A survey of the plant communities of the Jazmorian, Iran, using Landsat MSS data

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Flora within no-hunting zone of Hanna, Isfahan, Iran

Floristic studies of a region have many advantages, since the floristic list is a useful identity document which provides the genetic potentials of the area. The area of Hanna no-hunting zone is 20452 ha and is located at the southern part of Isfahan province. In this study the floristic list of the region is presented and their life forms and endangered species are stated. Field data collections were conducted during the years 2007 through 2008. First the studied area boundaries were exposed on a topographic map with a scale of 1:25000. Then, the plant species of the region were collected and identified according to the floras. According to the presented list, there were 307 species belonging to 209 genuses which are classified in 51 families. The Asteraceae has the highest species diversity in the region with 33 genus and 52 species. According to Raunkiaer’s life form criteria, the identified species are categorized as: hemicryptophytes 50.5%, therophytes 23.1%, chamephytes 11.4%, phanerophytes (6.8%) and geophytes (8.1%). The high percent occurrence of the perennial species confirms the plant species adaptations to the climatic and edaphic conditions of the region. In the Hanna region, 76 medicinal and industrial species were listed belonging to 67 genera and 29 families. The Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families had 12 and 13 species of the medicinal plant species accordingly and they had the most species diversities in this category among the other families. There were 9 vulnerable species, 28 lower risk and 4 data deficient species in the studied region

New species and combinations in the genus Protoparmeliopsis (Lecanoraceae, Lichenized Ascomycota)

Two new species of the genus Protoparmeliopsis M. Choisy, P. zareii S.Y. Kondr. and P. esfahanensis S.Y. Kondr. & B. Zarei-Darki, are described, compared with closely related taxa, and illustrated. Twenty thee new combinations for the following taxa are proposed: Protoparmeliopsis baicalensis (for Lecanora baicalensis Zahlbr.), P. ba ranowii (for Lecanora baranowii Tomin), P. bipruinosum (for Le canora bipruinosa Fink), P. bog do e n sis (for Lecanora bogdoensis Tomin), P. chlorophtha l mum (for Lecanora chlorophthalma Poelt & Tomin), P. crustaceum (for Squamarina crustacea Savicz), P. degelii (for Squamarina degelii Poelt), P. dispersoareolatum (for Placodium dispersoareolatum Körb.), P. geisereae (for Le canora geisereae B.D. Ryan), P. hieroglyphicum (for Le ca nora hieroglyphica Poelt), P. kofae (for Lecanora kofae B.D. Ryan & T.H. Nash), P. kotovii (for Placodium kotovii Oxner), P. kukunorensis (for Lecanora kukunorensis H. Magn.), P. mazatzalensis (for Lecanora mazatzalensis B.D. Ryan & T.H. Nash), P. nashii (for Lecanora nashii B.D. Ryan), P. novomexicanum (for Lecanora no vo mexi cana H. Magn.), P. orbicularis (for Lecanora po ly t ropa var. orbicularis Schaer.), P. phaedrophthalmum (for Lecanora phaedrophthalma Poelt), P. sierrae (for Lecanora sierrae B.D. Ryan & T.H. Nash), P. sphaeroideum (for Pla codium sphaeroideum Oxner), P. stramineum (for Par melia straminea Wahlenb.), P. uzbekicum (for Le canora uzbekica Poelt) and P. verruculiferum (for Placodium verruculiferum Oxner).Наведено описи, порівняння з близькоспорідненими видами двох нових для науки видів роду Protoparmeiopsis M. Choisy — P. Zareii S.Y. Kondr. і P. esfahanensis S.Y. Kondr. & B. Zarei-Darki. Крім того, запропоновані нові комбінації назв 23 лишайників, у тому числі: Pro to par meliopsis baicalensis, P. baranowii, P. bipruinosum, P. bogdoensis, P. chlorophthalmum, P. crustaceum

Investigation of Anti-Toxocara and Anti-Toxoplasma Antibodies in Patients with Schizophrenia Disorder

Objective. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. infections in patients with schizophrenia disorder. Method. A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia disorder and 95 healthy individuals participated in the study. Participants were tested for the presence of anti-T. gondii and anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies by ELISA and Western blotting. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test and Fisher9s exact test. Results. There were no differences in T. gondii IgG seroprevalence between patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals (P=0.1), but there were differences in seroprevalence between males and females with schizophrenia (P=0.009). In contrast, Toxocara spp. IgG seroprevalence was greater in patients with schizophrenia disorder than in healthy individuals (P=0.02), but there were no differences in seroprevalence between men and women with schizophrenia (P=0.5). Finally, there were no differences in seroprevalence of T. gondii or Toxocara spp. IgG among different subtypes of schizophrenia, various age groups, residential area, or clinical course of treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion. The present study suggests that patients with schizophrenia disorder are at elevated risk of Toxocara spp. infection. Moreover, contamination with T. gondii is a risk factor for schizophrenia in women

Study on Cover , Density , Species Composition and Forage Production in Grazed vs. Non-Grazed Range Sites in Central Zagross

Short-term changes (5 years) in canopy cover, species composition and forage production were studied under protection from grazing and grazed condition in 19 range sites in Fereydan region, Isfahan province. In this study, density, canopy cover and forage production data were obtained from quadrates inside and outside exclosures in the spring of 1983. These parameters were studied again in 1988 and compared with the previous data. Results indicated that species diversity in these range sites was relatively high up to 212 plant species were identified. Sixteen, 8.5 and 75.5 percent of these species were classified into I, II and III palatability classes respectively. After five years, comparison of inside and outside exclosures indicated an increase in the density of species of I, II and III palatability classes by 138.8, 120.8 and 51.5 percent inside exclosures, respectively. Density of all species had increased by 62 percent as a result of 5-year protection from grazing. Species composition data as canopy cover were used to construct 3 dendrograms to investigate the similarity among range Sites. Assuming 32% similarity as the threshold level, 19 range sites were classified into 10 vegetation types in 1983. After 5 years, these vegetation types decreased to 8 and increased to 11 under protection from grazing and grazed conditions, respectively. The average forage production inside exclosures was almost twice as much as in grazed sites (600 Vs. 315 kg/h). Three groups of range sites were recognized according to the time requirement for rehabilitation by grazing protection. The first group was improved considerably by the end of the 5-year protection Period. The second group improved relatively within five years of grazing exclusion. The third group did not improve by 5-year grazing protection and needed much longer protection period or some other range rehabilitation practices

Investigation of the Pasture Vegetation Changes Using Satellite Data in Semirom, Isfahan

The objective of the present study was to investigate the pasture vegetation changes using satellite data in Semirom, Isfahan province. This study was conducted in 2004 as a wet year and 2009 as a dry year. The WiFS and AWiFS satellite images were acquired and used for the year 2004 and 2009, respectively. First, the vegetation percentage was simultaneously measured in the two years. Then, considering the environmental factors such as elevation, slope, and slope direction, climatic factors and vegetation indices were derived from the above satellite data and multiple regression equations were prepared using step-wise regression analysis. The intended regression model for each year was used to produce percentage of vegetation cover of the study area. For a suitable pasture vegetation map interpretation, the reclassification technique was used to separate the rangeland use from other land uses, and then the density slicing method was applied. Using suitable thresholds, the rangeland vegetation cover classes including 0-20, 20-30 and 30-40 percent canopy covers were determined. Results showed that the changes in vegetation classes were related to each other and by increasing the area of one class the other one decreased. It was found that the 30-40% and 20-30% classes changed most, and the maximum increase was observed in the 0-20% vegetation cover class due to the area degradation in the other two classes

A Phenological Study on Zygophyllum atriplicoides in Mouteh, Isfahan Province

Phenology refers to the study of natural cyclic events in the life of plants and animals. Phenophasis variations are the most sensitive responses to the climate changes. Knowledge of phenology is also important for rehabilitation and nursery management. In this study, phenology of Zygophyllum atriplicoides was observed in Mouteh area, Isfahan province. At first, 20 shrubs were randomly selected and then vital phenological events, such as bud developing, leaf emerging, flowering, fruiting, leaf shedding, seed formation, seed scattering and plant latent state were recorded monthly during a year. Then, pictorial time series of the plant was developed. The percentage of the three color channels (red - green - blue) (RGB) were extracted in every picture and for every part of the plant, such as leaves, stems and fruits. Next, they were separately analyzed. The phenological records revealed that the plant buds start to grow from late March until September. Moreover, flowering occurs in April, and peak fruiting follows in May. Seeds appear in June and scatter in July. There is a clear correlation between notable phenophasis of the plant and climatic factors such as rainfall and temperature

The Effect of Passing the Psychiatric Clerkship on Consideration of Various Specialties as Priorities in Prospective Field and Respect for Clinical Specialties in Medical Students

Introduction: The number of medical students choosing psychiatry as specialty is declining in some countries. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of passing the psychiatric clerkship on consideration of various specialties as prospective career options and their respect for clinical specialties in medical students. Methods: In this analytical study, the sample included 104 fifth year medical students of Jundishapur University in Ahwaz who started psychiatric clerkship between spring 2007 and spring 2010. The subjects completed a demographic form, an attitude toward psychiatry questionnaire and a questionnaire to assess priorities and respect for clinical specialties, before and after their psychiatric clerkship. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation coefficient, and paired sample t-test. Results: The results showed that mean of total scores of attitude before (42.36±9.18), and after psychiatry rotation (47.78±6.86) were significantly different (t=-5.45, p=.001). The mean score of subscales of “overall merits of psychiatry’, “role definition and functioning of psychiatrists”, and “career and personal rewards” were also changed significantly (p<0.001), also score for “possible abuses and social criticisms”, improved significantly(p=0.01) after psychiatric clerkship, but there was no significant difference in “efficacy” subscale (p=0.14). In the priorities of students before and after passing the psychiatric clerkship also there was no significant difference, as there was high positive correlation(r=0.80, p<0.001) between priorities order before and after the clerkship. Respect to psychiatry increased after passing the clerkship, but was still less than other specialties. Conclusion: Attitude toward psychiatry isn’t the only effective factor in choosing the specialty, and in spite of the significant improvement of students’ attitude toward psychiatry, it did not make a significant difference in their priorities. Although after the clerkship, respect to psychiatry increased, it was still less than respect for other specialties

Brief intervention and contact after deliberate self-harm: An Iranian randomized controlled trial

Objective: Previous suicide interventional studies are controversial in their results. The present study compared brief intervention and contact (BIC), with treatment as usual (TAU) in their influence on the repetition of suicide attempts 6-month after the index suicide attempt. Methods: Adults who had attempted suicide were assigned two groups randomly: 311 in the TAU and 321 in the BIC. The brief intervention and contact contained a brief one-hour psycho-educational session combined with follow-up contacts by phone calls or visits after discharge. We used Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA, and Chi-Square for analysis of variables. Results: The brief intervention and contact did not significantly reduce the repeated suicide attempts, but the patients' need to get support increased significantly (alpha value = 63.67, p<0.001) compared to the treatment as usual group. Also, the brief intervention and contact group patients tried to get support from outpatient/inpatient services, relatives, friends or by telephone contact to a significantly larger extent (alpha value = 69.2, p<0.001) compared to the treatment as usual group. Conclusion: brief intervention and contact seems to have an effect on the patients' attitude towards seeking support from outpatient/inpatient services, relatives and friends

Effects of smoke, ash and heat shock on seed germination of seven species from Central Zagros rangelands in the semi-arid region of Iran

Fire products have been widely identified as germination cues for a number of  species from both fire-prone and fire-free ecosystems. However, there is uncertainty about the effects of fire products on seed germination of semi-arid rangeland species. We examined the germination of seven dominant species from Central Zagros rangelands in the semi-arid region of Iran under various heat shock (60, 80 and 120 °C), aerosol smoke, ash and control treatments. Our findings showed that fire products could enhance, inhibit or not affect the seed germination of rangeland species in this area. The germination percentage of Astragalus adscendens increased following 60 °C heat treatment in comparison with the control. The germination of Astragalus verus, Bromus tectorum, B. tomentellus and Phlomis olivieri were increased significantly using smoke treatment (P &lt; 0.0001). The seed germination of B. tomentellus and B. tectorum was promoted by ash treatment, whereas the other species exhibited no response or were inhibited by fire products. In addition, smoke treatment shortened the overall germination time of B. tectorum. These findings suggest that fire products affect the germination of several species and can serve as potential tools for understanding the vegetation dynamics and restoration of disturbed semi-arid rangelands.Keywords: aerosol smoke, fire products, restoration, seed dormancy, vegetation dynamic