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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) can increase the susceptibility of individuals to contracting mucormycosis through several mechanisms. Nowadays, coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis (CAM) is a serious public health concern, particularly in developing countries. This meta-analysis aims to identify the risk factors that affect the mortality rate of patients with CAM.We systematically searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Cochrane library, and preprint databases using pertinent keywords and the reference lists of the included relevant articles from inception till October 27, 2021. In order to reduce the effects of small-scale studies, we only selected cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies and case series with at least four patients. We identified 26 articles that included 821 patients with CAM. The effect size (ES) of mortality rate was 28% (95% confidence interval (CI) 20%-38%; ICoronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis (CAM) is a major public health problem, particularly in developing countries. Severe COVID-19 infection, history of mechanical ventilation, early CAM, comorbidities other than diabetes (malignancies, transplant, or renal failure), pulmonary and rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis, and delivering only medical treatment for mucormycosis were the worst prognostic factors in CAM patients. Identifying the mortality-related risk factors in CAM patients may help reduce the mortality rate by implementing optimized treatment approaches.The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12281-022-00440-2.

Purpose This paper aims to present two-stage network models in the presence of stochastic ratio data. Design/methodology/approach Black-box, free-link and fix-link techniques are used to apply the internal relations of the two-stage network. A deterministic linear programming model is derived from a stochastic two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model by assuming that some basic stochastic elements are related to the inputs, outputs and intermediate products. The linkages between the overall process and the two subprocesses are proposed. The authors obtain the relation between the efficiency scores obtained from the stochastic two stage network DEA-ratio considering three different strategies involving black box, free-link and fix-link. The authors applied their proposed approach to 11 airlines in Iran. Findings In most of the scenarios, when alpha in particular takes any value between 0.1 and 0.4, three models from Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes (1978), free-link and fix-link generate similar efficiency scores for the decision-making units (DMUs), While a relatively higher degree of variations in efficiency scores among the DMUs is generated when the alpha takes the value of 0.5. Comparing the results when the alpha takes the value of 0.1–0.4, the DMUs have the same ranking in terms of their efficiency scores. Originality/value The authors innovatively propose a deterministic linear programming model, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, the internal relationships of a two-stage network are analyzed by different techniques. The comparison of the results would be able to provide insights from both the policy perspective as well as the methodological perspective.

Human activity recognition (HAR) using radar micro-Doppler has attracted the attention of researchers in the last decade. Using radar for human activity recognition has been very practical because of its unique advantages. There are several classifiers for the recognition of these activities, all of which require a rich database to produce fine output. Due to the limitations of providing and building a large database, radar micro-Doppler databases are usually limited in number. In this paper, a new method for the generation of radar micro-Doppler of the human body based on the deep convolutional generating adversarial network (DCGAN) is proposed. To generate the database, the required input is also generated by converting the existing motion database to simulated model-based radar data. The simulation results show the success of this method, even on a small amount of data.

Background: In Iranian traditional medicine, Rydingia persica (R.P) is commonly used to treat diabetes mellitus (DM). Objective: We assessed the protective effects of R.P against testis and epididymis oxidative stress and the hormonal changes induced by DM. Materials and Methods: Forty male Wistar rats (12 wk old) weighing 230-270 gr were divided into five groups (n = 8/each): 1. Control (C); 2. diabetic (D); 3. diabetic + R.P200 (D+R200); 4. diabetic + R.P400 (D+R400); and 5. diabetic + R.P600 (D+R600). Groups C and D received 2 ml of normal saline orally daily for two wk and groups D+R200, D+R400, and D+R600 received 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg body weight of R.P powder, respectively, orally daily for two wk. DM was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at 60 mg/kg body weight. We assessed malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione in both the testis and epididymis and also the histological changes of the testis. Results: Diabetic rats showed a significantly increased and decreased level of oxidant and antioxidant factors, respectively, and a significantly lower level of serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone than the control group. In the histological study of the testis, deteriorations were observed. Treatment with R.P reversed these changes toward the state of the control group with the highest effectiveness shown by group D+R600. Conclusion: The data obtained suggest that R.P powder has antioxidant effects on testis and epididymis tissues in diabetic rats and that it improves histological testicular structure in diabetics. It can also correct testosterone and luteinizing hormone changes induced by DM. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Rydingia persica, Oxidative stress, Reproductive, Testosterone.

The development of cost-effective and eco-friendly sensor materials is needed to realize the application of detectors in daily life—such as in the internet of things.

Research interest in chemical gas detection has been directed towards developing highly selective bio-inspired and eco-friendly materials that allow the integration of sensors in daily human life, such as the Internet of Things (IoT). In this regard, chemical sensors for detecting air pollutants are urgently needed for environmental safety. For instance, acute exposure to the colorless nitrogen oxide (NO)-as an anthropogenic gas-causes several diseases such as methemoglobinemia, emphysema, and bronchiolitis, to name just three. In the present work, to find materials for sensing the dilute amount of NO, we use the density functional non-equilibrium Green's function formalism to thoroughly screen the bio-inspired metalloporphyrin (MPor) based junctions. The detailed analysis of adsorption energy, sensitivity, recovery time, and selectivity reveals that the nature of the central M, mainly its orbitals' energy ordering, affects the overall performance of MPors for sensor applications. We find that the the CrPor-based device is sensitive (≈0.85%) and also selective, in comparison with other pollutants like CO and CO

Agmatine, a polyamine derived from l-arginine, has been suggested to modulate memory. However, the available evidence regarding the effect of agmatine on the memory of intact animals is contradictory. This study aimed to assess the dose-response effect of subchronic agmatine on passive avoidance memory and anxiety-like parameters of elevated plus maze in adult intact mice. Furthermore, considering the roles of Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway in memory and Alzheimer's disease, the hippocampal contents of phosphorylated and total forms of Akt and GSK-3β proteins were determined using the western blot technique. Agmatine was administered intraperitoneally at the doses of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 80 mg/kg/daily to adult male NMRI mice for 10 days after which the behavioral assessments were performed. Upon completion of the passive avoidance test, the hippocampi were removed for western blot analysis to detect the phosphorylated and total levels of Akt and GSK-3β proteins. Results showed the biphasic effect of agmatine on passive avoidance memory; in lower doses (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg), agmatine impaired memory whereas in higher ones (40 and 80 mg/kg) improved it. Though, agmatine in none of the doses affected animals' anxiety-like parameters in an elevated plus maze. Moreover, the memory-improving doses of agmatine augmented Akt/GSK-3β pathway. This study showed the biphasic effect of agmatine on passive avoidance memory and an augmentation of hippocampal Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway following the memory-improving doses of this polyamine.

In recent years, human activity recognition using radar micro-Doppler signature has been the focus of many researches. Echo signal from body limbs is the origin of motion parameters estimation. To this end, decomposition of this composite signal into components corresponding to each limb is necessary and rather complex. In this paper, a novel method for body micro-Doppler signal decomposition is proposed using a deep convolutional neural network designated DecompNet which uses a context window on the spectral input stream to enhance the decomposition performance. This network is able to decompose 9 components of body limbs. The proposed network, is able to perform signal decomposition and denoising simultaneously, even in low SNR conditions. So, it outperforms the other similar methods both in terms of decomposition ability and robustness to observation noise. Simulation results show that DecompNet can outperform mathematical transform-based methods and also keep working in the SNRs as low as −15dB.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous crystalline materials being used as photocatalysts for efficient pollutant removal and environmental remediation. In this study, the TMU-32 MOF was synthesized as an effective photocatalyst for the photodegradation of tetracycline (TC) with 96% efficiency in 60 min under visible light. The high photocatalytic activity of the TMU-32 MOF is mainly due to its large specific surface area, which is beneficial for promoting both the adsorption of TC and the separation of the photoinduced charges. Moreover, its desired crystallinity makes it a semiconductor with an appropriate band gap energy. Next, a composite of the TMU-32 MOF with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (as Fe3O4@TMU-32) was prepared as a magnetically recyclable photocatalyst. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the Fe3O4@TMU-32 nanocomposite is slightly lower (68% degradation of TC within 60 min) than that of TMU-32 toward TC degradation since Fe3O4 nanoparticles are not acting as a photocatalyst and are used only to make the host photocatalyst (here, TMU-32) magnetically separable. The effects of the photocatalyst concentration and recyclability on the photodegradation of TC were studied under similar conditions. We found that the Fe3O4@TMU-32 composite is easily recycled without a significant loss of photocatalytic activity after being used several times, indicating the stability of the photocatalyst. Finally, a density functional theory study was also conducted to investigate the structural and electronic properties such as the band gap energy and density of states of the TMU-32 MOF and the Fe3O4@TMU-32 composite. Our computational results are in good agreement with the experimental ones. A photocatalytic degradation mechanism was finally proposed under visible-light photoirradiation.

In the present study, the effect of the double quenching–tempering heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the HSLA-100 steel has been investigated. In this regard, the steel studied was first subjected to two consecutive austenitization treatments at 940°C and 870°C for 45 and 30 minutes, respectively, and quenching, followed by tempering in the temperature range of 510°C to 700°C for 60 min, and finally all the samples were cooled in air. Also, to compare the results with the conventional heat treatment cycle of this steel, some samples were subjected to single quenching–tempering. Furthermore, the variations of mechanical properties of HSLA-100 steel and the resultant microstructures were investigated in terms of different tempering conditions. Accordingly, it was found that the double quenching–tempering treatment could create a substantial difference in the total elongation percentage (+24%) of the samples by making minor changes in the strength parameters.

Background: Management of anticoagulant therapy in COVID-19 patients is critical. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) thromboprophylaxis is already recommended, and anti-Factor Xa (anti-FXa) monitoring has been used to titrate LMWH doses. Methods: Through a cross-sectional study, we evaluated anti-FXa activity in patients admitted to the ICU, receiving intermediate dose (30, 40, 50 mg, subcutaneously [SC], twice daily) or therapeutic dose (1 mg/kg, SC, Q12h) of enoxaparin to find whether the patients in these two groups achieved anti-FXa levels in the accepted thromboprophylaxis range. Results: The occurrence of deep vein thrombosis was 26% in the therapeutic-dose group and 17% in the intermediate-dose group. D-dimer values were nearly 3.5-fold higher in those who received a therapeutic dose of anticoagulants than in those who received intermediate-dose thromboprophylaxis. Patients in the therapeutic-dose group had significantly higher IL-6 levels (p ≤ 0.001). More than one-third of the patients in the therapeutic-dose group (n = 8; 42.18%) and approximately half of the patients in the intermediate-dose group (n = 12; 52.2%) achieved the target range level of anti-FXa. Patients who received therapeutic doses were more likely to have anti-FXa levels above the expected range (47.4 vs 13% in the intermediate-dose group; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Therapeutic dose of enoxaparin in critically ill COVID-19-infected patients did not reduce the incidence of thromboembolic events and, on the other hand, may predispose these patients to increased risk of bleeding by increasing anti-FXa activity above the desired level. Administration of intermediate-dose thromboprophylaxis is suggested to achieve anti-FXa levels in the accepted thromboprophylaxis range.

Chiral discrimination is critical in environmental and life sciences. However, an ideal chiral discrimination strategy has not yet been developed because of the inevitable nonspecific binding entity of wrong enantiomers or insufficient intrinsic optical activities of chiral molecules. Here, we propose an “inspector” recognition mechanism (IRM), which is implemented on a chiral imprinted polydopamine (PDA) layer coated on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tag layer. The IRM works based on the permeability change of the imprinted PDA after the chiral recognition and scrutiny of the permeability by an inspector molecule. Good enantiomer can specifically recognize and fully fill the chiral imprinted cavities, whereas the wrong cannot. Then a linear shape aminothiol molecule, as an inspector of the recognition status is introduced, which can only percolate through the vacant and nonspecifically occupied cavities, inducing the SERS signal to decrease. Accordingly, chirality information exclusively stems from good enantiomer specific binding, while nonspecific recognition of wrong enantiomer is curbed. The IRM benefits from sensitivity and versatility, enabling absolute discrimination of a wide variety of chiral molecules regardless of size, functional groups, polarities, optical activities, Raman scattering, and the number of chiral centers.

In a turbulent fluid, the time-reversal symmetry is explicitly broken by viscosity, and spontaneously broken in the inviscid limit. Recently, Drivas [J. Nonlinear Sci. 29, 65 (2019).JNSCEK0938-897410.1007/s00332-018-9476-8] proved the equivalence of two different local indicators of time irreversibility: (i) an Eulerian one, based on regularity properties of the velocity field [Duchon and Robert, Nonlinearity 13, 249 (2000).NONLE50951-771510.1088/0951-7715/13/1/312]; (ii) a Lagrangian one, based on symmetry properties of the trajectories under time reversal [Jucha et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 054501 (2014).PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.113.054501]. We test this equivalence in a turbulent Von Kármán experiment at a resolution of the order of the Kolmogorov scale using a high resolution 4D-PTV technique. We use the equivalence to perform the first joined Eulerian-Lagrangian exploration of the dynamics leading to time irreversibility, and find that it is linked with vortex interaction, suggesting a link between irreversibility and singularity.

Background: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) has been proposed as a possible potential treatment for ischemic stroke. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of micro-embolic brain infarcts after RIPC in patients with stroke who underwent elective carotid artery stenting (CAS) treatment. Methods: This study was managed at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in southwest Iran. Patients undergoing CAS were randomly allocated into RIPC and control groups. Patients in the RIPC group received three intermittent cycles of 5-minute arm ischemia followed by reperfusion using manual blood cuff inflation/deflation less than 30 minutes before CAS treatment. Afterward, stenting surgery was conducted. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), was acquired within the first 24 hours after CAS. Results: Seventy-four patients were recruited (79.7% men, age: 72.30 ± 8.57). Both groups of RIPC and control had no significant difference in baseline parameters (P > 0.05). Fifteen patients (40.5%) in the RIPC group and 19 (54.1%) patients in the control group developed restricted lesions in DWI MRI. In DWI+ patients, there were no significant differences according to the number of lesions, lesion surface area, largest lesion diameter, cortical infarcts percent, and ipsilateral and bilateral infarcts between the two groups. Conclusion: Although RIPC is a safe and non-invasive modality before CAS to decrease infarcts, this study did not show the advantage of RIPC in the prevention of infarcts following CAS. It may be because of the small sample size.

Among the ever-increasing literature of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there have been reports on several complications in association with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), such as secondary bacterial and fungal infections. We report a 61-year-old woman with a past history of diabetes mellitus who presented to our hospital suffering from COVID-19 infection. During the course of her hospitalization, the patient developed chemosis and proptosis in both eyes, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of invasive rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis and cerebrovascular thrombosis. This study strengthens the possible association between the occurrence of COVID-19 and invasive mucormycosis infection, providing new impetus for further investigations to substantiate this correlation.

Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) could be considered for preventing stroke in patients with carotid artery stenosis. This study aimed to determine the incidence and the risk factors of the early and mid-term complications associated with CAS.This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from March 2011 to March 2019. Patients at high risk and standard risk for carotid endarterectomy were included. The primary composite outcome was defined as stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and death in the first 30 days after CAS. All-cause mortality, vascular mortality, and stroke were investigated during mid-term follow-up.A total of 579 patients (618 CAS) were recruited (mean age: 71.52 years). Overall, 394 (68.40%), 211 (36.63%), 179 (31.07%), and 96 (16.72%) patients had hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, or were cigarette smokers, respectively. Primary composite outcomes were observed in 2.59% of patients (1.55% stroke, 0.69% MI, and 1.72% death). Atrial fibrillation was a predictor of primary composite outcome in multivariate logistic regression (p = .048). The presence of total occlusion in the contralateral carotid artery was significantly associated with the risk of stroke in univariate logistic regression (p = .041). The patients were followed for a period ranging from 1 to 83 months. The overall survival rate for all-cause mortality was 93.48% at 1 year, 77.24% at 5 years, and 52.92% at 8 years. All-cause mortality was significantly higher among patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis (p = .014).CAS provides acceptable short-term and mid-term outcomes in a unique population of high- and standard-surgical-risk, symptomatic and asymptomatic, octogenarian, and nonoctogenarian patients.

Objectives: There are several reports of the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). In this study, we aimed to compare the hospitalization rate of CVST before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (before vaccination program). Materials and methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the hospitalization rate of adult CVST patients in Namazi hospital, a tertiary referral center in the south of Iran, was compared in two periods of time. We defined March 2018 to March 2019 as the pre-COVID-19 period and March 2020 to March 2021 as the COVID-19 period. Results: 50 and 77 adult CVST patients were hospitalized in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, respectively. The crude CVST hospitalization rate increased from 14.33 in the pre-COVID-19 period to 21.7 per million in the COVID-19 era (P = 0.021). However, after age and sex adjustment, the incremental trend in hospitalization rate was not significant (95% CrI: -2.2, 5.14). Patients > 50-year-old were more often hospitalized in the COVID-19 period (P = 0.042). SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was done in 49.3% out of all COVID-19 period patients, which were positive in 6.5%. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3 at three-month follow-up was associated with age (P = 0.015) and malignancy (P = 0.014) in pre-COVID period; and was associated with age (P = 0.025), altered mental status on admission time (P

Molecular imprinting technology (MIT) produces artificial binding sites with precise complementarity to substrates and thereby is capable of exquisite molecular recognition. Over five decades of evolution, it is predicted that the resulting host imprinted materials will overtake natural receptors for research and application purposes, but in practice, this has not yet been realized due to the unsustainability of their life cycles (i.e., precursors, creation, use, recycling, and end-of-life). To address this issue, greenificated molecularly imprinted polymers (GMIPs) are a new class of plastic antibodies that have approached sustainability by following one or more of the greenification principles, while also demonstrating more far-reaching applications compared to their natural counterparts. In this review, the most recent developments in the delicate design and advanced application of GMIPs in six fast-growing and emerging fields are surveyed, namely biomedicine/therapy, catalysis, energy harvesting/storage, nanoparticle detection, gas sensing/adsorption, and environmental remediation. In addition, their distinct features are highlighted, and the optimal means to utilize these features for attaining incredibly far-reaching applications are discussed. Importantly, the obscure technical challenges of the greenificated MIT are revealed, and conceivable solutions are offered. Lastly, several perspectives on future research directions are proposed.

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, several cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) have been reported in SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. This study provides a series of patients with CVST and SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods: Consecutive patients with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as clinical and radiological characteristics of CVST, were reported from three teaching hospitals in the South West, North West, and the center of Iran from June to July 2020. We also searched the abstract archives until the end of August 2020 and gathered 28 reported cases. The diagnostic criteria for SARS-CoV-2 infection were determined according to SARS-CoV-2 detection in oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal samples in clinically suspected patients. Demographics, main COVID-19 symptoms, confirmatory tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosis, the interval between the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and CVST, clinical and radiological features of CVST, therapeutic strategies, CVST outcomes, rate of hemorrhagic transformation, and mortality rate were investigated.Results: Six patients (aged 31 to 62 years old) with confirmed CVST and SARS-CoV-2 infection were admitted to our centers. Four patients had no respiratory symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Five out of six patients developed the clinical manifestations of CVST and SARS-CoV-2 infection simultaneously. Three patients had known predisposing factors for CVST. Despite receiving CVST and SARS-CoV-2 infection treatments, four out of six patients passed away.Conclusions: The role of SARS-CoV-2 as a “cause” versus an “additive contributor” remains to be elucidated. Practitioners should be aware of the possibility of CVST in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The development of cost-effective and eco-friendly sensor materials is needed to realize the application of detectors in daily life-such as in the internet of things. In this regard, monitoring air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO

The fabrication of supported noble metal nanocrystals (NCs) with well-controlled morphologies have been attracted considerable interests due to their merits in a wide variety of applications. Photodeposition is a facile and effective method to load metals over semiconductors in a simple slurry reactor under irradiation. By optimizing the photodeposition process, the size, chemical states, and the geometrical distribution of metal NCs have been successfully tuned. However, metal NCs with well-controlled shapes through the photodeposition process have not been reported until now. Here, we report our important advances in the controlled photodeposition process to load regular noble metal NCs. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is introduced as a reservoir for the fast transfer of photoelectrons to avoid the fast accumulation of photogenerated electrons on the noble metals which makes the growth process uncontrollable. Meanwhile, rGO also provides stable surface for the controlled nucleation and oriented growth. Noble metal NCs with regular morphologies are then evenly deposited on rGO. This strategy has been demonstrated feasible for different precious metals (Pd, Au, and Pt) and semiconductors (TiO

In this study, Inconel 625 coating was deposited on the surface of A517 quenched and tempered low-alloy A517 steel using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) in order to increase the service life of the A517 substrate. For this purpose, Inconel 625 coating was deposited on steel surface by applying ERNiCrMo3 filler at different welding currents of 80, 100 and 120 A. The results showed that the microstructure of Inconel 625 coating consisted of a fully austenitic phase which was solidified having dendritic morphology, while A517 was found to be tempered martensitic. The average hardness of Inconel 625 coatings deposited at different welding currents was more than 230 HV. Evaluation of corrosion behavior also illustrated a better corrosion resistance of Inconel 625 coating than A517 base metal. The corrosion rate of Inconel 625 coating in 80 A, 100 A and 120 A samples was 0.435, 0.143 and 0.165 mpy, respectively, which were negligible in comparison with that of A517 steel (24.2 mpy).

Al−2CNTs−xAl2O3 nanocomposites were manufactured by a hybrid powder metallurgy and microwave sintering process. The correlation between process-induced microstructural features and the material properties including physical and mechanical properties as well as ultrasonic parameters was measured. It was found that physical properties including densification and physical dimensional changes were closely associated with the morphology and particle size of nanocomposite powders. The maximum density was obtained by extensive particle refinement at milling time longer than 8 h and Al2O3 content of 10 wt.%. Mechanical properties were controlled by Al2O3 content, dispersion of nano reinforcements and grain size. The optimum hardness and strength properties were achieved through incorporation of 10 wt.% Al2O3 and homogenous dispersion of CNTs and Al2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) at 12 h of milling which resulted in the formation of high density of dislocations and extensive grain size refinement. Also both longitudinal and shear velocities and attenuation increase linearly by increasing Al2O3 content and milling time. The variation of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation was attributed to the degree of dispersion of CNTs and Al2O3 and also less inter-particle spacing in the matrix. The larger Al2O3 content and more homogenous dispersion of CNTs and Al2O3 NPs at longer milling time exerted higher velocity and attenuation of ultrasonic wave.

Introduction The mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), belonging to the Anacardiaceae family, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study aims to assay the anti-inflammatory effects of mastic in rats with colitis. Methods Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups of control, colitis without treatment, colitis with mastic (400 mg/kg/daily) administered orally or intra-rectally, colitis with prednisolone (5 mg/kg of body weight), and colitis with sesame oil for seven successive days. Treatment effects were evaluated by determining cytokines (TNFα, IL6) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, macroscopic scores, and histopathological parameters. The results of each group are compared with colitis without treatment group. Results After administering sesame oil, the MPO level was reduced significantly compared to colitis without the treatment group (P=0.025). The mastic oil (400 mg/kg orally) administration was effective in reducing colitis severity through the reduction in the total colitis index (p=0.046) after 7 days. The Intra-rectal administration of mastic decreased TNF-α significantly, similar to prednisolone and control groups compared to the colitis without treatment group (p=0.024). The IL-6 did not change in the mastic and sesame oil groups. Conclusion According to our results, mastic and sesame oil have anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting that they could be used as natural sources to lessen the ulcerative colitis inflammation.

Introduction. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). In contrast to tremor, which is frequently observed in MS patients, other movement disorders including parkinsonism, dystonia, chorea, ballism, myoclonus, and hemifacial spasm rarely occur. Case report. The patient is a 34-year-old woman, a known case of MS manifested with choreiform movements in the tongue in conjunction with right upper and lower extremities choreoathetosis and hemiballismus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) depicted a plaque in the contralateral subthalamic nucleus. The patient was treated with pulse methylprednisolone, antipsychotic and dopamine receptor blocker medications with complete recovery of her symptoms within one month. Conclusions. Chorea or ballismus occur rarely as the presenting or relapsing features in MS patients. Therefore, clinicians should be familiar with this possibility and include high resolution neuroimaging and EEG in the diagnostic work-up of patients with MD to avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate management.

The present paper proposes a number of models for calculating the average efficiency of two-stage networks using DEA and DEA-R with fuzzy data. If the input, intermediate, and output parameters are available in a two-stage network, DEA and DEA-R models can be used to compute the efficiency. When evaluating decision-making units (DMUs) in two-stage network DEA, the respective programming models are fractional. Meanwhile, in DEA-R, the proposed programming models are linear. Although, it is necessary that the output-to-input ratios (output-orientation) or vice versa (input orientation) be defined and available. Furthermore, DEA-R models can also evaluate DMUs with a network structure when only ratio data are available. Generally, using fuzzy data is necessary for an accurate evaluation of organizations with a two-stage network structure. Therefore, in the present article, using the α-cut approach, an average efficiency model is proposed for the first and second stages of a network structure. At the end, a comparison is made between the mean efficiency scores of a number of airlines by considering fuzzy data in two-stage network DEA and DEA-R.

In the present study, cold roll bonding process of dissimilar bimetal strips of steel/Al was simulated and investigated using finite element method. To this end, velocity variable was introduced to ABAQUS using UVARM subroutine. Accordingly, prediction of the starting bonding point by the finite element method, based on the criterion of equal velocities of the layers, was in good agreement with the experimental results. In the process of roll bonding of bimetal steel/aluminum strips, the effect of some factors on the bonding strength including the total deformation of the strip, the initial thickness of the strip, the yield stress ratio and the thickness ratio of the layers were studied. In addition, the deformation of each of the steel and the aluminum layers were also investigated during the rolling. The results of finite element simulations, as well as the experimental results, showed that with increasing the total deformation percentage of the strip, the rolling force, the mean pressure at the interface of the layers, the deformation percentage of each layer and the relative bonding length increase. Furthermore, it was found out that increasing the yield strength ratio of the aluminum layer to the steel layer at a certain total deformation percentage of the strip, on one hand, increased the rolling force, the mean pressure at the interface of the layers as well as the relative bonding length and on the other hand, decreased the non-homogeneity in the deformation of the layers. Further studies revealed that decreasing the initial strip thickness at a certain total deformation percentage of the strip reduced the rolling force as well as the non-homogeneity in the deformation of the layers. But it increased the mean pressure at the interface of the layers as well as the relative bonding length. In this regard, the unprecedented consistency of the theoretical and experimental results indicated an appropriate accuracy of the presented finite element analysis in analyzing the cold roll bonding process.

In this study, a simple mathematical model is introduced to predict the stress–strain curves under the occurrence of minor dynamic recrystallization. In this regard, first, with the assumption of nonlinear variation of strain-hardening rate versus strain, a mathematical equation was derived to obtain the strain-hardening rate. Then, using the Voce’s equation, a new mathematical model was developed to predict the hot deformation behavior of metallic alloys at high strain rates. The most important feature of the proposed model is its simplicity so that the only constant of the stress–strain equation can easily be interpolated at different temperatures and strain rates. Accordingly, it was found that the defined material constant varies linearly and exponentially with strain rate and temperature, respectively. The high correlation factors (average correlation factor, r2 = 0.85) obtained from regression analysis showed that the model can provide a precise estimation of flow stress curves for the defined deformation conditions.

The effects of the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the morphology and microstructure of Al-Al2O3 nanocomposites and the subsequent effects on their densification and mechanical behavior are studied. From the morphologic study, ball milling was found to be more intensified in the presence of 2 wt.% of CNTs wherein steady state was reached after 5 h of milling. The addition of CNTs as a mixing agent facilitates dispersion of Al2O3 nanoparticles and exerts extensive grain refinement. Compressibility and sinterability were found to be positively correlated with the milling time. Compressibility and sinterability were improved by increasing milling time owing to severe particle size reduction and minimizing the agglomeration of reinforcement particles. The micro-hardness (HV), nano-hardness (HN) and Young’s modulus (E) values of Al-2CNT-10Al2O3 nanocomposites increased by ~ 19%, 26% and 34%, respectively, as the milling time proceeds. At each milling time, Al-2CNT-10Al2O3 nanocomposites possess superior mechanical properties compared with Al-10Al2O3 nanocomposites owing to the morphologic and microstructural variations caused in the presence of CNTs.

A series of thiophene-based donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) oligomer substituted metalloporphyrins (MPors) with different 3d central metal-ions (M = Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) were systematically investigated to screen efficient hybrid photocatalysts for CO2 reduction based on density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT simulations. Compared with base MPors, the newly designed hybrid photocatalysts have a lower bandgap energy, stronger and broader absorption spectra, and enhanced intermolecular charge transfer, exciton lifetime, and light-harvesting efficiency. Then, the introduction of D-A-D electron donor (ED) groups into the meso-positions of MPors is a promising method for the construction of efficient photocatalysts. According to the calculated adsorption distance, adsorption energy, Hirshfeld charge and electrostatic potential analysis, it was revealed that CO2 physically adsorbed on the designed photocatalyst surface. In addition, among the studied model systems the ZnPor(ED)4 catalyst with four D-A-D electron donors exhibits the best photocatalytic performance due to its broadest absorption spectra with λmax = 500.12 nm and the highest adsorption energy of about 26 kJ mol-1. Finally, the sensing ability of the ZnPor(ED)4-based multi-terminal molecular junction for CO2 gas detection is determined using Green's functions. The transmission plots of this molecular junction are barely changed due to the physical adsorption of CO2 on the molecular surface, leading to the low sensitivity of the device. We believe that such a theoretical design can provide a general approach for further experimental and computational studies of photocatalysts used in the CO2 reduction process.

Using waterpipe is the most common method of tobacco consumption among Iranian females and the rate has significantly increased over the past few decades.The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that contribute to the initiation of waterpipe tobacco smoking among females in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran.This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and June 2016 in Gorgan. Two hundred and six females who smoked waterpipe tobacco were recruited as participants using convenience and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected using a questionnaire examining the factors that facilitate initiation of waterpipe smoking among females.Positive attitudes towards waterpipe smoking and its availability were the most frequently reported factors contributing to its initiation among females (87.9%). Curiosity (80.1%) and waterpipe smoking among family members (70.9%) were also significant. The least frequently reported factor was "attracting other's attention and cooperation".A positive opinion, availability, curiosity and presence of waterpipe smoking among family members and relatives were the most signifcant factors that facilitated initiation of waterpipe smoking among females. To reduce its prevalence, it is recommended that intervention strategies be implemented to change attitudes and reduce access to waterpipe tobacco at family and social gatherings.العوامل التي تُسهم في بدء تدخين النرجيلة بين النساء الإيرانيات.شيرين صيقلده، عبد الرحمن جركزي، مهناز أماني، طيبة أستوان، إلميرا منكلي زاده.يُعتبر تدخين النرجيلة أكثر طرق تعاطي التبغ انتشاراً بين النساء الإيرانيات، وقد ارتفع معدل تدخينها ارتفاعاً كبيراً على مدار العقود القليلة الماضية.تمثل الغرض من هذه الدراسة في تحديد العوامل التي تُسهم في بدء تدخين النرجيلة بين النساء في جرجان.أُجريت هذه الدراسة الشاملة لعدة قطاعات في الفترة بين مارس/آذار ويونيو/حزيران 2016 في جرجان. وقد استعنّا بعدد 206 نساء من مدخنات النرجيلة للمشاركة في هذه الدراسة. واُخْتِير هؤلاء النساء بأسلوب أخذ العينات الملائمة وأسلوب كرة الثلج لأخذ العينات. وقد جُعت البيانات عن طريق استبيان لتحديد العوامل التي تُيسر بدء تدخين النرجيلة بين النساء.كانت النظرة الإيجابية تجاه النرجيلة وتوافرها أكثر ما ذُكر من العوامل التي تُسهم في بدء تدخينها بين النساء (87.9٪). ومن ضمن العوامل المهمة أيضاً كان الفضول (80.1٪)، وتدخين النرجيلة بين أفراد الأسرة (70.9٪). أما "جذب انتباه الآخرين والتعاون" فكان من أقل العوامل المذكورة.جاءت النظرة الإيجابية تجاه تدخين النرجيلة، وتوافرها، والفضول إزائها، وتدخينها بين أفراد الأسرة والأقارب ضمن أهم العوامل المذكورة التي تُيسر بدء تدخين النرجيلة بين النساء. ولتقليل معدل انتشار تدخين النرجيلة بين النساء، نوصي ببعض استراتيجيات التدخل التي تُغير النظرة إلى النرجيلة وتقلل إمكانية الوصول إليها في تجمعات الأسرة والأصدقاء.Facteurs contribuant à la mise en place d’un tabagisme par pipe à eau chez les femmes iraniennes.La pipe à eau est la méthode de consommation de tabac la plus répandue parmi les femmes iraniennes et le taux de consommation a considérablement augmenté au cours des dernières décennies.L’objectif de la présente étude était de déterminer les facteurs qui contribuent à la mise en place d’un tabagisme par pipe à eau parmi les habitantes de Gorgan (République islamique d’Iran).La présente étude transversale a été menée entre les mois de mars et de juin 2016 à Gorgan. Nous avons recruté 206 fumeuses de pipe à eau comme participantes. Ces dernières ont été sélectionnées à l’aide des méthodes d’échantillonnage de commodité et boule de neige. Les données ont été collectées au moyen d’un questionnaire portant sur les facteurs qui facilitent l’initiation d’un tabagisme de ce type chez les femmes.Les attitudes positives vis-à-vis de la pipe à eau et de sa disponibilité constituaient les facteurs les plus fréquemment rapportés qui contribuaient à la mise en place d’un tabagisme par pipe à eau chez les femmes (87,9 %). La curiosité (80,1 %) et l’utilisation de la pipe à eau au sein de la famille (70,9 %) étaient également des facteurs importants. Le facteur le moins fréquemment rapporté correspondait à l’énoncé : « attirer l’attention et susciter l’aide de l’autre ».L’attitude positive, la disponibilité, la curiosité et l’existence d’un tabagisme par pipe à eau au sein des membres de la famille et des proches constituaient les facteurs les plus importants qui facilitent la mise en place de ce type de tabagisme chez les femmes. Afin de réduire la prévalence de ce tabagisme chez les femmes, nous recommandons la mise en œuvre de stratégies d’intervention visant à modifier les attitudes et à réduire l’accès au tabac pour pipe à eau lors des réunions en famille et des rencontres sociales.

Ma (1996) described Gaeolaelaps debilis as a new species from China, being just one female collected from the nest of Daurian ground squirrel, Spermophilus dauricus Brandt (Rodentia: Sciuridae), in the Jilin Province. Then he presented a supplementary description of this species, based on female and deutonymph specimens collected from soil in same province from China (Ma 2004); but they both lack some of the most important details concerning leg chaetotaxy and do not provide enough information for accurate and consistent species identification. In this paper, we redescribe the adult female of G. debilis (Ma, 1996) based on the newly collected specimens from new localities in China, Iran and the Russian Far East. Our work includes the first description of the male of this species. Moreover, a key to the species of Gaeolaelaps with setae st1 off sternal shield is presented.

Background There are several reports of the association between SARS-CoV-2infection (COVID-19) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). In this study, we aimed to compare the hospitalization rate of CVST before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (before vaccination program). Methods In this retrospective cohort study, the hospitalization rate of adult CVST patients in Namazi hospital, a tertiary referral center in the south of Iran, was compared in two periods of time. We defined March 2018 to March 2019 as the pre-COVID-19 period and March 2020 to March 2021 as the COVID-19 period. Results 50 and 77 adult CVST patients were hospitalized in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, respectively. The crude CVST hospitalization rate increased from 14.33 in the pre-COVID-19 period to 21.7 per million in the COVID-19 era (P=0.021). However, after age and sex adjustment, the incremental trend in hospitalization rate was not significant (95% CrI: -2.2, 5.14). Patients > 50-year-old were more often hospitalized in the COVID-19 period. (P=0.042) SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was done in 49.3% out of all COVID-19 period patients, which were positive in 6.5%. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3 at three-month follow-up was associated with age (P=0.015) and malignancy (P=0.014) in pre-COVID period; and was associated with age (P=0.025), altered mental status on admission time (P

Hypertrophic olivary degeneration (HOD) is a unique form of trans-synaptic neuronal degeneration within the dentato-rubro-olivary pathway which is manifested by the enlargement and hyperintensities of the inferior olivary nucleus in the brain magnetic resonance imaging.We report a 53-year-old man admitted to our emergency department with a history of progressive ataxia and vertigo for 6 months before admission. Neurological examination revealed cerebellar dysfunction, and the brain magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral HOD without an identifiable causative lesion within the brain or abnormal meningeal enhancement. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed mild lymphocytic pleocytosis, elevated protein, and negative cytology. Malignancy and paraneoplastic workup exhibited marked elevation of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level and para-aortic lymphadenopathy. A histologic examination demonstrated the infiltration of lymph nodes by a malignant, poorly differentiated carcinomatous tumor that arises from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Considering the primary site of the tumor and HOD as a paraneoplastic effect of carcinoma, a FOLFIRINOX regimen, intravenous immunoglobulin, and pulse methylprednisolone were started. A follow-up imaging after 3 months depicted a significant resolution of HOD but the neurological status only mildly improved. The patient developed liver and adrenal metastasis over the following 6 months, culminating in his death.This study strengthens a relationship between HOD and malignancy as a paraneoplastic syndrome and provides a new incentive for further researches to confirm this association.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous crystalline materials being used as photocatalysts for efficient pollutant removal and environmental remediation. In this study, the TMU-32 MOF was synthesized as an effective photocatalyst for the photodegradation of tetracycline (TC) with 96% efficiency in 60 min under visible light. The high photocatalytic activity of the TMU-32 MOF is mainly due to its large specific surface area, which is beneficial for promoting both the adsorption of TC and the separation of the photoinduced charges. Moreover, its desired crystallinity makes it a semiconductor with an appropriate band gap energy. Next, a composite of the TMU-32 MOF with Fe

Since introducing COVID-19 vaccines, many neurological complications such as acute transverse myelitis have been reported in the literature. This study aims to identify the clinical characteristics, radiological findings, and prognostic factors in patients with COVID-19 vaccine-associated transverse myelitis (TM).We systematically reviewed Scopus, Pubmed, Cochrane library, Google Scholar, and preprint databases using appropriate keywords from inception till 8th April 2022. Besides, we manually searched the reference lists of the included studies and relevant previous reviews.We included 28 studies identifying 31 post-COVID-19 vaccination myelitis patients (17 female and 14 male). The mean age of the included patients was 52±19 years. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (Oxford-AstraZeneca) was the most common type of vaccine in association with myelitis (12 out of 31), followed by Pfizer (8 out of 31), Moderna (7 out of 31), Sinopharm (3 out of 31), and Janssen vaccine (1 out of 31). The myelitis occurred in 24 and 7 patients after administering the first and second dose of the vaccine, respectively. 21 and 10 patients had good recovery (Modified Rankin Score (MRS)3 at the follow-up) and poor recovery (MRS≥3 at the follow-up) from myelitis, respectively. Age (OR 1.09, 95%CI 1.01-1.18, pThe patients with higher age and MRS at admission had a worse prognosis and needed timely and more aggressive therapeutic strategies.

Background Aneurysm formation of internal carotid arteries (ICA) in patients with mucormycosis is a scarce phenomenon. However, the prevalence of rhino-cerebral mucormycosis has been reported to increase after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods Three patients with stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage due to ICA aneurysm after the involvement of adjacent paranasal sinuses with mucormycosis were presented. All patients were recruited from Namazi and Khalili hospitals affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran from April 2021 to May 2021. Results They had a history of diabetes and corticosteroid use. Also, one of them was treated with imatinib. Two out of three patients were infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection before developing mucormycosis. Two patients had diagnostic angiography before endovascular intervention. One patient did not undergo any therapeutic intervention due to total artery occlusion, whereas the other patient experienced a successful parent artery occlusion by coiling, and only this patient survived. Although all patients received antifungal treatment and surgical debridement, two of them died. Conclusions In the patients with rhino-cerebral mucormycosis evolving of aneurysm should be promptly and meticulously investigated by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA). As this type of aneurysms was very fast-growing, as soon as the involvement of sphenoid sinus was detected, the possibility of ICA aneurysm formation should always be kept in mind. If the patient developed an aneurysm, prompt intensive antifungal therapy and therapeutic endovascular interventions such as stenting, coiling, or sacrificing should be considered as soon as possible to optimize outcomes.

Objectives Brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a non-invasive modality that can be used to investigate brainstem neuronal function in movement disorders. The differentiation between drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) and Parkinson's disease (PD) can be very challenging. Although PD and DIP to some extent display similar clinical symptoms, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms are entirely different. Given these differences in pathogenesis, and the diagnostic utility of BAER for detecting brainstem function, BAER may help to distinguish between PD and DIP. This study aimed to assess the accuracy and predictive values of BAER parameters in differentiating DIP from PD. Methods We prospectively studied143 participants classified within three groups, including 50 controls, 57 PD, and 36 DIP. BAER was performed on all patients in the study. Patients in the DIP group were followed up for at least one year after discontinuation of the causative drug and examined for final diagnosis. We compared BAER latencies of the three groups and measured sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, and accuracy of BAER in diagnosing DIP. Result Waves V, I-V, and III-V latencies were significantly prolonged among the PD patients compared to the DIP and the control group; however, there were no significant differences in BAER latencies between the DIP and the control group. Waves V and I-V latencies revealed the highest accuracy (86% and 79%, respectively) in distinguishing DIP from PD with high negative predictive value(89% and 83%, respectively) as well as a high negative likelihood ratio (0.2and 0.3, respectively). Conclusion This study showed that waves V and I-V latencies are significantly prolonged in PD patients compared to those with DIP, consistent with the proposed mechanisms of neurodegeneration in PD, particularly in the midbrain and pons. Consequently, BAER could be used as a useful diagnostic tool for differentiating DIP from PD.

International audience; We experimentally study how the turbulent energy dissipation rate scales in the cross-stream direction of turbulent wake flows generated by two side-by-side square prisms. We consider three different such turbulent flows with gap ratios $G/H=1.25$ , $2.4$ and $3.5$ , where $G$ is the distance between the prisms and $H$ is the prism width. These three flows have a very different dynamics, inhomogeneities and large-scale features. The measurements were taken with a multi-camera particle image velocimetry system at several streamwise locations between $2.5H$ and $20H$ downstream of the prisms. After removing the large-scale most energetic coherent structures, the normalised turbulence dissipation coefficient $C'_{\epsilon }$ of the remaining incoherent turbulence is found to scale as $C'_{\epsilon } \sim (\sqrt {Re_{L}}/Re'_{\lambda })^{3/2}$ along the highly inhomogeneous cross-stream direction for all streamwise locations tested in all three flows and for all three inlet Reynolds numbers considered; $Re'_{\lambda }$ and $Re_{L}$ are, respectively, a Taylor length-based and an integral length-based Reynolds number of the remaining incoherent turbulence.

Sadeghi, M., Fallahzadeh, M., Ostovan, H., Ljubomirov, T., Hesami, Sh. (2019): Revised checklist of the genus Cerceris (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) of Iran, with two new records. Far Eastern Entomologist 395: 14-22, DOI: 10.25221/fee.395.3, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.25221/fee.395.3

Introduction: Considering the increased expenditure in public health sector, especially the increased cost in hospitals and clinics, there is an urgent need to control these costs mainly by ensuring adherence to clinical guidelines for diagnostic procedures. In this study we aim to investigate the adherence of heart clinics to guideline for exercise tolerance test. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 308 patients who were referred for ECG exercise test in 3 clinics located in the city of Shiraz, Iran in 2018. Demographic and clinical data were recorded and the indications of exercise test for each patient was reviewed according to the ACC/AHA guideline for exercise tolerance test. Results: Exercise tests were found to be inappropriately done in 121 (39.3%) participants. Among the patients for whom the test was done without indication 79 (65.3%) were women and the gender difference was statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: This study confirms that more than one third of exercise tests done in the participants are inappropriate. Wide availability of exercise test makes it vulnerable to overuse and additional unnecessary cost to health care systems.