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     The growing global consumption of non-alcoholic drinks has brought attention to the characterization and quality control of popular beverages such as malt beverages. Organic acids remarkably impact on the microbial control, stability and organoleptic characteristics (flavor, color and aroma) of beverages. This study focuses on the determination of organic acids, including oxalic, citric, tartaric, malic, succinic, lactic, fumaric, acetic, propionic, and gallic acid, in 100 commercial malt beverages from different brands (five Iranian and five various imported brands) and flavored variants (classic, pomegranate, peach, tropical and lemon). In addition, the contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and free amino acids were measured to assess the overall composition. Liquid chromatography (LC) was employed to develop a method for analyzing the organic acids, while spectrophotometric techniques were used for quantifying other bioactive compounds.  The results revealed significant variations in the organic acid profiles, with succinic acid being the most abundant, while tartaric acid was absent in all samples. For better data analysis, chemometrics technique (PCA method) was applied to classify achieved results. The results show that PCA can classify the malt drinks based on the additive values with a very high precision. In order to improve the quality control of malt beverages, it is recommended that some extra assessments like organic acids and free amino nitrogen determination tests would better to be considered at Iranian national standard.
 

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Background: Accumulation of triglycerides in the liver i.e. steatosis, is a well-known side-effect of tamoxifen administration to patients suffering from breast cancer. Cichoriumintybus (chicory) is a plant used as traditional medicine for curing liver disorders. In this study, the effects of extract prepared from chicory roots on tamoxifen-induced liver steatosis and related biochemical factors in animal model using rats has been investigated. Methods: Female rats of Wistar strain were divided into four groups and treated as follows; 1-Control: received vehicle; 2- Chicory root-extract treated: rats were given by gavage the aqueous chicory root extract (1 g/kg body weight/day for 14 days).3- Tamoxifen-treated: rats received tamoxifen (1 mg/kg body weight/day, for 7 days). 4- Tamoxifen+chicory-group: animals received tamoxifen (1 mg/kg body weight/day for 7 days) followed by chicory extract given by gavage (1 g/kg body weight/day for 14 days). After treatment, blood was collected by cardiac puncher, plasma was separated and plasma levels of glucose, total protein, triglyceride, cholesterol,LDL-C, HDL-C and activities of ALT, AST and ALP were measured. Liver tissues were homogenized used for measuring tissue triglyceride and histological examinations. Results: The data show that tamoxifen treatment caused a significant decrease in the level of serum cholesterol, HDL-C and total protein. However, serum ALT level was increased in tamoxifen-treated rats compared to controls. Increased serum ALT in tamoxifen-treated rats was recovered in rats treated with plant extract (tamoxifen+chicory-group). HDL-C and total protein levels were unaffected in rats fed chicory extracts. Tamaxifen-treated animals showed signs of liver steatosis as shown by histological examination and accumulation liver triglyceride. The steatosis markers such as accumulated triglyceride in liver was significantly reduced due to the plant extract treatments when compared to tamoxifen-group. Conclusions: Dietary extract prepared from chicory roots is effective in modulation of  tamoxifen-induced liver damage and steatosis.

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Background: Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone function to regulate the production of red blood cells. Deficiency of EPO is known to cause anemia in chronically infected renal patients and they require regular blood transfusion. Availability of recombinant EPO has eliminated the need for blood transfusion and now it is extensively used for the treatment of anemia. Glycosylation of erythropoietin is essential for its secretion, stability, protein conformation and biological activity. However, maintenance of human like glycosylation pattern during manufacturing of EPO is a major challenge in biotechnology. Currently, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line is used for the commercial production of erythropoietin but this cell line does not maintain glycosylation resembling human system. With the trend to eliminate non-human constituent from biopharmaceutical products, as a preliminary approach, we have investigated the potential of human emberyo kidney cell line (HEK293) to produce recombinant EPO. Methods: Initially, the secretory signal and Kozak sequences was added before the EPO mature protein sequence using overlap extension PCR technique. PCR-amplified cDNA fragments of EPO was inserted into mammalian expression vector under the control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and transiently expressed in CHO and HEK293 cell lines. After RT-PCR analysis, ELISA and Western blotting was performed to verify the immunochemical properties of secreted EPO. Results: Addition of secretory signal and Kozak sequence facilitated the extra-cellular secretion and enhanced the expression of EPO protein. Significant expression (P < 0.05) of EPO was observed in the medium from HEK293 cell line. Conclusions: HEK293 cell line has a great potential to produce glycosylated EPO, suggesting the use of this cell line to produce glycoproteins of the therapeutic importance resembling to the natural human system.

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In human-made materials, aerogels have the least thermal conduction coefficient. The least thermal conduction, which aerogels can have, is equivalent to air conduction, about 0.021W/mK. In some applications, lowest conductions is to be needed. In this study, novolac aerogles are used as spacer, for designing and making multilayer super insulators with aluminum foil reflective layers. The performance of these insulators, are extremely depends on density, porosity and the size of pores in aerogel and number of layers in the overall thickness of insulator. In this study, for decreasing effective thermal conduction of multilayer insulations, tow parameters of density of aerogel and ratio of number of layers to thickness of insulator (layer density), are examined in 25 ˚C to 200 ˚C boundary conditions. First, by assessment of aerogel novolac density effect on thermal conduction, aerogel with density of 0.076 g/cm3 was chosen as the best spacer. In the next part, ratio of 25 layer per centimeter of thickness was chosen as the best layer density. Finally, by making multilayer super insulators, based on this results, an insulator with 5×10-4W/mK effective thermal conductivity was obtaind without evacuation of spacer.

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Background: Helicobacter pylori is the most common cause of chronic infection in the human stomach. The infection has universe prevalence in all age groups. Probably, this bacterium is the cause of most common chronic bacterial infection in human beings and infects approximately half of the world population. H. pylori produces urease, an enzyme that degrades the urea in the stomach’s mucous to ammonia resulting in biochemical reaction that leads to increase in pH of the stomach lumen. This allows pathogenic intestinal protozoa to take the opportunity to cross through stomach’s increased pH and cause disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between H. pylori infection and prevalence of parasitic infection in patients in Ilam. Materials and Methods: Following stool samples collection during 2013 in patients with abdominal pain in Ilam, Iran. H. pylori infection was investigated based on stool antigen analysis (HPSA) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in patients who had recurrent abdominal pain. Stool specimens were examined using the direct examination and the spontaneous sedimentation method for detecting the trophozoite and cyst of parasites. Results: In this study, we found 65 patients with H. pylori infection. Out of these 65 patients, the percentage of patients with positive results for Giardia lamblia was 30.7% and for Entamoebahistolytica/dispar was 12.3%. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that H. pylori infection may provide favorable conditions for giardiasis infection; however, this presumption needs further studies with larger sample size.

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In this study, first using documentary research method, the nature of language in the web-based electronic communication, besides different methods of improving communicative and linguistics competence in teaching languages online, were investigated. Then considering the importance of language faculties' familiarity with the role of computer-based teaching in the development of linguistic competence and communicative skills necessary for translating or teaching all foreign languages (esp. Persian to non-natives), a descriptive survey method was used to investigate the familiarity of foreign language faculties with the strategies and technologies used in e-teaching-learning process applied in teaching languages online. The results of the 68 questionnaires filled in by English, French, German and Persian faculties of seven universities offering classical and virtual programs indicated that most of language faculties are not familiar with web-based strategies and techniques in teaching or learning foreign languages. Considering the need of our country for the experts who are able to communicate with the scientific scholarly networks in the world to obtain or transfer related knowledge and those who are able to use at least one international language of their fields thoroughly, planning an online faculty training program can be an essential measure to improve teaching or translating foreign languages at the academic level and also lead Persian language to find its proper position in the cultural, educational and scientific world networks.

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Searching efficiency and handling time are two major components of functional response and are usually used to evaluate effectiveness of natural enemies. The effect of different foraging periods on the functional response of larval Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani) (Dip.: Cecidomyiidae) feeding on third instar nymphs of Aphis craccivora was studied. The experiment was conducted in terms of time-specific (1, 2, 4, 6,12, 24 h.) functional response to varying densities (5, 10, 20, 40, 60 and 80) of third instar nymphs of A.craccivora at 23 ± 1 °C, 70 ± 5% of R.H., and a photoperiod of 16:8 h (L: D). Parameter estimates for logistic regressions showed a type II functional response for 4 day-old larvae of the predator at different foraging periods to varying densities of A. craccivora. The estimated searching efficiency (a') and handling times (T_h), varied with foraging periods. The searching efficiency showed a decreasing trend as the foraging periods increased. The estimated maximum rates of predation (T/T_h) for the 4-day old larvae were directly related to the foraging periods increase but handling times (T_h), showed a decelerating trend. In conclusion it was found that searching efficiency was a variable parameter in different foraging periods of A. aphidimyza and was lowest at the foraging periods of 24 h. It was also suggested that A. aphidimyza with type II functional response in all foraging periods, could be considered as a highly effective biological agent in suppressing A. craccivora population.    

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Prohibition of the slave trade that started from the late 18th century from France and gradually spread over  the Europe; At the beginning of the 19th century it came to Asia and then to the Persian Gulf region. The leader of this process in the Persian Gulf were English people who were somehow trying for more consolidated position and Protection of their interests in region. The struggle continued to early 20th century. Causes formation and persistence of this process for almost a century, are significant issue that is dealt with in this study through critical discourse analysis of Norman Fairclough. This method has an Intertextual approach and texts as Susceptible Graph Processes, movements and political and social change applies. Therefore, the present research focused on  selecting of a portion of the notes by Amir Kabir and Justin Sheil, minister in Tehran, that between 17 Rabi al- Thani to 10 Jumada al-Awwal 1267 concerning the prohibition of the slave trade were written, this process has analyzed and thereby, influence and dominate the "discourse imperialism" in the relations of power and in contrast the weakness of rule-based "discourse absolute despotism" of Qajar, the main causes for the formation and persistence  of the struggle against slave trade during this period, has been considered.  

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Backgrounds: This study aimed to analyse hybrid Entroaggregative/Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (EAEC/UPEC) isolates. To do so, the antibiotic resistance pattern and virulence genes were investigated in E. coli strains isolated from clinical specimens of patients hospitalized in Isfahan, Iran.
Materials & Methods: Disc diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of EAEC/UPEC isolates. Also, virulence determinants of these isolates were determinated by singleplex and multiplex PCR.
Findings: Overall, a total of 148 E. coli isolates were collected, of which 12 (8.1%) isolates were hybrid EAEC/UPEC strains, then antibiotic susceptibility examination was operated on these strains. The higest antibiotic resistance rate was related to ofloxacin (42%), followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (41%), ceftriaxone and cefepime (33%), and cefoxitin (17%). All the isolates showed susceptibility to fosfomycin.
Conclusion: According to the current study, since resistance to fluoroquinolones has increased in hybrid strains, monitoring the drug susceptibility of hybrid strains seems critical in Iran. Fosfomycin is considered to be the drug of choise for infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Fortunately, 100% of the strains were sensitive to fosfomycin.

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Strategy maps show value creation path in any organizations which includes strategic objectives of organization. Strategic objectives can provide a focus on organization’s resources based on balanced scorecard. While organizations developing their strategy map, facing with different objectives and relationships between them, it is necessary to use a practical approach to explain the relationship between strategic objectives. This paper aims to provide a hybrid approach for identifying causal relationships between strategic objectives for drawing a strategic map, So that with minimum number of relationships, the maximum impact among the strategic objectives is clarified in the map. In this regard, the importance of all possible relationships is determined by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and then strategic map was drawn by goal programming with considering to objectives of minimizing the number of relationships and maximizing total importance of the selected relationships. The FAHP results show “supporting demand-oriented researches”, “Strengthen inter-agency cooperation” and “Supporting strategic science and technology” objectives respectively have been the most important in the customer, processes and learning and growth levels of strategic map. Following by goal programming with focus on maximum reach of strategic objectives according to their weights, the minimum connections (14 relationships from 26 relationships) were selected to draw the strategic map. The systematic approach presented in this paper could be the basis of developing the strategic map for all organizations.

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Aims: Bacterial urinary tract infections are observed in all age groups due to the development of antibiotic-resistant species. This study aimed to investigate resistance genes gyrase subunit A (gyrA), topoisomerase IV (parC) subunit gene, beta lactamase (blaZ), erythromycin ribosome methylase (ermC), ermB, and ermA in Staphylococcus saporophyticus isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Mazandaran Province, Iran.
Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 3280 clinical samples were collected from patients with UTIs in Mazandaran Province from April to December 2022. Isolates were identified by biochemical tests. Microbial sensitivity tests were performed by disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to check the presence of resistance genes.
Findings: Out of a total of 3280 clinical samples collected, 2088 samples were detected by biochemical tests at the genus level. Escherichia coli (55.22%) and staphylococci (21.59%) were the most frequent bacterial isolates. S. saprophyticus was identified in 52 (2.49%) samples. The frequency of gyrA and parC genes in S. saprophyticus isolates was 23 and 1.92%, respectively. The blaZ gene was observed in none of the samples. The prevalence of ermA, ermB, and ermC genes was 21, 1.92, and 26%, respectively.
 The antibiogram test showed that the highest frequency of resistance to erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin was 70, 36, and 20%, respectively.
Conclusion: According to the present study findings, rapid detection of these strains in hospitals leads to more effective control of the spread of these strains.
 

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The Folk literature of the Iranian people is a heritage of the people which is mostly oral and is very different from the traditional Persian literature in terms of structure and content. Folk tone, simple language, and common thoughts from illiterate people are visible in this literature. What is known as folk literature is not created by a special person and It is not known who that particular person was in the beginning. There are songs in Shahroud of Khalkhal, that have been common in this region since ancient times. These songs are being forgotten today. The topics used in these songs show the concerns of the people who create them. The main question of this article is how the thematic analysis of Tati folk literature leads us to social, political, economical, and cultural points in this region. These songs were collected in the field. The result of the research shows that folk literature is a factor in recognizing rituals, people's spirits, political-social events, and economic concerns of the people of each region.
 

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Repowering means addition of gas turbine unit(s) to a steam power plant in order to make use of the exhaust gas heat and to increase efficiency of the new combined cycle. There are two groups of repowering methods: partial repowering and full repowering. Full repowering is more common and is used in power plants with nearly ended useful lifetime. In this case the capital investment is considerably reduced compared with the case of making a similar combined cycle. Objective functions are per kWh electricity cost and exergy efficiency. These functions are based on important independent variables of heat recovery boiler, steam turbines, gas turbine. Finally, considering the introduced objective functions, it is tried to achieve the most optimized techno-economic characteristics for Be'sat power plant repowering cycle, using genetic algorithm optimization method with two scenarios of single and multiobjective.