Evaluation of Digital Library Services at Virtual Faculties of Universities in Iran from the Perspective of Graduate Students

This paper was conducted to evaluate digital library services of virtual faculties of Medical Universities in Iran from the perspective of graduate students of e-learning. This study was an applied survey conducted among graduate students studying in the virtual centers in Ministry of Health and Medical Education and Ministry of Science Research and Technology in 2017-2018. The instrument of the study was a questionnaire, the inter-item reliability of which was measured, by Cronbach\u27s alpha coefficient (0.90). The reliability was measured by using Pearson correlation coefficient (0.79). A sample size of 378 students was selected through Cochran formula and Morgan table. The data were collected through email, online and in-person. The study was performed in 9 months (June to February 2018) and 257 completed questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS software version 18. The findings indicated 63.3 % and 36.2 % of participants belonged to MOHME and MOSRT .There were 44.7% of women and 54.9% of men. 79.3% of the virtual education centers of MOHME and 45.2% of the centers of MOSRT have been affiliated with the Central Library.The most used sources of information, in MOHME with 48.8% and in MOSRT with 63.4%, were databases. In MOHME with 31.1%, the main problem was the excessive amount of unrelated information on Internet sites, and in MOSRT with 53.8%, it was the limited availability and lending of resources from libraries with a significant level (pvalue\u3e0.001). Students in both groups used library resources aimed at doing homework assignments (MOHME was 76.8% MOSRT 57.3%), and theses (MOHME with 57.9% and MOSRT with 51.6%. Considering the results, specific measures should be taken to improve the access to online library resources and services for students. Resources such as textbooks, theses, relevant websites and required information of virtual students should be taken into consideration

Simultaneous doxorubicin encapsulation and in-situ microfluidic micellization of bio-targeted polymeric nanohybrids using dichalcogenide monolayers : A molecular in-silico study

The rate of Riboflavin (RF) consumption in cancerous cells is interestingly high and this might imply the use of RF ligand in nanocarriers in order to target anticancer drugs into cancer cells. This study aimed to develop a hybrid drug carrier of Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded on RF targeted micelles composed of hydrophobic polylacticglycolic acid (PLGA) and hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG). In this regard, a simultaneous encapsulation of DOX and in-situ micellization as well as the self-assembly of PLGA-PEG-RF molecules were investigated. Moreover, the effects of microfluidic environment and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanolayers on the micellization properties (e.g., stability, size, and self-assembly interaction energies) of nanocarriers were simulated for the first time. To this purpose, the simulations were performed using two non-microfluidic methods as well as a novel microfluidic one. The molecular simulations revealed that all of the selected TMDs, especially MoSe2, had a great impact on the stability and size of nanocarriers. MoSe2 significantly enhanced the loading capacity as well as the stability of RF-targeted micelles and reduced the size of nanocarriers. Likewise, the results of various analyses demonstrated that the microfluidic method is the most effective way to synthesize nano carriers with higher stability and smaller particle size. Hence, the use of MoSe2 monolayer, micelle containing RF, and microfluidic method were believed to be the best approach in order to improve the quality of micelles. The present work sheds new light on the use of TMDs in the synthesis of smart carriers for cancer treatment.Peer reviewe

The preventive effects of natural adjuvants, G2 and G2F on tracheal responsiveness and serum IL-4 and IFN-? (th1/th2 balance) in sensitized guinea pigs

OBJECTIVE: The effects of natural adjuvants on lung inflammation and tracheal responsiveness were examined in sensitized guinea pigs. METHODS: The responses of guinea pig tracheal chains and the serum levels of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma were examined in control pigs and three other groups of guinea pigs: the sensitized group and two other sensitized groups treated with either adjuvant G2 or adjuvant G2F (n = 7 for each group). Sensitization of the animals was achieved by injection and inhalation of ovalbumin. RESULTS: The results showed that sensitized animals had increased tracheal responsiveness and increased serum levels of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma compared to controls (

Recognition of fishes in rivers and basin of Qom

This study was carried out on rivers, basins & qanat of Qom region during the 1376-1378and Fish samples were taken from 2 permanent rivers (Qomrood ,Ghara_chag)& from some seasonal ones (Tagharood, Zavarian, Vesva, Biraghan). Also local fishes was followed in 100 qanats in the region and Random fish sampling was done in permanent river extension out of province. This study aimed to recognize different fish species in the province water reservoir and estimating the fisheries potential in the province. For fish sampling nets such as mashk, salik, hook and hand tailored were used. Electroshoker was not used at all. Results of fish recognition showed that fish samples belong to 12 species & 4 family of "cyprinidae", "Balitoridae", "cyprinodontidae" and "poecilidae".The qanat fishes of the montain (kahak, Khagestan) and pastora area (Ghanavat,jafarabad) included by two families of "cyprinid", "Balitoridea".In some qanat which were connected to rivers more species of fish and anotherAquatic animal were observed & sampled.At the and map of geographical distribution of local fishes was planned

The Assessment of Acupuncture and Exercise Therapy in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: The efficacy of acupuncture and exercise therapy in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been investigated in limited studies with controversial results. The purpose of this study was to compare the short-term efficacy of acupuncture and exercise therapy in patients with mild to moderate CTS.Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial study conducted on 60 patients (55 women) with mild to moderate CTS referring to Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran in 2017. The patients were randomly divided in to 3 equal groups; groupa1: only night splint was used for 6 weeks (control), group2: splint with tendon and nerve gliding exercises (2 times a day for 6 weeks) were applied, group3: splint and electroacupuncture was performed for 12 sessions (2 sessions/week). The score on the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) for Functional Status and Symptom Severity (BCTQ FUNCT and SYMPT) and visual analog scale (VAS) score were evaluated at baseline and after the treatment.Results: At the final follow up, significant improvements in all parameters of quality of life and VAS were found in third groups (p<0.05). Acupuncture affected the score on the BCTQ FUNCT and SYMPT, the VAS score more than exercise therapy. In addition, the efficacy of splint alone was less than intervention groups in all parameters.Conclusion: Acupuncture with splint has a high effect on reducing pain and improving the quality of life in patients with mild to moderate CTS and could be adopted in the management of these patients.

Jet Impingement Cooling Enhanced with Nano-Encapsulated PCM

In the present study, the laminar flow and heat transfer of water jet impingement enhanced with nano-encapsulated phase change material (NEPCM) slurry on a hot plate is analytically investigated for the first time. A similarity solution approach is applied to momentum and energy equations in order to determine the flow velocity and heat transfer fields. The effect of different physical parameters such as jet velocity, Reynolds number, jet inlet temperature, and the NEPCM concentration on the cooling performance of the impinging jet are investigated. The volume fraction of NEPCM particles plays an essential role in the flow and heat transfer fields. The results show that NEPCM slurry can significantly enhance the cooling performance of the system as it improves the latent heat storage capacity of the liquid jet. However, the maximum cooling performance of the system is achieved under an optimum NEPCM concentration (15%). A further increase in NEPCM volume fraction has an unfavorable effect due to increasing the viscosity and reducing the conductivity simultaneously. The effect of adding nano-metal particles on the heat transfer performance is also investigated and compared with NEPCM slurry. NEPCM slurry shows a better result in its maximum performance. Compared with the water jet, adding nano and NEPCM particles would overall enhance the system’s thermal performance by 16% and 7%, respectively