Crisis Management Patterns in the Lives of Ibna Al-Reza (PBUH); a Case Study of the Economic Crisis

A crisis is an unexpected and sometimes growing event that imposes problems on society and becomes an acute and unstable situation for individuals or society, the solution of which requires fundamental measures. In the history of Shiite Imamate, the years 203 to 260 AH (819 to 874 B. C.) are dedicated to the leadership and supervision of Ibna Al-Reza (PBUH), those Imamas who were the offsprings of Imam Reza (PBUH). Friendship with Imam Javad, Imam Hadi and Imam Askari (PBUH) was being led to consequences such as confiscation of property, dismissal from work, poverty and destitution. By taking measures and making decisions, Ibna al-Reza (PBUH) were able to improve the unfavorable economic situation of the Shiites. This article, which was organized by descriptive-analytical method, summarizes the actions of the late Shiite Imams in order to prevent and prepare confrontational and deterrent strategies in three stages: "before the crisis", "during the crisis" and "after the crisis". This article has categorized and introduced management principles that can be considered by citizens in the present era

Candiduria; a review article with specific data from Iran

Although, several categories of nosocomial infections are presented during the recent years, urinary tract infections (UTIs) considered as one of the most important systemic infections. The presence of Candida species in the urinary tract system (Candiduria) is seen in only 10-15% of the cases with UTI, however candiduria has been considered as more problematic infection for patients, laboratory workers and physicians. Due to increasing numbers of several predisposing factors, such as antibacterial agents, urinary tract instrumentation, diabetes mellitus, invasive therapies, and prolonged hospital stay, candiduria develops among the hospitalized patients, especially hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). According to the epidemiological studies, Candida albicans is the most common isolated species from candiduric patients. However, during the recent years, due to increasing resistance to antifungal drugs, non-albicans Candida species including, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis have been also implicated. We found that the mean prevalence of candiduria among Iranian patients was lower (16.5%) than worldwide ratio and also males were more frequently affected than females (M:F, 1.2:1). Similar to other countries, C. albicans was most common infectious agent followed by non-albicans Candida species including, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C. krusei

ESDA2010-24782 EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF CORRUGATED TUBES UNDER LATERAL LOADING

ABSTRACT The protection of structures under impact loading often necessitates the need for energy absorbers; devices designed to absorb the impact energy in a controlled manner and hence, protect the structure under consideration. Thinwalled tubes are widely used as energy absorbers in various vehicles and moving parts. The objective of the present study is to investigate the energy absorption characteristic of tubes with corrugations in different geometries, in lateral direction. In order to produce corrugations, an innovative solution is introduced. Corrugations can be very easily generated on the surface of cylindrical aluminum tubes by stamping method. Corrugations with different wavelengths and amplitudes can be produced by this method. Experimental tests are conducted to study the effect of changing corrugation geometry (type and amplitude). Quasi-static tests are carried out whose results for lateral compression show that tubes with corrugation have a higher mean crushing force and this force is directly proportional to number of corrugations and their amplitude. Moreover, it is observed that corrugated tubes can absorb approximately four times more energy than tubes without corrugations, in the same size and weight. Finally, considering the experimental tests, corrugated tubes are shown to be more effective in lateral direction as an energy absorber, and they also exhibit desirable force-deflection responses which are important in the design of energy absorbing devices

Etiologic Agents of Otomycosis in the North-Western Area of Iran

Background: Otomycosis is a superfcial fungal infection often involves the pinna and external auditory canal. It is a pathologic condition, with Candida and Aspergillus, the most common fungal species. It is common worldwide but more prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the etiologic agents and local epidemiologic pattern of otomycosis in northwest Iran. Patients and Methods: A series of 140 patients with clinically symptomatic otomycosis were studied in 21 cities, towns, and villages throughout northwest Iran between 2009 and 2011. Clinical samples were collected by swabs and then assessed by mycological investigation. Results: Otomycosis was diagnosed in 129 cases (92%, 76 male, 53 female) with the highest prevalence of cases occurring in males between 21 - 40 years of age. From an etiological point of view, 116 patients (90%, 21 - 40 years old) were infected by saprophytic mold and 9 patients (7%) were infected by yeast. Three cases (2%) involved dermatophytes, and in one case (1%) the subject was infected with Eurotium (the perfect stage of Aspergillus fumigatus). Aspergillus niger was the most common mold that was isolated, followed by A. flavus, A. fumigatus, Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., and Rhizopus spp. A total of 2 yeasts belonging to genus Candida, C. albicans and C. tropicalis, were isolated. Conclusions:Our study showed a high prevalence of otomycosis in the northwestern area of Iran. As such, proper diagnosis and treatment by aseptic techniques for this disease is urgently needed

Emergence of Terbinafine Resistant Trichophyton mentagrophytes in Iran, Harboring Mutations in the Squalene Epoxidase (SQLE) Gene

Introduction: Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale are important causative agents of superficial mycoses, demonstrating emergent antifungal drug resistance. We studied the antifungal susceptibility profiles in Iranian isolates of these two species. Methods: A total of 96 T. interdigitale and 45 T. mentagrophytes isolates were subjected to molecular typing by ribosomal ITS region. Antifungal susceptibility profiles for terbinafine, griseofulvin, clotrimazole, efinaconazole, luliconazole, amorolfine and ciclopirox were obtained by CLSI broth microdilution method. The squalene epoxidase (SQLE) gene was subjected to sequencing for mutations, if any, in isolates exhibiting elevated MICs for terbinafine. Results: Luliconazole and efinaconazole showed the lowest MIC values against T. mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale isolates. There were five isolates with terbinafine MICs >= 32 mu g/mL in our sample. They belonged to T. mentagrophytes type VIII and harbored two alternative SQLE gene sequence variants, leading to Phe397Leu and Ala448Thr or Leu393Ser and Ala448Thr substitutions in the enzyme. All terbinafine resistant strains could be inhibited by luliconazole and efinaconazole. Conclusion: This study documented a step in the global spread of resistance mechanisms in T. mentagrophytes. However, treatment alternatives for resistant isolates were available. Keywords:Trichophyton mentagrophytes; SQLE; terbinafine; antifungal drug resistance; Ira

A novel multilevel network slacks-based measure with an application in electric utility companies

In this paper, we developed an alternative Network Slacks-Based Data Envelopment Analysis Measure (NSBM) wherein the overall efficiency is expressed as a weighted average of the efficiencies of the individual processes. The advantage of this new model is that both overall efficiency and multi-divisional efficiencies have been calculated with a unified framework. The major merits of the proposed model are its ability to provide appropriate measure of efficiency, obtaining weight of processes from model, simultaneous assessment of intermediate variables considering them as both input and output. Finally, an application in electric power companies shows the practicality of the proposed model