Sequencing and In Silico Multi-aspect Analysis of S1 Glycoprotein in 793/B Serotype of Infectious Bronchitis Virus Isolated From Iran in 2003 and 2011

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an acute, highly contagious, and economically important viral disease of chickens. The S1 subunit from Spike (S) protein plays the major role in protective immunity and is involved in the host-virus interactions, as well as infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) serotyping. Aim of the present study was multi-aspect analysis of the molecular and immunological features of 5' part belonging to the S1 glycoprotein sequence of Iranian 793/B IBV strain isolates. This might ideally help in characterization, prevention, and vaccine development. The tissue samples were prepared, followed by virus isolation, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. In addition, sequencing and registration of the sequences in the National Center for Biotechnology Information were performed. Moreover, 12 sequences were retrieved from Fars province, Iran. The next steps included evaluation of conservation/variability along the sequences, phylogenetic analysis, estimation of the average evolutionary divergence over all the sequence pairs, predicting the phosphorylation/N-glycosylation/palmitoylation sites, and the final analysis of antigenicity. The findings of alignment, entropy plot, and pairwise similarity analysis revealed 17 hypervariable regions. The isolates belonging to Tehran were clustered in phylogenetic tree, and the most similar isolates to them were ADW11182 and ADW11183. Location of some of the N-glycosylation/phosphorylation/palmitoylation points indicated that these sites were conserved among the isolates. Furthermore, the frequency of epitopes and their scores reflect the high immunogenicity of S1 protein in 793/B serotype. Analysis of the primary and secondary structures demonstrated that their parameters had variable values and were different regarding the number and location of α-helix, β-strand, and coils. According to our findings, the Iranian isolates of 793/B serotype change their molecular characteristics during time and in different geographical regions. These alterations might account for failure in prevention programs and differences in virulence and pathogenicity

Comparison of antimicrobial sensitivity to older and newer quinolones versus piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime and meropenem in febrile patients with cancer in two referral pediatric centers in Tehran, Iran

Background: Infection in pediatric cancer patients has become a concerning problem due to increasing antimicrobial resistance. The goal of this study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of blood isolates from pediatric oncology patients in Iran to determine if there was significant resistance to quinolones. Methods: Children with cancer who were admitted with or developed fever during admission to Aliasghar Children's Hospital or Mahak Hospitals July 2009 through June 2011 were eligible for enrollment. Two blood cultures were obtained. Antimicrobial sensitivity test was performed for ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin, meropenem, cefepime, and piperacillin-tazobactam on isolates from children who were bacteremic. Results: Blood cultures were positive for 38 episodes in 169 enrolled children but 9 episodes were excluded as blood cultures were thought to be contaminated, yielding a bacteremia rate of 29/160 (18). The mean age of children and the stage of malignancy did not differ between those with and without bacteremia. Meropenem was the most likely antibiotic to cover isolates (97) with cefepime having the lowest coverage rate (21). Quinolone coverage ranged from 63 to 76. Conclusion. Quinolones may not be suitable for use as empiric therapy in febrile pediatric oncology patients in Iran

Production of immunized eggs against Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia. coli K99

Escherichia.coli K99 and Salmonella enteritidis are two main causes of diarrhea in calves. For prevention of diseases caused by these two microorganisms, many methods such as vaccination and passive transmission of immunity could be used. In recent years the concept of using immunized eggs in the feed of sensitive calves has been considered. In order to prepare antigen, E.coli K99 and Salmonella enteritidis were killed by adding 1% formalin solution after culture on Nutrient Broth media (Merck Co.) for 24 hours. The antigens were purified and made ready to use after washing with PBS for three times. The amount of antigen in each dosage was set based on 200μg/ml protein and 1×109 CFU/ml. The hens were injected subcutaneously 4 times in 2 weeks intervals with Freund's complete adjuvant (Sigma Co.) in the first two injections and Freund's complete adjuvant (Sigma Co.) in the second two injections. Sampling was also done in two weeks intervals and then antibody titers in serum and egg samples were assayed by agglutination method. The results of the present study indicated that the immunized eggs were hyper immune and could be used for stimulation of the immune system in one day old calves

Commuting probability of compact groups

http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S000497271200033

Evaluation of Dyeing Properties of Carpet Woolen Yarn with Natural and Wild Pomegranate Peel (Punica granatum)

Natural and wild pomegranate peel have been used as colorants for wool yarn because of their high tannin contents. The woolen yarns dyed with pomegranate peel showed different shades of yellow and brown. Wild pomegranate peel has been used traditionally for dyeing wool to obtain brown and darker shades. Both natural and wild pomegranate peel were applied on woolen yarn in presence of four different mordants. Good light fastness was observed in dyed yarns that is due to the formation of complex with the metal which protects the chromophore from photolytic degradation. The values of washing fastness of the dyed samples show very good grades but the rubbing fastness in dyed yarns with wild pomegranate rind are not so good. Therefore, the dyeing potential of wild pomegranate peel as a natural source for wool yarn dyeing is considerable

Microstructural evolution and tensile properties of the in situ Al-15%Mg<inf>2</inf>Si composite with extra Si contents

In the present work, the effect of extra Si addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of Al-15%Mg2Si composite has been investigated. The Al-15%Mg2Si composite ingot was made by in situ process and different amounts of extra Si (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 5 and 7wt.% Si) were added to the remelted composite. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the addition of extra Si up to 2wt.%, reduces the average Mg2Si particle size from 39μm to 26μm and increases the volume fraction of α-Al phase from 6% to 22%. Addition of extra Si content up to 7wt.% leads to the formation of primary Mg2Si particles with larger size (38μm). The results of tensile test revealed that the addition of extra Si improves ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values of the composite from 176MPa and 1.7% to 222MPa and 3.0% respectively. Fractographic analysis of specimens exposed a cellular nature for the fracture surface. On the cellular fracture surface, the features of both brittle and ductile fracture were present simultaneously. Raising the amount of extra Si up to 7% has increased the number and decreased the size of dimples. These microstructural findings led to a change in the mode of fracture from brittle to ductile and increased elongation values. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd

Evaluation and Determination of Silicon Eutectic Modification Level Using Thermal Analysis in 319 Aluminum Alloy

Eutectic Silicon phases form as the coarse and acicular shape in Aluminum-Silicon alloys. These phases have detrimental effect on mechanical properties of casting parts. Modification process has been used to change the shape of these phases to fibrous morphology. In this research different level of strontium; in the form of Al-10%Sr master alloy; have been added to 319 aluminum alloy to investigate their effects on modification. Thermal Analysis has been used as a technique to study the cooling curves and first derivative curves. Effect of strontium on solidification parameters such as nucleation temperature ((, and growth temperature () of eutectic silicon has been determined. ((and () have been reduced by increasing strontium content. () can be used as a parameter to control the modification of eutectic silicon. The results of this research indicate that thermal analysis technique can be used as an accurate and quick device of on-line quality control in production lines of aluminum casting industries

Microstructure and tensile properties of cast Al-15%Mg <inf>2</inf>Si composite: Effects of phosphorous addition and heat treatment

The effects of solution heat treatment and phosphorous addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of in situ Al-15%Mg 2Si composite specimens have been investigated. The Al-15%Mg 2Si composite ingot was made by in-situ process and different amounts of phosphorous (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1wt% P) were added to the remelted composite. Then, the specimens were subjected to solutionizing at 500°C for holding time of 4h followed by quenching. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that phosphorous addition not only changes the morphology of primary Mg 2Si particles from dendritic to a regular shape, but also it reduces Mg 2Si particle size. Solutionizing led to the dissolution of the Mg 2Si particles and changed their morphology to round shape. The results obtained from tensile testing revealed that both phosphorous addition and solution heat treatment improve ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation (El.%) values. According to the results, the optimum tensile property was achieved by adding 0.5wt% P to the Al-Mg 2Si composite after solution heat treatment. Fractographic analysis revealed a cellular nature for the fracture surface of the MMC. As a result of P addition the potential sites for stress concentration and crack initiation areas were reduced due to microstructural modification, while increase in the number of fine dimples rendered the nature of fracture from brittle to ductile and also improved tensile properties. © 2012 Elsevier B.V