Input variable selection with greedy stepwise search algorithm for analysing the probability of fish occurrence : a case study for Alburnoides mossulensis in the Gamasiab River, Iran

Input variable selection using data-driven combined with statistical methods have received more attention to analyse the probability of freshwater organisms' occurrence. Eight different sampling sites (from the source to the mouth of Gamasiab River basin, Iran) were considered to study the occurrence of Alburnoides mossulensis during one year study period (2008-2009). A set of river characteristics together with abundance of target fish (based on presence/absence data) were recorded at each sampling site. Logistic regression was optimized with an input variable selection, greedy stepwise search algorithm, to select the most important explanatory variables for analysing the occurrence of fish. According to the optimization method, almost one-third of total recorded variables in the sampling sites including electric conductivity (EC), bicarbonate (HCO3-), river width, river depth, water temperature, pH, sulphate (SO4(2-)) and orthophosphate (PO4(3-) -P) might influence the probability of occurrence of fish in the river while based on the outcomes of binary logistic regression model, electrical conductivity and bicarbonate were the most important ones (p < 0.05 for both variables)

Evaluation of HER2 gene amplification status in invasive breast cancer patients by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization analysis and its correlation with clinical features

Precise assessment of HER2 gene status as an important biomarker plays a significant role in identifying the eligible patients for Trastuzumab therapy and determining their clinical outcomes. In this study, the researchers assigned HER2 amplification status in invasive breast cancer specimens by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) and determined its association with other clinical features. Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue specimens of 46 patients with invasive breast cancer were collected from November 2011 till May 2012. HER2status was evaluated by FISH. The Zytolight SPEC HER2/CEN17 dual color probe kit was applied for assessment of HER2status. HER2 gene amplification was defined as HER2/CEP17 ratio>2.2.The association between HER2status and clinical features like tumor grade, tumor type, tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement and age of patient was done using Chi squared test at the 0.05 level of significance (p value). Amplification of HER2 gene was detected in twelve cases (26%). On statistical analysis HER2status showed correlation with tumor grade (p=0.02).There was no correlation between HER2status and tumor type, tumor size, lymph node status and age of patients. The results of this study are consonant with the findings of other studies about the presence of HER2 gene amplification in invasive breast cancer. Statistical analysis showed patients with HER2 amplified gene have tumors with higher grade. In these patients the probability of increased proliferation and metastasis is high therefore evaluation of HER2 gene amplification status in breast cancer patients specially in high grade tumor with an accurate method such as FISH is essentia

Impact of endometriosis on women’s lives: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND This study aimed to explore women's experiences of the impact of endometriosis and whether there are differences across three age groups. METHODS A qualitative descriptive design was conducted using semi-structured focus group discussions with 35 Australian women with endometriosis, in three age groups. All tape-recorded discussions were transcribed verbatim and read line by line to extract meaningful codes and categories using NVivo 9 software through a thematic analysis approach. Categories were then clustered into meaningful themes. RESULTS Participants' ages ranged from 17 to 53 years and had a history of 2 to 40 years living with endometriosis, with an average delay time to diagnosis of 8.1 years. Two main themes emerged: (1) experiences of living with endometriosis, and (2) impact of endometriosis on women's lives, with 14 discrete categories. The results showed similarities and differences of the impact between the three age groups. The most highlighted impacts were on marital/sexual relationships, social life, and on physical and psychological aspects in all three age groups, but with different orders of priority. Education was the second most highlighted for the 16-24 years, life opportunities and employment for the 25-34 years; and financial impact for those 35 years and above. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that endometriosis impacts negatively on different aspects of women's lives. A better understanding of these findings could help to decrease the negative impact of endometriosis by guiding service delivery and future research to meet more effectively the needs of women and teenagers with this condition

Stimuli-responsive polymers for modulating the optical properties of photonic nanostructures

The ability to enhance or quench the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of a fluorophore via surface plasmon resonance (SPR) offers significant potential for applications in sensing, light sources, and data processing. The interaction between plasmonic and fluorophore components is highly dependent on their separation distance, which plays a crucial role in tuning the optical properties of plasmonic-fluorophore hybrid systems. Spacers made of stimuli-responsive polymers can modulate the separation distance through changing from collapsed to swollen states in response to external stimuli. In this study, a cost-effective strategy was developed for fabricating gold film/spacer/quantum dot (QD) hybrid systems using stimuli-responsive polymers. The preparation involved: (i) free-radical polymerization to create the polymer and cross-linker for the spacer layer, (ii) spin coating to form the spacer film and adjust its thickness, (iii) UV cross-linking to establish a covalent polymer network, and (iv) covalent immobilization of QDs on the film via ligand exchange reactions. Using this innovative fabrication strategy, three different stimuli-responsive hybrid systems were created: thermo-responsive, pH-responsive, and redox-responsive systems. The thermo-responsive system utilized poly[N-isopropylacrylamide] (PNIPAm) spacer, the pH-responsive system was based on poly[(2-diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (pDEAEMA) spacer, and the redox-responsive system used poly[N-isopropylacrylamide-co-vinylferrocene-co-methylacryloyl benzophenone] (p[NIPAm-co-VFc-co-MAB]) spacer. All hybrid systems revealed significant PL switching capabilities, along with excellent reproducibility and stability when subjected to multiple cycles of external stimuli. These results showcase the versatility and effectiveness of the fabrication method for developing hybrid systems with tunable optical properties, offering significant potential for sensing, biosensing, and environmental monitoring applications

Quality of Root Canal Obturation Performed by Senior Undergraduate Dental Students

Introduction: There is a direct relationship between the quality of root canal obturation and success of endodontic therapy. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of canal obturation performed by undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: Records of 200 endodontically treated teeth from patients who were visited by undergraduate students between 2009 and 2010, at the Endodontic department, Faculty of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, were randomly selected for evaluation. Periapical radiographs of all treated teeth were assessed in terms of canal obturation quality (i.e. adequate density and length). Statistical analysis of data was carried out using SPSS software and chi-square test. The Statistical significance level was set at P=0.05. Results: Forty-five percent of teeth fulfilled the criteria of an acceptable root canal obturation. Adequate length and density of root filling was found in 89% and 34% of teeth, respectively. There was a significant difference between maxillary and mandibular teeth regarding the length of root canal obturation (P=0.004). A significant difference was observed between molars and other tooth types. The frequency of root canals with an acceptable filling was significantly greater in the anterior teeth compared to premolars or molars. Conclusion: The technical quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students was found to be less than ideal

Althusserian reading of The Handmaid's Tale

Louis Althusser (1918-1990) builds on the work of Jacques Lacan to understand the way ideology functions in society. He thus moves away from the earlier Marxist understanding of ideology. In the earlier model, ideology was believed to create what was termed "false consciousness", a false understanding of the way the world functioned. Althusser explains that for Marx "Ideology is [...] thought as an imaginary construction whose status is exactly like the theoretical status of the dream among writers before Freud. For those writers, the dream was the purely imaginary, i.e. null, result of the 'day's residues" (1971:108). Althusser, by contrast, approximates ideology to Lacan's understanding of reality, the world we construct around us after our entrance into the symbolic order. For Althusser, as for Lacan, it is impossible to access the real conditions of existence due to our reliance on language. This could be seen throughout the novel by Margaret Atwood who writes The Handmaid's Tale (1985) based on the concept of ideology. This is about how the heroine of the story and other women in the society are manipulated by the ideology of ruling class through a communist society. In such a world nothing is real and everything is just an illusion that is made by ruling class. The subjects trapped or forced to believe such misconceptions and unreality through different techniques that are employed by the rulers. The dominant forces and ideology are so strong that the subject at the end gets a new identity since she is required unconsciously without her knowing. The other aspect shown by this novel is the failure of revolution and communism in this society and persistence of capitalism that it never disappears

Identification and Prioritization of Risk and Its Effect of the Renewable Energy Life Cycle Based on Performance and Risk Indicators

Risk management consists of two aspects of risk control and risk assessment in the electricity market. So, risk control should cover the risk and work out of the way of optimal investment portfolios. Thus, the aim of this research is producing solar electricity life cycle profitability. First to identify existing risks in the production of electricity using Delphi technique between 300 experts in 15 Powerhouse. Then, the grey ANP model was the adoption of the New Energy Organization of Iran. The number of risk factors were collected by subject literature in renewable energy in Iran that have analyzed and selected the high-risk factors by ANP GREY method. Finally, to examine the life cycle of solar power, the authors analyzed financial indicators and the life cycle’s factors which relates to performance and risk variables, then, the Regression model used in three stages of life cycle. Finally, the result provides incentives for the energy system to support production renewable electricity and aid to increase the profitability of the renewable energy cycle

The study of ideology in The Handmaids' Tale based on Althusser's view

Ideology has always been the most vital apparatus for each government and dominant groups of society to keep their superior position so that every inferior subject could remain obedient and live like a programmed machine that is required to operate according to some fixed and rigid codes. Sometimes these codes are so apparent and tangible in the society that breaking them would result in sheer oppression such as impressment, exile and even execution. However in modern era the controlling and domination are not applied through force and physical attempts yet it does not mean it ceased to exist. The traditional ways of oppression are not extinct; yet they remain in new forms, tools and weapons which in Althusser's terminology they are called RSA. Nevertheless there is another difference in modern time; it has been attempted to control the minds of people through other less vivid weapons. These weapons could poison the minds of subjects and control and train them in a way that dominant groups want without taking any violent action. This method of controlling mind is ISA in Althusser's view. The handmaid's tale (1988) mostly concerns with the ideology of ruling class and the way the ruling class shows the ideology to subjects by force and discourse shapes the way through which suppressed class perceives the world. The main character of this novel who is a woman is oppressed in different ways and her identity and believes are influenced by the ideology of the society consciously and unconsciously. Since the story takes place in Gilead as one small part of the world, it could be symbol of other societies and the analysis of that society can be extended to other parts of the world so this is a microcosmic study

Evaluation of vitamin D levels in relation to coronary CT angiographic findings in an Iranian population

Maryam Moradi,&nbsp;Ali Foroutanfar Radiology Department, Medical School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Background: Vitamin D deficiency, as a predisposing factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), is a subject of increasing interest. However, its role as a risk factor has not been proven. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and CAD. Materials and methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 180 patients who were candidates for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) were selected. Serum levels of vitamin D&nbsp;were measured and compared with the results of CCTA (including calcium score, and presence and severity of coronary artery involvement due to atherosclerotic plaques). Results: The mean age of the participants was 60.5&plusmn;10.6 years and the mean serum vitamin D level was 26.2&plusmn;15.9 ng/dL (range, 3.5&ndash;83.2 ng/dL). Overall, 6.1% of the participants (n=11) had vitamin D deficiency, 56.1% (n=101) had insufficient levels of vitamin D, and 37.8% (n=68) had sufficient levels of vitamin D. The mean serum vitamin D level was significantly lower in patients with severe CAD (P=0.004). The serum vitamin D level in the &ldquo;positive for CAD&rdquo; group was 20.98 ng/mL, significantly lower than the level in the &ldquo;negative for CAD&rdquo; group (30.47 ng/mL; P&lt;0.001). The mean calcium score among participants was 533.5&plusmn;87.9. Based on the Spearman test, a significant negative correlation (&ndash;0.21) was detected between the serum vitamin D level and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) (P=0.005). Conversely, the mean CACS in the vitamin D deficient group was significantly higher than in the insufficient and sufficient vitamin D groups (P&lt;0.001 for both comparisons). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with coronary artery calcification and severity of coronary artery stenosis in Iranian patients. Keywords: coronary artery disease, vitamin D, multidetector computed tomography, atherosclerosis, angiograph

The effect of sexual health counseling on women’s sexual satisfaction in postpartum period: A randomized clinical trial

Background:&nbsp;Many couples experience decreasing sexual satisfaction in postpartum&nbsp;period. Various sexual health counseling approaches have been designed for&nbsp;postpartum women to address their common sexual concerns and problems. Objective:&nbsp;This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Women’s Postpartum&nbsp;Sexual Health Program (WPSHP) on women’s sexual satisfaction in postpartum period. Materials and Methods:&nbsp;The study was a single blind randomized clinical trial on&nbsp;75 postpartum women aged 18–35 yr with low sexual satisfaction who attended&nbsp;urban health-care centres in Mashhad, Iran in 2016. Data were collected using a&nbsp;demographic questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, and the Larson&nbsp;Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire. The intervention group received counselling based&nbsp;on the WPSHP, a four-session, group- and couples-based program. The control group&nbsp;&nbsp;just received postpartum routine care. Results:&nbsp;Both the intervention and control groups were homogeneous for demographic&nbsp;variables. According to the Mann-Whitney test, sexual satisfaction score in the&nbsp;&nbsp;intervention group was significantly higher than the control group 8 weeks after&nbsp;the intervention (p &lt; 0.001). According to the Wilcoxon test, there was a significant&nbsp;difference in the mean score of sexual satisfaction before and after intervention in the&nbsp;intervention group (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion:&nbsp;WPSHP caused higher levels of sexual satisfaction. It is therefore&nbsp;recommended to use this program in women during the postpartum period to promote&nbsp;their sexual satisfaction. Key words: Sexual satisfaction, Sexual counseling, Sexual health, Postpartum