Wireless-Powered Communication Assisted by Two-Way Relay with Interference Alignment Underlaying Cognitive Radio Network

This study investigates the outage performance of an under-laying wireless-powered secondary system that reuses the primary users (PU) spectrum in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) cognitive radio (CR) network. Each secondary user (SU) harvests energy and receives information simultaneously by applying power splitting (PS) protocol. The communication between SUs is aided by a two-way (TW) decode and forward (DF) relay. We formulate a problem to design the PS ratios at SUs, the power control factor at the secondary relay, and beamforming matrices at all nodes to minimize the secondary network's outage probability. To address this problem, we propose a two-step solution. The first step establishes closedform expressions for the PS ratios at each SU and secondary relay's power control factor. Furthermore, in the second step, interference alignment (IA) is used to design proper precoding and decoding matrices for managing the interference between secondary and primary networks. We choose IA matrices based on the minimum mean square error (MMSE) iterative algorithm. The simulation results demonstrate a significant decrease in the outage probability for the proposed scheme compared to the benchmark schemes, with an average reduction of more than two orders of magnitude achieved

Households' food expenditures in urban areas of Iran: An application of small area estimation

Background: A fundamental factor for human development is food, and inequalities in nutrition have been related to inequalities in health .The purpose of this study was to estimate Household Food Expenditure (HFE) in urban areas of Iran at district-level using small area estimation (SAE) methods.   Design and Methods: We used the Fay-Herriot model, the well-known area-level model of SAE. The main data was urban data of HFE collected by Statistical Centre of Iran at 2013. The environment of our study was urban area of Iran and study unit was household. Results: Findings showed that average number of room at each household, migration rate, proportion of male headed households(PMH) and Proportion of the active population`s employed at district level had a significant effect on HFE. Comparison between aggregated province estimates and estimates reported by SCI was not significant (P=0.609). The lowest and the highest HFE belong respectively to Pishva district with 27,067 thousand rials(TRs) and to Boyer-Ahmad district  with 85,175 TRs. Conclusions: Small-area estimation is advantageous for surveillance of HFE at the district level. This method allows documentation of geographic disparities and improves our understanding of the spatial distribution of HFE in urban areas of Iran

Factors Affecting Job Motivation from the Viewpoints of Staff and Managers in Semnan Welfare Organization

Objectives: Regarding the type of service receivers as well as the technicality of the services provided, these services often bear high complexity and difficulty which can eventually lead to job burnout and shortage of motivation in the staffIn this study, the factors affecting job motivation from the viewpoints of staff and managers of Semnan Welfare Organization have been identified and possible differences have been analyzed. Methods: In the present study, based on Herzberg’s model of job motivation and considering several assessment tools produced according to this model, a draft of a researcher-designed questionnaire was prepared in order to determine the factors affecting job motivation in the staff and managers of the State Welfare Organization in Semnan province. The content and face validity of the questionnaire was determined and approved by 10 experts, 5 managers and 15 staff members of the Semnan Welfare Organization who were selected purposefully, using the Lawsche’s method. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed and approved by test-retest correlation coefficient determination. After informed consent was obtained, all staff and managers conforming to the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study and to complete the questionnaire. Results: In contrast to Herzberg’s theory which considers intrinsic factors as more important than extrinsic factors in causing motivation, our results demonstrated that staff and managers of Semnan Welfare Organization believed extrinsic factors provoked higher motivation. Discussion: The major motivation factors for staff and managers of Semnan Welfare province were somehow related to management practices of managers and staff, both of which are categorized as extrinsic factors

بررسي تأثير آموزش Handling به مراقبين در منزل، بر تکامل حرکتي ظريف در کودکان فلج مغزي 72-6 ماهه

مقدمه: هدف اين مطالعه، تعيين تأثير آموزش مراقبت‌هاي ويژه روزمره زندگي به والدين، در منزل بر تکامل حرکتي ظريف در کودکان فلج مغزي 72-6 ماهه بود. مواد و روش‌ها: در اين مطالعه تجربي، 40 کودک 6 تا 72 ماهه مبتلا به فلج مغزي از بين مراجعه کنندگان به کلينيک‌هاي توان‌بخشي تهران، مطابق معيارهاي تحقيق انتخاب شدند و در دو گروه شاهد و مداخله قرار گرفتند. محقق در منزل کودکان گروه مداخله حضور می‌یافت و همراه با تطبیق منزل، آموزش‌های مربوط به مراقبت‌های ویژه روزمره زندگی را طی 1 جلسه 4 ساعته به مراقبین کودک ارایه می‌داد. ابزار جمع‌آوري داده‌ها شامل فرم مشخصات دموگرافيک، GMFCS (Gross motor function classification system) و PEABODY (Peabody developmental motor scales and activity cards test) بود. داده‌ها در 3 نوبت: قبل از دوره مداخله، 1/5 ماه و 3 ماه بعد از دوره مداخله  ثبت می‌شد. یافته‌ها: تکامل حرکتي ظريف در هر دو گروه، 1/5 و 3 ماه بعد از دوره مداخله نسبت به قبل تفاوت معنی‌داري داشت (0/001 > P). ميانگين پيشرفت نمرات تکامل حرکتي ظريف 3 ماه بعد از دوره مداخله، در گروه مداخله بهتر از گروه شاهد بود (0/043 = P) و همچنین تفاوت میانگین پیشرفت نمرات تکامل حرکتی ظریف 1/5 ماه بعد از دوره مداخله، در دو گروه معنی‌دار نبود (0/19 = P). ميانگين پيشرفت استفاده از دست، دستکاري، هماهنگي چشم و دست در گروه مداخله بيشتر از گروه شاهد بود، اما تفاوت معنی‌دار نبود. در حالی که ميانگين پيشرفت "در دست گرفتن اجسام" در گروه مداخله به طور معنی‌داري بيشتر از گروه شاهد بود (0/036 = P). نتيجه‌گيري: نتایج این مطالعه این گونه نشان می‌دهد که آموزش Handling به مراقبين در منزل، در طولاني مدت (3 ماه) باعث بهبود تکامل حرکتي ظريف کودکان فلج مغزي 6 تا 72 ماهه مي‌شود. کليد واژه‌ها: کودکان فلج مغزي، مراقبت‌هاي ويژه روزمره زندگي، تکامل حرکتي ظريف، مراقبي

The Effect of Home Adaptation, on Development level of 15-60 Months Old Cerebral Palsy Children

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of home adaptation on developmental level of 15-60 months old cerebral palsy children. Materials & Methods: In this experimental single-blinded study, forty children with cerebral palsy (15-60 months old) were recruited from some of Tehran public or private rehabilitation clinics based on pre-determined inclusion criteria, and after matching for child age, type of clinic referred to (public or private), type of cerebral palsy, IQ score, GMFCS level and number of occupational treatment sessions already provided at the rehabilitation clinic, the children were divided randomly in to two groups: intervention and control. For data collection, a Demographic Information Questionnaire and Ages & Stages Questionnaires ( ASQ) Test were used. Data were collected on two occasions: before the intervention and 3 months after intervention. For intervention, researcher went to the intervention group home and explained educations related to handling for caregivers and adapted home in a 4-hour session. During 3 months, researcher would follow up to implement the intervention.Finally data were analyzed. Results: there were significant differences in developmental level in total of two groups in 3 months after intervention than before intervention (P<0.015). but there were no significant differences in average relation (0.713), gross motor (0.2), fine motor (0.329) and problem solving(0.981) improvement of two groups in 3 months after intervention. But there were significant differences in average socio - personal improvement between two groups (p<0.001) and this was greater in the intervention group. Conclusion: In this study it is concluded that home adaptation and handling training on caregivers in home improves developmental level in 15 -60 months old cerebral palsy children

Biodegradable Nanoparticle for Cornea Drug Delivery: Focus Review

During recent decades, researchers all around the world have focused on the characteristic pros and cons of the different drug delivery systems for cornea tissue change for sense organs. The delivery of various drugs for cornea tissue is one of the most attractive and challenging activities for researchers in biomaterials, pharmacology, and ophthalmology. This method is so important for cornea wound healing because of the controllable release rate and enhancement in drug bioavailability. It should be noted that the delivery of various kinds of drugs into the different parts of the eye, especially the cornea, is so difficult because of the unique anatomy and various barriers in the eye. Nanoparticles are investigated to improve drug delivery systems for corneal disease. Biodegradable nanocarriers for repeated corneal drug delivery is one of the most attractive and challenging methods for corneal drug delivery because they have shown acceptable ability for this purpose. On the other hand, by using these kinds of nanoparticles, a drug could reside in various part of the cornea for longer. In this review, we summarized all approaches for corneal drug delivery with emphasis on the biodegradable nanoparticles, such as liposomes, dendrimers, polymeric nanoparticles, niosomes, microemulsions, nanosuspensions, and hydrogels. Moreover, we discuss the anatomy of the cornea at first and gene therapy at the end

Diagnosis of fungal keratitis in patients with corneal lesions at Amiralmomenin hospital in Rasht, Iran

Background: Keratomycosis is a fungal infection of the cornea which could be sight-threatening and even causes eye loss. Considering the high humidity and the dominance of agriculture as important predisposing factors of keratomycosis in north of Iran, this study was carried out for diagnosis of fungal keratitis in patients with corneal lesions in Rasht, Gilan province, Iran.&nbsp; Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2015 to November 2016 on 56 patients with corneal lesion suspected to keratomycosis and referred to eye emergency ward of Amiralmomenin hospital, Rasht, Iran. Corneal scraping was performed in all cases and specimens were subjected to direct examination and culture. Only colonies grown in sites of corneal scraping inoculation were considered significant. Fungal isolates were identified according to their macroscopic features of colonies and microscopic characteristics in slide cultures. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 21 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA) and P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The patients included 42 (75%) men and 14 (25%) women with the mean age of 49.5 years (9 to 90 years). Positive culture was observed in 9 cases but, only in one of these patients direct examination was positive and fungal elements were seen in 10% KOH preparation. Though, fungal keratitis was confirmed in 9 (16%) patients including seven (77.8%) men and two (22.2%) women. The majority of cases (88.9%) had a history of corneal trauma with plants and they were mainly farmer. According to statistical analysis, there was a significant association between corneal trauma and keratomycosis (P=0.007). The most common etiologic agents were Fusarium spp. (n: 4, 44.4%), followed by Aspergillus flavus (n: 2, 22.2%), Penicillium sp. (n: 1, 11.1%), Acremonium sp. (n: 1, 11.1%), and Cladosporium sp. (n: 1, 11.1%) respectively. Conclusion: In the presence of sufficient predisposing factors such as corneal injuries caused by plants, keratomycosis could be caused by a variety of fungi. Furthermore, low sensitivity of direct examination in this study, revealed the necessity of culture in diagnosis of keratomycosis