Evaluation of Quality Properties of Lentil Cultivars (Lens culinaris L.) in Different Sowing Dates Under Rainfed Condition

The effect of different sowing dates on quantity and quality properties of three lentil cultivars under rainfed condition, was studied by split plot experiment based o randomized complete block design in Karaj during growing seasons of 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. Sowing dates in three times, including 6 November, 5 January and 15 March (as spring sowing and control) of both years were the levels of main plot, and three lentil cultivar, including Bilesavar, Kimya and Seymereh were subplot. Results showed that the effect of year on lentil experimental properties was not significant, but the all of the evaluated traits, grain per plant, 1000 seed  weight, biological yield, grain yield, number and weight of root nod and protein percentage and yield were affected by sowing dates significantly, except the winter survival percentage. The highest rates of biological, grain and protein yield (3821, 132. 6 and 37.9 g.m-2, respectively) and the lowest one (253.6, 73.2 and 24.8 g.m-2, respectively) was achieved at the first sowing date (6 November) and the last sowing date one (15 March), respectively. The last sowing date in comparison to the first sowing date showed almost 33 and 44 percent decreases in biological and grain yield, respectively. Maximum number of grain per plant, 1000 seed weight, nod number, and nod weight was obtained at the first sowing date that these values were significantly more than other sowing dates. As the results showed that cultivars had significant effects on grain and protein yields. The highest grain and protein yield was recorded at Bilesavar cultivar. Totally, by considering these findings, autumn sowing and Bilesavar cultivar were highly beneficial in lentil yield and component yield

A universal mechanism for long-range cross-correlations

Cross-correlations are thought to emerge through interaction between particles. Here we present a universal dynamical mechanism capable of generating power-law cross-correlations between non-interacting particles exposed to an external potential. This phenomenon can occur as an ensemble property when the external potential induces intermittent dynamics of Pomeau-Manneville type, providing laminar and stochastic phases of motion in a system with a large number of particles. In this case, the ensemble of particle-trajectories forms a random fractal in time. The underlying statistical self-similarity is the origin of the observed power-law cross-correlations. Furthermore, we have strong indications that a sufficient condition for the emergence of these long-range cross-correlations is the divergence of the mean residence time in the laminar phase of the single particle motion (sporadic dynamics). We argue that the proposed mechanism may be relevant for the occurrence of collective behaviour in critical systems

Short communication: Play-based occupational therapy for hospitalized children with cancer: A short communication

The benefits of play-based occupational therapy for hospitalized children with cancer warrant further exploration. Pediatric cancer disease symptoms, complications from treatment, and multiple and prolonged hospitalizations restrict participation in the daily activities of a child's life. However, occupational therapy services in pediatric oncology are limited because of the disease nature, treatment complications, hospital environment, and unclear playbased occupational therapy frame. For this purpose, we decided to introduce the process of occupational therapy in such children, using the play-based approach by reviewing the current literature. Considering limitations and problems in hospitalized children with cancer, it seems that controlling symptoms, facilitating independent doing of daily activities, improving the Quality of Life (QoL), and making hospital environment more acceptable are more accessible, using the play-based approach compared with other traditional interventions. © 2020 University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences

Facilitators of implementing occupation based practice among Iranian occupational therapists: A qualitative study

Background: The Occupation-Based Practice (OBP) is a central core of occupational therapy (OT).It refers to using a meaningful occupation based on the client's interests, needs, health and participation in daily life. This study aimed to explore the facilitators of implementing OBP among Iranian occupational therapists. Methods: Fourteen occupational therapists participated in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the sampling method was purposeful. The interviews were continued until data saturation was reached, and data were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis using constant comparative analysis. Results: Our analysis explored two themes: Factors attributed to context, and factors attributed to therapists. The first theme consisted of three subthemes: Educational programs of OT department, public information about OBP and clinical setting compatible with OBP. The second theme also contained three subthemes including: Positive attitude regarding effectiveness of OBP, emphasis on client- centered and family- centered practice and convincing the clients to utilize OBP. Conclusion: The facilitators of implementing OBP are attributed to factors internal to the therapists as well as to issues in the external environment and context. Understanding these factors will help occupational therapists, OT educational staff, administrators and rehabilitation team members to facilitate the implementation of OBP

Can hand dexterity predict the disability status of patients with multiple sclerosis?

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease. Hand dysfunction is one of the main complaints of patients with MS. The present study aimed to compare hand dexterity of MS patients with low Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores and healthy adults. It also sought to identify the predictors of disability status of patients with MS based on their manual dexterity and demographic characteristics. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 60 (16 male/44 female) patients with MS and 60 (19 male/41 female) healthy people, who matched in terms of age and sex, were recruited. Their hand dexterity was evaluated by the Purdue Pegboard Test. The disability status of the MS group was determined by the Expanded Disability Status Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS15. Results: The hand dexterity in MS group even with low EDSS score (1.5 ± 1.07) was weaker than control group. Moreover, the dexterity of dominant hand and alternating two hands coordination subtests of the PPT was a good discriminator between two groups (p<0.001). The results of linear regression analysis suggested dominant hand dexterity and disease duration as predictors of disability status that predict 60.5 per cent of the variation in EDSS scores in patients with MS (p<0.001). Conclusion: Reduced dominant hand dexterity in patients with MS is a disabling factor. Further research is recommended to determine if early hand rehabilitation can reduce the severity of disability in Patients with MS

Analysis of the A-U rich hairpin from the intergenic region of tospovirus S RNA as target and inducer of RNA silencing

Earlier work indicated that Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) messenger transcripts, and not the (anti)genomic RNAs, are targeted by the RNA silencing machinery. Here, the predicted AU-rich hairpin (HP) structure encoded by the intergenic region (IGR) of the TSWV S RNA, and present at the 3' end of viral mRNAs, was analyzed as a target and inducer for RNA silencing. Virus-derived siRNAs (vsiRNAs) purified from virus infected plants were found to derive from all three genomic RNA segments but predominantly the ambisense M and S RNAs. Further profiling on the S RNA sequence revealed that vsiRNAs were found from almost the entire S RNA sequence, except the IGR from where hardly any vsiRNAs were found. Similar profiles were observed with the distantly related Tomato yellow ring tospovirus (TYRV). Dicer cleavage assays using Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) embryo extracts showed that synthetic transcripts of the IGR-HP region were recognized as substrate for Dicer. Transient agroinfiltration assays of a GFP-sensor construct containing the IGR-HP sequence at its 3' UTR (GFP-HP) did not show more rapid/strong silencing and profiling of the corresponding siRNAs, generated outside the context of a viral infection, still revealed relatively low levels of IGR-HP-derived siRNAs. These data support the idea that the IGR-HP is a weak inducer of RNA silencing and only plays a minor role in the amplification of a strong antiviral RNAi response

Molecular Diagnosis of Iris Yellow Spot Virus (IYSV) on Onion in Iran

Viral symptoms indicative of Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) were observed on onion in several fields near Chenaran in Khorasan Razavi Province. Mechanical inoculation of herbaceous hosts with onion sap extracts from symptomatic plants showed similar symptoms to those described for IYSV. The mechanically transmitted virus reacted only with antisera specific to IYSV in DAS-ELISA but not with antisera specific to seven other tospoviruses. In RT-PCR, a DNA fragment approximately 822 bp in size was amplified from infected Nicotiana benthamiana by using primers specific to the nucleocapsid (N) gene of IYSV. After cloning and sequencing, the deduced N protein sequence of two isolates (GenBank accession no. HQ148173 and HQ148174) showed 98% amino acid identity with a Sri Lankan isolate, 96% with a Dutch isolate and 92% with a Brazilian isolate. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular characterization of IYSV in Ira

Content validity of the comprehensive ICF core set for children with cerebral palsy aged 0-6 years: Iranian occupational therapists perspective

Objectives Comprehensive ICF Core Set of cerebral palsy (CP) includes a set of functions of children with CP has been created recently. This study determined the content validity of this version based on Iranian Occupational Therapists� perspectives to explore whether the ICF Core Sets for CP include the areas of function of CP in Occupational Therapy practice. Materials & Methods This qualitative study conducted from Feb 2015 to Apr 2016 in Tehran, Iran. Experts were the academic staffs selected through convenience sampling. Content validity of comprehensive ICF-Core Set of CP with 135 ICF categories was done by them. Delphi survey was used for generating consensus on the final version. Participants were 50 clinical Occupational Therapists invited via email from across Iran. An agreement of 75 was considered as the cut-off for inclusion of each code-category. Results About 60 of the code�categories of comprehensive version of ICF Core Set of CP were approved by Occupational Therapists. In the final version, 82 code-categories were listed that included 21 code-categories for Body Functions, 40 for Activity/Participation, and 21 for Environmental Factors. Conclusion The validity of the Iranian ICF Core Set for children with CP aged 0�6 yr was supported by Iranian Occupational Therapists. It could be the basis for evaluation of this population in Occupational Therapy. © 2018, Iranian Child Neurology Society. All rights reserved

Prevalence of Psychiatric Symptoms and Mental Health Services in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Tehran, Iran

Children with specific learning disabilities are at a greater risk of mental health problems than their non-disabled peers. Further interventions and research will be required. This is a cross-sectional study. A sample of 107 students (7 to 11 years old) with specific learning disabilities were randomly selected from educational and rehabilitation settings in Tehran. The Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) (parent checklist) was administered. Among children studied, 86 subjects (82.8 %) in some of the categories of psychiatric symptoms gained scores above the cut-off point. The most prevalent psychiatric symptoms were related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. There were not any statistically significant differences between the genders. In addition to direct education, 15 subjects (14 %) were receiving medication, 2 subjects (1.9 %) were receiving only occupational therapy, 2 subjects (1.9 %) were receiving only speech therapy, and 5 subjects (4.7 %) were receiving both occupational and speech therapy. The emphasis on considering co-morbid symptoms and usage of mental health services are important issues for students with specific learning difficulties

Investigation on Quality Properties of Traditional Bulk Bread Covered with Probiotics and Soybean Oil Edible Coating

Probiotic food products are available at the supermarket commercially, but probiotic bakery products are much less in evidence. In the present study, methyl cellulose (2%), whey protein concentrate (2%), corn starch (1%), and soybean oil at 2, 4, and 6% were used for coating layer on the bulked bread surface, and then the quality properties were studied. The results showed that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, as probiotic component of the coating, immobilized in corn starch, whey protein, and methyl cellulose films had enhanced viability throughout shelf-life. The probiotics remained viable for 4 days, maintaining high viable cell number levels. Adding soybean oil at 6% concentration enhanced texture, sensory properties, and image index during storage