BN Nanotube Serving as a Gas Chemical Sensor for N₂O by Parallel Electric Field

Density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the electronic properties of C₂₄, B₁₂N₁₂, B₁₂P₁₂, and (6, 0) BNNT interacted with N₂O molecule in the presence and absence of an external electric field using the B3LYP method and 6-31G** basis set. The adsorption of N₂O from O-side on the surface of (6, 0) BNNT has high sensitivity in comparison with B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage. The adsorption energy of N₂O (O-side) on the sidewalls of B₁₂N₁₂ and BNNT in the presence of an electric field are −21.01 and −15.48 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Our results suggest that in the presence of an electric field, the B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage is the more energetically notable upon the N₂O adsorption than (6, 0) BNNT, C₂₄, and B₁₂P₁₂. Whereas, our results indicate that the electronic property of BNNT is more sensitive to N₂O molecule at the presence of an electric field than B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage. It is anticipated that BNNT could be a favorable gas sensor for the detection of N₂O molecule. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Physics of brain dynamics: Fokker-Planck analysis reveals changes in EEG delta-theta interactions in anaesthesia

We use drift and diffusion coefficients to reveal interactions between different oscillatory processes underlying a complex signal and apply the method to EEG delta and theta frequencies in the brain. By analysis of data recorded from rats during anaesthesia, we consider the stability and basins of attraction of fixed points in the phase portrait of the deterministic part of the retrieved stochastic process. We show that different classes of dynamics are associated with deep and light anaesthesia, and we demonstrate that the predominant directionality of the interaction is such that theta drives delt

Aflatoxin contamination in wheat flour samples from Golestan province, Northeast of Iran

Background: Due to the high toxicity of aflatoxin and its effects on public health, determination of aflatoxin level in Wheat flour samples in the Golestan province, north of Iran was investigated. To examine the effect of seasonal changes, summer and winter sampling was performed with standard sampling methods. Methods: A total of 200 flour samples were collected from 25 factories. HPLC method with immunoaffinity chromatography was used to measure aflatoxin types (G2, G1, B2 and B1). Statistical analysis was performed by the Pearson correlation test, One-way ANOVA and multivariate regression analysis. Results: Mean total aflatoxin levels of samples were 0.82 and 1.99 ng/g in summer and winter, respectively. Aflatoxin B1 levels were detected in 3.1%, 7.4% over permissible limits by worldwide regulations in samples collected in summer and winter, respectively. Aflatoxins in winter were higher than summer. The highest frequency of aflatoxin contamination in winter was B2 (98%) and in summer G1 (51%). The relationship between humidity and rate of aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin was significant in winter. Results of multivariate regression were showed the strongest relationship with humidity and aflatoxin level. Despite the contamination of flour samples, there was no contamination higher than the standard limit of Iran Standard Institute. But it was significantly higher than similar studies from other regions. Conclusions: Therefore, with regard to negative impacts of aflatoxin on health, aflatoxin contamination should be considered in future programs. Decrease of aflatoxin contamination may be made practical through reducing wheat storage duration and controlling humidity

Testicular expression of TDRD1, TDRD5, TDRD9 and TDRD12 in azoospermia.

BACKGROUND: Tudor domain-containing proteins (TDRDs) play a critical role in piRNA biogenesis and germ cell development. piRNAs, small regulatory RNAs, act by silencing of transposons during germline development and it has recently been shown in animal model studies that defects in TDRD genes can lead to sterility in males. METHODS: Here we evaluate gene and protein expression levels of four key TDRDs (TDRD1, TDRD5, TDRD9 and TDRD12) in testicular biopsy samples obtained from men with obstructive azoospermia (OA, n = 29), as controls, and various types of non-obstructive azoospermia containing hypospermatogenesis (HP, 28), maturation arrest (MA, n = 30), and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS, n = 32) as cases. One-way ANOVA test followed by Dunnett's multiple comparison post-test was used to determine inter-group differences in TDRD gene expression among cases and controls. RESULTS: The results showed very low expression of TDRD genes in SCOS specimens. Also, the expression of TDRD1 and TDRD9 genes were lower in MA samples compared to OA samples. The expression of TDRD5 significantly reduced in SCOS, MA and HP specimens than the OA specimens. Indeed, TDRD12 exhibited a very low expression in HP specimens in comparison to OA specimens. All these results were confirmed by Western blot technique. CONCLUSION: TDRDs could be very important in male infertility, which should be express in certain stages of spermatogenesis

Knowledge of Mothers in Management of Diarrhea in Under-Five Children, in Kashan, Iran

Background: Diarrhea has been considered as a major cause of mortality in children aged less than five years old. Most of these deaths are due to dehydration and mis management or delayed management of the disease. Most of the diarrhea episodes are treated in the home by mothers. Therefore the mothers’ knowledge in management of diarrhea is likely related to its mortality and morbidity. Objectives: This study designed to evaluate the knowledge of the mothers with children under five years old about diarrhea and its management and to identify the relation of the knowledge content with some demographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 430 mothers who had at least one child aged below five years old were selected by cluster sampling. The mothers were asked to complete the 22 items questionnaire designed to evaluate their knowledge of diarrhea. Some demographic characteristics such as age, number of children, education of the mother and her spouse and the source of knowledge also were recorded. Subsequently, the data analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Results: Most of the mothers were 25-30 years old (43.8%). Slightly more than half (55.6%) had just one child. The health center, educational programs and the personal reading were the main sources of the knowledge about the treatment (43.7%). Twenty eight point eight percent of the mothers had a good knowledge in diarrhea diagnosis and its treatment, while the 46.5% had medium and 24.7% suffered low knowledge. The knowledge of the mothers had significant relationship with the age of the mother, education of the father, number of children, occupation of the mother, and the source of the knowledge. Conclusions: The mothers studied in this research had inadequate knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of diarrhea. The educational programs must be an essential part of the health centers programs

Replacement of dietary fish meal with plant sources in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss); effect on growth performance, immune responses, blood indices and disease resistance

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of replacing fish meal with plant sources on growth performance, immune responses, hematological parameters and disease resistance in rainbow trout. In this study, mean of initial body weight of fish was 15±2 g and the experiment was carried out for a period of 60 days. Four experimental diets were formulated to replace 0, 40, 70 and 100% fish meal with plant protein sources (wheat gluten, corn gluten and soybean meal). According to results, higher plant protein inclusions (70 and 100%) resulted in undesirable effects on growth, nutritional indices, serum total immunoglobulin and alternative complement activity (P 0.05). Furthermore, replacement of fish meal with plant sources in all treatments had no significant effects on blood parameters (hematocrit, hemoglobin, white blood cells, hetrophil and lymphocytes count). Finally, no significant differences were observed in fish mortality after 15 days of challenges with Yersinia ruckeri among treatments (P > 0.05)

Ethnopharmacology of Medicinal Plants in the Southwest of Mond Mountain

Background: Ethnopharmacology has been seen as a multidisciplinary approach for novel drug discovery by providing valuable data about medicinal plants in different cultures. The aim of this ethnopharmacological study was to identify medicinal plants in the Southwest of Mond Mountain in the North of Persian Gulf. Materials and Methods: The medical uses of medicinal plants were gathered from 20 local informants by face to face interviews. The relative frequency of citation (FRC) and cultural importance (CI) indices were calculated. Results: A total of 116 medicinal plants belonging to 65 families were identified. Zataria multiflora, Achillea eriophora DC, Foeniculum vulgare, Teucrium polium, Haplophyllum tuberculatum, Cuminum cyminum, Plantago psyllium, Nigella sativa and Aleo vera had the highest cultural importance indices. Zataria multiflora, Foeniculum vulgare, Nigella sativa, Cuminum cyminum, and Achillea eriophora DC had the highest FRC indices. The highest medical uses were for gastrointestinal diseases, gynecological diseases, metabolic disorders, respiratory disorders and infectious diseases, respectively. Conclusion: There is a vast variety of medicinal plants in the Southwest of Mond Mountain. Although most of therapeutic applications of these plants in this region are the same as Iran’s traditional medicine, but the people in the Southwest of Mond Mountain use some of these plants for some diseases which are unique for this region. For example, the native people of this region used Zataria multiflora, Achillea eriophora DC, Foeniculum vulgare and Haplophyllum tuberculatum for abdominal pain, Nigella sativa for postpartum complications, Aleo vera for hyperlipidemia, Plantago psyllium for drainage of abscesses, Haplophyllum tuberculatum for infectious diseases and muscular pain and Foeniculum vulgare for jaundice.Thus, investigation about these plants should be initiated to discover novel drugs for clinical applications

Development and validation of a metacognitive-cognitive-behavioral model for explaining trichotillomania

Background & Aims: Trichotillomania (TTM) is an unknown disorder and resistant to treatment. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the new metacognitive-cognitive-behavioral model for trichotillomania. Methods: The present study was a description and correlation study. In this study, 635 participants (304 male and 331 female) were selected. The participants completed the Massachusetts general hospital hair pulling scale (MGH-HPS), dysfunctional attitude scale (DAS), cognitive distortion scale (CDS), automatic thought questionnaire (ATQ), metacognition questionnaire (MCQ), and the obsessive-compulsive behavior scale (OCBS). For reliability assessment of the factor structure of the metacognitive-cognitive-behavioral model, the structural equation modeling analysis was used by AMOS software. Results: The results of the structural equation modeling supported a metacognitive-cognitive-behavioral model for trichotillomania. Moreover, the results showed that the model had the best fit to the data and was closely related to the theoretical assumptions. Conclusion: The model presented in this study illustrates a multidimensional approach that focuses on the metacognitive, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions; hence, the model presented in this study is a new explanatory model. This model may prompt future research into trichotillomania and facilitate clinical treatment and case formulation. © 2014, Kerman University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Cloning, expression and purification of pwo polymerase from pyrococcus woesei

Background and objectives: Pyrococcus woesei is a hyperthermophilic archaea and produces a heat stable polymerase (Pwo polymerase) that has proofreading activity. Materials and Methods: In this study, this microorganism was cultured, its DNA was extracted and the pwo gene polymerase was cloned, expressed and purified. The DNA sequence of the cloned gene was verified by sequencing. The pwo polymerase gene consists of 2,328 bps (775 amino acids with about 90 kD molecular weight). Cloning was done by GATEWAY TM Cloning System and for purification of recombinant protein; His6x-Tag was added to the C-terminus of the recombinant protein. Results and Conclusion: We could purify Pwo polymerase enzyme by Ni-NTA resin. PCR assay showed that Pwo polymerase activity is comparable to a commercial Pfu polymerase activity