Comparison of essential oil content and composition in two German chamomile (Matricaria chamomile L.) genotypes

Two German chamomile genotypes (wild and domestic) were investigated for essential oil content and composition. Wild and domestic chamomile flowers were collected from Noor-Abad and Karaj regions and dried before essential oil extraction using distillation method. Essential oil components were identified by analytical gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry. Results revealed that essential oil efficiency in domestic and wild chamomile was recorded as 0.87 and 0.77%, respectively. Amongst fifteen different components identified in essential oil samples, (E)-â-farnesene, á -bisabolol oxide A and B and chamazulene were found to be the major components with frequency of 12.86, 31.86, 5.24 and 6.16% in domestic species and 8.83, 2.52, 1.81 and 55.606% in wild species. Irrespective of slight reduction in essential oil content and its components, wild German chamomile genotype can be used as valuable source in future domestication programmes

The Effect of Problem Solving Skills Training on Emotional Intelligence of Nursing Students of Shiraz (2008)

Introduction: Problem solving is an important skill for living in nowadays world. Due to their professional responsibility and occupation in a complicated therapeutic environment, nurses should be skillful enough for problem solving in order to handle them. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the effect of problem solving course on nursing students' emotional intelligence of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in year 2008. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 43 senior nursing students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Primarily students were asked to complete questionnaires of demographic data and “Bar-On" test for emotional intelligence evaluation. Then, they were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (N=20) and control (N=23). Six sessions of problem solving course based on D'zurilla and Goldfride social problem solving protocol, was performed for students of experimental group. Emotional intelligence assessment repeated for both groups immediately and 2 months after training. Data was analyzed through statistical tests of Mann Whitney, Wilcoxon, Repeated Measure ANOVA, and Pearson correlation Coefficient. Results: Standardization of emotional intelligence scores among students of experiment group showed a statistically significant difference for these scores achieved immediately (105.87±9.82) and 2 months after intervention (109.44±9.56) compared to the one before (101.22±10.93) intervention (p<0.01). The mean score of problem solving skill among students of experiment group showed also a statistically significant difference comparing the scores achieved immediately after intervention (8.31±77.75) and 2 months after that (8.00±78.75) to that of before intervention (11.95±71.35) (p<0.01). This is while control group showed no statistically significant difference considering these variables. Only 20 percent of students enjoyed a high emotional intelligence before intervention, while this increased to 40 percent of high intelligence and 10 percent of very high emotional intelligence 2 months after intervention. Conclusion: Problem solving skills lead to promotion of emotional intelligence among students of experiment group compared to control group. This result was stable not only immediately after intervention but also after two months. Therefore problem solving education in various nursing domains such as education, research, management and clinic, is recommended

Investigation of Natural Effective Gamma Dose Rates case study: Ardabil Province in Iran

Gamma rays pose enough energy to form charged particles and adversely affect human health. Since, the external exposure of human beings to natural environmental gamma radiation normally exceeds that from all man-made sources combined, natural background gamma dose rates and corresponding annual effective doses were determined for selected cities of Ardabil province from 2009 to 2010. Outdoor gamma dose rates were measured using an Ion Chamber Survey Meter in 105 locations in selected districts. Average absorbed dose for Ardabil, Sar-Ein, Germy, Neer, Shourabil Recreational Lake, and Kosar were determined as 265, 219, 344, 233, 352, and 358 nSvh-1, respectively. Although dose rates recorded for Germi and Kosar are comparable with some areas with high natural radiation background, however, the dose rates in other districts are well below the levels reported for such locations. Average annual effective dose due to indoor and outdoor gamma radiation for Ardabil province was estimated to be 1.73 (1.35-2.39) mSv, which is on average 2 times higher than the world population weighted average

A novel, eco-friendly and green synthesis of PPAC-ZnO and PPAC-nZVI nanocomposite using pomegranate peel: Cephalexin adsorption experiments, mechanisms, isotherms and kinetics

In the present work, powdered activated carbon coated by nanoparticles ZnO and nZVI was derived from pomegranate peel extracts and finally applied for removal of cephalexin (CEX (from aqueous solutions. This experimental research was conducted discontinuously. The effects of pH of solution, reaction time, PPAC-nZVI and PPAC-ZnO composites dose, and initial concentration of cephalexin and composite recovery on process efficiency were investigated. The removal efficiency in optimal conditions for cephalexin with PPAC-nZVI and PPAC-ZnO (CEX = 50 mg L�1, composite dose = 1.25 g L�1, reaction time = 45 min and pH = 5) was obtained 96.06 and 94.17, respectively. The results of the study of isotherm and absorption kinetics for both composites showed that the absorption process follows Langmuir isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetics. The present study showed that the composites could be used as an effective and bio-friendly absorbent to remove cephalexin from aqueous solutions. © 2020 The Society of Powder Technology Japa

Determination of the Effect of Co-cultivation on the Production and Root Exudation of Flavonoids in Four Legume Species Using LC–MS/MS Analysis

Flavonoids play a key role in the regulation of plant−plant and plant−microbe interactions, and factors determining their release have been investigated in most of the common forage legumes. However, little is known about the response of flavonoid production and release to co-cultivation with other crop species. This study investigated alterations in the concentration of flavonoids in plant tissues and root exudates in four legumes [alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), black medic (Medicago polymorpha L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)] co-cultivated with durum wheat [ Triticum turgidum subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn.]. For this purpose, we carried out two experiments in a greenhouse, one with glass beads as growth media for root exudate extraction and one with soil as growth media for flavonoid detection in shoot and root biomass, using LC−MS/MS analysis. This study revealed that interspecific competition with wheat negatively affected legume growth and led to a significant reduction in shoot and root biomass compared with the same legume species grown in monoculture. In contrast, the concentration of flavonoids significantly increased both in legume biomass and in root exudates. Changes in flavonoid concentration involved daidzein, genistein, medicarpin, and formononetin, which have been found to be involved in legume nodulation and regulation of plant−plant interaction. We hypothesize that legumes responded to the co-cultivation with wheat by promoting nodulation and increasing exudation of allelopathic compounds, respectively, to compensate for the lack of nutrients caused by the presence of wheat in the cultivation system and to reduce the competitiveness of neighboring plants. Future studies should elucidate the bioactivity of flavonoid compounds in cereal-legume co-cultivation systems and their specific role in the nodulation process and inter-specific plant interactions such as potential effects on weeds

Physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of Chrozophora tinctoria seeds as a new oil source

Chrozophora tinctoria L., usually known as dyer's Croton, Turnsole or Giradol, has been used in various medicinal and food products for many years. However, no comprehensive research has been undertaken to assess its potential as a new seed oil crop. Therefore, the current study examined the fatty acid composition, physico-chemical properties and antioxidant activity of C. tinctoria seeds, grown in the southwest of Iran. The seed oil content was found to be 26.40%. The extracted oil was analyzed for fatty acid composition using gas chromatography (GC). The results showed that unsaturated fatty acids accounted for almost 91% of the total fatty acids. Linoleic acid was the dominant fatty acid (76.68%), followed by oleic acid (13.99%) and palmitic acid (5.32%). δ-tocopherol was the major tocopherol in the oil, representing 70 mg/100 g oil. The total phenolic content (151.70 mg GAE per 100 g oil) and total flavonoid content (1.17 mg QE oil) were also determined in the extracted oil. The antioxidant activity was measured by a DPPH assay and expressed as 45% of the seed oil. Due to its high oil yield and high unsaturated fatty acid content, C. tinctoria could be regarded as a new source of edible oil