Effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on seed germination in four hazelnut cultivars

Propagation of European hazelnut by seed is influenced by some seed treatments. In this investigation, effect of stratification period and some chemicals on seeds of four hazelnut cultivars were studied. GA3 and four months of stratification, each individually resulted in the highest germination percentage at 82.73% and 83.75%, respectively. There were significant differences between cultivars and treatments in terms of germination percentage and rate. The highest germination percentage and rate were observed in the local cultivar Gerd under GA3 treatment at 100 mg/L and also after four months of stratification

Competencies Pattern of Human Resources Managers for Public Organizations in the Context of Globalization

The process of globalization has challenged corporate managers. Human resources managers must have special competencies in order to be able to benefit from human resources. Designing a model of competencies of HR managers in governmental organizations in the context of globalization is the purpose of this research. In order to design the template, the indexes were acquired through the Delphi method and an expert questionnaire from 21 professors and management experts. A review of the theories made to explain this point helps to understand the concepts related to the competencies of human resources managers and globalization situations in seven dimensions: intelligence competency, managerial competency, specialized competency, value creation of human resources competency, cultural competency, the social dimension of globalization and the cultural dimension of globalization. What distinguishes this research from other merit-related researches is the design of a contingency framework that links the types of managerial competencies to globalization. Findings of the study identified 39 components and 115 indicators related to these dimensions. Based on the results of the research, in the competencies of human resources managers, the most important factor is the IQ Competency, and cultural competency is the last priority

Evaluating inappropriate patient stay and its reasons based on the appropriateness evaluation protocol

Background: Hospital beds are among valuable resources for care delivery. Therefore, optimum use of them is crucial for increasing the efficiency of health-care services and controlling health-care costs. Objective: This study intended to evaluate inappropriate patient stay (IPS) in hospital settings and its reasons based on the appropriateness evaluation protocol. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 335 patients hospitalized in a tertiary care university hospital. Data were gathered prospectively by 13 hospital nurses during a 6-month period. IPS rate was evaluated using a checklist, the 27 criteria of which were related to medical services, nursing/life support services, and patient's conditions. Moreover, a 12-item checklist was used to determine physician-, hospital-, and patient/family-related factors behind inappropriate hospital stay. Results: In total, 121 of 1925 (6.3) hospitalization days of 335 patients were determined to be inappropriate. Neurosurgery and gynecology wards had the highest and the lowest inappropriate hospital stay rates (22.5 vs. 0), respectively. The main reasons behind inappropriate hospital stay were hospital-related factors (33.1), physician-related factors (29.1), and patient-related factors (21.3). Conclusion: A wide variety of physician-, hospital-, and patient/family-related factors contribute to IPS. Given the multifactorial causes of IPS, reducing its rate necessitates multidisciplinary approaches

Structural and Mechanical Evaluation of a Nanocrystalline Al–5 wt %Si Alloy Produced by Mechanical Alloying

High energy mechanical milling followed by hot-pressing consolidation has been used to produce nanostructured Al–5 wt %Si alloy. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDX), Vickers hardness, and compression measurements were used to examine the effect of milling duration on microstructure and mechanical properties of the nanostructured consolidated alloys. Crystallite sizes and lattice strains were determined by X-ray peak broadening analysis using the Williamson-Hall (W-H) method. Increasing the milling time reduced the crystallite size, and the minimum crystallite size of about 33 nm was achieved for both consolidated and powdered samples after 50 h of milling. Based on the SEM-EDX observations, the best distribution of silicon into Al matrix was obtained after 20 h of milling and remained unchanged afterwards. Hardness of both consolidated and powder samples increased with milling time, which can be attributed to the reduction of crystallite size and the better distribution of silicon in the aluminum matrix. Similarly, increased milling time increased the yield and compressive strengths of consolidated samples

Physicochemical characteristics of larval habitats and biodiversity of mosquitoes in one of the most important metropolises of southern Iran

The present study aimed to investigate the roles of the physicochemical characteristics of larval habitats in biodiversity and other bionomic factors of mosquitoes in Shiraz.The physical parameters of all habitats were recorded separately. The collected mosquito larvae were identified based on morphological characters. The water samples of larval habitats were analyzed for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD, mg/L), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD, mg/L), pH, alkalinity, turbidity, total hardness (mg/L), Electrical Conductivity (EC, μS/cm), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS, mg/L), Cl2 (mg/L), and water temperature (°C). In addition, three main indices were used for surveying biodiversity.A total of 1229 larvae were collected from April to September 2018 and May to August 2019. Seven medically important mosquito species were identified morphologically. Culex quinquefasciatus and Cx. laticinctus had the highest distribution and abundance. Ecological results showed that the richness and diversity of species were higher and more stable in natural sites than in manmade places. The optimum BOD, COD, alkalinity, TDS, EC, pH, and temperature of water for mosquitoes of the studied areas were 140 mg/L, 360 mg/L, 160 mg/L, 420 mg/L, 840 μS/cm, 8.3, and 24 °C, respectively. Most mosquitoes tended to live in manmade, temporary, and sunny larval habitats with turbid water.The results provided a better understanding of the biology and ecology of mosquitoes as the most important group of disease vectors to humans and animals. Hence, they could be used to apply some safer and more environmentally friendly methods for mosquito control