Structural, Magnetic and Thermal Studies of Ce1-xEuxCrO3 Nano-Powders

A new series of nano-sized Ce1-xEuxCrO3 (x = 0.0 to 1.0) with an average particle size of 50 - 80 nm were synthesized using a solution combustion method. Nano-powders Ce1-xEuxCrO3 with the canted antiferromagnetic property exhibited interesting magnetic behaviours including the reversal magnetization and the exchange bias effect. The effect of europium doping as the ion with the smaller radius size and different electron con figuration on structural, magnetic and thermal properties of Ce1-xEuxCrO3 were investigated using various experimental techniques, i.e. DC/AC magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, thermal expansion, Raman scattering, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, transmission/scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and neutron scattering. An exchange bias effect, magnetization irreversibility and AC susceptibility dispersion in these samples confirmed the existence of the spin disorder magnetic phase in Ce1-xEuxCrO3 compounds. The exchange bias phenomenon, which is assigned to the exchange coupling between glassy-like shell and canted antiferromagnetic core, showed the opposite sign in CeCrO3 and EuCrO3 at low temperatures, suggesting different exchange interactions at the interfaces in these compounds. The energy level excitation of samples were examined by an inelastic neutron scattering which was in good agreement with the heat capacity data. Neutron scattering analysis of EuCrO3 was challenging due to the large neutron absorption cross-section of europium. All diffraction patterns of Ce1-xEuxCrO3 showed the magnetic peak attributed to the antiferromagnetic Cr3+ spins while none of the diffraction patterns could detect the magnetic ordering of the rare-earth ions in these samples

The Role of Therapeutic Landscape in Improving Mental Health of People with PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a complex disorder, with serious consequences, affects the quality of life of the individual, the family, as well as the community. Therefore, the subject of this chapter is to study how to reduce stress and improve the quality of life of these people and consequently the community. This chapter is based on documentary studies including the foundations of the theory, the study of the results of experiments in the world, and case studies in this field, which shows that the interaction of individuals with PTSD and therapeutic landscapes can act as a therapeutic mechanism. In the following, features from therapeutic landscapes that help to optimize mental health levels are reviewed in people with PTSD, briefly

A Novel Sep-Unet Architecture of Convolutional Neural Networks to Improve Dermoscopic Image Segmentation by Training Parameters Reduction

Nowadays, we use dermoscopic images as one of the imaging methods in diagnosis of skin lesions such as skin cancer. But due to the noise and other problems, including hair artifacts around the lesion, this issue requires automatic and reliable segmentation methods. The diversity in the color and structure of the skin lesions is a challenging reason for automatic skin lesion segmentation. In this study, we used convolutional neural networks (CNN) as an efficient method for dermoscopic image segmentation. The main goal of this research is to recommend a novel architecture of deep neural networks for the injured lesion in dermoscopic images which has been improved by the convolutional layers based on the separable layers. By convolutional layers and the specific operations on the kernel of them, the velocity of the algorithm increases and the training parameters decrease. Additionally, we used a suitable preprocessing method to enter the images into the neural network. Suitable structure of the convolutional layers, separable convolutional layers and transposed convolution in the down sampling and up sampling parts, have made the structure of the mentioned neural network. This algorithm is named Sep-unet and could segment the images with 98% dice coefficient

The Effect of a Peer-Group Support Intervention Program on the Tensions of Mothers with Premature Neonates Admitted to the Intensive Care Units in Babol, Iran

Abstract Introduction: Admission of premature neonates to the neonates intensive care unit (NICU) encounters mothers with tension, which affects mother-neonate relationship. The current study aimed at investigating the impact of peer support on the tension of mothers of premature infants admitted to NICUs of the selected hospitals in Babol, Iran. Methods: The current before-and-after, two-group, quasi-experimental study, was conducted on 40 mothers with neonates who recently admitted to NICU in order to participate in peer-group support program. The amount of tension in the study participants was measured, before and after the intervention and the results were compared with those of the control group, using parental tension scale: NICU. Results: The average tension in the intervention and control groups before and after the intervention, and comparison of measures between the groups were125.2 (23.10), 135.2 (19.88), 33.35 (8.19), and 49.40 (18.63), respectively. There was a significant difference between the mean score of tension before and after the intervention in both the study groups. There was no significant difference in tension scores between the two groups, before and after the intervention. Conclusions: Hospitals should meet the requirements o

Designing a Metadata Application Profile in Academic Libraries: A Case Study

The purpose of this paper is to design a metadata application profile to organize content objects of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences libraries based on analytical-systematic approach. The population under study included content objects from 23 libraries (central, hospital and college libraries). A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data related to the local features and needs of generating metadata records in libraries. Some questions of the questionnaire were answered by the librarians of the organizing department, and some of them were completed by researcher’s observation of the libraries’ metadata databases. The native needs and intend of libraries in terms of content objects organizing were determined and an application profile was designed for describing and organizing different types of content objects based on them. The application profile contains 63 elements, 22 of which are mandatory elements and the other elements are optional. Among those 63 elements, 54, 7 and 2 elements have been selected from the UNIMARC as the basic standard, the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) and the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), respectively. Finally, the structure and semantics syntax of the designed metadata application profile based on the local context of the libraries were determined

Giant Mediastinal Mass in A 3-year-old Boy, A Rare Presentation of Neurofibromatosis Type I

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease diagnosed with presentation of café-au-lait macules, Skinfold freckling, iris Lisch nodules, neurofibromas, osseous lesion and Optic gliomas. Mediastinal mass as first presentation of NF1 is very rare and its frequency is about 2.7%. here we present a rare case of NF1 in a 3-year-old boy admitted with respiratory distress and superior vena cava syndrome

Portfolio Assessment and EFL Learners' Writing Ability: Does Self-Regulation Have a Role to Play?

Due to the scarcity of quantitative studies as to the impact of portfolio assessment on EFL students’ writing ability and the significant impact of the interaction between portfolio assessment and self-regulation strategy, the present study aimed to explore whether portfolio assessment has any significant effect on improving Bachelor of Arts (BA) English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ paragraph writing ability, and whether this effect differs within high/low self-regulated learners or not. To do so, 60 intermediate female students were chosen out of 145 learners through the administration of a standard version of Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The participants were randomly assigned into one control (30 participants) and one experimental group (30 participants). The experimental group was assigned into two groups of high and low self-regulated learners, (15 participants for each group), based on Magno’s (2009) Academic Self-regulated Learning Scale (A-SRL-S) questionnaire. Participants of the control group were taught and assessed based on traditional teaching and assessment, whereas those in the experimental group were taught and assessed via portfolio-based instruction and assessment techniques. The analysis of the results of the study revealed that portfolio assessment has a significant effect on improving writing ability (p=0.001). The results also showed that high self-regulated learners have taken more advantage of portfolio assessment than the low self-regulated ones (p = 0.000). The results obtained from the present study can have beneficial contributions to teaching, curriculum development, and testing

Features of Neurotoxicity on Brain CT of Acutely Intoxicated Unconscious Patients

Diagnostic imaging is a valuable device in clinical management of poisoned patients presenting to emergency units in a comatose state. Some toxic agents have adverse effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Non-contrast computed tomography (CT) of the brain, as an available diagnostic method with a high resolution, can provide useful information about structural disturbances of unconscious patients with suspected drug or chemical intoxication. The authors would describe various presentations of toxic substances detected on the brain CT scans of ten patients with acute intoxication. While non-specific, CT findings of low-attenuation lesions in the basal ganglia, infarctions in young patients, or diffuse edema should raise suspicion for poisoning or overdose