The effects of multimedia instruction of Quran on the learning and retention of students with mental special needs

The present research was conducted to investigate the instructional effects of Quran educational multimedia on the learning and retention of six grade male students with mental special needs in Arak. The research design of the study was a quasi-experimental, and the participants of the study were 18 students with mental special needs studying at the Noor special education center randomly assigned to two groups of nine. The experimental group was treated with multimedia instruction for two months (18 sessions each 45 minutes) while the control group received no treatment strategy. To assess the results, first a pretest was administered to both groups. After the pretest the experimental group received the treatment and after that a posttest was administered to both groups. The data were then analyzed with repeated measure ANOVA and multivariate variance analysis.Overall, the results of the analyses imply that although in both groups under study the level of learning and intake improved compared with the beginning, the second group which was exposed to multimedia instruction of Quran outperformed the other group with traditional instruction in the indices under investigation in this study.  Also, according to multivariate variance analysis, it was found that multimedia use in teaching Quran to students with mental special needs significantly improves the indices of reading the words part by part, reading, compared with the traditional methods

JOB STRESS AMONG IRANIAN FIREFIGHTERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

INTRODUCTION: Firefighters, as the first responders to disasters, are exposed to dangerous and stressful situations and experience high job stress due to the nature of their work, affecting various physical and mental health dimensions. The aim of this study was to assess job stress in Iranian firefighters by systematic review. MATERIAL AND METHODS: PRISMA guideline was used to conduct the present study. Data resources of SID, Magiran, Scopus, PubMed, ISC, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched. Conference papers and the reference list of retrieved articles were screened to identify additional studies. Literature searches were conducted in both Persian and English without any time limit until the end of 2020. RESULTS: Initially, 147 studies were identified, and finally 13 eligible studies were systematically reviewed. In this study, 2378 Iranian firefighters were studied. Most of the studies had cross-sectional designs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that most Iranian firefighters are exposed to job stress, influencing other life aspects such as quality of life, job satisfaction, etc. As appropriate interventions can reduce job stress, providing firefighters with adequate training at the beginning of employment and also with in-service training, it is possible to reduce their job stress. Copyright © 2022 Via Medica

Challenges and barriers of humanitarian aid management in 2017 Kermanshah earthquake: a qualitative study

Background Examining various problems after disasters is important for the affected people. Managing humanitarian aid and donations among the affected people is considered as one of the most important problems after disasters. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the challenges and barriers of humanitarian aid management in 2017 Kermanshah Earthquake. Methods This study was conducted from November 2017 to January 2018, with qualitative case study design. The population included 21 people including 6 humanitarian aid manager, 6 volunteers, 4 aid workers, and 5 affected people. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and purposeful sampling, which continued until saturating the data. The strategies recommended by Guba were used for evaluating the trustworthiness of the data. The data was analyzed with conventional content analysis method according to method suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results Based on the results, two themes, nine categories, and 19 sub-categories were identified considering the challenges and barriers of humanitarian aid and donors' management during the 2017 Kermanshah Earthquake. The categories included education, command and coordination, communication and information, rules, security, traffic and overcrowding, assessment, providing system, and cultural setting. Also, two themes including managerial and structural barriers were extracted. Conclusion Adopting an effective management and appropriate policies with respect to humanitarian aid and modifying structural and managerial barriers can improve the performance and management of humanitarian aid

Products of the OH radical-initiated reactions of furan, 2- and 3-methylfuran, and 2,3- and 2,5-dimethylfuran in the presence of NO.

Products of the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals with furan, furan-d4, 2- and 3-methylfuran, and 2,3- and 2,5-dimethylfuran have been investigated in the presence of NO using direct air sampling atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry (API-MS and API-MS/MS), and gas chromatography with flame ionization and mass spectrometric detectors (GC-FID and GC-MS) to analyze samples collected onto annular denuders coated with XAD solid adsorbent and further coated with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine for derivatization of carbonyl-containing compounds to their oximes. The products observed were unsaturated 1,4-dicarbonyls, unsaturated carbonyl-acids and/or hydroxy-furanones, and from 2,5-dimethylfuran, an unsaturated carbonyl-ester. Quantification of the unsaturated 1,4-dicarbonyls was carried out by GC-FID using 2,5-hexanedione as an internal standard, and the measured molar formation yields were: HC(O)CH═CHCHO (dominantly the E-isomer) from OH + furan, 75 ± 5%; CH3C(O)CH═CHCHO (dominantly the E-isomer) from OH + 2-methylfuran, 31 ± 5%; HC(O)C(CH3)═CHCHO (a E-/Z-mixture) from OH + 3-methylfuran, 38 ± 2%; and CH3C(O)C(CH3)═CHCHO from OH + 2,3-dimethylfuran, 8 ± 2%. In addition, a formation yield of 3-hexene-2,5-dione from OH + 2,5-dimethylfuran of 27% was obtained from a single experiment, in good agreement with a previous value of 24 ± 3% from GC-FID analyses of samples collected onto Tenax solid adsorbent without derivatization