Effects of drought stress on some agronomic and morphological traits of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) landraces under greenhouse condition

Although, drought stress has been well documented as an effective parameter in decreasing crop production; developing and releasing new varieties which are adaptable to water deficit conditions can be a constructive program to overcome unsuitable environmental conditions. The present study was carried out to study the effect of drought stress under greenhouse conditions in Islamic Azad University of Ardabil Branch, Iran. The agronomic and morphological traits of 25 durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) genotypes were investigated. The present study was done based on randomized complete block design with three replications in drought stress and normal irrigation conditions in a greenhouse. The analysis of variance has indicated that there are significant differences among the genotypes in all the traits, which indicate that there are great variations among genotypes in order to use in improvement plans. Analysis of variance shows that drought stress has a significant effect on all studied traits except harvest index. The comparison of means indicated that the genotypes; poldash, sari boghda and germi in normal condition and sari boghda, omrabi-5, langan, germi and germi under stress condition, are the superior groups. Grain yield has shown a positive and significant correlation with peduncle length, number of grains per spike, 1000 grain weight, biological yield and harvest index. Cluster analysis divides the genotypes into three groups in each condition. The best genotypes were included in a group which confirms the results of the compared means yield.Key words: Agronomic traits, durum wheat, genetic diversity, yield components

Isolation and identification of gut symbiotic bacteria of the termite Anacanthotermes vagans (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae)

Termites play a major role in reducing and decomposing woody materials within terrestrial ecosystems by degrading lingo-cellulosic materials with the help of the microbial community of their guts. We isolated the lignin-degrading bacteria from Anacanthotermes vagans (Hagen) using liquid and solid media containing wheat straw and lignin hydrochloric acid. Cellulose-degrading bacteria were also isolated using liquid medium containing filter paper, agar-cellulose and Congo red agar-cellulose. By conducting various experiments, 16 bacterial species were isolated and subjected to different biochemical tests for comparing their growth rates. The genera Enterobacter and Klebsiella showed the highest growth rate among the rest species of isolated lignin-degrading bacteria. The species Staphylococcus lentus and Bacillus subtilis were isolated from the media containing cellulose

Study of the relationship between HPA-1 and HPA-5 gene polymorphisms and refractory to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII in glanzmann thrombasthenia patients in Southeast of Iran

Background: Glanzmann Thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare autosomal disease. HPA (Human Platelet Alloantigen) is a surface polymorphic alloantigen of platelets. This study was intended to investigate and compare the polymorphism of HPA-1 and HPA-5 genes in two groups of GT patients, with and without resistance to platelet and recombinant factor VII therapy. Materials and Methods: This case control study was performed on GT patients (n=16) with resistance to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII and control group of GT patients (n=16) without resistance to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII. The consent form was completed by each patient. Gene polymorphisms of HPA-1 and HPA-5 were investigated using SSP-PCR, and the obtained data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS16.0. Results: The results indicated no significant relationship between the studied genes and their resistance to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII. The frequencies of HPA-1 genotype a/a were 98 and 94 in patient and control groups, respectively. The frequency of allele b was found to be less than allele a. The value of this allele was 4 in patient group and 1 in control group. In addition, the HPA-5a/a (98) was the most frequent alloantigen?? (check it) in both groups. Seven percent (7) of the patients had the HPA-5a/b genotype, and the HPA-5b/b was found to be absent in these individuals. Conclusion: According to the results obtained, it could be concluded that these genes play no role in resistance to platelet therapy. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved

Study of the relationship between HPA-1 and HPA-5 gene polymorphisms and refractory to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII in glanzmann thrombasthenia patients in Southeast of Iran

Background: Glanzmann Thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare autosomal disease. HPA (Human Platelet Alloantigen) is a surface polymorphic alloantigen of platelets. This study was intended to investigate and compare the polymorphism of HPA-1 and HPA-5 genes in two groups of GT patients, with and without resistance to platelet and recombinant factor VII therapy. Materials and Methods: This case control study was performed on GT patients (n=16) with resistance to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII and control group of GT patients (n=16) without resistance to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII. The consent form was completed by each patient. Gene polymorphisms of HPA-1 and HPA-5 were investigated using SSP-PCR, and the obtained data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS16.0. Results: The results indicated no significant relationship between the studied genes and their resistance to platelet therapy and recombinant factor VII. The frequencies of HPA-1 genotype a/a were 98 and 94 in patient and control groups, respectively. The frequency of allele b was found to be less than allele a. The value of this allele was 4 in patient group and 1 in control group. In addition, the HPA-5a/a (98) was the most frequent alloantigen?? (check it) in both groups. Seven percent (7) of the patients had the HPA-5a/b genotype, and the HPA-5b/b was found to be absent in these individuals. Conclusion: According to the results obtained, it could be concluded that these genes play no role in resistance to platelet therapy. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved

Laboratory Evaluation of Flurox, a Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor, on the Termite, Microcerotermes diversus

Microcerotermes diversus (Silvestri) (Isoptera: Termitidae) is the most economically destructive termite in structures in southwest Iran. One sustainable control strategy that usually helps to reduce subterranean termite damage in buildings, is the use of insect growth regualtors in a suitable bait matrix that are safe to the user and the environment. In the laboratory assays described here, the delayed toxicity of Flurox, a chitin synthesis inhibitor, to M. diversus was evaluated under force-feeding and choice trials. Flurox induced worker and nymph mortality and incomplete ecdysis in nymphs of M. diversus under no-choice and two-choice feeding tests. These adverse effects may cause disruption of the caste balance in M. diversus, leading to the collapse of the colony. These assays determined concentrations of Flurox that can be used in bait formulations

Pathological mucus and impaired mucus clearance in cystic fibrosis patients result from increased concentration, not altered pH

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a recessive genetic disease that is characterised by airway mucus plugging and reduced mucus clearance. There are currently alternative hypotheses that attempt to describe the abnormally viscous and elastic mucus that is a hallmark of CF airways disease, including: 1) loss of CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR)-dependent airway surface volume (water) secretion, producing mucus hyperconcentration-dependent increased viscosity, and 2) impaired bicarbonate secretion by CFTR, producing acidification of airway surfaces and increased mucus viscosity. A series of experiments was conducted to determine the contributions of mucus concentration versus pH to the rheological properties of airway mucus across length scales from the nanoscopic to macroscopic. For length scales greater than the nanoscopic, i.e. those relevant to mucociliary clearance, the effect of mucus concentration dominated over the effect of airway acidification. Mucus hydration and chemical reduction of disulfide bonds that connect mucin monomers are more promising therapeutic approaches than alkalisation

Experimental demonstration of a transparent graphene millimetre wave absorber with 28% fractional bandwidth at 140 GHz

The development of transparent radio-frequency electronics has been limited, until recently, by the lack of suitable materials. Naturally thin and transparent graphene may lead to disruptive innovations in such applications. Here, we realize optically transparent broadband absorbers operating in the millimetre wave regime achieved by stacking graphene bearing quartz substrates on a ground plate. Broadband absorption is a result of mutually coupled Fabry-Perot resonators represented by each graphene-quartz substrate. An analytical model has been developed to predict the absorption performance and the angular dependence of the absorber. Using a repeated transfer-and-etch process, multilayer graphene was processed to control its surface resistivity. Millimetre wave reflectometer measurements of the stacked graphene-quartz absorbers demonstrated excellent broadband absorption of 90% with a 28% fractional bandwidth from 125-165 GHz. Our data suggests that the absorbers’ operation can also be extended to microwave and low-terahertz bands with negligible loss in performance

Evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness and flow-mediated dilatation in middle-aged patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Afshin Mohammadi1, Homayoon Habibpur Sedani2, Mohammad Ghasemi-Rad31Department of Radiology, 2Student Research Committee, 3Genius and Talented Student Organization, Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, West-Azerbaijan, IranBackground: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a high prevalence in the general population and is the most common liver disease in Western countries. It is a feature of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver cells.Methods: We examined 84 consecutive middle-aged (under 45 years) patients with NAFLD and 65 control subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index to determine carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery.Results: There was a statistically significant difference between CIMT and percentage increase in FMD in the patient group (P = 0.002; r = 0.33) when compared with the control group (P = 0.97; r = 0.005). The mean ± standard deviation CMIT was 0.65 ± 0.09 mm in patients and 0.55 ± 0.07 mm in controls. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Mean FMD in patients was 6.4% and 15.7% in controls. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001).Conclusion: This study shows that pure NAFLD without metabolic syndrome in middle-aged subjects is strongly associated with morphological (CIMT) and physiological (FMD) changes. These findings may have an important role in increasing cardiovascular risk in these patients.Keywords: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, carotid intima-media thickness, flow-mediated dilatatio