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The net-zero energy concept has attracted increasing attention to facilitate the development of sustainable built environments. Despite promising progress, there is no comprehensive approach that simultaneously considers all technical, economic, environmental, and social parameters. The present study uses the extended exergy accounting concept in the net-zero energy framework to cope with the drawbacks of the existing net-zero definitions. This method weighs all energetic and non-energetic inputs in a single consolidated exergy term, thus making an unbiased comparison of various options possible. The proposed approach is applied to a district in central Iran, and its sensitivity and applicability are compared with the net-zero source energy and exergy methods. The new approach reasonably responds to changes in the energy network and renewable energy system parameters. In the baseline conditions, the new method provides the highest self-consumption index (51.8%) in the investigated case study. Although the net-zero exergy approach generates more renewable energy (two times) than the presented approach, it increases the self-sufficiency index by only 3%. The new approach accounts for the energy load profile while setting up local renewable energy production based on energy network and renewable system efficiency. The developed approach appears to be reliable for developing sustainable net-zero systems. [Display omitted] • The extended exergy accounting concept is used in a net-zero energy framework. • The proposed net-zero energy approach is mathematically defined and fully discussed. • The net-zero extended exergy accounting method is applied to a district in central Iran. • The developed method technically outperforms existing net-zero definitions. • The new framework can promote the development of sustainable net-zero systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a few numbers of studies are conducted for estimating in different cities of Iran, updating and developing new models based on more recent data are necessary. Six cities with different climate conditions were selected. Five newly developed daily and eight newly developed monthly model formats were fitted to measured data of Iranian cities. Seven statistical parameters were calculated to investigate the performances of models. To prove the excellence of the newly developed models compared to the performance of available models, four available daily models were fitted to daily measured data. Furthermore, to prove the generality of newly introduced formats in the present study, four foreign cities around the world were selected to use newly introduced model formats. Newly developed model formats have an extremely good and significant performance at 1% probability level. Furthermore, for Iranian cities, compared to available daily formats, newly introduced formats have shown to have better performances in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Cystic echinococcosis (CE), as a major zoonotic helminth infection, imposes remarkable socioeconomic burden on many endemic countries across the world, including Iran. Due to the high importance of freeroaming dogs in the transmission of CE, epidemiological and molecular studies in this type of hosts are required in the endemic regions. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and genotyping of Echinococcus granulosus isolated from stray dogs in Kerman, Southeast Iran. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four samples were isolated from stray dogs in the city and suburbs of Kerman in coordination with the health authorities and the municipality office for rabies control and dog population management. Dog demographic data, including age and sex were collected. The worm was isolated by necropsy and genomic DNA was extracted and partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene was amplified using specific primers. Phylogenetic and Templeton-Crandall-Sing (TCS) network analyses were carried out on the sequence data. Results: The overall prevalence of CE in the surveyed dogs was 10.7% (9/84 cases). Out of 84 stray dogs, 33 (39.3%) and 51 (60.7%) cases were male and female, respectively. There was not a statistically significant difference between the infection and gender of dogs. However, infection is shown more in dogs under one year of age with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The results of molecular studies indicated E. granulosus G1 genotype for all isolates. The high presence of free-roaming dogs in urban and peri-urban areas and high frequency of parasite in this animal is a risk factor for humans in the region. Haplotype sequence analysis on the dog isolates revealed a close relationship with other E. granulosus isolates in Kerman. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide evidence-based data about the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of CE in dog definitive hosts of Southeast Iran. Further studies are required to understand the prevalence and parasite genotypes in dogs in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of an integrated life cycle assessment (LCA), artificial neural network, and metaheuristic optimization model to improve the sustainability of tomato-based cropping systems in Iran. The model outputs the combination of input usage in a tomato cropping system, which leads to the highest economic output and the least environmental impact. Methods: The LCA inventory was created using data from 114 open-field tomato farms in the Alborz Province of Iran during one growing period in 2015. Among all management components, the main focus was on irrigation management systems. The optimization problem was designed by integrating three indicators: carbon footprint (CF), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), and energy use efficiency (EUE) as the objective of field tomato production. The functional unit was 1 kg of tomato aligned with the system boundary of the cradle to market life cycle. Three artificial neural networks (ANNs) were applied to model relationships between the inputs and three indices (CF, BCR, and EUE) as the objective functions. Multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) and multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) were used to minimize the CF and maximize the BCR and EUE indicators. The abovementioned aims have been pursued by developing codes in MATLAB software. Results and discussion: CF, BCR, and EUE were calculated to be 0.26 kg CO2−eq (kg tomato)−1, 1.8, and 0.5, respectively. MOGA results envisage the possibility of an increase of 86% and 50% in the EUE and BCR and a 43% reduction in the CF of tomato production systems. Moreover, EUE and BCR increased by 83% and 49%, and CF was reduced by 39% from the optimum results obtained from the MOPSO algorithm. It was revealed that in order to optimize field tomato production with the target objectives of this study, a large additional use for irrigation pipes, plastic, and machinery in comparison to current situation is required, while a large reduction of biocide, chemical fertilizer, and electricity consumption is indispensable. Conclusions: According to the results of our study, it was concluded that the optimal solutions require a modernization of irrigation systems and a decrease in the consumption of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The implementation of management options for such solutions is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve sustainable development in agriculture, it is necessary to quantify and compare the energy, economic, and environmental aspects of products. This paper studied the energy, economic, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission patterns in broiler chicken farms in the Alborz province of Iran. We studied the effect of the broiler farm size as different production systems on the energy, economic, and environmental indices. Energy use efficiency (EUE) and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) were 0.16 and 1.11, respectively. Diesel fuel and feed contributed the most in total energy inputs, while feed and chicks were the most important inputs in economic analysis. GHG emission calculations showed that production of 1000 birds produces 19.13 t CO and feed had the highest share in total GHG emission. Total GHG emissions based on different functional units were 8.5 t CO per t of carcass and 6.83 kg CO per kg live weight. Results of farm size effect on EUE revealed that large farms had better energy management. For BCR, there was no significant difference between farms. Lower total GHG emissions were reported for large farms, caused by better management of inputs and fewer bird losses. Large farms with more investment had more efficient equipment, resulting in a decrease of the input consumption. In view of our study, it is recommended to support the small-scale broiler industry by providing subsidies to promote the use of high-efficiency equipment. To decrease the amount of energy usage and GHG emissions, replacing heaters (which use diesel fuel) with natural gas heaters can be considered. In addition to the above recommendations, the use of energy saving light bulbs may reduce broiler farm electricity consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leishmaniasis has been identified as a significant disease in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, with Iran being one of the disease-endemic areas. Various treatments have been applied for this disease, and amphotericin B (Amp B) is the second line of treatment. Side effects of this drug have been reported in various organs. The present study investigated the effects of different types of Amp B on fetal organs using in silico and in vivo assays (chicken embryos). In vivo analysis was done by checking pathological changes, angiogenesis, and apoptosis alterations on eggs treated by Amp B and AmBisome. In silico approach was employed to predict the affinity of Amp B and AmBisome to the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), its receptor (KDR1), apoptotic-regulator proteins (Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2), and Caspase-8. The ADME-toxicity prediction reveals that AmBisome possesses a superior pharmacological effect to Amp B. The best result of all the dockings in the Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD) was obtained between Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-8, KDR1, and VEGF-A targets. Due to the lower Egap (HOMO–LUMO) of AmBisome, the chemical reactivity of AmBisome was higher than that of Amp B. In vivo analysis showed that embryos that received Amp B exhibited less vascular density than AmBisome. Amp B alone significantly increased the expression of apoptosis and decreased angiogenesis genes compared to AmBisome. The histopathology analysis of the treated embryos showed a reduction in the blood vessel collapse and an increase in degenerative and apoptotic–necrotic changes in the embryonic tissues. Overall, the results suggest the potential benefits of AmBisome over Amp B, which might be a better treatment strategy to treat leishmaniasis during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study evaluated the energy balance and economic analysis between inputs and output of seed corn production in different harvesting systems in Iran. Data were collected from seed corn farms in Alborz province. The results indicated the total average energy input and output of 51.1 and 243.9GJha−1, respectively. The highest share in energy consumption belonged to chemical fertilizers (43%) followed by water for irrigation (19%) and diesel fuel (19%). The highest total energy input and output belonged to two stage harvesting system (using picker-husker) in comparison with other harvesting systems (combine and plot-harvester harvesting). The average energy use efficiency and productivity were calculated 4.78 and 0.05kgMJ−1, respectively. Combine harvesting had the highest energy ratio value (5.15) and followed by two stage harvesting system (4.78) and then plot harvester (4.40). Direct, indirect, renewable and non-renewable energies were 43%, 57%, 6%and 94% of total energy, respectively. Cost analysis revealed that total average cost of production and benefit–cost ratio were 3477 $ha−1 and 1.46, respectively. The benefit–cost ratio values for picker-husker, combine and plot harvester were 1.54, 1.53 and 1.32, respectively, that indicated harvesting by two stage harvesting system (using picker-husker) had more economic efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objective of this study was the application of non-parametric method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to analyze the efficiency of farmers, discriminate efficient farmers from inefficient ones and to identify wasteful uses of energy for alfalfa production in Hamedan province, Iran. This method was used based on eight energy inputs including human labor, machinery, diesel fuel, fertilizers, farmyard manure, biocide, electricity and seed energy and single output of alfalfa yield. Technical, pure technical, scale and cross efficiencies were calculated using CCR and BCC models for farmers. From this study the following results were obtained: from the total of 80 farmers, considered for the analysis, 46% and 69% were found to be technically and pure technically efficient, respectively. The average values of technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores of farmers were 0.84, 0.97 and 0.89, respectively. Also, energy saving target ratio for alfalfa production was calculated as 9.4%, indicating that by following the recommendations resulted from this study, about 75.90GJ ha−1 of total input energy could be saved while holding the constant level of alfalfa yield. Moreover the contribution of electricity input from total saving energy was 77.4% which was the highest share followed by chemical fertilizers (15%) and diesel fuel (4%) energy inputs. Optimization of energy use improved the energy use efficiency, energy productivity and net energy by 10.6%, 10.4% and 10.6%, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aims of this study were to investigate influences of energy inputs and energy forms on output levels and evaluation of inputs sensitivity for alfalfa production in Hamedan province, Iran. The sensitivity of energy inputs was estimated using the marginal physical productivity (MPP) method and partial regression coefficients on alfalfa yield. Data were collected from 80 alfalfa farms in August and September 2009. The sample volume was determined by random sampling method. The total energy of 810.57GJha−1 was calculated for establishment and 7years production life. The electricity used in pumping system was the highest energy inputs for alfalfa production (75.79%). Econometric model evaluation showed that the machinery energy was the most significant input affecting the output level. Sensitivity analysis results indicate that with an additional use of 1MJ of each machinery and seeds energy, would lead to an additional increase in yield by 5.094 and 4.986kg, respectively. The MPP of human labor, farmyard manure and biocides was negative. It can be because of applying the inputs more than required or improperly applying. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines the energy use patterns and relationship between energy input and yield for grape production in Malayer region of Hamadan Province. Data from 50 farmers were collected using a face-to-face questionnaire method. In the surveyed vineyards, average yield and energy consumption were calculated as 18,530 kgha−1 and 45,213.66 MJha−1, respectively. Among input energy sources, fertilizers, electricity and farmyard manure contained highest energy shares with 37.25%, 19%, and 17.84%, respectively. The energy ratio and energy productivity were found to be 4.95 and 0.42 kgMJ−1. Three econometric models were developed to estimate the impact of energy inputs on yield. The results revealed that impact of chemical, fertilizer and water on yield were significant at 1% probability level. Also, indirect and non-renewable energies were found to be rather high. Sensitivity analysis indicated that among the inputs, chemical has the highest MPP value of energy inputs. RTS (returns to scale) values for grape yield was found to be 2.15; thus, there prevailed an IRS of grape for estimated model. The net return was found to be positive as 2810.56 $ha−1 for grape. The benefit-cost ratio was calculated as 2.08. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to determine the energy consumption and evaluation of inputs sensitivity for barley production in Hamedan Province, Iran. The sensitivity of energy inputs was estimated using the marginal physical productivity (MPP) method and partial regression coefficients on barley yield. The results revealed that total energy input for barley production was ∼25,027MJha−1; the non-renewable energy shared about 66% while the renewable energy did 34%. Energy use efficiency, energy productivity, and net energy were 2.86, 0.19kgMJ−1, and ∼46,498MJha−1, respectively. Econometric model evaluation showed that machinery energy was the most significant input which affects the output level. Sensitivity analysis indicates that with an additional use of 1MJof each of the human labour, machinery and electricity energy would lead to an increase in yield by 7.37, 1.66 and 0.33kg, respectively. Also, the MPP of biocides energy was calculated to be −1.97 implying that the use of biocides energy is in excess for barley production, causing an environmental risk problem in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study data from 17 years (1990–2006) were collected to determine energy intensive areas and evaluate energy parameters of Iran''s agronomy sector. All the direct and indirect inputs of energy for the production of 19 agricultural commodities were evaluated. The inputs and outputs were calculated by multiplying the amounts of inputs and outputs by their energy equivalents. The results indicated that total energy input increased from 32.40GJha−1 in 1990 to 37.20GJha−1 in 2006. At the same period, total output energy increased from 30.85 to 43.68GJha−1. The results show that irrigation with 40.0% and fertilizer (28.4%) had the highest share in energy consumption. The average net energy gain was a positive value; however, about 87% of the input energy emanates from non-renewable sources of energy. The mean energy ratio was estimated to be 1.07 and showed an increasing trend during the period rising from 0.95 in 1990 to 1.17 in 2006. This indicates that increased use of inputs ha−1 in production was accompanied by a larger increase in the output levels. It can be inferred from the results that improvements in irrigation and fertilizer application can significantly affect the energy efficiency of Iranian agriculture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Energy is fundamental to, and plays a prominent role in the quality of life. Sustainable energy is important for the benefits it yields. Sustainable energy technologies are clean sources of energy that have a much lower environmental impact than conventional energy technologies. Among the different forms of clean energy, solar energy has attracted a lot of attention as it is not only sustainable, but is also renewable. Because the number of meteorological stations where global solar radiation (GSR) is recorded is limited in Iran, the aim was to develop three distinctive models in order to prognosticate GSR in Tehran Province, Iran. Accordingly, the fuzzy linear regression (FLR), polynomial and radial basis function (RBF) were applied as the kernel function of support vector regression (SVR). Input energies from different meteorological data obtained from the only station in the study region were selected as the model inputs while GSR was chosen as the model output. Instead of minimizing the observed training error, SVR_poly and SVR_rbf attempted to minimize the generalization error bounds so as to achieve generalized performance. The experimental results show that it is possible to achieve enhanced predictive accuracy and capability of generalization via the proposed approach. The calculated root mean square error and correlation coefficient disclosed that SVR_rbf performed well in predicting GSR compared with FLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purposes of this study were to determine energy use pattern and investigate the relationships between energy inputs and yield, cost inputs and income for pear production in the Tehran province of Iran. In this study, data were collected by administering a questionnaire in face-to-face interviews in the production year of 2009/2010. This article presents a comprehensive picture of the current status of energy consumption and some energy indices like energy ratio, energy productivity, specific energy, net energy and energy intensiveness. Results showed that the total energy input of 172,608.43 MJ ha−1 was required for pear production. Among input energy sources, electricity energy with share of 78% of total input energy had the highest share. The energy use efficiency and energy productivity were found as 0.51 and 0.27 kg MJ−1, respectively. To investigate the relationships between energy inputs and yield, cost inputs and income, Cobb–Douglas production function was selected as the best function. Sensitivity analysis of energy and cost inputs was carried out using the marginal physical productivity (MPP) technique. Economic analysis of pear production was carried out and total cost of pear production was obtained as 11,936.97 $ h−1. Also the benefit to cost ratio was calculated as 3.11. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examines energy use patterns and the relationship between energy inputs and yield for prune production in the Tehran province of Iran. In this study, data were collected by administering a questionnaire in face-to-face interviews. This article presents a comprehensive picture of the current status of energy consumption and some energy indices such as energy ratio, energy productivity, specific energy, net energy and energy intensiveness. Also the distribution of total energy input as direct, indirect, renewable and non-renewable forms was analyzed. The Cobb–Douglas production function was used to estimate an econometric model for energy inputs, and the marginal physical productivity technique was applied to analyze the sensitivity of energy inputs. Economic analysis of prune production was carried out, and some economic indicators such as total cost of production, total production value, gross return, net return, benefit-to-cost ratio and productivity were computed. This study suggests some ways to improve energy efficiency such as changing irrigation method, applying conservation agriculture and optimization of energy use. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study the amount of energy consumption and its relation with yield in producing two cultivars of plum, Ghatreh Tala and Shablon cultivars, in Tehran province of Iran were studied. For each one of plum cultivars, data were obtained from 100 farmers in the form of personal interview using structured questionnaire method in Tehran province of Iran. Total input energy was found to be 192,652.55 and 168,783.94 MJ ha−1 for Ghatreh Tala and Shablon cultivars production. In Ghatreh Tala and Shablon cultivars production among input energy sources, electricity energy had the highest share with shares of 79.07% and 80.28% of total input energy respectively. Cobb–Douglass production function was used to determine a relation between input energies and yield in both productions. Results indicated that by using Cobb–Douglass production function to determine mathematical relationship between energy input and yield, human labor energy had the highest impact on yield for both productions. Sensitivity analysis indicated that among the energy inputs human labor energy had the highest MPP value for both plum cultivars productions. The benefit-cost ratios from Ghatreh Tala and Shablon productions were calculated to be 4.18 and 2.46, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract The objective of the present study was to compare the host's immune responses between unresponsive and responsive patients with anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) treated by meglumine antimoniate. A case-control study was carried out in an endemic focus in Iran. Blood samples were taken from patients and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated. Two wells were considered for each isolate of unresponsive and responsive patients; one was exposed to L. tropica (Lt -stimulated cells) and the other remained non-exposed (non-stimulated cells). After 24 h of incubation, whole RNA was extracted from each sample. Real-time quantitative PCR was carried out to confirm the differences in expression levels of IL-12 P40, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-4 and IL-10 among isolates. Data were analyzed and P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. In our study, Lt -stimulated cells and non-stimulated cells in unresponsive groups demonstrated significantly lower expression levels of IL-1β, IL-12 P40 and IFN-γ genes and higher expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 genes, compared to Lt -stimulated cells and non-stimulated cells in responsive groups. There was a negative correlation between IL-12 P40 with IL-10 and IL-1β with IL-10 in ACL Lt -stimulated cells in unresponsive group, while a positive correlation between IL-12 P40 with IL-1β and IL-12 P40 with IFN-γ in ACL Lt -stimulated cells in responsive group. Probably, different immune responses caused by various factors play a major role in the pathogenesis and development of unresponsiveness in ACL patients. The profile and timing of cytokine production correlated well with the treatment outcome of Leishmania infection. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Blood samples were taken from two groups of patients with ACL and PBMCs were isolated. • Real-time qPCR was carried out to confirm the differences in expression levels of cytokines. • Significantly lower expression levels of IL-1β, IL-12 P40 and IFN-γ genes in unresponsive groups. • Significantly higher expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 genes in unresponsive groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Efficient use of energy resources in crop production is an important goal in sustainable agriculture. This study compares the energy flow in farming systems across farm size with their corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - presented in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq.) - in the north of Iran. To reach this aim, primary data were collected by survey with farmers whose main activity was major crops production in the region that included wheat, barley, canola, soybean, paddy and corn silage. The results showed that total energy input for corn silage (52.1GJha−1) is greater than other systems. The results also revealed that yield and output energy of crops were not significantly affected by field size, whereas energy use efficiency of systems increased significantly as field size increased. Study shows that the cultivation of paddy emits the highest CO2 eq. emission (6094kg CO2 eq. ha−1) among crops, in which around 60% is contributed by methane (CH4). The efficient use of fertilizers, optimized pumping facilities for irrigation, stopping of crop residue burning in the field and use them for energy supply could be among the options to improve energy use efficiency and mitigate GHG emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine energy consumption of input and output used in potato production, and making an economical analysis in Ardabil, Iran. For this purpose, the data were collected from 100 potato farms in Ardabil, Iran. Inquiries were conducted in a face-to-face interviewing November–December 2006 period. Farms were selected based on random sampling method. The results indicated that total energy inputs were 81624.96MJha−1. About 40% of this was generated by chemical fertilizers, 20% from diesel oil and machinery. About 82% of the total energy inputs used in potato production was indirect (seeds, fertilizers, manure, chemicals, machinery) and 18% was direct (human labor, diesel). Mean potato yield was about 28453.61kgha−1, it obtained under normal conditions on irrigated farming, and taking into account the energy value of the seed, the net energy and energy productivity value was estimated to be 20808.03MJha−1 and 0.35, respectively, and the ratio of energy outputs to energy inputs was found to be 1.25. This indicated an intensive use of inputs in potato production not accompanied by increase in the final product. Cost analysis revealed that total cost of production for one hectare of potato production was 3267.17$. Benefit–cost ratio was calculated as 1.88. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Detection of the mechanism of host/parasite interactions in unresponsive forms of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) caused by Leishmania tropica is helpful for immunotherapy and vaccine development. In the present study, the gene expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs), TNF-α, iNOS and also arginase (ARG) activity in monocytes from Glucantime unresponsive in comparison to responsive patients infected with L. tropica was investigated., Methods: In this case-control study, patients with unresponsive (n = 10) and responsive (n = 10) ACL were recruited. Gene expression of TLR2, TLR4, TLR9, TNF-α and iNOS was analyzed in L. tropica-exposed monocytes. The level of ARG activity in both isolated promastigotes and the lysates of monocytes was also determined., Results: L. tropica-exposed monocytes represented higher expression of all three TLRs and TNF-α and lower expression of iNOS compared to unexposed ones in both groups of patients. Results revealed a significant down-regulation of TLR2 and TNF-α and up-regulation of TLR9 expression in unresponsive isolates in comparison to responsive ones. Besides, ARG level showed a significant increase in L. tropica-stimulated monocytes and cultured promastigotes from unresponsive isolates versus responsive ones., Conclusions: The decreased TLR2, TLR4, TNF-α and iNOS and the increased level of TLR9 expression in L. tropica-exposed monocytes from unresponsive isolates and also the increment in ARG activity in their promastigotes and monocytes, might possibly be involved in the severity of the disease and leading to Glucantime unresponsiveness., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)