Sharif Digital Repository

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... 

We address the noninvasive temperature estimation from pulse-echo radio frequency signals from standard diagnostic ultrasound imaging equipment. In particular, we investigate the use of a high-resolution spectral estimation method for tracking frequency shifts at two or more harmonic frequencies associated with temperature change. The new approach, employing generalized second-order statistics, is shown to produce superior frequency shift estimates when compared to conventional high-resolution spectral estimation methods Seip and Ebbini (1995). Furthermore, temperature estimates from the new algorithm are compared with results from the more commonly used echo shift method described in Simon... 

A metal organic framework-polyaniline (MOF/PANI) nanocomposite was electrodeposited on a stainless steel wire and used as a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coating. The electropolymerization process was carried out under a constant deposition potential and applied to the corresponding aqueous electrolyte containing aniline and MOF particles. The employment of MOFs with their large and small cages and 3-D structures in synthesizing a nanocomposite was assumed to be efficient constitutes to induce more non-smooth and porous structures, approved by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Three different MOFs were incorporated to synthesize the desired nanocomposites and the... 

In this study, a low–cost microfluidic device from polymethyl methacrylate was fabricated by laser engraving technique. The device is consisted of a central chip unit with an aligned microchannel. Both sides of the engraved microchannel were sandwiched by two synthesized sheets from polyamide/titania (PA/TiO2) hollow nanofibers as extractive phases. The inlet and outlet of the device were connected to the polyether ether ketone tubes, while a peristaltic pump was used to deliver both sample and desorbing solvent through the microchannel. The recorded scanning electron microscopy images from the surface of the synthesized PA/TiO2 nanofibers, exhibit a good degree of homogeneity and porosity... 

A method based on direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography combined with post-column photochemically induced fluorimetry derivatization and fluorescence detection (HPLC-PIF-FD) was developed to extract three pyrethroid insecticides, i.e. cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, and flumethrin from water samples. A sol-gel based coating fiber using 3-(trimethoxysilyl propyl) amine as precursor was prepared and used for the extraction of the pyrethroids from groundwater samples. A post-column photochemical reactor was designed and constructed for the derivatization of these environmentally important pollutants to increase their fluorescence... 

Maximal strength measurements of the trunk have been used to evaluate the maximum functional capacity of muscles and the potential mechanical overload or overuse of the lumbar spine tissues in order to estimate the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries. A new triaxial isometric trunk strength measurement system was designed and developed in the present study, and its reliability and performance was investigated. The system consisted of three main revolute joints, equipped with torque sensors, which intersect at L5-S1 and adjustment facilities to fit the body anthropometry and to accommodate both symmetric and asymmetric postures in both seated and standing positions. The dynamics of... 

Here, a three dimensional nickel–based metal organic framework (MOF) was synthesized via solvothermal and room temperature protocols. In order to study the effects of the synthesis conditions on the physical properties such as pore sizes and shapes of the prepared MOFs, their extraction capabilities were examined. Both MOFs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and thermogravimetric analyses. Brilliant properties such as porous structure, high surface area and considerable thermal stability make them reasonable candidates to be employed as efficient extractive phases. The efficiency of the... 

A novel high-throughput device based on 96-micro-solid phase extraction (96-μ-SPE) system was constructed for multiresidue determination of nine pesticides in aquatic samples. The extraction procedure was performed on a commercially available 96-well plate system. The extraction module consisted of 96 pieces of 1cm×3cm of cylindrically shaped stainless steel meshes. The prepared meshes were fixed in a home-made polytetrafluoroethylene-based constructed ninety-six holes block for possible simultaneous immersion of meshes into the center of individual wells. Dodecyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was copolymerized as a monolithic polymer and placed in the cylindrically shaped... 

In the current research, a cost-effective and modified method with a high degree of reproducibility was proposed for the preparation of fine nanoscale and high-purity BaTiO3. In contrast to the other established methods, in this research, carbonate-free BaTiO3 nanopowders were prepared at a lower temperature and in a shorter time span. To reach an in-depth understanding of the scientific basis of the proposed process, an in-detail analysis was carried out for characterization of nanoscale BaTiO3 particles via differential thermal analysis (DTA)/thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and... 

A high-throughput solid-phase microextraction (SPME) on 96-well plate together with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the determination of some selected pesticides in cucumber samples. Pieces with the length of 1.0cm of silicon tubing were precisely prepared and then coated on the end part of stainless steel wires. The prepared fibers were positioned in a home-made polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-based constructed ninety-six holes block to have the possibility of simultaneous immersion of the SPME fibers into the center of individual wells. Pesticides such as diazinon, penconazol, tebuconazol, bitertanol, malathion, phosalone and chlorpyrifos-methyl were selected... 

Gas porosities and entrapped double oxide film (hereafter: oxides) are known to be the most detrimental defects in cast Al-Si-Mg alloys. This study investigated the effects of dissolved hydrogen (hereafter: H) and oxides on reproducibility of tensile properties in Al-7Si-0.35 Mg alloys. Also the effects of H and oxides content on the morphology of defects were studied. Four different casting conditions (low oxide-low H, low oxide-high H, high oxide-low H, high oxide-high H) were tested using tensile test bars that were cast in a metallic mold. Results of tensile test that were obtained for each casting condition were analyzed using Weibull two-parameter analysis. Microstructure and fracture... 

A mixture of multi-walled carbon nanotube/graphite paste electrode modified with a salophen complex of cobalt was prepared and was applied for the study of the electrochemical behavior of 6-mercaptopurine (MP) using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). An excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of MP was achieved, which led to a considerable lowering in the anodic overpotential and remarkable increase in the response sensitivity in comparison with unmodified electrode. Utilizing DPV method, a linear dynamic range of 1-100 μM with detection limit of 0.1 μM was obtained in phosphate buffer of pH 3.0. The electrochemical detection system was very stable, and the... 

The properties of metallic nanorods vary due to changes in their composition, size and shape, which all depend on the aspect ratio of the nanorods. This work focuses on the optimization of the aspect ratio of silver nanorods using response surface methodology (RSM). Seed-mediated approach, which is the newest method with less difficulty, has been used for the synthesis of silver nanorods. First, silver ions were reduced with sodium borohydride in the presence of sodium citrate dehydrate, as stabilizer. Then, the prepared seeds were added to a solution containing more metal salts, a weak reducing agent (ascorbic acid) and a rod-like micellar template (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB).... 

A promising electrochemical sensor was developed based on a layer by layer process by electro-polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of new coccine (NC) as dopant anion on the surface of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) pre-coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The modified electrode was used as a new and sensitive electrochemical sensor for voltammetric determination of sumatriptan (SUM). The electrochemical behavior of SUM was investigated on the surface of the modified electrode using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The results showed a remarkable increase (∼12 times) in the anodic peak current of SUM in comparison to the bare GCE. The effect of experimental variables such... 

A highly efficient polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)-based nanocomposite containing nickel oxide nanoparticles was synthesized by electrospinning technique and used as a fiber coating for solid phase microextraction. The influential morphological parameters and capability of the prepared nanocomposite including the NiO content, the coating time, the PBT concentration and applied voltage were considered for optimization. The applicability of the synthesized fiber coating was examined by headspace solid phase micro extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry detection of some volatile organic compounds in aqueous samples. Among the synthesized nanocomposites and pristine PBT nanofibers,... 

A novel modified pyrolytic graphite electrode with nano-diamond/graphite was fabricated. The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward the epinephrine (EN) and uric acid (UA) were studied by means of cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry. The structural morphology and thickness of the film was characterized by SEM technique. The prepared electrode showed an excellent catalytic activity in the electrochemical oxidation of EN and UA, leading to remarkable enhancements in the corresponding peak currents and lowering the peak potentials. The prepared modified electrode acts as a highly sensitive sensor for simultaneous determination of EN and UA in the presence of... 

Although the application of nonlinear tools including recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) has increasingly grown in the recent years especially in balance-disordered populations, there have been few studies which determine their measurement properties. Therefore, a methodological study was performed to estimate the intersession and intrasession reliability of some dynamic features provided by RQA for nonlinear analysis of center of pressure (COP) signals recorded during quiet standing in a sample of patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) including low back pain (LBP), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and functional ankle instability (FAI). The subjects completed postural... 

The 3D structure of vitamin P, an important bioflavonoid, has been studied in solution by 2D NMR spectroscopy and QM calculations. Rutin, vitamin P, was extracted from Salvia macrosiphon and identified by 1H, 13C, 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC spectroscopy. In parallel, density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP functional and split-valance 6-311G basis set has been used to optimize the structures and conformers of rutin. Also experimental and theoretical methods have been used to correlate the dependencies of 1J, 2J, and 3J involving 1H and 13C on the C5″-C6″ (ω), C6″-O6″ (θ), and C1‴-O6″ () torsion angles in the glycosidic moiety. New Karplus equations are proposed to assist in the... 

Objective: To translate the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) into Persian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of FAAM. Methods: 93 patients with a range of foot and ankle disorders, completed the Persian version of the FAAM and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) in the test session. With an interval of 2-6 days, 60 patients filled out the FAAM in the retest session. The FAAM is composed of two subscales including activities of daily living (ADL) and SPORTS. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (s.e.m.), item internal consistency... 

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...