Introduction of a novel 18S rDNA gene arrangement along with distinct ITS region in the saline water microalga Dunaliella

Comparison of 18S rDNA gene sequences is a very promising method for identification and classification of living organisms. Molecular identification and discrimination of different Dunaliella species were carried out based on the size of 18S rDNA gene and, number and position of introns in the gene. Three types of 18S rDNA structure have already been reported: the gene with a size of ~1770 bp lacking any intron, with a size of ~2170 bp consisting one intron near 5' terminus, and with a size of ~2570 bp harbouring two introns near 5' and 3' termini. Hereby, we report a new 18S rDNA gene arrangement in terms of intron localization and nucleotide sequence in a Dunaliella isolated from Iranian salt lakes (ABRIINW-M1/2). PCR amplification with genus-specific primers resulted in production of a ~2170 bp DNA band, which is similar to that of D. salina 18S rDNA gene containing only one intron near 5' terminus. Whilst, sequence composition of the gene revealed the lack of any intron near 5' terminus in our isolate. Furthermore, another alteration was observed due to the presence of a 440 bp DNA fragment near 3' terminus. Accordingly, 18S rDNA gene of the isolate is clearly different from those of D. salina and any other Dunaliella species reported so far. Moreover, analysis of ITS region sequence showed the diversity of this region compared to the previously reported species. 18S rDNA and ITS sequences of our isolate were submitted with accesion numbers of EU678868 and EU927373 in NCBI database, respectively. The optimum growth rate of this isolate occured at the salinity level of 1 M NaCl. The maximum carotenoid content under stress condition of intense light (400 μmol photon m-2 s-1), high salinity (4 M NaCl) and deficiency of nitrate and phosphate nutritions reached to 240 ng/cell after 15 days

Designing the Business Model of Herbal Pharmaceutical Knowledge based Companies

Today, research has indicated Knowledge based companies as a potential area in promoting knowledge economy, and due to the substantial added-value they make in the knowledge economy of the countries, these companies play a pivotal role in producing national income. Considering the novelty of the field of designing business models for herbal pharmaceutical Knowledge based companies and the importance of these companies among Knowledge based companies on the one hand, and the lack of academic research on exploring these companies on the other hand, the need for a comprehensive business model to help understand the components of herbal pharmaceutical Knowledge based companies seems urgent. This study aimed at identifying and prioritizing the components of business models and also structuring a business model of herbal pharmaceutical Knowledge based companies around these components. The Friedman test was used to prioritize the importance of the components of Knowledge based companies' business models. The statements of the present study's questionnaire were collected from the literature and the experts' opinions, too. Out of the 130 distributed questionnaires, 119 were collected which were analyzed by employing the Cochran test of the SPSS Statistics software. The components of key activities with the mean ranking of 6.76, cost structure with 6.09, and key resources with 6.06 were the most important components and customer relationships with 5.67, value propositions with 5.45, key partnerships with 4.10, distribution channels with 4.04, customer segment with 3.60, and revenue streams with 3.24 were the least important ones. Research paper Keywords: Business model, Knowledge based companies, Herbs, Friedman’s test Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Asadnezhad, M., Hejazi, R., Akbari, M. & Hadizadeh, E. (2017). Designing the Business Model of Herbal Pharmaceutical Knowledge based Companies, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 5(2), 47–63

Robust Successive Compute-and-Forward over Multi-User Multi-Relay Networks

This paper develops efficient Compute-and-forward (CMF) schemes in multi-user multi-relay networks. To solve the rank failure problem in CMF setups and to achieve full diversity of the network, we introduce two novel CMF methods, namely, extended CMF and successive CMF. The former, having low complexity, is based on recovering multiple equations at relays. The latter utilizes successive interference cancellation (SIC) to enhance the system performance compared to the state-of-the-art schemes. Both methods can be utilized in a network with different number of users, relays, and relay antennas, with negligible feedback channels or signaling overhead. We derive new concise formulations and explicit framework for the successive CMF method as well as an approach to reduce its computational complexity. Our theoretical analysis and computer simulations demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed CMF methods over the conventional schemes. Furthermore, based on our simulation results, the successive CMF method yields additional signal-to-noise ratio gains and shows considerable robustness against channel estimation error, compared to the extended CMF method.Comment: 44 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, accepted to be published in IEEE Trans. on Vehicular Tec

Kinetics of β-galactosidase Production by Lactobacillus bulgaricus During pH Controlled Batch Fermentation in Three Commercial Bulk Starter Media

The potential of bulk starter fermentation strategy for production of a cost-effective and safe source of β-galactosidase was investigated. Three different bulk starter media with different compositions were selected, and an industrial yogurt starter culture strain, L. bulgaricus DSM 20081 was cultivated in these media under pH-controlled conditions (pH=5.6) at 43°C. The media consisted of 1) bulk starter medium based on skim milk and whey, 2) bulk starter medium based on whey, and 3) reconstituted skim milk. The kinetic parameters of growth and β-lactic acid production were estimated using the experimental data with the Garcia and Luedeking-Piret models, respectively. β-galactosidase production kinetics was also simulated using appropriate models based on biomass and lactic acid production. Growth in the bulk starter medium based on skim milk and whey resulted in a higher rate of lactic acid production (7.35 ± 0.23 mg lactic acid ml-1 media h-1) and β-galactosidase activity (800.1± 0.7 nmol ONP ml-1 media) compared to other two media (P<0.01). Simulation of β-galactosidase production based on the rate of lactic acid production resulted in a very good agreement with the experimental data of all three tested media. The results revealed the potential of bulk starter fermentation strategy and skim milk + whey based medium for in-house and relatively low cost production of food-grade β-galactosidase by dairy plants

Designing the Business Model of Herbal Pharmaceutical Knowledge based Companies

Today, research has indicated Knowledge based companies as a potential area in promoting knowledge economy, and due to the substantial added-value they make in the knowledge economy of the countries, these companies play a pivotal role in producing national income. Considering the novelty of the field of designing business models for herbal pharmaceutical Knowledge based companies and the importance of these companies among Knowledge based companies on the one hand, and the lack of academic research on exploring these companies on the other hand, the need for a comprehensive business model to help understand the components of herbal pharmaceutical Knowledge based companies seems urgent. This study aimed at identifying and prioritizing the components of business models and also structuring a business model of herbal pharmaceutical Knowledge based companies around these components. The Friedman test was used to prioritize the importance of the components of Knowledge based companies' business models. The statements of the present study's questionnaire were collected from the literature and the experts' opinions, too. Out of the 130 distributed questionnaires, 119 were collected which were analyzed by employing the Cochran test of the SPSS Statistics software. The components of key activities with the mean ranking of 6.76, cost structure with 6.09, and key resources with 6.06 were the most important components and customer relationships with 5.67, value propositions with 5.45, key partnerships with 4.10, distribution channels with 4.04, customer segment with 3.60, and revenue streams with 3.24 were the least important ones. Research paper Keywords: Business model, Knowledge based companies, Herbs, Friedman’s test Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Asadnezhad, M., Hejazi, R., Akbari, M. & Hadizadeh, E. (2017). Designing the Business Model of Herbal Pharmaceutical Knowledge based Companies, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 5(2), 47–63

Determination of the Best Indirect Selection Criteria for Genetic Improvement of Seed Yield in Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) Genotypes

Correlation and path coefficient analyses were studied on three diverse genotypes of sunflower in order to understand the relationship and contribution on eight characters towards the seed yield. The seed yield exhibits highly significant and positive correlation with plant height, oil yield and total number of seeds per head. Days to full flowering and head diameter showed significant and negative relation with seed yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that total number of seeds per head had the highest and positive direct effect on seed yield. On the other hand, days to full flowering and head diameter showed the highest and negative direct effect on seed yield. Hence, the study revealed the importance of total number of seeds per head, days to full flowering and head diameter as indirect selection criteria for genetic improvement of seed yield in sunflower breeding programs especially in early generations

Development of non-sticking steady-state solution for structures with hybrid damping mechanism

Energy dissipation occurs through Coulomb friction and is considered a conventional type of mechanical damping mechanism in structures subjected to external loads. Structures that are subjected to severe dynamic excitations such as ground motion or wind are required to employ a supplementary dampening system in addition to the Coulomb damping to mitigate the adverse impact of vibration in structures. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new Hybrid Damping Mechanism (HDM) for a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system which is subjected to harmonic loads through a Viscous Damper System (VDS) to enhance the energy dissipation efficiency besides the Coulomb friction. Therefore, an analytical dynamic model for the non-sticking steady-state response was formulated where the effects of the viscous damper were implemented in the governor equation of the motion to estimate the structural response under harmonic loads. Subsequently, the Maximum Displacement (MD) and the Maximum Velocity (MV) were estimated by assuming deviation from the equilibrium point. Finally, a genuine borderline equation and a boundary limit were derived for the force amplitude ratio, where the maximum external load was divided by kinetic friction. It is an appropriate guideline for structural designers to avoid the sticking phase in the dynamical analysis of the structural systems equipped with frictional dampers. Based on the application of the final solution to a numerical example, the proposed HDM in the SDOF system considerably diminished the MD with velocity deviation ranging between 5% and 98% and 3% to 94%, respectively. Meanwhile, the analysis also revealed that the VDS damping ratio and the force amplitude ratio were the most effective parameters in reducing the MD and velocity deviation with a frequency ratio (β) between 0.85 and 1.15. The developed hybridized SDOF system can also be applied as a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) in the structures to ameliorate their dynamic response

Analysis of Carotenoid Production by Halorubrum sp. TBZ126; an Extremely Halophilic Archeon from Urmia Lake

Purpose: Carotenoids are of great interest in many scientific disciplines because of their wide distribution, diverse functions and interesting properties. The present report describes a new natural source for carotenoid production. Methods: Halorubrum sp., TBZ126, an extremely halophilic archaeon, was isolated from Urmia Lack following culture of water sample on marine agar medium and incubation at 30 °C. Then single colonies were cultivated in broth media. After that the cells were collected and carotenoids were extracted with acetone-methanol (7:3 v/v). The identification of carotenoids was performed by UV-VIS spectroscopy and confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) in the presence of antimony pentachloride (SbCl5). The production profile was analyzed using liquid-chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) techniques. Phenotypic characteristics of the isolate were carried out and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: LC-MS analytical results revealed that produced carotenoids are bacterioruberin, lycopene and β-carotene. Bacterioruberin was found to be the predominant produced carotenoid. 16S rRNA analysis showed that TBZ126 has 100% similarity with Halorubrum chaoviator Halo-G*T (AM048786). Conclusion: Halorubrum sp. TBZ126, isolated from Urmia Lake has high capacity in the production of carotenoids. This extremely halophilic archaeon could be considered as a prokaryotic candidate for carotenoid production source for future studies