The main objective of an ecosystem sustainable management is to preserve its capacity to respond and adapt to current disturbances and/or future changes, and maintain the provision of environmental goods and services. Two very important properties linked to this objective are the ecosystem resilience and resistance to disturbance factors. The objective of this paper is to recommend conceptual modifications to the integration of key ecological concepts such as dynamic equilibrium, resistance and resilience to the ‘State and Transition Model’ (STM) in order to apply them in a more feasible way for rangeland management. Ecological resilience describes the amount of change or disruption required to transform a system from being maintained by one set of mutually reinforcing processes and structures to a different set of processes and structures. STMs integrated to concepts of structure, function and energy provides greater opportunities to incorporate adaptive management, more accurate forecasts and a better and easier comparison between rangeland ecosystem types than traditional STMs. We propose to enhance the STM considering four principal axes (ecosystem functions and/or processes, natural disturbances and/or negative management activities, required energy to return to the previous state, and structural ecosystem changes and transition time) also simultaneously, to compare the "robust" ecosystem to "fragile" ecosystem. The recommended modifications enable STMs to identify a broader range of variables to anticipate and identify conditions which determine state resilience to better inform ecosystem managers of risk and restoration options.

In order to characterize some Iranian grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) gene pool, 72 genotypes were collected from west and north-west provinces of Iran and were genotyped along with 18 European grapevine cultivars using 12 Sequence Tagged Microsatellite Sites (STMS) markers. All of the 90 genotypes were distinguished by the 12 Ioci. The number of observed alleles per locus ranged from 4 alleles at VVMD6 to 11 for VVMD25. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 51% to 85%. The total Probability of Identify (PI) was calculated for this set of markers (2.2×10-10) that indicated high discrimination power of this set. Cluster analysis was done by UPGMA algorithm based on Jaccard similarity coefficient; this method grouped more of genotypes according to their geographical origins.

In order to characterize Iranian grape (Vitis vinifera L.) germplasm, 136 genotypes were collected from five grape growing regions (Azarbaijan, Qazvin, Kordestan, Khorasan and Fars) and genotyped along with 36 European cultivars using 9 sequence tagged microsatellite sites (STMS) markers. The used set of markers could distinguish all 172 genotypes under study. Altogether 84 polymorphic alleles were observed detected all the genotypes, with an average of 9.33 and 5.81 effective alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity values were higher than those observed for all the loci. This could probably be due to the occurrence of null alleles at these loci. The usefulness of this set of markers for genotype distinction was assessed as probability of identity (PI). The estimated total PI value over all the geographic regions for this set of markers was estimated to be 5.67×10-9. Comparison of samples from different grape growing regions of Iran and Europe based on various parameters using allelic data revealed similar level of genetic variation. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated significant difference between samples, however, no difference was observed between the Iranian and European groups. Genetic differentiation among samples based on Fst in most pairwise comparisons was significant. Cluster analysis based on coancestry coefficient matrix and principal coordinate analysis confirmed the result of AMOVA and Fst analysis.

In this paper, the bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) method is used to find optimal layouts of 3D prestressed concrete beams. Considering the element sensitivity number as the design variable, the mathematical formulation of topology optimization is developed based on the ABAQUS finite element software package. The surface-to-surface contact with a small sliding between concrete and prestressing steels is assumed to accurately model the prestressing effects. The concrete constitutive model used is the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model in ABAQUS. The integration of the optimization algorithm and finite element analysis (FEA) tools is done by using the ABAQUS scripting interface. A pretensioned prestressed simply supported beam is modeled to show capabilities of the proposed method in finding optimal topologies of prestressed concrete beams. Many issues relating to topology optimization of prestressed concrete beams such as the effects of prestressing stress, geometrical discontinuities and height constraints on optimal designs and strut-and-tie models (STMs) are studied in the example. The results show that the proposed method can efficiently be used for layout optimization of prestressed concrete beams.

Background: Almost 20% of epileptics are drug resistant. Studies have shown that lowfrequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is with therapeutic effectson epilepsy-affected laboratory models. Anticonvulsant effects of rTMS depend on severalparameters among which radiation frequency is the most important one. In this study, thetherapeutic impacts of 1 and 2 Hz rTMS on convulsing parameters in epileptic model ofelectrical kindling stimulation of the perforant path were investigated.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study 21 rats were randomly divided intothree groups, namely ‘1 Hz treatment group’ and ‘2 Hz treatment group’ and ‘kindlinggroup’. The kindling group only received kindling stimulations for seven days. One Hzand 2 Hz frequency treatment groups received maximally 5 min rTMS after termination ofkindling stimulation per day for a week. Stimulation and stability electrodes had beenplaced, in turn, on perforant path and dentate gyrus. For quantifying the duration of thesubsequent discharge waves, two-way ANOVA test and Bonferroni post-test wereemployed. In addition, for quantifying the convulsive behaviors, Kruskal-Wallis and theMann-Whitney U tests were used.Results: The results showed that 1 Hz and 2 Hz frequency rTMS have considerableinhibitory impact on the development of convulsive phases. Anticonvulsive effect wasobserved from the first day after rTMS was undertaken. In addition, the animals did notshow fourth and fifth convulsive stages, and a significant reduction was evident in theirrecorded peak discharge waves compared with kindle group.Conclusion: Low frequency rTMS possesses significant anticonvulsive effects whichdepend upon sTMS stimulation frequency.

Reinforced concrete (RC) members with significant geometric discontinuities and complex stress distributions under loading require considerable analyses and usually complicated reinforcement detailing. Deep beams with large openings are one of the examples. Strut-and-tie models (STM) are a valuable tool for the design of these members. However, the actual stress fields in deep beams with openings are typically different compared with those predicated by STMs, as reported by many experimental investigations. Therefore, an optimization method on homogenization is used for finding optimal strut-and-tie models for RC elements. Previous truss optimization methods are strongly dependent on the element removal ratio and the FE mesh. Additionally, they require many algorithmic parameters to be finely tuned, and their convergence to optimal solution is uncertain. Full homogenization (FH) methods solve most of these problems because of their explicit formulas. Two examples from STM literature are used to illustrate the application of these methods.In the experimental part of the study, two reinforced concrete and two steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) deep beams with opening were manufactured and monotonically loaded up to failure. The design of each test specimen was carried out using optimal truss models and the ACI 318-11 provisions for STM. The structural performance of the specimens is compared with that of some similar specimens in previous test series. All test specimens in this study carried loads greater than the factored design loads. Reinforced concrete specimens using optimization-derived truss models have efficient responses, in terms of ratio of ultimate load to steel weight.

Objectives: Auditory processing disorder (APD) is due to the deficits in perceptual processing of acoustic information in the auditory system, characterized by poor speech perception of noise, regardless of normal hearing. The variability in speech function of APD children can be partly explained by changes in the encoding of spectro-temporal modulations (STMs) which have been overlooked, despite their significance. Given that enhancing STM sensitivity and its processing can be an appropriate way to improve the listener’, s ability to retrieve and integrate speech segments covered by noise, we decided to evaluate the effects of STM-based auditory training on speech perception in noise and the reliability of this training in children with APD. Methods: Thirty-five children with APD (8-12 years old) were randomly divided into the training (n=17) and control groups (n=18) to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of STM training on speech in noise perception. The intervention group was trained to detect STM by 120 trials every day for ten days. The STM detection thresholds and speech perception in noise were evaluated before and immediately after the finalization of formal training sessions in both groups. To address the training reliability, the tests were repeated one month after practice in the training group. Results: Following the completion of STM auditory training, the trained APD children improved notably in STM detection tasks and speech in noise tests (P<0. 05). The post-training progress of STM detection thresholds and consonant-vowel in the noise test was preserved for one month after training (P>0. 05), but the word in the noise test, especially in the right ear, was not retained (P<0. 05). Discussion: Auditory spectro-temporal modulation training can lead to better processing of STM modulation. Its effects can be generalized to higher-order processing, such as speech perception in noise. Auditory training based on STM processing enhancement can play an essential role in improving speech comprehension in the noise abilities of children with APD.