علی خلج

Grape is a major horticultural crop with a high nutritional value in the world. The optimal geographic and climatic conditions in Iran have positioned it as one of the most important regions for grape cultivation in the world. Black rot, caused by Aspergillus niger, is a highly destructive fungal disease that affects the grapes by targeting wounded areas. It causes crushing of the grapes, the falling of berries, and reduces transportation and storage properties (Ponsone et al., 2011). Various methods, such as fumigating bunches with sulfur dioxide and storing them in a modified atmosphere, have been used to control fungal rot and prolong the shelf life of grapes. However, each method has its limitations. Grape fumigation with sulfur gas is harmful to human health (Duarte-Sierra et al., 2016) and the efficiency of modified atmospheric storage on rot control and maintaining the quality of grapes depends on the type of variety, storage temperature, and especially gas concentration (Himelrick, 2003).Given the lack of efficiency in traditional methods, it is imperative to introduce modern techniques that can effectively disinfect microorganisms. These advanced methods offer several advantages, including the preservation of crop quality, an increase in crop shelf life, the promotion of good health, and substantial economic benefits. A technique of this type includes using non-thermal (cold) plasma (NTP) technology to eliminate food microorganisms (Bourke et al., 2018). The effect of cold plasma at atmospheric pressure on the reduction of bacterial populations in food products such as lettuce, tomato, strawberry, and cherry tomato has been reported (Bermúdez-Aguirre et al., 2013; Pasquali et al., 2016; Ziuzina et al., 2014). Research has shown that cold plasma can effectively inactivate Aspergillus in various orchard and agricultural products (Butscher et al., 2016; Ghorashi et al., 2020; Selcuk et al., 2008). The effect of cold plasma on the quality characteristics of the product during the post-harvest period has also been investigated. Blueberries treated with cold plasma for less than 15 minutes showed remarkable results after 10 days, the fruit exhibited reduced lipid peroxidation and darkening, with no impact on the total anthocyanin content, pH, or firmness of the product (Hu et al., 2021). In a study by Rana et al. (2020), it was found that subjecting strawberries to 15 minutes of cold plasma with packaging after 5 days of storage at 25°C had no significant impact on pH, TSS, and moisture content of the fruit.The review of the literature reveals the absence of research on fungal disease control and grape quality evaluation following the use of NTP. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of plasma treatment in reducing the infection with Aspergillus fungi, along with examining the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of Fakhri grape.

This research was conducted as a completely randomized design in a factorial experiment at four plasma levels (0, 10, 20, and 40 s) and five storage periods (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks) with three replications at 4°C.  A plasma generator was first designed and manufactured in this study. A specifically designed and fabricated plasma application probe was also developed for grape berries. The individual grape berries were then sterilized with 1% sodium hypochlorite under a laminar hood for 2 minutes. Afterward, they were rinsed three times with sterile distilled water to remove any remaining disinfectant residue from their surfaces. Sterilized berries were immersed in Aspergillus spore suspension with 105 spores.ml-1 concentration. Finally, all samples were dried on paper filters and prepared for different plasma treatment durations (0, 10, 20, and 40 s). The treated samples were stored at 4°C, and the infection percentage and microbial load were measured on a weekly basis. To assess the preservation quality, chemical parameters such as pH, TSS, and TA, physical parameters (color change and weight loss), and mechanical properties were measured every week. Additionally, thermal imaging was performed weekly.

Plasma application during storage significantly reduced the infection percentage and microbial load in Aspergillus-inoculated samples. At the end of the storage period, the infection percentage and microbial load in the 40-second plasma treatment were 5% and 2.5 CFU g-1 respectively, while in the control group, the infection percentage was 100% and the microbial load was 4 CFU g-1. At the end of the storage period, the lowest pH level in the plasma was observed for 40 s plasma. This could be attributed to effective contamination control, as fungal contamination leads to alkalization of the environment. The highest amount of TSS was also observed in control and 40 s plasma. But in the 10 and 20 s plasma treatment, the process of changes was gradual and not significant. The higher TSS level of control and 40 s plasma can be due to the weight loss caused by the spread of contamination and moisture leakage caused by damage to the tissue. This decrease in moisture leads to an apparent increase in the TSS index. Research has shown that plasma primarily affects the surface characteristics of products, and when applied with the appropriate voltage and duration, it does not alter the internal chemical properties (Hu et al., 2021). Over time, weight loss increased in all treatments. This increasing trend during the storage period is higher in control and 40 s plasma compared to 10 and 20 s plasma. Therefore, the weight loss in the control can be due to the spread of contamination and aging of the product over time. However, the weight loss in the 40-second plasma treatment can be due to the destruction of the fruit tissue caused by longer duration of the plasma application.In the current research, by increasing the duration of plasma application to 40 s, a significant decrease in L*, a*, and b* indices and an overall change in the color of the product was observed. Research shows that in blueberries, inappropriate duration of plasma treatment causes the loss of wax on the fruit surface and leads to darkening of the product (Hu et al., 2021). The highest and lowest changes in temperature drop were observed in the control treatment (5°C) and 10 and 20 s plasma (3 and 3.5°C, respectively). According to research, an increase in fungal contamination leads to a decrease in humidity, increases weight loss, and subsequently a decrease in product temperature. A decline in mechanical characteristics was noted for the control and plasma treated samples during the storage period. The lowest value for indicators was observed in the 40 s plasma treatment. However, no significant difference was observed in samples treated with plasma for less than 20 seconds compared to the control group up to the middle of the storage period. According to a report by Misra et al. (2014), plasma application can reduce tissue softness. Therefore, optimizing its plasma duration and intensity is very important (Pan et al., 2021).

Our experiments aimed to investigate the effect of NTP treatment on controlling Aspergillus infections while preserving the quality properties of Fakhri grapes. The obtained results are important for two main reasons. Firstly, an innovative probe was designed for plasma applications, specifically tailored to the shape and size of individual grapes in order to thoroughly cover them with plasma. Secondly, application of plasma was carried out for the first time and yielded valuable results, indicating that this technique can control fungal infections and preserve the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of grapes.

"Physical development" of the city is a dynamic and continuous process, as a result of which, the physical bed of the city in the vertical and horizontal directions is quantitatively and qualitatively redundant. In today's era, unprincipled and unmeasured physical development is one of the issues and challenges of urban planning and management in underdeveloped countries.The present research was conducted with the aim of evaluating and determining the capabilities and constraints of the natural environment for the physical expansion of the city of Eghlid. The study area included a circular zone with a radius of 10 kilometers from the center of the city of Eghlid. Environmental variables included climate type, precipitation, temperature, elevation above sea level, land slope, lithology, distance from fault lines, topographical type, distance from rivers, well density, canal density, land use type, and land cover, and their data were collected from various library sources such as scanned maps, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and statistical yearbooks. Data preparation, management, and analysis were performed in the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. To understand the favorable and unfavorable natural conditions for physical development, a classification of each environmental variable was used. Finally, the overlap of all spatial layers related to environmental variables was used to determine the optimal directions for future physical development of the target city. The results of interpreting satellite images over the past 30 years indicate the expansion of the city in a northeast-southwest direction. The overlap analysis in the form of a final land suitability map for physical development showed that the city of Eghlid faced significant limitations for its physical development in the north, east, and to some extent, the south, with 40% of the study area's land being in an unfavorable condition for physical development. In contrast, 25% of the area of Eghlid had favorable conditions for physical development, primarily in various western directions (northwest, west, and southwest). Among the factors examined, topography and geomorphology have played a significant and clear role in the past and present urbanization of Eghlid and will continue to be determining factors in its future development.

The current state of health has not been responsive in meeting the mental, psychological and spiritual needs of human beings. Therefore, compiling a comprehensive document and determining the current state of human health and designing the desired state based on an unchanging and divine source is a scientific and vital matter. The purpose of this study is to determine the current situation in spiritual health and design the main indicators of spiritual health from the perspective of the Qurchr('39')an and hadiths (optimal situation) by providing operational and practical strategies.

The research in this study is a fundamental and descriptive-analytical method with interdisciplinary studies and indicators have been extracted using experts (Delphi method).

Extraction and monitoring of spiritual health indicators using a survey method with sexual, age, educational, occupational and geographical distribution.

The results of this study show that revelatory and religious propositions with prescriptive and warning indicators in spiritual health can be shown based on measuring the ratio of good to bad. Also, it has been found that the indicators of God-centeredness, guardianship and self-care criteria are in an upgradable and modifiable condition and in relation to others are in a suitable condition. Determining the results of spiritual health profile can be a prelude to operational strategies and health-oriented approaches at the provincial, national and transnational levels to achieve the desired situation.

One of the most important types of immigration is "brain drain" or, in other words, "elite migration". This results in the loss of human resources and transfer from underdeveloped countries to developed countries. Immigration causes irreparable damage to the countries of origin and usually causes the country of origin to be deprived of advancements in science and technology. A descriptive survey was done via questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Excel software , descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The findings show that the percentage of immigration of pharmacists in comparison with the total growth rate of pharmacists is relatively significant,( from 7.1% in 2006 to 13.8% in 2015). The rate of immigration of pharmacists (about 14%) is much higher than the average Iranian immigration (about 2%) and immigration of educated people in Iran (about 8%) and the average migration in the world (about 2.8%). The rate of immigration of pharmacists is growing. The results showed that the main factors affecting immigration from the point of view of pharmacists in the country is the economic situation of Iran, while according to the Iranian pharmacists living  abroad, the causes of immigration are higher education, and after that, obtaining a higher occupational status and higher income. Also countries where pharmacists are needed include Canada, followed by countries such as Germany, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden. It seems that job security or, in other words, the availability of jobs appropriating   higher incomes, the possibility of continuing higher education as well as welfare facilities are factors affecting the immigration of pharmacists.

One of the main objectives of the national health policy of a country should be designing a strategic program for pharmaceutical research in order to take the best advantage of the allocated funds and to prevent wasting of national resources. This investigation was carried out to assess views of graduate and undergraduate students of Tehran University faculty of pharmacy, about the importance, priorities (applied or basic), problems and opportunities of the pharmaceutical research as well as its impact weaknesses, and its impact on the future careers of students.

This was a qualitative study carried out by focus group discussion in 2004 for four months on two groups of 6-10 undergraduate and two groups of 6-10 graduate students in the National Research Center for Medical Sciences of Iran.

Results showed that almost all participants believed in the necessity of pharmaceutical research, especially applied research based on demands of our country. Uncompromising rules about research, budget allocation, tardy and uneven appropriation of resources, weak and feckless administration, lack of the research ethos and ethics, paucity of skilled specialists, weak cooperation between universities and industry, lack of research registry system, weak research motives, inadequate inter association and ineffective evaluation systems for research and researchers were mentioned as the main factors impeding pharmaceutical research in Iran. The presence of young population, the country’s scientific history, decent human and financial resources and high potentials of the pharmaceutical industry were considered as strengths of the pharmaceutical research. Most students believed that doing research provides them with better opportunities to live and work abroad.

Results of this study supports the necessity of a strategic plan for pharmaceutical research in Iran and will be used in the development of this program.