The Effect of Different Types of Climates on the Spread of COVID-19

Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is the third most common zoonotic disease caused by the coronavirusvirus, SARS in 2002, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. The primary origin oftransmission of infection to humans is not well known. However, more prevalence of the disease is caused dueto human-to-human transmission. There are relatively few studies on the impact of climate change on COVID-19 disease in the world. Recognizing the behavioral features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its pathogenicity invarious climatic conditions can offer strategies for control measures, preventing the transmission of the disease,and minimizing the potential mortality risk of the virus, which provides a basis for more detailed studies indifferent climatic regions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different types of climate on the spread ofCOVID-19

Evaluating the Role of Biochanin A in Acetic acid-Induced Colitis in Rats: Involvement of Nitric Oxide Pathway

Background and objectives: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to idiopathic chronic and inflammatory bowel disorders such as ulcerative colitis. Considering the lack of definitive treatment and the side effects of existing drugs, finding efficient compounds is needed. Biochanin A has attracted the attention of researchers due to its wide range of medicinal activities. Until now, no study was conducted to evaluate its effects on colitis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of biochanin A on the nitrogen pathway in rats with acetic acid-induced colitis. Methods: Male rats were divided into five groups: normal group, negative control group, positive control group, and groups receiving biochanin A (10 and 20 mg/kg). Colitis was induced with 4% acetic acid. Next, the samples were evaluated at different macroscopic and microscopic levels, and biochemical test of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide activity was investigated. Results: Macroscopic and microscopic investigations showed that treatment with biochanin A decreased mucosal damage in rats with acetic acid-induced colitis. Biochanin A reduced neutrophil infiltration in the intestinal tissue. It also led to the reduction in nitric oxide and enhancement of SOD in rats. The optimal dose of biochanin A was 20 mg/kg, which had the best effect on reducing inflammation and mucosal lesions in rats. Conclusion: Biochanin A, due to its anti-inflammatory effects by reducing nitric oxide and enhancement of SOD and reducing mucosal damage in rats with acetic acid-induced colitis, can be a useful alternative drug for the prevention or treatment of IBD patients

Effect of the Jigsaw-Based Cooperative Learning Method on Sense of Connectedness with School and Social Skills in Sixth Grade Elementary Students

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Jigsaw-based cooperative learning method on sense of connectedness with school and the social skills of Sixth grade elementary students in Abhar City, Iran. The research method was quasi-experimental (pre-test, post-test with control group). The statistical population included all sixth grade elementary school female students in Abhar city in the academic year of 2019-2020. The experimental group benefited from Jigsaw-based cooperative learning training for 12 sessions (2 hours per week including 40 minutes). Data were collected using Brew, Betty and Watt students’ sense of connectedness with school scale (2004) and Matson’s Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS software and analysis of covariance as well. The results indicated there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of the experimental group, the control group in the sense of connectedness with school (p = 0.0001) and the improvement of social skills (p = 0.001). Accordingly, the Jigsaw-based cooperative learning in experimental group was more effective on the sense of connectedness with school and the social skills compared to the control group

Environmental Risk Assessment of Non-Metallic Industries Using Combined PHA-William Fine Technique (Case Study: Eram Ardakan Tile & Ceramic IND Co.)

Background: Non-metallic industries such as tile and ceramics, in addition to production and economic development, cause many environmental problems, including air and soil pollution and waste production. Industrial environments, by their very nature, are exposed to serious damage and hazards that are potentially expanding in line with the increasing growth of technology. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying and assessing the environmental risks of Eram Tile and Ceramic Industrial Company in Ardakan City by combined method of PHA and William Fine. Method: First, based on field visits to Eram Ardakan Company, environmental hazards were identified by PHA method and based on the work unit, performance of existing machinery, and human activities. Then, using the William Fine method, environmental risk assessment was performed and corrective solutions for high risks were presented. Results: Based on the findings of this study, 241 environmental hazards were identified, which were classified into 6 groups of environmental hazards (pollutants entering water, pollutants entering soil, pollutants entering air, loss of water and energy resources, generation of noise, and the generation and dispersion of industrial waste). The Risk Priority Number (RPN) of natural risks was 166, abnormal risks 52, and high risks 23. The highest RPN was 560 related to the operation of the crusher, spraying, operation of the furnace and dryer, press, and suction, while the lowest was 1, related to the excessive watering of trees and plants and uploading of animal manure. Conclusion: the assessment of hazards in the ceramics industry, while helping identify technical deficiencies and human errors, emphasizes the need for training and change the attitude of managers and personnel working in this industry and environmental inspections to maintain and promote environmental health

Accessing habitat suitability and connectivity for the westernmost population of Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus, Blanford, 1877) based on climate changes scenarios in Iran.

Climate change, as an emerging phenomenon, has led to changes in the distribution, movement, and even risk of extinction of various wildlife species and this has raised concerns among conservation biologists. Different species have two options in the face of climate change, either to adopt or follow their climatic niche to new places through the connectivity of habitats. The modeling of interpatch landscape communications can serve as an effective decision support tool for wildlife managers. This study was conducted to assess the effects of climate change on the distribution and habitat connectivity of the endangered subspecies of Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus) in the southern and southeastern Iran. The presence points of the species were collected in Provinces of Kerman, Hormozgan, and Sistan-Baluchestan. Habitat modeling was done by the Generalized Linear Model, and 3 machine learning models including Maximum Entropy, Back Propagation based artificial Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine. In order to achieve the ensemble model, the results of the mentioned models were merged based on the method of "accuracy rate as weight" derived from their validation. To construct pseudo-absence points for the use in the mentioned models, the Ensemble model of presence-only models was used. The modeling was performed using 15 habitat variables related to climatic, vegetation, topographic, and anthropogenic parameters. The three general circulation models of BCC-CSM1, CCSM4, and MRI-CGCM3 were selected under the two scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 by 2070. To investigate the effect of climate change on the habitat connections, the protected areas of 3 provinces were considered as focal nodes and the connections between them were established based on electrical circuit theory and Pairwise method. The true skill statistic was employed to convert the continuous suitability layers to binary suitable/unsuitable range maps to assess the effectiveness of the protected areas in the coverage of suitable habitats for the species. Due to the high power of the stochastic forest model in determining the importance of variables, this method was used. The results showed that presence/absence models were successful in the implementation and well distinguished the points of presence and pseudo-absence from each other. Based on the random forests model, the variables of Precipitation of Driest Quarter, Precipitation of Coldest Quarter, and Temperature Annual Range have the greatest impact on the habitat suitability. Comparing the modeling findings to the realities of the species distribution range indicated that the suitable habitats are located in areas with high humidity and rainfall, which are mostly in the northern areas of Bandar Abbas, south of Kerman, and west and south of Sistan-Baluchestan. The area of suitable habitats, in the MRI-CGCM3 (189731 Km2) and CCSM4 (179007 Km2) models under the RCP2.6 scenario, is larger than the current distribution (174001 Km2). However, in terms of the performance of protected areas, the optimal coverage of the species by the boundary of the protected areas, under each of the RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios, is less than the present time. According to the electric circuit theory, connecting the populations in the protected areas of Sistan-Baluchestan province to those in the northern Hormozgan and the southern Kerman would be based on the crossing through the heights of Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces and the plains between these heights would be the movement pinch points under the current and future scenarios. Populations in the protected areas of Kerman have higher quality patch connections than that of the other two provinces. The areas such as Sang-e_Mes, Kouh_Shir, Zaryab, and Bahr_Aseman in Kerman Province and Kouhbaz and Geno in Hormozgan Province can provide suitable habitats for the species in the distribution models. The findings revealed that the conservation of the heights along with the caves inside them could be a protective priority to counteract the effects of climate change on the species

The Role of Accounting Department in Outsourcing Decision-Making (Case Study: Yazd Textile Industry)

ABSTRACT The present study seeks to examine the role of accounting as an organizational department in outsourcing decision-making. This role has been analyzed in the firms operating in textile industry. The research models is composed of independent variables including intensity of competition, firm size, firm performance, cost-leadership strategy and differentiation strategy; while the dependent variable is the degree of the accounting department involvement in outsourcing decision-making. This is an applied correlation study and the required data are collected from the questionnaires distributed. The statistical population of this study includes those firms working in the textile industry of Yazd province and the sample is composed of 175 companies selected by stratified sampling. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to analyze the data. The findings reveal that there is a positive significant relationship between intensity of competition and size with the degree of accounting department involvement in outsourcing decision-making. However, there is no significant relationship between performance, cost-leadership strategy and differentiation strategy with the degree of accounting department involvement in outsourcing decision-making. This study opens up new suggestions about the higher efficiency of the firm. Additionally, this is a valuable research because it provides useful information on outsourcing for the researchers and managers

Economic valuation of natural promenades in Iran using zonal travel costs method (Case study area: Gahar Lake in Lorestan Province in western Iran).

Gahar Lake is located within Oshtorankooh Protected Area (east of Lorestan Province in Iran), which has extensive potentials for the development of the tourism industry. The aim of the present research was to determine the economic value of the Gohar Lake resort using the zonal travel cost method. Therefore, at first, 380 questionnaires were distributed among the tourists by the simple random sampling method based on appropriate spatiotemporal distribution during the visiting seasons. The questionnaire items were categorized as economic, social, and miscellaneous parts. The calculation results revealed a value of USD 84.538 per visitor and a value of USD 1,986,657.163 per year, indicating the high value and importance of the region. The analysis showed that socio-economic variables have a significant role in the use or non-use of the resort. The obtained R2 coefficient was 0.82, indicating that around 82% of the changes in the number of visitors can be justified by the variables introduced in the model. The results also revealed the need to pay more attention to this region and formulate a tourism development plan

Effectiveness of Art Therapy on Social- Communication Skills, Flexibility Behavioral and Emotion Regulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of art therapy on social-communication skills, emotional regulation and behavioral flexibility in children with autism spectrum disorder. This research was quasi-experimental and it's plan was pre-test, post-test and follow-up two months with the control group. The statistical population included 6-12 years old children with autism spectrum disorder in Zanjan. The sample consisted of 26 children who were selected by the available sampling method and then randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups (each group was 13). The instrument of research was questionnaire of Autism Social Skills Profile_ Scott Bellini's, the Emotion Regulation Checklist- Shields & Cicchetti, and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition rating scale. The experimental group perch on art therapy interventation during 44 session for 4 months that extracted from art therapy program for children and adolescents with autism by Jennifer Beth Silvers (2008). In addition to descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, the repeated measure anova were used to analyze the data. Data analysis showed that art therapy had a good effect on social-communication skills and it's components, the components of emotional regulation and instability/negativity and also behavioral flexibility, means that the intervention program improved social communication, emotion regulation and behavioral flexibility. So according to the findings of this research, art therapy as a complementary therapeutic approach can be used to improve social-communication skills, emotion regulation and behavioral flexibility in children with autism spectrum disorder

Impact of Covid-19 pandemic lockdown on the urban litter and clean environment index

Abstract Changing the level of pollution in the urban environment is one of the consequences of Covid-19. Litter are one of the most important urban pollutants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this research, the pollution level of urban areas during the Covid-19 pandemic was investigated by studying the urban environment. To this end, the protocol of observation and counting was used and litter were studied in two groups including common litter and Covid-19 related litter in Yasuj, Iran. The results were interpreted based on the clean environment index (CEI). The time of observation was selected based on the peak of the disease and the decline in the incidence rate. The results showed that on average, at the peak of the disease, the density of the litter was reduced by 19% compared to the low lockdown related to Covid-19. The CEI on average was 4.76 at the peak of the disease that was interpreted in the clean status, while the CEI on average was 5.94 at the low lockdown related to Covid-19 so interpreted in the moderate status. Among urban land uses, recreational areas with a difference of more than 60% showed the greatest impact caused by Covid-19, while in commercial areas this difference was less than 3%. The effect of Covid-19 related litter on the calculated index was 73% in the worst case and 0.8% in the lowest case. Although Covid-19 decreased the number of litter in urban areas, the emergence of Covid-19 lockdown related litter was a cause for concern and led to increasing the CEI