The Effect of Anticonvulsant Drugs (Phenobarbital and Valproic Acid) on the Serum Level of Cholesterol, Triglyceride, Lipoprotein and Liver Enzymes in Convulsive Children

ObjectiveStudies on the effect of various antiepileptic drugs on serum lipids show contradictory results. We aimed to find the effect of Phenobarbital and Sodium Valproate monotherapy on serum lipid profile and liver function tests in epileptic children.Materials & MethodsThis cohort study was conducted in Amirkola Children Hospital. One hundred and ten children with epilepsy were included in this study. Children with hepatic or renal disease, those receiving medications which could alter liver function tests or serum lipid profile were excluded from the study. Patients were allocated into two groups. The first group, including 63 patients, received Phenobarbital and the second group, including 47 patients, received Sodium Valproate, both in divided doses. A venous blood sample was collected after overnight fasting to evaluate serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and liver function tests. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 17.ResultsIn children receiving Phenobarbital, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, ALP, SGOT and SGPT increased significantly after treatment, but TG level showed no significant changes. In children receiving Sodium Valproate, HDL, ALP, SGOT, SGPT significantly increased after treatment but there were no statistically significant changes in total cholesterol, LDL and TG. In our study, the plasma levels of LPa elevated significantly after treatment with Phenobarbital and Sodium Valproate (P Value=0.0001). This increase was more significant in patients receiving Sodium Valproate.ConclusionOur results suggested a need for monitoring serum total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and TG levels in patients receiving Phenobarbital and Valproic Acid.

A novel iterative optimization algorithm based on dynamic random population

U umjetnoj inteligenciji razvijene su različite heurističke metode optimalizacije. Te su metode uglavnom potaknute prirodnom evolucijom ili nekim primjenljivim inovacijama koje traže dobra (gotovo optimalna) rješenja uz razumnu računalnu cijenu za istraživane probleme. U radu se predlaže novi iterativni algoritam optimalizacije. Algoritam se zasniva na pretraživanju najvrednijeg dijela područja rješenja, koje je uobičajeno koncentrirano oko ciljanog (bias) vektora (u obliku dinamične slučajne populacije). Taj algoritam nezasitno pretražuje prostor rješenja u potrazi za globalnim ekstremom. Usporedba rezultata predloženog algoritma i nekih poznatih heurističkih metoda pretraživanja potvrđuje superiornost naše predložene metode u rješavanju različitih nelinearnih problema optimalizacije sa stajališta jednostavnosti i točnosti.Various heuristic optimization methods have been developed in artificial intelligence. These methods are mostly inspired by natural evolution or some applicable innovations, which seek good (near-optimal) solutions at a reasonable computational cost for search problems. A new iterative optimization algorithm is proposed in this paper. The algorithm is based on searching the most valuable part of the solution space, which is normally concentrated about a targeted bias vector (in the form of a dynamic random population). This algorithm greedily searches the solution space for global extremum. The comparison results between the proposed algorithm and some of the well-known heuristic search methods confirm the superiority of our proposed method in solving various non-linear optimization problems from the viewpoint of simplicity and accuracy

Supply and demand of quranic information in the web environment: a decade of infodemiology study in Iran

This study aimed to investigate the demand for information from Iranian users to the supply of scientific products to Iranian researchers in the field of the Quran during the years 2011-2020. The present study is a descriptive-analytical done by web research and scientometric methods using infodemiology indicators. The population included the keywords of Iranian users’ search in the field of the Qur’an - using Google Trends; and in the scientometrics section, the research conducted by Iranian researchers in the area of the Qur’an - indexed in Islamic world citation databases, web of science, and Scopus during the years 2011-2020. A correlation test was performed to investigate the alignment of users ‘information retrieval behavior and researchers’ scientific products using R software. The number of scientific products of researchers and the index of Iranian users’ search volume in the Google search engine has increased over ten years. The average growth of scientific productions of Iranian researchers in the Quranic studies was 411.40. Spearman correlation coefficient between users’ information-seeking behavior and scientific products of Iranian researchers in the field of Quran in the sections of Web search (P-value = 0.001), YouTube search (P-value = 0.0001) and the sum of parts of Google search engine (P-value = 0.0001) was obtained meaningfully. Many factors affect the increasing scientific production of Iranian researchers in the Quranic fields. Information demand or Internet information retrieval behavior of users in this subject can be one of the most critical factors

The effects of aerobic training before and after the induction of Alzheimer’s disease on ABCA1 and APOE mRNA expression and the level of soluble Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus of male Wistar rats

Objective(s): The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic training before and after the induction of Alzheimer’s disease on ABCA1 and APOE mRNA expression and the level of soluble Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus of male Wistar rats.Materials and Methods: Ninety six eight-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: Training (n=48) and Rest (n=48). After four weeks, each group was randomly divided into two subgroups: intra-hippocampal injection of Aβ1-42 (n=24) and DMSO (n=24). Then, each group was again randomly divided into two groups: Training (n=12) and Rest (n=12). After four weeks, each group was again randomly divided into two groups: Behavioral test (n=7) and sacrificed (n=5). Results: The one-way ANOVA showed a significant increase in the mRNA expression of ABCA1 (P0.05) in the hippocampus as a result of training. The analysis of the Morris water maze data showed that intra-hippocampal injection of Aβ1-42 impaired spatial learning and memory and exercise improved spatial learning (

Investigating the Privatization of Iran's Oil Refinery Industries with DID (Fuzzy) Approach

In recent years, privatization in the downstream industries of oil and gas , has been one of the most important measures taken to change and improve the business environment and remove barriers of production, as well as to implement of the general policies of Article 44 of the Constitution. This study intends to check out eleven variables related to the performance of six companies: Isfahan Oil Refinery, Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery, Tehran Oil Refinery, Lavan Oil Refinery, Shiraz Oil Refinery and Tabriz Oil Refinery by DID (fuzzy) method and compare it with control groups in order to Assess the privatization status of these companies. The results of this study show that two variables out of the eleven variables -, the ratio of general administrative and sales costs to revenues and the number of staff before and after the transfer, were significant for the control group. In other words, the employment situation and general administrative and sales costs in the companies under review were more unsatisfactory than the control group and in this regard, they had poor performance. This shows that in practice, the transfer of these companies has not affected the employment situation, positively

A Novel Strategy of Maximum Power Point Tracking for Photovoltaic Panels Based on Fuzzy Logic Algorithm

From the perspective of renewable energy industry investment, absorbing maximum power from renewable sources is a vital factor. Hence, an algorithm is required to change the operating point of renewable energy sources in different environment conditions accordingly. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for tracking the Maximum Power Point (MPP) of a Photovoltaic (PV) panel. In this paper, an auxiliary parameter based on the voltage and power of the PV panel is suggested. By adopting this parameter, independence of irradiation and temperature, the interval between the operating point and the MPP can be estimated. Furthermore, the range of the MPP voltage variations is calculated with respect to various irradiations and temperatures. Then, a novel fuzzy logic Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm is proposed based on the introduced parameter and voltage variations interval of the MPP. The proposed algorithm has appropriate respond to environment condition changes with proper speed and accuracy. In addition, unlike Hill Climbing (HC) and Perturb and Observe (P&O), the proposed method has no chattering in steady state. The abovementioned claims are successfully validated via the software MATLAB/Simulink

Papel mediador do silêncio organizacional na relação entre clima organizacional e desempenho no trabalho

The main aim of the present study is explaining the relationship between organizational climate and job performance by considering the mediating role of organizational silence of education staff of Fars province. A descriptive-correlative method was used in this study. The statistical population of this study included the staff of the education administration of Fars province. They were 350 persons at the time of study. The sample size was 183 persons based on Kerjesi-Morgan's table and the sampling was done by a stratified- randomized method. Three questionnaires of job performance (Paterson), organizational climate (Susman and Deep) and organizational silence (Vakola and Borados) were used for gathering information. The validity and reliability of questionnaires were confirmed. Indexes such as mean and standard deviation and Pearson correlative coefficient and hierarchical analysis regression using Baron and Kenny method of two parts of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for analyzing the data and testing the hypothesizes. Results of the analyzed data showed that there is a direct and meaningful relationship between organizational climate and job performance. There is also a reverse relationship between organizational climate and organizational silence and there is a direct and meaningful relationship between organizational climate and job performance. It means that the more improving the organizational climate, the more increasing the job performance and the more reducing the organizational silence.El objetivo principal del presente estudio es explicar la relación entre el clima organizacional y el desempeño laboral al considerar el papel mediador del silencio organizacional del personal educativo de la provincia de Fars. Se utilize un método descriptivo-correlativo. La población estadística de este estudio incluyó al personal de la administración educativa de la provincia de Fars. Eran 350 personas en el momento del estudio. El tamaño de la muestra fue de 183 personas en base a la tabla de Kerjesi-Morgan y el muestreo se realizó mediante un método aleatorio estratificado. Se utilizaron tres cuestionarios de desempeño laboral (Paterson), clima organizacional (Susman y Deep) y silencio organizacional (Vakola y Borados) para recopilar información. La validez y fiabilidad de los cuestionarios fueron confirmadas. Se usaron índices como la media y la desviación estándar y el coeficiente correlativo de Pearson y la regresión del análisis jerárquico utilizando el método de Baron y Kenny de dos partes de estadística descriptiva y estadística inferencial para analizar los datos y probar las hipótesis. Los resultados de los datos analizados mostraron que existe una relación directa y significativa entre el clima organizacional y el desempeño laboral. También existe una relación inversa entre el clima organizacional y el silencio organizacional y existe una relación directa y significativa entre el clima organizacional y el desempeño laboral. Significa que cuanto más se mejore el clima organizacional, más se incrementará el desempeño laboral y más se reducirá el silencio organizacional. O principal objetivo deste estudo é explicar a relação entre o clima organizacional e o desempenho no trabalho quando se considera o papel mediador do silêncio organizacional do pessoal docente da província de Fars. Um método descritivo-correlativo foi utilizado. A população estatística deste estudo incluiu o pessoal da administração educacional da província de Fars. Havia 350 pessoas no momento do estudo. O tamanho da amostra foi de 183 pessoas, com base na tabela de Kerjesi-Morgan, e a amostragem foi realizada por meio de um método aleatório estratificado. Três questionários de desempenho no trabalho (Paterson), clima organizacional (Susman e Deep) e silêncio organizacional (Vakola e Borados) foram usados para coletar informações. A validade e confiabilidade dos questionários foram confirmadas. Índices como média e desvio padrão e o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson e regressão da análise hierárquica foram utilizados pelo método de Baron e Kenny de duas partes da estatística descritiva e estatística inferencial para analisar os dados e testar as hipóteses. Os resultados dos dados analisados mostraram que existe uma relação direta e significativa entre o clima organizacional e o desempenho no trabalho. Há também uma relação inversa entre o clima organizacional e o silêncio organizacional e existe uma relação direta e significativa entre o clima organizacional e o desempenho no trabalho. Isso significa que quanto mais o clima organizacional melhorar, mais o desempenho no trabalho aumentará e mais o silêncio organizacional será reduzido

Avaliando o comprometimento organizacional dos professores da escola secundária com base na teoria dos dois fatores de higiene de motivos de Herzberg

main aim of the present study is evaluating organizational commitment of secondary school's teachers based on Herzberg's Motive- hygiene two-factor theory. A descriptive-survey method is used in this study. The statistical population of this study included the secondary school's teachers of the education administration of Jahrom city. They were 330 persons at the time of study. The sample size was 178 persons based on Kerjesi-Morgan's table and the sampling was done by a stratified- randomized method. Two questionnaires of organizational commitment (Allen and Meyer) and motive- hygiene two-factor (job expectation) (Lussier) were used for gathering information. The validity and reliability of questionnaires were confirmed. Indexes such as mean and standard deviation, One – Sample T Test, Pearson correlative coefficient, Independent- Samples T – Test, stepwise multivariate regression analysis and One - Way Analysis of Variance of two parts of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for analyzing the data respectively. Results of the analyzed data showed that there is a significant relationship between motive- hygiene factors and organizational commitment. There is no significant difference between hygiene factors of male and female teachers but the rate of hygiene factors of female teachers is more than the male teachers. There is also no significant difference between organizational commitment of male and female teachers but the rate of teachers with associate of arts is more than the teachers with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (or sciences).El objetivo principal del presente estudio es evaluar el compromiso organizacional de los docentes de la escuela secundaria basado en la teoría de Herzberg sobre la motivación de dos factores. Un método de encuesta descriptiva se utiliza en este estudio. La población estadística de este estudio incluyó a los profesores de la escuela secundaria de la administración educativa de la ciudad de Jahrom. Eran 330 personas en el momento del estudio. El tamaño de la muestra fue de 178 personas según la tabla de Kerjesi-Morgan y el muestreo se realizó por un método estratificado y aleatorizado. Se utilizaron dos cuestionarios de compromiso organizacional (Allen y Meyer) y de motivación por motivos de dos factores (expectativa de trabajo) (Lussier) para recabar información. La validez y fiabilidad de los cuestionarios fueron confirmadas. Se usaron índices como media y desviación estándar, prueba T de una muestra, coeficiente correlativo Pearson, prueba T de muestras independientes, análisis de regresión multivariante por pasos y análisis de varianza de una vía de dos partes de estadística descriptiva y estadística inferencial para analizar el datos respectivamente. Los resultados de los datos analizados mostraron que existe una relación significativa entre los factores de higiene motivacional y el compromiso organizacional. No hay una diferencia significativa entre los factores de higiene de los docentes masculinos y femeninos, pero la tasa de factores de higiene de las maestras es más que la de los docentes masculinos. Tampoco hay una diferencia significativa entre el compromiso organizacional de maestros y maestras, pero la tasa de maestros con asociado de artes es más que la de maestros con Licenciatura en Artes y Maestría en Artes (o ciencias).O principal objetivo do presente estudo é avaliar o comprometimento organizacional de professores do ensino médio baseado na teoria de Herzberg sobre a motivação de dois fatores. Um método de pesquisa descritiva é usado neste estudo. A população estatística deste estudo incluiu os professores do ensino médio da administração educacional da cidade de Jahrom. Havia 330 pessoas no momento do estudo. O tamanho da amostra foi de 178 pessoas, de acordo com a tabela de Kerjesi-Morgan, e a amostragem foi realizada por método estratificado e randomizado. Dois questionários de comprometimento organizacional (Allen e Meyer) e motivação foram usados por razões de dois fatores (expectativa de trabalho) (Lussier) para coletar informações. A validade e confiabilidade dos questionários foram confirmadas. índices como média e desvio padrão, amostra teste t, Pearson coeficiente de correlação, t-teste em amostras independentes, análise de regressão multivariada e análise de variância através de duas partes de estatística descritiva e estatística inferencial foram utilizados para analisar o dados, respectivamente. Os resultados dos dados analisados mostraram que existe uma relação significativa entre fatores de higiene motivacional e comprometimento organizacional. Não há diferença significativa entre os fatores de higiene de professores do sexo masculino e feminino, mas a taxa de fatores de higiene das professoras é maior do que a dos professores do sexo masculino. Também não há uma diferença significativa entre o comprometimento organizacional dos professores, mas a taxa de professores de artes associados é mais do que professores com Bachelor of Arts e Master of Arts (ou ciência)