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Extension field staff is the group of people who are responsible for managing activities related to agricultural information dissemination and farming community is the recipient or audience of that knowledge by implementing this knowledge on farm, farming community may enhance their farm productivity and uplift socio-economic situation. The Present study was based on primary data, collected from agricultural extension field staff (EFS) using interview schedule in cotton belt of Punjab province.  Three hundred and fifty-nine (359) extension field staff workers were selected from population of five hundred and forty (540) by using Cochran sampling technique. Moreover, Borich needs assessment model was implied to prioritize the training needs of EFS about climate adaptation. Study found that majority of the EFS seek trainings in specific areas regarding climate variability including; skills to use meteorological instrument, ability to comprehend early warning system, serving and mapping of climatic variability areas, management of ICT tools for weather forecasting, disaster management skills, and integrated soil management skills by acquiring these competencies they can effectively and efficiently work for minimizing the consequences of climate variability on cotton crop. There was significant positive correlation of 0.608 between specialization and possessed competencies regarding climate adaptation which shows that specialized extension staff possessed competencies regarding climate adaptation. On the basis of findings study suggests that the training needs of the extension field workers should be assessed regularly regarding various latest techniques and technologies. Training sessions regarding climate variability adaptation should be arranged for extension workers of cotton belt.

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Considering the vast changes in different aspects of life and various ways of earning livelihood, flexibility in contemporary housing design can be regarded as an appropriate solution in order to prevent from discreteness in interactions within the society and environment and among people. That is because a residence must be designed according to the changing needs of modern human. Traditional houses in Iran have already contained this concept, in modern era however, such viewpoint towards housing cannot be seen so often. Flexibility refers to the idea of adaptation throughout the time. Therefore it can be said that a flexible settlement is a house that can be adapted with the needs of the users and will lead to understanding the users’ expected demands with their own cooperation. Peoples’ cooperation in this process will increase the possibility of adaptation of housing with their needs which will eventually increase the general satisfaction of the housing. This research discusses the issue of flexibility and the related concepts in the field of housing with emphasis on some residential projects. Every settlement is depended on its user and the ground for its adaptation. Therefore, in terms of general design, we can say that settlement is dependent on both the environment and the user. Since human beings normally demand variety and  monotonous environmental conditions make human beings unsatisfied and bored; they usually have a favorable and positive view towards changes in their living environment. These varieties can range from some minor changes up to basic ones such as a change in the residential house itself. Flexibility in architectural design indicates variety. Such variety includes the possibility of adjustment and compatibility of a residential unit throughout time. It will eventually lead the building to show new varieties of its own. In order to demonstrate flexibility, the architects have to put the probable needs of the users into consideration in the process of designing. In other words, a “long-term thought” is required in designing.Flexibility in housing can be investigated from two points of views: first, from users’ point of view and secondly the innovative construction. Designing consists of four main issues: (1) structural system; (2) servicing spaces; (3) architectural design; and (4) facilities for environmental flexibility. The present study tries to express the concept of flexibility as a “new form of challenging architecture”. This is done using some examples and instances. From such viewpoint, the goal this study tries to attain is to survey the limitations and boundaries of flexible designing. This is done by analyzing the selected items. This way, the architect can turn flexibility into an opportunity and produce creative options in his/her work and design. The present study was conducted using library-based method and case study with the aim of studying and discussing the conceptual and operational grounds of housing design in different countries. The structure and main framework of the present study stands on the idea that flexibility can be used for  housing development in all eras and periods as a general concept and includes different types itself.

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Soil alkalinity and salinity are serious problems in arid and semi-arid regions, and therefore monitoring of soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) is necessary in any region. The present study aimed to properly interpolate soil pH and EC as soil quality indices in a semi-arid mountainous area with annual precipitation of 342.4 mm. The study area is the Karimabad rangelands in Hamadan Province, western Iran. A total of 266 composite soil samples were collected from 0-25 cm soil depth in a systematic random design. Soil samples were processed for pH and EC analysis and then further used for interpolating based on the optimal interpolation method for the study area. The overall soil pH and EC ranged from 7.3-7.9 and 0.33-2.13 dS m^-1, respectively, presenting the slightly alkalinity and salinity problem in the region. The results showed the accuracy of spatial prediction of interpolation methods, particularly inverse distance weighting and radius basis function. However, based on root mean square error, the radius basis function was the most appropriate interpolation method to predict spatial distribution of soil pH and EC of topsoil in the study area. While salinity and alkalinity were low, still monitoring these soil indices is highly recommended to prevent the salinization and alkalization in the study area.

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Architectural Survey in recent decades shows that the modern architecture has not been considered compatible with climatic conditions and it not only causes Environmental pollution but also increases cooling and heating costs. Nowadays architects are looking for appropriate solutions to design buildings that can be in harmony with their environment and climate. As there are different seasons and days in each climate, so designing building system that can vary with ambient conditions seems necessary. Since the sunlight is one of the most important and effective climate factors in indoor conditions, in order to control of heat and light in the window, author got the basic idea from the shadow of a cup of tea. If the colored liquid is injected between double glazed windows, light passing through the window will reduce a lot. Variable Building Layers System (V.B.L.S) is an innovative design that has been patented by the author and can control heat transfer in buildings and improve thermal comfort. The system has been designed based on the basic idea after some trial and error and includes three main components: transparent layers, color tanks, pump and control valve. Its transparent layers can be made of tempered glass or Plexiglas that both of them are separated by a spacer. The way it works is that colored liquid is injected into layers through the pump. The system has the ability to change transparency in less than an hour and make one way vision glass, if necessary. Laboratory samples of this design were built during the 8 stages of the process which includes: -1 Controlling light passing through the window by colored liquid, -2 Controlling light passing through the window by various colors, -3 Controlling window visibility and transparency, -4 Creating various colors by mixing primary colors, -5 The ability to use the idea for walls: Using window idea in designing internal walls and Using window idea in designing external walls, -6 The ability to paint a wall with various colors, -7 The ability to move the location of thermal insulation, 8. The ability to control the system by a computer. In this paper, Variable Building Layers System is explained and discussed in detail as it is used for windows and walls. Three transparent layers that is injected colored liquid between them will create variable properties in windows and walls. The main objective was to achieve maximum variability in building walls and it was assumed that changing colors will decrease or increase the light passing through layers, so in order to prove this hypothesis, experiments were performed. Due to different absorption and passing light from various colors their shadow had a different temperature. The main advantage is that these layers vary based on outside conditions by controlling sunlight and heat daily. The external walls was also added a tank of argon gas (as a thermal insulation) to reduce temperature swing inside the building. These layers can achieve benefits such as varying color and transparency, and control the amount of light passing through them, decreasing or increasing the heat capacity, and also moving the location of thermal insulation manually or automatically by computer. Using various colors in windows and walls will provide different thermal and psychological effects on occupants. Opacity or transparency of these layers can provide appropriate view and sunlight because it is possible to make part of the layer opaque and also to allow daylight to pass through from transparent part. It also creates less design limitations for architects. As bright colors reflect sunlight much more than dark colors, so changing color of façade can increase or decrease absorption of solar energy and reduce heating and cooling energy consumption. Based on Johannes Itten’s Color theory, it can make you feel 3 to 4 degrees centigrade warmer or cooler by selecting warm color for winter and cool color for summer without using energy. Each climate requires walls with different heat capacity but in this system it is possible to adjust the heat capacity with indoor temperature. Heat capacity of water is more than air so if the middle layer of the wall fills with water, temperature swing will decrease and also with reducing water level and replacing air, heat capacity will become less. In these walls, thermal insulation can be inside or outside of the walleither manually or automatically by a computer daily. In temporary-use buildings heat is removed after passing through the thermal insulation but it is possible to change location of the insulation towards outside after passing heat and it is not allowed to remove. To sum up, Heat capacity and thermal insulation can vary in every climate based on different seasons that leads to reduce indoor temperature swing. Noting that the heat transfer occurs in the building by three methods, changing layers can make different thermal resistance. As thermal conductivity of water and air and argon is respectively less than the other, heat transfer by conduction and convection depends on what matter and what height layers is filled. Glass walls are able to allow sunlight to enter rooms in the winter (if heating is needed) that absorb and store sun’s warmth and so radiation heat transfer causes a reduction in heating. Another advantage of this system is that external and internal walls are respectively up to 10 centimeters and 3 to 5 centimeters in thickness and so reduced thickness of walls leads to increase surface area and volume of the building. Wall thickness reduction compared to the same walls is noticeable because of reducing weights of building materials. Therefore it will decrease building subsidence and increase earthquake resistance of the building. As previously mentioned glass layers will provide natural light and suitable perspective and even if walls need to clean, these layers will allow washing. According to descriptions, Variable Building Layers System can be use in many buildings such as houses, offices, greenhouse, museums, galleries, libraries and etc., because of varying color of walls, controlling heat and light and moving thermal insulation and generally compatible with each climate.

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Architectural Survey in recent decades shows that the modern architecture has not been considered compatible with climatic conditions and it not only causes Environmental pollution but also increases cooling and heating costs. Nowadays architects are looking for appropriate solutions to design buildings that can be in harmony with their environment and climate. As there are different seasons and days in each climate, so designing building system that can vary with ambient conditions seems necessary. Since the sunlight is one of the most important and effective climate factors in indoor conditions, in order to control of heat and light in the window, author got the basic idea from the shadow of a cup of tea. If the colored liquid is injected between double glazed windows, light passing through the window will reduce a lot. Variable Building Layers System (V.B.L.S) is an innovative design that has been patented by the author and can control heat transfer in buildings and improve thermal comfort. The system has been designed based on the basic idea after some trial and error and includes three main components: transparent layers, color tanks, pump and control valve. Its transparent layers can be made of tempered glass or Plexiglas that both of them are separated by a spacer. The way it works is that colored liquid is injected into layers through the pump. The system has the ability to change transparency in less than an hour and make one way vision glass, if necessary. Laboratory samples of this design were built during the 8 stages of the process which includes: -1 Controlling light passing through the window by colored liquid, -2 Controlling light passing through the window by various colors, -3 Controlling window visibility and transparency, -4 Creating various colors by mixing primary colors, -5 The ability to use the idea for walls: Using window idea in designing internal walls and Using window idea in designing external walls, -6 The ability to paint a wall with various colors, -7 The ability to move the location of thermal insulation, 8. The ability to control the system by a computer. In this paper, Variable Building Layers System is explained and discussed in detail as it is used for windows and walls. Three transparent layers that is injected colored liquid between them will create variable properties in windows and walls. The main objective was to achieve maximum variability in building walls and it was assumed that changing colors will decrease or increase the light passing through layers, so in order to prove this hypothesis, experiments were performed. Due to different absorption and passing light from various colors their shadow had a different temperature. The main advantage is that these layers vary based on outside conditions by controlling sunlight and heat daily. The external walls was also added a tank of argon gas (as a thermal insulation) to reduce temperature swing inside the building. These layers can achieve benefits such as varying color and transparency, and control the amount of light passing through them, decreasing or increasing the heat capacity, and also moving the location of thermal insulation manually or automatically by computer. Using various colors in windows and walls will provide different thermal and psychological effects on occupants. Opacity or transparency of these layers can provide appropriate view and sunlight because it is possible to make part of the layer opaque and also to allow daylight to pass through from transparent part. It also creates less design limitations for architects. As bright colors reflect sunlight much more than dark colors, so changing color of façade can increase or decrease absorption of solar energy and reduce heating and cooling energy consumption. Based on Johannes Itten’s Color theory, it can make you feel 3 to 4 degrees centigrade warmer or cooler by selecting warm color for winter and cool color for summer without using energy. Each climate requires walls with different heat capacity but in this system it is possible to adjust the heat capacity with indoor temperature. Heat capacity of water is more than air so if the middle layer of the wall fills with water, temperature swing will decrease and also with reducing water level and replacing air, heat capacity will become less. In these walls, thermal insulation can be inside or outside of the walleither manually or automatically by a computer daily. In temporary-use buildings heat is removed after passing through the thermal insulation but it is possible to change location of the insulation towards outside after passing heat and it is not allowed to remove. To sum up, Heat capacity and thermal insulation can vary in every climate based on different seasons that leads to reduce indoor temperature swing. Noting that the heat transfer occurs in the building by three methods, changing layers can make different thermal resistance. As thermal conductivity of water and air and argon is respectively less than the other, heat transfer by conduction and convection depends on what matter and what height layers is filled. Glass walls are able to allow sunlight to enter rooms in the winter (if heating is needed) that absorb and store sun’s warmth and so radiation heat transfer causes a reduction in heating. Another advantage of this system is that external and internal walls are respectively up to 10 centimeters and 3 to 5 centimeters in thickness and so reduced thickness of walls leads to increase surface area and volume of the building. Wall thickness reduction compared to the same walls is noticeable because of reducing weights of building materials. Therefore it will decrease building subsidence and increase earthquake resistance of the building. As previously mentioned glass layers will provide natural light and suitable perspective and even if walls need to clean, these layers will allow washing. According to descriptions, Variable Building Layers System can be use in many buildings such as houses, offices, greenhouse, museums, galleries, libraries and etc., because of varying color of walls, controlling heat and light and moving thermal insulation and generally compatible with each climate.

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Genus Medicago belonged to family Fabaceae is one of the most important forage legumes. Annual species of this genus are indigenous to Mediterranean region and used for prevention of soil erosion, green manure and forage. In this research, genetic variability and classification of 14 annual medicago truncatula genotypes using ISSR markers was done. 9 out of 15 ISSR primers which possessed suitable polymorphism and amplification were used for fingerprinting of studied genotypes. Totally, 71 bands were amplified via ISSR primers which 11 bands were monomorphic and 60 bands were polymorphic across genotypes. Based on Jaccard similarity coefficient, minimum similarity (0.25) was seen between TN8.3 (Tunisia) and TN6.18 (Tunisia) and maximum similarity (0.82) was seen between TN8.3 (Tunisia) and SA28064 (Cyprus). Population structure analysis using STRUCTURE software subdivided them into 9 subpopulation. In this study, maximum admixture was occurred in TN1.21 (Tunisia), A10 (Australia), F83005-5 (France), SA22322 (Syria), A20 (Australia), and DZA315-16 (Algeria) genotypes. Results revealed that annual self-pollinated M. truncatula had noticeable genetic variation which Is accurately detectable using ISSR molecular markers

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Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata are two closely related species due to their similarity in morphology, habitat, distribution, and economic importance. Even though other methods have segregated the species, the aspect of comparative studies on geometric morphometrics and cuticular hydrocarbon composition in species variability is yet to be explored in these species. This study was conducted to assess variability between the two species and between the sexes. Wing shapes of 187 specimens of both species were analysed by geometric morphometric techniques. Landmarks 11, 10, 6 and 9, which corresponds to the intersection between the medial and the radial medial veins, medial and branched cubitus veins, distal end of radius vein (R2 + 3 vein) and curve point of medial vein, respectively, contributed significantly to the variability within and between species. Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of four randomly collected individuals each of male and female L. cuprina and L. sericata, were assessed using GC-MS. Octadecene, Celidoniol, Hexatriacontane, Tetracontane and Tetracontane were identified as common for both species. 9-Octadecenal(z) and Tetracosane-11-decyl being recorded as the most abundant hydrocarbons in male and female L. cuprina, and 13-methylheptacosane and Tetratetracontane in male and female L. sericata, respectively. Diagnostic characters indicating the variabilities can be used for the identification of the species.

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Backgrounds: There is a remarkable similarity between Herpesvirus papio 2 (HVP2) infecting baboons and human simplex virus (HSV) in terms of molecular biology, protein functions, and resulting infections. However, no definitive therapy exists, and the available drugs only improve the clinical signs of recurrent or asymptomatic infections. This research results may be useful for studies on the quest for HVP2 curative and preventive drugs in baboon models. Later, a similar study could be done on HSV in humans.
Materials & Methods: A total of 60 baboons were sampled from six different counties in Kenya. Of these, 51 cases were wild caught from five counties, and nine cases were from the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) colonies designated as captive baboons. Oral and genital swabs were collected for analysis. The trigeminal ganglia of three study subjects were also aseptically sampled. Polymerase chain reaction test was used to determine the prevalence of HVP2. HVP2-positive samples were sequenced and aligned to GenBank sequences using BLAST to identify specific circulating strains and generate phylogenetic relationships. DnaSP6 was used for genetic diversity analysis.
Results: Among 60 baboons studied, 65% were positive for the virus. One strain, A951, was identified as the prevalent strain. Extremely low fixation index values (Fst) were recorded, showing low genetic diversity within and between subpopulations.
Conclusion: The identified strain was non-pathogenic but could be clinically manifested as painful sores on the host's mucosal membranes and cause stillbirths. The virus prevalence was 75.86% in genital samples and 54.86% in oral samples, indicating that oral transmission is less common than genital transmission.

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The present research aimed at studing the roles and effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Atmospheric and oceanic Circulation phenomenon in the changeability of inter seasonal spring rainfalls in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. The results of applying Pearson analysis indicated positive and significant correlations between Nino1+2 and Nino3 Sea Surface Temperature (SST) indices and spring precipitation in the stations under study, which is an indicative of the increase in spring precipitation during the occurrence of El Niño (positive or warm phase in ENSO), and precipitation reduction during the negative or La Niña (cold phase). Also, the results showed that the maximum correlation of spring precipitation with the ENSO SST indices existed in Mianeh and Maragheh Stations and the minimum correlation was in Sarab Station. The calculated correlation coefficient rates between the spring precipitation and ENSO SST indices indicated the effect of latitude (geographical factors) on the amount of affectedness from ENSO, meaning that in East Azerbaijan, the amount of correlation increases from east to west and from north to south, the maximum of which can be seen in Mianeh Station.

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Nitrate concentration of the soil, at the start of growing season, is high due to minerali-zation of soil organic N during the Fall and the addition of N fertilizers. It may be useful to exploit this N form as much as possible. Therefore, the nitrate uptake, assimilation and dry matter production of several wheat cultivars were examined in a series of experiments using a hydroponic culture system. Seedlings were grown at two rates of nitrates (0 and 1.0 mM) and the experiments lasted for 26 days. Significant genetic variation in the growth and nitrate uptake were observed. The Atila and Yavarous cultivars consistently produced large seedlings absorbing higher quantities of nitrate from the nutrient solution, compared to the Falat, Star and Seri 11 cultivars which produced smaller seedling and took up lower amounts of nitrate. However, apart from seedling vigor, there was evidence that some cultivars were more efficient physiologically in assimilating nitrate. For compa-rable amounts of nitrate taken up from solution, total dry matter production in this group of cultivars was considerably greater than others. Results of this work revealed that ge-netic differences among wheat cultivars affect nitrate uptake, which in turn indicated the influence of plant status and in particular root system on the potential of nitrate uptake.

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Caenis ulmeriana Malzacher, 2015 is recorded for the first time from the Western Ghats, India. Prior records of this species encompass Java, Sumatra, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Notably, the Indian population of C. ulmeriana showcases variability, including slight changes in the shape of forceps in the male subimago and increased denticulation in the midclaw, a reduced number of setae in the Y-ridge of tergalius II, and differing shape of sternum IX in the larvae compared to other continental and island populations. The species number of Caenis Stephens, 1835 has now increased to twelve in India. A distributional map detailing the range of C. ulmeriana in the Oriental region is also provided herein.

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The soil erodibility factor varies spatially according to variations of some soil properties on the surface. This study was carried out to compare spatial variability of the soil erodibility factor as estimated and measured using the USLE. The study was conducted in an agricultural zone with an area of in 900 km2 in Hashtrood, northwestern Iran. In the study area, 36 square grids with a dimension of 5 km were considered. In each grid, three unit plots were installed on the southern aspect with a slope of 9%. The soil erodibility factor was estimated using the USLE nomograph and measured as mean rate of soil loss from the unit plots per unit rainfall erosivity factor on an annual basis. The results indicated that the difference between the measured and estimated soil erodibility factor was significant (P 0.001) and correlation between the two was very poor with r2= 0.21. The spherical simulations were the best models to explain spatial variations of both the estimated and measured erodibility factors. The effective range of the spatial variations of the measured soil erodibility factor (2.43 km) was smaller than that in the estimated value (11.51 km). There was a considerable difference in the effective range (P 0.001) of spatial variations between the estimated and measured soil erodibility factor on the study area. The map of the proportion of the estimated values to measured values of the soil erodibility factor was nearly uniform (between 7.4 and 9.6) on the study area. The study indicated that use of the USLE nomograph would considerably lead to over-estimation of the soil erodibility in the entire the study area.

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Climate change has direct and indirect effects on the growth of agricultural products. Wheat is one of the strategic products of the world that is affected by climate change. This research was done in the Khorasan Razavi province in order to study the variability of wheat yield by the change of climatic parmeters including precipitation and temperature. To do this, 11 stations were selected. The climatic parameters included the total monthly precipitation and five parameters of temperature, including; mean annual temperature, mean annuall maximum temperature, mean annual minimum temperature and monthly max-min. Then the wheat yield in each station was gathered for wheat growth period (phonology) from October to June for 20 years (1984-2003). In each station. The correlation coefficient between the wheat yield and climatic parameters was computed and finally a regression model was provided for the stations to recognize the influential climatic parameters. The climatic parameters influencing wheat yield were established. Daregaz, Ghuchan, Torbate-Hydariyeh, Torbate-Jam, Kashmar and Gonabad stations had a regression model, while Sabzevar, Nyshabour, Mashhad, Ferdows and Taybad stations lacked such kind of regression model. Regional model was calculated for the province and compared with the calculated station models. In the regional model, the parameters of January and February total monthly precipitation, January average temperature, January maximum average temperature and March absolutely minimum temperature were found to be influential in the rain-fed wheat yield. This finding indicates that precipitation paramenters and cold season (winter) temperature are very important in the rain-fed farming wheat yields. Finally prediction scenarious for the regional model and the stations which had models were done and the wheat yield variability considering the climatic parameters’ deviation from normal mean was estimated. In the final process, forecasting scenarios for the zonal and stationbased models were calculated and the variability rate of wheat yield with respect to the climatic parameters deviation from the normal mean was extracted. The results of this study indicated that wheat yield changes from 200 to 534 kg/ha for the zonal model according to the changes in precipitation and temperature.

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Objective: The theraputic exercise is regarded as one of the most important theraputic interventions in the chronic low back pain patients. Stabilization exercise is among the most significant practical ones in these patients. The study of the effects of these exercises on the variability of trunk muscles postural strategies and the ability in normalizing these strategies are among the uncertainties that have remained unknown up to the present time. The purpose of this research is the study of the effect of stabilization exercises on the variability of postural control strategies in these patients. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 21 (14 males, 7 females) recurrent non-specific low back pain patients. The electromyographic activity of Deltoid, Transverse Abdominis/Internal Oblique, External Oblique and Erector Spinae muscles of each person was recorded in 75 rapid arm flexion with maximum acceleration. Then, 14 individuals were placed in the experimental group and 7 in the control group randomly.The experimental group performed isolated abdominal hollowing and bracing exercises using pressure biofeedback with the supervision of a physiotherapist in different positions including supine, sitting on a chair, standing still and standing with rapid arm raises with maximum acceleration once a day, for 20 sessions. The variables studied in this research were evaluated in both experimental and control groups after the training sessions. The standard deviation of the trunk muscles onset latencies relative to deltoid muscle was statistically analyzed by a dependent t-test in both groups. Results: The results revealed that performing the stabilization exercises increases the variability of the timing of anticipatory postural adjustments in TrA/IO in the experimental group (P=.037), while there were no significant changes in the variability of EO (P=.0346) and ES (P=.673) muscles in these patients. The variability of the timing of the anticipatory postural adjustment in TrA/IO (P=.199), EO (P=.702) and ES (P=.465) muscles did not show any significant changes in the control group. Conclusion: The study of the results showed that the reduction in the variability of postural control system in recurrent non-specific low back pain patients as a factor that causes the continuity of back pain can be improved by goal-directed stabilization exercises.

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We estimated the rainfall interception loss (I), canopy storage capacity (S), the ratio of mean evaporation rate from the wet canopy () over the mean rainfall intensity () (mm h^-1) (), and free throughfall coefficient (p) in a Fraxinus rotundifolia Mill. stand located in an afforested Park land in a semiarid region of Iran. For each storm event, I was calculated as the gross rainfall (GR) minus throughfall (TF). S was estimated by indirect methods: the minimum, the mean, and the Gash and Morton. Fifty-five rainfall events were recorded (cumulative GR 197.2 mm), with 31 events occurring during the growing season(total GR 88.0 mm) and 24 events measured during the non-growing season (total GR 109.2 mm). The mean ratio of I to GR equalled 39.2% during the growing season vs. 23.9% during the non-growing season. For the growing season, S was estimated to be 0.27, 0.21, and 0.23 mm using the minimum, mean, and Gash and Morton methods, respectively. For the non-growing season, these values were estimated to be 0.17, 0.13, and 0.15 mm, respectively. During the growing and non-growing seasons,  were estimated to be 0.13 and 0.11, respectively, with the corresponding p values of 0.39 and 0.52. The loss of the leaves resulted in decline in I, S, and, and increase in p. For semiarid regions, these values are useful for solving some water management problems.

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Retrotransposons (RTNs) constitute informative molecular markers for plant species because of their ability to integrate into a multitude of loci throughout the genome and thereby generate insertional polymorphisms between individuals. In the present study, RTN-based molecular markers, IRAP (inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism) and REMAP (retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism), were applied to study RTN integration events and genetic diversity in 100 melon genotypes (88 genotypes from 11 populations, three inbred lines, and 9 hybrids). A total of 94 and 262 loci were amplified using 5 IRAP and 15 REMAP primers, respectively. The percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) in populations ranged from 39% (Zivari Shahrood) to 48% (Shadegani E). The Mantel test between IRAP and REMAP cophenetic matrices evidenced no significant correlation (r= 0.29). IRAP+REMAP-based cluster analysis using UPGMA algorithm and Dice similarity coefficient depicted 6 groups among 100 melon genotypes. AMOVA revealed the higher level of genetic variation within populations (67%) compared to among populations (33%). The mean Fst values of all groups, except for group VI, were more than 0.20, demonstrating differentiation among the populations and genetic structure of the studied melon collection. 

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Designing breeding programs for winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) cultivars with improved seed and oil yields requires information about the genetic variability of traits. In this study, 28 winter rapeseed cultivars were evaluated for genetic variation and relationships between 11 agro-morphological characters during 2010 and 2011. Cultivars and cultivar × year interaction showed significant variation for all studied traits. Genotypic coefficients of variation indicated that yield, number of branches per plant, and plant height had the highest variation. Broad sense heritability estimates ranged from 6% to 87% for seed yield and pod length, respectively. Positive correlation was found between seed yield with number of pods per plant, number of branches per plant, days to flowering, and days to ripening. The result of factor analysis showed three independent factors that explained 71% of the total variability, which were named ‘productivity’, ‘phenology and oil’, and ‘pod length’, respectively. According to the first factor, RGS003, Opera, and Hayola were identified as high seed yielding cultivars. Based on all three factors, Lilian, Licord, and Ella were identified as the best cultivars concerning seed yield and oil content. 

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The soil formation consists of complex and longtime processes in which many different chemical and physical changes occur in soil deposit, or in its original source rock. This processes cause the soil to show nonhomogeneous characteristics and to have spatial variation in its mechanical properties. The spatial variation of soil properties lead to many uncertainties in prediction of soil mechanical behavior; subsequently the design of structure which depend on soil deposits becomes troublesome. For dealing with such problem the probabilistic and statistical tools are proposed as convenient methods for choosing appropriate design soil parameters and estimating the uncertainties in design. The coupled utilization of random field theory and Monte Carlo simulation technique yield probability distribution functions for geotechnical problems in which different cases of soil distribution is assumed for analyses. In such problems the soil properties are distributed into the field according to the assumptions of random field theory by consideration of a probability distribution (with the given mean and standard deviation) and scale of fluctuations. This distribution of soil properties with the use of random field theory is performed repeatedly until a desired statistical distribution for the results is obtained. This distribution can be used as a basis for extracting the statistical characteristics for the problem in hand. In this paper the effect of spatial variability parameters on the bearing capacity of strip foundations on clayey soils were investigated. The soil un-drained shear strength (Cu) was assumed as spatial variable parameter with the use of logarithmic distribution and the so-called coupled random field theory; the Monte Carlo simulation technique was used for obtaining probability distribution of bearing capacity of foundation on nonhomogeneous clayey soil. The Mohr Coloumb elastic perfectly plastic constitutive model and the Finite Difference Method (FDM) were used for modelling soil behavior and calculating the bearing capacity of foundation. The spatial variability of un-drained shear strength was investigated using three parameters: coefficient of variation of un-drained shear strength (Cov(Cu((, and the scale of fluctuation of shear strength in horizontal and vertical directions (x, and y directions). The range of these parameters were chosen such that the results of current research can be generalized to any field problem. The results obtained from this study, were investigated by average and coefficient of variation of NC parameter which is the cohesion factor in classic bearing capacity equations (i.e. as Terzaghi, Meyerhof, Hansen and Vesic bearing capacity equations). It can be interpreted from the results that by increasing the coefficient of variation of soil un-drained shear strength the average bearing capacity decreases and the coefficient of variation of bearing capacity increases; also the average bearing capacity of foundation has an approximately increasing trend with increasing the scale of fluctuations in both horizontal and vertical directions. Finally at the end of this paper two practical simplified equations were suggested using multiple regression method for estimation of average and coefficient of variation of bearing capacity factor NC, given the spatial variation parameters of soil un-drained shear strength. These equations can be implemented by geotechnical experts for applying the variability of cohesion in the design of foundations on nonhomogeneous clayey soil formations.

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Damage detection is a necessary part for structural health monitoring (SHM), being beneficial to SHM and determining the severity of damage. Application of statistical pattern recognition methods for SHM has gained considerable attention to detect changes in a structure. One of the advantages of these methods is that only data from undamaged state is needed in training phase (unsupervised learning) as opposed to supervised learning where data from both undamaged and damaged conditions is required to train the model. There are different approaches used by researchers and the success of a certain one may depend on the type of structure or structural changes. Most of studies focused on the application of statistical pattern recognition methodologies for SHM utilize the time series analyses for extracting damage-sensitive features. These features are statistical properties of time series models that directly depend on damage. Extracting damage-sensitive features is a fundamental step in damage detection process because pattern recognition algorithms can identify the state of structure unless these features are just dependent on damage.  The change in an environmental and operational condition during the data acquisition process is one of the problems that causes damage features to be depended on factors besides existence of damage. This can lead to incorrect structural state identification. On the other hand, after extracting damage-sensitive features, the application of a statistical novelty detection methodology for decision making on structural state is a significant topic in SHM.
This paper proposes a new application of random decrement (RD) technique in order to choose appropriate and accurate damage features which are independent from environmental and operational conditions of structure. The RD technique transforms time series data of the structural response to free decay vibration form that only consist of dynamic properties information by averaging them at specific time. Moreover, a novel statistical method named as Bhattacharyya measure is applied as a robust method for damage diagnosis. The Bhattacharyya measure determines the discrepancy between damage features from different structural states through partitioning data and utilizing numerical information of each partition. Herein, before extracting damage features, time series data are averaged through RD technique. Then the Autoregressive-Autoregressive with exogenous output model (AR-ARX) is used to fit a mathematical model to the averaged time series data and the residuals are considered as damage features. The Bhattacharyya measure is utilized for damage identification and localization. The data obtained from an experimental study on a three-story frame structure model are exploited to validate the accuracy and reliability of the proposed algorithm. Random excitation is applied by varying amplitude level of the input force, simulating various environmental and operational conditions. Damage is induced at two different locations. The proposed algorithm is conducted on data from various environmental and operational conditions at two different locations. A comparative study is also carried out to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm over some exiting techniques. Results show that the application of random decrement technique reduces the influence of operational and environmental condition due to averaging and normalizing data and correctly determines the state of structure. In addition, using Bhattacharyya measure improves the structural health monitoring results in damage identification and localization.
 

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The use of diversity implies knowing characteristics and traits of interest in genetic resources. In forages, the ability to produce seeds is essential to the persistence of cultivars in livestock systems. To study the floral variability and seed yield, 17 genotypes of Chloris gayana Kunth and 14 genotypes of Cenchrus ciliaris L. were evaluated. These genotypes were characterized considering floral morphology and total seed yield parameters. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used. In C. gayana, accessions 7757, 6631, 981 and 7757 presented the highest (P< 0.05) Number of Inflorescences per Plant (NIP, 26.43), number of Spikes per Inflorescence (S/I, 10.73), Weight of Thousand Seeds (WTS, 0.52 g) and Total Seed Production (TSP, 235.69 kg ha^-1), respectively. In C. ciliaris, accessions 15687 (28.67) and 1098 (24.33) presented the highest values (P< 0.05) for NIP. Accessions 777 (151.33) and 6642 (150.67) had the highest (P< 0.05) Number of Seeds by Inflorescences (NSI) and genotypes 6652 (0.238 g), 15687 (0.207 g), 16660 (0.215 g) had the highest (P< 0.05) Weight of one Hundred Seeds (WHS). Finally, accessions 6652 (210.93) and 1098 (188.55) had the highest (P< 0.05) TSP. The genotypes of C. gayana and C. ciliaris indicated an important morphology variation. Likewise, higher seed production, which is associated with genetic variability, can be an attribute to be considered during the selection of materials in forage breeding programs, as a complement to traditional evaluation characteristics.