Economic Assessment of the Application of Super Conductor Technology to Magnetic Levitation Trains in Oklahoma

Economic

What Determines Firms’ Innovation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

By employing a rich sample of firm-level data in seven Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries from Europe and Central Asia, our paper investigates core as well as some specific determinants of firm innovation. We find that the likelihood of engaging in innovation for a firm increases with its core socio-economic characteristics such as size, age, capacity utilization, domestic competition and foreign ownership. In addition to the estimates of these socio-economic covariates, the ultimate purpose of our study is to obtain more in-depth knowledge about the policy implacable factors for firm innovation that the countries could focus on. These policy-related factors are: (i) access to finance, (ii) human capital, and (iii) foreign trade. In this respect, our study finds that firm’s innovation increases with better financial inclusion, greater human capital and engagement in foreign trade. We argue that these analysis and results, coupled with inclusive and targeted policies, can be used to enrich the process of private sector innovation in the region’s countries

The Relationship between Trust and a Firm’s Access to Financing: Evidence from Transitional Countries

In our study we investigate the association between inter-organizational trust and access to financing for 11,500 firms across transitional countries (including Turkey). The results of our study contribute to the stream of economic development literature in two primary ways. First, we show that the degree of prepayment demanded by private sector firms from their customers tends to be a good measure of (dis)trust in business transactions. In transitional countries, whether or not a private firm demands prepayment for its sales is found to be a strong indicator of (dis)trust for its customers and/or a lack of confidence in the contract enforcement at the country level. Second, and most importantly, our econometric analyses suggest that enterprises in countries with high levels of inter-firm trust are more likely to obtain bank loans and less likely to report access to financing as a major obstacle to their businesses. This result remains robust with the inclusion of many controls and various specification checks as well as econometric adjustments for the potential endogeneity of trust and access to financing

Comparative Investigation of Health Quality of Air in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz Metropolises in 2011-2012

Background and Aims: Air pollution causes wide spectrum acute and chronic effects of health from slight physiological disorders to death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In order to set the control programs, air pollution monitoring and determination of air quality are necessary. The objective of this study was to compare health quality of air in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz cities in 2011- 2012.Materials and Methods: This Study was a descriptive–analytic study. The moment concentrations of Tehran,Isfahan and Shiraz air pollutants were gathered through referring to the environmental protection agency.Then, Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated based on the criteria pollutants’ levels (CO, NO2, SO2, PM10,PM2.5 and O3) for three cities through linear interpolation and was classified into describing classes accordingto tables of National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Data analysis was performed with Excel and SPSS software using One-Way ANOVA test.Results: The results showed that the AQI in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz was higher than Iran’s environmental protection agency standards (AQI>100) in 341, 323 and 85 days, respectively. Furthermore, particulate matter (PM10) has been the critical pollutant in three cities for most days of the year. One-Way ANOVA test between AQI mean of the three cities showed a significant difference.Conclusion: The air quality of the three cities was unhealthy in 2011-2012 and the situation of Tehran andIsfahan air, however, was in the “bad situation”.Key words: Air pollutants, Air quality index, Pollution standard index, Responsible pollutan

A study of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Trace Elements in Ambient air PM2.5 in an Urban Site of Tehran, Iran

The concentrations of thirteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and six trace elements adsorbed to a fine fraction of particulate matter (PM ≤ 2.5 µm) were determined at an urban site in Tehran (Iran) during the spring period in 2013. The average concentration of PM2.5 was 41.19 µg/m3, which was 1.64 and 1.2 times higher than the annual average of WHO guidelines and EPA ambient air quality standards, respectively. The trace elements measured in the PM2.5 samples were Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, As and Zn with the mean concentrations of 38.05, 18.2, 4.24, 4.19, 1.34, and 69:92 ng/m3 respectively. Hg wasnot found in any sample in this study. Results from correlation tests between PM2.5 concentrations and different toxic metals; which were studied in various days of the week, including holidays, 1 day after the holidays, and the other days showed that the variability between groups were significant at the 0.05 level. Exception is Hg and Zn. The mean concentrations of PM2.5 and trace elements in 1 day after the holidays were higher compared other 2 groups. Total PAHs concentrations in PM2.5 were found to be 7.92 ng/m3.The most abundant PAHs found were high molecular weight homologues (4-6 ring PAHs) such as Inp, Bgp, Dba, Bkf and Bbf, which are contributing to constituents of vehicular emissions. In general, high molecular weight PAHs are more correlated than low molecular weight PAHs. Moreover a moderate correlation was observed between total PAH concentration and PM2.5 mass

Catalytic ozonation of azo dye Reactive Red 120 in the presence of MgO nanoparticles

Background and Aims: Dyes are widely used in different industries and consequently are disposed through different industrial effluents into the environment. Chronic and/or acute effects of the chemicals on microorganisms have been documented. Dyes may absorb and reflect the entering sun lights into the water and thereby decrease the algal photosynthesis. The later in turn can affect the food chain seriously. The aim of this study was, therefore, to use MgO nanoparticles as catalyst in heterogenic catalytic ozonation process (COP) for reactive red 120 dye removal (decolorization) from synthetic wastewater.Materials and Methods: MgO nanoparticles were produced by sol-gel method. The influences of several operational parameters including solution pH, reaction time, MgO dosage and initial dye concentration on removal (decolorization) efficiency were evaluated.Results: The optimum pH and MgO dosage for COP were determined as 10 and 3 g/L, respectively. Decolorization of 500 mg/L of dye was almost complete after 12 min under achieved optimum conditions. MgO nanocrystals markedly affected the COP and enhanced the dye removal efficiency by approximately 49% compared with the sole ozonation process.Conclusion: Higher O3 decomposition in presence a small amounts of catalyst and alkaline pH increases the radical production which in turn improves the decolorization efficiency. Increasing the initial concentration of dye deteriorated the removal efficiency; however, this can be compensated by increasing the ozonation rate.Key words: Catalytic Ozonation, MgO Nanoparticles, Reactive Red 120 dye (RR120)

Evaluation of cardiovascular and respiratory mortality attributed to atmospheric SO2 and CO using AirQ model

Background: Air pollutants have multiple adverse effects on human health. In this study, the health effects of exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and SO2 in the air of 6 Iranian metropolises in 2011-2012 were examined. Methods: Raw data was collected from the Iranian Department of Environment and the Iran Meteorological Organization. After validation, the required statistical indices were calculated through programming and modifying temperature and pressure in Excel software. The output of Excel was given to the AirQ model, and the results were presented as the cases of death. Results: The annual mean concentrations of SO2 were 2.45, 1.55, 0.6, 0.55, 1.05, and 3.8 times higher than the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) (20 μg/m3) in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Urmia, respectively. The concentrations of CO did not exceed the standard limit in any of the studied cities. The cumulative numbers of total deaths attributed to SO2 were 744, 122, 132, 44, 37, and 107 in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Urmia, respectively. The highest mortality rate was found in Urmia at 2.9% followed by Tehran at 1.52%; the lowest rate of 0.46% was found in Tabriz. Conclusion: The results show that of the 6 metropolises, the highest CO mortality rate of about 2.15% belonged to Isfahan followed by Arak with about 1.38%, and the lowest rate of 0.68% belonged to Mashhad. Because of the growing trend of air pollution and its mortality rate and adverse effects, practical solutions for the control and reduction of air pollution in Iranian metropolises are necessary

Gender difference in motor impairments induced by chronic administration of vinblastine

Objective(s): Neurotoxicity of anticancer drugs complicates treatment of cancer patients. Vinblastine (VBL) is reported to induce motor and cognitive impairments in patients receiving chronic low-dose regimen. Materials and Methods: The effects of VBL treatment on motor, learning and memory functions of male and female Wistar rats were studied by behavioral related tests. Animals were given chronic intraperitoneal injections of VBL (0.2 mg/kg/week for 5 weeks) from postnatal day 23 to 52. Motor function was evaluated using grasping test and balancing was evaluated by the rotarod. Spatial learning and memory and anxiety-like behavior were determined using Morris water maze (MWM) task and open field test, respectively. Results: Administration of VBL caused severe damage to motor and balance function of male rats in comparison to female rats treated with VBL and rats treated with saline. Memory and locomotion were affected in both male and female rats compared with saline treated rats, while a sex difference was also observed in these parameters; male rats showed more impairment compared with female ones. Both male and female rats showed cognitive impairments in MWM task and no sex differences were observed in these functions. Conclusion: Results revealed that VBL is a potent neurotoxic agent and despite the profound effect of VBL on motor and cognitive functions, it seems that male rats are more susceptible to motor deficits induced by VBL

بررسي مقايسه اي كيفيت بهداشتي هواي كلانشهرهاي تهران، اصفهان و شيراز در سال 1390

Background and Aims: Air pollution causes wide spectrum acute and chronic effects of health from slight physiological disorders to death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In order to set the control programs, air pollution monitoring and determination of air quality are necessary. The objective of this study was to compare health quality of air in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz cities in 2011- 2012.Materials and Methods: This Study was a descriptive–analytic study. The moment concentrations of Tehran,Isfahan and Shiraz air pollutants were gathered through referring to the environmental protection agency.Then, Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated based on the criteria pollutants’ levels (CO, NO2, SO2, PM10,PM2.5 and O3) for three cities through linear interpolation and was classified into describing classes accordingto tables of National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Data analysis was performed with Excel and SPSS software using One-Way ANOVA test.Results: The results showed that the AQI in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz was higher than Iran’s environmental protection agency standards (AQI>100) in 341, 323 and 85 days, respectively. Furthermore, particulate matter (PM10) has been the critical pollutant in three cities for most days of the year. One-Way ANOVA test between AQI mean of the three cities showed a significant difference.Conclusion: The air quality of the three cities was unhealthy in 2011-2012 and the situation of Tehran andIsfahan air, however, was in the “bad situation”.زمينه و هدف: امروزه وضعيت نامطلوب كيفيت هوا در كلانشهرها موجب ايجاد طيف وسيعي از اثرات بهداشتي حاد و مزمن ازاختلالات جزئي فيزيولوژيكي گرفته تا مرگ ناشي از بيماري هاي تنفسي و قلبي عروقي مي شود. بنابراين پايش آلاينده ها و تعيين مستمركيفيت هواي كلانشهرها به منظور تدوين برنامه هاي كنترل آن، ضروري است. لذا هدف اين مطالعه، مقايسه كيفيت بهداشتى هوايشهرهاي تهران، اصفهان و شيراز در سال 1390 مى باشد.مواد و رو شها: اين مطالعه از نوع توصيفي- تحليلى م ىباشد. غلظ تهاي لحظه اي آلايند ههاي هواي شهرهاي تهران، اصفهان و شيراز بامراجعه به سازمان حفاظت محيط زيست بدست آمد. سپس شاخص كيفيت هوا از طريق درون يابى بين غلظت آلاينده ها براي آلاينده های معیار هوای سه شهر و برمبنای جدول استاندارد کیفیت بهداشتی هوا به طبقات توصیف کننده طبقه بندی گردید. نتيجه گيري: كيفيت هواي سه شهر درسال 1390 بهداشتى نبوده و هواي شهرهاي تهران و اصفهان وضعيت نامطلوبترى نسبت به هوايشيراز داشته است