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In this study, a planetary ball mill was used for mechanical activation of phosphate concentrate by dry milling in argon atmosphere. To investigate the structural changes of fluorapatite, amorphization degree, crystallite size, micro-strain, particles size, specific surface area changes and new phase formation were investigated. The crystallite size and micro-strain were estimated using Williamson-Hall method. To investigate the influence of effective parameters on mechanical activation, the ball to powder ratio of 20:1 and 40:1 with two types of balls of 9.4 and 20 mm and speeds of 200 and 500 rpm was used. The results showed that agglomeration of particles occur at higher intensities of mechanical activation, but no phase change occurs during high intensity ball milling. The most variations in crystallite size, micro-strain, surface area, amorphization degree and XRD line broadening were for samples that were activated by smaller balls for longer time. The results of the Williamson-Hall plots showed that the maximum effect of mechanical activation on phosphate concentrate was in the first 20 minutes with small balls and the crystallite size, micro-strain and amorphization degree was changed from 225 nm, 0.09% and 0% for initial sample to 64.29 nm, 0.9% and 80.081% for mechanically activated sample, respectively. Also the results showed that changes in cell parameter at c direction had larger effect on unit cell volume. The maximum unit cell volume variations were corresponding to mechanically activated sample with 9.4 mm balls that changed from 525.4 (A³) for initial sample to 528 (A³) for activated one after 90 min.
 

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The genus Taeniothrips Amyot & Serville is belonging in the subfamily Thripinae with only one species in Iran. Here, the second species, T. eucharii (Whetzel) is newly recorded from the country. Male and female specimens of this species have been collected on the flowers of Ixiolirion tataricum (Amaryllidaceae) from Ilam province (west of Iran).

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The functional response of the egg parasitoid, Trissolcus vassilievi (Nees) (Hym., Scelionidae), on eggs of the sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Put. (Hem., Scutelleridae) was investigated at six constant temperatures (12, 15, 20, 25, 28 and 32 °C) for 8 hours. Using logistic regression, a type III functional response was determined for T. vassilievi at the two temperatures 15 and 32 °C. Any functional response was not detected at other temperatures. The Hassells’ type III model was used for estimating searching efficiency (a) and handling time (T_h). At 32 °C the highest attack rateand the lowest handling time was recorded 0.2029 per hour and 0.1856 hour, respectively. Results show that the parasitoid can be used in the pest management programs at low and high temperatures.

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 Genus and species of Dichromothrips smithi (Zimmermann) (Thripidae: Thripinae) is recorded from Iran, Ilam province for the first time. Specimens of this species have been collected on rangeland plants by beating an unknown plant over a white plate. Diagnostic morphological characters and the geographical distribution of the newly recorded thrips are given.

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Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), is a serious pest of the greenhouse in Iran. Chemical control is the main method in high infestation conditions to deal with this pest. In this study, the efficacy of five insecticides from different groups consisting of abamectin, spinosad, imidacloprid, indoxacarb and cypermethrin was examined on the egg, larvae and adult stages of T. absoluta in laboratory conditions. The LC50 values of the insecticides were estimated at the larval stage. The results showed that abamectin had the most and imidacloprid had the least ovicidal effect. None of the tested insecticides had a satisfactory effect on the adult stage. The maximum adulticide impact was 40% for spinosad. Abamectin with 0.45 mg ai.l-1 of LC50 value had the most toxicity and imidacloprid with 980 mg ai.l-1 of LC50 value had the least toxicity on the third instar larvae. According to the findings, abamectin and spinosad had the highest toxicity against three developmental stages (egg, larvae and adults) of the pest and can be used in infested tomato fields, when all life stages of T. absoluta are present at the same time. Meanwhile, it is recommended to use selective insecticides such as indoxacarb, when natural enemies are very active or the population of the tomato leaf miner is mostly at the larval stage.

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Islamic banking includes profit and loss sharing (PLS) and transaction contracts. Transaction contracts have fixed rates of return, which in turn form a base for allocating the financial resources to PLS contracts. In Iran, the rates of return in transaction contracts are determined by Central Bank. In this research, we compute and estimate the rates of return in transaction contracts using the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Artificial Neural Networks and Radial Basis Function (RBF). This research is an extension and improvement of Dadgar and Firoozan (2012) work. Data used for algorithms is the real data gathered from manufacturing workplaces having more than 10 employees. Our results show that two networks are of good accuracy to estimate the coefficients of shadow cost function, and most of them are approximately equal in two networks.
Compared to econometric method, the proposed model has no sampling limitation. This method accounts for all of 14000 manufacturing units in 2007, and consequently the computational errors are much less than those of econometric calculations. According to the results, the estimated rate of return for transaction contracts is 15%. This rate in comparison with the prevailing rate, i.e. 12%, reflects a 20% deviation in determining rate of return, which causes undeniable costs on the economy and allocation of limited resources.
 

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Brucellosis is a momentous zoonotic disease. Unpasteurized milk and milk products are the leading sources of Brucella transmission to humans. The present research was conducted to investigate the contamination of local crumbled Kope cheeses distributed in Urmia city with Brucella species and evaluate the antibiotic-resistance pattern of the isolates. Fifty samples of local cow’s Kope cheese were randomly collected from traditional dairy retailers in different regions of Urmia by sterile conditions in 2022. The samples were cultured in Brucella enrichment broth and then in Brucella selective agar with a supplement. Molecular identification of Brucella spp. was done using specific primers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on the isolates was performed by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Among the tested samples, two samples were contaminated with Brucella (4%). One was contaminated with B. abortus bv. 1, 2, and 4 (2%), and the other with B. melitensis (2%). The isolates were sensitive to azithromycin, imipenem, doxycycline, rifampin, and co-trimoxazole antibiotics and were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, tetracycline, gentamicin, and ceftriaxone antibiotics. Also, the B. abortus strain was sensitive to ciprofloxacin, but the B. melitensis strain was resistant. The isolates showed multi-drug resistance (MDR) characteristics. From the findings, it can be concluded that Brucella contamination in local Kope cheeses distributed in Urmia city is low; However, due to the high pathogenicity of B. melitensis for humans, it is recommended to screen infected cows, vaccinate sheep and goat herds, and prevent the supply of unpasteurized milk and milk products. It is also recommended to evaluate azithromycin and imipenem antibiotics along with other common antibiotics in brucellosis.