Isfahan University Of Technology Research Articles

Effects of melatonin foliar application on hot pepper growth and stress tolerance

PurposeDrought and waterlogging are one of the most severe abiotic stresses towards plant growth and development. The experiment was implemented in the Isfahan University of Technology's research greenhouse to examine the effect of melatonin foliar spraying in hot pepper plants under waterlogging and drought stresses. MethodsThis factorial experiment was performed as a complete randomized design (CRD) in triplicate. The treatments included controls, waterlogging, drought stress, and melatonin foliar spraying at 0 and 500 µM concentrations. ResultsThe results demonstrated that the foliar melatonin spraying was more advantageous under drought and waterlogging stress conditions via increasing ammonium content, NR (nitrate reductase activity), chlorophyll content, proline, protein, transpiration, shoot length, root water content, amino acid alterations, and PIP gene expression. ConclusionsMelatonin influenced the hot pepper's growth by affecting enzyme activity NR hormonal changes (ABA), amino acid changes, and PIP gene expression.

Designing an Effective Training and Internship Model in the University Curriculum from the Perspective of Faculty Members

Considering the importance and role of training and internship courses in empowering students and graduates, the present study was conducted with the aim of designing an effective training and internship model in the curriculum. The research method was qualitative and the participants included faculty members of University of Tehran, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Isfahan University of Technology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Yazd, Mazandaran University, Valiasr University of Rafsanjan, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Sirjan University of Technology and Shiraz University, who have presented at least one internship course. Validity and reliability of the interview questions were confirmed by experts. After analyzing 30 interviews, the researchers could have limited themselves to the same number of interviews according to the principle of theoretical saturation, but since the variety of academic fields and universities was considerable, the interviews continued up to 80 people on a quota basis. By analyzing the interviews, the current status of the implementation of these courses showed that, according to faculty members, internships are not implemented effectively and 8 components of time, personal problems, organizational structure and organization, lack of allocation of necessary and sufficient resources, lack of proper understanding of the program by individuals, lack of commitment of individuals and organizations, lack of proper evaluation and monitoring system and lack of inter-organizational and interpersonal communication system were as the main obstacles to effective implementation of these courses. Considering that the main problem in the lack of effective implementation of internship courses is the lack of proper and sufficient coordination and communication between the circles of organizations (Ministries, university and work environments) and the circles of individuals (Faculty members, supervisor of internship center and student) with each other, a model was designed based on which it is appropriate to form minimum interactions between faculty member and student in training and internship courses, and the main emphasis should be on creating communication circles.

Corrigendum

Journal of Applied IchthyologyVolume 38, Issue 6 p. 625-625 CORRIGENDUMFree Access Corrigendum This article corrects the following: Length-weight and length–length relationships of three algae-scraping cyprinid species from Iran Mohammad Sadegh Alavi-Yeganeh, Somayeh Razavi, Jaber Aazami, Mohammad Nemati Varnosfaderany, Morteza Kamali, Volume 34Issue 5Journal of Applied Ichthyology pages: 1241-1243 First Published online: July 14, 2018 First published: 12 November 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/jai.14360AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Alavi-Yeganeh, M., Razavi, S., Aazami, J, Nemati Varnosfaderany, M., Kamali, M. 2018. Length-weight and length–length relationships of three algae-scraping cyprinid species from Iran. In the above paper, the affiliation for the co-author (Nemati Varnosfaderany) has been updated to Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84,156–83,111, Iran. REFERENCE Alavi-Yeganeh, M., Razavi, S., Aazami, J., Nemati Varnosfaderany, M., & Kamali, M. (2018). Length-weight and length–length relationships of three algae-scraping cyprinid species from Iran. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 34, 1241– 1243. Volume38, Issue6November 2022Pages 625-625 ReferencesRelatedInformation

The Impact of Faculty Members’ International Collaboration on the Centrality Measure of their Local Collaboration Network: The Case of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Selected Iranian Universities

The importance of scientific collaborations is mainly because of the professional learning obtained from the formation of research connections. Each researcher brings a feature and advantage to the research team, such as mastering a particular topic and its subdivisions or improving team thinking. The importance of collaboration is doubled when researchers collaborate at the international level, resulting in access to up-to-date resources and equipment, consequently increasing the quantity, quality, and impact of research activities. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of international collaboration of faculty members on the centrality of the university network collaborations, which measures how much a scientist is at the center of a local collaboration network. The data is taken from faculty members’ publications in the electrical and computer engineering departments of the selected Iranian universities (the Isfahan University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, University of Tehran, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, and the Sharif University of Technology). Using multiple linear regression, the results show a twofold effect: The significant positive effect of having international collaboration on the centrality degree of scientists’ network and the significant negative effect of the international collaborations over the total collaborations ratio on the centrality degree. This means that international collaborations of faculty members per se put them at the center of the university network. However, this positive effect turns negative if its weight is dominant compared to all publications. The finding highlights the importance of a balance between international and local collaborations.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Earth Science Research, Vol. 11, No. 1

Earth Science Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated.
 
 Earth Science Research is recruiting reviewers for the journal. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, we welcome you to join us. Please contact us for the application form at: esr@ccsenet.org.
 
 Reviewers for Volume 11, Number 1
 
 Ahmet KARAKAŞ, Kocaeli University, Turkey
 
 Angelo Paone, Pusan National University, Italy
 
 Ann Godelieve Wellens, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico
 
 Fehmi ARIKAN, General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration Company, Turkey
 
 Kaveh Ostad-Ali-Askari, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran
 
 Pedram MASOUDI, Geovariances, France
 
 Saumitra Misra, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Effect of plant growth regulators on two different types of eggplant flowers regarding style length and fruit setting

Aim of study: (i) to explore differences between eggplant flowers capable of setting fruit including long (LGs) and medium style flowers (MEs) and those which suffer from severe problems with fertility and fruit setting including short style ones (SRTs); (ii) to study the effect of plant growth regulators on floral morphology and fruit setting.
 Area of study: Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran, 2017 and 2018.
 Material and methods: First the floral morphology and initial fruit setting of 13 eggplant genotypes from Iran were investigated. Then the differences between LGs and SRTs of two genotypes were explored. Finally, the effect of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and spermidine (Spd) on floral morphology and initial and final fruit setting of these two genotypes was determined.
 Main results: Results showed SRTs were not capable of fruit setting. Compared to SRTs, LGs had larger central canals, higher protein, total sugar, reducing sugar and K concentrations, as well as longer polar axis and pollen tubes and greater pollen viability. Although 1.5 mM Spd and 20 mg L-1 NAA resulted in increasing of LGs and MEs, and also total initial fruit set, surprisingly, no significant differences were observed in the final yield and final fruit set between the control and these treatments.
 Researching highlights: Since the rate of fruit dropping was higher in those treatments compared to the control, plants with more SRTs likely regulate their final load by abscising their flowers, and plants with more LGs regulate them by abscising their fruits.

Isfahan University of Technology (IUT): Towards a Green Campus Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development Initiatives at IUT

Today, many universities are trying to move towards sustainability by observing the principles of environment and green management. In this regard, the issue of green university has been considered by many countries in recent years, and many efforts have been made to join (UIGWURN (UI GreenMetric World University Rankings Network)). Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), as one of the top higher education universities in Iran, has taken fundamental steps to implement "Green Management" and has achieved honors in this regard. Some of the measures taken are extensive educational and research activities in the field of environment as well as executive measures for the university campus, including Xeriscaping, energy efficiency, clean energy use, water consumption management, waste and wastewater management, green buildings, and transportation. The implementation of these measures has led to significant results in reducing water and energy consumption, reduction of all types of pollutions following the use of clean energy, as well as saving consumption costs.

The Effect of Bleach Liquid and Household Cleaner on Surface Hardness and Roughness of Acrylic Base of Orthodontic Appliances

Introduction: The daily use of orthodontic removable plates can interfere with the self-cleansing function of the mouth. Although various techniques have been proposed for cleaning removable orthodontic appliances, there is no consensus on the use of a safe method that preserves the physical properties of the appliance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of using hydrochloric acid (10%, for removal of mineral deposits) and sodium hypochlorite (5.25%, to remove organic matter and discolorations) on surface hardness and roughness of self-cure orthodontic acrylic resins.
 Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional laboratory study was conducted in the fall of 2017 at Isfahan University of Medical science and Isfahan University of Technology. In this study two orthodontic acrylic resins (Orthocryl® and Acropars®) were used. Eighty samples (12×10×3 mm) from each one were fabricated and divided into four groups (n = 20). Group 1: 15 minutes immersion in household cleaner liquid (Hydrochloric acid, 10%) followed by15 minutes immersion in household bleach liquid (Sodium Hypochlorite, 5.25%). In group 2, immersions were repeated just like group two times and in group 3, were done three times. Group 4 was as control and had no immersion. The surface hardness and roughness of samples were measured. Data were analyzed with Two Way ANOVA and the significance level was set at 0.05.
 Results: The number of immersion procedures did not significantly affect the surface hardness (p value = 0.958) and surface roughness (p value = 0.657) in the different study groups. There was no significant difference in the surface hardness between the two acrylic resin brands (p value = 0.077); however, Acropars acrylic resin samples exhibited significantly higher surface roughness compared to the Orthocryl acrylic resin samples(p value < 0.001).
 Conclusion: 15 minutes of immersion in 10% HCl, followed by 15 minutes of immersion in 5.25% NaOCl and repetition of the procedure three times did not significantly affect the surface hardness and roughness of self-cured acrylic resins.

Foliar application of potassium to improve the freezing tolerance of olive leaves by increasing some osmolite compounds and antioxidant activity

Freezing damage is an important factor that limits olive production. The main aim of the present research was to investigate the possible impacts of the foliar application of potassium sulphate (K; K2SO4; 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 %) fertilization on the freezing tolerance (FT). Further, this research evaluated some physiological and biochemical changes of ‘Rashid’ olive (Olea europaea L.) at six sampling dates; these included November, December, January, February, April, and July. For this purpose, K was sprayed three times at 1-week intervals starting on 22 August 2016, on 16-year-old olives that had been located in a research orchard at Isfahan University of Technology (Iran), based on randomized complete block design. The results revealed that the effect of K sprays on the olives FT was significant at six stages of sampling. This was such that the highest (LT50 = −11.17 °C) and lowest FT (LT50 = −6.98 °C) was recorded in 2.0 % K-treated and control untreated olives during January, respectively. In addition, K application, particularly at 2.0 %, led to high increases of carbohydrate, proline, protein and total phenol concentration, antioxidant enzyme activity and DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging capacity, as well as the ratio between unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids (UFA/SFA). It could be concluded that the foliar application of K could contribute to enhancing the olives FT by changing UFA/SFA ratio, in addition to the changes in other metabolites, like the accumulation of soluble carbohydrate, proline, protein, total phenol content and activation of the antioxidant system.

Preface

We are glad to introduce you that the 2020 International Conference on Sustainable Development and Environmental Science (ICSDES2020), supported by AEIC Academic Exchange Information Center, was successfully held on June 19, 2020. Although the world is still affected by COVID-19 and many cities are still under travel restriction, with the aim to fulfill the enthusiasm of experts to participate in this conference, ICSDES2020 continued to be carried out in the format of virtual conference. Online ICSDES2020 provided a flexible platform for experts and scholars in the field of sustainable development and environmental science to share the state-of-the-art research achievement, discuss the latest industrial trends, and promote the academic cooperation.We are honored to have invited Prof. Dr. Jizhong Zhu from South China University of Technology and Prof. Saeid Eslamian from Isfahan University of Technology as the Honorary Chairs of the conference.The conference model was divided into three sessions. The first part is oral presentations, in which each author was given 5-10 minutes to briefly deliver their oral talks via online collaboration tool, Zoom. Then in the second session of this conference, we invited three distinguished experts to present their keynote speeches. During this part, each keynote speaker was allocated 30-45 minutes to perform their talks through Zoom. Dr. Sagnik Chakraborty, an excellent expert in Jiangsu University, talked about the recent challenges/bottlenecks of desalination, while Asso. Prof. Cenk SEVÍM from AERO Wind Industry Inc. shed some lights on the trends of Global Energy Policy. Last but not least, Prof. Saeid Eslamian, our Honorary Chair, discussed Sustainable Water Management using Atmospheric Water Harvesting. These three experts’ profound presentations triggered heated discussion among the participants. Therefore, in the third part of the conference, we created an online WeChat communication group for them to conduct Q&A after the presentations. The WeChat discussion lasted for about 30 minutes. Every participant praised this conference for disseminating useful and insightful knowledge.Now please allow us to present you the proceedings of ICSDES2020, which were compiled from the rigid selection of the high-quality papers submitted to this conference. The topics of interest for the proceedings include but are not limited to: 1. Sustainable development and green technology, 2. Environmental pollution, as well as its prevention and control, 3. Energy and environmental systems, 4. Environmental planning and management, 5. Renewable and clean energy, and other topics related to environment and ecology. We assure that all papers have been through rigorous review and process to meet the requirements of International publication standard.We would like to sincerely thank the Chairman, the distinguished keynote speakers, as well as all the audiences. Without the assistance of every participant, this conference wouldn’t be a great success. We hope the readers could enjoy and find some useful knowledge in the proceedings. We are also expecting more and more experts and scholars from all over the world to join this international event next year.The Organizing Committee of ICSDES2020Committee members are available in the pdf.

Are Foils the Future of Anodes?

Download : Download high-res image (114KB) Download : Download full-size image Steven T. Boles currently holds the position of associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He obtained his B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in materials science and engineering. In 2010 he was awarded a Humboldt Research Fellowship to conduct in situ and operando research on lithium-ion battery anodes at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology . Since 2014, he has been leading an interdisciplinary research team at PolyU that explores new materials for electrochemical energy storage devices, energy infrastructure, and high-efficiency electronic devices. Download : Download high-res image (67KB) Download : Download full-size image Mohammad H. Tahmasebi is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University. He obtained his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in materials engineering from Isfahan University of Technology. During his Ph.D., he joined the Polytechnic University of Milan to conduct his Ph.D. research project on electrode materials for pseudocapacitors. After graduation in 2016, he joined Dr. Steven Boles’s group as a postdoctoral fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he was working on aluminum-based anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. He also worked as a visiting postdoctoral fellow (DAAD fellowship) in the Institute for Applied Materials at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

The effects of pine wood vinegar on the germination, growth and photosynthetic characteristics of cucumber

Wood vinegar is a substance, derived from cooling black carbon fire, which could be used instead of chemical materials in the agriculture industry as an organic compound. In order to study the effectiveness of pine wood vinegar on physiological and photosynthesis traits of cucumber, two experiments were conducted based on a completely randomized design with six treatments including 0, 1250, 2000, 2500, 3333 and 5000 mgL-1 of wood vinegar with four replications. The first experiment was designed in the laboratory in order to study the effect of pine wood vinegar priming on cucumber seeds and the second one was conducted in a greenhouse condition to investigate the effect of wood vinegar on seedlings of cucumber in Isfahan University of Technology. The highest flower number and yield in cucumber was observed in 2500 mgL-1 pine wood vinegar trearment. Photosynthesis in cucumber increased in 2000 mgL-1 pine wood vinegar trearment. The lowest transpiration in cucumber was 1.54 mmolm–2s–1 in 2000 mgL-1 pine wood vinegar treatment. 1250 mgL-1 wood vinegar treatment increased germination percentage and speeded up the germination process compare to control. The highest root length, volume and surface were observed at 1250 mgL-1 treatment. The concentration of nitrogen (5.5% DW) in the treatment of 3333 mgL-1 Pine wood vinegar, the potassium concentration in the treatment of 5000 mgL-1 and calcium and iron concentrattions in the treatment of 1250 mgL-1 were at the highest levels compared to other treatments. The highest amount of chlorophyll and photosynthesis was observed at 2000 mgL-1 treatment. The wood vinegar with 2500 mgL-1 pine wood vinegar concentration showed the highest flower and fruit yield in cucumber, but the best quality of fruit was produced by 2000 mgL-1 treatment.

Genetic diversity of Iranian Chrysanthemum morifolium cultivars using morphological traits and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers

Knowledge of genetic diversity and relatedness of cultivars; is essential for a successful breeding scheme. The present study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity of 30 Iranian Chrysanthemum morifolium cultivars using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) molecular markers and morphological traits. For this purpose, 30 cultivars were planted in a completely randomized block design with three replications at the Research Farm of Isfahan University of Technology in 2015. The evaluation of morphological traits during the two consecutive years showed a wide range of variations among different cultivars. The results obtained by the analysis of variance also revealed the significant effects of cultivar, environment and cultivar × environment interaction on all studied traits. Correlation analysis of variables further showed that flowering durability was affected by plant morphology. Results of cluster analysis based on the phenotypic data divided the cultivars into six groups. Molecular analysis using SRAP markers produced a total of 213 identifiable fragments with an average of 21.3 polymorphic bands per combination. The polymorphic information content (PIC) value was 0.46. Along with the Bayesian structure analysis which showed that the highest value of the maximum delta log likelihood (ΔK) was K = 3, cluster analysis also grouped the cultivars into three main clusters. The high value of admixture revealed ancestral relationships between the studied cultivars. Overall, our findings revealed the potential of SRAP markers and morphological traits for the analysis of genetic diversity in Chrysanthemum. This can be, in turn, used in selecting the desired parents in the hybrid breeding programs as well as developing superior cultivars for ornamental applications.

Experimental and analytical study on CFRP strips-to-concrete bonded joints using EBROG method

Retrofitting of reinforced concrete (RC) members with fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) by means of Externally Bonded Reinforcement On Groove (EBROG) method was confirmed as a brilliant substitute to conventional method of externally bonded reinforcement (EBR). However, efficiency of EBROG method on improving bond properties of pre-cured strips with high fiber content and high load carrying capacity has not been studied before.In this research, a set of 10 single lap-shear tests were carried out to assess the behavior of FRP-to-concrete bonded joints. Pre-cured CFRP strips were bonded to concrete using EBR and EBROG methods. Full-field displacement measurements were carried out through a 2D digital image correlation system, DIC. All tests were carried out at the Isfahan University of Technology in Iran. In addition, analytical modeling was conducted for the first time to obtain bond shear stress-slip behavior for EBROG methods. Based on experimental results, bond resistance in EBROG system increased considerably compared to EBR. For instance, EBROG method with two 5 × 5 mm (width × depth) grooves led to more than 90% increase in bond capacity, in comparison to EBR method. Furthermore, debonding in concrete substrate was eliminated when EBROG method was used. Cohesion failure in adhesive accompanied with FRP delamination was observed as the dominant failure mode. Analytical results revealed that bond shear stress resistance increased in EBROG joints compared to EBR ones. Moreover, the effective bond length increased in EBROG method when CFRP strips were utilized. Interfacial shear stresses, therefore, transferred to the concrete substrate through a larger bond area. So, the specimen resisted higher anchorage load and larger slip, and debonding was postponed.

Effect of boost pressure on the in-cylinder tumble- motion of GDI engine under steady-state conditions using Stereoscopic-PIV

This paper experimentally investigates the effect of boost pressure on the in-cylinder flow field under steadystate conditions using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (Stereo-PIV) through increasing the pressure difference across the intake valves. The FEV steady-state flow bench was modified to provide an optical access into the cylinder region. The stereoscopic PIV measurements were carried out at various pressure differences viz., 300, 450, and 600 mmH2O across the intake valves of Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) head for the mid cylinder vertical tumble-plane. Ensemble average velocity vectors were used to characterize the tumble flow structure and for the calculation of tumble ratio and average turbulent kinetic energy. Moreover, the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) technique was conducted on the PIV measured velocity vector maps to identify the most energetic structures generated at different valve lifts and pressure differences. The results of stereoscopic PIV measurements showed that the overall in-cylinder flow structures were mainly dependent on the valve lift irrespective of the applied pressure difference. However, the level of the turbulence kinetic energy increased as the boost pressure increased. © 2018, Isfahan University of Technology.

Responses of Four Rice Varieties to Elevated CO2 and Different Salinity Levels

Abstract: This study was carried out in 2014 at Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, to evaluate the responses of four rice varieties (Neda, Deylamani, Shiroudi and Domsorkh) to ambient (360 ± 50 μmol/mol) and elevated (700 ± 50 μmol/mol) air carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations under four salinity levels (0, 30, 60 and 90 mmol/L NaCl). There was significant variation among rice varieties in response to elevated CO2 concentration under the four salinity levels. Under non-saline condition, elevated CO2 increased the dry weight of Neda, Deylamani and Domsorkh by 8%, 50% and 8%, respectively, but reversely decreased that of Shiroudi by 34%. Increasing CO2 concentration significantly reduced the negative effects of salinity on Shiroudi, but these effects were even increased in Deylamani and Domsorkh under all the salinity levels and in Neda only under 30 and 60 mmol/L NaCl. Significant correlations were established between plant dry weight, SPAD value and leaf area under both CO2 levels. However, this trend was observed only at ambient CO2 concentration in the presence of soluble carbohydrates. The results revealed the genotype and salinity dependence of the effects of CO2 concentrations on the rice traits investigated.

Identifying the Talent Management Components of Faculty Members

Background Since employing talent management as a system to identify, recruit, train, promote, and retain talented faculty members to optimize the capabilities of the university to achieve goals seems necessary, the current study aimed to identify the talent management components of faculty members. Methods This qualitative study was conducted on the directors and faculty members of Isfahan University, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, and Isfahan University of Technology, Iran. A purposive sampling method was used and semi-structured interviews conducted to collect data. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and transferred to a computer using MAXQDA software. Following this, the data were coded, categorized, and interpreted, and then analyzed using a content analysis method. Results After interviewing 18 university directors and faculty members, data pooling, data saturation, and data replication were performed. Accordingly, 107 codes were extracted from the obtained data and categorized into seven major classes. These were Defining and identifying talent needs, discovering talent sources, Attracting talents, Developing the potential abilities of talents, Strategically deploying talents, Retaining talents, and evaluation and alignment of talent management activities. Conclusions Based on the results, 7 main classes and 20 subclasses of talent management components of faculty members were identified. These components are provided in a conceptual model. The evaluation and alignment of talent management activities are the main factors supporting talent management. Furthermore, dynamic coherence and integrity in identifying, discovering, attracting, developing, retaining, and effectively using talent, and the alignment of such features with the general strategy of the university were considered the strengths of the suggested conceptual model.

Comparative study of terminating conversation strategies used by graduate TEFL students and graduate native English speaking students

In every interaction everyone needs to use strategies to terminate the conversation and there are possible differences among people. This study had insight to terminate the conversation and the way graduate native English-speaking students and graduate TEFL students end their conversation and what strategies they use in ending their conversation. This study also examined the role of power and solidarity in ending conversations as well as the role of gender in the use of those strategies. To collect the data, 50 graduate TEFL students were randomly selected from Islamic Azad University of Najafabad, Isfahan University of Technology and Islamic Azad University of Khorasgan as well as 27 graduate native English-speaking were randomly selected from UCL University and Kings College University of London. Students were asked to complete a discourse completion test (DCT) designed by the researcher. They were supposed to read nine scenarios and reply the questions. The data was analyzed based on Liddicoats’ (2007) taxonomy. The results revealed that graduate native English-speaking used announcing closure and arrangements more than graduate TEFL students before terminating their conversation, male and female students use these strategies for terminating the same. Also the result showed that power (especially for higher status) plays an important role in choosing these strategies.

Identifying and investigating exercise activity on the factors of physical fitness and well-being of the staff at the Isfahan University of Technology

Objective: The results of the conducted studies investigating the prevalence of machinery life and increase of cardiovascular diseases imply that motor poverty and especially low aerobic power and increase in blood fat are among primary risk factors in cardiovascular diseases. To prevent these discomforts, doing regular physical and exercise activities are recommended; hence, people's participation in physical activities and their awareness of physical status and well-being factors, especially blood fat and cardiovascular profile are of utmost importance. The general purpose of this study, besides awareness of the participants' physical well-being, is to investigate the effect of exercise activities on physical fitness and blood fat profile in the staff of Isfahan University of Technology. Methods: A semi-experimental method with clinical experiments was used in this research, and the effect of 8 weeks of 45–50-min sessions of exercise, twice a week, and on the staff's physical performance was investigated. An experimental and a control group were randomly selected from volunteer male staff. The research variables were measured from the participants, and the results were addressed through SPSS software and statistical formulas and considering research hypotheses regarding the degree of variable changes. Results: The results of this study showed that comparing the degree of changes of the variables of body weight, body mass index, 1600-meter race, sit-ups 94-meter race, Swedish swimming, and blood cholesterol was significantly changed at P

Automatic extraction of geometrical characteristics hidden in ground-penetrating radar sectional images using simultaneous perturbation artificial bee colony algorithm

Ground-penetrating radar is one of the most effective methods of detecting shallow buried objects. Ground-penetrating radar radargram is a vertical map of the radar pulse reflections that returns from subsurface objects, and in the case of cylindrical objects, it would be a hyperbola. In order to get clear and accurate information on the presence, location, and geometry of the buried objects, the radargrams need to be interpreted. Interpretation of the results is a time-consuming task and needs an expert with vast knowledge. Development of an automatic interpretation method of B-scan ground-penetrating radar images would be an effective and efficient solution to this problem. A novel automatic interpretation method of ground-penetrating radar images, based on simultaneous perturbation artificial bee colony algorithm using tournament selection strategy, simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation method, and new search equations, is introduced in this paper. The proposed algorithm is used to extract geometrical parameters, i.e. depth, location, and radius, of buried cylindrical objects in order to assess its accuracy. Synthetic data, simulated using GprMax2D forward modelling program, and real data, surveyed in the campus of Isfahan University of Technology, are used in the assessment. The performance of the proposed method in detecting synthetic hyperbolas is compared with that of the original artificial bee colony algorithm, genetic algorithm, and modified Hough transform. The results show superiority of the proposed algorithm, in detecting synthetic hyperbolas. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed method in estimating depth and radius of pipes in real ground-penetrating radar images is compared with that of the modified Hough transform. The results indicate higher accuracy of the proposed method in estimating geometrical parameters of the buried cylindrical objects.