Fasciculate kleopatrinid corals from the Bashkirian (Late Carboniferous) of Sardar Formation (Ozbak-Kuh mountains, East-central Iran)

In the East-Central Iran, the Sardar Formation (upper Visean–Moscovian) consists of shallow-water limestone with intercalations of shale containing rugose corals, tabulate corals and brachiopods. Ten sections were sampled in the Ozbak-kuh Mountains, from north to south. Among the rugose corals, an assemblage of fasciculate Kleopatrinidae has been collected. The latter contains the species: Paraheritschioides antoni antoni, P. antoni minor, P. gracilis and two new species for the genera Fomichevella and Heintzella. Heintzella is described from Iran for the first time. However, its age, as determined by conodonts and foraminifers, is early to middle Bashkirian (early late Carboniferous). The most similar, time-equivalent faunal associations are that of the Ellesmere Island, Sverdrup Basin in Arctic Canada, Alexander terrane and Brooks Range in southeastern Alaska and eastern Klamath terrane in northern California, where similar tropical warm water conditions have been identified during the Bashkirian in the northern hemisphere. During these times central Iran block and Northern provinces, characterized by a dominant carbonate facies and more diversified colonial coral faunas

Assessing mental health literacy: What medical sciences students' know about depression

Background: Mental health literacy is an individual's knowledge and belief about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management and prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate mental health literacy among students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected by the anonymous self-administered questionnaires and finally 324 students participated in the study. Random cluster sampling was used. Questions were in different areas of the mental health literacy for depression include recognition of disorder, intended actions to seek help and perceived barriers, beliefs about interventions, prevention, stigmatization and impact of media. T-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean (±SD) age was 23.5±2.8. The participants were 188 (58.1) females and 136 (41.9) males. In response to the recognition of the disorder 115 (35.6) students mentioned the correct answer. In help-seeking area, 208 (64.3) gave positive answer. The majority of affected students sought for help from their friends and parents. Stigma was the greatest barrier for seeking help. Television and Internet were the most common sources of information related to mental health. Conclusion: Generally students' mental health literacy on depression was low in some areas. Appropriate educational programs specifically for reducing mental disorders stigma seems necessary. Organizing networks of co-helper students for mental health could be considered

The evaluation of level of knowledge, attitude and practice of evidence-based practice and its barriers among nurses working in selected Iranian hospitals

It is necessary to achieve clinical effectiveness through evidence-based practice in modern healthcare organization all over the world. Evidence-based practice is critical to improve the quality of health care. The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge, attitude and evidence-based performance and barriers of its usage among nurses. This is an applied, descriptive and cross-sectional survey that was carried out in selected hospitals under supervision of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Statistical society consisted of 250 nurses working in different departments of hospitals who were selected randomly. Data was collected through the following standard questionnaires: Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ) and assessing the barriers of research usage. Finally, data analysis was done using SPSS and Pearson Test. In this study, the levels of knowledge, attitude and evidence-based practice of nurses were measured as 60.42, 85.66 and 57.66 respectively. In addition, there was significant relation between knowledge, attitude and practice. The main barriers to use of research in performance were non-participation of physicians, lack of permission by manager, time deficiency and inadequacy of the new publication rate. Earning research and IT skills improves knowledge of nurses. Through increasing awareness of nurses about positive effects of evidence-based practice in patients care, nurses will pay more attention to evidences. Enhancing the knowledge has improved attitude and this improvement has led to increase level of performance. © 2016 Zahra Naderkhah et al

Land Use Regression Modelling of Outdoor NO₂ and PM2.5 Concentrations in Three Low Income Areas in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Air pollution can cause many adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Land use regression (LUR) models are frequently used to describe small-scale spatial variation in air pollution levels based on measurements and geographical predictors. They are particularly suitable in resource limited settings and can help to inform communities, industries, and policy makers. Weekly measurements of NO₂ and PM2.5 were performed in three informal areas of the Western Cape in the warm and cold seasons 2015⁻2016. Seasonal means were calculated using routinely monitored pollution data. Six LUR models were developed (four seasonal and two annual) using a supervised stepwise land-use-regression method. The models were validated using leave-one-out-cross-validation and tested for spatial autocorrelation. Annual measured mean NO₂ and PM2.5 were 22.1 μg/m³ and 10.2 μg/m³, respectively. The NO₂ models for the warm season, cold season, and overall year explained 62%, 77%, and 76% of the variance (R²). The PM2.5 annual models had lower explanatory power (R² = 0.36, 0.29, and 0.29). The best predictors for NO₂ were traffic related variables (major roads, bus routes). Local sources such as grills and waste burning sites appeared to be good predictors for PM2.5, together with population density. This study demonstrates that land-use-regression modelling for NO₂ can be successfully applied to informal peri-urban settlements in South Africa using similar predictor variables to those performed in Europe and North America. Explanatory power for PM2.5 models is lower due to lower spatial variability and the possible impact of local transient sources. The study was able to provide NO₂ and PM2.5 seasonal exposure estimates and maps for further health studies