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Learning progressions (LPs) serve as frameworks for understanding the level of complexity of students' ideas within a domain. Multifaceted LPs contain multiple interrelated constructs where increased knowledge in one construct may increase knowledge of a separate construct. While it is challenging to identify and test these contingencies between constructs, our research group has used Bayesian structure learning methods to determine how mental models of genetics change with instruction. In this study, we follow a cohort of high school students for 3 years, measuring their genetics knowledge prior to instruction in 10th grade, immediately after genetics instruction in 10th grade, and at the end of 12th grade. We investigated how their idea networks change as a result of instruction and how they stabilize 2 years after instruction ended. We found students move from a phenotypic to a more molecular/mechanistic understanding of genetics immediately after instruction; students idea networks 2 years after instruction stabilized grounded within molecular explanations of diversity of life and how genetic diversity drives evolution. This study provides a robust mechanism for researchers to test connections between constructs in multifaceted LPs, illustrated by a genetics framework unable to be detected by previous methods.

Older adults are a vulnerable group and face a series of problems that are preventable by changing their lifestyle, so it is necessary to understand the healthy lifestyle and its related factors in older adults. This study aimed to determine the relationship between healthy lifestyle, self-esteem, and subjective vitality in the older adults of Sirjan. This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study included 200 older adults referred to community health centers in Sirjan in 2021. Older adults with inclusion criteria were selected by two-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected by demographic information questionnaire, the healthy lifestyle questionnaire for elderly, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the subjective vitality scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS20 and descriptive and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis, post hoc tests, and Spearman correlation coefficient). A significance level, Author(s): Somayeh Alizadeh [1]; Vahidreza Borhaninejad [2]; Reza Sadeghi [3]; Narges Khanjani [4]; Maryam Saber [1]; Parniya Abolghaseminejad (corresponding author) [5,6] 1. Introduction The global population is aging [1]. Improving [...]

Background: Hookah is addictive and hazardous for health, but it has become popular particularly among adolescence. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Health Communication Efforts (HCE) based on the KAP model to reduce hookah use among adolescents in Sirjan, Iran. Methods: This was a pre- and postintervention study. Participants were 280 male and female adolescences who were selected randomly from the schools of Sirjan. The educational campaign was conducted for 3 months and participants were trained through interpersonal, group, organizational, and community channels and mass media. Data were collected by filling out a questionnaire (containing 35 questions) by the participants before the intervention and 3 months after. Data were analyzed by chi-square, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and paired t-test, through SPSS20 software. Results: The prevalence of hookah smoking was 43.9% among the adolescence. There was a significant change in the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice after the HCE (p < 0.05). Also, the prevalence of hookah smoking among the target group for those who had ever consumed decreased from 8.9% to 4.3% and for those who used it occasionally decreased from 35% to 19.6%. The windshield survey before and 6 months after the intervention, conducted in two major parks in the city showed that the number of people smoking hookah decreased as well. Discussion: The HCE was effective in reducing hookah smoking, and raising knowledge, attitude, and practice among the adolescence of Sirjan. Hence, this KAP-based campaign can be used as an educational intervention for preventing hookah use among adolescents. Translation to Health Education Practice: This study supports the suitability of HCE as an intervention for reducing hookah use and changing the social norms against using hookah.

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), is one of the important insect pests of cotton throughout the world. Considering the adverse effects of chemical pesticides, it is necessary to find eco-friendly substitute agents for managing insect pests, including H. armigera. Plant-derived insecticides have been introduced as suitable candidates to replace detrimental synthetic chemicals. In this study, the toxicities of water, ethanol, and n-hexane extracts of eucalyptus and thyme, as well as their wettable powder formulations, against H. armigera larvae were investigated. The treated larvae represented different degrees of abnormalities, such as larva-pupa intermediate and pupa-adult stages in their different ages until they turned into pupae and completed the breeding cycle. The results showed that the considered formulations of extract of n-hexane and ethanol, and concentrations had significant effects on the mortality rates of the larvae (P≤0.05) but the interaction of extracts and concentrations was not significant. The mortality rates were enhanced by increasing the tested concentrations. The LC50 values (lethal concentrations to kill 50% of the tested insects) were 343.758% (water), 10.171% and 23.264% (ethanol), and 0.404% and 0.490% (n-hexane) for the eucalyptus and thyme extracts within 24 hours, respectively, indicating higher toxicities of n-hexane extracts. The LC50 values of wettable powder formulations of the thyme and eucalyptus extracts were 120.68% and 177.75% (water) and 36.17% and 74.65% (ethanol), respectively, which represented the greater toxicities of these types of formulations. Therefore, the wettable powder formulations of ethanol and water extracts of thyme were more toxic than their solution formulations. Based on the results of this study, wettable powder formulation of eucalyptus and thyme extracts had promising potential for H. armigera management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucormycosis is a serious fungal infection caused by fungi in the order of Mucorales. Orbital mucormycosis occurs more frequently in rhino-orbital, sino-orbital, and rhino-orbito-cerebral forms of the disease, while isolated orbital mucormycosis is much less common. Herein, we present four cases of immunocompetent children who developed primary cutaneous mucormycosis, which subsequently invaded and progressed to orbital mucormycosis following direct traumatic injury caused by pecking from Acridotheres tristis (Common Myna). Given the low prevalence of orbital mucormycosis in healthy children, an unknown source of infection and delayed diagnosis followed by late therapeutic interventions could result in life-threatening conditions and serious sequelae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created a sense of unsafety and uncertainty in various industries and occupations. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of the employees of Golgohar Mining and Industrial Co. during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: This qualitative content analysis study was conducted on 20 employees of the Golgohar Mining & Industrial Co. in Sirjan, Iran, recruited through purposeful sampling from March 2021 to January 2022. After gaining informed consent, semi-structured interviews were conducted and continued until data saturation was achieved. The interviews lasted for 35-50 minutes and were recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed by MAXQDA software, version 2020. Results: Three categories emerged from the qualitative data analysis: “Challenging work environment,” “unsafe workplace,” and “crisis management.” These categories formed the main theme, “encountering a crisis,” which refers to the very difficult situation that the workers experienced with the emergence of COVID-19. Conclusion: The workers did not fully comprehend the seriousness of the pandemic and lacked sufficient information about the disease, which contributed to the spread of infection. Teaching problem-solving strategies and behavior control, combined with training on disease prevention, can be effective in crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the geographic information system (GIS) application has used the latest spatial data to help researchers make the right decisions in the shortest time. This study was conducted with the aim of using geographic information systems (ArcGIS) for selecting the best location for installing banners and billboards in a health campaign. This research was an analytical and applied research conducted in Sirjan city, Iran in 2018. In this research, GIS and fuzzy logic methods were used. In order to implement the fuzzy operator in the GIS environment, initially, the main influencing criteria in location selection were determined. Then the weighted layers were put on top of each other and, by considering the sub criteria, the most suitable places to install banners and billboards were identified in the final map. The final map showed the best places to install billboards and educational banners for the 'hookah is the enemy of health' campaign. The final number of these places was 30 according to the main criteria, and the number was reduced to 25 places, after considering the sub criteria. ArcGIS can be used in selecting the best locations for installing banners and billboards in a health campaign.

Tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lep: Gelechiidae) is one of the most important pests affecting tomato cultivation in Iran. Given its wide spread distribution, it becomes necessary to apply an effective management method. The high damage inflicted by this pest on tomato crops has historically led farmers to use chemical pesticides for quick control, resulting, in pesticide overuse and the development of resistance, rather than effective control against the tomato leafminer. Planting resistant cultivars to agricultural pests considered as one of the most important strategies for the cost-effective production of healthy products and the reduction of pesticide consumption. This study investingates the egg laying preferences of T. absoluta on 15 different tomato genotypes resulting from the hybridization (crossing) of two commercial cultivars, Sakhiya and Eshkol, using a free choice test under greenhouse conditions. Additionally, trichome density and chlorophyll content were assessed in the studied genotypes. The results revealed that Eshkol 52-2 (2), Sakhiya 9-2 (3) and Sakhiya 8-2 (3) exhibited the highest rates of egg laying, while Eshkol 52-7(2) and Eshkol 52-4 (2) showed the lowest. Furthermore, the genotypes with higher egg-laying rates were associated with lower trichome density. However, the chlorophyll content in Eshkol 52-2 (2), which had the most egg-laying rate, was notably high. Conversely, Sakhiya 9-2 (3) and Sakhiya 8-2(3), which also demonstrated relatively high egg-laying rates, exhibited lower chlorophyll content. The chlorophyll content in the genotypes Eshkol 52-7 (2) and Eshkol 52-4 (2), was relatively low but also the egg laying rate was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the evidence for alterations of blood flow, vascular and perfusion densities in the choroid, macula, peripapillary region, and the area surrounding the optic nerve head (ONH) in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) based on changes of OCTA parameters. Methods: A systematic review of Pubmed, Google Scholar, Scopus, WOS, Cochrane, and Embase databases, including quality assessment of published studies, investigating the alterations of OCTA parameters in TAO patients was conducted. The outcomes of interest comprised changes of perfusion and vascular densities in radial peripapillary capillary (RPC), ONH, superficial and deep retinal layers (SRL and DRL), choriocapillaris (CC) flow, and the extent of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ). Results: From the total of 1253 articles obtained from the databases, the pool of papers was narrowed down to studies published until March 20th, 2024. Lastly, 42 studies were taken into consideration which contained the data regarding the alterations of OCTA parameters including choriocapillary vascular flow, vascular and perfusion densities of retinal microvasculature, SRL, and DRL, changes in macular all grid sessions, changes of foveal, perifoveal and parafoveal densities, macular whole image vessel density (m-wiVD) and FAZ, in addition to alterations of ONH and RPC whole image vessel densities (onh-wiVD and rpc-wiVD) among TAO patients. The correlation of these parameters with visual field-associated parameters, such as Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Visual field mean defect (VF-MD), axial length (AL), P100 amplitude, and latency, was also evaluated among TAO patients. Conclusion: The application of OCTA has proven helpful in distinguishing active and inactive TAO patients, as well as differentiation of patients with or without DON, indicating the potential promising role of some OCTA measures for early detection of TAO with high sensitivity and specificity in addition to preventing the irreversible outcomes of TAO. OCTA assessments have also been applied to evaluate the effectiveness of TAO treatment approaches, including systemic corticosteroid therapy and surgical decompression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to compare macular vascular changes one and three months after treatment with either panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) or intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB). Methods: A total of 62 eyes with very severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy or early proliferative diabetic retinopathy without center-involved diabetic macular edema, were included in this retrospective study. Thirty-nine eyes were allocated to the PRP group, while 23 eyes were treated with IVB. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was performed to measure foveal avascular zone (FAZ) characteristics as well as the densities of superficial and deep capillary plexuses (SCP and DCP). Results: In the IVB group, the FAZ area and perimeter expanded at month one but returned to baseline level after three months. In the PRP group, however, the FAZ area and perimeter were rather steady. Changes in the FAZ area were significantly different between the treatment groups at month one (P = 0.02), but not at month three (P = 0.31). There was no significant difference in the change in FAZ circularity index between the two groups at each time point (P = 0.55 and P = 0.31). Similarly, changes in SCP density were not statistically significant between the two groups at both time points (all Ps >0.05). A comparison of the two treatment arms based on the mean change in DCP density revealed a significant difference at month one, but not at month three (P = 0.01 and P = 0.49, respectively). Conclusion: Although bevacizumab and PRP have different short-term macular vascular responses, both therapies have the ability to normalize or stabilize vascular measures over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Otolith morphology in the toothcarps of the family Aphaniidae is an important source of taxonomic information. However, little is known about the ontogenetic variation in otolith morphology. In this study, the development of otolith morphology in different life stages of Aphaniops kruppi, an endemic toothcarp of the Arabian Peninsula, is described and discussed. The results reveal (i) a significant correlation between standard length and otolith size (length) in larval and early juvenile stages, (ii) clear differences in otolith morphology between larvae/early juveniles and adults, and (iii) a temporal link between the appearance of the sulcus on the otolith's inner face and lifestyles, that is demersal in larvae and early juveniles, and pelagic in adults. Moreover, our new data on otoliths of Ap. kruppi propose that otoliths of larvae or early juveniles of Ap. kruppi can be recognized by adults not only because of their small size but also based on their short and rounded rostrum and antirostrum and shallow, wide excisura. As the above-mentioned characteristics are also found in the otoliths of juveniles and larvae of several other studied aphaniids, it can be concluded that otoliths are not diagnostic at the species level in Ap. kruppi, and this holds for other closely related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Various materials have been proposed for reconstructing orbital fractures. The materials used must meet certain criteria to ensure their suitability for restoring the structure and function of the organ. These criteria include biocompatibility, ease of application, non-toxicity, hypo-allergenicity, and non-carcinogenicity. In this study, we systematically reviewed the studies regarding the biomaterials in orbital implants and their clinical application. Methods: A comprehensive search across various databases, including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, was conducted until April 10th, 2023. After retrieving the search results and eliminating duplicates, final studies were included after screening through defined criteria. Human and animal studies assessing the clinical application of biomaterials in orbital implants were included. The quality of the case series and controlled intervention studies were evaluated using the NIH tool, and for animal studies, the risk of bias was assessed using SYRCLE's tool. Results: Seventeen studies were included according to defined criteria. These studies aimed to explore the clinical application of biomaterials and examine the associated complications in orbital implants. Conclusion: We found that using biomaterials did not result in elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). However, we did observe certain complications, with infection, residual diplopia, and enophthalmos being the most frequently reported issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Histiocytosis is one of the most challenging diseases in medical practice. Because of the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, systemic involvements, unknown etiology, and complex management, different types of histiocytosis are still a big question mark for us. Orbital histiocytosis is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of histiocytes in orbital tissues. It could affect the orbit, eyelid, conjunctiva, and uveal tract. Orbital histiocytosis can cause limited eye movement, proptosis, decreased visual acuity, and epiphora. In this study, we review the novel findings regarding the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of different types of histiocytosis, focusing on their orbital manifestations. Method: This review was performed based on a search of the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases or relevant published papers regarding orbital histiocytosis on October 9th, 2023. No time restriction was proposed, and articles were excluded if they were not referenced in English. Results: 391 articles were screened, most of them being case reports. The pathophysiology of histiocytosis is still unclear. However, different mutations are found to be prevalent in most of the patients. The diagnostic path can be different based on various factors such as age, lesion site, type of histiocytosis, and the stage of the disease. Some modalities, such as corticosteroids and surgery, are used widely for treatment. On the other hand, based on some specific etiological factors for each type, alternative treatments have been proposed. Conclusion: Significant progress has been made in the detection of somatic molecular changes. Many case studies describe various disease patterns influencing the biological perspectives on different types of histiocytosis. It is necessary to continue investigating and clustering data from a broad range of patients with histiocytosis in children and adults to define the best ways to diagnose and treat these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]