Genre-based Discourse Analysis of Wedding Invitation Cards in Iran

Wedding Invitation is one of the important text genres. Having drawn on Swales' (1990) genre analysis approach and Kress and Van Leeuwen's (1996) multimodality point of view on textual analysis, one case study has been conducted. The present study analyzed various expressions of wedding invitation genres in Iran in order to find generic and schematic structures as well as linguistic features in them and also communicative functions which were expressed by their generic components. Therefore, a corpus of 200 wedding invitations was randomly selected. Similarities and differences were found. The results revealed eight moves out of which one was optional. Moreover, the wedding invitation card pockets were analyzed and five moves have been found out of which three were optional. Furthermore, the lexico-grammatical features and schematic structure illustrated a series of socio-cultural values as well as Iranian and Islamic norms regarding men and women

The Role and Station of the Teacher in Formation of the Social Skills in Disabled Students in an inclusive Education Program

An inclusive educational program must include some planning for social embracement for students with special needs to be more effective. This is usually done by teachers. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to find out about the role and station of teacher in forming the social skills of the students with special needs and disabilities in an inclusive education system. This is a descriptive-analytical study which falls under the descriptive research category. In this work, a collection of theories and perspectives by specialists in the field of disabled children education was analyzed. The findings show that the teacher has an important role in enhancing the social skills of students with disabilities. It is on this basis that the teacher can take advantage of various techniques and approaches such as collective learning and same-age teaching that he makes some efforts in teaching some social skills to students with disability so they can fulfill their educational, financial and especially social goals. Expansion of social skills in disabled students can significantly increase their ability in getting along with others and conducting appropriate socially acceptable behaviors, their popularity among their peers, teachers, parents and other adults and independence in their personal life. Keywords: Inclusive  Education , Social Skills, Disabled Student

Assessment of tuberculosis among male prisoners in Shiraz central prison, south of Iran.

Background: Prisons play an important role in the prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB) in a region. This study aimed to determine the situation of TB in high-risk male prisoners in Shiraz central prison of Fars province in southern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study (June-October 2018) was conducted on male prisoners in Shiraz central prison, southern Iran. According to 4 criteria, the prisoners were determined as high-risk prisoners for TB, and para clinical tests included three sputum samples and chest radiograph were performed for them. Then, the high risk and low risk participants were compared in terms of demographic characteristics and past medical history. Results: Among 2,995 prisoners, only 108 (3.6%) had at least one of the high-risk criteria. But after performing further TB tests for these prisoners, no prisoners with TB disease were found. The high-risk prisoners were statistically older than low-risk prisoners (38.30±9.74 vs. 35.17±9.62, P=0.001). Also, the length of incarceration was statistically different in both groups (P=0.002), and drug abuse was more in high-risk group (P<0.001). Moreover, high risk prisoners used cigarettes/day more (14.87±11.55 vs. 9.71±9.09, P<0.001), but both groups were not different in term of the marital status (P=0.519), educational level (P=0.662), job (P=0.39), and nationality (P=0.342). Conclusion: Our results showed that none of the high-risk prisoners for TB had positive test. The length of incarceration, drug abuse, smoking, as well as age were more in high-risk prisoners in comparing low risk group

A Study on the Indices of Professional Ethics the Martyr Teacher Morteza Motahari's Point of View

The present study aims to elaborate on the parameters of ethics of professional teaching from the point of view of Martyr Motahari. This qualitative study was conducted analytically and descriptively so as some parameters of ethics in professional teaching were extracted from ethical and educational views of Martyr Motahari.  These parameters could be listed as follows: training intellection as the first step of ethics; encouraging intellection and avoiding radical transmission of knowledge to students; augmenting senses in order to reach rational independence; attending to differences in thinking levels of students; trying to modify learning spirit; creating an inquisitive spirit in students; respecting and appreciating the educator; teaching useful knowledge and avoiding wasting time of the trainees; providing the basis for freedom of speech in class; ethical philosophy of the trainees; scientific modesty and improving the sense of religiosity. Keywords: Ethics; Muslim thinkers; Ethics of professional teaching; Martyr Motahar

The Spatial Distribution of Cancer Incidence in Fars Province: A GIS-Based Analysis of Cancer Registry Data

Background: Cancer is a major health problem in the developing countries. Variations of its incidence rate among geographical areas are due to various contributing factors. This study was performed to assess the spatial patterns of cancer incidence in the Fars Province, based on cancer registry data and to determine geographical clusters. Methods: In this cross sectional study, the new cases of cancer were recorded from 2001 to 2009. Crude incidence rate was estimated based on age groups and sex in the counties of the Fars Province. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) per 100,000 was calculated in each year. Spatial autocorrelation analysis was performed in measuring the geographic patterns and clusters using geographic information system (GIS). Also, comparisons were made between ASRs in each county. Results: A total of 28,411 new cases were diagnosed with cancer during 2001 2009 in the Fars Province, 55.5% of which were men. The average age was 61.6 ± 0.5 years. The highest ASR was observed in Shiraz, which is the largest county in Fars. The Moran\u27s Index of cancer was significantly clustered in 2004, 2005, and 2006 in total, men, and women. The type of spatial clustering was high high cluster, that to indicate from north west to south east of Fars Province. Conclusions: Analysis of the spatial distribution of cancer shows significant differences from year to year and between different areas. However, a clear spatial autocorrelation is observed, which can be of great interest and importance to researchers for future epidemiological studies, and to policymakers for applying preventive measures

Phage Therapy as a New Approach in Treating Emerging Antibiotic Resistant Infections

Despite the progress in treatment of infectious diseases, ability of microorganisms to develop the resistance to routine antibiotics has still remained as a big global challenge in clinics. This subject matter keeps the infections top in the list of life threatening diseases especially in those individuals suffering from nosocomial infections. The importance of this global health challenge urges researchers to find an alternative solution with more efficacies to treat infections. There are some alternative approaches by which the global spread of resistant bacteria could be controlled. Through these ways, using bacteriophages instead of different generation of antibiotics brings many promises. According to results of different studies using bacteriophages in the management of infectious disease especially in nosocomial infections not only helps to reduce the spread of antibiotics resistance but also raises the hopes for the rescue of the suffering patients. Bacteriophages can open a new therapeutic window in the control and the treatment of the infectious disease with better efficacy.HIGHLIGHTS•Bacteriophage can be used as an antimicrobial agent for treatment of bacterial infection.•Bacterial resistance to routine antibiotics is a big challenge in the world.•Specificity toward bacteria is one of the important characteristic of phages

Prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug abuse in Iranian adults: Results of Azar Cohort Study

Background: Substance abuse has significant health impacts on families and society as a whole. We aimed to provide detailed prevalence estimates of substance abuse among the Azar Cohort Study respondents in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: Data on 15006 participants of Azar Cohort Study were analyzed. The variables included tobacco smoking, alcohol use, drug abuse, and socio-demographic characteristics. The prevalence of substance abuse (with a 95% confidence interval) was calculated using the direct standardization method. Results: Overall, 9.3% and 6.2% of the participants were regular and heavy cigarette smokers, respectively. Also, 1.9% and 2.1% of participants reported a history of using illicit drugs and alcohol, respectively. Substance abuse was more prevalent among males than females. Substance abuse varied significantly with age and socioeconomic variables. Conclusion: We identified specific demographic and socioeconomic groups with a higher prevalence of all studied behaviors. Such high-risk groups should be targeted when designing substance abuse prevention programs

Does long sleep duration increase risk of metabolic syndrome in Azar cohort study population?

Background: We decided to assess the correlation between metabolic syndrome (MetS) risks,sleep and napping duration in Azar cohort population according to the increasing incidence of MetS in the world and inconsistence results about sleep duration and MetS. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, MetS and sleep habits of 14916 subjects (35-70 years old) who inhabited in Shabestar city were determined by ATPIII and Pittsburg questionnaire respectively. Inclusion criteria were subjects with 35-70 years old and living in Shabestar for at least 9 months of the year.Results: According to the results, age, living place, body mass index, hypnotic drug use, sleep and napping duration and TV time were the risk factors of MetS. In this regard, long sleep duration (>9 h/24 h), napping (0.25-2 h/day), hypnotic drug use and watching TV (2 h/day)increased the risk of MetS by 1.18 (1.05-1.33), 1.16(1.07-1.26), 1.35(1.13-1.60), and 1.13(1.04-1.23) respectively.Conclusion: According to these results, it appears that proper education for improvement of sleep habit is necessary to reduce incidence of MetS and its consequences. However, there is need for more longitudinal researches and using objective method of sleep habits evaluation for more precise results

Numerical simulation of pressure pulsation effects of a snubber in a CNG station for increasing measurement accuracy

Natural companies employ turbine flow meters to measure natural gas which delivered to Compressed Natural Gas stations. The stations utilize compressors to increase pressure. The compressor produces a flow pulsation, which affects the accuracy of the measurement. The main aim of this article is to decrease the compressor effects on measurement accuracy by utilizing a snubber between the turbine flow meter and the reciprocating compressors. For this aim, numerical modeling has been built to simulate natural gas flow through a snubber. The effects of various snubber parameters on pressure pulsation have been investigated. The parameters included snubber volume to the minimum volume ratio, the ratio of height to diameter, outlet pipe length, and the existence and non-existence a buffer. The Ansys Fluent has been used for numerical modeling with transient analysis. Results show that in H/D value of 3, the maximum reduction in the percentage of pressure pulsation drop is about 47% and increasing the outlet pipe length to the 10 times of initial length causes a decrease of about 83% in pressure pulsations. Besides, for the ratio of snubber volume to the minimum volume from 1 to 16.7, the amplitude of pressure pulsations decreases from 4.1% to 0.25%

Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Over-Responsiveness of Iranian Population to Propranolol

Purpose: Propranolol is the most widely used treatment for cardiovascular diseases. Dosage range in our patients is usually less than the amount mentioned in references. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether pharmacokinetic differences are able to justify the need for the fewer doses in our patients or not. Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers (10 male) at heart center of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were studied. Samples of blood were collected before a single oral dose (40 mg) of Propranolol. Blood samples were taken up to 9 hours after dose. Total plasma concentration of Propranolol was measured by HPLC. Population Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using population pharmacokinetics modeling software P-Pharm. Results: The mean value for oral plasma clearance (CL/F) was 126.59 ml/hr. The corresponding values for apparent volume of distribution (V/F), t1/2 beta, maximum blood concentration (C max), and time to reach the maximum blood concentration (T max) were 334.12 Lit, 1.98 hr, 40.25 ng/ml, and 1.68 hr, respectively. The observed mean values of V/F of propranolol in the present study were comparable with those reported in the literature. However, the mean values of CL/F of propranolol in current study was significantly higher than those reported in other population (P-value<0.001). Conclusion: This study has confirmed that the pharmacokinetic differences are not able to justify over-responsiveness of Iranian population to propranolol. Pharmacodynamic differences in responding to beta blocker drugs by Renin secretion or having a different sensibility to beta receptors might play a role in making our population have a different response to propranolol