Campanula kurdistanica is described as a new species. It has been collected from Kurdistan province on north to north-west slopes of Shahoo Mountain on shady cliffs and rocks crevices. Campanula kurdistanica differs from its relative species in Iran mainly by deeply divided lobes of corolla about ¾ of its length. It is illustrated and differences from its relatives are discussed.

A B S T R A C T Tourism as a socio-economic activity plays an essential role in the economic, social, physical, and cultural dimensions of rural settlements in developing countries, which can have significant impacts on rural physical identity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of tourism on the identity changes of rural settlements in Oraman area of Sarvabad Township in Kurdistan province. Therefore, the present study questions 1. What is the relationship between tourism development and rural identity changes in the study area? What are the most critical factors influencing the physical development of rural settlements? He answers. The present study is a descriptive-analytical based on data collection using a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study consisted of 7 villages located in the Dezli-Hajij communication axis in Oraman District based on population and housing census data of 1395 with 1572 households and 306 households were selected using Cochran formula. One-sample t-test and factor analysis were used for data analysis. The findings of the study showed that tourism development in the sample villages in terms of continuity over time such as housing construction quality (3/67), sanitation (3/39) and land-use changes (3/78) and unity and plurality such as Design and style of housing architecture (3/01) and public transit architecture (3/23) and then differentiation and homogeneity such as proportionality with rural life (3/58) and rurality or location (3/43) have a positive impact on the physical dimensions of rural settlements in the region. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that tourism development plays a vital role in the development of rural physical identity in the region. So that the proportion of rural life with a specific amount of 13/6 and 27% of the total variance had the most influence among the factors Extended Abstract Introduction  As an important socio-economic activity in local and regional development, tourism has a high potential for political, social, and economic changes in communities. Scholars widely regard it as the engine of development. Today, rural areas in developing countries face various economic, social, and environmental challenges. Planners need to pay more attention to complementary sectors of agricultural activities such as the development of handicrafts, food industries, and tourism because agriculture is now retreating from its hegemonic position in some rural areas. Therefore, tourism as one of the essential approaches to rural development has multiple effects on the socio-economic dimensions of rural areas. Tourism can play a vital role in shaping spaces, reconfiguring and rebuilding processes, creating new socio-economic opportunities in less-developed rural areas,  and leads to changes in the physical dimensions and physical identity of the villages.   Methodology This study aims to investigate the role of tourism development in the physical identity of  rural settlements located in the Dezley-Hajij road axis in Oraman County (Sarvabad Township- Kurdistan province) in western Iran. This applied study methodology of research was based on analytical– descriptive methods using questionnaires. After the survey of theoretical bases, the questionnaire was set using a Likert spectrum and distributed randomly among the sample. The statistical population of this study consisted of 1572 households residing in the villages of Daraki (Dezli County), Veisiyan and Kamaleh (Oraman County), Belbar, Jivar, Celin, and Novin (Shalyar County), with a sample of 306 was selected by Cochran formula. A questionnaire was further validated by an academic panel of experts in the field of research. Cronbach's alpha determined its reliability, which was up to 0.890 for measured indexes. The data were analyzed by One sample T-test and Factor   analysis tests in the SPSS software package.    Results and discussion To investigate the role of tourism activities in the physical identity change of rural settlements, the research indices in terms of three components of time continuity (quality of constructions, health, and environmental cleanliness and land-use transformations), unity/multiplicity (Landscape of free passages and the type of architectural style), and differentiation/similarity (proportional to rural life and Compliance with the physical environment) were classified. The results of the one-sample t-test showed that assuming numerical utility (3 mean spectra), the components of continuity in time, variance, multiplicity, and differentiation and similarity with numerical mean values (3.62), (3.35), and (3.27), respectively. The effect of tourism development is affected, and the difference is positive and means between upper and lower boundaries. There is a significant difference at the 95% level between the components. Evaluation of the importance of tourism in the physical development of rural settlements from the viewpoint of the respondents using factor analysis statistical test showed that the relevant data according to the KMO coefficient (0.812) is appropriate, and the Bartlett's test is 99% significant. Therefore, 50 variables extracted from the questionnaire were classified into six main factors, namely rural planning and architecture, beautification and environmental hygiene, privacy and road improvement, rural livelihoods, cultural regeneration, and physical security.   Conclusion Findings based on the utility analysis of indicators indicate the positive impact of tourism development on the development of physical identity changes in rural settlements in the study area. Thus, the development of tourism in the villages under study has been able to positively influence the three dimensions of identity, such as continuity in time, unity and plurality, and differentiation and similarity. Therefore, it can be concluded that tourism development due to its social and economic impacts on the villages has also led to changes in rural physical identity. Moreover, hygiene and cleanliness of the rural environment were observed with a numerical mean (3.81) and (3.67), respectively, both of which are indices in the continuity component over time. The results of the data analysis using factor analysis showed that the studied variables had 6% of the total variance in 5% of total variance. Based on the results of this analysis, it can be concluded that tourism development in two factors in terms of continuity in time has the most impact on the physical identity of rural settlements at 41%. Thus, planning and architecture of rural housing with 27% of the total variance and beautification and sanitation of the physical environment with 14% of the total variance have a significant impact on the physical changes and, consequently, the physical identity of the rural settlements. Based on the research findings, the following suggestions can be considered: Strengthening local institutions, such as the Islamic Council and the local managers, in order to promote the use of local patterns in the construction of new instruments to conform to the physical structure and function of the villages in the region; Management of land use changes on the edge of the village in order to prevent unnecessary physical changes in the way of preservation and environmental beauty; Prevent the accumulation of pesticides in public passages due to tourism in the area; Improving public beauties and beautifying them using the social and cultural elements of the region.   Funding There is no funding support.   Authors’ Contribution The authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.   Conflict of Interest The Authors declared no conflict of interest.   Acknowledgments The authors appreciate to all the scientific consultants of this paper.

The Kurdistan region as the heartland of the Middle East is considered a potential threat to these countries due to its ethnic, religious and historical ties with the Kurdistan region in Iran, Syria and Turkey. The security situation in the western region of Iran, especially the Kurdistan region of Iran, is largely affected by the security threats of the Iraqi Kurdistan region and the movements of hostile groups, extremist movements and groups, and foreign intelligence and espionage services in these areas. In this regard, the present research has been carried out with the aim of investigating and explaining the security threats of Iraqi Kurdistan region on Iranian Kurdistan. In terms of the purpose, this research is applied and its method is descriptive-analytical with a qualitative approach. The statistical population of the research includes experts and specialists in the security field of Kurdistan province, especially the border areas, who are closely related to the actions of the Kurdistan region and its security effects. The size of the statistical sample was determined based on the theoretical saturation limit of 23 people. In addition to using information and library sources, semi-structured interviews were used to collect information, and data analysis was done in the MAXQDA software environment based on the content analysis method. The findings of the research showed that a total of 487 themes (free code) were extracted from the interviews, which are important topics such as arms and ammunition smuggling, recruitment of young people to terrorist groups against the regime, the region of Iraqi Kurdistan as a platform for spy services, the presence of the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. As the main threat factors, the media activities of hostile groups and differences among the ethnic groups and religions of the country are one of the main security threats caused by the activities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the Kurdistan province and, accordingly, the entire country. Based on the results of the research, confronting active espionage cells in the Kurdistan region, extensive media propaganda, arms and ammunition smuggling, more control over the borders are among the main measures that should be taken by the security agencies.

With regard to importance of medicinal plants, this study has carried out in Kurdistan province in 1998-2001 for identification of medicinal plants of this province. There were various stages contained collection of rural and locale information about medicinal plants, field and in situ investigations and collection of herbal samples and identification of them. According to results, 144 medicinal plants species were identified that 59 species of them were new in comparison with previous references. The most numbers of medicinal plants were belong to the families of Compositae, Umbelliferae, Papilionaceae, Rosaceae, Labiatae, Cruciferae, Solanaceae, Ranunculaceae, Alliaceae, Malvaceae, Liliacea with 18, 16, 11, 10, 8, 6, 4, 4, 3, 3 and 3 species, respectively. In addition Anacardiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiacea, Linaceae, Orchidaceae, Tamaricaceae, Polygonaceae, Moraceae, and Papaveraceae families allocated 2 species and the other families included one species.

The location of the tribes and religions in the territory of the country is of great importance in the management of space and space development. If there are ethnic groups in the border regions and there are regionalismist tendencies among those ethnic groups, this situation poses a country with a range of opportunities and threats. On the one hand, the existence of peoples in the border regions can act as geopolitical hinges and promote the sphere of influence of the country, and, on the other hand, ethno-regionalist tendencies can face the country with security, political, economic and social threats. Iran, with its unique position in the Middle East, has many tribes and religions in the border regions, which are also geographically located on the other side of the border. Kurds in Iran have many common interests with the central core of the country. But the security approach and security priority on development in the Kurdistan region, emphasizing the border regions of Kurdistan province, have caused the potentially natural and human potential of these regions not to be fertilized and the underdevelopment of these areas produces reproduction Get security issues. This applied research and using descriptive analytical method and Internet library sources has been used to collect the data. The factors affecting the security approach in Kurdistan regions are emphasized on the border regions of Kurdistan province, using existing data. has done. The results of the research show that geocultural, geo-political, geo-geomechanical and geostrategic factors have affected the security approach in the Kurdish regions of Iran with an emphasis on the border areas of Kurdistan province.

Background: As members of the health care team in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), nurses play a vital role in caring for critically ill patients. The demands of caring in such an environment put the nurses under huge pressure, especially when their patients die. This qualitative study explores the feelings and experiences of Kurdish intensive care nurses providing care for dying patients in the ICU.Methods: This qualitative study used inductive content analysis. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 Kurdish registered nurses working in adult ICUs of Rezgary and Hawler Teaching hospitals (Erbil, Iraq).Results: Three main categories, including emotional burden, encountering with obstacles, and personal growth emerged. In spite of their emotional burden and also the pressure imposed by heavy workload, the nurses’ personal growth was enhanced by the self-confidence and spiritual satisfaction they acquired by caring for ill and end stage patients and their families.Conclusion: Nurses’ religious beliefs and their special cultural background could partly modify their negative feelings and perceptions. However, in the long run, dealing with these pressures and negative environmental and organizational inhibitors could lead to burnout. All potential sources of emotional and psychological burden in these ICUs need to be minimized by appropriate planning. Nurses’ and their special cultural background could partly modify their negative feelings and perceptions.

Petroglyph is one of the arts whose sculpture has continued from the Paleolithic period to the present day. This art is found in almost all parts of the world. So far, a large number of rock motifs have been identified and introduced, a large part of which is located in the Central Zagros, especially in western Iran (Kurdistan Province). In this study, during archeological studies in 2019, newly discovered lithographs of Zarrineh in mountainous areas at a distance of 1. 5 km west of Zarrineh village were examined. The research method in this article is fieldwork along with a historical-comparative-analytical approach. In the field section, the site in Kurdistan province has been studied. In the historical section, books, articles, and reports related to the subject are examined. The main research questions include: What designs do Zarrineh drawings contain? What are the themes of the golden motifs? What areas are Zarrineh lithographs comparable to? What is the relative chronology of the area? Zarrineh lithographic motifs include motifs in the form of collections of images of animals (horse, goat, leopard, camel), geometric (cross, wheel), tools (bow and arrow, bow, cane), and human figures. The paintings are stylized and volumetric and have been created on igneous rocks. The figures narrate scenes that are directly related to the thoughts and ideas of past peoples. Even in recent years, these motifs have shown the continuation of a long tradition. The motifs can be traced back to the Iron Age or later. The lithographs can be compared and analyzed in terms of style, technique, and variety of similarities with the regions within the Iranian plateau, especially Azerbaijan (Songun Arasbaran) and Lorestan (Bauki Azna). The study of these works in western Iran is important because these works are located in a region that has always been considered as a strategic passage between different ethnic groups from prehistoric times to Islamic periods.

Dear Editor, This is an appendix of previously published paper: Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness in Kurdistan, Iran. Despite a widely distributed access to cataract surgery in Iran, we face populations in remote and marginal areas who have been left behind and/or are unaware of the need for surgery. . .

Military occupation of Iraq following 9/11 terror attacks and the fall of the Baathist regime led to new geopolitical changes in the Middle East subsequent to disintegration of the bipolar world system. Such terms as “New Middle East”, or “Greater Middle East” are telltale signs of geopolitical changes in this sensitive part of the world. The above developments have provided grounds for further rivalry among international and regional powers which aim to increase their clout in the Middle East and make the most of the new geopolitical and geostrategic conditions. Strategic void that followed the fall of Saddam in Iraq provided Israel with a good opportunity to focus on its geopolitical and geostrategic goals and formulate strategic plans for northern parts of Iraq which are of high geopolitical and geoeconomic importance in Israel’s political and military strategy. Thus, Israel sees Iraqi Kurdistan as its geopolitical heartland which can enable it to carry out strategic plans which are reflected by such ideas as “Greater Israel” or “From Nile to Euphrates.”

Risk is an inevitable part of life, every day people are somehow at risk. Different risks in various forms and perspectives have different functions. Kurdistan province, with various heights and relatively good rainfall, It results the country's cold spots. Since most of seasonal rainfall occurs in winter, Snow cover is often the domain and passes it hillsides…..