University of Mohaghegh Ardabili

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important legume crop cultivated predominantly under dryland conditions where water deficit stress frequently limits yield. Understanding key yield-related and physiological traits that influence grain production under drought is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies. This study aimed to identify these traits and to evaluate the potential of growth regulators and bacterial inoculation to alleviate the effects of water stress in lentils. Field studies were conducted as a factorial experiment over two consecutive years using combinations of Pseudomonas fluorescens seed inoculation and foliar application of spermidine (0, 0.5, and 1 mM) and melatonin (0, 50, and 100 μM). Analysis of variance revealed significant effects for all treatments and their interactions on agronomic traits, yield components, and physiological parameters. Stepwise regression analysis showed that 100-seed weight, number of seeds per plant, and stem dry weight had the greatest direct positive effects on seed yield, whereas leaf dry weight had a negative effect. Among physiological traits, soluble sugars, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant enzyme activity were positively associated with yield, whereas total phenols, flavonoids, and malondialdehyde were major negative contributors. The combined application of 100 μM melatonin and 1 mM spermidine significantly improved sugar accumulation, photosynthetic pigment content, and antioxidant enzyme activity while reducing oxidative damage indicators. The integration of biochemical and statistical analyses effectively identified key traits driving lentil yield under drought stress. Foliar application of melatonin and spermidine also shows promise as an agronomic practice to improve lentil tolerance and productivity in water-limited environments. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Abstract We explore the critical dynamics of driven interfaces propagating through a two-dimensional disordered medium with long-range spatial correlations, modeled using fractional Brownian motion (FBM). Departing from conventional models with uncorrelated disorder, we introduce quenched noise fields characterized by a tunable Hurst exponent \( H \), allowing systematic control over the spatial structure of the background medium. The interface evolution is governed by a quenched Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (QKPZ) equation modified to account for correlated disorder, namely QKPZ$_H$. Through analytical scaling analysis, we uncover how the presence of long-range correlations reshapes the depinning transition, alters the critical force \( F_c \), and gives rise to a family of critical exponents that depend continuously on \( H \). Our findings reveal a rich interplay between disorder correlations and the non-linearity term in QKPZ$_H$, leading to a breakdown of conventional universality and the emergence of nontrivial scaling behaviors. The exponents are found to change by $H$ in the anticorrelation regime ($H<0.5$), while they are nearly constant in the correlation regime ($H>0.5$), suggesting a super-universal behavior for the latter. By a comparison with the quenched Edwards-Wilkinson model, we study the effect of the non-linearity term in the QKPZ$_H$ model. This work provides new insights into the physics of driven systems in complex environments and paves the way for understanding transport in correlated disordered media.

Background: The climate change phenomenon and its effects and consequences have become a challenging issue for managers and planners, especially for water resources.Currently, climate change has attracted the attention of scientists due to its effects on human societies.Snow plays an important role in the protection of biodiversity, and changes in the amount of snow cover affect animal and plant life as well as the structure of ecosystems.Snow cover is very important in mountainous areas.Since snow is considered solid water, it is an important source for providing drinking water.Because snow cover contains a lot of air, it is a weak conductor of heat, thus the snow cover can protect agricultural products and trees from extreme cold.The current research aims to investigate changes in snow cover concerning land surface temperature, evapotranspiration, and vegetation cover components in the Aras Basin using MODIS sensor data products in annual, seasonal, and monthly periods.Methods: The studied area is the Aras Basin, which is considered a part of the western Caspian Lake sub-basin and forms the political border between Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, and Armenia countries.In this research, Terra satellite images were used to calculate snow cover, land surface temperature, vegetation cover, and evapotranspiration.In this way, the annual average, monthly average, and seasonal average were calculated for each of the mentioned variables based on the solar date.Daily products of snow, vegetation, surface temperature, and 8-day evapotranspiration product of the Terra satellite were used here.Finally, the images were transferred to the ArcMap 10.8 environment for calculation.To calculate the averages of the studied variables in the period of 2011-2018, 8644, 8642, 8325, and 1058 images were processed for snow cover, land surface temperature, vegetation cover, and evapotranspiration, respectively, using coding in Google Earth Engine.Results: The results showed that the hottest and highest temperatures were in 2000, 2001, and 2014, respectively, during 2000-2022, with the average maximum temperatures of 42, 40, and 40 C.The coldest year of the studied statistical period was 2017, with average maximum and minimum temperatures of 35 and 1 C, respectively.The highest average amount of greenness belonged to the years 2019 and 2021 with a value of 0.44, and the lowest average amount of greenness was recorded for the years 2007 and 2003 with a value of 0.34.In the studied years, 2019 and 2022 had the lowest and the highest annual averages of evapotranspiration, respectively.The evapotranspiration in 2018 was at the highest (20.96) and the lowest (3.57kg/m3), levels, respectively.In 2022, evapotranspiration was 37.42 in the highest state and 2.60 kg/m3 in the lowest state.In all the studied years, the southeastern and northern parts of the studied basin had the highest average evapotranspiration.In 2018, the maximum and the minimum average land surface temperatures were equal to 37.12 and 0.14 C, respectively.In 2022, the maximum temperature of the land surface temperature was 39.80 and its minimum was 5.66 C.As can be seen, there is a direct relationship between temperature and evapotranspiration in these years.During the years 2000-2022, the lowest and the highest averages of NDSI were observed in 2000 (17.31) and 2017 (26.23).In all the studied years, the most snow-bearing areas were the high-altitude areas located in the southern, southeastern, and southwestern parts of the Aras Basin.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), commonly known as Indian ginseng or winter cherry, is a prominent adaptogenic herb recognized for its profound impact on physical performance and health. As an adaptogen, Ashwagandha stands out for its unique ability to restore system functions to normal, enhance the body’s resilience to stress, and elevate overall performance. This comprehensive narrative Review underscores the diverse health benefits of Ashwagandha, emphasizing its roles in immunomodulation, stress reduction, antioxidant effects, cardioprotection, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-cancer activities, neuroprotection, memory enhancement, cognitive function, physical performance, and sexual health improvement effects. With a rich phytochemical profile, including alkaloids and withanolides like Withaferin A, Ashwagandha showcases efficacy in mitigating stress-related markers, improving sleep quality, and regulating mitochondrial function. In addition to its anticancer potential against various types of cancer, Ashwagandha improves lipid profile and protects the heart from necrosis. Also, Ashwagandha has physical performance benefits, which indicate its potential to increase muscle strength, facilitate muscle regeneration, and improve cardiorespiratory endurance. This narrative review delves into the most recent findings and provides a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of Ashwagandha’s potential uses and effects on physical performance and health.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by impairments in social and communication interactions. Play serves as a natural means for children's development, significantly enhancing communication abilities in this group. This study aimed to investigate the effect of play therapy on the communication skills of children with autism and analyze the supportive role of parents in this process. This research utilized a qualitative approach and a systematic content analysis of available scientific sources. Data were collected via a comprehensive review of relevant studies between 2010 and 2024. An initial search was conducted in domestic (Normegs, Irandoc, Jahad Daneshgahi) and international (Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus) databases with combined keywords such as "play therapy", "autism", and "communication skills". Out of the 142 identified articles, 29 eligible studies were finally selected through a three-stage screening process that involved eliminating irrelevant studies, assessing quality, , and ensuring alignment with the research objectives. Data analysis utilized a three-stage coding process (open, axial, selective) along with theme identification in MAXQDA software version 2024. Conclusion: Data analysis led to the extraction of 6 main themes: 1) Understanding the communication structure of autistic children (sensory-motor problems, difficulty in emotion sharing), 2) The role of play therapy in the development of cognitive, personality, and self-awareness skills, 3) Communication convergence via intentional group and altruistic games, 4) The importance of parental participation in emotional and educational support, 5) cognitive empowerment and reduction of stereotyped behaviors, and 6) management of behavioral disorders. Results indicated that play therapy improved eye contact, reduced anxiety, strengthened language skills, and increased social participation. Play-based interventions reduced anxiety by 29%.

Abstract Agricultural machinery relies heavily on diesel, creating a need for cleaner and more sustainable fuel options. This study investigates the blends of diesel with a small proportion of biodiesel, combined with varying amounts of ethanol and ethylene glycol, to evaluate their effects on fuel characteristics and engine efficiency. Fuel properties were assessed according to ASTM standards, and performance was analysed using exergy principles. Results indicate that ethanol tends to reduce density and viscosity, while ethylene glycol has the opposite effect. Biodiesel slightly lowers efficiency under light loads but improves performance under moderate to high loads. Certain blends exhibit minimal energy losses and demonstrate enhanced efficiency at higher engine demands. These findings suggest that carefully formulated biofuel blends can support more sustainable and energy-efficient operation of agricultural machinery.