The role of skill development in improving the performance of agricultural extension agents in Iran using structural equation modeling and grounded theory.

Performance improvement is the main concept of development policy. Belief in strengthening and improving the performance of individuals and institutions in developing countries for success in development policy has gradually formed among development agents. Performance improvement at the individual level pays attention to individual needs in order to enhance performance.

Association between empirical dietary inflammatory index, odds, and severity of anxiety disorders: A case-control study.

Diet may be a modifiable factor in the prevention of psychiatric disorders by modulating inflammation. In this study, we evaluated the association between empirical dietary inflammatory index (EDII) that is designed to evaluate the inflammatory potential of diets and anxiety disorders (AD) in adults. This case-control study was carried out on 85 patients who were group matched by gender with 170 healthy subjects.

A new fuzzy approach and bankruptcy theory in risk estimation in Waste Load Allocation.

In this paper, we developed a simulator-optimizer model based on risk analysis to determine Waste Load Allocation (WLA). A new Fuzzy index as Fuzzy Risk Index (FRI) was linked with multi-objective optimization to minimize FRI for the environmental stakeholder and the total cost of sewage treatment for the polluting industries as the other collective stakeholder. Afterwards, the conflict was resolved with the help of Nash bargaining and bankruptcy approach (Constrained Equal Awards Rule).

Effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy on resilience and quality of life in patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.

Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is defined as an ongoing symptomatic illness in patients who have recovered from their initial COVID-19 infection which causes long term respiratory problems, muscle atrophy, etc. So, the current research aimed to examine effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy on resilience and health-related quality of life of PCS patients. The research deployed a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests and 3-month follow-up with wait-list group.

The growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects of umbelliprenin in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis.

Aims: Umbelliprenin has shown promising biological activities, including immunoregulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. The present study investigated the growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects of umbelliprenin against Candida albicans in a BALB/c mice model of disseminated candidiasis.

Methods And Results: First, an antimicrobial assay via microdilution sensitivity test was performed.

Diabetic foot ulcer: Successful healing with combination therapy, including surgical debridement, maggot therapy, and negative pressure wound therapy.

Introduction And Importance: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a common and serious complication of diabetes. A variety of treatments available to help heal diabetic foot ulcers, including sharp debridement, maggot therapy, and negative pressure wound therapy.

Case Presentation: This case report presents the case study of a male patient with an 8-year history of diabetes who developed a diabetic foot ulcer.

Assessment of human gait after total knee arthroplasty by dynamic time warping algorithm.

Today, the elderly population is increasing, and there are many drawbacks for them, especially defects in their knee joints which lead to improper gait. To solve this problem, their knee joint can be replaced with knee arthroplasty. In this letter, level of improvement in the human gait before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery is investigated using the dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm.

A review about the role of additives in nerve tissue engineering: growth factors, vitamins, and drugs.

Notably the integration of additives such as growth factors, vitamins, and drugs with scaffolds promoted nerve tissue engineering. This study tried to provide a concise review of all these additives that facilitates nerve regeneration. An attempt was first made to provide information on the main principle of nerve tissue engineering, and then to shed light on the effectiveness of these additives on nerve tissue engineering.

The Safe Coping Strategy of Nurses Working in the Care Units of Patients with COVID-19: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Nurses are in direct contact with patients with COVID-19 and have faced much tension with the rapid spread of coronavirus. This study aimed to explore the safe coping strategies of nurses when facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials And Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected from September 20 to December 20, 2020, in Isfahan (Iran) through individual semi-structured interviews with 12 nurses working in the five referral centers for patients with COVID-19.

Fully robotic social environment for teaching and practicing affective interaction: Case of teaching emotion recognition skills to children with autism spectrum disorder, a pilot study.

21st century brought along a considerable decrease in social interactions, due to the newly emerged lifestyle around the world, which became more noticeable recently of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, children with autism spectrum disorder have further complications regarding their social interactions with other humans. In this paper, a fully Robotic Social Environment (RSE), designed to simulate the needed social environment for children, especially those with autism is described.

Alternation in functional connectivity within default mode network after psychodynamic psychotherapy in borderline personality disorder.

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by impairments in emotion regulation, impulse control, and interpersonal and social functioning along with a deficit in emotional awareness and empathy. In this study, we investigated whether functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode network (DMN) is affected by 1-year psychodynamic psychotherapy in patients with BPD.

Methods: Nine BPD patients filled out the demography, Interpersonal Reactive Index (IRI), Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 (TAS 20), the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), and the Borderline Evaluation Severity over Time (BEST) questionnaire.

Prevalence of migraine in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Migraine headaches affect all ages, from childhood to old age. Migraine attacks cause significant changes in the living conditions of the sick person, including a decrease in personal, social, and occupational performance. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of migraine in Iran through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Limited caffeine consumption as first-line treatment in managing primary monosymptomatic enuresis in children: how effective is it? A randomised clinical trial.

Objective: Evidence about the negative caffeine effect on enuresis in children remains understudied or poorly understood. The study aimed to investigate the effect of caffeine restriction on the improvement and severity of primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE).

Design: Randomised clinical trial.

Optimal sizing of residential photovoltaic and battery system connected to the power grid based on the cost of energy and peak load.

The use of renewable energy is necessary to achieve the goals of sustainable development, and sooner or later all countries are forced to plan and make policies for the use of this equipment. Considering the growing trend of smart systems and the ability of these systems to control and use renewable resources, it is necessary to investigate how to control and optimally use these resources in smart systems. Considering the geographical conditions and significant solar energy radiation in Iran, the most suitable option for using renewable energy in residential buildings is solar energy.

Natural wetlands efficiency assessment in removing sugarcane fields' drainage contaminants: a case study in Khuzestan, Southwest Province of Iran.

The present study investigated the efficiency of a real-scale natural wetland (Naseri Wetland) in the qualitative treatment of agricultural drainage of Khuzestan sugarcane for 1 year (2019-2020). This study divides the wetland length into three equal parts in W1, W2, and W3 stations. The efficiency of the wetland in removing contaminants such as Cr, Cd, BOD, TDS, TN, and TP is evaluated by field sampling, laboratory analysis, and t-test.

Microplastic and oil pollutant agglomerates synergistically intensify toxicity in the marine fish, Asian seabass, Lates calcalifer.

Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer frys were exposed to polystyrene (MP: 0.5 mg/l), oil (0.83 ml/l) and agglomerates (MP + oil + Corexit) as eight treatments in three replicates, and fresh synthetic marine water (control) for 15 days.

The effects of exercise training induced calories expenditure on type 2 diabetes related cardio metabolic physiological parameters and adipocytokines.

Background: Recently, many studies have examined the effects of various training on pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory adipocytes. The results of these studies are contradictory. Some have reported positive effects and others have reported negative effects.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, working conditions, and related risk factors in the meat processing industry: Comparative analysis of Iran-Poland.

Background: Activities performed by people in the meat processing industry are very repetitive, time-consuming, dangerous, and require long-term downtime during a shift (forced-static position).

Objectives: This study aims to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among Polish and Iranian workers to fill this research gap.

Methods: A comparative analysis of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in developed and developing countries was conducted.

Astaxanthin ameliorates the impairment consequence of prenatal bacterial lipopolysaccharide exposure in adult male offspring NMRI mice.

In this study, the potential effects of astaxanthin (AST) were investigated on preventing the prenatal LPS-induced injures in mothers and adult male offspring of NMRI mice. Pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups: 1. Saline + vehicle; 2.

Evaluation of working conditions, work postures, musculoskeletal disorders and low back pain among sugar production workers.

Background: It is generally agreed that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a severe health concern, particularly for agricultural laborers.

Objectives: The study aimed to identify risk factors and work-related disorders among agricultural workers at Amirkabir agro-industry company in Iran.

Method: A total of 158 workers, of which 66 were manual harvesting workers (four postures), 40 were fertilizer transportation workers (three postures), and 52 were spraying workers (one posture), were included in the study.

Psychometric Properties of the Reflective Function Questionnaire in Iranian Prisoners.

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 comparison between two methods of membrane cleaning to control membrane fouling in a hybrid membrane photobioreactor (HMPBR).

In this study, the effect of two membrane cleaning methods, such as aeration and addition of granular particles in a hybrid membrane photobioreactor (HMPBR) including Spirulina sp. with the concentration of 1.5 g·L was investigated.

Yogurt fortification by microencapsulation of beetroot extract ( L.) using maltodextrin, gum arabic, and whey protein isolate.

The effect of three different coating materials, including maltodextrin (MD, 9.95-20.05%), gum arabic (GA, 4.

Estimating brain effective connectivity from EEG signals of patients with autism disorder and healthy individuals by reducing volume conduction effect.

Studying brain connectivity has shed light on understanding brain functions. Electroencephalogram signals recorded from the scalp surface comprise inter-dependent multi-channel signals each of which is a linear combination of simultaneously active brain sources as well as adjacent non-brain sources whose activity is widely volume conducted to the scalp through overlapping patterns. Evaluation of brain connectivity based on multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) model identification from neurological time series can be a proper tool for brain signal analysis.