Virulence determination of Beauveria bassiana isolates on a predatory hemipteran, Andrallus spinidens Fabricius (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Virulence of the two isolates of Beauveria bassiana, BB2 and AM-118, were evaluated on adults of a predatory hemipteran, Andrallus spinidens Fabricius by conidial bioassay and enzymatic activities. Results of the bioassay revealed LC50 of 37×104 and 15×103 spore/ml for isolates BB2 and AM-118, respectively. Activities of chitinase, lipase and ALP showed the higher activity in the media inoculated by AM-118 while no statistical differences were observed in activity of ACP. Although no statistical differences were found in general protease and Pr1 activities but activity of Pr2 in AM-118 was significantly higher than that of BB2. Activity of general esterases demonstrated no statistical differences when α- and β-naphtyl acetate were used as substrates but activity of glutathione S-transferase in AM-118 was higher than that of BB2 by using CDNB and DCNB as specific reagents. Results of the current study indicated higher virulence of isolate AM-118 against adults of A. spinidens by lower LC50 value and higher activities of the enzymes involved in pathogenicity. Recruiting of these isolates against C. suppressalis must be considered by their adaptability of A. spinidens. Moreover, AM-118 has been isolated from rice fields of northern Iran, so it may somehow indicate a type of host-microorganism interaction

COVID-19 preventive behaviors and influencing factors in the Iranian population; a web-based survey

Background: COVID19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus. As there has been no definitive treatment for the disease so far, the only way to control the spread is to break the chain of infection. Our study aimed to analyze the preventive behaviors and influencing factors in the Iranian population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was a web-based survey in the Iranian population. We performed the study during the first peak of COVID-19 outbreak (from March 25th, 2020 to April 5th). We used demographic and Preventive behaviors questionnaires to collect the data. This web-based survey was publicized on the internet through the common platforms used by the Iranian population. This survey was released on the website “Porsline.com”. A total of 2097 acceptable questionnaires were filled. All data were analyzed, using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results: 61.9% of the participants checked the hand-washing question as “Always”. 55.7 and 58.2% checked the wearing masks and gloves as “Always”, respectively. We found a significant relationship between gender and hand washing behavior (P = 0.006) and the use of masks and gloves (P < 0.001). Results showed that wearing gloves had a significant relation with the education status (P = 0.029) and economic status (P = 0.011). Wearing masks had a significant relation with economic status (P = 0.032). Overall women had better preventive behaviors. Conclusions: Preventive behaviors have a significant relation with some socio-demographic characteristics. According to the 3 main preventive behaviors of hand-washing, wearing masks and gloves 50% of the population has not taken these behaviors seriously

The Effectiveness of Prenatal Intervention on Pain and Anxiety during the Process of Childbirth‑Northern Iran: Clinical Trial Study

Background: Due to the painful nature of childbirth and its maternal and neonatal complications, the woman needs support in this phase of their life. Increased knowledge and skills during pregnancy prepares pregnant mothers for labor and leads to promoted health. Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of “prenatal education” on the process of childbirth. Subjects and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 195 pregnant women, that is, control group (N = 132) and case group (N = 63) attending health centers in Amol‑Iran from 20 weeks of gestation age during 2012. Case group members attended in “prenatal education” class and the control group only received routine care. Data were collected through demographic questionnaire, standard hospital anxiety questionnaire, and a checklist related to childbirth information, and intensity of pain based on visual analogue scale and McGill scales. The data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software using t‑test and Chi‑square test. Results: The result of this study showed that the parent with a high level of education was more interested to participant in prenatal classes. The anxiety level in case group (who received education) was 14.47 (4.69) and in control group it was 16 (4.86), (P &lt; 0.001) the pain intensity in case group was 85.68 (1.85) and in control group was 90.99 (14.72) (P = 0.03), intervention on labor such episiotomy was 39 %66.1 (39/63) in case group and 80 %72.8 (80/132) in control group (P = 0.01) and cesarean section was 13 %17.1 (13/63) in case group and 58 %32.2 (58/132) in control group (P = 0.01). Conclusions: According to findings of this study, the prenatal education and psychological support are beneficial for mothers during pregnancy and labor. Therefore, it is recommended for educating all the pregnant women.Keywords: Delivery, Obstetric, Pregnancy training classes, Prenatal care, Prenatal educatio

Correlation of hole size in support windows with calculated yield strengths

Operating parameters of thin metal foils supported by thick Al grids in use with low energy, high beam current accelerator targets and a comparison between calculated and experimentally determined yield strengths for a series of materials and support grid hole size were investigated. Correlation between theory and experiment was excellent for foils made of Al, Ti, and Havar. Experimental tensile stress is modeled well by theoretical equations describing stress on thin circular membranes stretched to the elastic limit. (Application is in use of low energy accelerators in producing PET radiotracers for hospitals.

The yield of F-18 from different target designs in the {sup 18}O(p,n){sup 18}F reaction on frozen [{sup 18}O]CO{sub 2}

The shortage of oxygen-18 enriched water has encouraged the authors to explore alternate methods of production of fluorine-18 where the recovery of the oxygen-18 enriched target material is extremely efficient. They have recently presented the results from a cryogenic target using carbon dioxide ice as the target. This is similar in design to a water ice target previously described. The amount of material required and the maximum beam current which can be put on the target are a function of the particular design. The effects of target cone length and number of cooling fins have been explored in order to optimize the target design. Three different targets have been used to test these parameters. The three targets are shown. The first was the prototype target with a single heat sink at the rear of the target. The second is a target with several cooling fins and a short cone length which requires less target material. The third is a target with several cooling fins but a longer target length which allows for more efficient cooling of the material. The results from these studies are summarized. This cryogenic target gives extremely efficient enriched target material recovery (>99%) and simplicity of material transfer. The production yields are similar to those obtained with the oxygen-18 enriched water target at beam currents up to 18 {mu}A (the cyclotron limit, not necessarily the limit of the target design)

Correlation of hole size in support windows with calculated yield strengths

Operating parameters of thin metal foils supported by thick Al grids in use with low energy, high beam current accelerator targets and a comparison between calculated and experimentally determined yield strengths for a series of materials and support grid hole size were investigated. Correlation between theory and experiment was excellent for foils made of Al, Ti, and Havar. Experimental tensile stress is modeled well by theoretical equations describing stress on thin circular membranes stretched to the elastic limit. (Application is in use of low energy accelerators in producing PET radiotracers for hospitals.

Carbon-10: Example of cyclotron production of positron emitters as an open research field

This paper supports the thesis that significant improvement of PET output response to clinical questions can be achieved by innovation in radionuclide production. Moreover, that development can be performed with the resources available at a clinical centre. Carbon-10 production parameters studies are used as example. A technical methodology for measurement of excitation function of nuclear reactions yielding short-lived radionuclides, performed to measure cross section values of the 10B(p,n)10C reaction in a PET-devoted cyclotron, is presented.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TVT-4JVT1KS-D/1/27f31c7a6e33bde32315dd89804a773

Iodine-124 production: Excitation function for the [sup 124]Te(d,2n)[sup 124]I and [sup 124]Te(d,3n)[sup 123]I reactions from 7 to 24 MeV

The excitation function for the production of I-124 and I-123 from deuterons on tellurium-124 has been measured over the energy interval of 7.5 to 23.6 MeV. The target used was a compressed tellurium powder target. The thick target yields for both radioisotopes have been calculated, radiochemical purity was determined and recovery of the isotopically enriched tellurium has been investigated

Iodine-124 production: Excitation function for the {sup 124}Te(d,2n){sup 124}I and {sup 124}Te(d,3n){sup 123}I reactions from 7 to 24 MeV

The excitation function for the production of I-124 and I-123 from deuterons on tellurium-124 has been measured over the energy interval of 7.5 to 23.6 MeV. The target used was a compressed tellurium powder target. The thick target yields for both radioisotopes have been calculated, radiochemical purity was determined and recovery of the isotopically enriched tellurium has been investigated