Road traffic mortality in Iran : longitudinal trend and seasonal analysis, March 2011-February 2020

Road traffic mortalities (RTMs) and injuries are among the leading causes of human fatalities worldwide, particularly in low-and middle-income countries like Iran. Using an interrupted time series analysis, we investigated three interventional points (two government-mandated fuel price increases and increased traffic ticket fines) for their potential relation to RTMs. Our findings showed that while the overall trend of RTMs was decreasing during the study period, multiple individual provinces showed smaller reductions in RTMs. We also found that both waves of government-mandated fuel price increases coincided with decreases in RTMs. However, the second wave coincided with RTM decreases in a smaller number of provinces than the first wave suggesting that the same type of intervention may not be as effective when repeated. Also, increased traffic ticket fines were only effective in a small number of provinces. Potential reasons and solutions for the findings are discussed in light of Iran’s Road Safety Strategic Plan

Anion-directed assemblies of Cu(II) mono, di, and poly-nuclear coordination compounds with a 32-membered azacrown ligand: Synthesis, characterisation and crystal structures

A novel 32-membered azacrown ligand L was synthesized from the [2 + 2] condensation between 2-[3-(2-formylphenoxy)-2-hydroxy propoxy]benzaldehyde and 1,2-diaminopropane by following in situ reduction. Three metal-organic coordination compounds $[CuL(NCS)]NO_3·CH_3OH (1), [Cu_2L(CH_3COO)_4].0.5_H2O (2)$, and $[CuL(μ-Cl)(NO_3)]_n.2nCH_3CN (3)$, were prepared from reaction of L with copper(II) salts containing different anions. Depending on the reaction controlling factor, i.e. $NCS^−, CH_3COO^−$, , and $Cl^−$anions, mono, di and polynuclear metal-organic coordination compounds were constructed. Complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystal structures indicate that L in presence of $NCS^−$ and $Cu(NO_3)_2·3H_2O$ forms mononuclear complex 1. Dinuclear complex 2 was formed by the reaction of L in presence of $Cu(CH_3COO)_2·2H_2O$. Reaction of $Cu(NO_3)_2·3H_2O$ and $CuCl_2·3H_2O$ with L give rise complex 3 which is a 1-dimensional coordination polymer. The coordination polymer constructed from distorted octahedron shaped copper nucleus that are exomacrocylic in which two Cl atoms serve as bridge. Potentially decadentate ligand, L, with four N- and six O-donor sites in presence of Cu(II) salts reacts only with its N-donors. Complexes 1 and 3, both, are crystalized in a centrosymmetric space group $P2_{1/c}$ and dinuclear complex 2 is crystalized in a polar space group $P2_1$

Synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of some new 6-nitro derivatives of thiazole-containing 4-(3H)-quinazolinone

Quinazolinones are a group of fused heterocyclic compounds which have valuable biological properties including cytotoxic, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Thiazole group-containing compounds have been also reported to have a wide range of biological activities such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibacterial effects. Due to valuable cytotoxic effects of both thiazole groups and quinazoline derivatives, in this study a series of quinazolinone-thiazole hybrids were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic effects on three cell lines including MCF-7, HT-29, and PC-3. Among tested compounds (quinazolinones and three intermediates), k5 and k6 showed highest cytotoxic activities against PC3 cell line. K6 and C were most active compounds against MCF7 and K6 showed best cytotoxicity on HT-29 cell line

Spatial Modeling of COVID-19 Prevalence Using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System

This study is dedicated to modeling the spatial variation in COVID-19 prevalence using the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) when dealing with nonlinear relationships, especially useful for small areas or small sample size problems. We compiled a broad range of socio-demographic, environmental, and climatic factors along with potentially related urban land uses to predict COVID-19 prevalence in rural districts of the Golestan province northeast of Iran with a very high-case fatality ratio (9.06%) during the first year of the pandemic (2020–2021). We also compared the ANFIS and principal component analysis (PCA)-ANFIS methods for modeling COVID-19 prevalence in a geographical information system framework. Our results showed that combined with the PCA, the ANFIS accuracy significantly increased. The PCA-ANFIS model showed a superior performance (R2 (determination coefficient) = 0.615, MAE (mean absolute error) = 0.104, MSE (mean square error) = 0.020, and RMSE (root mean square error) = 0.139) than the ANFIS model (R2 = 0.543, MAE = 0.137, MSE = 0.034, and RMSE = 0.185). The sensitivity analysis of the ANFIS model indicated that migration rate, employment rate, the number of days with rainfall, and residential apartment units were the most contributing factors in predicting COVID-19 prevalence in the Golestan province. Our findings indicated the ability of the ANFIS model in dealing with nonlinear parameters, particularly for small sample sizes. Identifying the main factors in the spread of COVID-19 may provide useful insights for health policymakers to effectively mitigate the high prevalence of the disease

Spatio-Temporal Modeling of COVID-19 Spread in Relation to Urban Land Uses: An Agent-Based Approach

This study aims to address the existing gaps in evidence regarding spatio-temporal modeling of COVID-19 spread, specifically focusing on the impact of different urban land uses in a geospatial information system framework. It employs an agent-based model at the individual level in Gorgan, northeast Iran, characterized by diverse spatial and demographic features. The interactions between human agents and their environment were considered by incorporating social activities based on different urban land uses. The proposed model was integrated with the susceptible–asymptomatic–symptomatic–on treatment–aggravated infection–recovered–dead epidemic model to better understand the disease transmission at the micro-level. The effect of various intervention scenarios, such as social distancing, complete and partial lockdowns, restriction of social gatherings, and vaccination was investigated. The model was evaluated in three modes of cases, deaths, and the spatial distribution of COVID-19. The results show that the disease was more concentrated in central areas with a high population density and dense urban land use. The proposed model predicted the distribution of disease cases and mortality for different age groups, achieving 72% and 71% accuracy, respectively. Additionally, the model was able to predict the spatial distribution of disease cases at the neighborhood level with 86% accuracy. Moreover, findings demonstrated that early implementation of control scenarios, such as social distancing and vaccination, can effectively reduce the transmission of COVID-19 spread and control the epidemic. In conclusion, the proposed model can serve as a valuable tool for health policymakers and urban planners. This spatio-temporal model not only advances our understanding of COVID-19 dynamics but also provides practical tools for addressing future pandemics and urban health challenges

Synthesis, characterization, spectrophotometric and electrochemistry studies, and DNA cleavage of copper(II) complexes of a new azacrown bis-macrocycle and its mono-cyclic analogue

A new azacrown bis-macrocycle (5) and its mono–cyclic analogue (7) were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT 13C NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. The reaction with copper(II) nitrate yielded the corresponding complexes, formulated as Cu(5)(NO3)2·3H2O (8), and Cu(7)(NO3)2·2.5H2O (9). Also the stoichiometries of the complexes were determined in alcoholic solution and the results show that for both complexes the ratio of ligand to metal was 1:1 in methanol. The redox behavior of both complexes has been studied by cyclic voltammetry in DMF. Cyclic voltamogram of 8 shows quasi-reversible CuII/CuI redox couple whereas 9 shows a reversible CuII/CuI redox couple. Mono- and bis-macrocycle copper(II) complexes (8 and 9 respectively) cleaved plasmid pGS2 DNA by using an oxidative mechanism with 3- mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as the reductant under aerobic conditions. The bis-macrocycle copper(II) complex 8 showed higher cleavage efficiency than their mono-macrocycle analogue 9 at the same Cu2+ concentration

Copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of mono- and tri-linked azacrown macrocycles: Synthesis, characterization, X-ray structure, phosphodiester hydrolysis and DNA cleavage

A new tri-linked azacrown macrocycle (L2) was synthesized from mono macrocycle analogue (L1) by Williamson etherification and characterized by FT-IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, DEPT C-13 NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. The reaction of copper(II) and zinc(II) salts yielded corresponding complexes and formulated as CuL1Cl(2) (1), CuL1(NO3)(2).3H(2)O (2), Cu(2)L2(NO3)(4.)4H(2)O (3), ZnL1(OAc)(2) (4) and Zn(3)L2(OAc)(6).3H(2)O (5). Mono and trinuclear zinc(II) complexes 4 and 5, respectively, have been tested as catalysts for hydrolysis of 2-hydroxylpropyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (HNPP). At pH 8.5 the mononuclear complex 4 was found to be inactive. In contrast, trinuclear complex 5 was hydrolyzing phosphodiester and the reaction was up to 35-fold faster than the unpromoted reaction. Mono and dinuclear copper(II) complexes 2 and 3 cleave plasmid pG2 DNA by using an oxidative mechanism under aerobic conditions. Dinuclear copper(II) complex 3 showed a much higher cleavage efficiency than its mononuclear analogue 2 at the same Cu2+ concentration. The X-ray structure of 1 is reported. In this complex, the Cu(II) is bound by three amine nitrogens from the macrocyclic ligand L1 and two chloride anions as distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry

Studying the influence of workplace design on productivity of bank clerks

Introduction: Workplace design is one of the factors that can influence comfort, performance, productivity and the health status of employees. The effects of this factor on human&rsquo;s productivity and performance are studied in the domain of ergonomics. The impact of workplace design on workers&rsquo; productivity and performance can be determined by investigation of the quality of the design. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of workplace design on productivity of the bank clerks. Material and Method: Samples in this cross-sectional study were comprised of 150 employees of 22 different branches of a bank in Tehran city. Data collection tools included demographic questionnaire and a questionnaire related to the effects of workplace design on employees&rsquo; productivity, developed by Hameed and colleagues. Correlation and regression statistical tests were used in order to analyze data. Result: According to the results, the mean (&plusmn;SD) for age and job tenure of participants were 37.2(&plusmn;6) and 13(&plusmn;7) years, respectively. Of the surveyed demographic features, a significant relationship was observed between age and scores belonging to the temperature and furniture (P-value<0.05). In addition, there was a significant association between employees&rsquo; productivity and the noise (P-value=0.044) and spatial arrangement of environment (P-value=0.048). Conclusion: Overall, appropriate and high quality design of work environment can improve productivity of bank clerks. In other words, employees&rsquo; productivity can be enhanced by comfortable and ergonomic design of working environment and also by considering their needs