Effect of polymer and irrigation regimes on dry matter yield and several physiological traits of forage sorghum

Drought stress is one of the most serious problems in crops production in the arid and semi-arid regions. Application of some materials such as superab A200 polymers (SAP) in soil can improve soil water reservation. They can also decrease water losses, fertilizer leaching in soils, effects of water deficiency in plants and so can improve the yield in the arid and semi-arid regions. This experiment was conducted on forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) variety ‘Speedfeed’) in Zahedan, Iran during 2010 season. The experimental design was a split-plot with two factors including four irrigation regimes (providing 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the water requirement of sorghum calculated from pan evaporation) as main plots and four amounts of SAP (0, 75, 150 and 225 kg ha-1) as subplots in a completely randomized block design with three replications. Irrigation level and SAP had significant effects on chlorophyll index, leaf area index, leaf area duration, crop growth rate, relative water content and dry matter. The results indicate that irrigation to meet 80% of the water requirement with 75 kg ha-1 SAP which may provide a desirable dry matter.Keywords: Dry matter yield, forage sorghum, growth analysis, irrigation regime, superab A200 polyme

Estimation of Balance Pruning and Green Pruning on Quantitative Tratis in Table Grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Yaghooti) in Sistan Region

Introduction  Yaghooti grape is the earliest grape variety in Iran and is the most important horticultural product in the Sistan region, which is cultivated in more than 90% of the vineyards of this region. Considering the massive project of transferring water through pipes for 46 thousand farmer's fields as a recent approach in agricultural programs of the sistan region and also the necessity of changing the cultivation pattern, the suitable contribution of the new cultivation pattern is allocated for grape. A grapevine canopy is defined as the shoots and leaves system. Bearing and green pruning are defined as factors allows the grape farmers to enhance and maximize their production and quality. Materials and Methods  In order to evaluate the effects of balance pruning and green pruning on some traits and fruit yield of Yaghooti grape, the present research was conducted in the Zahak agricultural research station during 2017-2021.This research was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design for three years. Four levels of bearing pruning intensity including: control or local custom (B1), 10 + 60 (B2), 10 + 40 (B3), and 10 + 20 (B4) considered as the first factor and four levels of intensity green pruning including; control or conventional local method (G1), pruning of cans from above eight leaves on the last cluster (G2), pruning of unproductive branches + pruning of cans from above eight leaves on the last cluster (G3), 4-pruning of branches without fruit from the bottom + pruning of unproductive branches + pruning the cans from the top of the eight leaves on the last cluster (G4) considered as the second factor in three replications. The study was conducted on 12-year-old vines of the Yaghooti cultivar, which were trained using the traditional system and spaced 3 meters apart in both directions. The data collected during cluster formation included morphological traits such as cluster length, cluster width, main and sub axes length of the cluster, berry diameter, cluster axes weight, berry weight, cluster weight, berry number in the cluster, and cluster/vine to fruit yield. The analysis of variance for each variable was performed using the PROC GLM procedure in SAS 9.4. Furthermore, the relationships between the evaluated morphological traits were determined using multiple linear regression. Results and Discussion  The results showed that bearing pruning had a significant effect on all traits except berry diameter. Green pruning had a significant effect on cluster length, total length of main and sub axes, cluster axis weight, berry weight, cluster weight, number of berries per cluster and yield. The balance pruning (20+10) caused to increase the cluster length, cluster width, berry diameter, cluster axis weight, total length of main and sub axes and berry weight by 32.5, 30.6, 8.97, 32.8, 34.4 and 15.3% compared to the control, respectively while but led to 33.8% reduction in cluster/vine compared to the control. The results of the study showed that pruning of G4 had a significant positive effect on the length and width of clusters, weight of cluster axes, total length of main and sub-axes, and berry weight, increasing them by 11%, 19.5%, 15.8%, 14.6%, and 11.9% respectively, compared to the control. The interaction between balance and green pruning had a significant effect on cluster weight, berry number in cluster, and yield. The B4G4 treatment resulted in a 137.4%, 82.3%, and 14.2% increase in cluster weight, berry number in cluster, and yield compared to the B1G1 treatment. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that cluster length, berry weight, cluster weight, and cluster/vine were the most important traits that influenced fruit yield in the Yaghooti grape. In general, the results showed that the interaction of balance and green pruning (B4G4) increases yield by 17.2% compared the control (B1G1). Conclusion  The shape and structure of the grape vine is very effective on the growth and development of the product. This determines the amount of photosynthesis and carbohydrates production. If the structure of the grape vine is changed in such a way that a greater portion of carbohydrates production belongs to the fruit, the grape production will significantly affected in terms of quality and quantity. Due to the fact that grapes are grown by creeping method in the Sistan region, fruit and green pruning (local custom) led to a high density in the plant crown which reduces light penetration as well as the ratio of producer to the consumer leaves. This method may negatively impact the quality and marketability of grape clusters by reducing the number and weight of the clusters and berries, as well as the length and width of the clusters. However, in this study, we increased the intensity of fruiting and green pruning, which resulted in a reduced crown density and less shading. Our utilized method directed the major portion of photosynthesis to the fruit, which led to quantitative and qualitative fruit yield increment

A Case of Atypical McCune-Albright Syndrome with Vaginal Bleeding

Abstract Background: McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is a rare non-inherited disorder characterized by the clinical triad of precocious puberty, cafe-au-lait skin lesions, and fibrous dysplasia of bone. Case Presentation: We report a girl with MAS, presenting initially with vaginal bleeding at the age of 17 months. Ultrasonography revealed unilateral ovarian cysts and ureteral and ovarian enlargement. Considering the clinical and paraclinical findings, the patient diagnosed as a case of gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty was treated with medroxy-progestrone acetate (MPA) for three months. During the follow up, recurrent episodes of bleeding, ovarian activation and cyst formation, as well as breast size development were reported. At the age of 5.5 years, fibrous dysplasia was detected, which in coexistence with precocious puberty confirmed the diagnosis of MAS. The patient had no cafe-au-lait skin macles during follow up. Conclusion: Considering that clinical manifestations of MAS appear later in the course of recurrent periods of ovarian activation and cyst formation, a careful clinical observation and follow up of patients is necessary and the diagnosis of MAS must be kept in mind in cases with gonadotropinindependent precocious puberty

Prevalence of isolated hepatitis B core antibody among injection drug users in Central Province of Iran

Numeración errónea en el original

A novel idea to increase the performance of a wheat flour cyclone separator: Controlling the reverse flow

In this study, as a novelty, the reverse flow effect on a wheat flour cyclone performance was evaluated. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was realized using a Reynolds stress turbulence model. Also, particle–air interactions were modeled applying a discrete phase model. Besides the experimental measurement, the numerical simulation was conducted in a main (without reverse flow) and six various reverse flow levels (I = 0.0385 m3 s−1, II = 0.0396 m3 s−1, III = 0.0484 m3 s−1, IV = 0.0583 m3 s−1, V = 0.0704 m3 s−1, and VI = 0.0836 m3 s−1) by CFD. The validation between pressure drop in experimental data and numerical results revealed a good agreement with a maximum deviation of 8.2%. Cyclone performance including pressure drop and separation efficiency was assessed in the mentioned reverse flow levels. Moreover, velocity field, centrifugal force, and turbulence parameter were evaluated, comprehensively. It was found that the flour separation efficiency increased with enhancing the reverse flow level to IV = 0.0583 m3 s−1, but decreased with a sharp slope in the reverse levels of V = 0.0704 m3 s−1 and VI = 0.0836 m3 s−1

Frequency of celiac disease in children with type 1 diabetes

Background and aims: Occurrence of celiac and diabetes is accompanied by numerous complications in children and if diagnoses do not occur promptly, celiac disease complications including gastrointestinal disorders, loss of appetite and damage caused by hypoproteinemia, and most importantly, growth disorder occurs in diabetic children. This study was aimed to compare the frequency of celiac disease in children with diabetes aged under 15 years and the controls of the same age referring to the clinics affiliated with Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this case-control study, using convenience sampling, 42 patients with diabetes and 43 patients without diabetes admitted for gastrointestinal diseases were assigned as cases and controls, respectively. The description of all patients was provided, and physical examinations and serologic tests were conducted on them. If the serologic tests tTGA-IgA and tTGA-IgG were positive, the intestinal biopsy was taken. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and t-test, chi-square, and Mann–Whitney test in SPSS. Results: The mean serum levels of tTGA-IgA and tTGA-IgG were significantly higher in the case group than the control group (P<0.05). There were significant differences in weight gain between the cases and the controls (P=0.017). The frequency of celiac disease was 15% (n: 6) in children with diabetes with a significant difference from the controls (P=0.02). Conclusion: In this study, the frequency of celiac disease was higher in children with diabetes than children without. Therefore, in the study area, routine screening for celiac disease is helpful in reducing possible disorders and complications in diabetic children

Predkliničke studije [61Cu]ATSM kao PET radiofarmaka za snimanje fibrosarkoma

[61Cu]diacetyl-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) ([61Cu]ATSM) was prepared using in house-made diacetyl-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (ATSM) ligand and [61Cu]CuCl2 produced via the natZn(p,x)61Cu (180 μA proton irradiation, 22 MeV, 3.2 h) and purified by a ion chromatography method. [61Cu]ATSM radiochemical purity was >98%, as shown by HPLC and RTLC methods. [61Cu]ATSM was administered into normal and tumor bearing rodents for up to 210 minutes, followed by biodistribution and co-incidence imaging studies. Significant tumor/non-tumor accumulation was observed either by animal sacrification or imaging. [61Cu]ATSM is a positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer for tumor hypoxia imaging.[61Cu]diacetil-bis(N4-metiltiosemikarbazon) ([61Cu]ATSM) dobiven je iz liganda diacetil-bis(N4-metiltiosemikarbazona) (ATSM) pripravljenog u vlastitom laboratoriju i [61Cu]CuCl2 dobivenog iz natZn(p,x)61Cu (180 μA protonskim zračenjem, 22 MeV, 3.2 h). [61Cu]ATSM je čišćen ionskom kromatografijom. Prema HPLC i RTLC radiokemijska čistoća bila je > 98%. [61Cu]ATSM je davan zdravim glodavcima i glodavcima s tumorom tijekom 210 minuta te je praćena biodistribucija. Žrtvovanjem testiranih životinja te snimanjem primijećena je značajna razlika u akumulaciji [61Cu]ATSM u tumorskom tkivu u odnosu na zdravo tkivo. [61Cu]ATSM je pogodan za dijagnostiku hipoksije tumora pozitron emisijskom tomografijom (PET)

Determination of Risk Factors Affecting Survival of Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma in Hamadan, Iran

Background: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death. The aim of this study was to determine the survival rate affected by risk factors in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods: We performed this retrospective cohort study on patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma during 2005-2012 in Hamadan, Iran. All patients with pathological diagnosis enrolled in the study. The effects of patients' demographical and pathological data were assessed in terms of survival. The univariate and multivariate Weibull models were used to determine the effects of these factors on survival rate. Data was analyzed by SPSS16 and STATA10 software. Results: A total of 112 gastric adenocarcinoma patients were followed. Patients included 74 ( 66.1) males. During the follow-up, 102 ( 91.1) patients died. Patients' had a mean ( SD) survival of 21.9 ( 1.9) months and a median survival of 15 months. The "one-, three-and five-year survival rates were 62, 16 and 9 respectively. The results showed that metastasis, chemotherapy, tumor site and grade had statistically significant impacts on patient survival. Conclusion: A potentially important role for tumor grade, tumor site, metastasis, and pathologic stage of disease existed in terms of patient survival after surgery. The current research has indicated that neoadjuvant treatment increased survival in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. It is expected that the prognostic model based on the mentioned factors may assist individual risk stratification and help in the planning of potential forthcoming studies

Investigating the Role of Balanced Scorecard in Improving the Performance of the Production and Distribution Cooperative Companies (Khorasan Province Case Study)

In order to be successful, organizations should be aware of their current conditions, predict the future status and provide suitable feedback to environmental variances. This requires compiling suitable strategies, correct implementations of these and accurate evaluation of this implementation. For this purpose, balanced scorecard technique implements and evaluates strategies of organization. This technique considers the organization from four different aspects including financial, customers, internal process and education & development and also the relations between these. The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the application of balanced scorecard technique in performance of production and distribution cooperative companies in Khorasan Province.  The statistical population of this study was managers and shareholders of production and distribution cooperative companies in Khorasan Province. In order to gather data from the statistical population, questionnaires were used. Because the number of managers and shareholders under study were not distinguishable or when they were, the number was statistically too high, the statistical population is unlimited. In this study the statistical sample includes managers and shareholders who filled the questionnaires and were able to express their opinion. Simple sampling method was used and, after 23 preliminary test its size was calculated to be 124 according to Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient. Indexes considered for improving performance were: income, expenses, customer satisfaction and efficiency. The current study, which was conducted in 2010 revealed that the four aspects of balance scorecard technique can improve the performance of production and distribution cooperative companies. Therefore it is recommended that production and distribution cooperative companies utilize this technique in order to improve their performance. Also the Ministry of Cooperation can take measures to extend and optimize the use of this technique

Assessment and estimation of 65Zn production yield via neutron induced reaction on natZnO and natZnONPs

Zinc-65 has been of great interest in medical, biomedical, agricultural, and industrial applications due to its suitable half-life and decay properties. The 65Zn was produced via neutron irradiation on natural zinc oxide and natural zinc oxide nanoparticles targets in Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) at a thermal neutron flux of 4.5 � 1013 n cm�2 s�1 for 30 min. The excitation function of 64Zn(n,γ)65Zn reaction was calculated via the TALYS-1.8 code. The MCNPX code was used to calculate the thermal neutron distribution. The 65Zn theoretical production yield was estimated using calculated cross sections and the calculated thermal neutron distribution. The obtained experimental data and simulated value of production yield for 65Zn were in reasonable agreement. © 2018 Elsevier Lt