اکرم احمدی

Hyrcanian boxwood (Buxus hyrcana Pojark.) is an evergreen tree and native to the Hyrcanian forests in northern Iran, which is considred as one of the endangered plant species. In vitro propagation of this valuable species can prevent its extinction. The presence of fungal and bacterial contamination is one of the main challenges of in vitro culture of Buxus hyrcana, which can affect the propagation of this valuable species and on the other hand, can lead to many costs. In the present study, the efficacy of 15% Percidine, Aqua Percidine, Super Percidine and Percidine Plus in removing contamination from B. hyrcana explants was investigated under in vitro culture conditions compared to the usual method (using sodium hypochlorite).

The experiment was performed in factorial arrangement as a completely randomized design with 3 replications. First, for pre-treatment, explants (twigs and seeds) were washed with ordinary water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid for 5 minutes to remove surface contaminants. Then, they were placed in benomyl fungicide (1%) for 10 minutes. After washing, under laminar airflow, sterilization of explants was performed with experimental treatments. Experimental treatments included disinfectant (Percidine 15%, Percidine Aqua, Super Percidine, Percidine Plus (at concentrations of 0, 1, 2, and 4%) which were compared with sodium hypochlorite. After sterilization of the explants, the plant materials were placed on Murashige and Skoog medium. To measure contamination, cultures were examined under growth conditions at 25±1 °C with a light intensity of 1000 to 1500 lux (16 hours light and 8 hours dark).

The results showed that fungal and bacterial contamination in the seed explant was significantly reduced compared to the twig explant. On the other hand, Super Percidine sterilizer showed high efficiency (63%) in the twig explant in reducing contamination from culture medium. Moreover, in seed explants, in addition to Super Percidine, Aqua Percidine sterilizer also showed high efficiency in reducing contamination from seed surface (33%).

Therefore, it seems that the use of Super Percidine (2%) sterilizer can be useful for twig explants and both of Super Percidine (2%) and aqua Percidine (2%) is suitable for seed explants.

Global forest area has decreased by nearly 180 million ha in three decades. So, many ecosystem services provided by forests have been threatened. Reforestation and afforestation are the most effective strategies for mitigating deforestation. Therefore, in a variety of countries worldwide, including Iran, several afforestation projects have been implemented; however, the quantity and quality of many afforested lands have decreased over time under the influence of catastrophic factors, environmental stress, and different management methods. Awareness and continuous monitoring of forest programs are some of the most fundamental forestry policies. Therefore, the monitoring of annual afforestation in the eastern Golestan province using Google Earth software was put on the agenda to prepare an afforestation map and identify the reasons for the success and failure of the implemented plans. According to the findings, 19,377.39 ha of afforestation have been planted in Golestan province. Of these, Maraveh Tappeh city has the highest amount of afforestation with more than 9,256 ha with C. arizonica L, C. sempervirens L. var. horizontalis (Mill.) Gord. and P. brutia Ten, mostly. The presence of suitable climatic and edaphic conditions in the Golidagh of Maraveh Tappeh City and the ArabDagh area of Kalaleh City played a prominent role in the success of artificial forests in these areas. It should be noted that wood smuggling, the presence of livestock, the occurrence of fires, the presence of natural and human obstacles, and continuous monitoring have been other factors affecting the success or failure of afforestation programs in the eastern Golestan province.

Since dead trees contain significant amounts of organic matter, they play an essential role in forest dynamics. In the present study, the changes in soil carbon stock were studied in relation to the dead tree features and its soil beneath in mixed broadleaf stands of Loveh forest in Golestan province, Iran using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and random forest model. For this purpose, the characteristics of 15 dead trees consisting of hornbeam, oak, Cappadocian maple, and ironwood were recorded in three decay classes 3 to 5, and the soil beneath them was collected from a depth of 0 to 15. The random forest model was implemented based on the relationship between the dependent variable (carbon stock) and the independent variables (effective factors) using the randomForest package in R software. The results showed that using the studied parameters, the random forest model justifies about 54% of the changes in soil carbon stock. According to the final model, the carbon stock of the soil beneath of dead tree is most affected by the three parameters of C/N ratio, nitrogen (%), and soil pH, so in a general trend with the increase of C/N ratio and nitrogen (%) and the decrease of pH, the amount of soil carbon stock around the dead tree has been increased. The present study's findings indicate that dead trees provide great potential for soil carbon storage, especially when faced with an old-growth forest ecosystem.

The core idea of spatial data infrastructures (SDI) is based on "Design". The word "design" bears a deep philosophical meaning as it becomes a complicated yet practical tool owing to the confluence of experts from different disciplines, and not one particular science area, to borrow the people a grant of recognition/understanding and problem-solving. The primary purpose of developing an SDI is to design a designer; that is, it can design the recognition pattern and a suitable management strategy of the dynamic world for the end-users based on the input disseminated transdisciplinary data and information. Such a secondary (yet as important) design is underpinned by the synergistic conglomeration of data and information, eventually increasing the collective wisdom and co-intelligence in a society. Current research sets out to assess the applicability of designing a provincial SDI framework for the agriculture and natural resources sectors, availed by organizational coordination and the notion of crowdsourcing. Due to swift growth in farmers and, on the other hand, watershed stakeholders as a larger management unit, attaining a holistic grasp on the existing and potential strengths and weaknesses to assist such a sizeable beneficial spectrum would only be surmounted by producing and developing an SDI. Integrating SDIs with game engines would create an interactive environment, leading to a better understanding of the environment and the involved processes and converting data & information into knowledge and wisdom.

Habrobracon hebetor is an important ectoparasitoid of several lepidopteran pests. The efficiency of parasitoids would be affected by insecticides applications. Integrating the application of biological control agents and insecticides for pest management requires knowledge about impact and selectivity of the insecticides on biological control agents. In this study, the lethal and sublethal effects of indoxacarb, Voliam Targo and profenofos were evaluated on different life stages and some behavioral responses of the parasitoid. Field recommended rate of Voliam Targo and profenofos caused 100 % mortality on adult female wasps. Based on bioassay tests, the LC50 values of indoxacarb, Voliam Targo and profenofos on adult stage were 172.5, 4.4 and 2.9 mg a.i./L, respectively. The result of bioassay experiments on adult stage showed that profenofos had higher toxicity against adult stage compared to indoxacarb and Voliam Targo. Field recommended rate of indoxacarb and Voliam Targo had low toxicity on immature stages of the parasitoid. The effect of LC30 of the tested insecticides on functional response as an important behavioral factor of parasitoids was also studied. The functional response of the parasitoid revealed a type II functional response in control and all of insecticides treatments. This study showed that the control and profenofos treatment had the shortest and longest handling time, respectively. The highest and lowest maximum attack rate was observed in profenofos and control treatments with 0.992 and 0.507 h, respectively. Evaluation of sublethal effects of indoxacarb, Voliam Targo and profenofos on orientation behavior of the wasp by olfactometer showed that the parasitoid preferred untreated host larvae compared with treated host larvae by tested insecticides. Results showed that profenofos had more negative effects on the parasitoid. Due to the high toxicity effect of Voliam Targo on adults, it seems that Indoxacarb would be a more suitable insecticide for using in integrated pest management programs.

Mangroves are one of the most important and effective cover of mandabi ecosystems, which are evergreen and resistant to salinity and grow in the coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions, so that they can adapt to the conditions like high salinity, wind, anaerobic soil environment and tides with high height. Despite the many environmental services, these forests are considered as threatened ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions, which are very vulnerable to human activities and climate changes and are exposed to a threat. During the recent centuries, the destruction of mangrove habitats as a result of coastal development, pollution, aquaculture, logging and exploitation and fuel supply has been done more intensively and has led to a drastic reduction in the area of the mangrove ecosystem. One of the most important human threats in the mangrove forests of Hormozgan province is especially the cutting of mangroves by local people in order to raise livestock. The percentage of importance of cutting in Hormozgan is much higher than other threats, so the purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of different intensities of cutting on the reproductive and growth characteristics of forest stand.

The location of the project was (an area 180 meters long along the coast and the length of the mangrove forest, along the highest and lowest tide levels). This design was carried out in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 10 replications in plots 40 meters long and 25 meters wide along the slope of coastal lands. In each plot along its diameter, 10 mangrove trees whose crown diameter was more than 2 meters were selected and cutting treatments with percentages (zero, 10, 20 and 30%) were implemented on the sample trees (40 sample trees). It is worth mentioning that the diameter at a height of 30 cm and the height of the sample trees, the reproduction status around the sample trees, the diameter and height of the surrounding trees, the sample trees before cutting and 5 years after cutting were measured and it was compared using one-way analysis of variance.

The results showed that the height and diameter growth rate of the sample trees was the highest in the control treatment with values of 0.45 meters and 2.37 centimeters, and significantly more than the 20% treatment (0.23 meters and 0.94 cm) and 30% treatment (0.17 meters and 0.52 cm). Also, the reproduction rate around the sample trees was significantly reduced by cutting. The reproduction rate was the highest in the control treatment with 0.093 seedlings per square meter, while the lowest value (0.031 seedlings per square meter) was observed in the 30% cutting treatment. It is worth mentioning that 10, 20 and 30% cutting was observed in the control treatments, respectively, with the number of 0, 3, 5 and 8 diebacked seedlings≤ 5 cm, during 5 years. In examining the effect of cutting on the growth of trees around the sample tree, no significant effect was observed.

Overall, the results of this research showed that grey mangrove trees are very sensitive to human intervention and cutting and react strongly. This reaction was shown in the field of the habitat in the form of a decrease in vegetative characteristics and seedling production around the cut trees.

 Procedural memory is a key component of long-term memory that can be assessed in different modalities, such as verbal and motor. Learning through procedural memory occurs in three stages: initial learning, consolidation, and retention. Several tasks evaluate procedural memory, but none have concurrently studied procedural learning in various modalities and learning stages. Besides, according to the declarative-procedural model, there may be an association between the performance of individuals in procedural learning and their state of the grammar of a language. Therefore, this study aimed to design a Serial Search Task (SST) for the simultaneous evaluation of procedural memory in motor and verbal modalities during three stages of learning and determine its reliability. Moreover, the relationship between procedural memory and grammar skills was examined.

 This study is methodological research in the first stage and descriptive analytics in the second stage. First, based on the literature review and the opinions of three speech-language pathologists, some words with appropriate psycholinguistic features were chosen from the Persian picture naming set. Then, corresponding pictures were determined. The task was designed using Java programming language. The face validity of the task was evaluated, then after revisions, the reliability was determined. Face validity was assessed in 10 normal children, and the test-retest reliability was evaluated in 15 normal children aged 7-9 years; all of them were chosen using the convenience sampling method. In the second stage, to assess the relationship between grammatical skills and the SST, 20 normal children aged 7-9 years were selected by a mixed sampling method. Every child had exposed to a verbal modality in three stages: initial learning, consolidation (24 hours later), and retention (one week later). Then the same stages were performed in the motor modality. Each child's language skills were determined using the test of language development-primary (TOLD-P3), and the relationship between the two skills was determined. Statistical methods included the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients and repeated measures analysis of variance.

The correlation values between two performances in the initial learning stage for the reaction time variable in verbal (r=0.84, P<0.001) and motor (r=0.80, P˂0.001) modalities and the variable of response accuracy in verbal (r=0.81, P=0.011) and motor (r=0.77, P=0.026) modalities were obtained. In the consolidation and retention stages, the correlation values for the reaction time variable in verbal (r=0.737, P=0.002) and motor (r=0.743, P=0.001) modalities and the variable of response accuracy in verbal (r=0.624, P=0.013) and motor (r=0.916, P<0.001) modalities were obtained. The relationship between grammar and procedural learning in the verbal modality was significant in the consolidation stage (P=0.045, CI:0.016-0.797, r=0.491).

SST is a reliable task to assess different stages of procedural memory in both verbal and motor modalities. Therefore, this task can be used to evaluate procedural memory in normal children aged 7-9 years. The current study's findings confirmed the predictions made by the declarative-procedural model during the consolidation stage in the verbal modality.

In order to manage the forests and optimal and sustainable utilization of the forest, it seems necessary to know the information on the volume of the residual stand. In this study, a systematic randomized inventory was carried out in 186 circular 10-acre plots in the educational and research forest of Darabkola, Sari, Golestan, Iran and the volume of each plot was obtained. In the next step, the physiographic layers of the area were prepared using the topographic map and the vegetation characteristics were prepared using the LISS-III image of the IRS-P6 satellite with a resolution of 23.5. After preparing physiographic layers and vegetation characteristics, their value was calculated for all plots. Then, regarding these variables and using two methods of multilayer perceptron neural network and multiple regression model, modeling was done. The results showed that the multiple linear model could model the volume changes in the region with higher accuracy (R2=0.75 and RMSE=0.3). The results of this research can be used in management planning and as one of the effective factors in the design of logging routes and forest roads so that areas with larger volumes are covered more.

Porcupine (Hystrix indica) is the largest rodent found in Iran and causes a lot of damage to protected areas and forest plantations every year.

investigation of the environment and damage to trees in Sefidkouh forest of Doureh Chegini city of Lorestan province was performed using transect method and marking damaged trees between 2011-2015, which finally, damage to damaged trees with different criteria and characteristics were determined. Also, three conventional methods of fencing, hedging and crimping were used to control the porcupine damage.

The study of porcupine damage to trees showed that it had an increasing trend during the years under study and among the existing tree species (Persian oak, fig and almond) only oak trees were damaged. The highest damage of porcupine was observed in spring on trees with a diameter class of 25-50 cm. Also, the most damage to tree trunks was observed at a height class of 40-60 cm, and the thickness of the bark of tree trunks fed by porcupine was between the two classes of <1 cm and 1-1.5 cm. Among the direct and indirect damages caused by porcupine, peeling the tree has caused the most damage to the stems.The results of Spearman correlation between the variables of degree of damage with tree form, diameter class, bark thickness, time of damage showed a positive and significant relationship between the degree of damage caused by porcupine to Quercus brantii trees with diameter class, time of damage and there was negative and significant relationship between the degree of damage with the thickness of the bark and the form of the tree. The results of mechanical control of the porcupine had significant difference in the three methods of hedge fencing and crimping, so that the fencing method was effective in controlling this rodent.

Porcupine causes damage to oak trees, especially in the protected areas of Zagros forests due to the conservation and protection conditions of these forests and mechanical control methods are effective in controlling the damage of this rodent.

Allelopathy is the interaction between plants that stimulates or inhibits the growth and germination of other species. Non-native species of (Prosopis juliflora (SW.) DC) is one of the species known as invasive species with allelopathic effects that can inhibit the growth and growth of species by producing allopathic compounds such as phenols, alkaloids into the environment. Two important species of Hormoozgan province are Acacia oerfota and Acacia tortilis which P.juliflora was observed with them in the natural forests, Therefore, the correct selection of tree species in forest plantation should be done with caution in order to inhibit negative effects on native species. The aim of this study was to investigate the allelopathic effects of different organs of p. juliflora on germinatin, radicle and plumule length of Ac. tortilis and A. oerfota.

For this purpose, the organs (root, bark and leaf) of P.juliflora were collected and different extract concentration (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8%) were prepared were added on A.tortilis and A. oerfota (4 replications, n=60) in growth chamber, and after recording germination, the plumule and radicle length were meausered after 30 days. Factorial experiment was performed through completely randomized design and was analyzed by two-way variance analyses.

Results showed that the lowest gemination percentage in A.tortilis was observed at 8% concentration with the amount of 16.11%. The plumule length of A. tortilis and A. oerfota in aquatic extraction of leaves (1.73 and 3.9 cm) was significantly lower than other organs. Also, the plumule length of A. tortilis (3.58 cm) and A. oerfota (5 cm) had the highest amounts in control. The interaction effects of organ × concentration showed that plumule and radicle length in A.tortilis and A. oerfota had the significant differences. The interactions of organ × concentration on radicle and plumule length in A.tortilis and A. oerfota species were also significantly different. The radicle and plumule length of A. tortilis and A. oerfota in leaf organ with values of 1.25, 1.73 cm and 1.98 and 3.9 cm were significantly less than bark and roots, respectively.

The results showed that there were inhibitory effects of aqueous extract of Prosopis juliflora root, bark and leaves on the germination percentage, root length and stem length of two important species of Acacia tortilis and Acacia oerfota in laboratory condition. Among the three studied organs, the leaf organ had the most inhibitory effects, which due to the high volume of litter under the canopy of this species in the environment and the entry of toxic compounds into the surface soil due to decomposition, prevents the growth of Acacia tortilis and Acacia oerfota that P. juliflora is seen with these species and overcome on them. Also, the root had the lowest inhibitory In according to the results, P.juliflora has allelopathic effects on native species. Therefore, it is recommended to choose non-native species for afforestation more carefully and using native species for reforestation and afforestation in the south fragile ecosystem of Iran is more suitable option.

The leaching from the surface of vegetation resulting from the complex relationship of soil and vegetation is an important part of the nutrition cycle that controls the ability of plants to access elements or the release of food from the ecosystem along with the decomposition process. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the importance of trees leaching in the nutrient cycle (base cations) and introduce it as a vital nutrient source for improving soil fertility and sustainability of forest ecosystems.

This study is a review on published studies, a library and a comprehensive review of the literature, nationally and internationally.  

Leaching of nutrients from the canopy and forest floor with rapid absorption is an important factor of soil fertility and sustainability of ecosystems that should be considered in the forest management. Forest management and forest cover influence the nutrient quality and access in the soil and plants by erosion, litter quality, organic matter and nutrient cycling. For the forest management plan and marking, cut intensity, thinning and lightening intensity, additional information about the status and leaching intensity is required in any area to prevent the imbalance of the ecosystem with a comprehensive plan.

In fact, with sufficient information on the leaching function of different species and using in management, we can determine the correct combination in forestry and silviculture operations associated with soil fertility protection and increase of production potential.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of increasing the germination traits (germination and rate percentage) and vegetation characteristics of 3-month-old seedlings of Betula pendula (plumule and radicle length, collar diameter, fresh and dry weight of root, leaf area) by applying nano-priming and magnetic field. Seeds were collected from the Siah- Marzkouh area, 18 km from Gorgan-Golestan, Iran and after disinfection they were primed (soaked)  in a 1% solution of nano-chitin, nano-chitosan and nano-cellulose, and then sown. Magnetic treatment was applied to the seeds at three levels of 20, 30 and 40 mT at 1, 10 and 20 minutes and were sown immediately. A number of seeds were primed with all 3 nanomaterials after being exposed to the magnetic field (with the previous dose and time) and then planted. The results showed that among all the applied treatments, 1 min magnetism in 30 mT and then 2 hour seed priming with 1% solution of nanocellulose, were the best, In a way that increased the germination percentage (1.58 times), germination rate (1.9 times), number of leaves (1.2 times), leaf area (1.84 times) and root length (1.4 times) compared to the control (no treatment). The 20-minute magnetic treatment of seeds at 30 mT intensity and then the two-hour seed priming with 1% nanocellulose gave similar results. Two seed treatments (10 and 20 minute) in 30 mT (without nanopriming) are also recommended after these two treatments.

This study aimed to compare the effects of roots and leaves of Prosopis juliflora (SW) DC at different concentrations on emergence, vigor, radicle, and plumule length of two species of Taverniera spartea (Burm. F.) DC. and Pennisetum divisum (Forssk. Ex JF Gmel.) Henrard in Hormozgan province, Iran. After grounding the leaves and bark of Prosopis juliflora and mixing it with the soil of Prosopis juliflora habitat (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 g of each organ per kg of soil), 15 seeds of Pennisetum divisum and Taverniera spartea species with four replications were cultivated in the soil, and the desired variables were recorded and analyzed using GLM statistical analysis. The results showed that vigor, radicle, and plumule length of Taverniera spartea species in soil associated with bark was 10.77, 3.47, and 3.63 cm, and in Pennisetum divisum species were 5.7, 4.36, and 4.15 cm that was higher than in the leaves. Also, seed vigor, plumule length in Taverniera spartea species, and seed vigor, radicle, and plumule length in Pennisetum divisum species had the lowest values in 8% treatment. The interaction effects of concentration×organ also showed that the leaf extraction had significant decreasing effects on seed vigor, plumule length in both species, and radicle length in Pennisetum divisum species. Also, the emergence percentage in Pennisetum divisum species (18.33%) was the highest in the control treatment. The results showed that Prosopis juliflora has inhibitory effects on rangeland species, so the selection of this species for afforestation in desert areas should be done more sensitively and the use of native species (Ziziphus spina christi, Prosopis cineraria, and Acacia oerfota) should be prioritized.

In order to investigate the morphological variation of maple (Acer monspessulanum L.) in Iran, five populations from different habitats were studied including Mazandaran, Isfahan, Lorestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Golestan. The evaluated characteristic were  including: leaf morphological traits (leaf length, width at 1/2 leaf length, leaf thickness, width at 1/4 leaf length, width at 3/4 leaf length, right vein length, middle vein length, left vein length, right lobe length , Middle lobe length, left lobe length, petiole length, sinus, leaf base shape, leaf tip shape, broad shape, relative petiole length), stoma (length, width, area, length to width ratio, circumference, density) and trichome. The results showed that the type of trichome was not different in different habitats and all were multi simple cell types. In spite of a few differences between populations, all populations had parasitic trichome. It sounds that trichome and stomata not to be suitable for Acer monspessulanum recognition. In the study of leaf traits, sampled individuals were separated from 5 populations in 4 clusters. The Yasuj and Mazandaran populations had the closest kinship to each other than the other populations and the Gorgan population had the most distribution. In general, considering the studied traits, it can be concluded that leaf traits including leaf sinus traits, leaf thickness, width at 3/4 leaf length, leaf shape, petiole length and leaf base shape were less affected by the environments that can be used as distinctive traits in the Acer monspessulanum species.

This study was carried out to introduce wood-inhabiting fungi and their relationship with hosts in forests of Middle Zagros, Lorestan province, Iran. For this study, at first, the location of the infected trees were recorded with GPS and then, following factors were recorded comprising physiographic factors (altitude, slope and aspect), the frequency of fungi, fungi establishment aspect on trunk, breast diameter height of tree, distribution on standing or fallen trees, seed or sprouted individual, crown dieback of host trees along Sarabe-Navehkesh river. Then, identifying wood-inhabiting fungi was performed using studies and the use of valid keys. The results indicated the presence of two species of Trametes trogii and Trametes versicolor on willow trees. Also, investigations on T. trogii fungus on willow showed that the highest frequency of fungi was observed at a diameter of 20-40 cm, standing trees and die back at 1/3 of crown. In addition, the highest percentage of T. trogii presence was on <0.5m height class. Investigating the decay relationship with some of site factors, ordinal logistic regression was used and was determined that crown decay variable had significant effect on decay class of trees (p≤0.01). The establishment of wood-inhabiting fungi on decayed trees, dead trees and remained stump in forest can contribute to soil improvement, but in areas where young and healthy trees are infected need to control. Therefore, in this area to protect river-side trees, good management of forest protection is necessary to protect and preserve in order to inhibiting T. trogii fungi distribution.

The aim of this study was to investigate the allelopathy effect of Prosopis juliflora species on emergence, vigority, gemole and plumule length of two important forest species in southern Iran, Hormozgan province. For this purpose, in the summer of 2020, 15 seeds of Acacia oerfota and Acacia tortilis were planted in the soil collected under, margin and four meters from the canopy edge of Prosopis juliflora and also in the soil mixed with leaf powder of Prosopis juliflora (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 gr/kg leaf powder in soil) and irrigated with distilled water and their emergencewas recorded once every two days. Finally, gemole and plumule lengths of germinated seeds were measured and the variables were analyzed using GLM statistical analysis at 95% level. The results showed that the emergence percentage in A. tortilis species (20.74%) was significantly higher than A. oerfota species. The gemole length of A. oerfota species (5.14 cm) was longer than A. tortilis while in the soil mixed with prosopis leaf powder, the gemole length in A. oerfota was lower (0.53 cm) than it in A. tortilis. The length of gemole and Plumule in the open area with values of 5.88 and 4.34 cm was significantly higher than their values in the soil under the crown of Prosopis juliflora. Emergence percentages (17.5%), vigority (13.40) and the length of plumule (4.22 cm) were lower in the soil mixed with prosopis leaf powder than those in control treatment. The interactions of species×soil position on vigority (4.40), gemole and plumule length (3.11 and 2.48 cm) showed that the two variables of gemole and plumule length were affected by the soil collection site and had its lowest value under the canopy which it was observed in prosopis leaf concentration treatments. The results showed that A. oerfota species was strongly influenced by Prosopis juliflora allelopathy, therefore, it is recommended to prioritize afforestation with native species and, if possible, to avoid the plantation of Prosopis juliflora in the southern sensitive ecosystems.

The purpose of the present research is introducing the proposed model of brand coolness. A combined method has been used to conceptualize brand coolness and identify the related components. Accordingly, after studying the existing literature, designing a conceptual model, extracting and categorizing the indicators of the brand coolness, and receiving the opinions of 31 professors, PhD students and experts, with the help of inferential statistics techniques and statistical tests by using SPSS22 statistical software, the following results, has been achieved. Based on the research results, seven main components and 56 sub-components were approved by the experts. The first main component is the unique features of the brand including: memorable, Value features, Emotional communication, Energetic, Authentic, Social awareness and Independence. The second main component includes creativity and innovation in the brand. The third main component is macro-organizational policies and the fourth main component includes aesthetics. The fifth one is organizational perceptions, the sixth one is technology and finally the seventh main component is Brand personality. Among these, according to the analysis of variance test, the two main components of the unique characteristics of the brand and creativity and innovation in the brand have the most roles in explaining the coolness of the brand.

Speech disfluency disorder is one of the most common speech disorders that may appear as normal or abnormal disfluency like stuttering. Child-teacher interaction is one procedure that may be helpful for school age children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of appropriate Child-teacher interaction on student's stuttering.

This research was a single subject study with AB design about impact of proper teacher's interaction on stuttering severity, stuttering attitude and communicative competence in classroom in a student who stutters by SS%, SSI4, CAT, and TASCC. After 6 therapeutic sessions of speech therapy, positive teacher intervention combined with speech therapy in 6 sessions. A follow-up session was also planned.

This study showed that after positive intervention of teacher with speech therapy, student's stuttering severity decreased from moderate to mild and the child's attitude toward stuttering shifted from negative to moderate. The results of the TASCC test also increased significantly during treatment. These results were maintained at the follow-up session.

The results of this study showed that application of helpful strategies for managing a classroom with the student who stutters are effective to reduce core behaviors, secondary behaviors and improve attitudes of student who stutters. More extensive studies are needed for more evidence.

The objective of this study was to measure and determine the allometric equation of leaf dry mass, specific leaf area and leaf area index of Rhizophora mucronata species located in Sirik city, Hormozgan province, Iran. In this study, in addition to the actual determination of the leaves, the specific leaf area and the leaf area index of Rhizophora mucronata trees were calculated using vegetative characteristics. Then, the correlation between different components, and their allometric equations were calculated. Determining the leaf area index was performed directly by collecting 88 leaves from 22 trees and weighing them and the mean leaf area, the canopy area ​​ and leaf dry mass were calculated through collecting one-eighth of the tree canopy and determining the fresh and dry weight. Correlation and model determination were determined using stepwise regression (P≤0.01). According to the results, the mean dry mass, specific leaf area and leaf area index were 3.33 kg/tree, 39.74 cm-2/g per tree and 0.76, respectively. The leaf area index, with two factors of leaf area and tree height, (correlation coefficient=0.82) explained 65% of the variations in the dependent variable. In determining the specific leaf area, only leaf area factor was introduced as the most effective factor in the equation and explained 56% of the variations. Results showed that tree factors, canopy area, leaf area and height can have key role in tree ecological indices (leaf dry mass, LAI and SLA) estimation and also in evaluation of mangrove stand changes and health.

Nitrogen dynamics is one of the factors that may change under silviculture practices. Regarding the importance of total nitrogen content and its seasonal variation, the present research studies these changes in the mixed beech-hornbeam stands located in district one of Shast-Kalateh forest, Golestan province, Iran.

To study the total nitrogen variation in an average altitude of 850 meters and northeast direction with two-stage and middle-aged structure, 20 samples were randomly collected at the depth of 20 cm in four stands (1 ha) as treatments including non-managed stand and 3 managed stands (selection system) in 10 (Parcell 30), 7 (Parcell 33), and 1 (Parcell 31) years rotation from January 2014 to January 2015. The data and seasonal variation were compared by repeated measure design (p≤0.05).

The results showed that there was a significant differences between managed treatments and control (p < 0.05). The highest (61.37 gr kg-1) amount of total nitrogen was observed in control treatment (Parcell 32) while lowest (41.78 gr kg-1) was in managed treatment (Parcell 31). The total nitrogen content in managed treatment (Parcell 30) (4.80 gr kg-1) was close to the control. Also, seasonal comparison of total nitrogen showed significant differences in all treatments. Among all managed and control treatments, summer (4.31, 3.05, 2.4 and 4. 31 gr kg-1) and winter (5.52, 5.96, 4.55 and 4.77 gr kg-1) had the lowest and highest total nitrogen, respectively.

Single tree selection system creates positive changes in above ground section of forest stand, compared to others. It cans also changes in above and below gound sections of forests and cause to reduce total nitrogen in ecosystem in early years. Decreasing in total nitrogen content is not permanent and due to the self-regulation and self-sustainbality of ecosystem, the amount of nitrogen is driven to equilibrium through time. According to the results, single-tree selection system has lead to a decrease in total nitrogen content, therefore, to help restore ecosystem to balance situation, the rotation period should be calculated with respect to the amount of growth, the capacity to restore stand and the habitat to restore the ecosystem to a perfect balance. Regarding the difference of 0.32 gr kg-1 nitrogen in managed treatment (Parcell 30) with 10 year rotation compared to the control treatment, it is advisable to increase the rotation period 3 to 5 years in selection system to improve stand physiognomy (crown cover, etc.) and edaphic conditions.

Numerous studies have emphasized the effectiveness of mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy on the treatment of cancer patients. But is there a difference between the effectiveness of these two treatments on improving sexual function in men with cancer?

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the effectiveness of mindfulness training and acceptance and commitment based therapy on sexual function in Isfahan cancer patients.

This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. Among males with cancer in Isfahan, a sample of 30 patients was selected purposefully according to the research criteria and then 10 in the mindfulness group (Kabat‐Zinn, 2003), 10 in the acceptance and commitment group (Hayes and et al, (2010) and 10 controls were randomly assigned to the control group. The instrument used was Rosen et al (2004) Men's Sexual Health Questionnaire.

The results of covariance analysis showed that both mindfulness training and acceptance and commitment therapy had a significant effect on increasing sexual function in men with cancer (p≤0/001). but between the effectiveness of mindfulness and acceptance and commitment groups The difference is not significant.

Mindfulness-based interventions and acceptance and commitment therapies can be used to improve the sexual function of men with cancer.

Loranthus grewinkii is a damaging species that is a type of leafy species and inhabits on trees of Zagros forests. This plant in order to provide some of the needed nutrient elements for photosynthesis, it needs its host plant to obtain the water and nutrients. For that reason, they cause changes in biochemical compositions in their host trees. In this research, the effect of Loranthus grewinkii Boiss & Buhse was investigated on organic compounds such as total tannin, total phenol, dense tannin, flavonoids, protein, total sugars, insoluble sugar and proline in Amygdalus Scoparia in Southern Zagros forests, Khoram Abad, Iran. The results showed that the total phenol, dense tannin, total tannin, flavonoids and proline in the leaf of the infected individuals were significantly higher than the healthy wild almond (P≤0.05 and P≤0.01). Also, the results showed that sugar content, soluble sugar and protein in healthy individuals were more than the infected individuals to Loranthus grewinkii (P≤0.05, P≤0.01). It is seemed, increasing secondary compounds such as total phenol, dense tannin, total tannin, flavonoid, and proline due to disease occurs in tree to make efforts in orderto increase tolerance to the disease. Therefore, due to the activity of the semi-parasitic plant on these trees, the drying phenomenon is observed on the crown or branches of wild almond trees, so it can be used in the cleaning practice to prevent the prevalence and spread of Loranthus grewinkii in the Southern Zagros region, especially, Lorestan province.