Weird-Futuring

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Comparative Analysis of Architecture Research Article Abstracts Written by Native and Non-native Authors: A Cross-linguistic, Cross-cultural Study

It is increasingly becoming important to focus on the rhetorical aspects of texts used for creating different discourse types. In point of fact, the abstract section of scientific articles possesses a rhetorically defined structural framework which is very often culture specific. As such, the present study aimed to investigate the abstract section of the articles written by English and Persian authors, in order to explore whether they followed a similar structural pattern. To this end, a corpus of 60 English and Persian abstracts, thirty each, was randomly selected from English ISI journals and Iranian scientific journals and analyzed based on the IMRD framework introduced by Swales (1990). Findings of this study revealed that most English and Persian authors used the IMRD model in the structure of their abstracts; although, the frequency of occurrence of each move was different. In terms of moves’ sequence, all the used patterns were analyzed and I-M-R-D and I-M-R were identified as the most frequent patterns used in both groups. Findings of this study may have implications for Iranian authors who seek to publish their studies in reputable international journals

The efficacy of treadmill training on walking and quality of life of adults with spastic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial

AbstractObjectives:We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of treadmill training on walkings peed and endurance and quality of life in ambulatory adults with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) versus traditional physiotherapy.Material & Methods, Participants (17 men, 13 women; mean (SD) age 25y, 9m (7y, 10m) range 18y- 45y) with GMFCS levels I, II, and III, from the Ra’ad Rehabilitation Goodwill Complex, randomly allocated to the experimental and the control groups. The trainings (treadmill for experimental group and conventional physiotherapy for control group) conducted two times a week for 8 consecutive weeks. Main outcome measures were the 10 meter walk test for the gait speed, the 6 minute walk test for the gait endurance and the WHOQOL- Brief questionnaire for the quality of life. Assessments had done at the baseline, ninth and 16th session (three times) during the treatment.Results: Although the experimental group showed a significant improve in the gait speed [1.08(0.47)m/s to 1.22(0.50)m/s](P=0.004) and in the gait endurance [291.13(160.28)m to 342.63(174.62)]( P=0/002), but between groups changes of the outcome measures of walking and quality of life were not significant.Conclusions: Treadmill training without body weight support would be no more effective than traditional physiotherapy to improve gait speed and endurance and quality of life in adults with spastic cerebral palsy. There is a hope to improve walking performance and function in adults with cerebral palsy.

Intra Corneal Cleft Secondary to Ocular Massage after Ahmed Valve Surgery

Purpose: To report a case of acute intra corneal cleft in a patient undergoing ocular massage following Ahmed valve implantation. Case Report: Acute intra corneal cleft occurred in a patient following the use of ocular massage to reduce IOP and bleb formation after Ahmed glaucoma valve insertion. Previous history of the patient was Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis without any report of trauma to his eye or any other ophthalmic disorders. The slit lamp examination revealed huge localized corneal bulla formation with a diameter of 3 mm in the superior mid peripheral corneal region in the right eye just after ocular massage, which persisted in the 6 months of follow up. Conclusion: Digital ocular massage might cause the occurrence of intra corneal cleft. Although this might be a very rare complication, we should consider it as an adverse effect of ocular massage.Keywords: Glaucoma; Cornea; Cleft; Massage

Teslaism: Economics at the end of the end of the future

Teslaism: Economics at the end of the end of the future. 4K Video, 27’ 2’’, sound and colour, Germany and UK, 2022. View in full here: . Password: Giga. Bahar Noorizadeh looks at the relationship between art and capitalism. In her practice as an artist, writer and filmmaker, she examines the conflictual and contradictory notions of imagination and speculation as they suffuse one another. Her research investigates the histories of economics, cybernetic socialism, and activist strategies against the financialization of life and the living space, asking what redistributive historical justice might look like for the present

Highly degenerate diffusions for sampling molecular systems

This work is concerned with sampling and computation of rare events in molecular systems. In particular, we present new methods for sampling the canonical ensemble corresponding to the Boltzmann-Gibbs probability measure. We combine an equation for controlling the kinetic energy of the system with a random noise to derive a highly degenerate diffusion (i.e. a diffusion equation where diffusion happens only along one or few degrees of freedom of the system). Next the concept of hypoellipticity is used to show that the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation of the highly degenerate diffusion is well-posed, hence we prove that the solution of the highly degenerate diffusion is ergodic with respect to the Boltzmann-Gibbs measure. We find that the new method is more efficient for computation of dynamical averages such as autocorrelation functions than the commonly used Langevin dynamics, especially in systems with many degrees of freedom. Finally we study the computation of free energy using an adaptive method which is based on the adaptive biasing force technique

Cataract Risk Factors in Yazd Province, Iran

Purpose: to determine the probable cataract risk factors in Yazd province, Iran.Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study all patients over 40 years old undergoing cataract surgery in Shahid Sadoughi hospital, Yazd, Iran, from January to September 2016 were evaluated. A checklist was filled for all patients including information about their sex, age, weight, height, place of living (city or village), being native or non-native of Yazd, type of job, the level of household income, level of education, smoking habits, drug usage, as well as a history of related diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, rheumatism, kidney, and heart diseases. Results: Two hundred and fifty four patients (45.8%) had income of less than 6,000,000 Rials per month, 270 (48.6%) had income of between 6000000 and 10,000,000 Rials per month and the rest of patients (5.6%) had an income of over 10,000,000 Rials per month. Regarding the education level 512 patients (92.3%) had less than high school diploma, 38 (6.8%) had high school diploma and 5 patients had university education. Eighteen patients (3.2%) had a history of glaucoma. From 437 patients who their BMI was recorded 4.8% had a BMI of under 18, 49.7% had a BMI of between 18 and 25 and 45.5% had a BMI of over 25. Conclusion: Our study suggests a relationship between the income land education level as well as BMI and the prevalence of cataract among patients in Yazd province, Iran. Future case control trials, with higher number of participants, are recommended.Keywords: Cataract; risk factor; Yazd; Iran

Laser in Situ Keratomileusis Outcomes among Myopic and Myopic Astigmatism Patients with Thin Cornea

Purpose:To evaluate refractive results after laser in situ keratomileusis among patients with thin corneas.Patients and Methods: Three hundred and two eyes from 168 patients with thin corneas undergoing laser in situ keratomileusis in Basir Eye Clinic, Tehran, Iran, were retrospectively studied. We included patients with best corrected visual acuity of better than 6/12, age of more than 18 years, and corneal thickness of less than 499 μm.Results: The mean age of patients was 30.7 ± 8.6 years and the mean preoperative spherical equivalent was - 4.61 ± 2.37 D. The results after at least one year of follow-up were as follow: 86.6 % of patients with low myopia, 71.8 % of patients with mild myopia, 50.0 % of patients with moderate myopia and 51.8 % of patients with high myopia achieved a ± 0.5 D spherical equivalent postoperatively. General linear model indicated a significant effect for the remaining stromal bed on final uncorrected visual acuity after adjustment for age, sex, and degree of myopia. No important complication occurred.Conclusion: No important complications occurred after laser in situ keratomileusis among myopic patients with corneal thickness of less than 499 μm, and most of the patients achieved satisfactory refractive results.Keywords: Laser in Situ Keratomileusis; outcome; myopia; thin cornea; Iran

Anterior Uveitis after Subconjunctival Injection of Mitomycin C in a Patient with Previous Trabeculectomy

Objective: To report a case of anterior uveitis after subconjunctival mitomycin C injection in a patient with a history of trabeculectomy. Case Report: A 45 year old patient, with anterior uveitis in his right eye after postoperative injection of mitomycin C one month after trabeculectomy, was treated in Basir eye clinic, Tehran, Iran. The Patient had no history of previous ocular infection. Topical prednisolone and tropicamide drops were effective in improving vision and reducing pain in our case.Conclusion: Anterior uveitis might happen after trabeculectomy surgery; however, in our case, it was more likely the result of mitomycin C administration one month after trabeculectomy. This should be considered as a differential diagnosis of postoperative bleb infections. Keywords: Uveitis; Mitomycin C; Trabeculectomy

Association of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Severity and Glycohemoglobin Levels in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Purpose: To investigate the association of meibomian gland dysfunction severity and glycated hemoglobin A (HbA1c) levels among type 2 diabetic patients. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional, 40 type 2 diabetic patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were studied at Basir Eye Clinic, Tehran, Iran. An expert ophthalmologist determined the MGD stage based on staging scale outlined in American academy of ophthalmology's basic and clinical science course. The HbA1c level was measured applying a standard method, certified by the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP). We divided patients to two groups based on their HbA1C level; the first group included patients with HbA1c < 6.5 % and the second group included patients with HbA1c ≥ 6.5  %.Results: Our results demonstrated that 12.5 % of the participants had minimal, 52.5 % had mild and 35 % had moderate to severe MGD. We observed that different levels of HbA1c (over or under 6.5 %) were significantly associated with MGD severity (P < 0. 013). Moderate to severe MGD stage was observed in 43.7 % of individuals with HbA1c ≥ 6.5 %, while it was found in none of participants with HbA1c < 6.5 %. With increase in HbA1c level, the risk of moderate to severe MGD occurrence increased (OR = 3.57; 95 % CI: 1.05-12.13; P = 0.041). This association was not confounded by age or gender.   Conclusion: Meibomian gland dysfunction severity has an association with HbA1c levels in diabetic type 2 patients, and a rise in HbA1c noticeably aggravates the MGD stage.Keywords: Glycated hemoglobin A; Meibomian gland dysfunction; Diabetes mellitus; Dry eye syndromes; Diabetes