Revival of the Silk Road using the applications of AR/VR and its role on cultural tourism

This research project seeks to investigate the incorporation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology with human-computer interaction (HCI) in order to revitalize the Silk Road - specifically in Kermanshah, Iran - and its effect on cultural tourism. Kermanshah has underexplored the rich historical significance of the Silk Road, despite the presence of 24 UNESCO World Heritage sites. From the 2nd century BCE to the 18th century CE, the Silk Road was a vital trade route connecting the West and the East and had enormous cultural, economic, religious, and political effects. The purpose of this study is to examine the application of AR/VR technologies in HCI for the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of the Silk Road's tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Kermanshah, as well as their impact on cultural tourism development. The study also investigates how these innovative technologies can enhance visitors' experiences through immersive and interactive approaches, promote sustainable tourism practices, and contribute to the region's broader socioeconomic benefits. The research will analyze the challenges and opportunities of implementing AR/VR technology in HCI within the context of cultural heritage and tourism in Kermanshah and the Silk Road region more broadly. By combining HCI, AR/VR, and cultural tourism, this research seeks to provide valuable insights into the development of user-centered, immersive experiences that promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Silk Road's distinctive cultural heritage

Patient’s Perception of Safety in the Hospital Settings: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Introduction: Patient safety is a key indicator and element in securing quality healthcare and this goal is multi-step, systemic, and multidisciplinary. The aim of the study was to investigate the meanings and definitions of “feeling of safety” in patient’s view and experiences during their hospital stay and to identify the antecedents and consequences of the concept.Methods: This qualitative systematic review was carried out based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009. Six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Embase, Cochrane) were searched up to 2019 with no time and language limit. Two authors individually evaluated the study quality using Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Data from studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed with concept analysis using of Walker and Avant approach (2011).Results: Twenty-five papers were included in this study. Data analysis resulted finally in eleven main categories: “receiving safe care”, “appropriate physical environment”, “resorting to spirituality”, “having previous negative experiences”, and “presence of family and friends”, “Feeling of Protection in a Safe Place”, “Emotional Enrichment and Confidence”, “Comfort and Tranquility”, “Feeling of Control on the Situation”, “Optimism towards Life” and “Coping”.Conclusions: Safe care is one of the fundamental needs in creating feeling of safety in patients. Focusing on this type of patient-centered care may promote quality care and improve the treatments provided in the hospital setting

Examining the Effects of Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment Training on Self-Compassion and Grit among Elite Female Athletes

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions are well-established in the field of psychotherapy, and such interventions have also gained increased attention in the field of sport psychology, either to cope with psychological pressure or to improve an athlete’s performance. The goal of the present study was to examine whether a Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment (MAC) program could increase self-compassion and grit among elite female athletes compared to an active control condition. To this end, we performed a randomized trial among female adult athletes. Methods: Forty female adult athletes (M(age) = 22.22, SD = 2.40) were randomly assigned either to the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment group (n = 20; 7 group sessions, 60 min each) or the active control group (n = 20; 7 group sessions, 60 min each). At baseline, seven weeks later at the end of the study and again four weeks later at follow-up, participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires on mindfulness, self-compassion and grit. Results: Dimensions of mindfulness, self-compassion and grit improved over time, but more so in the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment condition compared to the active control condition. Improvements remained stable from the study end to follow-up. Conclusions: While the active control condition improved dimensions of mindfulness, self-compassion and grit among female adult athletes, improvements were much stronger in the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment condition. Importantly, improvements in the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment condition remained stable over a time lapse of four weeks at follow-up after study completion, suggesting that the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment intervention appeared to improve cognitive–emotional learning processes

Machine Learning Modeling for Energy Consumption of Residential and Commercial Sectors

Energy has a strategic role in the economic and social development of countries. In the last few decades, energy demand has been increasing exponentially across the world, and predicting energy demand has become one of the main concerns in many countries. The residential and commercial sectors constitute about 34.7% of global energy consumption. Anticipating energy demand in these sectors will help governments to supply energy sources and to develop their sustainable energy plans such as using renewable and non-renewable energy potentials for the development of a secure and environmentally friendly energy system. Modeling energy consumption in the residential and commercial sectors enables identification of the influential economic, social, and technological factors, resulting in a secure level of energy supply. In this paper, we forecast residential and commercial energy demands in Iran using three different machine learning methods, including multiple linear regression, logarithmic multiple linear regression methods, and nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input artificial neural networks. These models are developed based on several factors, including the share of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption, gross domestic production, population, natural gas price, and the electricity price. According to the results of the three machine learning methods applied in our study, by 2040, Iranian residential and commercial energy consumption will be 76.97, 96.42 and 128.09 Mtoe, respectively. Results show that Iran must develop and implement new policies to increase the share of renewable energy supply in final energy consumption.Peer reviewe

Effects of Melatonin Supplementation on Clinical Symptoms and Paraclinical Outcomes in Women Diagnosed With Fibrocystic Breast Disease: An Interventional Study

Fibrocystic breast disease is the most common benign breast disease in women, and it is necessary to investigate the most effective treatment method to reduce its symptoms. Therefore, the study was conducted to investigate the effect of melatonin supplementation on clinical symptoms and paraclinical outcomes in women diagnosed with fibrocystic breast disease. Investigating the Effects of melatonin supplementation on clinical symptoms and paraclinical outcomes in women diagnosed with fibrocystic breast disease. The present study is a controlled intervention-placebo treatment conducted on women suffering from fibrocystic breast disease aged 18-40. This interventional study was conducted on 66 patients (33 in the intervention group and 33 in the control group). Melatonin supplement of 3 mg was administered to the intervention group and a placebo to the control group for 12 weeks. Patient information, symptoms, and paraclinical outcomes were recorded at the beginning of the study before the intervention and 12 weeks after the intervention. After collecting the data, we analyzed it using SPSS version 16 software and appropriate statistical tests. The findings of this study showed that melatonin administration in patients with fibrocystic breast disease reduced anxiety, depression, improved sleep quality, increased TAC (Total Antioxidant Capacity), and decreased MDA (Malondialdehyde). However, both study groups did not have statistically significant differences in the average pain and hs-CRP before and after the intervention. According to the findings of the study and the identification of the positive effect of melatonin on laboratory indicators and symptoms in patients with fibrocystic breast disease, it is recommended to prescribe melatonin in addition to standard treatment to witness a better and faster recovery, and in this way, the quality of life of patients can be increased

Common Aeroallergens in Patients with Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis Living in Southwestern Part of Iran: Based on Skin Prick Test Reactivity

Aeroallergens continue to have a key role in the pathogenesis of asthma and allergic diseases and have recently received increased attention in medical research throughout the world. The prevalence of aeroallergens vary in different regions, depending on the type of climate. The aim of the present study was to determine prevalence of the sensitivity to aeroallergens among patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR), based on skin prick test (SPT) reactivity in the province of Bushehr, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 743 patients were enrolled. The participants had asthma and AR and reacted to at least one allergen with SPT. Skin prick test with standard extracts including house dust mites (HDMs), animal dander, molds and pollens were performed on patients according to the herbal geography of the area. The male to female ratio and mean age of the patients were 1.03 and 27.6± 15.4 year, respectively. Out of 567 patients with AR, the common aeroallergens were HDMs (88.5%), molds (82.9%), animal dander (79.5%), weeds (77.6%), trees (75.5%) and grass pollen (71.5%). Moreover, among 176 patients with asthma, the prevalence of aeroallergens were HDMs (90.5 %), molds (80.7%), animal dander (77.5%), weeds (73.3%), trees (73.3%) and grass pollen (67.9%). The sensitivity to animal dander, Chenopodium album and Russian thistle pollens were significantly associated with the severity of AR. Moreover, sensitivity to animal dander such as cat and feather of birds, cockroach, Bermuda grass and Chenopodium album pollens were significantly associated with the severity of asthma. The results of this study revealed that HDM was the most common sensitizing aeroallergen in patients with asthma and AR. Molds and animal dander as indoor allergens were also common aeroallergens. We suggest that the hot weather and ambient humidity in the region may be the main cause of the change in the pattern of SPT reactivity

Clinical feasibility of a contactless multiparameter continuous monitoring technology for neonates in a large public maternity hospital in Nairobi, Kenya

Multiparameter continuous physiological monitoring (MCPM) technologies are critical in the clinical management of high-risk neonates; yet, these technologies are frequently unavailable in many African healthcare facilities. We conducted a prospective clinical feasibility study of EarlySense’s novel under-mattress MCPM technology in neonates at Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. To assess feasibility, we compared the performance of EarlySense’s technology to Masimo’s Rad-97 pulse CO-oximeter with capnography technology for heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) measurements using up-time, clinical event detection performance, and accuracy. Between September 15 and December 15, 2020, we collected and analyzed 470 hours of EarlySense data from 109 enrolled neonates. EarlySense’s technology’s up-time per neonate was 2.9 (range 0.8, 5.3) hours for HR and 2.1 (range 0.9, 4.0) hours for RR. The difference compared to the reference was a median of 0.6 (range 0.1, 3.1) hours for HR and 0.8 (range 0.1, 2.9) hours for RR. EarlySense’s technology identified high HR and RR events with high sensitivity (HR 81%; RR 83%) and specificity (HR 99%; RR 83%), but was less sensitive for low HR and RR (HR 0%; RR 14%) although maintained specificity (HR 100%; RR 95%). There was a greater number of false negative and false positive RR events than false negative and false positive HR events. The normalized spread of limits of agreement was 9.6% for HR and 28.6% for RR, which met the a priori-identified limit of 30%. EarlySense’s MCPM technology was clinically feasible as demonstrated by high percentage of up-time, strong clinical event detection performance, and agreement of HR and RR measurements compared to the reference technology. Studies in critically ill neonates, assessing barriers and facilitators to adoption, and costing analyses will be key to the technology’s development and potential uptake and scale-up

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Asthma and Allergic Diseases in Primary Schoolchildren Living in Bushehr, Iran: Phase I, III ISAAC Protocol

Asthma and allergic diseases present a major health burden. Information on the prevalence of these diseases indicates that these diseases are increasing in various parts of the world. It was hoped that this study would be helpful to health system policy-makers in planning allergy prevention programs in the region. The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases and relation between the various risk factors involved were assessed among schoolchildren in the city of Bushehr, Iran. The ISAAC Phase I and III questionnaires were completed by parents of 1280 children aged 6-7 years and self-completed by 1115 students aged 13-14 years. The prevalence of atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma among 6-7 year-old students were 12.1%, 11.8% and 6.7%, respectively. While, the prevalence of these diseases among 13-14 year-old students were found to be 19%, 30% and 7.6%, respectively. There was an association between asthma and allergic rhinitis as well as eczema (p<0.05). Consumption of fast food as a risk factor was significantly associated with asthma (p=0.03). The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases was high among schoolchildren in the city of Bushehr, Iran. Also an association was observed between the fast food consumption and asthma. Keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Asthma, Atopic eczema; Children; ISAAC; Prevalenc

Genetic Overlap Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Bipolar Disorder Implicates the MARK2 and VAC14 Genes

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and bipolar disorder (BIP) are complex traits influenced by numerous common genetic variants, most of which remain to be detected. Clinical and epidemiological evidence suggest that AD and BIP are related. However, it is not established if this relation is of genetic origin. Here, we applied statistical methods based on the conditional false discovery rate (FDR) framework to detect genetic overlap between AD and BIP and utilized this overlap to increase the power to identify common genetic variants associated with either or both traits. Methods: We obtained genome wide association studies data from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project part 1 (17,008 AD cases and 37,154 controls) and the Psychiatric Genetic Consortium Bipolar Disorder Working Group (20,352 BIP cases and 31,358 controls). We used conditional QQ-plots to assess overlap in common genetic variants between AD and BIP. We exploited the genetic overlap to re-rank test-statistics for AD and BIP and improve detection of genetic variants using the conditional FDR framework. Results: Conditional QQ-plots demonstrated a polygenic overlap between AD and BIP. Using conditional FDR, we identified one novel genomic locus associated with AD, and nine novel loci associated with BIP. Further, we identified two novel loci jointly associated with AD and BIP implicating the MARK2 gene (lead SNP rs10792421, conjunctional FDR=0.030, same direction of effect) and the VAC14 gene (lead SNP rs11649476, conjunctional FDR=0.022, opposite direction of effect). Conclusions: We found polygenic overlap between AD and BIP and identified novel loci for each trait and two jointly associated loci. Further studies should examine if the shared loci implicating the MARK2 and VAC14 genes could explain parts of the shared and distinct features of AD and BIP