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Probiotics can functionally improve fish wellbeing and are suggested as antioxidative agents to protect fish from xenobiotics toxicity. Herein, dietary Lactobacillus casei (IBRC-M 10,711) was included in the diets of goldfish (Carassius auratus) to protect against malathion toxicity. Fish (12.47 ± 0.06 g) were randomly allocated to six groups (triplicates), as follows: T1) control; T2) fish exposed to 50% of malathion 96 h LC50; T3) L. casei at 106 CFU/g diet; T4) L. casei at 107 CFU/g diet; T5) fish exposed to 50% of malathion 96 h LC50 + L. casei at 106 CFU/g diet; T6) fish exposed to 50% of malathion 96 h LC50 + L. casei at 107 CFU/g diet. After 60 days, goldfish fed T4 had the highest final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR), and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) among the groups (P < 0.05). However, the T2 group showed lower FBW, WG, and SGR and higher FCR than fish in T1 (P < 0.05). Fish in the T4 group had the highest blood total proteins, albumin, and globulin, while fish in T2 had the lowest levels (P < 0.05). Fish in the group T2 had the highest triglycerides, cholesterol, cortisol, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in the blood, while fish fed T4 had the lowest values (P < 0.05). The superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) showed the highest activities in T3 and T4 groups, and the lowest SOD was seen in the T2 group, whereas the lowest CAT was seen in the T2, T5, and T6 groups (P < 0.05). Fish in the T5 and T6 groups had higher glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities than fish in T1 and T2 groups but T3 and T4 groups showed the highest values (P < 0.05). T2 group had the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) level, while T3 and T4 groups had the lowest MDA level (P < 0.05). Blood immunoglobulin (Ig) and lysozyme activity were significantly higher in T3 and T4 groups and lower in the T2 group than in the control (P < 0.05). The alternative complement pathway (ACH50) was significantly higher in T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 groups than in the T1 group (P < 0.05). Skin mucus Ig was significantly higher in T3 and T4 groups and lower in the T2 group than in the control (P < 0.05). The highest lysozyme activity, protease, and ACH50 in the skin mucus samples were in the T4 group, while the lowest values were in the T2 group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary L. casei protects goldfish from malathion-induced growth retardation, oxidative stress, and immunosuppression.

This study intended to examine the effects of game-based learning on Iranian EFL learners’ language anxiety and motivation. In order to perform the study, the quantitative research method was applied. In this study, 58 Iranian intermediate EFL participants were selected and divided into two groups: control and experimental. Then, the questionnaires of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were administered to the participants of both groups as the pretests of the study. After pretesting, 90 English vocabulary items were trained to the EG by using game-based learning, but the same vocabulary items were taught to the CG traditionally. After teaching the vocabularies, the mentioned questionnaires were administered again as the post-tests of the study. The results of independent samples t-tests revealed that implementing game-based learning had the potential of reducing EFL learners’ anxiety to improve their English learning. Also, the results indicated that applying game-based learning increased the language motivation of Iranian EFL learners.

Regarding the attractiveness of educational games for EFL learners, the present research intended to investigate the effects of gamification on improving Iranian EFL learners’ idiomatic knowledge. In addition, the current research examined the attitudes of Iranian EFL learners towards using gamification in English learning in the Iranian EFL context. Firstly, to carry out this research, the researchers administered the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) to 84 Iranian EFL learners and selected 50 upper-intermediate participants. Secondly, they divided the selected participants into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). Thirdly, the researchers gave an idiom pretest to the participants of both groups to assess their idiomatic knowledge before starting the treatment. Fourthly, the EG was taught the new idioms using game-based instruction, while the CG received traditional idiom instruction. Following the instruction of 70 idioms to both groups, the participants received an idiom posttest to determine the influence of the treatment on their idiomatic knowledge. The EG was then provided an attitude questionnaire, and 15 members of the EG were interviewed as a result of the questionnaire. In the idiom posttest, the data were evaluated using paired samples and independent samples t -tests, and the findings revealed that the EG performed significantly better than the CG on the posttest of idioms. In fact, gamification helped EFL learners develop their idiomatic knowledge. The results indicated that Iranian EFL learners presented positive attitudes toward gamification in learning English idioms. In addition, the results revealed that enjoyment, fun, reducing anxiety, involvement, and immediate feedback were the factors that the students mentioned for the instructional games. The implications of this research can encourage English teachers to implement different educational games in their teaching.

Incorporating games into learning a foreign language is an effective strategy that can lower students’ stress and improve their learning. Thus, this study tried to examine the impacts of Kahoot as a game-based learning tool on Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary recall and retention. To this end, 50 Iranian intermediate learners were chosen for the participants of the study. After that, the participants were randomly assigned to two equal groups, one experimental and one control. Then, the participants’ English vocabulary knowledge was measured by administering a vocabulary pretest. After pretesting process, the participants in both groups received the treatment in two different ways. In the EG, the new vocabulary items were taught using the Kahoot game, while in the CG, the new ones were taught using traditional instruction. After finishing the treatment course, which lasted ten sessions, the two groups took the immediate vocabulary posttest. After three weeks, a delayed vocabulary posttest was administered to both groups to determine the effects of Kahoot on their vocabulary retention. The results of paired samples and independent samples t-tests depicted that there were significant differences between the immediate and delayed posttests of the EG and the CG in favor of the EG. The implications of this study can tell the teachers that teaching through game-based learning tools may produce better results than teaching through traditional methods. Also, the implications of this study can encourage students to practice and learn English even outside of the class context.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, using online and flipped instruction is the best alternative for traditional instruction. Therefore, this study compared the effects of three instructions, including online, flipped, and traditional, on improving Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary knowledge. To do so, 90 Iranian intermediate EFL learners were selected among 119 students as the participants of this study. The target participants were randomly divided into three equal groups (online, flipped, and traditional). After that, all groups were pretested by a vocabulary test. Then, the participants of one group received the treatment by using fully online instruction, and the other group participants received a flipped instruction. On the other hand, the participants of the third group received conventional vocabulary instruction. After teaching 100 new English words to all groups with three different instructions, a vocabulary posttest was administered to all participants. The paired samples t-test and one-way ANOVA results indicated that both online and flipped groups outperformed the control group in the vocabulary posttest. In addition, the findings revealed the flipped group outflanked the online group in the posttest of vocabulary. The implications of this study can encourage both EFL teachers and learners to integrate the flipped and online instructions into their teaching and learning processes.

Gallium ion (Ga) was substituted for bioactive ions in the hydroxyapatite "HA" coating formed on the "Ti-6Al-4V ELI" dental alloy (Gr.23) utilizing electrochemical deposition in this study. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the deposited layers (SEM). Electrochemical methods potentiodynamic polarization curves were used to study and characterize the corrosion behavior of Gr.23 alloy in an artificial saliva environment at temperatures ranging from 298 to 328K. After modification coating of HA with Ga at 298K, corrosion protection increased from (50.49) percent (coated Gr.23 by HA without Ga) to (76.0) percent. The coating thickness was estimated using a cross-sectional SEM micrograph; the thickness of the coatings for HA and Ga-HA coatings were (3.51 and 3.62 m, respectively).

This study focused on energy saving in energy hub system using smart grid technologies and management of the energy demand. The two-layer energy management is proposed for implementing energy saving. In first layer, energy demand such as electrical, thermal and natural gas are optimized subject to optimal level of the demand at day-ahead. Then, optimized energy demand is applied in second layer to reduction energy generation costs. The optimization of the proposed approach is done by shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA), and results at several case studies to confirmation of the proposed approach are investigated.

Reflective functioning is the process of reflecting on the thoughts and feelings of oneself and others and is foundational to healthy human relationships. The 54-item Reflective Function Questionnaire (RFQ) is a self-report measure that assesses reflective functioning, initially developed while studying individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) . The purpose of the present study was to translate the RFQ from English to Persian and evaluate its reliability and validity among Iranian prisoners. The sample of this study included 509 (455 men and 54 women) Iranian prisoners. Findings confirm the translated measure had acceptable face and content validity. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed two dimensions of certainty (RFQ-c) and uncertainty (RFQ-u) of reflective functioning. The correlation analysis showed positive relationships between the dimensions of the RFQ and the borderline personality symptoms questionnaire and the emotional dissatisfaction questionnaire. Correlation analysis also showed negative associations between the dimensions of the RFQ and the Toronto Basic Empathy Scale (BES) and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) questionnaire, confirming the concurrent validity of the RFQ. The Cronbach’s alphas of the RFQ-c and RFQ-u subscales were .69 and .7 respectively, which demonstrated relatively acceptable internal consistency. The results of the analysis demonstrated that the translated RFQ had desirable psychometric properties for evaluating reflective function among Iranian prisoners.

A novel magnetically recoverable copper catalyst was successfully fabricated through the immobilization of Cu(NO3)2 on the surface of silica-coated magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2) functionalized with S-benzylisothiourea ligand. The Fe3O4@SiO2-SMTU-Cu nanocomposite was fully characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, TGA, XRD, VSM, ASS and ICP-OES techniques. The Fe3O4@SiO2-SMTU-Cu nanocomposite exhibited high catalytic activity in the synthesis of biologically active quinazolines and amides. According to our research on the literature, this is the first report in the use of magnetic copper nanocatalyst for the synthesis of quinazolines. In this paper, we also presented tentative mechanisms for the synthesis of quinazolines and amides in the presence of catalytic amount of Fe3O4@SiO2-SMTU-Cu nanocomposite. This method gives notable advantages such as easy separation of the catalyst by external magnetic field; excellent yields, short reaction times, nontoxic metal catalyst, and simplicity of operation make this method a facile tool for the synthesis of quinazolines and amides. Fe3O4@SiO2-SMTU-Cu as a new and efficient nanomagnetic catalyst for the synthesis of quinazolines and amides.

This study investigated the effects of massive open online course (MOOC) and flipped instruction on enhancing Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension. For that purpose, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was given to 123 Iranian EFL students, 90 of whom were chosen and separated into different experimental groups (EGs)—MOOC (n = 30) and flipped (n = 30)—and a control group (CG) (n = 30). As a pretest, all chosen groups were given a reading test. The MOOC EG was then given the online-delivered treatment utilizing Skyroom, in which a reading text was taught to the experimental participants online for every session. At a specific time, the online class was held and one text was worked, and the teacher explained the text online and the students asked their questions and problems immediately. The instruction was implemented to the flipped EG through a flipped instruction. They were sent the messages over WhatsApp since they all had quick access to it. The students were asked to practice and learn the texts both individually and in pairs before participating in the face-to-face class. The CG, on the other hand, was not given the Internet-delivered intervention; instead, they were instructed in a traditional face-to-face classroom. When the students attended the class, the teacher provided some background knowledge for them and then he started reading and translating the text, provided the meanings and definitions of the new words. Twelve English texts were taught to each group, and after teaching all texts, the posttest of reading was carried out to all three groups to determine the usefulness of the treatment on their reading comprehension. The one-way ANOVA test findings revealed a significant difference between the posttests of the EGs and the CG. The results showed that the EGs considerably outperformed the CG in the reading posttest (p.05). Furthermore, the findings revealed that there was no substantial difference between the posttests of the MOOC and the flipped groups.