Theoretical Requirements of Deterrence in Complex-Chaotic International Systems: A Step towards a New Theory of Nonlinear Deterrence

The deterrence system has developed with the evolution of the international system and has experienced new forms. Facing the unstable and unpredictable challenges of the future, along with asymmetric threats in a nonlinear mechanism, is required to design a new analytical apparatus of deterrence and its conceptual and theoretical reconstruction. It forms the main purpose of the present article. In this regard, the fundamental question arises as to how in this model of the emerging international system, deterrence can be reconstructed conceptually and theoretically? The author intends to reconstruct it by using the method of deductive inference and focusing on theories of complexity and chaos, especially its basic principles such as the networked structure of the system, nonlinearity, sensitive dependence, and cascading failure. This study focuses on the dynamics of power and the mechanisms that turn it into a threat through nonlinear logic and its mechanisms and the principles emphasized by the theory of complexity and chaos. The author introduces nonlinear network deterrence to the field of strategic studies as an innovative and new concept. This pattern is a start point of the sixth wave of deterrence in International Relations. It will provide a new model for designing Iran's deterrence

Breeding waterbird populations of the islands of the Northern Persian Gulf, Iran.

In 2010, we estimated the breeding waterbird popula tions on the uninhabited islands of the northern Persian Gulf, some of the most important waterbird nesting sites in Southwest Asia. We also compared the 2010 census results with data from the 1970s. Over 120,000 breeding pairs of waterbirds of nine species were estimated on seven islands in 2010. The most abundant species were Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus (74,113 pairs) and Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis (30,799 pairs). The results indicated that 20% of the global population of Crab Plover Dromas ardeola breed in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. The breeding population of White Cheeked Terns Sterna repressa had decreased by about 98% since the 1970s, while the populations of all the other species had increased. Further monitoring of the breeding waterbirds is needed in order to suggest appropriate measures for the conservation of these important waterbird populations. Compared with the situation in the 1970s, some islands are no longer suitable as nestingsites for waterbirds because of human exploitation, occupation by the military and development for the oil and gas industries

Metallogenic implications of biotite chemical composition: Sample from Cu-Mo-Au mineralized granitoids of the Shah Jahan Batholith, NW Iran

Abstract Igneous biotite has been analyzed from three I-type calc-alkaline intrusives of the Shah Jahan Batholith in NW Iran, which host several Cu-Mo-Au prospects. The XMg (Mg/Mg+Fe) value of biotite is the most significant chemical factor and the relatively high value of XMg corresponds to relatively high oxidation states of magma (estimated fO2 is mostly 10−12.5 to 10−7.5 bars), which is in good agreement with their host intrusions' setting and related ore occurrences. Based on criteria of AlIV and AlVI values, all studied biotites are primary (AlVI = 0), and based on Altotal values (2.23–2.82 apfu) are in distinctive ranges of mineralized granitoid (Altotal=3.2 apfu). The maximum F content of biotite from the Shah Jahan intrusions is moderately higher than those from some other calc-alkaline intrusions related to Cu-Mo porphyries in the world, and in contrast, Cl content is relatively lower. It is likely a result of primary magmatic vs. secondary hydrothermal origin, as well as the Mg-rich characteristics of the biotite in Shah Jahan. XMg values do not correlate with F and Cl contents of biotite, suggesting that biotite records changes in the F/OH and Cl/OH ratios in coexisting melt/fluids. It is consistent with F-compatible and Cl-incompatible behavior during fractional crystallization of wet calc-alkaline I-type granitoid magma generated at subduction related arc settings. The fugacity ratios of (H2O/HF), (H2O/HCl) and (HF/HCl) magmatic solutions coexisting with biotite illustrate similar trends in the three intrusions, which can be due to parental magma sources and/or indicate occurrence of similar magmatic processes prior to or contemporaneous with exsolution of fluids from melt. The observed trends caused F-depletions and Cl-enrichments within developed magmatic-hydrothermal systems which are one of the essential characteristics of potential Cu-Mo-Au mineralized I-type granitoids

Serum Level of Vitamin D and Febrile Seizure? A Clinical Study

Objective:To evaluate the serum level of vitamin D in children aged six to 60 months with febrile seizure and febrile children without the seizureMaterials & MethodsFebrile children aged six to 60 months with or without seizure were studied. Demographic characteristics, serum level of vitamin D, and other laboratory findings were recorded.ResultsAmong the 104 children, 51 patients had fever without a seizure and 53 patients had a febrile seizure. The mean subjects’ age was significantly more in the febrile seizure group compared to the without seizure group (16.26 ± 11.87 versus 26.36 ± 14.11 months, p = 0.001). The mean serum level of vitamin D in the with and withouts eizure groups was 41.92 ± 22.42 and 48.41 ± 15.25 microgram perd eciliter, respectively (p = 0.08). There was no significant correlation between serum level of vitamin D and seizure occurrence (p = 0.07).The mean serum sodium and potassium levels, and platelet count were significantly lower in the febrile seizure group compared to the without seizure group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding hemoglobin, blood sugar, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, alkaline phosphatase levels, and white blood cell count (p > 0.05).ConclusionThe serum level of vitamin D in febrile children with or without seizure was normal. The serum level of vitamin D was lower inp atients with the seizure but not statistically significant. More clinical studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between febrile seizurea nd the serum level of vitamin D

Spontaneous Adrenal Hematoma in a Pregnant Woman; a Case Report

Spontaneous adrenal hematoma is a very rare condition and its prevalence has been reported to be about 1% in previous studies. Although various causes have been proposed to explain its incidence in existing case reports, the etiology and pathology of this condition is still not known. The present study presents a case of spontaneous adrenal hematoma in a pregnant 31 year old woman without history of trauma or other probable risk factors of hemorrhage, presenting to the emergency department with chief complaint of pain in the right flank. Diagnostic measures, imaging and laparotomy, confirmed the diagnosis of spontaneous adrenal hematoma for her

Color Stability of Two Bulk-Fill Composite Resins

Objective: Bulk-fill composites are a group of composite resins designed for easy and fast filling of large cavities. This study aimed to assess the color stability of bulk-fill composites subjected to xenon radiation and evaluate their color change (ΔE) following polymerization.Methods: In this in vitro experimental study, 30 specimens (4mm in height and 8mm in diameter) were fabricated of x-traFil and Tetric N-Ceram universal color bulk-fill composites and A2 shade of Grandio composite (as control). Bulk-fill composites were placed in the mold in 4mm thickness according to the manufacturers’ instructions. In the control group, composite was applied to the  mold in two layers each with 2mm thickness. Tetric and Grandio composites were cured for 20 seconds and x-traFil was cured for 10 seconds with a LED light-curing unit. A total of 15 specimens (five of each composite) were used for each test. For assessment of color change due to polymerization, L*, a* and b* color parameters were measured before and immediately after polymerization and also 30 days after immersion in distilled water in an incubator at 37°C and 70% humidity using a spectroradiometer. For xenon test, the specimens were subjected to color analysis after 48 hours of storage in distilled water. Next, they were subjected to xenon lamp radiation in xenon environment chamber for 122 hours at 22°C and 25% humidity and then the color parameters were measured again. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of all values were calculated. One-way and repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare ΔE and ΔL among the groups. Tukey’s HSD test was used for pairwise comparisons.Results: The value of ΔE immediately after polymerization was the lowest for Grandio (4.91) and  the highest for Tetric (9.44). Thirty days after the polymerization, ΔE was the lowest in Grandio (3.07) and the highest in Tetric (9.27); ΔE showed a decreasing trend over time in all specimens. Under xenon light radiation, Grandio showed the lowest (1.50) and Tetric showed the highest ΔE (11.15).Conclusion: Following polymerization and under xenon lamp radiation, ΔE of conventional composite was less than that of bulk-fill composites

Ecological, habitat and morphological characteristics of the Ephedra procera C.A.Mey. in the mountain rangelands of Urmia

The survey of the ecological and m orphological characteristics of medicinal plants is one of the essential requirements for multipurpose use of rangelands. Accordingly, the ecological and morphological characteristics of Ephedra procera were investigated in the mountain rangelands of Urmia. For this end, regarding to the physical and vegetation characteristics; three habitats representing a wide range of areas of E. procera distribution region were selected. Then, the data inventory was conducted within 30 two square meters plots established on transects along 100-meter with distances of 10 meters apart and the morphological characteristics and amount of forage production were measured. To study the relation between distribution of vegetation and soil characteristics, soil samples were taken with three replications along transects. The results showed that the morphological characteristics of Ephedra and soil physical and chemical properties in study sites; are significantly different among the sites. Analysis of variance linear regression equation between forage production of Ephedra with morphological characteristics indicates a significant relationship between forage production and number of plant shoots. The results of studying the relationships vegetation distribution with environmental factors showed that the influence of environmental variables on vegetation is significant which accordingly the factors such as slope, temperature, aspect, porosity, sand, elevation from sea level, percent of gravel, bulk density and electrical conductivity are of the most important factors affecting the distribution of Ephedra species. The results can be used in planning the protection and restoration practices of Ephedra in natural habitats

Design and Construction of Zana Robot for Modeling Human Player in Rock-paper-scissors Game using Multilayer Perceptron, Radial basis Functions and Markov Algorithms

In this paper, the implementation of artificial neural networks (multilayer perceptron [MLP] and radial base functions [RBF]) and the upgraded Markov chain model have been studied and performed to identify the human behavior patterns during rock, paper, and scissors game. The main motivation of this research is the design and construction of an intelligent robot with the ability to defeat a human opponent. MATLAB software has been used to implement intelligent algorithms. After implementing the algorithms, their effectiveness in detecting human behavior pattern has been investigated. To ensure the ideal performance of the implemented model, each player played with the desired algorithms in three different stages. The results showed that the percentage of winning computer with MLP and RBF neural networks and upgraded Markov model, on average in men and women is 59%, 76.66%, and 75%, respectively. Obtained results clearly indicate a very good performance of the RBF neural network and the upgraded Markov model in the mental modeling of the human opponent in the game of rock, paper, and scissors. In the end, the designed game has been employed in both hardware and software which include the Zana intelligent robot and a digital version with a graphical user interface design on the stand. To the best knowledge of the authors, the precision of novel presented method for determining human behavior patterns was the highest precision among all of the previous studies

EFFECT OF HEIGHT ON THE STATIC STABILITY OF HETEROGENEOUS EMBANKMENT DAMS

The main objective in designing an embankment dam is to achieve a structure that keeps water and in addition prevents seepage in downstream that has piping and rupture. Therefore, the present study examined the effect of height on upstream and downstream slope stability of heterogeneous embankment dams with the same characteristics but with different heights at the end of construction and Steady-State Seepage and Rapid Drawdown. To investigate the effects of height, two dams with a height of 62 meters and 133 meters and 6 meters crest width were modeled in Geostudio software. The embankment dam is composed of 14 different areas with different characteristics. To analyze the dam stability, SLOP/W and to model the movement of water in dam due to presence of water behind the dam in a Rapid Drawdown and Steady-State, seepage SEEP/W in Geostudio was used. Finally, the obtained safety factors in two dams with different height are compared with each other and the obtained safety factor was compared with USBR safety factor. This research showed that the safety factor is safer for 62 meters dam. The safety factor in shorter dam is safer than long dam

Impact of psychological problems in chemical warfare survivors with severe ophthalmologic complication, a cross sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sulfur mustard (SM) has been used as a chemical warfare agent since the early twentieth century. Despite the large number of studies that have investigated SM induced ocular injuries, few of those studies have also focused on the psychological health status of victims. This study has evaluated the most prominent influences on the psychological health status of patients with severe SM induced ocular injuries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This descriptive study was conducted on 149 Iranian war veterans with severe SM induced eye injuries. The psychological health status of all patients was assessed using the Iranian standardized Symptom Check List 90-Revised (SCL90-R) questionnaire. The results of patients' Global Severity Index (GSI) were compared with the optimal cut-off point of 0.4 that has previously been calculated for GSI in Iranian community. The Mann-Whitney U test, T tests and effect sizes (using Cohen's d) were employed as statistical methods. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of patients was 44.86 (SD = 8.7) and mean duration of disease was 21.58 (SD = 1.20) years. Rate of exposure was once in 99 (66.4%) cases. The mean GSI (1.46) of the study group was higher compared to standardized cut off point (0.4) of the Iranian community. The results of this study showed that the mean of total GSI score was higher in participants with lower educational levels (effect size = 0.507), unemployment (effect size = 0.464) and having more than 3 children (effect size = 0.62). Among the participants, 87 (58.4%) cases had a positive psychological history for hospitalization or receiving outpatient cares previously and 62 (41.6%) cases had a negative psychological history. In addition, the mean of GSI in participants with negative psychological history was lower than those with positive psychological history (Mean Change Difference = -0.621 with SD = 0.120). There was a significant difference between positive and negative psychological history with respect to GSI (P < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study showed that severe ophthalmologic complications in chemical survivors are accompanied with destructive effects on psychological health status. Appropriate management may improve psychological health status in these patients.</p