Iranian students' attitudes towards the facilitative and debilitative role of code-switching; types and moments of code-switching at EFL classroom

Recently, the use of language learners' mother tongue, code-switching, alongside English in EFL classrooms has received considerable attention. The main objectives of this study were to present the results of a qualitative study which investigated the types and functions of code-switching at an intermediate English Proficiency level in EFL classrooms. Moreover, gender preferences were investigated. To this end, 50 hours of four class performances were observed, audio-recorded and analyzed to answer the proposed research questions. The results of this study suggested that teachers applied code-switching more frequently when they tried to give Persian equivalents of English words and expressions. It should be pointed out that the application of intersentential code-switching turned out to be more salient among both teachers and students. Code-switching was more frequent while students were carrying out the assigned tasks. Male students switched when they said humorous remarks while their female classmates switched more frequently when they asked and/or gave L1 equivalents.  Filling in the attitude questionnaire, the majority of students believed that in several cases neither teachers nor students should apply Persian as much as possible, even though it facilitated their interactions

The Analysis of the Basics of Gerard Genette’s Intertextuality in Farhad Hassanzadeh's The Bambak Ship’s Scorpions for Young Adults

The study of relationships between texts is one of the approaches to the study of literary works through which important information can be obtained from the text. Among the various literary theories that have dealt with the relationship between texts, transtextuality analyzes the text in this respect. This theory was first proposed by Gerard Genette, a French theorist and structuralist. Transtextuality has five forms: Paratextuality, intertextuality, architextuality, metatextuality, and hypertextuality, and includes an extensive study of relationships of a text with its para-elements, previous or contemporary texts, texts that have criticized and interpreted and have taken a step towards confirming or denying it; moreover, it includes the relationship of a text to the genre or genres in which the text is formed, and finally to the texts from which the text is taken. Farhad Hassanzadeh is a prolific writer with a specific style in children and young adult literature who has over 80 works on various subjects. He has received numerous national and international awards. Among his important and famous works, we can mention This Weblog Is Being Turned Over, Namaki And the Spectacled Snake, The Moonlight Guest, Call me Ziba, etc. This study intends to read Farhad Hassanzadeh's The Bambak Ship’s Scorpions through intertextuality which is one of the five forms of transtextuality and to identify the pretexts of interest to the author. In the following, it will be clear that the author has chosen the pretexts of the work purposefully and these pretexts have been effective in selecting some elements of the story. The author has also taken special care in using pretexts of popular culture such as proverbs and allusions, popular songs of the time, and slogans of the revolution. For this reason, the presence of this pretext in the work has a high frequency

Evaluation of Pulp Tissue Following Direct Pulp Capping with Propolis versus Calcium Hydroxide: A Clinical Trial

Objectives Direct pulp capping may result in formation of a dentinal bridge and preservation of pulp vitality. This randomized controlled clinical trial sought to histologically assess and compare pulp tissue following pulp capping with propolis and calcium hydroxide. Methods In A cavity was prepared at the center of the occlusal surface of 10 third molars scheduled for extraction by using a cylindrical bur. The pulp chamber was exposed with a round bur. Samples were randomly divided into two groups (5 teeth in each group). The first group underwent direct pulp capping with propolis and the second group with calcium hydroxide. Auto-polymerizing glass ionomer was then applied to seal the cavity. The teeth were extracted after 45 days, and histologically evaluated. The obtained data were analyzed using the Fisher’s exact test. Results The quality (P=0.048) and quantity (P=0.008) of dentinal bridge were significantly different between the two groups. Propolis resulted in formation of a continuous dentinal bridge with irregular tubular dentin; whereas, calcium hydroxide resulted in formation of osteodentin (low quality dentin). Conclusion Propolis induced the formation of tubular dentin with higher quality compared with calcium hydroxide

Health related quality of life of Iranian children with type 1 diabetes: reliability and validity of the Persian version of the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales and Diabetes Module

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to measure health related quality of life (HRQOL) in Iranian children with type 1 diabetes and to test the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants were 94 children and adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for at least 3 months in Shiraz, southern Iran. Convergent, discriminant, and construct validity of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module were assessed. Moreover, internal consistency was checked by Cronbach's alpha coefficient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cronbach's α for the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module was greater than 0.80 both in the child self-report and parent proxy-report. Both generic and disease-specific versions of the PedsQL showed excellent convergent and acceptable discriminant validity except for 'diabetes symptoms' subscale in the child self-report of the disease-specific module. Moreover, Iranian children with diabetes, as compared with other countries, had lower HRQOL scores.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While this study showed that the Persian version of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales has good psychometric properties in children with type 1 diabetes, the PedsQL™ 3.0 Diabetes Module needs some modifications to be used as a disease-specific quality of life (QOL) measure. Also, more support should be provided for the care of Iranian children with diabetes.</p

Evaluation of HER2 gene amplification status in invasive breast cancer patients by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization analysis and its correlation with clinical features

Precise assessment of HER2 gene status as an important biomarker plays a significant role in identifying the eligible patients for Trastuzumab therapy and determining their clinical outcomes. In this study, the researchers assigned HER2 amplification status in invasive breast cancer specimens by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) and determined its association with other clinical features. Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue specimens of 46 patients with invasive breast cancer were collected from November 2011 till May 2012. HER2status was evaluated by FISH. The Zytolight SPEC HER2/CEN17 dual color probe kit was applied for assessment of HER2status. HER2 gene amplification was defined as HER2/CEP17 ratio>2.2.The association between HER2status and clinical features like tumor grade, tumor type, tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement and age of patient was done using Chi squared test at the 0.05 level of significance (p value). Amplification of HER2 gene was detected in twelve cases (26%). On statistical analysis HER2status showed correlation with tumor grade (p=0.02).There was no correlation between HER2status and tumor type, tumor size, lymph node status and age of patients. The results of this study are consonant with the findings of other studies about the presence of HER2 gene amplification in invasive breast cancer. Statistical analysis showed patients with HER2 amplified gene have tumors with higher grade. In these patients the probability of increased proliferation and metastasis is high therefore evaluation of HER2 gene amplification status in breast cancer patients specially in high grade tumor with an accurate method such as FISH is essentia

A Systematic Review of the Effects of Aromatherapy with Lavender Essential Oil on Depression

Introduction: Depression is considered as one of the most serious health issues worldwide, and the search for the most effective and safe treatments for depression is essential. Aromatherapy with lavender have attracted the attention of many researchers due to their low cost and ease of use, so this study was conducted to review of the effects of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on depression.Methods: This systematic review study was conducted by searching the databases (SID, Magiran, Google-Scholar, Medline via PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) by using the keywords such as depression, Lavandula, Lavender, and Aromatherapy, as well as applying OR and AND operators to the end of January 1, 2020 A.D. The inclusion criteria were: 1) Interventional studies that determined keywords were in the title or keywords of the article, 2) aromatherapy was conducted through inhalation or massage, 3) the full text of paper was accessible, and 4) published in English or Persian. Finally, the information obtained from articles was extracted using a checklist.Results: Out of 278 studies, 9 studies were included to the systematic review process after screening and eliminating duplicate papers according to the purpose of the study. Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil was conducted on the patients suffering from migraine, patients with the acute coronary syndrome, patients undergoing hemodialysis, community-dwelling older adult, and postpartum depression. The results obtained from some studies showed the positive effect of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on depression whereas some studies did not report the effect of aromatherapy with lavender on depression significantly.Conclusion: It seems that aromatherapy with lavender probably can be used as a complementary, simple, and inexpensive method to improve mild and moderate depression. It is recommended to earmark using a collaborative approach and make use of interdisciplinary and psychology specialists as well as complementary medicine in applying aromatherapy with lavender essential oil

Comparison of gold standards with common histopathologic evaluations in diagnosis of oral neurofibromas in pathology department of Shiraz Dental School

Introduction: Diagnosis of neurofibroma usually is based on the specific morphology and arrangement of mesenchymal cells in routine Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) sections, and detection of mast cells supports the diagnosis. Sometimes definite diagnosis from other mesenchymal lesions may be difficult. The aim of the present study was to compare S100 expression and mast cells count (as Gold Standard) with routine histopathologic diagnosis. Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, all cases of neurofibroma and compatible/ consistent with neurofibroma, that had been diagnosed in department of oral & maxillofacial pathology, school of dentistry, Shiraz, from 1986 to 2013, were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry was performed using S100 antibody and slides were stained by Giemsa. S100 labeling index, intensity and distribution as well as mast cells count were evaluated using light microscope. Results: Mast cells were present in 97% of cases that 56.4 % showed 1-200 cells/10HPF. 82 % of cases were positive for S100 that 40.7% showed 2-30% labeling index and 70.4% had moderate intensity for S100 staining. Conclusions: The comparison of routine histopathologic examination with gold standard method in Oral Pathology Department of Shiraz Dental School confirmed the routine histopathologic diagnosis in all cases, therefore no more evaluation may be required if a pathologist considers all routine diagnostic criteria

Growth Inhibitory Effect of Anthemis haussknechtii Root Extract, as a Source of Parthenolide, on Breast Cancer Cell Line

Parthenolide is major Sesquiterpene lactones present in Anthemis haussknechtii Boiss. & Reut. (feverfew). This compound has many effects on different disease such as migrain and cancer. Parthenolide was reported from Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip. but other plants of Asteraceae family could contain parthenolide. In this study parthenolide was extracted and identified with two methods, Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, was exposed to different concentrations of parthenolide for 24 hours.  Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was evaluated using Methylthiazol Tetrazolium (MTT) test. Based on results, 1000 µg/ml concentration is the minimum lethal dose that kills approximately 50% of cells after 24 hours. The results revealed that the A. haussknechtii parthenolide dramatically decreased survival of cancer cell line by inducing apoptosis. This is the first report of cytotoxicity effect of A. haussknechtii extract on breast cancer cell line

Incidence of dental developmental anomalies in permanent dentition among Ardabil population, Iran, in 2015-2016

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dental anomalies are typically detected in radiographic screening. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the dental anomalies found in panoramic radiographs taken from the study population in Ardabil, Iran, in 2015-2016. METHODS: The present study was conducted on 1800 panoramic radiographs obtained from 799 men and 1001 women in the Radiology Department, Dental Faculty of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil. The radiographs were precisely evaluated in terms of various dental anomalies, including root dilaceration, missing teeth, impaction, retained deciduous, supernumerary teeth, peg lateral teeth, talon cusp, taurodontism, and lingual pit. The data were analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. RESULTS: The results of this study revealed that 331 patients had at least one dental anomaly. Dilaceration with 42.0% was the most common anomaly. The other anomalies detected in the radiographs included missing teeth, impaction, lingual pit, peg lateral teeth, retained deciduous teeth, supernumerary teeth, talon cusp, and taurodontism with a rate of 20.2%, 18.4%, 10.8%, 10.2%, 7.8%, 6.6%, 1.5%, and 0.3%, respectively. No cases of microdontia, macrodontia, germination, and fusion were observed. Dental anomalies were more incident among women than men (P = 0.010). Furthermore, the detected anomalies had a higher rate in maxilla compared to mandible (P = 0.010). CONCLUSION: As the findings of this study indicated, dilaceration was the most common dental anomaly, followed by missing teeth and impaction, respectively. KEYWORDS: Incidence; Dentition; Anomalies; Panoramic; Radiograph

Healthcare Managers’ Decision-Making Adopting Islamic Approach: Theoretical Basis of Attitude and Approach of Islam in Decision-Making Process

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: Decision making is of great importance in not only personal and social life but also organizational life. One of the most key factors influencing the decision making process is the value system as well as the beliefs and thoughts of decision-makers. Since the value system in Islam is fully comprehensiveness, in this research, the health managers’ decision-making process on the basis of the values and ethical principles from the Islamic point of view is examined.Method: ‘Content analysis’ is used in this study which falls into the category of non-experimental or descriptive research. The Islamic references and sources such as “Holy Quran”, “Nah al-balagha”, “Ghorar al-hekam &amp; Dorar al-kalem”, “Al-kafi”, “Al-hayat” and also a number of related books and papers were investigated in this study. All ethical issues were observed in this research and the researchers declared no conflict of interests.Results: In this research, three general steps were taken for the health managers’ decision-making process based on the teachings of the Holy Quran, which included “decision-making”, “decision implementation” and “reliance on God”. In order to accurately explain the steps above, a number of distinct and interpretable indices, derived from three main sources of Islamic studies, namely the “Holy Qur'an”, “the Prophet's Sunnah”, and “the life-method of infallible Imams”, were extracted, explained and interpreted.Conclusion: Any health manager or any ordinary Muslim can use the Islamic factors extracted in this research beside the science of decision-making for the triple stages of decision-making in his decision-making process and finally can complete his decision-making process relying on Almighty Allah, with an indomitable spirit. This way, in addition to succeeding in decision making, he will feel the consent of the Almighty Creator in every single stage of decision-making.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: Mousavi Kashi Z, Pourmohammadi Roudsari R, Jafari H, Sayad A, Movafagh A. Healthcare Managers’ Decision-Making Adopting Islamic Approach: Theoretical Basis of Attitude and Approach of Islam in Decision-Making Process. J Res Relig Health. 2018; 4(3): 103- 117