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The Panchthar–Ilam–Taplejung Corridor in Eastern Nepal, managed through community forestry, is a crucial habitat for the Himalayan red panda, an endangered carnivore threatened by forest degradation and illegal trade. We deployed the altitude line intercept and ten-tree plotless methods to evaluate the distribution of Himalayan red pandas and the environmental factors affecting them within four community forests, namely Singhadevi, Chitre-Hile, Chhipchhipe, and Kalikhop-Dadehli, of the corridor. We established a total of 23 transects and 92 plots, identifying 41 plots with evidence of the Himalayan red panda's presence. The sign occurrence revealed a clumped distribution of the species across all four community forests. The Himalayan red panda signs were observed between 2200 m and 2700 m above sea level (asl) and the majority of them were from habitats with a moderate slope within elevations of 2400 m to 2500 m asl. The primary sites for the defecation were large horizontal tree branches (78.12%), followed by forest ground (15.62%) and rocks (6.25%). The dominant tree species in their habitats included Lithocarpus pachyphylla (Importance value index, IVI = 45.05), Symplocus theifolia (IVI = 37.19), Symplocos pyrifolia (IVI = 20.99), Quercus lamellosa (IVI = 19.25), and Magnolia campbellii (IVI = 17.25). Among the thirteen environmental variables examined, proximity to water, distance to road, bamboo density, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index were identified as the major factors influencing the Himalayan red panda's distribution. This research provides crucial insights to develop site-specific habitat management plans for community forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Panchthar–Ilam–Taplejung Corridor in Eastern Nepal, managed through community forestry, is a crucial habitat for the Himalayan red panda, an endangered carnivore threatened by forest degradation and illegal trade. We deployed the altitude line intercept and ten-tree plotless methods to evaluate the distribution of Himalayan red pandas and the environmental factors affecting them within four community forests, namely Singhadevi, Chitre-Hile, Chhipchhipe, and Kalikhop-Dadehli, of the corridor. We established a total of 23 transects and 92 plots, identifying 41 plots with evidence of the Himalayan red panda’s presence. The sign occurrence revealed a clumped distribution of the species across all four community forests. The Himalayan red panda signs were observed between 2200 m and 2700 m above sea level (asl) and the majority of them were from habitats with a moderate slope within elevations of 2400 m to 2500 m asl. The primary sites for the defecation were large horizontal tree branches (78.12%), followed by forest ground (15.62%) and rocks (6.25%). The dominant tree species in their habitats included Lithocarpus pachyphylla (Importance value index, IVI = 45.05), Symplocus theifolia (IVI = 37.19), Symplocos pyrifolia (IVI = 20.99), Quercus lamellosa (IVI = 19.25), and Magnolia campbellii (IVI = 17.25). Among the thirteen environmental variables examined, proximity to water, distance to road, bamboo density, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index were identified as the major factors influencing the Himalayan red panda’s distribution. This research provides crucial insights to develop site-specific habitat management plans for community forestry.

The present study aims to investigate linguistic landscape among Kurdish speakers in the west part of Iran. A total of 812 signs were photographed (772 photos were selected) and were later categorized according to the top-down (governmental) versus bottom-up (private sector) distinction in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Ilam. Out of these 772 photos, 578 photos were related to bottom-up and 194 photos were related to top-down signs. The results of linguistic landscape analysis showed that among bilingual signs, Persian-Kurdish signs has the highest frequency in Sanandaj, while Persian-English signs are more prevalent in Kermanshah and Ilam. In all of the cities, Persian-Arabic signs have the lowest frequency among bilingual signs. Sanandaj was the only city in which Kurdish was dominant in Persian-Kurdish signsIntroductionLinguistic landscape is a relatively new area of research that has attracted many researchers in recent years. In their seminal work, "Linguistic Landscape and Ethnolinguistic Vitality," Landry and Bourhis (1997) state that the linguistic landscape is: “The language of public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, and public signs on government buildings combines to form the linguistic landscape of a given territory, region, or urban agglomeration" (p. 25). Since Landry and Bourhis utilized the concept of Linguistic Landscape (LL) as the "visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs in a given territory or region" (p. 23), researchers in the fields of sociolinguistics, sociology, language policy, social psychology, geography, media studies, and cultural studies have been interested in uncovering the nuances and disparities in the languages used in the public space.Materials and MethodsTo find out which languages are present in the linguistic landscape and how these languages are represented, linguistic and semiotic properties of the signs were investigated. The codification of the signs relies on that developed by Ben-Rafael et al. (2006) and Cenoz and Gorter (2006), such as the languages used on the signs, languages of signs (monolingual, bilingual, multilingual), order of languages on a sign, and the types of signs (top-down and bottom-up signage). Using Excel, the signs were coded according to the following variables: 1. Language of signs: for every sign, the type was coded. The categories include: monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual signs. 2. Number of languages: the number of languages present on the signs was counted. The appearance of a language may consist of an entire text or of only one word. The main languages counted in all sites were: Persian, Kurdish, Arabic, and English. 3. Order of languages: by the order of languages, we mean in bilingual or multilingual signs which language is more dominant. In doing so, the languages written in larger fonts were considered dominant. 4. Types of signs: both top-down (governmental) and bottom-up (private sector) are regarded in this study.FindingsA total of 772 signs were photographed and later categorized according to the top-down (governmental) versus bottom-up (private sector) distinction in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Ilam. Out of these 772 photos, 578 were related to bottom-up and 194 were related to top-down signs. The results showed that among bilingual signs, Persian-Kurdish has the highest frequency in Sanandaj, while Persian-English signs are more prevalent in Kermanshah and Ilam. In all of the cities, Persian-Arabic signs have the lowest frequency among bilingual signs. Sanandaj was the only city in which Kurdish was dominant in Persian-Kurdish signs.Discussion and ConclusionsObserving the signs and signs in the respective streets of the studied cities led to interesting results. From the display of languages displayed (used) in the public space, one can realize the possibility of identifying their performance, credibility, position, and expansion. The distribution of minority languages in the city limits can be considered an indicator of the language status in an urban area. Linguistic perspective also expresses the existing political and cultural views and approaches to the position of national languages in multilingual societies. Another important finding of this research is the spread of the Persian language and also the presence of some signs in English, which shows the importance and influence of the English language as a global language. This study shows that the linguistic landscape has both communicative and symbolic functions. A linguistic perspective can be used as a tool to legitimize national identity. Although the language policy of the country insists that all languages should not be given equal rights, the Kurdish language is given attention in these cities, especially in Sanandaj, but this attention is very insignificant compared to the dominant language (Persian), and it is not good news for Kurdish speakers

Bread is a valuable food in Iranian families that is used as a source of energy, protein, minerals, and vitamins. Unfortunately, most bakeries, process bread artificially to speed up the production process and inevitably resort to the use of harmful chemicals such as baking soda, and SDT (sodium hydrosulfite). In this study, the types of bread produced in Ilam City in terms of unauthorized use of SDT were measured. The research site is all active bakeries in Ilam city. Statistical analyzes between different groups were determined using t-tests and ANOVA (SPSS-18). Data were expressed as mean ± SD. For all tests, Р values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Each test was repeated three times. In this study, 80 bakeries were surveyed, of which 22 bakeries (27.5 %) were Lavash, 26 bakeries (32.5 %) were Barbari and 32 bakeries (40 %) were Sangak. The average SDT consumption in all bakeries was 20.62 and 36.3 %. The amount of SDT consumption was significantly higher in Lavash bread than in Barbari and Sangak bread. The lowest SDT consumption was reported in Sangak. The results showed that 95.5 % of Lavash bakeries did not meet the national standards in the use of SDT and this amount was reported 73.1 % and 34.4 % of Barbary and Sangak bakeries, respectively. In Lavash bakeries 4.5 %, Barbari 26.9 and Sangak 65.6 %, the SDT consumption was significantly in line with national standards (56.3 %). The results showed that the use of SDT has been done with different amounts depending on the type of bread in bakeries in Ilam city so the most use is related to Lavash bread and then Barbari and Sangak.

Aims The unbalanced physical expansion of Ilam City can be attributed to various issues, including regional imbalance, rapid urbanization, the impact of war, fragmented urban management, and inadequate supervision of urban development projects. The aim of this study was to examine the factors that impact the physical development of Ilam City. Methodology This study employed an applied research methodology and was done in Ilam City over the period of 2023-2024. The study instrument employed was a questionnaire developed by the researcher. A compilation of criteria and indicators that impact physical development was made in order to create the questionnaire. Consequently, a survey comprising of 34 questions was created, utilizing a Likert scale with four response alternatives. In order to evaluate the questionnaire’s validity, it was administered to a group of 18 specialists. A comprehensive questionnaire consisting of 5 indexes and 30 components was compiled and thereafter delivered to the inhabitants. The sample size was calculated to be 357 persons using the Cochran formula. The study samples were chosen by the method of simple random sampling. The data were evaluated using statistical methods such as a t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise regression coefficients. Findings The physical development of Ilam City was found to have a substantial correlation with several aspects, including economic, social and cultural, environmental, physical, and managerial factors. The physical evolution of Ilam City was primarily influenced by environmental (natural), economic, managerial, physical, and social and cultural aspects, in that order. Conclusion The physical development of Ilam City has been mostly influenced by environmental variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jahangir building is one of the Sassanid sites in the catchment area of Kangir Dam in Ilam province. Due to dry and hot summers and short winters, the vegetal structure of the region includes thermophilic plants such as crops, pastures, forest and groves. Due to the lack of our knowledge about the vegetation of Ilam during the Sassanid era, this research presents the results of a study on the plant remains obtained from the Jahangir building. The purpose of these studies was to identify the types of plants in the area and its subsistence economy based on plant vestiges found from fireplace, tandoor, burnt layers and graves excavated at this site. The ecology and geographical distribution of identified plants in the Kangir basin and the nature of modern ecosystems in the region, indicates the presence of trees and shrubs such as almond, oak, maple, tamaris and willow in the Sassanid period. The presence of such species in the mentioned contexts shows that in the neighboring environment, there were forests, mountains, steppes and riverine structures similar to those are available today in the Kangir basin. The small amount of charcoal found in Jahangir building cannot be a suitable criterion for commenting on the distribution and density and identification of trees in the vegetation of this area during time. The remains of seeds and fruit stones also show that crops (especially cereals) have been consumed as the main source of food. The abundance of wheat and barley found in the in some context including the tandoor is an evidence for existence of Agricultural lands and a subsistence economy based on the agriculture in the Sassanid period. This is in parallel with the current agriculture ecosystem of the Kangir, basin that is located in an altitude between 700-2000 m above sea level. The study of possible changes in this ecosystem is subject to further archaeobotanical studies in the prehistorical and historic sites of Ilam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to investigate linguistic landscape among Kurdish speakers in the west part of Iran. A total of 812 signs were photographed (772 photos were selected) and were later categorized according to the top-down (governmental) versus bottom-up (private sector) distinction in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Ilam. Out of these 772 photos, 578 photos were related to bottom-up and 194 photos were related to top-down signs. The results of linguistic landscape analysis showed that among bilingual signs, Persian-Kurdish signs has the highest frequency in Sanandaj, while Persian-English signs are more prevalent in Kermanshah and Ilam. In all of the cities, Persian-Arabic signs have the lowest frequency among bilingual signs. Sanandaj was the only city in which Kurdish was dominant in Persian-Kurdish signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The diverse geographical regions of Iran have tribes with different cultures and customs in the medicinal use of plants in the control, prevention and treatment of diseases, and on this basis, to collect valuable ethnobotanical information in the field of medicinal plants, more studies are needed among different tribes. It is so that in the event of the death of people with this knowledge, their historical and experimental knowledge will not be forgotten. In this ethnobotanical and systematic study in the city of Ilam (western Iran), an attempt has been made to identify and report the use of medicinal plants native to this region in the treatment of back pain. Traditional therapeutic information about medicinal plants effective on back pain is done by ethnobotanical questionnaire. The complete list of herbal druggists in Ilam city was obtained from the Food and Drugs deputy, and the interviewer collected the required information personally by visiting each and every herbal druggists in Ilam city. The questionnaire included personal information and the names of native plants, the organ used, the method of use, and the effect of traditional treatment for back pain. Data analysis shows that 16 medicinal plants from 15 plant families are used in the treatment of back pain in Ilam. Medicinal plants Pistacia khinjuk, Amygdalus communis, Achillea biebersteinii, Amygdalus arabica, Pistacia atlantica, Thymbra spicata, Capsicum annuum, Biebersteinia multifida, Nigella sativa, Salvia rosmarinus, Hypericum helianthemoides, Calendula persica, Citrullus colocynthis, Zingiber officinale, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Nerium oleander, Myrtus communis and Ricinus communis are medicinal plants that are used in Ilam city to treat back pain. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the medicinal plant Achillea biebersteinii with usage report index (UR) of 14, relative frequency of citation (RFC) of 0.73 and percentage of frequency of use (PFU) of 53.8% is the most used in the treatment of back pain. Asteraceae plant family is the most used plant family. Leaf with 37% was the most used organ and decoction with 35% was the most traditional way of use. The presence of rich plant flora and medicinal species in Ilam city provides a suitable field for pharmacological research for better use and production of medicines and herbal products against back pain.

The physical and spatial expansion of cities, which often took place without planning, caused numerous environmental, health, economic, and social problems. This study investigates the physical, spatial, and demographic development and expansion of Ilam city in Iran for over 60 years. To achieve these goals, library studies, data analysis, and field studies were applied. The process of development in Ilam and its demographic changes from 1956 to 2016 have been presented, and then the spatial-physical expansion of the city has been evaluated. The results showed that several factors had impacted the physical development and expansion of Ilam. The highest growth was observed between 1976 and 1986. Also, the development of the city has been more horizontal. The study results show the correlation, intensity, extension, and mechanism of conversion and land-use change in Ilam city and embody its spatial-physical expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of floods in the country reflects the response to the current dangerous to conditions (emergency response and recovery). enhance the effectiveness of management and reduce human and financial losses, reactive response should be transformed into preventive action. This article examines the flood crisis management in Ilam and aims to provide a suitable model to urban flood crisis management to minimize its impact. The current research is applied and employs prospective research methods. Through quantitative methods and data analysis, we will investigate the effects of urbanization and development in Ilam, utilizing questionnaires and conducting in-depth interviews with crisis management experts. The findings reveal that urban planning, particularly urban management, has failed to adequately monitor the city's physical development and protect the river's integrity within the city. Moreover, the structural initiatives of urban management in creating channels and urban flood routes indicate a lack of implementation plans with appropriate studies in the field of flooding in Ilam city. Using Mic Mac software, 36 key factors influencing the current state of flood crisis management in Ilam city have been identified and scored. Based on these factors, appropriate flood crisis management strategies and a Ilam crisis management model have been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate annotation of electrogram local activation time (LAT) is critical to the functional assessment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) substrate. Contemporary methods of annotation include: 1) earliest bipolar electrogram (LAT earliest ); 2) peak bipolar electrogram (LAT peak ); 3) latest bipolar electrogram (LAT latest ); and 4) steepest unipolar -dV/dt (LAT -dV/dt ). However, no direct comparison of these methods has been performed in a large dataset, and it is unclear which provides the optimal functional analysis of the VT substrate., Objectives: This study sought to investigate the optimal method of LAT annotation during VT substrate mapping., Methods: Patients with high-density VT substrate maps and a defined critical site for VT re-entry were included. All electrograms were annotated using 5 different methods: LAT earliest , LAT peak , LAT latest , LAT-dV /dt , and the novel steepest unipolar -dV/dt using a dynamic window of interest (LAT DWOI ). Electrograms were also tagged as either late potentials and/or fractionated signals. Maps, utilizing each annotation method, were then compared in their ability to identify critical sites using deceleration zones., Results: Fifty cases were identified with 1,.813 ± 811 points per map. Using LAT latest , a deceleration zone was present at the critical site in 100% of cases. There was no significant difference with LAT earliest (100%) or LAT peak (100%). However, this number decreased to 54% using LAT -dV/dt and 76% for LAT DWOI . Using LAT-dV/dt, only 33% of late potentials were correctly annotated, with the larger far field signals often annotated preferentially., Conclusions: Annotation with LAT -dV/dt and LAT DWOI are suboptimal in VT substrate mapping. We propose that LAT latest should be the gold standard annotation method, as this allows identification of critical sites and is most suited to automation., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Hsia has received honoraria from Biosense Webster, FaraPulse, and Medtronic. Dr Kistler has received an investigator grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia; and speaker honoraria and fellowship support from Biosense Webster. Dr Kumar has received honoraria from Biosense Webster, Abbott Medical, Biotronik, and Sanofi. Dr Kalman has received a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia practitioner fellowship; and research and fellowship support from Biosense Webster, Abbott, and Medtronic. Dr Lee has received consulting fees and speaker honoraria from Biosense Webster. Dr Gerstenfeld has received honoraria from Biosense Webster, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Abbott Medical; received research support from Abbott Medical; and served on the scientific advisory board for Biosense Webster, Farapulse/Boston Scientific, and Adagio medical. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)