A Novel Fully Differential Second Generation Current Conveyor and Its Application as a Very High CMRR Instrumentation Amplifier

This paper aims to introduce a novel Fully Differential second generation Current Conveyor (FDCCII) and its application to design a novel Low Power (LP), very high CMRR, and wide bandwidth (BW) Current Mode Instrumentation Amplifier (CMIA). In the proposed application, CMRR, as the most important feature, has been greatly improved by using both common mode feed forward (CMFF) and common mode feedback (CMFB) techniques, which are verified by a perfect circuit analysis. As another unique quality, it neither needs well-matched active blocks nor matched resistors but inherently improves CMRR, BW, and power consumption hence gains an excellent matchless choice for integration. The FDCCII has been designed using 0.18 um TSMC CMOS Technology with ±1.2 V supply voltages. The simulation of the proposed FDCCII and CMIA have been done in HSPICE LEVEL 49. Simulation results for the proposed CMIA are as follow: Voltage CMRR of 216 dB, voltage CMRR BW of 300 Hz. Intrinsic resistance of X-terminals is only 45 Ω and the power dissipation is 383.4 μW.  Most favourably, it shows a constant differential voltage gain BW of 18.1 MHz for variable gains (here ranging from 0 dB to 45.7 dB for example) removing the bottleneck of constant gain-BW product of Voltage mode circuits

Graphene-Like Nanocomposites

After discovering graphene and its extraordinary intrinsic, other graphene-like nanomaterials (GLNs) became a topic of interest to many scientists of the time. Recently, GLNs, nanosheets of sp2-hybridized atoms arranged in a two-dimensional lattice with impressive thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties, has attracted both academic and industrial interest because it can produce dramatic improvements in properties at very low filler content. Many studies have been performed on GLNs with various applications, including boron nitride nanosheets, transition metal dichalcogenides, and other two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. This rapid advance provides a strong appetence for further research on properties of GLNs, including mechanical, electrical and thermal properties and their potential applications in the nanocomposites industry

Changing the Human Genome from the Perspective of Fundamental Moral Principles

زمینه و هدف: پروژه ژنوم انسانی در مفهوم عام خود پروژه‌ای ژنتیکی است که با مهندسی ژنتیک یک انسان، امکان ایجاد هرگونه تغییر در نژاد انسان، اعم از ترمیم یا ارتقای ژنتیکی و حتی تولید انسان جدید بدون نیاز به نطفه پدر را فراهم می‌کند. از آنجا که تاریخ آغاز مطالعات ژنتیکی قدمت طولانی ندارد، مسأله شبیه‌سازی در حوزه امور مستحدثه قرار می‌گیرد. ملاحظات اخلاقی در واقع ناظر بر موانع اخلاقی است که در اثر ژنوم انسانی ممکن است پدید آید. بنابراین پژوهش حاضر درصدد است تا این نکات اخلاقی را مورد توجه قرار دهد. مواد و روش‌ها: برای بررسی موضوع حاضر از روش توصیفی ـ تحلیلی بهره برده شده است که در زمره روش‌های کیفی به حساب می‌آید. روش حاضر با جمع‌آوری اطلاعات از متون و منابع اسنادی در حیطه اخلاقی و پزشکی به بررسی موضوع تغییر ژنوم انسانی می‌پردازد. یافته‌ها: شبیه‌سازی انسان نیازمند در نظرگرفتن ملاحظات اخلاقی فراوانی است که از جهات مختلفی از جمله: عدم امنیت تکنیکی و پزشکی، سست‌شدن نهاد خانواده و نقض اصل کرامت انسانی و خدشه‌دارشدن نسب انسانی، عدم برخورداری از هویت فردی و رشد روانی کامل، ایجاد رویکرد نژادپرستانه و ایجاد نژاد برتر، نقض آفرینش انسان و دستکاری در کار خداوند را دربر می‌گیرد. نتیجه‌گیری:  قوانین و قواعد مربوط به شبیه‌سازی در حقوق ایران مبهم و دارای ابعاد مختلفی هستند که نمی‌توان پشتوانه حقوقی محکمی برای حمایت از شبیه‌سازی فراهم آورد. تنها مواردی که دیده می‌شود، قواعد مربوط به ارث حمل، وصیت برای حمل و اقرار به نفع حمل است که در حوزه شبیه‌سازی از آنان نتایحی استخراج می‌شود. بنابراین از منظر حقوقی نیازمند وجود قوانین شفاف درباره شخصیت و هویت جنین و فرایند شبیه‌سازی هستیم. تأسیس قوانینی جهت شفاف‌سازی سازوکارهای بهره‌گیری از فناوری شبیه‌سازی امری ضروری است.Background and Aim: Human genome project in its general sense is a genetic project that with the genetic engineering of a human provides the possibility of any change in the human race, including genetic repair or improvement and even the production of a new human without the need for a father sperm. he does. Since the date of the beginning of genetic studies is not long, the issue of simulation is in the realm of emerging affairs. Ethical considerations actually address the moral barriers that may arise from the human genome. Therefore, the present study seeks to address these ethical points. Materials and Methods: Descriptive-analytical method has been used to investigate the present issue, which is considered as a qualitative method. The present method examines the issue of human genome change by collecting information from texts and documentary sources in the field of ethics and medicine. Findings: Human simulation needs to consider many ethical considerations from various aspects, including: lack of technical and medical security; Weakening of the family institution and violation of the principle of human dignity and damage to human lineage; Lack of personal identity and full psychological development; Creating a racist approach and creating a superior race; It includes the violation of human creation and the manipulation of God's work. Conclusion: The rules and regulations related to simulation in Iranian law are ambiguous and have various dimensions that cannot provide strong legal support to support simulation. The only cases that can be seen are the rules related to inheritance of transportation, wills for transportation and acknowledgment in favor of transportation, from which results are extracted in the field of simulation. Therefore, from a legal point of view, we need clear rules about the personality and identity of the fetus and the simulation process. Establishing rules to clarify the mechanisms for using simulation technology is essential.   Please cite this article as: Vahedi J, Ahmadi SM. Changing the Human Genome from the Perspective of Fundamental Moral Principles. Bioethics Journal, Special Issue on Bioethics and Citizenship Rights 2020; 213-224

Short-Term Results of Sutureless Scleral Tunnel Trabeculectomy Using Adjunctive Topical Bevacizumab

This study was performed to assess the short-term effect of sutureless scleral tunnel trabeculectomy procedure with and without topical bevacizumab. Thirty patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG) were enrolled and randomly divided to two groups. Patients in the first group (15 patients) underwent sutureless trabeculectomy without topical bevacizumab and patients in the second group (15 patients) underwent sutureless trabeculectomy with 1.25 mg of topical bevacizumab. Intraocular Pressure (IOP) of both groups was measured by an expert ophthalmologist, without awareness of the patient’s study group before the operation and six months post-operatively. Out of 30 patients in this study, six females (40%) and nine males (60%) underwent the sutureless trabeculectomy procedure (group A) as well as seven females (46.7%) and eight males (53.3%) underwent sutureless trabeculectomy with topical bevacizumab (group B). The mean age of the patients was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.91). A statistically significant difference in time variation of IOP was found between the two groups (P < 0.001). Mean IOP was 18.4 ± 4.35 mmHg in the sutureless group without bevacizumab and 11.73 ± 2.12 mmHg in the sutureless group with bevacizumab, six months post-surgically. No statistical significant differences were found in the baseline IOP between the two groups (P = 0.28). However, IOP changed significantly in group A and B from baseline to six months post-operatively (P = 0.004 and P < 0.001 respectively). According to the current findings, the sutureless trabeculectomy procedure is an effective surgical method for reduction of IOP. Addition of a single dose of 1.25 mg topical bevacizumab was more effective in reduction of IOP compared to sutureless trabeculectomy alone.Â

War Experience, Daily Stressors and Mental Health Among the Inter-taliban Generation Young Adults in Northern Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional School-Based Study.

OBJECTIVES: The specific objectives of the study are to examine the mental health (depression and anxiety) of the first generation of post-Taliban government and compare these measures with its preceding generation, and to assess war experience of the first generation of post-Taliban government. We also wanted to assess the daily stressors and their contribution to the mental health, and to assess mental health as a result of war experiences and daily stressors with respect to demographic measures such as sex, marital status, age, mother's age, birth order, and ethnicities. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, 621 high school students, were randomly selected to participate in the study to assess war experience, daily stressors, and mental health among the first generation of young adults under post-Taliban government. RESULTS: The participants had 17.37 ± 0.9 mean years of ages, 94.8% of them were unmarried. Poor mental health was significantly associated with higher exposure to war, but not with the age of participants (P = 0.08). There was no association between war experiences and the age and ethnicity of our participants (p = 0.9, p = 0.7). Age differences were negligible for daily stressors too (P = 0.07). Daily stressors scores were higher for female than male students (P = 0.02). The majority of young adults surveyed, declared themselves in agreement with statements such as the security situation in Afghanistan makes me frustrated (56%), air pollution as a concern (41%), and not having anyone to talk about what is in their heart (28.8%). Gender differences were highly significant for mental health, as appraised by both The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL) -depression and HSCL-anxiety. Girls presented higher rates of depression, anxiety, and daily stressors than boys, and boys presented higher rates of war experiences than girls. CONCLUSION: War experience, daily stressors, and mental health were irrelevant with age, ethnicity and marital status. Factor such as being the first-born child of the family, higher reported war experiences, and daily stressors all negatively impact mental health. Alongside war and its direct effects, the existing socio-cultural context must be considered as a potential factor mediating the mental health of girls in Afghanistan

Prevalence and Correlates of Psychiatric Disorders in a National Survey of Iranian Children and Adolescents

Objective: Considering the impact of rapid sociocultural, political, and economical changes on societies and families, population-based surveys of mental disorders in different communities are needed to describe the magnitude of mental health problems and their disabling effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels. Method: A population-based cross sectional survey (IRCAP project) of 30 532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years was conducted in all provinces of Iran using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by 250 clinical psychologists trained to use the validated Persian version of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-PL (K-SADS-PL). Results: In this national epidemiological survey, 6209 out of 30 532 (22.31%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The anxiety disorders (14.13%) and behavioral disorders (8.3%) had the highest prevalence, while eating disorders (0.13%) and psychotic symptoms (0.26%) had the lowest. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was significantly lower in girls (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.90), in those living in the rural area (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.73-0.87), in those aged 15-18 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), as well as that was significantly higher in those who had a parent suffering from mental disorders (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.63-2.36 for mother and OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66 for father) or physical illness (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.35 for mother and OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28 for father). Conclusion: About one fifth of Iranian children and adolescents suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder. Therefore, we should give a greater priority to promoting mental health and public health, provide more accessible services and trainings, and reduce barriers to accessing existing services

Socioeconomic inequalities in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension: evidence from the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Elevated blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. In this study, we examined the socioeconomic inequality and its related factors in prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control (ATC) of hypertension (HTN) in Iran. Method The study used data from the recruitment phase of The Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). A sample of 162,842 adults aged > = 35 years was analyzed. HTN was defined according to the Joint National Committee)JNC-7(. socioeconomic inequality was measured using concentration index (Cn) and curve. Results The mean age of participants was 49.38(SD = +/- 9.14) years and 44.74% of the them were men. The prevalence of HTN in the total population was 22.3%(95% CI: 20.6%; 24.1%), and 18.8%(95% CI: 16.8%; 20.9%) and 25.2%(95% CI: 24.2%; 27.7%) in men and women, respectively. The percentage of awareness treatment and control among individuals with HTN were 77.5%(95% CI: 73.3%; 81.8%), 82.2%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%) and 75.9%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%), respectively. The Cn for prevalence of HTN was -0.084. Two factors, age (58.46%) and wealth (32.40%), contributed most to the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of HTN. Conclusion The prevalence of HTN was higher among low-SES individuals, who also showed higher levels of awareness. However, treatment and control of HTN were more concentrated among those who had higher levels of SES, indicating that people at a higher risk of adverse event related to HTN (the low SES individuals) are not benefiting from the advantage of treatment and control of HTN. Such a gap between diagnosis (prevalence) and control (treatment and control) of HTN needs to be addressed by public health policymakers

National, sub-national, and risk-attributed burden of thyroid cancer in Iran from 1990 to 2019

An updated exploration of the burden of thyroid cancer across a country is always required for making correct decisions. The objective of this study is to present the thyroid cancer burden and attributed burden to the high Body Mass Index (BMI) in Iran at national and sub-national levels from 1990 to 2019. The data was obtained from the GBD 2019 study estimates. To explain the pattern of changes in incidence from 1990 to 2019, decomposition analysis was conducted. Besides, the attribution of high BMI in the thyroid cancer DALYs and deaths were obtained. The age-standardized incidence rate of thyroid cancer was 1.57 (95% UI: 1.33–1.86) in 1990 and increased 131% (53–191) until 2019. The age-standardized prevalence rate of thyroid cancer was 30.19 (18.75–34.55) in 2019 which increased 164% (77–246) from 11.44 (9.38–13.85) in 1990. In 2019, the death rate, and Disability-adjusted life years of thyroid cancer was 0.49 (0.36–0.53), and 13.16 (8.93–14.62), respectively. These numbers also increased since 1990. The DALYs and deaths attributable to high BMI was 1.91 (0.95–3.11) and 0.07 (0.04–0.11), respectively. The thyroid cancer burden and high BMI attributed burden has increased from 1990 to 2019 in Iran. This study and similar studies’ results can be used for accurate resource allocation for efficient management and all potential risks’ modification for thyroid cancer with a cost-conscious view

Quantifying risks and interventions that have affected the burden of diarrhoea among children younger than 5 years : an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Many countries have shown marked declines in diarrhoea! disease mortality among children younger than 5 years. With this analysis, we provide updated results on diarrhoeal disease mortality among children younger than 5 years from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) and use the study's comparative risk assessment to quantify trends and effects of risk factors, interventions, and broader sociodemographic development on mortality changes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Methods This analysis for GBD 2017 had three main components. Diarrhoea mortality was modelled using vital registration data, demographic surveillance data, and verbal autopsy data in a predictive, Bayesian, ensemble modelling tool; and the attribution of risk factors and interventions for diarrhoea were modelled in a counterfactual framework that combines modelled population-level prevalence of the exposure to each risk or intervention with the relative risk of diarrhoea given exposure to that factor. We assessed the relative and absolute change in diarrhoea mortality rate between 1990 and 2017, and used the change in risk factor exposure and sociodemographic status to explain differences in the trends of diarrhoea mortality among children younger than 5 years. Findings Diarrhoea was responsible for an estimated 533 768 deaths (95% uncertainty interval 477 162-593 145) among children younger than 5 years globally in 2017, a rate of 78.4 deaths (70.1-87.1) per 100 000 children. The diarrhoea mortality rate ranged between countries by over 685 deaths per 100 000 children. Diarrhoea mortality per 100 000 globally decreased by 69.6% (63.1-74.6) between 1990 and 2017. Among the risk factors considered in this study, those responsible for the largest declines in the diarrhoea mortality rate were reduction in exposure to unsafe sanitation (13.3% decrease, 11.2-15.5), childhood wasting (9.9% decrease, 9.6-10.2), and low use of oral rehydration solution (6.9% decrease, 4-8-8-4). Interpretation Diarrhoea mortality has declined substantially since 1990, although there are variations by country. Improvements in sociodemographic indicators might explain some of these trends, but changes in exposure to risk factors-particularly unsafe sanitation, childhood growth failure, and low use of oral rehydration solution-appear to be related to the relative and absolute rates of decline in diarrhoea mortality. Although the most effective interventions might vary by country or region, identifying and scaling up the interventions aimed at preventing and protecting against diarrhoea that have already reduced diarrhoea mortality could further avert many thousands of deaths due to this illness