Janssen effect and the stability of quasi 2-D sandpiles

We present the results of three dimensional molecular dynamics study of global normal stresses in quasi two dimensional sandpiles formed by pouring mono dispersed cohesionless spherical grains into a vertical granular Hele-Shaw cell. We observe Janssen effect which is the phenomenon of pressure saturation at the bottom of the container. Simulation of cells with different thicknesses shows that the Janssen coefficient $\kappa$ is a function of the cell thickness. Dependence of global normal stresses as well as $\kappa$ on the friction coefficients between the grains ($\mu_p$) and with walls ($\mu_w$) are also studied. The results show that in the range of our simulations $\kappa$ usually increases with wall-grain friction coefficient. Meanwhile by increasing $\mu_p$ while the other system parameters are fixed, we witness a gradual increase in $\kappa$ to a parameter dependent maximal value

Investigating the Effective Factors on the Needle Stick Injuries and Personnel’s Approach in Bahar Medical Education Center in Shahroud During 2009-2018

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the causes and rate of needle stick injuries among Bahar Hospital in Shahroud during 2009-2018. Methods: This is a descriptive case series study conducted in Bahar educational and research center in Shahroud. The study population included all health care workers and service staff during 2009-2018. Census sampling was performed using health care records of the medical and paramedical group (individual at risk of occupational exposure) from the beginning of January 2009 to the end of December 2018. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequency), and t-test and analysis of variances for quantitative values. Results: A total of 246 cases of needle sticks were reported in ten years. Most cases belonged to bachelor's staff (69.1%), nursing job group (69.5%), emergency department and labor (28.9%), equipment of injections (75.6%), injections (45.5%), carelessness (37%), recapping  (24.8%), and at night shift (51.6%) were observed. Bleeding from the injured site was the most common post-exposure action (44.3%). Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence of needle stick among health care workers, instruction of prevention methods, holding educational classes, emphasizing on vaccination, controlling HBV antibody titer, and designing a precise reporting mechanism for personnel is necessary. Keywords: Needle Stick, Health Care Workers, Incidence, Iran

The Interplay among Emotions, Creativity and Emotional Intelligence: A Case of Iranian EFL Teachers

It goes without saying that educators strive for the ideal of developing higher order thinking skills like critical, reflective, logical, metacognitive, and creative thinking among their learners. Wundt (1916) considered lower order skills like Emotions as the base for the creation of these skills. Research on emotions and Emotional Intelligence has significantly increased over the past two decades with many fields contributing including psychology, neuroscience, sociology and endocrinology. The current study tried to uncover the interplay among Creativity, Emotions and Emotional Intelligence. To this end, the researchers studied the relationship of the constructs among 160 EFL learners. The results of the study showed no relationship between EQ and creativity, however, EQ components positively and significantly influence positive emotions and the reverse is true for negative emotions; EQ influences negative emotions, negatively and significantly. The findings of the current study could help further the knowledge on the interplay among Emotional issues and Creativity

A review on the application of hairy roots in removing phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions

Background and Objective: The presence of toxic compounds, including phenol, due to industrial development, poses a threat to the environment. Utilizing hairy roots has emerged as a potential method to remove these toxins. This review aims to explore the efficacy of hairy roots in absorbing phenol pollutants and the influencing parameters. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using a descriptive-review method based on existing literature gathered from databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The focus of the study was on the purification of phenol using hairy roots. Keywords such as Phytoremediation, Hairy root, Phenol, and Transgenic roots were used for data collection. Results: Results show successful phenol removal by hairy roots, potentially attributed to abundant production of peroxidase enzymes. Various factors, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), incubation time, pH, plant species, and pollutant concentration, impact phenol removal efficiency. Notably, plants like Brassica napus, rich in peroxidase enzymes, exhibit high efficiency in removing phenol pollution up to 500 mg/L, with H2O2 and within a pH range of 4-9. Conclusion: In conclusion, hair roots possess significant adsorption capacity for phenol. However, phenol concentration, contact time, pH, and temperature influence their performance. Therefore, further research is required to explore optimal conditions for phenol removal

Numerical Modeling of Capacitive Deionization Desalination and Studying the Effect of Effective Parameters on Its Performance

Due to the lack of fresh water, production of potable water is one of the important issues for mankind. Capacitive deionization is one of the methods that has recently attracted the attention of researchers due to its simplicity, low price and low energy consumption. The main challenge of this method is high energy consumption at high water concentrations. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the effect of different effective parameters to improve the system performance. These parameters include feeding voltage, process time, electrode surface area and its capacitance value, overall transfer coefficient, volumetric flow rate and concentration of the feed water, and micropores’ volume, whose effects on energy consumption and number of cycles required to produce potable water are investigated. Results showed that the electrode capacitance and micropores’ volume decreased the necessary process cycles (reducing desalination process time) to produce potable water without significant changes in the energy consumption. The feeding voltage, volumetric flow rate and concentration of the feed water significantly affected the process time and energy consumption. For feed water concentration between 5 and 25 mM, results showed that the minimum values for the desalination process time, electrode surface area, and overall transfer coefficient, are 400 s, 50 cm2 and 0.9 µm/s, respectively. To improve the performance of desalination process in the capacitive deionization cell, development on the physical properties (increasing micropores) and the electrical properties (increasing capacitance value) of the electrodes, as the most important parameters, is suggested

Assessment of Nutritional and Antioxidant Activity of Sport Drink Enriched with Spirulina platensis

In this study, a sports drink was prepared with the addition of different concentrations of Spirulina platensis (0.05%, 0.125%, and 0.25% w/w). Spirulina biomass was extracted by ethanol, ethanol/water, and water and added to a sports drink. During storage time (21 days, 4°C), the chemical properties of these drinks such as antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, and total sugar were evaluated. The lowest and highest amount of total sugar also was observed in the control sample, and sports drink containing 0.25% aqueous extract, respectively. After 21 days of storage, total sugar decreased by 40%, 27.25% and 38% for samples containing 0.25% alcoholic, water and hydroalcoholic extracts. The ascorbic acid content of sports drinks was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the treatment sample in the comparison with control sample. Content of ascorbic acid was highest in sports drinks containing 0.25% aqueous extract and decreased (up to 1.3mg/100cc) with storage. The addition of spirulina increased the antioxidant activity of the sports drink. Among the sports drinks containing alcoholic, water and hydroalcoholic extracts, minimum control of free radicals, respectively pertained to the samples containing 0.05% of Spirulina extract (18.31, 23.33 and 22.11) after 21 days of storage. Also, the antioxidant properties of the sports drink samples decreased during storage time. According to the findings of this research, the addition of spirulina extract to sports drinks improves their nutritional and antioxidant characteristics

A Comparison of Human Development in Psychology and Nahj al-Balaghah

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: From the viewpoint of psychologists, creation of human from birth to death has various stages, namely fetus, childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age. Apart from biological and cognitive features, these stages have particular social and emotional characteristics which transcend individuals. Imams (PBUT) have paid particular attention to educational recommendations for different ages due to their special characteristics. In this regard, the recommendations of Imam Ali (PBUH) considering ways of treating children, adolescents, and young people indicate his awareness of the difference in physical, cognitive and psychological characteristics and age-specific needs of individuals. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of examining the developmental stages of human in Nahj al-Balaghah from Imam Ali's viewpoints and that of psychology.Method: This study has adopted an analytical-library approach. After studying different books of psychology and Nahj al-Balaghah, the developmental stages of human, and its different characteristics were described. Books from the Islamic and religious sciences, especially those related to the words of Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balaghah as well as books related to the developmental psychology, and articles related to the religious field and psychology were used. During this research, all ethical issues were observed and authors reported no conflict of interests.Results: The findings of psychologists such as Piaget, Eriksson in different embryonic, childhood, adolescence, youth and old age periods are in line with the statements of Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balaghah. From his point of view, each of the stages of development has a special sensitivity that needs to be addressed.Conclusion: The developments in hereditary, social context, psychological and physical factors, and prenatal and postnatal stages were taken into account .In order for individuals to succeed in these stages of growth, beside proper nutrition and a rich environment, education and training tips are very influential. In addition to psychological approaches, in Nahj al-Balaghah issues such as parent-child relationships, making friends, marriage, and communication with the elderly have been pointed out.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: Mousavi SE, Elahi T, Masjedi Arani A, Saleck Ebrahimi L, Jalilpour M, Shahsavari Z. A Comparison of Human Development in Psychology and Nahj al-Balaghah. J Res Relig Health. 2019; 4(5): 129- 140

Altered Expression of Specific Transcription Factors of Th17 (RORγt, RORα) and Treg Lymphocytes (FOXP3) by Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

The imbalance in Th17/Treg cell-related responses plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The development of Th17- and Treg cells is regulated by specific transcription factors—RORγt and RORα— and FOXP3, respectively. The aim was to determine the expression of RORγt, RORα, and FOXP3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from MS patients following in vitro stimulation. The PBMCs from 22 MS patients and 20 healthy subjects were cultured in the presence of 10 μg/ml MOG, 10 μg/ml PHA, or without stimulation. The PBMCs were incubated at 37 °C for 24 h, and then the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of RORγt, RORα, and FOXP3 was determined by real-time PCR. The expression of RORγt and RORα was increased in non-stimulated, MOGstimulated, and PHA-stimulated PBMCs from MS patients in comparison with same cultures from the healthy group (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, and P < 0.02 forRORγt; P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.05, for RORα, respectively). The FOXP3 expression in non-stimulated PBMCs from MS patients was significantly lower than that in equal culture from healthy subjects (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between healthy subjects and MS patients regarding the expression of FOXP3 mRNA by MOG-stimulated and PHAstimulated PBMCs. These results showed an imbalance in Th17/Treg cells at transcription factor levels with a deviation toward Th17 cell in MS. The correction of Th17/Treg balance at transcription levels should be considered to design novel therapeutic strategies for MS treatment

Socially assistive robots in health and social care: Acceptance and cultural factors. Results from an exploratory international online survey

Aim: This study explored the views of an international sample of registered nurses and midwives working in health and social care concerning socially assistive robots (SARs), and the relationship between dimensions of culture and rejection of the idea that SARs had benefits in these settings. Methods: An online survey was used to obtain rankings of (among other topics) the extent to which SARs have benefits for health and social care. It also asked for free text responses regarding any concerns about SARs. Results: Most respondents were overwhelmingly positive about SARs' benefits. A small minority strongly rejected this idea, and qualitative analysis of the objections raised by them revealed three major themes: things might go wrong, depersonalization, and patient‐related concerns. However, many participants who were highly accepting of the benefits of SARs expressed similar objections. Cultural dimensions of long‐term orientation and uncertainty avoidance feature prominently in technology acceptance research. Therefore, the relationship between the proportion of respondents from each country who felt that SARs had no benefits and each country's ratings on long‐term orientation and uncertainty avoidance were also examined. A significant positive correlation was found for long‐term orientation, but not for uncertainty avoidance. Conclusion: Most respondents were positive about the benefits of SARs, and similar concerns about their use were expressed both by those who strongly accepted the idea that they had benefits and those who did not. Some evidence was found to suggest that cultural factors were related to rejecting the idea that SARs had benefits

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations