EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC RECESSION ON IRANIAN SHIPPING MARKET

The financial crisis which started in 2007 is considered to be responsible for the creation of the greatest financial dislocations since the Great Depression in the 1930s causing a drop in the international trade. In this respect, shipping market as the main service provider to international trade experienced a downfall wherein many shipping companies lay-upped or scrapped their vessels. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the changes in Iranian liner shipping connectivity index caused by economic recession. For this purpose, this paper studies the Iranian economy from 2007 to 2009, i.e. the recession period, and evaluates the effects of world financial crisis on the Iranian shipping market

EVALUATING THE FOREST LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE EFFICIENCY FOR FOREST UTILIZATION IN ZAKHO POPLAR STANDS

Abstract This study employs a Multiple Regression Analysis using SPSS software to explore the diverse factors influencing landscape performance efficiency at recreational amenity sites (Y), depending on Structural equation modelling (SEM) using the Travel Cost Method (TCM) in Zakho Poplar stands. The landscape attributes were meticulously collected through field surveys conducted on May 5, 2023, utilizing Garmin GPS S62. The model integrates various predictors, including independent variables, such as: poplar coverage extent, agricultural land usage area, proportions of different elements within the site, underlying topological structure, and visitor-related metrics. The results highlight a substantial and significant relationship between these predictors and the dependent variable, shedding light on the complex interplay between landscape attributes and site performance. The model's robustness is underscored by its high r-squared adjusted value of 0.91, indicating strong explanatory power. Additionally, ANOVA analysis confirms the collective significance of the predictors. The coefficients within the model elucidate the nature and strength of each predictor's impact on the dependent variable. The study's findings emphasize the positive influence of factors such as poplar and agricultural coverage, as well as topological configuration, all contributing positively to site performance. Conversely, a higher ratio of elements within the area is linked to reduced performance. Furthermore, visitor volume emerges as a pivotal and positive factor. Overall, this study provides valuable insights with actionable and potential to enhance the landscape performance of recreational amenity sites. Furthermore, it significantly advances the understanding of the intricate relationships between distinct landscape attributes and performance outcomes in this context

Intravitreal Methotrexate

Intravitreal methotrexate (MTX) has been proven to be an effective treatment for various intraocular diseases. In this article, a comprehensive review was performed on intravitreal applications of methotrexate. Different aspects of the administration of intravitreal MTX for various clinical conditions such as intraocular tumors, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and uveitis were reviewed and the adverse effects of intravitreal injection of MTX were discussed. The most common indications are intraocular lymphoma and uveitis. Other applications remain challenging and more studies are needed to establish the role of intravitreal MTX in the management of ocular diseases

Side Effects of Brolucizumab

Age-related macular degeneration and its complication, subretinal neovascularization, are common causes of progressive, irreversible impairment of central vision. Antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy has improved the visual outcome and provided an evolution in the treatment of retinal disease. The current four anti- VEGF drugs – pegaptanib, ranibizumab, aflibercept, and bevacizumab – have been administered for many years. A new anti-VEGF agent, brolucizumab, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late 2019 for the treatment of wet agerelated macular degeneration. Brolucizumab is a novel single-chain fragment variable antibody that inhibits all isoforms of VEGF-A and has been suggested to have more tissue penetration. Despite all the benefits, there are some reports of serious side effects that need to be understood in managing patients. Brolucizumab has been reported to cause occlusive retinal vasculitis in the setting of intraocular inflammation, which has not been seen in other anti-VEGF medications. A PubMed and Scopus search was performed and all article types were included. In the present article, we have reviewed the reported side effects of brolucizumab

Institutional health promotion standards in school of medicine at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences according to medical students' opinions in 2020

Background: Health promotion in occupational and educational environments contributes to the improvement and higher efficiency of the people affected by them. The health status of medical students as future providers of health services has great importance. This study aimed to evaluate health promotion standards in the school of medicine at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated health promotion standards of school of medicine using a questionnaire filled out by medical students in 2020. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed. The questionnaire measured health promotion standards in the fields of healthy nutrition, facilities for proper physical activity, providing a healthy environment for students, adequate education for health promotion and disease prevention. Analytical and statistical tests were performed using IBM SPSS 23 software. Results: Among 340 medical students participated in the study 31.8 percent were in the basic sciences grade, 26.5 percent were stagers, and 41.8 percent were interns. The mean score of all questions among different grades was 1.11 (SD=0.33), 0.97 (SD=0.43), and 0.93 (SD=0.34), respectively (on a scale of 0-3). A significant difference was reported in the comparison of "basic sciences versus stagers (PV=0.011)" and "basic sciences versus interns (PV<0.01) ". the mean score of questions overall was 1.00 (SD=0.37). Conclusion: Based on findings, health promotion in the school of medicine at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences was in the medium range, which demonstrates the need for future policies that lead to a more efficient health-promoting environment

Caspian Sea level fluctuation and determination of setback line

In the past 25 years, rising of the Caspian Sea level, part of a natural treat to the sea, has inundated and destroyed many buildings and arable lands and threatened many inhabitations in coastal areas. The main reason for these damages is that the law-setback has lost its efficiency and human activities have proceeded seaward. The goal of this study is to introduce a proper setback line for the southern coast of Caspian Sea on the basis of critical water elevation and the results of coastal vulnerability assessment to sea level rise. This setback contains vertical and horizontal buffers. The Coastal vulnerability index (CVI) method is used for coastal vulnerability assessment and is also used in the Geographic Information System. Five variables in two sub-indices were used in this method. The final map obtained from coastal vulnerability assessment divided the coastal zone into low, moderate, high and very high risk categories based on quartile ranges and visual inspection of data. A mean distance of very high risk category of vulnerability map from a second vertical buffer in each rural district was then proposed as a width of horizontal buffer in the same rural district

Translation and validation of the Farsi version of the pain management self-efficacy questionnaire

Introduction: Pain management is a complex process that is managed through a multi-disciplinary team in which nurses have a significant role. The present study aimed at translating and examining the psychometric properties of the Pain Management Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PMSEQ) among Iranian nurses. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, methodological study conducted in 2019 among nurses working in two teaching hospitals in Sanandaj (Tohid and Kosar). The participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. Responsiveness; interpretability; and face, content, and construct validities were examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In addition, internal consistency and stability were examined using the Cronbach’s alpha, test-retest, respectively. Results: Overall, 410 nurses (210 for the EFA and 200 for the CFA) were included in the sample. In the exploratory factor analysis, two factors of Comprehensive pain assessment and Pain management with eigenvalues of 6.36 and 1.91, respectively, were extracted. The two factors together explained 56.64% of the variance of nurses’ pain management self-efficacy. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model had a moderate fit to the data ((RMSEA: 0.12; NFI: 0.84; NNFI: 0.86; CFI: 0.88; IFI: 0.88; RFI: 0.81; GFI: 0.76; AGFI: 0.69; PGFI: 0.59; RMR: 0.09; Standardized RMR: 0.09). Total questionnaire and the two factors (i.e. Comprehensive pain assessment and Pain management) had internal consistency coefficients of 0.891, 0.876, and 0.803, respectively. Conclusion: The Farsi version of PMSEQ had good internal consistency and reliability, as well as content and construct validity, and can be used in future studies

Comparing the Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy with Emotion Regulation Treatment on Quality of Life and Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder. The perception of stress and GI-specific anxiety play a key role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The present study aims at comparing the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy with emotion regulation on the quality of life and severity in patients IBS. Method: This randomized clinical trial was conducted in 3 phases: pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Follow-up was performed 2 months after the last intervention. The study population consisted of 24 IBS patients who were randomly selected according to Rome-IV Criteria and were then divided into 3 eight-member groups: (1) mindfulness-based stress reduction, (2) emotion regulation, and (3) control group. IBS-QOL34 and IBS-SSS were administered as assessment tools to all the 3 groups. The experimental groups were subjected to MBSR and ER psychotherapy, while the control group received no psychological intervention. After the 2-month follow-up, the 3 groups were evaluated again. Results: The results revealed that MBSR improved the quality of life of IBS patients and dicreased severity of their condition. The findings of between and within subjects design revealed that the difference between MBSR and control groups was significant in IBS at follow-up (p = 0.01). Conclusion: MBSR could be considered as a new, effective, and stable method in psychotherapy, in irritable bowel syndrome

Performance comparison of SCTP and UDP over mobile ad hoc networks

Countless researchers have put efforts to conduct researchs about the performance of the traditional transport control protocols (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP).Recently new transport protocol had been designed calledStream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP).In this research, we will focus to study the effect of Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET) on these two transport protocols SCTP and UDP and find out which one performs better over MANET.The transport protocol SCTP has more services and features compare to the traditional transport protocol.We also present some literatures on SCTP and UDP performance over MANET.The simulation parameters and the results of the simulation will also be discussed