Search

ABSTRACT Rapid detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is urgently needed to prevent their spread in healthcare settings. Here, we have evaluated the performance of the phenotypic methods for detection of carbapenemase production directly from bacterial cultures. A total of 99 clinical and rectal Enterobacteriaceae isolates were included (81 carrying known carbapenemase-encoding genes and 18 without carbapenemase production). All isolates were subjected to the five phenotypic tests including in-house Carba NP (iCarba NP), modified-Carba NP, E-Test MBL, modified Hodge test (MHT), and commercial combination disk test. Test results were read at different time points for iCarba NP and modified-Carba (1 min, 5 min, 15 min, 1 h and 2 h). The sensitivity and specificity of the iCarba NP were 78.87% and 100%, respectively, whereas those of the modified-Carba NP test were 95.06% and 94.44%, respectively. False-negative results were detected in four OXA-48 isolates with the use of modified-Carba NP, whereas one non-carbapenemase isolate had false-positive results. The sensitivity/specificity was 91.30%/100% and 80.25%/83.33% for the E-Test MBL and MHT, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the aminophenylboronic acid synergy test were 100% and 97.94%, respectively, whereas those of the dipicolinic acid synergy test were 82.61% and 96.23%, respectively. Rapid, simple, and reliable methods are needed for laboratory detection of CPE isolates to improve the detection and surveillance of these clinically relevant pathogens in an epidemiological context. We conclude that the modified-Carba NP test can be one of the reliable tests for the prediction of carbapenemase-producing bacteria.IMPORTANCEThe emergence of carbapenem resistance among Gram-negative bacteria is a serious global health threat. Here, we investigate the performance of the five phenotypic assays against carbapenemase-producing and carbapenemase-non-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Accurate and rapid detection of CPE isolates is critically required for clinical management and treatment of infections caused by these organisms. Among the five evaluated phenotypic tests, the mCNP test presented the highest sensitivity (95.06%) and, therefore, can be considered the best test to be used as a screening phenotypic methodology.

Exon 27 of the tumor suppressor BRCA2 encodes a portion of the protein crucial for DNA repair, genome maintenance, and tumor suppression. Here the authors show that this domain binds DNA and the RAD51 recombinase to enhance the assembly of RAD51-DNA complexes.

Prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, the commencement camp in the beginning of the new academic year was considered to be one of the unique and distinct traditions of the Sharif University of Technology. This paper is the product of a research designed to study the impact of holding such an event on the sociocultural atmosphere of this university during 2002 and 2019. For this purpose, this research uses a twofold conceptual model consisting of “explicit cultural goals” and “implicit social patterns”. The main research question is that what was the explicit cultural goals and implicit social patterns of the planners and moderators of the camping, and what is students' reaction to that? To respond to the first question, interviews with main planners, and content analysis of official proposals and documents were used. For the second question, qualitative method was applied by interviewing 40 undergraduate students and an electronic survey of about 400 students graduated from the university. Findings show that while explicit cultural goals was presenting cultural contents to introduce several aspects of new academic life style, campus issues and useful educational information; some explicit social patterns were repeating each year: “Monopoly in administration, planning and managing of the event by the religious student organizations such as Basij and Hey’at”, “key role of religious senior group of camp leaders in making new social relations and cultural guidance”, “emphasis on camping in Holy religious city of Mashhad in religious accommodations dedicated to pilgrims” and “strict gender segregation between women and men”. Gathering the results together, depicts that Sharif University’s camp commencement is acting as a sociocultural suction motor over the past two decades. Beyond just a camping, this event by central organizing of students in a religious network with particular cultural, sociological and ideological identities, with isolating and rejecting the less religious students, had deeply polarized Sharif University of Technology’s community around a specific religious gap, covering other potential sociocultural conflicts.

The pipeline in service may be subjected to complicated loads (including lateral, axial, vertical loads and hydrostatic pressure in addition to internal pressure) when crossing complex geohazard regions. In this study, two kind of loads that cloud be more fundamental are numerically investigated using finite element method. The loads imposed on pipelines depend on the pipe content and the environment that the pipeline is passing through. Axial compression can arise within pipelines from thermal loads arising from hot hydrocarbon passage from offshore oil wells to an onshore station or can arise from anchor forces acting on pipelines and External pressure can arise within pipelines from hydrostatic pressure, sudden valve closures, and pump failures. It is very important to select suitable geometric imperfection form to exact investigation behavior of pipelines and mechanism of failures. In order to verification response of numerical analyses, one of the experimental results is compared with numerical result and concluded that there is a good agreement between results. Meanwhile, the effect of the eccentric axial compression, pipe diameter to wall thickness ratio (D/t) on the buckling external pressure are studied. The interaction between the axial load and external pressure was graphically demonstrated and compared for different geometrical ratios through numerical analysis. During analysis, the eccentric axial compression load in the pipe was primarily induced and maintained constant less than its capacity. Subsequently, the uniform peripheral pressure was gradually increased until failure, and, besides, the response of some specimens was separately investigated under pure external pressure and axial compression load. It was found that the D/t ratio is the decisive parameter to specify the buckling behavior of steel pipelines and type of created failure mode subjected to axial compression. Some significant conclusions were drawn based on extensive parametric studies. The buckling external pressure reduces with the increase of pre-axial compression and diameter to thickness ratio.

Many studies have been conducted showing that the mass damper improves the performance of structures against wind loads and seismic loads. This paper presents a model for passive tuned mass damper with softening stiffness; the Newton−Raphson method and state space were used to solve nonlinear equations of motion. To evaluate the performance of the proposed mass damper, an 11-storied steel structure subjected to the Northridge and Zarand earthquakes was evaluated. This structure was initially modelled and analysed without a damper and with the softening PTMD. Then the effect of varying angles of the mass damper was investigated; eventually the damper was converted into a non-linear semi-active tuned mass damper. To reduce the displacements of the damper, fuzzy control was used for the controller. The results show that the proposed mass damper with a 60-degree angle could reduce the displacement in the earthquakes of Northridge and Zarand by 48.8 and 36.2% on an average. The results of using different angles suggest that a 45-degree angle makes for the most favourable performance for the structure and mass damper. It points out that in the use of an isolator for the 11th floor, this floor has the potential for higher displacement than any other floor, but, in this article, using the controller and the proposed semi-active damper, it has been shown that this floor can also experience lower displacement.

Motorcycle detection and collision warning are essential features in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to ensure road safety, especially in emergency situations. However, detecting motorcycles from videos captured from a car is challenging due to the varying shapes and appearances of motorcycles. In this paper, we propose an integrated and innovative remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) methodology for motorcycle detection and distance estimation based on visual data from a single camera installed in the back of a vehicle. Firstly, MD-TinyYOLOv4 is used for detecting motorcycles, refining the neural network through SPP (spatial pyramid pooling) feature extraction, Mish activation function, data augmentation techniques, and optimized anchor boxes for training. The proposed algorithm outperforms eight existing YOLO versions, achieving a precision of 81% at a speed of 240 fps. Secondly, a refined disparity map of each motorcycle’s bounding box is estimated by training a Monodepth2 with a bilateral filter for distance estimation. The proposed fusion model (motorcycle’s detection and distance from vehicle) is evaluated with depth stereo camera measurements, and the results show that 89% of warning scenes are correctly detected, with an alarm notification time of 0.022 s for each image. Outcomes indicate that the proposed integrated methodology provides an effective solution for ADAS, with promising results for real-world applications, and can be suitable for running on mobility services or embedded computing boards instead of the super expensive and powerful systems used in some high-tech unmanned vehicles.

Abstract Chalcogenide glasses are one of the most versatile materials that have been widely researched because of their flexible optical, chemical, electronic, and phase change properties. Their application is usually in the form of thin films, which work as active layers in sensors and memory devices. In this work, we investigate the formulation of nanoparticle ink of Ge–Se chalcogenide glasses and its potential applications. The process steps reported in this work describe nanoparticle ink formulation from chalcogenide glasses, its application via inkjet printing and dip-coating methods and sintering to manufacture phase change devices. We report data regarding nanoparticle production by ball milling and ultrasonication along with the essential characteristics of the formed inks, like contact angle and viscosity. The printed chalcogenide glass films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The printed films exhibited similar compositional, structural, electronic and optical properties as the thermally evaporated thin films. The crystallization processes of the printed films are discussed compared to those obtained by vacuum thermal deposition. We demonstrate the formation of printed thin films using nanoparticle inks, low-temperature sintering and proof for the first time, their application in electronic and photonic temperature sensors utilizing their phase change property. This work adds chalcogenide glasses to the list of inkjet printable materials, thus offering an easy way to form arbitrary device structures for optical and electronic applications.

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the coherence of the decision-making system in the Cabinet of Ministers, centered on the Office of the Cabinet of Ministers. Based on this, the research question is, what will be the role of the government office (including its mission, structure, capabilities and duties) to promote the political coherence of the decision-making system of the Cabinet of Ministers? Considering the exploratory nature of the research question and the need to create a deep understanding of the subject under study, the qualitative research method has been used in this article. The data collection method was a semi-structured interview based on the interview protocol. Also, considering the prescriptive nature of the research from a political perspective, researchers have tried to present proposed policies in the form of a codified policy model at the end of the article. Finally, the "policy model of promoting the coherence of the decision-making system in the Cabinet of Ministers with the focus on the role of the government office" in this research, derived from the application of theoretical literature and research findings in the five components of mission, position, input, process and output, is presented in two passive and active approaches. Based on this model, the following policy implications have been proposed: changing the mission of the government office to an active and agenda-setting unit; Elevating the position of the office from a secretarial unit to a decision-maker and policy-maker, upgrading to a unit that contributes to the balanced development of policy-making and regulatory missions (Principles 138 and 134) of the Constitution in line with the promotion of the president and the executive branch, upgrading the policy content through the development of the office's expertise By taking advantage of the capacity of the expert community, research institutes and think tanks, also in the field of policy implementation, monitoring and monitoring the strategic priorities of the Cabinet of Ministers and the President himself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corona pandemic has suspended two major social institutions in Iran; Traditional institution: Mosques, Holy Shrines, Ramadan and Muharram religious rituals were shut down very soon; as far as modern institutions concerned, i.e. malls, cinemas, Coffee shops, universities, parks and restaurants they faced closure gradually. Instead of these two social structures, other two marginal institutions, internet and home, have taken responsibility to endure the fading social, cultural and even educational affairs. It seems that in intersection of home and internet, there is a “digital woman” maintaining “the social”, which we aim to introduce. This new feminine institution has risen within masculine Iranian tradition and masculine modernization. We use Nematollah Fazeli’s viewpoint about Iranian “none-traditional return to home” in semi-quarantined corona days and his idea about appearance of unprecedented “active home” in the pandemic. We also use Donna Haraway’s “a cyborg manifesto” about the feminine characteristics of mixed human-technology condition, to get qualitative analysis of Persian Instagram content in first wave of pandemic (between March and June 2020). The result implicates the appearance of a new generation of Iranian women, neither a traditional housewife as part of private home; nor a modernized one as part of public street; but a post-traditionalist/post-modernist creative citizen inside “Insta-Homes”, representing an feminine agency which doesn’t fit in the marginalizing borders of traditional and modernist patriarchal structures.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a highly prevalent, serious and chronic infection. It been associated causally with a diverse spectrum of gastrointestinal disorders including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric adenocarcinoma. We conducted a study to Evaluation of the role of breastfeeding and breast milk on the colonization of H. pylori in the gastrointestinal tract of 2-24 month old. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 92 children referred to Ali Asghar Hospital of Iran University of Medical Sciences for two years (from July 2015 to June 2017). At first, a questionnaire was recorded by the neonatal specialist including demographic and clinical characteristics of the infants. Stool samples were taken from infants at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months of age. We used the H. pylori stool antigen test to detection infection in the selected group of children. H. pylori status was evaluated by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: In the study of breastfeeding at 12 months of age, 51.1% were fed only dry milk and 28.3% were breastfed only. At 24 months, 22 infants (24%) were breastfed with supplemental feeding and 54 children (58.7%) were formula-fed only and 8 children (8.7%) were breastfed only. In our study, the prevalence of H. pylori in infants of Tehran, at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months, were 0%, 6.5%, 15.21%, and 34.4%, respectively. Of the 92 children studied, during the first month, 25 children (27.2%) only formula-fed and 49 children (53.3%) were breastfed only and (19.6%) 18 infants were breastfed with dry milk. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 28.3%. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 20% in the breastfeeding group and 44% in the infant dry milk feeding group. The prevalence of H. pylori antigen was greater than 12 IU/ml in infants 2, 6, 12, and 24 months of age, including 19.92 (20.6%), 19.92 (20.6%), 24.92 (26.1%) and 21.92 (22.8%), respectively. Conclusion: According to the findings of the article, breastfed children compared to formula-fed children were less infected by Helicobacter pylori.

The growth rate of the population aging is increasing worldwide. To assess antimicrobial susceptibility of extended-spectrum β-lactamase- (ESBL-) producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Patients aging in Rasool Akram, Hospital, as well as to identify AmpC genes. 100 K. pneumoniae strain isolated from different clinical samples. Isolates resistant to oxyimino-cephalosporins and to cefoxitin evaluated to phenotypic ESBL production and to phenotypic AmpC production, respectively. Detection of resistance genes was then performed using primers specific for AmpC genes. Piperacillin/tazobactam and carbapenems remained the active β-lactam antibiotic against K. pneumoniae. ESBLs were detected among 40 (40%) of K. pneumoniae isolates. CMY-1 gene was detected in 34.3% of all AmpC-positive isolates, whereas CMY-2 and FOX genes were 14.2% and 28.6%, respectively. The consumption of Carbapenem family drugs is high in Iranian hospitals which are used as a first line of treatment without antibiotic susceptibility testing. Therefore, increase in antibiotic resistance to this family drugs is unavoidable in the near future. Therefore, it is necessary to take the necessary measures to modify the administration and use of antibiotics.

The peace treaty of 674 BC between Elam and Assyria is a unique treaty in the history of relations between these two states since this treaty is the only friendly treaty that one can speak of it with certainty. The context of this treaty has not left but there are references to it in Assyrian letters, prophecies and royal inscriptions that can affirm its existence. The reasons for its conclusion and violation have not been examined before and since this treaty shows a clear turning point in the policies of two sides, we will survey these reasons in this research. In studying this treaty we have no Elamite evidence, so our emphasis is on the Mesopotamian sources. According to these sources in the seventh century BC Iranian plateau by the arrival of Scythians and Cimmerians and rise to power of Iranian peoples who entered the plateau before this time experienced dramatic changes. The coalitions between peoples who were residing in the plateau, especially Iranian peoples and these newcomers against Assyrian expansionist policies in addition to threatening eastern borders of the Assyrian territory, were put in danger northern borders of Elam. Furthermore, Elam had troubles with Persians in its eastern regions. So Elam and Assyria, who were exposed to a common enemy, by concluding this treaty became allies. Nevertheless, this treaty was violated in 664 BC by Elam’s attack on the Assyrian territory. Causes such as lack of complete adherence to the treaty from both parties, factionalism among the ruling class in Elam, shared economic interests between Elam and southern Mesopotamia, and resentment against the Assyrian control over these regions that put their economic interests in jeopardy, will be examined as what prepared the setting for violating the peace treaty.

Introduction: Pertussis or whooping cough is one of the vaccine preventable diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the seroepidemiology of pertussis in two groups of children (i.e. under 2 months and 2-12 months old) who had been admitted to Tehran Children Hospital. Methods: Sampling from the children was done along with completing a questionnaire including demographic information, clinical symptoms and the history of the parents coughing. The levels of IgG-Ptx antibody were then measured using the children's sera. Results: Overall, 10.8% of the children were not immune, 78.3% were immune, and 10.9% had recent pertussis infections. Moreover, 19.4% of the female and 13.1% of the male subjects had the infection. In the age group less than two months, 16.6% were infected. The likelihood of new infection among the children less than 2 months old was 1.2 times higher than the control group (P < 0.004). Fifty percent of the children who were diagnosed with cyanosis in their clinical examinations had a recent infection (P

Background Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium resides in the human stomach which is associated with gastroduodenal diseases. We investigate the prevalence of cagA, vacA, oipA, cagE1, cagE2 and dupA genotypes in H. pylori isolated from patients with Gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and Gastric Cancer. Methods Collected 74 samples from the Gastroenterology Unit of the Rasool Akram Hospital were included in this study. Gastric disorders were identified by endoscopy .gastric cancer was further confirmed by histopathology. H. pylori were detected by the urease test. Subsequently, DNA was extracted from gastric tissue of the subjects with the CLO-test yielded positive results. Results In general, 74 patients with a mean age of 53.45 years (Range 22 to 86 years old), including 45 men and 29 women, were studied. Among 74 H. pylori-positive patients, 70 (94.5%) patients were positive for the cagA gene. About 95.8% (23/24) of the patients with gastric carcinoma were dupA positive and VacA gene (91.8%). The oipA genotype was detected in 71 (96%) of H.pylori positive samples. This gene was more common in patients with gastritis rather than cancer group. Also, 97.2% of 74 H. pylori isolates were cagE2-positive. In 25 patients with PUD, the occurrence percent of cagA+/VacA+, cagA+/Vac- , cagA- /VacA+ and cagA- /VaxA- genotypes were found 80%, 12%, 4.2% and 4.2 respectively. Conclusion The results of the present study suggest that a high prevalence of virulent factors could contribute to the risk of developing gastroduodenal diseases.

Background and Objectives: Despite widespread vaccination programs against pertussis, there has been a worldwide resurgence of the disease in recent years. We aimed to investigate protein composition of outer membrane vesicles (OMV) of Bordetella pertussis (Bp) and to evaluate the immunogenicity of OMV antigens both in the vaccine and the dominant wild type strains in Iran. Materials and Methods: The OMV were purified from both vaccine and wild type strains. The immunoreactivity of the OMVs was investigated by exposing sera taken from the patients and the vaccinated infants. The protein profiles of OMVs were compared using two-dimensional electrophoresis. The LC-MS/MS was used to analyse and identify differentially expressed protein spots. Results: The two type strains showed differences in their 2D gel protein profile. Further analysis of selected proteins from the dominant Iranian strains using LC-MS/MS demonstrated that the identified proteins fell into different functional categories including (i) metabolism, (ii) membrane transport and secretion system, (iii) biosynthesis and degradation, (iv) adaption, adhesion, pathogenicity, conserved hypothetical and protection responses. Moreover, a number of immunogenic proteins were identified including Bp 2434 (serine protease) and Bp 1616 (putative DNA binding protein) from the vaccine and the wild type strains, respectively which could be considered as potential antigens for an OMV vaccine. Conclusion: OMV Bp could be considered as an alternative vaccine against pertussis, containing the bacterium’s protein antigens that can confer equal efficacy compared to a whole bacterial cell vaccine with advantages such as less side effects and lower costs than acellular pertussis vaccines.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections are the most common human infections that lead to severe complications. Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) and Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) are common and important cause of genitourinary tract infections. MG is a member of genital mycoplasmas which is emerging as an important causative agent of sexually transmitted infections both in males and females. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of UU and MG in pregnant women and to assess the risk factors which may contribute to the predisposition of the individuals to the infection. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, The population of 210 pregnant women admitted to the Rasoul Akram Hospital in Tehran, were selected for the study using non-random sampling. The urine specimens were collected from 194 pregnant women from May to December, 2015. The samples were transferred to the Infectious Disease Research Center of Rasoul Akram Hospital under sterile condition. Samples were exposed to DNA extraction followed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the infection. Data including sex, age, history of abortion, history of genitourinary tract infections were collected subsequently. Results: The prevalence of MG and UU infections in urine samples was 5.6%, 11.2%, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the risk of UU was 2.08 (3.56-1.22) in women with a history of abortion and 0.70 (1.03-0.47) in women without a history of abortion. There was a significant relationship between the history of sexually transmitted diseases and the frequency of UU (P

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging global health issue, but currently no licensed vaccine achieves lasting protective immunity. Here the authors show that a ZIKV vaccine containing the envelop protein without the transmembrane domain and the precursor membrane protein can provide effective protection in mouse models.

This article reviews Hamid Dabashi’s “Can Non-Europeans Think?” (2015). It attempts to show that while Dabashi offers a powerful analysis of Iranian and Middle Eastern politics, his arguments turn to be unpersuasive when he aims to radically criticize European philosophy and enlightenment thought.

Adenoviral vectors have shown significant promise as vaccine delivery vectors due to their ability to elicit both innate and adaptive immune responses. α-defensins are effector molecules of the innate immune response and have been shown to modulate natural infection with adenoviruses, but the majority of α-defensin-adenovirus interactions studied to date have only been analyzed in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the role of α-defensin 5 (HD5) in modulating adenovirus vaccine immunogenicity using various serotype adenovirus vectors in mice. We screened a panel of human adenoviruses including Ad5 (species C), Ad26 (species D), Ad35 (species B), Ad48 (species D) and a chimeric Ad5HVR48 for HD5 sensitivity. HD5 inhibited transgene expression from Ad5 and Ad35 but augmented transgene expression from Ad26, Ad48, and Ad5HVR48. HD5 similarly suppressed antigen-specific IgG and CD8+ T cell responses elicited by Ad5 vectors in mice, but augmented IgG and CD8+ T cell responses and innate cytokine responses elicited by Ad26 vectors in mice. Moreover, HD5 suppressed the protective efficacy of Ad5 vectors but enhanced the protective efficacy of Ad26 vectors expressing SIINFEKL against a surrogate Listeria-OVA challenge in mice. These data demonstrate that HD5 differentially modulates adenovirus vaccine delivery vectors in a species-specific manner in vivo.

Motorcycle detection and collision warning are essential features in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to ensure road safety, especially in emergency situations. However, detecting motorcycles from videos captured from a car is challenging due to the varying shapes and appearances of motorcycles. In this paper, we propose an integrated and innovative remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) methodology for motorcycle detection and distance estimation based on visual data from a single camera installed in the back of a vehicle. Firstly, MD-TinyYOLOv4 is used for detecting motorcycles, refining the neural network through SPP (spatial pyramid pooling) feature extraction, Mish activation function, data augmentation techniques, and optimized anchor boxes for training. The proposed algorithm outperforms eight existing YOLO versions, achieving a precision of 81% at a speed of 240 fps. Secondly, a refined disparity map of each motorcycle's bounding box is estimated by training a Monodepth2 with a bilateral filter for distance estimation. The proposed fusion model (motorcycle's detection and distance from vehicle) is evaluated with depth stereo camera measurements, and the results show that 89% of warning scenes are correctly detected, with an alarm notification time of 0.022 s for each image. Outcomes indicate that the proposed integrated methodology provides an effective solution for ADAS, with promising results for real-world applications, and can be suitable for running on mobility services or embedded computing boards instead of the super expensive and powerful systems used in some high-tech unmanned vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodizing Sasanian History (224-651 AD) is an important issue in studying the development and change in this important Iranian dynasty. The essential point in this periodization is a focus on legitimization methods and dominant world view in each segment of its history. The present essay will examine the ways in which Sasanian kingship was legitimized and how can this be used in a periodization of the dynasty. By dividing the Sasanian kingship into two early and late (Kayanid) holy kingships based on different methods of legitimization, and further sub-classifications, one can attempt a new periodization. The single previous study of the subject will be critically examined from a theoretical standpoint and social and economic circumstances will be taken into consideration in proposing a new theory.

The formation of marriage which is the foundation of family in both Islam and Zoroastrianism depends on certain requirements or conditions. The comparative study of these requirements or conditions shows certain similarities and differences between the two religions, and examining these issues can shed light on the common tradition and shared heritage between the two. The present essay will first study the conditions of marriage from perspective of Zoroastrianism and then compares that standpoint to the Islamic law. The study shows that there are important differences between the two religions. This research deals with one problem from the perspective of the Zoroastrianism and then examines the same problem from the Islamic point of view. Common characteristics in conditions of marriage (age, consent of the guardian, consent of the girl and boy, and their social equality) and in the marriage contact itself (offer and acceptance, representation, witnesses and bride-wealth) between the two legal systems are noteworthy.

Abstract In Zoroastrian law, there are several indications that denote to the temporary marriage as a legal institution and this can be compared to one law in Imami jurisprudence. Sunni and Imami jurists differ on the continued legitimacy of the temporary marriage which the former believes it to be continued. Temporary marriage is legitimate in the opinion of Imami jurists and it has certain conditions that need to be observed. In Zoroastrian texts, there is no separate chapter discussing this institution but based on the remaining evidence one can infer its existence and attempt a reconstruction. In the first section of this paper, this remaining evidence, direct and indirect, will be discussed and then the main points of the comparison with Imami jurisprudence will be studied taking into consideration similarities and differences. The study shows considerable similarity although the aims and conditions are different on occasions.

In this research the effect of softwood cellulose fibers surface characteristics on mechanical properties of cellulose fibers / polypropylene composite (W.P.C) was studied. The fibers were refined to modify the surface characteristics and reach four different freeness levels (11, 14, 17 and 21 °SR). Then the fibers were mixed with polypropylene using pre-determined levels of 20% fibers and 77% polypropylene and 3% MAPP and samples were made. The results revealed that refining the fibers will change the strength of the composites. Statistical analysis should that the impact of the different freeness levels statistically influenced the strength at 99% confidence level. The highest strength levels were reached using fibers with the freeness level of 14 oSR.

Author(s): Rafael A. Larocca [1]; Peter Abbink [1]; Jean Pierre S. Peron [2]; Paolo M. de A. Zanotto [2]; M. Justin Iampietro [1]; Alexander Badamchi-Zadeh [1]; Michael Boyd [1]; David [...]

Background: The genus Bordetella harbors 16 species; three of them are well-known for their high medical importance. The phylogenetic diversity of the genus is currently not very well investigated. Methods: In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequence of 16 type strains of the Bordetella species were analyzed. Also, phylogenies conducted on the same gene of 247 isolates of Bordetella species, comprising a wide physiological as well as ecological diversity and encompassing ex-type representatives of the 16 Bordetella species, were analyzed. Results: It was found that the phylogenetic diversity of the genus may be very different from that is currently assumed. Interestingly, the 16S rRNA gene signals could not resolve some species with promising bootstrap and posterior probability values as our phylogenies, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, showed. Conclusion: Our results indicate a probable need for additional phylogenetic signals which can be provided by coding genes. Therefore, sequence data of ompA gene of Bordetella species, a critically significant genomic region in pathogenesis, was here analyzed, phylogenetically. This gene confirmed the tree topology and the phylogenetic species boundaries already revealed by the 16S rRNA gene, but showed a better discriminatory power which resolved Bordetella species with higher statistically significant values.

Background: Excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in hospitals has led to the emergence of highly resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The main mechanism of resistance of this bacterium to fluoroquinolones and carbapenems are the modification of type II topoisomerases (DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV) and alterations in the OprD porin, respectively. The aim of this study was to examine for the occurrence of mutations related to fluoroquinolone resistance of gyrA and parC genes and mutational inactivation of oprD gene of clinical isolates using DNA sequencing technique. Methods: A total of 60 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from the hospitalized patients in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of Al-Zahra hospital located in Isfahan, Iran. The pattern of sensitivity to antibiotics was determined using CLSI disk diffusion and MIC methods. The assay was based on a DNA sequencing method using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplification and sequencing of the selected genes. Results: The results show that replacement of Ile for Thr-83 in gyrA was the only replacement, while other substitutions not observed. No mutations were found in parC. The most frequent amino acid alterations were E185Q, P186G, and V189T, found in five resistance isolates, However, nucleotide insertions and deletions mutations not observed. Conclusion: Our study suggested that mutation of gyrA and oprD genes may play a minor role in fluoroquinolone and carbapenem resistance and other mechanisms may contribute to the fluoroquinolone and carbapenem resistance of P. aeruginosa.

Background: The main cause of toxic shock is TSST-1 toxin which is produced by S. aureus. Finding of TSST-1 toxin in burnt children is very important to prevent TSS and its consequences. Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of gene encoding TSST-1 toxin in wound specimens by PCR. In this case-control study, 90 children who were admitted to the burn unit, were divided in two groups of 45 patients, namely febrile (cases group) and non-febrile (control group). Samplings were done from the burn wounds and were tested by PCR with specific primers of tstH gene. Finally, all data including demographic characteristics, percentage of burnt surface severity and the PCR results were analyzed, statistically. Results: The positive PCR results indicated the expression of tstH gene in 37.7% of the febrile children and 11.1% of the non-febrile children with a statistically significant difference (p

Ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis can cause trachoma, which is the leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide. Despite the large-scale implementation of trachoma control programmes in the majority of countries where trachoma is endemic, there remains a need for a vaccine. Since C. trachomatis infects the conjunctival epithelium and stimulates an immune response in the associated lymphoid tissue, vaccine regimens that enhance local antibody responses could be advantageous. In experimental infections of non-human primates (NHPs), antibody specificity to C. trachomatis antigens was found to change over the course of ocular infection. The appearance of major outer membrane protein (MOMP) specific antibodies correlated with a reduction in ocular chlamydial burden, while subsequent generation of antibodies specific for PmpD and Pgp3 correlated with C. trachomatis eradication.We used a range of heterologous prime-boost vaccinations with DNA, Adenovirus, modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) and protein vaccines based on the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) as an antigen, and investigated the effect of vaccine route, antigen and regimen on the induction of anti-chlamydial antibodies detectable in the ocular lavage fluid of mice.Three intramuscular vaccinations with recombinant protein adjuvanted with MF59 induced significantly greater levels of anti-MOMP ocular antibodies than the other regimens tested. Intranasal delivery of vaccines induced less IgG antibody in the eye than intramuscular delivery. The inclusion of the antigens PmpD and Pgp3, singly or in combination, induced ocular antigen-specific IgG antibodies, although the anti-PmpD antibody response was consistently lower and attenuated by combination with other antigens.If translatable to NHPs and/or humans, this investigation of the murine C. trachomatis specific ocular antibody response following vaccination provides a potential mouse model for the rapid and high throughput evaluation of future trachoma vaccines.

To effectively exploit the orbital angular momentum (OAM) characteristics, it is essential to have devices which are capable of generating beams with multiple OAM modes simultaneously. Most of the proposed techniques commonly require time division multiplexing at the transmitter side or beam splitters at the reception side for separating OAM modes and directing beams of different OAM modes to different directions. To overcome this problem, here, the concept of aperture sharing for generating concentrically embedded OAM-carrying beams is presented. Such a methodology provides embedded beams of various OAM modes which are launched toward a single direction through a shared aperture of transmitarray (TA), while having a spatial division between them. In this manner, the transmitted beams are initially separated by the hardware at the transmitter level. A novel circularly polarized (CP) substrate-coupled unit cell is designed and used as the elemental components on the aperture of the TA. Three prototype TAs are realized for investigating different cases of the OAM modes embedding and verifying the effectiveness of the proposed method. The obtained simulated and experimental results are consistent which validate the novel technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the question of how academic freedom can be conceptualized and justified. First, I analyze two conceptions of academic freedom: institutional autonomy and intellectual and professional autonomy. I claim that institutional autonomy is a limited way to conceptualize academic freedom because there is no guarantee that institutions always favor freedom of intellectuals. In line with this, I argue that academic freedom as intellectual and professional autonomy should be the prior, if not the only, conception of academic freedom. Second, I examine critically different justifications of academic freedom that provide us with reasons to attach high protection to academic freedom as a particular right. I contend that the justification of the university as a realm of discovery of truth and independent knowledge production has to be complemented with the justifications of the university as a realm of democratic free debate and the autonomy of academics to speak freely. This is because, the discovery of truth argument alone does not require us to accept any moral principle other than skepticism about our own beliefs, which is not a strong ground for free speech on its own. Third, I argue that equal autonomy provides a good reason for academic freedom by emphasizing the rights of academics to speak in line with what they believe is true and only in this way can they contribute to the democratic debate in academia. This line of reasoning endorses the value of the search for truth and knowledge too since it is only possible for academics to perform the profession of search for truth when they are able to speak, write and research freely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]