542 research outputs found
A hybrid intelligent system for diagnosing microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes patients without having to measure urinary albumin
No full textMicroalbuminuria (MA) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular and renal disease, development of overt nephropathy, and cardiovascular mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Detecting MA is an important screening tool to identify people with high risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease. The gold standard to detect MA is measuring 24-h urine albumin excretion. A new method for MA diagnosis is presented in this manuscript which uses clinical parameters usually monitored in type 2 diabetic patients without the need of an additional measurement of urinary albumin. We designed an expert-based fuzzy MA classifier in which rule induction was performed by particle swarm optimization. A variety of classifiers was tested. Additionally, multiple logistic regression was used for statistical feature extraction. The significant features were age, diabetic duration, body mass index and HbA1C (the average level of blood sugar over the previous 3 months, which is routinely checked every 3 months for diabetic patients). The resulting classifier was tested on a sample size of 200 patients with type 2 diabetes in a cross-sectional study. The performance of the proposed classifier was assessed using (repeated) holdout and 10-fold cross-validation. The minimum sensitivity, specificity, precision and accuracy of the proposed fuzzy classifier system with feature extraction were 95%, 85%, 84% and 92%, respectively. The proposed hybrid intelligent system outperformed other tested classifiers and showed "almost perfect agreement" with the gold standard. This algorithm is a promising new tool for screening MA in type-2 diabetic patients. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Impact of Hot and Arid Climate on Architecture (Case Study: Varzaneh Jame Mosque)
No full textAbstractGenerally, in architectural literature, scholars argue that there are lots of factors that affect on type of architecture. One of the most important factors is impact of kind of climate on architecture type. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effect of climatic factors on construction and local architecture in hot and arid regions with special focus on Varzaneh city. A Jame mosque, which is the most important building in the city, is selected for case study. According to the findings in this study, this mosque was climatically designed in accordance with the economic and social context of the region
Corrigendum to “Ellagic acid through attenuation of neuro-inflammatory response exerted antidepressant-like effects in socially isolated mice” [Heliyon Volume 9, Issue 4, April 2023, Article e15550]
No full textIn this article, 3 citations [32,44,47] were duplicated references in the article. Reference 34 is a duplication of reference 28. Reference 42 is a duplication of reference 13. Reference 47 is a duplication of reference 46. The original references can be found below: [13] S. Amiri, A. Haj-Mirzaian, H. Amini-khoei, A. Shirzadian, M. Rahimi-Balaei, A. Razmi et al., Lithium attenuates the proconvulsant effect of adolescent social isolation stress via involvement of the nitrergic system, Epilepsy Behav. 61 (2016) 6–13. [18] Y. Jia, L. Liu, C. Sheng, Z. Cheng, L. Cui, M. Li et al., Increased serum levels of cortisol and inflammatory cytokines in people with depression, J. Nerv. Ment. Dis.207 (4) (2019) 271–276. [34] S. Amiri, H. Amini-Khoei, A. Haj-Mirzaian, M. Rahimi-Balaei, P. Naserzadeh, A. Dehpour et al., Tropisetron attenuated the anxiogenic effects of social isolation by modulating nitrergic system and mitochondrial function, Biochim. Biophys. Acta Gen. Subj. 1850 (12) (2015) 2464–2475. [42] S. Amiri, A. Haj-Mirzaian, H. Amini-Khoei, A. Shirzadian, M. Rahimi-Balaei, A. Razmi et al., Lithium attenuates the proconvulsant effect of adolescent social isolation stress via involvement of the nitrergic system, Epilepsy Behav. 61 (2016) 6–13. [46] H.A. Bedel, C. Kencebay Manas, G. Ozbey, C. Usta, The antidepressant-like activity of ellagic acid and its effect on hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor levels in mouse depression models, Nat. Prod. Res. 32 (24) (2018) 2932–2935. [47] H.A. Bedel, C. Kencebay Manas, G. Özbey, C. Usta, The antidepressant-like activity of ellagic acid and its effect on hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor levels in mouse depression models, Nat. Prod. Res. 32 (24) (2018) 2932–2935. The reference list has been ammended to remove the duplicated references. Reference 34 has been removed from the list as it is a duplicate of reference 28 (S. Amiri, H. Amini-Khoei, A. Haj-Mirzaian, M. Rahimi-Balaei, P. Naserzadeh, A. Dehpour et al., Tropisetron attenuated the anxiogenic effects of social isolation by modulating nitrergic system and mitochondrial function, Biochim. Biophys. Acta Gen. Subj. 1850 (12) (2015) 2464–2475.) All citations to reference 34 should now be associated with reference 28. Reference 42 has been removed from the list as it is a duplicate of reference 13 (Amiri S, Haj-Mirzaian A, Amini-Khoei H, Shirzadian A, Rahimi-Balaei M, Razmi A et al. Lithium attenuates the proconvulsant effect of adolescent social isolation stress via involvement of the nitrergic system. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2016; 61:6–13.) All citations to reference 42 should now be associated with reference 13. Reference 47 has been removed from the list as it is a duplicate of reference 46 (Bedel HA, Kencebay Manas C, Özbey G, Usta C. The antidepressant-like activity of ellagic acid and its effect on hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor levels in mouse depression models. Natural product research. 2018; 32(24):2932-5.). All citations to references 47 should now be associated with reference 46. The authors apologize for the errors
Erratum: The role of visual preferences in architecture views
No full textThe article “The role of visual preferences in architecture views” by Ali Akbar Amini, Bahman Adibzadeh, published on 24 September 2020 in the Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 44(2), 122–127, https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2020.12582 contained a following errors on:
122 p. The source is incorrectly cited in the text. The correct citation is:
(de la Fuente Suárez, 2016)
126 p. The references incorrectly indicate author name, lastname and title of article. The correct citation is:
de la Fuente Suárez, L. A. (2016). Towards experiential representation in architecture. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 40(1), 47–58. https://doi.org/10.3846/20297955.2016.1163243
Corrected version of the article is available online.
The publisher apologises for this error
Medicalization, menopausal time and narratives of loss:Iranian Muslim women negotiating gender, sexuality and the menopause in Tehran and Karaj
No full textDrawing on life-course interviews with 30 Iranian menopausal women, this study examines menopause as an extended period during which women evaluate their lives in the context of the patriarchal culture of Iran. Referring to this period as menopausal time, we document how these women use “loss narratives” to understand the negative impact of the gendered and sexual rules of Iranian culture throughout their lives, including fear of a medicalized menopause which is believed to signify entering old age and the approach of death. Yet, contrasting with Western theories of agency and repression, we document how participants use menopausal time to negotiate different relationships with their husbands—resisting beauty norms, talking about sex for the first time and rejecting intercourse in certain circumstances. As such, we develop an account of these women's agency that differs from Western notions of both agency and menopause by recognizing the complex and meaningful ways Iranian menopausal women mediate the patriarchal norms of Iranian culture with the realities of their daily lives and sense of autonomous self.© 2019, Elsevier. The attached document (embargoed until 01/09/2021) is an author produced version of a paper published in WOMEN'S STUDIES INTERNATIONAL FORUM uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it
Sedimentation Processes in the Tinto and Odiel Salt Marshes in Huelva, Spain
No full textGlobal warming is a key factor to take into account when a study is conducted on tidal
wetlands. Both Odiel and Tinto salt marshes are the major wetlands in Andalusia (Spain).
From the mid-1950s to date, the land use changes (LUC) have caused a great landscape
alteration that along with the effects of climatic variables and sea wave energy have given
rise to a hard impact on the environment. The advent of new image processing procedures and use of high-resolution images from satellites gave precise patterns of erosion.
In this work, a new method patented by the author is presented and used to obtain the
total cubic meters of eroded soil in both salt marshes. Moreover, the different factors that
begin this phenomenon as well as the influence of intertidal processes are discussed. The
results show how the greater integration of remote sensing and geographical information
systems (GIS) technologies, with regression model, was most useful to describe, analyze
and predict the volumetric change process in both salt marshes
Insider or outsider? Issues of power and habitus during life history interviews with menopausal Iranian women
No full textCharacterization of Slow Pyrolysis Behavior of Live and Dead Vegetation
No full textPrescribed (i.e., controlled) burning is a common practice used in many vegetation types in the world to accomplish a wide range of land management objectives including wildfire risk reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, forest regeneration, and land clearing. To properly apply controlled fire and reduce unwanted fire behavior, an improved understanding of fundamental processes related to combustion of live and dead vegetation is needed. Since the combustion process starts with pyrolysis, there is a need for more data and better models of pyrolysis of live and dead fuels. In this study, slow pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a pyrolyzer apparatus and a Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) under oxygen free environment in three groups of experiments. In the first group, the effects of temperature (400–800 °C), a slow heating rate (H.R.) (5–30 °C min−1), and carrier gas flow rate (50–350 ml min−1) on yields of tar and light gas obtained from pyrolysis of dead longleaf pine litter in the pyrolyzer apparatus were investigated to find the optimum condition which results in the maximum tar yield. In the second group of experiments, 14 plant species (live and dead) native to forests in the southern United States, were heated in the pyrolyzer apparatus at the optimum condition. A gas chromatograph equipped with a mass spectrometer (GC–MS) and a gas chromatograph equipped with a thermal conductivity detector (GC-TCD) were used to study the speciation of tar and light gases, respectively. In the third group of experiments, the slow pyrolysis experiments for all plant species (live and dead) were carried out in the TGA at 5 different heating rates ranged from 10 to 30 ℃ min-1 to study the kinetics of pyrolysis. The results showed that the highest tar yield was obtained at a temperature of 500 °C, heating rate of 30 °C min−1, and sweep gas flow rate of 100 ml min−1. In addition, the tar composition is dominated by oxygenated aromatic compounds consisting mainly of phenols. The light gas analysis showed that CO and CO2 were the dominant light gas species for all plant samples on a dry wt% basis, followed by CH4 and H2. The kinetics of pyrolysis was studied using one model-free method and three model-fitting methods. First, the model-free method of Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) was used to calculate the rates of pyrolysis as a function of the extent of conversion. The results showed that different plant species had different rates at different conversions. Then, three model fitting methods were used to find the kinetic parameters to potentially provide a single rate for each plant species. The results showed that the simple one-step model did not fit the one-peak pyrolysis data as well as the distributed activation energy model (DAEM) model. The multiple-reaction DAEM model provided very good fits to the experimental data where multiple peaks were observed, even at different heating rates
Eine Struktur zum Schutz sicherheitssensitiver ICs gegen Angriffen durch die Siliziumrückseite
No full textSecurity sensitive integrated circuits (ICs) are subject to hardware attacks on secure data. In the past few years, optical signal tracking methods accessing the IC through the chip backside have become the most successful attack risks.
Modern ICs are equipped with various hardware and software countermeasures to protect secret data and intellectual property (IP) against known attacks. These countermeasures include protective mesh layers, different sensors, shields, and physically unclonable functions (PUFs). However, the chip backside is still exposed, and proper and affordable protection of the IC backside against focused ion beam (FIB) and optical attacks is missing. Accordingly, the available countermeasures can be circumvented by attacks through the silicon back surface.
This work presents, realizes and develops an efficient and cost-effective structure to protect ICs against hardware attacks through the chip backside. Since there is no cost-efficient way to connect the backside to the frontside electrically, a proper protection structure for the backside must be based on optics. The structure presented here is an optically active thin film that is deposited on the IC back surface. The integrity of the layer is checked by an optical signal generated and detected inside the chip using IC elements. The protective layer is opaque to the infrared light and provides an angle-dependent reflectivity. Thus, the laser light cannot penetrate the IC, and the photon emission of the IC structure cannot leave the IC through the silicon backside. In the developed protection method, the IC structures are administrated as a light-emitting device and light-sensing devices. A p-n junction is forward-biased to emit an optical signal in all directions toward the IC backside. The light reflected from the IC backside is absorbed by several reverse-biased p-n junctions (drain or source of the transistors), creating a photocurrent. The layer changes the intensity of the reflected light depending on the angle of incidence of the light. Therefore, the photocurrent of the detectors is a signature of the layer. If the layer is damaged or removed, the signal of the detectors will change. Then, the device will not be able to confirm the integrity of the layer. Subsequently, the secret data stored on the device will be destroyed. In order to achieve an efficient protection structure, parameters including optical signals, the light emitter, detectors, the protection layer, and the position of the structures are optimized together.
In this work, two optically active thin films that are qualified for this purpose are designed and produced by the sputtering method. The layers are characterized by ellipsometry and the Automated reflectance/transmittance analyzer (ARTA). The concept of the protection mechanism is evaluated by electrical measurements on the IC structure. The photocurrent of the detectors is analyzed when the layer is deposited on the IC backside and when the layer is removed. The results have confirmed the effect of the layer on the photocurrent of the detectors. Hence, any harms to the layer can be detected by electrical measurements on the IC circuit. This work also discusses the advantages and drawbacks of the protection mechanism, and possibilities for its application are examined.
These investigations lead to the conclusion that the protection structure, after optimization of the critical parameters, becomes a comprehensive countermeasure. It would be a very low-cost process and capable of preventing both physical and optical attacks through the chip back surface. This protection structure can be used for all types of security-sensitive ICs with different size, technology, and bulk thickness.Sicherheitsempfindliche integrierte Schaltkreise (ICs) sind Hardware-Angriffen auf sichere Daten ausgesetzt. In den letzten Jahren sind optische Signalverfolgungsmethoden, die über die Chip-Rückseite auf den IC zugreifen, zu den größten Angriffsrisiken geworden.
Moderne ICs sind mit verschiedenen Hardware- und Software-Gegenmaßnahmen ausgestattet, um geheime Daten und geistiges Eigentum (IP) vor bekannten Angriffen zu schützen. Diese Gegenmaßnahmen umfassen Gitterschichten, verschiedene Sensoren, Abschirmungen und Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs). Die Chiprückseite ist jedoch immer noch ungeschützt, und es fehlt ein angemessener und erschwinglicher Schutz der Chip-Rückseite gegen fokussierte Ionenstrahlen (FIB) und optische Angriffe. Dementsprechend können alle verfügbaren Gegenmaßnahmen mittels Angriffen durch die Silizium-Rückseite umgangen werden.
In dieser Arbeit wird eine effiziente und kostengünstige Struktur zum Schutz von ICs gegen Hardware-Angriffe durch die Chip-Rückseite vorgestellt, realisiert und entwickelt. Da es keine kostengünstige Möglichkeit gibt, die Rückseite mit der Vorderseite elektrisch zu verbinden, muss eine geeignete Schutzstruktur für die Rückseite auf optischen Prinzipien basieren. Die hier vorgestellte Struktur ist ein optisch aktiver Dünnfilm, der auf der IC-Rückseite aufgebracht wird. Die Intaktheit der Schicht wird durch ein optisches Signal überprüft, das im Inneren des Chips mit Hilfe von IC-Elementen erzeugt und detektiert wird. Die Schutzschicht ist für Infrarotlicht undurchlässig und bietet eine winkelabhängige Reflektivität. Dadurch kann das Laserlicht nicht in den IC eindringen, und die Photonenemission der Schaltung kann den Chip nicht durch die Silizium-Rückseite verlassen. Für die entwickelte Schutzmaßnahme werden IC-Strukturen als lichtemittierende und lichtempfindliche Bauelemente verwendet. Ein p-n-Übergang wird in Vorwärtsrichtung vorgespannt, um ein optisches Signal in alle Richtungen zur IC-Rückseite zu emittieren. Das von der IC-Rückseite reflektierte Licht wird von mehreren in Sperrichtung vorgespannten p-n-Übergängen (Drain oder Source der Transistoren) absorbiert, wodurch ein Fotostrom erzeugt wird. Die Schicht verändert die Intensität des reflektierten Lichts in Abhängigkeit vom Einfallwinkel des Lichts. Daher stellt der Fotostrom der Detektoren eine Signatur der aufgebrachten Schicht dar. Wenn die Schicht beschädigt oder entfernt wird, ändert sich das Signal der Detektoren und folglich kann die Integrität der Schicht nicht mehr bestätigt werden. In der Folge kann der IC alle auf dem Gerät gespeicherten vertraulichen Daten löschen. Um eine effiziente Schutzstruktur zu erreichen, werden Parameter wie optische Signale, Lichtsender, Detektoren, die Schutzschicht, und die Position der Strukturen gemeinsam optimiert.
In dieser Arbeit werden zwei dafür geeignete optisch aktive Dünnschichten entworfen und im Sputterverfahren hergestellt. Die Schichten werden durch Ellipsometrie und Automatisierter Reflexions-/Durchlässigkeitsanalysator (ARTA) charakterisiert. Das Konzept des Schutzmechanismus wird durch elektrische Messungen an der IC-Struktur bewertet. Der Fotostrom der Detektoren wird sowohl analysiert, wenn die Schicht auf der IC-Rückseite aufgebracht ist, als auch wenn die Schicht entfernt wurde. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen den Einfluss der Schicht auf den Photostrom der Detektoren. Folglich können eventuelle Schädigungen der Schicht durch elektrische Messungen an der IC-Schaltung nachgewiesen werden. In dieser Arbeit werden auch die Vor- und Nachteile des Schutzmechanismus diskutiert und Möglichkeiten der Anwendung untersucht.
Diese Untersuchungen lassen den Schluss zu, dass die Schutzstruktur, nach der Optimierung der kritischen Parameter, zu einer vollständigen Gegenmaßnahme wird. Es wäre ein sehr kostengünstiges Verfahren und in der Lage, sowohl physische als auch optische Angriffe durch die Chip- Rückseite zu verhindern. Diese Schutzstruktur kann für alle Arten von sicherheitsempfindlichen ICs mit unterschiedlicher Größe, Technologie und Dicke verwendet werden
The Gendered and Sexual Experiences of Iranian Muslim Menopausal Women: A Biographical Narrative Approach
No full textThis thesis explores the processes through which sexual and gendered experiences of Iranian Muslim menopausal women are shaped by hegemonic gender norms, and how these women do, in turn, express their agency. It addresses a significant gap in the literature, due in part to the dominant biomedical discourse that have failed to acknowledge the role of sociocultural factors in understanding the sexuality of menopausal women. Moreover, it is the first study that analyses the sexual, embodied and gendered experiences of Iranian Muslim menopausal women from their point of view, contributing to biographical sociology and sexualities research. Specifically, this is achieved by undertaking empirical research linking sexuality, ageing, and the body to the matter of menopause - conceived here as a gendered, embodied and lived phenomenon characterised both by cultural constraint and by individual reflexive body techniques. 30 biographical, life course interviews, were conducted and I scrutinise the ways in which women articulate critical agency and bodily practices in milieux structured by masculine power over three different stages of their lives: childhood, womanhood and menopause. Highlighting the events and experiences that have been significant in shaping the sexual and gendered biographies of my interviewees, I discuss how cultural meanings and symbols have emerged and been negotiated by these women at these different stages of their lives. Importantly, it is argued that this ultimately demonstrates the significance of female agency in respect of the socio-cultural contexts in which women are typically conceived as being afforded little autonomy, as well as their reflexive embodiment, their cultural consent as well as the contesting of power. Indeed, the women’s stories reveal that ‘the gendered body’ and experiences of sexuality are created in the interaction between, at the macro-level, socio-cultural structures and, at the micro-level, personal, embodied, responses to these normative structures
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