Solid waste management by considering composting potential in Malaysia toward a green country

Solid waste disposal has become a serious issue for country and municipal governments throughout the nation. As available landfill space decreases and the cost of siting and building new landfill increases, local authorities are struggling to develop alternative means of meeting the waste disposal challenge. Landfilling is the most widely used method for solid waste disposal in countries with tropical settlement. Landfills have created various environmental problems such as emissions and leachate. The public has become more aware concerning landfill issues such as increasing concern on the groundwater contamination, potential release of toxic gases and odor. A big part of these problems come from organic waste into the solid waste. Municipal solid waste in Malaysia has a large percent of food waste (around 50-60 percent) that makes a lot of problems in disposal methods. It has emerged as a potentially viable means by which local governments can reduce the volume of waste entering landfills by diverting the organic fraction. Composting is a biological process, in which the organic matter is biodegraded by microorganisms under controlled conditions of temperature, moisture content, oxygen, PH and the retention time that can be initiated by mixing biodegradable organic matter with bulking agents to enhance the porosity of the mixture. In this study, a composting plant in Malaysia is considered that uses organic waste from the market (market waste). Five tons organic waste per day is received in the plant, and it is treated by the wind raw composting method. After calculating costs and benefits of this method result shows that total quantitative benefit of this plant is not much higher than a total quantitative cost but this result is just for quantitative parameter. This method has a lot of qualitative benefits such as: reducing the amount of municipal solid waste, transportation cost of carrying municipal solid waste to land fill, emissions and leachate of landfill, increasing life span of landfill and reducing land use. Composting organic materials that have been diverted from landfills ultimately avoids the production of methane and leachate formulation in the landfills regarding to 50 percent of organic waste in municipal solid waste of Malaysia. With removing this amount of waste from MSW with using composting method, not only the environmental problems of land filling can be reduced but also the costs of transportation and other costs of disposal can be reduced by 50%. Because of one of the most important problems in tropical settlement is to find proper methods to dispose of municipal solid waste toward decreasing pollution, producing compost can be a suitable way but expanding of this treatment method in Malaysia closely related to economic governmental support

Optimization of Medium Components Using Artificial Neural Networks

Background: Achieving high cell density is an important goal in recombinant proteins production. Optimization of medium components to achieve high cell density and consequently high yield recombinant protein is a common practice in the biotechnology industry. We could not find an article that just examine the effects of salt on growht transformed BL21. On the other hand, salt is a critical component of medium that can be made up in a medium optimization.Methods: Here, we separately investigated effect of K2HPO4, MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4CL on maximum growth of bacteria BL21 after transforming BL21 with PET-32α that containing para thyroid hormones gene. Then, the salts were combined and added to the culture medium for optimization of their effects on high cell density using artificial neural network modelling (ANNs).Results: After ANN modeling, the obtained model showed that MgSO4 has dominant on high cell density other than salts if final concentration of MgSO4 is 25mg/ml. The best concentration each of salt be lower 30 mg/ml and critical total concentration of slats is 120 mg/ml that inhibitory effect was seen after a critical concentration.Conclusions: In current study, ANN modeling shows that in prediction of effects of salts (i.e. K2HPO4, MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4CL) on cell density to reach high cell density, is effective and efficient.

Optimization of Medium Components Using Artificial Neural Networks

Background: Achieving high cell density is an important goal in recombinant proteins production. Optimization of medium components to achieve high cell density and consequently high yield recombinant protein is a common practice in the biotechnology industry. We could not find an article that just examine the effects of salt on growht transformed BL21. On the other hand, salt is a critical component of medium that can be made up in a medium optimization.Methods: Here, we separately investigated effect of K2HPO4, MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4CL on maximum growth of bacteria BL21 after transforming BL21 with PET-32α that containing para thyroid hormones gene. Then, the salts were combined and added to the culture medium for optimization of their effects on high cell density using artificial neural network modelling (ANNs).Results: After ANN modeling, the obtained model showed that MgSO4 has dominant on high cell density other than salts if final concentration of MgSO4 is 25mg/ml. The best concentration each of salt be lower 30 mg/ml and critical total concentration of slats is 120 mg/ml that inhibitory effect was seen after a critical concentration.Conclusions: In current study, ANN modeling shows that in prediction of effects of salts (i.e. K2HPO4, MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4CL) on cell density to reach high cell density, is effective and efficient.

Fluid inclusion, zircon U-Pb geochronology, and O-S isotopic constraints on the origin and evolution of ore-forming fluids of the tashvir and varmazyar epithermal base metal deposits, NW Iran

Tashvir and Varmazyar deposits are part of the epithermal ore system in the Tarom–Hashtjin Metallogenic Belt (THMB), NW Iran. In both deposits, epithermal veins are hosted by Eocene volcanic-volcaniclastic rocks of the Karaj Formation and are spatially associated with late Eocene granitoid intrusions. The ore assemblages consist of pyrite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, galena, and sphalerite (Fe-poor), with lesser amounts of bornite and minor psilomelane and pyrolusite. Fluid inclusion measurements from the Tashvir and Varmazyar revealed 182–287 and 194–285°C formation temperatures and 2.7–7.9 and 2.6–6.4 wt.% NaCl equivalent salinities, respectively. The oxygen isotope data suggested that the mineralizing fluids originated dominantly from a magmatic fluid that mixed with meteoric waters. The sulfur isotope data indicated that the metal and sulfur sources were largely a mixture of magma and surrounding sedimentary rocks. LA-ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating of the granitoid intrusion at Tashvir and Varmazyar, yielded a weighted mean age of 38.34–38.31 and 40.85 Ma, respectively, indicating that epithermal mineralization developed between 40.85 and 38.31 Ma. Our data indicated that fluid mixing along with some fluid boiling were the main drives for hydrothermal alteration and mineralization at Tashvir and Varmazyar. All these characteristics suggested an intermediate-sulfidation epithermal style of mineralization. The THMB is proposed to be prospective for precious and base metal epithermal mineralization. Considering the extensional tectonic setting, and lack of advanced argillic lithocaps and hypersaline fluid inclusions, the THMB possibly has less potential for economically important porphyry mineralization

Effect of Ceratonia siliqua (Carob) syrup and vitamin E on sperm parameters, oxidative stress index and sex hormones in infertile men: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Spermatogenesis is a necessary process in fertility and reproductive capacity of humans. In view of the relative high prevalence of spermatogenesis disorders in men and the failure of treatments provided in conventional medicine, new therapeutic approaches are being considered. This study will be designed to investigate the effect of Ceratonia siliqua (Carob) syrup and vitamin E on sperm parameters, oxidative stress index and reproductive hormones in infertile men. Methods: This randomized controlled trial protocol will be set in Babol Uuniversity of Medical Sciences. The proposed sample size is 60 men with oligozoospermia and teratospermia with 30 men in the experimental group taking Carob syrup while 30 men in the comparison group receiving vitamin E. The primary outcome measure is the change in semen parameters and secondary outcome measures including change in endocrine parameters and stress oxidative markers. This research was registered in the website of Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials as IRCT20171209037794N1identification number Conclusion: If the beneficial effect of this herb can be confirmed, it will provide a cost-effective method for helping infertile men and provide evidence-based references for the treatment of male infertility in future

Vault RNAs (vtRNAs): Rediscovered non-coding RNAs with diverse physiological and pathological activities

The physicochemical characteristics of RNA admit non-coding RNAs to perform a different range of biological acts through various mechanisms and are involved in regulating a diversity of fundamental processes. Notably, some reports of pathological conditions have proved abnormal expression of many non-coding RNAs guides the ailment. Vault RNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs containing stem regions or loops with well-conserved sequence patterns that play a fundamental role in the function of vault particles through RNA-ligand, RNA–RNA, or RNA-protein interactions. Taken together, vault RNAs have been proposed to be involved in a variety of functions such as cell proliferation, nucleocytoplasmic transport, intracellular detoxification processes, multidrug resistance, apoptosis, and autophagy, and serve as microRNA precursors and signaling pathways. Despite decades of investigations devoted, the biological function of the vault particle or the vault RNAs is not yet completely cleared. In this review, the current scientific assertions of the vital vault RNAs functions were discussed

Environmental management regarding resource recovery in Malaysia

Waste disposal is a global problem contributing to the ongoing climate change due to large emissions of greenhouse gases. So, by using a waste material as a resource instead of land filling, the greenhouse gas emissions from landfills will be reduced. Also, Waste material can be used for waste incineration with energy recovery, thus decreasing the greenhouse gas emission from energy utilization by changing from fossil fuels to a partly renewable fuel. The production of Refuse Derived Fuels (RDF) involves the mechanical processing of household waste using screens, shredders and separators to recover recyclable materials and to produce a combustible product Regarding Resource Recovery Center/Waste to Energy (RRC/WtE) Facility in Malaysia that located in Semenyih. This System involves the removal of inert and compostable materials followed by pulverization to produce a feedstock which be incinerated in power stations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and forecasting of the number of these facilities that Kuala Lumpur will need regarding to potential of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation and Refuse Derive Fuel that will be produce from that in the future. This plant can produce average 7.5 MWh electricity from 700 tons MSW or 200 ton RDF per day that approximately is used 1.8 MWh per day inside the pant, and it can sell around 5.7 MWh daily. Kuala Lumpur will generate around 7713 tons MSW per day, and it is able to produce 2466 ton RDF per day. Regarding to potential of MSW and RDF generation by 2020 in Kuala Lumpur it will need around 11 plants to treatment of MSW that this number of plant are able to produce around 62.7 MWh electricity per da

Sexual dysfunction in men seeking infertility treatment: The prevalence and associations

Introduction: Infertility is a major stressor in life and can cause disturbances in both sexual and marital relationships. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the frequency of sexual dysfunctions among infertile couples, who referred to the infertility center in Babol, Iran, and the identification of the factors associated with these problems. Method: A cross-sectional study was performed on 236 partners of infertile couples. A standard questionnaire named international classification DSM-IV was used to assess the frequency and the type of sexual dysfunction. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and adjusted odds ratios with their 95% CIs. Results: According to the results, around 58% of men were found to suffer from sexual dysfunction. The most prevalent type of sexual dysfunction was premature ejaculation, (34.7%), orgasm disorder (28.0%), desire sexual disorder (9.2%), delayed ejaculation (8.5%), retrograde ejaculation (6.8%) and erection dysfunction (5.5%). The men with a history of primary infertility had 3.61 fold risk of sexual dysfunction compared to women who had secondary infertility. Male Infertility (odds ratio, 3.61 95% CI, 2.13-4.58) and idiopathic were (odds ratio, 3.43 1.23-4.85) factors significantly associated with sexual dysfunction. There was 4.92 fold risk of sexual dysfunction observed in men whose wives had sexual dysfunction as compared with those whose wives had no sexual dysfunction. Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction for male partners of infertile couples in a community in Babol, Iran. It would be beneficial to establish a sexual clinic in infertility centers for the professional staff to monitor infertile couples

Application of TOPSIS and VIKOR improved versions in a multi criteria decision analysis to develop an optimized municipal solid waste management model

Selecting a suitable Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method is a crucial stage to establish a Solid Waste Management (SWM) system. Main objective of the current study is to demonstrate and evaluate a proposed method using Multiple Criteria Decision Making methods (MCDM). An improved version of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) applied to obtain the best municipal solid waste management method by comparing and ranking the scenarios. Applying this method in order to rank treatment methods is introduced as one contribution of the study. Besides, Viekriterijumsko Kompromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) compromise solution method applied for sensitivity analyses. The proposed method can assist urban decision makers in prioritizing and selecting an optimized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment system. Besides, a logical and systematic scientific method was proposed to guide an appropriate decision-making.A modified TOPSIS methodology as a superior to existing methods for first time was applied for MSW problems. Applying this method in order to rank treatment methods is introduced as one contribution of the study. Next, 11 scenarios of MSW treatment methods are defined and compared environmentally and economically based on the waste management conditions. Results show that integrating a sanitary landfill (18.1%), RDF (3.1%), composting (2%), anaerobic digestion (40.4%), and recycling (36.4%) was an optimized model of integrated waste management. An applied decision-making structure provides the opportunity for optimum decision-making. Therefore, the mix of recycling and anaerobic digestion and a sanitary landfill with Electricity Production (EP) are the preferred options for MSW management