---

Lentiviruses are considered one of the most effective recombinant viruses for gene transfer to mammalian cells and tissues. In this study, the potential of HIV-1-based lentiviral vector to deliver transgenes into avian cells was examined. We co-transfected human embryonic kidney cell line HEK-293T with three lentivirus vectors called transfer, packaging and envelope vectors. We collected the supernatant from transfected cells 24 and 48 hours post-transfection and filtered them immediately. Then we subjected the filtered supernatant to Amicon protein columns for concentration purposes. Centrifugation removed a larger part of the supernatant presumably free of viruses and left behind a small volume of darken solution full of virions. We thereby produced a 500-µl-volume of virus stock. Various dilutions of this stock were added to chicken liver cell line LMH. The initial sign of infection appeared within 48 hours and by 96 hours post-infection 100% the LMH cells positively expressed transgenes. Our results indicated that the human HIV-1-based lentivirus vectors are capable of transducing and transferring foreign genes into chicken cells. Given the need for a high-titer virus stock for successful target cell transduction, our results indicate that the filtration method of virus concentration is able to produce high virus titer and is cost-effective and less time consuming than ultracentrifugation or other traditional methods.

---

Background: Differentiation ofmesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to hepatocyte-like cells could be associated with development of liver function factors. The impact of differentiation-dependent changes on DNA integrity is not well understood. In this study, hepatocytes and their progenitor stem cells were treated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and amplification of selected genes linked to DNA damage was examined. Methods: MSCs and CD34+ cells isolated from umbilical cord blood (UCB) were treated with AFB1 (0, 2.5, 10 and 20 µM) in selective media supporting the hepatocyte differentiation. After 24 htreatment the DNA damage (Comet assay) and amplification rates ofP53 and β-globin genes were measured using real time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR). Results:The results show that AFB1 treatments resulted in a concentration- dependent increase in the DNA damage and suppression of the specific gene amplification. The extent of DNA damage was significantly greater in hepatocytes differentiated from MSCs when compared to those obtained from CD34+ cells. The effects of AFB1 on the rate of selected gene amplification in QPCR showed that the lesions (expressed as lesions/10 kb) in P53 and β-globin genes was significantly greater in hepatocytes derived from MSCs as compared to the cells derived from CD34+ cells. Conclusions: These data together with the results of cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4) expression in the cells suggest that the non-differentiated stem cells are probably less vulnerable to genotoxic agents as compared to hepatocytes differentiated from them.

---

In this research, closed-cell natural rubber foams were produced using a single-step compression molding. The effect of carbon black content on morphology, physical and mechanical properties of the foams were examined. Results showed that in this methodology, the foam density was independent of reinforcement percentage, which is a unique characteristic of single-step foams that contrasts with other previous observations. The study of curing behavior of foam compounds showed that the carbon black increasing from 0 to 30 phr increased the crosslink density (CLD) from 6.5 to 8.3*10^-5 mol/cm³, the cure rate from 16.1 to 23.2 (%/min) and the ultimate torque from 5.8 to 10.4 Nm, while, reduced curing time from 9.2 to 5.8 min. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed that the reinforcement acted as a nucleation agent increasing the cell density from 8 N/cm³ to 140 N/cm³ and reducing the cell size from 579µm to 255µm. The increase of reinforcing content in the produced foams reduced the cells size and enhanced the properties of the rubber matrix. Accordingly, the modulus and hardness of the foams were increased by  0.8MPa and 40 shore A, respectively. Results of sound absorption and reflection showed that the rubber foam reflects the sound waves more than 90% and absorbs waves about 10%.

---

Background: In recent years we have successfully adopted an in vitro hepatogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this protocol the biologically active hepatocyte-like cells were differentiated from the stem cells isolated from either bone marrow or umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficiency of the hepatogenic differentiation of MSCs isolated from UCB and MSCs. Methods: Differentiation process of MSCs was carried out in a selective medium supporting hepatogenic differentiation for 3 weeks. Then using specific markers we have examined the hepatocyte formation following hepatogenic differentiation of the stem cells. Hepatogenic markers namely albumin, α-fetoprotein (AFP) and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) were monitored at different time intervals during differentiation. Results: Transdifferentiation of the UCB and bone marrow MSCs was also characterized by measuring albumin, AFP and CYP3A4 at mRNA levels using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). AFP was expressed in the undifferentiated UCB-MSCs and increased on day 21 of differentiation. However, AFP was not detected in the undifferentiated bone marrow MSCs. But, AFP expression started during the first week of differentiation. Albumin expression was detected in hepatocytes from UCB as well as bone marrow. The expression of albumin and its secretion from hepatocyte prepared from bone marrow appeared earlier compared to the cells derived from UCB. Metabolic function of the hepatocytes evaluated by secretion of albumin in the culture media was also similar in the cells isolated from both the sources. Conclusions: The differentiation potential of MSCs derived from human UCB and bone marrow under in vitro condition is comparable. However, it appears that there is time-dependent difference in the onset of expression of liver specific markers particularly albumin synthesis in hepatocytes derived from different stem cells.

---

Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) and Lasioderma serricorne F. are destructive pre-harvest and post-harvest pests of many plants in the family Solanaceae, and stored foodstuffs and non-food items, respectively. In this study, some biochemical characteristics of cellulase in the larval digestive tract of these pests were studied. Endo-β-1, 4-glucanase activity was measured against the substrate carboxyl methyl cellulose. Maximum activity of the enzyme in L. decemlineata and L. serricorne occurred at pH 7.0 and pH 6.0, respectively. The enzymes from L. decemlineata and L. serricorne were maximally stable at pH 7.0 and pH 5-6, respectively. However, the enzyme extracted from L. serricorne is more stable than that of L. decemlineata. Cellulase activity was in the highest level at 50 °C in both species. EDTA and SDS reduced cellulase activity, while the Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Na⁺ ions had a significant increasing effect on cellulase activity. K⁺ did not have any significant effect on the enzyme activity. The values of Km and Vmax were 0.608 % and 0.0187 µmol min^-1 mg^-1 protein in L. decemlineata, and 0.99 %, and 0.0035 µmol min^-1 mg^-1 protein in L. serricorne, respectively. Zymogram studies revealed two bands of cellulase activity in the digestive tract of both species.  

---

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.

---

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) has been recognized, as the most common inflammatory disease in the world. Adipose Stem Cells (ASCs), as a new feasible source with high numbers of stem cells and proliferative capacity have been used for regenerative medicine. Based immunomodulatory and chondrogenic properties of ASCs, this study aimed to assess intra articular injection of ASC effect on improvement of osteoarthritis signs. Methods and Materials: Adipose tissue samples were obtained from subcutaneous of abdomen. ASCs were isolated and cultured for at least three passages in culture media containing autologous serum and expanded them to 15-20 × 10⁶ cell. The morphology and proliferative potency of ASCs were determined. Immuno phenotype characteristics of ASCs were analyzed by flow-cytometry. Then cell suspensions were injected into knee articular spaces. After 6 months the function of knee was assessed by WOMAC, KOOS, Lysholm and Lequesne indexes. Results: The results of this study showed that homogenous spindle-shape ASCs expanded rapidly with low doubling time. The low expression of CD14 and CD45 indicated that ASCs are non hematopoietic cells and expressed high percentages of CD44, CD105 and CD90. Our results showed that injected ASCs were effective in improvement of OA by scoring systems for evaluation of pain, joint movements and daily physical activities were significantly changed due to injection of stem cells. Osteoarthritis severity indexes means of WOMAC and Lequesne were decreased from 53 to 12.3 and 15.1 to 2.1 respectively. Also osteoarthritis improvement indexes Lysholm & KOOS means were significantly increased from 35 to 15.1 and 70 to 126.7 respectively. In six months follow up of intra articular injection of ASCs, we observed no local or systemic side effect. After ASCs injection, walking distance considerably increased. The flexion angle of knee improved by 20-30 degrees compares to before of treatment. Conclusion: Autologous ASCs injection could be resulted in increasing of knee function, alleviated of pain and quality of life improvement.

---

In this paper, a new propagation model based on UTD for multiple diffraction paths in cellular mobile radio communications in urban environments is proposed. Moreover, the most rigorous novel UTD-based expressions for multiple diffractions by buildings and excess path losses are d - rived and analyzed. For this purpose, building rows are supposed to have rectangular cross-sections with the same heights and spacings. In addition, in this analysis actual electrical roperties of buildings are regarded. Previous studies have been concentrated on the simplified models that approximated building rows as absorbing half-screens or perfectly conducting half screens (knife-edges) or 90 degrees wedges. In this work, buildings are assumed flat-roofed parallel rows of dielectric blocks and their actual relative permittivity and conductivity are applied.

---

  Background : Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease characterized by selective destruction of pancreatic beta cells.   Methods: The study included 80 children, 20 of them have T1DM, 40 children were selected from first degree relatives to the same child and 20 healthy children serve as control. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated, random blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (GHbA1c) were measured. The following biochemical markers were measured in sera of all subjects by ELISA kits: Human insulin ,C-peptide, human islet cell antibody (ICA), insulin auto antibodies (IAA) and antiglutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies. Results : This study showed that diabetic children had high level of ICA (65%), IAA (55%), anti-GAD antibodies (50%) and decrease in C-peptide (60%). Whereas the relatives showed high level of anti-GAD antibodies (30%), IAA(25%), ICA(2.5) and decrease in C-peptide (30%). Anti-GAD antibodies were significantly higher among the relatives of the diabetics compared to the healthy controls. Conclusions : The strongest predictors of diabetes were C- peptide and islets cell antibodies, which had odd ratio 4.7 and 3.1, respectively. Autoantibodies could distinguish T1DM patients from healthy control subjects and they may also identify individuals at high risk during progression from pre-diabetes to overt disease.

---

  Cancer stem cells (CSC) are the tumor-associated cells existed within tumors or hematological cancers which share characteristics similar to normal stem cells. The common characteristics of a normal stem cell and a CSC are their differentiation capacity and self-renewal in tumors. The expression pattern of CSC markers differs depending on the type and location of cancers. CD molecules are probably the most common biomarkers for CSCs. CD molecules such as CD133, CD24, CD44, CD138 and similar CD molecules are well known markers for identification of CSCs. In addition, ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters such as ABCG2 and ABCB5 as well as EpCAM, ALDH1 and CXCR4 have been used to identify certain CSCs. Therefore these markers may be considered specific for better identification and diagnosis of a specific tumor. Currently studies are in progress to find new cell surface markers which can distinguish specific markers from other markers for isolation and characterization of CSCs. The future of this area of research is promising in developing novel prognostic assays and therapeutic approaches based on cellular and signaling functions of these markers.

---

Brucella is a facultative intracellular pathogen, and brucellosis is commonest zoonotic disease worldwide. Brucella species, isolated from domestic animals, are important pathogen for humans. Annually, more than 500,000 new cases of brucellosis are reported, and this figure is an underestimate due to extended under-reporting cases in several endemic countries. Brucella has a variety of virulence mechanisms that prevent detection and activation of innate immunity, but protection against intracellular pathogen is represented by cell-mediated immunity. As yet, much research has been performed to develop a safe Brucella vaccine to control the disease in human and animals. Despite the availability of several live attenuated vaccine for animals, currently, no effective human vaccine is available. Moreover, due to the potential use of Brucella in bioterrorism or biowarfare, development of an effective vaccine against brucellosis for human use is necessary. In this paper, we aimed to review and discuss the efforts of researchers to develop vaccines against Brucellosis.

---

Future increase of mobile communication subscribers will require a great capacity expansion of the cellular systems. In order to accommodate the increasing number of subscribers, the cell size will have to be much smaller than current size. Therefore, it is predictable that the location updating and paging procedures will produce a major part of signaling traffic in these networks. This paper proposes a location management algorithm for cellular networks that dynamically extract the location and paging areas for every user, based on the user profile. The user profile contains the number of movements between cells and average duration spent in each visited cell. A mobility model is developed to simulate daily movements of the subscribers and used to compare the performance of the proposed dynamic algorithm with current strategy in GSM networks. The results of simulation indicate that the dynamic algorithms significantly outperform the static algorithm, in terms of total location management cost.

---

Background: Brucellosis is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in Iran, which is shared between humans and animals. Brucellosis is caused by Brucella  species and transmitted via unpasteurized milk or dairy products, which has been reported at least in 80 countries.The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence rate of seropositive cases of brucellosis in Yazd, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross sectional study, seropositivity rate of brucellosis was examined for 12258 patients. The Wright test (1.80 or higher) was used for diagnosing brucellosis. The obtained results were statistically evaluated by chi-square which is a trend analysis method.
Results: The seropositivity rate of Wright test was reported to be 178 (1.5%), which was significantly higher in the summer (43.3%) and spring (29.7%) than other seasons (P = .000). It was also significantly higher in men (53.9%) (P = .000) than in women, and in people over 40 years (41%) (P = .000) than in other age groups.
Conclusion: Brucellosis seropositive studies provide very good information in order to help us in investigating the impact of brucellosis.

---

In this study, 100 fish (Astronotusocellatus) with density of 8 to 12 fish per aquarium distributed to four treatments (Control, 0/25%, 0/5% and %1 Macrogard) the experiment lasted forsix weeks. In this experiment it was observed that the number of white blood cells, especially neutrophils and serum the lysozyme level in fish fed with different levels Macrogard were significantly increased compared to the control group (p<0/05). Most changes in the white blood cell count was observed in fourth week of feeding for all Macrogard levels. This material affects the immune system of Astronotusocellatus, and we can say that the all levels Macrogard were safe. They are most effective when the fish are fed for 4 weeks with diets containing Macrogard.

---

Stem cell therapy has been introduced as an innovative and promising treatment in Ischemic diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells are considered for cell therapy to some extent due to their immunemodulatory, differentiation potential, feasibility of isolation and proliferation properties. Stem cells, after transplantation, often encounter harsh and hypoxic environment in ischemic tissues, which leads to cell death and decreased therapeutic efficiency. On the other hand, the fate of stem cell viability and differentiation  is still an ambiguous issue in cell therapy regenerative medicine. To overcome this problem, Hypoxic/Ischemic preconditioning has been reported as a powerful tool with beneficial effects on cell survival. The reported master regulator in this process is a transcription factor known as HIF-1α. This study aimed to over-express HIF-1α in mesenchymal stem cells along with eGFP by using lenti viral vectors. Bisistronic expression of eGFP and HIF-1α provides the possibilities of tracking the transplanted cells and mimicking the hypoxic conditions for genetically modified stem cells for future animal model studies.  

---

In this paper, for control Voltage of two chamber Microbial fuel cell, two-type PI controller and MPC controller are used. For this purpose, two compartments of the model presented by Esfandyari  et al. [1, 2] have been used to model the microbial fuel cell. Then, based on this model, a classic PI controller based on the internal model and a MPC controller was designed and implemented. Based on the designed controllers, it was adjusted by adjusting the flow rate of the substrate to changes usually introduced in turbulence, such as the concentration of input to the substrate, or the effect of the uncertainty in the parameters of the process model, such as r_max and K_s. The results show that the MPC controller has a better performance compared to the classic PI controller.
 

---

Morphological changes of the chloride cells and the α_1b subunit gene expression of Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase in triploid rainbow trout (70.6 g average weight) were studied upon direct transferring to 6, 12 and 18 ppt salinities. Changes in abundance, distribution pattern, and the sectioned area of the chloride cells was studied through classic histology and Na⁺ K⁺-ATPase localization was performed through immunofluorescence light microscopy using a mouse monoclonal antibody IgGα5. Gene expression of Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase α_1b subunit was studied by semi-quantitative gene expression methods.No mortality occurred among the fish in all salinities during the 10-days experimental period and treated fish kept their plasma osmolality at standard physiologic levels. All the fish also showed similar distribution pattern in their chloride cells that were distributed on filaments, between and over lamella. Histological studies confirmed some abnormal morphological changes such as lamella interruption. Immunohistochemical studies showed the highest number of the chloride cells on lamella and between lamella in 18 ppt and the maximum sectional area of the chloride cells in freshwater. Gene expression of Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase α_1b subunit had direct correlation with increasing trend of salinity. In conclusions, triploid rainbow trout was found to be adaptable to the various experimented salinities and could be recommended for rearing in brackish water.

---

In this paper an application of Cellular Learning Automata (CLA) to VLSI placement is presented. The CLA, which is introduced for the first time in this paper, is different from standard Cellular Learning Automata in two respects. It has input and the cell neighborhood varies during the operation of CLA. The proposed CLA based algorithm for VLSI placement is tested on number of placement problems and has been compared with several reported algorithms such as: simulated annealing, genetic algorithms, the algorithm proposed by Saheb Zamani and Hellestrand, and the algorithm based on Kohenen neural network. The results obtained show that the proposed algorithm produces results, which are comparable to the other algorithms reported in the literatures. The parallel nature of CLA makes it appropriate for hardware implementation.

---

Applying current quality management models is not proper for military research organizations relating different fields of human resource, strategic management, leadership, culture and organizational behavior. Application of these models organizations and may cause some issues for these organizations. This research paper aiming at upholding current EFQM excellence model is based on a research being hold in the military research organizations, according to which the conceptual research model was designed. The research followed an applied purpose through survey data collection method. The validity of the aspects, categories and indicators of the model was strongly confirmed by the experts. The results of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique received 336.8 out of 1000 as a general score for all localized criteria. Leadership and management, having a score of 51.7, were the highest, and resource management and shareholding were at the lowest position among the enablers. In relation to increasing values for users, the score was highest and it was the lowest for shareholders.      

---

Most patients with liver diseases are in the waiting list of liver implantation for a long period of time because of the lack of enough donors. Liver differentiation potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) is a new perspective in curing these patients. Tissue engineering improves hepatocyte differentiation by coating the culture surfaces with Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as Heparan Sulfate (HS). Cell detachment and death during hepatogenic differentiation hamper the efficiency of cell therapy. This study aims to establish a matrix. mimicking the liver extracellular matrix, which supports the attachment and proliferation potential of MSCs, as well. Collagen was physically coated on polystyrene plates. Collagen-GAG matrix was constructed by covalently immoblizing the HS molecules on collagen by EDC. Cell attachment and proliferation were evaluated by direct cell-counting and MTT methods. GAG presence on collagen was verified by Safranin O staining. Comparisons showed that the highest attachment belonged to collagen, collagen-HS and polystyrene, respectively. Collagen matrix showed also the highest cell proliferation. Collagen-GAG provided more suitable matrix for cell proliferation compared to polystyrene. The results further showed that biomimicked collagen-GAG matrix supports superior attachment and viability for MSCs compared to polystyrene.