An ensemble modeling approach to predict spatial risk patches of the Persian leopard-livestock conflicts in Lorestan Province, Iran.

This study was conducted in the Lorestan Province in the west of Iran with two objectives of identifying major environmental variables in spatial risk modeling and identifying spatial risk patches of livestock predation by the Persian leopard. An ensemble approach of three models of maximum entropy (MaxEnt), generalized boosting model (GBM), and random forest (RF) were applied for spatial risk modeling. Our results revealed that livestock density, distance to villages, forest density, and human population density were the most important variables in spatial risk modeling of livestock predation by the leopard. The center of the study area had the highest probability of livestock predation by the leopard. Ten spatial risk patches of livestock predation by the leopard were identified in the study area. In order to mitigate the revenge killing of the leopards, the findings of this study highlight the imperative of implementing strategies by the Department of Environment (DoE) to effectively accompany the herds entering the wildlife habitats with shepherds and a manageable number of guarding dogs. Accordingly, the identified risk patches in this study deserve considerable attention, especially three primary patches found in the center and southeast of Lorestan Province.

An evaluation of isolation by distance and isolation by resistance on genetic structure of the Persian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) in the Zagros forests of Iran.

For the conservation of wild species, it is important to understand how landscape change and land management can affect gene flow and movement. Landscape genetic analyses provide a powerful approach to infer effects of various landscape factors on gene flow, thereby informing conservation actions. The Persian squirrel is a keystone species in the woodlands and oak forests of Western Asia, where it has experienced recent habitat loss and fragmentation. We conducted landscape genetic analyses of individuals sampled in the northern Zagros Mountains of Iran (provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Ilam), focusing on the evaluation of isolation by distance (IBD) and isolation by resistance (IBR), using 16 microsatellite markers. The roles of geographical distance and landscape features including roads, rivers, developed areas, farming and agriculture, forests, lakes, plantation forests, rangelands, shrublands, and rocky areas of varying canopy cover, and swamp margins on genetic structure were quantified using individual-based approaches and resistance surface modeling. We found a significant pattern of IBD but only weak support for an effect of forest cover on genetic structure and gene flow. It seems that geographical distance is an important factor limiting the dispersal of the Persian squirrel in this region. The results of the current study inform ongoing conservation programs for the Persian squirrel in the Zagros oak forest.

Habitat suitability and connectivity implications for the conservation of the Persian leopard along the Iran-Iraq border.

Habitat fragmentation has major negative impacts on wildlife populations, and the connectivity could reduce these negative impacts. This study was conducted to assess habitat suitability and structural connectivity of the Persian leopard along the Iran-Iraq border (i.e., the Zagros Mountains) and compare the situation of identified core habitats and connectivity with existing conservation areas (CAs). An ensemble modeling approach resulting from five models was used to predict habitat suitability. To identify core habitats and corridors along the Iran-Iraq border, factorial least-cost path analyses were applied. The results revealed that topographic roughness, distance to CAs, annual precipitation, vegetation/cropland density, and distance to rivers were the most influential variables for predicting the occurrence of the Persian leopard in the study area. By an estimated dispersal distance of 82 km (suggested by previous studies), three core habitats were identified (two cores in Iran and one core in Iraq). The largest cores were located in the south and the center of the study area, which had the highest connectivity priorities. The connectivity from these cores was maintained to the core within the Iraqi side. Only about one-fifth of detected core habitats and relative corridors were protected by CAs in the study area. Detected core habitats and connectivity areas in this study could be an appropriate road map to accomplish the CAs network along the Iran-Iraq border regarding Persian leopard conservation. Establishing transboundary CAs, particularly in the core habitat located in the center of the study area, is strongly recommended to conserve existing large carnivores, including the Persian leopard.

Synthesis and Application of Phosphorus/Co3O4-CuO Hybrid as High-Performance Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The present study reports a novel red phosphorus (RP)/Co3O4-CuO hybrid as a high-performance anode material for lithium ion battery that was successfully synthesized by simple sol gel method and followed by facile ball milling of red phosphorus. Herein, we outstandingly improved practical application of RP anode (with its natural insulation property and rapid capacity decay in during the lithiation process) in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by confining nanosized amorphous RP into the Co3O4-CuO nanoparticle while RP can improve the electrochemical capacity returning and increased capacity of composite in high current density. This bonding can help maintain electrical contact, prevent to escape RP from the electrode and confirm the solid electrolyte interphase upon the large volume change of RP during cycling. As a result, by judicious usage of components in the RP/Co3O4-CuO hybrid nanostructured anode was achieved an initial Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% at a current density of 50 mA g-1 and an enhanced cycling stability (683.63 and 470.11 mAh g-1 after 60 cycles at a density of 0.1 and 1 A g1-) with interesting cycling capacity at high current density of 3 Ag1- (333.81 mAh g-1). Moreover, the composite electrode can still deliver a specific capacity of about 97.4% of initial capacity after cycling at high rates and returning to the initial current density of 0.1 A g1-.

Heterogeneous degradation of precipitated hexamine from wastewater by catalytic function of silicotungstic acid in the presence of H2O2 and H2O2/Fe2+.

The industrial wastewater produced by hexamine plants is considered as a major environmental polluting factor due to resistance to biodegradation. So the treatment of such wastewater is required. In this work, the removal of hexamine from wastewater and its degradation have been studied. Hexamine was precipitated through formation of an insoluble and stable compound with silicotungstic acid. The oxidative heterogeneous degradation of precipitated hexamine was carried out with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) aqueous solution and H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+) under the catalysis of silicotungstic acid. The operating conditions including amount of precipitate, hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ion dosage, temperature, time and pH were optimized by evaluating the removal of total organic carbon from system. A total organic carbon conversion higher than 70% was achieved in the presence of H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+). The experimental results showed that hexamine can be effectively degraded with H(2)O(2) and H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+) under the catalysis of silicotungstic acid. It was interesting that the solution of dissolved precipitate with H(2)O(2) can re-react with hexamine after the removal of excess hydrogen peroxide. This observation indicates the catalysis role of silicotungstic acid in the degradation of hexamine. A kinetic analysis based on total organic carbon reduction was carried out. The two steps mechanism was proposed for the degradation of hexamine.