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The privatisation of the Iran newsprint industry has caused an increase in production and decrease in importation. Recognition of effective criteria in newsprint privatisation will accelerate privatisation of the industry. The goal of the research is expediting privatisation in the Iran newsprint industry through benefits, costs, opportunities and risk merits. We applied analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to solve the problem plus questionnaires and pair wise comparisons of the matrices by the experts have also been done in the research. The results show a decrease of budget deficiency, national debts (economic and financial), limiting rules, heavy taxes (economic and executive), encouragement possibility, absorption of foreign, internal investment (economic and financial) and limiting regulative costs (economic and financial) which are the most important sub criteria regarding benefits, costs, opportunities and risks merits, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the types and frequency of pen–paper observational methods (OMs) used by Iranian practitioners and to identify their errors in selecting and implementing these methods. Methods. This was a systematic review and analytical study of papers in which the OMs had been used. Scientific databases were analyzed from September 1970 to September 2018. Errors were determined based on a list of wrong practices both in the selection and implementation of methods. Three ergonomists carried out the process of identifying errors independently. Results. The most frequently used methods were rapid upper limb assessment (RULA), quick exposure check (QEC) and rapid entire body assessment (REBA), respectively. Errors in selecting and implementing pen–paper OMs were 53.3 and 36.4%, respectively. Conclusions. Despite the abundant number of pen–paper OMs, Iranian practitioners use few of them. The high rate of errors can indicate a lack of knowledge and skills among practitioners for selecting and implementing OMs. The development of decision-making tools may help practitioners to select appropriate pen–paper OMs for assessing different types of tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aleuroclava jasmini (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a major insect pest of paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) in Iran, negatively affecting its production. Considering the importance of oils in the integrated management programs of such pests, the present study examined the possibility of whitefly control on paper mulberry plant to assess mortality rate (MR), synergistic rate (SR), resistance rate (RR), and lethal concentration for 50% of the population (LC50) of oils and common insecticide in populations from four areas of Tehran, Iran (one susceptible and three non-susceptible). The best chemical treatments against A. jasmini adults and nymphs in paper mulberry plants were neem oil (1 ml L−1) mixed with deltamethrin (0.5 ml L−1) or with buprofezin (1 ml L−1). The neem, akylarylpolyglyglycol ether and volk oils mixed with deltamethrin or buprofezin also had synergistic effects on adults and nymphs of A. jasmini, respectively, in Azadi, Shahrake Gharb, and Vanak areas (non-susceptible populations), but with higher concentrations (> LC50) and lower SR than in Garm Dareh area (susceptible population). We observed that A. jasmini adults showed the greatest resistance to deltamethrin in Vanak area and nymphs of this pest to buprofezin in Shahrake Gharb area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its energy consumption and impact on the environment. The 'Cleaner Production' (CP) approach has been widely utilised as a tool to meet environmental concerns by industry. However, because of the high initial capital cost of CP implementation, it is important to develop a model for prioritisation. In this paper, using analytic hierarchy process methodology, a tree-level hierarchy model was structured to facilitate the prioritisation process in the Kaveh Papermaking Company located in Iran. Using a literature review and field study, the proposed model can provide a framework for CP implementation in a paper factory. The results show that process change gives higher priority between 5 criteria and that repair of all leaks in the paper-making process gives higher priority between 35 sub-criteria. Process change was further evaluated and discussed in which input material changes gained higher priority. The results of this research can be used to accelerate the implementation of CP in Iran's pulp and paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the issue of site selection for industrial units in developing countries which are poor in wood resources is considered as a vital matter and it is one of the key measures in the process of building industrial and giving service units. In every country there are some provinces and states which are more useful than other parts owing to primary infrastructures and facilities for industrialisation. As one of the suitable provinces of Iran, thanks to its lignocelluloses resources with 1,822,696 tons of exploitable waste, Golestan Province has a very good potential for building lignocelluloses products mills, such as fluting paper. For this end, in 2010, effective indices in fluting paper mill establishment were recognised in Golestan Province. Results showed that materials and products were the most important main indices and the preparation cost of raw materials was the most important sub-index. Finally, questionnaires were prepared for the best site selection and choices were evaluated according to the structure of interests and costs. The results of calculations performed through analytical hierarchy processes and in Expert Choice Software indicated that Gonbad City had the highest interest/cost ratio, and therefore, it is the best place for the establishment of floating paper mills from agricultural wastes in Golestan Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps: Defining Iran's Military Doctrine" by Alma Keshavarz provides a detailed analysis of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its role in Iran's hybrid warfare strategy. The book explores the historical development of the IRGC, its relationship with the Iranian government, and its influence on domestic and foreign policies. Keshavarz argues that the IRGC has become the sole proprietor of Iran's foreign policy priorities and is deeply embedded in the Iranian economy. The book also discusses the Quds Force, the IRGC's special operations unit, and its relationship with the Supreme Leader. Keshavarz concludes by offering policy recommendations for dealing with the IRGC's hybrid warfare strategies, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and long-term approach. Overall, the book provides valuable insights for policymakers and academics studying Middle Eastern security issues. [Extracted from the article]

This research presents a critical theoretical and practical re-examination of the link between human rights' issues and politics at national and international levels. The study of human rights is an inherently multidisciplinary enterprise. The paper provides an insight into the relations between diplomacy and human rights and discusses how the latter are exploited for political and commercial aims. This study focuses on the case and constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), and the problem of hostage taking. An internationally-oriented study and based on theoretical arguments and an empirical research approach-notably by using several real cases of ordinary individuals of foreign and dual nationalities who became hostages and the subject of political games and financial conflicts between Iran and the Western countries-the paper highlights the issue of hostage taking of individuals by a state as a political policy and prisoner swaps involving financial and commercial deals. The paper provides evidence of the substantial suffering of the hostages and their families. The paper makes an academic contribution to the literature-the unlawful act of hostage taking involving a state has rarely been discussed -and addresses the legal vacuum in international law and human rights conventions regarding the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed morphological variation among 17 forewing characters within five populations of the paper wasp, Polistes dominulus, in Iran. The raw planar coordinate data were aligned using geometric and mathematical calculations in kendall's shape space. After transfer of the data to a linear euclidean space, i.e., tangent space, multivariate analysis of 135 images of forewings were made using their geometric morphometric characters (30 in the forewings). We observed a direct correlation between morphological characters and the geographically easiest travel distance along river valleys and mountain ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the problem of estimation and prediction for a two-parameter distribution with a bathtub-shaped or increasing failure rate function based on lower records and inter-record times, and based on lower records without considering the inter-record times. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches are employed to estimate the unknown parameters. As it seems that the Bayes estimates cannot be derived in a closed form, the Metropolis-Hastings within Gibbs algorithm is implemented to obtain the approximate Bayes point estimates. Bayesian prediction of a future record value is also discussed. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the proposed point and interval estimators. A real data set consisting of COVID-19 data from Iran is analyzed to illustrate the application of the theoretical results of the paper. Moreover, a simulated data example is presented. Several concluding remarks end the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we take a critical discourse analytic approach to short notes written at the end of exam papers by Iranian students asking for a higher score. Such notes are sometimes written when the student has a feeling that they might fail the exam as a result of not providing satisfactory answers to questions. We consider this to be a manipulative strategy employed by these students to control their professors. Manipulation, however, is often considered an illegitimate source of power abuse by people having the higher hand in unequal power relations [Van Dijk, T.A. (2006). Discourse and manipulation. Discourse & Society, 17(3), 359–383]. The present paper argues for a new understanding of this important concept in the critical discourse analysis (CDA) tradition by highlighting manipulative strategies used by less powerful people. The analysis of 71 such notes written by students in two Iranian universities suggests that the students, as people in a lower position of power, resorted to certain manipulative strategies to exert influence on professors, people in a higher position of power. Four of the most frequent strategies identified in the data will be discussed: (1) tapping into religious beliefs; (2) highlighting personal and social problems as causes for inability to prepare for the exam; (3) referring to negative consequences for failing the exam, and therefore tapping into the examiner's conscience; and (4) resorting to honorific terms to address the examiner. This study would have implications for application of CDA in Higher Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Scientific periodicals fulfill a significant role in the communication, exchange, and sharing of scientific findings. In recent years, the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology (MSRT) has concentrated on non-medical, scientific periodicals. The present paper offers a short history of scientific periodicals and their role in Iran. The authors further examine the current status in the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology by using a systems approach. Scientific periodicals in Iran involve four external entities and six major subsystems, including resources, format, content, publication, refereeing, and structure. Investigation of the current failings of the periodicals in the MSRT reveals that the main orientation of the system does not facilitate scientific communication, ease of starting new periodicals, and promotion of natural development of these periodicals. The authors suggest ways to improve the status of scholarly periodicals in Iran. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the 1979 revolution, Iran's Security Assistance (SA) underwent a significant transformation, from fragmented and ideologically-driven support for Islamic movements in the early post-revolutionary stage to making SA the centrepiece of its national security strategy. This article explores Iran' model of SA by addressing the following key questions: How have perceptions of SA and its role in post-revolutionary Iran's strategic thinking changed? What constitutes key elements of the Iranian SA practice? Is there an 'Iranian way' of assisting local military partners, and to what extent does it overlap with other states' similar practices? The paper identifies a two-stage process of evolution, arguing that SA gradually evolved into a strategic tool to build a Tehran-led regional alliance model, boost Iran's deterrence capability, and counter the US-led collective security architecture. With a hybrid ideological and anti-imperialist rationale at its core, relying on human bonds and personal loyalties, mixing asymmetric operations with sustained force projection, and using a centralized command structure with minimum public exposure, Tehran has introduced a unique model of security assistance. The paper shows how Iran has moved beyond a technical view of SA to gradually shape a holistic model with interwoven messianic, economic, and strategic dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explains how unexpected and uncontrollable chance events can facilitate or constrain competitive advantage in sport, through a study of Iran in five weight division-specific sports (i.e. weightlifting, wrestling, taekwondo, judo and boxing). The analysis relied on data collected from 25 semi-structured interviews. The study identifies six types of chance events impacting elite sport – economic crises, sport-specific crises, diplomatic tensions with foreign countries, political decisions by foreign governments, technological discontinuities, and new policies and rules of international governing bodies. The contributions of this paper to the literature reside in the identification of crises as a major type of chance events and the discovery of some chance events specific to elite sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper explores experiences of temporary labor migration that entailed Yugoslav export of know-how (highly skilled knowledge and expertise) between 1980 and 1991, a result of industrial collaboration between Mining and Smelting Combine Bor, a state-owned copper-processing 'giant' in former Yugoslavia, and the biggest copper company in Iran, National Iranian Copper Industries Company. Based on interviews with individuals engaged in the Yugoslav project, supplemented by analysis of documents and historic newspapers from that period, the paper analyzes everyday practices of managerial bureaucratic improvisations and improvisations at work. The article shows how such improvisations helped overcome excessive and rigid Yugoslav socialist bureaucracy and made Yugoslav entrepreneurial capitalist ventures possible. Moreover, it argues that the export of know-how was constitutive of silent acceptances of reproduction of capitalist relations, which helped consolidate the process of liberalization of the socialist market in the late 1980s. We argue that such temporary labor migration and the often improvised work carried out by the Yugoslav workers cannot be seen as a resistance or alternative to the Western/Northern hegemonies. Rather, we argue that such practices were facilitators of the capitalist ventures at semi-peripheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the advent of blockchain technology (BT), extensive research has explored using this technology in non-financial cases. The healthcare industry is one of the non-financial sectors that BT has significantly impacted. In this paper, for the first time, barriers to implement BT-based platforms from a balanced scorecard perspective in the healthcare sector are introduced, and these barriers are prioritized using a structural approach based on the weighted influence non-linear gauge system. Unlike other structural models such as decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), in this approach, both strength and influence intensity of components are considered in the ranking process. The proposed approach is applied in networks that have a hierarchical structure and intertwined components. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using the ranking of BT-based platform adoption barriers in the healthcare industry in Iran. The results show that financial issues, security issues, lack of expertise and knowledge, and uncertain government policies are the most important barriers to BT adoption in the healthcare industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of fluoride (Fl) emission, from an aluminum (Al) reduction plant in Iran, on the concentration of Fl in six legume species were studied. In addition, the influence of Fl on leaf flavonoids was investigated. Determination of Fl in collected plants (Alhagi camelorum Fisch., Cercis siliquastrum L., Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Medicago sativa L., Robinia peseudoacacia L., and Sophora alopecuroides L.) from the factory area was performed using a Fl ion-selective electrode. Identification of flavonoids in the samples was obtained by two-dimensional paper chromatography (2-D PC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC). Controls were obtained from plants located 10 km distance from the factory. Results showed high Fl concentration in all polluted samples. Phytochemical changes in polluted leaves were observed with appearance or disappearance of some flavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The greenhouse gas emitted due to transportation is the third greatest emitter globally, and its impact has become a threat to the environment, public health, and economic development. Waste transportation is excluded in studies of waste management despite its significant environmental impacts such as global warming and human toxicity. The objective of this study is to develop a quantification model to estimate the carbon footprint of waste transportation and environmental impact assessments in three categories applied in Tehran using IPCC guidelines. In Tehran, light and heavy vehicles ran on diesel fuel. Data on fuel and waste characteristics were provided by Tehran's department of transportation and municipality, respectively. In this study, transportrelated emissions are 8.47 k tonCO2eq/y, and the carbon footprint of waste transportation is 93.57 g of CO2 eq per ton of waste transported (t.km), which is relevant to three main parameters: the amount of waste transported annually, the freight shipped from the temporary station to the disposal landfill site, and fossil fuels consumed. Also, an environmental impact assessment in three categories - human health (global warming, abiotic depletion, and ozone layer depletion), resources (fossil fuels), and ecosystem quality (acidification and eutrophication) - using SimaPro, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool is presented. Global warming (3.49 kg CO2 eq/t MSW), human toxicity (0.95 kg 1,4-DB eq/t MSW), and freshwater aquatic eco-toxicity (0.04 kg 1,4-DB eq/t MSW) have the greatest impact among categories. Sensitivity analysis of the effective parameters allows us to conclude one of the potential implications of this study would be the introduction of natural gas or biogas-based trucks replacing diesel fuel vehicles to improve air quality and mitigate the greenhouse gas emission. Implications: This paper addresses the significant issue of global warming, particularly in Iran, a developing country that ranks among the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The study emphasizes the importance of evaluating emissions across various sectors such as electricity, waste, etc., Specifically, in this paper we focus on developing a model to quantify the environmental impact resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles, focus on the metropolitan city of Tehran as a case study. By examining the waste transportation process, we aim to provide decision-makers with effective strategies to mitigate the environmental consequences. In this paper, we develop a simple quantification term of Carbon Footprint to calculate total greenhouse gas emission of waste transportation process. Carbon Footprint is a fraction which, its numerator is total greenhouse gas emission and its denominator is total waste transported in traveled distance. Effective parameters have been investigated and based on parameters and emission factors taken out of IPPC, the carbon footprint model have been developed. The total greenhouse gas emission of this study and the carbon footprint has estimated at 8.47 k tonCO2eq/y and 93.57 g CO2eq/t.km respectively. Furthermore, the paper explores additional environmental impacts beyond global warming, including abiotic depletion, ozone layer depletion, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, photochemical oxidation, and freshwater aquatic eco-toxicity. Using SimaPro software these eight impact categories have been estimated. in this study we identify fossil fuel consumption, traveled distance, and mass transported are the primary parameters influencing greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint. To reduce emissions in the waste transportation system, we suggest promoting renewable biofuels, highlighting Iran as a suitable candidate due to its high percentage of biodegradable material in municipal solid waste. Additionally, the study assesses nonrenewable energy and mineral extraction using the IMPACT 2002+ V2.15/IMPACT 2002+ method, revealing that global warming (100 years), human toxicity (100 years), freshwater aquatic eco-toxicity, nonrenewable energy, and mineral extraction have the most significant impacts on the municipal solid waste transportation system. Overall, this research underscores the need for quantifying environmental impacts and recommends strategies to mitigate them in waste transportation processes, particularly in developing countries like Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake-induced damage to gas pipelines can have severe economic, social, and environmental consequences. To mitigate these risks, one effective way is to carefully design the route of gas pipelines, considering the seismic hazard of the region. This paper proposes a methodology that incorporates seismic risk assessment into the process of designing gas pipeline routes. Conventional gas pipeline design methods consider only minimum distances from faults and fail to account for seismic potential. The methodology is applied to three gas pipeline routing problems in the high seismic region of southern Iran. Seismic risk is evaluated using the HAZUS method, and routing is performed through a GIS-based approach. Results are compared with conventional approaches in terms of length, seismic risks, and damage costs, showing the proposed method's effectiveness in reducing immediate consequences like leaks and breaks in gas transportation. The proposed method reduces seismic damage by 3 to 68% for routing problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2022 ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protests in Iran have led to the escalation of state-sponsored online disinformation campaigns. This paper aims to examine how, amidst a growing legitimacy crisis, the Iranian regime has employed a ‘Big Lie’ to shatter hopes for change by discrediting influential dissidents and hindering the formation of an effective opposition movement. Three target groups have borne the brunt of this strategy: celebrities, political dissidents inside the country, and prominent opponents in the diaspora. By reviewing state-owned media content and tweets, this paper reveals a consistent pattern of character assassination against dissidents. The ruling regime’s ultimate goal is to foster a sense of public hopelessness for an alternative to the Islamic Republic. By conceptualizing the Big Lie online, the study engages with the mechanism of control in modern despotism in the age of the internet and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the critical hydropolitics literature by introducing the power–interests–identity nexus framework and addresses how it shapes decisions and (re)actions to transform or maintain water conflicts. The framework is investigated using the Helmand/Hirmand river basin, shared by Afghanistan and Iran. It elucidates which factors led to the transformation of Iran–Afghanistan water conflicts and the signing of the 1973 Treaty, as well as the influential factors that have contributed to its maintenance in the 2020s. The results demonstrate using the framework provides comprehensive insight by identifying the influential latent factors of transboundary water arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted every aspect of our lives, from economic to the social facets of contemporary society. While the new COVID-19 waves may not be anticipated to be as severe as previous ones, it would be unreasonable to assume that they will cease any time soon. Consequently, forecasting the number of future infections, recovered patients, and death cases remains a very much logical step in trying to fight against further waves, in conjunction with ongoing vaccination efforts. In this paper, we investigate the efficiency of three intelligent machine learning algorithms, namely GMDH, Bi-LSTM, and GA + NN, for COVID-19 forecasting, with an application to Iran and the United Kingdom. The experimental results show that the algorithms can be used to forecast the next six months of COVID-19 in terms of confirmed, recovered, and death cases, which gives a more ample timeframe for using the results to make better practical yet strategic decisions and take appropriate actions or measures to deploy resources effectively to contain or curb the spread of the coronavirus. Despite the distinct dynamics observed in the data, our analysis proves the robustness of the employed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2009 and 2011, the Kurdish sculptor Hadî Ziaoddînî created a statue of poet Mestûre Erdalan (1805–1847), in the city of Sine (Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan or Rojhelat). A woman standing, carrying a book in her hand, the figure of Mestûre is unique in the Islamic Republic of Iran. She is not wearing the obligatory hijab but a Kurdish kofî. This paper presents the evolving representation and reception of Mestûre, the first Kurdish female poet and chronicler. The existing research on heritage in Iran focuses mainly on the policies of Pahlavi and Islamic regimes, tourism and conservation. This paper reveals the dissonant heritage-making that inspires Kurdish ethnic and national identity and the empowerment of women in Iran. The latter gained momentum, especially after the killing of the Kurdish woman, Jîna (Mahsa) Amînî, by the morality police in 2022. The multi-layered heritage performance engages identity politics, artistic creation and the new practice of visiting the statue of Mestûre. Starting from Ziaoddînî’s work as the focal point of discussion, the study identifies various links between the statue and other artistic products, as well as investigates the contemporary relationship between Mestûre and the inhabitants of Sine. The relationship is mediated by the sculpture and the moral imagination it stirs in empowering Kurdish women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the dynamics between different social groups within Kuwait’s society, specifically focusing on the majority Arab population and the minority Ajam group originating from Iran. The Ajam community is distinct from the Arabs in terms of ethnicity and religious beliefs, with the majority of them identifying as Shiʿi Muslims while the majority of Kuwaitis are Sunni Muslims. Although the Ajam community has integrated into Kuwaiti society, speaking Arabic and sharing similar daily lives, their acceptance was not always the case. In the past, they were considered outsiders and faced hostility from Arab nationalists, the dominant political groups in Kuwait during the previous century. This paper conducts an analysis of the discourse employed by Arab nationalists towards the Ajam community in the 1960s, utilizing the Arab nationalist weekly newspaper, al-Taliʿa, as a case study. This analysis involves contextualizing the discourse and linking it to Kuwait’s state formation and the Ajam community’s status within the country. Through an examination of over 250 issues of the newspaper published between 1962 and 1968, the study demonstrates that Kuwaiti Ajam were framed as ‘Others’, targeted based on their country of origin and ethnicity and viewed as potential threats to the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural heritage and transitional justice both seem to be established terms with fixed connotations: the former of universally valued and appreciated cultural objects and the latter of processes related to replacing a non-democratic regime with a democratic one. The social, political and legal realities of actual transitions and cultural objects caught in their midst, however, are much more complex. One such particular case was the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and its immediate aftermath, which, despite being a distinct transition from one non-Western regime to another, encountered similar issues with regard to the preservation of cultural heritage objects linked to the former establishment. The purpose of this paper is thus to provide a better understanding of the non-traditional processes of transitional justice, with a special focus on the place of cultural heritage objects during a transition using the example of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prerequisite of developing countries' economic growth is to move along the technological development trajectory through technological learning, and large firms as hubs of technological knowledge, play an important role in this transition. In this paper, we tried to bridge two main taxonomies in the field of technological development, one of them referring to taxonomies of firms, and the other one referring to technological learning processes. We have identified technological learning processes in several post catch-up large firms through content analysis and then by employing a survey approach, we explore technological learning processes of Iranian large firms. The results indicate that as per scale-intensive firms in Iran, learning by doing, learning by using, learning by interacting and learning from spillovers are respectively the most important technological learning processes. Regarding large science-based firms, learning by searching, learning by interacting and learning from spillovers are the key learning processes. Finally, these results have been compared with those of post catch-up large firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the results of an ethnography conducted in the context of several junior high schools in the host community of Iran. It draws on the data collected via observations and forty sessions of in-depth semi-structured interviews with school staff, domestic (Iranian) and refugee (Afghan) students, and their parents. The paper aims to explore the probable impacts of some particular elements on the absorption of refugee students in the host community. These elements included interactions between refugee and domestic students, the role of their parents, and the role of multicultural aspects of pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict is an ongoing struggle for influence in the region that has created uncertainty, affected oil prices and regional economics. This paper uses wavelet analysis to examine the frequency and time-varying co-movement and casual nexus between petroleum prices (OP) and financial liquidness (MS) with and without geopolitical risk (GPR). The aim is to test the validity of the monetary equilibrium model from 1988 to 2019. The model is supported by the findings, as both short and medium-term association is found between OP and MS at high frequencies in the presence of GPR. We find a medium-term association between OP and MS in the absence of GPR. The paper's overall conclusion suggests that GPR affects OP and OP, in turn, impact MS. Diversifying economic activities to minimize oil dependency, which is sensitive to external shocks, is suggested as a mitigation solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic investigation of the berries of Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. (Ericaceae), a native medicinal plant growing in Iran, permitted the identification of three major anthocyanins. The compounds were isolated from the acidified extract of the berries using the repeated paper chromatography with different mobile phases and were characterized using chromatographic, chemical, and spectroscopic methods as delphinidin 3- O -β-glucoside, petunidin 3- O -β-glucoside, and malvidin 3- O -β-glucoside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between the gendered identities of Iranian women and their domestic space in the first post-revolutionary decade (1980s) at a time when the influence of Islamic tenets on people's lives was considerably higher than in the previous and subsequent decades. Contributing to feminist geography and providing an understanding of a regional reality, the aim of this article is to elaborate on how the redefined identities and bodies of Iranian women, which were considered central to the representation of the Islamic national identity in Iran during the 1980s, influenced the design and usage patterns of houses at that time. The paper adopts Pierre Bourdieu's conceptual framework related to 'social space' and 'physical space', conceptualizing a house (physical space) as a translated form of social space. The article proposes the concept of the 'aesthetics of invisibility' to comprehend the identity of Iranian women and the domestic space in the 1980s. It uncovers the connection between the invisibility of the female body and domestic space through critical readings of contemporary printed and visual media, and also a study of 30 houses built in Tabriz during the 1980s. The paper reveals that for both Iranian women's bodies and domestic space, their invisibility and seclusion from the public world are equated with aesthetics, which is often interwoven with morality in Iranian society. It shows that the redefinition of the identity of women, their appearance, and the codes of conduct and dress came with modifications to the street façades of houses, and the design, organization and use of interior spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Iran's stock market, this paper examines a new dimension of heterogeneity: ownership type, using an intermediary asset pricing model. When only state-owned intermediaries are considered, the price for exposure to capital ratio shocks is negative; thus, the group is not a marginal investor. Considering only privately-owned intermediaries has greater explanatory power than considering both types, and the price for capital risk is positive in both cases. We propose a new criterion to represent the sector with even greater explanatory power: a group of privately-owned intermediaries with positive capital risk prices when tested individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many scholars have studied various sectoral innovation systems that are categorized as mass-produced goods, whereas there are only a few previous studies that have investigated complex product systems (CoPS). CoPS are defined as high-cost, engineering, and software-intensive goods, systems, networks, infrastructure, engineering constructs, and services. However, many differences between these two categories of industries have been reported by a large number of scholars. To address this shortcoming, this paper intends to study the evolution of Iran's gas turbine sectoral innovation system as a CoPS industry. To this end, a qualitative approach and a case study research design were employed. To do this, we conducted 17 in-depth interviews, participated in different conferences and conventions, as well as studied various documents as secondary data. Our findings suggest that: firstly, technological capabilities in Iranian gas turbine producers have evolved from assembling to manufacturing, and re-designing existing gas turbines; Secondly, diverse and dynamic governmental policies associated with the gas turbine industry over the last two decades have played a key role in encouraging domestic firms to acquire technological capabilities; and thirdly, the large and growing domestic market not only justified investing in R&D and building infrastructure by the government but also contributed to improved interaction and collaboration between domestic and overseas' companies. As the main policy implication, our paper suggests that the transition from product-using to product-manufacturing in CoPS industries is not an automatic process. It is important to design the corresponding policies and institutional arrangements following the evolving technological capabilities and demand conditions. Finally, this paper has contributed to sectoral innovation systems and CoPS literature by shedding light on the evolution of the gas turbine industry as CoPS in the context of Iran as a developing country with some restrictions in global technology collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reza Shah's attempt in the latter part of his autocracy (1935–1941) to implement formal education for the clergy continues to be one of the most understudied periods of Iran's modern history. The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the ḥawza's strategic response to Reza Shah's envisaged secularism and to assess the contribution made by Ayatollah Muhammad Hojjat Kuh Kamari (1892–1952), the religious authority leading the ḥawza ʿilmīyya of Qum during this crucial phase. At a time, when the political establishment actively attempted to change the cultural identity of Iran through its promotion of modernization with Western connotations, he viewed this as a new challenge that endangered the Islamic fabric of Iranian society and placed an emphasis on a socio-cultural response by Shia clerics. By drawing on a range of primary sources not consulted before, this study aims at understanding how the institutional and intellectual development of this critical transition period led to the breathing period for ḥawza ʿilmīyya of Qum and the quasi-democratic phase of Iran (1941–1953). Additionally, this paper will analyse the approach of dynamic quietism that prioritized the engagement of the 'ulamāʾ with education and society as the crucial factor in ensuring their socio-cultural influence in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine the key factors influencing driving risk perception in Iran. We conducted separate surveys for two groups of Iranian drivers, namely passenger car drivers and truck drivers. In order to assess driving risk perception, respondents were asked what they think about their Probability of Having a Road Accident (PHRA) and if they eventually have an accident as a driver, what they think about the Probability of it being Fatal or causing Severe Injury (PFSI). A Bivariate Ordered Probit model, which considers the possible correlation between PHRA and PFSI, was developed to explain the observed driving risk perception using type of vehicle, driving experience, socio-demographic information, and driving behaviour. According to the results, vehicle type, vehicle age, driving experience, sleep quality, at-fault accidents over the past three years, vehicles safety-related equipment, and education level have significant effects on driving risk perception (p-value < 0.05). In addition, this paper compares the driving risk perception of truck and passenger car drivers. The results show that truck drivers have a higher perception of PHRA and PFSI compared with passenger car drivers (p-value < 0.05). The results may convince policy-makers to consider the characteristics of the two categories of drivers when designing regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper focuses on the notion of institutionalization of state religion through educational institution in the Islamic context from socio-demographic perspective. Despite the existence of a large body of literature arguing the substantial role of Islamic authorities' socialization mechanisms, especially educational institution in the formation of religious identity, the argument has not enjoyed sufficiently supportive research-based evidence in the existing literature. This study aims to contribute filling this research gap, through its empirical research results presented and discussed in this paper. This paper particularly addresses whether educational institution operates as a mechanism of democratic socialization or is utilized to institutionalize state religion. The field of this study is the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to the results of this study, the first major observations support religious priority, suggesting that the overwhelming representation of religious and Islamic characteristics exists throughout state's educational resources analyzed in this study. Furthermore, the results of this study develop significantly and support empirically the notion that the real influence of educational institution is determined by ideology and power relations. In sum, the overwhelming under-representation of 'others' not only casts doubt on democratic socialization process but also supports the institutionalization of state religion through educational institution in this Islamic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is concern about susceptibility of psoriatic patients on biologics to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its clinical course. The aims of present review were to determine whether the biologic treatment of psoriasis increases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and if biologics affect the clinical course of COVID-19 in these patients. We searched database of MEDLINE (PubMed) for key term of psoriasis biologic and COVID-19 until June 9, 2020 and all published 14 papers and an experience from Iran (10509 cases) related to the psoriatic patients on biologics and COVID-19 along with relevant papers were summarized. In spite of limitation in some reports, due to some of strengths that will be discussed, all papers were included in this review. According to 8769 medical reports around 0.3% of psoriatic patients had COVID-19 and the rate of hospitalization was 0.1%. No death due to COVID-19 was reported among 10509 patients. Reports indicated psoriatic patients on biologics were not more susceptible to COVID-19 and the severe clinical course of disease. While there is not definitive controlled trial data, the available evidence suggests that patients with psoriasis without COVID-19 can continue the biologic therapy for psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to report research on the problems faced by novice principals in Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 novice principals, all from elementary schools in Iran. The paper also identifies possible solutions to address the problems through three focus group interviews. The analysis followed the principles of qualitative research. The main findings relate to three aspects: the personal constructions of novice principal problems, professional constructions of novice principal problems, and the possible solutions to help address the problems. The conclusion compares these Iranian findings with international research, showing some common issues but also certain problems that are distinctive to the Iranian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a contribution to the understanding of insurance and risk management as a culturally mediated form of social action. It examines how commercial insurance functions in the Iranian marketplace, focusing on insurance against liability in bodily harm. The quantum of damages (diya) currently used in Iran's 'Islamicized' laws, including in insurance law, is rooted in the historical conventions of Bedouin Arabs, chief among which was the cultural use of camels as a benchmark for the valuation of human life. The imposition of this cultural rule on contemporary insurance contracts complicates risk management via probabilistic logic, because there are major fluctuations in camel valuations in the Iranian market today. The use of this benchmark also has significant socio-economic implications for the insured. But, at the same time, there is surprising synergy between ancient culture and modern business because the same traditions that established camels as the benchmark for diya also gave birth to one of the earliest forms of proto-insurance against liability and continue to give religious legitimacy to the insurance business. By examining the incorporation of the Islamic quantum of damages in insurance calculations, this paper contributes to the broader understanding of the cultural and moral underpinnings of insurance, and sheds light on how the tensions between the cultural and economic elements of risk management are managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Persian Famine of 1917–1919 is one of the greatest calamities in the history of Iran. While some scholarly work has explored the causes and dynamics of the famine, less attention has been paid to its memorialisation. This paper aims to understand how the Great Persian Famine is remembered – or not – in public and personal spheres in Iran. Discussing the historical events that have been silenced, neglected or publicly recognised and commemorated before and after the Islamic Revolution, the paper focusses on the processes that hinder public and private memorialising of hunger violence. Drawing on existing literature, personal diaries, artistic representations, and interviews with persons whose parents or grandparents experienced the Great Persian Famine, we discuss why it has not figured prominently in the national historiography or commemorative practices, except during a brief period (2008–2013) when it found its way into the prevailing political discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illegal bird hunting in and around the Fereydunkenar International Wetland in Iran has a long history but one with serious ecological consequences. Such hunting has involved the mass killing of critically endangered species – such as Siberian cranes, white-headed ducks, geese, lapwings and wintering raptors – and has caused damage to regional ecosystems. The outcome has been described by conservationists and regional news commentators as a "bird genocide." This study addresses some of the significant problems created by the illegal bird market of Fereydunkenar and explores the reasons for both the actors' participation and the market's resilience. The paper draws on original fieldwork – data from qualitative, in-depth interviews with 21 participants actively involved in this bird market. Actors provided various justifications and explanations for their activities, such as food and income, the ineffectiveness of formal controls alongside the supportiveness of informal social norms, and the ability to create an enterprise and attract capital based on simple commodification of nature. The case study illuminates how a traditional practice and a narrowly-focused set of behaviors persist despite the impact of related cascade effects causing harm to ecosystems that push some species to the edge of extinction. The paper therefore serves as an interdisciplinary contribution to green criminology and conservation criminology, as well as to ecological sciences, more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most ancient and attractive tourism destinations in the Middle East and South Asia, Iran seeks to maximize its competitive identity to compete more effectively at international level. This study examines the major factors influencing Iran's competitive identity as a tourism destination from a supply-side perspective. The paper is divided into two phases using qualitative and quantitative techniques. First, we determined Iran's major competitiveness factors using thematic content analysis. Second, we examined the relationships between the identified factors, Iran's competitive identity, and its international tourism market development. The findings of this study suggest that factors including information technology, politics, products and services, spatial and infrastructure, structure and organization, economic and sociocultural factors significantly impact the destination's competitive identity. This paper also outlines the key theoretical and practical implications of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was inspired by Michael Rush's works on the social construction of fatherhood in non-European contexts. It aims to fill a knowledge gap in gender, family and Iranian studies by exploring both the changing role of fathers and men's involvement in family life and care in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Adopting an intergenerational approach and a mixed methods design, the paper considers how fatherhood practices and discourses have changed over the last decades and how different generations of men elaborate, describe, and perform the paternal role. Despite institutionalized gender inequality and a patriarchal family structure supported by family law legislation, fatherhood in Iran is anything but static. Instead, it is possible to notice a gradual redefinition of gender roles within the family. Especially urban middle class's men are negotiating diverse masculinities and, at the same time, delivering non-traditional parenting roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, to study the frequency and severity of traffic accidents, a combination of geographic information system and spatial analysis has been used. For this purpose, methods of planar and network statistics including kernel density estimation and nearest neighbor distance analysis were applied for three types of accidents including fatal, injury, and material property damages. In addition, drawbacks of the traditional planar point pattern and the benefits of network analysis are offered. The network statistics are executed through SANET version 4 and ArcMap on the Semnan–Garmsar road in Iran. The nearest neighbor output analysis is consist of four curves, and regarding the fact that the amounts for accidents resulting in fatalities, injuries, and damages, the observed value curve is above the 5% confidence interval; accidents in the study region are more clustered than would be expected by random chance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do intelligence estimates sometimes fail to prepare policymakers for change? Some explanations suggest the fault lies with insufficient data collection, weak analysis, or unreceptive audiences. But while more data and better analysis would always be welcome, they may not materially reduce uncertainty; and explanations centering on the intelligence-policymaker relationship offer no systematic critique of the orthodoxy that keeps intelligence and policymakers at arm's length. This paper argues that some cases of estimative failure – including the case of the 1979 Iranian revolution – are the result of a flawed orthodoxy of intelligence-policymaker relations, which overlooks the policymaker's actual and potential impact on the target. In contrast, this paper introduces the concept of "the view from somewhere", which places the customer's policy and preferences at the center of the intelligence problem. In the Iran case, estimates adopting the view from somewhere could have warned Washington of critical decision points while it still had leverage to act, explained how US policy had inadvertently shaped the Shah's ineffectual response to unrest, and assessed opportunities for effective policy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a new purely data-driven method for measuring impact of road safety culture based only on the aggregated data on traffic safety indicators rather than on questionnaire surveys. The paper proposes the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA) with undesirable inputs-outputs for quantitative assessment of the impact on road fatalities of road safety culture. This method determines a number of road safety factors and then distinguishes between the effects of specified factors and the cultural factors. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed DEA are illustrated in a real-world application for assessment of the impact of road safety culture on Iran provincial road fatalities in the time period of two years. Results of DEA enable differentiating between provinces according to the impact of cultural aspects on fatality rate. Moreover, results show that road safety culture on average has improved in the time period of two years. The results of this study may be considered as a basis for traffic safety culture (TSC) interventions at provincial level. This paper provides a new opportunity to look at road safety culture across provincial road transportation systems in Iran and represents a critical step toward understanding relationship between safety culture and safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolution of the concept of photography in Iran during the two decades following the 1979 Islamic revolution and its relationship to a changing political discourse during that period. Since the state became a dominant player in culture and the arts during the post-Islamic revolutionary era, this paper puts the evolution of the concept of photography into a socio-political context. Using Discursive Institutionalism as a theoretical framework, we examine Iranian photographers' ideas on photography as well as the discourses that affected photography organisations, revealing the forces driving changes in how photographic work was conceived. The first decade following 1979 the Islamic revolution was marked by eight years of war, and photography was purposed to produce factual documents, leaving no room for picture-making, manipulation or self-expression. Meanwhile due to the revolutionary and leftist agenda set forth by the Mir-Hussein Mousavi administration (1981–1989), photography was formulated as a commitment to depict social deprivation and the difficulties in achieving social reforms. However, with the liberalising ideas introduced during Hashemi Rafsanjani's administration (1989–1997), the concept of photography began to change. Photographic work became less an expression of political commitment to being seen as a form of self-expression that valued formalism and image-making. In other words, the changing political discourses during this period mark a shift from 'taking' to 'making' photographs. The intellectual opening In Iranian society that began in the early 1990s both paved the way for a more theoretical approach to photography as well as growing diversity in the organisation of photographic work. In particular, the more liberal attitude of the Rafsanjani administration resulted in a significant increase in the number of journals, newspapers and publications that provided a market for more imaginative photography, and a fluorescence of picture 'making.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a large body of the literature confirms the existence of diverse styles of the hijab and attributes this diversity as a consequence of religious authorities' socialization mechanisms across the Islamic world, the literature still lacks sufficiently fresh research-based evidence to assess the actual effects of these official mechanisms on individuals' perceptions towards the hijab. This crucial research gap is the central focus of this study and I present research-based evidence in this paper to contribute to filling this gap from a demographic perspective. Generally speaking, the results of this analysis have shown that the social perceptions on the hijab are substantially affected by the main demographic determinants. Of them, age composition and education play overwhelmingly a more important role: while the high-educated younger cohorts hold substantially modest and liberal perceptions towards the hijab, the opposite applies to the low-educated older cohorts. In sum, the results of this analysis not only cast a revolutionary doubt on the success of the authorities' long-term religious bombardment strategy but also argue that such a failure will become increasingly a more visible observation due to the country's demographics particularly a growing university educated youth bulge fuelled by the global modern communication technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to address one of the most important challenges faced during the history of Iran, namely Afghans' invasion to Isfahan and the abrupt fall of the Safavid dynasty, by collecting new data and relying on the regional study method. The current paper studies the role of a group of Sunnat wal Jamaat immigrants who migrated to the central places of Iran, namely the Sunnat wal jamaat who went from Mosul to the city of Dargazin in the province of Hamedan on behalf of Shah Abbas I. The present study researchers found that although Shah Abbas's accomplishment in moving the nomads (Eilat) to different areas was a very intelligent consideration, this was considered a secure work only during the days of his authoritative dynasty, and after him, during the days of his successors with the shrinking of the Safavid government, it was changed to a major problem for the government. Moreover, unsatisfied Sunnat wal Jamaat either joined the Ottomans or the other opponents of the Safavid dynasty when the Afghans invaded Iran and played a role as leading troops in the conquest of the Iranian territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the current Civil War in Yemen based on Human Needs Theory. Developed by John Burton, Human Needs Theory rests on the premise that certain groups of people resort to violence when their basic needs are not met or when they need understanding, respect, and consideration for their needs. Needs for security and identity recognition are particularly salient in civil wars and devastating identity conflicts. An important conclusion is that many of the human needs violations that the Shia minority group has suffered in Yemen stem from the long-established Sunni-Shia conflict that has fueled this civil war. This has caused Saudi Arabia (i.e., Sunni) and Iran (i.e., Shia) to support both sides of the conflict. As a result, a significant number of Yemenis have had difficulties living out their religious identity and achieve well-being. In particular, not only have their basic human rights been denied (i.e., essential needs to maintain survival) but, also, basic aid to children has been rejected as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper probes the process of heritage production in documentary films with a specific focus on the documentary film Taq Kasra Wonder of Architecture (Akbarzadeh, Pejman. 2018. Taq Kasra Wonder of Architecture. Amsterdam: Persian Dutch Network. .), which tells the story of the pre-Islamic Persian/Iranian historical site of Taq Kasra (the Arch of Ctesiphon), presently located in Iraq. The paper situates the film within a broader context of documentaries about Persian edifices in the region and draws on primary interview material with the documentary maker Pejman Akbarzadeh. Through its analyses, the paper shows how, especially in the Iranian setting, a documentary film can engage and (re)produce heritage, and how, when compared to that setting, Taq Kasra exposes persistent aspects of cultural politics within the Islamic Republic since its establishment after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and Saddam Hussein's policies. In doing so, it is argued that the film provides a mode of critical enquiry into heritage in current historical and political circumstances in Iran. The paper addresses a lacuna in both critical heritage and film studies, namely, the analysis and interpretation of the making of heritage in film and as film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]