EFFECTS OF LAND USE CHANGE ON SURFACE WATER REGIME (CASE STUDY ORUMIEH LAKE OF IRAN)

AbstractLand use change from rangeland and forest to agriculture and orchard areas which affected water regime, are widely occurred in many parts of Iran. The above mentioned problem has happened in Orumieh Lake basin for an area of 1146 km2 which is located in northwest of Iran. The recent land use map was resulted through satellite images of 1990, 1998 and 2006 as well as field observations and the previous period map was performed by using the aerial photographs of 1955 (which is considered as the oldest documents). In this period 14% of rangeland is changed into dry farming and 7% of irrigated farming is converted to orchard. The results show that due to land use change in this area, the mean annual discharge has not changed but maximum daily discharge increased and minimum daily discharge reduced

Processing and stabilization of Aloe Vera leaf gel by adding chemical and natural preservatives

Background and objectives: Aloe vera has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years. Aloe vera leaves can be separated into latex and gel which have biological effects. Aloe gel is a potent source of polysaccharides. When the gel is exposed to air, it quickly decomposes and decays and loses most of its biological activity. There are various processing techniques for sterilizing and stabilizing the gel. The aim of this study was to improve stabilization of the gel by adding some chemical and natural preservatives. Methods: The gel was obtained from Aloe vera leaves and after some processing chemical and natural preservatives were added. Chemicals included citric acid, ascorbic acid, vitamin E and potassium sorbate while natural preservatives were two essential oils derived from Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Eugenia caryophyllata. All these operations were performed under sterile conditions and they were evaluated at different temperatures and times. Appearance and taste changes of gel were studied organoleptic. Microbiological tests and some physical assays such as pH, refractometry and viscosity properties as well as determination of total sugars were measured. NMR and FT-IR analyses were performed for determining the quality of samples. Results: After data analyzing, the results showed that the samples formulated with chemical additives together with essential oils were more suitable and stable compared to the control samples after 90 days and the effective ingredient acemannan, remained stable. Conclusion: The stable gel can be considered for therapeutic properties and be used for edible and medicinal purposes

Skeletal Relapse after Correction of Mandibular Prognathism by Bilateral Sagittal Split Ramus Osteotomy

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess skeletal relapse in patients who underwent mandibular setback by bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO) and osteosynthesis wiring techniques.Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 10 patients (8 women, 2 men)with 3-8 millimeters overjet underwent mandibular setback with BSSRO, osteosynthesis wiring and inter maxillary fixation (IMF) techniques for 6-8 weeks. They were studiedbefore (T0), immediately after (T1), and 6 months after surgery (T2) using clinical and cephalometric indices. Then, the maximum changes occurred in sagittal, rotational and vertical planes were evaluated in three time intervals (T1-T0), (T2-T0), and (T2-T1). Wilcoxonpaired test was used as a statistical approach for data analysis.Results: The highest degree of relapse occurred in the sagittal plane in mandibular setback surgery with BSSRO and osteosynthesis wiring and IMF techniques. The degree of relapse was irrelevant of setback. In addition, no patient showed the amount of relapse warranting another surgery after six months.Conclusion: BSSRO surgery with osteosynthesis wiring and IMF provides acceptable stability in mandibular setback

Encapsulation of thyme essential oil in polymeric capsules using electrospray method

Background and objectives: Essential oils (EOs) of medicinal herbs are prone to degradation by oxidation, heating, or light. Encapsulation of EOs can protect these fragile volatile natural products from degradation. Thymus vulgaris (thyme) is a well-known herb which has been used as food additive as well as medicine since ancient times. Electrospraying is a novel technology to encapsulate food and pharmaceutical materials. The aim of this study was to apply electrospray method for encapsulation of thyme essential oil in polymeric capsules. Methods: The thyme essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. Ploylactic acid (PLA) capsules, loaded by thyme EO, were synthesized by electrospraying. The applied voltage was set at 18 kV and the flow rate of solution in injector was 0.5 mL/h. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) capsules were also prepared. The distance between metal nozzle and collector plate was 25 cm. The solution was injected at the flow rate of 0.5 mL/h and the applied voltage was set at 8 kV. SEM micrographs of the produced micro/nanocapsules were analyzed using image j software. Results: The findings indicated that the mean diameter of PLA capsules were about 162 nm while in the case of PMMA capsules, the mean diameter of fabricated particles was about 5.4 µm. Conclusion: The major conclusion of this study was that the particle size and morphology of synthesized particle was directly affected by the type of polymer utilized for electrospraying