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Nowadays, nanoparticles (NPs) have the great potential application in different industries. Among all NPs, titanium dioxide NPs is the biggest ecotoxicological and ecophysiology concerns due to the increase of anthropogenic input into the aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the effects of titanium dioxide NPs enriched yeast on the growth, survival; digestive enzymes activity and lipid metabolism in Artemia urmiana (AU) and Artemia franciscana (AF) were investigated. The experiment was designed in two treatments (control and enriched yeast with titanium dioxide NPs) and each with four replicates for both Artemia species. At the end of experiment, the results indicated that titanium dioxide nanoparticles did not affect on the Artemia species growth but significantly increased AF survival. No significant difference was observed in AU survival. Also the results showed, NPs significantly decrease AU digestive enzymes activity and reverse pattern was observed for AF. The effect of NPs on the body lipid content was investigated in Artemia species and the results revealed that all the NPs decrease this parameter in AU but did not affect on AF lipid body content. The results obtained in this experiment, suggest that the eco-physiological effects of titanium dioxide NPs different in Artemia urmiana and Artemia franciscana.

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This investigation is a collection of studies on the breeding birds of Dez Protected Area performed from Fe-bruary 2011 to Jun 2012. During that period, field studies were executed every other 2-4 days. 5 species of native bree-ding birds including White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis, Common Babbler Turdoides caudatus, Collared Dove St-reptopelia decaocto, Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis, European Roller Coracias garrulous and 7 species of migratory breeding birds including Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus, Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata Ba-nk Swallow Riparia riparia, Blue cheeked Bea-eater Merops persicus were observed. Among the breeding birds, Coll-ared Dove S.decaocto had the most extensive breeding period from February till the early of August. Common Babbler T. caudatus (53 nests) was the frequent breeder in the terrestrial part of the Dez Protected area. Terrestrial breeding bi-rds of the area prefer habitats with Ziziphus nummularia, vegetations for breeding. Bank Swallow R.riparia with more than 300 nests was the most common species in the watery part of Dez Protected Area. They selected riparian walls for nest building. Habitat destruction was the most important threatening factor for the breeding birds.

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Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important crop in the world and increasing its fiber quality is very cr-ucial for textile industries. Spider silk is the strongest and most elastic fiber ever known in the nature. Cotton is one of the main crops in the world and increasing its fiber quality is very important for textile industries. In this regard, a synt-hetic construct has been designed to offer spider silk quality to cotton fibers by fiber-specific expression of Major am-pullate spidroin1 (MaSp1) gene under control of core sequence of GaRD22-like1 promoter. The synthetic construct was double digested by the EcoRI and NheI and sub-cloned in pCAMBIA1304 binary vector. E.coli DH5α was transformed using new plasmid namely pCSP. Ligation and intact backbone of plasmid was conformed using MaSp1 and hygrom-ycin re-sistance genes specific primers and finally with EcoRI/NheI double digestion. Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 was transformed with pCSP to transform cotton ovules of Varamin cultivar. The expression of MaSp1 in co-tton ovules and fibers showed that this synthetic sequence had been successfully expressed under control of GaRDL1 core promoter and this construct without codon optimization could be used for cotton transformation and its fiber qual-ity manipulation.

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Chemical pesticides possess toxic and destructive impacts on the reproductive system and disrupt endocrine function. In this experimental study, the effect of movento, as a chemical pesticide, was investigated in comparison with chitosan, a biological pesticide, on the female reproductive system in vivo. In this study, 56 mice were randomly dived into 7 groups including control and experimental groups treated with movento and chitosan. After a 21-day treatment, mice were killed and their ovaries and blood being collected. In addition, the samples were fixed and stained with H & E method. The results exhibited that treatment with 2.5 and 5 mg/kg chitosan had no significant effect on the number and diameter of primary, secondary and antral follicles, while these items were significantly reduced in 10 mg/kg ch-itosan group and all movento-treated groups as well. In addition, the level of sexual hormones, such as estradiol, FSH and LH, was decreased in 10 mg/kg chitosan group and all movento-treated groups in comparison with the control gr-oup. The findings showed that movento affected the sexual hormone levels, ovary and ovarian follicle structure and in-duced abnormality in female reproductive system, while chitosan, as a biological pesticide, should be used due to its minimum effects on female reproductive system

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A revision was carried out on the genus Lappula Moench (Boraginaceae) in Khorassan provinces. A total of herbarium specimens collected from different parts of the studied area, including the three provinces of North, Razavi and South Khorassan, were studied. All specimens are deposited in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Herbarium, (FUMH). According to the results of the study, there are 6 Lappula species in the region: L. barbata, L. microcarpa, L. semiglabra, L. sessiliflora, L. sinaica and L. spinocarpos. In addition, by revising the annual specimens that had been previously misidentified as L. drobovii, a perennial species, these specimens were identified as L. sessiliflora. Identification key, distribution map and species pictures in this article have been presented.

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Strictosidine synthase-like (SSL) is a group of gene families in the Arabidopsis genome, which whose orthologues in other plants are key enzymes in mono-terpenoid indole-alkaloid biosynthesis pathway. The SSL7 is upregulated upon treatments of Arabidopsis plants with signaling molecules such as SA, methyl jasmonate and ethylene. To find the functional role of the gene, a T-DNA-mediated knockout mutant (ssl7) along with the wildt ype were treated with different concentrations of NaCl. The expression level of salt stress genes including P5CS1, NCED3, AAO3 and RD29A at 150 mM NaCl demonstrated that the expression was significantly higher in ssl7 compared with the expression in Col-0. The activities of Catalase (CAT), Ascorbate Peroxidase (APX), Peroxidase (POD) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) were measured in different concentrations of NaCl. The results suggested that the enzymes activities were significantly higher in ssl7 compared with wild-type Col-0. In total, the results suggest that SSL7 might have a salicylic acid-dependent negative regulatory role in plant resistance to salt stress.
 

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During the study on the specimens of Astragalus sect. Ammodendron in the herbarium of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUMH), based on the last and most recent sources, two new species, i.e. A. microfoliolatus sp. nova and A. rashed-mohasseli sp. nova were found and described. Morphological evidence confirmed that the belonging of these taxa to Astragalus sect. Ammodendron. The most important differences between A. microfoliolatus and its closest relatives are leaflets with very small size and glabrescent legume. Also, the main distinctive characters ofA. rashed-mohasseli are the presence of hairs on the dorsal side of vexillum, oblong legume and short rachis. Hairy vexillum has been obseverd for the first time in this section. In addition, A. aiwadzhi is recorded as a new species for the flora of Iran. Taxonomic descriptions, illustrations and distribution maps are provided to expedite identification.
 
 

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In this paper, the new taxa Lepidium ferganense (Brassicaceae) was recorded for the flora of Iran for the first time. This taxon belongs to Irano-Turanian region. It was compared with the closest taxa in the present study. In addition, a morphological description, several Illustrations, and a distribution map were presented.

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Polyploidy induction in German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) by herbicide trifluralin
 
Leila Karami¹, Mohammad Modarresi², Mohammad Amin Kohanmoo², Fatemeh Zahabi Ahmadi² & Saeed Irian^3
1Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, 7516913817, Iran; ²Department of Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, 7516913817, Iran; ³Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
Correspondent author: Leila Karami, leila.karami@pgu.ac.ir
 
Abstract. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is a medicinal herb belonging to Asteraceae family. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of trifluralin on the induction of polyploidy in chamomile. Two independent full factorial experiments on seedlings and 2-leaf stage apical buds were performed.  Following morphological, biochemical and cytogenetic analysis, chromosome numbers of 18 and 36 were detected for diploid and tetraploid types, respectively. Morphological and biochemical examinations revealed that an increase in the number of full chromosome set results in a reduction in stomata number per unit area as well as an increase in stomata size, chloroplast number, and chlorophyll content. Induction of ploidy level increments also reduced plant height and increased the number of lateral branches, leaf size, and diameters of stems, flowers and receptacles. It is concluded that a concentration of 22.5 µM trifluralin in both methods is optimum for the production of tetraploid chamomile with the highest rate of polyploidy induction and the lowest percentage of abnormality.
 
 

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Phosphorus, the most essential nutrient for plants, becomes quickly unavailable for the plants in the soil. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB( can play an important role in providing Phosphorus for plants. In this study, the PSBs were screened from plant rhizosphere by Pikovskaya method. Then, the growth rate and phosphate solubilizing ability of 9 superior strains were measured at different temperatures and levels of salinity and pH. The best strain was identified by 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Finally, the genetic diversity of phosphate solubilizing strains were examined by RAPD markers. Results showed that 25 strains were capable of solubilizing insoluble phosphates among the 57 isolates studied. Of the nine superior strains, Cke1 had the highest solubilizing index with the average growth rate under all conditions and was introduced as the best PSB strain identified in the present study. 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis showed that this strain belonged to the Enterobacter genus. The results of genetic variation showed that all stains were divided into six groups and three strains that had the lowest similarity with other strains were placed in three separate groups. Given that Cke1 strain has the ability of solubilizing the insoluble phosphate in different stresses, it can be a good candidate for providing phosphorus at temperatures of 30 and 35 °C, 1.2% and 1.8% salinity levels and pH levels of 6 and 8 for the crops.

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Algae are the most important group of organisms which considerably affect the water quality. Although algae constitute one of the fundamental parts of the aquatic food chains, only few researches deal with the freshwater algae of Iran. Filamentous algae are important components of the river vegetation. The Balikhlou River is utilized as a source to obtain drinking water for the city of Ardabil, therefore, the algae flora of this river was studied and a total number of 18 taxa of filamentous algae were determined, of which nine species were belonged to the Cyanophyceae class of Cyanobacteriae, while five speciesof which were belonged to the Chlorophyta. In addition, four species were recorded for the first time from Iran, i.e., Audouinella eugenea, Arthrospira gigantea, Homoeothrix janthina and Tychonema bourrellyi.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Damavand volcanic ash on the morphological and physiological characteristics of beans as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. The results showed that the highest dry leaf weight was observed in 100 mg/L treatment per liter of volcanic ash (0.0099 g). The results also showed that the optimal sugar content of the soluble sugar at 100 mg/L of volcanic ash was 0.650 (mg/g D.W.). The highest protein content and optimal peroxidase activity were observed with 0.68 (mg/g F.W.) and 0.082 (A470/mg/protein), respectively. Therefore, it can be argued that volcanic ash may increase plant growth and biosynthesis of organic compounds such as iron and aluminum.

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Salinity stress is an important challenge for wheat production in the world. Plant growth promoting rhizosphere bacteria, isolated from halophytic plants, can increase the tolerance of crop plants to salinity by direct and indirect mechanisms. In this study, plant growth-promoting traits of bacterial strains (Bacillus safensis, Bacillus pumilus and Zhihengliuella halotolerans), isolated from the rhizosphere of several halophyte plants, were deterimined and their effects on some vegetative traits and ionic content of wheat plant irrigated with saline water ( 0.2, as control,  4, 8 and 16 dS/m) were measured. Result showed that all three bacteria were able to produce auxin, hydrogen cyanide, siderophore, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase and soluble phosphate. The increase in salinity levels caused increase in the concentration of sodium and decrease in the concentration of potassium, calcium and phosphorus in wheat leaves, as well as decrease in stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root to shoot dry weight ratio and total biomass. In wheat plants irrigated with saline water and inoculated with the bacterial strains, sodium concentration decreased up to 17.7% and concentrations of potassium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium to sodium ratio increased up to 33, 25.7, 200.4 and 41%, respectively. The most efficient bacterium was found to be Z. halotolerans. All bacterial isolates also increased stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root to shoot dry weight ratio and total biomass by 17, 58.6, 137, 88 and 66 %, respectively. The results of this study showed that the plant growth-promoting bacteria of rangeland halophytic plants potentionally improve the growth indices of wheat plants in saline conditions. These results also showed that the rhizosphere of halophytic plants in rangelands can be a good source for the isolation of salinity-resistant bacteria to improve the resistance of wheat plants to salinity.
 

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The faunistic investigation of beetles has been of a great importance in Iran due to the impresive diversity of species, which is highly promoted by the climatic variation of the Country. Therefore, detection of the ingenious regions, such as Taleqan, is important. In this study, mite-related beetles which were sampled from different areas of Taleqan were investigated and 14 species belonging to 13 genera and 9 families, including Buprestidae, Carabidae, Cerambycidae, Cicindellidae, Lucanidae, Malachidae, Meloidae, Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae, were identified. In addition, mite specimens were found to be from different groups, including Mesostigmata, Heterostigmata, Trombidiformes and Sarcoptiformes. New records of mites and their corresponding hosts in Iran were as follows: Alliphis kargi on Scarabaeus pius and S. typhon (Scarabaeidae), Antennoseius sp. on Pterostichus sp. (Carabidae), Parasitengona species on Julodis andreae (Buprestidae) and Mylabris syrica (Meloidae), Prostigmata species on Aegosoma sabricorne and Cerambyx dux (Cerambycidae), Hypoaspis maryame on Pentodon idiota and Oryctes sp. (Scarabaeidae), and H. phyllognathi on Dorcus parallelipipedus (Lucanidae).

 

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Arceuthobium oxycedri is commonly known as dwarf mistletoe and grows on and infects cypress species. The semi-parasitic plant was observed in three locations of Juniper Reza Abad in Semnan Province, Chahar Bagh Area of Gorgan and Zanjan Province. In this study, the anatomical and micromorphological characteristics of the species were evaluated to facilitate the identification of this semi-parasitic species in Golestan province. The outcomes of the analysis indicated that the estimation of infestation rate in dwarf shrub trees is unattainable through factors such as canopy percentage, stand gender, slope percentage, and slope orientation. Examination of the stem's transverse section revealed that, across all three elevations, there were no variations in brain size between the semicircular cross-section and the sink's thickness. Analysis of pollen demonstrated that every pollen grain is classified as Monad, exhibiting three to five deep and asymmetric grooves of varying sizes (tricolpate). In regards to their morphology, they exhibit an oblatespheroidal shape adorned with sharp exine decorations. Overall, given the novelty of this study on dwarf mistletoe species, the discoveries hold significant systematic implications for the identification of analogous species documented in alternative juniper habitats within Iran.
 

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In this article, a new record of Astragalus suffalcatus Bunge, from section Dissitiflori Bunge of the genus Astragalus, is presented. This species occurs in northeastern Iran, in North Khorasan Province, and has previously been reported from Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan. A herbarium specimen image, distribution map, conservation status map, and a description of the species are provided.

 

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Introduction:Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM)is a common inherited disease that can lead to acute cardiac complications.Since uric acid level is recognized as a long-term predictor for some cardiac diseases,this study aimed to compare serum uric acid levels and other risk factors between patients with HCM and healthy individuals.
Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on100individuals referred to a cardiology clinic.Participants were divided into two groups of50:those diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and non-affected individuals,who were followed for one year.Patients were compared based on age, history of alcohol consumption,myocardial infarction,and measured uric acid levels.
Results:The study found that variables such as age(P<0.001), body mass index(BMI)(P=0.017), history of alcohol consumption(P=0.006),repeat percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)(P=0.022),myocardial infarction(P=0.041),and cardiac-related death(P=0.003)were significantly associated with HCM patients compared to the control group. Overall, major adverse cardiac events(MACE)were also significantly linked to the case group(P<0.001).However,no significant association was found between uric acid levels and any of the variables.In the long-term analysis,smoking was the only factor that increased the risk of cardiovascular events by nearly27-fold.
Conclusion:The results indicated that age, history of alcohol consumption, and prior myocardial infarction are risk factors associated with HCM.Uric acid levels did not prove to be a predictor of cardiovascular events within one year in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.