Uncertainty in forest net present value estimations

Peer reviewe

Auto Calibration and Optimization of Large-Scale Water Resources Systems

Water resource systems modelling have constantly been a challenge through history for human being. As the innovative methodological development is evolving alongside computer sciences on one hand, researches are likely to confront more complex and larger water resources systems due to new challenges regarding increased water demands, climate change and human interventions, socio-economic concerns, and environment protection and sustainability. In this research, an automatic calibration scheme has been applied on the Gilan's large-scale water resource model using mathematical programming. The water resource model's calibration is developed in order to attune unknown water return flows from demand sites in the complex Sefidroud irrigation network and other related areas. The calibration procedure is validated by comparing several gauged river outflows from the system in the past with model results. The calibration results are pleasantly reasonable presenting a rational insight of the system. Subsequently, the unknown optimized parameters were used in a basin-scale linear optimization model with the ability to evaluate the system's performance against a reduced inflow scenario in future. Results showed an acceptable match between predicted and observed outflows from the system at selected hydrometric stations. Moreover, an efficient operating policy was determined for Sefidroud dam leading to a minimum water shortage in the reduced inflow scenario

Cost-effectiveness of a population-based AAA screening program for men over 65 years old in Iran

Background: Screening program tend to recognized patients in their early stage and consequently improve health outcomes. Cost-effectiveness of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening program has been scarcely studied in developing countries. We sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a screening program for the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in men aged over 65 years in Iran. Methods: A Markov cohort model with 11 mutually exclusive health statuses was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a population-based AAA screening program compared with a no-screening strategy. Transitions between the health statuses were simulated by using 3-month cycles. Data for disease transition probabilities and quality of life outcomes were obtained from published literature, and costs were calculated based on the price of medical services in Iran and the examination of the patients� medical records. The outcomes were life-years gained, the quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), costs, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). The analysis was conducted for a lifetime horizon from the payer�s perspective. Costs and effects were discounted at an annual rate of 3. Uncertainty surrounding the model inputs was tested with deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results: The mean incremental cost of the AAA screening strategy compared with the no-screening strategy was 140 and the mean incremental QALY gain was 0.025 QALY, resulting in an ICER of 5566 (14,656 PPP) per QALY gained. At a willingness-to-pay of 1 gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (5628) per QALY gained, the probability of the cost-effectiveness of AAA screening was about 50. However, at a willingness-to-pay of twice the GDP per capita per QALY gained, there was about a 95 probability for the AAA screening program to be cost-effective in Iran. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that at a willingness-to-pay of 1 GDP per capita per QALY gained, a 1-time AAA screening program for men aged over 65 years could not be cost-effective. Nevertheless, at a willingness-to-pay of twice the GDP per capita per QALY gained, the AAA screening program could be cost-effective in Iran. Further, AAA screening in high-risk groups could be cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay of 1 GDP per capita per QALY gained. © 2021, The Author(s)

Socialsekreterare, klienter och relationen dem emellan

Syftet med min c-uppsats var att undersöka klienters attityder och förväntningar i bemötandet till socialtjänsten. Jag ville även undersöka varför en del klienter blir självförsörjande medan andra inte blir det och vilka faktorer som kan påverka klienten till självförsörjandet, utifrån socialsekreterarnas perspektiv. För att förstå detta och nå mitt mål så bra som möjligt fokuserade jag mest på socialsekreterare, makt, klient, bemötande, handlingsutrymme, relation och professionalitet. I denna forskning använd jag mig av ostrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Jag intervjuade tre socialsekreterare på ett socialkontor och fem klienter på en verksamhet som har samarbete med socialtjänsten. Både socialsekreterarna och klienterna är verksamma inom samma stadsdel. Utifrån både klienternas och socialsekreterarnas perspektiv har bemötandet spelat stor roll för att handlägga ett ärende. Alla socialsekreterarna tyckte att de är viktiga personer för att påverka klienten till självförsörjande och de tyckte att tydligheten i bemötandet underlättar både handledning och beslutfattandet. De flesta av klienterna var nöjda med sina socialsekreterare och de tyckte att det är bra att socialtjänsten finns

Development of 3D-printed droplet-based microfluidic devices for biosensing applications

This thesis explores the area of droplet-based microfluidics, investigating the underlying principles, fabrication technique, and experimental methodologies of this rapidly evolving field having the aim of developing devices capable of encapsulating biological molecules (e.g., dopamine) in a droplet for later measurement of the encapsulated molecule concentration by a biosensor embedded under the microfluidic chip. The first chapter introduces the field, explaining the background and the motivations driving research in droplet-based microfluidics. The chapter also describes the thesis's structure. The second chapter, the literature review, delves deeply into the fundamental concepts required to comprehend droplet-based microfluidics. It presents the fundamentals of microfluidics, including laminar flow, fluid dynamics, and the critical dimensionless parameters that govern fluid behaviour at the microscale. The chapter additionally discusses droplet generation mechanisms, including passive and active methods, and various applications of droplet-based microfluidics. The fabrication methods and experimental techniques are described in detail in Chapter 3. This section discusses the materials and methods used in device fabrication, with an emphasis on stereolithography (3D printing) and post-processing steps. The experimental setup for droplet generation and size measurement is described, as well as the results of various experiments. Droplet generation factors such as microchannel geometry, carrier oils, and surface tension are thoroughly investigated. The research is expanded in Chapter 4 to include a numerical investigation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. This computational method improves our understanding of the complex fluid dynamics involved in droplet formation and manipulation

Task type and incidental L2 vocabulary learning: Repetition versus task involvement load

This study investigated the effect of task type on incidental L2 vocabulary learning. The different tasks investigated in this study differed in terms of repetition of encounters and task involvement load. In a within-subjects design, 72 Iranian learners of English practised 18 target words in three exercise conditions: three multiple-choice exercises, three fill-in-the-blank exercises, and one sentence-making exercise. An unannounced receptive vocabulary recall post-test was used to measure the participants’ retention of the meaning of the target words. The results revealed that exercise condition had a significant effect on the mean scores for the three conditions, with words practised under the three multiple-choice and the three fill-in-the-blank exercises conditions being recalled significantly better than those practised under the one sentence-making condition. However, there was no significant difference between the three multiple-choice and the three fill-in-the-blank conditions. The results suggest that incidental vocabulary learning is more affected by repetition of encounters than by elaboration of meaning

First Language Activation during Second Language Lexical Processing in a Sentential Context

Lexicalization-patterns, the way words are mapped onto concepts, differ from one language      to another. This study investigated the influence of first language (L1) lexicalization patterns on the processing of second language (L2) words in sentential contexts by both less proficient and more proficient Persian learners of English. The focus was on cases where two different senses of a polysemous word in Persian are realized by two independent words in English. For example, Persian uses ‘ماه’ to refer to both ‘moon’ and ‘month’ in English. In the present study, the researchers examined the processing of English translations (moon, month) of polysemous Persian words such as ‘ماه’ in a semantic anomaly judgment task. The participants who were two groups of more proficient and less proficient Persian learners of English were presented with two types of anomalous sentences: anomalous test sentences in which one of the two English words (e.g., month) was used in a context where the other word (e.g., moon) was appropriate (e.g., “A pleasant thing to watch at night is a full month”) and anomalous control sentences in which the same word was used in a context where neither of the two words was appropriate (e.g., “A pleasant thing to eat at night is a full month”). The participants were asked to judge, as quickly and accurately as possible, whether the final word could complete the sentence meaningfully (YES response) or whether the final word was semantically unacceptable (NO response). The participants’ reaction time (RT) for correct No responses and their error rates were recorded using DMDX, a psycholinguistics experimentation software package. Using two General Linear Model Repeated Measures, a main effect of sentence type was obtained in the analysis of both RT and errors. Also, there was an interaction between sentence type and proficiency level in the analysis of both RT and errors. The results are discussed in terms of the activation of the semantic specifications of L1 translation equivalent of L2 words

Assessing Reliability of Two Versions of Vocabulary Levels Tests in Iranian Context

This study examined the equivalence and reliability of the two versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test in an Iranian context. This study was motivated by the fact that the Vocabulary Levels test is increasingly being used in Iran for both research and pedagogical purposes without having been checked for validity and reliability in this context. The equivalence and reliability of the two versions of the test were examined through the parallel-form approach to reliability in Classical True Score theory. Seventy-five intermediate learners of English as a foreign language at the Iran Language Institute took the two versions of the test with one week interval between the two administrations in a counterbalanced fashion. To examine the equivalence of the two versions, the means and variances of the scores obtained for the two tests were compared using paired-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA, respectively. The results of the analyses indicated that the difference between the means of the two versions was significant, and the two versions cannot be considered as parallel forms. To assess the reliability of the two versions, the correlation between the scores obtained from them was estimated using Pearson Product Moment correlation. The results of the analyses showed that the two versions are highly correlated and are reliable tests. It is concluded that the two versions should not be treated as equivalent in longitudinal and gain score studies

A Comparison Investigation of Financial Reporting Quality in Financially Distressed and Non-Distressed FirmsCase Study: Listed Companies in TSE

The aim of this research is the comparison of financial reporting quality in Financially Distressed and Non-Distressed Firms of Tehran Stock Exchange. To do this research, the number of 70 distressed companies and also 70 active and non-distressed companies of TSE based on Altman & Spivack (1983) Model during 2002-2009 were investigated. In order to determine of financial reporting quality in companies was applied Barth et al. (2001) Model in econometric software EViews 6. To compare financial reporting quality of two samples was used independence t-Test, and to testify of equality in two samples variances applied Levene Test and also to analyze of data exerted statistics software SPSS. The findings indicate that financial reporting quality in accepted non- distressed companies of TSE in comparison to distressed companies is less; however, it has low stability. We include that the active and non- distressed companies in TSE manage earnings or un-favorite position of economic in our country has harden the prediction of future cash flows and decreased financial reporting quality in such companies bases on the results of this study