Waste Plastics to 3D Printer Filament: An Overview on Industrial Applications

Waste plastics have become a major threat to the environment and the inhabitants causing both land and water pollution. The incineration of waste plastics for energy generation results in air pollution that is more dangerous than disposing into landfills. Using 3D printing filament produced from recycled polymer materials (i.e., Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles) could turn the waste plastic into re-usable additive manufacturing feedstock. This decreases the negative impact of waste plastics on our environment. The current applications for using recycled plastics in the design and fabrication of parts in additive manufacturing are highly laudable. 3D printing recycled filament through a step of manufacturing processes which include sorting, shredding, grinding, blending, melting, extruding, and spooling. This work aims to conduct a full assessment of the waste plastics recycling process for the production of 3D printing filament used for polymer-based part fabrication. This paper documents the review of the recent available literature on the production of filaments used for 3D printers from recycled polymer materials as the alternative way to reduce the harmful effect of waste plastics in the environment. Various conducted research works have shown that the application of 3D printed filament produced from recycled polymer materials has been widely utilized in medical, automotive, architecture, aerospace, food packaging, and engineering applications

A Review on Factors Affecting Large Truck–Involved Crashes

Crashes involving large trucks have a significant association with increasing fatalities or serious injuries. Identifying the factors affecting large trucks crashes can be helpful in reducing the number of crashes and corresponded consequences. The purpose of this review was to appraise the published papers on factors affecting large truck-involved crashes. Data were compiled through searching Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science using keywords included “large truck and accident severity”, “large truck and accident”, “large truck and crash severity”, “large truck and crash”, “large truck and fatal accident”, “large truck and fatal crash”, “large truck and injury”, and “large truck and collide”. The accomplishment process had two steps: excluding unrelated studies and reviewing related ones to select papers meeting the inclusion criteria. According to data collected, 31 papers achieved the inclusion criteria. The results indicated that speed, driver age, location type, collision type, seat belt wearing, light condition, vehicle technical condition, time, road surface condition, and accident type were common factors in the included papers. From the perspective of our study, speed, location type, and light condition seem to be the most frequent factors in crashes involving large trucks. The present study helps to access the studies on factors affecting the large truck-involved crashes. Thereby, the experts can perform measures to decrease the probability and severity of traffic accidents

Assessment of Bioaerosol Contamination (bacteria and fungi) in Operating Rooms of The Largest Educational Hospital in Shiraz, Iran

There is a concern about exposure to bio-aerosols due to their harmful health effects. Bio-aerosols in surgery environment can potentially cause infection in susceptible and unsusceptible patients. The present study aimed to evaluate bacterial and fungal densities and species in surgery rooms in an educational hospital in Shiraz. A total of 168 sam¬ples were collected. Active sampling was done by using a single-stage Anderson sampler on plates including blood agar and sabouraud dextrose agar for 10 minutes for bacteria and fungi, respectively. The mean densities of fungi and bacteria were respectively 233.23±2.024 and 232.6±1.383 CFU/m3 before sterilization compared to 233.01±2.041 and 233.57±1.324 CFU/m3 after sterilization of the surgery rooms. No significant difference was observed between the densities of bacteria and fungi before and after sterilization in all surgery rooms (P>0.05). However, it was a significant difference between the total densities of bio-aerosols after sterilization compared to the suggested value. The density of bio-aerosols was greater than 30 CFU/m3 (

Evaluation of Water Quality of the Karun River in Ahvaz, Iran Based on Biological Indicators (Daphnia and Crustaceans)

Given the fact that the Karun River, as the most important source of water supply in Khuzestan province, has recently been affected by various pollutants such as sewage, monitoring its water quality is a necessity. This study aimed to determine the water quality of the Karun River based on biological indicators (Daphnia-crustaceans). In each season of the year, water samples were obtained from three stations at three different points along the river. After measuring the physical and chemical parameters, the samples were left to settle for 24 hours in the laboratory. Then 1 cc of the sediment was placed on the slide to study the diversity and frequency of crustaceans. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. In the present study, the frequency and variety of crustacean species isolated from the samples decreased from the initial station of the river to the final station. In addition, 27 species of Protozoa were isolated from three stations, of which Daphnia and Rotifer species with an average of 2.166 and 4.833 and standard deviation of 1.984 and 5.166, respectively had the highest frequency compared to other species. The results of the Pearson correlation showed that there is a direct and statistically significant relationship between dissolved oxygen (DO), Turbidity, Daphnia, and Rotifers. Based on the results of this study, it can be stated that the entry of effluents into river water causes a significant reduction in water quality, which in turn reduces the diversity and frequency of crustaceans living in the water. This is possibly due to an increase in sewage discharge from Ahvaz city to Karun river

Exploration of Myrtus communis Extract as a Novel Anti-Bacterial Agent in Uncovering Pathogenic Bacteria in Hospital Bioprocessing Units

The waste of biological treatment plants in hospitals includes many pathological microbes, the rollout of which leads to problems for both the environment and the general health of organisms This study seeks to use environmentally friendly methods to tackle microbial pollution from hospital biologic treatment facilities in Basrah Govenoraten, and to use Elias' (Myrtus communis) paper extract as an antibacterial agent. Disc diffusion method has been used to determine a different concentration efficiency of Elias plant leaf extract as an antibacterial agent. The study's findings revealed the efficacy of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of Myrtus communis at various concentrations (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/mL) in eradicating pathogenic bacteria isolated from these treatment facilities. The bacteria included Staphylococcus lentus and Staphylococcus xylosus, as well as Sphingomonas paucimobilis , Escherichia coli Klebsiella oxytoca and Serratia ficaria, all of which have Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial profiles. The diameter of the inhibition zones was used to measure the effectiveness of the extracts, which ranged from 5 to 11 mm. The efficacy of plant extracts against each type of bacteria was greatly influenced by the type of extract used. Inhibition zones in the water extract were observed to be between 5 and 11 mm, with a greater activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Conversely, the alcohol extract showed inhibition zones that were 5 to 9 mm wide, with greater efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the Myrtus communis plant extract is an environmentally friendly method for addressing microbial pollution that originates from hospitals

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Chemical Safety Among Technical Staff and Trainees Working in Medical Laboratory of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Safety of the laboratory workers has been the major concern as laboratory workers are being exposed to various health hazards in daily life. It is very essential for them to develop good knowledge and possess right attitude about chemical safety which will be reflected in correct practice of chemical safety in the laboratory. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of chemical safety among laboratory technicians and technician trainees in a tertiary care hospital, using a self- administered questionnaire. In this cross-sectional study conducted in Father Muller Medical College Hospital Laboratory, Mangalore, for a period of six months, eighty technical staff, medical laboratory technology interns (BSc MLT) and medical laboratory technology postgraduates (MSc MLT) were the participants. Knowledge, attitude and practice were assessed by a questionnaire on chemical safety. The obtained results were tabulated, and the percentage of responses under each criteria of the questionnaire were analyzed. Technical staff had better knowledge of chemical safety (50% of the staff scoring > 90%) than BSc MLT interns (21.4% scoring >90%) and Postgraduates (41.7% scoring >90%). The attitude of the participants was found to be good with the variant degree of their response. Majority of the participants had good attitude towards the chemical safety, with average of 67.1% of the participants possessing strong attitude (strongly agreeing for safe practices) towards chemical safety and 32.9% possessing good attitude (agreeing for safe practices). Assessment of safety practice using a questionnaire revealed overall very good compliance (saying yes for the safety practice of working) with regard to chemical safety practice and much better practice among technicians (Average of 91% saying yes) than the interns (average of 71.2% saying yes) and postgraduate students (66.7% saying yes). Periodic training, assessment and retraining are essential in the process of continual quality improvement regarding chemical safety

Knowledge and Perception of Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus, 2017

Individuals with diabetes are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to those without diabetes and when they do, it tends to be more extensive. This study investigated the knowledge and perception of cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (DM). This cross-sectional survey involved 125 patients with type II diabetic Mellitus aged 34-85 years. The heart disease fact questionnaire (HDFQ) and the Perception of Risk of Heart Disease Scale (PRHDS) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. The mean score of the knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk factors among the participants was 11.68±6.71 and 57.47±8.37 respectively. There was a significant difference in the knowledge (p=0.011) and perception (p=0.009) of risk factors of cardiovascular disease between male and female participants. This study shows a fair knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk factors among patients with type II DM and there was a distinction in the perception and knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors between male and female participants

Provide a Model for Improving Work Safety Value Using Fuzzy Performance Indicators: A Case Study of Small Scale Power Plant

Today, occupational accidents, like one of the substantial agents in the damage of efficient human resources, money and time, are considered a menace to the extension and improvement of each state. These accidents have a massive stroke on the productivity of the laborer of different industries and eventually in the economy of society. The purpose of this study is to provide a model to improve safety value, according to productivity indicators in manufacturing industries. In most studies, the cost of each damage has often been used for the calculation of the safety-related costs in the workplace, and this important issue is still neglected despite the high impact of job productivity loss due to occupational accidents. hence, on the present etude, the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method has been used to present a model to improve the safety value according to the proposed solutions. The results showed that among the studied criteria, capital productivity had the most impact and holding classes and training courses for the workforce, according to the studied criteria was identified as the most appropriate solution to improve the value of safet

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Pain among Construction Industry Workers in a Low-Income Country

Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is one of the major causes of disability around the world. We ought to determine the prevalence and risk factors of MSP among construction workers in Karachi, Pakistan. We carried out a cross-sectional study among 321 construction workers from five registered construction companies in Karachi, Pakistan. We administered an Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) to determine the frequency of MSP and inquired about socio-demographic characteristics, occupational and ergonomic risk factors, knowledge and practices regarding MSP. Age-adjusted logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors that were associated with MSP. The mean age of participants was 29.6 (±10.6) years. Low back pain was the most common (27.8%) complaint. The MSP risk was higher in the poorest strata [OR= 1.85, 95% CI:1.10-3.12], and those exposed to vibrations [OR=1.63, 95%CI: 1.05-2.54] during their work activities. Moreover, the unmarried [OR= 0.56, 95%CI: 0.35-0.91] and the workers of Punjabi ethnicity [OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.27-0.76] were at a lower risk of MSP compared to married men and Sindhi workers. Of the 319 workers, the majority [202 (62.9%)] had low knowledge about occupational hazards, and [194 (60.4%)] health hazards, [131(40.8%)] MSP prevention strategies. More than one third [124(38.6)] workers, were not using personal protective equipment (PPEs) during work. The construction workers in Pakistan suffer from a very high prevalence of MSP. The study reports MSP from five major registered construction companies in Pakistan. The young group of workers reported difficulty working due to MSP. There is a dire need to design contextualized occupational health and safety policies and interventions with a focus on workers at higher risk of MSP

Mother’s Behavior Regarding Preparation of Healthy Breakfast and Snacks for Children: A School-based Intervention Research

Healthy breakfast and snacks play an important role in students’ physical and mental health and education is one of the most effective strategies for improving the nutritional status of children. The aim of this study was to survey the effect of school-based educational intervention on mothers’ behavior with respect to healthy breakfast and snacks for children. In this experimental study, random sampling was conducted and 120 students were selected and divided into two experimental and control groups and their mothers were invited to participate in the study. Samples were examined in two stages through pre-test, and a delayed post-test with a questionnaire that consists of demographic information questions related to knowledge, attitude, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and behavior. Training, lectures and group discussion methods and question and answer with educational aids such as pamphlets were used. Data were analyzed by using SPSS16 and paired t-test, t-test and chi-square analyses were employed. The mean scores of knowledge (6.20±88.30), attitude (1.65±25.95) and perceived benefits (0.29 ±17.95), perceived barriers (2.71±34.70), and behavior of mothers (8.38± 115) in the experimental group significantly increased after intervention (