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At the midstream of drywall production, gypsum raw material is calcinated to make stucco, which contains not only calcium sulfate hemihydrate (the desired constituent), but also gypsum (under-calcinated), soluble calcium sulfate (over-calcinated), and insoluble phases. Here, we propose a quantitative phase analysis that measures the amount of all calcium sulfate phases in the stucco mix. The phase content was calculated using calcination mass loss and hydration mass gain of original, semi-hydrated, and fully hydrated samples. The proposed uncomplicated sample preparation and conventional measurement routines make it an excellent on-site quality control measure in an industrial setting.

Recently, ZnS quantum dots have attracted a lot of attention since they can be a suitable alternative for cadmium-based quantum dots, which are known to be highly carcinogenic for living systems. However, the structural stability of nanocrystalline ZnS seems to be a challenging issue since ZnS nanoparticles have the potential to undergo uncontrolled structural change at room temperature. Using the molecular dynamics technique, we have studied the structural evolution of 1 to 5 nm freestanding ZnS nanoparticles with zinc-blende and wurtzite crystal structures. Simulation results revealed that relaxed configurations of ZnS nanoparticles larger than 3 nm consist of three regions: a) a crystalline core, b) a distorted network of 4-coordinated atoms environing the crystalline core and c) a surface structure made entirely of 3-coordinated atoms. Decreasing the size of ZnS nanoparticle to 2 nm will cause the crystalline core to disappear. Further reducing the size will cause all of the atoms to become 3-coordinated. Dipole moments of zinc-blende and wurtzite nanoparticles are in the same range when the nanoparticles are smaller than 3 nm. Increasing the size makes dipole moments converge to the bulk values. This makes zinc-blende and wurtzite nanoparticles less and more polar, respectively.

Domestic violence is a serious threat to the physical and mental health of women. The aim of the present study was to find and compare the frequency of domestic violence between methamphetamine users, patients with psychiatric disorders, and healthy people. In this analytical cross-sectional study, methamphetamine users (n=30) and patients with psychiatric disorders (n=30) were women whose husbands were hospitalized during 2014 in Shafa Psychiatric Hospital in Guilan. Diagnosis was done with DSMIV-TR. Healthy people (n=60) were women whose husbands had no primary or drug induced psychiatric disorder or addiction. CTS-2 test was used to evaluate violence. The frequency of psychological, physical and sexual violence in the groups suffering from psychiatric disease and methamphetamine users was higher than the healthy group (P=0.001). We observed a direct correlation between the mean of psychological and physical violence in the three groups (r=0.9, P=0.001), (r=0.7, P=0.0001) and (r=0.53, P=0.005), respectively. Direct correlation between the psychological and physical violence was only observed in the healthy group (r=0.8, P=0.007). The results showed that methamphetamine users such as psychiatric patients are at increased risk of violence. Domestic violence screening of these patients is necessary. It seems that this substance is a new source of increasing domestic violence with more undesirable outcomes in Iran.

Fabrication of particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites has been pursued with a keen interest recently. However, a comparison of the effect of different reinforcements on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of A356 matrix composites fabricated by FSP is of great interest to be considered. In the present work, the microstructural, mechanical, and wear properties of A356 matrix composites reinforced by SiC, TiC, ZrO 2 , and B 4 C particles are investigated. Moreover, the effect of pin profile on distribution of reinforcing particles in the stir zone of the FSPed specimens is investigated. Hardness and wear tests are performed in order to investigate mechanical and wear properties of the composites. The composite reinforced by TiC particles exhibits higher hardness value compared with other reinforcements due to the excellent bonding between TiC and metal matrix as well as higher hardness value of reinforcement itself than other reinforcements. Moreover, wear test results show that the wear resistance of the composite is significantly improved compared with that of the base metal.

Whole genome wide identification and annotation of genetic variations in camels is in its first steps. The aim of this study was the identification of genome wide variants, functional annotations of them and enrichment analysis of affected genes using whole genome sequencing data of three dromedary camels. The genomes of two Iranian female dromedary camels that mostly used to produce meat and milk were sequenced to 41.9-fold and 38.6-fold coverage. A total of 4,727,238 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 692,908 indels (insertions and deletions) were found by mapping raw reads to the dromedary reference assembly (GenBank Accession: GCA_000767585.1). In-silico functional annotation of the discovered variants in under study samples revealed that most SNPs (2,305,738; 48.78%) and indels (339,756; 49.03%) were located in intergenic regions. A comparison of the identified SNPs with those of the African camel (BioProject Accession: PRJNA269274) indicated that they had 993,474 SNPs in common. We found 15,168 non-synonymous SNPs in the shared variants of the three camels that could affect gene function and protein structure. Obtained results revealed that there were 7085, 6271 and 4688 non-synonymous SNPs among the 3436, 3058 and 2882 genes in the specific gene sets of Yazd dromedary, Trod dromedary and African dromedary, respectively. The list of genes predicted to be affected by non-synonymous variants in different individuals was subjected to gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis.

Head lice infestations are the most prominent ectoparasitic infection in the world, including Iran, particularly among school children. Recently, numerous cases of infestation have been reported in various provinces of the country. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of head louse infestations and analyze kdr gene sequences in terms of resistance mutations in the Torbat-e Heydarieh, Mahvelat, and Zaveh cities of Khorasan Razavi Province, Northeast Iran. The data related to the epidemiological and demographic history of head lice populations were extracted from their medical records and analyzed in Excel software. After extracting the genomic DNA, the kdr fragment was amplified using specific primers. The sequences were also analyzed using bioinformatics software. The prevalence of head louse infestations was 1.59% and 1.7% during 2016 and 2017, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed the frequency distribution of two kdr haplotypes, I and V, in the study areas. The increase in head louse infestations in recent years and the simultaneous presence of kdr mutations indicate the need for new treatments and monitoring/controlling resistance to head louse insecticides.

Context: The fluctuations of proteins in multiple myeloma (MM) are well-known markers for checking the status of the patients. Aims: The objective of this study was to examine three proteins that have an important role in disease progression. Subjects and Methods: The study was performed with two groups: 30 MM stage I patients' (14 females/16 males; aged 60.83 ± 12.38 years) as case group and 40 healthy individuals (18 females/22 males; aged 57.65 ± 6.43 years) as control group. Both groups have been matched in gender and age. Bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteopontin (OPN), and β2-microglobulin (β2M) were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Serum BSP levels of MM-I patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (29.24 ± 5.57 vs. 20.89 ± 3.67, P = 0.001). OPN levels of MM-I patients were significantly lower than that of healthy individuals (12.03 ± 3.45 vs. 19.35 ± 4.67, P = 0.001). β2M levels of patients and controls were similar (1.49 ± 0.67 vs. 1.29 ± 0.55, P = 0.193). Conclusions: The results suggested that myeloma cells may affect the production of BSP and OPN, which possibly contributes to osteoclastic bone resorption in MM-I patients. Their levels may be a useful biomarker for assessing bone destruction in MM-I patients and distinguishing MM-I from healthy individuals.

Introduction: Stroke is one of the most debilitating diseases among adults worldwide and leads to persistent rehabilitation needs even at the chronic stage. Achieving good postural control is a critical requirement for daily activities which enhances quality of life (QoL) in patients with stroke. There is increasing evidence that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be considered a promising adjunct technique to improve motor recovery after stroke. Evidence of augmented neuroplasticity after tDCS suggests that paired rehabilitation followed by consecutive use of tDCS may optimize recovery outcomes. Although a few randomized controlled trials have been conducted on upper limb rehabilitation in chronic stroke using tDCS, no study focused on balance training in chronic stroke patients. The present randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded clinical study addresses brain stimulation targeting postural control using tDCS in chronic stroke.Methods: The study participants included chronic ischemic stroke individuals with postural control impairments who passed the exclusion criteria. Active or sham anodal tDCS was delivered to the lesioned leg motor cortex combined with balance training. The experimental group received active anodal tDCS stimulation (2 mA) for 20 min, daily for 5 days paired with balance training. Linear and nonlinear approaches were used to analyze postural sway changes pre-and post-intervention. Postural sway fluctuation, functional balance assessment using the Berg balance scale, and timed up-and-go test were conducted to compare the active and sham groups.Conclusion: This trial could have significant implications for balance rehabilitation after stroke in the ambulatory setting. If effective, this novel approach may improve rehabilitation protocol in this population.

The primary purpose of this paper is to present a novel algorithm for designing a family of variants. This platform base algorithm is utilized for designing suspension system for a family of Renault Logan cars. In this case, a gray penalty function is presented to minimize variations between suspension parameters and generate suspension variants which have most commonality between each other in different cars of the family. This study developed a nonlinear mathematical model in order to simulate the dynamic performance of suspension system. Therefore, a novel suspension model is presented based on combining vehicle vibration model and geometry suspension model which are subjected to a random vibration road profile excitation and gray family design algorithm. Geometry suspension model analyzes the effect of suspension parameters (i.e., hard points, length of arms, camber angle and caster angle) on the stability, ride and handling of the vehicle. Vehicle vibration model investigates the influence of seat location, damping and spring coefficients on the driver seat acceleration, roll angular and pitch angular acceleration, relative displacement and sprung mass acceleration. The results achieved by the simulation of the full vehicle in ADAMS/CAR and experimental test of Renault Logan car, which have been done in one of main Iranian automakers (SAIPA), demonstrate the accuracy of the novel model. Comparing the results of the family base suspension model and results of ADAMS/CAR simulation indicates the beneficial of this algorithm and its usage in designing suspension system.