Molecular characterization of the rDNA-ITS sequence and a PCR diagnostic technique for Pileolaria terebinthi, the cause of pistachio rust

Eleven samples of the most important pistachio rust (caused by Pileolaria terebinthi (DC.) Cast.,), which causes disease on Beneh (Pistacia atlantica Desf. subsp. mutica (Fisch. & Mey.) Rech. F) and Kasoor (Pistacia khinjuk Stocks.), were collected from herbarium specimens and pistachio fields at the Pistachio Research Institute in Rafsanjan, Iran. The complete sequences of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 (rDNA ITS) from the samples were determined and analysed. In general, very little rDNA ITS sequence variation was observed between rDNA ITS sequences of P. terebinthi samples. The length of the PCR fragments was 621 bp (for ITS1F-ITS4) and 1177 bp (for ITS1F-rust1), and consisted of 67 bp at the 3 ́ end of 18S rDNA, 93 bp of ITS1 region, 154 bp of 5.8S rDNA, 246 bp of the ITS2 region, 57 bp (for ITS1F-ITS4) and 613 bp (for ITS1F-rust1) at the 5 ́ end of the 28S rDNA. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the rDNA-ITS region were used to identify Pileolaria terebinthi. Three strong bands of 105, 134 and 381 bp and five bands of 105, 134, 200, 301 and 437 bp are observed for the fragment of “ITS1F-ITS4” and “ITS1F-rust1”, respectively. A PCR-RFLP diagnostic technique provided effective identification of the species by a unique pattern with the specific restriction enzyme XapI (ApoI)

A Survey on Weapon Target Allocation Models and Applications

In Command and Control (C2), Threat Evaluation (TE) and Weapon Target Allocation (WTA) are two key components. To build an automated system in this area after modeling Threat Evaluation and Weapon Target Allocation processes, solving these models and finding the optimal solution are further important issues. This setting demands instantaneous operational planning and decision making under inherent severe stress conditions. The associated responsibilities are usually divided among a number of operators and also computerized decision support systems that aid these operators during the decision making process. In this Chapter, the literature in the area of WTA system with the emphasis on the modeling and solving methods are surveyed

International collaboration formation in entrepreneurial food industry: evidence of an emerging economy

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Purpose International collaboration is a crucial requirement of entrepreneurship, particularly in developing emerging economies. This collaboration seems so necessary in the food industry as a major contributor to environmental, social and economic problems. This paper aims to identify, analyse the influential network relationship and prioritise the key success factors (KSFs) of international collaboration formation in the entrepreneurial food industry with a case study on Iran's emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach To identify a list of KSFs, a qualitative method, literature review, is initially used. A quantitative method, fuzzy-Delphi, then is employed to finalise the main KSFs based on the entrepreneurial food industry experts' opinion. To analyse the causal relationship, and prioritise the KSFs, a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-analytic network process (ANP) methodology, i.e. FDANP, is applied. At the first stage, the cause–effect diagram of KSFs is extracted using fuzzy DEMATEL and then, the KSFs weights and priorities are evaluated using a fuzzy ANP. Findings The results illustrate that the characteristics of effective development workers are the leading dimension of a successful international collaboration that directly affects other dimensions. On the other hand, increased marketing and trading is the most important KSF that is directly related to international entrepreneurial collaboration team capabilities and professionalism. The leading and casual role of team members also plays a vital role in strategic and communication issues affecting the collaboration success, e.g. market research and new product development. Availability of financial resources and the ability of partners in continuous financing is also a crucial and required factor for a successful collaboration. Originality/value Using an extensive review of the literature to extract the KSFs of international entrepreneurial collaboration and finalising them using a fuzzy-Delphi method and examining the cause-effect relations between them, as well as prioritising the KSFs are the main contributions of this paper

Association between dietary glycemic index and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ObjectiveManaging dietary glycemic index (GI) deserves further attention in the interplay between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between dietary GI and the odds of NAFLD in patients with T2DM.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2021 and February 2022, including 200 participants with T2DM aged 18-70 years, of which 133 had NAFLD and 67 were in the non-NAFLD group. Cardiometabolic parameters were analyzed using standard biochemical kits and dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was applied to explore odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for NAFLD according to tertiles of dietary GI.ResultsHighest vs. lowest tertile (< 57 vs. > 60.89) of energy-adjusted GI was not associated with the odds of having NAFLD (OR 1.25, 95% CI = 0.6-2.57; P-trend = 0.54) in the crude model. However, there was an OR of 3.24 (95% CI = 1.03-10.15) accompanied by a significant trend (P-trend = 0.04) after full control for potential confounders (age, gender, smoking status, duration of diabetes, physical activity, waist circumference, HbA1c, triglycerides, total cholesterol, dietary intake of total carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates, fat, and protein).ConclusionHigh dietary GI is associated with increased odds of NAFLD in subjects with T2DM. However, interventional and longitudinal cohort studies are required to confirm these findings

Flow of shear-thinning fluids in geological media

As the primary conduits for water, oil, and geothermal resources, fractures and fracture flow are important in a wide range of applications, including water reservoir development, subsurface contamination, and petroleum and geothermal reservoir exploitation. Fracture flow estimations are subject to significant uncertainty and the role of rheology when the fluid is non-Newtonian makes the task considerably more difficult. In such a complex phenomenon, simple models allow us to qualitatively assess the effect of rheological and geometric characteristics on the flow. This study aims to investigate the effect of shear-thinning fluid rheology on fracture flow rate using smooth parallel plate to present the fracture. By using power-law, Ellis and Carreau rheology models, we can also compare the results of using different rheology models. To achieve the aforementioned goals, we first introduced some equations to relate the three aforementioned rheology models together and then we introduced equations to calculate the fracture flow rate for each of the models. Using MATLAB software to solve these for four different fluids with different flow behavior indices, several diagrams were drawn to show the relation between dimensionless flow rate and dimensionless reduced pressure gradient. By comparing the produced graphs, one can see that fluid rheology and the way it is modeled has an important influence on calculated fracture flows. The way we present the fluids' rheology is also important. For example in higher pressure gradients, the power-law model calculates the flow rate incorrectly in both large and small pressure gradients because of its incapablity to simulate both low and infinite-shear viscosity. There is an excellent match between all three rheology models in the middle range of pressure gradient, especially between Ellis and power-law models. Finally, it should be noted that the pressure gradient rules which model and equation can be used to calculate the flow rate

Chronic treatment with carvacrol improves passive avoidance memory in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the effects of carvacrol on motor and memory deficits as well as hyperalgesia in the 6-OHDA-lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease. The animals were subjected to unilateral microinjection of 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle and treated with carvacrol (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, ip) for six weeks after surgery. The 6-OHDA-lesioned rats showed contralateral rotations towards the lesion side, which was accompanied by learning and memory deficits in a passive avoidance test and a decrease in tail withdrawal latency in a tail flick test at the end of week 6. The results also showed that treatment with carvacrol at a dose of 25 mg/kg ameliorated memory deficits, with no effect on rotations and hyperalgesia in lesioned rats. In conclusion, carvacrol improves memory impairments in rats with Parkinson's disease; therefore, it may serve as an adjunct therapy for the alleviation of memory deficits in Parkinson's disease patients

Diagnostic Accuracy of Growth Rate in Differentiating Etiologies of Short Stature in Children

Background  Short stature is a manifestation of a wide variety of conditions that some of which may be amenable to timely treatment and a suboptimal growth rate may be an early marker pointing to the cause of growth retardation. This study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic utility of growth rate in differential diagnosis of children with short stature. Materials and Methods All children between the ages of 2 and 18 years who visited in pediatric endocrinology clinic in a five years period were recruited in a prospective cohort study. Children with standing height Results One hundred forty three patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Mean follow up period was 14.4±10.9 months. Etiologies of short stature were: constitutional growth delay (CGD) 46.9%, familial short stature (FSS) 28.7%, hypothyroidism 4.2%, growth hormone deficiency (GHD) 4.2% and miscellaneous causes in 16% of patients.  Mean Z- score for children with constitutional growth delay was -2.3±0.69, in familial short stature was -2.3±0.65 and for other condition was -2.7±1.49. There was a meaningful statistical correlation between growth rate and etiology of short stature (P0.05). Conclusion There was significant difference in growth rate between children with constitutional growth delay and familial short stature in comparing to short stature due to endocrine problem and other etiologies. Assessment of growth rate has some utility in diagnosing the etiology of short stature

Controlling the root and stem rot of cucumber, caused by Pythium aphanidermatum, using resistance cultivars and grafting onto the cucurbit rootstocks

Cucumber damping off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum is the most important root and stem rot that limits greenhouse cultivations. In this study, relative susceptibility of grafting commercial cucumber cultivars including Alpha, Caspian 340, Storm 5910, Shalim 616, Delta scar, Janette 810, Festibal C5, Royal, Negyn, Soltan and Fadia on two Cucurbita rootstocks were evaluated against P. aphanidermatum . Disease severity, survival and seedling growth were used for the evaluation. The results showed significant differences between the studied cultivars (p≤0.01). Caspian 340 and Alpha with 15.7% and 100% disease severity had more and less tolerant to P. aphanidermatum, respectively. Cucurbita maxima rootstock was more resistant than Cucurbita pepo to P. aphanidermatum. C. pepo had less compatibility with the cucumber and showed little resistance to the pathogen. The study revealed that grafting Caspian340 on the resistant cucurbit rootstock i.e. Cucurbita maxima could be used as disease control strategies in greenhouses