Energy use and economic analysis of strawberry production in Sanandaj zone of Iran

The aim of this study was to determine the energy consumption and economic analysis for strawberry production. The data were collected from 60 farmers growing strawberry in the Sanandaj zone of Iran by using a face-to-face questionnaire in August-September 2009. The plowing operation at the study area was done by two methods; manually plow (P1) and machinery plow (P2). Also the irrigation operation was done by two methods; pumping irrigation (P) and non pumping irrigation (NP). Univariate analysis of variance was used for finding the differences among the total energy used for production and profitability of this crop in the different methods at the 5% and 1% level. Total energy used in various farm operations during strawberry production was 53,605 MJ.ha-1. Total energy output was 17,338 MJ.ha-1, and the average annual yield of strawberry farms was 9,125 kg.ha-1. Energy efficiency was 0.32, and energy productivity calculated as 0.17 kg.MJ-1. This means a production of 0.17 kg per unit energy. The difference between total input energy in the different irrigation types (NP and P) is significant at 1% level. There is not any significant difference between different plow types at the 5% level. The interaction of irrigation types and plow types is significant at 5% level. The profit-cost ratio, productivity, and net profit in the strawberry production are 1.2, 0.99, and 1,825 $.ha-1, respectively. The difference between net return in the different irrigation types (NP and P) is significant at 5% level. The difference between net return in the different plow types (P1 and P2) is significant at 1% level

Sustainability in Agricultural Mechanization: Assessment of a Combined Photovoltaic and Electric Multipurpose System for Farmers

This study is dedicated to the assessment of the possibility of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy as a source of power in modern agriculture. We examined the use of a completely sustainable agricultural mechanization system based on a renewable energy system and a battery powered, multi-purpose agricultural vehicle. This assessment is based on the RAMseS project, financed by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Program, which has led to the actual manufacturing of the system, at present being tested in Lebanon. In the present study, we assess the environmental and economic performance of the RAMseS system. We evaluate the external costs by means of a specific model that takes into account the life-cycle cost (LCC), economical indexes, and life-cycle emissions for the vehicle during its life span. The results are compared with those of a standard vehicle based on the internal combustion engine (ICEV). The results show that the RAMseS system can avoid the emission of about 23 ton of CO2equ per year. The life cycle cost (LCC) assessment using MATLAB software shows that the LCC for the RAMseS vehicle and the ICEV are the same for a fuel unit price (pf) of 1.45 €/L. Finally, we show that almost 52 % of the RAMseS LCC is due to the batteries of the electric vehicle. A 50% decrease in batteries unit cost would cause the LCC of two system to be the same at a fuel cost of 0.8 €/L. The final result is that the RAMseS system remains—at present— marginally more expensive than an equivalent system based on conventional fuels and internal combustion engines. Nevertheless, with the gradual depletion of fossil fuels, all electric agricultural mechanized system provide an alternative solution that is dependent only on renewable energy and recyclable resources

Male Grooming: An Ethnographic Research on Perception and Choice of Male Cosmetics

The purpose of this study is to explore male perceptions toward cosmetics and their product choice. Applying an ethnographic framework to this study, three males between the ages of 24-30 were interviewed through a series of 141 questions pertaining to their demographics, lifestyle, attitudes toward masculinity, skin care, grooming and cleaning behaviors. The results showed five overarching themes: (1) all of the participants had early experiences with personal care products, (2) the term masculinity was defined with terms such as calm and practical , (3) all participants looked up to their fathers as their key role models, (4) all participants valued loyal friendships, and (5) location convenience drives shopping for cosmetics - participants tend to only shop for cosmetics at a location where they are based at any given point in time, thereby implying an unwillingness to travel to a specialty store for purchasing grooming items. Managerial implications utilizing the results of this research are also discussed

Inter-genomic displacement via lateral gene transfer of bacterial trp operons in an overall context of vertical genealogy

BACKGROUND: The growing conviction that lateral gene transfer plays a significant role in prokaryote genealogy opens up a need for comprehensive evaluations of gene-enzyme systems on a case-by-case basis. Genes of tryptophan biosynthesis are frequently organized as whole-pathway operons, an attribute that is expected to facilitate multi-gene transfer in a single step. We have asked whether events of lateral gene transfer are sufficient to have obscured our ability to track the vertical genealogy that underpins tryptophan biosynthesis. RESULTS: In 47 complete-genome Bacteria, the genes encoding the seven catalytic domains that participate in primary tryptophan biosynthesis were distinguished from any paralogs or xenologs engaged in other specialized functions. A reliable list of orthologs with carefully ascertained functional roles has thus been assembled and should be valuable as an annotation resource. The protein domains associated with primary tryptophan biosynthesis were then concatenated, yielding single amino-acid sequence strings that represent the entire tryptophan pathway. Lateral gene transfer of several whole-pathway trp operons was demonstrated by use of phylogenetic analysis. Lateral gene transfer of partial-pathway trp operons was also shown, with newly recruited genes functioning either in primary biosynthesis (rarely) or specialized metabolism (more frequently). CONCLUSIONS: (i) Concatenated tryptophan protein trees are congruent with 16S rRNA subtrees provided that the genomes represented are of sufficiently close phylogenetic spacing. There are currently seven tryptophan congruency groups in the Bacteria. Recognition of a succession of others can be expected in the near future, but ultimately these should coalesce to a single grouping that parallels the 16S rRNA tree (except for cases of lateral gene transfer). (ii) The vertical trace of evolution for tryptophan biosynthesis can be deduced. The daunting complexities engendered by paralogy, xenology, and idiosyncrasies of nomenclature at this point in time have necessitated an expert-assisted manual effort to achieve a correct analysis. Once recognized and sorted out, paralogy and xenology can be viewed as features that enrich evolutionary histories

The validity and reliability of autism behavior checklist in Iran

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric features of the Persian version of the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). Method: The International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) approach was used to translate the English ABC into Persian. A total sample of 184 parents of children including 114 children with autism disorder (mean age =7.21, SD =1.65) and 70 typically developing children (mean age = 6.82, SD =1.75) completed the ABC. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent and discriminant validity, and cut-off score were assessed. Results: The results of this study revealed that the Persian version of the ABC has an acceptable degree of internal consistency (.73). Test-retest comparisons using interclass correlation confirmed the instrument's time stability (.83). The instrument's concurrent validity with Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) was verified; the correlation between total scores was .94. In the discriminant validity, the autism group had significantly higher scores compared to the normal group. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that individuals with total scores below 25 are less likely to be in the autism group. Conclusion: The Persian version of the ABC can be used as an initial screening tool in clinical contexts

Lateral gene transfer and ancient paralogy of operons containing redundant copies of tryptophan-pathway genes in Xylella species and in heterocystous cyanobacteria

BACKGROUND: Tryptophan-pathway genes that exist within an apparent operon-like organization were evaluated as examples of multi-genic genomic regions that contain phylogenetically incongruous genes and coexist with genes outside the operon that are congruous. A seven-gene cluster in Xylella fastidiosa includes genes encoding the two subunits of anthranilate synthase, an aryl-CoA synthetase, and trpR. A second gene block, present in the Anabaena/Nostoc lineage, but not in other cyanobacteria, contains a near-complete tryptophan operon nested within an apparent supraoperon containing other aromatic-pathway genes. RESULTS: The gene block in X. fastidiosa exhibits a sharply delineated low-GC content. This, as well as bias of codon usage and 3:1 dinucleotide analysis, strongly implicates lateral gene transfer (LGT). In contrast, parametric studies and protein tree phylogenies did not support the origination of the Anabaena/Nostoc gene block by LGT. CONCLUSIONS: Judging from the apparent minimal amelioration, the low-GC gene block in X. fastidiosa probably originated by LGT at a relatively recent time. The surprising inability to pinpoint a donor lineage still leaves room for alternative, albeit less likely, explanations other than LGT. On the other hand, the large Anabaena/Nostoc gene block does not seem to have arisen by LGT. We suggest that the contemporary Anabaena/Nostoc array of divergent paralogs represents an ancient ancestral state of paralog divergence, with extensive streamlining by gene loss occurring in the lineage of descent representing other (unicellular) cyanobacteria

Intravenous Paracetamol Versus Patient-Controlled Analgesia With Morphine for the Pain Management Following Diagnostic Knee Arthroscopy in Trauma Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Most patients undergoing outpatient surgeries have the unpleasant experience of high level pain after surgery. Compared with open surgeries, arthroscopic procedures are less painful; however, inadequate pain management could be associated with significant concerns. Opioids alone or in combination with local anesthetics are frequently used for diminishing postoperative pain using intravenous or epidural infusion pumps. Despite morphine various disadvantages, it is commonly used for controlling pain after surgery. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare intravenous paracetamol and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine for the pain management following diagnostic knee arthroscopy in trauma patients. Patients and Methods: Sixty trauma patients who were scheduled to undergo knee arthroscopy were randomly divided into two groups. Patients immediately received intravenous infusion of 1 g paracetamol within 15 minutes after surgery and every 6 hours to 24 hours in the paracetamol group. The patient-controlled analgesia group received morphine through PCA infusion pump at 2 mL/h base rate and 1mL bolus every 15 minutes. Pain level, nausea and vomiting, and sedation were measured and recorded during entering the recovery, 15 and 30 minutes after entering the recovery, 2, 6, and 24 hours after starting morphine pump infusion in the morphine and paracetamol in the paracetamol groups. Results: There was no significant difference regarding the pain level at different times after entering the recovery between the two groups. No one from the paracetamol group developed drug complications. However, 22.3% in the PCA morphine suffered from postoperative nausea; there was a statistically significant difference regarding the sedation level, nausea, and vomiting at various times between the two groups. Conclusions: Intravenous administration of paracetamol immediately after knee arthroscopy improved postoperative pain, decreased analgesic administration, maintained stable hemodynamic parameters, had no complications related to opiates, no nausea and vomiting, and increased patient satisfaction and comfort in comparison to PCA with morphine

Serum CA15-3 measurement in breast cancer patients before and after mastectomy

Background: Much research is being carried out to find a tumor marker for early diagnosis of breast cancer when the lesion is still small. CA15-3, a glycoprotein, is one candidate with probable use as tumor marker in breast cancer. Objective: We conducted this study to analyze the relationship between serum levels of CA15-3 and several variables including age, clinical stage, and the number of lymph nodes involved in breast cancer patients. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six females including 39 normal controls, 54 patients with benign lesions, and 43 with malignant lesions entered this study. A second and third sample was obtained from patients who were diagnosed as having breast cancer, one week and one month postmastectomy, respectively. CA15-3 was measured by ELISA. Results: The number of patients in the malignant group (6 out of 43) with elevated CA15-3 levels was higher than that in the normal controls (3 out of 39) and patients with benign lesions (1 out of 54). Forty percent of patients in stages II and III had a higher frequency of abnormal CA15-3 values, whereas 13 of those in stage I disease did so. One week after mastectomy, the mean ± SD serum CA15-3 was 18.3 ± 14.6 U/mL. However, a month later, the mean ± SD was 21.7±19.7 U/mL, which was approximately the same as the preoperative values (mean ± SD: 22.1 ± 25.6 U/mL). There was an abnormal elevation in CA15-3 values when �4 lymph nodes were involved. The correlation between the elevated CA15-3 values and the number of involved lymph nodes was significant (P < 0.001). Analysis of the CA15-3 values showed a sensitivity of 14.0 and a specificity of 92.3. The positive and negative predictive values were 66.7 and 49.3, respectively. The relative efficiency was 1.8. Conclusion: In this study, CA15-3 was found to have no value in the screening for early diagnosis of breast cancer. We observed a strong correlation between elevated CA15-3 levels and the progression of breast cancer