To develop an integrated model for green supply chain

Supply chain management is a set of techniques used for effective and efficient integration of suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses and dealers in such a way that system costs to be minimized and goods service needs to be realized with the correct number in the right place and at the right time. Since the important role of three factors of localization, routing and assignment is not covered in the survival of a supply chain life, therefore, integration of these factors will result in an effective supply chain. This research aims to study the issue of supply chain network design including the localization of facilities, allocation flow among facilities and routing decisions. The issue is to determine the number, location and capacity levels of distribution centers, to allocate customers to distribution centers and distribution centers to suppliers and routing decisions such as determination of the products transport route from distributors to customers and type of transport vehicles so that the total cost of the system to be minimized and customer coverage to be maximized. In addition to reducing costs and increasing quality, improving the environmental performance of the supply chain and decreasing the costs of environmental degradation is also included in the proposed issue.This necessity which is known as a green supply chain is observed by choosing vehicles with lower emissions and reducing transport distances.On the other hand, this research role includes the impact of sharing information through raising and reducing waiting times for carriers. All of the above will be formulated by an integer linear programming model. Given that the mentioned issue is located in the group of problems with hard complexity, this article suggests using multi-objective meta-heuristic algorithms for optimization of the problem and compares the efficiency of the proposed algorithms with each other using several random sample problems.Keywords: Localization, routing, allocation, green supply chain, sharing informatio

Identification of Enterococcus bacteria in gastrointestinal tract of dwarf honey bee, Apis florea Fabricius, 1973 (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Apis species that engage in symbiotic association with Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), have diverse functions on their hosts. This study was intended to isolate and identify aeoccus bacteria living in the gastrointestinal tract of Asian dwarf honey bee, Apis florea,in Iran. One hundred isolates were Gram-stained and tested for catalase reaction. By using bacterial universal primers, the 16S rDNA gene of bacterial colonies was amplified. 16S rDNA genes from thirty bacteria were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Enterococcus flora in the gastrointestinal tract of A. florea, contained five phenotypes which classified in the species E. faecium, E. faecalis and E. hirae.  Based on the specific association between bacteria and A. florea, we divided the Asian dwarf honey bee populations into four categories

An efficient sample preparation method based on dispersive liquid�liquid microextraction associated with back extraction for trace determination of acidic pharmaceuticals

Reduction of matrix effect seems to be a great challenge for the development of a practical method in bioanalysis. In this regard, a simple and efficient DLLME procedure along with a back-extraction step (DLLME-BE) was developed for the preconcentration of four common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in various biological fluid samples. Briefly, the analytes of interest were initially transferred into the extraction solvent followed by the back-extraction into an immiscible basic methanol (as an acceptor phase) for further preconcentration and clean-up. The main purpose of the work is reducing the matrix effect and sensitive determination of target molecules in the complex matrices. Following on, the separation and determination of the analytes were carried out using GC�MS (in-port derivatization) and HPLC-DAD instrument. The influential parameters affecting the DLLME-BE method were evaluated in detail and the best extraction conditions were established. Under the optimum conditions, low method detection limits in the range of 0.1�1.0 and 0.1�6.0 µg L�1 were obtained for GC�MS and HPLC-DAD analysis, respectively. Additionally, fair intra-day precisions of 2.7�14.5 and 2.8�7.8 as well as inter-day precisions of 3.9�14.5 and 3.5�8.1 were achieved for the GC�MS and HPLC-DAD analysis, respectively. Finally, the method was successfully applied for the determination of four common NSAIDs in different biological fluid samples. © 2018 King Saud Universit

An efficient sample preparation method based on dispersive liquid�liquid microextraction associated with back extraction for trace determination of acidic pharmaceuticals

Reduction of matrix effect seems to be a great challenge for the development of a practical method in bioanalysis. In this regard, a simple and efficient DLLME procedure along with a back-extraction step (DLLME-BE) was developed for the preconcentration of four common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in various biological fluid samples. Briefly, the analytes of interest were initially transferred into the extraction solvent followed by the back-extraction into an immiscible basic methanol (as an acceptor phase) for further preconcentration and clean-up. The main purpose of the work is reducing the matrix effect and sensitive determination of target molecules in the complex matrices. Following on, the separation and determination of the analytes were carried out using GC�MS (in-port derivatization) and HPLC-DAD instrument. The influential parameters affecting the DLLME-BE method were evaluated in detail and the best extraction conditions were established. Under the optimum conditions, low method detection limits in the range of 0.1�1.0 and 0.1�6.0 µg L�1 were obtained for GC�MS and HPLC-DAD analysis, respectively. Additionally, fair intra-day precisions of 2.7�14.5 and 2.8�7.8 as well as inter-day precisions of 3.9�14.5 and 3.5�8.1 were achieved for the GC�MS and HPLC-DAD analysis, respectively. Finally, the method was successfully applied for the determination of four common NSAIDs in different biological fluid samples. © 2018 King Saud Universit

The Effects of Synbiotic Supplementation on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Biomarkers of Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in People with Overweight, Diabetes, and Coronary Heart Disease: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Synbiotics are known to exert multiple beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of synbiotic supplementation on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress in people with overweight, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted and involved 60 people with overweight, diabetes, and CHD, aged 50�85 years old. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups to take either synbiotic supplements containing three probiotic bacteria spices Lactobacillus acidophilus strain T16 (IBRC-M10785), Lactobacillus casei strain T2 (IBRC-M10783), and Bifidobacterium bifidum strain T1 (IBRC-M10771) (2 � 10 9  CFU/g each) plus 800 mg inulin or placebo (n = 30 each group) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after the 12-week intervention period to determine metabolic variables. After the 12-week intervention, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation significantly reduced serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (� 3101.7 ± 5109.1 vs. � 6.2 ± 3163.6 ng/mL, P = 0.02), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) (� 0.6 ± 1.0 vs. � 0.1 ± 0.3 μmol/L, P = 0.01), and significantly increased nitric oxide (NO) levels (+ 7.8 ± 10.3 vs. � 3.6 ± 6.9 μmol/L, P < 0.001). We did not observe any significant changes of synbiotic supplementation on other biomarkers of oxidative stress and CIMT levels. Overall, synbiotic supplementation for 12 weeks among people with overweight, diabetes, and CHD had beneficial effects on serum hs-CRP, plasma NO, and MDA levels; however, it did not have any effect on other biomarkers of oxidative stress and CIMT levels. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

The Effects of Synbiotic Supplementation on Metabolic Status in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Abstract Data on the effects of synbiotic supplementation on glycemic control, lipid profiles, and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of synbiotic supplementation on glycemic control and lipid profiles in women with PCOS. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was done at the Naghavi Hospital affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran, between April 2017 and June 2017. Sixty women with PCOS were randomized to intake synbiotic capsule containing Lactobacillus acidophilus strain T16 (IBRC-M10785), Lactobacillus casei strain T2 (IBRC-M10783), and Bifidobacterium bifidum strain T1 (IBRC-M10771) (2 × 109 CFU/g each) plus 800 mg inulin (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after the 12-week intervention to determine related variables. Compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in serum insulin concentrations (− 2.8 ± 4.1 vs. + 1.8 ± 6.4 μIU/mL, P = 0.002) and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (− 0.7 ± 1.0 vs. + 0.4 ± 1.5, P = 0.002), and a significant elevation in the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (+ 0.01 ± 0.01 vs. − 0.01 ± 0.03, P < 0.001). In addition, significant decreases in serum triglycerides (− 16.2 ± 31.4 vs. + 5.8 ± 23.1 mg/dL, P = 0.003), VLDL-cholesterol concentrations (− 3.3 ± 6.3 vs. + 1.1 ± 4.6 mg/dL, P = 0.003), and AIP (− 0.05 ± 0.08 vs. − 0.003 ± 0.10 mg/dL, P = 0.03) were seen following the supplementation of synbiotic compared with the placebo. Overall, we found that synbiotic supplementation to women with PCOS for 12 weeks had beneficial effects on markers of insulin resistance, triglycerides, VLDL-cholesterol concentrations, and AIP, but did not influence other lipid profiles. Keywords Synbiotic supplementation Probiotic bacteria Polycystic ovary syndrome Glycemic control Lipid profile

The Effects of Synbiotic Supplementation on Metabolic Status in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: a Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of synbiotic supplementation on metabolic profiles in diabetic patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 60 diabetic HD patients. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either synbiotic capsule, containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifidobacterium bifidum (2 � 109 CFU/g each), plus 0.8 g/day of inulin (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. Synbiotic supplementation significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (β � 13.56 mg/dL; 95 CI, � 23.82, � 3.30; P = 0.01), insulin levels (β � 5.49 μIU/mL; 95 CI, � 6.92, � 4.05; P &lt; 0.001), and insulin resistance (β � 2.25; 95 CI, � 3.02, � 1.48; P &lt; 0.001), while increased the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (β 0.02; 95 CI, 0.01, 0.02; P &lt; 0.001) compared with the placebo. Additionally, synbiotic intake resulted in a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (β � 2930.48 ng/mL; 95 CI, � 3741.15, � 2119.80; P &lt; 0.001) and malondialdehyde levels (β � 0.60 μmol/L; 95 CI, � 0.99, � 0.20; P = 0.003). Moreover, we found a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity (β 142.99 mmol/L; 95 CI, 61.72, 224.25; P = 0.001) and total glutathione levels (β 131.11 μmol/L; 95 CI, 89.35, 172.87; P &lt; 0.001) in the synbiotic group compared with the placebo group. Overall, synbiotic supplementation for 12 weeks had beneficial effects on glycemic control, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress in diabetic patients under HD. This study was registered in the Iranian website (www.irct.ir) for registration of clinical trials (http://www.irct.ir: IRCT2017090133941N17). http://www.irct.ir: IRCT2017090133941N17. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature