Assessment of Copper Pollution in the Surface Layer of Vineyard Soils in Malayer, Iran

Background and Aims: Soil contamination by copper (Cu) very often occurs in the soil surface layer of vineyard cultivations, due to the heavy use of copper fungicides in order to protect against fungal grape diseases. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate copper concentration in the superficial layer of vineyard cultivation in Malayer, Iran, and also to prepare the pollution map of copper in this region.Materials and Methods: Twenty five surface soil samples (0-20 cm) of Malayer vineyard region were collected and consequently were subjected to Cu concentration assessment. Soil samples were air dried and sieved, and the categorized <0.149 mm fraction was used in subsequent digestion operation. The concentrations of Cu in extracted solutions were determined by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The inverse distanceweighting (IDW) method was used to interpolate copper concentrations in the whole study area owing to the limited amount of data.Results: The low concentrations of copper in the range of 3.95 to 15.09 mg/kg with a mean value of 7.36 mg/kg were noticed in the studied vineyard soils. The total Cu concentrations were generally similar to those reported for natural soils.Conclusion: Observed low concentrations of copper in studied vineyard cultivations and indeed homogeneous distribution of copper in the soil, implies that the copper concentrations were controlled by geological processes. Heterogeneous distribution of Cu in the small part of southern region could be linked with anthropogenic impacts.Key words: Copper, Malayer, Vineyard soil

A multi-objective optimization model for operation of intermittent water distribution networks

Abstract: Intermittent operation of water distribution networks (WDNs) is an undesirable yet inevitable strategy under some circumstances such as droughts, development, electricity blackouts, and water pollution, mostly in developing countries. Intermittent utilization of WDNs poses several disadvantages encompassing water quality degradation, deterioration of the water-distribution system, and extra operational and maintenance costs due to frequently interrupted supply, unfair water distribution among consumers, and reduction of system serviceability. This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization model to address the negative consequences of intermittent water shortages. The model is intended to maximize the quantitative and qualitative reliability and the fairness in water supply, and to minimize the frequency of supply interruption. The developed model also considers pragmatic limitations, water quality, water pressure, and supply reservoir's constraints to plan the operation of intermittent water distribution systems under water shortage. The model's efficiency is tested with a WDN in Iran and compared with a standard operation policy (SOP) for water distribution. According to the evaluated efficiency criteria concerning reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability of water quality and quantity of water supply, the developed model is superior to the SOP rule and improves the performance of the network under intermittent operation. In addition, the results demonstrate there is a tradeoff between the uniformity of water distribution and the frequency of supply interruption that shows operators’ and customers’ conflicting priorities

Intermittent Operation of Water Distribution Networks Considering Equanimity and Justice Principles

Water shortages cause intermittent operation of distribution networks in many developing countries. Under limited economic resources and frequent water shortages, the expansion of water supply for municipal use is slow and sometimes infeasible, hence supply management becomes a viable solution for operating water supply networks. One form of demand management is intermittent supply, wherein some parts of the water supply network are cut off from service during certain times and the entire network is in service at other times. Because intermittent water supply causes consumer dissatisfaction and complicates the operation of water supply networks, it is crucial to consider the principles of equanimity and justice in its implementation. This paper develops an optimization model to find the optimal scheduling of intermittent supply that reaches the maximum number of network nodes with desired pressure under various conditions of water shortage and considering the principles of equanimity and justice in a water distribution network. The network operation optimization problem is solved using the honey bee mating optimization (HBMO) algorithm linked to in a hydraulic simulator. The efficiency of the developed scheduling method is demonstrated by implementing it to two distribution networks considering different scenarios of water shortage

The Frequency of Intraventricular Hemorrhage and its Risk Factors in Premature Neonates in a Hospital’s NICU

Abstract Objective Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is an important cause of mortality and disability in premature neonates. Regarding this, the present study aimed to determine the frequency of IVH and its risk factors in the premature newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)at Fatemieh Hospital in Hamedan, Iran, 2016.  Materials & Methods  This cross-sectional study was conducted on178 neonates with a gestational age of ≤ 32 weeks admitted to Fatemieh Hospital affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran, in 2016. The study population was selected using census method. The newborns were subjected to cranial ultrasound on the seventh day of life. and they were assigned into two case and control groups (namely neonates with IVH and those without IVH, respectively). Intra- ventricular hemorrhage was classified into four grades regarding Papile classification. The patients’ demographic specifications, including 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, type of delivery, birth weight, use of mechanical ventilation, prenatal corticosteroid, gestational age, and some complications (e.g., Pneumothorax), were collected using a checklist. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 Results According to the results, prevalence of IVH in premature infants admitted to NICU was approximately 20 %,  , 61.2% of the neonates were male. The mean gestational age of the participants was 30.39 weeks. The comparison of delivery type between the case and control groups showed no significant difference between them in this regard(P=0.197). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of need for mechanical ventilation (P=0.03), pneumothorax risk of this condition in the preterm neonates is enhanced by some factors, such as low birth weight, 5-minute Apgar score, and gestational age as well as the need for mechanical ventilation. (P=0.001), and 5-minute Apgar scores (P=0.04). Additionally,the incidence of IVH showed a significant relationship with the mean gestational age (P=0.001) and birth weight (P=0.04). Conclusion According to the findings, the premature newborns admitted to the NICU revealed a relatively high prevalence of IVH. The condition is aggravated in preterm neonates by some factors such as low birth weight, 5-minute Apgar score, gestational age, and the need for mechanical ventilation

Long-term full-scale intelligent quotient outcomes following pediatric and childhood epilepsy surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive measures are an important primary outcome of pediatric, adolescents, and childhood epilepsy surgery. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess whether there are long-term alterations (≥ 5 years) in the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) of pediatric patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. METHODS: Electronic databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Scopus) were searched for English articles from inception to October 2022 that examined intelligence outcomes in pediatric epilepsy surgery patients. Inclusion criteria were defined as the patient sample size of ≥ 5, average follow- up of ≥5 years, and surgeries performed on individuals ≤ 18 years old at the time of surgery. Exclusion criteria consisted of palliative surgery, animal studies, and studies not reporting surgical or FSIQ outcomes. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) toolset was used for quality appraisal of the selected articles. A random-effects network meta-analysis was performed to compare FSIQ between surgical patients at baseline and follow-up and Mean Difference (MD) was used to calculate the effect size of each study. Point estimates for effects and 95% confidence intervals for moderation analysis were performed on variables putatively associated with the effect size. RESULTS: 21,408 studies were screened for abstract and title. Of these, 797 fit our inclusion and exclusion criteria and proceeded to full-text screening. Overall, seven studies met our requirements and were selected. Quantitative analysis was performed on these studies (N = 330). The mean long-term difference between pre- and post- operative FSIQ scores across all studies was noted at 3.36 [95% CI: (0.14, 6.57), p = 0.04, I2 = 0%] and heterogeneity was low. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to measure the long-term impacts of FSIQ in pediatric and adolescent epilepsy patients. Our overall results in this meta-analysis indicate that while most studies do not show long-term FSIQ deterioration in pediatric patients who underwent epilepsy surgery, there was an increase of 3.36 FSIQ points, however, the observed changes were not clinically significant. Moreover, at the individual patient level analysis, while most children did not show long-term FSIQ deterioration, few had significant decline. These findings indicate the importance of surgery as a viable option for pediatric patients with medically refractory epilepsy

Investigating the impact of inter organization elements and industry structure on corporate social responsibility in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE)

Corporate social responsibility is a business approach that takes into account ethic, people, community and environment, and is a complete strategy that enables the firm to improve its competitive position. In other word, following the institutional demands leads to social support and survival. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of organization capabilities and industry structure on corporate social responsibility. This research is applied and correlational. Statistical community of the research consists of the listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange. Using systematic delete sampling, 116 firms were chosen and their dates were collected by Rahavad-e-novin software and the financial statement and reports were reviewed, and then relationship was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis. The findings indicate that there are significant association between corporate social responsibility with internal organization elements including profitability and operating capability and industry structure elements including competition rate, industry and industry profitability