Attitudes towards Student Support System in Distance Learning: A Questionnaire Survey

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting learners’ satisfaction with the student support system. 37 sophomores (at University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran) out of 44, who were selected through convenience sampling method, participated in this study. A mixed approach was adopted and data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings indicated that several issues should be in focus while planning the distance learning courses, such as: reducing the sense of isolation, holding a number of workshops, allocating financial aids, providing learners with video and audio tools, and facilitating the interaction between the instructor and the learners. It was concluded that identifying mismatches between the expectation of distance learners and what has been provided by student support system might facilitate the level of learner satisfaction. Also, identifying the gaps showed several specific areas where developments in the distance learning course could be made.&nbsp

Investigation of damage caused by sharp instruments and needle sticks exposure in operation room’s staff in hospitals in the Ahvaz city in 2013

مزمینه و هدف: فرورفتن سوزن در بدن از جمله مشکلاتی است که افراد شاغل در اتاق عمل با آن مواجه هستند که بیشترین احتمال HIV و هپاتیت های C و B منتقله از راه خون، جهت پرسنل در آن وجود دارد. لذا هدف از این مطالعه تعیین فراوانی و علل آسیب های ناشی از وسایل نوک تیز آلوده به خون بیمار در کارکنان اتاق عمل بیمارستان های دولتی اهواز است. روش بررسی: این پژوهش یک مطالعه توصیفی تحلیلی است که بر روی کلیه پرسنل اتاق عمل بیمارستان های امام خمینی، رازی، گلستان و طالقانی اهواز به تعداد 400 نفر انجام گرفت. جهت جمع آوری اطلاعات از پرسشنامه محقق ساخته، استفاده شد. تجزیه و تحلیل اطلاعات با استفاده از آزمون های آماری کای اسکور و تی، در نرم افزار 19spss صورت گرفت. یافته ها: از بین 385 نفر مورد مطالعه تعداد 92 نفر(9/23) هرگز سابقه نیدل استیک شدن را نداشتند، اما 293 نفر(10/76 )1 تا بیش از 5 بار نیدل استیک شده بودند. از دیدگاه کارکنان، عوامل مؤثر در نیدل استیک شدن عجله کردن(5/61)، بی احتیاطی همکار(0/39) و شلوغی بخش (6/35) می باشد. بیشترین وسیله ای که باعث ایجاد نیدل استیک می شود بترتیب سوزن بخیه(4/51)، نیدل سرنگ(4/37)، تیغ بیستوری(6/30) است. آزمون های آماری کای اسکوور ارتباط معنی داری بین جنسیت، بیماری روحی، لرزش دست، مشکلات بینایی، سابقه، تعداد شیفت در ماه، تعداد ساعت کار در هفته، مدرک تحصیلی، شغل، فعالیت در یک مرکز درمانی دیگر و تعداد نیدل استیک شدن را نشان داد(05/0>P). نتیجه گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نشان داد که بیش از نیمی از کارکنان اتاق عمل با نیدل استیک مواجه هستند. لذا با توجه به عوارض و احتمال ابتلا به بیماری های منتقله از راه خون و بالا بودن میزان صدمات در اتاق عمل، به نظر می رسد تدوین و برگزاری کلاس های آموزشی جهت پیشگیری از این مشکلات، ضرورت دارد

Imported Malaria in an Iraqi Immigrant to Iran: Relevance for the Maintenance of Elimination Status

Background: Effective malaria control strategies require an accurate understanding of the epidemiology of locally transmitted Plasmodium species. Emerging evidence indicates that migrants from malaria endemic regions are at risk of delayed presentation of Plasmodium spp. and malaria infection.Cases Report: We reported a case of P. vivax malaria occurring after arrival in Iran. Patient was originally from Iraq. A 48-year-old male patient who was hospitalized with fever attacks, chills, and headache after arriving from Iraq to Tehran.Conclusion: In this patient, new prevention and screening strategies should be studied and blood safety policies adapted. Thus, ultimate elimination of malaria in Iran will require national malaria control program to adopt policy and practice aimed at all human species of malaria since neighbor country are still face to problem to control of malaria

Optimizing of the quality of rose grown with varying ratios and periods of Red: Blue light-emitting diodes in commercial greenhouse

Purpose: This research investigated the effect of different regimes of supplementary LED light on physiological and morphological traits of two cultivars of cut Roses. Research method: In this study, treatments included cultivars (Allstar and Dolcevita) and nine light regimes including (Control, LED night from 5 pm to 7 am, LED day from 7 am to 5 pm, LED night day (24 hours light) and LED dark (24 hours, without sunlight) which were all applied in two intensities of 2000 and 4000 lux. Findings: The results showed that the LED light regime had a positive effect on morphological traits such as the number of buds and mean harvest, length, diameter and fresh weight of flowers. LED day 4000 lux improved bud diameter and mean harvest by 18% and 112% respectively compared with control in Dolcevita cultivar. The light regime also caused a significant improvement in physiological characteristics so that in Allstar cultivar LED day 4000 lux, chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoid were increased by 66%, 60%, 63%, and 64% respectively compared with control. The vase life in Allstar cultivar by LED night day 4000 lux intensity and Dolcevita cultivar by LED day 4000 lux were 44.5% and 133.2% higher than the control treatment, respectively. Research limitations: There was no limitation. Originality/Value: The results showed that LED night day with 4000 lux intensity had the best results in vase life in Allstar cultivar and LED day supplementary light with 4000 lux intensity increased the quantity and quality characteristics of roses

Inventory study of an early pandemic COVID- 19 cohort in South-Eastern Sweden, focusing on neurological manifestations

Background Neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19 have been reported previously as outcomes of the infection. The purpose of current study was to investigate the occurrence of neurological signs and symptoms in COVID-19 patients, in the county of 6sterg\uf6tland in southeastern Sweden. Methods This is a retrospective, observational cohort study. Data were collected between March 2020 and June 2020. Information was extracted from medical records by a trained research assistant and physician and all data were validated by a senior neurologist. Results Seventy-four percent of patients developed at least one neurological symptom during the acute phase of the infection. Headache (43%) was the most common neurological symptom, followed by anosmia and/or ageusia (33%), confusion (28%), hallucinations (17%), dizziness (16%), sleep disorders in terms of insomnia and OSAS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) (9%), myopathy and neuropathy (8%) and numbness and tingling (5%). Patients treated in the ICU had a higher male presentation (73%). Several risk factors in terms of co-morbidities, were identified. Hypertension (54.5%), depression and anxiety (51%), sleep disorders in terms of insomnia and OSAS (30%), cardiovascular morbidity (28%), autoimmune diseases (25%), chronic lung diseases (24%) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (23%) founded as possible risk factors. Conclusion Neurological symptoms were found in the vast majority (74%) of the patients. Accordingly, attention to neurological, mental and sleep disturbances is warranted with involvement of neurological expertise, in order to avoid further complications and long-term neurological effect of COVID-19. Furthermore, risk factors for more severe COVID-19, in terms of possible co-morbidities that identified in this study should get appropriate attention to optimizing treatment strategies in COVID-19 patients

Capacity coordination in hybrid make-to-stock/make-to-order contexts using an enhanced multi-stage model

One of the most attracting production systems that has recently been vastly explored by practitioners and academicians is hybrid make-to-stock/make-to-order. Having a hierarchical production planning structure considered, this paper develops a multi-stage model to cope with the operational decisions, including order acceptance/rejection, product lot sizing, overtime capacity planning, outsourcing, and due date setting. Moreover, the proposed framework also comprises providing alternative products for the coming orders in order to enhance service level of the firm to the customers. In order to validate the presented framework, it is applied in a real industrial case study and the obtained results approve validity of the proposed framework.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders risk factors and ergonomic assessment of posture among senior students of Rehabilitation School of Shiraz University: a cross-sectional study

Objective: The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and evaluate the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in senior students at the Rehabilitation School of Shiraz University.Methods: Fifty-three senior physical and occupational therapy students with an average age of 22-42 years participated in this cross-sectional study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to evaluate work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and postural analysis was performed using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA).Results: In this study, a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the lower back, hand, neck, and shoulder regions was observed. Approximately 47% of the students reported having experienced lower back pain in the past 12 months, and this disability was the most common disorder (23%) among the study population. The results of sub-group analysis based on sex showed the lower back to be the body region with the highest prevalence of pain. Based on the body mass index (BMI), the neck was highly reported as a site of pain. In addition, the REBA results revealed that 36% and 49% of the senior students in this study had a high and medium risk level for developing musculoskeletal disorders, respectively.Conclusion: The current results indicate that lower back pain is the most common musculoskeletal disorder among senior physiotherapy and occupational therapy students. This research also shows that based on the REBA tool, 36% of the senior students were at high risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders

Psychometrics and Validation of the Intensive Care Unit Memory Assessment Tool in the Iranian Population

Background: The intensive care unit memory (ICUM) assessment tool is a practical tool for memory monitoring after the discharge from ICU. Objectives: This psychometric study purported to validate ICUM for a sample population of Iranian patients hospitalized in ICU. Materials & Methods: This research was a descriptive-analytical study that was conducted at Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences in 2022. A total of 96 patients were selected through the convenience sampling method and were asked to complete the questionnaire 2 weeks and 8 weeks after their discharge from the hospital. Exploratory factor analysis was run to validate the tool’s structure. The reliability of the ICUM tool was checked by the testretest method and the Cronbach alpha coefficient for memory subscales. Results: To increase the qualitative face and content validity of the tool in Persian, some vague items were modified according to the suggestions of the participants, language, and nursing experts. For the quantitative face validity, the item coefficient was calculated, and the minimum score obtained was 4.4. For the quantitative content validity, the content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) were calculated. The minimum obtained scores were CVI=0.7 and CVR=0.6. Thus, all the items were confirmed. The implementation of the factor analysis was confirmed with KMO=0.65. The highest Cronbach alpha coefficient for delusional memory was 0.62 and the highest test-retest correlation for factual memory was 0.95. Conclusion: The Persian version of ICUM has strong test-retest reliability, but weak internal consistency reliability. It is recommended that future studies evaluate the tool’s reliability over an extended period

Preparation of hydrogel composites using a sustainable approach for In situ Silver nanoparticles formation

The recognized antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) characterize them as attractive nanomaterials for developing new bioactive materials less prone to the development of antibiotic resistance. In this work, we developed new composites based on self-assembling Fmoc-Phe3 peptide hydrogels impregnated with in situ prepared AgNPs. Different methodologies, from traditional to innovative and eco-sustainable, were compared. The obtained composites were characterized from a hydrodynamic, structural, and morphological point of view, using different techniques such as DLS, SEM, and rheological measurements to evaluate how the choice of the reducing agent determines the characteristics of AgNPs and how their presence within the hydrogel affects their structure and properties. Moreover, the antibacterial properties of these composites were tested against S. aureus, a major human pathogen responsible for a wide range of clinical infections. Results demonstrated that the hydrogel composites containing AgNPs (hgel@AgNPs) could represent promising biomaterials for treating S. aureus-related infections

Noble Metal Nanoparticles Networks Stabilized by Rod‐Like Organometallic Bifunctional Thiols

od-like organometallic dithiol containing square-planar Pt(II) centers, i. e., trans,trans- [(H3COCS)Pt(PBu3)2(C�C C6H4 C6H4 C�C)(PBu3)2Pt(SCOCH3)] was used as bifunctional stabilizing agent for the synthesis of Pd-, Au-, and AgNPs (MNPs). All the MNPs showed diameters of about 4 nm, which can be controlled by carefully modulating the synthesis parameters. Covalent MNPs stabilization occurred through a single S bridge between Pt(II) and the noble metal nanocluster surfaces, leading to a network of regularly spaced NPs with the formation of dyads, as supported by SR-XPS data and by TEM imaging analysis. The chemical nature of NPs systems was also confirmed by EDS and NMR. Comparison between SR-XPS data of MNPs and self-assembled monolayers and multilayers of pristine rod-like dithiols deposited onto polycrystalline gold surfaces revealed an electronic interaction between Pt(II) centers and biphenyl moieties of adjacent ligands, stabilizing the organic structure of the network. The possibility to obtain networks of regularly spaced MNPs opens outstanding perspectives in optoelectronics