Design, simulation and feasibility of the innovative agricultural warehouse receipt system through dynamic programming and agent-based models.

To address marketing challenges in the agricultural sector, provide financial support for small-scale farmers over marketing seasons, manage price risks of agricultural products, and enhance the functioning of agricultural mercantile exchanges, it is attainable to implement an efficient and compliant warehouse receipt system (WRS) that aligns with the legal, institutional, social, and economic-financial conditions of a country. The aim of this study is to design, simulate, and assess the feasibility of an innovative WRS in the agricultural sector. To achieve this, a WRS was designed and evaluated for maize crop in Iran. The research methodology of this study is divided into three main parts: design, simulation, and feasibility assessment of the WRS. The design process incorporated the FAO-provided (2009) warehouse receipt system development, considering the experiences of various countries and the institutional and financial regulations specific to Iran. Additionally, a dynamic programming model was used to simulate the system, and an agent-based model was utilized for system feasibility assessment. The study results demonstrated that it is possible to design an innovative and efficient WRS by involving five key actors, including farmers, buyers (maize traders), banks, mercantile exchange market, and the warehouse (governmental institution), and establishing clear communications among them. Based on simulation results using dynamic programming model, it was evident that four parameters, namely the annualized loan interest rate, the valuation coefficient for loan collateral, price volatility of the product over the marketing season, and the warehouse cost-to-product value ratio, significantly impact the adoption of the WRS by farmers. In conclusion, the findings from the agent-based model revealed that setting the annualized loan interest rate at 8%, a collateral valuation coefficient of 85%, price fluctuations over the non-harvest time at 60%, and a warehouse cost-to-product value ratio of 2% can result in the participation of nearly 100% of farmers in the proposed WRS.

Identifying and validating the components for the development of an information system for health grey literature in Iran: A mixed method approach.

BACKGROUND: Considering the importance and necessity of establishing a nationwide information system for health grey literature in Iran, this study aimed to identify the main dimensions and components needed for developing a health grey literature information system in Iran and validate them according to experts' opinions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mixed-method approach with an exploratory sequential design was used in this study. The research was done in following main steps: (1) conducting a systematic literature review to identify the potential components of the health grey literature information system suggested in the literature, (2) Interviewing 19 experts to explore further components required for designing the health grey literature system for Iran and doing a thematic analysis for analyzing the interviews, and (3) validating the identified components by a Delphi panel in two rounds for finalizing the initially-approved dimensions and components. Descriptive statistical analysis was also used for analyzing the Delphi panel's data. RESULTS: Eight dimensions were identified as necessary for developing Iran's health grey literature information system (including 31 components and 111 elements). The main dimensions included goals, data sources, minimum data set, data collection techniques, data content management procedures, quality control approaches, stakeholders, and management and policy-making. CONCLUSION: Using the identified and validated functional components in this study can be helpful In designing a health grey literature system that is of value for health policymakers and medical researchers as well as health information users.

Evaluation of water-energy-food-environment-agricultural economic growth nexus integrated approach to achieve sustainable production.

Today, growing the production of the agricultural sector in order to meet the increasing demand of food is happening through excessive consumption of water resources, energy, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the present study aims to design a new approach for sustainable management of resources and realization of clean production in the agricultural sector. In order to design the new approach of the present study, the integration of two concepts of water-energy-food (WEF) nexus and decoupling pollution-agricultural growth (DEC) was used. The proposed approach is modeled through the multi-objective programming model by optimizing the WEF and DEC indices, which is the first research effort in this field. In this regard, the performance of this approach was evaluated in Jiroft County in Kerman province, Iran. The results of the study showed that the consumption of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the optimal pattern with the simultaneous provision of WEF and gross margin (GM) goals (optimal 1) is about 110 kg and 0.19 l per hectare, respectively, more than the proposed pattern (optimal 3). On the other hand, the consumption of water and energy resources in the optimal pattern with the simultaneous provision of DEC and GM goals (optimal 2) is about 8785 cubic meters and 1108 MJ per hectare more than the proposed pattern (optimal 3), respectively. Therefore, this approach, due to the simultaneous integration of two concepts of sustainable development in the agricultural sector, can overcome the weakness of the WEF nexus in not paying attention to the issues of environmental pollution affected by the use of chemical inputs and the weakness of separating pollution-agricultural growth in not paying attention to the management of water and energy resources in the agricultural sector.

Assessing the protection mechanisms against Enterobacter aerogenes by analyzing aggregation, adherence, antagonistic activity, and safety properties of potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus brevis G145.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus brevis G145 isolated from traditional Khiki cheese, analyzing pH and bile resistance, physicochemical properties of the strain (hydrophobicity, auto- and co-aggregation), cholesterol removal, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, adhesion ability to Caco-2 cells monolayer, and adhesion competition on Enterobacter aerogenes (competition, inhibition and replacement assays). Also, DNase, haemolytic activity, biogenic amine production and antibiotic susceptibility was investigated. L. brevis G145 was resistant to acidic pHs, bile salts, and simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and showed remarkable cell surface hydrophobicity (49.56%), co-aggregation (28.90%), auto-aggregation (34.10%), adhesion (9.40%), cholesterol removal (45.50%), and antioxidant (52.19%) properties. According to the results of well diffusion agar and disc diffusion agar tests, the highest and lowest inhibition zones were accounted for Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter aerogenes, respectively. The isolate did not show haemolytic, DNAse, and biogenic amine production properties. It was sensitive to antibiotics erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and chloramphenicol, and semi-sensitive to imipenem, ampicillin, nalidixic acid, and nitrofurantoin. According to the findings of probiotic tests L. brevis G145 can be used as a in the food industry.

An investigation of the relationship among economic growth, agricultural expansion and chemical pollution in Iran through decoupling index analysis.

Due to the significant role of agricultural chemicals in increasing agricultural production and ensuring food security, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has been intensified in Iran. These chemical inputs are important environmental pollutants that threaten human health. In the recent years, in agricultural sector, the balance between the growth of agricultural economy and the spread of pollution in Iran has been one of the major challenges. In this regard, the use of decoupling index to decouple the link between agricultural production and pollution caused by the consumption of chemical inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, has been emphasized; Therefore, in the present study, the decoupling index first is calculated in relation to the emission of pollution caused by the use of chemical inputs in the process of agricultural production during the period of 1991-2016 in Iran. Then, by reviewing the existing literature systematically, the factors affecting the decoupling index in the agricultural sector of Iran are evaluated using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The results showed that in the recent years, pollution indicators in relation to chemical inputs have not had ideal trends, and despite the further growth of agricultural production, the quality of the environment has experienced a declining trend. The results of the decoupling index related to the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in Iran show that during a period of 26-year, only 5 and 4 years of using these inputs have had a sustainable state compared to the production growth; besides, a strong negative decoupling state occurred as the most unsustainable state in relation to chemical fertilizer for 7 years. Moreover, among the factors affecting the decoupling index, the value-added variable of the agricultural sector has had the most positive effect on this index, and thus, in the long run, it increases the level of pollution in the agricultural sector. The variables of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and the area under cereal cultivation in the agricultural sector would also increase the decoupling index. Accordingly, adopting effective strategies to improve resource efficiency, planning for the implementation of biotechnological methods, and doing investment for creating green infrastructure in the agricultural sector can be effective in the ideal decoupling of pollution and agricultural economy growth in Iran.

Barriers and facilitators of implementing an information system for health grey literature in Iran: Experts' views and perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of health grey literature, there is not a comprehensive information system for managing these valuable resources in Iran. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at identifying the barriers to and facilitators of implementing a comprehensive national information system for health grey literature. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This study applied the qualitative research method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 19 experts in related fields. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data in MAXQDA. The data were codified and revised constantly and classified in some selected main and sub-categories based on their relative similarities and differences. RESULTS: Data analysis identified some barriers to the implementation of an information system for health grey literature in Iran, including two main categories (and some sub-categories): managerial issues (performance related issues, coordination issues, monitoring and supervision issues and attitudinal issues) and issues on data integration (data collecting issues, data recording issues, quality control issues, and issues on data organization, dissemination and use). CONCLUSION: Designing a national system for health grey literature in Iran needs a powerful authority, removing possible intersectional conflicts, a selection committee, written policies and strict quality control criteria, and protocols for storage, access, retrieval and metadata evaluation.

Decoupling pollution-agricultural growth and predicting climate change impacts on decoupling index using Bayesian network in different climatic regions.

Applying the principles of healthy products through agriculture practices has become an important issue due to significant environmental impacts of agrochemicals application. The agrochemicals have been recognized as an essential component of modern agriculture, but they are also an important source of environmental pollution that threatens the human's health and are main sources of carbon emissions. Pesticides and fertilizers application are important in the process of Iran's food production. In Iran, intensifying the agricultural production has led to overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This work is the first effort to quantify and compare the decoupling index pollution from agricultural sector using Tapio decoupling indicator and predict climate change impacts on this index by using Bayesian network across the whole country of Iran. For this purpose, required annual data of predictor variables for the period of 2008 to 2018 was used to calculate the decoupling index. For projecting climate change impacts on this index by using Bayesian network, monthly mean values of climatic variables were used. While Iranian farmers are criticized for pesticide overuse, these study findings showed that during the period of 2008-2018, decoupling index for pesticides (agricultural pollution by using pesticide) and decoupling index for fertilizer (agricultural pollution by using fertilizer) in the selected provinces fluctuate between RD-SD, SD-SD, SD-SD, and RD-SD. Therefore, the decoupling states show that in most study years, there is a strong decoupling of agricultural growth in selected provinces. This means that in the selected provinces, pollutant emissions of chemical fertilizer and pesticides use for agricultural productions have decreased and it has been well controlled. Therefore, by expansion of agricultural sector, the situation of agricultural pollution in these provinces in most years has not been intensified. Control of agricultural pollution in these provinces has shown a positive and significant impact on public health. In selected provinces, the cleaner agricultural products and application of organic fertilizers have been increased. This study results also showed that the climate change will accelerate increment of pests population and thus pesticides application in different climatic regions.

Disciplinary-based information literacy skills among medical students.

INTRODUCTION: Disciplinary-based information literacy (DIL) or professional-related information literacy has not been widely studied in the academic context, including medical sciences. This study aimed at investigating the status of DIL among medical students in an Iranian medical university. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey. A random sample consisting of 298 students majoring in general medicine at Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran, in the academic year of 2018-2019 completed a valid and reliable 20-item questionnaire on DIL. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. RESULTS: Participants' DIL was less than expected, especially in the skills related to professional information access and evaluation. The majority of them had low DIL level. However, medical students in their last 2 years of study had significantly high scores in DIL than those in their first 2 years of study. CONCLUSION: Information literacy has not been seriously considered in health-related higher education in Iran. It is needed to consider DIL in the medical curriculum for training students to be proficient specialists in medical practice.

Does Bromelain-Cisplatin Combination Afford In-Vitro Synergistic Anticancer Effects on Human Prostatic Carcinoma Cell Line, PC3?

BACKGROUND: Bromelain enhances anticancer impacts to chemotherapeutic agents. The question as to whether bromelain does promote in-vitro cytotoxic and proapoptotic effects of cisplatin on human prostatic carcinoma PC3 cell line was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PC3 (human prostatic carcinoma) cells were treated either single or in combination with bromelain and/or cisplatin. MTT, clonogenic assay, flow cytometry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate cell viability, colony formation, proapoptotic potential and p53 gene expression, respectively. RESULTS: Cisplatin (IC10) combined with bromelain (IC40) significantly affected PC3 cell viability, inhibited colony formation, as well increased p53 proapoptotic gene expression compared to cisplatin single treatment. Nevertheless, bromelain-cisplatin chemoherbal combination did not display any additive proapoptotic effect compared to single treatments. CONCLUSION: Bromelain-cisplatin chemoherbal combination demonstrated synergistic in-vitro anticancer effect on human prostatic carcinoma cell line, PC3, that drastically reduced required cisplatin dose.

Prediction of internet addiction based on information literacy among students of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: A considerable group of internet users consists of university users; however, despite internet benefits and capabilities, internet overuse is a threat to societies especially to young people and students. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the predictive role of information literacy in internet addiction among students of Iran University of Medical Sciences during 2016. METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Using stratified random sampling method, 365 students from different disciplines were selected. Measuring tools included the Information Literacy Questionnaire, the Yang Online Drug Addiction Scale and the General Health Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation, independent samples t-test and multiple linear regression using SPSS version 22. RESULTS: According to this study, 31.2% of students had internet addiction (29.9% were mildly addicted and 1.3% had severe addiction). There was a significant and inverse relationship between higher information literacy and internet addiction (R= -0.45) and (p<0.001). The predictor variable "Information literacy" explained 20% of the variation in the outcome variable "Internet addiction". CONCLUSION: Students play a substantial role in promoting the cultural and scientific level of knowledge in society; the higher their information literacy, the lower the level of Internet addiction, and consequently the general health of society will improve. It seems that wise planning by authorities of Iran's universities to prevent internet addiction and to increase information literacy among students is needed.