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Adequate knowledge about the effects of climate change on the environment is an important factor in taking conscious action to reduce its effects. The future behavior of students is influenced by their education about environmental and climate change issues. Students located in forested (Kalibar) and non-forested (Tabriz) regions were selected to participate in this study because of the importance of environmental knowledge in promoting better management of natural resources and combating climate change effects. Measuring students' attitudes toward education and climate change can allow decision-makers to plan an appropriate program of instruction and determine the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Purpose: The article explores how best agricultural extension and advisory services (AEAS) can contribute to communicative interventions in preventing the COVID-19 outbreak in rural and farming communities. Methodology: An action research was conducted in Iran, as one of the top countries experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak. Findings: A strategic communicative intervention campaign for preventing the COVID-19 outbreak was designed at national level through diagnosing the situation, planning, organising expert teams, producing appropriate information, and disseminating through social networks, mass media and interpersonal communications. Extension staff, many relevant institutions, most key rural informants, local leaders, facilitators, farmers and nomads received and exchanged this information. Practical Implications: These communicative interventions can not only help health care service systems control the outbreak, but help rural communities increase their knowledge about the virus and health measures to participate in preventing further spreading of the virus, while continue their agricultural activities. Theoretical Implications: Preventing and managing health-related crises require effective measures, including communicative intervention campaigns. The article shows how agricultural extension systems can contribute to crisis and emergency risk communication and can support health care efforts and enhance the competencies of rural communities during human health-related crises. Originality/Value: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which has transmitted to all parts of the world, including rural areas, can threaten food security and rural communities' livelihoods. The study generates important insights about the process of extension interventions for enhancing these communities' knowledge and skills to prevent and manage the virus transmission.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the impact of the aqueous-ethanolic extract of Zataria multiflora (ZM), carvacrol (Car), and their co-administration with a PPAR activator, pioglitazone (Pio), on oxidative stress and inflammation induced by paraquat (PQ) inhalation at a systemic level. Materials and Methods: The rats in the control group were exposed to saline and those of other groups to PQ (54 mg/m³) aerosols for 8 times on alternate days. Nine PQ groups were treated with saline, Car (20 and 80 mg/kg/day), ZM (200 and 800 mg/kg/day), Pio (5 mg/kg/day), dexamethasone (Dexa, 0.03 mg/kg/day), and low-dose ZM or Car + Pio for 16 days during the period of PQ exposure (n=6). Results: Differential and total WBC counts, and malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin (IL)-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were enhanced but catalase (CAT), thiol, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were reduced in the blood in the PQ group (p<0.01 to p<0.001). All measured variables improved in groups treated with both doses of ZM, Car, Pio, ZM + Pio, Car+Pio, and Dexa vs the PQ group (p<0.05 to p<0.001). Most variables were more improved in combined treatment groups in comparison with three agents alone. The combination of ZM or Car, and Pio showed an impact on PQ inhalation-induced systemic changes. Conclusion: The synergistic effect between Pio with ZM or Car indicates that these substances work together to enhance their individual effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a combination of a multi-layer quantum neural network (QNN) with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used with the aim of controlling a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) system. The CSTR process is highly non-linear and its dynamics are significantly sensitive to system parameter values. Normally, conventional controllers with fixed coefficients are applied to control this kind of system. In highly non-linear systems, having fixed controller coefficients in different operational conditions may decrease the performance of controllers. In the proposed scheme, by using a multi-layer QNN, an adaptive structure is designed for a PI-D controller. In order to train the QNN, the PSO algorithm is employed. With the aim of improving accuracy and convergence speed of the training process, some modifications have been applied to the movement of each particle towards the optimal point. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the performance of the system, the proposed scheme has been applied in various operational situations in the presence of disturbances and set-point change. The efficiency of the proposed control scheme is compared with PID and a perceptron neural network-based controller, and the simulation results endorse that the proposed scheme shows significantly better performance in different operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A photodiode (PD) structure based on N \times N junctions is presented to enhance the responsivity in the blue region and extend the optical bandwidth. The use of subsections or multiple junctions increase the number of generated blue photo-carriers as well as the collection speed of photo-carriers at the edges of the depletion regions. An N-well/Psub PD formed of 5 \times 5 subsections is designed and fabricated in a standard AMS 0.35- \mu \textm CMOS technology with an OPTO process option. The PD is compared to a solid structure with a single section having the same optical window of 100~\mu \textm \,\, \times 100~\mu \textm . A responsivity improvement of around 10%–15% is measured between 400- and 550-nm wavelengths. The normalized ac responsivity shows a $1.7\times $ increase in bandwidth compared with the solid PD at 1-V reverse-bias voltage. S-parameter-based voltage-bias-dependent lumped-RLC models are proposed to accurately represent the optoelectrical conversion and the output impedance for both PDs as a function of the reverse-bias voltage and operating frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents an on–off-keying visible-light-communication (VLC) link realized over 6-m distance. The transmitter is implemented with a commercially available red LED source at 650 nm. While most of the reported high-performance VLC links are using p-insulator-n photodetectors, this receiver employs a simple CMOS-compatible p-n photo-detector. A 150-Mb/s optical wireless transmission is measured with a bit-error rate of $1.3\times 10^{{\mathbf {-6}}}$ , which falls below the forward error correction limit of $3.8\times 10^{{\mathbf {-3}}}$ . The second-order L-C-R equalization is used in both the transmitter and the receiver circuits to achieve maximum bandwidth extension. The VLC link is realized with a low illuminance of 250 lux. This power is below the common indoor illumination levels which enables advanced lighting-compatible VLC applications. The receiver and the source circuits consume around 240 and 105 mW, respectively, which represents to our knowledge a record energy-per-bit level of 2.3 nJ/b. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The transformation process from idea to product and finally to wealth creation is one of the major problems in the agriculture sector in Iran. This study used a qualitative-exploratory approach to investigate the barriers and the solutions, which were derived from the interview results of our study, to commercialization of research findings in Iranian schools of agriculture. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the highest ranking barriers to commercialization were inappropriate perspectives and policy-making, financial-investment barriers, mistrust, and poor communication; the barriers related to the participation of the private sector were among the lowest ranking items. The top ranking solutions for commercialization were related to planning, legislation, policy-making, needs assessment, goal setting, and prioritization. The technical-specialized solutions were the lowest ranking items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FeO nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature using a facile precipitation method. Nanoparticles were prepared in reaction time between 2 and 30 min at solvent of water without using inert atmosphere. Magnetite nanoparticles with average diameters of 10 nm were prepared which could be considered in the range of super-paramagnetism. Zeolite-Y-FeO nanocomposites were also prepared using a so-called 'ship-in-bottle' procedure. Magnetic properties of the nanoparticles and the zeolite-Y nanocomposite were investigated using an alternating gradient force magnetometer. The results indicate that the synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles exhibit superparamagnetic behaviour at room temperature, with a saturation magnetization of 19 emu/g. Effect of various surfactants on the morphology was investigated and results show that nanoparticle saturation magnetizations are higher than that of obtained for blank magnetite. It was observed zeolite nanocomposite has para-magnetic property in comparison to super-paramagnetic FeO. Obtained nanocomposite can be used in various applications such as water purification, gas separation and as catalyst in a lot of reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene nanostructures are attracting a great deal of interest because of newly emerging properties originating from quantum confinement effects. We report on using interferometric lithography to fabricate uniform, chip-scale, semiconducting graphene nanomesh (GNM) with sub-10 nm neck widths (smallest edge-to-edge distance between two nanoholes). This approach is based on fast, low-cost and high-yield lithographic technologies and demonstrates the feasibility of cost-effective development of large-scale semiconducting graphene sheets and devices. The GNM is estimated to have a room temperature energy bandgap of ~30 meV. Raman studies showed that the G band of the GNM experiences a blue shift and broadening compared to pristine graphene, a change which was attributed to quantum confinement and localization effects. A single-layer GNM field effect transistor exhibited promising drive current of ~3.9 μA/μm and ON/OFF current ratios of ~35 at room temperature. The ON/OFF current ratio of the GNM-device displayed distinct temperature dependence with about 24-fold enhancement at 77 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the last decade, Iran has experienced a declining birth trend. Identifying the proximate determinants of fertility intentions among married women is informative for population studies. This study aimed to examine the importance of three immediate antecedents of fertility intention., Methods: We invited 1,100 married women to complete a well-validated questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The sampling framework consisted of visitors attending hospitals in two cities in southeastern Iran. Intention for having children was measured using the item "Do you intend to have a/another child during the next 3 years?" Attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were measured using eight, three, and three items, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used to specify the model and to test the predictive ability of the TPB constructs., Results: The response rate was 90.7% (N=998), and the mean±standard deviation age of the respondents was 34.8±7.4 years. More than 50% of the respondents reported intending to have a child in the next 3 years. All three TPB model constructs showed significant associations with fertility intentions. The standardized beta coefficients for attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were 0.74, 0.41, and 0.55, respectively., Conclusion: The TPB model showed that psychological mechanisms play an important role in predicting the childbearing intentions of married women in Iran. Of the three TPB constructs, attitude was the strongest predictor of the intention to have a child.

Drug abuse and addiction exist around the world. People addicted to drugs such as opium or heroin often encounter dehumanizing discriminatory behaviors and health-care systems that are reluctant to provide services. Experiencing discrimination often serves as a barrier to receiving help or finding a home or work. Therefore, it is important to better understand the mechanisms that lead to the stigmatization of drug addiction and who is more prone to stigmatizing behaviors. There is also a dearth of research on whether different patterns of stigma exist in men and women. Therefore, this study investigated factors affecting gender-specific stigmatization in the context of drug addiction. In our vignette study ( N Mensample = 320 and N Womensample = 320) in Iran, we experimentally varied signals and signaling events regarding a person with drug addiction (i.e., N Vignettes = 32 per sample), based on Attribution Theory, before assessing stigmatizing cognitions (e.g., blameworthiness), affective responses (e.g., anger), and discriminatory inclinations (e.g., segregation) with the Attribution Questionnaire. We also tested assumptions from the Familiarity Hypothesis by assessing indicators of respondents' familiarity with drug addiction (e.g., knowledge about addiction). Results, for example, show higher stigma if the person used "harder" drugs, displayed aggressive behavior, or had a less controllable drug urge. Self-attributed knowledge about addiction or prior drug use increased some forms of stigma, but diminished others. These findings only partially converged between men and women. We suggest that anti-stigma initiatives should consider information about the stigmatized person, conditions of the addiction, and characteristics of stigmatizers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Sattler, Zolala, Baneshi, Ghasemi and Amirzadeh Googhari.)

A hardware implementation of a real-time compressed-domain image acquisition system is demonstrated. The system performs front-end computational imaging, whereby the inner product between an image and an arbitrarily-specified mask is implemented in silicon. The acquisition system is based on an intelligent readout integrated circuit (iROIC) that is capable of providing independent bias voltages to individual detectors, which enables implementation of spatial multiplication with any prescribed mask through a bias-controlled response-modulation mechanism. The modulated pixels are summed up in the image grabber to generate the compressed samples, namely aperture-coded coefficients, of an image. A rigorous bias-selection algorithm is presented to the readout circuit, which exploits the bias-dependent nature of the imager's responsivity. Proven functionality of the hardware in transform coding compressed image acquisition, silicon-level compressive sampling, in pixel nonuniformity correction and hardware-level implementation of region-based enhancement is demonstrated.

LED lighting systems with large color gamuts, with multiple LEDs spanning the visible spectrum, offer the potential of increased lighting efficiency, improved human health and productivity, and visible light communications addressing the explosive growth in wireless communications. The control of this "smart lighting system" requires a silicon-integrated-circuit-compatible, visible, plenoptic (angle and wavelength) detector. A detector element, based on an offset-grating-coupled dielectric waveguide structure and a silicon photodetector, is demonstrated with an angular resolution of less than 1° and a wavelength resolution of less than 5 nm.