Kurdistan Province Of Iran Research Articles

Hydrogen production via supercritical water gasification of almond shell over algal and agricultural hydrochars as catalysts

Almond shell is one of the most abundant agricultural wastes in Kurdistan province of Iran. Conversion of almond shell into hydrogen-rich gas via supercritical water gasification (SCWG) was investigated in this study using a tubular batch micro-reactor system. Non-catalytic tests were carried out in different conditions to determine the optimum condition for H2 production. Maximum hydrogen yield of 7.85 mmol/g, was observed in the temperature of 460 °C, residence time (RT) of 10 min and feed/water ratio (F/W) of 0.01. Catalytic experiments were performed using hydrochars as solid residues remained after SCWG of Cladophora glomerata (C. glomerata) macroalgae and wheat straw. Hydrochars were characterized by ICP-OES, FESEM and BET methods. For catalytic experiments, hydrochars were added to the almond shell by the weight ratio of 0.4. Conversion of almond shell and hydrogen production, were more influenced by the presence of inorganic compounds in the hydrochars rather than the surface area and pore volume. The maximum hydrogen yields of 10.77 and 11.63 mmol/g, were observed for catalytic experiments in the presence of wheat straw and C. glomerata hydrochars, respectively.

Forest losses and gains in Kurdistan province, western Iran: Where do we stand?

Zagros forests in Kurdistan province of Iran are important habitats for many species including Persian squirrel. In the past few decades, human activities such as clear cutting and agriculture have reduced the quality and quantity of these forests. The current study used Landsat Thematic Mapper images from years 1987, 2000, 2010 and 2015 to map and monitor changes in the forest extent and density in the region. Radiometric, geometric and topographic corrections were applied to the satellite images. For supervised classification training signatures for different classes were established. Training sites were evaluated for possible discrimination of each class using transformed divergence method. The maximum likelihood algorithm was used for supervised classification and post-classification method was used to detect changes over a period of 28years. The final map of land covers consisted of seven classes including barren land, agriculture, dense forest, semi-dense forest, mixed of sparse forest and rangeland, wetland plant, and water bodies. The results of change detection showed an increase in the amount of forests in this period of time, however, 3083.8hectares of dense forests, which is one of the most important areas for wildlife such as the Persian squirrel, has reduced. This information can be used by natural resource managers and it is prerequisite for further ecological studies on wildlife species in the region.

Studying the Relationship between Sports Directors Familiarity with Sports Rights Concepts and Risk Management Behaviors

The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship of sports directors’ familiarity with sports rights concepts and risk management behaviors at Kurdistan province in Iran. The methodology of this research is descriptive survey. The research statistical society consisted 255 members of all directors at Kurdistan Sport domain. The sampling method was simple random and for determining the sample volume 150 sport directors’ managers of Kurdistan province, using Morgan table, were selected as the sample. Measuring tool was questionnaires of Thomas Irons about familiarity of managers and directors with sports rights and risk management. Its validity was confirmed by 10 experts and its stability was % 85 and % 89, in order. For theories analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used. The finding showed that there is relation between the familiarity of sports directors with sports rights concepts, supervision, medical issues, bystander and population control, transportation, safety and applied equipment to their schedule at Kurdistan province. P<0.05; but employment and upbringing, safety, applied equipment and facilities factors do not affect manager’s familiarity with sports rights P>0.05. Finally, it can be said that it seems risk management and sports rights require facilities and specific situations that rarely exist in the country’s organizations and institutions and while it is not the right condition it is not expected these behaviors would happen in a favorable way. The present research concluded valuable results about investigating the relationships of familiarity of sports directors of Kurdistan province, with sports rights concepts and risk management behaviors.

A Field Study of Plague and Tularemia in Rodents, Western Iran.

Kurdistan Province in Iran is a historical focus for plague and tularemia. This study aimed at assessing the current status of these two foci by studying their rodent reservoirs. Rodents were trapped and their ectoparasites were collected. The genus and species of both rodents and ectoparasites were determined. Serological analyses of rodent blood samples were done by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for plague and by standard tube agglutination assay for tularemia. Rodent spleen samples were subjected to bacterial culture, microscopic examination, and real-time PCR to search for active plague or tularemia infection. During this study, 245 rodents were trapped, of which the most abundant genera were Apodemus (40%), Mus (24.49%), and Meriones (12.65%). One hundred fifty-three fleas, 37 mites, and 54 ticks were collected on these rodents. The results of all direct and indirect tests were negative for plague. Serological tests were positive for tularemia in 4.8% of trapped rodents. This study is the first report on the presence of tularemia infection in rodents in Western Iran. Since Meriones persicus is a known reservoir for plague and tularemia, and this rodent carried plague and tularemia vectors in Marivan and Sanandaj districts, there is a real potential for the occurrence of these two diseases in this region.

Biological and molecular characterisation of Pilidium lythri , an emerging strawberry pathogen in Iran

Strawberry production is hampered by numerous biotic factors including fungal pathogens. Symptoms of dark brown necrotic lesions on fruits, stems and leaves were observed in a survey of strawberry fields in the Kurdistan province of Iran. Symptomatic plant tissues were collected and several fungal isolates were recovered from these tissues. Based on a combination of morphological characteristics and sequence data for ITS and LSU ribosomal DNA, the isolates were identified as Pilidium lythri (previously named P. concavum or Hainesia lythri ). A pathogenicity assay confirmed that all new isolates induced symptoms resembling those observed in the field, as well as two P. lythri isolates from olive included in the assay; no significant disease incidence or severity differences were detected between isolates. This is the first report of P. lythri on strawberry in Iran. Genetic diversity between Pilidium lythri isolates from strawberry (18 isolates) and olive (two isolates) was evaluated using RAPD and M13 markers. No polymorphism was detected within and among the isolates, indicating limited genetic variability probably due to lack of recombination events and/or recent introduction. Given recent outbreaks and the presence of the pathogen in most strawberry growing areas in the Kurdistan province, quickly applied and appropriate management programmes are necessary to prevent spread of the disease.

Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health

Female genital mutilation / cutting is a damaging traditional procedure, that affects the psychosomatic wellbeing of women and girls all over the world. It has short-term and long-term of psychological, sexual and physiological effects on women. The objective of current study was to measure the mental health of circumcised women and compare them with non-circumcised women in Kurdistan province of Iran. A total number of 208 married women (104 circumcised-women and 104 non-circumcised-women) those who referred to the healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services in Kurdistan province of Iran, were selected as the population of study. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was administered among the participants for data gathering. Gathered Data was analyzed using the soft-ware package of SPSS version 23 by utilizing independent t-test. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The findings indicated that there was a major difference in the term of mental well-being between two groups of circumcised and non-circumcised women. The study concluded that circumcised women lose the pleasure of their life as a consequence of female genital mutilation/ cutting. Awareness about mental and psychical status of circumcised women could help them to be prevented from FGM/C procedures.

The first positive serological study on rift valley fever in ruminants of Iran.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic vector-borne disease that primarily affects domestic animals but can also infect humans. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the presence of antibodies against RVF virus (RVFV) in ruminants, viz. cattle, sheep, and goats in Kurdistan Province of western Iran. Blood samples were collected from 288 ruminants (118 cattle, 142 sheep and 28 goats) of both sexes, under age groups ≤1, 1-3, 3-5 and ≥5 yr, from January 2016 to December 2016. Clinical symptoms and history of abortion were recorded. The presence of RVFV-specific antibodies was investigated by using ELISA (competitive) and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) after separation of serum. The results of two tests were positive for five (1.74%) of total 288 animals which included two cattle of 118 (1.7%), and three sheep of 142 (2.11%). The results of IIFA were correlated with the ELISA results. All animals were clinically normal. No significant relationship between the RVFV infection rate and the variable considered, i.e. season, animal's age or sex, and the species of the animal (p ≥ 0.05), although there were four seropositive animals in the age group 1-3 and five seropositive animals in the spring season. The results of the study revealed the presence of low-level RVFV circulation among the ruminants of Kurdistan Province in Iran indicating that they are at risk of exposure to the virus during their lifetime. Since the present study was the first serological study on RVF in Iran with positive results, further studies are suggested including other areas of Iran.

Identification of Species Composition of Fish in the Zarivar Lake (Kurdistan Province of Iran)

Zarivar Lake is a small, freshwater body in the far west of Iran, situated in the north Kurdistan Province close to the city of Marivan, with an area of about 750 ha and average water depth of 4 - 5 meters. During a survey of Zarivar Lake from 2010 to 2011, some specimens were obtained by seasonal sampling in 5 stations. They were used for gill net sampling in the lake. Due to the results, 6 species from 2 families in Zarivar Lake were identified. Most of the fish species belonged to Cyprinidae family. Totally, 6 species (Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Capoeta damascina, Chalcalburnus sp., Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Gambosia affinis) were identified from Cyprinidae and Poeciliidae families.

Economic inequalities amongst women with osteoporosis-related fractures: an application of concentration index decomposition.

Background: Considering the renewed emphasis on women’s health, attention to the new aspects of their health, such as equity, among different groups is warranted. The aim of this study was to investigate the economic inequalities among women with osteoporosis-related bone fractures (ORBFs) in Sanandaj, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, convenient sampling was employed to recruit 220 women with osteoporosis referring to the only rheumatology clinic in Sanandaj (the center of Kurdistan province in Iran) from January to April 2013. Main outcome was the history of fractures due to osteoporosis. Concentration index decomposition (CID) and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: In multivariate logistic analysis, the fourth and fifth quintiles of family economic status were found to be significantly associated with ORBFs. Risk difference and confidence interval (CI) for the relation between the history of bone fracture and family economic status was -0.115 (95% CI: -0.209, -0.021; P = 0.016), which reflected the higher prevalence of bone fractures among women with the lower economic levels. About 25% out of all ORBFs were happened among 20% of the women with low economic status. Conclusion: It was concluded that economic status plays an important role in happening ORBFs among underprivileged women. A reorientation on women’s health care services in Iran with a focus on underprivileged postmenopausal women seems to be necessary. There is a need for inter-sectoral coalition between the policymakers of the health system and those of other organizations to reduce the economic inequalities among osteoporotic women.

Gasification of Iranian walnut shell as a bio-renewable resource for hydrogen-rich gas production using supercritical water technology

Gasification in supercritical water (SCW) media is known as an efficient and promising technology for obtaining hydrogen-rich gas from dry and wet bio-renewable materials. Gasification of walnut shell as the main hard nutshell produced in Kurdistan Province of Iran was investigated using a stainless steel batch micro-reactor. Effects of reaction time in the range of 10–30 min, feed loading in the range of 0.06–0.18 g, and temperature in the range of 400–440 °C were investigated to determine the condition for maximum hydrogen yield. Furthermore, carbon gasification efficiency (CGE) and hydrogen gasification efficiency (HGE) were calculated according to the elemental analysis and the yields of gaseous products. Total gas yield and hydrogen yield were directly correlated with temperature. Steam reforming of walnut shell was favored at higher temperatures. Also, walnut shell loading was inversely correlated with total gas and hydrogen yields while production of methane was favored by higher loading of walnut shell. Furthermore, hydrogen yield increased first, when reaction time increased from 10 to 20 min, and then decreased. Maximum hydrogen yield of 4.63 mmol/g of walnut shell was obtained at 440 °C, walnut shell loading of 0.06 g and reaction time of 20 min.

Effect of female genital mutilation/cutting on sexual functions

BackgroundFemale Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) or female circumcision is the procedure of eliminating some or all parts of the external female genitalia. FGM/C is carried out by traditional circumcisers. They usually use cutting tools like a blade or straight-razor. Although FGM/C is well described in the African continent and some Arabic countries, data from Iran are scarce. ObjectivesThe major objective of this current study was to investigate the effects of FGM/C on the female sexual function of married women compared to the non-circumcised women in the Kurdistan province of Iran. MethodsA case-control study was conducted in a sample of 280 married women (140 circumcised-women and 140 non-circumcised-women) who referred to the healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services. Participants were requested to complete the Persian-translated version of the Female Sexual Function Index. Main outcome measuresThe total score of the FSFI and its individual domains. ResultsOf the circumcised women, 51.4% reported circumcision procedures before the age of 3 years. Religion motivation (53.6%) was mentioned as the most important factor for the family leading to FGM/C. Almost all operations were performed by traditional circumcisers. Non-circumcised women had significantly higher Persian-FSFI total score (25.3 ± 4.34) compared to the circumcised women (17.9 ± 5.39). ConclusionSexual function in women with FGM/C is adversely altered. In Kurdistan province women, FGM/C is associated with reduction of scores of Persian-FSFI on all domain scores. Education in general and informing the people that FGM/C is not a religious Hadith certainly would have a great impact on the suffering of the women from FGM/C as well as the level of “desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain in the sexual function of women”.

Isolation and identification of entomopathogenic nematodes and their symbiotic bacteria from Kurdistan province in Iran

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are commonly used as biological agents for control of insect pests. This study was carried out to identify EPNs, determine dominant and frequent species in Kurdistan province, Iran and characterize their symbiotic bacteria. Identification of EPNs was performed based on morphological and morphometrical characters and also rRNA-ITS gene sequences. Two EPNs, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) and Steinernema feltiae (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) were identified. Out of totally 150 soil samples collected mainly from mid-southern parts of the province, 60% were positive for EPNs. Heterorhabditis bacteriphora showed the highest frequency in this region, remarkably 59.3% of soil samples contained this species. Incidences of H. bacteriphora in grasslands, woodlands and alfalfa fields were 57.3, 14.6 and 28.0 percent, respectively. Steinernema feltiae was found only in alfalfa fields with 0.66% frequency. Bacterial symbionts of H. bacteriophora and S. feltiae were also identified based on biochemical characters and recA gene sequencing. In this research, two species of Photorhabdus were isolated from H. bacteriophora namely P. luminescens subsp. kayaii and P. temperata subsp. thracensis. Xenorhabdus bovienii was identified from infective juveniles of S. feltiae.

Contribution to the knowledge of the jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) fauna of Kurdistan Province (Iran), Subfamilies Buprestinae and Agrilinae

The results of faunistic survey of jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) carried out in Kurdistan Province of Iran are presented. 30 species belonging to two subfamilies (Buprestinae and Agrilinae) and 8 genera were collected. Of these 1 species is new for Iranian fauna and 19 species are new for Kurdistan Province.

Application of accelerated failure time models for breast cancer patients' survival in Kurdistan Province of Iran.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second common cause of cancer-induced mortalities in Iranian women. There has been a rapid development in hazard models and survival analysis in the last decade. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors of overall survival (OS) in breast cancer patients using accelerated failure time models (AFT). This was a retrospective-analytic cohort study. About 313 women with a pathologically proven diagnosis of breast cancer who had been treated during a 7-year period (since January 2006 until March 2014) in Sanandaj City, Kurdistan Province of Iran were recruited. Performance among AFT was assessed using the goodness of fit methods. Discrimination among the exponential, Weibull, generalized gamma, log-logistic, and log-normal distributions was done using Akaik information criteria and maximum likelihood. The 5 years OS was 75% (95% CI = 74.57-75.43). The main results in terms of survival were found for the different categories of the clinical stage covariate, tumor metastasis, and relapse of cancer. Survival time in breast cancer patients without tumor metastasis and relapse were 4, 2-fold longer than other patients with metastasis and relapse, respectively. One of the most important undermining prognostic factors in breast cancer is metastasis; hence, knowledge of the mechanisms of metastasis is necessary to prevent it so occurrence and treatment of metastatic breast cancer and ultimately extend the lifetime of patients.

Imamzada ˓Aqil: A Little-Known Seljuq Monument

This paper adds an unjustly neglected Seljuq monument to the list. The building known as the Imamzada ˓Aqil is located next to Hasanabad village, one of the rural areas of Bijar in Kurdistan province in Iran. In 1995, the Cultural Heritage Organisation (Kurdistan branch) started an excavation in order to damp-proof the building. During this process, the original core of the building was discovered. Although Wolfram Kleiss visited the building in 1971 and published a brief summary of the building's condition, the building attracted little interest, not least because it was mostly buried in the ground. The original building, once fully uncovered, is revealed as an isolated Seljuq domed square chamber, embellished with brick and stucco ornamentation on both its internal and external elevations. A discussion of these elevations forms the core of this paper, which is supported by architectural drawings and illustrations.1 A second paper will be published at a later stage, concentrating on the analysis of the decoration and inscriptions of Imamzada ˓Aqil in the context of other Seljuq monuments.

Name-giving variations in Kurdistan Province of Iran: An ethnic identity marker categorized

Name-giving, in addition to being an act of designation or official registration, implies the cultural identity of name-givers. One obvious aspect is showing the social values and practices in an area. This study aims to explore the social factors which motivate namegiving among Kurdish ethnicity of Iran. The corpus of data for the analysis included the National Organization for Civil Registration of Iran, Kurdish websites, interviews, and questionnaires given to Kurdish citizens of Kurdistan. The important classifying variable is the socio-cultural preferences which were compared through using the frequency of different categories of names. The results of the study showed that ten categories would divide first names; the five most frequently used categories of names include: reference to ethical qualities, nature, geographical locations, ancient characters, and outer physical features respectively. Another goal of the study concerned the diachronic changes in namegiving which was carried out by comparing the most frequent names of two age groups: 60 years or older compared with the 25 years or younger. Interesting findings were uncovered which showed three trends of change among the Kurdish name-givers: a shift from common nationwide names towards ethnic Kurdish names, and sectarian to names referring to ethical qualities; additionally, a tendency was observed to move from combined name compounds to simple ones. The implications of these findings might be interpreted as name-givers’ preference for not only maintaining ethnic independence but also an observable desire to display a sense of unity.

Variation of agro-climatic indices in Kurdistan province of Iran within 1962–2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the observed changes of agro-climatic indices over Kurdistan Province in the west of Iran. To prepare of climatic data were used the station based diurnal maximum, minimum and mean air temperature together with the total precipitation data within 1962–2012 over the Kurdistan Province region. Using geospatial Kriging method, climatic data were interpolated to grids of 6 × 6 km for each day. Agro-climatic indices were estimated and were mapped based on the gridded data. The results showed that the observed changes in the indices were significant but not uniform. Statistical analysis revealed the positive trend for the indices of last spring frost (LSF), LSF-2, FFP, FFP-2, FFF, FFF-2, NDor-15, NDor-5, start growing season (SGS), EGS, GSL, GDD, GDD10, PD1 and PD10 over the western and eastern lowland areas. While, the negative trends the aforementioned indices were observed over the central and northern highlands. These results are in agreement with significant increase in summer temperature (Tmin, Tmax and Tmean) for western and eastern parts, but significant decrease for high altitudes located in central and north parts of study area. At high altitudes, especially over central and northern parts, the date of LSF and SGS have been gradually delayed with statistically significant at 95 % confidence level.

A Comparison of maize commercial varieties in terms of grain yield and its components

The experiment carried out in order to comparison of maize commercial cultivars grain yield and its components in Kamyaran region, Kurdistan province of Iran, during the 2013 cropping season. The fourteen commercial cultivars of maize evaluated as Randomize Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Days to maturity, days to harvest, grains rows cob -1 , grains row -1 , 100-grain weight (gr), grain moisture content (%), grain yield mean per five plants (gr) and grain yield hectare-1(t/h) were measured. Analysis of variance results showed studied cultivars were deferent significantly for all measured traits at the level of 1%. That indicated genetic variation among studied cultivars. According to Duncan’s mean comparison results at 5% level the highest value of measured traits were belonged to 89May70 and Hido cultivars. These cultivars produced higher grain yield hectare -1 with the value of 11.4 and 10.1 (t ha-1), respectively, and showed significant deference than KSC 704 traditional cultivar with the value of 8.7(t ha -1 ). The Cantabris cultivar accounted for lowest amount of grain yield hectare-1 (5.4 t h-1). The cluster analysis classified studied cultivars into four separate clusters. Two hopeful cultivars of 89May70 and Hido classified into two separate clusters. Therefore, we could be using from these cultivars in breeding programs for release of the cultivars with highest hetrosis vigor and grain yield.

Seroprevalence of Anaplasma Infection in Sheep and Cattle in Kurdistan Province of Iran with an Overview of one Decades of its Epidemiological Status in Iran

Aim: Anaplasmosis is an important economic livestock disease. Limited information on its epidemiology in Iran is still lacking thus the aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of the disease in sheep and cattle in Kurdistan province of Western Iran with an overview of one decades of its epidemiological status in Iran. Study Design: This was a mixed cross sectional and longitudinal study carried out for a period of July to September 2013. Using co mpetitive enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay (c - ELISA), for anti - Anaplasma antibodies. Methodology: A total of 182 blood samples were collected from 105 cattle and 77 sheep for the detection of antibodies against Anaplasma species using cELISA method. For t his purpose, cattle and sheep of different sex and age were examined. Results: Examination of 182 blood samples revealed that 8 (7.62%) and 5 (6.49%) of cattle and

Soxhlet Extraction and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Extracted Oil from Pistacia Atlantica Kurdica Nuts and Optimization of Process Using Factorial Design of Experiments

Chemical constituents of extracted oil from the nut of Pistacia atlantica kurdica (dried and fresh samples) - which grows in some regions of Kurdistan province in Iran - were extracted by using soxhlet method and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The main goal of this study was qualitative analysis of extracted compounds and optimization of extraction conditions. At three extraction times (7h, 11h and 13h) and with two solvents (n-hexane and methanol), soxhlet extractions were carried out. Extraction time and type of solvents were selected as two important factors. A general full factorial design with selected factors was used. The study reveals that n-hexane extracted more yield than methanol. The highest yield obtained with n-hexane, was 33.59%; while the highest yield obtained by methanol was 3.85%. The results show that when extraction is done by n-hexane, by increasing the extraction time up to 11h, the mass yield percent was also increased. The obtained chromatograms were showed that by increasing the extraction time up to 13h, the main extracted compounds were maintained but compounds with low quantities have been eliminated. The main compounds identified were alpha-pinene, decane, dodecane, tetradecane, hexadecane, palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid ester. The main identified compounds were nearly similar to dried and fresh samples. This study can be considered as the firs report on the chemical compounds of extracted oil from nut of Pistacia atlantica kurdica in studied region.