Modulation of neurotrophic signaling pathways by polyphenols

Polyphenols are an important class of phytochemicals, and several lines of evidence have demonstrated their beneficial effects in the context of a number of pathologies including neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In this report, we review the studies on the effects of polyphenols on neuronal survival, growth, proliferation and differentiation, and the signaling pathways involved in these neurotrophic actions. Several polyphenols including flavonoids such as baicalein, daidzein, luteolin, and nobiletin as well as nonflavonoid polyphenols such as auraptene, carnosic acid, curcuminoids, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives including caffeic acid phentyl ester enhance neuronal survival and promote neurite outgrowth in vitro, a hallmark of neuronal differentiation. Assessment of underlying mechanisms, especially in PC12 neuronal-like cells, reveals that direct agonistic effect on tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) receptors, the main receptors of neurotrophic factors including nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) explains the action of few polyphenols such as 7,8-dihydroxyflavone. However, several other polyphenolic compounds activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathways. Increased expression of neurotrophic factors in vitro and in vivo is the mechanism of neurotrophic action of flavonoids such as scutellarin, daidzein, genistein, and fisetin, while compounds like apigenin and ferulic acid increase cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation. Finally, the antioxidant activity of polyphenols reflected in the activation of Nrf2 pathway and the consequent upregulation of detoxification enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1 as well as the contribution of these effects to the neurotrophic activity have also been discussed. In conclusion, a better understanding of the neurotrophic effects of polyphenols and the concomitant modulations of signaling pathways is useful for designing more effective agents for management of neurodegenerative diseases

The Impact of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sponsorship Programs on Brand Equity: A Case Study among Customers in Samsung Products in Tehran

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship programs (selected elements of marketing communications) on brand equity. Since marketing communications play major role in creating value for different brands and also advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship are three important and costly activities in marketing, it is very important to manage these activities. Theoretical and conceptual model of this study have been taken from the Buil model. The research is considered applied according to the type of purpose, and is descriptive - survey of classified sampling according to the type of data collected, and is considered causal research because of examining the causal relationships between variables. Library and field methods of data collection were used , and for this purpose a questionnaire with 38 questions with five- option Likert scale was used as a research tool. The infinite population of this study were the customers of Samsung products in Tehran and the sample size was 500 according to Cochran's formula. In order to analyze the survey data, descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used. Kolmogorov - Smirnov test was used to determine the normal distribution of the sample, and Pearson correlation test, T -test and bivariate regression were used for testing the research hypotheses. The result of the test of this hypothesis suggests that advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship programs have a direct impact on brand equity. According to the results, the suggestions for strengthening these elements are presented

The Impact of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sponsorship Programs on Brand Equity: A Case Study among Customers in Samsung Products in Tehran

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship programs (selected elements of marketing communications) on brand equity. Since marketing communications play major role in creating value for different brands and also advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship are three important and costly activities in marketing, it is very important to manage these activities. Theoretical and conceptual model of this study have been taken from the Buil model. The research is considered applied according to the type of purpose, and is descriptive - survey of classified sampling according to the type of data collected, and is considered causal research because of examining the causal relationships between variables. Library and field methods of data collection were used , and for this purpose a questionnaire with 38 questions with five- option Likert scale was used as a research tool. The infinite population of this study were the customers of Samsung products in Tehran and the sample size was 500 according to Cochran's formula. In order to analyze the survey data, descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used. Kolmogorov - Smirnov test was used to determine the normal distribution of the sample, and Pearson correlation test, T -test and bivariate regression were used for testing the research hypotheses. The result of the test of this hypothesis suggests that advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship programs have a direct impact on brand equity. According to the results, the suggestions for strengthening these elements are presented

A Study of Physical and Psychological Domains of Quality of Life in Kidney Transplantation Patients in Kerman City, Iran

Background and Objectives: Renal transplantation as a treatment of choice in most of the patients with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) improves physical domain of quality of life, but because of the effects of immunosuppressive drags, ongoing medical care may be required, and this problem influence on psychological, economic, and social status, and therefore quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate physical and psychological domains of quality of life in kidney transplantation patients in Kerman City. Methods: In this descriptive analytical study, quality of life of 105 kidney transplantation patients in Kerman city was assessed using SF36 questionnaire. The data were analyzed by Statistical Tests, such as independent t-test, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and ANOVA. Significance level was considered to be p<0.05. Results: The mean score of quality of life in kidney transplantations patients was 60.95±18.01, physical domain score was 59.77±14.78, and psychological domain score was 62.58±10.22. The maximum score was related to role limitation due to physical problems (72.25) and minimum score was related to general health (58.25). Analysis of the psychological domain scores according to demographic variables showed no significant difference, but in the physical domain, this difference was significant in terms of age and marital status (p≤0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that kidney transplantation patients have relatively favorable quality of life, and psychological domain scores of quality of life were higher than those of physical domain

The Impact of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sponsorship Programs on Brand Equity: A Case Study among Customers in Samsung Products in Tehran

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship programs (selected elements of marketing communications) on brand equity. Since marketing communications play major role in creating value for different brands and also advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship are three important and costly activities in marketing, it is very important to manage these activities. Theoretical and conceptual model of this study have been taken from the Buil model. The research is considered applied according to the type of purpose, and is descriptive - survey of classified sampling according to the type of data collected, and is considered causal research because of examining the causal relationships between variables. Library and field methods of data collection were used , and for this purpose a questionnaire with 38 questions with five- option Likert scale was used as a research tool. The infinite population of this study were the customers of Samsung products in Tehran and the sample size was 500 according to Cochran's formula. In order to analyze the survey data, descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used. Kolmogorov - Smirnov test was used to determine the normal distribution of the sample, and Pearson correlation test, T -test and bivariate regression were used for testing the research hypotheses. The result of the test of this hypothesis suggests that advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship programs have a direct impact on brand equity. According to the results, the suggestions for strengthening these elements are presented

The effect of group discussion and telephone counselling on perceived stress of women as caregivers of patient with Alzheimer disease

زمینه و هدف: مراقبت از بیماران مبتلا به دمانس و بالاخص آلزایمر از آسیب پذیرترین و چالش برانگیزترین نوع مراقبت‌هاست که مراقبین ممکن است با آن مواجه شده و باعث تجربه استرس زیاد در آنها می گردد. در این میان فقدان آموزشهای لازم نیز مشکلات آنها را دو چندان نموده است. هدف این مطالعه تعیین تاثیر بحث گروهی و مشاوره تلفنی بر استرس درک شده زنان مراقبت کننده از سالمند مبتلا به آلزایمر بوده است. روش بررسی: در این پژوهش تجربی، 150 زن 18 تا 60 سال که از وابستگان درجه یک سالمند مبتلا به آلزایمر بوده و مراقبت مستقیم از سالمند مبتلا به آلزایمر را به مدت حداقل 6 ماه به عهده داشتند با روش نمونه گیری مستمر مبتنی بر هدف انتخاب شده و آزمودنی ها با روش تصادفی بلوکه شده به تصادف در دو گروه آزمون و کنترل قرار گرفتند. گروه آزمون در یک برنامه مداخله‌ای شامل یک جلسه بحث گروهی، دریافت یک پمفلت آموزشی و دو مشاوره تلفنی شرکت نمودند. 6 هفته پس از مداخله، پس‌آزمون برای هر دو گروه انجام گرفت. ابزار گردآوری اطلاعات، پرسشنامه اطلاعات دموگرافیک و استرس درک شده بود. برای مقایسه متغیرها از آزمون‌های آماری تی زوجی، تی مستقل، کای اسکوئر و آنالیز واریانس یک طرفه استفاده شد. یافته‌ها: نتایج نشان داد که قبل از بحث گروهی و مشاوره تلفنی 7/50 نمونه‌ها در گروه آزمون و 3/57 از نمونه‌ها در گروه کنترل استرس درک شده بالایی داشتند. پس از انجام بحث گروهی و مشاوره تلفنی میانگین استرس درک شده در گروه آزمون از 62/8± 38/28 به 55/5±45/22 تقلیل یافت (001/0 > P). بین استرس درک شده و متغیرهای وضعیت تحصیلات (03/0P=) و وضعیت اقتصادی (01/0 P=) از نظر آماری ارتباط معنی‌دار وجود داشت. نتیجه‌گیری: زنان مراقبت‌کننده از سالمند مبتلا به آلزایمر به عنوان مهم‌ترین مراقبین غیر‌رسمی، سطوح استرس بالایی را تجربه می‌کنند که همین امر سلامت آنها و سالمندان تحت مراقبت ایشان را تحت الشعاع قرار می‌دهد، لذا لزوم مداخله برای این مراقبین به منظور بهبود وضعیت آنها پیشنهاد می‌شود

Interactions of Magnetic Pendulums

In recent years, coupled magnetic oscillators have received remarkable attention due to their application in vibration energy harvesting techniques and also its promising ability to help researchers to have a better understanding of atoms in a lattice behaviour. Energy harvesters scavenge ambient vibration energy and convert it into useful electrical energy. According to previous studies nonlinear mechanical attachments have received significant interest as the basis for energy harvesting systems. Another substantial field that coupled nonlinear oscillators and specifically coupled magnetic oscillators may play a crucial role in is atomic physic. Due to the qualitative similarity of the magnetic field and the electromagnetic field governing the atoms in the lattice structure in crystalline solids, investigating the coupled magnetic oscillators could help researchers to better perceive the lattice behaviour. In this thesis, a chain of two-dimensional magnetic pendulums using an ideal point mass model as well as a rigid body model of a pendulum is investigated. The pendulums proposed in the model are to simulate the vibration of atoms in the lattice structure of crystalline solids and the attached magnets are chosen to represent the electromagnetic field governing the atoms. The nonlinear dynamics of the models through the interaction forces between the magnets has been investigated. With the aim of demonstrating the dynamics of the system completely, the equations of motion of the pendulum magnets have been analytically derived and by linearizing the equations of motion, the natural frequencies of the system have been found. The behaviour of the simulated system has been examined experimentally to assure the accuracy of the analytical approach. To achieve the intent, a simple experimental setup consisting of an array of two coupled magnetic pendulums has been introduced. Ultimately, the equations of motions of a rigid body model including the determined magnetic forces have been numerically solved and the nonlinear response of the system along with the equilibrium points and the system's frequency have been validated experimentally. The results obtained through comparing the simulated system response and the designed experiment response indicates that the simulated model can predict the behaviour of such system in reality

Comparison of two teaching methods on nursing students’ learning and retention: concept mapping or lecture?

Introduction: Nursing educators should use teaching methods that promote deep learning and retention. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of lecture and concept mapping approaches on the nursing students' learning and knowledge retention in cardiovascular nursing course. Methods: In a quasi-experimental study on two groups with pre test-post test design, 66 fifth-semester nursing students were selected through census method and randomly divided into two groups (experiment and control). After pre test, ..

Daylighting Optimization Study: Rock Creek High School Commons Skylight Optimization

The aim of this study is to optimize the shape of the skylights in order to enhance daylighting. Rhino, Diva, Grasshopper, and Galapagos are the softwares utilized to test differing shapes on top and bottom of the shaft of the skylight, and the findings show preference to those with beneficial impacts on Spatial daylighting autonomy (sDA) of greater than 55% and Annual Solar Exposure (ASE) of less than 10%. Selecting metrics within the above parameters result in optimal skylight geometry with highest daylighting output. The initial purpose of the experiment was to optimize the design of the skylight shaft with the goal of providing the best distribution of daylight while minimizing potential for glare; however, it appears that this shaping may have negligible effects on how the skylight performs as long as the sDA is greater than 55%

Daylighting Optimization Study: Rock Creek High School Commons Skylight Optimization

The aim of this study is to optimize the shape of the skylights in order to enhance daylighting. Rhino, Diva, Grasshopper, and Galapagos ore the softwares utilized to test differing shapes on top and bottom of the shaft of the skylight, and the findings show preference to those with beneficial impacts on Spatial daylighting autonomy (sDA) of greater than 55% and Annual Solar Exposure (ASE) of less than l 0%. Selecting metrics within the above parameters result in optimal skylight geometry with highest daylighting output. The initial purpose of the experiment was to optimize the design of the skylight shaft with the goal of providing the best distribution of daylight while minimizing potential for glare; however, it appears that this shaping may hove negligible effects on how the skylight performs as long as the sDA is greater than 55%.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/research_based_design/1086/thumbnail.jp