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Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of compassion fatigue in the relationship between maternal emotional problems and emotional and behavioral problems of children with special needs. Materials and Methods: The research method is correlation. The population of this study included all mothers of children with special needs in primary school in Arak. 171 people were selected as a sample from this population using random cluster sampling method. The measurements of this study were the Compassion Fatigue Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), and the Child Behavioral Checklist. Results: The results showed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between maternal compassion fatigue and emotional and behavioral problems of children with special needs (P < 0.001). While the direct effect of maternal emotional problems on emotional and behavioral problems of children with special needs is not significant, the mother's emotional problems have a direct effect on compassion fatigue, which is statistically significant (P = 0.001); Also, maternal compassion fatigue directly affects the emotional and behavioral problems of children with special needs (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Maternal emotional problems increase compassion fatigue and with increasing maternal compassion fatigue, children's emotional and behavioral problems with special needs increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to characterize the surface quality of beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) cut by a CO2-laser. Boards were conditioned to a low (about 8% moisture content), 12% and a high, (about 18% moisture content). Laser cutting was performed at varying processing parameters, i.e. cutting speed, gas pressure and focal-point position. A confocal microscope was used to determine the average surface roughness perpendicular to the grain. The anatomical structures of the laser-cut surfaces were examined with scanning electron microscope. The result showed that smoother surfaces were obtained at the low moisture content when processed at a gas pressure of 21 bar. Focal-point positioning did only have an effect on the surface roughness at 12% moisture content whereas the value was substantially lower for focal-point positioned on the surface. The surfaces cut at 18% moisture content, and at a cutting speed of 3.5 m/min generated a rougher surface than cut at low moisture content and at a lower speed. Laser cutting produced a rougher surface as compared to sawn surface (circular saw). The structural integrity of the laser-cut surface was more intact when the wood was having high moisture content and processed at a high cutting speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years, people and even some doctors believed that opium has beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The effect of opium as a stimulator or inhibitor on the metabolic regulation system is challenging. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between opium and type 2 diabetes by meta-analysis. The present study was conducted based on the PRISMA checklist for systematic review and meta-analysis studies. Two researchers independently searched for standard keywords from international databases, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, Embase, and Web of Science without any time limits until 2019. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist was used for quality assessment of included studies. Data were analyzed using the random-effects model and CMA software. Twenty-four studies met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis results revealed no significant negative relationship between increased opium intake and decreased fasting blood sugar (P= ns). There was a statistically significant positive relationship between opium consumption and HbA1C increase in patients with type 2 diabetes (P<.05). Unlike past beliefs, opium consumption not only reduces fasting blood sugar but on the contrary, consumption of opium increases the level of glycosylated hemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the problems with a centralized cloud and the emergence of ultra-low latency applications, and the needs of the Internet of Things (IoT), it has been found that novel methods are needed to support centralized cloud technology. Mobile edge computing is one of the solutions to mitigate these challenges. In this paper, we study task caching at Device to Device (D2D)-assisted network edge. In the proposed scheme, we predict the possibility of re-requesting tasks in the future using convolutional neural networks (CNN). Based on this predicted possibility, the number of last requests, and the number of cached versions of this task type in the neighbors, in addition to the characteristics of a task itself, including the required cache volume and processing resources, we rank the tasks using the proposed Multi-Criteria Task Ranking using Predicted requests (MCTRP) scheme and select the best replacement option in the cache of each Mobile User Equipment (MUE). The proposed scheme has proved to be of considerable benefit in terms of reducing delay and energy consumption and improving the utility of MUEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increase in drug resistance of microorganisms and the tendency in using medicinal plants, the present study was carried out to investigate the chemical compounds of Thymol as a constituent of essential oil and antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic bacteria and its antioxidant activity. In this study, the chemical compounds of Thymol extracted from the two parts of the plant together (the leaves and stems) were performed by making use of gas chromatography and the other gas chromatography linked to the mass spectrograph and its antibacterial activity against Ecoli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Salmonella Paratyphi B, Salmonella Typhi typhus and Enterococci through Microdilution and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were investigated. The antioxidant activity of essential oils was measured through the ability of essential oil compounds in decolorizing diphenyl picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. Chemical analysis of thyme essential oil resulted in the identification of 23 (83.68%) compounds, which Thymol with 25.30% was considered as the main part of the essential oil compound. The highest inhibitory effect was imposed on Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, and the largest inhibitory zone diameter of essential oil appeared against growth S. paratyphi B. Concerning the results, total phenol was equal to 114.3 mg of gallic acid.g and IC50 of thyme was considered to be 49.94 μM/ml. The achieved results from this study declared that thyme essential oil had a suitable inhibitory effect against pathogenic bacteria and also possessed antioxidant properties. In other words, thyme was considered as an alternative to synthetic drugs and food additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective measures to control COVID-19 should be based on an understanding of its epidemiological pattern and the evaluation of its prevalence in the community. This study aimed to examine the reproductive number (R) of COVID-19 and its trend in Fars Province in southern Iran. Methods: In this ecological study, the R trend was examined from July to November 2020. Data were collected from the daily reports of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. R is the product of three components, namely the number of infection- producing contacts per unit time, the probability of transmission per contact, and the contagiousness period. Incidence and prevalence rates were used to calculate R. The R value was calculated in Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: The first and second peaks of COVID-19 were observed on July 6th and November 22nd, respectively. The median and mean of R were 1.42 and 1.41, respectively. The highest and lowest values of R were observed on October 20th (2.60) and September 1st (0.46), respectively. The values of R had a slightly decreasing trend in the second half of July and November than the first half. In the second half of August and September, an increasing trend was observed than the first half. There was not much change in the second half of October. Conclusion: The highest value of R was related to the dates when there was a higher probability of exposure to the virus, including public holidays and different occasions on which the probability of people's participation in ceremonies, communities, and gatherings was higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the different climate conditions worldwide, the need for climate zone-based architectural designs is evident. This need is more felt, particularly in critical thermal conditions, and is the most important challenge for an architect. One of the main sub-climates that require a special design is the humid subtropical climate in which winters are cold and rainy, and usually, the ambient temperature is lower than the comfort zone, with hot and humid summers that demand a temperature drop to achieve a comfort zone. The most fundamental problem is thus to provide cooling and heating systems in such environments. Accordingly, the present work aims at providing critical climate conditions with potential solutions. Here, Sari, with a humid subtropical climate, was selected as a case study, and its thermal conditions were investigated utilizing Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) indices, and the Rayman model. The results of our first study question revealed that the percentage of days with thermal comfort was 16.9%. Also, 16.3% and 17% of the days had slight and mild cold stress, respectively. Subsequently, the results from data analysis indicated that the ventilation and dehumidification cooling systems can be considered the most appropriate passive methods. In addition, the elements of the indigenous architecture including Iwan, Talaar, upstairs house, and sloping roof, which all are rooted in the vernacular architecture of the city of Sari can be introduced as the most effective architectural solutions. Our findings are of great importance for architects and designers because such findings will guide the design of complex site conditions and even the building construction by considering the thermal comfort factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effectiveness of the integration of microwave field irradiation and laser emission in liver cancer therapy with the aid of gold nanorods, in order to find out the influences of these combinational methods in tumor necrosis. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a kind of liver cancer that usually has a complicated structure, including both of superficial and deep sections. In current research, in deep regions of cancerous tissue, microwave antenna is utilized and in superficial regions, laser beams are irradiated. A Pulsed laser with heating time of 50 s and cooling time of 20 s is utilized for hyperthermia treatment. It should be mentioned that gold nanorods are injected into the tumorous region to enhance the treatment process and reduce the patient's exposure time. Simulation results showed that at the first step, without any injection of gold nanoparticles, 0.17% of the tumor's volume encountered necrosis, while at the next stage, after injection of gold nanorods, the necrosis rate increased to 35%, which demonstrates the efficiency of gold nanorods injection on the tumor treatments. Furthermore, the combinational applying of both microwave antenna and laser illumination can eradiate the tumor tissue completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]