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Understanding the crustal seismic characteristics of tectonically active regions is crucial for seismic hazard assessment. The study conducted in NW Iran utilized surface wave tomography, radial anisotropy and density information to analyse the complex crustal structure of the region, which is outstanding because of diverse tectonic features, sedimentary basins and volcanic formations. By selecting a data set of 1243 events out of over 3500 earthquakes with M  > 4, and employing strict data selection criteria (such as SNR, M and Δ), the researchers calculated Rayleigh and Love wave group velocity dispersion curves using Gaussian multiple filters and phase-matched filtering. The tomographic procedure was initiated by excluding data with residuals > 2σ for enhanced stability. Individual inversions were then carried out for local Rayleigh and Love wave dispersion measurements to obtain 1-D VSV and VSH models. Radial anisotropy and VSiso were determined through a discrepancy and averaging of the obtained VSH and VSV , respectively. Gravity modelling was also employed alongside surface wave analysis to understand the region's complex geology, revealing insights into upper-middle-lower crust boundaries, subsurface structures and Moho depths. The study's velocity maps reveal significant findings related to geological units and tectonic features in various regions based on the provided results. Low velocities in the South Caspian Basin (SCB) and Kura Depression (KD) regions are attributed to substantial sedimentary layers, while low velocities, and depth of VS in NW Iran and Eastern Anatolian Accretionary Complex (EAAC) regions suggest the presence of partially molten materials in the upper and middle crust. The Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ) region shows a low-velocity anomaly in longer periods and greater depths of VS , surrounded by normal to high velocities, indicating a thick middle crust. Analysing radial anisotropy and VSiso profiles offers insights into upper-middle-lower crust boundaries, subsurface structures and Moho depths, highlighting middle crust thickening and lower crust thinning beneath the SSZ. The study confirms the gentle subduction of the SCB oceanic-like lower crust beneath NW Iran in the Talesh (TAL) region, with a rigid middle crust. Additionally, cross-sections reveal igneous laccoliths underplate with a VSiso of 3.7 km s−1 in the volcanic region. The difference observed by subtracting the velocity models at two adjacent depths, combined with parametric test results, indicates that the Sahand volcanic system is clearly identifiable, while the influence of subtle subduction on the Sabalan volcano at depths up to 30 km remains less distinct. The magma chamber beneath Sahand is situated at depths ranging from 18 to 25 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: The successful recovery of hydrogeophysical parameters through surface-NMR measurements depends on the quality of the signal, which can be significantly degraded by harmonics from multiple noise sources with different fundamental frequencies in urban areas. Accurate estimation of the fundamental frequencies of harmonics is the main step in harmonic noise cancellation-based methods. The existing 1-D and 2-D model-based approaches involve a computationally expensive process that sets limits for processing of large surface-NMR data sets. In addition, the classical Nyman, Gaiser and Saucier estimation (NGSE) algorithm, despite its fast implementation, may not accurately recover harmonic components when there is no prior knowledge of the expected value of the frequency offset between the true fundamental frequencies and their nominal values. This lack of knowledge can make it difficult to accurately estimate the maximum number of harmonics and, consequently, result in an incorrect recovery of the fundamental frequency. To surmount these limitations, we propose an enhanced version of the NGSE approach based on an efficient maximum number of harmonics search approach to process surface-NMR signals corrupted by powerline harmonics with both single and multiple frequency content. We verify the efficiency of our algorithm on a synthetic data set embedded in simulated powerline harmonic signals, and real electromagnetic noise recordings, as well as a real surface-NMR data set. Our numerical experiments confirm that the proposed algorithm can retrieve the multiple fundamental frequencies simultaneously with a significant speedup ranging from 4 to 87 times, depending on whether the signal has single, dual, or triple frequency content, in the overall computation time compared to the model-based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control and improvement of heat transfer in enclosures is very important in several engineering applications. In the current two-dimensional numerical study, the mixed convection and entropy generation of water flowing inside a square vented enclosure that contains four vibrating cylinders with relatively low frequencies fr = 1, 2, 3, 5 Hz in the vertical and horizontal directions are reported. The effects of Reynolds and Richardson numbers, vibration frequency, vibration amplitude, and the direction of the cylinders' vibration on heat transfer and entropy generation are presented for various cases. The horizontal walls of the enclosure are kept adiabatic while the vertical left and right walls are hot and cold, respectively. The linear regression analysis was used to reveal the rate of increase in the Nusselt number with the Reynolds and Richardson numbers number for each cases. Series of analyses show that the existence and the vibration of the cylinders increases heat transfer but the vibration in the horizontal direction is more effective since the top and bottom walls of the enclosure are adiabatic. It is found that the entropy generation due to heat transfer is low at the center of the enclosure. The direct relationship between the heat transfer and both Reynolds and Richardson numbers is reported. In terms of heat transfer, it is found that the critical vibration frequency and amplitude are fr = 4 and A = 0.05L and 0.075L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma has several applications in different fields. One of these fundamental applications is medical usages, where various methods are employed to improve the plasma treatment process. The combination of different gases is one of the important strategies to improve the performance of plasma in treatment. In this paper, the optimized plasma parameters for one-dimensional radiofrequency discharge produced at low pressures in a helium gas combination is studied. In this research, the optimal combination of H2O and He is identified to attain the highest amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Considered mixture are 5, 10, 15 and 20 precent of H2O for one dimensional helium gas discharge. The results show that the parameters of the output plasma are highly dependent on the composition of the input gases. It is found that the greatest concentrations of H+, H+, Hes (excited helium), and OH densities are observed when the H2O percentage was at 10%. Moreover, the density distributions of various species and the temperatures of electrons are numerically calculated during the electrical discharge process. These findings provide useful knowledge on how to optimize plasma parameters for biomedical applications, which may lead to improved treatment results in several therapeutic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skin diseases, such as psoriasis, are associated with significant psychological and social disabilities. Thus, the present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effects of classical cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and compassion focused therapy (CFT) on psychological distress and quality of life (QOL) of patients with psoriasis. Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest design, follow-up, and a control group. The statistical population of the present study included all patients with psoriasis who referred to skin treatment centers in Tehran, Iran, between December and February 2019. From among them, 60 people were selected using a convenience sampling method and after matching them, they were assigned to three groups (20 people in each group). The participants of experimental group 1 received 10 sessions of classical CBT and the participants of experimental group 2 received 7 sessions of CFT, but the control group did not receive any training. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10 and K6; 2002) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF; 1996) questionnaire were used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS software. Results: The results showed that the effectiveness of both therapies on reducing the psychological distress and increasing the QOL of patients is significant (P < 0.01), but the effectiveness of the CFT was greater. Conclusion: It seems that CFT as a selected treatment can help improve the psychological distress and QOL of patients with psoriasis by increasing kindness to self and others and managing emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature discusses that alexithymia can predict and increase marital burnout, one of the main reasons couples seek support and may get divorced. Given the well-established relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia, the inability to describe one's emotion, the mediating role of emotion dysregulation is investigated by a structural equation modeling. Of 396 individuals attending five psychiatric clinics that provides therapy and pre-divorce consultation for couples, 219 married individuals analogous to diagnosed alexithymia met the inclusion criteria and are included in the study. The study's model shows a good fit and demonstrates that emotion dysregulation partially mediates the relationship between attachment style and alexithymia, which explains a high variance in alexithymia (R2 = 0.86). The results suggest that emotion dysregulation, regardless of attachment style, underlies alexithymia among individuals with marital burnout. The findings are discussed through an emotion-focused therapy lens and clinically implied cautions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disorder characterized by circumscribed depigmented macules and patches caused by the loss of functional melanocytes. Although there is no definitive treatment for vitiligo, several treatment options have been associated with relative satisfactory outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of micro‐needling in conjunction with topical 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) versus topical tacrolimus ointment in treating vitiligo patches. Patients and Methods: This study included nineteen participants, each of whom received both treatments on two randomly selected vitiligo patches of approximately the same size and location. On one patch, a combination of weekly micro‐needling and topical application of 5‐FU solution was used every other day, while on the other, 0.1% tacrolimus topical ointment was applied twice daily. The G‐score was used to compare treatment outcomes after 3 months. Results: The median duration of the disease in our population was 7 years. Six patients (32%) in the micro‐needling plus topical 5‐FU treated group showed a moderate to excellent response, indicating a significant improvement between both treatments (p‐value = 0.019). In contrast, all other patches treated with topical tacrolimus showed poor improvement. Lower extremity and trunk responded more to treatment with micro‐needling plus topical 5‐FU than upper extremity and acral areas. Moreover, none of those who have had the disease for more than ten years have responded to treatment. Mild erythema, pinpoint bleeding, and irritation were detected only in the micro‐needling treated group. Conclusion: The current study showed that using micro‐needling in conjunction with 5‐FU could treat vitiligo patients more efficiently than tacrolimus monotherapy. Despite showing moderate to excellent improvement in patches treated with micro‐needling and 5‐FU, this well‐tolerated office‐based modality still requires additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]