[en] One of the best known side effects of using opium is spasm of the sphincter of Oddi, which may increase the diameter of the extrahepatic bile ducts. Ultrasound is the first imaging modality used for evaluating the biliary system because it is commonly available and noninvasive. The principal objective of this study was to measure the common bile duct (CBD) diameter via ultrasonography in opium addicts and to evaluate the relation between the CBD diameter and the period of addiction. This research was an analytical-cross sectional study that was done on 110 opium addicts that were admitted to a drug treatment center. The diameter of the CBD in these cases was measured by ultrasonography and the results were analyzed with other factors like age, the period of addiction and the laboratory findings. According to the findings, there is a significant increase in the range of the CBD diameter in comparison with normal bile ducts. Also, the mean diameter of the CBD in the different age groups showed a significant difference (p < 0.0001) and there was a significant relation between the CBD diameter and the period of addiction (p < 0.001, r = 0.74); so, with the increased length of the addiction period, the mean CBD diameter increases. Opium addiction is one of the factors that causes extrahepatic bile duct dilatation, so in these cases, if no obstructing lesion was found on ultrasound examination and the serum bilirobine and alkaline phosphatase levels are normal, then further evaluation is not needed

[en] In this paper, the nonlinear behavior of black phosphorus crystals is investigated in tandem with dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D) analysis under uniaxial loadings. From the identified anisotropic behavior of black phosphorus due to its morphological anisotropy, a hyperelastic anisotropic (HA) model named continuum-DFT is established to predict the nonlinear behavior of the material. In this respect, uniaxial Cauchy stresses are employed on both the DFT-D and HA models along the zig-zag and armchair directions. Simultaneously, the transition of the crystal system is recognized at about 4.5 GPa of the applied uniaxial tensile stress along the zig-zag direction on the DFT-D simulation in the nonlinear region. In order to develop the nonlinear continuum model, unknown constants are surveyed with the optimized least square technique. In this regard, the continuum model is obtained to reproduce the Cauchy stress–stretch and density of strain–stretch results of the DFT-D simulation. Consequently, the modified HA model is introduced to characterize the nonlinear behavior of black phosphorus along the zig-zag direction. More importantly, the specific transition of the crystal system is successfully predicted in the new modified continuum-DFT model. The results reveal that the multiscale continuum-DFT model is well defined to replicate the nonlinear behavior of black phosphorus along the zig-zag and armchair directions. (paper)

[en] Procurement of optimum available transfer capability (ATC) in the restructured electricity industry is a crucial challenge with regards to open access to transmission network. This paper presents an approach to determine the optimum location and optimum capacity of TCSC in order to improve ATC as well as voltage profile. Real genetic algorithm (RGA) associated with analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy sets are implemented as a hybrid heuristic technique in this paper to optimize such a complicated problem. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is examined through different case studies. (author)

[en] The potential of Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy as a fast method to predict the Crude Protein and Moisture content in fishmeal by scanning spectra between 1000 and 2500 nm using multivariate regression technique based on Partial Least Squares was evaluated. The coefficient of determination in calibration (R²_C) and Standard Error of Calibration were 0.95 and 14.03 g / kg Dry Matter and 0.80 and 3.52 g / kg, for Crude Protein and Moisture content, respectively. This study proved that the application of NIRS using Partial Least Squares is well fitted to evaluate the protein and moisture content of fishmeal.