The Impact of Spelling Strategies Instruction on the Iranian EFL Intermediate Learners’ Writing Performance

This study aimed at investigating the impact of using spelling strategies on writing performance among intermediate EFL learners in Iran. To this end, 40 intermediate female students aged between 15 to 25 were selected in Khorram Abad, Iran. They were homogenized based on their performance on Oxford Quick Placement Test, were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received writing instruction based on a number of spelling strategies during 12 sessions lasting 60 minutes. In contrast, the control group was instructed based tradition approach where no spelling strategy was explicitly taught. Furthermore, two parallel writing tests, designed by a panel of well-experienced EFL teachers, were administered as pre-test and post-test to measure the participants’ writing ability before and after the instructions. Results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of gain scores on the writing post-test. In addition, it was found that “applying knowledge of word meanings, derivations, prefixes, and suffixes” was the most frequently used and “asking a superior speller for help” was the least frequent strategy used by the experimental group. Finally, pedagogical implications for the EFL teachers and learners were discussed in light of the findings

Regional Frequency Analysis of Low Flow in Parts of the Northern Karun River Basin in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province

Hydrological droughts reduce groundwater and surface water, lakes and rivers. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the minimum regional flow frequency in parts of the northern Karun basin in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. For this purpose, 11 hydrometric stations were used. For the minimum flow estimation, 15 different physiographic, climatic and hydrological features of the basin were used in. At first, hydrometric stations were divided into two homogeneous groups using cluster analysis method. Then, using principal component analysis (PCA), the most important features were selected for each region among the 15 physiographic, climatic and hydrological characteristics. Finally, the models for estimating the minimum flow of each region were developed using stepwise regression method in return periods of 2, 10, 25 and 50 years. The results showed that the characteristics of the basin area with a weight of 0.347, elongation coefficient with a weight of 0.389, a length of the basin with a weight of 0.326 and a coefficient of roundness with a weight of 0.326 were the most important features in the estimation of minimum flow. In general, all regression-logarithmic models in the two regions for all rounds of returns with a coefficient of greater than 0.96 were considered to have a good performance for minimum flow estimation

The Relationship Between BMI and Spermogram Indices in Male Iranians Aged 20 to 50 Years Old

Introduction: Male factor infertility is the cause of 20 to 30% of infertile couples in population, and there are reports that obesity in men may be one of the factors affecting fertility. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and semen parameters in 20 to 50 year-old Iranian men.Materials and Methods: The archives of two major laboratories in Tehran were screened and the results of semen analyses from 640 nonvasectomized men referring during 2009-2013 were collected. Data on height, weight, BMI, age, sperm count, percentage of sperm motility, normal sperm morphology, and sperm viability was recorded. Anal-ysis of these data was performed using SPSS software.Results: The mean age of subjects and their mean BMI were 30.2 ± 5.9 years and 26.0 ± 4.1 kg/m2, respectively. The average values of semen parameters were as follows: total sperm count = 53.7 ± 33.6 million, pH = 8.2 ± 0.3, normal sperm morphology = 50.1 ± 10.9%, viability = 69.46 ± 12.6%, and grade-A sperms = 39.4 ± 16.8%. BMI had no significant correlation with the semen parameters including sperm morphology, viability, pH, and motility.Conclusion: No significant correlation between BMI and semen parameters was observed in the sample of Iranian males evaluated in this study.

Robust adaptive synchronization of a class of uncertain chaotic systems with unknown time-delay

In this paper, a robust adaptive control strategy is proposed to synchronize a class of uncertain chaotic systems with unknown time delays. Using Lyapunov theory and Lipschitz conditions in chaotic systems, the necessary adaptation rules for estimating uncertain parameters and unknown time delays are determined. Based on the proposed adaptation rules, an adaptive controller is recommended for the robust synchronization of the aforementioned uncertain systems that prove the robust stability of the proposed control mechanism utilizing the Lyapunov theorem. Finally, to evaluate the proposed robust and adaptive control mechanism, the synchronization of two Jerk chaotic systems with finite non-linear uncertainty and external disturbances as well as unknown fixed and variable time delays are simulated. The simulation results confirm the ability of the proposed control mechanism in robust synchronization of the uncertain chaotic systems as well as to estimate uncertain and unknown parameters

The Effect of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Serum Iron Level

Background: Sleeve gastrectomy surgery is effective in limiting food intake and sometimes unknown and hormonal causes in weight loss. After the bariatric surgery, patients may be exposed to nutritional deficiencies, especially iron deficiency. Regarding the importance of iron in body metabolism, this study aimed to investigate the effect of Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery on the level of serum iron deficiency anemia. Methods: This cross-sectional study of 218 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy surgery for obesity from April 2017 to July 2018 in Shiraz Ghadir Mother & Child Hospital, which were studied in a quarterly period. The indications of the surgery were having BMI> 40 or between 35 and 39.9, which were associated with an co morbid disease. Serum levels of hemoglobin, iron, and ferritin before and three months after the surgery were evaluated. Results: The mean±SD of serum iron level in women ranged from 68.8±1.91 to 65.9±2.7 and in mean±SD from 74.6±5.32 to 71.7±2.8, and the mean serum ferritin level in women was from 56.1±5.5 to 43.2±6.1, and in males, from 61.9±9.7 to 47.3±8.2, and the mean±SD of serum hemoglobin level in both women and men was from 11.8±0.13 to 12.7±0.09 to 10.7±0.12 to 11.7±0.08 and from 12.7±0.09 to 11.8±0.13 to 11.7±0.08 to 10.7±0.12, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that due to the reduction of the level of iron, after the sleeve gastrectomy surgery, the iron level of the patients should be regularly checked in order to be able to administer adequate supplements and to adjust the diet which is rich in iron to prevent anemia and its effects

Automated Detection and Forecasting of COVID-19 using Deep Learning Techniques: A Review

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a hazardous disease that has endangered the health of many people around the world by directly affecting the lungs. COVID-19 is a medium-sized, coated virus with a single-stranded RNA. This virus has one of the largest RNA genomes and is approximately 120 nm. The X-Ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging modalities are widely used to obtain a fast and accurate medical diagnosis. Identifying COVID-19 from these medical images is extremely challenging as it is time-consuming, demanding, and prone to human errors. Hence, artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies can be used to obtain consistent high performance. Among the AI methodologies, deep learning (DL) networks have gained much popularity compared to traditional machine learning (ML) methods. Unlike ML techniques, all stages of feature extraction, feature selection, and classification are accomplished automatically in DL models. In this paper, a complete survey of studies on the application of DL techniques for COVID-19 diagnostic and automated segmentation of lungs is discussed, concentrating on works that used X-Ray and CT images. Additionally, a review of papers on the forecasting of coronavirus prevalence in different parts of the world with DL techniques is presented. Lastly, the challenges faced in the automated detection of COVID-19 using DL techniques and directions for future research are discussed

The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Communicable disease control has long been a focus of global health policy. There have been substantial reductions in the burden and mortality of communicable diseases among children younger than 5 years, but we know less about this burden in older children and adolescents, and it is unclear whether current programmes and policies remain aligned with targets for intervention. This knowledge is especially important for policy and programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to systematically characterise the burden of communicable diseases across childhood and adolescence. METHODS: In this systematic analysis of the GBD study from 1990 to 2019, all communicable diseases and their manifestations as modelled within GBD 2019 were included, categorised as 16 subgroups of common diseases or presentations. Data were reported for absolute count, prevalence, and incidence across measures of cause-specific mortality (deaths and years of life lost), disability (years lived with disability [YLDs]), and disease burden (disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs]) for children and adolescents aged 0-24 years. Data were reported across the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and across time (1990-2019), and for 204 countries and territories. For HIV, we reported the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) as a measure of health system performance. FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 3·0 million deaths and 30·0 million years of healthy life lost to disability (as measured by YLDs), corresponding to 288·4 million DALYs from communicable diseases among children and adolescents globally (57·3% of total communicable disease burden across all ages). Over time, there has been a shift in communicable disease burden from young children to older children and adolescents (largely driven by the considerable reductions in children younger than 5 years and slower progress elsewhere), although children younger than 5 years still accounted for most of the communicable disease burden in 2019. Disease burden and mortality were predominantly in low-SDI settings, with high and high-middle SDI settings also having an appreciable burden of communicable disease morbidity (4·0 million YLDs in 2019 alone). Three cause groups (enteric infections, lower-respiratory-tract infections, and malaria) accounted for 59·8% of the global communicable disease burden in children and adolescents, with tuberculosis and HIV both emerging as important causes during adolescence. HIV was the only cause for which disease burden increased over time, particularly in children and adolescents older than 5 years, and especially in females. Excess MIRs for HIV were observed for males aged 15-19 years in low-SDI settings. INTERPRETATION: Our analysis supports continued policy focus on enteric infections and lower-respiratory-tract infections, with orientation to children younger than 5 years in settings of low socioeconomic development. However, efforts should also be targeted to other conditions, particularly HIV, given its increased burden in older children and adolescents. Older children and adolescents also experience a large burden of communicable disease, further highlighting the need for efforts to extend beyond the first 5 years of life. Our analysis also identified substantial morbidity caused by communicable diseases affecting child and adolescent health across the world. FUNDING: The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Driving Investment in Global Adolescent Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation