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Critical thinking has been a significant issue in the realm of EFL teaching and learning. This study aimed at investigating the contribution of paper-based and web-assisted feedback on Iranian EFL learners’ level of criticality in acquiring the writing skill. Besides, it was endeavoured to explore the extent of feedback contributions to the five constituents of critical thinking. Accordingly, a non-randomized control group pre/post-test design was taken into consideration, accounting for the two experimental treatments along with one control group. The levels of critical thinking of 61 EFL learners were initially rated prior to the 11-session treatments, and finally were re-appraised at the termination of the semester at University of Hormozgan. The out-turns of the one-way between-groups ANOVA set forth a statistically significant difference between the critical thinking scores of the four groups with respect to the type of feedback they received. Moreover, the outcomes of paired samples t-test revealed a statistically significant increase in all the four within-group criticality scores from pretest to posttest. Furthermore, the results of MANOVA illuminated a significant feedback contribution to the argument level of critical thinking, substantially due to the web-assisted type. So, web-assisted feedback was concluded to play a crucial role in facilitating EFL learners' journey towards becoming more critical writers. Finally, some pedagogical implications were conveyed parenthetically.

In this article, with the help of Heidegger and Foucault's conceptual tools, as well as the achievements of the cognitive science, we try to examine the transition from paper reading to digital reading. This discussion can be a preparation for a philosophical understanding of the digital age. We show that Heidegger's analysis of the ready-to-hand beings and technology can help to understand the reading behaviors of paper and digital readers. We have also use Heidegger's analytical framework for text ontology. On the other hand, Foucault's reflections on the embodied technologies can explain the power-knowledge relationships that is constructed around the reader. In addition, the cognitive science has provided detailed empirical findings on the effects of reading behaviors on the human cognitive biases and skills by examining the various modes of reading. Embodied and skillful cognitive science, by going beyond the computational understanding of human beings, has noticed the various behaviors and states of the body in reading processes and highlighted their effects. To integrate these areas of research, we try to place the findings of the cognitive science within the framework of Heidegger and Foucault's technological understanding of the modern power-knowledge relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Common zinnia (Zinnia elegans), canna (Canna sp.), petunia (Petunia hybrida), compacta (Dracaena Compacta), dahlia (Dahlia sp.), gazania (Gazania sp.), marigold (Tagetes sp.), rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora) and nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) are common ornamental plants in Ahwaz. The identification of fungi associated with these plants will contribute to improving the future management of their cultivation. Members of the genera Amesia and Chaetomium are widely distributed in soil, water, plants, animals and humans. In this study, 12 isolates from Chaetomium and Amesia genera, obtained from herbaceous ornamentals, were identified based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis. Materials and methods: During 2017-2018, 40 symptomatic plants, showing root rot, stem canker and leaf spot, were collected and their associated fungi were isolated. Among those, 12 chaetomiaceae-like isolates were obtained, which their morphological and molecular characterizations were surveyed. Mycelial biomass of the isolates, produced into potatodextrose- broth (PDB), was collected by passing through filter paper and freeze-dried. ITS and partial regions of the 28s-D1/D2 (for 4 isolates) and tub2 (for 9 isolates) were amplified using appropriate primers and sequenced. Results: The isolates under survey were compared with known strains using BLASTn search and phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, 28S and tub2 regions. Accordingly, the isolates under study were identified as follows: Amesia atrobrunnea, Chaetomium rectangulare, C. globosum, C. ascotrichoides and C. olivaceum. The morphological characteristics of these isolates were in accordance with the type strains of each species. Discussion and conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first record of C. ascotrichoides in Iran and the association of C. rectangulare on compacta, C. globosum on zinnia and canna, C. ascotrichoides on petunia, C. olivaceum on common zinnia, nasturtium and marigold in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the non-progressive spread of influence with threshold model in social networks. Consider a graph G with a threshold function t on its vertex set. Spread of influence is a discrete dynamic process as follows. For a given set of initially infected vertices at time step 0 each vertex v gets infected at time step i, i = 1, if and only if the number of infected neighbors are at least t (v) in time step i-1. Our goal is to find the minimum cardinality of initially infected vertices (perfect target set) such that eventually all of the vertices get infected at some time step l. In this paper an upper bound for the convergence time of the process is given for graphs with general thresholds. Then an integer linear programming for the size of minimum perfect target set is presented. Then we give a lower bound for the size of perfect target sets with strict majority threshold on graphs which all of the vertices have even degrees. It is shown that the later bound is asymptotically tight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, one of the most significant areas of literary studies is to assess, review and criticize of various rhetorical work from different viewpoints; such studies is more remarkable especially when performed on older literary texts with critical-thinking view.”Majmu'e-ye-Latayef-va-Safine-ye-Zarayef” poem ontology compiled by "Saife- Jam-e-Heravi", one of the most ancient rhetorical text from the late eight and early nine AH centuries, is written in the Indian subcontinent. The study of rhetorical subjects in ”Majmu'e-ye-Latayef ", considering its history, provides outlook on rhetoric’s history and development, especially in the Indian subcontinent; hence, this paper inspects this work from innovations, impressionability and imitation viewpoints as well as its importance from rhetoric perspective. The innovation of "Saif-e-Jam" in this poem ontology are as follows: personal terminology for rhetoric concepts, critique of his precedent poets’ poems, novel classifications, and new examples. Additionally, he gathered poems from both famous and less known Indian subcontinent poets, hence his ontology could be the only reference for several poets, especially the less knows or unknown ones. Such innovations has extolled the merits of his ontology beyond a merely imitation work. To specifically clarify imitations of ”Majmu'e-ye-Latayef ", this work is compared against other precedent predominantly rhetorical texts. This comparison reveals that “Saif-e-Jam-e-Heravi" have adopted various sections of his poem ontology from different references without mentioning their titles and authors; several of such references are as follows: Rashid-e-Vatvat's “Hadayegh-ul-Sehr” (divisions and examples), Jajarmi's “Munes-ul-Ahrar” and Kalati's “Munes-ul-Ahrar”(classification and poem samples), Amir Khosrow's “Eijaz-e-Khosrawi” and “Dibache-ye-Divan-e- Ghorrat-ul-Kamal”(definitions and examples created by Amir Khosrow), Khatib-e- Qazvini's “Al-Eizah-fi-Olum”(definitions), and Taftazani's “Al-Motawwal” (definitions). Furthermore, this work reviews and criticizes errors and mistakes of this ontology's rhetoric section in definitions, examples, and classification areas. "Saif-e- Jam-e-Heravi" have intended to collect an ontology and just exploit rhetoric viewpoint for classification of the gathered poems under separate sections; hence, he have mentioned incorrect examples for a given literary figure of speech or even have called one specific figure of speech under different names or labels (e.g., “tarh-e horuf” /lipogram and “hazf-e horuf”/ elision are identical). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let 픽QG be a finite group algebra. We denote by P(픽QG) the probability that the product of two elements of 픽QG be zero. In this paper, we obtain several results on this probability including a computing formula and characterizations. In particular, the computing formula for the P(픽QG) are established where G is the cyclic group Cn, the Quaternion group Qs, the symmetric group S3 and Fq is a finite field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we establish a new q-analogue of the binomial identity:... Our proof relies on a weight-preserving and sign-reversing involution due to Guo and Zhang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of art. Drawing on the philosophy and ethics of AI, this study examines the ethical challenges that may arise in the art domain. Given the increasing use and penetration of AI in the field of art, there is a need for more careful attention to the ethical dimensions of this phenomenon by scholars of art and philosophy. To achieve the objective of the paper, concepts such as AI, some of its techniques, and the ethical issues of AI in art are explained and analyzed using the analytical-descriptive method. The findings of the study reveal that ethical issues such as privacy and surveillance, manipulation of behavior, opacity and transparency, bias in decision systems, and automation and employment can be investigated in the field of art. These ethical issues are sometimes in conflict and sometimes in direct relation with each other. This study suggests that addressing the ethical questions of AI in the field of art requires addressing the ethical questions of AI in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Todays, business environment is facing a lot of uncertainty, and this increases the importance of budgeting in companies. This is why in recent years; various researches have been conducted in this field. Accordingly, this paper aims to evaluate them and answer to these questions: “what are the budgeting weaknesses in companies? What are the budgeting improvement obstacles in companies? And what are the approaches to improve budgeting in companies?” So, we search journal papers in this field using a systematic literature review and based on PRISMA protocol. After screening papers based on eligibility criteria, 32 papers were finally approved as papers related to the purpose and research questions. For achieving the trustworthiness of data and research findings, while using valid databases and applying a systematic process in literature review, research input sources were present to two experts and in addition an attempt was made to provide a rich description of the research process. Then, by analyzing the selected papers, 9 weaknesses, 6 obstacles and 20 improvement approaches were extracted. finally, considering the theoretical gap of existing researches, suggestions for future researches were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an online scheme of a wide-area-damping-controller (WADC) for controlling the inter-area oscillatory modes in interconnected power systems using wide-area power system stabilizers and measuring signals. The proposed adaptive controller includes two individual approaches WSSS for evaluating the signal participation factor selection and GPSS as a global power system stabilizer for damping inter-area oscillations. For this purpose, considering the concept of center of inertia over inter-area signals, generators with the highest interactions are determined as oscillating areas while based on evaluating signal damping ratio, proper participation factors are estimated in which GPSS with positive damping performance is developed. In real-time working mode, based on oscillatory signals gathered from WAMS data, different combinations of PSSs are evaluated in which the combinations with the best controllability on damping the oscillations are selected. The effectiveness of the proposed widearea damping controller scheme is evaluated on the IEEE test system and practical Iran national power grid with the potential of unstable inter-area oscillations. Results show the effectiveness of the proposed WADC approach for fast and secure damping of inter-area oscillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let c(G) denotes the number of cyclic subgroups of a finite group G. A group G is said to be n-cyclic, if c(G) = n. In this paper, we classify all 11-cyclic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A finite non-Dedekind group G is called an N AC-group if all non-normal abelian subgroups are cyclic. In this paper, all finite N AC-groups will be characterized. Also, it will be shown that the center of non-nilpotent N AC-groups is cyclic. If N AC-group G has a non-abelian non-normal Sylow subgroup of odd order, then other Sylow subgroups of G are cyclic or of quaternion type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple graph is called semisymmetric if it is regular and edge-transitive but not vertex-transitive. Let p be an arbitrary prime. Folkman [J. Folkman, Regular line-symmetric graphs, J. Combinatorial Theory, 3 (1967) 215-232.] proved that there are no cubic semisymmetric graphs of order 2p or 2p². In this paper, an extension of his result in the case of cubic graphs of order 44p or 44p² is given. By using group theoretic methods, we prove that there are no connected cubic semisymmetric graphs of order 44p or 44p². [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poset-blowdown of subgroup posets of groups is an analog of blowdown in algebraic geometry. It is a poset map obtained by contracting normal subgroups. For finite groups, this is considered as a map between the Hasse diagrams of the subgroup posets. Poset-blowdowns are classified into three types: tame, wild, and hybrid depending on the sizes of their fibers. In this paper we describe the poset-blowdowns for generalized quaternion groups Q2n (n ≥ 3). They have distinguished nature in that all types (tame, wild, and hybrid) appear in the successive poset-blowdowns associated with the three chief series of Q2n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G = (V,E) be a simple graph and f: V → {0, 1, 2, 3} be a function. A vertex u with f (u) = 0 is called an undefended vertex with respect to f if it is not adjacent to a vertex v with f(v) ≥ 2. We call the function f a generous Roman dominating function (GRDF) if for every vertex with f (u) = 0 there exists at least a vertex v with f(v) ≥ 2 adjacent to u such that the function f′: V → {0, 1, 2, 3}, defined by f′(u) = α, f′(v) = f(v) - α where α = 1 or 2, and f′(w) = f(w) if w ∈ V - {u, v} has no undefended vertex. The weight of a generous Roman dominating function f is the value f(V) = P u∈V f(u). The minimum weight of a generous Roman dominating function on a graph G is called the generous Roman domination number of G, denoted by γgR (G). In this paper, we initiate the study of generous Roman domination and show its relationships. Also, we give the exact values for paths and cycles. Moreover, we present an upper bound on the generous Roman domination number, and we characterize cubic graphs G of order n with γgR (G) = n-1, and a Nordhaus-Gaddum type inequality for the parameter is also given. Finally, we study the complexity of this parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenting sporadic simple groups as an automorphism groups of designs and graphs is an exciting field in finite group theory. In this paper, with two different methods, we present some new resolvable simple 3-designs with Higman-Sims sporadic simple group HS as the full automorphism group. Also, we classify all block-transitive self-orthogonal designs on 176 points with even block size that admit sporadic simple group HS as an automorphism group. Furthermore, with these methods we construct some new resolvable 3-designs on 36, 40, 120 and 176 points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a simple graph, and ⃗G be an oriented graph of G with an orientation and skew-adjacency matrix S(⃗ G). Let λ1(⃗ G), λ2(⃗ G), . . ., λn(⃗ G) be the eigenvalues of S(⃗ G). The number Pn i=1 λki (⃗ G) (k = 0, 1, . . ., n - 1), denoted by Tk(⃗ G), is called the k-th skew spectral moment of ⃗ G, and T(⃗ G) = (T0(⃗ G), T1(⃗ G), . . ., Tn-1(⃗ G)) is the sequence of skew spectral moments of ⃗ G. Suppose ⃗G 1 and ⃗G 2 are two digraphs. We shall write ⃗G 1 ≺T ⃗G 2 (⃗G 1 comes before ⃗G 2 in a T-order) if for some k (1 ≤ k ≤ n-1), Ti(⃗G 1) = Ti(⃗G 2) (i = 0, 1, . . ., k-1) and Tk(⃗ G1) < Tk(⃗G 2) hold. For two given positive integers p and q with p ≤ q, we denote T p,q n = {T: T is a tree of order n with a (p, q)-bipartition }. In this paper, we discuss T-order among all trees in T p,q n . Furthermore, the last three trees, in the T-order, underlying graphs among T p,q n (4 ≤ p ≤ q) are characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metadiscourse plays a prominent role in academic discourse, functioning as a key rhetorical feature that impacts a writer’s ability to effectively persuade readers of the trustworthiness and appropriateness of their arguments. Retrospective and prospective categories, together with other metadiscourse resources, serve to organise ideas, construct discourse, and promote textuality. Despite the limited research on the use of retrospective and prospective metadiscourse in academic papers, this study sought to enhance our empirical knowledge of their employment by investigating the functions of these categories in the academic writing of English as a First Language (EFL) and English as an Additional Language (EAL) students. Utilising a corpus of diverse genres, the study employed a corpus-driven qualitative content analysis methodology, as well as quantitative measures to reveal how EFL and EAL students employ prospective and retrospective devices in academic writing. The results indicated that both EFL and EAL students used a diverse array of linguistic features to express their ideas in academic prose, with the prospective categories being the most commonly used. The implications of these findings could be relevant for writing instructors and curriculum developers seeking to design effective pedagogical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notwithstanding the growing number of research on many aspects of audiovisual translation, cross-cultural pragmatics has remained under-investigated in audiovisual translation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the translation of general extenders—such as and stuff (like that) and or something in Persian dubbing and non)professional subtitling. Positioned at the crossroads of the pragmatics of fiction and audiovisual translation, the analysis presented in this article draws upon past research on English and Persian general extenders, as well as the models for translating general extenders. In doing so, this study follows a corpus-based approach, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to identify translation patterns of general extenders by dubbing translators and fansubbers in Iran. A corpus of twelve English films from different genres, along with their Persian dubbing and non-professional subtitling, was compiled for the investigation. Overall findings suggest that non-professional subtitlers followed a literal and sourced-oriented approach to translation, resulting in a more direct translation of general extenders. In contrast, the dubbing team (i.e., translator and dubbing director) tended to edit out these pragmatic issues in their translations; therefore, many general extenders were deleted in the translation. This was partly because the translation for dubbing has to be synchronized, resulting in some omissions and partly because the dubbing team paid less attention to these elements. Additionally, other strategies, such as substitution or explicitation were infrequently used in both dubbing and non-professional subtitling. The paper concludes by discussing limitations and offering opportunities for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jalaloddin Davani who has written many books, treatises, and letters, is one of the great scholars of the Shiraz school of thought during the Timurid period. Considering his influential attitude in the dynamics and excellence of Persian mystical literature, it is important to know about his Persian works which often include mysticism, philosophy, and theology. Obviously, before judging his opinions and beliefs, one should investigate the authenticity of his works. Therefore, the present research aims at the critical codicology of Persian works attributed to Davani to determine their authenticity. Reviewing the catalogue of manuscripts in the libraries shows that, in most catalogues, there are many mistakes in the title of Davani's Persian works. These bibliographic mistakes have been repeated in the works of many subsequent authors. To write the paper First, based on the Union Catalogue of Iran Manuscripts (Fankha), the titles of all Persian works attributed to Davani were identified. Then, using his Persian manuscripts and other sources, the authenticity of his Persian works in the catalogue of manuscripts was examined. In this study, through the comparative investigation of Davani's Persian manuscripts in Iran, some of our codicological and bibliographic information about Davani's Persian works have been corrected, especially the title and number of his authentic and non-authentic works. The result of the current critical codicology showed that Davani has written at least twenty original Persian works. In addition, according to the entries of Davani's Persian works in Fankha, at least nine nonoriginal Persian works have been attributed to him. Thus, at least nine entries of Davani's Persian works in Iran seem incorrect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous use of an efficient routing protocol and mobile sink not only prevents rapid sensor energy depletion but also effectively improves the energy balance in wireless sensor networks. In this paper, a new data aggregation method is proposed called "Ant colony-based Routing and Petal-shaped Data Aggregation (ARPDA)", which includes clustering, Cluster Head (CH) selection, intra-cluster routing, determining polling points, and designing the sink node trajectory. In the proposed method, the network is divided by several virtual concentric circles that are equidistant from each other. The intersection point of these circles with the virtual lines passing through the origin of the network determines the probable polling points for the sink node. First, by efficiently clustering the sensor nodes and forming an intra-cluster routing tree based on the ant colony optimization algorithm, the sensor data is aggregated in CHs; then, by selecting the appropriate polling points and designing a petal-shaped path, the sink node periodically collects the aggregated data in CHs based on two linear and circular movements. Considering the sink movement in the CH selection process is another advantage of the proposed algorithm. Numerical results confirm the better performance of the proposed algorithm compared to the EDT algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Today, active participation and empowerment of rural communities are essential for achieving environmental sustainability. Empowering local people will lead to their active involvement in environmental protection. Research Method: This research aimed to elucidate the concept of environmental empowerment strategy in rural communities, identify effective indicators, and present strategies in South Mirbeg District. It is a part of basic research with an exploratory approach due to its purpose and descriptiveanalytical methodology. After identifying and defining the effective components of environmental empowerment through literature review and expert opinions, a specialized questionnaire was designed to collect information from 365 households and 5 villages. Research Innovation: The innovative aspect of this research lay in the thematic combination of empowerment and environmental strategies. Research Findings: The components of new environmental technologies (A4) with a weighting factor of 0.094, financial incentives (A8) with a weighting factor of 0.094, and environmental investments (A11) with a weighting factor of 0.086 had the greatest effects on the process of environmental empowerment in the territory. Among the selected indicators, the effect coefficient of managers and decision-makers (A14) with a weighted value of 0.014 and the index of extrapolated plans and programs (A15) with a weighted value of 0.019 had the lowest effects on the process of environmental empowerment of residents in the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-standing conjecture asserts that every finite nonabelian p-group has a non-inner automorphism of order p. This paper proves the conjecture for finite p-groups of coclass 4 and 5 (p ≥ 5). We also prove the conjecture for an odd order nonabelian p-group G with cyclic center satisfying CG(Gpγ3(G)) ∩ Z3(G) ≤ Z(Φ(G)). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated to find the answers to some of the questions that have occurred in recent papers dealing with Hamiltonian cycles (abbreviated HCs) in some special classes of grid graphs we started the investigation of spanning unions of cycles, the so-called 2-factors, in these graphs (as a generalizations of HCs). For all the three types of graphs from the title and for any integer m = 2 we propose an algorithm for obtaining a specially designed (transfer) digraph D* m. The problem of enumeration of 2-factors is reduced to the problem of enumerating oriented walks in this digraph. Computational results we gathered for m = 17 reveal some interesting properties both for the digraphs D* m and for the sequences of numbers of 2-factors. We prove some of them for arbitrary m = 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we put forward the idea of variable sum exdeg energy of graphs. We study the algebraic properties of variable sum exdeg energy. Some properties related to spectral radius of variable sum exdeg matrix are determined. We determine some Nordhaus-Gaddum-type results for variable sum exdeg spectral radius and energy. Some classes of variable sum exdeg equienergetic graphs are also determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we give a method for the constructions of Hadamard matrices of composite orders by using suitable T-matrices and known Hadamard matrices. We establish a formula for Tmatrices and Hadamard matrices and discuss under what condition we can get T-matrices from the known Hadamard matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, Gutman invented a novel degree-based topological index called the Sombor index, inspired by a geometric interpretation of degree-radii of the edges and invited researchers to investigate their mathematical properties and chemical meanings. The Sombor index was reformulated in terms of the edge degree instead of the vertex degree as the original Sombor Index. In this paper, we compute the exact values of a certain class of graphs. Also, some bounds in terms of the order, size, minimum/maximum degrees and other topological indices are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to efficiently find the number and optimal placement of BTSs in the coverage area such that the implementation cost is minimized, while the user's traffic in the corresponding area and the channel interference constraints are satisfied. Design/methodology/approach: An integer linear mathematical model has been proposed to assign all customer points to transceiver-based stations. The objective function has been assumed to minimize fixed costs while considering a penalty for reducing interference. An optimization solver has been applied to solve the model. Findings: The proposed mathematical model was compared to another existing model in the literature from three points of view: coverage cost, construction costs, and running time. The results indicated that the proposed model has the appropriate efficiency to find solutions to real practical problems. In more detail, the proposed model succeeded to find solutions with less coverage or construction cost in a shorter time, compared with the model in literature, which has been referred to as the SSH model in the paper. However, there have been some samples in which the SSH model overtakes the proposed model in one or two mentioned aspects for comparison. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of this study is that the channel model was considered based on the simple free space path loss model, while the real channel model based on the environmental effects can be suggested for future work. Another important issue is that for BTS localization design, knowing the status of the real environment leads to the proper design in such networks. Social/practical implications: BTS localization is the most important issue in mobile networks' design. In a practical situation, there is not any software available to design a mobile network in the corresponding coverage area. Therefore, this paper can help communication engineers to implement the proposed approach in a real environment. Originality/value: In this paper, the problem of the optimal location of transceiver-based stations (BTS) in different models in the coverage area has been addressed such that the implementation cost is minimized, while the user's traffic in the corresponding area and the channel interference constraints are satisfied. This has not been considered in the literature. Any of the existing models focus on one aspect to optimize, such as maximizing the coverage, minimizing the interference, and minimizing coverage or construction costs. The novelties of the proposed model are twofold: i) two goals were considered in the objective function, i.e., minimizing construction costs and minimizing interference. Since interference with full coverage is unavoidable, the model added a penalty to the objective function to reduce the interference as much as possible; and ii) it was assumed that there is more than one single type BTS, any of which has different power, radius, and capacity. This makes the model more real and indeed more complicated to solve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to propose a flow shop scheduling problem for equipment overhaul. This problem consists of three stages, the separation of the components of an equipment is done in the first stage. Repairs and overhaul operations are carried out on the separated parts of the first stage in the second stage. Finally, the overhauled parts of the previous stage are mounted on each other in the third stage. In the third stage, operations are performed in parallel workshops. The objective function of the problem is the maximum time to complete jobs, and the sequence of processing jobs should be done in such a way that the value of the objective function is minimized. Design/methodology/approach: To solve the problem, a mixed integer programming model has been proposed for small size, which determines the processing sequence of jobs based on the position of each job. A genetic algorithm has been used to solve the problem in large dimensions. By increasing the size of the problem and in different sizes, the results have been examined and analyzed, which shows the efficiency of the model and the proposed algorithm. Findings: To check the accuracy of the model's performance and also the effect of the presence of parallel machines in the third stage, an example was presented in this paper. Accordingly, while the accuracy of the model's performance was checked, the effect of the presence of more machines was determined in the third stage. As the number of machines increased in the third stage, the value of the objective function did not deteriorate. The performance of GAMS in solving the problem in a small size was investigated. Considering that solving the problem for large dimensions is not possible in a reasonable time and the problem is NP-hard, then solving the problem in large dimensions was done using a genetic algorithm. Therefore, solving the problem on a large dimension has been done using the genetic algorithm. According to the obtained results, the efficiency of the genetic algorithm was shown. Due to its low average value, it indicated the convergence of the genetic algorithm. Research limitations/implications: Considering that there are not many published papers in the field of equipment overhaul, it is difficult to access related models and papers. Therefore, in this paper, the model and solution method have been written with many reviews. Also, to check and reduce costs, the number of third-stage machines has been determined using sensitivity analysis. Practical implications: The problem of equipment overhaul is used in many fields in reality. For example, the operations related to the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the aircraft engine have been investigated. Since the planning of maintenance and maintenance operations is difficult, the focus of research has been on improving maintenance operations by finding suitable scheduling for job shop operations in maintenance operations. They emphasized that scheduling can improve maintenance operations and presented a simulation model. Social implications: The purpose of creating a space to start an activity is to reduce costs, earn money and achieve profit. To examine the cost-effectiveness of the equipment overhaul issue, we can refer to the number of third-stage machines. According to the amount of equipment to perform an overhaul on them, the number of third-stage machines can be determined. Therefore, extra machines can be removed to reduce the cost. On the other hand, if the related equipment to the customers is different, to reduce the storage costs or increase customer satisfaction, different goals should be considered. Here, the objective function of maximum completion time is considered for this purpose. If the equipment must be available at a certain time, goals such as the total time to complete the job can be considered. In line with the application of the social implications in the investigated problem in this paper and considering that the investment costs, as well as the ability to respond to the applicants' requests, are related to the number of third-stage machines, the value of the objective function is analyzed based on the number of third-stage machines and analysis has been done. Originality/value: In this paper, a three-stage flow shop scheduling problem in the overhaul industry was studied. Accordingly, a new mathematical model based on the job processing position was proposed, which dealt with the exact solution of the problem in small dimensions. According to the type of problem in the overhaul environment, the combined flow shop problem for equipment overhaul was investigated. Also, the use of parallel machines in the third stage of the equipment overhaul problem is one of the new issues under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way to improve the distribution network resilience is to use mobile generators (MEGs) in the network. Such generators with the ability to move in the network and supply power to different parts increase the possibility of supplying important loads. However, due to the limited fuel of these generators, their movement will be limited, which will reduce their efficiency. Therefore, in this paper, considering this type of generators and also their limited fuel, an algorithm for their optimal displacement during the disaster is presented. Also, by considering fueling vehicles and planning to move them to inject fuel into these generators, an attempt has been made to reduce the effect of fuel restrictions on these generators. Finally, by simulating the proposed algorithm on the IEEE 33-bus network, taking into account the daily variable loads, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm on improving the resilience of the distribution network is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sometimes the performance of a process is better analyzed by panel data rather than measurements on only a time series. When a change manifests itself in the crosssection(s) of panel data, detection of the real-time change corresponding to the panel data leads practitioners to identify the responsible factor(s) that affected the distribution of the panel. This invaluable time analysis is referred to as the change point. This paper proposes a new effective method to identify the change point of the panel data case. Design/methodology/approach: Considering cross-sectional time series, the identification of the change point of panel data has been evaluated. Two real cases have been studied to analyze the performance of the proposed method. Findings: The comparative numerical performance analysis of different simulated cases indicates that the proposed method is more effective compared to the methods proposed in the literature. Practical implications: The investigation of two real case studies in this paper addresses that the proposed method allows practitioners to use the proposed applied approach for analyzing different real panel cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The issue of administrative corruption has become a pressing matter in Iran, affecting various aspects of the society. Corruption is a persistent and complex problem that perpetuates human underdevelopment through harmful cycles. According to Transparency International Organization, it involves the exploitation of entrusted power for personal gain. Despite the widespread presence of corruption within Iranian society, current evidence from both internal and external sources suggests that the education system conflicts with academic institutions as a particularly influential source of corrupt behavior. Academic corruption is a well-known phenomenon in Iranian universities with numerous examples, such as scientific fraud, plagiarism, forgery, distortion, academic black market, and buying and selling of articles appearing in the country's universities. Some investigators consider academic corruption as a form of scientific corruption, while others define it as encompassing all forms of unethical and improper conduct committed by educational advocates that violate ethical, social, legal, or institutional guidelines for personal or organizational gain with detrimental effects on an institution's objectives and principles. Despite the long-standing use of the term "academic corruption" in Iran's scholastic context, it remains largely unexplored from a scholarly perspective. Materials & Methods This study utilized qualitative methodology and a grounded theory approach to explore the perspectives of academic activists, including professors and doctoral students, on various aspects related to fraudulent practices in academia, such as contexts, causes, strategies, and repercussions. Grounded theory is a research method that involves deriving theoretical constructs directly from the data collected over time for analytical purposes. The research followed the Strauss and Corbin's paradigm model, which is a systematic plan for grounded theory methodology. The focus was on professors and doctoral students from Shiraz and Yasouj universities, who were selected based on their experiences with academic corruption. A sample of 25 participants was chosen through theoretical sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was reached, meaning that no new features or characteristics related to academic corruption and its causes were identified. The collected information underwent a three-fold coding process, including open, axial, and selective coding methods, to facilitate the analysis of the results. This process led to the identification of a core category or primary classification, which was represented in a paradigm model. To ensure the accuracy of the findings, two researchers independently analyzed and coded the data using analytical techniques. Additionally, member feedback was collected to assess the validity of the communication and respondent validation was employed through continuous comparison checks by using the codes developed by the investigators to assess the reliability of the research results. Discussion of Results & Conclusion The findings of this study revealed that corruption in academia was influenced by various factors. The primary causal conditions included the presence of oil money, a deficient administrative system, and compromised institutional independence. In addition, poor awareness of corrupt practices and inadequate monitoring mechanisms acted as the intervening circumstances that facilitated academic misconduct. Situational factors, such as departmental culture and individual work experience, as well as background guidelines like university policies, also played a significant role in promoting fraudulent activities within higher education institutions. On the other hand, academic activists employed strategies, such as student alienation, deliberate silence, two-way blackmail, outsourcing, hostagetaking, and strategic cooperation, to further their corrupt practices. The consequences of academic corruption were commodification of science, emergence of an academic proletariat, alienation, moral dilemmas, decline in credibility and trust in universities, and institutionalization of corruption in the society. Based on the results, it could be concluded that university corruption operated as a double-edged sword, benefiting both the structure and the activist in the short term but leading to negative outcomes in the long run. This meant that the political structure and system, by prioritizing the quantity of articles produced through scientific research, could showcase their standing in the global community, while academic scholars benefited from the publishing papers and projects. However, this approach had drawbacks for both parties involved. The articles evaluated solely based on quantity did not directly correlate with production or economic growth, resulting in limited social welfare within a country. Moreover, the professors and students, who prioritized the publishing quantitative content might experience a sense of alienation as they grappled with conflicting emotions regarding their moral principles. It is important to recognize that this win-win mentality perpetuates corruption within the university system, creating a reproductive cycle that continues into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the geophyte flora is of principal significance, not only for the conservation of plant diversity but also for its economic impact. Many geophytes hold economic value, serving as food sources, medicinal plants, and ornamental species. This paper presents the first comprehensive study of monocot geophytes in Isfahan province, Iran, focusing on their composition and species diversity. The study exposed a total of 187 taxa (including species and subspecies), covering 61 genera and 15 families among monocotyledonous geophytes in Isfahan province. Remarkable families comprise Poaceae (44 taxa; 23.52%), Amaryllidaceae (35 taxa; 18.72%), Liliaceae (27 taxa; 14.43%), Iridaceae and Asparagaceae (17 taxa; 9.09%). Moreover, the research identified that 66 species (35.29% of all taxa) belong to the Irano-Turanian region (monoregional), ten species (5.35%) are pluriregional, 14 species (7.48%) exhibit cosmopolitan distribution, while 97 taxa (51.87%) are shared across the Irano-Turanian region and other floristic regions. The study also determined 25 taxa as endemic to Iran, creating 13.36% of all monocotyledonous geophytes in Isfahan province. The conclusions highlight the critical need for the application of effective conservation strategies to conservation these valuable geophyte species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olga Taussky-Todd suggested the problem of determining the possible values of integer circulant determinants. To solve a special case of the problem, Laquer gave a factorization of circulant determinants. In this paper, we give a modest generalization of Laquer's theorem. Also, we give an application of the generalization to integer group determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a simple undirected graph with vertex set V (G) = fv1, v2, .... vng and edge set E(G). The Sombor matrix S(G) of a graph G is defined so that its (i; j)-entry is equal to q d2i+ d2j if the vertices vi and vj are adjacent, and zero otherwise, where di denotes the degree of vertex vi in G. In this paper, lower and upper bounds on the spectral radius, energy and Estrada index of the Sombor matrix of graphs are obtained, and the respective extremal graphs are characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the islanded microgrids, distributed energy sources are responsible for powersharing, and accurate power-sharing is essential among these microgrids. Due to the mismatch of the physical impedance of power lines, poor reactive power-sharing is observed. Therefore, in this paper, the use of virtual impedance in the form of two methods of virtual positive impedance and virtual negative impedance is proposed to improve the accuracy of reactive power-sharing in a conventional droop controlled islanded microgrid. In this paper, in addition to presenting a controller to properly adjust the virtual impedance, the concept of vir'tual negative impedance is used to correct the effective impedance of the power supply line and improve the common bus voltage, and increase tire output power of energy sources. To evaluate the proposed control methods, a test islanded microgrid is simulated inPSCAD/EMTDC software. The results show that both pr'oposed methods have a good effect on the proper reactive power-sharing irr the microgrid. In addition, the results show that the virtual negative iirrpedance method can improve the common bus voltage and increase the output power of the source by reducing the effective line impedance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Today, due to the breadth, diversity and multiplicity of investment projects, decision makers and investors are faced with the issue of choosing the most profitable project. The economic rate of return (ERR) index is one of the proper indices that has been presented to determine the profitability of the projects. However, the ERR index has important shortcomings that have led to serious limitations in its use. In this regard, this paper introduces a new measure called the reliable economic rate of return (RERR), which has originated from ERR measure, but it has resolved the drawbacks of ERR index. On the other hand, this paper proposes a new solution by considering the values of the cash flow in terms of fuzzy numbers. After calculating the fuzzy economic rate of return, the profitability potentiality degree of the investment projects can be determined as well as their reliability based on the net present value (NPV) method. Design/methodology/approach - This paper proves that if we equate the initial cash flow of investment projects with the sum of the negative values of the relevant cash flow stream, then the RERR value would be greater than '-1'. In this regard, this paper proposes a solution to modify the initial and final values of the investment cash flow stream, merely without changing middle values. Thereby, the NPV of the modified cash flow does not change. On the other hand, it is sometimes difficult to estimate the values of cash flows as a crisp number, which may lead to a wrong decision in accepting or rejecting projects. For this purpose, this paper considers the values of cash flow stream as fuzzy numbers and describes a solution for calculating the fuzzy RERR using the α-cut method and the RERR index. The proposed solution is compatible with the NPV method and also has fewer calculations than the other methods. This paper also proposes a method that calculates the profitability potentiality degree of projects and provides more comprehensive information to the decision makers by examining the intervals obtained from cutting the fuzzy values of the projects and presenting a new and reliable solution. Findings - Using the @RISK software, it was found that the estimation of fuzzy return rate using RERR index and α-cut method is very close to the simulation result. It confirms the appropriate accuracy of the proposed solution. Also, the results obtained from the software in determining the profitability of projects indicated that the proposed solution is more accurate than the methods of 'comparison of the expected intervals' and 'strict exceedance possibility'. It is also fully compatible with the NPV method. Research limitations/implications - In this research the market rate is assumed constant, while, in practice it can vary over the periods. Defining the market rate as an inconstant parameter, using the robust optimization approach and investigating the subject of this paper under other uncertainty environments are future study suggestions to both researchers and practitioners. Practical implications - One of the most important applications of this study is in risky projects wherein estimating the values of cash flow stream as a crisp number is difficult. The results of this paper help decision makers in reducing risk and determining the project profitability. It is worth mentioning that the solution proposed in this paper can be used for all projects with any cash flow stream value. Social implications - Failure to make the correct decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of the projects could have major negative consequences for the companies, organizations and even society. This paper helps decision makers, investors and organizations to determine the projects profitability that could benefit organizations and society. Originality/value - This paper proposes the RERR measure as a profitability index such with several favorable properties: (ⅰ) it exists and is unique, (ⅱ) it is NPV-consistent in accepting/rejecting decisions, (ⅲ) it provides values greater than '-1', (ⅳ) it takes into account all of the project's outflows which may be regarded by some practitioners as an appropriate indicator of the overall investment. Furthermore, this paper proposes an appropriate method for calculating the fuzzy RERR and a new method for determining the profitability potentiality degree of the investment projects based on the NPV method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new method of data-driven controller (DDC) design using Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation Algorithm (SPSA) and Neural Network (NN) training is presented. This method can be used to control a variety of linear and nonlinear systems. In the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation algorithm, the controller is assumed to have a fixed structure and its parameters must be estimated. In this paper, a Proportional, Integral, and Derivative controller (PID) is considered and the parameters that should be estimated by the proposed algorithm are proportional, integral and derivative terms of this controller. In the proposed method, the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation algorithm is quantified by using neural network training which increases the convergence speed and also improves the performance of the algorithm against system input changes. Simulations performed on cement grinding particle size distribution process and pitch angle control of aircraft show the high efficiency and potential of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the formation of Seljuks in the Levant, this region was subject to unrest, which continued the chaotic trend of the post-Hamdanid. What took place in the Levant in the Seljuk period was a series of replacing the governments by the soldiers of the same dynasty one after the other from 478 till 570 A. H. This research aimed to answer this question: What was the process of substituting governments in this period? To this goal, the reasons for the rise and fall of the Levant's governments and the records of substitute dynasties had to be analyzed. By using the quantitative historical method, the procedure of these substitutions was mapped. According to this study, the chronological process of substituting the governments had increased over time. The former disturbs were managed to be settled and the short-term rulers -inheritances of Arab tribes- to be altered by long dynasties, such as the Zengid and Ayyubid dynasties. Introduction Some of the Levant governments were overthrown by foreign powers and as usual, the stronger governments prevailed over weaker ones. In the time frame presented in this paper, several local governments fell in this manner, among which we could mention Banu Ammar in Tripoli. There was another form of overthrowing a government that arose from within and took over. Those who served the former government then became the ones possessing power, resulting in dynasties, such as Burid, Zangid Atabegs, and Ayyubid dynasties. Since this form of conquest was defined as an uprising in the political terms of that time and new dynasties needed continuous efforts to maintain power and assemble sufficient legitimacy for themselves, they went through the process of start-points and continuance. Though each new dynasty tried to have a starting point of its own, they had to use covers, such as gaining the Atabeg of a Seljuk prince or receiving a charter from the Abbasid Caliph. Thus, only the passage of time and their behaviors to preserve their land became a factor of legitimacy that they had to earn it after several internal revolts of the generals. In other words, after some time, the land became their ancestral property and the oppressing commanders needed time to construct their property. Materials and Methods The author first dealt with the contexts of the fall and succession of the cited governments in this period. Therefore, he used the contextual description method. Accordingly, the political and social contexts of the lands and those, who started the new governance, were examined. Because the substitutions happened from T1 till time T2 in the context of time, a chronologic method was applied to estimate the government changes. Finally, the chronological and historical methods joined a quantitative view. The time passage had to be taken seriously to evaluate the stability of the government during their ruling time. The quantitative method also took the internal courses of the governments into account. The author tried to find the substitution process year to evaluate the alternative trends and identify the quantitative strategy for these events. Discussion and Conclusions The substitution of the Levant dynasties at that time was affected by instability, insecurity, and the pressure of foreign governments, building the necessity of raising a new government within the former. Therefore, the people who supported the Turk or semi-Turk troops could start a new dynasty from the heart of the previous one. The survival of the new government and its resistance towards subsequent replacement largely depended on managing the crisis that happened to the Levant in their time. Hence, the Burid took over the Seljuks of Damascus, but they were able to withstand the substitution trend for a long time because of their adequacy to protect Damascus against Crusaders and expansionists. First, it was assumed that all substitutions of the Levant governments followed an integrated pattern, but the data of the quantitative hypotheses proved it wrong. Based on the years that a dynasty maintained power in the Levant, the substitution process had increased from the Seljuks to the Ayyubid dynasty. This indicated stability in the Levant since the time of the Hamdanid. When the Hamdanid dynasty ended, the Arab tribes took control of this region and handed over a turbulent region to the Seljuks. The conflict between the Seljuk rulers brought this earlier chaos to the period of Ridwan's successors. Therefore, since the arrival of the first Turkmen associated with a rough and chaotic period in the Levant, these government changes grew until the Ayyubid dynasty. Saladin and his brother managed to divide the Ayyubid dynasty into the Ayyubid of the Levant and Egypt. Still, the Ayyubid dynasty held power in the 7th century A.H. Due to the timeframe of this paper, the substitution of the Ayyubid was not looked into; however, their longterm stability and continuation could be generalized to the Mamluk Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire, which certainly requires another research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to propose a systematic view of how Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) captures and evolves the state-of-the-art advances in this field. Multiple analyzes have been performed with two tools of VOSviewer and open-source R-package ‘bibliometrix”. Also, a network and bibliometric analysis of the Co-Occurrence, Co-Authorship, and Co-Citation has been made on CSCM using bibliometric and scientometrics methods on the literature available on the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Design/methodology/approach: Bibliometric, network structure, and descriptive analysis have been used to investigate publications on the subject of circular supply chain management. For this purpose, a systematic review has been performed using the Prisma review protocol. After defining the research objectives and questions, the relevant keywords for the sources and database and search codes have been used for an online search. Then, the initial search has been conducted. The next step involved screening the study results. 116 published articles have been selected from Scopus for analysis. The potential papers were then downloaded in CSV format for bibliometric analysis and synthesis. The final data for this research has been selected from 2010 to 2021. All the data was exported in CSV format to the Bibliometrix and Vosviewer software for data analysis. Also, Co-Authorship, word Co- Occurrence, and Co-Citation analysis have been generated using VOSviewer. Findings: This study analyzed the annual publication trends, the most productive authors, the most cited articles, the most productive affiliations, the most important journals, the most productive countries, and keywords. Collaboration, co-occurrence, co-authors, co-citation, and historiographical analysis were also performed in this study. Findings indicated that "Perona, M" and "Mina, H" with six and five articles were the most productive authors in the development of this field. Also, Geissdoerfer's article was the most cited article with 231 citations, and it can be considered a pioneering work in the field of CSCM development. Farooq's article was also the most cited local article. Govindan et al.'s (2020) article were the most important in co-citation analysis. Great Britain and Italy were the most productive countries with 70 and 66 publications. Cambridge University was the most productive university in England. The "Journal of Cleaner Production" and "Sustainability" were the most visited journal with 24 and 8 articles. The most dominant keywords were "circular economy" and "circular supply chain". The main keywords shared in the most advanced cluster were "circular economy", "circular supply chain", and "supply chain". The main common keywords in cluster 2 included "supply chain management" and "circular supply chain management", and the main common keywords in cluster 3 included "sustainability, and “closed loop supply chain". Also, major cooperated countries included Great Britain, Italy, and China. Strong cooperation between Iran and Denmark, China and Australia, and Britain, and India was also observed. A significant number of articles were written by Iranian researchers, and the number of citations received by foreign researchers was higher. The authorship of the articles included two, one, and three authors, respectively. The results indicated the existence of the development of CSCM with quantitative modeling approaches, proficient algorithms, optimization techniques, and integrated multi-criteria decision-making techniques. Also, CSCM research must identify enablers, drivers, Critical Success Factors (CSF), obstacles and barriers, innovative frameworks, and circular business models. Research limitations/implications: The papers were merely reviewed in the form of scientific and English language journal articles. Other datasets and conference papers, reports, and books can be considered for future study, but they were not included in the structural literature review. Practical implications: CSCM is rapidly developing in supply chain sustainability and can operate as a guide for companies. To apply CSCM, three questions need to be answered: i) which business/supply chain models should companies choose (closed loop or circular)?; ii) how does it cover supply chain operations to achieve a zero-waste perspective?; and iii) how does the company redesign its supply chain and implement a circular supply chain? Social implications: The application of the results of this study and circular supply chain indicators have positive effects on the sustainability and circular economy. Originality/value: This research is one of the early attempts to analyze the structure of social networks in CSCM using bibliometric and scientometric methods. In previous studies relevant to CSCM, mainly the structured literature review, content analysis, and integrated framework have been used, and few studies have addressed CSCM using bibliometric analysis. In this paper, the R-software was used for the first time as a tool for bibliometric data statistics (open-source R-package tool ‘Bibliometrix’ supplemented by VOS viewer, which is used for clustering and data visualization). Also, the results of the analysis of the two software were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cross-docking deals with the goals of lean supply chain management. It is a distribution strategy. In this structure, goods are shipped from inbound to outbound trailers on the same day or overnight without putting them into storage. Cross-docking can realize transport efficiencies at reduced material handling and storage costs by eliminating the storage and order-picking activities from the main warehouse operations. These advantages make cross-docking an interesting logistic strategy that can give companies considerable competitive advantages. This paper aims to introduce cross-docking, its characteristics and its problem types, comprehensively. The focus of this study is on distinguishing research gaps. Design/methodology/approach: Systematic review is "review research by explicit, rigorous and accountable methods". Reviews and their findings can vary on many aspects of the 'dimensions of different'. One such review is the 'review of reviews'. A systematic review of primary research is the second level of research analysis. A review of reviews (sometimes called 'overview' or 'umbrella' review) is a tertiary level of analysis. It is a systematic map and/or synthesis of previous reviews. The 'data' for such reviews of reviews are previous reviews rather than primary research studies. This can be an efficient method for examining previous research. In this paper, cross-docking literature systematic review (review of reviews method) has been discussed by introducing, clustering crossdocking decision problems, and drawing future research directions. Findings: Bibliography, cross-dockings, and classified characteristics of cross-docking based on the decision levels (strategic, tactical and operational levels) were the major findings of this study. Also, the cross-docking problem types were addressed and the gaps in the field of cross-docking were determined. This study highlighted two frequent gaps that would need to be filled by focusing on the research areas of taking deadlines for the trucks into account and dealing with uncertainty. Research limitations/implications: Book chapters and conference papers were excluded from this research. Reviewed papers were published in a certain period and the English language. Practical implications: Today firms use different types of distribution strategies. Cross-docking with eliminating the storage and order-picking activities from the main warehouse operations is an interesting logistics strategy. products with predictable, high cubic volume flow, and perishable products are ideal candidates for cross-docking. Cross-docking is nowadays used by many companies and industries such as the retail industry, automotive industry, telecommunications and electronics industries. Social implications: Cross-docking results in smaller volumes of more visible inventories that are delivered faster and more frequently. Several other advantages of cross-docking are addressed in the literature compared to traditional distribution centres. Some advantages are reduced cost (warehousing costs, inventory-holding costs, handling costs, labour costs), shorter delivery lead time (from supplier to customer), improved customer service, reduced storage space, faster inventory turnover, fewer overstocks, and reduced risk for loss and damage. Originality/value: Due to the advantages and extensive applications of cross-docking, in this paper a "review of reviews" was performed, and after introducing cross-docking terminals and their problem types, distinguish research gaps were determined for the future research study. Therefore, researchers were suggested to concentrate on the addressed gaps in their models to get closer to real-life constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the theory of absence in curriculum and to identify its concepts, philosophical foundations, aspects, and consequences in the field of curriculum practice. After introducing the theory of absence in curriculum, the typology of different concepts of this theory, their origin, and its application in the field of the curriculum have been explained. Then, the philosophical foundations and theoretical framework of the concept of the absent curriculum are analyzed. Further, by explaining the ontology of the curriculum based on critical realism in the ideas of Matthew Wilkinson, it has been argued that the monovalence ontology in the field of curriculum studies has led to the emergence of reductive policies in the development of curricula that its aspects can be seen in the absence of part of the cultural, social, ethnic and lingual heritage in the curriculum. Finally, by providing examples of absence in the curriculum, the shadow curriculum is analyzed as a consequence of the absent curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Being engaged in multiple roles can affect a person's health and well-being and the middle-aged people are usually exposed to this situation more than other age groups. Most of the western studies that have looked at this issue with a demographic lens have introduced middle age as a situation of being caught or sandwiched between the needs of two generations (children and parents). On the other hand, increasing women's participation in paid work means that more middle-aged women are faced with a conflict between their work and family responsibilities, a phenomenon often characterized by the term "double burden" or "second shift" (Bratberg et al., 2002; Hochschild & Machung, 2012). According to the demographic changes of the family in recent years, living arrangements in mid-life have become more complex and heterogeneous (Demey et al., 2011) so that some researchers have used the term "cluttered nest" to describe this period of life, which is in contrast to the "empty nest" stage, that is, when all children leave the parental home (Lingren & Decker, 1992). The available data in Iran showed that the age transition of population has entered the middle-age phase since 2015 (the population aged 30-64) and will remain in this phase for several decades. It is predicted that the share of middle-aged people in Iran will reach more than 50% between 2026 and 2031 (Abassi Shavazi and Sadeghi, 2017: 46). This research aimed to expand the information about the role behaviors of this group by exploring the pattern of multiplicity of roles and its relationship with some of their social and demographic characteristics in the context of the urban society of Iran. The paper tried to answer the following questions: 1) What proportion of middle-aged women and men participate in multiple roles? 2) How does the pattern of mid-life multiple roles change based on people's socio-demographic characteristics? Materials & Methods Using the data from the latest Time Use Survey of Iran, this article examined the prevalence of occupancy and intensity of multiple roles, namely paid work, domestic work, and parenting, as well as the socio-demographic characteristics related to it. The statistical population of this survey included all people aged 15 and older living in urban households across the country and the data included all the daily activities of individuals, as well as demographic, economic and social variables, at the individual and household levels. The impacts of socio-demographic variables on people's intersectionality of roles were assessed using the Poisson regression in the STATA statistical package (version 17). The dependent variable was defined as the number of intense roles, which ranged from zero to three roles. The independent variables included gender, age group, marital status, education, and household size. Discussion of Results & Conclusion The findings showed that (1) multiple roles were more common in the middle age than in other age periods; (2) multiple roles were more prevalnent in men due to the low employment of women; (3) women were more involved in intense multiple roles than men and this pattern was due to the large amount of time that women spent on domestic activities. The results of Poisson regression analysis revealed that the household size reduced the number of intense roles for men and women. This situation indicated a wider division of labor in large households, which alleviated participation in intense multiple roles, especially for women. On the flip side of the coin, the findings showed that middle-aged people in smaller households faced more intense roles and therefore needed interventions to reduce this potentially traumatic experience. With increasing age, the number of women's intense roles increased. This is in line with the hypothesis of role density in late mid-life and near retirement age (Patterson & Margolis, 2019). Married women were more likely to be engaged in intense roles than their widowed or divorced counterparts and college education reduced the number of intense roles for men, but a similar effect was associated with a lower confidence interval for women. Thus, midlife could be a difficult time for married women, who had multiple responsibilities, while being a wife and a housewife. Meanwhile, their physical abilities decreased with age, making this period stressful and unfavorable. In fact, the important finding of this article was the noticeable difference in the pattern of experiencing intense roles between men and women, which showed that the tasks related to the domestic role alone put a heavy burden on the shoulders of middleaged women living in the urban areas of Iran so that its prevalence was more than 4 times that of the men's heavy occupational role. Our results highlighted the need for investigating the impact of multiple-role occupancy on the health and wellbeing of middle-aged people at the national level and designing evidence-based interventions to improve their conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this paper, a new comprehensive model has been developed to guide organizations regarding the establishment of a productivity management system with all essential elements and relations. Using the knowledge available in the literature and expert views, this research has tried to propose an evaluation scheme to measure the maturity of the system in Iranian organizations. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study is typically an applied-developmental research as it introduces a framework for the assessment of productivity management systems in Iranian companies (developmental) and also attempts to offer a method for solving or simplification the complex, chronic problem of productivity in Iranian businesses (applied). From another perspective, the current research should be regarded as a qualitative research approach that seeks to describe and explain the phenomenon of productivity management system maturity based on an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The main strategy adopted in identifying conceptual elements concerning the productivity management system has been encoding. The primary signs of conceptual elements have been identified with a systematic search of databases containing scientific documents and reports on one hand and during interviews with experts on the other. The main concepts and categories about the topic have been extracted through a combination of homogeneous signs. Findings: Four categories were identified in the encoding process (labelled as four modules of the productivity management system) and 18 concepts underlying such categories were included within the four modules. Then, 76 signs were extracted from the analysis of documents and interviews as peripheral aspects or features expected from the corresponding elements. Accordingly, the first step in the establishment of a productivity management system in an organization was to provide the infrastructures required for the managerial subsystem. Next, the main processes of productivity needed to be activated based on the available or generated infrastructures. In the third step, the appropriate measures had to be taken to guarantee the sustainability of the subsystem and ensure its constant growth and development. Finally, the impacts of the establishment of the productivity management system were expected to be evaluated to indicate the extent to which the attempts made have helped to meet the various needs of different groups of extra-organizational beneficiaries (including environmental activists and local community members). Social implications: Constant enhancement of productivity as one of the most significant aims of any organization, requires the establishment of a series of factors and elements that make up an organization’s productivity biome, all the aspects and layers of which need to be shaped correctly. Such a requirement can be operationalized in an organization only through the establishment of a comprehensive productivity management system, a managerial system that has not been considered accurately and practically so far in the rich literature review concerning the subject of productivity. This study was conducted to eliminate this research and administrative gap and plotted the conceptual map of such a structure through the extraction of signs of the conceptual elements concerning the managerial system using scientific documents and interviews with experts. By developing organizations that perform their activities more productively, they are more successful in achieving their goals. Therefore, people will also benefit from the performance of this productive organization and will be more satisfied. Originality/value: This study has proposed a conceptual map for productivity management systems through the extraction of signs of the conceptual elements concerning the managerial system using scientific resources and interviews with experts. It has also proposed a comprehensive model showing how the productivity management system could be established in an Iranian organization using procedural documents such as the administrative guidance developed by the National Productivity Organization. The validity of the model (referred to as i-MAPS) was confirmed through the formulation and administration of the evaluation logic for the measurement of the maturity of the system and its pilot implementation in some private and public organizations in Yazd Province. The maturity of an organization in the establishment and utilization of the productivity management system can be analyzed using the developed model. Besides, the measures can be taken based on instructions extracted from the model contents to increase the organization’s success in the roadmap and to overcome probable challenges and obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, studies of squirrel-cage induction machines validate the idea that these machines follow the double-cage induction model; however, the manufacturers categorize these machines as single-cage machines. There are many references that use the squirrel-model for squirrel-cage machines, then machine parameters increase from 5 to 7. In the laboratory, parameter determination is performed to estimate 5 parameters; however, 7 parameters have to be determined. Also, the DC test is not an exact test and is used for approximate estimation. Therefore, locked rotor test equations are changed and an overload test is added. After measurements in the laboratory according to the equations of this paper, a MATLAB program is prepared and 7 parameters are determined in a loop until reaching the desired error. This paper demonstrates that laboratory squirrel-cage machines have to be corrected using the 7-parameter model. Furthermore, this paper shows the necessity of new laboratory test equations for squirrel-cage machines. Then a numerical method is used to determine the machine parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a decentralized energy management system is presented for intelligent microgrids with the presence of distributed resources using reinforcement learning. Due to the unpredictable nature of renewable energy resources, the variability of load consumption, and the nonlinear model of batteries, the design of a microgrid energy management system is associated with many challenges. In addition, centralized control structures in large-scale systems increase computational volume and complexity in control algorithms. In this paper, a fully decentralized multi-agent structure for a microgrid energy management system is proposed and the Markov decision process is used to model the stochastic behavior of agents in the microgrid. Electrical and thermal distributed resources, batteries, and consumers are considered intelligent and independent agents. They have the learning ability to explore and exploit the environment in a fully decentralized manner and achieve their optimal policies. The proposed method for hourly microgrid management is model-independent and based on learning. The method maximizes the profits of all manufacturers, minimizes consumer costs, and reduces the dependence of the microgrid on the maingrid. Finally, using real data from renewable energy sources and consumers, the accuracy of the proposed method in the Iranian electricity market is simulated and verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plato’s doctrine of ideas can be considered his most important doctrine. Throughout the history of philosophy, each philosopher, according to the problem he faced, has returned to this doctrine. One of the problems that Western philosophers have faced in the contemporary world is the nihilism and meaninglessness of western civilization. Martin Heidegger considers the root of this meaninglessness to be oblivion of Being and oblivion of truth as unhiddenness and disconcealment. Heidegger believes that Plato’s doctrine of ideas is the cause of this oblivion, Plato made ideas the foundation of beings, and this has no meaning other than oblivion of Being. Using phenomenology, Heidegger returns to Plato’s allegory of the cave to elucidate the nature of this oblivion. Heidegger’s interpretation of ideas changes over time, because in his later thinking, Heidegger passes through the phenomenology of Dasein and pays attention to the openness of Being. Later Heidegger explains the idea and the eidos based on the openness of Being and considers the presence of the present dependent on this openness. In this paper, we will try to examine the relationship between early and later Heidegger's view on Plato’s ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921) and Philosophical Investigations (1951), Wittgenstein left a collection of notes. Some of his students have published edited versions of these remaining notes under various titles. One of the latest of these collections came to the market in 1969 under the title of "On Certainty". In this book, Wittgenstein discusses the issue of certainty from an epistemological point of view. He rejects scepticism and argues that certainty belongs to the category of non-epistemological concepts. And he adds that certainty, though meaningless, nevertheless is necessary for the formation of knowledge. A group of commentators, including Rom Harre´ and Moyal-Sharrock, have referred to this new approach of Wittgenstein as the Third Wittgenstein. The purpose of the present paper is to critically examine the development of Wittgenstein's thought from Tractatus to On Certainty with respect to the notion of certainty to show that contrary to the claims of philosophers like Harre´and Moyal-Sharrock, the Wittgenstein of On Certainty is not a new Wittgenstein, and that the basis of his discussions concerning scepticism and certainty and their meaninglessness could be traced back to his views in Tractatus and Investigations, and in particular, his discussion of private language and its denial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]