Search

Diversity, community structure, and estimation of flower fly species richness (Diptera: Syrphidae) were measured in Darab damask rose plain, Fars province, Iran. Four Malaise traps were installed in a nearly 500-hectare site from April to October 2019 and checked periodically. The 4-step integrated approach was used to assess the sample completeness profile, to infer true diversities of entire assemblages, to standardize the sample coverage, and to infer diversity via an evenness profile. To estimate the species richness of the Syrphidae community, two models and seven non-parametric indices were used. As a result, a totally of 96 specimens representing 18 species were collected in 18-Malaise trap months (MTM) sampling efforts. One species, Paragus auritus Stuckenberg, 1954 was recorded for the first time from Iran. The aphidophagous hoverflies included 76.3% of all collected specimens. The dominant species were Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758), Eupeodes corolla (Fabricius, 1794), and Eumerus ahmadii Barkalov & Gharali, 2004. The estimated sample completeness profile showed that our data covers 85% of the total species in this community. Shannon and Simpson diversity indices are measured at 10.88 and 7.04, respectively. The models and non-parametric estimators estimated the species richness of syphids varied from 19 – 24 species. The biodiversity of Syrphidae community in the world's largest rain-fed organic damask rose plain, located at high altitudes of ca. 2600 m a.s.l. of the Zagros Mountains ranges in the south of Iran, provides fundamental data for any future conservation efforts of pollinators and predators and biocontrol programs of sucking pests.

Background: The radial approach is now recommended as the default strategy in diagnostic coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention. Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is the most common complication that limits subsequent angiographic procedures through this access. Recently, distal radial access (DRA) has been recommended as an alternative access site. Despite lower RAO rates in DRA in some recent clinical trials, concerns remain regarding possible complications and limitations due to the small size of the distal radial artery. Objective: The present study aimed to compare traditional radial access (TRA) and DRA concerning RAO in percutaneous coronary procedures. Methods: In the present prospective cohort study, percutaneous coronary procedures were performed via DRA or TRA in 2 study groups. All consecutive participants underwent DRA from September 2021 to March 2022 and TRA from April 2022 to June 2022. Ultrasonography was performed preprocedurally in the DRA group, and patients with small distal artery diameters (

This case report presents the clinical findings and management of an 18-year-old female patient with a known history of Crohn’s disease who developed right ventricular (RV) thrombosis. Despite presenting with prolonged fever and inconclusive initial evaluations, subsequent cardiac imaging confirmed the presence of a mobile RV mass. The patient’s complex medical history, including a history of gastrointestinal bleeding, necessitated a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. This case underscores the importance of considering atypical cardiac complications in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s disease and highlights the challenges and choices in managing RV thrombosis in such cases.

Recently, in the field of destination management in tourism, there is a growing trend towards encouraging individuals to engage in environmentally supportive behaviors. In this study, the dimensions of visitors' environmental engagement (affection, activation, and cognitive processing) are considered as mediating roles in the relationship between perceived environmental quality and pro-environmental behavior, forming a model. Additionally, the moderating role of visitor type (sport and non-sport) in these relationships has examined. The research population consisted of visitors to a nature-based public park in Sari, Mazandaran Province. Data from 394 questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results confirm the mediating role of cognitive processing (t=3.55, β=0.107) and disconfirm the mediating roles of affection (t=1.03, β=0.048) and activation (t=0.006, β=0). It has also been identified that there is no significant difference between sport and non-sport visitors in the relationship between perceived environmental quality and pro-environmental behavior due to environmental engagement dimensions.

Increased mass manufacturing and the pervasive use of plastics in many facets of daily life have had detrimental effects on the environment. As a result, these worries heighten the possibility of climate change due to the carbon dioxide emissions from burning conventional, non-biodegradable polymers. Accordingly, biodegradable gelatin and chitosan polymers are being created as a sustainable substitute for non-biodegradable polymeric materials in various applications. Chitosan is the only naturally occurring cationic alkaline polysaccharide, a well-known edible polymer derived from chitin. The biological activities of chitosan, such as its antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial qualities, have recently piqued the interest of researchers. Similarly, gelatin is a naturally occurring polymer derived from the hydrolytic breakdown of collagen protein and offers various medicinal advantages owing to its unique amino acid composition. In this review, we present an overview of recent studies focusing on applying chitosan and gelatin polymers in various fields. These include using gelatin and chitosan as food packaging, antioxidants and antimicrobial properties, properties encapsulating biologically active substances, tissue engineering, microencapsulation technology, water treatment, and drug delivery. This review emphasizes the significance of investigating sustainable options for non-biodegradable plastics. It showcases the diverse uses of gelatin and chitosan polymers in tackling environmental issues and driving progress across different industries.

The scaling limitations of Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) transistors to achieve better performance have led to the attention of other structures to improve circuit performance. One of these structures is multi-valued circuits. In this paper, we will first study Carbon Nanotube Transistors (CNT). CNT transistors offer a viable means to implement multi-valued logic due to their variable and controllable threshold voltage. Subsequently, we delve into the realm of three-valued flip-flop circuits, which find extensive utility in digital electronics. Leveraging the insights gained from our analysis, we propose a novel D-type flip-flop structure. The presented structure boasts a remarkably low power consumption, showcasing a reduction exceeding 61% compared to other existing structures. Furthermore, the proposed circuit incorporates a reduced number of transistors, resulting in a reduced footprint. Importantly, this circuit exhibits negligible static power consumption in generating intermediate values, rendering it robust against process variations. Overall, the proposed circuits demonstrate a 29.7% increase in delay compared to the compared structures. However, they showcase a 96.1% reduction in power-delay product (PDP) compared to the other structures. The number of transistors is also 8.3% less than other structures. Additionally, their figure of merits (FOM) are 19.7% better than the best-compared circuit, underscoring its advantages in power efficiency, chip area, and performance.

In recent years, many electroencephalogram (EEG) devices have become portable and wireless. Given the requirements for mobility, EEG instruments need to be smaller, lighter, and power-efficient with reduced noise and offset. An EEG signal is very weak and its amplitude ranging is from 20 to 200 µV and its frequency ranges from 0.1 to 100 Hz. Besides, the skin-electrode interface creates a large DC offset voltage which can be in the order of ±300 mV. These two challenges can disturb the main signal and reduce the detection accuracy. At the input of amplification section of many EEG circuits, the chopping technique has been applied to convert DC input signals into AC signals. The main transconductance amplifier as EEG instrumentation amplifier (IA) in most of the previous works is the folded cascode amplifier. In this paper, we proposed a circuit which designed in 0.18 CMOS technology and its amplifier is a two-stage fully recycling chopper stabilized folded cascode amplifier that operates at low supply voltage and its input-referred noise is decreased by enhancing transconductance while it has a large slew rate, a high DC gain and an improved gain bandwidth. These features significantly decrease the noise and offset without a considerable increase in the power required by the circuit. In the post-layout simulation the amplifier achieves a midband gain of 60 dB and a -3dB bandwidth in the range of 0.1-210 Hz. the chip area with pads is 512×512 μm2. The adjustable LPF has a 100 Hz cut-off frequency.

In the era of web-based technology, the conventional instructions seem archaic and need to be replaced or improved with more novel technology-enhanced instructions (TEIs) that have been reported to enrich the instructional settings by providing further innovative teaching and learning opportunities. As a result, the present study aimed at not only examining but also comparing the effectiveness of web-mediated, blended, and purely online learning instructions on EFL learners' writing achievement in the Iranian context. Therefore, 49 homogenous participants were randomly assigned into the web-mediated leaning (WML) group that attended the workshop physically at predetermined times, the enriched virtual blended learning (EVBL) group that not only was provided with online sessions but also received compulsory in-person instructional sessions, and the purely online leaning (POL) group that merely received an online instruction. All learners delivered four argumentative essay writing pre-tests, performed the WebQuest tasks, engaged in pair/group works, completed all the sub-tasks, and finally wrote four essays as post-tests. The results of paired-samples t-tests revealed that EFL learners' achievement in writing skill as a whole and writing sub-skills improved significantly from pre-tests to post-tests in all the WML, EVBL, and POL groups. The mentioned finding was vindicated considering the peculiar characteristic of EFL learners and the distinctive nature of TEIs. In addition, the results of one-way between-groups ANOVA indicated that WML and EVBL groups outperformed the POL group in the overall writing achievement, which was explained in the light of technology-related dimension, the interaction dimension, and the conventional perspective of education dimension. The presented findings can provide insights for stakeholders to incorporate more TEIs in developing EFL contexts.

Abstract Background Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease histologically defined by the non-caseation granulomas formation in different organs, most commonly lungs, liver, skin, gastrointestinal system, eyes, neurologic and cardiac system Case presentation We report the case of a 42-year-old Gilaks woman who presented with myelopathy with characteristic MRI finding called trident sign. By finding this view in axial spinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) imaging, a systemic evaluation was performed on the patient, which led to the diagnosis of cardiac involvement in Sarcoidosis with the specific appearance of this disease in cardiac MRI despite the negative Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Conclusions Sometimes characteristic findings such as the trident sign prompt the physician to high suspicion and wide evaluation of the patient to reveal important organ involvement that changes the treatment decision and saves the patient.

Multistage amplifiers have become appropriate choices for high-speed electronics and data conversion. Because of the large number of high-impedance nodes, frequency compensation has become the biggest challenge in the design of multistage amplifiers. The new compensation technique in this study uses two differential stages to organize feedforward and feedback paths. Five Miller loops and a 500-pF load capacitor are driven by just two tiny compensating capacitors, each with a capacitance of less than 10 pF. The symbolic transfer function is calculated to estimate the circuit dynamics and HSPICE and TSMC 0.18 μm. CMOS technology is used to simulate the proposed five-stage amplifier. A straightforward iterative approach is also used to optimize the circuit parameters given a known cost function. According to simulation and mathematical results, the proposed structure has a DC gain of 190 dB, a gain bandwidth product of 15 MHz, a phase margin of 89 dgree, and a power dissipation of 590 μW.

An updated checklist of Iranian Syrphidae (Diptera: Syrphoidea) is presented based on literature records with the latest taxonomic and nomenclatural changes. A total of 269 valid species in 70 genera among four subfamilies have been known from Iran, which is approximately 4.27 percent of the world’s total known Syrphidae. Among these, 145 species and 31 genera were added to the previous list. Of the 70 genera Eumerus Meigen (35 species, 13.01%) and Merodon Meigen (26 species, 9.67%), are the most specious, whereas 30 genera are represented in Iran by only one recorded species. The majority of Iranian hoverfly species are exclusively distributed in the Palaearctic region, while 21 species are known only from Iran and possibly endemic to the country.

In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged in the development of nanofluids. Research aimed at applying the nanorefrigerants and nanolubricants in vapor compression refrigeration systems is arousing much interest in the scientific community. This is thanks to the effect of the nanoparticles (NPs) in the thermodynamic properties of the base fluid, providing an improvement in the thermal exchanges of the system. In this context, the present work aims to carry out a systematic literature review, addressing the energetic influence of the applications of nanofluids in vapor compression refrigeration systems, highlighting parameters that can directly affect the performance of the system, such as compressor energy consumption, cooling capacity, and the coefficient of performance of the system (COP). In order to cover the most relevant works on this subject, the ordination method was used as a methodology for the selection and classification of the bibliographic database. It is possible to affirm that the use of NPs in refrigeration systems reduces the system's energy consumption, providing an increase in its energy performance. Furthermore, it was possible to verify that the use of nanofluids increases the cooling capacity in refrigeration systems by vapor compression, making them potential candidates for replacing conventional lubricants and refrigerants.

The first objective of the present study was to develop an inventory assessing EFL teachers’ professional identity perception (PIP) of technology-enhanced instructions (TEIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings of a semi-structured interview administered with three teachers following their actual implementation of TEIs, a 55-item EFL teachers’ PIP inventory of TEIs was developed. The second objective was to investigate the construct validity and reliability of teachers’ PIP inventory of TEIs by gathering data from 157 Iranian EFL teachers. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity verified the suitability of the data for factor analysis. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis indicated a nine-factor solution for the inventory items. Moreover, the PIP inventory of TEIs enjoyed a reliability of 0.77 suggesting a high reliability. Regarding teachers’ perceptions, various personal, professional, situational, and contextual aspects of professional identity were specified in relation to the implementation of TEIs in Iranian higher education. Some distinctive findings of this study comprised the society’s perception toward TEIs and the role of teachers’ pedagogical beliefs in the implementation of TEIs. This study has some implications for stakeholders to devote due attention to all aspects of teachers’ professional identity in the implementation of TEIs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background & aim: The use of medicinal plants has been common among people since ancient times, and in recent years special attention has been paid to their therapeutic consumption. As oxidative stress is one of the possible causes of benign prostatic hyperplasia, the aim of the present study was to determine and compare the antioxidative effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of fruit and pit of Elaeagnud angosifolia against oxidative stress markers in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Methods: In the present semi-experimental study conducted in 2021 at Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, 96 patients over 45 years of age with benign prostatic hyperplasia with International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) below 20 were randomly assigned to two groups receiving placebo (600 mg of white wheat flour for one month) and drug (600 mg of hydroalcoholic extract of elderberry for one month). Blood samples were taken from each patient before and after the study to check the level of oxidative stress factors, including total thiol (TSH), total plasma antioxidant capacity (FRAP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) metabolites, and at the end of the study, was evaluated. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, Will-Coxon and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: The results of the present study indicated that the hydroalcoholic extract of elderberry kernel and fruit increased the MDA level in the group receiving the extract (480.7±65 vs. 457.8±51) compared to the placebo group (454.8±50 vs. 36±36). 447/3) decreased, however, this decrease was not significant. Also, the amount of NO metabolites in the group receiving the hydroalcoholic extract of elderberry kernel and fruit (6.7±7.8 to 15.7±9) compared to the placebo group (5.5±3 versus 16.6±9) indicated a lower increase. This increase was correspondingly not significant. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of FRAP and TSH between the drug and placebo groups (p