First Language Acquisition by Infants

Children do not reproduce their parents' language exactly. The way that children acquire their first language so quickly and easily has interested people for thousands of years. Considering the richness and complexity of this system, it seems improbable that children could ever learn its structure (Saffran, 2003).The main question in all modern studies of child language acquisition involves finding out what types of mechanisms underlie the acquisition of human language system. This case study was a developmental descriptive one that addressed three infants acquiring their first language in Iran (Kerman). The three infants were followed for a period of 12 monthsto see if they all followed a systematic pattern in language development. It seems that in the process of language acquisition, we can accept the possibility that first language learners come to the learning situation with an innate knowledge about language

Rapid assessment of toxicity of chlorinated aqueous solution by dissolved oxygen depletion and optical density bioassays

Background: Chlorination of wastewater effluent with high levels of residual organic matter has been suspected to the production of toxic and hazardous disinfection by-products (DBPs) including trihalomethane (THM) compounds. Methods: In this study, two rapid techniques including dissolved oxygen depletion (DOD) and optical density (OD) bioassays were used to evaluate the chloroform toxicity of aqueous solution. The activated sludge was collected from aeration tank of a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant and used as a biological inoculum. In order to achieve an active and stabilized mixed culture of bacteria, the test cultures were transferred to a fresh nutrient broth culture media every day. The influence of chloroform on DOD and OD bioassays was examined at chloroform initial concentrations of 10-1000 μg/L. Results: It was revealed that the application of chloroform at concentrations of 100 and 1000 μg/L showed moderate and extreme toxicity, respectively, and reduced bacterial activity. The estimated chemical concentration with 50% inhibition of bacterial activity for DOD and OD bioassays was 457 and 961 μg/L, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results, the wastewater effluent should use bioassays in order to evaluate the effects of DBPs where the wastewater effluent is disinfected by chlorine compounds. Keywords: Trihalomethanes, Chloroform, Disinfection, Wastewater, Biological assay, Oxygen, Inhibitio

The role and spectrum of SLC26A4 mutations in Iranian patients with autosomal recessive hereditary deafness

Objective: To determine the prevalence and types of SLC26A4 mutations and the relevant phenotypes in a series of Iranian deaf patients. Design: A descriptive laboratory study. Study sample: One hundred and twenty-one families including 60 unrelated patients and 61 unrelated multiplex families with autosomal recessive deafness were included. In the 61 multiplex families, linkage was conducted for short tandem repeats (STRs) of the DFNB4. Selected individuals from the linked families and all of the 60 deaf individuals were subjected to sequencing of SLC26A4. Results: Seven out of the 61 (11.5%) families were linked to the locus which upon further inquiry led to identification of eight different mutations. Also, five out of the 60 (8.3%) patients were positive for the mutations. The SLC26A4 mutations clarified in 9.1% (12 families) of total investigated alleles included: c.2106delG, c.65-66insT, c.881-882delAC, c.863-864insT, c.1226G>A, c.1238A>G, c.1334T>G, c.1790T>C, c.1489G>A, c.919-2A>G (IVS7-2A>G), c.1412delT, and c.1197delT. Six out of 12 (50%) families with mutations were confirmed to be Pendred syndrome (PS). Conclusions: The results probably suggest a high prevalence and specificity of SLC26A4 mutations among Iranian deaf patients. Molecular study of SLC26A4 may lead to elucidation of the population-specific mutation profile which is of importance in diagnostics of deafness

Identifying Professional Football Crowd Crisis Management Solutions: The Best-Worst Method

Spectators are the main element of football. Football, as a popular sport, has the capacity for the intimate involvement and intense emotional experiences of the spectators. But the large presence of spectators in one place increases the probability of critical situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify crowd crisis management (CCM) solutions in professional football and to select the best solutions in terms of functional priority with mix-method. In the qualitative part, the approach based on thematic analysis was used to identify the crowd crisis management solutions and in the quantitative part, the best-worst method (BWM) was used to determine the importance and weight of the identified factors. A semi-structured interviews with 21 experts and the implementation of the best-worst method, demonstrated that among the five categories of solutions related to CCM inside the stadium, control, and guide of spectators as the most important, and emergency medical services as the least important of solutions. Also, among the solutions for managing the crowd crisis outside the stadium, the staff training of the stadium is illustrated to be the most important and financial discipline the least important solution effective for controlling the crowd crisis. Therefore, it is suggested that organizers of the matches focus on solutions that lead to the accurate implementation of the roles and tasks of the groups involved in holding the match and the development of programs, policies and effective security measures to control the spectators

Predicting the Incidence and Trend of Breast Cancer Using Time Series Analysis for 2007-2016 in Qazvin

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of death in women worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyze the trend and predict the incidence of breast cancer using time series analysis. Methods: In this study, data on breast cancer incidence in Qazvin province between 2007 and 2016 were analyzed using time series analysis with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling to forecast the future pattern. The Box-Jenkins time series model and its diagnosis and evaluation methods were used to show the trend and forecasting the next year new cancers. To describe and fit the appropriate models, R statistical software version 3.6.3 was used. Results: Between 2007 and 2016, a total number of 1229 new patients had been registered (monthly mean [SD]: 10.24 [1.03]). Although the overall trend in the raw number of new breast cancer cases has been increasing over time, the change in observations over time has been increasing and decreasing. According to Bartlett test results, the variances of the data were not constant. Also, according to the results of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, breast cancer series data were not normal. Among the studied models, ARIMA (1, 1, 1) was selected due to lower AIC criteria than other models, and this model was selected as the final model for predicting breast cancer for the next year. The confidence interval of the predicted values was relatively narrow, which indicates the appropriateness of the final model in the prediction. Conclusion: Time series analysis is an efficient tool to model the past and future data on the raw number of new cancer cases, and the goodness-of-fit indicators of the model showed that the Box-Jenkins model is a reliable model for fitting similar data. Keywords: Breast Cancer, Seasonal Trend, Time Series Analysis, Ira

Compound Heterozygosity for Two Novel SLC26A4 Mutations in a Large Iranian Pedigree with Pendred Syndrome

Objectives. The aim of this study was to detect the genetic cause of deafness in a large Iranian family. Due to the importance of SLC26A4 in causing hearing lots, information about the gene mutations can be beneficial in molecular detection and management of deaf patients. Methods. We investigated the genetic etiology in a large consanguineous family with 9 deaf patients from Ban province of Iran with no GJB2 mutations. Initially, linkage analysis was performed by four DFNB4 short tandem repeat markers. The result showed linkage to DFNB4 locus. Following that, DNA sequencing of all 21 exons, their adjacent intronic sequences and the promoter of SLC26A4 was carried out for mutation detection. Results. Two novel mutations (c.863-864insT and c.881-882delAC) were identified in exon 7 of the gene, in both homozygous and compound heterozygous state it patients. Conclusion. Our results supported the importance of the SLC26A4 mutations in the etiology of hearing loss among the Iranian patients and therefore its mutation screening should be considered after GJB2 in the molecular diagnostics of hearing loss, especially when enlarged vestibular aqueduct or goiter is detected

The Effect of Moderating Noise Pollution on Premature Infants' Behavioral and Physiological Responses in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of moderating noise pollution on premature infants' behavioral and physiological responses in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: 110 premature infants hospitalized in the NICU ward of hospitals in Tehran were selected. All the infants who met the research criteria were allocated and assigned to the experimental and control group (n = 55). The sampling method was non-probability and convenient. In the first section of time, each infant with inclusion criteria, inserted in the control group and then in the second section of time, infant with inclusion criteria placed in the experiment group. In the first section, the educated nurse measured the LAeq, LC, LA, infants’ behavioral responses, and physiological responses. In the second section, noise modifying interventions were implemented in the experimental group for 6 weeks, and then LAeq, LC, LA, infants’ behavioral responses and physiological responses were measured with the same methods. Results: Infants' heart rate in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group (Pvalue<0.05), and atrial blood O2 Saturation was significantly higher than the control group (Pvalue<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean number of crying, sleeping, and Moro reflex of premature infants in the two groups. Also, the sound-pressure level in the C-weighted network in the experimental group was lower than the control group (Pvalue=0.021). The sound-pressure level of the C-weighted network was obtained in the same way (Pvalue=0.008). Conclusions: Based on the results, moderating noise pollution in NICU can lead to heart rate deceleration and atrial blood O2 Saturation acceleration in premature infants. Keywords: Noise pollution, Premature infants, Behavioral responses, Physiological responses, Neonatal Intensive care unit

The Effect of Moderating Noise Pollution on Premature Infants' Behavioral and Physiological Responses in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of moderating noise pollution on premature infants' behavioral and physiological responses in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: 110 premature infants hospitalized in the NICU ward of hospitals in Tehran were selected. All the infants who met the research criteria were allocated and assigned to the experimental and control group (n = 55). The sampling method was non-probability and convenient. In the first section of time, each infant with inclusion criteria, inserted in the control group and then in the second section of time, infant with inclusion criteria placed in the experiment group. In the first section, the educated nurse measured the LAeq, LC, LA, infants’ behavioral responses, and physiological responses. In the second section, noise modifying interventions were implemented in the experimental group for 6 weeks, and then LAeq, LC, LA, infants’ behavioral responses and physiological responses were measured with the same methods. Results: Infants' heart rate in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group (Pvalue<0.05), and atrial blood O2 Saturation was significantly higher than the control group (Pvalue<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean number of crying, sleeping, and Moro reflex of premature infants in the two groups. Also, the sound-pressure level in the C-weighted network in the experimental group was lower than the control group (Pvalue=0.021). The sound-pressure level of the C-weighted network was obtained in the same way (Pvalue=0.008). Conclusions: Based on the results, moderating noise pollution in NICU can lead to heart rate deceleration and atrial blood O2 Saturation acceleration in premature infants. Keywords: Noise pollution, Premature infants, Behavioral responses, Physiological responses, Neonatal Intensive care unit

The effects of gradual vs. rapid weight loss on serum concentrations of myokines and body composition in overweight and obese females

Research has shown the modulations of Follistatin (FST) and Myostatin (MST) following weight loss. We evaluated the effects of gradual weight loss (GWL) and rapid weight loss (RWL) on serum MST, FST, and body composition in overweight and obese females. Thirty-six overweight and obese females successfully completed the study interventions: GWL (  = 18) or RWL (  = 18). Serum MST and FST concentrations, as well as anthropometric measurements, were collected at baseline and at the conclusion of each weight loss intervention. MST concentration significantly (  < .05) decreased in the GWL; while FST concentration, body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass significantly declined in both conditions. The loss in skeletal muscle mass was significantly greater in RWL relative to GWL. GWL was more effective than RWL in preserving skeletal muscle mass in overweight and obese females. Moreover, GWL leads to declines in MST concentrations