A Genetic Algorithm Meta-Heuristic for a Generalized Quadratic Assignment Problem

The generalized quadratic assignment problem (GQAP) is one of the hardest problems to solve in the operations research area. The GQAP addressed in this work is defined as the task of minimizing the assignment and transportation costs of assigning a set of facilities to a set of locations. The facilities have different space requirements, and the locations have different space capacities. Multiple facilities can be assigned to each location if the space capacity is not violated. In this work, three instances of GQAP in different situations are presented. Then, a genetic algorithm is developed to solve the GQAP instances. Finally, the local neighborhood search with the steepest descend strategy is constructed and applied to the final solution obtained by the GA, and the final solution is compared with the best solution found by MPL/CPLEX software and reference papers. The results show that the developed GA heuristic is effective for solving the GQAP

Reflective Thinking and Reflective Teaching among Iranian EFL Teachers: Do Gender and Teaching Experience Make a Difference?

AbstractThe present study investigated the relationship between reflective teaching and reflective thinking of Iranian EFL teachers regarding gender and teaching experience. To this end, 233 teachers were surveyed using English Language Teaching Reflection Inventory (Akbari, Behzadpoor, & Dadvand, 2010), and Teachers’ Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (Choy & Oo, 2012). The results of Pearson product moment correlation indicated there was a significant positive correlation between reflective teaching and reflective thinking of Iranian EFL teachers. The results of Independent Samples t-tests revealed significant differences between male and female Iranian EFL teachers in terms of both reflective teaching and reflective thinking. The results of one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc analysis respectively indicated that teaching experience significantly differentiated Iranian EFL teachers concerning reflective teaching, i.e. high-experienced teachers significantly outperformed mid-experienced teachers who, in turn, outperformed their low-experienced counterparts in this regard

The Relationship among Academic Self-Regulation, Academic Self-Efficacy and Anxiety regarding Academic Procrastination

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic self-regulation, academic self- efficacy and anxiety with academic procrastination among students of Payam Nour Universities in Arak and Qom in the 2013-2014 academic year. Through descriptive and correlational data analysis, the researcher sought to examine the question whether the main variables can predict academic procrastination perfectly or not? According to Morgans’ samples table, 385 subjects were invited to this study in order to investigate the hypotheses. The results showed that there is a negative relationship between academic self-regulation and academic self- efficacy and also there is a positive relationship between anxiety and academic procrastination. Also the linear regression analysis showed that academic self-regulation, academic self- Efficacy and anxiety are able to predict academic procrastination significantly

Fear of cancer recurrence and coping strategies among prostate cancer survivors : A qualitative study

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Teachers and student nurses’ attitudes towards caring for older adults in Arak, 2012

Background and aim: Nurses are an important part of the care team that in the care of the elderly plays a major role that their attitudes towards working with older people have an impact on the quality of care. This study was aimed to determine the attitude of teachers and nursing students towards the nursing care of the elderly. Methods: In this descriptive analytical study, all of 116 nursing students of third and fourth year and 22 clinical instructors in Arak University of Medical Sciences participated in this study in 2012. Samples were selected with census method. Data collection instrument was an investigator- made questionnaire that its validity and reliability was established. Scores of attitudes were arranged to three levels of weak, average and good after recoded in terms of accepted scores. Results: In terms of attitudes toward care of older people, findings showed that teachers (3.69±0.42) have more positive attitude toward caring for the elderly compared to students with an average of 3.45±0.32. This difference was significant (P=0.01). The majority of nursing students (83.6%) and teachers (72.7%) had moderate attitude towards the care of elderly patients. Conclusion: Although obvious weakness of this approach was less visible teachers can be a suitable model by knowledge and a change in their attitude for their students and try for induction understanding of health value for all members of society, and create better living conditions for them

Effect of chamomile on the complications of cancer : A systematic review

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Sludge-based activated carbon for removal of Cadmium in the water resource; Financial feasibility

Sludge-based activated carbon (AC) was prepared for the cadmium (Cd) removal from the aqueous solution. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared were applied as two main techniques to investigate the surface characterizations of the adsorbent. Response surface methodology (RSM), which was coupled with central composite design (CCD), was applied to study the impact of three major parameters, such as pH, dosage (D) and initial concentrate (C) on the percentage of Cadmium removal. The RSM model indicates that the optimum points of Cd removal were 90% at pH = 8.74 and D/C = 50. The Financial Feasibility and Investment Strategy was also investigated to consider key indicators in the financial feasibility of water treatment projects. The present study shows the systematic investigation of an attractive adsorbent to remove Cd from an aqueous solution. Also, in this study, modern investment strategies and efficient financing methods for water treatment projects are provided. The results showed that this type of adsorbent is appropriately able to eliminate Cd from water and aqueous solution

Epidemiological characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in IRAN: A single center study.

BackgroundAn outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran has spread throughout the country. Identifying the epidemiological characteristics of this disease will help to make appropriate decisions and thus control the epidemic. The aim of this study was characterization of the epidemiological features of COVID-19 in Iran.MethodsIn this retrospective study, data related to the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted to Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from 19 February 2020 to 15 April 2020 have been analyzed and reported. Patient characteristics including age, gender and underlying diseases were investigated. Data were collected through patient records. Sex ratio, Case Fatality Rate (CFR) and daily trend of cases were also determined. A multiple logistic regression analysis was also performed to assess affecting factors on mortality.ResultsFrom February 19, 2020 to April 15, 2020, 12870 patients referred to the hospital emergency department, of which 2968 were hospitalized with COVID-19 diagnosis. The majority of cases were in the age group of 50 to 60 years of old. The male-to-female ratio was 1.93:1. A total of 239 deaths occurred among all cases for an overall CFR of 1.85% based on the total number of patients (both outpatient and inpatient) and 8.06% among hospitalized patients. Out of all patients 10.89% had comorbidity. Diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, chronic Kidney diseases and cancer were the most common comorbidities with 3.81, 2.02 , 1.99 , 1.25, 0.60 and 0.57 %, respectively. Male gender (OR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.08-1.96), older age (OR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.04-1.06) and having underlying diseases (OR=1.53, 95% CI: 1.04-2.24) were significantly associated with mortality.ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that Male gender, older age and having comorbidities were significantly associated with the risk of death among COVID-19 patients. It is important to pay special attention to male elderly patients with underlying diseases

Olfactory function following open rhinoplasty: A 6-month follow-up study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients undergoing any type of nasal surgery may experience degrees of postoperative olfactory dysfunction. We sought to investigate "when" the olfactory function recovers to its preoperative levels.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this cohort design, 40 of 65 esthetic open rhinoplasty candidates with equal gender distribution, who met the inclusion criteria, were assessed for their olfactory function using the Smell Identification Test (SIT) with 40 familiar odors in sniffing bottles. All the patients were evaluated for the SIT scores preoperatively and postoperatively (at week 1, week 6, and month 6).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At postoperative week one, 87.5% of the patients had anosmia, and the rest exhibited at least moderate levels of hyposmia. The anosmia, which was the dominant pattern at postoperative week 1, resolved and converted to various levels of hyposmia, so that no one at postoperative week 6 showed any such complain. At postoperative week six, 85% of the subjects experienced degrees of hyposmia, almost all being mild to moderate. At postoperative six month, the olfactory function had already reverted to the preoperative levels: no anosmia or moderate to severe hyposmia. A repeated ANOVA was indicative of significant differences in the olfactory function at the different time points. According to our post hoc Benfronney, the preoperative scores had a significant difference with those at postoperative week 1, week 6, but not with the ones at month 6.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Esthetic open rhinoplasty may be accompanied by some degrees of postoperative olfactory dysfunction. Patients need a time interval of 6 weeks to 6 months to fully recover their baseline olfactory function.</p