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Extended Abstract Background: Debris is one of the important phenomena of slope movements in mountainous areas. Harsh climatic conditions and the availability of tectonic and geological structures in the central Alborz Mountain heights have caused a significant amount of debris to form on the slopes. Studying this process by relying on two opportunity and threat patterns is particularly important. Therefore, the current research tries to analyze the susceptibility of the occurrence of the Haraz Valley debris flow in the range of Plour to Baijan by providing a suitable index to prioritize the factors affecting the formation and expansion of debris to achieve its more accurate zoning. Methods: The effects of six layers of information, including lithology, height, slope, aspect, distance from the fault, vegetation, and land use, were investigated on the occurrence and spread of debris flow. First, the debris location in the area was identified using the geological map of Damavand, with a scale of 1:100,000 and Google Earth images. Then, the distribution map of the debris was prepared after field survey and recording points by a GPS device and transferred to the GIS environment. Maps of independent and influential variables on the spread of debris, including lithology and distance from the fault, were prepared from the Damavand geological map, and the height, slope, and direction of the range were prepared using the ASTER digital elevation model. The vegetation and land use maps were prepared from the national coverage map of Iran by processing Sentinel images on the Google Earth Engine Cloud platform. In the next step, the distribution map of the debris was combined with each map of the affecting factors, and the weight of each class of independent variables was obtained based on the density area model. Then, a zoning map of the susceptibility of the spread of debris was prepared in five classes of very high, high, moderate, low, and very low susceptibility. The average effective weight of the deposit susceptibility index was also calculated to determine the prioritization of affecting factors and prepare a more accurate map for the zoning of the expansion of debris. Results: The analysis of factors affecting the spread of debris in the studied area using the density area model shows that Melafir stone units (weathered basalts) have the most weight among all the stone units and all factors affecting the spread of debris in the region. After that, biogenic limestone, alluvial defenses, and Lar Formation are more important factors. The investigation of the elevation factor shows that the frequency of debris increases from 2100 meters up, and the elevation class of 2400-2700 meters is more sensitive. In terms of the slope factor, most of the debris in the region was observed in the slope between 10 and 40 degrees, and the largest deposit cover is related to the slope layer of 20-30 degrees. The calculation of the area density of the debris in different aspects shows that the northwest and north slopes have the most weight and susceptibility. The process of freezing and melting snow is evident in the destruction of rocks and the creation of most of the debris on these slopes. Examining the distance from the fault also showed that the frequency of debris is significant up to a distance of 1000 meters, and the highest weight of this layer, based on the density area, belongs to the zero-500-m layer of the faults. In addition to transmitting seismic stresses, faults cause the penetration of water caused by melting snow into rocks and are influential in destroying rocks and causing debris. In terms of vegetation and land use, pasture lands are the most susceptible to debris. The results of the statistical analysis of the density area and preparation of the regional zoning map showed that 5, 21.15, 29.78, 29.53, and 14.54% of the area of the region have very high, high, medium, and low susceptibility, respectively, to expand debris. According to the Debris Susceptibility Index (DSI) model, land use, lithology, and slope have the highest priorities with average effective weights of 21.04, 20.12, and 18.72, respectively, and are the main factors controlling the spread of debris in the area. The factors of slope, elevation, aspect, and distance from the fault were the next priorities. Conclusion: In the current research, the distribution of debris in different classes of independent variables was analyzed using the Density Area Model, and the importance of each class of parameters affecting the spread of debris was determined based on the weighting of the layers relative to each other. To evaluate the effic iency of the results of the density area model and verify its performance, a zoning map of the expansion of debris was prepared using the DSI model. The evaluation of the accuracy of the models using the empirical probability (P) shows that the density area and DSI models are suitable for zoning the susceptibility of debris in the area with probabilities of 0.79 and 0.80, respectively. The layers of high susceptibility to very high expansion of the deposit cover about 26% of the area, which is considered an environmental resource from one point of view. Hence, it can be exploited as a sedimentary deposit for use in engineering structures by forming a volume reserve, and from another point of view, it is a potential risk in agricultural fields, residential areas, and hydraulic structures.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women around the world. It has been known for over a century that androgens and androgen receptor (AR) play a role in normal and neoplastic breast cells. The aim of this study was to determined the AR expression on tumor cells and its correlation with other prognostic and predictive factors as well as contribution of AR in patients overall survival (OS) and disease- free survival (DFS). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study performed on 189 patients who referred to Medical Oncology Ward of Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, from April 2007 to February 2010. We performed an immunohistochemistry study for AR (AR441 clone, Dako, Germany) (10% cut-off point) and Ki-67 MIB-1 clone, Dako, Germany) on paraffin embedded blocks. Other data were extracted from patients’ documents. Results: Overall, AR expression was 49.1%. Mean age of the patients with and without AR was 47.86 and 48.49 years, respectively. AR positive tumors presented more in stage I/II than III/IV (P=0.02) and AR were more positive for estrogen receptor positive, lower grade of tumor (grade I/II versus III) and lower Ki-67 (P=0.01). AR positivity had neither correlation with progesterone receptor, HER2/neu, P53 expression or menopausal status. OS and DFS were higher in AR positive patients but did not reach statistical significance. In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) group, 25% of tumors showed AR expression. AR had non-significant positive correlation with OS in TNBC cancer patients. OS and DFS had significant statistic positive correlation with ER, PR and stage regardless of AR status. Conclusion: Based on this study, although androgen receptor expression showed correlation with other prognostic factors for survival in patients, we didn’t find statistically significant independent relationship between AR and overall survival in patients. As far as there isn’t any targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), prospective basic and clinical studies regarding AR inhibitors in the treatment of TNBC seems to be logical and valuable.

Studying factors associated with coping resources of mothersof exceptional children who are exposed to stress is very important. This studyexamined the role of religiosity and social support and coping styles inmothers of exceptional children. Methods: This was adescriptive-correlational study and its population were all mothers andchildren from the city of Astara. Data were collected from 67 patients who wereselected by convenience sampling. To collect data, the Religiousness, Coping Strategiesand Social Support questionnaires were used. The collected data were analyzed throughPearson correlation and multiple regression. Results: The results showedthat there was a relationship between religiosity and coping with stress. Also,the relationship between social support and coping strategies was significant. Bothvariables could predict coping styles of mothers who had exceptional childrenas well. Conclusion:Coping with stress styles of mothers of exceptionalchildren can be predicted by social support and religiosity variables. So, toreduce stress and to improve coping strategies in this population, it isrecommended that the role of religiosity and social support be considered.

Trichoderma virens is a beneficial fungus that helps plants fight pathogens and abiotic stresses and thereby enhances crop yields. Unlike other Trichoderma spp., there are two well-defined strains (P and Q) of T. virens, classified by secondary metabolites profiling, primarily the biosynthesis of the nonribosomal, strong antimicrobial agents gliotoxin (Q) and gliovirin (P). We have studied the phenotypic and biocontrol properties of two well-studied representative isolates ( T. virens Gv29-8 and T. virens GvW/IMI304061) that represent a Q strain and a P strain of T. virens , respectively. We refined the genome assembly of the P strain using nanopore technology, and we compared it with the Q strain. The differences between the genomes include gene expansion in the Q strain. T. virens Gv29-8 is weaker than GvW as a mycoparasite on the broad host-range plant pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii, and it is ineffective as a biocontrol agent when applied to pathogen-infested soil. T. virens Gv29-8 proved to be phytotoxic to Arabidopsis seedlings, whereas the effect of T. virens GvW was not major. Both strains colonized the surface and outer cortex layer of tomato roots, with about 40% higher colonization by T. virens Gv29-8. T. virens Gv29-8 induced the expression of a larger set of tomato genes than did T. virens GvW, although some tomato genes were uniquely induced in response to T. virens GvW. We studied the comparative transcriptome response of T. virens Gv29-8 and T. virens GvW to S. rolfsii. A larger set of genes was regulated in T. virens GvW than in T. virens Gv29-8 in the presence of the plant pathogen. IMPORTANCE Trichoderma virens populations that were earlier classified into two strains (P and Q) based on secondary metabolites profiling are also phenotypically and genetically distinct, with the latter being ineffective in controlling the devastating, broad host range plant pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii . The two strains also provoke distinct as well as overlapping transcriptional responses to the presence of the plant and the pathogen. This study enriches our knowledge of Trichoderma -plant-pathogen interactions and identifies novel candidate genes for further research and deployment in agriculture.

This work describes a new operando surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform that we developed for use with polymeric membranes that includes (1) a method for preparing SERS-active polymer membranes and (2) a permeation cell with optical access for SERS characterization of membranes under realistic operating conditions. This technique enables the direct correlation of membrane structure to its performance under realistic operating conditions by combining in situ SERS characterization of the molecular structure of polymer membranes and simultaneous measurement of solute permeation rates on the same sample. Using the new operando SERS technique, this work aims to clarify the unknown mechanisms by which reactive amines facilitate CO 2 transport across polyvinylamine (PVAm), a prototypical facilitated transport membrane for CO 2 separations. We show that a small amount of plasmonic silver particles added to the PVAm solution prior to knife-casting selectively enhances the sensitivity to detection of chemical intermediates (e.g., carbamate) formed in the PVAm film due to the surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect with only minimal effect on the CO 2 permeance and selectivity of the membrane. Operando SERS characterization of PVAm during exposure to humidified CO 2 /CH 4 biogas mixtures at room temperature shows that CO 2 permeates across PVAm primarily as carbamate species. This work clarifies the previously unknown mechanism of CO 2 facilitated transport across PVAm and establishes a new operando SERS platform that can be used with a wide range of polymer membrane systems. This technique can be used to elucidate fundamental transport mechanisms in polymer membranes, to establish reliable structure-performance relationships, and for real-time diagnostics of membrane fouling, among other applications.

Cu-based catalysts are highly active and selective for several CO 2 conversion reactions; however, traditional monometallic Cu-based catalysts suffer poor thermal stability due to the aggregation of copper particles at high temperatures. In this work, we demonstrate a crystal engineering strategy to controllably prepare copper/silica (CuO x /SiO 2 ) catalysts for the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS) at high temperatures. We show that CuO x /SiO 2 catalysts derived from the in situ reduction of pure copper silicate nanotubes in a CO 2 and H 2 atmosphere exhibit superior catalytic activity with enhanced stability compared to traditional monometallic Cu-based catalysts for the RWGS at high temperatures. Detailed structural characterization reveals that there is a strong interaction between Cu and SiO 2 in CuO x /SiO 2 catalysts, which produces more Cu + sites and smaller CuO x nanoparticles. Moreover, CuO x /SiO 2 catalysts possess a unique dot core/rod shell structure, which could prevent the aggregation of Cu particles. This structural confinement effect, enhanced CO 2 adsorption by Cu + , and small CuO x nanoparticles presumably caused the catalyst's extraordinary activity with enhanced stability at high temperatures.

Highly active and stable copper catalysts were successfully achieved by in situ self-reduction treatment of hierarchical double-shell copper silicate hollow nanofibers. The coexistence of Cu0 and Cu+ species in the as-prepared catalysts demonstrated the strong metal-support interactions and endowed them with outstanding catalytic performance for the RWGS reaction.

Background Context: The North American Spine Society (NASS) Evidence-Based Clinical Guideline on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical Radiculopathy from Degenerative Disorders provides evidence-based recommendations on key clinical questions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of cervical radiculopathy from degenerative disorders. The guideline addresses these questions based on the highest quality clinical literature available on this subject as of May 2009. The guideline's recommendations assist the practitioner in delivering optimum efficacious treatment of and functional recovery from this common disorder., Purpose: Provide an evidence-based educational tool to assist spine care providers in improving quality and efficiency of care delivered to patients with cervical radiculopathy from degenerative disorders., Study Design: Systematic review and evidence-based clinical guideline., Methods: This report is from the Cervical Radiculopathy from Degenerative Disorders Work Group of the NASS' Evidence-Based Clinical Guideline Development Committee. The work group consisted of multidisciplinary spine care specialists trained in the principles of evidence-based analysis. Each member of the group formatted a series of clinical questions to be addressed by the group. The final questions agreed on by the group are the subjects of this report. A literature search addressing each question using a specific search protocol was performed on English language references found in MEDLINE, EMBASE (Drugs and Pharmacology), and four additional evidence-based databases. The relevant literature was then independently rated by a minimum of three reviewers using the NASS-adopted standardized levels of evidence. An evidentiary table was created for each of the questions. Final recommendations to answer each clinical question were arrived at via work group discussion, and grades were assigned to the recommendations using standardized grades of recommendation. In the absence of Levels I to IV evidence, work group consensus statements have been developed using a modified nominal group technique, and these statements are clearly identified as such in the guideline., Results: Eighteen clinical questions were formulated, addressing issues of natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of cervical radiculopathy from degenerative disorders. The answers are summarized in this article. The respective recommendations were graded by the strength of the supporting literature, which was stratified by levels of evidence., Conclusions: A clinical guideline for cervical radiculopathy from degenerative disorders has been created using the techniques of evidence-based medicine and best available evidence to aid both practitioners and patients involved with the care of this condition. The entire guideline document, including the evidentiary tables, suggestions for future research, and all references, is available electronically at the NASS Web site (www.spine.org) and will remain updated on a timely schedule., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)