RDA from different prospective and applications in order to introduce it as an efficient research tools for future dynamic investigations.