Purpose
While the rate of survival has increased in the past decade, the diagnosis of breast cancer is an extremely stressful experience for patients and it is associated with the manifestation of ...several psychological problems. To examine the effect of a group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on the quality of life and emotional disturbance of women with breast cancer.
Methods
The study was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Samples were 48 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone mastectomy and chemotherapy. Study variables were measured before and after the intervention and 1 month after the end of the intervention as a follow-up. Controls received nothing and were just followed-up. Repeated measure ANOVAs were used to compare the effectiveness of the intervention on the study variables.
Results
The results of 32 women were analyzed. The increase in quality of life scores was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (
P
< 0.05). There were also significantly lower changes in the depression, anxiety, and stress scores of the intervention group (
P
< 0.05). However, the changes in the score of death anxiety were not significantly lower in the intervention group in comparison to controls (
P
> 0.05).
Conclusion
Group cognitive behavioral therapy was effective in the improvement of quality of life and decreases some aspects of emotional disturbance. Findings of this study suggest that women with breast cancer can benefit from group CBT. Yet, some aspects of the mental health of these women may need more attention and individualized methods.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: IRCT20100911004728N4
•The economics of the rWGS reaction is assessed for syngas production.•The DMR and SMR-DMR processes show lower total annual cost than the rWGS process.•The rWGS process is superior to the SMR-DMR ...process to reduce CO2 emissions.
This work evaluates the economics of syngas production processes by the reverse water gas shift (rWGS) reaction against the dry methane reforming (DMR) reaction and its combination with the steam methane reforming reaction (SMR-DMR). The DMR and SMR-DMR processes show lower total annual costs comparing to the rWGS process for the production of syngas with H2/CO ratio of 1 and 2, respectively. Breakeven analysis has been performed on the price of H2, natural gas, and CO2 tax rate. At a H2 price of $1/kg, the rWGS process is comparable to the DMR process when natural gas price and CO2 tax rate are $0.53/m3 (STP) and $44/1000 kg, respectively. For the rWGS process to be as economical as the SMR-DMR process, natural gas prices in the range of $0.35–0.53/m3 (STP) and CO2 tax rates up to $60/1000 kg are needed while keeping the H2 price below $2/kg.
PurposeThis paper aims to disclose the savings behavior of Iran's economy in the context of demographic transition.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a version of Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans growth model, ...this paper benefits from a broad range of data and variables which are mainly taken from the Central Bank of Iran's database. The study uses actual and calculated data to produce analogous simulated data. The data cover the 1970–2015 period. This long period provides an opportunity to simulate more valid time series. It is worth noting that due to the severe economic sanctions imposed on the Iran's economy, particularly after 2017, some most recent data have been obliterated from the sample.FindingsThe results, stemming from the simulated model, hint that; firstly, the population variable is a notable determinant of the savings rate. Secondly, the effects of a slump in the population growth rate would attenuate the savings level significantly. Thirdly, other pragmatic steps could be taken to redress the fallout of the demographic changes.Research limitations/implicationsThere are some limitations in providing broad data related to economic sectors in Iran. The savings data, for instance, are available as an aggregated time series, and if the authors had wide data of household level, they would have been able to build more detail-based model. Similar to this issue of lack of households’ income-based data, some measures such as high or low levels as well as detailed demographic data could be helpful in sophisticated household level resulting. In addition, the complex relationship between the government and social security (pension) funds, in terms of financing part of government's budget deficit by these funds, thwarts a typical researcher in using comprehensive and transparent government expenditure data in their research. In other words, the possible positive or negative role of the funds, as a related issue to the demographic changes, cannot simply be determined in the model. It might be possible after necessary corrections are carried out in the mentioned relations.Originality/valueIn fact, the problem statement in this paper is to discern how the population aging can impact the saving rates on the one hand, and to what extent its repercussion can be modified by the other theoretical-based determinants on the other. In fact, the underlying argument of the present research arises from the stylized facts concerning prognosticates of the future evolutions of the world's population. To that end, the study will use Iran's economic and demographic data.
► Acetate and nitrate precursors of manganese result in different dispersion and structures. ► Catalysts deactivate at room temperature due to accumulation of carbon specious. ► Dispersion and ...oxidation state of Mn are two important factors on catalyst activity. ► COx are major reaction products while minor byproducts are oxalic acid, acetic acid, benzene and maleic anhydride.
Ozonation of toluene catalyzed by manganese oxides supported on γ-alumina and siliceous MCM-41 was studied at temperatures from 22 to 100°C. Nitrate and acetate precursors of manganese were used to compare structure and activity of dispersed manganese oxides on γ-alumina and MCM-41. Catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, BET and ICP-MS. Catalysts became deactivated at room temperature due to accumulation of carbon species. A minimum reaction temperature of 65°C was required to achieve steady state oxidation of toluene with ozone. Alumina supported catalysts prepared from the nitrate and acetate precursors had comparable activity. MCM-41 supported catalyst resulted in lower toluene and ozone conversion in comparison to γ-alumina catalysts above 40°C. CO and CO2 were the main reaction products while oxalic acid, acetic acid, benzene and maleic anhydride were also detected as the minor reaction byproducts.
•Membranes are nondimensionalized using Damköhler, Péclet, and Stanton numbers.•Equilibrium of reverse water gas shift reaction is shifted below 300 °C.•H2O/H2 perm-selectivities greater than 100 are ...required.•Weight hourly space velocities<1 hr-1 are needed.•H2O permanence of membranes should be between 10-6-10-5 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1.
A dimensionless analysis was performed on the reverse water gas shift packed-bed membrane reactors (RWGS PBMRs) to shift the equilibrium of the RWGS reaction by in-situ H2O removal at low temperatures. Using Damköhler, Péclet, and Stanton dimensionless numbers, the effects of sweep to reactor flow and pressure ratios, flow configuration, temperature, and H2O/H2 perm-selectivity were studied for CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 and Ru-Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts. The counter-current configuration resulted in higher CO2 conversions at milder sweep pressures when compared to the co-current configuration. It was determined that the application of RWGS PBMRs had to be limited to temperatures below 300 °C to shift the reaction equilibrium. It was concluded that to meaningfully intensify the RWGS reaction by PBMRs, weight hourly space velocities should be lowered to values below 1 hr-1 using membranes with H2O/H2 perm-selectivities greater than 100 and H2O permeance in the range of 10-6-10-5 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1.
This study was carried out to identify the determinants of the behaviour of public and private banks in determining their risk and capital over 2001-2016 period by considering the banks' risk and ...capital simultaneously. The model was estimated using 2SLS-RE and GMM methods. According to the results, the endogeneity of two variables of risk and capital in equations cannot be rejected. It should be noted that this study does not reject a significant relationship between the risk and thecapital to risk (weighted) assets ratio (CRAR) over the study period.
Potato is a staple food crop and the most important agricultural commodity,which critically affects food security and economic stability in Hamadan Province,Iran.Ex-ante sustainability appraisal of ...new cropping systems and their comparisons with conventional systems can increase the efficiencies of innovations and changes within the production process.This study aimed to explore the sustainability levels of potato cropping systems in Hamadan Province,Iran.To this end,DEXi methodology was developed for the sustainability assessment of the cropping systems.For assessing the three dimensions of environmental,economic,and social sustainability in the four systems of traditional potato system (TPS),Quasi-industrial potato system (QIPS),industrial potato system (IPS),and government-promoted potato system (GPPS),five groups of features were utilized:(1) irrigation method;(2) seed placement;(3) farm machinery use;(4) agrochemical use;and (5)rotation.The impact assessments of the cropping systems were based on two,three,and two groups of ecological,social,and economic indicators,respectively.Employment,supply chain,protection,operational difficulty,productivity,profitability,input use,and biodiversity resulted in 21 basic indicators and 13 aggregated indicators,by which the cropping systems were described.The results revealed that GPPS with distinctive economic and social profiles could have a better overall sustainability despite the fact that some indicators like biodiversity could be negatively affected.Finally,three strategies were recommended for the sustainability of GPPS as follows:biodiversity enhancement,input substitution,and integrated water management.
The question of the origin of Islamic mysticism has been one of the major concerns of many researchers in the field of mysticism in the recent decades. Some have maintained that Islamic mysticism is ...an imported product: a combination of Eastern spiritual traditions or a mixture of Manichaeism and Alexandrian philosophy. However, in order to find out the real origin of Islamic mysticism, the best way is to investigate the main questions of Islamic mysticism and to trace them in the Islamic culture and tradition. Reflecting on the personal unity of existence, the most important principle of Islamic mysticism, the author shows that Muslim mystics have been so inspired by the teachings of the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet and the Imams that there remains no need to look for the origin of Islamic mysticism outside the Muslim tradition.
Bubble reactors using molten metal alloys (e.g, nickel-bismuth and copper-bismuth) with strong catalytic activity for methane decomposition are an emerging technology to lower the carbon intensity of ...hydrogen production. Methane decomposition occurs non-catalytically inside the bubbles and catalytically at the gas-liquid interface. The reactor performance is therefore affected by the hydrodynamics of bubble flow in molten metal, which determines the evolution of the bubble size distribution and of the gas holdup along the reactor height. A reactor model is first developed to rigorously account for the coupling of hydrodynamics with catalytic and non-catalytic reaction kinetics. The model is then validated with previously reported experimental data on methane decomposition at several temperatures in bubble columns containing a molten nickel-bismuth alloy. Next, the model is applied to optimize the design of multitubular catalytic bubble reactors at industrial scales. This involves minimizing the total liquid metal volume for various tube diameters, melt temperatures, and percent methane conversions at a specified hydrogen production rate. For example, an optimized reactor consisting of 891 tubes, each measuring 0.10 m in diameter and 2.11 m in height, filled with molten Ni0·27Bi0.73 at 1050 °C and fed with pure methane at 17.8 bar, may produce 10,000 Nm3.h−1 of hydrogen with a methane conversion of 80% and a pressure drop of 1.6 bar. The tubes could be heated in a fired heater by burning either a fraction of the produced hydrogen, which would prevent CO2 generation, or other less expensive fuels.
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•Faster superficial gas velocity increases gas-liquid interfacial area and gas holdup.•Larger diameter tubes lower the total melt volume in multitubular reactor designs.•Liquid metal volume increases faster than exponentially with decreasing temperature.•14.8 m3 of Ni0·27Bi0.73 melt at 1050 °C produces 10,000 Nm3.h−1 of H2 at 80% CH4 conversion.•Molten Cu–Bi alloy results in smaller reactors (shorter tubes) than Ni–Bi alloy.
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