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Introduction: The present study aims to compare the risk factors, clinical presentation, and severity of coronary artery involvement in young compared to elderly CAD patients to assess the cardiovascular health status for better disease management and control of these specific patients. Methods: This registry-based cross-sectional study was conducted using Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (CAAR) patients in east of Tehran, Iran. The data were extracted from 330 patients with confirmed CAD recorded by the CAAR during July 2021 to August 2023. Results: The majority of patients in MCAD (68.2%) and VECAD (80%) were male, while the majority of PCAD patients were female (51.8%). Among PCAD patients, the prevalence of diabetes (38.1%) was higher than in other groups. The presence of IHD history in the father (38.1%) and mother (26.3%) was higher in the VECAD group. The mean total cholesterol, LDL, and LDL/HDL ratio were higher in the VECAD group. Among MCAD group (75.4%) compared to PCAD (58.1%) and VECAD (47.2%) groups, the multi-vessel disease was more common.MCAD patients had the highest median Gensini score compared to PCAD and VECAD patients. Also, in male compared to female the mean Gensini score was higher by 8 units (ß = 8.26, 95%CI = 0.24, 16.28). Conclusion: Modifiable risk factors in young CAD patients are common. High LDL-C levels and smoking were the common modifiable CVD risk factors in young patients, indicating the significant role of these traditional risk factors in early atherosclerosis development alongside inheritable risk-factors such as positive family history that were more common in young CAD patients. While, the severity of coronary artery involvement in individuals with MCAD was higher, but the priority of involvement based on the type of vessel was almost the same in all CAD groups.

In this research, the dynamic response of a U-12 CubeSat (20x20x30 cm) is investigated for three configurations during the launch conditions. Despite the existence of a successful design for this satellite, adding a mount to install on a standard adapter, the structural design of the satellite has been modified for modal computability with the launcher., which is based on 3 general approaches: to apply geometric changes to the structure, changing the extent of the points to improve the limitations of connecting to the launcher, and rearranging the internal system components regarding the standards and principles of compatibility and proximity. Therefore, more than the addition of the adapter mount and a few changes in the separating plates, a spire has been added to the structure, which has caused a change in the internal arrangement, including the halving of the fuel tank (by reducing the capacity of 595 cubic centimeters). Despite the increase of 370 grams of total mass, the natural frequencies of the system have been increased enough without the need for redesign and there will be no frequency interference with the frequency spectrum of the launcher.

Abstract The lack of adequate space for sewage sludge disposal has become a significant challenge in many countries. Landfilling and using sewage sludge as fertilizer in agricultural lands are the main methods for disposal. However, these methods can result in soil and groundwater contamination as well as heavy metal and microbial pollution in soil. An alternative disposal method is using sewage sludge ash (SSA) in concrete production. If the sludge ash is reactive, it can replace a portion of cement in concrete; otherwise, it can be used as a filler. In the present study, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) experiments were conducted to determine the elemental composition of sewage sludge. Then, the sewage sludge was incinerated, and XRF and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests were performed on the resulting sewage sludge ash. The ash was utilized in different proportions in the mortar and concrete specimens, and compressive strength tests were conducted on the resulting specimens. The results indicate that using 20% SSA instead of cement resulted in a 25% reduction in compressive strength in concrete specimens. However, the combination of 10% silica fume and 10% SSA was the optimal combination to compensate for the reduction in compressive strength caused using SSA.

Introduction: The leuko-glycemic index (LGI), a combined index of patient leukocyte counts and blood glucose levels, has been shown to predict the prognosis of myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Our study aims to investigate the performance of LGI in prediction of outcomes in a population of diabetic and non-diabetic MI patients. Methods: This observational registry-based cohort study was performed on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Participants were sub-grouped according to their diabetes status and the calculated optimal LGI cut-off value. The outcomes of the study were the length of hospital stay, and in-hospital and 30-day mortality. Results: A total of 296 AMI (112 diabetic and 184 non-diabetic) patients were included in the study. The optimal cut-off value of LGI in the diabetic and non-diabetic groups was calculated as 2970.4 mg/dl.mm3 and 2249.4 mg/dl.mm3, respectively. High LGI was associated with increased hospital admission duration in non-diabetic patients (p = 0.017). The area under the curve (AUC) of LGI for prediction of in-hospital mortality was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87 to 1.00) in the diabetic group and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.99) in the non-diabetic group. LGI had a sensitivity and specificity of 90.00%, and 93.14% in prediction of in-hospital mortality in the diabetic group compared to 77.77% and 90.85% in the non-diabetic group. We observed 4 post-discharge mortalities in our patient group. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that higher LGI predicts in-hospital mortality in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients, while the length of hospital stay was only predicted by LGI levels in non-diabetic patients.

Background: Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) and carotid plaque can predict premature coronary heart disease (PCAD) in patients hospitalized due to coronary artery disease or undergoing therapeutic interventions. This study aimed to determine the relationship between intima media thickness and carotid plaque characteristics with the incidence and severity of premature coronary artery disease. Materials and Methods: The current study was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted on patients referred to Imam Hossein Hospital in 2021-2022 who underwent coronary angiography. Patients were classified into two groups with coronary artery involvement and the group without evidence of significant coronary involvement. Then the data of patients, such as sex, age, risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, and clinical history of individuals, were collected through interviews and aspects related to carotid intima media thickness and plaque formation through a specialized review of reports. Results: A total of 59 women (%59) and 41 men (%41) participated in this study. The mean age was 51.50±9.54. The results of this study showed that there was a direct (positive) and significant correlation between carotid intima media thickness factors, including right and left carotid intima-media thickness, right and left carotid intima media thickness scores, and the number of carotid plaques with increasing severity of coronary artery involvement (P-values

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was a pandemic that can involve the cardiopulmonary system. Long-term cardiac involvement evaluations were less studied in the literatures. In the present study, we aimed to investigate long-term electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings of patients with severe COVID-19 after a year of follow-up. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed on patients admitted to one of the university hospitals in Tehran, Iran, from the beginning of February 2021 to February 2022. Echocardiography and electrocardiogram were done for all patients at admission and after one year of discharge. Patients' demographics, medical history, echocardiographic, and electrocardiographic information were recorded and analyzed. Results: Sixty patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of patients was 53.63±12.50 years, and 58.33% were male. After assessing electrocardiography changes and echocardiography results, it was observed that QRS abnormality and inverted T-wave after one year were significantly more than during hospitalization (P

Abstract Corrosion protection of metals is of paramount importance in different sectors of industry. One of the emerging techniques to prevent or reduce the damaging effects of this phenomenon is to apply superhydrophobic coatings on the susceptible surfaces. In this study, corrosion protection of steel is investigated by fabricating superhydrophobic coatings, using one-step electrodeposition process of nanosilica hybrid film and spraying process of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on steel surface and also preparation of micro/nano-composite coatings. The anti-corrosion behavior of the nanosilica hybrid film and PTFE coating with two types of microparticles including Al2O3 powder and glass beads in primer layer, and overcoat layer with and without SiO2 nanoparticles is studied. TOEFL polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests are conducted on coated steel samples to examine their corrosion performance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution at a temperature of 25 °C. The results showed that the combination of superhydrophobic properties and low conductivity significantly improves the corrosion resistance. Evaluating the effect of adding SiO2 nanoparticles to the overcoat layer in PTFE coating showed that the nanoparticles improve the corrosion resistance of PTFE coatings by sealing up some defects and pores in the coating. Investigation of corrosion resistance of coatings showed that, the corrosion resistance of nanosilica film is lower than that of PTFE coatings. The best sample obtained in this study, namely the PTFE coating with glass beads microparticles in primer layer and SiO2 nanoparticles in overcoat layer, reduced the corrosion rate by nearly 80 times.

Nowadays, supply chain management (SCM) is an interesting problem that has attracted the attention of many researchers. Transportation network design is one of the most important fields of SCM. In this paper, a logistics network design is considered to optimize the total cost and increase the network stability and resiliency. First, a mixed integer nonlinear programming model (MINLP) is formulated to minimize the transportation time and transportation cost of products. The proposed model consists of two main stages. One is a normal stage that minimizes the transportation and holding costs, all manufacturers are also assumed to be healthy and in service. In this stage, the quantity of customer demand met by each manufacturer is eventually determined. The second is the resilience stage. A method is presented by creating an information network in this supply chain for achieving the resilient and sustainable production and distribution chain that, if some manufacturers break down or stop production, Using the Restarting and load sharing scenarios in the reactive approach to increase resilience with accepting the costs associated with it in the supply network and return to the original state in the shortest possible time, the consequences of accidental failure and shutdown of production units are managed. Two capacities are also provided for each manufacturer Normal capacity to meet the producer's own demand Load sharing capacity, Determine the empty capacity and increase the capacity of alternative units to meet the out-of-service units demand In order to solve the model, we used GAMS & Matlab software to find the optimal solutions. A hybrid priority-based Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithms (NSGA-II) and Sub-population Genetic Algorithm (SPGA- II) is provided in two phases to find the optimal solutions. The solutions are represented with a priority matrix and an Allocated vector. To compare the efficiency of two algorithms several criteria are used such as NPS, CS and HV. Several Sample problems are generated and solved that show the Sub-population Genetic Algorithm (SPGA- II) can find good solutions in a reasonable time limit.

Abstract This review presents the results of a survey conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency on cyclotrons and related infrastructure used for radionuclide and radiopharmaceutical production which are supporting PET imaging applications in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Objective: To describe the levels of troponin I in COVID-19 patients and its role in the prediction of their inhospital mortality as a cardiac biomarker. Methods: The current retrospective cohort study was performed on the clinical records of 649 COVID-19-related hospitalized cases with at leat one positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in Tehran, Iran from February 2020 to early June 2020. The on admission troponin I level divided into two groups of ≤0.03ng/mL (normal) and >0.03ng/mL (abnormal). The adjusted COX-regression model was used to determine the relationship between the studied variables and patient’s in-hospital mortality. Results: In this study, the median age of subjects was 65 years (54.8% men) and 29.53% of them had abnormal troponin I levels. Besides, the in-hospital mortality rate among patients with abnormal troponin I levels was found to be 51.56%; whereas, patients with normal levels exhibited 18.82% mortality. Also, the multivariable analysis indicated that the risk of death among hospitalized COVID-19 patients displaying abnormal troponin I levels was 67% higher than those with normal troponin I levels (Hazard ratio=1.67, 95% confidence interval=1.08-2.56, p=0.019). Conclusion: It seems that troponin I is one of the important factors related to in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients. Next, due to the high prevalence of cardiac complications in these patients, it is highly suggested to monitor and control cardiac biomarkers along with other clinical factors upon the patient’s arrival at the hospital.

Abstract Background Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in patients with MI who are candidates for early coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can affect intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DAPT up to the day before CABG on the outcomes during and after surgery in patients with MI. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 224 CABG candidate patients with and without MI were divided into two groups: (A) patients without MI who were treated with aspirin 80 mg/day before surgery (noMI-aspirin group; n = 124) and (B) patients with MI who were treated with aspirin 80 mg/day before surgery and clopidogrel (Plavix brand) at a dose of 75 mg/day (MI-DAPT group; n = 120). Dual or mono-antiplatelet therapy continued until the day before surgery. Patients were followed to assess in-hospital and 6-months outcomes. Results The in-hospital mortality in MI-DAPT group was similar with noMI-aspirin group (OR 4.2; 95% CI 0.9–20.5; p = 0.071). The prevalence of CVA (p = 0.098), duration of hospital stay (p = 0.109), postoperative ejection fraction level (p = 0.693), diastolic dysfunction grade (p = 0.651) and postoperative PAP level (p = 0.0364) did not show difference between two groups. No mild or severe bleeding was observed in the patients. Six-month follow up showed that number of readmissions (p = 0.801), number of cases requiring angiography (p = 0.100), cases requiring re-PCI (p = 0.156), need for re-CABG (p > 0.999) and CVA (p > 0.999) did not differ between the two groups. During the 6-month follow-up, out-hospital mortality did not differ significantly between the two groups (p = 0.446). Conclusions A 6-month follow-up showed that DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel before CABG in patients with MI has no effect on postoperative outcomes more than mono-APT with aspirin. Therefore, DAPT is recommended in the preoperative period for these patients.

Abstract Inner coatings have emerged as a novel technique to prevent the deposition of paraffin, wax, scale, and corrosion of pipelines during oil production and transport. Few studies addressed this technique for preventing asphaltene deposition. In this study, two superhydrophobic inner coatings, including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating and nanosilica coating, were fabricated on metal surfaces and the asphaltene deposition on these coated surfaces was examined. A model oil solution was prepared using asphaltene and heptol and the effect of static and dynamic flow states on the amount of asphaltene deposition on uncoated electrodes, PTFE coated electrodes, and nanosilica coated electrodes were investigated. The results showed that the PTFE coating is more effective in reducing asphaltene deposition than nanosilica coating. The PTFE coating could reduce 56% of the deposition in a static state and more than 70% in a dynamic state at an asphaltene concentration of 2000 ppm. For PTFE coating in a dynamic state, the deposition rate is negligible in long times. In addition, it was found that the type of flow state affects the asphaltene deposition kinetics. The results demonstrate that, in the static state, the nth-order kinetics model, and in the dynamic state, the double exponential models are in best agreement with the experimental data.

Introduction: Mucormycosis as a rare but life-threatening disease with 46-96% mortality, which challenged the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to compare the characteristics of mucormycosis between cases with and without COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in two referral hospitals, Imam Hossein and Labbafinezhad Hospitals, Tehran, Iran, between 21 March to 21 December 2021. Data related to all hospitalized adults subject with the diagnosis of mucormycosis during the study period was collected from patients’ profiles and they were divided into two groups of with and without COVID-19 based on the results of real time PCR. Then demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings as well as outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: 64 patients with the mean age of 53.40±10.32 (range: 33-74) years were studied (53.1% male). Forty-three (67.2%) out of the 64 subjects had a positive COVID-19 PCR test. The two groups had significant differences regarding some symptoms (cough (p < 0.001), shortness of breath (p = 0.006)), acute presentation (p = 0.027), using immunosuppressive (p = 0.013), using corticosteroid (p < 0.001), and outcomes (mortality (p = 0.018), need for intubation (p < 0.001)). 22 (34.3%) patients expired during hospital admission. Univariate analysis showed the association of in-hospital mortality with need for ventilation (p < 0.001), sinus involvement (p = 0.040), recent use of dexamethasone (p = 0.011), confirmed COVID-19 disease (p = 0.025), mean body mass index (BMI) (p =0.035), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (p = 0.022), and median of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (p =0.034). Based on the multivariate model, confirmed COVID-19 disease (OR = 5.01; 95% CI: 1.14-22.00; p = 0.033) and recent use of dexamethasone (OR= 4.08, 95% CI: 1.05-15.84, p = 0.042) were independent predictors of mortality in this series. Conclusion: The mucormycosis cases with concomitant COVID-19 disease had higher frequency of cough and shortness of breath, higher frequency of acute presentation, higher need for immunosuppressive, corticosteroid, and ventilator support, and higher mortality rate. The two groups were the same regarding age, gender, BMI, risk factors, underlying diseases, symptoms, and sites of involvement.

Introduction: Interleukins (ILs) can act as a predictive indicator of Premature Coronary Artery Disease (pCAD) and may be useful in screening of high-risk patients. However, there is no consensus on the relationship of serum levels of ILs and pCAD, yet. As a result, this study has been conducted in order to review the literature on the relationship between serum levels of different ILs and pCAD. Methods: Medline, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched until December 7th 2020. Two reviewers independently screened and summarized eligible articles. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the relationship of ILs and pCAD. Results: 12 case-control articles were included. IL-6 plasma changes do happen in pCAD patients with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.51 (95% CI: 0.12-0.90; p=0.010) compared with the control group. This difference was also observed when evaluating the plasma levels of IL-1 and IL-17, with an SMD of 1.42 (95% CI: 1.11-1.73; p

Introduction: The available literature regarding the rate of readmission of COVID-19 patients after discharge is rather scarce. Thus, the aim in the current study was to evaluate the readmission rate of COVID-19 patients and the components affecting it, including clinical symptoms and relevant laboratory findings. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, COVID-19 patients who were discharged from Imam Hossein hospital, Tehran, Iran, were followed for six months. Data regarding their readmission status were collected through phone calls with COVID-19 patients or their relatives, as well as hospital registry systems. Eventually, the relationship between demographic and clinical characteristics and readmission rate was assessed. Results: 614 patients were entered to the present study (mean age 58.7±27.2 years; 51.5% male). 53 patients were readmitted (8.6%), of which 47 patients (7.6%) had a readmission during the first 30 days after discharge. The reasons for readmission were relapse of COVID-19 symptoms and its pulmonary complications in 40 patients (6.5%), COVID-19 related cardiovascular complications in eight patients (1.3%), and non-COVID-19 related causes in five patients (0.8%). Older age (OR=1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.06; p=0.002) and increased mean arterial pressure during the first admission (OR=1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.08; p=0.022) were found to be independent prognostic factors for the readmission of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Readmission is relatively frequent in COVID-19 patients. Lack of adequate hospital space may be the reason behind the early discharge of COVID-19 patients. Hence, to reduce readmission rate, extra care should be directed towards the discharge of older or hypertensive patients.

Background and Objectives: Escherichia coli and some Salmonella serovars cause various disease manifestations in poultry leading to significant economic losses. The widespread and imprudent use of antibacterial agents in poultry flocks have increased resistant to many antibacterial agents which has become a major public health concern. Some medicinal plants may be alternative to antibacterial agents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of summer savory essential oil against E. coli and Salmonella isolated from poultry. Materials and Methods: The essential oil was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus and subsequently its compounds were determined using GC-MS. Antibacterial properties of essential oil were determined by disc diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). To evaluate the anti-biofilm properties the Microtiter plate test was used. Herbal essential oil was extracted and its compounds were identified correctly. Results: The major components of Satureja hortensis essential oil were thymol (41.28%), γ-terpinene (37.63%), p-cymene (12.2%) and α-terpinene (3.52%). The inhibition zone diameter in the disc diffusion test for E. coli and Salmonella were 32 ± 3 and 38 ± 4 mm, respectively, which was confirmed by MIC and MBC values. Regarding anti-biofilm activity, the MIC/2 concentration of S. hortensis significantly inhibited biofilm formation of E. coli. However, inhibition of biofilm formation of Salmonella was shown at concentration of MIC/2 and MIC/4. Conclusion: Based on our results, S. hortensis essential oil showed the growth inhibition and bactericidal activity against E. coli and Salmonella. Moreover, this study demonstrated anti-biofilm activity of S. hortensis essential against both tested bacteria.

Background: The acceptance rate of electronic health recording systems has increased significantly, so that development of this technology in the medical sector has caused a huge change in the health care system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of investment in health information technology on financial performance with the mediating role of business process in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad hospitals in Iran. Methods: This applied and descriptive-causal study was conducted with an analytical approach. According to Morgan Table, the sample size was estimated as 341 individuals. The research instrument was a 31-item standard questionnaire validated using face validity, convergent reliability, divergent reliability, Cronbachchr('39')s alpha reliability, and compound reliability. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling were applied by Smart PLS and SPSS 20 software. Results: In this study, 9 research hypotheses were confirmed by path analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Based on the findings, investing in health information technology whit significance amounts of 3.647 and path coefficient of 0.237 had a significant effect on financial performance. The overall business process (0.477) plays a mediating role in the path between these 2 variables. The research model had a suitable fit. Conclusion: Health information technology can increase the safety and efficiency of information, improve public health, ensure the privacy of the patients, and increase the assetschr('39') efficiency by reducing costs.

The efficiency evaluation of a network opens the “black box” and deliberates on the internal structures and innermost interactions of the system. In this paper, we have made efforts to consider a three-stage system, comprising of six sub-DMUs, in combination with additional inputs and undesirable outputs. The proposed models are simulations of a factory, with a production area and three warehouses for goods and two delivery points. Hence, an authentic example, in concern with production planning and inventory control in a factory for a year and within duration of 24 periods, was taken under consideration, as a dynamic structure. In this simulation, all costs are considered, including, production costs, setup cost, maintenance costs of the products, warehouse reservation costs, transportation costs, delay penalty costs and the profit obtained from the sale of products. We utilized the multiplicative DEA with a double-frontier approach to measure the efficiency of a general system and improve the accuracy of efficiencies. Moreover, a heuristic technique was used to convert non-linear models into linear models. The ranking results amongst the 24 time periods, which, indicate that the time periods 24 and 1, are the best and poorest periods in terms of efficiency, respectively. Finally, we suggest to use a k-means method to cluster DMUs into several groups with similar characteristics based on double-frontier Standpoint.

Emerging nano-level technologies provide very high device densities that facilitate high performance implementation of more complex applications. However, they also introduce new challenging reliability issues such as appearance of transient faults and concurrent occurrence of multiple faults in the circuits. Due to their nondeterministic nature, absolute detection and correction of all multiple concurrent transient faults in a circuit is a challenging task which becomes infeasible due to its very high space, time, or data redundancies as the number of concurrent faults increases. Fortunately, based to the emerging imprecise computing paradigm, it is not mandatory to detect and correct all the faults in a circuit when implementing an “Imprecision Tolerant” application, due to its inherent tolerance against imprecision. Thanks to this useful relaxation, this paper exploits the Relaxed Triple-Modular-Redundancy (RTMR) to trade the inherent robustness of the fuzzy applications against imprecision, to efficiently realize the defuzzification block as the most computation-intensive part of a Mamdani fuzzy processor in an unreliable technology. The traditional TMR is essentially developed to only cope with single permanent faults and the number of redundant components should be increased to N in an NMR system in order to handle (N-1)/2 concurrent faults. However, the experimental results show that RTMR can mitigate more numbers of concurrent transient faults with less overhead with respect to NMR. The synthesis results show that exploiting TMR causes higher area, delay, and power consumption overheads of up to 71%, 25%, and 63% respectively with respect to RTMR.

Background: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a scoring system as a tool for predicting the in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients in early stage of disease. Methods: This retrospective cohort study, conducted on 893 COVID-19 patients in Tehran from February 18 to July 20, 2020. Potential factors were chosen via stepwise selection and multivariable logistic regression model. Cross-validation method was employed to assess the predictive performance of the model as well as the scoring system such as discrimination, calibration, and validity indices. Results: The COVID-19 patients’ median age was 63 yrs (54.98% male) and 233 (26.09%) patients expired during the study. The scoring system was developed based on 8 selected variables: age ≥55 yrs (OR = 5.67, 95% CI: 3.25–9.91), males (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.007–2.29), ICU need (OR = 16.32, 95% CI 10.13–26.28), pulse rate >90 (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.26–2.83), lymphocytes 700 U/L (OR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.13–2.51) and troponin I level >0.03 ng/mL (OR = 1.75, 95%CI: 1.17–2.62). The AUC and the accuracy of scoring system after cross-validation were 79.4% and 79.89%, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that developed scoring system has a good performance and can use to help physicians for identifying high-risk patients in early stage of disease.

Introduction: Adults with underlying medical disorders are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. This study aimed to compare the effect of underlying diseases on the mortality of male and female patients as a primary objective. We also evaluated the effect of drugs previously used by COVID-19 patients on their outcome. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out on confirmed cases of COVID-19 who were admitted to a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. Data was gathered from patients’ files. Log binomial model was used for investigating the association of underlying diseases and in-hospital mortality of these patients. Results: A total of 991 patients (mean age 61.62±17.02; 54.9% male) were recruited. Hypertension (41.1%), diabetes mellitus (30.6%), and coronary artery disease (19.6%) were the most common underlying diseases. The multivariable model showed that hypertension (RR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.22-2.14, p = 0.001) in male patients over 55 years old and coronary artery disease (RR = 2.40; 95% CI: 1.24-4.46, p = 0.009) in female patients under 65 years old were risk factors of mortality. In females over 65 years old, the history of taking Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) (RR = 0.272; 95% CI: 0.17-0.41, p = 0.001) was a significant protective factor for death. Conclusions: COVID-19 patients with a history of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and coronary artery disease, especially those in specific age and sex groups, are high-risk patients for in-hospital mortality. Additionally, a previous history of taking ACEi and ARB medications in females over 65 tears old was a protective factor against in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients.

Background: Although current evidence points to the possible prognostic value of electrocardiographic (ECG) findings for in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients, most of these studies have been performed on a small sample size. In this study, our aim was to investigate the ECG changes as prognostic indicators of in-hospital mortality. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, the findings of the first and the second ECGs of COVID-19 patients were extracted and changes in the ECGs were examined. Any abnormal finding in the second ECG that wasn’t present in the initial ECG at the time of admission was defined as an ECG change. ECGs were interpreted by a cardiologist and the prognostic value of abnormal ECG findings for in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients was evaluated using multivariate analysis and the report of the relative risk (RR). Results: Data of the ECGs recorded at the time of admission were extracted from the files of 893 patients; likewise, the second ECGs could be extracted from the records of 328 patients who had an initial ECG. The presence of sinus tachycardia (RR = 2.342; p

Considering the significance of customer knowledge and management capability, this research is mainly aimed at investigating the effects of knowledge management capabilities on the organizational performance mediated by dynamic capabilities and customer knowledge. Regarding the conceptual model of the study, seven hypotheses were formulated to test this objective. This is an applied study in terms of purpose and a descriptive one in nature. Questionnaires were used as the research tools for collecting data. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, composite reliability (CR) and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of research tools. Structural equation modeling and Smart PLS2 software were used in order to test the hypotheses aiming at measuring the concurrent, direct or indirect relationship among variables. Moreover, the mediating role of the variables was assessed by means of the Sobel test. A review of 150 questionnaires distributed among the employees of Gas Company of Yazd, winter 2018-2019, indicated that the variable of knowledge management capability affected the variables of dynamic capability and customer knowledge positively and significantly, the most important one of which was the effect of knowledge management capability on the firm performance. However, any direct effect of knowledge management capability on the firm performance was rejected. The results indicated that knowledge management capability indirectly affects firm performance through the dynamic capability and customer knowledge, from which knowledge management capability affects firm performance by means of dynamic capability the most.

Introduction: Raising knowledge over cardiac complications and managing them can play a key role in their recovery. In this study, we aim to investigate the evidence regarding the prevalence of cardiac complications and the resulting mortality rate in COVID-19 patients. Method: Search was conducted in electronic databases of Medline (using PubMed), Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, in addition to the manual search in preprint databases, and Google and Google scholar search engines, for articles published from 2019 until April 30th, 2020. Inclusion criterion was reviewing and reporting cardiac complications in patients with confirmed COVID-19. Results: The initial search resulted in 853 records, out of which 40 articles were included. Overall analysis showed that the prevalence of acute cardiac injury, heart failure and cardiac arrest were 19.46% (95% CI: 18.23-20.72), 19.07% (95% CI: 15.38-23.04) and 3.44% (95% CI: 3.08-3.82), respectively. Moreover, abnormal serum troponin level was observed in 22.86% (95% CI: 21.19-24.56) of the COVID-19 patients. Further analysis revealed that the overall odds of mortality is 14.24 (95% CI: 8.67-23.38) times higher when patients develop acute cardiac injury. The pooled odds ratio of mortality when the analysis was limited to abnormal serum troponin level was 19.03 (95% CI: 11.85-30.56). Conclusion: Acute cardiac injury and abnormal serum troponin level were the most prevalent cardiac complications/abnormalities in COVID-19 patients. The importance of cardiac complications is emphasized due to the higher mortality rate among patients with these complications. Thus, troponin screenings and cardiac evaluations are recommended to be performed in routine patient assessments.

The interest in cellulose and its derivatives has been exponentially increasing due to its excellent thermal stability, biocompatibility, chemical persistence and biodegradability. Among various cellulose derivatives, cellulose acetate (CA) has been applied in many applications including sensor systems, drug delivery systems, separation membrane, and tissue engineering. Recently, the electrospun nanofibers have been employed and have gotten more attention in the biotechnology and the biomedical applications. In this case, Electrospinning methods widely used to fabricate and generate novel nanomaterials along with the well-aligned structure of electrospun nanofibers. Electrospinning has emerged as a powerful method to produce nanofibrous assemblies from a variety of polymers and composites including CA fibers. These fibers obtained from this method were applied in biomedical applications specially for sensing process in the medical diagnostic kit. In this review article, the recent progress and development of electrospun CA fibers and nanofibers and also their nanocomposites for advanced sensing systems are presented. Several sensors and biosensors including optical/colorimetric, and electrochemical-based on CA are discussed in this study.

One of the most important fields of logistic network is transportation network design that has an important effect on strategic decisions in supply chain management. It has recently attracted the attention of many researchers. In this paper, a multi-stage and multi-product logistic network design is considered. This paper presents a hybrid approach based on simulation and optimization (Simulation based optimization), the model is formulated and presented in three stages. At first, the practical production capacity of each product is calculated using the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) index, in the second stage, the optimization of loading schedules is simulated. The layout of the loading equipment, the number of equipment per line, the time of each step of the loading process, the resources used by each equipment were simulated, and the output of the model determines the maximum number of loaded vehicles in each period. Finally, a multi-objective model is presented to optimize the transportation time and cost of products. A mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is formulated in such a way as to minimize transportation costs and maximize the use of time on the planning horizon. We have used Arena simulation software to solve the second stage of the problem, the results of which will be explained. It is also used GAMS software to solve the final stage of the model and optimize the transporting cost and find the optimal solutions. Several test problems were generated and it showed that the proposed algorithm could find good solutions in reasonable time spans.

Introduction: Oral cancer is the most common malignancy in head and neck region. Primary diagnosis is critical and low knowledge of dentists can lead to improper or delayed diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of general dentists regarding oral cancer and the complications of its treatment in Babol, Iran. Materials &Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on all general dentists working in Babol. Seventy-six dentists entered into the study and filled out the questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Mean score of knowledge in the group with more than 21-years-experience was significantly higher than the group with less than 10-years-experience (p=0.017). There was a positive correlation between total knowledge and years of experience (p=0.001). There was no significant relationship between other criteria with total score of knowledge (p.0.05). Conclusion: It seems that knowledge the babol dentists’ regarding oral cancer and cancer treatment complications is not sufficient.

Short column phenomenon was one of effective cause in the structures with different floor at past earthquakes that floors of stories in this structures created in two or several heights. In the structures with difference in story level, major problems is due to discontinuity of floor diaphragm that causes significant changes in period, stiffness and distribution of earthquake force. In this paper whit Sensitivity Index (SI), displacement, plastic hinge pattern in columns and beams and capacity spectrum and… studied linear and nonlinear behavior of Progressive collapse whit rupture of one member happens rupture of next member and frequently collapse in 4 and 8 story structures with story level difference. The result show that the short structures with story level difference have more stiffness and load capacity and if the height difference was less,the sensitivity index is more. Keywords: Progressive collapse, Frame with different floor, Reinforced concrete, Plastic hinge pattern, Sensitivity Index(SI).

Introduction: Globally, it is estimated that around 5.8 million people die annually as result of injuries, which causes 10% of all deaths and 16% of disability adjusted life years lost worldwide. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of injuries in emergency departments in Iran. Method: This cross sectional study was carried out using national injury surveillance data registry from 21 March 2009 to 20 March 2014. Results: 7,176,344 patients with the mean age of 27.5 ± 17.8 years were registered to 657 EDs (70.6% male). Road Traffic Crash (RTC) was the most common cause of injury (31.0%) followed by hit (28.2%) and fall (10.1%). While roads were the commonest place of injuries, 34.0% of patients have been injured at home. More than 90% of injuries were unintentional. Assault and suicide attempt were causes of injury in 5.6% and 3.9% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: This paper addresses where prevention measures are most urgently needed and offers insights which could be useful for injury prevention programs in Iran and other developing countries.

Eccentrically braced frames are one of the most popular systems in buildings because they provide both high stiffness and ductility to the structure. Other systems such as moment frames and concentrically braced frames do not usually provide desirable stiffness and ductility, respectively. Steel shear walls are also popular systems in steel buildings; however, they can be expensive due to the large amount of steel used in these systems. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate new types of eccentrically braced frames. In this paper a truss-shaped brace is proposed and its behavior under cyclic loading in an eccentrically braced frame is numerically investigated using finite element software. Different cross-sections are implemented in the truss-shaped brace and the effect of the cross-section on the behavior of the frame is studied and compared to the reference specimen with conventional configuration. The results of this study show that hollow square cross-section with 100 mm width and 4 mm thickness had the best performance in terms of strength, absorbed energy and pinching compared to other specimens.

The reduction of the moisture content of concrete during the drying process reduces the concrete’s volume and causes it to shrink. In general, concrete shrinkage is a phenomenon that causes concrete volume to dwindle and can lead to durability problems. There are different types of this phenomenon, among them chemical shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage including free shrinkage and restrained shrinkage, and thermal contraction. Shrinkage-reducing admixtures are commercially available in different forms. The present study investigates the effect of liquid propylene glycol ether on mechanical properties and free shrinkage induced by drying at different water-cement (w/c) ratios. Furthermore, the effect of shrinkage-reducing admixtures on the properties of hardened concrete such as compressive and tensile strength, electrical resistivity, modulus of elasticity, free drying shrinkage, water absorption, and depth of water penetration was investigated. The results indicated that shrinkage reducing agents performed better in a low w/c ratio and resulted in up to 50% shrinkage reduction, which was due to the surface reduction of capillary pores. The prediction of free shrinkage due to drying was also performed using an artificial neural network.

Objective(s): Nanomaterials, especially silver Nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), are employed in an increasing number of commercial products. This has led to an ever growing exposure of human beings to this substance. The first purpose of the Nano Committee of Food and Drug Administration of The Islamic Republic of Iran (IFDA) is developing guidelines to assess and approve commercial nano-health products for their safety of human applications. Nanobiocide® as a commercial product of stable colloid including 2000 ppm Ag-NPs for surface antimicrobial applications was investigated according to IFDA guidelines in the approval process. Methods: The first fabrication and characterization method of the product were determined. The human exposure to Nanobiocide® were studied by cytotoxicity assay, dermal irritation and inhalation toxicity assay based on the standard assay. Results: According to cytotoxicity assay by MTT method the concentration-dependent of cell viability was reduced and Inhibitory concentration-50 was about 1160 ppm. The Draize dermal irritation scoring system (DDIS) showed no irritation to the skin of rabbits. No sign of gross toxicity, adverse pharmacological effect, or abnormal behavior based on inhalation toxicity was observed. Conclusions: The consideration of toxicity of Nanobiocide® is one of the major key for medical application. The results obtained revealed that the Nanobiocide® may be safe using in domestic and veterinary applications.

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are one of the most important processes for the preparation of highly functionalized organic compounds in modern synthetic chemistry. As shown in this review, they play an important role in organophosphorus chemistry where phosphorus reagents are used as substrates for the synthesis of a wide range of phosphorylated heterocycles. In this article, an overview about multicomponent reactions used for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds bearing a phosphonate group on the ring is given.

Health, Safety, Environment and Ergonomics Management Systems (HSEEMS) are an important approach in supply chain management that contributes to the reduction of sustainability issues. The implementation of HSEEMS can improve the efficiency of supply chain management through the advancement of a safe, healthy, and eco-friendly workplace. For ensuring the effectiveness of the HSEEMS implementation, organisations need to evaluate the performance of the system. The purpose of this study is to determine indicators to evaluate the performance of HSEEMS implementation. It initially begins with a review of various studies in HSEE and quality performance evaluation. The literature review reveals that Malcolm Baldrige and European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) models are the frequently adopted excellence models. These models are used, analysed, and compared by HSEE experts through in-depth interviews to identify the indicators. In this light, considering the principles and assumptions of the models as well as their structure, efficiency in implementation, and scientific and operational support are selected for benchmarking. As a result, eight criteria including leadership, strategy, risk analysis, personnel, resources, HSEE implementation, stakeholders’ effects, and key performance effects are acknowledged. The identification of the HSEEMS performance assessment indicators will be useful for practitioners to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the HSEEMS implementation in organisations and contribute to the implementation of sustainable supply chain management.

Introduction: Globally, it is estimated that around 5.8 million people die annually as result of injuries, which causes 10% of all deaths and 16% of disability adjusted life years lost worldwide. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of injuries in emergency departments in Iran.Method: This cross sectional study was carried out using national injury surveillance data registry from 21 March 2009 to 20 March 2014.Results: 7,176,344 patients with the mean age of 27.5 ± 17.8 years were registered to 657 EDs (70.6% male). Road Traffic Crash (RTC) was the most common cause of injury (31.0%) followed by hit (28.2%) and fall (10.1%). While roads were the commonest place of injuries, 34.0% of patients have been injured at home. More than 90% of injuries were unintentional. Assault and suicide attempt were causes of injury in 5.6% and 3.9% of patients, respectively.Conclusion:This paper addresses where prevention measures are most urgently needed and offers insights which could be useful for injury prevention programs in Iran and other developing countries.

Zakat administration in Malaysia is a State matter in particular relating to the passing of regulations and statutes. The respective Heads of States (the rulers) are heads of Islam as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. This paper gives a chronicle of the transformation and phases of development of zakat institution in Malaysia. Zakat institution can play an important role in complementing the Government’s poverty eradication effort although its scope is for the poor and needy Muslims only. Besides the poorand needy, there are other beneficiaries allowed by the Syariah. Its success would also help to buffer the effects of recession of the economy on the poor through capacity building and mindsettransformation. The effectiveness of the zakat institution in carrying out its duties would depend on a number of factors viz. expansionof new resources for zakat, the collection of zakat from tangible and intangible properties, systematic zakat management, efficientzakat distribution and the thoroughness of implementation of Islamic rules. The article would discuss on matters that should be dealtwith in order to improve zakat institutions in Malaysia in terms of the inefficiency issue, prospective payers, and capacity building.

نقش تشیع در بارورى فرهنگ اسلامى و شکل دهى شاکله تمدن اسلامى, برجسته و غیر قابل انکار است; تشیع خصوصا با تنوع فرقه اى خود و سه مذهب عمده اثنى عشریه و اسماعیلیه و زیدیه, نقش محورى و اساسى در تحولات سیاسى, اجتماعى و فرهنگى اواخر دوره اموى و استقرار خلافت عباسى تا پایان عصر اول خلافت داشته است. این نقش در عصر اول عباسى در قالب نهضت ها و جنبش هاى نظامى; تشکیل حوزه هاى علمى, تعالیم مخفى و سازمان دهى فرقه اى تبلور یافت; که در این میان قیام ها و نهضت هاى متوالى شیعیان زیدى, مسئله اصلى خلفاى عصر اول عباسى بود و تمام هم و توان ایشان را متوجه خود کرده بود. این حرکت ها و قیام ها نقش برجسته اى در شکل دهى به جریان هاى تاریخى عصر مذکور داشته است. با این وصف, جاى تعجب است که پژوهشى به زبان فارسى راجع به نهضت هاى شیعى این دوره, موجود نیست و خلإ بزرگى در این مقطع مهم و طولانى تاریخ اسلام وجود دارد. کتاب جهاد الشیعه فى العصر العباسى الاول تإلیف دکترسمیره مختارلیثى از اساتید و دانش پژوهان مصرى(2) تنها پژوهش مستقل عربى در این باره است که به خاطر قوت و استحکام علمى و رعایت استانداردهاى تحقیق, در سال 1363 ه' . ش براى جبران این کمبود و نقیصه در تاریخ اسلام, در ایران چاپ و نشر شد. موضوع کتاب جهاد الشیعه فى العصر العباسى الاول بررسى و تجزیه و تحلیل نهضت ها و جنبش هاى سیاسى و نظامى و عقیدتى شیعیان از آغاز خلافت عباسیان تا پایان عصر اول عباسى (سال 232ه' . ق) است, لیکن نهضت هاى شیعى از سال 100ه' . ق به بعد را نیز به عنوان زمینه ها و بستر حرکت هاى عصر عباسى به تفصیل مورد بحث و مداقه قرار داده است. دکتر لیثى معتقد است: مفهوم جهاد شیعه تعبیرى راستین از روح و جوهره تشیع است که این جوهره در گونه هاى مختلف جهاد مستمر نظامى, دینى, فکرى و اجتماعى شیعه تجلى یافته است, لیکن تعالیم و اندیشه هاى اعتقادى شیعه به شکل جنگ هاى مسلحانه در تاریخ تبلور یافته است.(3) از این جهت نویسنده, محور بخش ها و فصل هاى کتاب را نهضت ها و قیام هاى شیعى در عصر مذکور قرار داده و به رغم این که ایشان حیات فکرى, دینى, علمى و اجتماعى شیعه را از صور جهاد شیعه تلقى مى کند, به فرقه هایى از شیعه که فاقد تحرک نظامى بوده, لیکن از حیات فکرى و فرهنگى برجسته اى برخوردار بوده اند, در حاشیه و در رابطه با حرکت هاى انقلابى شیعه مى پردازد. دکتر لیثى با استفاده از حجم انبوهى از منابع(4) و با نگاهى تحلیلى و فلسفى به تاریخ و با استنادات دقیق و جامع و چینش منطقى و محققانه و با نثرى ساده و روان و جذاب, به دور از اغلاق و پیچیدگى, به بازآفرینى تحسین برانگیزى از تاریخ جنبش ها و نهضت هاى شیعى در بستر حیات سیاسى, دینى و فکرى جهان اسلام در دوره مذکور پرداخته است. وى در این کتاب در صدد است که اثبات کند جهاد شیعه, زاده آزادى رإى و عقیده در تفکر اسلامى است که توانسته است نقش برجسته اى در بارورى و تعالى تمدن اسلامى داشته باشد. شکل گیرى دولت فاطمیان و ثمرات علمى ـ فرهنگى این دولت, بخشى از این نقش مى باشد.

Remotely sensed data can reinforce the abilities of water resources researchers and decision makers to monitor waterbodies more effectively. Remote sensing techniques have been widely used to measure the qualitative parameters of waterbodies (i.e., suspended sediments, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), chlorophyll-a, and pollutants). A large number of different sensors on board various satellites and other platforms, such as airplanes, are currently used to measure the amount of radiation at different wavelengths reflected from the water’s surface. In this review paper, various properties (spectral, spatial and temporal, etc.) of the more commonly employed spaceborne and airborne sensors are tabulated to be used as a sensor selection guide. Furthermore, this paper investigates the commonly used approaches and sensors employed in evaluating and quantifying the eleven water quality parameters. The parameters include: chlorophyll-a (chl-a), colored dissolved organic matters (CDOM), Secchi disk depth (SDD), turbidity, total suspended sediments (TSS), water temperature (WT), total phosphorus (TP), sea surface salinity (SSS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).

The European Union (EU) Renewable Energy Directive set a target of 20 % share of energy from the renewable sources and 10% share of renewable energy specifically in the transport sector. This has resulted in some countries looking for bio-based alternative energies which lead to the increase in demand for bio-based feedstocks such as palm and rapeseed oil (for biodiesel) and sugar cane and corn (for ethanol). One of the new elements in the palm oil market is the growing demand for this commodity as a feedstock to biodiesel production. This will also put Malaysia in a better light on the international front for taking the effort to reduce carbon emissions. In line with this, the palm oil sector in Malaysia will be able to match the New Economic Model’s (NEM) major goals of high income, sustainability and inclusiveness. This new development is affecting the dynamics of the market, in particular, the supply and demand sectors of this commodity. This paper seeks to examine the impact of biodiesel demand on the Malaysian palm oil industry. This paper proposes a structural econometric model consisting of nine structural equations and four identities. The model has been estimated by the two stage least squares method using annual data for the period 1976–2010.

The global economy is reeling from the effects of financial crisis which led to an economic crisis triggered by the United States sub-prime mortgage crisis which started in late 2007. The sharp inflation in petroleum and food prices in the first half of 2008 also compounded the problem. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) had declared that the US economy had been in recession since December 2007. Contraction in the growth rates of major developed economies thereby causing global trade in goods and services to plummet has affected open economies including Malaysia. Last year Malaysian GDP grew by about 4.6% over 2007. An ominous sign that economic growth in 2009 would be low or even negative was the 0.1% growth in GDP in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same quarter in 2007. This was due mainly to a 40% drop in net exports. The slow down in growth has affected all sectors of the economy. Education in general and higher education in particular are not spared. Higher education has to compete for scarce public funds. The main objective of this paper is to understand the impact of the global economic crisis on higher education in Malaysia. A better understanding is imperative in order to prepare for the challenges ahead. The challenges ahead are within the framework of the new economic model being formulated by the government in order to lift Malaysia into a high income country within a decade. A major critical success factor is the implementation of an effective human capital development strategy. Keywords: Economic crisis; higher education; recession.

A supramolecular dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method based on the solidification of the floating organic drop (SM-DLLME-SFOD) combined with spectrophotometry was developed for the separation, preconcentration, and determination of trace amounts of nickel from aqueous samples. The method is based on the extraction of the hydrophobic complex of nickel with [alpha]-furildioxime in the coacervates made up of undecanol reverse micelles in a water-tetrahydrofuran mixture. The parameters affecting the extraction of nickel were screened by fractional factorial design with central points. Effective experimental parameters were optimized using central composite design. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration graph was linear for nickel in the concentration range of 3-85 [micro]g/L with a determination coefficient of 0.9992. The limit of detection and the enhancement factor of the method were 0.4 [micro]g/L and 147, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of nickel in water and vegetable samples., Author(s): Mohammad Bahrami [sup.1], Ali Mohammad Haji Shabani [sup.1], Shayessteh Dadfarnia [sup.1], Masoud Rohani Moghadam [sup.2], Marzie Baneshi [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.413021.5, 0000 0004 0612 8240, Department of Chemistry, [...]