881 research outputs found
Figure 3 in A forgotten rodent from the Garden of Eden: what really happened to the long-tailed nesokia rat in the Mesopotamian marshes?
No full textFigure 3: The two most abundant rat-sized rodents in the Mesopotamian seasonally flooded marshes are (A) the short-tailed nesokia (Nesokia indica; photographed at Hoor Ol-Ezeem on the Iranian side of Hawizeh Marsh; photo by Sayed B. Mousavi) and (B) the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus; captured at Mashab in the Eastern Hammar Marsh, Basra Province, Iraq; photo by Omar F. Al-Sheikhly). Compare with the longtailed nesokia rat in Figures 1, 4B.Published as part of Kryštufek, Boris, Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., Lazaro, Javier, Haba, Mukhtar K., Hutterer, Rainer, Mousavi, Sayed B. & Ivajnšič, Danijel, 2021, A forgotten rodent from the Garden of Eden: what really happened to the long-tailed nesokia rat in the Mesopotamian marshes?, pp. 103-108 in Mammalia (Warsaw, Poland) 85 (2) on page 107, DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0092, http://zenodo.org/record/783776
A forgotten rodent from the Garden of Eden: what really happened to the long-tailed nesokia rat in the Mesopotamian marshes?
No full textKryštufek, Boris, Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., Lazaro, Javier, Haba, Mukhtar K., Hutterer, Rainer, Mousavi, Sayed B., Ivajnšič, Danijel (2021): A forgotten rodent from the Garden of Eden: what really happened to the long-tailed nesokia rat in the Mesopotamian marshes? Mammalia (Warsaw, Poland) 85 (2): 103-108, DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0092, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2020-009
Figure 1 in A forgotten rodent from the Garden of Eden: what really happened to the long-tailed nesokia rat in the Mesopotamian marshes?
No full textFigure 1: Colour drawing of long-tailed nesokia rat Nesokia bunnii, based on museum vouchers in the Naturmuseum Senckenberg. Digital painting by Javier Lazaro.Published as part of Kryštufek, Boris, Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., Lazaro, Javier, Haba, Mukhtar K., Hutterer, Rainer, Mousavi, Sayed B. & Ivajnšič, Danijel, 2021, A forgotten rodent from the Garden of Eden: what really happened to the long-tailed nesokia rat in the Mesopotamian marshes?, pp. 103-108 in Mammalia (Warsaw, Poland) 85 (2) on page 104, DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0092, http://zenodo.org/record/783776
Integration of Rooftop Solar PV on Trains: Comparative Analysis of MPPT Methods for Auxiliary Power Supply of Locomotives in Milan
No full textAs electricity demand increases, especially in transportation, renewable sources such as solar energy become more important. The direct integration of solar energy in rail transportation mostly involves utilizing station roofs and track side spaces. This paper proposes a novel approach by proposing the integration of photovoltaic systems directly on the roofs of trains to generate clean electricity and reduce dependence on the main grid. Installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on train rooftops can reduce energy costs and emissions and develop a more sustainable and ecological rail transport system. This research focuses on the Milan Cadorna-Saronno railway line, examining the feasibility of installing PV panels onto train rooftops to generate power for the train’s internal consumption, including lighting and air conditioning. In addition, it is a solution to reduce the power absorbed by the train from the main supply. Simulations conducted using PVSOL software 2023 (R7) indicate that equipping a train roof with PV panels could supply up to almost 10% of the train’s auxiliary power needs, equating to over 600 MWh annually. Implementing the suggested system may also result in a decrease of more than 27 tons of CO2 emissions per year for one train. To optimize the performance of PV systems and maximize power output, the gravitational search algorithm (GSA) as an evolutionary-based method is proposed alongside a DC/DC boost converter and its performance is compared with two other main maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods of perturb and observe (PO), and incremental conductance (INC). The accuracy of the suggested algorithm was confirmed utilizing MATLAB SIMULINK R2023b, and the results were compared with those of the PO and INC algorithms. The findings indicate that the GSA performs better in terms of accuracy, while the PO and INC algorithms demonstrate greater robustness and dynamic response
Identification and analytical examination of copper alloy pigments applied as golden illuminations on three persian manuscripts
No full textGolden pigments are among the most common colourants used in Persian illuminated manuscripts. In this research, golden pigments were investigated in three eighteenth- to nineteenth-century manuscripts. Initially, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry analyses showed that different kinds of metallic pigments were present and some of them were ternary alloys made up of copper, zinc and tin, hence copper-based alloys were ascertained as cheap alternatives to gold. Discolouration of the pigment was observable through alteration of the metallic pigments to greenish residues in the manuscripts. Subsequently, the greenish products in the golden pigments were studied by Raman spectroscopy. Copper carboxylates were recognized as degradation products. We inferred that the alteration is a consequence of the interaction between copper alloy pigments and carboxylic acids in conditions of high humidity. Moreover, more progressive degradation has caused the discolouration, brittleness and gradually crumbling of the paper in the painted areas. Signs of damages in the paper were comparable with decomposition of the paper by green copper pigments such as verdigris in historical documents and miniatures
Delay in Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer in Afghanistan: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Survey
No full textObjectives: The present study aimed to investigate the potential delays in healthcare seeking and diagnosis of women with cervical cancer (CC) in Afghanistan. Methods: Clinical records of three hospitals in Kabul were searched for CC cases, and the women identified were interviewed by a trained physician using a semi-structured questionnaire. The main outcomes were the prevalence of potential delays over 90 days (1) from symptoms onset to healthcare seeking (patient delay), and (2) from first healthcare visit to CC diagnosis (healthcare delay). Information was also collected on: type and stage of CC, diagnostic test utilized, familiarity for CC, signs and symptoms, treatment type, and potential reasons for delaying healthcare seeking. Results: 31 women with CC were identified, however only 11 continued their treatment in the study hospitals or were reachable by telephone, and accepted the interview. The mean age was 51 ± 14 years, and only 18.2% had a previous history of seeking medical care. Patient delay was seen in 90.9% of the women (95% CI: 58.7–99.8), with a median of 304 ± 183 days. Instead, healthcare delay was found in 45.4% (95% CI: 16.7–76.6), with a median of 61 ± 152 days. The main reasons for patient delays were unawareness of the seriousness of the symptoms (70.0%) and unwillingness to consult a healthcare professional (30.0%). None of the women ever underwent cervical screening or heard of the HPV vaccination. Conclusions: Given the global effort to provide quality health care to all CC patients, Afghanistan needs interventions to reduce the delays in the diagnosis of this cancer, for instance by improving all women's awareness of gynecological signs and symptoms
Fabrication and Charge Transport Modeling of Thin Film Transistor Based on Carbon Nanotubes Network
No full textIn this paper, the fabrication and modeling of thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on random network of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are presented. The thin film is obtained by dispersing 99% semiconductive SWCNTs with an effective deposition technique at room temperature that combines vacuum filtration and silanization of substrate. The case of TFT structures with channel length varying from 2 to 50 μm is experimentally studied. In the device with channel length equal to 8μm, an apparent mobility of 40.75 cm2/V·s, a current density of 0.06 μm, and ION/IOFF ratio of 1.8×10^4 have been measured. In order to obtain a numerical model as close as possible to the real structure, a 3-D model for the thin-film layer is developed, rather than the 2-D type commonly used in the literature, to reproduce the electric transport properties of the CNTs network in the channel of TFTs devices. The spatial arrangement of the random network CNTs in the channel of the thin-film structure is also analyzed by considering the percolation theory. According to this theory, an exponent of the power law equal to α=1.7 is experimentally detected, indicating that the devices operate close to the percolation region. A good agreement is found between the transport characteristics of the simulated and fabricated devices. The adopted model opens new routes to understand the transport properties of the film. The proposed fabrication approach can be easily transformed to large areas leading to a suitable use in industrial application
Translation and validation study of the Persian version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2 (AIMS2) in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee
No full textBackground: The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2 (AIMS2) has not been translated and validated for Persian-speaking patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. This was to provide a validated instrument to measure functional disability and health-related quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee in Iran. The aim of this study was to culturally adapt and validate the AIMS2 for Persian-speaking patients with osteoarthritis of the knee in Iran. Methods: A consecutive sample of patients with knee osteoarthritis were asked to complete the AIMS2, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and four visual analog scales for pain, joint stiffness, patient's and physician's global assessment. Internal consistency and convergent validity were applied to examine psychometric properties of the AIMS2. In addition, 30 randomly selected patients were asked to complete the questionnaire two days later for the second time for test-retest reliability. Finally factor structure of the Persian AIMS2 was performed using the principal component factor analysis. Results: In all 230 patients were entered into the study. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 56.9 (8.7) years and the mean (SD) duration of disease was 7.2 (3.5) years. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the Persian AIMS2 scales ranged from 0.74 to 0.92 and 0.85 to 0.96, respectively. The correlation between most of the Persian AIMS2 scales and the physical and mental summary scores of the SF-36 and the visual analogue scales for pain, joint stiffness, patient's and physician's global assessment were statistically significant indicating a good convergent validity (p < 0.05). The results obtained from factor analysis indicated three latent factors that jointly accounted for 67.5% of the total variance. Conclusion: The results showed that the Persian AIMS2 had reasonably good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. It is simple and easy to use and now can be applied in the future studies in Iran. However, its sensitivity to change needs still to be studied.We wish to express our gratitude to physicians who co-operated in the selection of the patients and patients who gave their time to complete the questionnaires. This research was supported by Sport Medicine Research Center (SMRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences; grant No 85-01-53-3579
Irrigated silage maize yield and water productivity response to deficit irrigation in an arid region
No full textSimulation models have proven to be useful. The AquaCrop model, which has been expanded by FAO, simulates crop yield based on the applied water under conditions of full and deficit irrigation levels. In this study, the AquaCrop model's performance was tested using data for silage maize (Zea mays L.) under full (100% fulfillment of ETc) and deficit irrigation levels (90, 80, 70, and 60% of full irrigation) in the arid and semiarid environment of central Iran in the Gavkhuni River Basin (GRB). To calibrate this model, we used physiological measurement sets of cropping seasons 2000 to 2002. AquaCrop simulated well the decrease of the biomass yield (B-yield) of silage maize in response to drought as happened in the field. B-yield was decreased by 9.9% under deficit irrigation as compared to fully irrigated conditions. The coefficient of determination (R²) for simulation of B-yield and water productivity (WP) was 0.95 and 0.99, respectively. But the R²=0.77 was not satisfactory for actual evapotranspiration (ETa). The results for all investigated parameters in the three years showed that RMSE, d, ME, CRM, and E values ranged from 0.90% to 3.85%, 0.98 to 1, 1.25% to 6.4%, -0.027 to 0.03, and 0.817 to 100%, respectively. At the end, a local second-degree polynomial crop water production function (CWPF) for silage maize is presented.Hamidreza Salemi, Mohd Amin Mohd Soom, Sayed-Farhad Mousavi, Arman Ganji, Teang Shui Lee, Mohd Kamil Yusoff, Vahid Reza Verdinejadhttp://www.pjoes.com/abstracts/2011/Vol20/No05/list.htm
DENATURALIZING CULTURE: SAYED KASHUA'S NEWSPAPER COLUMNS ON THE TOPIC OF PREJUDICE
No full textAbstract Discrimination is a recurrent topic in the work of the Israeli-Arab writer Sayed Kashua. In the last couple of years, Sayed Kashua has moved away from writing about the prejudice expressed by his own Israeli Muslim community towards the Israeli Jewish population to focus his attention instead on the prejudice shown by Jews against Arabs in Israel. Self-criticism has always been a hallmark of Sayed Kashua's work so this shift indicates a significant change in the columnist's perception of his own society. Based on a survey of various issues relating to Israeli society, such as the law, the educational system and language, as well as a theoretical review of authors who observe a mutual alienation of Arabs and Jews in Israel, this article analyses several of Sayed Kashua's recent columns in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. It also investigates how the author understands prejudice and, in a singular and surprising way, expresses his concerns and solutions to this problem
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