Reliable smart models for estimating frictional pressure drop in two-phase condensation through smooth channels of varying sizes.

Reliable and comprehensive predictive tools for the frictional pressure drop (FPD) are of particular importance for systems involving two-phase flow condensation. However, the available models are only applicable to specific operating conditions and channel sizes. Thus, this study aims at developing universal models to estimate the FPD during condensation inside smooth mini/micro and conventional (macro) channels. An extensive databank, comprising 8037 experimental samples and 23 working fluids from 50 reliable sources, was prepared to achieve this target. A comprehensive investigation on the literature models reflected the fact that all of them are associated with high deviations, and their average absolute relative errors (AAREs) exceed 26%. Hence, after identifying the most effective input variables through the Spearman's correlation analysis, three soft-computing paradigms, i.e., multilayer perceptron (MLP), gaussian process regression (GPR) and radial basis function (RBF) were employed to establish intelligent and dimensionless predictive tools for the FPD based on the separated model suggested by Lockhart and Martinelli. Among them, the most accurate results were presented by the GPR approach with AARE and R 2 values of 4.10%, 99.23% respectively, in the testing step. The truthfulness and applicability of the models were explored through an array of statistical and visual analyses, and the results affirmed the obvious superiority of the newly proposed approaches over the literature correlations. Furthermore, the novel predictive tools excellently described the physical variations of the condensation FPD versus the operating parameters. Ultimately, the order of importance of factors in controlling the condensation FPD was clarified by a sensitivity analysis.

Honey improves spermatogenesis and hormone secretion in testicular ischaemia-reperfusion-induced injury in rats.

This study was conducted to survey the protective effect of pre-treatment with Persian honey during post-ischaemia reperfusion on ischaemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced testis injury. Animals were divided into four groups of IR, honey + ischaemia- reperfusion (HIR), vitamin C + ischaemia- reperfusion (VIR) and carbohydrates + ischaemia- reperfusion (CIR). The testes were examined for spermatogenesis index. Detection of single- and double-stranded DNA breaks at the early stages of apoptosis was performed. Total serum concentration of FSH, LH and testosterone was measured using ELISA. All data were expressed as mean ± SD in each group, and significance was set at p ≤ .05. Spermatogenesis index was significant in the HIR group (p < .001). Serum levels of FSH and LH were significantly higher in the CIR and HIR groups. Serum levels of testosterone were significantly higher in VIR and HIR groups. Apoptotic cells in IR and CIR groups increased significantly statistically (p < .001), while in HIR and VIR groups, the number of apoptotic cells decreased and the positive cells of TUNEL staining were detected in spermatocytes and spermatid. The present study indicates that honey decreases the cellular damage and apoptosis during testicular I/R injury, with significant protective effects on reproductive hormone production.

Melatonin Role in Ameliorating Radiation-induced Skin Damage: From Theory to Practice (A Review of Literature).

Normal skin is composed of epidermis and dermis. Skin is susceptible to radiation damage because it is a continuously renewing organ containing rapidly proliferating mature cells. Radiation burn is a damage to the skin or other biological tissues caused by exposure to radiofrequency energy or ionizing radiation. Acute skin reaction is the most frequently occurring side effect of radiation therapy. Generally, any chemical/biological agent given before or at the time of irradiation to prevent or ameliorate damage to normal tissues is called a radioprotector. Melatonin is a highly lipophilic substance that easily penetrates organic membranes and therefore is able to protect important intracellular structures including mitochondria and DNA against oxidative damage directly at the sites where such a kind of damage would occur. Melatonin leads to an increase in the molecular level of some important antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide, dismotase and glutation-peroxidase, and also a reduction in synthetic activity of nitric oxide. There is a large body of evidence which proves the efficacy of Melatonin in ameliorating UV and X ray-induced skin damage. We propose that, in the future, Melatonin would improve the therapeutic ratio in radiation oncology and ameliorate skin damage more effectively when administered in optimal and non-toxic doses.

New insights into xanthan synergistic interactions with konjac glucomannan: A novel interaction mechanism proposal.

The interactions of xanthans containing precise acetate and pyruvate concentration with Konjac glucomannan (KGM) were studied at different sodium chloride and polymer concentrations. A new unified model of the interaction is proposed, taking into account previous models in the literature. This study suggests that the interactions occur by two distinct mechanisms dependent on xanthan conformation. These interactions are not mutually exclusive and may co-exist and hence produce complicated traces. Consequently two types of gel which melt at different temperature ranges can be formed. Depending on the xanthan helix coil transition temperature, one or both of the synergistic states may exist in the hydrocolloid blend. The proposed model has been tested rheologically and using differential scanning calorimetry by varying salt concentration and using samples containing different functional group concentrations.

Evaluation of nursing care associated with infants born to mothers with drugs abuse and its comparison with the standards in selected hospitals in Kerman 2013-2014.

Background. Pregnancy of women addicted to drugs is a public health problem in most countries, leading to various problems in the mother, the fetus, and the newborn. Since these babies are at risk of various complications and even death, competent and appropriate care of these children is needed. The present study aimed to assess the quality of nursing care provided to newborns and its comparison with the existing standards in infants and neonatal intensive care units of the selected Hospitals in Kerman. Materials and Methods. In this descriptive conducted study, 400 nursing cares, provided to infants born to mothers with drugs abuse, observed and were compared to standard checklists provided by the latest resources and the world's scientific papers. The checklist provided was based on the evaluation of infants and included two distinct categories: non-drug therapy and drug treatment. Finally, the data were analyzed. Results. The consistency quality of the nursing cares provided to infants born to mothers with drugs abuse was evaluated with the existing standards in children, 73% receiving non-drug therapy and 81% of the infants receiving drug treatment. Conclusion. Compared to standards in the normal state, nursing care was associated with babies born to mothers with drugs abuse. The reduction in the incidence of morbidity and mortality in this group of infants was expected in the case of familiarity and training of nursing and the use of caring standards, particularly when applying non-drug therapy.

Antifungal efficacy of thymol, carvacrol, eugenol and menthol as alternative agents to control the growth of food-relevant fungi.

OBJECTIVE: This work is an attempt to examine the antifungal activity of thymol, carvacrol, eugenol and menthol against 11 food-decaying fungi. METHODS: The susceptibility test for the compounds was carried out in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) using microdilution method in 96 multi-well microtiter plates. RESULTS: Results indicated that all compounds were effective to varying extents against various fungal isolates, with the highest efficacy displayed by carvacrol (mean MIC value: 154.5 µg/mL) (P<0.05). The incorporation of increased concentrations of all compounds to the media led to progressive and significant reduction in growth for all fungi. The most potent inhibitory activity of thymol, carvacrol, eugenol and menthol was found for Cladosporium spp. (MIC: 100 µg/mL), Aspergillus spp. (MIC: 100 µg/mL), Cladosporium spp. (MIC: 350 µg/mL), and Aspergillus spp. and Cladosporium spp. (MIC: 125 µg/mL), respectively. CONCLUSION: Thus, the application of these herbal components could be considered as a good alternatives to inhibit fungal growth and to reduce the use of synthetic fungicides.

The effect of ball milling and rehydration on powdered mixtures of hydrocolloids.

In many applications, particularly in food related work, it is assumed that ball milling merely serves as a means of reducing crystallinity by the steady attrition of crystals. In this work mixtures of cellulose with other biopolymers have been co-ball milled in the dry state typically at moisture contents of <12% (w/w) and the effects of recrystallizing these mixtures studied. We have found that recystallizing the mixtures under a humid (97%RH) atmosphere increases the crystallinity of the cellulose fraction in a fashion governed by the other hydrocolloid present in the mixture. Some of the measured effects occur during ball milling of the dry powders. A relative method of fitting mixtures of type I and type II cellulose is described. Progressive transition between these forms with time was discovered for eucalyptus and microcrystalline cellulose at 97%RH. Locust bean gum (LBG) appeared to exert a protective effect on both eucalyptus and microcrystalline cellulose against the destruction of crystallinity by ball milling. For eucalyptus cellulose high levels of type I were produced during recrystallization with LBG under humid conditions. Both cellulose samples crystallized in the type I form in the presence of LBG whereas type II was produced in the presence of other hydrocolloids. Possible mechanisms for these unusual observations are proposed.

Commitment to care: a qualitative study of intensive care nurses' perspectives of end-of-life care in an Islamic context.

BACKGROUND: Currently, end-of-life care is a significant issue and a topic of debate in intensive care settings but understanding of nurses' perspectives about this within an Islamic context is surprisingly lacking. AIM: The purpose of this study was to explore intensive care nurses' perspectives of the end-of-life care in South-east of Iran. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative research approach was used to engage 12 intensive care nurses from three intensive care units of teaching hospitals affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Science in a semi-structured interview. Interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive coding approach. RESULTS: Four major categories emerged from analysis of the interviews: commitment to care, awareness of dying patients, caring relationships, and dealing with barriers and ethical issues. The first category was emphasized and appeared dominant in all interviews. LIMITATION: Because of specific socio-cultural and environmental factors, the findings of this study may not be applicable in other contexts, but enhance our knowledge about the topic in an Islamic context. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of looking at the end-of-life care for critical terminally ill patients within the context of spiritual milieu associated with commitment to a compassionate care until the last moment of their life. Intensive nurses, faced with various barriers and ethical issues, instead were focused on physical and spiritual care and believed that it should fulfil their role in the challenging process. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: These findings indicate that there is a need for policies that help increase the quality of life of dying patients. It is imperative that nursing managers and policy makers in Iran consider these findings to improve end-of-life care in intensive setting. More training programmes, further education and research on the topic, should be implemented.

Psychiatric nursing as 'different' care: experience of Iranian mental health nurses in inpatient psychiatric wards.

Patients with mental illness require unique and specific care. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses, who provide such care for mentally ill people, within the context of Iranian culture. This hermeneutic phenomenological study was carried out in a university-affiliated hospital in an urban area of Iran. We interviewed 10 mental health nurses to capture in detail their experiences in psychiatric units, and the approach developed by Diekelmann et al. was employed to analyse the data. Four themes and five sub-themes were identified: 'being engaged with patients' (sub-themes: 'struggle for monitor/control', 'safety/security concerns', 'supporting physiological and emotional needs'), 'being competent', 'altruistic care' and 'facing difficulties and challenges' (sub-themes: 'socio-cultural' and 'organizational challenges'). The results provide valuable insights and greater understanding of the professional experiences of psychiatric nurses in Iran, and indicate the need for a stable and responsible organizational structure for those nurses who are expected to manage patient care in psychiatric wards.

The effect of rehabilitation on quality of life in female breast cancer survivors in Iran.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life (Qol) of female breast cancer survivors who received rehabilitation intervention beside medical care and survivors who received medical care alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven female breast cancer survivors were assigned to usual medical care (control group) or to usual medical care plus rehabilitation intervention (experimental group). Qol of all patients was assessed before, 1 week and 3 months after intervention. The intervention consisted of physiotherapy, education and individual counseling. The authors used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer core questionnaire and breast module (EORTC QLQ-C30/BR23) for the assessment of Qol. RESULTS: Patients who received rehabilitation had significantly better Qol. Overall, mean of Qol scores improved gradually in experimental group from before to 1 week and 3 months after intervention. In contrast, minimal change was observed between pre/post and follow-up measures for control group. CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation after breast cancer treatment has the potential for physical, psychological and overall Qol benefits.

The relationship between women's health beliefs and their participation in screening mammography.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Early diagnosis of this disease can reduce mortality significantly and will promote women's quality of life. Changes in the women's beliefs and attitudes are necessary to encourage them to undergo screening mammography. To make this change happen, understanding their health beliefs is important. This attempt is to determine the relationship between women's health belief of city of Kerman with their participation in mammography on the basis of health belief model in the year 2005-2006. This study was an experimental-control one in which the main independent variable was health belief including different dimensions such as perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, "cues to actions" and self-efficacy. Participation in the mammography was taken as the dependent variable. Two samples consisting of 148 women who had and 148 women who had not underwent mammography were selected. Data were collected through questionnaires and were analyzed by SPSS=12 software. The result of this study showed that women's health belief in some dimensions of health belief model such as perceived benefits of mammography use, the presence of cues to action in mammography use is associated with having mammography. Moreover the total score of mammography group was more than the score of the group without the mammography. When the two groups were compared in terms of demographic data, experimental group showed significant statistical differences with regard to age, benign breast mass and family history of breast cancer. (P, 0001)Understanding the benefits and advantages of mammography and cues to action will increase women's adherence toward doing it. It is of great importance to better realize breast cancer screening behaviors and factors influencing it. It is also necessary to recognize the factors affecting health professionals' and particularly nurses' use of mammography.