Correlation of Patients’ Baseline Characteristics with Success Rate of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; a Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Many advances have been made in method, applied medications and the skill of the treatment staff for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), yet the rate of mortality following cardiac arrest is still high, which is affected by many factors. Objective: This study was designed and performed aiming to evaluate the effective factors in the success rate of CPR. Method: This cross-sectional study was performed on patients who had undergone CPR in Dr. Shariati Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, from March 2017 to March 2018. A pre-designed checklist was used for data gathering, which included questions regarding demographic data and medical history of the patients, data related to CPR and the final outcome of resuscitation. Results: A total of 190 patients with the mean age of 69.4±17.7 years were evaluated in the present study, 115 (60.5%) of which were male. Overall, 28.9% of CPRs were initially successful and 5.3% of the cases were finally discharged from the hospital. There was no significant correlation between CPR success and age, sex, hospitalization ward, time interval between hospitalization and cardiac arrest, the number of CPR attempts, or working shift (p > 0.05). On the other hand, CPR success significantly correlated with underlying illnesses and the first cardiac rhythm recorded before the initiation of resuscitation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it seems that underlying illness and the initial cardiac rhythm recorded correlate with the probability of CPR success

An assessment on dispersion of carbon monoxide from a cement factory

Background: Modeling the dispersion of pollutants from factory stacks addresses the problem of matching emissions of a cement plant with the capacity of the environment to avoid affecting the environment and society. The main objective of this study was to simulate the dispersion of carbon monoxide (CO) from the main stack of a cement plant in Doroud, Iran using SCREEN3 software developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Methods: Four samplings were conducted to measure the concentration of CO in the three-stack flow of a cement factory. The input parameters were those affecting gas dispersion and included CO rate, meteorological parameters, factors associated with the stack, and various factors related to the receptor. All factors were incorporated in the model, and dispersion was modeled by SCREEN3. Results: Southwesterly winds have been dominant in the past 5 years. According to the results of this study, the highest and the lowest CO levels were estimated by the model in spring and autumn as having maximum amounts of 842.06 and 88.31 μg/m3, respectively, within distances of 526 and 960 m from the cement plant, respectively, at a downwind southwesterly direction from the plant. Conclusion: Although the maximum predicted CO levels in each of the four seasons were lower than the NAAQS criteria, the simulation results can be used as a base for reducing CO emissions to prevent the potentially significant health and environmental impacts imposed by long-term contact to such emissions

The use of 18S ribosomal DNA, ITS and rbcL molecular markers to study the genus Dunaliella (Dunaliellaceae) in Iranian samples: A phylogenetic approach

The microalga Dunaliella has been the focus of attention over recent decades owing to its high biotechnological potential for the production of β-carotene, biofuels and even as a good expression system for the production of recombinant proteins. Different species of this genus have unique features, biological characteristics and biotechnological potential. Therefore, it is necessary to have a clear and reliable taxonomic method to identify different species of Dunaliella. Although several taxonomic systems are available for Dunaliella based on morphological, physiological and molecular features, none of these methods are reliable enough and some controversies exist over different classification systems. In the current study, molecular techniques and bioinformatics tools have been used to re-assess the phylogenetic position of Dunaliella species based on 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA), ITS and rbcL regions. The overall findings b ased on these markers provide a new and more reliable tool for phylogenetic analysis of Dunaliella species/strains.The microalga Dunaliella has been the focus of attention over recent decades owing to its high biotechnological potential for the production of β-carotene, biofuels and even as a good expression system for the production of recombinant proteins. Different species of this genus have unique features, biological characteristics and biotechnological potential. Therefore, it is necessary to have a clear and reliable taxonomic method to identify different species of Dunaliella. Although several taxonomic systems are available for Dunaliella based on morphological, physiological and molecular features, none of these methods are reliable enough and some controversies exist over different classification systems. In the current study, molecular techniques and bioinformatics tools have been used to re-assess the phylogenetic position of Dunaliella species based on 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA), ITS and rbcL regions. The overall findings b ased on these markers provide a new and more reliable tool for phylogenetic analysis of Dunaliella species/strains

The Involvement of Mir-210 in Unrestricted Somatic Stem Cells Differentiation into Osteoblasts

Introduction: Bone surgery as a current bone treatment method is not always successful to fulfil bone repair in bone degenerative diseases orextensive injuries. Due to the limited capacity of bone remodeling, the demand for alternative approaches remains to be met. Thus, efforts in exvivo generation of bone forming cells, osteoblasts, and their further application in cell therapy as a promising approach are of vital prominencefrom a scientific perspective. Though several studies have focused on microRNA roles in osteoblast differentiation in various cell recourses, yetnone has reported miR-210 enhancing role in human mesynchymal stem cells (MSCs) so far.Materials and Methods: Hence, we wished toexamine the nature of the relationship between osteoblast differentiation and miR-210 in unique human mesynchymal stem cells, unrestrictedsomatic stem cells (USSCs). Osteoblast markers at gene level namely, Runx2, col I in addition to osteocalcin were assessed using qRT-PCR, andAlizarin Red S staining was also carried out to observe histochemical changes 7 days following miR-210 transduction.Results: The conclusion that follows from our findings represents a marked increase in osteoblast differentiation markers. Interestingly, for the first time, human USSCsdifferentiation into osteoblasts was performed in our research.Conclusion: our study may provide helpful insights into surmounting bonerelated issues by combination of both gene and cell therapy

A Survey on Low Back Pain Risk Factors in Steel Industry Workers in 2015

Study DesignThis was a cross-sectional study.PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and its association with individual factors and current job status among steel industry workers in Mashhad, Iran.Overview of LiteratureSeveral studies have been conducted on LBP and its related risk factors, some of which emphasized oc-cupational factors as the main etiology of LBP. Meanwhile, individual risk factors have been emphasized in other studies. Despite several published articles, there are still many unresolved, basic issues about developing LBP.MethodsFor this study, 358 male workers were selected by a random sampling method and divided into two groups: production workers (n=201) and administrative personnel (n=157). Data were collected using modified Nordic questionnaire and physical examination. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the correlation between individual factors and current job status with LBP.ResultsDespite the young age of participants and their short employment duration, the overall prevalence of LBP was high (32.4%) in this industry. The prevalence of non-specific LBP in production workers and administrative personnel was 26.8% and 21.0%, respectively. Disk herniation was observed in 10.4% of production workers and 6.3% of administrative personnel. Age, employment duration, body mass index and smoking status were similar in the two groups. There was no significant relationship between LBP and current job status; however, a significant relationship was found between prevalence of LBP with age, duration of employment, and leisure time physical activity (p<0.05).ConclusionsWe have not found any relationship between LBP and current occupational status suggesting that the effects of general health-related factors such as weight, age, leisure time physical activity, and duration of employment are more important than occupational factors in developing LBP

Linear, nonlinear and networked-based vibration control of smart flexible structures

Electronic Thesis or DissertationFlexible structures are one of the most frequently used elements in different systems. They can be easily shaped to any desired form, they are light-weight, relatively inexpensive, and they have the required mechanical properties for many applications. In many cases, implementation of these systems requires real-time (active) application of a force or a moment to guarantee the required performance. Also sometimes, real-time measurement of the deflections in these systems is needed to measure a property or a parameter. To address these needs, flexible structures have been taken to a different level by enhancing them with smart materials. One of the most frequently used smart materials for flexible structures are piezoelectric layers. The result is a smart flexible structure which can provide a measurement of its deflections, and/or its displacement can be actively controlled. Active control of smart structures is one of the most important topics in this field. Using active control, a desired level of vibration can be induced in the structure, or undesired vibration can be eliminated. Additionally, deflection measurement in flexible smart structures can be improved alongside current developments in other sensing devices. To this end in this dissertation, several new control techniques have been proposed for active vibration control of flexible smart structures based on the method of positive feedback, in addition to decentralized measurement and control using novel networked-based consensus techniques. The methodologies developed in this dissertation are listed as: • Multimode Modified Positive Position Feedback • Modified Positive Velocity Feedback • Hybrid Positive Feedback • Spatial Modified Positive Position Feedback • Multi Positive Feedback • Nonlinear Modified Positive Position Feedback • Nonlinear Integral Resonant Controller • Nonlinear Integral Positive Position Feedback • Optimal consensus observer design for piezo-active smart structures • Consensus-based multi-piezoelectric microcantilever sensor • Leader-follower based consensus vibration controller • Consensus Positive Position Feedback The mentioned approaches which are designed for sensing and control of smart flexible structures are numerically and/or experimentally investigated, and their strengths and weaknesses in each case are thoroughly discussed. This dissertation provides a useful reference for engineers who seek to implement smart structures, and inspires them to develop and apply novel techniques in this field

Nonlinear Vibration Reduction in Smart Structures Using Nonlinear Integral Resonant Controller

This paper discusses a new nonlinear controller for vibration reduction in nonlinear vibrating smart structures. Nonlinear Integral Resonant Controller (NIRC) applies additional damping to the closed-loop system of a nonlinear vibrating system, and reduces the vibration amplitude in a wide range of frequency domain. An approximate solution is obtained using a multi-layer implementation of the Method of Multiple Scales, steady-state amplitude-frequency response is obtained and closed-loop stability is examined. Effects of different controller parameters on system response are investigated, in addition to numerical simulation results. In contrast to the Positive Position Feedback approach, the closed-loop response of the controlled system via NIRC does not show any high-amplitude peak in the neighborhood of the suppressed resonant frequency. This makes the closed-loop system robust to variations in excitation frequency.</jats:p