Population genetic study on common kilka (Clupeonella cultriventris Nordmann, 1840) in the Southwest Caspian Sea (Gilan Province, Iran) using microsatellite markers

This study represents population genetic analysis of the common kilka Clupeonella cultriventris (Nordmann, 1840) in the southwest Caspian Sea (Gilan Province). A total of 60 specimens of adult common kilka were sampled from two seasons (spring and summer), 2010. Fifteen pairs of microsatellites previously developed for American shad (Alosa sapidissima), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) were tested on genomic DNA of common kilka. Alleles frequencies, the fixation index RST, observed and expected heterozygosity were determined at disomic loci amplified from fin tissue samples. Five pairs of primers (Cpa6, Cpa8, Cpa104, Cpa125 and AcaC051) as polymorphic loci were used to analyze the genetic variation of the common kilka population. Analyses revealed that an average of alleles per locus was 14.4 (range 5 to 21 alleles per locus in regions). All sampled regions contained private alleles. The average observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.153 and 0.888, respectively. All loci significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Based on AMOVA, RST values was found to be 0.113 (Nm=1.96, P<0.01). The genetic distance between populations was 0.344, which indicates that the genetic difference among the studied populations is pronounced. These results support the existence of different genetic populations along the Caspian Sea coast (Guilan Province).Key words: Population genetic, Southwest Caspian Sea, microsatellite, Clupeonella cultriventris

The estimation of investment risk in an asset portfolio by using value at risk method (VAR)

This study attempts to use value at risk method (VAR) as risk measurement criterion in formation of household asset portfolio. To do this, the data which are related to the assets price including: bank deposit, bonds, stock, exchange, coin, and housing that are used in time period of 1991 to 2011 and the value at risk of portfolio is calculated in reliability level of 90%, 95%, and 99% and in time periods of one year and 19 years. After calculating returns, return standard deviation, correlation coefficient among assets and VAR of every asset, the optimal mix of assets is extracted by using variance- mean model and Matlab software and assets portfolio risk is calculated by VAR method. The results indicated that there is the most portfolio risk of 55/13% with the probability of 99% for high risk people and the lowest portfolio risk of Zero%, with the probability of 90% for low risk people. In one year period, there is also the most portfolio risk of 17/51% with the probability of 99% for high risk people and the lowest portfolio risk of 88% with the probability of 90% for low risk people

The estimation of investment risk in an asset portfolio by using value at risk method (VAR)

This study attempts to use value at risk method (VAR) as risk measurement criterion in formation of household asset portfolio. To do this, the data which are related to the assets price including: bank deposit, bonds, stock, exchange, coin, and housing that are used in time period of 1991 to 2011 and the value at risk of portfolio is calculated in reliability level of 90%, 95%, and 99% and in time periods of one year and 19 years. After calculating returns, return standard deviation, correlation coefficient among assets and VAR of every asset, the optimal mix of assets is extracted by using variance- mean model and Matlab software and assets portfolio risk is calculated by VAR method. The results indicated that there is the most portfolio risk of 55/13% with the probability of 99% for high risk people and the lowest portfolio risk of Zero%, with the probability of 90% for low risk people. In one year period, there is also the most portfolio risk of 17/51% with the probability of 99% for high risk people and the lowest portfolio risk of 88% with the probability of 90% for low risk people

The estimation of investment risk in an asset portfolio by using value at risk method (VAR)

This study attempts to use value at risk method (VAR) as risk measurement criterion in formation of household asset portfolio. To do this, the data which are related to the assets price including: bank deposit, bonds, stock, exchange, coin, and housing that are used in time period of 1991 to 2011 and the value at risk of portfolio is calculated in reliability level of 90%, 95%, and 99% and in time periods of one year and 19 years. After calculating returns, return standard deviation, correlation coefficient among assets and VAR of every asset, the optimal mix of assets is extracted by using variance- mean model and Matlab software and assets portfolio risk is calculated by VAR method. The results indicated that there is the most portfolio risk of 55/13% with the probability of 99% for high risk people and the lowest portfolio risk of Zero%, with the probability of 90% for low risk people. In one year period, there is also the most portfolio risk of 17/51% with the probability of 99% for high risk people and the lowest portfolio risk of 88% with the probability of 90% for low risk people

Development of disomic single-locus DNA microsatellite markers for Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) from the Caspian Sea

Understanding the scale at which wild stocks of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) are genetically discrete is necessary for effective management of this commercially important species. Disomic DNA microsatellite markers are among the best tools for determining stock structure in fishes. As all sturgeon species have a polyploid ancestry of all sturgeons, most gene loci exhibit more than two alleles per individual, limiting the use of powerful analytical methods that commonly assume disomic inheritance. We scored products from 38 sets of microsatellite primers developed in lake (Acipenser fulvescens) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) to determine whether they would amplify disomic loci in Persian sturgeon. Samples of 45 individuals were detected.Thirty six loci (95%) were amplified successfully in Persian sturgeon. We identified a single monomorphic locus, 12 disomic, 19 tetrasomic, three octosomic, and one locus that was ambiguous. This is the first report on development of disomic single-locus DNA microsatellite markers in Persian sturgeon. These loci could be used to characterize variation in geographically discrete populations of the Persian sturgeon in their native ecosystem including in the Caspian Sea

Comprehensive study on assessment of sturgeons population genetic structure in the Caspian Sea

The population genetic structure of five Caspian Sea sturgeon species was investigated. Totally 1121 samples of caudal and unault's fin tissue of the sturgeons (Acipenser persicus, A. gueldenstaedtii, A. stellatus, A. nudiventris and Huso huso) were collected from the Volga River (Russia), Ural River (Kazakhstan), Kura River (Azerbaijan), Sepidrud River and the coastline of the south Caspian in the Iranian waters as well as from the sampling stations selected for the marine survey for sturgeon stock assessment in the Caspian Sea. All samples were stored in 96% ethyl alcohol and transferred to the genetic laboratory of the International Sturgeon Research Institute. Genomic DNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform method. The quality and quantity of DNA was assessed by Agarose gel (1%) electrophoresis and spectrophotometry. The population genetic structure of Ship and Persian sturgeon was studied using both PCR-RFLP (D-loop and ND5/6 gene) and microsatellite technique and that of H. huso, A. stellatus and A. persicus were studied using microsatellite technique. After amplification of genes using PCR, the RFLP technique was used to digest mtDNA using restriction enzyme. The PCR products were electrophoresed on 6% sequencing polyacrylamide gels followed by silver nitrate staining. Data for PCR-RFLP were analyzed using REAP program and those from microsatellite technique were analyzed using Gene Alex. Population genetic parameters including allele frequency, expected and observed heterozygosity, effective allele, Shannon's index were determined. Genetic identity and distance were calculated following Nei criteria and Hardy Weinberg equilibrium was tested based on X2 and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) using Reap and Gen Alex at 99% confidence limit. Phylogenetic relationship was determined and drawn using TFPGA program. The population genetic structure and genetic diversity of the 1121 sturgeon specimens were determined. Three independent populations were identified for Acipenser persicus (two populations in the south Caspian in the Iranian waters and one in the north Caspian). Three independent populations were identified for A. gueldenstaedtii (Volga, Ural and South Caspian populations) using the microsatellite technique. Population genetic structure using PCR-RFLP revealed no genetic differentiation among the A. gueldenstaedtii specimens studied from the different regions using ND5/6 gene, while two populations (Ural and south Caspian populations) were detected for this species with the same technique using D-loop genes. Four independent populations (Volga, Ural, Kura and Sepidrud populations) were reported for A. stellatus using the microsatellite technique and four more populations which most probably belong to the autumn and spring races of the above mentioned independent populations were identified for this species. The present study also identified two populations for H. huso; The North Caspian population (in Volga and Ural Rivers) and The South Caspian population (in Golestan and Guilan regions) which were significantly different from each other (P<0.01). The genetic population structure of A. nudiventris was studied using the microsatellite and PCR-RFLP techniques which revealed two populations for this species one in the Ural River and the other in the Sepidrud River (South Caspian). Comparison of the ND5/6 and D-loop genes studies in Russian sturgeon revealed that the D-loop gene is better than the ND5/6 genes in population's differentiation and is therefore strongly recommended for population genetic studies on sturgeons in the Caspian Sea. Genetic diversity studied using microsatellite technique was higher and more accurate as compared to that using RFLP. Nevertheless the RFLP technique was able to introduce molecular markers for the population’s species pacific identification. On developing suitable primers these studies can be speeded up and the cost of such studies can be cut down. However the drawback in using microsatellite technique for population genetic studies is that it cannot introduce a molecular marker for the identification of populations. The present study was able to introduce molecular markers to differentiate the ship sturgeon population in the south Caspian from that in the Ural River using the PCR-RFLP technique Based on the results obtained it is strongly recommended that all activities related to restocking and rehabilitation of sturgeon stocks in Iran be conducted on the basis of genetic principles. Also serious and immediate measures should be taken for the restoration and conservation of rare population of native species of Iran particularly in the Sepidrud region using genetic markers before they are become extinct

Amplification of Microsatellites in the Persian Sturgeon (Acipenser Persicus)

Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) is a benthic species occurring primarily on sandy bottoms in the mid and southern Caspian Sea, especially along the shores of Iran (Berg, 1948; Holcik, 1989). The Persian sturgeon in the Caspian Sea is anadromous, with at least eighteen groups that segregate spatially and temporally for spawning. These populations are supported by some spawners, each of which considered to be of two seasonal races and divided into two or four biological groups (Perevaryukha, 2001)

Ranking Branches of the Banks in Iran

Commercial banks basically offer their services in three fields: resource mobilization, financial resources allocation and their banking services. These services are offered by their branches all over the country. These branches are essential into different grades: Independent, Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The scope and responsibility of bank branches depend on their grades, so the bank management is interested in ranking their branch network. Any ranking should depend on three basic factors: method of grading, indexes uses for ranking, the weights for each of the indexes used In the first place, we intend to survey different ranking techniques, reviewing three different methods: Taxonomy, Principal factors and a combination of the two. We have tried to define 24 different indexes in different fields where. The coefficients of these indexes are determined by two different methods. In this ranking the indices are not independent and have co-linearity. We have tried to incorporate this problem of co-linearity. Later, Taking into account these factors and correcting for the co-linearity problem all the 2005 branches of Bank Tejarat have been ranked

The Review of Efficiency in Tourism Industry By Using Non-Parametric Methods(Iran and other Region Countries)

In economic literature, the maximum of output to a given amount of input, is efficiency and vise-versa. In general, there are two main parametric and non- parametric, approaches for measuring efficiency. In this paper, we have used method of non-parametric approach based on mathematical programming. Data envelopment analysis (DEA), a non-parametric method is used in this study for evaluation of Iran's tourism industry and comparison with other countries of the region. The most important feature of the DEA is its applicability for the firms that have multiple intput and outputs. Using DEA, we study the efficiency of Iran's tourism industry and compare it with other countries of the region in 2003, assuming both constant and variable return to scale. The results of our study show that, subject to former assumption, efficiency in Bahrain, Turkey, Syria  are maximum and the average efficiency  is equal to %74, which means that the idle capacity is 26 percent in that year. On the other hand, with the later assumption, United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan were added to the list too, and average efficiency is equal %83/3. So, it is suggested that for increasing the efficiency of unefficient countries, on the basis of our founding, these countries have to follow the Model of Turkey's Tourism Industry as an efficient Model