Investigating the Effect of Cultural Intelligence on the Tourists` Intercultural Interactions

( Abolfazl Zamani ),( Jafar Dadashi ),( Monireh Aliabbasi ),( Mehdi Zamani ) 한국문화관광학회 2013 문화관광연구 Vol.15 No.1

Culture refers to the manner of thinking and work performance among the individuals and is deeply rooted in the presumptions, beliefs and symbols of each society. Certainly, people will also highly care for their cultural belongings. People of cities like Soltanieh who have constant interactions with their guests from different cultures because of tourism attractions in their city should have and enhance in themselves a capability so that they may cause the minimum damages and restrictions in the inter-cultural interactions. Having three aspects, namely Cognitive aspect, Motivational aspect and Behavioral aspect, cultural intelligence indicates a capability by which the people may experience the best interaction when encountering unfamiliar cultures. Such capability in tourism, whether in the position of a tourist or a guest, causes people to show the best possible behavioral responses and to manage the mutual interpretations when encountering other people and cultural phenomena by having a general understanding of cultures and their positions. Using surveying method, in this paper we study Soltanieh City as one of the important tourism centers of Iran. Spearman Correlation Coefficient and Friedman Rank Test were used for statistical study. The results indicate that enhancement of cultural intelligence affects on the increase of tourists` intercultural interactions efficiency.

Numerical study of airfoil thickness effects on the performance of J-shaped straight blade vertical axis wind turbine

Zamani, Mahdi,Maghrebi, Mohammad Javad,Moshizi, Sajad A. Techno-Press 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.22 No.5

Providing high starting torque and efficiency simultaneously is a significant challenge for vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). In this paper, a new approach is studied in order to modify VAWTs performance and cogging torque. In this approach, J-shaped profiles are exploited in the structure of blades by means of eliminating the pressure side of airfoil from the maximum thickness toward the trailing edge. This new profile is a new type of VAWT airfoil using the lift and drag forces, thereby yielding a better performance at low TSRs. To simulate the fluid flow of the VAWT along with J-shaped profiles originated from NACA0018 and NACA0030, a two-dimensional computational analysis is conducted. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are closed using the two-equation Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model. The main objective of the study is to investigate the effects of J-shaped straight blade thickness on the performance characteristics of VAWT. The results obtained indicate that opting for the higher thickness in J-shaped profiles for the blade sections leads the performance and cogging torque of VAWT to enhance dramatically.

Immobilization of L-Lysine on Zeolite 4A as an Organic-Inorganic Composite Basic Catalyst for Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds under Mild Conditions

Zamani, Farzad,Rezapour, Mehdi,Kianpour, Sahar Korean Chemical Society 2013 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.34 No.8

Lysine (Lys) immobilized on zeolite 4A was prepared by a simple adsorption method. The physical and chemical properties of Lys/zeolite 4A were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-vis. The obtained organic-inorganic composite was effectively employed as a heterogeneous basic catalyst for synthesis of ${\alpha},{\beta}$-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. No by-product formation, high yields, short reaction times, mild reaction conditions, operational simplicity with reusability of the catalyst are the salient features of the present catalyst.

Comparative Study of Tocopherol Contents and Fatty Acids Composition in Twenty Almond Cultivars of Afghanistan

Zamany, A. J.,Samadi, G. R.,Kim, D. H.,Keum, Y. S.,Saini, R. K. Springer Science + Business Media 2017 Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society Vol.94 No.6

<P>Afghanistan is the fourth largest producer of almonds in the world producing 78 native and 6 imported cultivars. However, till date, there have been no comprehensive data on nutrient profiles of the native cultivars. Thus, in the present investigation, tocopherol contents and fatty acid composition from the kernels of 20 selected native almond cultivars of Afghanistan were analyzed. The ranges of variability for the studied nutrients were similar to those already reported for almonds grown in other countries, such as 47.8-66.1% of total lipids (fresh weight basis), 62.54-81.57% of oleic acid in the total lipids, and 139.1-355.0 mu g/g alpha-tocopherol in kernels. With respect to cultivars, significantly (p < 0.05) high content of total lipids were recorded in 'Belabai' and 'Sattarbai' (Afghan grade), oleic acid in 'Khairodini' and of alpha-tocopherol in 'Khairodini-161 Samangan' and 'Belabai' cultivars. Kernels from these cultivars can be used for nutrient dense food formulations. Daily consumption of 50 g almonds is sufficient to meet the RDA of alpha-tocopherol (15 mg/day), considering the average 300 mu g/g of alpha-tocopherol in Afghan almonds. Also, these nutrient rich cultivars can be used in almond breeding programs globally, to focus on improving kernel oil composition and nutrient contents.</P>

A Highly Selective and Sensitive Calcium(II)-Selective PVC Membrane Based on Dimethyl 1-(4-Nitrobenzoyl)-8-oxo-2,8-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoindole-2,3-dicarboxylate as a Novel Ionophore

Zamani, Hassan Ali,Abedini-Torghabeh, Javad,Ganjali, Mohammad Reza Korean Chemical Society 2006 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.27 No.6

Dimethyl 1-(4-nitrobenzoyl)-8-oxo-2,8-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoindole-2,3-dicarboxylate has been used as an ionophore and o-nitrophenyloctyl ether as a plasticizer in order to develop a poly(vinyl chloride)-based membrane electrode for calcium ion detection. The sensors exhibit significantly enhanced response towards calcium(II) ions over the concentration range $8.0{\times}10^{-7}\;1.0{\times}10^{-1}$ M at pH 3.0-11 with a lower detection limit of $5.0 {\times}10^{-7}$ M. The sensors display Nernstian slope of 29.5 ${\pm}$ 0.5 mV per decade for Ca(II) ions. Effects of plasticizers, lipophilic salts and various foreign common ions are tested. It has a fast response time within 10 s over the entire concentration range and can be used for at least 2 months without any divergence in potentials. The proposed electrode revealed good selectivity and response for $Ca^{2+}$ over a wide variety of other metal ions. The selectivity of the sensor is comparable with those reported for other such electrodes. The proposed sensor was successfully applied as an indicator electrode for the potentiometric titration of a Ca(II) solution, with EDTA.

Anti-Proliferative Effects of Dendrophthoe pentandra Methanol Extract on BCR/ABL-Positive and Imatinib-Resistant Leukemia Cell Lines

Zamani, Afiqah,Jusoh, Siti Asmaa Mat,Al-Jamal, Hamid Ali Nagi,Sul'ain, Mohd Dasuki,Johan, Muhammad Farid Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.11

Background: Imatinib mesylate, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor specifically targeting the BCR/ABL fusion protein, induces hematological remission in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, the majority of CML patients treated with imatinib develop resistance with prolonged therapy. Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq. is a Malaysian mistletoe species that has been used as a traditional treatment for several ailments such as smallpox, ulcers, and cancers. Methods: We developed a resistant cell line (designated as K562R) by long-term co-culture of a BCR/ABL positive CML cell line, K562, with imatinib mesylate. We then investigated the anti-proliferative effects of D. pentandra methanol extract on parental K562 and resistant K562R cells. Trypan blue exclusion assays were performed to determine the IC50 concentration; apoptosis and cell cycle analysis were conducted by flow cytometry. Results: D. pentandra extract had greater anti-proliferative effects towards K562R ($IC50=192{\mu}g/mL$) compared to K562 ($500{\mu}g/mL$) cells. Upon treatment with D. pentandra extract at the IC50. concentration: K562 but not K562R demonstrated increase in apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Conclusion: D. pentandra methanol extract exerts potent anti-proliferative effect on BCR/ABL positive K562 cells.

The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Serum Magnesium and Calcium Concentration in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Zamani Mohammad,Haghighat Neda 한국임상영양학회 2022 Clinical Nutrition Research Vol.11 No.2

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize all the existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evidence and to evaluate the effects of magnesium supplementation on serum magnesium, calcium and urinary magnesium concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with the control. Two independent authors systematically searched online databases including Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception until 30th January 2022. RCTs complying with the inclusion criteria were included in this meta-analysis. The heterogeneity among the included studies was assessed using Cochrane’s Q test and I-square (I2) statistic. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and weighted mean difference (WMD) was considered as the overall effect size. Sixteen trials were included in this meta-analysis. Serum magnesium (mean difference, 0.15 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.23; p = 0.001) and urinary magnesium (WMD, 1.99 mg/dL; 95% CI, 0.36 to 3.62; p = 0.017) concentrations were significantly increased after magnesium supplementation when compared with the control group. However, magnesium supplementation did not have any significant effect on serum calcium (WMD, −0.09 mg/dL; 95% CI, −0.27 to 0.08; p = 0.294) level when compared with the control group. This meta-analysis demonstrated that magnesium supplementation significantly increased Serum magnesium levels which may have played an indirect role in improved clinical symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Palliates the Attack by Hacker of Android Application through UID and Antimalware Cloud Computing

Zamani, Abu Sarwar,Ahmad, Sultan,Uddin, Mohammed Yousuf,Ansari, Asrar Ahmad,Akhtar, Shagufta International Journal of Computer ScienceNetwork S 2021 International journal of computer science and netw Vol.21 No.8

The market for smart phones has been booming in the past few years. There are now over 400,000 applications on the Android market. Over 10 billion Android applications have been downloaded from the Android market. Due to the Android popularity, there are now a large number of malicious vendors targeting the platform. Many honest end users are being successfully hacked on a regular basis. In this work, a cloud based reputation security model has been proposed as a solution which greatly mitigates the malicious attacks targeting the Android market. Our security solution takes advantage of the fact that each application in the android platform is assigned a unique user id (UID). Our solution stores the reputation of Android applications in an anti-malware providers' cloud (AM Cloud). The experimental results witness that the proposed model could well identify the reputation index of a given application and hence its potential of being risky or not.

Numerical study of airfoil thickness effects on the performance of J-shaped straight blade vertical axis wind turbine

Mahdi Zamani,Mohammad Javad Maghrebi,Sajad A. Moshizi 한국풍공학회 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.22 No.5

Providing high starting torque and efficiency simultaneously is a significant challenge for vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). In this paper, a new approach is studied in order to modify VAWTs performance and cogging torque. In this approach, J-shaped profiles are exploited in the structure of blades by means of eliminating the pressure side of airfoil from the maximum thickness toward the trailing edge. This new profile is a new type of VAWT airfoil using the lift and drag forces, thereby yielding a better performance at low TSRs. To simulate the fluid flow of the VAWT along with J-shaped profiles originated from NACA0018 and NACA0030, a two-dimensional computational analysis is conducted. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are closed using the two-equation Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model. The main objective of the study is to investigate the effects of J-shaped straight blade thickness on the performance characteristics of VAWT. The results obtained indicate that opting for the higher thickness in J-shaped profiles for the blade sections leads the performance and cogging torque of VAWT to enhance dramatically.

Spoken and Written Narrative in Persian-Speaking Students Who Received Cochlear Implant and/or Hearing Aid

Peyman Zamani,Zahra Soleymani,Vahid Rashedi,Farhad Farahani,Gohar Lotfi,Mohammad Rezaei 대한이비인후과학회 2018 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.11 No.4

Objectives. To compare narrative skills between fourth and fifth grades of Persian-speaking students with hearing impairments and typical hearing students of the same grade and also to evaluate the effects of group, sex, hearing age, and educational grade of the students on their spoken/written narrative performance. Methods. The subjects were 174 students aged 10–13 years, 54 of whom wore cochlear implants, 60 suffered from moderate to severe hearing losses and wore hearing aids, with the remaining 60 students being typical hearing in terms of the sense of hearing. The micro- and macrostructure components of spoken and written narrative were elicited from a pictorial story (The Playful Little Elephant) and then scored by raters. Results. Compared to the typical hearing, the students with hearing impairments had significantly lower scores in all of the microstructure components of narratives. However, the findings showed no significant difference among different groups in macrostructure components of narratives. It was also revealed that the students had equal performance in spoken and written narrative. Finally, factor analysis manifested that group, sex, hearing age, and educational level of children might alter the outcome measures in various interactions. Conclusion. Although cochlear implantation was more effective than hearing aid on spoken and written narrative skills, the Persian-speaking students with hearing impairments were seen to need additional trainings on microstructure components of spoken/written narrative.