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Objective: MicroRNAs act locally and systemically to impact osteoarthritis (OA) pathophysiology, but comprehensive profiling of the circulating miRNome in early vs late stages of OA has yet to be conducted. Sequencing has emerged as the preferred method for microRNA profiling since it offers high sensitivity and specificity. Our objective was to sequence the miRNome in plasma from 91 patients with early [Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) grade 0 or 1 (n = 41)] or late [KL grade 3 or 4 (n = 50)] symptomatic radiographic knee OA to identify unique microRNA signatures in each disease state. Design: MicroRNA libraries were prepared using the QIAseq miRNA Library Kit and sequenced on the Illumina NextSeq 550. Counts were produced for microRNAs captured in miRBase and for novel microRNAs. Statistical, bioinformatics, and computational biology approaches were used to refine and interpret the final list of microRNAs. Results: From 215 differentially expressed microRNAs (FDR < 0.01), 97 microRNAs showed an increase or decrease in expression in ≥85% of samples in the early OA group as compared to the median expression in the late OA group. Increasing this threshold to ≥95%, seven microRNAs were identified: hsa-miR-335-3p, hsa-miR-199a-5p, hsa-miR-671-3p, hsa-miR-1260b, hsa-miR-191-3p, hsa-miR-335-5p, and hsa-miR-543. Four novel microRNAs were present in ≥50% of early OA samples and had 27 predicted gene targets in common with the prioritized set of predicted gene targets from the 97 microRNAs, suggesting common underlying mechanisms. Conclusion: Sequencing of well-characterized patient cohorts produced unbiased profiling of the circulating miRNome and identified a unique panel of 11 microRNAs in early radiographic knee OA.

The design of water-repellent surfaces is of great importance as water repellency of surfaces against impacting water drops is a promising approach for most of applications as anti-icing and self-cleaning. To comprehensively investigate drop interactions with hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces, we conducted a large suite of experimental tests to evaluate the morphology of impacting drops on these surfaces as a function of drop properties (drop diameter, density, viscosity, and surface tension), kinematic parameters (velocity), and surface features (contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and surface roughness). Following analyzing the experimental results, we utilized a novel approach in this field by applying a predictive approach based on machine learning to predict the behavior of impacting drops on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces. Our developed model, based on a random-forest approach, predicted drop behavior at up to 98% accuracy. Aiming at finding those conditions favorable for producing a bouncing behavior upon drop impact, we predicted the outcome of an impinging drop for a wide range of Weber numbers, i.e., impact velocities, and numerous hypothetical surfaces. Our results offer some design criteria for creating superhydrophobic surfaces that favor bouncing upon drop impact on these surfaces.

Background and aims: Neck disorders among office workers are one of the main causes of the increase in the job absence, Jobs turnover and health care costs. Different factors are attributed to the occurrence of neck disorders. This study was carried out to investigate the association of psychosocial factors associated with the incidence of neck disorders in office workers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 224 office workers of SUMS participated. Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire (NMQ) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used as data collection tools. Statistical analysis were performed using SPSS (ver. 19). Results: 71.7% of office workers experienced neck symptoms during the last 12 months. Statistical analysis revealed that perceived psychological demands (lack of enough time to do the tasks and job tenure) were significantly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in neck region. Conclusion: Neck disorders had high prevalence among office workers of SUMS. Lack of time and job tenure was found to be associated with neck symptoms. Interventional programs to prevent neck symptoms should be focused on the psychological demands and job tenure.

Background and aims: Permit to work (P.T.W) is a formal written system to control certain types of work which are identified as potentially hazardous. Although P.T.W is a means of safety system and coordinating different work activities to avoid conflicts, it may be susceptible for human error. The purpose of this study was quantitative human error assessment using engineering approach in P.T.W in a petrochemical plant. Method: In this cross-sectional study, P.T.W procedure was analyzed using Hierarchal Task Analysis (HTA). Then, performance shaping factors were identified and were used to estimate the probability including skill based (S.K), rule based (R.B) and knowledge based (K.B) behaviour modes. Finally, human error probability in all P.T.W tasks was estimated using engineering approach. Result: Maximum and minimum probability of human error were for flammable gas testing (0.38) and toxic gas and oxygen testing (0.0449) respectively. Among behavioral modes, maximum and minimum probability were for K.B (0.60 ) and S.B (0.0714) respectively. The total human error probability for all job tasks of P.T.W, was estimated 0.1465. Conclusion: Engineering approach technique, as a practical method, could be applied by safety and human factor specialists for quantification of human error probability in work processes.

Background & Aim: Postpartum period is one of the vital stages in the women’s life which influences their quality of life. Instruction can influence their quality of life in this period. This study aimed to determine the effect of education on health-promoting behaviors at the postpartum period on the quality of life of primiparous women. Methods: The present controlled randomized trail study was carried out on 52 primiparous women who were randomly allocated into two groups (experimental and control). Instruction was presented for the experimental group for six weeks after childbirth. Quality of life of women between the two groups was compared by using Specific Postnatal Quality of life questionnaire at the first and sixth weeks. Data were analyzed by Chi-square and Independent T-test. Results: Results showed a significant difference between the mean score of quality of life pre-and post-intervention between the two groups (P

Background and Aims Shift work is an inevitable result of technology usage and considered as an occupational hazard. It is known as an old problem among health care workers, which affects their wellbeing adversely. Operation room technicians (ORTs) are among those health care workers who are required to work in shift system and encountered shift work-related problems. This study was conducted among ORTs of Shiraz University Of Medical Sciences (SUMS) hospitals with the aim of determination of shift work-related health, family and social problems. Methods In this cross-sectional study, SOS (survey of shift workers) questionnaire was used to collect required data. Study population included all ORTs of SUMS hospitals in 2006-2007. Totally, 178 ORTs from 9 SUMS hospitals were studied. Results The results showed that shift work-related problems occurred in high rate among ORTs. Personal (subjective), gastrointestinal and social problems were found to be the most prevalent problems among the ORTs (97.6%, 70.7% and 66.5%, respectively). The results revealed that ORTs who chose shift work voluntarily had higher rate of job satisfaction. It was also found that regular rotating shift schedule caused more job satisfaction than irregular rotating shift schedule did. There was an association between job satisfaction and the prevalence of reported problems such that the prevalence rate of problems was lower among those with higher rate of job satisfaction (P

Surface morphologies and microstructures of (Tl, Pb)(Sr, Ba)-1223 single crystals were investigated by using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). The SEM images showed that a Tl-1223 single crystal grown by self-flux obeys a layer-by-layer growth mechanism. Periodic modulation structures 200 nm in width and about 0.7–0.8 nm in height were observed using an AFM. Heat treatments in different atmospheres of argon and oxygen at 500 °C were carried out with different treatment times. Tc and Jc have been improved through optimized heat treatment for 3 h in argon gas. Crystals were also heat treated in PbO. Results showed that the magnetic properties were significantly improved, with large increases in Tc and Jc, indicating that the ratio of Tl to Pb in the crystal is another important factor in addition to the oxygen content in affecting the superconducting properties. The modulation structure is probably responsible for the strong flux pinning in (Tl, Pb)(Sr, Ba)-1223 crystals and the large Jc.

The U/n method is a well-established means of improving flux pinning and critical current performance in cuprate superconductors. The method involves the doping of the superconductor with 235U followed by irradiation with thermal neutrons to promote fission. The resultant columnar damage tracks produced by the energetic fission products pin flux vortices and improve critical current performance in magnetic fields. No such improvement could be observed when the U/n method was applied to MgB2 superconductor. No fission tracks could be observed in TEM, even for samples that were irradiated at the highest fluence. Gamma-ray spectroscopy indicated that fission had occurred in the expected way.

The flux dynamics of a (Tl,Pb)(Sr,Ba) 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y single crystal have been investigated by means of magnetic relaxation measurements, with the applied field parallel to the c -axis. A power law dependence of the activation energy on the current density for fields less than 2 T over the temperature range 15–45 K has been observed, consistent with three-dimensional large bundle vortex creep. For intermediate fields (2–3 T), the flux dynamics are dominated by plastic vortex creep, while for fields higher than 3 T over the temperature range 16–46 K, the vortex glass scaling approach implied that a two-dimensional vortex structure is unlikely for fields less than 5 T.

Bi2−xPbxSr2Ca1−yGdyCu2O8+δ (x=0.34 and y=0.18, 0.34) crystals were grown by the self-flux method. The crystals have a cleavage thickness of only half unit cell up to two unit cells with Tc only dropping 20 K as y is increased from 0.18 to 0.34 for as-grown crystals. However, Tc increased to almost the same value of about 80 K after annealing in air regardless of the Gd doping levels. The co-doping produced enhanced flux pinning compared to the sole Gd doping. A secondary peak effect presented in crystals with x=0.34 and y=0.34 was explained by phase segregations containing Gd-rich clusters.

Emotion and how people manage it is an important part of personality that would immensely affect their health. Investigations showed that emotional intelligence is significantly related to and can predict psychological health.To determine the effect of teaching emotional intelligence to intensive care unit nurses on their general health.This randomized clinical trial (registered as IRCT201208022812N9) was conducted on 52 of 200 in intensive care unit nurses affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. They were recruited through purposeful convenience sampling and then randomly categorized into two groups. The intervention group members were trained in emotional intelligence. Bar-on emotional intelligence and Goldberg's general health questionnaires were administered to each participant before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention.While the mean score of general health for the intervention group decreased from 25.4 before the intervention, to 18.1 immediately after the intervention and to 14.6 one month later, for the control group, it increased from 22.0, to 24.2 and to 26.5, respectively (p0.001).Teaching emotional intelligence improved the general health of intensive care unit nurses.

Sample size dependent magnetic critical current density has been observed in magnesium diboride superconductors. At high fields, larger samples provide higher critical current densities, while at low fields, larger samples give rise to lower critical current densities. The explanation for this surprising result is proposed in this study based on the electric field generated in the superconductors. The dependence of the current density on the sample size has been derived as a power law $j\ensuremath{\propto}{R}^{1/n}$ $[n$ is the n factor characterizing $E\ensuremath{-}j$ curve ${E=E}_{c}{(j/j}_{c}{)}^{n}].$ This dependence provides one with a method to derive the n factor and can also be used to determine the dependence of the activation energy on the current density.

The effect of sample size on the critical current density and the flux pinning of pure and SiC doped ${\mathrm{MgB}}_{2}$ bulk samples has been investigated. At high fields a systematic degradation of magnetic ${J}_{c}$ and ${H}_{\mathrm{irr}}$ was observed as the sample size decreased. However, ${J}_{c}$ remarkably increased on decreasing the sample volume at low magnetic fields below 1 T. The SiC doped samples show less sample size effect than the pure samples, indicating a larger $n$ factor and therefore a stronger pinning effect due to SiC doping. ${H}_{\mathrm{irr}}$ was observed to decrease as a logarithmic function of the sample volume, and the zero field ${J}_{c}$ can be fitted as an exponential decay function.

Magnetic moment measurements performed on a single crystal sample of (Tl,Pb)(Sr,Ba) 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y reveal an increase in magnetic moment at intermediate fields. Magnetic hysteresis ( m – H ) loops were taken at different constant temperatures using either a MPMS-5T SQUID magnetometer or a PPMS-9T magnetometer and within the temperature range 0.1 T / T c

Hysteresis loop and magnetization relaxation measurements have been performed on a pure and a SiC-doped MgB 2 samples. The normalized volume pinning forces determined from the hysteresis loop are observed to scale as a function of the reduced magnetic field ( h = H / H irr ) with peaks at h max ≈0.2. This result implies that the dominating pinning mechanism in both materials is the pinning by normal surface defects. From magnetization relaxation measurements, the current dependence of the activation energy is found to be logarithmic.

An alternative method for determining the lock-in angle φL for pinning of the vortices on extended defects has been developed. This method does not require any preassumed criterion for defining φL. Highly twinned Sm1+xBa2−xCu3O6+y single crystal was used for demonstrating the method. Appropriate scaling of the hysteresis loops measured for different angles between the field and twin planes in highly twinned SmBaCuO single crystal led to a clear discrimination between two vortex dynamics regimes. From this scaling, the lock-in angle was determined to be 6°±0.1° for the single crystal investigated. This method significantly reduces the uncertainty in determining the lock-in angle when compared to all the other currently employed methods.