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In order to study the acoustic features of stress in Tati language, one minimal pair has been selected where in one the stress was on the last syllable and in another on the first syllable. These minimal pairs were embedded in declarative and interrogative carrier sentences. Eight educated native speakers were participated in this experiment reading these in a silent room. Using PRAAT, a textgrid has been made for each in which the vowel boundaries determined, then by a script we measured duration, F1, F2, Fundamental frequency and intensity. The results show that the difference of duration, F0 and intensity between stressed and unstressed vowels is significant while the F1 and F2 are not important cues. So the most important cues distinguishing the place of stress in Tati are F0, Duration and intensity. A final observation concerns the utterance-final syllable interrogative contours Which is H% while declarative utterances end in L%.

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Sustainable economic growth is one of the most important macroeconomic objectives. There are various factors affecting economic growth including trade and extent of the market. The aim of this study is to examin the effect of trade and extent of the market on economic growth in Iran and its trading partners using the data over the period 1995-2005. Trading partners comprise Germany, Italy, Singapore, Netherlands, China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, India, France, South Korea, Kuwait, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Azerbaijan, Greece, Pakistan, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, the United Kingdom, Qatar, Brazil, Armenia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Syrian Arab Republic. A growth regression model is used to model the relationship between economic growth, trade and extent of the market. The OLS technique is employed to estimate the growth model. Three openness measures are include in the model. They comprise nominal openness, real openness and geography-fitted real openness. We find that trade and domestic market size are robust determinants of economic growth over the 1995-2005 period when trade openness is measured as the US dollar value of imports and exports relative to GDP in PPP US$ (real openness). When trade openness is measured as the US dollar value of imports and exports relative to GDP in exchange rate US$ (nominal openness). However, trade and the size of market are non-robust determinants of growth. We argue that real openness is the more appropriate measure of trade. Moreover, when geography-fitted real openness is considered as a measure of trade openness, it has a strong effect on economic growth in countries with smaller domestic market.

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International trade expansion and export development have been the center of attention by the economists, policy makers and the cornerstone of planning in many countries of the world. Agricultural and industrial sectors are the crucial economic sectors in every country that have a parity role in preparing food for people and industrial inputs. This article using vector error correction models considers the simultaneous effect of economic policies on agricultural and industrial exports during the years 1971 to 2005. After testing the stationery, Johansen test was used for long run estimation. Results have shown that monetary policy has positive and significant effect on industrial and agricultural exports in short run, while interest rate and government expenditures have significant inverse and direct effect on industrial and agricultural exports respectively, and exchange rate policy has the same effect on industrial and agricultural export in long-run. Finally, the strength of each variable was investigated on export. It is recommended that increasing non oil export, the real value of interest rate is determined and by rising volume of money and then investing it and improving commodity supply, inflation will decrease and therefore non oil export will increase.

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This paper investigates the impact of exchange rate on non-oil export covering the period from 1978 to 2006. The method used in this study is Panel data, and these countries are selected as the hosts: Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Pakistan. In this research, Gross Domestic Product of the host country, Bilateral Exchange Rate, Price Raito and Dummy Variable are used as regressor for non-oil exports. The result of this study shows that, gross domestic product and exchange rate have positive effect, but price ratio and dummy variable have negative effect on non-oil exports of Iran to these countries. Also Cross Section Specific coefficient shows that exchange rate has positive effect on export to Turkey, The UAE and Pakistan, while negative effect on other countries.

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The eukaryotic genome contains several replication Origins. Studies showed that the phenomenon and order of the origin activation is in a a particular discipline, called the “Replication Timing". Recent studies show that many factors are involved in regulating the timing of the replication process. One of the most important factors amongst them is the Rap1 interacting Factor 1 (Rif1) protein, which plays a key role in regulating the replication schedule in yeast and more advanced eukaryotes. Structure of this protein is mostly irregular and these properties prevent Rif1 from being expressed in a stable manner and makes it difficult to study.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of recombinant C-terminal domain of mouse-Rif1(muRif1-CTD) protein in solution. For this purpose, the muRif1-CTD gene was extracted from eukaryotic constructs containing the complete Rif1 gene by PCR and was inserted into the pPAL7 expression vector comprising the Profinity eXact tag. Protein solubilization was carried out using different detergents and then detergent removal was performed by dialysis. In order to ensure that the soluble protein is active, the interaction analysis of the Rif1 protein with the G4 structures (previously reported to bind Rif1) was investigated using the gel shift assay. The results of this study showed the use of detergent for Rif1 solubilization without affecting its purification steps. But in the case of this protein, if the detergent is removed completely, it will not remain soluble.
 
 
 
 

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Withdrawing energy subsidies has inevitably welfare effects on the Iranian economy. The estimation of this effect can help policy-makers and planners to take the right decisions. In this paper, welfare effects of cash transfer are calculated for electrical energy subsidies using a social accounting matrix and the computable general equilibrium model. In order to evaluate the welfare effect of this policy, GDP index has also been implemented. Three scenarios of prices, cash payment of subsidies and model simulation are considered in this regard. The research findings reveal that as a result of these policies, GDP will dramatically decrease and the economy will fall into a recession. If the cash payments are financed through the following three methods; a) surplus government revenues, b) sales tax on electricity commodity, c) income tax, combined with price increasing policy, will cause a deeper recession and a lower rate of GDP as a result. This trend has a negative and reverse relation with the amount of cash payment subsidies and electrical energy price. Also, the rate of change will heavily depend on the sort of financial resources for such subsidies, as with an increase in cash subsidies and electricity prices, the result would be decreased level of GDP over time.

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Science and technology can have a major role in growth and creating value added of communities. Research and development are important economic issue that cause technological changes and therefore have a significant role in development of technology and increasing production capacities. Although recently developing countries have realized the importance of R&D, their production units are unable to invest more in R&D section. It is also believed that in the early stages of development, the existing technological gap between these countries and technology leaders decrease the success possibility of R&D efforts and as a result, these communities don’t have reasonable technological basis for innovation. So in the early stages of development, in addition to R&D efforts, import of capital goods can also be effective in developing technology and increasing production capacities of developing countries. In this study, the effect of internal R&D capital stock and external capital stock on value added of the Iranian medium and large industries is investigated over the period of 1994-2007 by applying panel data approach. The results indicate that internal and external capital stock, human capital and internal R&D capital stock have a significant and positive effect on added value of the Iranian medium and large industries during the mentioned period. The research findings have also revealed that although the number of labor force has a positive impact on added value of these industries, it is not statistically significant.  

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Tourism plays a growing role in developing countries and is considered as a way of government deficit reduction, gaining foreign exchange and creating jobs. In addition, it is viewed as a channel of getting away from single product economies. In fact, tourism is an industry with multi-dimensional impacts on different sectors of economy. Therefore, it can also be viewed as an important development factor in Isfahan province. In this study, the impacts of international tourist expenditures on income generation, allocation, distribution, consumption and savings in different economic sectors of Isfahan province has been analyzed using Social Account Matrix (SAM) technique, supported by input-output matrix. The results show that financial sector has a very poor performance in this regard in terms of generating revenues coming from international tourists. Although the government sector has the highest share regarding the initial allocation of income, but due to the transactions happening among structural sectors, households have been the main gainers of this income generation. In fact, almost 84% of the generated revenues in this way have been consumed.

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The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua Hübner, poses a significant threat affecting sugar beet and various field crops and vegetables. AS larvae can devastate entire plants, it is crucial to implement effective and safe control measures to prevent economic losses. However, traditional chemical control methods disrupt ecosystem balance and contribute to the development of insecticide resistance. This study explores the potential of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and inherited sterility to manage S. exigua through the irradiation of pupae with Co60 gamma rays. Key factors such as reproduction, sterility, growth biology, sex ratio, mating competitiveness, and inherited sterility in both parent (P1) and F1 generations were assessed. Notably, irradiation of pupae at 250 Gy and 400 Gy resulted in sterile P1 males and females, respectively. While female emergence significantly decreased at 400 Gy, their longevity increased with higher doses. When P1 male or female pupae were irradiated at 250 Gy or 180 Gy, respectively, the developmental period of F1 larvae extended beyond that of the control group. Additionally, F1 male emergence declined with increasing irradiation doses. Crossbreeding treated male parents with normal females resulted in a sex ratio of F1 progeny skewed in favor of males. The F1 generation exhibited greater sterility compared to the P1 generation, with F1 males demonstrating a higher level of sterility than F1 females. Laboratory assessments of mating competitiveness revealed that males irradiated at 250 Gy (IM) successfully competed against untreated males (UM) for mating with untreated females (UF), even at a 1:1: 1 ratio of IM:UM:UF.


 

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According to trade theories, economic integration results in increasing trade and income among trade partners. This paper tries to test the major factors affecting the exports of agricultural products in ECO members using spatial econometric approach. For this purpose, the exports statistics of ECO members has been used in the form of panel data during 1992-2008. Agricultural exports function has been estimated using the Static (fixed and random effects) and Dynamic (generalized method of moments (GMM)) methods in panel data with classic and spatial econometric approaches. The estimated results indicate the existence of spatial dependence among the countries, so the using this estimation procedure is justified. GDP, Exchange rate and spatial variables (such as proximity) have positive effects and Population has negative effect on agricultural exports. Finally, it is suggested that the estimation equations should consider the proximity between the countries and with the increase in the exchange rate and GDP, increase exports in order to provide the necessary basis. Population control policies may also apply.

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

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Objective: Diabetic neuropathy leads to axonal transport abnormalities. However its mechanism and the beneficial effects of exercise on these abnormalities are not well documented. The present study aims to investigate KIF1B mRNA in spinal cord sensory neuron tissue of Wistar male rats with diabetic neuropathy following endurance training. Methods: We randomly assigned 12 male Wistar rats into three groups: diabetic trained, diabetic untrained and healthy control. Intraperitoneal injection of a STZ (streptozotocin) solution (45 mg/kg) was used to induce diabetes. At two weeks after STZ injections, the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia tests demonstrated the presence of diabetic neuropathy. A moderate endurance training protocol was performed for a six-week period. At 24 hours after the final training session, the rats were sacrified and the L4-L6 sensory neurons of the spinal cord tissue were removed. KIF1B mRNA expression was performed using real time-PCR. Results: Diabetic neuropathy led to increased KIF1B gene expression in the diabetic untrained group compared with the intact control group (p=0.03). Compared with the diabetic untrained group, training significantly decreased KIF1B gene expression (P<0.05) and blood glucose levels (P=0.0001) in the diabetic trained group. Conclusion: KIF1B mRNA up-regulation in sensory neurons of STZ-diabetic rats is a factor which can be involved in abnormal axonal transport. Endurance training as a non-pharmacotherapy strategy can modulate and return KIF1B to approximate normal levels.

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The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of grafting of watermelon hybrids ‘Obla F₁’ and ‘Vanessa F₁’ on to Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata rootstock TZ 148 and Lagenaria sp. rootstock ‘Dias F₁’, on the volatiles and yield of fruit and the plant growth. Fruit volatiles analysis showed the presence of two aldehydes, namely (E)-2-nonenal and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadien-1-al, with (E)-2-nonenal being present at higher concentrations in grafted than in un-grafted plants. Grafted plants had also higher growth rate, total yield, and fruit number than un-grafted plants, whereas the percent dry matter of leaves and shoots was higher in ungrafted plants. No differences were observed for mean fruit weight, fruit shape, and rind thickness. Fruit from grafted plants had more compact flesh and less acid fruit juice than fruit from ungrafted plants. Fruit volatile components differed between ungrafted and grafted plants. With regards to sugar content, no significant differences between grafted and ungrafted plants were observed, except in the case of ‘Obla F₁^’ hybrids. Sodium concentration of plant tissues and fruit was higher in ‘Obla F₁^’ ungrafted plants, as well as carotenoid, lycopene, and vitamin C content in fruit, but only in the second year. In conclusion, rootstock-scion combination implemented in the present study affected plant growth and fruit yield and quality, rendering the choice of rootstocks and scions of major importance in order to achieve the highest yield and quality of watermelon fruit.

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Objective: Recent evidences suggest that tumors arise from a small subpopulation of cells, the cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells. CSCs are able to resist the conventional methods of cancer therapy due to existence of ABC transporters on their surface. This leads to CSC resistance and maintenance resulting in post-treatment relapse and metastasis. Therefore, precise identification and characterization of these cells as a target for new therapeutic regimens is the goal of numerous studies. This study, with the intent to design a new method of immunotherapy for targeting cancer stem cells in mouse malignant melanoma, initially characterized the cancer stem cells in this malignancy. Methods: In order to identify the CSCs we induced a melanoma tumor using the B16F10 cell line in C57BL/6 mice. The tumor bulk was dissociated by an enzymatic method and homogeneous tumor cells were sorted using anti-CD44 and anti-CD24 antibodies. The sorted tumor cell subpopulations were compared according to their ability to form cell spheres in serum free medium (SFM). We determined the tumor formation ability of all cell subpopulations by transplanting serial dilutions of B16-F10 and all sorted cells sub-populations into C57/BL6 mice. Results: The results showed that although all separated cell subpopulations and B16-F10 cells formed non-adherent spheroids in SFM in the presence of B-27, but the CD24⁺ cells presents a significantly higher ability to produce spheroids. The B16F10 cell line, CD44⁺CD24^- and CD44^-CD24^- cells showed equal potencies in tumor induction (1 in 21730 cells). The CD44^-CD24⁺ cells tumor induction potency was 1 in 17426 and this ability for the double positive cells (CD44⁺CD24⁺) was 1 in 11295. Conclusion: Collectively,the double positive (CD24⁺CD44⁺) cells were more potent in both spheroid formation and tumorogenicity. Hence they might be the CSC population of mouse melanoma.

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Objective: The use of stem cells, particularly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with genes and various growth factors as treatments for myocardial infarction and various other diseases is highly regarded. However these cells meet with inflammation and a hypoxic environment in the target tissue. Hence, treatment with factors that increase the resistance of these stem cells is of importance. Stem cells also can be used as carriers for gene therapy. The aim of the present research is to produce VEGF expressing MSCs. We investigate the effect of stromal derived factor 1 on MSC survival in order to use these cells in a future rat myocardial infarction model.  Methods: MSCs were purified from young male rats by aspirating the cavity of femurs and tibias. After characterization, MSCs were transduced with VEGF using lipofectamine. Expression and function of VEGF was confirmed. Next, we treated MSCs with SDF1α at various time points. The effect of this chemokine was investigated using the LDH assay and by viable cell counts. Results: The experiments confirmed the production and function of VEGF by MSCs. The LDH levels decreased significantly in SDF1α treated MSCs. Cell viability increased significantly in the presence of this chemokine. Conclusion: Treatment of MSCs with the SDF1α chemokine has increased the survival of these cells. These MSCs are proper candidates for increasing angiogenesis and for further analysis in a rat model of myocardial infarction.