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The present study evaluated the effects of reducing agricultural tariffs in different scenarios on food security and macroeconomic variables that using a computable general equilibrium model and data from Afghanistan's social accounting matrix. The effects of reducing tariffs were evaluated at 80%, 60%, 40%, 20%, and 100% (full liberalization). The results of this study showed that imports and consumption of cereals, fruits, vegetables, and livestock are gradually increased for households. Additionally, the increased purchasing power of households led to an increased demand for food, which improved food security and ultimately the health of households and society. Therefore, support for special facilities in the field of eliminating tariffs on agricultural products is essential.

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Research Subject: The conversion of anthropogenous CO₂ gas into value-add chemicals known as solar fuel technology attracted much consideration from the beginning of the 21st century owing to the potential of this technology in solving the climate change and energy shortage issues.
Research Approach: In the current study, Bismuth and copper modified TiO₂ were prepared using sol-gel and wet impregnation method in order to investigate as a catalyst for photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into renewable methane.  
Main Results: The results of X-ray diffraction analysis, Field emission scanning microscope images and Transmission electron microscope images demonstrated that titanium dioxide nanoparticles with 20 nm in size were synthesized that after the addition of bismuth, the size of particles became smaller. Also, using energy dispersive x-ray analysis and elemental mapping technique, it was determined that the bismuth and copper were uniformly inserted in the prepared nanoparticles. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed that the bandgap became smaller in bismuth and copper-containing samples, which resulted in visible light absorption. In addition, photoluminescence spectroscopy showed an impressive decrease in the rate of electron-hole separation in the prepared nanocomposite. The result of CO₂ photoreduction experiments revealed that the incorporation of 3 wt% Bismuth and 1.5 wt% copper into the structure of TiO₂ would increase the amount of methane production to 7.6 times greater than bare TiO₂. This superior activity for methane generation could be related to the ability of bismuth compounds in adsorption and activation of carbon dioxide molecules and also the efficient separation of charge carriers given by copper. Additionally, the smaller particle size and increase in the surface area had also a positive effect on the CO₂ reduction enhancement.

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Potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella (Lep.: Gelechiidae) is a serious pest of potato, Solanum tuberosum (Solanaceae). To study factors influencing capture of male PTM by pheromone traps, two sets of experiments were conducted in a split-plot factorial design. In the first experiment, four factors were studied: potato cultivar (Agria, Marfona, Jelly, Arinda, Santea and Sabalan), storage type (cold and conventional), trap shape (funnel and delta) and trap color (white and green). Significant differences were found among storage types and potato cultivars. Total moth catches were eight times higher in conventional storage than that of cold storage. Agria and Marfona cultivars had the highest capture, while Arinda and Sabalan cultivars had the lowest. There were no significant differences between trap shapes and trap colors. Results showed that trap catches in different cultivars were affected by storage conditions. In cold storages the highest and lowest captures were 7.00 and 5.58 moth/trap/week, whereas in conventional storages the highest and lowest captures were 59.9 and 42.3. The second experiment was aimed to assess the effect of cellulose mulch on the capturing of PTM in conventional storages containing Agria. Results showed that pheromone traps in control (no-mulch) treatments caught three times more PTM than the mulched treatments. It is concluded that lower numbers of PTM were caught in potatoes held in cold storages than that of conventional storages. Otherwise, in conventional storages, cellulose mulch can be applied to reduce PTM population density.
 

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Investigation of the morphological evidences on the quaternary glacial of Iran has been of interest to many researches. However, the origin of such studies can be attributed to Domorgan (1890) and Bobek (1955). In the same vein, over the past ten years, Iranian researchers have conducted deeper studies on the changes in the climatic conditions of Iran in the quaternary. The analysis of the obtained climatic data currently registered in Iran, on one hand, and the existence of locations with remarkable differences in terms of temperature with adjacent regions, on the other, have attracted the attention of geomorphologists to such areas, as well as to their distribution in Iran. It is evident that, by focusing on the estimated environmental temperature, one can guess that these areas have also had greater temperature characteristics during the cold periods in the past relative to their adjacent regions. The regions which show greater temperature than their adjacent areas are called cold troughs. If the annual temperature of these cold troughs is less than 5˚c and their surfaces are flat, then we can formulate a hypothesis for the existence of ice capes. This paper aimed at identifing the cold troughs in Iran and investigating their geomorphic characteristics in order to find evidences on the possibility of the existence of previous ice caps in these areas. The results revealed, for the first time, the presence of ice caps evidence over Namdan Plain.

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Objective: Environmental awareness is defined as the level of people's information about environmental issues and the effective factors in its expansion and knowledge of how to behave to improve problems. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of environmental awareness on green human resource management with the mediating role of employees' green behaviors and green innovation and the moderation of servant leadership.
Methodology: The research is a descriptive survey in terms of practical purpose and in terms of data collection. The statistical population was 8000 employees of active petrochemical companies in South Pars region and the statistical sample was 370 people. Cronbach's alpha method was used to obtain the reliability of research variables. Partial least squares method (Smart pls) was used to measure the fit of the research conceptual model and hypotheses.
Research findings: The result of the research shows that environmental awareness has a significant effect on the green behavior of employees, green innovation and green human resource management. The green behavior of employees has a significant effect on the management of green human resources; But the effect of green innovation on green human resource management was not confirmed. The green behavior of employees plays a mediating role between green human resource management and environmental awareness; But the mediating role of green innovation and moderator of servant leadership between green human resource management and environmental awareness was not confirmed.
Research innovation:The investigated research helps the managers to put the process of selection, recruitment and green training on the agenda and to strengthen the awareness of human resources in the environmental field and by using the mediator role of green behavior of employees, green innovation and moderator of leadership. Servant, help to form an environment-friendly environment.

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Wastewater treatment with microalgae and its reuse is an effective step toward reducing water consumption and preserving water resources. The possibility of growing spirulina microalga on cattle effluents and the possibility of purifying effluents using microalga were investigated. Different concentrations of standard culture medium (Zaruk)-wastewater were used to measure the optimal algal growth on wastewater and to determine the concentration of effluent-Zaruk for optimal algal growth. The treatments were T1 including 100% Zaruk and no wastewater, T2 including 75% Zaruk and 25% wastewater, T3 including 50% Zaruk and 50% wastewater, T4 including 25% Zaruk and 75% effluent and T5 including 100% effluent without Zaruk. Treatments that had more Zaruk, showed more optimal growth, and those that had a higher concentration of effluent often showed a relatively lower growth of algae biomass. The results showed the high growth of algae on the concentrated effluent. T1 with 0.35 and T2 with 0.3 g/liter of dry biomass had the highest biomass of microalgae. T1, T2, T4, T3, and T5 had the highest to the lowest amount of phycocyanin pigment production in microalgae, respectively. The highest removal of nitrate belonged to T5 and T4 with 82.57% and 78.21% removal respectively, and the lowest nitrate removal belonged to T1 and T2 with 57.17% and 70.94%, respectively. The highest removal of phosphate belonged to T1 and T2 with 94% and 92.11% removal, respectively. The lowest removal of phosphate belonged to T4 with 84% removal. Findings indicated the high potential of microalga for treating cattle wastewater.
 

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Tax evasion linked to imports is a cause for forming informal economy. Tax evasion decreases government revenue and makes restrictions in implementing economic policies. This paper investigates relationship between the tariff rate and tax evasion at the six- digit HS level on trade data of Iran and its twelve major trading partners during 2003 to 2008.  According to Bhagwati method, Tax evasion is defined as the discrepancy between the value of imports, reported by Iran, and the value of exports to Iran, reported by its trading partners. The results from estimated tax evasion models show that there is positive and significant relationship between the trading discrepancies or tax evasion and tariff rates among 27917 products. The elasticity of tax evasion with respect to tariff rates is 0.67, i.e. each one-percentage-point increase in the tariff rates raises tax evasion by 0.67 percent in case of total products. Additionally, the elasticity of tax evasion with respect to tariff rates is 0.8 for goods having tariff rates above average. In this case, tax evasion is more likely. The positive impact of tariff rate on tax evasion is not verified for goods having tariff rates lower than average.

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Diaeretiella rapae is an important natural enemy in the biological control of the cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae. This study evaluated the lethal effects of dichlorvos, dinotefuran, indoxacarb, spinosad, and hexaflumuron on the aphid and its parasitoid. The sub-lethal effects of spinosad and dinotefuran were also examined. Circular leaf discs were soaked in insecticide concentrations, and fourth instar nymphs of the aphid were exposed. For the adult wasps, the bioassay involved contact with insecticide residues. The toxicity of the insecticides against the pest and its parasitoid was ranked as follows: dichlorvos > dinotefuran > spinosad > hexaflumuron > indoxacarb, with significantly higher toxicity against the parasitoid wasp. The highest and lowest selective ratios for the insecticides' safety towards the parasitoid were calculated for hexaflumuron and indoxacarb, respectively. Hexaflumuron and spinosad are the least harmful insecticides to the wasp. The net reproductive rate of dinotefuran was lower than that of the control and spinosad. The values for gross reproductive rate were 41.99 ± 5.34, 27.75 ± 3.3, and 16.97 ± 2.36 offspring/female for the control, spinosad, and dinotefuran treatments, respectively. The intrinsic rate of population increase for D. rapae was lowest following exposure to dinotefuran. The percentage of adult D. rapae emergence in the control, spinosad, and dinotefuran was 99.6%, 96.8%, and 94.2%, respectively. A Type II functional response was observed for D. rapae after exposure to the control, Spinosad, and Dinotefuran treatments. Overall, it was found that hexaflumuron and D. rapae are effective options for an integrated pest management program to control the cabbage aphid.

 

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The aim of this study was to analyze the stress response during 3 hours net confinement stress and recovery period of 22 hours in normal (STD) and in 17α-hydroxylase deficient common carp (E5). Fish were raised for 6 months and sampled at T₀ (control, unstressed), 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour and 3 hours of exposure to net confinement, and after 1 hour, 4 hours, and 22 hours of recovery. At every sampling time, blood was collected to determine cortisol, corticosterone, glucose, lactate and free fatty acids (FFA) levels (5 fish per strain). Fish and head kidney were weighed before and after dissection, respectively, to determine head kidney somatic Index (HKSI). Morphometric analysis of head kidney tissues indicated that the head kidney somatic index was significantly higher in E5 fish (0.076±0.021) compared with STD fish (0.045±0.015). Also, significant differences in cortisol and corticosterone as well as in glucose, lactate and FFA values were observed between the two strains of E5 and STD. Moreover, the pattern of changes of glucose and FFA during stress and afterward indicated a significant difference compared to the T₀. Results support the conclusion that the reduced capacity of ill fish to produce cortisol is caused by a deficiency in 17α-hydroxylase activity. A reduced cortisol output leads to increased stimulation of adrenals by adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), resulting in increased outputs of corticosterone.

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Objective: Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) is a multifunctional growth factor predominantly recognized for its osteoinductive properties. Due to the high cost of this protein, the availability of BMP-7 for treatment is limited. The heterologous production of recombinant hBMP-7 has been performed in a number of expression systems. In this study a novel form of BMP-7 was expressed in eukaryotic and prokaryotic hosts. Methods: For expression in the prokaryotic system, the novel protein was secreted to the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli using a pelB signal sequence followed by single-step purification by Ni²⁺-charged column chromatography. In the mammalian cell expression system, we transferred a full-length cDNA encoding precursor of the novel protein to CHO cells then selected stable clones by using the appropriate antibiotic concentration. Expressions in both systems were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Results: The novel recombinant protein was produced as a 36-38 kDa dimer in the CHO cell line and a 16 kDa monomer in the Escherichia coli system. Quantitative analysis according to ELISA showed that the expression levels of the mutant protein in the eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems were 40 ng/ml and 135 ng/ml of the culture media, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the expression level in Escherichia coli was at least three times more than observed in the CHO cells. However, further optimization is required to obtain a dimer protein in Escherichia coli. The results show that periplasmic expression may be suitable for the production of complex proteins such as BMPs.

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Objective: Development of high producing mammalian cell lines is a major bottleneck in manufacturing of recombinant therapeutic proteins. This study examines the effect of using the matrix attachment region from the human interferon beta gene in combination with promoter activation strategy with E1A 13S protein on human tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) expression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Methods: The matrix attachment region was cloned in 3΄ and 5΄ flanking sides of the t-PA expression cassette in pTPA vector to generate pMTPA. After transfection of the cells with pTPA and pMTPA vectors, stable cell pools were developed and the t-PA expression level determined for each stable cell line. In the next step, E1A 13S expression plasmid was transfected to stable cell pools and t-PA titers were measured after 72 hours. Results: Integration of pTPA and pMTPA vectors in the CHO genome was confirmed by PCR analysis on genomic DNA of stable cell pools. Analysis of the t-PA expression level showed a three-fold enhancement in pMTPA transfected cells compared to pTPA-containing cells. t-PA expression was further enhanced up to 1771 U/ml by transient expression of E1A 13S in pMTPA stable cell pools. Conclusion: These results have shown that incorporation of matrix attachment region in an expression vector in combination with promoter activation can effectively enhance recombinant protein expression levels in CHO cells.

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Objective: The study of physiological changes in recombinant cell lines provides useful information to improve production performance. In this study, we investigate the effects of an anti-CD33 chimeric IgG₄ expression on Sp2.0 cell growth. Methods: Variable region genes of light and heavy chains of monoclonal antibody produced by M195 were cloned in pFUSE-CLIg-hk and pFUSE-CHIg-hG4 expression vectors, respectively. Transfection of recombinant plasmids into Sp2.0 cell lines was performed using lipofectamine in two steps. Positive transformant cells were isolated and subjected to PCR, RT-PCR and Western blot analysis to confirm the integration of gene cassettes and the expression of recombinant IgG₄. To assess the growth parameters, recombinant and parent Sp2.0 cell lines were seeded at a density of 1×10⁵ cells/ml in duplicate into 12-well plates. For nine days, culture plates were sampled daily and viable cell count and viability determined. Results: The results of PCR, RT-PCR and Western blot analyses confirmed the generation of stable producer cell lines. In recombinant cells, the maximum cell density decreased by 46%. However, it was observed that IgG₄ expression had no effect on cell viability of these transfectants. Conclusion: Our results showed that the expression of recombinant IgG₄ can change growth parameters in Sp2.0 cell lines that express the pFUSE-CHIg-hG4-pFUSE-CLIg-hk construct.

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To estimate population density of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), a stratified random sampling was conducted in two unsprayed canola fields in Isfahan (central Iran) during 2011-2012. Population density was determined for apterous, and alates, as well as the total population, at two plant growth phases (PGP1: From plant emergence to the end of rosette, and PGP2: From the beginning of stem elongation to ripening) on the whole plant as the sampling unit. Sources of variation in the sampling procedure were analyzed with a nested analysis of variance (NANOVA). In PGP2, aphid density in upper (10-15 cm upper part of stem) and lower (the rest of stem) parts were compared using Student’s t-test. Temporal changes in spatial pattern during the growth season were evaluated using 1/k (aggregation index) and Lloyd’s Patchiness Index. Results showed that differences among fields accounted for the majority of total variation observed in aphid densities and the aphids significantly preferred upper parts of canola plants. Among different indices used for analyzing spatial distribution of the aphid, Taylor’s Power Law (TPL) described well the relationship between variance and mean of the population. In both PGPs spatial patterns of apterous, alates, and total population were aggregated, random, and aggregated, respectively. Estimates of 1/k and changes in the value of patchiness index revealed that the aphid population was aggregated at the beginning of rosette stage and became more dispersed with time.   

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In this study, the effect of the inlet air temperature and milk flow rate on the physical properties of the milk powder obtained from the spouted bed dryer was investigated. Milk samples were dried at three levels of inlet air temperature (80, 100 and 120 ^○C) and three levels of milk flow rate (1.333, 2.500, 3.556 ml/min). The effect of these factors on the physical properties (bulk density, tapped density, flowability, color, and moisture content) of the powders was evaluated. The effects of the mentioned factors on the physical properties of milk powder were determined and modeled using response surface methodology. The optimum inlet air temperature and the milk flow rate was obtained 93.82 ^○C and 1.333 ml/min, respectively. Under these conditions, the desired values for each physical parameter were predicted and compared with the experimental data.

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Aphids in unsprayed canola (Brassica napus Linnaeus) fields in Isfahan province (central Iran) were sampled for two growing seasons, 2011-2013. Sampling unit was a whole plant and 20 plants were sampled weekly. In the laboratory, heat-extracting and sub-sampling techniques were used to estimate the density of aphids. To determine the relationship between population growth rate of the aphids and degree-days,linear regressions were done between log of aphid density and accumulated degree-days. Homogeneity tests were done using pairwise comparisons between slopes. Aphids' preference for upper (10-15 cm upper part of stem) and lower (the rest of stem) parts of the plant was analyzed using Student’s t-test. Aphid fauna included: Cabbage Aphid [CA; Brevicoryne brassicae (L.)], Green Peach Aphid [GPA; Myzus persicae (Sulzer)], and Turnip Aphid [TA; Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach)]. The GPA developed small population in comparison with CA and TA and was occasionally found. The population density of CA and GPA tended to show two peaks and, during flower initiation, population began to decrease. The average population growth rates of GPA and CA were 0.001 and 0.003, respectively. Homogeneity tests indicated that, at all sites and years, GPA showed reduced growth rate compared to CA. On average, 36 and 64% of CA and GPA populations were found on the lower parts of plants, respectively. This indicated that CA preferred upper part while GPA preferred lower part of the plants. The obtained results could be used to make a contribution to systematize the field monitoring of predominant aphids in canola crop.

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This study was conducted to evaluate a temperature regime ranged from 15 to 30°C on survival, growth, life span and reproductive traits (reproductive period, clutch number, offspring number) of Phallocryptus spinosa from Iran. Newly hatched nauplii (N= 200 and 3 replicates per each treatment) were allocated into containers and maintained at various temperature regimes (at 15, 20, 25 and 30˚C). During trial, the larvae were fed with unicellular algae Dunaliella tertiolecta and Lansy PZ (lipid-enriched yeast). Survival and growth rate of P. spinosa with an interval of 3 days to 18 days were examined. After attaining adulthood, 16 pairs of adult P. spinosa were transferred from all culture vessels into separate containers supplied with 300 ml of brackish water (5 ppt) and similar temperatures to compare their life span and reproductive traits. Based on results obtained, maximum growth at shortest period (13.2±2.0 mm on day 12) was observed at 30°C; whereas, all P. spinosa died before reaching sexual maturity by day 15. Maximum survival (86%) was observed at 15°C; however, minimum growth also was obtained at the same temperature with none of P. spinosa reaching sexual adulthood. On the 18th day, P. spinosa reached sexual adulthood only at 20 and 25°C. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed in most of the reproductive traits especially in total egg production per female at 20°C. Thus, it seems that 20°C is the suitable temperature to rear this fairy shrimp. Future studies should be focused on the feasibility of mass production of this species as a valuable live feed in the aquaculture industry.

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According to English Common Law rules, in order to be legally enforceable, a contract must be supported by consideration or be in deed. The rigidity of this doctrine caused the courts to seek to find other criteria for enforceability of promises. The most important of these in England is the Doctrine of Promissory estoppel. Under this doctrine, a promise intended to be binding, intended to be acted upon, and in fact, acted on, is binding so far as its terms properly apply. This article seeks to study the doctrine and compare it with similar institutions in Islamic jurisprudence and in Iranian law.