Search results for: Seyed Mohsen Mousavi

Authors: Seyed Esmail Seyedi Bariran, Khairul Salleh Mohamed Sahari

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In multi-echelon supply chain networks, optimal supplier selection significantly depends on the accuracy of suppliers’ performance prediction. Different methods of multi criteria decision making such as ANN, GA, Fuzzy, AHP, etc have been previously used to predict the supplier performance but the “black-box” characteristic of these methods is yet a major concern to be resolved. Therefore, the primary objective in this paper is to implement an artificial intelligence-based gene expression programming (GEP) model to compare the prediction accuracy with that of ANN. A full factorial design with %95 confidence interval is initially applied to determine the appropriate set of criteria for supplier performance evaluation. A test-train approach is then utilized for the ANN and GEP exclusively. The training results are used to find the optimal network architecture and the testing data will determine the prediction accuracy of each method based on measures of root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R2). The results of a case study conducted in Supplying Automotive Parts Co. (SAPCO) with more than 100 local and foreign supply chain members revealed that, in comparison with ANN, gene expression programming has a significant preference in predicting supplier performance by referring to the respective RMSE and R-squared values. Moreover, using GEP, a mathematical function was also derived to solve the issue of ANN black-box structure in modeling the performance prediction.

Keywords: Supplier Performance Prediction, ANN, GEP, Automotive, SAPCO

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Authors: Masoumeh Khailghi Sikaroudi, Mohsen Masoodi, Fazad Shidfar, Meghdad Sedaghat

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Background: The hypertonicity of internal anal sphincter resting pressure is one of the main reasons for chronic anal fissures. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of oral administration of L-arginine on anal fissure symptom improvement by relaxation of the internal anal sphincter. Method: Seventy-six chronic anal fissure patients (age: 18-65 years) took part in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial study from February 2019 to October 2020 at Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Participants were allocated into treatment (L-arginine) or placebo groups. They took a 1000 mg capsule three times a day for one month and were followed up at the end of the first and third months after receiving the intervention. Clinical symptoms, anal sphincter resting pressure, and quality of life (QoL) were completed at baseline and the end of the study. Result: The analysis of data was shown significant improvement in bleeding, fissure size, and pain within each group; however, this effect was more seen in the arginine group compared to the control group at the end of the study (P-values<0.001). Following that, a significant increase in QoL was seen just in patients who were treated with arginine (P-value=0.006). Also, the comparison of anal pressures to baseline and between groups at the end of the study showed a significant reduction in sphincter pressure in treated patients (P-value<0.001, =0.049; respectively). Conclusion: Oral administration of 3000 mg L-arginine can heal chronic anal fissures by reducing anal internal sphincter pressure with fewer side effects. However, a long-term study with more follow-up is recommended.

Keywords: L-arginine, anal fissure, sphincter pressure, clinical symptoms, quality of life

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Authors: Majid Farsadrooh, Najmeh Sabbaghi, Seyed Mohammad Mostashari, Abolhasan Moradi

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Phenolic compounds are chief environmental contaminants on account of their hazardous and toxic nature on human health. The preparation of sensitive and potent chemosensors to monitor emerging pollution in water and effluent samples has received great consideration. A novel and versatile nanocomposite sensor based on poly pyrogallol is presented for the first time in this study, and its electrochemical behavior for simultaneous detection of hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CT), and resorcinol (RS) in the presence of nitrite is evaluated. The physicochemical characteristics of the fabricated nanocomposite were investigated by emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The electrochemical response of the proposed sensor to the detection of HQ, CT, RS, and nitrite is studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The kinetic characterization of the prepared sensor showed that both adsorption and diffusion processes can control reactions at the electrode. In the optimized conditions, the new chemosensor provides a wide linear range of 0.5-236.3, 0.8-236.3, 0.9-236.3, and 1.2-236.3 μM with a low limit of detection of 21.1, 51.4, 98.9, and 110.8 nM (S/N = 3) for HQ, CT and RS, and nitrite, respectively. Remarkably, the electrochemical sensor has outstanding selectivity, repeatability, and stability and is successfully employed for the detection of RS, CT, HQ, and nitrite in real water samples with the recovery of 96.2%–102.4%, 97.8%-102.6%, 98.0%–102.4% and 98.4%–103.2% for RS, CT, HQ, and nitrite, respectively. These outcomes illustrate that poly pyrogallol is a promising candidate for effective electrochemical detection of dihydroxybenzene isomers in the presence of nitrite.

Keywords: electrochemical sensor, poly pyrogallol, phenolic compounds, simultaneous determination

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Authors: Nioushasadat Haji Seyed Javadi, Ailar Hajimohammadi, Nasser Khalili

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Currently, the recycling of plastic wastes has been the subject of much research attention, especially in pavement constructions, where virgin polymers can be replaced by recycled plastics for asphalt binder modification. Among the plastic types, recycled linear low-density polyethylene (RLLDPE) has been one of the common and largely available plastics for bitumen modification. However, it is important to note that during the recycling process, LLDPE can easily be contaminated with other plastic types, especially with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP). The cross-contamination of LLDPE with other plastics lowers its quality and, consequently, can affect the asphalt modification process. This study aims to assess the effect of LLDPE cross-contamination on bitumen modification. To do so, samples of bitumen modified with LLDPE and blends of LLDPE with LDPE, HDPE, and PP were prepared and compared through physical and rheological evaluations. The experimental tests, including softening point, penetration, viscosity at 135 °C, and dynamic shear rheometer, were conducted. The results indicated that the effect of cross-contamination on softening point and rutting resistance was negligible. On the other side, penetration and viscosity were highly impacted. The results also showed that among contamination of LLDPE with the other plastic types, PP had the highest influence in comparison with HDPE and LDPE on changing the properties of the LLDPE- modified bitumen.

Keywords: recycled polyethylene, polymer cross-contamination, waste plastic, bitumen, rutting resistance

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Authors: Afrah Saad Mohsen Al-Mahfadi

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In rural areas of developing countries, participation of all stakeholders in water supply projects is an important step towards further development. As most of the beneficiaries are women, it is important that they should be involved to achieve successful and sustainable water supply projects. Women are responsible for the management of water both inside and outside home, and often spend more than six-hours a day fetching drinking water from distant water sources. The problem is that rural women play a role of little importance in the water supply projects’ phases in rural Yemen. Therefore, this research aimed at analyzing the different reasons of their lack of participation in projects and in what way a full participation -if achieved- could contribute to sustainable water supply projects in the rural mountainous areas in Yemen. Four water supply projects were selected as a case study in Al-Della'a Alaala sub-district in the Al-Mahweet governorate, two of them were implemented by the Social Fund and Development (SFD), while others were implemented by the General Authority for Rural Water Supply Projects (GARWSSP). Furthermore, the successful Al-Galba project, which is located in Badan district in Ibb governorate, was selected for comparison. The rural women's active participation in water projects have potential consequences including continuity and maintenance improvement, equipment security, and improvement in the overall health and education status of these areas. The majority of respondents taking part in GARWSSP projects estimated that there is no reason to involve women in the project activities. In the comparison project - in which a woman worked as a supervisor and implemented the project – all respondents indicated that the participation of women is vital for sustainability. Therefore, the results of this research are intended to stimulate rural women's participation in the mountainous areas of Yemen.

Keywords: assessment, rural woman, sustainability, water management

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Authors: Alireza Monzavi Chaleshtori, Mahnaz Aliakbari Dehkordi, Maryam Aliakbari, Solmaz Seyed Mostafaii

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Objective: Considering the growing obesity among children and the role of mother's psychological factors as well as the need to prevent childhood obesity, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of mother's self-efficacy in the relationship between mother's stress and depression and child obesity. Method: For this purpose, in a descriptive-correlation study, 222 mothers and children aged 1 to 5 years in Tehran, who had the opportunity to answer an online questionnaire, were selected by random sampling and to the depression scales of the Kroenke and Spitzer Patient Health Questionnaire, Cohen's stress and Self-efficacy of Berkeley mothers answered. Pearson correlation test and path analysis were used for data analysis. Findings: The findings showed that maternal depression had an indirect and significant effect on child obesity, and the effect of stress and depression on child obesity was indirect and non-significant. Therefore, the model has a good fit with the research data, and stress and depression indirectly predicted child obesity with the mediating role of self-efficacy. Conclusion: The hypothesized model tested based on mother's stress and depression with the mediating role of mother's self-efficacy was a good model in explaining the prediction of child obesity. Based on the findings of this research, a practical framework can be provided to explain the psychological factors of the mother in relation to child obesity and its treatment.

Keywords: stress, self-efficacy, child obesity, depression

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Authors: Ali Kiani, Seyed Davod. Sharifi, Shokoufeh Ghazanfari

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A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of diets containing different levels of lysine and canola oil on growth performance and fatty acid composition of meat of broilers chicks. 240-day old Ross broiler chicks were used in a 3×2 factorial arrangement with canola oil (1, 3, and 5%) and lysine (recommended, and 25% more than recommended by Ross broiler manual) in completely randomized design with four replicates and 10 birds per each. The experimental diets were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. Feed intake and body weight gain were recorded at the end of starter (10 d), grower (24 d) and finisher (42 d) periods, and feed conversion ratio was calculated. The results showed that the weight gain of chickens fed diets containing 5% canola oil were greater than those of birds fed on other diets (P<0.05). The dietary lysine had significant effect on feed intake and diets with 25% more than recommended, increased feed intake significantly (P<0.05). The canola oil×lysine interaction effects on performance were not significant. Among all treatment birds, those fed diets containing 5% canola oil had the highest meristic acid and oleic acid content in their meat. Broilers fed diets containing 3 or 5% canola oil possessed the higher content of linolenic acid and lower content of arachidonic acid in their meat (P<0.05). The results of the present experiment indicated that the diets containing canola oil (5%) and lysine at 25% higher than requirement, improve the growth performance, carcass and breast yield of broiler, and increase the accumulation of Omega-3 fatty acids in breast meat.

Keywords: broiler, canola oil. lysine, fatty acid

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Authors: Nioushasadat Haji Seyed Javadi, Ailar Hajimohammadi, Nasser Khalili

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The common method to improve the performance of asphalt binders is through modification. The utilization of recycled plastics for asphalt modification has been the subject of research studies due to their environmental and economic benefits over using commercial polymers. Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most available recycled plastics in Australia. Unlike other plastics, its contamination with other plastics during the recycling process is negligible. Therefore, the quality of recycled plastic is high, which makes it a good candidate for road construction applications. To assess its effectiveness for bitumen modification, three different grades of PP were selected. The PP grades were compared for blendability with bitumen, and the best suitable grade was chosen for further studies. The PP-modified bitumen and the base bitumen were then compared through physical and rheological properties. The stability of the PP-modified bitumen at elevated temperatures was measured, and the morphology of the samples before and after the storage stability was characterized by fluorescent microscopy. The results showed that PP had a significant influence on reducing the penetration and increasing the viscosity and the rutting resistance of the virgin bitumen. Storage stability test results indicated that the difference between the softening point of the top and bottom section of the tube sample is below the defined limit, which means the PP-modified bitumen is storage stable. However, the fluorescence microscopy results showed that the distribution of the PP particles in the bitumen matrix in the top and bottom sections of the tube are significantly different, which is an indicator of poor storage stability.

Keywords: polypropylene, waste plastic, bitumen, road pavements, storage stability, fluorescent microscopy, morphology

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Authors: Bahareh Arghand, Seyed Abbas Poorhashemi, Ramin Roshandel

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Nowadays, Economic growth and the increasing use of fossil fuel have caused major damages to environment. Therefore, international law has tried to codify the rules and regulations and identify legal principles to decrease conflict of interests between energy law and environmental law. The open relationship between energy consumption and the law of nature has been ignored for years, because the focus of energy law has been on an affordable price of a reliable supply of energy; while the focus of environmental law was on protection of the nature. In fact, the legal and overall policies of energy are based on Sic Omnes and inter part for governments whereas environmental law is based on common interests and Erga Omnes. The relationship between energy law, environmental law and economic aspects is multilateral, complex and important. Moreover, they influence each other. There are similarities in the triangle of energy, environment and economic aspects and in some cases there are conflict of interest but their conflicts are in goals not in practice and their legal jurisdiction is in international law. The development of national and international rules and regulations relevant to energy-environment has been done by separate sectors, whereas sustainable development principle, especially in the economic sector, requires environmental considerations. It is an important turning point to integrate and decrease conflict of interest among energy law, environmental law and economic aspects. The present study examines existing legal principles on energy and the environment and identifies the similarities and conflicts based on the descriptive-analytic study. The purpose of investigating these legal principles is to integrate and decrease conflict of interest between energy law and environmental law.

Keywords: energy law, environmental law, erga omnes, sustainable development

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Authors: Shiva Rezaei, Seyed Jalal Hosseinimehr, Abbasali Karimpour Malekshah, Mansooreh Mirzaei, Fereshteh Talebpour Amiri, Mehryar Zargari

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Objective(s): Cyclophosphamide (CP), as an antineoplastic drug, is widely used in cancer patients, and liver toxicity is one of its complications. Sinapic acid (SA), as a natural phenylpropanoid, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Materials and Methods: The purpose of the current study was to determine the protective effect of SA versus CP-induced liver toxicity. In this research, BALB/c mice were treated with SA (5 and 10 mg/kg) orally for one week, and CP (200 mg/kg) was injected on day 3 of the study. Oxidative stress markers, serum liver-specific enzymes, histopathological features, caspase-3, and nuclear factor kappa-B cells were then checked. Results: CP induced hepatotoxicity in mice and showed structural changes in liver tissue. CP significantly increased liver enzymes and lipid peroxidation and decreased glutathione. The immunoreactivity of caspase-3 and nuclear factor kappa-B cells was significantly increased. Administration of SA significantly maintained histochemical parameters and liver function enzymes in mice treated with CP. Immunohistochemical examination showed SA reduced apoptosis and inflammation. Conclusion: The data confirmed that SA with anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory activities was able to preserve CP-induced liver injury in mice.

Keywords: apoptosis, cyclophosphamide, liver injury, inflammation, oxidative stress, sinapic acid

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Authors: Alaa A. H. Shehada, Eman Abdelnasser Abouhassanein, Reem Mohsen Ali, Joyce J. Moawad, Hiba Bawadi, Abdelhamid Kerkadi

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Background: The association between obesity and micronutrient deficiencies is well documented. Among minerals that have been widely studied: zinc, iron and magnesium. Objectives: This study aims to determine the association between obesity indices and mineral status among Qatari adults. Methods: Secondary data was obtained from Qatar Biobank. 414 healthy Qatari aged 20-50 years old were randomly selected from the database. Anthropometric measurements (WC, Weight, and height), body fat, and mineral status (Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na) were obtained for all selected participants. Differences in anthropometric measurements and mineral status were analyzed by t-test or ANOVA. Spearman correlation coefficients were determined to assess the association between minerals and anthropometric variables. Statistical significance for the hypothesis tests was set at p <0.05. All statistical analysis was preformed using SPSS software version 23.0. Results: Iron, calcium, and sodium levels decreased with an increase in body mass index. Moreover, only iron showed a significant correlation with waist circumference, and waist to height ratio increased. Additionally, calcium, iron, magnesium, and sodium had a statistically significant negative correlation with total body fat percentage and trunk fat percentage. There were statistically significant negative correlations of anthropometrics with minerals. Conclusion: Body fat and trunk fat percentage had a significant inverse relationship with iron, calcium, sodium, and magnesium, while there was no correlation between body fat or trunk fat percentage with potassium.

Keywords: Qatar biobank, body fat distribution, mineral status, Qatari adults

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Authors: H. R. Vosoughifar, Seyedeh Zeinab. Hosseininejad, Nahid Shabazi, Seyed Mohialdin Hosseininejad

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In recent years, structure designers advocate further application of energy absorption devices for lateral loads damping. The Un-bonded Braced Frame (UBF) system is one of the efficient damping systems, which is made of a smart combination of steel and concrete or mortar. In this system, steel bears the earthquake-induced axial force as compressive or tension forces without loss of strength. Concrete or mortar around the steel core acts as a constraint for brace and prevents brace buckling during seismic axial load. In this study, the optimal bracing system in the high-rise structures has been evaluated considering the seismic stress distribution in the connections. An actual 18-story structure was modeled using the proper Finite Element (FE) software where braced with UBF, Eccentrically Braced Frames (EBF) and Concentrically Braced Frame (CBF) systems. Nonlinear static pushover and time-history analyses are then performed so that the acquired results demonstrate that the UBF system reduces drift values in the high-rise buildings. Further statistical analyses show that there is a significant difference between the drift values of UBF system compared with those resulted from the EBF and CBF systems. Hence, the seismic stress distribution in the connections of the proposed structure which braced with UBF system was investigated.

Keywords: optimal bracing system, high-rise structure, finite element analysis (FEA), seismic stress

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Authors: Esmaeil Zabihi, Seyed Hossein Alavi

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The purpose of this study is a comparison of movement and physical fitness in athlete's male students in altitude and sea-level. The samples consist of 450 subjects in altitude and sea-level in Iran in years of 2013 which were selected randomly from the population. We investigated the effect of high altitude on the tests activity profile of youth high altitude and sea level residents. Methods 450 Sea Level (Mahmood Abad) and 450 Altitude-resident (Shahre-Kord) athlete students tests of physical fitness near sea level (-5 m) and in Altitude (2100 m). This study is Descriptive Research (causal-comparative research). The tests of physical fitness include pull-ups test, sit-ups test, agility test(4 9), 45 sprint test, 1600 m running, long jump, and flexibility test. For determining of different between the physical fitness of altitude and sea-level students was used t-test (P ≤ 0.05). The result of this study show that there is no significant difference between the average of pull-ups test, flexibility, 45 sprints, and agility (4 9) test of students in sea-level and altitude. But there is a significant difference between the average of sit-ups, 1600 m running and long jump in altitude. The students of altitude have higher power rather than sea-level. But the students of sea-level have stronger abdominal muscles and cardio-respiratory endurance rather than altitude. High altitude reduces the distance covered by youth athlete students during tests. Neither acclimatisation nor lifelong residence at high altitude protects against detrimental effects of altitude on tests activity profile.

Keywords: physical fitness, sea level, altitude areas, AAHPERD test

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Authors: Sajad Haghanifar, Seyed-Farshid Kashani Bozorg

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Nano-crystalline Mg2Ni-based powder was produced by mechanical alloying technique using binary and ternary powder mixtures with stoichiometric compositions of Mg2Ni, Mg1.9C0.1Ni and Mg2C0.1Ni0.9. The structures and morphologies of the milled products were studied by XRD, SEM and HRTEM. Their electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics were investigated in 6 M KOH solution. X-Ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the milled products showed the formation of Mg2Ni-based nano-crystallites after 5, 15 and 30 h of milling using the initial powder mixtures of Mg1.9C0.1Ni, Mg2Ni and Mg2C0.1Ni0.9, respectively. It was found that partial substitution of C for Mg has beneficial effect on the formation kinetic of nano-crystalline Mg2Ni. Contrary to this, partial substitution of C for Ni was resulted in retardation of formation kinetic of nano-crystalline Mg2Ni. In addition, the negative electrode made from Mg1.9C0.1Ni ternary milled product after 30 hour of milling exhibited the highest initial discharge capacity and longest discharge life. Thus, partial substitution of C for Mg is beneficial to electrode properties of the Mg2Ni-based crystallites. The relation between the discharge capacity and cycling number of mechanically alloyed products was proposed on the basis of the fact that the degradation of discharge capacity was mainly caused by the oxidation of magnesium and nickel. The experimental data fitted the deduced equation well.

Keywords: Mg2Ni, hydrogen absorbing materials, electrochemical properties, nano-crystalline, amorphous, mechanical alloying, carbon

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Authors: Shervin Rashidinia, Sara Shahmoradi, Seyyed Shahin Eftekhari, Mohsen Talebizadeh, Mohammad Saleh Sadeghi

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Background: Beta-thalassemia Major (BTM) is a kind of hereditary hemolytic anemia which depended on regular monthly blood transfusion. However, iron deposition into the organs leads to multi-organ damage. The present study is the first study which aimed to evaluate the average of five-years serum ferritin level and compared by the prevalence of short stature and hypocalcemia. Materials/Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study which a total of 140 patients with beta-thalassemia who were referred to Qom Thalassemia Clinic between February 2011 and July 2016 were enrolled to be reviewed. The exclusion criteria were consisting of incomplete medical records, diagnosis less than 2-years-ago and the blood transfusion less than every 4 weeks. The data including age, gender, weight, height, age of initial blood transfusion, age of initial chelation therapy, ferritin, and calcium were collected and analysis by SPSS version 24. Results: A total of 140 patients were enrolled. Of them, 75 (53.4%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 13.4±4.6 years.The mean age of initial diagnosis was 20.2±7.4 months. Hypocalcemia and short stature were occurred in 41 (29.3%) and 37 (26.4%) patients, respectively. The mean five-years serum ferritin level was significantly higher in the patients with short stature and hypocalcemia (P<0.0001). However, rise in serum ferritin level significantly increases the risk of short-stature and hypocalcemia (1.0004- and 1.0029 fold, respectively). Conclusion: We demonstrated that prevalence of short stature and hypocalcemia were significantly higher in the BTM.However, ferritin significantly increases the risk of short stature and hypocalcemia.

Keywords: beta-thalassemia, ferritin, growth retardation, hypocalcemia

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Authors: Mohsen Shakerinejad

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Due to the growing momentum of technology, the present age is called age of communication and information. And With Astounding progress of Communication and information tools, current world Is likened to the "global village". That a message can be sent from one point to another point of the world in a Time scale Less than a minute. However, one of the new sociologists -Alain Touraine- in describing the destructive effects of new changes arising from the development of information appliances refers to the "new fields for undemocratic social control And the incidence of acute and unrest social and political tensions", Yet, in this era That With the advancement of the industry, the life of people has been industrial too, quickly and accurately Data Transfer, Causes Blowing new life in the Body of Society And according to the features of each society and the progress of science and technology, Various tools should be used. One of these communication tools is Mobile. Cellular phone As Communication and telecommunication revolution in recent years, Has had a great influence on the individual and collective life of societies. This powerful communication tool Have had an Undeniable effect, On all aspects of life, including social, economic, cultural, scientific, etc. so that Ignoring It in Design, Implementation and enforcement of any system is not wise. Nowadays knowledge and information are one of the most important aspects of human life. Therefore, in this article, it has been tried to introduce mobile potentials in receive and transmit News and Information. As it follows, among the numerous capabilities of current mobile phones features such as sending text, photography, sound recording, filming, and Internet connectivity could indicate the potential of this medium of communication in the process of sending and receiving information. So that nowadays, mobile journalism as an important component of citizen journalism Has a unique role in information dissemination.

Keywords: mobile, informing, receiving information, mobile journalism, citizen journalism

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Authors: Seyed Mohamad Rasool Mirkarimi, David Chiaramonti, Samir Bensaid

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Catalytic methane decomposition (CMD, reaction 4) is a one-step process for hydrogen production where carbon in the methane molecule is sequestered in the form of stable and higher-value carbon materials. Metallic catalysts and carbon-based catalysts are two major types of catalysts utilized for the CDM process. Although carbon-based catalysts have lower activity compared to metallic ones, they are less expensive and offer high thermal stability and strong resistance to chemical impurities such as sulfur. Also, it would require less costly separation methods as some of the carbon-based catalysts may not have an active metal component in them. Since the regeneration of metallic catalysts requires burning of the C on their surfaces, which emits CO/CO2, in some cases, using carbon-based catalysts would be recommended because regeneration can be completely avoided, and the catalyst can be directly used in other processes. This work focuses on the effect of biochar as a carbon-based catalyst for the conversion of methane into hydrogen and carbon. Biochar produced from the pyrolysis of poplar wood and activated biochar are used as catalysts for this process. In order to observe the impact of carbon-based catalysts on methane conversion, methane cracking in the absence and presence of catalysts for a gas stream with different levels of methane concentration should be performed. The results of these experiments prove conversion of methane in the absence of catalysts at 900 °C is negligible, whereas in the presence of biochar and activated biochar, significant growth has been observed. Comparing the results of the tests related to using char and activated char shows the enhancement obtained in BET surface area of the catalyst through activation leads to more than 10 vol.% methane conversion.

Keywords: hydrogen production, catalytic methane decomposition, biochar, activated biochar, carbon-based catalyts

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Authors: Seyed M. Khatami, H. Naderpour, R. Vahdani, R. C. Barros

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Many previous studies have been carried out to calculate the impact force and the dissipated energy between two neighboring buildings during seismic excitation, when they collide with each other. Numerical studies are an important part of impact, which several researchers have tried to simulate the impact by using different formulas. Estimation of the impact force and the dissipated energy depends significantly on some parameters of impact. Mass of bodies, stiffness of spring, coefficient of restitution, damping ratio of dashpot and impact velocity are some known and unknown parameters to simulate the impact and measure dissipated energy during collision. Collision is usually shown by force-displacement hysteresis curve. The enclosed area of the hysteresis loop explains the dissipated energy during impact. In this paper, the effect of using different types of impact models is investigated in order to calculate the impact force. To increase the accuracy of impact model and to optimize the results of simulations, a new damping equation is assumed and is validated to get the best results of impact force and dissipated energy, which can show the accuracy of suggested equation of motion in comparison with other formulas. This relation is called "n-m". Based on mathematical relation, an initial value is selected for the mentioned coefficients and kinetic energy loss is calculated. After each simulation, kinetic energy loss and energy dissipation are compared with each other. If they are equal, selected parameters are true and, if not, the constant of parameters are modified and a new analysis is performed. Finally, two unknown parameters are suggested to estimate the impact force and calculate the dissipated energy.

Keywords: impact force, dissipated energy, kinetic energy loss, damping relation

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Authors: Seyedamirreza Shamsdini, Mohsen Mohammadi

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In this research, 18Ni-300 maraging steel powder particles are investigated by studying particle size distribution along with their morphology and grain structure. The powder analysis shows mostly spherical morphologies with cellular structures. A laser-based additive manufacturing process, selective laser melting (SLM) is used to produce samples for further investigation of mechanical properties and microstructure. Several uniaxial tensile tests are performed on the as-built parts to evaluate the mechanical properties. The macroscopic properties, as well as microscopic studies, are then investigated on the printed parts. Hardness measurements, as well as porosity levels, are measured for each sample and are correlated with microstructures through electron microscopy techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The grain structure is studied for the as-printed specimens and compared to the powder particle microstructure. The cellular structure of the printed samples is observed to have dendritic forms with dendrite width dimensions similar to the powder particle cells. The process parameter is changed, and the study is performed for different powder layer thickness, and the resultant mechanical properties and grain structure are shown to be similar. A phase study is conducted both on the powder and the printed samples using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques, and the austenite phase is observed to at first decrease due to the manufacturing process and again during the uniaxial tensile deformation. The martensitic structure is formed in the first stage based on the heating cycles of the manufacturing process and the remaining austenite is shown to be transformed to martensite due to different deformation mechanisms.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, maraging steel, mechanical properties, microstructure

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Authors: Seyed Salahedin Naghshbandi, Zahra Bozorgzadeh, Leila Zakizadeh, Siavash Hamidzadeh

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From the sport economy experts point of view, the existence of competitive balance among sport leagues and its numerous effects on league is an important and undeniable issue. In general, sport events fans are so eager to unpredictable results of competition in order to reach the top of excitement and necessary motivation for following competitions. The purpose of this research is to consider and compare the competitive balance among five provisional European football leagues (Spain, England, Italy, France and Germany) during 1966 - 2015 seasons. Research data are secondary and obtained from Premier League final tables of selected countries in 1966 - 2015 seasons. For analyzing data, C5 and C5ICB indicators used. whatever these indicators be less, more balance establishes in the league and vice-versa. The result showed that Le champion of France reached from 1,259 to 1,395; Italy Serie-A league from 1,316 to 1,432; England premier league from 1, 342 to 1,455; Germany Bundesliga from 1,238 to 1,465 and Spain La liga from 1,295 to 1,495. So by comparing C5ICB charts during 1966 - 2015 seasons, La liga of Spain moved more toward imbalance and enjoyed less balance with other European Leagues. Also, La champion of France during the mentioned season, enjoyed less imbalance and preserved its relative balance with monotonous process. It seems that football in France has been followed as stable during 1966 to 2015, and prediction of results was more difficult and competitions were so attractive for spectators, but in Italy, England, Germany, and Spain there were less balance, respectively.

Keywords: competitive balance, professional football league, competition, C5ICB

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Authors: Omid Gholipoor Bashiri, Ghafur Mosavi, Aliasghar Behnamghader, Seyed Mahmood Rabiee

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Objective: To determine the effect of selected bone graft on the compression properties of radial bone in rabbit. Design-Experimental in vivo study. Animals: A total of 45 adult male New Zealand white rabbits. Procedures: The rabbits were anesthetized and a one-cm-full thickness piece of radial bone was removed using oscillating saw in the all rabbit. The rabbits were divided into 5 groups on the basis of the material used to fill the bone defect: group 1: the paste of bone cement calcium phosphate; group II: the paste of calcium phosphate mixture with type I collagen; group III: tricalcium phosphate mixed with hydroxyapatite (TCP & HP) with 5% porosity; group IV: the same scaffold as group III with 10% porosity; and group V: the same scaffold as group III and IV with 20% porosity, with 9 rabbits in each group. Subsequently subdivided into 3 subgroups of 3 rabbits each. Results: There was a significant increase in compression properties of radial bone in the group II and V in 2nd and 3rd months as compared with groups I, III and IV. The mean endurable crack-strength in group II and V were slightly higher than that of normal radius (P<0.05). Conclusion and clinical relevance: Application of calcium phosphate paste with type I collagen and scaffold of tricalcium phosphate with hydroxyapatite having 20% porosity indicated to have positive effect in integral formation of qualitative callus at the site of fracture and early re-organization of callus to regain mechanical strength too.

Keywords: calcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, radial bone, compressive properties, porosity, type i collagen, rabbit

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Authors: Mohammadreza Aghasadeghi, Mojtaba Hamidi-Fard, Seyed Amir Sadeghi, Ashkan Noorbakhsh

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Introduction: HIV is known as one of the most important pathogens and mortality in all human societies, but unfortunately, no definitive cure has been found for it. Due to its weakened immune system, this virus causes a variety of primary and secondary opportunistic infections. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most relevant opportunistic viruses seen in HIV-positive people that cause various infections in HIV-positive people. This virus causes various infections in HIV-positive people, such as retinal infection (CMVR), gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, severe weight loss, and cerebrospinal fluid problems. These various infections make it important to evaluate the prevalence of CMV in HIV-positive people to diagnose it quickly and in a timely manner. This infection in HIV-positive people reduces life expectancy and causes serious harm to patients. However, a simple test in HIV-positive people can prevent the virus from progressing. Material and Methods: In this study, we collected 200 blood samples (including 147 men and 53 women) from HIV-positive individuals and examined the frequency of CMV-DNA in these cases by real-time PCR method. In the next step, the data was analyzed by SPSS software, and then we obtained the relationship between age, sex, and the frequency of CMV in HIV-positive individuals. Results: The total frequency of CMV DNA was about 59%, which is a relatively high prevalence due to the age range of the subjects. The frequency in men was 61.2% and 52.8% in women. This frequency was also higher in males than females. We also observed more frequency in two age groups of 16 to 30 years and 31 to 45 years. Discussion: Due to the high prevalence of CMV in HIV-positive individuals and causing serious problems in this group of people, this study was shown that both the patients and the community should pay more attention to this issue. Ministry of Health, as a stakeholder organization, can make CMV DNA testing mandatory as soon as a person is HIV positive.

Keywords: CMV, HIV, AIDS, real-time PCR, SPSS

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Authors: Mohammad Amin Hamedirad, Seyed Javad Vaziri Kang Olyaei

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Project planning and control are one of the most critical issues in the management of construction projects. Traditional methods of project planning and control, such as the critical path method or Gantt chart, are not widely used for planning projects with discrete and repetitive activities, and one of the problems of project managers is planning the implementation process and optimal allocation of its resources. Massive concreting projects is also a project with discrete and repetitive activities. This study uses the concept of simulating discrete events to manage resources, which includes finding the optimal number of resources considering various limitations such as limitations of machinery, equipment, human resources and even technical, time and implementation limitations using analysis of resource consumption rate, project completion time and critical points analysis of the implementation process. For this purpose, the concept of discrete-event simulation has been used to model different stages of implementation. After reviewing the various scenarios, the optimal number of allocations for each resource is finally determined to reach the maximum utilization rate and also to reduce the project completion time or reduce its cost according to the existing constraints. The results showed that with the optimal allocation of resources, the project completion time could be reduced by 90%, and the resulting costs can be reduced by up to 49%. Thus, allocating the optimal number of project resources using this method will reduce its time and cost.

Keywords: simulation, massive concreting, discrete event simulation, resource management

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Authors: Seyed Davar Siadat, Samira Tarashi, Abolfazl Fateh, Arfa Moshiri

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Background: The global health issue of tuberculosis (TB) still affects patients in every country. TB control may not be as effective as it should be, especially when resistant strains are involved. In this regard, mycobacterial MTases play a major role in tuberculosis, but the mechanisms underlying their function have yet to be fully deciphered. Methods: Five resistant isolates of M.tb were accumulated. As a reference strain, M.tb H37Rv (ATCC 27249) was used. For this analysis, seven putative mycobacterial MTase genes (Rv0645c, Rv1694, Rv2966c, Rv3919c, Rv2756c, Rv1988, and Rv3263), as well as Rv1392 as SAM synthase, were selected. Comparing mutations and expression levels of MTases in different strains was accomplished by PCR-sequencing and qRT-PCR. The relative expression levels of these genes were calculated using the 2 -ΔΔCt method. Results: The Rv3919c gene (T to G in codon 341) and Rv1392 gene (G to A in codon 97) were the only mutations found in the INHR strain. In all sensitive and resistant isolates, Rv0645c, Rv3263, Rv2756c, and Rv2966c were overexpressed. However, the expression of Rv1988 and Rv3919c decreased in the sensitive strains, whereas the expression of Rv1694 increased. There was also a decreased expression of Rv1392 in the INHR isolate. Conclusion: The presence of mycobacterial MTases as well as resistance to antibiotics were found to be correlated in M.tb strains. Undoubtedly, there are some MTases that are associated with the virulence process. It is necessary to conduct additional studies to fully explore the impact of mycobacterial MTases within specific strains of M.tb to develop novel diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Keywords: mycobacterium tuberculosis, drug resistance, methyltransferases, s-adenosylmethionine

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Authors: Somayeh Negahdari, Mohsen Ghanbarzadeh, Masoud Nikbakht, Heshmatolah Tavakol

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Asthma, obesity and overweight are the main factors causing change within the heart and respiratory airways. Asthma symptoms are normally observed during exercising. Epidemiological studies have indicated asthma symptoms occurring due to certain lifestyle habits; for example, a sedentary lifestyle. In this study, eight weeks of aerobic exercises resulted in a positive effect overall in overweight women experiencing mild chronic asthma. The quasi-experimental applied research has been done based on experimental and control groups. The experimental group (seven patients) and control group (n = 7) were graded before and after the test. According to the Borg dyspnea and fatigue Perception Index, the training intensity has determined. Participants in the study performed a sub-maximal aerobic activity schedule (45% to 80% of maximum heart rate) for two months, while the control group (n = 7) stayed away from aerobic exercise. Data evaluation and analysis of covariance compared both the pre-test and post-test with paired t-test at significance level of P≤ 0.05. After eight weeks of exercise, the results of the experimental group show a significant decrease in resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure, minute ventilation, while a significant increase in maximal oxygen uptake and tolerance activity (P ≤ 0.05). In the control group, there was no significant difference in these parameters ((P ≤ 0.05). The results indicate the aerobic activity can strengthen the respiratory muscles, while other physiological factors could result in breathing and heart recovery. Aerobic activity also resulted in favorable changes in cardiovascular parameters, and exercise tolerance of overweight women with chronic asthma.

Keywords: asthma, respiratory cardiac index, exercise tolerance, aerobic, overweight

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Authors: Aawag Mohsen Al-Awag, Wesam Salah Alaloul, M. S. Liew

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Industrialized building system (IBS) is a method of construction with concentrated practices consisting of techniques, products, and a set of linked elements which operate collectively to accomplish objectives. The Industrialised Building System (IBS) has been recognised as a viable method for improving overall construction performance in terms of quality, cost, safety and health, waste reduction, and productivity. The Malaysian construction industry is considered one of the contributors to the development of the country. The acceptance level of IBS is still below government expectations. Thus, the Malaysian government has been continuously encouraging the industry to use and implement IBS. Conventional systems have several drawbacks, including project delays, low economic efficiency, excess inventory, and poor product quality. When it comes to implementing IBS, construction companies still face several obstacles and problems, notably in terms of contractual and procurement concerns, which leads to the low adoption of IBS in Malaysia. There are barriers to the acceptance of IBS technology, focused on awareness of historical failure and risks connected to IBS practices to provide enhanced performance. Therefore, the transformation from the existing conventional building systems to the industrialized building systems (IBS) is needed more than ever. The flexibility of IBS in Malaysia’s construction industry is very low due to numerous shortcomings and obstacles. Due to its environmental, economic, and social benefits, IBS could play a significant role in the Malaysian construction industry in the future. This paper concentrates on the potential role of IBS in sustainable construction practices in Malaysia. It also highlights the awareness, barriers, advantages, and disadvantages of IBS in the construction sector. The study concludes with recommendations for Malaysian construction stakeholders to encourage and increase the utilization of industrialised building systems.

Keywords: construction industry, industrialized building system, barriers, advantages and disadvantages, construction, sustainability, Malaysia

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Authors: Seyed Sadegh Naseralavi, Sadegh Balaghi, Ehsan Khojastehfar

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Time history seismic analysis is supposed to be the most accurate method to predict the seismic demand of structures. On the other hand, the required computational time of this method toward achieving the result is its main deficiency. While being applied in optimization process, in which the structure must be analyzed thousands of time, reducing the required computational time of seismic analysis of structures makes the optimization algorithms more practical. Apparently, the invented approximate methods produce some amount of errors in comparison with exact time history analysis but the recently proposed method namely, Complete Quadratic Combination (CQC) and Sum Root of the Sum of Squares (SRSS) drastically reduces the computational time by combination of peak responses in each mode. In the present research, the Basic Modal Displacement (BMD) method is introduced and applied towards estimation of seismic demand of main structure. Seismic demand of sampled structure is estimated by calculation of modal displacement of basic structure (in which the modal displacement has been calculated). Shear steel sampled structures are selected as case studies. The error applying the introduced method is calculated by comparison of the estimated seismic demands with exact time history dynamic analysis. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by application of three types of earthquakes (in view of time of peak ground acceleration).

Keywords: time history dynamic analysis, basic modal displacement, earthquake-induced demands, shear steel structures

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Authors: Seyed Mohammad Hashemi, Shahrokh Barati

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The problem of fault-tolerant control (FTC) by accommodation method has been studied in this paper. The fault occurs in any system components such as actuators, sensors or internal structure of the system and leads to loss of performance and instability of the system. When a fault occurs, the purpose of the fault-tolerant control is designate strategy that can keep the control loop stable and system performance as much as possible perform it without shutting down the system. Here, the section of fault detection and isolation (FDI) system has been evaluated with regard to actuator's fault. Designing a fault detection and isolation system for a multi input-multi output (MIMO) is done by an unknown input observer, so the system is divided to several subsystems as the effect of other inputs such as disturbing given system state equations. In this observer design method, the effect of these disturbances will weaken and the only fault is detected on specific input. The results of this approach simulation can confirm the ability of the fault detection and isolation system design. After fault detection and isolation, it is necessary to redesign controller based on a suitable modification. In this regard after the use of unknown input observer theory and obtain residual signal and evaluate it, PID controller parameters redesigned for iterative. Stability of the closed loop system has proved in the presence of this method. Also, In order to soften the volatility caused by Annie variations of the PID controller parameters, modifying Sigma as a way acceptable solution used. Finally, the simulation results of three tank popular example confirm the accuracy of performance.

Keywords: fault tolerant control, fault detection and isolation, actuator fault, unknown input observer

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Authors: Mohsen Masoomi, Fazel Asadi Amjad, Monireh Arvin

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According to Naturalistic principles, human destiny in the form of blind chance and determinism, entraps the individual, so man is a defenceless creature unable to escape from the ruthless paws of a stoical universe. In Naturalism; nonetheless, melodrama mirrors a conscious alternative with a peculiar function. A typical American Naturalistic character thus cannot be a subject for social criticism of American society since they are not victims of the ongoing virtual slavery, capitalist system, nor of a ruined milieu, but of their own volition, and more importantly, their character frailty. Through a Postmodern viewpoint, each Naturalistic work can encompass some entropic trends and changes culminating in an entire failure and devastation. Frank Norris in McTeague displays the futile struggles of ordinary men and how they end up brutes. McTeague encompasses intoxication, abuse, violation, and ruthless homicides. Norris’ depictions of the falling individual as a demon represent the entropic dimension of Naturalistic novels. McTeague’s defeat is somewhat his own fault, the result of his own blunders and resolution, not the result of sheer accident. Throughout the novel, each character is a kind of insane quester indicating McTeague’s decadence and, by inference, the decadence of Western civilisation. McTeague seems to designate Norris’ solicitude for a community fabricated by the elements of human negative demeanours and conducts hauling acute symptoms of infectious dehumanisation. The aim of this article is to illustrate how one specific negative human disposition gradually, like a running fire, can spread everywhere and burn everything in itself. The author applies the concept of entropy metaphorically to describe the individual devolutions that necessarily comprise community entropy in McTeague, a dying universe.

Keywords: animal imagery, entropy, Gypsy, melodrama

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Authors: Naser Shagerdi Esmaeli, Mohsen Hamidpour

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Background and Objective: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been widely used for treating oncological and hematological diseases. Although HSCT has helped to improve patient survival, the risk of developing an infection during hospitalization is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to analyze the infection profile during hospitalization and the associated risk factors among patients undergoing autologous HSCT at the University Hospital, Shahid Ghazi Tabatabaei Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on patients undergoing autologous HSCT at a public university hospital. Methods: Patients with febrile neutropenia between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively evaluated regarding their infection profile and associated risk factors. This survey included: bacterial culture and blood culture on specific media. Results: Infection occurred in 57.2% of 56 patients with febrile neutropenia. The main source of infection was the central venous catheter (25.9%). Infection was chiefly due to Gram-positive bacteria, although Gram-negative-related infections were more severe and caused a higher death rate. Sex, age, skin color, nutritional status, and underlying disease were not associated with the development of infection. Patients with severe mucositis (Grades III and IV) had a higher infection rate (P < 0.001). Patients who developed pulmonary complications during hospitalization had higher infection rates (P = 0.002). Infection was the main cause of death (57.1%) in the study sample. Conclusion: Strategies aimed at reducing infection-related mortality rates among patients undergoing autologous HSCT are necessary.

Keywords: hematopoietic stem cell, autologous bone marrow transplantation, infection profile, tabriz, Iran

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