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Borders represent the main security interests of countries and determine the extent of a country's geographical area. Considering that the continent of Africa was a colony of transcontinental powers for many years, therefore, most of the borders of the countries in this continent have been drawn colonially and by European governments in order to secure their national interests and goals. This has caused borders to be one of the most important sources of tension between African countries after decolonization and independence. This research with descriptive-analytical method and using Super Decision software, seeks to answer these questions, which are the most important differences in the African continent? And what is the weight of each of these indicators? The findings of the research show that the borders in this region include three groups of border disputes (land- related conflicts, border-related conflicts,  conflicts over common interests and sources), factors that aggravate border disputes ( inefficient leadership, inefficiency of regional and international organizations, political instability, bio ecological issues, geo-economics,  …. ), and factors that reduce border disputes ( commitment to cooperate as African union , regional cooperation in the frame of regional organizations and border complementation, and border age). The results of the research also indicated that the border disputes in the African continent are the result of the colonial period, and in the initial stage of border development, i.e. border delimitation, it has stopped. Therefore, in order to resolve border disputes and determine border points, we need to formulate and approve border laws at the regional level through the creation of dispute resolution mechanisms at the level of the African continent. 

 

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Revolution is one of the great social developments, the effects of which are very tangible and very effective in changing the political arrangement of the public space of societies. The main purpose of this study is a comparative study of the position of leadership in the classic revolutions and protest movements in the Middle East and North Africa called the Arab Spring with emphasis on the role of leadership. This article question is that “what is the difference between the classic revolutions and the recent uprisings of the Islamic-Arab countries of West Asia and North Africa in terms of the role of leadership in their formation and leadership?” The present study, which is descriptive-analytic in nature and the required data and information are collected in a library method using the teachings of revolutionary theories and political mobilization, as well as the teachings of charismatic leadership in Max Weber's views, is based on this hypothesis that due to the lack of a leadership component, the protest movements in the Middle East and North Africa could not be as effective in the political planning of their surrounding space as in the classic revolutions. The findings also show that the leadership model is an important and decisive element in the success and failure of a revolution, and the multiplicity of leadership, the weak social base of leaders, the instability of the leadership and their different interpretations in protest movements in the Middle East and North Africa have only led to crisis and constant instability in the political space of the countries involved.

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Since so many people are constantly trying to find sufficient evidence for the existence of God, but fail to attain that evidence, though they are not at fault, the issue of divine hiddenness takes form. Some contemporary philosophers have conducted investigations on this issue by various means, but the philosopher who first took steps to investigate this issue more comprehensively is the Canadian philosopher J.L. Schellenberg. In 2015, he proposed the argument for divine hiddenness in his book The Hiddenness Argument and presented it as a counterargument in favor of atheism. This argument claims that if there was a God, he should have provided sufficient evidence and reason supporting this belief at least for those in search of him, but this is not the case and thus, God does not exist. The aim of this paper, in addition to explaining Schellenberg's argument for divine hiddenness, will be to examine the view of Michael Rea, an American philosopher of religion, on this issue.
 

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Popular culture deals with the public perception of habits, traditions, anecdotes, beliefs, anthems, proverbs, and oral speech, having been discussed in different areas of humanities including sociology, history, psychology, literature, art and even religions. Literature is, in its technical sense, marked with folklore elements. Particular attention to literature in multidisciplinary studies is a new approach.
An itinerary is a personal account of the conditions of the cities and nations visited by a travel writer. An itinerary encompasses invaluable information by means of which the social, political and economic realities of different historical periods can be established. Moreover, it is among the most critical ways to analyze and compare various nations, being at the same time the best way to gain insights into diverse phenomena surrounding popular culture and social communications, about which little has been written in historical documents.
This research, descriptive-analytical in nature, was concerned with investigating Iran’s popular elements, popular culture and social communications (folk literature of Iran). It also focused on popular-culture-based behaviors in the eyes of the Moroccan travel writer, who traveled across Iran during the Mongol Empire.  The findings indicate that folklore elements occupy an important position in Ibn Battuta’s itinerary. The appearance of these elements is mostly focused on eating habits and foods.

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Aims: Burn infections are one of the most common causes of mortality in the world. On the other hand, microbial resistance to antibiotics has caused concern in the medical community. Therefore, controlling burn infections is very important, and using alternative therapies instead of antibiotics could be a good solution to this problem.
Materials & Methods: Lactobacillus plantarum 299v strains were used in the experiments. Fifty male Wistar rats were prepared, and burn was induced in animals. The burn wounds were inoculated with clinical strains of MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa in all animals and then treated daily with an eucerin ointment containing different compositions, including NaCl, imipenem, probiotic cell pellet, probiotic supernatant, and probiotic cell pellet + probiotic supernatant. The wound healing process was evaluated in animals after 7 days of treatment. Comparisons between different groups were performed using One-way ANOVA and Turkey’s post hoc tests.
Findings: After 7 days of treatment, the mean wound size in the probiotic cell pellet group was significantly lower than in the control and imipenem groups. Also, the mean wound size in the probiotic supernatant group was significantly lower than in the imipenem group. Histological parameters related to skin repair in the probiotic cell pellet group was better than in the control and antibiotic groups. Also, inflammation in the probiotic cell pellet group was less than in the control and imipenem groups.
Conclusion: The macroscopic results of this study supported the microscopic results and showed that the mean size of the burn wounds in the probiotic cell pellet group was less than in the control and imipenem groups after 7 days of treatment.

 

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Introduction 
The United Arab Emirates is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which, while having economic relations with Iran, has a conflict of interest with the Islamic Republic of Iran in regional and international policies. As a result, it has allied with the United States and Saudi Arabia in carrying out various actions against the national interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article analyzes the factors of convergence and divergence of Iran's foreign policy towards the United Arab Emirates. This research seeks an answer to the following question: “what are the factors of convergence and divergence of Iran's foreign policy towards the United Arab Emirates?”
Methodology
The research is descriptive-analytic and the data collection method is based on library and field finding method. Given that foreign policy is a systemic and integrated concept, the DEMATEL technique is used to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between variables. For this purpose, a paired comparison questionnaire was provided to 50 researchers in the fields of political geography, political science, and geopolitics.
Findings
The convergent and divergent factors of Iran's foreign policy towards the United Arab Emirates were examined based on 20 criteria and indicators. In general, variables such as different perspectives on international politics, the UAE's armed forces, military treaties, disagreements on the Yemen issue, the adoption of an aggressive strategy by Ansarullah, UAE Shiites, Saudi-UAE disputes, and convergence with Saudi Arabia in the region indicate high interaction and strong systemic connection with other variables. The variables such as Iran and the UAE's territorial disputes over three Iranian islands, military costs, natural problems, Washington's failure to form an international maritime coalition, different perspectives on international politics, the UAE's armed forces, and military treaties are considered as the cause of this systemic model. And factors such as fear from increasing the influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, lack of efficient manpower, lack of the U.S military response, type of government, and internal disputes between the emirates are among the effects.
Conclusion
Iran's foreign policy towards the Persian Gulf countries, including the UAE, is important. The UAE has a suitable regional weight. It is one of five or six active players in West Asia and East Africa, and has used its economic weight as a major oil producer to create and maintain this status. It is a leading regional player (along with Qatar) in transforming its energy resources into a powerful and diversified global economy based on services, finance, trade, and logistics. Iran could benefit from deeper trade and economic ties with the UAE, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to strengthen its economy. These ties could include access to UAE markets and increased re-exports of goods, particularly oil, which would generally benefit both countries.
 

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Backgrounds: Infectious diseases are one of the main leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases are very important. Infection affects some blood indices that could be used as diagnostic markers. Therefore, this study aimed to compare blood parameters in four important and prevalent infectious diseases.
Materials & Methods: In this study, 202 out of 892 patients with a final diagnosis of UTI (urinary tract infection), septicemia, pneumonia, or diabetic foot infection were evaluated; they were hospitalized in Rasoul Akram hospital in Iran from August 2017 to February 2018. Patients’ demographic and laboratory data, such as RDW (red cell distribution width), PDW (platelet distribution width), RBC (red blood cell), CRP (C-reactive protein), ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), and, WBC (white blood cells), were evaluated.
Findings: This study results showed that mortality rate in sepsis cases was higher than in other cases (42.1%). Changes in blood parameters such as RDW, PDW, and EDR levels as well as monocyte, basophil, and eosinophil counts were significant among patients with different infectious diseases, while there was no significant difference in terms of changes in some blood parameters, such as WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts and CRP level between patients with different infectious diseases. For statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA and LSD post hoc tests were used.
Conclusion: According to this study results, it was found that the range of blood parameters varies in different types of infectious diseases. Therefore, the physician could employ routine blood parameters along with other diagnostic factors to more accurately diagnose the type of infection and prescribe more appropriate antibiotics.

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Networked collaborations have become a critical approach to enhance providing quality service in health care systems. The use of collaboration structures and coordination mechanisms as a desirable governance model is essential for the success of network collaboration. There are different factors influencing designing good network governance models in health care networks. Considering the importance of these factors in designing the governance model, the comprehensive review of factors out of the network control has not yet been addressed. The aim of this paper is to identify the factors that are out of network control and influencing designing a good network governance model in health care systems.We apply a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the intended factors. During searching for studies associated with our research question in the WEB OF SCIENCE database as a comprehensive database, the 1500 publications resulted. Screening resulted publications basis of title fitness with inclusion and conclusion criteria led to the 150 articles. Final screening the 150 articles basis of abstract and conclusion led to the 11 final articles that the 15 pieces of evidence were extracted from them. After synthesizing the extracted evidences for achieving an integrated view of them led to the 4 classes with the 15 components. In this regard, the environmental requirements, the level of government intervention in the health system, the nature of policies and interventions in the health system, as well as the rates of referrals in health networks were identified as the most important factors outside the network control. Network governance will succeed if the influencing factors are taken into account in designing it.

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Objectives: Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 is the causative agent of Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome “AIDS” in human and demonstration of HIV-1 genome in samples is accepted as evidence of infection. Transmission of Infection during window period in blood transfusion settings is a world wide concern. Also there is a need for a rapid, sensitive and accurate technique to detect HIV-1 infection prior to antibody appearance in patients and new borns. Material and Method: A rapid Visual DNA Chip based on RT-Nested PCR and Enzyme-Substrate detection system was developed. At first a specific RT-Nested PCR was developed and the products were confirmed in gel electrophoresis and the products were labeled with DIG (Digoxigenin). The labeled products were then hybridized with the pre-prepared chip with an anchored specific probe. After the washing procedure an antibody against DIG conjugated with alkaline phosphates enzyme was used. After the second washing procedure the BCIP/NBT substrate was used and development of color was interpreted as positive while the negative samples developed no color. Results: 35 sera samples from different stages of HIV infection (AIDS, Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Infection) as well as 20 confirmed negative sera samples were collected and checked with the developed assay. All the positive samples developed reaction while the negative samples had no reaction. Conclusion: In the current study the developed assay showed high sensitivity and specificity to detect HIV-1 infection. It seems that the viral genome could be detected prior to antibody appearance and hence the window period could be shortened. Also the assay could be used to detect infection in new borns from infected mothers, because the maternal antibody could pass the placenta and antibody based assay have false positive results. Because of the high sensitivity, the developed assay could also detect infection in very low viral load conditions.

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Objective: Despite sensitive antibody based blood donor screening, infection can be transmitted during window period. Therefore sensetive methods bosed on nucleic acid tests (NATs) have been considered. The aim of this project was to design a more sensitive method for detection of PCR products and diagnosis of HIV-1/HCV co-infection accurately. Materials and Methods: After designing specific primers and probes, the Multiplex RT-PCR method was optimized and the PCR products were labeled with Digoxigenin. The PCR product was denatured under alkaline condition and was hybridized with the specific probe that had a biotin at 5' end, and then was added to streptavidin coated wells. After washing an antibody against DIG, conjugated with alkaline phosphates enzyme was used, following second washing, the substrate (ABTS) solution was added to each reaction well. Development of green color shows the positive where as no color shows negative results. Results: 35 samples were tested with the developed method including 27 positive samples, 8 confirmed negative and 4 standard panels. False negative or positive reactions were not observed. Conclusion: This method had acceptable sensitivity and specificity for detecting HCV and HIV-1 infections during window period, also the method can be quantified which can be used for the flow-up and treatment of patients. In addition to the very high sensetivity of the test, it is cost effective and takes less time to performe.

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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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The European Corn Borer (ECB) is one of the most important insect pests of corn and some other crops such as rice in Iran. This pest is one of the most important hosts of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, a well known fungal entomopathogen with high host range and considerable potential in insect pest control. In an isolate selection program of fungal isolates against ECB, ten isolates consisting of eight isolates from Iran and two from other countries were assayed using the dipping method on third instar larvae of ECB. Inoculum concentrations were 104, 105, 106, 107, and 108 conidia ml-1. For each concentration, 30 larvae were dipped into the conidial suspension for 30 secends. Control larvae were treated with distilled water containing 0.03 percent Tween-80 as surfactant. Each experiment was repeated three times. Results showed that BEH isolate which was isolated from the soil of insects living in the field, caused the highest mortality in larvae in comparison with other isolates with a mean of 57.67 percent mortality using 108 conidia ml-1. Other isolates, such as DEBI007 and EVIN I, were scored in the lower position with producing 53.43 and 42.67 percent mortality, respectively. EVIN II, DEBI002, and DEBI008 caused the lowest mortality in assayed larvae. A decrease in larval feeding was detectable a few days before death. Possible causes for the low mortality in isolates are discussed.

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Urmia lake is located in the north-west of Iran and is recognized in the world as a largest habitat for Artemia. The last decade drought episodes and recent dam construction programs have simultaneously caused more evaporation of the lake water and thus considerable variations of water surface levels. The main aim of the present study was to map of Urmia lake water surface changes on a seasonal, periodical and over long-term scales. For this purpose, some different types of multi-scanner, spectral and temporal images (MSS, TM, ETM+, IRS-1C, MODIS and TOPEX/Jason data observing from 1976 to 2005) were processed to generate most of the thematic models in spatial and temporal contexts. First, to choose a number of referred images captured, some ground-based observation data and the obtained information from TOPEX/Jason satellites were analyzed. Then based on the available archived imageries, all the multi-date satellite data were chosen and progressively geo-referenced and then geo-rectified by ERDAS Imagine software package based on the reference ground control points. Subsequently, all the time series images were analyzed to derive some pre-defined segmented Classes such as water surface categories and shorelines changes. The revealed models demonstrated several seasonal persuaded fluctuations and considerable periodical change on the Urmia Lake coastlines particulaarly during the last decade. These great variations have occurred as the result of 3.5 meters decrease in the height of water in the lake and about 23 percent decreasing of water surface during the past 30 years. This has successively caused a diminishing of shorelines particularly on the southeast and east coasts of the Urmia Lake, changing landcover and landuse types by depletion of significant wetlands. Implementation of such significant changes illustrated that the majority of local biotic and biotic components all over the surrounding areas and inner islands, would be in crucial threat in the near future.

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Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of virtual Doughnut educational rounds on learning levels and satisfaction among nursing students in the operating room setting.
Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design involved 70 undergraduate nursing students specializing in operating room practices, selected through a census approach. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups: one receiving instruction via online lectures and the other through virtual Doughnut educational rounds. The educational material was delivered to the first group using the virtual Doughnut round method and to the second group through online lectures. Data were gathered and analyzed using SPSS software version 19, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of covariance, and the Mann-Whitney test.
Findings: The pre-test scores did not show a statistically significant difference between students taught by online lectures and those taught by virtual Doughnut educational rounds (p-value=0.538). However, t-test analysis indicated that the Doughnut round method was more effective than traditional lectures, with students showing significantly greater satisfaction with the Doughnut round approach (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The virtual Doughnut round method is more effective than traditional lectures for teaching operating room nursing students, particularly those in their senior year.
 

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 The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of enterococci isolated from traditional Lighvan cheese on the quality of Iranian UF white during ripening. Four samples of cheese were provided from four different cheese production units in Lighvan region. Strains of enterococci in these samples were isolated by standard microbiological methods and selective medium of Kanamycin Esclin Azide Agar and then identified by biochemical methods. In the second stage of research, the effect of adding isolated enterococci in traditional Lighvan cheese on the quality of Iranian UF white cheese was investigated in a 60-day period. Addition of Enterococcus spp. did not significantly (P> 0.01) affect the pH and percentage of pH 4.6-Soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen. In the cheese produced with E. faecalis and E. faecium strains, lipolysis rate was higher and flavor properties were improved. Moreover, results of measuring percentage of soluble nitrogen at pH 4.6 and urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated an increase in proteolysis rate in the cheese containing E. faecalis and E. faecium strains compared to the control cheese. Furthermore, the highest percentage of non- protein nitrogen was observed in the cheese containing E. faecium. In conclusion, the results showed the positive effect of the E. faecalis and E. faecium on secondary proteolysis during ripening. The proteolytic activity displayed by some enterococcal strains may contribute to cheese ripening and flavor development. Because of these interesting metabolic traits, enterococci have been proposed as part of defined starter culture combination for UF white cheeses.

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Nowadays, optimization is becoming one of the most important techniques in engineering and industry to provide competing products in design and manufacturing. Therefore, it is a necessity to search for optimum designs with productibility. In aerospace industry reducing weight and improving reliability of the products are major concerns. As regards the gearbox is one of the most important parts in the helicopter propulsion system, these objects should be more considered. However, most of the existing designs consider only one object, hence, it is vital to implement optimization techniques to include different objectives to improve the existing designs and provide optimum products. In this paper, optimum design parameters including module and face width of gears for the main gearbox of Sikorsky ASH-3D helicopter have been determined (modified) using single and multi-objective mixed discrete- continuous optimization method to minimize weight of the gearbox, increase the safety factor and reduce the difference between safety factors of different gears. The results show that the weight of the gears can be reduced by 27.24% comparing with the existing gearbox. The results of the multiobjective optimization have also been presented as Pareto front diagram wich can be used by the manufacturers to satisfy the prefered requiments.

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Creep behavior of butt-welded joints in pressurized steel pipes operating at high temperature is one of the major concerns in industry. The creep behavior of 1.25Cr0.5Mo weldment has been investigated in this paper. Three different layers: Base Metal (BM), Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) and Weld Metal (WM) have been considered and the creep behavior of each layer has been modeled using constitutive equations. Constitutive parameters have been determined using the results of uniaxial constant load creep tests. A numerical approach based on least square method has been used to calculate optimum values of the constitutive parameters. The results have been compared with those provided in the literature for different alloys and good agreement has been observed. Creep tests have been carried out at 30, 35, 40 and 50 MPa and temperature levels of 670, 700, 725, 750 and 800 °C. Specimens have been machined out from Base and Weld Metal. Since machining specimens with appropriate size from HAZ is impossible, a method is proposed to obtain constitutive parameters for this layer. This method is validated by comparing the constitutive parameters which have been calculated for WM with those obtained using creep tests. Micrographical and microhardness tests show that there are significant differences in the microstructure of the layers. Consequently, the creep behavior of layers is different. The results show that steady state creep strain rate for WM is higher than the rates for BM and HAZ; also at low stress levels, creep strain rate of HAZ is larger than BM.

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