Search

Abstract Recent years have seen a surge in research on the role of quantum geometry in condensed matter physics. For instance, the Aharonov-Bohm effect is a physical phenomenon where the vector potential induces a phase shift of electron wavepackets in regions with zero magnetic fields due to an obstruction in space associated with a magnetic flux. A similar effect can be observed in solid-state systems, where the topology of the Berry connection can influence electron dynamics. These are paradigmatic examples of how the dynamics can be affected by the system’s geometry. Here, we show that in chiral-symmetric processes the quantum metric has a measurable effect on the mean chiral displacement of delocalized wavefunctions. This finding is supported by a photonic experiment realizing a topological quantum walk and demonstrates an effect that can be attributed directly to the geometry of the state space.

Abstract The characterization of a quantum device is a crucial step in the development of quantum experiments. This is accomplished via Quantum Process Tomography, which combines the outcomes of different projective measurements to deliver a possible reconstruction of the underlying process. The tomography is typically performed by processing an overcomplete set of measurements and extracting the process matrix from maximum-likelihood estimation. Here, we introduce Fourier Quantum Process Tomography, a technique which requires a reduced number of measurements, and benchmark its performance against the standard maximum-likelihood approach. Fourier Quantum Process Tomography is based on measuring probability distributions in two conjugate spaces for different state preparations and projections. Exploiting the concept of phase retrieval, our scheme achieves a complete and robust characterization of the setup by processing a near-minimal set of measurements. We experimentally test the technique on different space-dependent polarization transformations, reporting average fidelities higher than 90% and significant computational advantage.

IntroductionIn most regions of Iran, the requisite water for population and industry is supplied by groundwater resources. Drought is an important factor, which affects groundwater quality. Groundwater is a renewable, limited, and vital resource for human life, social, and economic development. It is a valuable part of the ecosystem and is vulnerable to natural and human effects. Recognizing the quality of underground water, as one of the most important and vulnerable sources of water supply, has been a matter of course in recent decades. The effects of corrosiveness and sedimentation in water supply systems, water transmission, and distribution can increase operating costs and also create negative effects on human health. Therefore, the science of water quality will remain an important issue for engineers and scientists for years to come. Many methods and techniques have been invented and developed to investigate the chemical quality of water. Excessive harvests and recent meteorological droughts have changed the quality of underground water, but so far no study has been conducted in the entire Sefid-Rud Basin area to investigate the quality and the process of its changes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the chemical quality of Sefid-Rud water which is used for the industry. Materials and Methods In this research, the chemical quality of underground water sources in the Sefid-Rud Basin has been studied and analyzed using the results of the qualitative analysis of water samples in deep wells, semi-deep wells, springs, and aqueducts, separately for three periods and according to the common statistical period of 18 years (2001-2018). The analyzed statistics and information include the results of a complete chemical analysis of water and parameters such as electrical conductivity (EC) values, total dissolved substances (TDS), pH, cations (Ca, Mg, Na, and K), anions (Cl, SO4, HCO3, and CO3), Na, and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) have been investigated. Water used by industries depending on the type of consumption in different sectors should also have certain qualities and characteristics. In this research, the Langiler index, which is an index for Corrosion and Scaling, was used to classify water quality for industrial purposes. To this end, the chemical quality of water in terms of chemical balance and occurrence of corrosion and scaling phenomena of underground water was classified into three categories: sedimentation, balanced, and corrosive. The Langelier index was used to measure water quality for the industry. Results and Discussion In the statistical analysis of groundwater in the Sefid-Rud Basin, while determining the maximum, minimum, and average values of qualitative parameters at the level of the study areas, the trend of qualitative changes at the level of their aquifers according to the EC map of the groundwater, has been analyzed. In the whole period of 18-year statistics (2001-2018) in the Goltapeh-Zarinabad and Tarom-Khalkhal areas, the average values of EC and TDS are higher than in other areas. there has been an increasing trend in the Goltapeh-Zarinabad area during the three study periods. Among the cations, the calcium ion had the highest amount (except for Goltapeh- Zarinabad and Tarom-Khalkhal areas), followed by the sodium ion. The highest amount of Na ion was observed in the area of Tarom-Khalkhal, the highest amount of Ca ion was observed in the Divandareh-Bijar, and the highest amount of Mg ion was observed in the Taleghan-Alamot. HCO3 and then SO4 ions were the main anions in the entire statistical period and all the study areas. It followed a relatively constant trend in all the study periods. According to the qualitative classification of industrial water, about 67% of the samples have corrosive properties and about 32% are depositors. Conclusion The values of EC and TDS in the three statistical periods in the area of Goltapeh-Zarinabad had an increasing trend. The sodium absorption ratio (SAR) in the entire statistical period was 2.9% with a maximum in the Tarom-Khalkhal range and a minimum of 0.8% in the Manjil and Sojas ranges. It shows the maximum values of cations for Ca ions with 3.6 in the Divandareh-Bijar range, Na with a value of 5.8 in the Tarom-Khalkhal range, and Mg with a value of 3.8 in the Goltapeh-Zarinabad range. Besides, the maximum amounts of anions including HCO3, SO4, and Cl were in Astane-Kuchesfehan, Divandareh-Bijar, and Tarom-Khalkhal areas, respectively. Qualitative assessment of groundwater resources in the Sefid-Rud Basin area for industrial use based on the Langiller index shows that the changing trend of this index has been relatively stable in the three periods, and out of 360 sources in the basin, 241 are corrosive sources, 115 are sedimentary sources and four sources have had a balanced situation. The analysis of qualitative zoning maps for industrial purposes showed that the Astana-Kuchsefahan and Divandre-Bijar aquifers, the central part of the Zanjan aquifer, and the western areas of the Goltape-Zarinanabad aquifer have sedimentation characteristics and other aquifers have corrosive characteristics.

Abstract Amorphous solids do not exhibit long-range order due to the disordered arrangement of atoms. They lack translational and rotational symmetry on a macroscopic scale and are therefore isotropic. As a result, differential absorption of polarized light, called dichroism, is not known to exist in amorphous solids. Using helical light beams that carry orbital angular momentum as a probe, we demonstrate that dichroism is intrinsic to both amorphous and crystalline solids. We show that in the nonlinear regime, helical dichroism is responsive to the short-range order and its origin is explained in terms of interband multiphoton assisted tunneling. We also demonstrate that the helical dichroism signal is sensitive to chirality and its strength can be controlled and tuned using a superposition of OAM and Gaussian beams. Our research challenges the conventional knowledge that dichroism does not exist in amorphous solids and enables to manipulate the optical properties of solids.

The objective of this study is to identify the primary watershed management strategies for the Shulabad Watershed in Lorestan Province, aiming to enhance health status and service development. To this end, an examination was conducted on the key sources of income and economic status of watershed residents, and the most significant environmental challenges stemming from existing economic activities were identified. Subsequently, the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threat (SWOT) framework was utilized for strategy identification. The quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM) technique was applied for their prioritization. The Delphi technique was employed to ascertain the relative weights of these factors. Considering these factors, strategies were devised for achieving management objectives by pairing each internal and external factor. The final attractiveness of each strategy was determined using the QSPM model, which also aided in prioritizing different strategies. The findings revealed that the strategy involving the development of alternative livelihood activities to alleviate pressure on natural resources, with an attractiveness score of 12.28, was deemed the most effective for the Shulabad Watershed. Implementation of strategies stemming from this research not only stands to enhance sustainable services in selected watersheds but also promises to ameliorate the health status of these watersheds.

Abstract Optical knots and links are nontrivial three-dimensional topologies consisting of trajectories of phase or polarisation singularities. They are theoretically predicted and experimentally observed in paraxial and nonparaxial regimes and in random and speckle fields. The topological nature of optical knots suggests that environmental disturbances should not alter their topology, hence becoming a resilient vector of information. However, the robustness of optical knots under typical disturbances encountered in optical experiments has not been investigated. Here, we provide the experimental analysis of the effects of optical phase aberrations on optical knots and links. We demonstrate that Hopf links, trefoil and cinquefoil knots are robust to misalignment and phase aberrations. The observed knots are obliterated for high aberration strengths and defining apertures close to the characteristic optical beam size. Our observations indicate these photonic topological structures as viable alternatives for both classical and quantum information processing noisy channels, where optical modes are not applicable.

Nematic liquid-crystal devices are a powerful tool to structure light in different degrees of freedom, both in classical and in quantum regimes. Most of these devices exploit the possibility of introducing a position-dependent phase retardation either with a homogeneous alignment of the optic axis—e.g., liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulators—or, conversely, with a uniform but tunable retardation and patterned optic axis, e.g., q-plates. The pattern is the same in the latter case on the two alignment layers. Here, a more general case is considered, wherein the front and back alignment layers are patterned differently. This creates a non-symmetric device, which can exhibit different behaviors depending on the direction of beam propagation and effective phase retardation. In particular, we fabricate multi-q-plates by setting different topological charges on the two alignment layers. The devices have been characterized by spatially resolved Stokes polarimetry, with and without applied electric voltage, demonstrating new functionalities.

Abstract How does the quantum-to-classical transition of measurement occur? This question is vital for both foundations and applications of quantum mechanics. Here, we develop a new measurement-based framework for characterizing the classical and quantum free electron–photon interactions and then experimentally test it. We first analyze the transition from projective to weak measurement in generic light–matter interactions and show that any classical electron-laser-beam interaction can be represented as an outcome of weak measurement. In particular, the appearance of classical point-particle acceleration is an example of an amplified weak value resulting from weak measurement. A universal factor, $$\exp \left(-{\Gamma }^{2}/2\right)$$ exp − Γ 2 / 2 , quantifies the measurement regimes and their transition from quantum to classical, where $$\Gamma$$ Γ corresponds to the ratio between the electron wavepacket size and the optical wavelength. This measurement-based formulation is experimentally verified in both limits of photon-induced near-field electron microscopy and the classical acceleration regime using a DLA. Our results shed new light on the transition from quantum to classical electrodynamics, enabling us to employ the essence of the wave-particle duality of both light and electrons in quantum measurement for exploring and applying many quantum and classical light–matter interactions.

ObjectiveVarious type of agricultural waste is produced annually in the world, which have not found special application in many parts of the world. Using microorganisms with high hydrolysis activity to convert waste into compost is one of the alternative methods of incineration. In the present study, after screening the enzymatic activity of Thermoascus aurantiacus, Trichoderma sp, Bacillus licheniformis, Nocardiopsis alba and B. subtilis bacteria along with the optimization of other additives, the possibility of compost production from rice straw was investigated.Materials and MethodsOne fungal and three bacterial strains were isolated from another compost and their hydrolysis power were evaluated on specific media. Compost production was performed by optimizing the additives along with the superior microorganisms including M1 (Bacillus licheniformis, Nocardiopsis alba, B. Subtilis and Thermoascus aurantiacus) and M2 (Bacillus licheniformis, Nocardiopsis alba, B. subtilis and Trichoderma sp.) in enzymatic activity in the form of 6 treatments with 3 replications for 8 weeks. Physicochemical properties of temperature, pH, EC, C/N ratio, amount of heavy metals and nutrients, toxicity and impact on wheat growth during eight weeks were investigated.ResultsStudies showed that fungal strain T. aurantiacus and three bacterial strains Bacillus licheniformis, Nocardiopsis alba and B. subtilis has the highest enzymatic activity in the breakdown of xylan, cellulose, lignin and starch. Treatment G (containing poultry manure and T. aurantiacus) caused a significant increase in temperature of rice straw mass (63 °C) and also a significant decrease in C/N ratio (73.48%) (at the pilot level). Germination index test showed that G treatment did not have phytotoxicity and had the most positive effect on wheat growth indexes compared to the control.ConclusionsAccording to the comparison of treatments with and without microorganisms, it was found that the hydrolysis power of T. aurantiacus has the most positive effect on physicochemical properties, especially reducing the C/N ratio and can be used as a commercial additive in compost production.

Abstract Background and Aims The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic had a significant effect on the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers. Therefore, in this study, we decided to discuss the impact of COVID‐19 on the stage and histological characteristics of patients with tongue cancer from March 2020 to March 2021 and compared to the previous 3 years. Methods In this time series study, patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the operated tongue cancer were divided into two groups. Patients who operated from March 2020 to March 2021 (n = 36) and patients who operated 3 years ago (n = 70) were included in the study. The results were analyzed using SPSS 21 software. Results The study found that during the pandemic, the stage of tongue cancer in patients who underwent surgery was higher than before the pandemic (p = 0.01). Moreover, the depth of invasion was significantly higher during the COVID‐19 outbreak in the pathology sample of the patients (p = 0.006), while the involvement of lymph nodes and other variables between the groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion COVID‐19 has adverse effects on the diagnosis and treatment of tongue cancer. Also, it leads to advanced stages of the tumor and increases the depth of invasion of the cancer. Hence, it is important to plan correctly and appropriately for the diagnosis and treatment of these patients in conditions such as the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Introduction and Objective Assessing the socio-economic effectiveness of natural resources and watershed management projects on the conservation and principled use of forests and pastures is an important executive tool for managers and implementers of such projects. Therefore, by evaluating the performance of watershed projects from the perspective of experts, while determining the effects of the project and the factors affecting it, the necessary guidelines for the optimal implementation of these projects in the future can be provided to officials and planners.Materials and Methods The current research is defined in two stages: in the first stage, the researcher conducts interviews with specialists, experts and experts to identify the criteria and indicators for evaluating the socio-economic effects of watershed management projects, in the next stage, in order to prioritize and rank indicators for evaluating the socio-economic effects of watershed projects, quantitative data was collected through the design and distribution of paired comparison questionnaires. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the socio-economic effects of watershed management projects implemented in the Rimeleh Watershed of Lorestan province based on the opinions of experts. For this purpose, after preparing the initial list of indicators and criteria, the final list of criteria and indicators was evaluated using the Delphi method and a survey of experts. Then, a pairwise comparison questionnaire was designed and distributed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Finally, in order to prioritize the indicators, multi-criteria decision-making methods were used.Results and Discussion According to the results obtained based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method and pairwise comparisons, among the six evaluation criteria, the economic criterion - added value has the most weight and the social criterion - increasing the level of knowledge and awareness has the least weight. The results of weighting the evaluation criteria showed that the economic criterion-value added (0.246) had the highest weight and the social criterion-increased level of knowledge and awareness (0.078) had the lowest weight. The results of prioritizing the indicators showed that "increasing the price of land in the region", "increasing the yield of horticultural products", "increasing the participation of watersheds in decision-making and decision-making" and "converting low-yield rainforests into sloping orchards" Respectively, they are one of the most important indicators in evaluating the effects of watershed management projects. The indicators of "activating the private sector to invest in production", "developing local markets and market access for watersheds" and "strengthening the role of women and low-income groups in society" are also high priority.Conclusion and Suggestions The results of the social evaluation from the experts' point of view showed that increasing the participation of watershed residents in decision-making and decision-making took the largest role in human and financial participation. It is suggested that the participation of stakeholders in future decisions and the use of participatory measures in this basin and other basins are of importance. Therefore, in order to evaluate the socio-economic effects of the implementation of watershed management projects, it is suggested that attention to the mentioned priorities be included in the agenda of managers and planners.

Oak decline as a complex syndrome is one of the most relevant forest diseases worldwide. This disease has a complex and multifactorial nature, and this has caused conventional methods in plant pathology not to provide researchers with a correct and comprehensive analysis of oak decline. This issue entails the need for a multidisciplinary approach in examining and evaluating the disease, which will provide researchers with a more exhaustive understanding of the disease. The present review examines the concept of decline, the factors that contribute to the occurrence and development of the disease, its global distribution, and indexes used in the assessment of the disease. Furthermore, it draws attention to various research approaches that have been utilized to investigate oak decline.

Abstract Face recognition is one of the most ubiquitous examples of pattern recognition in machine learning, with numerous applications in security, access control, and law enforcement, among many others. Pattern recognition with classical algorithms requires significant computational resources, especially when dealing with high-resolution images in an extensive database. Quantum algorithms have been shown to improve the efficiency and speed of many computational tasks, and as such, they could also potentially improve the complexity of the face recognition process. Here, we propose a quantum machine learning algorithm for pattern recognition based on quantum principal component analysis, and quantum independent component analysis. A novel quantum algorithm for finding dissimilarity in the faces based on the computation of trace and determinant of a matrix (image) is also proposed. The overall complexity of our pattern recognition algorithm is $$O(N\,\log N)$$ O ( N log N ) —N is the image dimension. As an input to these pattern recognition algorithms, we consider experimental images obtained from quantum imaging techniques with correlated photons, e.g. “interaction-free” imaging or “ghost” imaging. Interfacing these imaging techniques with our quantum pattern recognition processor provides input images that possess a better signal-to-noise ratio, lower exposures, and higher resolution, thus speeding up the machine learning process further. Our fully quantum pattern recognition system with quantum algorithm and quantum inputs promises a much-improved image acquisition and identification system with potential applications extending beyond face recognition, e.g., in medical imaging for diagnosing sensitive tissues or biology for protein identification.

Studies on the fractional Schrödinger equation (FSE) remain mostly theoretical, due to the lack of materials supporting fractional dispersion or diffraction. Here, the authors indirectly realized the FSE using two programmable holograms acting as an optical Lévy waveguide.

This study examined the attitude of watershed stakeholders to watershed management plans in the Rimleh watershed from the perspective of residents. Rimleh is one of the watersheds of the Kashkan river basin. All heads of rural households in the basin were selected as the statistical population. Practical indicators for measuring the attitude of users towards watershed management measures were prepared from related scientific articles and books. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were tested (Cronbach's alpha = 0.827). On the basis of the Cochran formula, 135 respondents were chosen in a stratified sampling scheme among the local communities of the watershed. The effects of watershed management measures on economic and social criteria were classified and evaluated using the Friedman test. Among the indicators of improving the economic income level of watershed residents, the index of converting low-yielding meadows into sloping land gardens (rank 16.44) had the highest score. Also, among the indicators of improving the level of knowledge and awareness and economic power of watershed households, the index of proper use of the capacity of other institutions had the highest score (7.9 mean rank). The results of this research can be used by managers and decision-makers to promote soil and water resources protection as well as to promote the adoption of management actions at the watershed scale.

Abstract In the present study, we investigate arc plasma expansion in an industrial vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process using experimental and numerical tools. Stainless steel is the alloy of interest for the electrode (cathode) and ingot (anode). During the operation of the VAR process, behaviors of cathode spots and plasma arc were captured using the high-speed camera (Phantom v2512). We found that spots prefer to onset and remain within the partially melted surface at the center of the electrode tip. Existing spots outside the melting zone accelerate toward the edge of the electrode to extinguish. We observed a fairly symmetrical and centric plasma column during the operation. For further investigation of the observed arc column in our experiment, we used the two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model of plasma proposed by Braginskii. Thus, we modeled the arc column as a mixture of two continuous interpenetrating compressible fluids involving ions and electrons. Through numerical simulations, we calculated plasma parameters such as number density of ions/electrons, electric current density, flow of ions/electrons, temperature of ions/electrons, and light intensity for the observed arc column in our experiment. The calculated light intensity of plasma was compared with images captured by the camera to verify the model. The distribution of electric current density along the surface of the anode, namely ingot, is a decisive parameter that impacts the quality of the final product (ingot) in VAR process. Herein, we confirm that the traditionally used Gaussian distribution of electric current density along the surface of the ingot is viable.

Despite their promise to facilitate new scientific discoveries, the opaqueness of neural networks presents a challenge in interpreting the logic behind their findings. Here, we use a eXplainable-AI technique called inception or deep dreaming , which has been invented in machine learning for computer vision. We use this technique to explore what neural networks learn about quantum optics experiments. Our story begins by training deep neural networks on the properties of quantum systems. Once trained, we ‘invert’ the neural network—effectively asking how it imagines a quantum system with a specific property, and how it would continuously modify the quantum system to change a property. We find that the network can shift the initial distribution of properties of the quantum system, and we can conceptualize the learned strategies of the neural network. Interestingly, we find that, in the first layers, the neural network identifies simple properties, while in the deeper ones, it can identify complex quantum structures and even quantum entanglement. This is in reminiscence of long-understood properties known in computer vision, which we now identify in a complex natural science task. Our approach could be useful in a more interpretable way to develop new advanced AI-based scientific discovery techniques in quantum physics.

In quantum key distribution (QKD), protocols are tailored to adopt desirable experimental attributes, including high key rates, operation in high noise levels, and practical security considerations. The round-robin differential phase shift protocol (RRDPS), falling in the family of differential phase shift protocols, was introduced to remove restrictions on the security analysis, such as the requirement to monitor signal disturbances, improving its practicality in implementations. While the RRDPS protocol requires the encoding of single photons in high-dimensional quantum states, at most, only one bit of secret key is distributed per sifted photon. However, another family of protocols, namely high-dimensional (HD) QKD, enlarges the encoding alphabet, allowing single photons to carry more than one bit of secret key each. The high-dimensional BB84 protocol exemplifies the potential benefits of such an encoding scheme, such as larger key rates and higher noise tolerance. Here, we devise an approach to extend the RRDPS QKD to an arbitrarily large encoding alphabet and explore the security consequences. We demonstrate our new framework with a proof-of-concept experiment and show that it can adapt to various experimental conditions by optimizing the protocol parameters. Our approach offers insight into bridging the gap between seemingly incompatible quantum communication schemes by leveraging the unique approaches to information encoding of both HD and DPS QKD.

Photons are the physical system of choice for performing experimental tests of the foundations of quantum mechanics. Furthermore, photonic quantum technology is a main player in the second quantum revolution, promising the development of better sensors, secure communications, and quantum-enhanced computation. These endeavors require generating specific quantum states or efficiently performing quantum tasks. The design of the corresponding optical experiments was historically powered by human creativity but is recently being automated with advanced computer algorithms and artificial intelligence. While several computer-designed experiments have been experimentally realized, this approach has not yet been widely adopted by the broader photonic quantum optics community. The main roadblocks consist of most systems being closed-source, inefficient, or targeted to very specific use-cases that are difficult to generalize. Here, we overcome these problems with a highly-efficient, open-source digital discovery framework PyTheus, which can employ a wide range of experimental devices from modern quantum labs to solve various tasks. This includes the discovery of highly entangled quantum states, quantum measurement schemes, quantum communication protocols, multi-particle quantum gates, as well as the optimization of continuous and discrete properties of quantum experiments or quantum states. PyTheus produces interpretable designs for complex experimental problems which human researchers can often readily conceptualize. PyTheus is an example of a powerful framework that can lead to scientific discoveries – one of the core goals of artificial intelligence in science. We hope it will help accelerate the development of quantum optics and provide new ideas in quantum hardware and technology.

Since the late 2019 months’ pandemic of Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), it has spread globally and claimed abundant lives due to its expeditious interpersonal transmission and high mortality rate. Early studies showed that the upper aerodigestive tract procedures had the highest rates of nosocomial spread due to high viral load in upper respiratory and pharyngeal secretions. Between March 10 and April 10, 2020, a total of 28 rigid endoscopies were performed under general anesthesia for the removal of esophageal foreign bodies at our center. All the patients were screened on admission for symptoms of COVID-19 and a chest CT scan was performed and they were later followed up for further investigations. No patient had symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, and dyspnea) on admission, and only one patient (3.57 %) had a suspicious CT scan for COVID-19. The mean age of 27 asymptomatic cases, including 14 men and 13 women, was 45.2 years old. Their average hospital stay was 0.8 days. all patients were later interviewed, inspected, and closely observed for any upcoming symptoms which would raise suspicion for COVID-19 during isolation. Of the 27 patients who cooperated, none showed COVID-19 symptoms. What makes this experiment prominent is that with suitable plans in a careful and precautionary manner, we can provide first-rate care for patients and meanwhile protect physicians during this pandemic promptly. Conclusion: what makes this experiment prominent is that with suitable plans in careful and precaution manner, we are able to provide first-rate care for patients and meanwhile protect physicians during this epidemic in a timely manner.

Laryngeal cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm in respiratory tract after lung cancer. The incidence is very different and male to female ratio has been decreased in previous decades. Different characteristics of laryngeal cancer in men and women have been described based on previous studies, so we decided to study its characteristics in Iranian women. This study's design is cross-sectional retrospective from 2010 to 2019 in Amir-Alam Hospital, Tehran University of Medicine. All patients with laryngeal cancer admitted to this hospital, were included. Females` records were studied exclusively. Among 1456 patients included in this study, 1391 were male and 65 were female(M/F=21.4:1). The mean age of males was 60.6 years and for females was 56.6. From 65 females, 60 were Squamous cell carcinoma and 5 were Sarcoma. Findings of 60 female SCC patients: The main risk factors were cigarette smoking and opium abuse. The subsite of tumor was supraglottic in 40%, glottis in 31% and transglottic in 29%. Treatment options were surgical (55%) and non-surgical (45%). Survival rates for one, two and five years were 84.3%, 67.4% and 44% respectively. Two-year survival of surgically treated patients is significantly better than non-surgically treated patients (P=0.048). The mean age of females was less than males. Two-year survival rate was better in surgically treated patients. The five-year survival of female patients was 44% and there is an emerging need for survival studies of male patients for comparison.

During high-pressure die casting, a significant amount of heat is dissipated via the liquid-cooled channels in the die. The jet cooler, also known as the die insert or bubbler, is one of the most commonly used cooling methods. Nowadays, foundries casting engineered products rely on numerical simulations using commercial software to determine cooling efficiency, which requires precise input data. However, the literature lacks sufficient investigations to describe the spatial distribution of the heat transfer coefficient in the jet cooler. In this study, we propose a solver using the open-source CFD package OpenFOAM and free library for nonlinear optimization NLopt for the inverse heat conduction problem that returns the desired distribution of the heat transfer coefficient. The experimental temperature measurements using multiple thermocouples are considered the input data. The robustness, efficiency, and accuracy of the model are rigorously tested and confirmed. Additionally, temperature measurements of the real jet cooler are presented.

The distortion of photons propagation in a curved spacetime geometry poses a challenge for communication for Earth-to-satellite communication. Here, the distortion of localized information carriers, arising from curved spacetime geometry, as they are freely transported along a general geodesic is reported.

Participation of farmers in cropping pattern change projects (CPCP) guarantee success in soil and water conservation projects. Authorities in natural resources face many challenges for the successful management of soil and water in different areas of the Iran, challenges that basically threaten natural resources. Particularly in management programs, it is tried to not only justify the programs economy but also to draw people acceptance. This research attempts to determine farmers participation in CPCP and to deliver solutions to enhance their level of participation in the Baneh of Kurdistan province. Farmers were interviewed individually with questionnaires for further analysis. According to Cochran formula and a field based study, a total of 86 farmers were selected randomly from the farmer community of the Namshir. Analysis showed that six factors make up 67.19% of the total variability indicating that high percentage of variance could be explained by these factors. Factor analysis showed that cognitive-communication factor (with the Eigen value of 3.484 and 17.41%) comparatively had the highest variability. Psychological deterrence factors including motivational, economical, operational and assurance received the second to sixth positions in terms of effectiveness in participants willingness to take part in CPCPs in Kurdistan province. Therefore, In order to participate of farmers in the CPCP, their economic issues and welfare should be considered by the relevant executive organizations, and by increasing their awareness, their voluntary and motivated participation should be attracted. [Fundam Appl Agric 2021; 6(1.000): 19-26]

Introduction: Tramadol is a synthetic analgesic with weak mu-opioid receptor agonist activity. Tramadol overdose is associated with adverse cardiac effects due to inhibiting cardiac Na+ and K+ channels. This study aimed to investigate the potential ameliorative role of 3% hypertonic saline on the electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in patients presenting with tramadol poisoning. Methods: This was a single-center, controlled, randomized, single-blind clinical trial. Patients were randomized into the case (received hypertonic saline) and control (received placebo) groups. ECG was obtained twice in each group (upon arrival and following the intervention). Response to therapeutic interventions was evaluated using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. Results: A total of 76 patients were included. The mean age of patients was 24.88 ± 4.29 years, and 62 (81.6%) were male. The mean ingested dose of tramadol was 1673.68 ± 608.85 (range: 550-2750) mg. The number needed to treat and the absolute risk reduction of 3% hypertonic saline in the treatment of wide QRS were 1 (95% CI: 1.00 – 1.00) and 100%, respectively. In the treatment of long QTc, these measures were 1.9 (95%CI: 1.2 – 4.5) and 53.85% (95%CI: 22.00 – 85.69), respectively. Conclusion: Given that hypertonic saline infusion can significantly ameliorate tramadol-mediated ECG changes, including QRS prolongation and QT lengthening, it can be regarded as a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent the development of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias caused by tramadol toxicity.

Beam shaping methods can generate optical fields with nontrivial topologies, which are invariant against perturbations and thus interesting for information encoding. Here, the authors introduce the realization of framed optical knots to encode programs with the conjoined use of prime factorization.

Land cover change is an important factor in terms of its impacts on altering the quantity and quality of the flow regimes. The Long-term Hydrologic Impact Assessment model was used to predict the impacts of land cover management scenarios on run-off volume and water pollutants on the Hablehrud Basin. Land-use and soil hydrologic group layers were used in running the model. Evaluation of the results indicated a satisfactory performance at the 5% level of significance. Additionally, the model uncertainty analysis was conducted using the bootstrap method. Nitrate, nitrite and run-off volume parameters had the minimum and maximum uncertainty levels with respect to the coefficient of variation at 0.15 and 0.26, respectively. In addition to the current condition, agroforestry, seeding, drill seeding, hill-drop planting, grazing exclusion, haloxylon plantation, orchard stabilization, tree plantation and forage growing actions were evaluated. By applying the seeding scenario, the annual runoff volume would drop from 301.07 million cubic meters per year for the current land use in the watershed to 247.92 million cubic meters per year. Given the seeding scenario, the total amounts of nitrates, nitrite and phosphorus in the watershed would also decrease from 214.17 and 92.4 ton per year for the current land cover to 154.2 and 80.3 ton per year, respectively. Evaluation of the results indicates the satisfactory performance of the model to predict the effects of land-use change scenarios in this area. Implementing the land cover management actions leads to a reduction in the run-off volume as well as the water pollutants on the Hablerud Basin.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser surgery as a conservative tool plays a peculiar role in the management of head and neck cancer. Numerous patients who were candidates for transoral laryngeal microsurgery have forced us to eliminate frozen-section evaluation of surgical margins and use a magnified view of the larynx. The present study evaluated surgeon-judged negative margins with permanent microscopic pathologic evaluation. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the permanent pathologic margins of the resected laryngeal specimen which were considered negative by judgment of surgeons. Patients consisted of 61 pathologic proven T1-T2 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases. In all patients, tumor resection was performed via a transoral route with CO2 laser, and no residual laryngeal tumor was observed according to judgment of the surgeon. The patients with positive margin (s) underwent another resection. Patients were followed up for 18 months for tumor recurrence. Results: The obtained results demonstrated that pathologic margins were reported in 6 patients, with the deep margin being the most common positive margin. During the 18-month follow-up, 8 cases of recurrence were detected. Conclusion: Judgment of the surgeon was in agreement with permanent pathologic evaluation in transoral laryngeal laser resection at the early stages of laryngeal SCC in most cases. Nevertheless, it is suggested that further direct studies be conducted to evaluate the frozen section on oncologic outcomes in transoral laser surgery for laryngeal cancer.

Nosocomial infections or healthcare associated infections occur in patients under medical care. Infections acquired in hospitals have existed since the very inception of hospitals themselves, and continue to be an important health problem even in the modern era of antibiotics. Today, they result in high morbidity and mortality, extended hospitalization, greater use of antibiotics, and increased costs. The overuse and inappropriate consumption and application of antibiotics have driven the rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant drugs (MDR) pathogens. Combating MDRs which cause serious life threatening nosocomial infections and appear to be biologically compatible with their environment, are difficult to manage due to the limited treatment options. The worldwide emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) among Gram negative and Gram-positive bacteria has caused a great threat to fight the bacterial pathogens. It is clear that in the lack of a timely, efficient solution the challenge of antibiotic resistance becomes alarming and will cause a great challenge in the forthcoming years. In this review article we will discuss the most important MDR nosocomial infection agents, including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as major threats throughout the world.

Complex multi-phase phenomena, including turbulent flow, solidification, and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) forces, occur during the continuous casting (CC) under the applied electromagnetic brake (EMBr). The results of the small-scale experiment of the liquid metal model for continuous casting (mini-LIMMCAST) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), investigating MHD flow with a deep immersion depth of 100 mm, are supplemented by newly presented numerical studies with the shallow position of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) at 50 mm below the meniscus. Herein, the focus is on the MHD effects at the meniscus level considering (i) a fully insulating domain boundary, (ii) a perfectly conductive mold, or (iii) the presence of the solid shell. The volume-of-fluid (VOF) approach is utilized to model a Galinstan flow, including free surface behavior. A multiphase solver is developed using conservative MHD formulations in the framework of the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package OpenFOAM®. The wall-adapting local eddy-viscosity (WALE) subgrid-scale (SGS) model is employed to model the turbulent effects on the free surface flow. We found that, for the deep immersion depth, the meniscus remains calm under the EMBr for the conductive and semi-conductive domain. For the insulated mold disregarding the SEN position, the self-inducing MHD vortices, aligned with the magnetic field, cause strong waving of the meniscus and air bubble entrapment for shallow immersion depth. Secondary MHD structures can form close to the meniscus under specific conditions. The influence of the EMBr and immersion depth on the flow energy characteristics is analyzed using power spectral density (PSD).

A Solitary Fibrous Tumor (SFT) is a soft tissue tumor that appears exceedingly rare in the parotid gland. The literature review suggested that approximately 12%-22% of these cases behave aggressively. Besides, only 4 cases of histological malignant parotid gland SFT are reported in the English literature. We presented a 65-year-old cigarette-smoker man with a fix and tender mass over the left parotid and submandibular areas. On physical examination, the marginal branch of the facial nerve was paralyzed. The left total parotidectomy and neck dissection levels 1 and 2 were performed with preoperative embolization procedure and adjuvant radiotherapy for the patient. The results of the follow-up examination were unremarkable after 11 months. In this case report, we aimed to increase awareness on SFTs, although rare, among clinicians and pathologists. Accordingly, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of soft-tissue tumors in the major salivary glands for better management.

Bell inequalities are mathematical constructs that demarcate the boundary between quantum and classical physics. A new class of multiplicative Bell inequalities originating from a volume maximization game (based on products of correlators within bipartite systems) has been recently proposed. For these new Bell parameters, it is relatively easy to find the classical and quantum, i.e., Tsirelson, limits. Here, we experimentally test the Tsirelson bounds of these inequalities using polarization-entangled photons for a different number of measurements (n), each party can perform. For n=2,3,4, we report the experimental violation of local hidden variable theories. In addition, we experimentally compare the results with the parameters obtained from a fully deterministic strategy, and observe the conjectured nature of the ratio. Finally, utilizing the principle of “relativistic independence” encapsulating the locality of uncertainty relations, we theoretically derive and experimentally test new and richer quantum bounds for both the multiplicative and the additive Bell parameters for n=2. Our findings strengthen the deep correspondence between local and nonlocal correlations, and pave the way for both theoretical (e.g., better understanding of nonlocal correlations) and practical (e.g., Bell tests and quantum technologies with inefficient detectors) applications.

Foreign Body (FB) swallowing is one of the most common medical emergencies in the world. This injury can cause mortality and morbidity in all age groups. This study aimed to evaluate the paraclinical methods in diagnosis of foreign body and its complications compared to operating room findings in patients with oral, pharyngeal and esophageal symptoms. This was a retrospective study. All patients referred to the ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) department of Amir A’lam hospital with complaints of foreign body swallowing admitted in the operating room were studied. The patients’ information including demographic information, type of swallowed body, paraclinical information and operating room findings were extracted from the patients’ records. This study was performed on 219 patients admitted to ENT clinic. The mean age of the patients was 45.10±20.61 years. The highest and the lowest frequencies for foreign body type were chicken bone in 61 cases (28.31%) and disk battery in 1 case (0.5%). The most and the least frequency of complaints after foreign body type were dysphagia in 129 cases (58.9%) and neck tenderness in 7 cases (3.19%). Computerized Tomography (CT) scan findings and operative findings were almost same except in two cases. Kappa agreement for lateral neck and observation in the operating room was 50.5% (P

Background: Hydatid cyst is a zoonotic disease due to the infection with the larvae of Echinococcus granulosus. The liver and lungs (80%) are the main organs involved and rarely head and neck. Case Presentation: A 47-year-old Iranian man presented to our center complaining of sublingual inflammation for 8 months. Sonography revealed a cystic lesion of 4×5×6 cm within the tongue. CT-scan showed a well-defined and hypodense mass in the floor of the mouth. Cyst resection was performed with the probability of ranula. Pathology was suggestive of hydatid cyst. Further workups revealed liver involvement. Therefore, he was treated with albendazole for 2 months. Conclusion: The hydatid cyst in the head and neck is rare and the involvement of sublingual gland is extremely rare. However, in endemic areas, hydatid cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of head and neck masses.

Introduction The most common site of salivary gland tumors is the parotid gland. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and sonography are imaging modalities to differentiate benign from malignant parotid tumors. Objective The aim of this study is the evaluation of the diagnostic value of perfusion CT for differentiating histological categorization of benign and malignant parotid tumors. Methods A total of 29 patients with parotid neoplasms were enrolled in this study. Mean age and all CT perfusion variables (gradient and permeability, blood flow [BF], blood volume [BV], mean transit time [MTT], permeability surface [PS], maximum intensity projection [MIP], time-density curve [TDC], and time to peak [TTP]) were compared among three groups (malignant tumors [MTs], Warthin's tumor [WT] and pleomorphic adenomas [PA]). Results The mean age of the patients was 55.9 ± 14.1 (26–77), and 15 of them were male (51.7%). Eleven lesions were PAs [37.9%], 8 lesions were WTs (27.6%0 and 10 lesions (34.5%) were MTs (6 acinic cell carcinomas [ACCs], 3 adenocystic carcinomas [AdCCs], and 1 mucoepidermoid carcinoma [MEC]). The mean age of the patients with WTs was 62 ± 7.5 years; 52 ± 14.2 for patients with Pas, and 55.2 ± 17.2 for those with MTs (p = 0.32). The mean MIP was 122.7 ± 12.2 in WT, while it was 80.5 ± 19.5 in PA, and 76.2 ± 27.1 in MTs (p

به دنبال کشف و گسترش ویروس کرونای جدید (nCoV-2019[1]) عامل بیماری تنفسی از شهر ووهان[2] ، استان هوبای در چین، تحقیقات گسترده ای به منظور شناخت، پیشگیری و درمان بیماری ناشی از این ویروس انجام گرفته است. هر لحظه اطلاعات مربوط به این ویروس در حال به روز رسانی می باشد. هدف از این نامه ارایه راهکارهایی در شناسایی اولیه و پیشگیری از گسترش ویروس کرونای جدید در بخش اورژانس به عنوان خط اول مواجهه با بیماران در بیمارستان، با اقتباس از توصیه های سازمان بهداشت جهانی ([3]WHO) (1-4) است.

Introduction: The major presenting symptom of nasal polyps is nasal obstruction. The role of nasal obstruction in the genesis of laryngeal disorders is still unknown. Materials and Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate laryngeal videostroboscopic changes after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in patients with nasal polyposis. A longitudinal study was carried out from March 2012 to June 2013. Thirty patients with bilateral nasal polyposis who did not respond to maximum medical treatment and were candidates for FESS were recruited. Laryngeal videostroboscopy was performed before and 3 months after FESS. Glottic gap, true vocal cord (TVC) borders and pliability, false vocal cord (FVC) movement, laryngeal erythema and mucosal edema were documented. Results: Laryngeal erythema and TVC edema were significantly decreased after FESS. Laryngeal erythema was documented in 18 patients after a 3-month follow-up. Four patients (13.3%) showed mild-to-moderate TVC edema and 26 patients (86.7%) had normal TVC mucosa. Conclusion: The results of this study show that FESS has a significant impact on laryngeal videostroboscopic features including laryngeal erythema and TVC edema.

The polarization of a monochromatic optical beam lies in a plane and, in general, is described by an ellipse, known as the polarization ellipse. The polarization ellipse in the tight-focusing (nonparaxial) regime forms nontrivial three-dimensional topologies, such as Möbius and ribbon strips as well as knots. The latter are formed when the dynamics of specifically structured polarization states are studied upon propagation. However, optical knots can also exist within another form: The electric field's tip can be made to locally oscillate along a knotted trajectory. We propose an intuitive technique to generate and engineer the path traced by the electric field vector of polychromatic beams to form different knots. In particular, we show examples of how tightly focused beams with at least three frequency components and different spatial modes can cause the tip of the electric field vector to follow, locally, a knotted trajectory. Our study may provide insight in designing current densities for structured polychromatic electromagnetic fields that interact with matter.

Introduction: This study aimed to compare operation time, intraoperative bleeding and postoperative pain between cold dissection tonsillectomy and harmonic scalpel tonsillectomy. Materials and Methods: In this single-blinded clinical trial, 32 patients aged 14–48 were enrolled. Each patient randomly underwent tonsillectomy using the harmonic scalpel on one side and cold dissection on the other side. Operation time and bleeding volume were measured during surgery. The pain intensity level on each side was recorded on the first and seventh postoperative days. Results: The mean volume of intraoperative bleeding was 9.59 ml on the harmonic side and 74.38 ml on the cold dissection side; which represents a significantly lower amount on the harmonic side (P

Beyond high resolving power, electron microscopy can be used to study both the electronic and magnetic properties of a sample. Here, Grillo et al. combine electron vortex beams with holographic detection to measure out-of-plane nanoscale magnetic fields.

One of the important issues about collection of diayh from the criminal who have committed a crime involving difference of diyah is impact of his/her consent to pay difference of diyah and him/her release from qisas. Most Shiite faqihs believe that criminal’s consent to pay diyah is necessary and that according to the Qur’anic verses and hadiths concerning discretionary nature of punishment of crimes involving qisas, the victim or his/her heirs are entitled to impose qisas on the murderer. According to this group of faqihs, if those entitled to impose qisas ask the criminal for difference of diyah, the latter shall have a choice between giving consent to pay such amount and not doing so. However, another group who invoke some of hadiths and doctrine of “la yabtal” hold that those entitled to impose qisas may choose between “qisas upon payment of the difference of diyah” and “obtaining of diayh from the criminal in absence of his/her consent”. Iranian legislator had also adopted the opinion of the former group. However, the new penal code derogating from the majority opinion has adopted the latter opinion, not requiring consent of the criminal for payment of difference of diyah. This research exploring arguments of both groups demonstrated that the majority opinion of faqihs is firm and reasonable and the opinion of the other group and the legislator is based on acceptable proof.

Existing methods of characterizing electron beams carrying orbital angular momentum are inefficient as they allow measuring one OAM state at a time. Here the authors demonstrate an OAM spectrometer capable of analysing multiple OAM states and a potential tool for probing magnetic materials.

Few methods can produce orbital angular momentum beams in the extreme ultraviolet or X-ray, and controlling orbital angular momentum on these beams remains challenging. Here the authors apply wave mixing to a tabletop high-harmonic source and control the topological charge of extreme ultraviolet beams.

Prioritization of watersheds in order to perform administrative measures is necessary and inevitable. Determining areas of top priority for flood control projects is a managerial decision that should be approved by studies of physical, social and economic status of the region of interesrt and by assessing the outcomes of the past operations. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study morphological and physiographic characteristics, and to use geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM), to identify the critical sub-basins which have the tendency to be destructed, in Galikesh watershed, Golestan province. This watershed is important, yet critical, in terms of land use change, erosion and flooding in the Golestan Province, Iran. In total, nine morphological parameters were used to prioritize sub-watersheds using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). The morphological parameters were by some means linked to watershed drainage system. Based on FAHP approach, sub-basins, as vulnerable zones, have been evaluated and cetegorized in five priority levels (very low, low, medium, high and very high levels). The results showed that 44.44% and 22.22% of sub-basins were categorized respectively under average, and high to very high levels, suggesting that the conservation and management measures are essential in order to maintain stability in the region. Thus, the FAHP technique is a practical and convenient method to show potential zones in order to implement effective management strategies, especially in areas where data availability is low and soil diversity is high. Finally, it can be said that without having to encounter high costs and a waste of time, sub-basins could be categorized by means of morphometric parameters in order to implement conservational measures to simutaneously conserve soil and the environment

Objectives Free flaps are widely used to reconstruct head and neck defects. Despite the improvement in the surgical techniques and the surgeons’ experiences, flap failures still occur due to thrombotic occlusion after small vessels anastomosis. To reduce the possibility of flap loss as a result of thrombotic occlusion, various anticoagulants have been used. In this study we decided to evaluate a new protocol for anticoagulation therapy and its effect on flap survival and complications. Methods In this interventional study, 30 patients with head and neck cancer underwent surgical defects were reconstructed by microvascular free flap between 2013 and 2014. In the postoperative period patients have taken aspirin (100 mg/day) for 5 days and enoxaparin (40 mg/day subcutaneously) for 3 days. The flap survival was followed for three weeks. Results Given that there was no complete necrosis or loss of flap, the free flap success rate was as much as 100%. The need for re-exploration occurred in 3 patients (10%). Only in one patient the need for re-exploration was due to problem in venous blood flow. Conclusion The aspirin-enoxaparin short-term protocol may be a good choice after free flap transfer in reconstruction of head and neck surgical defects.

Introduction: Rapid detection of pneumonia and early initiation of antibiotic therapy are associated with better prognosis in patients. The present study was designed aiming to evaluate the sensitivity of chest ultrasonography performed by emergency medicine specialists in detection of pneumonia and comparing it with plain radiography. Methods: In the present diagnostic accuracy study, patients presenting to the emergency department with clinical symptoms of lung infection underwent plain radiography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography (CT) scan of chest and the screening performance characteristics of plain radiography and ultrasonography were compared considering CT scan findings as the gold standard. Results: 280 patients with the mean age of 56.47 ± 19.79 (10 – 92) years were studied (57.1% male). The results of chest CT scan were indicative of infection symptoms being present and confirmed pneumonia diagnosis for all the patients. Out of the 280 cases of pneumonia confirmed via chest CT scan, 17 (6.1%) cases were not detected via ultrasonography and 48 (17.1%) cases were missed by chest radiography (false negative cases). No false positive case was reported by ultrasonography or chest x-ray. Since all of the CT scans were positive, no comment can be made regarding the specificity of the evaluated tests, but sensitivity of ultrasonography and plain radiography were 93.92 (90.28 – 96.31) and 82.85 (77.81 – 86.97), respectively (p = 0.583). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, although the sensitivity of ultrasonography in detection of pneumonia was significantly higher than chest x-ray, overall the screening performance characteristics of the 2 tests were not significantly different. Therefore, considering characteristics such as safety, low cost, being portable, and being available, ultrasonography seems to be a reasonable tool for screening and diagnosis of patients with pneumonia.

Introduction: 90% of the tumors in the head and neck are squamous-cell carcinomas (HNSCC), which have overall 5- year survival rate between 50% -60%. CD44 has been shown to be associated with the prognosis. Materials and Methods: Biopsy specimens of 51 patients with oral tongue SCC were evaluated by Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the CD44 antibody. Results: There was no significant correlation between CD44 and survival (P=0.77), age (P=0.4), CD44 and lymph node metastasis (P=0.87), sex (P=0.947), smoking (P=0.287) and tumor size (P=0.813). However, there was significant correlation between smoking and survival. Conclusion: There are widespread discrepancies among the findings in the literature regarding the prognosis of CD44 expression in OCSCC. Our study shows that the expression of CD44 is not a marker of aggressive behavior in oral tongue SCC. Consequently, CD44 cannot be considered as handy tool to establish the tumor behavior, prognosis and 5- year survival rate of these tumors.

Introduction: Plant probiotic bacteria like fluorescent pseudomonads are worldly used against soil-borne pathogens through mechanisms such as production of bacterial metabolites and enzymes. These bacteria can also help plants to tolerate environmental stresses. Ectoine is a compatible solution which plays an important role in environmental osmotic stresses. Materials and methods: Tolerance of 24 bacterial strains to salt and heat was tested and 6 tolerant strains were chosen. Then dual culture of Fusarium solani and bacteria grown in presence of ectoine and hydroxy ectoine with 3 NaCl concentrations (0, 150 and 300 mM) was done and Pseudomonas fluorescens UTPF5 was selected. Finally the effect of ectoine, hydroxyectoine and NaCl on bacterial population, lipase, protease, siderophore and hydrogen-cyanide production and biofilm formation was investigated. Results: In 300 mM NaCl, the bacterium grown in presence of ectoines, increased the inhibition percentage 5- times more than control. NaCl had a positive effect on bacterial population in water and ectoine, hydrogen-cyanide production in all treatment and biofilm formation in ectoine and hydroxyectoine and negative effect on bacterial population in hydroxyectoine, protease and siderophore production in all treatments and biofilm formation in water. On the other hand, ectoine increased lipase and hydrogen-cyanide production and biofilm formation in 300 mM NaCl and siderophore production in 150 mM. Hydroxyectoine had similar effects with little differences. Discussion and conclusion: Ectoine and hydroxyectoine moderate the biocontrol reduction in presence of NaCl through positive effect on lipase and hydrogen-cyanide production and biofilm formation.

Introduction: Correction of Saddle nose deformity is one of the most challenging issues in facial plastic surgery. Materials and Methods: In this study, a single structure in the form of L-strut was attempted to be created by using one 0.035" Kirschner wire and an autologous costal graft out of the 10th and 11th ribs. This study involved 13 cases, most of whom were traumatic. The corrective surgical techniques used in this study will be described in detail. Results: There was no warping, no rejection, and no infection in the created L-strut and patients’ satisfaction was very good during the follow up period. Conclusion: Surgical correction of a saddle-shaped nose using the described technique seems to be an acceptable and uncomplicated technique, and the cosmetic result is totally acceptable.

Introduction: An important issue in microbial biotechnology is linkage between screened beneficial strains in laboratory and industry. Therefore, to develop beneficial microbial biocontrol agents; optimization of nutritional and physiological condition for high level production and selection of carrier for final formulation are necessary. In this research we tried to find the best growth condition and suitable formulation for biocontrol Streptomyces rimosus strain C-2012. Materials and methods: For optimization of growth condition of strain C-2012, utilization of carbon sources, growth in different media, effect of temperature, pH and NaCl were investigated. Then the effect of different carriers and additives in final formulation and shelf life of microbial community were studied. Results: Study on utilization of carbon sources showed that glucose, fructose and mannitole were suitable carbon sources for growth and the best initial pH and temperature were 7 and 28°C, respectively. Results showed that the culture medium containing glucose, yeast extract and malt extract was the best medium. Investigation on NaCl effect showed that from 0 up to 300 mM sodium chloride could increase microbial community and salinity more than this range decreased microbial community. Based on the results we found that sand is suitable as microbial carrier comparing hydrogel polymers. Viability test during 36 months showed that formulation with NaCl content could keep 200 times (8*106 cfu/g) more than samples without salinity at last month. Discussion and conclusion: Using suitable carbon sources such as glucose at 28 °C and pH at 7 are important items in optimum growth and preparing final formulation with good level of microbial community. Capability in secondary volatile and liquid metabolites production and fungal pathogen control by Streptomyces rimosus in the presence of NaCl showed that this strain has high potentiality to apply in both normal and saline area. Long shelf life (3 years) without any saprophytic contamination of this strain in final formulation is important in industry and it can prepare a lucrative business.