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Showing 32 results for Abdolmaleki
Volume 0, Issue 0 (Articles accepted at the time of publication 2024)
Abstract
This paper presents a detailed phonological analysis of the sound differences between the Abdolmaleki and Hawrami dialects through the lens of Optimality Theory. The research primarily focuses on exploring the variations in vowel length, vowel quality, and consonant structure across these two dialects. The goal is to investigate how these differences manifest in the phonological systems of the dialects and to analyze them within the constraints of Optimality Theory. Several key constraints, including MAX-C, DEP-C, IDENT-[vowel height], IDENT-[vowel backness], ONSET, ALIGN-Morpheme, and CODA-COND, are applied to a comprehensive set of linguistic data collected from both dialects. The findings demonstrate that the Abdolmaleki and Hawrami dialects follow distinct patterns of phonological optimization, which lead to notable differences in their overall phonological structure. The analysis highlights how variations in vowel length, the quality of vowels, and the structure of consonants contribute to these dialectal distinctions. Moreover, the study provides a theoretical framework that not only deepens our understanding of the phonological processes at work in these dialects but also offers a new perspective for analyzing other Iranian dialects. In addition to shedding light on these phonetic differences, this article suggests avenues for further research on phonological variations and underscores the broader applicability of Optimality Theory in linguistic studies.
Volume 1, Issue 1 (12-2010)
Abstract
In order to the investigation on the effects of methyl jasmonate on the secondary metabolites of Calendula officinalis L., the plants were grown in a modified Hogland (1/2) solution and were treated with 50 and 100 µm methyl jasmonate. The results indicated that jasmonate treatment decreased lignin content of root but increased lignin content of shoots, in comparison with those of the control plants. However, total content of wall-bound phenolics of roots increased and those of shoots decreased by jasmonate treatment. Anthocyanin content of shoot, decreased by methyl jasmonate. Likewise, flavonoid contents of shoots in both treatments were lower than those of the control plants. Lipid peroxidation rate of roots and shoots did not show significant changes in jasmonate treatments, compared to the control plants. In both control and jasmonate treated plants, α- Cadinol was the most abundant essential oils component. Induction of α-Muureloene with specific antifungal properties in the jasmonate treated plants and increase of it along with increase of jasmonate concentration, suggested that jasmonate can be used in order to induce modifications in secondary metabolism pathway of Calendula officinalis, resulting to produce desired medicinal compounds.
Volume 1, Issue 2 (6-2013)
Abstract
Recently the previous Caspian ecosystem is in a catastrophic condition which caused changes in the absolute and relative abundance of the commercially important Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) in Iranian waters. The paper presents estimates of yield-per-recruit and spawning biomass-per-recruit under various harvest strategies of Fmax, F0.1, F30%. It proposes a method for estimating acceptable biological catch (ABC) that accounts for large differences in the quality and quantity of information and available data. The current average Y/R (with F=0.61/y, and tc=3.2 y) was 218.3 g per recruit, which indicates that the fishery is operating below the maximum Y/R at 236.9 g when tc = 3.5 y. The Y/R was the highest at Fmax and F0.1, when tc = 4 y (244.8 g and 214.2 g), respectively. The F30% value was 0.85/y at tc of 4 y with the SB/R of 338.3 g. The Fcurrent (0.61/y at current tc is 3.2 y) is higher than the corresponding reference points, F0.1 (0.47/y) and F30% (0.46/y). The ABC of kutum was estimated at 7,850 mt in 2009-2010.
Volume 2, Issue 2 (Summer 2014)
Abstract
Surrealism has had a great influence on the modern poetry in Iran. Spacementalism (Hajm-geraii) was influenced more than any other poem by surrealism. This style of poetry in Iran was founded by Yadu'llah Royaee. The purpose of this paper̦ is to study Spacementalism (Sheˊre Hajm) according to the Surrealism School. This article tried to prove that the poem (Hajm) is a form of Persian surrealism. Picture, language, music and thought in Sheˊre Hajm have been studied. At the beginning of this article, we briefly discuss the surrealism movement. Then, the history and the statement of Spacementalism are death with. Common characteristics of surrealism and poetry are also considered in this paper. In Hajm Poem, we see paradoxical images, ambiguous language and defamiliarization; the same features are observable in surrealism. These issues are documented in this article.
Volume 3, Issue 3 ((Articles in Persian) 2012)
Abstract
In this paper, we researched about poetry “Katibe” (inscription) according to the theory of morphology. For this purpose, we defined the theory of morphology. Then, according to this theory, this poem has been analyzed. This poem is divided into roles, personalities and movements. Katibeh (Inscription) is a narrative poem that has dramatic structure. In this poem, the reader sees the story from the poet's point of view. There are twenty-three roles in the poem. Characters in these poems are divided into two categories: Human and natural. In this poem, five characters are doing things and there are three movements.
Volume 5, Issue 2 (8-2015)
Abstract
Supply Chain Management (SCM) is an integrated process of decision making from supplying raw materials to consume final product by final customers. Selecting of most appropriate suppliers is one of the most important decision making problems affected by different qualitative and quantitative parameters. As supply chain gets more complex, uncertainty and risk level in the supply chain would increase. Hence supply chain risk management, especially supplier risks, has become a major issue in the organizations. In this study at first by identifying suppler risks in the steel industries using blast furnace, a hierarchical classification of risks (38 risk events in 3 levels) was developed. At the second step, by considering risk events set, a group of nine evaluation criteria was proposed. Afterward for more accurate assessment of each supplier risks, a composite risk index is proposed based on the evaluation criteria and their importance weights. Finally, by employing the ELECTRE III, the priority of suppliers (mines) of Esfahan Steel Company was evaluated and the most appropriate one was determined. Based on obtained results, Jalal-Abad and Shargh-Iran iron ore complexes can be considered as suppliers having lowest and highest risk levels, respectively.
Volume 5, Issue 2 (6-2016)
Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are commonly used as biological agents for control of insect pests. This study was carried out to identify EPNs, determine dominant and frequent species in Kurdistan province, Iran and characterize their symbiotic bacteria. Identification of EPNs was performed based on morphological and morphometrical characters and also rRNA-ITS gene sequences. Two EPNs, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) and Steinernema feltiae (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) were identified. Out of totally 150 soil samples collected mainly from mid-southern parts of the province, 60% were positive for EPNs. Heterorhabditis bacteriphora showed the highest frequency in this region, remarkably 59.3% of soil samples contained this species. Incidences of H. bacteriphora in grasslands, woodlands and alfalfa fields were 57.3, 14.6 and 28.0 percent, respectively. Steinernema feltiae was found only in alfalfa fields with 0.66% frequency. Bacterial symbionts of H. bacteriophora and S. feltiae were also identified based on biochemical characters and recA gene sequencing. In this research, two species of Photorhabdus were isolated from H. bacteriophora namely P. luminescens subsp. kayaii and P. temperata subsp. thracensis. Xenorhabdus bovienii was identified from infective juveniles of S. feltiae.
Volume 6, Issue 2 (6-2017)
Abstract
Pieris brassicae L. is one of the most important pests of Brassicaceae. The insecticidal effect of two entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema feltiae, was determined through their interaction with Beauveria bassiana and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) against P. brassicae. In the interaction tests, the EPNs were applied at LC50 level 0, 12 or 24h after treating the larvae with LC10 or LC25 of the B. bassiana or Btk. The interaction between the EPNs and B. bassiana was entirely different from the interaction of the EPNs and Btk. The interaction with B. bassiana was dependant on time intervals, while the interaction of the EPNs with Btk was almost additive or synergistic. An antagonistic effect was seen when the EPNs were applied immediately after the B. bassiana. However, the application of the EPNs 24h after their treatment with B. bassiana caused additive or synergistic effects. The results also showed the best mortality effect when the EPNs were used with Btk at 12 h and 24 h time intervals. Based on the results, a simultaneous use of the EPNs and B. bassiana is not recommended against P. brassica. However, the EPNs could be used simultaneously after Btk but it is better to allow a time interval to increase mortality.
Volume 9, Issue 3 (Summer 2018)
Abstract
Aims: Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in maintaining cellular stem status, and the range of electromagnetic fields (EMF) is very deep in contrast to the electric field. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electromagnetic field and nitric oxide on the neural differentiation proteins marker and viability of the rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.
Materials and Methods: The present experimental research was conducted on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells of Vistar rats. For treatments of the cells, high (1mM) and low (10micromolar Deta-NO) concentrations were used as a nitric oxide donor molecule and 50Hz low-frequency electromagnetic field and they were compare with the control group. The cell viability was recorded by MTT assay test, the neural differentiation pathway gene expression was investigated by RT-PCR technique, and the neural differentiation marker protein expression was evaluated by Immunocytochemistry technique. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, using SPSS 13 software.
Findings: After 24 hours of treatment with nitric oxide and EMF, the rate of viability in all groups was significantly decreased compared to the control group. After 48 hours, EMF alone, as well as with low concentration of nitric oxide did not decrease the rate of viability and cell growth increased compared to the control group. In the group treated with high nitric oxide concentration along with EMF, MAP2 protein was expressed in the number of cells more than the control group and the one treated with EMF.
Conclusion: The electromagnetic field, along with its high concentration of nitric oxide, decreases the number of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and, by increasing cell size, gene expression and neural differentiation proteins marker facilitates their differentiation to nerve-like cells.
Materials and Methods: The present experimental research was conducted on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells of Vistar rats. For treatments of the cells, high (1mM) and low (10micromolar Deta-NO) concentrations were used as a nitric oxide donor molecule and 50Hz low-frequency electromagnetic field and they were compare with the control group. The cell viability was recorded by MTT assay test, the neural differentiation pathway gene expression was investigated by RT-PCR technique, and the neural differentiation marker protein expression was evaluated by Immunocytochemistry technique. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, using SPSS 13 software.
Findings: After 24 hours of treatment with nitric oxide and EMF, the rate of viability in all groups was significantly decreased compared to the control group. After 48 hours, EMF alone, as well as with low concentration of nitric oxide did not decrease the rate of viability and cell growth increased compared to the control group. In the group treated with high nitric oxide concentration along with EMF, MAP2 protein was expressed in the number of cells more than the control group and the one treated with EMF.
Conclusion: The electromagnetic field, along with its high concentration of nitric oxide, decreases the number of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and, by increasing cell size, gene expression and neural differentiation proteins marker facilitates their differentiation to nerve-like cells.
Volume 9, Issue 4 (Fall 2018)
Abstract
Aims: Regarding the treatment of cancer, due to the limitation in the use of high dose and resistance of cancer cells, it is necessary to use optimal methods that have high therapeutic efficacy and reduce the dose of radiation and medicine. The aim of the present research was to investigate toxicity of cisplatin under the influence of static magnetic field in susceptible and drug-resistant cell.
Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, A2780-CP resistant cell classes and susceptible to A2780 cisplatin were investigated in the field and drug-treated cell groups compared to the drug-receiving group alone, and to determine the effect of static magnetic field and concentration of drug, 10mT for 24 hours and logarithmic drug concentration (1, 10, 50, 100, and 500mcg/ml) were used. Inhibitory concentration of 50% cell growth (IC50) was obtained for the cells in the absence and presence of the magnetic field after conversion of the absorption obtained in the ELISA from the MTT test to cytotoxicity percentage. Data were analyzed with Prism software using two-way ANOVA and T-test.
Findings: In the presence of a static magnetic field and different drug concentrations, a greater reduction in the percentage of In vivo cells was observed. IC50 values for A2780 cells in the absence and presence of magnetic fields were 27.69±9.58 and 8.96±1.48μg/ml for A2780-CP, and 61.61±8.03 and 9.58±3.13μg/ml, respectively.
Conclusion: The mortality rate of the cells treated with cisplatin under the influence of the magnetic field is more in susceptible and drug-resistant cells than that of only drug use. Drug-resistance decreases in the drug-resistant cell class in the presence of a magnetic field.
Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, A2780-CP resistant cell classes and susceptible to A2780 cisplatin were investigated in the field and drug-treated cell groups compared to the drug-receiving group alone, and to determine the effect of static magnetic field and concentration of drug, 10mT for 24 hours and logarithmic drug concentration (1, 10, 50, 100, and 500mcg/ml) were used. Inhibitory concentration of 50% cell growth (IC50) was obtained for the cells in the absence and presence of the magnetic field after conversion of the absorption obtained in the ELISA from the MTT test to cytotoxicity percentage. Data were analyzed with Prism software using two-way ANOVA and T-test.
Findings: In the presence of a static magnetic field and different drug concentrations, a greater reduction in the percentage of In vivo cells was observed. IC50 values for A2780 cells in the absence and presence of magnetic fields were 27.69±9.58 and 8.96±1.48μg/ml for A2780-CP, and 61.61±8.03 and 9.58±3.13μg/ml, respectively.
Conclusion: The mortality rate of the cells treated with cisplatin under the influence of the magnetic field is more in susceptible and drug-resistant cells than that of only drug use. Drug-resistance decreases in the drug-resistant cell class in the presence of a magnetic field.
Volume 10, Issue 3 (Fall 2022)
Abstract
The present study has been carried out by applying the components and discourse strategies of Roger Fowler in order to reveal the ideology of the author and the social actors of the novel of Mirrors with Doors. In his discourse theory, Fowler pays special attention to the structure of the text in the fields of superstructure and deep structure. Therefore, the present paper has tried to gain a deep understanding of its construction through the analysis of the superstructure of the novel of mirrors, according to Fowler's views. In this regard, the main question of this research is to seek the strategies Houshang Golshiri used in the superstructure of his work in order to show the depth of the text. The method of this research is qualitative borrowing a descriptive-analytical approach to describe and evaluate the data. The results indicated that Glorification and Marginalization are the governing mechanism of novel discourse practices and behaviors. Using the following strategies, the author has been able to demonstrate the ideology of the Iranian immigrant communists: Discourse functions of pronoun reference, suspension, ambiguity, modality, activation, question sentences, changing the position of sentence elements, removing some linguistic elements, and anachronism. The most frequent discourse strategy is related to the component of pronoun reference and the least frequent is related to changing the position of sentence elements. It should be noted that the above-mentioned discourse strategies are the most important features of Golshiri's novel superstructure.
Volume 11, Issue 0 (پاییز و زمستان 87- 2009)
Abstract
Objective: The environmental exposure to Magnetic Fields (MFs) may interact with biological systems. MFs are generated from various sources such as power lines, electric appliances at homes and offices, electrified transportation systems including urban railway systems and diagnostic devices such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). There are some scientific evidences that imply the exposure to MFs are hazardous to our health and increases the rate of some cancers like leukemia. The biological consequences of exposure to MFs have been investigated from a variety of endpoints. However, most studies have been performed in vitro and have examined effects on cellular processes and its malfunction; such studies can be used as evidence of effects in vivo. Materials and Methods: In this study Bone Marrow Stem Cells were grown in the absence and in the presence of a 15 mT Static Magnetic Field for 5 hours in order to determine any changes in cell cycle progression using the count of cells in different phases. The count of cells in a special phase of cell cycle indicates the length of that phase. The Static Magnetic Field was performed using a locally designed MF generator. Results: A significant increase in the number of cells in G0/G1 was observed in comparison with the controls. Also the number of cells in G0/G1 in the cells treated with Hydrogen-Peroxide, as an oxidative agent, was significantly increased in Static MF. Conclusion: Genetic material damages or mal-function of related proteins may cause these halts. Mfs have not enough energy to affect the biological molecules directly but the mechanism of free radical mediators is probable. These kinds of damages (direct or indirect) can permanently bring the cell cycle to a halt.
Volume 13, Issue 1 (March & April 2022 2022)
Abstract
Critical discourse analysis is an approach that considers language as a social practice in relation to factors such as power and ideology. According to this approach, the present study has tried to use sociological-semantic components to demonstrate how `Jalal Al-Ahmad expressed his ideology through the representation of the characters of Fall Valley and how he portrayed the social agents of that period after Reza Shah’s fall. In this short story, linguistic constructions are analyzed through the sociological-semantic components. So Van Leeuwen’s modal is appropriate for analyzing the text and discovering the relationship between language and the author’s ideology. The main question of this paper is whether the author has been able to reveal his hidden ideology through the representation of social agents? Research findings exhibit that this has happened and Al-Ahmad has expressed his ideology and views in the story by using the methods of suppression, backgrounding, activation, passivation, personification and impersonalization. Using the general strategy of “exclusion”, he hides the identity of high-ranking officials of Pahlavi government and completely “ignores” them by “backgrounding”. The “government” and the “army” have been activated in the discourse, and the “workers” and the “elites” have been passivated to highlight the oppression that has been inflicted upon them for his audience.
- Introduction
The results of the research related to the theory under study indicate that so far no research has been done on the subject of the present article, namely the sociological-semantic analysis of Al-Ahmad political stories and novels. Therefore, the present study examines this issue in order to compensate for the existing deficit in this field. Obviously, considering this point, the necessity and importance of such research is clear.
2. Literature Review
Regarding the theoretical background of the present study, several works were generally found in the fictional literature that have been criticized according to Van Leeuwen's model. Among these works, we can mention Pooshneh and Babak (2013) who, in their study, have found different ways of representing social activists in the story "Between Yesterday and Tomorrow" by Ebrahim Golestan. The main purpose of this study is to discover the relationship between intellectual-social (ideological) perspectives with discourse-oriented structures in the story.
In their study, Saeidnia et al. (2014) have examined the novels of Suovashun and Sang-e Sabour from the perspective of critical discourse analysis and based on sociological-semantic components. The results of this study indicate that the authors of these novels have represented women as a second sex, weak and with lower social prestige than men.
Junidi and Khaghani (2015) in their article have represented social action in zane ziadi (story collection). Their research findings show that in this set, actions are more inactive and static that are pushed into the background of the audience's mind.
The subject of the research of Armi et al. (2017) is dedicated to the analysis of how gender relations are represented in the novel "Lullaby for a Dead Girl" by Hamid Reza Shahabadi. This research, in the framework of critical discourse analysis and using Van Leeuwen components, has analyzed and explained the role and identity of family members and their interpersonal relationships in the novel.
In their article, Hamidreza Akbari et al. (2019) examine the story of "Ab-e Bid" by Mohammad Bahman Beigi to determine how the author has used the representation of social actors to express his views. He also uses the component of changing time, at the same time as raising the issue of modern Iran, to reveal the faces of the people of a part of Iran who still live in a prehistoric way. The author of the article has thus challenged the policies of the Pahlavi government.
Although the present study is similar to some of these works in terms of methodology, including Junidi and Khaghani (2015), but specifically and in terms of the studied stories, a study that analyzes the political and ideological literature of Al-Ahmad with this method. Has not been found yet.
3. Methodology
The purpose of this research, with a descriptive-analytical approach, is to investigate the representation techniques of social actors using data collected from the story of Al-Ahmad. To achieve this goal, using a qualitative method, first thirty discourse-oriented sentences with political and social themes in the story were selected. These sentences were then analyzed based on Van Leeuwen's model in order to find the components of cognitive-semantic society. Although Van Leeuwon's theory lists 51 ways to represent social actors, the authors focus on only the most frequent components of the story, as not all of them appear in the selected sentences. Their findings show that the author has shown the actions of nomadic teachers to be effective through a mass display strategy.
4. Discussion
Van Leeuwen (2008, p. 52) divides the "exclusion" component in discourse into two types, "suppression" and "backgrounding". In the discourse of Al-Ahmad, we see on several occasions the "suppression" or extremist exclusion of the activists who are the main cause of the deplorable situation of the miners. These activists, who are in fact the rulers of the Pahlavi regime and the owners of the means of production; By substituting unknown faces, they are completely hidden in the author's discourse! It is obvious that the author has deliberately removed from his discourse the indications of the involvement of the Pahlavi authorities in these cases by removing those who are responsible for killing the freedom fighters. This form of "suppression" serves to marginalize the first person of the government, Reza Shah. The extreme omission of Reza Shah's name in the discourse occurs by using the method of "general naming" that is, bringing the title "state" instead of the title of king. In this way, Al-Ahmad has tried to present the image of the "state" as a general nature, hegemonic and totalitarian, in order to remove negative and extremist actions from the realm of the "king" by highlighting it.
The most prominent example of "backgrounding" in the discourse of the story is when describing an actor who is referred to as "Colonel D". Although this officer has little presence in the discourse and his function is limited to his brief meeting with the head of the mine, his actions are recognizable in all incidents, including raids on workers' homes and their arrest and execution. The action of "Colonel D" (exploring the valleys of the mines) initiates a bloody repression, while its action in this story is diminished by the producer of the discourse and marginalized through the background.
It is obvious that the main cause of the repression of the miners and the execution of the protagonist is the Pahlavi government and Reza Shah himself, while as mentioned before, no name of this person is mentioned in the discourse. The question here is whether the removal of Reza Shah's name from the discourse was due to political reasons and the suffocating atmosphere around the text? The definitive answer to this question seems difficult, because the author wrote this story in 1326, six years after the fall of Reza Shah, and therefore could have explicitly named him as the main person responsible for the Zirab mine accidents. But why does he remove Reza Shah's name from his discourse instead? Perhaps the concealment of Reza Shah's name was based on the assumption that the audience already knew the hidden actor.
In the process of "expression", the presence of actors in discourse is represented in the forms of "activation", "passivation"," Personalization" and "Impersonalization". In Al-Ahmad's discourse, we see the active depiction of gendarmerie officers; For example, Haidar Babakhanlu is mentioned several times in the discourse, and his actions (including the torture of miners in the field court) are prominently represented in all behavioral and speech processes. The linguistic manifestation of this method is the role of the actor as the subject in certain clauses. It seems that Al-Ahmad wanted to portray all the members of that organization in a negative light by actively portraying Babakhanlu as a member of the army. In the discourse under study, the "boss" and the "miners" are actors who are shown to be passive. And they are represented as if they have escaped the attention of the country. It is possible that Al-Ahmad, with this kind of illustration, wanted to show the audience that the working class and the elite of Iranian society will always be ignored by politicians!
5. Conclusion
The authors of the present article sought to answer the question of how to use Van Leeuwen's strategies to analyze the representation of social actors in the story. The authors also sought to answer the question of whether the author was able to reflect his ideology in the text by representing the actors. Analysis of the research data, in addition to explaining the relationship between the discourse-oriented components and the ideology embedded in the text, showed that Al-Ahmad was able to use the representation of social actors in the story to express his ideology. His discourse shows that in representing the actors in the story, the author has used the strategy of expressing non-governmental actors in positive issues and removing them from negative issues, and vice versa, the same strategy in the case of government actors. Thus, statesmen are represented in the discourse as negative actors, and workers and miners as positive actors. In general, the author uses the method of "differentiation" to highlight the contradiction between these two groups, the "state" and the "working class". Using the method of "general naming", which uses the name "government" instead of mentioning the name of the king, the author has removed Reza Khan's name from the discourse of the story. The actors identified by their names in the author's discourse are all male and are portrayed formally, semi-formally, and informally. Al-Ahmad, by passively portraying the head of the mine, puts him in the spotlight to highlight the oppression that has been inflicted on him and the miners. In general, the representation of social actors in Al-Ahmad's discourse has been influenced by his socio-intellectual views and the power relations that govern the society of his time.
Volume 13, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Investigation of factors affecting endothelial cell proliferation is an essential part of angiogenesis studies. Given the importance of inhibiting angiogenesis in the treatment of cancers, and due to the side effects and high cost of anti-angiogenic drugs such as Avastin, the use of physical agents to aid in treatment and reduce the need for high doses of the drug is noteworthy. Magnetic fields are of interest due to their long-distance and non-invasive effects, and many studies have been conducted on their effects on biological phenomena, including angiogenesis, with inconsistent results. In the present study, the effect of a 2 mT alternating magnetic field with a frequency of 200 Hz and Austin on the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was investigated. Cells were treated for 48 hours under a mixture of 50 μg/ml solution of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGEF) and Avastin at concentrations (zero (drug control), 50, 100, 200 and 400 μg/ml) as well as field treatment groups for They were exposed to magnetic fields for 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. Then, cell proliferation was assessed using Alamar Blue colorimetric test. Data were analyzed by three-way analysis of variance. According to the findings, the exposure times of 12, 24 and 48 hours showed a significant reduction in cell proliferation compared to the control group, but this difference was not significant in the 3 and 6 hour treatments. Also, the degree of interaction of these factors with each other on HUVEC proliferation was investigated.
Volume 13, Issue 4 (September & October 2022)
Abstract
The socio-critical novel of Ibrahim Beg’s travelogue is a work in which the author criticizes his own society and its political and religious constitutions through Western domestication. In this discourse, the confrontation between Iran and the West is an attempt to bridge the gap between Us and Them by reversing their roles and reflecting Us more bizarre than Them.This paper tries to answer two basic questions by identifying the discourse methods and strategies of ideological representation in this novel: (a)How do discourse strategies convey the author's ideology? (b)How is the reversal of the discourse, which is the result of the process of Western domestication, manifested? The aim of this descriptive-analytical article is to investigate the representation of the West in this novel from the perspective of Van Dijk ideological square. The salient achievement of the research is that the image of the West in the Maragheh discourse, as a modernist intellectual author, does not depict the stereotypical image that may exist in Iranians’ mind about this phenomenon. In his discourse, he generally applies polarization strategy to accentuated the West positives as Us and highlighted the Iranian government negatives as Them. For describing Us, the author uses ideological strategies such as comparison, implicit, dramatization and irony in order to reflect the spirit of freedom, loyalty and hard diligent in the text. For representing Them, he applies the strategies such as actor description, hyperbole, and number game to demonstrate the characteristics of greed, tyranny, regression, and deception to his audience. 1. Introduction If our conception of the West in the history of political and cultural developments in Iran has been stereotypically based on the "outsider", this historical conception has changed in the discourse of Iranian writers since the early twentieth century. After facing the advances of Western civilization, some of these writers, in a discourse turn, represented Europe and America in their minds and languages, no longer as "outsiders", but as "insiders". By doing so, they wanted to blame their governments for the problems and mismanagement, as an "outsider" group. Based on what has been said, the main issue of the present study is to express how this discourse rotation is manifested in the story of Ibrahim Beyg's travelogue. Hence, the authors have tried to explain the quality of this new discourse by using Van Dijk's ideological strategies. To examine this issue, the following questions are first posed: 1.How is the author's ideology represented in this work? 2. What is the author's ideological discourse towards the West as one of the pre-revolutionary intellectuals? 3. Does the image of the West in his discourse represent a stereotypical and special image that exists in the minds of Iranians of Westerners? 4. In relation to the image of the West, how is the political system of the time represented in Iran, and how does this representation serve the author's ideology? In connection with the above questions, two hypotheses have been formed: 1.The author's discourse in this work prescribes a kind of complete homogeneity with the West. 2. In his discourse, the author seeks to strike at the Iranian government as an outsider. 2. Literature Review There are many articles, treatises and books that have used Van Dyke's theoretical foundations to analyze non-literary texts, and most of them are in the field of political and media texts. Here are some of them: Azad (2008), Khalouzadeh et al. (2012), Khajeh and Khan Mohammad (2009), Eris (2013), Ghiasian et al. (2014), Aghagolzadeh and Firoozian Pourasfahani (2016), Rezaeipour and Ahmadi (2016) ), Niazi et al. (2015) and Firoozian Pourasfahani et al. (2015). Due to the limited pages of the article and the importance of data analysis, we will suffice to introduce the same number of researches and refrain from further explanation about them. It is worth mentioning that in recent years, there are articles in which modern Iranian poetry has been analyzed using the Van Dijk model. These articles include the following: Critical Discourse Analysis of the Story of “Rostam and Shaqad” based on Van Dijk’s Ideological Square, Hamedi, Z. & Zarghani, M. (2014). Interconnection of nature descriptions and society situation in Mehdi Akhavaan Sales̕ s poetry by looking at critical discourse analysis, Mirahmadi, M. & Tajalli, A. (2017). Analysis of Implicit Critical Discourse and Ideology with Emphasis on the Poetry of Ahmad Shamloo Based on the Theories of Ferklaf and Van Dijk, Jahandide, S. (2016). This result was obtained by examining the content of studies related to Van Dijk's theory: So far, no research has been done on the subject of the present study, ie the critical discourse analysis of the Iranian socio-political novel based on the ideological square model. Therefore, the present study addressed this issue and problem in order to compensate for the gap and deficiency in this type of research. 3. Methodology In this research, the data collection method is library and the research method is descriptive-analytical. After studying the background of the issue and the subject of the research, the authors, by referring to the text of the story, extracted its discourse-oriented sentences, in which 26 speeches were identified. In the next step, the collected discourses, which contained discourse-oriented constructs, were analyzed based on Van Dijk's ideological square. After qualitative analysis, using quantitative frequency analysis, the frequency percentage of each discourse strategy was presented. 4. Discussion The dual structure of the present discourse is elaborated by a comparison between the West and Iran based on "insider / outsider" polarization. The author, stating that the people of the West (insiders) with the help of the press and government criticism, have been able to eliminate corruption in their countries, considers the problem of the authoritarian Iranian society in the lack of transparency and intolerance of political rulers (outsiders). In general, using the strategy of polarization, the actors present in the discourse are divided into two poles, "insider" and "outsider", and it is on the basis of this polarization that the author's ideology is embodied. Examining the studied discourse, a total of 52 "polarizations" were found that form the semantic structure of the story. Using the strategy of "ambiguity", which is one of the strategies considered by Van Dijk in the category of meaning, the author has diminished the identity of the Qajar rulers in his discourse. In this discourse, actors are generally described in relation to their job, social status, and physical characteristics. Another common example in the author's discourse is the description of religious leaders in relation to their jobs. The author shows his non-religious ideology in speech 9, describing the job and characteristics of "Mullah Mohammad Ali". In his discourse, the author sometimes uses metaphors such as "treasure" and the like to make something more valuable or even more objective, such as Iran's natural mines and capitals. In connection with these metaphors, the author presents his ideology, which is generally a critique of the government in Iran. The author sometimes depicts the behavior of negative actors inhumanely through the use of derogatory metaphors. Metaphor in this author's discourse is not a decorative element, but a means of expressing ideology. In total, metaphor with 39 repetitions in this discourse is one of the most frequent strategies in this study. For describing us (the west), the author uses ideological strategies such as polarization, comparison, implicit, dramatization and irony in order to reflect the spirit of freedom, loyalty and hard diligent in the text. Besides, for representing them (Iranian government), he applies the strategies such as actor description, hyperbole, and number game to demonstrate the characteristics of greed, tyranny, regression, and deception to his audience. 5. Conclusion In this study, the issue of ideological strategies based on Ebrahim Beyg's travelogue was considered to show the author's method of positive representation of the West and negative description of the Iranian government. Based on Van Dijk's theory, the present text was examined and it was found that in it, the author, using polarization between two groups of insiders (West) and outsiders (Iranian government), paid attention to the general strategy of producing ideological discourse. Strategies such as polarization, comparison, implication, and dramatization were used to positively represent the "insider" group. And strategies such as actor description, Hyperbole, and number game have been used to describe the "outsider" group in the present discourse. Based on Van Dijk's ideological square, it was observed that the author emphasizes the strengths of the Westerners (insider group) and does not mention any negative features for them (except in relation to the colonial case). On the other hand, it highlights the weaknesses of the "outsider" group (the rulers of Iran) and lightly represents their positive characteristics
Volume 14, Issue 2 (May & June 2023 2023)
Abstract
The present study has examined and analyzed the novel of “Baba Sobhan’s legend” in the framework of Lesley Jeffries' theory and based on the components of critical stylistics. In this regard, an attempt was made to answer the following questions: 1. How are the writer's ideologies represented in the way that the linguistic elements of the novel are chosen and arranged, which are interpreted as style? 2. What kinds of discourse elements have made it possible to discover the ideologies hidden in the style of the novel? So, the main purpose of this article is to reveal the hidden ideologies in the writer's utterances. For this purpose, the vocabularies and sentence structures of the novel, which provide the way for gaining the discourse style and the cognition of style, have been studied and analyzed. In this paper, through a descriptive-analytical approach, the authors have extracted and categorized Lesley Jeffries’ views which are mentioned in the book "Critical Stylistics". Then they have analyzed the novel considering the components of this book. Findings indicate that the strategies of "negating" and "prioritizing" are the most frequent, and "naming", "equating" and "assuming and implying" have the lowest frequency in this discourse. The analysis of these findings shows that the writer in his discourse, considering the conditions of society and serfdom system in Iran, has depicted the villagers’ socio-economic situation and the realities of their lives through a critical approach. He has also criticized the authorities in Iran in the years before the land reform.
The current research has examined and analyzed Baba Sobhan's Osane novel in the framework of Leslie Jeffries' theory and based on the components of critical stylistics. Regarding this issue, an attempt was made to answer the following questions: 1. how are the author's ideologies represented in the way of choosing and arranging the linguistic elements of the novel, which are interpreted as style? 2. Discovering the ideologies and beliefs hidden in the style of the novel has been made possible by using what discourse tools? In relation to these questions, the main goal of the article is to reveal the hidden intentions of the author's statements. For this purpose, the vocabulary and the structure of the sentences of the novel, which provide the ground for entering the discursive and cognitive space of the style, have been examined and analyzed. In this essay, the authors have analyzed the studied novel based on the components mentioned in the book, after extracting and categorizing the opinions of Leslie Jeffries in the book Critical Stylistics (2010) with a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings of the research show that the strategies of "negating" and "important information and opinions" have the highest frequency, and "naming", "synonyms" and "implicit meanings and accepted facts" have the lowest frequency in this discourse. The analysis of these findings indicates that in his discourse, the author has depicted the socio-economic situation of the villagers and the realities of their lives with a critical approach, considering the conditions of the society and the system of lords and serfs in Iran. At the same time, he has criticized those in power in Iran years before the land reforms.
The main hypothesis in the present article is that Baba Sobhan's Osane novel, as a verbal text, has a discourse structure that can be described, analyzed and interpreted based on Jeffries theory. Also, by using this model, the thought and ideology of its author is represented. In the framework of the research problem, by adopting the descriptive-analytical method, the components suggested by Jeffries, which are presented in his book, were extracted and categorized. Then, in order to discover these components in Baba Sobhan's Osane novel, which is considered as the body of the research, this work was carefully and repeatedly read. Finally, after finding the components mentioned by Jeffries in the text of the novel, the discursive propositions of the text were examined based on them. For this purpose, the vocabulary and the structure of the sentences of the novel, which provided the ground for entering the discourse and cognitive analysis of the style, were carefully analyzed. Finally, the frequency and percentage of occurrence of various discourse strategies in the story were obtained and presented in the form of separate tables.
Most of the studies that have been introduced so far under the title of Persian stylistics were individual studies that examined the style separately from the situational context of the text. But the authors in this essay proposed a solution to get out of this situation by introducing appropriate tools to analyze the style of Persian novels. Therefore, by using a method based on critical discourse analysis, they have studied the stylistic features of the text in relation to its situational context. In this regard, the present research was an attempt to test the hypothesis that the discourse of Baba Sobhan's Osane novel can be described and analyzed with the tools suggested by Jeffries. The results obtained from this study with regard to the research hypothesis showed that the mentioned novel as a critical verbal text benefits from a discourse structure that represents the opinions and ideologies of its author. It should be mentioned that these ideologies are represented by seventeen discourse strategies in the linguistic elements of the novel as shown by the data analysis of this research. The main discourse of the novel expresses the poverty, pain and suffering of a certain social class who live with failure and deprivation in the village environment. Trying to get rid of the existing unfortunate situation, fighting against injustice, confrontation between the city and the village, denouncing the class conflict, exposing the unfair relations governing the socio-economic relations of the village environment, protesting the government and its programs, the confusion and the distress of the villagers. As a result of crises caused by poverty, famine and injustice, they have formed the sub-discourses of this novel. It should be mentioned that by referring to feudalism, Dolatabadi has brought the events of the novel into economic and political issues, and by using some of the previously mentioned discourse tools, he has explained the system of lords and serfs with a critical eye. In this regard, the words he chose and the descriptions he provided are all critical. This shows that the author of the novel has chosen words and images suitable for his purpose.
The current research has examined and analyzed Baba Sobhan's Osane novel in the framework of Leslie Jeffries' theory and based on the components of critical stylistics. Regarding this issue, an attempt was made to answer the following questions: 1. how are the author's ideologies represented in the way of choosing and arranging the linguistic elements of the novel, which are interpreted as style? 2. Discovering the ideologies and beliefs hidden in the style of the novel has been made possible by using what discourse tools? In relation to these questions, the main goal of the article is to reveal the hidden intentions of the author's statements. For this purpose, the vocabulary and the structure of the sentences of the novel, which provide the ground for entering the discursive and cognitive space of the style, have been examined and analyzed. In this essay, the authors have analyzed the studied novel based on the components mentioned in the book, after extracting and categorizing the opinions of Leslie Jeffries in the book Critical Stylistics (2010) with a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings of the research show that the strategies of "negating" and "important information and opinions" have the highest frequency, and "naming", "synonyms" and "implicit meanings and accepted facts" have the lowest frequency in this discourse. The analysis of these findings indicates that in his discourse, the author has depicted the socio-economic situation of the villagers and the realities of their lives with a critical approach, considering the conditions of the society and the system of lords and serfs in Iran. At the same time, he has criticized those in power in Iran years before the land reforms.
The main hypothesis in the present article is that Baba Sobhan's Osane novel, as a verbal text, has a discourse structure that can be described, analyzed and interpreted based on Jeffries theory. Also, by using this model, the thought and ideology of its author is represented. In the framework of the research problem, by adopting the descriptive-analytical method, the components suggested by Jeffries, which are presented in his book, were extracted and categorized. Then, in order to discover these components in Baba Sobhan's Osane novel, which is considered as the body of the research, this work was carefully and repeatedly read. Finally, after finding the components mentioned by Jeffries in the text of the novel, the discursive propositions of the text were examined based on them. For this purpose, the vocabulary and the structure of the sentences of the novel, which provided the ground for entering the discourse and cognitive analysis of the style, were carefully analyzed. Finally, the frequency and percentage of occurrence of various discourse strategies in the story were obtained and presented in the form of separate tables.
Most of the studies that have been introduced so far under the title of Persian stylistics were individual studies that examined the style separately from the situational context of the text. But the authors in this essay proposed a solution to get out of this situation by introducing appropriate tools to analyze the style of Persian novels. Therefore, by using a method based on critical discourse analysis, they have studied the stylistic features of the text in relation to its situational context. In this regard, the present research was an attempt to test the hypothesis that the discourse of Baba Sobhan's Osane novel can be described and analyzed with the tools suggested by Jeffries. The results obtained from this study with regard to the research hypothesis showed that the mentioned novel as a critical verbal text benefits from a discourse structure that represents the opinions and ideologies of its author. It should be mentioned that these ideologies are represented by seventeen discourse strategies in the linguistic elements of the novel as shown by the data analysis of this research. The main discourse of the novel expresses the poverty, pain and suffering of a certain social class who live with failure and deprivation in the village environment. Trying to get rid of the existing unfortunate situation, fighting against injustice, confrontation between the city and the village, denouncing the class conflict, exposing the unfair relations governing the socio-economic relations of the village environment, protesting the government and its programs, the confusion and the distress of the villagers. As a result of crises caused by poverty, famine and injustice, they have formed the sub-discourses of this novel. It should be mentioned that by referring to feudalism, Dolatabadi has brought the events of the novel into economic and political issues, and by using some of the previously mentioned discourse tools, he has explained the system of lords and serfs with a critical eye. In this regard, the words he chose and the descriptions he provided are all critical. This shows that the author of the novel has chosen words and images suitable for his purpose.
Volume 14, Issue 4 (9-2023)
Abstract
Aims
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of neurons leading to cognitive and memory decay. Accumulation of phosphorylated cis-tau inside neurons is considered a factor in AD's pathological features. This study investigated the effects of extremely low-frequency (EMF) and radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields on the proliferation and expression of phosphorylated tau in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.
Materials and Methods
SH-SY5Y cells treated were exposed to 50 Hz, 20 mT EMF, and 900 MHz for 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, and the number of the viable cell were determined by MTT assay. Tau protein phosphorylation level was examined after exposure to EMF and RF at different time intervals.
Results
Exposure to the EMF and RF alone had no significant effect on the viability of SH-SY5Y cells compared to sham-exposed cells. However, the expression of phosphorylated cis-tau was significantly increased after exposure.
Conclusion
This study suggests that exposure of human neuroblastoma cells to a 50 Hz electromagnetic field and 900 MHz radiofrequency might induce phosphorylated cis-tau and thus enhance the potency of AD.
Volume 15, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A Serine protease is an important drug target for treating patients with hepatitis C virus. However, its amino acid mutations, particularly A156G, commonly lead to the rapid emergence of drug resistance. Bosiprevir, simiprevir, and viniprevir drugs approved by the FDA show distinct resistance profiles against the HCV NS3/4A protease. In order to show the behavior of each of these drugs in the interaction with the protease in the wild type and A156G mutant, molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculations were performed. MMPBSA-based binding free energy calculations showed that the binding affinity of each of the drugs in the interaction with NS3/4A protease in the wild type is significantly more than the interaction with the protease in the A156G mutant state. Free energy landscape (FEL) calculations revealed that in the presence of each of the drugs, more basins of conformations are formed. We hope that our data can provide useful insights for the design of a new effective inhibitory drug for the treatment of patients with the hepatitis C virus.
Volume 15, Issue 2 (5-2024)
Abstract
Gene delivery using the force of a magnetic field is called magnetofection. The purpose of this study is the synthesis and characterization of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4) as the core of the transfer agent and to investigate the effect of alternating magnetic field on transfection efficiency. For this purpose, the first magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) were synthesized by coprecipitation method. The magnetic properties of the synthesized MNP were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), appearance characteristics, and zeta potential of the synthesized particles were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Then, using magnetic nanoparticles (MNP), polyethylene imine (PEI) and plasmid DNA containing luciferase reporter gene (pDNA), PEI-pDNA binary complex and MNP-PEI-pDNA ternary complex were synthesized. The complexes were evaluated using DLS and gel retardation techniques. The results of DLS and gel retardation technique showed that the complexes have a suitable surface charge and polyethyleneimine is well joined to pDNA and neutralized its negative charge. Finaly, human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) and Hek293T cells were transfected by ternary complex in the presence of 50 Hz alternating magnetic field. Cell viability was measured using the MTT test. The obtained results showed that the transfection efficiency in the cells that were transfected with the ternary complex in the presence of alternating magnetic field increased significantly compared to the control group, without any additional toxicity (P ≤ 0.05).
Effect of Soybean Biodiesel on Performance and Emissions of a High-Speed Compression-Ignition Engine
Arman Hamidi, Seyed Mostafa Mirsalim, Barat Ghobadian, Amirhossein Parivar, Saeed Abdolmaleki,
Volume 15, Issue 5 (7-2015)
Volume 15, Issue 5 (7-2015)
Abstract
Biodiesel is a renewable and sustainable alternative fuel that is derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. In this paper an experimental investigation is conducted to evaluate the use of soybean oil methyl ester (biodiesel) in the diesel fuel at blend ratios of B0, B2, B5 and B10. In this study, the performance and emissions characteristics of conventional diesel fuel and biodiesel fuel blends were compared. The tests were performed at steady-state conditions in a direct injection diesel engine with 90 kW power that was equipped with EGR and with no modification of calibration. The experimental results of brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), torque and exhaust temperature as well as carbon dioxide (CO2), smoke, nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions were presented and discussed. The results of engine performance parameters at different conditions (different load and engine speed) showed that a negligible loss of engine power and a significant increase in brake specific fuel consumption due to lower heating value of biodiesel. Smoke, CO and HC emissions were decreased by increasing blends of soybean oil as compared to pure diesel. However the increase in engine NOx and CO2 emissions were observed with the increase of biodiesel percentage in the blended fuel.