m. tavakoli

The aging of societies, social changes, medical advances, and high in-person treatment costs have increased the demand for home healthcare services. Additionally, the development of communication technology has led to the advent of remote health systems which have benefits for caregivers and patients. In this study, we propose an integrated approach to decide on patient admission, the service types (in-person or remote), patient assignment to treatment sta, and routing and scheduling of caregivers. It is assumed that, if a patient is admit ted, all their requested visits must be provided. During the planning horizon, patients can receive multiple visits for various types of services. However, during a single day, each patient can be visited at most once during their time window. Each treatment sta starts (ends) the routes from (to) the healthcare center, and the telehealth service is carried out from the center. Each caregiver has a specific work schedules and skills. The objective is to maximize the patients' preferences and e- ciency of treatment stas as well as minimizing the patients' dissatisfaction in terms of visit day and treatment sta changes. A three-phased algorithm is developed: First, a relaxed model decides on the patient admission, the service types, and assigning patients to treatment stas. Second, an ant colony system (ACS) determines the routing and scheduling of the stas based on the output of the first phase. Finally, a local search is used to improve the best-known plan. To evaluate the proposed method, we use the obtained upper bound of the first phase. The computational time is considered to be at most 10 minutes. Numerical results on benchmark data show that, for all instances, the average gap between the best-found solutions and their corresponding upper bounds is less than 10%. Finally, a case study on the Macsa healthcare center is presented. According to the results, the proposed plans can improve patient satisfaction and the eciency of treatment stas by about 31%.

The gas input to the gas pressure reduction stations has a pressure of about 400-1000 psi. Due to the positive Joule-Thomson coefficient for natural gas, pressure reduction causes temperature drop and the possibility of freezing of suspended water particles in the gas and blockage of gas transmission lines. Therefore, before reducing the pressure, the gas temperature is increased by gas heaters whose fuel is natural gas; increases In this type of exchangers, thousands of liters of intermediate fluid are used between the combustion chamber and the heated gas, which in turn causes heat energy loss from the exchanger body and excessive fuel consumption. In this article, a new design of a gas heater was presented to replace it with the existing heater in the gas pressure reduction station of khorramdare city gate station with the capacity of 30000 . After manufacturing; It was installed and tested in the station. The experimental results show a reduction in the specific energy of the heater by 20.45%. By replacing the new heater in all the pressure reduction stations, the amount of reduction in consumption per year is estimated to be about 58.7 million cubic meters. The amount of pollutants reduction is 22.7% and 23% is estimated.

Pastilles are one of the widely used confectionery products that include low nutritional values. Concerns on the high sugar contents of these products caused the major objectives of this study to investigate possibility of producing novel products from watermelon exocarp and white berry concentrate with less calories and more beneficial health characteristics.

Pastilles were prepared from white berry concentrate, watermelon exocarp, a mixture of hydrocolloids (starch and gelatin), sweeteners, pH modifiers and other additives. Various proportions of exocarp at four levels of 0, 10, 20 and 30 (w/w) and white berry concentrate at four levels of 0, 30, 60 and 90% replacement with sugars were investigated as affecting factors on characteristics of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, moisture, antioxidant characteristics and water activity of these products.

Results showed that the sample containing 90% of white berry concentrate and 30% of watermelon exocarp included the lowest quantity of carbohydrates (64/20%) and the highest quantity of fibers (0/88%). The lowest quantity of water activity (0/69) and moisture (19/93%) was observed in the sample containing 30% of watermelon exocarp. Sample containing 30% of white berry concentrate and 10% of watermelon exocarp included the highest antioxidant characteristics (387/575 mg/g).

In this study, use of white berry concentrate rather than watermelon exocarp decreased carbohydrates and increased proteins and moisture. However, combination of watermelon exocarp and berry juice led to increases in the nutritional quality of pastilles, compared to use of watermelon exocarp or berry juice alone.

Rosa damascena Mill. essential oil (EO) was encapsulated in nanoliposomes to overcome its low stability and limited solubility. The fabrication of EO-loaded nanoliposomes (EO-LNLs) was optimized based on the response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite face-centred (CCF) design. Different concentrations of EO (500, 1000, and 1500 ppm) and lecithin (0.5, 1.25, and 2% w/v) were applied for preparing nanoliposomes. The obtained nanoliposomes had a particle size of 82-124 nm, a zeta potential of -55 to -30 mV and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.270- 0.342. The nanoliposomes prepared with 1.56% lecithin and 500 ppm of EO had the best properties with the encapsulation efficiency of 84%. The results obtained from different instrumental methods (DSC, FT-IR, and TEM) verified the encapsulation of EO in nanoliposomes. According to the antioxidant activity evaluations based on DPPH⁰, ABTS⁰+, and FRAP assays, free EO had higher radical scavenging activity and lower EC50 than encapsulated EO. The highest in vitro release of EO from nanoliposomes occurred at pH=3. During the storage of nanoliposomes for seven weeks at 4oC, their particle size was increased by 7.0%. Accordingly, one can deduce that encapsulation of Rosa damascena Mill. EO in nanoliposomes can protect it against undesirable conditions and keep its properties. Therefore, it can be suggested to be used, as a natural preservative, in different matrixes such as food, medicine, and cosmetic industries.

Protection of forests, rangelands and other natural ecosystems in Iran is facing challenges and currently the natural areas of the country are not in favorable conditions. Some of the problems and mega global challenges that affect various natural areas in the world. This group of challenges include climate change, desertification, land degradation, global warming, deficiency of fresh water and increasing demand for energy. The second group of challenges that are specific to Iran at the national level and have affected the natural environments include lakes drying up, land subsidence, salinity and alkalinity of underground water, desertification and consequently the particulate matter air pollution. Also, the breakdown of the natural hydrology systems of the watersheds and changes in the usage of the natural areas are two man-made super challenges affecting the natural environments of Iran. In this article, the major challenges related to Iran's natural areas and the relevant national and regional challenges at the level of natural ecosystems are discussed. Finally, in order to deal with the challenges raised, the necessary solutions to protect and support Iran's natural areas as better as possible are presented. This includes paying attention to these challenges as one of the basic requirements for applying and implementing ecosystem-based management in the natural areas.

Mulching is a method of controlling wind erosion in arid and desert areas. In this study, the effects of oil mulch on some properties of soil were investigated, and the optimum amount of mulch to wind erosion control in Dehloran, Iran, was determined. For these purposes, after a mulching practice, soil samples were taken from the three treatments of mulched, control and the afforestation area at two depths of 0-10 and 10-50 cm through monthly field surveys during a year to measure soil parameters, including temperature, soil moisture, pH and EC. Then, the threshold velocity of wind erosion was determined using a wind tunnel and the optimum amount of mulch for erosion control was calculated. The results of soil characteristics analysis showed that soil temperature was significantly affected by the depth and season of sampling and their interactions, in contrast, soil moisture was only affected by the season. Also, soil pH was affected by all independent variables, while EC was only affected by the treatments. Na and SAR were not significantly affected by treatment, depth, and their interactions, while OM was significantly affected by treatment and the interaction between depth and treatment. Finally, the wind tunnel results showed that the erosion threshold velocity in the control area, at the height of 30 cm, was 4.84 m/s. Results also showed that mulching practice can control wind erosion under the maximum wind speed of the region and 7 tons/ha was recommended for future mulching practices in the region and similar areas.

The Salvia species are of great importance in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries for their secondary metabolites. Although the production of secondary metabolites is encoded by the plant genetic, however, environmental factors have a great influence on their production and composition in plants. In this study, to investigate the effects of some climatic factors, topography, and soil parameters on Salvia multicaulis essential oil composition, the plant samples were collected from nine different habitats in Hamadan province during the flowering season. The soil samples were also taken for each plant in the sampling sites. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation (Clevenger apparatus) and its composition was identified by GC and GC/MS. The soil factors were measured according to the relevant protocols and the climatic records were collected from the meteorological stations of Hamadan province. The RDA analysis was used to investigate the effects of different environmental factors on the essential oil composition. Clustering of the studied habitats was performed based on the major compounds of essential oils using the Wards method. The essential oil composition was different in different habitats. The compounds α-pinene (1.3-32.1%), α-phellandrene (1.1-7%), 1,8-cineole (1-17.2%), bornyl acetate (7-16.2%), and β-caryophyllene (9.1-40.6%) were the major ones of this plant essential oil. The RDA results showed that the essential oil content and oxygenated terpenoids percentage increased with increasing altitude, but the hydrocarbon terpenes percentage had an inverse correlation with altitude. The monoterpenes had a positive correlation with the relative humidity, rainfall, and soil organic carbon, but the sesquiterpenes had an inverse relationship with these factors and showed a positive correlation with phosphorus and to some extent with calcium of the soil. The studied habitats clustered into two distinct groups with predominance of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in the essential oil. These findings could be important for commercial exploitation of sage with the aim of extracting specific secondary metabolites in its essential oil.

Fermented foods include a long history in human nutrition. Kashk-e-Zard is a fermented product based on cereals and yogurt. The aim of this study was to assess effects of replacing unprocessed and hydrothermal wheat bran on the improvement of nutritional and sensory characteristics of Kashk-e-Zard.

In this study, effects of wheat bran types (unprocessed and hydrothermal) and replacement levels (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%) on pH, acidity, protein, digestible protein, phytic acid, zinc, zinc bioavailability, total phenol, antioxidant properties (DPPH) and overall acceptance of Kashk-e-Zard samples were assessed.

All the highlighted parameters were affected by the types and levels of bran replacement (p < 0.05). Addition of wheat bran increased the total fiber and improved the absorption capacity of zinc at all replacement levels, compared to the control sample (p < 0.05). Increasing unprocessed bran replacement increased hydrothermal decreased the protein contents (p < 0.05). Furthermore, addition of hydrothermal bran improved protein digestibility (p <0.05).

Based on the indicators of protein content, protein digestibility, zinc bioavailability, fiber content and overall acceptance of the samples, substitution of hydrothermal wheat bran at the level of 10% is recommended to improve the nutritional Characteristics of Kashk-e-Zard.

Fermented foods play important roles in human nutrition. Kashk-e-Zard is one of the popular fermentation foods in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, which is prepared based on the fermentation of cereals with yogurt. The aim of this study was assessment of the effects of replacing barley flour with wheat flour and the type of starter culture on improving nutritional and sensory characteristics of Kashk-e-Zard.

In this study, effects of adding barley flour (0, 15 and 30%) and starter type (no inoculation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae PTCC 5052, Lactobacillus delbrueckii PTTC 1737, Lactobacillus plantarum PTCC 1058 alone and combinations of these strains) on pH, acidity, protein, digestible protein, phytic acid, zinc, availability of zinc, total phenol, antioxidant properties (DPPH) and overall acceptance of samples were assessed.

Results showed that all traits were affected by the type of starter and the level of replacement with barley flour (p < 0.05). By increasing barley flour replacements, quantities of protein, phytic acid and phenol and antioxidant characteristics increased, compared to the control sample (zero replacement level with no inoculation). Moreover, microbial inoculation decreased phytic acid content and increased protein digestibility, zinc uptake, antioxidant characteristics and overall acceptability, compared to the control sample (p <0.05).

Regarding indicators of protein content, zinc uptake, protein digestibility and overall acceptance of the samples, a replacement level of 15% of barley flour with Lactobacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae is recommended for the preparation of Kashk-e-Zard.

Exopolysaccharides are linked to all form of polysaccharides found outside of the microbial cell wall. The aim of the current study was to investigate physicochemical characteristics of an exopolysaccharide produced by Lactobacillus pentosus.

First, the exopolysaccharide was isolated under optimal conditions (glucose, 4.11% w/v; sucrose, 3.47% w/v; yeast extract, 3% w/v; peptone, 3% w/v; time, 30.92 h, temperature, 40 °C; inoculation size, 3.16% v/v; pH 7). Then, exopolysaccharide was purified and dried using freeze dryer. Physicochemical characteristics of the exopolysaccharide produced by Lactobacillus pentosus were assessed. Assessments included NMR test, water holding capacity, aqueous solubility index, antibiofilm activity, rheological test and inhibition of DPPH radical activity.

Total quantities of the exopolysaccharide and biomass produced by Lactobacillus pentose included 0.225 and 0.405 mg/ml, respectively. Results of the NMR of exopolysaccharide generally showed presence of anomeric protons, cyclic protons and alkyls. Water solubility index and water holding capacity of the exopolysaccharide included 27.14 and 170%, respectively. The highest antibiofilm effects of the exopolysaccharide were demonstrated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The exopolysaccharide frequency-change rheological test showed typical pseudo-plastic non-Newtonian fluid behaviors. The DPPH radical scavenging activity demonstrated moderate antioxidant characteristics of the exopolysaccharide.

Results suggest that exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus pentosus includes potentials to be used as a natural agent in foods.

Aphids are one of the most important agricultural and forest pests that may directly injure by sucking the sap of plant organs and indirectly by the transmission of microbial pathogen agents into the plant hosts. Moreover, other indirect forms of damage from feeding may be seen as gall formation, deformation of plant organs, chlorosis / necrosis spotting of the leaves all three due to the injection of poisonous saliva, and the presence of sooty mold view resulting in the honeydew excretion as a food source for the saprophytic fungi. The number of aphids is currently more than 5200 species, of which about 69 species within six genera belong to the family Phylloxeridae. Apart from the grape Phylloxera, a commercial pest of grapevines worldwide, the habitats of remaining species are forest trees and non-agroecosystems. The oak leaf phylloxeran aphids have a complex life cycle as exclusively egg-laying with parthenogenic forms. These aphids overwinter as egg inside seams and shell gaps of small branches or sometimes as first nymphal instar in branches. This study aimed to identify an aphid species feeding of Brant's oak, Quercus brantii, as a probable cause of yellow chlorosis spotting on the leaves of infected trees. Various methods have been proposed to assign unknown specimens to known species using their DNA barcodes.

Aphid specimens were collected on Q. brantii oak trees in eight selected forest sites around Khorramabad County, Lorestan Province. They were identified based on molecular and morphological evidences and was subjected to molecular characterization. DNA sequencing of partial COI gene fragment was performed, and the phylogeny of this species was compared with other species within the genus Phylloxera. In order to identify, the mounted aphid samples (microscopic slides) were morphologically identified by the conventional method under a light microscope with the help of taxonomical keys. 

Samples were recognized as Phylloxera quercina (Ferrari, 1872) based on molecular and morphological identification. The phylogenetic tree was constructed as a fully resolved tree with Phylloxera genus as monophyly, dichotomous branching, and near-full bootstrap values.

The present study is the first report showing the occurrence of P. quercina as a pest in the Zagros vegetation zone. Here we suggest the annual monitor of seedling oak and investigation of the geographical distribution of pest species. The utility of COI barcode gene fragment, along with the morphological characters, can help accurately identify Phylloxera species in Iran.

The Differential transform method (DTM) is used in the analysis of ordinary, partial, and high-order differential equations. Recently, the DTM is used in the nonlinear analysis of physical nonlinear dynamic systems.

The DTM method is used to analyze and analytically solve the nonlinear mathematical model of bias current-controlled Colpitts oscillator with variable coefficients.  Intervals of the validity of the proposed method are evaluated by using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method (RK4M).  In this note, the Lyapunov exponent (LE) can be used to analyze the Colpitts oscillator. By using DTM, the LEs are calculated analytically with unknown parameters in a short interval of time t[0, 3 Sec].

In this paper, intervals of the validity of the proposed method are evaluated using RK4M. In addition, LEs are calculated using analytical and numerical methods based on DTM technique and Wolf method, respectively.  LEs of the proposed system are presented as a function of the control parameter to confirm the applied technique’s usefulness.  

By comparing these two methods, the proposed DTM analytical technique is relatively more precise. Simulation results confirmed the impact of different parameters on LEs with two different initial conditions. The results show good accuracy of the DTM in short time intervals t[0, 3 Sec].

The Differential transform method (DTM) is used in the analysis of ordinary, partial, and high-order differential equations. Recently, the DTM is used in the nonlinear analysis of physical nonlinear dynamic systems.

The DTM method is used to analyze and analytically solve the nonlinear mathematical model of bias current-controlled Colpitts oscillator with variable coefficients.  Intervals of the validity of the proposed method are evaluated by using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method (RK4M).  In this note, the Lyapunov exponent (LE) can be used to analyze the Colpitts oscillator. By using DTM, the LEs are calculated analytically with unknown parameters in a short interval of time t[0, 3 Sec].

In this paper, intervals of the validity of the proposed method are evaluated using RK4M. In addition, LEs are calculated using analytical and numerical methods based on DTM technique and Wolf method, respectively.  LEs of the proposed system are presented as a function of the control parameter to confirm the applied technique’s usefulness.

By comparing these two methods, the proposed DTM analytical technique is relatively more precise. Simulation results confirmed the impact of different parameters on LEs with two different initial conditions. The results show good accuracy of the DTM in short time intervals t[0, 3 Sec].   

Achillea tenuifolia Lam. belongs to the Asteraceae family that is one of the most popular aromatic plants in Iran with great variation in both morphology and essential oil components. The aim of this study was determination of essential oil content and composition of A. tenuifolia populations in field condition. Seeds of 17 populations of A. tenuifolia collected from their natural habitats were cultivated under the same environmental conditions in the research farm of Alborz Research Station, Karaj, Iran. The aerial parts of the plants were collected at full flowering stage and dried in shade (room temperature) and their essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation. The oils were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Based on the results, the oil yield varied from 0.16 to 1.59% (w/w dried weight). Populations from Divandareh with 1.59% and Khoy2 with 0.16% had the highest and lowest oil yield, respectively. According to the cluster analysis, the populations were placed in two clusters. Germacrene D was the main compound in all oils, but the essential oils of populations in cluster 1 contained higher amount of germacrene D (up to 64.5% in Semnan population). α-Humulene (up to 15%) and 1,8-cineole (up to 11.7%) were the other major components in the oil of cluster 1 populations. The lower amounts of these three compounds (in addition to E-β-farnesene and piperitone) and higher amount of more volatile compounds like p-cymene, β-phellandrene, camphor, and α-thujone and presence or absence of other minor compounds placed the other populations in cluster 2. Each cluster divided in two groups because of different percentages of some component such as cubenol, viridiflorol, methyl hexadecanoate and phytol. Therefore, based on the demand for processing, the proper population can be chosen for vast cultivation.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the trend of annual changes in Yazd stationchr('39')s meteorological parameters including minimum and maximum average daily temperature and average daily precipitation (1961-2005), as well as the predicted annual mean of these parameters in the three upcoming thirty years of the 2040s, 2070s and 2100s, by the SDSM model, under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5, A2, and B2 scenarios. Accordingly, by using the coefficient of determination and the MAE, R2, RMSE indicators, we evaluated the data generated by the SDSM model in comparison with the observed data in the base period. The lowest value of R2 based on the calibration and validation of the mean values of observed and simulated SRES was obtained for precipitation (86 and 80%). In terms of the R2 evaluation index, the accuracy of the small-scaled results of the minimum and maximum average temperature values was more than that of the average precipitation; however, in terms of the MAE and RMSE evaluation indicators, the accuracy of the small-scaled results of the average precipitation was higher than that of the minimum and maximum average temperature values. Subsequently, HadCM3 large-scale climatological data was used to predict the future periods (2010-2100). The results indicated that the temperature was raised in all months and seasons and the precipitation was decreasing in most of them, thereby confirming that the climate was changing in the studied region.

In recent decades, along with the development of the residential area, the problems of runoff and flood in urban watersheds have increased dramatically. Check dams have a direct and rapid effect on the flood. One of the most important elements of the construction of these structures is the identification of the suitable location for construction of the structure. This stage should be done with the utmost accuracy and precision due to the stability of the structure and the financial issues. In this study, the general approach is based on the fact that after identifying the area and collecting the required information, the factors influencing the construction of the structures were determined and the layers required for suitable location were prepared. After fuzzing the layers using Arc GIS 10.5 software, each layer is weighted according to the amount of its effect on site selection. Then, the layers combined using the fuzzy gamma operator and finally, after the field surveys, 22 optimal points and 3 completely optimal points for constructing the structures in the Ilam catchment area were identified. By construction of a check dams in the selected areas, it is possible to significantly reduce the damage to the facilities and waterlogging of the passageways.

In the last three decades, several ecological factors were changed and affected the most important commercial fish stocks in the Caspian Sea. This paper aims to assess the effects of these pressures on the population structure, stock status and the vulnerability risk of stock extinction of the stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771) in the Southern Caspian Sea, in the years 1990-2011. For this period, we estimated growth parameters, the age structure of catch, sexual maturity, age at first capture, natural and fishing mortality, biomass and risk of stock extinction of stellate sturgeon by IUCN Red List categories. Fork lengths of individuals ranged from 82 to 206 cm and ages from 4 to 29 years. The growth parameters were L∞=215.0 cm, K= 0.064 year−1, t0=−3.2 years. The majority of the catch (67.4-90.1%, averaged 80.0%) belonged to 9-13 years old. The biomass had a descending trend from 4983.5 mt in 1990-91 declined to 10.6 mt in 2011-12. The generation length was 16 years. Stock status indicators showed that 89% of catch were mature individuals, mature and optimum fish length comprised 74% and 10% of the fish captured comprise mega-spawners. This study revealed that the stock of the stellate sturgeon is being overfished for the whole years and critically endangered.

In this paper, a new design strategy was proposed in order to enhance bandwidth and efficiency of power amplifier.

To realize the introduced design strategy, a power amplifier was designed using TSMC CMOS 0.18um technology for operating in the Ka band, i.e. the frequency range of 26.5-40GHz. To design the power amplifier, first a power divider (PD) with a very wide bandwidth, i.e. 1-40GHz, was designed to cover the whole Ka band. The designed Doherty power amplifier consisted of two different amplification paths called main and auxiliary. To amplify the signal in each of the two pathways, a cascade distributed power amplifier was used. The main reason for combining the distributed structure and cascade structure was to increase the gain and linearity of the power amplifier.

Measurements results for designed power divider are in good agreement with simulations results. The simulation results for the introduced structure of power amplifier indicated that the gain of proposed power amplifier at the frequency of 26-35GHz was more than 30dB. The diagram of return loss at the input and output of power amplifier in the whole Ka band was less than -8dB. The maximum Power Added Efficiency (PAE) of the designed power amplifier was 80%. The output p 1dB of the introduced structure was 36dB, and the output power of power amplifier was 36dBm. Finally, the IP3 value of power amplifier was about 17dB.

The strategy presented in this paper is based on usage of Doherty and distributed structures and a new wideband power divider to benefit from their advantages simultaneously. The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.

The present investigation aimed to study the effect of traditional-coal-mining on the spatial distribution pattern of soil properties in the Lavij-Forest located in the western part of the Hyrcanian area-North Iran.

After selecting a mine area, 16 plots (20×20m) were established by systematic-randomly (60×60m) in an area of 4 ha (200×200m-mine entrance placed at center) which was affected by coal-mining. An area adjacent to the mine (same site conditions) that was not affected by the mining activity considered as the control-area. In order to investigate soil Physio-chemical properties one sample was taken from the 0-10cm depth in each plot. To study the spatial-pattern of soil properties and lead and cadmium concentrations in the mining area, an area of 80×80m (the mine at the center) was considered and 80 soil samples were systematic-randomly taken (10m intervals). Geostatistical analysis was performed via Kriging method and GS+ software.

Results showed that mining had led to a significant decrease in soil moisture, pH, EC, nitrogen, and potassium level. Lead and cadmium concentrations were significantly higher in mine area (Pb: 10.97±0.30, Cd: 184.47±6.26mg.Kg-1) in comparison to control-area (Pb: 9.42±0.17, Cd: 131.71±15.77mg.Kg-1). The range value calculated for variograms of cadmium and lead was 210m. The kriged maps showed that the concentration of cadmium and lead near the mine crater was considerably higher in comparison with adjacent points.

The findings showed that coal mining activity had negative effects on the forest soil and it is necessary to consider reclamation of contaminated soil in these areas.

Report writing is a necessary framework for presentation of audio logical test results. One of the methods of teaching report writing is workshops. The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of report writing on the quality of audiology reporting in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences.

This study is a quasi-experimental (before and after). 57 audiologists participated in the report writing workshop and completed pre- and post-test questions. A checklist was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 software. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data and Wilcoxon statistical test was used to compare the results before and after the intervention.

The findings of this study showed following  report writing training, the mean scores before and after the training showed a significant difference (P<0.001). And in all items improves the quality of reporting in audiology tests.

Based on this findings, report writing training improves the quality of reporting in audiologists, and given that there isnchr('39')t formal training in this field, it is recommended to provide a workshop for all students in audiology.

Ticks are reservoir hosts of pathogenic Rickettsia in humans and domestic animals. Most pathogenic Rickettsia species belong to the spotted fever group (SFG). The present study aimed to determine the tick species infected with Rickettsia based on the genus-specific 23S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA), 16S rRNA, and citrate synthase (gltA) gene fragments. A total of 61 tick specimens were selected for molecular assay and 12 samples for sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using neighbor-joining and Bayesian inference methods. Argas persicus, Haemaphysalis sulcata, Ha. inermis, and Hyalomma asiaticum were infected by spotted fever Rickettsia. The SFG is the main group of Rickettsia that can be detected in the three genera of ticks from Iran.

The present study was conducted as the first molecular detection of Anaplasma species in tick samples based on the sequencing of major surface proteins 4 (msp4) gene fragments in different parts of Iran. A total of 130 tick specimens were collected from Hormozgan, Lorestan, and Guilan, Iran, within 2015 to 2017. Hyalomma asiaticum, Hyalomma dromedarii, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) species were identified in different geographical regions. An amplicon of 464-bp msp4 of Anaplasma was amplified using polymerase chain reaction in various tick species. Three sequences, including one Anaplasma marginale from R. (Boophilus) species and two Anaplasma ovis from Rhipicephalus sanguineus, were obtained after sequencing. It is concluded that bovine and ovine anaplasmosis agents are present in tick samples in Iran. The use of the gene families of six major surface proteins for the detection of various Anaplasma species is recommended.

Nowadays, despite several global initiatives, the use of doping agents has become a problem in athletic societies. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence, attitude and tendency toward the use of performance-enhancing supplements among athletes in North Khorasan Province. 

The statistical population of this cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was all athletes of North Khorasan Province. Demographic characteristics and data related to doping agents were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by doping experts and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha. The questionnaires were then distributed using stratified random sampling and 436 questionnaires were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS software at P<0.05. 

The findings showed that 39.2% of the subjects used at least one of the agents for doping. The most common agents were vitamin and protein supplements (36%), minerals (28.7%) and drugs (21.3%). Also, there was a significant negative correlation between the prevalence of using doping agents and age, sport background, and educational level. In addition, attitude and tendency toward the use of doping agents were higher in weightlifters, body builders, and footballers compared to other athletes. Furthermore, knowledge of athletes, awareness about side effects, and the overall awareness of athletes toward performance-enhancing supplements was low. 

It is necessary to develop comprehensive educational programs to raise the knowledge and awareness of athletes and coaches toward the use of performance-enhancing supplements in North Khorasan Province.

This study investigated the effects of sociocultural instruction on developing the speech act of criticizing. The participants were second language learners in two English learning classrooms as experimental and control groups. The participants in the experimental group operated under the basic principles of the socio-cultural approach with interactive tasks, cooperation, and scaffolding. They were asked to read and criticize a peer’s work orally. For this group, the teacher provided fined tuned instruction and mediated individual tutor feedback. For both the experimental and control groups, the learners’ pragmatic development was measured through pre-tests, immediate and delayed posttests performance of discourse completion and role-play tests. The researchers analyzed the results of tests through statistical procedures such as paired and independent t-tests. The results revealed that the experimental group significantly improved and performed better than the control group, indicating the successfulness of sociocultural instruction. Next, the researchers interviewed the participants to find about their feelings. After interviewing the participants, the researchers found positive feelings of learners about this kind of instruction including low degrees of stress, high levels of excitement, fun, motivation, and clarity that provided another evidence for worthwhile impacts of sociocultural instruction. 

Decline disease is a potential threat for survival and longevity of oaks species in many European, American and Central Asian countries (Luchi et al. 2005). Biscogniauxia mediterranea, the causal agent of oak charcoal rot disease, is known as one of the fungal species involved in oak decline in Iran (Mirabolfathi et al. 2013, Ghasemi-Esfahlan et al. 2016).

Coronary artery disease is considered as the most important cause of death. Infection is regarded as risk factor of coronary artery disease as it could accelerate the development of atherosclerosis process through formation of inflammation. However, studies on Helicobacter pylori infection have produced contradictory results.

To investigate the coexistence of H. pylori infection and coronary artery diseases among patients in the city of Qazvin (Iran) during 2004-2005.

This was a case-control clinical trial carried out on a total of 80 individuals including 40 patients with coronary artery diseases (case group) and 40 patients without coronary artery diseases (control group) who were randomly selected for the study. All patients were tested for urease breath test and the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 15 and the Fisher’s exact test.

Positive results for urease breath test were observed in 80% and 45% of case and control groups, respectively (P=0.005). Among married members of the case group, 39.4% of partners were also found to be positive for urease breath test whereas in partners of patients in control group it was 5.2%. The prevalence of H. pylori in partners of case and control groups was 83.3% and 38.46%, respectively. The difference in prevalence of H. pylori infection between the partners of both groups was found to be significant, statistically (P=0.0032).

Considering the significantly higher prevalence of coexistence of coronary artery diseases and H. pylori infection in partners, it could be concluded that H. pylori may play a role as a transmissible risk factor of coronary artery diseases among people.