Fleas are the most common and important external parasites worldwide and also serves as vectors of various pathogens for humans and animals. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of Pulex irritants in sheep herds and residential areas of villages in Kurdsitan Province, Iran. A total of 2,900 sheep were randomly selected from 48 flocks and 630 residential areas of 18 villages from November 2011 to October 2012. The collected fleas were identified by key fleas. Results revealed that 259 (8.93%) sheep from 31 flocks (65.51%) and 31 (4.92%) residential areas were infested with P. irritants. Of 1323 P. irritants, 503/1323 (38.02%) and 820/1323 (61.98%) were male and female, respectively. Of these, 950 (72%) were from animals and 373 (28%) were from residential areas. The highest infection rate was found in age group less than one year (30.93%, 29/92). The body distribution of all collected flea was found to be from back part of the body (100%). Seasonal distribution of P. irritants in examined animals had significant difference. Geographical distribution of P. irritants indicated that the highest infection rate was found in Marab region (6.03%). The highest flea infestation was also found in summer (41.8%) with a total number of 450 fleas out of 1323 (34.01%). From the results of this study, it was concluded that P. irritants was a prevalent flea in sheep and residential areas in the region and may serve as an important vector for pathogenic agents.

Ferroalloys are compounds of iron with other elements that have many applications in various industries. The production of ferroalloys is usually done in electric arc furnaces and by the carbothermic process. In this method, metal oxides are reduced by different carbon materials, and the type of carbon material used can affect the way the process is carried out and the quality of the product. Metallurgical coke is the most common reducing agent in the production of ferroalloys, but due to its increasing shortage, high price, and relatively high content of harmful impurities, manufacturers are looking for other options. Charcoal has less ash than other carbon materials, but due to environmental problems, its use is not common. Coal with the highest reactivity is not considered among the main options due to its high sulfur content and low compressive strength. Recently, semi-coke, which is prepared at a lower temperature than coke, has gained attention in the ferroalloys industry due to its unique characteristics (high fixed carbon, high specific resistance, high chemical activity, low ash, and low sulfur). Semi-coke improves the quality of ferroalloy and reduces energy consumption and production costs. So far, semi-coke has been used in the process of iron and ferroalloy production in a limited way, and their results show the advantages of the presence of semi-coke. Therefore, in this research, the carbon materials used in the production of ferroalloys, the advantages of semi-coke, and the production method of semi-coke are discussed.

The use of blood-sucking insects is one of the most important methods for pathogen prevalence in biological warfare. Fleas are one of the most important insects in transmitting microbial agents. Developing and updating new and specific methods of insect control is essential for passive defense and preparation of biological attacks as well as unexpected disease epidemics. For successful flea management, the used strategies must be selective and have minimal impact on the environment and humans. In the current study, effects of hormone-like compounds and IGRs on fleas control have been reviewed. Databases including EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, Citation Index, and Google Scholar were used as authentic sources. To retrieve the data, the search strategy and selection of articles was based on the keywords including Control, Fleas, Siphonaptera, Insect growth regulator, Insect hormone mimics, with different possible combinations were performed. We also used the keywords mainly mentioned in the titles of the articles without time limit but limited to 2020. The results of the study demonstrated that among the commercial growth regulators including juvenile hormone analogues, ecdysteroid agonists, and chitin synthesis inhibitors, the juvenile hormone analogues and chitin synthesis inhibitors have been most effective against fleas. In addition to their specificity, the growth regulators apart their safety are also considered persistant then their counterparts. These compounds can suppress flea populations and prevent the continued use of chemical pesticides. On the other hand, they impair resistance development in fleas. When fleas are used in biological warfare, growth regulators such as pyriproxyfen and lufenuron can disrupt flea survival and reproduction and control flea populations in a short while without harming own forces.