Indicators Related to Theorizing Measurement (a Capacity Measurement Framework)

Purpose: Relatively much research has been done into theorizing and its importance. However, the number of studies related to the understanding of contexts is very negligible and so far no framework has been provided including indicators and evaluation methods. This research has been done with the aim of achieving the indicators related to theorizing and subsequently presenting a formula to measure the potential and theorizing capacity of scientific institutes. Method: Library and field methods have been used to collect information. Data were first collected through a checklist and then through the AHP questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among experts and the AHP method was used to analyze the data. Expert Choice software was used to analyze the data obtained from the AHP questionnaire. Findings: The results indicate that the individual index is 9 times more important than the non-individual index in the theorizing process. Pairwise comparison of individual sub-indices showed that "awareness of theorizing" and "research ability” have an equal portion in theorizing. The "coherence of personality traits" is sextuple as important as the "awareness of theorizing”. "Coherence of personality traits" up to sextuple "research ability" can be considered important in the theorizing process. Pairwise comparison of non-individual index sub-indices showed that "communication level" is twice as important as "institutional index level". However, the “effect level" is twice as important as the "communication level". The "communication level" is 7 times more important than the "management index level". The "effect level" can be considered 7 times more important than the "institutional index level". "Institutional index level" is quadruple more important than "management index level". The "effect level" is extremely important compared to the "management index level". Conclusion: Although theorizing is done by a researcher or a group of researchers, ultimately, it is a collective matter, or at least, several components are involved in its formation. Theorizing is a coherent, dynamic, purposeful, and thoughtful practice whose results can lead researchers to recognize the credible generalizable relationship between causes and effects. Finally, the formula Tp= (0.9I + 0.1NI) was presented, which can be used to assess the capacity of theorizing in institutes

Impact of water availability and fertilization management on saffron (Crocus sativus L.) biomass allocation

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fertilizer type and irrigation scheduling on biomass partitioning in saffron. Research Method: The experimental factors were saffron fertilization (no-fertilizer, cow manure and NPK chemical fertilizer) and irrigation regimes (FI=7200 and DI=3600 m3 ha-1) which were tested during 2015-16 growing season, using a factorial layout. Findings: The weights of roots and leaves had an increasing trend up to 72 and 114 days after first autumnal irrigation (DAFAI), respectively, and then were decreased. Corm production started from 51 DAFAI and its maximum was obtained at DI and chemical or organic fertilizer application. In all combined treatments corm production (maximum rate between 114 and 157 DAFAI) was prior to corm filling (started from 135 DAFAI) and both mentioned indices were higher in DI. The weight of replacement corms per clone in plants that were treated by cow manure and received 7200 m3 ha-1 water, was higher (~10%) than all other treatments. Corm growth rate increased from 50 DAFAI and the maximum value (0.32 and 0.34 g day-1 plant-1 in 56 and 78 DAFAI, respectively) obtained at combined treatment of FI × cow manure. Research limitations: Access to similar scientific references on the topic of research was a limitation. Originality/value: This study was the first research which specifically deals with the allocation of photo-assimilates in saffron and based on its findings, application of 3600 m3 ha-1 water plus cow manure is an appropriate strategy in saffron cultivation during first growing season

Energy Recovery Clocked Dynamic Logic

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Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the diabetic foot self-care questionnaire in Iranian patients with diabetes

Background: Diabetic foot self-care refers to a group of self-management behaviors that can reduce the incidence of foot ulcers and amputations. It is necessary to have a valid and reliable standard tool to measure foot self-care in diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Diabetic Foot Self-Care Questionnaire of the University of Malaga, Spain (DFSQ-UMA) in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 407 diabetic patients who were selected using a convenient sampling method. Construct validity was assessed by exploratory (with 207 patients) and confirmatory (with 200 patients) factor analyses. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients. Results: In the exploratory factor analysis, three factors with eigenvalues of 3.84, 2.41, and 2.26 were extracted that together explained 56.74% of the total variance of diabetic foot self-care. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.865 was found for the total instrument. Conclusions: The Persian version of the DFSQ-UMA has good validity and reliability, and given its good psychometric properties, it can be used in future studies

Isolation and identification of diazinon degrading bacteria from fresh water: a case study on the sediments of Lake Parishan in Iran

Diazinon is an organophosphate insecticide which is widely used in various industries. It is known as an important causative of water pollution which eventually redound death of aquatic animals. Today microorganisms are considered as a best choice to reduce environmental pollution. This study was done to identify diazinon degrading bacteria from sediments of Lake Parishan (IRAN) and to evaluate their degrading rate as well. Sampling was done from the surface sediments of Lake Parishan and its surrounding farms during summer, autumn and winter, then incubated in liquid salt medium containing diazinon for 20 days at 35°C. After growing, bacteria were transferred to solid saline medium. They were identified using biochemical tests; thereafter in order to evaluate their ability in degrading of diazinon, diagnostic tests were performed. Result showed that bacteria Pseudomonas, staphylococcus, Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Serattia, Salmonella, Citrobacter and Providencia are able to degrade diazinon. Among them Pseudomonas was the strongest in summer and winter, while Citrobacter was the most preferable bacterium in fall. It was also detected that combined population of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria together are able to degrade diazinon faster. Therefore, the present study confirmed the application of bacteria for reducing diazinon pollution in waters considering their ease and economical application

Correlation between self-esteem and perceived stress in pregnancy and ways to coping with stress

Background and Aim: Stress during pregnancy can have long-term negative consequences on both mother and fetus. Therefore, recognizing the factors that contribute to controlling stress can have a major role in pregnant women’s mental health. The current research was designed to determine the role of self-esteem on the level of stress during pregnancy and the ways to cope with it. Materials and Methods: In this regard, a cross-sectional study was conducted. The city of Tehran was divided into 4 geographic districts including north, south, east and west. A state hospital was elected for each district, and 450 pregnant women (24-32 of gestational week) were randomly chosen from the hospitals. After explaining the purpose of the study and obtaining an informed consent from the qualified pregnant women, they filled out the perceived stress, Rosenberg Self-Esteem and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 19. The level of significance was considered p<0.05. Results: The age of the 450 participating pregnant women was 28.55 years, 78.9 percent had high school or lower education, and 90 percent were housewives. In this study, self-esteem was 21.918.33 and the perceived stress was 20.094.5, respectively. There was a significant inverse correlation between self-esteem and perceived stress. A significant difference was observed between individuals with different levels of self-esteem and the coping styles. ‍Conclusion: It appears that the level of self-esteem of pregnant women is effective on their level of stress and their coping style. By teaching techniques, which increase self-esteem, the level of stress can be decreased in pregnant women

Colchicine-induced autotetraploidy and altered plant cytogenetic and morpho-physiological traits in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don

Artificially induced polyploidy is often used to alter plant growth patternand genetic makeup of certain plant species. This experiment was conducted to induce autotetraploidy in Catharanthus roseus (‘Alba’) which contains diploid chromosomes. Application of four levels (0, 100, 200 and 400 mg/l) of colchicine concentrations were utilized at the two true leaf stages of C. roseus. It has been observed that 200 mg/l colchicine treatment had the most striking effect on producing polyploid plants. This concentration was able to boost yield performance and survival of tetraploids to 35% and 79% respectively. Increasing of ploidy level was confirmed by flow cytometry and chromosome number. But, plant survival significantly decreased with increased of colchicine concentration. Chromosome number, length and diameter of stomata and chloroplast number in stomata of guard cells increased with increased ploidy level, whereas the numbers of stomata decreased from 390 to 177 mm2 intetraploid plants. The overall consequence of colchicines treatment appeared to be a beneficial approach. It elucidated that the chlorophyll content, diameter of the lateral branches, leaf length and width, petal length and width, duration length of flowering, durability of flowering, root diameter, fresh and dry weight of roots, seed length and seed diameter significantly increased in tetraploid as compared to diploid plants

Oleaster seed-derived activated carbon/ferrite nanocomposite for microwave absorption in the X-band range

Conjugated carbonaceous structures achieved from biological materials were significantly considered electromagnetic wave absorbing materials due to their eye-catching dielectric, lightweight, low-cost, and chemical stability features. To strengthen the microwave absorbing performance of the porous carbon (Oleaster seeds), Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles have been successfully anchored onto the surface of biomass-derived material through a co-precipitation method. Noticeably, the dielectric constant, impedance matching, permeability, and microwave absorbing capability were improved by changing the carbon content. The optimized Fe3O4/activated carbon (AC) illustrated the excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performances with a maximum reflection loss (RL) value of −51.12 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of ∼4 GHz (RL &lt; 10 dB) with a thickness of 1 mm. The promoted microwave absorbing characteristics of Fe3O4/AC composites are rooted in improved impedance matching, eddy current loss, natural and exchange resonance, and specific surface area, bringing more polarization loss and multiple reflection and scattering. The presented research shed new light on the fabrication of practical microwave-absorbing materials based on biomass-derived materials with a facile experimental procedure

Selfrepairing SRAM for reducing parametric failures in nanoscaled memory

Abstract