Border cities face significant challenges due to political, environmental, and social issues. Strong urban governance can help resolve many of these problems, but it requires identifying practical factors specific to each city’s location. This study aimed to assess the state of urban governance in Paveh, a border city with a population of 25,771 people. The research used both primary data collection (through a questionnaire) and secondary data sources (local and national databases and documents). The study randomly selected 379 households from Paveh’s population and determined a reliability value of 0.913 using the Cochrane procedure. To assess Paveh’s urban governance, eight criteria were used: participatory, rule-of-law compliance, transparency, responsiveness, consensus-oriented, equitable and inclusive, effective and efficient, and accountability. The findings revealed that Paveh’s urban governance, particularly in the dimensions of transparency and participation, is in an unfavorable situation.
To investigate the possible role of arbuscular mycrrhizal fungi (AMF) in alleviating the negative effects of salinity on Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.), the regenerated plantlets in tissue culture was transferred to pots in greenhouse and inoculated with Glomus intraradices. Salinity caused a significant decrease in chlorophyll content, photosynthesis efficiency and enhanced the electrolyte leakage. The use of AMF in salt –affected plants resulted in improved all above mentioned characteristics. Hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents increased in salt stressed plants while a reduction was observed due to AMF inoculation. CAT activity showed a significant increase up to 2 g/l and then followed by decline at 5 g/l NaCl in both AMF and non-AMF treated stevia, however, AMF inoculated plants maintained lower CAT activity at all salinity levels (2 and 5 g/l). Enhanced POX activities in salt- treated stevia plants were decreased by inoculation of plants with AMF. The addition of NaCl to stevia plants also resulted in an enhanced activity of SOD whilst, AMF plants maintained higher SOD activity at all salinity levels than those of non-AMF inoculated plants. AMF inoculation was capable of alleviating the damage caused by salinity on stevia plants by reducing oxidative stress and improving photosynthesis efficiency.
To achieve sustainable development, detailed planning, control and management of land cover changes that occur naturally or by human caused artificial factors, are essential. Urban managers and planners need a tool that represents them the information accurate, fast and in exact time. In this study, land use changes of 3 periods, 1994-2002, 2002-2009, 2009-2015 and predictions of 2009, 2015 and 2023 were assessed. In this paper, Maximum Likelihood method was used to classify the images, so that after evaluation of accuracy, amount of overall accuracy for images of 2013 was 85.55% and its Kappa coefficient was 80.03%. To predict land use changes, Markov-CA model was used after assessing the accuracy, and the amount of overall accuracy for 2009 was 82.57% and for 2015 was 93.865%. Then web GIS application was designed via map server application and evoked shape files through map file and open layers to browser environment and for design of appearance of website CSS, HTML and JavaScript languages were used. HTML is responsible for creating the foundation and overall structure of webpage but beautifying and layout design on CSS.
The growing of plants hydroponically is a soilless form of growing in modern day agriculture. It helps to make feed available for animals throughout the season since it is not affected by what is faced by field grown crops. The use of animal waste, that is, their faeces, in the growth of forage was compared with commercial hydroponics solutions as a way of looking for a reduction in the cost incurred in the purchase of commercial hydroponics solutions. The study evaluated the use of organic nutrient solutions (ONS) alongside a standard/commercial nutrient solution in growing crops hydroponically on the growth, dry matter yield, water use efficiency, and chemical composition of hydroponic maize fodder. The ONS used were formulated from the dried faeces of cattle, poultry, rabbits, and swine. The prepared organic nutrient solutions with the control were used in growing the maize seeds for 10 days, and growth, yield, and chemical composition were determined. Results show the highest (196 g) dry matter yield for maize hydroponic fodder irrigated with poultry ONS. Similarly, maize irrigated with poultry ONS was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in CP content, while it was not significantly different from maize irrigated with cattle, swine, and commercial solutions. A lower water use efficiency value (0.19 kg DM/m3) was recorded for maize irrigated with cattle ONS. According to the study, irrigating maize with different organic nutrient solutions produced maize fodder with a higher yield and a similar chemical composition as the commercial nutrient solution.
The consumption of dietary supplements among the elderly is on the rise. Despite the potential benefits, a comprehensive understanding of the decision-making processes leading to the consumption is lacking. This study explores the conditions influencing the decision-making and behavioral patterns of older adults related to dietary supplement consumption. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 elderly participants from a seniors’ club in Bangkok, Thailand, who had consistently consumed dietary supplements for at least one year. The behavior was classified into five primary categories: enduring use of identical dietary supplements, insufficient regard for health compatibility, replacing medications with supplements, not verifying before consumption, and opting for supplements over medical treatments. These patterns are aligned with the core constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control). Many individuals perceive supplements as pivotal health investments, while others view them as a direct route to robust health. Trusted advice from friends and television significantly influence their choices, with a prevailing sentiment that dietary supplements are generally safe. The high price tag on supplements is often associated with superior quality. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of dietary supplement consumption decisions among the Thai elderly, suggesting the need for interventions to promote safer and more informed choices.
The suspicion of mediastinal alterations, always includes in its initial study, the chest radiography. The identification of mediastinal alterations in the X-ray is a priority. The knowledge of the mediastinal references and the identification of their alterations allows the suspicion of a pathology specific to each of the mediastinal spaces. When the semiology of mediastinal lesions, their location and the three most frequent pathologies are taken into account, the possibility of having an etiological diagnosis increases[1]. This is a review article based on a detailed literature search, in which radiological mediastinal references are studied, with emphasis on the epidemiological data of each one of them.
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