In this paper, the problem of population districting in the health system of South Khorasan province has been investigated in the form of an optimization problem. Now that the districting problem is considered as a strategic matter, it is vital to obtain efficient solutions in order to implement in the system. Therefore in this study two meta-heuristic algorithms, Ant Lion Optimizer (ALO) and G...

Since each solid form of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can exhibit particular physicochemical properties, the objectives this work were to characterize and study solubility/stability properties allopurinol hydrochloride salt (ALO-HCl) for first time. ALO-HCl was obtained through unreported recrystallization process studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrare...

In this paper we consider the design of spectrally efficient time-limited pulses for ultra-wideband (UWB) systems using an overlapping pulse position modulation scheme. For this we investigate an orthogonalization method, which was developed in 1950 by Löwdin [1, 2]. Our objective is to obtain a set of N orthogonal (Löwdin) pulses, which remain time-limited and spectrally efficient for UWB syst...

The purpose of this paper is to solve a multiobjective electric power dispatch problem, which is a multiple non-commensurable objective problem, minimizes operating cost, adhering pollution norms, low transmission loss and no violations on voltage levels subject to various constraints. Improved control settings such as generator powers, bus voltage magnitudes, transformer taps and shunt capacit...

Exposure of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) to low concentrations of Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (LT), whose catalytic subunit is lethal factor (LF), results in induction of a robust apoptotic response dependent on activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)4. A similar TLR4-dependent apoptotic response is observed when BMDMs are infected with live B. anthracis (Sterne strain). However, ...

This is the first report of through-thescope (TTS) self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) placement, using a newly developed, short-type, double-balloon endoscope (S-DBE), for the palliation of malignant afferent-loop obstruction (ALO). The endoscope has a 3.2mm working channel and 152cm working length (EI-580BT; Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan). The SEMS is a new Niti-S D pyloric/duodenal uncovered stent, w...

Bacillus anthracis generates virulence factors such as lethal and edema toxins, capsule, and hemolytic proteins under conditions of reduced oxygenation. Here, we report on the acute cytotoxicity of culture supernatants (Sups) of six nonencapsulated B. anthracis strains grown till the stationary phase under static microaerobic conditions. Human small airway epithelial, umbilical vein endothelial...

BACKGROUND In the female genital tract, up to 30% of Papanicolaou (Pap)-stained cervicovaginal smears of intrauterine device (IUD) users are positive for actinomyces-like organisms (ALOs). Many clinicians believe that no therapeutic intervention is necessary if women with ALOs are without symptoms. However, there are no recommendations for the procedure in ALO-positive women with need for a rou...

ABSTRACT Indications of aluminium monoxide in atmospheres exoplanets are being reported. Studies using high-resolution spectroscopy should allow a strong detection but require high-accuracy laboratory data. A marvel (measured active rotational-vibrational energy levels) analysis is performed for the available spectroscopic data on 27Al16O: 22 473 validated transitions used to determine 6485 dis...