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Despite taking a neutral stance, Iran heavily suffered from the First World War. Russian and Ottoman forces violated this neutrality and occupied a vast part of the country along the western frontier. This critical situation caused many calamities with deep and viable effects on the social life of Western Iran which missed scholarly attention. Bearing this in mind, and drawing on a bunch of unpublished archival material, this paper aims to shed new light on some unexplored dimensions of the subject. The central focus of this article is on the social and economic problems that ensued from the lasting occupation of the western provinces of Iran. At the same time, it seeks to prepare a descriptive explanation of the behavior of the local elite in confrontation with this crisis and what we can term center-peripheral policies. The findings show that the Ottoman invasion to western Iran and its occupation had certain social and economic consequences. These problems not only affected the local economy and social life but raised serious challenges for the central authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: By identifying the scientific researches of artificial intelligence carried out by universities, industry and the government, this paper seeks to outline the research situation of Iran in the field of this technology in comparison with China and the United States as the two leading countries in artificial intelligence. Based on this perception, the main goal of the current research is to extract the interactive model of university, industry, and government as the main actors in the scientific research collaboration of artificial intelligence in the three studied countries. Methods: This research was conducted based on the scientometric method and the use of the Scopus database in the time domain of the last two decades. Countries were ranked based on the number of documents and citations to the top 1000. Then the documents were separated based on organizational affiliations into academic, industrial, government, and international groups. On this basis, the co-authoring network of Iran's documents was drawn based on organizational collaboration. Through mutual information analysis, the quality of cooperation in Iran was compared with the other two countries. For this purpose, a meaningful examination of the arrangement of categories was done through Shannon's entropy calculations. Results: With a small difference, China and America had the most documents and Iran was in the 30th position. In the citation, America, with a significant difference, was first, China was second, and Iran was 17th. By normalizing the number of studies in terms of population and GDP, the United States was placed in a much higher position than China, and the distance between Iran and China in the normalized results was also much smaller. In the uncertainty and synergy of interactions, the same order was maintained. Among the players in Iran, Tehran University, followed by the Amirkabir University of Technology the and Sharif University of Technology, have had the most scientific productions. University, industry, and government data in Iran were experimentally manipulated. The highest output based on the least input change was achieved through increased industry research. Conclusions: The most important difference in the cooperation model of Iranian actors with the other two countries is the level of industry participation. Among the three countries, America shows the most industrial research collaborations. In the case of Iran, it was also concluded that the policy of encouraging the industry to participate in artificial intelligence research will be most effective. This result is also supported by experimental manipulation of values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Il-khanid period, it had been created a good atmosphere that allow to the scholars of different lands to move to Iran as a result of the wide extent of the Mongol territory, as well as their Religious and intrinsic Toleration. Therefore, there was a widespread scientific relationship between the Il-khanid land and other civilization centers of the world. This case had created by the full support of the officials of science and education in Iran, along with the scholarly spirit, the scientific trips and the vast movement of scholars in Iran and other lands. These mutual relations have contributed to the revival of scientific activities in Iran and the exchange of heritage and scientific findings of this land with different nations from the Far East to the West, thus it should be considered as a positive and significant scientific and cultural outcome of the Ilkhanid rule in Iran. By descriptive-analytical method, this paper seeks to examine the factors caused these relationships, beside of describing the scientific exchanges between the scholars of the Il-khanid territory and other scholars of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Exposure to lead and its effects on children's health is one of the most important and widespread concerns of human societies today. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic study was to evaluate blood lead levels in Iranian children. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Scientific Information Database (SID), and Iran Medex databases were comprehensively searched for papers published from 2005 to the end of October 2021. Studies that reported blood lead levels in Iranian children were collected. Then the articles were evaluated according to a pre-prepared checklist. Results: Of a total of 143 articles found in the initial search, 13 studies were included in our systematic review. The lowest and highest mean blood lead levels were 0.65 micrograms per deciliter in Abadan and 57.1 micrograms per deciliter in Mashhad, respectively. In three studies conducted in Mashhad and Isfahan, blood lead levels were reported to be higher than 5 Micrograms per deciliter in all children studied. The level of education of the father, the use of canned food, the habit of eating soil by the child, damage to the paint of the house, and the reduction of blood iron levels were the effective factors in increasing the blood lead levels in Iranian children. Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of blood lead samples above 5 micrograms per deciliter in some studies, reducing the exposure to lead should be seriously pursued by health policy makers and health systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's quest to become a world-class developed economic power has enabled India to take an active approach in its economic diplomacy, as part of India's continued economic growth and development depends on its economic diplomacy. So, India needs to set clear priorities for its economic diplomacy. This paper examines the priorities of India's economic diplomacy in order to sustain India's economic development and how these priorities have an impact on India's economic relations with Iran. The research method used in this study is descriptive-analytical and data gathering is documentary. The conceptual framework used in this research is economic diplomacy. The results show that India's most important economic diplomacy priorities are energy security, facilitation of flow of goods and services, attracting foreign direct investment and communication and utilization of overseas Indian labor force, and India to fulfill some of these priorities including Energy security and increased trade and facilitating transit of goods require cooperation with Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sacrifice is a form of ritual sacrifice and one of the forms of worship that have deviated from their fundamental purposes at times until individuals have sacrificed themselves. The three civilizations of India, Iran, and Mesopotamia have long had many cultural ties and have been influenced by each other; one of these is human sacrifice. This paper tries to study the human sacrifice in these three cultures in a descriptive-analytical way and according to the theories of the ritual of sacrifice. And to answer the questions of when human sacrifice was performed in the mentioned civilizations and if so, in what ways has this effect been shown? The findings show that human sacrifice was often performed in special religious ceremonies and on sensitive occasions in order to reproduce nature and restore it. In Mesopotamia and India, due to the vastness and cultural differences of the region, human sacrifice was more common. The three civilizations mentioned in the rituals of passing through fire have influenced the privileges of alternative sacrifices and the exile of mythical characters (to the underworld). In the analyzes performed in the fertility sections, Fraser and Taylor's theories; the sacrifice for the idol, Taylor and Boyce's theories; Burning and symbolic sacrifices, freezer theories, and Taylor are more commonly used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: One of the social determinants of physical and mental health is unemployment. This has a harmful effect even when the social class, poverty, age, and history of previous illnesses are also controlled. The purpose of this study was to review the evidence of the unemployment on the health of Iranian society. Materials & Methods: This study was conducted using a scoping review to find empirical research papers published on the impact of unemployment on health in Iran from 2003 to 2018. Seven electronic databases and two search engines were searched using appropriate keywords. Bibliography section of the retrieved papers and related journals were also searched for papers that were not yet indexed in the databases. 1063 publications were identified. All retrieved papers were assessed using a valid checklist before analysis. Finally, 56 empirical studies were reviewed using MAXQDA software. Results: About 39.3 percent of articles was published in Persian on impact of unemployment on health, which 70% of them have been written since 2011. Most of the studies were conducted in Tehran, Esfahan and Eastern Azerbaijan provinces. In this study, four main themes were psychological hazards, physical dilemmas, family problems, and socioeconomic risks. Conclusion: Unemployment has the greatest impact on the dependent variable of multidimensional poverty (health). Therefore, attention to professional and occupational policies, the establishment of social welfare systems and taxation can help to expand employment and increasing the share of GDP to implement labor market programs is essential. Efforts to raise employment should be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Definition: What are the reasons for Saudi Arabia's conservative foreign policy shift to an aggressive approach after the Arab spring in Yemen? Purpose: Investigating and analyzing the causes of the Saudi military invasion of Yemen from two geopolitical and ideological aspects and its impact on Saudi Arabia's balancing policy with Iran. Methodology: The study was conducted using the descriptive-analytic method. Data collection method was library one using scientific and research papers and online sites. The theoretical framework of this paper was derived from the theory of balance of power, which emphasizes the (relative) equality of power between the two rival blocs, providing a useful theoretical framework for examining the shift in the conservative approach of Saudi foreign policy to the aggressive approach following the Arab spring developments in Yemen. Result: The findings of this article suggest that Ansarullah's full control over Yemen could change the balance of power for Iran's benefit by endangering Saudi security (provoking Shiites in the south and east as well as threatening oil transit through the strategic Bab al- Mandab Strait) and expand its sphere of influence in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has changed its conservative foreign policy approach to an aggressive foreign policy towards Yemen after changes in Islamic awakening for expanding its influence and maximizing its security on the one hand and to curb the expansion of Iranian influence in the region with the aim of weakening the axis of resistance and balancing strategy on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, technology development is not only a straight forward approach to create wealth, but is a means for superiority of countries in military, industry and economy. In this paper, as a part of a project entitled: Future studies of mechanical engineering, the status of technology development in engineering field, and specifically in mechanical engineering, has been investigated in Iran and compared with some other countries. The aim of this study is to provide a realistic picture of technology development in Iran including its strengths and weaknesses. In data collection for technology development in engineering field, the specific statistics related to mechanical engineering has also been noticed. Some major indices to assess the status of technology development in a country include the number of granted patents, the expenditure on research and development, and the number of researchers (scientists and engineers). Although the number of registered patents is not necessarily enough for a country to be considered as a technology developer, but the lack of enough patents in a country is definitely a sign of poor condition in technology. A brief look at the statistics shows that the global share of Iran in patent registration is very low. In this paper, challenges related to technology development in Iran has been analyzed and the its strengths and weaknesses have been mentioned. This paper has merely shown the current status of Iran and has compared it with other countries. The roadmap of future and suggestions for current challenges will be provided in later researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious diseases in the pandemic stage have significant lifethreatening, psychological and social effects. Identifying the characteristics associated with people's cooperation in self-care leads to greater immunity for themselves and others. Therefore, this study was conducted to predict the self-care of the Iranian people according to their individual and social characteristics in face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: A survey study was conducted on 1056 adults aged 18 and over in different provinces of Iran through a form of answering online researcher-made questions (n=40, α=0.9) in social networks in four days. This paper studies the level of self-care of people against Covid 19 pandemic which was conducted with the support of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in April 2016. Data were analyzed using Student t-test and variance. Moreover, "decision tree technique" was used to identify communication patterns. Results: The findings showed that the average self-care score in women, the most educated, married women, women aged 41 to 55, housewives and some other occupations was very high. However, the average self-care score of single men with a diploma was average. In general, the mean score of women's self-care was higher than men (P<0.0001) and the educated were more than the less educated literate (P=0.007). There was no significant difference between the self-care scores of the respondents in terms of their marital status and employment. Conclusion: The results showed that the average scores of self-care in women, more educated people, married women, women in the age group of 41 to 55 years, housewives and some other occupations were reported to be very high; While the average self-care score reported in single men with a diploma was average. Overall, the mean score of self-care reported in women was higher than men (P<0.0001) and people with doctoral education reported more self-care than illiterate people (P=0.007). Besides, there was no significant difference between the self-care scores of the respondents in terms of their marital status (single and married) and their employment status (employed and non-employed). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Increasing healthcare organizations' efficiency is a necessity due to the resource scarcity in health sector. The aim of this study was to evaluate hospitals' efficiency in Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using a systematic review and meta-analysis approach to find empirical research papers published on hospital efficiency in Iran between 1997 and 2016. Seven electronic databases and two search engines were searched using appropriate key words. Bibliography section of the retrieved papers and related journals were also searched for papers that were not yet indexed in the data bases. 1563 publications were identified. All retrieved papers were assessed using a checklist before analysis. Finally 91 empirical studies were reviewed. Results: Data Envelopment Analysis, Pabon Lasso and Stochastic Frontier Analysis methods were mostly used for measuring hospital efficiency respectively. The average efficiency of Iran hospitals varied between 0.584 and 0.998. Hospitals affiliated to Social security organisation were more efficient. In contrast, non teaching public hospitals and charity and private hospitals were less efficient. Number of hospital beds and manpower were the most used input variables and number of outpatients and inpatients patient and surgical procedures were the most used output variables in Data Envelopment Analysis. Stochastic Frontier Analysis method has more advantage in measuring hospital efficiency compared to Data Envelopment Analysis. Conclusion: Iran hospitals suffer from inefficiency. Thus, managers should identify the reasons for hospitals' ineffeiciency and apply measures for increasing their efficiency and reducing wastage of limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globalization of economy, incredible advances in technology and social sciences, and the international move toward outcome-oriented evaluation of education programs greatly necessitate changes in the traditional model of engineering education. Key elements for effective execution of changes in engineering education are faculty members and educational staff and authorities. From a survey on Iran's engineering education staff, it was found that regardless of their location of employment (whether universities or industry), these groups came from a diverse academic background, which is often irrelevant to the concept of education. Their priority seems to be acquiring specialized professional trainings. A similar requirement in other countries has led to the establishment of higher education programs in engineering education. The goal of these programs, which are usually conducted in engineering faculties, is to train those who can be in charge of arrangement, coordination, guidance, execution, evaluation, and documentation of education. Furthermore it is aimed to enable the trainees to enhance the quality of education presentation in educational institutions, as well as the industry. The graduates of this program will also be able to propose mechanisms to overcome the country's engineering education challenges and promote its quality through systematic research. In this paper, the work on feasibility, design and legislation of the "Master's Program in Engineering Education" is explained. The first master's degree program in engineering education began in October 2019 at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The extent of development of a country is determined by research indicators such as the number of published articles. Many factors can cause a lack of research. Objective: The present study aimed at identifying obstacles to the implementation of the research from the viewpoint of faculty members of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Materials and Methods: In this combined research, the quantitative data were collected by the faculty members of the research pathology questionnaire. The appropriate statistical indices were used to describe the data. In the qualitative section, sampling was purposeful and continued until data saturation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and data analysis was carried out using a seven-step content analysis approach. The accuracy and accuracy of the data were also determined by Lincoln & Guba's proposed criteria. Results: In the quantitative part, the most important inhibitor factors include management factors (low communication between university and foreign universities), empowerment factors (lack of familiarity with relevant statistical techniques), administrative rules (length of paper publishing stages), and personal factors (teaching too much), social factors (inadequate intellectual incentives) and economic factors (inadequate research budget and lack of research facilities). In the qualitative section, the four main categories (individual challenges, dysfunctional infrastructure, Limited Research Partner, and discouragement of the research result) and fifteen sub-floors were extracted. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, in order to improve the quantitative and qualitative research among faculty members, it is suggested that the respective authorities consider such issues as strengthening the research motivation of faculty members taking advantage of research facilities and special privileges, and also equivalence of research tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northeast of Iran, there are some outcrops of high-Mg ultramafic volcanic rocks. These rocks have been interpreted as an ideal ophiolite sequence related to the closure of Paleo-Tethys. According to detailed field observations, the komatiitic lava flows in Shandiz- Virani- Mashhad Complex (SVMC) and Fariman Complex (FC) are interlayered with the Upper Paleozoic submarine turbiditic sediments (Carboniferous- Permian). These rocks have a wide range of volcanic facies and according to the lithofacies characteristics, are divided into three groups of differentiated, undifferentiated lava flows and pillow lavas with a variety of volcanic textures and glass groundmass and with the main minerals of olivine, chromian spinel, clinopyroxene and amphibole. In this paper, the komatiitic nature of these rocks has been proven by explicit evidence from the field features petrography, internal stratigraphy and mineral chemistry. Also, the interaction of a mantle plume with the late Paleozoic (Permian) northeast subduction zone of Paleo-Tethys in NE Iran is considered as the suitable petrogenetic model involved in the genesis of the Komatiitic magma. This model can well justify and interpret the various geochemical characteristics of the studied rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unnecessary patient admission to a hospital refers to the hospitalization of a patient without clinical indications and criteria. Various factors related to the patient (e.g., age, disease severity, payment method, and admission route and time), the physician and the hospital and its facilities and diagnostic technologies affect a patient unnecessary admission in a hospital. Unnecessary patient hospitalization increases nosocomial infections, morbidity and mortality, and decreases patient satisfaction and hospital productivity. This study aimed to measure unnecessary patient admissions in hospitals in Iran. Methods: This study was conducted using a systematic review and meta-analysis at Tehran University of Medical Science in August 2019. Seven electronic databases were searched and evaluated for original research papers published between March 2006 and 2018 on patients’ unnecessary admission to a hospital. Finally, 12 articles were selected and analyzed using comprehensive meta-analysis software. Results: All studies used the appropriateness evaluation protocol (AEP) for assessing patients’ unnecessary hospitalization in the hospitals. Overall, 2.7% of hospital admissions were rated as inappropriate and unnecessary (CI 95%: 1.5-4.9%). The highest unnecessary patients’ admissions were 11.8% in a teaching hospital in Meshginshahr city in 2016, (CI 95%: 8.8-15.8%) and the lowest unnecessary patients’ admissions was 0.3% in a teaching hospital in Yasuj city in 2016 (CI 95%: 0-3.6%). Unnecessary patient admission in public hospitals was higher than private hospitals. A significant statistical correlation was observed between unnecessary patient admission, and sample size (P<0.05). Conclusion: The rate of unnecessary hospital admission in Iran is low. However, hospital resources are wasted due to unnecessary admissions. Expanding the primary health care network, reducing hospital beds, introducing an effective and efficient patient referral system, using a fixed provider payment method, and promoting residential and social services care at macro level, and establishing utilization management committee, using the appropriateness evaluation protocol, establishing short-stay units, and implementing quality management strategies at the hospital level are useful strategies for reducing avoidable hospital admissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Happiness and benevolence in individual life and satisfaction in marital life are very important from a social point of view. Happiness is one of the most important factors for strengthening and sustainability of marital relationships. Materials and Methods: A thorough search was done in the following data banks using the Persian and English key words happiness, marital satisfaction and Iran: Magiran, Pubmed, Web of Science, IranDoc, IranMedex and SID. In the initial search, 41 articles were found and studied. After reviewing the full texts of the articles, 8 papers were finally selected for analysis. Data were analyzed using the Revman software, the statistical test being meta-analysis (random effects model). Results: In the 8 articles (published during the period 2006-2018) which were analyzed, the total number of study participants was 1563. The means of the completed Oxford happiness and Enrich's marital satisfaction questionnaires were 57.3 and 137.2, respectively Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is concluded that there is a positive correlation between happiness and marital satisfaction of couples in Iran.Therefore, implementing appropriate educational and public health programs is necessary to strengthen the underlying factors of hope and happiness in order to increase the life satisfaction of couples and reduce family conflicts and divorces, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: According to the relatively high prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus in Iran and difficulties of the disease, the aim of this study was to investigate the scientific production of Iranian researchers in lupus field in Scopus. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study applied a survey method with a scientometric approach. Scientific productions of Iranian researchers on Lupus indexed by Scopus until 2015 were studied. A total number of 432 records were extracted. Results were presented as number and percentage. Results: The majority of the papers (90.05%) published in 2006-2015 and 53.24% of them published in the last four years. The co-authorship shows that Iranian researchers tend to participate in groups. "Lupus" has published most number of papers (4.86%). Sixty one point eighty percent of Iranian papers have been published in journals with impact factor. Conclusion: The number of Iran's papers in Lupus field in Scopus Databases was low; however, the scientific production of Iranian researchers and their impact in this field are increasing that signifies the Iranian researchers' effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: In recent years, the family physician plan has been implemented as a main strategy of the health system in Iran. Therefore, the necessity to reform organizational structure based on new goals and strategies is felt more than before. The aim of this study is to review and summarize all cases about Iran's organizational structure and its challenges in primary healthcare system. Materials and Methods: This study is a systematic review. All relevant databases, bibliography of related papers, and laws were searched using appropriate search strategies and keywords. To evaluate the quality of selected papers, CASP tool was applied by two experts, and their choices were discussed to reach a final decision. Results: Fourteen final cases were categorized in two groups: papers and upstream policies and laws. The results revealed the ineffectiveness of current organizational structure at different levels. The majority of the findings suggested proper reforms in the system. Centralization and delegation processes were the main dimensions studied. Conclusion: Due to fundamental changes in goals and strategies, certain reforms in the organizational structure of health system in Iran are indispensable, especially at peripheral levels. Key words: Primary Health Care System, Organizational Structure, Iran Background and Aim: In recent years, the family physician plan has been implemented as a main strategy of the health system in Iran. Therefore, the necessity to reform organizational structure based on new goals and strategies is felt more than before. The aim of this study is to review and summarize all cases about Iran's organizational structure and its challenges in primary healthcare system. Materials and Methods: This study is a systematic review. All relevant databases, bibliography of related papers, and laws were searched using appropriate search strategies and keywords. To evaluate the quality of selected papers, CASP tool was applied by two experts, and their choices were discussed to reach a final decision. Results: Fourteen final cases were categorized in two groups: papers and upstream policies and laws. The results revealed the ineffectiveness of current organizational structure at different levels. The majority of the findings suggested proper reforms in the system. Centralization and delegation processes were the main dimensions studied. Conclusion: Due to fundamental changes in goals and strategies, certain reforms in the organizational structure of health system in Iran are indispensable, especially at peripheral levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Cleft lip and cleft palate are the most common congenital defects in the jaw and face. These defects can make serious problems, such as facial deformity, nutritional problems, respiratory problems, and difficulties with social interaction. Awareness of the incidence of these defects in the community is important. In a systematic review and meta-analysis we aimed at investigating the prevalence of cleft lip and cleft palate in Iran. Materials and methods: An advanced search was conducted in all credible databases to access relevant articles using related keywords until February 1, 2018. After removing the duplicate, irrelevant, and poor quality papers, 17 articles were included. Data were analyzed applying random effects model in RevMan5.3 software. Results: Total number of samples in selected articles was 1,077,537 neonates. Prevalence of oral cleft, both cleft lip and cleft palate, cleft lip, and cleft palate was 1.24 (CI 95%; 1.10-1.38), 0.88 (CI 95%; 0.70-1.06), 0.34 (CI 95%; 0.28-0.40), and 0.35 (CI 95%; 0.27-0.43) in 1000 live births. The prevalence of this disorder was found to be higher in males (1.82 vs. 1.09). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of cleft lip and cleft palate in this study was lower than that in other countries in the Middle East and Asia. But its prevalence varies in different parts of Iran, therefore, it is necessary to investigate the risk factors in high risk areas and making appropriate plans to reduce the rate of cleft lip and cleft palate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation is the mirror of climate. So getting information on vegetation status, such as their extent and distribution, is of great importance. It is very difficult and costly to gather information about continuous vegetation changes with conventional methods. Therefore, remote sensing is a very useful method that provides a wide view of a region. The purpose of this study is to examine the average long-term average of Iran's coatings with the help of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). In this paper, the 16 days data of NDVI data of MODIS Aqua from 13/4/1381 to 13/12/1393 were exploited from MODIS web page and then in the base of 10 billion of codes, the long term mean of 16 days NDVI of Iran during the years was calculated. As the NDVI of above 0.2 represents vegetation, the long term mean of vegetation was calculated for each of the 16 days. The findings showed that Iran’s vegetation in the period of December 26th to January 9th is minimum covering about 8 percent of Iran's territory, and from April 15th to May 1th is maximum with 30 percent of coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Premarital sex is forbidden legally, culturally, and religiously in Iran. Compared to other youth, this behavior is less common among religious youth and theists. This study aimed at providing a systematic review of the relation between religion and spirituality and premarital sex among youth in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, PubMed, Scopus, PreQuest, Google Scholar, Magiran, Irandoc, and SID databases were searched for articles published until April 2017 using some keywords, including premarital sexual relationship, religion, spiritual, etc. All papers on the relation between religious, spirituality, and premarital sex among Iranian youth were investigated. We found 162 articles, from which 13 were selected based on the study’s inclusion criteria. Afterwards, qualitative analysis of data was conducted. Results: A total of 8636 youth had been studied in 13 quantitative studies. Many studies had investigated the relationship between religion and premarital sex (53.85%). Other studies included the association between religion and the attitudes towards premarital sex and the desire for that. Conclusion: Compared to other countries, there are few studies on the relation between religion and spirituality and youth sexual behavior in Iran. According to the importance of premarital sexual relation among Iranian youths, and heterogeneity of information on this subject in previous studies, further researches are required with strong methodologies and more culturally appropriate tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various prediction models have been developed aiming to estimate riskadjusted mortality, morbidity and length of intensive care unit stay following cardiac surgeries. The European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation II (EuroSCORE II) is a prediction model which maps 18 predictors to a 30-day post-operative risk of death. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the EuroSCORE II risk-analysis predictions among patients who underwent heart surgeries. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted to collect required variables for all consecutive patients underwent heart surgeries in Emam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran, from March 2014 to March 2015. Once the patient was hospitalized a cardiologist or a general physician evaluated pre- peri- and post-operative state to fill out the pre-designed structural paper form. Comparing the observed and expected mortality, the sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and finally the discrimination power of the model for our patients were calculated and reported. The model value was calculated using the online tool. Results: A total of 1337 patients (60% males) were included, the observed mortality rate was 3.2%. Although the overall performance was acceptable, the model showed poor discriminatory power (AUC=0.667, CI 95%: 0.648-0.685) and accuracy with sensitivity=61.88% and specificity=66.23%. Conclusion: Our single-center study, based on consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery showed that EuroSCORE II demonstrated a moderate statistical overall performance with poor discrimination and calibration measures remain as concerning issues regarding 30-day post-operative mortality prediction after adult cardiac surgery. Poor performance measures for this system show the need for reformulating this risk stratification tool aiming to improve post cardiac surgery outcome predictions in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to collect all the conducted studies on nitrate concentration in water resources of Iran. To achieve this purpose, the published papers in ISC and ISI journals as well as conferences and seminars were evaluated. The results of this survey showed that 116 studies have been carried out in 26 provinces of Iran. But,there was no published paper in Ilam, Alborz, South Khorasan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Lorestan provinces. According to these studies, the largest number of studies was performed in Hamadan province (14 cases), Khuzestan, and Mazandaran provinces (10 cases) and the least number of studies was conducted in Ardabil, Bushehr, Qazvin, Qom, and Kermanshah provinces. In Hamadan province, more than 1435 water samples were collected from water resources of this province, which is representative of large number of studies in this region. Maximum nitrate concentration (318 mg/L) was reported in Isfahan province and then in Zahedan city (295 mg/L), Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Based on the reported results in these studies, the nitrate pollution in water resources of Iran is at medium level. In most of the studies, high nitrate concentrations are due to lack of sewage collection network, discharge of urban and industrial sewage to water resources, and agricultural activities, which use high amounts of manure and fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the extensive territory including the fertile plains and the productive population, the Sasanids could attain the powerful and wealthy situation during the late antiquity. Nevertheless, the vast territory caused some problems regarding threatening the political integration of Iran. The eastern provinces locating far from the capital of the Sassanid government were in a very exposed position to invaders coming from Hephthalites as well-known groups of the invading nomads were considered as the main enemy of Sassanid in the eastern Iran. Hephthalites could occasionally determine the international relationships between Iran and its neighbours. Moreover, they played an important role in the formation of the cultural and artistic practices of the eastern Sassanid. In order to recognise the Hephthalites' influence on the Sassanid Iran, we need firstly to study their ethnical attributes and lifestyles and secondly to know the borders of their territory throughout history. In pursuing these purposes, the paper, while relying on the historical documents, would explain the history of Hephthalites in eastern Iran and describe their material cultures indicating their history and culture. Synchronised study of history, geography, and material culture of the Hephthalites would help us to introduce a new approach to history and archaeology of the eastern Iran in Sassanid period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: specific and scientific study in the field of malaria in Iran commenced simultaneouoly with establishing the Instituted of Malariology in Tehran University. Subsequently the Institute was changed to school of Public Health and Institute of Public Health. Research which this new situation resulted in increasing studies and researches in the field of malaria based on three main items as entomology and vector control, parasitology and epidemiology. Historical study of malaria prepares a worthy opportunity to remind the pioneers and those who dedicated their life for combating malaria. In this study the situation of published papers, prepared theses by Iranian researchers and specific training and fresher training courses in the filed of malaria parasitology during the last fifty years were considered. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a retrospective study based on the collecting all available data from internal and external electronic sources, papers, books, reports, theses. Moreover, some interviews were made with relevant knowledgeable individuals, in the field of malaria parasitology in Iran. Results: In this study 143 papers in the field of malaria parasitology were collected in Persian and English languages. Thirty five MSPH, MPH, PhD these and forty four specific courses were recorded as well. Conclusion: The collected data indicating the correct comprehension of Iranian researchers from importance of malaria infection and its parasitology in Iran. The facts also show that specific training and retraining of malaria microscopy played considerable role in the control of malaria in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Malaria remains an important vector-borne disease globally and is a threat for human life. Forty percent of the world's populations who are living in low-income countries are at risk of malaria. The disease exists in Iran and caused economic and social damages. As result of malaria control program that has been done during the past years, the disease is eliminated from the most parts of the country, so that it is only reporting from a small part in these years. Materials and Methods : During this study, all available papers, books and thesises were reviewed and articles from Iranmedex, DIS and PubMed databanks were also used. Furthermore the related reports from different sources were noted. The extensive studies have important information about malaria vectors. In this study the data about malaria vectors and related training courses are listed. During this study the related papers, Books and thesises which have been reviewed. Although efforts, surveillance system, diagnostic and treatment facilities, as well as knowledge and attitude of peoples regarding to health behavior are improved nowadays, there are significant improvements about decreasing the malaria cases. Risk of the disease exists because of population exchange and asymptomatic cases. The malaria can be studied with both public health and economical aspects. This paper represents entomological studies of malaria during 1935 by the end of 2008. Conclusion: our study revealed that, based on recent malaria national program, the authorities should make an emphasis on vector control monitoring, resistance management, malaria evaluation and because of weak supervision on all malaria operation at stage of elimination of malaria, accurate and careful suppersional require to reach the objective and goal of elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Septicemia is one of the most common diseases of infancy associated with high morbidity and mortality. In various papers, the incidence of Septicemia varies in neonates reported with suspected sepsis. The aim of this study was to estimate the overall prevalence of Neonatal Septicemia in Iran and investigate its general trend in the country by systematic review. Methods: The studies were carried out using the valid keywords in domestic and foreign databases including Sid, Magiran, Irandoc, Medlib, Iranmedex, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, Pubmed, Springer, Science direct, search-engines and Googlescholar. The results were combined using random effects of meta-analysis model. The variance of each study was calculated using the binomial distribution of the heterogeneity of studies, and I2 Index. Stata software was used for data analysis. Results: The sample size was 13889 in 26 studies. The overall incidence of Neonatal Sepsis was estimated 14.3% in Iran (CI 95: 12%-16.7%). The incidence rate of sepsis in boys and girls was estimated in seven studies with a sample of 2268 people 26.7% (CI 95%: 13.3%-40.2%), and 23.3% (CI 95: 12.4%-34.2%). Graph of meta-regression showed that the incidence of Septicemia has declined over the years 1996-2010, but this reduction was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Neonatal septicemia is highly prevalent in our country. Since nosocomial infection factors play a significant role in the neonatal infection with sepsis, with training the personnel present at the Neonatal Units and NICUs, it can be prevented from Neonatal Sepsis. Some of the trainings include practice of health recommendations such as hands washing. Using disposable tools, strong and standard disinfectants and proper cares of the umbilical cord can be pointed out in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Heterogeneous insertion of Organizational affiliations can cause loss of ranking points in the national and international levels. So, we decided to investigate the different affiliations of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in scientific publications that indexed in Web of Science and their effect on the result of research activities evaluation in the year 2012. Materials and Methods: Methodology of this study is bibliometric approach with descriptive survey. The study included 1139 scientific production of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences that indexed in Web of Science in the first one in April 2011 to April 2012. Results: 1139 articles indexed in the Web of Science, 94/38% in the evaluation of the research activities of the ministry of health have been scored and 5/61% failed. Among the unsuccessful papers 1/01%, had been inserted affiliation incorrectly. One-sample t-test showed that the mean score of 1/01% has no significant statistical impact on the total average rating of products indexed in Web of Science. Conclusion: Investigation showed that standard insertion of affiliation has impact on enterprise University Ranked and University status at the international level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of Polyphysaceae (Acetabulariaceae) are very beautiful and attractive unicellular plants which grow on coral reefs of the intertidal regions especially in tropical oceans and seas. In this study morphological features of some collected and identified species of the family from the Iranian seashores of Persian Gulf has been reported. Parvocaulis parvulus, Acetabularia caliculus and Parvocaulis clavatus are three identified species in the studied area which mainly collected from Hormozgan province seashores. Cap forms, number and form of rays, form of corona, hair scars and size of vegetative and reproductive parts of each species were studied after decalcification and results were presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Anemia in pregnant women is a common disease in developing countries, the prevalence ranging between 35% and 100%. Based on a systematic review in 2005 anemia prevalence among Iranian pregnant women was estimated to be 12.4%. The objective of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine anemia prevalence among Iranian pregnant women between 2005 and 2016. Materials and Methods: This systematic review, using standard key words, included databases Magiran, Iranmedex, IranDoc, SID, Medlib, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochran, Embase, Springer, Web of Science, and Online Library Wiley, as well as the Google Scholar search engine of for the period 2005-2016. All the reviewed papers meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Data were analyzed using the random effect model based on meta-analyses, the software being Stata Ver.11.1. Result: Twenty-five studies with a total sample of 56610 pregnant women met the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of anemia was estimated to be 17% (95% CI: 14-20). The highest (23%) and lowest (12%) prevalence rates were observed in the center and west of the country, respectively. The prevalence was estimated to be 21% in urban areas and 8% in the rural areas. Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia in Iranian pregnant women has increased over the last 11 years. Therefore, appropriate intervention programs must be implemented in premarital counseling and pregnancy clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Considering the elements of knowledge management (availability, creation, and transfer of knowledge) is very important in digital libraries websites and makes the performance better. So this paper aim to identify the knowledge management criteria in Iranian selected digital library's websites and study of observance scale Materials and Methods: The research method was descriptive survey and from applied research type. Data collecting has been based on check list according with K-ACT model (Knowledge- Access Creation Transfer). The population of this study was 7 digital library websites, including Noor, Payame noor, Islamic Parliament, Tebyan, DID, National Digital Library of Iran and Astan Quds Razavi that were selected based on accessibility. Results: This research findings showed that use of knowledge management criteria in the selected digital libraries websites is moderate and the access to website criteria is highest and lowest is online participation criteria. Tebyan DL earned first rank among seven libraries with 56 percent compliance with the standards of knowledge management in the digital library's web sites. Conclusion: Study of knowledge management criteria in the selected digital library websites has shown that these criteria has not been favorably applied that it stems from criteria incompatible with the principles, rules and standards. Due to these problems, designers of digital libraries can be effective in promoting these websites and enhance the quality of digital library services with aware of users' needs and attention to use of these criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peptic ulcer was a common disease with the symptoms of epigastria pain and heartburn. Since, literature regarding peptic ulcer was questionable and different, the aim of present study was to evaluate the prevalence of peptic ulcers using the systematic review and meta-analysis methods. Materials and Methods: In this study 6 Iranian papers in the range of 2002 to 2012 were selected and used valid keywords in the SID, Goggle scholar and Elsevier databases and heterogeneously of the sample were obtained used the I2 index. Results: In this research, 751 people were studied with an average of 125 persons per each study while 6 articles used in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of peptic ulcers in women was 30% with 95% confidence intervals (41% -19%),p=0.000 (significant level) and 12 index of 89.6%. Moreover, the prevalence of peptic ulcers in men was 60% with 95% confidence intervals (67% -53%), p = 0.051 and 12 index of 54.7%. The overall incidence of peptic ulcers was 41 % with 95% confidence intervals (47% -36%), p =0.222 and 12 index of 28.4%. Conclusion: The prevalence of peptic ulcers was 41 % and 6-15% in Iran and the rest of the world, respectively. Although, the rate of prevalence was increased annually; this prevalence was 60% and 30% for men and women, respectively indicating that men were more vulnerable to peptic ulcers than women. A major reason for this result could be attributed to this fact that men smoke and smoke quitting was suggested for men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objective: In order to have effective parenting, which, in turn, results in children being happy, healthy and productive, it is necessary to design an effective indigenous pattern based on the Iranian culture. The aim of this study was to explore indicators of successful parenting of adolescents among Iranian families. Methods: This applied study used qualitative grounded theory to gather its data. 13 cases of successful parents were selected using theoretical sampling. They were studied using in-depth interviews over a period of 6 months. After collecting the data, they were recorded and coded in terms of categories, and then they were classified. In analyzing the data, the original codes were identified and based on axial coding, categories of parental role were identified. Results: In the context of the role of parents, appreciation, encouraging, sincerity, positive communication, navigation, responsibility, fairness, monitoring, control and modeling role of parents were identified as parenting indicators. Conclusion: The findings of this study can be helpful for parents in the upbringing of healthy young adults. Family counselors and psychologists could also apply the results of this study for educating families for successful parenting. Paper Type: Research Article [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The false spider mite Brevipalpus californicus from the family Tenuipalpidae was collected from Caucasian alnus, White willow, Persian raspberry and a wild Chrysanthemum bush in Mazandaran province. This species is reported as a new record to the false spider mites-fauna of Iran here. Reviewing literatures revealed that it was briefly described in the original paper without any measures. So, a completed description is presented based on the Iranian specimens and different body segments are drawn for B. californicus. In addition, the above plants are new host records for B. californicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Most people have behaviors appropriate for their biological sex. However, there are also people who have behaviors of the opposite sex. The latter group is known as transsexual, which means that they have a sense of intense conflict between gender and sex. As a result of social changes in Iran in recent decades, the presence and appearance of these people in public life and the media environment has increased. The emphasis in this paper is on the fact that identification of a person/group as a deviant may pave the way for gravitation of that person/group to deviant behaviors. Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative study. The sampling method was cumulative and the data were collected by interviewing, participatory observation, and in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically. Results: The findings show that transsexuals suffer a mental adversity when hide their true identity and are exposed to stigma when reveal their desired identity. The stigmatization is in such a way that a transsexual gradually accepts stigma and gravitates to deviant position and roles. Conclusion: The main impacts of a successful stigma would be the continuation and expansion of deviant behaviors among transsexuals. Promoting public awareness can help in decreasing and preventing individual and social harms resulting from an unreasonable attitude towards this phenomenon by the people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of temperature estates is hot day occurrence. In order to recognize the mechanism of this estate، surveying its spatial behavior is crucially important. In current paper it has been attempted to recognized widespread hot days and their spatial distribution by using statistical methods. Accordingly maximum temperature database of Iran during 1962-2008 has been used. The analyses result has illustrated 1537 widespread hot days. Most of these days have been occurred during winter and spring seasons. In order to recognize distribution patterns and spatial autocorrelation، Global and local Moran statistic and also Getis- Ord G* statistic has been used. Using Global Moran has been revealed that in 99% confidence interval، cluster pattern governs the hot days frequency as well as hot days temperature. Frequency clusters has been raised in centre of Iran while clusters of the mean of temperature has been occurred in southern (from west to east) and northwest margin of the country. However the regions that experienced maximum frequencies of hot days do not happened in regions with hottest day's temperature mean. Generally hot days regions are determined by humidity، latitude and elevation. The hot spots are located in south، southeast and cold spots are founded in high lands and northwest of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various studies on prevalence of celiac disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome in Iran is available that Chiefly, the prevalence of this disease and its association with several factors have been investigated. In order to gain a better perspective of Iran and spread across the heterogeneity, all studies included in the systematic review, the findings were analyzed and used a meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: All articles published in Iranian journals and international research project, related papers presented at the Congress, and the Student thesis, in this study used standard and sensitive keyword. All the articles published in this field in the country, where inclusion criteria for assess quality control using random effect, and the meta-analysis were entered. Results: In 7 studies, minimum and maximum prevalence of celiac disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 2/59 % and 13/5 % was calculated, and total prevalence of this disease based on fix effect model 6/26 %, with the heterogeneity index equals Q =13/74 (t2=52/05 and P=56) and reliability 99% (x2= l6/8) was estimated and because of the high heterogeneity based on random effect model, total and final prevalence of the celiac disease in IBS patients 7/59%, with the heterogeneity index equals Q=2/05 (t2=0 and I2=19) and confidence 95% (Cl =8/07-7/23) were counted. Also by using method of meta-regression, main factors causing heterogeneity, variable location, time, and gender of patients were identified. (p<0/01). Conclusion: Considering that the prevalence of celiac disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome in the country is high, with knowledge and research-centered measures, total level of health in the country should be raised and daily, in the direction to the horizon landscape of civil and global health charter progressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Screening for congenital hypothyroidism in newborns is carried out with TSH measurement of blood samples from newborn heel in Mazandaran province since 2006. This paper reports the status of these children until the end of 2012. Materials and methods: The study was performed in 2013-2014 using current information. Babies with TSH levels greater than 5 mU / L were treated with levothyroxine for three years. If the drug was stopped abruptly or gradually in three years and normal TSH achieved the disease was regarded transient, otherwise the patients were considered for lifelong follow-up treatments. For data analysis SPSS V.16 was applied. Results: During this period, 269088 infants were screened. Among the cases 548 (54.4% male) were diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism. The results showed that infants who were treated at each time interval were 43% of permanent and 57% transient hypothyroidism. Age at onset therapy in 95% of cases was before 60 days. The mean time to start treatment was 20.8 ± 10 days. No significant relationship was found between the sex and permanent or transient hypothyroidism. Conclusion: The screening program for congenital hypothyroidism is being performed successfully in Mazandaran province. In some cases, the dosage of drugs and infants' follow-up intervals varied even between physicians. Also, levothyroxine is either not prescribed according to the infant's weight or is recorded incorrectly. Follow-up procedures and the decision to discontinue treatment were not similar at 3 years of age of the subjects. Physicians should be informed for the strict implementation of the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. To obtain more accurate information cases of death or immigration should not be removed from the statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: The variation of reported nosocomial infection is very high respectively. It seems review systematic and Meta analysis of related documents gives precise estimate of this subject for correct politisize. So tha aim of this study the review systematic and meta analysis of prevalence and causes of nosocomial infection in iran. Materials and Methods: For this study all articles published in Iranian journals and international journals, Final Report of Research Projects, related papers presented at congresses and thesis were reviewed with using standard and sensitive keywords. Then, all articles published between 1997-2010 years that had eligibility Inclusion criteria after quality control, using random model, intered to process of meta-analysis. Results: The finding show that the best estimate of total prevalence of nosocomial infection in Iran is 30.43% and the most common infections of nosocomial infection are respiratory infection 39.4%%, urinary infection 23.88%, bacteremia 21.98% and the most common factors of nosocomial infection are Pseudomonas aeroginosa 26.78%, klebsiella 31.42%, Staphylococcus 23.6% and E.coli 30.93%. The research also found a substantial heterogeneity that using meta regression method the main cause of produce of this heterogeneity, participants people, sample size, average age of the samples, time of study and gender were introduced. Conclusions: The simple review of studied documents in this survey show that prevalence rate of different nosocomial infection in Iran is high relatively. Hence make appropriate and evidence-based educational and control programs to reduce nosocomial infections prevalence rate in Iran should be considered by policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial distribution of thermal regions is dependent on local factors and circulation patterns in long terms. Recognition of spatial distribution of temperature in geographical regions could be help on planning and environmental policies. The aim of this paper is recognition and detachment of thermal regions in Iran. For this object, maximum daily temperature data have been provided using 620 synoptic and climatology stations. Maximum temperature converted for any station, base on solar calendar, and maps of maximum daily temperature have been interpolated using kriging method. Spatial resolution of these maps is 15×15 km. So 7187 pixels cover the country and temporal and spatial behavior of maximum temperature could be represented by a 7187×366 matrix. For diagnostic thermal regions in Iran, an agglomerative Hierarchical cluster analysis with ward's linkage applied on this matrix and five different thermal regions which consist: high mountainous, mountainous and Caspian's coasts, central plane, south eastern plane, southern coasts. In creating thermal regions topography spatial configuration and latitude have been involved. Recognition of thermal regions is important for energy consumption and tourism timing management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the floristic survey on the Salaheddinkola forests (Nowshahr). These forests posses high variations in elevation ranges and special physiographic properties, which form the growth platform for most of the typical Hyrcanian forest species. The floristic-physiognomic investigation of the region was performed using field-walk procedure and revealed 237 plant species belonging to 196 genera and 85 families. The important families were Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae and Fabaceae with 23, 20, 14, 13 and 10 species, respectively which represented 33.17 percent of the total species. According to Raunkaiaer method, Cryptophytes (28.7%), Hemicryptophytes (27.5%) and Phanerophytes (22.5%) were the most important structure groups of the local biological spectrum followed by Therophytes (17.7%) and Chamaephytes (3.4%) Chorotypes. According to Zohary, most of the identified species belonged to Euro-Siberian and Pluriregional regions with 79 (33.6%) and 62 (26%) taxa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]