Search

Abstract Accretion processes near black hole candidates are associated with the high-energy emission of radiation from relativistic particles and outflows. It is widely believed that the magnetic field plays a crucial role in explaining these high-energy processes near these astrophysical sources. In this work, we analyze thin accretion disks in the Bocharova–Bronnikov–Melnikov–Bekenstein (BBMB) spacetime framework using the Novikov–Thorne model. Our study examines the thermal and optical characteristics of these disks, including their emission rate and luminosity in the specified spacetime. Later, we extend the Novikov–Thorne model to ionized thin accretion disk. We propose that the black hole is embedded in an asymptotically uniform magnetic field. We investigate the dynamics of charged particles near a weakly magnetized black hole. Our findings show that, in the presence of a magnetic field, the radius of the marginally stable circular orbit (MSCO) for a charged particle is close to the black hole’s horizon. The orbital velocity of the charged particle, as measured by a local observer, has been computed in the presence of the external magnetic field. We also present an analytical expression for the four-acceleration of the charged particle orbiting around black holes. Finally, we determine the intensity of the radiation emitted by the accelerating relativistic charged particle orbiting the magnetized black hole.

Abstract In this work we focus on the effects of Starobinsky–Bel–Robinson (SBR) gravity parameter and external magnetic field on the motion of charged test particles and magnetic dipoles moving around a black hole in the selected gravity theory. We take the external magnetic field to be uniform and aligned along the axis of symmetry. Our results reveal that the effect of the SBR gravity parameter is very strong in the close environment of the central black hole while in the farther distances this effects diminishes very quickly. We see that the effect of the external magnetic field on the particle motion is always dominating over the SBR gravity parameter in farther distances. We show that for the motion of charged test particles the magnetic interaction can mimic the spin up to very rapid rotations for prograde motion of particles, while for the motion of magnetic dipoles magnetic interaction can mimic the spin completely for retrograde motion of such particles. We observe that in both scenarios, the SBR gravity parameter behaves as a weak mimicker of the spin of Kerr black hole. We apply the outcomes of our study to the scenario where a neutron star is assumed to behave as a magnetic dipole moving around the supermassive black hole Sgr $$A^\star $$ A ⋆ to investigate how the magnetic field and the SBR gravity coupling parameter $$\beta $$ β affect the orbits of neutron stars orbiting the supermassive black hole.

Objectives: Since December 2019, COVID-19 spread worldwide. Patients with COVID-19 are at high hazard for dysphagia. This study investigates the incidence of dysphagia in COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and identifies predictors of dysphagia in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This prospective study analyzed 100 COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU of Firoozgar Hospital in Tehran City, Iran. The demographic and clinical features of the eligible patients were collected. Dysphagia and cognition were evaluated according to the Persian version of functional oral intake (FOIS-P) status and the Rancho Los Amigos scale (RLAS). The qualitative variables are described in frequency and percentages and the quantitative variables are illustrated by Mean±SD. Also, univariate and multivariate cox regression was performed to predict possible relations between demographic and clinical variables with dysphagia. Results: A total of 100 COVID-19 patients (43.3±13.3 years, 55% were men) who were admitted to the ICUs were appraised by speech and language pathologists. Meanwhile, 70% of the subjects had at least one comorbidity, with the most common ones being diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Also, 74% of patients were on invasive mechanical ventilation (60% through endotracheal tube and 40% through tracheostomy). In addition, 57% of patients presented dysphagia. Age (odd ratio (OR)=1.127; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.019%, 1.247%; P=0.02) and level of consciousness (OR=0.393; 95% CI, 0.178%, 0.868%; P=0.021) were predictors of dysphagia. Discussion: Dysphagia was prevalent among COVID-19 patients predicted by age and level of consciousness. Early evaluation of suspected patients is required for timely and efficient interventions to avoid further problematic issues and progress their quality of life.

Boycotting Israeli products has become a controversial issue in various countries, because it is related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Indonesia itself, the movement to boycott Israeli products is a step to support Palestinians indirectly, but not all people agree and there are pros and cons to boycotting Israeli products. This research aims to analyze the public response regarding the movement to boycott Israeli-affiliated products and its impact on society in 2019-2024. The research method used is the library research method. This research uses an empathetic approach in examining the phenomenon of social movements boycotting products affiliated with Israel by society. The results of this research indicate that boycotting Israeli products is a strategy that has positive and negative impacts that must be considered in depth. Therefore, the decision to support or oppose a boycott must be based on a comprehensive analysis. This article explores various arguments for and against boycotting Israeli products, by analyzing the economic, social and political impacts and considering legal and human rights perspectives. Through this approach, it is hoped that it can provide a deeper understanding to the public about the importance of boycotts as our humanitarian steps

Abstract Introduction Open globe injuries (OGI) represent a main preventable reason for blindness and visual impairment, particularly in developing countries. The goal of this study is evaluating key variables affecting the prognosis of open globe injuries and validating internally and comparing different machine learning models to estimate final visual acuity. Materials and methods We reviewed three hundred patients with open globe injuries receiving treatment at Khatam-Al-Anbia Hospital in Iran from 2020 to 2022. Age, sex, type of trauma, initial VA grade, relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD), zone of trauma, traumatic cataract, traumatic optic neuropathy (TON), intraocular foreign body (IOFB), retinal detachment (RD), endophthalmitis, and ocular trauma score (OTS) grade were the input features. We calculated univariate and multivariate regression models to assess the association of different features with visual acuity (VA) outcomes. We predicted visual acuity using ten supervised machine learning algorithms including multinomial logistic regression (MLR), support vector machines (SVM), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), naïve bayes (NB), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), bagging (BG), adaptive boosting (ADA), artificial neural networks (ANN), and extreme gradient boosting (XGB). Accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), recall, F-score, brier score (BS), Matthew correlation coefficient (MCC), receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC), and calibration plot were used to assess how well machine learning algorithms performed in predicting the final VA. Results The artificial neural network (ANN) model had the best accuracy to predict the final VA. The sensitivity, F1 score, PPV, accuracy, and MCC of the ANN model were 0.81, 0.85, 0.89, 0.93, and 0.81, respectively. In addition, the estimated AUC-ROC and AUR-PRC of the ANN model for OGI patients were 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. The brier score and calibration log-loss for the ANN model was 0.201 and 0.232, respectively. Conclusion As classic and ensemble ML models were compared, results shows that the ANN model was the best. As a result, the framework that has been presented may be regarded as a good substitute for predicting the final VA in OGI patients. Excellent predictive accuracy was shown by the open globe injury model developed in this study, which should be helpful to provide clinical advice to patients and making clinical decisions concerning the management of open globe injuries.

Europe has suffered unprecedented epizootics of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 since Autumn 2021. As well as impacting upon commercial and wild avian species, the virus has also infected mammalian species more than ever observed previously. Mammalian species involved in spill over events have primarily been scavenging terrestrial carnivores and farmed mammalian species although marine mammals have also been affected. Alongside reports of detections of mammalian species found dead through different surveillance schemes, several mass mortality events have been reported in farmed and wild animals. In November 2022, an unusual mortality event was reported in captive bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) with clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 HPAIV of avian origin being the causative agent. The event involved an enclosure of 15 bush dogs, 10 of which succumbed during a nine-day period with some dogs exhibiting neurological disease. Ingestion of infected meat is proposed as the most likely infection route.

Objective Stuttering is one of the speech disorders that appears in childhood. Many studies emphasize early interventions for its treatment. Circumstances such as a lack of therapists and the COVID-19 pandemic have limited the access to face-to-face therapy. Studies show some problems with this type of treatment. A detailed understanding of these problems in a cultural context can help increase the quality of providing telepractice. This study was conducted to discover the telepractice treatment of stuttering in preschool children. Materials & Methods This qualitative study was conducted in Iran from November 2020 to February 2022 using the grounded theory method. In this study, in-depth, free, and individual interviews were conducted with 9 therapists and 5 parents of children who stutter. The data were analyzed using the Corbin and Strauss method, version 2015. Results After analyzing the data of this study, 6 main categories, 17 subcategories, and 63 primary categories were extracted. The main categories include “hesitation in choosing telepractice”, “characteristics of family and clients”, “technology and the knowledge to apply it”, “therapist skills for telepractice”, “payment system for telepractice fees”, and “efficiency of telepractice”. Conclusion In this study, “efficiency of telepractice” was chosen as the central concept that all participants were concerned about in some way. According to this model, “hesitation in choosing telepractice”, “characteristics of family and clients”, and “technology and the knowledge to apply it” as the context have effects on the processes that are taking place in relation to the telepractice in preschool children who stutter. These processes include “therapist skills for telepractice” and “ payment system for telepractice fees”. In the end, all these things increase the efficiency of telepractice.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cataract surgery and visual impairment and the associated risk factors on the frequency of falls among older adults in northeast Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted between 2019 and 2020, analyzed the potential risk factors of falling in older adults over 50 years of age. To this end, 380 patients were randomly selected by convenience sampling and classified into two groups: those who had undergone cataract surgery in the last 12 months (surgery group) and those who had not (cataract group). The data were collected from the medical records and face-to-face interviews, and logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors for falling. Results: The frequency of falls in the cataract and surgery groups was 18.9% and 11.6%, respectively. The mean decimal visual acuity of the dominant eye was significantly lower in the cataract group than in the surgery group (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the mean number of medications used, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living score, and 10-Meter Walk Test speed between the two groups. According to the results of backward logistic regression, taking more than four medications per day and slow gait speed were the most important factors influencing the frequency of falls in older adults. Conclusion: Logistic regression analysis indicated that undergoing cataract surgery is not a significant protective factor against falls. However, older adults in the surgery group experienced fewer falls than in the other group. Besides, the results suggest that taking more than four medications daily and having a slow gait speed are significant fall risk factors.

The immune system of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) is poorly studied, compared to that of livestock, rodents or humans. The innate immune response has become a focus of interest in relation to Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs). EEHVs cause a fatal hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) and are a significant threat to captive Asian elephant populations worldwide. Similar to other herpesvirus infections, nearly all animals become infected, but only some develop disease. As progression to EEHV-HD is often acute, a robust innate immune response is crucial to control EEHV infections. This is invariably true of the host in the first instance, but it can also potentially be modulated by intervention strategies. Here, two immunostimulant veterinary medicinal products, authorized for use in domestic species, were tested for their ability to induce innate anti-viral immune responses in Asian elephant blood cells. Sequence data were obtained for a range of previously unidentified Asian elephant immune genes, including C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), interferon stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) and myxovirus GTPase 1 (Mx1), and were employed in the design of species-specific qPCR assays. These assays were subsequently used in analyses to determine fold changes in gene expression over a period of 24 hours. This study demonstrates that both immunostimulant medications are capable of inducing significant innate anti-viral immune responses which suggests that both could be beneficial in controlling EEHV infections in Asian elephants.

Abstract The sudden mortality of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Botswana and Zimbabwe in 2020 provoked considerable public interest and speculation. Poaching and malicious poisoning were excluded early on in the investigation. Other potential causes included environmental intoxication, infectious diseases, and increased habitat stress due to ongoing drought. Here we show evidence of the mortalities in Zimbabwe as fatal septicaemia associated with Bisgaard taxon 45, an unnamed close relative of Pasteurella multocida. We analyse elephant carcasses and environmental samples, and fail to find evidence of cyanobacterial or other intoxication. Post-mortem and histological findings suggest a bacterial septicaemia similar to haemorrhagic septicaemia caused by P. multocida. Biochemical tests and 16S rDNA analysis of six samples and genomic analysis of one sample confirm the presence of Bisgaard taxon 45. The genome sequence contains many of the canonical P. multocida virulence factors associated with a range of human and animal diseases, including the pmHAS gene for hyaluronidase associated with bovine haemorrhagic septicaemia. Our results demonstrate that Bisgaard taxon 45 is associated with a generalised, lethal infection and that African elephants are susceptible to opportunistically pathogenic Pasteurella species. This represents an important conservation concern for elephants in the largest remaining metapopulation of this endangered species.

Background: Acute complications of transfusion are among leading causes of morbidity and mortality in chronically transfused patients. One of the main goals of the blood transfusion is reducing complications, improve blood safety and patient's health care worldwide. The purpose of present study was to investigate the prevalence of acute complications of transfusion in beta thalassemia major (TM) patients in Southeast Iran.Methods: In a prospective study, 23882 transfusions were evaluated in TM patients in thalassemia clinic for acute reactions during 2 years period. Data were collected by forms to record the information related to blood transfusion at the time of reaction occurence. Results: The assessment of the data revealed that 228 TM (0.95%) had acute complications of transfusion. Of 23882 transfusions in TM patients, 211 patients (0.87%) developed allergic reactions, 11 patients (0.04%) were diagnosed with febrile non-hemolytic reaction and 1 patient (0.004%) had experienced acute hemolytic transfusion reaction.Conclusions: The results of current study supports preventive measures for reduction of these complications to improve patient's health. Acute complications occurred may be due to insufficient ability to perform blood bank tests, lack of standard operating instructions and lack of necessary monitoring during the transfusion process. The best way to reduce the risk of blood transfusion reactions is providing special care to the patients during the first 24 hours after transfusion. Creating a consistent and continuous education system with standard operating instructions and establishing an error reporting system leads to improve knowledge about transfusion guidelines and best practices.

This article aims to analyze the relevance of Monzer Kahf's view of Islamic banking to the development of Islamic banking in Indonesia, with a particular focus on Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI). Although Islamic banking has grown rapidly in Indonesia, there are still challenges in understanding the factors that influence its success and how these banks can serve the community more effectively. To achieve this goal, the method used is library research, which aims to collect some information obtained through books, journals and online media that have relevance to the topic with Monzer Kahf's Islamic banking thinking and secondary data on the development of Bank Syariah Indonesia. The results of the analysis show that some of the key factors identified by Monzer Kahf, such as increasing the form of deposits, improving the quality of customer service, expanding the banking service base, capital protection, and providing social and humanitarian services, are very relevant in the context of the development of Islamic banks in Indonesia. Bank Syariah Indonesia, as the largest Islamic bank in Indonesia, plays an important role in driving the country's economic growth. In addition, the bank is also expected to improve its social services to the community through various aspects, including education, health, environment and renewable energy. In conclusion, Monzer Kahf's views on Islamic banking are highly relevant to the development of Islamic banking in Indonesia.

Objective With the advancement of information and communication technology, the use of telepractice has expanded to provide speech, language, and swallowing services. In different countries, studies have been conducted in the field of telepractice of speech, language, and swallowing disorders, including stuttering, and these studies have confirmed the effectiveness of this method of providing treatment and have mentioned some problems. To present this method of treatment more effectively, the challenges of this treatment should be examined. The present study has been conducted to investigate the facilitators and barriers to the telepractice of stuttering in preschool children. Materials & Methods In this qualitative study, individual unstructured interviews have conducted using qualitative content analysis with 11 participants, including therapists with experience in stuttering telepractice in preschool children, therapists who were opposed to this treatment (n=7 people) as well as parents who have had successful telepractice and parents who have had unsuccessful telepractice (n=4). Results Telepractice facilitators included cost reduction, therapist-client communication between sessions, greater parental cooperation and responsibility in telepractice, reduced stress and increased child-therapist collaboration in the natural environment, more time freedom, and time flexibility for the family and therapist. Barriers to telepractice in this group included lower trust in the therapist in telepractice, limited communication cues, spending more energy by the therapist, difficulty in educating parents, and lack of comprehensive protocols in telepractice. Conclusion When these cases are recognized, it is possible to provide higher-quality treatment to people who need these services by reducing barriers and strengthening facilitators. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to conduct studies to develop comprehensive and detailed protocols for providing this method of treatment, taking into account the existing facilitators and obstacles.

Objective Grammar is a key element of language knowledge and a factor in predicting language learning and success. Early diagnosis of grammatical errors in children before entering school is very important. So far, no tool has been designed to evaluate the Azerbaijani language grammar comprehension in Iran. The present study aims to design the Azerbaijani language grammar comprehension test for Iranian children aged 4-6 along and assess its validity. Materials & Methods This is a mixed-method (qualitative-quantitative) study. After searching in various databases and reviewing available articles, 42 grammatical structures of the Azerbaijani language were extracted, of which 8 were removed after preliminary examination by experts. Then, 204 items were formulated for the remaining 34 grammatical structures. To determine the content validity, the test was sent to 11 experts in the field of Azerbaijani language grammar to evaluate the items. According to their opinions, two more suitable items were selected from among four items for each grammatical structure and included in the initial version for the pilot study. The initial test version was conducted on 30 children aged 4-6 years with normal language development. Results After calculating the content validity ratio (CVR), two grammatical structures were removed, and 32 structures with 128 items having CVR≥0.59 remained. After calculating the content validity index (CVI), the items with CVI≥0.79 were selected. The initial version had 32 grammatical structures and 64 items. None of the items were removed in the pilot phase, and only 10 items were modified. The CVR and CVI of the test were 0.91 and 0.87, respectively, indicating good content validity. Conclusion The Azerbaijani language grammar comprehension test has good content and face validity and can be used to evaluate the grammar comprehension of children with Azerbaijani language aged 4-6 years.

Objective Today transoral laser microsurgery is considered as one of the first options to control early laryngeal cancer, and voice disorder is one of the inevitable complications of this therapeutic component. This study aimed to compare the vocal function in patients with early-stage laryngeal cancer following laser surgery with healthy individuals with normal voice quality using acoustic analysis and the voice handicap index and to examine the correlation between the results of these two evaluations in each group. Materials & Methods The current research is a descriptive-correlational and comparative study that was cross-sectioned using convenience sampling into two groups consisting of 60 men (Mean±SD of age 59.18±5.170 years) with early laryngeal cancer undergoing laser surgery as a patient group and 60 men (Mean±SD of age 56.68±5.491 years) with normal voice quality, and without any history of voice disorder as a control. The vocal function of participants was assessed using acoustic parameters (including jitter, shimmer, harmonic to noise ratio, fundamental frequency, smoothed cepstral peak prominence) and a 30-item Persian version of the voice handicap index questionnaire (including overall score and scores of physical, emotional and functional subscale). Then, data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 20, descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient at the P

Smart cities have become prominent in various disciplines in the last decade. Few scholars have reviewed the current research related to smart cities. Unfortunately, limited studies have examined the smart city and community issues using bibliometrics. Therefore, this paper aims to fill the gap in the current research by systematically reviewing the paper on smart city and community research. This research was conducted by performing a bibliometric approach. The data were traced from the Web of Science Clarivate Analytics database and analysed using the R-package, Hiscite, and VOSviewer. The results of this analysis are descriptively summarised in the number of articles, citations, and the most influential author and journal. Regarding topics, we revealed six growing clusters of research covering 174 sub-topics. This study contributes to the growing body of smart cities by reviewing the current literature on the issue and providing future research directions.

Nongsa Digital Park is a Special Economic Zone in Batam, Riau Islands, with a focus on the digital and tourism ecosystem. Its strategic location near the Singapore border presents an opportunity to develop the digital sector in Indonesia’s maritime region. The competition among ASEAN Special Economic Zones makes Nongsa Digital Park unique. The purpose of this study is to propose a planning concept for the development of the Special Economic Zone, Nongsa Digital Park, as a Digital Hub with potential for growth in Southeast Asia. This study employs qualitative methodologies, including interviews, observations, and visual analysis using Google Earth. It analyzes the policy framework of Nongsa Digital Park as a Digital Hub. Upon further investigation, this Special Economic Zone is supported by central government policies and spatial planning alignment. The zone has the potential for expansion due to the increasing demand for data centers and digital businesses.