Quality evaluation and stability index determination of Qom rural drinking water resources

Background and Aims: Corrosion and scaling are among the problems that despite science advancement, water facilities are still faced it. Corrosion lead to financial and health losses on water supply system and consumer, scaling also causes clogging and head loss in water supply network. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the corrosion and scaling potential of Qom villages water supply sources.Materials and Methods: In cross-sectional study 100 samples in 12 months from 2011 to 2012 were collected to verify the water quality according to 1053 standard of Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI). Then water corrosion and scaling were studied using Langelier, Ryznar, Aggressive and Puckorius indexes.Results: The results showed that the Langelier index, Reynar index, aggressive or corrosion index and index Puckorius were -1.62 (±0.11), 10.5 (±0.17), 12.03 (±0.14) and 9.92 (±0.13) respectively. Physical and chemical parameters of the water showed that the mean pH, TDS, total hardness, turbidity, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, sodium, ammonia, phosphate, and chloride were 7.27, 1205.29 mg/L, 435.661 mg/L CaCO3, 0.747 NTU, 132.29 mg/L, 25.58 mg/L, 0.68 mg/L, 245.50 mg/L, 0.015 mg/L, 0.17 mg/L and 231.22 mg/L respectively.Conclusion: The amounts of color, TDS, turbidity, pH, calcium, magnesium, fluoride and ammonia in the study areas are in satisfactory and acceptable status compared to the internal standard but the amount of phosphate, hardness and chloride in this area were exceeded from permissible limit. Comparison of four stability index also showed that water conditions in all parts of this study are located in corrosive range.Key words: Drinking water, Villages of Qom province, Stability inde

Evaluation of Diethyl phthalate and Diallyl phthalate biodegradation mechanisms in the treatment of synthetic wastewater

Background and Aims: Over the last few years, Phethalic Acid Esters (PAEs) have attracted a widespread attention due to their widespread production and use. These compounds are not only linked to endocrine disruption and cancer but also considered as emerging and hazardous pollutants. Large amounts of PAEs have been detected in industrial wastewaters. Given the widespread use of biological processes in industrialwastewater treatment, this study aimed to identify biodegradation pathways of PAEs and their potential metabolites.Materials and Methods: Two short-chain esters from phthalic acid esters including diethyl phthalate (DEP) and diallyl phthalate (DAP) were selected in the present study. We used the survey of metabolites in a moving bed biofilm reactor effluent to determine biodegradation pathways of designated esters at hydraulic retention times of 1 to 12 hours. Influent concentration of 100 mg/l was also considered throughout the study.Results: Phthalic acid, mono-methyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate and catechol were identified as the most noteworthy metabolites in biodegradation of both esters. The degradation pathway of both studied compounds was similar and involves either detachment of ester-chain or removal of methyl group, followed by few decomposition steps resulting in the production of benzene ring. The degradation can proceed further with ring cleavage and it ends with 2-hydroxy muconic semi-aldehyde.Conclusion: The main route for removal of studied compounds was de-esterification followed by demethylation. According to identifies degradation pathways and metabolites produced, biodegradation can be considered as a reliable treatment process for industrial wastewaters containing PAEs.Key words: Biodegradation, Phthalic Acid Esters, Synthetic wastewater

بررسي كيفيت و تعيين انديس هاي پايداري منابع آب شرب روستاهاي استان قم

Background and Aims: Corrosion and scaling are among the problems that despite science advancement, water facilities are still faced it. Corrosion lead to financial and health losses on water supply system and consumer, scaling also causes clogging and head loss in water supply network. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the corrosion and scaling potential of Qom villages water supply sources.Materials and Methods: In cross-sectional study 100 samples in 12 months from 2011 to 2012 were collected to verify the water quality according to 1053 standard of Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI). Then water corrosion and scaling were studied using Langelier, Ryznar, Aggressive and Puckorius indexes.Results: The results showed that the Langelier index, Reynar index, aggressive or corrosion index and index Puckorius were -1.62 (±0.11), 10.5 (±0.17), 12.03 (±0.14) and 9.92 (±0.13) respectively. Physical and chemical parameters of the water showed that the mean pH, TDS, total hardness, turbidity, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, sodium, ammonia, phosphate, and chloride were 7.27, 1205.29 mg/L, 435.661 mg/L CaCO3, 0.747 NTU, 132.29 mg/L, 25.58 mg/L, 0.68 mg/L, 245.50 mg/L, 0.015 mg/L, 0.17 mg/L and 231.22 mg/L respectively.Conclusion: The amounts of color, TDS, turbidity, pH, calcium, magnesium, fluoride and ammonia in the study areas are in satisfactory and acceptable status compared to the internal standard but the amount of phosphate, hardness and chloride in this area were exceeded from permissible limit. Comparison of four stability index also showed that water conditions in all parts of this study are located in corrosive range.زمينه و هدف: فرآيند رسوب گذاري و خوردگي از جمله مشکلاتي است که عليرغم پيشرفت علم تاسيسات آبي هنوز با آن مواجههستند. فرآيند خوردگي منجر به خساراتهاي مالي و بهداشتي فراواني براي مصرف کنندگان و سيستم آبرساني مي شود، رسوبگذارينيز سبب مشکلاتي همچون گرفتگي و افت فشار در شبکه آبرساني خواهد شد. لذا هدف از اين مطالعه تعيين پتانسيل خورندگي ورسوبگذاري منابع آب تامين کننده روستاهاي قم و بررسي کيفيت فيزيکي و شيميايي اين منابع مي باشد.مواد و روش ها: در مطالعه توصيفي- مقطعي انجام شده تعداد ۱۰۰ نمونه در مدت ۱۲ ماه طي سال هاي ۹۰ تا ۹۱ به منظور بررسيخصوصيات کيفي آب برداشت و بر اساس استاندارد ۱۰۵۳ موسسه استاندارد و تحقيقات آب ايران مورد آناليز قرار گرفت. سپس بااستفاده از شاخصهاي لانژليه، رايزنر، تهاجمي و پوکوريوس خوردگي و رسوبگذاري آب روستاهاي قم مطالعه شد. نتیجه گیری: میزان رنگ، TDS، کدورت، PH، کلسیم، منیزیوم، فلوراید و آمونیاک در مناطق مورد مطالعه از وضعیت مطلوب و قابل قبولي نسبت به استاندارد هاي داخلي برخوردار مي باشد ولي ميزان فسفات ، سختي و کلرور در اين مناطق بيش از حد مجاز مي باشد.مقايسه ۴ انديس پايداري نيز نشان داد وضعيت آب در بخش هاي مورد مطالعه در محدوده خورنده مي باشد. &nbsp

Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Iran: an exploratory study

BIM has received considerable attention from academics and innovative construction companies in recent years within the Iranian context. However, there is a conspicuous lack of studies, which give a picture of the current state of BIM in Iran. To address this gap in the body of the knowledge, this study intends to present an account on the current state of BIM with a focus on barriers and drivers associated with its adoption in Iran based on the perceptions of Iranian construction practitioners. Drawing upon a questionnaire survey completed by 44 construction practitioners and through deploying data visualization alongside statistical analyses, it came to light that industry practitioners in Iran are inexperienced as to BIM’s use and the level of BIM implementation in the country is at the lowest level of BIM maturity. That is, 29.5% of construction companies are involved in some level of BIM adoption whereas 56.8% have had no exposure to BIM and 36.4% do not even have any plans to adopt BIM in the near future. The findings also showed that the highest ranked barriers to adoption of BIM in Iran are almost entirely associated with the structure of the Iranian market, the nature of the construction industry and the predominant business environment in the country as well as lack of attention by policy makers and the government. On the other hand, major drivers were found to be associated with monetary gains and enhancing competitiveness in the market. The clear message is that widespread adoption of BIM in Iran will not occur in the absence of a supportive regulatory environment and financial assistance by policy makers. The paper contributes to the field by sharing the preliminary findings of the first study conducted on BIM adoption in Iran, which provides a sound basis for further inquiries on the topic

Catalytic decomposition of 2-chlorophenol using an ultrasonicassisted Fe3O4–TiO2@MWCNT system: influence factors, pathway and mechanism study

As a reusable sonocatalyst, magnetically separable Fe3O4–TiO2@MWCNT (FMT) was synthesized by an ultrasound-assisted wet impregnation method and was evaluated in the removal of 2-chlorophenol (2CP). Physical and chemical properties of the catalyst composite materials were investigated by All catalysts were systematically characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and N2-physisorption. The efficiency and kinetics of 2CP removal by FMT-assisted sonocatalysis (FMT-US) was systematically investigated under various operational parameters i.e. pH, FMT and 2CP concentration, temperature and ultrasonic power. The results indicated that 0.4 g L-1 FMT dosage, pH 5, temperature of 35℃ as well as 50 w ultrasound power are the most favorable conditions for the degradation of the 2CP. Furthermore, both of the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals were produced in the reaction, however, superoxide radicals were assumed to be the dominating reactive species for the 2CP degradation, according to the scavenging tests and electron paramagnetic resonance tests. Moreover, the FMT catalyst exhibited a high reusability and stability in the US/FMT system during the five repetitive experiments. The intermediate products were identified by GC–MS, thereby a possible degradation pathway is proposed. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and corresponding total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies were 64.9% and 56.7%, respectively. Finally, toxicity tests showed that the toxicity of the solution increased during the first 5 min and then decreased significantly with the progress of the oxidation. The mechanisms of ultrasound irritation enhanced FMT activation were also proposed

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations. Educational attainment is an important social determinant of maternal, newborn, and child health(1-3). As a tool for promoting gender equity, it has gained increasing traction in popular media, international aid strategies, and global agenda-setting(4-6). The global health agenda is increasingly focused on evidence of precision public health, which illustrates the subnational distribution of disease and illness(7,8); however, an agenda focused on future equity must integrate comparable evidence on the distribution of social determinants of health(9-11). Here we expand on the available precision SDG evidence by estimating the subnational distribution of educational attainment, including the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling, across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017. Previous analyses have focused on geographical disparities in average attainment across Africa or for specific countries, but-to our knowledge-no analysis has examined the subnational proportions of individuals who completed specific levels of education across all low- and middle-income countries(12-14). By geolocating subnational data for more than 184 million person-years across 528 data sources, we precisely identify inequalities across geography as well as within populations.Peer reviewe

Mapping development and health effects of cooking with solid fuels in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-18 : a geospatial modelling study

Background More than 3 billion people do not have access to clean energy and primarily use solid fuels to cook. Use of solid fuels generates household air pollution, which was associated with more than 2 million deaths in 2019. Although local patterns in cooking vary systematically, subnational trends in use of solid fuels have yet to be comprehensively analysed. We estimated the prevalence of solid-fuel use with high spatial resolution to explore subnational inequalities, assess local progress, and assess the effects on health in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) without universal access to clean fuels.Methods We did a geospatial modelling study to map the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking at a 5 km x 5 km resolution in 98 LMICs based on 2.1 million household observations of the primary cooking fuel used from 663 population-based household surveys over the years 2000 to 2018. We use observed temporal patterns to forecast household air pollution in 2030 and to assess the probability of attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target indicator for clean cooking. We aligned our estimates of household air pollution to geospatial estimates of ambient air pollution to establish the risk transition occurring in LMICs. Finally, we quantified the effect of residual primary solid-fuel use for cooking on child health by doing a counterfactual risk assessment to estimate the proportion of deaths from lower respiratory tract infections in children younger than 5 years that could be associated with household air pollution.Findings Although primary reliance on solid-fuel use for cooking has declined globally, it remains widespread. 593 million people live in districts where the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking exceeds 95%. 66% of people in LMICs live in districts that are not on track to meet the SDG target for universal access to clean energy by 2030. Household air pollution continues to be a major contributor to particulate exposure in LMICs, and rising ambient air pollution is undermining potential gains from reductions in the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking in many countries. We estimated that, in 2018, 205000 (95% uncertainty interval 147000-257000) children younger than 5 years died from lower respiratory tract infections that could be attributed to household air pollution.Interpretation Efforts to accelerate the adoption of clean cooking fuels need to be substantially increased and recalibrated to account for subnational inequalities, because there are substantial opportunities to improve air quality and avert child mortality associated with household air pollution. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin