Eve's unEven relationship with Adam: Milton's Paradise Lost in the light of politeness theory

Feminists, among others, have found Eve's representation in Milton's Paradise Lost problematic over the last centuries. Some of them consider Eve to be Adam’s inferior while others find traces of egalitarian relationship between them. This study uses Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson's Politeness Theory and applies it to the conversations between Adam and Eve prior to the Fall in order to address this issue. It is demonstrated in this article that, before the Fall, Eve always exercises less power than Adam except for a brief moment that she achieves equality

The effects of Tranquival tablet on some heroin withdrawal symptoms

BACKGROUND: Individuals, during opioid withdrawal period, experience symptoms such as dysphoria, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, nausea, agitation, tachycardia, and hypertension which may trigger drug seeking behavior and relapse. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of Tranquival tablets on some heroin withdrawal symptoms in addicted patients referred to an outpatient clinic. METHODS: In this single-blind quasi-experimental study, 69 patients (37 patients in intervention group and 32 in control group) suffering from heroin withdrawal syndrome were allocated randomly to study groups. In the intervention group, 1 Tranquival tablet was administered 1 hour before sleeping each night for 6 weeks. In the control group, 1 tablet of clonazepam (1 mg) was administered at the same time. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and visual analogue scale (VAS) were completed at the beginning, 3 weeks later, and the end of the study. Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test, repeated measures analysis, and chi-square test. RESULTS: During the study period in both groups, withdrawal symptoms significantly decreased (P < 0.001); however, this difference was insignificant between the 3 assessment steps (P > 0.050). Furthermore, the Bonferroni correction showed an relationship between Tranquival and clonazepam groups in terms of mean anxiety at the begining and the end stage of assessment (P = 0.012). However, these relationships were insignificant in terms of mean sleep and muscular pain (P = 0.153 and P = 0.267, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tranquival was as effective as clonazepam in the reduction of muscular pain and anxiety, and improvement of sleep quality in patients suffering from heroin withdrawal syndrome

Union of Low-Rank Subspaces Detector

The problem of signal detection using a flexible and general model is considered. Due to applicability and flexibility of sparse signal representation and approximation, it has attracted a lot of attention in many signal processing areas. In this paper, we propose a new detection method based on sparse decomposition in a union of subspaces (UoS) model. Our proposed detector uses a dictionary that can be interpreted as a bank of matched subspaces. This improves the performance of signal detection, as it is a generalization for detectors. Low-rank assumption for the desired signals implies that the representations of these signals in terms of some proper bases would be sparse. Our proposed detector exploits sparsity in its decision rule. We demonstrate the high efficiency of our method in the cases of voice activity detection in speech processing

Blood Lipid Components and SREBP-1 Gene Expression in Broiler Chickens Fed Different Dietary Lipid Sources

Background: Liver plays an important role in energy homeostasis. Intense liver diseases are accompanied with lower concentrations of n-3 and n-6 poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). It has been found that n-3 PUFA play importantly protective roles in the liver. There was limited information about the effects of lipid sources on serum lipid components and liver sterol regulatory element binding-1 (SREBP-1) gene expression. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of fish oil, corn oil, olive oil and tallow, respectively, as dietary sources of n-3, n-6, n-9 and saturated fatty acid on serum lipid compound and liver SREBP-1 gene expression in broiler chicks.Materials, Methods & Results: In a completely randomized design, 240 one-day-old broiler chicks were allocated to five dietary treatments, four replicates and 12 chicks per each. Dietary treatments included of: control (diet without lipid supplementation) and diet supplemented with fish oil as a n-3 fatty acid source, corn oil as a n-6 fatty acid source, olive oil as a n-9 fatty acid source and tallow as a saturated fatty acid which were added to diets at 1.5, 3 and 4% in the starter, grower and finisher, respectively. At days 28 and 42 of age, liver tissue was dissected out and samples were placed in liquid nitrogen, also blood samples were collected. The SREBP-1 mRNA expression in liver tissue was quantitated using RT-PCR. Broilers fed diets containing fish oil, corn oil and olive oil as unsaturated fatty acid sources had lower concentrations of triacylglycerol than those fed other diets. Also, diets containing fish oil and tallow showed the lowest low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels at day 28 of age. Diets containing corn oil and olive oil showed higher levels of cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) than other diets but, these differences were not significant at days 28 and 42 of age  (P ≥ 0.05). In both sampling periods, the chickens fed diets containing tallow expressed higher (P < 0.05) SREBP-1 gene as compared to those fed other dietary lipids. Broilers fed diet containing corn oil had higher (P < 0.05) SREBP-1 gene expression than those fed diet containing fish oil and olive oil.Discussion: Serum lipids were affected by dietary fat source. Lower concentration of serum triacylglycerols was found in broilers fed fish oil and corn oil diets as dietary n-3 and n-6 fatty acid sources. It was shown that dietary PUFA, especially n-6 and n-3 fatty acids could reduce hepatic fatty acid and triacylglycerol synthesis. Broilers fed corn oil diet showed elevated LDL levels respect with those fed fish oil or tallow at day 28 of age. The results showed that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids substantially affected on SREBP-1 gene expression at days 28 and 42 of age. The birds fed fish oil as n-3 PUFA source expressed lower SREBP-1 gene compared with other groups at day 28 of age. Longer chain length, high number of double bonds, and the presence of the first double bond gives these fatty acids distinct and unique properties that separate them and their metabolic products from the more common n-6 and n-9 fatty acids. The finding of this study indicated lipogenic effects of tallow and then corn oil. The results confirmed that each of dietary lipid sources had different effect on serum lipid components. It was also found that SREBP-1 gene expression is age-dependent and it increased as age of broilers increased

Molecular Methods for Identification of Acinetobacter Species by Partial Sequencing of the rpoB and 16S rRNA Genes.

BACKGROUND Acinetobacter spp. is a diverse group of Gram-negative bacteria which are ubiquitous in soil and water, and an important cause of nosocomial infections. The purpose of this study was to identify a collection of Acinetobacter spp. clinical isolates accurately and to investigate their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 197 non-duplicate clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. isolates identified using conventional biochemical tests. The molecular technique of PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis of rpoB and 16S rRNA genes was applied for species identification. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed with a disk diffusion assay. RESULTS Based on 16S rRNA and rpoB genes analysis separately, most of clinical isolates can be identified with high bootstrap values. However, the identity of the isolate 555T was uncertain due to high similarity of A. grimontii and A. junii. Identification by concatenation of 16S rRNA and rpoB confirmed the identity of clinical isolates of Acenitobacer to species level confidently. Accordingly, the isolate 555T assigned as A. grimontii due to 100% similarity to A. grimontii. Moreover, this isolate showed 98.64% to A. junii. Besides, the identity of the isolates 218T and 364T was confirmed as Genomic species 3 and A. calcoaceticus respectively. So, the majority of Acinetobacter spp. isolates, were identified as: A. baumannii (131 isolates, 66%), A. calcoaceticus (9 isolates, 4.5%), and A. genomosp 16 (8 isolates, 4%). The rest of identified species showed the lower frequencies. In susceptibility test, 105 isolates (53%), presented high antibiotic resistance of 90% to ceftriaxone, piperacillin, piperacillin tazobactam, amikacin, and 81% to ciprofloxacin. CONCLUSION Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA and rpoB spacer simultaneously was able to do identification of Acinetobacter spp. to species level. A.baumannii was identified as the most prevalent species with high antibiotic resistance. Other species showed lower frequencies ranged from 4 to 9 strains

Oral health status among Iranian veterans exposed to sulfur mustard: a case-control study

Background: Sulfur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare agent that has been repeatedly used since World War I. SM has chronic and deleterious effects on different body organs such as lungs, skin and eyes. Objectives: To determine dental and oral health status of chemical victims of SM who were exposed to SM during the Iraqi-Iran war. Material and Methods: In this case-control study, 100 male subjects exposed to SM were chosen as cases, and 100 non-exposed volunteers were chosen as controls. These groups were selected randomly according to their referral number, and were matched regarding age. Collection of information was performed using Oral Health Assessment Form designed by the World Health Organization. Quantitative and qualitative data were compared between the groups using independent samples t-test and Chi-square test, respectively. Results: There was a significant difference between the case and control groups with respect to the frequencies of oral candidiasis, pharyngeal erythema and/or hyperplasia, hairy tongue and reflux disease, being higher in the former group. There was also a positive association between the frequency of candidiasis and the percentage of disability; pharyngeal erythema and/or hyperplasia and use of salmeterol spray; and between hairy tongue and antibiotic use in the case group. Conclusions: Exposure to SM and the use of drugs for controlling long-term complications does not increase the risk of tooth decay, tooth loss, and intra and/or extra oral lesions in patients, but may be associated with increased incidence of oral candidiasis, pharyngeal erythema and/or hyperplasia, hairy tongue and reflux disease

The effects of Tranquival tablet on some heroin withdrawal symptoms

BACKGROUND: Individuals, during opioid withdrawal period, experience symptoms such as dysphoria, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, nausea, agitation, tachycardia, and hypertension which may trigger drug seeking behavior and relapse. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of Tranquival tablets on some heroin withdrawal symptoms in addicted patients referred to an outpatient clinic. METHODS: In this single-blind quasi-experimental study, 69 patients (37 patients in intervention group and 32 in control group) suffering from heroin withdrawal syndrome were allocated randomly to study groups. In the intervention group, 1 Tranquival tablet was administered 1 hour before sleeping each night for 6 weeks. In the control group, 1 tablet of clonazepam (1 mg) was administered at the same time. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and visual analogue scale (VAS) were completed at the beginning, 3 weeks later, and the end of the study. Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test, repeated measures analysis, and chi-square test. RESULTS: During the study period in both groups, withdrawal symptoms significantly decreased (P 0.050). Furthermore, the Bonferroni correction showed an relationship between Tranquival and clonazepam groups in terms of mean anxiety at the begining and the end stage of assessment (P = 0.012). However, these relationships were insignificant in terms of mean sleep and muscular pain (P = 0.153 and P = 0.267, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tranquival was as effective as clonazepam in the reduction of muscular pain and anxiety, and improvement of sleep quality in patients suffering from heroin withdrawal syndrome

Correlations between biomarkers of oxidative stress, glycemic control and insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes

Background. The main characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is hyperglycemia due to insulin resistance. Enhanced oxidative stress owing to increased oxygen free radicals and/or reduced antioxidant defense has very important roles in T2DM development and also most of its complications. The aim of the current study was to evaluate correlations between biomarkers of oxidative stress, glycemic control and insulin resistance in women with T2DM. Materials and methods. Seventy nine women with T2DM were included in the current study and fasting blood samples were collected. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); glucose; oxidative stress biomarkers including malodialdehyde, 8-isoprostane, catalase and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured. The adiponectin/leptin (A/L) ratio and the homeostasis model assessment of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) were calculated. The results were considered significant when the p-value was less than 0.05. Results. Serum levels of TAC showed a significant positive correlation with the A/L ratio (r = 0.261, p = 0.02). A significant negative correlation was observed between values of HbA1c and TAC (r = –0.300, p = 0.007). However, HbA1c correlated positively with 8-isoprostane (r = 0.236, p = 0.036). Values of HOMA-B correlated negatively with values of HbA1c (r = –0.327, p = 0.003). Serum levels of 8-isoprostane were significantly higher in obese (BMI &gt; 30 kg/m2) women than in non-obese (BMI &lt; 30 kg/m2) women (p = 0.032). Values of catalase (p = 0.022) and HOMA-B (p = 0.009) were significantly lower in women with HbA1c ≥ 7.6% compared with women with HbA1c &lt; 7.6%. Conclusions. In summary, chronic hyperglycemia results in oxidative stress. This situation might lead to less beta cells function. In addition, low levels of the A/L ratio were associated with increased oxidative stress