davoud asgari

AbstractThe hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis L.) is one of the most popular ornamental bulbus plants in Iran and the world. The effect of different cultural media, including perlite, cocopeat, peat moss, perlite + cocopeat (1:1) and perlite + peat moss (1:1) on the morphological characteristics of hyacinth was investigated. The experimental design was carried out as a completely randomized design including 5 treatments and 3 replications and three bulblets in each replication. the characteristics of bulblet diameter, bulblet height, bulblet fresh weight, leaf height, root number, root length and root fresh weight were measured at the end of the experiment. The results of the present study showed; The culture medium was effective in the growth quality of the hyacinth bulblet, so that the maximum diameter of the hyacinth (1.30 cm) in the perlite + cocopit bed (1:1) and also the highest fresh weight of the bulblet in the cocopit bed (1.56 g) and the perlite + cocopit bed (1.51 g) was obtained. In the characteristics of root number, root length and root fresh weight, peat moss + perlite bed (1:1) was effective.IntroductionDue to the industrialization of societies and life in an environment that relies more on mechanical systems, flowers and ornamental plants have become important and play an important role in the mental health of people, the health of society, culture and therefore the economy of countries. The floriculture industry is one of the most profitable agricultural industries in the world, and for this reason, in recent years, the production and trade of ornamental plants has been developed globally as well as in Iran. Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis L.) is one of the most important flowers of bulbous plants and belongs to the Hyacinthaceae family and Hyacinthus genus. The only species of horticultural importance is Hyacinthus orientalis. Propagation is possible by dividing newly formed offsets (bulblets) from the mother bulbs. Various factors are effective in the production of hyacinth bulbs, the most important of which is the culture medium, and the growth of the plant is significantly affected by the physical and chemical characteristics of the culture medium. Therefore, the selection of a suitable cultivation medium, in addition to the optimal physical and biological properties, relatively inexpensive, stable and style enough to work, should be available.Materials and MethodsHence, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different growing media on the growth of hyacinth bulblets. The effect of different growing media, including perlite, cocopeat, peat moss, perlite + cocopeat (1:1) and perlite + peat moss (1:1) on the morphological characteristics of hyacinth was investigated. ‘Bluejacket’ hyacinth bulblets (diameter 1-1.5 cm) were used for the present study. The experimental design was carried out as a completely randomized design, including five treatments, three replications, and three bulblets in each replication. Bulblet diameter, bulblet height, bulblet fresh weight, leaf height, root number, root length and root fresh weight were measured.Results and DiscussionThe results of the present study showed; the growing medium was effective in the growth quality of the hyacinth bulblet, so that the maximum bulblet diameter (1.30 cm) was obtained in perlite + cocopeat (1:1), which was not significantly different from peat moss and cocopeat. The maximum height of bulblet was observed in cocopeat (2.32 cm) and perlite + cocopeat (1:1).The maximum weight of bulblet was obtained in cocopeat (1.56 g) and perlite + cocopeat (1:1). Also, the maximum leaf length in cocopeat and perlite + cocopeat (1:1) was obtained as 21.72 and 21.61 cm, respectively. This might be due to the better water retention, air filled porosity, gas diffusion and nutrient availability to the roots in soilless cultivation system. Also, due to the high capillarity of this substrate, it gradually loses its water and does not create a waterlogged state, and for this reason, it causes better growth. The maximum number of roots (4.94 per bulblet) was observed in perlite + peat moss (1:1) and cocopit (4.44 per bulblet), which was not significantly different from perlite + cocopit (1:1). The evaluation of the effect of the growing media on the root length showed that perlite + peat moss (1:1) has the greatest effect in producing longer roots (5.25 cm) and there is no significant difference with peat moss. The maximum amount of root weight in perlite + peat moss (1:1) was obtained.ConclusionThe presence of peat as an excellent material in the composition of the substrate improves the root growth conditions and the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the plant. Suitable physical and chemical characteristics of the substrate have facilitated the absorption of nutrients and improved the quantity and quality of the plant. Peat is acidic and has a high cation exchange capacity. In substrates containing peat, the capacity to hold moisture and nutrients is higher and provides the conditions for plant growth.

Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis L.) is one of the most popular ornamental bulbous plants in Iran and the world. Hyacinth bulbs are propagated by daughter bulbs. Storage conditions after harvest of daughter bulbs are important on next growth quality and development rate of them to become as a mother's bulbs. The present study was designed and conducted to investigate the effect of temperature, storage period and also size of daughter bulbs on growth of first generation of daughter bulbs after cultivation in three separate experiments. Results indicated that the highest fresh weight of bulblet (3.70 g) obtained in 3 cm bulblets with 8 weeks storage period at 4°C. Also, in storage at 10°C, the highest fresh weight of bulblet (4.50 g) was observed by interaction between 10 weeks storage period and 3 cm bulblets. The highest fresh weight of bulblet (3.24 g) was obtained in 3 cm bulblets with 10 weeks storage period at 20°C. Finally, results of this study indicated that storage period of the first generation of daughter bulbs can be decreased by reducing the storage temperature.

Lily (Lilium spp.) is one of the most important flower in ornamental plants industry. This flower is one of the geophyte plants, therefore lilies cultivation was done with bulb. Between different lily bulb producing methods, scaling is a cost-effective and short-term technique. Lily bulb producers have always various challenges in different stage of production. Aiming to focus on solving these challenges, two separate experiments were performed to optimize bulblet production, as the first stage of bulb production. In the first experiment, four concentrations of two types of auxin (indole-3- butyric acid and naphthalene acetic acid at concentrations of 250 and 500 mg/L) and a control treatment as the first factor and effects of three culture media, including coco peat, coco peat + perlite (1:1) and black peat moss, as the second factor were examined. Results indicated that although the highest number of bulblets per scale (2.07) was observed in concentration of 500 mg/L of indole-3- butyric acid, but the maximum bulblet’s weight (0.81 g) and bulblet’s diameter (1.32 cm) were produced under control treatment. Regarding culture media effects, the highest number of bulblet per scale (2.02) maximum bulblet’s weight (0.71 g) and bulblets’ diameter (1.21 cm) were obtained in peat moss media. In the second experiment, above mentioned concentrations of the plant growth regulators as a first factor and also the presence or absence of light as a second factor was examined. Results showed that present or absent of light has not significant effects on all evaluated traits except bulblet’s diameter. Bulblet diameter significantly increased in dark situation. Extract of this study indicated, in lily bulbs production, with using PGR treatment can improve some quantity and quality traits.

Lily (Lilium spp.) is one of the most popular geophyte ornamental plants of cut flowers in Iran and the world. The country’s dependence on the import of bulb and following that high price and lack of easy access to the quality bulbs are the main problems for producers of lilies cut flower in the country. For this purpose, the objective of this study was to optimize the production of bulblets as the first stage of bulb production. The factorial experiment was performed in a completely randomized design with three replications and eight scales per replicate. Experiments were as follow: (I) five levels of auxin [control (distilled water), 250 and 500 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid, 250 and 500 mg/l naphthalene acetic] for one hour, (II) Three levels of media culture [Cocopeat, Cocopeat + Perlite (1:1) and Black Peat moss]. The results showed; the maximum number of bulblet (2.07) in the treatment of indole-3- butyric acid 500 mg/l [Non significant difference with treatment 250 mg/l naphthalene acetic acid], more the highest bulblet weight (0.81 g) and bulblet diameter (1.32 cm) in the control treatment, the maximum number of root (4.37) and root weight (0.60 g) in the treatment indole-3-butric acid 250 mg/l, the highest bulblet production percentage (75.55%) [Non significant difference with treatment control] were obtained.

Dopamine is one of the key neurotransmitters (NTs) in nature, which plays a crucial role in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Its selective determination in the biological fluids is an essential need in the field of biomedicine studies. In this work, an amperometric sensor was developed using Nafion-coated cadmium pentacyanonitrosylferrate (CdPCNF) modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode (Nafion|CdPCNF|GC electrode) as an electrocatalyst to detect dopamine (DA) in human serum samples. To develop this sensor, the surface of bare GC electrode was coated with the film of CdPCNF through an electropolymerization method and then the modified electrode was coated with Nafion to minimize interferences, especially those arising from the presence of anionic compounds. The electrocatalytic behavior of the modified electrodes was studied using the cyclic voltammetry and amperometry, and then the ability of the sensor for the determination of DA in synthetic and biological samples was investigated. The modified electrode was showed a significant electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of DA at pH 7.4. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.7 µM and also no interference effects arose from ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) or the other biological NTs was observed in the DA detection using the modified Nafion|CdPCNF|GC electrode. In comparison with the bare electrode, the Nafion|CdPCNF|GC electrode could determine DA in the biological samples with adequate sensitivity and selectivity. Therefore, we propose that the modified electrode is utilizable as an amperometric DA sensor for the biological sample analysis.

Rose production is a function of the genetic traits and environmental characteristics, including quantity and quality of the irrigation water. Due to the limitation in availability of high quality water resources in most regions of Iran, the effect of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (due to variation in sodium chloride concentration) was investigated on the yield and quality of rose cv. Dolce vita in hydroponic system. The experimental treatments included four nutrient solutions with different electrical conductivities of 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 dS m-1 containing 3.18, 4.57, 5.69 and 6.87 mM sodium and 1.58, 2.71, 3.76 and 5.11 mM chloride concentrations, respectively. Results indicated that treatments not only had no significant effect on quantitative and qualitative performance of rose cv. Dolce vita, but also they improved petal pigmentation only if ions concentrations and ions ratios were properly adjusted in the nutrient solutions. Despite applying 40 percent leaching fraction, electrical conductivities of pots drain water were gradually increased. In addition, by increasing sodium and chloride ions concentrations, only chloride concentration was significantly increased in leaf tissue. Overall, results of this research indicated that by optimizing the nutrient solution, rose cv. Dolce vita tolerated variation in electrical conductivity of nutrient solutions in the range of 1.6 to 2.2 dS m-1 (because of variation in NaCl concentration) without any reduction in performance or quality.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester and has attracted attention as a suitable carrier for development of controlled drug delivery due to its non-toxicity and biocompatibility. It has been reported that the biodegradability of PCL can be enhanced by copolymerization with PEG. Molecular weight (Mw) and CL block lengths optimization in a series of synthesized PCEC copolymers was the main purpose of this study. The composition of copolymers was designed using full factorial methodology. Molecular weight of used PEG (4 levels) and weight ratio of epsilon-caprolactone/PEG (3 levels) were selected as independent variables. The PCEC copolymers were synthesized by ring opening polymerization. Formation of copolymers was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy as well as H-NMR. The Mn of PCEC copolymers was calculated from HNMR spectra. The thermal behavior of copolymers was characterized on differential scanning calorimeter. Molecular weight of twelve synthesized copolymers was ranged from 1782 to 9264. In order to evaluate the effect of selected variables on the copolymers composition and Mw, a mathematical model for each response parameter with p-value less than 0.001were obtained. Average percent error for prediction of total Mn of copolymers and Mn of CL blocks were 13.81% and 14.88% respectively. In conclusion, the proposed model is significantly valid due to obtained low percent error in Mn prediction of test sets.

To achieve simultaneous imaging and therapy potentials, targeted fluoromagnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and examined in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized through thermal decomposition of Fe(acac)3. Then, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified by dopamine-poly ethylene glycol (PEG)-NH2; finally, half equivalent fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and half equivalent folic acid were conjugated to one equivalent of it. The presence of Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-FA/FITC in the folate receptor (FR) positive MCF-7 cells was determined via fluorescent microscopy to monitor the cellular interaction of MNPs. FT-IR spectra of final compound confirmed existence of fluorescein on folic acid grafted MNPs. The Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-FA/FITC NPs, which displayed a size rang about 30-35 nm using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were able to actively recognize the FR-positive MCF-7 cells, but not the FR-negative A549 cells. The uniform nano-sized Fe3O4-DPA-PEG-FA/FITC NPs displayed great potential as theranostics and can be used for targeted imaging of various tumors that overexpress FR.

Farnesyltransferase (FTase) is a zinc-dependent enzyme that adds a farnesyl group to the Ras proteins. L778, 123 is a potent peptidomimetic imidazole-containing FTase inhibitor. L778123 was synthesized according to known methods and evaluated alone and in combination with doxorubicin against A549 (adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells) and HT29 (human colonic adenocarcinoma) cell lines by MTT assay. L778123 showed weak cytotoxic activity with IC50 of 100 and 125 for A549 and HT-29 cell lines, respectively. The combination of doxorubicin and L778123 can decrease IC50 of doxorubicin in both cell lines significantly. It can be concluded that L778, 123 can be a good agent for combination therapy.

An improved and economical method has been described for the synthesis of erlotinib hydrochloride, as a useful drug in treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. Erlotinib hydrochloride was synthesized in seven steps starting from 3, 4-dihydroxy benzoic acid. In this study, we were able to modify one of the key steps which involved the reduction of the 6-nitrobenzoic acid derivative to 6-aminobenzoic acid derivative. An inexpensive reagent such as ammonium formate was used as an in situ hydrogen donor in the presence of palladium/charcoal (Pd/C) instead of hydrogen gas at high pressure. This proposed method proceeded with 92% yield at room temperature. Synthesis of erlotinib was completed in 7 steps with overall yield of 44%. From the results obtained it can be concluded that the modified method eliminated the potential danger associated with the use of hydrogen gas in the presence of flammable catalysts. It should be mentioned that the catalyst was recovered after the reaction and could be used again.

We report the synthesis of novel 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives containing biphenyl-2''-tetrazole moieties. We hypothesized that merging the key structural elements present in an AT1 receptor antagonist with key structural elements in 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers would yield novel analogs with potential dual activity for both receptors. This strategy led to the design and synthesis of dialkyl 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-[2-n-alkyl-1-[2΄-(1H-tetrazole-5-yl) biphenyl -4-yl] methyl] imidazole-4(or 5)-yl]- 3, 5-pyridinedicarboxylate analogs. These compounds were obtained by two methods starting from biphenyltetrazolyl-4-(or 5)-imidazolecarboxaldehyde intermediates employing in classical Hantzsch condensation reaction. In the first method, triphenylmethyl protecting group of 4- or 5-carboxaldehyde intermediate was first removed in acidic media and then classical Hantzsch reaction was employed in order to obtain the final products. In the second method, without further deprotection process, protected 4- or 5-carboxaldehyde intermediate directly was used in Hantzsch reaction. The second method was more efficient than the first method since the deprotection and ring closure reaction occurs simultaneously in one pot. Eight novel dihydropridines analogs were synthesized using classic Hantzsch condensation reaction. Chemical structures of the compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, infrared and mass spectroscopy.

6-Mercaptopurine (6MP) is an important chemotherapeutic drug in the conventional treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is catabolized to 6-thiouric acid (6TUA) through 8-hydroxo-6-mercaptopurine (8OH6MP) or 6-thioxanthine (6TX) intermediates. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is usually used to determine the contents of therapeutic drugs, metabolites and other important biomedical analytes in biological samples. In the present study, the multivariate calibration methods, partial least squares (PLS-1) and principle component regression (PCR) have been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 6MP and its oxidative metabolites (6TUA, 8OH6MP and 6TX) without analyte separation in spiked human plasma. Mixtures of 6MP, 8-8OH6MP, 6TX and 6TUA have been resolved by PLS-1 and PCR to their UV spectra. Recoveries (%) obtained for 6MP, 8-8OH6MP, 6TX and 6TUA were 94.5-97.5, 96.6-103.3, 95.1-96.9 and 93.4-95.8, respectively, using PLS-1 and 96.7-101.3, 96.2-98.8, 95.8-103.3 and 94.3-106.1, respectively, using PCR. The NAS (Net analyte signal) concept was used to calculate multivariate analytical figures of merit such as limit of detection (LOD), selectivity and sensitivity. The limit of detections for 6MP, 8-8OH6MP, 6TX and 6TUA were calculated to be 0.734, 0.439, 0.797 and 0.482 µmol L-1, respectively, using PLS and 0.724, 0.418, 0783 and 0.535 µmol L-1, respectively, using PCR. HPLC was also applied as a validation method for simultaneous determination of these thiopurines in the synthetic solutions and human plasma. Combination of spectroscopic techniques and chemometric methods (PLS and PCR) has provided a simple but powerful method for simultaneous analysis of multicomponent mixtures.

Among several biosensing approaches, electrochemical-based procedures have been described as one of the most common and useful methods for sensing because of their simplicity, sensitivity, accuracy, and low cost. The electroactive species, which called redox, play a main role in the electrochemical-based approaches. Of several redox molecules used for electrochemical experiments, ferrocene is one of the commonly used redox molecules. However, instability of ferrocenium ion in the chloride containing solutions appeared to be weakness of this redox molecule limiting its utilization. In the current study, Juglone was attached (using EDC/NHS coupling method) to the 3'-amino-modified terminus of the immobilized specific aptamer of codeine, which was successfully used in a cyclic electrochemical voltammetry procedure. The cyclic voltammogram peak of aptamer-attached Juglone was observed in the potential range of +0.4 to +0.9 V and the fabricated aptamer-based sensor was used for detection of different concentrations of codeine in the phosphate buffer 0.1 M solution containing 2 M NaCl. Based on these findings, it can be suggested that the new aptamer-attached Juglone could be considered as an effective alternative redox molecule in particular with oligonucleotide-based sensing systems.

In the present paper, nonlinear transient heat transfer and thermoelastic analyses of a thick hollow FGM cylinder is accomplished using the finite element method and taking the temperature-dependency of the material properties into consideration. Due to incorporation of the effect of the temperature-dependency of the material properties, the resulted governing FEM equations of both transient heat transfer and thermoelastic stress analyses are nonlinear. In this regard, various thermal, geometrical, and stress boundary conditions are incorporated. An efficient numerical algorithm based on successive updating and time integration is used to derive the results. Finally, results obtained considering the temperature-dependency of the material properties are compared with those derived based on temperature independency assumption. Furthermore, influences of various boundary conditions on the temperature distribution and the radial and circumferential stresses are investigated. Results reveal that the temperature-dependency effect is significant.