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IntroductionAppropriate and practical use of agricultural waste reduce the pressure on the environment. Recently, there has been significant promotion of biochar utilization in agricultural lands. It serves as a valuable source of organic material for enhancing plant growth and as an effective soil amendment to improve soil properties. Due to its unique chemical and physical properties, biochar can be used as a soil conditioner and has many benefits for optimal agricultural and environmental management. Studies have shown that biochar is a useful amendment for improving the physical and chemical properties of soil and effective in maintaining organic matter and soil moisture. Materials and Methods This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of biochar on the physical and chemical properties of soil under conditions of water stress and irrigation using saline water. The experiment was carried out in a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse conditions. The treatments include three irrigation water treatments (60, 80, and 100 percent water requirement of the plant, respectively, I1, I2, and I3), three treatments of biochar prepared from northern forest trees at a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius (0, 2, and 4 percent by weight of potting soil, respectively, B1, B2, and B3) and three water quality treatments (with electrical conductivity 1, 4 and 7 dS/m, respectively, S1, S2 and S3). The pots were weighed every other day and at each level of biochar and salinity, the water deficit up to the agricultural moisture level was calculated based on the changes in the pot's weight. After harvesting (in the first half of April 2022), in order to investigate the effect of biochar on the amount of soil nutrients and some physical and chemical parameters of the soil under the conditions of water stress and irrigation water salinity, sampling was done from the soil of each pot. The samples were taken to the laboratory and parameters of apparent and actual specific gravity, acidity and salinity of the soil, percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium absorbable of the soil were measured in the laboratory. Referring to the yield to irrigation water ratio, water productivity is obtained by the following relation (Payero et al., 2009): WP=Y/IR, where, WP represents water productivity (kg/m3), Y denotes the yield (kg/ha), and IR shows the amount of irrigation water (m3/ha). Analysis of variance for the results obtained from different treatments was conducted using SAS software (SAS 9.1, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). The mean values of the main factors and interactive effects were compared using the Duncan method at the 1% and 5% levels of significance. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that the amount of biochar, irrigation water and water salinity and their mutual effects had a significant effect on the measured parameters at the probability level of one and five percent. Adding 2 and 4 mass percent biochar to the soil increased the amount of phosphorus (35 and 60%, respectively), potassium (57% and 61%), nitrogen (83% and 91%), pH (13% and 13%) and electrical conductivity (EC) (13% and 57%) of the soil. By adding 2% and 4% of biochar to the soil, the actual specific gravity of the soil decreased by 13% and 21%, respectively, and the apparent specific gravity decreased by 11% and 22%, respectively. The actual and apparent specific gravity of the soil decreased by adding biochar to the soil. Decreasing the depth of irrigation water and increasing water salinity increased the amount of phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, pH and EC of the soil. The amount of irrigation water had no significant effect on the apparent and actual specific gravity, however, the salinity of the irrigation water caused a significant increase in the apparent and actual specific gravity of the soil. Although the addition of biochar to the soil increased the nutrients required by plants in the soil, high amounts of biochar in the soil should be used careful, because the addition of this organic matter to the soil at high levels increased soil EC significantly. Based on the findings derived from the research, the utilization of biochar is recommended as a viable approach for enhancing both the chemical quality and productivity of nutrient-poor and sandy soils.

Introduction Appropriate and practical use of agricultural waste reduce the pressure on the environment. Recently, there has been significant promotion of biochar utilization in agricultural lands. It serves as a valuable source of organic material for enhancing plant growth and as an effective soil amendment to improve soil properties. Due to its unique chemical and physical properties, biochar can be used as a soil conditioner and has many benefits for optimal agricultural and environmental management. Studies have shown that biochar is a useful amendment for improving the physical and chemical properties of soil and effective in maintaining organic matter and soil moisture. Materials and Methods This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of biochar on the physical and chemical properties of soil under conditions of water stress and irrigation using saline water. The experiment was carried out in a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse conditions. The treatments include three irrigation water treatments (60, 80, and 100 percent water requirement of the plant, respectively, I1, I2, and I3), three treatments of biochar prepared from northern forest trees at a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius (0, 2, and 4 percent by weight of potting soil, respectively, B1, B2, and B3) and three water quality treatments (with electrical conductivity 1, 4 and 7 dS/m, respectively, S1, S2 and S3). The pots were weighed every other day and at each level of biochar and salinity, the water deficit up to the agricultural moisture level was calculated based on the changes in the pot's weight. After harvesting (in the first half of April 2022), in order to investigate the effect of biochar on the amount of soil nutrients and some physical and chemical parameters of the soil under the conditions of water stress and irrigation water salinity, sampling was done from the soil of each pot. The samples were taken to the laboratory and parameters of apparent and actual specific gravity, acidity and salinity of the soil, percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium absorbable of the soil were measured in the laboratory. Referring to the yield to irrigation water ratio, water productivity is obtained by the following relation (Payero et al., 2009): WP=Y/IR, where, WP represents water productivity (kg/m³), Y denotes the yield (kg/ha), and IR shows the amount of irrigation water (m³/ha). Analysis of variance for the results obtained from different treatments was conducted using SAS software (SAS 9.1, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). The mean values of the main factors and interactive effects were compared using the Duncan method at the 1% and 5% levels of significance. Results and Discussion The results showed that the amount of biochar, irrigation water and water salinity and their mutual effects had a significant effect on the measured parameters at the probability level of one and five percent. Adding 2 and 4 mass percent biochar to the soil increased the amount of phosphorus (35 and 60%, respectively), potassium (57% and 61%), nitrogen (83% and 91%), pH (13% and 13%) and electrical conductivity (EC) (13% and 57%) of the soil. By adding 2% and 4% of biochar to the soil, the actual specific gravity of the soil decreased by 13% and 21%, respectively, and the apparent specific gravity decreased by 11% and 22%, respectively. The actual and apparent specific gravity of the soil decreased by adding biochar to the soil. Decreasing the depth of irrigation water and increasing water salinity increased the amount of phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, pH and EC of the soil. The amount of irrigation water had no significant effect on the apparent and actual specific gravity, however, the salinity of the irrigation water caused a significant increase in the apparent and actual specific gravity of the soil. Although the addition of biochar to the soil increased the nutrients required by plants in the soil, high amounts of biochar in the soil should be used careful, because the addition of this organic matter to the soil at high levels increased soil EC significantly. Based on the findings derived from the research, the utilization of biochar is recommended as a viable approach for enhancing both the chemical quality and productivity of nutrient-poor and sandy soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Objective: Due to increasing in demand for quail products, including eggs and meat, and the cost-effectiveness of producing this product, quail breeding has found a special place in the poultry industry. Japanese quail is a diverse type of poultry that has unique characteristics such as delicious and nutritious meat and high egg production. In fact, high activity and movement in quails increases the storage of glycogen in their muscle tissues, which makes the meat of this bird very delicious, like that of hunting birds. The value of protein in the meat of this bird is 24.91%, while the rare amino acids that are not found in other proteins are abundantly found in the meat of this bird. The efficiency of converting feed into meat production of Japanese quail can play an essential role in the economy of raising this bird. Among the populations related to the Japanese race, the brown, white and gray populations are more widespread. However, there is not much documented information about the economic and functional characteristics of these and other Japanese quail populations in the country. This research was conducted in order to compare production performance, carcass characteristics, and egg laying characteristics and hatching percentage of three varieties of white, gray and brown Japanese quail. Material and Methods: This experiment was conducted with 3 treatments and 4 replicates and a total of 360 Japanese quail up to 42 days of age, with the same rearing conditions and diet in a completely randomized design. During the experiment performance parameters were recorded. Experimental treatments include white population of Japanese quail, brown population of Japanese quail and gray population of Japanese quail. At the end of the test period (42 days), 3 quail that were close to the average weight of the flock were selected from each repetition. After slaughtering, the characteristics of the carcass (carcass, breast and thigh) were measured. Then, after the start of laying, 144 Japanese quails (with the ratio of 3 to 1 female to male) were reared in cages to measure the egg characteristics, and the hatchability percentage. After the birds reached the laying age, 3 eggs were selected from each experimental unit and the quality characteristics of the eggs such as average egg weight, egg mass, specific gravity, Haw unit and egg shell thickness were measured. Also, to measure and calculate the percentage of hatching, 24 eggs were selected from each replication, and then the eggs with unfavorable appearance characteristics such as (bad shape, calcium shell, too big and too small eggs, green shell, etc.) were removed, then they were disinfected with formaldehyde gas, and then they were transferred to special combs for eggs. The quail eggs were transferred into the incubator. After transferring the eggs to the incubator, on the 14th day of incubation, the eggs were transferred from the setter to the hatcher, and on the 17th and 18th days of incubation, the newly hatched chicks were removed and the percentage of chicks hatched of each treatment was calculated. Results: The results of the experiment showed that the experimental treatments had no significant effect on the amount of feed consumption and feed conversion ratio in different periods, but had a significant effect on the daily weight gain in the final periods and the entire breeding period (p<0.05), so that white quail had the highest average weight gain. Also, the results showed that the experimental treatments were significant on the efficiency of carcass percentage in different varieties, so that the white strain has the highest carcass percentage (p<0.05), but different strains had a significant effect on other characteristics. There were no carcasses. The results showed that there was a significant difference between different varieties of Japanese quail on white height, shell weight, haw unit and mass weight in weeks 16 to 17 (p<0.05). So that the highest amount of Haw unit and white height is related to the brown strain and the lowest is related to the gray strain, the white variety had a higher mass weight than other varieties, and also the highest amount of shell weight is related to the gray variety and the lowest It is related to brown treatment. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the percentage of hatchlings between different Japanese quail populations. Conclusion: The results of the present experiment showed that there was a significant difference between different varieties of Japanese quail in different traits, so that the white variety of Japanese quail has the highest weight gain and also has a better carcass percentage than the gray and brown varieties. On the other hand, the white variety of Japanese quail showed the highest quality in egg quality, including egg unit and mass weight. Therefore, it can be concluded that in this experiment, the white variety of Japanese quail showed better and more suitable conditions than the brown and gray varieties of Japanese quail in terms of growth performance and egg quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: After a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy there are two choices for treatment: medical treatment with methotrexate and surgical treatment. It seems that medical treatment, has had acceptable success compared to surgery and lacks the complications of surgery. Nowadays, due to the progress achieved in the early diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, a large number of patients are candidates for medical treatment. This study is conducted to evaluate the effective factors of medical treatment Response with methotrexate in ectopic pregnancies. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, the information related to patients who were diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy and were treated with methotrexate from March 2016 to March 2021 in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari was examined using hospital records by census method. In total, 160 patients out of 623 patients met the inclusion criteria and were studied. In the checklist prepared for each patient, the patient's age, number of gravity and parity and abortion, previous history of infertility, contraceptive method, presence of clinical symptoms (such as abdominal pain-vaginal bleeding-amenorrhea), History of using recent assisted reproductive methods, type of treatment regimen used (Single/Multiple Dose), serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (BHCG) level before and after starting treatment, number of previous ectopic pregnancy, gestational age based on the last Menstruation, transvaginal ultrasound results(including the presence of the yolk sac & fetal heart rate & hematosalpinx - location and size of the ectopic mass-endometrial thickness) were recorded for each patient separately, The patients were divided into two categories: success and failure of treatment and the effect of different factors on the result of medical treatment with methotrexate was investigated. The collected data were entered into SPSS 26 software and qualitative variables were analyzed with the Chi-Square test. The normality of the distribution of quantitative variables was measured by the One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, an independent t-test was used to examine quantitative variables with normal distribution, and the Mann-Whitney test was used for quantitative variables with non-normal distribution. Results: 160 patients were included in this study, 108 of patients (67.5%) were successfully treated and 52 patients (32.5%) faced treatment failure. In this study, the type of treatment regimen (P=0.001), Serum Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (BHCG) level before treatment(P=0.000), BHCG level after treatment (P=0.000), the presence of fetal heart rate (P=0.002) and yolk sac (P=0.046) are factors affecting the response to methotrexate treatment in ectopic pregnancy. The presence of hematosalpinx, size of the ectopic mass, endometrial thickness, history of infertility and recent assisted reproductive procedures, presence of clinical symptoms, contraceptive method, gestational age, history of ectopic pregnancy, number of gravidity and parity, and abortion have no effect on the results of medical treatment with methotrexate. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, Single Dose regimen of methotrexate treatment is associated with greater treatment success than a multiple-dose regimen and also high serum BHCG levels before and after the treatment, the presence of fetal heart rate and yolk sac in transvaginal ultrasound are factors to increase the probability of failure of medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy with methotrexate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended Abstract Background: Forest harvesting operations, especially logging, are activities that cause interference and tampering with nature. Tractor-operated systems are the most common type of small-scale equipment used in the north of Iran. Due to the direct contact of wood with the forest soil, land logging has always been associated with a wide range of destructive effects on the forest ecosystem, including changes in the soil's physicochemical properties and damage to the natural regeneration and remaining trees. After logging, deep grooves are visible in the remaining logging roads, which can cause soil erosion, landslides, and soil fall due to the high longitudinal slope of these roads. Changes in the soil's physicochemical properties are among of the most important effects caused by the exploitation and removal of wood from the forest mass. Numerous studies report the long-term recovery of the soil's physicochemical properties. A major management goal in forest exploitation is the need to minimize the effects of vehicle traffic on the forest soil because these negative effects can be significant in the long run. The soil characteristics (appearance, compactness, and texture) and chemical properties in terms of soil elements, organic matter, and pH in two control and forest exploitation areas were studied to provide solutions to reduce these effects. Methods: The Kohmian forestry project is located in the 89th watershed of the northern forests of Iran in the area of Natural Resources of Golestan-Gorgan province. This research was conducted in Parcel 27 of the Kohmian Azadshahr Forestry Project located in Golestan, Iran. To investigate the soil's physicochemical changes due to logging with agricultural tractors, soil was sampled in two control areas and on the crossing paths by metal cylinders at three depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm) of the soil in a completely randomized design with three replications. These samples were dried in the laboratory in an oven at 105 °C for 24 h and then weighed using a digital scale (EK4000, Japan) with an accuracy of 0.1 g. After recording the soil dry weight, the physical properties (compaction, apparent specific gravity, moisture, and texture) and chemical properties (organic matter, cation exchange capacity, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, and acidity) were studied using standard methods. Results: Logging with an agricultural tractor significantly impacted both the soil's physical and chemical properties. The most notable effect was observed in the soil depths sampled from 0-10 cm and 20-30 cm. The alterations predominantly pertained to physical changes in the soil, with no significant modifications detected in the chemical properties. Notably, soil compaction in the trafficked areas at depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm was respectively 46.2, 3.04, and 1.73 times higher than that of the control area. Furthermore, the increase in soil specific gravity at these depths ranged from 20% to 36% compared to the control area. Chemical properties such as cation exchange capacity and the concentrations of elements (e.g., phosphorus, nitrogen, and iron) exhibited reductions of 37.62%, 63.91%, 10.2%, and 73.05%, respectively, in the top 0-10 cm depth. At a depth of 10-20 cm, only organic matter was significantly impacted by tractor traffic, with a reduction of approximately 64% compared to the control area. Chemical properties at a depth of 20-30 cm remained unaffected by tractor traffic. Conclusion: The study highlights the detrimental effects of using an agricultural tractor for primary forest plot transportation. The uneven contact surface of its tires, particularly the lower contact surface in the front tire, along with the absence of a winch, leads to soil disturbance along the logging path. This disturbance includes soil compaction, increased specific gravity, and alterations in soil texture, nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron content, reduced organic matter, and decreased soil exchange capacity. To mitigate these adverse effects, it is recommended to employ specialized logging machinery, such as skidders with rakes, instead of agricultural tractors. Other measures include implementing surface protections on logging paths, restricting logging activities to periods when the forest soil is dry and less prone to damage, and proper disposal of excess logs along the logging route.

In this article, a system for recognizing Persian sign language alphabets is presented. This system is able to recognize 32 hand postures for Persian alphabets and translate it into Persian text. For this purpose, images of hand positions have been considered for each letter of the alphabet. The database contains 600 images of different people taken by a digital camera. We have transferred all the image data to the binary domain and resized them with a single scale. Image data preprocessing includes image cropping and noise removal. After pre-processing, 3 algorithms are proposed to extract features. The proposed algorithms include the image segmentation algorithm, the distance between border contour points and the center of gravity algorithm, and Radon transformation. Algorithm of the distances between the border contour points and the center of gravity shows how the points are placed on the peripheral curve of the hand in relation to each other and to the center of gravity, and therefore provides suitable structural information for describing states. The next algorithm is based on image segmentation. In this algorithm, the ratio of the number of white pixels to the total number of pixels is calculated in each of the areas. In Radon transformation, in addition to obtaining the general information of the image in each of the modes, we have increased the accuracy of the detection by using the proposed method and discarding additional information. The proposed methods also provided good results on other image databases.

Introduction Turbidity currents, or dense flows, occurs when a fluid moves within another fluid with different densities, also Turbidity Current occurs when a fluid with a higher or lower density than the ambient fluid enters a fluid with a different density. The main cause of this phenomenon is the effect of the difference in density on gravitational acceleration; hence, Turbidity Currents are also referred to as gravitational flows (Graf & Altinakar, 2003). Karamichemeh (2014) investigated the effect of slope and concentration on turbulent flows in the submerged region along a straight path. To achieve this, they conducted 60 experiments with four discharge rates ranging from 5.0 to 2.0 liters per second, four concentrations with volumetric mass of 1013, 1009, 1006, and 1016 kilograms per cubic meter, and three slopes of 8, 12, and 16 percent. The results of this study showed that with an increase in the Richardson number (inverse of the square root of the densimetric Froude number), the intensity of mixing decreases. Additionally, the intensity of mixing in the submerged region is greater compared to the intensity of mixing in the body region. Given the limited studies on the movement of Turbidity currents in curved paths, the aim of this research is to investigate the effect of bends on the Water Entrainment in the plunging region. Methodology A three-bend flume with 90-degree bends and radii of 40, 80, and 120 cm, height of 60 cm, and width of 20 cm, was used in the Hydraulic Laboratory of the Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. In this flume, the turbidity current from the beginning of the flume entered a cavity with a depth of about 40 cm through a flexible and removable pipe with a diameter of 10 cm, and after filling the cavity and passing through three net-shaped relaxers, it entered the arch. At the end of the flume, clear water entered the flume; In such a way that the volume of the output turbidity current is almost equal to the input clear water. In order to create the immersion area, a 33% slope was created in the path of the arch by sand at the place of the arches (separately); Also, to reduce the roughness of the floor, a piece of polished wood was used on the sands (Figure 1). In the current study, water and salt solution was used as a turbidity current, and to make this solution and transfer it to the flume, the mixing system includes a tank with a capacity of 2000 liters, a pump with a power of two horsepower in order to transfer the flow to the head tank (Head Tank) and The shaft and propeller along with the two horsepower engine were made to homogenize the water and salt mixture. The mentioned mixing system includes the mixing tank, pump, pipes and connections, as well as the tank head, which was responsible for creating a constant head from the turbidity current to be transferred to the flume. Results and Discusspn The maximum value of the initial mixing coefficient of the ambient fluid to the turbidity current is 0.4 which means that a maximum of 40% of the flow of the ambient fluid can enter the turbidity current in the plunging region. By increasing the radius of curvature and reducing the effect of centrifugal force, the transverse velocity (velocity perpendicular to the arc) decreases and this decrease causes an increase in the longitudinal velocity (velocity along the arc). An increase in the longitudinal velocity causes an increase in the momentum of the concentrated flow in the direction of the arc and more collisions between the concentrated flow and the ambient fluid. Therefore, in the third arc (the arc with a radius to width ratio of six) the highest longitudinal speed and the highest intensity of mixing occurred. Conclusions The phenomenon of turbidity current occurs when a fluid moves inside another fluid due to the difference in density. When the density of the fluid is greater than the density of the ambient fluid, underflow occurs. In turbidity currents in the contact area of the flow with the ambient fluid, the instability of the flow at the boundary between the two layers causes the ambient fluid to enter the turbidity current. The submergence zone is one of the four areas of underpass turbidity currents, which has the highest amount of ambient fluid entering into the turbidity current. In this research, the behavior of concentrated salt flows in arches was studied. The results show that the increase in the radius of curvature leads to a decrease in the centrifugal force and an increase in the speed in the direction of the flow, and this causes an increase in the mixing intensity. As the density of the turbidity current increases, the tendency of still clear water to penetrate into it decreases. Also, in the context of the ambient fluid entering the turbidity current, a relationship has been presented that shows that a maximum of 40% of the ambient fluid discharge can enter the turbidity current in the plunging region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Simulation-based medical education is effective for developing and improving critical care-related clinical skills training and reducing patient safety threats. The present study aimed to describe the technological approach of building and evaluating a prototype of a Lung Box (LB) mechanical ventilation simulator. Materials and Methods: In this practical study with an analytical approach, the device's body, constructed from 5 mm plexiglass sheets, occupies a respiratory circuit, an airflow obstruction system, a pressure gauge manometer, a spring-loaded manual system to apply limits on the bag inflation range, a tidal volume measurement system, a respiratory trigger simulator system, and a four-layer accordion-style plastic bag assembly that can be inflated and deflated with air. Additionally, there is a user manual storage box along with it. Results: The design and drawing of the device's map were performed with AutoCAD software, and the parts were assembled after laser cutting. The device was connected to the ICU ventilator, and the respiratory mode of continuous forced ventilation was selected. Prior to ventilation, the tidal volumes were selected to be 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, and 0.40 ml, and respiratory rates were set as 18, 15, 12, and 9 bpm. The simulation of the respiratory trigger was performed with different values ​​of flow sensitivity (0.05-15 lit/min). There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in terms of the reproducibility of the values ​​of the selected variables for the test Lung (TL) with those chosen for LB. Conclusion: In this technical study, a prototype educational mechanical ventilation simulator was developed and functionally tested using the concepts of fluid dynamics and respiratory physiology. Compared with conventional TL, this device is accurate and efficient enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, mantle flour and elderberry kernel were used to increase the nutritional properties and fiber of ice cream. Elderberry mantle and core were separately converted into flour, added to ice cream at levels (2, 1, and 3%) and its physicochemical properties such as: viscosity, aurran, colorimetry were investigated and the best treatment was determined during the sensory evaluation. The physicochemical results of ice cream containing elderberry flour (shell and core) showed: increasing the percentage of elderberry core and mantle caused a decrease in pH. The lowest pH value was related to the sample containing 3% kernel flour and the highest pH value was related to the control sample. The highest amount of viscosity (1327.5 centipoise) was related to the treatment of 3% elderberry mantle flour and the lowest amount was related to the control sample. The highest specific weight (1.15) was related to the treatment of 2% and 3% of elderberry mantle flour and the lowest amount was related to the control sample. Also, the highest coefficient of volume increase was observed in the control sample (38.97%) and the lowest overrun was observed in the sample containing 3% of Sanjad mantle flour. With the sensory evaluation, the treatment containing 2% elderberry kernel flour was more acceptable than other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: After a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy there are two choices for treatment: medical treatment with methotrexate and surgical treatment. It seems that medical treatment, has had acceptable success compared to surgery and lacks the complications of surgery. Nowadays, due to the progress achieved in the early diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, a large number of patients are candidates for medical treatment. This study is conducted to evaluate the effective factors of medical treatment Response with methotrexate in ectopic pregnancies. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, the information related to patients who were diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy and were treated with methotrexate from March 2016 to March 2021 in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari was examined using hospital records by census method. In total, 160 patients out of 623 patients met the inclusion criteria and were studied. In the checklist prepared for each patient, the patient's age, number of gravity and parity and abortion, previous history of infertility, contraceptive method, presence of clinical symptoms (such as abdominal pain-vaginal bleeding-amenorrhea), History of using recent assisted reproductive methods, type of treatment regimen used (Single/Multiple Dose), serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (BHCG) level before and after starting treatment, number of previous ectopic pregnancy, gestational age based on the last Menstruation, transvaginal ultrasound results(including the presence of the yolk sac & fetal heart rate & hematosalpinx - location and size of the ectopic mass-endometrial thickness) were recorded for each patient separately, The patients were divided into two categories: success and failure of treatment and the effect of different factors on the result of medical treatment with methotrexate was investigated. The collected data were entered into SPSS 26 software and qualitative variables were analyzed with the Chi-Square test. The normality of the distribution of quantitative variables was measured by the One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, an independent t-test was used to examine quantitative variables with normal distribution, and the Mann-Whitney test was used for quantitative variables with non-normal distribution. Results: 160 patients were included in this study, 108 of patients (67.5%) were successfully treated and 52 patients (32.5%) faced treatment failure. In this study, the type of treatment regimen (P=0.001), Serum Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (BHCG) level before treatment(P=0.000), BHCG level after treatment (P=0.000), the presence of fetal heart rate (P=0.002) and yolk sac (P=0.046) are factors affecting the response to methotrexate treatment in ectopic pregnancy. The presence of hematosalpinx, size of the ectopic mass, endometrial thickness, history of infertility and recent assisted reproductive procedures, presence of clinical symptoms, contraceptive method, gestational age, history of ectopic pregnancy, number of gravidity and parity, and abortion have no effect on the results of medical treatment with methotrexate. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, Single Dose regimen of methotrexate treatment is associated with greater treatment success than a multiple-dose regimen and also high serum BHCG levels before and after the treatment, the presence of fetal heart rate and yolk sac in transvaginal ultrasound are factors to increase the probability of failure of medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy with methotrexate

Due to the existence of various uncertainties in the materials and modeling of these structures, the quantification of these uncertainties requires sensitivity analysis and reducing the number of variable parameters to reduce cost and time in modeling. In this research, numerical analysis of Maku dam located in West Azerbaijan province which is considered as a case study is performed using FLAC2D software and the static response is obtained. The effect of construction layers and the amount and shape of contours of stress and displacement were compared and validated with previous researches. The 49 random variables (RVs) (of materials properties in the zones of the core, shell, filter, drainage, alluvium and bedrock) was considered. By performing sensitivity analysis and using the Tornado diagram, the number of variable parameters is reduced and 18 important RVs were identified for the modeling and analysis of the earth dam. The results showed that altering the dry density (γd ) of the shell causes a change of about 8% and altering the Poisson's ratio (ν) and also the modulus of elasticity (E) of the core leads to a change of about 7% in earth dams’ response. Finally, parameters of dry density (γd ), Poisson's ratio (ν), modulus of elasticity (E) and internal friction angle (ϕ) were identified as more sensitive parameters that have the greatest impact on the response of earth dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attention to social interactions is highlighted as a crucial component in the design of residential spaces. Neglecting environmental and behavioral psychological elements in the design of residential complexes can lead to problems in individual and social life. Despite the importance of this issue, a review of the literature in this field reveals few studies that focus on identifying environmental and behavioral psychological elements aimed at enhancing social interactions in the design of high-rise residential complexes. Aims: The aim of the current research was to identify the psychological environmental and behavioral elements in enhancing social interactions in the design of high-rise residential complexes. Methods: The present research employed a descriptive survey method. The population consisted of all residents of residential complexes in the city of Tehran, from which 11 residential complexes were selected using convenience sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 30 items. Sample size determination was conducted using Cochran's formula, resulting in 315 returned questionnaires out of 1000 distributed questionnaires, all of which were suitable for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Results: Based on the results and comparisons made, all three examined factors, namely physical, semantic, and functional features, have varying degrees of importance as influential factors on the level of social interactions in the open spaces of residential complexes (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Creating and promoting local social networks and communication platforms for residents can help strengthen social connections and interactions among members of the community. These networks can facilitate the sharing of information related to neighborhood affairs, encourage participation in social activities and local events, and facilitate the formation of local groups and associations. By providing a digital space for residents to connect and engage with one another, these platforms can contribute to a sense of community cohesion and foster a supportive local environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a molecular dynamics simulation-based research that investigates the adsorption of sodium oleate (NaOl) on the of the highly hydrophilic 001 hematite surface in froth flotation and its effect on the mineral's wettability properties. The molecular dynamics simulation was conducted using LAMMPS. The wettability properties were evaluated by comparing the thermodynamic characteristics of two surfaces, one net and the other coated by the collector. Surface energy, center of mass location of water molecules, water density in contact layers and adjacent to the surface, and fluid permeability coefficient were used as indicators of wettability. The simulation results showed that the 001 surface of hematite is highly hydrophilic due to strong electrostatic interactions and feasible hydrogen bond formation sites. However, with the adsorption of the collector, the surface became hydrophobic due to a sharp decrease in surface tension, reduction of intermolecular interactions, and loss of hydrogen bond formation sites. The results confirm that the selective absorption of the collector on the hematite surface enables its floatability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nir-Sarab communication Route; Due to special geological, climatic, geomorphological features and human activities, it has been affected by landslides for a long time. Therefore, according to the importance of the subject, the current research aims to evaluate the risk of landslides in this communication route by producing risk zoning maps and comparing two multi-criteria decisionmaking models, MARCOS and CODAS. For this purpose, first by examining research sources related to the subject, some of the most important factors affecting the occurrence of this phenomenon include; Height, slope, direction, lithology, land use, distance from the fault, distance from the road, distance from the river and precipitation were prepared as independent variables. Valuation and standardization of the layers were done by using the fuzzy membership function and weighting of the criteria, using the CRITIC method. Finally, modeling was done using MARCOS and CODAS multi-criteria decision-making methods. The results of the study showed, respectively; The factors of the slope, land use, and lithology have the greatest influence on the occurrence of landslides in the region with weight coefficients of 0.176, 0.152, and 0.124, respectively. According to the output of the CODAS method, respectively; 121.25 and 187.96 square kilometers of the range area, and according to the results of applying the MARCOS method, 85.32 and 201.76 square kilometers of the range area are in high-risk and very high-risk categories. Validation of the used multi-criteria decision-making methods, using the ROC curve method, very good accuracy of the CODAS method, with an area under the curve of 0.76, and excellent accuracy of the MARCOS method, with an area under the curve of 0.87, is an expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a 3-D model of the shear wave velocity (Vs) for SE Iran, containing the Makran subduction zone and termination of the Zagros collision zone. The model is developed using surface wave tomography and the associated local dispersion curves that were inverted to the Vs velocity maps. Our findings provide insights into the tectonics of the SE Iran region and the geometry of the subducting lithosphere. To obtain Rayleigh waveforms, we extracted data from 458 teleseismic earthquakes recorded by 58 seismic stations in the Makran region between June 2016 and May 2019. Events with magnitudes greater than 5.5, epicentral distances between 30º and 120º, and depths shallower than 50 km were considered for twoplane wave tomography. This resulted in phase velocity maps at nine periods ranging between 25 s and 125 s. Our results suggest the presence of a high-velocity anomaly at the northern coast of the Gulf of Oman extending ~100 km northward up to the Qasr-e Qand fault and the southern edge of the Jaz Murian depression as it was observed at shorter periods of 25-40 s. Further west of Makran and north of the Strait of Hormuz, there is also a high-velocity anomaly at the southwest of the Zendan-Minab-Palami fault at periods of 25-40 s. At periods of 50-125 s, this anomaly is observed at the northern latitudes beneath the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone at the termination of the Zagros collision zone. Our analysis suggests that this anomaly reveals underthrusting of the Arabian lithosphere under Sanandaj-Sirjan zone and Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc. Additionally, we detected a low-velocity anomaly at periods of 25-33 s showing a crustal root potentially generated by underthrusting of the Arabian lithosphere in this region. At the second inversion step, we employed a nonlinear inversion of the local dispersion curves to construct a 3-D Vs model. Our results indicate that there is a flat high-velocity anomaly in the middle of the study region (in the western Makran and under the depression of Jaz Murian), indicating a horizontal oceanic lithosphere, potentially remaining from a truncated oceanic lithosphere between the collision and subduction zones. Furthermore, our findings suggest the presence of a near-horizontal oceanic lithosphere in the eastern part of the study area, extending at a low angle underneath the northern edge of the Jaz Murian depression and subsequently subducting beneath the volcanic arc with a steep angle. Finally, we identified a low Vs anomaly at the crustal-scale in the Sistan suture zone, which stretches towards the north-northwest and is limited by the large N-S directed strike-slip faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the areas of the Iranian Plateau are high seismicity regions and there is a considerable difference between them. These differences in the eastern Iranian Plateau including the Lut block compared to the surrounding areas are so substantial that can be studied independently. A brief look at the seismic maps of this region shows that around the Lut block, the activity of strike-slip and reverse faults has caused many and devastating earthquakes but in the inner parts, it can be considered as a small rigid plate regarding the relative stability. In this research, using the most updated catalog as the main source, a catalog of 1760 historical and instrumental declustered earthquakes was provided for the area bounded in 56.5°-61°E and 28°-35.5°N in eastern Iran. The data was divided into a historical part and four instrumental parts of 1900 to 1963, 1964 to 1999, 2000 to 2005 and 2006 to 2022. Using the maximum curvature method for each of the four time intervals, the data completeness thresholds were determined to be 5.7, 4.7, 4 and 3.1, respectively. The seismicity parameters were estimated taking into account the uncertainty of the magnitudes. Substantially, the estimated b-value is equal to 1.06 and the mean annual occurrence rate for magnitude equal or greater than 3.1 is 58. The maximum magnitude of the earthquakes is estimated to be 7.9, which indicates the high seismicity of the region. The probability of annual exceedance for different magnitudes is estimated for the return periods of 50, 475, and 2475 years. Comparing the results of this study with the results of the other studies performed based on the same data and the same method for the Central-East Iran seismotectonic province confirms that the seismicity of the Lut block and its margin can be determined independently from the other parts of the Central-East Iran seismotectonic province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Khosro Abad iron ore deposit is located 130 km of Kermanshah, 30 km northeast of Sonqor city close to Khosro Abad village, in the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone. Based on the field observation, exposed units in the area include; basaltic-andesite volcanic rocks and limestone of the Sonqor Volcanic-Sedimentary Complex. The quartz-monzonite body intruded the sequence and caused a contact metamorphism of up to greenschist facies, and development of hydrothermal alteration halos. Discharged iron bearing hydrothermal fluid destabilized due to physicochemical changes and deposited the iron ore in the contact of limestone, basaltic-andesite and quartz-monzonite intrusion. Control of iron ore mineralization by the contact of quartz-monzonite and volcano-sedimentary sequence and presence of skarn mineralogy is evidence of skarn mineralization in Khosrow Abad. Geophysical survey was carried out using magnetometry technique (1305 stations), covering an area of 3.6 Km2 for defining the high potential areas of iron mineralization and depth estimation. In this research, total magnetic, reduction to pole, analytical signal, and upward continuation maps were prepared, and based on the obtained results four anomaly blocks of; An(A)-An(A´)-An(B)-An(C) were identified. An(C) anomaly is shallower than the others and extend approximately down to 50 meters, while other anomalies are much deefa. The maximum magnetic anomaly in total field intensity and RTP maps is 46426.1 and 49474.6 nanotesla, respectively, along a northeast-southwest trend, aligned with the contact of meta-andesite-basalt and crystallized limestone units. IntroductionThe magnetometric exploration technique is one of the low-cost, widely used, and indirect methods for mineral exploration and tracking of oxidizing intrusive bodies containing Fe-Ti oxides, such as magnetite, titanomagnetite, and titanohematite, as well as some iron sulfides such as pyrrhotite (Donohue et al., 2012). The Khosrow Abad iron ore deposit is located in west Iran's iron metallogenic zone of the Sonqor series. It is located northwest of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone; northeast of the Sonqor town (Kermanshah province) (Ghorbani, 2007) in Sonqor-Baneh volcanic belt (Azizi and Moinevaziri, 2009). In the northeast of Sonqor, hypabyssal acidic intrusive bodies penetrated the Upfa Jurassic rock units, including basaltic meta-andesite volcanic rocks and limy slates (calc-shale), causing skarn development and iron ore mineralization. Mineralization is mainly hosted in the meta basaltic andesite unit's skarn zone, differentiating it from other common carbonate-hosted skarn deposits (e.g., Ebrahimi Fard et al., 2022a; Ebrahimi Fard et al., 2022b). The main purpose of current research is to examine the magnetometric geophysical explorations' accuracy in detecting possible ore zones as well as the depth of oxidized (magnetic) intrusive bodies and current emplacement depth and possible associated mineralization. The main challenes were locating the magnetite ore zone covered by recent alluvium and ore zone has limited exposure, and skarn ore facies without classic carbonates as a host rock.Calc-silicate minerals in association with oxide and sulfide minerals formed the skarn zones in the Khosrow Abad deposit. Magnetite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, garnet, clinopyroxene, sodic plagioclase (albite), actinolite, epidote, chlorite, calcite, quartz, and iron hydroxides such as hematite, goethite, and limonite are the main constitute of the skarn zones. The main fracture system in the Khosrow Abad is a large strike-slip fault with an approximately north-south (NNW-SSE) trend and more than 80 degrees dip towards the east. Iron ore mineralization is mainly located in the eastern edge of this fault which formed a shear zone in the metamorphosed volcanic unit.  Material and methodsBased on the geological map, field observations, geological structures, mineralization limited exposure, and geophysical exploration were carried out fapendicular to apparent structures (probable veins and faults trend) along the northwest-southeast direction. The exploration pattern of the survey was, 25  10 m (profile distance of 25 m and 10 m reading intervals) in the ore zone and a 20  25 m pattern in surrounding rocks (1350 stations). Measurements were carried out by a Proton magnetometer model G856 manufactured by Geometrics. Magnetic surveys were mainly focused on meta basaltic andesite and quartz monzonite units. Qualitative and quantitative data processing and interpretations of data were carried out by using Geosoft Oasis Montaj and Magmap software. The highest field intensity recorded in the area is 52049 nT and the lowest recorded is 43619 nT, which according to the IGRF of 47515nT, is possibly due to the changes caused by the presence of medium-grade magnetite mineralization. DiscussionIn the total magnetic intensity map, magnetic anomalies were detected with the northwest-southeast trend which is related to discontinuous lenses along the main fault. In the IGRF-REM map, the maximum intensity value of anomalies is equal to 4534 nanotesla. All 4 detected anomalies; (A), (A´), (B), and (C) are high-intensity anomalies in this range. Anomaly (C) is marked on the map with moderate to relatively weak intensity. The upward continuation map indicates that the ore zone continues at least to a depth of more than 70 meters. The Euler's deconvolution method shows an estimate of the anomaly depth, An(C) anomaly is shallower than the others and has a depth of about 50 meters. Based on Spector and Grant's method, the estimated depth of Khosrow Abad iron ore mineralization is about 0.03 km, which is a reasonable estimate. The minimum depth of anomalies in most areas is about 30 meters. The model prepared by Encom Quickmag software shows that linear anomalies are located in line with the regional faults and parallel to each other with medium depth. For validation of the modeling results, based on the data interpretation (analytical signal map, pole-to-pole map, and transversal continuation), several drilling points were proposed for borehole drilling.  ConclusionBased on the geophysical data processing and interpretation (analytical signal map, reduction to pole map, and upward continuation) as well as modeling results, several locations were proposed for borehole drilling. The BH-1 borehole is located in the An (A) block anomaly central point, and according to the core logging data, this anomaly is introduced as an anomaly with good intensity, and according to the continuation map with a depth of more than 30 meters is almost match the geophysical interpretation and model. After the drilling campaign, it was discovered that geophysical prediction shows a good agreement with the drilling data, which confirms the effectiveness of the profa design and implemented geophysical survey for iron ore exploration in the Khosrow Abad deposit, which could be used for other skarn iron ore deposits of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the Physio-chemical characteristics of Pab sandstone of the Cretaceous age for its value added uses and industrial applications. For this purpose, sandstone samples (n = 25) were collected from Southern Pab Range in Kirthar fold belt for petrography and chemical analysis. Petrography shows that the sandstone is mainly composed of coarse to fine, sub rounded to angular, and moderately sorted quartz. Chemical analysis shows that the mean content of SiO2 is about 93.57% and Al2O3 is only about 1.65% suggesting the dominance of quartz. On the other hand, the mean concentration of Fe2O3, Na2O and K2O, CaO and MgO are found to be 1.54%, 0.11% and 0.05%, 2.26% and 0.45% respectively while SO3 content is found to be 0.02% as an average. Chemical analysis and petrography suggest that Pab sandstone is suitable for the production of glass products such as Egyptian glass, glass fiber, soda lime silica container glass, and Roman glass as it contains more than 90% silica. The silica content can further enhanced up to 99% by the removal of impurities (CaO and Fe2O3), making it suitable for foundries, ceramics, and silica gel. Beneficiation is required for the production of other types of glass, as well as for other industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]