Southern Part Of Iran Research Articles

Geothermal sea water desalination system (GSWDS) using abandoned oil/gas wells

Nowadays, the water crisis has turned to be a major problem in all over the world. Fresh water shortage and energy intensive process are the reasons underlying water crisis. Seawater desalination can be a solution for the fresh water shortage, but this process needs plenty of energy. Abandoned oil and gas wells are useless geothermal heat sources which can be used as a heat source for water desalination. Abandoned oil wells are capable of providing valuable amount of heat without the necessity to drill expensive deep wells. In this paper, the results of numerical simulation of an abandoned oil well in the Southern part of Iran, in “Ahwaz oil field”, is used for simulation of multi-effect seawater desalination process which uses oil well as a heat source and can approximately produce 565m3/day of fresh water. There are thousands of abandoned oil/gas wells in Iran that can be used as a heat source for this desalination system. This innovative use of abandoned wells is capable of not only solving the fresh water issues in Southern part of Iran, but also leading the country to go through sustainable developments. The process is environmentally-friendly, and significantly reduces the production of emissions, that are considered to be one of the main challenges in conventional desalination systems.

Accuracy assessment of near-shore bathymetry information retrieved from Landsat-8 imagery

The improvement in the capabilities of Landsat-8 imagery to retrieve bathymetric information in shallow coastal waters was examined. Landsat-8 images have an additional band named coastal/aerosol, Band 1: 435–451 nm in comparison with former generation of Landsat imagery. The selected Landsat-8 operational land image (OLI) was of Chabahar Bay, located in the southern part of Iran (acquired on February 22, 2014 in calm weather and relatively low turbidity). Accurate and high resolution bathymetric data from the study area, produced by field surveys using a single beam echo-sounder, were selected for calibrating the models and validating the results. Three methods, including traditional linear and ratio transform techniques, as well as a novel proposed integrated method, were used to determine depth values. All possible combinations of the three bands [coastal/aerosol (CB), blue (B), and green (G)] have been considered (11 options) using the traditional linear and ratio transform techniques, together with five model options for the integrated method. The accuracy of each model was assessed by comparing the determined bathymetric information with field measured values. The standard error of the estimates, correlation coefficients (R 2 ) for both calibration and validation points, and root mean square errors (RMSE) were calculated for all cases. When compared with the ratio transform method, the method employing linear transformation with a combination of CB, B, and G bands yielded more accurate results (standard error = 1.712 m, R 2 calibration = 0.594, R 2 validation = 0.551, and RMSE =1.80 m). Adding the CB band to the ratio transform methodology also dramatically increased the accuracy of the estimated depths, whereas this increment was not statistically significant when using the linear transform methodology. The integrated transform method in form of Depth = b 0 + b 1 X CB + b 2 X B + b 5 ln(R CB )/ln(R G ) + b 6 ln(R B )/ln(R G ) yielded the highest accuracy (standard error = 1.634 m, R 2 calibration = 0.634, R 2 validation = 0.595, and RMSE = 1.71 m), where R i (i = CB, B, or G) refers to atmospherically corrected reflectance values in the i th band [X i = ln(R i -R deep water)].

Optimal Calibration and Uncertainty Analysis of SWAT for an Arid Climate

One of the major issues for semidistributed models is calibration of sensitive parameters. This study compared 3 scenarios for Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model for calibration and uncertainty. Roodan watershed has been selected for simulation of daily flow in southern part of Iran with an area of 10 570 km2. After preparation of required data and implementation of the SWAT model, sensitivity analysis has been performed by Latin Hypercube One-factor-At-a-Time method on those parameters which are effective for flow simulation. Then, SWAT Calibration and Uncertainty Program (SWAT-CUP) has been used for calibration and uncertainty analysis. Three schemes for calibration were followed for the Roodan watershed modeling in calibration analysis as evolution. These include the following: the global method (scheme 1), this is a method that takes in all globally adjusted sensitive parameters for the whole watershed; the discretization method (scheme 2), this method considered the dominant features in calibration such as land use and soil type; the optimum parameters method (scheme 3), this method only adjusted those sensitive parameters by considering the effectiveness of their features. The results show that scheme 3 has better performance criteria for calibration and uncertainty analysis. Nash-Sutcliffe (NS) coefficient has been obtained 0.75 for scheme 3. However, schemes 1 and 2 resulted in NS 0.71 and 0.74, respectively, between predicted and observed daily flows. Moreover, percentage bias (P-bias) obtained was 6.7, 5.2, and 1.5 for schemes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The result also shows that condition of parameters (parameter set) during calibration in SWAT-CUP program model has an important role to increase the performance of the model.

Physiological responses of olive cultivars to salinity stress

The aim of this study was to evaluate the tolerance of seven promising olive cultivars for southern parts of Iran (‘Amigdalilolia’, ‘Dakal’, ‘Zard’, ‘Dezful’, ‘Tokhm-e-Kabki’, ‘Shiraz’, and ‘Conservalia’) against salinity stress. Biochemical and physiological responses of the cultivars irrigated with saline water application (control, 4, 8, and 12 dS m-1) were evaluated and the tolerant cultivars were identified. In contrast to the tolerant cultivars, the sensitive ones continue to grow with lower rate and died under salinity stress. In general, growth indices of olive cultivars were reduced with increasing salinity stress and the lowest growth indices were obtained under 12 dS m-1 treatment. Results indicated that the accumulation of higher levels of soluble carbohydrates and proline in the leaves of the tolerant cultivars helps them to deal with salinity stress. The results showed that saline waters up to 4 dS m-1 for irrigation can be used for olive cultivars, however, based on the result of this study, it is not recommended to use water sources with higher electric conductivities to irrigate sensitive olive cultivars. We concluded that the tolerant cultivars stopped growth and used their energy to defend against the salinity stress.

Leptodesof Iran, with Description of Six New Cavernicolous Species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae: Leptodini)

Abstract. Six new species of Leptodes Dejean, 1834 are described from caves in southern parts of Iran: Leptodes (Leptodes) chakchakensis sp. nov., L. (Leptodes) farashahi sp. nov., L. (Mesoleptodes) karmaniae sp. nov., L. (Mesoleptodes) khanensis sp. nov., L. (Mesoleptodes) persiae sp. nov., L. (Mesoleptodes) shapouri sp. nov. The species Leptodes (Mesoleptodes) kulzeri Kaszab, 1959 and L. (Mesoleptodes) solieri Semenov, 1909 are redescribed based on recently collected specimens. An identification key to the nine Leptodes species known from Iran is given.

Integrating sustainability into supplier selection with analytical hierarchy process and improved grey relational analysis: a case of telecom industry

Supplier selection is one of the critical problems in supply chain systems. Within the last decades, by the emergence of sustainability concept, companies have been motivated to enhance their supplier’s sustainability and move toward sustainable development. This paper proposes a structured and integrated decision model for evaluating sustainable suppliers in the context of telecom industry by combining analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and improved grey relational analysis (IGRA) approaches. The proposed model employs AHP for calculating sustainability criteria weights and IGRA for ranking suppliers. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is also performed to demonstrate the robustness of the model. In this research, the sustainable supplier selection problem of the telecom industry in the southern part of Iran was investigated, showing the effectiveness and applicability of this proposed integrated approach.

Genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from Hormozgan Province of Iran Based on 15-Locus MIRU-VNTR and Spoligotyping.

Background. Considering that Hormozgan province in Iran (southern part of Iran on the Persian Gulf) is among the areas with high prevalence of MDR-MTB and attracts so many sailors and tourists, genetic diversity of MTB isolates circulating in this part of Iran was evaluated. Pattern of TB transmission was also examined. Methods and Material. A total of 38 isolates of MTB were cultured from TB patients from Hormozgan province of Iran and standard MIRU-VNTR typing and spoligotyping were applied to genotype these isolates. Drug susceptibility testing was performed using proportion method. Results. There were 28 VNTR profiles comprising 5 clusters and 23 unique isolates compared to 21 spoligotyping profiles, which contained 9 clusters and 12 unique isolates. Latin American-Mediterranean (n = 9, 23.6%) was found to be the most predominant lineage. MIRU-VNTR analysis, with an HGDI of 0.975, was more discriminating than spoligotyping, which had an HGDI of 0.955. The estimated proportion of TB cases due to recent transmission was 26.3% and 44.7% by MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping, respectively. The rates of monodrug resistance and MDR were 15.8% and 7.9%, respectively. Two of 3 MDR strains were found to be related to MIRU-VNTR and belonged to the same spoligotyping cluster characterized with T1/SIT53 genotype. Conclusions. The high genetic diversity among MTB isolates suggests that transmission occurred from different sources to this area. Reactivation of a priori, latent MTB infection was found to contribute mainly to TB cases in this geographic region.

Designing Computerized Provider Order Entry Software in Iran: The Nurses' and Physicians' Viewpoints.

This study aimed to identify the functional requirements of computerized provider order entry software and design this software in Iran. This study was conducted using review documentation, interview, and focus group discussions in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, as the medical pole in Iran, in 2013-2015. The study sample consisted of physicians (n = 12) and nurses (n = 2) in the largest hospital in the southern part of Iran and information technology experts (n = 5) in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Functional requirements of the computerized provider order entry system were examined in three phases. Finally, the functional requirements were distributed in four levels, and accordingly, the computerized provider order entry software was designed. The software had seven main dimensions: (1) data entry, (2) drug interaction management system, (3) warning system, (4) treatment services, (5) ability to write in software, (6) reporting from all sections of the software, and (7) technical capabilities of the software. The nurses and physicians emphasized quick access to the computerized provider order entry software, order prescription section, and applicability of the software. The software had some items that had not been mentioned in other studies. Ultimately, the software was designed by a company specializing in hospital information systems in Iran. This study was the first specific investigation of computerized provider order entry software design in Iran. Based on the results, it is suggested that this software be implemented in hospitals.

Impact of social and clinical factors on diagnostic delay of breast cancer: A Cross-sectional Study.

One of the reasons for high mortality of breast cancer is long delay in seeking medical care. This study was designed to measure the association of a wide range of socio-demographic and clinical factors with the diagnostic delay in breast cancer among Iranian patients.This study was conducted on 505 newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer from southern part of Iran. Medical files of the patients who were admitted to the hospital from November 2013 to May 2015 were examined and clinical and demographic information were extracted.According to the results, illiterate patients were diagnosed on average 87.42 days later compared with those with a college degree (95%CI: 29.68–145.16, P = 0.003) and those from rural area were diagnosed on average 72.48 days later (95%CI: 35.94–109.03, P = 0.001) compared with urban residences. Single women were diagnosed 65.99 days later (95%CI: 7.37–124.61, P = 0.02) compared with those married. Lobular or medullary types of cancer were diagnosed 65.19 days later (95%CI: 2.67–127.70, P = 0.04) compared with ductal type. On the other hand, those who were able to perform breast self-exam were diagnosed 49.07 days earlier compared with others (95%CI: 18.69–79.45, P = 0.002). Those felt lump as the initiating symptom were diagnosed 62.01 days earlier, (95%CI: 8.17–115.85, P = 0.02) compared with those with other initial symptoms. The only factor associated with doctors diagnosis delay was the place of residence as rural residences were diagnosed on average 87.42 days later compared with urban residences, (95%CI: 53.82–121.92, P = 0.001).Higher education, living in cities, ductal type of tumor, and noticing lump in breast were the most important demographic and clinical factors associated with shorter breast cancer diagnosis delay. Informing women and doctors, especially general physicians who are practicing in rural areas, of the common symptoms of breast cancer as well as training women to perform breast self-examination are effective measures in reducing breast cancer diagnosis delay. Providing accessible and effective diagnosis services to rural women reduces diagnosis delay in rural patients.

Barley Grain Yield and Protein Content Response to Deficit Irrigation and Sowing Dates in Semi-Arid Region

The present study was conducted to investigate the relational effects of various sowing dates and deficit irrigation on grain yield, protein and yield components of barley, in a semi-arid region (southern part of Iran) during growing seasons 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. A Split plot layout within a randomized complete block design with three replications was used. Main plots were selected as Irrigation treatments with varying water irrigation levels consisting of: (1) full irrigation, FI, (2) 0.75 FI, (3) 0.5 FI and (4) Dry land (rain-fed) during both growing seasons. Sub plots were the sowing dates consisted of: (1) 23th October (T1), (2) 6th and (3) 22th November (T2 and T3) and (4) 6th December (T4). The interaction of different irrigation levels and sowing dates had a significant impact (p<0.05) on grain yield, grain and straw protein, 1000-grain weight, plant height, biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), and crop evapotranspiration. Results revealed that the largest amount of protein was obtained in the latest sowing date (T4) at dry land treatment in two consecutive years. Full irrigation treatment showed the largestrate of dry matter accumulation (14.72 and 15.25 Mg.h-1 for the first and second years, respectively), while the smallest rate was seen in the rain fed treatment (4.22 and 7.43 Mg.h-1 for the first and second years, respectively). The largest yield was obtained with the 23th October (T1) sowing date in full irrigation treatments (FI). The largest water use efficiency was achieved with 0.5FI and the earliest sowing date (T1).

Landsat-8 imagery to estimate clarity in near-shore coastal waters: Feasibility study - Chabahar Bay, Iran

This study examined the advantages of incorporating the new band of Landsat-8 OLI imagery (band 1: Coastal/Aerosol, 435–451nm) to a model for estimation of Secchi disk depth (SDD) values (as an indicator for transparency) in near-shore coastal waters using multispectral bands. In doing so, Chabahar Bay in the southern part of Iran (north of Gulf of Oman) was selected as the study area. Two approximately four-hour in-situ observations (including 48 and 56 field measured SDD values for each date respectively) were performed in the study area using Secchi disk; this was designed to start about two hours before and end about two hours after the time of satellite overpasses. Thereafter, a model was formed for estimation of SDD values based on the terms including all possible linear and mutual ratio values of Coastal/Aerosol (B1), Blue (B2), Green (B3), and Red bands (B4). In the first step, the correlation between reflectance/ratio reflectance values of these bands and Ln(SDD) values were calculated to indicate higher correlated bands/band ratios with the first field measured SDD values. Consequently, 17 combinations of highest correlated bands/band ratios were selected to estimate SDD values. In this regard, 32 points among the 48 field observations were selected to determine unknown coefficients of models using a multiple linear regression, and the rest 16 points were designated for accuracy assessment the results. Eventually, the measured SDD values in second field observations were utilized for validating the results. Final results demonstrated that combination of linear terms including B1, B2 and B3 bands and band ratio terms including ratio reflectance values of B4/B3, B3/B1, and B2/B1 has led to obtain the highest accuracy (R2=0.866 and RMSE=0.919, SVM feature weight=4.294). This was in agreement with the results obtained from the second observations. Finally, by applying the entire 104 field observed SDD values, the model in form of SDD=0.077exp(1.209RB1−1.739RB2+0.412RB3−5.198RB3/RB1+10.408RB2/RB1) can be used to determine SDD values in near-shore coastal waters of Chabahar Bay using atmospherically corrected reflectance values of Landsat-8 OLI bands.

Projection of Temperature and Precipitation in Southern Iran Using ECHAM5 Simulations

This study applied a statistical approach to project temperature and precipitation condition in southern parts of Iran for the period 2016–2045. The applied methodology transformed the probability distribution of the observed historical series into the corresponding simulated time series of the ECHAM5 GCM model. Results showed that the mean annual temperature of the study area for the period 2016–2045 is greater than corresponding climatological mean by about 0.5–1.0 °C, if the emissions are within the range of the 20C3M scenario. These values, however, increased to about 2.0–2.4 °C when the high emission scenario of 1PTO2X was applied. We examined conformity between the trend lines of the historical temperature data and corresponding projected time series. The conformity was substantially improved when the outcomes of the 1PTO2X rather than 20C3M scenario were used. Under the 20C3M scenario, the mean values of the projected precipitation data were less than corresponding amounts of the historical time series by about 20%.

National and sub-national drinking water fluoride concentrations and prevalence of fluorosis and of decayed, missed, and filled teeth in Iran from 1990 to 2015: a systematic review.

Fluoride intake, fluorosis, and dental caries could affect quality of life and disease burden worldwide. As a part of the National and Sub-national Burden of Disease Study (NASBOD) in Iran, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate province-year-specific mean drinking water fluoride concentrations and prevalence of fluorosis and of decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT) in Iran from 1990 to December 2015. We did electronic searches of all English and Persian publications on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Iranian databases. Results revealed that the weighted mean drinking water fluoride concentration in Iran from 1990 to 2015 has been about 0.65 ± 0.38 mg/l. However, based on the WHO guideline value (1.50 mg/l) and the maximum permissible Iranian national fluoride standard (1.40 to 2.40 mg/l depending on the region's climate), there have been some regions in Iran with non-optimum fluoride concentrations in their drinking water (up to 7.0 mg/l). Overall, concentrations have been higher in southern parts of Iran and in some areas of Azerbaijan-e-Gharbi Province in the northwest and lower in the rest of the northwest and central parts of Iran. In addition, some hotspots have been found in Bushehr Province, southwest of Iran. The highest prevalence of dental flourosis has been reported in normal index while the lowest prevalence has been expressed in severe index. The lowest DMFT (about 0.1) was in Arsanjan City in Fars Province, and the highest (about 6.7) was for Najaf Abad City in Isfahan Province. Prevalence of fluorosis has been rather high in studied areas of Iran (e.g. 100 % in Maku City in Azarbaijan-e-Gharbi Province), and there was discrepancy for DMFT, but a lack of studies renders the results inconclusive. Further studies, health education and promotion plans, and evidence-based nutrition programs are recommended.

Shear Wave Splitting Analysis to Estimate Fracture Orientation and Frequency Dependent Anisotropy

Shear wave splitting is a well-known method for indication of orientation, radius, and length of fractures in subsurface layers. In this paper, a three component near offset VSP data acquired from a fractured sandstone reservoir in southern part of Iran was used to analyse shear wave splitting and frequency-dependent anisotropy assessment. Polarization angle obtained by performing rotation on radial and transverse components of VSP data was used to determine the direction of polarization of fast shear wave which corresponds to direction of fractures. It was shown that correct implementation of shear wave splitting analysis can be used for determination of fracture direction. During frequencydependent anisotropy analysis, it was found that the time delays in shearwaves decrease as the frequency increases. It was clearly demonstrated throughout this study that anisotropy may have an inverse relationship with frequency. The analysis presented in this paper complements the studied conducted by other researchers in this field of research.

AN EVALUATION OF BLUE WATER PREDICTION IN SOUTHERN PART OF IRAN USING THE SOIL AND WATER ASSESSMENT TOOL (SWAT)

Soil and water are the two major resources in the Earth s hydro biological and geological systems. The hydrology of arid areas has become a topic of interest recently for hydrologists as water shortage at these areas can affect the agriculture, irrigation, and industry as a whole. This has also prompted water resource planners to more thoroughly investigate water resource crisis at arid areas. In this respect, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a semi-distributed hydrological model, can be a subsidiary tool to be used in the prediction of surface runoff (blue water). This paper presents the application of SWAT on the Roodan watershed, which is located in the southern part of Iran and has 215 mm of annual precipitation. SWAT was engaged to know more about the daily flow and to evaluate the runoff volume. Three continuous scenarios were defined over the 21 years (19881992, 1993-2001, 2002-2008) for the land use map as it was found that continuous update of this layer were basically done during these periods. Results of sensitivity analysis showed that parameters related to transmission losses are most sensitive for this watershed. Furthermore, the SWAT had also visualized from the input data that the sub basins which have been designated for agricultural activities from 1988 to 2008 were at the southwest, center and northeast parts of Roodan watershed. Strength of modeling was evaluated by percentage of observations covered by the 95 Percentage prediction uncertainty (P-factor) and relative width of 95 % probability band (R-factor). The P and R factors in this study were recorded at, for calibration and validation periods, 50 % and 0.18 (calibration), and 50 % and 0.17 (validation) respectively. Nash-Sutcliffe and PBIAS obtained for calibration period were 0.75 and 1.5 %, and those for validation period were 0.64 and 21 %. However, results showed an underestimation trend for most peak flows during the modeling of daily stream flow. Nevertheless, the annual runoff volume for calibration and validation periods depicted a promising performance and thus validated the usage of SWAT as a subsidiary hydrological tool for water management projects attributed with stream flow and runoff volume.

Design, analysis and predicting hydrokinetic performance of a horizontal marine current axial turbine by consideration of turbine installation depth

In the last decade, there has been a growth of interest in tidal power as a renewable and clean source of energy. Southern part of Iran is a well placed in this regard, as the currents in this area are primarily tidal. Horizontal Axis Marine Current Turbine (HAMCT) is widely used as an extraction devise for tidal energy. In this paper, Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT) and CFD have been conducted on this devise. Based on installation depth of HAMCT, turbine is subjected to gravity wave induced loads. A numerical study was conducted to design, analysis and predict hydrokinetic performance of HAMCT with and without extreme gravity waves. The fluid model has been created with appropriate dimensions. In order to model the high amplitude of wave ocean wave, linear wave theory for gravity waves is used. Numerical results of steady and transient solution have been compared to available experimental data. The simulation results demonstrate that by increasing the installation depth of HAMCT from the free surface, shaft loads and power coefficient of the turbine experience oscillate respectively. The simulation results demonstrate that compared with turbine only rotating in constant inflow, pressure and velocity contours experience oscillation respectively.The results of this study can provide data to choose appropriate installation depth for HAMCT to obtain higher power coefficient and avoid undesirable phenomena e.g. fatigue and cavitation.

Tolerance of some wheat varieties to boron toxicity

Boron (B) toxicity is an important problem in low rainfall and highly alkaline soils of central and southern part of Iran. We evaluated B toxicity tolerance of 10 Iranian wheat varieties in a greenhouse experiment. Experimental design was factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 10 wheat varieties × six B levels (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg B kg−1 soil) in three replications. The results showed a great range of tolerance among wheat varieties. Arg was the most tolerant one and Chamran showed the least tolerance. It seems that different mechanisms involved in B toxicity tolerance, namely exclusion of B from root, redistribution of B within leaves and integration of these two mechanisms. Significant negative linear correlation observed between shoot B concentration and shoot dry weight (r = 0.85, p < 0.01) and positive linear correlation between shoot B concentration and shoot dry weight reduction percentage (r = 0.82, p < 0.01).

Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: A Review of Environmental Characteristics and Effects of Dez Dam Flushing Operation on Downstream

This study systematically examined environmental effects during and after Dez Dam Reservoir flushing operations. The study focused on potential upstream sources of pollution, sediment concentrations, water-quality parameters, and uses of water downstream of the dam, particularly emphasizing the presence of fish and macroinvertebrates as well as their habitats. The study was conducted from June 16–18, 2003 in the Dez Dam Reservoir, which is located in the southern part of Iran. The Dez Dam Reservoir is facing a serious sedimentation problem, and its dead volume will be quite full in the coming 10 years. Therefore, performing flushing operations through the three irrigation gates of the dam has received much more attention in recent years. The results of this study helped determine the hydraulic conditions that could decrease the negative environmental effects of the Dez Dam Reservoir flushing operations on downstream aquatic conditions.

Combinatory Mediterranean-Sudanese systems role in the occurrence of heavy rainfalls (case study: south west of Iran)

Sudanese systems are low-pressure thermal s ystems which originate from the Red Sea and their low-pressure isoheights are detectable around south of the Red Sea, Sudan and Ethiopia. These systems when combined with Mediterranean troughs in cold seasons, and absorbing more humidity from the Red Sea, reach the south west of Iran and result in heavy rainfalls in western, southwestern and southern parts of Iran. In all these synoptic–dynamic systems, low-pressure isobars or low isoheights are considerable. 11 severe torrents which happened in southwest of Iran (1998–2008) are selected and using Japanese ReAnalysis data (JRA25), anomalies of dynamic and thermodynamic indices 2 days prior to the start of heavy rainfalls and during rainy days have been analyzed. The selected indices in this research are relative vorticity, convergence and divergence, vorticity advection, specific humidity and moisture advection. Pressure levels of 500 and 700 were analyzed to detect the location of troughs, vorticity and vertical wind velocity. Also level of 1000 hPa was investigated to determine the atmospheric convergence in near surface levels. It should be mentioned that to determine the advection of moisture, vertical profile of moisture advection (1000–250 hPa levels) was analyzed. According to the results of this research and analyzing 6-hourly recorded rainfall amounts, it is understood that in the reference events, before the start of the torrent, geopotential height values in the under-studied region decrease and at the time of maximum rainfalls, the geopotential height reaches to its lowest values and by the end of the torrent, the values start increasing; whereas parameters related to convergence and vertical movements, such as relative vorticity, moisture advection, convergence of moisture and specific humidity amounts correspond to the same trend of rainfall from the beginning to the end.

اثر ضدمیکروبی فیلم زیست‌فعال زئین حاوی اسانس آویشن علیه Escherichia coli و listeriainnocua طی نگهداری سالاد الویه

Introduction: Antimicrobial packaging is a novel preservation technology that is designed base on releaseing of active agents incorporated with the packaging polymer into the packaged food or the surrounding environment for improveing the quality and food safety. Zein, water insoluble proteinof cornof corn, reported to be thermoplastic material with high tensile strength, excellent hydrophobic film, biodegradability.Zataria multiflora Boiss. (Z) is a thyme-like plant belonging to the Laminaceae family that geographically grows wild in central and southern parts of Iran. Antimicrobial activity of Z essential oil (ZEO) has been successfully tested against foodborne pathogens. Most of the studies on antimicrobial packaging mainly focused on the initial screening of newly developed films for ZEO in laboratory media and quantifying the bacterial reductions obtained during storage for different types of packaged food products. it is really important to know the variation in antibacterial activity of the agents when incorporated into the packaging film from its original activity in order to establish the levels that need to be incorporated for effective bacteria inhibition, hence The aims of the present study were to investigate the antimicrobial potential of ZEO incorporated zein film against pathogenic microorganisms inoculated in olivier saladto provide evidence of their applicability in the design of active food packaging systems. Materials and method: Z was collected in the Shiraz province of Iran and extected by using clevenger type apparatus. Chemical composition ZEO was analyzed by gas chromatography.Antibacterial activity of ZEO was studied in the liquid (direct contact) and solid media (vapour phase) against Listeriainnocua and Escherchia coli . Zein powder was dissolved in a hydro alcoholic solution to obtain 16% (w/w) films forming solutions. The solution was stirred for at 80 °C using a magnetic stirrer hotplate. Glycerol (15%) was added to the solution and stirred again for 8 min at 30°Cm, then ZEO was added to the polymer solutions in 5% and 10% with respect to polymer content and stirred for 8 min. Films were obtained by casting, the film forming solutions were extended over it using an extension bar and introduced in a drying tunnel equipped with a heat of 2500 W during 20 min. Control zein films were prepared without active agent. To evaluate the efficacy of developed zein films was tested against two bacteria. Prior to the experiment, a loop of each strain was transferred to 10 ml of TSB and incubated at 37 ˚C for 18 h to obtain early stationary phase cells and100 µl of microorganism were inoculated into tubes with 10 ml of TSB. The tubes were then incubated at 37 °C for 18 h and 4 °C for 5 days. As control, zein film without active agent was also used in every experiment. Antibacterial activity of zein films containing 10% ZEO were evaluaterd for packaing of olivier salad as a real food model for 6 days, by performing serial dilutions with peptone and subsequent plating in Palcam Listeria Selective Agar and Brilliant Green Agar for ListeriainnocuaandEscherchia colirespectively. Plates were incubated at 37 °C for 48 hours. Results and Discussion: GC–MS analysis showed thatthe major compound of ZEO was carvacrol (45.22%). The antimicrobial effects of ZEO in the vapor phase against Escherchia coliand Listeriainnocuaby using the disk diffusion methodshowed that the25 µg of ZEO produced a visible decrease in microbial density retraction zone (+). No inhibition was observed with the addition of lower amounts of the antimicrobial agents, therefore 25 µg was the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).Activezein films containing 5% ZEOweren’t able to inhibit the growth of the two bacteria in the vapour pase.. When the concentrations of ZEO was increased to 10%, only active films with a diameter of 80 mm (50.24 cm2)provided a retraction zone (+) against Listeriainnocuaand E. coli. These values were indicative that incorporation of the agent in the zein films produced weaker vapor phase inhibition than its incorporation in the paper disk.The results of this studied showedthat films with 5% ZEO caused a growth reduction of 1.17 log againstListeriainnocuaand 1.14 log against Escherchia coli, while 10% ZEO produced reductions of 2.16 and 2.64 log against Listeriainnocua, Escherchia colirespectively. There was no significantdifference betweenlog reduction values of ZEO incorporated in zein films against Listeria innocuaand Escherchia coli. And also in the liquid media with increasing the concentration of ZEO in zein films, the log reduction values were increased against both bactreia. Despite of the excellent antibactrerial effect of ZEO in zein films in direct contact, bio active zein films were not effective enough for reducing the contamination of packaged Olivier.