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Pop songs are, in fact, an ideal source for incidental vocabulary learning because teenagers often spend large amounts of their free time listening to music and in particular to pop songs. Employing an experimental approach, this study attempted to investigate the role of pop songs on vocabulary recall, attitude and retention of Iranian advanced adult EFL learners based on their gender. In so doing a language placement test (Quick Oxford Placement Test) was administered to 100 male and female language learners studying English at different language institutes in Esfahan, Iran. Ultimately, 60 advanced learners (30 males-30 females) were selected by leaving out the students of other levels of proficiency and randomly divided into two relatively homogenous groups as musical and non-musical groups. While the students of musical group (=30) were taught the new vocabulary in the syllabus through 60 different pop songs chosen by themselves through a questionnaire, the students of the non-musical group (n = 30) were taught new vocabulary without using the songs. The participants were examined based on an English vocabulary test developed by the researchers, which probed into the learners' vocabulary recall. A questionnaire was also used to investigate the attitude of the learners towards the instruction. A month later the vocabulary test was re-administered as a delayed retention test and obtained data were statistically analyzed. The results of t-tests demonstrated that the musical group outscored the nonmusical group on vocabulary recall and retention. The results also showed the male learners perform better than the females.

This study investigated the different primary and secondary strategies the Iranian EFL students use in different situations and the effect of gender on this. A questionnaire was developed based on Sugimoto's (1995) to compare the apology strategies used by male and female students, only gender was examined as a variable. The results showed that the statement of remorse was the strategy most frequently used by male and female respondents across the sample and female participants used this strategy more frequently than male participants. Moreover the four primary strategies used by the male respondents were accounts, compensation reparation, negative assessment of responsibility (30%, 20%, 15%, 15%, respectively), while those used by female respondents were compensation, showing lack of intent to do harm, accounts, reparation (20%, 20%, 15%, 10%, respectively). Male respondents tended to use negative assessment of responsibility more than their female counterparts (15% and 5%, respectively). Female respondents used the strategy of promise not to repeat offense in 10% of the situations, while their male counterparts did not use this strategy at all.

It is widely agreed that much second language vocabulary learning occurs while the learner is attentively engaged in the process of reading and interpreting the texts encountered. It is also argued that to understand vocabulary learning linguists cannot limit the investigation of the process of vocabulary learning to word meaning (Gass, 1999). Since many questions remain unsettled in this domain, this study was conducted in the context of TEFL to investigate the effect of teaching vocabulary through its use in contexts in which learners have an interest versus contexts in which they are not that much interested. It, therefore, examines the impact(s) of contextual vocabulary learning and attempts to have a comparison of the effect(s) of the role of favored contexts as opposed to disfavored contexts. The experiment involved two groups of twenty-five male Iranian participants aged from 15 to 25 at the intermediate level in an Iranian English language institute. All things considered, a pretest-posttest control group design was determined to check the accuracy of the researchers' hypothesis in a short-term treatment through the application of reading comprehension tests (RCT). As a result, the overall findings support the initial idea that second language vocabulary acquisition (SLVA) is better achieved through the use of favored-contexts.

Fault tolerant control (FTC) methods considering known faults for quadrotor applications are presented; however, unknown statistical faults characteristics particularly for the FTC design is not discussed. This study tackles this problem and presents a robust two-stage unscented Kalman filter (RTSUKF) that is robust against unknown faults and is able to accurately estimate multi-actuator faults with unknown statistical characteristics. The estimated unknown faults are then compensated through second-order sliding mode controllers which are designed for each of the translational and rotational movements. The fast convergence speed of the proposed estimator reduces the instability time interval of the quadrotor after fault occurrence. To discuss the reliability of the proposed method, stability analysis based on the Lyapunov theory is carried out for the whole closed-loop system. Finally, the robustness of the proposed FTC structure against unknown faults with its convergence speed are validated through numerical analysis. The results confirm the effective and good performance of the proposed method compared to another FTC with a conventional two-stage unscented Kalman filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrants have played a crucial role in shaping the history of Australian society and its development, particularly after 1975, when Australia formally dismantled its White Australia Policy and welcomed immigrants from around the world. Since then, millions of immigrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds have settled in Australia. This review aims to critically discuss the main challenges that many of these immigrants face as part of their integration process in Australia. For this research, various large and relevant databases were considered and searched. And by applying 'inclusion and exclusion criteria', fifty-six major articles published between 1975 to 2021 were selected for critical review and analysis. The findings of this research indicate that, while there have been changes to streamline the process of integration and improve services, five clusters of major challenges have confronted immigrants since 1975: the labour market, racism and discrimination, the language barrier, social connections and housing and accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The random decisions of electric vehicle (EV) drivers, together with the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) energy transfer modes, make scheduling for an intelligent parking lot (IPL) more complex; thus, they have not been considered simultaneously during IPL planning in other studies. To fill this gap, this paper presents a complete optimal schedule for an IPL in which all the above-mentioned items are considered simultaneously. Additionally, using a complete objective function—including charging/discharging rates and prices, together with penalties, discounts, and reward sets—increases the profits of IPL and EV owners. In addition, during peak times, the demand for energy from the distribution system is decreased. The performance of the proposed schedule is validated by comparing three different scenarios during numerical simulations. The results confirm that the proposed algorithm can improve the IPL's benefits up to USD 1000 and USD 2500 compared to the cases that do not consider the V2V and V2G energy transfer modes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy deployment through distributed energy resources is among the central goals of future power systems. Microgrids have proven to be an economically viable solution for distributed energy resources' integration into the power system and benefits customers with uninterrupted power supply. In this context, provisional microgrids have been introduced with the main goal of rapid renewable energy resource deployment. Since a considerable portion of renewable energy resources, as well as residential loads, are DC, and this portion is expected to grow even further, hybrid AC/DC design of provisional microgrids can improve both efficiency and economic benefit through an optimal arrangement of AC/DC feeders and converters. This paper presents a planning model for hybrid provisional microgrids considering the long-term influence of energy storage and the aging process of converters on economic revenues. Due to several intrinsic uncertainties involved in provisional microgrid operation, robust optimization is applied to the problem to ensure optimality under worst-case conditions. Results show the economic benefits of a hybrid provisional microgrid compared to a provisional microgrid and independent microgrid. Several sensitivity analyses are carried out to identify critical factors in planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery energy systems are playing significant roles in smart homes, e.g., absorbing the uncertainty of solar energy from root-top photovoltaic, supplying energy during a power outage, and responding to dynamic electricity prices. For the safe and economic operation of batteries, an optimal battery-management system (BMS) is required. One of the most important features of a BMS is state-of-charge (SoC) estimation. This article presents a robust central-difference Kalman filter (CDKF) method for the SoC estimation of on-site lithium-ion batteries in smart homes. The state-space equations of the battery are derived based on the equivalent circuit model. The battery model includes two RC subnetworks to represent the fast and slow transient responses of the terminal voltage. Moreover, the model includes the nonlinear relationship between the open-circuit voltage (OCV) and SoC. The proposed robust CDKF method can accurately estimate the SoC in the presence of the time-varying model uncertainties and measurement noises. Being able to cope with model uncertainties and measurement noises is essential, since they can lead to inaccurate SoC estimations. An experiment test bench is developed, and various experiments are conducted to extract the battery model parameters. The experimental results show that the proposed method can more accurately estimate SoC compared with other Kalman filter-based methods. The proposed method can be used in optimal BMSs to promote battery performance and decrease battery operational costs in smart homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMA-SynRM) is increasing due to its advantages and superiority over induction motors. The undesirable effects of the encoder measurement error on the drive systems especially during low-range speeds may cause disorder in drive performance and sometimes its instability. For the low-cost application that requires a low-resolution encoder, this problem is felt obviously. This article presents a mathematical solution in order to compensate for the instability problem of a PMA-SynRM control at low speeds based on an augmented state unscented Kalman filter (ASUKF). First, a mathematical analysis for the effect of encoder error on the speed control instability is performed, and then an augmented nonlinear dynamical model for the PMA-SynRM is derived. Using an ASUKF on the presented augmented model of the PMA-SynRM, the error of the encoder is detected and accurately estimated. Using the estimated errors and pure motor state variables, the accuracy and robustness of the control are increased and its stability is guaranteed. The experiments performed for a 0.35 kW PMA-SynRM confirm the performance validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis study to better understand the factors (being drug use, drug type (methamphetamine vs others), sex partner, frequency of injection, homelessness and being HIV positive) associated with injecting-related risk behaviors (lending and/or borrowing already used syringes) among people who inject drugs (PWID). We searched the English language citations in PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic databases for previous studies on risk behaviors among PWID. Two independent researchers reviewed all search results, screened for eligibility and extracted data independently. A meta-analysis was conducted with pooled odds ratio and the 95% confidence intervals for factors associated with injecting risk behaviors among PWID. After detailed assessment of the citations, we included 14 studies in our meta-analysis. Binge drug use (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06–1.71) and drug type (methamphetamine vs. others) (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.22–1.77) were positively associated with the borrowing of already used syringes among PWID. We also found that drug type (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.16–1.64) and homelessness (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.27–2.51) had a positive association with the lending of already used syringes among PWID. Additionally, being HIV positive was negatively associated with the lending of used syringes among PWID (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37–0.63). This systematic review and meta-analysis supports harm-reduction initiatives especially the establishment and maintenance of sterile needle syringe programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The transition from non-injection to injection drug use dramatically increases the risk of transmitting HIV and other blood borne infections including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with the transition from first illicit drug use to first injection among drug users. Methods Using snowball sampling and convenience sampling through needle and syringe programmes (NSPs), we recruited 500 people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kermanshah, between September and December 2014. Trained interviewers collected data on socio-demographic characteristics, HIV testing and drug-related risk behaviors over the last month prior to interview using a structured questionnaire. Our main outcome variable was first illicit drug use to first injection (TIJ). TIJ was calculated by subtracting age at first drug injection from age of first illicit drug use. Results Overall, the average age at first drug use and injection were 21.4 [standard deviation (SD 5.6)] and 22.8 (SD 8.9), respectively. The average duration of injection was 6.0 (SD 4.6) years. Overall, the mean of TIJ for participants was 1.4 (IQR = 2, 4) years. Age of first injecting drug use negatively correlated with TIJ (R2 = 0.219, p = 0.001). Education level and socioeconomic status (SES), and negatively correlated with TIJ. Conclusion Some demographic factors and drug use characteristics including educational level, SES, knowledge of HIV status, age of initiating drug use, being a poly drug user and using methamphetamine were predictors of the time to transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV testing is the first step to early identification, treatment and management of HIV infection among people involved in high-risk behaviors specifically drug injection. Achieving declines in morbidity and mortality associated with HIV and reducing onward HIV transmission are key to testing and treatment. Evaluating the frequency of HIV testing among people who inject drugs (PWID) provides information that helps to identify missed opportunities to improve the efficacy of testing. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the association between HIV testing and risk taking behaviors among PWID. Two independent researchers reviewed the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic databases, for manuscripts published between 2000 and 2017, to identify primary studies on the factors associated with HIV testing among PWID. After reviewing for duplication, the full texts of 16 articles were assessed for eligibility. We used fixed and random-effects meta-analysis models to estimate the pooled prevalence, pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from the data collected. From the four databases 15,965 studies were identified. After evaluations of the citations, article title and abstracts 16 studies were included in the analysis. Findings indicate a significant association between HIV testing and having ≥6 years education (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.01–1.38), a history of imprisonment (OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.30–2.53), access to needle syringe programs (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.00–2.21), and PWID attending a health professional or physician (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.17–1.74). Appropriate strategies to increase awareness of primary care physicians on the importance of regular HIV testing will help with global targets for HIV elimination among PWID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background One of the most prevalent problems in work places that is considered as an important risk factor for the health of the employee is job burnout (JB). JB could be harmful to employees, their families and society. Therefore, decreasing JB among individuals and determining factors associated with it is important to improve the working environment and prevent its negative outcomes. This study aims to elicit the conditions and factors that cause job burnout among nurses of the Razi Psychiatric Hospital, Iran. Methods This study was a descriptive correlational and cross-sectional survey which the demographic and occupational burnout variables of nurses were measured. The study was conducted from January to April 2016. Accordingly, with a type I error probability of 0.05 and a power of 0.80, the sample size was determined to be 100 nurses for each group (men and women). Then, 200 were selected in the Razi Psychiatric Hospital (of whom approx. 60% worked in a rotating shift schedule). The data were collected in two phases: the first step was created by the authors, including gathering demographic data with questionnaire such as gender, age, marital status, education level, years of professional experience, hours of overtime working per month, shift schedules, and their working hospitals and wards. The second step was the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI), human services survey (HSS) version, developed by Maslach and Jackson to assess the three dimensions of burnout. Descriptive statistics (frequency distribution) were used for integrating the demographic variables. Additionally, logistical regression was applied to realize the association between demographic characteristics with the job burnout in SPSS software V.19. Results Our findings indicated that age, hours of work per week, nursing skills, management experience and work experiences accounted for 30% of the variance of depersonalization. Formal employment was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion (p < 0.04). Also, sex was significantly associated with low personal accomplishment (p < 0.006). Conclusion The employment status and gender of nurses participating in the study has an effect on emotional exhaustion and personal achievement. Paying more attention to gender in the nursing profession and the change in their work status to a stable and formalized format can lead to a reduction in job burnout among nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Lack of sleep and on going sleep disorder can affect family health and interpersonal relationships. Objective The aim of study was to investigate the association between sleep quality and the probable determinants of quality of life among students of a public health faculty at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) in the 2015 academic year. Methods The data from a cross-sectional study of 275 students that randomly stratified sampling between different classes of college students of a public health faculty of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were used in this study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisted of modules on socio-demographic characteristics, the Petersburg Standardized Sleep Quality Questionnaire(PSQL) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Data analysis was done with descriptive and logistic regression. All analyses were carried out using SPSS software V.19. Results A total of 275 students participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 22.1 ± 3.6 years. In the univariable model, students that were living in their own homes had the odds of 2.18 times more than the others to have a higher quality of life level [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-4.45]. Moreover, sleep disorder was negatively associated with the quality of life [odds ratio (OR) = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.12-0.46]. Conclusion These results will help university administrators and policy makers to identify factors associated with poor sleep and provide approaches to enhance sleep hygiene and relevant knowledge in university students. Living in a dormitoy while also suffering from sleep problems could significantly reduce the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: although the exact pathogenesis of auditory hallucinations is not yet known, some suggested the impairment of perception and processing of auditory information as a possible explanation. So, the aim of this study is to evaluate auditory pathways of schizophrenic patients using auditory brainstem responses (ABR). Methods: schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations and age and sex matched healthy non-relative controls were recruited in this casecontrol study. Scale for assessment of positive symptoms (SAPS) was used for rating the severity of hallucinations. Then, ABR recorded from all participants and the latencies of waves I, II, III, IV, V and interpeak latencies (IPL) of waves I-III, III-V were analyzed on both sides. Chi squire and independent t tests were applied for statistical analysis. Pvalue= 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 39 patients and 35 controls were included. Latencies of waves III and V and IPL of III-V were significantly prolonged on the left side. Disease duration had no influence on the results. Conclusion: there is a link between abnormal ABRs and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients that indicates dysfunction and abnormal asymmetry of auditory pathways in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a general multi-user wireless powered interference channel (IFC) under the harvest-then-transmit protocol, where the communication in channel coherence time consists of two phases, namely wireless energy transfer (WET) and wireless information transfer (WIT). In the first phase, all energy transmitters (ETs) transmit energy signals to information transmitters (ITs) via the collaborative waveform design, while in the second phase, each IT transmits an information signal to its intended ET using the harvested energy in the previous phase. The aim is to jointly design the WET-WIT time allocation, the (deterministic) transmit signal at the first phase, and the transmit power of ITs in the second phase to optimize the network throughput. The design problems are non-convex and hence difficult to solve globally. To deal with them, we propose efficient iterative algorithms based on alternating projections; then, the majorization-minimization technique is used to tackle the non-convex sub-problems in each iteration. We also extend the devised design methodology by considering imperfect channel state information and non-linearity in energy harvesting circuit. The proposed algorithms are locally convergent and can provide high-quality suboptimal solutions to the design problems. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms under various setups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Relapse is very much associated with the management of disorder during the treatment, but also many other factors could trigger it. The aim of this study was to explore classes and patterns of relapse risk in patients with schizophrenia of Razi Hospital. Methods: Using random sampling techniques, we recruited 300 participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in Razi hospital of Tehran (Iran) between January and May 2017 in a cross -sectional survey. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to establish a baseline model of risk profiles and to identify the optimal number of latent classes, and we used ordinal regression to identify factors associated with class membership. Results: Three classes of multiple relapse risk were identified. LCA showed that, overall, 52%, 22% and 26% of participants with schizophrenia were divided into class 1, class 2 and class 3, respectively. Compared to members in the lowest -risk class (reference group), the highest -risk class members had higher odds of being the age of disorder onset under 25 (OR = 1.4; CI: 1.42-2.33). Participants with schizophrenia who were unemployed were more likely to categorize in the highest -risk class than members of the low -risk class (OR = 2.5; CI: 1.44-4.1). Also, female patients were more likely to belong to members of the high -risk class than members of the low -risk class (OR = 2.22; CI: 1.74-7.64). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of having targeted prevention programs for all domains of Age of onset, female and unemployed related. So, current study suggested that interventions should focus on these risk factors. Furthermore, Increasing the Job opportunities for participants with schizophrenia is warranted so as to prevent of schizophrenia disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Although the etiology of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is yet to be discovered, some studies have mentioned the effect of infectious diseases in occurrence of RLS. This study aims to determine the association between common Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and occurrence of RLS. Methods In this descriptive analytical cross-sectional study, patients with RLS who were referred to the Internal Medicine Clinic of Fayazbakhsh Hospital in Tehran from September to December 2016 were evaluated. Patients with underlying diseases that would lead to secondary RLS were excluded from the study. The control group were matched with the patients group regarding their age and gender, but did not have RLS or diseases that would lead to secondary RLS. All participants underwent serologic tests for evaluating serum levels of IgA and IgG antibodies against H. pylori. Data were analyzed using Chi-Square test and Logistic Regression with SPSS Software Version 20. The significance level was ≤0.05. Results Fifty-seven RLS patients and 64 healthy controls were included in the study. In the RLS group, 36 participants (29.8%) had H. pylori infection. This number was 27 participants (22.3%) in the control group. Data analysis using logistic regression showed a significant relation between H. pylori and occurrence of RLS (p value ≤ 0.05). Conclusions Results of the present study indicated that infection with H. pylori is related with the occurrence of RLS. It seems that releasing inflammatory factors, iron deficiency, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth are some of the involved mechanisms in this pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to latest available data there are more of 300,000 people injects drug users (PWID) in Iran. Objectives: In this study, we used a Blinder-Oaxaca (BO) decomposition to explore the relative contributions of inequality in utilization of NSPs and to decompose it to its determinants in Teheran. Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional survey using snowball sampling to recruit 500 PWID from June to July 2016 in Tehran. Participants were reported injecting drug use in the past month, were able to speak and comprehend Farsi enough to respond to survey questions, and were able to provide informed consent to complete the interview. We used a BO method to decompose the role of economic inequality on utilization of needle and syringe programs. Results: A total 520 of clients participated in the study of which data was fully complete for 500. The selected predictor variables (age, education level, marital status, homelessness, HIV risk perception, and HIV knowledge) together explain 54% (8.5% out of 16%) of total inequality in utilization of needle and syringe programs and the remaining 46% constitute the unexplained residual. HIV risk perception status contributed about 38% (3.3% out of 8.5%) to the total health inequality, followed by HIV knowledge (26%) and education level were contributed 20% each, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that contribution of economic inequalities in utilization of NSPs was primarily explained by the differential effects of HIV risk perception and HIV knowledge among PWID. Reducing HIV risk perception and increasing HIV knowledge might be essential to efforts to eliminate inequalities in access to NSPs among PWID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to compare remifentanil, magnesium sulfate, and dexmedetomidine for intraoperative hypotension, bleeding volume, and recovery time in endoscopic sinus surgery and tympanomastoidectomy (TM). A double-blind clinical trial enrolled the patients undergoing endoscopic nasal sinus surgery and TM at Amirkabir Hospital (Arak, Iran), who were randomly assigned into three groups dexmedetomidine (DEX), remifentanil (REM), and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) to which we intravenously administered 1 μg/kg DEX, an intravenous dose of 1 μg/kg REM, and 40 mg/kg of intravenous MgSO4, respectively. The blood loss, blood pressure (BP), heart ratio (HR), oxygen saturation (SaO2), and recovery time were recorded. Significant differences were found statistically in bleeding rates among all groups (P = 0.0001). The least amount of blood loss (very mild bleeding) was observed at 82.85% in the DEX group. BP and HR were lower in this group than those in the other groups. While recovery score was significantly different in the three groups (P = 0.007), the recovery time was the highest in the DEX group, while the least in the REM group. Based on the present results Dexmedetomidine seems to better prevent from bleeding than the others. Moreover, DEX can cause lower BP and HR in subjects with lower propofol administration, but the recovery time is longer. This study was registered by IRCT2017021114056N11 in Iranian Registry Clinical Center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]