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Rice sheath blight and its causal agent Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 IA are associated with intensive and high input production systems. To our knowledge, resistant varieties have not been introduced for this disease, thus good crop management is expected to be among viable disease control methods. The aims of the present study were to determine the effect of different rates of nitrogen fertilizer, planting spaces and inoculum densities on sheath blight incidence and severity, including grain yield loss. Additionally we aimed to identify those developmental stages that are more susceptible to the disease. Field experiments were conducted over two consecutive years, in 2017 and 2018 in the Guilan province of Iran. Results indicated that higher N rates, denser planting and higher initial inoculum density resulted in greater disease development. Among five different growth stages, inoculation of plants at booting and flowering stages, resulted in maximum disease severity and grain yield loss. Taken together, reasonable use of nitrogen fertilizer, optimum planting space and reduced inoculum density obtained by spraying fungicide at the booting and flowering stages of rice are suggested as the best options to control sheath blight epidemics in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to justify the factors inducing stress in the families of patients hospitalized in cardiac intensive care units in the east of Guilan province in Iran. The study aims at gaining an accurate understanding on these stressors for appropriate planning directed at removing or decreasing these tension-inducing components. The present study is a qualitative study based upon a conventional content analysis approach. The study population was selected through purposive sampling (28 family members of cardiac patients), and the data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed as per the stages recommended by Graneheim and Lundman (2004). The strength and scientific accuracy of the study was also established. The study yielded three main themes and seven sub-themes: Heavy shadow of illness (fear of loneliness on the caring path, fear of disease, poor personal knowledge); Hesitation in the treatment (doubting the efficiency of technology, ungenial healthcare providers); and Economic storm (high cost of treatment, potential economic problems). The study results indicated that patients' families underwent stress in various areas, pointing to the need for providing adequate training and information on the disease to family members and caregivers, as well as the sympathy of healthcare providers on the treatment path for reducing the disease-associated tensions suffered by hospitalized patients' families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical judgment is necessary for clinical decision making and enhancing it in nursing students improves health care quality. Since clinical judgment is an interactive phenomenon and dependent on context and culture, it can be affected by many different factors. Aim: To understand the experiences of Iranian nursing students and teachers about the factors influencing nursing students' clinical judgment. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using a directed content analysis approach. In this study, purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were applied with seven nursing students, six faculty member teachers and four clinical instructors from Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Gilan, Iran. Results: The factors influencing nursing students' clinical judgment consisted of five main categories including thoughtful behaviour, professional ethics, use of evidence based care, the context of learning environment and individual and professional features of clinical teachers. Conclusion: Relying on the results of this research, teachers can create an appropriate educational condition and a safe psychological atmosphere, use instructional strategies strengthening deep thought processes, applying professional ethics and scientific evidence and principles to establish clinical judgment in nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new hybrid method of utilizing Evidential Reasoning (ER) approach and Geographic Information System (GIS) was applied to find the optimum location of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) incineration plant in Guilan province. According to guidelines and prevailing conditions, thirteen criteria were analyzed and divided to three main sections of environmental, social and economic categories. Most of the data in the study were obtained from local organizations and satellite images. To weight the criteria, evidential reasoning was applied to aggregate the decision-makers' opinions, and to find the potential sites; spatial analysis was done through the GIS. The result of suitability analysis indicates that about 0.07 % of total area of Guilan province is "the most suitable" region for the incineration plant and 0.05 %, 0.07 %, 2.77%, and 97.04 % are in the class of "suitable", "relatively suitable", "least suitable" and "limited". The areas with an area of larger than 40,000 m2 which is the necessary area for a 9 MW incineration plant were classified as alternatives for incineration CHP plant locations (A 1 -A 7). All the locations were investigated to be near rural areas, which might bring inevitable harm to the adjacent communities. Also, the low amount of "most suitable region" and "suitable region" foster a sense of concerns, which should be addressed by applying a sustainable approach for preserving the environment. The techno-economic analysis presented in this study indicates that the project is not economically beneficial at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel application of BWM-GIS-FAHP-GT has been utilized for landfill site selection. • Just 2.47% area of the Guilan province was selected as the "most suitable region" location. • Game theory was used successfully to find the best location from the authorities' point of views. • The fuzzy AHP was used to calculate the payoffs of players in the game. The novel application of a new hybrid method of Geographic Information System (GIS), Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) and game theory has been investigated for landfill site selection in Guilan province, which has a temperate and humid climate. The data utilized in the study were mostly obtained from satellite images and local organizations. Three main categories of environmental, social and economic impacts comprising fourteen criteria, based on the sustainability of a landfill location, were analyzed. Criteria weightings were obtained using the Best-Worst Method (BWM) and then a suitability map was produced by GIS analysis. Moreover, the restrictions for an airport (8 km), historical and touristic areas (3 km) and the border of the province (2 km) were applied. The result of the GIS was then analyzed using game theory (GT) in order to study the interactions of decision makers. In order to apply the new criteria for the game theory, a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) was used to find the weightings of five new criteria, which have been used for players' payoffs. The most optimum location (site A 1) was investigated and found to be near rural areas of the study region which could cause inevitable harm to the adjacent communities. Furthermore, only 2.47% and 0.78% areas of the Guilan province is in the "most suitable region" and "suitable region" classes, respectively; which raises the awareness of finding a sustainable approach for saving the environment rather than the landfilling. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applicability of a combined fuzzy best-worst method (FBWM) and geographic information system (GIS) was investigated to find the optimal location of a solar power plant site in Guilan province, which has a temperate and humid climate. Fifteen criteria were determined based on the guidelines and performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems and divided into four main categories: environmental, economic, technical, and social. The data were achieved from satellite images and organisations. The FBWM was applied to weight the criteria based on the opinion of the decision-maker, and then spatial analysis was done by GIS to find the potential sites for the solar power plant. The result of this study indicates that among the total area of Guilan province, about 0.74% is "the most suitable" region for solar power plants and 0.46, 0.54, 0.53, and 97.73% are in the class of "suitable", "relatively suitable", "least suitable" and "limited". Four alternatives of A 1 , A 2 , A 3 and A 4 with an area of larger than 60,638 m2 which is the required area for a 10 MW solar power plant and a distance from power lines of less than 2 km, were selected. The techno-economic aspects were conducted among the four alternatives, which show that about a 35% increase of the feed-in tariff is necessary to decrease the payback period of the most economical site (A 3) from 6.7 to 5 y, which encourages the investors of a PV power plant. Also, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission analysis indicates that the construction of a 10 MW power plant on A 3 could prevent the release of 10,113 t of GHG into the atmosphere annually. [Display omitted] • Mixed-method is used to find the ideal location of a photovoltaic power plant site. • 0.74% area of the Guilan province is the most suitable location. • 35% increase in the feed-in tariff reduces the payback period from 6.7 to 5 y. • The 10 MW power plant construction could prevent the release of 10,113 t of GHG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]