Search

This Survey is a field study done for the purpose of investigation and comparison of the attitude of the students of nursing and those of their parents located in the city of Semnan. The study concerns their selected field of study in the year 1993. In this study, fifty students of nursing and their parents were chosen. The tool for the gathering of data in this field study has been questionnaire in which were included certain questions concerning sample's personal characteristics, and some other questions to determine their attitude. Such questionnaire was devised by the researcher and responded by the samples. The findings were arranged in 23 tables. In order to reach conclusions, "X2 statistical tests were used". In this survey, the relationship between parents' attitude and those of the students of nursing as related to the individual characteristics were indicative of the existence of a difference between parents' attitude and those of the students of nursing. Thus, the hypothesis of the study expressing the difference existing between the attitudes of the parents and students of nursing locating in the city of Semnan relating their selected field was supported. The results of the survey were also indicative of the fact that the majority of the units under investigation had a positive attitude. A Considerable percentage of the three groups, however, had a negative attitude also. Additionally, the results obtained concerning determination of the relationship among individual characteristics of the units in question as compared with the findings from the whole survey showed that there existed a significant connection between sex and students attitude. And there was a more positive attitude among the females than among males. Furthermore, there has been observed a significant correlation between the profession of fathers and their respective attitudes. And there has been a significant correlation among the two groups of parents: those with spouse and those without spouse. In other instances, no significant correlation was observed among the individual characteristics and the attitude of the respondents. The researcher was offered some recommendations for the application of the findings in education and in Clinical nursing together with some rcommendations further research studies. All of which are established on the basis of the results obtained from the survey. It is hoped that this study and its results could encourage taking further steps, be it little, in solving the numerous problems of nursing

The problem of learning classifier cascades is considered. A new cascade boosting algorithm, fast cascade boosting (FCBoost), is proposed. FCBoost is shown to have a number of interesting properties, namely that it 1) minimizes a Lagrangian risk that jointly accounts for classification accuracy and speed, 2) generalizes adaboost, 3) can be made cost-sensitive to support the design of high detection rate cascades, and 4) is compatible with many predictor structures suitable for sequential decision making. It is shown that a rich family of such structures can be derived recursively from cascade predictors of two stages, denoted cascade generators. Generators are then proposed for two new cascade families, last-stage and multiplicative cascades, that generalize the two most popular cascade architectures in the literature. The concept of neutral predictors is finally introduced, enabling FCBoost to automatically determine the cascade conffguration, i.e., number of stages and number of weak learners per stage, for the learned cascades. Experiments on face and pedestrian detection show that the resulting cascades outperform current state-of-the-art methods in both detection accuracy and speed. © 2014 Mohammad Saberian and Nuno Vasconcelos.

To accommodate major civil engineering projects in or in the vicinity of peatlands, it is essential to stabilise peat deposits. On the other hand, the accumulation of waste tyres in recent decades has caused environmental problems around the world. An effective remedy for both issues is to use scrap tyre material to stabilise problematic peat soils. This article reports an experimental investigation of the effects of adding shredded tyre chips on the stability and bearing capacity of peat soil. Peat soil samples from the Chaghakhor Wetland (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran) were mixed with sand at a constant dosage of 400 kg m-3 and different percentages (0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % and 20 % by weight) of shredded tyre chips. The unconfined compressive strength, effective cohesion, angle of internal friction and coefficient of permeability were measured for all of these mixtures. The results showed that adding shredded tyre chips significantly improved the geotechnical properties of the peat soil. The mixture with 10 % shredded tyre chips showed the highest unconfined compressive strength; the one with 15 % tyre chips exhibited the highest ductility; and adding 20 % shredded tyre chips provided the highest values for angle of internal friction, effective cohesion and coefficient of permeability. Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM) showed that the pore spaces in the stabilised peat were mostly filled with sand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mood and anxiety disorders are complex psychiatric conditions shaped by the multifactorial interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and neuropeptide factors. This review aims to elucidate the intricate interactions among these factors and their potential in advancing personalized medicine. We examine the genetic underpinnings, emphasizing key heritability studies and specific gene associations. The role of epigenetics is discussed, focusing on how environmental factors can modify gene expression and contribute to these disorders. Neuropeptides, including substance P, CRF, AVP, NPY, galanin, and kisspeptin, are evaluated for their involvement in mood regulation and their potential as therapeutic targets. Additionally, we address the emerging role of the gut microbiome in modulating neuropeptide activity and its connection to mood disorders. This review integrates findings from genetic, epigenetic, and neuropeptide research, offering a comprehensive overview of their collective impact on mood and anxiety disorders. By highlighting novel insights and potential clinical applications, we underscore the importance of a multi-omics approach in developing personalized treatment strategies. Future research directions are proposed to address existing knowledge gaps and translate these findings into clinical practice. Our review provides a fresh perspective on the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety disorders, paving the way for more effective and individualized therapies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There is no conflict of interest for the authors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Wound management has always been a significant concern, particularly for men, and the search for effective wound dressings has led to the emergence of hydrogels as a promising solution. In recent years, hydrogels, with their unique properties, have gained considerable importance in wound management. Among the various types of hydrogels, those incorporating chitosan and alginate, two distinct chemical materials, have shown potential in accelerating wound healing. This review aims to discuss the desirable characteristics of an effective wound dressing, explore the alginate/chitosan-based hydrogels developed by different researchers, and analyze their effects on wound healing through in vitro and in vivo assessments. In vitro tests encompass a wide range of evaluations, including swelling capacity, degradation rate, porosity, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, moisture vapor transmission rate, release studies, mechanical properties, microscopic observation, antibacterial properties, compatibility assessment, cell adhesion investigation, blood clotting capability, cell migration analysis, water contact angle determination, and structural stability. Furthermore, in vivo assessments encompass the examination of wound closure rate, modulation of gene expression, as well as histopathological and immunohistochemical studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Growing plastic pollution in the context of COVID-19 has caused significant challenges, exacerbating this already out-of-control issue. The pandemic has considerably boosted the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), such as facemasks and gloves, all over the globe, and mismanaging this growing plastic pollution has harmed the environment and wildlife significantly. To mitigate negative environmental impacts, it is necessary to develop and implement effective waste management strategies. This present study estimated the daily facemask generation throughout the pandemic in Iran based on the distribution of urban and rural populations and, likewise, the daily generation of hand gloves in the COVID-19 era and the amount of medical waste generated by COVID-19 patients were calculated. In the next step, the quantities of discarded facemasks dumped into the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman from the coastal cities were determined. Finally, the innovative alternatives for repurposing discarded facemasks in civil construction materials such as concrete, pavement, and partition wall panel were discussed., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely recognized as a promising cell type for therapeutic applications due to their ability to secrete and regenerate bioactive molecules. For effective bone healing, it is crucial to select a scaffold that can support, induce, and restore biological function. Evaluating the scaffold should involve assessing MSC survival, proliferation, and differentiation. The principal aim of this investigation was to formulate composite nanofibrous scaffolds apt for applications in bone tissue engineering., Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated using Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) polymer. The PLLA fibers' surface was modified by integrating collagen and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles., Results: The findings demonstrated that the collagen- and nanohydroxyapatite-modified electrospun PLLA scaffold positively influenced the attachment, growth, and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs., Conclusion: Coating the nanofiber scaffold with collagen and nanoparticle HA significantly enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs on electrospun PLLA scaffolds.

In this scholarly review, we conduct a thorough examination of the significant role played by platelet-derived exosomes (Plt-Exos) and hydrogels in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our detailed investigation highlights the central involvement of Plt-Exos in various physiological and pathological processes, underscoring their potential contributions to diverse areas such as wound healing, neural rejuvenation, and cancer progression. Despite the promising therapeutic aspects, the notable variability in the isolation and characterization of pEVs underscores the need for a more rigorous and standardized methodology. Shifting our focus to hydrogels, they have emerged as promising biomaterials relevant to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Their unique characteristics, especially their chemical and physical adaptability, along with the modifiability of their biochemical properties, make hydrogels a captivating subject. These exceptional features open avenues for numerous tissue engineering applications, facilitating the delivery of essential growth factors, cytokines, and microRNAs. This analysis explores the innovative integration of Plt-Exos with hydrogels, presenting a novel paradigm in tissue engineering. Through the incorporation of Plt-Exos into hydrogels, there exists an opportunity to enhance tissue regeneration endeavors by combining the bioactive features of Plt-Exos with the restorative capabilities of hydrogel frameworks. In conclusion, the cooperative interaction between platelet-derived exosomes and hydrogels indicates a promising path in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, the successful execution of this approach requires a deep understanding of molecular dynamics, coupled with a dedication to refining isolation techniques., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objective: DNA methylation, as an epigenetic alteration, plays an essential role in the development of atherosclerosis and venous thrombosis. E-cadherin, a tumor suppressor gene and adhesion molecule, has a crucial function in platelet aggregation and hemostasis. P16, a cell cycle regulator, is involved in venous thrombosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the DNA methylation patterns and expression levels of the E-cadherin and P16 genes in venous thromboembolism (VTE)., Method: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 32 patients, including those with deep vein thrombosis (DVT, n = 15), pulmonary embolism (PE, n = 8), DVT with PE (n = 4), intestinal thrombosis (IT, n = 3), and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST, n = 2), as well as from 10 healthy individuals. The DNA methylation patterns and gene expression levels of E-cadherin and P16 were analyzed using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and Real-Time PCR, respectively., Results: The promoter of the CDH1 gene was partially methylated in 84.4% of thrombotic patients and unmethylated in 15.6% ( P  = 0.183). A significantly higher expression level of CDH1 was observed in the patients compared to the controls ( P  = 0.001). The P16 gene promoter were unmethylated in all control and patient specimens. Compared to normal subjects, the expression level of the P16 was significantly increased in patients ( P  = 0.000)., Conclusion: Our results indicated that DNA methylation is not the main gene expression regulatory mechanism for E-cadherin and P16 genes in thrombosis. Higher transcription levels of CDH1 and P16 in thrombotic patients may show their crucial roles in the pathogenesis of VTE., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Coal tar pitch (CTP) is a residue formed from the distillation of coal tar and is widely used as a carbonizable and graphitizable binder for many industrial applications. However, CTP is fossil-derived and has recently been classified as a "sunset" status material under REACH due to its toxicity, which makes finding a sustainable alternative vital. In this work, bio-oil was synthesized from the pyrolysis of fresh eucalyptus sawdust, from which wood tar biopitch (WTB) was subsequently produced by a second distillation process. Chemical characterization revealed the presence of higher amounts of aromatic compounds and PAHs in the industrially used CTP relative to the WTB. Sulfur is widely used as a graphitization promoter for CTP but has not yet been used for biopitch alternatives. Hence, graphite/WTB and graphite/CTP composites were fabricated with varying amounts of sulfur and were subsequently carbonized and graphitized at 850 and 2500 °C, respectively. The use of WTB as a binder led to less porous composites after carbonization/graphitization with higher levels of shrinkage than those based on CTP, whereas the carbon yield was very similar for both systems. The incorporation of sulfur was found to promote more compact structures with higher levels of graphitization, leading to improved electrical and mechanical properties, particularly for the composites based on CTP due to the higher levels of graphitization achieved relative to the WTB. The electrical and mechanical performance found for the WTB-based composites, combined with the much lower toxicity, evidences the promise of WTB as a sustainable alternative to traditional CTP binders., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Academic resilience has been identified as a coping method for nursing students' educational and practice challenges. Despite the importance of academic resilience, knowledge on how to enhance academic resilience is under-researched. To suggest suitable approaches, relationships between academic resilience and other constructs need to be appraised., Objectives: This study aims to evaluate predictors of academic resilience, examining its relationships with other essential constructs: self-compassion and moral perfectionism, in undergraduate nursing students in Iran., Design: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022., Participants: A convenience sample of 250 undergraduate nursing students at three universities in Iran participated in this study by completing self-report measures., Methods: Data collection tools were Nursing Student Academic Resilience Inventory, Moral Perfectionism scale, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted., Results: The mean and standard deviation of academic resilience were 57.57 ± 23.69; moral perfectionism 50.24 ± 9.97, and self-compassion 37.19 ± 5.02. Self-compassion had significantly related to moral perfectionism (r = 0.23, p < 0.001). Academic resilience had no statistically significant relationship with moral perfectionism (r = -0.05, p = 0.41) and self-compassion (r = -0.06, p = 0.35), but significantly affect age (r = 0.14, p = 0.03), Grade point average (r = 0.18, p < 0.001) and university of study (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). The grade point average and the university of the study predicted 33 % of the changes in academic resilience, and the greatest impact was related to the university (r = 0.56, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Adopting appropriate educational strategies and supporting the students will help improve nursing students' academic resilience and performance. Promoting self-compassion will lead to the development of nursing students' moral perfectionism., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest There is no conflict of interest among the authors., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this research, methods of increasing the corrosion resistance of reinforced concrete were experimentally investigated. The study used silica fume and fly ash at optimized percentages of 10 and 25% by cement weight, polypropylene fibers at a ratio of 2.5% by volume of concrete, and a commercial corrosion inhibitor, 2-dimethylaminoethanol (Ferrogard 901), at 3% by cement weight. The corrosion resistance of three types of reinforcements, mild steel (STt37), AISI 304 stainless steel, and AISI 316 stainless steel, was investigated. The effects of various coatings, including hot-dip galvanizing, alkyd-based primer, zinc-rich epoxy primer, alkyd top coating, polyamide epoxy top coating, polyamide epoxy primer, polyurethane coatings, a double layer of alkyd primer and alkyd top coating, and a double layer of epoxy primer and alkyd top coating, were evaluated on the reinforcement surface. The corrosion rate of the reinforced concrete was determined through results of accelerated corrosion and pullout tests of steel-concrete bond joints and stereographic microscope images. The samples containing pozzolanic materials, the corrosion inhibitor, and a combination of the two showed significant improvement in corrosion resistance by 7.0, 11.4, and 11.9 times, respectively, compared to the control samples. The corrosion rate of mild steel, AISI 304, and AISI 316 decreased by 1.4, 2.4, and 2.9 times, respectively, compared to the control sample; however, the presence of polypropylene fibers reduced the corrosion resistance by 2.4 times compared to the control.

Background and Objectives: Spirulina platensis micro-algae have some effects on cellular procedures. The proliferative potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) will be decreased after repetitive passage., Materials and Methods: The stromal cells were isolated, and then proven by differentiating to adipogenesis and osteoblastic lineage. The cell markers such as CD90 and CD105 were detected by flowcytometry. MSCs were treated with extract of S. platensis in logarithmic concentrations. MTT and ATP assays were done to determine cell proliferation capacity. The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the extract were evaluated., Results: The results obtained from differentiation confirm cells' potential for osteoblastic and adipoblastic differentiation. Detection of CD90 and CD105 markers over 70% proved that the majority of cells are MSCs. Statistical analyzes revealed a significant increase in MSCs proliferation in the concentration of 0.9 μl/ml S. platensis . DPPH assay demonstrated that the extract could scavenge free radicals up to 57%. Additionally, the extract showed the inhibition zone up to 11 mm against a different strain of bacteria by agar well diffusion assay., Conclusion: Secreting nutritional elements, S. platensis extract can be used as an antioxidant, antimicrobial, and growth agent for enhancing the proliferation of MSCs. Furthermore, the optimum concentration for cell treatment with S. platensis 's extract was investigated., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Early clinical diagnosis and treatment of disease rely heavily on measuring the many various types of medical information that are scattered throughout the body. Continuous and accurate monitoring of the human body is required in order to identify abnormal medical signals and to locate the factors that contribute to their occurrence in a timely manner. In order to fulfill this requirement, a variety of battery-free and self-powered methods of information collecting have been developed. For the purpose of a health monitoring system, this paper presents smart wearable sensors that are based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) and piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG), as well as hybrid nanogenerators that combine piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators (PTNG). Following the presentation of the PENG and TENG principles, a summary and discussion of the most current developments in self-powered medical information sensors with a variety of purposes, structural designs, and electric performances follows. Wearable sensors that generate their own electricity are crucial not only for the proper development of children and patients with unique conditions, but for the purpose of maintaining checks on the wellbeing of the elderly and those who have recently recovered from illness, and for administering any necessary medical care. This work sought to do two things at once: provide perspectives for health monitoring, and open up new avenues for the analysis of long-distance biological movement status.

The utilization of sustainable cement replacement materials in concrete can control the emission of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the construction industry, thus contributing significantly to the environment, society, and the global economy. Various types of sustainable concrete including geopolymer concrete are tested for their efficacy for construction in laboratories. However, the performance and longevity of sustainable concrete for civil engineering applications in corrosive environments are still debatable. This paper aims to investigate the performance of the reinforced geopolymer (GPC) and foam concretes (FC) against corrosive chloride exposure. Two long term key parameters, i.e., corrosion rate and mechanical performance of reinforcing steel in geopolymer and foam concrete were assessed to evaluate their performance against chloride attack. For experiments, reinforced GPC and FC specimens, each admixed with 3 and 5% chlorides, were kept at varying temperatures and humidity levels in the environmental chambers. The corrosion rates of the reinforced geopolymer and foam concrete specimens were also compared with control specimens after 803 days and the tensile strength of the corroded reinforcing steel was also determined. Moreover, the long term efficacy of repaired patches (810 days), in a chloride-rich surrounding environment utilizing FC and GPC, was investigated. The results suggested greater performance of FC compared to GPC under standard environmental conditions. However, the simulated patch repair with GPC showed better resistance against chloride attack compared to FC. The research also undertook the fractographical examination of the surfaces of the reinforcement exposed to 5% admixed chloride and develops models for the corrosion rates of foam concrete as a function of the corrosion rates of geopolymer concrete and chloride content. A correlation model for the corrosion rates of FC and GPC was also developed. The findings of the current research and the model developed are novel and contribute to the knowledge of long term degradation science of geopolymers and form concrete materials. Furthermore, the findings and methodology of the current research have practical significance in the construction and repair industry for determining the remaining service life for any reinforced and steel infrastructure., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.