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The growth and expansion of metropolitan areas as a global phenomenon is becoming the dominant form of urbanization, especially in developing countries. Despite the increasing importance of this form of urban growth, not many studies have been carried out regarding the multidimensional dynamics of the factors and mechanisms that stimulate urban-regional sprawl. In the current research, the structures and mechanisms affecting the informal processes that generate spatial expansion of the Tehran metropolitan region have been analyzed. This research is qualitative and in-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect information. The data analysis was based on the constructivist Grounded Theory approach. Research participants included university professors, city managers, and experts from the municipalities, governorships, road and urban development departments, National Land and Housing Organization, Agriculture-Jahad, Natural Resources departments, etc. The sampling method was targeted non-random and based on snowball sampling. According to the results, 289 key phrases were identified in the initial coding, 130 concepts were identified in the centralized coding, 64 subcategories were identified in the axial coding, and finally, 34 broad main categories were identified in the theoretical coding. In total, according to the output of theoretical coding, all broad main categories in the form of 7 integrated main categories formed the theoretical model of the research. According to data analysis, economic and political economy structures, fundamental structures, legal structures, and judicial structures at the macro level and organizational-institutional structures and private and social sectors at the middle level affect the informal processes underlying land acquisition and the spatial expansion of the Tehran metropolitan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Forests, encompassing approximately 30% of the Earth's land area, hold significant ecological importance due to their rich biodiversity and the multitude of environmental services they provide. These ecosystems outperform other terrestrial habitats, making them invaluable to all life forms on our planet. The destruction of forest habitats and changes in land use patterns exert significant impacts on the variability of soil quality indicators. The consequence of forest degradation encompass various adverse consequences, including the destruction of wildlife habitats, climate change, global warming, diminishing plant and animal biodiversity, and reduced water conservation capacity. Extensive research has been conducted to investigate soil quality in diverse land uses within temperate regions. However, there is a noticeable scarcity of studies focusing on semi-arid regions. It is imperative to note that a comprehensive and practical assessment of soil condition necessitates the simultaneous measurement of physical, chemical, and biological indicators. Such an integrated approach ensures a thorough and effective evaluation of soil quality. The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of various land uses, namely natural forest (C. betulus - P. persica), plantation (Q. castaneifolia), garden, rangeland, and agricultural lands (rice), on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the organic and mineral soil layers. Specifically, the investigation focused on the evaluation of fauna and flora, microbial communities, and enzyme activities. The study was conducted in the semi-arid region of Kajur Nowshahrmourd. Materials and Methods To achieve this objective, contiguous sections of the study area were carefully chosen, ensuring minimal variations in height above sea level, percentage and direction of slope. Subsequently, three slice of one-hectare dimension plots (100 × 100) were selected within each study habitat, with a minimum distance of 600 meters between them. From each one-hectare plot, four leaf litter samples and four soil samples (30 cm × 30 cm, 10 cm depth) were collected and transported to the laboratory for analysis. In total, 12 litter samples and 12 soil samples were collected from each of the habitats. The soil samples were divided into two parts: one part was air-dried and then passed through a 2 mm sieve for subsequent physical and chemical testing, while the other part was stored at 4 degrees Celsius for biological assessments. One-way analysis of variance tests were employed to compare the characteristics of the organic layer and soil among the studied habitats. Furthermore, Duncan's test (P>0.05) was utilized to compare the average parameters that exhibited significant differences among the different habitats. Results and Discussion The findings derived from this investigation underscore the substantial variability in organic layer characteristics across different vegetation types. Natural forests emerged as the most prominent in terms of thickness, nitrogen content, and calcium concentration, whereas agricultural areas exhibited the lowest values. Grassland areas displayed the highest carbon content and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, while agricultural and natural forest areas demonstrated comparatively lower values. Agricultural lands demonstrated elevated bulk density and sand content, whereas natural forests exhibited the lowest values. Notably, natural forests showcased the highest porosity, aggregate stability, silt percentage, and macro- and micro-aggregate quantities, while agricultural areas presented the lowest values. Chemical analysis of the soil indicated that natural forests recorded the highest values for most chemical characteristics, while agricultural lands displayed the lowest values. Biological attributes generally exhibited the highest levels in natural forests and the lowest levels in agricultural areas. Specifically, the abundance and biomass of epigeic and endogeic fauna did not exhibit significant differences among different land uses during the summer season. Managed forests demonstrated the highest values for moisture content, basal respiration, substrate-induced respiration, and microbial biomass carbon. Conversely, agriculture exhibited the lowest values in these regards. The microbial biomass carbon-to-nitrogen ratio was highest in agricultural areas, while natural forests displayed the lowest value. Natural forests displayed the highest values for most nitrogen transformation characteristics, whereas agricultural areas exhibited the lowest values. Nitrogen nitrification and mineralization showed a decreasing trend across different land uses during the summer and autumn seasons. The type of vegetation cover also significantly influenced the variability of soil ammonium and nitrate levels. Conclusion Based on the results obtained from this study, it can be inferred that the preservation and conservation of natural forest cover should be given utmost importance. Additionally, in degraded areas, the establishment of woody vegetation can serve as a viable approach for the restoration of ecosystems with similar ecological conditions. Furthermore, the presence of tree covers, specifically C. betulus and P. persica, is of greater significance compared to rangeland and agricultural land uses in enhancing soil fertility and creating favorable biological conditions. As a result, this research provides valuable insights into the impact of different land uses on the characteristics of the organic and mineral soil layers in mountainous habitats. The information obtained can be instrumental in guiding natural resource managers and offering practical assistance in decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice in most patients with kidney disease. It is a surgical operation in which a person’s kidney with chronic failure is replaced with a healthy kidney. The present study was conducted with the aim of estimating the survival probability of a transplanted kidney in patients with chronic kidney failure in Zahedan city, Iran. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical retrospective cohort study using the survival analysis method carried out in 2020. The sample size was estimated to be 211 patients. Data were analyzed with SPSS.VER22 software using descriptive tests, the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model of survival. Results: The data obtained showed that in general 45 (21.3%) clients had been rejected. In the multiple logistic regression model of kidney transplantation several variables, including survival time, patient survival variables, marital status, donor status, blood pressure and diabetes remained in the model (P<0.05). Further analysis of the data revealed that in the kidney disease patients with transplant survival in Zahedan city, only donor status variables, high blood pressure and diabetes remained in the final multiple Cox regression model. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be said that the probability of survival of kidney disease patients is independent of the type of donor and the characteristics of the recipient, which indicates the evolution of kidney transplant management over the past few years; dialysis before kidney transplantation also has an effect on the probability of survival. These factors can help to increase the probability of kidney transplant survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Soil, as habitat substrate, helps to regulate important ecosystem processes, including nutrient absorption, organic matter decomposition. Water availability and the well-being of humanity are directly linked to soil functions. On the other hand, vegetation with different species and ages have significant effects on the status of the surface soil layer through the creation of diverse environmental conditions and the production of different organic substances. However, few studies have been conducted in relation to the effect of the age of afforestation and the type of vegetation on the soil status. Considering that a practical, complete and effective assessment of soil condition should be the result of simultaneous measurement of physical, chemical and biological indicators, hereupon, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of 20-year old poplar stand, 20-year old maple stand, 10-year old poplar stand, 10-year old maple stand and rangeland cover, in plot 3 of Delak-Khil series of wood and paper forests in Mazandaran province, on the organic layer properties and physical, chemical and biological (including microbial activities, enzyme activity, earthworm population and biomass, the number of soil nematodes and root biomass) properties of the surface soil layer. Materials and Methods For this purpose, some parts of the study area were selected which are continuous with each other and have minimum height difference from the sea level, minimum change in percentage and direction of slope. Then, in order to take samples from the organic and surface layer of the soil, three one-hectare plots with distances of at least 600 meters were selected in each study habitats. From each of the one-hectare plots, 5 leaf litter samples and 5 soil samples (30 cm X 30 cm by 10 cm depth) were taken to the laboratory for analysis. In total, 15 litter samples and 15 soil samples were collected from each of the habitats under study. One part of the soil samples was passed through a 2 mm sieve after air-drying to perform physical and chemical tests, and the second part of the samples was kept at 4 °C for biological tests. One-way analysis of variance tests was used to compare the characteristics of organic layer and soil between the studied habitats. In the following, Duncan's test (P>0.05) was used to compare the average parameters that had significant differences among different habitats. Results and Discussion The results of this research showed that afforested stands with different ages and pasture cover had a significant effect on the characteristics of the organic and surface soil layers. The results indicated the improvement of most of the characteristics of the organic and surface soil layer in the afforested stands, especially the 20-year old afforestation compared to the rangeland cover. The organic matter produced in 20-year old afforestation, especially with poplar species, had a higher quality (high nitrogen and carbon content and low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) compared to organic matter produced in 10-year old afforestation and pasture cover. Most of the physicochemical characteristics of the soil under 20-year old afforestation were in a better condition than the other studied habitats. Also, according to the results of this research, the highest values of biological characteristics such as microbial activity, enzyme activity, and the population of earthworms and nematodes were observed in the subsoil of 20-year old afforestation especially with poplar species. Based on the results obtained from the principal component analysis, the higher values of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and potassium content of the organic layer led to the improvement of soil fertility characteristics, microbial activities, enzyme activity, earthworm population, the number of soil nematodes and root biomass, respectively, under poplar and maple plantation for 20 years, meanwhile, 10-year old plantation, especially with maple species, and rangeland with the production of organic materials with high carbon content and carbon to nitrogen ratio, resulted in the reduction of organic matter decomposition (greater thickness of organic layer), and consequently the reduction of the mentioned properties of the surface soil layer. Conclusion According to the findings of this research, it can be concluded that plantation with poplar species, especially after 20 years, had a higher ability to improve the soil condition compared to maple, which can be considered by managers in future afforestation. Also, with the passage of time, the presence of tree covers (poplar and maple) had a higher priority than rangeland cover in improving the fertility status and suitable edaphological conditions of the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

purpose: The increasing trend of obesity has turned it into one of the biggest health challenges in the world, which is related to various diseases, including fatty liver disease. the aim of the effect of eight weeks of TRX exercises with sesame seed supplementation on the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and lipid profile in obese women. methods: In this experimental study, 40 female subjects between the ages of 30 and 50 with obesity were randomly assigned to four supplement groups (10 people), exercise+supplement (10 people), Training (10 people) and control (10 people) were included. TRX training protocol included (8 weeks, 3 days, 40-45 minutes). The supplement groups consumed 30 grams of sesame daily for 60 days. Blood samples were taken in two stages before and after the test. Correlated t, one-way analysis of variance and LSD post hoc test were used to compare between groups. Statistical analyzes were performed at the statistical level of P≤0.05 using SPSS statistical software version 23. Result: TRX training and sesame supplement consumption had a significant effect on the levels of ALT, AST, ALP and LDL, HDL, TC and TG levels in the supplement, exercise+supplement and exercise groups compared to the control group (P 0.001), (P=0.039), (P=0.011), (P=0.003), (P=0.005), (P=0.024), (P=0.004) . Conclusion: it seems that performing TRX exercises along with sesame seed supplementation can be used as a non-pharmacological solution to reduce risk factors (reducing ALT, AST, ALP and lipid profile) in obese people . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the lifeblood of any store depends on the verbal and non-verbal support of its consumers, This research intends, based on the design features of the website, to formulate a model in the framework of the stimulus-response-organism model that explains consumer support for the online store. Given that in online stores, there is less capacity to clarify ambiguities and predict future consumer behavior, due to the impossibility of direct access to the buyer, so the use of this supportive model by recognizing the dimensions of buyers, It can provide a unique competitive advantage for online stores and play an important role in increasing their sales. This study using the theme analysis qualitative approach, examines the process of influencing two important dimensions of website design, namely richness and interactivity in the direction leading to consumer support. The statistical population of this study was university professors and senior managers of online stores. Purposeful sampling was used to identify experts and 10 experts were interviewed. By initial coding, 89 basic concepts were extracted, which by summarizing these concepts, 30 sub-themes for 9 main themes of the research were obtained. Finally, all research findings are presented in the form of a conceptual model. Based on the results, online stores with proper design and management of richness and interactivity features can provide the necessary conditions to create a sense of consumer informedness and stickiness through the understanding of usefulness, pleasure, search amount and central environment in obtaining information, so that the consequence is consumer support for the future sale of the website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato is the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize, wheat, and rice. Potato is seriously affected by both single and mixed viral infections because of vegetative propagation. In plants, RNA silencing is a protective mechanism against viral infections. Some researchers have been used RNA silencing technique to silence viral genes, but ultimately, due to the activity of viral RNA silencing-suppressor proteins, the resistance of plants is broken down and the virus can replicate and make the damage. The purpose of this study was to provide simultaneous resistance to three important viruses including Potato X Virus, Potato Leafroll Virus, and Cucumber Mosaic Virus. From genes corresponding to proteins of suppressoer of RNA silencing in these viruses (P0, P25 and 2b, respectively), a fragment was amplified with specific primers by PCR and ligtaed to each other. The recombinant final fragment was cloned in the form of sense and antisense orientations with an intron between them, in pFGC5941 plasmid under 35S promoter to produce a hairpin RNA after transcription in plant. The T-DNA of recombinant hairpin vector was transformed into potato (cv. Agria) genome by Agrobacterium. The obtained transgenic plants were screened by PCR to confirm the presence of the transgenes. The resistance of selected tansgenic lines will be assessed against three viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of different inclusion levels of two fatty acids (linoleic/linolenic fatty acids; LA/LNA) including the ratios of control, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 were examined on growth performance, feed conversion ratio, and visceral and hepatosomatic indices in three spot gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) over a 90-day culture period. The results showed that with increasing the LA/LNA ratio in the diet, no significant effects were observed on the condition factor and the average daily growth rate (p>0.05). The final body weight, total and fork lengths showed an increasing trend with increasing LA/LNA ratio (p<0.05); so that, the highest values were recorded in the ratio of 8 despite the lack of significant differences between the levels of 0.5 to 4. The highest percentages of weight and length increments were obtained in the ratio of 8, which showed a significant difference with other treatments (p<0.05); however, there were no significant differences in specific growth rate in body length and weight gains between treatments (p>0.05). The values of both visceral and hepatosomatic indices increased from the control group to a ratio of 2, but a significant decreasing trend was observed at levels with a ratio of 4 and 8 (p<0.05). The feed conversion ratio showed significantly better values in ratios 4 and 8 compared to other ratios (p<0.05). The monthly trend of specific weight growth rate in different treatments showed that treatments with ratios of 4 and 8 showed the higher growth rate in the third month compared to the second and first months of culture period. Based on the results and in order to produce farmed brooders, it can be suggested that the inclusion of 4 and 8 ratios of LA/LNA (in diets without fish oil) resulted in higher growth and nutritional performances in three-spot gourami fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Pyrethroids (i.e., deltamethrin) are one of the most common insecticides that are used extensively in agriculture to control the insects. Oxidative stress is one of the main mechanisms of pesticides, including deltamethrin, in developing toxicity. Many plants contain high levels of antioxidants that can play a role in absorbing and neutralizing free radicals. The current study aimed to assess the oxidative and protective role of Salvia officinalis extract (Sage) in alleviating the detrimental effect of deltamethrin and the induced oxidative stress on the kidneys of the male rats. Materials and Methods: In total, 30 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups of six animals per group. Group 1 was considered the control group, and group II received deltamethrin (15mg/kg). Moreover, group III received deltamethrin and Salvia officinalis extract (100mg/kg), and group IV received deltamethrin (15mg/kg) and Salvia officinalis extract (200mg/kg). Group V received Salvia officinalis extract (100mg/kg). The treatment was extended for one month, and subsequently, the kidney tissues of all rats were evaluated to assess the malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase levels using appropriate assessment kits. It is worth mentioning that histopathological changes were also investigated in this study. Results: The results showed that Salvia extract significantly reduced the toxic effects of deltamethrin in the kidneys of the rats. Moreover, Salvia extract significantly reduced malondialdehyde levels and improved glutathione peroxidase activity. The results of kidney tissue pathology also confirmed Salvia's protective effect against deltamethrin. Conclusion: The protective effect of Salvia extract can be due to phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities, which can be used as an effective factor in the prevention and improvement of the toxic effects of deltamethrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: In this study, a number of new triazole derivatives, containing a 1, 2, 3- triazole ring attached to the piperazine moiety as antifungal agents and lanosterol 14 alphademethylase, (CYP51) inhibitors were docking studies conducted. In the following, the toxicity risks of the designed compounds, were predicted by existing software. Materials & methods: Initially, the chemical structures of all azole were designed using ChemBioDraw Ultra14.0 program, then transferred into Hyperchem software for energy minimization. After preparing, all of these chemical compounds were docked with the target enzyme in order to select the best inhibitor of the drug using the Auto Dock-Vina-1-1-2-win32.msi software. The results were analyzed using the Molegro Virtual Docking software. At the final stage, the toxicity risk prediction of compounds was performed by the OSIRIS program. Results: After checking the computation, 10 compounds of ligands that were the results of Docking, were selected according to the Gibbs free energy (least ΔG). Docking results revealed the azole-heme coordination, hydrogen bond, hydrophobic interactions were involved in the drug-receptor interactions. Among the all studied compounds, the best docking results were related to No. 5 displayed. In fact, this compound had the most negative ΔGbind (-10.85 Kcal/mol) that indicated favorable interactions with the key amino acid residues at active site of CYP51. Conclusion: In conclusion, according to the results of docking studies, biological evaluation and Toxicity Risk Prediction of designed Compounds, it can be concluded that Compound No. 5 can be considered as an effective antifungal agent and an inhibitor of the CYP51 enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, numeral and experimental analysis of composite metal vessel is investigated under variable pressure loading. For this purpose, a sample of multi section cylindrical vessel is considered. The pizo electric 1000 bars sensors are used to measure pressure. The sensors are installed in the holes on the metal cylindrical vessel. The amplification parts are used to adjust sensors. The test is done under dynamic loading. The results are recorded by data logers in pressure-time chart. The aim of this study is to optimize the weight and strength of the vessel with using trial and error by numeral analysis inverse explosive loading. In order to, a sample of multi section cylindrical vessel is analyzed with abaqus finite element software. The load in the vessel is derived by charts from experimental tests. The load obtained from experimental tests as a dynamic load is analyzed and compared with metal vessel and metal- Composite vessel. The results obtained from abaqus finite element software have discussion in different case. Finally, geometric and material properties of liner and composite is suggested for optimize the weight and strength of the vessel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]