Scorpion fauna and epidemiological aspects of scorpionism in southeastern Iran

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo identify the scorpion fauna and classify the epidemiological aspects of scorpionism in an endemic region, Southeast Iran.MethodsScorpionism data were collected from health centers and hospitals in Sistan-Baluchestan Province during 2010-2011. Specimens were collected at night, using UV light, between May and October 2012.ResultsIn total, 246 scorpions were collected from two families (Buthidae and Scorpionidae). Five species including Odontobuthus odonturus, Hottentotta (Buthotus) jayakari, Compsobuthus matthiesseni, Scorpio maurus and Orthochirus scrobiculosus are reported for the first time from this area. Androctonus crassicauda was the dominant species. In total, 3 638 scorpion sting cases were recorded by health system, the majority of which were females. Stings mostly occurred in July and the age group of 15–24 years presented the highest frequency. Scorpionism decreased during 2011 compared with that in 2010 (68.2%).ConclusionsBased on the results, scorpionism is a serious health problem in this area and increasing knowledge of residents regarding the prevention methods of scorpion stings is recommended. Additional research on the scorpion fauna, their ecological and molecular variety in this part of the country is needed as well as the correlation between scorpions' species and the clinical signs and symptoms

Effectiveness of Compensatory Rehabilitation on Neuropsychological Functions of Preschool Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms

Background: Executive functions are impaired in children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder. One method to improve these functions is Compensatory rehabilitation. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of compensatory rehabilitation training on neuropsychological functions in preschool children with attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Methods: This is an experimental study by pretest, posttest and follow-up design with control group. Thirty two (32) children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder symptoms were selected using convenience sampling and randomly divided into control and intervention groups. The neurological tests included missing scan, day and night stroop, continuous performance test and trial making test. In the intervention program, parents were taught how to use effective strategies and skills to manage cognitive deficits in children, based on Tameshk package. Data was analyzed by repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: From the results of data analysis, compensatory rehabilitation had a significant effect on working memory (P<0.00), inhibition (P<0.00, errors; P<0.00, time) and shifting attention (P<0.01 errors in section A; P<0.00, time section A) in children. Conclusion: Compensatory rehabilitation utilizes skills and instructions to improve cognitive functions in children. The current research showed that training by compensation approach could improve neuropsychological functions in children with ADHD

The Effect of Memory Bias Modification on Remediation of Behavioral Symptoms and Memory Dysfunction in Depressed Patients: A Preliminary Study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Program for Attentive Remediation of Memory Inclination (PARMIN) on remediation behavioral symptoms and memory impairment in patients with mild to severe depression and apply its results into the depression treatment. This study is a semi-experimental trial that involves a clinical intervention with three-stage evaluation (pre-test, post-test and a three-month follow-up), which lasted from November 2016 until the summer of 2017. The statistical population consisted of the patients who were referred to Shahid Beheshti University clinics. Based on the convenience sampling method, 15 individuals were randomly selected from 35 patients who had previously been diagnosed with symptoms of depression by a psychiatrist. These diagnoses were then confirmed through structured diagnostic interviews. The research instruments included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), and the N-Back Test (Face and Word) (N-BT). The results were analyzed using SPSS v. 23 and the output of the one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures showed that the intervention had a significant effect on improving the working memory and memory bias caused by depression (p <0.05). In addition, the effect of memory modification on reducing the patients' temperamental symptoms was significant, and after a three-month follow-up, these results proved to be stable (P<0.001). According to the findings, modification of the memory bias regardless of the severity of depression can be effective in reducing the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of depression

Seeing the Fruit for the Leaves: Robotically Mapping Apple Fruitlets in a Commercial Orchard

Aotearoa New Zealand has a strong and growing apple industry but struggles to access workers to complete skilled, seasonal tasks such as thinning. To ensure effective thinning and make informed decisions on a per-tree basis, it is crucial to accurately measure the crop load of individual apple trees. However, this task poses challenges due to the dense foliage that hides the fruitlets within the tree structure. In this paper, we introduce the vision system of an automated apple fruitlet thinning robot, developed to tackle the labor shortage issue. This paper presents the initial design, implementation,and evaluation specifics of the system. The platform straddles the 3.4 m tall 2D apple canopy structures to create an accurate map of the fruitlets on each tree. We show that this platform can measure the fruitlet load on an apple tree by scanning through both sides of the branch. The requirement of an overarching platform was justified since two-sided scans had a higher counting accuracy of 81.17 % than one-sided scans at 73.7 %. The system was also demonstrated to produce size estimates within 5.9% RMSE of their true size.Comment: Accepted at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2023

RNA Interference: A Promising Tool in the Control of Important Vector Born Diseases Zika, Dengue Fever, and Malaria

Background and Objectives: RNA interference is a process, in which a molecule of double-stranded RNA prevents the expression of a particular gene and leads to its silencing. Application of this technology in the control of disease-carrying insects is rising in agriculture and medical sciences. Also, its application in control of insect-borne diseases could be considered as a new, important, and effective approach. In this article, it was attempted to study the mechanisms of RNA interference, routs of its delivery to insects, as well as its application in genetic control of disease vector insects. Methods: In this study, 71 indexed articles in databases, such as Pubmed, SID, Scopus, Science direct, and Google scholar, were used. Results: dsRNA could be delivered to insect body through three routes of oral, injection, and Impregnation. The mechanism of dsRNA entrance into the cells has considerable effect on the success and applicability of this technique. Identification of host-parasite relationship in the insect body is one of the important applications of RNAi in medical entomology. Conclusion: Although, there is a considerable number of researches on RNAi in the agricultural pests field, studies on insect vectors of human diseases have been mostly in-vivo. However, application of RNAi is suggested as a new, safe and applicable approach, alone or along with other methods. Certainly, further researches in this field can pave the way for enforcement measures in the control of disease vectors, especially Zika, dengue fever, and malaria in the not so distant future

Wolbachia infection in native populations of Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana.

Cockroaches are significant pests worldwide, being important in medical, veterinary, and public health fields. Control of cockroaches is difficult because they have robust reproductive ability and high adaptability and are resistant to many insecticides. Wolbachia is an endosymbiont bacterium that infects the reproductive organs of approximately 70% of insect species and has become a promising biological agent for controlling insect pests. However, limited data on the presence or strain typing of Wolbachia in cockroaches are available. PCR amplification and sequencing of the wsp and gltA genes were used to study the presence, prevalence and molecular typing of Wolbachia in two main cockroach species, Blattella germanica (German cockroach) and Periplaneta americana (American cockroach), from different geographical locations of Iran. The Wolbachia endosymbiont was found only in 20.6% of German cockroaches while it was absent in American cockroach samples. Blast search and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Wolbachia strain found in the German cockroach belongs to Wolbachia supergroup F. Further studies should investigate the symbiotic role of Wolbachia in cockroaches and determine whether lack of Wolbachia infection may increase this insect's ability to tolerate or acquire various pathogens. Results of our study provide a foundation for continued work on interactions between cockroaches, bacterial endosymbionts, and pathogens

The thickness effect of the degenerate plasma layer on the dispersion relation of cylinderical smooth-wall waveguide

In this paper dispersion relation in TE mode in cylindrical waveguide contain dielectric rod and plasma layer are investigated using Maxwell equations, and boundary conditions. The dispersion relation is simulated in slow wave. The effect of plasma radius variation on the frequency spectra of slow waves are simulated by maple software. It is found that decrease in plasma radius causes a higher frequency in slow waves which is practical in telecommunication. Furthermore, the frequency spectrum of the waves is slightly shifted by thickness of the umagnetized degenerate plasma layer

Association between living in the endemic area and level of knowledge of visceral leishmaniasis

Abstract Background Iran is a country with a high prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and seven endemic provinces. In this study, we tried to identify unobserved classes of knowledge among Iranians toward VL and assess the predictors of each latent class. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected participants from endemic and non-endemic areas of VL in Iran in 2020 and 2021. The collected data included demographic characteristics and questions about knowledge, attitude, and practice toward VL. We performed latent class analysis using a procedure for latent class analysis (PROC LCA) in SAS to identify the class membership of knowledge of participants toward VL. Results Five latent classes were identified: very low (38.9%), low (15.5%), moderate (6.2%), high (14.1%), and very high (25.2%) knowledge about VL. Living in endemic areas significantly increased the odds of belonging to the low (adjusted OR (AOR = 7.23; 95% confidence interval (CI):4.52–11.58), high (AOR = 2.71; 95%CI: 1.73–4.23), and very high (AOR = 8.47; 95%CI: 5.78–12.41) classes compared to the very low class. Also, having academic education increased the odds of membership in the very high class (AOR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.61–3.47) compared to the very low class. Conclusion This study revealed that more than 50% of the participants fell into the latent classes of very low and low knowledge toward VL. Some educational workshops in the endemic areas could be effective in enhancing knowledge about VL