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Previous studies on Nanoparticles (NPs) application for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods have revealed their effective role in the rock wettability alteration, relative Interfacial Tension (IFT) and oil viscosity reduction, formation and stabilization of the emulsions, and reduced asphaltene precipitation, which are all in direct relationship with oil/water interfacial properties. This study focuses on the interfacial properties of oil/water in the presence of Titania NPs and different ions at different pressures and temperatures. For this, different concentrations of TiO2 NPs in the Formation Water (FW) were prepared to monitor the effects of NPs on the oil/water IFT, carbonate rock wettability, zeta potential, and asphaltene adsorption. The results on IFT values indicated that NPs behavior at high pressures and temperatures is completely different, as compared to the ambient conditions, and 1000 ppm NPs introduced the lowest IFT at 600 psi and 60 °C. This reduction is potentially attributed to the asphaltene adsorption at the oil/water interface by TiO2 NPs, which hinders the asphaltene deposition at the interface and in turn IFT increasing. Contact angle results revealed two distinctive behaviors for NPs at high and low concentrations. In other words, with the first interval (below the optimum concentration), an increase in NPs concentration led to a quick wettability alteration toward the water-wet condition, and with the second one (above the optimum concentration), there was an increase in contact angle with an increase in NPs concentration, which is due to the NPs stacking near the rock surface. These results were in good accordance with zeta potential measurements, in which 1000 ppm nanofluid presented the highest stability (zeta potential value of −46.9 mV). Batch adsorption experiments resulted that catalytic TiO2 NPs are capable of adsorbing asphaltene at the oil/water interface. In addition, the results on fitting experimental data to the Langmuir and Freundlich Isotherms showed that the adsorption best fitted Langmuir Isotherm and hence the adsorption type is a monolayer.

Introduction: Decision making in organizations particularly in the fast-paced environments is posing a difficult challenge, which in the absence of a suitable algorithm would confront the establishments with an array of perils. The aim’s paper is to developing a strategic decision making algorithm for banking sector managers facing fast-paced environments. Methodology: The research method is qulatative one. The subjective multi-case methodology applied to fifteen participants selected through theoretical sampling from the population of managers and experts. The sampe include three different banks. Data gather by subjected to semi structured interviewing. Results and Discussion: To forming, a model of the strategic decision-making, three inclusive fields of context, method and consequences is necessary. The results of the present study showed that in order for banks to be able to make strategic decisions in high-speed environments, they must consider three main areas: decision contexts, the process required to make a decision, and the consequences of the decision. Organizations, especially banks, need special conditions such as dynamic components of the organization, balance between stability and flexibility, coordination of organizational components, and the like, which were identified in the present study. The present study also showed that decision-making agility and decision-making reliance on information and analysis is one of the background conditions required to succeed in developing and implementing a strategic decision-making model for banking industry managers in high-speed environmental conditions. The study was consistent with the results of the research of Nimand et al. (2021) and confirmed the findings of the study. Among other areas related to the creation of strategic decision-making model in high-speed environments by banks, the present study emphasized the issue of decision-making process. The structure of strategic decision-making was one of the factors that had a great impact on creating a strategic decision-making model in high-speed environments. In other words, the agility of the structure along with the support of senior management, the competence of decision-makers, as well as continuous evaluation of changes and measures such as communication development, growth and development of services and its diversity scope leads to this. The organization will be able to innovate in its strategic decision-making processes in high-speed environments, and this will eventually lead to the creation of a new and good model for strategic decision-making in high-speed environments. This part of the study was in line with the findings of the study conducted by Kamal (2021) and confirmed the findings of this study. Another area that was examined and identified in the present study regarding the strategic decision-making model in high-speed environmental conditions, which was also the last comprehensive theme of the present study, was the outcome. The most important things that can be mentioned in this area are: effective and dynamic strategic management system, decision-making integrity, structured decision-making process and the like. Among the issues that can be considered by adopting a strategic decision-making approach in the banking industry and in high-speed environmental conditions are issues such as helping to increase elite selection and retention and cultivation of elites, spreading the culture of strategic thinking in the organization and especially the banking industry mentioned the creation of a common vision in the organization and collective values and the like. It should be noted that this part of the results of the present study was also consistent with the findings of the research of Bamgartner et al. (2021), because the findings of the present study in this section showed that the banking industry can in high-speed environmental conditions. To take action in such a way that the results of these actions will ultimately lead to the success of the organization, requires a strong strategic decision-making framework, and this system must be established throughout the organization as soon as possible. Conclusion: An organization to have a strategic decision-making model, managers must simultaneously pay attention to the context, process and outcome. Regarding the background conditions, the most important issues are the support of senior management, the competence of decision-makers, the structure of the decision-making process, and the existence of a common vision in the organization, mastering the vision of the organization and applying the dimensions of human resource management. Organizations should identify all the requirements and provide the conditions in such a way that they are in the most dynamic state possible. Regarding strategic decision-making processes, it can be said that managers in the banking industry should take action such as forward-looking action, continuous learning, maintaining and developing communications, strategic alliances, continuous evaluation of changes, adopting alternative strategies, developing discourse rules, strategic foresight and Put structure agility on their agenda and know that organizational results depend on these. Finally, the most important things that the managers of the banking industry should consider in their agenda regarding the consequences of strategic decision-making in high-speed environmental conditions are: using the results of strategic decision-making to improve the organization and trying to develop strategic decision-making. Advancing the core goals that all of these materials will ultimately lead to improved organizational performance.

Objectives The health system reform process is highly political and controversial, and in most cases, it fails to realize its intended goals. This study was conducted to synthesize factors underlying the failure of health system reforms. Methods In this systematic review and meta-synthesis, we searched 9 international and regional databases to identify qualitative and mixed-methods studies published up to December 2019. Using thematic synthesis, we analyzed the data. We utilized the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist for quality assessment. Results After application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 of 1837 articles were included in the content analysis. The identified factors were organized into 7 main themes and 32 sub-themes. The main themes included: (1) reforms initiators’ attitudes and knowledge; (2) weakness of political support; (3) lack of interest group support; (4) insufficient comprehensiveness of the reform; (5) problems related to the implementation of the reform; (6) harmful consequences of reform implementation; and (7) the political, economic, cultural, and social conditions of the society in which the reform takes place. Conclusions Health system reform is a deep and extensive process, and shortcomings and weaknesses in each step have overcome health reform attempts in many countries. Awareness of these failure factors and appropriate responses to these issues can help policymakers properly plan and implement future reform programs and achieve the ultimate goals of reform: to improve the quantity and quality of health services and the health of society.

Aim and Introduction: Given the competitive nature of today's business and knowledge-based economy and increasing the efficiency of knowledge and information, knowledge-based organizations are of particular importance. Field studies show that the majority of knowledge-based companies have low competitiveness and the results of the performance of knowledge-based companies in Iran show that most of these companies face the problem of competition with other companies. In order to survive in today's competitive environment, these organizations, due to their nature, need constant improvement, which is one of the methods of re-engineering previous business models and innovating new models; in other words, the search for competitive advantage based on the acquisition of value from innovation in the business model. Therefore, it can be concluded that just having a business model is not a guarantee for the success of organizations. It should be noted that what is necessary is to maintain and continuously optimize it throughout the life of the organization that the organization can benefit from elements such as exploratory learning and strategic agility to advance this issue. Since knowledge-based companies are recognized as the main agents of commercialization and innovation in developing countries, having innovation in the business model in line with environmental changes is one of the main success factors and a mechanism for creating competitive advantage in knowledge-based companies in changing environments. It is now recognized that having a comprehensive and dynamic business model is essential. The aim of the this study is to provide a conceptual framework to companies to help them achieving business model innovation using exploratory learning and strategic agility. Methodology: This research is cross-sectional in terms of time, quantitative in terms of approach, applied research in terms of purpose, and a descriptive-survey in terms of how information is collected. The statistical population of the research is the knowledge-based companies located at the Science and Technology Park of the University of Tehran. Data collection about these organizations has been done by senior and middle managers of the mentioned organizations; thus, 280 questionnaires have been distributed among the managers of 120 companies, and finally, data analysis with 232 returned questionnaires has been performed on 120 organizations. To answer the research questions, different statistical methods and tests were used by using SPSS22 and SMART PLS3 softwares as follows: confirmatory factor analysis was applied to confirm the validity of the questions and characterize the key factors of each component, and structural equation modeling technique has been used to investigate the fitness of the research model with the collected data. To evaluate the validity of the questionnaire, face, content and structural validity was used. The face and content validity was under the supervision of supervisors and the construct validity was through confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity and divergent validity. Combined reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and factor loading coefficient were used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire.Findings: After interpreting the data, the research hypotheses and the described relationship between the variables of the research model were confirmed. Based on the results, strategic agility as a mediator has a positive effect on the relationship between exploratory learning and business model innovation, and this shows that if the company wants to implement business model innovation, a wise choice can be improving strategic agility with the help of exploratory learning. Companies must actively encourage employees to acquire information and knowledge from customers, partners, competitors, and institutions and promote knowledge flow. The more agile the organization, the more it absorbs the knowledge gained through exploratory learning and thus promotes business model innovation. By comparing the findings of this study and previous researches, it can be inferred that the results of this research are consistent with the researches of Clauss et al. (2019) and Liao et al. (2019). Further, in studies such as Zhao & Jie (2018), Bao, Cheng, and Zhang (2016), Schneider and Spieth (2014), and Abbasi and Fattahian (1396) that the studied variables are somewhat different, the results overlap with the results of the present study.Discussion and Conclusion: This study tries to expand the research literature, especially the Iranian's research literature in the field of business model innovation and its relationship with exploratory learning and strategic agility. Since no research has so far specifically examined the impact of exploratory learning on business model innovation, the findings of this study can be a new step in expanding the foundations of business model reengineering methods. In addition, considering the special importance of knowledge-based organizations in the economy and the need to maintain and continuously optimize their business models, the use of analysis and interpretations based on these organizations will play an important role in increasing their competitive advantage.Finally, according to the results of this study, suggestions at the managerial and research level can be made as follows:Since exploratory learning has a positive effect on business model innovation and strategic agility, it is suggested that the knowledge acquired in knowledge-based companies should always be categorized and institutionalized. Moreover, by participating in collaborative knowledge creation projects, we can provide the ground for exploratory learning in the organization. In order to acquire knowledge from external sources and beyond the current market of the organization, the educational and training needs of employees should be continuously monitored, and specialized and applied courses appropriate to the job and organizational context should be provided for them. In addition, due to the positive and significant impact of strategic agility on business model innovation, knowledge-based organizations can increase their ability to respond to environmental changes with more careful planning and more flexible organizational arrangements to pave the way for business model innovation. It is also recommended that business processes and revenue structure be continuously evaluated and improved if necessary.Since knowledge-based organizations operate in a competitive and innovative environment, the innovation rate in the business model is expected to be high, so in order to measure the generalizability of the proposed model, more research is needed in different organizational structures like other manufacturing and service sectors, both governmental and non-governmental. It is suggested that another study be conducted to identify and rank the factors affecting exploratory learning using the methods of multi-criteria decision-making techniques. Moreover, to generalize the obtained results to higher levels, the present model should be examined with a wider statistical sample.

Abstract High water production in oil fields is an area of concern due to economic issues and borehole/wellhead damages. Colloidal gels can be a good alternative to polymers to address this as they can tolerate harsh oil reservoir conditions. A series of bottle tests with different silica and NaCl concentrations were first conducted. The gelation time, cation valence, rheology, and viscosity were investigated to characterize the gels. The applicability of solid gels in porous media was finally inspected in a dual-patterned glass micromodel. Bottle test results showed that increasing NaCl concentration at a constant silica concentration can convert solid gels into two-phase gels and then viscous suspensions. Na+ replacement with Mg2+ resulted a distinctive behaviour probably due to higher coagulating ability of Mg2+. Rheology and viscosity results agreed with gelation times: gel with shortest gelation time had the highest viscosity and storage/loss modulus but was not the most elastic one. Water injection into glass micromodel half-saturated with crude oil and solid gel proved that the gel is strong against pressure gradients applied by injected phase which is promising for water conformance controls. The diverted injected phase recorded an oil recovery of 53% which was not feasible without blocking the water zone.

Tolerating the harsh conditions of reservoirs is one of the main challenges for the application of chemicals in field operations. Polymers are one of the chemical agents with extensive utilization in reservoirs. They could be used to control water conformance, though there are some limitations like low thermal tolerance and low chemical stability, which restrict their applications. To overcome these limitations, encapsulation of xanthan gum by silica nanoparticles and lecithin has been investigated in this research. Using the inverse emulsion method, xanthan gum is encapsulated and the stability of capsules at various conditions is assessed. It is illustrated that the stability of silica-shelled capsules is greater than that of lecithin. Based on the results of this study, the encapsulation of xanthan gum improved its thermal resistivity. Besides, formed capsules reflect fair stability against high salinity conditions. Finally, the formed capsules were injected into two artificial Berea sandstone cores and it was found that the lecithin-shelled capsules can reduce the permeability of cores up to 92%. Silica-shelled capsules are also capable of blocking the porous medium partially and reduce the permeability by around 33%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, having the organizational capability in simultaneous management of business and institutional goals has become more important. For instance, companies are increasingly expected to minimize the detrimental effects of their activities on the environment or to meet the expectations of social institutions, concurrent with improving their growth and profitability. This issue is especially significant in developing countries due to the underdevelopment of institutional structures as well as severe turmoil in the political, economic and social environment. Considering different and heterogeneous nature of the competitive and social goals in companies, the purpose of this study is to draw a model for the successful and simultaneous management of competitive goals along with gaining social legitimacy. Accordingly, by using case-study method we chose Golrang Industrial Group (GIG) as one of the successful Iranian holdings in managing the competitive and social environment, then required data were collected by examining the related organizational documents and conducting in-depth interviews. we afterward explained the effective components on the ambidextrous pattern of competitive advantage and social legitimacy by content analysis method.The results showed that the concurrence of competitive goals and social legitimacy in a way that leads to strengthening each other, requires implementation of three key practices: 1. Creating new competitive and institutional rules (Changing the playing field), 2. Protecting the environment and gaining institutional support (Buffering strategy), and 3. Ensuring the goals operationalizing and securing the results (institutional leadership strategy).

Aim and Introduction: Knowledge based economic can be known as an important factor in the progress of the country. This discovery has the potential for employment in addition with economic development, thus one of the main considerable issues is to conduct such a research in order to handle all the activities in Knowledge-based companies.،The goal of this research is to present a model for strategies based on Grounded theory in Knowledge-based companiesMethodology: the method present research was done by Grounded theory and qualitative-quantitative combined. The tools of gathering data in the qualitative section is deep interviews and in the quantitative is questioner.Findings: the gathered data form about 15 deep interviews is evaluated due to presented method by Ashteras and Courbin (1998) and the qualitative model was extracted. In this research the effect of content based factors and the process of strategical execution was evaluated on the performance of Knowledge-based companies by the structural equations (by SPSS 18, SmartPLS).Discussion and Conclusion: the “strategic execution of Knowledge-based companies” theory is the major issue due to the evaluation of data which is created from the minor issues such as “strategic fit”, “strategic translation” and “confidence of best and on time decisions”. The evaluation of different methods was represented in order to successful execution of strategy and also some methods were introduced in that way.

Throughout the historical development of built landscape design, the process of creating and shaping landscape structures has demanded extensive expertise, creativity, and a profound comprehension of landscape design history [...]

In every landscape design project, designers usually search for similar completed projects as precedents and inspiration [...]

Persian gardens have a rich cultural and historical significance as a part of human heritage. This paper provides a historical review of the edibility of Persian gardens, from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day. The analysis demonstrates that while fruit trees have always been a part of these gardens, the cultivation of edible species has been neglected in modern times. The study highlights the importance of restoring the edible landscape in Persian gardens, in line with the historical and cultural significance of these landscapes. The findings have implications for the management and restoration of Persian gardens, with the potential for wider application in other cultural contexts. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on landscape history and its interdisciplinary study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public food trees are increasingly popular among researchers, urban planners, and citizens for their diversity of social, provisional, and environmental benefits. However, more research is needed to determine how to overcome their barriers. Here we used a qualitative approach to explore the usage and perception of public fruit trees and attitudes towards public usage and participation in two urban green spaces harboring fruit trees in Birjand, Iran: Tohid Park and Akbarieh Garden. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve visitors to both spaces, four administrators, and eight workers. Almost all visitors had great personal experience and interest in picking fruit; nevertheless, usage in these green spaces was low, partly due to social norms. Almost all visitors appreciated the public fruit trees for the diverse pleasures that they provide (sensory, emotional, cognitive, experiential, social). Ten also had a high interest in participating in their management, especially in Tohid Park due to its greater social impact. Education and access limitation were suggested by some as important to reduce tree damage and maximize production. Our findings expand our understanding of how citizens relate to public urban fruit trees and can be involved in co-management schemes, thereby contributing to building smart and participatory edible cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study aimed to identify the subjective typology of tourists in terms of the meanings of tourism destinations in Shiraz city. This study is applied research in terms of purpose and is descriptive in terms of method. Given the purpose of this research based on identifying the subjective typology, the Q method was used. The statistical population of the study consisted of individuals who had at least once traveled to Shiraz. The sampling method in this study was based on Purposive sampling. Data analysis was performed using Q factor analysis. The exploratory Q factor analysis process consists of two steps: extracting the factors and then rotating them so that they can be interpreted. The findings of this study identified seven subjective types for tourism destination meanings in Shiraz; these types of typology were as follows: enthusiasts, collectivists, adventurers, relaxation searchers, self-reflections, differentiators, and reminders. Finally, these extracted mentalities were interpreted. This research provided a practical approach for tourism destination managers and activists in this field and hospitality sector to segment the market based on the meaning of tourism destination. And then each of segment target and marketing plans design.

The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize key barriers to strategy implementation in cultural organizations. The method of this study was mixed (qualitative and quantitative). The statistical population of this study was the experts of small scale cultural and academic organizations in Tehran. The sample size in the qualitative section consisted of 5 senior managers, middle managers, strategic advisors, and founders of small-scale cultural organizations selected through a combination of available sampling and snowball technique. In the quantitative section, five senior managers, middle managers, strategic advisors, and founders of small-scale cultural organizations and academic experts were selected through purposive sampling. The content analysis was used to analyze the information in the qualitative part and hierarchical-analytic analysis in the quantitative part. Based on the results of qualitative and quantitative findings, 12 key barriers to strategy implementation in cultural organizations were identified and prioritized in order of priority: weakness in managerial management, lack of managerial commitment in strategy implementation, stakeholder pressure and sponsors, inadequate expertise. Forces, problems with the culture of human resources, weaknesses in formulating and revising strategies, inadequate organizational structure, weaknesses in training forces, believing in the necessity of scientific activities, weaknesses in accurate indicators of cultural activity evaluation, factors related to employment and occupation, weaknesses In the rules and instructions Enterprise.

Today, a majority of the global populace resides in urban areas and requires healthy surroundings to prosper and fulfill their potential [...]

Animals use olfactory receptors to navigate mates, food, and danger. However, for complex olfactory systems, it is unknown what proportion of primary olfactory sensory neurons can individually drive avoidance or attraction. Similarly, the rules that govern behavioral responses to receptor combinations are unclear. We used optogenetic analysis in Drosophila to map the behavior elicited by olfactory-receptor neuron (ORN) classes: just one-fifth of ORN-types drove either avoidance or attraction. Although wind and hunger are closely linked to olfaction, neither had much effect on single-class responses. Several pooling rules have been invoked to explain how ORN types combine their behavioral influences; we activated two-way combinations and compared patterns of single- and double-ORN responses: these comparisons were inconsistent with simple pooling. We infer that the majority of primary olfactory sensory neurons have neutral behavioral effects individually, but participate in broad, odor-elicited ensembles with potent behavioral effects arising from complex interactions.