University of Tehran administers a test known as The University of Tehran English Proficiency Test (the UTEPT) to PhD candidates on a yearly basis. By definition, the test can be considered a high-stakes one. The validity of high stakes tests needs to be known (Roever, 2001). As Mesick (1988) maintains, if the validity of high stakes tests are not known, it might have some undesirable consequen...

Introduction As Rushby (2005) observes, a new constructivist learning paradigm for the various uses of Internet-based technologies (IBT) and environments is emerging. IBT have evolved and been applied to language learning for almost 2 decades. However, research and scholarly discussions that provide a reliable taxonomy of IBT integrated into language curricula that would enable language teacher...

Introduction In recent decades, large-scale English language proficiency testing and testing research have seen an increased interest in constructed-response essay-writing items (Aschbacher, 1991; Powers, Burstein, Chodorow, Fowles, & Kukich, 2001; Weigle, 2002). The TOEFL iBT, for example, includes two constructed-response writing tasks, one of which is an integrative task requiring the test-t...

PURPOSE To evaluate the clinical outcome of high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) in patients with oral cavity cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixteen patients with oral cavity cancer treated with HDR remote-control afterloading brachytherapy using (192)Ir between 2001 and 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Brachytherapy was administered in 11 patients as the primary treatment ...

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a debilitating disorder characterized by an excessive pre-occupation with an imagined or very slight defect in one's physical appearance. Despite the overall success of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in treating BDD, some people do not seem to benefit as much from this approach. Those with high overvalued ideation (OVI), for instance, have been shown to no...

Aims The aim of this study was to compare transscleral resection technique performed without hypotensive anaesthesia (TSRWH) with iodine-125 brachytherapy (IBT) in the treatment of choroidal melanoma. Patients and methods This was a retrospective surgical cohort study. Nineteen eyes treated with TSRWH were matched with 53 eyes treated with IBT according to: tumour size, distance to fovea, dista...

OBJECTIVE Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has been widely used for guiding prostate implants, but not much for interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) of cervix cancer. The aim of our study is to report our experience with TRUS guided high dose rate (HDR) IBT in patients with carcinoma of uterine cervix. METHODS During the year 2005-2006, 25 patients of cervical cancer not suitable for intracavitary r...

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice in patients requiring long-term enteral tube feeding. In patients with intrathecal baclofen infusion therapy (IBT) pump implantation, infection via the skin and soft tissue may be an issue of concern. The introducer technique for gastrostomy tube insertion may be useful in reducing the risk of peristomal infection. Although the p...

Background Ralstonia eutropha is bacterium known to naturally produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as carbon storage during nutrient starvation. Previously studies [1] showed that it is possible through the incorporation of an engineered biosynthetic pathway, to redirect carbon flux from PHB to the production of Isobutanol (IBT), a biofuel largely studied to replace the current fossil fuels in exi...