Achieving groundwater resource sustainability at watershed scale by conjunctive use of groundwater and surface resources

The main goal of paper is to identify optimal water resources management strategies for groundwater resources sustainability achievement in Maharlou-Bakhtegan watershed in Iran and maximum water supply probability to the demand sites. In the present study, conjunctive use of groundwater and surface resources along with a scenario-based analysis approach is examined to achieve the optimal water resource management and plan Maharlou-Bakhtegan watershed using MODSIM model as a decision support system (DSS) for the basic river catchment management. The proposed approach is used to assess the effects of the different management strategies, climate changes, groundwater withdrawal levels and irrigation efficiency on the groundwater resources sustainability, agricultural water supply, and environmental water demand satisfaction. To quantify the system performance, six management scenarios are defined and modelled by MODSIM. For assessment of the system performance in each scenario, three performance indicators including reliability, vulnerability, and resiliency are introduced and defined. The findings showed that the fifth scenario (SC5) strategies satisfied all of the considered management goals and proposed the optimal management solutions for sustainability achievement of the groundwater resources.Keywords: Maharlou-Bakhtegan Watershed, Groundwater Resources Sustainability, MODSIM, Scenario Analysis, Performance Indice

The overview effect and counselling psychology: astronaut experiences of earth gazing

A significant number of space travellers have reported seeing Earth from orbit or the moon as an awe-inducing experience that is deeply impactful. To date existent research has provided convincing evidence that nature is therapeutic but there is limited research exploring the impact of extraordinary awe inducing natural environments. In order to bridge this gap, this study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how seven retired National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts experienced Earth gazing from orbit and viewing nature from this perspective. Three main themes emerged: 1) Deeply Impactful Perceptions of Earth, 2) Profound and Unexpected Emotional Impact and, 3) A Space Odyssey. The first theme describes the initial aesthetic observations and the dynamic interaction with the natural world. The second theme describes the emotive impact and noetic contemplation that took place. The final theme represents the embodiment of the experience post-flight. It seems that Earth gazing can strengthen our connection to nature and life, elicit awe, gratitude, humility, and reverence, and enable a sense of social cohesion. These features suggest it can instigate behavioural change and foster wellbeing, and therefore make it relevant to Counselling Psychology. Finally, this study recommends that this experience can be adapted and simulated via positive technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), as a green wellbeing intervention at an individual, local, and global level

Diet of Rutilus frisii kutum x Ctenopharyngodon idella hybrid

This research project was carried out in Gulian Fisheries Research Center in 1998. For this purpose, two ponds were selected: Pond No. 1 with 450m2 area and pond No.2 with 250m2 area and then 3500 pieces/hectar of hybrids with 5-7g weight were added to the ponds. In order to determine their main food, they were fed by pelletes and grass according to their mean weight. Meanwhile, by adding mineral and organic fertilizers to the water, a suitable media including phytoplanktons, zooplanktons and benthoses were prepared for feeding of fishes. The stomach contents observations of 160 specimen of hybrids showed that this hybrid is a herbivorous fish and macrophytes were their main diet; and phytoplanktons could be considered as the secondary random food

Effect of different salinity on ions, osmolarity, water concentration of body tissue, gill chloride cells and mortality percentage of juveniles of Caspian roach (Rutilus frisii kutum Kamensky 1901)

Changes of ions (Na+, Ca, K+), osmolarity and water concentration of body tissue, size and number of gill chloride cells as well as mortality percentage of the juveniles Caspian roaches in weight groups of 0.2, 0.5 & 1g water satiny stress were studied. The salinities tested were 0 (fresh water), 7, 12.5 & 16 g/lit and the assessments were completed 0, 12, 24, 48 & 72 hours after exposure. Results showed that ions and osmolarity of juveniles weighting 0.2 & 0.5g in salinities of 0 up to 12.5g/lit increased significantly during the first 12 hours (P'<0.05). These values then showed down were trend to the values recorded for fresh water. Water concentration of body tissue reached the minimum mean value in 12 hours (P<0.05) in salinity of 12.5 g/lit and then showed upward trend to the value obtained for freshwater. Ions and osmolarity of body tissue of the juveniles increased and water concentration of body tissue decreased significant after the first 12 hours of transferring into salinity of 16g/lit (P<0.05). Weight changes in juveniles of 1g in salinities of 0 up to 16g/lit was similar to juveniles of 0.2 & 0.5g in salinities of 0 up to 12.5gllit and the maximum mean values of ions and osmolarity and the minimum value of water concentration body tissue in 16g/lit salinity in hour 12 (P<0.05). Size and number of gill chloride cells of juveniles weighting 0.2 & 0.5g in salinities of 0 up to 12.5g/lit increased significantly during the first 12 hours of exposure (P<0.05) and reached the maximum mean values in 12.5g/lit salinity 12 & 24 hours after exposure, respectively (P<0.05) and showed invisible changes up to the end of the test. Size and number of chloride cells of the juveniles increased after the first 12 hours of transferring into salinity of 16g/lit (P<0.05). Changes of the indices in juveniles weighting 1gin salinities of 0 up to 16g/lit was similar to juveniles of 0.2 & 0.5g kept in salinities of 0 up to 12.5gtlit and the maximum values was in 12 and 24 hours after exposure, respectively (P<0.05). Ions and osmolarity of body tissue and size and number of chloride cells increased significantly with increase of salinity and weight and water salinity and water concentration of body tissue decreased significantly with increase in water salinity and increased in fish weight (P<0.05). Juveniles weighting 0.2 up to 1g showed no mortality in salinities of 0 & 7g/lit during t- test. Mortality of the juveniles weighting 0.2, 0.5 and 1g/1it increased during the first 12 hours and became constant to the end of the test. Mortality of juveniles weighting 0.2 & 0.5g in salinity of 16g/lit was similar to that of the juveniles weighting 0.2 & 0.5g in salinity of 12.5g/lit. Mortality of the juveniles increased significantly with increase of salinity and decreased with increase of weight (P<0.05)

Investigation of the role of exogenous use of sucrose as an osmoprotectant in increasing Azolla filiculoides resistance to air high temperature and salt stress

Influence of 2.75 to 11 moles sucrose as an exogenous osmoprotectant on salt stressed (7.8-9.1 and 18.2 ms/cm) and temperature stressed (42.36°C) Azolla (A. filiculoides Lam.) was studied. Results showed that enriching salt stressed (9.1 ms/cm) Azolla by 5.5 moles sucrose significantly increased survival percent (S%) and freshness percent (F%), in comparison with control treatment in which no sucrose was used. Enriching Azolla media by 2.75, 5.5 and 8.25 moles sucrose in optimum growth condition (24.18C and 0.65 mS/cm), had no significant effects on growth doubling time (D.T), S% and F% in comparison with control. Enriching Azolla media by 11 moles sucrose in optimum growth condition decreased significantly the S% and F%, in comparison with control plots. Enriching Azolla media by 5.5 moles sucrose, in all salinity levels (0.65, 7.8, 9.1 and 18.25 ms/cm), and air temperatures (24.18 and 42.36C), non-increased S% and F% but not significantly and decreased D.T.A positive correlation was observed between high air temperature and medium salinity in Azolla growth

Feeding characteristics of Neogobius caspius in the south west coastline of the Caspian Sea (Gilan Province)

Neogobius caspius is an endemic species of the Caspian Sea which plays an important role in food chain as a predatory fish. The main aim of this study was to investigate selected feeding characteristics of Neogobius caspius in the south west coasts of the Caspian Sea. Monthly sampling was carried out using a bottom trawler at three stations (Astara, Anzali and Chabuksar) in three depths (0-5, 5-10 and 10-15m) on a monthly basis from October 2004 to September 2005. Relative gut length (RLG) was less than one suggesting that this species is carnivorous. RLG was significantly lower in older fish but gut length was longer (P<0.05). Intensity of fullness was below the favorite degree (IF<400) from October to March, however, it was higher (400<IF<900) from April to October at all stations, indicating that feeding conditions for this species is suitable in the study area. Study showed that N. caspius mainly fed on molluscs (Food preference, FP=100%), worms (FP=89%) and crustaceans (FP=74%), hence, this species is considered as euryphagus species

Effect of age on reproductive performance in female Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspious, Kessler 1877)

Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius) is one of the economically valuable species in the Caspian Sea.Artificial propagation and production of larvae are the main problems in the early culture of this species.The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of reproductive performance of female broods on opposition reproduction efficiency in Caspian brown trout in the breeding season of 2009. Three groups of female broods (4, 5 and 6 years old) were fertilized with 9 male fish individually. The results showed that,6 year old females have maximum body weight (2150.0 ± 86.6 g), total length (59±2 cm), eggs weight (255.0 ± 30.51 g), egg size (5.37 ± 0.058 mm) and absolute fecundity rate (3060 ± 366.15), while highest average number of ovules in each gram of body weight (16.33 ± 0.58) and relative fecundity (2.08 ± 0.12) belonged to 4 years old females. There were significant differences in mean fertilization rate and survival rate until absorption of yolk sack stage (p<0.05) among the treatments studied. The present study showed that the eggs produced from fertilization of 6 year old female eggs and male mixed milt showed maximum average fertilization percentage (97.5 %), survival rate until eyed stage (92%), hatching percentage (93%), and survival rate until absorption of yolk sack (94.5%)

SMOTEC: An Edge Computing Testbed for Adaptive Smart Mobility Experimentation

Smart mobility becomes paramount for meeting net-zero targets. However, autonomous, self-driving and electric vehicles require more than ever before an efficient, resilient and trustworthy computational offloading backbone that expands throughout the edge-to-cloud continuum. Utilizing on-demand heterogeneous computational resources for smart mobility is challenging and often cost-ineffective. This paper introduces SMOTEC, a novel open-source testbed for adaptive smart mobility experimentation with edge computing. SMOTEC provides for the first time a modular end-to-end instrumentation for prototyping and optimizing placement of intelligence services on edge devices such as augmented reality and real-time traffic monitoring. SMOTEC supports a plug-and-play Docker container integration of the SUMO simulator for urban mobility, Raspberry Pi edge devices communicating via ZeroMQ and EPOS for an AI-based decentralized load balancing across edge-to-cloud. All components are orchestrated by the K3s lightweight Kubernetes. A proof-of-concept of self-optimized service placements for traffic monitoring from Munich demonstrates in practice the applicability and cost-effectiveness of SMOTEC

Reproductive characteristics of Neogobius caspius from the southwest coasts of the Caspian Sea, Guilan Province of Iran

Neogobius caspius is an endemic fish species in the Caspian Sea belonging to the family Gobiidae that ecologically play important role as a predator fish in the food chain .The main objective of this research was determination of some reproductive properties of N. caspius in the southwest coasts of the Caspian Sea. Sampling was carried out with a bottom trawler in three stations (Astara, Anzali and Chabuksar) from October 2004 until September 2005. The species was identified based on meristic parameters. The maximum gonadosomatic index (GSI) was recorded at 7.52% for male and 100.12% for female fish in June. A sharp decrease in GSI value from June to the end of September in both sexes was observed and we found that the spawning of the species takes place several times each year. Hence, the species is considered a late spawner. Female to male sex ratio was 1.47:1. Absolute fecundity was in the range 212-1234 eggs and the relative fecundity fluctuated between 18.73 and 29.89 eggs per each gram of the body weight. The correlation between absolute and relative fecundity with age was positive and with total length and full weight was negative. Egg diameter was in the range 0.06 to 0.23mm. The correlation between egg diameter, age and total length was positive