Study on Transpiration Rates of Vicia Villocea and Bromus Inermis Species

Ecohydrology is concerned with the interaction between the hydrological and plant processes. Some aspects of the hydrologic cycle, such as transpiration and interception have received little attention owing to difficulties in field measurements. Quantifying the components of water balance for a watershed is crucial for understanding the dominant hydrologic processes occurring in a basin (Flerchinger & Cooley, 2000). Water use by vegetation is controlled by the water uptake by roots, the transfer of liquid water through plants and vapour loss from the leaf surfaces by the opening and closure of the stomata (Roberts, 2000) i.e. transpiration. Comparison of transpiration of rangelands species is a prerequisite for improving range management. The present study is a preliminary comparison in transpiration between two important Iranian rangeland species, viz. the legume, Vicia villocea and the grass, Bromus inermis

Field trial of a 15 Tb/s adaptive and gridless OXC supporting elastic 1000-fold all-optical bandwidth granularity

An adaptive gridless OXC is implemented using a 3D-MEMS optical backplane plus optical modules (sub-systems) that provide elastic spectrum and time switching functionality. The OXC adapts its architecture on demand to fulfill the switching requirements of incoming traffic. The system is implemented in a seven-node network linked by installed fiber and is shown to provide suitable architectures on demand for three scenarios with increasing traffic and switching complexity. In the most complex scenario, signals of mixed bit-rates and modulation formats are successfully switched with flexible per-channel allocation of spectrum, time and space, achieving over 1000-fold bandwidth granularity and 1.5 Tb/s throughput with good end-to-end performance

The relationship between maternal awareness, socioeconomic situation of families and metabolic control in children with type 1 diabetes miletus in an Iranian population

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most common chronic pediatric conditions, with potentially life-threatening sequels. However, good metabolic control can protect the patients against sequels. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between awareness of the mothers about this disease on improving diabetic children metabolic control and also, to examine the relationship between socioeconomic situations of families and control of diabetes in this group of patients. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive analytic study on 80 diabetic children and their mothers, who were registered in the diabetes association of Iran, for outpatient control of disease. Diabetes knowledge was measured by Michigan diabetes knowledge test and glycemic control was assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). To assess the socio-economic status of a diabetic child's family, educational level, occupational and marital status of parents were asked and the socioeconomic status (SES) was evaluated with Hollingshed four-factor index of SES. Results: Mothers' mean knowledge score was 17.72, children's mean HbA1c was 7.77 and mean of SES was 27.89. There was no significant correlation between children's HbA1c and mother's SES. Also, there was an inverse linear relationship between mothers' knowledge score and children's HbA1c and there was a direct linear relationship between the mothers' knowledge score and SES. Conclusions: Finally, based on the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that the awareness of mothers of T1DM children has a good impact on blood sugar control, whereas the SES of families has no direct effect on blood sugar control. Additionally, SES can indirectly impact on the consciousness of mothers and lead to the reduction of HbA1c. © 2015, Iranian Society of Pediatrics

The effect of combined conventional and modified ultrafiltration on mechanical ventilation and hemodynamic changes in congenital heart surgery

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with increased fluid accumulation around the heart which influences pulmonary and cardiac diastolic function. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of modified ultrafiltration (MUF) versus conventional ultrafiltration (CUF) on duration of mechanical ventilation and hemodynamic status in children undergoing congenital heart surgery. Materials and Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 46 pediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass throughout their congenital heart surgery. Arteriovenous MUF plus CUF was performed in 23 patients (intervention group) and sole CUF was performed for other 23 patients (control group). In MUF group, arterial cannula was linked to the filter inlet through the arterial line, and for 10 min, 10 ml/kg/min of blood was filtered and returned via cardioplegia line to the right atrium. Different parameters including hemodynamic variables, length of mechanical ventilation, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay, and inotrope requirement were compared between the two groups. Results: At immediate post�MUF phase, there was a statistically significant increase in the mean arterial pressure, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05) only in the study group. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in time of mechanical ventilation (P = 0.004) and ICU stay (P = 0.007) between the two groups. Inotropes including milrinone (P = 0.04), epinephrine (P = 0.001), and dobutamine (P = 0.002) were used significantly less frequently for patients in the intervention than the control group. Conclusion: Administration of MUF following surgery improves hemodynamic status of patients and also significantly decreases the duration of mechanical ventilation and inotrope requirement within 48 h after surgery. � 2016 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

Relationship between Social Determinants of Health and General Health Status of the Elderly in Alborz Province: Path Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social determinants of health (SDH), quality of life, lifestyle, and general health of the aging people in Alborz province. A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2000 aging people. A two-stage cluster sampling was applied to select participants. We used a four-section questionnaire. The statistical analysis was performed with AMOS 22. We used path analysis to examine whether SDH, QOL and lifestyle would directly or indirectly affect general health and whether the pathway model was acceptable. The general health status of the most of participants was low. The results of path analysis show that general health is affected by the SDH, lifestyle and quality of life. Our pathway model was an acceptable model. Variables such as marital status, educational level, job, income, number of family members, QOL, and lifestyle can be considered as predictors of general health status in the aging people. It can be concluded that it is necessary to provide appropriate strategies to promote general health of the elder person. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

A comparative study on the use of ketamine and apotel infusion pump for the control of pain after posterior fusion operations: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Postoperative pain has many adverse effects and if not properly controlled, it can cause a wide range of problems. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare the results of using ketamine and apotel infusion pumps to control pain after posterior fusion surgery. Methods: In this clinical trial study, 72 patients hospitalized for posterior spine fusion surgery were randomly assigned into two groups, including ketamine infusion pumps (ketamin group) and apotel infusion pumps (apotel group). In the ketamin group, 0.2 mg/kg/h of ketamine was infused to by a pain pump with normal saline to 100 cc. In the apotel group, apotel was used instead of ketamine. The rate of pain was evaluated in recovery, and at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 hours after the surgery, based on VAS criteria. The rate of sedation was recorded based on Ramsy score. Results: There was no significant difference between age, sex, BMI, underlying diseases, and smoking in patients with posterior spinal fusion surgery between the groups. Postoperative pain score was significantly lower in the patients with posterior fusion surgery at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 hours in the ketamin group compared to the apotel group (P < 0.001). Patients� satisfaction with the analgesia was significantly higher in the patients at 24 hours (P = 0.001) and 48 hours (P = 0.04) in the ketamine group compared to the apotel. With regards to the Ramsy scores of the patients with posterior fusion surgery, there was no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.16). Conclusions: The use of a ketamine infusion pump can be more effective than an apotel infusion pump to control pain after posterior fusion surgery. © 2020, Author(s)

Configuring a better estimation of kidney size in obese children and adolescents

Background: Obesity ignites numerous health and psychosocial problems and is associated with various comorbidities. Body mass index (BMI) is also independently associated with improved risk for numerous kidney disorders. As renal length is considered a vital parameter in the clinical assessment of renal patients, normal renal length has to be defined in accordance to BMI. Objectives: The aim of this study was to define normal kidney length in obese children, comparing ultrasound measurements of the kidney length in obese and non-obese children and adolescents, in order to reduce unnecessary evaluations for nephromegaly. Patients and Methods: Fifty obese children and adolescents and 50 non-obese children and adolescents, aged 1-19 years, were selected from patients of pediatric clinics in two hospitals (Rasoul-e-Akram and Shahid Fahmideh) in Tehran between June 2010 and 2012. After the nephrologist�s and endocrinologist�s approval, the largest longitudinal renal dimension was measured in deep inspiration position by abdomino-pelvic ultrasonography in both groups. Results: It was revealed that both kidneys in obese group were significantly larger than in control group (P = 0.044 and 0.040, respectively). Obesity status, height and age were proven to be significant and independent predictors of length of both kidneys. In both groups length of left kidney was significantly larger than that of right kidney (P < 0.001). Conclusions: A specific standard cut-point limit or norm gram has to be formulated for obese children and adolescents in order to facilitate the diagnosis of kidney diseases, including organomegaly, in these patients. © 2016, Growth & Development Research Center

Comparative analgesic effects of intradermal and subdermal injection of sterile water on active labor pain

Background: The labor pain is one of the factors encouraging pregnant women for cesarean section delivery. Recently, intradermal and subdermal injection of distilled water has shown to be effective in improving this pain. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine which method has a greater impact on labor pain reduction. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 121 nulliparous women with a gestational age of � 37 weeks were randomly divided into three groups: (1) 0.5 cc sterile water injection subdermally at four sacral points with insulin needles (n = 40); (2) 0.5 cc sterile water injection intradermally (n = 39); and (3) needle contact with the mentioned points as the placebo (n = 42). Before the intervention, the VAS score was measured for labor pain, and it was repeated 10, 30, 60, and 90 min after the intervention. The results were compared between the three groups. Results: Before the intervention, the mean VAS pain score had no significant difference between the three groups. However, 30, 60, and 90 min after the intervention, the mean pain score was significantly lower in the intradermal and subdermal injection groups than in the control group (P = 0.001); however, the difference between the intradermal and subdermal injection groups was not significant. Conclusions: The injection of distilled water by either intradermal or subdermal method was associated with a significant reduction in the pain score during labor, but there was no difference between these two methods in terms of decreasing labor pain. As sterile water injection is a safe, effective, and low-cost method, it is proposed to increase the knowledge of midwives and obstetri-cians about this method. © 2020, Author(s)