伊朗法尔斯省Poshtband地区植物的生活型和地理分布

在Postband地区(27°58′4″-28°2′16″N,53°17′34″-53°22′30″E),辨别植物种、植物多样性、生活型及地中海气候、Irano-Torunian和撒哈拉-新店相关植物种。2008年6月至2006年12月间,调查和辨认了29个科,69个属,总计95个种。就物种频度而言,菊科和禾本科是重要的科。按照Raunkiaer's生活型谱系统和利用■2检测,生活型谱表明,年生植物、地面芽植物、高位芽植物、地上芽植物和陷芽植物分别占据全部植物种的47%、31%、12%、7%和3%。在地理分布上,Irano-Torunia地区,拥有最高的频度的29%的物种。结果表明,一年生植物比生活型基准群谱高;高位芽植物比生活型基准群谱低,这与在干旱地区的研究数据相一致。图1表4参50。     

Vegetative propagation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Holarrhena pubescens</Emphasis>, a wild tropical medicinal plant: effect of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on stem cuttings

The present study investigated the rooting ability and growth performance of juvenile single-node leafy stem cuttings of     

Optimal road spacing of cable yarding using a tower yarder in Southern Austria

Cable yarding systems are widely used in mountainous forests of Austria. The goal of this paper is to determine optimal road spacing (ORS) of yarding operations by tower yarder in Styria to help logging planners minimize logging costs. A total of 591 working cycles were used to develop the multiple regression model using stepwise method to predict yarding time per cycle. The production and cost in whole tree uphill yarding were 6.70 m³/PSH and 27.60 Euro/m³, respectively. The roading, yarding and installation cost per cubic meter were computed for different yarding distances and graphed as a function of road spacing. The minimum total cost and ORS were 42.88 Euro/m³ and 261 m, respectively for one-way yarding. For two-way yarding, the minimum estimated total cost, ORS and optimal road density would be 38.48 Euro/m³, 373 m and 26.8 m/ha, respectively. The results showed increasing harvested volume decreases ORS and that increased roading cost increases ORS. The load volume has a significant effect on ORS.     

The first serologic study of Q fever in sheep in Iran

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular microorganism that causes Q fever in humans and animals. In ewes, C. burnetii infections are generally asymptomatic, but they can lead to abortions, stillbirths, and delivery of weak and unviable lambs. Serological assays are suitable for screening herds. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) technique has a high sensitivity and a good specificity. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of anti-C. burnetii antibodies among sheep in southeast Iran. A total of 85 serum samples were collected from ten sheep flocks from April to September 2009. Serum samples were tested for Q fever antibodies using a commercial indirect ELISA kit. Antibodies were detected in 25 sera (29.42%) of 85 samples. Sixteen female (18.82%) and nine male (10.58%) cases had antibodies specific to C. burnetii. There is significant difference in seropositivity between male and female groups (P < 0.05). This first study of C. burnetii seroprevalence in sheep in southeast Iran has indicated that seropositive animals can be found throughout the country. Further work is now required to characterize the epidemiology of the infection more thoroughly.     

Physical land suitability evaluation for specific cereal crops using GIS at Mashhad Plain, Northeast of Iran

Land evaluation is the process of predicting land use potential on the basis of its attributes. In the present study, the physical land suitability evaluation approach was investigated for specific cereal crops including irrigated wheat, barley, grain maize and sorghum, based on FAO land evaluation frameworks (FAO, 1976, 1983, 1985) and the proposed method by Sys et al. (1991) at Mashhad Plain, Northeast Iran. Twenty eight soil profiles were studied on seven land units by a precise soil survey and their morphological and physicochemical properties were determined. Climatic and land qualities/characteristics of four cereal crops were determined using the tables of crop requirements developed by Sys et al. (1993). An interpolation function was used to map values to scores in terms of land qualities/characteristics for land utilization types and the evaluation was carried out according to parametric approaches. The interpolation technique using GIS functions helped in managing the spatial data and visualizing the results. Our results indicated that the most important limiting factors for irrigated wheat and barley cultivations are soil physical and fertility/chemical properties, while the production of irrigated grain maize and sorghum is mainly limited by climatic conditions at Mashhad Plain. It was shown that all land units suitable for irrigated wheat cultivation overlap with that of barley, whereas the same limiting factors resulted in the overlapping of the irrigated grain maize production area with that of sorghum. The results of the physical land suitability evaluation for specific cereal crops indicated the priority of irrigated barley and wheat cultivations over irrigated grain maize and sorghum at the study area.     

Stress Response of Juvenile Beluga,Huso huso,to Light and Tank Colors

Effects of light and tank colors on stress response of juvenile beluga sturgeon, Huso huso, was investigated by the measurement of some sero-haematological parameters and carcass chemical analysis. The analysis was based on the responses of 64 specimens (initial weight 98.83 ± 1.42 g) reared under white, red, green, or blue light, and 48 specimens reared in white, black, or blue tanks, all for 12 weeks. Blue/green light and black tanks produced positive effects on cortisol that can be related to physiological condition and stress.     

Heat Shock Proteins Enriched-Promastigotes of Leishmania major Inducing Th2 Immune Response in BALB/c Mice

Background

Heat shock proteins (HSP) are highly conserved molecules with many immunological functions. They are highly immunogenic with important role in cancer immunotherapy and in vaccine development against infectious diseases. As adjuvant, HSP can augment the immunogenicity of weak antigens and can stimulate antigen presenting cells. Although vaccines have been successful for many infectious diseases, progress in leishmaniasis has not been achieved. In this report, the protective effect of HSP-enriched soluble leishmania antigen (SLA) was determined.

Methods

BALB/c mice were immunized 3× with HSP-enriched SLA and SLA alone and 10 days after final boost. They were infected with 10⁶ stationary phase promastigote of Leishmania major and immunological responses were followed until nine weeks.

Results

No significant differences were observed in lymphocyte proliferation, footpad swelling, parasite burden, nitric oxide or IL-12 cytokine between HSP-enriched or SLA groups. Although the levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, TGF-β, IgG1 and IgG2b were increased in both groups, IFN-γ was significantly higher in SLA group and IgG2a in HSP-enriched SLA.

Conclusion

These results indicate that HSP direct the immune system towards Th2 pattern and does not have protective role in L. major infection. Key Words: Leishmaniasis, Heat shock proteins (HSP), Adjuvant     

The effects of altered ultrasound parameters on the recovery of sciatic nerve injury

Background: Initial studies have shown that low-energy ultrasound stimulates living tissue cells to reduce regeneration or speed up their recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various ultrasound parameters on the speed of recovery in injured sciatic nerves NMRI.Methods: NMRI mice (n = 200) with injured left paw, caused by crushing their sciatic nerves, were randomly selected. The animals were exposed to ultrasound radiation with various frequencies, intensities, and exposure time. They were allocated into 20 groups (19 treatment and 1 control groups). Sciatic functional index (SFI) test was used to evaluate the difference between the groups with respect to functional efficiency of the sciatic nerve and its recovery. SFI ، (P=0.000).Results: The results of SFI test obtained from the 14^th day showed a significant difference among the groups (P<0.05). On the 14^th day after treatment, one of the groups (US11) recovered up to 90%..Conclusion: Altered ultrasound exposure parameters had more favorable outcomes compared with our previous work.Key Words: Sciatic nerve, Ultrasonic therapy, Regeneration