Investigation of the Impacts of Social Capital on Organizational Entrepreneurship in Tehran Municipality

Entrepreneurship is the symbol of endeavor and success in business, and entrepreneurs play a crucial role in economic and social development of communities. Since Organizational Entrepreneurship (OE) contribute to earning stable finance required for administration of urban affairs, it is very important in the case of municipalities. For this reason, this study aims to investigate the role of social capital (SC) in the development of entrepreneurship in Tehran municipality. Research method was descriptive and non-experimental, and required data were collected through 204 questionnaires distributed among managers and experts of the organization. Stratified sampling was used, in which 37 managers and 167 experts participated. Number of male participants was 147, and number of female participants was 57. The mean age of participants was 41 years, and its standard deviation was 0.765. In order to test the research hypothesis, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. The results of the study showed that social capital and its three dimensions (Cognitive, Relational and Structural dimensions) had positive significant effect on organizational entrepreneurship

A novel method for RNA extraction from FFPE samples reveals significant differences in biomarker expression between orthotopic and subcutaneous pancreatic cancer patient-derived xenografts.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can identify and validate new biomarkers of cancer onset, progression and therapy resistance. Substantial archives of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cancer samples from patients represent a rich resource for linking molecular signatures to clinical data. However, performing NGS on FFPE samples is limited by poor RNA purification methods. To address this hurdle, we developed an improved methodology for extracting high-quality RNA from FFPE samples. By briefly integrating a newly-designed micro-homogenizing (mH) tool with commercially available FFPE RNA extraction protocols, RNA recovery is increased by approximately 3-fold while maintaining standard A260/A280 ratios and RNA quality index (RQI) values. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the mH-purified FFPE RNAs are longer and of higher integrity. Previous studies have suggested that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) gene expression signatures vary significantly under in vitro versus in vivo and in vivo subcutaneous versus orthotopic conditions. By using our improved mH-based method, we were able to preserve established expression patterns of KRas-dependency genes within these three unique microenvironments. Finally, expression analysis of novel biomarkers in KRas mutant PDAC samples revealed that PEAK1 decreases and MST1R increases by over 100-fold in orthotopic versus subcutaneous microenvironments. Interestingly, however, only PEAK1 levels remain elevated in orthotopically grown KRas wild-type PDAC cells. These results demonstrate the critical nature of the orthotopic tumor microenvironment when evaluating the clinical relevance of new biomarkers in cells or patient-derived samples. Furthermore, this new mH-based FFPE RNA extraction method has the potential to enhance and expand future FFPE-RNA-NGS cancer biomarker studies

Tracking tracer motion in a 4-D electrical resistivity tomography experiment

A new framework for automatically tracking subsurface tracers in electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring images is presented. Using computer vision and Bayesian inference techniques, in the form of a Kalman filter, the trajectory of a subsurface tracer is monitored by predicting and updating a state model representing its movements. Observations for the Kalman filter are gathered using the maximally stable volumes algorithm, which is used to dynamically threshold local regions of an ERT image sequence to detect the tracer at each time step. The application of the framework to the results of 2-D and 3-D tracer monitoring experiments show that the proposed method is effective for detecting and tracking tracer plumes in ERT images in the presence of noise, without intermediate manual intervention

Malicious User Attack in Cognitive Radio Networks

Signal detection in cognitive radio network (CRN) is influenced by several factors. One of them is malicious user that emulate primary user (PU) signal. Emulation of PU signal causes detection error. This paper investigates the impact of malicious user attack to PU signal detection. A number of malicious users are randomly deployed around secondary user (SU) at a certain distance. They attempt to attack primary signal detection that is transmitted from 100 km to SU receiver. Then, the received signal power at secondary receiver and the performance of probability of false alarm and probability of miss detection under two hypothesis of Neyman Pearson criterion are studied. The derived results show that a number of malicious users has a significant impact to the performance of received power at SU and detection error rate

Policy support for autonomous swarms of drones

In recent years drones have become more widely used in military and non-military applications. Automation of these drones will become more important as their use increases. Individual drones acting autonomously will be able to achieve some tasks, but swarms of autonomous drones working together will be able to achieve much more complex tasks and be able to better adapt to changing environments. In this paper we describe an example scenario involving a swarm of drones from a military coalition and civil/humanitarian organisations that are working collaboratively to monitor areas at risk of flooding. We provide a definition of a swarm and how they can operate by exchanging messages. We define a flexible set of policies that are applicable to our scenario that can be easily extended to other scenarios or policy paradigms. These policies ensure that the swarms of drones behave as expected (e.g., for safety and security). Finally we discuss the challenges and limitations around policies for autonomous swarms and how new research, such as generative policies, can aid in solving these limitations

Profil gena za virulenciju izolata bakterije Pasteurella multocida izdvojenih iz goveda i bivola

Pasteurella multocida is responsible for numerous economically relevant diseases in domestic animals worldwide. In cattle and buffaloes the organism is associated with hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) and bovine respiratory disease (BRD). The aim of this study was to investigate twelve virulence associated genes in 22 strains of P. multocida isolated from slaughtered cattle and buffaloes. The most frequently detected genes among bovine isolates were ptfA, nanH, exbBD-tonB and oma87; whereas hgbB and toxA genes occurred less frequently. Some of the adhesions, sialidases, iron acquisition and protectin proteins occurred at considerably (P<0.05) higher frequencies in bovine isolates. The prevalence of oma87, exbBD-tonB and hgbA genes from buffaloes was significant (P<0.05), whereas the prevalence of hgbB, ompH, pfhA and toxA genes was much lower. All tested strains of P. multocida contained the sodC gene and only 22.7% of them had sodA. By using the virulence gene profiles, 12 and 21 different gene combinations were identified among the strains isolated from cattle and buffaloes, respectively, of which Profile C1 was the most common, with all strains possessing toxA. Our results indicate the presence of virulence factors (VFs) in P. multocida strains isolated from the tested cattle and buffaloes. The occurrence of these factors in apparently healthy animals could possibly indicate early infection or a contained infection which did not lead to disease. Moreover, differences in the frequency of these factors may indicate variations in the pathogenicity of the organism.Pasteurella multocida odgovorna je za mnoge gospodarski važne bolesti domaćih životinja diljem svijeta. U goveda i bivola ta je bakterija povezana s pojavom hemoragijske septikemije (HS) i respiratorne bolesti. Cilj je ovog rada bio istražiti prisutnost 12 gena odgovornih za virulenciju u 22 izolata bakterije P. multocida izdvojena iz zaklanih goveda i bivola. Najčešće dokazani geni iz goveđih izolata bili su ptfA, nanH, exbBD-tonB i oma87, dok su geni hgbB i toxA bili rjeđe dokazani. Neki od adhezina, sijalidaza, proteina koji na sebe vežu slobodno željezo i zaštitnih proteina dokazani su sa znatno većom učestalošću (P<0,05) u goveđih izolata. Prevalencija gena oma87, exbBD-tonB i hgbA bila je značajno viša (P<0,05) dok je prevalencija gena hgbB, ompH, pfhA i toxA bila niža u bivoljih izolata. Svi pretraženi izolati bakterije P. multocida sadržavali su gen sodC, a samo 22,7% njih i gen sodA. S obzirom na profil gena za virulenciju, 12 različitih kombinacija ustanovljeno je među izolatima iz goveda, a 21 kombinacija među izolatima iz bivola od kojih je profil C1 bio najčešći u izolata koji su posjedovali toxA. Rezultati naznačuju prisutnost čimbenika virulencije u izolata bakterije P. multocida izdvojenih iz pretraženih goveda i bivola. Pojava tih čimbenika virulencije u klinički zdravih životinja mogla bi značiti ranu infekciju ili infekciju koja se neće klinički očitovati. Razlika u učestalosti spomenutih čimbenika također upućuje na različitost u patogenosti izolata

Quality study of wastewater treated by waste Water Treatment plant (WWTP) in the city of Sana'a (Yemen) used for agriculture.

The wastewater treated by the PWTS Sanaa (Yemen), are discharged into Wadi Bani Houat to be used for irrigation of agricultural fields (cereals and "qat"). The quality of water discharged by the station is affected by neo-contamination part of untreated water diverted through bypass and also untreated effluent intake of a river that flows into the canal about 15 Km from the station. The various measurements show that the levels of contaminants studied, decrease at the exit of the station but undergo severe degradation after canal-branch river. Similarly, we noted illegal contributions at this place made of waste thrown into the canal by the surrounding population. The salinity is classified C4S2, C3S3, C4S3 and C4S4 in RICHARDS diagram, leading to poor quality water for irrigation. The ratio COD / BOD5 reaching a value of 2 after treatment and self purification of water, up to a value of 4, at a distance of 12 km along the canal before dropping to a value below 2 at the areas of retention dams located north of the study area, showing a self-purification capacity. NO2- (nitrite ions) appear downstream canal in the dams, highlighting the impact of agricultural activity on water quality. Minors cations and traces show different concentrations varying spatially and temporally along the canal during the dry and wet seasons. Overruns by FAO and Yemen standards were observed for some components such as phenol, organic micropolluant showing levels higher than standard along the canal in all seasons. The principal component analysis showed the correlation between the measured quantities and the vulnerability of sampling sites to different pollutants.  

Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training on Revealing Sexual Function in Iranian Women with Breast Cancer

Most studies on the treatment of sexual problems in women with breast cancer have been conducted based on a quantitative approach. Adding a post-intervention qualitative study can help to clarify the impact of the therapy on sexual function. The present mixed-method study was performed to determine the impact of mindfulness based stress reduction on sexual function in women with breast cancer. This study consisted of two quantitative and qualitative phases. The quantitative phase was a randomized clinical trial, where 52 subjects were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups that completed female sexual function index (FSFI) in pretest, posttest (after the intervention), and follow-up (1 month after the intervention) stages. Intervention was an eight-session group mindfulness-based stress reduction. After analyzing data from 46 subjects, qualitative data were collected using the conventional content analysis method. At the follow-up stage, statistically significant improvements were noted in the intervention group for the sexual desire (P = 0.021) and arousal (P = 0.021), but decreases were observed in orgasm scores (P = 0.042). In the control group, overall FSFI score decreased at follow-up compared to those of the pretest and posttest (P < 0.001. (There were no differences between the two groups in the three stages. Two main categories of qualitative analysis, i.e. “mindfulness, an attempt for love continuation” and “Sexual Responsiveness scope”, confirmed the results of quantitative phase. Based on the results, mindfulness intervention can impact the aspects of sexual performance that rely on women, which are mostly of psychological origin and may not affect all aspects

Introduction of Litopenaeus vannamei to shrimp culture industry of Iran

Various Problems in front of shrimp culture, mainly in biological fields and restrictions of production cycle, emphasized the species diversity in aquaculture industry of Iran in fourth socio- economic development plan of fisheries department. By this means, the Iranian Fisheries Research Organization, defined a Programme with four sub- projects, and started the activities on beginning of 2004. On the year 2004, 80 pairs of SPF/SPR Litopenaeus vannamei broodstocks imported from Hawaii, but late importation and prolonged acclimatization period, caused propogation and PL production on mid-September. Despite of terminated culture season, some PL's stocked in earthen ponds of Helleh site in Bushehr province. Results of this phase showed that, L.vannamei could support the cold winter of about 9 C temperature and about 20000 broodstocks harvested at the next year. At the next year, 55 pairs of SPF/SPR broodstocks imported by the same way, and after production of PL in Bandargah hatchery, the farming carried out in Helleh research earthen ponds. At this year, shrimp farms of Bushehr province infected with WSSV, but L.vannamei growth was very good, and gained more than19g after 90days farming. On the year 2006, the farming pilot project repeated, and the way for extension smoothed. In a parallel action, introduction of L.vannamei to Choebdeh site (Khouzestan province) showed remarkable results after 5 years collapses by WSSV. The results of broodstocking, breeding and farming research projects transferred very soon to shrimp producers, as the production of L.vannamei in Khouzestan and Bushehr provinces raised to 2575tons in the year 2008. In addition the condition for introduction of this species to Golestan province smoothed on 2008, and stocking at rate of 5-6 individuals per m2 in earthen ponds of Gomishan resulted in 20g. Shrimp weight after 75 days culture. This stock used as brood stock for commercial production on 2009 by private sector. It seems that all four southern provinces are going to utilize L.vannamei as the main species in 2009, and domesticated brood stocks

A novel method for RNA extraction from FFPE samples reveals significant differences in biomarker expression between orthotopic and subcutaneous pancreatic cancer patient-derived xenografts

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can identify and validate new biomarkers of cancer onset, progression and therapy resistance. Substantial archives of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cancer samples from patients represent a rich resource for linking molecular signatures to clinical data. However, performing NGS on FFPE samples is limited by poor RNA purification methods. To address this hurdle, we developed an improved methodology for extracting high-quality RNA from FFPE samples. By briefly integrating a newly-designed micro-homogenizing (mH) tool with commercially available FFPE RNA extraction protocols, RNA recovery is increased by approximately 3-fold while maintaining standard A260/A280 ratios and RNA quality index (RQI) values. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the mH-purified FFPE RNAs are longer and of higher integrity. Previous studies have suggested that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) gene expression signatures vary significantly under in vitro versus in vivo and in vivo subcutaneous versus orthotopic conditions. By using our improved mH-based method, we were able to preserve established expression patterns of KRas-dependency genes within these three unique microenvironments. Finally, expression analysis of novel biomarkers in KRas mutant PDAC samples revealed that PEAK1 decreases and MST1R increases by over 100-fold in orthotopic versus subcutaneous microenvironments. Interestingly, however, only PEAK1 levels remain elevated in orthotopically grown KRas wild-type PDAC cells. These results demonstrate the critical nature of the orthotopic tumor microenvironment when evaluating the clinical relevance of new biomarkers in cells or patient-derived samples. Furthermore, this new mH-based FFPE RNA extraction method has the potential to enhance and expand future FFPE-RNA-NGS cancer biomarker studies.Oncotarget 8, 5885-5894. (2017)1949-255