Science foresight using life-cycle analysis, text mining and clustering: A case study on natural ventilation.

Science foresight comprises a range of methods to analyze past, present and expected research trends, and uses this information to predict the future status of different fields of science and technology. With the ability to identify high-potential development directions, science foresight can be a useful tool to support the management and planning of future research activities. Science foresight analysts can choose from a rather large variety of approaches. There is, however, relatively little information about how the various approaches can be applied in an effective way. This paper describes a three-step methodological framework for science foresight on the basis of published research papers, consisting of (i) life-cycle analysis, (ii) text mining and (iii) knowledge gap identification by means of automated clustering. The three steps are connected using the research methodology of the research papers, as identified by text mining. The potential of combining these three steps in one framework is illustrated by analyzing scientific literature on wind catchers; a natural ventilation concept which has received considerable attention from academia, but with quite low application in practice. The knowledge gaps that are identified show that the automated foresight analysis is indeed able to find uncharted research areas. Results from a sensitivity analysis further show the importance of using full-texts for text mining instead of only title, keywords and abstract. The paper concludes with a reflection on the methodological framework, and gives directions for its intended use in future studies.

The effect of assertiveness training on student's academic anxiety.

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE: Academic anxiety is an important educational problem that affects millions of students in colleges and schools over the world each year. Although a low level of anxiety can cause positive motivation for improvement of educational functioning, high levels of it can cause a disturbance in concentration, attention, storage of knowledge, recall and educational reduction. It has also been recently determined that there is a relationship between anxiety and assertiveness. Therefore, this study is an attempt to determine the effect of assertiveness training on reducing anxiety levels in pre-college academic students in Gonabad city in 2008. METHODS: In this clinical trial study, all the pre-college students of Gonabad city were invited to participate and 89 students were divided into experimental and control groups. There were 3 questionnaires, namely demographic, academic anxiety and assertiveness Rathus questionnaires in which the validity and reliability were calculated and approved. The intervention for the experimental group was 5 sessions of assertiveness training using the PRECEDE model and 1 session for parents and teachers to help and support the intervention program. We had a post-test 8 weeks after the last training session for each group was conducted. The data was analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS: The results showed that anxiety levels and decisiveness in the target group were moderate to high and it is seen as a significant reverse relationship between these two factors (r = -0.69 and p < 0.001). The results also showed that there was a significant anxiety decrease in the experimental group after the intervention. On the one hand, there was a significant increase in decisiveness for both groups, but there was not a significant difference between academic anxiety and assertiveness in the control group.before and after the intervention. CONCLUSION: Due to a significant decrease in anxiety and increased decisiveness in the experimental group, it can be claimed that assertiveness training is an effective non-pharmacological method for reducing academic anxiety and it can improve academic performance.

Application of geographical sciences and technologies to investigate health problems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Recent developments in the geographical sciences and technologies, namely geographical epidemiology, geographical information systems, global positioning systems and spatial data analysis brings about a unique opportunity to investigate the role of "place" in human health in a scientific manner. The aim of the present communication is to open a discussion about the application of these advances to study the geography of public health problems within the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization.

Rafsanjan AIDS clinic 1996-2005: problems faced and solutions found.

In response to the growing number of the HIV-positive patients in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Education established several special clinics in all Iranian provinces to provide treatment and care to HIV-positive patients. The Rafsanjan AIDS Clinic is one such clinic that was set up in 1996. Running such a clinic is not without difficulties, given the nature of the infection and the stigmas associated with it. In this brief report we discuss some of the problems faced at our clinic and the solutions found to overcome them.

Epidemiology of animal bites in Rafsanjan, southeast of Islamic Republic of Iran, 2003-05.

The incidence of animal bites in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been increasing in recent years. In a descriptive study of 1542 patients referred to a health centre in Rafsanjan city from 2003 to 2005, the incidence of animal bites in the area was estimated as 180, 195 and 241 per 100 000 in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively. Of the patients, 74% were bitten by dogs, 23% by cats and 3% by other animals (monkeys, rats, foxes, bats, donkeys, etc.). The mean time delay from injury to initial management was 15.1 (SD 29.8) hours. Rabies vaccine was given to 85% of cases, rabies vaccine plus rabies immunoglobulin to 15% and tetanus toxoid vaccine to 66%.

Suicide/homicide ratios in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

An analysis of suicide and homicide rates was made for countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region using global burden disease data for 2000. The suicide/homicide ratio by age, sex and country level of income was calculated by dividing the suicide rate by the sum of the suicide and homicide rate. Males were more often victims of homicide whilst females were more often victims of suicide. For all male age groups except males 60+ years in high-income countries, the suicide/homicide ratio was 50% or less while for all female age groups except those 60+ years in high-income countries and females 5-14 years old in low- and middle-income countries, the suicide/homicide ratio was over 50%.

QSAR modelling using combined simple competitive learning networks and RBF neural networks.

The aim of this study was to propose a QSAR modelling approach based on the combination of simple competitive learning (SCL) networks with radial basis function (RBF) neural networks for predicting the biological activity of chemical compounds. The proposed QSAR method consisted of two phases. In the first phase, an SCL network was applied to determine the centres of an RBF neural network. In the second phase, the RBF neural network was used to predict the biological activity of various phenols and Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors. The predictive ability of the proposed QSAR models was evaluated and compared with other QSAR models using external validation. The results of this study showed that the proposed QSAR modelling approach leads to better performances than other models in predicting the biological activity of chemical compounds. This indicated the efficiency of simple competitive learning networks in determining the centres of RBF neural networks.

Age and sex suicide rates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region based on global burden of disease estimates for 2000.

Suicide was estimated to be the 25th leading cause of death in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region in the year 2000. Using data from the WHO global burden of disease project, estimated rates of suicidal deaths were plotted for different sex and age groups. Overall rates of suicide were higher in females than males in age groups 5-14 and 15-29 years. The peak age for suicides among females was 15-29 years (8.6 per 100,000) and for males 60+ years (100,000). As a proportion of all deaths due to injury, suicides were substantially higher in females than males. Females in high-income countries had the lowest rates of suicide in all age groups and males in high-income countries had a lower rate than males in low- and middle-income countries.

Effect of a dual-purpose cask payload increment of spent fuel assemblies from VVER 1000 Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on basket criticality.

Dual-purpose casks can be utilized for dry interim storage and transportation of the highly radioactive spent fuel assemblies (SFAs) of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Criticality safety analysis was carried out using the MCNP code for the cask containing 12, 18, or 19 SFAs. The basket materials of borated stainless steel and Boral (Al-B4C) were investigated, and the minimum required receptacle pitch of the basket was determined.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in stray and household cats in Tehran.

The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii specific IgG in stray and household cats in Tehran was determined by Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT) on serum samples from 100 cats (50 stray and 50 households). Overall infection rate was 63%. The infection rate in stray cats (90%) was significantly higher (p<0.001) than that of household cats (36%). Last serum positive dilutions varied from 1: 32 to 1: 512 titres in which the highest percentage (27%) was for 1:256 and the least (4.8%) was at 1:32. The rate of infection between male and female cats of both groups was not significantly different; 90.3% versus 89.5% for male and female in stray cats, respectively. Different sexes of household cats were seropositive at the same rate (36%). A high positive correlation (r(2)=0.97) between age and the rate of infection was observed. The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats in Tehran was high, especially in stray cats which are probably the main source of Toxoplasma infection in this area.

Axenic cultivation and pathogenic assays of acanthamoeba strains using physical parameters.

BACKGROUND: The main goal of the present study was to set up an axenic cultivation of Acanthamoeba and assess the pathogenic ability of T4 genotypes from different clinical and environmental strains of Acanthamoeba using two physical assays. METHODS: Sixteen Acanthamoeba isolates including 10 environmental and 6 clinical strains were cultured axenically. Axenic cultivation was performed using Proteosepepton, yeast extract and glucose medium and TY-I-S33culture. Pathogenic survey was done using osmotolerance and thermotolerance assay. Briefly, differentosmolarity (0.5 M and 1 M) of non-nutrient agar plates were performed. One hundred fifty µl of axenic culture were collected and were inoculated in 1% agar medium. For thermotolerance assay 150 µl of amoebas from axenic culture were divided into fresh culture mediums. Cultures were incubated at 37°C and 42 °C. All plates were monitored for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. RESULTS: Overall, 16 strains of Acanthamoeba isolates previously genotyped as T4 were cultivated axenically after several months. Thermotolerance and osmotolerance assay revealed that all of clinical strains, soil and animal feces strains were highly pathogenic isolates. Two dust and water strains did not grow at high temperature (42 °C) and osmolarity (1.5 M) and thus they were classified as weak pathogens. CONCLUSION: Most of T4 genotypes are highly pathogenic organisms. This is an important finding since Acanthamoeba belonging to T4 type is the predominate genotype in environmental and clinical samples. The presence of highly pathogenic Acanthamoeba may pose a risk within susceptible people.

Necessity of accreditation standards for quality assurance of medical basic sciences.

BACKGROUND: The present article reviews the significance of accreditation standards while emphasizing the necessity of implementation of such standards by basic medical science council, with an eye on such international standards as those published by WFME. This review article had to decide on the key words and expressions, data bases, to review relevant literature, review higher and medical education journals at GOOGLE, ELSEVIER, PUBMED, and such web sites as those of WFME and WMA's. Accreditation is a powerful leverage for institutional change and improvement and must be actively supported by academic and national health authorities worldwide. Considering the mission of the Basic Medical Science, Health and Post grad. Education, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran as accountable medical education, all specialists of the spectrum of disciplines agreed on the necessity of formulating the medical education standards for all disciplines of their interest. It is important that all efforts be joined in the endeavor to create effective and reliable instruments for quality assurance of Basic Medical Sciences Education.

Assessment of the efficacy of 8 weeks of primaquine for the prevention of relapse in vivax malaria patients using SSCP-PCR and sequencing in South and South-East Iran, 2008-2011.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of vivax malaria with primaquine prevents the risk of relapse. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of 8 weeks of primaquine treatment in prevention of relapse in patients with vivax malaria in south and south-east Iran by SSCP-PCR and sequencing. METHODS: A total of 163 symptomatic vivax malaria cases were followed up in Hormozgan and Sistan, Baluchestan provinces in south and south-east Iran between December 2008 and December 2011. DNA was extracted from primary and secondary positive samples. A variation region of PvMSP-1 gene was selected and amplified by PCR. The obtained fragments were processed in polyacrylamide gel for single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and then sequenced. RESULTS: Among 145 patients treated with chloroquine plus primaquine who completed the study period, two patients (1.4%) experienced a secondary infection after the initial episode of Plasmodium vivax. The comparison between primary and secondary isolates by SSCP indicated different banding patterns and electrophoretic mobility. Alignment of nucleotide sequences between pair primary and secondary isolates revealed dissimilar homology. Secondary isolates of both patients were considered as reinfection. Five of the 18 cases (28%) treated with chloroquine only revealed secondary infection. Analysis of nucleotide sequences and SSCP patterns indicated the relapse in all of them. CONCLUSION: This survey indicates that intake of primaquine, 0.75 mg/kg, weekly for 8 consecutive weeks, is effective for the prevention of relapse in vivax cases in Iran.

Genetic Variation of MSP-1 Gene in Plasmodium vivax Isolated from Patients in Hormozgan Province, Iran using SSCP-PCR.

BACKGROUND: The main goal of present study was to detect polymorphism in MSP-1 gene which is a major blood stage candidate for vaccine in Plasmodium vivax by Single Strand Conformational Polymorphism-Polymerase Chain Reaction (SSCP-PCR). METHODS: During 2008 to 2010 fifty samples were collected from Iranian patients with P. vivax in Hormozgan Province, southern Iran. All of the samples were detected by microscopical examination. Amplification of MSP-1 gene was done by PCR after DNA extraction. Single strand DNAs due to using in SSCP, was electrophoresed on polyacrylamid- Bisacrylamid gel then banding patterns were revealed by silver-staining method. Sequencing as a typing method was performed for some isolates. RESULTS: All of the 50 isolates were positive microscopically. Totally 12 (24%) isolates showed 440 bp and 38 (76%) showed 500 bp in PCR assay. SSCP analysis revealed four banding patterns. Pattern I (10/50), Pattern II (12/50), Pattern III (27/50), and Pattern IV (1/50). The results sequencing analysis of the MSP-1 gene in 19 isolates revealed diversity in nucleotides and amino acid in Iranian P. vivax isolates. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms that the SSCP-PCR is a rapid method for detecting polymorphism in MSP-1 gene in P. vivax. The presence of different haplotypes in MSP-1 gene shows that several P. vivax strains exist in malaria endemic areas of Iran.

Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection in Hamadan City, Western Iran.

BACKGROUND: Infection with Trichomonas vaginalis is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in humans. The prevalence of infection in Iran has been reported between 2 to 8%, depending on deferent socio-cultural conditions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis in women referred to gynecologic clinics in Hamadan city, West of Iran. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 750 women who referred to Gynecologic clinics in Hamadan from November 2010 to July 2011. Vaginal samples were obtained from them and examined by wet mount and culture methods for the detection of T. vaginalis. RESULTS: Sixteen out of 750 vaginal swab specimens (2.1%) were culture positive for T. vaginalis and 13 of these positive specimens (1.7%) were wet mount positive. Only 12 of 42 patients who were clinically diagnosed as having T. vaginalis infection, confirmed by culture method. Five hundred and fifty of the participants women (73.3%) had at least one of signs and symptoms of trichomoniasis. No statistical correlation was observed between clinical manifestations and parasitological results (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed low prevalence of T. vaginalis infection in the study population. Since clinical signs of trichomonal vaginitis are the same of other STDs, a confirmatory laboratory diagnosis is necessary. Wet smear as well as culture are sensitive for detection of T. vaginalis.

Cryptosporidium spp. Infection in human and domestic animals.

BACKGROUND: Cryptosporidium spp. is a coccidian parasite infected humans and animals. Prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium spp. infection associated with is some parameters such as sampling, age, season, country and contact to domestic animals. This study aimed to determine Cryptosporidium spp. Infection in humans and some animals in rural areas of Shushtar district from Khuzestan Province, south- west of Iran. METHODS: In this study, Stool specimens were randomly collected from 45 cattle, 8 buffalos, 35 calves, 22 turkeys, 3 sheep, 2 geese as well as 62 humans in different seasons selected from rural areas of Shushtar district located in Khuzestan in the south- west of Iran from August 2009 to April 2011. The collected stool samples were examined by modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining method. RESULTS: Altogether, 68/115 (59.1%) domestic animals and 9/62 (14.5%) of humans were showed Cryptosporidium spp. infection in the study areas. CONCLUSION: In this study we found the high frequency of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in the studied areas.

Serum levels of zinc, copper, vitamin B12, folate and immunoglobulins in individuals with giardiasis.

BACKGROUND: Giardia lamblia is one of the most important intestinal parasites. The aim of this study was to measure serum levels of IgA, IgE, zinc, copper, vitamin B12 and folate in individuals with giardiasis in comparison to normal subjects. METHODS: The study was carried out among 49 Giardia positive and 39 age and sex matched healthy volunteers. Examination of stool samples was done by direct wet smear and formol-ether concentration method. Serum samples were obtained for further laboratory examination. IgA levels were measured by Single Radial Immune Diffusion (SRID). IgE levels were measured by ELISA kit. Zinc and copper levels was measured by Ziestchem Diagnostics Kit and colorimetric endpoint-method respectively. Vitamin B12 and folate levels were measured by DRG Diagnostics Kit and Enzyme Immunoassay method respectively. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in IgA, IgE, copper and zinc levels between positive and negative groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between vitamin B12 and folate levels between the two groups. Mean values of Giardia positive and negative groups for IgA were 309.26 and 216.89 mg/dl, IgE 167.34 and 35.49 IU/ml, copper 309.74 and 253.61 µg/dl and zinc 69.41 and 144.75 µg/dl respectively. CONCLUSION: The results showed levels of IgA may correlate more closely with giardiasis than IgE. Regarding trace elements, giardiasis elevated serum copper levels, while it decreased serum zinc. Finally, there was no significant difference in serum levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid between the two groups.

Genotyping of Trichomonas vaginalis isolates in Iran by using single stranded conformational polymorphism-PCR technique and internal transcribed spacer regions.

Infection with Trichomonas vaginalis, the causative agent of human urogenital infection, is the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. In spite of the high prevalence and medical importance of trichomoniasis, there is little knowledge about genetic epidemiology and genetic characterisation of this parasite. For this purpose, a Single Stranded Conformation Polymorphism-PCR (SSCP-PCR) typing method was conducted for Iranian T. vaginalis isolates using 5.8s ribosomal gene (rRNA gene) and the flanking internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Nine hundred and fifty vaginal swab samples were examined in which 50 (5.3%) samples were parasitologically positive and used for molecular identification based on SSCP-PCR and nucleotide sequence analyses. Results of the SSCP analysis showed two distinct reproducible banding patterns (I, II) which were confirmed by nucleotide sequence analysis in the ITS1 regions. Frequencies of the SSCP banding patterns I and II were 84% (42/50) and 16% (8/50), respectively. In conclusion, SSCP-PCR analysis provided a reliable and sensitive method for strain genotyping of T. vaginalis based on the ITS1/5.8s/ITS2 region. This finding may help us gain more information about correlation between genetic properties and biological features of this parasite.

Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) as an Indicator of Left Ventricular Function, Early Outcome and Mechanical Complications after Acute Myocardial Infarction.

AIMS: This study investigated the prognostic value of B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and its relation with left ventricular function and post-myocardial infarction complications. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, plasma BNP level was measured for 42 consecutive patients (mean ± SD: 61.6 ± 10.85 years old) with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (MI) and 42 healthy, age and gender matched subjects. RESULT: BNP level in AMI patients were significantly higher than control group (P < 0.001). Regarding to infarct location, the highest BNP level measured in inferoposterior MI (BNP = 4436.63 ± 6188.159 pg/ml) and the lowest one indicated in standalone inferior MI (BNP = 598.83 ± 309.867 pg/ml (P = 0.071). There was significant reverse relation between BNP and EF (P = 0.006, OR = -0.47) and a significant relationship between BNP and killip classification (P = 0.036). There was no significant relation between diastolic and right-ventricular function and BNP level (P = 0.61, P = 0.21). The highest BNP level was detected in LV septal rupture and false aneurysm (P = 0.02) and in ventricular tachycardia, but without significant relationship (P = 0.25). CONCLUSION: After the onset of AMI, BNP blood level can be used as an important predictor for left ventricular dysfunction, killip classification, early mechanical complications and cardiac death.