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Let G be a group with identity e and R be a graded multiplicative hyperring. In this paper, we introduce and study the notion of graded n -absorbing hyperideals of R as a generalization of prime hyperideals. Many properties, examples and characterizations of graded n -absorbing hyperideals of R are introduced. Moreover, we investigate the behavior of this structure under homogeneous components, graded hyperring homomorphisms, Cartesian product and fundamental relations. We consider the fundamental relation γ ∗ on R as the smallest equivalence relation such that the quotient R / γ ∗ is a ring. Also, we show that if R is a graded hyperring, then R / γ ∗ is a graded ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate chemical composition, antibacterial and antifungal effect and antioxidant property of Salvia officinalis, Mentha piperita and Mentha Longifolia. Material and Methods: At first, chemical analysis of essential oils was determined using GC/MS. Then the antibacterial and antifungal effect of tested essential oils on L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, S. typhimurium and E. coli and two fungal strains including A. niger and A. flavus were determined using disk diffusion agar and broth microdilution methods. The antioxidant property of essential oils was evaluated using DPPH assay. Results: Linalool (14.38%), l. menthone (19.03%) and δ-terpinene (21.78%) were the major components of Salvia officinalis, Mentha piperita and Mentha Longifolia, respectively. all tested essential oils had antibacterial effect on foodborne pathogens, which was comparable with tetracycline’s effect. In addition, all essences had appropriate antioxidant potential compared with BHT. Conclusion: based on the results, Salvia officinalis, Mentha piperita and Mentha Longifolia can be introduced as appropriate natural preservatives. Keywords: Salvia officinalis; Mentha piperita; Mentha Longifolia, Antibacterial Agents.

Background: Given that controlling Listeria contamination is very important in food chain system, the knowledge of their prevalence in food is very important. Therefore, this study aims to examine the prevalence of important Listeria species in various food types and evaluate serotype distribution, as well as the study of the virulence factors of L. monocytogenes. Methods: During July 2018 and January 2020, 900 food samples were collected in the North of Iran, including beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, milk and yogurt, green vegetables, mixed vegetable salad, Olivier salad, and cottage cheese. After isolation and identification steps, each bacterial DNA was extracted. Then, using specific primers, species, serotypes, and virulence genes of Listeria isolates were evaluated in the samples by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Results: The test results of 136 samples (15.1%) were positive for Listeria spp. and the most contaminated food was beef (35%) followed by chicken (29%) and green vegetables (23%). The most isolated Listeria spp. was L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii. Among L. monocytogenes isolates, the dominant serogroups were 1/2a and 4b; furthermore, all of the isolates of this species harbored four virulence genes, including hlyA, plc, iap, and actA. Conclusion: These reports highlighted the importance of food safety in various food products, particularly raw meats and vegetables. Moreover, contamination of healthy foods such as fish and vegetables with Listeria is an indicator of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & aim: Reflection has been emphasized as an effective educational strategy in clinical settings. Although this educational tool lead to promotion of skills and knowledge in nursing students but is rarely used. The aim of the present study was to determine the viewpoints of nursing students toward reflection in clinical education. Materials & Methods: It was a quasi-experimental study with one group, post- test design. The sample consisted of 35 senior nursing students recruited by census. The students were asked to reflect on their performance in clinical settings for four consecutive weeks. A guide for reflective thinking was given to students and they were asked to write their reflections about clinical care in personal journals. Data was collected by a self-constructed questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS-PC (v. 11.5). Result: personal domain of reflection was the most prominent subscale from the students’ perspective (13.9 ± 2.2). Most of students (84.3%) believed that reflection has influenced their sense of empowerment and self-esteem. There was significant relationships between the students’ perspective in all domains and their age (p

Background and Objectives: Hearing loss is the most frequent sensory disorder affecting 1 in 500 neonates with more than 50% of inherited cases. This trait is a very heterogeneous disorder and happens due to genetic or environmental causes or both. More than 46 genes may be involved in non-syndromic hearing loss. Recently, DFNB59 gene has been shown to cause deafness in some Iranian populations. The aim of this study was to determine the role of DFNB59 gene mutations causing deafness in a group of 130 deaf pupils in Fars province.Methods: This descriptive-laboratory based study investigated the frequency of DFNB59 gene mutations using PCR-SSCP/HA strategy. Results: Two different DFNB59 polymorphism including 874G>A and 793C>G were found in 1 and 9 of 130 patients studied respectively. However, no DFNB59 mutation was identified. Conclusion: The results of this study shows that the association of DFNB59 mutations with deafness in Fars province is very low.

In this paper, we introduce the concept of ϕ-strongly pseudomonotone bifunctions in Banach spaces and present two simple subgradient-type methods for solving ϕ-strongly pseudomonotone equilibrium problem. Under mild and standard assumptions, strong convergence theorems of the proposed algorithms are established. To illustrate the usability of our results, a numerical example is given in a non-Hilbertian space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present work, we investigated K - + 3 He reaction at low energies. The coupled-channel Faddeev AGS equations were solved for K ¯ N d - π Σ d three-body system in momentum representation to extract the scattering amplitudes. To trace the signature of the Λ (1405) resonance in the π Σ invariant mass, the deuteron energy spectrum for K - + 3 He → π Σ d reaction was obtained. Different types of K ¯ N - π Σ potentials based on phenomenological and chiral SU(3) approaches were used. As a remarkable result of this investigation, it was found that the deuteron energy spectrum, reflecting the Λ (1405) mass distribution and width, depends quite sensitively on the K ¯ N - π Σ model of interaction. Hence accurate measurements of the π Σ mass distribution have the potential to discriminate between possible mechanisms at work in the formation of the Λ (1405). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by using Bregman distance, we introduce a new iterative process involving products of resolvents of maximal monotone operators for approximating a common element of the set of common fixed points of a finite family of multi-valued Bregman relatively nonexpansive mappings and the solution set of the multiple-sets split feasibility problem and common zeros of maximal monotone operators. We derive a strong convergence theorem of the proposed iterative algorithm under appropriate situations. Finally, we mention several corollaries and two applications of our algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: This study aimed at investigation of the chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant properties of clove, cumin, origanum, and anise Essential Oils (EOs). Methods: Chemical compositions of the EOs were identified using Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The antibacterial activities of EOs against four important food-borne bacteria were assessed by disc diffusion, agar well diffusion, and broth micro-dilution assays. Evaluation of antioxidant properties of the EOs was carried out by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching test, and total phenolic contents as well. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL software. Results: Eugenol (69.26%) was the main constituents of studied EOs. Although, all five tested bacteria were sensitive to EOs, but Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli had the highest and lowest susceptibility to the antibacterial activity of EOs (p<0.05), respectively. Remarkable antioxidant capacity was observed in all EOs; however, clove EO had the highest antioxidant properties (p<0.05). Conclusion: Clove, cumin, origanum, and anise EOs could be regarded as potential sources of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents in Iranian food industries and the best results was belonged to clove EO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irradiation is a new technology which can be used for foods especially for the ones which common methods such as thermal method cannot be applied. Traditional ice cream samples were purchased from a local market. After applying a 15 kGy dose for sterilization, B rucella abortus and B rucella melitensis were inoculated to samples and then treated with four doses of 1, 2, 3 and 5 kGy electron beam irradiation at −18C storage temperature. Microbial examinations were performed in 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after treatment with electron beam irradiation. Results showed that no bacteria were observed in the initial test after use of 5 kGy dose. Applying 2 and 3 kGy reduced significantly ( P < 0.05) the microbial population but could not eliminate it completely. This study confirmed that electron beam irradiation is a reliable way to reduce microbial population of B rucella spp. in traditional ice cream and therefore improve food safety. Practical Applications To maintain palatability of traditional ice cream, milk must not be too heated or else pasteurization is not achieved. So, electron beam irradiation could ensure the safety of ice cream, instead of heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated originally from sourdough are probably the best candidates as biopreservatives, because they are well adapted to the non-aseptic conditions in sourdough fermentation. The aim of the present study was to study antifungal properties of a dominant endogenous LAB isolated from whole barley sourdough. Methods: Whole barley flour from a mixture of barley varieties was purchased from a local market. The pure and single colonies obtained from streak plate of these bacteria, were subjected to species specific PCR. By sequencing of the PCR products, the dominant LAB isolate was identified. Antifungal activity of mentioned isolate and its cell-free culture filtrate (CCF) were evaluated against Aspergillus flavus and A. niger based on overlay method and fungal spore spot on mixture of medium-CCF, respectively. Statistical analyzing was performed by ANOVA and by post hoc Tukey using SAS-9.1 software. Results: The dominant LAB isolate was identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus that had significant (p<0.05) antifungal effect compared to control group. Furthermore, among all CCF treatments, CCF obtained from stationary phase (CCF-S) had the highest antagonistic effect (p<0.05). The antifungal activity was also observed in neutral pH. Conclusion: It was concluded that the secondary metabolites of P. pentosaceus were more effective than the primary metabolites in antifungal properties. Also, its antifungal activity in neutral pH indicated this isolate produced some antifungal compounds in both logarithmic and stationary phases. Therefore, P. pentosaceus with antifungal potential would be a proper candidate as biopreservative starter or adjunct culture in sourdough bread processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a toxic compound that could be found in milk and dairy products. AFM1 is the principle hydroxylated derivative of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), formed in liver and excreted into the milk in the mammary glands of both human and lactating animals that have been fed with AFB1 contaminated diet. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report on stability of AFM1 during production of Iranian traditional kashk (ITK). This study designed to assess the effect of ITK processing on AFM1 content of cow's milk artificially contaminated with AFM1. Methods: ITK making consisted of production of yogurt and strained yogurt, boiling the strained yogurt to make a curd and drying the resultant curd, according to common native procedure in Iran. AFM1 content of initial yogurt, strained yogurt and dried kashk was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Statistical analyses were performed by Student's t-test and ANOVA using the SPSS 16.0 software package program. Results: The mean concentration of AFM1 in final ITK was determined as 0.118 μg/kg which was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that of initial milk, yogurt and strained yogurt samples. Also, AFM1 content of yogurt, strained yogurt and final ITK product was 46.12%, 6.94% and 48.24%, respectively lower than that of initial milk (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that ITK processing can effectively degrade AFM1 presented in initial raw milk and could be useful for minimizing AFM1 content of highly contaminated raw milk in dairy industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is a sensitive agricultural crop whose antioxidant properties are decreased during post-harvest storage. In this study, the effect of citric acid dipping treatment on bioactive components and antioxidant properties of sliced button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) was investigated. Methods: Fresh mushrooms soaked in chilled citric acid solution at different concentrations (1%, 3% and 5% w/v) for 10 min were categorized as treatment groups and those dipped in chilled distilled water were considered as control. Bioactive components and antioxidant properties of sliced button mushroom were assessed on each designated day (every 5 days up to 15 days) of storage using chemical evaluations including total phenolics, chelating power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay as well as assessment of reducing power. The significance of differences among treatments was determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey tests using Sigma Stat software (version 2.03). Results: Incorporation of 3% w/v citric acid treatment effectively maintained bioactive components and antioxidant properties [with 4.89 mg/g, 304.31 μg/ml (EC50) and 1.69 mg/ml (EC50) in total phenolic, DPPH and reducing power assays, respectively] at higher levels compared to control [with 3.12 mg/g, 420.42 μg/ml (EC50) and 2.23 mg/ml (EC50) in the mentioned evaluations] at the last day of the experiment (p<0.05). No significant difference was observed between 3% and 5% w/v citric acid solution treated samples (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results showed that dipping in citric acid solution prior to storage can maintain bioactive components and antioxidant properties of sliced button mushrooms during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as important food-borne pathogens are the main concerns of food producers and consumers which create a lot of problems worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of monolaurin alone and in combination with EDTA on viability of E. coli and S. aureus in culture media and Iranian white cheese. Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration of monolaurin and EDTA was determined by broth microdilution susceptibility test. In the next stage, 108 CFU/g of E. coli and S. aureus and different concentrations of monolaurin and EDTA were added. Samples were maintained at 4 °C for 9 days. Antibacterial effect of monolaurin and EDTA was evaluated on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 by the specific media. Statistical analysis was made using analysis of variance (ANOVA) by SPSS program (16.0) to compare means with a significant difference when p<0.05. Results: Monolaurin alone in both in vitro and in vivo condition had limited effect on E. coli growth but this effect was increased when it was used in combination with EDTA (p<0.05). Monolaurin showed strong antibacterial effect on S. aureus which was increased significantly when used in combination with EDTA (p<0.05). Preservation time had significant effect on antibacterial effect of monolaurin on both pathogenic bacteria (p<0.05). Conclusion: Monolaurin can be used in combination with EDTA to decrease contamination risks and growth of pathogenic bacteria in Iranian white cheese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In current study, chemical composition and antibacterial activity of leaves and flowers essential oils of Origanum vulgare ssp. gracile against four food-borne pathogens including Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella thyphimurium and Staphylococcus aureus were examined. Methods: The different organs (leaves and flowers) of O. vulgare ssp. gracile were harvested at flowering stage from wild grown plants in Kurdistan province, Iran. Phytochemical properties of the essential oils were identified by GC and GC/MS analysis. Also, antibacterial effects of O. vulgare ssp. gracile against each bacterial strain were detected by calculating the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration using microdilution method. Data was analyzed by chi square and fisher exact tests using SPSS 16.0. Results: Main components of leaf and flower oils were carvacrol (46.5% and 60.6%), γ- terpinene (13.91% and 16.64%) and ρ-cymene (13.54% and 7.21%). E. coli and S. aureus had similar sensitivity to essential oils, but S. typhimurium showed more sensitivity. Output of composition analysis showed that the O. vulgare ssp. gracile flowers essential oil has more effect than those from leaves. Conclusion: This work showed substantial inhibitory effect of O. vulgare ssp. gracile essential oils on food-borne pathogens. The efficiency of O. vulgare ssp. gracile flowers oils in reduction of the bacterial activity was higher than the leaves essential oils. According to the results of this research, this essential oil can be utilized as a natural preservative in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In this study, the antibacterial effect of essential oil of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was evaluated in culture media and Iranian white cheese. Materials and Methods: The tarragon essential oil (EO) obtained by the steam distillation method and its antibacterial activity was evaluated in 96-well microtiter plates containing brain heart infusion broth. The enumeration of S. aureus and E. coli in cheese samples were carried out on the following media: Baired parker agar for S.aureus, incubated at 37 °C for 24 h; and MacConkey sorbitol agar for E. coli, incubated at 37°C for 24 h. Iranian white cheese was produced from fresh and whole pasteurized cow milk (2.5%). Bacteria (103 cfu/mL) were inoculated to different batches. Cheese was treated with different concentrations of EO (15 and 1500 µg/mL) and separated into four parts in an equal manner. The sensory evaluation was done by a panel of four judges. Results: According to the results obtained, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for E. coli and S. aureus were 2500 and 1250 µg/mL, respectively. Also, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for the mentioned microorganisms were 5000 and 2500 µg/mL, respectively. All the EO concentrations for each bacteria result in reducing bacterial count of cheese samples compared to control (P < 0.05). Also, with increasing concentration of EO in cheese samples, the bacterial count was reduced further (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on our findings, tarragon essential oil has antibacterial effect on two important pathogen bacteria (S. aureus and E. coli) and can be applied as a preservative in foods such as cheese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]