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We study the problem of category space location-allocation in the retail industry. We introduce a new attractiveness factor to reflect the product-based visibility level in designing the optimal allocation policy. This factor will be determined for each aisle by the lineup of product categories allocated to that aisle and all other aisles sharing a shopping path with it. We explore how considering the classical location-based attractiveness and the proposed product-based attractiveness can improve a retailer's overall space profitability. We develop a modelling framework that integrates both location-based and product-based attractiveness factors in a mixed-integer nonlinear program. Due to the non-linearity and non-convexity of the proposed model, large-scale instances are computationally challenging to solve using the state-of-the-art commercial solvers. We thus introduce a two-stage heuristic solution method that generates a near-optimal solution in a reasonable amount of time. Using the two-stage model, we explore the optimal store design for an illustrative case study. The results couple the optimal category space allocation to customers' shopping paths and create a profitability-maximising balance between the placement of high-demand and high-impulse product categories. We show that focussing on product-based attractiveness exposes the store to congestion risks, which can be prevented by adding constraints limiting congestion in different aisles of the store. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White savory (Satureja mutica Fisch.) is an oil-bearing plant with applications in traditional medicine, pharmaceutical industries, and food additives in homemade dishes. The current research comprised a greenhouse experiment in a factorial arrangement based on a completely randomized design (CRD). It included four salinity levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl), two salicylic acid (SA) levels (0 and 2 mM), and three replicates. By increasing the NaCl concentration, the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid significantly declined. Increasing NaCl up to 100 mM caused a significant increase in proline and soluble protein content. The amount of proline at 150 mM NaCl showed no significant change compared to 100 mM NaCl, but the soluble protein sharply decreased at 150 mM NaCl. The enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase significantly increased in response to higher NaCl concentrations. Saturated water deficiency increased significantly, and leaf fresh and dry weights decreased substantially at 100 and 150 mM NaCl. SA enhanced chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid content, and leaf fresh and dry weight, depending on the NaCl treatments. SA applications considerably boosted peroxidase and catalase activities despite the presence of NaCl at any concentration. Also, SA significantly improved superoxide dismutase activity at 50 and 100 mM NaCl but could not counter its decrease when the NaCl level was 150 mM. SA significantly reduced saturated water deficiency and proline content despite any of the NaCl treatments. SA mitigated the adverse effects of NaCl on S. mutica by improving antioxidant activity, photosynthetic pigments, and physiological characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respecting the dignity of child labor is one of their most urgent needs. In many cases, the dignity of child labor is not maintained in countries with unfavorable economic conditions. The aim of the present study was understand adolescents' perceptions of their dignity in child labor. Methods: This study is a qualitative research with conventional content analysis approach. Twenty teenagers who having work experience as child labor were selected from one welfare center and three charity centers in using purposeful sampling method in 2022–2023. Data was generated through individual, deep, and semi-structured interviews. In order to analyze the data was used Granheim and Lundman's method. Results: Three main themes were presented in this study including, "preservation of privacy and security", "honoring individual identity to develop dignity" and "comprehensive support", and 9 categories. Conclusion: understand adolescents' perceptions as child labor of their dignity, privacy and security of child labor victims and respect for their identity and all-round support are defined. And in this supportive environment, the dignity of working children is preserved and appropriate behavioral consequences are created. Therefore, it is suggested that a cultural and institutional background be provided in which all components of the child labor's dignity are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a critical emergency condition that affects all aspects of health. Patients with MI need specialized care in the Coronary care unit (CCU). The main goal of care is to ensure their comfort, which can be significantly affected by their illness and hospitalization. This study aims to explore MI patients' perceptions of support network challenges to ensure comfort in the CCU. Methods: A qualitative approach was adopted, and semi-structured interviews and notes were used for collecting data between 2020 and mid-2021. The participants were 27 MI patients in our country who had been hospitalized in the CCU of the University Heart Hospital. They were selected using purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using conventional content analysis by Graneheim and Lundman. Findings: The results of this research were revealed in the form of a "support network" theme comprising five categories: "Physical support", "Mental occupations", "Presence of peers", "relatives support "and "Spiritual strategies". Conclusion: The study results showed that MI patients, in critical condition, receiving care, and hospitalized in the CCU require continuity in their support network to ensure comfort. The inconsistency between the components of each dimension leads to the challenge of ensuring comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creeping savory is a wild plant that is used for comestible consumption, preparation of beverages, and production of sanitary ware and herbal drugs. To investigate the effects of salinity stress and salicylic acid on antioxidant enzymes, photosynthetic pigments, relative water content, proline, and soluble protein content in S. spicigera a factorial experiment was conducted based on a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and three replications. The experiment was implemented at the greenhouse of Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Kermanshah, Iran (2019). Experimental treatments were four levels of salinity (0-50-100-150 mM NaCl) and two levels of salicylic acid (0 and 2 mM). Results showed that increasing salinity levels caused a significant reduction in relative water content, leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid content. Salinity drastically enhanced the antioxidant activities (SOD, POD, and CAT), and cell proline content. Salicylic acid considerably decreased proline content under salt stress conditions, but improved antioxidant activities of SOD, POD, and CAT, and enhanced chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid content, protein content, relative water content, and leaf fresh weight under salt stress. Salicylic acid reduced the destructive effect of salinity on some morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics in creeping savory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothalamus in the mammalian brain is responsible for regulating functions associated with survival and reproduction representing a complex set of highly interconnected, yet anatomically and functionally distinct, sub-regions. It remains unclear what factors drive the spatial organization of sub-regions within the hypothalamus. One potential factor may be structural connectivity of the network that promotes efficient function with well-connected sub-regions placed closer together geometrically, i.e., the strongest axonal signal transferred through the shortest geometrical distance. To empirically test for such efficiency, we use hypothalamic data derived from the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas, which provides a structural connectivity map of mouse brain regions derived from a series of viral tracing experiments. Using both cost function minimization and comparison with a weighted, sphere-packing ensemble, we demonstrate that the sum of the distances between hypothalamic sub-regions are not close to the minimum possible distance, consistent with prior whole brain studies. However, if such distances are weighted by the inverse of the magnitude of the connectivity, their sum is among the lowest possible values. Specifically, the hypothalamus appears within the top 94th percentile of neural efficiencies of randomly packed configurations and within one standard deviation of the median efficiency when packings are optimized for maximal neural efficiency. Our results, therefore, indicate that a combination of geometrical and topological constraints help govern the structure of the hypothalamus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AISI 4140 steel, known for its strength and wear resistance, is widely used in the oil industry, particularly for drilling equipment. However, its wear resistance varies based on the environment and drilling conditions, necessitating additional surface modifications for optimal performance. This paper investigates the microstructure and wear performance of AISI 4140 steel clad with WC-Ti composite powder using gas tungsten arc welding. Four different WC-Ti powders were used, with the Ti content ranging from 10 wt% to 40 wt%. The welding parameters were kept constant, except for the current intensity which was varied between 100 A and 120 A. The through-thickness micro-hardness profile and wear resistance were evaluated. Examinations revealed that, by increasing the current intensity from 100 A to 120 A, the size of the dendrites in the weld region grew. Simultaneously, mechanical properties such as hardness and wear resistance diminished. It was also found that, with the increase in the titanium content of the composite powder, the size of the dendrites decreased. The micro-hardness results indicated a rise in surface hardness from 250 HV (base metal) to a maximum of 850 HV (cladding). The higher the content of Ti in the composite powder, the greater the hardness and wear resistance of the cladding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White savory is a medicinal plant native to Iran. It is known for its tolerance to water-deficit conditions. A farm experiment evaluated cultivation in dryland conditions while describing interactions among organic fertilizers (O. F.). Planting densities affected essential oil (EO) and yield-related traits in white savory under dryland farming. This experiment was conducted in the Mehregan Research Station, Kermanshah, by a split-plot design based on RCBD with three replications, and three fertilizer treatments, i.e., cow manure (30 tons ha-1), wheat straw enriched with sulfate ammonium (10 tons ha-1), and farm soil. There were three planting densities, i.e., low-density (2.66), medium-density (4), and high-density (8 plant m-2) during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 crop years. The highest two-year average of fresh yield (3149.90 kg ha-1) and dry yield (1611.70 kg ha-1) occurred in response to rotten cow manure × high-density treatment. The highest two-year average of EO percentage (2.19%) resulted from using rotten cow manure × low-density planting. The highest EO yield (32.60 kg ha-1) resulted from enriched straw × high-density planting. The highest plant fresh yield (3434.02 kg×ha-1), plant dry yield (1231.98 kg ha-1), and EO yield (24.68 kg ha-1) resulted from the second year of harvest. We recommend dry farming S. mutica in a modified substrate using 30 tons ha-1 rotten cow manure and a row spacing of 50 × 25 cm in mountainous regions, where annual rainfall is more than 450 mm on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Emergency medical services (EMS) providers encounter a variety of challenges due to the unpredictable, uncontrollable, and dynamic conditions in the pre-hospital field. This study explored the perceived professional challenges among EMS providers. Materials and methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative research approach and the method of content analysis. Eighteen EMS providers were purposively selected from EMS stations in Hamadan, Iran. The collected data were then analyzed based on the Granheim and Lundman's method. Results: Based on data analysis, five categories and one theme were identified. The extracted theme was professional challenges. The five categories were as follows: Ineffective policies; multicultural and multidisciplinary factors; ambulance dispatch route problems; legal issues; and abuse against the emergency medical services Conclusion: In general, it has been found that EMS providers encounter numerous and complex professional challenges during their work. EMS managers can utilize the findings of the present study to develop strategies for reducing the professional challenges faced by EMS providers. By doing so, they can improve the quality of care in the prehospital field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moral intelligence of healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room is one of the most important aspects of professional competence. However, moral intelligence is an abstract and multidimensional concept that needs to be clarified and described based on organizational culture and environment. Therefore, there is a need to design a specific scale for measuring the moral intelligence of healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room. This study aims to design and assess the psychometric properties of a moral intelligence scale for healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room. The present study was a mixed method study with a sequential exploratory approach. The research was conducted in 2023–2024 in Iran. The first phase data were collected from 20 healthcare professionals and were analyzed by conventional content analysis method. In the second phase, the validity and reliability of the instrument were evaluated by involving 300 healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room. The moral intelligence of health care professionals in the cardiac operating room was defined as moral sensitivity combined with moral commitment and moral courage for the provision of quality care that respects the principles of medical ethics. After deducing the conceptual framework, the moral intelligence scale for healthcare professionals in the cardiac operating room was developed with three dimensions: "moral sensitivity," "moral commitment," and "moral courage." 11 items were removed during testing to ensure content validity. Face validity was confirmed with impact scores > 1.5 for all items. A scale was developed through factor analysis with three factors that accounted for 73.04% of the observed variance. The instrument's reliability using Cronbach's alpha coefficient calculation was reported as 0.94 for the entire instrument. The testretest showed no statistically significant difference between the pre and post-test scores of moral intelligence (p = 0.51). The moral intelligence scale demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. The moral intelligence scale for health care professionals in the cardiac operating room demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. This instrument may serve to assess the moral intelligence of healthcare professionals and determine the need for educational interventions to reduce the ethical challenges and improve the moral intelligence of this healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incipient carious lesions, the most common complication in orthodontic patients with fixed appliances, call for the development of novel preventive dental materials that do not rely on patient adherence. The present study aimed to assess the ability of elastomeric ligatures coated with bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) to deliver sustained antibacterial activity, during the standard 28-day interval between orthodontic appointments, without compromising their mechanical properties. Kombucha membrane was used to produce cellulose as a secondary product from the fermentation of tea broth with symbiotic bacteria and yeast culture. Characterization of BNC-coated elastomeric ligatures was performed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analysis. The samples were pre-treated by immersion first in isopropyl alcohol, then in 8 mL nanocellulose solution for 7 days. Tensile strain and strength of the BNC-coated and conventional ligatures were evaluated using a tensile testing machine. Direct contact and agar diffusion tests were performed to assess the antibacterial activity of nanocellulose. In addition, the release profile of BNC was evaluated. Data analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post-hoc Tukey's test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. P values less than 0.05 was regarded as significant. There was no statistically significant difference in tensile strain and strength between the BNC-coated and conventional ligatures. The coated ligatures provided sustained antibacterial activity during the required 28 days. The use of BNC-coated elastomeric ligatures in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances might be a promising solution to plaque formation and subsequent enamel decalcification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the widespread use of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) as a treatment for kidney stones, it is essential to apply methods to control pain and improve patient comfort during this procedure. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure at the Qiu point on pain intensity and physiological indices in patients undergoing ESWL. Methods: This randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial was conducted at the Shahid Beheshti Educational-medical Center in Hamadan City (western Iran) from May to August 2023. Seventy-four eligible patients were split into intervention (n = 37) and sham (n = 37) groups. Ten minutes before lithotripsy, the intervention group received acupressure at the Qiu point, while the sham group received touch at a neutral point. The primary outcomes were pain intensity measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and physiological indices such as blood pressure and heart rate at baseline, 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min after the intervention. The secondary outcomes included lithotripsy success and satisfaction with acupressure application. Results: The analysis of 70 patients showed no significant differences in the demographic and clinical information of the patients across the two groups before the study (P > 0.05). Generalized estimating equations revealed that the interaction effects of time and group in pain and heart rate were significant at 30 and 40 min (P < 0.05). The results of this analysis for systolic blood pressure revealed a significant interaction at 30 min (P = 0.035). However, no significant interaction effects were found for diastolic blood pressure changes (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Acupressure at the Qiu point positively impacts pain in patients undergoing ESWL treatment and increases their satisfaction. However, these results for physiological indices require further studies. Thus, acupressure can be considered a simple, easy, and effective option for pain management in patients during this procedure. Trial registration: [https://en.irct.ir/trial/69117], identifier [IRCT20190524043687N4]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy optimization is one of the major issues for electrical distribution companies to meet demand with minimum generation costs and power losses. In this paper, the optimal operation of the smart electrical distribution grid is modeled by three-stage multi-objective optimization with optimal consumers' participation and electrical storage systems (ESSs) under electrical price and load demand uncertainties at day ahead. The three strategies of demand response programs (DRPs) such as demand shifting (DS), demand curtailment (DC), and onsite generation (OG) to consumers' participation are considered with attention to electrical price traffic. In the first and second stages, electrical demand is optimized using DS and DC strategies, respectively. Thus, optimized electrical demand is applied to the third stage optimization for minimization of the multi-objective functions including (1) minimum generation costs and (2) power losses. Also, OG is implemented by ESSs in the third stage optimization as a local resource. All stages of the proposed approach are optimized by the shuffled frog leaping (SFL) algorithm. On the other side, the TOPSIS decision-making method is used to choose the best trade-off solution in the third stage optimization. Eventually, the proposed optimization by the numerical simulation is carried out considering four case studies in IEEE 33-bus test system to demonstrate validation of the strategies. The case studies are implemented based on the participation of the consumers by using DS, DC, and OG strategies. In the first case study, the participation of the consumers is not considered, and this case is assumed as a base case study. The participation of the consumers with the DS strategy is implemented in the second case study. The DS and DC strategies are used by consumers in the third case study, simultaneously. In the fourth case study, OG with DS and DC strategies is considered for optimal participation in energy optimization. The participation of all strategies by consumers leads to minimizing energy generation costs and power loss by 5.52% and 14.68% in comparison with non-participation of the consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a comprehensive methodology for examining the stability of dark matter (DM) halos, emphasizing the necessity for non-local inter-particle interactions, whether they are fundamental or effective in nature, to maintain halo stability. We highlight the inadequacy of vanilla cold, collisionless DM models in forecasting a stable halo without considering a "non-local" interaction in the halo's effective free energy, which could potentially arise from factors like baryonic feedback, self-interactions, or the intrinsic quantum characteristics of dark particles. The stability prerequisite necessitates significant effective interactions between any two points within the halo, regardless of their distance from the center. The methodology proposed herein offers a systematic framework to scrutinize the stability of various DM models and refine their parameter spaces. We deduce that DM halos within a model, where the deviation from the standard cold, collisionless framework is confined to regions near the halo center, are unlikely to exhibit stability in their outer sectors. In our study, we demonstrate that the issue of instability within DM halos cannot be addressed adequately using perturbative quantum effects. This issue is less pronounced for fermionic DM but suffers from a higher degree of severity when considering bosonic DM. We find that halos made of bosons with notable quantum effects have sharp edges, while those made of fermions show more diffuse boundaries extending toward infinity. To present the potentials of the cross-model approach, we explore the broadest form of the effective free energy around a chosen mass profile. Next, as a case study, we employ a model where the deviation from the standard cold, collisionless DM model is represented by a two-body interaction in the effective free energy to show how to use observations to investigate universal classes of DM models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to explain the experiences of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) about the collaborative care programme. Design: This qualitative study was conducted from July 2021 to March 2022. Methods: We conducted this study with individuals with MS who participated in the collaborative care programme in Hamadan, Iran. A purposive sampling with maximum variety was applied to recruit patients until data saturation. Eventually, 18 patients consented and were interviewed using a semi‐structured interview guide. The transcriptions of audio‐checked interviews were analysed using a conventional content analysis approach of Graneheim and Lundman by MAXQDA 10, 2010 edition. Results: The study identified three main categories. that emerged from the participants' experiences of collaborative care: the 'Beginning of Communication', which included two subcategories, 'Introduction and Acquaintance with Each Other' and 'Formation of Trust'; 'Mutual Interaction', which included three subcategories, 'Dialogue', 'Mutual Goal Setting' and 'Mutual Agreement of Care Solutions'; and 'Exchange of Targeted Behaviors', which included six categories, Implementation of Strategies for 'Nutritional Behaviors', 'Sleep and Rest', 'Constipation Relief', 'Promotion of Physical Activity and Exercise', 'Fatigue Reduction' and 'Stress Management'. Conclusions: The findings highlight the statistically significant role of collaborative care in MS management. Utilizing these research findings can update the development of interventions based on collaborative care, which can provide appropriate support to individuals with MS. Patient or public contribution: Individuals with multiple sclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The chronic nature of multiple sclerosis (MS) affects patient's activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL). Nursing interventions based on patients' active participation in goal-setting can be beneficial in improving ADL and QOL. Aims: This study aimed to determine the effect of applying the nursing process based on King's Theory of Goal Attainment (TGA) on ADL and QOL of persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this clinical trial, 70 patients referred to the MS Society of Hamadan, Iran, were recruited using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into 2 groups. A 4-stage TGA was developed and implemented for the intervention group for a month. Data were gathered by ADL, instrumental ADL (IADL), and QOL questionnaires, and Goal of Attainment Scale (GAS) before and 2 months after the intervention. Results: Intervention group achieved a higher number of prioritized goals (p < 0.001) and reported higher QOL (P < 0.001) and instrumental ADL (IADL; P = 0.002) than the control group. Conclusions: Given the results, TGA could effectively promote mutual goal attainment, QOL, and IADL for PwMS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trial registration: ClinicalTriasl.gov Identifier: IRCT20201210049668N1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study aimed to explain the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients' perception of the nurse's healing presence in their comfort in the critical care unit. Design: This descriptive qualitative study was conducted from December 2020 to September 2021. Methods: Twenty‐seven ACS patients were purposively selected from a cardiovascular university Hospital, Iran. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews (45–60 min). Data analysis was performed based on the contractual content analysis method of Graneheim and Lundman. Results: In the data analysis, the main theme 'nurses' healing presence' includes two categories: 'Nurse–patient communication' with two subcategories and the category 'Compassionate care' with three subcategories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary Quadratic Program with Variable Partitioning Constraints The binary quadratic program with variable partitioning constraints is a very general class of optimization problems that is very difficult to solve because of the nonconvexity and integrality of the variables and is ubiquitous, among others, in network design, computer vision, and transportation and logistics. In their article, "A convex reformulation and an outer approximation for a large class of binary quadratic programs," Rostami et al. show how to transform such a nonconvex challenging problem into a convex bilinear program with decomposable structure. The authors develop a branch-and-cut algorithm based on outer approximation cuts, in which the cuts are generated on the fly by efficiently solving separation subproblems. The results of their computational experiments on different problems confirm the efficacy of the solution methods in solving large-scale problem instances. In this paper, we propose a general modeling and solving framework for a large class of binary quadratic programs subject to variable partitioning constraints. Problems in this class have a wide range of applications as many binary quadratic programs with linear constraints can be represented in this form. By exploiting the structure of the partitioning constraints, we propose mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) reformulations and show the relationship between the two models in terms of the relaxation strength. Our solution methodology relies on a convex reformulation of the proposed MINLP and a branch-and-cut algorithm based on outer approximation cuts, in which the cuts are generated on the fly by efficiently solving separation subproblems. To evaluate the robustness and efficiency of our solution method, we perform extensive computational experiments on various quadratic combinatorial optimization problems. The results show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art solver applied to different MILP reformulations of the corresponding problems. Funding: This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [Grants RGPIN- 2020-05395 and RGPIN 2015-06289] and Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies [FRQNT NC-198928]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation The recent availability of omics data allows the construction of holistic maps of interactions between numerous role-playing biomolecules. However, these networks are often static, ignoring the dynamic behavior of biological processes. On the other hand, dynamic models are commonly constructed on small scales. Hence, the construction of large-scale dynamic models that can quantitatively predict the time-course cellular behaviors remains a big challenge. Results In this study, a pipeline is proposed for the automatic construction of large-scale dynamic models. The pipeline uses a list of biomolecules and their time-course trajectories in a given phenomenon as input. First, the interaction network of the biomolecules is constructed. To state the underlying molecular events of each interaction, it is translated into a map of biochemical reactions. Next, to define the kinetics of the reactions, an ordinary differential equation (ODE) is generated for each involved biomolecule. Finally, the parameters of the ODE system are estimated by a novel large-scale parameter approximation method. The high performance of the pipeline is demonstrated by modeling the response of a colorectal cancer cell line to different chemotherapy regimens. In conclusion, Systematic Protein Association Dynamic ANalyzer constructs genome-scale dynamic models, filling the gap between large-scale static and small-scale dynamic modeling strategies. This simulation approach allows for holistic quantitative predictions which are critical for the simulation of therapeutic interventions in precision medicine. Availability and implementation Detailed information about the constructed large-scale model of colorectal cancer is available in supplementary data. The SPADAN toolbox source code is also available on GitHub (https://github.com/PooyaBorzou/SPADAN). Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between identity crisis and suicide resilience and quality of life in adolescents with burns in Iranian society. Design: A cross‐sectional study. Methods: Four hundred thirty adolescents with burn in three hospitals were selected via convenience sampling. They completed questionnaires online. Data were analysed by SPSS software version 22. Results: Findings showed a strong and inverse correlation between identity crisis with suicide resilience (r = −.92, p <.001) and quality of life (r = −.87, p <.001). Variables of suicide resilience, being a child of a divorced family, cause of burns, extent of burn, financial situation, gender and age can predict 68.74% of the variance in identity crisis in these patients. Patient or Public Contribution: Adolescents with burns suffer from an identity crisis, and although they report high resilience to suicide, they have a mediocre quality of life. Therefore, it is suggested that basic planning and extensive support be taken to improve physical and mental health, promote the quality of life and consequently reduce the identity crisis in these adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfed cultivation of drought-tolerant medicinal plants is a way to decrease of using water in agricultural systems. Satureja mutica (white savory) needs little water requirement and it is tolerant to drought. To investigate the change in essential oil (EO) quality and quantity, plant yield and yield components of white savory under different planting densities in rainfed cultivation, an experiment was conducted by completely randomized factorial design with three replications during 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 crop years. The row spacing treatments were 25×50 cm, 50×50 cm and 75× 50 cm. Results showed that the highest percentage of plant survival (63.37%) was observed in the lowest density (75×50 cm). The highest plant height (35.40 cm) was observed in the second year× low density. The highest average crown diameter (34.35 cm), the highest fresh weight of the plant (49.01 g), and the maximum plant dry weight (23.54 g) were obtained in the treatments of medium density planting× second year. The highest wet yield (2940.46 kgha-1), dry yield (1319.00 kgha-1) and EO yield (26.62 kgha-1) were obtained in the treatment of high planting density× year2. The highest EO percentage (2.04%) was found in the treatment of low planting density (75×50 cm). the highest percentage of thymol (57.7%) was obtained in 50 × 50 cm row spacing and the highest percentage of carvacrol (7.59%) was obtained from 75 × 50 cm row spacing. In rainfed conditions, the suitable distance between the cultivation lines is 25 × 50 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The families of healthcare professionals are one of the most vulnerable groups whose lives have been severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, the experiences and perceptions of these individuals have not been explored. The present study aims to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the family members of the healthcare professionals during COVID-19.Methods: The present study is a qualitative research with a phenomenological design. The participants were 25 family members of healthcare professionals which were selected from the medical centres in Iran via purposeful sampling from August 2021 to October 2021. The sampling was kept on until the data became saturated. To collect data, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted online. The Colaizzi approach was used to analyse the data collected.Results: The findings of the study emerged as two main themes: psychological tension with five categories (indescribable fear and worry, longing to see their loved ones, patient stone, bitter farewell, fear of the future) and dignity with four categories (acclamation, appreciation, feeling proud, spiritual growth).Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the family members of healthcare professionals have experienced dignity combined with the degrees of psychological tension which were beyond the experiences of the majority of people in the society, but similar to the psychological tension experienced by the families of COVID-19 victims. The families of healthcare workers are continuously anxious about the safety of their loved ones who are responsible to obtain the treatment of COVID-19 patients, which potentially jeopardizes their physical and psychological well-being. Therefore, the appreciation and support of people in the community of the family members of healthcare professionals have increased their tolerance. Healthcare providers can successfully promote the health of healthcare professionals' families by providing comprehensive assistance to healthcare personnel and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the common use of calcium silicate cements (CSCs) in root canal therapy, their position in the context of past and present dentistry agents can provide a better understanding of these materials for their further improvement. In this context, the present review article addresses a wide range of recent investigations in the field of CSC-based products and describes details of their composition, properties, and clinical applications. The need for maintaining or reconstructing tooth structure has increased in contemporary endodontic treatment approaches. This research thus discusses the attempts to create comprehensive data collection regarding calcium ion release, bond strength, alkalinizing activity and bioactivity, and the ability to stimulate the formation of hydroxyapatite as a bioactive feature of CSCs. Sealing ability is also highlighted as a predictor for apical and coronal microleakage which is crucial for the long-term prognosis of root canal treatment integrity. Other claimed properties such as radiopacity, porosity, and solubility are also investigated. Extended setting time is also mentioned as a well-known drawback of CSCs. Then, clinical applications of CSCs in vital pulp therapies such as pulpotomy, apexification, and direct pulp capping are reviewed. CSCs have shown their benefits in root perforation treatments and also as root canal sealers and end-filling materials. Nowadays, conventional endodontic treatments are replaced by regenerative therapies to save more dynamic and reliable hard and soft tissues. CSCs play a crucial role in this modern approach. This review article is an attempt to summarize the latest studies on the clinical properties of CSCs to shed light on the future generation of treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the burden of care, coping styles and involvement in the care of mothers of autistic children in the pandemic of COVID‐19 in Iranian society. Design: A cross‐sectional study. Methods: A total of 134 mothers completed questionnaires online. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and independent t‐test, ANOVA and multiple linear regressions. The significance level was considered p <.05. Result: Findings of the study found that burden of care has a strong and direct correlation with involvement in care (p <.001, r =.78) and strongly and indirectly correlated with coping styles (p <.001, r = −.82). Variables of coping styles, involvement in care, mothers' occupation and number of children, age and functional level of autism can predict 81.27% of the variance in care burden in these mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most serious types of physical trauma and has become a major life-threatening condition in the recent decade. It is essential that the life perception and experiences of patients with SCI be studied and evaluated in different cultural contexts so that their needs and the challenges they face can be properly determined. The present study aims to explore the how patients with SCI in the south of Iran perceive facing life's challenges. Methods: The present study is a qualitative research with a descriptive phenomenological design. Participants were identified through purposive sampling of patients with spinal cord injury admitted to two state hospitals affiliated with a university of medical sciences in western Iran. The researchers collected data using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 25 SCI patients conducted between August and October 2021. Data was analyzed according to Colaizzi's method using MAXQDA v. 2007. Results: Analysis of the data led to the emergence of three themes and nine sub-themes. The three main themes were emotional shock (crisis making and mental rumination, persistent depressive disorder, pitying behaviors, fear of the future), loss of dignity (poor self- care, sexual dysfunction, loss of job and educational status), and lack of effective support (lack of financial institutions and sponsors, lack of social support). Conclusion: Patients with spinal cord injuries face various issues in their care and social lives. Attention to their psycho-emotional needs along with comprehensive health support play key roles in generating a sense of self efficacy and promoting the mental well-being and dignity of patients with spinal cord injuries. Accordingly, healthcare administrators and caregivers are recommended to provide more comprehensive health support to SCI patients to meet their needs more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The predicted size of dark matter substructures in kilo-parsec scales is model-dependent. Therefore, if the correlations between dark matter mass densities as a function of the distances between them are measured via observations, we can scrutinize dark matter scenarios. In this paper, we present an assessment procedure of dark matter scenarios. First, we use Gaia's data to infer the single-body phase-space density of the stars in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The latter, together with the Jeans equation, after eliminating the gravitational potential using the Poisson equation, reveals the mass density of dark matter as a function of its position in the galaxy. We derive the correlations between dark matter mass densities as a function of distances between them. No statistically significant correlation is observed. Second, for the sake of comparison with the standard cold dark matter, we also compute the correlations between dark matter mass densities in a small halo of the Eagle hydrodynamics simulation. We show that the correlations from the simulation and from Gaia are in agreement. Third, we show that Gaia observations can be used to limit the parameter space of the Ginzburg–Landau statistical field theory of dark matter mass densities and subsequently shrink the parameter space of any dark matter model. As two examples, we show how to leave limitations on (i) a classic gas dark matter and (ii) a superfluid dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a serious invasive fungal infection that is one of the most aggressive and lethal of invasive mycoses. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been linked to immune dysregulation, and patients with COVID-19 have been reported to be at risk for developing invasive fungal infections. This study is conducted to evaluate the concurrence of mucormycosis among COVID-19 patients.Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, hospital records of patients with mucormycosis, as well as COVID-19 admitted to Khalili Hospital, as the major referral center for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in southern Iran, were collected. Demographic and clinical information was extracted and subsequently analyzed.Results: Among 59 mucormycosis patients undergoing FESS, 41 (69.5%) were during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 18 (30.5%) were during one year before the COVID-19 pandemic. The average age was 49.33 ± 20.52, and 64.4% had diabetes mellitus, while 62.7% had COVID-19. The most common presentation was periorbital edema (56.9%), followed by necrotic tissue (48.3%). Although the total number of cases increased during the COVID-19 period compared to the case before the pandemic, the overall pattern and features of the patients had no significant difference, except regarding a significant increase in the presentation of necrotic tissue and also the use of corticosteroids. Most cases developed mucormycosis two weeks after COVID-19. The overall mortality was 36.8%, which is not statistically associated with COVID-19.Conclusion: Even in the absence of comorbidities, physicians should be aware of the risk of secondary fungal infections in patients with COVID-19 who were treated with corticosteroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damask Rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) is a valuable species whose various products are widely used in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and traditional medicine. This plant is cultivated in different countries such as Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, India, and Iran. In this research, fifteen different genotypes were cultivated in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Within 2 years, Essential Oil (EO) was extracted by water distillation method and the chemical compounds were identified and determined by GC and GC/MS. Twenty chemical compounds were identified in essential oil, which has formed about 97.81% of the EO. The results showed that geraniol (21.89%), n-nonadecane (19.59%), n-henicosane (16.45%), geranial (13.30%), and n-tricosane (6.87%) had the highest share in the chemical compounds. A significant difference was observed for the compounds of Trans-rose oxide, n-undecanol, 2-6-E-farnesol, n-pentane at the level of 5% and for 1-hexyl hexanoate, γ-elements, α-cadinene, Butyl decanoate, n-hexadecanoic, and occidental acetate at 1%. There was a significant difference between the genotypes for all chemical compounds of essential oils. Also, the year/genotype interaction was significant for all EO compounds, except geraniol, n-hexadecanoate and n-henicosane. Genotypes were classified into 4 groups by cluster analysis (Ward's method) and Discriminant Function Analysis confirmed the results of cluster analysis. The results of the principal component analysis showed that the compounds n-heptane, n-pentane, n-hexadecanoic, and butyl decanoate had the most positive contribution and the compounds linalyl acetate, geranial, hexyl hexanoate and trans- rose oxide had the most negative share in the first component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continual increase in the power network topological structure and long distances between load‐generation sources lead to modern powers systems are operated near theirs stability margins. For this issue, reliable and secure operations of electric devices through inter‐area oscillations remain an essential issue in the system dynamic stability. In the case of improper actions of controlling devices, the severe inter‐area interactions may lead to wide‐area instabilities and large blackouts. Using wide‐area measurement system (WAMS), remote signals are transferred through communications links with different inherent time latencies. In the case of large time delays, the main controllers cannot work appropriately which leads to improper performance of damping controllers through severe inter‐area fault event scenarios. For this issue, this paper presents an adaptive wide‐area damping controller (AWADC) for damping inter‐area oscillations in large power systems equipped with WAMS technology consisting of various time latencies. In this case, based on the IEEE C37.118.1 protocol, the generator buses are equipped with phasor measurement unit devices. Also, owing to the different communication links, the measured global signals (GSs) are involved within different time latencies. In this case, at each time window, considering time delay compensator (TDC) technology provided through Simevents discrete event tool, the overall time delay is evaluated and compensated. For identifying the best controlling GSs, considering two observability and controllability concepts, the system dynamic signals are evaluated which the best input decisioning signals and corresponding output controlling signals are provided. The proposed AWADC scheme consists of different compensating blocks which are adjusted through simple and well‐known Jaya optimization algorithm (JOA) through online evaluations. The structure of the proposed AWADC controlling scheme is carried out on a modified 39‐bus New England test system consisting of large synchronous generators whose damping performances are evaluated through severe fault events with the potential of unstable inter‐area oscillations. Simulation results indicate the effectiveness of developed TDC and JOA techniques to provide proper controlling signals through the AWADC controller in the presence of different time latencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Care of patients with coronavirus disease may have an impact on the occupational burnout, resilience, and parenting of nurses. The study was performed to evaluate occupational burnout, resilience, and parenting stress in nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was based on Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. A total of 630 nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in 5 hospitals were selected via convenience sampling. Participants completed the scales online. Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22. Results: A total of 420 nurses completed and returned the questionnaires. The resilience mean score of the nurses who participated in the present study was 32.33 ±2.57 and the occupational burnout mean score was 32.33 ±2.57. Also, the parenting stress mean score of the 310 nurses who were married and had children was found to be 17.53 ±1.58 during the COVID-19 crisis. Occupational burnout has a negative correlation with resilience and a positive correlation with parenting stress and can predict 61.32% of changes in the occupational burnout variance of nurses Conclusions: Resilience, parenting stress, marital status, number of children, employment status, and gender predicted a high percentage of the nurses' occupational burnout variance. The nurse managers should use these findings to provide appropriate environments for nurses, to develop more comprehensive plans in support of nurses for the current and future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Unknown and unpredictable situations cause emergency medical service (EMS) providers to experience various stressful factors. These factors are affected by sociocultural conditions and expectations of the casualty and affect EMS providers' performance and health at the incident scene. The present study was conducted to explore EMS providers' perception of stressful and health-threatening factors in emergency missions. METHOD: This qualitative conventional content analysis was conducted in 2020. The participants included 16 EMS providers working at the Emergency Medical Services Department in Hamadan Province, Iran. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and underwent semi-structured interviews until data saturation. Data were analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman method. RESULTS: Analysis of the interview data yielded six subcategories (i.e., incident scene hazards, violence-related injuries, physical injuries caused by patient care/handling, ambulance crash-related injuries, emotional impact of patients' suffering and ailments, and highly stressful missions), two main categories (i.e., physical injuries and psychological tensions), and a theme of occupational injuries. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, in addition to having concerns about caring for patients and saving the injured, EMS providers also worry about potential threats to their own health. The present study identified and described some major stressors in emergency missions. Thus, for a better and more effective efficiency, the present study results can be used to reduce or modify stressors in EMS providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Emergency medical services (EMS) providers are at continuous exposure to occupational stressors which negatively affect their health and professional practice. This study explored perceived occupational stressors among EMS providers.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted from December 2019 to April 2020 using conventional content analysis. Sixteen EMS providers were purposively selected from EMS stations in Hamadan, Iran. Semi-structured interviews (with length of 45-60 min) were held for data collection. Data were analyzed through Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis approach.Findings: Data analysis resulted in the development of two themes, namely critical conditions of EMS provision, and personal and professional conflicts. The six categories of these two themes were complexity of patients' clinical conditions, interruption of EMS provision, health hazards, interpersonal problems, interprofessional interactions, and legal conflicts.Conclusion: Besides the stress associated with emergency patient care, EMS providers face many different occupational stressors. EMS managers can use the findings of the present study to develop strategies for reducing occupational stress among EMS providers and thereby, improve their health and care quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Inferring the direct relationships between biomolecules from omics datasets is essential for the understanding of biological and disease mechanisms. Gaussian Graphical Model (GGM) provides a fairly simple and accurate representation of these interactions. However, estimation of the associated interaction matrix using data is challenging due to a high number of measured molecules and a low number of samples. Results In this article, we use the thermodynamic entropy of the non-equilibrium system of molecules and the data-driven constraints among their expressions to derive an analytic formula for the interaction matrix of Gaussian models. Through a data simulation, we show that our method returns an improved estimation of the interaction matrix. Also, using the developed method, we estimate the interaction matrix associated with plasma proteome and construct the corresponding GGM and show that known NAFLD-related proteins like ADIPOQ, APOC, APOE, DPP4, CAT, GC, HP, CETP, SERPINA1, COLA1, PIGR, IGHD, SAA1 and FCGBP are among the top 15% most interacting proteins of the dataset. Availability and implementation The supplementary materials can be found in the following URL: http://dynamic-proteome.utmb.edu/PrecisionMatrixEstimater/PrecisionMatrixEstimater.aspx. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounting for travel time correlations when dispatching a fleet of vehicles Travel times on a road network are commonly affected by some degree of uncertainty. The duration of vehicle routes may then vary according to the observed travel time realizations. For managerial reasons, however, a fleet operator is generally interested in designing routes whose duration is not too dispersed with respect to their expected value. In this context, correlations among travel times play an important role, and failing to account for them might result in a large underestimation of the variance of the route duration. In "Branch-Price-and-Cut Algorithms for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic and Correlated Travel Times," B. Rostami, G. Desaulniers, F. Errico, and A. Lodi adopt a mean-variance model leading to a quadratic binary program. The authors propose two alternative set partitioning reformulations, which are then solved by branch-price-and-cut algorithms. The obtained solutions significantly reduce the time variability when compared with solutions of the classical vehicle routing problem. In this paper, we consider a version of the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) where travel times are assumed to be uncertain and statistically correlated (CVRP-SCT). In particular, we suppose that travel times follow a multivariate probability distribution whose first and second moments are known. The main purpose of the CVRP-CST is to plan vehicle routes whose travel times are reliable, in the sense that observed travel times are not excessively dispersed with respect to their expected value. To this scope we adopt a mean-variance approach, where routes with high travel time variability are penalized. This leads to a parametric binary quadratic program for which we propose two alternative set partitioning reformulations and show how to exploit the structure of the correlation matrix when there is correlation only between adjacent links. For each model, we develop an exact branch-price-and-cut algorithm, where the quadratic component is dealt with either in the column generation master problem or in its subproblem. We tested our algorithms on a rich collection of instances derived from well-known data sets. Computational results show that our algorithms can efficiently solve problem instances with up to 75 customers. Furthermore, the obtained solutions significantly reduce the time variability when compared with standard CVRP solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a non-geometrodynamic quantum Yang–Mills theory of gravity based on the homogeneous Lorentz group within the general framework of the Poincare gauge theories. The obstacles of this treatment are that first, on the one hand, the gauge group that is available for this purpose is non-compact. On the other hand, Yang–Mills theories with non-compact groups are rarely healthy, and only a few instances exist in the literature. Second, it is not clear how the direct observations of space–time waves can be explained when space–time has no dynamics. We show that the theory is unitary and is renormalizable to the one-loop perturbation. Although in our proposal, gravity is not associated with any elementary particle analogous to the graviton, classical helicity-two space–time waves are explained. Five essential exact solutions to the field equations of our proposal are presented as well. We also discuss a few experimental tests that can falsify the presented Yang–Mills theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damask rose is a valuable oil bearing species whose various products are widely used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In this study, fifteen genotypes from different regions of Iran were cultivated in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications and 3 plants per plot. During two crop years, the morphological traits, flower yield and yield components were measured. The essential oils (EOs) extracted using a modified clevenger system according to British Pharmacopoeia (1993). The EO content (percentage) and EO yield were calculated for each of the R. damascena (DR) genotypes. The data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. The results showed a significant difference (p<0.01) between the years and the genotypes for all the traits except the essential oil percentage. The highest flower fresh yields (7383.8 kg.ha-1) were obtained in Fars1 and then 6016 (kg.ha-1) in Isfahan5 and the lowest yield (2566.1 kg) was obtained in LOR1. The highest content of EO (%) was obtained in Kermanshah9 genotype (0.048%) and in Isfahan9 (0.044%), respectively, and the lowest content of EO (%) was obtained in Fars1 (0.024%). The highest EO yields (2.25 kg.ha-1) were observed in Isfahan5 and (2.18 kg.ha-1) in Isfahan9, respectively, and the lowest EO yields was observed in Lorestan1 (0.81 kg.ha-1) and Azarbaijan-e-gharbi1 (0.92 kg.ha-1). The cluster analysis classified the genotypes into four group. The results of PCA showed that Fars1 had the highest flower yield and Isfahan8 had the highest EO yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of isothermal dark matter halos has been widely studied before. In this paper, we investigate the stability of non-isothermal fermionic dark matter halos. We show that in the presence of temperature gradient, the force due to the pressure has both inward and outward components. In some regions of halos, the inward force that provides stability is due to the pressure rather than gravity. Moreover, it is shown that higher temperature gradients lead to halos with lower mass and size. We prove that if the temperature is left as a free positive profile, one can place no phase-space lower bound on the mass of dark matter. For halos that are in the low degeneracy classic domain, we derive an analytic expression of their temperature in terms of their mass density and place an upper bound on the mass of dark matter by requiring that temperature is not negative. We then use the Burkert mass profile for the Milky Way to show that if the central temperature of the halo is a few Kelvins, the mass of dark matter cannot exceed a few keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation High throughput technologies are widely employed in modern biomedical research. They yield measurements of a large number of biomolecules in a single experiment. The number of experiments usually is much smaller than the number of measurements in each experiment. The simultaneous measurements of biomolecules provide a basis for a comprehensive, systems view for describing relevant biological processes. Often it is necessary to determine correlations between the data matrices under different conditions or pathways. However, the techniques for analyzing the data with a low number of samples for possible correlations within or between conditions are still in development. Earlier developed correlative measures, such as the RV coefficient, use the trace of the product of data matrices as the most relevant characteristic. However, a recent study has shown that the RV coefficient consistently overestimates the correlations in the case of low sample numbers. To correct for this bias, it was suggested to discard the diagonal elements of the outer products of each data matrix. In this work, a principled approach based on the matrix decomposition generates three trace-independent parts for every matrix. These components are unique, and they are used to determine different aspects of correlations between the original datasets. Results Simulations show that the decomposition results in the removal of high correlation bias and the dependence on the sample number intrinsic to the RV coefficient. We then use the correlations to analyze a real proteomics dataset. Availability and implementation The python code can be downloaded from http://dynamic-proteome.utmb.edu/MatrixCorrelations.aspx. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Biginelli reaction, involving a three-component reaction of an aromatic aldehyde, urea and ethyl acetoacetate, has emerged as an extremely useful synthetic tool to organic chemists for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2-(1H)-ones and related heterocyclic compounds. In the past decades, the asymmetric variants of this reaction have been at the forefront of investigations in several research groups. In 2013, we highlighted the developments occurred in the asymmetric version of the Biginelli reaction. This review article focuses on the recent developments of asymmetric Biginelli reaction covers the literature going back to 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heart surgery is vital for patients with coronary artery diseases that do not respond to drug treatments. We aimed to determine the effects of the implementation of the first phase of a cardiac rehabilitation program on self-efficacy in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 60 post-CABG patients by convenience sampling method in 2016. Those selected were randomly assigned to intervention (n=30) and control group (n=30). Overall, 72 hours after CABG, the first phase of the cardiac rehabilitation program both in theory and in practice (face-to-face and group methods) was conducted. Data were collected using a self-efficacy questionnaire completed by the patients in 3 stages: before the intervention, at discharge, and at 1 month after discharge. Data was analyzed by using analysis of covariance and repeated measures. Results: The mean of age in the intervention and control groups was 61.60±11.72 and 57.97±13. 4 years, respectively. There were 16 (53.3%) male patients in each group. The mean score of self-efficacy was not significantly different between the 2 groups before the intervention (P=0.076), whereas it had a meaningful statistical difference between the 2 groups at discharge and 1 month afterward (P<0.001). Conclusion: The implementation of the first phase of the cardiac rehabilitation program not only augmented self-efficacy in regard to independent daily activities but also lessened the need for the second phase of the program among our post-CABG patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exponential horn geometry is introduced in order to establish cellular detonations with a constant mean lateral mass divergence, propagating at quasi-steady speeds below the Chapman–Jouguet value. The experiments were conducted in 2C2H2 + 5O2 + 21Ar and C3H8 + 5O2. Numerical simulations were also performed for weakly unstable cellular detonations to test the validity of the exponential horn geometry. The experiments and simulations demonstrated that such quasi-steady state detonations can be realized, hence permitting us to obtain the relations between the detonation speed and mean lateral flow divergence for cellular detonations in an unambiguous manner. The experimentally obtained speed (D) dependencies on divergence (K) were compared with the predictions for steady detonations with lateral flow divergence obtained with the real thermo-chemical data of the mixtures. For the 2C2H2 + 5O2 + 21Ar system, reasonable agreement was found between the experiments and steady wave prediction, particularly for the critical divergence leading to failure. Observations of the reaction zone structure in these detonations indicated that all the gas reacted very close to the front, as the transverse waves were reactive. The experiments obtained in the much more unstable detonations in C3H8 + 5O2 showed significant differences between the experimentally derived D(K) curve and the prediction of steady wave propagation. The latter was found to significantly under-predict the detonability of cellular detonations. The transverse waves in this mixture were found to be non-reactive, hence permitting the shedding of non-reacted pockets, which burn via turbulent flames on their surface. It is believed that the large differences between experiment and the inviscid model in this class of cellular structures is due to the importance of diffusive processes in the burn-out of the non-reacted pockets. The empirical tuning of a global one-step chemical model to describe the macro-scale kinetics in cellular detonations revealed that the effective activation energy was lower by 14% in 2C2H2 + 5O2 + 21Ar and 54% in the more unstable C3H8 + 5O2 system. This confirms previous observations that diffusive processes in highly unstable detonations are responsible for reducing the thermal ignition character of the gases processed by the detonation front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five-phase permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) have special applications in which highly accurate speed and torque control of the motor are a strong requirement. Direct Torque Control (DTC) is a suitable method for the driver structure of these motors. If in this method, instead of using a common five-phase voltage source inverter, a three-phase to five-phase matrix converter is used, the low-frequency current harmonics and the high torque ripple are limited, and an improved input power factor is obtained. Because the input voltages of such converters are directly supplied by input three-phase supply voltages, an imbalance in the voltages will cause problems such as unbalanced stator currents and electromagnetic torque fluctuations. In this paper, a new method is introduced to remove speed and torque oscillator factors. For this purpose, motor torque equations were developed and the oscillation components created by the unbalanced source voltage, determined. Then, using the active and reactive power reference generator, the controller power reference was adjusted in such a way that the electromagnetic torque of the motor did not change. By this means, a number of features including speed, torque, and flux of the motor were improved in terms of the above-mentioned conditions. Simulations were analyzed using Matlab/Simulink software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to modify the adsorption properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by grafting monomer 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate for treatment of lead from wastewater. The produced copolymer was divided into three groups of 0 to 20, 20 to 40 and above 40% in terms of graft percentage. In order to achieve optimal conditions for adsorption, the best pH, the best contact time with absorbent (stylish time), the best absorbent to solution ratio, the best graft percentage and the best concentration of the solution for lead were respectively obtained as follows: 6, 30 minutes, 2.5 g / l, over 40% and 120 milligrams per liter. Using the obtained conditions at temperatures of 288, 298 and 313 degrees Kelvin, the most suitable isotherm for adsorption was determined from Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich equations. Data fitting with the adsorption isotherms of Langmuir and Freundlich showed the highest correlation. To examine the adsorption capacity of the filter prepared in natural conditions, the wastewater of Esfahan Steel Company was used after pH was adjusted and 50 mg/l of lead was added. 50% of the lead added to the wastewater was treated by filtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]