Reversible Data Hiding Scheme Based on Maximum Histogram Gap of Image Blocks

( Mohammad Arabzadeh ),( Mohammad Reza Rahimi ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2012 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.6 No.8

In this paper a reversible data hiding scheme based on histogram shifting of host image blocks is presented. This method attempts to use full available capacity for data embedding by dividing the image into non-overlapping blocks. Applying histogram shifting to each block requires that extra information to be saved as overhead data for each block. This extra information (overhead or bookkeeping information) is used in order to extract payload and recover the block to its original state. A method to eliminate the need for this extra information is also introduced. This method uses maximum gap that exists between histogram bins for finding the value of pixels that was used for embedding in sender side. Experimental results show that the proposed method provides higher embedding capacity than the original reversible data hiding based on histogram shifting method and its improved versions in the current literature while it maintains the quality of marked image at an acceptable level.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Composite Steel Shear Wall with Opening

Abolfazl Arabzadeh,Hamid Reza Kazemi Nia Korrani 한국강구조학회 2017 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.17 No.4

Shear walls are used in towers as lateral loading resistance. Composite steel shear wall (CSSW) because of high stiffness and deformability are widely used. This wall made of a thin steel plate with reinforced a concrete layer, which is attached to one or both sides of the steel plate. This system is similar to stiffened steel plate shear wall. The present experimental and numerical studies were focused on the effects of opening used as windows or doors in buildings on the CSSW behavior. Experimental studies results of one and three-story CSSWs with the scale of 1:3 are reported. In addition, the effects of opening size and location are insignificant on the composite steel shear walls behavior. Results showed that opening decrease CSSW strength. Opening at the sides and corners further reduces the resistance than Opening at the center.

Human parvovirus B19 in patients with beta thalassemia major from Tehran, Iran

Seyed Ali Mohammad Arabzadeh,Farideh Alizadeh,Ahmad Tavakoli,Hamidreza Mollaei,Farah Bokharaei-Salim,Gharib Karimi,Mohammad Farahmand,Helya Sadat Mortazavi,Seyed Hamidreza Monavari 대한혈액학회 2017 Blood Research Vol.52 No.1

Background: Due to the tropism of human parvovirus B19 to erythroid progenitor cells, infection in patients with an underlying hemolytic disorder such as beta-thalassemia major leads to suppression of erythrocyte formation, referred to as transient aplasia crisis (TAC), which may be life-threatening. We investigated the prevalence of parvovirus B19 among patients with beta thalassemia major attending the Zafar Adult Thalassemia Clinic in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed to determine the presence of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood samples and parvovirus B19 genotypes in plasma samples of patients with thalassemia major. The population consisted of 150 patients with beta-thalassemia major who attended the Zafar clinic in Tehran. Specimens were studied using a real-time poly-merase chain reaction assay. Results: The prevalence of parvovirus B19 in our study population was 4%. Of 150 patients with thalassemia, six (4%) were positive for B19 DNA. There was no significant correlation between blood transfusion frequency and B19 DNA positivity. Finally, phylogenetic analy-sis of human parvovirus B19 revealed genotype I in these six patients. Conclusion: In this study, acute B19 infections were detected in patients with beta thalassemia major. Screening of such high-risk groups can considerably reduce the incidence and prevalence of B19 infection; thus, screening is required for epidemiologic surveillance and dis-ease-prevention measures.

Human parvovirus B19 in patients with beta thalassemia major from Tehran, Iran

Seyed Ali Mohammad Arabzadeh,Farideh Alizadeh,Ahmad Tavakoli,Hamidreza Mollaei,Farah Bokharaei-Salim,Gharib Karimi,Mohammad Farahmand,Helya Sadat Mortazavi,Seyed Hamidreza Monavari 대한혈액학회 2017 Blood Research Vol.52 No.1

Background: Due to the tropism of human parvovirus B19 to erythroid progenitor cells, infection in patients with an underlying hemolytic disorder such as beta-thalassemia major leads to suppression of erythrocyte formation, referred to as transient aplasia crisis (TAC), which may be life-threatening. We investigated the prevalence of parvovirus B19 among patients with beta thalassemia major attending the Zafar Adult Thalassemia Clinic in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed to determine the presence of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood samples and parvovirus B19 genotypes in plasma samples of patients with thalassemia major. The population consisted of 150 patients with beta-thalassemia major who attended the Zafar clinic in Tehran. Specimens were studied using a real-time poly-merase chain reaction assay. Results: The prevalence of parvovirus B19 in our study population was 4%. Of 150 patients with thalassemia, six (4%) were positive for B19 DNA. There was no significant correlation between blood transfusion frequency and B19 DNA positivity. Finally, phylogenetic analy-sis of human parvovirus B19 revealed genotype I in these six patients. Conclusion: In this study, acute B19 infections were detected in patients with beta thalassemia major. Screening of such high-risk groups can considerably reduce the incidence and prevalence of B19 infection; thus, screening is required for epidemiologic surveillance and dis-ease-prevention measures.

Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus and Cytomegalovirus in Gastric Cancers in Kerman, Iran

Leila, Zaruni,Arabzadeh, Seyed Alimohammad,Afshar, Reza Malekpour,Afshar, Abbas Aghaei,Mollaei, Hamid Reza Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.5

Gastric cancer (GC) is a multifactorial disease with different factors having roles in its genesis. Helicobacter pylori and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are known infectious agents that could contribute. In addition, there is evidence of a relationship with cytomegalovirus (CMV). Since data on CMV prevalence in gastric cancer are limited, we here evaluated the frequency of EBV and CMV in Iranian patients. Ninety paraffin blocks of GC tissues from patients in Kerman were evaluated for the presence of EBV and CMV genomes by real-time polymerase chain reaction. EBV was detected in 10 cases (11.1%) and CMV in seven. One out of 17 female patients (5.88%) and nine out of 73 male patients (12.3%) were positive for EBV, while one out of 17 female patients (5.88%) and six out of 73 male patients (8.22%) were positive for CMV. The mean age for EBV-positive patients was $60.5{\pm}14.9years$ and the mean age for CMV-positive patients was $67.9{\pm}12.3years$. This study shows that the frequency of EBV-associated GC is high in Kerman. It also indicates that further studies of associations between GC and CMV are warranted, covering larger samples and populations from different areas of the world.

Seismic behavior investigation of the steel multi-story moment frames with steel plate shear walls

Iman Mansouri,Ali Arabzadeh,Alireza Farzampour,Jong Wan Hu 국제구조공학회 2020 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.37 No.1

Steel plate shear walls are recently used as efficient seismic lateral resisting systems. These lateral resistant structures are implemented to provide more strength, stiffness and ductility in limited space areas. In this study, the seismic behavior of the multi-story steel frames with steel plate shear walls are investigated for buildings with 4, 8, 12 and 16 stories using verified computational modeling platforms. Different number of steel moment bays with distinctive lengths are investigated to effectively determine the deflection amplification factor for low-rise and high-rise structures. Results showed that the dissipated energy in moment frames with steel plates are significantly related to the inside panel. It is shown that more than 50% of the dissipated energy under various ground motions is dissipated by the panel itself, and increasing the steel plate length leads to higher energy dissipation capability. The deflection amplification factor is studied in details for various verified parametric cases, and it is concluded that for a typical multi-story moment frame with steel plate shear walls, the amplification factor is 4.93 which is less than the recommended conservative values in the design codes. It is shown that the deflection amplification factor decreases if the height of the building increases, for which the frames with more than six stories would have less recommended deflection amplification factor. In addition, increasing the number of bays or decreasing the steel plate shear wall length leads to a reduction of the deflection amplification factor.

RNAi and miRNA in Viral Infections and Cancers

Mollaie, Hamid Reza,Monavari, Seyed Hamid Reza,Arabzadeh, Seyed Ali Mohammad,Shamsi-Shahrabadi, Mahmoud,Fazlalipour, Mehdi,Afshar, Reza Malekpour Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Since the first report of RNA interference (RNAi) less than a decade ago, this type of molecular intervention has been introduced to repress gene expression in vitro and also for in vivo studies in mammals. Understanding the mechanisms of action of synthetic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) underlies use as therapeutic agents in the areas of cancer and viral infection. Recent studies have also promoted different theories about cell-specific targeting of siRNAs. Design and delivery strategies for successful treatment of human diseases are becomingmore established and relationships between miRNA and RNAi pathways have been revealed as virus-host cell interactions. Although both are well conserved in plants, invertebrates and mammals, there is also variabilityand a more complete understanding of differences will be needed for optimal application. RNA interference (RNAi) is rapid, cheap and selective in complex biological systems and has created new insight sin fields of cancer research, genetic disorders, virology and drug design. Our knowledge about the role of miRNAs and siRNAs pathways in virus-host cell interactions in virus infected cells is incomplete. There are different viral diseases but few antiviral drugs are available. For example, acyclovir for herpes viruses, alpha-interferon for hepatitis C and B viruses and anti-retroviral for HIV are accessible. Also cancer is obviously an important target for siRNA-based therapies, but the main problem in cancer therapy is targeting metastatic cells which spread from the original tumor. There are also other possible reservations and problems that might delay or even hinder siRNA-based therapies for the treatment of certain conditions; however, this remains the most promising approach for a wide range of diseases. Clearly, more studies must be done to allow efficient delivery and better understanding of unwanted side effects of siRNA-based therapies. In this review miRNA and RNAi biology, experimental design, anti-viral and anti-cancer effects are discussed.

Production, assessment, and impregnation of hyaluronic acid with silver nanoparticles that were produced by Streptococcus pyogenes for tissue engineering applications

Behrooz Yahyaei,Niloofar Peyvandi,Hamed Akbari,Sepideh Arabzadeh,Sima Afsharnezhad,Hatef Ajoudanifar,Parastoo Pourali 한국응용생명화학회 2016 Applied Biological Chemistry (Appl Biol Chem) Vol.59 No.2

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a mucopolysaccharide with different applications in the medicinal field. Since HA does not have antibacterial property, in this research a bacterium with both abilities of HA and silver nanoparticles (SNPs) production was used; HA containing SNPs (HA/SNPs) was obtained and the toxic effect of HA/SNPs was achieved using Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) and 3-(4,5 dimethyl thiazol-2yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. HA and SNPs were produced separately by Streptococcus pyogenes. Then HA was analyzed using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and SNPs were analyzed using TEM and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). In order to produce HA/SNPs complex, SNPs were added to the supernatant containing HA and the complex was precipitated using isopropyl alcohol. HA, SNPs, and HA/ SNPs were used for the antibacterial assay. Results proved the formation of HA and SNPs in the bacterial culture medium. SNPs sizes were around 5–30 nm and entered in the structure of HA. Antibacterial test showed that unlike the pure HA, SNPs and HA/SNPs had antibacterial activity. LAL and MTT assays results showed that HA/SNPs had low and dose-dependent toxic effects. In future, the use of HA/SNPs scaffold in tissue engineering field is expected.

Evaluation of the Frequency of the IL-28 Polymorphism (rs8099917) in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Using Zip Nucleic Acid Probes, Kerman, Southeast of Iran

Iranmanesh, Zahra,Mollaie, Hamid Reza,Arabzadeh, Seyed Alimohammad,Zahedi, Mohammad Javad,Fazlalipour, Mehdi,Ebrahimi, Saeede Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.5

Polymorphisms in the region of the interleukin IL-28 gene on chromosome 19 have been related with clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major human pathogen responsible for chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. About 3% of the world's population is infected with HCV. The long-term response to therapy is influenced by many host and viral factors, and recent evidence has indicated that some host genetic polymorphisms related to IL-28 are the most powerful predictors of virological response in patients with HCV. This study assessed frequency of the IL-28 polymorphism (rs8099917) in 50 patients (39 men and 11 women) with chronic hepatitis C using ZNA probe real time PCR new method. All patients were tested for genotype of HCV and the HCV viral load. In parallel, the levels of SGOT, SGPT and ALK enzymes were assessed. Treatment using Peg-interferon alpha with ribavirin was conducted for patients and subsequently samples were collected to detect any change in viral load or liver enzyme rates. The overall frequency of the TT allele is 74%, TG allele 20% and GG allele 6% and the percent of patients who had T allele was 84%. Clear reduction in viral load and liver enzymes was reported in patients with the T allele. Especially for genotype 1 which is relatively resistant to treatment, these alleles may have a role in this decline. In conclusion, we showed that IL-28 polymorphism rs8099917 strongly predicts virological response in HCV infection and that real-time PCR with Zip nucleic acid probes is a sensitive, specific and rapid detection method for detection of SNPs which will be essential for monitoring patients undergoing antiviral therapy.

Multi-objective Bayesian optimization of super hydrophobic coatings on asphalt concrete surfaces

Ali Nahvi,Mohammad Kazem Sadoughi,Ali Arabzadeh,Alireza Sassani,Chao Hu,Halil Ceylan,Sunghwan Kim 한국CDE학회 2019 Journal of computational design and engineering Vol.6 No.4

Conventional snow removal strategies add direct and indirect expenses to the economy through profit lost due to passenger delays costs, pavement durability issues, contaminating the water runoff, and so on. The use of superhydrophobic (super-water-repellent) coating methods is an alternative to conven-tional snow and ice removal practices for alleviating snow removal operations issues. As an integrated experimental and analytical study, this work focused on optimizing superhydrophobicity and skid resis-tance of hydrophobic coatings on asphalt concrete surfaces. A layer-by-layer (LBL) method was utilized for spray depositing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on an asphalt concrete at different spray times and variable dosages of PTFE. Water contact angle and coefficient of friction at the microtexture level were measured to evaluate superhydrophobicity and skid resistance of the coated asphalt concrete. The opti-mum dosage and spay time that maximized hydrophobicity and skid resistance of flexible pavement while minimizing cost were estimated using a multi-objective Bayesian optimization (BO) method that replaced the more costly experimental procedure of pavement testing with a cheap-to-evaluate surrogate model constructed based on kriging. In this method, the surrogate model is iteratively updated with new experimental data measured at proper input settings. The result of proposed optimization method showed that the super water repellency and coefficient of friction were not uniformly increased for all the specimens by increasing spray time and dosage. In addition, use of the proposed multi-objective BO method resulted in hydrophobicity and skid resistance being maximally augmented by approximately 23% PTFE dosage at a spray time of 5.5 s.