A simple proof of a theorem on (2n)-weak amenability

A simple proof of (2n)-weak amenability of the triangular Banach algebra T= [(A A) (0 A)] is given where A is a unital C*-algebra.Comment: 4 page

Insecticidal activity of nanoencapsulated formulation of Artemisia sieberi Besser essential oil on Xanthogaleruca luteola (Müller) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

New formulations of botanical insecticides have been developed as an effective and safe compound alternative to synthetic pesticides. Application of nanoencapsulated formulations of pesticides enhance efficiency, quality and controlled release of these substances. In this research, insecticidal activity of essential oil of wormwood sagebrush Artemisia sieberi Besser was investigated on various stages of elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola (Müller). The experiments were conducted at 25 ± 2 °C, 65 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 16: 8 h (L: D). The formulated essential oil was sprayed on leaves and insects simultaneously. The LC50 value of the formulation was 5279, 3939 and 5169 ppm for eggs, larvae and adults, respectively. Treatment of leaves by nanoencapsulated oil at 3000 ppm caused significant reduction at larval stage compared to control. Our findings suggest that the use of nanoencapsulated essential oil can be effective in the management of elm leaf beetle

Efficacy of nanoencapsulated formulation of essential oil from Carum copticum seeds on feeding behavior of Plutella xylostella (Lep.: Plutellidae)

In order to increase the efficiency of essential oils, the use of formulations with controlled release of the oil encapsulated in micro- and nano-scales would be the best option. In this research, the antifeedant activity of nanoencapsulated essential oil of Carum copticum C. B. Clarke was investigated on Plutella xylostella (L.) larvae. To determine the nutritional indices of the larvae affected by the formulated essential oil, weight of ingested food, larval biomass and weight of feces produced were recorded daily for three days. The experiments were conducted at 27 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5% RH and photoperiod of 16: 8 h light: dark. Results indicated a significant decrease in nutritional indices such as relative consumption rate, relative growth rate, efficacy of conversion of ingested food and efficacy of conversion of digested food as concentration of the oil increased. Moreover, digestibility was decreased significantly, 72 h after feeding. However, feeding deterrence index was not significantly increased as compared with control. The finding led to a conclusion that nanoencapsulated oil has potential to control release of the essential oils and increase in post-ingestive toxicity of the insect

Purposes of Using Information by Iranian and Indian Social Science Faculty Members: A Comparative Study

The present study aims at comparing purposes of using information by Iranian and Indian Social Science Faculty Members. Totally, 487 respondents (232 from Iran and 255 from India) were randomly selected from both countries. A questionnaire measuring extent of usage for various purposes—to prepare for teaching, to carry out research, to write research proposal, to design and develop research tools, to write articles/books, to deliver special lectures, to plan program /activity, to evolve innovative techniques, to crystallize broad and vague assertions, to maintain professional competence and self- improvement—was prepared by the investigator and administered to the sample selected.  Contingency coefficient analysis was employed to verify the hypothesis. Results revealed that teaching and research as purposes of using information were higher for Iranian faculty members than Indian faculty members. In development of research tools, writing articles/books and delivering special lectures, again Iranian faculty members used much more information.  To get clarity also Iranian faculty members used more information than Indian faculty members.  It is suggested that in India more facilities should be provided to increase the information usage for various purposes

Temperature-dependent parasitism in Trichogramma brassicae (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae), modeling finite parasitism rate

Parasitism rate of Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko at laboratory conditions with six constant temperatures of 15, 20, 25, 30, 32 and 35 ± 1 °C, relative humidity of 65 ± 5% and a light period of 16 h. was evaluated on the eggs of gelechiid moth Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier). Parasitism rate of T. brassicae was significantly affected by different temperatures. The highest (40.257 hosts) and the lowest (3.731 hosts) values of net parasitism rate (C0) was obtained at 32 and 15 °C, respectively. The transformation rate of host population to parasitoid offspring (Qp) was equal to 1 at all temperatures. The values of stable parasitism rate (ψ) increased from 0.074 to 0.451 (host/parasitoid) with increasing temperature from 15 to 30 °C, but the values for this parameter at 32 and 35 °C significantly decreased. The highest recorded value for finite parasitism rate (ω) was obtained at 30 °C (0.654 day-1). The temperature thresholds for finite parasitism rate of T. brassicae were estimated by nonlinear models of Briere-1 and Lactin-2. The Lactin-2 better fitted the related data (SSE = 0.004833, R2adj = 0.977, AIC = -38.7438). The obtained values for the lower temperature threshold (Tmin), optimum temperature (Topt) and upper temperature threshold (Tmax) of parasitism activity of this parasitoid were 13.20, 31.20 and 35.40 °C, respectively

Effects of nanoencapsulated formulation of Cuminum cyminum essential oil on Panonychus citri (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Citrus red mite, Panonychus citri McGregor is one of the most important pests of citrus orchards in the world. Due to excessive use of chemical pesticides and development of resistance plus their increasing environmental hazards, the use of essential oils has been highly studied. But the low solubility of essential oils in water, oxidation, in addition to their instability in presence of light, humidity and high temperature has diminished their application. Formulation technology is one of the main strategies that can modify the physical properties and the viability of the essential oils in agricultural pest management programs. In this research, the essential oil of Cuminum cyminum L. was encapsulated by in situ polymerization of oil/water emulsion in nano scale and then the effects of nanoencapsulated essential oil (NEO) were analyzed against P. citri. The results showed that LC50 of NEO's contact toxicity was 743.17 ppm over 24 hours. NEO also affected mortality and decreased oviposition rate in P. citri. NEO had deterrence capacity at 300, 500 and 700 ppm. Moreover, NOE had oviposition deterrence, lowering the number of eggs per female compared to the control. Our finding suggests that high-tech formulations including nanoencapsulation technology can be used as botanical pesticides and as alternatives to chemical pesticides

Discrepancy of target sites between clinician and cytopathological reports in head neck fine needle aspiration: Did I miss the target or did the clinician mistake the organ site?

The diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of head and neck lesions is relatively high, but cytologic interpretation might be confusing if the sample is lacking typical cytologic features according to labeled site by physician. These errors may have an impact on pathology search engines, healthcare costs or even adverse outcomes. The cytology archive database of multiple institutions in southern Iran and Australia covering the period 2001–2011, were searched using keywords: salivary gland, head, neck, FNAC, and cytology. All the extracted reports were reviewed. The reports which showed discordance between the clinician’s impression of the organ involved and subsequent fine needle biopsy request, and the eventual cytological diagnosis were selected. The cytological diagnosis was confirmed by histology or cell block, with assistance from imaging, clinical outcome, physical examination, molecular studies, or microbiological culture. The total number of 10,200 head and neck superficial FNAC were included in the study, from which 48 cases showed discordance between the clinicians request and the actual site of pathology. Apart from the histopathology, the imaging, clinical history, physical examination, immunohistochemical study, microbiologic culture and molecular testing helped to finalize the target organ of pathology in 23, 6, 7, 8, 2, and 1 cases respectively. The commonest discrepancies were for FNAC of “salivary gland” [total: 20 with actual final pathology in: bone (7), soft tissue (5), lymph node (3), odontogenic (3) and skin (2)], “lymph node” [total: 12 with final pathology in: soft tissue (3), skin (3), bone (1) and brain (1)], “soft tissue” [total: 11 with final pathology in: bone (5), skin (2), salivary gland (1), and ocular region (1)] and “skin” [total: 5 with final pathology in: lymph node (2), bone (1), soft tissue (1) and salivary gland (1)]. The primary physician requesting FNAC of head and neck lesions are incorrect in their clinical impression of the actual site in nearly 0.5 percent of cases, due to the overlapping clinical and imaging findings or possibly due to inadequate history taking or physical examination

Učestalost kukca Oestrus ovis u koza u Shirazu u Južnom Iranu.

One thousand nine hundred and ninety eight heads obtained from goats slaughtered at the Fars abattoir (Shiraz, South Iran) between April 2006 and April 2007 were examined for the presence of Oestrus ovis larvae. Of the 1998 heads, 261 (13.1%) were infested with O. ovis larvae. O. ovis larvae were observed in both sexes and all age groups in each season of the year. A total of 1356 larvae were collected. The overall larval intensity for the infested goats was 5.2, with 3.2 in spring, 3.8 in summer, 4.6 in autumn and 6.8 in winter. Prevalence ranged from 6.6% in spring to 17.9% in winter. Increased infestation was observed in older animals.Ukupno je pregledano 1998 glava koza zaklanih u klaonicama Fars (Shiraz, Južni Iran) u razdoblju od travnja 2006. do tavnja 2007. Ličinke kukca Oestrus ovis bile su dokazane u 261 (13,1%) životinje bez obzira na spol i dob. Ukupno je bilo sakupljeno 1356 ličinki. Prosječna jačina invazije iznosila je 5,2 ličinke s time da su prosječno 3,2 ličinke dokazane u proljeće, 3,8 ljeti, 4,6 u jesen i 6,8 ličinki zimi. Učestalost se kretala od 6,6% u proljeće do 17,9% zimi. Veća učestalost bila je dokazana u starijih životinja

Reliability of center of pressure measures of postural stability in patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injury

The aim of this study was to estimate the test-retest reliability of some commonly used center of pressure measures in postural control investigations of sport injuries under the diverse stressful postural conditions. Twelve patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury were evaluated on two separate sessions. The center of pressure was recorded from force platform and the following measures were calculated (1) standard deviation of amplitude (2) mean velocity (3) standard deviation of velocity (4) phase plane parameters and (5) area (95 confidence ellipse). Relative and absolute reliability was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient and coefficient of variation, respectively. Mean velocity and total phase plane parameters were the most reliable measures having high to very high correlation across all postural conditions. The mean and range of intra-class correlation coefficient for mean velocity and total phase plane parameters were 0.88 (range: 0.80 to 0.96) and 0.81 (range: 0.71 to 0.88), respectively. Interestingly, pattern of the coefficient of variation values was, to a great extent, consistent with the intra-class correlation coefficients. Therefore, mean velocity and total phase plane parameters may be sensitive center of pressure measures to differentiate balance between Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injured patients and to evaluate the effect of a rehabilitation program in this population. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information