Bridges are considered as the key elements of highways and their destruction disturbs transportation. Therefore, maintaining the appropriate performance of bridges after earthquake is of a special importance to prevent any pause and disorder in relief operations. Investigating the damages caused by the previous earthquakes has not revealed an acceptable performance in bridges. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the seismic performance of the existing bridges. Fragility curve is an appropriate tool to estimate the damage rate of a bridge, indicating the probability of reaching a limit state or beyond that as a function of some parameters of ground motion. To perform non-linear dynamic analysis of bridges, a set of earthquakes are needed with the consistent characteristics with the site conditions. A bridge can be modeled using Openness software in a 3 dimensional (3-D) form.

New technologies are valuable opportunity for faster and less expensive production in the developing \ncountries. It appears, however, that the relatively developed countries have managed to repeat their \nsuccessful results and enjoy notable improvement by using IT. On the other hand, under-developed \ncountries do nothing but watching the gap between them and the developed world widening. One of \nthe reasons of this widening gap is failure to determine the outcomes of utilizing IT. The present study \nis an attempt to determine the effect of IT on quality of supply chain in knowledge-based firms. Study \npopulation was comprised of all employees and managers of the companies located in Pardis \nTechnology Park, Tehran. To measure utilization of IT, a standard questionnaire with four dimensions \n(process, context, internal texture, and external texture) was used. Given the lack of any \ncomprehensive questionnaire in the field of quality management of supply chain, a researcher-\ndesigned questionnaire was designed based on literature review. The questionnaire covered four \ndimensions of empowerment, learning, continuous development, quality of communications, strategic \nlearning, and innovation process. Standard deviation (SD) of the population was determined through \na preliminary sampling. To this end, the questionnaire was administered among 73 of the individuals \nrandomly. SD of the questions showed that max. SD was 0.401. With this, therefore, sample group \nsize was set to 189 with 5% error level. Out of 200 questionnaires, 171 were returned and used as the \nbasis of statistical analyses. Having confirmed reliability and validity of the two questionnaires, and \nSEM in AMOS, the results indicated that the main hypothesis (effectiveness of IT on quality of \nsupply chain) was supported. So that the effect of IT in non-standard and standard modes was equal \nwith 0.24 and 0.58 respectively. The highest effect in this regard was observed on the dimension \nexternal texture.

In this paper, one subterraneous of Kangan and upper Dalan formations of Lavan well number 3 was studied. Based on petrographic studies, Kangan formation in the study area is predominantly made up of dolomitic limestone lithology and upper Dalan formation is made up of dolomitic and lithology in its upper part. The well is visible between layers of anhydrite in both formations. The border between Dalan and Kangan formations is of disconformity type and is specified by the absence of Durashamyn fauna. Kangan formation upper border is limited by ShalesDashtak formation and the lower boundary of upper Dalan formation is also limited by Nar anhydrite part. Based on reservoir subdivisions, Kanganlithostratigraphic formation is divided into two units of K1 and K2, while the upper Dalan formation only has K3 unit. According to petrographic studies, 5 types of dolomite have been identified in Kangan formation and 3 types of dolomite have also been identified in upper Dalan formation (dolomites have been composed of Sabkha and mixed-zone models). Effective diagenesis processes in Kangan and upper Dalan formations including biological disturbance, micritization, density, cementation, geoptal fabric, breakup, dolomitization, fracture, silicification, and pyritization have affected Kangan and upper Dalan formations in the form of marine diugenesis and meteoric environments. Referring to petrographic studies and facies identified, 12 facies and 11 facies have been identified in Kangan and the upper part of upper Dalan formations, respectively. This facies have been presented in the form 3 facies belt in both formations including tidal zone, layon, and dam. The presented sedimentary environment is of isocline ramp in Kangan and the upper Dalan formations.

The calculated anomaly of gravity includes effects – combinations of structures that have the different density and depth - of study area and beyond it. In this paper, a method for the separation of regional and residual fields is used, is the finite element method. This method has been used in the interpretation of potential field and can be easily resolved complex issues in the last few decades. The detected regional gravity anomaly is based on the interpolation functions of the elements that used in the finite element analysis. The first stage of FEM is selection of element and then the decision of boundary conditions. In this step, the solution space is divided into elements. After designation of the geometric structure of solution space, the most suitable elements must be selected for this structure. The compatibility between the geometry and the elements to achieve the best possible solution is important. Regional gravity will be approximated by weighted set from finite gravity values of eight stations according to eight nodes of one element that has similar second parameter which is located in the map The calculation is performed via interpolation functions, which act as weighting factors, in a reference space which has no dimension. In this study, the FEM method was used for gravity data of minoo salt dome, for calculating regional and residual anomaly. In conclusion, the results were obtained via FEM method, which is more accurate than other methods.

Existing classifications of temperament, characters, personality types and ways of behaviour are the disputable issues of the present-day scientific world. The origins of the classifications rise from the ancient philosophy and medicine in China and India (VIII BCE), Greece (V BCE), Rome (II century AD), England and Germany (ХIХ century), USA and Russia (ХХ century). Tremendous amount of the classifications were worked out all over the world and not all of them withstood the test of time. The references to Hippocrates’ and Claudius Galenus’ classifications occur chiefly, which are tangential with regard to mentality and psychic setup and based on humoralism (humorism). Great empirical and experimental materials have been accumulated in scientific history without harmonious systematization in view of the absence of the integrated international system of classification that is the factor restraining the further development of typology. There were curious incidents during typology march. Fourier described three hundred characters, for instance. Unfortunately, any ordinary person could not be able to remember all these descriptions. Since then, researches, finding and admission of the optimum types became the task of paramount importance for the scientists.

A novel high-performance liquid chromatographic assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of pramipexole dihydrochloride in pharmaceutical dosage form. An isocratic, reversed phase HPLC method was developed to separate the drug from the excipients, using a Waters µBonapak C18 (250×4.6 mm, 10 µm) advance chromatography column, and 10 m mol l-1 potassium hydrogen phosphate and acetonitrile and triethylamine (90:10:1 v/v) with pH=7 as a mobile phase .The flow rate of mobile phase was 1.5ml/min. The detection was carried out at a wavelength of 260 nm. \nThe percentage recovery of pramipexole was from (99.09% to 99.92%) in the pharmaceutical dosage form. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy (recovery), precision, system suitability and specificity.

This study involved some morphometric parameters of the skull of thirty adult Dwarf Gwembe goats (15 males and 15 females) without any apparent skeletal disorders. Lower jaws were not included in this study. A total of 43 linear measurements were analyzed. The analysis reflected no differences between sexes, thereby indicating lack of general conformation differences between males and females. However, comparison of the parameters that exhibited most variance revealed that horncore basal circumference and length of the horn core on the front margin were strongly influenced by sex. Therefore, only the horn conformation could be used as discriminator sexual variable. This couples with the fact that males usually have stronger and larger horns than females. Skull size seems no to be very different between sexes.The obtained results would indicate a marked sexual monomorphism in this breed.

The study examined the importance of creativity and innovation to mankind and wondered that despite the fact that every human being has a deposit of creativity in him that could make individuals to live successfully in life, many still live an idle, fruitless, confused and frustrated life. This is often common among the youths who are expected to be the future leaders of the nation, hence the problem of unemployment has aggravated to an alarming level leading to incessant high rate of crime in the country, due to the fact that people have failed to nurture and develop their creativity. The study therefore investigated the effect of the Six Action Shoes creativity technique in fostering the creativity and innovative skills of the members of the National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria. The study made use of pretest-posttest quasi experimental design whereby a randomly selected sample of 70 members of the NYSC cutting across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria whose ages ranged from 21-30, with a mean of 26.4 were randomly selected from 2 Local Government areas of Oyo state. They were assigned to the experimental and control groups based on balloting. Both groups responded to the Creativity and Innovation rating scale in Animasahun’s (2007) Success Potential Battery to collect their pre-test as well as post-test scores. The experimental group was subjected to six weeks of training in the utilization of the Six Action Shoes lasting for 2 hours per week, while the control group waited for their turn later. At the end of the exercise, the 35 members in the experimental group remained intact, while only 32 members in the control group completed the exercise. The one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the only hypothesis generated for the study at the 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that there was a significant main effect of treatment on the Youth Corps’ creativity and innovative skills, which means that participants exposed to treatment scored significantly better than the control group on Creativity and Innovative rating scale (F (1, 64) = 73.866, p<0.05). The Partial eta square was 0.536 which translates to 53.6% of the total variance in the Youth Corps’ creativity and innovative skills score, which means that the Six Action Shoes technique was relevant to foster creativity and innovative skills. The result further showed that experimental group (exposed to Six Action Shoes technique) displayed high creativity and innovative skills score (mean = 112.09) above the control group (mean = 82.735). It was therefore recommended that the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps members should be exposed to training in the Six Action Shoes during their one-year mandatory National Youth service so as to foster their Creativity and Innovation skills, which would prevent them from being idle, wanderers or becoming white collar job-seekers alone, but engage themselves in worthwhile creative and innovative ventures after the mandatory national service, and help to reduce unemployment problem as well as crime rate in Nigeria. Further, all other countries in the world should also imbibe this creativity technique to act proactively in preparing their youths for unforeseen future circumstances so that such youths would not turn nuisance to the nation thereby enhancing sustainable excellence.

Vascular dementia is a common problem caused by reduction in the blood supply to cortex of brain due to hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. Melatonin, a pineal hormone was proved to be effective as antidementia and antihyperlipidemic agent previously. In the present study we evaluated the effect of melatonin (5mg/kg, 10mg/kg, p.o) on hyperlipidemia induced vascular dementia in rats. To mimic the human condition the rats were induced dementia by feeding atherogenic diet for 20days and single shot of triton X100(100mg/kg, i.p). The experiment with combined model of hyperlipedemia (Both chemical and diet induced) was taken up for the first time and able to establish successfully. Parameters like locomotar activity, radial arm maze test, morris maze and active avoidance test, biochemical estimations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, super oxide dismutase, Catalase activity, acetylcholine esterase activity and lipid peroxidation products were estimated. The melatonin (10mg/kg, p.o) significantly (P<0.05) improved hyperlipidemia and impaired cognition induced by combination of triton X and atherogenic diet by significantly reversing the levels of TC, TG, LDL, HDL levels, super oxide dismutase, catalase, AchE activity and lipid peroxidation products to normal levels when compared to induced group. Both doses of melatonin 5mg/kg, 10mg/kg showed protective effect but 10mg/kg has more prominent results when compared to5mg/kg. These results indicate that melatonin treatment successfully reduced vascular dementia via its antioxidant mechanism and inhibition of AchE in brain.

This study was conducted to determine a suitable time and temperature combination for the electrical conductivity test to be used in sorghum seeds. Fifty seeds known initial seed moisture content and weight of fresh and dead seeds (105 °C for 6h) of seven sorghum cultivars were used as material. The electrical conductivities of soaking water were measured using an EC meter in 20, 25 and 30 °C for 4, 8, 12 and 24 h using 50 mL deionized water. The experimental design was three factor factorial (7 × 3 × 4) arranged in a completely randomized design; with four replications and 50 seeds per replicate. The results showed that increased time and temperature caused a remarkable increase in EC values of all of the cultivars. Temperature significantly affected the electrical conductivity values and the best results were obtained at 25 °C. The cultivars having the lowest germination percentage gave the highest electrical conductivity value. Dead seeds always gave higher electrical conductivity at 25 °C for all periods. It was concluded that the temperature of 25 °C and higher period than 12 h was the optimum combination for the electrical conductivity test in sorghum.