Determinants of real stock return of pharmaceutical products and materials companies

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the factors that determine the actual efficiency of pharmaceutical companies. Methods: This study was an applied and descriptive-correlation research. Using the financial information of 28 pharmaceutical materials and products companies of Tehran Stock Exchange during 2013-2016, modeling of multiple variables on the real returns of pharmaceutical companies was performed. Data entered to excel and were calculated and the relationship between independent and dependent variables was analyzed by performing multiple regression tests in Eviews software. Results: There is a significance association between company size and real stock returns, but there was no relationship between assets and real stock returns and between equity returns and real stock returns. Between financial leverage and real stock returns, between price-to-earnings ratio and real stock returns; a significance association was observed between the ratio of book value to the market and the real stock return, and between the margin profit and the real stock return. Conclusion: Considering the importance of the factors determining the real return of pharmaceutical products and materials companies, it is expected that the financial characteristics of pharmaceutical companies and Stock returns on the Tehran Stock Exchange should be used by planners as a guide for investors in Tehran Stock Exchange

Prediction of Water Level Fluctuations of Chahnimeh Reservoirs in Zabol Using ANN, ANFIS and Cuckoo Optimization Algorithm

Forecasting changes in level of the reservoir are important in Construction, design and estimate the volume of reservoirs and also in managing of supplying water. In this study, we have used different models such as Artificial Neutral Network (ANN), Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Cuckoo Optimization Algorithm (COA) for forecasting fluctuations in water level of Chahnimeh reservoirs in south-east of Iran. For this purpose, we applied three most important variables in water levels of the reservoir including evaporation, wind speed and daily temperature average to prepare the best entering variables for models. In addition, none accuracy of error in estimation of hydrologic variables and none assurance of exiting models are the result of their sensitivity to the educational complex for teaching of models and also preliminary decoration before beginning general education has been estimated. After comparing exiting and confidence interval of the ANN and ANFIS has been found that the result of ANFIS model is better described than other model because it was more accurate and does have lesser assurance

Emotional Capital Within the Cultural Dimensions Framework

Emotional capital (EC) has become an important concept in educational and intercultural communication. It is shown to be a booster capital potentializing human, social, and cultural capitals. The competencies comprising emotional capital are learned from the early ages through socialization process and get consistently reshaped in different contexts. Accordingly, the present study aims at exploring how cultural dimensions and emotional capital are related using Hofstede’s cultural framework. To this end, Emotional Capital Questionnaire was distributed among 180 students from Iran, the Unites States, China, Brazil, and India. The results revealed considerable cultural differences in the level of learners’ EC. Also, cultural specificity of emotional skills was confirmed using MANOVA. Further analyses have shown that cultures which emphasized maintenance of social order––that is, those with higher levels of masculinity and long-term orientation tended to have higher scores on EC. In contrast, in countries where people minimized the maintenance of social order and emphasized uncertainty avoidance tend to have lower scores on EC. In the end, practical implications of these findings are discussed, and future research directions are provided

Synergistic Antiparkinsonian Effect of Flunarizine, Glibenclamide and B Vitamins in a Rate 6-Hydroxydopamine Model; The Role of Malondialdehyde

Background: The current study evaluated the effects of a combination of flunarizine (flu) a calcium channel blocker, glibenclamide (Glib), a KATP channels blocker and B vitamins (B com) on the behavioral symptoms of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced model of Parkinson disease to evaluate the synergistic antiparkinsonian effects of the drugs and supplements. Also the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured in blood and brain suspensions to find probable neuroprotective mechanism of these materials. Methods: 6-OHDA was injected into striatum of rats by stereotaxic surgery. Pretreatment with flu, Glib and B com was started before the surgery and continued to three weeks after the surgery. Development and severity of Parkinson disease were evaluated by the conventional behavioral tests. MDA values were measured spectrophotometrically, using thiobarbituric acid test and the MDA standard curve. Results: Pretreatment with a combination of flu, Glib and B com ameliorated the behavioral symptoms of Parkinson disease. The effect of the combination was significantly more potent than those of flu, Glib or B com, solely. Pretreatment with the combination or using only Glib or B com separately, reduced the level of MDA in blood and brain, significantly. However, the effect of the combination was significantly more potent than those of Glib or B com, solely. Conclusions: Since the severity of the behavioral symptoms in the 6-OHDA-induced model of Parkinson disease reflects the degree of the lesion in substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic neurons, it is suggested that using the combination had neuroprotective effects. The obtained data suggest a synergistic neuroprotective and antiparkinsonian effect for flu, Glib and B com. At least, a part of this effect was mediated through inhibition of oxidative stress. Keywords: 6-Hydroxydopamine, Flunarizine, Glibenclamide: B Vitamins, Behavioral Symptoms, Malondialdehyd

Irrigation with municipal wastewater as a suitable solution for safflower cultivation in arid regions

In order to study the effect of different manure and chemical fertilizer levels on qualitative and quantitative characteristics of safflower in the condition of irrigation with municipal wastewater, an experiment was conducted as split plot basis of randomized complete design in Lakhshah region locate in Zahedan city, Iran. The treatments were comprised of two levels of irrigation, W1= Well water and W2= Treated wastewater, in main plots and sub plots consisted of F1: control (without consumption of manure and chemical fertilizer), F2: Recommended manure, F3: Half of recommended manure and chemical fertilizer (N, P and K), and F4: Recommended chemical fertilizer (N, P and K). The results showed that Treatment of treated wastewater had a positive and significant influence on all yield components, and the most influence was shown on 1000 seed weight. Also, irrigation with wastewater significantly increases the dry and fresh yield and grain yield of safflower than ordinary water. Among the fertilizer treatments, complete treatment of chemical fertilizer N, P and K had the greatest effect on increase of yield and grain yield components. In this experiment, water treatment hadn’t significant effect on accumulation of Cr, pb, Fe and Mn in safflower grain, and soil. While, fertilizer treatment had only a significant influence on the accumulation of Fe and Mn in safflower grain, but between these treatments wasn’t saw any significant difference on the accumulation of Cr and pb. In general, the results of this experiment showed that irrigation with wastewater and application of complete fertilizer with manure is recommended

Medical Students’ View about the Effects of Practical Courses on Learning the General Theoretical Concepts of Basic Medical Sciences

Introduction: The basic medical sciences section requires 2.5 years in the medical education curriculum. Practical courses complement theoretical knowledge in this period to improve their appreciation. Despite spending lots of disbursement and time, this period’s efficacy is not clearly known. Methods: One hundred thirty-three General Practitioner (GP) students have been included in this descriptive cross-sectional study and were asked by questionnaire about the positive impact of practical courses on learning theoretical knowledge. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Result: The agreement in “Practical Head and Neck Anatomy” was 40.91% ± 29.45, in “Practical Trunk Anatomy” was 63.62% ± 2.32 and in “Practical Anatomy of Extremities” was 56.16% ± 2.57. In “Practical Histology”, agreement was 69.50%±2.19; “Practical Biophysics” was 45.97%±2.25, “Practical Physiology” 61.75%±2.17; “Practical Biochemistry” 36.28%±2.42; “Practical Pathology” 59.80%±2.53; “Practical Immunology” 56.25%±26.40; “Practical Microbiology and Virology” 60.39%±2.27 and “Practical Mycology and Parasitology” 68.2%± 2.16.Conclusion: GP students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences are not optimistic about the applicability of practical courses of basic medical sciences lessons

The first febrile seizure; predisposing factors and recurrence rate

  Objective Febrile seizure is the most common worrisome neurologic disorder in children in terms of parental point of view. The purpose of this study was to answer distressing parents’ questions about the prevalence and possibility of febrile seizure recurrence. Materials & Methods 140 patients who were admitted due to the first febrile seizure in the six months (March up to September) of the year 2015 were enrolled to this study. Exclusion criteria include central nervous system infection, non-confirmed febrile seizure and lack of parental acceptance for long-term inclusion in this study. All children were followed in terms of second febrile seizure during one year follow-up from the time of first febrile seizure. (3 sentences were deleted). Results Recurrence of febrile seizure was 25.7 % during one-year follow-up. Significant risk factors for recurrence include: age less than one year old, male gender, seizure with low level of fever, family history of epilepsy, family history of febrile seizure, complex febrile seizure (focal and repeated in 24 hours), seizure duration more than 15 minutes and parental indifference to the onset of fever in their children before seizure occurrence. Although duration of fever before seizure, failure to thrive, positive history of admission in neonatal period, dystocia atbirth delivery and children with day care staying were associated with greater febrile seizure recurrence; but, they did not have significant relationship with recurrence rate. Prophylaxis with benzodiazepine reduced the recurrence rate. Conclusion Chance of febrile seizure recurrence in one-year follow-up increased in presence of risk factors expressed in finding part. parental indifference to the onset of fever in their children that is starting before seizure was a considerable risk factor in terms of recurrence prevalence. We recommended to emphasis on parental education about this new finding as a risk factor for febrile seizure in order to prevent its future recurrence

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire

Study DesignObservational study.PurposeTo cross-culturally translate the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (OMPQ) into Persian and then evaluate its psychometric properties (reliability, validity, ceiling, and flooring effects).Overview of LiteratureTo the authors' knowledge, prior to this study there has been no validated instrument to screen the risk of chronicity in Persian-speaking patients with low back pain (LBP) in Iran. The OMPQ was specifically developed as a self-administered screening tool for assessing the risk of LBP chronicity.MethodsThe forward–backward translation method was used for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire. In total, 202 patients with subacute LBP completed the OMPQ and the pain disability questionnaire (PDQ), which was used to assess convergent validity. 62 patients completed the OMPQ a week later as a retest.ResultsSlight changes were made to the OMPQ during the translation/cultural adaptation process; face validity of the Persian version was obtained. The Persian OMPQ showed excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.89). Its internal consistency was 0.71, and its convergent validity was confirmed by good correlation coefficient between the OMPQ and PDQ total scores (r=0.72, p<0.05). No ceiling or floor effects were observed.ConclusionsThe Persian version of the OMPQ is acceptable for the target society in terms of face validity, construct validity, reliability, and consistency. It is therefore considered a useful instrument for screening Iranian patients with LBP

Iran and Saudi Arabia relationship under Iran's pragmatic approach (1989-1993)

Iran’s revolution and its consequences distorted the previous close relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia. This paper, first as introduction, will discuss the historical competition between ideological and pragmatic approaches in Iran’s foreign policy. Then it will study the domination of ideology in the foreign policy of Iran after the Islamic revolution and its role in Iran’s foreign relations with littoral states in the Persian Gulf region, in particular, Saudi Arabia. The study further examines the superiority of the pragmatic approach after the end of the Iran- Iraq war (1988) and gradual changes in Iran’s foreign policy from 1989. The research also analyzes the role of the new approach in re-establishing and improving the Iran-Saudi Arabia diplomatic relationship, which was severed in 1988, and limited cooperation of the two sides afterwards. The study concludes that despite Iranian-Saudi primary cooperation and agreement after the restoration of mutual ties, they were unable to maintain peaceful relations due to the bilateral and regional problems of the two countries

Common carotid segmentation in 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT scans: Head-to-head comparison of artificial intelligence-based and manual method

Background: Carotid atherosclerosis is a major cause of stroke, traditionally diagnosed late. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) detects arterial wall micro-calcification long before macro-calcification becomes detectable by ultrasound, CT or magnetic resonance imaging. However, manual PET/CT processing is time-consuming and requires experience. We compared a convolutional neural network (CNN) approach with manual segmentation of the common carotids. Methods: Segmentation in NaF-PET/CT scans of 29 healthy volunteers and 20 angina pectoris patients were compared for segmented volume (Vol) and mean, maximal, and total standardized uptake values (SUVmean, SUVmax, and\ua0SUVtotal). SUVmean was the average of SUVmeans within the VOI, SUVmax the highest SUV in all voxels in the VOI, and SUVtotal the SUVmean multiplied by the Vol of the VOI. Intra\ua0and Interobserver variability with manual segmentation was examined in 25 randomly selected scans. Results: Bias for Vol, SUVmean, SUVmax, and SUVtotal were 1.33 \ub1 2.06, −0.01 \ub1 0.05, 0.09 \ub1 0.48, and 1.18 \ub1 1.99 in the left and 1.89 \ub1 1.5, −0.07 \ub1 0.12, 0.05 \ub1 0.47, and 1.61 \ub1 1.47, respectively, in the right common carotid artery. Manual segmentation lasted typically 20 min versus 1 min with the CNN-based approach. Mean Vol deviation at repeat manual segmentation was 14% and 27% in left and right common carotids. Conclusions: CNN-based segmentation was much faster and provided SUVmean values virtually identical to manually obtained ones, suggesting CNN-based analysis as a promising substitute of slow and cumbersome manual processing