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Introduction: Urban areas, as human-environment systems, depend heavily on natural ecosystems for sustainability and well-being. Therefore, integrating ecosystem services into urban planning is essential for promoting sustainable urban development. Among the various decision-making processes impacting ecosystem services in cities, urban planning is arguably the most critical. Despite the increasing academic interest in ecosystem services, there are still significant knowledge gaps regarding their integration into urban planning. Incorporating ecosystem services into the management of urban land is crucial for the rational allocation of land and effective ecological management in urban areas. However, several obstacles hinder this integration, including the inadequacies in the content and process of urban development plans, the limitations of current planning tools, the lack of knowledge about ecosystem services, the absence of relevant institutions and executive organizations, and the deficiency in the application of ecosystem services knowledge in practice and policy. Moreover, the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks are often lacking. This paper aims to examine both the current and potential utilization of ecosystem services in urban development plans, specifically focusing on the city of Arak. Methods: Two dominant scientific approaches are employed to evaluate the uptake and operationalization of ecosystem services in urban planning: interviewing stakeholders and analyzing the content of plans and policies. Content analysis of urban development plan documents provides a comprehensive understanding of the potential, gaps, and limitations related to the inclusion of ecosystem services in urban planning practices. To achieve this goal, a content analysis method with a directional approach (deductive method based on theory) was utilized. The study examined the extent to which 19 ecosystem services were addressed within three components of the Arak development and construction plan: the information base, vision/objectives, and actions. A scoring protocol was developed to assess the quality of ecosystem services inclusion in urban plans. This protocol used a 3-point scale, with scores ranging from zero (no inclusion), one (implicit inclusion), to two (explicit inclusion). Results: Among the regulating services, air purification and local ventilation services were mentioned 109 times, with the highest frequency (34 times) in the analysis section (database). The content analysis revealed that healthy water production was referenced 99 times, while food production was mentioned 82 times. Regarding supporting services, soil quality was noted nine times in total, with the highest mention (four times) in the analysis section. Among cultural services, recreational services and mental experiences were mentioned 94 times, with the highest frequency (26 times) in the city survey and knowledge section. The results indicate that the ecosystem services concept is partially integrated into the mentioned development document. However, the document lacks a holistic view of urban ecology and its benefits. In the three examined components, ecosystem services were mentioned 607 times, both implicitly (312 times - 51.4%) and explicitly (295 times - 48.6%), with the most attention given to the information base component (358 times - 59%). The significant difference in the score for cultural services (400) compared to provisioning (274), regulating (198), and supporting (30) services suggests that cultural services are more comprehensively included in the Arak metropolis plan. Discussion: The inconsistency in addressing each service or concept across the three components highlights a lack of significant correlation between data collection, analysis, goal formulation, vision development, plan preparation, and the establishment of rules and regulations. Another critical issue is the misalignment between the process and content of these plans with new concepts, as well as the weakness of the comprehensive rational process in integrating these concepts. To incorporate new ideas like ecosystem services into urban development plans, not only is there a need to strengthen content and process, but also to improve planning tools. Empirical studies suggest that tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can help bridge this gap. Conclusion: Incorporating the concept of ecosystem services into new laws, guidelines, or revisions of existing plans and programs is a complex process that cannot be accomplished in the short term. The presence of informed stakeholders, public decision-makers, and experts is essential. Additionally, it is crucial to form interdisciplinary teams within both consulting engineering firms that prepare urban development plans and public institutions responsible for drafting and approving these plans. Tools such as Strategic Impact Assessment (SIA) are recommended to evaluate proposed alternatives and select the final options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people (approximately 15% of world population) live with disability. Also, about half of these people lack access to healthcare facilities. Therefore, providing timely healthcare services, especially rehabilitation, is of great significance for these people. The goal of the study was to determine the objectives and policies in the field of rehabilitation in middle- and high-income countries and compare them with Iran. Materials & Methods Based on available databases, a comprehensive review of documents, papers, and books was performed in the field of rehabilitation related to high- and middle-income countries. Results Due to a lack of coordinated services, inappropriate access, unplanned distribution, unclear service delivery levels, neglect of health promotion and prevention levels, lack of a transparent referral system, unclear insurance system, and weak financial resources, the need for a national program with a service integration approach is strongly felt. The review of the rehabilitation programs and documents in other countries help us to design a conceptual framework of the rehabilitation service model, which is based on three principles: Removing barriers and developing access to healthcare services and programs; strengthening and developing rehabilitation using technology, community-based support, and rehabilitation services; and promoting comparable international data collection on disability and supporting research on disability and related rehabilitation services. Conclusion The national rehabilitation program, with a service integration approach, provides a good platform for fair access to rehabilitation services for all people with disability. In this program, the health system is the most important reference to meet these needs. Therefore, it is suggested that this program pursue three main objectives: Fair promotion of the healthcare services of rehabilitation for recipients, improving the response to the needs of rehabilitation service recipients, and reducing the financial and social risks of service recipients.

Introduction: During many centuries humans realized the importance of co-existence and friendly interaction with their fellows for their survival against the surrounding dangers. It has long been believed that for peace and development, human societies must move towards integration and unity. In the last century, the first human attempts to create a regional union in Europe worked. The European Union was formed from the European Coal and Steel Organization. EU member states followed two important principles; one is peace and the other is a common identity with European roots. Although this union was economic in nature in the first step, but over the time, it was able to achieve its important goals and make Europe flourish in all areas. What the European Union has brought to the green continent is integration and common identity. After the successful experience of the European Union, other regions of the world were also encouraged to form regional organizations and unions. Since the formation of the European Union, regional organizations and associations have emerged one after another on every continent. ASEAN and SAARK in Asia, OAU and ECOWAS in Africa and MERCOSUR in South America were among the most important ones. Meanwhile, the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) was formed in the Middle East, which was dissolved in 1980 due to the revolution in Iran. In 1985, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was established at the initiative of Iran with the cooperation of Pakistan and Turkey (the same RCD members). Research question: "Why has the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) not yet become a successful union after four decades of activity?" Research hypothesis: To become Union, ECO needs to creat a common identity by analysing its roots, connections and cultural contexts. Methodology and theoretical framwork: To examine this hypothesis "Constructivism theory" has been chosen as the theoretical framework of the research. It will be a clear guide during the research. The method of this research is qualitative with a descriptive-analytical approach and based on a case study. The method of data collection is library and internet sources. Results and discussion: About four decades have passed since the establishment of the Economic Cooperation Organization. During this time, this organization has gone through many changes. ECO started working with the initiative of Iran in 1985 with the aim of becoming an efficient economic organization in the Middle East. A goal that became more unattainable over time. When seven Central Asian countries joined ECO in 1991, many observers expected it to become a successful union. The addition of the newly independent countries of Central Asia made this organization able to take steps toward realizing its long-standing goals, but now, after three decades, ECO is still not where it should be. The geographical area where ECO was established is a reminder of the thousands of years of co-existence of the people of this region far from today's political borders. With the formation and expansion of ECO, suddenly after the passage of several centuries, there were many hopes to return to the glorious days of the brilliant civilizations of this land. ECO is the epitome of the powerful "Heartland" empires throughout history. The legacy of centuries of coexistence for ECO; It is a rich culture by which it can help its member states to faciliate integration. Conclusion: The question of this research becomes important because by reviewing the experience of the formation of the European Union, we see that this organization, like ECO, it was initially a regional economic organization with the membership of several countries, which gradually became a strong organization and a powerful union. The European Union started the process of redefining a common regional identity. A "common culture" is what brings countries together in a regional organization. In order to find the answer to its question, this research has briefly investigated the background of the formation of ECO. By reviewing the history of the formation of ECO, it is clear that the identity of ECO has always been changing. According to integration theory of constructionism, identity is not a permanent subject and changes according to the conditions throughout history. The establishment of ECO Cultural Institute has been an important step in the direction of cultural convergence in this organization. However, one of the reasons why this organization could not achieve consensus, success and unbreakable bond and appear in the form of a union is the lack of real attention to its cultural points. Undoubtedly, what causes the integration and unification of a group and the formation of a union will be addressing the issue of culture and its recognition. Culture is a "common heritage" of a region and a union. By exploring the common heritage of ECO member countries, one can take a step towards defining a common identity for this organization. Topics such as history, Nowruz, language, art, religion and the Silk Road are the six main legacies of ECO's identity. Each of these great legacies is an important artery in the direction of the formation of dynamic identity and meaning for the ECO organozation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating the agility of production control systems in today's dynamic production environment is one of the challenges that many types of research have been conducted using multi-agent systems to improve it. The current models of these systems have shortcomings such as limited predictability, low reliability in the decision-making process, poor ability to understand and interpret the current state of the system, control with many limitations, and generally the existence of error-prone systems. In order to solve these problems, the current research presents a new methodology for multi-agent production control based on integration with ERP, which improves the capabilities of the system in the face of the above deficiencies. The research method employed in this study is qualitative, and developmental-applicative, aiming to enhance the integration of multi-agent production control systems with ERP. The objective is to improve the flow of material, production, and the quality of semi-finished products on the production line by considering the parameters that influence them. The key accomplishment of this research is the development of a reliable production control methodology that encompasses three components: a data exchange framework, tools, and implementation. These components are derived from existing ERP information systems that are functionally mature and designed based on best practices with a focus on maintenance, modification, and performance, aiming to minimize errors. The developed methodology offers a practical and agile solution for enhancing production control using an ERP system, with a lower implementation cost than the implementation of a commercial ERP system with a separate multi-agent system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]