Explicit Instruction of Context-embedded Hyperlinked Thematic Words and Vocabulary Recall

AbstractThis follow-up study examined the effect of some strategies on vocabulary recall of 75 Iranian intermediate learners through PowerPoint. Three groups were in the study. Seventy new hyperlinked thematically-related words were explicitly taught in context. The first experimental group used L1 translation via hyperlinks for vocabulary learning, while the second experimental group received English definition in the same way. The control group learned the words using a handout through a traditional method. The results indicated a significant difference between the experimental groups and the control group but not between the experimental groups. The study has some theoretical and pedagogical implications

Using game theory approach to interpret stable policies for Iran's oil and gas common resources conflicts with Iraq and Qatar

Oil and gas as the non-renewable resources are considered very valuable for the countries with petroleum economics. These resources are not only diffused equally around the world, but also they are common in some places which their neighbors often come into conflicts. Consequently, it is vital for those countries to manage their resource utilization. Lately, game theory was applied in conflict resolution of common resources, such as water, which is a proof of its efficacy and capability. This paper models the conflicts between Iran and its neighbors namely Qatar and Iraq between their oil and gas common resources using game theory approach. In other words, the future of these countries will be introduced and analyzed by some well-known 2 9 2 games to achieve a better perspective of their conflicts. Because of information inadequacy of the players, in addition to Nash Stability, various solution concepts are used based on the foresight, disimprovements, and knowledge of preferences. The results of mathematical models show how the countries could take a reasonable strategy to exploit their common resources

A Survey of Organizational Health in University Hospitals of Isfahan

Background & Objectives: Hospitals, due to their role in improving the health of populations, should have adequate organizational health. Organizational health is critical for organizational productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the organizational health of university hospitals of Isfahan, Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytic and cross- sectional study was conducted in 7 hospitals in 2015. A researcher-made questionnaire with 18 dimensions and 54 questions was used to gather data. A total of 283 hospital employees were randomly selected from seven hospitals. Data analysis was performed through SPSS21 and using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percent, mean ± SD as well as inferential statistics like regression and ANOVA. Results: The mean score Mean score of organizational health in studied hospitals was 3.08 ± 0.63 from 5. Organizational health was good in one hospital, moderate in five hospitals and poor in one hospital. Dimensions of morale, planning and formality had the highest and dimensions of justice, decision- making and control had the lowest scores. Intra-ward relationships, efficient use of resources, adaptability, leadership and independence showed the most effect on organizational health. Specialty hospitals had better organizational health compared to general hospitals. There was significant relationship between managers’ work experience and organizational health. Conclusion: University hospitals of Isfahan have moderate organizational health and hospital managers should apply necessary activities for improvement of organizational health. Key¬words: Organization, Teaching hospital, Organizational health, Organizational pathology, Productivity ¬Citation: Mosadeghrad AM, Akbari sari A, Esmaeili M. A Survey of Organizational Health in University Hospitals of Isfahan. Journal of Health Based Research 2016; 2(4): 329-344

Glasgow Coma Scale and FOUR Score in Predicting the Mortality of Trauma Patients; a Diagnostic Accuracy Study

Introduction: Many scoring models have been proposed for evaluating level of consciousness in trauma patients. The aim of this study is to compare Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) score in predicting the mortality of trauma patients.Methods: In this diagnostic accuracy study trauma patients hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU) of 2 educational hospitals were evaluated. GCS and FOUR score of each patient were simultaneously calculated on admission as well as 6, 12 and 24 hours after that. The predictive values of the two scores and their area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve were compared.Results: 90 patients were included in the present study (mean age 39.4±17.3; 74.4% male). Comparing the area under the ROC curve of GCS and FOUR score showed that these values were not different at any of the evaluated times: on admission (p=0.68), and 6 hours (p=0.13), 12 hours (p=0.18), and 24 hours (p=0.20) after that.Conclusion: The results of our study showed that, GCS and FOUR score have the same value in predicting the mortality of trauma patients. Both tools had high predictive power in predicting the outcome at the time of discharge

A Regret Minimization Approach in Product Portfolio Management with respect to Customers’ Price-sensitivity

In an uncertain and competitive environment, product portfolio management (PPM) becomes more challenging for manufacturers to decide what to make and establish the most beneficial product portfolio. In this paper, a novel approach in PPM is proposed in which the environment uncertainty, competitors’ behavior and customer’s satisfaction are simultaneously considered as the most important criteria in achieving a successful business plan. In terms of uncertainty, the competitors’ product portfolios are assumed as different scenarios with discrete occurrence probabilities. In order to consider various customer preferences, three different market segments are assumed in which the sensitivity of customers towards the products price are considered as high, medium and low and modeled by means of a modified utility functions. The best product portfolio with minimum risk of loss and maximum customer satisfaction is then established by means of a novel regret minimization index. The proposed index aims at finding the best product portfolio which minimizes the total possible loss and regret of the manufacturer, with respect to the other competitors of the market. To better illustrate the practicality of the approach, a numerical example is presented. The results show that the selected products in the suggested portfolio have the highest utility value in all market segments and also they are expected to achieve the highest expected payoff in each possible marketing scenario

The Cytotoxicity of Eupatorium cannabinum Methanolic Extract in a Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cell Line (MCF-7)

Introduction: Eupatorium cannabinum belonging to Asteraceae family is commonly known as hemp agrimony. E. cannabinum is used to treat headache, hepatitis, diarrhea, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Considerable researches have been indicated various biological activities of E. cannabinum such as cytotoxic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunological and hepatoprotective activities. Since the cytotoxic activity of E. cannabinum on human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) have not been reported, the current study was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the total extract of E. cannabinum on MCF-7 cells. Methods and Results: MCF-7 cell line was treated with different concentrations (3.125 to 100 μg/mL) of the E. cannabinum total (methanolic) extract. After 48 hrs, the cytotoxic activity was assessed through MTT (3-[4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The methanolic extract demonstrated cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cell line with IC50 (the concentrationthat inhibited cell growth by 50%) value of 69.5 μg/mL. Conclusions: The methanolic extract of E. cannabinum showed considerable cytotoxic activity. Evaluating the apoptosis induction ability of E. cannabinum could be suggested for further studies

Is Maternal Hypertension a Reducing Factor for Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Iranian Preterm Newborns?

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy including preeclampsia can be associated with preterm birth and infant mortality and morbidity. It seems that intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in preterm neonates born to hypertensive mothers is less common compared to the other ones. In this study, we assessed the relationship between hypertensive disorders of pregnant mothers and the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm neonates weighing less than 1500 grams.Methods: In this case-control study, 305 singleton preterm neonates with a birth weight less than 1500 g were entered. The presence of IVH in all preterm neonates was assessed using brain ultrasonography and its correlation to hypertensive disorders of their mothers were evaluated.Results: The prevalence of preeclampsia in mothers with and without pre pregnancy hypertension was 40%, and 15.09% respectively. The prevalence of IVH in preterm neonates was 26.9% (n=82). The incidence of IVH in preterm neonates of mothers with and without preeclampsia was 16.07%, and 29.31%, respectively (p=0.028). The prevalence of IVH in preterm neonates of mothers with hypertension and without hypertension was 12.5% and 29.05%, respectively (p=0.018). Preterm neonates with IVH had a lower mean birth weight, smaller gestational age and lower Apgar scores compared to preterm neonates without IVH with p values of <0.001, <0.001 and <0.01, respectively.Conclusion: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increase the risk of preterm delivery, but the incidence of IVH in preterm neonates weighing less than 1500 gr is lower in infants born to mothers with hypertension including preeclampsia compared to those born to non-hypertensive mothers. And also lower gestational age, birth weight, and Apgar scores were important predicting factors for IVH in preterm neonates

Cytotoxicity of Two Gypsophila Species to Human Breast Adenocarcinoma (MCF-7)

Introduction: Cancer is known as the second cause of death worldwide which results in serious problems in human life. It is developed by uncontrolled growth of a cell or a group of cells. Caryophyllaceae is a large family which has been reported to possess cytotoxic species and in the present study, the cytotoxic activity of two plants from this family has been evaluated. Methods and Results: Dried powder of Gypsophila bicolor (Freyn &amp; Sint.) Grossh and Gypsophila ruscifolia Boiss. aerial parts were extracted with methanol 80% by maceration method (10 g). For fractionation, 30 g of the dried powder of both species was macerated with petroleum ether at room temperature. After 24 hours, the mixture was filtered and the plant residues were extracted with chloroform and methanol successively through the same process. Then they were concentrated using a rotary evaporator apparatus. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated against MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), A-549 (non-small cell lung carcinoma) and AGO-1522 (human fibroblast) cell lines using MTT assay. The chloroform fractions of both Gypsophila species showed cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 cells with IC50 value &lt;100 μg/mL. None of the extracts or fractions demonstrated cytotoxicity to A-549 or AGO-1522 cells up to the tested concentrations. Conclusions: The selective toxicity of the chloroform fractions of the species only to the MCF-7 cell line suggested that Gypsophila bicolor and G. ruscifolia could be proper candidates for further studies in the field of cancer researches

The Effect of Positive Mindfulness Training Program on Self-Compassion of Male Adolescents with Depressive Symptoms

Depression is a common disorder in adolescence. One of the most common variables influencing depression is self-compassion. Considering the effectiveness of third wave therapy such as mindfulness and positive psychology in depression disorders, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of positive mindfulness training program on self-compassion of male adolescents with depressive symptoms. The study design was quasi-experimental with pre-test-post-test and follow-up and control group. From among the male students of secondary high schools of Isfahan in the academic year of 2017-2018, 40 cases were selected according to the inclusion criteria (using the Beck Depression Scale) and multistage cluster sampling. Then they were randomly placed in control and experimental groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of 90 minutes based on positive mindfulness training program. All subjects were assessed through Self-Compassion Scale and Beck Depression Inventory-II. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with repeated measure test. The results indicated the effectiveness of the positive mindfulness training program on the components of self-discipline, isolating and expanding in post-test and follow-up but it was only significant in the component of human commonality and mindfulness in the follow up. It was concluded that positive mindfulness training program increases self-compassion, /therefore it  plays an important role in reducing the outcomes of depression disorder for adolescents  and  their families and can be used as a supportive program for these cales

Coronal Discoloration Induced by Calcium-Enriched Mixture, Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Calcium Hydroxide: A Spectrophotometric Analysis

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the discoloration potential of calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement, white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA) and calcium hydroxide (CH), after placement in pulp chamber. Methods and Materials: Access cavities were prepared in 40 intact maxillary central incisors. Then, a 2×2 mm box was prepared on the middle third of the inner surface on the buccal wall of the access cavity. The specimens were randomly assigned into four groups; the boxes in the control group were left empty, in groups 1 to 3, the boxes were filled with CH, WMTA and CEM cement, respectively. The access cavities and the apical openings were sealed using resin modified glass ionomer (RMGI). The color measurement was performed with a spectrophotometer at the following intervals: before (T0), immediately after placement of the filling material (T1), one week (T2), 1 month (T3), 3 months (T4) and 5 months (T5) after filling of the box and finally immediately after removing the material from the boxes (T6). Color change (ΔE) values were calculated using the sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to determine the normal distribution of data, followed by ANOVA, repeated measured ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s tests. Results: All materials led to clinically perceptible crown discoloration after 1 week. The highest ΔE value belonged to WMTA group. Discoloration induced by CEM cement was not significantly different from CH or the control group (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: CEM cement may be the material of choice in the esthetic region, specifically pertaining to its lower color changing potential compared to WMTA.Keywords: Calcium-Enriched Mixture Cement; Mineral Trioxide Aggregate; Spectrophotometry; Tooth Discoloratio