Engineered Porous Electrodes for High Performance Li-Ion Batteries

High specific energy/power is nearly always desirable in battery systems but it is especially important in batteries for electric vehicles. One approach for increasing the specific energy/power is to maximize the mass fraction of active materials. A straight forward approach to realize this is to make the electrodes as thick as possible. There are two main limitations for increasing electrode thickness. One is the need for active material with high electronic and ionic transport properties, and the other is rapid Li ion transport through the entire thickness of a porous electrode. In the research described in this dissertation, lithium titanite (Li4Ti5O12, LTO) was chosen as a promising safe active material for lithium batteries. In spite of many advantages, this material suffers from low electronic and ionic conductivity, making it an unsuitable choice for manufacturing thick electrodes. In order to alleviate this problem, a thorough investigation of the effect of Mo doping on structure, electronic and ionic conductivity of LTO was conducted. In order to facilitate rapid Li ion transport through the thickness of thick porous electrodes, a novel processing approach, freeze tape casting, was developed to make ordered anisotropic macro porous electrodes directly on the surface of a metal foil current collector. The effect of electrode processing parameters, microstructure and thickness on the electrochemical performance of the electrode was studied experimentally. Finally, comprehensive numerically simulations were conducted to investigate the effect of electrode microstructure (specifically thickness and tortuosity) on Li-ion transport at different discharge rate (C-rate) for both normal and freeze tape cast electrodes in order to guide the design of optimal microstructure. Computer simulations show that freeze tape cast electrodes may be fully discharged up to 750 µm thickness at 1 C rate compared to 300 µm for normal tape cast electrodes with the same mass loading. Freeze tape cast electrodes also show stable maximum areal capacity for C rates about double the maximum C rates of their normal tape cast electrode counterparts with the same mass loading

The prevalence of hypogonadism in patients with thalassemia major in Iran – a systematic review and meta-analysis study

Background and aims: Hypogonadism is one of the most common endocrine complications in patients with thalassemia major. A simple review of studies show different hypogonadism prevalence and has been reported between 31.3-88% in Iranian patients with thalassemia major. So, this meta-analysis study was conducted to determine the hypogonadism prevalence in Iranian patients with thalassemia major. Methods: This study was conducted based on PRISMA checklist for systematic review and meta-analysis studies. A comprehensive search by two researchers was conducted according to MESH keywords in databases such as Magiran, Iranmedex, SID, Medlib, IranDoc, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane, Embase, Springer, Online Library Wiley and also search engine Google Scholar. Then, all articles were examined without any time limited until October 2015. Data were analyzed using random effects model and Stata ver. 11.1 software. Results: Sixteen studies involving 2938 patients with average age of 17.34 were identified to analyze in the meta-analysis. Hypogonadism prevalence in patients with thalassemia major in Iran has been estimated 42.3% (CI 95%: 30.7-53.8). Minimum and maximum prevalence in Iran were related to the center (41%) and east (45%), respectively. Hypogonadism prevalence in male and female patients was 49% and 45.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between hypogonadism prevalence and year of the study and sample size. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypogonadism in Iranian patients with thalassemia major is high and it is needed to perform a continuous and regular plan and follow up for these patients

The Prevalence of Neonatal Septicemia in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

زمینه و هدف: سپتی سمی یکی از مهم ترین و شایع ترین بیماری های دوران نوزادی است،که با عوارض و مرگ و میر بالایی همراه است. در مقالات مختلف میزان شیوع سپتی سمی در نوزادانی که با شک سپسیس بستری شده بودند متفاوت گزارش شده است. هدف از این مطالعه برآورد شیوع کلی سپتی سمی نوزادان در ایران و بررسی روند کلی آن در کشور به روش مرور سیستماتیک و متاآنالیز بود. روش بررسی: با استفاده از کلید واژه ای معتبر در بانک های اطلاعاتی داخلی و خارجی شامل , Sid, Magiran, Irandoc, Medlib, Iranmedex Medline, scopus,web of science, Cochrane, Pubmed, Springer, Science Direct و موتور جستجوگر و Googleschoolar صورت پذیرفت. نتایج مطالعات با استفاده ازمدل اثرات تصادفی متاآنالیز با هم ترکیب شدند. واریانس هر مطالعه با استفاده از توزیع دوجمله ای و ناهمگنی مطالعات با استفاده ازشاخص I2 محاسبه گردید. برای تحلیل داده ها از نرم افزار Stata استفاده گردید. یافته ها: حجم نمونه در 26 مطالعه 13889 نفر بود. شیوع کلی سپسیس نوزادانی در ایران 3/14 (فاصله اطمینان 95: 7/16-12) برآورد شد. میزان شیوع سپسیس در پسران و دختران در 7 مطالعه با حجم نمونه 2268 نفر به ترتیب 7/26 (فاصله اطمینان 95: 2/40-3/13) و 3/23 ( فاصله اطمینان 95: 2/34-4/12) برآورد گردید. نمودار متارگرسیون نشان داد که میزان شیوع سپتی سمی در طی سال ها 1389-1375 کاهش یافته است، ولی این کاهش از لحاظ آماری معنی دار نبوده است. نتیجه گیری: سپتی سمی نوزادی در کشور ما از شیوع بالایی برخوردار است. با آموزش پرسنلی که در بخش نوزادان و NICU ها حضور دارند می توان تا حد زیادی از بروز و ابتلا نوزادان به سپسیس جلوگیری کرد

Frequency of Kidney Stone Different Compositions in Patients Referred to a Lithotripsy Center in Ilam, West of Iran

Introduction: Ilam is one of the provinces with the highest prevalence of kidney stone. The aim of this study was to calculate the frequency percentage of kidney stones by composition in Ilam.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 patients referred to the lithotripsy center of Ilam for the treatment of kidney stones from 2014 to 2015 (9 months). A two-part questionnaire including demographic information and stone type was used for collecting data. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed with SPSS version 17.Results: The frequency of kidney stones was 68% in men and 31.8% in women. The prevalence of kidney stones was higher in men than women, but there was no significant relationship between gender and the stone type. The highest prevalence of the stone was in the age group 31-41 years (33.7%) and there was a significant relationship between age and the stone type (P=0.001). The frequency of calcium oxalate (CaOx), mixed, uric acid, and cysteine kidney stones was 61.25%, 36.25%, 1.9%, and 0.6%, respectively. The most prevalent mixed stone was uric acid together with calcium oxalate stones (21.8%) followed by CaOx together with calcium phosphate stones (10.6%).Conclusions: The prevalence of CaOx and uric acid and CaOx stones was high. It is likely the increase in mixed stones in Ilam, especially uric acid and CaOx stones, is due to the nutritional pattern of subjects. More studies are required to determine the relationship between the stone type and diet in this area.Keywords: Kidney stones; Nephrolithiasis; Urolithiasis; Calcium phosphate; Calcium oxalate; Struvite; Uric aci

The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy in Iran (1991-2015): A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: The prevalence of Iran Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in pregnant women is in Variable between 40-80 in developing countries. There are some differences among different studies on this disorder. So, this present study is been performed for evaluating the prevalence of IDA among pregnant Iranians with systematic review and Meta analysis method. Method: This study is based on received information achieved from Magiran, , Iran medex, SID, Med lib, IranDoc, Scopus, Pubmed, SceinceDirect, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, Springer, Online Library Wiley and Google Scholar in chronological order of 1 January 1991 to 31 march 2015 with using standard key words. Search and extraction of data were done by two independed reviewers. To pooled of results of studies random effects model in meta-analysis was used. Results: In the 32 eligible studies, the 63372 individuals were been evaluated. The prevalence of Anemia among pregnant Iranians was estimated 14.2 (95 CI: 12- 16.3). most prevalence of Anemia was seen in the study, which it is used the samples collected in several parts of country, (21.5) and the lowest prevalence was seen in the West of country(7). The prevalence of Anemia in urban and rural pregnant women was estimated 13.7 and 20 approximately, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia among pregnant Iranians in current 24 years were less according to WHO system report for developing countries, that it is related to appropriate plan and care in pregnancy period in countries

Comparison of the prevalence of darkroom disease and related factors between radiotechnologists and nurses in selected hospitals of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in year 2016

BACKGROUND: Radiotechnologists are always in contact with chemicals during the process of confirmation and appearance of radiographs. This study evaluated the prevalence of darkroom disease among the radiotechnologists and nurses working in radiology centers of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.METHODS: This case-control study was conducted between two groups of radiotechnologists and nurses from selected hospitals of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, in year 2016, including 323 radiotechnologists (exposure group = 140 people) and nurses (control group = 183 people) working in educational therapy centers. The participants were selected through convenience sampling method. Total information on darkroom disease was collected using the standard Damases questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS software at the significance level of P < 0.050.RESULTS: The mean age of radiotechnologists was 34.01 ± 7.9, and the mean age of nurses was 32.33 ± 7.90 years. Symptoms of nausea (P = 0.001), runny nose (P = 0.001), oral ulcer (P = 0.020), burning mouth (P = 0.001), skin rash (P = 0.001), blurred vision (P = 0.002) night sweats (P = 0.001), chemical taste (P = 0.001), and dysuria (P = 0.001) were significantly more common in the radiotechnologists group. Regarding gender and symptoms of darkroom disease in each occupational group, nausea (P = 0.024) and runny nose (P = 0.001) among the radiotechnologists and chemical taste (P = 0.001) among the nurses, had significant relationship with being woman. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of darkroom disease was high among the radiotechnologists in Guilan Province, Iran. Therefore, it is recommended to improve the quality of services provided, as well as to promote the health and safety of radiology personnel through preparing and implementing modern digital equipment in radiology departments

A Time-Frequency approach for EEG signal segmentation

The record of human brain neural activities, namely electroencephalogram (EEG), is generally known as a non-stationary and nonlinear signal. In many applications, it is useful to divide the EEGs into segments within which the signals can be considered stationary. Combination of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and Hilbert transform, called Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT), is a new and powerful tool in signal processing. Unlike traditional time-frequency approaches, HHT exploits the nonlinearity of the medium and non-stationarity of the EEG signals. In addition, we use singular spectrum analysis (SSA) in the pre-processing step as an effective noise removal approach. By using synthetic and real EEG signals, the proposed method is compared with wavelet generalized likelihood ratio (WGLR) as a well-known signal segmentation method. The simulation results indicate the performance superiority of the proposed method

Evaluation of the Parents' Functioning and Behavioral Disorders in Children with and without Vesicoureteral Reflux

Introduction: Vesicoureteral reflux is the backward flow of the urine from the bladder into the ureters or kidneys that may result in urinary tract infection. This paper aimed at evaluating this problem and its relationship with the children's mood, growth, and physical conditions as well as its influence on the family and school.Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 122 children aged 4-14 years old: 61 with and 61 without VUR. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) were used to assess the parents' behavior. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and t test.Results: In this study, 23% of the children with and 4.9% of the children without VUR suffered depression (P value= 0.007). Moreover, 10.7% of the children with VUR showed offensive behaviors but there found no case among the children in the other group (P value=0.012). In addition, 16.4% of the children with and 1.7% of the children without VUR had intellectual problems (P value=0.008). Furthermore, 27.9% of the children with and 3.3% of the children without VUR had emotional problems (P value=0.001), and 4.9% of the parents of the children with VUR needed serious clinical measures but there were no such cases among children without VUR (P value=0.021).Conclusions: Increased behavioral problems in children with VUR and declined parental functioning require prompt treatment to prevent future behavioral problems in children.Keywords: Behavioral Problems; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux; Parents; Child.

The Study of Vitamin D Status in Population Referred to Clinical Laboratories in Ilam, West of Iran

Objectives: Among different micronutrient deficiencies, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is nowadays considered pandemic. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate vitamin D status in the population referred to the laboratories of Ilam from 2014 to 2015. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted among the patients who referred to five laboratories of Ilam from July 2014 to July 2015. The samples were selected by a random procedure. 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25OHD] levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Cut-off points for serum levels of 25OHD were defined as normal (>30 ng/mL), vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) (10-30 ng/mL) and VDD (<10 ng/mL). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 by descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square test). Results: In total, 7725 subjects (5273 females and 2452 males) with a mean age of 34.96±18.10 years were investigated. The prevalence of VDD/VDI combined was estimated to be 65.8%. Its prevalence was 67.3% among females, and 62.8% among the males. The prevalence of VDD and VDI was 12.1% and 53.7%, respectively. The highest prevalence of VDD combined with VDI was estimated for ages between 18 and 60 years (68.3%). The mean 25OHD concentration was 27.02±18.04 ng/mL and this concentration for male and female was 28.39±16.48 and 26.41±18.60, respectively. The relationship between VDD and age and sex was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results suggested that VDD and VDI are very prevalent in this region. Accordingly, it is necessary to take certain intervention measures such as medication and vitamin D-enriched nutrition to decrease VDD and VDI

The association between anemia and postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The association between anemia and postpartum depression (PPD) has been reported to be controversial in different studies. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of anemia and PPD. Methods: This review study was conducted according to the MOOSE protocol and results have been reported according to the PRISMA guideline. We searched epidemiologic studies published until January 2018 in nine English databases including Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EBSCO and Google Scholar using English MeSH keywords. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the Cochran&#8217;s Q test and I2 index. Data were analyzed using a random effects model and comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) software version 2. Results: In the 10 studies, the association between postpartum anemia and PPD was significant (heterogeneity test: P&#60;0.001, I2=74.62), and RR=1.887 (95CI: 1.255-2.838, P=0.002). In 8 studies, anemia during pregnancy significantly increased the risk of postpartum depression (heterogeneity test: P=0.116, I2=36.422), RR=1.240 (1.001-1.536, P=0.048). The subgroup analysis of postpartum anemia and PPD was not significant for the variables of quality of studies, study design, and the period of evaluating depression and anemia. The subgroup analysis of anemia during pregnancy and PPD was not significant for the period of evaluating depression. Publication bias did not affect the results of the studies. Conclusion: Meta-analysis results showed anemia during pregnancy and after pregnancy that significantly increased the risk of postpartum depression. Therefore, prevention, identification and treatment of anemia in pregnant women seem necessary