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Ants consume or store the honeydew which is secreted by aphids or other homopteran insects. Major benefit of ant attendance for aphids is protection against natural enemies. A study was carried out during 2009-2010, to determine the mutualistic association between ants and aphids on different host plants in some parts of Khuzestan and Esfahan provinces. A total of 20 ant species belonging to 12 genera and 3 subfamilies were collected and identified. Among them, four species are new to Iranian ant fauna as follows: Monomorium libanicum Tohme; Monomorium qarahe Collingwood & Agosti; Monomorium mayri Forel and Lasius paralienus Seifert. The collected myrmecophilous aphids were 33 species belonging to 3 families and 5 subfamilies. Details and mechanisms of such associations between ants and aphids are unknown to us. More detailed investigations are needed in each case to adequately understand them.

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The effect of forest roads on the extent and type of fire damage occurred in forests and rangelands of the Neka County in Mazandaran province was investigated. For this purpose, all fire spots, stand number, percentage and type of injury and damage to tree species, and average diameter at breast height (DBH) were noted with 100% inventory; area and geographic location of access roads were determined using GPS. The results showed that distance from the main access road had a significant correlation with the area of ​​fire spots, but no significant correlation existed between the distance from the strip roads, skid ways, town of Neka and the area of ​​fire spots. The factors influencing fire severity were analyzed using the stepwise regression model. Model also showed that just the distance from the main access road affected the area of ​​fire spots. For every one meter increase in the distance from the main access roads, the area of fire spot was increased by 1.545 m². Further, the extent of fire can be controlled by reducing the distance from the main access roads.

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Pistachio endocarp lesion (PEL) is one of the most important disorders that has spread in the pistachio-growing regions of Rafsanjan and Anar in recent years and has caused great economic losses to farmers. In order to identify PEL symptoms, and investigate the biologic factors involved in the development of this disorder, on May 2016, 90 orchards with different levels of PEL, were randomly selected. The rate of development in each tree was scored in- to four levels. The incidence of this disorder was estimated to be 25.8% in Rafsanjan. The seeds with PEL symptoms were differentiated into six types based on the appearance of the symptoms. Then tissue from infected parts of each type were cultured in the PDA. From among the 18 prepared culture media, fungal growth was obtained only in five cultured plates. Isolated fungi were Ulocladium sp. Penicillium sp., Verticillium sp. and Fusarium sp. To prove their pathogenicity, the spore spray technique was used on detached cluster in vitro. None of the purified fungi caused symptoms similar to the symptoms of PEL. Isolated strains from the pistachio seeds with PEL symptom often were saprophytic and soil borne; they were abundant in the orchard and could be transferred to the shoots of trees under the influence of various factors, such as: tillage, soil splashing by rain drops, and wind. In this study, the role of these fungal agents on the development of PEL was rejected.

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Because of the importance of osmoregulation in success of the juvenile Caspian Roach (Rutilus caspicus) release, maintenance and their restoration, this study was performed with the aim of the evaluation of these fish (average weight of 1.4 g± 0.018 g) to the salinity tolerance of the Caspian Sea by abrupt and gradual transfer methods on two different occasions of short-term (24 hours) and long-term (21 days). For this reason, 360 juvenile roaches were distributed to 9 different experimental treatments (each of them with 3 replicates) with 1) increased abrupt salinity (direct transfer to the Caspian Sea water), 2) increased gradual salinity (3 ppt for every 24 hrs) and 3) the Control group (freshwater). In order to evaluate the ion regulation, osmolality, Na⁺, K⁺ and Cl^- were measured in fish. Some immune responses related to the increased salinity (immunoglobulin and lysozyme) and stress indices (cortisol and glucose) were also measured. Based on the obtained results, the fish in both treatments of increased salinity showed high percentage of survival. All parameters related to ion regulation were decreased after a primary increase. Furthermore, the trend of cortisol and immunoglobulin changes were negatively correlated showing decreased stress response and increased immune system for both salinity transfer methods. Thus, the roach juveniles (1-2 g) are able to be transferred into the Caspian Sea directly.

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Aims: This study aims to economic valuation and assess multiple threats to water and soil resources of the Karkheh National Park and Karkheh Protected Area, southwest of Iran.
Methods: Modeling water budget, runoff, soil erosion, and water pollution potential, was performed using the WaterWorld Policy Support System (WWPSS), process-based hydrological model that utilizes remotely sensed and globally available. Eeconomics value has been calculated using the Substitute Cost Method, for 2021.
Findings: The result showed that the southern area of the Karkheh River basin experienced the minimum precipitation, which has led to a decrease in vegetation and an increase in runoff generation in the southern areas. The total runoff generated in the river basin is based on the upstream-downstream relationships from the north to the south was estimated at 81000648 m³.yr^-1. The soil erosion rate spiked in the southern area with the vegetation decline and the intensification of runoff could be result in water pollution. Economic valuation represents the real value of water generation in the whole Karkheh National Park and Protected Area was US$ 0.104 million, estimated US$ 6.63 per hectare. In addition, the soil conservation economic value in the entire Karkheh National Park and Protected Area was US$ 9.3 million and US$ 912.2, per hectare.
Conclusion: This information provides valuable awareness into the economic value of natural resources and can help environmental assessors activities related to conservation planning. It assists as a useful tool for emphasizing the economic implications of ecosystem degradation and can help for sustainable management.
 

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In this study, the effect of number of stages on Tesla microvalve performance has been studied. To do this, different layouts including one to four-stage microvalves are investigated numerically. The main criterion is used for evaluation of valves performance is diodicity. Two-dimensional and steady state computations of the fluid flow have been utilized that reveal a strong dependence of diodicity on Reynolds number and the pressure drop. The results showed that for the same flow condition, the diodicity average of the two-stage microvalve is approximately 1.32 times of that of one-stage. Additional stages increase the complexity and they do not change the diodicity considerably. It is concluded that two-stage layout of Tesla type valve is the best option between the studied layouts. A two-stage layout of this valve in valveless micropump besides being compact, has the adaptability of the various functions. Also, the two-stage valve performance in three different sizes is compared with nozzle - diffuser type valve. Comparisons which are performed based on calculation of diodicity for applicable range of Reynolds numbers show that the diodicity is function of Reynolds number and is independent of the valve size. Also, the superiority of the Tesla type valve for higher Reynolds number and its weakness at lower Reynolds number are shown.

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Objective: Allogeneic transplantation with umbilical cord blood (UCB) in adult recipients is limited mainly by a low CD34+ cell dose. To overcome this shortcoming, human placenta as a novel source of human mesenchymal progenitor cell (MPC)- unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSC)- was incorporated in an attempt to expand CD34+ cells from UCB. To provide a similar environment in vitro, we coated DBM scaffold with USSC cells as the matrix for support UCB-CD34+ cells growth. Materials and Methods: Human placenta USSC was isolated and characterized by morphologic and immunophenotypical analysis. UCB CD34+ cells were expanded by coculture with placental USSC in 2D and 3D environment. Suitable aliquots of cells were used to monitor cell production, clonogenic activity, and long-term culture-initiating culture (LTC-IC) output. Results: Ex vivo expansion of UCB hematopoietic cells, when cultured in different 2D conditions and 3D condition for 3 weeks, was significantly enhanced, the total cell count increased within the 28-day period. For total CFC, the highest CFC expansion was observed at day 14. Flow cytometry analysis of the percentage of CD34+ cells showed a decline in USSC cocultures in 2D and 3D condition at 3 weeks. Conclusion: These results strongly suggest that human USSC may be a suitable feeder layer for expansion of hematopoietic progenitors from UCB in vitro and USSC- coated DBM can therefore provide an ex vivo mimicry of bone marrow by enhancing of surface/ volume ratio and feeder layers,recapitulate the desired niche, and provide a suitable environment for stem cell expansion and differentiation.

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Ductile iron pipes are widely used in modern drinking water and wastewater networks. They often produce by horizontal centrifugal casting process. In this reasearch, the finite element base package ANSYS software has been used for thermal simulation of horizontal centrifugal casting process of ductile iron pipes.The simulation includes obtaining temperature distribution of mold and cast during different temperature cycles. In the simulation, latent heat due to solidification, temperature-dependent thermo-physical properties of material, heat transfer coefficient in metal-mold interface due to mold coating and air gap and thermal boundary conditions proportional to practical conditions, are considered. In this paper, pouring process to get transient thermal distribution in main body of mold and cast are also simulated. The results of the thermal simulation show good agreement with the experimental results conducted in this study and literature. The results can be used as input data for the numerical model to estimate thermal fatigue life of a permanent mold. The results of simulation have shown that, the thermal resistance of the air gap and mold coating has a significant effect on the temperature distribution in the pipe and the mold. Pouring process causes temperature gradients in the axial direction in the mold and the cast.

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This study was conducted to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices) symbiosis on mineral uptake of two pistachio cultivars (Pistacia vera cv. Qazvini and Pistacia vera cv. Badami-Riz-Zarand) grown in the greenhouse under different drought stress levels. Drought stress (DS) reduced the mycorrhizal colonization in both cultivars as well as nutrient uptake. The mycorrhizal plants had higher P, K, Zn and Mn concentrations than non-mycorrhizal plants regardless of soil moisture conditions while Cu and Fe concentrations were unchanged. Distribution of elements was affected by AMF treatments where all except P were accumulated more in leaves than in roots. Contrastingly, under drought conditions, the absorbed elements tended to remain in root tissue. In the case of P and Mn uptake, Qazvini was superior in comparison with Badami. In conclusion, it is suggested that AMF inoculation improves drought tolerance of pistachio cultivars at least in part through the enhanced uptake of slowly diffusing mineral ions such as PO4^2- and Zn²⁺. Moreover, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization provides better osmotic adjustment which can be correlated with K⁺ accumulation in top portions of inoculated plants. Results of this study also emphasized that ‘Qazvini’ cultivar may be more tolerant to drought than ‘Badami’.

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Neurological diseases such as cancer, damage blood brain barrier and consequently cause more permeability in tissues. In general if there is damage to the brain tissues, the contrast agent used in MRI, diffuses outside the capillaries and the MRI picture brightness changes. The purpose of this paper is to show the effects of different parameters on the contrast agent diffusion in the brain capillary. In this study, the lattice Boltzmann method with multi-relaxation time (MRT) is used to simulate the flow in the capillary and porous media around it. The results show that the porosity in extravascular tissues (it shows the tissue damage), the kind of contrast agent and capillaries curvature have impact on the contrast agent diffusion in the tissues. The presented results show the effects of curvature on shear stress and thus on mass transfer in the capillary. It should be noted that the presented results have been evaluated by previous statistical and analytical results for flow in the damaged brain capillary with different permeability. It has been shown that the lattice Boltzmann method is able to simulate the complex problems especially in porous media.

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The response of plants to drought stress depends on several factors including the plant developmental stage and the length and severity of the stress applied. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important pulse crop that is cultivated worldwide for human consumption. Understanding of the mechanisms responsible for its response to drought is, therefore, essential. An increasing number of reports show that withdrawal of water from plants growing in the controlled conditions is accompanied by changes in the expression of a number of genes. To our knowledge, regulation of gene expression in flower buds of P. vulgaris under stress conditions has not been reported. Our aim was to identify transcription sensitivity of CA7 and NCED genes under water deficit stress at vegetative and reproductive stages of different bean genotypes. Two experiments were carried out. Within each experiment, the groups of drought-stressed plants were subjected to water withholding, while the control plants were watered every other day. Stressed plants were re-irrigated when RWC reached 66±2 percent. Our study showed that CA7 and NCDE were genes differentially expressed in the studied genotypes under drought stress. The expression of these genes was strongly induced in response to drought stress in flower buds of the cultivar Jules and the line KS-21191. It seems that under stress conditions, these genes express more in the tolerant than the susceptible genotypes. Therefore, these two genes could probably be used to obtain plants relatively tolerant to water deficit stress, especially in the reproductive stage of plant growth.

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In this research an inverse design algorithm, called ball-spine algorithm (BSA) is developed on a 90-degree bend duct between the radial and axial diffuser of a centrifugal compressor with viscous swirling inflow to bend duct. The shape modification process integrates inverse design algorithm and a quasi-3D analysis code. For this purpose, Ansys CFX software, is used as flow solver and inverse design algorithm is written as a code inside it. Shape modification is accomplished for viscous and inviscid flow to check the effect of viscosity on convergence rate. Also, the effect of swirl velocity in shape modification process is investigated, by considering increased pressure as the target parameter. The algorithm reliability for swirling flow is verified by choosing different initial geometries. Finally, aerodynamic design of the bend duct with BSA is accomplished to reduce losses in 90-degree bend. Shape modification process is carried out by improving the current wall pressure distribution and applying it to the inverse design algorithm. Results show that convergence rate and stability of BSA are favorable for designing ducts with swirling viscous flow. So that, the pressure recovery coefficient of the 90-degree bend duct is 4%increased.

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The purpose of this paper is to investigate theLow-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) mass transfer in vessel walls using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). High Schmidt number of LDL leads to numerical instability of LBM.In order to solve this problem, LBM and finite volume method (FVM) are combined.In this hybrid method, the blood velocity field is solved by LBM using the single relaxation time, SRT, model and FVM has been used for LDL concentration equation. LBM is able to simulate flow and mass transfer for the Schmidt number, Sc, up to 3000 only if the time consuming multi relaxation time is used. However, the purposed hybrid method suggested in this article can be used to solve the problem for Sc as high as 107. Good agreement between our results obtained from the hybrid simulation and the available results in the literature and noticeable decrease in CPU time compared with when the LBM is used for both flow and mass transfer, indicates the ability of the hybrid method.Finally, the hybrid methodis used to simulate the mass transfer of LDL particles and investigate the effective factors for increasing the surface concentration, such as the size of LDL particles, wall suction velocity, wall shear stress, Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids behavior and change of concentration boundary layer with various Schmidt number.

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This research investigates notch effect on fatigue life of HSLA100 steel which is widely applicable in the marine industry. Experimental tensile tests and rotating bending fatigue tests were performed on both smooth and notched cylindrical specimens and the corresponding mechanical properties and S-N curves were obtained. To better investigate the notch and also size effect on fatigue life of the specimens, two different notch geometries and specimen dimensions were used. To calculate the fatigue strength factor, stress distribution under bending load is simulated for smooth and notched specimens. Then, the stress distribution under bending load is converted to stress distribution under rotating bending load using an in-house developed code. Finally, using an in-house developed code, the fatigue strength factor of the specimens is calculated by weakest link theory. In order to better investigate the weakest-link theory, in calculating the fatigue strength factor, this factor is calculated from the classical methods and compared with experimental results. Finally, Comparison of theoretical with experimental results shows that the weakest-link theory gives better predictions than other classical methods and the results are closer to experimental ones. Also, Weakest-link theory uses the finite element results to predict notch effect. This facilitates the use of this theory in fatigue design of complicated specimens.

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The variation of wall shear stress (WSS) in the microvessels may damage the endothelial layers. It also changes the mass diffusion and sediment and may be considered as an important factor in the formation of the fatty plaques and causing heart disease. According to the importance of the issue, the aim of this paper is to study the effective parameters on the wall shear stress in microvessels. In this paper, the hybrid method, combined lattice Boltzmann and immersed boundary methods is used to simulate the red blood cell (RBC) motion in the plasma flow. It should be mentioned that red blood cell has significant effect on WSS, in this regard; the present results show that the blood rheological behavior has the important effect on WSS. The results also demonstrate the effect of stenosis severity and RBC location in different regions on wall shear stress and consequently causing heart, coronary disease. It should be noted that the presented results have been evaluated by previous numerical results for microvessels and the results show the ability of lattice Boltzmann method to simulate complex problems especially for modeling the deformable solid objects suspended in the fluid.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of stand-off distance and the explosive ratio parameters on metallurgical and mechanical properties of three-layers explosively bonded copper-aluminum-copper interface. To illustrate effects of these two parameters, samples welded with different stand-off distances and explosive ratios. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, microhardness and tensile-shear strength tests carried out on the samples. The results indicate a suitable joint with proper metallurgical and mechanical properties in copper-aluminum-copper plates. Microscopic images showed the semi unsymmetrical wavy interface with cracks and voids, also by increasing the explosive ratio, locally melted zones was increased at the interfaces. Elemental analysis confirmed the brittle intermetallic compounds at the interface that produce cracks in these areas. Also, the wavelength increased with increasing explosive ratio. Hardness increased near the interfaces due to the severe plastic deformation and increased with increasing the explosive ratio. Tensile-shear test results showed the decrease in bond strength caused by increasing the explosive ratio.

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In this paper, the results obtained from experimental measurements of average and turbulence quantities of a turbulent rectangular impinging jet hitting a fixed wall is reported using the laser doppler anemometry (LDA) method. The nozzle to plate distance is 10 times the nozzle width, and the tests are repeated for three different Reynolds numbers, namely Re=3000, 6000 and 9000. The aim of the current research was to investigate and comparise of flow in different Re and also to determine the two effective experimental errors on average velocities, namely data sampling and residence time in measurement volume. The results reveal that the previous stated correlation for prediction of the number of data required for ensuring independence of the average flow variables on the number of the sampled data is not sufficient by itself, and depending on the turbulence intensity of the flow, this correlation could become ineffective. Further, in the present study, the residence time is used for calculation of average velocities, and the results are compared with those obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV) method. The comparison shows good agreement between the results from LDA and PIV when considering effect of residence time within the avaraging equations in the former method. The results show that the behavior and quantity of the dimensionless average velocities for various Reynolds numbers are identical at most cross sections of the flow domain while the dimensionless turbulent stresses have different quantities at different values of the Reynolds number.

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In this paper heat transfer through argon gas between two stationary walls of a nano sized channel, is investigated by the use of molecular dynamic method. Comparison between two and three-dimensional solutions shows that for accurate modeling of wall force filed on heat transfer, the accuracy of two-dimensional molecular dynamic solution is inadequate. Two-dimensional solution predicts the value for density and temperature less than the value of three-dimensional solution near each wall. Considering the effect of domain size on accuracy of thermal solution shows that domain size should be extended at least for one mean free path in periodic direction to have domain independent results. Distribution of fluid properties in the width of the channel shows that independent of implemented temperature difference, presence of the wall force field changes the temperature and density profile in one nanometer from each wall drastically. In addition to variation in density due to the wall force filed, temperature difference between the walls cause additional variation in density profile near walls. Increasing the temperature difference between the walls to value more than 20 degree, make a notable density variation to more than 5 percent in comparison with gas density distribution in isothermal walls case. Variation in density near walls due to temperature differences leads to mismatch between the non-dimensional temperature profiles and calculated thermal conductivity coefficient of the gas for various temperature differences.