Iranian Participants Research Articles

The Ideological Construction of Iran in The NYT

This study used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a multidisciplinary approach to analyse The New York Times (The NYT) news texts in order to examine how systemic structures and properties of language played a role in the portrayal of the Iranian nation and to provide insights into how the information presented in the news texts had ideological implications. Analysis of news discourse in the study concentrated on the headlines and lead paragraphs of The NYT that covered the post-Islamic republic discourse around the Iranian hostage crisis (1979–1980) and the more recent discourse concerning the Iranian presidential election of June 2009. The discursive analysis showed that there was a tendency to polarize between Us (good, righteous, peaceful, etc.) and Them (evil, violent, etc.) to associate stereotypical negative traits to the out-group. It was found that such ideological representations of the Iranian participants were linguistically realized via the dominant processes of transitivity, thematization, and lexicalization.

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism with elevated serum ACE activity and major depression in an Iranian population

Genetic factors contribute substantially to the likelihood of developing major depressive disorder (MDD). The importance of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) elements in cognition and behaviour and their involvement in aetiology and treatment of depression imply that RAS gene polymorphism(s) associated with RAS overactivity might also be associated with depression. In the present study, genotype and allele frequencies of six common polymorphisms of genes encoding for RAS components were determined in DNAs extracted from venous blood of 191 depressed and 104 healthy individuals using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity was assayed using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The results showed, for the first time, that GG genotype of ACE A2350G was significantly associated with MDD among Iranian participants (P=0.001; odds ratio (OR)=6.2; 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.1–18.3). Significant higher serum ACE activity (P=0.0001) as well as higher diastolic blood pressure (P=0.036) were observed in depressed patients compared to the healthy control group. Depressed patients carrying GG genotype of the A2350G polymorphism had a significantly higher serum ACE activity (P=0.02) than individuals with either AA or AG genotype. In conclusion, this study supports the hypothesis of RAS overactivity in depression in that the genotype associated with higher serum ACE activity in an Iranian population was also associated with MDD.

The prevalence of hepatitis C infection in general population in Shiraz, southern Iran

Background:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is amajor bloodtransfusion infection with silent epidemic and major global public health problem and diverse prevalence worldwide. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HCV infection in general population of Shiraz city, Fars province in Iran, and evaluate the real risk factors in these areas. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from March 2010 to April 2011. All of Iranian participants aged equal or above 35 years old were evaluated for HCV antibody with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). They Confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Fifteen out of 2080 (1181 men and 899 women with minimum age of 35 years and maximum of 83 years old) participants were anti-HCV positive (prevalence 0.72%). The highest prevalence was seen in age≤45 years old. A statistically significant correlation was found between blood transfusion and presence of anti-HCV antibody (p<0.001). Those with a history of blood transfusion had fifteen fold higher risks for anti-HCV positivity. No statistically significant correlationwas found among other variants and positive anti-HCV. Conclusion: Due to non-significant correlation between other variants and anti-HCV+ except blood transfusion, further evaluation for detection of risk factors is recommended. Moreover, it is emphasized that the donated bloods be evaluatedwith PCR and the importance of sterility of instruments in medical and nonmedical conditions and education of transmission routes be taken into account.

The Relationship between Listening and Other Language Skills in International English Language Testing System

Listening comprehension is the primary channel of learning a language. Yet of the four dominant macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), it is often difficult and inaccessible for second and foreign language learners due to its implicit process. The secondary skill, speaking, proceeds listening cognitively. Aural/oral skills precede the graphic skills, such as reading and writing, as they form the circle of language learning process. However, despite the significant relationship with other language skills, listening comprehension is treated lightly in the applied linguistics research. Half of our daily conversation and three quarters of classroom interaction are virtually devoted to listening comprehension. To examine the relationship of listening skill with other language skills, the outcome of 1800 Iranian participants undertaking International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in Tehran indicates the close correlation between listening comprehension and the overall language proficiency.

The Effects of Test Facets on the Construct Validity of the Tests in Iranian EFL Students

Language testing as a main device in assessing the learners` knowledge and language abilities plays a key role in training programs. Generally, the goal of language testing is to assure the extent to which learners have achieved the instructional goals during a course. The main objective of many studies in language testing has been to investigate whether test facets affect construct validity of the test or not. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether the EFL Iranian participants` performances were different with respect to the different test facets and if these performances had some effects on the construct validity of the tests. In this investigation, the students were selected of 50 Iranian EFL students aged between 21 to 30 years, from two branches of Islamic Azad University, Dezful and Andimeshk, Iran. The 17 participants, placed at the low level in the Nelson proficiency test, received a test. The test facets included the integrative forms such as cloze-test, c-test, and discrete test items such as multiple choice and true/false. By statistics analyses, the significant differences were assessed in the test facets. Our results revealed that significant differences existed in the test facets among the performances of Iranian EFL students. Because of the integrity of the several abilities and mental strategies, the cloze-test was the most difficult form of testing. Keywords : Test facets; Construct validity; Integrative test items; Discrete test items

Quality of Life among Persons with HIV/AIDS in Iran: Internal Reliability and Validity of an International Instrument and Associated Factors

The purpose of this cross-sectional study on 191 HIV/AIDS patient was to prepare the first Persian translation of complete WHOQOL-HIV instrument, evaluate its reliability and validity, and apply it to determine quality of life and its associated factors in Tehran, Iran. Student's t-test was used to compare quality of life between groups. Mean Cronbach's α of facets in all six domains of instrument were more than 0.6 indicating good reliability. Item/total corrected correlations coefficients had a lower limit of more than 0.5 in all facets except for association between energy and fatigue facet and physical domain. Compared to younger participants, patients older than 35 years had significantly lower scores in overall quality of life (P = 0.003), social relationships (P = 0.021), and spirituality/religion/personal beliefs (P = 0.024). Unemployed patients had significantly lower scores in overall quality of life (P = 0.01), level of independence (P = 0.004), and environment (P = 0.001) compared to employed participants. This study demonstrated that the standard, complete WHOQOL-HIV 120 instrument translated into Farsi and evaluated among Iranian participants provides a reliable and valid basis for future research on quality of life for HIV and other patients in Iran.

Relationship Between Health Anxiety and Alexithymia in an Iranian Sample

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and health anxiety in a sample of Iranian participants. The sample consisted of 226 male and female students in Tehran who completed the 20 item Toronto Alexythemia Scale (TAS) developed by Bagby, Parker and Taylor (1994), the 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) developed by Goldberg (1972) and the 18 item Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) developed by Salkovskis, etal. (2002). Results showed that scores on alexithymia correlated significantly with scores on health anxiety. This significance was held when scores on depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms (as measured by GHQ) were controlled. It was further found that one of the subscales of SHAI, namely difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF), as well as somatic symptoms, significantly predicted reported health anxiety scores in male and female participants. It is argued that undifferentiated feelings exist in alexithymia causing physiological arousal. But because these individuals have difficulty in identifying, differentiating and regulating these feelings and thus associating them with related somatic symptoms, this physiological arousal remains unabated and is expressed in terms of health anxiety.

An Investigation of the Possible Effects of Favored Contexts in Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

It is widely agreed that much second language vocabulary learning occurs while the learner is attentively engaged in the process of reading and interpreting the texts encountered. It is also argued that to understand vocabulary learning linguists cannot limit the investigation of the process of vocabulary learning to word meaning (Gass, 1999). Since many questions remain unsettled in this domain, this study was conducted in the context of TEFL to investigate the effect of teaching vocabulary through its use in contexts in which learners have an interest versus contexts in which they are not that much interested. It, therefore, examines the impact(s) of contextual vocabulary learning and attempts to have a comparison of the effect(s) of the role of favored contexts as opposed to disfavored contexts. The experiment involved two groups of twenty-five male Iranian participants aged from 15 to 25 at the intermediate level in an Iranian English language institute. All things considered, a pretest-posttest control group design was determined to check the accuracy of the researchers’ hypothesis in a short-term treatment through the application of reading comprehension tests (RCT). As a result, the overall findings support the initial idea that second language vocabulary acquisition (SLVA) is better achieved through the use of favored-contexts.

Check This One out: Analyzing Slang Usage among Iranian Male and Female Teenagers

Slang usage in modern age Iran is a popular phenomenon among most male and female teenagers. How pervasive this variation of language use is among various age and sex groups in Iran has been a question of debate given the significance of religion in a theological system of social structure. The work presented in this study aims to investigate the effect of age and sex on variability of slang usage. Sixty Iranian participants were selected, and then were divided into three age groups (i.e. primary school, high school, and senior university students) each group consisting of ten males and ten females. A self-made questionnaire in the form of Discourse Completion Test (DCT) describing nine situations of friendly conversations was given to the participants. They were asked to make their choice on the responses, which ranged from formal to very informal style (common teenage slang expressions), or to write down what they wish to say under each circumstance. The results of the chi–square tests indicated that slang usage among high school students is more frequent as compared with other age groups. Unlike the popular belief suggesting that slang is used by boys rather than girls, the findings suggested that young Iranians both male and female use slang as a badge of identity showing their attachment to the social group they wish to be identified with.

Challenged Media Participation of Diasporas: Iranian Productions on Public Access TV Channels in Germany

This paper analyses Iranian television production on Public Access TV channels in Germany. It is based on a broader study with qualitative interviews, hermeneutic content analysis of 40 hours of aired TV programs and a ?dense description? of the production background. Iranian immigrants were amongst the most active mother-tongue TV producers on local Public Access Channels (so called ?Open Channels?) since these were first launched in 1984. These non-commercial channels aim to make alternative themes and voices heard in the local public. However, the 9/11 attacks led to increased difficulties of access for immigrants from the Middle East, such as limited airtime and the obligation to translate programs. These measures diminished dramatically the opportunities to present Iranian TV shows on Open Channels. From the perspective of Communication Studies, this paper aims to analyse the intentions and strategies of Iranian immigrant media participation, but also the difficulties of access to the public sphere in Germany.

Iranian Women's Increasing Access to Higher Education but Limited Participation in the Job Market

Since the 1990s, there has been a significant increase in Iranian women's participation in higher education. The objective of this article is to investigate whether and how this increased participa...

Manufacture and Validation of Paced Visual Serial Addition Test (PVSAT) for an Iranian Population

Abstract Some neurological injury affect on sustaining attention. Attention is the most sensitive component of cognitive processes in front of traumas. The aim of this study was to predispose using PVSAT (paced visual serial addition task) in Iran by designing the test and perform a pilot study on Iranians, while its reliability and validity were assessed. In Paced Visual Serial Addition Test, participant has to add the last digit presented to the preceding digit which presented on the screen of the computer then verbalizes the answer. The test has two trials, in trial 1 the digits are presented at the rate of 3 seconds, and in trial 2 at 2 second. Its traditional total correct score seemingly reflects multiple cognitive abilities, including attention, concentration, working memory, and processing speed. This test was performed on 80 normal Iranian participants(45 females and 35 males) who ranged in age from 15 to 55 years old with a mean of 27 years old, and in three educated groups (less than 12 years education, between 12–16 years of education, and more than 16 years of education) with a mean of 14 years of education. People with serious neurological disease or mental disorder, with history of head trauma, with visual or auditoria problem didn’t enter to test. To determine the validity of the test, after one month 35 participants (20 female and 15 male) were assessed again. Results with the demographic factors like age ( M = 27 , S D : 7.7 ) , and education ( M = 14 , S D = 3 ) showed : true answers in trial 1was ( M = 53 , S D = 6.5 ) ,true answers in trial 2 was ( M = 49 , S D = 9 ) . The validity of this test in Iran was 0.91. This result was completely similar to last studies. This test can be used, both in clinical psychology and studies that are related to mild brain disorder, MS, ADHD and many other problems correlated with memory, attention and concentration.

On Spirituality

This collection of essays, presented at a private Shi`a-Mennonite conferenceheld at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario (27-30 May2007), are loosely organized around the theme of “spirituality.” The contributorsare Mennonite and invited Iranian participants from the most violentcenter of informal power in Iran (known for its extra-judicial execution oftheir opponents and the persecution of sexual/religious minorities like homosexualsand Baha`is): the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute(IKERI).1 I will confine my review mostly to the Iranian participants’ essaysbecause I am not qualified to comment on the Mennonite’s essays, as theypertain to Christian theology ...

Perceived cultural attitudes toward homosexuality and their effects on Iranian and American sexual minorities.

This study examined the relationship between three mental health constructs and perceived cultural attitudes toward homosexuality among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Specifically, differences in perceived cultural attitudes and depression, self-esteem, and perceived stress between 49 Iranians and 47 Americans were compared. It was hypothesized that (a) perceived cultural attitudes toward homosexuality would be more negative among Iranians than Americans; (b) perceived cultural attitudes would be related to depression, self-esteem, and perceived stress; and (c) that Iranian participants' scores on the depression, self-esteem, and perceived stress measures would reflect poorer mental health than that of their American counterparts. Results indicated more negative perceptions of cultural attitudes toward homosexuality among Iranians. Contrary to prediction, however, no difference was found in levels of depression, self-esteem, and perceived stress among American and Iranian participants. Findings are discussed in terms of cultural and familial differences with regard to sexual orientation disclosure.

IRANIAN WOMEN AND FOOTBALL

The paper examines football as a site of social contestation for Iranian women. The recent political controversy regarding women's attendance at football matches is indicative of this social conflict. I start by contextualizing this episode within a feminist framework of analysis. I then look at the development of Iranian women's participation in football as rioters, fans, players, referees, coaches, sports-writers and administrators of the game. Examples of women footballers from other cultures are provided in order to foreground commonalities and differences. Finally, I demonstrate how this movement is catalysng both Iranian feminism and the wider working-class social movement confronting the mullah-bourgeoisie.

Physical activity and body mass index in elderly Iranians in Sweden: a population-based study

To analyze whether elderly Iranians in Sweden have a higher mean body mass index (BMI) and are less physically active than elderly Swedes after adjustment for possible confounders. A total of 402 men and women (167 Iranian-born and 235 Swedish-born) aged 60-84 years residing in Stockholm, Sweden, were included in this population-based survey. Iranian participants were weighed and their height was measured. BMI values from the Swedish participants were based on self-reported data adjusted for the known discrepancy between objectively measured and self-reported weight and height. The outcome variables, BMI and self-reported leisure-time physical activity, were analyzed by linear regression and unconditional logistic regression. Overall, Iranian women had the highest mean BMI (29.2) of all subgroups. The model that included an interaction between sex and length of time in Sweden showed that there was no significant difference in BMI between Swedish men (reference) and Swedish women or Iranian men. In contrast, Iranian women had significantly higher BMI than the reference group after adjustment for age, education and marital status. The largest difference in BMI compared to the reference group was found among Iranian women who immigrated to Sweden in 1989 or later (beta-coefficient=3.41, 95% CI=1.99-4.83). Iranians and Swedes had almost the same odds of >or= once-weekly leisure-time physical activity. Elderly Iranian immigrants and especially women who immigrated to Sweden in 1989 or later must be targeted in order to decrease their burden of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Social axioms in Iran and Canada: Intercultural contact, coping and adjustment

A comparison was made between Iranian participants living in Iran, Iranian immigrants to Canada, and Canadian‐born participants on the Social Axioms Scale (SAS), including a sixth dimension, Harmony. The Iranian immigrants to Canada endorsed views that were intermediate between the other two groups. In the data from Iran, the relationships between social axioms on the one hand and measures of active coping and adjustment on the other were examined. Belief in Reward for Application predicted Active Coping; acknowledgment of Social Complexity predicted Life‐Satisfaction; and endorsement of belief in Harmony predicted Mastery. Those whose beliefs on Harmony and Social Complexity were closer to their country mean were higher on Mastery and Self‐Esteem, but those whose beliefs on Fate Control were closer to the country mean showed lower Life‐Satisfaction.