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El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar el impacto del COVID-19 en la liquidez de las mipymes del sector restaurantero ubicadas en el primer cuadro de la ciudad de Cancún, clasificándolas según su tamaño. El enfoque del estudio fue cuantitativo, de alcance descriptivo y correlacional con diseño no experimental de tipo transeccional. La muestra se integró por 260 directivos. Los datos se recolectaron de marzo a abril de 2021 mediante un cuestionario. La prueba ácida reportó que sólo 6.5 % de empresas tuvieron problemas de liquidez. Se concluye que existe una relación negativa baja entre la liquidez de las mipymes y su tamaño durante la pandemia. Abstract The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the cash flow of the MSME restaurant sector located in the central area of the city of Cancún. These restaurants were classified by their size. The study’s approach was quantitative, with a descriptive and correlational scope, using a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 260 directors. With the use of a questionnaire, data were collected from March through April 2021. The acid test reported that only 6.5% of the companies had cash flow issues. It is concluded that there is a low negative relationship between MSMEs and their size during the pandemic.

El clima laboral se considera uno de los factores más importantes para lograr el crecimiento de la empresa, ya que el mejorar el ambiente de trabajo le permitirá elevar su productividad y rentabilidad, sin perder de vista el recurso humano. En este sentido, el presente estudio cuantitativo, con una muestra de 439 directivos, tiene como objetivo conocer el impacto de las prestaciones laborales en el clima organizacional de las mypes de Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México. Los resultados muestran que las prestaciones laborales otorgadas por las mypes no impactan en el clima organizacional y sólo 20 % de éstas ofrecen seguridad social, vacaciones y participación en las utilidades a sus trabajadores. Abstract Organizational climate is considered as one of the most important factors needed to achieve growth within a company because a better work climate will allow an increase in productivity and profitability without leaving out its human resources. In this regard, this quantitative research, using a sample of 439 managers, aims to understand how employee benefits impact MSEs’ organizational climate in the Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, Mexico. Results show that employee benefits provided by MSEs do not impact their organizational climate and that only 20% of these companies offer health care, vacations, and employee profit sharing.

Background: On an annual basis, young boys lose their lives due to circumcisions performed at initiation schools across South Africa. Some of the initiates lose their manhood as a result of amputations and all these acts are done in the name of culture. Over the last few years, there have been more media reports in South Africa about improper traditional circumcisions coupled with poor health outcomes causing deaths of children admitted at initiation schools. Aims: This article explores the health impacts of traditional initiation schools in South Africa. Methods: This review followed desktop approach through utilization of secondary data. Systematic quantitative review technique was used to collect data. To get a better understanding of the context under investigation, desktop analysis was employed using the five steps of the data analysis process. Results: The themes identified in this study include challenges associated with the practice in relation to children’s rights, ethical conflicts between traditional initiation practices and public health, commercialization of initiation schools, and complications associated with circumcision at initiation schools. Conclusion: There is insufficient enforcement of the laws and a lack of public knowledge regarding the impact of initiation on children. Even though South Africa's national and local governments have made significant attempts to control the initiation practices and uphold children's rights, significant law enforcement is still required to shield children from unsafe cultural customs. In addition to the ineffective execution of existing rules and regulations, the traditional initiation sector is burdened by a lack of direct, continuous, and efficient supervision of the operations of initiation schools. Received: 7 February 2024, Reviewed: 11 March 2024, Revised: 29 March 2024, Accepted: 16 April 2024.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, pose significant health challenges globally. Physical activity has long been recognized as a modifiable factor that can influence various aspects of cardiovascular health, including blood pressure. However, the relationship between physical activity and blood pressure is complex and can be influenced by various factors such as cultural and regional differences. Aims: The primary objective of this research was to examine the association between physical activity and blood pressure using a quasi-experimental design. Methods: This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with a one-group pre-test post-test approach. The sample was selected using a total sampling technique. The independent and dependent variables in this research were physical activity and blood pressure. Data collection instruments employed in this study consisted of observation sheets, an aneroid sphygmomanometer, and a stethoscope. Data analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon test. Results: This study showed that there was an association between physical activity and blood pressure. Conclusion: this research sheds light on the relationship between physical activity and blood pressure. The findings underscore the importance of considering cultural and regional factors in designing health interventions. Received: 20 November 2023, Reviewed: 21 November 2023, Revised: 14 March 2024, Accepted: 03 April 2024.

El propósito de este trabajo fue identificar diferencias en la percepción de la responsabilidad social empresarial (RSE) en colaboradores de tres pequeñas empresas de manufactura, comercialización y servicios de la zona oriente del Estado de México. Se aplicó una escala de percepción de la RSE en una muestra de 90 sujetos. Los resultados indican que la percepción de las prácticas de RSEes adecuada y que existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas dependiendo del tipo de organización, siendo la empresa de servicios en la que se presenta la mejor percepción. Abstract The purpose of this research was to identify differences in the perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in employees of three small manufacturing, marketing and services companies in the eastern area of ​​the State of Mexico. A CSR perception scale was applied to a sample of 90 subjects. The results indicate that the perception of CSR practices is adequate and that there are statistically significant differences depending on the type of organization, with the service company having the best perception.

Esta investigación busca conocer la aplicación de los factores que fomentan la calidad de vida en el trabajo y que generan un clima organizacional óptimo en las micro y pequeñas empresas de Ocosingo, Chiapas. Para la recolección de la información, se utilizó un cuestionario que mide la organización como un sistema. Hallazgos importantes son el desconocimiento o poca aplicación del cumplimiento de factores como pago de un sueldo y salario justo, compensaciones por el logro de metas, y reconocimientos y elogios. Abstract This research seeks to know the application of the factors that promote the quality of life at work and that generate an optimal organizational climate in micro and small enterprises in Ocosingo, Chiapas. To collect the information, a questionnaire was used that measures the organization as a system. Important findings are the lack of knowledge or little application of compliance with factors such as payment of a fair salary and wage, compensation for the achievement of goals, and recognition and praise.

El objetivo del presente artículo es comprender cómo los empresarios de pequeñas y medianas empresas (pyme) perciben el conocimiento financiero por medio de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (tic) para que de esta forma tomen decisiones que beneficien a sus compañías. Mediante encuestas, se estudió, en materia de sus conocimientos, sobre la inversión y el crédito. Entre los hallazgos, se detectó que los empresarios creen que este conocimiento financiero les ha ayudado a acceder y utilizar los servicios financieros; sin embargo, se encontró que existe una relación compleja entre la percepción del conocimiento financiero y el acceso y uso de los servicios financieros. Se concluye que la complejidad se debe a factores como la educación financiera, la experiencia empresarial y el contexto económico. Abstract The objective of this article is to understand how entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perceive financial knowledge through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) so that they can make decisions that benefit their companies. Surveys were used to study their knowledge of investment and credit. Among the findings, it was detected that entrepreneurs believe that this financial knowledge has helped them to access and use financial services; however, it was found that there is a complex relationship between the perception of financial knowledge and the access and use of financial services. It is concluded that the complexity is due to factors such as financial education, business experience and economic context.

El objetivo de este artículo es medir la capacidad de predicción del conocimiento organizacional en procesos de innovación no tecnológica en las pymes de la mixteca baja en el estado mexicano de Puebla. Para medir la validez de constructo y corroborar que los reactivos del instrumento de medición tienen sentido conceptual y pertinencia teórica se realizaron un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) y un análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC). En el análisis de datos se utilizaron modelos de ecuaciones estructurales, modelos de regresión y correlación lineal múltiple mediante el método de dos etapas. En las estimaciones se utilizó un software estadístico para las ciencias sociales y el análisis de estructuras. Al nivel de significancia del 10.0%, las variables experiencia compartida (beta = .225, p.001). Se concluye que la experiencia compartida es un buen predictor de nuevas prácticas (16.7%) y también de mercadotecnia (20.8%). Mientras que el intercambio de información es un buen predictor de nuevas prácticas (2.0%), pero no de mercadotecnia. Conocimiento integrado no es un predictor de nuevas prácticas ni de mercadotecnia. Abstract The aim of this article is to measure the predictive capacity of organizational knowledge inNon-technological innovation processes in SMEs in the Mixteca Baja region in the Mexican state of Puebla. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to measure construct validity and confirm that the items of the measurement instrument make conceptual sense and theoretical relevance. Structural equation models, regression models, and multiple linear correlation using the two-stage method were used in data analysis. Statistical software for social sciences and structural analysis was used in the estimates.At the significance level of 10.0%, the variables shared experience (beta = .225, p.001).It is concluded that shared experience is a good predictor of new practices (16.7%) and also marketing (20.8%). While information sharing is a good predictor of new practices (2.0%), but not of marketing. Integrated knowledge is not a predictor of new practices or marketing.

La sostenibilidad empresarial es un concepto que recientemente ha cobrado importancia, más aún con los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible y sus metas específicas. El propósito de esta investigación es analizar la gestión global como indicador de la dimensión económica de la sostenibilidad empresarial de las microempresas del sector comercio. La metodología utilizada incluye un diseño no experimental, de corte transeccional descriptivo, mediante el método deductivo y el uso de un instrumento de 20 preguntas iniciales para medir los cinco indicadores de la gestión global. Los resultados muestran una serie de hallazgos sobre el nivel de ejecución de las prácticas administrativas de la gestión global, la equidad de género y el nivel de estudio de los administradores. Abstract Business sustainability is a concept that has recently gained importance, even more so with the Sustainable Development Goals and their specific targets. The purpose of this research is to analyze global management as an indicator of the economic dimension of business sustainability of microenterprises in the trade sector. The methodology used includes a non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional design, using the deductive method and the use of an instrument of 20 initial questions to measure the five indicators of global management. The results show a series of findings on the level of execution of the administrative practices of global management, gender equity and the level of education of the administrators.

Background: The cause of obesity is an imbalance between the number of calories taken and the amount burned. Obesity is a complex disease. The FTO rs9939609 gene polymorphism is one of the genetic factors that contribute to obesity in addition to environmental factors. Numerous researches have suggested a connection between the prevalence of obesity and the FTO rs9939609 gene polymorphism Aims: The purpose of this study is to ascertain how the FTO rs9939609 gene polymorphism relates to the prevalence of adult obesity. Methods: At the Biomolecular and Genetics Laboratory of the UGJ Faculty of Medicine, an analytical observational study using a case-control design was carried out with 84 participants, 42 subjects in case group, and 42 subjects in control groups. Data were collected utilizing DNA from blood collection, PCR-RFLP for genotyping, and 2.5% electrophoretic gel for visualization. Chi-square was used for data analysis. Results: Findings showed that there is no link between the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and the prevalence of obesity (p>0.05, OR=0.710). Conclusion: In the Indonesian population, the FTO rs9939609 gene polymorphism is not associated with an increased risk of obesity.

IntroductionExtreme precipitation has a significant impact on the frequency, severity, and duration of natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, and landslides. This has a significant impact on human life, the economy, natural ecosystems, and agriculture (Song et al, 2015: 34). Between 1880 and 2012, there was a 0.85 °C increase in the average global temperature, with a general increase in precipitation in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (IPCC, 2013: 2; Lio et al, 2017: 822). In addition, there is a possibility of a rise in extreme precipitation in the future (Klein Tank et al, 2006: 1), and so far, the reason for these changes and their relationship with the general circulation of the atmosphere have not been considered. The aim of this study is to analyze the trend of changes in extreme precipitation indices in northwestern Iran and its association with the general circulation of the atmosphere. Material and MethodsIn order to analyze the changes in extreme precipitation events in northwestern Iran, daily precipitation data was collected from 20 synoptic stations in the region between 1986 and 2010. The region that is being studied encompasses West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and Kurdistan. In assessing limit events, high quality and reliable long-term climate data with daily (or higher) resolution is required (Clintanak et al., 2009: 9). The first step was to examine the quality control and homogeneity of data. The RClimDex software package, introduced as a standard tool by ETCCDI, was used to perform quality control and evaluate data homogeneity in this research. The Expert Team on Climate Change Detection, Monitoring and Indices (ETCCDMI) introduced 11 indexes to examine changes in precipitation level indices in northwest Iran. RClimDex software calculates these indicators with a significance level of 0.05. This process seeks to establish a standard set of indicators to examine and compare the characteristics of different regions. The software was used to calculate precipitation indices and display the trend and rate of change on a map. Results and DiscussionThe extreme precipitation indices were calculated to determine the regional trend and percentage of stations with positive and negative trends for the studied stations in northwestern Iran. Afterward, a map was created showing the spatial distribution of the slope for each of the indices. All precipitation indexes, except for the maximum growth period index (CDD), are declining according to the results. The probability of precipitation has decreased due to the more stable winter atmosphere in the region from the point of view of general atmospheric circulation. The region's spring atmosphere, similar to that of winter, shows an increase in stability, which will result in less rainfall. In summer, except for the coastal provinces of the Caspian Sea and the coasts of the Oman Sea, the rest of the country has recorded a decrease in rainfall of 1 mm per day. Most parts of the country experienced an increase in atmosphere thickness to 6 meters in autumn in the study area. Autumn in the region is typically stable and barotropic, but the study area is experiencing less rainfall. This study examines the trend of changes in extreme precipitation indices in northwestern Iran and its relation to a large-scale general circulation of the atmosphere. According to the results, 75% of stations in the region are experiencing a decrease in the maximum daily rainfall (RX1day) and 80% are experiencing a decrease in the maximum five-day rainfall (RX5day). While both the very wet (R95P) and ultra-wet (R99P) day indices are experiencing a downward trend, the R95P index is experiencing a more pronounced downward trend. All three indices R10, R20, and R25 have been declining for the past 25 years, but the R10 index has fallen more rapidly than the other two indices. Sarab station has a positive CWD trend alone, while other stations have a negative and decreasing trend of this index. In most stations throughout the region, the CDD index is increasing. In 85% of stations in the region, the PRCPTOT index is decreasing and there is a noticeable increase in rainfall. The SDII index is experiencing a decrease in 60% of the stations in northwestern Iran, while an increase is being observed in 40%. All precipitation indices, except for the CDD index, have a decreasing trend in general. Drawing and analyzing combined difference maps for geopotential height parameters of 500 hPa, relative rotation of 500 hPa, vertical velocity (omega), rainwater and precipitation rate to study the general atmospheric circulation of the region indicates an increase in altitude has led to a 500 hPa increase in climate stability in the study area (northwest of Iran). The study of omega and relative rotation shows that the region is experiencing a decrease in upward currents and positive rotation. The lack of atmospheric moisture load and rainfall in all seasons can be seen in rainfall water difference maps and rates. Precipitation indices and the general circulation model of the region's atmosphere are compared, indicating that the moisture load of the region's atmosphere has decreased, resulting in drought.

IntroductionThe temperature of the earth has been rising by about 0.74 degrees Celsius over the past century. A gradual increase in the average annual temperature has been reported by many researchers worldwide, while other reports suggest a decrease in this parameter. The assumption is that there will be more areas of the world experiencing higher temperatures. The climate changes are effectively represented by temperature changes, which is considered one of the main indicators in climate studies. The chemical composition of the atmosphere has changed because of the increase in human industrial activities, so it is responsible for unprecedented changes in the global climate in the past century. The increase in greenhouse gas concentration is the cause of this change. The evidence indicates that the increase in atmospheric gas concentration has caused a significant increase in global temperature. The use of thermal data from sensors is widely used in the study of terrestrial phenomena, as indicated by many studies. The temperature of the earth's surface is directly and indirectly linked to all human activities. It is still not possible to calculate the temperature of the earth's surface with perfect and accurate methods, but some sensors with suitable temporal, spectral, and spatial performance are able to take photos of the entire surface of the Earth. The study is more important due to the fact that various species of animals, such as Jebeer (belonging to the Bovidae), are exposed to climate changes in arid and desert areas. Due to its impact on humans, other creatures, and the entire environment, it is imperative to pay attention to climate change nowadays. In this regard, the main aim of the current study is to evaluate the LST (Land Surface Temperature) trends, changes, and temperature threats of the land surface in the Central Plateau of Iran. Time series remote sensing data of the MODIS (MOD11A2) sensor and Terra satellite, in 8 days with spatial resolution of 1km from 2002 to 2018 have been used. Material and Methods The current study has been focused on the central plateau of Iran. The central plateau of Iran lies within the arid lands belt of the northern hemisphere. The current study has been attempting to extract exact information from the images by employing specific techniques. To achieve this goal, the MOD11A2 product of Terra satellite MODIS sensor, the trend of temperature changes and time series construction of the significance of Man Kendall methods and linear correlation parameters such as maximum monthly temperature, maximum annually temperature based on maximum monthly temperature, median monthly temperature, maximum annually temperature based on median monthly temperature, minimum monthly temperature, minimum annually temperature for daily and nightly temperature were used in TerrSet software and Earth Trends Modeler section to extract significant increasing and decreasing areas. After identifying some parts of provinces with significant temperatures based on analysis and results, we can identify the vital numerical value of the temperature in each pixel of those significant parts in the next stage. This can be achieved by utilizing the difference between the final temperature and the initial temperature. Trend analysis was used to simulate daily and nightly temperature changes for parameters of maximum monthly temperature, maximum annually temperature based on maximum monthly temperature, median monthly temperature, maximum annually temperature based on median monthly temperature, minimum monthly temperature and minimum annual temperature. Results and DiscussionDaily temperature data in the Central Plateau of Iran, which includes monthly minimum temperature, annual minimum temperature, monthly maximum temperature, annual maximum temperature based on monthly maximum temperature, monthly median temperature and annual maximum temperature based on monthly median temperature, common in Semnan and Isfahan provinces, showed a significant increase in linear correlation according to the results. In Isfahan province, the linear correlation decreased significantly between the maximum annual temperature based on the maximum monthly temperature and the median monthly temperature. There was no significant trend in other provinces. The linear correlation between temperature data in Isfahan and Semnan provinces, including the minimum monthly, minimum annual, maximum annual, and median monthly temperature, decreased significantly. The linear correlation between average annual temperature, average monthly temperature, maximum annual temperature determined by maximum monthly temperature, average monthly temperature, and maximum annual temperature determined by median monthly temperature increased significantly in Yazd and Isfahan provinces. No significant trends were observed in other provinces. To estimate the amount and approximate number of significant increases and decreases, simulations of temperature changes were conducted. The range and approximate range of numbers for significant increase and decrease in temperature were calculated in degrees Celsius. In all analyses, the parts with higher temperatures had a reddish color. The intensity of the red color increased as the temperature increased, and as the temperature decreased, the red color became fainter and turned blue. The central plateau of Iran recorded a maximum temperature of 44C°and a minimum temperature of -7C°according to this study. The central plateau of Iran has three main provinces, which include Isfahan, Semnan, and Yazd. Considering the temperatures mentioned for these three provinces, the temperatures obtained from this study are very similar, which means that the conducted study is approved to a large extent. Animals are considered to be at risk due to temperature changes. Future research should emphasize the impact of climate change and temperature increase on the living conditions of various animals, particularly those found on the central plateau of Iran.

IntroductionDust is a phenomenon that mainly occurs in arid and semi-arid areas as a result of high wind speed and turbulence on the surface of the soil without vegetation and prone to erosion. Various factors such as wind speed, vegetation cover, soil characteristics, climatic factors, etc. are involved in the creation of wind erosion and the resulting dust, all of which are related to each other and lead to an increase or decrease in wind erosion and dust storms. The problems caused by dust storms are due to the lack of sufficient information about the prevailing conditions in the region, the way these conditions change, and the lack of knowledge of sensitive and prone areas to dust storms. To deal with this phenomenon and provide appropriate management solutions, it is necessary to know the areas prone to dust and the effective factors in the occurrence of this phenomenon. In this regard, remote sensing and modeling can be very effective in investigating the dust phenomenon. Numerous studies have also been conducted to investigate dust storms and dust sources and to model areas sensitive to this phenomenon using remote sensing data and machine learning.Isfahan province is considered one of the most important geographical regions of the country, which is susceptible to successive drought, desertification, and dust storms due to its special geographical location, low rainfall, and proximity to the desert. So, it is necessary to carry out studies that will lead us to a correct understanding of dust-prone areas in this province. Therefore, In the current research, zoning of dust-prone areas in Isfahan province was done using meteorological codes related to dust, Aerosol optical depth values of MODIS sensor of Terra satellite (2001-2022), and machine learning algorithms including RF, BRT, SVM, and CART.Materials and methodsStudy areaIsfahan Province with an area of nearly 107017 km2 (6.4% of Iran area) is located between 30° 43′ to 34° 30′ N and 49° 38′ to 55° 31′ E in central Iran (Fig. 1). The mean annual precipitation of this province is between 40 mm and more than 800 mm and its mean annual temperature varies from 10 °C to 20 °C (Iran Meteorological Organization). According to the Torrent White method, the climate of Isfahan province is dry in 58.73% of its area (eastern, northeastern, and sub-central parts of the province), semi-arid in 28% of its area (central and northern parts of the province), and humid and semi-humid in 13.27% of its area (western and southern parts of the province). MethodologyFirst, using AOD values, the occurrence and non-occurrence points of dust were determined. Ten various factors including land use, temperature, rainfall, erosive wind speed, slope, altitude, albedo, EVI, NDSI, and NDMI were determined as predictive factors. n the next step, the correlation between the predictive factors was calculated using the variance inflation factor (VIF). Using machine learning algorithms, spatial modeling of susceptible areas to dust was done and the importance of predictive factors in zoning was determined using the jackknife test. Finally, using the value of the area under the ROC curve (ROC-AUC), the validation of the model was done.ResultsThe zoning map of dust-prone areas in Isfahan province showed that the low-altitude and flat parts of the north, parts of the northeast, southeast of the province, and the central areas towards the southwest and west of Isfahan province are vulnerable areas against the occurrence of dust.The highest percentage of areas prone to dust in the RF model was in the very low class with a value of 21.36%, in the BRT model was in the medium class with a value of 22.66%, and in the SVM and CART models, it was in very high and low classes with values of 23.92% and 37.6%, respectively. The results of validation illustrated that the RF model with AUC = 0.86 was the most efficient, followed by BRT, CART, and SVM models with AUC values of 0.82, 0.79, and 0.77 respectively. According to the results of the Jackknife test, in RF, BRT, and CART models, rainfall had the most effect in modeling while in the SVM model, temperature and then rainfall had the most effect in the modeling.Discussion and conclusionBased on the results, the most vulnerable areas to dust are assigned to salt land, barren lands, and rangeland with poor quality. These areas, which are mainly located in the northern, central, and parts of the eastern sides of the province, have the lowest amount of surface soil moisture, the lowest amount of rainfall, and the highest temperature, and as a result, they face the lack of vegetation or weak vegetation. Therefore, these areas are exposed to the occurrence of dust, and with winds blowing at a speed exceeding the threshold speed of wind erosion, dust storms will happen. According to the validation results, the RF model has the best performance among the applied models, followed by the BRT, CART, and SVM models. Random forest algorithm is one of the advanced decision tree models used for classification and regression. This algorithm has a much more accurate performance compared to other simple regression trees or parametric statistical methods and is defined based on a large number of decision trees. The results of the jackknife test introduced rainfall as the most important factor in RF, BRT, and CART models. In the RF model, as the best model, after the rainfall factor, the temperature and altitude factors are more important than other factors. Considering the low amount of rainfall in dust-prone areas, it can be said that low rainfall, soil dryness, and, as a result, the reduction of vegetation, increase the conditions for creating wind erosion and dust.

IntroductionWith the increasing world's population, the need for food and medicine, and their continuous supply, are essential for mankind. Medicinal plants are one of the important factors for human life, as they can be used both as food and medicine. The ancients had a long history of using medicinal plants, and they used their many properties extensively. The scientific name for Caper plant is Capparis spinosa L. Due to its resistance to environmental stress and its ability to act as a protector against soil destruction, this valuable medicinal plant is suitable for growing in arid and desert areas. Commercial cultivation of this plant is very valuable because it is rich in bioactive compounds. This plant's compounds can be extremely useful and effective in protecting humans from various diseases or enhancing the treatment of diseases. This study aimed to examine the total phenol and flavonoid composition, antioxidant activity, and extraction efficacy of various parts of this plant in two desert locations in Yazd and Isfahan to select the best cultivation region from these two sites for expanding cultivation. To determine the most effective compounds and the optimal extraction method, various organs of the plant were examined separately in this research. The best extraction efficiency can be achieved by growing the plant in the region and harvesting the desired organ, and the extracted materials can be used to prevent and treat diseases. Material and Methods The caper plant was collected from desert sites in Yazd and Isfahan in different parts, which included leaves, stems, buds, flowers, fruits, and roots. Plants were collected from four different locations on the site, and finally, the plants from four different locations were combined. After the botany expert's approval, extraction was done from different parts of the plant with hydroalcoholic solvent (80% ethanol) by the Soxhlet method. In this research, different experiments of total phenol, total flavonoid, antioxidant content, and extraction efficiency were performed using standard methods. Different dilutions of extract and standard material were made for all experiments. Folin Ciocalto's reagent was used to measure the total phenol, and it was reported according to the Gallic Acid standard per gram dry weight of the plant. Different tests like ABTS, DPPH, CUPRAC, and FRAP were employed to measure the plant's antioxidant content. The standard for milligrams of Trolox per gram of dried plant weight was used to calculate all of them. The number of flavonoids was measured based on the Aluminium Chloride colorimetry method and was expressed in the standard form of milligrams of Quercetin per gram of weight of the dried plant. To determine the extraction efficiency, the weight of the powder extract obtained from the extraction of different organs was calculated with a scale, and then the ratio of the weight of the powder extract of the weight of dried plant was reported as extraction method efficiency. For each of the experiments, 3 repetitions were performed. A two-way analysis of variance was utilized to examine the data's normality, and finally, IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software was utilized to analyse them. Results and DiscussionThe findings demonstrated that phenolic and flavonoid compounds were abundant in various parts of the caper plant from both locations. The leaves demonstrated a higher concentration of phenolic and flavonol compounds, with 48.611 mgGA/gDW and 19.842 mgQE/gDW, respectively. The antioxidant activity of roots was the highest among all parts of the plant. The Yazd site's caper plants were found to have a higher total phenolic and flavonoid content, with 35.572 mgGA/gDW and 14.14.164 mgQE/gDW, when compared to the other regions. The highest antioxidant activity was found in the fruit and root of the caper plant using the DPPH method. The ABTS method's measurement of antioxidant activity resulted in the same results and indicated that fruits had the highest activity. A positive correlation was observed between the amount of phenol and flavonoids. Furthermore, the Yazd site had a higher extraction efficiency than the Isfahan site, measuring 16.754%. The best region between two desert sites is also the best organ for extraction, as per the results of the current investigation. These results can be utilized to cultivate caper plants that contain more effective substances. These findings emphasize the status of the Caper plant as a rich source of secondary metabolites and show its potential as a potent healing agent with highly beneficial compounds, the site of Yazd is a suitable site for the cultivation of this plant. By cultivating this plant, in addition to helping to reduce desertification and prevent soil erosion, it is possible to have a source of secondary metabolites, especially phenol and flavonoid compounds, and use them in many medicinal applications.

IntroductionPopulation growth and the excessive use of natural resources have caused significant changes in natural ecosystems, including a decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperature. The potential exists for them to decrease vegetation and increase barren areas. Serious economic, social, and environmental damage can occur in natural ecosystems due to the destruction of land cover and other damages, such as dust storms. Therefore, ecosystem changes are taking place worldwide, both at the temporal and spatial scale, due to human activities and natural factors. So, investigating the amount of land use/cover changes, their effect on dust storms, and predicting these changes for the coming years can be an important step in reducing and controlling unprincipled changes, planning, and optimizing resource. Climate change and human activities, such as drought, human activities, and non-compliance with water rights, have a significant impact on the Hamon wetland area, so that the dry bed of the wetland has become the main sources of dust. This research is focused on investigating the impact of land use changes on dust storms and forecasting land use changes in the Sistan region for the next 20 years. Material and MethodsThe impact of land use changes on dust storms in the Sistan region was examined using Markov chain forecasting methods. For this purpose, first of all, the land use maps of 2002, 2011 and 2022 were prepared using satellite images. An anomalous method was used to investigate climatic parameters, including temperature, rainfall, and the number of days with dust, in the next step. To evaluate climatic changes, it is necessary to use a method that shows long-term changes. The anomaly method was employed for this purpose. The values of this index can be either positiveor negative. In order to predict land use changes for the next 20 years, the combination of the maps of 2002 and 2022 for severe drought conditions were used by using Markov chain and Cell models. The Markov model was predicted to generate multiple images. The transfer probability matrix allows for the expression of the probability that any type of land cover will be found in any location in the future. Despite the accuracy of transmission probabilities for each user is unknown, due to the lack of information on the spatial distribution of users, the Markov model does not have any spatial dependence information. In contrast, to the automatic network, it is an agent that has the ability to change its state based on the application of the law that shows the new state in accordance with the previous state and the state of its neighbors. Results and DiscussionThis study examined the impact of land use change on dust in the Sistan region. At first, climatic changes of temperature, rainfall and number of dusty days were investigated and the results showed that the temperature has increased and rainfall has decreased in the Sistan region during the last two decades. The land use maps also showed that in the years when the Hamon wetland has been drained, pastures and dense vegetation have increased and barren lands and salt marshes have decreased. But due to the recent droughts like the year 2022, when a drought has occurred in the region, the use of vegetation and pasture has decreased and barren and salt marshes have increased. These conditions cause an increase in the level of dust in the region. The land use map for severe drought conditions in the next 20 years was predicted using the Markov model. It showed that in the future, pastures and dense vegetation will decrease, but barren lands and salt marsh areas will increase dramatically. As desertification and wind erosion increase, dust storms will also increase as a result of these conditions. The economic, social, environmental, and health conditions of residents in the region are adversely affected by dust storms. Therefore, proper planning and management can reduce the damages caused by dust storms in the Sistan region.

IntroductionSoil erosion is a serious threat to human well-being and life, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, and is one of the important issues in land management. Rill erosion is one of the most significant events in water erosion that affect soil loss, landscape, water resources, and land degradation can cause significant loss of soil in different climates. Identifying the effective processes that lead to the creation and expansion of rill erosion is necessary, and finding effective solutions to prevent rills is essential. In the meantime, one of the management solutions is determining the prone area to rill erosion. The high sensitivity of the lands of Nehbandan city (Kaji wetland watershed) to erosion is the reason for determining the prone areas to rill erosion. The maximum entropy method was used to identify the area that is susceptible to rill erosion. Material and MethodsThe modeling process used 9 effective factors, including height, slope steepness, slope direction, rainfall, land use, land cover, soil texture, geomorphology, and geology, based on similar research. Factors affecting the occurrence of rill erosion were analyzed as independent variables. The first step in preparing a rill erosion sensitivity map was to determine the location of rill erosions in the Kaji wetland watershed using Google Earth and then to conduct field surveys. The basin was monitored in the field using GPS and 138 cases of rill erosion were recorded. The occurrence points were divided into two groups: training and validation, with a 70:30 ratio. The total occurrence points were divided into 97 incident points that were randomly selected for model training (validation stage) and 41 incident points that were used for validation purposes. The MaxEnt model relied on the data set used for training as independent variables. In order to use the maximum entropy model to determine rill erosion, first the independent variables (factors affecting the occurrence of rill erosion) and the dependent variable (identification of points with rill erosion) was converted to the required format and introduced to MaxEnt software. To evaluate the effectiveness of the model in detecting occurrence points (rill erosion) from pseudo-non- occurrence points, the area under the ROC curve was used. The Jack Knife test was utilized to investigate the identification and prioritization of 9 influential factors (independent variables) that influence the results. The model was implemented using the remaining variables as input factors after removing the independent variables separately for this purpose. The efficiency of the model built using all independent variables was measured in comparison to the case where the model was built based on other variables. To determine its effect on the output, the contribution of the omitted independent variable was examined. Results and DiscussionAccording to the validation results, the sensitivity map for rill erosion has a high efficiency. The test stage should have a ROC curve of 0.859 (very good) and the test stage should have an average curve of 0.6 (moderate). The Jack Knife test revealed that the slope's steepness was the most significant environmental factor in the predicted sensitivity map for rill erosion in the study area. Geology and land cover were also recognized as other important factors. The MaxEnt model was found to be an effective model for preparing the rill erosion susceptibility map, according to the results. According to the findings, the slope steepness factor, which is 25%, is the main factor that affects the rill erosion of the Kaji wetland watershed. The high frequency of the slope class with a slope class below 20% suggests that this slope class is a significant factor in the development of rill erosion. The geological map of the region indicates that the majority of the region is dedicated to Quaternary formations, which is crucial for the development and creation of erosion in the region. The watershed's proneness to rill erosion is caused by poor rangeland usage. Management of vegetation and rangeland is necessary to reduce the potential for soil erosion in the region. According to the results, the soil texture of the region had less effect on the development of rill erosion; because most of the soil in the area is related to sand-gravel texture, which has a low effect on rill erosion. The MaxEnt model's high accuracy in modeling the sensitivity of rill erosion is evidenced by the results of the present study.

Nowadays, the impacts of tourism are one of the academic topics and concerns of experts in this field, and they are trying to increase its positive effects through network and cluster activity and find solutions to reduce the negative effects of tourism. Sustainable tourism requires the active performance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and museums can also play an axial role as educational institutions. Unfortunately, there is no close relationship between museums and NGOs in Iran, and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) is the only active NGO in this field. In contrast, the collaboration of NGOs and museums can be a step towards popularising the challenges facing sustainable tourism development. The objectives of the present research are: 1) to identify the factors affecting the participation of NGOs in promoting museums and sustainable tourism. 2) to explore the collaborative opportunities of NGOs and museums towards sustainable tourism development. In this regard, the qualitative method (thematic analysis) was used with the help of MAXQDA software. The statistical population of the research was the active members of NGO experts in the fields of tourism, culture, museum, environment, and geography. The data was collected using a semi-structured interview form. It is worth mentioning that the data reached saturation point in the 20th interview. The data coding results illustrated that moral and professional codes and policymaking influence NGOs’ participation in the development of museums and tourism. In addition, the five main themes of cooperative education, collaborative and interactive thinking, participatory advertising, holding joint events and exhibitions, and social participation were identified as collaborative opportunities for NGOs and museums towards sustainable tourism development. It should be pointed out that cooperation and partnership relations are a suitable alternative to competition in sustainable tourism, and this partnership facilitates the achievement of sustainable tourism goals, which have been at the forefront of central policy of global tourism development for more than two decades.IntroductionIn 1995, a charter with 18 principles was drawn up to implement sustainable tourism in Lanzarote Island, Spain. The ninth, thirteenth, and fifteenth principles emphasize the participation and role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing sustainable tourism. Today, NGOs play an essential role in the local communities' involvement, local empowerment, education, economic-social development, preservation of cultural and natural heritage, etc., as far as they can be called the public’s voice. NGOs play an essential role in education and culturalizing.Smithsonian; European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT); World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH); International et al. (TIES); The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO); International Council of Museums (ICOM) are examples of active international NGOs in tourism and museums.Currently, many NGOs are registered in Iran, and among them, ICOM of Iran is active in the field of cultural heritage and tourism and is the most well-known NGO in the field of museums. Addressing the discussion of NGOs in museums and sustainable tourism will increase the participation between NGOs and museums towards sustainable tourism. The role of NGOs as a speaker is to convey the museum’s voice. In addition, this research is an initial attempt to introduce the importance of NGOs and museums’ participation in sustainable tourism. Also, due to rising NGOs from the community and having voluntary human resources, they can create a closer relationship between the public and the museum through participating in sustainable activities.Literature ReviewSingh (1999: 92-94) argued that NGOs strive to develop sustainable tourism. Data analysis in the Goa, India case study illustrated that NGOs can also develop local socio-economic activities and play an essential role in community awareness. Liburd (2004: 105-109) stated that NGOs influence political processes and outcomes. Some authors (Butcher, 2006, pp. 307-310; Wearing et al., 2005: 424-439) noted that NGOs are trying to create a de-commoditized model of tourism that seeks sustainable tourism.Materials and MethodsThe present study includes two main objectives: 1) to identify the factors affecting the participation of NGOs in promoting museums and sustainable tourism. 2) to explore the collaborative opportunities of NGOs and museums towards sustainable tourism development. This research is exploratory, and a qualitative method (Thematic analysis) was applied. MAXQDA software was used as a tool for data analysis. The study’s statistical population consists of active NGO members, experts, and elites in geography, tourism, museums, environment, and culture. Data was gathered through the snowball sampling method. After each interview, the data was coded until the codes reached saturation point in the 21st interview, and no new codes were added to the previous codes. ResultsThe first goal of the research is to identify the factors influencing the participation of NGOs in promoting museums and sustainable tourism. The results of data analysis using a qualitative method (thematic analysis) demonstrated that policymaking (national and local) and moral and professional codes (external and internal) are two vital and effective components of the participation of NGOs in promoting museums and sustainable tourism. National policymaking includes eight sub-themes, which are: moral and financial support of the upstream institutions from NGOs, removal of difficult legal obstacles towards establishing NGOs, monitoring of organizations and the activities of NGOs, removal of legal obstacles when NGOs strive for implanting their ideas (another organization such as the police should not prevent them), creating a legal platform that recognizes the activities of the institutions, involving the supervision of NGOs in the government's decisions, creating a bottom-up approach to museum planning and development of tourism, not looking at NGOs politically. In addition to local policymaking, there are three sub-themes of participation of NGOs in local tourism development and planning projects: the cooperation of NGOs with gild merchant and local communities and the cooperation of NGOs with the diversity of social and age groups in order to communicate with the community visiting the museum. Also, the results of open and axial coding indicated that extra-institutional moral and professional codes are classified into four sub-themes, which include participation in international scientific and executive assemblies of museum science in order to announce sustainability conditions and activities; stakeholders' acceptance of the organization's participation; acquaintance of people with citizenship duties and issues of environmental protection and cultural heritage preservation; organized cooperation with other national and international organizations in order to share experiences towards promoting sustainable tourism and museums. It is worth noting that the togetherness and convergence of NGO members and the priority of collective interests; continuity in the systematic cooperation between the association and museums towards sustainable development of tourism; education and promotion of specialized knowledge in line with collaborative decision-making; developing the mission and vision of NGOs towards promoting sustainable tourism were identified as sub-themes of moral and professional codes.Furthermore, the five main themes of cooperative education, collaborative and interactive thinking, participatory advertising, holding joint events and exhibitions, and social participation were identified as collaborative opportunities for NGOs and museums towards sustainable tourism development. DiscussionNowadays, NGOs play a significant role in education, culturalizing, identity-building, and participation (Nouei & Saje, 2011) and can act as a collective voice for sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is a method of tourism that tries to minimize the adverse effects of travel and increase its positive effects by implementing the 18 principles. Meanwhile, as educational institutions, museums can achieve sustainable tourism goals with greater convergence and be the collective voice of sustainability in tourism destinations and museums. The results of data analysis with the help of software illustrated that moral and professional codes and policymaking are the factors influencing the participation of NGOs in the prosperity of museums and the promotion of tourism. Nouei and Saje (2011) also emphasize the cooperative role of the NGOs, but the innovation of the current research has been in identifying the collaborative opportunities of NGOs and museums towards sustainable tourism (cooperative education; collaborative and interactive thinking; participatory advertising; holding joint events and exhibitions and social participation). Training of tourism human resources and hosts; empowering local communities towards sustainable tourism; the use of museum space in sustainability education for the public; holding theoretical training workshops about sustainable tourism; providing consulting services to museums; acquaintance of people with citizenship duties and issues of environmental protection and cultural heritage preservation; holding a skill-based training workshop in about sustainable tourism and teaching intangible cultural traditions concerning historical assets through museum objects, including opportunities for cooperative education, have been identified. Other extractive open codes have yet to be considered in the literature review and are the new findings of the present research. Among the opportunities for cooperative and interactive thinking extracted from coding are the opportunities to collect financial aid for NGOs, participation in the establishment of museums, increase the power of access and interpretation of NGO's activities by the museum, creative participation towards sustainable tourism and the place to carry out the dialogues of NGOs. These current research results confirm other research (Kannike et al., 2021; Ouessar & Belhedi, 1999; Wilson, 2003). Creating employment and income for local people by attracting tourists and visitors to museums and tourist destinations; collecting intangible and tangible heritage towards sustainable tourism and museum management, and participating in strengthening pride and cultural identity are opportunities for social partnerships that experts have pointed out to promote sustainable tourism. It is worth mentioning that some researchers (Wilson, 2003) also emphasize creating employment and income for local people and strengthening pride and cultural identity in their research. Holding joint events and exhibitions regarding sustainability issues are not only the findings of the present study but also mentioned by Kannike et al., 2021. ConclusionLastly, NGOs are the representatives and voices of museums and sustainable tourism, and the production of content marketing by NGOs for museums and sustainable tourism increases the opportunity for cooperative advertising.

Rural tourism is a part of the tourism market and a source of employment and income, and it can be considered an essential tool for the economic, social, and ecological development of rural communities. The leading research based on the need for long-term planning in the field of rural tourism in Heris City, which is one of the most susceptible regions in the country in attracting rural tourism with various factors, is trying to reach a convincing answer to the question that the key and influencing factors on the future development of rural tourism in the city. Where is Heris? Based on the purpose, this is an applied study, and in terms of its nature and method, it is a descriptive-analytical study based on a prospective approach. Data collection tools included the use of (library) documents and interviews. To calculate validity, content and form validity methods and techniques were used. The reliability rate for "structural effects analysis" was 0.82. The panel of respondents consisted of 30 university professors and planning and development experts. This study identified 21 variables as primary factors and analyzed them with MicMac software. To determine the key drivers effective on the rural tourism approach of Heris City, based on the results of two methods, including "rank of variables in each mode" and "the total effect of variables in all modes," the key and effective factors were selected, which are "use of culture and rural art in presenting designs" and "paying attention to all levels and strata of society in presenting designs." Introduction Many development planners and policymakers refer to the tourism industry as the central pillar of sustainable development. Rural tourism is also considered a part of the tourism industry, which can play an influential role in developing these areas. As a result, proper planning and identifying the advantages and limitations of rural tourism, will achieve national development and diversification of the national economy. Leading research based on the need for long-term planning in the field of rural tourism in Heris City, which, with various factors, is one of the most susceptible regions in the country in attracting rural tourism, and due to its brilliant historical background and the presence of diverse weather, the scenic attractions have the ability to develop rural tourism. However, due to incorrect planning, it has yet to be successful in this field. According to the stated contents, the present research is trying to reach a convincing answer to the question of the key and influencing factors on the future development of rural tourism in Heris County. Materials and Methods In terms of the purpose, this is applied research, and in terms of the nature and method, it is of descriptive-analytical type, based on the prospective approach from the time dimension. According to the existing studies, the methods of obtaining information in the field of economic-social studies can be categorized in different ways. Based on the research objectives, data collection methods, and tools, including using documents, library documents, and interviews. To calculate validity, content and form validity methods and techniques were used so that it was accompanied by the guidance of scholars in this field to determine how well the questions represent the content and objectives of the research. Cronbach's alpha method was used to measure the reliability of the research questionnaire. According to each section, the questionnaire was provided to professors and experts in the mentioned field, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated in SPSS software. The reliability level for "structural effects analysis" is 0.82. The panel of respondents consists of 30 university professors in the fields of rural and urban planning, regional planning and tourism, social sciences, and economics, as well as planning and development experts, including experts from the Nomadic Affairs Organization, Sports and Youth Administration, Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, East Azarbaijan province, and Heris city. The present study identified 21 variables as primary factors and analyzed data with MicMac software. In the cross matrix, the sum of the row numbers of each factor, the amount of influence, and the column sums of each factor shows the influence from other factors. Discussion and Results The number of 21 influencing variables on rural tourism development in Heris County was selected using the panel interview session. Then, by forming a 21 x 21 matrix, the effects of each index on the other were identified with the number zero to three using the mutual effects analysis method. Then, the matrix results were entered into MicMac software and analyzed to extract the drivers. To structurally analyze the mutual effects of factors on each other, a 21x21 matrix was formed. The filling degree of the matrix is 92.063%, which shows that the selected factors had a large and scattered effect on each other, and in fact, the system was in an unstable state. Out of 385 relationships that can be evaluated in this matrix, 35 relationships are zero, meaning that the factors did not influence on or were not influenced by each other. Eighty-seven relationships have been established on number one, 157 on number two, and 162 on number three. Conclusions What can be understood from the state of the dispersion plane of the effective variables is the state of instability of the system. Most of the variables are scattered around the diagonal axis of the plane. Except for a few limited factors that show that they have a high impact on the system, the rest of the variables have almost the same status. To determine the key drivers effective on the rural tourism approach of Heris City, based on the results of two methods including "rank of variables in each of the states" and "total impact of variables in all states," the key and effective factors have been selected as follows. Utilizing rural culture and art in presenting plans; Attention to all levels and strata of society in presenting plans; Emphasizing intellectual independence and not imitating foreign models in the design of rural tourism projects; Looking at rural tourists as cultural ambassadors; Designing suitable spaces for holding ceremonies and traditional rituals using cultural symbols (designing cultural routes for tourists); and introducing the projects done on different sites in different languages. Therefore, the vital and effective drivers that can be pointed out in this research for the planning approach of rural tourism development in Heris are the factors that emphasize all the studied aspects of the subject.

Although the research on religious tourism experiences has increased in recent years, and given that most of the studies have been focused on the spiritual aspect of these experiences, there still needs to be more knowledge about the multiple attributes of religious tourists’ experiences. Therefore, the current study aims to provide an “integrated and multifaceted conceptual framework of religious tourists’ experiences” using a systematic literature review and deductive thematic analysis. The search was conducted on June 12, 2023. The PRISMA procedure identified fifty-three relevant articles ranging from 2006 to 2022. Based on the findings, the multifaceted religious tourists’ experiences can include cognitive, emotional, physical, relational, recovery, spiritual, transformative, and behavioral facets. The findings can extend the literature and benefit managers, planners, and destination marketing organizations in designing religious tourism experiences to enhance visitors’ satisfaction and destination competitiveness. Introduction In the 21st century, religious tourism and pilgrimages are critical components of the travel and tourism market (Albayrak et al., 2018). Bibliometric studies reveal the exponential growth of religious tourism studies in the last decade. Due to religious tourism’s benefits, destinations need to understand religious tourists' experiences to enhance destination competitiveness and attract these tourists. However, religious tourism experience is an emerging topic in the literature (Collins-Kreiner, 2020), and scant studies have been conducted on this topic (Bond et al., 2015). Also, most of the research has focused on the spiritual aspect and ignored other aspects to a large extent. Meanwhile, managers of religious sites should offer a holistic experience that embraces spiritual and non-spiritual complementary aspects (Durán-Sánchez et al., 2018). Considering the importance of understanding the religious tourists' experience and the inadequate studies in this field, especially the lack of comprehensive frameworks that include multiple aspects of the religious tourists’ experiences (Kim et al., 2020), the present study has systematically reviewed the literature to provide an “integrated, multifaceted religious tourism experience conceptual framework” and extends literature in this field. Materials nd Methods The present research employed a systematic literature review. Scopus was chosen as the database as it is the largest multidisciplinary database in social sciences (Aria et al., 2020). Also, compared to the Web of Science, it has a broader coverage of tourism journals (Lin & Rasoolimanesh, 2022). The search was conducted on June 12, 2023. The PRISMA procedure identified fifty-three relevant articles ranging from 2006 to 2022. The deductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was done to determine the aspects and components of the religious tourists’ experience based on the “orchestra model” (Pearce & Mohammadi, 2021) and the “multifaceted conceptual framework of tourist experience” (Packer & Ballantyne, 2016). Discussion and Results Based on the findings, the “integrated, multifaceted framework of religious tourists’ experiences” includes cognitive, affective, physical, relational, restorative, spiritual, transformative, and behavioral facets, each includes the following aspects: Cognitive: reflection, learning or discovering, perceived authenticity, perception of setting attributes, mental engagement, and remembering Affective: joy, awe or wonder, attachment, hope, pride, discontent Physical: sensory engagement, bodily engagement, or challenge Relational: social interaction and sharing, communitas Restorative: peacefulness or relaxation, escape, nourishment, freedom Spiritual: spiritual connection, religiousness or closeness to God or sacred people, communion with nature, purification Transformative: self-growth or fulfillment, liminality or flow, identity construction Behavioral: religious site or ritual-specific (religious), non-religious (touristic) Conclusions Theoretically, this research attempted to provide a multifaceted perspective of the religious tourists’ experience, employing a systematic literature review. Therefore, it has presented the most recent overview of the topic and identified the theories used, methodologies, study context, and experience attributes. By providing an “integrated, multifaceted conceptual framework of the religious tourist experience,” the present study contributes to extending the literature. This research used the existing frameworks to categorize the attributes of experience. It also added new facets and components. Three facets, namely restorative, spiritual, and transformative, can be added to the “orchestra model of tourist experience” (Pearce & Mohammadi, 2021). Also, the religious tourism-related components of communitas (relational), hope (affective), religiousness or closeness to God or sacred people, communion with nature, purification (spiritual), and liminality or flow (transformative) were added. Other components were also included that may be helpful to describe more general tourism experiences: perceived authenticity and mental engagement (cognitive), self-expression and social acceptance (relational), and identity construction (transformative). This framework needs to be more comprehensive, and future research may add other facets and components. The findings can extend the literature and benefit managers, planners, and destination marketing organizations in designing religious tourism experiences to enhance visitors' satisfaction and destination competitiveness. Finally, study limitations and future research directions are proposed, including cross-cultural studies to compare results and enhance the generalizability of the findings, examining the proposed framework in various religious destinations contexts, paying more attention to Muslim religious tourists’ experiences, considering the role of information and communication technologies, and investigating the interactions of the framework components.

Religious tourism, a branch of cultural tourism, can stimulate development, especially in rural areas. This research was conducted to conceptualize a religious tourism development model emphasizing the holy sites of Kermanshah province. The research approach was of qualitative and Grounded Theory type; the research sample comprised experts in the field of religious tourism. Accordingly, 16 semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants using the purposeful sampling method. The four criteria of Lincoln and Guba, including credibility, transferability, reliability, and verifiability, were used to measure the validity and comply with the qualitative research features, validation, accuracy, and robustness of the data. The reliability of the research was also assessed using the test-retest reliability method, with 77% reliability. Strauss and Corbin’s systematic approach analyzed data. Through three open, central, and selective coding procedures, the content analysis results yielded 71 concepts, 14 sub-categories, and six main categories. Finally, the paradigmatic religious tourism development model was presented, in which the development of religious tourism was chosen as the central phenomenon affected by the causal conditions of the research. Contextual and intervening conditions and the central phenomenon formed religious tourism development strategies, and economic, cultural, and social development outcomes were obtained. In the end, practical suggestions were presented for developing religious tourism in Kermanshah province.Introduction"Religious tourism" is one of the oldest forms of tourism and plays an important role in the history of tourism development. Religious tourism includes people who travel for religious or spiritual purposes and visit religious places or participate in religious activities and festivals. In other words, religious tourism refers to all types of trips made with voluntary religious motivation, without pay, and for a limited period.Kermanshah province, with 16,550 sacred places and monuments, is one of the provinces with the potential to attract religious tourists. Despite the potential and attractions that Kermanshah province has in the field of tourism in general and religious tourism in particular, the category of religious tourism in this province should be addressed more. This matter has been neglected from the point of view of the trustees and planners of the matter.This research aims to develop a religious tourism development model with an emphasis on blessed and religious places and locations in Kermanshah province to creat employment and reduce the unemployment rate. So, the current study seeks to answer this question, what kind of model does Kermanshah province has for the development of religious tourism with an emphasis on blessed and religious places?Materials and MethodsThe current research is qualitative in terms of paradigm, developmental-applicative in terms of purpose, and exploratory and ground-theoretical in terms of method. The studied community of the research was made up of experts in the field of religious tourism. Based on this, 16 semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants using the purposeful sampling method. The data were analyzed using the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin. In order to analyze the data, three types of coding were used, which include open coding (creating concepts and categories), axial coding (identifying the core category, causal conditions, contextual and environmental conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences) and selective coding (creation of theory). In order to measure the validity and comply with the qualitative features of the research, validation, accuracy, and robustness of the data, the four criteria of Lincoln and Goba, such as reliability, transferability and appropriateness, reliability and stability, and verifiability, were used. The reliability of the research was also calculated using the test-retest reliability method, and 77% was obtained.ResultsConclusions The resulting Paradigm Model identified welfare and religious attractions as "causal conditions." The mentioned factors are the factors that make the development of religious tourism necessary and inevitable. Religious tourism development strategies include promotional strategies, infrastructural strategies, collaborative strategies, and human resource strategies that are affected by factors such as advertising management and integrated tourism management as "intervening conditions" And "background conditions" such as residents' attitude about the consequences of tourism and residents' attitude towards religious and cultural responsibilities towards pilgrims and tourists. Finally, the development of religious tourism leads to the emergence of "consequences of the development of religious tourism," such as "economic development," such as an increase in rial and foreign exchange income and the prosperity of the tax system, creating job opportunities for the local people of the province, expanding commercial and welfare centers around religious attractions. The province, the prosperity of local industries and products of the province, the employment of women and students on a part-time basis, and the attraction of domestic and foreign capital to the province; and "cultural and social development" such as cultural interaction and expansion of cultural exchanges of the province, strengthening of religious thinking among the local community of the province, awareness of the local community of cultural-religious assets, sense of pride of the local community in cultural-religious assets, strengthening of cultural character and increasing respect pilgrims are given the opportunity to strengthen religious and Islamic culture and rites between guilds and trades, and to revive local-religious traditions and manners. Based on the research findings, somepractical suggestions are presented to develop religious tourism in Kermanshah province

This research aims to assess the benefits of gamification and its impact on tourism development at the historical site of Persepolis. The research methodology employed in this study is descriptive-analytical and is based on documentary studies, field investigations, and researcher-designed questionnaires. The target population for this research consists of active individuals in the tourism industry, with a sample size of 354 participants selected. Data analysis was conducted using tests such as average variance extracted (AVE), Fornell-Larcker, factor loading coefficients, Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and structural equation modeling, utilizing SPSS and Smart PLS software. The results of this study indicate that gamification exhibits a positive and significant relationship with all four dimensions under investigation: education, branding, loyalty, employment, and income generation. Gamification at Persepolis provides a recreational and educational experience and enables tourists to engage with the culture and history of the country they are visiting in a novel and interactive manner. With an enhanced tourist experience through gamification, Persepolis is poised to become a unique and captivating tourist destination.IntroductionThe text discusses the concept of "Gamification," which involves integrating game elements into non-game contexts. It was first introduced in 2008 and has since been applied in various fields, including tourism. However, its use in the tourism industry is still early. Gamification in tourism can enhance tourist interactions, satisfaction, brand awareness, and loyalty. It offers both external benefits, such as trip planning, and internal benefits, providing virtual travel experiences. Location-based and online games are vital in engaging tourists during their journeys. Gamification can be applied in organizational training programs to boost employee participation and skill acquisition. Overall, gamification is an innovative approach with the potential to transform how tourists engage with destinations, creating more exciting and interactive travel experiences. This article explores its application in the historical context of Persepolis, emphasizing its impact on branding, education, loyalty, and marketing in tourism. This article represents one of the initial academic endeavors in Iran to explore the significance and advantages of gamification in the historical and cultural context of Persepolis, shedding light on its potential impact on branding, education, loyalty, marketing, and the overall development of tourism at this historical site.Materials and methodsThis study aimed to evaluate the benefits of gamification and its impact on the tourism development of the historic Persepolis area. This study is of descriptive-analytical practical purposes, and the sampling method was simple randomization, with the study population including professors and tourism activists, 354 sampled according to Cochran's formula.Discussion and ResultsThe findings indicate that all hypotheses achieved statistical significance, thereby confirming the primary hypothesis of this investigation. Consequently, substantial associations exist among destination marketing, tourism education, and loyal tourists. It is evident that gamification positively influences tourism development in the Persepolis region.ConclusionsTravel should offer tourists a meaningful and engaging experience, and gamification is pivotal in achieving this objective within the tourism industry. The primary goal of implementing a gamification system is to induce a cognitive and emotional impact on users. In this context, it is essential to consider individuals’ intrinsic motivations, which revolve around engaging in an activity solely for its inherent enjoyment rather than being driven by external rewards, pressures, or stimuli.This research has unveiled further insights across various domains, including marketing, economic prosperity, and employment generation. By incorporating games that revolve around Persepolis’s rich history and culture, tourists are encouraged to spend extended periods in Marvdasht, subsequently fostering job creation and local community engagement. The gamification framework in tourism also contributes to developing sustainable tourism practices.Furthermore, brand attraction is deemed a crucial aspect of capital in the tourism sector, prompting extensive efforts in marketing to allure and retain tourists. Gamification significantly enhances the overall tourist experience, instrumental in retaining existing customers and enticing new visitors.

Local event tourism is one of the types of tourism that can play an essential role in the sustainable economic and social development of communities. However, this issue has received less attention. Meymand Fars Flower and Rose Festival is one of these events held every year in the spring season. This study aims to identify the factors that attract tourists to this event. For this purpose, the factors attracting tourists to the events were extracted by qualitative content analysis and then the tourists' opinions. Finally, a conceptual framework of influencing factors on customers' tendencies, including 50 indicators in 15 components, was presented. Also, the quantitative analysis of Q data shows that accessibility, hospitality, and spending time with friends were essential for the first group of tourists, social interactions and event quality were necessary for the second group, patriotic and learning motives were important for the third group, and experience and enjoyment of the event were necessary for the fourth group. At the same time, natural attractions and enjoyment of the festival environment have been essential for all tourists, and these results can be a basis for formulating marketing strategies for local tourism events. Introduction During the last two decades, the tourism industry has increasingly strengthened the local economy due to its high diversity and convenient access. In addition, the development of the tourism industry causes benefits such as increasing the employment and income of residents, improving transportation, and, most importantly, protecting the cultural heritage of local communities. One of the types of tourism is event tourism, which has grown significantly in recent years. Event tourism is a form of travel with special interests in which people visit a special event to attend or along with their trip. One of the important products in tourism development has been an event in the form of cultural festivals. In this regard, local festivals as a branch of cultural events are considered one of travelers’ actions in rural areas. On the other hand, due to its various natural, historical, and cultural attractions, Iran is considered one of the most capable countries in the world for organizing such events. For this reason, practical steps can be taken toward the successful development of this type of tourism by more closely examining the events and festivals held in the country. One of these local festivals is the Meymand Fars Flower and Rose Festival, held every year at the beginning of the rose-picking season for one month in the Meymand Fars region. In this regard, it will be beneficial to identify the effective factors in attracting tourists to this annual local event, to get a more detailed understanding of the affairs and a deeper understanding of the social, cultural, and economic realities of the region and to plan for the sustainable development of this region. However, this issue has received less attention despite its clarity and necessity. On this subject, the current research seeks to identify the indicators and components influencing the tendency of tourists to visit rural events by using the qualitative content analysis method and providing a conceptual framework of these factors. Then, by analyzing the data of Meymand Flower and Rose Festival tourists based on the conceptual model, the types of tourists of this local event were identified. Materials and Methods This research aims to identify the factors that attract event tourists to local festivals using the Q method in Meymand Flower and Rose Festival, Fars. In terms of purpose, this research is practical, and according to the approach and type of data, it can be categorized as mixed research. The current research was carried out in 2023 in Fars province regarding time and place. In this research, first, the qualitative content analysis method with a directional approach has been used to identify and determine the existing indicators. Then, to know the mentality of participants in the Meymand Fars Flower and Rose Festival and collect data (using the Q method), all the customers who participated in this festival in 2023 were studied. Discussion and Results In the first step, based on the content analysis of the screened studies, the researchers reviewed the final studies several times to determine titles or themes. At this stage, the researchers identified the factors affecting tourists' tendency towards events. Since some words had the same meaning, the necessary overlaps were made, and some indicators were removed. In the next step, the content validity ratio of Lawshe was used to check the validity of indicators in rural tourism. After this step, the number of 50 indicators was finalized and categorized into 15 concepts. Then, in the quantitative part, the data obtained from the Q factor analysis methodology was used to identify and extract the mentality of tourists. For this purpose, the tourists' opinions about the factors affecting their attendance at the Meymand Flower and Rose Festival 2023 were collected. With exploratory factor analysis, the participants were selected based on the shared values and the role of the data in explaining the total explanatory variance, and finally, the Varimax rotation divided the rest into four groups after removing 30 of them. Conclusions In this research, an attempt was made to use a mixed approach; firstly, with the help of qualitative content analysis, the indicators and components of local festivals were identified, and then the mentality of the tourists of Meymand Fars Flower and Rose Festival was extracted as a study. Finally, a conceptual framework of influencing factors on customers' tendencies, including 50 indicators in 15 components, was presented. Then, based on the results of the quantitative method, four groups of customers were identified in Meymand Rose and Rose Festival. Enjoying nature, weather, and flowers and plants are among the motivations that are common among all four groups; in other words, it was the common feature of all visitors to this festival. However, in the separated groups, the factors have a significant dispersion. In the first group, the three factors of accessibility, hospitality of the destination, and spending time with friends are among the unique factors that have attracted them to this festival. This group constituted almost 37 percent of the participants in the research. The second group, which included almost 27 percent of the sample of festival tourists, with a sense of loyalty to the event and satisfaction, considers this festival a platform for social interactions and feels a sense of national pride by attending it. The third group is attracted to this festival with patriotic motives and the aim of learning, excitement, and making memories, and the festival’s popularity has been one of the main reasons for them. Finally, the fourth group of this festival has chosen a suitable place for photography and a space to enjoy holidays and relaxation with the intention of diversity in experience. In this context, the most significant difference between the present research and the previous studies is related to the classification of factors affecting the tendency of tourists, so that in none of the mentioned researches, the factors influencing the attraction of event tourists to local festivals have not been reported in a comprehensive category. Therefore, it is recommended to relevant provincial and national policymakers and patriot service providers to pay attention to the extracted effective indicators as the most key factors in their service strategy by recognizing the important characteristics of each category of tourists.

In recent years, the economic potential of the tourism industry has attracted the attention of economic players. Studying the performance of active businesses in this industry and identifying effective factors in it has become more important. One of the variables that have been studied in this regard has been entrepreneurial orientation. Most studies have shown that entrepreneurial orientation positively affects performance as a unidimensional construct. However, scholars have urged to investigate the effects of the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation on performance separately due to the existence of contradictory results and different conceptualizations. Moreover, adding other variables as moderators or mediators of this relationship has been helpful. In the present research, the effects of innovativeness, proactiveness, and riskiness on the performance of Iran's tourism sector firms, considering the mediating effect of marketing capabilities and the moderating effect of learning culture, have been studied. Introduction Despite the vast potential of tourism in Iran, this industry has yet to grow enough. One of the reasons for this is the conditions of the enterprises working in this sector. Growth occurs when companies make a profit and capital increase becomes possible. The profits of travel agencies in Iran are usually low, and their managers need help to grow their businesses. Managing these firms is a critical factor in their success, and understanding how travel agencies in Iran can perform better than their competitors is of major importance. The strategic management domain is concerned with studying how organizations grow. Various factors can have an impact on the performance of firms. Among them, strategic orientations can be named. Entrepreneurial orientation is one of the major strategic orientations. Many empirical studies have shown that firms with entrepreneurial orientation have high-performance levels. The question is how entrepreneurial orientation can affect performance. Drawing on the capability theory of the firm, we study how the entrepreneurial orientation strengthens organizational capabilities, including marketing capabilities, and these capabilities affect performance. Marketing capabilities are organizational capabilities that target current and potential customers of the firm and encompass functions such as pricing, promotion, distribution, product/service development, communications, and marketing planning. Contextual factors such as organizational culture should also be taken into account. Companies have different characteristics that reflect their culture. This research studied the effects of entrepreneurial orientation and learning culture on business performance with the mediating effect of marketing capabilities. Methods This study looks at travel agencies in Teheran and uses a questionnaire to gather data. The survey has been piloted to ensure the questions are clear and comprehensible. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized for data analysis. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was used because its characteristics have led to its increasing application in strategy and entrepreneurship research. One hundred three surveys were collected from travel agency managers in Teheran. Results The survey results indicate that proactiveness and innovativeness significantly impact and marketing capabilities mediate this relationship. The impact of riskiness on performance is not significant. In addition, although the moderating effect of the learning culture is not confirmed, its positive effect, as an independent variable on marketing capacities, is significant. Conclusion This study aims to evaluate the connection between research variables in the tourism sector of Iran through the use of the capability theory of the firm. The results indicate that the performance of travel agency firms is influenced by the resources and capabilities of firms. The managers of these firms are involved with the day-to-day administration of their firms’ issues. They need to pay more attention to their business’s innovative, proactive, and risky nature, which may impact their performance. This research emphasizes the role of strategic orientation, capabilities, and cultural dimensions in improving business performance. The sample of this research is limited to the managers of the travel agencies and the geographical area of Tehran in Iran. Therefore, prospective researchers may conduct studies in other industries and geographic areas. They may also utilize larger samples. Future research may explore the role of other cultural dimensions in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance. Prospective researchers may also study the role of several marketing capabilities separately in mediating the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on performance.

IntroductionMarl formations are one of the most important sources of sediment production in arid and semi-arid regions. Marl lands are highly susceptible to erosion, causing an increase in drinking water treatment costs, reducing the useful life of dams, and significantly decreasing the permeability of floodwater spreading areas. Different forms of erosion have been shown to have a relationship with the geological characteristics of marls, as evidenced by research. The results of the study of the effect of the physical and chemical properties of marl sediments on erosion in Latshore-Pakdasht showed that the amount of Na+, SO4-2 and silt in the marl lands increased, while the percentage of clay decreased from surface to gully erosion. The form and intensity of water erosion are greatly influenced by changes in soil texture. Gully erosion can be developed by increasing the amount of sand compared to the finer particles of silt and clay. Despite the difficulty of vegetation establishment on marl lands, in some areas, surprisingly, a relatively dense cover of rangeland species can be observed, which can cause erosion control and soil stability. The results of the systematic survey of plant species and their protective role in the marl lands of Ilam, Yazd and Gilan provinces all indicate that rangeland species are one of the most effective and suitable methods to prevent soil erosion by creating a stable vegetation cover on marl formations. The relationship between the physical and chemical properties of the soil with vegetation characteristics including distribution, canopy cover and density is inevitable. In the marl lands of Borujen, the research revealed that vegetation type named Astragalus brachycalyx-Daphne mucronata-Cirsium bracteosum can be established in neutral marl lands, with medium CaCO3 content and minimal presence of Na+ and Cl-. On the other hand, the vegetation type named Astragalus susianus-Daphne mucronata-Amygdalus elaeagnifolia can be established in alkaline and calcareous marl lands with very high amounts of Cl- and can be effective in controlling water erosion in marl lands. Considering arid and desert climate and the occurrence of surface, rill and gully erosions in the marl lands of Kashan region, as well as the importance of protecting and controlling erosion in the marl formations of the region and the lack of detailed vegetation studies in this region, accurate identification of the vegetation of the marl lands and prioritizing native and resistant plant species is necessary for the rehabilitation management of vegetation and biological protection of soil in these areas. Therefore, the aim of the current research is to identify rangeland species and investigate their role in erosion control in the selected marl formations in Kashan. In addition, the physical and chemical soil parameters of marl lands and the vegetation characteristics of plant species in different types of erosion are investigated. Material and MethodsKashan is one of the marl regions chosen for the current study on the classification and determination of marl erodibility indices in Isfahan province. Two vegetation types named Anabasis setifera-Artemisia sieberi-Salsola tomentosa and Pteropyrum aucheri-Pteropyrum olivieri-Artemisia sieberi have been identified in the selected Marl lands of Kashan. In order to evaluate the erosion condition in three erosion forms of surface, rill and gully, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) form was completed in the same marl units and control areas without vegetation cover. In the next step, three soil samples were collected from 0-20 cm depth in three repetitions in marl units including three forms of erosion. The physical and chemical soil properties including texture, EC, N, P, SAR, OC, CEC, CaSO4 and CaCO3 were measured. For vegetation studies in the study area, after preparing the floristic list of plant species, three 100 m transects were established in a random-systematic method. In each transect 10 plots of 2 m2 were placed and vegetation characteristics including canopy cover percentage and density per plant species, as well as the percentage of gravel and litter were measured and recorded. The statistical analysis of the data was done as a completely random design using SAS software, and the averages of soil properties were compared according to the Least Significant Difference (LSD). Correlation analysis between soil and vegetation characteristics was done by SPSS statistical software. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that in terms of erodibility, Marl lands with vegetation cover had a better condition than those without vegetation. Based on analysis of variance, the physical and chemical parameters of soil and vegetation characteristics in three types of erosion had significant differences at level of 1% and 5%. In gully erosion, the amount of N, P, SAR, OC, litter and canopy cover were in better conditions compared to other types of erosion. The results of correlation between soil properties and vegetation characteristics showed that the canopy cover had significant correlation with the percentage of sand (r=0.92) and a negative correlation with the amount of CaCO3 at (r=0.97). In terms of the type of dominant plant species, in surface erosion Ephedra strobilacea Bunge. with canopy cover of 1.71%, in rill erosion Anabaisis setifera Moq. with canopy cover of 1.24% and in gully erosion Artemisia sieberi Besser. with canopy cover of 12.3% were identified as the most suitable species for soil protection. In all three types of erosion, bushes had the highest percentage of density in terms of growth form. In surface erosion and gully erosion, shrubs occupied the highest percentage of canopy cover. In gully erosion, due to better conditions of soil moisture and organic matter, bushes and shrubs were successful in competition with annual and herbaceous plants. They established well due to deep and extensive root system. The results of current research could be considered as a novel achievement in order to prevent soil erosion through establish appropriate species in marl lands with similar climatic conditions.

IntroductionOne of the environmental challenges in the world is desertification. Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid caused by several factors such as climate change and human activities. Desertification is a significant phenomenon, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. In many instances, it is seen as a serious threat to human societies. The desertification process in developing countries is very intense, and this issue can have a significant impact on the future of these countries. Iran is a country that is exposed to the phenomenon of desertification. Due to the geographical location, arid and semi-arid areas cover approximately two-thirds of Iran. The desertification phenomenon is present in Yazd province. Due to its climate and hydrogeomorphology, this province, which is located in the central regions of Iran, has a high vulnerability potential against land use changes and desertification. Considering the importance of the topic, this research has identified the vulnerable areas of Yazd province against desertification using the DVI index. Material and MethodsIn this research, library information, statistical data related to the population of Yazd province, climatic data of Yazd province, as well as the 30-meter SRTM DEM as the most important research data were used. The model used in this research was based on DVI vulnerability index. The DVI vulnerability index was the basis for the model used in this research. The time-spatial changes of vulnerability to desertification in the Banas River basin in India have been investigated using the DVI model. The DVI model uses 9 indicators, which are grouped into 4 groups: demographic indicators, weather indicators, topographic indicators, and soil indicators. Results and DiscussionIn this research, in order to identify the vulnerable areas of Yazd province to desertification from demographic indicators (population density, population growth and illiteracy percentage), weather indicators (precipitation rate, average temperature, and evaporation rate and dryness index), topographic indices (slope percentage) and soil science indices (soil type) have been used. The slope index indicates that the western parts of Yazd province are more vulnerable. According to the geological index, the northern and eastern parts of this province are highly vulnerable. The northern, central, and eastern regions of Yazd province are highly vulnerable in terms of precipitation, average temperature, evaporation, and dryness indicators. Yazd city has a high vulnerability potential in terms of population density index. In terms of population growth index, Ardakan city has a high vulnerability potential and also in terms of illiteracy index, Taft city has a high vulnerability potential. The location of Yazd province has resulted in a large portion of its area being covered in arid and hyper-arid areas. Due to their high vulnerability to erosion, destruction, and vulnerability, many parts of this province are prone to desertification. The DVI model was used to evaluate the vulnerability potential of Yazd province against desertification in this research. The DVI model results are divided into 4 vulnerability potential classes: low, medium, high, and very high. The results indicate that the class with a high vulnerability potential covers 42.9% of the area, which is primarily concentrated in the northern and central areas of Yazd province. The class with high vulnerability potential covers 41/4 of the area, which primarily encompasses the western regions of Yazd province. The classes with medium and low vulnerability potential are distributed in the central, southeastern, and southern parts of Yazd province, with 14.3 and 1.4 percent of the area, respectively. The vulnerability status of cities in Yazd province has been assessed in this research. Khatam and Bahabad cities have the lowest vulnerability percentage, while Yazd, Meibod, and Ardakan cities have the highest vulnerability potential, according to the results. Many parts of Yazd province, including its northern and central regions, have a high vulnerability potential, which requires special attention and the implementation of long-term programs to prevent vulnerability and increase desertification.

IntroductionThe growth of plants is affected by environmental stresses, particularly drought and salinity, which are the main problems of arid and semi-arid lands. Germination is a crucial stage in the life of most plants. Plant establishment in arid and semi-arid regions requires special tolerance to stresses like salinity and drought during the germination stage. In most plants, increasing salinity and drought stress during the germination stage prevents the plant from germinate. Therefore, knowing the resistance to salinity and drought in different plants can be used in the management of natural environments. Considering the increase in global temperature and the decrease in rainfall in Iran, as well as the soil salinization, it is very important to choose plants with high tolerance to salinity and drought in rangeland. In the southern rangeland of Kohgiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad province, which are located in arid and semi-arid climates, non-native species such as Atriplex spp. and Prosopis spp. have been used for improvement and restoration in the past decades. The soil and native vegetation of the region are negatively impacted by non-native plants, which have problems like lack of natural regeneration. Identifying suitable native plants that can grow in specific ecological conditions of arid and semi-arid areas, such as drought and salinity, is necessary. The current research aims to identify native resistant species to the mentioned stresses for vegetation restoration in biological and bio-mechanical projects. Material and MethodsIn order to identify the species tolerant to environmental stress in the rangeland of Kohgiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad province, three native species including Zygophyllum eurypterum Boiss. & Buhse, Sanguisorba minor L. and Salsola orientalis S. G. Gmelin (Salsola rigida) were selected. The habitats of the species were identified through field surveys and the cooperation of experts from the General Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of Kohgiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad province. Sampling of plant seeds for experiments was done in range habitats. Seed germination reaction of three species Z. eurypterum, S. minor. and S. orientalis were studied in the laboratory with respect to different levels of salinity and drought stress. The drought stress test included six levels (0, -0.3, -0.6, -0.9, -1.2, and -1.5 MP) which were prepared using polyethylene glycol 6000. The second experiment included 6 salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 mM). Sodium chloride was used to create salinity stress. Before conducting the salinity and drought tests, treatments were applied to break the seed dormancy of different species, and after identifying the best treatment for each species, dormancy tests were performed. Germination was done as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with 4 replications (20 seeds per replication) in a germinator at a temperature of 25°C. During a period of 20 days, every day the germinated seeds whose root length was more than 2 mm were counted and their germination percentage, germination rate, length of root, stem and seedling and their seed germination index were measured. Using SPSSVer.23 software, analysis of variance and comparison of average data was done. Results and DiscussionVariance analysis shows that there is a significant difference between drought and salinity levels in the traits measured in plants (p

IntroductionWidespread lands in arid, semi-arid, or dry sub-humid areas of the world have been influenced by the consequences of the land degradation resulting from natural factors and human activities like agriculture, changes in the land use. A large part of Iran is located in arid and semi-arid regions. The degradation of soil can be greatly impacted by agricultural activities, incorrect management, and improper land management. The most suitable solution to reduce the negative effects of land use change on the desert is to choose the best type of land management with the least degradation. The fragile nature of these ecosystems and the large area of arid and semi-arid areas of the country require proper and accurate management. Soil is an important and valuable terrestrial source of OC storage, which plays a significant role in the global C cycle by storing about 1500 billion tons of C. The total C in microbial biomass is 1.4% of the total SOC. demonstrating the significant contribution of this sector to the global C cycle. Land use change can be one of the most important factors of land degradation that affects the quality and quantity of soil organic C, and soil characteristics. The present study was done to investigate the role of different land uses including rangeland as control, abandoned land, Triticum aestivum L. cultivation, Hordeum vulgare L. cultivated lands and Medicago sativa L. cultivation, on some soil microbial indices such as basal soil respiration, substrate induced respiration, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, microbial quotient, metabolic coefficient and carbon access index, in Lasjerd , Semnan province in two depths of 0 to 10 cm and 10 to 30 cm. Material and MethodsThe initial step was to select various treatments that included rangeland as control treatment, abandoned land, Triticum aestivum cultivation, Hordeum vulgare cultivated lands and Medicago sativa cultivation. In the second step, soil sampling was performed at two depths of 0-10 and 10-30 cm in five replications. In this regard, one soil profile in the center and four other profiles were dug in the form of a cross, considering the marginal effect. The samples needed for soil biological tests were carried and stored in the refrigerator containing dry ice and biological tests were performed later. The considered factors were measured by valid scientific guidelines and methods. Data related to soil microbial properties were analyzed by a factorial test in the form of a completely random design with five repetitions. All statistical computing was done using SPSS 19 software and the mean comparison tests were performed by Duncan test. Results and DiscussionThe results of the present study indicated that there is significant impact of the treatments on the properties studied at the two depths, at the first soil layer equals to the depth of 0 to 10 cm, basal soil respiration, substrate induced respiration, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, microbial quotient, and metabolic coefficient have been affected by different land uses, as the highest level of basal soil respiration in the abandoned land equals to 0.424 mgCO2g-1dm24h-1 and the lowest in Triticum aestivum cultivation 0.006 mgCO2g-1dm24h-1, as well as the second depth- 10 to 30 cm- basal soil respiration, microbial quotient, metabolic coefficient are affected by different types of land uses. The highest amount of metabolic coefficient was observed in abandoned lands as 0.068 mgCO2-Cg-1MBCday-1 and the lowest was found in Medicago sativa cultivation lands equals to 0.013 mgCO2-Cg-1MBCday-1. Soil microbial indices are sensitive to land use changes. The first top 10 cm of the soil studied, has been most affected by these indices.Due to the failure of soil pedons, the change in land use from rangeland to agricultural lands increases the speed of litter decomposition and decreases the storage of soil nutrients, the microbial population, composition and activity of the soil as an indicator of soil quality, health and fertility. But techniques of no-tillage or minimal-tillage, as well as the principles of sustainable agriculture (such as returning the residues to the soil, proper use of chemical fertilizers, using biological fertilizers, and biological control of pests) cause the destructive process of the biological indices to be adjusted and get balanced in a shorter time period with environment. Considering the changes in the biological indicators of the soil, which have caused the destruction of the cultivated lands in the studied area, it is suggested to rehabilitate the bare lands with native rangeland species of the region, such as Artemisia sieberi Besser, Zygophyllum eurypterum Boiss. & Buhse, and Astragalus tribuloides Delile. Range management plans are the only way to allocate rangelands in the region, and a detailed survey of rangelands in the region is necessary. To prevent land use change, it is important to address the multi-purpose uses of rangelands and the determination of economic units to support the lives of beneficiary households.

IntroductionSand covers around 20% of the world's drylands, and 97% of it is found in the sandy land of the arid region of the earth. Different landforms are created by the wind in these regions. Sand dunes are a landform that is mentioned in arid lands. Knowing the distribution of sand in these areas is crucial because wind erosion can cause a lot of damage. The significance of studying sand dunes lies in its impact on water and soil resources, plants and animals, human infrastructure, and roads. In Iran, various researchers and related organizations have reported various areas of the sand dunes. Different tools and methods have been utilized by these researchers, including aerial photos, topographic maps, satellite images, and field visits. This study was conducted to improve accuracy and update the existing maps due to the differences between the maps provided by previous researchers. By providing a new map of sand dunes distribution in Iran, more precise information can be obtained. Precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, and UNEP aridity index were used to calculate climate characteristics for Iran's sand dunes. Material and MethodsRemote sensing was used to export the sand dunes distribution map in this research using the Google earth engine system. The image collection of the OLI sensor of the Landsat 8 satellite was used. The process of image classification involved introducing 4000 points as training points. The land use map of Iran was exported after verifying and calculating the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient, which were 0.91 and 0.89, respectively. The map's sand dune class was imported into ArcMap. The maps of the distribution of sand dunes obtained from previous researchers were compared with the obtained map. The boundary of sand dunes was modified by drawing 1020 polygons using vision recognition. We aim was always to utilize the most up-to-date satellite images for visual interpretation. Due to differences in tools and study time, and the prepared maps based on different criteria, there are numerous differences between the maps in practice. The research utilized up-to-date satellite images and geological maps, topography, hand-planted forests, residential lands, agricultural lands, and land use as auxiliary maps. In the next step, the long-term climate maps prepared by Jamab's consulting engineers for the period of 1350 to 1390 were used to investigate climate characteristics such as temperature, precipitation, evaporation and transpiration and UNEP aridity index. The mentioned maps were interpolated and classified in ArcMap for this purpose. The distribution of the country's sand dunes was examined in each of the categories mentioned in the climatic indicators. Results and DiscussionBased on the result, the updated area of Iran's sand dunes is 5.15 mha which includes the sand sheets and different forms of sand dunes such as barchans, star dunes and nebkas. Based on this, the provinces of Kerman, Sistan and Baluchistan, Isfahan, South Khorasan and Yazd respectively, with an area of about 1000000, 700000 and 590000 ha, have allocated the largest area of sand dunes in the country. There are some differences in the obtained results compared to the previous maps of sand dunes. In Dehlran city in Ilam province, some regions that were previously considered sand dunes have now become agricultural lands, for instance. The border modification resulted in a 366% increase in the area of Qaen city in South Khorasan province. According to climate data, sand dunes are distributed in three climates that are hyper- arid, arid, and semi-arid. The highest and lowest amount of precipitation can be found in Farashband city in Fars province and Hirmand city in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, respectively. The range of precipitation changes is ranging from 6 to 312 mm. The hottest sand dunes are located in Shahrud city in Semnan province and the coldest sand dunes are located in Buin Zahra city in Qazvin Province. The temperature of sand dunes is in the ranges of 10 to 28.5 °C. the dominant thermal regime of sand dunes is thermic, which covers about 68% of the sand dunes in 8 provinces. Hyperthermic thermal regime dominates 31% of sand dunes in 7 provinces. Only about 1% of sand dunes have mesic thermal regime which are scattered in 3 provinces. The range of changes in evapotranspiration in the sand dunes of Iran is between 1500 to 4000 mm per year. Evaluating the UNEP aridity index showed that 89% of the sand seas are classified as hyper arid and 11% of them is in arid class. The result of this research by determining the location of sand seas and their climate classification, will help the administrators to locate appropriate areas for reclamation and wind erosion control projects, especially the biological project.

This is developmental research, with a qualitative method. The statistical population in the qualitative phase includes the managers of medical tourism facility companies and the managers of the department of international patients in Tehran hospitals, including Farabi Khatem Al-Anbia (pbuh) and Shahid Rajaei Heart hospitals, of which 15 people were selected purposefully and non-randomly. The main tool of data collection is semi-structured in-depth interviews. Qualitative data analysis was done using the database theory method and MAXQDA software. In the quantitative section, the statistical population includes all patients who refer to hospitals in Tehran (unlimited population), based on which a sample of 384 people was selected using Morgan's table. Data collection was done in the quantitative section using a questionnaire and data analysis was done with the partial least squares method.Based on the obtained paradigm model, the components related to digital marketing in the medical tourism industry in six categories of causal factors (application marketing, social media marketing, digital advertising, display advertising, facilitating communication, and providing the information), background conditions (social media technology, social media environment, interactivity, comprehensibility), central phenomenon (human-centered digital marketing, customer data analysis, and market development), strategies (b short-term and long-term strategies, functional value and expected value), intervening conditions (software and hardware indicators) and outcomes (tourist loyalty, tourist satisfaction, service quality, and social media content) were identified.IntroductionMedical tourism can be defined as the process of traveling outside the country of residence in order to receive medical care. The growing popularity of medical tourism has attracted the attention of policymakers, researchers, and the media. In the past, the term often referred to the travel of patients from less developed countries to pursue treatments unavailable in their country. At the same time, we are experiencing quantitative and qualitative changes in patient mobility as people travel from wealthier to less developed countries to access health services. Such a change is mainly due to the relatively low cost of treatments in less developed countries, the availability of low-cost flights, and increased online marketing and consumer information about the availability of medical services. Medical tourism represents a multi-billion-dollar worldwide phenomenon expected to grow significantly over the next decade. For those interested in health care, cost is a key factor in receiving medical care abroad.With the development of mobile applications and increasing digital literacy, digital marketing is becoming the dominant paradigm in the service industries today, and this is also true in medical tourism. In order to create trust and awareness in medical tourism, offices and centers providing such services must provide timely and reliable information to patients worldwide. Therefore, in the past few years, social media has been used as a medical tourism tool for advertising and information. Some countries' experience shows that social media use and investment in this field have played a significant role in the development of medical tourism. Iran - at least at the regional level - has high capacities for developing medical tourism; a large part of this capacity has yet to be realized.If a targeted and appropriate program is made for digital marketing, the necessary platform for developing medical tourism in the country will be provided. However, despite some medical tourism agencies' occasional use of social media, there needs to be a codified and coherent program in this field inside the country. Part of this shortcoming may be that managers and decision-makers in the medical tourism sector need to be better aware of the importance and effectiveness of social media in attracting tourists and patients. In this regard, the first step will be to prove the effectiveness of social media for marketing medical tourism destinations by conducting field studies. Such studies will increase senior managers' insight and awareness of the high potential of social media. On the other hand, the review of the research literature shows that despite conducting numerous studies in medical tourism marketing, there needs to be more research in presenting a model in this field. Especially In domestic studies, more effort must be made to present the digital marketing model of medical tourism. These studies need to indicate a research gap in medical tourism destination marketing. With these explanations, the current research aims to provide a marketing model for medical tourism destinations in Iran using digital media.Materials and MethodsThe current research is developmental research. Qualitative data analysis was done with exploratory and interview-based data theory, and quantitative data analysis was based on the nature and method of descriptive-survey research, which was a questionnaire for data collection. Also, the current research was conducted with a mixed (qualitative-quantitative) approach.The statistical population in the qualitative phase includes managers of companies that facilitate medical tourism and managers of international patients' departments in Tehran hospitals, including Farabi Hospital, Shahid Rajaee's Heart Hospital, and Khatem Al_Anbia Hospital, of which 15 people were selected in a non-random way. In the quantitative section, the statistical population includes all patients who refer to hospitals in Tehran (infinite population), based on which a sample of 384 people was selected using Morgan's table.The main data collection tool in the qualitative part is the semi-structured in-depth interview. In the quantitative part, to test these research hypotheses, a questionnaire tool was used to collect information. In order to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated, and two methods of form-content validity and divergent validity were used to check the validity.Qualitative data analysis was done using the database theory method and MAXQDA software. In order to analyze the data and test the research hypotheses, inferential statistics, partial least squares technique (PLS), and Smart PLS software were used. Discussion and ResultsThe indicators of application marketing, social media marketing, digital advertising, display advertising, facilitating communication and providing information were selected as categories of causal conditions in developing the research model. Social media marketing is important because it not only creates a relationship between the organization and customers, but also provides a network of internal relationships between customers to talk about the brand; so, it forms an ecosystem of mutual relations that provides the basis for promoting a product or brand as much as possible.Social media technology, environment, interactivity, and comprehensibility indicators were selected as background categories in developing the research model. Over time, a social media marketing strategy reinforces a company's brand and message in customers' minds. That is important because consistent branding tells consumers what to expect from a company, leading to reputation. If a business can continue to meet these expectations and improve its reputation, it can build trust among loyal customers and increase its brand value in the eyes of consumers. Strategic use of social media has become essential for marketers to achieve competitive advantage and superior performance.Human-centered digital marketing indicators, customer data analysis, and market development were selected as central categories in developing the research model. Customer-oriented marketing is an approach in which the business identifies customers' needs, problems, and challenges by conducting market research, collecting and categorizing data, and creating value by providing solutions. This approach focuses on maximizing customer lifetime value (CLV) and converting potential customers into loyal customers. Today's model for building a company's brand differs from the past. Thanks to the rise of social media and the increasing number of ways we can communicate with each other, branding has become less about traditional PR and marketing campaigns and more about organic growth. In social media, an organic relationship is created with the permanent presence of humans (users), which leads to the promotion and introduction of the brand in the best way. Previous studies have shown that the strength of human ties is an important determinant of customer behavior in social networks.Software and hardware indicators were selected as intervention categories in developing the research model. This finding shows that success in digital marketing requires a new combination of hardware and software. With the advent of widespread social networking platforms, customers are no longer limited to a passive role in their relationship with a company. In addition to having more information about competitive products available anywhere on mobile devices, customers can easily express their opinions and distribute them to a large audience. Companies are likely to manage customers' messages about their products/services. They find it difficult. The net effect of the rise of social media-based technologies has been to increase the power of consumers. Instead of CRM, companies should focus on understanding vendor relationship management (VRM), where consumers manage their vendor relationships. These developments are potentially harmful to companies: customers spreading negative messages about a company can damage its reputation. However, the rise of social media offers companies opportunities to listen and engage with their customers and potentially encourage them to become advocates for their products. The challenge for companies is identifying and using such opportunities and avoiding the following traps.Indicators of short-term and long-term strategies, functional value, and expected value were selected as strategic categories in developing the research model. The customer spends money to buy the product or service he receives. What does he want in return? Of course, he wants value that justifies or exceeds his price. Customers today have several options and alternatives. So, the question is, how can a company please and retain its customers? The answer is simple; customers' money should be valued. Customer value is a measure to determine the value of a product or service and compare it with its alternatives. It is a tool that determines whether the customer feels they are getting enough value for the money they have spent. So, technically, value serves as an insight into preventing customer regret.The indicators of tourist loyalty, satisfaction, service quality, and social media content were selected as outcome categories in developing the research model. Studies show that loyal customers spend 67% more on products and services than new customers. So, even if most loyal customers make up only 20% of the audience, they provide up to 80% of revenue. When it is 5x easier to retain a customer than to acquire a new one, numbers like these are hard to ignore. Loyal customers are more likely than new customers to buy products and services from the same brand or store again.

This research has been achieved to recognize the type of dominant rationality in the Vision Plan of Heritage and Tourism Development in Iran. The tourism planning system in the world has experienced noticeable changes under the influence of transformations that took place in the philosophical and social paradigms in recent decades. The present research is based on interpretive epistemology and, regarding the methodological aspect, has been considered qualitative research. Archival studies and thematic analysis with explorative purpose were used for data gathering and analysis. Base on this study’s findings, instrumental rationality, with 48 themes out of 71 and its correspondent planning theory, rational planning, has been dominant in formulating the Vision Plan of Heritage and Tourism Development in Iran. Also, we observed a small share of other types of rationality among the themes recognized in the Vision Plan. Analysis and comparison of the share for each type of rationality made it clear that coordinative rationality has been ignored. Therefore, revising the Vision Plan regarding new approaches to tourism planning is inevitable. The research results indicated that applying coordinative rationality as a combination of various rationality types could pave the way for achieving tourism development objectives in Iran.Introduction Tourism planning has been transformed by theories such as communicative and participative approaches and paradigms dominating urban, rural, and regional planning. The emergence of alternative and sustainable tourism can signify these changes. This research aimed to recognize the type of dominant rationality on the Vision Plan-2025 for Heritage and Tourism Development in Iran endorsed by the Cabinet in 2004. The concept of rationality in this research is considered in the Alexander Model (2000) framework and based on new planning theories and contemporary tourism planning approaches. In the new age, called the post-rationality era, rationality in planning was redefined so that its meaning extended from instrumental rationality to include communicative, strategic, and coordinative rationality. Dominant planning approaches in the 1950s were physical and sectoral planning based on the traditional rational planning approach. Since the 1960s, the domain of planning extended to social-cultural areas and the concept of space, including human beings, their living environment, and economic, social, and cultural activities taken into account in planning. In the 1980s, a new approach to planning appeared that did not believe in top-down planning but believed in the host community's participation in planning and implementation.Materials and MethodsThe philosophical aspect of this research regarding epistemology was based on an interpretive approach. Understanding tourism and planning for tourism development requires understanding the multiple dimensions of tourism regarding social-cultural and economic aspects and interpreting the concept of the system for tourism stakeholders as well as policymakers. Considering the users, the research is applied and developmental research. The findings of this study can be used by tourism policymakers, planners, stakeholders, the scientific society, and researchers. The research area is cross-sectional, and the scale is national. This qualitative research's statistical population and data sources are the documents of mentioned Vision Plan. Data gathering and analysis were conducted following the qualitative research. This study used the Astrid-Sterling model of themes networks for thematic analysis. The researchers took five steps for coding and recognized basic themes, main themes, organizing themes, and global themes. Finally, a map of themes in the format of themes network of rationality in the Vision Plan was presented.Discussion and ResultsThe results of the literature review clarified two issues. Firstly, under the influence of planning theory and dominant paradigms on urban, rural, and regional planning, tourism development planning has changed in recent decades, leading to the emergence of alternative tourism approaches like responsible tourism, eco-tourism, community-based tourism, and sustainable tourism. Secondly, reconsidering the concept and dimensions of rationality in the recent century has a vital role in planning theory in such a way that the type of rationality in each era has been determinative of identifying the type of planning theory. For further explanation, we can refer to communicative rationality recognized in the 1980s by Habermas, considered the foundation of communicative planning theory. This approach was the reaction against instrumental rationality that was the basis for traditional rational planning theory. Therefore, the type of rationality is the determinant for the corresponding planning theory. Analysis of a total of 71 themes in the Vision Plan for Tourism Development in Iran indicated the share for each type of rationality, which included 48 themes (the maximum) related to instrumental rationality, ten themes to communicative rationality, nine themes to strategic rationality, and finally, four themes (the minimum) to coordinative rationality.ConclusionsWith the analysis and comparison of the share of various types of rationality in the Vision Plan of cultural heritage and tourism in Iran, we concluded that the dominant rationality for formulating the Plan had been instrumental. Regarding the lack of consideration for all types of rationality, particularly coordinative rationality in the Plan on the one hand, and the fact that more than 18 years have passed since the compilation of the Plan on the other hand, it is necessary to revise the Vision Plan, taking into accounts the coordinative planning theory in the following areas:- Establishment of a powerful coordinating institution with sufficient authority for making the related organizations cooperate in revising, formulating, implementing, supervising, and evaluating the Plan.- Integration of tourism policies and plans and linkage with the macro policies. Formulation and endorsement of tourism macro policies through the Supreme Council for Cultural Heritage and Tourism. -Formulation of a network for public-private participation and related stakeholders for developing tourism in Iran.

In today's competitive environment the use of intelligence in various aspects of business, including branding, allows organizations to achieve a high competitive position. The purpose of this research was to present the brand intelligence model in tourism start-ups and test the validity of the model. This research was exploratory mixed research. The grounded theory approach was used in the qualitative part. Six university professors and 18 tourism startup brand managers were interviewed through snowball sampling. The statistical population included managers and employees of tourism start-ups in the quantitative part. Finally, 384 questionnaires were collected using a convenience sampling method. A questionnaire based on the Likert scale was used to collect data and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the research data. According to the results, structural factors, management factors, internal content factors and external content factors as causal conditions can influence the intelligence of the tourism brand. Also, economic, socio-cultural, and political awareness as contextual factors and cultural factors, human resources, financial resources, and technological resources as intervening factors have a significant impact on brand intelligence strategies. These strategies include major change, partial change, and no change in the brand. Finally, brand intelligence strategies also have a significant impact on brand intelligence consequences. The results of this research have significantly helped to make the brand management process of organizations intelligent and provide a useful research tool for future studies.IntroductionIn order to get the best results from their brands, organizations should audit their brand capabilities, evaluate external issues affecting their brand, and then create a brand plan that defines the brand's actual goals and the strategy to achieve them. Researchers have developed a new method to analyze brand importance, called the Brand Intelligence Brand Semantic Score program. They have introduced brand intelligence as a method for brand analysis and brand positioning evaluation. However, according to the searches, a model for brand intelligence has yet to be provided. A strong brand is essential for tourism start-ups; it simplifies customers' decisions and creates a competitive advantage. The start-up brand is a very influential incentive in the consumer's purchasing decision when choosing a destination. Therefore, tourism start-ups should strengthen branding concepts and create a positive image in the minds of current and future tourists. To achieve this, brands must continuously manage, enhance and evaluate brand equity and other essential brand metrics. This is possible through "brand intelligence." However, according to the surveys, there needs to be more literature on brand management and intelligence in tourism start-ups, especially in Iran. Therefore, to fill the research gaps, researchers intend to provide a comprehensive model for brand intelligence and identify and test the factors related to brand intelligence with a mixed approach.MethodologyThis research is of mixed exploratory type. The grounded theory approach has been used in the qualitative part, and in the quantitative part, structural equation modeling has been used. In the first stage, a model for brand intelligence was designed, and in the second stage, the validity of the presented model was tested. In the qualitative part, six university professors and 18 marketing and brand managers of tourism start-ups were interviewed using snowball sampling. The statistical population in the quantitative part includes managers and employees of tourism start-ups. The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula of 384 people. A simple cluster sampling method was used for sampling. A questionnaire based on a Likert scale was used to collect data, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.Discussion and ResultsQualitative data analysis showed that structural factors (existing organizational structure, flexibility of organizational structure, vital role of brand manager in organizational decisions), managerial factors (support and skill of top manager, resistance to change, manager's understanding of the benefits of brand intelligence, up-to-date view of top manager), internal content factors (understanding data and information, understanding the brand and understanding the product), and external content factors (understanding the market, competitors, and tourists) are causal factors that directly affect brand intelligence. Fundamental brand changes (brand name change, brand slogan change, brand promise change, brand identity change), minor brand changes (changing some brand elements, changing some brand management measures, continuing to move toward brand identity), and no change of brand (continuing to move towards brand identity, strengthening brand position by overseeing brand actions and tracking the factors affecting brand) were identified as brand intelligence strategies, According to the results, brand intelligence can have consequences for the brand and, consequently, the whole organization. The consequences of brand intelligence for the brand are brand agility, brand health, brand equity, brand performance, and brand position. Organizational consequences of brand intelligence include organizational agility, organizational performance, satisfaction/loyalty, and sustainable and temporary competitive advantage. In this research, cultural, human, financial, and technological resources are intervening factors. Economic, sociocultural, and political awareness were also identified as contextual factors. According to quantitative findings, structural, managerial, and content factors (causal conditions) can influence brand intelligence. The findings confirmed the effect of brand intelligence, contextual factors, and intervening factors on strategies and the effect of these strategies on the consequences of brand intelligence.ConclusionIn response to new-age brand management trends, this study aims to increase our understanding of brand intelligence and provide a valid model for brand intelligence of tourism start-ups. The findings of this study pave the way to creating an intelligent brand because in this model, using the grounded theory method, all aspects of making a brand intelligence have been considered and confirmed using SEM. Now, marketing and brand researchers have a comprehensive model of brand intelligence from an organizational point of view, which significantly helps to make the brand management process of intelligence and provides a valuable research tool for future studies. Brand Intelligence is the future of brand management, arming companies with an ongoing diagnostic tool to track and evaluate their brand performance more accurately. In this way, brand managers can first consider a standard for the essential criteria of the brand, monitor the criteria continuously, and make new decisions to take corrective measures if each criterion deviates from its standard value. Intelligence in various aspects of business, including branding, allows organizations to achieve a competitive position in today's turbulent environment

Today, customer orientation is one of the most important marketing indicators in the tourism system. On the other hand, one of the most up-to-date and efficient programs or strategies for attracting, retaining and satisfying customers is managing electronic communication with the customer. In this regards, understanding the role of electronic customer relationship management in facilitating destination selection from the perspective of managers and senior marketing experts of active travel and tourism agencies in Tehran, is the main purpose of this study. Regarding the tourism system, ignoring the ECRM can be considered as one of the main weaknesses of tourism in Iran, especially in tourism and travel agencies. The present study has been conducted through qualitative method with the aim of providing a model explaining the role of ECRM in facilitating destination selection. Therefore, grounded theory method and a non-probabilistic purposive sampling was used in to determine sample of study. In current study, use of grounded theory method tools such as data fragmentation, open coding and axial coding led to the identification of six main categories of causal conditions, subject-oriented, contextual or environmental conditions, intervening conditions, strategies and consequences. Causal conditions affecting decision-making and facilitating the choice of tourist destination include six psychological components (emotional and personality), ECRM, financial and economic, advertising, security and environmental, each of which has several sub-categories and concepts.Introduction:With the beginning of the 21st century and at the same time with the improvement of the living standards and livelihood of people all over the world, as well as rapid increase in the proportion of tourism expenses in the consumption basket of leisure time of families and the development of information technology, traditional tourism is more and more connected with the Internet and new technologies (Linking Lane, 2020). This combination of tourism and new communication technologies led to the emergence of Electronic Customer Relationship Management (ECRM), which in simple words is the practical use of Internet-based technologies including email, website, chat rooms, forums and other e-channels for achieving the goals of customer relationship management is done in a more efficient way using IT. Interacting, maintaining and creating customer loyalty is one of the basic steps of managing electronic communication with customers, which includes all the processes of marketing, sales and customer service in a psychological way (Mirf Kharaldini, Hatami Nasab and Talei Far, 2009).Today, organizations are widely looking for ways to interact and communicate effectively with customers in order to influence them. Internet technology enables organizations to attract new customers, track their online behavior and performance, and personalize communications, products, services, and prices (Zamani Babgehari et al., 2023). ECRM was first proposed in 1999 in the seminar of the Tourism Association of Customer Relationship Management in England (Ivanuska, 2008). This new technology grew and expanded at such a speed that only after two decades of its emergence, many conquered the touristic countries of the world. Now, the question is, to what extent has the development of ECRM technology spread to Iran's tourism industry, and the owners of tourist service offices active in Tehran use this technology to facilitate the choice of tourists' destinations? Also, what role does it play in facilitating the destination selection process by tourists? In order to answer the questions raised, the method of grounded theory has been used. Materials and Methods:This research was designed and conducted based on the methodology of grounded theory regarding its theoretical foundations, research method, data collection method, data analysis, and data validation. The population and statistical sample in this survey are made up of 10 managers and experts of travel service offices active in Tehran. According to the steps of the research strategy, the researchers referred to relevant experts to collect information to obtain first-hand data. Therefore, the sample of research in the database method is directed under the influence of each case (specialized semi-structured interviews or referred texts). In this way, the analysis of each interview will be the guide for the next interview. Sampling process continued until the theoretical adequacy was achieved, and for this reason, a total of 10 specialized semi-structured interviews were conducted considering the above criteria. The interviews were conducted and recorded between 30 and 60 minutes, so that by reviewing the conversations several times, a more accurate analysis and examination of the views of the participants could be done. Findings:The main question revolves around the issue of "What role does the management of electronic communication with customers in active travel service offices in Tehran play in facilitating the process of choosing a destination for tourists?" Obtaining the answer to this question required the implementation of the central coding stage of the grounded theory method in order to establish a network between all discovered categories. Based on this, the categories extracted in the previous step (total of 6 categories) were cast in the form of core coding classes and arranged around the core category of "travel destination selection" as described in Figure 1.Discussion and Results:The primary goal of the current research was to investigate the role of ECRM in facilitating the process of destination selection by tourists. The achievement of conducting this research for the researcher and based on the interviews that were conducted was the understanding that not only the ECRM as a successful marketing technique, but also its components, in Iran, for offices Travel services - even with a long history of activity - are not very well known, but in practice, the managers of these offices prefer to attract and retain tourists using the same traditional methods such as telephone communication, verbal communication and face-to-face interactions. This study can have useful results for managers and planners in the related agencies. Nowadays, Managers will face challenges in the way of implementing programs related to ECRM. Communicating remotely and offline and impersonally through the Internet is a challenge to attract and gain trust. Trust can be basically an important obstacle in the way of implementing ECRM. In addition, the increased risk of data manipulation or loss of information can be another factor that slows down the management of ECRM. The lack of face-to-face contact play a big challenge in the implementation of ECRM. In addition, in an effort to quickly implement the ECRM, a large number of companies start implementing it before formulating a strategy, but many of them are dissatisfied with this system. The prolongation of the implementation process can be a sign of weakness in the establishment of ECRM. On the other hand, since the current research has examined and analyzed the issue from the point of view of managers and experts, it is suggested that in future researches, the demand side- the tourists' point of view-should also be in the center of attention for more precise dimensions of the subject to be determined.

While traveling, tourists are looking for memorable experiences, and often, their decisions are influenced by the experiences they have gained from the destination. ZMET cognitive approach was used to extract memorable experiences of tourists from rural destinations. Based on theoretical saturation, an interview was conducted with 35 tourists who had traveled to the villages of Mashhad, Neyshabur, and Torghabe - Shandiz counties and had more than 83 mental involvements with these destinations. Nine originator constructs and 11 destination constructs were extracted; the most frequent originator construct was the "natural landscape of the village," which created memorable experiences like "silence and peace," "feeling of freshness and liberation," and "pleasantness" in tourists. The theoretical literature on memorable experiences from rural destinations is very limited, so this study provides a new understanding regarding the formation of memorable experiences from rural destinations, which managers of rural destinations use to attract more tourists and loyalty.IntroductionTourists are looking for different tourism experiences by presence in rural areas. Experiences are not like products and services that are produced and distributed in the outside world, but are created individually. They are simultaneously created in the depths of the mind as a result of interaction with the surrounding environment. Since the existence of rural tourism destinations depends on the presence of tourists. Therefore, if rural tourism destinations can design and provide memorable and attractive experiences for them through identifying and understanding their customers' needs, they will achieve development. In general, understanding and enhancing the positive and memorable experiences of tourists is considered as a competitive advantage in the contemporary tourism market. For this reason, memorable tourism experiences are necessary for the sustainability and competitiveness of rural destinations. Also, experiences affect tourists' future decisions. If rural tourism destinations can offer memorable tourism experiences to visitors, it will significantly influence the consumer's behavioral intention to revisit or recommend the destination to others.Materials and MethodsThe research method of this study is a set of descriptive-analytical methods. In terms of purpose, it is practical and a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. In order to identify the memorable experiences of tourists in the studied rural areas, Zaikovsky's questionnaire and then the ZMET method were used. For this purpose, 35 tourists who traveled to the tourist villages of Mashhad, Neyshabur and Torghabe- Shandiz cities and had more than 83 mental involvements with these destinations based on the Zaykovsky questionnaire, were interviewed by the ZMET method.Discussion and ResultsIn general, 7 basic structures were identified in tourist villages, which can be effective in creating memorable experiences among tourists. These 7 structures include the natural landscape of the village, healthy products, local culture, traditional architecture, adventure and physical activity, interaction and cooperation, and deficiencies and damages. Each of these basic structures has several connecting structures that ultimately lead to final structures or memorable experiences. Finally, 11 memorable experiences that include silence and peace, fresh and liberated feeling, enjoyable, new flavors, unique lifestyle, exploration and learning, nostalgic feeling, exciting, being unique, involving and participation, and being uncomfortable is extracted. All sample tourists pointed to the basic structure of the natural and pristine landscape of the villages and mentioned 6 connecting structures for this structure, which ultimately led to 3 memorable experiences, namely silence and peace, freshness and liberation feeling, and enjoyable. The basic structure of traditional architecture with a frequency of 32 is another frequent structure that is led by 6 connecting structures to a nostalgic feeling as another memorable experience for tourists from rural destinations. The third most frequent construct with a frequency of 18 is local culture. This structure includes 12 connecting structures that ultimately lead to a unique lifestyle experience and exploration and learning in them.ConclusionsExperiences are the main product of tourism, which are formed individually and in the tourist's mind, which cannot be interfered with and are specific to each person. But it is possible to influence the formation of these experiences through basic actions and planning in tourism destinations. In fact, providing attractive, diverse and memorable experiences makes a rural destination have the ability to compete in the tourism market and is considered as a fundamental factor that can lead to the success and innovation of this industry. The experiences that tourists gain from rural tourism destinations have a great impact on their future behavioral intentions and, as a result, on the development of rural tourism destinations. Based on this, in the present study, 10 positive memorable experiences were extracted through interviews with 35 tourists who had traveled to the studied rural tourism areas, which include peace and silence, freshness and liberation feeling, pleasantness, new flavors, unique lifestyle, exploring and learning, nostalgic feeling, excitement, uniqueness and involvement and participation. In addition to these experiences, negative memorable experiences have also been mentioned by tourists, which include discomfort and sadness as a result of shortages and damages in rural areas. Considering the many capabilities that rural areas have in the field of tourism, they can offer many experiences to tourists. The results and findings of the present research can have a significant impact on the expansion of literature in the field of memorable experiences of tourists from rural tourism destinations. Also, the findings of the research can be used by managers and planners of rural tourism in knowing the experiences and views of tourists from rural destinations, who can provide a suitable environment for tourists to have memorable and attractive experiences when traveling to rural destinations.

Rural tourism as a global industry has been considered an effective solution for rural development. One of the most important issues in rural tourism is that it is community-based. Community-based tourism aims to create economic benefits and improve the quality of life for the local communities. The first and most important principle in community-based tourism is the participation of all stakeholders in the planning and development process. However, in developing countries, its realization has been faced with problems. This research was conducted to analyze the components of community-based rural tourism development in Marivan and Sarvabad cities.Materials and Methods The statistical population was the villagers over 15 years old (women and men, marginal strata, and local elites) in the villages with high potential for tourism in Marivan and Sarvabad Counties of Kurdistan province. A survey method was used to collect information. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. In addition to dispersion and centrality statistics, inferential tests of mean comparison and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyze the data.Discussion and ResultsFrom the point of view of different strata of rural society, the most important component of community-based rural tourism development is "inclusiveness and horizontal networking. " In this regard, facilitators and governmental and non-governmental agents of rural tourism should consider a suitable mechanism to strengthen the dialogue and exchange of opinions between the representatives of different sections of the villagers, the participation of the poor sections in the decision-making and planning process, and the division of social responsibilities among the villagers. "Empowerment and strengthening of infrastructures" are the second component that can be effective in developing community-based tourism, especially by creating a sense of collective identity among villagers and education and raising awareness. "Open and demand-oriented innovation" has been the third effective component in developing community-based tourism. In this regard, it is emphasized to use the advice and help of external experts and produce local products based on market needs. The fourth component, "preserving local authenticity," is another important component in developing community-based rural tourism. Strengthening the sense of belonging and employing villagers will preserve and strengthen cultural authenticity and realize the community-based approach. The last extracted component emphasizes profit and fair participation as a condition for realizing the community-based approach in rural tourism development.ConclusionThis study can play a major role in providing correct insight to the authorities on promoting local communities’ participation in the tourism industry and their benefits. Among the solutions that are suggested concerning the topic of the present study is the emphasis on the development of low-cost rural tourism projects, which by providing the gradual and successful entry of marginalized groups into the process of planning and development of rural tourism at the end, lead to the empowerment of the people experiencing poverty and the use of the high potential of rural women.

The main goal of the current research is to predict the ethical purchase intention of sustainable products in the circular business model through the behavior of customers/tourists using artificial neural network (ANN). The statistical population of the present study are customers/tourists who have used the products/services of Gargop restaurant. Sampling was done based on Morgan's table and 384 people were examined through a questionnaire. The results indicate that as much as the input variables include attitude (willingness to pay more money, attitude towards circular business models), perceived value (social value, functional value and value) and awareness (awareness of ethical product/service and brand awareness) have a higher value; it is expected that the ethical purchase intention will be stronger. The present study by examining the behavioral factors of customers to the collection of literature related to circular business models and also sustainable development helps.IntroductionTourism has many positive and negative economic, social, cultural, and environmental effects. These dimensions have always been and will be discussed in most sources as essential areas of destination sustainability in sustainable development issues. In the world, the tourism industry is known as a smoke-free industry. According to those mentioned above, the expectation from this industry without smoke is that all these active businesses will operate in line with sustainable development goals. On the other hand, the rapid growth of the world's population and urbanization increases consumption significantly, while natural resources are limited and scarce (De Angelis, 2018). The world's population is estimated to reach about nine billion people by 2050, and it consumes resources more than three times the current rate (Planning, 2015). The current linear economy, characterized by "take-produce-do things in order," accelerates the depletion of resources and energy (Boken et al., 2017).The concept of circular or circular economy, inspired by nature in the late 1970s, means that nothing is wasted and all outputs are inputs to other processes (Ellen McArthur, 2018). The circular economy is a strategy to oppose the traditional market system, aiming to deal with the challenge of lack of resources and waste disposal in a win-win approach with an economic and value perspective (Homrich et al., 2018). The ethical purchase intention of customers/tourists is essential for the successful implementation of circular business models and sustainable development. However, few researchers have focused on the role of customers/tourists in activating circular business models and sustainable development.The current research fills this gap by identifying the essential factors that affect the ethical purchase intention of customers/tourists for circular business models and sustainable products/services in the tourism industry in restaurants and catering centers. According to the research of researchers of this article, no research has been done on the mentioned subject in this way in Iran, so the value and innovation of the present research are also evident. Therefore, the main problem of the current research is that only some customers or tourists may buy and use sustainable products/services; for example, tourists interested in using luxury restaurants may need to be more attractive to them. In this regard, the main goal of the current research is to identify the behavioral factors that determine customers'/tourists' intention to purchase sustainable products in circular business models ethically.For this purpose, artificial neural network (ANN) has been used as a prediction method, and Python software has been used for analysis. The network's output in this research is ethical purchase intention, and its inputs are the behavioral factors of customers/tourists. The statistical population of this research is the customers/tourists who use the products/services of Gargop restaurant, the first wooden recycled restaurant in Iran, which has all its facilities, products, and services in line with sustainable development near Khorkhoran International Wetland in the coastal city of Bandar Khmeir, Hormozgan province. Sampling was done based on the table of Morgan and Krejcie, and 384 people were examined through a questionnaire. Materials and MethodsThe present research is quantitative; firstly, primary information was collected using a questionnaire, then analyzed using an artificial neural network (ANN) prediction method and Python software. The output of the network in this research is ethical purchase intention. Its inputs are the behavioral factors of customers/tourists, including attitude (willingness to pay more money - attitude towards circular business models), perceived value (social value - functional value - cognitive value) is awareness (biological awareness - environmental awareness - awareness of ethical product/service - brand awareness).The statistical population of this research is the customers/tourists who use the products/services of Gargop restaurant, the first wooden recycled restaurant in Iran, which has all its facilities, products, and services in line with sustainable development near Khorkhoran International Wetland in the coastal city of Bandar Khmeir, Hormozgan province. Sampling was done based on the table of Morgan and Krejcie, and 384 people were examined through a questionnaire.Discussion and ResultsThe specifications of the model are as follows:Due to the lack of balance of the data classes, that were 339 in category one (ethical purchase intention) and only 45 in category zero (no ethical purchase intention) the SMOTE algorithm (Chawla et al., 2002) have used to solve this problem and the increase of the data of the lower class (not intending to buy ethically). Therefore, the neural network was built with an equal number of 339 in class one (ethical purchase intention) and 339 in class zero (no ethical purchase intention). The data were divided into three categories: 70% training, 20% testing, and 10% validation. ConclusionsAccording to the research results, when x variables include attitude (willingness to pay more money (x1), attitude towards circular business models (x2)) - perceived value (social value (x3), functional value (x4) and cognitive value (x5)) and awareness (awareness of ethical product/service (x6) and brand awareness (x7)) get a higher value, variable y means ethical purchase intention also increases, gives that, of course, this relationship is not linear and is formed in the form of a network, and the hidden layer is also essential. By examining the issue from the customers' point of view, the present research contributes to the collection of literature related to ethical purchase intention and circular business models, and consequently to sustainable development, especially in the restaurant and tourism industry, and it provides valuable guidelines for businesses to be more successful in the current market. Considering that businesses have shifted from a linear economy to a circular economy, the vital role of customers/tourists should not be ignored.Therefore, understanding the essential behavioral factors of customers can pave this path, and by predicting their ethical purchase intention through these important behavioral factors, it is possible to predict their behavior and influence their behavior change because the behavior is not formed by itself and is the result of the customer's intention to buy ethically. The current research expands the role of customers and explains how different factors can collectively affect customers' acceptance and purchase intention of the circular business model. Business managers can apply the circular business model in their business and adjust the type of their offers according to the customers they want to target. The present research results help them better understand the behavior of customers who pay more attention to sustainable development goals and are concerned in some way.The intention (intention) and customers' buying behavior are essential to implement the circular business model successfully. Customers' different personal characteristics and changes over time make it difficult for businesses to fully understand their expectations and behavior. This is even more important given the drastic changes from linear to circular economies. Therefore, businesses should do deep market research about their target customers in different time frames and consider many characteristics in a categorized manner. Finally, to successfully brand and protect the brand, as a business that operates with sustainability goals, it should take special measures and stabilize this brand in customers' minds in the long term.

Background: A sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is an illness that is primarily transmitted through sexual contact. There are around 30 different species of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, that can be transmitted through sexual activity without protection. The most prevalent conditions include gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, chancroid, genital herpes, HIV, and hepatitis B. Within society, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are the most prevalent form of infection. Aims: The objective of this study is to ascertain the direct and indirect impact on the prevention of sexually transmitted illnesses in the city of Makassar. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design. The study collected samples from 45 consenting individuals who agreed to participate. This study used a structure equation model as an analysis method using Smart PLS 2.0. Results: The findings demonstrated a significant correlation between the support of fellow female sex workers (FSWs) and the practice of STDs prevention, with a direct impact of 10.26%. Additionally, there was a direct influence of STDs prevention behavior on motivation, accounting for 10.84%. Furthermore, the support of fellow FSWs had a substantial impact on motivation, with a direct influence of 29.16%. The overall direct effects have increased by 50.26%. The support of fellow FSWs has an indirect influence on STDs prevention behavior, increasing motivation by 5.77%. The cumulative impact, both direct and indirect, amounts to 56.03%. The Q-Square analysis model accounts for 44.1% of the variability in the data and specifically investigates the phenomenon studied. The remaining 55.9% of variability is attributed to other variables that were not addressed in this study. Conclusion: Hence, the research findings indicate that various factors, including the assistance from fellow female sex workers and motivation, contribute to the promotion of STDs prevention behavior. Received: 14 December 2023, Reviewed: 25 December 2023, Revised: 06 January 2024, Accepted: 16 January 2024.

Health promotion is the process we employ as health care providers and policy makers to enable people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. Effective health promotion includes several major components, and while policies must be made to promote health, much can be also done by small multidisciplinary teams working with local communities. Importantly such teams are most effective where they include members of the target audience for the health promotion initiative. Consequently where the health of mothers and children is the priority, to engage the target audience effectively, parents and family members including children should contribute as members of the team. Worldwide, education of girls is known to generate multiple health and economic benefits; measures to counter misinformation and use of education programs such as the WHO health promotion model to provide knowledge accompanied by practical health-related skills are of proven value. Effective teams incorporate cultural traits and gender equity into strategies that build resilience and self-regulatory efficacy over social determinants of health. Strategies that help individuals and communities to advance towards the UN sustainable development goals have obvious merit. Health knowledge can be conveyed readily, for example in relation to childhood vaccination, but achieving changes in values, attitudes, and health habits requires effort and innovation by multidisciplinary teams that work synergistically to promote health in an innovative and inclusive manner. The more this is done, the greater the beneficial changes we are likely to achieve.

Background: Gender aspects hold an important role in forming strategies for teenagers to get their acceptance in the neighborhood, especially at the beginning of teenage life development. One of the negative conditions if the development cannot be well developed is violence in dating. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the direct and indirect effects, as well as the amounts of resources, role of family, knowledge, and self-concept, against the prevention of violence in dating at SMK Wijaya Kusuma in South Jakarta in 2016. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design. The population consisted of students in the 9th and 10th grades, and 65 students were selected as respondents. This study used a structure equation model as an analysis method using Smart PLS 2.0 and SPSS 18.0. Results: The hypothesis testing produced findings that all independent variables have an effect on dependent variables: resources by 16.14%, role of family by 11.38%, knowledge by 15.95%, and self-concept by 20,38%. The self-concept variable was the dominant factor in influencing the preventive behavior of violence in dating. Model analysis results can explain 95% of the diversity of this research and the ability to assess the phenomenon, while 5% are described by other components that do not exist in this study. Conclusion: In sum, there was an influence-relationship between resources, the role of family, knowledge, and self-concept in preventing violence in dating. We suggest that schools should provide education about violence prevention strategies so that they are well-informed about violence in dating. Received: 07 December 2023, Reviewed: 12 December 2023, Revised: 06 January 2024, Accepted: 14 January 2024.

Background: The recovery process of people with Schizophrenia in Indonesia is still not optimal. The lack of success in the recovery process is indicated by the relapse rate in people with schizophrenia, which is still high. Aims: This literature review aims to describe the views of ODS, families, and health workers in the ODS recovery process in Indonesia. Methods: A literature search was carried out using Google Scholar and also The databases PubMed and CINAHL with the keywords Schizophrenia OR psychosis AND family OR Caregiver OR relatives OR care OR spouse OR sibling OR parents AND psychiatrist AND mental health nurse AND mental health professionals AND Perspective OR Perceived AND Recovery AND Indonesia with free-full text criteria in English and Indonesian, and publication time has no limitations. Results: Based on a literature review of 13 articles, different views were obtained between survivors, families, and mental health professionals. Conclusion: The results of these findings recommend that mental health policymakers consider the views of survivors, families, and health workers regarding recovery in survivors to produce appropriate strategies to help survivors achieve a state of recovery. Received: 21 November 2023, Revised: 21 December 2023, Accepted: 25 December 2023.

IntroductionRangeland provides numerous ecosystem goods and services. Most rangeland management decisions focus on forage production, and this can lead to the loss of other rangeland ecosystem services. One of those services is carbon sequestration, the removal of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere and its storage in the ground. Rangeland, which covers approximately half of terrestrial ecosystems, is one of the most important sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis, respiration and decomposition are the main processes in the ecosystem that determine how carbon is stored in the soil. Anthropogenic activities like livestock grazing can significantly alter soil carbon storage. Unfortunately, human activities have resulted in lower soil carbon and increased global climate change. Livestock grazing is one of the most significant factors affecting the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Grazing livestock can affect the amount of carbon in the soil through reduced vegetation cover, altered species composition, soil degradation, urination and defecation. On the other hand, changes in the quantity and quality of forage production by livestock grazing have a strong effect on the welfare of the beneficiaries. Consequently, knowledge of the relationship between forage production and other ecosystem goods and services such as soil carbon is essential to the sustainability of ecosystems. It is important to study the quantity and quality changes in rangeland production in relation to different livestock grazing intensities on soil carbon. However, this information can assist range managers in providing techniques to promote soil carbon storage. The purpose of the study is 1) to determine annual forage production in rangelands at different grazing intensities, 2) to study the quality of rangeland forages produced, 3) to assess soil carbon content at different grazing intensities, and 4) to assess the relationship between rangeland production and soil carbon content at different grazing intensities. Material and MethodsA rangeland adjacent to Khabr National Park in Kerman province was selected as the study area. The study area is shrub- dominated species Artemisia aucheri Boiss. Three sites with different grazing intensities (for example, exclosure, high grazing and moderate grazing) were sampled. At each site, three 100m transects with 50m intervals were set up. Ten quadrats were randomly assigned to each transect. For each quadrat, the species met were recorded and their number of individuals and the amount of forage produced were measured. The annual forage production (forage quantity) was measured using the clip and weigh method. To determine forage quality, crude protein, acid detergent fibre (ADF), dry matter digestion and metabolizable energy were estimated for each species. Additionally, a soil sample was taken from each of the quadrats. The samples were air-dried and sieved with a 2 mm sieve. The organic carbon of the soil samples was determined through wet oxidation with Walkley-Black chromic acid. Then, the species importance index (IVI) was estimated using relative frequency (Fr), relative density (Dr) and relative dominance (Dor). One-way ANOVA and LSD were used to compare different grazing intensities in terms of soil carbon, annual production, crude protein, ADF and metabolizable energy. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the relationship between soil carbon and annual production with the qualitative attributes of production, ie. The primary component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the most important species in terms of production at the three sites with different grazing intensities (exclosure, high grazing and moderate grazing). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify the most important species in terms of production at the three sites with differing grazing intensities (exclosure, high grazing and moderate grazing). Results and DiscussionThe quantity and quality of forage has been reduced in the livestock grazing sites. The study area has a long history of cattle grazing, which has significantly altered the composition of the vegetation. About 26% of the exclosure site species had been removed from the plant composition of medium pasture sites, most of which are appetizing species. Although the amount of organic carbon in the soil increased at the exclosure site, it was not significantly different from grazing sites. Therefore, despite the improvement in forage quality and quantity, soil organic carbon had shown a lower reaction to the exclosure. Due to the presence of acceptable species, there was a positive relationship between forage quantity and quality at the exclosure site. Although A. aucheri was still dominant shrub species in the site with medium grazing intensity, there was no significant relationship between forage quantity and quality due to the decrease of palatable species. With the increase in the number of non-platable species in the high grazing site, there was a significant negative relationship between forage quantity and quality. There was a positive and meaningful relationship between soil carbon and the amount and quality of forage at the exclos site. The relationship between soil carbon and forage quantity and quality was not significant on grazing sites because of a change in plant composition. In the sites under grazing, palatable forbs such as Tragopogon jesdianus Boiss. and Lathyrus annuus L. were not observed and perennial grasses were significantly reduced. It should be noted that forage production of forbs has not changed much on the site with average grazing compared to the exclosure site. Perennials, especially woody plants, were severely reduced at the site with high grazing intensity. There were no bushes observed at that location. Annual grasses had increased in the site with heavy browsing. As perennials decrease, space and resources become available for the invasion of annual plants, especially annual grasses. Therefore, Bromus tectorum L. had the highest forage production in the high grazing area. In terms of crude protein, the high grazing area had low quality forage. Since livestock grazing and subsequent changes in plant composition do not greatly impact soil carbon, livestock management can contribute to the improvement of plant composition and forage production at this site. Taking into account the impact of grassland management on other ecosystem functions, it is suggested to explore the relationship between the amount of production and other functions of quality rangeland ecosystems in order to sustainably manage rangeland ecosystems.

IntroductionGroundwater is among the most precious natural resources for human health, economic development and environmental diversity. Since the measurement of groundwater parameters and water quality is difficult, costly and far from being available, interpolation techniques are an easy solution. At the same time, there is a strong correlation between groundwater quality and land use in areas with sensitive aquifers. Changes in land use caused by factors such as rapid growth and expansion of urban centers, rapid population growth, and the lack of land, the need for increased production and the evolution of technologies are important concerns. The literature review shows that the quantitative and qualitative decline in groundwater is a global crisis. As a result, the factors affecting the quantitative and qualitative decline in groundwater range from climate factors to socio-economic factors.In the current research, find an answer to the poor condition of the Isin Plain aquifer by looking at the relationship between some hydrological factors and changes in cultivation pattern of the region is the main goal. For this purpose, the water table and EC of groundwater were interpolated using geostatistical methods. Using satellite imagery, the trend of culture pattern changes over time was obtained. Finally, the relation between the factors on the Isin plain was established. Material and MethodsFor this purpose, the quantity and quality of groundwater in eastern and western Isin plains were interpolated using the Kriging and IDW methods, during the four statistical years of 2004, 2011, 2018, and 2021 and the time series of 2004-2021. The RMSE statistic was used to evaluate the performance of the methods.Then, satellite images and ground truth data was used for land use change classes to investigate the land use changes during the cropping season, along with the determination of changes in the quantity and quality of groundwater in the eastern and western Isin plains for the mentioned years. Satellite data including Landsat 5 multi-temporal satellite images in 2004, 2011, and 2018 and Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 images for February 2021 were obtained from the USGS.Following preparation of the related images using the flash module, atmospheric and radiometric corrections were performed. Then, the corrections information was extracted into the text file appended to each image. With field survey, the coordinates of the representative pixels were determined and seven land use classes of gardens, vegetables, bare lands, residential and industrial areas, saline lands, and Prosopis Cineraria and Juliflora species were determined. The maximum likelihood classification method was used to separate seven main land use classes based on 127 training samples. For the purpose of assessing accuracy, an error matrix was created for the producer's accuracy, the user's accuracy, the overall accuracy, and the kappa coefficient calculation. Finally, to examine the relationship, the land use map and the groundwater and EC interpolation maps were overlapped into the Arc Map software environment. Results and DiscussionBy comparing the interpolation methods of IDW and Kriging with the RMSE validation technique, it was found that the best interpolation method for estimating water table and EC is Kriging, followed by the IDW method. A review of the land use maps of the Eastern and Western Plains of Isin showed the increase and decrease of different land use categories over the years under study. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient were over 82% and 0.79, indicating the acceptable accuracy of the classification and maps obtained. The results of overlapping land use maps and spatial changes in ground water indicate that the location of agricultural land, especially gardens in the eastern Isin plain and vegetables in the western Isin plain, is compatible with the areas of having low water table. The results of overlapping the land use map obtained from Landsat 8 data and EC spatial changes showed the highest amount of EC in can be observed in Prosopis Cineraria and Juliflora species and residential and industrial uses in eastern and western Isin plain. The results obtained from Sentinel2 indicate that the value of EC was significant in the bare lands of eastern Isin and in the saline lands of western Isin. However, the increase in agricultural use, especially for gardens and vegetables, and the pairing with areas with the lowest water table indicates an over-extraction of groundwater for agricultural purposes. On the other hand, the significant extent of bare lands and the upward trend of saline lands, residential and industrial areas, and matching with areas with high EC and the adaptation of maximum EC with Prosopis Cineraria and Juliflora species uses may be a warning for poor condition of the Isin plain aquifer.

IntroductionToday, one of the biggest challenges for mankind is the lack of water resources in the world. This is one of the limiting factors for agricultural development in Iran in recent years. Identifying and estimating reference evapotranspiration (ET0) can help make decisions to plan and mitigate the use of water resources and appropriate management methods in the country. Thus, one of the ways to reduce water losses in the fields is good irrigation planning, which is based on accurate estimation of the water requirements of plants and ET0. The aim of this research is to evaluate the ET0 changes using temperature and radiation methods, statistical tests such as Man-Kendall, Sen’s slope analysis in Iran over the last decades. Material and MethodsIn the current research, primary evaluation of data, such as sorting, etc., was conducted in the desired ET0 calculation format. For the classification of weather station climate, annual precipitation and temperature data from 1976 to 2020 were used. To estimate ET0, maximum temperature (°C), minimum temperature (°C), average relative humidity (%), wind speed (m/s), and sunshine hour (h) were used on a monthly time scale. The Koppen-Geiger climate classification method was used to classify the meteorological stations studied. For estimating monthly and annual ET0, the methods such as FAO Penman-Monteith (FAO PM), Hargreaves-Samani (H-S), and Priestley Taylor (PT) were used. Then, an attempt was made to introduce the appropriate model for each climate by using the results of ET0 estimation using RMSE and MAE. ET0 maps were produced with more accuracy based on the results of the RMSE. Among different geostatistical interpolation methods, the Kriging method worked better than the other methods, which was used as the superior interpolation method. The Mann-Kendall non-parametric test was used to detect the trend of time series. To examine the trend slope in the ET0 time series, the non-parametric Sen's slope method was used. For qualitative analysis of the ET0 trend, the innovative ITA trend was used for all three methods on a yearly basis Results and DiscussionIn this research, the station climate classification results show that climate varieties in Iran are high and can be divided into seven different climates. According to the RMSE and MAE statistical evaluations, the H-S method in semi-desert climates, dry and cold steppe, dry desert, temperate with dry summers, very hot semi-desert and snowy climates; and PT method in dry desert climates, moderate with dry summers, semi-desert, and very hot semi-desert were recognized as superior methods. In the temperate and rainy climate zone of Bandar Anzali, the H-S, and in Rasht, the PT methods were evaluated as suitable methods. Based on the monthly ET0 estimation, the amount of ET0 is significantly reduced in the northwestern, western and northeastern regions during the winter season. In winter, ET0 decreases as a result of increased air moisture. In the spring season, the amount of ET0 declined in the northern latitudes. The onset of convective spring rains in the northern latitudes of the country is one of the reasons behind this reduction in ET0 in these areas. During the summer season, regions in the upper latitudes have a lower ET0 because of their lower temperature than southern latitudes. In the autumn, there is a lower ET0 in the northern latitudes than in the southern regions of the country. Trend analysis shows that with the exception of the Arak station with an ET0 downward trend in April, most ET0 time series have a positive trend in the rest of the stations. Sanandaj is the only station that has a downward trend in ET0 in November. An increasing trend is observed in most of the studied stations, but in some other stations such as Arak and Sanandaj, a downward trend in the Reference Evapotranspiration may be observed. Finally, the results of the Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) showed an upward trend in the amount of ET0 in both high and low areas in all seasons. This shows the increase of the long-term ET0 trend, indicating the increase in water requirements for plants in Iran. In the present study, climatic data from 40 stations from 1976 to 2020 were used to estimate ET0 in Iran. The Koppen- Geiger method was also used to classify the weather stations into the seven climates classes. The FAO PM, H-S, and PT models were used to estimate monthly and annually ET0. To choose the appropriate method of estimating ET0 in each climate zones; the H-S and PT methods were compared with the FAO PM method, and validated using RMSE and MAE statistics. Due to the involvement of various processes in ET0 changes, the best estimation method differs between stations. In this research, the H-S method was more compatible than the PT method at most of the stations. Results have been presented as monthly and annual zoning maps. The zoning results of the three ET0 calculation methods mentioned showed that changes in climatic elements in different regions and periods have different effects on the ET0 value. The trend in ET0 changes using the Mann-Kendall test showed that the ET0 data at most stations have an increasing slope. Only two stations (Arak representing the top stations and Sanandaj representing the bottom station) have a decreasing slope. Based on the results of the ET0 time series analysis using ITA, the ET0 trend increased at all stations representative of the high and low elevation zones. Overall results show that TE0 has increased in most parts of the country, resulting in increased water requirements for plants. In the absence of effective management, Iran will face a serious water crisis in the future.

IntroductionOver the past 60 years, the use of plastic covers as a tool to increase the harvest and increase the yield of horticultural crops has steadily increased worldwide. Plastic greenhouses have turned desert areas into areas with modern agricultural development, the province of Almera in the south of Spain is a good example. It now has many greenhouses, making it a global model of agricultural development; but greenhouses contain large quantities of phthalates and cause harm to people, like hormonal disturbances, heart problems, cancer, etc. However, plastic greenhouses are widely built to produce vegetables and fruits near cities. As a result, several remote sensing methods have been developed to identify and monitor the distribution of plastic covered greenhouses in order to manage water resources, identify sites and quantities of plastic greenhouses. Remote detection is the only practical method to monitor plastic greenhouses in a vast geographic area. In the past few years, there have been few studies using high spatial resolution images. In one study, three main absorption ranges were identified that are unaffected by dust, washing and surface factors. In Spain, an artificial intelligence neural network has been proposed to identify greenhouse using Quick Bird images with a resolution of 1.5m. Studies based on medium spatial resolution imagery were also conducted, resulting in different results. In search on land cover classification using Landsat TM images, no favorable results were found. Research has proposed a new method for mapping greenhouses using Sentinel-2 dual-time images and 1D-CNN deep learning. The aim of the current research is to identify the length of the cultivation period of greenhouse crops using Sentinel-2 satellite images. Researchers used a variety of satellite imagery to identify and classify greenhouses. The innovative objective of the current research is to evaluate the Sentinel-2 satellite images in determining the length of the cultivation period of greenhouse crops; which was done for the first time within the country. Material and MethodsIn the first step, the cultivated area of greenhouses was identified using an aerial photograph. Then, useful bands were extracted in greenhouse studies using Sentinel-2 time series images. Next, vegetation and plastic cover indices were calculated for the greenhouse growing period. 1) Identify and determine the area under cultivation in greenhouses: By comparing the pixel-based classification algorithms and the object-oriented classification algorithms, the cultivated area of greenhouses was identified. ENVI and eCognition software were used for pixel-based classification and object-oriented classification, respectively. It should be noted that only one aerial photograph with three bands, blue, green and red, has been used in object-oriented classification. In order to classify the base pixel, learning samples were selected using expert knowledge from the study area. In some instances, Google Earth was used as well. Learning samples were selected scattered across the image to improve accuracy. For validation of the maps obtained from these algorithms, ground control points were used. To reduce human error, these points were also entered into Google Earth. 2) Identifying functional bands in the greenhouse study: The spectral behavior curve of different earth surface covers in Blue, Green, Red, SWIR, NIR bands was drawn in an image of the Sentinel-2 satellite. These spectral signatures were compared on May 20, 2020 i.e., when outdoor vegetation and greenhouse cultivation were at their peak. 3) Determining the duration of the greenhouse growing season: Vegetation indices of the NDVI, SAVI, OSAVI, MSAVI, GNDVI, RVI, DVI, RGVI, IPVI and plastic cover indices PGI, RPGI, PI, PMLI were compared using Sentinel-2 satellite time series images. Results and DiscussionGreenhouse cultivation is used to improve quality and increase food production. However, their development has many negative effects on the environment. Therefore, obtaining accurate and timely information on the distribution of greenhouses and the time of planting and harvesting crops under plastic covers can make a significant contribution to agricultural management, water management and soil protection. The present study is the first study to identify the length of the greenhouse cultivation period using Sentinel-2 satellite time series images. The results showed that among the object-oriented classification algorithms, two classification algorithms, Bayes and KNN, were more precise for the identification and determination of the cultivated area of greenhouses. The reflection of the plant below the plastic cover of the greenhouse in the NIR, Narrow NIR, Red Edge and SWIR bands increases by an equal amount in comparison with the reflection from the vegetation in the open space. Comparing vegetation cover and greenhouse cover indices showed that the indices designed based on SWIR and Red bands showed greater reflection during the hot season of the year. Indices based on NIR, Narrow NIR, and Red Edge bands were more reflective from October to late February. Based on the results obtained from the ground truth data, greenhouses are plastered during the warm season. This caused an increase in the reflectance in indices designed based on SWIR and Red bands and a decrease in reflectance in indices designed based on NIR, Narrow NIR, Red Edge bands, during the hot season. Therefore, combining all indices, two crop periods were observed: the first started in early March, peak cover was reached in April, and harvest continued. Until the middle of August. The second harvest started at the end of August and peaked in December, until the end of harvest in mid-February.

IntroductionHarsh ecological conditions, including water scarcity, have limited vegetation life in desert areas. Consequently, the cultivation of drought-resistant plants compatible with desert areas and their expansion, while creating suitable vegetation, increases biodiversity, controls desertification and is oriented towards the sustainability of desert ecosystems. Cannabis is a drought-tolerant plant which, because of its great genetic diversity, has the ability to grow in different climates, particularly in semi-desert areas. Appropriate agricultural management enhances the vegetation, production and productivity of agricultural products. In this context, it is important to study planting date and plant density as factors impacting production. Planting dates must be chosen to allow sufficient time for each stage of growth and development. The use of optimal plant density may improve plant growth and increase plant yield by reducing intra-plant competition. Results of search on two densities of cannabis plants of 8 and 16 plants per m-2 in Birjand, the highest seed yield was obtained from a density of 16 plants per m-2. Finding on densities of 50, 150, and 250 plants per m-2 in Mashhad, and 30, 90, and 150 plants per m-2 in Shirvan reported that as the density of cannabis plants increased, the flowering date decreased in both regions. Given the arid and semi-arid climate of South Khorasan, planting plants compatible with the climate of the region, such as cannabis, can increase vegetation cover while producing an acceptable yield. The objectives of the current research are to study the effect of agricultural management on the growth characteristics of the forgotten cannabis plant in semi-arid climate of Birjand. Material and MethodsThe current research was carried out in Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources Research if South Khorasan, located at 59′ 13° east longitude and 53° 32′north latitude, and 1491m above sea level. South Khorasan province has a desert and semi-desert climate. Before preparing the soil to determine the required amount of chemical and organic fertilizers, the soil in the field was analyzed. Data on temperature changes and the total number of sunny hours of various months during the cannabis growing period were received from the Birjand weather station. The experiment was conducted as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments investigated included planting date on three levels of May 12, May 27 and June 11 as the main plot and plant density at three levels of 22.2, 11.1 and 7.4 plants per m-2 as the sub plot. In this research, the phenological characteristics including the number of days to emergency, days to flowering, days to seed filling, days to physiological maturity, length of vegetative period, length of reproductive period, length of flowering period, and morphological characteristics including plant height, number of main stem branches, stem diameter and seed yield were investigated. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SAS software and the comparison of averages was done based on Duncan's 5% multiple range test. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that the impact of planting date on all morphophenological traits was significant, with the exception of stem diameter. The delay in planting between May 12 and June 11 significantly reduced the length of phenological stages, and vegetative growth of cannabis, and ultimately caused a 48% decrease in seed yield. Late cultivation, due to the increase in temperature, the plant completes its vegetative growth faster. The delay in planting by shortening the period of effective growth, reducing the photosynthetic potential of the plant, and coinciding with the period of seed filling with low temperatures and shortening of the day has led to a decrease in the quantity and the filling speed of the seeds, and subsequently the yield of the seeds decreases. It has been reported that a 20-day delay in seeding from 10 May led to a 46% decrease in seed yield under climatic conditions in Azerbaijan. The effect of plant density on morphological traits, number of days until flowering of female plants, days until seed set, days until physiological maturity, length of vegetative period, length of flowering period and seed yield were significant. The increase in density from 7.4 to 22.2 plants per m-2, while delaying flowering, increased seed yield by 15.4%. Increased plant density due to higher plant height and increased number of plants per unit area increased seed yield. Results of search on two densities of cannabis plants of 8 and 16 plants per m-2 in Birjand, the highest seed yield was obtained from a density of 16 plants per m-2. To achieve proper yield performance, and develop cannabis cultivation- as a plant compatible with the semi-desert region- the planting date of May 12 and the density of 22.2 plants per m-2 can be used.

IntroductionGroundwater is the main source of fresh water in arid and semi-arid regions, making it resilient to the lack of precipitation. Previously, groundwater was considered an unlimited or, at a minimum, entirely renewable natural resource. However, in recent decades, primarily because of population growth and industrial development, it has been under irreparable pressure, which has resulted in groundwater depletion in most parts of the world, in particular in Iran. In addition to the mentioned factors, climatic events, climatic changes caused by global warming and drought sequences, geological and topographical characteristics are also effective at raising and lowering ground water levels. Several studies have been conducted to investigate factors affecting the depletion of aquifers. Studies such as the investigation of climatic factors and aquifer extraction on changes in the level of the Maharluo lake, changes in groundwater quantity and quality in Sistan and Balochistan and factors affecting the depletion of aquifer storage in Darab have shown that the human and climatic factors have been effective in depleting groundwater. Studies in China have stated that socio-economic and agricultural development, land use changes, and dam construction are the most important factors in depleting groundwater resources. The Minab Plain is one of the fertile areas of Hormozgan province, where excessive groundwater extraction has reduced groundwater levels in the area. This plain also plays an important part in the transfer of water between basins from Minab to Bandar Abbas, so that a large quantity of water is pumped and transferred daily. Therefore, it is important to study the variables that affect the depletion of groundwater reserves in this plain. Considerable research has been carried out in the Minab plain to investigate changes in hydroclimatic variables, land use and groundwater. However, no research was conducted on the effect of these factors on groundwater loss. The aim of this research is to analyze the trend of hydro-climatic variables and groundwater level, to investigate land use changes, to detect the trend of groundwater extraction, water transfer operations from Minab plain to Bandar Abbas and, to investigate its effects on depletion in the Minab plain. Material and MethodsThe study area in the present study is the Minab Plain which the Esteghlal Dam was built on this river in 1983, with a water intake volume of 250 MCM. The data used in the research including the groundwater level, precipitation, discharge, and temperature. The number of 47 piezometric or observation wells have measured water level variations in the Minab plain since 1986, and 20 rain gauge stations have been distributed around case studies, of which 10 active rain gauge stations, six evapotranspiration stations and four hydrometer stations are used with a long statistical period. In the current study, the Mann-Kendall non-parametric method was used to analyze the trend. The point change was determined by the Pettitt’s test. Landsat satellite time series images were used to extract land use classes. Considering the existing land uses in the region, five land uses were considered: agricultural, rock, rangeland, urban and waterbodies. The images were analyzed in three time periods of 1991, 2005 and 2021 using Landsat satellite images. Results and DiscussionThe results indicate that during the 1986-2020 statistical period, the average level of groundwater in the plain fell by 10.19 m. The calculated Mann-Kendall statistic is -6.69, indicating a significant negative trend and, according to the Pettitt test statistics, 2013 was reported as a time of change. With respect to the trend of hydroclimatic variables, temperature and evapotranspiration are increasing at all stations, while precipitation and flow are trending downward which is not statistically significant. In addition, at most stations, change points were from 2001. The results of the land use change survey showed that rangeland decreased by 22%, and irrigated agricultural land and urban land increased by 2.2 and 2.8 times, respectively. In investigating the effect of human factors on groundwater depletion levels, it showed that the number of wells increased from about 100 to 796 wells, 16 wells were drilled in this plain to provide drinking water to Bandar Abbas, and the inter-basin water transfer with a discharge flow of 1200 lit/s, started since 2002 has put double pressure on the storage. The other reason for groundwater depletion is the decrease in aquifer feeding because of the decrease in precipitation, increase in temperature and evaporation, and decrease in infiltration of water from the Minab River, especially after the operation of Esteghlal dam in 1984. The amount of aquifer feed due to runoff infiltration is 12/77 MCM, or 22% of the total aquifer feed. Finally, it can be concluded that natural factors, including a reduction in precipitation and runoff and an increase in temperature, and non-natural factors such as building dams, increasing the allocation of aquifers for agriculture, domestic and industrial purposes, inter-basin transfer water, the increase in agricultural land and residential areas led to a double pressure on groundwater storage in the Minab Plain, resulting in a marked depletion of groundwater levels in the Minab Plain.

The development of technology has caused a revolution in the field of tourism and the use of virtual tours is progressing. Therefore, it is necessary to know the level of acceptance of this technology in order to know the destination and desire to visit. The purpose of the research is to investigate the willingness of tourists to visit places in person according to the theory of technology acceptance and familiarity with the destination. The population is people who have used virtual tours at least once. Structural equation test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the effect of the technology acceptance model (perceptual ease, pleasure and usefulness) has a positive effect on the users' familiarity with the destinations of virtual tour , although the effect of perceptual usefulness is insignificant. Also, familiarity with tourist destinations has a positive and significant effect on the desire to visit them.IntroductionDuring the last decade, technological progress has become more intense. The transformation and development of digital programs, computers, and mobile phones are happening daily. The impact of this technology delivery in the tourism industry can be seen in the form of virtual tours. In such a way that virtual tours, by using the information and visual features that they provide to tourists, create motivation for the desire or intention to visit tourist places. The intention to visit tourist attractions can be related to the experiences that a person has already gained. Experiences can make people familiar with goals. This familiarity can be obtained from virtual tours, whose users are influenced by three factors (convenience, pleasure, and perceived usefulness) important for technology adoption. So, knowing the extent and reasons for accepting virtual tours technology can be very important for tourism industry managers. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the willingness of tourists to visit places in real terms according to the theory of technology acceptance and familiarity with the destination.Materials and MethodsThe current research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in terms of the nature and method of collection. The statistical population of the research is real people who have used Iran's virtual tour websites and programs at least once. The expression of data collection is also an online questionnaire. The sample size in this research is 204 people, which has been determined based on the number of research items according to the use of structural equations.Discussion and ResultsAccording to the data analysis, the results of the current research showed that the dimensions of the virtual tours technology acceptance model (perceived ease, pleasure, and usefulness) have a positive effect on the recognition of destinations. However, the effect of perceived usefulness on familiarity with the destination was insignificant and this hypothesis was rejected. Also, this hypothesis showed that there is a positive and meaningful effect of familiarity with destinations on the desire to visit tourist destinations.ConclusionsThe ease, pleasure and usefulness that users perceive in the experience of virtual tours, causes them to accept the technology, which allows them to obtain the required information and knowledge about attractions and destinations. As a result, it can be said that the acceptance of technology leads to a better understanding of virtual tours. On the other hand, a better understanding of virtual tours (especially in terms of perceived pleasure and perceived ease) leads to familiarity with tourist destinations. Also, familiarity with the destinations makes virtual tour users want to visit tourist attractions in a real way.

Spiritual experience is one of the growing potentials and attractions in many tourist destinations, and involves a wide range of religious and secular tourists. This paper aims to analyze the motives and factors affecting the spiritual experiences of foreign female tourists in Iran. The required data were collected using 383 questionnaires from foreign female tourists in the hotels where they stayed, or at airports on their way to their country. Then the data were analyzed by applying correlation test and multi-linear regression analysis. The results of study show that, being in harmony with the nature is the most important motive for foreign female tourists traveling to Iran. Among the characteristics of tourist destinations, natural geography, history and culture lie as the most important factors affecting the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists visiting Iran.IntroductionReligion and spirituality have been the most important motives of tourists for traveling in the old time. There is a common agreement on the proximity of these two concepts but spirituality and religion don’t necessarily cover each other. The spirituality concept has become much wider and includes issues including health, social relationships, happiness, vivacity, self-esteem, calmness, sublimity and God. Men and women are different in spiritual aspects. According to some psychologists, women are more religious than men, and have more tendency to spirituality and religious activities (Rich, 2012 Hajizadeh-Meimndi, Ebrahimi-Sadrabadi, 1389). Also, psychologists believe that, tendency to religious affairs is more in women due to the harmony and consistency of spiritual and religious views with women’s souls. Regarding the differences in men’s and women’s traveling and the differences in their incentives, Bond (1997) states that the traveling of alone women beyond their country borders has recently increased significantly. Women tend to take journeys to get experiences and communicational skills as well as to attain awareness and confidence. The statistics show a significant increase in the number of women’s traveling. Therefore, the activists of tourism industry pay special attention to the women’s sector in the market and the economy of travel and tourism. Women are considered as one of the new markets in tourism industry, and understanding their spiritual experiences became a main priority. Female tourists look for different destinations to get the experiences and because of the diversity of expectation form spiritual experience, the need for various destinations to satisfy the different groups of spiritual tourists is felt more than ever. Iran can be a special destination for female tourists, due to its geographical, cultural and historic situation. Climatic diversity and natural landscapes shaped by climates, heights, plains, seas and coastal areas, deserts in addition to historic, cultural and religious attractions and the existence of different ethnic groups with their own special customs and ceremonies, provide very diverse and unique conditions for women’s spiritual experiences in Iran.However, existing knowledge on spiritual experiences of foreign female tourists in Iran and its determining factors are very limited.Research MethodologyThis study is a descriptive-exploratory research and the statistical society is the foreign female tourists in Iran and the measuring instrument is questionnaire, of which 383 copies have been distributed among and completed by foreign female tourists, using convenience sampling. The data have been analyzed by SPSS software. Descriptive statistics indices such as frequency and percentage have been applied to search and analyze the information related to general characteristics of the respondents. Correlation tests and multi-linear regression analysis have also been used in the inferential statistics part.Research FindingsThe findings of this study show that three aspects of demographics, travel motives and the destination characteristics, predict 85 percent of the variance of the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists in Iran.The characteristics of Iran as a tourist destination with beta of 0.355 had the highest effects on the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists. In this study the Crouch and Ritchie model of destination competitiveness was used to determine the tourist destination characteristics. Therefore, the effects of 8 variables including history and culture of the natural geography, infrastructure, costs, security, hospitality, events and situation on the tourists’ spiritual experiences were examined using the multi-linear regression analysis. The results show that the destination characteristics predict 94 percent of the variance of the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists in Iran. Among the destination characteristics, a) factors of history and culture, b) natural geography, c) infrastructure, d) costs, e) security, f) hospitality, g) events and h) situation, in order, had the highest effects on the quality of the spiritual experiences of the foreign female tourists in Iran.ConclusionBased on Crouch model, the destination characteristics are among important factors in tourists’ choice for different purposes. According to the results of this research, foreign female tourists have considered the features of their destination as the most effective factor in their spiritual experiences. Fox’s research (1996) on the women participating in spiritual experiences in pristine places indicated that the nature is seen as a powerful, healing and spiritual element. Furthermore, women on journeys have energy more similar to the nature and can get more spiritual awareness. As discussed above, spiritual tourism for women could play very important role as a novel strategy for tourism marketing in programming macro-tourism in Iran and branding women’s spiritual tourism can be conducted for this valuable guideline.Particularly in advertising via internet and TV programs, Iran should introduce itself as a new destination for female spiritual tourists. Providing necessary facilities and infrastructures and designing trip packages for female spiritual tourists are from necessary steps toward female spiritual tourism. In this research we offered a general framework to examine female spiritual experiences and examined the impact of three main factors including: the destination characteristics, travel motives and the tourists’ demographic features. The destination characteristics in the female tourists’ view, had very significant role in their spiritual experiences. Furthermore, harmony with nature was found as the most important motive to have the spiritual experience in Iran.In the future studies one may examine the effects of different environments including the nature or religious places or even historical buildings to discover the effects of places on spiritual experiences. Also, the effects of each of these aspects and indices on spiritual experiences for two groups of men and women may be assessed and compared separately.

In the era of digital transformation, Big Data have assumed a crucial role in changing the global travel and providing significant challenges and opportunities for established companies, as well as new entrants into the tourism industry. this study sought to fill the knowledge gap of linkage the relationships between big data and marketing strategy with comprehensive viewpoints across different research fields in tourism and hospitality literatures. This study aims to identify and present a comprehensive model of data driven marketing in smart tourism. This study is conducted by Meta-synthesis approach. After performing CASP analysis, eventually,47 papers are investigated. we identified and prioritized the consequences, challenges, prerequisites and Dimensions of data driven marketing in smart tourism. After investigating the articles, we identified and prioritized the consequences of BD in 7 major Category including: 1-process 2-people 3-product 4-physical evidence 5-promotion 6-place 7-price. This research has contributed to the expansion of the research literature`s knowledge body and can provide researchers and marketing managers with a through understanding of tourism and hospitality in the field of data-driven marketing.Introduction The epistemology of the literature on big data in hospitality and tourism operations provides enormous opportunities and has dynamically revolutionized this discipline, attracting attention from academics. In view of emergency events, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, tourism and hospitality scholars across different disciplines have highlighted the role of big data trends in improving the quality of marketing strategies. For example, Iorio et al. (2020) asserted that big data can be a useful source of information that can not only interpret unstructured data through the knowledge discovery process but also predict tourists’ behaviour when facing requirements that are changeable.Gallego and Font (2020) asserted that managers might use big data to detect the reactivation of visitors to develop targeted marketing strategies and diminish the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, big data analysis provides a better understanding of the social change in present and future issues and value creation by comparing cross-sectional data in diverse areas.Materials and MethodsThis research used the meta-synthesis method to synthesize previous qualitative studies. In this study, the seven-step meta synthesis method established by Sandelowski and Barroso was used, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the sample texts in the meta-synthesis method. Discussion and Resultswe identified and prioritized the consequences of BD in 7 major Category including: 1-process 2-people 3-product 4-physical evidence 5-promotion 6-place 7-price. And Challenges of BD in 4 Category including: 1- Ethical and privacy issues 2- Management and financial issues 3- Technological, human and organizational challenges 4- Data reliability and data accessConclusionsOn the demand side, there has been a massive transformation in consumer behaviour. Consumers have become more experienced, independent and irrational due to changes in their values, lifestyles and demographic patterns. This has forced the supply side to shift from mass marketing to personalized marketing through the rules of market segmentation. The production process has also become more consumer centric. Furthermore, as a sign of a new era in ICTs, concepts such as big data, IoT and AI have recently gained significant importance in many sectors because the developments in ICTs have accelerated worldwide. Tourism is one of the important fields that use these concepts and will also be influenced to a great extent. Such changes will occur in the “P”s of tourism and hospitality marketing on the supply side and consumer behaviour on the demand side. As for the retransformation of tourism and hospitality marketing, new forms of “P”s can be explained as below: First, tourism products and services will be redesigned with the help of ICTs.Products and services will become more destination-oriented and smart destinations will be the core of tourism products and services. Second, the ability to use information technology and develop more technology-oriented products and services will be an indicator of pricing and value. Third, the place where all purchasing and transactions to be handled will become much more virtual. Finally, the promotion will also be more virtual-centric, where consumer decision-making can be influenced by the experience of other consumer peers and more personalized communication channels will be part of online or virtual marketing.

Given that religious tourism has become a topic of interest not only among religious followers and pilgrims but also among ordinary tourists, researchers in this field have taken notice. The aim of this study is to examine the global trend of research on religious tourism, as well as the current and future research directions in this area. To this end, a review of existing literature on religious tourism was conducted using bibliometric and visualization methods. After applying input and output criteria, a total of 412 articles were extracted from the Web of Science database and analyzed using VOS viewer software. The findings indicate an upward quantitative trend in publication and citation rates, with the highest number of published papers occurring in 2021 and the highest number of citations in 2022. Additionally, descriptive data revealed the most frequently cited articles, researchers, journals, and universities. Analysis of keyword co-occurrence demonstrated that the most commonly occurring words included religious tourism, pilgrimage, tourism, and spiritual tourism. Findings also indicate that much of the research in this field has focused on conceptualizing and distinguishing between religious and pilgrimage tourism and understanding travelers' motivations in a religious context. Moving forward, future studies in this area should consider experiential marketing and tourist experience, as well as Service-Dominant Logic and value co-creation theories.IntroductionUndoubtedly, religious tourism has become a significant area in tourism sector. In contemporary times, tourists visit religious sites not only for spiritual reasons but also in pursuit of cultural and historical significance (Kim et al., 2020; Romanelli et al., 2021). Notably, within religious and pilgrimage tourism, both spiritual and non-spiritual elements coexist, making it arduous to differentiate between the two (Griffin, 2007). While pilgrimage tourism involves performing religious rituals in sacred places with the primary intention of worship, religious tourism does not necessarily require adherence to specific religious beliefs or practices (Kujawa, 2017). In addition to tourism activists, academics have also shown interest in this type of tourism, and many articles, books, and articles have been published related to this topic. In spite of that, to date, no bibliometric investigation has been conducted on religious tourism. Therefore, this research aims to undertake a bibliometric review of religious tourism to ascertain past and future research trends and identify areas requiring further exploration. Materials and MethodsThe present research is characterized as a descriptive-analytical study that utilizes bibliometric analysis to examine a specific research field. The use of bibliometric analysis as a quantitative method in this research is well-established in academic literature and enables scholars to gain valuable insights into various aspects of a research field. The choice of the Web of Science database was made due to its established reputation as a reliable and standardized source for bibliometric analysis. After applying filters and selecting appropriate keywords, a total number of 412 articles were identified and subjected to further analysis. In this regard, the complete bibliometric information of these studies, including their title, abstract, organizational affiliation, and sources, were extracted from the database and subsequently analyzed using VOS Viewer software. This methodology aims to identify the structures and trends within the specified research topic, thereby enhancing our understanding of the subject matter.Discussion and ResultsThe results of the investigation indicate an upward trend in the quantitative publication and citation rates of religious tourism research. The year 2021 had the highest number of publications, with 52 studies, while the peak for citations was observed in 2022, with 967 citations. Moreover, the most highly cited article, author, journal, country, and university were identified. Accordingly, "Forms of Religious Tourism" recognized as the most cited article, "Rinschede, G" recognized as the most cited author, "Annals of Tourism Research" recognized as the most cited journal, "Australia" recognized as the most cited country and "University of Haifa" recognized as the most cited university in this field. After conducting a co-authorship analysis, the study was able to identify eight clusters of active countries that have contributed significantly to knowledge production in the field of religious tourism research. This analysis provides valuable insights into the collaborative networks and patterns of international cooperation among researchers working on religious tourism. Furthermore, the keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed that "Pilgrimage," "Tourism," and "Spiritual tourism" were the most commonly used terms in religious tourism research.ConclusionsThe increase in the number of articles and citations pertaining to religious tourism signifies its growing importance as an academic field and highlights the attention it has garnered from researchers. Among the topics that have recently received attention in this field, the experience of religious tourists and pilgrims is one such area that is still in its nascent stages, as corroborated by the Keywords Co-occurrence analysis. Previous studies have primarily focused on the trip experience, whereas a comprehensive understanding of the tourist's experience necessitates an examination of all three phases, namely before, during, and after the trip. This highlights the dynamic nature of the tourist experience. By comparing developments in tourism research with those in religious tourism, research gaps can be identified. Experiential marketing and Service-dominant logic-related theories are areas that require further exploration in religious tourism, as they have yet to receive much attention in this field.