In this study, the life history characteristics of Trichogramma euproctidis (Girault), an established egg parasitoid species in southwestern Iran, parasitizing Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) were examined at 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, and 33 °C. The results showed that different constant temperatures significantly affected the number of parasitized eggs, development time, sex ratio, tibial length, number of parasitoids per host egg, progeny longevity, and fecundity. T. euproctidis failed to complete development at 18 °C, the lowest temperature tested. The mean developmental duration from egg to adult female decreased from 15.33 days at 21 °C to 7.25 days at 33 °C. An average of 188-degree days was required to complete development above the lower threshold temperature (7.2 °C). Survivorship was 96.20, 97.20, 98.33, 85.46, and 82.22 % at 21, 24, 27, 30, and 33 °C, respectively. The mean longevity of T. euproctidis ranged from 11.60 days at 21 °C to 4.57 days at 33 °C. Mean total progeny ranged from 19.50 / female at 33 °C to 168.70 / female at 21 °C. Data analysis demonstrated that different constant temperatures had a significant effect on the net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and generation time (T). The intrinsic rate of increase (r) improved with temperature from 0.240/day at 21°C to 0.370/day at 27 °C and then decreased at higher temperatures. Generation time decreased from 16.90 days to 7.53 days with increasing temperature. The optimal temperature for development and reproduction of T. euproctidis was 27 °C. The results of this study showed that this strain of T. euproctidis appears to have the potential to be utilized in integrated management programs targeting H. armigera.

One of the important issues in the production of concrete is environmental variability that affects the concrete and elements constructed from this material. Due to the importance of different characteristics of concrete in short- and long-term conditions, this article aims to investigate the influence of initial temperature conditions of self-compacting concrete on its long-term characteristics and determine the initial optimal temperature of concrete. For these purposes, several experiments under three temperature conditions of 5, 20, and 40 degree-of-Celsius were conducted to evaluate the rheology and mechanical properties of fresh concrete in the range of 7 and 28 days. In these experiments, alternative mineral admixtures of cement such as micro-silica, fly ash, and zeolite were used to build the concrete specimens. Results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of the specimens increase with increasing initial temperature in the short term, while such properties significantly decrease in the long term compared to the specimens constructed under lower initial temperature. Moreover, the fluidity of self-compacting concrete increases with increasing initial temperature.

In the critical review of the book “Ethics of management” written by Tomas Klikavar (2010), the present article has paid attention to the general approach of the author, the conceptual tools used, and the way of reasoning. According to the author, management, especially business management, due to the importance it attaches to the survival of the organization, has placed its fundamental principle on increasing benefit and earning profit, therefore, morality is not its fundamental issue, and it can even commit immorality in some cases, according to the necessity of tendencies and dispositions . As a theoretician of management ethics, from a historical point of view, the author has tried to show that business management has always been associated with unethical experiences, an experience that has continued until the present day as a kind of modern slavery. He believes that management ethics as an inter-discipline, which is considered a branch of management knowledge in terms of its subject, must be more intertwined with philosophy in practice. Finally, although the author has been able to show the inherent contradiction of management, especially business management, with ethics and provide a solution based on this, the fact that the author has succeeded in presenting a different theory in the field of “management ethics” is a matter of doubt and reflection.

The ability of plant communities in natural ecosystems to modify temperature has become increasingly important due to the profound impacts of global climate change, particularly in arid regions. However, previous studies have provided limited information on the long-term temperature feedback of these plant communities and the biotic drivers behind these changes. This study aimed to determine the functional traits and types of plant communities as biotic drivers of land surface temperature (LST) at the plant community scale, with a focus on identifying co-functioning communities in the Sirjan region of Kerman Province. To achieve this, we utilized the MODIS-LST 8-day composite product at the plant community scale and measured functional traits of dominant species through field operations. The results revealed that leaf dry matter content (LDMC), maximum height (MH), and leaf width (LW) traits significantly reduce LST. Additionally, cluster analysis indicated that the plant communities in the study area can be classified into five functional groups, which fall into two co-function categories. The S-strategized co-function (e.g., 26 communities), characterized by high LDMC values and a combination of abrupt and trend feedback in LST, was found to be more effective than the R-strategized co-function (e.g., 13 communities), which exhibited only trend feedback. Therefore, it can be argued that extreme temperatures, as a global concern, can be mitigated through careful selection of vegetation based on functional traits and strategies. This approach, particularly through rangeland improvement practices using species such as Astragalus spachianus, Cornulaca monacantha, and Launaea acanthodes, could play a significant role in addressing this challenge.

The current study aimed to optimize artificial insemination in aged broiler breeder hens in two experiments. In the first experiment, the effect of (two) different diluted semen temperatures (5 and 25 °C) of Hubbard rooster (40 roosters, 58 weeks of age) on fertility, hatchability and sperm penetration (SP) rate in the perivitelline layer of Hubbard hen (180 hens) were investigated. In the second experiment, three (different) sperm concentrations (100 (C100), 200 (C200), and 400 (C400) million sperm in 0.25 mL per hen) of Hubbard roosters (40 roosters, 62 weeks of age) on fertility, hatchability and SP rate of Hubbard broiler breeder hens (270 hens) were explored. In the first experiment, the results showed that the temperature of 5 °C of diluted semen compared to the 25 °C, increased percentage of hatchability of set eggs, hatchability of fertile eggs, and SP and decreased early embryonic mortality. The results of the second experiment showed the highest percentage of fertility and SP rate were observed at treatment C400. Also, in this experiment that highest percentage of hatchability of set eggs and hatchability of fertile eggs and lowest early embryonic mortality were observed at treatment C400. Return on investment (ROI) of the treatments C200 and C400 was approximately 2.9 and 1.4, respectively. In overall, the results of this study showed that (in attention to ROI and hatchability) to optimize artificial insemination of aged broiler breeder hens we can use a sperm concentration of 200 to 400 million in 0.25 mL per hens at 5 °C.