m. zare

Marine seaweeds are sources of bioactive compounds such as novel anticancer components. This study investigated the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of aqueous and methanolic extracts of three brown algae (Sargassum obtusifolium, Padina gymnospora, and Cystoseira indica) from the Persian Gulf. The contents of total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and total carbohydrates were determined. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined by DPPH method. The cytotoxicity of extracts was evaluated using the MTT assay on breast cancer (MCF7) and lung cancer (A549) cell lines. The aqueous extracts had higher levels of polyphenols, flavonoids, and carbohydrates (ranging from 125±11 to 202±19 mg/g) than methanolic extracts (ranging from 43.8±3.4 to 76.6±6.9 mg/g). At 50 µg/mL, the inhibition of DPPH radical ranging from 40.9±0.6 to 62.3±1.4% with an IC50 ranged from 60.9±0.5 to 30.4±0.4 µg/mL. The MTT cell proliferation assay confirmed a significant reduction in MCF7 cell line viability in the methanolic extracts at 390 µg/mL and 190 µg/mL compared to the control group. The methanolic extract of S. obtusifolium showed the highest selectivity index on MCF7 and A549 cells (1.16±0.19 and 1.77±0.16 respectively), despite containing lower levels of phytochemicals than the aqueous extracts. The findings suggest that the methanolic extract of S. obtusifolium exhibits selective cytotoxicity against MCF7 cells. Also, the aqueous extract of C. indica shows an adequate antioxidant index, usable in nutritional science.

Despite being considered a common yeast among humans, Candida albicans can become an invasive agent under certain conditions and cause various types of acute or chronic infections. The use of existing antifungal drugs is limited due to their side effects and the resistance of this yeast to them. Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that thyme plant possesses antifungal properties and its metabolites have the ability to kill the candida strains resistant to azole antifungal drugs. Secreted aspartyl protease 5 (SAP5) plays a crucial role in the pathogenicity of this yeast. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine and investigate the molecular docking of biological compounds of garden thyme (L. Thymus vulgaris) with secreted aspartyl protease-5 of Candida albicans yeast to find possible inhibitory compounds.

In the present molecular docking study conducted in 2024, the active phytochemical compounds of the Thymus vulgaris plant were obtained from the LOTUS and NPASS databases. The structure of the SAP5 protein was retrieved from the RCSB PDB database. Molecular docking of ligands with the SAP5 enzyme was performed using AutoDock Vina in the PyRx 0.8 software package to calculate binding energies and determine the docking position of each compound in its interaction with SAP5. The compounds with the best binding energy to the target protein were further evaluated for pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity, and the selected ligands were visualized using BIOVIA Discovery Studio. The collected data were analyzed using different software and compared with the results of previous articles in this field.

The binding energies of Thymus vulgaris compounds to the active site of the SAP5 enzyme ranged from -9.9 to -3.4 kcal/mol. The highest binding affinities to the active site were observed for the compounds Eriodictin, (-)-Taxifolin, and Ellagic Acid. These compounds also demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles. Pharmacokinetic studies of three selected compounds using the SwissADME online server showed their promising medicinal properties. Despite this, investigating their toxicity using ADMETlab and ProTox-II servers showed the toxicity of eriodictin.

The results of the present study indicated that some compounds in thyme plant may inhibit SAP5. Therefore, probably one of the mechanisms involved in the anti-candidal effects of garden thyme on Candida albicans yeast is through the inhibition of this protein.

Pain and fatigue are common in women with breast cancer. Mindfulness-based stress reduction training has shown varying results regarding pain and fatigue scores. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on pain and fatigue in women with breast cancer in Yazd, Iran.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 56 women with breast cancer in Yazd City, Iran. Using a simple randomization method, participants were assigned to the intervention and control groups (28 patients per group). Mindfulness-based stress reduction training was conducted via WhatsApp in eight virtual sessions for the intervention group. Data were collected using an electronic demographic form and the Fatigue Severity Scale Questionnaire (FSS) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) before the intervention, immediately after the intervention (week eight), and four weeks after the intervention (week 12). Descriptive statistics and both parametric and nonparametric analyses were performed using SPSS 16 software.

There was no significant difference in demographic and clinical characteristics between the groups. The mean fatigue score of the intervention group improved at week eight compared to the control group (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the average pain score after the intervention, although a decreasing trend was observed (p>0.05).

MBSR training reduces fatigue in women with breast cancer, and although it decreases pain, this reduction is not significant.

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata technology is a new method for digital circuits and systems designs. This method can be attractive for researchers due to its special features such as power consumption, high calculation speed and small dimensions. This paper tries to design a three-bits counter with minimum area and delay among the other circuits. As the circuit dimensions are reduced, the area and consequently, the delay are decreased, too. Therefore, this paper tries to design a three-bits counter with minimum dimensions and delay. The proposed counter contains 96 cells and is designed in three layers. It has the least area and delay compared to the priors. The circuit simulation illustrates 0.08 µm2 of area occupation and one clock cycle delay. In comparison with the best previous design, which includes 110 cells, the cells number, area and delay are decreased by 12.72%, 27.27% and 33.33%, respectively. Also, the cost of the circuit has been improved by 54.32%. The power analysis of the design shows 13% reduction in the total energy dissipation of the circuit compared to the best prior work. The circuit reliability versus temperature variations has been simulated and the results represent suitable stability. The fault tolerance of the circuit which is occurred by the displacement faults represents normal operation of the circuit. As the counter is an element which is implemented in several digital systems, its area reduction causes the whole system area to be reduced. Also, the circuit delay has been decreased significantly which means that the circuit can be employed by high speed systems.

Low temperature storage is the most important method used to preserve harvested products. Keeping products at low temperatures, above the freezing point up to 10 degrees Celsius, can cause frost damage in fruits and vegetables, especially tropical and subtropical products. The use of heat treatments as safe, organic and alternative physical methods is increasing, these treatments are used to maintain the quality after harvesting and also to prevent frostbite of garden products. Also, one of the recommended methods to reduce fruit waste is to increase the calcium concentration of the fruit by using calcium solutions. Calcium is one of the most important mineral elements that is involved in determining the quality of the fruit and its shelf life. Studies conducted on the use of nano fertilizers in some species of fruit trees has shown their potential role in improving the yield of the product and the physical and chemical properties of the fruitThis study was conducted to investigate the effect of postharvest treatments of calcium chloride and nano chelated calcium fertilizers on chilling injury and physiological characteristics of local orange fruits stored at 2 ±0.5° C and 85% relative humidity for 60 to 120 days.
 
In this research, orange fruits of the local cultivar Citrus sinensis at the stage of commercial maturity based on the taste index (10TSS/TA⋍) were prepared from Darab city of Fars province and transferred to the Physiology Laboratory of Horticultural Sciences Department of Shiraz University. Then the fruits were disinfected with 2% sodium hypochlorite and washed with distilled water. Treatments included calcium chloride and nano chelated calcium fertilizers at different concentrations of zero, 3 and 6 dissolved in cold water (20°C) and hot water at 45 °C for 25 and 15 min, respectively. Sampling was done on days 60 and 120. To simulate shelf life conditions, before measuring the parameters, the fruits were kept at laboratory temperature for two days. In this research, the changes in fruit tissue firmness, freezing index, weight loss percentage, soluble solids, total acidity, ascorbic acid, ion leakage, potassium ion leakage, malondialdehyde, calcium content of fruit skin and flesh, fruit color, catalase enzymes and peroxidase were measured. Data analysis was done using SAS software version 4.9 and comparison of averages was done by LSD test at 5% probability level.
 
There was a significant difference between nano chelated calcium and calcium chloride in calcium enrichment in pulp and fruit skin Calcium chloride and nano chelated calcium treatments dissolved in hot water reduced weight loss, soluble solids content, acidity, ascorbic acid, ion leakage and malondialdehyde and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and peroxidase. Nano chelated calcium increased calcium content by 44% in fruit skin and up to 41% in fruit pulp compared to calcium chloride. Nano chelated calcium 3 and 6 % showed more stability in fruit weight (159 and 400%, respectively) compared to calcium chloride after two months of storage. After 60 and 120 days of storage, the content of ascorbic acid in fruits treated with 6 nano chelated calcium was 73% higher than calcium chloride. Nano chelated calcium 3 % compared to calcium chloride prevented 39.6 of potassium ion leakage during 60 days of storage. The amount of ascorbic acid in the 3% and 6% nano calcium treatment and the tissue hardness in the 3% nano calcium chelate treatment after two months of storage were estimated to be higher than the control and calcium chloride. Calcium nano chelate 6% improved the calcium content of fruit flesh and skin due to increased permeability. Warm water pretreatment with calcium compounds is an efficient and recommendable treatment for the preservation of orange fruits in cold storage conditions due to the improvement and reduction of the severity of the increase in indicators related to the occurrence of frost damage in the skin of fruits.
 
One of the primary concerns during storage is the loss of fruit weight. Calcium nano chelate, in comparison to the control and calcium chloride treatments, exhibited the least weight loss over the two months of storage. This is attributed to the critical role of calcium in influencing the shelf life of fruits. It was observed that immersing fruits in calcium compounds dissolved in hot water and utilizing 6% nano chelated calcium had a significant positive impact on enhancing and preserving the quality of orange fruits during cold storage.

The northwest zone of Saveh city is located in the Indes, Kooshk e Nosrat, Avaj, and Aipak fault zones. Indes, Kooshk e Nosrat, Avaj, and Aipak faults are considered the major faults in central Iran, which are also active in the Quaternary, and their last movements are attributed to the present time. Therefore, the estimation of morphometry to identify the effect of active tectonics on the tectonic evolution of drainage basins seems necessary. In this study, six important morphotectonic indices were analyzed including the longitudinal gradient of the river, asymmetry of the drainage basin, hypsometric integral, drainage basin shape, the ratio of the floor width to the valley height, and mountain front. To model the formation of basins in the studied area, Arc Hydro software (Arc GIS add-ins) was used based on data derived from a digital elevation model. Then, 6 morphotectonic indices were compiled and classified on each of the basins. Finally, the Active Tectonic Index (IAT) was calculated, according to which the study area was classified into 4 categories including very high, high, intermediate, and low tectonic activity. According to the IAT index, 5% of the study area shows very high tectonic activity, 25% of the studied area has high tectonic activity, 65% of it has average tectonic activity and about 5% of the tectonic activity is low. Moreover, seismic acceleration was prepared to confirm the result of morphological indices in the estimation and analysis of active tectonics in the region. In this study, the highest level of tectonic activity can be seen in the north-eastern part of the area. In most sectors, the level of activity is high and intermediate, which is related to the activity of Kooshk-e-Nosrat, Aipak, and Avaj faults.

This paper presents a Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) for high sensitivity Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). The proposed TIA is based on the Regulated Cascode (RGC) structure with an extra transistor employed to implement additional feed-forward path and achieve higher gain values. The extra transistor senses a partially amplified input signal, available in the conventional circuit, and conveys an additional ac current into the load, which provides a higher gain. In addition, a bandwidth extension method is introduced using a capacitor and resistor, which can improve amplifier’s bandwidth by 40%. The proposed TIA is designed in 0.18µm CMOS technology and achieves a transimpedance gain of 101.9dB with a -3dB bandwidth of 91.2 MHz considering 2pF of photodiode capacitance at the TIA input. The input referred noise is 4.4pA/√Hz while dissipating 151µW power.

In recent decades, the introduction of high-yielding cultivars under optimal conditions has been the main focus of grain research programs. The identification of wheat cultivars that have acceptable yields on different planting dates has been taken into account.

The present split-plot test was performed with three replications in two cropping years, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. The main factor included three planting dates (October 20, November 20, and December 20 as early, normal, and delayed planting dates), and the sub-factor included six wheat cultivars (Zare with winter growth habits, Heidari, Pishgam, and Alvand with facultative growth habits, and Sirvan and Pishtaz with spring growth habits). The soil was sampled from a depth of 0 to 30 cm before the experiment, and the physical and chemical traits of the soil were determined. Land preparation steps were performed before the experiment. For this purpose, a land area of 1500 m2 was plowed by a reversible plow and then leveled. Fertilizer application was performed based on the soil experiment results as 100 kg.ha-1 of triple superphosphate, 100 kg.ha-1 of potassium sulfate, and 100 kg.ha-1 of urea before planting. The rest of the urea fertilizer (200 kg.ha-1) was applied at the stage of stem emergence and the beginning of anthesis wheat. Iron, zinc, and manganese fertilizers were also used from their sulfate sources at the rate of 0.2%, which were sprayed in two stages at the beginning of stalking and spiking. Each plot was 5 m long and 2 m wide and consisted of 8 planting rows at a distance of 25 cm. A distance of 50 cm was considered between the two sub-plots and 1 m between the two main plots. The required seed for each experimental plot was determined and distributed based on the density of 400 seeds per m2 based on the weight of 1000 seeds of each cultivar. Irrigation was performed immediately after planting. Agricultural care was applied uniformly, including pest, disease, and weed control. In each subplot, 50 cm from the beginning and end of the rows was considered as the margin. All data were subjected to ANOVA using the GLM procedure of SAS (SAS 9.1) and means were compared by using the Duncan test at 5% probability level.

The results showed that delayed planting reduced nutrient uptake and increased the extinction coefficient. Radiation use efficiency on the planting date of December 20 showed a reduction of 27% and 25%, compared to the planting date of October 20 in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, respectively. Also, on December 20, Sirvan and Pishtaz cultivars with spring growth habits showed lower extinction coefficients and higher photosynthesis rates than winter and facultative cultivars. On October 20 and November 20, the highest grain yield was obtained in cultivars with winter and facultative growth habits. On December 20, the grain yield was higher in cultivars with facultative and spring growth habits than in winter cultivars. Late planting of wheat cultivars with winter growth type, which must receive low temperatures for Vernalization, is very risky. Because delaying planting may lead to a sharp decrease in yield. These negative consequences of the delay in planting may have occurred through disruption of absorption of water, nutrients, and absorption of active photosynthetic radiation. Late cultivation shortens the vegetative growth period and the plant enters the reproductive stage prematurely, and then the plant faces a lack of photosynthetic resources. Also, the grain filling period is faced with drought and heat stress at the end of the season and this final stress causes a sharp decrease in yield.

In general, the delayed planting significantly reduced grain yield, especially in cultivars with winter growth habits. Therefore, it is recommended to use intermediate and spring cultivars for delayed cultivation.

Alternate bearing is one of the most important problems in olive production around the world. This experiment was performed on 25-year-old olive trees of Tokhme Kabki cultivar in an olive orchard located in Shiraz, in 2018-2019. In this experiment, the role of normal fruits, shot berries, fruit removal, and Gibberellic Acid (GA3) application on the amount and type of return flower were determined. We demonstrated that seed has a significant role in flower induction in olive. Shot berry fruits actually induced return bloom and removing the fruit before pit hardening stimulates induction of flower bud in ʻTokhme Kabkiʼ olive cultivar. GA3 application before pit hardening significantly inhibited flower formation. Endogenous GA3-like substances was also determined in fruit flesh and seed tissues support the idea that, high concentration of GA3-like during pit hardening is responsible for the inhibition of flowering. According to the rapid increase in GA3-like substances in the fruit tissues, it appears that this compound may be transferred to the buds and then directed toward vegetative growth. Data suggest that GA3-like level in the fruit flesh and seed tissues is one of the main factors in alternate bearing of olive tree. Therefore, thinning the seeded fruit till 6 weeks after full bloom or before pit hardening would be effective in reducing the concentration of GA3 in the olive tree and reducing the severity of alternate bearing.

This paper used three magnetic adsorbents, including , , and to remove congo red dye. The synthesized nanocomposites were identified using SEM, XRD, EDX, and FT-IR methods. Then the factors affecting the removal efficiency of congo red were optimized for all three adsorbents. Under optimum conditions, the removal efficiencies of congo red from aqueous media by , , and were calculated as 92, 90 and 89 %, respectively. The reusability of the used nanocomposites was investigated, so 1 M HCl as a recovery agent could recover up to 4 times all three nanocomposites. The synthesized sorbents performed the removal of congo red from real samples, including well water and dyeing wastewater. The results showed that the matrix does not significantly affect the efficiency of the nanocomposites so that they could be used in real samples with complex matrices.

It is believed that the marine animals contain many compounds that could be beneficial for the treatment of many diseases. In this study, the acetone extract of Stichopus hermanni was fractionated by a liquid chromatography and then fractions were assayed for terpenoids. The fraction C18 that received a positive response for terpenoids was purified further and characterized by the liquid chromatography, mass spectral, and Thin-layer chromatography analysis. A terpenoid compound, squalene, was identified as the constituent of the bioactive extract fraction. Antimicrobial activity of C18-3 was tested against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, and Nocardia brasiliensis pathogens. The lowest MIC and MBC values were observed in the Bacillus cereus (50 µg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (500 µg/mL), MIC and MFC the fungal pathogen Candida albicans (400 and 2000 μg/mL) and was cytotoxic against KB/ C152 and HUT-78/C185 cells (IC50 6.1 μg/mL and 6.29 μg/mL). This research suggests S. hermanni can be used as an alternative source for the separation and purification of squalene compound as a medicinal supplement.

Resource-Constrained Multi-Project Scheduling Problem (RCMPSP) is considered a significant topic in project management studies and many kinds of research have been carried out in this field which have been proposed numerous approaches. However, in most of them, the viewpoints of clients and contractors, two important stakeholders of the project are not directly considered. The current research tries to introduce a new approach of RCMPSP in order to schedule the project portfolio and allocate the budget as a limited resource simultaneously. In this way, first, the client's and contractors' budget satisfaction is defined. Then some budget allocation models have been proposed to maximize the clients' and the contractors’ satisfaction. These models consider constraints such as the minimum cost required for each project, the maximum budget for each period, and the flexibility for the start date of each project. To illustrate the proposed models, a real case of the project portfolio is considered.

 The quality of life of students is the result of their participation and involvement in their daily activities at school, and indicates their level of satisfaction. Therefore, the implementation of interventions to improve their quality of life is important. This study aimed to determine the effect of education based on the Pender model on the dimensions of quality of life in junior high school girls.

 This quasi-experimental randomized study was performed on 62 female students of two schools (Tahzib and Shahrestani) in Mashhad, 2020. Students were divided into intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, a training program was presented in 7 sessions of 90 minutes for one month. Demographic and school quality of life (SQOL) questionnaires of Anderson school were used to collect information immediately and one month after the intervention. The data were then analyzed.

There was no significant difference between the mean and standard deviation of all dimensions of SQL before the intervention in both groups (p >0.05), but there was a significant difference immediately and one month after the intervention (p <0.05). Only in the dimension of negative emotions SQL, immediately and one month after the intervention between the intervention with a control group was not significantly different (p >0.05).

 The results indicate an improvement in studentschr(chr('39')39chr('39')) quality of life using the Pender model, which is recommended to use this educational model to provide education in schools.

This paper presents a new method for determining the middle band of discrete cosine transform based on the combination of genetic algorithm and tabu search. As embedded watermark is visible in low frequencies, and not resistant against attacks in high frequencies, the most suitable band for embedding is the middle band. In the Fourier domain, it can be determined by some filters but such a method does not exist in the discrete cosine domain. In discrete cosine transform the arrangement of frequency components does not have the orderliness of the Fourier transform itself, so, it is tried to find the middle band of image by Fourier transform and then find the exact location of the  middle band of discrete cosine transform by genetic algorithm and tabu search. In this method, we minimize the difference between the image that is obtained by applying the middle band of discrete cosine transform mask and the image obtained by the Fourier transform mask. Also, the proposed method can be used for low and high band of discrete cosine transform masks. The implementation and tests for low, middle and high bands resulted in 0.0062, 0.0149 and 0.0061 averages errors, respectively. These results for the test images are satisfactory.

Producing a land use/land cover map is a fundamental step in different studies. This study aimed to assess the ability of hierarchical, pixel-based and object-oriented classification methods to produce land use/cover maps.

This study was conducted in the Harat-Marvast basin of Yazd Province, Iran using Landsat imagery of 2016 (paths 161 and 162, row 39). The hierarchical image classification method was tested for land use/cover mapping. A statistical comparison between three algorithms, namely pixel-based, object-oriented and hierarchical image classification was performed using the McNemar test. An intensive field survey was also accomplished to obtain training and test samples.

The kappa coefficients for pixel-based, hierarchical and object-oriented techniques were 0.76, 0.83 and 0.94, respectively. Results also showed that the performance of SVM and hierarchical algorithms are significantly different with aχ2f 112.3 which shows the superior performance of the hierarchical algorithm.

It was shown that the object-oriented approach performed significantly better than the two above-mentioned methods (χ2= 149.6). As the computational costs of object-oriented methods are relatively high, the hierarchical algorithm can be suggested when there are limitations in time or computational infrastructures. Therefore, the hierarchical algorithm can be used instead of simple pixel-based algorithms for land use/cover mapping.

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are a unique group of photosynthetic bacteria amongst the oldest forms of life, which widespread in aquatic environments including freshwater lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Furthermore, they have ability to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites with toxic property for aquatic animals, as well as human beings. Considering the importance of cyanobacteria in public health, the introduction of sensitive and reliable methods for their detection is the main aim of this study. In the present study, 30 water samples were collected from six locations of the Kor River, Iran. The samples were analyzed for the prevalence of cyanobacterial species using conventional culture methods and morphological tests. Then, molecular identification of the isolates was performed by the comparative evaluation of three sets of primers (CYA106/CYA781; CYA781/CYA359; and PCα/PCβ). Furthermore, their abilities to produce cyanobacterial toxins including microcystin and nodularin synthetase enzyme complexes were investigated by using polymerase chain reaction method. The results obtained from this study indicated that two isolates were identified as Cyanobacterium aponinum and Phormidium sp. none of the isolates had ability to produce selected toxins. In addition, the results indicated that the selected pair primers were proper for detection of the isolates. Hence, due to importance of cyanobacterial isolation from water samples and their effect on human health, periodic studies in different water resources and regions seem necessary. Furthermore, among the selected primers, CYA106/CYA781 could be a proper primer pair for detection of cyanobacterial isolates.

Soil temperature is a key factor that controls physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and its processes. Since soil temperature is measured at synoptic stations and data availability, especially in arid lands, is limited, capability of satellite images to estimate soil temperature at different depths evaluated in the Yazd-Ardakan basin, as the study area. Daily soil temperature at 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 cm depth measured at synoptic stations of Yazd, Meybod, and Mehriz for the periods of 2014 to 2016, and Landsat 8 satellite images of were used as the main data in this research. Then, using split-window surface temperature, Land Surface Temperature (LST) maps were estimated. Temperature trend from soil surface to a depth of 100 cm were examined seasonally. Using simple linear regression and artificial neural network techniques, the relationship between temperature of surface soil and soil temperatures at different depths were predicted. Results showed that the artificial neural networks had greater accuracy than the linear regression method in all seasons. The lowest accuracy of this method is related to the soil temperature at 5 cm depth. Artificial neural networks can be used for predicting of soil temperature till depth of 100 cm, using land surface temperature obtained by Landsat 8 images. To validate the results, soil temperatures at depth of 30 cm for 16 selected points in the study area were compared with estimated soil temperature using Landsat images and artificial neural network. Absolute error of measurements show that the maximum error was observed to depth of 30 cm (3.7 ℃). Therefore, using the measured soil surface temperature by applying the split-windows and artificial neural network can be used to predict soil temperature.

Considering the problem of pain expression by the elderly with dementia, assessment and determination of its severity in this group require an appropriate scale. The present study was conducted with the aim of translation and psychometric evaluation of the Abbey Pain Scale (APS) in Iranian elderly with dementia.

In this cross-sectional study of psychometric evaluation of scale, after translating and assessing the face and content validity of APS, 100 eligible elderly were selected by convenience sampling in Kashan, 2018-19. Construct validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis, known-groups approach, and convergent validity. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency, equivalence, and stability. Data were analyzed by Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney tests, Cronbach's alpha, Spearman-Brown, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).

 The scale content validity index was 0.95%, and the item impact of each item was above 1.5. Factor analysis identified a single-factor in APS that was able to explain 68.745% of the total variance of scale score. This scale was able to differentiate between scores during two resting positions and movement protocol, and between two groups with known painful diseases and non-diseased (p<0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation between scores of the Persian version of APS and PACSLAC-II-IR (r=0.877, p<0.0001). Cronbach's alpha, ICC, and standard error of measurement of the scale were calculated 0.927, 0.926, and ±1.191, respectively.

 The Persian version of APS can be used as a valid and reliable scale for assessing pain in the elderly with dementia in Iran.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of training the quality of parental involvement in doing homework on achievement motivation and school anxiety among Khatam (Yazd) first grade students. The research design was quasi-experimental (pre-test and post-test with control group). The population consisted of all first grade female students and their mothers in Khatam in 2016-2017 academic year. 60 mothers were selected by convenience sampling, and among them, 30 participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 30 participants to the control group. The instruments were School Anxiety questionnaire and academic motivation questionnaire. After responding the pre-test, the experimental group participated in eight 50-minute sessions of parental participation training program based on Deci and Ryan model. The results showed that parental participation training in doing homework assignments was effective on increasing academic achievement motivation and reducing school anxiety of students. Therefore, enhancing the quality of parental involvement can affect some of the motivational and emotional academic variables.

Previous studies have indicated that vitamin D3 deficiency is common in mentally disabled. This study aimed to determine Vitamin D3deficiency among mentally disabled patients city of Kashmar. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 72 mentally disabled people (10-60 years old) who were in a rehabilitation center in Kashmar city were selected through a census. Sampling was done by a researcher for subjects who had inclusion criteria. Serum levels of D3  were measured using HPLC method. The vitamin D3 deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level ≤ 12 ng/ml. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. 47.2% patients were classified as deficient in Vitamin D3. Age and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level was significantly correlated. 65 percent of disabled from age 20 to 39 years were severe and moderate deficient in Vitamin D3. The physicians, responsible for the treatment of patients with multiple complex developmental disorder, incorporate Vitamin D3   supplementation in their practice. In addition, screening for vitamin D3 deficiency should be integrated in the health assessment of patients with mental disorders.

Declustering of an earthquake catalog is the process of separating an earthquake catalog into foreshocks, main shocks, and aftershocks. Several declustering algorithms have been developed over the years. Up to now, because of the simplicity of the algorithms and the availability of the source codes, most users have applied either the algorithm of Gardner and Knopo (1974) or Reasenberg (1985). In this article in addition to traditional methods. We use the stochastic declustering approach introduced by Zhuang et al (The Epidemic-Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model). In this model each earthquake has a computable probability to be a background (spontaneous) event or triggered by a previous event. The basis of this model is to nd a mathematical function that can describe the seismic sequences in a given area. We use the R package ETAS which is an R implementation (through a C port) of the original Fortran code and produced by Jalilian and Zhuang. For this study, an earthquake catalog of Hormozgan province of Iran is extracted. We select the earthquake data for the period of 1964 - 2016 from the rectangular geographical region 26-29E and 53-59N. We take magnitude threshold ML =4.0, and consider shallow events down to the depth of 30 km. The data are extracted from the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (IIEES). There are many dierences between the catalogs declustered using a variety of methods, so a general conclusion is dicult. The results showed that the ETAS model estimates the number of independent earthquakes less than Reasenberg method. In these cases, results were close to each other: assuming 90 percent probability of Gardner and Knopo method and 50 percent probability of Uhrhammer method.

The aim of this paper is to prove the existence and uniqueness of fixed point for (φ−ϕ)- weak contraction mappings and (ψ−ϕ)- weak contraction mappings in a complete and Hausdorff generalized metric space.

The geographical distribution of the genus Cousinia in Iran has been analyzed using a dataset of 3095 georeferenced observations. The 241 species of the genus are distributed throughout Iran. However, about third of the observations are made from provinces like, Khorasan Razavi, Tehran, and Fars. The genus has 135 rare species and 197 endemic species. The maximum distance between two observations of the same species, (MaxD) is 1863 kilometers. Razavi Khorasan, Lorestan, Esfahan, North Khorasan and Tehran have the highest number of rare species. Species richness was mapped with the point-to-grid richness analysis tool DIVA-GIS, using a 10×10 kilometer grid cell and the circular neighborhood option with a 50 km radius. High species richness occurs in large area in North of Semnan province, Dena Mountains, Central Alborz, Lorestan province, NW Iran and also in Kopet Dagh Mountain in Khorasan where the hotspots for endemic species are located. Forty five 0.5o×0.5o grid cells are needed to capture all species at once, which have the most conservative importance for this group of plants

Standard threshold shifts (STS) as an important indicator for identifying hearing loss in industries that they perform hearing conservation programs. The aim of this study is the investigation of the occurrence of standard threshold shift (STS) among workers of Isfehan metal industry using audiometric data and noise measurement level.

This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study that performed among 2016 of workers in Isfehan Metal Industry. All of subjects were men and the rate of using personal protective equipment among workers were sometime=189, often=865 and always=962. At the first we determined the parts of plant that exposed to non permissible noise level and then measured exposure to 8 hour equivalent noise level. Finally in regard to basic audiometric and current audiometric, the occurrences of STS were examined.

This study showed that 29.9 % of workers have a STS in these workplaces. There are significance relationship between age, exposure time, noise level, wearing time and number of workers with STS. But there is no relation between precedence of work and STS statistically.

Findings of this study indicated that occurrences of STS among workers exposed to noise are high. Thus, it is concluded that hearing conservation programs in these industries was unsuccessful.

In modern societies, shift work is an essential component of daily life. Since the beginning of research in shift work, researchers have been engaged in the identification of factors predicting adjustment and adaptation to shift work. The concept of adaptation and tolerance refers mainly to the biological response in terms of circadian rhythms and performance efficiency as well as sleep duration and quality. Since some of the shift workers show higher level of adaptation in comparison with the others, the individual sensitivity may be a good predictor. The present study was undertaken to specify whether changes in cortisol rythmicity are associated with chronotype, quality of sleep and adaptation to shift work.

This study was cross-sectional. Blood samples were drawn from 57 shift workers. Three sample were drawn from each subject (at the beginning of their night shift, at the end of their night shift and at the beginning of their morning shift). The samples were immediately centrifuged and the plasma was removed and stored at -25 0c until assay. Cortisol was measured by radioimmunoassay using LKV Mili gama counter and Immunotech-IM1841 kit. Also, all subjects completed questionnaires for the acquisition of chronotype, quality of sleep and adaptation to shift work.

The mean age, work experience and BMI of the sample was 33.5+6.2years, 6.2+2.5 years and 24.1+2.8, respectively. 89.5 percent of subjects were married. The mean cortisol level at the beginning of night shift, the end of night shift and the beginning of morning shift was 6.95 Mg/dl,18.31Mg/dl and 19.1Mg/dl, respectively. 83.9 percent of subjects had morning chronotype and 16.1 percent had evening chronotype. The mean cortisol level at the beginning of morning shift and at the beginning and end of night shift for morning and evening subjects were (19.5, 16.5),(6.5,7.7)and(17.1,18.4)Mg/dl. 46 percent of subjects reported good sleep at the morning shift, while others reported moderate and weak sleep. Also, at the night shift, only 21.4 percent showed good sleep.

Although there was a difference between the mean cortisol levels of morning and evening active subjects, but because of small sample size of evening active subjects, statistical analysis showed no significant difference between them. The mean cortisol level at the beginning of morning shift was related to the quality of sleep directly. There was a significant difference between the mean cortisol level at the end of night shift and morning shift sleep score (P=0.035). Also spearman analysis revealed a significant correlation between morning shift sleep score and value of beginning night shift cortisol reduction per end of night shift. There was a correlation between mean cortisol level at the end of night shift and adaptation score. Results showed that as the adaptation score increased, the differences between mean cortisol level at the beginning and the end of their night shift decreased.