Potentials of social media for tacit knowledge sharing amongst physicians : preliminary findings

Tacit knowledge sharing amongst physicians, such as the sharing of clinical experiences, skills, or know-how, or know-whom, is known to have a significant impact on the quality of medical diagnosis and decisions. This paper posits that social media can provide new opportunities for tacit knowledge sharing amongst physicians, and demonstrates this by presenting findings from a review of relevant literature and a survey conducted with physicians. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten physicians from around the world who were active users of social media. Initial thematic analysis revealed eight themes as potential contributions of social web tools to facilitate tacit knowledge flow amongst physicians. The emergent themes are defined, linked to the literature, and supported by instances of interview transcripts. Findings presented here are preliminary, and final results will be reported after accomplishing all phases of data collection and analysis

Low Level Laser Therapy for Painful Joints

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) uses a light source that generates extremely pure light, of a single wavelength1. The effect is not thermal, but rather related to photochemical reactions in the cells. LLLT was introduced as an alternative non-invasive treatment for OA about 10 years ago, but its effectiveness is still controversial2. A Cochrane review of LLLT in osteoarthritis included five trials, and concluded that despite some positive findings, the meta-analysis lacked data on how LLLT effectiveness was affected by the important factors of wavelength, treatment duration of LLLT, dosage, and site of application over nerves instead of joints1,3,4,5,6,7. A different review2 addresses some of these issues in a wider range of trials, and is broadly positive, if limited by numbers

Don’t let diplomacy down

Over a year ago, everyone’s attention in Iran and the world was turned to the momentous signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) . Crippling sanctions that had hurt the people of Iran even more than its government could now be lifted, with a brighter future ahead. Diplomacy had succeeded and the risk of war averted

A Comparison of Educational Leadership in Islamic and Western Countries and a Suggestion of a Model for a Global Society

or a global society to function well its members need certain attitudes, such as a desire for cooperation, mutual understanding and respect, as well as continuous and self-motivated learning. A model of education is needed that engenders these attitudes such that students critically understand these attitudes instead of passively accept them. This kind of education requires leadership that agrees with, and engages in, the same attitudes. This dissertation proposes a model of educational leadership for a global society, and presents an exploration and comparison of public high schools across three countries: Canada, Turkey, and Iran. The proposed model consists of three interrelated dimensions: leadership style (transformational leadership and high leadership delegation), organizational structure (highly ranked Learning Organization structure that is more horizontal than vertical), and approach to learning (an active learning approach that utilizes critical pedagogy). The schools were explored in terms of: their current practices and policies in the three dimensions, how well they ranked in those dimensions relative to the proposed model, and what obstacles exist for implementing the proposed model. A case study methodology was used in which 15 participants (5 per country) at different organizational levels (students, teachers, and principals) were interviewed to gather their opinions. The interview questions were organized by the three dimensions and followed the INVEST framework for Learning Organizations

Monitoring muscle oxygenation and myoelectric activity after damage-inducing exercise

In this thesis, three experiments were conducted to monitor: (i) muscle oxygenation and electromyographic activity of the biceps brachii after exercise-induced muscle damage (ii) muscle oxygenation after downhill walking-induced muscle damage, and, (iii) muscle oxygenation following a bout of vigorous concentric exercise. Maximal eccentric exercise (EE) of biceps brachii resulted in significantly increased mean resting oxygen saturation and decreased deoxyhaemoglobin. During isometric contractions at 50% and 80% of subjects’ maximum voluntary torque (MVT), oxygen desaturation and resaturation kinetics and volume were significantly decreased after EE, and these declines were significantly prevalent over the following 6 days. Additionally, a significant shift in median frequency intercept (measured by electromyography; EMG) towards lower frequencies was observed during isometric contractions at both 50% and 80% MVT after EE in the exercised arm. After an exhaustive session of downhill walking, another form of EE, resting total haemoglobin and oxyhaemoglobin decreased. Furthermore, during isometric contractions at 30%, 50% and 80% of MVT, prolonged and significant increases were observed in oxygen desaturation and resaturation kinetics and volumes after ambulatory EE. In contrast to the two EE experiments, concentric contractions did not evoke any prolonged changes in muscle oxygenation. Collectively, the findings of this thesis revealed significant and prolonged changes in muscle oxygenation at rest and during exercise, following sessions of strenuous eccentric exercise. Although not clear, the possible mechanism responsible for the changes in muscle oxygenation after EE could be increased resting muscle oxygen utilization due to probable muscle damage and a subsequent requirement of energy demanding repair processes. Concentric exercise resulted in fatigue, but it did not affect muscle oxygenation. Although a prolonged reduction in EMG median frequency intercept was observed after EE, this was not closely time-associated with the biochemical, anthropometric or functional markers of muscle damage

Investigating the High Attrition Rate of Boys in Iranian Schools: A Case Study of Key Stakeholders’ Perspectives

For the first time in the history of Iran, the literacy levels of women are higher than that of men. However, males are culturally and socially preferred in positions of influence and decision making. Therefore, education in Iran is not having the beneficial effects that it should as the people who end up in positions of power may lack the needed education. This thesis investigates the reasons why boys choose to drop out of school, and the societal perceptions, influences, and consequences of boys dropping out of school. To conduct this research, I interviewed 8 dropouts, 5 teachers, and 1 administrator who attended or worked at various pre-college level state schools. This research is a qualitative case study, so the perceptions and opinions of the interviewees were of primary importance. The results of this study indicated that a combination of factors is responsible for the drop-out problem, including economic problems, poor quality of teachers and educational materials, and the Iran-Iraq war. Although the dropouts indicated they had difficulty with school material, and that the environment was not conducive to education, they all ultimately left school for financial reasons. Similarly, the teachers indicated that the war and the current economic problems of the country resulted in an education system with a lower quality and a lower emphasis on students who are not willing to pay extra. The administrator indicated that state schools suffer from poor funding and poor quality of teachers, and that these two factors are related

The Molecular Cloning and Expression of Human Placental Matrix and Surface Proteins

Fibronectin protein isoforms have several functions in the body and play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of human placenta. The multifunctional properties of FN may have been mediated by the ability of FN isoforms to bind to cells and other extracellular matrix components such as collagens and fibrin. These and other functional properties which have been assigned to FN are thought to have been made possible by the existence of multiple FN isoforms

The Effects of Fetal Gender on Serum Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and Testosterone in Normotensive and Preeclamptic Pregnancies

Introduction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of fetal sex on serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and testosterone in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies. Materials and Methods. This is a cross-sectional study and 139 women with singleton pregnancies in the third trimester were studied. Seventy-one pregnancies were uncomplicated; among those were 35 male and 36 female fetuses. Sixty-eight pregnancies were complicated by preeclampsia; among those were 35 male and 33 female fetuses. Human chorionic gonadotropin and total testosterone were measured in maternal peripheral blood. Data analyzed by SPSS software. Results. In male-bearing pregnancies, maternal hCG and testosterone serum levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic than normotensive mothers (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, resp.) in female-bearing pregnancies testosterone levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic than normotensive mothers (P < 0.001). Total testosterone levels were significantly higher in pregnancies with either gender and significantly higher in mlae-bearing than in female-bearing pregnancies. Conclusion. According to our results, there is a correlation between maternal serum hCG and testosterone levels and preeclampsia. Therefore these tests can be used as routine during 30–38 weeks of gestation. High maternal serum concentrations of these markers can predict preeclampsia