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• What is the primary question addressed by this study? What factors influence intervention adherence among family caregivers of people with dementia? • What is the main finding of this study? The study uncovered predictors of intervention adherence among dementia caregivers, providing insights into dropout rates and reasons behind them, thereby informing the design and implementation of more effective online treatments. Specifically, the findings emphasized the necessity of tailoring interventions to address the specific shared needs of caregivers, highlighting the importance of integrating social component features, such as human-based interaction, with comprehensive discussions on their implications. • What is the meaning of the finding? Understanding predictors of intervention adherence can inform the development of more effective and tailored online interventions for dementia caregivers in research and clinical practice, enhancing support and ultimately improving dementia care outcomes. Online interventions hold promise in supporting the well-being of family caregivers and enhancing the quality of care they provide for individuals with long-term or chronic conditions. However, dropout rates from support programs among specific groups of caregivers, such as caregivers of people with dementia, pose a challenge. Focused reviews are needed to provide more accurate insights and estimates in this specific research area. A meta-analysis of dropout rates from available online interventions for family caregivers of people with dementia was conducted to assess treatment acceptability. A systematic search yielded 18 studies involving 1,215 caregivers. The overall pooled dropout rate was 18.4%, with notable heterogeneity indicating varied intervention adherence. Interventions incorporating human contact, interactive features, and personalization strategies for specific types and stages of dementia predicted significantly lower dropout rates. Methodological assessment revealed variability in study quality. Findings support the effectiveness of social support, personalization strategies, and co-design in enhancing intervention adherence among dementia family caregivers. Further research is needed to explore factors influencing dropout rates and conduct robust trials to refine the implementation of future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and its application to various clinical issues have proliferated across the world. Despite very active clusters of ACT research occurring worldwide, the science that is disseminated through the literature does not fully reflect this scope and diversity, with Iran serving as a prime example of this issue. To increase awareness of ACT research findings in Iran, we conducted a systematic review of 110 randomized trials and extracted data on key study features. RCTs were identified, suggesting the efficacy of ACT in Iran for a wide range of clinical areas, including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive related disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, mood disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and psychological outcomes among patients diagnosed with medical conditions including cancer, diabetes, gastric dysfunctions, pain, infertility, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis as well as improving multiple health-related biomarkers in medical samples. The majority of studies had a relatively high risk of potential bias due to methodological limitations. Several important cultural factors were identified related to how ACT has been delivered and evaluated in Iran. These included targets of treatment and ways that clinical research itself is conducted that differentiate this important body of work from ACT research conducted in Western cultural contexts. • Studies evaluating ACT in Iran are underrepresented in English-language publications. • We conducted a systematic review comprising 110 randomized ACT trials in Iran. • Findings revealed that ACT was efficacious across many physical and mental health areas. • A review of methodological quality indicated a relatively high risk of bias. • Our review revealed important cultural differences in how ACT is delivered in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although numerous studies on experiential avoidance and its relationship to psychopathology have been conducted, systematic summaries of this research are lacking. The current systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the transdiagnostic role of experiential avoidance across depression, anxiety and related disorders (obsessive-compulsive and related disorders [OCRDs] and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) as well as potential moderators of these relations. A total of 441 eligible studies including 135,347 participants (66.16% female, mean age = 31.53) and 899 effect-sizes were summarized. Results indicated a moderate-to-large association of experiential avoidance with anxiety (r = 0.506) and depressive symptoms (r = 0.562), major depressive disorder (r = 0.453), worry (r = 0.516), generalized anxiety disorder (r = 0.588), social anxiety disorder (r = 0.461), panic and agoraphobia (r = 0.340), specific phobias (r = 0.431), OCRDs (r = 0.406), and PTSD (r = 0.489). Anxiety sensitivity moderated the relationship of experiential avoidance to anxiety and depression. Moreover, depression moderated the relationship of experiential avoidance to generalized anxiety disorder and OCRDs. Correlations varied by mean experiential avoidance value, suggesting a potentially nonlinear relationship of experiential avoidance to psychological symptoms. Other potential moderators including type of population, type of measure, comorbidity, and clinical status were investigated. Results support the hypothesized role of experiential avoidance as a transdiagnostic and transcultural process relevant to depression, anxiety, OCRDs, and PTSD. However, experiential avoidance has largely been measured as a generalized trait; future research would be enhanced by measuring experiential avoidance as a dynamic and contextualized process. • Many studies supports the transdiagnostic role of experiential avoidance (EA) across anxiety and depressive disorders. • EA as a dynamic, contextual process may have a non-linear (e.g., quadratic) relationship to psychopathology over time. • Moderator analyses suggest variability in how EA develops and operates within anxiety and depressive disorders. • Comorbidity and clinical status of disorders do not impact the fundamental relationship of EA to psychopathology. • Future studies would benefit more by using context-sensitive measures of EA rather than trait measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular measures of psychological flexibility (PF), such as the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) and Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) have been criticized for questionable psychometric properties. The critiques include poor divergent validity with negative emotionality and disregarding PF's theoretical definition of flexible contact with the present moment while acting in the service of chosen values. Recently, the Personalized Psychological Flexibility Index (PPFI) has been proposed as an alternative self-report measure of PF that attempts to address these issues above. The current study sought to test the psychometric properties of the PPFI in a large sample of Iranians from the general population who completed a cross-sectional survey. Back translation and cognitive interviews were used to translate the PPFI into Persian. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Persian version of the PPFI, like the English version, has a three-factor structure mapping onto the avoidance, acceptance, and harnessing subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor solution, showed a good model fit, and good internal consistencies. Correlational analyses supported the construct validity of the Persian PPFI with relations to well-being, goal-directedness, and life orientations in expected directions. Furthermore, the Persian PPFI demonstrated excellent divergent validity from negative emotionality (r = −0.38). Test of incremental validity indicated the Persian PPFI explained more variance in 10 of 15 outcomes than the BEAQ or AAQ-II. The current findings provide psychometric evidence for use of the PPFI in Persian-speaking populations as well as further support for evaluating PF ideographically and in line with theoretical definitions. • Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the three-factor of the Persian PPFI. • It has satisfactory reliability and validity for predicting well-being, goal-directed, and life orientation constructs. • The Persian PPFI has incremental validity above and beyond the BEAQ and AAQ-II. • The Persian PPFI has divergent validity from negative emotionality. • The Persian PPFI allows researchers to test hypotheses about psychological flexibility in Persian-speaking populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop a sustainable method for producing antioxidant-rich extracts from corn bran. The technique involved solid-state fermentation (SSF) as a pretreatment method followed by natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs)-based extraction. SSF was optimized with response surface methodology and the highest total phenolic content (TPC) of 3.31 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight (dw) was achieved. Fourteen different NADESs for extracting phenolic compounds in fermented corn bran were screened. The two most suitable NADES systems were selected for the recovery of bioactive compounds from fermented corn bran according to COSMOtherm software. The results showed that the corn bran extracts obtained through betaine:malic acid (3.86 mg GAE/g dw) and choline chloride:xylose (3.52 mg GAE/g dw) had significantly a higher TPC than the extract obtained through ethanol (3.11 mg GAE/g dw). Moreover, the selected NADESs extracted more ferulic acid, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid than ethanol according to the UPLC-qTOF-MS/MS results. The highest extraction levels of ferulic, p -coumaric, caffeic, and vanillic acids extracted by NADESs were 112.01, 30.53, 2.21, and 4.89 μg/100 mL extract, respectively. The study demonstrated that SSF followed by NADES-base extraction is an efficient strategy for enhancing the phenolic content and antioxidant activity in corn bran. Corn bran is a significant by-product of the corn industry, with a global production volume of 8.78 million tons in 2021. It is a rich source of phenolic compounds, which are known for their antioxidant and health-promoting properties, making it attractive for food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the industrial application of corn bran poses a challenge as these phenolic compounds are mostly bound and insoluble. Our study demonstrated that Solid-State Fermentation (SSF) can significantly increased the total phenolic content of corn bran. By integrating SSF with the use of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs), our work not only improved the phenolic content of corn bran but also offered a sustainable and green approach to the extraction of bioactive compounds. This approach was highly desirable from an industrial perspective as it provided a cost-effective and eco-friendly method for the production of bioactive compounds from corn bran. • An important total phenolic content from corn bran was achieved through the optimized solid-state fermentation conditions. • Betaine:malic acid and choline chloride:xylose extracted the highest total phenolic content. • Ferulic acid was the predominant phenolic acid in all the prepared extracts (94.9–112 μg/100 mL of extract). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) has been widely used to modify the functional properties of proteins in food systems. In the last 30 years since the discovery of MTGase, many efforts have been made on new strain isolation, culture media optimization, and fermentation procedure optimization to obtain MTGase with higher activity. Additionally, over the last decade, many studies have switched the focus from conventional optimization to genetic engineering in order to develop a highly efficient MTGase expression system with desired properties such as thermostability, activity, and yield by using genetic manipulation of strains such as Escherichia coli , Bacillus subtilis, and Pichia pastoris. In this review, we describe not only the recent advances and limitations related to MTGase biosynthesis but also the potential of MTGase for application in the food industry for some food products, including meat products, cheese, yogurt, and bread. Promoter engineering, gene codon optimization, signal peptide fusion, constitutive expression, random and rotational mutagenesis, etc. have been applied to enhance the recombinant expression system of MTGase. After three decades of research, the expression of recombinant MTGase has been significantly improved from the formation of inclusion body and enzyme with very low activity to the soluble form with high activity. Recombinant MTGase technology could also resolve problems related to post-translational modification in MTGase biosynthesis, resulting in facilitating downstream processing. In the future, it has been predicted that the scope of research will expand to work on heterologous expression by combination of genetic engineering tools. Further research is also needed to evaluate the biosynthesis of recombinant MTGase on a larger scale. • Transglutaminase enzyme has an effect on physicochemical and functional properties of various food products. • Effect of transglutaminase biosynthesis by various microorganisms are reviewed. • Research on recombinant MTGase technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ice cream as a complex multi-phase food consists of fat globules, air bubbles and ice crystals dispersed in a semi-frozen solution. Ice cream contains about 12% fat, which plays a significant role in ice cream structural and organoleptic properties. On the other hand, consumers are interested in consuming low-fat foods. Consequently, nowadays many fat replacers are utilized in low-fat ice cream that can mitigate textural and sensory defects caused by reducing fat content. Fat replacers are categorized into three groups based on their compositions: lipid, protein and carbohydrate-based. Most common fat replacers used in ice cream include inulin, maltodextrin, polydextrose, milk proteins, soy proteins, dietary fibers, and starches. In the current paper, these different types of fat replacers and their effects on the physicochemical and sensory properties of low-fat ice cream are discussed and compared. Highlights • No fat replacer is suitable for all applications in low-fat ice cream formulations. • Suitable melting behavior in low-fat ice cream is not easily provided by using fat replacers. • Conflicting results have been reported by recent researches regarding the inulin effect on ice cream melting properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This meta-analysis included all the studies published since the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale development (BSMAS). • Mean scores of the BSMAS rather than debatable cut-off scores were used. • It involved 139 independent samples from 32 countries spanning seven world regions. • PSMU as assessed by the BSMAS was significantly higher in low-income countries. • PSMU increased in the last 7 years overall only in low-income countries. Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) has been defined as the lack of regulation of one's use of social media associated with negative outcomes in everyday functioning. Previous meta-analyses reported PSMU prevalence before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and based the estimates on the cut-off scores, which are debatable in the current fields. The present meta-analysis aims to explore whether PSMU, as assessed by the most used self-report scale (i.e., the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale; BSMAS), increased across the world (i) since the first published study on this topic (i.e., in the last seven years), (ii) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (iii) depending on age, gender and the income level of the countries. The meta-analysis involved 139 independent samples with 133,955 respondents from 32 countries spanning seven world regions. The results show that PSMU: (i) is significantly higher in low-income countries (LIC); (ii) did not increase in the last 7 years overall and after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, except for LIC; (iii) did not vary depending on age and gender. The higher prevalence of PSMU reported during the COVID-19 pandemic by some single studies may have been a transient phenomenon to cope with physical distances in some countries, whilst, in others, an overall increase of PSMU occurred. High levels of PSMU in LIC might be explained based on socio-cultural differences between countries, but also with the higher prevalence of mental disorders in LIC since PSMU might be a symptom of other, more primary psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Latent profile analysis produced 5 classes of Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU). • Social anxiety and loneliness linked to more severe PSMU classes. • Internalizing symptoms and internet addiction linked to more severe PSMU classes. • Sensation-seeking and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder predicted PSMU. • Low self-esteem and low perceived social support predicted PSMU. This study aimed to assess Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) among Iranian adolescents and explore potential risk and protective factors. In the present cross-sectional study, 3375 Iranian adolescents were recruited online and completed questionnaires. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to identify groups with various levels of PSMU. Indicator variables included standardized factor scores for PSMU, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sensation-seeking, internet addiction, loneliness, social anxiety, internalizing symptoms, social support and self-esteem. Five groups were identified relating to severities of PSMU and other factors: low-risk: n = 823 (24.4 %); low-to-moderate-risk: n = 835 (24.7 %); moderate-risk: n = 630 (18.7 %); moderate-to-high-risk: n = 584 (17.3 %); high-risk: n = 503 (14.9 %). Multiple factors, including sensation-seeking, internalizing symptoms, social anxiety, loneliness, internet addiction, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, low self-esteem and low perceived social support, statistically predicted PSMU. The current findings may help identify Iranian adolescents who are particularly vulnerable to PSMU and assist in intervention development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine a transdiagnostic risk factor for predicting pathological worry among non-clinical population. The prediction model of worry was examined according to the propositions of the four cognitive models of generalized anxiety disorder; including intolerance of uncertainty model, metacognitive model, model of emotional schemas and acceptance-based model. Participants were 557 students whom were studied at University of Tehran in Iran. Data were gathered by Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II). Structural equation modeling confirmed the proposed model and indicated that intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitive beliefs and emotional schemas predicted worry both directly and indirectly through experiential avoidance (χ2/df = 1.19, CFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.97, SRMR = 0.03, RMSEA = 0.05). These risk factors had reciprocal relationships and experiential avoidance explained the commonalities between them as a linking mechanism. The variables in the model accounted for 74% of the variance in participants' worry. According to the examined model, individual differences in the ways people use to control their internal experiences and the process of inability to accept these experiences, act like vulnerability and maintenance mechanisms in explaining worry. The findings of this study support the rationale of recent psychotherapies for generalized anxiety disorders that emphasizes both the challenging cognitions and facilitating the acceptance of internal experiences. Highlights • This is one of the first studies to explore transdiagnostic processes in worry. • Intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitions and emotional schemas can predict worry. • Experiential avoidance acts like linking mechanism that related different models of worry together. • The variables in the model accounted for 74% of the variance in participants' worry. • The transdiagnostic processes of worry may be promising targets for prevention or treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important problems in heterogeneous computing systems is task scheduling. The task scheduling problem intends to assigns tasks to a number of processors in a manner that will optimize the overall performance of the system, i.e. minimizing execution time or maximizing parallelization in assigning the tasks to the processors. The task scheduling problem is an NP-complete and this is why the algorithms applied to this problem are heuristic or meta-heuristic by which we could reach a relatively optimal solution. This paper presents a genetic-based algorithm as a meta-heuristic method to address static task scheduling for processors in heterogeneous computing systems. The algorithm improves the performance of genetic algorithm through significant changes in its genetic functions and introduction of new operators that guarantee sample variety and consistent coverage of the whole space. Moreover, the random initial population has been replaced with some initial populations with relatively optimized solutions to lower repetitions in the genetic algorithm. The results of running this algorithm on the graphs of real-world applications and random graphs in heterogeneous computing systems with a wide range of characteristics, indicated significant improvements of efficiency of the proposed algorithm compared with other task scheduling algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The direction of the association between the Big-five personality traits and both problematic Facebook use and time spent on Facebook is controversial. • Different measurements of problematic Facebook use led to different patterns of associations. • More robust measurements of problematic Facebook use and time spent on Facebook are needed. Social networking sites are widespread worldwide, and Facebook is the leading platform in terms of the number of users, laying the ground for potential problematic use. However, problematic Facebook use does not occur for most users but only for a minority. Previous research has found an association between the Big-five personality traits and problematic Facebook use, but the direction of these associations remains controversial. We aimed to fill this gap in knowledge through a systematic review and meta-analysis comprising 425 effect-sizes (78 studies) and 39,930 individuals (females = 33 % to 89 %; age range = 17 to 48 years). Extraversion and neuroticism were associated with higher daily and weekly hours spent on Facebook, while conscientiousness was negatively associated with higher daily hours and not weekly hours. However, when time spent on Facebook was assessed by validated questionnaires, different patterns of associations were observed. Except for the non-significant role of extraversion, the other personality traits were negatively associated with problematic Facebook use, while neuroticism was positively associated. When using different assessment tools was considered, extraversion remained non-significant, but different association patterns were observed. Moreover, for compensatory Facebook use, all personality traits were negatively associated with it, whereas neuroticism exhibited a positive association. Different patterns of associations in terms of strength and direction were observed depending on samples and measures characteristics; thus, definitive conclusions on the direction of the associations are impossible to draw at present. A more robust conceptualization and assessment of problematic Facebook use, as well as time spent on it, is required. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to explore which psychosocial predictors are associated with different co-occurrence patterns of three different behavioral addictions (i.e., problematic gaming, problematic social media use, and problematic gambling) among adolescents. A total of 2390 Iranian adolescents – 835 males and 1555 females aged between 13 and 18 years (M = 16.01 years, SD = 1.38) – participated in a cross-sectional online survey. Latent profile analysis produced four latent classes: a 'non-problematic behavior' class (N = 1766; 73.89% [Class 1]), a 'problematic gambling' class (N = 183; 7.66% [Class 2]), a 'problematic social media use with gaming disorder' class (N = 407; 17.03% [Class 3]), and a 'disordered gambling with problematic social media use' class (N = 34; 1.42% [Class 4]). Adolescent problem gamblers (Class 2) reported higher social support and lower self-esteem; adolescents with co-occurring problems for social media use and gaming (Class 3) had higher internalizing symptoms, higher sensation seeking and higher social anxiety; and adolescents with co-occurring problems of disordered gambling with problematic social media use (Class 4) had higher internalizing symptoms, lower social support and lower self-esteem. The 'non-problematic behavior' class (Class 1) had the lowest levels of internalizing psychopathological symptoms, loneliness, and social anxiety symptoms. Different psychological risk factors in the co-occurrence of problematic gambling, problematic social media use, and problematic gaming among adolescents were found that could help to identify adolescents who are vulnerable to more than one addictive behavior. More specialized prevention as well as treatment programs should be developed for these different types of addictive behavior. • Latent profile analysis produced four classes of co-occurrence patterns of problematic gaming, problematic social media use, and problematic gambling • Adolescent problem gamblers reported higher social support and lower self-esteem • Adolescents with co-occurring problems for social media use and gaming had higher internalizing symptoms, higher sensation seeking and higher social anxiety • Adolescents with co-occurring problems of disordered gambling with problematic social media use had higher internalizing symptoms, lower social support and lower self-esteem [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate social media use metacognitions through the development of a new scale, the Metacognitions about Social Media Use Scale (MSMUS). In addition, the study included measures of problematic social media use (PSMU), gaming metacognitions, and gaming disorder (GD) to test concurrent validity. A total of 2390 Iranian adolescents (835 males and 1555 females) aged between 13 and 18 years (M = 16.01 years, SD = 1.38) participated in a cross-sectional online survey. The results of the exploratory factor analysis (n = 1195) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 1195) suggested that the MSMUS (i) can optimally assess metacognitions concerning social media, and (ii) has a two-factor structure ("negative metacognitions about social media" and "positive metacognitions about social media"). The scale was found to be measurement invariant among males and females, and among individuals with and without risk for PSMU. Social media metacognitions presented significant and predominantly (i) moderate correlations with PSMU symptom severity, and (ii) weak correlations with GD symptom severity. Furthermore, positive and negative social media metacognitions had significant and positive predictive effects on the presence of risk for PSMU with and without a risk for GD - even over the effects of age, gender, and gaming metacognitions. This finding may indicate that metacognitions are possibly a transdiagnostic variable which might be helpful in developmentally assessing addictive behaviors, especially negative metacognitions which might be a risk factor for co-occurring addictive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To handle scheduling of tasks on heterogeneous systems, an algorithm is proposed to reduce execution time while allowing for maximum parallelization. The algorithm is based on multi-objective scheduling cuckoo optimization algorithm (MOSCOA). In this algorithm, each cuckoo represents a scheduling solution in which the ordering of tasks and processors allocated to them are considered. In addition, the operators of cuckoo optimization algorithm means laying and immigration are defined so that it is usable for scheduling scenario of the directed acyclic graph of the problem. This algorithm adapts cuckoo optimization algorithm operators to create proper scheduling in each stage. This ensures avoiding local optima while allowing for global search within the problem space for accelerating the finding of a global optimum and delivering a relatively optimized scheduling with the least number of repetitions. Moving toward global optima is done through a target immigration operator in this algorithm and schedules in each repetition are pushed toward optimized schedules to secure global optima. The results of MOSCOA implementation on a large number of random graphs and real-world application graphs with a wide range characteristics show MOSCOA superiority over the previous task scheduling algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of replacing the ice cream fat with inulin to produce a low-fat ice cream with prebiotic properties. For this purpose, inulin (2, 3 and 4%, w/w) was added to the low-fat ice cream and the physicochemical and sensory properties of the resultant ice creams were compared with those of control ice cream (containing 10% fat) and the inulin-free low-fat ice cream. The composition, pH and acidity of the ice cream mixes were measured and the melting rate, colour and texture of the frozen ice cream samples were examined. The results indicated that the low-fat ice creams had a significantly lower melting rate in comparison with the control. Inulin addition caused the adhesiveness and hardness of the low-fat ice creams to decrease significantly compared with inulin-free low-fat ice cream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiarism is a misconduct, which refers to the use of scientific and literary content contained in other sources without reference to them. Today, the rise of plagiarism has become a serious problem for publishers and researchers. Many researchers have discussed this problem and tried to identify types of plagiarism; however, most of these methods are not effective in detecting intelligent plagiarism. In other words, most of these methods focus on direct copying. Therefore, in this study, two methods are proposed to identify Extrinsic plagiarism. In both methods, to limit the search space, two stages of filtering based on the bag of word (BoW) technique are used at the document level and at the sentence level, and plagiarism is investigated only in the outputs of these two stages. In the first method to detect similarities in suspicious documents and sentences, the combination of pre-trained network technique of words embedding FastText and TF-IDF weighting technique to form two structural and semantic matrices and in the second method to form the two matrices, WordNet ontology and weighting TF-IDF is used. After forming the above matrices and calculating the similarity between the pairs of matrices of each sentence, using the Dice similarity and the structural similarity of the weighted composition, two similarity values are calculated. By comparing the similarity of suspicious sentences with the minimum threshold, the document containing the suspicious sentence receives the label of plagiarism or non-plagiarism. Experimental results on the PAN-PC-11 database show that the first method has achieved 95.1% precision and the second method 93.8% precision, which shows that the use of word embedding network compared to WordNet ontology can be more successful in detecting Extrinsic plagiarism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Performance of four irrigation systems in the Zayandeh Rud Basin, Esfahan, Iran, was assessed for the systems as a whole, rather than on only official registered water extractions and uses. NOAA satellite images were analyzed using the SEBAL (surface energy balance algorithm for land) algorithm to obtain actual and potential evapotranspiration and biomass production. The missing term in the water balance was used to estimate groundwater extractions and unaccounted extraction from the river. For Abshar-Left groundwater extraction surpassed surface water applications, while for Nekouabad-Left groundwater extractions were very low. For Abshar-Right a large amount of water was pumped directly out of the river. The assessment of the systems was expressed by the productivity of water, defined as kg biomass over m3 water evaporated. Productivity was higher (∼0.72kgm−3) for the systems relying on surface water (Nekouabad-Left and Abshar-Right) than for the conjunctive systems, reflecting the difference in water quality between groundwater and surface water. Finally, it was concluded that the advantages of the methodology presented here over the traditional assessments are: (i) most data is readily available, (ii) all water users are included, (iii) groundwater extraction can be estimated, and (iv) a real time assessment can be setup using this approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale (MOGS) measures maladaptive metacognitions about online gaming. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the MOGS, including its factor structure, reliability, and predictive validity among Iranian adolescents. The scale was administered to 769 Iranian adolescents (577 male, mean age = 16.39 ± 1.68 years) with an age range of 15-19 years. The participants completed the Persian-translated version of the MOGS, the Big Five Inventory-10, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the Video-Game Related Cognitions Scale, the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire, and the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire. The results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 350) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n = 419) confirmed three-factors similar to the parent version, including "negative metacognitions about uncontrollability of online gaming" (N-MOGU), "negative metacognitions about dangers of online gaming" (N-MOGD), and "positive metacognitions about online gaming" (P-MOG). The Persian MOGS's reliability showed a suitable internal consistency for the P-MOG, the N-MOGU, the N-MOGD, and the total score in both confirmatory and exploratory samples (range 0.79 to 0.93). A hierarchical regression analysis showed that the Persian MOGS predicted 33.9% of the variance in problematic online gaming independently of personality traits, anxiety, depression, stress, and both gaming-related cognitions and gaming motives. Furthermore, the results of analyses of variance with follow-up Bonferroni pairwise comparisons showed that interaction between the factors of MOGS and types of game and tools of gaming was significant. The findings provide evidence that the Persian MOGS among Iranian adolescents appears psychometrically appropriate to be used by researchers and practitioners dealing with the prevention and treatment of problematic online gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that metacognitions are associated with addictive behaviors. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties (i.e., factor structure, reliability, and predictive validity) of the Persian Metacognitions about Smartphone Use Questionnaire (Persian MSUQ). A community sample of 618 participants (63.6% female, mean age = 27.31 ± 8.95 years; age range: 15-67 years) was recruited in Iran. The results of exploratory factor analysis revealed that the Persian MSUQ had a three-factor structure, similar to the parent version, named positive metacognitions about emotional and cognitive regulation, negative metacognitions about uncontrollability and cognitive harm, and positive metacognitions about social advantages. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the three-factor structure of the Persian MSUQ had appropriate fit. Cronbach's alphas for the three factors were 0.89, 0.88, and 0.70, respectively. Test-retest coefficients over a 6-week interval showed good reliability for the Persian MSUQ total score (ICC = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.72-0.87). Regression analyses showed that metacognitions about smartphone use predicted problematic smartphone use independently of anxiety and depression. The findings suggest that the Persian MSUQ has appropriate psychometric properties in the Iranian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous researches have shown that the problematic Internet use (PIU) is significantly associated with a variety of psychological problems among young people. However, limited research has focused on the psychological mechanism underlying PIU. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between several emotional and cognitive factors in predicting PIU in a sole model. In this model, difficulties in emotion regulation was the independent variable, three cognitive variables (i.e. experiential avoidance, desire thinking, and intolerance of uncertainty) were the mediators, and PIU was the dependent variable. Participants were 300 college students from four universities in Tehran (60% females; Mean age = 20.27). Results of the Structural Equation Modeling analysis revealed a full mediation role of experiential avoidance and desire thinking in the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and PIU (R2 = 57%). Based on these findings a special attention to cognitive factors is suggested in the treatment of PIU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic stress (CS) is critically involved in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis resulting in cognitive disturbance. Also, amyloid precursor protein (APP) related gens, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and stress increases AD-related pathogenesis through increasing APP, all are important players in the development of AD. Herein, we explore the possible neuroprotective and anti-amnestic effect of quercetin (QUER) on cognitive deficits induced by scopolamine (SCOP) in stressed rats. Stress induction was performed by exposed of rats to 2-h chronic restraint stress for 10 days. Then rats were supplemented with QUER (25 mg/kg/day oral gavage, for 1 month). Ratswere submitted to intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of SCOP (1 mg/kg) during the final 9 days of QUER supplementation to induce dementia like condition. Following the interventions, behavioral tests [elevated plus maze (EPM) and novel object recognition memory (NORM)] was examined to analysis the cognitive functions. Meanwhile, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus of brain were used for gene expression and biochemical studies. Also, the plasma corticosterone (CORT) level was measured. We established that administration of QUER ameliorated the SCOP-related memory impairment. Also, QUER decreased stress related anxiety like behaviors in the EPM. QUER also altered the interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in both PFC and hippocampus of SCOP treated rats in stress and non-stress conditions. We found that QUER increased APP and amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) mRNA expression in both non-stress and stressed rats. Also, our findings imply that QUER suppress the effect of SCOP on cognitive functions. Moreover, decreased APP mRNA expression in the hippocampus were observed following pretreatment of rats with QUER in both stress and non-stress groups. Given that decreased amyloid beta (Aβ) expression in the hippocampus of stressed rats, it can be proposed that elevations in APP mRNA expression by QUER activates non-amyloidogenic pathways leading to reduction in Aβ levels. However, our findings indicate that QUER can be a therapeutic candidate, which exerts an anti-amnesic property against SCOP-induced memory decline. On the other hand, prior QUER administration in stress condition could be a promising approach against AD prevention. [Display omitted] • Administration of QUER ameliorates the SCOP-related memory impairment. • QUER decreased anxiety through the proinflammatory cytokines in both PFC and hippocampus in stress conditions. • APP mRNA expression in the hippocampus decrease following pretreatment with QUER in stress condition. • Elevations in APP mRNA expression by QUER activates non-amyloidogenic pathways leading to reduction in Aβ levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Privacy preserving data mining is a new research field that aims to protect the private information and avoid the leakage of this information during the data mining process. One of the techniques in this field is the Privacy Preserving Association Rule Mining which aims to hide sensitive association rules. Many different algorithms with particular approaches have so far been developed to reach this purpose. In this paper, a new and efficient approach has been introduced which benefits from the cuckoo optimization algorithm for the sensitive association rules hiding (COA4ARH). In this method the act of hiding is performed using the distortion technique. Further in this study three fitness functions are defined which makes it possible to achieve a solution with the fewest side effects. Introducing an efficient immigration function in this approach has improved its ability to escape from any local optimum. The efficiency of proposed approach was evaluated by conducting some experiments on different databases. The results of the execution of the proposed algorithm and three of the previous algorithms on different databases indicate that this algorithm has superior performance compared to other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Hemolytic kernicterus, an indirect bilirubin-induced brain dysfunction, is associated with hyper-bilirubinemia in mammalian neonates. In this study, a new model of kernicterus has been developed using intra-peritoneal injections of phenyl hydrazine and subcutaneous injections of sulfisoxazole. These drugs can potentially induce kernicterus in neonatal through changes in hemolysis and hypo-albumin. Methods For this purpose, 7-day-old male Wistar rats ( n = 72; mean weight 11 ± 1 g) were used. The animals have been divided into six different groups which received the drugs alone and their combination, and the drugs' solvents and their combination. Biochemical parameters, brain iron and bilirubin, behavioural performance, auditory function and apoptosis were measured using auto-analyser instruments; atomic absorption spectroscopy, Sawasaki, footprint, auditory brainstem response (ABR) and TUNEL test, respectively. Result The drug-injected groups showed a significant reduction in serum haematocrit and an increase in the concentration of brain bilirubin, total and indirect bilirubin as well as TUNEL positive cells in basal ganglia. In addition, the obtained results showed that there was a significant increase in behavioural disturbance and auditory dysfunction in the group injected with the combination of two drugs. Conclusion This kernicterus-induced rat model could perfectly mimic the common conditions of the hyperbilirubinemia in human neonates. This study offers an easy technique to develop more stable models for follow-up studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-sensor gas diagnosis device made by temperature modulation of a chemo-resistive gas sensor which acts as a virtual array was employed to quantitatively measure the odour emission of fragrant fabrics. Repeatability of the virtual sensor array response was confirmed by the determination of correlation coefficient between sensor responses for 14 experiments in four heating steps. Applying principle component analysis on a device responses revealed that the system would be able to discriminate fragrant fabrics based on fabric types, odour types and intensity. To compare this method with sensory evaluation, quad analysis method was performed by 14 assessors to rank the odour intensity of samples. The comparison of weighted assessors results and virtual array responses showed that there is a good correlation between the two methods with a correlation coefficient of r = 0. 96. Therefore, the proposed single-sensor gas diagnosis device as a virtual sensor array could be a suitable alternative tool to odour assessment of fragrant fabrics for sensory panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a serious problem in occupational environments; however, there is little information about hearing loss due to combined exposure to noise and vibration. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of exposure to noise and whole-body vibration (WBV) on hearing responses under simulated heavy equipment driving conditions. A repeated measures study was designed to evaluate the changes in distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) amplitudes as hearing responses to 40 min of noise and/or WBV exposure. Thirty healthy males with an average age of 30.17 (±3.94) years, exposed to noise level of 85 dB(A) and two WBV levels (0.87 and 1.3 m/s2) in six experimental scenarios. The findings revealed that there was a significant change in DPOAE amplitudes after single noise exposure and combined noise and WBV exposure (p < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in WBV exposure alone (p > 0.05). The changes in DPOAE amplitudes were greater in combined exposure to noise and WBV (1.3 m/s2) in all sessions. The statistical analysis showed the effect sizes of the combined exposure to noise and WBV were more than the sum of the exposure to each one alone. It can be concluded that some synergic effects can occur in DPOAE amplitudes in the combined noise and WBV exposure under heavy equipment driving conditions. These findings can help the occupational health experts adapt the existing physical agents' exposure limits to the realistic conditions of the occupational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]