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Icetexane diterpenoids are a diverse family of natural products sourced from several species of terrestrial plants. Icetexanes exhibit a broad array of biological activities and together with their complex 6-7-6 tricyclic scaffolds, they have piqued the interest of synthetic organic chemists, natural products chemists, and biological investigators over the past four decades and were reviewed 13 years ago. This review summarizes icetexane natural products isolated since 2009, provides an overview of new synthetic approaches to the icetexane problem, and proposes an additional classification of icetexanes based on novel structures that are unlike previously isolated materials.

This paper reports on Simscape modeling and experimental validation of compliant mechanisms and soft robotic systems. During the past decade, there has been a lot of advancements in terms of the development of novel soft robotic systems, actuators, and sensors. However, efficient modeling of these systems is still a challenge for researchers. This is due to the existence of nonlinearities such as large deformation in the structure of soft robotic systems and compliant mechanisms. While analytical models can be used for conventional rigid robots, the application of these models for soft robots is limited. Simscape is an efficient tool for modeling soft robotic systems and compliant mechanisms as it can take into account large deformation. To validate the developed Simscape models we used a 6 DOF electromagnetic position sensor for each of the example systems such as a compliant bistable mechanism, compliant linear actuator, and a soft Delta robot.

Avian coccidiosis is considered among the infectious disease of high costs in the poultry industry. Herbal extracts are safe and reliable substitute anticoccidial drugs for chemical feed additives as they don’t sequel to drug resistance and tissue remnants. The purpose of the current study was to assess the anticoccidial effect of an herbal complex of 3 plants (Artemisia Annua, Quercus infectoria, and Allium Sativum) in broiler chickens in comparison with toltrazuril anticoccidial. One hundred twenty broiler chickens were used in this experiment and divided into 4 equally numbered groups. All the groups, except group (D), were experimentally infected whit mixed Eimeria spp. (E. Tenella, E. maxima, E. necatrix and E. brunetti) on day 14. Group (A), was treated whit an herbal mixture. Group (B), was treated whit Toltrazuril. Group (C), was experimentally infected with mixed Eimeria spp. But they didn’t have any treatment, this group was our positive control, as expected, this group had the poorest results and more mortality than other groups. Group (D), wasn't infected and was healthy all the experiment period, this was our negative control. Performance indices, fecal oocyst excretion, and intestinal lesion score were determined during the experiment. Treatment with an herbal complex significantly reduced the negative performance and pathogenic effects associated with Eimeria spp. at a level that was comparable with toltrazuril. In summary, the anticoccidial activity of the mentioned herbal complex recommends its use as an alternative anticoccidial agent to chemotherapeutic drugs for controlling coccidiosis.

Objective: In this meta-analysis and systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the TISADs to facilitates anchorage reinforcement. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, ISI, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, BBO, OpenGrey, and Google Scholar, were used from the electronic databases until 2020 perform systematic literature. Two reviewers extracted data blindly and independently from various abstracts as well as full texts of articles they considered for data extraction. Using the Cochrane collaboration's tool, we evaluated the publications' quality. Then, we computed the mean difference of TISADs and conventional anchorage groups with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%, restricted maximum likelihood (REML), and random effect model of the mesial movement of molars and their tipping. Moreover, we employed Stata/MP 16 that has been considered the most rapid version of Stata for evaluating meta-analysis. Results: According to our electronic searches, 134 topics and abstracts with potential relevance were identified according to the research design. Finally, five publications matched the required inclusion criteria of the study. In addition, the Cochrane collaboration instrument exhibited all studies with low to moderate biases. Also, the mean difference of mesial molar movement showed less anchorage loss in the TISADs group vs. the controls, and a significant difference between these two groups (MD= -1.74 with a CI of 95%, -2.76, -0.71. P = 0.00). Conclusions: TISADs can reduce treatment time, and TISADs are more effective in enables the anchorage than other methods and higher tipping in the TISADs.

Background and Aim: Conventional post-operative rehabilitation programs focus on quadriceps strengthening and knee range of motion. However, hip muscle weakness is evident in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The present trial study aimed to investigate the effects of adding early hip muscle strengthening exercises to conventional rehabilitation programs on pain, Range of Motion (RoM), Quality of Life (QoL), and physical function in patients with unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). Methods & Materials: The intervention was initiated from the second day after surgery and continued for 10 sessions, 3 times a week on 24 participants in the control and intervention groups. Both research groups received Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation (TENS) and Infra-Red (IR), followed by exercises. The control group performed knee extensor and flexor strengthening and RoM exercises. The intervention group conducted hip-strengthening exercises in addition. Outcome measures included pain, knee flexion, and extension RoM, and QoL using the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, Step Test, Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Hip and Knee Muscle Strength test. Ethical Considerations: This research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR.IUMS.REC.1396.9511340012) and it was registered in the Clinical Trial Registration Center (Code: IRCT 20150314021459N6). Results: All outcome measures improved in both research groups. The improvement in the scores of pain (P=0.03), knee extension RoM (P=0.007), and TUG test (P=0.033) were significantly higher in the intervention group, compared to the control group. The strength of knee flexors (P=0.023), hip flexors (P=0.040), hip extensors (P=0.028), hip adductors (P=0.040), and hip external rotators (P=0.047) significantly improved higher in the intervention group. Conclusion: According to the present research results, both treatment approaches were effective on patients with unilateral total knee arthroplasty. Considering the better result of some of the outcome measures in the intervention group, the addition of hip strengthening exercises to knee exercises can be useful.

All-solution-processed multilayer ZnO/Ag NWs/ZnO/PVP/PVA composite is introduced as a transparent conductive film (TCF) for optoelectronic applications. Unlike conventional film formation methods that impose high investment expenses, scalable spray coating is applied over the layers using a hand-made spray apparatus. The resulting TCF exhibits high transmittance (T, 86% at 550 nm) and low sheet resistance (Rs, 6 Ω/sq), which is comparable to the sputtered counterparts. The bending test demonstrates the flexibility of the multilayer TCF with no noticeable increase in Rs, even after 1500 bending iterations. Moreover, chemical stability test (exposure to a corrosive agent) and adhesion examination confirm the capability of the fabricated TCF. Furthermore, the electrode is also thermally stable in heat up to 280 °C and is resistant against oxidation, as Rs remains almost unchanged after keeping the electrode in normal atmospheric condition for 200 days. The all-solution-processed electrode demonstrates desirable performance as a transparent electrode and potential to be applied in different optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices.

In this paper, the stresses and buckling behaviors of a thick-walled micro sandwich panel with a flexible foam core and carbon nanotube reinforced composite (CNTRC) face sheets are considered based on the high-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and the modified couple stress theory (MCST). The governing equations of equilibrium are obtained based on the total potential energy principle. The effects of various parameters such as the aspect ratio, elastic foundation, temperature changes, and volume fraction of the canbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the critical buckling loads, normal stress, shear stress, and deflection of the thick-walled micro cylindrical sandwich panel considering different distributions of CNTs are examined. The results are compared and validated with other studies, and showing an excellent compatibility. CNTs have become very useful and common candidates in sandwich structures, and they have been extensively used in many applications including nanotechnology, aerospace, and micro-structures. This paper also extends further applications of reinforced sandwich panels by providing the modified equations and formulae.

The aim of this study was to compare the fatigue effect on the viscoelastic behavior of the musculoskeletal system between the two sexes in a landing task. Stiffness and shock absorption capacity were studied from ground reaction force data using a mass-spring-damper model. A parametric simulation was also performed to demonstrate the effect of different values of model parameters on the vertical ground reaction force. Following fatigue, the shock absorption capacity reduced in men. According to the parametric simulation, this reduction can result in lower rate of force development which may make men less susceptible to impact injuries than women.

In recent years, thin silver nanowires (Ag NWs) with diameters smaller than 150 nm have been synthesized by implementation of NaCl or FeCl3 as reaction promoters and high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the capping agent. However, the yield of Ag NWs still remains low, mostly due to the insufficient aspect ratio (AR) of the synthesized nanostructures and the production of Ag nanoparticles, which is an undesirable by product. This study proposes a modified technique to alleviate the problem by using a mixture of FeCl3/CuCl2 as the reaction promoter and two different types of PVP with molecular weight of 360 k and 40 k as the capping agents. The appropriate mixtures of FeCl3/CuCl2 (molar ratio of 1.48:1.45) and PVP 360 k/40 k (molar ratio of 2:1) allow for the rapid synthesis of NWs with diameter of about 110 nm and length of up to 50 μm. It is revealed that the ARs of the synthesized NWs are much greater. The NWs are then used for the fabrication of transparent conductive films (TCFs). The obtained TCF prepared by a scalable, in-house, and cost-efficient spray apparatus possesses a transmittance of 91%, sheet resistance of 10 Ω/sq, and optical haze value of 6.6%. In fact, the AR of the NWs is increased as much as 1135%, and further the figure␣of merit of the TCFs is improved by as much as 2785%.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between managerial ability and firm performance. First, we introduce a new two-stage DEA model with a fuzzy multi-objective programming approach for evaluating the performance of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. In this regard, the stable operation of companies, into two sub-process, have divided, which includes the profitability (first phase) and the value, creativity (the second phase), that is, the outputs of the first stage are inputs for the second stage, which can be used to identify the status of the company's operations and potential for future growth. Second, In order to measure the ability of managers, we use the model provided by Demerging. Finally, the relationship between managerial ability and firm performance are also investigated by means of the truncated-regression model. The results show that there is a positive relationship between the ability of management and firm performance. It means that managerial ability to be significantly related to the performance of the company. In this sense, the performance of the company improves by increasing managerial ability to better use resources and consequently increase overall efficiency.

ObjectiveTo develop a novel in vitro method for evaluating coronary artery ischemia using a combination of non-invasive coronary CT angiograms (CCTA) and 3D printing (FFR3D).MethodsTwenty eight patients with varying degrees of coronary artery disease who underwent non-invasive CCTA scans and invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) of their epicardial coronary arteries were included in this study. Coronary arteries were segmented and reconstructed from CCTA scans using Mimics (Materialize). The segmented models were then 3D printed using a Carbon M1 3D printer with urethane methacrylate (UMA) family of rigid resins. Physiological coronary circulation was modeled in vitro as flow-dependent stenosis resistance in series with variable downstream resistance. A range of physiological flow rates (Q) were applied using a peristaltic steady flow pump and titrated with a flow sensor. The pressure drop (ΔP) and the pressure ratio (Pd/Pa) were assessed for patient-specific aortic pressure (Pa) and differing flow rates (Q) to evaluate FFR3D using the 3D printed model.ResultsThere was a good positive correlation (r = 0.87, p < 0.0001) between FFR3D and invasive FFR. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a good concordance between the FFR3D and invasive FFR values with a mean bias of 0.02 (limits of agreement: −0.14 to 0.18; p = 0.2).Conclusions3D printed patient-specific models can be used in a non-invasive in vitro environment to quantify coronary artery ischemia with good correlation and concordance to that of invasive FFR.

Evaluating the use of antibiotics leads to identifying drug problems, preventing antibiotic resistance, and controlling the cost of medication. The aim of this study was to Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) of vancomycin.This study was a descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study. Sampling method was the census. The information was collected through a checklist and referring to patients' files.170 children and 120 adults who received vancomycin were studied. The dose of vancomycin in the studied adults was 40.6% and 61% was in accordance with the Uptodate guideline. Also, the duration of treatment in the studied children was 10.6% and 15.3% according to the Uptodate guideline and in adults 30%, 39.2% was in accordance with the Uptodate guideline. Also, the indication for vancomycin in children was 14.1% and 18.8% in accordance with the Uptodate guideline, and in adults 40% and 52.5% was in accordance with the Uptodate guideline. The highest initial diagnosis in children was RDS 54.1%, seizure 9.4%, jaundice 9.4% and pneumonia 8.2%, and in adults 30% CRF and 11.7% catheter. In children, the most common complications were related to shortness of breath 41.2%, fever 18.8% and jaundice 11.8%, and in adults were related to fever 32.5%, lethargy 26.7% and shortness of breath 20%, respectively.It is recommended to improve the administration and rational use of antibiotics and prevent the occurrence of microbial resistance, to follow the treatment patterns based on international standards in hospitals.

IntroductionTuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In humans, a number of genes have been identified as susceptible to pulmonary tuberculosis. The relationship between NRAMP1 polymorphisms and pulmonary tuberculosis has been studied in different populations and has reported contradictory results. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the common polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene and the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in the LUR Population of Lorestan province of Iran.Materials and MethodsIn this case control study, three common polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene (3’UTR, INT4 and D543N) were genotyped using PCR-RFLP technique in the LUR population of Lorestan province. In this study, 100 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) were studied as case group and 100 healthy controls that matched for age and sex with the patient group, studied as control group. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18 software.ResultsIn the present study we observed that the GG genotype of D543N polymorphism was statistically significantly associated with increased susceptibility to TB (84% in the case group vs. 72% in the control group, %95CI=1.024-4.071, OR=2.042, P=0.0405). Also, G allele of D543N polymorphism was statistically significantly associated with increased susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis (90% in the case group vs. 81.5% in the control group, %95CI=1.140-3.663, OR=2.043, P=0.015). On the other hand, the frequency of allele A of D543N polymorphism was significantly lower in patients than in the control group (10% in the case group vs. 18.5% in the control group, %95CI=0.273-0.878, OR=0.489, P=0.015). Although genotypic and allelic frequency of 3’UTR and INT4 polymorphisms between patients and controls showed no significant differences in the study population.Discussion and conclusionOur observations showed that GG genotype and G allele of D543N polymorphism have a significant role in increasing the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in the LUR Population of Lorestan province. Also, allele A of D543N polymorphism has a significant effect on resistance to pulmonary tuberculosis in this population. Although there was no significant correlation between genotypes and alleles of 3’UTR and INT4 polymorphisms with susceptibility to or resistance to pulmonary TB in this population. It is suggested that a larger sample size be used in future studies. It is also recommended to conduct this type of study on other ethnicities.

Watermarking is to place a message invisibly in the media without damaging it. Transform (frequency) domain based watermarking has received more attention due to its advantages over spatial domain. Many algorithms which utilize SVD, have a false positive problem. Therefore, this study propose a scheme that along with the robustness of the cover image to the various attacks, maintains the imperceptibility of the watermarked image. To achieve these goals, we use three transforms along with Differential Evolution algorithm. Also, to obtain the best multiple scaling factors, we modify the unique values of SVS of the low resolution approximate image which is obtained in the embedding process. To further increase the security of the proposed method, we scrambled the cover image using Arnold’s transform. We also did not use the U and V diagonal components in the embedding and extracting steps to prevent false positives.

Background: Regarding increasing and concerning worldwide trends of doping and lack of definite information about contributing factors in this era, this study was performed to determine the frequency of social phobia in athletes with doping history in comparison with general population. Methods and materials: In this case-control study 30 subjects were enrolled including two groups of professional athletes with doping history and general population. In each group 15 subjects were present. All subjects were interviewed according to DSM-IV criteria. The social phobia was assessed by social phobia inventory (SPIN). Results: Ten subjects (including 7 men and 3 women) in athletes group and 6 subjects (including 4 men and 2 women) in normal population group had social phobia showing no significant difference between groups (P=0.143). The gender had no effect on having social phobia in none of the groups (P=1.000). Conclusions: Totally, according to the obtained results in this study, it may be concluded that there is no significant difference between presence of social phobia in athletes with doping history and general population. Keywords: Athletes, Doping, Social phobia

Background: Regarding increasing and concerning worldwide trends of doping and lack of definite information about contributing factors in this era, this study was performed to determine the emotional intelligence in athletes with doping history in comparison with general population. Methods and materials: In this case-control study 30 subjects were enrolled including two groups of professional athletes with doping history and general population. In each group 15 subjects were present. The emotional intelligence was assessed by Bar-On Emotional Questionnaire. Results: The highest and lowest total scores in athletes group were 401 and 197 and in normal population group 410 and 243 were highest and lowest obtained scores and there was significant difference between total scores of two groups (P=0.001), and also in some subscale items including stress tolerance, optimism, self-regard, impulse control, and assertiveness (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Totally, according to the obtained results in this study, it may be concluded that there is significantly lower emotional intelligence in athletes with doping history in comparison with general population. Keywords: Athletes, Doping, Emotional intelligence

Introduction: Patients undergoing dialysis are suffering from some degree of cellular immunity impairment which predispose them to develop latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) which can turn into active tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosing LTBI in dialysis patients is helpful in preventing disease evolution. Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of LTBI in a group of hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods: We studied all patients undergoing hemodialysis in Khorramabad teaching hospitals. Data were collected by completing a questionnaire through observation and interview. The Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed, then 48 to 72 hours later, the induration was measured in millimeters. Results equal to or greater than 10 mm were considered positive. Results: One hundred and nineteen patients undergoing hemodialysis participated in the study. The mean age of patients in this study was 58.55 ± 16.04 years. The induration size at the TST site was equal to or greater than 10 mm for 97 patients (81.5%) and less than 10 mm for 22 patients (18.5%). More than 81% of participants had LTBI. Until about two years later, none developed active tuberculosis without preventive treatment. Conclusion: Several studies indicate the uncertainty of TST results in hemodialysis patients. Eighty-two percent positive is too much, and makes it difficult to consider all of them to be true positives. Therefore, it will be challenging to decide on starting preventive treatment. We recommend World Health Organization (WHO) to focus on a new affordable accessible efficient test for LTBI screening which does not require to be repeated or be confirmed by another diagnostic method, especially, for the expanded screening of the general population in the future.

Introduction: Knee joint injuries usually occur in a short time, so analyzing the mechanism and process of this short time can be helpful to prevent similar injuries. This study aimed to determine and compare the reaction time of knee muscles and investigate the effect of knee position and perturbation direction on the reaction time of knee muscles in response to horizontal rotational perturbation applied to lower leg from support surface area. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 healthy women volunteers were received ±35 degrees of horizontal rotational perturbation and speed of 120 degrees per second from the sole while standing on the right leg in four conditions (external versus internal rotation of surface while the knee was in both extension and flexion position). Electromyography of knee muscles (vastus medialis and lateralis, medial and lateral hamstring and medial and lateral gastrocnemius) was measured to study the reaction time. Results: The reaction time of knee muscles during the perturbation was relatively long in this study (124 to 151 ms). It seems that muscles are recruited simultaneously in most conditions except in external rotation perturbation, with extension knee that the internal gastrocnemius muscle had significantly less delay time than the internal hamstring (P

Objective: To compare the airway changes and risks of sleep apnea after the bimaxillary orthognathic surgery and mandibular setback surgery in the growing patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion . Material and Methods: MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, ISI, Google scholar have been utilized as the electronic databases for performing systematic literature between 2010 to August 2020. The quality of the included studies has been assessed using MINORS. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16 software. Results: In electronic searches, a total of 218 potentially relevant abstracts and topics have been found. Finally, 23 papers met the criteria defined for inclusion in this systematic review. The mean difference of upper airway total volume changes between before and after surgery was (MD = 1.86 cm 3 95% CI 0.61 cm 3 -3.11 cm 3 ; p= 0.00) among 14 studies. This result showed that after Mandibular Setback Surgery, there was a statistically significant decrease in the upper airway volume . Conclusion: Class III Patients who undergo bimaxillary surgery show no other significant difference in airways volume after surgery than patients in Class III who undergo mandibular setback alone.