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Objective(s): Health tourism is a branch of the tourism industry that is of interest to many countries of the world due to its high demand and good income. Therefore, considering the importance of health tourism and the existing potential in Mazandaran province, this study was conducted with the aim of identifying and analyzing the factors affecting the development of the health tourism industry in Mazandaran province. Methods: The present study was conducted using a qualitative method with a content analysis approach. For this purpose, 17 health tourism industry experts and health tourists were selected using the purposeful sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The interviews were conducted until we reached a point of theoretical data saturation. Results: The findings showed that the health tourism industry in Mazandaran province is affected by structural, process and contextual factors. The structural factors included issues related to infrastructures, potentials/attractions, institutional factors, and expert human resources for health tourism destination. The process factor included issues related to drivers of health tourism, provision of health services and destination situational factors. The contextual-field factor included issues related to sociocultural contexts, potentials and attractiveness of tourism, and economic capacity. Conclusion: Despite the importance of services related to health tourism and considering the increasing demand of this industry, travelers who travel to Mazandaran province need a variety of services, and the need to pay attention to quality service development in tourism destinations is evident. Therefore, the provision of other essentials for health tourists such as infrastructure, destination attractions, financial capacities, sociocultural conditions, human resources, situational factors are the requirements for the development of this industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces parallel coordinates plot as an innovative visualization method, offering an alternative to traditional score plots in Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for exploratory data analysis (EDA). EDA is pivotal for unraveling intricate data structures, and PCA serves as a powerful tool for simplifying complex datasets. The paper explores the application of parallel coordinates plot in visualizing and interpreting PCA results, emphasizing their effectiveness in revealing multivariate patterns and detecting outliers. Through the examination of simulated datasets, where two distinct classes are generated in three-dimensional and five-dimensional spaces and real Raman spectroscopic data, the research demonstrates the utility of parallel coordinates plot in enhancing data exploration and providing valuable insights in pattern recognition methodologies. The results highlight the complementary nature of traditional score plots and parallel coordinates plots, offering a comprehensive approach to understanding high-dimensional datasets. This innovative visualization technique proves valuable in discerning subtle patterns and relationships within complex data structures, contributing to a more profound exploration of datasets in various domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of antibiotic‐resistant bacterial infections is a principal threat to global health. Functionalization of nanomaterial with antibiotics is known as a useful method for increasing the effectiveness of existing antibiotics. In this study, vancomycin‐functionalized ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite (ZnFe2O4@Cell@APTES@Van) was synthesized, and its functional groups and particle size were characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscopy. The antibacteria activity of the synthesized nanocomposite was evaluated using minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Cytotoxicity assay was done by 2,3‐bis‐(2‐methoxy‐4‐nitro‐5‐sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium‐5‐carboxanilide method. Characterization analyses of synthesized nanocomposite confirmed the binding of vancomysin on the surface of ZnFe2O4@Cell@APTES. Nanocomposite exhibited an aggregated semi‐spherical structure with hydrodynamic radii of ∼382 nm. In vitro antibacterial activity test showed that vancomycin and vancomycin functionalized ZnFe2O4 have no antibacterial effect against E. coli. S. aureus was sensitive to vancomycin and ZnFe2O4@Cell@APTES@Van NPs and ZnFe2O4 NPs did not improve vancomycin antibacterial activity against these bacteria. MRSA is resistant to vancomycin while ZnFe2O4@Cell@APTES@Van NPs was efficient in inhibiting MRSA growth. In summary, this study showed that attachment of vancomycin to ZnFe2O4 NPs was increased its antibacterial activity against MRSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Lard is commonly used in food industry due to its availability, low cost, and ability to enhance food quality. However, certain religious groups such as Muslims do not eat it and consider lard as non-halal food. In the present study, for the first time, we conducted chemical and molecular analysis to detect different percentages of lard simultaneously. Materials and methods: To determine origin of a sample containing lard, various percentages of lard including 100, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, 3, 1 and 0% w/w were prepared in triplicate and tested for Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, and polymerase chain reaction analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis was carried out in the mid-infrared range (2-25 µm). Differential scanning calorimetry analysis was done from -60 to 60 °C at scan rate of 10 °C/min. The reactions in polymerase chain reaction analysis were amplified by specific primers which designed from cow and pig. Results and conclusion: Our results demonstrated that all three methods could detect various quantities of lard, but Fourier transform infrared and differential scanning calorimetry had some exceptions in their results. In comparison, polymerase chain reaction could amplify the pig-specific band (212 bp) in all samples containing lard. Therefore, our results showed that polymerase chain reaction approach is more reliable and accurate than two other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hair is an item of our body, which provides beauty for both men and women. Human hair is subjected to air pollution and its own additive sebum. This makes it dirty and must be washed away. Hair drier and hot flat irons are used for drying and styling or texturing of hair. If the drying temperature is high, it may cause a thermal damage. Ultra Violet (UV) radiation of sun light may cause physical and chemical damage to hair structure. Due to mechanical process during styling, texturing and combing or tensions applied to hair during a normal day, hair structure may be damaged. Usually, hair mask is used to prevent or reduce these damages. Hair fibers were collected from a young woman, and divided into 2 parts. A hair mask was applied to one part of it. Thermal, UV, dead weight and detergent damages were applied to plain and masked hair fibers, and were tested. Max load and extension at max load from mechanical properties, and ROS and TAC from biochemical properties were measured. It was concluded from the test results that application of mask reduced thermal damage (ROS), dead weight damage (max load, extension at max load, ROS, and TAC) and detergent damage of the samples (ROS and TAC). Hair mask protected hair against thermal, chemical and mechanical stresses. Measurement of tensile properties, ROS and TAC of the hair samples gave good responses for evaluation of the induced damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]