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A cohesive organizational structure is essential for coordinated efforts, effective resource planning, and enhanced governance outcomes. Additionally, dynamic power that enables efficient governance responses can enhance the resilience of socioal-ecological systems. This study aims to explore the organizational cohesion among stakeholders in the Development and Advancement Plan of Rural Constellations in Gachsaran County County, which serves as a pilot area for assessing effective local gov-ernance. The information exchange and cooperation among these stakeholders were analyzed using social network analysis methods, contrasting the results before and after the project's implementation. To achieve this, the betweenness centrality index at the micro level, along with the density, centralization, and average geodesic distance indices at the macro level of the network, were measured. The findings showed that before the implementation of the project, the Governorate, the Omid Entrepreneurship Fund, and Technical and Vocational Training had the highest betweenness centrality, playing significant roles in controlling the flow of information and resources. After the project's implementation, the Governorate, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, and the Omid Entrepreneurship Fund were identified as the key actors with the highest betweenness centrality. The average betweenness centrality index indicated improved information flow and a more balanced distribution of key roles within the network, leading to increased efficiency and coordination among organizations. The macro-level network indices showed increased cohesion, reduced centralization, and faster information circu-lation compared to before the project's implementation. This study's approach can be applied to other regions to enhance local governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Concerns regarding the adverse consequences of radiation have increased due to the expanded application of computed tomography (CT) in medical practice. Certain studies have indicated that the radiation dosage depends on the anatomical region, the imaging technique employed and patient‐specific variables. The aim of this study is to present fitting models for the estimation of age‐specific dose estimates (ASDE), in the same direction of size‐specific dose estimates, and effective doses based on patient age, gender and the type of CT examination used in paediatric head, chest and abdomen–pelvis imaging. Methods: A total of 583 paediatric patients were included in the study. Radiometric data were gathered from DICOM files. The patients were categorised into five distinct groups (under 15 years of age), and the effective dose, organ dose and ASDE were computed for the CT examinations involving the head, chest and abdomen–pelvis. Finally, the best fitting models were presented for estimation of ASDE and effective doses based on patient age, gender and the type of examination. Results: The ASDE in head, chest, and abdomen–pelvis CT examinations increases with increasing age. As age increases, the effective dose in head and abdomen–pelvis CT scans decreased. However, for chest scans, the effective dose initially showed a decreasing trend until the first year of life; after that, it increases in correlation with age. Conclusions: Based on the presented fitting model for the ASDE, these CT scan quantities depend on factors such as patient age and the type of CT examination. For the effective dose, the gender was also included in the fitting model. By utilising the information about the scan type, region and age, it becomes feasible to estimate the ASDE and effective dose using the models provided in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water has been the source of life since it was found. In recent years, the false assurance of the permanence of water services in Iran has led to the creation of institutional structures related to water in an inappropriate and incompatible manner with environmental changes, and when water crises occur, such as droughts, floods, and, on a larger scale, climate changes, they do not have the flexibility and resilience to these changes. To this end, recognizing the current water governance system in the country is considered an essential need. The present study examines the regime of water governance and its structural characteristics in the Kor River basin, which is one of the areas facing water shortage challenges. In order to analyze these characteristics and determine the regime of the water governance system, the method of social network analysis (SNA) was used in the network of formal and informal institutions of Kherameh county downstream of the Kor River basin. This research has been done in a period of 9 months and includes designing questionnaires, field visits, completing questionnaires and analyzing the results. The results showed that the water governance network in this region has an unstable and weak structure and as a result, the level of cooperation and coordination between the institutions is low and the level of power centralization is high. As a result, the governing regime is centralized, and therefore, the establishment of a polycentric governance system requires the improvement of horizontal relations between formal and informal institutions and protection and development institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure and inefficiency of past water resources management policies have led to a movement to review, pathologize, and find ways to increase the efficiency of water resources management and subsequently increase water security. Since many factors affect water security, recognizing these factors can improve the performance of sustainable water resources management. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the water security index (WSI) with the help of the watershed security assessment framework at the watershed scale to comprehensively analyze the water crisis and the consequences of this water shortage in the Neyshabour Plain. The statistical population of the study is 125 farmers in the area the sample size was determined using Cochran's formula and people were interviewed by random sampling method. Also, institutional factor questionnaires were completed by snowball sampling method from experts of water-related organizations. The results show that among the 5 main dimensions identified to assess water security, the water economy dimension has had an increasing trend during the 3 statistical periods studied (2012-2013, 2016-2017 and 2019-2020) and in 2019-2020, it has had the highest amount. But in general, the water security situation in the watershed of Neyshabour Plain has been decreasing over the past 10 years and is in a weak status. In this regard, if stakeholders in water resources management pay attention to the factors affecting the concept of water security, by using and implementing the framework presented in this study, it is possible to improve the compatibility capacity and develop effective operational plans with correct and timely pathology and achieve more stable and comprehensive management of water resources in the country's watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their high sensitivity, simplicity, portability, self‐contained, and low cost, the development of electrochemical biosensors is a beneficial way to diagnose and anticipate many types of cancers. An electrochemical nanocomposite‐based aptasensor is fabricated for the determination of miRNA‐128 concentration as the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) biomarker for the first time. The aptamer chains were immobilized on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through gold nanoparticles/magnetite/reduced graphene oxide (AuNPs/Fe3O4/RGO). Fast Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize synthesized nanomaterials. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the modified GCE in both label‐free and labeled methods. The results indicate that the modified working electrode has high selectivity and for miRNA‐128 over other biomolecules. The hexacyanoferrate redox system typically operated at around 0.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), and the methylene blue redox system ran at about 0 V, were used as an electrochemical probe. The detection limit and linear detection range for hexacyanoferrate and methylene blue are 0.05346 fM, 0.1–0.9 fM, and 0.005483 fM, 0.01–0.09 fM, respectively. The stability and diffusion control analyses were performed as well. In both label‐free and labeled methods, the modified electron showed high selectivity for miRNA‐128. The use of methylene blue as a safer redox mediator caused miRNA‐128 to be detected with greater accuracy at low potentials in PBS media. The findings also show the substantial improvement in detection limit and linearity by using reduced graphene oxide‐magnetite‐gold nanoparticles that can be verified by comparing with previous studies on the detection of other miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP) is regarded as one of the foremost parameters required to be measured in a CO2 injection process. Therefore, a reasonable approximation of the MMP can be useful for better development of injection conditions as well as planning surface facilities. In this study, the impact of asphaltene content ranging from 3.84% to 16% on CO2/heavy oil MMP is evaluated. In this respect, slim tube miscibility and Vanishing Interfacial Tension (VIT) tests are used. Regarding the VIT test, the Interfacial Tension (IFT) is measured by means of two methods including pendant drop and capillary apparatuses, and thereafter the MMP measurement error between slim tube and VIT methods are calculated. Based on the results, by increasing the asphaltene content, the measured MMP by slim tube method increases linearly while that by VIT follows no clear trend. The results also indicate that there is an asphaltene content range within which the MMP error between slim tube and VIT tests is minimized. IFT measurement by pendant drop and Capillary Glass Tube (CGT) methods show that by increasing asphaltene content up to 10.15%, IFT declines, whereas for further increase in content, IFT increases because of the irregular dispersion of asphaltene in oil droplets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the empowerment of rural people is an important development objective in any country. Accordingly, rural micro-credit fund plans have been introduced as an initiative to improve the quality of life for men and women in rural areas. Therefore, the present study is conducted to evaluate the efficacy of rural micro-credit funds as a financing initiative in improving the quality of life and empowerment of villagers in Ghale Ganj County, Kerman province during 2015-2018. It aims to evaluate the influence of empowering the members of rural micro-credit funds on their willingness to start up new businesses. The statistical population includes all villagers who are a member of the micro-credit funds. The sample size was estimated about 577 people based on using Cochran formula and through random and cluster sampling. The research instrument is a questionnaire, which its validity is confirmed by experts, and its reliability is estimated with coefficient alpha, 0.85, 0.92, and 0.91 for empowerment, self-efficacy, and starting businesses, respectively. These numbers are indicative of the high potential of instruments for data gathering. Data analysis is done through SPSS 25 and LISREL 8.8. Findings approve the goodness of fit of the structural model of the research. Besides, it is found that empowerment dimensions have a positive, direct, and significant impact on the inclination to start businesses. Furthermore, empowerment dimensions through the self-efficacy mediator variables have positive and significant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decline in watersheds or their uneven distribution can affect social relationships among the residents in watershed areas and lead to their conflicts. Due to a lack of water in Doroudzan watershed as a crisis, it seems that social relationships and communication patterns among the residents will be adversely affected. The aim of this research is to manage conflicts over the water resources in Doroudzan watershed with a focus on social relations and to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the social relation networks. In this regard, 260 local stakeholders of the water resources in the irrigated villages in Doroudzan dam downstream were selected as the statistical population using Morgan table. The required data were collected through questionnaires, and the cooperation networks among the people were investigated in order to solve the problem of water shortage. Based on the results of this research, trust and cooperation ties were the key factors identified. They are known as social power, key factors in decision making and better performance of co-management, and a resolution to water conflicts. Also, according to the results of Kruskal Wallis statistical test, there is a significant difference between the social status of the people and the approaches adopted in conflict management of the water resources in the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aims to assess the feasibility of groundwater resources in two soft and hard formations of the Shamil-Takht basin using logic and operators Fuzzy and Boolean in the GIS environment. For this purpose, eight and seven thematic layers in the soft and the hard formations were investigated and analyzed separately. The layers were prepared in a raster format in the GIS environment and then each of the layers was classified according to the values of usefulness obtained with Fuzzy membership degree and 0 and 1 Boolean values. In the next step, AND and Gamma operators for Fuzzy layers and Algebraic Multiplication operators for Boolean logic were used in combining layers. The groundwater potential map of the studied area was obtained from the desired pixels resulting from performing the operations at the output. Based on this, in Fuzzy logic, 77.1% of the area of soft formation and 11% of the area of hard formation, and in Boolean logic, 24.1% of the area of soft formation and 1.74% of the area of hard formation had the possibility of water sources. Areas with high potential of groundwater resources were in areas with low slope and cultivated and areas with weak potential of water resources were in areas with alluvial and sedimentary formations. Also, the field investigations confirm that the emerging springs and existing wells in the Shamil-Takht basin are located in the areas with the lowest slope and high density of the waterway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of metacognition as a common concept in education is undeniable. One of the challenges in the field of metacognition is to measure the impact of metacognition in teaching with practical tools. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the metacognition questionnaire in teaching., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the statistical population of the study included all teachers in 2020 which was selected by an available sampling method of 137 people. The data were collected using a teacher's metacognition questionnaire (TMI). A Confirmatory, Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the data. For this purpose, the use of SPSS-25 and LISREL software has been used., Results: of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicate that. The validity and retest of the total score were calculated to be 0.93 and 0.86, respectively. The credibility of its subscales was also acceptable., Conclusion: As a result, it can be stated that the questionnaire has the proper psychometric properties for use in Iranian society and can be used as a valid tool for identifying teachers with teaching problems and teaching methods., Competing Interests: The author declares no conflict of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Due to their high sensitivity, simplicity, portability, self-contained, and low cost, the development of electrochemical biosensors is a beneficial way to diagnose and anticipate many types of cancers. An electrochemical nanocomposite-based aptasensor is fabricated for the determination of miRNA-128 concentration as the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) biomarker for the first time. The aptamer chains were immobilized on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through gold nanoparticles/magnetite/reduced graphene oxide (AuNPs/Fe 3 O 4 /RGO). Fast Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize synthesized nanomaterials. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the modified GCE in both label-free and labeled methods. The results indicate that the modified working electrode has high selectivity and for miRNA-128 over other biomolecules. The hexacyanoferrate redox system typically operated at around 0.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), and the methylene blue redox system ran at about 0 V, were used as an electrochemical probe. The detection limit and linear detection range for hexacyanoferrate and methylene blue are 0.05346 fM, 0.1-0.9 fM, and 0.005483 fM, 0.01-0.09 fM, respectively. The stability and diffusion control analyses were performed as well. In both label-free and labeled methods, the modified electron showed high selectivity for miRNA-128. The use of methylene blue as a safer redox mediator caused miRNA-128 to be detected with greater accuracy at low potentials in PBS media. The findings also show the substantial improvement in detection limit and linearity by using reduced graphene oxide-magnetite-gold nanoparticles that can be verified by comparing with previous studies on the detection of other miRNAs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)