Optimization of the Allowable Speed on Iran’s Freeways to Reduce Violations and Accidents, Using Zero-Truncated Poisson Regression Model

Countries from all over the world including Iran, consider different maximum allowable speeds to control and maintain traffic safety on their freeways, but these actions have not been successful even with the police surveillance. Even though speeding is not the only cause of accidents, past studies indicate that speed plays a vital role in such events. Since respecting the speed limits have not prevented driving violations and traffic accidents, there’s doubt among decision-makers, about the applicability and safety of these legal speed limits in different weather and traffic conditions. They think perhaps there is a need for an optimized and safe speed after doing required studies. Even in the police instructions and notifications in unfavorable weather conditions, the word “safe speed” is used more than the “legal speed” and its limit is not mentioned and its determination is assigned to drivers according to their mental and physical conditions, type of vehicle, and the weather condition. This matter leads to uncertainty for drivers in selecting the right speed.This research is intended to achieve a safe and optimized speed for freeways in Iran, by considering a reasonable adjustment which is acceptable by the drivers so that a substantial decrease in driving violations and accidents could be observed. This work is done by using models developed for predicting violations and accidents on Iran’s freeways. The results indicate that by reducing the allowable speed of freeways from 125km/h to 105km/h, a 48% and 23% reduction of violations and traffic accidents could be achieved

Global variations in diabetes mellitus based on fasting glucose and haemogloblin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but may identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening had elevated FPG, HbA1c, or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardised proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed, and detected in survey screening, ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the agestandardised proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global gap in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.peer-reviewe

Entrepreneurship Education and Gamification:An Analysis of Students’ Learning Outcomes

Purpose: Entrepreneurship educators have recently employed various computer- and game-based teaching methods to develop students’ entrepreneurship knowledge and competencies. However, our understanding of the learning outcomes (LOs) of such methods and specifically gamification teaching techniques for students is fragmented and underdeveloped. This chapter aimed to narrow the gap by systematically analysing the peer-reviewed empirical studies on gamification and students’ entrepreneurship LOs. Methodology/approach: This study employed the systematic literature review method to examine the papers on the intersection between gamification and entrepreneurship education (EE). Some of 80 papers were retrieved from Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus databases and 16 papers were included in the final analysis. The papers were analysed based on the key LOs that teaching entrepreneurship using gamification have for students. Findings: This study found limited literature on the interrelationship between gamification and students’ entrepreneurship learning outcomes (ELOs). The majority of these studies suggested a positive association between gamification and students’ ELOs. These LOs were classified into four key groups including cognitive, behavioural, social/interpersonal and skill based LOs. This analysis explored the huge gap in empirical studies on the impact of gamification on students’ entrepreneurship LOs. Research Limitations/implications: This exploratory study is limited to the systematic review of the empirical researches published in scientific journals. Of the numerous game-based and simulation teaching methods, this systematic analysis focused on gamification and its effects on cultivating entrepreneurial knowledge and competencies in students. Future studies should include published and unpublished papers in other sources (such as books, book chapters and theses) and other types of technology-based entrepreneurship teaching methods. Practical Implications: Educators and computer-based game designers may use the findings of this study to improve the effectiveness of gamified EE and training programs by connecting the objectives and content of the programs to students’ entrepreneurship LOs and examining if the programs create the intended LOs in students. Originality/value: This chapter is one of the first attempts that examine students’ LOs of gamification in EE. This chapter contributes to the limited validated knowledge and understanding of the impact of gamification on entrepreneurship LOs of students

FOSTERING AWARENESS OF COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE READING STRATEGIES IN TWO FOREIGN LANGUAGES (ENGLISH AND ARABIC)

This study attempted to find out the impact of Cognitive and Metacognitive Reading Strategy Instruction (CMRSI) in L2 (English) in increasing the awareness and use of these reading strategies not only in L2 in which the CMRSI was given but also in L3 (Arabic) in which no CMRSI was given as a result of transfer of reading strategies from L2 to L3. It also aimed to find out which strategy items were most and least improved both in L2 and L3 as a result of CMRSI in L2. Fifty five fourth-grade high school male students majoring in math-physics took part in this study. As the reading process is believed to be the same across languages (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2004), the participants were put into two groups of low and high awareness of reading strategies in L1 (Persian). Then, they were given reading comprehension tests in L2 and L3 as triggers for the main instrument (i.e., cognitive and metacognitive reading strategy questionnaire) in English and Arabic. After this pretest stage, the two groups underwent the CMRSI. The same pretest instruments were also given to the students as posttest. It was found that there was a significant difference in the awareness and use of cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies from pretest to posttest in English and Arabic for students of low and high strategic reading competence level. However, this improvement was not necessarily the same for different strategy items. It is important to teach reading strategies in L2 as it will have effect on increasing awareness of strategies both in L2 and in L3 as a result of transfer of reading strategies from one language to another. However, as not all strategy items show the same improvement from pretest to posttest, more attention should be paid to the item by item analysis of strategies after CMRSI to maximize students’ awareness of all strategy items equally

Rare Case of Aspergillus ochraceus

Diabetes is the most common metabolic disease in humans. One of the major complications of the disease is foot ulcer that is prone to infection. The most common causes of infection which have been reported in these patients are bacteria and fungi such as Candida, Aspergillus, and Rhizopus species. We report one such rare case with calcaneal osteomyelitis caused by Aspergillus ochraceus in a patient with diabetic foot osteomyelitis. The case was a 68-year-old male with a history of type II diabetes for 2 years. The patient had two ulcers on the right heel bones for the past 6 months with no significant improvement. One of the most important predisposing factors to infectious diseases, especially opportunistic fungal infection, is diabetes mellitus. Aspergillus species can involve bony tissue through vascular system, direct infection, and trauma. Proper and early diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot infection can reduce or prevent complications, such as osteomyelitis and amputation. The annual examination of feet for skin and nail lesion, sensation, anatomical changes, and vascular circulation can be useful for prevention and control of infection

Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c

International audienceAbstract Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29–39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance

Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c

: Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance