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The purpose of the semiotics of discourse approach is to communicate between semantic layers and differentiating units of the linguistic, social and intertdiscursive conext at the macro level in order to achieve meaning with the help of cognitive tools of text and discourse. This research interprets and explains how to produce, understand and receive meaning in the context of discourse systems in "Wuthering Heights" within the framework of the semiotics of discourse approach. Discourse systems include two categories, either they are based on Speech-Action and Movement-Action (Behavior) which create cognitive discourse systems or they are based on Sense-Action­ which are the generators of emotional discourse systems. In this research, the representation of Speech-Action, Movement-Action (Behavior) and Sense-Action­ and their feedback in the participants within the text and discourse of the novel has been discussed. Discourse analysis in the text and situational context of the novel based on the semiotics of discourse approach of Greimas is rooted in cognitive perspectives, because Speech-Action and Movement-Action build the infrastructure and a platform for the motivation of Sense-Action­ in the audience of the discursive context. Heathcliff and Catherine are two main characters of the novel who depict the Sense-Action­ of love along with the behavior and Speech-Action of revenge in the textual and intertextual semantic layers. Heathcliff gains the necessary mental, physical and financial competences and performs the action by going through the first stage of Sense-Action­

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The present case study had as its aim to uncover the diagnostic and instructional potential of dynamic assessment (DA) in the context of L2 writing during asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ACMC). More precisely, the study investigated the role of ACMC-based DA through e-mail in diagnosing and promoting low-proficiency L2 learners’ writing abilities in an Iranian EFL context. To this end, a case study design was adopted and three low-proficiency students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) were selected to participate for a time span of ten weeks. The error analysis of learners’ performances in the pretest and posttest sessions led to the detection of a number of writing problems including the content, structural organization, grammatical accuracy, lexical appropriateness, and mechanics. A posterior examination of computer-mediated offline interactions led to the detection of a number of mediational strategies namely ask to revise, identify a problem area, specify the problem area, clarify the error kind, offer a choice and provide an explicit explanation as well as reciprocity patterns including unresponsive, growing autonomy and full autonomy which together helped diagnose the students' writing problems and trace their developmental trajectories. On implication side, it is argued that the ACMC-based DA serves as a strong diagnostic tool that makes a genuine understanding of L2 learners' writing abilities.
Keywords: dynamic assessment, sociocultural theory, asynchronous computer-mediated communication, writing
 

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Over the past decades, empirical studies regarding the application of data-driven learning (DDL) and its’ role in second and foreign language learning have increased. At the same time, several studies have investigated the association between working memory (WM) and different aspects of L2 and found that WM plays a significant role in the language performance of L2 learners, as SLA processes rely on cognitive resources. Nevertheless, the findings of such research are inconclusive. The role of WM in the relationship between DDL and second/foreign language learning is also a neglected area. Drawing on data from 84 Iranian female EFL learners, aged between 20 to 24, on three different measures of WM capacity (digit span, number-letter, and flanker), the findings of the present study showed that first, DDL was a significant predictor of English academic lecture comprehension. Second, regardless of which WM measure to use, WM was not a significant predictor of English academic lecture comprehension; and the interaction effect between DDL and WM was not a significant predictor of the students’ English academic lecture comprehension. That is, WM did not moderate the effect of DDL on the students’ comprehension of English academic lectures. Altogether, the results suggested that learning L2 at high levels of English academic lecture comprehension was mostly contingent upon automatic processing. The findings of this study may have implications for research and practice in second/foreign language teaching and learning, and more specifically in the application of DDL for L2 learners. 

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Language learners find it hard to change a text’s wording and present it differently while maintaining the original meaning in the text. This research therefore examined the effect of concept mapping instruction on summarizing short stories for EFL learners. Two intact grade-eight classes were assigned to experimental (n = 20) and control (n = 18) groups randomly. They summarized a starter-level short story, Drive into danger, using a maximum of 450 words as pretest. Next, the experimental group experienced concept-mapping instruction whereas the latter group received the traditional way of teaching summarization, for six consecutive weeks. Both groups summarized the same story again, based on their instruction, into a 450-word text at a maximum as posttest. Pretest and posttest summaries were assessed in terms of content, organization, vocabulary, and language use. The experimental group positively improved on overall performance, content, and organization, marginally improved on vocabulary, but did not improve on language use. Furthermore, the participants’ feedback on the instructional treatment support the statistical results. The findings offer several instructional implications.

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 Over the past decades, research on language teacher engagement in action research (AR) has received a surge of interest. However, little research is available on how teachers’ experience contribute to their development of agency and professional performances through their participation in an AR program. Accordingly, this study explored the role of experience in five novice and five experienced language teachers’ development of agency and practice before, during, and after their engagement in an action research engagement program (AREP). To this end, we collected data via semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and classroom observations. The findings revealed that novice and experienced teachers’ development of their agency and professional practice undergo similar trajectories. Moreover, the study argues that although experience affects teacher-researchers’ agentive role and performances, novice and experienced teachers go through similar paths as they engage in AR. However, the novice teachers became more oriented towards reflection-in-action during and after their engagement in AREP. Moreover, the novice teachers chose more AR tools and drew more on their AR experience which, in turn, facilitated their professional growth through tool transformation. We conclude the paper with implications for teacher education to better understand the role of AR in teachers’ agency development and professionalism.

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Horizontally curved bridges have been observed to suffer severe structural damage during past earthquakes so determining the seismic performance of curved bridges is crucial due to the complex dynamic behavior of these structures because of their irregular geometry and non uniform mass and stiffness distributions. Analyzing and plotting the capacity curve of these structures can be costly and time-consuming. As a result, many efforts have been made to simplify the structural models of these bridges and reduce the computational workload required for their analysis. This article presents a straightforward method to convert the multi-degree-of-freedom system of these structures into an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system, ensuring that the capacity curve of the equivalent structure closely matches that of the original structure with minimal error. In this study, the OpenSees program was used to extract the stiffness and mass matrices of a curved bridge structure. These matrices were then condensed into one-by-one matrices for mass and stiffness using dynamic condensation equations. The characteristics of these matrices were applied to a single-degree-of-freedom stick model. In this model, the obtained mass is placed at the top of a stiff rod (stick), which is connected to the ground by a spring (zero-length element) with the equivalent stiffness obtained. A nonlinear static pushover analysis of the bridge structure was performed to obtain the capacity curve. An equivalent bilinear curve was then drawn, and the yield shear force and yield displacement were determined. The nonlinear behavior of the single-degree-of-freedom structure was modeled using the Steel02 material available in the OpenSees library by zero length element utilizing the yield shear force and yield displacement magnitudes of the curved bridge. The capacity curve of the stick model, which has a single degree of freedom, showed an error percentage of 7% compared to the bridge's capacity curve. This indicates acceptable compliance with the capacity curve of the main structure, making the stick model a viable alternative for repeated analysis of the curved bridge structure. This study also included a sensitivity analysis to investigate the effects of increasing the curvature radius and decreasing the curvature angle of the bridge on its capacity and effective mass. Due to the dynamic condensation of the curved bridge structure, the influence of all degrees of freedom was considered in the stiffness and mass matrices, unlike methods that rely solely on the first vibration mode for dynamic condensation. Comparing the capacity curve of each structure with that of an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system revealed that the structure's capacity increases with a larger curvature radius. In contrast, the lowest capacity was observed in the straight bridge scenario. Additionally, modal analysis of the studied models showed that increasing the bridge's curvature radius leads to a longer structural period, while a decreasing curvature angle has a similar effect. However, the period of the straight bridge was longer than all the other models. Furthermore, as the curvature radius increased, the mass contribution percentage of the first mode in the translational x-direction decreased, whereas the translational mass contribution percentage in the y-direction and the rotational mass contribution around the z-axis increased.

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Accurate analysis of bitumen behavior as a viscoelastic material and its natural phenomena such as aging are important issues in pavement engineering. Therefore, controlling the low and high temperature properties of bitumens is essential to prevent low temperature cracking and common high temperature distress in order to provide proper service throughout the pavement life. In this study, the aging phenomenon and its effects on the mechanical properties of bitumens were simulated using the Superpave method, namely the RTFOT method for short-term aging and the PAV method for long-term aging. In order to investigate the effect of repeated PAV cycles on the properties of bitumens, three types of bitumen with different penetration degrees of 40-50 (PG70-16), 60-70 (PG64-22) and 85-100 (PG58-28) were selected and three samples of each were subjected to one to three PAV aging times. The beam shear rheometer (BBR) test was performed at three temperatures from 0 to -12°C and the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) at seven temperatures from 46 to 82°C. Based on the results obtained, the high temperature performance of the bitumens increased by a maximum of three grades and their low temperature performance increased by a maximum of two grades. In other words, the grading of the triple bitumens, after three times of PAV, became 82-4, 82-10, and 70-16, respectively. Also, the relationship between the high temperature performance properties of the aged bitumens and their chemical changes at different times of aging was investigated and their changes were examined to show the correlation between these properties. The results showed that the high temperature viscoelastic properties and the chemical aging index of the different bitumens had a strong linear relationship with a coefficient of determination (R²) of more than 0.9.

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Buried concrete tanks serve as critical components of public and military infrastructure, where structural damage can trigger severe social, security, and environmental crises. Consequently, designing these tanks to withstand shock loads from explosions is of paramount importance. Additionally, the behavior of layered clay soils under such loading conditions requires detailed examination. This study investigates the influence of burial depth on the performance of concrete tanks subjected to explosive loads in layered clay soils. The analysis was conducted using AUTODYN and FLAC 2D finite element software. Concrete tanks buried at depths of 3, 6, 8, and 10 meters were analyzed under surface explosions generated by 50, 100, and 200 kg of TNT, with defined pressure and distance parameters. The soil properties, structural characteristics, and internal fluid pressure were incorporated into the model. Results indicate that increasing the burial depth significantly reduces the displacement of the tank roof and floor due to the dissipation of explosion energy in the surrounding soil. For instance, with a 50 kg TNT charge, increasing the burial depth from 3 meters to 6, 8, and 10 meters resulted in roof displacement reductions of 54%, 70%, and 78%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the critical role of burial depth in enhancing structural resilience against explosive loads and mitigating damage.
 

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Mayetiola destructor (Say, 1817) originated in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East and is one of the most serious pests of wheat, rye and barley and more than 16 Poaceae wild species. Here, we report the occurrence of this species as an invasive pest for the first time in Iran. It was detected in wheat fields and rye in Qüshchï Pass, Urmia environ, West Azarbaijan province (September 2020) as well as in wheat fields in Bil-e Savar, Ardabil province (July 2024). The diagnostic characters and its life history as well as the photographs of the adult male and female, larvae, puparium, male genitalia and wing venation are provided. This is the second species from the genus Mayetiola that has been reported from Iran. To prevent the spread of this destructive pest in Iran, suitable management practices are urgently needed.

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Urmia Lake and its surroundng wetlands have been severely affected by recent droughts (1998–2003) and a considerable decrease in inflow has affected lake ecosystem components. Integrated ecosystem-based management is a useful managing tool for the wise use and biodiversity conservation of wetlands. In the process of developing an integrated ecosystem-based management model for Urmia Lake, the identification of key stakeholders is of primary importance. In this research, stakeholder analysis is used as an effective tool for establishing collaborative management in the Urmia Lake catchment in terms of the following parameters and objectives: almost all stakeholders receive multiple benefits from Urmia Lake, either directly or indirectly; almost all stakeholders also cause impacts on the lake ecosystem, many of which result from activities that take place in areas located within in the Urmia catchment but far from the lake. In general, the stakeholders who receive the most benefits seem to cause the lowest impact (for example, Environmental groups), while those who receive fewer benefits may have larger impacts (for example, water resource managers). Recognizing that all stakeholders affect the lake in one way or another is an important concept that promotes the ethic that future management of the Lake should regarded as a shared responsibility between all stakeholders.

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This study was conducted to evaluate the age-specific functional response of Psyllaephagus zdeneki Noyes & Fallahzadeh (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) at different nymph densities of olive psyllid, Euphyllura pakistanica Loginova (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). Due to parasitoid behaviour of feeding and parasitizing the host, both traits were separately explored on a daily functional response. Results of logistic regression revealed a type II functional response of the wasp independent of their ages. The handling time (T_h) and searching efficiency (a) were estimated using the Rogers equation. The highest searching efficiency for both parasitism and feeding was observed in the first five days of the adult age. The handling time for parasitism and host feeding increased with the age of female wasp. The highest searching efficiency and shortest handling time for host attacked (Parasitism and feeding) were gained in day 5 and day 2 and maximum parasitism and host feeding in days 2 and 3 of adult female age, respectively. We conclude that P. zdeneki demonstrated a reasonable performance as a potential biocontrol agent by feeding and parasitism of E. pakistanica which gained its maximum efficiency within 2 to 5 days of its life.

 

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Aims: Drug users form the main HIV-affected group in Iran. About two-third of all the individuals affected by HIV in Iran are those who use drug through injection. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of health belief model (HBM) on prevention of HIV transmission among the opiate-dependent population in Zarandieh. Methods and Materials: This is a quasi-experimental intervention study carried out on 49 addicted men in Zarandieh. was collected using a questionnaire, based on HBM and the group completed the questionnaire. According to the pre-test, the educational intervention was designed and implemented. Three months after the intervention, the post-test was performed and analyzed using the primary questionnaire and χ2, T-test. Findings: The findings indicated that the mean scores of HBM Model constructs (self-efficacy, susceptibility, severity and benefit) increased significantly after intervention and the perceived barriers decreased (p< 0.001). Also, the history of HIV testing reported 8%before intervention, while the rate increased to 48.6% after intervention. Conclusions: This finding provides initial support for designing and implementation of health education program, based on the HBM on Preventing HIV transmission among Opiate-dependent population.

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Handover is the process of maintaining the active sessions of a mobile terminal as it changes its point of attachment to the access network. To reduce the Handover latency in the MIPv6, fast Handovers for the MIPv6 (FMIPv6) has been proposed in the IETF, But not acceptable in FMIPv6 Handover delays led to efforts to improve this method and therefore the existence of multiple Handover methods in the literature. In order to select the appropriate method، in this paper, existing methods have been classified and then performance metrics are identified. Then Categories importance in calculating Handover performance metrics is investigated. Call blocking probability, Handover blocking probability, Probability of an unnecessary handover ,Duration of interruption and delay ,as the most important Handover algorithm performance metrics are introduced. Continue using the AHP algorithm in example topology, according to the selected sound aplication, weight is given to the metrics and using Topsis methods appropriate Handover algorithm has been specified.

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Comparative mythology partly is a one of the modern courses, which have been used broadly from the second mid-nineteenth century. On the one hand, the relation of this approach has become firm in the comparative literature, and fixed in the mythical critic, on the other. Though at first, the necessity recognition of world's nations myths was introduced widely and comparatively by the European’s and broad researches were done by them, especially in the field of European nations (Rome and Greek's) myths, but the extent of this approach in the Islamic nation's myths did not progress, except of some small and separated surveys on myth motives. In 2000 AD, Hossein Mojib Al-Mesri, by understanding this poverty research, in “Comparative research in Arab, Iran and Turk's myths”, took the first step in comparison of Iranian, Arabic and Turkish's myths. It is wonderful that, even after a decade, researches did not refer to this. Mojib Al-Mesri, in this comparative research, has studied every Iranian, Arabic and Turkish's myths in three separate parts. However, this book does not operate according to the twentieth century mythical critic approach, but in Iran's myths study, it exhibits modern conclusions and achievements in comparative mythology and in this way, compares unfamiliar Arabic and Turkish's myths with similar Iranian samples that have not been studied in any research so far. This paper has tried firstly to clarify the myth relation and functioning of mythology in comparative literature and  then  introduce  Hossein Mojib Al-Mesri's achievements. Then in a more limited scope, it reviews his theories that he received from Iran's myths. In the end, it shows the existing common points between Persian myths with Arabic and Turkish samples in two sections of religious and historical myths. The purpose of this essay is revealing the potential capabilities of Islamic nations' myths. It also recommend the necessary changes, which must occur in one-sided and unilateral views of Iranian or Non Iranian mythologists.

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Background: Osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic bone diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a walking education program based on the health belief model (HBM) on osteoporosis among women. Material and Methods: In this quasi-experimental research design, 120 patients (60 experimental and 60 control),who were registered with the health centers in Fasa City of Fars Province, Iran, participated in the study in 2014. A questionnaire consisting of demographic information and HBM constructs was used at pre-intervention, immediately after their intervention, and then six months later. Bone mineral density (BMD) was recorded at the lumbar spine and femur prior to and six months post-intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS19' through 'chi-square test, independent t-test, repeated measure ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Immediately and six months after the intervention, the experimental group showed increased in knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers perceived, self-efficacy, perceived internal cues to action and walking performance compared to the control group. Six months after the intervention, the value of lumbar spine BMD T-Score in the experimental group increased to 0.127, while in the control group it decreased to -0.043. The value of the hip BMD T Score in the intervention group increased to 0.125 and in contrast, it decreased to-0.028 in the control group. Conclusions: This study showed the increased knowledge and walking behavior regarding walking benefits could improve bone density. Therefore, HBM model can be a basic framework for designing and 'carrying out' educational interventions for women’s osteoporosis.

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Background: Low back pain is the most common cause of disability and absence from work among young and middle-aged people. As there is limited knowledge regarding this problem among Iranian students, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of low back pain and its ‘related socio demographic factors among students of Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 200 students of Islamic Azad University were selected purposively. Demographic questionnaire and Ronald-Morris Disability Scale were used to collect data regarding characteristics and disability caused by back pain. Data were entered SPSS₁₆ and analyzed through descriptive and analytic statistics. Results: In total, 190 students including 78 (41%) men and 112 (59%) women were assessed. Of all studied students 113 individuals 65.9% were suffering from low back pain and 91 students
(47.8%) were suffering from pain related disability. Body mass index (BMI) was normal in most participants. There was significant negative relationship between low back pain and physical activity (P = 0.006). Conclusion: To sum up, the results of this study verified a significant relationship among low back pain and disability. Moreover, the students who were more active and were living in good socio-economic status were less probably to suffer from low back pain and disability.