Modeling and Performance of Waste Tires as Media in Fixed Bed Sequence Batch Reactor

Introduction: The modeling aims to simulate or optimize a process in physical, chemical or biological environments and the derived model will provide a considerable assistance to generate data and predict unknown condition, in case of sufficient suitability. Unsuitable disposal and elimination of waste tires have polluted the environment and human life areas, it also have caused removal of a huge amount of recyclable materials and energy. Besides, attached growth biological processes of wastewater treatment are faced with very high costs of the beds used in such methods. Thus, this study targeted at the following topics: reuse of waste tires, reduction of the costs associated with preparation of biological wastewater treatment system beds, and increased productivity of refineries.  Materials and Methods: The current experimental study was conducted in pilot scale, in which ability of Fixed Bed Sequence Batch Reactor (FBSBR) and Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) was evaluated by synthetic wastewater in diverse loadings. Ultimately, the derived data were analyzed using the statistical software packages SPSS and MS Excel. Results: The maximum removal efficiencies of dissolved chemical oxygen demand for FBSBR and SBR reactors were 98.3 % and 97.9 %, respectively. In addition, Stover-Kincannon model provided a very suitable fitness (R2   > 0.99) for loading the bioreactor FBSBR. Conclusion: According to the results, not only waste tires can be reused, but also these wastes can be employed as a proper biological bed in wastewater refineries to improve their efficiency

Groundwater Quality Assessment Based on Geographical Information System and Groundwater Quality Index

Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid part of the world. Accordingly, the management of the water resources in the country is a priority. In this regard, determining the quality and pollution of surface water and groundwater is very important, especially in areas where groundwater resources are used for drinking. Groundwater quality index (GQI) checks the components of the available water with various quality levels. To assess the quality of drinking groundwater of Yazd-Ardakan plain according to GQI in geographical information system (GIS) environment, the electrical conductivity, sodium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, pH, sodium adsorption ratio, bicarbonate, sulfate, potassium, water hardness, and all substances dissolved in the waters of 80 wells were determined. The samples were obtained from Yazd Regional Water Organization from 2005 to 2014. Using this data, the map components were plotted by Kriging geostatistical method. Then, the map of GQI was prepared after normalizing each map component, switching to a rating map, and extracting the weight of each component from the rating map. Based on the GQI index map, the index point which was 87 in 2005 has increased to 81 in 2014. These maps show a decline in groundwater quality from west to the east region. This decline in groundwater quality is due to the existence of Neogene Organizations in the east and geomorphologic unit of the bare epandage pediment in the west. The map removal and single-parameter sensitivity analysis showed that GQI index in Yazd-Ardakan plain is more sensitive to the components of electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total hardness (TH). Therefore, these components should be monitored more carefully and repeatedly

Removal Methods of Antibiotic Compounds from Aqueous Environments– A Review

Introduction: Antibiotics as a type of pharmaceutical compounds are widely used in modern medicine and veterinary industries. They enter the environment in different ways, including agricultural runoff, direct discharge of urban wastewater treatment or human waste, direct disposal of medical, veterinary industrial waste and to name but a few. Antibiotics have been able to influence the microbial population. Their continuous presence in the environment can lead to bacterial resistance and in recent years, the issue has caused serious concerns in the scientific community. Materials and Methods: Unfortunately, in spite of the extensive investigations, there is still a considerable lack of integrated and classified information to assess the environmental risks of antibiotics. Therefore, in the current study, the removal of these compounds from aqueous solutions was studied. This study was carried out on the basis of surveys accomplished in recent decades and also the ones published in databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Elsevier, Scopus, Springer, Magiran and SID using anti-bacterial agents, antibiotic, wastewater and removal methods as the keywords. Results: Advanced treatment processes such as ozonation, advanced oxidation, activated carbon, Nano filtration and reverse osmosis can remove higher levels of antibiotics. Conclusion: Generally, the biological and chemical processes alone are not effective for antibiotics' removal from aquatic environments while combination of advanced oxidation and biological treatment processes can effectively reduce the amount of antibiotic. &nbsp

The effect of social support, diabetes management self-efficacy, and diabetes distress on resilience among patients with type 2 diabetes: a moderated mediation analysis

Abstract Background Diabetes can result in distress. Improving Resilience is important in managing these conditions. It is also important to consider the mediating role of diabetes management self-efficacy (DMSE) between diabetes distress (DD) and Resilience. Likewise, understanding how social support (SS) buffers the impact of diabetes distress on Resilience is equally important. Methods The present study used a cross-sectional design and included 403 participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study was conducted in the south of Iran. The participants were selected through convenience sampling from July 2022 to January 2023. Self-reported questionnaires, namely the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSE), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and Resilience Scale, were used for data collection in the present study. Structural equation modelling was used for moderated mediation analysis. Results The results of the Pearson correlation analysis were indicative of a significant negative correlation (p < 0.01) between diabetes distress and diabetes management self-efficacy (r = − 0.607), social support (r = − 0.417), and Resilience (r = − 0.552). The findings further revealed that diabetes management self-efficacy had fully mediated the correlation between diabetes distress and Resilience. Moreover, the results indicated that social support had a moderating role in the DD-resilience link. Conclusions The present study’s findings offer a new theoretical framework for T2DM that can benefit intervention designers. The results further suggest that promoting diabetes management self-efficacy can be an effective strategy to enhance Resilience and decrease diabetes distress. Also, nurses and other healthcare providers must pay close attention to support resources to improve the patients’ Resilience and evaluate the distress associated with diabetes

Studies on influence of process parameters on simultaneous biodegradation of atrazine and nutrients in aquatic environments by a membrane photobioreactor

International audienceA Lab scale algal-bacterial membrane photobioreactor (MPBR) was designed and operated under 12-h light and 12-h dark conditions with a light intensity of 8000lx, in order to investigate the effects of initial concentrations of atrazine, carbon concentration, and hydraulic retention time on the ability of this photobioreactor in simultaneous removal of atrazine and nutrients in the continuous mode. The removal efficiencies of atrazine (ATZ), chemical oxygen demand (COD), phosphorus (PO43--P) and nitrogen (NOx) in optimum condition was more than 95%, 99%, 98% and 97% when the maximum removal rates were 9.5 × 10-3, 99.231, 11.773 and 7.762mg/L-day, respectively. Results showed that the quality of the effluent was reduced by the increase of atrazine concentration. The outcomes on the hydraulic and toxic shocks indicated that the system has a relatively good resistance to the shocks and can return to the stable conditions. Microalgae showed a great deal of interest and capability in cultivating and attaching to the surface of the membrane and bioreactor, and the total biomass accumulated in the system was greater than 6g/L. The kinetic coefficients of atrazine removal were also studied using various kinetic models. The maximum atrazine removal rate was determined by the modified Stover-Kincannon model. The results approved the ability of the MPBR reactor in wastewater treatment and microalgae cultivation and growth. The decline of atrazine concentration in this system could be attributed to the algal-bacterial symbiosis and co-metabolism process. Accordingly, the MPBR reactor is a practical, simple, economical and therefore suitable process for simultaneous biodegradation of chlorinated organic compounds and nutrients removal from aquatic environments

An Anthropological Study Designed to Understand the Essence of Intention Sharing between Drivers and Passengers

This study focuses on human driving behaviour to identify key non-verbal cues which may inform a passenger of the driver's intentions. An anthropological inquiry, supported by live remote field observations and follow-up interviews, aims to understand a) the nuances and mechanisms, i.e. intention cues, through which human drivers consciously or unconsciously convey their driving intention, b) how passengers recognise and interpret those intention cues, and c) the role that the clarity, ambiguity or absence of these cues may play in passenger comfort or trust. Lastly, this research designs a live remote observation protocol to analyse the exchange of subtle intention cues between driver-passenger pairs during the driving task.</p

Extending a Software-based Model for Professors’ Assessment Using Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach and Group Consensus

Introduction: Evaluation of professors by college students, in addition to describing their functional status, with expressing each strength and drawback could influence their educational performance. The drawbacks in the current assessment method clearly shows the necessity for applying fairer methods. This study aimed to present a new software-based index for assessing university professors and follows with the help of Multi-criteria Decision models. Methods: In this research a quantitative index was developed based on soft computing in which mathematical modeling process was pursued. AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process), Fuzzy OWA (Ordered Weighting Average), and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) comprised the computing engines that have been embedded in a user-friendly software. The extended index was defined in the range of zero to 100 and its performance was examined through an applied study on 39 faculty members of Larestan University of Medical Science. Results: From the viewpoint of Decision-makers the criteria “The power of influence of the tutor in teaching the key points” and “engagement with students fitting with academic environment” received the most and the least importance, respectively. The least important criterion with the consensus degree of 95.41 and the criterion “Presence of the teacher in the given time in class” with the consensus degree of 83.34 showed the closest and the furthest agreement from the stakeholders. According to computed index, merely 2.8 percent of faculty members got values under the average boundary of 50. Conclusion: The proposed index provides an integrated and accurate evaluation of faculty members’ performance by exerting uncertainties which are so present in educational assessments. The methodology could be introduced to Iranian medical universities as a whole in order to improve the educational assessment systems and change them for better

Data on heavy metal concentration in common carp fish consumed in Shiraz, Iran

Food contamination by heavy metals can lead to the accumulation of these elements in the body of consumers and the contraction of diseases. Accordingly, heavy metal concentration in common carp fishes consumed in Shiraz, Iran was determined in the present study. The mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu were 0.23, 0.07, 0.47, and 0.59 mg/kg (dry weight), respectively. The average concentration of heavy metals in the muscle of common carps consumed in Shiraz was less than the permissible standard of the WHO and FAO. The estimated weekly intake (EWI) of the studied metals was below the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). The maximum and minimum relative risk (RR) equaled 48.93 and 0.55% of the total risk for Cd and Zn, respectively