Sharif Digital Repository

The present paper is an attempt to evaluate Pacesetter Series (Strange and Hall, 2005), an EFL course book series, in four levels of starter, elementary, pre-intermediate, and intermediate, being currently instructed at several language institutes in Iran. The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriateness of the series in Iranian EFL contexts. Litz (2000) questionnaire was exploited to examine the series thoroughly in all essential aspects. Sixty four EFL teachers rated the series. The results of descriptive statistics indicated that there is an overall consensus among the teachers that Pacesetter rightly addresses the needs of the learners in a communicative curriculum. However,... 

Noise population is one of the most important environmental pollution cases that cause some troubles for inhabitants and employees in city limit and it is seriously considered as a hygienic risky case and even immunity in the world (Abaspour, 1992).The population of khoramabad city as Lorestan state capital has been 305590, on the basis of population estimate in 2003. It has three-city area and it is located at north-southern corridor of country (management and planning organization of Lorestan province 2004).The matter lead to great bulk of jam that pass through the passageway and linking line that cross through khoramabad city and caused diffusion of many kinds of pollution specially noise... 

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,... 

There are relatively few comprehensive studies on driving errors and violations in Iran, a non-Western country with a high traffic fatality rate. In this study, 712 drivers completed a questionnaire at technical inspection centres and carwashes in Tehran, Iran. Respondents were asked about their demographic characteristics, accident involvement, traffic fines, and driving aberrations in the form of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). The results of a principal component analysis of the DBQ showed a distinction between errors and two types of violations: speeding and non-speeding violations. Correlation analyses showed that DBQ violations were associated with a higher driving mileage, a... 

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,... 

Objectives: Although dental practitioners are confronted with a number of musculoskeletal disorders, relatively few studies have focused on this profession. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of some musculoskeletal complaints of dentists in Iran. Methods: Four hundred and forty-six dentists in Tehran city, Iran were surveyed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems. We administrated a Persian-language version of the Nordic Questionnaire for this purpose. Results: Data gathered from Iranian dentists showed that most dentists [81%] reported pain in at least one joint. The most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders during the previous 12 months were reported... 

Road traffic crashes have become an important public health problem. By studying the statistics of heavy vehicle crashes in the world, it becomes obvious that although heavy vehicle drivers experience fewer crashes than private car drivers, a large percentage of heavy vehicle crashes leads to death. So, it is important to identify the driving characteristics of heavy vehicle drivers. In this study, 474 Iranian truck drivers were interviewed face to face. Response rate of the survey was 80%, the participants who answered the questions on two behavioral questionnaires: Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) and Attention-Related Driving Error Scale (ARDES). Also, two sleep assessing... 

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste dreadful impacts increasingly cause public concerns. Aiming to boost resource exploitation efficiency, circular economy is contemplated a pertinent C&D waste management practice. However, transitioning to circular economy in C&D waste management is hindered by barriers which are to be found and overcome to adeptly handle this kind of waste. In this paper 22 potential crisp barriers are identified through reviewing the seminal literature which could be categorized under three dimensions of behavioral, technical, and legal. Six experts in behavioral, technical, and legal sciences working in sustainable C&D projects were asked to rate the dimensions and... 

Objectives. Stressors have a serious role in precipitating mental and somatic disorders and are an interesting subject for many clinical and community-based studies. Hence, the proper and accurate measurement of them is very important. We revised the stressful life event (SLE) questionnaire by adding weights to the events in order to measure and determine a cut point. Methods. A total of 4569 adults aged between 18 and 85 years completed the SLE questionnaire and the general health questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). A hybrid model of genetic algorithm (GA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) was applied to extract the relation between the stressful life events (evaluated by a 6-point Likert scale)... 

STUDY DESIGN.: Cross-sectional validation study to investigate psychometric properties of adapted Persian version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22r (SRS-22r) questionnaire. OBJECTIVES.: To translate the SRS-22r into Persian and to evaluate the internal consistency, reliability, and validity of the Persian SRS-22r. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.: The SRS-22r has not been translated and validated for Persian-speaking patients with idiopathic scoliosis. This was to provide a validated instrument to measure health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic scoliosis in Iran. METHODS.: The translation and cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire were carried out in accordance... 

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... 

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... 

Objectives: Previous research has shown inconsistent findings regarding muscle endurance in chronic low back pain (CLBP). Questions also remain about muscle endurance in patients with clinical instability. The aim of this study was to investigate trunk muscles strength and endurance in CLBP patients with and without clinical instability. Methods: 32 CLBP patients (15 with and 17 without clinical instability) and 39 matched healthy subjects participated in this study. The standing extension test was performed to assess the strength and endurance of the lumbar extensors while recording their electromyographic activity. The patients' disability was evaluated using the Oswestry and Roland-Morris... 

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... 

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... 

STUDY DESIGN. Cross-cultural translation and psychometric testing were performed. OBJECTIVES. To cross-culturally translate the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), and Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QDS) into Persian, and then investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian versions produced. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA. To the authors' knowledge, there is no validated instrument to measure functional status in Persian-speaking patients with low back pain (LBP) in Iran. To our knowledge, the widely used back-specific measures, the ODI, RDQ, and QDS, have not been translated and validated for Persian-speaking patients with LBP. METHODS. The... 

Background: The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a patient-reported tool to assess symptoms associated with central sensitization (CS). It consists of two parts: Part A assesses 25 somatic and emotional CS-related health symptoms, and part B asks if one has previously been diagnosed with a list of 10 Central Sensitivity Syndromes and related conditions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the CSI into Persian and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Design: Cross-sectional study. Method: After completing the Persian translation, the psychometric properties of the Persian CSI (CSI-Per) were evaluated in 256 patients with chronic pain and...