Sharif Digital Repository

This paper aims to examine the key factors influencing driving risk perception in Iran. We conducted separate surveys for two groups of Iranian drivers, namely passenger car drivers and truck drivers. In order to assess driving risk perception, respondents were asked what they think about their Probability of Having a Road Accident (PHRA) and if they eventually have an accident as a driver, what they think about the Probability of it being Fatal or causing Severe Injury (PFSI). A Bivariate Ordered Probit model, which considers the possible correlation between PHRA and PFSI, was developed to explain the observed driving risk perception using type of vehicle, driving experience,... 

Objectives. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent among airline baggage handlers due to manual materials handling. In this study, the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ), the revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation, and the University of Michigan 3D Static Strength Prediction Program™ (3DSSPP) were used to analyze MSDs among baggage handlers. Methods. The NMQ was filled out by 209 baggage handlers and 46 arbitrarily selected baggage handlers were evaluated using the NIOSH method and 3DSSPP. Results. The obtained results showed that the most common MSDs occurred in the lower back region. The next risky regions included knees,... 

The groundwater system in the Rafsanjan aquifer perpetuated sustainably for decades before 1950s; however, its groundwater resources have been overexploited in the recent decades. In this paper, we aim to investigate the water governance system to understand the reasons behind the ongoing overexploitation. Sustainability processes are considered a policy implementation problematic. As such, we employ the contextual interaction theory as a policy implementation framework to assess the groundwater governance as part of the context for the conservation policy. Data for this qualitative research were gathered from legal texts, articles, technical reports, and multiple interviews with authorities... 

Workers' absence considerably a ects the performance of labor-intensive construction projects. Identifying such absence patterns assists construction project managers in preparing proper project organization, reducing the absence rate, and improving the project performance. Despite its critical role, no study has investigated the absence pattern in the construction industry in Iran. This study addresses this gap by identifying the worker's absence pattern and providing recommendations to reduce the absence rate. First, a comprehensive literature review is conducted on the impacts of in uential factors in the worker's absence. Then, a questionnaire-based survey is designed and distributed... 

Introduction: Therapeutic exercises are regarded as one of most important therapeutic interventions for patients with chronic low back pain. Stabilization exercises are among the most practical ones for these patients. Effects of these exercises on psychological factors associated with pain and consequential functional disabilities are still remained unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of stabilization exercises on fear of pain, movement and disability in patients with low back pain. Materials and Methods: Twenty one patients with recurrent non-specific low back pain (14 in experimental, 7 in control group) were participated in this study. The scores for fear of pain,... 

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and evaluation of a new medial linkage reciprocating gait orthosis (MLRGO) that incorporates a reciprocal mechanism and is sensitive to pelvic motion to potentially assist paraplegic patients to walk and provide functional independence. Case description and methods: The new orthosis was constructed and tested by a 20-year-old female paraplegic subject with transverse myelitis at T10 level, who was 4 years post injury and had also been an isocentric reciprocating gait orthosis (IRGO) user for 2 years. She received gait training for 12 weeks before undertaking gait analysis, and also completed a questionnaire that was... 

Observing the growing energy demand of modern societies, many countries have rec-ognized energy security as a looming problem and renewable energies as a solution to this issue. Renewable hydrogen production is an excellent method for the storage and transfer of energy generated by intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar so that they can be used at a place and time of our choosing. In this study, the suitability of 15 cities in Fars province, Iran, for renewable hydrogen production was investigated and compared by the use of multiple multi-criteria decision-making methods including ARAS, SAW, CODAS, and TOPSIS. The obtained rankings were aggregated by rank averaging, Borda... 

Objective: This study analyzes the effects of lifestyle, nutrition, and diets on the status and risks of apparent (symptomatic) COVID-19 infection in Iranian families. Materials and Methods: A relatively extensive questionnaire survey was conducted on more than 20,000 Iranian families (residing in more than 1000 different urban and rural areas in the Islamic Republic of Iran) to collect the big data of COVID-19 and develop a lifestyle dataset. The collected big data included the records of lifestyle effects (e.g. nutrition, water consumption resources, physical exercise, smoking, age, gender, health and disease factors, etc.) on the status of COVID-19 infection in families (i.e. residents of... 

Background: Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of fertility, mortality, migration, and population for 204 countries and territories and selected subnational locations from 1950 to 2019. Methods: 8078 country-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 938 surveys, 349 censuses, and 238 other sources were identified and used to estimate age-specific fertility. Spatiotemporal... 

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation tool suited to alter cortical excitability and activity via the application of weak direct electrical currents. An increasing number of studies in the addiction literature suggests that tDCS modulates subjective self-reported craving through stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The major goal of this study was to explore effects of bilateral DLPFC stimulation on resting state networks (RSNs) in association with drug craving modulation. We targeted three large-scale RSNs; the default mode network (DMN), the executive control network (ECN), and the salience network (SN). Methods:... 

Background: The development of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) training simulators for clinical environment applications has reduced the existing shortcomings in conventional teaching methods, creating a standard environment for trainers and trainees in a more accurate and repeatable fashion. Materials and methods: In this research, the validation study of an ESS training simulator has been addressed. It is important to consider components that guide trainees to improve their hand movements control in the orbital floor removal in an ESS operation. Therefore, we defined three tasks to perform: pre-experiment learning, training, and evaluation. In these tasks, the critical regions introduced in... 

Introduction: Some tinnitus subjects habituate to their tinnitus but some others do not and complain of its annoyance tremendously. Normal sensory memory and change detection processes are needed for detecting the tinnitus signal as a prediction error and habituation to tinnitus. The purpose of this study was to compare auditory mismatch negativity as the index of sensory memory and change detection among the studied groups to search for the factors involving in the perception of tinnitus and preventing habituation in decompensated tinnitus subjects. Methods: Electroencephalography was recorded from scalp electrodes in compensated tinnitus, decompensated tinnitus, and no tinnitus control... 

Retinoblastoma is the most frequent primary intraocular tumour in childhood. Early detection of retinoblastoma is the key to successful management with a higher chance of survival. This study aims to assess the knowledge of the general population and healthcare providers about retinoblastoma in term of presentation, risk factors, timing for diagnosis, and complications. A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in three Arab countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq) between 28 August and 16 September 2020. The questionnaire tool was constructed based on an extensive literature review to explore the study's aim and objectives. Logistic regression was used to identify... 

The treatment facility of Albourz Industrial City was established in 1999 at the southeast of Albourz Mountain with an area of 200,000 square meters. Currently, 40,000 cubic meters of industrial wastes are treated daily utilizing biological method of activated sludge up to the second phase without chlorination in this treatment facility. Then, the discharged wastes are directed toward the lower agricultural lands. The environmental status of the region was investigated by testing the impact of wastewater and agricultural products in four tries. In two tries, the levels of COD and BOD were higher than the environmental standards, but there was no trace of heavy metal contamination in any of...