Effect of the height of SCSW on the optimal position of the stiffening beam considering axial force effect

Azar, B. Farahmand,Hadidi, A.,Khosravi, H. Techno-Press 2012 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.41 No.2

Stiffened coupled shear walls (SCSW) are under axial load resulting from their weight and this axial load affects the behavior of walls because of their excessive height. In this paper, based on the continuum approach, the optimal position of the stiffening beam on the stiffened coupled shear walls is investigated considering the effect of uniformly distributed axial loads. Moreover, the effect of the height of stiffened coupled shear walls on the optimal position of the stiffening beam has been studied with and without considering the axial force effect. A computer program has been developed in MATLAB and numerical examples have been solved to demonstrate the reliability of this method. The effects of the various flexural rigidities of the stiffening beam on the internal forces and the lateral deflection of the structure considering axial force effect have also been investigated.

Isolation and Genotyping of Acanthamoeba spp. as Neglected Parasites in North of Iran

Azar Shokri,Shahabeddin Sarvi,Ahmad Daryani,Mehdi Sharif 대한기생충학열대의학회 2016 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.54 No.4

Reversal of Doxorubicin-induced Cardiotoxicity by Using Phytotherapy: A Review

Azar Hosseini,Amirhossein Sahebkar 대한약침학회 2017 Journal of pharmacopuncture Vol.20 No.4

Doxorubicin as a chemotherapeutic drug is widely used for the treatment of patients with cancer. However, clinical use of this drug is hampered by its cardiotoxicity, which is manifested as electrocardiographic abnormalities, arrhythmias, irreversible degenerative cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. The precise mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin are not clear, but impairment of calcium homeostasis, generation of iron complexes, production of oxygen radicals, mitochondrial dysfunction and cell membrane damage have been suggested as potential etiologic factors. Compounds that can neutralize the toxic effect of doxorubicin on cardiac cells without reducing the drug's antitumor activity are needed. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that herbal medicines and bioactive phytochemicals can serve as effective add-on therapies to reduce the cardiotoxic effects of doxorubicin. This review describes different phytochemicals and herbal products that have been shown to counterbalance doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha -308 G/A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Susceptibility to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Via Hepatitis B Infection

Azar, Saleh Shahbazi,Mansoori, Maryam,Attar, Marzieh,Shahbazi, Majid Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.7

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a key factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). About 350 million people are affected by chronic infection which is related to the rapid development of liver diseases as well as hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) in the liver demonstrates a major genetic polymorphism which is involved in resistance or susceptibility to chronic HBV infection. Materials and Methods: In this study, two populations were studied by the sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) method: HBV cases (n=409), who were HBS-Ag+, and healthy controls (n=483). Results: The results shown that the frequency of TNF-${\alpha}$ -308 G/G genotype in healthy controls (47.2%) was significantly higher than in HBV infected patients (28%) (CI = 1.29-2.61, OR = 1.83, P = 0.0004). Also TNF-${\alpha}$ -308 A/A and A/G genotype frequencies in the healthy controls were 4.6% and 48.2% and in patient group were 19.5% and 52.5% (CI = 2.23-7.12, p: 0.0001, OR: 3.94) respectively. Conclusions: We found that among Iranian people TNF-${\alpha}$ -308A allele not only has the highest genotype frequency but also it has the highest frequency in the world population. In addition, TNF-${\alpha}$-308 G/G polymorphism was associated with HBV resistance, whereas TNF-${\alpha}$-308A (A/A or A/G) polymorphism appeared to associated with chronic HBV infection. These data suggested that among the Iranian population, the -308 G/G polymorphism of TNF-${\alpha}$ gene promoter region has the potential to influence the susceptibility to HBV infection and it may be responsible for viral antigen clearance.

Streamflow response to climate change during the wet and dry seasons in South Korea under a CMIP5 climate model

Ghafouri-Azar Mona,Bae Deg-Hyo 한국수자원학회 2018 한국수자원학회논문집 Vol.51 No.11

한반도는 계절 및 지리적 위치에 따라 강수특성이 상이하여 수자원 관리 및 계획수립 시 홍수, 가뭄을 사전에 대비하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 더욱이 기후변화로 인한 강수 및 기온의 변화는 홍수 및 가뭄 등 수재해의 변동을 더욱 심화시킬 것으로 예상된다. 본 연구에서는 남한 5대강(한강, 낙동강, 금강, 섬진강, 영산강)을 대상으로 기후변화에 따른 우기(7∼9월)와 건기(10∼3월)에서의 미래 하천유량의 변화를 전망 및 분석하고자 한다. 이를 위해 CMIP5의 핵심실험인 2개 RCP 시나리오(RCP4.5, RCP8.5)를 이용하였으며, 적정 GCM (INMCM4 모형)을 선정하였다. 5대강 유역의 유량을 전망하기 위해 상세화된 기후변화 시나리오를 장기 강우-유출모형(PRMS 모형)의 입력으로 하여 유량해석을 수행하였다. 장기간의 자료를 활용하여 PRMS의 모형 매개변수를 추정하였으며, 과거기간(1976∼2005년) 대비 미래 3기간(2025s, 2055s, and 2085s)에 대한 우기 및 건기 시의 유량변화를 분석하였다. 평가결과, 건기에서의 유출량 감소는 RCP8.5 시나리오 대비 RCP4.5 시나리오에서 더 크게 나타났으며, RCP4.5 시나리오 하에서 2025s, 2055s 기간의 유출량은 -7.23%, -3.81% 감소하는 것으로 나타나 가까운 미래(2025s) 기간에서의 유출량 감소가 더욱 클 것으로 전망되었다. 먼 미래(2085s) 기간의 경우, 북부지역은 유량이 증가, 남부지역은 유량이 감소하는 것으로 나타났다. 한편, RCP 8.5 시나리오 하에서는 남부지역을 포함한 대부분의 지역이 가뭄에 대한 취약성이 높아지는 것으로 나타났다. 우기에서의 유출량 변화는 2개 RCP 시나리오 및 미래 전 기간에서 지역에 따라 유량이 증가(북부 및 서부지역) 또는 감소(남부)하는 것으로 나타났다. Having knowledge regarding to which region is prone to drought or flood is a crucial issue in water resources planning and management. This could be more challenging when the occurrence of these hazards affected by climate change. In this study the future streamflow during the wet season (July to September) and dry season (October to March) for the twenty first century of South Korea was investigated. This study used the statistics of precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature of one global climate model (i.e., INMCM4) with 2 RCPs (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) scenarios as inputs for The Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) model. The PRMS model was tested for the historical periods (1966-2016) and then the parameters of model were used to project the future changes of 5 large River basins in Korea for three future periods (2025s, 2055s, and 2085s) compared to the reference period (1976-2005). Then, the different responses in climate and streamflow projection during these two seasons (wet and dry) was investigated. The results showed that under INMCM4 scenario, the occurrence of drought in dry season is projected to be stronger in 2025s than 2055s from decreasing -7.23% (-7.06%) in 2025s to -3.81% (-0.71%) in 2055s for RCP4.5 (RCP8.5). Regarding to the far future (2085s), for RCP 4.5 is projected to increase streamflow in the northern part, and decrease streamflow in the southern part (-3.24%), however under RCP8.5 almost all basins are vulnerable to drought, especially in the southern part (-16.51%). Also, during the wet season both increasing (Almost in northern and western part) and decreasing (almost in the southern part) in streamflow relative to the reference period are projected for all periods and RCPs under INMCM4 scenario.

Increased shelf life of Oncorhynchus mykiss (Rainbow trout) through Cu-Clay nanocomposites

Armin Azar,Hamed Ahari,Amir Ali Anvar 한국식품과학회 2022 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.31 No.3

Microbial growth is widely responsible for shortened shelf life of cold water-living fish products. So, it seems that current chemical-based food packaging has no acceptable efficacy, and food industrialists tend to the usage of more novel approaches like active food packag- ing. Among them, there is a great research interest in nanotechnology-emerging approaches. This study aimed to investigate the anti-microbial efficacies of Polyethylene/ CuNP/nanoclay nanocomposites to enhance the shelf life and physiochemical features of rainbow trout. Three main nanocomposites with various concentrations of Cu and clay nanoparticles were examined. SEM, XRD, and EDX (as physiochemical analysis), disk diffusion (as antimicrobial assays), total volatile nitrogen (TVB-N), and peroxide value (PV) (as biochemical parameters) were measured. Based on the results, nanocomposites could reduce the microorganism growth rate by reducing the number of colonies (33.3%), inhibitory activities against both gram- positive (8 mm) and gram-negative bacteria (10 mm), maintenance of TVB-N (42% reduction), and PV (44% reduction) below the standard range. To sum up, these new nanocomposites can be a good candidate to enhance the shelf life of Rainbow Trout.

CMIP5 기반 건기 및 우기 시 국내 하천유량의 변화전망 및 분석

GHAFOURI AZAR MONA,배덕효 한국수자원학회 2018 한국수자원학회논문집 Vol.51 No.S-1

Having knowledge regarding to which region is prone to drought or flood is a crucial issue in water resources planning and management. This could be more challenging when the occurrence of these hazards affected by climate change. In this study the future streamflow during the wet season (July to September) and dry season (October to March) for the twenty first century of South Korea was investigated. This study used the statistics of precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature of one global climate model (i.e., INMCM4) with 2 RCPs (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) scenarios as inputs for The Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) model. The PRMS model was tested for the historical periods (1966-2016) and then the parameters of model were used to project the future changes of 5 large River basins in Korea for three future periods (2025s, 2055s, and 2085s) compared to the reference period (1976-2005). Then, the different responses in climate and streamflow projection during these two seasons (wet and dry) was investigated. The results showed that under INMCM4 scenario, the occurrence of drought in dry season is projected to be stronger in 2025s than 2055s from decreasing -7.23% (-7.06%) in 2025s to -3.81% (-0.71%) in 2055s for RCP4.5 (RCP8.5). Regarding to the far future (2085s), for RCP 4.5 is projected to increase streamflow in the northern part, and decrease streamflow in the southern part (-3.24%), however under RCP8.5 almost all basins are vulnerable to drought, especially in the southern part (-16.51%). Also, during the wet season both increasing (Almost in northern and western part) and decreasing (almost in the southern part) in streamflow relative to the reference period are projected for all periods and RCPs under INMCM4 scenario. 한반도는 계절 및 지리적 위치에 따라 강수특성이 상이하여 수자원 관리 및 계획수립 시 홍수, 가뭄을 사전에 대비하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 더욱이 기후변화로 인한 강수 및 기온의 변화는 홍수 및 가뭄 등 수재해의 변동을 더욱 심화시킬 것으로 예상된다. 본 연구에서는 남한 5대강(한강, 낙동강, 금강, 섬진강, 영산강)을 대상으로 기후변화에 따른 우기(7∼9월)와 건기(10∼3월)에서의 미래 하천유량의 변화를 전망 및 분석하고자 한다. 이를 위해 CMIP5의 핵심실험인 2개 RCP 시나리오(RCP4.5, RCP8.5)를 이용하였으며, 적정 GCM (INMCM4 모형)을 선정하였다. 5대강 유역의 유량을 전망하기 위해 상세화된 기후변화 시나리오를 장기 강우-유출모형(PRMS 모형)의 입력으로 하여 유량해석을 수행하였다. 장기간의 자료를 활용하여 PRMS의 모형 매개변수를 추정하였으며, 과거기간(1976∼2005년) 대비 미래 3기간(2025s, 2055s, and 2085s)에 대한 우기 및 건기 시의 유량변화를 분석하였다. 평가결과, 건기에서의 유출량 감소는 RCP8.5 시나리오 대비 RCP4.5 시나리오에서 더 크게 나타났으며, RCP4.5 시나리오 하에서 2025s, 2055s 기간의 유출량은 -7.23%, -3.81% 감소하는 것으로 나타나 가까운 미래(2025s) 기간에서의 유출량 감소가 더욱 클 것으로 전망되었다. 먼 미래(2085s) 기간의 경우, 북부지역은 유량이 증가, 남부지역은 유량이 감소하는 것으로 나타났다. 한편, RCP 8.5 시나리오 하에서는 남부지역을 포함한 대부분의 지역이 가뭄에 대한 취약성이 높아지는 것으로 나타났다. 우기에서의 유출량 변화는 2개 RCP 시나리오 및 미래 전 기간에서 지역에 따라 유량이 증가(북부 및 서부지역) 또는 감소(남부)하는 것으로 나타났다.

Radiosensitization Effects of a Zataria multiflora Extract on Human Glioblastoma Cells

Aghamohammadi, Azar,Hosseinimehr, Seyed Jalal,Ghasemi, Arash,Azadbakht, Mohammad,Pourfallah, Tayyeb Allahverdi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.16

Background: Although radiotherapy is one of the most effective strategies in the treatment of cancers, it is associated with short and long term side effects on normal tissues. Zataria multiflora Boiss (Laminacea) (ZM) has several biological properties such as antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities.Here we investigated cell killing effects of a hydroalcoholic Zataria multiflora extract on cell death induced by ionizing radiation in a human glioblastoma cell line (A172) and human non-malignant fibroblasts (HFFF2) in vitro. Materials and Methods: A172 and HFFF2 cells were treated with a hydroalcoholic extract of dried aerial parts of Zataria multiflora at different concentrations (25, 50, 100, 150 and $200{\mu}g/ml$) and then exposed to ionizing radiation (IR). Cell proliferation and DNA fragmentation were evaluated. Thymol content in the extract was analyzed and quantified by HPLC methods. Results: A172 cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by ZM. The percentage cell survival was $91.8{\pm}8.57$ for cells treated with $200{\mu}g/ml$ of ZM extract alone while it was $76.0{\pm}4.27$ and $66.2{\pm}8.42$ for cells treated with ZM and exposed to IR at doses of 3Gy and 6Gy, respectively. Radiation-induced apoptosis in A172 cells was significantly increased following treatment with ZM at doses of $200{\mu}g/ml$. ZM extract did not exhibit any enhanced cell killing effects and apoptosis caused by IR on HFFF2 cells. Conclusions: These data show selective radiosensitization effects of ZM in A172 cells apparently due to increased radiation-induced apoptosis.

A Latency-Tolerant MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

Zahra Azar,Mohammad Taghi Manzuri 제어로봇시스템학회 2010 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2010 No.10

Wireless networks with the shared media require Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol that provides contention resolution mechanism. The design of MAC protocol in underwater sensor networks is a challenging issue because of limited energy source and high propagation delay. The most important goal of the MAC design for underwater sensor networks is to resolve data packet collision efficiently with respect to energy consumption. So, selection of MAC protocol is an important task because it has significant impact on the system efficiency. A suitable MAC protocol must consider some factors such as fairness, energy consumption, latency and throughput based on various applications. The bandwidth in the acoustic links is very low because of the characteristics of underwater environment. To solve these problems, we propose a MAC protocol that is based on reserved time slot. A time slot is allocated to each node for sending data in a way that the data does not collide with another node"s data. Our protocol can tolerate latency while providing reasonable throughput with low energy consumption. A synchronization algorithm is employed to synchronize all nodes in a distributed manner. The listen/sleep periodic operation is used for saving energy due to long propagation delay and limited energy. The proposed protocol uses short ranges of underwater acoustic communication links to achieve higher throughput. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol increases the overall throughput of the network and reduces energy consumption.

Evaluating Direct Costs of Gastric Cancer Treatment in Iran - Case Study in Kerman City in 2015

Izadi, Azar,Sirizi, Mohammad Jaffari,Esmaeelpour, Safa,Barouni, Mohsen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.6

Background: Gastrointestinal cancers are common malignancies associated with high mortality rates. Healthcare systems are always faced with high costs of treatment of gastrointestinal cancers including stomach cancer. Identification and prioritization of these costs can help determine economic burden and then improve of health planning by policy-makers. This study was performed in 2015 in Kerman City aimed at estimating the direct hospital costs for patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 160 patients with stomach cancer admitted from 2011 to 2014 to Shafa Hospital were examined, the current stage of the disease and the patients' health status were identified, and the direct costs related to the type of treatment in the public and private sectors were calculated. SPSS-19 was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: Of the patients studied, 103 (65%) were men and 57 (35%) were women. The mean age of patients was 65 years. Distribution into four stages of the disease was 5%, 20%, 30%, and 45%, respectively. Direct costs in four stages of the disease were calculated as 2191.07, 2642.93, 2877, and 2674.07 USD (63,045,879, 76,047,934, 82,783,019, and 76,943,800 IRR), respectively. The highest percentage of costs was related to surgery in Stage I and to medication in Stages II, III, and IV. According to the results of direct costs of treatment for stomach cancer in Kerman, the mean total cost of treating a patient in the public sector was estimated at 74,705,158 IRR, of which averages of 60,141,384 IRR and 14,563,774 IRR were the shares of insurance and patients, respectively. Conclusions: The high prevalence and diagnosis of disease in old age and at advanced stages of disease impose great costs on the patients and the health system. Early diagnosis through screening and selecting an appropriate treatment method might largely ameliorate the economic burden of the disease.