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Background and Objectives: Ensuring urban water security refers to a set of measures that are carried out in order to maintain and guarantee the supply of water to cities and communities in a safe approach in terms of health, quality and supply. Urban water security includes issues such as sufficient and sustainable water supply, maintaining water quality, preventing various pollutions, managing water resources, protecting water supply in the face of natural and human threats, and providing water in emergency and critical situations. The ultimate goal is to provide urban water security, improve the quality of life of citizens and maintain public health. Therefore, reducing and increasing fluctuations in urban drinking water availability and ensuring water security for urban communities are important responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of water supply systems. Guilan province is facing issues such as numerous weather fluctuations, which creates unlimited importance for water security. Materials and Methods: In this paper, using optimization methods, a model for ehturban water supply system in Guilan province is presented using mathematical modeling and system dynamics. For this purpose, a hybrid model using mathematical modeling, meta-heuristic algorithms and system dynamics approach is presented. Using the mathematical model and meta-heuristic algorithm, the decision variables that include the number of water resources, the amount of purified water in the water treatment system, the amount of wastewater in the area and the amount of water shortage in the area along with the values of the objective functions, the first objective of which is to minimize the cost of water supply which includes the cost of energy, the amount of energy consumption, the cost of constructing a purification system, the cost of managing water resources, the cost of managing the purification system, the cost of transferring water resources and wastewater. Also, the second goal of the problem is to minimize water shortage for the whole system. Then, these values are entered into the system dynamics model as input values, and thus, the amount of shortage in future periods is predicted. Results: After checking the accuracy and validity of the model presented in the urban water supply system from different sources, the obtained results indicate that increasing the treatment capacity as well as the presence of water resources in the province can affect the cost of treatment and reducing the shortage and wastewater. The results of predicting the amount of shortage in future periods showed a linear trend up to more than 520 thousand units. In addition, the sensitivity analysis also showed the inverse effect of the parameters of the capacity and amount of incoming water and the direct effect of the parameters of transmission cost, energy consumption, energy supply cost, treatment cost, source cost, construction cost and demand. Among the parameters with direct effect, energy consumption cost, construction cost and treatment cost have the most effect on supply cost. Also, the parameters of treatment cost and demand have the greatest effect on the shortage and wastewater in the system. Conclusion: The results of this research provide useful information regarding the prediction of drinking water shortage in the hands of the managers of the water and sewerage company of Guilan province to provide urban drinking water as well as other consumers, including domestic, industrial and agricultural in Rasht metropolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water accounting systems provide essential data for managing decisions that aim to reduce poverty, enhance food security, safeguard public health, foster economic development, and protect ecosystem integrity. This study examines the Lower Karkheh area’s water accounts for 1400 and 1401, both years marked by high water stress in the basin. With over 96% of water use attributed to agriculture, this sector significantly exacerbates water stress. In 1400, complete instability was noted, as demonstrated by comparing available and consumed water resources.Per capita renewable water availability increased from 1,302 cubic meters in 1400 to 1,812 cubic meters in 1401 due to better management downstream of the Karkheh Dam, with 169 million cubic meters more water released than in the previous year. Although the agricultural sector remains highly productive, the focus on short-term gains overlooks the strategic importance of sustainable water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water intakes are used to diversion from the main rivers for various water supply purposes. The most appropriate diversion method is to create a side channel intake in the plains from the rivers located in the plains, such as the Karun River. Creating such a system causes a complicated flow. The velocity vectors are directed toward the intake as the flow approaches the side channel. This research investigates the effect of the separating wall on the hydraulics of the river flow before the lateral intake. To achieve this purpose, the separating wall as a longitudinal training wall (LTW) was used in two submerged and non-submerged states in five flow rates of 40, 50, 60, 70, and 85 L/s, and two gate opening modes with 30 and 100% opening. Likewise, the flow depth before and after the submerged and non-submerged wall was compared with the control condition. The results showed that the submerged wall has a more significant effect on the flow depth than the non-submerged wall, and in many discharges, it caused a decrease in the flow depth downstream. The most considerable reduction in the flow rate was 40 L/s, and the opening of 100% was due to the operation of the submersible wall and the decrease in depth by 4.76%. Three points at the wall's beginning, middle, and end were considered to investigate the effect of the submerged wall on the flow velocity. However, in the five discharges, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 85L/s, the velocity reduction was equal to 60, 55.2, 45.9, 37.5, and 29.4%, respectively. When the flow rate increases, the effect of the wall on the speed also decreases. Investigating the effect of the separating wall in both submerged and non-submerged conditions on the diversion discharge showed that the non-submersible barrier in all the discharges caused an insignificant decrease in the discharge. However, the submerged wall, which had a flow rate of 40 L/s, increased the flow rate by 12.29%. As the flow rate increases, the effect of this wall on the water intake will also decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims The role of the family in the health of the child is very vital because a major part of a child’s development. The present study investigates the health behaviors and related factors in mothers of hospitalized children in Kashan, Iran. Materials & Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 216 mothers of children hospitalized in children’s wards of two teaching hospitals in Kashan from November 2019 to March 2021. Meanwhile, sampling was done through continuous sampling. The first author (a nurse in the children’s wards) indirectly observed the mothers’ health-related behaviors toward their children and then immediately recorded them using a checklist. Data were then analyzed in SPSS software (v. 26) using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation test, one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, and linear regression analysis. Results The mean age of mothers of hospitalized children was 29.27±5.60 years. Based on the results, the following items had the highest compliance scores: “use of fresh and safe drinking water for the child” (97.5%), “washing hands with soap and water in case of clear hand contamination” (95.6%), “Changing the child’s clothes and bedding as soon as they become contaminated with diarrhea, vomit, blood, and other contaminants” (90.7%), and “Washing hands after changing the child’s diaper” (87.3%). On the other hand, some other items, including “washing hands before changing the child’s diaper” (8%), “covering the mobile phone with a plastic to avoid contamination” (8.8%), and “washing hands with soap and water after touching the surrounding surfaces” (15.8%), had the lowest compliance scores. Conclusion The results indicated that mothers failed to comply with behaviors such as washing their children’s hands regularly and washing their own hands before breastfeeding. It is necessary to teach and inform them regarding the observation of behaviors related to the child’s health upon entering the hospital to ensure their child’s safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, due to the increasing need for water, protection of water resources against pollution, especially prevention of dirt leakage and reuse of sewage, is one of the main priorities of societies, and extensive investment for sewage treatment has become inevitable. In this research, the simulation of the performance of the industrial wastewater treatment plant in the BioWIN software for the biological and chemical removal of phosphorus, and the change of the functional program of the sequential discontinuous reactor system in order to achieve the best efficiency, were carried out. According to the obtained results, in the SBR system, the best working conditions are found by combining the sludge return of 1.27 m³/day from the sedimentation tank to the anaerobic unit, converting the second series anaerobic units to the aerobic unit and injecting a nitrogen solution of 10 g/L with a flow rate of 1 m³/day; So that after two weeks, the amount of phosphate at the outlet of the refinery decreased to zero. In the MBBR system, any of the nitrogen source injection solutions, adequate aeration and alum injection can reduce the phosphate concentration in the effluent to zero. Nitrogen injection rate and sludge return percentage in SBR system and selection of appropriate dose of alum injection and aeration rate in MBBR system, are the key variables of wastewater treatment. In order to achieve the optimal conditions for phosphorus removal, the optimal limit of each of these main variables is selected by simulating and considering technical, executive and economic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Given that agriculture in Iran is the largest consumer of water resources, reducing water availability due to climate change is the most significant limiting factor for agricultural production. Therefore, increasing water productivity and optimising these limited water resources are essential. Considering the constraints on water resources, especially during the summer when sesame cultivation and growth occur in the country, it is necessary to conduct practical studies on optimal water use in sesame farming and the possibility of replacing native varieties and old cultivars with new ones. Hence, it is hypothesised that introducing sesame varieties and lines through reduced plant access to water (increasing irrigation intervals or accelerating irrigation cut-off at the end of the growth period) can achieve greater water use efficiency with minimal seed and oil yield losses. The present research was designed and implemented to address this hypothesis. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted over two years, 2022 and 2023, at the research farm of the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, located in Alborz Province, Karaj. The experiment investigated the effect of irrigation intervals, including irrigation after consuming 40% (full irrigation) and 80% (deficit irrigation) of available soil moisture, and the timing of the last irrigation, including irrigation cut-off at the beginning of flowering, irrigation cutoff at the beginning of capsule formation, and irrigation cut-off during mid-capsule formation, on the yield, yield components, oil percentage, and water use efficiency of two sesame genotypes, Ultan and Sesame Line 2. The experiment was laid out in a split-split-plot design (treatment of irrigation intervals as the main plot, the time of the last irrigation as the sub-plot and the genotype as the sub-sub-plot) within randomised complete blocks with three replications. Compound data analysis assuming the random effect of year and using the GLM procedure in SAS software was employed. To compare the means of main effects, LSD test (means statement) was conducted at a 5% significance level, and in case of significant interaction effects, slicing and comparison were performed using the lsmeans procedure (slice and pdiff statements). Results: Results showed that, in both genotypes, irrigation cut-off at the beginning of capsule formation compared to mid-capsule formation had no significant effect on the number of capsules per plant under full irrigation conditions. The results showed that under full irrigation conditions, there was no significant difference in grain yield between the two irrigation cut-off timings (early and mid-capsule formation). In other words, continuing irrigation after the early stage of capsule formation did not increase sesame grain yield. Additionally, results revealed that although the yield of both genotypes was approximately equal under full irrigation conditions (871 and 890 kg per hecta, respectively, in Oltan and Line 2), the yield of Line 2 was 51% higher than Ultan under deficit irrigation conditions. In Ultan, accelerating irrigation cut-off was accompanied by significantly reducing water use efficiency. In contrast, in Line 2, irrigation cutoff at the early stage of capsule formation not only did not decrease water use efficiency but also insignificantly increased it. In conclusion, it can be inferred that by substituting native masses and old varieties with new varieties and lines in sesame cultivation, savings in water consumption can be achieved, increasing water use efficiency in sesame farming while preventing yield reduction. Conclusion: In general, it can be concluded that in low irrigation conditions, postponing the time of cutting irrigation until the midcapsule formation and in full irrigation conditions, cutting off irrigation at the beginning of capsule formation can be a suitable management for sesame production. Also, the replacement of newer cultivars, including the line 2, can be effective in increasing the yield and efficiency of water consumption in sesame cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining water security along with food security, as two civilization-building areas, requires water governance and agriculture governance assessment. The research was a mixed type and was done under action research approach, apply literature review, semi-structured interviews, workshops with agriculture and water experts. While introducing the governance features, the relevant indicators in the form of researcher-made questionnaire has been measured in two chains of water supply and agricultural water consumption. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability with Cronbach's alpha of 0.933. The results of the evaluation of nine governance indexes in the water supply chain was (Min=1.72, Max=2.11) and the evaluation of 9 governance indexes results in the agricultural production chain was (Min=2.09, Max=2.49). The results indicate, the average score of the water supply organization in the direction of balancing water resources in recent decades is 1.9 (out of 5) and the average score of the agricultural production organization in the direction of improving agricultural water productivity is 2.3 (out of 5). So it is suggested to improve the capacity of the National Supreme Water Council in such a way that the effective participation of other government and NGOs be reviewed for designing a road map for improving agricultural water productivity and balancing underground water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The territory is the structural pillar of the government and the country, and its stability and protection is the essential condition for development and survival. In recent years, Iran has faced many challenges in the biological and environmental resources, especially water resources, the roots of which should be sought in the Islamic Republic's macro strategies and territorial governance approach. The victory of the Islamic revolution caused a profound change in the political thought and territorial governance system in Iran. In the meantime, the discourse and policy of self-sufficiency became a part of the principles of Iran's governance system. The purpose of this research is to investigate and evaluate the policy and strategy of self-sufficiency and its impact on the quality of territorial governance and the state of environmental sustainability in Iran. During the period of the Islamic Revolution, territorial governance was implemented based on the strategy of self-sufficiency and with the aim of economic resilience, reducing vulnerability, and ensuring Iran's food security. The main question of the research is what effect the self-sufficiency strategy has had on territorial governance in Iran and what are its environmental and territorial consequences. This research was carried out by descriptive and analytical methods and document analysis, and the data needed for the research was obtained from Iran's upstream documents and laws, especially the five-year development plans of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The results of the research show that Iran's territorial governance has been influenced by the policy of self-sufficiency as a sustainable strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In such a way the policy of self-sufficiency has become the basis for double pressure and threat to Iran's biological and water resources, and if it continues, it can threaten the social and economic life of many cities and villages in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic benefit, improving energy efficiency and compatibility with environment and water resources are crucial to create sustainability in the wheat production system and provide food security. This study was carried out in a randomized complete block design, comprising a raised bed planter and conventional method of ordinary planter and planter without furrower in four replications, in Pars Abad Moghan Agro-industrial Company, Ardabil province of Iran. Results showed that raised bed wheat cultivation has significantly increased energy use efficiency by up to 95, while reduced greenhouse gas emissions by up to 220 kgCO2 per hectare. In general, conventional tillage and planting methods, in addition to lower yield due to high inputs and water consumption, increase the emission of environmental pollutants. Among the Calculated values of impact sections in all three planting methods, the largest share was related to open freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, human ecotoxicity, and Marine aquatic ecotoxicity caused by excess fertilizer and chemical inputs. Raised bed planters have significantly increased biological yield and energy use efficiency and decreased environmental impacts. In summary, economic, water consumption, energy and environmental indices were evaluated in three planters. Results of a comparison of environmental impacts, energy efficiency, net profit, harvest index, and water use productivity revealed that the priority of sustainable planters belongs to the raised bed planter, ordinary planter, and planter without furrower, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is one of the critical issues threatening the future of human existence. Studying the hydrological status of Hawizeh Marsh is crucial to understanding the availability of water resources necessary for sustaining the ecosystem within Al-Safia Reserve. This study focuses on analyzing the water inflows from both internal and external sources that the reserve depends on. Hawizeh Marsh has experienced a significant reduction in freshwater inflows due to the diminishing water supply from internal sources (Tigris, Al-Kahla, Al-Musharrah) and the near-total loss of external sources (Karkheh River). The Karkheh River, which supplied approximately 6.3 km3/year in 1979, has been completely diverted within Iranian territory away from Hawizeh Marsh, severely affecting the marsh's water balance. Additionally, the water inflow from the Tigris, Al-Musharrah, and Al-Kahla Rivers has drastically reduced, leading to substantial ecological degradation in Hawizeh Marsh and the drying up of Al-Safia Reserve. The water discharge of the Tigris River at Maysan decreased from 155 m3/s in 1954 to 66 m³/s during the period from 2005 to 2020. Consequently, the area of Hawizeh Marsh shank from 11,115 km² in 1980 to 2,007 km² in 2022, with an even more dramatic reduction to 463 km2 in 2018, representing a decrease of 81.94% and 95%, respectively. The cessation of external inflows from Iran and the fluctuation of internal sources have led to the drying of Al-Safia Reserve and the deterioration of the natural environment in Hawizeh Marsh. The combined discharge of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers has declined from 78 km³ in 1977 to 18 km³ in 2022. Therefore, it is imperative to enact laws that emphasize the protection of natural water reserves and ensure a continuous water supply for these vital ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organization and management of political space through administrative divisions play a crucial role in effectively managing natural territories and their interconnected ecosystems. Failure to align political-administrative boundaries with the natural characteristics of regions, particularly the borders and boundaries of basins, poses a significant threat to ecosystem connectivity. In this study, by employing a descriptive-analytical approach and drawing on library sources, we examined the impacts of political organization of space, specifically national divisions and their changes, on the ecosystem of the Bakhtegan Lake and Tashk Basin. As the second-largest lake in the country, this basin served as a critical case study. The research findings revealed that frequent and arbitrary changes in the country's administrative divisions, particularly the creation of new units and cities in the upstream areas of the basin, had resulted in an increase in political-administrative territories, predominance of a sectoral development approach at the basin level, proliferation of local actors, passage of water currents across multiple political-administrative territories, escalation of hydropolitical tensions, hindrance of integrated basin management, loss of natural homogeneity, and failure to align the basin's natural borders with political-administrative borders. Consequently, this trend had facilitated the unrestrained exploitation of water resources in the upstream territories, disregarding environmental and ecosystem linkages with the lake and ultimately leading to its depletion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Qajar era, Iran's growing engagement with foreign nations led to Guilan being designated as a border territory, primarily due to its unique geographical conditions. The region's fertile soil and abundant water resources for agriculture attracted significant political and commercial interest from abroad. As Guilan's prominence increased in political, commercial, and social spheres during this time with multiple foreign consulates established in Rasht, the local population experienced a notable influx of foreign nationals. This foreign presence and support for their citizens' interests in Guilan led to various outcomes, including some residents accepting foreign citizenship. This socio-political issue prompted protests from a coalition of freedom advocates and open-minded locals in Guilan, leading the Qajar government to implement measures aimed at preventing the persistence of this phenomenon. This study employed a historical approach and a descriptiveanalytical method to explore the adoption of foreign citizenship among Guilan's populace during the Qajar period from 1882 to 1921 AD (1300-1339 AH). It investigated the emergence of this phenomenon, elucidating both the efforts of foreign entities to recruit Guilan citizens and the Qajar government's measures to mitigate this societal trend. The research findings identified key factors contributing to residential migration, including the influx of foreign nationals to Guilan, extensive support from governments like Russia and the Ottomans for their citizens, inadequate support from the Qajar government for local residents, and the poor conduct of governors and local leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in nutrient concentrations of soil can specify optimal management of manure and prevent environmental and water resources pollution. The present study was conducted with the objective of changing macronutrients concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium with amendments application of polyvinyl acetate, bean residual, and a combination of polyvinyl acetate + bean residual for time periods of one, two, and four months. The results showed that the application of soil amendments had various effects on changing Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. The maximum amount of Nitrogen related to the treatment of bean residual at the time period of four months before simulation (with a rate of 44.62 percent) and minimum amount of nitrogen related to Polyvinyl acetate treatment at the time period of one month (with a rate of -1.92 percent). The minimum rate of Phosphorus was measured at the treatment of bean residual at the time period of one month before simulation (with a rate of 0.95 percent). The maximum amount of Potassium related to the treatment of Polyvinyl acetate at the time period of four months before simulation (with a rate of 189.35 percent) and the minimum amount of Potassium related to the combination of bean residual + Polyvinyl acetate at the time period of one month after simulation (with a rate of 40.66 percent). Therefore, the application of amendments has various effects on changing soil macronutrients at different time periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought or instability of agricultural water resources has effects in various economic, social, political, environmental, etc. dimensions, especially in rural settlements. In this research, the relationship between the instability of water resources in the agricultural sector and rural development in the form of environmental, economic and social dimensions in the rural settlements of Rafsanjan plain has been investigated. The research method is descriptive-analytical and based on a quantitative method. Based on Cochran's formula, the number of questionnaires from 53263 rural households or small towns with the rural economies is estimated to be 380, and during the research and based on the limitations and removal of incorrect questionnaires, the number of samples reached 313. Questionnaires have been distributed in 16 rural districts. Then, the average of economic, social and environmental indicators, migration and quantity and quality of water were analyzed in SPSS software and the results were analyzed to measure significance in independent one-sample, binomial or binomial and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. The results of the research show that the investigated environmental indicators with an average of 3.99, economic indicators with an average of 3.88 and social indicators with an average of 4.004 on the five-point Likert scale are affected by drought. Based on this, after the occurrence of water scarcity or drought, the natural and human environment is affected and the rural development in the environmental, social and economic dimensions in the Rafsanjan Plain is disrupted and issues such as the reduction of the area under agricultural cultivation, income reduction, and land subsidence have led to poverty, unemployment, immigration and environmental consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was conducted to determine water stress tolerance and water productivity (WP) of 5 alfalfa cultivars as a split-plot design in a randomized complete block with 3 replications in the Safiabad Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center (SARRC) with Silty clay loam soil texture during 2018-2019. The main plot was 4 levels of water irrigation depth (including 25, 50, 75, and 100% water requirement supply) with a constant irrigation cycle and the sub-plot was the five alfalfa cultivars (Baghdadi, Yazdi, Nikshahree, Omid, and Mesasirsa). Two-year data on forage yield and WP for six harvests (from June to November) were analyzed by SAS software. The results showed that the wet and dry forage yield decreased by applying water stress and the percentage of dry forage increased. The highest yield of dry matter (12.4 tons ha-1) and WP of dry forage (0.94 kg m-3) were obtained from 75% water requirement supply treatment. Baghdadi genotype with wet and dry forage yield 39.1 and 10.7 tons ha-1, respectively, and the WP of dry forage 0.9 kg m-3 was higher than other genotypes. However, the Yazdi genotype had the lowest yield of wet and dry forage (30.3 and 8.5 tons ha-1, respectively) and dry forage WP (0.75 kg m-3). Therefore, the Baghdadi genotype with a 75% water requirement supply is recommended for similar conditions to the climate of Northern Khuzestan to increase water productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]