Karaj City Research Articles

Investigation of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains in Children with Urinary Tract Infection in Karaj City

Investigation of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains in Children with Urinary Tract Infection in Karaj City

The Role of Innovation Management in Organizational Trust and Work Consciousness of English Language School Teachers in Iran

The present research study aimed to investigate the role of innovation management in organizational trust and work consciousness of English language school teachers in Iran, Karaj city. This research was a descriptive-correlational study. To estimate the size of the statistical sample, Krejcie & Morgan's (1970) table was used. There were 122 male and 104 female participants in the current study. To collect data, the Innovation Management (IM) (Moghimi & Ramadan, 2011), Organizational Trust (OT) (Shafiee, 2011), and Work Consciousness (WC) (Costa & McCrae, 1992) questionnaires were used. The results showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between innovation management organizational trust and the work consciousness of the teachers. Besides, there was no significant difference between males' and females’ innovation management and organizational trust status in terms of gender while a significant difference was found in terms of females’ work consciousness. However, no significant difference was found between single and married teachers’ innovation management, organizational trust, and work consciousness. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in teachers’ innovation management in terms of their academic degree while there was no significant difference between teachers’ organizational trust and work consciousness. Likewise, no significant difference was found between teachers’ innovation management and organizational trust in terms of their work experience, whereas there was a significant difference between teachers’ work consciousness in terms of their work experiences.

Mothers and Educators' Perspectives on Sex Education of Children Between 3 and 5 Years Old: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Preschool sex education plays an important role in endorsing sexual health. Objective: This qualitative study aims to determine the mothers’ and trainers’ perspectives regarding the sex education of 3-5 years old children living in Karaj City, Iran. Materials and Methods: The study participations were 20 mothers and 10 kindergarten trainers. To collect data, semi-structured and deep interviews were held with them within 2 months. Interviews went on until data saturation. Simple random sampling was used to choose the kindergartens and purposeful sampling to select the study samples according to the inclusion criteria with maximum diversity. The interviews were recorded after permission was obtained from mothers and trainers. The interviews were typed instantly. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: In this study, 20 mothers aged 27 to 51 and trainers aged 25 to 40 participated. After analyzing 92 codes, three main categories and one to three subcategories were extracted. The extracted themes were “sex education requirements” and “sex education situations.” Based on the results, mothers did not have a specific definition of sex education. Most participants believed that education must start from the family. Furthermore, the interviewed mothers thought, “You must not lie to children.” Some believed the mother is responsible for the child’s sex education, while some believed in sex analogy. Conclusion: Based on the study results, mothers do not have an appropriate definition of sex education. The proper start age for sex education is over 3, and the closest person in one’s family must implement sex education.

Investigating factors affecting the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among citizens of Karaj city: A population-based cross-sectional study

Background & aimStress, anxiety, and depression are among the major public health problems worldwide. These problems, which may lead to more challenges, continue to grow. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the main factors affecting the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among citizens of Karaj. Materials & methodsA total of 920 people participated in the study. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), consisting of 21 items, was used for the assessment of the studied problems. Single and multiple regressions were used for the data analysis. In addition, all statistical analysis was done by Stata version 12 at the 0.05significance level. ResultsWe found that the prevalence rate of depression, anxiety, and stress was 4.79%, 13.28%, and 15.13%, respectively. Education level was significantly associated with stress (b: 1.21; p < 0.001), anxiety (b: 2.03; p < 0.001), and depression (b: 0.48; p: 0.039). The association of the female gender with stress (b: 2.05; p < 0.001) and anxiety (b: 1.01; p: 0.002) was also confirmed. The association of being divorced or widowed with stress (b: 1.84; p: 0.005), anxiety (b: 1.21; p: 0.001), and depression (b: 1.85; p: 0.003) was approved. There was also a significant association between family size and stress (b: 0.39; p: 0.041). Gender and economic status were known as the most effective factors in the incidence of the studied problems. ConclusionThe prevalence rate of depression, stress, and anxiety in Karaj should be taken into consideration. Therefore, the preventive and therapeutic measures need to be considered for reducing the effects of the risk factors.

Improving urban resilience against climate change through government tax policies to housing companies: A game-theoretic approach

Mass housing companies play a vital role in improving the resilience of urban infrastructure against disasters. Equipping residential settlements against disasters caused by climate change increases the safety of urban infrastructure against these disasters. However, the continuation of these measures requires government support due to their high cost. The present study establishes a three-stage stackelberg game model and examines the role of government tax policies in increasing the resilience of residential settlements. This model consists of the government, mass housing companies, and whole building buyers. The decisions of the players and their utility are obtained in equilibrium conditions. Then, the model's efficiency is examined by presenting the city of Karaj as a case study. Also, through sensitivity analysis, the effect of different parameters on the interests of the government and companies is investigated, and various managerial insights are suggested for urban management. Based on the results obtained, urban management can simultaneously improve the economic situation, urban infrastructure resilience, and resilient mass housing companies by providing a tax exemption policy within a specific range.

Application of Multicriteria Decision-Making Methods to Determine the Appropriate Policy for Maintenance of Buildings in Karaj City, Iran

Maintenance operations embrace all parts of the building, such as structural and architectural parts, mechanical and electrical installations, and how they are serviced, including the most detailed to the most sensitive components in the building. This research uses the Delphi method and prepares a questionnaire with the construction industry experts’ opinions to determine the main criteria. The purpose of this article is to identify and prioritize the effective indicators for the building maintenance system and determine the most appropriate strategy for this system using multicriteria decision making methods. The proposed method first calculates the weight of the indicators and then prioritizes the indicators based on fuzzy and nonfuzzy multicriteria decision-making methods. Finally, the final rankings of the indices were calculated using the mean rank and final ranking methods. According to the review of all methods, it was found that safety, health and accessibility indices are the first to third priorities, respectively. Finally, by examining the results obtained from a case study (Karaj City, Iran) and examining the experts’ opinions, it was found that the obtained results are different and the corrective maintenance (CM) and breakdown maintenance (BM) strategies are the most appropriate.

Assessment of Effect of Group Psychotherapy by Yalom Method Using Narrative Approach on Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Life Expectancy in Women Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy

Background: Although the life expectancy of many cancer patients has increased due to the increasing progress of medical science today, however, since this disease is still the cause of a high percentage of deaths, it is always accompanied by fears, stress and reduced adaptation. On the other hand, health resources are increasingly highlighting spirituality and its importance in health and illness. Objectives: This research was conducted in order to investigate the effect of existential psychotherapy using the Yalom method using the story therapy approach on the level of anxiety, stress, depression and life expectancy in women with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The present study was an experimental study based on pre-test-post-test randomized group design with a control group with a sample of women with cancer undergoing chemotherapy who referred to one of the private clinics in Karaj city in Iran. 24 people were selected by random sampling method after the initial evaluation and were randomly replaced in two groups of 12 people, control and experimental. After that, all the subjects were tested by means of research tools, including Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Snyder’s Hope Scale (SHS). The people of the experimental group participated in existential group therapy interventions during 8 sessions (tow-hours sessions), while the control group did not receive any intervention. At the end, the tests were conducted again for all 24 people and after collecting the questionnaires, the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS and the statistical test of covariance analysis. Results: The findings indicated that Yalom existential group psychotherapy led to a significant difference between the groups in the level of depression (P &lt; 0.0001), stress (P &lt; 0.0001), anxiety (P &lt; 0.0001) and the level of Life expectancy (P &lt; 0.0001) in women with cancer undergoing chemotherapy was compared to the control group. Conclusions: The obtained results indicate that group psychotherapy using the story therapy approach has been significantly effective in reducing depression, anxiety and stress and increasing the life expectancy of women with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

A combined qualitative–quantitative fuzzy method for urban flood resilience assessment in Karaj City, Iran

This study aims to analyze flood resilience (FR) in Karaj City, Iran, using a new fuzzy method which combines several qualitative and quantitative indices. The qualitative part was estimated by a questionnaire consisting of 42 questions distributed into five indices (social-cultural, economic, infrastructural-physical, organizational-institutional, and hydraulic). A fuzzy method was used for analyzing the results. To quantify the hydraulic index, a 25-year flood was simulated in the Storm Water Management Model and the flooding volume at every grid was estimated. The idea was that the flooding amount could be representative of structural FR of drainage network that cannot be evaluated through a questionnaire well. To calculate the FR of different districts, the obtained FR indices were fuzzified then aggregated. Considering that clustering can assist managers and decision makers for more effective flood risk management, a fuzzy equivalence matrix concept was used for clustering FR in the city. Friedman test showed the significance of differences between FR of every two districts. Based on the results, northwestern and southeastern districts had the highest and the lowest resilience, respectively. Although the impact of infrastructure-physical index on the FR was similar in most of the districts, the contribution of social-cultural, organizational-institutional, and hydraulic indices was significantly different. Also, districts with low scores in the infrastructure-physical, organizational-institutional, and hydraulic indices need more attention for flood risk management.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on Emotional Regulation and Quality of Life in Divorced Women

Objective: Separation and divorce are the most significant factors in the collapse and disintegration of the most fundamental part of society, the family. The current research was conducted with the aim of determining the impact of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on emotional self-regulation and the quality of life of divorced women. Methods and Materials: The study was a quasi-experimental investigation with a pre-test-post-test design involving two groups. The research population consisted of all divorced women who visited counseling centers in the city of Karaj. Using a convenience sampling method, four centers were selected, and among those who were willing to participate in the study and had low scores in emotional self-regulation and quality of life, 30 individuals were randomly chosen as the sample. Subsequently, these individuals were divided into two groups of 15 and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent 12 sessions of 90-minute Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, while the control group continued with their usual routine. Both groups were post-tested at the end of the period. The instruments used in this research were the Gross and John (2003) Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Questionnaire (1989). For data analysis, Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and SPSS version 22 software were utilized. Findings: The results indicated that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy had a significant effect on emotional self-regulation (F=24.22, P&lt;0.001) and quality of life (F=28.93, P&lt;0.001) of divorced women. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is effective in improving emotional self-regulation and quality of life in divorced women.

Modeling children's behavioral problems based on attachment styles with parent-child relationship mediation

Background and Aim: Examining the psychological problems of children and adolescents has always been one of the main concerns of psychologists. The present study was conducted with the aim of modeling children's behavioral problems based on attachment styles with the mediation of parent-child relationship. Methods: In a cross-sectional study in the form of a correlational design, all mothers of primary school students with behavioral problems in Karaj city were selected using a simple random sampling method from the list of names of students diagnosed with behavioral problems. After obtaining informed consent, the research data were used with the help of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) - Achenbach and Rescular (2001), the attachment styles questionnaire (1987) and the Pianta Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire (2015). In order to check the assumptions of the statistical tests and test the hypotheses of the research, using the SmartPLS software, the identified paths of the research have been investigated according to the conceptual model. Version 3.3 of SmartPLS software was used to compile the confirmatory factor analysis model and structural equations, and SPSS version 26 was used for descriptive statistics. Path analysis has also been used to determine direct and indirect coefficients. Results: The results obtained from the bootstrap method and the Sobel test both show that the indirect effect of attachment styles on children's behavioral problems due to the parent-child relationship is -0.142, and the value of the Sobel statistic is at the 95% confidence level. It is significant (P&gt;0.001, Sobel=3.56). As a result, attachment styles have a significant effect on children's behavioral problems due to the mediating role of parent-child relationship. The negative value of beta (-0.142) shows the negativity and oppositeness of this effect. Conclusion: It can be concluded that attachment styles are effective in creating behavioral problems in children by mediating parent-child relationship, which can be used in the prevention program while removing clinical implications.

Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Relationship between Psychological Capital and Innovative Job Performance of Teachers

Background and Aim: Education, as one of the most important and broadest social organizations, plays a very important role in the process of socialization and socialization of the society. Therefore, the current research was conducted to determine the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between psychological capital and innovative job performance of primary school teachers in Karaj. Methods: This research is practical in terms of purpose; In terms of the type of data, little; In terms of the nature of the research, it was descriptive-correlational. The socio-statistics of the research were all primary school teachers in Karaj city. 242 people were selected based on the calculation of the sample size in structural equations and the stepwise cluster random sampling method. Data collection tools were the researcher-made questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out in descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, etc.) and inferential (Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling) through Spss-V23 and LISREL-V8.8 software. Results: It showed that there is a relationship between psychological capital (0.63) and self-efficacy (0.57) on innovative job performance; Also, self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between psychological capital and self-efficacy (0.74). Conclusion: It can be concluded that self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between psychological capital and innovative job performance of teachers.

Modeling children's behavioral problems based on parenting methods with parent-child relationship mediation

Aim: The present research was conducted with the aim of modeling children's behavioral problems based on parenting methods with the mediation of parent-child relationship. Methods: In a cross-sectional study in the form of a correlational design, all mothers of primary school students with behavioral problems in Karaj city were selected using a simple random sampling method from the list of names of students diagnosed with behavioral problems. After obtaining informed consent, the research data were used with the help of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) - Achenbach and Rescorla (2001), parenting style questionnaire (1973) and Pianta parent-child relationship questionnaire (2015). In order to check the assumptions of the statistical tests and test the hypotheses of the research, using the SmartPLS software, the identified paths of the research have been investigated according to the conceptual model. Version 3.3 of SmartPLS software was used to compile the confirmatory factor analysis model and structural equations, and SPSS version 26 was used for descriptive statistics. Path analysis has also been used to determine direct and indirect coefficients. Results: The results obtained from the bootstrap method and the Sobel test both show that the indirect effect of parenting methods on children's behavioral problems due to the parent-child relationship is -0.298, and the value of the Sobel statistic is significant at the 95% confidence level. (Sobel = 5.28, P&lt;0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that parenting methods have a significant effect on children's behavioral problems due to the mediating role of parent-child relationship. The findings of this study are consistent with the background. Research shows the effect of parenting methods by mediating the parent-child relationship in creating children's behavioral problems, which can be used in the prevention program while removing clinical implications.

Investigating the Effect of Advertising on Attracting Customers of Sports Clubs in Karaj City

The purpose of this research was to investigate the mediating role of charitable marketing in the effect of advertising on attracting customers of sports clubs in Karaj city. The research method was applied descriptive which was conducted by field method using questionnaire. The statistical population included the athletes of sports clubs in Karaj city. The sample size was determined as 332 people based on Morgan’s table. The measurement tools included advertisement questionnaire (Moghimi &amp; Ramezani, 2007) and customer attraction questionnaire (Ravanbakhsh, 2019). Content and face validity of questionnaires were confirmed by management professors and Cronbach’s alpha reliability was reported as 0.72 for advertisement questionnaire and Cronbach’s alpha reliability of customer attraction questionnaire was reported as 0.71. To analyze the research hypotheses, the structural equation model was used by spss19 and Amos23 software. The findings of the research showed that charitable marketing has a mediating role in the effect of advertising on the attraction of customers of sports clubs in Karaj city, and this type of mediating is a partial mediating type. Therefore, it can be concluded that by using charitable marketing, new customers can be attracted to sports clubs, and charitable marketing is also a kind of advertisement for the club.

Health and economic impacts of ambient air particulate matter (PM2.5) in Karaj city from 2012 to 2019 using BenMAP-CE.

The present study aims to estimate the effects of PM2.5 on the health and economy of Karaj city from 2012 to 2019. In this study, mortality attributed to long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its spatial distribution in Karaj over the 2012-2019 period were estimated using the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM) concentration-response function and BenMAP software. PM2.5 hourly concentration data of air quality monitoring stations were used to estimate PM2.5 for the whole city of Karaj. The economic effects of this pollutant were also assessed using the value of statistical life (VSL) method. The results showed that the annual average PM2.5 concentration during the studied time increased and was higher than the air quality guideline levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Also, the annual number of deaths attributed to PM2.5 in adults (older than 25years) was estimated to be about 1200. The highest to lowest proportions of PM2.5-related deaths were non-accidental mortality, ischemic heart attack, stroke, acute respiratory tract infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer, in the order of their appearance. The results showed that the economic loss attributed to this pollutant was estimated at 380 to 504 million USD per year. Due to the effects of PM2.5 on health and the economy in this city, we suggest conducting special planning to control and reduce the concentration of ambient air particulate matter by improving the public transportation system and updating industrial processes.

Commuters’ accessibility to transportation lifelines in Karaj city, Iran: A fuzzy approach

Having a comprehensive knowledge about commuters’ access to transportation lifelines can empower the urban planners, who are responsible for the development of infrastructure and the facilities that support approaching sustainable development. It is also beneficial for commuters to find the optimum place of residence. Access analysis is always involved with complexities that are mostly originated in the challenges of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and uncertainty. In this paper, the results of the access analysis concerning different transportation options are combined in a fuzzy inference system in order to identify the most appropriate place of residence for commuters in Karaj city, Iran. In the first step, the access maps based on the available means of public transportation and also the distance to capital Tehran, were generated. Afterward, the rules and configurations of the fuzzy inference system were calibrated through collecting the opinions of commuters’ society and the desirability map was generated combining the access maps. The achieved results were evaluated with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). It is regarded that the proposed fuzzy model is capable of providing more detailed information about the desirable residential locations as it gathers deep knowledge through fuzzy rules and provides nonlinear modeling of access.

Risk Perception and Social Factors Affecting Protective Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Iranian Sample

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of people worldwide. Considering that no specific pharmaceutical treatment exists for this disease, the best way to deal with it is through prevention. However, many people in the community do not implement preventive behaviors. The study investigates the risk perception of infectious diseases following psychological factors and social variables, such as age, gender, family structure, occupation, income, and saving as social factors. Methods: A sample of 371 adults in the age range of 18 to 60 years (224 females and 147 males) was selected via the convenience sampling method from Karaj City. They answered questions about social variables, vulnerability to infectious diseases questionnaire, and questions about protective behaviors according to the World Health Organization protocol on COVID-19. Results: The results showed that in the psychological dimension, self-risk assessment and vulnerability to infectious diseases can predict COVID-19-related preventive behaviors. In the social dimension, the family structure, gender, and familial and social relationships of individuals predicted protective behaviors in individuals. Conclusion: prevention is essential for controlling the pandemic and it is necessary to consider the risk factors in every society.

The Effect of CCT on Vitality and Population Absorption in Urban Area Case Study: The Safavi Bridge Urban Area in Karaj, Iran

Vitality is one of the components affecting the desirability of urban space, the lack of attention has led to the decline of urban life. Historical areas in our country have been exposed to destruction or become unsafe and unsuitable spaces due to lack of attention. Illumination is one of the factors that can increase the presence of people in the area and thus increase the vitality of spaces at night. Correlated colour temperature (CCT) is one of the practical components in illumination, which can provide us with a variety of quality of space. It seems that changing CCT can be effective in the vitality of the urban area of the Karaj entrance bridge. The present study seeks to find a relationship between CCT and components affecting the vitality of the urban space of the entrance bridge of Karaj city. The entrance bridge of Karaj, dating back to the Seljuk era, is one of the important historical spaces that has become an unsafe and secluded place in recent years due to lack of proper attention. In this research, first, by descriptive-analytical method and using past experiences and the opinion of experts, vitality criteria concerning illumination have been extracted. Then, dual traits were inferred from the criteria and tested by semantic differentiation method using a questionnaire. To measure the effect of CCT, the images taken from the site were changed in SILKYPIX software, and dual traits were evaluated for each. SPSS software and mean test and one-sample T analysis method were used for statistical analysis of data and research reliability test. The results of data analysis showed that in all three images and nine modified modes, the average obtained from the software for the CCT mode of 4000 K is the best mode. Therefore, the results showed that with the decrease of CCT, the vitality criteria of urban spaces of Karaj Bridge also increased. These results can be used to improve the performance and quality of other urban areas.

The Effectiveness of Adlerian Group Counseling Approach on Mother's Distress and Self-care During Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Distress is the most perceived behavioral state manifested by pregnant women and can directly or indirectly increase the risk of experiencing prenatal complications. Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the Adlerian group counseling approach on a mother's distress and self-care during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 79 eligible pregnant women referred to seven community health centers in Karaj City, Iran, from March 2018 to December 2019. The eligible women were assigned to the intervention (n=40) and control (n=39) groups using the block randomization method. The intervention group (gestational age of 22-32 weeks) received the Adlerian group counseling approach, while the control group received routine individual counseling. The study data were collected using the quality of prenatal self-care questionnaire and prenatal distress questionnaire at three time points; baseline, after, and one month after the intervention or routine counseling. The study data were analyzed by the Chi-squared test, Fisher exact test, and independent t test, as well as repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The mean ± SD ages of the intervention and the control groups were 23.39±2.85 and 23.39±2.85 years, respectively. After the intervention, the results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding the changes in the mean scores of prenatal distresses (P=0.0001) and four domains (physical health, behavioral assessment, healthy relationships, and social health) of self-care (P=0.0001). Conclusion: The Adlerian group counseling approach effectively improved prenatal distress and self-care during pregnancy.

Walkability Policies in Developing Countries: What Do People Need and Prefer in Iran?

Examining the willingness to pay (WTP) in the implementation of walkability policies can indicate the needs and preferences of individuals. Consequently, better defined individual preferences lead to successful sustainable transportation plans. While there is an extensive literature discussing WTP in sustainable transportation, they mostly focus on developed countries, and this issue has not been adequately studied for developing countries, especially the Middle East. This study aims to determine the preferences of transportation users in developing countries and their willingness in paying to implement sustainable transportation policies. To this aim, 384 surveys were conducted in Karaj city, Iran, using the contingent valuation method (CVM). The WTP and its contextual criteria (household’s cost, demography, and economic class) and walkability criteria (safety, accessibility, network design, and social) were examined using PLS-SEM with 1000 resamples through the SEMinR package in the R programming language. The results show that 46% of participants were willing to pay extra taxes to implement the walkability policies. Furthermore, the structural model indicates that safety, social, spatial, and accessibility are the most important factors, respectively, and predict WTP in a positive direction. In contrast, gender and cost predict WTP in a negative direction.

A hybrid fuel cell, solar thermal collector, and coal-fired power plant; energetic, exergetic, and emission analysis

ABSTRACT Although the nonrenewable energy-driven power plants have major limitations, but at present, more than 80% of the energy needed all over the world is met through these power plants. Among them, almost one-third is supplied through coal-fired plants. However, the major limitation in the exploitation of coal fuel is the increase in environmental harms due to the increased greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, it is necessary to adopt solutions and integrate these plants with other clean and green energy production cycles in order to reduce the emission of pollutants and improve their behavior. In this paper, the thermodynamic-conceptual evaluation of a new coal-fired plant driven by lignite is developed. Besides that, the plant is coupled with a solid oxide fuel cell and two independent solar units (both based on parabolic trough collector (PTC) arrays) in order to reduce the environmental harms of coal. Additionally, the introduced power plant consists of two power generation units based on a Rankine cycle and a gas turbine-based cycle. Therefore, the introduced plant can produce electric power and hot water. Further, the integration of cycles based on renewable technologies can reduce environmental pollution and improve plant’s efficiency. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison is presented when changing power plant fuel from lignite to anthracite. The conceptual design of solar units based on the geographical characteristics of city of Karaj is also provided. The outcomes indicated that the gas released from the plant during the combustion process is approximately 94.1 kg per second. The considered plant can produce almost 270.2 MW of electric power and approximately 1572 kg of hot water per second. Additionally, the energetic efficiency was equal to 69.72% and exergetic efficiency was equal to 34.93%. The findings also indicated that the size of solar unit 1 under both types of anthracite and lignite coal is the same; while, by changing the type of coal from lignite to anthracite, the size of solar unit 2 can be reduced by almost 6.5 times.