Developing a Framework and Pedagogies for the Delivery of Remote Accessible Laboratory Systems in Science and Engineering

The teaching and learning methods applied to the in-person classroom are not entirely capable of addressing the requirements for an online laboratory environment. The aim of the study is to create the pedagogies for remote laboratories. Therefore, a test environment was developed and user observations were captured over four years. This research proposed an educational framework for online science and engineering laboratory and summarized the most significant aspects to be included in the laboratory design

RELPH: A Computational Model for Human Decision Making

The updating process, which consists of building mental models and adapting them to the changes occurring in the environment, is impaired in neglect patients. A simple rock-paper-scissors experiment was conducted in our lab to examine updating impairments in neglect patients. The results of this experiment demonstrate a significant difference between the performance of healthy and brain damaged participants. While healthy controls did not show any difficulty learning the computer’s strategy, right brain damaged patients failed to learn the computer’s strategy. A computational modeling approach is employed to help us better understand the reason behind this difference and thus learn more about the updating process in healthy people and its impairment in right brain damaged patients. Broadly, we hope to learn more about the nature of the updating process, in general. Also the hope is that knowing what must be changed in the model to “brain-damage” it can shed light on the updating deficit in right brain damaged patients. To do so I adapted a pattern detection method named “ELPH” to a reinforcement-learning human decision making model called “RELPH”. This model is capable of capturing the behavior of both healthy and right brain damaged participants in our task according to our defined measures. Indeed, this thesis is an effort to discuss the possible differences among these groups employing this computational model

Pareidolia as additional approach to improving education and learning in neuroradiology; New cases and literature review

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon including the simulation of images and sounds which it is somewhat beneficial for the physician in diagnostic strategies. Radiology is one of the important training courses for many students, especially medical students and resident doctors. Due to the brain, neck and cervical spine is crucial for learning as well as disorders and histo-pathological finding in this area are very similar, therefore, a diagnostic system with specific criteria for each type of pathologic signs is essential for learning and training. The mental illusions and pareidolia is one of the key strategies in the diagnosis of various diseases and likened to an object, animal or anything tangible. For radiologist and neurologist in addition to having, proper knowledge of the theoretical and academic information should also be a good artist because they will be able to diagnose diseases of the brain, neck and cervical spine. Pareidolia are a useful method of recognizing clinical and radiologic patterns that aid in the memorization and im-prove general diagnostic skills. Therefore, main purpose of pareidolia in radiology and medical imaging is establishment and foundation of universal diagnostic sign for faster and most correct diseases differentiation especially the brain, neck and cervical spine

Infective Endocarditis as a complication of COVID-19 infection; A case report and review of literature

COVID-19 has been known to induce systemic inflammation and hyper coagulate state leading to different complications. Cardiovascular complications are one of the most important among complications following COVID-19 infection. A 57 years old woman with past medical history of COVID-19 infection about two months ago came to our hospital with presentation of fever and dyspnea. During workup, tricuspid valve infection associated with pulmonary septic emboli was diagnosed without any obvious risk factor for infective endocarditis. It seems that COVID-19 infection may increase the rate of endocarditis in patients with or without risk factors of endocarditis

Perfectionism and writing anxiety as predictors of Iranian EFL learners’ performance in IELTS writing module: a multi-dimensional perspective

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL Learners’ perfectionism and writing anxiety and their performance in the IELTS Writing Module. To this end, sixty-eight Iranian EFL learners were selected via convenience sampling. Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale developed and validated by Hewitt and Flett (1991) and Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory devised by Cheng (2004) were administered to the participants. The participants were then asked to write on an assigned topic from IELTS Writing Task 2. The findings of the study indicated that of the three dimensions of perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented, other-oriented and socially prescribed), none were associated with the learners’ writing performance, while a significant negative relationship was found between the learners’ writing anxiety consisting of somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, and avoidance behavior and their writing performance. The results of multiple regression analysis suggested that somatic anxiety, and avoidance behavior were significant predictors of writing performance. The implications highlight the strategies that should be deployed by educational policy-makers, practitioners, and examiners to alleviate anxiety in L2 classrooms, promoting a safe and stress-free educational environment

DMFT of the First Permanent Molars, dmft and Related Factors among All First-Grade Primary School Students in Rafsanjan Urban Area

Statement of the Problem: Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disorders throughout the world. The dmft (decayed, missing, and filled primary teeth) and DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth) are some of the most important epidemiological indices in dentistry. Evaluation of these two indicators in the population can help in future planning of healthcare programs to improve oral health status. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate these indicators and the related factors in first-grade primary school students in Rafsanjan urban area to determine their present status, which might be helpful for future health care planning. Materials and Method: In this cross-sectional study, DMFT index of first permanent molar and dmft were evaluated by census method on 2031 first-grade primary school students in Rafsanjan urban area in 2018 (May-June). Dental examination was done using a mirror and probe under natural light according to World Health Organization criteria. The data were then analyzed using independent two-sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey's multiple comparisons test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric test and Leven's test in SPSS version 21 software. Results: The mean and standard deviation of dmft index and DMFT index of first permanent molar were 6.37 ± 3.40 and 0.30 ± 0.72, respectively. The proportion of caries free students was 4.1%. A significant association was found between the values of these indices and school type, the level of education of parents, parental occupation, family size, and frequency of brushing and the use of floss (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant association between these two indices with gender (p= 0.347 and p= 0.593, respectively). Conclusion: The results of this study showed high prevalence of caries in first-grade primary school students in Rafsanjan. Therefore, to improve this situation, more attention is needed for proper oral health program planning and education of families concerning oral hygiene and dental preventive measures

The Relationship between EQ & Constructive and Non-Constructive Problem Solving Styles among Payame Noor University's students of Abadan in the year 2014

The objective of the present study is considering the relationship between EQ &amp; constructive and non-constructive problem solving styles among students. The applied methodology is cross-correlation method. The statistical population in this study is all the educational sciences' students of Payame Noor university of Abadan in the year 2014 and the sampling is taken totally randomly and voluntary. Two surveys of EQ which proposed by Siryashring (1988) have used in this study that contain 33 questions. This study will measure 5 components of emotional intelligence: Self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation, social awareness and social skills. In addition the problem solving styles' survey that proposed by Velang (1996) has been applied that has made in two stages and has 24 questions, 12 items measure the problem-oriented style and rest of them measure the excitement-orientation. According to Cronbach's alpha the reliability coefficient of EQ is reported about 0.84. The validity of 0.63 is confirmed in Shirng's test of EQ. reliability coefficient of solving problem style is reported about 87%.Either reliability coefficient or factor content are confirmed by the faculty. Data analysis is done in two level of descriptive statistical (frequencies, percentages mean) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation, chi-square test). The obtained results of assumptions show that there is no significant relationship between EQ and constructive problem solving; also there is no significant relationship between EQ and non-constructive problem solving. Moreover there is significant relationship between EQ in creative styles, avoidance and style tendencies. Nevertheless there is no relationship between EQ and distress styles. And the confidence style shows an inverse relationship. Keywords: EQ, Constructive problem solving styles, non- constructive problem solving style

The Relationship between Time Management and Student Achievement

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between time management and achievement of students. The statistical population of this study includes the students of educational sciences in the Payame Noor University of Abadan City in 2013. The population consists of 256 members. A sample of 70 students was selected randomly. In order to collect the research data, a self-administrated questionnaire was used. The research data were analyzed through both descriptive and inferential statistics in the SPSS. The results of this study revealed that there is a significant relationship between time management and achievement of students. Another part of our results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between age and time management. Keywords: Time Management, Planning, Achievemen

Evaluation of Hydrolytic Enzyme Activity and Determination of SAP5 and PLB1 Genes in Candida Isolates of Vaginal Infection

Background: Volvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common fungal infection in women. The production of extracellular enzymes act as virulence factors in the pathogenesis of Candida species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of phospholipase, proteinase and to investigate the distribution pattern of Sap5 and PLB1 genes in Candida isolates isolated from women with VVC. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 135 vaginal swabs of women with suspected VVC. Candida species were identified by PCR-RFLP and the activity of hydrolytic enzymes and frequency analysis of SAP5 and PLB1 genes were evaluated. Findings: The results showed that C. albicans has the highest frequency (67%). In total, 80% of the studied isolates have proteolytic activity and 73% have phospholipase activity. Furthermore, the frequencies of PLB1 and SAP5 genes among Candida species were reported 95.7% and 91.4%, respectively. Simultaneous presence of SAP5 and PLB1 genes was observed in 87% of the isolates. Conclusion: The results of present study showed the importance of molecular epidemiological studies and understanding the role of virulence factors associated with extracellular enzymes in the pathogenesis of Candida strains