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Besides scientific impact, papers can also achieve a technological impact that remains less known in the scientific community. Cited papers in the patents are considered as the index to measure the technological impact. This study aimed to analyze the technological impact of Iranian publications using co-authorship and co-word map, their evolution, the journals, and the subject areas of these publications. This applied research focuses on the quantitative study and visualization with a scientometric approach. The research population was all studies (4554 records) that were published during 2011-2020 in one of the Iranian institutions and had been cited by one of the international patents. The data collection tool was the SciVal database. CiteSpace and Excel spreadsheets were used to analyze the data. Of the 4,554 papers cited by the scholarly outputs that have been cited in patents e patents, most of them were published in collaboration with the USA (9%). Islamic Azad University and Tehran University of Medical Sciences (13% each) were the most active Iranian universities. The number of Iranian papers cited in patents had a downward trend from 686 in 2011 to 57 in 2020. RSC Advances journal was the first top journal to publish these papers. Of 27 subject areas, engineering (24.1%) was the first popular subject that patents cite in their publications. The cluster analysis of keywords identified 8 clusters, including “x-ray diffraction,” “animal,” “adult,” “escherichia coli,” “tissue engineering,” “coronavirus infection,” “neural network,” and “methane.” The technological impact of Iranian research has declined in recent years. It is suggested that research policymakers should consider scholarly outputs that have been cited in patents, which, in a way, shows the flow of knowledge to the industry and encourages researchers to produce such papers.

Scientometrics indicators are used to assess scientists, universities and research institutes for scientific policy-making. The aim of this research was to assess the status of top Iranian medical researchers using scientometric indicators. The study was carried out using scientometric methods. The statistical population included the top 500 Iranian researchers in the field of medicine who were ranked in the Iranian Scientometric Information Database (ISID) based on some scientometric indicators. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software and Pearson's correlation coefficient, stepwise regression analysis and Chi-square tests were applied for data analysis. Findings revealed that each researcher had an average h index of 24.04, g index of 40.15, and i10 index of 90.79. There was a positive significant relationship between the number of internationally-collaborated papers and the number of citations received (r = .606, p < .01). The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the three variables of paper number, citation counts and mean citation rate determined 72 % of the changes in the h-index. It can be concluded that researchers publishing more papers are more likely to be cited. However, their scientometric indexes are not always better than those of other scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few years, technology has offered new ways of teaching and learning. Accordingly, educational systems are adopting what technology has purveyed to education. The abrupt upsurge of the COVID-19 pandemic also expedited this employment and impelled educational systems to shift to online teaching and learning. Consequently, the offline and paper-based mode of testing has been being replaced with the online and remote mode. Whether the testing mode itself, in its nature, affects the use of reading comprehension strategies and whether learners follow the same patterns of strategies during offline and online reading comprehension tests have not been paid enough attention by scholars, and the findings of few studies in this regard in the literature are also disparate. Thus, the present paper investigated and compared the use of strategies and their patterns of use in offline and online reading comprehension testing. The quantitative analysis of the data revealed that learners apply reading comprehension strategies more in the offline testing mode although they employ the same patterns of strategies in offline and online reading comprehension testing. The qualitative phase of the study uncovered the reasons. That is learners' perception, shaped by their experience and familiarization with the mode of testing; individual differences; washback and reverse washback effects; and affective and emotional factors, yields this difference. Implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Involving the global issues as listed in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education is necessarily done in the education process, especially in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. Exposure to global issues is known to improve students' understanding, awareness, and ability to solve urgent issues faced by global society. This paper aims to find out the trend of research on the coverage of SDGs in students' learning process. This systematic literature analysis was done by applying Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Method. A total of 25 studies were recognized through a systematic search by using Sustainability, SDGs, and EFL as keywords. The result shows that the trend of associating SDGs with EFL settings was done mostly in Indonesia. In the recent year 2022, it reached the highest number of studies in the particular matter with 7 total of research. It was also found that the study involving SDGs on EFL learning was mostly done in the tertiary setting, compared with K-12, junior high school, secondary, high school, and other educational institutions. It was also discovered that the specific area of study enhances EFL students' learning achievement, environmental awareness, global citizen values, as well as students' levels of self-norms, beliefs, and self-value.

We conceptually replicated Kemp (2010), who investigated the effect of keeping a listening log, a journal or learner diary, on ESL students' motivation toward autonomous learning. Her research suggested that keeping a listening log can aid ESL listeners to self-monitor their performance and reflect on their listening process independently. Besides, it was found that it would raise their metacognitive awareness of the listening process and motivate them toward autonomous listening. Her study deserves replication due to its theoretical motivation, which is the explicit teaching of a group of listening skills and strategies and the success of the listening skills module designed for study-abroad ESL students. However, almost no previous studies replicated the related research with a phenomenological perspective to examine its robustness and transferability, particularly in an EFL context. Thus, our conceptual replication used Kemp's (2010) materials and procedures to highlight the possible effects of keeping a listening log on EFL learners' motivation to become autonomous listeners in an EFL context. To serve this purpose, 30 freshmen Iranian TEFL students participated in this study. The data were collected through students' listening logs in eight sessions. Results suggested that keeping a listening log can motivate and encourage EFL learners to engage with and reflect on their listening experiences in potential learning situations, thus assisting them with becoming good listeners in real-life situations. Further discussions and pedagogical implications are provided in the paper.

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on the transtheoretical model aimed at increasing physical activity (PA) participation among female employees in Bandar Abbas city (Iran) healthcare centers in December 2017 and August 2018. Using a semi-experimental interventional study design with a randomized and multi-stage method, 100 participants were included in both the intervention (n = 50) and control groups (n = 50). Data collection involved questionnaires assessing demographic information (age, gender, marital status and education), stages of change in PA behavior, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and Self-efficacy. The data were analyzed using SPSS-16, employing both descriptive (mean, SD, frequency, percentage) and inferential statistics (t-tests, chi-squared tests, etc.). Prior to the educational intervention, 19 participants (0.38%) in the intervention group engaged consistently in PA (stages 4-5). After 3 and 6 months of intervention, these numbers increased to 29 (0.58%) and 25 (0.50%), respectively. This improvement was statistically significant compared to the pre-intervention stage (P < 0.001). The findings highlight the importance of theory-based behavior change models and health education programs in promoting PA and combating sedentary lifestyles. Although focused on a specific population in Bandar Abbas, the intervention can serve as a model for similar programs targeting diverse social classes and populations.

There are histories describing in detail the development of early childhood education (ECE) around the world, yet not enough is known about this in the Middle East and the information on the origins of ECE in Iran is scarce and fragmentary. This article is the first of its kind to present an overview of the main developments rendering possible the establishment of the first kindergartens in Iran. In our account, we connect this genealogy of early childhood education in Iran to various trajectories: 1) the work of intellectual reformers; 2) the Iranian feminist movement; 3) the Constitutional Revolution in Iran (1906-1911); 4) religious reformist beliefs in Shia; 5) the missionaries' schools; 6) the Armenians' schools and 7) the age of girls' marriage. As we demonstrate, early childhood education in Iran emerged before the industrial revolution. It was mainly provided for intellectual and influential families, focused on physical education accompanied by music, while religious education was marginal. Our genealogical explorations indicate that compared to kindergartens in Britain and Europe, Iranian early childhood education has been an instrument for intellectual societal reform. It was the fruits of a transplanted tree nourished by various local cultural-socio-political trends and religious beliefs. The paper concludes with an assessment of the importance of local and international influences on the emergence of early childhood education and the need to explore this history with an intersectional approach.

Muslims may not experience integration or assimilation in European countries, as they have certain values regarding hijab, eating restrictions, and lifestyle. They may therefore face more challenges than other migrants. With the insight that religiosity may have an impact on migrants' national and/or ethnic identities, we look at the role of religion in acculturation. The study investigated emerging patterns and challenges in sociocultural adaptation processes, including host-community interactions with (Iranian) migrants and Iranian international PhD students' future intentions. Positive evaluations of the attitudes of Spaniards towards Iranians are thought to improve the drive to seek out intergroup contact and facilitate integration or assimilation in Spain. The paper's key finding is that religion has an impact on Iranian international students. It is possible to imagine religion as a unifying factor that binds many migrant populations under a single ethnic identity. When regarded as a threat to the migrants' ethnic identity, it also appears to create social distance between the migrants and the local population. The results of this study can be used to address factors that threaten successful acculturation and boost those that encourage sociocultural adaptation and learning the local language.

With a focus on an under-studied group of immigrants in the UK, this paper examines Iranian families' language ideologies and practices at home in relation to Persian acquisition and maintenance for their children. Working within a family language policy (FLP) framework, we draw on sociolinguistic data from semi-structured interviews with eighteen mothers to understand how parental beliefs, their everyday language practices and the attempts they make to maintain, improve, or alter their language use will lead to their children's heritage language acquisition and maintenance. The results of the study suggest that the success in heritage language development and maintenance boils down to parental pro heritage language ideologies and their everyday small-scale practices. It was also found that the interrelationship between language and cultural values and a successful FLP was further reinforced by the parents' migration trajectory and proficiency in English as the societal language. This research also showed that the large size of this diaspora in the UK (particularly in London), their close-knit social network, availability of heritage language weekend schools and the possibility of frequent visits to the home country create a conducive situation for the Iranian diaspora to raise their children bilingually.

Purpose: This research paper aimed to investigate the affordances of using virtual reality (VR) in teaching culture among in-service teachers of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages (TPSOL) in Iran. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative case study, conducted at two Iranian universities, used purposeful sampling to select 34 eligible in-service Persian teachers from a pool of 73. Data collection used an open-ended questionnaire and interviews. Findings: Before the TPSOL in-service training workshop, teachers expressed their reservations regarding the use of VR to teach culture in TPSOL courses. The emerged themes were "skepticism toward effectiveness," "practicality concerns," "limited awareness of VR applications," "technological apprehension" and "prevalence of traditional teaching paradigms." During the post-workshop interview, it was discovered that the teachers' perceptions of VR in teaching culture had undergone a positive shift. The workshop generated emergent themes that reflected positive perceptions and affordances for using VR to teach culture in TPSOL, including "enhanced cultural immersion," "increased student engagement," "simulation of authentic cultural experiences," and "facilitation of interactive learning environments." Research limitations/implications: One primary limitation is the lack of prior experience with VR for teaching practices in real-world classrooms among the participants. While the study aimed to explore the potential of VR in enhancing pedagogical approaches, the absence of participants with prior exposure to VR in educational contexts may impact the generalizability of the findings to a broader population. Additionally, the study faced practical constraints, such as the unavailability of sufficient facilities in the workshop. As a result, the instructor had to project the VR cont7ent on a monitor, potentially diverging from the immersive nature of true VR experiences. These limitations offer opportunities for future research to refine methodologies and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the implications of integrating VR into teaching practices. Originality/value: Extensive research has been conducted on the effectiveness of VR in language education. However, there is a significant gap in research on TPSOL, which is considered a less commonly taught language. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use of VR in the TPSOL through the lenses of in-service teachers. As part of a larger investigation, this qualitative inquiry focuses on the perceptions of in-service teachers about VR, with a particular emphasis on the cultural understanding of the Persian language.

The current article evaluates a national English language proficiency test known as the "MSRT test" which is used to determine the eligibility of candidates for admission to and completion of higher education programs in Iran. Students in all majors take this standardized, high-stake criterion-referenced test to determine if they have obtained the minimum English proficiency level and can be graduated. The present paper seeks to examine the test and its psychometrics characteristics due to the significance of such a high-stakes examination that may have social and long-lasting effects on the participants. It is claimed that the test measures participants' "knowledge of language" for communication rather than their "knowledge about language" in a constrained context. As a result, the test dimensionality and validity are up for debate. It was found that fundamental revisions in terms of test format and content are required to improve the test quality. The current study examined the areas that are yet unexplored and attempts to describe the MSRT assessment comprehensively.

Over the past decades, research on language teachers' engagement in action research (AR) and more recently on their emotion labor has exponentially grown. However, little research is available on how AR and emotion labor intersect to shape language teacher professional development. This study addressed this gap by reporting on how four Iranian English language teachers used emotion labor as professional development work during participation in an AR project. Data were collected from reflective journals and classroom observations as well as the associated postclass discussions during the enactment of AR, and from interviews at two junctures in time, once during the course and once longitudinally after six and 12 months. Data analyses revealed that the teachers used AR as a mechanism for minimizing the gap between their internal feelings and external expectations, and gradually developed the identity of a teacher-researcher by using the affordances emotion labor provided. Moreover, the teachers retrospectively developed emotional learning, which facilitated their response to institutional expectations in the short term and to the professional discourses of teaching in the long term. We conclude the paper with implications for teacher education to better understand how emotions feature in AR and how emotion labor could be employed for AR-induced professional development.

The present study examines the effect of feedback (FB) and feedforward (FF) in prosody instruction for developing listening comprehension skills in the nonnative language by interpreter trainees, using a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design. Three groups of 25 interpreter trainees at Bu-Ali Sina University in Iran took part in the study, all groups receiving the same amount of instruction (10 h over 5 weeks). The control group listened to/viewed authentic audio recordings and movies in English, discussed their contents, and completed a variety of listening comprehension tasks but received no prosody instruction. The first experimental group spent part of the time on theoretical explanation of, and practical exercises with, English prosody by an instructor by providing FB when teaching prosody while the second experimental group was provided FF when teaching prosody. Versions of Longman's Test of English as a Foreign Language English proficiency test (paper-based) were used to assess listening comprehension at pretest, immediate posttest and delayed posttest. The findings revealed that the prosody instruction by providing FB enhanced the listening comprehension skills of the interpreter trainees more than by providing FF. The practical implications of the study would be that in the given circumstances where only limited curricular time is available for instruction and practice, a judicious choice can be made to lend priority to providing FB in prosody instruction for developing listening comprehension skills by interpreter trainees rather than to the providing FF.

In the era of COVID-19 and right after the announcement of it as a pandemic and threat to humanity by the World Health Organization, most educational activities were globally forced to shut down their traditional teaching/learning activities. This is one of the biggest and most vital changes of educational settings which have led to migration to online educational platforms. This paper can be considered as one of the few first studies that aimed to investigate the Iranian EFL online learners' learning performances (individual vs. interactive classroom tasks through quizzes, presentations, assignments, feedback and discussion) during the 2020-2021 educational year. DCM package (Diagnostic Classification Modeling) using R was used to classify the learning performances of 397 Iranian EFL BA students based on their learning behavior in online classes, and to find out to what extent their learning profiles related to their achievement. The results showed that interactive learning, performed through interaction and collaborative activities among students, is more challenging for the learners though for the majority of them mastering both individual and interactive learning is required to successfully pass the course. These findings can have important significance for all the practitioners in the field of Education.

Emotional intelligence is a way to enhance workforce capability in the 21st century. Psychological well-being is vital for shaping faculty and student relationships in the educational sector. This article aims to provide an updated methodological review of emotional intelligence studies in academia. This study investigates two decades of emotional intelligence concepts and theories they have used for analysis in numerous studies in higher educational academia. A detailed examination of the method and result of the study was found and critical of the overall state of knowledge on emotional intelligence. The documents are extracted from the Scopus database, and after inclusion and exclusion, 43 empirical papers were selected for analysis. From these 43 articles, we extracted the scale and instruments used in the earlier studies. The literature has proven a substantial linkage between variables such as e-learning, training, and development. Finally, the findings suggest that the most used theories are Daniel Goleman's theory, trait emotional theory, and the bar on model. Moreover, most of the studies are conducted in Spain, the UK, and the USA. Deep learning, neurodiversity, and cognitive ability might motivate the educational sector and technological advancement in future research.

Background: Hitherto, no instrumental research has been designed to measure the addiction potential for children in Iran. Therefore, the questionnaires designed to investigate addiction were examined in this systematic review article. Methods: In the present systematic review, all Iranian and foreign research on addiction potential for children were examined until March 2022. Using separate keywords and their Latin synonyms according to Mesh terms, an extensive search was conducted in databases: PubMed, Magiran, Iranmedex, Medline, Google Scholar, SID, and Irandoc. In total, 173 Farsi and English papers were included in the initial list, and after evaluation according to the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) checklist and acceptance criteria, 43 final papers were selected for systematic review. Findings: Through searching in Persian and English databases and using related keywords, 173 papers were found in the initial search and after removing duplicates and unrelated studies, 43 papers were selected for systematic review. In this research, papers related to the addiction potential between 1998 and 2019 were considered, and among these, 22 papers particularly dealt with addiction. In the conducted studies, the awareness, attitude, talent, and factors affecting addiction were mostly measured and in some papers, addiction potential was measured. Conclusion: Designing psychometrically appropriate tools is necessary to measure the addiction potential of children in Iran. Due to the unavailability of appropriate tools and the fact that the previous versions are not up to date and are not checked regularly, for better and more complete decision-making in the health policy-making process more investigation in this field is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The study demonstrates the difference between contemporary Israeli military and national security operations under the 'Campaign between Wars' framework and the way Israel would wage a 'war for existence'. The paper first outlines Israeli military strategy and theory regarding an existential war, while aiming to show how Israel would use its military capabilities. The paper explains the most plausible scenario of a war between Israel and a peer competitor, namely Iran and its proxy network, and the question of using nuclear weapons. Finally, the study presents the potential effects of such war on Israel, its enemies and the region. The paper argues that the most important aspect of Israeli conventional and nuclear warfighting capabilities is that they provide such a robust deterrent that they make war extremely unlikely. However, Israeli deterrence is based on the firm belief that the preparation for the war for existence is the most significant national goal, thereby establishing Israel as a linchpin to the regional balance of power, as a regional great military power itself is incapable of becoming a regional hegemon while assertively balancing against any such contender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper questions the apparent hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia and highlights its discursive construction. It explores the centrality of 'Muslimness' in both countries' discourses and how it both shapes and is shaped by their opposition. At the same time, it seeks to uncover how these discourses construct a specific regional and 'Muslim' dynamic. To do so, the paper draws on theories from both security and nationalism studies. The application of the theoretical framework was carried out over the 2010-2020 period through a discourse analysis of both primary and secondary sources. It is highlighted that Saudi Arabia resorts to a sectarian perspective, merging the 'Muslim' category with a 'Sunni' one, while Iran eludes the sectarian dimension and centers on the struggle against oppression and 'arrogant powers.' The paper concludes that, in the struggle over the definition of 'Muslimness,' both parties invest this label with different, but not opposing, attributes. While Saudi speeches express a closed and exclusive 'identity' defined by their understanding of religion and in direct opposition to Shias, Iranian speeches express an inclusive 'identity' based on 'Muslimness,' which is largely defined by the struggle against oppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay is a critical reading of a preface by an Iranian translator, Mahmud Nava’i, to his translation of a Freudian text. Drawing on the idea of “wild” analysis defined by Freud in 1910 as inappropriate psychoanalysis, the paper attempts to compare Freud’s idea to the translator’s commentary on Freudian psychoanalysis. It demonstrates how an inquisitive, if not erroneous, interpretation of psychoanalysis could result in an embodiment of wild analysis in Iran. Although psychoanalysis was not embraced in Iran as a psychotherapeutic method in the 1960s, such understandings of the method could play into the hands of the detractors of Freud, both in religious and Leftist quarters, who took Freudianism as a threat to Muslim morals and Marxist outlooks, respectively. Also, translating Freud’s theories into the Persian language cannot constitute an essential element in psychotherapy because this type of therapy cannot be learned from books, per Freud’s account of the ‘wild’ psychoanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptocurrencies are on the rise and so is money laundering. Some cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have played a major role in the proliferation of online money laundering as it possesses characteristics that criminals are fond of.Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are decentralized and anonymous. They provide the means to skirt the Anti-Money laundering safeguards that have been put in place. The purpose of this paper is introducing and investigation of the legal features of virtual money and combatting the ensuing money laundering, which has caused crimes such as fraud and organized crimes-originated internet money laundering, the main use of which is in virtual networks and communities. The aim of this paper is analyzing legal challenges of combatting cryptocurrencies-originated money laundering, investigating its influence on preventing money laundering in domestic and international level. It is finally concluded that it is better to spot the proper technologies and monitor the way they are used by complying with the current legal plans and amending them in line with state of the art methods rather than adding up to the rules and anticipating new generations of complicated technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Talyshi people, an Iranian ethnic group divided by the Araxes River between Azerbaijan and Iran. The division, a result of the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813), placed the Talyshis within two distinct political and cultural paradigms. The northern Talyshis, under the successive rule of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and Azerbaijan, were confronted with a Turkish political and cultural orientation that contrasted with their Iranian linguistic and cultural heritage. This orientation led to significant shifts in identity, with the Talyshis becoming minorities within a Turkic-speaking, Turkish-oriented Azerbaijan. Southern Talyshis who remained in Iran experienced a more consistent cultural development within the Iranian paradigm, despite political changes. This study examines the impact of these divisions on Talyshi identity, language preservation and socio-cultural adaptation. It discusses the challenges of assimilation and cultural preservation faced by the Talyshis, their linguistic characteristics, and the revival of Talysh self-awareness and nationalism in the face of external pressures. The paper uses a comprehensive analysis of historical, linguistic and ethnographic data to provide insights into the resilience of Talysh identity amidst political and cultural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the use of intangible cultural heritage as a vehicle for soft power in the service of geostrategic competitions between Iran and Turkey, two regional powers in West Asia. We focus on two significant trans-regional instances of intangible cultural heritage relevant to both countries: the mystic poet Rumi and the New Year's celebration of Nowruz. We draw on theories in political science and cultrual heritage as well as a host of sources in Persian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani, to demonstrate how heritage is mobilised concurrently as a nation-building device and a tool for soft power in international relations. We conclude by suggesting that, despite strong grounds for its claims, Iran's response in this competition has been reactive rather than proactive. Overall, the paper contributes to the scholarship on soft power and heritage diplomacy by presenting the first comparative analysis of cases of shared intangible heritage in West Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building technological capabilities is influenced by different factors, notably policies. This paper explains the co-evolution of policies, i.e. policy tools, on the technological capabilities in Iran's biopharmaceutical sector from 1995 to 2022. By adopting a qualitative research method, we gathered primary data through thirty-nine semi-structured as well as secondary data from reports and statistics. This paper explains technological capabilities enhancement from operational capabilities to innovative capabilities based on our proposed framework, which includes six levels. While the lack of an efficient policy tools, until the mid-2000s, was decisive in the inertia of biopharmaceutical sector capabilities, a proactive policy tools in recent years led to considerable promising results in terms of manufacturing and exporting advanced biosimilar products. Our findings shed light on the role of government support in the acceleration and directionality of technological capabilities building. Achieving advanced levels of technological capabilities requires learning, international collaboration, and export-oriented policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given Iran's recent shift towards pronatalist population policies, concerns have arisen regarding the potential increase in abortion rates. This review study examines the trends of (medical), intentional (illegal), and spontaneous abortions in Iran over the past two decades, as well as the factors that have contributed to these trends. Methods: This paper reviewed research articles published between 2005 and 2022 on abortion in Iran. The study employed the PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews. Articles were searched from international (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science) and national databases (Magiran, Medlib, SID). Once the eligibility criteria were applied, 42 records were included from the initial 349 records. Results: Abortion is influenced by a variety of socioeconomic and cultural factors and the availability of family planning services. Factors that contribute to unintended pregnancy include attitudes toward abortion, knowledge about reproductive health, access to reproductive health services, and fertility desires, among others. In addition to health and medical factors, consanguineous marriage plays an important role in spontaneous and therapeutic abortion. A higher number of illegal abortions were reported by women from more privileged socioeconomic classes. In comparison, a higher number of medical and spontaneous abortions were reported by women from less privileged socioeconomic classes. Conclusion: Iranian policymakers are concerned about the declining fertility rate and have turned to pronatalist policies. From a demographic standpoint, this seems to be a reasonable approach. However, the new population policies, particularly, the Family Protection and Young Population Law, along with creating limitations in access to reproductive health services and prenatal screening tests as well as stricter abortion law could potentially lead to an increase in various types of abortions and their associated consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2022 ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protests in Iran have led to the escalation of state-sponsored online disinformation campaigns. This paper aims to examine how, amidst a growing legitimacy crisis, the Iranian regime has employed a ‘Big Lie’ to shatter hopes for change by discrediting influential dissidents and hindering the formation of an effective opposition movement. Three target groups have borne the brunt of this strategy: celebrities, political dissidents inside the country, and prominent opponents in the diaspora. By reviewing state-owned media content and tweets, this paper reveals a consistent pattern of character assassination against dissidents. The ruling regime’s ultimate goal is to foster a sense of public hopelessness for an alternative to the Islamic Republic. By conceptualizing the Big Lie online, the study engages with the mechanism of control in modern despotism in the age of the internet and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subfamily Alysiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is one of the most peculiar and diverse groups of endoparasitoids of Diptera. The present paper provides additional information on the subfamily Alysiinae in Iran. The specimens were collected using Malaise traps during May - September 2010. The genus Grammospila Foerster, 1863, and four species of Alysiini were discovered for the first time from Iran: Grammospila fuscula Griffiths, 1968, G. rufiventris Nees, 1812, Dacnusa maculipes Thomson, 1895 and D. plantaginis Griffiths, 1966. Including our findings, the number of species of the genera Dacnusa and Grammospila are raised to 22 and 2 species in Iran, respectively. Diagnostic characters and distribution of the newly recorded species and an updated list of Dacnusa and Grammospila are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of kidney stones reduces the patients' quality of life and imposes high costs on patients and health care system. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a safe procedure to treat urinary stones. Appropriate strategies such as self-care programs can effectively reduce the prevalence and recurrence of this disease, and increase quality of life, save costs, and prevent diseases by increasing patient participation. The aim of this study is to design and implement a web-based self-care application for patients with kidney stones undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Methods: This paper is an applied study and was performed in Sabalan Hospital in Ardabil affiliated to the Social Security Organization of Iran in three stages including needs assessment, design and evaluation. For needs assessment and application design, a questionnaire was designed by searching library resources. The questionnaire was completed by clinical specialists and specialists in health information management and information technology. Then, based on the approved information elements and capabilities, a web-based self-care application was designed. The usability of the designed program was evaluated with the participation of 20 users. Results: The results of the survey showed that the experts confirmed all the identified items and components, and considered them necessary. Users rated the usability of the self-care program at a good level with an average score of 7.9 out of 9. Conclusion: The usability ofthe self-care application was satisfactory to users in various areas of overall application performance, screen, terminology and information, learning and general impressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the critical hydropolitics literature by introducing the power–interests–identity nexus framework and addresses how it shapes decisions and (re)actions to transform or maintain water conflicts. The framework is investigated using the Helmand/Hirmand river basin, shared by Afghanistan and Iran. It elucidates which factors led to the transformation of Iran–Afghanistan water conflicts and the signing of the 1973 Treaty, as well as the influential factors that have contributed to its maintenance in the 2020s. The results demonstrate using the framework provides comprehensive insight by identifying the influential latent factors of transboundary water arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The groundwater fauna in northwestern Iran remains insufficiently studied. A previous molecular investigation utilizing COI and 28S detected several putative Niphargus species. However, due to the lack of formal nomenclature for these discoveries, we are currently unable to implement practical measures for their protection and management. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a morphological analysis of one of the identified species. Additionally, we diagnose and describe a novel species under the name N. azerbaijanensis sp. nov. The results showed that N. azerbaijanensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other species by having triangular gnathopods propodi and rounded epimeral plates I-III. Additionally, the morphological characters of the new species were compared to those of Iranian species, including N. daniali, N. alisadri, N. persicus, N. ilamensis, N. hosseiniei, N. urmiensis and N. tauri from Turkey.The groundwater fauna in northwestern Iran remains insufficiently studied. A previous molecular investigation utilizing COI and 28S detected several putative Niphargus species. However, due to the lack of formal nomenclature for these discoveries, we are currently unable to implement practical measures for their protection and management. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a morphological analysis of one of the identified species. Additionally, we diagnose and describe a novel species under the name N. azerbaijanensis sp. nov. The results showed that N. azerbaijanensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other species by having triangular gnathopods propodi and rounded epimeral plates I-III. Additionally, the morphological characters of the new species were compared to those of Iranian species, including N. daniali, N. alisadri, N. persicus, N. ilamensis, N. hosseiniei, N. urmiensis and N. tauri from Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are few reliable Iranian‑induced abortion data. The aim of this paper was to investigate the prevalence and socioeconomic characteristics of women and men who report having had or been a partner in an abortion. Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional survey of women and men aged 15–49 years referred to the health center that randomly selected from 110 health center that was used. Results: Data from 1520 women and men surveys were analyzed. One in 10 women and one in 12 men had experienced or been a partner in an abortion. In adjusted analyses, women and men in the 34–49 age group [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.62, 95% (CI) 0.41, 0.96], the importance of religion in fertility (AOR = 0.42; 95% CI 0.26, 0.67), dissatisfied general health (AOR = 0.52; 95% CI 0.32, 0.87), and history of unwanted pregnancy for twice (AOR = 2.32; 95% CI 1.43, 3.77) and history of unwanted pregnancy for three‑time or more (AOR = 2.69; 95% CI 1.59, 5.49) were associated with significantly increased odds of abortion. Haven’t heard of medication abortion, that is, abortion with tablets (AOR = 0.43; 95% CI 0.29, 0.67) was associated with significantly reduced odds of abortion. Conclusions: The findings contribute to scarce information about abortion in Iranian. Due to the high prevalence of abortion and the country’s population growth policy, Iranian women need a full range of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraceptive counseling and accessible abortion care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]