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Abstract:
Aim: With global warming and limited water resources in the world, especially in arid lands of Iran, managing the production of forest seedlings in the country's nurseries is facing a special challenge. In this regard, the study of drought tolerant plants to select them in the mass seedling production programs can be useful.
Material and methods: Potted seedlings of Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.), pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.), Judas-tree (Cercis siliquastrum L.) and black poplar (Populus nigra L.) exposed to a normal irrigation scheme (100% field capacity) and drought-stressed (30% field capacity) conditions were examined over a period of 120 days in a greenhouse of Bam Khorramabad Nursery to judge their tolerance for drought stress.
Findings: Drought-tressed seedlings from all species had a lower content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids compared to the control plots, but the content of proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) did, however, increase. Under stress conditions, MDA content in black poplar, Judas-tree, Persian oak and pistachio was 174, 121, 105 and 102% higher than the control seedlings, respectively, and this increase in black poplar over other species ranged from 93.5 to 176.5%.
Conclusion: This study confirms that among four tree species, black poplar has lowest tolerance to drought stress. Thus, Persian oak, pistachio and Judas-tree, should be prioritized in the mass seedling production programs of nurseries in arid areas suffering from limited water resources, due to their higher tolerance to water scarcity.

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Nanotechnology mainly shows its inhibitory effect on the tumor microenvironment by modulating the immune suppression mechanism. Success in this field largely depends on the physicochemical characterization of nanoparticle vaccines. The goal of this study was to produce anti PD-L1 monoclonal antibody decorated nanoparticles containing linrodostat mesylate with desirable properties and to investigate their physicochemical characterization .
Nanoparticles were prepared using double emulsion-solvent_evaporation method. Size and morphology of the particles were investigated using the FESEM microscope method and polydispersity index and zeta potential of the particles using the DLS method, as well as release rate and encapsulation efficiency.
The research results showed that nanoparticles had a suitable uniform dispersion. In the group of nanoparticles containing linrodostat mesylate, the polydispersity index of particles was 0.06 and after the binding of anti-PDL1 monoclonal antibody was 0.24. All particles were spherical with a smooth surface. The ideal particle size for nanoparticles containing linrodostat mesylate was estimated to be 210.14 nm, and it was estimated to be about 270.35 nm after binding anti-PDL1 monoclonal antibody to nanoparticles. Binding of anti-PDL1 monoclonal antibody decreased the amount of encapsulated linrodostat mesylate. The release of linrodostat mesylate was biphasic, it has an initial phase with a steep slope and the next phase is a slow and controlled release.
The results showed that the vaccine based on nanoparticles produced by the double emulsion-solvent-evaporation method containing linrodostat mesylate and decorated with anti-PDL-1 monoclonal antibody has very suitable physicochemical characterization to be used as an immunotherapy vaccine.

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Recent trends in food consumption and lifestyle show an increased demand for foods that are not only tasty and nutritious, but also provide additional benefits related to health, i.e. functional foods. One example of functional food is probiotic fermented milk produced with lactic acid bacteria. This has been shown to be beneficial to human gut health. The present study aimed to study the viability of Lactobacillus Casei subsp. casei R-68 (LCR-68) and Lactobacillus Casei strain Shirota (LCS) during fermentation and cold storage, as well as the quality of fermented milk produced from both strains. The research was conducted using a Completely Random Design. The data obtained was analyzed using ANOVA and DNMRT. The t-test was used to compare the growth and viability of LCR-68 and LCS. Fermentation time significantly affected the pH value, total lactic acid, total LAB and protein content, but did not significantly affect the fat and ash content of the fermented milk product. The best probiotic fermented milk in terms of viability and quality was produced via fermentation for 15 hours using strain LCR-68 as a starter. LCR-68 and LCS cultured in skimmed milk showed slightly different growth patterns. However, both strains showed similar viability. The total LAB after cold storage for a month was 6.64 and 6.68 log CFU mL^-1 in the LCR-68 and LCS fermented milk, respectively. According to the results, LCR-68 can be used as a starter for making probiotic fermented milk.