Myosotis diminuta Grau (Boraginaceae) is recorded for the first time for the flora of Iran. It was rediscovered in 2013 in Zanjan Province, NW of Iran, in a wetland habitat far from its previously known habitat after not being documented for more than 100 years. A detailed taxonomic description and photographs are provided to facilitate its identification in the field. Also diagnostic characters to define Myosotis diminuta from its close relatives are provided.

Zanjan province with 22164 square kilometer is situated in North West of Iran. From geological point of view is a part of Central Iran and in geomorphologic classification it is identified as North West geomorphologic unit. Volcanic formations, intrusive granite rocks, major faults, Miocene evaporative basins and karst topography resulted in a variety of geosites in this province. Mountains and interval plains are stretching from north west to south east direction and drained by Ghezel Ozan, its tributaries, Abharrud and Khrarud Rivers. Ghezel Ozan pours into Caspian Sea and others goes to Hoz-e-Soultan Lake in Central Iran. The highest point in province is 3332 m above sea level in Belghaise Mountain and the lowest (250 m) located near to Sefidrood reservoir. Karstic caves such as Katalekhor, Zarin and Kharmanesar caves in south east and north east of the province, Chehr-Abad historical salt mine (where six salt men were discovered in north west of the province), tens of fingers of god and butte in conglomerate formations in Mahneshan and Angoran districts, badlands in Tarom area and west of zanjan city, tens of diapir domes in Ghezel Ozan watershed, mushrooms in granite rocks, and several hot springs are examples of this geosites. For inventory and analyses of these geosites in field work, topographical and geological maps of different scales and Global Positioning System (GPS) were used. Some of these geosites can have national and international importance. The Province is thus having very favorable conditions for geotourism development.

The research project of collection and identification of medicinal plants of Zanjan province was studied during 2000-2003 and 217 species of medicinal plants were collected and identified. They are classified in 68 families. The most number of medicinal species belongs to compositae (27 species). Before this study about 49 species were identified as medicinal plants in Zanjan province and now we have identified and introduced 163 species.

Garlic is an herbaceous plant from the Alliaceae, which ranks second among Allium species after onions in terms of global production. Garlic is one of the most widely grown crops in Tarom County, Zanjan Province, Iran. Recently, a new disease with symptoms of severe yellowing and terminal drying of the leaves, known as garlic yellowing disease, was observed in many fields of Tarom County of Zanjan province. To identify the causal agent and assess the prevalence of garlic yellowing disease in Tarom, symptomatic leaves were collected from fields for three years. After isolation, the cause of garlic yellowing disease was identified as Stemphylium vesicarium, based on both morphological characteristics and sequencing of the rDNA-ITS, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) and calmodulin (cmdA) genomic regions. A severe epidemic of yellowing disease on garlic caused by S. vesicarium was found in all garlic fields in Tarom.

Katalehkhor cave, in SW of Zanjan Province/Iran, has been studied. It is the longest cave in Iran. The cave is located within the Central Iranian Zone. It is developed mainly within the Qom limestone (Oligomiocene) of Saghez-lou Mountain. Katalehkhor is a multistage cave with three levels ranging from 1670 to 1742 m above mean sea level. Calcite speleothems (stalactite, stalagmite, column, flowstone and helictite) occur locally in zones of water percolation from overlying formations. According to previous studies, Katalehkhor cave is an anastomosis maze cave. The evidences demonstrate the floodwater origin of Katalehkhor cave. Cave levels have been developed due to fluctuation of the water table.

Purpose: The present study aims to identify and explain the futures of Iranian provinces in the competition for the development of NBIC technological convergence (synergy between nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive sciences) with a focus on Yazd province. Method: This research, which has been conducted with a qualitative and descriptive approach, is classified as an exploratory futures-study. In this way, the relevant research records were first reviewed to compile a list of drivers in the development of convergent technologies. The list was then refined and prioritized to identify two key drivers, with the Delphi process attended by fourteen experts. By intersecting the uncertainties of these two drivers, four scenarios of the province's future in technological convergence competition emerged. Findings: The two key drivers affecting the success of the province in the competition for convergent technologies are: the rate of development of the innovation ecosystem and the amount of financial resources allocated to this process. Based on this, four scenarios of the future situation of the province in this field were identified, which have been named as "Vanguard", "Buyer", "Remnant" and "Hired". Conclusion: In order for the provinces to be able to succeed in the forthcoming competitions in the production and operation of convergent technologies, it is necessary to plan for strengthening the ecosystem infrastructure from now; at the same time, it is necessary to make efficient efforts to provide sufficient financial resources for the research and commercialization of these technologies.

This paper aims to investigate obstacles of doing business in province of Zanjan. For this purpose, three complementary methods are used: first, surveying the business environment from the businessmen’s perspectives, using «Enterprise Survey» questionary, second, studying realized indices of business environment, and third, evaluating investors’ complaints submitted to Investment Committee of Province. Results indicate that existence of land opponents, complicatedness of dealing with permits, difficulty of getting credit, disputes between business owners and authorities of social security organization, and irregular import of Chinese products are the main obstacles of investment in zanjan.

Background & Objective: Lifestyle is an important factor in determining family and community health. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the status of mothers' lifestyle in Zanjan province, Iran. Materials & Methods: The study is part of a national cross-sectional project implemented by the National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD) in Iran. This study used multi-stage cluster sampling and included 1039 mothers from Zanjan province in 2015-2016. The data gathering tools were the lifestyle questionnaire (LSQ) and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: The results showed that the lifestyle status of 4. 6% of the mothers was lower than the normal level, 89. 3% at the normal level, and 6. 1% was good. Mean and standard deviation of the total lifestyle of mothers was 2. 01± 0. 31. Evaluating the mean of lifestyle components showed that the highest mean of lifestyle status in mothers in Zanjan province was related to drugs avoidance (M=2. 65) and the lowest mean was related to sport and health components (M=1. 44). Conclusion: The lifestyle status of the studied samples was predominantly at normal level. However, their status in such components as exercise and health, environmental health, weight control, nutrition, and physical health was not very favorable, which makes it necessary to plan more precisely in this area. Results showed that mothers living in the city had a significantly better lifestyle than those living in rural areas. Findings also indicated that mothers with a higher level of education had a better lifestyle than those with a lower level.

Land surface temperature is a parameter that affects many natural and human processes. In this study, the spatial distribution of surface temperature in Zanjan province from 2001 to 2023 was investigated. In addition, the effects of elevation, longitude, and latitude on the temperature distribution of the land surface, its spatial pattern, and the temperature zones of the province were evaluated and revealed using partial correlation methods, G* statistic, and clustering analysis, respectively. The results showed that the mean temperature of the land surface is 24.6 C° during the day and 5.3 C° at night. The relationship between elevation, longitude, and latitude with surface temperature is negative. elevation has the greatest effect on temperature, but the effect of latitude and longitude is weak. However, the temperature decreases by moving from south to north, west to east, and from lowlands to high elevations. The land surface temperature in the province follows a cluster pattern with a certainty of 95% or more, in which the lowlands and heights of the province have played the most role in its formation; Also, the province can be divided into four temperature zones, where the direction and boundaries of the zones follow the shape of the land. The mean daytime land surface temperature of the earth in the first group is 23.9 C°, the second group is 27.3 C°, the third group is 28.8 C°, and the fourth group is 18.8 C°. In addition, the mean temperature at night in the first group was 4.4 C°, the second group was 6.9 C°, the third group was 12.1 C°, and the fourth group was 1.9 C°.