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Flood spreading stations were constructed in Iran with different objectives such as groundwater recharge and vegetation recovery. Accumulation of sediment can be a major problem in flood spreading stations. According to generally accepted theories, floods and salt pollution can reduce gradually the infiltration rate. In order to investigate this issue, 13 flood spreading stations were selected across the country and infiltration rate changes were monitored over five years in the flood spreading areas. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the abnormally distributed data. Based on the soil properties of the spreading stations, stations were first classified into three groups separately by cluster analysis; next, studies were conducted in three separate groups. Results in stations group 1 showed that, in the first year, the infiltration rate among spreading lines was not significantly different, but data for the second year showed a significant difference at α = 0.05. For stations group 2, in the third year, the difference in the infiltration rate was significant at α = 0.05. In addition, changes in the infiltration rate were significant at α = 0.05 in stations groups 1 and 2 in the second spreading line. For stations group 3, significant changes among lines have been detected. Results also showed that changes in the infiltration rate in different years were somewhat different among the three groups of stations. Although infiltration rate changes were low, there was a general decreasing trend.

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Aim: Anxiety is a bad and frustrating feeling that causes disturbance in professional, social and educational performance of students, especially those who are living in dormitories. Yoga as an anti-anxiety activity has been practiced in anxiety reduction. To assess the efficacy of yoga in reducing anxiety in students, who live in dormitory.
Methods: Totally, 120 students who lived in dormitory were selected. Students were randomly assigned to two groups and students in case group received ten 60- min yoga sessions. In this descriptive-analytic study, Ketel anxiety questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed via X2, Fisher, and Variance analysis using spss.16. Findings: According to the results of this study, yoga had significant effect on reducing students’ anxiety. Before intervention, there was no significant difference between students' anxiety level in control and experimental groups (p-value: 0.139). However, after intervention, there was a significant difference between students' anxiety level in control and experimental groups (p-value <0.01).
Conclusion: Considering the significant efficiency of yoga in reducing students' anxiety, representatives and those who are responsible should pay attention to yoga more than before.

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Flood water contains high amount of sediment affecting the fertility of the coarse grain alluvial fans and flood plains through increasing nutrients. In this study, the effects of the flood water spreading on the soil nutrients recovery were investigated during 10 years (2004-2014) at the Poldasht Flood Spreading Station of West Azarbaijan in Iran. Flooded three upper strips were selected at the flood spreading system. Three composite samples resulted from mixing four samples, in each strip were taken from 0-30 cm depth. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), exchangeable phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were determined at the laboratory. To statistically analyze the data, t-test, in case of normal distribution, and otherwise non-parametric test of Kruskal Wallis were used. Results showed that the amount of SOC and TN increased from 0.23 to 0.33% and 0.027 to 0.039%, respectively. Noticeably, SOC, TN and P contents in the upper strips were significantly more than in the lower bands (p≤ 0.05). In addition, exchangeable P and K were significantly increased (p≤0.05) from 2.69 to 5.32 and 145.93 to 206.52 ppm, respectively, but there was no significant change in (p≤0.05) K content. These results also showed that flood water spreading increased the soil nutrients which may reduce the fertilizer requirement.

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The effect of two insecticides, imidacloprid and pyriproxyfen, were investigated on some biological parameters of ladybird beetle Menochilus sexmaculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) under laboratory condition. Theladybird beetle were exposed to insecticides by ingestion of the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) (prey). For imidacloprid, maximum field recommended concentration (MFRC) (1/1 MFRC = 140 ppm), 1/2 and 1/4 MFRC were tested. For pyriproxyfen dilutions of 1/1 MFRC (50 ppm), 2/1 and 1/2 MFRC were used after 24 h. The 100% mortality was observed with imidacloprid in all tested concentrations, whereas no mortality was observed by pyriproxyfen even at the highest concentration (2/1 MFRC). Because of the high mortality observed with imidacloprid, lower concentrations of 1/10, 1/20 and 1/40 MFRC were tested and all predators were killed 3, 7 and 10 days after treatment, respectively. At 1/100 MFRC, no eggs were laid but prey consumption was continued for two weeks. At 1/1 and 2/1 MFRC of pyriproxyfen, ingestion of prey was reduced by 18% and 23%, respectively. At 1/1 and 1/2 MFRC of pyriproxyfen, fecundity and fertility of the coccinellid predator was decreased to 43% and 24.5%, respectively. Imidacloprid at 1/100 MFRC caused significant reduction on fecundity but had no detrimental effect on fertility of the produced eggs. Therefore, unlike the pyriproxyfen that had not acute toxicity, the imidacloprid was extremely toxic to coccinellid at MFRC. However, pyriproxyfen was able to affect on feeding ratio and reproduction of M. sexmaculatus.

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Aims: Tightness of the hamstrings and hip flexors are two well-known disorders in people with Low Back Pain (LBP). According to the kinesiopathological model, these two disorders may have occurred before the onset of pain and may be predisposing factors for LBP. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the tightness of these two muscles in men who were identified as prone to LBP through the Prolonged Standing Protocol (PSP).
Methods and Materials: This study was a descriptive comparative cross-sectional study in which the statistical population included men prone to LBP aged between 18 to 75 years. The criterion for identifying men prone to LBP was reporting at least 10 mm of pain on a 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Thomas test was used to assess hip flexors muscles length. Straight Leg Raise (SLR) test was used to assess hamstring length.
Findings: The results of this study showed that hamstring tightness rate among men prone to LBP was 63% and hip flexor muscle tightness in this group was 35%. According to these results, hamstring tightness can be considered as a common disorder in men prone to LBP, and its identification as well as its correction in men can be one of the ways to LBP improvement.
Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be explained that hamstring tightness is one of the most common disorders in men prone to LBP, and its identifying and correcting in time, can prevent and improve LBP.

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Objective: Alpha-thalassemia is one of the most prevalent hemoglobin disorders in the world and it is a common hereditary condition caused by deletion of one or more α-globin genes. Common α-thalassemia deletions like 3.7 kb, 4.2 kb, 20.5 kb and Med can be detected by Multiplex PCR. There are, however, some unknown deletions that can not be detected by the mentioned method or even by direct DNA sequencing. In the present study, Real-time PCR was used to determine the presence or absence of unknown deletions. Materials and Methods: Real-time PCR was performed using intercalating dye SYBR Green I and α1, α2 and CLCN7 genes were amplified. Data analysis was conducted using comparative threshold method (ΔΔCT) for determination of Gene dosage of α1-globin and α2-globin genes. Results: The results showed the ratio of 0.90±0.16 for normal individuals and the ratio of 0.32±0.15 for carrier samples with deletions. In addition, Melting curve analysis confirmed the specific amplification of target genes. Conclusion: The Real-time PCR assay is simple, rapid, and reliable. It can be applied for direct determination of unknown deletions in Alpha-thalassemia carriers.

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Runoff estimation is one of the main challenges encountered in water and watershed management. Spatial and temporal changes of factors which influence runoff due to het-erogeneity of the basins explain the complicacy of relations. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is one of the intelligence techniques which is flexible and doesn’t call for any much physically complex processes. These networks can recognize the relation between input and output. In this study ANN model was employed for runoff estimation in Plaszjan Riv-er basin in the central part of Iran. The models used are Multiple Perceptron (MLP) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). Inputs include data obtained from 5 rain gauges as well as from 2 temperature recording gauges, the output of the model being the monthly flow in Eskandari Hydrometric Station. Preprocessing of the data as well as the sensitivity analysis of the model were carried out. Different topologies of Neural Networks were cre-ated with change in input layers, nodes as well as in the hidden layer. The best architec-ture was found as 7.4.1. Recurrent Neural Network led to better results than Multilayer Perceptron Network. Also results indicated that ANN is an appropriate technique for monthly runoff estimation in the selected basin with these networks being also of the ca-pability to show basin response to rainfall events.

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The soil erodibility factor varies spatially according to variations of some soil properties on the surface. This study was carried out to compare spatial variability of the soil erodibility factor as estimated and measured using the USLE. The study was conducted in an agricultural zone with an area of in 900 km2 in Hashtrood, northwestern Iran. In the study area, 36 square grids with a dimension of 5 km were considered. In each grid, three unit plots were installed on the southern aspect with a slope of 9%. The soil erodibility factor was estimated using the USLE nomograph and measured as mean rate of soil loss from the unit plots per unit rainfall erosivity factor on an annual basis. The results indicated that the difference between the measured and estimated soil erodibility factor was significant (P 0.001) and correlation between the two was very poor with r2= 0.21. The spherical simulations were the best models to explain spatial variations of both the estimated and measured erodibility factors. The effective range of the spatial variations of the measured soil erodibility factor (2.43 km) was smaller than that in the estimated value (11.51 km). There was a considerable difference in the effective range (P 0.001) of spatial variations between the estimated and measured soil erodibility factor on the study area. The map of the proportion of the estimated values to measured values of the soil erodibility factor was nearly uniform (between 7.4 and 9.6) on the study area. The study indicated that use of the USLE nomograph would considerably lead to over-estimation of the soil erodibility in the entire the study area.

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Objective: In this study, the possibility of prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome with Real-Time PCR method was evaluated. In this context, optimization of a suitable method for purification of high quality DNA from amniotic fluid samples was also considered. Materials and Methods: Pregnant women who had the high risk of having babies with Down syndrome were selected according to the biochemical and sonographic data and referred to the amniocentesis center. The DNA of total 59 amniotic fluid samples were extracted with different methods including boiling method, salting out method, Procedures of DNA extraction from Blood and Cell Culture by DNPTM Kit (CinnaGen), Procedure of DNA extraction from cells by DNA Isolation Kit for cells and tissues (Roche), Procedure of DNA extraction from Tissue by MagNa Pure DNA Isolation kit (Roche), and QIAamp DNA Micro Kit (Qiagen). Then, the quality and quantity of the extracted DNA were evaluated by the NanoDrop® ND- 1000 spectrophotometer device. Real-Time PCR reaction using fluorescent dye SYBR Green I (Applied Biosystems, UK) was performed to specifically amplify DSCAM and DYRK1A2 genes and the reference gene (PMP22). Data analysis was performed using comparative cycle threshold method for the determination of the gene dosage and determining the number of copies of chromosome 21. Results: This study showed that DNA extracted from amniotic fluid samples using QIAamp DNA Micro Kit (Qiagen) has the desirable quantity and quality for Real-Time PCR. Specific proliferation of targets and reference genes was achieved and difference between normal and affected groups based on differences between their gene dosages was determined. Conclusion: Prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome is feasible by the Real-Time PCR method using DNA samples from amniotic fluid cells extracted by QIAamp DNA Micro Kit (Qiagen). The results are comparable to the corresponding results from conventional cytogenetic methods.

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In recent years, the concept of innovation ecosystems has become commonplace for understanding the process of creating shared value. On the other hand, due to the importance of radical innovations in creating a unique defense capability and evolving of these innovations in a network of different actors, the need for an ecosystem view is felt more. In this research, with a qualitative approach and in the form of a multi grounded theory strategy, using latent content analysis tactics and semi structured interviews, a framework for radical innovators in the Iranian defense sector has been introduced. The interviewees were selected from senior managers in the field of defense innovation by snowball sampling method and the researcher saturated the data after 28 interviews. Findings showed that the components of radical innovations ecosystem include actors, capital, infrastructure, regulations, knowledge, ideas, commonalities and communication channels, culture, and structural principles.
 

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Grape trunk diseases are critical problems for grapes from the time of planting to the harvest stage. Grapes are susceptible to 29 fungal diseases due to their perennial woody trunk, so identifying and managing them is crucial. Among the methods of controlling these diseases, feeding with mineral fertilizers to reduce leaf symptoms resulting from the toxic secretions of fungi living in the woody part of the tree is of great importance. To manage these diseases, a mixture of fertilizers including calcium chloride CaCl₂, 466 g, magnesium nitrate Mg(NO₃)₂, 403 g, seaweed extract (75 ml) and sterile distilled water 466 ml per liter of foliar spraying on the selected treatments in Sohrabi’s garden were used once every 20 days. Guaiacol peroxidase, catalase and leaf area index were measured in Sohrabi’s garden during 2017 and 2018 and were compared with the control. In the treatments sprayed with the fertilizers, the average amount of guaiacol peroxidase enzyme was 12.72 µl compared to the control (10.6 µl) and the average amount of catalase enzyme was 83.68 µl compared to the control (31.85 µl). The average size of the leaf area in the foliar treatments in Sohrabi’s garden was 11564 mm², compared to the control that was 4959 mm². The severity of the disease in the sprayed treatments (19.95 %) was lower than the control (56.6 %). These results are due to the increase in the leaf surface, which increases the amount of photosynthesis, and the increase in guaiacol peroxidase and catalase, which reduce the oxidative stress resulting from fungal secretions, which resulted in decreasing symptoms in foliar treatments.

 

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Yoghurt ice cream (YIC) or frozen yoghurt dessert can be regarded as a healthy alternative to plain ice cream. Also use of soy derived products in food formulations can lead to the development of products of improved nutritional and health promoting values. Yoghurt ice cream was prepared using full-fat soy flour to substitute 55% of non fat dry milk content. Product formulation comprised of 12% SNF, 10% fat, 18% sucrose, 0.4% stabilizer-emulsifier and 0.1% vanillin. The effect of incorporating yoghurt at the rate of 5.3%,15.9%, 26.5%, 37.1% and 47.7% of the total ice cream mix on the flow behavior, physico-chemical and sensory properties of Yoghurt Ice Cream was evaluated as compared with control, devoid of any yoghurt. The mixes all showed pseudoplastic flow behavior, with the viscosity increasing from 0.7 to 1.57 pa s when the yoghurt content increased from 0 to 47.7%. Higher contents of yoghurt in the mixes significantly improved the melting rate of the yoghurt ice cream where the minimum melting rate (16%) was obtained for the sample of 47.7% yoghurt content. The highest overrun value of 58% was obtained for the sample containing 15.9% yoghurt. However the specific gravity of the product decreased with increasing yoghurt content with the highest specific gravity of 1.108 being recorded for control. In the light of these findings, it can be concluded that yoghurt ice cream, containing full fat soy flour, can be successfully made by incorporating 25.6% yoghurt in the mix with the end product maintaining its acceptable sensory characteristics.

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Objective: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Cisplatin is a traditional cancer drug commonly used in chemotherapy for killing cancer cells. Modulation at the mRNA levels of apoptotic related genes often correlate with the sensitivity of various types of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems are being developed to effectively deliver smaller doses of chemotherapeutic agents and control drug distribution in the body. In this study, we evaluate the expressions of BCL2 and BAX genes in T47D treated with cisplatin and cisplatin nanoparticles, which can result in a new approach to breast cancer therapy. Methods: In this study, we treated T47D cells with different concentrations of cisplatin and cisplatin nanoparticles at 48 h. The IC50 was determined. We extracted RNA by using RNX solution, after which cDNA was synthesized. The precise primers for the BCL2, BAX and TBP genes were designed by specific software. The quantity of BCL2 and BAX gene expression compared to TBP gene (reference gene) was analyzed using real-time PCR.  Results: BCL2 and BAX gene expression levels in T47D cells treated by cisplatin were 0.7 (BCL2) and 1.48 (BAX); in T47D cells treated with cisplatin-loaded nanoparticles, the gene expressions were 0.03 (BCL2) and 2.41 (BAX). Conclusion: In this study, the results have shown that cisplatin-loaded nanoparticles are effective anticancer agents. Cisplatin nanoparticles induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines. We have shown that cisplatin nanoparticles strongly increased cytotoxicity in comparison to the free drug in the T47D cell line.

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Current interests towards lowering fat content in food products and producing healthier and safer foods, have convinced ice cream manufacturers to substitute milk fat in ice cream with either carbohydrate or protein based fat replacers. In the present work, reduced-fat ice cream (5% fat) was produced using milk protein concentrate (65%) and inulin as fat replacers (0, 2 and 4%) as well as two types of commercial stabilizer-emulsifier blends (Stab-IC80 and Stab-6924) at levels of 0.3 and 0.4%. Rheological, physicochemical and sensory properties of ice cream mix and final ice cream were evaluated. All the mixes were pseudoplastic fluids with apparent viscosity values decreasing with increasing shear rate. Mix viscosity and consistency coefficient increased while flow behaviour index decreasing by use of MPC (Milk Protein Concentrate) and inulin and as well with an increase in either type of stabilizer level. Ice cream hardness was not affected by type and amount of fat replacer and stabilizer but overrun values decreased with increasing MPC, inulin and stabilizers’ level in the product formulation. In general, samples containing Stab-IC80 had greater values of overrun and melting resistance than samples with Stab-6924. According to panel test results, the highest score for sensory evaluation was given to sample containing 2% inulin.

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Oil well perforators (OWP) are explosive devices that are used in drilling industries of oil and gas wells to access the reservoir and increase the wells efficiency. Oil well perforators performance is measured by the depth of penetration that can cause, for this reason depth as the main parameter must be examined. In this article, a complete report of numerical simulation and performance optimization of these devices, which are indeed small sizes shaped charges, is presented. To do this, the multi-material eulerian and the lagrangian methods are used for simulation of the jet formation and its penetration into underground rock processes, respectively. For solving the problem of large deformation elements in lagrangian method, erosion criterion elements were used. Because the results of jet formation and penetration Process heavily influenced by the density of the mesh, In this study mesh sensitivity were examined.. Described simulation, is validated by the use of reliable results of some references and then, a new charge geometry is suggested which resolves the inhomogeneities in the distribution velocity of the tail and increases the effective length of jet in the penetration process.

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Objective: Prostate cancer is the fifth most common cancer. In 2012, it was the second leading cause of cancer death for men worldwide. The PI3K/AKT pathway plays an essential role in pathogenesis of prostate cancer; the key role of this pathway in cancer progression makes it an attractive target for prostate cancer therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate gene expression have a special ability to simultaneously control multiple genes and pathways which make them candidates for therapeutics. This study aims to determine miRNAs which target the PI3K/AKT pathway and evaluate them in prostate cancer cell lines. Methods: In order to determine an effective miRNA for the PI3K/AKT pathway, we assessed six genes from this pathway which have been proposed as drug targets in ten different prediction algorithms. Next, the candidate miRNAs were analyzed in expression profile and pathway analysis databases. Expression of candidate miRNAs in control and prostate cancer cell lines were subsequently evaluated. Results: According to bioinformatics, the miR-29 family could target the most genes from this list. Other bioinformatic estimates confirmed these results. The miR-29 family showed significant downregulation in prostate cancer cell lines LNCAP, PC3 and DU-145 compared to control samples. Conclusion: These results propose the possibility of using the miR-29 family to inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway in prostate cancer.

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One of the main issues associated with application of laminated composites in industrial applications is their brittle-type behavior under impact loading. The low velocity impact may lead to crucial internal damages without being detectable by visual inspection and can significantly reduce the strength of laminated composites. The main purpose of this research is to characterize the damage mechanisms in laminated composites under low velocity impact tests. For this purpose, a quasi-static test was first utilized out to achieve initial information about impact tests. Low velocity impact tests were then employed for unidirectional glass/epoxy composite specimens, and Acoustic Emission (AE) signals were acquired during impact events. Next, AE signals were examined using wavelet approach to discriminate released energy related to each distinct damage mechanism. Besides, a method was obtained to estimate threshold impact energy from the quasi-static test, beyond which damage meaningfully extends. As a final point, the AE based approach using wavelet transform methodology was suggested to forecast the total damage area. Finally, it was figured out that this AE method can be a reliable approach in damage evaluation under impact loads in composite structures.