A CASE STUDY ON WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH IN THE IRANIAN TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT

Willingness to communicate (WTC) in English is specifically important because L2 (foreign/second language) communication is considered to be a key factor in L2 learning. When the opportunity to speak English arises, there are generally two options: speaking or avoiding it. Several factors might exert influence on the choice of either option by different individuals. In this vein, the current study investigated the underlying factors that lead to (un)willingness on the part of Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) tertiary students. Through a purposive sampling procedure, this classroom-based case study recruited and examined 10 EFL learners in Iran over a period of three weeks. Data were collected employing semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and stimulated-recall interviews. Thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes from the participating students’ ideas. Results reveal that participants’ L2 WTC emerges as a result of the complex, dynamic and non-linear interaction between individual, contextual, and linguistic factors. These three factors interdependently exerted either facilitative or inhibitive impacts on an individual student’s WTC in class at any point in time. The current study, therefore, reinforces the need for teachers to be aware of the multiple factors which lead learners to be more or less willing to communicate in L2 classrooms

The effect of economic sanctions on the volume of trade in the agriculture sector of Iran and business partners in the EU

Iranian economy was under pressured during the period of international trade sanctions. This paper investigates the effect of the economic sanctions on the bilateral agriculture trade of Iran with ten main trading partners in European Union between 2001 to 2015. A modified gravity model is used as an empirical international trading model and panel data are used for investigating the effect of sanctions. Findings/Originality: In the absence of sanction, the effect of all independent variables, except for population, is as expected by the theory. Under the sanction the effect of GDP and population is lower than those of without sanction. The effect of foreign exchange fluctuation gets more intense during the sanction due to instability of financial sector. Distance, however, is not a significant variable to explain the bilateral trade both in the absence and under the sanction. The weak sanction period lowered the bilateral trade by 7.5 percent lower, but unexpectedly it was 12 percent higher during the strong sanction period

Mast cell density in gastric biopsies of pediatric age group and its relation to inflammation and presence of Helicobacter pylori

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mast cell density, histological severity of gastritis, and presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in the antral mucosa of pediatric patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study included 352 (192 male and 160 female, < 14 years old) patients. All cases underwent endoscopy, and biopsies were obtained for histopathological examination and evaluation of Helicobacter pylori. All biopsies were evaluated according to the Sydney system and mast cell density in the antral mucosa was analyzed by Giemsa stain. Spearman's correlation test was used to determine the relationship between mast cell density and other histopathological parameters. The comparison of mast cell density between H. pylori positive and negative groups was analyzed by Mann Whitney U test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mast cell density was 12.6 ± 0.87 in 0.25 mm²(0–81). Means of severity of gastric inflammation in H. pylori-positive and negative patients were 1.7 ± 0.6 and 0.6 ± 0.7, respectively, which was statistically significant (p = 0.0001). Mast cell density was not correlated with presence and degree of inflammation, activity, presence and score of H. pylori in the antrum (p > 0.05). There was no significant correlation between mast cell density and allergy.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>We concluded that there may be some other ways for contribution of mast cells in pathologic processes involving gastrointestinal tract in children.</p

Evaluation of the curriculum for undergraduate course of operating room in international level and suggesting an appropriate curriculum for Iran

BACKGROUND: The objectives of an educational system in a society are based on society's requirements. Since personnel knowledge and skill are not qualified with the advantages of science and invention of new tools, new needs are arisen. Comparing the curriculum of undergraduate course of operating room of our country with international societies, it seems that this curriculum is not a good one to educate experts for taking care of the patients before, while and after operation. This research is done in an international level to determine a curriculum for operating room course and suggest a suitable educational program. METHODS: Executive method contained 3 stages. In first stage after searching the web and finding the curriculum of operating room course in the world, the current curriculum was compared to the findings in second stage and in third stage a questionnaire has sent to 17 experienced members of faculty scientific board and after performing their opinions and modifications, the curriculum for undergraduate course of operating room was suggested. RESULTS: This research's findings contain two sets of data obtained from searching the internet and polling research samples which result to the suggestion of curriculum for undergraduate course of operating room. CONCLUSION: Surveying the suggestion of research units showed that more than 50 percent of courses have utility more than 90 percent and the minimum utility is belonged to hygiene and internal medicine and digestion and tumors operation courses (about 76%). By modifying these courses ambiguities are cleared and finally the suitable curriculum suggested

A comparison of effectiveness of regulation of working memory function and methylphenidate on remediation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Abstract: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent and serious disorder affecting such key cognitive components as working memory. Working memory serves to facilitate and check attention in any individual and to focus on those affairs that need to be retained in mind. This study examines whether a combination of the two therapeutic methods of working memory training and Methylphenidate might be more effective in treating ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years of age than when methylphenidate is applied alone. Method: Subjects of the study are 48 children suffering from ADHD. They were selected by random sampling. The experimental group included 23 children with ADHD who received a combination of working memory training and Methylphenidate, and the control group which included 25 children with ADHD received Methylphenidate only. To check the effects of the intervention, Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48) was applied before and after the intervention. After intervention, data were collect d from the remaining samples in the two groups. Data were examined both through descriptive statistical methods and analytic statistical methods, including T-student test and Quantile-Quantile Plots diagram . Results: The study demonstrated that a combination of the cognitive intervention of working memory training and methylphenidate is more effective in alleviating ADHD symptoms rather than when methylphenidate is applied in isolation. In the CPRS pre-test and post-test, the mean difference of the experimental and the control group was 8.39 and 1.88 respectively, indicating that the working memory group has improved more than the control group. Conclusions: The study reveals that the ADHD symptoms were more contained in the test group than the control group due to working memory training . The cognitive intervention through working memory training may be effective in alleviating the severity of disorder measured in the pre-test

Seroparasitological evaluation of Plasmodium vivax malaria and stability of the anti-plasmodial antibodies in Parsabad Ardabil province

زمینه و هدف: مالاریا یکی از مهمترین بیماری های انگلی در جهان و برخی از مناطق ایران محسوب می شود. علاوه بر مناطق آندمیک این بیماری در جنوب و جنوب شرقی، در سال های اخیر، شمال غربی کشور نیز با ظهور مالاریای ویواکس مواجه شده است. این مطالعه به منظور بررسی مقایسه ای سروپارازیتولوژی مالاریا با روش ایمونوفلوئورسانس غیر مستقیم (IFA) و پایداری آنتی بادی های ضد پلاسمودیومی شهرستان پارس آباد واقع در استان اردبیل در شمال غربی ایران صورت گرفته است. روش بررسی: این مطالعه توصیفی – تحلیلی بر روی 250 نمونه از افراد مبتلا به مالاریا که با روش میکروسکوپی تایید شده و تحت درمان با ترکیبات ضد مالاریا بوده اند و 250 نمونه از گروه شاهد منفی، بین سال های 84-1382 انجام پذیرفت. پایداری آنتی بادی‌های ضد پلاسمودیوم ویواکس در سرم های تهیه شده از گروه های آزمون و شاهد در پایان دوره مطالعه با استفاده از روش های ایمونوفلوئورسانس (IFA) و مستقیم مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفتند. داده های به دست آمده با استفاده از آزمون آماری آنالیز واریانس یک طرفه و t دانشجویی تجزیه و تحلیل گردید. یافته ها: در بررسی انجام شده به روش میکروسکپی، از مبتلایان به مالاریا همگی به پلاسمودیوم ویواکس آلوده و گروه شاهد همگی منفی بودند و هیچگونه آلودگی مضاعف با این روش مشاهده نشد. نتیجه بررسی سروپارازیتولوژیک با روش ایمونوفلوئورسانس نشانگر آن بود که 47 مورد (19) از گروه آزمون و 4 مورد (6/1) از گروه شاهد آنتی بادی ضد پلاسمودیوم ویواکس را دارا بودند (001/0

A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 between Intensive Care Unit and Non-Intensive Care Unit Pediatric Patients: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Observational Study from Iranian Network for Research in Viral

Introduction: To date, little is known about the clinical features of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).&nbsp;Objective: Herein, we aimed to describe the differences in demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical presentations, and outcomes of Iranian pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU versus those in non-ICU settings.&nbsp;Methods: This multicenter investigation involved 15 general and pediatrics hospitals and included cases with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) admitted to these centers between March and May 2020, during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.&nbsp;Results: Overall, 166 patients were included, 61 (36.7%) of whom required ICU admission. The highest number of admitted cases to ICU were in the age group of 1–5 years old. Malignancy and heart diseases were the most frequent underlying conditions. Dyspnea was the major symptom for ICU-admitted patients. There were significant decreases in PH, HCO3 and base excess, as well as increases in creatinine, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and potassium levels between ICU-admitted and non-ICU patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and acute cardiac injury were the most common features among ICU-admitted patients. The mortality rate in the ICU-admitted patients was substantially higher than non-ICU cases (45.9% vs. 1.9%, respectively; p&lt;0.001).&nbsp;Conclusions: Underlying diseases were the major risk factors for the increased ICU admissions and mortality rates in pediatric COVID-19 patients. There were few paraclinical parameters that could differentiate between pediatrics in terms of prognosis and serious outcomes of COVID-19. Healthcare providers should consider children as a high-risk group, especially those with underlying medical conditions

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019

Background: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epidemic. Methods: To estimate age-specific and sex-specific trends in 48 of 204 countries, we extended the Estimation and Projection Package Age-Sex Model to also implement the spectrum paediatric model. We used this model in cases where age and sex specific HIV-seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care-clinic sentinel surveillance data were available. For the remaining 156 of 204 locations, we developed a cohort-incidence bias adjustment to derive incidence as a function of cause-of-death data from vital registration systems. The incidence was input to a custom Spectrum model. To assess progress, we measured the percentage change in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 (threshold >75% decline), the ratio of incident cases to number of people living with HIV (incidence-to-prevalence ratio threshold <0·03), and the ratio of incident cases to deaths (incidence-to-mortality ratio threshold <1·0). Findings: In 2019, there were 36·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 35·1–38·9) people living with HIV worldwide. There were 0·84 males (95% UI 0·78–0·91) per female living with HIV in 2019, 0·99 male infections (0·91–1·10) for every female infection, and 1·02 male deaths (0·95–1·10) per female death. Global progress in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 was driven by sub-Saharan Africa (with a 28·52% decrease in incident cases, 95% UI 19·58–35·43, and a 39·66% decrease in deaths, 36·49–42·36). Elsewhere, the incidence remained stable or increased, whereas deaths generally decreased. In 2019, the global incidence-to-prevalence ratio was 0·05 (95% UI 0·05–0·06) and the global incidence-to-mortality ratio was 1·94 (1·76–2·12). No regions met suggested thresholds for progress. Interpretation: Sub-Saharan Africa had both the highest HIV burden and the greatest progress between 1990 and 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths in males and females approached parity in 2019, although there remained more females with HIV than males with HIV. Globally, the HIV epidemic is far from the UNAIDS benchmarks on progress metrics. Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging of the NIH

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic