The Effectiveness of Art Therapy on Improving Self-Esteem and Social Skills of Mental Retardation Boys

Mental retardation is problematic due to cognitive limitations in two basic aspects of their lives, including social skills and self esteem. A review of the research background has proven the effectiveness of art therapy in dealing with mental retardation and the reduction of negative psychological factors, such as aggression in them. As a result, the aim of this research is to examine the effectiveness of art therapy on improving social skills and subjective mental self-esteem, which so far has not been studied by researchers. For this reason, mental retardation was assigned to the control and experimental groups and then under the treatment painting sessions. To analyze the data, covariance analysis and SPSS software were used. The results showed that art therapy affects the improvement of social skills and the increase of mental retardation self-esteem

The possible of immunotherapy for COVID-19: A systematic review

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is an emerging pathogen that was first described in late December 2019 and causes a severe respiratory infection in humans. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, international attention has raised to develop treatment and control options such as types of immunotherapies. The immunotherapy is an effective method for fighting against similar viral infections such as SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. These methods include several types of vaccines, monoclonal antibody candidates, and etc. This systematic review article was designed to evaluate the existing evidence and experience related to immunotherapy for 2019-nCoV. Web of Science (ISI), PubMed, and Scopus databases were used to search for suitable keywords such as 2019-nCoV, novel coronavirus, Immunotherapy, interleukin, vaccine and the related words for relevant publications up to 24.3.2020. The present systematic review was performed based on PRISMA protocol. Data extraction and quality valuation of articles were performed by two reviewers. 51 articles were the results of the search and based on the inclusions and exclusions criteria, 7 articles were included in the final review. As a conclusion of these studies demonstrated that although no serious research has been done on this subject at the time of writing this article, similar studies on the related viruses showed notable results. So immunotherapy for this virus can also be a suitable optio

Monitoring of Masjed-Soleiman embankment dam’s deformation using a combination of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and finite element modeling

The fresh water shortage is one the most important challenges in many countries like Iran. So there have been incentives to manipulate and manage water resources by constructing dams. Clay core embankments are one of the most popular dam structures. A layer of clay can be a reliable obstacle in front of water stream. However, because of the soil’s nature, these kinds of dams have the potential of instability. Thus deformation of clay core dams should be monitored frequently. The aim of this study is to use the combination of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar technique (InSAR) and Finite Element Modeling (FEM) for dam’s deformation monitoring. For the InSAR analysis we used data from ENVISAT sensor and processed those using Small BAseline Subset (SBAS). We show that InSAR is an invaluable approach to monitor clay core dam’s deformation in specific circumstances. The deformation derived from InSAR was used as an initial condition in Finite Element Modeling. The case study is Masjed Soleiman Dam which is situated in South West of Iran. We used 19 ASAR images of ENVISAT sensor from 2003/8/22 to 2010/5/7. The process of ASAR images showed maximum velocity of 11 mm/year in LOS direction at central lower areas of dam. These results were compared with Geodetic Surveying Operations at four points on dam and the average agreement of 77 percent was obtained. The results of ENVISAT data have a good consistency with FEM results. Horizontal and vertical displacements derived from instrumentations and modeling are plotted versus depths. There is a good agreement between modeling results and instrumentations data

Antioxidant activity and protective role on protein glycation of synthetic aminocoumarins

Background: Synthesized aminocoumarins are heterocyclic compounds possessing potential for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with unexplored anti-glycative action. Results: In this study 4-aminocoumarin derivatives (4-ACDs) were evaluated in vitro for antiglycation (AG) activities by using the human serum albumin (HSA)/glucose system, for 8 weeks of incubation. The glycation and conformational alteration of HSA in the presence of the tested compounds were evaluated by Congo red assay, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The antioxidant (AO) capacity were also tested by four different assays including: DPPH (2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical), ABTS (2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) diammonium salt), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and beta-carotene-linoleic acid assay. The tested compounds showed AG and AO effects. The intensity of the accomplished AO potential is related to the type of the used assay. Significant alterations in the secondary (monitored by CD spectropolarimetry) and tertiary structure (assessed by spectrofluorimetry) of HSA upon glycation were mitigated by the 4-ACDs, suggesting their suppressive role in the late stage (post-Amadori) of the HSA glycation. Conclusions: By the analogues, in vitro ascertained AO and AG properties of 4-ACDmay be recognized as rationale for their protective role against oxidative changes of proteins, thereby precluding diabetic complications in humans

Övervakning av tillgång på vatten i norra inlandsvatten från rymden

River deltas and lakes support biodiversity and offer crucial ecosystem services such as freshwater provision, flood control, and fishing. However, climate change and human activities have affected deltas and lakes globally, altering the services they provide. Since delta and lake surface water occurrence and water levels respond to climate change and anthropogenic activities, we need to monitor their variations to understand the potential drivers for effective water management strategies. However, important deltas like the Selenga River Delta (SRD) in Russia lack a detailed analysis of water occurrence. Regarding lake water level, there has been a decline in the number of gauging stations globally, due to installation and maintenance costs. For example, Sweden has ~100,000 lakes which are sources of freshwater and hydro-power, but only 38 lakes have long and continuous in-situ records of water level. As satellite data are reliable alternatives for conventional methods to monitor deltas and lakes, I employed Earth Observations (EO) to quantify changes in surface water occurrence in the SRD and water levels in Swedish lakes and identify their main drivers. I also developed and explored a novel methodology for lake water level estimation based on Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR) by calculating the six-day phase differences in 30 Swedish lakes. To achieve these objectives, I trained and applied a Maximum Likelihood classification to Landsat images from 1987 to 2020 and quantified surface water occurrence and its changes in the SRD. I found that surface water occurrence in 51% of the delta experienced a decrease. As the Selenga River is the only river flowing into the SRD, the change in surface water occurrence in the SRD correlated with river discharge, but not with the river suspended sediment concentration, the lake water level in the outlet of the SRD, or evapotranspiration over the delta. In Sweden, I used satellite altimetry data from ERS-2, ENVISAT, JASON-1,2,3, SARAL, and Sentinel-3A/B to quantify water levels in 144 lakes from 1995-2022. I found that 52% of the lakes showed increasing trends (mostly in the north) and 43% decreasing trends (mostly in the south). Water level trends and variabilities did not correlate strongly with hydroclimatic changes (precipitation and temperature) but differed in regulated lakes compared to unregulated ones, both in the north and in the south of Sweden. The results of the D-InSAR method for water level estimation in two Swedish lakes (Hjälmaren and Solnen) showed that with water level changes smaller than a complete SAR phase, the phase changes correlate with in-situ water level changes with a minimum Root Mean Square Error of 0.43 cm in some pixels. In all 30 lakes, I accumulated the phase changes of each pixel throughout the whole number of interferograms to construct water levels. This method replicated the direction of water level changes shown by high Pearson’s correlations in at least one pixel in each lake. This thesis highlights the importance of EO for estimating surface water occurrence and lake water levels and brings focus to the future of EO through advanced space missions such as Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) and NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). The findings underscore the need to continuously monitor lake water level and occurrence to adapt to climate change and understand the effects of water-regulatory schemes.Floddeltan och sjöar stöder den biologiska mångfalden och erbjuder viktiga ekosystemtjänster som färskvattenförsörjning, översvämningsbekämpning och fiske. Klimatförändringar och mänskliga aktiviteter har dock påverkat deltan och sjöar globalt och förändrat de tjänster de tillhandahåller. Eftersom förekomsten av ytvatten i delta och sjöar och vattennivåerna svarar på klimatförändringar och antropogena aktiviteter måste vi övervaka deras variationer för att förstå de potentiella drivkrafterna för effektiva vattenförvaltningsstrategier. Viktiga deltan som Selenga River Delta (SRD) i Ryssland saknar dock en detaljerad analys av vattenförekomsten. När det gäller sjöarnas vattennivå har antalet mätstationer minskat på grund av installations- och underhållskostnader. Till exempel har Sverige ~ 100 000 sjöar som är källor till sötvatten och vattenkraft, men endast 38 sjöar har långa och kontinuerliga in situ-register över vattennivån. Eftersom satellitdata är tillförlitliga alternativ till konventionella metoder för att övervaka deltan och sjöar, har jag använt satellitobservationer för att kvantifiera förändringar i ytvattenförekomst i SRD och vattennivåer i svenska sjöar och identifiera deras huvudsakliga drivkrafter. Jag har vidare utvecklat och utforskat en ny metod för uppskattning av sjövattennivån baserad på Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR) genom att beräkna sexdagars fasskillnader i 30 svenska sjöar. För att uppnå dessa mål har jag övat på, samt tillämpat en Maximum Likelihood-klassificering på Landsat-bilder från 1987 till 2020 och kvantifierade ytvattenförekomst och dess förändringar i SRD. Jag har nått slutsatsen att ytvattenförekomsten i 51 % av deltat upplevt en minskning. Eftersom Selengafloden är den enda flod som rinner ut i SRD, korrelerade förändringen i ytvattenförekomsten i SRD med flodutsläpp, men inte med flodens suspenderade sedimentkoncentration, sjövattennivån i SRD:s utlopp eller evapotranspiration över deltat. I Sverige använde jag satellithöjdmätningsdata från ERS-2, ENVISAT, JASON-1,2,3, SARAL och Sentinel-3A/B för att kvantifiera vattennivån i 144 sjöar från 1995-2022. Jag fann att 52 % av sjöarna visade ökande trender (mestadels i norr) och 43 % minskande trender (mestadels i söder). Vattenståndstrender och variationer korrelerade inte starkt med hydroklimatiska förändringar (nederbörd och temperatur) men skilde sig åt i reglerade sjöar jämfört med oreglerade sjöar både i norra och södra Sverige. Resultaten av D-InSAR-metoden för uppskattning av sjövattennivån visade att i två svenska sjöar (Hjälmaren och Solnen) med vattennivåförändringar mindre än en fullständig SAR-fas, korrelerar fasförändringarna med in situ-vattennivåförändringar med ett minsta rotmedelkvadratfel på 0,43 cm i vissa pixlar. I 30 andra sjöar ackumulerade jag fasförändringarna för varje pixel genom hela antalet interferogram för att konstruera vattennivåer. Denna metod replikerade riktningen för vattennivåförändringar som visas av höga Pearsons korrelationer i minst en pixel i varje sjö. Denna avhandling belyser vikten av satellitdata för att uppskatta ytvattenförekomst och sjövattennivå och sätter fokus på framtiden för jordobservationer genom avancerade rymduppdrag som ytvatten och havstopografi (SWOT) och NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). Resultaten understryker behovet av att kontinuerligt övervaka sjövattennivåer och förekomst för att anpassa sig till klimatförändringar och förstå effekterna av vattenreglerande system

Övervakning av tillgång på vatten i norra inlandsvatten från rymden

River deltas and lakes support biodiversity and offer crucial ecosystem services such as freshwater provision, flood control, and fishing. However, climate change and human activities have affected deltas and lakes globally, altering the services they provide. Since delta and lake surface water occurrence and water levels respond to climate change and anthropogenic activities, we need to monitor their variations to understand the potential drivers for effective water management strategies. However, important deltas like the Selenga River Delta (SRD) in Russia lack a detailed analysis of water occurrence. Regarding lake water level, there has been a decline in the number of gauging stations globally, due to installation and maintenance costs. For example, Sweden has ~100,000 lakes which are sources of freshwater and hydro-power, but only 38 lakes have long and continuous in-situ records of water level. As satellite data are reliable alternatives for conventional methods to monitor deltas and lakes, I employed Earth Observations (EO) to quantify changes in surface water occurrence in the SRD and water levels in Swedish lakes and identify their main drivers. I also developed and explored a novel methodology for lake water level estimation based on Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR) by calculating the six-day phase differences in 30 Swedish lakes. To achieve these objectives, I trained and applied a Maximum Likelihood classification to Landsat images from 1987 to 2020 and quantified surface water occurrence and its changes in the SRD. I found that surface water occurrence in 51% of the delta experienced a decrease. As the Selenga River is the only river flowing into the SRD, the change in surface water occurrence in the SRD correlated with river discharge, but not with the river suspended sediment concentration, the lake water level in the outlet of the SRD, or evapotranspiration over the delta. In Sweden, I used satellite altimetry data from ERS-2, ENVISAT, JASON-1,2,3, SARAL, and Sentinel-3A/B to quantify water levels in 144 lakes from 1995-2022. I found that 52% of the lakes showed increasing trends (mostly in the north) and 43% decreasing trends (mostly in the south). Water level trends and variabilities did not correlate strongly with hydroclimatic changes (precipitation and temperature) but differed in regulated lakes compared to unregulated ones, both in the north and in the south of Sweden. The results of the D-InSAR method for water level estimation in two Swedish lakes (Hjälmaren and Solnen) showed that with water level changes smaller than a complete SAR phase, the phase changes correlate with in-situ water level changes with a minimum Root Mean Square Error of 0.43 cm in some pixels. In all 30 lakes, I accumulated the phase changes of each pixel throughout the whole number of interferograms to construct water levels. This method replicated the direction of water level changes shown by high Pearson’s correlations in at least one pixel in each lake. This thesis highlights the importance of EO for estimating surface water occurrence and lake water levels and brings focus to the future of EO through advanced space missions such as Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) and NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). The findings underscore the need to continuously monitor lake water level and occurrence to adapt to climate change and understand the effects of water-regulatory schemes.Floddeltan och sjöar stöder den biologiska mångfalden och erbjuder viktiga ekosystemtjänster som färskvattenförsörjning, översvämningsbekämpning och fiske. Klimatförändringar och mänskliga aktiviteter har dock påverkat deltan och sjöar globalt och förändrat de tjänster de tillhandahåller. Eftersom förekomsten av ytvatten i delta och sjöar och vattennivåerna svarar på klimatförändringar och antropogena aktiviteter måste vi övervaka deras variationer för att förstå de potentiella drivkrafterna för effektiva vattenförvaltningsstrategier. Viktiga deltan som Selenga River Delta (SRD) i Ryssland saknar dock en detaljerad analys av vattenförekomsten. När det gäller sjöarnas vattennivå har antalet mätstationer minskat på grund av installations- och underhållskostnader. Till exempel har Sverige ~ 100 000 sjöar som är källor till sötvatten och vattenkraft, men endast 38 sjöar har långa och kontinuerliga in situ-register över vattennivån. Eftersom satellitdata är tillförlitliga alternativ till konventionella metoder för att övervaka deltan och sjöar, har jag använt satellitobservationer för att kvantifiera förändringar i ytvattenförekomst i SRD och vattennivåer i svenska sjöar och identifiera deras huvudsakliga drivkrafter. Jag har vidare utvecklat och utforskat en ny metod för uppskattning av sjövattennivån baserad på Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR) genom att beräkna sexdagars fasskillnader i 30 svenska sjöar. För att uppnå dessa mål har jag övat på, samt tillämpat en Maximum Likelihood-klassificering på Landsat-bilder från 1987 till 2020 och kvantifierade ytvattenförekomst och dess förändringar i SRD. Jag har nått slutsatsen att ytvattenförekomsten i 51 % av deltat upplevt en minskning. Eftersom Selengafloden är den enda flod som rinner ut i SRD, korrelerade förändringen i ytvattenförekomsten i SRD med flodutsläpp, men inte med flodens suspenderade sedimentkoncentration, sjövattennivån i SRD:s utlopp eller evapotranspiration över deltat. I Sverige använde jag satellithöjdmätningsdata från ERS-2, ENVISAT, JASON-1,2,3, SARAL och Sentinel-3A/B för att kvantifiera vattennivån i 144 sjöar från 1995-2022. Jag fann att 52 % av sjöarna visade ökande trender (mestadels i norr) och 43 % minskande trender (mestadels i söder). Vattenståndstrender och variationer korrelerade inte starkt med hydroklimatiska förändringar (nederbörd och temperatur) men skilde sig åt i reglerade sjöar jämfört med oreglerade sjöar både i norra och södra Sverige. Resultaten av D-InSAR-metoden för uppskattning av sjövattennivån visade att i två svenska sjöar (Hjälmaren och Solnen) med vattennivåförändringar mindre än en fullständig SAR-fas, korrelerar fasförändringarna med in situ-vattennivåförändringar med ett minsta rotmedelkvadratfel på 0,43 cm i vissa pixlar. I 30 andra sjöar ackumulerade jag fasförändringarna för varje pixel genom hela antalet interferogram för att konstruera vattennivåer. Denna metod replikerade riktningen för vattennivåförändringar som visas av höga Pearsons korrelationer i minst en pixel i varje sjö. Denna avhandling belyser vikten av satellitdata för att uppskatta ytvattenförekomst och sjövattennivå och sätter fokus på framtiden för jordobservationer genom avancerade rymduppdrag som ytvatten och havstopografi (SWOT) och NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). Resultaten understryker behovet av att kontinuerligt övervaka sjövattennivåer och förekomst för att anpassa sig till klimatförändringar och förstå effekterna av vattenreglerande system

The Elderly Living Experience of Aging; A Phenomenological Study Case study of elderly people in Isfahan

The elderly are one of the target groups of social workers.The experience of aging, from the point of view of the elderly, on the one hand reveals the facts that are hidden to us and on the other hand provides us with a deep, inclusive and meaningful understanding of the socio-cultural status of aging in society. On this basis, a deeper understanding of the issues and needs and challenges that the elderly face is essential to adopt and develop appropriate programs to achieve dynamic and health-centric agingThis study is a qualitative study using phenomenological approach to study the life experience of elderly people in Isfahan. The sample was saturated in the target-based theoretical sampling method in 20 cases and then no new data were obtained, thus, by the logic of qualitative research sampling, the same number was sufficient, until a semi-structured interview was conducted.Interview data were analyzed using Phenomenological method in Colaizzi method. According to the findings of this study, the problems, needs and harms of old age perceived by the elderly in four physical, economic, emotional and emotional contexts (disrespect and disregard for the elderly, feelings of loneliness and exclusion, deprivation of children and social domination) and social (Lack of familiarity with modern space and curiosity, the problem of leisure time), as well as the perception of the elderly of these times, were identified in two categories: the feeling of dissatisfaction and appreciation (majority narrative) and the feeling of non-biological satisfaction in aging (narrative of the elderly)

Novel targets to overcome antiangiogenesis therapy resistance in glioblastoma multiforme: Systems biology approach and suggestion of therapy by galunisertib

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a tumor with high microvessel density. Antiangiogenesis therapy (AAT) resistance occurs due to the complex mechanisms involved in angiogenesis, with increased chances of recurrence. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway is the main pathway of angiogenesis, and anti-VEGF drugs have been ineffective in controlling it. New oncogenes in the VEGF signaling pathway may be new candidates for angiogenesis targeting. Oncogene candidates were chosen using gene expression profiles and databases. Then oncogenes were subjected to gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and survival analysis (SA). Molecular docking was conducted to evaluate the interaction of the oncogenes with galunisertib. NRAS, AKT1, and HSPB1 were the most effective oncogenes upregulating genes that play a role in GBM expression in the VEGF signaling pathway. The VEGF and MAPK signaling pathways were found to be effective using GSEA and Kyoto Encyclopedia Gene and Genome pathway analysis. Survival analyses revealed that patients with high HSPB1 expression had poorer overall survival rates than those with low HSPB1 expression. Galunisertib exhibits intermolecular interactions with 6DV5, 5UHV, and 3O96 (binding energy -8.0, -8.6, and -10.3 kcal/mol, respectively). The current AAT should be restrategized to suppress the numerous angiogenic elements to manage angiogenesis and combat AAT resistance in GBM. In silico analysis indicated that NRAS, AKT1, and HSPB1 genes can be the main oncogenes in the VEGF signaling pathway and galunisertib strongly interacts with these genes. Consequently, the use of galunisertib to overcome AAT in GBM in combination therapy can be assessed

Multi-Sensor InSAR Assessment of Ground Deformations around Lake Mead and Its Relation to Water Level Changes

Changes in subsurface water resources might alter the surrounding ground by generating subsidence or uplift, depending on geological and hydrogeological site characteristics. Improved understanding of the relationships between surface water storage and ground deformation is important for design and maintenance of hydraulic facilities and ground stability. Here, we construct one of the longest series of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to date, over twenty-five years, to study the relationships between water level changes and ground surface deformation in the surroundings of Lake Mead, United States, and at the site of the Hoover Dam. We use the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) and Permanent scatterer interferometry (PSI) techniques over 177 SAR data, encompassing different SAR sensors including ERS1/2, Envisat, ALOS (PALSAR), and Sentinel-1(S1). We perform a cross-sensor examination of the relationship between water level changes and ground displacement. We found a negative relationship between water level change and ground deformation around the reservoir that was consistent across all sensors. The negative relationship was evident from the long-term changes in water level and deformation occurring from 1995 to 2014, and also from the intra-annual oscillations of the later period, 2014 to 2019, both around the reservoir and at the dam. These results suggest an elastic response of the ground surface to changes in water storage in the reservoir, both at the dam site and around the reservoir. Our study illustrates how InSAR-derived ground deformations can be consistent in time across sensors, showing the potential of detecting longer time-series of ground deformation

A social work study using factor analysis on detecting important factors creating stress: A case study of hydro-power employees

The study performs an empirical study based on the implementation of factor analysis to detect different factors influencing people to have more stress in a hydropower unit located in city of Esfahan, Iran. The study performed the survey among all 81 people who were working for customer service section of this company and consisted of two parts, in the first part; we gather all private information such as age, gender, education, job experience, etc. through seven important questions. In the second part of the survey, there were 66 questions, which included all the relevant factors impacting employees' stress. Cronbach alpha was calculated as 0.946, which is well above the minimum acceptable level. The implementation of factor analysis has detected 16 important groups of factors and each factor is determined by an appropriate name. The results of our factor analysis show that among different factors, difficulty of working condition as well as work pressure are two most important factors increasing stress among employees