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Prelude: Due to the special characteristics and conditions of Security of the border, deployment of security in such areas is important.any form of insecurity in a border zone can seriously threaten different aspects of security in the country. Deployment of security along the border and in the border zone requires in the first place, investigation, and identification of natural and human-made features within the border zone. identification of natural and geographic features of a border zone is of paramount importance owing to the crucial role played by such bio-foundations in the social life and development of the border zone. They further contribute largely to borderline monitoring, management, and control systems.
Goal: The present research seeks to investigate the states of natural features, including the border stream, topography, and vegetation, in the Iran-Afghanistan border zone in Khorasan Razavi and further evaluates their impact on borderline and border zone security. materials and ways: the required data was extracted from the OLI sensor on the Landsat Satellite(2018), with the data then analyzed using GIS and remote sensing techniques in the ENVI )5.3(.
Conclusion: The findings showed that water scarcity and insufficient depth of Harirood River in most parts of the year set the scene for illegal trafficking of goods and drugs across the border, negatively impacting the border zone security. This further holds true for the seasonal lake of Namakar in the border zone between the two countries. Considering the topography, existing maps indicate that the presence of highlands in the vicinity of the Iran-Afghanistan borderline and extension of particular highlands into the mainland of Afghanistan have negatively influenced the border security.

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The distribution of Dendrothrips aspersus Bhatti, a leaf-feeding thrips species, has so far been confined to India and Iran. Both sexes of the species were collected from olive suckers from Fars province, south of Iran. The male sex of Dendrothrips aspersus is recorded and described. The females had been previously collected on grasses in the same place, so the host association for this species is discussed briefly.

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Variable rate spray applications using proportional control systems can greatly reduce pesticide use and off-target contamination of environment in orchards. Variable rate spraying of the canopy allows growers to apply pesticides only to the target, only use the correct quantity according to canopy size, season and growth stage and to apply plant protection products in an economic and environmentally sound manner. A major challenge is the reduction of agrochemicals used as Plant Protection Products (PPP) while achieving suitable deposition on the canopy. Spraying efficiency can be improved by reducing the spray losses associated with deposition on the ground and off-target drift. Adjustment of application rate proportional to the size and shape of tree crops has shown high potential for reducing agrochemicals in automatically controlled sprayers. In recent years target detection methods have been developed by using advanced techniques such as vision and laser scanning systems or simpler ultrasound, infrared and spectral systems. These systems have made it possible to develop geometric maps of trees allowing site-specific management of orchards. Variable rate spraying can thus be utilized as a methodology for applying the required amount of PPPs to the canopy while preventing over dosage as well as drift. Utilization of sensors to monitor canopy, distances and location ensures better use of expensive inputs, resulting in a sustainable approach to an important practice. This paper discusses various methodologies available for determination of canopy structural parameters and introduces some applicable commercial systems while pointing out their similarities and differences.  

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The grass-living thripid species, Bregmatothrips willcocksi (Priesner) is recorded for the first time from Iran on the basis of materials of both sexes collected on Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense (family Poaceae). This is the second member of the genus Bregmatothrips from Iran and in contrast to most species in the genus has forked sense cones on antennal segments III and IV. An Illustrated key is provided for distinguishing B. willcocksi and B. bournieri Pelikan.

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The genus and species, Sinuothrips hasta Collins, was identified based on specimens of both sexes collected from Phragmites and an unkown species of Asteraceae in Fars province. This genus is known previously only from England, Turkey and China. A brief diagnostic characters for the genus and species is provided and illustrated.
 

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Many environmental and physiological factors affect plant temperature. The objective of this study was to use thermal imagery to investigate robust features for early diagnosis of Botrytis cinerea infection in cut rose flowers under the postharvest application of Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA). Three cases treated with different concentrations of MeJA (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 µl.l⁻¹), a control (0 µl.l⁻¹ MeJA) and an ethanol-treated case (20 µl.l⁻¹ ethanol) were considered as five treatments in this study. Infrared images of MeJA-treated and non-treated flowers were captured during five consecutive days. Eight days after inoculation, disease severity in all concentrations of MeJA was significantly lower than that of control and ethanol treatments. Maximum temperature difference (MTD) index and median temperature could be used to diagnose the existence and growth of fungal pathogen, at least a day before any significant visual symptoms appear. To identify some robust features for classifying the infected and non-infected flowers, analysis of temperature frequency distribution was implemented. Laplace and normal distributions were considered as the best fitted probability distributions based on the shape of thermal histograms. Parameters of normal and Laplace probability density functions were estimated and the most effective attributes were selected. A radial-basis-function neural network with 60 neurons in the hidden layer was designed to classify and distinguish the infected flowers from the healthy ones. Results showed that the network can classify the infected and non-infected flowers with a 96.4% correct estimation rate.

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The paper presents a comprehensive compilation of 543 species and 24 subspecies of aphids, within 144 genera, belonging to 15 subfamilies, 3 families and three superfamilies of Aphidomorpha recorded to date from Iran. Among them, 35 species of aphids are endemic to Iran.

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Tenothrips hispanicus (Bagnall) was collected from Fars province, south of Iran. This is the first report of the species from Iran. Characterization of the species, comparison with its close species, T. frici (Uzel) as well as their illustrations are provided.

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Mycterothrips albidicornis as fourteen Mycterothrips species in Iran is recorded from Fars province, south of Iran. This is the first record of this species outside Europe. Morphological characterization of the species, comparison with its close species and its illustrations is provided. The color and structure variation of M. albidicornis in comparison with literature are discussed.

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The genus and species of fungus-feeding thrips, Tylothrips osborni (Hinds), are newly recorded from Turkey based on two apterous females collected from wheat. Taxonomic characterization of the genus and species is provided and illustrated. This is the sixth record in Europe of this American species, and the significance of this disjunct distribution is discussed.

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It has been argued that the copulatory structures of the weevil genus Sitona Germar have their equivalents in the opposite sex. Hence, the male intromittent organ represents a species-specific key to unlock the corresponding genital tract of its mate, and the female internal genitalia displays several positions that match the functional armature and surface prominences of the endophallic internal sac from the conspecific male. However, this claim can lead to a major challenge due to the perceived lack of variation in the females copulatory organs across the species of a large genus, Sitona.  Therefore, a special case can be very helpful for modeling an elaborate correspondence of male and female genital traits in this group. One of the most intricating and unusual forms of the genitalia in the tribe Sitonini that is assumed to be the representative of an advanced type of the “lock-and-key” relationship belongs to S. fairmairei. A pair of peculiar “bursal plugs” along with the two slender accessory pouches were revealed inside the female bursal lumen of this species that were considered to operate in concert with the unusual ejaculatory pump and anchoring device of the male transfer apparatus respectively, in the process of insemination. The Modification of the pumping device and the way that the endophallic armature threads along the female spermathecal duct in S. fairmairei were compared to another species, S. cylindricollis. Our results provide evidence on how the biomechanics of copulation can drive the evolution of a “cooperative lock-and-key” isolating mechanism in the genital traits of the weevil genus Sitona, as well as the significance of a clear understanding about the reciprocal morphologies of male and female copulatory organs.

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The American species, Tylothrips osborni (Hinds) is reported for the first time from Iran and presented with detailed photos. The single macropterous female, which has been collected in the Ilam province, shows an unusual variation regarding the number of sense cones on antennal segment III. This variation affects both antennae in form of a reduction of the number of sense cones.

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Abstract: Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), an important pest in rose greenhouses, has several generations per year, and in addition to direct feeding damage to rose flowers it also transmits tospoviruses. Because of resistance to insecticides, alternative strategies are needed to manage this pest, including trapping. In this study, trapping by sticky traps of two different colours (blue and yellow) was experimented at three different heights (at canopy level, and 20 cm above and below canopy level) on two rose cultivars (Red one and Avalanche). The numbers of trapped thrips were counted after five days. The number on the blue sticky traps, regardless of their height of placement and type of cultivar, was significantly higher than that on the yellow traps. Number of thrips on blue traps at 20 cm above the canopy was significantly higher than on blue traps at the other levels in both cultivars. In contrast, the number of thrips that were trapped in yellow sticky tarps in various heights as well as cultivars was not significantly different.
 

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The primary purpose of this research study was to determine the major factors affect-ing the implementation of national agricultural mechanization programs in Iran. The sec-ondary purpose of this study was to assess the agricultural mechanization level practiced by farmers. This project consisted of two phases. In the first phase of the study, a Delphi technique was used to gather experts' points of view on variables affecting agricultural mechanization implementation programs in Iran. The second phase of the study was de-signed to assess the agricultural mechanization level practiced by farmers growing sun-flower seeds. The Delphi technique investigation showed that the main constraints on farm mechanization were “small farm size” and “fragmentation of holdings”. The find-ings of the second phase of this research indicated that the mean agricultural mechaniza-tion level practiced on the sunflower producing farms was about 0.5 kW per ha of culti-vated land. However the amount of energy input varied between 0.0149 to 3.4973 kW. Multivariate linear regression of the study indicated that 46.9% (R2= 0.469) of the vari-ance in the level of agricultural mechanization practiced could be explained by variables such as income, total farming land, and land holdings under sunflower seed cultivation.

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Aims: The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected various dimensions of life and lifestyles, and sexual life is no exception. The present study aimed to determine the effect of multimedia sexual index promotion packages on the sexual function, desire, and satisfaction of couples during the outbreak of Covid-19.
Materials & Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 60 married people in Qazvin City, Iran, in 2022. Participants were randomly assigned into control (n=30) and intervention (n=30) groups. Demographic questionnaire, Larson Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire, Hurlbert Index of Sexual Desire, International Index of Erectile Function, and Female Sexual Function Index were used to collect data. The Chi-square, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon test were used for data analysis.
Findings: In the intervention group, the mean of sexual function, desire, and satisfaction significantly increased in the post-test compared to the pre-test (p<0.05). This difference was observed only in sexual desire in the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Multimedia sexual indexes promotion packages improve sexual function, desire, and satisfaction of couples during the outbreak of Covid-19.
 

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Storage of potatoes is very important because fresh potatoes are available only for a few months in a year. Thus, any treatment such as irradiation that controls sprout growth and extends shelf life of potatoes could be beneficial. In this study, potato sprout inhibition and tuber quality after treatment with various levels of Gamma Irradiation (0, 50, 100 and 150 Gy) on different dates (10, 30 and 50 days after harvest) were studied during prolonged storage at 8 and 16°C using tubers of Agria variety. A factorial experiment based on a randomized split plot design with three replications was carried out. There was minimum sprout development (4.83±0.01 g/3kg tuber) in tubers from early irradiation date (10 days after harvest). This study indicated that early irradiation and higher irradiation levels significantly decreased sprouting, percent weight loss and specific gravity of tubers. The loss of ascorbic acid and the contents of reducing and non-reducing sugars significantly increased by delay in irradiation whereas the content of sugars and ascorbic acid level decreased by irradiation. The loss of firmness became clearer during five months storage in non-irradiated tubers. Higher storage temperature (16°C) caused greater loss of ascorbic acid (20.34%). In other words, tubers stored at 16°C showed greater metabolic changes as indicated by sprouting, weight loss, and changes in sugars and ascorbic acid contents. The 50 Gy irradiation treatment on the 10th day after harvest resulted in complete sprout inhibition of tubers at 8°C storage and 150 Gy dose while inhibiting sprouting at 16°C, caused greater loss of ascorbic acid. Tubers irradiated with later after harvest were subject to greater loss of ascorbic acid in response to higher doses of irradiation and higher storage temperature. Consequently, to reduce undesirable changes in Agria potato tubers, delay in irradiation and storage at high temperature are not recommended.

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Mechanical properties of non-split pistachio nuts are among the lada required for the design of equipment needed for processing of the nut. Unsplit pistachio nut samples were uniaxially loaded to determine the nut’s needed splitting force and energy, as well as Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus of elasticity. The tests were carried out at four moisture contents (5, 10, 15 and 20% wb), under four loading rates (10, 20, 30 and 40 mm min-1), and on two varieties (O’hadi and Badami) of the nut. The highest splitting forces for the varieties (281.9 N for Badami and 102.4 N for O’hadi) were obtained at a moisture content of 5% wb and loading rate of 40 mm min-1, while the lowest forces, 97.0 N for Badami and 16.8 for the case of O’hadi, occured at moisture contents of 20% wb along with loading rate of 10 mm min-1. Different trends were observed between O'hadi and Badami varieties for the required energy to split nuts with increasing moisture content and loading rates. By increasing moisture content, Poisson’s ratio for unsplit pistachio nuts increased from 0.374 to 0.388 and from 0.326 to 0.337 for O’hadi and Badami varieties, respectively. Young’s modulus exhibited an indirect relationship with moisture content while a direct relationship with loading rate, in either of the varieties. Increase in moisture content from 5 to 20% wb led to a decrease in Young's modulus, from 322.59 to 223.23 MPa and from 816.25 to 719.28 MPa, for O’hadi and Badami variety nuts, respectively.

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Drying behavior of two types of pomegranates as well as the effect of drying conditions on moisture loss trend and on effective diffusion coefficient of arils are discussed in this article. Also, an appropriate mathematical drying model as well as the activation energy of sweet and sour pomegranate arils, dried in vacuum and microwave driers are pursued and presented. Results of regression analysis of the studied models indicated that Midili and Page models exhibit the best fit to the data obtained for vacuum and microwave drying, respectively. Effective diffusion coefficient of pomegranate arils was estimated in the ranges of 0.74×10-10 to 52.5×10-10 m2 s-1 and 3.43×10-10 to 32.05×10-10 m2 s-1 for vacuum and microwave driers, respectively. Activation energy figures for the vacuum drier were 52.27 and 52.83 kJ while for microwave drier they were 17.22 and 23.83 kJ for the cases of sweet and sour variety pomegranates, respectively.

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Jujube (Zizyphus jujube Mill), a valuable medicinal plant, is consumed either as fresh fruit or dried product in Iran. Drying jujube guarantees a longer shelf time while preserving its quality to be used in medical and pharmaceutical industries. In this research paper, the influence of several drying conditions on the effective moisture diffusivity, activation energy, energy consumption and required specific energy in the drying of jujube is presented. Temperature levels of 50, 60 and 70 ºC and hot air velocities of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 (m s-1) were used as the treatments. Effective moisture diffusivity of jujube fruit during the drying process was in the range of 1.1532-5.1895×10-10 (m2 s-1) for the first period and 0.4036–2.3064×10-10 (m2 s-1) for the second period. Also, the values of energy of activation in both periods were determined to be between 34.97 and 74.20 (kJ mol-1). The energy consumption and the required specific energy for drying were in the range of 79.1- 92.46 (kW h) and 203.59 – 900.08 (kW h kg-1), respectively. Results show that energy consumption diminished when temperature increased at each air velocity, while it increased with increasing hot air velocity.

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In the present study, a new analytical model for Earth to Air Heat Exchanger is presented. To this end, transient energy equation is solved employing duhamel's theorem and the soil temperature distribution is achieved with the concept of G function. Then, the outlet temperature will be achieved by solving the energy equation along the length of heat exchanger. In comparison to previous models, the present results are in better agreement with those obtained experimentally. Parametric investigation and feasibility study of this system in Tehran has been made using this analytical model for summer season with two different input temperatures. Parametric investigation showed for each mass flow rate, the corresponding optimum diameter is gained. It is observed that optimum diameter is a function of mass flow rate and operation time and independent of soil and input temperature of heat exchanger. For major mass flow rate supply, utilization of heat exchangers with minor mass flow rate is suggested; accordingly the temperature of heat exchanger is decreased. The depth and distance between heat exchangers can be calculated by the present model. It is also revealed this system can solely supply thermal comfort in continuous summer operation for cities with cold climate and low annual average temperature.