Carbon-cryogel hierarchical composites as effective and scalable filters for removal of trace organic pollutants from water

Effective technologies are required to remove organic micropollutants from large fluid volumes to overcome present and future challenges in water and effluent treatment. A novel hierarchical composite filter material for rapid and effective removal of polar organic contaminants from water was developed. The composite is fabricated from phenolic resin-derived carbon microbeads with controllable porous structure and specific surface area embedded in a monolithic, flow permeable, poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel. The bead-embedded monolithic composite filter retains the bulk of the high adsorptive capacity of the carbon microbeads while improving pore diffusion rates of organic pollutants. Water spiked with organic contaminants, both at environmentally relevant concentrations and at high levels of contamination, was used to determine the purification limits of the filter. Flow through tests using water spiked with the pesticides atrazine (32 mg/L) and malathion (16 mg/L) indicated maximum adsorptive capacities of 641 and 591 mg pollutant/g carbon, respectively. Over 400 bed volumes of water contaminated with 32 mg atrazine/L, and over 27,400 bed volumes of water contaminated with 2 μg atrazine/L, were treated before pesticide guideline values of 0.1 μg/L were exceeded. High adsorptive capacity was maintained when using water with high total organic carbon (TOC) levels and high salinity. The toxicity of water filtrates was tested in vitro with human epithelial cells with no evidence of cytotoxicity after initial washing

The survey statistical and biological of sturgeon in the southern Caspian Sea (Mazandaran waters)

This study have been conducted entitle biological and statistical sturgeon in the southern Caspian Sea (Mazandaran waters)” from 2009 to 2013. Sampling was manthly. Overal, 1859 specimens of different species of sturgeon was caught including Acipenserpersicus (69%), A. stellatus (19%), Husohuso (6%), A. nudiventris (4%) and A. guldenstaedtii (2%). Totally, the meat and caviar of five species were found 53263.6 kg and 5633 kg respectively and caviar to meat ratio was 10.6%. The results show that ration of meat and caviar whole species reduced from 2009 to 2012 in which the meat and caviar of A. persicus was declined from 12146 to 4465 kg in meat and caviar from 1358 to 487 kg were extremely reduced respectively. The CPUE (catch per unit effort) of sturgeon has fluctuated from 2009 to 2012. Totally, the CPUE of A. persicus was decreased from 0.150 (2009) to 0.130 (2012) kg boat per day, A. stellatue from 0.009 (2009) to 0.021 (2012) kg boat/day, A. guldenstaedtii from 0.002 (2009) to 0.003 (2012) kg boat/day, A. nudiventris from 0.027 (2009) to 0.001 (2012) kg boat/day and H. huso from 0.123 (2009) to 0.018 (2012) kg boat /day. 1061 specimens of fish has been caviar including A. persicus with 69%, A. stellatus (18.1%), H. huso (5.5%), A. guldenstaedtii (2.7%). The frequency of caviar categorize was included 1 , 2, 3 and massive with 49.6%, 38%), 10.6% and 1.9%, respectively. The highest of meat and caviar belong to A. persicus with 31414 kg and 3515.7 kg, respectively were found and the lowest was 841kg and 105.9 kg pertain to A. guldenstaedtii. The results show that 65.9% of sturgeon was caught by legal catch (landing) and 34.1% by beach seine remained. 391 individuals was age determined that the minimum and maximum age was 9 and 41 year comprised to H.huso and A. stellatus, respectively. A. persicus and A. stellatus were majority caught compare to other species. A. persicus has the highest frequency in 14-15 year age groups with 50% and 57% in 2009 and 2011, respectively and 15-16 year age group with 41% and 56% in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The results show that mean of fork length, body weight, caviar weight of A. persicus was declined because the FL and weight average (±SD) obtained from 152.4±16.7cm and 25.8±9.2 kg in 2009 to 146.5± 18.7cm and 22.1±9.2kg in 2012, respectively. In contrast, the average (±SD) FL and weight of H. huso was increased from 218.8±41.1cm and 137.3±96.6kg in 2009 to 231.3±45.2cm in FL and 146.2±78.5kg body weight in 2012, respectively. Consequently, the results show that stocks of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea has a trend declined because of some species in IUCN categorize list was Endangered in 2006 but at this moment lie in Critically Endangered list of IUCN categorize were down which could be a serious alarm for the valuable sturgeon fish in the Caspian Sea. Therefore, recommendation that trade catch of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea must be forbidden and continue legal catch for spawner fish that needede to artificial propagation only

Control of supercritical organic Rankine cycle based waste heat recovery system using conventional and fuzzy self-tuned PID controllers

This research develops a supercritical organic Rankine cycle (ORC) based waste heat recovery (WHR) system for control system simulation. In supercritical ORC-WHR systems, the evaporator is a main contributor to the thermal inertia of the system, which is greatly affected by transient heat sources during operation. In order to capture the thermal inertia of the system and reduce the computation time in the simulation process, a fuzzy-based dynamic evaporator model was developed and integrated with other component models to provide a complete dynamic ORC-WHR model. This paper presents two control strategies for the ORC-WHR system: evaporator temperature control and expander output control, and two control algorithms: a conventional PID controller and a fuzzy-based self-tuning PID controller. The performances of the proposed controllers are tested for set point tracking and disturbance rejection ability in the presence of steady and transient thermal input conditions. The robustness of the proposed controllers is investigated with respect to various operating conditions. The results show that the fuzzy self-tuning PID controller outperformed the conventional PID controller in terms of set point tracking and disturbance rejection ability at all conditions encountered in the paper

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Disorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021. Methods We estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined. Findings Globally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer. Interpretation As the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Study on Probable Natural Reproduction in Sturgeon of the South Caspian Sea in the Sefidrud River

Sturgeon are considered one of the most valuable fishes of the world that migrate to the rivers leading to the Caspian Sea, including the Sefirud River, to spawn. In the post this river was known as the reservoir for millioms of sturgeon larvae, but at present due to illegal fishing in the river and the construction of the Tarik Dam, Manjil Dam and the Sangar Dam in the migratory raoute of these fishes and so also the decrease in the water flow of this river, it is lossing its popularity. In order to study the natural reproduction of sturgeon in the river, an attempt to find larvae of different species of sturgeon was made from 19 May, 1996 to 13 June 1996. Six sampling stations were located from the begining of the Sangar Dam as far as the sea shore (about 40 Km) for this purpose. Different methods of catch were employed including beach seine nets (mesh size 1, 4 and 8mm). “CALO” a local fishing effort (mesh size 4mm) and conical nets (mesh size 1 and 4 mm). On the whole out of 268 times that nets were cast, 1853200 Km of the study area was survey and totally 514500 fishes belonging to the fallowing species were caught. Liza aura tus, Chalcalburnus chalcoides, Varicorhinus capoeta, Cobitis sp. Esox lucius, Silurus glanis, Abramis baranta, Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio, Tinca tinca, Stizostedion lucioperca , Alosa caspia , Syngnathus nigrolineatus, Barbus sp. , Anthemia boyeri, Pungitius platygaster and Gobius sp. No larvae of sturgeons were observed during this study. Although 218 brood fishes were caught in the Sefirud River in 1996, due to fishing pressure, illegal fishing, deterioration of spawning grounds and restrictions in the migratory route resulting from the construction of dams, no signs of natural reproduction were observed in the Sefirud River. Therefore it can be concluded that even if natural reproduction did take place in the Sefidrud River, the incidences were very low

Releasing of Sturgeon Fingerlings from Shahid Beheshti rearing and propagation center and Yousefpour Hatchery in 1999

During 1999, Shahid Beheshti & Yousefpour hatcheries were released 6499769 fingerlings produced by 225 female spawners from 1999.5.28 to 1999.7.26. Totally 2458667 fingerlings released from Shahid Beheshti hatchery which consisted of 2360490 specimen of Acipenser persicus (96% frequency) with mean weight of 1.8 g and 7.6 cm length, 86177 specimen of Acipenser stellatus (3.5% frequency) with mean weight of 3.9 g and 11.2 cm length, 1200 specimen of Acipenser nudiventris (0.5% frequency) with mean weight of 3.6 g and 8.7cm length. Out of the total numbers of fingerlings released 82.4% of A. persicus, 45% of A. stellatus & 25% of A. nudiventris fingerlings were below 3g. The survival rate of A. persicus & A. stellatus were 33.7% and 32.0%, respectively. The result of study on growth coefficient and condition factor showed these fingerlings had low growth coefficient (4.89) and mean condition factor (04). In Yousefpour hatchery 4020002 sturgeon fingerlings were released consist of 3968262 specimen of A. persicus (99.4% frequency) with mean weight of 3.1 g and 8.9cm length, 51740 specimen of A. stellatus (0.6% frequency) with mean weight of 0.9g & 6.3cm length. Out of total number of released 61.7% of A. persicus and 100% Of A. stellatus were below 3g. The total Survival rate of A. persicus & A. Stellatus fingerlings were 46.3 and 28.4%, respectively. The experiments Showed that the growth coefficient and condition factor were low, 3.64 and 0.37, respectively. The results of comparing the mean quality of A. persicus between Shahid beheshti & Yousefpour (P<0.05) showed that there is a significant difference among length, weight, condition factor & growthcoefficient of these 2 hatcheries in a way that the fingerlings released from Yousefpour rearing and propagation center had better condition in terms of length and weight but, their growth coefficient and Condition factor were lower than A. persicus fingerlings in Shahid Beheshti hatchery