Northern Part Of Iran Research Articles

Satellite image processing of the Buxus hyrcana Pojark dieback in the Northern Forests of Iran

Pests and diseases can cause a variety of reactions in plants. In recent years, the boxwood dieback has become one of the essential concerns of practitioners and natural resources managers in Iran. To control the boxwood dieback spread, the early detection and disease distribution maps are required. The boxwood dieback causes a range of changes in colour, shape and leaf size with respect to photosynthesis and transpiration. Through remote sensing techniques, e.g. satellite image processing data, the variation of thermal and visual characteristics of the plant could be used to measure and illustrate the symptoms of the disease. In this study, five common vegetation indices like difference vegetation index (DVI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), simple ratio (SR), and plant health index (PHI) were extracted and calculated from Landsat 8 satellite image data from six regions in the Gilan province, located in the northern part of Iran out of 150 maps over the time period 2014‒2018. It turned out that among the aforementioned indices, based upon the results of the models, SR and NDVI indices were more useful for the disease spread, respectively. Our disease progression model fitting criteria showed that this technique could probably be used to assess the extent of the affected areas and also the disease progression in the investigated regions in future.

Numerical and experimental investigation on the performance of hybrid PV/thermal systems in the north of Iran

Solar energy is greatly recommended as a source of renewable energy in wide range of in-house applications to large power plants. Photovoltaic (PV) panels utilized for absorbing solar energy have some limitations: low efficiency, large occupied space and high dependency on environmental conditions. Panel surface temperature is one of the main conditions affecting PV panels. High temperatures would lead to lower panel efficiency. Therefore, researchers have proposed hybrid PV/thermal systems where maintaining panel temperature for higher efficiency is participated in heat production. This benefit made it attractive for household consumption. In this paper, a numerical method is deployed to find an appropriate cooling tube configuration for a specified panel. The selected configuration was prepared for experimental studies on a hybrid PV/thermal system in the northern part of Iran. As this region receives lower irradiation compared to southern parts, People are not persuaded to use photovoltaic systems, so using hybrid systems can motivate them to use solar energy on a small scale. Results showed that serpentine tube configuration would lead to a 7.3% increase in electrical efficiency compared to the no-cooling state, and also thermal efficiency raised to 48.4%. Total efficiency reached 51.76% at the highest performance. Therefore this design provides a possible platform for increasing PV/T systems performance.

Lipid Production Capacity of a Newly Characterized Cyanobacterial Strain Synechocystissp. MH01: A Comparative Performance Evaluation of Cyanobacterial Lipid-Based Biodiesel.

Background: Cyanobacteria have been the focus of extensive researches because of their high potential for the development of new generations of useful natural compounds with vast applications. For the entire last ten years, a lot of attention has been dedicated to the cyanobacterial lipids as a main source of valuable materials for clean energy production.Objectives: As there is a direct relationship between biofuel properties and compositional characteristics of fatty acids, a selected lipid-producing cyanobacterial strain was examined and analyzed in terms of fatty acid composition. The biodiesel quality parameters were carefully examined as well.Materials and Methods: A cyanobacterial strain was isolated from waterfalls in the northern part of Iran and identified as Synechocystis sp. MH01. The fatty acids profile of the selected strain, as tested in various culture conditions, was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and compared with control subjects to further validating the biodiesel quality parameters.Results: The autotrophic cultivation of Synechocystissp. MH01 resulted in biomass and lipid productivity of 109 mg.L-1 day-1 and 22.89 mg.L-1 day-1, respectively. The mixotrophic cultivation of MH01 strain in sucrose-containing medium led to an approximately 1.8 and 1.22 fold increase in biomass and lipid productivity compared with the autotrophic condition. The addition of glycine to BG11 medium caused up to ~1.3 and ~1.18 fold increase in biomass and lipid productivity compared with control subjects. The analysis of qualitative parameters of the biodiesel, as derived from the lipids, indicated that Synechocystis sp. MH01 has a high ability for lipid production under optimal culture conditionsConclusions: It seems feasible to evolve the Synechocystissp. MH01 further particularly for more lipid production as a promising primary raw material for biofuel production through fine-tuning of medium composition

Impact of agrochemical emission models on the environmental assessment of paddy rice production using life cycle assessment approach

ABSTRACT Rice is a staple crop that meets 21% of worldwide human calorie requirements. Eighty percent of produced rice in Iran comes from the northern part of Iran. Considering the importance of northern regions in meeting the demands for rice, and increased consumer awareness on environmental sustainability, this aspect should be considered and investigated. Life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is a potential tool to quantify the environmental sustainability of agri-food systems. But modeling the agrochemical emissions is a challenge for LCA-practitioners to build a reliable inventory for fertilizers and pesticides. This study aimed to investigate the impact of agrochemical emission models on the environmental impacts of paddy rice production in paddy fields in three major regions in the north of Iran. Emission models (Margni and PestLCI for pesticides and IPCC and Brentrup for fertilizers) were selected based on the availability of site-specific information and based on that two scenarios were defined. Scenario I was defined for the cases in which there is no enough site-specific information and scenario II is defined based on the availability of on-site information. ReCiPe2016 (H) methodology on the midpoint level was used for quantifying the environmental impacts. Results showed that rice seed production, diesel fuel, urea, phosphate fertilizer, and Diazinon are the major environmental hotspots in paddy rice production. Results revealed that the general emission models used in scenario I overestimated the impact scores in marine eutrophication (90%), freshwater ecotoxicity (87%), marine ecotoxicity (44%), non-cancer human toxicity (26%), and terrestrial ecotoxicity (10%), while underestimation was found in some impact categories such as ozone depletion (115%), terrestrial acidification (21%) and global warming (4%). It shows the importance of emission models on achieving reliable impact scores in each environmental impact category. About rice straw management strategy, utilizing straw as livestock feed can mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases to the air by 30% to 38% compared to burning paddy residue on the farm.

Structural health assessment of a historical building by using in situ stress wave NDT: a case study in Iran

Background: Many historical buildings in Iran need to be protected. In many of these buildings, wood is used as a structural element in features such as beam, pile, roof and floor systems. For this purpose, the architectural features of a historical building located in Gorgan (Northern part of Iran) and characterisation of faults, in addition to identification of wood species were conducted. Stress wave non-destructive testing (NDT) was used and wave speed (WS) was measured in tested members to evaluate the decay situation of major wooden beams of building frames and roof truss. After obtaining data related to WS, time of wave transition (TWT) was calculated and compared with control time. Structural elements were characterized in comparison with control time and classified according to decay severity. Results: The results showed that local hardwood species were used for construction of this building. Furthermore, in some parts of the building, there were severely defected structures, thus highlighting the importance of safety. Moreover, WS strongly depended on the types of faults. Conclusion: Due to high relative humidity of climate, wood structures are exposed to faults in the northern region of Iran. However, their general appearance is adequate and acceptable. For better decision making, the TWT should be accompanied by more investigation into the types of defects.

Potential distribution and effects of climate change on the risk of scorpion sting with endemic and medically important scorpion Odontobuthus doriae Thorell, 1876 (Arachnida: Scorpionidae: Buthidae) in Iran

In this research, the MaxEnt modeling approach was used to distinguish the potential niche and distribution pattern of Odontobuthus doriae, a scorpion mainly endemic to central Iran. In aggregate, 47 occurrence records and five environmental variables were applied in the modeling of current and future periods. Central Iran was confirmed as the most suitable habitat for O. doriae, which approximately corresponds to its known distribution. Among the environmental variables, temperature seasonality and precipitation of the warmest quarter were the most important driving factors. Interestingly, the current distribution of O. doriae completely corresponds to geographical limitations in the north and the west presented by the Alborz and Zagros Mountains, respectively. Future projection showed a distributional shift towards northern part of Iran. In the context of its medical importance, more studies on biology and ecology of O. doriae could help scientists to better inform, health care management activities.

A robust optimization model of the field hospitals in the sustainable blood supply chain in crisis logistics

Crisis management is one of the significant challenges when a disaster occurs. Post disaster operations mainly focus on medical treatments. One of the general requirements of medical treatments of field hospitals in disaster is blood transfusion. This way, configuring a blood transfusion network to handle the appropriate assignments and distribution is proved to influence the type, number and severity of recent crises. Therefore, obtaining effective solutions, containing determining the optimal location of facilities of field hospitals, identifying the optimal capacity of facilities and transportation, blood transfusion routes to reduce costs and injustices in this area in times of crisis is essential. Hence, in this study, we proposed a model, intend for allocating blood types and regarding the lifetime of blood to tackle with field hospitals in the disaster sites. Furthermore, the coverage of the demand for blood types for the establishment of field hospitals and the balanced distribution of blood between these hospitals from the blood collection level to the establishment of field hospitals with optimal routing of blood transfusion at the lowest cost is considered. The proposed model for the crisis response management phase is modelled applying a multi-objective mathematical model under uncertain conditions. To cope with the uncertain data arisen in the disaster condition, the robust optimization approach is applied. Then, to solve the proposed model, a hybrid method based on Genetic Algorithm and Multi-Choice Goal Programming (GAMCGP) under uncertainty is developed. In addition, the proposed model is successfully applied to a real- world blood supply chain in Mazandaran, northern part of Iran, and the results validate the performance of the proposed model. It also proves that the suggested model can be considered as a new approach for blood supply chain tactical management in the crisis logistics.

Fractal analysis of the infiltration curve and soil particle size in a semi‐humid watershed

AbstractAlthough fractal mathematics has been commonly used to quantify particle size distribution (PSD), limited attention has been paid to the fractal dimension of the infiltration curve (DI). Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the DI and fractal dimensions of PSD (Dm, Dclay, Dsilt and Dsand) can reflect the infiltration process, and soil erodibility and degradation. Accordingly, this study aimed to provide new information on the quantification of infiltration processes, and soil erodibility and degradation, using DI and Dm in the Soorak basin in the northern part of Iran. The soil and infiltration properties were calculated by field and laboratory practices on 46 topsoil samples and 34 infiltrometer double‐ring tests. Correlation, regression and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to identify relationships between the infiltration curve and PSD coordinates with soil and infiltration properties. Results indicated that the DI was significantly linearly correlated with other infiltration curve characteristics, with the correlation coefficient ranging from −0.737 to −0.403 (sig. = 0.000–0.037). However, there was no significant correlation between DI and Dm, Dclay, Dsilt and Dsand. Different erodibility factors, especially KUSLE, had significant relations with Dm, Dclay, Dsilt, Dsand and DI (p < .01), suggesting that these fractal dimensions are indicators of soil degradation. Other findings indicated that the land use had no significant effect on DI and infiltration properties, whereas KUSLE, Dm, Dclay, DSilt and DSand were significantly affected by land‐use patterns (p < .01). These findings demonstrate that fractal dimensions of PSD and infiltration can be practicable indices to analyse soil degradation under different land‐use types.Highlights How fractal geometry adds to understanding of the infiltration process and soil degradation. Fractal dimensions of infiltration (DI) can describe the infiltration process. Fractal dimensions of soil (Dm) and DI can be used as indicators of the soil erodibility. Erodibility and fractal properties of soil were significantly affected by land use.

Falling and Chronic Diseases among the Elderly: Result from AHAP study

Background: Falling and chronic diseases are important health issues in elderly people and reduce the quality of life. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between chronic diseases and falling in the elderly people. Methods: This cross-sectional study came from the first phase of Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP) that has been done on all elderly people aged 60 and over in Amirkola city in northern part of Iran. Demographic information including chronic diseases were gathered through self-report, observation of prescriptions and consumed drugs by patients and prevalence of falling during 12 months ago was obtained through information form and interview with elderly people. Results: In this study, 883 men(54.6%) and 733 women(45.3%) were investigated. The average age of individuals was 69.37±7.42 (in men 70±7.7 and in women 69.7±7.00). In this study, 288(17.8%) of eldely people had the experience of falling in the last 12 months. The prevalence of falling was higher in elderly women(P<0.001) and the elderly who lived alone(P=0.01). The prevalence of falling in the elderly had a significant relationship with diseases of osteoporosis(P<0.001), myocardial infarction(P=0.03), fractures(P<0.001), cognitive impairment(P=0.001), headache(P=0.002). In addition, the results of logistic regression showed that the prevalence of falling was related to urinary incontinence(P=0.02), fracture history(P=0.001), hearing loss(P=0.006), and depressive symptoms(P=0.001). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate a significant prevalence of falling and its direct relation with some chronic diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to ask some questions and care about each referring of the elderly to the health centers.

Multivariate drought risk analysis based on copula functions: a case study

Abstract Drought is asserted as a natural disaster that encompasses vast territories for a long time and affects human life. Indicators are powerful tools for understanding this phenomenon. However, in order to get more information about the drought, multivariate indices were introduced for simultaneous evaluation of multiple variables. In this study, a combined drought index (CDI) based on three drought indices, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Streamflow Drought Index (SDI), and Standardized Water-level Index (SWI), is defined. Then, the Entropy method is used to determine the weight of each indicator. Among the calculated weights, SDI and SPI had the highest and lowest weight, respectively. The CDI is utilized to identify drought characteristics, such as duration and severity. In addition, the joint distribution function of drought characteristics is formed by copula functions and consequently the probability of different droughts is calculated. For the study area, data and information from eight regions located in Golestan province in the northern part of Iran are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed index. Four categories of drought were defined and their return period calculated. The shortest return period of severe drought was observed in the east and then in the west. In the south and center, the return period of severe drought was longer. Over the course of 30 years, all parts of the province experienced all drought categories.

Rangelands production modeling using an artificial neural network (ANN) and geographic information system (GIS) in Baladeh rangelands, North Iran

Rangelands production measurement is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, models are often employed to simulate rangelands conditions as a supplement. Artificial neural network (ANN) is widely used for modeling in environmental studies, yet it cannot preset its results in the form of a map or geo-referenced data. We used ANN to estimate the spatial distribution of rangelands production, then a geographic information system (GIS) was applied as a pre-processing and post-processing framework in rangelands production modeling. The ANN was trained (Rsqr = 0.95, MSE = 0.02) and tested using data from the Baladeh rangelands located in the northern part of Iran. Rangelands production was simulated using a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) network. We estimated rangelands production (using many plots and field studies) as the network output, along with the influencing factors in the production (vegetation, climatic, topographic, edaphic and human factors) as the inputs. After modeling and model optimizing in ANN, the model test was performed (Rsqr=0.8, MSE=0.3). Furthermore, the studied area was divided with the pixels 100×100 m (raster format) in the GIS medium. Then, the digital layers of the network inputs were combined and a raster layer was prepared including the network inputs values and geographic coordinate. The values of pixels (network inputs) were imported in ANN (NeuroSolutions software). Rangelands production was simulated using the validated optimum network in the sites without production measurements. In the next step, the results of ANN simulation were imported in the GIS medium, then rangelands production map was prepared based on the estimated results of ANN. The results indicated that integrating ANN and GIS exhibits high accuracy and performance in rangelands production estimation. Hence, the prepared rangelands production map can be used for planning and managing the rangelands.

Pumped-storage units to address spinning reserve concerns in the grids with high wind penetration

Abstract The low predictability of hourly available power of wind turbines and their volatile output, cause multiple hardships in the power system which are supposed to be handled by means of keeping a higher amount of contingency and regulation reserve. The intensified reserve requirement along with operational constraints may enforce wind-farms to operate below their maximum available power. It's shown that Pumped-Storage systems, not merely as storage capacity, but also as a high-quality reserve providers make the power system capable to lessen wind power curtailment. It is investigated how increasing the reserve requirement may restrict the overall renewable production and how Pumped-Storage can relieve this restriction. The Pumped-Storage system is precisely modeled based on Siahbisheh, a 1000 MW Pumped-Storage system in northern part of Iran. The soundness of the obtained results is fortified by using actual technical data based on Manjil wind-farm, and other active generating units in Iranian power system, as well as actual prices from the historical records of Iran Wholesale Electricity Market. As well as IEEE 24-Bus test system, the performance of Pumped-Storage system is analyzed on the actual network of Gilan Province in Iran.

Infection with Hymenolepis diminuta (Rodolphi, 1819) in a Child from North of Iran: Case Report

We report a human case of Hymenolepis diminuta infection in Guilan Province, northern part of Iran in 2017. The patient was a 15-month-old boy with gastrointestinal symptoms. In stool examination, eggs of H. diminuta was found based on morphological characteristic. The infant was successfully treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel, and then completely recovered. For the first time, we report human infection with this species in north of Iran.

Waste load allocation under uncertainty using game theory approach and simulation-optimization process

AbstractThis article aims to present a new methodology for waste load allocation (WLA) in a riverine system considering the uncertainty and achieve the lowest amount of inequity index, cost, and fuzzy risk of standard violation. To find a surface of undominated solutions, a new modified PAWN method, initially designed for sensitivity analysis, was developed and coupled with a simulation-optimization process using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm, to consider the uncertainty of all affecting variables and parameters by using their probability distribution. The proposed methodology applied to Sefidrood River in the northern part of Iran. Graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) as a subset of game theory was implemented to attain a compromise on WLA among the stakeholders of a river system's quality in Iran: Department of Environment, Municipal Waste Water, and Private Sector. Some undominated solutions were used in GMCR model and modeling the conflict among decision makers reveals that their preferences and the status quo do not lead to a solely stable equilibrium; thus the intervention of a ruler as arbitrator leads them to reach a compromise on a scenario that has a median FRVS and cost. Sensitivity analysis was done using the PAWN method to assess the sensitivity of three intended objectives to all variables and parameters.

Prevalence of self-reported coronary heart disease and its associated risk factors in Tabari cohort population

BackgroundPrevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors are increasing in developing countries. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-reported CHD and evaluate the role of various risk factors on its prevalence in the Tabari cohort study (TCS) population.MethodsThe enrollment phase of TCS was performed between June 2015 and November 2017. In the current study, data were derived from information collecting from the enrollment phase of TCS. In the enrollment phase, 10,255 individuals aged 35–70 living in urban and mountainous areas of Sari (northern part of Iran) were entered into the study. Educational level, socioeconomic and marital status, history of smoking, opium and alcohol abuse/addiction, level of daily physical activity, indices of obesity, and traditional risk factors of the participants were determined.ResultsThe prevalence of CHD was measured at 9.2%. Older individuals (P<0.001), people with a body mass index≥30kg/m2 (P<0.001), diabetics (P<0.001), and hypertensive (P<0.001) have been shown to have an increased risk for CHD compared with participants of without CHD. Furthermore, the CHD was more prevalent in individuals with higher waist circumference (P<0.001), higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.001), lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.001), and a higher waist to hip ratio (P<0.001). In addition, individuals with low socioeconomic status, illiterate people, and opium users had a higher prevalence of CHD (P<0.001). The results of the multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of CHD among individuals who had 8-10 risk factors was estimated at 8.41 (95% confidence interval: 5.75-12.31) times higher than those with less than 3 risk factors.ConclusionAccording to the results of the present study, it seems that the prevalence of CHD in the Iranian population is relatively high.

Isolation and identification of free-living amoeba from the hot springs and beaches of the Caspian Sea

Free-living amoeba (FLA) such as Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, Balamuthia, and Vermamoeba have been identified from both natural and human-made environments such as Hot springs and spa. Naegleria fowleri causes Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), while Acanthamoeba and Balamuthia cause chronic granulomatous encephalitis. Acanthamoeba also can cause cutaneous lesions and Amoebic Keratitis (AK) that is associated with contact lens use or corneal trauma. FLA are known to serve as host of and vehicles for diverse intracellular organisms. This study aimed was to identify the presence of FLA in the hot springs and beaches of the Caspian Sea in Ramsar tourist town located in the northern part of Iran. Water samples were collected in sterile bottles and were transferred to the laboratory. One litre of each sample passed through the nitrocellulose membrane filter. Each filter insert was then placed in non-nutrient agar plates already seeded with lawn culture of Escherichia coli. Positive samples were analyzed by morphological keys and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using 18S rDNA gene and ITS region to identify amoeba isolates. A total of 81 water sampled were tasted. After identified using the morphological key and PCR assay, 54 (66.6%) of the samples were positive for FLA. Ten of the samples were identified as Acanthamoeba (belong to T3, T4, and T5 genotypes), three as Vermamoeba vermiformis, four as Naegleria (3 N.australiensis and 1 N.grubery). Only one sample was positive Vahlkampfia. The presence of thermotolerant FLA in the Hot springs and beaches of the Caspian Sea as places for recreational purposes or wellness may be a potential health risk.

HEARTWOOD AND SAPWOOD FEATURES OF SORBUS TORMINALIS GROWN IN IRANIAN FORESTS

In the present study anatomical, histometrical, chemical and physical properties of the wood of 45-year old trees were determined. For this purpose, three trees were randomly cut at Sangdeh-Mazndaran located in the northern part of Iran. Disks and logs were removed at breast height to study the respective wood properties. Fiber length, fiber diameter, fiber lumen diameter, cell wall thickness as well as lignin and cellulose content of sapwood are superior to those of heartwood. Growth rings boundaries are fairly distinct and can be distinguished by only two to three compact fiber layers. The wood is diffuse-porous and vessels are small and predominately solitary, hardly visible to the naked eye on transverse sections. Most rays are 2-seriate interspersed with only few 3-seriate and uniseriate rays, and composed of procumbent body cells with occasional marginal rows of upright and/or square cells.

Investigating the Influence of Replacing Two Biomass Ashes with Conventional Filler on High and Intermediate Temperature Performance of Mastic and Mixture

Abstract The aim of this research was to evaluate the rheological properties of mastics and performance of mixtures consisting of two biomass ashes named as coal waste ash (CWA) and rice husk ash (RHA) used as a replacement of limestone filler at different concentrations. The high and intermediate temperature behavior of binders was evaluated through multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) and linear amplitude sweep (LAS) tests. Moreover, Marshall stability, resilient modulus, dynamic creep, moisture susceptibility, wheel track, indirect tensile strength, and four-point beam fatigue tests were implemented to investigate the mechanical performance of mixtures. Based on MSCR test results utilization of RHA led to improve the rutting resistance of binders, while CWA decreases the rutting resistance of binders. LAS test results indicated that addition of RHA to original binder increase the fatigue life of binder, while CWA decreases the fatigue behavior of mastics. Based on the results, the addition of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) increases the fatigue life of mastics. Results revealed that the addition of RHA improves the Marshall stability, resilient modulus, rutting properties, moisture resistance, and tensile strength of asphalt mixtures, while CWA has negative impact. In general, the obtained results from this study indicated that reuse of RHA and CWA waste materials in the northern part of Iran, where there are lots of RHA and CWA materials, especially RHA, in pavement engineering, has two main effects. First, environmental problems are reduced. Second, the performance properties of mixtures are enhanced.

The Incidence and Risk Factors of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Cohort Study from Iran

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition with a global prevalence of 24%. A broad spectrum of liver complications has been attributed to this condition. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the incidence of NAFLD and its potential risk factors in a seven-year follow-up study in Iran. Methods: This is a prospective cohort population-based study conducted in the northern region of Iran. In phase I of the cohort study, 2,461 participants were selected, between 2009 and 2010, using the stratified randomization method based on the sex and age of individuals. Ultrasonographic examination was performed again after a seven-year follow-up between 2016 and 2017. The multiple binary regression analysis was applied to evaluate the association between the development of NAFLD and potential risk factors. Results: The incidence of NAFLD was 27.88% (95% CI: 25.41% - 30.35%) in men and 30.17% (95% CI: 27.40% - 32.94%) in women (P = 0.226) in a seven-year follow-up period. Based on the multiple binary logistic regression analysis, body mass index (BMI) [OR = 1.219 (95% CI: 1.162 - 1.278) P < 0.001], triglyceride (TG) [OR = 1.003 (95% CI: 1.001 - 1.005); P = 0.005] and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) [OR = 0.986 (95% CI: 0.972 - 0.999); P = 0.046] showed a significant association with the incidence of NAFLD in men. In contrast, the marital status [OR = 2.141 (95% CI: 1.286 - 3.565); P = 0.003], BMI [OR = 1.165 (95% CI: 1.121 - 1.211); P < 0.001] and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) [OR = 1.164 (95% CI: 1.041 - 1.301); P = 0.007] had a significant relationship with the incidence of NAFLD in women. Conclusions: It seems that NAFLD is markedly rising in the northern part of Iran. Higher levels of BMI, TG, and HDL are considered independent risk factors for the development of NAFLD in men, while the marital status, BMI, and HOMA-IR exhibited independent risk factors with the incidence of NAFLD in women.

Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Analyses Reveal a New Record to the Flora of Iraq: Azolla filiculoides

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Azolla filiculoides is an aquatic fern native to Americas. The species has dispersed through Europe and Asia. Recently, it has been identified in northern part of Iran. However, there is no evidence confirms the presence of Azolla sp. in Kurdistan region of Iraq. The aim of the present study was to identify the species of Azolla found in Tanjaro river/northern part of Iraq. We studied morphological characteristics including trichomes, leaf branches, and three phylogenetic positions such as rbcl, rps4 and trnG-trnR of the species. The morphological and phylogeny investigations were compared with other identified species (reference species). Our results showed that the morphological characteristics are more similar to Azolla filicluloides than other species. Based on the phylogenetic trees, the position of the observed species was closer to Azolla filiculoides than others. These results indicated that the Azolla species found in Tanjaro river is more likely c.