Analyzing The Perceived Service Quality Factor On Customer Loyalty In Banking Industry

Customer loyalty concept has received much attention from both academics and practitioners in different industry. Banking industry is also not excluded and because it has a highly interaction with the customers, getting familiar with this concept would be very important and helpful for managers in defining strategies. According to the previous researches, there are many factors, which influence the customer loyalty. This article tries to define the service quality factor and its influence on the customer loyalty. In order to do this a survey was conducted among bank customers and after analyzing the answers, the results shows that service quality factor can be divided in to two separate factors which are named tangible quality and intangible quality, and both have direct influence on custome

Antifungal effects of the extract of the Withania somnifera on Candida albicans

Background and aims: Withania somnifera (W. somnifera), commonly known as Ashwagandha, is an important medicinal plant that has been used in Ayurvedic and indigenous medicine for over 3,000 years. Candidiasis is one of the most common opportunistic fungal diseases in humans. In fact, the most important fungal disease in women is vaginal candidiasis. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal effects of the extracts of the W. somnifera on Candida albicans (C. albicans). Methods: In this experimental research, 9 vaginal samples were collected using the sterile swap and Falcon tube by the gynecological specialists. The extracts of the shallot and artichoke were prepared using a rotary device. The inhibitory concentration against C. albicans was determined using incubation in media. Results: The results of this study suggested that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against C. albicans, which is equivalent 50 ppm to 250 ppm has the highest concentration of inhibitor. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the antifungal activity of wind cheese against C. albicans is good, so it can be used as a drug to treat infections caused by C. albicans

The role of discretionary accruals in earnings management: Evidence from Tehran Stock Exchange

Earnings management via discretionary accruals is a manager's instrument for changing stock holders’ expectations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of discretionary accruals in the earnings management of Iranian firms. There are two hypotheses associated with this study on the relationship between income smoothness and discretionary accruals and the proposed study is implemented on selected firms from Tehran Stock Exchange. The result of the first hypothesis indicates the relationship between earnings smoothness and discretionary accruals variables. It means that discretionary accruals (DA) leads to the converse relationship among discretionary accruals variation and current and future cash flow. The result of the second hypothesis indicates that the firms with high variation in Iran utilize more discretionary accruals compared with the firms with lower variation

Comparação da concentração de metais pesados em alguns vegetais (aipo, brócolis e alface)

Heavy metal contamination is one of the main environmental and food safety concerns. This study was conducted with the objective of determining the concentration of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, zinc and iron in stems and leaves in various vegetables (celery, broccoli and lettuce) in Shiraz. The metal concentrations in the vegetable samples were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results for the vegetable samples showed that the leaves contained much higher concentrations of heavy metals. The concentrations of Cd detected in the vegetable samples varied from a very low infection to 0.0025 mg / kg; very low infection at 0.51 mg / kg Pb; 0.93 to 2.91 mg / kg Cu. 1.44 to 9.69 mg / kg Zn and 2.54 to 11.05mg / kg Fe. The findings of this study indicated that although most of the sampling plants were contaminated, except for lettuce, other crops have an EDI below the Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI) recommended by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran and the FAO / WHO.La contaminación por metales pesados es uno de las principales preocupaciones ambientales y de seguridad alimentaria. Este studio se realizó con el objetivo de determinar la concentración de metales pesados como cadmio, plomo, cobre, zinc y hierro en tallos y hojas en varios vegetales (apio, brócoli y lechuga) en Shiraz. Las concentraciones de metal en las muestras de vegetales se determinaron mediante espectroscopia de absorción atómica (AAS). Los resultados para muestras de vegetales mostraron que las hojas contenían concentraciones mucho más altas de metales pesados. Las concentraciones de Cd detectadas en las muestras de vegetales variaron desde una infección muy baja hasta 0,0025 mg / kg; infección muy baja a 0,51 mg / kg Pb; 0,93 a 2,91 mg / kg Cu. 1.44 a 9.69 mg / kg Zn y 2.54 a 11.05mg / kg Fe. Los hallazgos de este estudio indicaron que aunque la mayoría de las plantas del muestreo estaban contaminadas, la ingesta diaria estimada de cada metal (EDI) mostró que, excepto la lechuga, otros cultivos tienen un EDI por debajo de la ingesta diaria tolerable (PTDI) recomendada por el Instituto de Normas e Investigación Industrial de Irán y FAO / OMS.A contaminação por metais pesados é uma das principais preocupações ambientais e de segurança alimentar. Este estúdio foi realizado a fim de determinar a concentração de metais pesados tais como cádmio, chumbo, cobre, zinco e ferro em caules e folhas em vários produtos hortícolas (aipo, brócolos e alface) em Shiraz. As concentrações de metais nas amostras vegetais foram determinadas por espectroscopia de absorção atômica (AAS). Os resultados par a as amostras vegetais mostraram que as folhas continham concentrações muito mais altas de metais pesados. As concentrações de Cd detectadas nas amostras vegetais variaram de uma infecção muito baixa a 0,0025 mg / kg; infecção muito baixa a 0,51 mg / kg Pb; 0,93 a 2,91 mg / kg Cu. 1,44 a 9,69 mg / kg Zn e 2,54 a 11,05 mg / kg Fe. Os resultados deste estudo indicaram que, embora a maioria das plantas amostradas foram contaminados, exceto alface, outras culturas têm EDI abaixo da ingestão diária tolerável (PTDI) recomendado pelo Instituto de Padrões e Pesquisa Industrial de Irã e FAO / OMS

Operating Room Scheduling in Teaching Hospitals

Operating room scheduling is an important operational problem in most hospitals. In this paper, a novel mixed integer programming (MIP) model is presented for minimizing Cmax and operating room idle times in hospitals. Using this model, we can determine the allocation of resources including operating rooms, surgeons, and assistant surgeons to surgeries, moreover the sequence of surgeries within operating rooms and the start time of them. The main features of the model will include the chronologic curriculum plan for training residents and the real-life constraints to be observed in teaching hospitals. The proposed model is evaluated against some real-life problems, by comparing the schedule obtained from the model and the one currently developed by the hospital staff. Numerical results indicate the efficiency of the proposed model compared to the real-life hospital scheduling, and the gap evaluations for the instances show that the results are generally satisfactory

Cut-off Value for Stenosis Ratio and Zung Depression Scale in Successful Prediction of Posterior Spinal Fusion surgery

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate effect of some clinical attributes in prediction of satisfaction with posterior spinal fusion (PSF) surgery in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) and determine a cut-off point for these attributes.Methods: The attributes such as stenosis ratio (SR) values (described by Lurencin), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), The Zung depression scale (ZDS), duration of symptoms (in months), were investigated for 329 patients with LSCS and 151 patients with LDH separately. Patient satisfaction was recorded based on the international standard questionnaire Swiss Spinal Stenosis Score (SSS). The sensitivity and specificity values and the optimal cut-off points were calculated for SR, JOA, ZDS and duration of symptoms using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Results: One hundred fifty-one patients with LDH (39 male, 112 female; mean age 50.24 ± 9.21 years) and 329 patients with LSCS (111 male, 218 female; mean age 53.28 ±7.81 years) were followed–up for 6 months. Post-surgical satisfaction was 73.86% in patients with LSCS and 85.43% in patients with LDH. The cut-off point of SR for prediction of besting surgical outcome was estimated more than 0.46 with asymptotic significance less than 0.05, 60% sensitivity and 75% specificity in LSCS patients (AUC-0.705, 95% CI, 0.644–0.766; P < 0.001).Conclusion: The findings show that the SR with a cut off value of 0.46 cross sectional area, in patients with LSCS may be superior to JOA, duration of symptoms and ZDS for prediction of satisfaction with PSF surgery

Assessment of check dams’ role in flood hazard mapping in a semi-arid environment

This study aimed to examine flood hazard zoning and assess the role of check dams as effective hydraulic structures in reducing flood hazards. To this end, factors associated with topographic, hydrologic and human characteristics were used to develop indices for flood mapping and assessment. These indices and their components were weighed for flood hazard zoning using two methods: (i) a multi-criterion decision-making model in fuzzy logic and (ii) entropy weight. After preparing the flood hazard map by using the above indices and methods, the characteristics of the change‐point were used to assess the role of the check dams in reducing flood risk. The method was used in the Ilanlu catchment, located in the northwest of Hamadan province, Iran, where it is prone to frequent flood events. The results showed that the area of ‘very low’, ‘low’ and ‘moderate’ flood hazard zones increased from about 2.2% to 7.3%, 8.6% to 19.6% and 22.7% to 31.2% after the construction of check dams, respectively. Moreover, the area of ‘high’ and ‘very high’ flood hazard zones decreased from 39.8% to 29.6%, and 26.7% to 12.2%, respectively

An Investigation of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ L2 Motivation and Attitude in a Computer-Assisted Language Learning Environment

The popularity of integrating technology in language instruction and its fundamental effect on the language learning dimensions has been widely acknowledged whereas learners’ motivation and attitude are expected to be improved in a web-based Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environment. Therefore, this paper aimed to investigate the Iranian EFL learners’ motivation to learn English and attitude in a CALL environment. The participants of this study were 120 intermediate EFL learners from two private English language institutes in Isfahan, Iran. They were divided into two equal groups; one experimental group (EG) and one control group (CG). Then, a motivation questionnaire pretest was administered out to check the participants’ motivation at the beginning of the course. As the treatment, the EG learners were taught through CALL-based instruction and the CG learners were taught traditionally. After the treatment, a posttest of motivation and an attitude questionnaire were administered. The outcomes indicated that the CALL-based instruction promoted the participants’ motivation as checked by the Motivation Questionnaire. Moreover, as measured by a 20-item A-CALL attitude questionnaire, it was discovered that the learners in the EG had positive attitudes toward using CALL-based instruction. In light of the findings, a number of conclusions are obtained and several implications are put forward

سامانه مدیریت دانش، گزیری هوشمند برای بهبود در مدیریت خطاهای درمان

Errors in treatment process are of the main issues regarding patient safety in health centers and hospitals that have had a growing rate, causing concern in health industry. Using the knowledge associated with such incidents in hospitals has facilitated management as well as reporting process. It is also effective in managerial decisions. The purpose of this study is exploiting the main processes of knowledge management for improving the management and reporting medical errors for medical centers and hospitals, paving the way for achieving and recording the knowledge related to such incidents by presenting proper strategies. Afterwards, by disseminating and proper transferring of knowledge to right people, implementation and efficient utilization of this knowledge will be made possible. The present study is qualitative from the viewpoint of the implementation process and is applied from the perspective of studying the results. Next, to understand the role of knowledge management processes in hospitals, filed studies have been employed. In presenting the findings, we managed to achieve various methods and approaches of the four processes of knowledge management in management of documents related to errors in hospitals. The manner of doing different stages was considered from individual, group and inter organizational viewpoints. Then, the manner of gaining knowledge related to treatment errors was explained. At the stage of storing knowledge, the manner of coding knowledge and the benefits of reusing knowledge repositories in hospitals has been mentioned. At the stage of publishing and distributing knowledge, the importance of maintaining the security and privacy of individuals as well as respecting their privacy have been regarded. In the process of adoption and utilization, the method of using knowledge in making decisions and planning is expressed. The results reveal that knowledge management systems are capable of creating cohesion and sustainability. In explicit knowledge associated with treatment errors, they can also help preserve the knowledge and experience of experts and the elite in this field. In case they leave, this knowledge and experience will not vanish