Removal of Pb (II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Cladophora rivularis (Linnaeus) Hoek

Biosorption of Pb(II) using Cladophora rivularis was examined as a function of initial pH heavy metal concentration and temperature. The optimum pH value for the biosorption of lead was 4.0. The adsorption equilibriums were well described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and it was implied by the results that the C. rivularis biomass is suitable for the development of efficient biosorbent in order to remove Pb(II) from wastewater and to recover it. The high values of correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.984) demonstrate equilibrium data concerning algal biomass, which is well fitted in Freundlich isotherms model equations. The dimensionless parameter RL is found in the range of 0.0639 to 0.1925 (0 < RL < 1), which confirms the favorable biosorption process. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy of C. rivularis was used to reveal the main function groups of biosorption, which were hydroxyl, amine groups, C–H stretching vibrations of –CH3 and –CH2, and complexation with functional groups. All these results suggest that C. rivularis can be used effectively for removal of Pb(II)

Ecological investigation of zooplankton abundance in the river Haraz, northeast Iran: Impact of environmental variables

The influence of physicochemical properties of Haraz river on its zooplankton composition and abundance were investigated at three sites for one year between August 2009 and July 2010. The present study records for the first time the aspects of zooplankton diversity and composition in relation to the physicochemical environment of the Haraz river. Only three groups of zooplankton were found: Rotifera with eighteen genera; Cladocera with nine and Copepoda with six genera. Rotifera was the predominant group (64.89%), followed by Cladocera (19.62%) and Copepoda (15.32%). Upstream, the abundance was 805 individuals/m3, while it varied from 922 to 1126 ind/m3 downstream. Alkaline pH and nutrients were the main environmental factors which affected zooplankton abundance in the river. Site variation in dominance, diversity, evenness and richness were calculated. The study revealed that the presence of certain species, such as Lepadella sp., Mesocyclops sp., Polyarthra sp. and Brachionus sp. is considered to be a biological indicator for eutrophication. The calculated Jack1 values of sites 1 to 3 were 7.624, 16.426 and 19.221, respectively. The Shannon-Wiever species diversity index (H’) values were also different for all the three sites viz., site 1 (1.992), site 2 (1.21) and site 3 (2.48). Simpson’s dominance index (H) value was highest at site 1 (0.692), indicating maximum dominance, whereas at site 3 dominance was the lowest (0.227) and diversity was the highest. Overall, our results showed that changes in the water quality of the river Haraz have considerable effects on the composition of zooplankton assemblages that can potentially affect the functioning of these ecosystems

The Essential Infrastructure Preparation Assessment For Establishing An Electronic Stock Exchange In Iran

Establishing an electronic stock exchange market can be a perfect example of new technologies and IT utilization in the stock market in Iran and thus it can pave the way and provide the opportunity for all walks of life to invest in the stock exchange market. The essential infrastructures&rsquo; preparation assessment for opening the electronic stock exchange in Iran helps us identify the essential infrastructures&rsquo; present status, specify the probable problems and challenges and prepare the grounds for its establishment. In this study at first, some information about electronic stock exchange marketing is presented, and then the preparation for the most important infrastructures is evaluated and finally the preparation ranking of each of these infrastructures&rsquo; components is discussed. The questionnaire of the research is of self administered questionnaire type with a reliability of 0.89 and a formal validity which was validated by professors and experts. In order to evaluate each of the hypothesis, the One - Sample T Test and for ranking the components, the Friedman test was used and it was revealed that the financial and banking (electronic banking), technical and security infrastructures were potential for setting up an electronic stock exchange market. In contrast, the telecommunication and connectivity, cultural, legal and civil infrastructures did not have such a potential. After all, the conclusion was drawn that the essential infrastructures are not present for setting up an electronic stock exchange market in Iran

TV Rituals and "Religious Grief" Representation; a Pathological Study of Occasional Events on Iranian TV in Muharram

A variety of occasional programs comprise a good portion of the post-revolutionary Iranian television production. Actually, a transformative feature of the Iranian national television and radio has been attending to a convergence of the society's cultural, historical and religious dimensions. One branch of this has been the gradual production of calendar-based programs, i.e. those which relate to different occasions. A unique coexistence of both the lunar and solar calendars next to Shia's high potential in this regard have shaped the foundations of the Iranian official chart of events.These programs, however, have been branded as uninvited guests due to their overall low quality and monotony, especially during Muharram ceremony. Some exceptional productions such as The Tenth Night, and Mukhtarnameh, have provided tinges of hope, but the point is that these occasional programs have not been accorded sufficient attention in research. The present article intends to fill this gap by providing a serious study of these programs and focusing on the ones shown in channel 1 in Muharram 1433 L.H. (1393 S. H.).The survey period consists of ten days prior to the start of the mourning month till five days after Ashura (25 days altogether). The research basis is the ritual communication backed by a demographic approach, followed by recording and analyzing the religious grief feature with "constant comparison of the data" method as related to the Iranian TV ritual input and output. Among quality methods, demography is the one which contains enough flexibility for recording the visual hypertext transformations within 25 days of broadcasting programs by a TV channel. To do this, by watching and reviewing the daily programs of channel 1, the gradual changes in the setting and signs of each were described and recorded separately. This resulted in almost 200 pages of described data. The data were then processed in several phases according to category system and by using constant comparative technique, and finally the TV ritualization of grief was classified under metaphorical titles. The TV grief indexes as represented by channel 1 in the above-mentioned period are as follows: maximum pretense of grieving, weeping to a minimum, funereal grief, distinction between codes of passion and awareness, imposing start and unimpressive ending, solo grieving in the studio corner as opposed to community grieving in public, attending to mourning ritual more than mourning per se, historical representation from traditional media

Potent Anti-Cancer Effects of Less Polar Curcumin Analogues on Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Curcumin and its chalcone derivatives inhibit the growth of human cancer cells. It is reported that replacement of two OH groups in curcumin with less polar groups like methoxy increases its anti-proliferative activity. In this study, we explored benzylidine cyclohexanone derivatives with non-polar groups, to see if they possess increased anti-cancer activity. Novel 2,6-bis benzylidine cyclohexanone analogues of curcumin were synthesized, and their inhibitory effects on gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (KYSE30) cancer cells were studied using an MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by EB/AO staining, and cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Real-time PCR was performed for gene expression analysis. All synthesized analogues were cytotoxic toward gastric and esophageal cancer cells and showed lower IC50 values than curcumin. Treatment with 2,6-Bis-(3-methoxy-4-propoxy-benzylidene)-cyclohexanone (BM2) was 17 times more toxic than curcumin after 48 h incubation. All novel compounds were more effective than curcumin in apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. These results suggest that less polar analogues of curcumin have potent cytotoxicity in vitro. However, they need to be investigated further, especially with animal tumor models, to confirm their chemotherapeutic activity in vivo

Re-evaluating experimental validation in the Big Data Era : a conceptual argument

Non peer reviewe

Prolonged fever in a case of end stage renal disease with remained guidewire

Central venous catheters,introduced for short-term dialysis,but occationally used as permanent vascular access in patient without alternative option. Hemodialysis(HD) patients presenting with fever have high rates of bacteremia,specially in patients with dialysis catheters and those with a history of bacteremia. [1]Herein,we report a case of&nbsp; end stage renal disease with catheter infection complicated with endocarditi

The Role of Talin2 in Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis and Metastasis

Recent studies show that talin2 has a higher affinity to β-integrin tails and is indispensable for traction force generation and cell invasion. However, its roles in cell migration, cancer cell metastasis and tumorigenesis remain to be determined. Here, we used MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells as a model to define the roles of talin2 in cell migration, invasion, metastasis and tumorigenesis. We show here that talin2 knockdown (KD) inhibited cell migration and focal adhesion dynamics, a key step in cell migration, and that talin2 knockout (KO) inhibited cell invasion and traction force generation, the latter is crucial for cell invasion. Re-expression of talin2WT in talin2-KO cells restored traction force generation and cell invasion, but that of talin2S339C, a β-integrin-binding deficient mutant, did not. Moreover, talin2 KO (or KD) suppressed tumorigenesis and metastasis in mouse xenograft models. However, surprisingly, re-expression of talin2WT in talin2-KO cells did not rescue tumorigenesis. Thus, talin2 is required for breast cancer cell migration, invasion, metastasis and tumorigenesis, although exogenous expression of high levels of talin2 could inhibit tumorigenesis

Dietary fatty acid profiling in plant protein‐rich diets affects the reproductive performance, egg fatty acid profile and haematological parameters in female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The influence of dietary fish oil (FO) substitution with blends of vegetal oils (VO: canola, linseed, olive, sunflower, corn and coconut oils) in plant protein‐rich diets on reproductive performance and fatty acid dynamics of embryos was evaluated in female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) brooders (1.8 ± 0.1 kg). Four diets were formulated in which 20% (FO80/VO20), 50% (FO50/VO50), 75% (FO25/VO75) and 100% (VO100) of FO were replaced by mixture of VO. The above‐mentioned diets were administered for a short period prior to spawning (3 months). Fish fed the VO100 had the lowest fertilization rate (81.3 ± 2.3), whereas brooders fed the FO80/VO20 diet had the lowest survival rates at eyed embryo stage (83.7 ± 1.6%) and hatching rate (79.9 ± 3.1%). The fatty acid dynamics of embryos were not only affected by embryonic developmental stages, but also they were influenced by the dietary fatty acid profile. Our study confirmed that using blends of different VO sources and FM residual fat in the FO25/VO75 for the short‐term period prior to spawning seemed to be a good strategy in terms of successful reproduction for sparing high levels of FM and FO in diet of O. mykiss brooders.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio