Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationFrom the earliest times, ancient Iranian myths and legends addressed the tradition of royal succession. As monarchical rule continued throughout pre- and post-Islamic history, succession remained an important component of affairs of the court. It was critical for kings to designate heirs to the throne if their legacy was to endure. However, as most Iranian dynasties were tribal in origin, succession of a ruling family was often attained after intense struggles with rivaling branches of the same tribe. Policies related to succession were developed in order to keep a balance between family members. The Qajars, who seized power as a tribe in 1786, also faced challenges with respect to the tradition of succession. This study deals with how the tradition of succession developed during the Qajar period. It primarily focuses on the case of Muzaffar al-Din Mirza, addressing the turbulent events leading to his appointment as governor of the province of Azarbaijan (1861-1896) and as crown prince the following year. In addition to internal factors such as familial rivalries and court intrigue, the Qajars faced the external factor of an everincreasing foreign intervention in nearly all of the country's affairs. Succession became a bone of contention mainly between Britain, Russia and France. The political manipulation these powers resorted to came to a head during the early period of Nasir al- Din Shah's reign (1848-1896). Therefore, this study addresses the complex internal and iv external forces that eventually led to Muzaffar al-Din Mirza's appointment as a provincial governor and finally heir apparent. Furthermore, it examines how, with the arrival of modernity and technologies such as the telegraph, Nasir al-Din Shah was able to centralize his power, and how Muzaffar al-Din Mirza consequently was able to preserve his position as crown prince and governor for thirty-five years and eventually to ascend the throne (1896). The study concludes with an overview of Qajar royal succession after the heir apparency of Muzaffar al-Din Mirza. Although their cases were neither as complicated nor as tumultuous as that of Muzaffar al-Din Mirza, the final heir apparents of the Qajar dynasty were selected by the same traditions as those established at the very beginning of the dynasty's rule

Increasing the Diversity of Investment Portfolio with Integration of Gamified Components in the FinTech Applications Lifecycle

Gamification has the potential to make significant contributions to financial product delivery, Fintech services, and inclusive growth. The integration of gamification into FinTech applications has shown a positive correlation with the social impact theory. Utilizing gamification in a sustainable and effective manner can be crucial for long-term prospects in the FinTech industry. Therefore, it is essential to develop efficient and modern financial software that improves the customer experience. The current literature aims to contribute to this area by highlighting the relationship between interrelated theories and the key factors to consider when designing a gamified element. This study aims to explore the effects of gamification on altering user intention and its significant influence on customer value propositions

Magnetic field effects on seed germination and activities of some enzymes in cumin

Failure of germination among Apiaceae family seeds, e. g. cumin (Cuminum cyminum), has been reported by many investigators. Until now few works have been done on seed germination and seedling growth of cumin. In this research the effects of the exposure of cumin seeds to magnetic fields on seed germination, early growth, and enzyme activity have been studied under laboratory conditions. Seeds were magnetically exposed to one of three magnetic field strengths, 25, 50 and 75 mT for different periods of time (15, 30, and 60 min). The germination test was performed according to the guidelines issued by the International Seed Testing Association. Enzymes related to the germination process in magnetically exposed and unexposed germinating cumin seeds were assayed after 24 hours of imbibitions in distilled water. Exposure of cumin seeds to different intensities of magnetic fields prior to germination significantly increased germination-related characters. The increase in germination, speed of germination, shoot length, root length, total seedling length, seedling fresh weight, and seedling dry weight was, respectively, 14-17%, 14-57%, 8-27%, 25-62%, 16-39%, 10-29%, and 17-49% compared to untreated control seeds. The calculated vigor indices I and II also increased by 33-73% and 38-72%, respectively. In germinating seeds, enzyme activities of alpha-amylase, dehydrogenase, and protease were significantly higher in treated seeds in contrast to controls and the maximum value was 50 mT for 60 min exposures. The higher enzyme activity in magnetic-field-treated cumin seeds could trigger fast germination and early vigor of seedlings

Búsqueda de genes candidatos asociados a caracteres de interés agronómico en garbanzo (Cicer arietinum L.)

Las leguminosas son una fuente importante de proteínas y carbohidratos, además tienen capacidad para establecer simbiosis con la bacteria Rhizobium fijando el nitrógeno atmosférico en el suelo, por lo tanto es muy importante integrar estos cultivos en los sistemas de rotación para enriquecer el suelo con nitrógeno de manera natural (Aslam et al 2003). El garbanzo es la segunda leguminosa grano más importante del mundo después de las judías (Faostat, 2013). Sin embargo todavía no hay estudios relevantes a nivel molecular para entender los mecanismos de adaptación como el hábito de crecimiento, simple/doble vaina y la fecha de floración siendo la mayoría de los estudios publicados de genética clásica (Mathews and Davis 1999; Rajesh et al. 2002; Aryamanesh et al. 2013; Gaur et al. 2014). Estos caracteres son críticos para incrementar el rendimiento del cultivo (Rubio et al. 2004; Gaur et al. 2008). La secuenciación del genoma de garbanzo recién publicado (Jain et al. 2013; Varshney et al. 2013) ha sido de gran utilidad para buscar nuevos marcadores aplicables en MAS (marker assisted selection) y genes candidatos. No obstante, disponer de poblaciones de mapeo como RIPs (recombinant inbred populations) y líneas casi isogénicas (NILs) que estén cuidadosamente fenotipadas, son fundamentales para llevar a cabo estos estudios

COX inhibition: Catalepsy and Striatum Dopaminergic-GABAergic-Glutamatergic Neurotransmission

Selective COX-2 and COX-1 inhibitors were administered (i.p. acutely) to normal and parkinsonian rats, followed by the analysis of the striatal dopamine, GABA and glutamate concentrations using the microdialysis technique, simultaneously, the catalepsy of animals was evaluated. Selective COX-2 inhibition showed improving effects on the catalepsy followed by decreasing the striatum glutamatergic-GABAergic and enhancing the dopaminergic neurotransmission. Nonetheless COX inhibition had no significant improving effects on damaged Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta (SNc) neurons

Student Teachers’ Perceptions about the Teaching Practice Supervisors’ role in developing their Instructional Practices

The study aimed at exploring Student Teachers' Perceptions about the Teaching Practice Supervisors' role in developing their instructional practices at the University of Jordan. The sample of this study consisted of (79) students, (40) of them were specialized in Classroom Teacher Education and (39) in Childhood Education. Data was collected using a 39- item questionnaire covering four fields: instructional planning, instructional performance, classroom management and instructional evaluation. The findings of this study indicated a strong effect of the teaching practice supervisors' role. Besides, there were no significant statistical differences in the mean scores of student teachers' perceptions due to gender and interaction between gender and specialization. However, there was a significant statistical difference due to specialization

The effects of Urtica dioica extract on lipid profile, insulin resistance index and liver histology in polycystic ovary syndrome-induced Wistar rats

Background and aims: Urtica dioica as a medicinal herb due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects, improve type 2 diabetes and decrease inflammation, fibrosis and necrosis as the signs of Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) as the most important factor of infertility has an overlap of 30 to 60 with liver disorders. Hence, the Urtica dioica moderator effect on liver function in PCOS rats was examined. Methods: In this experimental study 144 adult Wistar rats were divided into control, PCOS and nettle-treated groups. The group PCOS was injected subcutaneously 2 mg estradiol valerate, after 60 days and confirmed polycystic, the experimental group was injected intraperitoneally the Urtica dioica extract doses (150,250, 450 mg/kg BW). After 21 days, rats were anesthetized by chloroform; blood samples and livers were collected for histological and serological evaluation. Data were analyzed using instat3 via ANOVA one-way and

Novel inhibitor discovery against aromatase through virtual screening and molecular dynamic simulation

Inhibition of aromatase (CYTP450) as a key enzyme in the estrogen biosynthesis could result in regression of estrogen-dependent tumors and even preventing the promotion of breast cancer. Although today potent steroid and non-steroid inhibitors of aromatase are available, isoflavanone derivatives as natural compounds with least side effects have been described as the candidate for a new generation of aromatase inhibitors. 2a as an isoflavanone derivative is the most potent inhibitor of aromatase, synthesized by Bonfield et al. (2012). In our computational study, the mentioned compound was used as the template for virtual screening. Between 286 selected compounds with 70 % of structural similarity to 2a, 150 of them showed lower docking energy in comparison with 2a. Compound 2a_1 with 11.2 kcal/mol had the lowest docking energy. Interaction of 2a_1 with aromatase was further investigated and compared with 2a and androstenedione (ASD) as a natural substrate of aromatase, through 20 ns of molecular dynamic simulation. Analysis of trajectories showed, while ASD interacts with aromatase through hydrogen bonds and 2a just interacts via hydrophobic forces, 2a_1 not only accommodates in the hydrophobic active site of aromatase in a suitable manner but it also makes a stable coordination with iron atom of aromatase heme group via OB

The Role of Transitional Justice in Reconstruction of Relations between Parties in the Peacebuilding Process in War-Torn Societies after Civil Conflict, Riots, and Protests Leading to Violence

Reconstruction of post-conflict relations in a post-conflict country is at the core of addressing the issue of peacebuilding and transitional justice as a means of establishing peace and preventing the recurrence of conflict in such societies. The main questions of the discussion are whether it is possible to create trust in fragmented and war-torn societies and how the reconstruction of relations between the involved parties achieved in the post-conflict period is. The current research is based on the opinion that the reconstruction of relations between the parties in the post-conflict period in war-torn societies through transitional justice tools can help consolidate peace and prevent the return of conflict. Transitional justice processes are among the influential factors that play a role in the peacebuilding process, especially in its communication dimension. The present research seeks to explain an integrated approach to the transitional justice process; an approach that involves rebuilding relationships through the elements and mechanisms of transitional justice, such as justice, truth-telling, acknowledgment, apology, forgiveness, and the like. Utilization of library data and international documents and procedures in the form of descriptive-analytical research has helped this study to prove this approach