Tavis-Cummings models and their quasi-exactly solvable Schrödinger Hamiltonians

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The effect of a parental education program on the mental health of parents and behavioral problems of their children with autism spectrum disorder

Objectives Early interventions can play an important role in alleviating or eliminating many of the major symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and enhancing new skills. Parental education can reduce the parents� depression and stress and increase their empowerment. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a parental education program the mental health of parents, behavioral problems of their children with ASD. Methods A group of 30 parents of children with ASD in Tehran, Iran were selected by a convenience sampling and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The parents in the intervention group received psychoeducational program according to Tonge et al.�s (2006) method in 10 sessions each for 90 min in Tehran Psychiatric Institute. Data collection tools were the Family Assessment Device, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Billings and Mouse�s Coping Strategies Scale, and 28-item General Health Questionnaire. All participants were evaluated at three stages of pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Results The effect of parental education program on the clinical symptoms and its dimensions was significant at three measurement phases. In the 3-month follow-up duration, the results remained unchanged. There were a significant difference between the two study groups in general health, family function, coping strategies, and child behavior (F=4.859, P=0.023). Conclusion Parental education can improve the mental health of parents and reduce the behavioral problems of their ASD children. © 2020, Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Reliability and construct validity of the Iranian version of health-promoting lifestyle profile in a female adolescent population

Background: Health-promoting lifestyle is receiving increasing attention concerning its prominent role in healthcare. This study examined to adapt the health-promoting lifestyle profile II culturally and to assess its psychometric properties. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, content validity was established using translation and back-translation procedures, pilot testing of the instrument, and getting views of the expert panel. Concurrent validity was estimated with Pearson's correlation between the HPLP II, the quality of life (SF-12), self-efficacy variables, and demographic variables. Construct validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sample size for CFA included 500 people. HPLP II reliability was estimated with Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Results: The content validity Index (CVI) surpassed 0.80 for the HPLP II and for four subscales. The CFA four-factor model represented an acceptable fit. Their factor loadings was more than 0.40. Correlations between the HPLP II and the subscales were acceptable. The relationships between the HPLP II, self-efficacy, SF-12 domain scores, and demographic variables were also significantly positive. Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.86 for the HPLP II and for the subscales ranged from 0.70 to 0.77. Conclusion: The shortened HPLP II had satisfactory psychometric properties. The revised 34-item four-factor model had perfect fit. It can be used to measure health-promoting lifestyle in the Iranian female adolescents' population

Aniline degradation from aqueous solution using electro/Fe2+/peroxydisulphate process

Non-degradation compounds are nowadays not being disposed into the environment, or are removed before being disposed into the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the degradation of aniline from aqueous media by electro/Fe2+/peroxydisulphate (PDS) process. The effects of different parameters like pH (3–9), electric current (EC; 10–30 mA/cm2), dose of PDS (10–40 mM), Fe2+ dose (5–20 mM) and initial aniline concentration (20–100 mg/L) on the degradation of aniline were investigated in the laboratory reactor in the batch condition. The results showed that the removal efficiency of aniline decreased by increasing the initial pH and pollutant concentration; however, with increasing EC and PDS doses and ferrous concentration, the removal efficiency increased. The maximum of aniline degradation, equalling 83%, was obtained at 60 min of reaction time. Also, for reaction time of 60-min runs, PDS only, EC only, PDS + Fe, PDS + EC and PDS + Fe + Fe, respectively, have 8.9%, 53%, 43%, 65% and 83% of the removal efficiency. The degradation efficiency of aniline from synthetic wastewater was significantly improved when the combined processes PDS/electro-conduction/Fe2+ was applied. © 2017 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved

Efficacy of Capparis spinosa Linn Leaf and Fruit Extracts on Giardia Lambia Cysts In vitro

Aims: Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) is one of the most common intestinal parasites worldwide. There are some side effects and the reports of parasite resistance to metronidazole as the first line treatment of giardiasis. Therefore, it is essential to discover an effect and safe drug to treat giardiasis. Methodology: In this study, the anti-parasitic activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of Capparis spinosa Linn (C. spinosa) leaves and fruits with different concentrations (4 to 0.125 mg/ml) was assessed against human isolates of the G. lamblia cysts and incubated at 37 degrees C. After staining Giardia cysts with 0.1 eosin, the lethal percentage and 50 lethal concentration (LC50) of fruit and leave C. spinosa L extracts and metronidazole on G. lamblia cysts were calculated after 3, 6, 24 and 48 hours. Results: Anti-giardia activity of fruit and leaf extracts of C. spinosa was different between concentrations and time points (p<0.005). The lethal effect of both C. spinosa L extracts and metronidazole increased significantly in a concentration - and time-dependent response (P<0.0001). The highest lethal percentage of G. lamblia cysts was observed a concentration of 4 mg / ml of fruit (100) and leaf (44) extracts of C. spinosa L after 48 hours, respectively. LC50 values were 0.38 +/- 0.02mg/ml for fruit extract, 2.32 +/- 0.1 mg/ml for leaf extract and 0.53 +/- 0.03 mu g/ml for metronidazole after 48hours. Conclusion: C. spinosa can be effective in eliminating Giardia cyst of contaminated environments and water