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It is of great significance to study the thermal radiation anomalies of earthquake swarms in the same area in terms of selecting abnormal characteristic determination parameters, optimizing and determining the processing model, and understanding the abnormal machine. In this paper, we investigated short-term and long-term thermal radiation anomalies induced by earthquake swarms in Iran and Pakistan between 2007 and 2016. The anomalies were extracted from infrared remote sensing black body temperature data from the China Geostationary Meteorological Satellites (FY-2C/2E/2F/2G) using the multiscale time-frequency relative power spectrum (MS T-FRPS) method. By analyzing and summarizing the thermal radiation anomalies of series earthquake groups with consistency law through a stable and reliable MS T-FRPS method, we first obtained the relationship between anomalies and ShakeMaps from USGS and proposed the anomaly regional indicator (ARI) to determine seismic anomalies and the magnitude decision factor (MDF) to determine seismic magnitude. In addition, we explored the following discussions: earthquake impact on regional thermal radiation background and the relationship between thermal anomalies and earthquake magnitude and the like. Future research directions using the MS T-FRPS method to characterize regional thermal radiation anomalies induced by strong earthquakes could help improve the accuracy of earthquake magnitude determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential growth of population and industries has brought about an increase in energy consumption, causing severe climatic and environmental problems. Therefore, the move towards green renewable energy is being ever more intensified. This study aims at estimating the rooftop solar power production for Tehran, the capital city of Iran, using a Geospatial Information System (GIS) to assess the big data of city building parcels. Tehran is faced with severe air pollution due to its excessive fossil fuel usage, and its electricity demand is increasing. As a result, this paper attempts to provide the quantified solar power potential of city roof tops for policymakers and authorities in order to facilitate decision-making in relation to integrating renewable energies into the power production infrastructure. The results shows that approximately 3000 GWh (more than 14% of the total electric energy consumption) of solar power can be produced by the rooftop PV installations in Tehran. The potential nominal power of rooftop PV installations is estimated to be more than 2000 MW, which is four times the current installed PV capacity of the whole country. The findings of the study suggest that there is great potential hidden on the rooftops of the city, which can be utilized to assist the power systems of the city in the longer run for a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many models have been proposed in the literature of traffic engineering to investigate the relations between the prominent traffic variables such as velocity, density, and flow. However, in a specific period and environment, the traffic variables do not follow the same pattern discovered by a model and the observations might have various behavioral patterns. This means that a wide range of tangled data must be investigated and the aforementioned diverse patterns should be extracted so that the future values of the traffic variables can be predicted. This paper proposes a new approach based on which the relations between the traffic variables in the tangled data are detected. To show the practical value of this study, different procedures of the proposed approach are carried out for the traffic data of a highway in Iran. To detect the existing patterns of the collected data, an optimization regression-based model is developed based on which the traffic observations are segregated. The objective of this model is minimization of the Mean Squared Error ( M S E) metric. The proposed approach fits multiple lines to the tangled data instead of a single one; therefore, the observations are segregated and diverse relations between the traffic variables will be revealed. The developed model is a mixed-integer non-linear mathematical formulation belonging to the class of NP-hard problems. Thus, two powerful meta-heuristics including the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) are used to solve the model and find the coefficients of the fitting lines. For a small number of observations, the outputs of the GA and PSO have been tested in terms of validity by comparing them to the optimal M S E values provided by the LINGO software. The GA and PSO could reach the optimal values in 77% and 64% of their runs, respectively. The validity of the results have also been confirmed by conducting one sample t-tests. The coefficient of determination R 2 has been utilized to evaluate the goodness of the fitting lines acquired by the GA and PSO. The outputs show that the R 2 values of all fitting lines are above 0.80; therefore, it can be concluded that the GA and PSO have been successful in delivering high-quality fitting lines. Having acquired high-quality fitting lines, it was proven that the proposed approach has been sufficiently efficient and effective in detecting various behavioral patterns existing in the traffic tangled data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the author is attempting to assess both Islamism and Post-Islamism discourses and sees whether it is possible to talk about a Post-Islamist turn in the Muslim World, in general, and Iran, in particular. The author believes that we are still in an Islamist era but the challenges ahead belong to competitions between different approaches to Islamism rather than post-Islamist discourses. By arguing this, the author attempts to analyze how these competing discourses may affect the notion and locus of the state in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the uncertainty theory, Liu [B. Liu, Some research problems in uncertainty theory, J. Uncertain Syst. 3 2009, 1, 3–10] introduced an uncertain integral for applying uncertain differential equation, finance, control, filtering and dynamical systems. Since uncertain integrals are the important content of uncertainty theory, this paper explores an approach of the relationship between uncertain integrals by the well-known Chebyshev-type inequality. Also, we propose the concept of an uncertain fractional integral which is generalized version of an uncertain integral. The definition of a strong comonotonic uncertain process and some new properties of the uncertain integral were presented in [C. You and N. Xiang, Some properties of uncertain integral, Iran. J. Fuzzy Syst. 15 2018, 2, 133–142]. Based on the strong comonotonic uncertain process, as an application, we provide Chebyshev's inequality for a fractional uncertain integral and an uncertain integral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mites of the genus Lasioseius Berlese in Iran are reviewed. New collection data on seven species of the genus are given for Guilan province in Northern Iran. Based on our observations of newly collected specimens, we confirm the synonymy of L. extremus (Daneshvar, 1987) with Lasioseius parberlesei Bhattacharyya as previously proposed by Moraes et al. (2015). In addition, we provide the first description of the male of L. parberlesei in Iran. Moreover, this paper provides a checklist for Lasioseius species recorded from Iran, with a key for identification of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This paper reports a case where the patient developed Stevens - Johnson syndrome (SJS) following the use of phenytoin. Case description. The case was an 85-year-old male admitted to the 9-Dey Hospital in Torbat-Heydariyeh city, Iran with a diagnosis of cardiovascular accident (CVA). On Day 2 of hospitalization, phenytoin medication was started to control the patient’s seizures. On Day 10, the patient developed a 39.2°C fever and also a generalized rash starting from the upper limbs and spreading to the whole body. The dermatologist diagnosed SJS and recommended replacing phenytoin with an alternative drug for seizure control. From Day 15 onwards, his rashes started to decrease and almost entirely disappeared a week later. Conclusion. Considering the range and severity of the adverse effects of SJS, physicians need to be familiar with the symptoms of these reactions so that the drug can be replaced as soon as such symptoms emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-the-job training is important for the growth of organizational human capital. The present paper evaluates the efficiency of on-the-job training using the DEA model and knowledge management system to illustrate the interactions of organizational knowledge management concepts for measuring the efficiency of on-the-job training courses for employees within the organizational knowledge management systems. In this research, the DEA method was used to evaluate the efficiency of knowledge management system and analyze the interdependencies of the system. Also, the EU Knowledge and Innovation Management Measurement and the Kirkpatrick models were employed to identify the indicators. This study was conducted on 27 education centers in Iran. The results of evaluating the effectiveness of the knowledge management system show that the factor of "educational resources and facilities" is the most affecting variable and the most affected variable is "educational effectiveness". Then, based on the DEA method, the weights of the sub-factors of the model were determined, and the efficiency of each step and as a result the efficiency of the whole system was obtained. Inefficient units were discarded and finally the efficient units were ranked. This study can help the organizations to identify the factors affecting the effectiveness of knowledge management programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the worship of Anāhitā in Western Asia examining some of the ideas put forward by James R. Russel in his volume on Zoroastrianism in Armenia in the light of more recent discussions about the role played by the goddess in Armenian religion before the conversion of the country to Christianity. While the evidence from more ancient periods has also been briefly presented, specific attention is given to Anāhīd's worship in the Sasanian period and to the devotion of Narseh to this divinity. Finally, Middle Persian personal names containing the theonym Anāhīd are briefly introduced and discussed, showing that this important divinity is underrepresented in Sasanian and post-Sasanian onomastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning approaches are increasingly being employed to forecast the key characteristics of strong ground motions, including the challenging classification of Pulse-Like (PL) ground motions. The PL ground motions are characterized by their impulsive nature and have the potential to cause significant damage to structures. The classification of PL ground motions continues to be a significant challenge due to the absence of consensus on their definition and categorization. This paper investigates the potential benefits of several Machine Learning Classifiers (MLCs) algorithms such as decision tree, random forest, logistic regression, naive Bayes, support vector machine, K-nearest neighbor, ensemble model, and artificial neural network models for predicting PL and Non-Pulse-Like (NPL) ground motions. In this regard, a dataset comprising 200 near-fault ground motions records compiled from active tectonic regions like Taiwan, Turkey, Iran, and Japan, was divided into 2 portions, with 75% used to train the model and the remaining 25% used for testing. Plots of performance metrics, confusion matrix, and receiver operating curve indicate that the ensemble classifier outperforms the other classifier with 86.2% accuracy and the lowest misclassification of PL and NPL ground motions. Additionally, the trained MLC has been compared with the existing ground motion classification models to further assess the accuracy of the different classifiers in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower Cretaceous carbonates of the Fahliyan Formation form prolific reservoir rocks at oilfields in the Dezful Embayment, central Zagros fold‐thrust belt, SW Iran. The carbonates have undergone significant diagenetic alteration in phases which can in general be linked to the pre‐, syn‐ and post‐tectonic evolution of the fold‐thrust belt. This paper investigates the impact of diagenetic processes on the reservoir quality of the carbonates using integrated petrographic, geochemical and sedimentological analyses of subsurface and outcrop samples of the formation. Diagenetic alterations include: (i) pre‐tectonic eogenesis in the marine and shallow‐burial realm, which resulted in micritization of allochems and cementation by equant and isopachous calcite rims and framboidal pyrite together with limited dolomitization and dissolution of metastable bioclasts. The isotopic compositions of micrite and early calcite cement depart from postulated values of Lower Cretaceous marine carbonates, signifying early stabilization of precursor metastable carbonate minerals and the possible effects of the incursion of meteoric waters and/or increasing burial temperatures; (ii) mesogenesis during the subsequent syn‐tectonic phase, which included Late Cretaceous ophiolite obduction at the northern margin of the Arabian Plate and the later Zagros orogeny in the Miocene‐Pliocene. Diagenetic modifications included the emplacement of hydrocarbons, the development of stylolites and fractures, and the precipitation of saddle dolomite, replacive rhombic dolomite, discrete pyrite, microcrystalline quartz, kaolin and anhydrite. The average stable isotope compositions of saddle dolomite (δ18O: ‐6.9 ‰ ±.9 and δ13C 0.5 ‰ ± 1.6, respectively) also reflects the influence of high temprature basinal fluids; and (iii) "late" (telogenetic, post‐tectonic) uplift‐related modification starting in the Pliocene, when the incursion of meteoric waters resulted in the formation of vugs, the calcitization of dolomite, and cementation by fracture‐filling blocky calcite. The negative δ18O and δ13C stable isotope values (average: ‐5.5 ‰ ± 1.5; and ‐3.6 ‰ ± 5.9, respectively) of late blocky calcite cement suggest the incursion of meteoric water into the system. This study demonstrates that diagenetic processes in carbonates in the Fahliyan Formation, which exerted a significant control on the distribution of secondary porosity, can be related to the tectonic evolution of the central Zagros fold‐thrust belt. Thus, constraining the diagenetic history of carbonate successions within the context of their wider tectonic evolution is important for the prediction of the spatial and temporal distribution of reservoir quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate subsurface exploration requires an optimal network of boreholes. This paper proposes a multi-objective approach to optimize the layout of additional exploratory boreholes. In order to illustrate this approach, geochemical analyses of core samples at the eastern part of the Kahang copper deposit, Central Iran, were used. A measure of the grade uncertainty (kriging standard deviation) and a confidence measure on the ore/waste classification were first calculated by implementing ordinary and indicator kriging. An ore value function was then determined to measure the total value of each block by considering the grades of all the effective variables and their ore membership degree derived from a fuzzy treatment of the grades. Finally, a misclassification cost is defined for each block based on the expected economic effects of ore loss and waste dilution. As a result, an index for the selection of additional boreholes was introduced in order to maximize the kriging standard deviation, the ore misclassification cost, and the ore value and to minimize the confidence measure. Applied to the Kahang copper deposit, this index allowed the prioritization of areas for infill sampling, leading to the recommendation for eight vertical and two directional additional boreholes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent technological developments in medicine, including modern radiology have promoted the impact of scientific researches on social life. The scientific outputs such as article and patents are products that show the scientists' attempt to access these achievements. Objectives: In the current study, we evaluate the current situation of Iranian scientists in the field of radiology and compare it with the selected countries in terms of scientific papers. For this purpose, we used scientometric tools to quantitatively assess the scientific papers in the field of radiology. Materials and Methods: Radiology papers were evaluated in the context of medical field audit using retrospective model. We used the related databases of biomedical sciences for extraction of articles related to radiology. In the next step, the situation of radiology scientific products of the country were determined with respect to the under study regional countries. Results: Results of the current study showed a ratio of 0.19% for Iranian papers in PubMed database published in 2009. In addition, in 2009, Iranian papers constituted 0.29% of the Scopus scientific database. The proportion of Iranian papers in the understudy region was 7.6%. Conclusion: To diminish the gap between Iranian scientific radiology papers and other competitor countries in the region and achievement of document 2 025 goals, multifold effort of the society of radiology is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and expansion of 20th-century urbanization have led to large-scale populated regions that did not exist prior to this era. City-region is a kind of 20-century large-scale concept recognized as the most advanced stage of urban development. Regardless of its long history, the concept of city-region does not enjoy a standard definition. In this vein, the present paper seeks to provide a suitable framework for the primary argument determining the city-region boundary. Indeed, understanding the boundary allows planners to study a precise area, resulting in refining the concept and meticulously planning. Therefore, as applied research, it is aimed to respond to the practical problem in spatial planning by expanding and developing the city-region's knowledge base. The paper has a mixed-method, using content analysis, the Structural Equation Model techniques, and Hot spot analysis. The results introduce six factors for determining the city-region's boundary, including economic self-sufficiency, community relation, regional competitiveness, balanced management, services and infrastructure capacities, and the space of flows. The research's flexible model allows planners to adjust it based on their field of study, inferring that the proposed model is utterly comprehensive; however, having access to different databases, scholars may encounter a challenge to adapt indicators. Accordingly, indicators should be customized based on general ones. In this study, the indicators are customized according to Iran's data sources, and the output framework is tested on the Tehran region that deals with inefficiencies in urban and regional planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to computational modeling of biophysical processes with factors of heterogeneous adaptation. Plasticity and variability is the basis of evolution in natural biophysical systems. The complex of behavioral and biochemical adaptations allows the ancient populations of the Caspian Sea to efficiently use the limited resources and withstand the competition. During long-term simultaneous evolution in populations of Caspian organisms, a specific adaptation has appeared that is the strategy of survival optimal for physical conditions of the Caspian Sea. Interference in the existing hydrological systems of the region instantaneously deteriorated the advantages of the evolution strategy. An important form of adaptation for the Caspian Sea is the formation of subpopulation reproductively isolated groups that become units of species formation, accumulating the differences because of the reproductive isolation. In the paper we describe the method for analyzing the intrapopulation structure, where the groups with different reproductive behavior arose in the population. This is an aspect of the technical problem of the method for their introduction. A modified method of antigen differentiation developed by Yu.N. Perevaryukha (patent for invention RU 2253970) allowed determining the belonging of animal units to one of the reproductive groups of marine sturgeons by the differences in their antigens in the blood serum. It was shown that biophysical adaptation to long-term life in sweet water reflects in the presence in blood of specific proteins called the antigen markers. Immunochemical technologies immunodiffusion and electrophoresis are applied to study the markers of reproductive groups of Caspian sturgeons. The knowledge about the character of life cycle of groups isolated by their reproductive behavior and optimal temperature is necessary for artificial recovery of the populations. The data on the presence of two reproductive groups in starry sturgeon Acipencer stellatus are used to model the reproductive activity of the population. The information about the degree of intrapopulation differentiation allows improving the hybrid computational structure for the model of biophysical processes requiring the animal unit introduction technology; this structure was earlier proposed by us in Technical Physics. The model scenario explains the low efficiency of artificial release of sturgeon fish in the Caspian Sea. The procedure for reintroduction of sturgeons into the Caspian Sea must take into account the reproductive peculiarities of groups with different behavior. The considered problem is topical not only for populations of the Volga basin, but also for local populations in southern waters of the Caspian Sea of Iran and Azerbaijan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the materials used to make a brocade belt belonging to the Qajar courtiers in Iran. This belt consists of two fabric types: red support and golden brocade. Accordingly, this paper examined the skin and tannin type, fiber types, dyeing agents, mordant, and metal wrapping of brocade yarns and metal buckle. Technical imaging, ESI–MS, FORS, FTIR and SEM–EDS were used to identify the materials. Multi-band imaging methods included Vis, UVL, IRR, and UVR, in which UVFC and IRFC images were obtained after processing. The results showed that cotton yarn was used in both fabrics. The red fabric yarns were dyed using cochineal and alum mordant. Also, the yellow brocade yarns were dyed using catechins-rich plants, and in this dyeing process, polyphenols and alum have been as mordant. Madder-dyed yarns are also found in parts of the belt. Examination of the metal wrapping of brocade yarns suggests using strips of copper-nickel alloy with a thin layer of gold-silver alloy. This secondary coating protects the copper-nickel strips and increases their golden luster. The leather analysis of the leather parts also indicated the using cattle/calfskin tanned with gallotannins. Belt buckle analysis also shows the use of brass alloy with a high percentage of zinc, leading to a golden sheen and the buckle desired strength. The results show the use of low-cost materials in the manufacture of clothing for the lower levels of the Qajar court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: It was associated with the policy maker's attitude based on the belief of greater participation of women in the social, economic and cultural scenes, therefore, compared to the previous two programs, attention to the situation of women was planned in a clearer way. One of the basic points in the third development plan was to align it with the establishment of an institution as "Women's Participation Affairs Center". In the important parts of the program, such as education and employment policies, no interesting needs are observed between the two sexes. The fourth program is interesting both in terms of the amount of materials of the program that are dedicated to women and also in terms of a different approach regarding the topic of gender. In the fourth development plan, it is emphasized to eliminate violence against women. The most important concern in the fourth development plan is the issue of women's employment and the improvement of the economic status of women in the society, and if we are talking about reforming public attitudes towards women, this reform of attitudes is related to holding economic positions and employment opportunities. In the third program, special educational and cultural-sports needs are emphasized by using Islamic principles and foundations. In the fifth development plan, which is considered to be the most important article of this plan about women and family. In the 6th Development Plan, it is very important to improve the status of women and a suitable position for women and family was considered in this program. Creating suitable job opportunities to attract unemployed graduates, which has increased as a result of the increase in the number of girls entering universities, paying attention to female heads of the household, self-headed and abusive women, reducing divorce, increasing the facilitation of marriage, the possibility of facilitating the entry of women into higher academic degrees such as Ph.D. Specialization and serious attention to improving the quality of women's health is one of the issues that should be given serious attention in the future. As a result, it is in accordance with the theories of gender justice, which is often equated with the concept of gender equality. But in reality, they are two separate concepts. Gender equality refers to equal life opportunities for women and men, which includes the ability to participate in the public sphere. Gender equality focuses on fair participation in education, the labor market, health services and politics. Legal reform is one of the key and important tools in the fight for equality. Gender equality does not necessarily ensure equality of outcomes; because it assumes that when barriers to participation are removed, there will be a level playing field for both sexes, and it does not consider that men and women may have different realities and experiences. Therefore, the concept of gender justice is raised. Gender justice refers to justice in life outcomes for women and men. As a result, it thinks beyond equal opportunities, reminds the need to change attitudes, emphasizes the different interests, preferences and needs of men and women, and emphasizes the need to redistribute power and resources. This paper examines the gender policies governing Iran's employment development programs before and after the revolution. Which is using qualitative content analysis. The purpose of this study shows that there are several elements and propositions of gender discourses in the set of employee development programs of Iran before and after the revolution. Methods: The above paper is a documentary and library study. The research method used is of the secondary analysis type and is mostly done by using library data and using sites and the general population and housing censuses and registration information. The data used are second-hand data and partly third-hand data. According to the type of data, the study is descriptive and analytical. In this paper, due to the limitation of census information, that part of the gender analysis of employment based on Iran's development programs before and after the revolution and population and housing statistics has been used to some extent from registration data. Results: The results obtained from the employment status of women show that during different years before the revolution and even after the revolution, the changes in women's employment did not experience a regular upward or downward trend. Comparing the employment of women and men also shows superiority the regularity of men in the labor market during the statistical survey was from (1956-2020). Also, the unstable trend of development in the employment of women and men, especially women, shows that with the smallest changes in economic conditions, a large part of the female labor force has left the market. This issue is not only from an economic point of view but also from a social point of view. It also has adverse consequences for society. The current state of Iran's labor market, including its high unemployment rate, and low participation rate, shows limited employment generation. That the set of policies, laws, and regulations in the field of employment did not have the necessary efficiency. A review of each of the development programs in Iran shows that the issue of "gender justice" has been neglected and has faced shortcomings in its application and implementation. In the development programs before the Islamic revolution, the statesmen's view of development was purely economic. It was believed that the movement towards development begins with the growing trend of the growth of the national gross product. By dividing the population into two semi-urban and rural, the semi-urban brought new values following the increasing contact with the outside world. Conclusion: In terms of the period, the approval authorities in the fields of employment, diversity, transformation, decline, and rise. In other words, while in the development programs, there have been things such as equal pay, insurance, equal working hours, and expertise for the employment of women and men. In some cases, policymakers have paid attention to things such as wage equality, skill-oriented, empowerment and structural changes in women's employment, and in general, by using the theory of Giddens, Barry, Tocqueville, Bloomberg, it can be seen that there are approaches to create jobs for women and men, change the structure, identified equality, development, dignity, economic power in the documents of Iran's employment development programs. That a diverse set of macroeconomic policies and active and inactive labor market policies have been implemented with the purpose and motivation of creating employment. Which have different and diverse positive and negative, strong and weak consequences and functions. The results of women's employment status show that during different years before the revolution and even after the revolution, the changes in women's employment did not experience a regular upward or downward trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has proposed a new perspective of studying internal structure-based tests, the results of which will improve the present experimental methods and enrich our understanding of rock structure-based modeling without any core preparations, with low cost in a short time. Pore volume compressibility (PVC) is an important feature of rock and is related to mechanical and structural behavior of porous rock sample. An accurate evaluation of pore volume compressibility depends on experimental test which is time-consuming and costly. This paper outlines new method for evaluation of PVC of rock cores using a computed tomography (CT) scan-based finite element method (FEM). The verification studies were performed on a series of porous rock cores which were extracted from deep oil reservoirs in Iran. In order to construct a finite element model, a relationship between spatial elastic properties of samples and CT-scanned data images was derived. The samples were scanned by a conic beam computed tomography (CBCT) machine, and the scanned data were converted into a model to simulate PVC tests. The pore volumetric strains were obtained from a linear elastic analysis for each stress and pore pressure step. To validate the finite element analysis (FEA) results, a series of experimental PVC tests were conducted on the pre-scanned samples and PVC curves were extracted. As a result, the predictions calculated from the CT scan-based numerical models have shown a good correlation with the results obtained from laboratory experiments. The results revealed that it is possible to simulate PVC tests using this numerical proposed evaluation method in such a way that the cost and time of the tests were lowered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive logic of foreign policy of different countries is constructed based on different epistemological and ontological systems. Outcome - process validity of making foreign policy shows its cognitive method and ontological logic. Therefore, the perception of foreign policy is formed through complex epistemological systems. Each different foreign policy as an ontological process has epistemic systems; so, any foreign relations actions refer to epistemic logic, structure, and package that are not particularly obvious. The dynamics of Iran's foreign policy in the regional and international system is formed based on multilateral factors that are influenced by international and regional components. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of different approaches to Iran's foreign policy by theoretical framework derived from a combination of the theories using Cohen's paradigm, the epistemic belts of Lakatos and Althusser Apparatus, and the epistemic theory of Foucault. The main question of the paper is what kind of epistemic systems does the foreign policy of Iran have and what systems did other systems intend to form around Iran? We examine and identify five epistemological systems including, Shi'ite, Islamic, revolutionary, national, modern, and postmodern, and each will be used to analyze the foundations, institutions, consequences, and applied pathology of Iranian foreign policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread public vaccination is one of the effective mechanisms to ensure the health and prevent deaths in societies. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is a stark instance in this regard. Vaccine development is a complex process requiring firm-level capabilities, various infrastructures, long-term planning, and stable and efficient policies. Due to the global demand for vaccines during the pandemic, the national capability to produce vaccines is critical. To this end, the current paper investigates influential factors, at the firm- and policylevel, in the COVID-19 vaccine development process in Iran. By adopting a qualitative research method and conducting 17 semi-structured interviews and analyzing policy documents, news, and reports, we extracted internal and external factors affecting the success and failure of a vaccine development project. We also discuss the characteristics of the vaccine ecosystem and the gradual maturity of policies. This paper draws lessons for vaccine development in developing countries at both firm and policy levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the conceptualization of freedom in the memoir of the Iranian-American journalist and media activist, Masih Alinejad. It examines The Wind in My Hair: My fight for Freedum in Modem Iran (2018) with respect to Alinejad's activism in the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran. The paper utilizes a critical framework drawn from feminist critiques of neoliberal feminism and Derridean hospitality to focus on Alinejad's repetition of the narratives of model minority and American exceptionalism. These neoliheral narratives have the potential to turn both Iran and the United States into inhospitable places for women. The paper concludes that an intersectional examination of Alinajad' s neoliberal approach to the experiences of women in both the United States and Iran will demonstrate that it does not coincide with the demands of "Woman, Life, freedom". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benchmarking is a tool for evaluating organizational performance with a learning approach from oth)ers. The importance of benchmarking in every industry is clear for anyone. In the automotive industry, the performance of after-sales service agencies in Iran is evaluated every year by Iran Standard and Quality Inspection company. One of the ways to continuously improve in after-sales service agencies is benchmarking of successful and efficient examples in the network. In this paper, a benchmarking model is developed considering that the repair index and customer satisfaction are interdependent. To improve the accuracy and operationality of benchmarking, some constraints have been added to the model with the opinion of experts. Considering the dependent parameters, a data envelopment analysis model has been proposed and this model has been implemented to benchmark 20 after-sales service agencies of a car company. By solving the model and comparing it with the results of the original model, it was observed that the considered conditions changed the benchmarking and in)creased the accuracy. This paper discusses the concept of the impact and importance of dependent parameters in benchmarking, and with this concept, a benchmarking model for automotive after-sales service agencies is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, reflecting on the village and archaeological site of Jamalo located on the top of the Zayanderud dam, aims to explore the circumstances human settlements would have encounter with the construction of the dam and when its reservoirs were flooded. About 30 years ago, as the images from Google Map showed, the water strip emerging from the Zayanderud dam, wherein the left riverbank hosted the village and archaeological site of Jamalo. This site had been occupied for much of the sixth and fifth millennium BC until the beginning of the Early Bronze Age. In the Middle Bronze Age, it had been dominated by the Proto-literate, historic, and Islamic periods. Archaeological evidence from surface surveys also indicated that pottery shreds were similar to those of Sialk III and Bakun A. Now, Jamalo is exposed to the waters of the dam reservoir. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of what would have happened to archaeological sites with the construction of the dam, its reservoirs were flooded, and when landscapes were radically altered. Another question was: "What would have happened to archeological sites as floods made it inaccessible?" Based on the excavation at Jamalo and the comparison of images taken from the region before and after the construction of the dam, it was observed that the reservoir had destroyed the village, and the slopes of the site, especially on the eastern and northeastern parts, had been covered with a layer of deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose To explore the incidence of addiction potential within the Iranian public working population, describing how many Iranian public employees fall within the diagnostic categories of low, moderate, and high addiction potential. Also, to investigate the predicting role of occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction on addiction potential and belonging to low, moderate, and high addiction potential diagnostic categories. Background Substance addiction among employees can lead to several negative consequences at the individual and organizational levels. Also, it is the fourth cause of death in Iran. However, few studies have been conducted on the topic among employees, and non among Iranian employees. Methodology The study participants were 430 employees working in governmental offices of the North Khorasan province, Iran. Descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to explore the incidence of addiction potential within the analyzed population and to investigate whether occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction predicted low, moderate, or high addiction potential. Contribution This paper suggests that perceived stress might act as a risk factor for developing addiction, whereas job security and job satisfaction might be protective factors against the likelihood of addiction development. Findings More than half of the sample showed moderate to high addiction potential. Perceived stress was positively related to addiction potential. Job security and job satisfaction were negatively related to addiction potential. Recommendations for Practitioners Managers and policymakers may find a valuable strategy to reduce employees' substance addiction risks in the design, development, and implementation of initiatives and interventions that prevent or reduce perceived stress and improve job satisfaction and job security. Recommendations for Researchers When addressing the topic of substance addiction, researchers should focus on the preventative side of investigating it; that is, addiction risk rather than already unfolded addiction. Also, researchers should be mindful of the cultural context in which studies are conducted. Impact on Society Substance addiction threatens the sustainability of communities and societies worldwide. Providing applied psychological findings, this paper can inform the broader public and help individuals, groups, communities, and institutions to address this issue in a science-based fashion. Future Research Future research might investigate other relevant occupational predictors in relation to employee addiction potential, such as leadership style, work-life balance, and worktime schedule, or expand on the relevant causal chain by including personality traits such as neuroticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer review is one of the most efficient ways to ensure the quality of papers for possible publication in scholarly journals. However, the process of peer review is not free of bias and disorders. Many reviewers are unaware of how their attitudes towards the evaluation of scholarly papers may violate Peer Review Ethics (PRE). This paper attempts to analyze the different ethical issues influencing the job of reviewing. The research sample for this study included 7 Iranian library and information journals, 124 Iranian peer reviewers, and 34 authors. Peer reviewers and authors were asked to evaluate the most important ethical elements of peer review in Iranian LIS journals through two different questionnaires based on Rajabali Beglou et al. (2019) research. Findings showed that there was no difference among authors and reviewers in terms of gender in most PRE elements. Also, the level of experience of the authors was not significant in terms of understanding and acceptance of the PRE among reviewers and authors. However, review experiences regarding some PRE elements were significant in respondents’ viewpoints. The experiences reviewers had already gained were influential on their views about PRE. In addition, results showed that there were significant differences among reviewers and authors about the PRE elements in LIS journals. Authorship experiences had not effect on the PRE elements and the dual role of peer reviewing and authorship had no impact on their views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do intelligence estimates sometimes fail to prepare policymakers for change? Some explanations suggest the fault lies with insufficient data collection, weak analysis, or unreceptive audiences. But while more data and better analysis would always be welcome, they may not materially reduce uncertainty; and explanations centering on the intelligence-policymaker relationship offer no systematic critique of the orthodoxy that keeps intelligence and policymakers at arm's length. This paper argues that some cases of estimative failure – including the case of the 1979 Iranian revolution – are the result of a flawed orthodoxy of intelligence-policymaker relations, which overlooks the policymaker's actual and potential impact on the target. In contrast, this paper introduces the concept of "the view from somewhere", which places the customer's policy and preferences at the center of the intelligence problem. In the Iran case, estimates adopting the view from somewhere could have warned Washington of critical decision points while it still had leverage to act, explained how US policy had inadvertently shaped the Shah's ineffectual response to unrest, and assessed opportunities for effective policy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-management of diabetes is essential for proper control of blood sugars and prevention of complications. Persons with disabilities face challenges in adopting self-management behaviours. Objectives: To assess diabetes self-management behaviours among persons with disabilities. Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed with a comprehensive search strategy to retrieve epidemiological studies that reported the diabetes self-management behaviours among persons with disabilities in English language journals between 1990 - 2022. We did a step-wise screening of the retrieved articles and synthesized the findings of the selected papers. Results: Of the 992 papers that were obtained, 981 did not meet our inclusion criteria and were excluded at the stage of title and abstract screening. Eleven papers were retrieved and read in detail, and 8 of them were excluded at this stage. Finally, three papers two from China and one from Iran were included in the review. The studies revealed poor diabetes self-management behaviours among persons with disabilities, especially in the domains of diet and physical activity. Conclusion: There is a dearth of studies exploring diabetes self-management behaviours among persons with disabilities. Even the few reported studies show low levels of self-management behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the factor structure of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) among abused Iranian women. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a methodological study. The participants included 554 abused married women who were selected by convenience sampling from the women presenting to health centers and hospitals and their companions as well as women visiting mosques and parks in Shahroud, Iran. The exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the WCQ. The reliability of the questionnaire was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Findings: Following the exploratory factor analysis, 36 items and 5 factors were extracted, which could explain 73.24% of the variance in the concept of coping with intimate partner violence. The extracted factors included distancing, planning, wishful thinking, seeking social support and problem-solving. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire as a whole was 0.91. Originality/value: This paper has practice and research implications for promoting coping among abused women. The factor structure of the WCQ obtained in this paper can validly measure coping with intimate partner violence among abused Iranian women. Learning about the coping strategies used by abused women can help design context-based interventions to assist these women in better coping with their husband's violence and improving their well-being. This version of WCQ also enables assessing the effectiveness of the designed interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed morphological variation among 17 forewing characters within five populations of the paper wasp, Polistes dominulus, in Iran. The raw planar coordinate data were aligned using geometric and mathematical calculations in kendall's shape space. After transfer of the data to a linear euclidean space, i.e., tangent space, multivariate analysis of 135 images of forewings were made using their geometric morphometric characters (30 in the forewings). We observed a direct correlation between morphological characters and the geographically easiest travel distance along river valleys and mountain ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a case on the Iran-U.S. Claims tribunal, dominant and effective nationality test and beneficial ownership of claims. The Saghi family's claim against Iran for its expropriation of a paper plant and distribution business; Tribunal on jurisdiction based on dominant and effective nationality of claimant; `Important caveat'; Case analysis.

Background: In the last ten years, many countries have started to develop constructive systems for registering common diseases and cancers. In this research, we intended to determine and identify the minimum data set (MDS) required for the design of the oral and lip squamous cell cancer registration system in Iran. Methods and material: At first, primary information elements related to disease registries were extracted using scientific papers published in reliable databases. After reviewing the books, related main guidelines, and 42 valid articles, the initial draft of a researcher-made questionnaire was compiled. To validate the questionnaire, two focus group meetings were held with 29 expert panel members. The final version of this questionnaire was prepared by extracting different questions and categories and receiving numerous pieces of feedback from specialists. Lastly, a final survey was conducted by the experts who were present at the previous stage. Results: Out of 29 experts participating in the study, 17 (58.62%) were men and 12 (40.37%) were women. The age range of experts varies from 34 to 58 years. One hundred-fourteen items, which are divided into ten main parts, were considered the main information elements of the registry design. The main minimum data sets have pertained to the demographic and clinical information of the patient, information related to the consumed drugs, initial diagnostic evaluations of the patient, biopsy, tumor staging at the time of diagnosis, clinical characteristics of the tumor, surgery, histopathological characteristics of the tumor, pathologic stage classification, radiotherapy details, follow-up information, and disease registry capabilities. The distinctive characteristics of the oral and lip squamous cell cancer registry systems, such as the title of the disease registration programme, the population being studied, the geographic extent of the registration, its primary goals, the definition of the condition, the technique of diagnosis, and the kind of registration, are all included in a model. Conclusion: The benefits of designing and implementing disease registries can include timely access to medical records, registration of information related to patient care and follow-up of patients, the existence of standard forms and the existence of standard information elements, and the existence of an integrated information system at the country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic policies for managing agricultural water use are often complicated by the challenge of using water prices as an efficient economic tool when other non-economic concerns are involved in the decision-making process. This study aims to analyse the impact of water pricing policies on preserving agricultural water resources in Iran. This study applies a system dynamics approach to simulate the system performance and behaviour of stakeholders and the economic implications. Our finding shows that water pricing policies will likely fail due to low water price elasticity and if there are lack of institutional and physical infrastructure, alternative professions, manufacturing technology, education, and training opportunities. The results also illustrate how agricultural water price increase (AWPI) fails to reduce water consumption in the absence of an adequate institutional arrangement. Also, it shows how the lack of advanced institutional infrastructure in the presence of physical infrastructure enhances pervasive overuse and destructive competition among stakeholders by increasing the area under cultivation. In the discussion, the paper portrays a way out of the decision-making body by following AWPI effects on water conservation in the agricultural sector as the most significant water consumer. It investigates the absence and subsequent presence of specific institutional conditions and evaluates training and enhancing farmers' skills and alternative career source with higher income and technology as the architecture of good environmental governance. Finally, it concludes that a series of inclusive measures must be considered to increase the elasticity of the water price. These measures must stimulate farmers towards pursuing the goals of global sustainable development and enhancing social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore whether the activity of SARS-CoV-2 was associated with seasonality. MF-DFA model is utilized to calculate multifractal strength and multifractal complexity to evaluate the change state of SARS-CoV-2 activity. We select 10 countries with serious epidemic in the world, which are distributed in different latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres. The study utilized the time series data of daily new cases and daily new deaths recorded in these countries. We regard May to October as the "high temperature season" for countries in the northern hemisphere, November to April as the "low temperature season", and the southern hemisphere is just the opposite. By comparing the multifractal intensity Δ H and multifractal complexity Δ α of the two time series in the two seasons, we draw a conclusion that, for both the sequence of the daily newly diagnosed persons and the daily newly increased number of deaths, in the countries of both the northern and southern hemispheres, Δ H and Δ α are weaker in the "low temperature season". That is, in the low temperature environment, SARS-CoV-2 can survive for a long time and be more infectious. In addition, we also observe that in the northern hemisphere, Iran is at a lower latitude, and although the SARS-CoV-2 activity in the low temperature season is higher than that in the high temperature season, the difference is not significant. Therefore, the lower latitude may resist this phenomenon. However, most of the countries in the southern hemisphere are within 30° of south latitude, with low latitude, and other meteorological characteristics such as humidity in the countries in the southern hemisphere are also relatively unique. Although SARS-CoV-2 is characterized by high activity in low temperature seasons, no direct evidence related to the characteristics of latitude distribution has been found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aftershock probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (APSHA) is essentially useful for various earthquake engineering problems. In this paper, a series of aftershock seismic hazard analyses were conducted in western Zagros region in Iran using different approaches. The results were obtained in terms of exceedance probabilities of peak ground accelerations within different time intervals following the mainshock. The results were generally compatible with the recorded data; however, the accuracy depended on the causative fault geometry and spatial distribution of aftershocks. The accuracy decreased in shorter time intervals after the mainshock and also in longer time spans especially when strong aftershocks occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a multifactorial disorder associated with a high range of physical and psychological burden on the society. Patient-led goal-setting approach has shown potential effects for improving chronic LBP. However, there are few studies investigating its benefits when combined with a supplementary intervention. This paper, therefore, presents a protocol for a randomized control trial (RCT) to study the effect of a patient-led goal-setting approach combined with pain neuroscience education (PNE) or manual therapy (MT) among patients with chronic LBP. Methods: A total of 105 patients suffering from chronic LBP will be recruited via flyers displayed in hospitals and universities, and those meeting the study's criteria will randomly be allocated into a patient-led goal-setting approach with the PNE group, and/or with the MT program group, and/or a control group. The primary outcomes will be the pain intensity and disability. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, depression, anxiety and stress, fear avoidance beliefs, kinesophobia, pain self-efficacy, catastrophic pain, neurophysiology of pain, and central sensitivity. All the outcomes will be recorded at 2 months after receiving the treatment as post-test sessions and after 4 and 12 months as follow-up sessions. The Ethics Committee in Research at Sport Sciences Research Institute of Iran approved the protocol of this trial (IR.SSRC.REC.1400.084). Written, informed consent to participate will be obtained from all participants. All methods will be conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. We will disseminate the findings through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations and send them to the participants. Discussion: This trial will demonstrate which supplementary intervention can better improve the impact of a patient-led goal-setting approach to treat LBP. If successful, the results will potentially have implications for athletic trainers, physiotherapists, and health care practitioners. Trial registration: IRCT Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20210927052616N1. Registered on November 03, 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the World, in many of the large and industrial cities air quality is in a dire situation, and air pollution is considered a major problem. The first step in reducing the level of pollutants is to acquire enough detailed information about these pollutants, including the type, amount, and the rate of annual occurrence. In this study, the data obtained from the existing air quality measuring stations throughout the city of Arak in Iran have been used to conduct an accurate investigation and to perform hourly, daily, monthly, and annual analyses of various pollutants. The hourly analysis of the data collected from the Shariati square station at the downstream of the prevailing wind, which include the collective pollutions of the refinery, petrochemical plant, thermal power plant and the pollution generated by the vehicles in a high-traffic area, with regards to the annual calendar and the variation of pollutants during official holidays, indicates the determining share of vehicles in the air pollution of the city of Arak. Considering the effective role of vehicles in the extensive air pollution of this city, some policies have been suggested for reducing the level of air pollution. As a result of this study, using the stated transportation model the level of pollution in this city is considered to reduce, correcting the city streets and routes from engineering perspective. Also, results showed that the role of industry and vehicles on the air pollution and the pollution points in Arak city in ratio. The levels of all the pollutants like CO, NOx, PM2.5, O3 and SO2 measured by a station at the downstream and resulted about 3ppm, 20ppb, 10, 40ppb and 4 as a ratio respectively. Lastly, result of model was reported at the end of this paper in term of the optimization of the Arak city residential area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the case of Iran, about 19 years have passed since the announcement of general energy policies. Policies adopted in the past included too many approaches and goals for the energy sector that some of them are in conflict with each other and their simultaneous implementation was impossible. Therefore, many of the expected goals of these policies have not been achieved. It is very important to adopt an appropriate approach that is compatible with the country's characteristics and can steer energy policies. Therefore, this study aims to adopt an appropriate approach for the country's energy sector according to the conditions and needs of the country. Design/methodology/approach: A participatory scenario technique is designed and used to develop plausible projections in the case of Iran's energy futures. Based on the proposed methodology, the research process starts with data gathering through interviews and national plans analysis. Then, findings were used as inputs to a simulation-based scenario development process. Scenarios are developed based on Monte Carlo simulation via cross-impact analysis technique purified based on expert judgments. Findings: In this paper, to recognize Iran's general approach to energy in the next 20 years, driving forces of change were introduced and used as input for the scenario development phase. Results showed sanctions play a significant role in Iran's energy future and determine the directions of other driving forces. For renewable energy, it was proposed to increase the renewable share in Iran's electricity generation mix to 5% of the total installed capacity. In the case of fossil fuel extraction, the maximum efficient rate was proposed for both oil and natural gas national production strategy. Originality/value: This research is novel both in terms of application and theory. A new participatory scenario development method is used using simulations that are equipped based on experts' judgments. Also from the practical perspective, this research targeted a future-oriented challenging problem to initialize national policy in a resource-rich developing economy (i.e. Iran). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, particularly since 2002, relations between Iran and Turkey have been on the rise and generally expanding. The aim of this paper is to analyse and clarify the reasons for the sustainability of the two countries' relations while undergoing intermittent eruptions of disputes over the years. In other words, the main question is: why have Iran and Turkey, with their political frictions, routinely embraced rapprochement and collaboration in recent decades? Accordingly, the hypothesis proposed is that a key reason for the ongoing cooperation between Tehran and Ankara in different fields, is the rationale of geopolitical complementarity engendering their security needs in broad meaning, particularly energy security and natural gas. Whilst the logic also applies to water security, both states attach greater importance to border security and energy. In short, their common geopolitical destiny over-rides individual state preferences. To examine this hypothesis, Barry Buzan's theory based on a broad definition of security as well as regional security complex has been deployed through descriptive analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the comorbidity of substance use and mental illness among women in Iran and the barriers they encounter in accessing treatment. Research has demonstrated a higher prevalence of comorbidity of substance use disorders and mental illness among women than men. It has been suggested that women in Iran may face numerous barriers to appropriate care, such as stigma and discrimination associated with substance use. Integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders (CODs) has been highly beneficial and effective; however, personal and structural limitations impede this treatment approach, which explains the need to develop a situation- and culture-specific program. Needs assessment is necessary to achieve an integrated treatment, and the Iranian government should take the lead in this endeavor. However, if this seems unlikely, non-governmental organizations could be called upon to promote it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anopheles stephensi is the main vector of malaria in Iran. This study aimed to determine the susceptibility of An. stephensi from the south of Iran to bendiocarb and to investigate biochemical and molecular resistance mechanisms in this species. Methods: Wild An. stephensi were collected from Hormozgan Province and reared to the adult stage. The susceptibility test was conducted according to the WHO protocols using bendiocarb impregnated papers supplied by WHO. Also, field An. Stephensi specimens were collected from south of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchistan Provinces. To determine the G119S mutation in the acetylcholinesterase (Ace1) gene, PCR-RFLP using AluI restriction enzyme and PCR direct-sequencing were performed for the three field populations and compared with the available GenBank data. Also, biochemical assays were performed to measure alpha and beta esterases, insensitive acetylcholinesterase, and oxidases in the strains. Results: The bioassay tests showed that the An. stephensi field strain was resistant to bendiocarb (mortality rate 89%). Ace1 gene analysis revealed no G119S in the three field populations. Blast search of sequences revealed 98–99% identity with the Ace1 gene from Pakistan and India respectively. Also, the results of biochemical tests revealed the high activity of non-sensitive acetylcholinesterase, alpha and beta-esterase in the resistant strain compared to the susceptible strain. No G119S was detected in this study additionally the enhanced enzyme activity of esterases and acetylcholinesterase suggesting that resistance was metabolic. Conclusion: The use of alternative malaria control methods and the implementation of resistance management strategies are suggested in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding what youth aspire is widely considered to be a critical step towards recognizing further changes in societies. This article explores young people's aspirations, including personal and collective desires, in a less-studied social setting, Yazd in Iran. This paper also examines the differentiating roles of gender and family income for the importance and chance of accomplishment attached to these ambitions. The data for this study comes from an initial explanatory phase followed by a survey comprising 2700 youth in Yazd. Our findings suggest that marriage-based and political aspirations are the most and least important dimensions, respectively. We also found that the importance given to aspirations and chance of their realization are generally, but not consistently, different in terms of gender and family income. Accordingly, young women, compared to young men, commonly attended more to their ambitions but perceived them as less reachable. In most cases, youth from low-income families considered their desires less accessible than others. Drawing an importance-expectation matrix for each gender group, 'having a healthy body and soul in aging' was introduced as a critical aspiration with the widest gap. We discuss the results and implications vis-à-vis contextual and structural conditions in which the youth are embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel method for rapidly and accurately detecting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) lesions and analyzing the progression of lesions and the disease based on differences between histograms of hemispheres and volumetric changes in brain regions over time. The brightness and contrast of pixels are first improved, and MRI slices are then analyzed to detect and eliminate the effects of motion artifacts while imaging. However, an accurate diagnosis tracks changes in volumes of brain regions caused by plaques emerging on brain MRIs in white matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the concurrent analysis of differences between histograms of hemispheres. The marker-controlled watershed algorithm was employed to extract MS lesions and plaques. Various MRI centers differ in imaging diameters for which there are no unified standards, leading to different MRI slices. Hence, an individual's two MRI slices of two different occasions are not comparable. Measuring the brain volume can make the proposed method independent of the imaging diameter. This study analyzed the patients with at least three imaging records in the archives of imaging centers. The images were collected from Pars MRI Center and Hajar Hospital MRI Center in Shahrekord, Chararmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. Both centers used Avanto MRI devices and performed imaging at 1 T and 1.5 T, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth and building mechanical devices to achieve thermal comfort have increased energy consumption. The hot and humid climates account for high energy consumption in the building sector. Meanwhile, for centuries, vernacular houses in this climate complied with their environment. This paper examined the vernacular architectural elements of two southern cities of Iran with hot and humid climate conditions on the coast of Makran. However, a comprehensive study of these elements and their role in indoor air quality and the creation of thermal comfort has yet to be discovered. This study incorporated climatic information into a computational fluid dynamics simulation to analyze vernacular architectural elements in the study area. By combining the architectural elements of Bushehr and Chabahar vernacular houses, 13 building models were created, with a component of each element to be investigated. Results showed which elements boost the incoming flow and which models become more effective in developing an enhanced model in terms of ventilation. However, a wind exchanger (Dudkesh) works better than a wind catcher and Taremeh in terms of airflow velocity across the buildings. Additionally, models could establish about 38% comfortable hours during the year with natural ventilation and sun shading in Bushehr. Before HVAC systems and the emergence of technology, people in different cities discovered different ways of ventilating and cooling their homes. Among these strategies was the use of architectural elements in their vernacular dwellings. A tall wind catcher or a central courtyard could change the air condition and was not solely intended for aesthetic purposes. Many of Iran's ancient cities have architectural elements unique to their old vernacular architecture. According to their location, these elements differed in size and shape based on the climate. Chabahar and Bushehr are located near the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea in southern Iran. Although both are located in hot and humid areas, the architectural elements used in their vernacular architecture differ. In this study, we tried to examine their function individually or by combining them to see whether they could work if installed in another environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the radical political change in 1979, Iran's revolutionary state assumed the responsibility of re‐rewriting the past history to forge a new sense of belonging, a particularly collective religious (Shia) identity. It launched a complex process of forgetting and remembering to first eliminate the national (Persian), non‐religious memories and heritage, associated and celebrated by the previous regime and then establish a sense of continuity with the country's Shia past; a feeling markedly engendered with a distinguishing symbolic reservoir of Shia traditions and memories, presented in history books, literature, the media, and everyday culture.This paper seeks to examine the role of street names in this process of reconstructing a new religious (Shia) collective memory and identity with particular reference to Tehran, Iran, during the 1979‐2019 period. It seeks to analyze changes in the city's street names and analyze the widespread renaming of streets and public spaces in the city as one means of both 'de‐commemorating' the pre‐revolutionary regime and marking the Shia legacy and memories as the signifiers of a widespread political maneuver to articulate a new version of the past and narrative of identity since the 1979 revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the amounts of infectious medical waste (IMW) have surged considerably so waste management has become a critical emergency in many developing countries. However, most large medical waste generation centers (MWGC) are equipped with treatment facilities, small MWGC faces the waste management problem. It reveals the significance of having a proper program for small health centers. This is an indisputable difficulty that governments bordered because it imposes great costs on societies, also the environmental problems caused by improper treatment are irreparable. To attend to all the essential aspects of the problem, this paper recommended a location-routing model with four objective functions to minimize the total costs, environmental pollution, the risk imposed on the population around disposal sites, and the total violation from the expected arrival time. Considering a multi-period problem with a maximum acceptable delay plays a key role to connect the assumptions to the real-world problem. In addition, for solving mathematical models based on case studies, the role of uncertainty is undeniable. The demand for dental waste treatment is not definite and is changed based on the different conditions thus fuzzy chance-constrained programming is proposed for this problem to tackle the uncertainty. The revised multi-choice goal programming method is considered to solve the model and a real case study for dental clinics in Babol city of Iran is investigated to illustrate the validation of the proposed model. The results indicate that the solution method can create a balance between four objective functions. Finally, sensitivity analyses are performed for some parameters to analyze the behavior of the objective functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping lithological units and conducting mineral exploration in a relatively short time and at a reduced cost, requires high-resolution satellite data and state-of-the-art image processing approaches and methods. In this regard, the current paper aims to test an integration of visible-near infrared imagery from WorldView-3 (WV-3) and object-based classification for mapping potential deposits of ocher in Hormuz Island, southern Iran. A combination of field observations, spectroscopy, microscopic mineralogy, and geochemical-based XRD and XRF analyses were conducted on the samples collected throughout the study area. The reflectance and absorption features of the ocher were extracted from spectroscopic measurements of samples from well-known ocher mines at the area, and were then convolved to the WV-3 bands. Results showed that the spectral characteristics of ocher are governed by iron oxides and clay minerals with a presence of distinct strong absorption and high reflectance features in the 510–625 nm and 630–745 nm wavelength regions, respectively. These features are complemented by molecular vibration processes of water O–H intramolecular stretching and H–O–H bending that generate absorption features in the 1440–1940 nm region. Additional absorption features in the 2210–2300 nm are most likely due to the Al-OH and CO3−2 vibrations. The absorptions centered at 480 nm, 540 nm, and 820 nm correspond to bands 2, 3, and 7 of the WV-3, respectively, whereas the high reflectance feature centered near 700 nm corresponds to band 6. These four bands, which were considered as index bands of ocher in this study, were used to assign the segmentation weights and to create the thresholds during image processing. Brightness, density, compactness, and homogeneity features were the primary factors for selecting the training areas in the index bands. The ocher-rich areas were enhanced by using a two-stepapproach of object-based image analysis (OBIA) and image classification, for suitable threshold selection. The information about the feature variables of the ocher within the image and lithological object hierarchy were obtained to evaluate the features of ocher deposits. Information extracted from the index bands provided an important description of the object features, including mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum pixel values, hue, saturation, and intensity, while the training areas obtained information from the three known ocher mines. Considering the fixed numerical range of ocher mines as a reference, the fixed numerical range of general and specific features of ocher in index bands of WV-3 were achieved. The numerical ranges of pixels were used for creating threshold conditions when applying the "assign class" algorithm in bands 2, 3, and 7 are 815–975 nm, 930–1052 nm, and 1721–1904 nm, respectively. The presented OBIA approach shows a high potential with an overall accuracy of 88 % to discriminate deposits of ocher based on compatibility between ocher mines and identified ocher-bearing pixels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt is one of the most tectonically active regions in the world. The seismicity of this belt is affected by various factors and has certain complexities. This paper provides the results of assessment of temporal and spatial seismicity variations of the central portion of the belt in Fars and Bushehr provinces and their link to regional tectonic properties. Relatively, everywhere in the belt, the geometry of the folds has been mainly affected by thrusts and basement faults. There is a meaningful link between seismic activity and folding in the belt. The most abundant types of folds are detachment folds, fault bend and fault propagation folds. They play an important role in the spatial seismicity of the area. The maximum number of seismic events have medium magnitude which ranges between 2.5 and 3. There is a decreasing trend of a and b parameters from south-west to north and north-east where the occurrence of higher magnitude earthquakes is expected. Temporal analysis of seismicity shows that earthquakes with magnitude = 6.5 have a ten-year return period in the region. The occurrence of several earthquake groups in the belt was in the form of swarms showing point or linear spatial distribution. Some of these possible swarms are around transverse faults, salt domes and some are related to blind faults, which indicate the complexity of the seismicity in this belt. Spatial distribution of low magnitude seismic clusters is also influenced by two other factors (1) existence of frequent salt domes many of which might be active and their spatial links to major faults and (2) human-related activities, especially hydrocarbon extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of wind energy requires a careful study of its characteristics. Statistical distributions are used to evaluate the wind characteristics, such as speed, and also wind power potential. In this paper, in addition to commonly used parametric probability distributions (Generalized Rayleigh (GR), Gamma (G), Gumbel (Gu), Exponentiated Weibull (EW)), we propose and evaluate more recent distributions (Exponentiated Half-Logistic (EHL), Exponentiated Half-Normal (EHN), Skew Logistic (SKL), Generalized Extreme Value (GEV)) in order to increase the accuracy of wind speed calculation in future studies. To study the wind condition, mean daily wind speed and direction data (For 7 meteorological stations in northern Iran from 2007 to 2017) were received and analyzed. Then, the wind energy potential was calculated using the results of accurate models. Based on the results, the distributions of (G, EHL, EHN, EW, and GR) were fitted to the data. The performance of models varied from station to station. However, the EHN distribution gave the smallest value of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistic in most situations, indicating a good fit of this distribution to the total data. Accordingly, this distribution is suitable for fitting wind speed data, because the values of the measured wind speed are in compliance with the model-based estimates. Therefore, we recommend this distribution as a suitable model for simulation, calculation, and other criteria for modeling wind condition in similar areas. Meanwhile, the highest wind power density for wind energy production is observed in Ardabil, Gorgan, and Zanjan stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many applications in agriculture as well as other related fields including natural resources, environment, health, and sustainability, depend on recent and reliable cropland maps. Cropland extent and intensity plays a critical input variable for the study of crop production and food security around the world. However, generating such variables manually is difficult, expensive, and time consuming. In this work, we discuss a cost effective, fast, and simple machine-learning-based approach to provide reliable cropland mapping model using satellite imagery. The study includes four test regions, namely Iran, Mozambique, Sri-Lanka, and Sudan, where Sentinel-2 satellite imagery were obtained with assigned NDVI scores. The solution presented in this paper discusses a complete pipeline including data collection, time series reconstruction, and cropland extent and crop intensity mapping using machine learning models. The approach proposed managed to achieve high accuracy results ranging between 0.92 and 0.98 across the four test regions at hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jewish life in Muslim societies has historically been part of the broader public spheres and everyday experiences. Religious spheres and rituals, on the other hand, seem to signal separation: in short, Muslims go to their mosques, Jews to their synagogues. So, can a Jew find himself in a mosque? And what happens when he encounters Muslims there? This article explores narratives of Jewish experiences in two different Shi'ite surroundings: in Iran and Azerbaijan (in the south-east Caucasus). These experiences are analyzed through the prism of Jewish presence in mosques and Ashura rituals. By analyzing them within their specific contexts, this paper pursues two main goals: First, to demonstrate how Jews experienced Shi'ite religious spheres as part of their social and cultural surroundings. Second, attention to "the sacred of the other" sheds light on the complexity of intergroup relations between Jews and Shi'i Muslims. Stories on "the Jew in the Mosques" allow us a different angle to acknowledge the varied dynamics of Jewish experience in Azerbaijan and Iran from the beginning of the twentieth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]