Stabilization of Crude Oil Contaminated Soils with Alkali-Activated Slag

The high exposure of areas in the vicinity of oil plants and refineries to crude oil and oil product contaminations and the problems they cause for the physical expansion of these facilities underscore the importance of stabilization of oil-contaminated soils. Soil stabilization with cost-effective stabilizing agents is widely regarded as a simple and fast way of limiting the impacts of such contaminations. For decades, cement and lime have been the standard binders for soil remediation and stabilization applications, but with the increasing awareness about their environmental impact and the notion of sustainable development in general, there is now a growing interest in the use of cleaner alternatives based on new technologies for this purpose. In recent years, alkali-activated binders have been the subject of much interest because of their high strength and durability and limited environmental impacts. The soil treatment solution investigated in this study is the use of slag, which is a steel production byproduct mostly consisting of calcium and magnesium alumina silicates, in combination with two activators, namely sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. Direct shear tests were performed on the crude oil contaminated soil specimens in order to determine the best alkali-activated designs and the effect of exposure time, slag content, and treatment time on the outcomes. The test results showed that adding 10% slag, 1.15% sodium silicate, and 1.61% sodium hydroxide (all by dry weight of soil) to the crude oil contaminated soil improved its cohesion and friction angle by 70% and 50% respectively

Relationship between chemical composition and standardized ileal digestible amino acid contents of corn grain in broiler chickens

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the chemical composition and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility of corn grain and to use these data to develop prediction equations for estimating total amino acids (TAAs) and standardized ileal digestible amino acids (SIDAAs) for broiler chickens. Four types of corn grains were obtained from different origins (Brazil, Ukraine, Russia, and Iran). Eighty-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were fed a standard diet until day 18, and experimental diets were fed from 19 to 24 D of age. Five dietary treatments consisted of 4 semi-purified diets containing corn from each origin as the only source of amino acid (AA) and a N-free diet for determination of basal endogenous AA losses. Assay diets contained 939 g of test corn/kg. The concentration of crude protein and gross energy ranged from 7.58 to 8.39% (coefficient of variation [CV] = 4.72%) and 4,121 to 4,621 kcal/kg (CV = 5.09%), respectively. There was significant variation among the 4 corn grains in standardized ileal digestibility (SID) for CP, Phe, Leu, Asp, Glu, Ser, Gly, Ala, and Tyr (P ≤ 0.05). The results of linear regression showed that linear prediction equations based on protein content can be used to predict the TAA and SIDAA contents (e.g., TLys = 0.041 × CP, adj R2 = 95.9, standard error of prediction [SEP] = 0.05; SIDLys = 0.0356 × CP, adj R2 = 96, SEP = 0.051). Inclusion of other proximate components of test samples into the regression equation increased the R2 value and decreased the SEP value (e.g., TLys = 0.329 × crude fiber [CF] ‒ 0.209 × Ash, adj R2 = 99.9, SEP = 0.005; SIDLys = ‒1.1591 + 0.836 × CF ‒ 0.055 × Ash, adj R2 = 99.9, SEP = 0.001). The concentration of TAA and SIDAA was highly correlated (adj R2 > 89%) for most AA and showed that the amount of SIDAA could be predicted from its total concentration with a high degree of accuracy (e.g., SIDLys = 0.0023 + 0.861 × TLys, adj R2 = 99.9, SEP = 0.0001). In conclusion, this in vitro assays and equations accurately predicted TAA and SIDAA corn grain samples for broiler chickens and can serve as a reference analysis to develop calibration equations for rapid feed quality evaluation methods such as near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Consumers' attitude toward participation in community-supported aquaculture: a case of Kurdistan province in the west of Iran.

peer reviewedConsidering the increasing importance of sustainable operations in the agricultural sector and the relationship between producers and consumers, the current study was to determine customers' attitudes on participation in community-supported aquaculture programs in Kurdistan province (in the west of Iran). The present study was a survey, non-experimental, applied, and descriptive-correlational research. Using a literature review and field studies, factors affecting consumers' attitudes have been extracted. Then, to determine validity, the questionnaire was given to a panel of subject matter experts. Furthermore, to assess the reliability of the research instrument, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated. The results showed the good validity and reliability of the research tool. Moreover, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the proposed model. The results showed that among the factors affecting the attitude of consumers, the price of aquatic products had the first place, which has been neglected in the previous studies. In this regard, it was suggested that by creating support funds and facilities for the participation of consumers in community-supported aquaculture programs, setting standards for healthy aquatic products, and producing programs related to the introduction of community-supported aquaculture programs on the radio and television, the attitude of the consumers can be improved

Prediction of the total and standardized ileal digestible amino acid contents from the chemical composition of soybean meals of different origin in broilers

The objective of this experiment was to determine total amino acid (TAA) content, standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein, and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility in 9 sources of soybean meal (SBM) of different origin and to subsequently establish equations for predicting the TAA content and concentration of standardized ileal digestible amino acids (SIDAA) based on their protein content and other proximate components. Concentration of SIDAA of the samples was also predicted using TAA values. A total of 160 1-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 10 dietary treatments consisted of 9 semipurified diets containing one SBM (200 g of crude protein/kg) as the only source of dietary amino acid (AA) and one N-free diet to determine endogenous ileal AA flow. The birds were fed with a standard diet from 0 to 18 D of age, and experimental diets were fed from 19 to 24 D of age. The fitness of the models of the study was tested using the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2) value, P-value regression and coefficients, and standard error of prediction (SEP). The coefficient of SID for Lys and Cys among SBM varied from 86.7 to 96.3 and 74.1 to 89.3, respectively, with significant difference (P < 0.05). In equations based on protein content, the adjusted R2 value ranged from 40.7 (Ile) to 99.6 (Met) and 37.2 (Met + Cys) to 99.6 (Met) for TAA content and concentration of SIDAA, respectively. Inclusion of other proximate components of test samples (e.g., crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, ash, gross energy, and so on) into the regression equation increased the adjusted R2 value and decreased the SEP. The results of linear regression revealed that it is possible to satisfactorily estimate the TAA content and concentration of SIDAA of SBM through its protein content and other proximate components, but the prediction equations based on other proximate components were more accurate in terms of reflecting the measured results; however, additional time and costs were associated with this approach. It is also possible to estimate the concentration of SIDAA through TAA values with reasonable accuracy and lower SEP.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Features of Three- and Four-Part Proximal Humeral Fractures and Outcome of Internal Fixation Using the Philos® Locking Plate

Background: Proximal humeral fractures are among common types of fractures and remain a challenging issue for surgical management. This study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes and complication rates of three- vs. four-part proximal humeral fractures, treated with internal fixation using the Philos® plate.Material and Methods: In this cohort study, a total of 30 consecutive patients with three-part or four-part proximal humeral fractures based on the Neer classification were included. Surgical treatment was performed with open reduction and internal fixation using the Philos® plate. The constant score was evaluated 6 months later in follow-up. The P&lt;0.05 was considered significant.Results: Four-part fractures were mainly caused by trauma from above, while insults of opposite direction were responsible for more than half of 3 part fractures (P=0.01). Open fractures were only observed in patients with a four-part fracture (P=0.018). No significant differences were noticed regarding gender, cause, and side of the fracture.The presence of other fractures, fracture of the implant, reduction loss, avascular necrosis (AVN) of humerus head, rotator cuff injury, and revision surgery were significantly higher in patients with four-part fractures.The mean constant score was 81.40±11.61 and 65.09±16.09 for three-part and four-part fractures, respectively (P=0.006).Conclusion: Open reduction and internal fixation with Philos® plate yield acceptable results in both types of fractures, however, the prognosis of this intervention is poorer four-part fractures

Quality of life in patients with gastric cancer: translation and psychometric evaluation of the Iranian version of EORTC QLQ-STO22

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Disease and treatment related events, can adversely affect the quality of life of patients with cancer. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a gastric cancer specific health related quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-STO22) for Iranian patients suffering from gastric cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the English language version of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 into Persian (Iranian language). Then, the questionnaire and the EORTC core quality of life instrument (QLQ-C30) were administered to a sample of patients with confirmed diagnosis of gastric cancer. All patients filled in questionnaires before and after one month of treatment. Patients were divided into two groups based on intension of treatment (curative vs. palliative). Reliability and validity of the module was tested by internal consistency and known group comparisons, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all, 105 patients were entered into the study. Cronbach's alpha for multi-item scales (to test reliability) ranged from 0.54 to 0.87. The questionnaire discriminated well between clinically distinct subgroups of patients both before and after treatment lending support to its convergent and clinical validity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, the Iranian version of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 demonstrated a good reliability and clinical validity to support its use in combination with core questionnaire in outcome studies of gastric cancer in Iran. However, using the QLQ-STO22 in a wide range of Iranian patients with gastric cancer should allow further confirmation for its psychometric properties.</p

Risk Factors in Various Climates of Wheat Production in Western Iran: Experts’ Opinions

Agriculture is the origin of existence and survival in any society. However, this sector is always associated with risk and uncertainty, and farmers are faced with many challenges. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to explore the (production) risk factors of irrigated wheat production systems among farmers in Kermanshah province, Iran. The exploratory nature of this study on the one hand and the need for expert judgment on the other hand necessitated a Delphi research design. Thus, this study utilized a three-round Delphi technique. The population comprised of 10 subject-matter experts (SME) and 32 agricultural extension experts in two climates (warm and semi-arid and cold and moderate) in seven counties in Kermanshah province. A purposeful (complete) sample of 42 experts in the agricultural field participated in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed on the basis of the Delphi technique. The findings indicated that, after three rounds of Delphi technique, the panel members reached a consensus on 75 factors which were categorized into biological, natural, managerial, and technological-structural groups for production risk. The results of this research provide useful insights for researchers, extension agents, and farmers

Post-vasectomy semen analysis: Optimizing laboratory procedures and test interpretation through a clinical audit and global survey of practices

Purpose: The success of vasectomy is determined by the outcome of a post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA). This article describes a step-by-step procedure to perform PVSA accurately, report data from patients who underwent post vasectomy semen analysis between 2015 and 2021 experience, along with results from an international online survey on clinical practice. Materials and Methods: We present a detailed step-by-step protocol for performing and interpretating PVSA testing, along with recommendations for proficiency testing, competency assessment for performing PVSA, and clinical and laboratory scenarios. Moreover, we conducted an analysis of 1,114 PVSA performed at the Cleveland Clinic’s Andrology Laboratory and an online survey to understand clinician responses to the PVSA results in various countries. Results: Results from our clinical experience showed that 92.1% of patients passed PVSA, with 7.9% being further tested. A total of 78 experts from 19 countries participated in the survey, and the majority reported to use time from vasectomy rather than the number of ejaculations as criterion to request PVSA. A high percentage of responders reported permitting unprotected intercourse only if PVSA samples show azoospermia while, in the presence of few non-motile sperm, the majority of responders suggested using alternative contraception, followed by another PVSA. In the presence of motile sperm, the majority of participants asked for further PVSA testing. Repeat vasectomy was mainly recommended if motile sperm were observed after multiple PVSA’s. A large percentage reported to recommend a second PVSA due to the possibility of legal actions. Conclusions: Our results highlighted varying clinical practices around the globe, with controversy over the significance of non-motile sperm in the PVSA sample. Our data suggest that less stringent AUA guidelines would help improve test compliance. A large longitudinal multi-center study would clarify various doubts related to timing and interpretation of PVSA and would also help us to understand, and perhaps predict, recanalization and the potential for future failure of a vasectomy.American Center for Reproductive Medicin

Investigation on capacitively loaded microstrip line

In this work, a microstrip transmission line with a planar left-handed structure, is investigated. Negative μ is achieved by creating periodic capacitive slots in the conducting strip of line. By using the transmission matrix method for periodic structures, these slots are analyzed. To this end, the unit cell is considered as a combination of two series capacitors and a section of transmission line, and then the transmission matrix of this unit cell is calculated. The dispersion relation verifies the existence of a stop band with a negative magnetic permeability (μ < 0) below the cut-off frequency. The width of stop band can be controlled by changing the structure dimensions