Petrogenesis of Negene basaltic volcanism associated with the Lut block, eastern Iran: implication for tectonic and metallogenic evolution

This dissertation presents petrochemical data concerning Neogene olivine basalts erupted both along the margins and within the micro-continental Lut block, eastern Iran, which is a part of the active Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. These data demonstrate the following: 1) Basalts that erupted from small monogenetic parasitic cones around the Bazman stratovolcano, Makran arc area, in the southern Lut block, are low-Ti sub-alkaline olivine basalts. Enrichments of LILE relative to LREE, and depletions in Nb and Ta relatively to LILE, are similar to those observed for other convergent plate boundary arc magmas around the world and suggest that these basalts formed by melting of subcontinental mantle modified by dehydration of the subducted Oman Sea oceanic lithosphere. 2) Northeast of Iran, an isolated outcrop of Neogene/Quaternary alkali olivine basalt, containing mantle and crustal xenoliths, formed by mixing of small melt fractions from both garnet and spinel-facies mantle. These melts rose to the surface along localized pathways associated with extension at the junction between the N-S right-lateral strike-slip faults and E-W left-lateral strike slip faults. The spinel-peridotite mantle xenoliths contained in the basalts, which equilibrated in the subcontinental lithosphere at depths of 30 to 60 km and temperatures of 965°C to 1065°C, do not preserve evidence of extensive metasomatic enrichment as has been inferred for the mantle below the Damavand volcano further to the west in north-central Iran. 3) Neogene mafic rocks within the central Lut block represent the last manifestation of a much more extensive mid-Tertiary magmatic event. These basalts formed from both OIB-like asthenosphere and subcontinental lithosphere which preserved chemical characteristics inherited from mid-Tertiary subduction associated with the collision of the Arabian with the Eurasian plate and closing of the Neotethys Ocean. Neogene/Quternary alkali olivine basalts erupted mainly along the major faults that bound the Lut block on the east and west. These low-volumes, low-degree melts have been formed by low variable degrees of partial melting of mantle source produced by upwelling asthenosphere replaced the thinned lithospheric mantle

Individual-Level capabilities and Entrepreneurial Intention: The contingent Role of Institutional and Organizational Context

Entrepreneurs affect our daily lives by exploiting new inventions or ideas and taking them to the market. Entrepreneurship research has shown its significant impact on a country’s economy. Thus, entrepreneurship can be considered as the engine driving many nations’ economic growth and competitiveness. As a consequence, entrepreneurs are essential drivers of economic growth. Entrepreneurs not only increase competition, and bring variety of products but they also generate new jobs by founding new firm, which create its impact on economy of a country. Founding a new venture is a challenging job in which some individuals able to bear high level of uncertainty and others not. Firstly, I have extended the entrepreneurship literature by introducing a multi-level perspective of individual, organizational, and institutional factors to understand the entrepreneurial intention of university students. The current study proposed and tested an integrative, multiperspective framework. I have hypothesized that the three dimensions of university support, that is, perceived educational support, concept development support, and business development support, together with institutional support, shape students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy. In turn, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and individual motivations constitute the fundamental elements of the intention to start a business. Secondly, I have employed multi-level modeling to study the influence of university/department-level factors on entrepreneurial intentions, which helps to resolve some of the controversies in previous research. This study examines how a university’s support impacts students’ entrepreneurial intentions and finds that entrepreneurship education, concept-development support, and business-development support increase such intentions. The university role is found to be critical to the growth of entrepreneurial intentions, and I argue that an individual’s decision in favor of or against becoming an entrepreneur depends on the multilevel context provided by the university. Thirdly, my research shows that individuals whose parent or close family member is self-employed are more likely than others to pursue an entrepreneurial career. In this research, I take the family embeddedness perspective, which describes the impact and the importance of parents on their children’s entrepreneurial careers to argue that the breadth and quality of family business experience matter. I address previous research is inconclusive on the origins of the intergenerational transfer of entrepreneurship gap in the literature by exploring the inter-generational transmission of entrepreneurial intentions using Shapero and Sokol’s (1982) model of intention in entrepreneurial events (SEE). I analyze the role of an entrepreneurial family background as an intergenerational influence on entrepreneurial intention and the underlying mediating effect of the perceived desirability and perceived feasibility of starting a business. I hypothesize that individuals with prior family business experience may develop positive perceptions toward entrepreneurial feasibility and desirability, which can result in entrepreneurial action. Fourth, in this research, I illuminated gender differences among university students on the intent to start businesses, and I specifically examine perceived feasibility and desirability. Although self-efficacy has been rarely used as an outcome measure, my study found that participation in an entrepreneurship program significantly increased perceived feasibility of starting a business (entrepreneurial self-efficacy), which can ultimately enhance entrepreneurial intentions. Universities support entrepreneurship in many objectively measured ways, in order to understand the effect of such measures it is crucial to gauge the extent to which it could have an impact on students’ intentions to start businesses. This can be achieved by measuring students’ perceptions of the university support they receive or “perceived university support”. Therefore, my study takes a multi-perspective approach to assess the impact of entrepreneurship education with gender perspective. My findings will help policy-makers and university managers to understand the effectiveness of current practices and initiatives, particularly among women

Comparison of Face to Face vs. Group Training on Self-pulse Rate taking Ability of Patients

Introduction: Determining the rate and regularity of peripheral arterial pulses has a major role in assessing the clinical status of patients with cardiovascular disorders. We compared two training methods on the ability of patients to take their radial pulse rate accurately.Methods: Three-hundred patients were randomly divided into two arms. One arm received individual face-to-face training and the other arm received group training via displaying an animation movie. Immediately after the training and then after 48 hours, the patients were tested by a nurse to find out whether they have learned the correct technique of taking radial pulse rate or not.Results: Immediately after the intervention, 84.9% in face-to-face arm and 81.8% in group training arm were able to correctly count their radial pulse rate (P = 0.536). After 48 hours, 71.7% in face-to-face and 60.8% in group training arm were able to correctly count their radial pulse rate (P = 0.051).Conclusions: Both methods were effective to improve the ability of the patients to count their radial pulse rate correctly though face-to-face method was marginally superior to group training

The ocular hypotensive effect of saffron extract in primary open angle glaucoma: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The progressive nature of glaucoma and its growing incidence make its therapy an important target for research. The role of oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of glaucoma makes antioxidants such as saffron extract an attractive target for potential clinical use. Herein, we evaluate the effect of aqueous saffron extract on intraocular pressure (IOP) in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: Thirty-four eyes of 34 clinically stable POAG patients receiving treatment with timolol and dorzolamide eye drops were enrolled in this prospective, comparative, randomized interventional pilot study. Eligible subjects were randomized to receive 30 mg/day aqueous saffron extract orally (17 subjects, 17 eyes) or placebo (17 subjects, 17 eyes) for one month as an adjunct to timolol and dorzolamide. Following treatment, both study groups entered a one-month wash-out period. The main outcome measure was IOP during treatment and after the wash-out period. RESULTS: Mean baseline IOP was 12.9 ± 3.7 versus 14.0 ± 2.5 mmHg in the saffron and control groups, respectively (p = 0.31). After three weeks of treatment, IOP was significantly decreased to 10.9 ± 3.3 mmHg in the saffron group as compared to 13.5 ± 2.3 mmHg in the control group (p = 0.013). At four weeks, IOP was still significantly lower in the saffron group (10.6 ± 3.0 versus 13.8 ± 2.2 mmHg, p = 0.001). At the end of the wash-out period, IOP was 12.9 ± 3.0 in the saffron group versus 14.2 ± 2.0 mmHg in the control group (p = 0.175). None of the patients experienced side effects during the study and wash-out period. CONCLUSIONS: Oral aqueous saffron extract seems to exert an ocular hypotensive effect in primary open-angle glaucoma. This effect became evident after three weeks of therapy. The current study was registered at the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) as IRCT201201278832N1

Distribution and geochemical variations among paleogene volcanic rocks from the north-central Lut block, eastern Iran

The Lut block in eastern Iran is a micro-continental block within the convergent orogen between the Arabian, Eurasian and Indian plates. Large areas of the north-central, eastern, and western Lut block are covered by volcanic rocks of Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary age. Peak volcanic activity took place in the north-central part of the Lut block during the Eocene, and then dramatically decreased, becoming more restricted to the eastern and western margins of the block during the late Miocene and Quaternary. There is also significant variation in chemistry between the Paleogene igneous rocks from the north-central part compared to the Neogene and Quaternary volcanic rocks from the western and eastern margins of the Lut block. The Neogene and Quaternary olivine basalts, which were erupted along both margins of the Lut block, are similar in trace element chemistry to the average composition of oceanic island basalt. In contrast, the Paleogene volcanic units of the north-central Lut block, which include basalts through rhyolites, follow both calc-alkaline and alkaline trends. Low TiO2 and high Ba/Nb and La/Nb ratios for both Paleogene basalts and andesitic samples from the north-central Lut block suggest affinities, at least for some of these samples, with convergent plate boundary arc magmas. LILE/HFSE ratios, interpreted as an indication of subduction signature, increase to the south-southwest of the central Lut block, where Neotethys oceanic crust was subducted beneath Iran in a northeastern direction from approximately Late Triassic to Late Oligocene time. We suggest that components derived from low angle subduction of this crust during the Mesozoic and early Tertiary were stored in the mantle lithosphere below the north-central Lut block until the Paleogene, when changing subduction geometry, associated with the collision of Arabia with Iran and the closing of Neotethys, caused hot asthenosphere to well up under the Lut block. This created the Eocene peak in volcanic activity, generating basalts from asthenospheric mixed with lithospheric melts, with both alkaline and calc-alkaline affinities. After this volcanism waned, becoming restricted during the Neogene to OIB-type alkaline basalts erupted through deep lithospheric structures along both the western and eastern margins of the Lut block.</p

Changes in Female Sex Hormones in Patients with Intentional Drug and Chemical Poisoning

ABSTRACT Background: Hormonal changes as a factor influencing the emotional state of women have an important role in the incidence of suicide. The aim of this study is to investigate changes in FSH-LH, Estrogen, and Progesterone hormones in women attempting suicide by drugs and chemicals. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, women of reproductive diagnosed with drug and chemical poisoning who were hospitalized in Farshchian Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, were assessed regarding LH, FSH estrogen and progesterone hormones over a period of six months in 2011. Overall, 80 patients were studied with regard to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The highest rate of suicide was in the age range of 14-25 years (47 patients, 60.1%). A significant relationship was observed among the blood levels of hormones FSH, LH, progesterone, and estrogen. The association of hormone levels and LMP and attempted suicide was significant. The LH level was significantly lower in patients with substance abuse. The estrogen level was significantly lower in patients with the history of self-injury. Most patients (67.5%) were in the follicular phase which was statistically significant. Conclusion: According to the obtained results, there was a significant relationship between the levels of different hormones. The significant relationship was positive in some cases but negative in other

The Role of Natural of AntisenseTranscription HAGLR,LCMT1AS, NAV2AS5,TSIX in Breast Cancer

&nbsp;IncRNAs(الرناالطويلة غير المشفرة)&nbsp; لها وظائف الجزيئية والخلوية الهامة والنسخ الطبيعية المضادة(NATs) &nbsp;هي مكملة للبروتينات المشفرة او غير المشفرة. والقاعده الناتيروجينيه لـ &nbsp;RNAلها اهميه في اظهار الجينات.، والتي لقيت اهتماما كبيرا&nbsp; في السنوات الأخيرة لأهميتها التشخيصية والعلاجية ،وان أي خلل في وظيفيتها يؤدي إلى أمراض بما في ذلك السرطان. الهدف: الغرض من&nbsp; البحث هي اكتشاف دور واهميهّ&nbsp; االجيناتlncNATsTSIX, HAGLR, LMCT1AS NAV2AS5&nbsp; في عمليهّ تكوين الأورام&nbsp; في سرطان الثدي. &nbsp;Background: lncRNAs (longnon-codingRNAs), has various important molecular and cellular functions and natural antisense transcripts (NATs), complementary to protein-coding or non-coding. RNA sequences are important regulators of gene expression drew great attention in recent years to uncover their importance for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes; and their dysfunctions lead to diseases including cancer. Aims:&nbsp;The aim of this study was to investigate important roles of lncRNA TSIX, HAGLR, LMCT1AS and NAV2AS5 genes in several tumorigenic processes in breast cancer. Materials and methods: In this study, we used ATCC normal cell lines (CRL4010,CRL8798) and cancer cell lines (MCF7,MDA-MB231,CRL2329) that subjected. To examine through RNA isolation,cDNA conversion, semiquantitative (by agarose gel and ImageJ program) and quantitative RT-PCR for gene expression analyses. Results:&nbsp;Our results have been shown that TSIX, HAGLR, LMCT1AS,&nbsp;and NAV2AS5 genes have differential expression pattern in both normal and breast cancer cell lines. Conclusion: from the data of our results we concluded that these genes have an important role in biological processes of breast cancer, in addition, to their importance in the treatment and therapeutic purposes. &nbsp

Chronic Total Occlusion-Angioplasty with Antegrade Approach: A two-Year Experience in “Modarres Hospital”, A Tertiary University Hospital, Tehran, Iran

Introduction: New techniques for the percutaneous treatment of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) have had a high success rate since a few years ago, so the interest for this treatment has been increasing these days.Methods: The current observational study was performed in Modarres hospital as a tertiary referral center. All the patients with documented stable angina who had failed to response to full guideline-mediated medical therapy, referred to our hospital, were candidates for coronary angiography. Antegrade strategy was applied for all these patients. The length of the lesion, the fluoroscopy time of the CTO angioplasty, consumed contrast volume, the number of guide wires used, whether a corsair or tornus micro-catheter was used or not, and the success rate of the angioplasty were documented for further analysis.Results: A total of 47 patients with documented stable angina were finally included. The median age was 59 (45-78) and 70.2% were male. The mean length of the lesion was 34.0 ± 1.1 .The mean fluoroscopy time and contrast volume were 57.9 ± 3.2 minutes and 525.9 ± 20.9 mL, respectively. In average, 2.2 guide wires were used. Corsair and tornus micro-catheters were applied in 30 (63.8%) and 5 (10.6%) of the cases, respectively. Seven complications (all including coronary dissection) occurred. In-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rate was 10.6%, all of which were non-Q wave myocardial infarction. The success rate was 85.1%. The higher number of used wires, use of corsair, and tornus micro-catheter were not significantly concordant with success rate (P-value &gt; 0.05); in addition, longer lesion was not concordant with unsuccessfulness rate (P-value &gt; 0.05).Conclusions: Patient selection for CTO-angioplasty should be performed more carefully. Patients’ quality of life and risk of probable procedural complications and future cardiac events should be assessed to decide the best treatment approach. Radiation exposure, contrast consumption and fluoroscopy time are recommended to be monitored during the procedure and thresholds should be defined to enhance safety and efficacy