North Khorasan Province Research Articles

Spatio-temporal modelling of land use changes by means of CA–Markov model

Cities and their problems in our world today are very important because they can affect the land uses and landscapes around them and make them change. Researchers have been tried to solve these problems using several methods. One way that can be useful in planning is simulation and prediction land use changes according to the parameters that affect changes in land use over the time. In this study, changes in land use of Bojnord city (the capital city of North Khorasan province), were considered and studied. In this regard, the CA–Markov model was used. In this model, suitability maps are the basis of the land use changes transformation. To produce suitability maps in this study, agricultural lands were paid specially attention and suitability of them has been reduced as much as possible in modeling. The land use maps of two different periods of time were used to calibrate the models. To validate the model, the “Validate” method (which is a statistical method to validate models) was used. The calculated kappa coefficients for both models were over 85%. In next step, changes of land use have been simulated until the year of 2050. Examination of the output maps which are obtained by CA–Markov model shows that the most growth in land use is in the built-up areas. In 2050, the built-up areas would grow 5.3% compared to 2009 and in subsequent periods the growth rate would be 3.5% on average.

Identification and ranking of factors affecting investment in intellectual capital in educational institutions of North Khorasan Province by AHP method

The aim of this study was to identify and rank the factors influencing investment in intellectual capital in North Khorasan Province Education Department was using AHP.Methodology:The research method used descriptive, correlational respectively. The research data were collected by library and field methods and tools used were a questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha was confirmed by content. The test data analysis using the software Expert Chykh AHP and Excel is used.Results:The results obtained show that The factor of investment development in intellectual capital with a relative weight of 0.513 was ranked first, and after that, the factor of maintaining investment in intellectual capital with a relative weight of 0.298 was in the second place and creating investment in intellectual capital with weight The relative 0.186 is ranked third.Conclusion:Finally, The findings of the research showed that the abilities, knowledge and skills in the first priority and the common conditions were in the top priority. The results show that among the three main components, human capital is at the top of the list, that is, more investment in this field should be made, and structural capital is placed in the top priority. Among all the identified indicators, abilities and knowledge in the first priority and the common conditions were the top priority.

An Investigation of the Relationship between Empowerment and Organizational and Professional Commitment among the Employees of Housing Bank in North Khorasan Province

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between empowerment and organizational and professional commitment among the employees of Housing Bank in the province of North Khorasan.Methodology:This research study follows a correlational descriptive survey design. The statistical population of the present study consists of all the staff at the branches of Housing Bank in North Khorasan and this population is comprised solely of 130 participants. No sampling was done due to the small number of employees at the branches of Housing Bank in the province of North Khorasan and 130 participants were studied altogether. The data of the present study were collected through the library and field method. For the variables of empowerment and organizational and professional commitment, the standard questionnaires were employed. Their reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha as0.902, 0.892 and 0.842 respectively. The content validityof the study was approved by professors and experts. Moreover, to analyze the data of the present study, factor analysis was done in SPSS and structural equation modeling was used in LISREL 8.8 to examine the research hypotheses. Results:The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between empowerment and organizational and professional commitment among the employees at Housing Bank in the province of North Khorasan.Conclusion:Therefore, increased empowerment will lead to individuals’ commitment in an organization and profession. Since employees’ commitment to the organization is caused by their perception, the relationship between empowerment and organizational commitment will not be positive if they feel that the organization has no commitment.

Evaluation of vertical drain with different materials

Accelerate the drainage process and consolidate saturated clay soils is important to achieve stability of the construction. Vertical drains, with a suitable grid and depth, the result of shortening the path of water flow inside the soil and soil consolidation rate increases from several years to several months. Sombar earth dam, a case study, in Gholaman village in North Khorasan province, Iran, is used to provide agricultural and drinking water in the area. The recent paper shows a comparison between the results of Sombar dam stability with vertical drains of two different materials using the Mohr-Coulomb model with the aid of GeoStudio 2012 computer software. The drains materials are sand and geotextile and the investigated parameters are permeability ratio (ky/kx), drains geometry and time of the dam construction. The results are presented as ratios, settlement ratio (SSAND/SGEOTEX) and safety factor ratio (FSSAND/FSGEOTEXT). The results revealed that there are clear increases in the consolidation settlement ratio, but, slightly increase in safety factors ratio using sand drains comparing to the geotextile. The ky/kx has a clear effect on settlement and factor of safety in sand drains.

Structural analysis of the elements of Lynch's image of the city based on space syntax

Kevin Lynch, in The Image of the City, studied the mental image of citizens as separate elements, namely nodes, paths, districts, edges and landmarks, without considering the structural relations among them. Redefining these elements in the form of a coherent structure using the descriptors of space syntax theory makes a structural analysis of these elements possible. This study explored the relations between Lynch's elements and the descriptors of space syntax theory. Taking a descriptive–analytical approach, a theoretical framework was proposed following a literature review related to the image of the city and space syntax theory, which was then used to extract the mental image of the citizens of Bojnourd city (located in the North Khorasan province of Iran), with the elements redefined by isovists and axial lines from a structural aspect. The findings of this research demonstrated a close relation between the paths and nodes in the mental image map and the axial lines map of Bojnourd city. Finally, it was concluded that there was a multi-dimensional relation between Lynchian elements and descriptors of space syntax, which could have practical applications in urban development plans.

Categorization of North Khorasan Villages in Terms of Indicators of Entrepreneurial Ecotourism Developments (Case Study: Bojnord - Golestan Road)

Purpose- Development of rural areas is one of the challenges of Iran. This has led experts to provide strategic solutions for the development of ecotourism and entrepreneurship, addressing the economic, social and environmental challenges of rural areas. Therefore, the present study aims to categorize9 selected villages in North Khorasan Province located along Bojnord-Golestan Road in terms of indicators of entrepreneurial ecotourism. Design/methodology/approach- To explore the subject and its results, we recruited descriptive-analytical methods in the form of library research and field studies. For analyzing and collecting data from the literature, entrepreneurial ecotourism indices were classified in four groups of agricultural and livestock potentials, invaluable natural and historical heritage, cultural and social attitudes, and construction and residential infrastructure. The process of categorizing the capabilities, environmental potentials and ecotourism strengths of the 9 villages with respect to these four indicators was performed by SPSS & R software using Fuzzy Hierarchy Process Analysis (FAHP) model. Findings- Based on the ecotourism indices and the rank of villages specified by the FAHP method, two villages of Dasht and Darkash with average scores of 4.37 and 3.87 had the highest ecotourism ranks and two villages of Shirabad and Keshanak with mean scores of 2.00 and 0.94 had the lowest ranks, respectively. On the other hand, examining the status of indicators of ecotourism development suggested that cultural and social attitude index with a mean of 2.4 hd the highest rank and the index of construction and residential infrastructure with a mean of 2.94 had the lowest rank among 9 villages under study. Practical implications- Strategic planning for the development of ecotourism in North Khorasan was conducted based on the categorization of villages selected in this research. Originality/value: Categorization of villages is of paramount importance in the entrepreneurial ecotourism development as it simultaneously focuses on economic, social and natural potentials in rural areas and helps allocate limited financial resources appropriately.

Molecular Characterization of Anopheles sacharovi Based on Sequences of ITS2-rDNA Region and COI Gene in North of Iran

Malaria is an important mosquito-borne disease considered as one of the public health concerns across many countries. Anopheles mosquitoes are the main vectors of Plasmodium parasites, which cause malaria. Some of these vectors such as Anopheles maculipennis s.l. and Anopheles sacharovi are considered as complex of sibling species distributed in north of Iran. This study was conducted in north and northwest of Iran including East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Golestan and North Khorasan provinces with emphasis on the northern borders of the country during 2015-2016. Adult specimens were collected and subjected to morphological identification as well as molecular analysis. Overall, 10405 mosquitoes were collected comprising 21 species. Culex pipiens and Cx. theileri were found as the most frequent species in whole study area. Morphological identification showed that out of 1455 female Anopheles specimens, 77% belonged to An. maculipennis Group. Out of the identified species, ITS2 region and COI gene sequences of 8 An. maculipennis s.s. and 31 An. sacharovi representing all provinces were obtained and submitted to GenBank. The COI sequences for An. sacharovi revealed the presence of 9 haplotypes with similarity of 98.17-100%. Some investigations have reported An. martinius as a member of sibling species of An. sacharovi among Iranian Anopheles genus; while based on our study, there was no evidence of the presence of this species in north and northwest of Iran.

Identifying Critical Success Factors for Effective Development of E-monitoring

Electronic government has been among certain concepts and strategies facilitating public management in most societies. Thus, being concerned about the said concept and making its infrastructure thought operational have always been of great interest. Methodology: The essential part and the most important pyramid of e-government have been devoted to e-monitoring. Essentially, such kind of supervision has been made toward the general idea of the e-government and includes the most important means for the materialization of its goals accordingly. This research has been conducted aiming at identifying key factors, which influence effective development of e-supervision in four structural, technical, strategic and human dimensions. The statistical population of this research includes all experts from State General Inspection Organization (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, North Khorasan, Golestan, and Sistan Va Baluchestan Provinces) consisting of 110 persons; the entire persons have been chosen as sample going through statistical method. Data collection means of this research is a questionnaire consisting of 40 measurements, classified on the basis of the Likert Scale. Results: Collected data by the said questionnaire has been processed using the Spss method. Chi-Squared and Friedman’s Test has been used for the analysis of data. According to the rating of the said four dimensions, technical dimension has been the most effective one in effective development of e-monitoring and structural, strategic and human dimensions stand next. Conclusion: The research results indicate that all dimensions, subject of study, are effective on the effective development of e-supervision. In concluding, certain guidelines have been presented for the effective development of e-monitoring accordingly.

Investigating the Welfare Status of Household in North Khorasan Province using the Engel Curve

The purpose of this article is to investigate the welfare status of households in northern Khorasan province and compare it with the average welfare of households in the whole country of Iran. Regarding the number of support organizations in Iran such as subsidies targeting organization, welfare organization, social security organization, Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and etc. To implement supportive policies to improve the welfare of households, there is a need for a quantitative index to be able to use that as benchmark applied to supportive policies. In this article, using household income and expenditure data of the Statistics Center of Iran during the period of 2005-2014, the household welfare status has been analyzed using Engel welfare Index. With regarding to the impact of some demographic variables of households, the Engel curve is estimated. The level of well-being of all households in Iran has decreased over the period. Also the level of welfare of households in the northern Khorasan province was lower than the whole country during the period under consideration. In general, rural households have a lower level of welfare than urban households. Therefore, according to the results of this study, governments and supportive organizations should consider the variables that affect the welfare state of households such as total expenditure households, household size, and other important demographic variables.

Occurrence of an uncommon genus, Amyosoma Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Braconinae) in Iran

ABSTRACT Amyosoma chinense (Szépligeti, 1902), representing a new generic record is first recorded for the fauna of Iran. It was collected from North East of the country (North Khorasan province), quite far from its typical area of distribution. A diagnosis on the basis of the reliable morphological and morphometric characters is provided for the specimens from Iran, as additions to the knowledge on its variability. A map of distribution indicating the sequential detection of this species throughout the years is also generated.

Modeling the growth curve in Kordi sheep: The comparison of non-linear models and estimation of genetic parameters for the growth curve traits

In the present study, 43,441 body weight-age records (21,361 records on male lambs and 22,060 records on female lambs) on 6899 lambs descended from 235 sires and 2842 dams that collected from 1991 to 2015 in Kordi sheep breeding station, located in Shirvan city, North Khorasan province, North-eastern area of Iran, were used. Five non-linear models including Brody, Negative exponential, von Bertalanffy, Logistic and Gompertz were fitted on body weight-age data and compared applying Akaike's information criterion (AIC), mean square error (MSE) and adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adg) for determining the most appropriate model describing the growth curve for all, male and female Kordi lambs. The Brody model showed the lowest AIC and MSE and the highest R2adg among the tested models for all, male and female Kordi lambs. Therefore, Brody model was selected as the best one for describing growth curve in Kordi sheep. The estimated values for parameters of growth curve under Brody model including parameters A (estimated mature weight), B (an integration constant related to initial animal weight) and K (maturation rate) were 43.372, 0.905 and 0.007, respectively. Parameters of A, B and K were estimated as 48.630, 0.911 and 0.006, respectively for male lambs and 38.444, 0.898 and 0.008 for female lambs, respectively. A nultivariate animal model was considered for genetic analysis of the growth curve parameters via Gibbs sampling under a Bayesian approach with 100,000 iterations, considering the first 20,000 samples as the burn-in period and a thinning interval of 10 samples. Posterior means for heritability estimates of the studied growth curve parameters of Kordi sheep were 0.08, 0.14 and 0.04 for parameters A, B and K, respectively; showed low level of genetic variation for the parameters of growth curve in Kordi sheep. Posterior means for the estimates of genetic correlations among the studied growth curve traits were 0.48 (A-B), -0.22 (A-K) and -0.28 (B-K). The Brody model can be considered for predicting live weight of Kordi lambs at later ages from early body weight data and can help planning farm management practices such as feeding and drug administration (since these practices are commonly focused on live body weight) and also decision making regarding the selecting of highly productive animals by monitoring their growth curve.

Hypertension and its Relation with Waist to Hip Ratio in Women Referred to Bojnurd Urban Health Centers in 2014

Introduction: North Khorasan province has one of the highest rates of hypertension. One of the main causes of hypertension is obesity. Obesity is one of the most important public health problems around the world as a risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Since a similar study was not conducted in Bojnurd, we examined the relationship between waist to hip ratio with hypertension. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on women referring to Bojnurd health centers. To analyze the data, we used t-test, chi-square, multiple logistic regression and Pearson correlation in Stata 12 software. Results: In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of systolic blood pressure was 14.78% and diastolic blood pressure was 15.65%. So waist to the hips showed the highest correlation with the changes in hypertension. Conclusion: There are significant relationships between the age and the number of pregnancies with the risk of hypertension. Since a significant percentage of people are unaware of the existence of hypertension, changing diet and having regular physical activity along with social support is an important strategy.

Molecular and seroepidemiological survey on Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Northeast of Iran.

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a prevalent tick-borne disease in different regions of Iran. This molecular and serologic study was performed to investigate the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in collected ticks and in blood samples of some domestic animals in North Khorasan, Northeast of Iran. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 136 blood samples from domestic animals (sheep, goats, and cows) collected in the Northeast region in Iran were examined using IgG ELISA assay. Ticks (n = 1478) were collected from sheep, goats, and cows. Out of all collected ticks, 62 specimens were investigated for CCHF virus genome using RT-PCR technique. The data were descriptively presented by median and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: CCHFV infection rate was 8.1% in studied ticks. Two species of ticks, Hy. anatolicum (n=3; 15%, 95% CI 9.41–20.59) and Rh. sanguineus (n=2; 6.9%, 95%CI 4.33–8.58), were infected with CCHFV genome and were probable vectors of CCHF virus in the area. Infection rate was 15.4% for CCHFV in tested domestic animals. Serologic tests detected CCHFV specific IgG antibodies in 16.2% (95% CI 13.49–18.83) (99/16) and 19.2% (95% CI 13.26–25.20) (26/5) of sheep and goats, respectively. Conclusion: The present study showed that domestic animals and ticks were infected with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and that the disease was endemic in North Khorasan province, Iran. However, further surveillance and prevention programs are recommended.

Response Comment on” Intestinal Helminths in Different Spe-cies of Rodents in North Khorasan Province, Northeast of Iran

The abstract not available.

Comment on “Intestinal Helminths in Different Species of Rodents in North Khorasan Province, Northeast of Iran

The abstract not available.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotional and Social related on the Reduction of Aggression Symptoms in Delinquent Adolescents Boy in North Khorasan and Razavi Provinces

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotional and Social related on the Reduction of Aggression Symptoms in Delinquent Adolescents Boy in North Khorasan and Razavi Provinces

Ethnomedicinal uses of plants for the treatment of nervous disorders at the herbal markets of Bojnord, North Khorasan Province, Iran.

Since ancient times, plants have been commonly used to cure human ailments by indigenous people throughout the world. Nervous diseases are rising all around the world. This paper provides important ethnobotanical information on plants that are used against neurological disorders and are available in medicinal markets of Bojnord, northeastern Iran. This survey, as an ethnobotanical study, was carried out between 2017 and 2018. The identification of the intended plant species was done using the available Floras. Some important indices such as the frequency of citations, relative frequency of citation (RFC), family importance value and use report were calculated for the medicinal plants included in the present study. The present study includes 58 medicinal plant species belonging to 36 families and reports their mentioning scientific and vernacular names, parts used, and preparation method. The most common family was Lamiaceae. The major parts of the identified plants used for treatment of nervous )neuropsychological( disorders were flower and aerial parts. The most common methods used for preparation of these plants were infusion and decoction. Stachys turcomanica, Tripleurospermum disciforme, Melissa officinalis, Nardostachys jatamansi, and Aloysiacitriodora had the highest rate of use report. Echium amoenum and Melissa officinalis had the highest RFC. The study indicated that although people in Bojnord have access to modern medicinal preparations, a considerable number of them still use medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes. Seemingly, most cited plants are worth more precise evaluations for their pharmacological activity.

Identification of Effective Key Factors on Organizational Unlearning: A Grounded Theory

The present study aims to develop a practical model for identifying effective key factors on unlearning of the North Khorasan province farmers in order to replace the traditional irrigation system with modern irrigation system. The study is based on grounded theory and theoretical sampling, 17 interviews were done with the farmers and experts of the Department of Education of Agriculture Jihad Organization until reaching theoretical saturation. Analyses carried out through continuous comparison showed 300 codes, 42 concepts and 6 categories in actual and theoretical coding process, which led to emergence of a final model focused on the core category, called organisational memory recovery. In conclusion, this study presents effective variables on unlearning about agricultural activities, particularly replacement of traditional irrigation methods with modern methods for optimal utilisation of water resources in the form of a model with an emergent approach. This study develops the first native model of organisational unlearning.

Comparison of Residential and Therapeutic Community Centers in Preventing Substance Abuse Recurrence and Reducing Self-destructive Behaviors of Substance Users.

BackgroundSubstance abusers show extensive self-destructive behavior due to the nature of the disorder and chronic and recurrence conditions. Various plans are presented for treating substance abuse. The purpose of this study is to compare the residential and therapeutic community (TC) centers in preventing substance abuse recurrence and reducing self-destructive behaviors of substance abusers.MethodsThe statistical population was all the substance abusers who referred to TC and residential centers that were under the supervision of Welfare Organization of North Khorasan Province, Iran. Five centers were selected by cluster random sampling method. The data colleting tools were self-reporting questionnaires of Resuscitation Predictor Scoring Scale (RPS Scale) and Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) filled out by patients who were staying in treatment for minimum of two weeks.FindingsThere was no significant difference between two treatment methods in terms of reducing tendency to use substance. Also in terms of reducing self-destructive behavior, TC was more effective than residential treatment.ConclusionConsidering the positive consequences of TC, motivational programs need to be established in order to increase the longevity of substance abusers in treatment.

Identification of effective key factors on organisational unlearning: a grounded theory

The present study aims to develop a practical model for identifying effective key factors on unlearning of the North Khorasan province farmers in order to replace the traditional irrigation system with modern irrigation system. The study is based on grounded theory and theoretical sampling, 17 interviews were done with the farmers and experts of the Department of Education of Agriculture Jihad Organization until reaching theoretical saturation. Analyses carried out through continuous comparison showed 300 codes, 42 concepts and 6 categories in actual and theoretical coding process, which led to emergence of a final model focused on the core category, called organisational memory recovery. In conclusion, this study presents effective variables on unlearning about agricultural activities, particularly replacement of traditional irrigation methods with modern methods for optimal utilisation of water resources in the form of a model with an emergent approach. This study develops the first native model of organisational unlearning.