Search

Background and Objective: Error reporting leads to changes in hospital processes and improved health outcomes. In this regard, this study aimed to examine the barriers to the reporting of medical errors from the viewpoint of nurses in selected hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran. Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive analysis research included all the nurses working at Golestan Educational and Medical Hospital, Amir AL-Mominin Hospital, and Aria Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran. The total sample size was calculated at 256 participants with the help of the Morgan table. The required data were collected using Anderson's questionnaire on barriers to reporting medical errors. Quantitative data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 23). Results: The results showed that legal factors (2.14±0.476) are the most important reason for not reporting medical errors. Fear of reprimand (85.9%), high workload (92.5%), exposure to accusations (93.8%), and the possibility of added workload (87.4%) were the most important legal, cultural and organizational, supervision regulation, and financial factors, respectively. Moreover, the results showed that the nurses of Golestan and Amir AL-Mominin Public Hospital and Aria Private Hospital stated legal and financial factors as the most important reason for not reporting medical errors, respectively. Besides, the findings revealed that there are significant relationships between the factors of reporting medical errors and the variables of age, work experience, and the amount of overtime. Conclusion: Effective communication, sufficient support of managers for nurses, the existence of an efficient error reporting system, and effective use of the obtained reports are effective in increasing medical error reporting.

The Optimal Power Flow (OPF) is a vital issue in electrical networks to ensure the economical and safe operation to transfer electrical energy that is very complex, non-linear, and limited. In the electrical networks with Renewable Energy Sources (RES), the OPF problem is a much more complex and constrained optimization problem because incorporating the intermittent nature of RESs, including Wind Turbine (WT) and Photovoltaic (PV), which have been used in this article, and OPF is often used to optimize various problems. In this research, an effort has been made to modify and improve the performance of a new algorithm named Circulatory System-Based Optimization (CSBO) to a more powerful algorithm for complex OPF problems, and the result of this research was to present a more effective and powerful algorithm named Gaussian Bare-bones Levy CSBO (GBLCSBO). CSBO mimics the mating behavior of the circulatory system in the body. The IEEE 30-bus and 118-bus test networks are adopted to validate the capability of the suggested approach in minimizing four objectives, which include the total generation cost, voltage deviation, power loss, and pollution emission.Finally, to know the performance and strength of GBLCSBO for solving various OPF problems, several new powerful algorithms include Seagull Optimization Algorithm (SOA), Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO), Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Multi-Verse Optimizer (MVO) have been used to compare with GBLCSBO. Also, the CEC 2017 test functions were used to measure the performance of GBLCSBO in a broader range of optimization problems.The optimization results in both topics of OPF problems and various test functions compared with various algorithms showed that GBLCSBO is both strong and robust and has a suitable and comparative performance in a wide range of different optimization problems such as OPF. According to the obtained results, the GBLCSBO demonstrates high potential in solving OPF problems.

The optimization problems are becoming more complicated, requiring new and efficient optimization techniques to solve them. Many bio-inspired meta-heuristic algorithms have emerged in the last decade to solve these complex problems as most of these algorithms may be trapped into local optima and could not effectively solve all types of optimization problems. Hence, researchers are still trying to develop new and better optimization algorithms. This paper introduces a novel biologically-based optimization algorithm called circulatory system-based optimization (CSBO). CSBO is modeled based on the function of the body’s blood vessels with two distinctive circuits, i.e. pulmonary and systemic circuits. The proposed CSBO algorithm is tested on a wide variety of complex functions of the real world and validated with the standard meta-heuristic algorithms. The results indicate that the CSBO algorithm successfully achieves the optimal solutions and avoids local optima. Note that the source code of the CSBO algorithm is publicly available at http://www.optim-app.com/projects/csbo.

Differential evolution (DE) belongs to the most usable optimization algorithms, presented in many improved and modern versions in recent years. Generally, the low convergence rate is the main drawback of the DE algorithm. In this article, the gray wolf optimizer (GWO) is used to accelerate the convergence rate and the final optimal results of the DE algorithm. The new resulting algorithm is called Hunting Differential Evolution (HDE). The proposed HDE algorithm deploys the convergence speed of the GWO algorithm as well as the appropriate searching capability of the DE algorithm. Furthermore, by adjusting the crossover rate and mutation probability parameters, this algorithm can be adjusted to pay closer attention to the strengths of each of these two algorithms. The HDE/current-to-rand/1 performed the best on CEC-2019 functions compared to the other eight variants of HDE. HDE/current-to-best/1 is also chosen as having superior performance to other proposed HDE compared to seven improved algorithms on CEC-2014 functions, outperforming them in 15 test functions. Furthermore, jHDE performs well by improving in 17 functions, compared with jDE on these functions. The simulations indicate that the proposed HDE algorithm can provide reliable outcomes in finding the optimal solutions with a rapid convergence rate and avoiding the local minimum compared to the original DE algorithm.

Abstract Motivated by the hunting strategies of cheetahs, this paper proposes a nature-inspired algorithm called the cheetah optimizer (CO). Cheetahs generally utilize three main strategies for hunting prey, i.e., searching, sitting-and-waiting, and attacking. These strategies are adopted in this work. Additionally, the leave the pray and go back home strategy is also incorporated in the hunting process to improve the proposed framework's population diversification, convergence performance, and robustness. We perform intensive testing over 14 shifted-rotated CEC-2005 benchmark functions to evaluate the performance of the proposed CO in comparison to state-of-the-art algorithms. Moreover, to test the power of the proposed CO algorithm over large-scale optimization problems, the CEC2010 and the CEC2013 benchmarks are considered. The proposed algorithm is also tested in solving one of the well-known and complex engineering problems, i.e., the economic load dispatch problem. For all considered problems, the results are shown to outperform those obtained using other conventional and improved algorithms. The simulation results demonstrate that the CO algorithm can successfully solve large-scale and challenging optimization problems and offers a significant advantage over different standards and improved and hybrid existing algorithms. Note that the source code of the CO algorithm is publicly available at https://www.optim-app.com/projects/co .

Solar photovoltaic systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their outstanding environmental, economic, and technical characteristics. To simulate, manage, and control photovoltaic (PV) systems, the primary challenge is identifying unknown parameters accurately and reliably as early as possible using a robust optimization algorithm. This paper proposes a newly developed cheetah optimizer (CO) and improved CO (ICO) to extract parameters from various PV models. This algorithm, inspired by cheetah hunting behavior, includes several basic strategies: searching, sitting, waiting, and attacking. Although this algorithm has shown remarkable capabilities in solving large-scale problems, it needs improvement concerning its convergence speed and computing time. Here, an improved CO (ICO) is presented to identify solar power model parameters for this purpose. The ICO algorithm’s search phase is controlled based on the leader’s position. The step length is adjusted following the sorted population. As a result of this updated operator, the algorithm can perform global and local searches. Furthermore, the interaction factor during the attack phase is adjusted based on the position of the prey, and a random value controls the turning factor. Single-, double-, and PV module models are investigated to test the ICO’s parameter estimation performance. Statistical analysis uses the minimum, mean, maximum, and standard deviation. Furthermore, to improve confidence in the test results, Wilcoxon and Freidman rank nonparametric tests are also performed. Compared with other state-of-the-art optimization algorithms, the CO and ICO algorithms are proven to be highly reliable and accurate when identifying PV parameters. According to the results, the ICO and CO obtained the first- and second-best sum ranking results for the studied PV models among 12 applied algorithms. Despite this, the ICO algorithm reduces the CO’s computation time by 40% on average. Additionally, ICO’s convergence speed is high, reaching an optimal solution in less than 25,000 function evaluations in most cases.

This paper proposes a new framework for the optimal operation of a microgrid aggregator (MGA) that participates in an oligopoly electricity market. This aggregator obtains an optimal bidding (power and price) strategy for a multigrid (MG) system, i.e., a community MG. Consequently, the granted quantity, i.e., power in the electricity market, is deployed to optimally schedule the MG’s resources to meet demand. As such, as per three-level optimization, the independent system operator (ISO) clears the market with the goal of maximizing the social welfare in the first stage and determining the hourly market price as well as players’ credited power. In the second-level optimization process, the players select the optimal coefficient supply function equilibrium according to the power granted from the market. In third-level optimization, an optimal scheduling for MGs’ resources and demand would be obtained according to the won power in the market to maximize the aggregator profit. In addition, a price-taker MGA is simulated for comparison with the price–maker MGA to highlight the advantage of the proposed technique. Furthermore, a bidding strategy based on game theory is proposed to obtain the optimal price and power of the oligopoly market players and maximize all players’ profits. Finally, a test system including three generators is created to evaluate the performance of the devised bidding strategy. The results show that the proposed bidding strategy can optimally calculate the focal point of the Nash equilibrium (NE) in the oligopoly electricity market.

This study aimed to explore the possible effect of critical thinking-oriented dynamic assessment (CT-DA) on learners' reading comprehension performances. 21 Iranian language learners, who were homogenized in terms of their language proficiency, reading comprehension and critical thinking abilities, participated in this study. Learners were divided into three groups of CT-DA (n=7), dynamic assessment (DA) (n=7) and Control group (n=7). While learners in CT-DA received mediation loaded with critical thinking, learners in DA received dynamic assessment mediation, and learners in the control group did not receive any mediation. A paired sample t-test, effect size and ANOVA were run. The results of analyses revealed that CT-DA and DA groups outperformed the control group. The results signified the efficacy of the type of mediation, which was presented through dynamic assessment procedure on enhancing the learners' reading achievement. Moreover, comparing the results of critical thinking-oriented dynamic assessment and dynamic assessment revealed no statistical difference (p >.05), which indicates that both types of mediations (i.e., CT-DA and DA) had a similar impact on the learners' reading achievement. The article concludes with suggestions for further research on dynamic assessment and critical thinking in second/foreign language development.

The Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) risk assessment tools currently used in industries to identify critical situations have shown biases related to the variability of results. The validity and reliability of targeting risk situations with these simple tools are questionable, which might bias the orientation given to the prevention of MSD. This study explores known indicators regarding MSD risk assessment together with notions of regulation and situational operational leeway (SOL). In a sample of selected work situations in the metallurgy industry, we therefore compared the SOL indicators using two semi-quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the level of SOL sufficiency for each situation. The results of these two methods show differences in judgment. These methods nevertheless provide additional information that complement simple MSD risk assessment tools. We propose ways to improve semi-quantitative methods to target critical situations as from the MSD risk assessment phase.

Anomaly Detection (AD) has recently become an important application of hyperspectral images analysis. The goal of these algorithms is to find the objects in the image scene which are anomalous in comparison to their surrounding background. One way to improve the performance and runtime of these algorithms is to use Dimensionality Reduction (DR) techniques. This paper evaluates the effect of three popular linear dimensionality reduction methods on the performance of three benchmark anomaly detection algorithms. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) as DR methods, act as pre-processing step for AD algorithms. The assessed AD algorithms are Reed-Xiaoli (RX), Kernel-based versions of the RX (Kernel-RX) and Dual Window-Based Eigen Separation Transform (DWEST). The AD methods have been applied to two hyperspectral datasets acquired by both the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Hyperspectral Mapper (HyMap) sensors. The evaluation of experiments has been done using Receiver Operation Characteristic (ROC) curve, visual investigation and runtime of the algorithms. Experimental results show that the DR methods can significantly improve the detection performance of the RX method. The detection performance of neither the Kernel-RX method nor the DWEST method changes when using the proposed methods. Moreover, these DR methods increase the runtime of the RX and DWEST significantly and make them suitable to be implemented in real time applications.

Context: Superficial radiation therapy is a low energy radiation therapy that is penetrated only within a short distance under the skin surface, and widely used by dermatologists. This study aimed at investigating the safety and effectiveness of superficial radiation therapy versus other conventional treatments in the treatment of skin diseases. Methods: The following databases were searched systematically from March 31st, 2017: PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. MeSH terms and free-text were used for searching the databases. Additional studies were retrieved from a manual search and reference lists of included studies. Only studies written in English were considered and there was no time limit in the inclusion criteria. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Oxford centre for evidence-based Medicine (OCEBM) levels of evidence criteria. Results: In total, 12 studies were included in this review. In total, 1985 patients were examined. Most of the eligible studies (11 out of 12 with 1795 patients) compared the effectiveness outcomes (efficacy, improvement rate, failure rate, clinical improvement, time of use, recurrence rate, and cosmetic consequences). About half of them (5 out of 12 with 530 patients) compared the safety outcomes (side effects and the severity of symptoms). Conclusions: Based on the available evidence, which was not up to date and generalizable, it could be concluded that superficial radiation therapy had no side effect on the treatment of hand eczema and also had better treatment results and could be used for hand eczema, yet for other indications, further studies need to be performed. The use this technology along with other methods may have better consequences for the patients. In order to make better decisions in this area, new studies must be carried out in various contexts. However, if superficial radiation therapy is licensed to be used in a country, in order to prevent low but serious side effects, there must be a coherent system with the aim of recording its use for each patient.

Prevalence of chronic disease could be adversely having an effect on the capability of the driver. In addition, it must increase probability of accidents. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between chronic medical conditions and contribution in crashes among drivers. In this cross-sectional study, the populations were professional truck drivers. The numbers of 323 people were selected to participate in the study. All of information for this survey was gathered by self-repot questionnaire. Analyses were performed by binary Logistic Regression, Cochran's and Mantel-Haenszel statistics and chi-square test. There was not a significant relationship between drivers who reported that they had heart disease and involved in crashes with divers without cardiovascular disorders involved in accidents. Drivers involved in crashes were further possible to have diabetes mellitus and respiratory disorders compared with drivers not involved in crashes. There was a significant relationship between vision complaint and driving accidents (p

Background and Objective: Aircraft as a safe means of transportation may cause occupational diseases and hearing loss. Prevention should be implemented for airport employee. This study was done to detemine the scale of hearing loss among Isfahan airport employees in 2005. Materials and Methods: This historical cohort study was conducted among Isfahan International airport employees. 80 employees were selected in four different case groups, the control group consist of two sub-gourps. The sub-group I (18 subjects) including the adminstrative airport employees (low noise exposed) and the sub-group II (32 subjects) including non-airport employees (non-noise exposed). The sound pressure level was measured and equivalent level (Leq) was calculated for all groups. Also the history of participants about past noise exposure and other confounding variables was detrmined by a questionnaire. Pure tone audiometry was carried out on conventional frequencies (0.5-8 KHz). Results: The mean age of subjects was 40.03±9.75 and 37.85±8.15 for exposed and non-exposed groups respectively. Leq (noise equivalent level) for Ramp and traffic workers was estimated more than 95 dBA. 35.7% (n=10) of Ramp workers were suffering in their right ear from noise induced hearing loss (26-40dB) and 32.1% (n=9) of them in their left ear. Relative risks of noise induced hearing loss in Ramp workers in comparison with control group were 9.4 and 7.5 for right and left ears. A siginificant difference was found between the hearing thresholds of exposed and non-exposed groups (P

Introduction: the study of job stress and dissatisfaction among people could cause to identify the reason of problems in workplaces. The objective of this study was to measure the work stress and job dissatisfaction between employees of a industry, and determine its relationship with accidents and individual factors. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that comprises 320 employees of an industry. 4 questionnaires including Demographic characteristics, stress frequency, stress reaction and job satisfaction were completed. Statistical analysis was performed by ONE WAY ANOVA and Chi square test. Results: The averages of scores obtained from frequency and reaction stressor in young people was higher than older workers, but job satisfaction in all ages was the same. There was not any statistical relationship between job satisfaction and accident occurrences. Single people showed the stress more than married. Exercising had a beneficial effect on frequency and severity of stressors. Conclusion: job stress and satisfaction have a correlation together and dissatisfaction can increase the stress. Also dissatisfaction and stress have a significant relationship with accident and individual factors.

Prevalence of chronic disease could be adversely having an effect on the capability of the driver. In addition, it must increase probability of accidents. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between chronic medical conditions and contribution in crashes among drivers. In this cross-sectional study, the populations were professional truck drivers. The numbers of 323 people were selected to participate in the study. All of information for this survey was gathered by self-repot questionnaire. Analyses were performed by binary Logistic Regression, Cochran's and Mantel-Haenszel statistics and chi-square test. There was not a significant relationship between drivers who reported that they had heart disease and involved in crashes with divers without cardiovascular disorders involved in accidents. Drivers involved in crashes were further possible to have diabetes mellitus and respiratory disorders compared with drivers not involved in crashes. There was a significant relationship between vision complaint and driving accidents (p

Aims: The aims of present study is to determine the level of exposure to physical risk factors of work related repetitive movements in the upper limbs among the artisans in Isfahan, using occupational repetitive actions index and the Nordic Questionnaire. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the study population consisted of 94 males employed in Artisan production. The tools that be used for assessing physical ergonomic risk factors among artisans was Nordic Questionnaire and OCRA index. The different handicraft tasks and work activities included: Simple etching, embossing, reticular embossing, enameling, tiling, illumination, inlay, copper smithing and, miniature painting have been chosen for the study. The Study was carried out on the both left and right hands. The results were analyzed by statistical tests included Chi square, Kruskal Wallis and one-way variance analysis. Results: The highest OCRA index score was related to simple etching job, and the other tasks such as embossing, copper smithing, reticular embossing, tiling, miniature painting, and illumination were in lower risk category. Our finding showed that there are a significant difference between OCRA scores of the various jobs (P value < 0.001), and also the relationship between OCRA index and the type of jobs was statistically significant (P value < 0.001). Risk level in the right hand was significantly higher than the left hand (P value < 0.001). Moreover, in both right and left hands, OCRA index was different among several types of jobs (P value < 0.001). Conclusion: Our assessment showed that in overall there are different physical risk factors among artisans which make them susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between macroergonomics score and job satisfaction among industrial employees. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 83 employees from a factory affiliated with Iran Khodro Company. Two questionnaires including Minnesota Job Satisfaction and Macroergonomics Condition have been used. Finally, the collected data was evaluated and analyzed through SPSS 10 software program. Results: The mean age of the subjects in this study was 30.8 and the work experience of 56.6% of them was between 4 and 7 years. The average macroergonomics score in the whole group in this study was 59.8. The maximum score given to this condition was 85, and the minimum score was 30. Also, the mean of job satisfaction score among the subjects was 60.5. The highest job satisfaction score was related to supervisors, which was about 69.2. There was a significant relationship between the general area of macroergonomics and job satisfaction. (r = 0.638, P-value

Abstract This study investigates how amorphous silica (ASi) influences soil–plant–water interactions in distinct soil textures. A sandy loam and silty clay soil were mixed with 0 and 2% ASi, and their impact on soil retention and soil hydraulic conductivity curves were determined. In parallel, tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) were grown in experimental pots under controlled conditions. When plants were established, the soil was saturated, and a controlled drying cycle ensued until plants reached their wilting points. Soil water content, soil water potential, plant transpiration rate, and leaf water potential were monitored during this process. Results indicate a positive impact of ASi on the sandy loam soil, enhancing soil water content at field capacity (FC, factor of 1.3 times) and at permanent wilting point (PWP, a factor of 3.5 times), while its effect in silty clay loam was negligible (

Modern agriculture’s goal of improving crop resource acquisition efficiency relies on the intricate relationship between the root system and the soil. Root and rhizosphere traits play a critical role in the efficient use of nutrients and water, especially under dynamic environments. This review emphasizes a holistic perspective, challenging the conventional separation of nutrient and water uptake processes and the necessity for an integrated approach. Anticipating climate change-induced increase in the likelihood of extreme weather events that result in fluctuations in soil moisture and nutrient availability, the study explores the adaptive potential of root and rhizosphere traits to mitigate stress. We emphasize the significance of root and rhizosphere characteristics that enable crops to rapidly respond to varying resource availabilities (i.e. the presence of water and mobile nutrients in the root zone) and their accessibility (i.e. the possibility to transport resources to the root surface). These traits encompass for example root hairs, mucilage and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) exudation, rhizosheath formation and the expression of nutrient and water transporters. Moreover, we recognize the challenge of balancing carbon investments, especially under stress, where optimized traits must consider carbon-efficient strategies. To advance our understanding, the review calls for well-designed field experiments, recognizing the limitations of controlled environments. Non-destructive methods such as mini rhizotron assessments and in-situ stable isotope techniques, in combination with destructive approaches such as root exudation analysis, are proposed for assessing root and rhizosphere traits. The integration of modeling, experimentation, and plant breeding is essential for developing resilient crop genotypes capable of adapting to evolving resource limitation.

Phosphorus (P) availability severely limits plant growth due to its immobility and inaccessibility in soils. Yet, visualization and measurements of P uptake from different root types or regions in soil are methodologically challenging. Here, we explored the potential of phosphor imaging combined with local injection of radioactive 33P to quantitatively visualize P uptake and translocation along roots of maize grown in soils. Rhizoboxes (20 × 40 × 1 cm) were filled with sandy field soil or quartz sand, with one maize plant per box. Soil compartments were created using a gravel layer to restrict P transfer. After 2 weeks, a compartment with the tip region of a seminal root was labeled with a NaH233PO4 solution containing 12 MBq of 33P. Phosphor imaging captured root P distribution at 45 min, 90 min, 135 min, 180 min, and 24 h post-labeling. After harvest, 33P levels in roots and shoots were quantified. 33P uptake exhibited a 50% increase in quartz sand compared to sandy soil, likely attributed to higher P adsorption to the sandy soil matrix than to quartz sand. Notably, only 60% of the absorbed 33P was translocated to the shoot, with the remaining 40% directed to growing root tips of lateral or seminal roots. Phosphor imaging unveiled a continuous rise in 33P signal in the labeled seminal root from immediate post-labeling until 24 h after labeling. The highest 33P activities were concentrated just above the labeled compartment, diminishing in locations farther away. Emerging laterals from the labeled root served as strong sinks for 33P, while a portion was also transported to other seminal roots. Our study quantitatively visualized 33P uptake and translocation dynamics, facilitating future investigations into diverse root regions/types and varying plant growth conditions. This improves our understanding of the significance of different P sources for plant nutrition and potentially enhances models of plant P uptake.