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Several models have been developed to estimate land degradation rate and evaluate desertification severity. This study attempts to apply the MEDALUS (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) model by considering existing conditions in the Hamoun wetland, located in south-eastern Iran. At first identification of the main factors affecting the desertification phenomenon was attempted, based on field survey. These factors include climate, soil, vegetation and management practices. Results showed that land management and extreme climate are the most important factors affecting the desertification process. In addition, in some land uses, lack of vegetation accelerates the prevalent wind intensity in the study area (known as “the 120Rozeh” (means 120 days and refers to the wind, with high speeds that blow from the North to the South during summer time) – the most famous Iranian winds) which continues its path without any barrier, and erodes the land surface. Results also indicated that the study area is mostly located in the critical desertification class. Based on the results, it is known that 14% of whole region (12,273 ha) is in the low-critical class, 48.2% (42,251 ha) in the medium-critical class, and 37.8% (33,134 ha) in the high-critical class.

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The dry bubble disease, caused by Lecanicillium fungicola, is an important fungal disease of white button mushroom in Iranian mushroom production farms. Twenty-three isolates of the pathogen collected in Iran and identified as L. fungicola var. fungicola, were compared for genetic polymorphism, diversity in growth rate and virulence. Ten Universal Rice Primers (URP) were used to evaluate the genetic diversity of L. fungicola var. fungicola. URP analysis showed that the genetic diversity of Iranian isolates was low (average 10 % over the 10 primers used) and that they were almost clonal. Relative correlations between geographical origins of isolates and molecular grouping were observed but there was no correlation between mycelial growth rate, virulence assays and URP patterns. Significant differences were observed between isolates based on mycelial growth rate and virulence assays. The high level of genetic homogeneity is attributed to the effect of fungicides used for control of the mushroom diseases which might have imposed a significant selection pressure on the fungal populations.  

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So far, three aphid species including Aphis fabae Scopoli, 1763, Brachycaudus cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) and Paczoskia meridionalis Holman, 1981 are reported on Echinops in Iran. In this study, two more aphid species were collected on Echinops in Iran: Myzus persicae(Sulzer, 1776) and Turanoleucon jashenkoiKadyrbekov, 2002.The little-known aphid genus Turanoleucon and the species T. jashenkoiare reported here for the first time from Iran. The biometric data of apterous and alate viviparous females of Iranian population of T. jashenkoiare given from specimens collected from Fars province, Iran. The morphological differences between Iranian population and the original description of the species, i.e. Kazakhstan population, are discussed. An identification key to the apterous viviparous female aphids living on Echinops in Iran is provided.

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Conceptual models are representations of a system that easily show us the abstract concepts of the relationships between objects in the system. In fact, no matter how systematic and meaningful the drawing of models in the field of science, can improve the understanding of issues and topics. Meanwhile, the region of Southwest Asia is of special geopolitical importance due to its privileged geographical facilities and locations, as well as its rich resources. But the developments in this region have caused the involvement of various actors. These actors, with different and even contradictory goals, ideologies, and behaviors, have caused the crisis in the region to continue. In other words, no matter how much the geographical source of power is geopolitically appropriate if there is a basis for more attractiveness to log in and the role of actors too large and large. If you are currently presenting a new tariff on geopolitics and dividing geopolitical actors into three groups: main and focal actors, semi-peripheral actors, and peripheral actors, in the next step you have tried to systematically present the geopolitical relations of Southwest Asia by presenting a conceptual model. Because accurate knowledge of the geopolitical relations between these actors allows geopoliticians to formulate the best strategy for the volatile region of Southwest Asia.

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In this study, two aphid species i.e. Macrosiphoniella vallesiacae Jörg & Lample, 1988 on Artemisia aucheri and A. sieberi and Uroleucon pilosellae (Börner, 1933) (Hem.: Aphididae) on Scorzonera sp. were collected which are reported here for the first time from Iran. The biometric data of the Iranian populations of these two aphid species are given. An identification key to the apterous viviparous female aphids of the genus Macrosiphoniella living on Artemisia in Iran is provided.

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Fauna of the Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Iran is reviewed and the data on their host aphid associations are summarized. Seventy-eight species belonging to 17 genera of Aphidiinae are listed in the associations with 193 aphid species. A total of 491 parasitoid-aphid associations are presented. The distribution of the Aphidiinae species in different parts of Iran and other countries is also discussed.  

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The boundaries are completely complex spatial-geographical phenomena that include several dimensions and parameters. This spatial-geographic phenomena has become the focus of governments due to their importance and position in order to establish order and security within the country and to protect national interests and different efforts are done to protect them. To achieve this, the first and basic step is to know the dimensions and parameters that form and affect the borders. This research tries to determine these dimensions and parameters and their impact on urban development of Javanrood city. Accordingly, a questionnaire consisting of parameters and components affecting the development of border areas based on nine dimensions (territorial, socio-cultural, economic, political-governance, geopolitical, defense-security, historical, legal-structural and technological) is projected. The present study is descriptive- analytic in terms of it's practical purpose and in terms of the method of data collection. Since the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of security parameters on the development of border cities, the research is a descriptive correlational study. The results showed that among the components of the territorial dimension, environmental resilience; among the components of the socio-cultural dimension, the existence or absence of social capital in the border city; among the components of the economic dimension, the dependence of border residents on economic interaction with border; among the components of political dimension, level of freedom of action of local governments on both sides of border; among geopolitical components, geoeconomic position of border; among the defense-security components, intervention of local players; among the historical components, human and physical commonality between the two sides of the border; among the components of the legal and structural dimension, the government's attitude towards the people and the border; and among the components of technology, border infrastructure and technologies are as the most important and influential factors influencing the border development of Javanrood city.

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To determine the effective bio-control agents of water fern, Azolla filiculoides, adults and nymphs of water lily aphid, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (L.), were collected on A. filiculoides in Guilan Province, Iran, during October 2013. This aphid has been collected extensively from almost all water fern samples during 2013 and 2014. Although R. nymphaeae was reported from numerous host plants in Iran, this species was collected for the first time from water fern. This aphid is heteroecious holocyclic with a sexual phase on Prunus spp., but it is the first report of its sexual phase formation on water fern as secondary host plant.

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During the study of aphid fauna of North-Khorasan province, Iran, an aphid species, Brachycaudus cerasicola (Mordvilko, 1929) (Hem.: Aphididae), was collected on Salvia aethiopis, Stachys turcomanica, Hymenocrater elegans, Perovskia abrotanoides and Phlomis cancellata (Lamiaceae) in 2016 and 2017 which is reported here for the first time from Iran. The first to third host plants reported as the new hosts for this aphid. Since the original descriptions of this species by Mordvilko (1929) and Shaposhnikov (1964) are rether brief, so we report here additional notes and more detailed biometric data on this species. The biometric data of the Iranian populations of B. cerasicola is given and compared to the original descriptions.

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Introduction
Developments in recent decades have caused wars to undergo extensive transformations and changes in terms of nature, corresponding to this change of governments, in order to face these developments and changes, it is necessary to change one's outlook and perception in designing strategy so, they can move in harmony with the evolution of the nature of wars and reduce the challenges and damages caused by it on their territory as much as possible. In the meantime for prevention of the strategy of defense of the territory according to the new nature of wars, it can have a prominent position. Because the land defense plan as one of the land plan approaches is trying to rationally organize the land according to its capacities and potentials with an emphasis on defense and security. In a way that can maintain the security and integrity of the land, guarantee the independence and protection of the people against any attack and threat of the enemy, insecurity, create gaps and faults, wise and appropriate distribution of vital places and sensitive centers and infrastructures, balanced distribution of defense forces- It provided security in the territory on according to the capacities and facilities of the territory. Based on this, the present research seeks to extract the effective components on the design of the defense strategy of the Middle East countries, so that based on it, they can reduce the insecurity and costs (financial and life) to the extent while maintaining their survival to reduce the space of the country.
Research methodology
The current research method is based on content analysis and library and field sources (interview) were used to collect information. In the library findings section, components have been extracted from past theories and works, and in the second step, the components have been confirmed by interviewing seven of the scientific-military elites and reaching theoretical saturation.
Results and discussion
The studies conducted to extract the components affecting the defense of the Middle East countries show the absence of a comprehensive scientific theory and work in this field, and various theories and works have been used to extract the components. In this context, 12 theories and eight experiences of defense training of different countries have been examined and analyzed, and based on them, 130 components have been extracted and provided to experts and thinkers in this field. The field of theoretical saturation has been extracted with seven scientific-military elites. The results of the examination of the theories and approaches that have been collected in the field of topics related to the defense of the land, along with the interviews that have been conducted with related experts and thinkers, show that both parts are Various factors on the diversity and extent of 130 components have been effective in designing the defense strategy of the Middle East countries, which are given in the form of 15 dimensions in the form of the following table based on importance:
Table 3: Distribution of research components in 15 dimensions derived from theories and approaches
 

Row	Dimensions	Components
1	Economic dimension	Income and its level; job and its type; economic interactions; amount and type of production; employment and unemployment; standard of living; economic justice; economic policy; Financial problems; Economic potential and capacities
2	Political dimension	Power structure; political management of space; distribution of power; form of interaction; Law and political regulations; political planning; political divisions; The shape and composition of the nation; the political position of space; The level and manner of communication (transnational-transnational)
3	Geopolitical dimension	Regional geopolitical structure; global geopolitical structure; Geostrategic position, status of water resources, position of countries with border rivers, degree of dependence on common water resources, common energy resources, location of energy resources, geopolitical behavior, transit position, common cultural identity, regional geopolitical position
4	Cultural dimension	Customs; Religion; Language; ethnicity (race); culture of effort and employment; culture of participation; life style; social attitudes; Communication culture
5	Social dimension	Social norms and anomalies; Community Relations; social gap; type and form of family; social form and structure; family and its relations; social boundaries; social organizations
6	Security dimension	Border and demarcation (transnational); border (national); transnational threats; sanctions and boycotts and their effects; national unity and cohesion; ethnic and religious diversity; spatial distribution of ethnic and religious groups; The population density; political organization of space; Security technologies
7	Military dimension	Military equipment; the efficiency of forces; defensive styles (strategies); the structure of forces; natural capacities and potentials; military shortcomings and limitations; number of enemies; the country's settlement region; location of military centers; military power and structure; War and its forms
8	Demographic dimension	life expectancy; sexual ratio; education level; number of population; age structure; Growth rate; marital status; population density; Family size; Migration; Births and deaths
9	Scientific-health dimension	Cyberspace; Bioterorism; Drug production capacity; Medical Equipment; treatment methods; the potential of elitism; the amount of scientific leap; Public health level

Conclusion
The results of the investigations carried out in this research show that the defense based on the transformations and developments that have taken place in different fields has undergone extensive changes and necessarily the governments in order to be able to face this changes that have taken place in the field of threats and technologies, etc., to update and make their defense strategies efficient, they should be able to take a comprehensive and up-to-date approach to the defense of the land. According to the findings of the present research, it shows that land defense as one of the forward strategies of the governments in an up-to-date and comprehensive manner includes 15 dimensions and 130 components that should be used in the design of the strategy should be considered.

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This research seeks to investigate structural model of the relationship between destructive leadership with tendency to violence and deviant behaviors. Research method was correlation and with statistical population of employees of an industrial organization in Tehran city, which 292 persons were selected using simple random sampling. Research instrument included Golparvars’ (2013) destructive leadership questionnaire, researcher made tendency to violence questionnaire and Bennett and Robinson­s’ (2000) deviant behavior questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that there is a positive significant relationship between destructive leadership with tendency to violence and deviant behavior toward organization and individuals. Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that, selfishness and bullying along with abuse and threats has indirect and significant relationship with deviant behaviors trough the tendency to violent. Tendency to violent along with selfishness and bullying has direct and significant relationship with deviant behaviors. In other words the results of this study showed that the tendency to violence is a mediator variable in the relationship between destructive leadership and deviant behaviors.

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Aims: Self-directed learning is an essential skill to promote stable learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation betweeen the dimensions of constructivist and self-directed learning environments among the students of medical sciences.
Instruments and Methods: The present descriptive-analytical research was conducted in 2016, using a multistage sampling among students, who studied Health, Paramedical Sciences, Nursing, and Midwifery in associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees and students of Medicine and Dentistry in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The 365 students were randomly classified in each school and the data were gathered by Wiliamson's self-directed questionnaire and Taylor et al.'s constructivist learning environment questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS 21 Software. Along with independent t-test, correlation coefficient, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey's test was used as the post-hoc test.
Findings: A significant correlation was found between the dimensions of constructivist learning environment and self-directed learning skills. There was a significant relationship between self-directed learning skills and the students' interest in their own fields of study. Also, a significant statistical relationship was found between self-directed skills and the gender of the students. In terms of the mean of the self-directed learning, there was a significant difference among the studied schools. There was a significant relationship between the schools of Nursing and Medicine, between the schools of Health and Nursing and between the schools of Medicine and Nursing.
Conclusion: Constructivist learning environment affects the performance of students in self-directedness learning.   

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During 2015–2017, 28 aphid species belonging to 12 genera were collected and identified on Asteraceae plants in North Khorasan province, Iran. Among these, three aphid species including Macrosiphoniella frigidivora Holman & Szelegiewicz, 1974, Macrosiphoniella szalaymarzsoi Szelegiewicz, 1978 and Protaphis iliensis Kadyrbekov, 2001 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are new for aphid fauna of Iran. Brief redescriptions of Iranian populations of these three species are given and compared to the original descriptions.

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  Research subject: Investigation of the effect of temperature on the polymer flooding performance at the pore scale, leads to an understanding of the behavior of the polymer solution in porous media with varying permeability.
Research approach: In this study, the effect of temperature on flooding of polyacrylamide polymer on enhanced oil recovery in two homogeneous micromodels at 25 and 70 °C was investigated. The polymer solution and DW were injected at the injection rate of 1 μl/min up to 1 PV into the micromodel and the amount of produced oil and the movement of the injected fluid in the porous medium were analyzed. In addition, polymer rheology and injected fluid viscosity were measured for better analysis of results. Then the results were compared with flooding of distilled water as the control test.
Main results: Examining the flood results, it was found that on the one hand, the temperature factor helped to increase oil recovery by reducing the viscosity of the oil. On the other hand, it has reduced the role of injected fluid viscosity in oil extraction by reducing the viscosity of the polymer. The results showed that the phenomenon of fingering decreases in the case of polymer injection, and the rate of improvement of oil recovery during polymer and water flooding in both micromodels increases with increasing temperature. Also, the rate of improvement of oil recovery during polymer flooding in the A micromodel increased from about 43% at ambient temperature to more than 51% and in the B micromodel from about 51% to more than 60% at 70 °C. In fact, it can be said that the flow pattern and stability of the polymer solution front and consequently the ultimate oil recovery are significantly affected by the morphology of the pores, the shape and the throats pores.
    

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The thermophilic fungus Mycothermus thermophilus is one of the most important thermophilic fungi in mushroom composting process. Thirty nine isolates of M. thermophilus were collected from nine provinces of Iran and were identified as M. thermophilus based on morphological features and ITS regions. The studied isolates significantly increased the growth of Agaricus bisporus hyphae compared to control when used in vitro situation. Also the colony morphology of the mushroom changed when it grew on the colony of M. thermophilus. While the studied thermophilic isolates were morphologically different, no diversity was observed in terms of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) finger-printing. The genetically clonal population of M. thermophilus collected from Iranian mushroom composting farms was attributed to lack of sexual reproduction, similar raw materials used in compost formulations, compost temperature, and concentration of ammonia during pasteurization as selection pressures.

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One of the most important issues in the realm of education is assurance regarding the quality and effectiveness of teaching and teachers. In this regard, it is essential that models and instruments be developed in order to describe and assess them. It is one of the subjects creating a lot of interest in learners is English. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a model as well as a measuring instrument for describing quality of teachers and teaching in English. The present study was an attempt to develop such a model and instrument in a qualitative and a quantitative phase. In the qualitative phase, seven factors were identified as the underlying structure of teacher quality on which basis a 48-item questionnaire was developed. Then, in the quantitative phase, using Exploratory and Confirmatory factor Analyses, the reliability, and the validity of the model and the questionnaire were obtained. Based on the findings, both the model and the questionnaire are acceptable and valid and can be utilized.

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During the study of aphid fauna of Kerman province, Iran, an aphid species, Chaetosiphella longirostris Wieczorek, 2008 (Hem.: Aphididae: Chaitophorinae), was collected on Stipa arabica Trin. & Rupr. (Poaceae), which is reported here for the first time from Iran. This is the second aphid species reported on Stipa in Iran. Since there were some morphological differences between the original description of C. longirostris and Iranian population, here we made a diagnostic comparison. The biometric data of the Iranian population of C. longirostris is given and compared with the original description.

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More than 104 aphid species are living on Rosa spp. in the world. So far, only 14 of them were reported from Iran. In this study, besides the species already living on Rosa in Iran, two aphid taxa, i.e., Maculolachnus sijpkensi Hille Ris Lambers, 1962, and M. submacula (Walker, 1848) (Hem.: Aphididae) living on Rosa beggeriana are reported for the first time from Iran. Biometric data and biological characteristics of these two aphid species are given. An identification key to the apterous viviparous female aphids living on Rosa in Iran is provided.

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Aphids constitute a significant cohort of herbivorous insects, primarily nourishing themselves by extracting plant sap, sometimes posing a notable threat to plant health. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation into the aphid fauna associated with Carthamus in Iran, unveiling 18 species across 11 genera within the Aphididae. Furthermore, 31 associations between aphid species and host plants were recognized, of which two are new for Iran. Our study expands upon prior knowledge by documenting three new occurrences, shedding light on previously unrecorded aphid species in Isfahan and Razavi Khorasan provinces. In addition, we describe the previously unknown male of Uroleucon carthami, offering insights into its life cycle and reproductive strategies. An identification key to the apterous viviparous female aphids living on Carthamus in Iran is provided.

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 Export of high-tech products and services is a quick shortcut according to the development program goals, comparative advantages and current situations and requirements of Iran, which requires non-traditional methods, especially digital marketing. While many digital marketing variables require environmental stability and predictability, a significant number of variables and components have dynamic specifications and their optimization capability requires a nonlinear approach. Can paying attention to dynamic features accelerate and facilitate the achievement of digital marketing goals? What are its dynamics variables? New concepts have been identified and introduced in response to these questions in this article, which include: dynamic mix marketing, customer dynamics, dynamic environment, employee dynamics, dynamic economy, dynamic organization, dynamic financial support, dynamic life cycle and dynamic strategy Based on interpretive structural modeling, their role in optimizing the export of High-tech is confirmed to be effective. In this applied research, an attempt has been made to identify and classify 22 variables into nine components through inductive, scientific and combined methods in a pragmatic paradigm of four levels. The dynamic customer component in the model gained the highest priority. At the same time, the findings showed that the variables related to the components of dynamic organization, dynamic marketing mix, dynamic financing, employee dynamics and dynamic life cycle have a strong ability in planning to improve the effectiveness of the model, respectively.