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The optimal implementation of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Iranian EFL higher education faces some challenges despite its incremental growth. It is, therefore, necessary to investigate the current challenges affecting university professors' and students' adoption of CALL in Iranian EFL contexts. For this purpose, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three purposeful sampling groups of participants, both before and after the temporary shutdown of the educational sector due to COVID-19 spread. Therefore, 33 interviewees—university EFL professors, students, and Information Technology Support Engineers (IT-SE)— took part in an interview which took approximately 90 minutes for each, conducted in person or over WhatsApp and Skype platforms. All the interviews were audio recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis by the first researcher and an assistant researcher. The obtained results highlighted nine major categories of themes that indicated the obstacles and challenges of optimal CALL implementation. These challenges are related to 1) technological dimension, 2) teacher dimension 3) student dimension, 4) software and hardware dimension, 5) sanctions and filtering dimension, 6) curriculum dimension, 7) the nature of e-learning dimension, 8) socioeconomic and cultural dimension, and 9) university administrators' dimension.  It was the sanctions and filtering dimension, the nature of e-learning dimension, and the socioeconomic dimension that were exclusive to this study. Each of these major themes includes a set of minor themes. The results can contribute to educational planners, curriculum and material developers, and teachers to develop education programs for optimal CALL implementation in Iranian EFL higher education by removing the challenges.
 

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Ayat al-ahkam of prayer are verses in which divine commands about prayer are in the form of prescriptive discourse; But the point that is raised about such verses is that despite the rule of prescriptive discourse on them, in many of these verses, the actor is one of the components of inductive discourse (encouragement, threat, etc.) has also used; For this reason, in this research, it is the question of what function the inductive discourses have in these verses, and despite them, what kind of discourse structure does this category of commandment verses have? In this research, which was carried out with the analytical and applied method and based on the semiotic-semantics approach of Garmes, an attempt has been made to examine the 17 verses of the Qur'an, which are known as the commandments of prayer, from the point of view of prescriptive and inductive discourse, in order to determine how their discourse structure is. And the function of inductive discourses should also be clarified in these verses; The findings of this research show that the inductive discourses used in addition to the prescriptive discourse are anti-discourses that have provided semantic support to the performance of the prescriptive action by the actors in two ways, and their presence has created a unified system of prescription and induction in these verses. Is.

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The Quranic word "raht" is associated with two semantic domains: kinship and community, and it encompasses various meanings. The present study seeks to address the issue of why the word "raht" has multiple meanings and what its primary meaning is. Commentators and linguists have not provided any answer to this issue. These meanings are believed to have originated from potential twin roots in the Afroasiatic language family and the reasons behind the polysemy of this word by examining the processes of semantic construction of the word, along with its usages in Arab culture. This will be achieved by utilizing historical sources and then analyzing the word in the context of relevant Quranic verses, using a descriptive-analytical method. In the end, it has been established that the origins of this word can be traced back to two possible root meanings in ancient languages, one related to "combining" and "hand" and the other associated with "digging." These meanings have evolved over time and have shaped the various interpretations of the word. The association of common concepts of "group" and "collective" in classical Arabic and genealogy texts is derived from the concurrent meanings of "combination" and "symbol of the hand" in one branch of the word's historical roots and Considering the historical and cultural context of this word and its usage in the context of Quranic verses, it becomes clear that "Raht" is the smallest group within a tribe, often associated with unity and cooperation in facing or dealing with turmoil and challenges.

 

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Point of view, as the most important aspect of the narrative structure, is the window through which the reader sees the different scenes of the story and the behavior of the characters. The author or the narrator, according to his purpose and skill, uses different methods of point of view in the narration. The present article deals with the descriptive-analytical method of studying the point of view in the tale "Fisherman and Monster" and its related narrative circles in the story collection "One Thousand and One Nights". In this way, the model of Jacques Fontaine, a contemporary semiotician, has been used. He considers the types of applied point of view in the discourse as "universal, cumulative or serial, selective, particularizing, parallel and conflicting ". Based on this, the research answers the question of which cognitive angles did the narrator use in the story of the fisherman and the monster and how? The findings of the research show that with every point of view and rotation, the author creates new form and new meaning in the story in order to have a greater impact on the structure and reach the meaning and purpose. He has used different types of
cognitive points of view based on purposefulness, but the "universal" one, due to the omniscient nature of the narrator and the use of description technique, has the highest frequency in the above-mentioned story and its narrative circles.

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In this study, Virtual Reality (VR) was employed in an English course intended to promote oral presentation skills in Iranian academia, and the possible impact of the course on learners’ self-efficacy regarding presenting, Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), and speaking skills was investigated. Eight participants attended a 6-session course, and practiced academic oral presentation in a virtually simulated environment. Prior to the course, semi-structured interviews were administered; in addition, participants’ weekly reflection notes and self-assessments were gathered throughout the course. Moreover, post-course semi-structured interviews and written follow-up interviews were conducted afterward. The findings revealed that the learners reported higher levels of self-efficacy regarding presenting after the course, due to a perceived improvement in their presenting style, as well as their presentation content and slides. Additionally, the course had contributed to lowering the learners’ FLA due to presence in the Immersive Learning Environment (ILE), ample practice opportunities, and collaborative avatar interactions. Moreover, the learners mentioned that the course had helped them to improve their speaking skills due to academic vocabulary expansion, pronunciation enhancement, fluency upgrade, and grammatical adjustment. The findings can provide insights for language educators with regard to the use of virtual reality for simultaneously fostering language and academic skills, as well as facilitating internationalization in higher education.

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This research is aimed to capture EFL teachers’ use of technology in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) by focusing on the variety and intensity of tasks in teaching reading. Driven by the survey research, the data were collected from 71 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia and analyzed descriptively. The findings show that the EFL teachers perceived that the use of technology in TBLT in teaching reading is important and it can enhance students' language learning experiences. Technology offers engaging materials and activities that aid reading comprehension. Furthermore, EFL teachers' use of various  tasks and resources may indicate a need for continuing professional development to improve digital literacy skills and pedagogical strategies of English teachers in EFL context. Although the findings of this survey give an insight into the data of English teachers’ use of technology in TBLT in terms of variety and intensity in teaching reading, this survey has its limitations with regard to the numbers of participants. This research highlights the dynamic relationship among technology, TBLT, and reading instruction in the EFL context, and suggests the need for continued research and exploration of best practices in this area. The current study succeeded in adding new empirical studies related to the variety and intensity in pre-reading, whilst-reading and post-reading activities of EFL teachers enacting teaching reading with the use of TBLT. 

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Climate change is one of the challenges of today to affect the agriculture sector. Climate change in Iran in recent years has caused a decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperature and continuous droughts. Agricultural production in Iran has been affected by climate change and has faced a decrease in the production of various products. The purpose of this research was to identify social, economic and environmental consequences of climate change in Iran's agricultural sector and designing a model of Planned Management Behavior (PMB). A mixed qualitative and quantitative method was used in this research. The study sample of this research in the qualitative phase included 15 key experts who have knowledge of the consequences of climate change and in the quantitative section, there were 100 experts of the agricultural Jihad of Khuzestan province. Based on the qualitative results, the consequences of climate change were identified. In the quantitative phase, it was determined that 69.3% of attitude towards the consequences of climate changes are explained by the independent variables of concerns about social, economic and environmental consequences, feeling the need for risk management, and perceived value. Also, 71.2% of changes in planned management intention to control the consequences of climate changes are affected by the attitude towards the consequences, tendency to control behavior, personal and mental norms. Finally, 69.8% of changes in PMB for control the consequences of climate changes are caused by the use of planned management intention to control the consequences, action planning and coping planning.

 

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Concrete slabs subjected to near-field explosion loading often fail in a brittle manner. Common failure types include spalling and scabbing. Brittle failure leads to an inflexible and brittle structural response, producing small and large fragments that can be extremely dangerous due to their high velocities. Therefore, designing concrete slabs for explosive loading requires methods that either prevent or mitigate brittle failures or transform them into ductile failures. This study validates numerical models using LS-DYNA finite element software and compares them with reputable research. Simulations of concrete slabs were conducted using conventional methods, reinforced concrete slabs with steel plates, reinforced concrete slabs with wire mesh, and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) slabs. The analysis of five slab types under similar explosion loading reveals that UHPC slabs exhibit less deflection and damage compared to other types, while conventional concrete slabs experience greater deflection and damage. The optimal reduction in damage for reinforced concrete slabs occurs when a steel plate measuring 2 by 4.2 meters and 0.5 centimeters thick is applied to the backside. Additionally, using wire mesh dimensions 25% larger than the initial slab damage yields the best performance. A comparative analysis of explosion-induced damage across different slab types indicates that reinforced concrete slabs with a 0.5-centimeter thick steel plate exhibit the largest damage area (8m²); whereas UHPC slabs show no damage, resulting in the smallest damage area. Further investigations into the dynamic response of these slabs demonstrate that advanced materials and reinforcement techniques significantly enhance their resilience against explosive forces. This study emphasizes the importance of innovative design strategies in civil engineering, highlighting that the adoption of UHPC slab minimizes structural damage and improves safety in high-risk environments. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating modern materials and methodologies in protective structure design, ensuring better performance and longevity under extreme loading conditions. A comparative analysis of various methods for strengthening concrete slabs using identical materials shows that UHPC slabs outperform others in reducing deflection and failure. This illustrates their exceptional ability to withstand explosive dynamic loads. However, the primary limitation of UHPC slabs is their high cost and complexity of implementation. Reinforcement with steel sheets has proven more effective than wire mesh in minimizing deflection. In models reinforced with 0.5 cm steel sheets, deflection was reduced by 50% compared to conventional concrete slabs. The slabs reinforced with wire mesh demonstrated a significant decrease in failure rates compared to conventional slabs, with reductions ranging from 75% to 80% across various reinforcement methods using the same materials. Conversely, some models reinforced with steel sheets exhibited increased failure rates. The findings indicate that, in most cases, slabs with greater flexibility, such as those reinforced with wire mesh, sustained less damage. This can be attributed to the enhanced flexibility and ductility of wire mesh-reinforced slabs compared to those reinforced with steel sheets.
Concrete slabs subjected to near-field explosion loading often fail in a brittle manner. Common failure types include spalling and scabbing. Brittle failure leads to an inflexible and brittle structural response, producing small and large fragments that can be extremely dangerous due to their high velocities. Therefore, designing concrete slabs for explosive loading requires methods that either prevent or mitigate brittle failures or transform them into ductile failures. This study validates numerical models using LS-DYNA finite element software and compares them with reputable research. Simulations of concrete slabs were conducted using conventional methods, reinforced concrete slabs with steel plates, reinforced concrete slabs with wire mesh, and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) slabs. The analysis of five slab types under similar explosion loading reveals that UHPC slabs exhibit less deflection and damage compared to other types, while conventional concrete slabs experience greater deflection and damage. The optimal reduction in damage for reinforced concrete slabs occurs when a steel plate measuring 2 by 4.2 meters and 0.5 centimeters thick is applied to the backside. Additionally, using wire mesh dimensions 25% larger than the initial slab damage yields the best performance. A comparative analysis of explosion-induced damage across different slab types indicates that reinforced concrete slabs with a 0.5-centimeter thick steel plate exhibit the largest damage area (8m²); whereas UHPC slabs show no damage, resulting in the smallest damage area. Further investigations into the dynamic response of these slabs demonstrate that advanced materials and reinforcement techniques significantly enhance their resilience against explosive forces. This study emphasizes the importance of innovative design strategies in civil engineering, highlighting that the adoption of UHPC slab minimizes structural damage and improves safety in high-risk environments. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating modern materials and methodologies in protective structure design, ensuring better performance and longevity under extreme loading conditions. A comparative analysis of various methods for strengthening concrete slabs using identical materials shows that UHPC slabs outperform others in reducing deflection and failure. This illustrates their exceptional ability to withstand explosive dynamic loads. However, the primary limitation of UHPC slabs is their high cost and complexity of implementation. Reinforcement with steel sheets has proven more effective than wire mesh in minimizing deflection. In models reinforced with 0.5 cm steel sheets, deflection was reduced by 50% compared to conventional concrete slabs. The slabs reinforced with wire mesh demonstrated a significant decrease in failure rates compared to conventional slabs, with reductions ranging from 75% to 80% across various reinforcement methods using the same materials. Conversely, some models reinforced with steel sheets exhibited increased failure rates. The findings indicate that, in most cases, slabs with greater flexibility, such as those reinforced with wire mesh, sustained less damage. This can be attributed to the enhanced flexibility and ductility of wire mesh-reinforced slabs compared to those reinforced with steel sheets.

 

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Aim and Introduction
Over the past few decades, the housing market has experienced recurrent boom-and-bust cycles and considerable price volatility. A significant portion of this volatility can be attributed to speculative activities. Speculators often purchase properties with the expectation of future price increases, which contributes to the formation of housing price bubble. These bubbles not only destabilize the economy but also lead to serious social consequences. As such, policymakers have consistently focused on identifying the determinants of speculative behavior and housing market bubbles. One of the government’s regulatory instruments in this domain is the transfer tax, intended to influence trader behavior and mitigate housing price bubbles. This study investigates the effect of transfer tax policies on the housing price bubble in Shiraz city.
Methodology
This research employs an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to simulate the dynamic processes of the housing market and analyze the contributing factors to price bubble formation. The model incorporates four key agents active in the housing market: sellers, buyers (including both personal-consumption and speculative buyers), developers, and real estate agencies. Data and statistics up to the beginning of 1401 (2022) were incorporated into the model to forecast housing prices in Shiraz through 1409 (2030).
Three scenarios were tested by varying the proportion of speculative buyers—30%, 50%, and 70%—and applying different transfer tax rates of 1% and 5%. The simulation explores how these variables influence the magnitude and growth of the housing price bubble under different market conditions.
Results and Discussion
The findings reveal that, regardless of the proportion of speculative buyers, the implementation of transfer taxes can reduce the housing price bubble in Shiraz. However, the extent of this effect varies with market conditions. These results align with prior studies, such as Chen (2017) and Izadkhasthi et al. (2018), which found that transfer taxes can mitigate housing price volatility.
Proponents of transfer taxes argue that speculative activities drive housing price bubbles and that such taxes increase transaction costs, thereby reducing speculative trading and contributing to market stability. For instance, with a 70% speculative buyer share and a 5% tax rate, the housing price bubble decreased by approximately 25% between 1401 and 1409. In contrast, a 1% tax rate under the same market conditions led to a 22% reduction in the bubble. However, when only 30% of buyers were speculative, the tax had a comparatively more minor effect, indicating that the efficacy of the tax diminishes when fewer speculators are present.
Conclusion
The results suggest that increasing the transfer tax rate does not necessarily reduce the housing price bubble. In scenarios with 30%, 40%, and 50% speculative buyer presence, higher average tax rates did not result in a significant reduction in the housing bubble and, in some cases, slightly intensified it. This supports earlier warnings in financial economics literature—such as those by Schwert and Seguin (1993) – that excessive transaction taxes may deter informed traders, who play a vital role in maintaining market efficiency and price stability. Similarly, Friedman (1953) emphasized the stabilizing role of rational traders in financial markets.
According to the simulation results, Article 59 of Iran’s Direct Taxes Law, which stipulates a 5% transfer tax, may help reduce housing bubbles in Shiraz and potentially nationwide. However, the optimal tax rate should be adaptive and context-specific, considering the varying proportions of speculative and non-speculative market participants. Therefore, the government is advised to collect comprehensive data on the structure of the housing market, assess the share of speculative transactions, and adjust tax rates accordingly.
Moreover, since the transfer tax only applies to documented transactions, many informal or contract-based transactions—particularly those occurring prior to property completion—escape taxation. In such cases, builders may sell properties through promissory notes or undocumented agreements, which are difficult to track and tax. As a result, it is recommended that the government strengthen monitoring mechanisms for such transactions. This includes identifying and intercepting units exchanged informally or without official documentation to ensure both effective taxation and bubble control.

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Spilomena bobyjosei Girish Kumar & Amal sp. nov., a new species of aphid wasp in the genus Spilomena Shuckard, 1838, is described from the Southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India. This genus is rarely collected from the Indian subcontinent, and most species are described from a single specimen. The genus can be distinguished from closely related genera in having occipital carina absent, hind wing media not diverging before Cu-a, fore wing with marginal cell elongate (longer than stigma), one recurrent vein and two discoidal cells present, stigma large and pronotal collar with complete transverse carina. To date, ten species have been described from India. This paper adds an eleventh species. The differential diagnosis with its nearest species is provided. Additionally, a key to the Indian species of Spilomena is provided.

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This study reports nine species of Nomiinae bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) for the first time from Kerala, India: Austronomia capitata (Smith, 1875), A. goniognatha (Cockerell, 1919), A. ustula (Cockerell, 1911), Gnathonomia argenteobalteata (Cameron, 1902), Hoplonomia incerta (Gribodo, 1894), Lipotriches torrida (Smith, 1879), L. exagens (Walker, 1860), Lipotriches minutula (Friese, 1909), and L. pulchriventris (Cameron, 1897). Lipotriches torrida, a rarely collected species, is documented outside its type locality for the first time. Another uncommon species, G. argenteobalteata, last recorded in 1902 from an unspecified location in India, has been rediscovered in the present study. A comprehensive checklist of 42 Nomiinae species from Kerala is provided, incorporating new distributional records and floral associations based on original records and literature review. Brief diagnoses for all collected species are also presented.

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Organizational citizenship behavior, as an optional and intelligent behavior of the personnel, has a significant impression on the individual and organizational conducts and make the personnel to do their duties much better than expected and assigned by their job description. Meanwhile, self-efficacy of the personnel, relaying on their ability and talent, has a determining role in encouraging and developing organizational citizenship behavior. This article aimed to study the correlation of the self-efficacy of the personnel with conducting organizational citizenship behavior and also the correlation of the personnel’s self-efficacy with the aspects of organizational citizenship behavior among the personnel of the Cultural Management Department of the Ministry of Science, Research & Technology (Tehran, Iran). The required data were collected through official census of all the employees of the Cultural Management Department of that Ministry using two different questionnaires; Podsakoff et al’s questionnaire, was used to assess organizational citizenship behavior, and the researcher made questionnaire, programmed based on Bendora’s study on social-cognitive theory, was applied to assess the organizational self-efficacy. The research is a survey study and the data were analyzed using correlation coefficient calculation and its significance test (T-sample test). The results showed a direct relationship between the personnel’s self - efficacy and the outbreak of citizenship behavior. There was also a direct interrelation between the personal’s self-efficacy and every aspect of the citizenship behavior.

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Oil resistant o-rings on the basis of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) reinforced by nanoclay were produced via a traditional industrial method in accordance with aviation standard, AMS 7272. The production of nanocomposites comprised the compounding of nanocomposite with optimum mechanical properties and minimum contents of used carbon black and nanoclay, design and manufacturing of the required mold and finally compression molding of the oring. Mechanical and morphological properties of NBR/nanoclay compounds were optimized by introduction of proper contents of a compatibilizer containing a mixture of resorcinol and hexamethylene tetramine through using a master batch production method. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, curing measurements and tensile test analysis. The XRD analysis showed that the compatibilizer facilitates the intercalation of nanoclay silicate layers with the rubber chains which leads to the increase of their basal spacing. The cure characteristics of the nanocomposites showed a decrease of scorch time and increase the cure rate index with the nanoclay loadings. Furthermore, the minimum scorch time and maximum cure rate index could be achieved through using the appropriate content of compatibilizer. The results exhibit that the nanocomposites containing the compatibilizer have higher mechanical properties especially at higher deformations compared to the corresponding uncompatibilized nanocomposites

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The overarching goal of this research is to use polymeric composites enriched with diatomic soil to improve petroleum-contaminated clayey soil. The effect of petroleum on the geotechnical properties of clayey soil was investigated in the laboratory in the first stage using uniaxial, direct shear, and permeability tests. The polymeric composite material was then created and mixed with the diatomic soil. The geotechnical properties of petroleum-contaminated clayey soil were studied using a polymeric composite material mixed with diatomic soil (PCD). Petroleum reduced the shear resistance, internal friction angle, and uniaxial resistance of the clay for contamination percentages ranging from 0% to 12%. Whereas 12 percent petroleum content causes the greatest changes in soil mechanical resistance. According to the results of the direct shear test, adding 5.5 percent PCD increases the shear resistance of the base material and contaminated base material to average values of 32 and 48 percent, respectively. Furthermore, the results of the petroleum permeability test show that adding 5.5 percent PCD reduces soil permeability. The results show that the improved clay by PCD can be used as a liner for the base of petroleum reservoirs.

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From 2009 to 2012, 16 species of Curculionidae (Coleoptera) from the subfamily Lixinae were collected on 17 species of food plants in Iranian rangelands. Identified species belong to seven genera in the tribes Lixini and Cleonini. The host plants from which they were collected were in the families Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Campanulaceae, Brassicaceae and Zygophyllaceae. Of the 16 species that we captured, two (Lixus subfarinosus Desbrochers, 1893 and Larinus remissus Faust, 1889) represent the first records from Iran. These new data also extend the known ranges of several species (Larinus fucatus Faust, 1894, Larinus grisescens Gyllenhal, 1835, Microlarinus rhinocylloides Hochhuth, 1847 and Bangasternus planifrons (Brulle, 1832) in Iran. The distribution of beetles and their associated host plants are presented and ecological notes on each species are provided.

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Feminism and feministic critique of works of literature are the new topics in literature in the last century that has been highly regarded by writers and literary scholars. In contemporary Persian and Arabic literature, especially after the second half of the twentieth century, the growth of feminist approach to literature and poetry and prosing works of women-centered has been remarkable. Nawal El Saadawi and Shahrnoush Parsipour were feminist writers that protest a patriarchal system of social customs in their novels and look at the world with women mentality. Thus, due to the influence of feminist thinking and the current situation of women in novels of Saadawi and Parsipour, with an emphasis on descriptive - analytical and comparative approach, this article attempts to analyze the novels of "Diary of a doctor" and "The Dog and the Long Winter" based on feminist criticism. The findings suggest that the authors pay particular attention to factors such as protest against a patriarchal society, expression of oppression against women and women's identity an also have been trying to figure out individuality. In the field of differences, gender apartheid and hatred love and emotions of women in society are among feminist clear differences between the novels.

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The views of the great poets on the essence of poetry and its constituent elements, expressed implicitly within the lines of their poetry, offer invaluable points that are often missed by literary critics. These critical views, which are sometimes expressed in a pseudo-philosophical statements, and are often wrapped in artistic expressions, are based in their actual experiences.  These views are usually expressed in brief, or wrapped in imagery, or even in an elegant indirect language, which may be extracted and, through analysis, may lead to our deeper understanding and invaluable views on poetry. These conclusions, we realize, are sometimes confirmed by the bulk of criticism. It is worth noticing that such conclusions were already preceded by great poets who were apparently the best critics themselves. The classification and the analysis of these poets’ views on poetry are considerable, and can constitute a new branch of study in the field of history of literary criticism in Persian Literature, and subsequently change the traditional system of evaluation of poetic styles.