Photon Statistics of a Hybrid Quantum Dot-Metal Nanoparticle Cluster

A theoretical study of photon statistics of an optically driven quantum dot located near a metal nanoparticle cluster (composed of one or two nanoparticles) is presented. Considering the system in the weak Rabi frequency regime, an analytical formula for anti-bunching time is derived. Using a photon Green’s function method based on the exact quantization of electromagnetic field in a dissipative medium, the dependence of the anti-bunching time on the geometrical parameters (quantum dot radius and quantum dot distance from the metal nanoparticle) is studied. The results show that these geometrical parameters have pronounced impacts on the photon statistics. Furthermore, our findings reveal that the quantum dot dipole orientation possesses an important role in the quantum dot photon emission.     

Effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain UTPF5 on the mobility,mortality and hatching of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica

The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne spp. includes important plant pathogens worldwide. This study has considered nematode Meloidogyne javanica second stage larvae activity in the extracts of Pseudomonas fluorescens strains UTPF5 and cytotoxic effect of the strain on the nematode. The movement of second stage larvae of nematodes in water agar medium at four concentrations of bacterial extracts and second stage larvae mortality rate of hatching nematode and bacterial strains in vitro were affected. Different concentrates of the strain UTPF5 effect nematode larvae movement and disposal of the same. Bacterial extraction kills almost 100% of the larvae hatching after 24?h and a complete ban on egg hatch of biocontrol nematodes and nematode indicated that root-knot nematode larvae movement on the right attract the bacteria P. fluorescens to extract in the first place.     

Management of soybean oil refinery wastes through recycling them for producing biosurfactant using Pseudomonas aeruginosa MR01

Biosurfactant production through a fermentation process involving the biodegradation of soybean oil refining wastes was studied. Pseudomonas aeruginosa MR01 was able to produce extracellular biosurfactant when it was cultured in three soybean oil refinement wastes; acid oil, deodorizer distillate and soapstock, at different carbon to nitrogen ratios. Subsequent fermentation kinetics in the three types of waste culture were also investigated and compared with kinetic behavior in soybean oil medium. Biodegradation of wastes, biosurfactant production, biomass growth, nitrate consumption and the number of colony forming units were detected in four proposed media, at specified time intervals. Unexpectedly, wastes could stimulate the biodegradation activity of MR01 bacterial cells and thus biosurfactant synthesis beyond that of the refined soybean oil. This is evident from higher yields of biodegradation and production, as revealed in the waste cultures (Y_{deg|(Soybean oil)} = 53.9 % < Y_deg|(wastes) and Y_P/S|(wastes) > Y_{P/S|(Soybean oil)} = 0.31 g g^?1, respectively). Although production yields were approximately the same in the three waste cultures (Y_P/S|(wastes) ? 0.5 g g^?1), microbial activity resulted in higher yields of biodegradation (96.5 ± 1.13 %), maximum specific growth rate (μ _max  = 0.26 ± 0.02 h^?1), and biosurfactant purity (89.6 %) with a productivity of 14.55 ± 1.10 g l^?1, during the bioconversion of soapstock into biosurfactant. Consequently, applying soybean oil soapstock as a substrate for the production of biosurfactant with commercial value has the potential to provide a combination of economical production with environmental protection through the biosynthesis of an environmentally friendly (green) compound and reduction of waste load entering the environment. Moreover, this work inferred spectrophotometry as an easy method to detect rhamnolipids in the biosurfactant products.     

Blood-Borne Hepatitis in Opiate Users in Iran: A Poor Outlook and Urgent Need to Change Nationwide Screening Policy

Objective

Iran has the highest rate of opiate use worldwide. However, most opiate users are not screened for hepatitis virus infections. This study aimed to provide accurate, detailed data on the size of the opiate user population at risk of developing these infections.

Method

This seroprevalence study was conducted in the city of Shiraz, southern Iran. All participants were screened for HBV, HCV and HIV infection. The data were analyzed with SPSS.

Result

Among 569 participants, 233 (40.9%) were injection drug users (IDU), 369 (64.8%) were heterosexual, 84 (14.7%) were bisexual and 15 (2.6%) were homosexual. One hundred nine (19.1%) were HCV antibody-positive, 18 (3.1%) were HBS antigen-positive, 72 (12.6%) were HBc antibody-positive and 23 (4%) were HIV-positive. Among IDU compared to non-IDU, positivity rates for HBS antigen (5.5 vs 1.4%), HBc antibody (22.7 vs 5.6%), HCV antibody (40.3 vs 4.4%) and HIV (7.7 vs 1.4%) were higher (P < 0.05). Most patients with HBV (80.7%) and HCV infection (83.4%) were HIV-negative. In the cumulative analysis, only history of imprisonment was a statistically significant determinant of infection by HCV or HBV in opiate users.

Conclusion

The current policy of screening only HIV-positive drug users for HBV and HCV in Iran misses most cases of HBV and HCV infection. We therefore recommend urgent revision of the nationwide protocol by the Ministry of Health in Iran to implement routine screening of all opiate users and especially IDU for these viruses, regardless of their HIV status.     

Thidiazuron induced efficient in vitro organogenesis and regeneration of Scutellaria bornmuelleri: an important medicinal plant

In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant -     

Genus Pseudonocardia: What we know about its biological properties,abilities and current application in biotechnology

The genus Pseudonocardia belongs to a group of Actinomycetes, and is a member of the family Pseudonocardiacea. The members of this genus are aerobic, Gram-positive, non-motile bacteria that are commonly found in soil, plant and environment. Although this genus has a low clinical significance; however, it has an important role in biotechnology due to the production of secondary metabolites, some of which have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-tumour effects. The use of phenotypic tests, such as gelatinase activity, starch hydrolysis, catalase and oxidase tests, as well as molecular methods, such as polymerase chain reaction, are necessary for Pseudonocardia identification at the genus and species levels.     

Dysfonction érectile d’origine médicamenteuse: effet indésirable sous-estimé en pharmacovigilance

Some drugs can induce erectile dysfunction (priapism or impotence) due to their pharmacological properties. Some adverse effects (ADRs) are only detected after marketing of the drug with a low frequency (unexpected ADRs). Pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiologic studies collect data about real drug use and contribute to a better evaluation of the benefit/risk ratio. Data about cases of erectile dysfunction spontaneously reported to the French Pharmacovigilance system were collected over a 5-year period (2000 to 2004). 39 cases of drug-induced priapism were identified, 25 of which were classified as serious (62.5%), mainly due to anticoagulants (12 cases), psychotropic drugs (8 cases), phosphodiesterase inhibitors (8 cases) and beta-blockers (2 cases). During the same period, 214 cases of impotence either isolated or associated with ejaculation dysfunction were reported, mainly with antiretroviral drugs, fibrates and HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, psychotropic drugs and beta-blockers. Our data indicate that some ADRs, such as erectile dysfunction, are severely under-reported. Spontaneous reporting and pharmacoepidemiologic studies could contribute to a better knowledge of drugs and their rational use.     

Simultaneous determination of sucrose and trehalose in olive leaves by spectrophotometry utilizing partial least squares method

This study deals with the simultaneous determination of sucrose and trehalose in olive leaf samples, with easy sample preparation step, by second derivative UV–Vis spectrophotometry and partial least squares technique. A training set consisting of 31 binary mixture solutions was applied for the construction of PLS model. The proposed procedure was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of both carbohydrates in laboratory prepared mixtures and in real samples. The real samples were from different growth stages of olive plant. The root mean square error of prediction was determined to be 1.95 and 2.06 for sucrose and trehalose, respectively. Also, limit of detection was 0.21 ppm for sucrose and 0.26 ppm for trehalose. The proposed procedure is rapid, simple, and easy to perform which can be used for routine analysis of both carbohydrates in plant leaves.     

Investigation of the FSHR,CYP11, and INSR Mutations and Polymorphisms in Iranian Infertile Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Background:Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of ovarian dysfunction associated with infertility, Oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, hirsutism, acne, and obesity. A large body of evidence unraveled, three major groups of genes play critical roles in underlying PCOS molecular mechanism. The aim of this study is to investigate critical exonic variant of FSHR, CYP11, and INSR and determine the functionality of these mutations in Iranian patients with PCOS.Methods:In this case-control study, 130 patients with PCOS who referred to the Vali-e-Asr Hospital with infertility were included. DNA extracted from three ml of peripheral blood of the participants for DNA extraction. The PCR was conducted for each gene and the PCR product was genotyped by sequencing. Results:The data showed that there were two polymorphisms in INSR genes which did not change the protein sequences; these alterations can also be considered as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Moreover, any exonic variant has not been detected in CYP11B1. Whereas, two missense mutation have been detected in FSHR gene including p.Ala307Thr and p.Asn680Ser. It has been shown that the polymorphisms of the FSHR gene affect the hormone response in the ovaries. Our data demonstrated that the FSHR mutations frequencies were higher in the patients with PCOS rather than control people significantly.Conclusion:These data showed that the polymorphisms of FSHR were significantly associated with PCOS in Iranian infertile women. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to be performed for explore the strength of the association.Key Words: CYP11, FSHR, Infertile, INSR, PCOS, Polymorphisms