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Background: Diabetes self-management education is necessary to improve patient outcomes and reduce diabetes-related complications. According to the theory of behavioral reasoning, the likelihood of performing a behavior is predicted by the link between beliefs, motivation, intention, and behavior. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on the Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT) on self-management behaviors in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Methods: A randomized controlled trial based on BRT was conducted on 113 patients with type 2 diabetes, with a control group and an intervention group followed for 3and 6 months. Data were collected using a researcher-made demographic questionnaire based on the constructs of BRT and behaviors related to self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the intervention group were provided, 8 sessions of diabetes self-management education based on BRT. The control group only received the usual training of the center. Data was analyzed using SPSS26 software. Results: After the educational interventions in the intervention group, there were statistically significant changes observed in the mean scores of all constructs, fasting blood sugar, and glycosylated hemoglobin. On the other hand, no statistically significant change was observed in the mean grades of the control group. All the observed changes were significant at the 0.05 level. Conclusions: The results of this study were in favor of the effectiveness of an educational intervention that promotes diabetes self-management behaviors, using the principles of the behavioral reasoning theory. Which can be used in the design of health promotion programs for patients with diabetes. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), IRCT20131014015015N21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Needle stick injuries (NSI) can lead to dangerous infectious diseases for health care workers. This study aimed to determine the predictors of observance of safe injection guidelines in hospital nursing staff, based on protection motivation theory. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the nursing staff of five randomly selected teaching and general hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Fars province, Iran, in 2021. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire which was developed based on protection motivation theory. Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 22 and Amos 24 at a significance level of < 0.05. Pearson's correlation coefficient, Multiple linear regression, and Structural Equation Modeling were used. Results: The mean age of the participants (No = 280) was 32.5 ± 8.09 years. Most of the participants [80%] had encountered NSI, patients' blood, or body fluids at least once. Protection motivation was the only predictor of protective behaviors (β = 0.573), while perceived efficacy (β = 0.142) and perceived rewards (β = -0.229) were the strongest predictors of motivation. The structural equation modeling analysis showed that standardized total effects of protection motivation, perceived response costs, rewards, and efficacy on the protective behaviors were 0.573, -0.159, -.104, and 0.81, respectively. While standardized total effects of perceived rewards, efficacy, and response cost on protection motivation were -0.229, 0.142, and -0.033, respectively. The model fit indices indicated the acceptable final model fit. Conclusion: The results suggest that perceived efficacy, perceived effectiveness, and perceived rewards were the most important predictors of adherence to Safe Injection Guidelines in nursing staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Breast cancer disease is known as the most common cancer among women. Lack of knowledge and awareness is a leading cause of breast cancer, and since nearly all women are increasingly susceptible to this disease, training screening behaviors for early detection is proven essential in order to reduce breast cancer mortality. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the effect of educational intervention based on the Health Action Model in improving breast cancer screening behaviors in women aged 30 to 69 in Kashan, Iran. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 162 women aged 30–69 years old among the clients of Comprehensive health service centers in Kashan, Iran and they were assigned to intervention and control groups. The research instrument included a questionnaire assessed within three phases: baseline, 3-months, and 6-months, containing Health Action Model (HAM) structures and also three screening behaviors. The intervention consisted of a model-based education package and was carried out over 2 months. To evaluate the effect of the intervention, the mean of model structures and proportion screening behaviors in the third and sixth months were compared with the baseline phase. All analyses were carried out using SPSS, version 22. Results: The intervention and control groups were homogeneous regarding the structures of the HAM and the proportion of screening behaviors in the baseline phase (p > 0.05). In the 3-month (p < 0.05) and 6-month (p < 0.05) phases, the mean scores of the HAM constructs in the intervention group were found higher compared with the control group. Moreover, the proportion of clinical breast examinations in the intervention group was statistically higher than in the control group in the 3-month (p < 0.001) and 6-month (p < 0.001) phases. In addition, the proportion of mammography performed in the 3-month (p = 0.002) and 6-month (p < 0.001) phases were reported to be higher in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusion: Overall, these results provide important insight into the effectiveness of the interventions based on the Health Action Model in promoting breast cancer screening behaviors and the determinants of such behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric Cancer (GC) is one of the most dangerous malignancies in the world. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between miR-146a and miR-155 in patients with H. pylori infections with GC compared to H. pylori-infected patients and healthy subjects. Forty patients with H. pylori and GC positive diagnoses and 40 patients with H. pylori positive and GC negative diagnoses, and 40 healthy persons were selected. The expression of miR-146a and miR-155 genes in the whole blood was examined using qRT-PCR. Moreover, ROC curves were drawn to represent the sensitivity and specificity of miR-146a and miR-155 expression as biomarkers. The results showed the expression of miR-146a and miR-155 in the whole blood of patients with H. pylori and GC positive diagnoses are significantly higher than in healthy individuals and are non-significantly enhanced compared to H. pylori positive and GC negative. Also, the results stated miR-146a and miR-155 expression in the whole blood of patients who are H. pylori positive and GC negative are significantly increased compared to healthy individuals. Furthermore, the ROC curve analysis of miR-146a and miR-155 RNA level demonstrated the two miRNAs have an appropriate sensitivity and specificity for diagnostic goals. In conclusion, H. pylori infection may increase the expression of miR-146a and miR-155 in patients with H. pylori and GC positive diagnoses, which can be effective in the curbing the progression of GC. For this reason, up-regulation of miR-146a and miR-155 along with H. pylori infection might contribute to the pathogenesis of GC, and also can be suggested as biomarkers for GC diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: We studied real-world patients with locally advanced rectal cancer receiving preoperative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. The aim was to find factors associated with complete response to therapy, i.e., no remaining tumour, that could be used to identify patients who would not need surgery in the future. Tumour stage and length, intensity of preoperative treatment, and laboratory factors, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), leucocyte counts, and platelets, were all associated with complete response. Treatment intensity mattered and when radiotherapy was combined with chemotherapy, 21% had a complete response compared to 8% with radiotherapy alone. A model for identifying patients with a better chance of achieving a complete response was developed using tumour stage and length, CEA, and leukocyte levels as factors predicting complete response. Complete pathological response (pCR) is achieved in 10–20% of rectal cancers when treated with short-course radiotherapy (scRT) or long-course chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and in 28% with total neoadjuvant therapy (scRT/CRT + CTX). pCR is associated with better outcomes and a "watch-and-wait" strategy (W&W). The aim of this study was to identify baseline clinical or imaging factors predicting pCR. All patients with preoperative treatment and delays to surgery in Uppsala-Dalarna (n = 359) and Stockholm (n = 635) were included. Comparison of pCR versus non-pCR was performed with binary logistic regression models. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) models for predicting pCR were built using factors with p < 0.10 in multivariate analyses. A pCR was achieved in 12% of the 994 patients (scRT 8% [33/435], CRT 13% [48/358], scRT/CRT + CTX 21% [43/201]). In univariate and multivariate analyses, choice of CRT (OR 2.62; 95%CI 1.34–5.14, scRT reference) or scRT/CRT + CTX (4.70; 2.23–9.93), cT1–2 (3.37; 1.30–8.78; cT4 reference), tumour length ≤ 3.5 cm (2.27; 1.24–4.18), and CEA ≤ 5 µg/L (1.73; 1.04–2.90) demonstrated significant associations with achievement of pCR. Age < 70 years, time from radiotherapy to surgery > 11 weeks, leucocytes ≤ 109/L, and thrombocytes ≤ 4009/L were significant only in univariate analyses. The associations were not fundamentally different between treatments. A model including T-stage, tumour length, CEA, and leucocytes (with scores of 0, 0.5, or 1 for each factor, maximum 4 points) showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.66 (95%CI 0.60–0.71) for all patients, and 0.65–0.73 for the three treatments separately. The choice of neoadjuvant treatment in combination with low CEA, short tumour length, low cT-stage, and normal leucocytes provide support in predicting pCR and, thus, could offer guidance for selecting patients for organ preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is known as the most common cancer and the first-rank malignancy among women. Screening plays a crucial role in early diagnosis and timely treatment. This paper presents the results of design, evaluation and analysis of a questionnaire based on the health action model to investigate breast cancer screening behaviors and their relevant factors.Methods: The study is based on using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches for optimal design and development of research tools. In order to design the structure of the health action model and screening behaviors related factors, both qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and quantitative approaches studied. Psychometric properties of the research tool were investigated through literature review. The research population consisted of 210 30-69 years old females based in Kashan who were selected through simple random sampling. The relative and content validity indexes were calculated to judge the content of the tool. Also, the confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the construct validity. Additionally, intra-class correlation coefficient and Cornbrash's alpha coefficient were calculated to evaluate the reliability of the instrument. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 software packages.Results: The mean age of the participants was 43 ± 9.82 Years old. The final version of the questionnaire was prepared in four sections, namely demographic factors (15 items), knowledge (12 items), constructs of the health action model or the factors related to breast cancer screening behaviors (67 items), and behavior (6 items). Factor analysis confirmed that the health action model fits in measuring breast cancer screening behaviors.Conclusion: The tool designed for measuring breast cancer screening behaviors showed acceptable psychometric properties amongst females and can be used as a valid tool in conducting research in health studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infertility is one of the disorders that worries many couples around the world, although novel and molecular methods can be used to cure this disease in different stages. One of the factors that causes infertility in men and women is the increased oxidative stress within the cells, which can lead to damage in zygote formation. ROMO1 is one of the most important proteins in the production of reactive oxygen species. This protein can enhance oxidative stress in the cells and body through cellular pathways, such as TNF-1 and NF-B routes, which will eventually lead to many diseases, especially infertility. We engage several international databases by using keywords; ROMO1, Infertility, and Reactive Oxygen Species, and gained a great quantity of information about ROMO1, Infertility, and Oxidative Stress. Although not proven, it is hypothesized that ROMO1 might elevate oxidative stress by activating NF-B pathway in the cells, furthermore, TNF-αcan arouse ROMO1 that can end up with apoptosis and cell death, which consequently can have a lot of disturbing effects on the body, especially the reproductive system. To sum up, revealing the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms of ROMO1-dependent TNF-1 and NF-1B pathways in the pathogenesis of infertility might find interesting therapeutic and management strategies for this disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Health Belief Model-based education on determinants of intention to perform influenza prevention behaviors among the older adults. In this experimental controlled randomized study conducted on 100 rural older adults (50 in each group), four education sessions were conducted for the experiment group. Data were collected by a researcher who made the questionnaire, before and 2 months after intervention. The data were analyzed in SPSS 21. The level of significance was set at 0. 05. Two months after the intervention, the mean scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers, and perceived benefits in the intervention group significantly changed (P <.001) but mean scores of cues to action perceived self-efficacy, and intention to perform influenza preventive measures did not change significantly. Only the intention to receive the vaccine and using a mask in the experimental group after intervention showed significant differences (p <.001). The finding suggests that the Health Belief Model can be a proper model to promote influenza prevention behaviors, especially vaccination and using masks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-diesel dual fuel (HDDF) technology is one approach available to improve the performance and reduce carbon-based emissions of compression ignition (CI) engines. Unfortunately, when operated at partial and low loads, HDDF engine configurations suffer from poor fuel utilization, combustion efficiency and ignition delay. As partial load application is increasingly important to performance of hybrid power systems, this paper explores the use of oxygen enrichment to improve HDDF performance outside of conventional load applications. In this paper, a numerical model was first developed and validated for HDDF combustion using experimental data. This model was subsequently applied to study the influences of oxygen enrichment on engine performance and emission characteristics. Furthermore, the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) was implemented as a secondary control for NOx emission reduction. For this configuration the results showed that oxygen enrichment (between 21% and 27% by volume) into the intake manifold led to an improved combustion efficiency and reduced carbon-based emissions. The brake thermal efficiency (BTE) increased by 1.6% and the brake specific energy consumption decreased by 4%. Across the emissions spectrum, soot emission reduced by 72%, whereas NOx emission increased by 63% without using the EGR technique. By combining oxygen enrichment and EGR strategies, a considerable reduction of 79% in NOx and an increase of 2.6% in BTE was observed for the oxygen concentration of 27% and EGR rate of 24% compared to a conventional HDDF operation with 45% HES ratio. [Display omitted] • Effect of oxygen enrichment on hydrogen dual-fuel engine performance was studied. • Thermal efficiency of dual-fuel engines was improved by oxygen enrichment. • Oxygen enrichment reduced carbon-based emissions and increased NOx emissions. • EGR significantly reduced NOx emissions and slightly increased system efficiency. • Combined EGR and oxygen enrichment techniques largely improved engine performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive spread of COVID-19 all over the world has worried everyone. This pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which has an envelope and is a positive-sense RNA. The virus causes mild-to-severe signs and symptoms in the patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between this virus and oxidative stress, which can worsen the conditions of cancer patients through some pivotal pathways. We utilize some international databases using keywords; COVID-19, neoplasm, and reactive oxygen species, and could attain interesting information about neoplasm, COVID-19, and oxidative stress. Based on the research, COVID-19 can induce some crucial routes, such as hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathways through overproduction of ROS. Although not proven, it is hypothesized that COVID-19 may enhance oxidative stress by inducing ROS-activated HIF-1a and NF-κB pathways in the cell, which subsequently can have a lot of disturbing effects on the body, and exacerbate the conditions of cancer patients. To conclude, understanding the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms of ROS-dependent HIF-1a and NF-κB pathways in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 can identify greater therapeutic and management strategies for COVID-19-infected cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R be a commutative ring. The regular digraph of ideals of R, denoted by Γ(R), is a digraph whose vertex-set is the set of all non-trivial ideals of R and for every two distinct vertices I and J, there is an arc from I to J, whenever I contains a non-zero zero divisor on J. We generalize this notion with respect to an ideal I0 of R and denote it by ...(R) in such a way that I0 = 0 gives us Γ(R). Also by verifying connectedness and diameter of ...(R) we will observe that there is a strong relation between ...(R) and Γ(R)/I0). Finally, we consider the number of non-singular connected components of ...(R). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing health and quality of life (QoL) of elderly people is technically challenging. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of small group education method on adherence to Mediterranean diet and QoL in elderly women. In this randomized-controlled study, one hundred 60-74-year-old women were selected from two health centers using random sampling, in 2019, Shiraz, Iran. Each health center was randomly assigned to intervention and control groups (50 women in each group). The intervention group received four weekly education sessions using small group education method (group discussion, brainstorming and role-playing). We collected data through 14-item Mediterranean diet adherence, LEIPAD 31-item quality of life, and researcher-made knowledge and attitude questionnaires. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the participants’ age in the control and intervention groups were 62.7 ± 3.9 and 63.1±3.7 years, respectively (p=0.71). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet increased significantly in the intervention group compared to the controls (p<0.001). The mean ± SD of adherence to the Mediterranean diet changed from 7.24 (2.04) to 10.58 (1.33) in the intervention group (p<0.001). The total QOL score and two subscales, physical and depression/anxiety, increased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (p<0.015, p< 0.001 and p<0.018, respectively). Similarly, the mean scores of knowledge and attitude increased significantly in the intervention group compared to those of the control group (p<0.001 and p<0.001). It appears that small group education method can provide an effective strategy for increasing adherence to Mediterranean diet and QoL in the elderly.             [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unhealthy diet including consumption of high amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages is a key modifiable risk factor for obesity and NCDs which begin in childhood and adolescence. The study aimed to compare the effect of gain frame vs. loss frame messages on SSBs consumption intention and behavior of high school boy students.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 270 students from three boy's high schools were selected through a multistage random sampling. Data collection was done through a 15 items self-reported questionnaire before and two months after the intervention. Each of the two intervention groups received one of the two types of gain frame or loss frame designed pamphlets inspired with extended parallel process model. The control group received no pamphlet.Results: In control, GFM and LFM groups 91, 86 and 89 students participated in the study, respectively. After the intervention, significant differences were observed in perceived efficacy and threat of the GFM group and perceived efficacy, threat and intention in the LFM group compared with before the intervention. The GFM group had higher perceived self-efficacy than the control group and lower perceived severity than the LFM group. Intention to consume SSBs reduced significantly in LFM group, compared with the control group.Conclusions: A combination of LFM and GFM messages could more effectively lead to nutritional behavior change regarding the consumption of SSBs. Results help to design messages for educational programs and nutritional campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers conventionally adopt diesel generation to meet the energy needs where the grid connection is unreliable or unavailable. While electrification has provided these communities a variety of economic and social opportunities, diesel consumption has resulted in adverse costs and environmental pollution. Two technologies available to reduce the expense and emissions of diesel fuel reliance include dual fuel or hybrid diesel applications. The dual-fuel approach involves a supplementary gas fuel charge in support of reduced diesel fuel consumption. Hybrid applications involve the integration of renewable generation to displace diesel fuel consumption. This paper reviews the potential for hybrid dual-fuel applications, identifying engine flexibility as a major integration barrier. In comparing the flexibility of various dual-fuel technologies to operate dynamically, this paper presents a critical review across hydrogen, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas (NG) and blended hydrogen and NG derivatives. The results identify a range of approaches able to improve engine flexibility and thus reduce the cost and carbon intensity of diesel-fired internal combustion engines. At low load conditions, while NG and LPG exhibit similar performance, the use of hydrogen and hydrogen blends provide improved engine performance and response. Unfortunately, given the current cost of hydrogen fuel, significant commercial barriers exist to the adoption of hydrogen or hydrogen blended fuels. Despite this, this review indicates the potential of hydrogen-NG blends to offer additional flexibility in comparison to alternative dual-fuel technologies. This position is furthered considering near term cost targets associated with the development of a global green hydrogen industry, coupled with its ability to serve as a demand-side management approach within isolated power systems, one of the multiple future research themes. • The potential of dual fuel approach in renewable energy applications was assessed. • Different dual fuel technologies were compared over various conditions. • Dual fuel low load application was discussed to manage the variability of RE sources. • The ability of H 2 , NG and LPG dual fuel approaches operate at low load was compared. • EGR and Fuel Injection were effective methods to improve combustion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of menopausal knowledge damages the quality of life (QoL) and couples' relationships. A new approach to prevent marital distress based upon stress and coping has introduced Couples Coping Enhancement Training (CCET). The present study assessed the effect of menopause care training using CCET approach on QoL and coping in menopausal women. This educational interventional study was conducted in 2019 on 80 postmenopausal women and their spouses. The couples were randomly selected from health care centers using the cluster random sampling method and were divided into control and intervention groups. Four training sessions were held for the intervention group. Data were collected using The Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire, menopausal knowledge questionnaire, and Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) and were analyzed using independent Sample t-test, Paired Sample T-Test, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in SPSS version 25 and Amos version 21 software. At the beginning of the study, there was no significant difference in menopausal knowledge, QoL, and dyadic coping between the two groups. However, the CCET approach significantly increased menopausal knowledge, coping in couples and women's QoL in the intervention group compared to the control group. CCET can help couples to cope with menopausal symptoms more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new application of deep belief network (DBN) as an emerging artificial neural network for recognizing and classifying different partial discharge (PD) patterns. Phase resolved PD (PRPD) technique with different window intervals is used to manipulate three PD types, including corona, surface, and internal discharges measured in a high-voltage lab. Four approaches are proposed for extracting features from the raw measured data. In the first approach, the DBN is used as both a feature extractor and a PD classifier. The other three approaches extract discriminatory features using statistical and vector-norm-based operators to train a DBN classifier. The impact of the various phase windows through the PRPD method on the performance of the trained classifier is evaluated to obtain the best window interval. It is shown that the deep architectures are capable of learning important distinguishable features from PD data without any data preprocessing. This eliminates time-consuming feature extraction processes that produce the handcrafted features. Based on a comparison analysis, when the input data are corrupted by noise levels or no feature extraction technique is used to preprocess the data, the proposed approach outperforms other techniques, such as artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic classifiers, and support vector machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give counterexamples to a result in F. Esser and F. Harary [2, Theorem 3] asserting that two nonisomorphic complete r -partite graphs with the same number of vertices have different spectral radii. We then derive some results on invariant factors and apply them to obtain relationship between the parameters of integral complete multipartite graphs and their integer eigenvalues. Necessary conditions for complete multipartite graphs to be integral are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acidizing of carbonate oil-wet rocks saturated with oil and saline formation water is subjected failure in some cases due to acid-induced damage such as sludge and emulsion formations. This condition may also lead to mineral precipitation, oil film barrier between acid and rock and diversion chemical malfunctions. Therefore, pre-flush process has been proposed as one of the most efficient stage for oil-wells matrix acidizing to reduce these challenges significantly. Besides, the pre-flush stage would result in more clean rock as the reservoir fluids are pushed back from the near wellbore regions, restoring rock wettability to more water wet state, preventing direct acid-oil contact and cooling rock surface to control acid-rock reaction at high temperature reservoir. This laboratory work is designed to study the effectiveness of three different pre-flush fluids and assess their ability in reducing interfacial tension (IFT) to displace original reservoir fluids around the wellbore as well as changing the rock wettability to increase rock dissolution rate. The results showed that a 0.5%wt of C16TAB aqueous solution (cationic surfactant additive) has passed successfully the pre-flush optimization criteria which can be utilized as pre-flush fluid of the carbonate oil-wet acidizing. It was shown that the wettability and IFT were changed quickly as it is requested for the pre-flush stage. The contact angle was decreased from 172° to 33° in two hours period and the IFT was reduced from 8.9 to 0.62 (dyne/cm) at reservoir condition (P = 4000 psia, T = 85 °C). In addition, the dissolution rate of dolomite rock from an Iranian oil reservoir at three different states of oil-wet, water-wet and pre-flush treated with 15% HCl was measured and compared. The measured dissolution rate of initially water-wet rock was measured to be 1 × 10 −4  mol/cm 2 .s which is the same as the dissolution rate measured for C16TAB treated oil wet rock. This confirms the suitable wettability alteration through C16TAB pre-flush. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regular graph of ideals of a commutative ring R, denoted by Γreg(R), is a graph whose vertex-set is the set of all nontrivial ideals of R and, for every two distinct vertices I and J, there is an edge between I and J, whenever I contains a nonzero zero-divisor on J or vice versa. In this paper, we will show that Γreg(T(R)) is isomorphic to an induced sub-graph of Γreg(R) which nicely can describe Γreg(R). This approach enables us to find the independence number of Γreg(R) when R is a reduced ring. Among other things, some basic graph theoretic properties of Γreg(T(R)) and relevant ring theoretic properties of R will be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with an extension of proper efficiency that considers bounded and unbounded trade-offs between objective functions. While trade-offs between objective functions are unbounded, the rate of growth for these trade-offs is computed by applying a metric. A new concept, namely quasi-proper efficiency is introduced that shows that rate of growth of trade-off between objective functions. Two appropriate characterizations for this concept are developed: the first one is based on a scalar function utilizing the Chebyshev norm and the second one is in terms of the concept of stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given a complete multipartite graph G , we explicitly formulate the effective resistance distance between any two vertices of G , using methods from linear algebra. The Kirchhoff index and the degree Kirchhoff index are defined in terms of the effective resistance distances for any simple graph. In this paper, for G , the exact formulae for the two indices are provided. Along with these results, we obtain the optimal Kirchhoff index and the optimal degree Kirchhoff index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of equivalent scalar problems for properly efficient point of a given multiobjective optimization problem over arbitrary cones is studied by so many authors. This paper emphasizes two scalarizations, i.e., linear scalarization and conic scalarization, and studies geometrical viewpoint on the relationship between proper efficiency and these scalarizations. We also show that conic scalarization is a generalization of linear scalarization based on augmented dual cone which provides a new type of trade-off for properly efficient solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphs G and H are called cospectral if they have the same characteristic polynomial. If eigenvalues are integral, then corresponding graphs are called integral graph. In this article we introduce a construction to produce pairs of cospectral integral regular graphs. Generalizing the construction of G4(a, b) and G5(a, b) due to Wang and Sun, we define graphs G4(G,H) and G5(G,H) and show that they are cospectral integral regular when G is an integral q- regular graph of order m and H is an integral q-regular graph of order (b -- 2)m for some integer b ≥3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determine the Smith normal form of the distance matrices of unicyclic graphs and of the wheel graph with trees attached to each vertex. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we study the notion of substantial efficiency for a given multiobjective optimization problem. We provide two characterizations for substantially efficient solutions: the first one is based on a scalar problem and the second one is in terms of a stability concept. Moreover, this paper introduces the notion of quasi-substantial efficiency. Similar to those of substantial efficiency, two characterizations for quasi-substantially efficient solutions are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphs G and H are called cospectral if they have the same characteristic polynomial, equivalently, if they have the same eigenvalues considering multiplicities. In this article we introduce a construction to produce pairs of cospectral regular graphs. We also investigate conditions under which the graphs are integral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) in adolescents is a growing public health concern, demanding preventive measures, particularly among high school students. Based on social cognitive theory (SCT), self‐efficacy coupled with outcome expectations, social support, self‐regulation, and behavioral intention, determine the likelihood of engaging in such a behavior. Thus, the present study was to investigate the effect of a SCT‐based educational intervention on NSSI prevention in female high school students. Methods: This randomized educational intervention trial was conducted on 191 female high school students, aged 15–17 years (15.95 ± 0.59) (viz. 99 individuals in intervention group and 92 controls). Intervention group attended five SCT‐based educational intervention sessions concerning NSSI prevention. Data were then collected by three self‐administered questionnaires. The first questionnaire was to measure demographic variables and the second one, intermediate outcome measure, was implemented to evaluate SCT constructs. The third questionnaire also measured NSSI (final outcome measure). Data were analyzed using SPSS software v.24. Results: After controlling the pretest scores, the repeated‐measure multivariate analysis of covariance revealed a significant time and group interaction in multivariate (F = 154.8, p <.001) and univariate analysis, which is in favor of the effectiveness of educational intervention on changing the mean scores of NSSI and all SCT constructs. SCT constructs explained 41% of the variance in conforming intention for NSSI prevention (p <.001). Conclusion: The study findings were in favor of effectiveness of an SCT‐based educational intervention in intention of preventing NSSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Menopause is an inevitable part of women's lives. Physical activity as nonhormonal therapy can decrease the symptoms of menopause. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of educational intervention based on the transtheoretical model (TTM) on physical activity and menopausal symptoms of female clients of the health center in Pasargad City, Iran. Methods. This quasi-experimental study was performed on 140 females admitted to health center of Pasargad City, Fars Province, Iran (intervention = 70 and control = 70). The data collection tool consisted of demographic data, menopause rating scale, international physical activities questionnaire, and TTM questionnaire (stages of change, processes of change, decision-making balance, and self-efficacy) that were completed before and two months after intervention. For intervention group, the educational program was implemented during 5 sessions of 50–55 min. Data were analyzed by SPSS 25 and by using Chi-square test, independent t -test, and paired t -test. Results. After intervention, the mean scores of physical symptoms are sleep problems, muscle problems and discomfort, psychological symptoms, depression, irritability, and anxiety of intervention group decreased significantly post intervention (p < 0.001). Analysis showed that psychological symptoms, mental fatigue, somatic, and urogenital symptoms, and vaginal dryness increased 2 months after the intervention. Also, the mean score of cons, pros, decision balance, self-efficacy, consciousness raising, dramatic relief, environmental reevaluation, and self-reevaluation have significant changed in intervention group (p < 0.05). In addition, the top percent of progress can be seen in contemplation (31. 5%). Conclusion. This study showed the effectiveness of educational intervention based on TTM to reduce menopausal symptoms and promote physical activity in postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The p53 tumor suppressor gene is inactivated by point mutation in a large fraction of human tumors, allowing evasion of apoptosis and tumor progression. p53 mutation is often associated with increased resistance to therapy. Pharmacological reactivation of mutant p53 is an attractive therapeutic strategy. We previously identified p53 reactivation and induction of massive apoptosis, a low-molecular weight compound that suppresses the growth of cancer cells in a mutant p53-dependent manner. Here, we report the identification and characterization of an extract from the terrestrial plant Brachylaena ramiflora (Asteraceae) that preferentially induces apoptosis in human tumor cells expressing mutant p53. Further analysis of this extract and identification of active compounds may provide novel structural scaffolds for the development of mutant p53-targeting anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduces an on-line voltage disturbance detection approach based on wavelet transform. Error signal generation; Wavelet transform analysis; Purpose of feature extraction block; Function of decision making block; Digital time-domain simulation of a refinery power distribution system.

Background: Uncontrolled diabetes is an important public health problem that endangers the quality of life of patients. Promoting self-management through well-planned training is an essential strategy to control diabetes effectively. This study aimed to examine the effects of a training program based on social cognitive theory (SCT) on self-management behavior, glycemic index, and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The statistical population included 106 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus assigned to the intervention and control groups [n1 = n2 = 53], who received services from two urban health centers. A multi-method, SCT-based training program consisting of six 60-80-min sessions was run, followed by 2-3 follow-up home visits [once a month for each participant] for the intervention group. The data were collected before and three months after the intervention and were analyzed in SPSS 19.Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the main variables. After the intervention, there was a significant increase in the intervention group's mean scores of knowledge, self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, self-regulation, self-management behavior, glycemic index, and quality of life. There were no significant changes in these constructs in the control group after the intervention. The regression analysis results indicated that social cognitive theory and self-management could explain the variance in quality of life [adjusted R-squared = 0.476].Conclusions: The findings support the effectiveness of the multi-method, SCT-based educational intervention in improving self-management behaviors, glycemic index, and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is suggested that the quality of type 2 diabetes care programs should be promoted. However, further research is needed to evaluate the long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. COVID-19 is a social health problem. Several risk factors threaten students, and schools can provide a suitable environment for managing and performing health promotion programs. Given the extensive spread of the disease and the existence of multilevel components affecting the adoption of preventive behaviors, understanding the views and opinions of the audience about the barriers and facilitators affecting the behavior using qualitative studies can be one of the ways to have a successful intervention. Materials and Methods. This was a qualitative study performed by a directed content analysis method while using the PRECEDE model (predisposing, reinforcing, enabling constructs in educational diagnosis and evaluation). In total, 38 individuals (teachers, parents, and students) were entered into the study using the purposive sampling method. Data were collected by semistructured interviews, and the implemented data were systematically classified into five stages (condensed meaning units, code, subcategory, category, and theme) and were arranged and analyzed. Results. The findings are classified into three themes of predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors. In addition, perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, mental beliefs, behavior outcome evaluation, and perceived power were considered as subcategories of predisposing factors, whereas normative beliefs and motivation for adherence to protocols were subcategories of reinforcing factors, and control beliefs were subcategories of enabling factors. Conclusion. Our findings could be used as a guide to design educational interventions aiming at promoting COVID-19 prevention behaviors in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix interpolation theory has provided a very useful and elegant mathematical tool to analyse the problems which could be translated into some matrix equations. It could also be applied to justify some convenient known results frequently used in many instances. In this paper, a brief review of this theory and some of its applications in control engineering are presented. Solutions of some matrix equations, Pole Placement Problems (PPP) for Multi-Input MultiOutput (MIMO) plants and Model Matching Problem (MMP) are outlined and the results are summarized in step by step algorithms. A new method profiting matrix interpolation is introduced for achieving Diagonal Dominance (DD) or almost decoupling of MIMO control plants. In the presented method we use matrix interpolation to reduce the computation order and to build confidence into some known simulation results obtained from similar methods. It is shown that this method provides considerable advantages compared with other existing methods from the point of computational order, uniqueness of solution and its clarity. Finally, a physical plant is controlled by direct Nyquist procedure using the presented method for achieving DD. Having less complexity than other references, the designed controller strongly satisfies the desired performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to various challenges for healthcare workers, including nurses. Nurses play a critical role in the fight against this disease, and their communication of self-efficacy and job satisfaction has garnered significant attention. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction of Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. A total of 500 nurses working in hospitals in Iran were selected using a convenience sampling method. The communication self-efficacy scale and the job satisfaction scale were used to collect data. Results. The study found that nurses with higher communication self-efficacy exhibited better performance and job satisfaction in various work challenges (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). However, nurses holding a master's degree or higher reported the lowest average communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction scores during the COVID-19 epidemic. The study also explored the impact of shift work on job satisfaction among nurses and found that nurses working exclusively on the morning shift reported the highest average job satisfaction score. Conclusion. The findings of this study suggest that communication self-efficacy is an important factor in predicting job satisfaction among Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare organizations provide effective communication training sessions and mental health interventions to enhance nurses' communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction. This can ultimately lead to improved performance and better patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sleep disorder is one of the most common problems in elderly people. The present study is focused on the effectiveness of educational intervention on sleep quality and psychological well-being in the elderly people. Method: This is a Randomized educational field-controlled trial which was conducted on 90 elderlies with the sleep disorder, who have been selected using systematic random sampling from the clients of comprehensive health centers in Borazjan, Iran, 2019. The educational intervention was presented for 5 weeks by lecture, group discussions and virtual learning methods. Data were collected by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Ryff’s Psychological well-being scale before and 2 months after the intervention. The data were analyzed using SPSS-25 software using independent t-test, and Chi-square test. Results: The results showed significant statistical differences in sleep quality, subscales of sleep efficiency, sleeping time, and taking sleeping pills in experimental and control groups after the intervention (p≤0.005). Moreover, significant statistical difference was observed in terms of the mean scale of psychological well-being between experimental and control groups (p=0.036). Conclusion: Behavioral interventions can make various advantages for elderly people. Therefore, this study suggests providing such interventions in a wide range in comprehensive health centers, and boarding centers for the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lynch Syndrome is an autosomal dominant cancer syndrome caused by pathogenic germ-line variants in one of the DNA-mismatch-repair (MMR) genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2. Carriers are predisposed to colorectal and endometrial cancer, but also other cancer types. The purpose of this retrospective study was to characterize the tumour spectrum of the Swedish Lynch syndrome families. Methods: Data were obtained from genetically verified 235 Lynch families from five of the six health care regions in Sweden. The material was stratified for gender, primary cancer, age and mutated gene and the relative proportions of specific cancer types were compared to those in the general population. Results: A total of 1053 family members had 1493 cancer diagnoses of which 1011 were colorectal or endometrial cancer. Individuals with pathogenic variants in MLH1 and MSH2 comprised 78% of the cohort. Among the 482 non-colorectal/non-endometrial cancer diagnoses, MSH2 carriers demonstrated a significantly increased proportion of urinary tract, gastric, small bowel, ovarian and non-melanoma skin cancer compared to the normal population. MLH1 carriers had an elevated proportion of gastrointestinal cancers (gastric, small bowel, pancreas), while MSH6 carriers had more ovarian cancer than expected. Gastric cancer was predominantly noted in older generations. Conclusion: Lynch syndrome confers an increased risk for multiple cancers other than colorectal and endometrial cancer. The proportions of other cancers vary between different MMR genes, with highest frequency in MSH2-carriers. Gender and age also affect the tumour spectrum, demonstrating the importance of additional environmental and constitutional parameters in determining the predisposition for different cancer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common cause of oligo-ovulation and anovulation among women of reproductive age, contributing to infertility. This study aimed to compare the effects of green tea tablets and metformin on ovulation, menstrual cycle regularity, and antioxidant biomarkers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this clinical trial study, 94 women with PCOS were randomly assigned to three groups: green tea (n = 33), metformin (n = 29), and control (n = 32). Menstrual status and oxidative stress parameters, including total antioxidant capacity, thiol, and lipid peroxidation, were compared before and 3 months after the intervention among all three groups. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 22 and employing the analysis of variance and paired t-tests. Following the intervention, the mean menstrual cycle duration in the green tea, metformin, and control groups was 32.22 ± 12.78, 48.72 ± 37.06, and 48.53 ± 31.04 days, respectively (P = 0.040). There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of biochemical, hormonal, and antioxidant indices before and after the intervention (P > 0.05). The intake of green tea tablets was associated with better outcomes in regulating the menstrual cycle in women with PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • First attempt of coupling CFPv2 and OSTRICH for optimization of conduit parameters. • Calibration of CFPv2 based on considering both breakthrough and spring discharge. • A reliable scenario is selected that improves understanding of karst groundwater. • The results contributed to the decision of not constructing a dam at the site. Abstract In order to better define the characteristics of a karst conduit, an integrated hydrogeological study including numerical modeling using CFPv2 is conducted at a karst aquifer in the Zagros Mountain Region of Iran. The Sarvak limestone aquifer in the Nil Anticline is the main karst aquifer of the study area with major groundwater discharge taking place at Sarkur spring. An annual water balance and a dye tracing test confirmed that the karst system is mainly recharged through rainfall and the Maroon River. Several depressions are observed along the banks of the river with a major one classified as a sinkhole used for dye injection. A groundwater flow model was developed based on the available hydrogeological information. A probable direct conduit flow path with an estimated groundwater flow velocity of 96 m/h is estimated between the injection point and the Sarkur spring. Four scenarios are assumed to simulate the probable conduit flow path using the CFPv2 code. As one of the first attempts in regional groundwater flow modeling of a karst aquifer, CFPv2 is automatically calibrated with field measurements of spring discharge and a dye breakthrough curve through a parameter estimation code OSTRICH to optimize the characteristics of the conduit through the minimization of the weighted sum of square error. Simulated results reveal that a conduit with a diameter of 2.9 m is required to adequately simulate spring discharge and dye tracer migration between the injection and discharge points. Our new approach (linking of CFPv2 and OSTRICH) provides a deeper understanding of groundwater flow and solute transport in karst terrains even when available data are limited and the approach should be applicable to other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnant women are at higher risk of getting severe Covid-19 disease and consequences on the health status of them and their fetuses. Despite vaccination, all preventive behaviors are emphasized. This study aimed to identify the determinants of Covid-19 preventive health behaviors in pregnant women using Extended Parallel Process Model. This cross-sectional study, was conducted on 175pregnant women. The model fit indices were acceptable. Knowledge had indirect effect on adherence to Covid-19 preventive behaviors trough mediating role of self-efficacy and response efficacy. So, it is suggested that, educational interventions should focus on increasing knowledge. There were statistically significant correlations between all constructs of the EPPM model except knowledge, with adherence to Covid-19 preventive behaviors. Self-efficacy and response efficacy were the strongest predictors of Covid-19 prevention behaviors Perceived susceptibility and severity were the other significant predictors of Covid-19 preventive behaviors. Knowledge indirectly through the mediating role of response efficiency and self-efficacy effected on preventive behaviors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the optimal Quality of Life (QoL) has been the expected outcome of all evolutionary periods in human life, including retirement. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between QoL, retirement resources, and retirement adjustment among retirees. This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 220 Iranian retirees who had been retired for 1–10 years. The study data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which was completed in person by 112 retirees and online using a WhatsApp or Telegram link by the rest. Pearson's correlation coefficient was utilized to determine the bivariate correlation between the study constructs. Additionally, multiple linear regression was used to assess the retirement resources predicting QoL and retirement adjustment. The study results revealed that the mean scores for retirement adjustment were not the same at different levels of education. Moreover, there was a significant positive relationship between retirement adjustment and retirement resources. A significant positive relationship was also observed between retirement resources, retirement adjustment, and QoL. In addition, mental and financial resources were assumed as better predictors of retirement adjustment, while physical resources could better forecast the QoL. The results indicated that having access to various resources during retirement could lead to a higher QoL and retirement adjustment among retirees. Therefore, paying much more attention to these results can help design interventions to gain access to different resources and improve retirement adjustment and QoL in these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among hereditary colorectal cancer predisposing syndromes, Lynch syndrome (LS) caused by mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2 is the most common. Patients with LS have an increased risk of early onset colon and endometrial cancer, but also other tumors that generally have an earlier onset compared to the general population. However, age at first primary cancer varies within families and genetic anticipation, i.e. decreasing age at onset in successive generations, has been suggested in LS. Anticipation is a well-known phenomenon in e.g neurodegenerative diseases and several reports have studied anticipation in heritable cancer. The purpose of this study is to determine whether anticipation can be shown in a large cohort of Swedish LS families referred to the regional departments of clinical genetics in Lund, Stockholm, Linköping, Uppsala and Umeå between the years 1990–2013. We analyzed a homogenous group of mutation carriers, utilizing information from both affected and non-affected family members. In total, 239 families with a mismatch repair gene mutation (96 MLH1 families, 90 MSH2 families including one family with an EPCAM–MSH2 deletion, 39 MSH6 families, 12 PMS2 families, and 2 MLH1+PMS2 families) comprising 1028 at-risk carriers were identified among the Swedish LS families, of which 1003 mutation carriers had available follow-up information and could be included in the study. Using a normal random effects model (NREM) we estimate a 2.1 year decrease in age of diagnosis per generation. An alternative analysis using a mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards model (COX-R) estimates a hazard ratio of exp(0.171), or about 1.19, for age of diagnosis between consecutive generations. LS-associated gene-specific anticipation effects are evident for MSH2 (2.6 years/generation for NREM and hazard ratio of 1.33 for COX-R) and PMS2 (7.3 years/generation and hazard ratio of 1.86). The estimated anticipation effects for MLH1 and MSH6 are smaller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusivity equation which can provide us with the pressure distribution, is a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) describing fluid flow in porous media. The quadratic pressure gradient term in the diffusivity equation is nearly neglected in hydrology and petroleum engineering problems such as well test analysis. When a compressible liquid is injected into a well at high pressure gradient or when the reservoir possess a small permeability value, the effect of ignoring this term increases. In such cases, neglecting this parameter can result in high errors. Previous models basically focused on numerical and semi-analytical methods for semi-infinite domain. To the best of our knowledge, no analytical solution has yet been developed to consider the quadratic terms in diffusivity PDE of one-dimensional unsteady state fluid flow in rectangular coordinates and finite length. Due to the resulting errors, the nonlinear quadratic term should also be considered in the governing equations of fluid flow in porous media. In this study, the Fourier transform is used to model the one-dimensional fluid flow through porous media by considering the quadratic terms. Based on this assumption, a new analytical solution is presented for the nonlinear diffusivity equation. Moreover, the results of linear and nonlinear diffusivity equations are compared considering the quadratic term. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted on the affecting parameters to ensure the validity of the proposed new solution. The results demonstrate that this nonlinear PDE is also applicable for hydraulic fractured wells, and well test analysis of fractured reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Girls can use their mother's emotional, informational and behavioral support to perform healthy behaviors due to their constant access to their mothers. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of role modeling and maternal support in the family to improve healthy behaviors and perceived Family Health Climate (FHC) in female students. Methods: In this educational quasi-experimental study, 261 female students (133 in the intervention group and 128 in the control group) and 223 mothers (109 intervention and 114 control) were selected using the cluster multi-stages sampling method and entered the study. Participants (intervention and control groups) completed the FHC scale at three stages (before intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 2 months after intervention). A training program that comprised 12 sessions for students and six sessions for their mothers using collaborative learning techniques and printed materials was conducted with the experimental group. Also after completing the questionnaire in the follow-up phase, pamphlets and educational videos were given to the control group. Data were analyzed using SPSS20 via a chi-square test, independent t-test, and Repeated Measures ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between demographic variables and the score of the FHC scale in both groups (p < 0.05). Immediately and 2 months after the intervention, the experimental group (female students and their mothers) showed a significant increase in dimensions of FHC, including FHC-NU (Family Health Climate-Nutrition) and FHC-PA (Family Health Climate-Physical Activity), compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Educating and informing mothers about the impact of their role modeling on their children, especially girls, can make them more aware of health-oriented behaviors towards their children. Such findings reinforced the importance of focusing on actions to encourage a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet and physical activity) in students with a focus on role modeling and parental support, especially mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial tension is one of the very important parameters in pharmacology science, chemical engineering and petroleum engineering. The interfacial tension between pure hydrocarbons and water is widely used in chemical and petroleum engineering and so that it is highly desirable to find its accurate values. In this study a new unique correlation has been developed based on a comprehensive database of pure hydrocarbons-water interfacial tension values which contained both aliphatic and aromatic compounds (32 different hydrocarbons) with pressure ranges of 0.1–300 MPa and temperature ranges of 252.44–550 K. The proposed correlation uses the density difference between pure hydrocarbon and water, system temperature and critical temperature of hydrocarbon to estimate the interfacial tension value. The accuracy and estimation efficiency of the proposed model has been checked by comparing the model estimated values with the corresponding experimental values. Also, they have been compared to the estimated values using the other common correlations which showed the superiority of the proposed model. Also the trend estimation capability test against pressure and temperature changes has been conducted and compared for the proposed model and other common correlations which showed that the proposed model is more efficient in estimating interfacial tension between pure hydrocarbons and water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, the nonlinear seismic analysis of a typical three-dimensional concrete faced rockfill dam is reported. Three components of the Loma Prieta (Gilroy 1 station) earthquake acceleration time history are used as input excitation. The dam under study is considered as if it were located in a prismatic canyon with a trapezoidal cross-section. A nonlinear model for the rockfill material is used, and contact elements with Coulomb friction law are utilized at the slab–rockfill interface. Vertical joints in the face slab are also considered in the finite element model. A substructure method, in which the unbounded soil is modelled by the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM), is used to obtain the scattered motion and interaction forces along the canyon. The dam is subjected to spatially variable P, SV, and SH waves, and the effect of dam–foundation interaction and the reservoir water effects are considered. The results are compared with the non-scattered input motion analysis. Results of the analyses indicate that due to applying the scattered motion to the canyon the response of the dam and concrete face slab significantly increases. The reservoir water pressure affects the tensile stresses induced in the face slab by reducing the uplift movement of the concrete panels. Large horizontal axial forces are induced in the face slab due to out-of-phase and out-of-plane motions of the abutments. Although the normal movements of vertical joints are reduced due to the reservoir water confinement, the opening movements are still significant, and the local failure of construction joints is inevitable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of readiness of Eghlid city community for adolescents' substance abuse prevention programs, and to develop strategies to improve community readiness levels based on the community readiness model (CRM). In this two‐stage qualitative study, a 36‐item semi‐structured CRM questionnaire, was used to interview 11 key informants in Eghlid city, Iran, 2019. The interviews were analyzed and scored by two independent researchers. Strategies for increasing the level of readiness were developed and prioritized by participants using the nominal group method. The readiness levels to prevent substance abuse in community efforts and leadership dimensions were at stabilization and preparation stage. In terms of community awareness of efforts, community space, and public awareness of the issue, the readiness level was at the pre‐planning stage, and in the resources for prevention efforts dimension, it was at the vague awareness level. In the strategy development section, the key participants focused on using traditional methods such as holding face‐to‐face training programs and festivals, using IRIB platform, local media, and lectures. The general level of readiness is at a moderate level. It seems necessary to focus on resources and areas related to public information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study examined the validity and reliability of the Family Health Climate Scale (FHC-Scale) among Iranian families. Second, can it be attributed to other family members by measuring the health climate in one person? Method. In total, 261 female students and 196 mothers completed the FHC-Scale. The study instrument was a Persian version of the FHC-Scale prepared through a translation and back-translation process. Results. The results showed that the Persian version of the FHC-Scale is acceptable. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for FHC-PA in female students and their mothers, respectively, was 0.88 and 0.86 for the whole scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for FHC-NU in female students and their mothers, respectively, was 0.83 and 0.92 for the whole scale. The CVI values for all the items were equal to or above 0.8, and the CVR value for the total scale was 0.90. Conclusion. The Persian version of the FHC-Scale is therefore an effective tool for evaluating the different dimensions of family health climate in the Iranian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a folate-dependent enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of homocysteine to methionine. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within this gene namely rs1801133 (C677T) and rs1801131 (A1298C) have been associated with elevated risk of ischemic stroke and total serum homocysteine in some populations. Aim: To assess associations between MTHFR SNPs and risk of ischemic stroke in Iranian population. Methods: In the current case-control study, we genotyped rs1801133 and rs1801131 SNPs in 318 Iranian patients with history of ischemic stroke and 400 age- and sex-matched controls using tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction method. Results: The rs1801133 was significantly associated with risk of stroke in recessive model (OR (95% CI) = 1.89 (1.12–3.20), p = 0.03). The CT haplotype (rs1801131 and rs1801133, respectively) was significantly over-represented in patients compared with controls (OR (95% CI) = 1.71 (0.25–2.32), p = 0.002). Conclusion: Consequently, our data demonstrate contribution of MTHFR variants in risk of ischemic stroke in Iranian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents in east Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran. Methods: A total of 1036 children and adolescents between the ages of 6 - 18 were selected with cluster sampling in Tabriz city. Measurements of mental disorders were done according to the semi-structured K-SADS scale. Data were gathered by trained clinical psychologists and were analyzed by SPSS V. 16. The prevalence of mental disorders was presented with percent (95% CI) and the significance level was considered as 0.05. Results: The prevalence of any mental disorder in children and adolescents were 24.9%. The measure in boys and girls were 25.4 and 24.9, respectively. A total of 27.4% of 6 - 9 years old, 23.9% of 10 - 14 year olds, and 23.5% of 15 - 18 year olds had suffered from at least one mental disorder. The mostcommondisorders, respectively, were enuresis, ADHD, specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder. Panic disorder, social phobia, specific phobia, and agoraphobia occurred more in girls more than boys, while conduct disorder occurred more in boys. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that one in four children and adolescents had at least one mental disorder. Thus, considering the fact that the beginning of most mental disorders were not until adolescence years and continuation to adulthood, it is necessary that appropriate interventions were designed and executed. We must define cost effective services for early case findings and treatment of mental disorders in the regional health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]