Nursing students perception of clinical learning environments:A qualitative study

Introduction: Nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environments is effective on decision making and selection of learning approach. Due to the importance of perception toward clinical learning environments, nursing students’ perception of this environment was examined in this qualitative study. Method: This qualitative study was performed using grounded theory. For data analysis, the glazer approach was used. Using purposeful sampling, 35 deep interviews were conducted and 1 focused group interview was conducted with 5 subjects. Continuous comparative analysis was performed simultaneously to data gathering using OneNote software. Results: It was found that a range of stimuli affect nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environments in the form of a 4-step process. These 4 steps consist of experiencing and processing primary expectations, experiencing and processing the programmed environment, experiencing and processing the clinical learning environment, and nurturing personal and professional talents and capabilities. Conclusion: The results of this study can help instructors and curriculum programmers in understanding the process of nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environments. An understanding of these perceptions can improve students’ perception of these environments and help to nurture their talents and personal capabilities. Keywords: Perception, Clinical learning environment, Nursing student

An Evolutionary Approach towards Ph.D. Educational System in Medical Sciences in Iran: a Systematic Review of Educational Models in the World’s Leading Universities

Background & Objective : In this study, we aimed to evaluate the status of World’s leading universities in Ph.D. students’ education and to compare it with Iranian universities applying the approach of educational status evaluation in a research based way. Methods: Using a systematic review, all documents present in the webs and related links of universities of first 10 countries in Shanghai’s Academic Ranking of World Universities were systematically reviewed information related to Ph.D. education was systematically collected and analyzed. Results : Reviewing 28 leading universities revealed that the educational model in educating Ph.D. students in 22 of them was research based and the rest are using course based model. Passing taught courses, as an index in course based model, is considered to be among minimum course requirements in most of the universities which are using research based model. In cases where passing such courses is voluntarily, a consultant professor plays a significant role in guiding the students in selecting and attending theoretical courses. Conclusion : Based on the above explanation and similar to other successful countries, it seems that it is time to create various models for training postgraduate students to meet industrial needs. With revisions in educational curriculums, purposeful attempts should be made to solve possible problems and train people who meet country’s developmental needs in regards with the twenty year prospect. Keywords: Postgraduate education, Shanghai’s Academic Ranking, Research based curriculum, Scientific development, Ph.D.

Sequence analysis of the second internal Transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of rDNA for species identification of trichostrongylus nematodes isolated from domestic livestock in Iran

Background: Infectivity of herbivores with Trichostrongylus nematodes is widespread in many countries, having a major economic impact on breeding, survivability, and productivity of domestic livestock. This study was carried out on Trichostrongylus species isolated from domestic livestock in order to develop an easy-to-perform method for species identification. Methods: Trichostrongylus isolates were collected from sheep, goat, cattle, and buffaloes in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran. Primary species identification was carried out based on morphological characterization of male worms. PCR amplification of ITS2-rDNA region was performed on genomic DNA and the products were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence data was conducted employing Bayesian Inference approach. Consequently, a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profile was designed to differentiate Trichostrongylus species. Results: A consensus sequence of 238 nucleotides was deposited in the GenBank for Iranian isolates of Trichostrongylus species including T. colubriformis, T. capricola, T. probolurus and T. vitrinus. The designated RFLP using restriction enzyme TasI could readily differentiate among species having different ITS2 sequence. The molecular analysis was in concordance with morphological findings. Conclusion: Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship among the sequences obtained in this study and reference sequence of relevant species. ITS2-RFLP with TasI is recommended for molecular differentiation of common Trichostrongylus species

The Attitudes of Kerman University of Medical Sciences Interns toward the Adequacy of Received Trainings in Achieving the Approved Educational Goals in Obstetrics & Gynecology Ward

Introduction: Students as the major part of education are one of the best sources of information in each educational system. One of the uses of this source of information is studying the achievement of educational goals. Objective: To determine the adequacy rate of presented trainings in achieving educational goals of Obstetrics & Gynecology ward from the point of view of interns. Methods: All interns of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2005- 2006 including 93 ones were enrolled into the study. Data gathering was done by using a questionnaire including the subjects of training materials in Obstetrics & Gynecology ward. Participants were asked to determine the adequacy of presented trainings for each subject. Results: From 93 interns, 63.7% were female, 71.1% were single and 52.2% have started their medical education program before 2000. Mean age of participants was 25.7 ± 2 years. From all, 46.6% have seen the approved program of Obstetrics & Gynecology ward and 52.9% asserted that they had been informed of the educational goals at the beginning of the course. The highest adequacy rates were obtained for determining gestational age and estimated delivery date based on LMP (90.7%), fetal heart rate controlling (87.3%) and prenatal cares (81.6%), while the lowest adequacy rates were related to inserting and removing Norplant (respectively 16.8% and 16.2%) and inserting IUD (19.8%). Mean total percentage of training adequacy in two domains of diagnosis & therapeutic activities and emergency activities showed no significant difference based on age, year of enrolling, marital statue and sex. Mean total score of training adequacy in diagnostic &therapeutic domain including 31 cases was 55.8 ± 14.3 and in emergency activities including 8 cases, it was 52.23 ± 2.1 that shows a significant difference (P= 0.002). Conclusion: From the point of view of studied interns, based on the approved educational goals, presented trainings in Obstetrics & Gynecology ward had not been adequate. Therefore improving the quality of clinical training and its continuous evaluation in order to make it compatible with educational goals and changing needs of community is necessary. Keywords: Educational goals, Obstetrics &, Gynecology ward, Intern, Attitude

The nature and role of the Arabic plural morpheme "-at" in persian

1.Introduction The Persian language, though not belonging to the family of Semitic languages, has borrowed the heaviest from the Arabic language (Farshidvard: 1879: 39). A brief examination of Persian shows how heavily Persian is indebted to Arabic, but, as some scholars have pointed out, this has occurred mostly in the lexicon area as Persian has been affected very little in terms of syntax or grammar (Majd, 2011: 39).  In addition to a great number of single lexical items, a number of grammatical morphemes have entered Persian. An example is the agreement of adjective and the noun it modifies in grammar in terms of gender, a characteristic which is peculiar to Arabic, and which was not common in the Dari Persian except in the sixth century AH, when Persian was heavily affected by Arabic. The first instance appeared in Aruzi’s Chahar Maghaleh. Examples include: Moluk-e Maziyeh and Ghoroon Khaliyeh, etc. (Farshidvard, 1989: 23). Another instance of Arabic influence is the wide-spread adoption and usage of Arabic plural-making morphemes.   2.Methodology In Persian, the Arabic morpheme «-at» is sometimes used to pluralize Arabic and Persian words. Many Persian authorities frown upon this usage and argue that even Arabic words entering Persian should, as far as possible, also be pluralized using the plural morphemes «-ha» and «-in».  Examples: Sokhanran enteghadhay-e (rather than enteghadat-e) ziyadi az chegoonegi-ye bargozariy-e marasem kard.[The lecturer made several criticisms of the way the ceremony was held]. However, a number of the Arabic plural forms have been established in Persian with certain words so much so that if the plural morphemes are changed the words sound unfamiliar and weird. Examples include: ettelaa’aat; emkaanaat, enteshaaraat, etc. Besides, for certain nouns ending in «-at» such as adabiyaat, dokhaniyaat, amaliyaat, labaniyaat and maliyaat, there is no single form in Persian. The question to ask here is whether the Arabic plural marker «-at» in Persian has the same morphological, semantic, pragmatic and grammatical function as its counterpart in Arabic. Or is it different while sharing certain characteristics?     3.Discussion: Contrary to what was initially believed that languages borrow just words from one another, the studies show that borrowing can occur in any part of language including phonemes, inflectional and derivational affixes, etc. However, borrowing words is more frequent than borrowing any other parts of the language. Although affixes can be borrowed, the common belief is that they are not directly borrowed but transferred indirectly from one language into another language. In other words, affixes, as part of the complex words, get transferred into another language. Theses affixes, as the borrowed words, can finally attach to the roots of the target language and produce hybrid words (Seifar, et.al, 2015). Recently, borrowing affixes have received remarkable attention and the focus in the published works has been on the way affixes are borrowed. There are two scenarios, direct and indirect, for the process of borrowing affixes (Winford, 2005:385-409). The indirect borrowing has two stages. In the first stage, the speaker borrows some complex words from another language and uses them. In the second stage, probably a lot later, the speaker parses the blended words and finally the affixes are used with the roots in the receiving language and get generated. In the second scenario, the direct borrowing, once the borrowing takes place, the speaker, drawing on his own knowledge of the source language, identifies the affixes and attaches them to the roots of his own language and uses them. The main difference between these two scenarios lies in the whereabouts of the borrowed affix. Where has the speaker received the affix before combining it with the roots of his own language? From the source language complex words (indirect borrowing) or from his own knowledge of the source language? (direct borrowing). It seems that the indirect scenario best describes the phenomenon of affix borrowing. Paul (1891) maintains that words are borrowed as a whole; that is, derivative and inflectional affixes are not borrowed alone on their own part. However, if the many words that get transferred into another language have one certain affix, they can develop as easy as the target language words as a group and are possible to generate on their own. Thus, the received affix, by way of analogy, can attach to the target roots and later get generated (Paul, 1891: 469-470). 4.Conclusion One of the cases where Persian has been influenced by Arabic is the borrowing of Arabic plural morphemes including «-at». The plural morpheme entered Persian with certain Arabic plural nouns such as latamaat, majhoolat and mofradaat, but was later extended to pluralize originally Persian words such as baaghaat, gozareshaat and Shemiranaat, resulting in hybrid words.  In terms of Phonetics, «-at» is no different in Persian than its usage in Arabic, but in terms of phonology, the only difference is in cases where «-at» has entered Persian directly as part of a loan word. A case in point is the loan word latamaat. In terms of phonology, «-at» follows Persian rather than Arabic phonological rules. For example, the Persian words are pluralized as ghazaliyaat and kashfiyaat while the plural forms of their Arabic counterparts are ghazaliyeh and kashfiyeh respectively. Also, the Persian word pand is pluralized as pandiyaat, quite against Arabic morphological rules. The plural marker «-at» is used for feminine nouns, whereas Persian lacks the feminine-masculine distinction. «-at» is not used in Persian to pluralize humans and animates and inanimate nouns are gender-neutral. In fact, «-at» is used in Persian to pluralize inanimate and abstract nouns that are gender-free. In terms of meaning, «-at» in Arabic indicates plural (three and more), whereas in Persian it indicates kind and group. Even though there are cases in Persian where this plural marker indicates plurality, this plurality meaning is mixed with the meanings of kind and group.      This plural morpheme has undergone change in meaning and function, so that it is also clearly assumed a classifying function. Thus, we may speak of two types of «-at» one Arabic and one Persianized. The Arabic «-at» is the plural marker for feminine nouns, and the Persianized «-at» is the plural marker referring to groups. By group is meant a collection of things of various names but of the same nature. For example, shemiranat indicates a number of villages that are located in the same geographical area even though they have various names. Other examples include lavaasaanaat, noghaat as well as dahaat, baghaat and dastooraat. In fact. It may be said that this borrowed morpheme has assumed a merely morphological-grammatical function. Grammatical because it shows in some way the addition of a foreign plural-making element to the number of Persian plural-making markers. Morphological because it has assumed a derivative function in the word formation area. Also, it seems that in Persian, «Jat» is considered as a single morpheme and that sabzijaat no longer means sabzihaa; rather, various kinds of sabzi. On the other hand, words such as kompootjaat indicate the fact that what we do have here is not «-at», but «-Jat», which may be regarded as a form of the morpheme «-at».The question of the use of «-at» in Persian is a matter of debate. Generally, it is not approved as it is argued that the use of Persian plural markers is preferable. At first glance, this advice may seem warranted, specially because Persia has quite a lot of plural markers.  A close look shows, however, that «-at» though originally Arabic has undergone such a deep change that it is not to be counted as Arabic any more as it is used based on Persian and not Arabic rules. Also, its usage has productively increased. Thus, we may claim with certainty that the single morpheme «-at» is a plural marker that Persian has borrowed indirectly from Arabic and that it is now a plural morpheme belonging to the Persian Language. Keywords :Mikhail Naima, Kan Makan, Jamalzadeh, yeki bud yeki nabud, Adaptive literature. *Date received: 29/11/2019                         Date accepted: 20/07/2020 1 PhD student in Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, AllamehTabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding author) 2. Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, AllamehTabataba’i University,Tehran, Ira

Genotyping Echinococcus granulosus from dogs from Western Iran

Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus. In the present study, adults of E. granulosus (n = 20) were collected from 71 dogs from Western Iran and were genetically characterized using DNA sequencing of the partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1). Consensus sequences were obtained for cox1 (366) and nad1 (471) genes. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated nad1 and cox1 nucleotide sequence data was performed using Bayesian Inference approach. Overall, the dog isolates indicated nine different sequences in cox1 and seven in nad1 genes. Three genotypes (G1 [75%], G2 [10%] and G3 [15%]) were identified from the isolates. The G2 sequences indicated 100% homology with reference G2 sequence in both cox1 (Genbank accession number M84662) and nad1 (AJ237633) genes. G3 sequences showed 100% homology with G3 reference sequence in nad1 (AJ237633), but displayed two different cox1 profiles, each having 99% homology with reference G3 sequence (M84663). In the phylogenetic tree all of the isolates were grouped into a distinct cluster corresponding to the G1-G3 complex with relevant reference sequences. The presence of G1 genotype (sheep strain) of E. granulosus sensu stricto as dominant genotype in dogs is emphasized. To the best of our knowledge, this study established the first record of E. granulosus sensu stricto, G2 genotype in Iran. © 2012 Elsevier Inc

The Relation between Spiritual Well-being and Some Psychological Variables among Martyr and Veteran Children Students in the Universities of Karaj

Background: The results of the studies about spiritual well-being and psychological disorders among the student population are not enough and harmonious. This study examined the relation between spiritual well-being and some psychological disorders (stress, anxiety and depression) among martyr and veteran children students in Karaj Universities (Iran). Methods: This cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study was conducted on 160 martyr and veteran children students in the universities of Karaj in 2017, using the multistage sampling method. The data gathering tool was a multi-sectional questionnaire containing demographic data, the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS), as well as the spiritual well-being scale (SWBS). Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 19) using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Linear Regression. Results: The mean age of students was 25.1±5.5 years, and 53.5% of them were the child of veterans. The mean of total SWBS and DASS scores were 91.21±16.1 and 16.81±9.1, respectively. Regarding spiritual well-being, students were in the medium range, and the majority of them were normal regarding psychological distress. No significant difference was found in spiritual well-being and depression, anxiety and stress between the two groups of martyr and veteran children students. There was a significant negative correlation between spiritual well-being and depression, anxiety and stress in these students. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it is suggested that interventional and cultural programs be designed and implemented to increase the students' spiritual well-being based on appropriate theories

Genotyping Echinococcus granulosus from dogs from Western Iran

Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus. In the present study, adults of E. granulosus (n = 20) were collected from 71 dogs from Western Iran and were genetically characterized using DNA sequencing of the partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1). Consensus sequences were obtained for cox1 (366) and nad1 (471) genes. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated nad1 and cox1 nucleotide sequence data was performed using Bayesian Inference approach. Overall, the dog isolates indicated nine different sequences in cox1 and seven in nad1 genes. Three genotypes (G1 [75%], G2 [10%] and G3 [15%]) were identified from the isolates. The G2 sequences indicated 100% homology with reference G2 sequence in both cox1 (Genbank accession number M84662) and nad1 (AJ237633) genes. G3 sequences showed 100% homology with G3 reference sequence in nad1 (AJ237633), but displayed two different cox1 profiles, each having 99% homology with reference G3 sequence (M84663). In the phylogenetic tree all of the isolates were grouped into a distinct cluster corresponding to the G1-G3 complex with relevant reference sequences. The presence of G1 genotype (sheep strain) of E. granulosus sensu stricto as dominant genotype in dogs is emphasized. To the best of our knowledge, this study established the first record of E. granulosus sensu stricto, G2 genotype in Iran. © 2012 Elsevier Inc

Chemical composition, efficacy and safety of Pistacia vera (var. Fandoghi) to inactivate protoscoleces during hydatid cyst surgery

At present, various scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of protoscoleces during hydatid cyst surgery, however, they are associated with serious adverse side effects including sclerosing colangititis (biliary tract fibrosis), liver necrosis and methaemoglobinaemia. This investigation was designed to evaluate the chemical composition and in vitro scolicidal effects of Pistacia vera (var. Fandoghi) essential oil against protoscoleces of hydatid cysts and also its toxicity in mice model. The components of the P. vera essential oil were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) analysis. Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from sheep livers having hydatid cysts. Various concentrations of the essential oil (25–200ml/mL) were used for 5–30 min. Viability of protoscoleces was confirmed using eosin exclusion test (0.1% eosin staining). In addition, forty male NIH mice were used to determine the acute and sub-acute toxicity of P. vera essential oil for 2 and 14 days, respectively. The main components of P. vera essential oil were limonene (26.21%), a-pinene (18.07%), a-thujene (9.31%) and a-terpinolene (9.28%). Findings of the present study demonstrated that the P. vera essential oil at the concentrations of 100 and 200ml/mL killed 100% protoscoleces after 10 and 5 min of exposure, respectively. The LD50 values of intraperitoneal injection of the P. vera essential oil was 2.69 ml/kg body weight, and the maximum nonfatal doses were 1.94 ml/kg body weight. No significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed in the clinical chemistry and hematological parameters following oral administrations of P. vera essential oil at the doses 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 ml/kg for 14 days. The obtained findings demonstrated new chemical composition and promising scolicidal activity of the P. vera with no significant toxicity which might be used as a natural scolicidal agent in hydatid cyst surger

Scolicidal effects of black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) essential oil on hydatid cysts

Abstract: Surgery remains the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echinococcosis, CE). Various scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of protoscolices during surgery, but most of them are associated with adverse side effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro scolicidal effect of Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae) essential oil and also its active principle, thymoquinone, against protoscolices of hydatid cysts. Protoscolices were aseptically aspirated from sheep livers having hydatid cysts. Various concentrations of the essential oil (0.01-10 mg/ml) and thymoquinone (0.125-1.0 mg/ml) were used for 5 to 60 min. Viability of protoscolices was confirmed by 0.1% eosin staining. Furthermore, the components of the N. sativa essential oil were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Our study revealed that the essential oil of N. sativa at the concentration of 10 mg/ml and its main component, thymoquinone, at the concentration of 1 mg/ml had potent scolicidal activities against protoscolices of Echinococcus granulosus after 10 min exposure. Moreover, thymoquinone (42.4%), p-cymene (14.1%), carvacrol (10.3%), and longifolene (6.1%) were found to be the major components of N. sativa essential oil by GC/MS analysis. The results of this study indicated the potential of N. sativa as a natural source for production of a new scolicidal agent for use in hydatid cyst surgery. However, further studies will be needed to confirm these results by checking the essential oil and its active component in in vivo models