مطالب

This study examines the criterion of value at risk from another perspective and presents a new type of mean-value at Risk model. To solve the portfolio optimization problem in Tehran Stock Exchange, we use NSGA II, MOACO, and MOABC algorithms and then compare the mean-pVaR model with the mean-SV model. Given that, finding the best answer is very important in meta-heuristic methods, we use the concept of dominance in the discussion of multi-objective optimization to find the best answers and show that, at low iterations, the performance of the NSGA II algorithm is better than the MOABC and MOACO algorithms in solving the portfolio optimization problem. As the iteration increases, the performance of the algorithms improves, but the rate of improvement is not the same, in a way, the performance of the MOABC algorithm is better than that of the NSGA II and MOACO algorithms. Then, to compare the performance of the “mean-percentage of Value at Risk” model and the “mean-semi variance” model, we examine both models in the standard mean-variance model and show that the mean-pVaR model, compared to the mean-SV model, Has better performance in stock portfolio optimization.

The Supply Chain Network Design (SCND) with perishability is an active research topic. The Agri-fresh Food Supply Chain (AFSC) is a relevant topic to SCND and this study aims to model a new AFSC for a real-world case study. Regarding the traditional AFSC, the geographically dispersed small farmers transport their product individually to market for selling. This leads to a higher transportation cost, which is the major cause of farmers’ low profitability. This paper formulates a traditional product movement model to represent the existing AFSC. The concept of sharing economic approach is employed by the aggregate and collaborative transportation of products to minimize transportation inefficiency. This paper proposes an aggregate product movement with the vehicle routing model to re-design an AFSC for a case study in Iran based on the data of ETKA Company-the largest domestic agri-fresh food supply chain. A four-echelon, multi-period, Mixed Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) approach for the proposed location-inventory-routing model is formulated for perishable products via considering the clustering of farmers to minimize the total distribution cost.

Price return and P/E are two interesting factors for a lot of investors; The Bohmian quantum mechanics used referring to the time correlation of return and P/E of the stock market under consideration. In this study, we extend the quantum potential concept to determine the behaviour of P/E and also price return in two different industry of Tehran stock market during a time interval of April. 2008 to march 2019. The obtained results show that the quantum potential behaves in the same manner for P/E and price return, also confines the variations of the P/E and price return into a specific domain. Furthermore, a joint quantum potential as a function of return and P/E is derived by the probability distribution function (PDF) constructed by the real data of a given market. It serves as a suitable instrument to investigate the relationship between these variables. The resultant PDF and the corresponding joint quantum potential illustrate that where we have light points in joint quantum potential chart, the probability of those amount of P/E and price return are more than other points. In addition, because of the rectangular shape of the joint quantum potential chart we can say that these two variables behave as two independent variables in the Market.

The improved model of the Agile Kanban (i-KAM) is developed to enhance the software project monitoring task when employing Agile project management (APM) approach. The i-KAM have been initially verified by 11 knowledge and domain experts. In consequence, it has been reconstructed and enhanced based on the remarks and recommendations provided by the experts. This paper aims to present the final evaluation results of i-KAM achieved from seven software practitioners participated in a focus group. The focus group method was selected because it is an empirical approach used in the evaluation studies conducted in the software engineering (SE) domain. Therefore, this method was employed to obtain the practitioners’ feedback on the proposed model. Results confirm the effectiveness of i-KAM, in which it can assist the project managers and team members in monitoring their projects’ progress effectively. In addition, it is indicated that i-KAM is an applicable model with easy and practical implementation. This study contributes to improve the task of monitoring software development projects within the APM environment. Accordingly, this would systematically facilitate the top managements’ work, and assist in making meaningful decisions regarding to the management of projects’ workflow. Practically, case studies will be carried out in different software development organizations (SDOs) to implement i-KAM in actual projects within real environments

Background: The Coronavirus not only affects physical health, but the outbreak of this virus can also have devastating psychological effects. To treat and diagnose, these impacts should be identified. This study aimed to investigate the role of Perfectionism and Self-compassion in predicting Coronavirus anxiety. Method: The sample consisted of 292 participants who responded online to the Coronavirus Anxiety Inventory, the Hewitt and Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (HF-MPS), and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). Data were analyzed by correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results: The results have shown that the dimensions of perfectionism, and Self-compassion, predict Coronavirus anxiety (P <0.001). Also, Mindfulness and Common humanity, from Self-compassion components, could predict Coronavirus anxiety significantly (P <0.001). Conclusion: These findings indicate that Perfectionism is effective in exacerbating Coronavirus anxiety, and Self-compassion is effective in modulating it. These variables can play an important role in general health policies, the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Coronavirus anxiety.

Scaffolding research has been widely investigated involving parent-child within the first language (L1) context without considering the cognitive issues and Intelligence Quotients (IQ) aspects as crucial precursors of the scaffolding process. This case study aims to find emergent themes and theorize potential scaffolding theory from the interaction of two-second language (L2) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children and normal parents with minimum English exposure, cognitive disorders, and different IQ levels on the mobile story-sharing application. Participant observations and in-depth interviews on scaffolding using story-sharing activities among children, parents, and researchers were conducted every week for six months. Thematic analysis was implemented inductively and interpreted by two experts to find the emerging variation of scaffolding theories. The results showed that ASD learners' scaffolding process involved more complex stages than the previous studies. The complexities of scaffolding involved repetitive recall, translating, imitating, cooperating, target and crises. ASD learners could write a simple phrase and short sentence after exhaustive efforts. Since ASD learners’ previous vocabulary mastery was excluded, it is worth pursuing further researchers to examine learners’ vocabulary and story writing development using the same application.

The present study is a methodological synthesis aiming to evaluate the adherence of Iranian L2 papers to the study quality standards. Ten Iranian journals were selected based on the latest ranking of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology (MSRT), and all experimental papers (N = 367) published from their beginnings were explored for study quality with regards to sampling, design, statistical tests, reporting practices and data sharing, and visual presentation. In the evaluation of the papers, the protocols proposed by Gass and Plonsky (2011) and Pagout and Plonsky (2017) were moderated and some recent issues proposed by APA’s (2018) Journal Article Reporting Standards and some scholars (e.g., Hu & Plonsky, 2019; Khany & Tazik, 2019; Larson-Hall, 2017) were added. The results showed that while there were issues, like acceptable sample size, use of pre-testing, reporting descriptive and inferential statistics, and ensuring the reliability of instruments, that were acceptably adhered to quality standards, problematic areas existed in all five facets of quality, and the majority of them stayed constant or changed slightly over time. The shortcomings caused by such lack of adherence are discussed to identify the challenges in the way of improving the papers’ quality. Although the results are obtained from a specific context, the implications may be generalizable to other contexts where English is taught and researched as a foreign language .

A close look at the education system reveals that too much attention is attached to text while visuals, such as pictures and cartoons, are often deemed as “decoration”, or are not incorporated in the textbooks at all. Visual texts constitute a part of daily communication, which can potentially bear many layers of meaning. Such a complexity involved in visuals turns them into an ideal resource for not only L2 learning but also the improvement of intercultural communicative competence (ICC), along with cultural awareness. The status of cultural elements and representation of culture in English instruction has proved to be a tricky issue. This is mainly because of the diverse range of contexts where English is used on an international scale globally. Given the integral relationship between language and culture, it is essential to teach cultural elements in L2 classes, in particular, the representation of cultural values and elements as an integral part of the L2 curriculum of English language teaching (ELT). Furthermore, from a critical linguistics viewpoint, language textbooks should be viewed as social and cultural vehicles. Therefore, the incorporation of cultural symbols and raising cultural awareness are considered essential issues in ELT textbooks, particularly in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL). Furthermore, multiple approaches to the analysis of textbooks and cultural contents have been adopted by different researchers. Here, the present study is based on the core principles of semiotic analysis which implies that texts, pictures, and other modes of communication can be used as potential semiotic resources. This review study can yield important theoretical and pedagogical implications for researchers, L2 instructors, and the developers of ELT textbooks to take the images into account to represent culture in the textbook.