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Abstract Objective The emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in dogs and cats in different countries worldwide raises concerns that pets are at a higher risk for spreading or transmitting of SARS‐CoV‐2 to humans and other pets and increased the research works about the zoonotic aspects and natural routes of infection in companion animals. The current study aimed to detect the SARS‐CoV‐2 in household dogs and cats living with COVID‐19 positive owners. Methods Deep oropharyngeal and rectal swabs were collected from 30 household pets (20 cats and 10 dogs) living with COVID‐19 positive owners from April 2021 to 2022 in Kerman, Iran. All dogs’ and cats’ samples were tested by real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for detection of SARS‐CoV‐2. Results Two household cats out of 20 examined (10%) were positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, whereas none of the examined dogs were positive for SARS‐CoV‐2. The two cats positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 were symptomatic and suffered from severe anorexia with maximum contact with their infected owners. Conclusion This study reported the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in household cats in close contact with COVID‐19 positive owners during the circulation of new SARS‐CoV‐2 variants (Delta and Omicron) in Iran and suggested that the transmission may have occurred from owners to their cats. Therefore, infected owners should eagerly limit close contact with their pets during COVID‐19 illness.

Abstract Background Toxoplasmosis as a zoonotic condition is developed by an intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii from the Apicomplexa phylum, which imposes economic losses on herds of animals and severe complications in immunocompromised people and pregnant women. This infectious disease can be transmitted to human beings from the contaminated unpasteurized milk, uncooked meat, water and food contaminated with sporulated oocysts and transplacental transmission. Objectives This study amid to determine T. gondii DNA in camel, buffalo and cow milks in using the PCR method based on the B1 gene. Methods A total of 100 milk samples, including 55 cows, 30 buffalos and 15 camels, were collected from different regions of north‐western using direct milking and then transferred to the Food and Aquatic Health Laboratory under refrigerated conditions. Results The results showed that out of 100 milk samples examined, 5 samples (5%) were contaminated, and T. gondii DNA was detected in the milk samples of 2 (3.63%) cows, 1 (3.33%) buffalos and 2 (13.33%) camels, respectively. Conclusions Our findings reveal that raw milk contaminated with T. gondii can be an important route of transmission of infection for human beings.

Background: Online social presence is one of the main contributors which has a significant impact on student's academic performance.Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the online social presence among medical students using the Persian Version of the Online Social Presence Questionnaire (OSPQ) after determining its psychometric properties.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 303 medical students at Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2021. The participants were selected through quota sampling. A two-part online questionnaire containing demographic data and the Persian version of the Online Social Presence Questionnaire (OSPQ) was used for data collection. Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using SPSS version 20.0 and LISREL version 8.80. Internal consistency of the Persian version was determined. ANOVA, Independent T-test, and multiple linear regression were also used. The significance level was considered as 0.05.Results: Out of 303 medical students, 63.7 percent were female with a mean age of 22.83±2.84 years. The mean score of the social identity subscale (P = 0.001) and the total score (P = 0.03) was significantly higher in females. Also, the mean of the intimacy subscale was significantly higher in interns and basic sciences students compared to pre-clinical students. (P = 0.006) The Cronbach alpha coefficient ranged from 0.70 to 0.93 for the whole scale and its subscales. The factor loading of all items was at an acceptable level ranging from 0.4 to 0.95. Almost all of the goodness of fit indices had excellent levels.Conclusion: Our study revealed that the Persian version of OSPQ is a simple, valid, and reliable tool to assess medical students’ sense of social presence in an online environment.

Sistan and Baluchestan provinces and especially Sib and Soran cities have been affected by drought for many years. Most of the effects of this crisis have affected the agricultural sector, especially in rural areas. The occurrence of drought in this city has many direct and indirect effects on the lives of villagers and, certainly, it is not possible to prevent the occurrence of this phenomenon in terms of natural factors and the occurrence of droughts; Therefore, the first step to deal with and reduce the economic and social effects of the phenomenon will be to know and accurately understand the management factors on the occurrence and intensification of this phenomenon. With this knowledge, the study investigated this issue in rural areas of Sib and Soran cities. Quantitative research is practical in terms of purpose. Because the goal of the research is to achieve rules that are used in real and practical situations and help to improve executive methods. 19 villages and based on Cochran's formula, 300 families were selected as a sample. Data collection on two questionnaires; First questionnaire was to identify the consequences and spatial effects of drought and the second questionnaire was in the form of the Delphi technique to determine the effective management factors and strategies for drought. The risk of drought in rural areas has had negative social, environmental, and economic consequences. The spread of false and illegal businesses, the depletion of springs, wells, and surface water resources, as well as the instability of residents' livelihoods have been among the most important negative consequences of drought. On the other hand, lack of job diversity and lack of government investment is the most important management factors in aggravating the effects of drought, in which changing the pattern of water consumption and its storage as effective solutions were obtained.

Abstract Background Dietary components can influence the effects of genetic background in breast cancer (BC). This review study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary components on the expression level of BC-related genes. Methods In this narrative review, Embase, PubMed, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane databases were used to collect the related papers with interactions of BC, genetics, and dietary intake. Appropriate keywords such as BC, gene expression, mutation, nutrient, and diet (alone and together) were applied for data collection. Results The association of BC with some genes including the BC1 gene (BRCA1), the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene can be affected by dietary components. Moderate B12 supplementation may be protective against BC in people with the inherited mutation of BRCA. The olive oil may have a protective effect against BC through several mechanisms such as suppressing HER-2 expression. Furthermore, high glycemic index foods may increase the risk of BC by the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway and the up-regulation of FTO gene expression. Conclusion There are interactions between BC, BC-related genes, and dietary intake. Dietary components such as macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytochemicals may regulate the expression level of BC-related genes. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the associations between BC-related genes and diet and to discover the underlying mechanisms.

Abstract In recent years, the mining of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has attracted much global attention due to the simplicity and high profitability of this business, especially in countries with low electricity rates. The process of cryptocurrency mining using cryptocurrency mining devices requires a significant amount of computing power. This industry, which is increasingly growing in energy and carbon emissions, can cause environmental concerns. Common ways to reduce this amount of energy consumption are to prohibit mining and charge these loads at a higher electricity rate; however, these solution methods are not feasible and applicable in many countries. This paper presents an energy efficiency program to persuade the customers to mine cryptocurrency using high‐efficient cryptocurrency mining devices (CMDs), including informative, regulation, and financial policy instruments. This energy efficiency approach suggests a standard, if implemented, would ban the application of inefficient CMDs, and would encourage the cryptocurrency miners to improve the profitability of their business with high‐efficient CMDs through a penalty‐reward strategy. The performance of this energy efficiency program is studied through an analysis of data gathered from different CMDs used in Iran. The effectiveness of this suggested program is proved through its sufficient incentives for miners using high‐efficient CMDs.

Abstract Background CF patients experience several episodes of pulmonary exacerbations and reduction in their lung function progressively. Lung function is not the only diagnostic index by physicians to decide if CF patients require antibiotic therapy following pulmonary exacerbations. Non-invasive fecal indicators are increasingly being used to assess intestinal inflammation. Calprotectin is the most extensively utilized fecal biomarker in recent CF researches. Methods In this longitudinal study, 30 CF patients (1–18 years) without current infectious gastroenteritis were recruited from Mofid Children's Hospital and Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Then, fecal calprotectin levels were evaluated before treatment, two weeks after systemic antibiotic administration, as well as recurrence of pulmonary exacerbation after first post-hospital discharge. Results The initial fecal calprotectin level in CF patients receiving antibiotics was 651.13 ± 671.04, significantly decreasing two weeks after antibiotic therapy and following recurrence (171.81 ± 224.40, 607.93 ± 549.89, respectively; P

BackgroundDrug resistance in cancer cells is a major concern in chemotherapy. Cisplatin (CIS) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutics for ovarian cancer. Here, we investigated an experimental approach to increase CIS cytotoxicity and overcome cell resistance using nanoparticle-based combination treatments.MethodsPolyethylenimine (PEI)-based magnetic iron oxide nanocomplexes were used for drug delivery in genetically matched CIS-resistant (A2780/CP) and -sensitive (A2780) ovarian cancer cells in the presence of a 20 mT static magnetic field. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized and bonded to PEI cationic polymers to form binary complexes (PM). The binding of CIS to the PM binary complexes resulted in the formation of ternary complexes PM/C (PEI–MNP/CIS) and PMC (PEI–MNP–CIS).ResultsCIS cytotoxicity increased at different concentrations of CIS and PEI in all binary and ternary delivery systems over time. Additionally, CIS induced cell cycle arrest in the S and G2/M phases and reactive oxygen species production in both cell lines. Ternary complexes were more effective than binary complexes at promoting apoptosis in the treated cells.ConclusionPEI-based magnetic nanocomplexes can be considered novel carriers for increasing CIS cytotoxicity and likely overcoming drug resistance of ovarian cancer cells.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a substantial clinical and public health problem because it contributes to harmful effects on quality of life, daytime symptoms, road traffic incidents, and cardiometabolic disease. Increasingly, obstructive sleep apnoea is recognised as a heterogeneous disease, and patients have varied susceptibility to long term complications and different responses to treatment. This narrative review summarises the current knowledge of precision medicine in obstructive sleep apnoea, particularly the role of symptom clusters, polysomnogram phenotypes, physiological endotypes, and circulating biomarkers in defining subtypes. In the near future, the prognostic accuracy of these measures in predicting long term complications in obstructive sleep apnoea will likely be improved, together with better matching of treatments to disease subtypes.

Key Clinical Message Recently spontaneous tension pneumomediastinum (STM), were reported as infrequent complications in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients but pneumothorax (PT), and subcutaneous emphysema (SE) are more frequently seen in COVID‐19 patients. PT and SE may present after PTM in COVID‐19. The aim of this presentation is to show the complications of STM in an Iranian patients with COVID‐19 disease with PT and SE, who were hospitalized in Arya hospital, Rasht, Iran. For 3 months, we followed these patients and their condition was good. STM are uncommon complications in COVID‐19 patients and were reported frequently in male patients. Early diagnosis and treatment could save the patients as these complications are related to poor prognosis and prolonged hospitalization. Patients with mild COVID‐19 and mild pulmonary damage may have a favorable outcome.

Introduction: Different countries throughout the world have adopted non-pharmacologic interventions to reduce and control SARS - CoV-2. In this systematic approach, the impact of non-pharmacologic interventions in management of COVID-19 pandemic was assessed. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, systematic search was carried out on the basis of a search strategy on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and WHO databases on COVID-19. The impact of travel ban, personal protective equipment, distancing, contact tracing, school closure, and social distancing and the combined effect of interventions on COVID-19 were assessed. Results: Of the 14,857 articles found, 44 were relevant. Studies in different countries have shown that various non-pharmacological interventions have been used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The travel ban, either locally or internationally in most of the countries, movement restriction, social distancing, lockdown, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), quarantine, school closure, work place closure, and contact tracing had a significant impact on the reduction of mortality or morbidity of COVID-19. Conclusion: Evidence shows that the implementation of non-pharmacologic interventions (NPIs), for example, social distancing, quarantine, and personal protective equipment’s are generally effective and the best way to prevent or reduce transmission. However, this study suggests that the effectiveness of any NPI alone is probably limited, thus, a combination of various actions, for example, social distancing, isolation, and quarantine, distancing in the workplace and use of personal protective equipment, is more effective in reducing COVID-19.

Introduction: plant remediation is cost-effective and environmentally friendly, in which the plant uses its natural abilities to restore the environment. Plants used for phytoremediation must have the ability to accumulate large amounts of metal pollutants without causing toxicity in them. Today, with the increase in the world's population and the development of industries and factories, the amount of wastewater entering the environment, which often contains heavy metals and various pollutants, increases. Heavy metals have destructive effects on the health of plants and animals in different ecosystems. Considering the ability of heavy metals to accumulate and cause toxicity in living organisms, this type of pollution is considered a serious and fundamental problem. The use of plants as an effective and cost-effective technology to remove metal pollutants from contaminated soils and waters has been recommended as a new method instead of other costly measures. Therefore, the removal of pollutants from soil and polluted waters with the help of plants through absorption and accumulation in roots, stems and leaves is considered as one of the purification methods to remove metal pollutants. In this process, choosing the right plant with high absorption capacity and compatible with the environment, without negative environmental effects, plays a very effective role in the amount of pollutant purification.Material and methods: In this regard, in order to investigate the uptake and accumulation of heavy metals by plants, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications using vetiver plant. Plants treated with industrial effluent and control plants were irrigated with municipal water. Also, pots containing soil without plants were considered to measure the amount of elements in the soil during the six-month experiment period, they were regularly irrigated with other pots with industrial effluent. In order to investigate the effect of irrigation with effluent on the yield of vetiver plant, after a six-month period of experiment, heavy element analysis and anatomical and physiological studies were performed on plants treated with industrial effluent and control plants. Transfer and accumulation factors, which are two important factors in measuring plant ability for phytoremediation, were also examined.Results and discussion: The results of this study showed that among the most heavy metals in industrial effluents, which included zinc and chromium, most of the mentioned elements were stored in the roots of vetiver and less were collected in the aerial parts. Also, the results of physiological traits experiments showed that the factors of soluble sugars and proline in the treated plants increased compared to the control and the concentration of malondialdehyde in the treated plants decreased compared to the control. The results of root studies in control and treated plants showed that root diameter, central cylinder diameter and number of vascular clusters in treated plants increased compared to control.Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study showed that in the process of absorption of heavy metals, changes were made in some anatomical and physiological traits of treated plants. Examination of transfer and bioaccumulation factors also showed that vetiver has the ability to absorb zinc and chromium through plant stabilization.

Researchers in the field of organization and management, generally conduct research with the aim of describing or explaining a phenomenon. Clearly, in researches aimed at explanation, it is important to identify the causal chains that create a phenomenon. Since the discovery of correlations between two variables, which is a common method in quantitative research, cannot indicate the existence or absence of causal relationships, taking a qualitative approach and, in particular, the case study method is recommended to researchers. In this research, while introducing the process tracing method, which is one of the most important tools of causal inference in qualitative research and case study, an attempt is made to describe its various techniques and the capacities resulting from the application of this method. Since, the executive mechanism of the process tracing method, unlike statistical models or even other issues related to qualitative methods, has not been studied much, at the end of this study, the method of applying and implementing this method is examined.

Determining and observing the minimum allowable distance of the marine earth station in motion (M-ESIM) from the shore prevents its destructive interference on the co-frequency shore fixed station. ESIMs are providing broadband Fixed Satellite Services (FSS). This paper studies the parameters involved in determining the minimum allowable distance of the ship from the shore by the interference simulation. The results show that with decreasing the carrier frequency, decreasing latitude or increasing the number of annual passing vessels, this minimum distance increases. In this paper a methodology is presented and simulated to keep constant the minimum allowed distance by adjusting the values of the frequency dependent rejection (FDR). FDR is caused by shifting the M-ESIM frequency band. The minimum distance of 100, 105 and 110Km is evaluated in this paper. In this way, the M-ESIM can be close to the shore as near as the desired distance using the FDR adjustment.

Background and Purpose: The human mouth mucosal surface is colonized by indigenous microflora, which normally maintains an ecological balance among different species. However, certain environmental or biological factors may disrupt this balance,leading to microbial diseases. Candida albicans biofilms are formed on indwelling medical devices and have an association with both oral and invasive candidiasis. This study aimed to compare the amount of adherent C. albicans and the biofilm formed on different denture base materials. The adhesion of C. albicans to denture base materials is widely recognized as the main reason for the development of denture stomatitis.Materials and Methods: In total, 56 polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) acrylic resin disc-shaped samples were divided into four groups as follows: 1) chemically polymerized PMMA, 2) heat-polymerized PMMA, 3) computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) PMMA in high polish, and 4) CAD/CAM resins in glazed form. The adherent cells and formation of C. albicans strains (562, 1905,1912, and 1949) biofilm were measured by the 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) method and use of a microplatereader. Moreover, morphological alterations of C. albicans cells were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Results: The biofilm formation was significantly lower on CAD/CAM acrylic resins,compared to conventional denture base materials. The obtained results were confirmed by the SEM images of C. albicans biofilms. CAD/CAM PMMA-based polymers may be preferable to inhibit C. albicans biofilm formation and reduce Candida-associated denture stomatitis in long-term use.Conclusion: Based on the findings, the CAD/CAM technique can be used as an efficient technique for denture fabrication as it inhibits microbial accumulation, and consequently,microbial biofilm.

Introduction: Tourism is considered a major power where it has a constructive effect on the environment, society, and the overall economy. The importance of the tourism industry is derived from its role as a strategic economic function for so many countries around the world. According to them, this study was conducted due to the great importance of the tourism sector and its influence on other economic sectors, and because of the growing implementation of the destination image concept in the field of tourism, where the mental image of a travel destination has an important role in convincing people to visit that place. The purpose of this study is to study tourism advertising strategies and analysis the components of each dimension of an effective advertising strategy in order to reconstruct the tourist image of the tourist destinations in crisis. Methodology: This study is a qualitative study based on the grounded theory and, in terms of purpose, is an exploratory study. A review of the theoretical basis and literature review in the field of reconstruction of tourists' mental images and the models used in these studies have been used to extract their elements. At this stage, and in order to get to the purpose of the study, a number of questions were designed that include the main question and some sub-questions. The main question is: what is the advertising strategy for reconstructing the mental image of tourists? The sub-questions of the research are: 1) who is the target audience of the considered advertising strategy? 2) What is the content of advertisements for the reconstruction of the mental image of tourists in crisis countries? 3) What media is suitable for reconstructing the mental image of tourists? 4) What should be the frequency of repetition of the ad needed to reconstruct the mental image? The exploratory section used semi-structured interviews with tourism industry experts in Syria and Iran to collect samples. The refined variables and the relationships between them have been identified using grounded theory to increase the understanding of the problem. Content analysis methods have been used. In this regard, to analyze the interviews and obtain the findings, (Atlas Ti) software was used, which has produced several graphs with the help of this software. The statistical population of this research, as we said before, was the tourism industry experts of Syria and Iran, where it consisted of 11 experts. In this study, the sample size was selected based on the theoretical saturation of academic and tourism industry experts. Purposeful sampling was performed according to the theoretical saturation approach. Discussion and Results: The experts of the tourism industry in Syria and Iran stated that regarding the specific situation in Syria, the target audience should be either neighboring or friendly countries, where they may have the ability to know the real situation that exists in the country in the light of its special conditions. In addition to that, overseas tourism agencies can also be considered a target audience. Speaking about advertising content, it can be designed in several ways, such as using the concept of religious tourism, health tourism, war tourism, documentary advertising, other travel details, focus on the desert, historical and archaeological places and destinations that were exposed to war, use of a combination of advertising types, including video, photos, and posters, use of domestic tours as advertising, focus on government actions and security, and cultural and entertainment aspects of the destination. The data collected from tourism sector experts showed that it is better to use social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Websites, Wikipedia, and others to spread this advertisement. Television is also still an influential tool. In addition, international tourism exhibitions may be one of the most important means to be used in order to promote the destination, and word-of-mouth advertisements may also have a great influence in this respect. On the other hand, inviting public figures, communicating with foreign tourism companies, and having an agent in foreign countries can be used to promote the destination's image abroad too. Also, the role of embassies and tourist ministries should not be ignored. Finally, in order to determine the number of repetitions of the advertisement, accurate research should be done to determine the average usage of the selected media by the people of the target countries. But in this regard, it must be mentioned that some experts think that broadcasting advertisements less than four times a day will not be effective enough. Others think that the advertising must be taken into consideration for at least six months to get the expected benefit from it. On the other hand, there is no specific number of contributions to the international tourism exhibitions, and the usage of word-of-mouth advertising cannot be connected to repetition. Conclusion: Many concepts must be taken into consideration in order to develop the tourism sector in a country where it is considered one of the vital sectors that has the potential to increase national income and help strengthen and revive the country's economy. This sector has a significant effect on many other economic sectors, but despite that, it is very sensitive and capable of being affected by many factors. According to this, the importance of this study comes from the growing importance of the tourism industry and the destination image, which play a great role in affecting visitors' perception of a destination and forming their attitude toward it.

Abstract Purpose To report an unusual case of unilateral anterior segment large B-cell intraocular lymphoma (IOL) presenting as a recurrent hypopyon anterior uveitis. Case presentation A 55-year-old female was referred because of recurrent unilateral anterior hypopyon uveitis with partial response to topical corticosteroid. All of the laboratory tests, review of systems and ocular sampling results were unremarkable. Given a high concern for masquerades syndromes, cytological specimens were obtained 3 times and the last sample showed large B cell lymphoma. First, it appeared confined to the eye and initially responded favorably to local chemotherapy (methotrexate and rituximab) but later went on to develop systemic involvement. CNS lymphoma was detected on the third brain MRI 6 months following ocular involvement. At this time, systemic chemotherapy was started. In the last 18 months’ follow-up, visual acuity was 20/30 in the right eye without posterior segment or fellow eye involvement. Conclusion Unusual presentation of intraocular lymphoma as a unilateral isolated anterior hypopyon uveitis should be kept in mind. This report emphasizes the importance of precise work-ups and multiple ocular biopsies to confirm the diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) may cause inflammation and increased cytokine secretion. Dietary factors may play an important role in enhancing the immune responses against infectious diseases such as SARS-COV-2. This narrative review aims to determine the effectiveness of macronutrients and probiotics to improve immunity in SARS-COV-2 patients. Dietary proteins may boost pulmonary function in SARS-COV-2 patients through inhibitory effects on the Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and reduce Angiotensin (ANG-II). Moreover, omega-3 fatty acids may improve oxygenation, acidosis, and renal function. Dietary fiber may also produce anti-inflammatory effects by reducing the level of high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), Interleukin (IL-6), and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). In addition, some evidence indicates that probiotics significantly improve oxygen saturation which may enhance survival rate. In conclusion, the consumption of a healthy diet including adequate macronutrients and probiotic intake may decrease inflammation and oxidative stress. Following this dietary practice is likely to strengthen the immune system and have beneficial effects against SARS-COV-2.

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) has become a worldwide health issue with widespread hospitalization and dependence on the intensive care unit (ICU). Vitamin D has a key role in modulating immune cells and modulating the inflammatory responses. This study aimed to investigate the association of vitamin D supplementation with inflammatory, biochemical, and mortality indices in critically ill patients with COVID‐19. Methods This case‐control study was conducted on critically ill COVID‐19 patients hospitalized in the ICU including the survived >30 day patients as the case group and dead patients as the control group. The status of vitamin D supplementation and inflammatory and biochemical indices of the patients were retrieved from the medical records. Logistic regression method was used to assess the association between 30 days survival and vitamin D supplement intake. Results Compared to the group of COVID‐19 patients who died in

Business Model Innovation (BMI) is an innovation process which is associated with radical change (i.e., designed, novel, nontrivial changes) in the configuration of an existing BM, aimed at building and maintaining competitive advantages. One of the important subjects regarding this concept is the drivers of this level of innovation in businesses. However, despite the interest of many researchers in BMI in recent years, few articles have studied its antecedents directly and comprehensively, and most of existing articles are case studies. Therefore, in this study, an attempt has been made to integrate the antecedents reported in scattered case studies with the Meta-Synthesis method, and combining them with the Thematic Analysis method to provide a comprehensive list of Business Model Innovation drivers. For this purpose, after searching related articles in Scopus database and refining the results, 140 case studies reported in selected articles were analyzed. Extraction of instances of drivers, coding, searching for themes and naming them during the recursive steps of the content analysis method, led to identification of 10 main themes including 30 sub-themes. Eventually, the research report is presented along with the researcher's definition of all 10 main drivers and 30 sub-drivers.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum level of matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) in infants with cholestasis and the diagnostic values of this biomarker to differentiate biliary atresia (BA) from other causes of cholestasis. Methods This multi-center study is conducted during 2 years in Mofid children’s hospital and Children’s Medical Center, Pediatrics Center of Excellence Tehran, Iran. 54 infants with cholestasis were enrolled in this study with a control group consists of 41 healthy infants with the same age. Serum samples were taken from all these patients to assess serum levels of MMP7, Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT). For each biomarker, we calculated the sensitivity and specificity and other statistical characteristics. Results There were 89 subjects, 22 patients with BA, 32 patients with non-BA cholestasis and 41 subjects as control group. The mean serum MMP7 levels in BA, non-BA cholestasis and control group was 15.91 ng/ml ± 6.64, 4.73 ng/ml ± 2.59 and 0.49 ng/ml ± 0.33, respectively. The best cut-off point is calculated 7.8 ng/ml for MMP7 and 434.5 U/L for GGT. The area under curve (AUC) for these two markers are 0.988 ± 0.008 and 0.854 ± 0.052, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of MMP7 to differentiate biliary atresia from nonbiliary atresia cholestasis in our study was 95.5% and 94.5%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of GGT was 77.3% and 77.8%, respectively. These results show that the MMP7 has more sensitivity and specificity in differentiation. Conclusion MMP7 demonstrated good accuracy to differentiate biliary atresia from other causes of cholestasis.

Abstract Change in customers' consumption patterns due to the introduction of new electricity consuming technologies into human consumption practices has impacted the existing optimal loading profile of the grid facilities. Although some MV/LV distribution transformers (DTs) are operating under a light load profile, this does not guarantee that they are in a healthy condition, since necessary maintenance procedures are required. On the other hand, many unplanned overloading conditions occur on the other DTs and causes accelerated failures which contributes to very high operational costs. This paper presents the outcome of a study on how the planned DTs relocation can save asset managers against their huge DTs replacement costs developed due to the highly overloaded DTs failures in a utility, and how it will improve the overall reliability of the DTs. A mixed‐integer linear programming (MILP) solution is proposed to formulate the introduced economic relocation‐based asset management (AM) framework while minimizing total cost (TC) of the network. The results show that incorporating relocation techniques into the AM formulation ends in reduction of the distribution network TC and a decrease in asset failure rates if compared with application of traditional techniques.

Abstract Background Obesity and body composition may be affected by the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory components of diets. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and body fat percentage (BF%) in male adolescents. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out on 535 adolescent boys in Tehran, Iran. Bio-impedance analyzer (BIA) scale was used to measure body mass index (BMI) and body composition. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to measure DII. Results Participants with higher BF% (≥ 19.2%) had higher BMI (P

Quality of rootcanal treatment is considered as an important prognostic factor for endodontic therapy success.The aim of this study is to evaluate radiographic errors during the root canal treatment by 5thand 6thyear undergraduate students of Islamic Azad university of Isfahan (Khorasgan) from 2015 to 2018.Materials & Methods:In this study records of 860 cases of endodontic treatment of patients referred to the General Endodontics Department and the Comprehensive Treatment Department of Isfahan Azad University (Khorasgan) during 2015-2018 including 1903 root canals that had received root canal treatment were examined. Periapical radiography was used to evaluate errors during access cavity preparation, canal preparation, and canal filling by two endodontic specialists and it was recorded in pre-prepared forms. In the access cavity preparation: furcation perforation, low access cavity expansion, high access cavity expansion were evaluated. During the canal preparation phase, errors such as missing of canal, ledge, transport, perforation types and broken instruments were investigated. Length and density of root filing were the criteria evaluated at the canal filling stage. The analysis was performed at both descriptive and inferential levels. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-Square test and exact Fisher's test.Results:Frequency of acceptable root canal treatment (without errors) was 37.5%. Lower first molars showed the highest error rate (40.7%). Furcation perforation was reported with 9.4% highest error of access cavity preparation. The highest error rate was reported transport (7.8%) in the preparation phase. Inadequate density (gap) of 36.9% and under filling of 31.1% had the highest error in filling stage.Conclusion:According to the results of this study, it can be stated that general endodontics department needs careful planning to increase the quality of root canal treatments performed by students

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a pathogenic virus that is found everywhere. The serovirulance of this virus varies widely among different communities. The present study was conducted to investigate the frequency of CMV serovirulance in mothers and their very low birth weight (

The production of portland cement is among the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions that adversely affect the environment. Identifying sustainable materials to partially replace portland cement in concrete, such as pozzolanic materials, is crucial in addressing this issue. These materials mainly consist of silica and alumina that react with the available calcium hydroxide to form strength-bearing phases such as calcium silicate hydrates. Understanding the degree of pozzolanic reactivity of materials using efficient reactivity test methods is an important consideration. The paper thoroughly reviews the available literature related to direct and indirect pozzolanic reactivity test methods that have been utilized over the years. Direct methods quantify the amount of consumed calcium hydroxide, whereas indirect methods assess changes in the physical properties of the specimen due to pozzolanic reactions. The aim of this paper is to identify affordable, time-saving, and effective direct and indirect methods. Based on this study, the Frattini, electrical conductivity, and pH tests are considered the most time-efficient methods to assess pozzolanic materials. Electrical conductivity and pH tests are also easy to perform. In contrast, other methods are more time-consuming.

Business model innovation is defined as new, non-partial and designed changes in key elements or the architecture of the relationships between these elements in a company's business model. BMI is a large new form of organizational innovation that requires theorizing, implementation and testing. In recent years a lot of research has been done on the subject of business model innovation and has faced an exponential growth in the interest of researchers and executives. This highlights the need for more conceptual and empirical research on BMI and some refinements in this area in order to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. In this article, while reviewing previous research related to this field in the period 1980 to 2020 in Scopus database, using the Meta-Synthesis qualitative method, the business model innovation drivers are identified and categorized. Finally, 9 drivers (Competitive pressure, technology pressure, external environmental changes, external stakeholders, market development opportunities, management thinking model, internal challenges, internal capabilities and internal strategy stimulation) were identified by explaining their impact on business model innovation and a conceptual model is presented.

Aim and Introduction: The unpredictable and uncontrollable crises at different levels of business lead to the emergence of the concept of re-branding, which can help in rebuilding brands in any subject, place, and time at any level of activity. Nation branding of places at the national level, which known as countries, needs to be explained due to its side effects on the micro levels of political, economic, cultural, social activities, etc. As a country with a historical, cultural, political background and a strategic and attractive geographical location for tourists in West Asia due to its involvement in the civil war crisis, Syria is a case in point for the issue of re-branding at the national level. Some researchers have stated that there is a lack of studies and theoretical gaps in identifying the appropriate components, strategies, and marketing initiatives for destinations suffering from a long-term negative image. Therefore, the present study conducted with the aim of identifying components and explaining them in a nation's re-branding pattern in the tourism industry.Methodology: The present study in terms of purpose; is practical and qualitative in terms of exploratory method. The strategy used is the classical Grounded Theory Approach. At the same time, from the perspective of the data collection method, this research has been done in the form of library and field studies using in-depth unstructured interview tools. The statistical population of the study consists of managers, experts, professors, and relevant researchers in the field of branding, marketing, tourism management in Syria. The statistical population of the study consists of managers, experts, professors, and researchers in the field of branding, marketing, tourism management in Syria. A purposeful judgmental and snowball approach to the point of information saturation used. Therefore, thirteen experts identified as the statistical sample of the research and participated in the interview process.Findings: Findings showed the most important components of the nation's rebranding pattern in the field of tourism, including the seven-component process "improving the context, formation, crisis impact assessment, stakeholder management, restoration, relocation, and evaluation". Findings showed that the strategy of nation rebranding requires acceptable stability in environmental and contextual factors of the country such as political stability, safety and security, and reducing conflict. In the first place, identifying and formulating the structure of the staff responsible for planning and implementing nation-rebranding strategy, determining tasks and missions, and identifying relevant stakeholders are important factors in the success of the nation rebranding strategy. Success in the nation's rebranding strategy also requires the analysis of internal and external factors to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that lead to an understanding of the image of Syrian tourism in the minds of target market audiences. Based on this analysis, a remedial plan is proposed that includes defining a strategic vision, identifying target markets, learning from the experiences of similar countries, redefining brand identity, and building national brand awareness by emphasizing success stories in the war, and funding. the effective nation rebranding of Syria requires ensuring the integration and coordination of communication and marketing strategies in order to successfully reposition the Syrian national brand. finally, a successful nation rebranding program requires continuous evaluation of the performance of all points of contact with the new national brand.Discussion and Conclusion: The research showed that before starting the project of nation rebranding, the government should make progress in "improving the context of the country" as a precondition. Syria in general (both in the tourism sector and in other sectors) needs to pass laws and find quality mechanisms to attract investment and restore the trust of national and foreign investors (especially the Syrian diaspora networks) as a Prerequisite is the reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed infrastructure. Establishing an institution or organization that is responsible for managing the nation's brand as a whole is an important factor in the success of the nation's rebranding strategy. The success of a national rebranding strategy also depends on identifying target markets. In the case of Syria, we can focus on things like restoring traditional markets, targeting the markets of friendly countries like Iran, Russia, and China, and developing appropriate communication strategies. The National Brand Reconstruction Headquarters must define a new identity and transfer it to target markets locally and globally. To achieve this goal, there are several options, including historical and cultural tourism, religious tourism, dark tourism, adventure tourism, and so on. In order to raise national brand awareness locally and internationally, Syria can emphasize its success stories in the war, such as the victory over ISIS, the defeat of terrorism, or the cradle of civilizations and religions, and so on. These variables: Promotional activities, cost leadership strategies, inviting ideological leaders, journalists, bloggers to visit Syria showed the key roles, contrary to what has been portrayed in the foreign media about the situation in Syria, and the use of national brand ambassadors (such as sports, artistic, cultural, etc.) also play an important role in reflecting the country's personality and the positive traits that the nation wants to highlight. Event marketing, through the organization and financial support of cultural, artistic, and music festivals, play an important role in correcting and modifying the bad perceptions of the place. Activation of diaspora networks, in addition to financial benefits (foreign direct investment and individual transfers), has the potential to create a reputation for the mother country. Nation brand evaluation also has a significant impact on learning, correcting assumptions, and taking corrective action to address performance issues. The nation rebranding pattern provides a comprehensive guide and constructive guidance to the managers and nation branding professionals to develop a coherent Syrian brand recreation program in the field of tourism at the national level in order to reconstruct or alter the negative image. One of the limitations of the present study was the lack of access to a wide range of Syrian tourism industrial experts due to the current critical situation in Syria.

Abstract Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are recently synthesized to cover limitations of conventional solvents. These green solvents have wide ranges of potential usages in real-life applications. Precise measuring or accurate estimating thermophysical properties of DESs is a prerequisite for their successful applications. Density is likely the most crucial affecting characteristic on the solvation ability of DESs. This study utilizes seven machine learning techniques to estimate the density of 149 deep eutectic solvents. The density is anticipated as a function of temperature, critical pressure and temperature, and acentric factor. The LSSVR (least-squares support vector regression) presents the highest accuracy among 1530 constructed intelligent estimators. The LSSVR predicts 1239 densities with the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 0.26% and R2 = 0.99798. Comparing the LSSVR and four empirical correlations revealed that the earlier possesses the highest accuracy level. The prediction accuracy of the LSSVR (i.e., MAPE = 0. 26%) is 74.5% better than the best-obtained results by the empirical correlations (i.e., MAPE = 1.02%).

Cabbage large white butterfly, Pieris brassicae is one of the important insect pests of plant family Brassicacea which causes remarkable quantitative or qualitative crop losses. Keeping in view the problems caused by conventional chemical insecticides, need is being felt for insecticides with more efficient and low-risk ones as well as biodegradable compounds. Nowadays, utilization of botanical plant compounds as bioenhancer and bioinsecticide are becoming increasingly important, due to their acceptable efficiency and relative safety to human and environment. To this end, we investigated the efficacy of chlorantraniliprole and lambda-cyhalothrin insecticides alone and in combination with Alhagi maurorum extract and cabbage seed oil against P. brassicae under laboratory conditions. Probit analysis revealed chlorantraniliprole as the most effective insecticide against egg, first, second and third instar larvae with LC50 values of 11, 4, 15 and 16 mg/l, respectively. Methanolic extract of A. maurorum when combined with chlorantraniliprole and lambdacyhalothrin possessed additive and synergistic effect, respectively. In bioassays, the addition of feeding stimulant improved the efficacy of the insecticides. The concentrations of chlorantraniliprole and lambdacyhalothrin required for 50 % mortality of all tested larval stages were reduced when the feeding stimulant was added in concentrations of 1 and 5 %. This information will guide future study and could be used as an effective tool for P. brassicae management strategies.

In this work, we aimed to establish subgroups of clinical severity in a global cohort of β-thalassemia through unsupervised random forest (RF) clustering. We used a large global dataset of 7910 β-thalassemia patients and evaluated 19 indicators of phenotype severity (IPhS) to determine their contribution and relatedness in grouping β-thalassemia patients into clusters using RF analysis. RF clustering suggested that three clusters with minimal overlapping exist (classification error rate: 4.3%), and six important IPhS were identified: the current age of the patient, the mean serum ferritin level, the age at diagnosis, the age at first transfusion, the age at first iron chelation, and the number of complications. Cluster 3 represented patients with early initiation of transfusion and iron chelation, considerable iron overload, and early mortality from heart failure. Patients in Cluster 2 had lower serum ferritin levels, although they had a higher number of complications manifesting overtime. Patients in Cluster 1 represented a subgroup with delayed or absent transfusion and iron chelation, but with a high morbidity rate. Hepatic disease and cancer were dominant causes of death in patients in Cluster 1 and 2. Our findings established that patients with β-thalassemia can be clustered into three groups based on six parameters of phenotype severity.

In the modern era, information technology-based solution providers are encountering a growing request for satisfying the versatile requirements of their customers in terms of software applications. To this end, specific approaches have been designed to streamline the way of accomplishing software projects in an efficient manner, i.e., agile-oriented frameworks. Even though previous studies have highlighted variations of such a framework, the literature has not addressed the adaptations required in response to the gradual maturity of a wide-ranging case study dealing with software applications. Following a case study-oriented methodology, this paper focuses on elaborating a set of workable maneuvers to mature the Scrum framework when applied to portfolio management. Particularly, we highlight how Scrum should be adapted from its basic setting to a vision and goal-oriented configuration or Scrumban under certain conditions. As a maturing practice, we propose a heuristic scoring technique to determine the sprint length of subprojects with different characteristics in the context of a portfolio. The study also introduces a multi-level refinement structure to enhance the monitoring of the teams’ performance under the proposed mature framework. The results obtained display a considerable spike in the realization rate of release planning in light of the actual performance.

Background:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common microorganism found in the sputum culture of Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients causing the pulmonary destruction. Aminoglycosides have a low diffuse rate from lipid membranes, and respiratory system secretions. Regarding the burden of pulmonary exacerbation caused by the pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients in the long term and the limited number of clinical trials focused on appropriate treatment strategies, the present study evaluated the concurrent inhaled and intravenous aminoglycoside antibiotics for pulmonary exacerbation caused by the pseudomonas aeruginosa as a safe and effective treatment in children.Method: This study was a blinded, randomized clinical trial phase conducted in a tertiary referral pediatric teaching hospital from May 2021 to May 2022. The patients were randomly allocated to receive intravenously administered ceftazidime and Amikacin alone or with inhaled Amikacin. Forced expiratory volume (FEV1), Amikacin via the level, kidney function tests, audiometry, inflammatory markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein), hospital stay, and bacterial eradication rate were compared in two therapy groups.Results: the average FEV1 has increased by 47% in Neb + group compared to Neb− group following treatment. Hospital stay was lower in Neb + group. No renal toxicity or ototoxicity was observed in both therapy groups. Pseudomonas aeruginosa eradication rate Neb− and Neb + groups were 44% and 69%, respectively (p-value = 0.15).Conclusion: Concurrent inhaled and intravenous Amikacin is safe and effective to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa exacerbation in CF patients. Moreover, co-delivery antibiotics’ route treatment increased the eradication rate. Although not statistically significant, never the less, it is clinically relevant. The intervention reduced the length of hospitalization in this group.Clinical Trial Registration:clinicaltrials.gov, identifier [IRCT20120415009475N10].

Flow shop scheduling deals with the determination of the optimal sequence of jobs processing on machines in a fixed order with the main objective consisting of minimizing the completion time of all jobs (makespan). This type of scheduling problem appears in many industrial and production planning applications. This study proposes a new bi-objective mixed-integer programming model for solving the synchronous flow shop scheduling problems with completion time. The objective functions are the total makespan and the sum of tardiness and earliness cost of blocks. At the same time, jobs are moved among machines through a synchronous transportation system with synchronized processing cycles. In each cycle, the existing jobs begin simultaneously, each on one of the machines, and after completion, wait until the last job is completed. Subsequently, all the jobs are moved concurrently to the next machine. Four algorithms, including non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA II), multi-objective simulated annealing (MOSA), multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), and multi-objective hybrid vibration-damping optimization (MOHVDO), are used to find a near-optimal solution for this NP-hard problem. In particular, the proposed hybrid VDO algorithm is based on the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) and the integration of a neighborhood creation technique. MOHVDO and MOSA show the best performance among the other algorithms regarding objective functions and CPU Time, respectively. Thus, the results from running small-scale and medium-scale problems in MOHVDO and MOSA are compared with the solutions obtained from the epsilon-constraint method. In particular, the error percentage of MOHVDO’s objective functions is less than 2% compared to the epsilon-constraint method for all solved problems. Besides the specific results obtained in terms of performance and, hence, practical applicability, the proposed approach fills a considerable gap in the literature. Indeed, even though variants of the aforementioned meta-heuristic algorithms have been largely introduced in multi-objective environments, a simultaneous implementation of these algorithms as well as a compared study of their performance when solving flow shop scheduling problems has been so far overlooked.

Most companies operate to maximize profits and increase their market shares in competitive environments. Since the proper location of the facilities conditions their market shares and profits, the competitive facility location problem (CFLP) has been extensively applied in the literature. This problem generally falls within the class of NP-hard problems, which are difficult to solve. Therefore, choosing a proper solution method to optimize the problem is a key factor. Even though CFLPs have been consistently solved and investigated, an important question that keeps being neglected is how to choose an appropriate solution technique. Since there are no specific criteria for choosing a solution method, the reasons behind the selection approach are mostly unclear. These models are generally solved using several optimization techniques. As harder-to-solve problems are usually solved using meta-heuristics, we apply different meta-heuristic techniques to optimize a new version of the CFLP that incorporates reliability and congestion. We divide the algorithms into four categories based on the nature of the meta-heuristics: evolution-based, swarm intelligence-based, physics-based, and human-based. GAMS software is also applied to solve smaller-size CFLPs. The genetic algorithm and differential evolution of the first category, particle swarm optimization and artificial bee colony optimization of the second, Tabu search and harmony search of the third, and simulated annealing and vibration damping optimization of the fourth are applied to solve our CFLP model. Statistical analyses are implemented to evaluate and compare their relative performances. The results show the algorithms of the first and third categories perform better than the others.

Introduction. The sella turcica is one of the important landmarks of lateral cephalometry, which is used in orthodontics for the diagnosis, treatment plan, and evaluation of skeletal development and maturity. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the dimensions and morphology of sella turcica with the long-face growth pattern and people with an open bite. This study also examines the relationship between sella turcica bridging (STB) and the vertical growth pattern. Methods. As many as 153 radiographs were analyzed using the Romexis software, considering the basal, gonial, and FMA angles to determine the vertical growth pattern of the face. The basal angle was also used to check for an open bite. Of these patients, 80 had a long vertical face growth pattern, and 73 had a normal face growth pattern. The four landmarks of tuberculum sellae, dorsum sellae, sellae floor, and posterior clinoid were determined on the cephalograms to measure the length, depth, and anteroposterior diameter of the sella turcica. Results. In this study, it was found that the chance of developing a long face in people with partial and complete bridging is 8.37 and 1.92, respectively. An increase in the length of the sella turcica for one unit decreases the chance of a long face, and as the depth of the sella turcica increases, the chance of a long face increases. Conclusions. STB is frequently seen in people with long faces. However, this finding should be considered in relation to other diagnostic parameters. The shorter the length and higher the depth of sella turcica, the higher the chance of developing a long face.