Phytoremediation of BTEX from indoor air by Hyrcanian plants

Background: Phytoremediation is one of the available and simple techniques for removing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from indoor air. This study aimed to evaluate phytoremediation of low concentrations of BTEX by Hyrcanian plants including Ruscus hyrcanus and Danae racemosa. Methods: The test chamber was used to evaluate the removal of BTEX. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were injected into the chamber using Gastight syringes (Hamilton) to generate the concentration of 10 (benzene), 20 (toluene), 20 (ethylbenzene), and 50 (xylene) μL/L Results: Ruscus hyrcanus was able to remove BTEX (10, 20, 20, and 50 μL/L) from air after 3 days. D. racemosa could uptake BTEX (10, 20, 20, and 50 μL/L) from air after 4 days. Removal efficiency was calculated based on leaf area and volume of the chamber. R. hyrcanus showed the highest removal efficiency ranged from 8.5075 mg/m3/h.cm2 for benzene to 86.66 mg/m3/h.cm2 for xylene. The increase in BTEX phytoremediation was assessed after repeated exposures. A significant phytoremediation efficiency was obtained after the third injection of BTEX to the chamber. Afterwards, the effects of BTEX on anatomical and morphological structure of plants were studied. The results of Photomicrography showed that tissue structures of leaves and stems changed. Study of D. racemosa and R. hyrcanus stems showed that vascular bundles also changed. The development of crystal in vacuole of spongy parenchyma was the main anatomical change of R. hyrcanus and D. racemose compared to the control samples. Conclusion: It can be concluded that R. hyrcanus and D. racemosa can be used for phytoremediation of indoor air pollution. Keywords: Volatile organic compounds, Air pollution, Indoor, Plant leaves, Sick building syndrom

Oszacowanie zagregowanego wskaźnika energochłonności w Iranie: badanie na temat analizy rozkładu wskaźników

The role of energy as a key factor in enhancing sustainable development, energy security, and economic competitiveness is a reason that has made energy efficiency trends tracking essential and is why policymakers and energy planners have focused on energy intensity and its following issues. Also, the inadequate operation of the traditional energy intensity index and the overestimation of its results turned this index into a weak one. Hence, it is necessary to employ a new index that can be decomposed and is capable of considering both monetary and physical activity indicators to offer a more accurate view of the energy intensity variation. This paper develops a Composite Energy Intensity Index by combining monetary and physical activity indicators by applying the multiplicative Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) in 2001–2011 to decompose the factors affecting energy intensity change and seeks to fill the gap between the EGR and CEI indices. The results of the survey demonstrate more economy-wide energy consumption reduction while using the composite energy intensity index as compared to the traditional energy intensity index; also, the results show the relatively important role of the overall structure effect. From Sectoral perspective results, both energy to GDP index (EGR) and composite energy intensity index (CEI) have shown passenger transport as the most energy-consuming sector. The passenger transport sector reveals an urgent need for implementing appropriate policies to reduce the high energy consumption of the sector.Energia jest kluczowym czynnikiem w procesie wzmacniania zrównoważonego rozwoju, bezpieczeństwa energetycznego i konkurencyjności gospodarczej i z tego powodu śledzenie trendów w zakresie efektywności energetycznej jest niezbędne. Dlatego też decydenci i planiści zajmujący się problemami energii poświęcają dużo uwagi energochłonności i związanym z nią kwestiom. Ale tradycyjny wskaźnik energochłonności nie stanowi właściwej miary i często prowadzi do przeszacowania wyników, co powoduje, że wskaźnik ten stał się mało przydatny. W związku z tym konieczne jest zastosowanie nowego wskaźnika, który można rozłożyć i który jest w stanie uwzględnić zarówno wskaźniki pieniężne, jak i wskaźniki aktywności fizycznej, aby zapewnić dokładniejszy obraz zmian energochłonności. W niniejszym artykule opracowano zagregowany wskaźnik energochłonności, który łączy wskaźniki pieniężne i wskaźniki aktywności fizycznej, stosując multiplikatywny logarytmiczny średni indeks Divisia (Logarytmic Mean Divisia Index – LMDI) w latach 2001–2011 w celu dekompozycji czynników wpływających na zmianę energochłonności i stara się wypełnić lukę między wskaźnikiem udziału energii w PKB (EGR) a złożonym wskaźnikiem energochłonności (CEI). Wyniki badania wskazują na większą redukcję zużycia energii w całej gospodarce przy zastosowaniu zagregowanego wskaźnika energochłonności w porównaniu z tradycyjnym wskaźnikiem energochłonności. Wyniki pokazują również relatywnie ważną rolę ogólnego efektu struktury. Z perspektywy sektorowej, zarówno wskaźnik energii do PKB (EGR), jak i złożony wskaźnik energochłonności (CEI) wykazały, że transport pasażerski jest sektorem najbardziej energochłonnym. Sektor transportu pasażerskiego ujawnia pilną potrzebę wdrożenia odpowiedniej polityki w celu zmniejszenia wysokiego zużycia energii w tym obszarze

Intracanal management of a post traumatic perforative invasive cervical root resorption using calcium enriched matrix cement

Invasive cervical root resorption (ICR) is a consequence of a resorptive soft-tissue penetrating into dentin that starts below the gingival attachment and tends to be asymptomatic unless dental pulp involvement. Prompt diagnosis is the key to retention of the involved tooth. Treatment procedure includes non-surgical elimination of the resorptive soft-tissues and restoration of the cavity. In case of pulp involvement, endodontic treatment is indicated. This is a report of a non-surgical intra canal treatment case in a maxillary central incisor, which involved the pulp and was successfully treated with calcium enriched mixture (CEM) cement. Based on favorable long-term treatment outcomes, CEM cement may be a promising biomaterial in treatment of ICR cases

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using marine sponge <i>Axinella sinoxia</i>

125-130Silver nanoparticles synthesis using dry and fresh marine sponge Axinella sinoxia. Experimental parameters such as time duration, pH, and temperature are studied. Optimizations for silver nanoparticles were carried out. The optimum syntheses of silver nanoparticles were achieved within 4 hours at pH 8.5, 70˚C and 1mM AgNO3. Characterizations of silver nanoparticles were applied based on UV-Vis spectrophotometry around 420 nm .The sizes of synthesized nanoparticles (23-38nm) were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) crystallography expounded the silver nanoparticles crystalline nature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) shows that the functional groups are hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide, amine, alkyl halide, and phenolic compounds of extract of Axinella sinoxia are entangled in the reduction of aqueous silver nanoparticles. This method of Ag-NPs synthesis does not use any toxic reagents and thus has potential for use in biomedical, pharmaceutical and agricultural application

Refractory seizures due to a dural-based cavernoma masquerading as a meningioma

A 37-year-old female presented with medically intractable complex partial seizures with secondary generalization. She was found to have a dural-based lesion with radiologic features of meningioma. A gross total resection was performed and pathology confirmed a diagnosis of cavernous angioma and she became seizure free after the surgical resection. Cavernous angioma should be considered in differential diagnosis of a dural-based lesion manifesting with refractory seizures