Radium Isotopes Levels in Drinking-Water Samples

Water is one of the most necessary substances on earth. In order to survive, all plants, animals and humans must drink water, and there is no life on earth if there is no water. Hence, water should be uncontaminated with any type of carcinogenic materials such as heavy metals, radioactivity or other pollutants and must be clear. In this work, drinking-water samples were examined and analyzed for radionuclide levels using NaI gamma spectrometer, as well as, estimated annual effective dose (AED) has been calculated. The values of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K levels range from (0.12-0.35)Bq.L-1, (0.09-0.16)Bq.L-1 and (31.66-49.25)Bq.L-1, with mean values 0.29, 0.12 and 43.39 Bq.L-1, respectively. The total estimated annual effective dose gained from the combined ingestion of radium isotopes is found to start from 0.07 mSv.y-1 to 0.14 mSv.y-1 with an average value of 0.12 mSv.y-1. Therefore, the total (AED) for all samples is below the world standard value of 1mSv.y-1. Hence, drinking water is considered safe from the radiological point view and does not cause any significant health hazard for Baghdadi inhabitants

Feature extraction of human sleep EEG signals using Wavelet Transform and Fourier Transform

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a complex signal resulting from postsynaptic potentials of cortical pyramidal cells and an important brain state indicator with specific state dependent features. Modern brain research is intimately linked to the feasibility to record the EEG and to its quantitative analysis. EEG spectral analysis is an important method to investigate the hidden properties and hence the brain activities. Spectral analysis of sleep EEG signal provides acute insight into the features of different stages of sleep which can be utilized to differentiate between normal and pathological conditions. This paper describes the process of extracting features of human sleep EEG signals through the use of multi resolution Discrete Wavelet Transform and Fast Fourier Transform. Discrete Wavelet Transform offers representations of the signals in the time-frequency plane giving information regarding the time localization of the spectral components at different stages of sleep in human beings and Fast Fourier Transform provides the spectral information. This paper also discusses the clinical correlation associated with sleep EEG signals in brief

Selective amplification of bacterial 16S rDNA sequence from clinical samples

Background: Conventional blood culture method is time consuming and less sensitive; when fastidious or un-culturalable organisms are involved. The use of PCR targeting the 16S rRNA allows detection of bacteria; however, these primers have ability to co-amplify human DNA. This Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method is based on nucleic acid amplification test. Objective of the study: This study determined a method for selective amplification of bacterial DNA from clinical samples without co-amplification of human DNA. Materials and methods: Seventy one blood samples from clinically suspected cases of early onset neonatal sepsis were collected and analysed in parallel by culture and 16S rRNA amplification. DNA was extracted using commercial extraction QiAmp mini DNA kit and subjected to 16S rRNA amplification. The products were sequenced, analysed and compared with blood culture results. Positive and negative controls were used for extraction and amplification respectively. Results: Out of 71 samples analysed, 5 (7.0%) samples by blood culture were equally positive for 16S rRNA PCR; the PCR was also able to identified 16 (22.5%) more positive samples which blood culture could not identify, but only 1 (1.4%) sample was identified positive using blood culture while PCR identified it as negative. During the study, 7 (9.9%) samples were identified positive by conventional blood culture but later found to be contaminants. Conclusion: This study confirmed the presence of 16S rRNA among bacterial isolates and modification of PCR protocol with shorter denaturation temperature and time, leading to selective amplification of bacterial DNA. Therefore, there is need to carry-out this investigation on both culturable and unculturable specimens. Keywords:16SrRNA amplification; bacterial DNA; human DNA and Polymerase chai

Radon Level Measurements in Soil and Sediments at Oil Field Area and Its Impact on the Environment

Radon concentration, radium content, uranium concentration and rates of radon exhalation as a function of mass and area in 10 soil and 5 water sediment samples collected from one of the oil fields in Basrah governorate southern Iraq using CR-39 SSNTD were measured. Obtained results of radon concentrations range from 434.67 Bq.m-3 to 1947.99 Bq.m-3 with mean value of 985.26 Bq.m-3 and from 61.18 Bq.m-3 to of 2237.77 Bq.m-3 with mean value of 1215.16 Bq.m-3 in sediment and soil samples, respectively. The values of radium content for sediment and soil samples extended from 1.96 Bq.kg-1 to 9.75 Bq.kg-1, with an average value of 4.45 Bq.kg-1 and from 0.28 Bqkg-1 to 10.11 Bq.kg-1 with mean value of 5.49 Bqkg-1, respectively. Uranium concentration in ppm was calculated and its values were found to range from 0.36 to 13.07 ppm, which are comparable with different places around the world. The mass and surface radon exhalation rates vary from 0.079 Bqkg-1h-1 to 2.88 Bqkg-1h-1 with a mean value of 1.41 Bqkg-1h-1, and from 1.37 Bqm-2h-1 to 49.98 Bqm-2h-1 with a mean value of 24.47 Bqm-2h-1, respectively. Radium content is observed to be positively correlated with uranium concentration and with rates of radon exhalation in the study area, respectively

Incidence of self-reported interpersonal violence related physical injury in Iran

Background: Violence is the cause of death for 1.5 million people in a year. Objectives: Our study aimed to estimate the incidence rate of self-reported interpersonal violence related physical injury (VRPI) and its associated factors in Iran. Patients and Methods: The sample included people ranged from 15 to 64 years old who were residing in Iran. A total of 1525 clusters were selected from the whole country. Six families were selected from each cluster via a systematic random sampling method. Then, the residential units were identified and the interviewers contacted the inhabitants. In the next step, one of the family members was selected by using Kish grid method. The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire and consisted of two sections; demographics and project related data. Face validity and content validity of our questionnaire were investigated based on expert opinions and the reliability was confirmed by a pilot study, as well. The inclusion criteria were considered for choosing the interviewers. An interviewer was assigned for each 42 participants (7 clusters). An educational seminar was held for the administrative managers (54 persons) and interviewers (230 persons) for a week. The field work was distributed among all 46 Medical Sciences universities in Iran. In each university, administrative issues were related to an executive director. Mann-Whitney U test and odds ratio were used to analyze the data with 95 confidence interval. α value was considered less than 5. Results: The frequency of VRPI among 7886 participants was 24 during the last three months. The incidence rate of interpersonal VRPI was estimated at 3.04 per 1000 population (95 CI: 2.66-3.42) during a three-month interval in Iran. The incidence was 4.72 per 1000 population (95 CI: 4.01-5.43) for males and 1.78 per 1000 population (95 CI: 1.39-2.17) for females during a three-month interval. The mean (SD) of age of the participants with and without a history of VRPI were 26.5 (7.21) and 33.05 (12.05) years, respectively (P = 0.008). Considering the participants� gender, 66.7 were males (OR = 2.66, 95 CI: 1.14-6.23). Khuzestan Province had the most VRPIs (25 of all VRPIs). Streets and roads were the places with the highest frequency of injury (50). The most frequent injured organ was the upper limb (54.17). The most prevalent type of injury was a superficial wound (50). Finally, the most common place of treatment was home (45.83). Conclusions: We determined the incidence rate of self-reported interpersonal VRPI for the first time in Iran based on a national survey. The injuries were more common among young men. We suggest consecutive national surveys with different data gathering methods and more sample sizes. © 2015, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Non-relativistic CFT and Semi-classical Strings

We study different features of 3D non-relativistic CFT using gravity description. As the corresponding gravity solution can be embedded into the type IIB string theory, we study semi-classical closed/open strings in this background. In particular we consider folded rotating and circular pulsating closed strings where we find the anomalous dimension of the dual operators as a function of their quantum numbers. We also consider moving open strings in this background which can be used to compute the drag force. In particular we find that for slowly moving particles, the energy is lost exponentially and the characteristic time is given in terms of the temperature, while for fast moving particles the energy loss goes as inverse of the time and the characteristic time is independent of the temperature.Comment: 20 pages, Latex file; V2: typos corrected, ref. adde

Major anxiety disorders in Iran: Prevalence, sociodemographic correlates and service utilization

Background: It has been shown in the past two decades that anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in general population across the world. This study sought to assess the prevalence of major anxiety disorders, their sociodemographic correlates and mental health service utilization as part of the Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS). Methods: A national household face-to-face survey was carried out on a representative sample of Iranian adults from January to June 2011 using Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1). A total of 7886 subjects between 15 and 64years who can understand Persian language were included. The 12-month prevalence of anxiety disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), their socio-demographic correlates, health service use and days out of role were measured in this study. Results: The 12-month prevalence of anxiety disorders (not including specific phobias) was 15.6. The prevalence was 12.0 in males and 19.4 in females. The three most prevalent anxiety disorders were generalized anxiety disorder (5.2), obsessive-compulsive disorder (5.1) and social phobia (3.2), respectively. Factors found to be significantly associated with anxiety disorders were: female gender (OR=1.16, 95 CI: 1.09-1.23), middle (OR=1.23, 95CI: 1.01-1.50) or low (OR=1.66, 95CI: 1.31-2.10) socioeconomic status, unemployment (OR=1.98, 95CI: 1.49-2.62), and urban residence (OR=1.31, 95CI: 1.10-1.57). Comorbidity with non-anxiety disorders significantly increased service utilization. In all subgroups, service utilization was higher among females while the number of days out of role was higher among males. Conclusions: Anxiety disorders are common conditions with a higher prevalence among the female gender, unemployed individuals, and people with low socioeconomic conditions living in urban areas. Comorbidity of anxiety disorders with other psychological disorders aggravates the disability and significantly increases the number of days out of role. © 2018 The Author(s)

Province-level Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders: Application of small-area methodology to the Iranian Mental Health Survey (IRANMHS)

Objective: National surveys revealed a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iran. Province-level estimates are needed to manage the resources and focus on preventive efforts more efficiently. The objective of this study was to provide province-level estimates of psychiatric disorders. Method: In this study, Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) data (n = 7886) was used to produce province-level prevalence estimates of any psychiatric disorders among 15-64 year old males and females. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed based on structured diagnostic interview of the Persian version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI, version, 2.1). The Hierarchical Bayesian (HB) random effect model was used to calculate the estimates. The mental health status of half of the participants was also measured using a 28-item general health questionnaire (GHQ). Results: A wide variation in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found among 31 provinces of Iran. The direct estimates ranged from 3.6 to 62.6, while the HB estimates ranged from 12.6 to 36.5. The provincial prevalence among men ranged from 11.9 to 34.5, while it ranged from 18.4 to 38.8 among women. The Pearson correlation coefficient between HB estimates and GHQ scores was 0.73. Conclusion: The Bayesian small area estimation provides estimation with improved precision at local levels. Detecting high-priority communities with small-area approach could lead to a better distribution of limited facilities and more effective mental health interventions. © 2019 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Economical study of the grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) culture in the Golestan province

Striped grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) is a marine fish with high commercial value and widespread distribution. The grey mullet and some other mullets can be found in saltwater, brackish and fershwater habitats at tropical, subtropical and also temporal climates.This species is suitable for aquaculture worldwide due to living in wide ranges of water temperatures and salinities, acceptable growth rate, suitable food conversion ratio, marketability, suitable species for polyculture with shrimps, marine fish and even with freshwater carps. The grey mullet is farming in different countries such as Italy, Northern Africa countries ( Egypt), occupied Palestine, India, Pakistan, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, coastal countries of southern pacific ocean and Hawaii. Ten thousands of fries of this species (average weight and length of 280 mg and 28.3 mm respectively) imported in March 2008 from Egypt. The wild fries colleted from surrounding natural waters of Alexandria. After finishing the quarantine steps, they stocked in four earthern ponds (each with 2500 m2) located at the Gomishan shrimp educational centre at late march in 2008. At the first year of culture the densities were 5000 and 10000 individuals per hectar and each treatment with two replicates. At second years densities changed with 2000 and 2500 ind./hec. and each of traetments divided fishes with average primary weights of 80 and 115 grames. The fries and fish feeding begins in April when the water temperature rise above 18 °C and it cut in fall when the temperature goes under 20°C. They fed twice a day at 8 AM and 2 PM and the amount was 5-7 percents of the fish existent biomass in each ponds. They fed with dry formulated feed made of Mahdaneh Karadj Company (Danso dry feed) both the first and second years of farming. The feed prepared for carps feeding and containded 23±2% crude protein, 10±2% crude lipid, about 7% crude fiber, 15 % ash, 40±2% carbohydrates and with energy content of 4000±200 kcal/kg. After seven months culture period the average weight and length of fish in treatment 5000 ind/hec. were 113.7gr and 21.1cm respectively and in treatment 10000 ind./hec. the average weight and length were 86.6 gr and 19.6 cm respectively. At first year the average survival rate in different treatments was 77 percent. The average FCR in treatments 5000 and 10000 ind./hec. were 3.4 and 3.9 respectively. At second years after six months culture the average weights in pond no. 9 (with primary weight 115 gr and density 2000 ind./hec), pond no. 10 (with primary weight 80 gr and density 2000 ind./hec), pond no. 11 (with primary weight 115 gr and density 2500 ind./hec) and pond no. 12 (with primary weight 80 gr and density 2500 ind./hec) calculated as 476.6, 338.1, 366.5 and 440 gr respectively. The average survival rate and FCR were 93 % and 3.1 respectively. Ponds no. 9 and 11 (fish stocked with primary weight 115 gr in densities both 2000 and 2500 ind./hec) selected as the best economic efficient treatments