Removal of malathion from various waters by advanced oxidation processes

Summary: The degradation of malathion was investigated under various conditions, including ultrasound (US) irradiation, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and the combination of US/UV, UV/ZnO, UV/H2O2, and US/UV/ZnO/H2O2. In addition, the effect of the operational parameters, such as the initial concentration of the catalyst, the initial malathion concentration, the initial salt concentration (NaHCO3 and Na2SO4), and pH, were studied. Analyses were performed by a gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy instrument. The k values were in the following order: US/UV/H2O2/ZnO > US/UV > UV/ZnO > UV/H2O2 > UV > US. ZnO concentration of 100 mg/l, malathion initial concentration of 200 μg/l, H2O2 concentration of 30 mg/l, pH of 9, and irradiation time of 105 min were the optimum conditions for degrading malathion by the US/UV/H2O2/ZnO system. Additionally, the optimized parameters were also tested for the treatment of an actual water sample containing the pesticide. As a result, the efficiency of the US/UV/H2O2/ZnO system was higher in the distilled water sample than in the actual water sample. © 2015, Chemical Society of Pakistan. All rights reserved

Comparison of environmental health indices of private clinics in Chramahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran

A clinic is a site in which patients have high potential risks. Therefore, inspecting the environmental health conditions of clinics is very important for community health and preventing infection. This research was carried to investigate the environmental indices of clinics in Chramahal and Bakhtiari province. A cross sectional study was done in 2013 in 342 clinics using a checklist comprising the following items: Ventilation, heating and light, solid waste management, disinfection equipment, physical space, welfare facilities, environmental sanitation, water and wastewater management, and safety and protection. The checklist consisted of 42 items. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 13. The results showed that the highest mean (0.97±0.86) was observed for physical space and the least mean (0.45±0.12) was observed for disinfection equipment. Results also indicated that that 96.5 of the clinics had ventilation, heating and light, 29.2 had solid waste management, 33.6 had disinfection equipment, 91.2 had physical space, 86.3 had welfare facilities, 26.3 had environmental sanitation, 50.3 had water and wastewater management, and 31.9 had safety and protection schemes. It can be concluded from the results of the present study that the best small province regarding the environmental health criteria in clinics was Boroujen and the worst was Cohrang. The findings could serve as a reference for the design and management of privacy clinic. © 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved

Fluoride content of mineral water and tap water in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran

Poor quality of drinking water in many countries, people have recently changed to bottled water consumption. This study wanted to measure the fluoride (F) concentration of drinking water in comparison with commercial brands of mineral bottled water available in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran. 11 different brands of bottled mineral water and 90 samples of tap water were evaluated for fluoride concentration. The standard SPADNS method was used for analysis of Fluoride in the water (DR/5000s Spectrophotometer). The highest concentration of fluoride in a bottled water brand was found to be 0.41 mg/L. There was a significant difference between the average fluoride value of tap water (municipal) (0.20 ± 0.03 mg/L), tap water (rural) (0.13 ± 0.02 mg/L), and bottled water (0.24 ± 0.02 mg/L) (P < 0.05). The measured fluoride concentrations of bottled water were lower than those displayed on the labels. Results showed that the average fluoride value of both mineral bottled water and tap water samples contain fluoride below the maximum allowable level. © 2014 RASĀYAN. All rights reserved

Bacteriological quality of raw cow milk in Shahrekord, Iran

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of contamination with Escherichia coli, coliforms, and Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk from Shahrekord city, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this study, 300 raw milk samples were collected randomly from five regions, namely northeast, east, southeast, south, and southwest regions of Shahrekord city according to stratified random sampling design. Samples were analyzed for Total plate count (TPC), Staphylococcus aureus, coliform, and E. coli. Results: Out of 300 samples of raw milk, contamination with coliforms, E. coli, and S. aureus was observed in 237 (79), 207 (69) and 125 (41.66) samples, respectively. The highest rate of contamination was in the samples from southwest region with coliforms, E. coli, and S. aureus were present in 30 (100), 29 (96.66), and19 (63.33) samples, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusions: Considering the high rate of raw milk contamination with S. aureus, E. Coli, and coliforms, sanitary practice during collecting, transporting, and storage especially in the summer season is recommended. © The authors

PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF CHLORPYRIFOS IN WATER USING TITANIUM DIOXIDE AND ZINC OXIDE

In the present work, degradation of chlorpyrifos in water was investigated using semiconductor oxide catalysts, i.e. zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The influence of various parameters, such as type of the catalyst, irradiation time, catalyst concentrations, pH, and sodium bicarbonate salt was also studied. Results indicated that the optimal concentration of the catalyst was 0.15 g/L. It was also found that TiO2 is a better catalyst than ZnO under the same photocatalytic reaction conditions. The highest removal efficiency was achieved at pH 9. Results from the present study suggested that the photodegradation efficiency of pesticides increases with the increase of the illumination time. The photodegradation efficiency of chlorpyrifos was found to be 80% and 90% for UV/ZnO and UV/TiO2, respectively. Photodegradation in the presence of sodium bicarbonate was slower in comparison to that without the salt. In addition, the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation in distilled water was higher than in natural water

Coping With Stress in Iranian School-Age Children

Background: Methods learnt by children to cope with stress will be used in their adolescence. Failure to learn adaptive coping strategies causes some mental, physical and behavioral problems which continue until adulthood. Objectives: The current study was conducted to investigate the methods of coping with stress among Iranian school-age children. Patients and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in which a randomly selected sample of 839 students of third to fifth grade of primary school in Tabriz, Iran participated. The data were collected using the Schoolagers` Coping Strategies Inventory questionnaire. SPSS software was employed to analyze the data by percentage, absolute frequency, and linear regression test. Results: All coping methods inserted in the questionnaire were used by students. More than 70% of students mentioned “pray”, “say I’m sorry or tell the truth”, and “try to relax, stay calm” out of 26 cases of coping strategies. According to more than 60% of children, “pray”, “say I’m sorry or tell the truth”, and “draw, write, or read something” were the most useful coping methods and “pick on someone” and “yell or scream” were not mostly used by the children under study. Conclusions: Children use variable methods to cope with their stress. Therefore, parents, health trainers and school authorities should distinguish non-adaptive methods of children and teach them the adaptive coping strategies

Immunokinetic Model for COVID-19 Patients

In this paper, we develop a fractional-order differential model for the dynamics of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 viral load in one host. In the model, a fractional-order derivative is incorporated to represent the effects of temporal long-run memory on immune cells and tissues for any age group of patients. The population of cytotoxic T cells (CD8+), natural killer (NK) cells, and infected viruses is unknown in this model. Some interesting sufficient conditions that ensure the asymptotic stability of the steady states are obtained. This model indicates some complex phenomena in COVID-19 such as "immune exhaustion " and "long COVID. " Sensitivity analysis is also investigated for model parameters to determine the parameters that are effective in disease control and future treatment as well as vaccine design. The model is verified with clinical and experimental data of 5 patients with COVID-19

Atypical pityriasis rosea with unilateral presentation

Pityriasis Rosea (PR) is a common skin disease and characterized by generalized scaly eruptions typically on the trunk and proximal extremities. Atypical presentations of PR are common and can be a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. Here we present a case of a 26-year-old female who presented with a sudden onset of several asymptomatic, erythematous and scaly plaques on her trunk. Plaques sized 0.5-1cm in diameter that were distributed unilaterally (right side) on her chest, back and axilla. Atypical cases of PR are fairly common and less readily recognized. Careful history, clinical evaluation and follow-up are important to avoid misdiagnosis of PR and physicians should be aware of PR variants so that appropriate management and reassurance can be offered. For atypical eruptions without a definite diagnosis, it is safer to consider lesional skin biopsy. © 2016, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved

Determining the best form factor formula for Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations at the age of 18, in Guilan- northern Iran

In order to determine the best form factor formula for Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in Talesh (Western Guilan province-Iran), a number of 110 trees were selected based on their distribution in diameter classes, from 12 to 34 cm (in a two- cm diameter interval). First, several quantitative factors including diameter at breast height, diameter at 0.65 m of height, and diameter at stump were measured using a diameter tape, just before the trees being felled. After cutting the trees, the heights and diameter from breast height up to the height where diameter is 5 cm was measured using a diameter tape in a two meter interval. Finally, diameter at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 meter of the total height was measured respectively. As a consequent, each tree's volume was precisely calculated as the real volume. Next, the real form factor was calculated and its average was statistically compared to the averages of Natural , Artificial , and Hohenadl?s form factors using pair sample T-test. Results showed that there is no significant difference between the averages of real and Hohenadl?s form factors (at = 0.01 level). Furthermore, the averages of real and artificial form factors were not significantly different. Hence, both artificial and Hohenadl?s form factors are capable to replace the real form factor of Loblolly Pine over the study area